Sunday, 20 August - Maidless!

Our maid took the day off today as the Indonesians are having some event at their embassy to celebrate their national day (which is also the same day as her birthday). Quite an eventless day, except in the evening where we picked up my sister and kids to go to West Coast Park. The kids had lots of fun at with the sand and the various apparatus. Was too busy watching over and guiding Isaac to take pics. Feel like getting the Sony Ericsson K800i so that I can take reasonably good pics whenever and wherever I like. My current phone takes quite crap pictures. So often I miss photo opportunities because the camera's not with me.

Thursday, 17 August - Kakak's Birthday

We forgot about our maid's birthday till the evening itself, so we decided to get a cake at AnchorPoint after dropping off my mum home. And Cheryl was really indiscreet about it... Before we left the house, she exclaimed, "Kakak, you know we are going to go and buy a cake for you now?" With her bionic hearing, she overheard my conversation with TT about buying a cake. Cheryl chose the same blackforest cake she chose for her own birthday celebration at school. And she actually didn't fancy eating the cake itself, unlike Isaac who ate more than his jie jie. The kids just enjoy seeing the candles being lighted up and then blowing off the candles. Isaac has been practising and should be able to blow out his own candles in September!

Tuesday, August 15

My letter got published in TODAY paper. Quite fast response, considering I emailed them only the day before. However, Straits Times emailed me to say they couldn't publish it. Not too surprised, as they receive lots of mail everyday.
Click this link to read the letter.
Not sure if the actual TODAY link is still valid.

Fireworks Saga (in 5 parts)

Part 5 - Saturday, August 12 (Team France)
Today was quite a busy day. In the morning, my sister and I decided that we wanted to go for the Library book sale at the Expo. BIG MISTAKE. As we entered the carpark, we saw the large crowds at the entrance. No way man, I've had enough of mingling with people this past week. Not so hardup about buying cheap books. So immediately I made my way out of the carpark. What a waste of petrol plying up and down the AYE! On the way back we managed to pack duck rice for everyone at home for lunch.

After lunch, the kids wanted to go for a public transport "excursion" according to the itinery planned out by Sean, our neighbour: MRT ride from Queenstown to Outram Park, then switch over to the north-east line down to HabourFront. From there take bus 409 up to Mount Faber. Then take a cable car round trip to Sentosa and back. Sean and his dad, TT and the kids (Cheryl, Isaac, Lauren and Oli) went for the excursion. My sister and I enjoyed some peace and quiet at home for a while....About 2 hours later, I drove up to Mount Faber and picked all of them up to go home! MRT -> Bus -> Cable car -> Car!




After dropping off Sean, his dad and Isaac (who would be taking his nap), we headed to the National Library to drop off the books we borrowed 3 weeks ago. TT then headed off to his badminton game. We milled around the Library for a while before heading to the Jubilee Hall (Raffles Hotel) to watch "The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Stories by Eric Carle" at 4pm. I had booked the tickets quite some time ago through the internet and we got pretty good seats. The kids enjoyed the show where puppets were painted in flourescent and illuminated by ultraviolet lights. I thought the chameleon was really cute and tried to take a short video clip using my camera, but got stopped by the wardens! After the show, TT picked us up and the kids went swimming in the evening. Phew! What a busy day!

I was totally put off by the crowd the day before, so enough of closeup fireworks for me. I was sure I didn't have enough energy nor will power to lug 4 children through the thick crowds. But TT was still very enthusiastic and he decided to go ahead alone while I stayed at home with the kids. The kids watched the fireworks from our home windows. According to TT when he came back, the crowds were worse than the night before and he only managed to take videos from across the road near Fullerton hotel. And his view was slightly blocked by a building. I'm really glad I decided to stay at home. This is the pic of the fireworks TT took.

Rating: 6/10 (4 marks for the faraway, not-so-impressive view of the fireworks, 2 marks for watching the display in the cool and breezy comfort of my bedroom window with Isaac huddling in my arms.)

Part 4 - Friday, August 11 (Team New Caledonia)
Not totally deterred by Tuesday's failure, we decided to have another go at watching the fireworks closeup. This time TT and I set off earlier, around 7.45pm. We took the MRT to Raffles Place, and as we walked towards the merlion park, lots of people and families with children were also moving purposefully in the same direction. It was around 8.30pm, and the merlion park was totally filled up, so we decided to make our way to the Esplanade Drive bridge (see pic). We squeezed our way through till we were midway on the bridge. The whole place was lined with photographers with tripods and other spectators. We found some breathing space there and decided this would be our viewing spot.

This is a pic of TT and Isaac and Merlion at the backbround. We noticed that the protruding part of the Merlion park had been cordoned off for VIPs and probably sponsors. The rest of us "commoners" had to endure the discomfort of people packed like sardines. We had to wait about 20min before the fireworks began. The display was spectacular and impressive and it almost felt worth the discomfort we experienced. Cheryl and Isaac seemed pretty awed and probably slightly frightened by the heart-thumping explosions of the fireworks, and not to mention the immense number of people. After the show, it was another crazy squeeze to make our way out of the bridge to cross the road to Fullerton hotel side. Since Cheryl and Isaac have already experienced the fireworks closeup, it would be unlikely for me to attempt to brave the crowds again anytime soon. Taking the train back was less of a hassle, and we were back home by 10pm and Isaac probably enjoyed the MRT ride home more than the fireworks. I am definitely writing in to the forum about closing the roads during such events.
Rating: 8/10 (Full marks for the fireworks, minus 2 points for the bad crowd experience)

Part 3 - Wednesday, August 9 (National Day)
I can't tell you the exact details, but we managed to catch the fireworks from the balcony of a condo along Meyer Road near East Coast Park. We were at the 25th floor, and the city view as well as the sea view was simply breath-taking! The fireworks display did not disappoint although I fancied the duration was much too short. However, I was still not quite totally appeased by the episode of the previous day. TT took a video of the whole thing, so I don't have any shots of the fireworks.
Rating: 8/10

Part 2 - Tuesday, August 8 (Team Singapore)
The following is a pathetic tale indeed. If you wish to revel in my ill-fortune, read on...

Not content with watching fireworks from our home window, I was determined to bring the kids to watch it from a relative's office at Suntec Tower 3 on the 41st level. But I had a pilates class after work which ends at 7.30pm. TT was playing badminton from 7-9pm. His badminton time is non-negotiable, but I wasn't willing to give up my pilates class either. So after class I rushed home by cab. By the time we (my two kids, maid and myself) set off, it was 8.15pm. Reached Queenstown MRT but just missed the train! Damn, got to wait 7 minutes for the next one! #%@! The train finally came and it wasn't too crowded (yet). Two kind souls offered their seats to us. By the time we alighted at City Hall, the train was packed. Even the train station was brimming with people. Heard over the public announcement: "The station is very crowded. If you are not boarding the trains, please leave the station!" (wah fierce). 8:45 - We made our way to Suntec via the CityLink. Looks like everyone's rushing to see the fireworks too. We had to carry Isaac in his pram when we encountered stairs because the escalators were way too packed. It was a real workout getting from City Hall to Suntec. And totally pram-unfriendly. Time suddenly went twice as fast, the malls appeared much longer, and our strides seemed so small. We could only walk as fast as Cheryl's legs could manage. I had hoped the fireworks display wouldn't start on time, but it did. #%@! We had just reached the convention centre when it began. By the time we reached the foot of Tower 3, they were firing the final blasts. We managed to see some of it through the tall buildings. 9.10pm and it was all over. Hey, wasn't it supposed to be 15 minutes of fireworks, not 10 minutes? Felt so cheated. Went up anyway to the office to catch the view of the city and smoke. Tired. Hungy. Hot. And Fedup. And then later we had to contend with the traffic jam when my sister-in-law drove us back. Cars from the carparks were now trying to get out of the place, and this was like an hour after everything was over. It was Hell! Nightmare!

I knew I should have set off earlier, but I almost made it you know... My kids didn't seem to mind, the journey was quite an adventure in itself. But I can't help feeling upset about the whole episode. On hindsight, I must have been out of my mind to brave the crowds with two kids in tow using public transport... Plain stupid. But at least I tried.
There must be a better way to catch the fireworks...
Rating: 2/10

Part 1 - Saturday, August 5 (Team Italy)
We just watched it from our living room window. We can only view fireworks from the Festival displayed at the Marina Bay. We cannot see the display fired off at the National Stadium as it is being blocked by the opposite HDB blocks. Today's display lasted a good 15 minutes.
Rating: 4/10

Sunday, August 6 - Splash! Glup, Glup, Glup

It's off to our favourite park again, but I'm not sure if it's Cheryl's one anymore...

The highlight of the day: Cheryl's bike fell into the pond! Fortunately she was not on it... Nobody knows how it happened. TT was looking after Isaac on the scooter, and I was taking photos of some flower (yes, again!) Cheryl was pushing her bike and I guess it veered towards the edge and just slipped off. Glup, glup, glup... and the bike was no more. TT claims it's my fault (as always!) Moved by torrents of tears, we went to Toys R' Us later in the evening to get a two-wheel kick scooter for her (supposed to be a Christmas present). Here is Cheryl with her new scooter.

Plastic Supermarket

Trying to get Cheryl off watching too much TV takes quite a bit of effort. We have to take time to do some activities with her. So for the past evenings we've been playing supermarket using all the plastic playfood that she has. After picking our food into a plastic trolley or basket, we have to pay up at the cashier. The cashier has a barcode scanner and even accepts credit cards! After supermarket, we usually go on to play masak-masak, and Cheryl will cook up meals of lunch (rice and dishes) and dinner (western - meat and fries). I'm sure you will be impressed with these pics.

Thursday, July 27 - Black Pepper Crabs

Took leave from work on Thursday, Jul 27, so that we could celebrate Cheryl's actual birthday with her classmates at school. Packed 20 or so goody bags the night before. After my breakfast of chee cheong fun (see Personal Favourites in my previous blog) at Alexandra Village, we picked Cheryl up and went to Tiong Bahru Plaza to get a cake. We wanted to redeem our Bengawan Solo 1st month cake cards given to us by our friends. Cheryl chose a blackforest cake.

After the celebration at school, TT & I had teochew porridge for lunch at a Henderson coffee shop. Wah, the heat was terrible! Then TT dropped me off at IKEA because I wanted to check out sale (nothing much though). In the evening, my sister's kids popped by for a swim while we adults went to have a meal black pepper crabs. It was also to celebrate my birthday which is on July 31. We went to the famous crab place... Eng Seng Restaurant located at the junction of Still Road and Joo Chiat Place. TT went ahead first to get a table and order the food first because we could only reach there at 6.20pm. (Go there early to avoid queueing or waiting. 5pm if you can, or else 5.30 to 6pm). This is our favourite spot for black pepper crab. It didn't disappoint! The other food was so-so. If you intend to try the crabs, please read this other blog for a comprehensive guide on this place (it's written by someone also called Karen also, but it's not me, and I don't know her). And contrary to newspaper reports, the boss who served us was very polite (maybe because we were settling the bill).

Later we had teh tarik at the muslim shop opposite... bleah... quite tasteless...

Personal Favourites
FOOD
Black Pepper Crabs (First Grade Seafood Place at Eng Seng Restaurant)

Sunday, July 23 - The Day After ...

Phew! The party's finally over! I'm quite happy things went according to plan and there was enough food... It's all thanks to me... the best Mummy in the World! a.k.a The Super Anal Organizer Mummy! HaHa...

With the party out of the way, I can now look forward to a relaxing Sunday. While the kids were having their own breakfast and watching PlayHouse Disney with our domestic helper, TT and I sneaked away for a quick breakfast at Alexandra Village food centre. We both had the Depot Road Claypot laksa, which was delicious with all the harmful "harm" (cockles)! Unhealthy and yummy!

Then it was off to Botanic Gardens, our favourite park, with the kids... Weather was pretty good - cloudy and not too sunny. Still, it was hot and humid. We did our favourite activity, which was to feed the fishes and turtles with all the leftover bread "donated" by my sister. Thereafter TT played badminton with Cheryl, while Isaac played with his ball. I took the opportunity to exercise our new Canon IXUS 800is camera, taking macro shots of flowers and insects and also closeup shots of the kids.

Back home in the afternoon, while Isaac was taking a nap, I finally found some time to patch the grouting of our floor, and Cheryl even helped me for a while. But somehow the colour of the grouting appears lighter... I dunno, got a feeling it'll start to disintegrate soon, if Isaac and Cheryl continues scouring the house with the trike and scooter. (Update 1 week later: As expected, grouting has all come off already)

Isaac woke up in the late afternoon, and he had an early dinner of porridge. Then we set off to the National Library to return the books we borrowed three weeks earlier, but decided to have our dinner first instead. We ended up at a restauarant called Mint Cafe, along Seah Street which was situated at the basement of the Mint Museum of Toys. I had mushroom penne in cream sauce while TT had seafood ariabiata, and Cheryl had kid's spaggetti. Food was good (even Cheryl said so), serving staff was very friendly and the place was very cosy, though I don't know how they can survive with so little tables. I figured the place must be pretty new, because Isaac was the first baby to use their brand new Mothercare high chair! The kids had lots of fun at the large cosy lounging area with comfy designer sofas and also clammering up and down the white stairs leading up to the street level. They also provided activity sheets and crayons for the kids (but probably should invest in better crayons).

After dinner we walked back to the Library. We had less than an hour before closing time at 9pm. It was Cheryl's third time there, but Isaac's first, and he loved the open spaces and the children's area. He played hide and seek with the rows of bookshelves and it was really difficult to control his delighted giggles and laughter. On the other hand, Cheryl was the model library goer, reading a Madeline book with Daddy. They had designer plastic chairs (called Troili designed by Eero Aarnio) which TT thought was really ingenious. You can use the chair at 2 heights and also use it as a rocking toy. I wish I had brought my camera to take pictures, but you can see them here anyway. It costs ₤95 each! We borrowed a couple of Madeline, Eric Carle and other books. We couldn't find any Harold and the Purple Crayon books which we had returned earlier (thinking we could find them again later... without paying renewal charges of 50cents... cheapskate right?).

Personal Favourites
FOOD
(All 3 stalls mentioned below are located at the outermost column nearer to DBS Bank at Alexandra Food Centre)
Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa.
Mee Pok (1st corner stall facing Bt Merah Rd). TT likes this stall.
Teng Yu Chee Cheong Fun. I like this stall's handmade chee cheong fun with fillings of prawns or char siew. Sauce and chilli is also unique. May need to wait sometimes because it is made only when ordered.

PLACES TO GO
Botanic Gardens. Shady and cool even on sunny days because of all the big trees in the park. Lots of fishes and turtles to feed. Bring lots of leftover bread. Some people even bring fresh loaves though I think it's rather wasteful. Parking at the visitor centre can be a nightmare.

National Library. I love the open spaces there, though the central borrowing area at B1 is a little crammed when crowded. Children's area is pretty cosy but lack non-fiction & information books compared to say, Queenstown
Library (the other library I frequent). Or maybe I just haven't got time to explore the place, having to keep an eye on Isaac most of the time. I haven't really explored the rest of National Library yet but anything new is nice! Love the clean toilets too!

BOOKS (Children)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson)
Magic Beach (Crockett Johnson)
Madeline Books (Ludwig Bemelmans)
Where are you Going? To See My Friend! (Eric Carle and Kazuo Iwamura)
Draw Me a Star (Eric Carle)