Celebrate: May babies

Decided to write something since Jon has left for work and Kaiden is still snuggling in the blanket. A rainy morning which is so good for sleep in.

This month marks almost the end of the first half year and in my family, there are two May babies. My sister who is now far away in US and my father-in-law. Could not celebrate for my sister, everyone in the family surprised her with a birthday card. Hope the card travels half the world to arrive at her place safely.

So where did we go for FIL’s birthday celebration? Our favorite restaurant, Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel for Dim Sum cum lunch. We were the first to arrive. The kiddos self entertained with games on the phone while waiting. Smartphones have literally took over our lives. They have became our time fillers. These time should be used more wisely right? I have already put on a ban to use ipad or smartphones on weekdays for the children. I am glad they are slowly living without them.

Love my Samsung EX2F. Though it may not take wonderful pictures like Jon’s Canon 7D, it is so fun taking selfie with the movable screen. It was a light-hearted lunch so Jon and I started taking selfies. The kids then wanted to join in. Kaiden is always teased by Jon being an extra cos he is so sticky to me. LOL. Even our newest member of the family, Ning, joined in the fun by photobombing one of the pics. It was hilarious. No pretty selfies in the end but these photos are the reflections of how much fun we had that day.

Random Monday: Thankful and Happy Thoughts

A few months ago, a friend asked why I have not been updating my blog? Kinda of happy cos there is someone who reads it. 🙂 But in true fact, I have not had the time to post any of it even though I have folders of pictures that I have edited and were all ready to post up. I have been kinda of asking, what I have done over almost half a year when my last post was My Obsession with The Heirs in December.

Looking back, son started Primary 1 and girl moved on to Primary 3 this year. With one in the morning and the other in the afternoon session, I was happy that I do not have to put up with their endless squabbles and fights. Oh mine, I was wrong. I am actually busier than expected with the sending, picking and the preparation. I am always the first to wake up and the last to be on bed. I am not complaining but in actual fact, I enjoy every process of it.

I enjoy waking up in the morning, preparing Kaitlyn for school, making sure she gets enough food and take my time to tie the neatest plaits, holding her hands to stroll to school. I enjoy waking the deep asleep Kaiden up, taking time to see his smiles in his sleep, walking the longest walk to school cos he wants to spend a longer time with me. I enjoy having breakfast with hubby in the morning cos he is so busy providing for the family, spending little time at home. Though frustrated that I have to keep on nagging at the children to complete certain tasks and not being able to see hubby almost the whole day, I am still glad I have them with me.

That’s for home. Work wise, setting, vetting and editing of worksheets is a weekly thing. Never ending, never stop. I have to find pockets of time in between to clear my work. Mostly in the morning before Kaiden wakes up or late at night when the children are asleep. I am glad I have a job, providing little help to ease the household. Not only that, I have really nice colleagues who share and help one another. I really enjoy what I am doing now. The only sad thing is I really do not have much time to create more pretty accessories. I miss crafting time.

With this random post, I am going to throwback to my days in December in 2013 when I have my children at home and a break from work when we took a short getaway to Avillion Port Dickson to attend Jon’s cousin wedding. Desperately need some sun, water and sand.

Disneyland Paris cos it’s MM’s Birthday Today!

It is Mickey Mouse’s birthday today thus I decided to dedicate a blog post on my day at Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland while I was in Paris. We did not reach the parks very early. We first lost our way at the train stations, then decided to visit the Premium Outlets for some shopping before dropping by the parks. Though late, we still enjoyed ourselves for the rest of the day.

Even though, my children were not with us on this trip, I still wanted to visit Disneyland. It is one off my bucket list and I am left with the last to visit, Disneyland Florida, for now and another upcoming one in Shanghai (opening in 2015).

We missed most of the shows and parades but it is all right. Pictures taken and place visited. I bought a 2 parks 1 day hopper tickets. So off we go to Disneyland park.

There is always something magical about Disneyland whether is nearer in Hong Kong or further away in Paris. Jonathan said, this is the only place with so many princesses (with the little girls dressed in their favorite princesses costumes). We seemed to be teleported into a fairytale land and for a moment, we were detached from the reality world, away from worries and stress. To children, this is a place where dreams come true and for adults like us, it is a place where we can live our dreams (even for the slightest moment). I love the Small, Small World rides, so vibrant. By placing the different countries’ culture in one place shows that everyone can live in harmony. The exciting and ‘life-threatening’ rides are no longer my cup of tea. Maybe I have grown older and became less brave. So glad that Kaitlyn is not here with us else, we would be forced to ride with her.

Of all the Disneylands that I have gone to, I love Tokyo Disneyland best maybe it bought back the most memories. I enjoyed that most even though I do not understand their language. It was my first time travelling with my first  and last batch of Primary 6 graduands (a graduation cum exchange programme to Japan). I recalled the planning of rides the night before looking at all the excited faces. I took the dangerous and lungs-breaking rides with them while they watched the calm and ‘lame’ (to them) Electric Night parade with me. 🙂 So is there any Disneyland trips that leave you with the deepest memories?

In this post, I hereby once again wish Mickey Mouse a very

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Moulin Rouge at Montmartre, Paris

 

Moulin Rouge, I first heard of in 2001 in the movie cast by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. The touching story is about the love of a poet and a terminally-ill cabaret star of Moulin Rouge. Extravagant costumes displays and lovely use of popular music inter-twined into the story of the movie.

Cabaret is not one if without females dancers, high kicks, flamboyant costumes and some tasteful nudity. We are talking about culture and good behavior. If you think about getting into Moulin Rouge and look at a bunch of females with boobs, 🙂 you are in for the wrong reason. 🙂

Could  not decide on the River Seine cruise or the Moulin Rouge + Feerie show dinner, we booked the tickets only the night before the show. Jon called Moulin Rouge and was glad to secure two seats as I heard of the place being full house all the time, particularly popular with tourists. We decided to have a good dinner followed by the show.

Just ten minutes walk from our hotel, Moulin Rouge is just opposite Blanche metro station. Dinner was to start at 7pm but there was a already a queue forming when we reached at 6.30pm.

Dinner was awesome. Though a three-course dinner (appetizer, main, desserts), it lasted about two hours and was fulfilling. Why so long??? LOL, Food was served in slow pace, giving us a chance to really enjoy the food, soaked in the atmosphere and to have our casual conversations. We were given 2 set menus to choose from and we decided on Belle Epoque, with Sirloin steak as main. Jon had the Lobster thin Pie à la Parisienne, while I had the Duck foie gras with sea salt for appetizer. Waiter said all desserts were good and were Moulin Rouge’s specialties, so we just chose any on the list. In between meals, we sipped champagne while enjoying the live band music on stage before the real show started. The ambience was immaculately chic with lowly-lit red table lamps beside us. The only sad thing was that we were not allowed to take pictures the moment we set foot in the dinner cum show area. There were photographers around to take pictures for a price. 🙂

Show started at 9pm and ended at 11pm. There were two shows. The one that started at 11pm would end at 1am but if you are thinking of having dinner, you can only take the earlier show. The show, “Feerie” was exceptional good. Look at the  picture above with the long queue waiting to enter for second show after the first show ended and you will know. The show featured a troupe of eighty performers dressed in spectacular costumes, a jaw-dropping experience especially for me who likes musical. The frequent changing sets and vibrant use of lightings refreshed my senses with the colorful backdrops. Most amazed me was the gigantic aquarium which rose slowly in middle of the stage and the moving staircases which was lowered towards the end of the show.

I was so glad that I actually chose to experience Paris in such way. I would say not cheap for the dinner + show but for once in a lifetime experience. Worth it!.

Since there were no pictures, I would include a short video clip of what to expect from the show. Enjoy! 🙂

Price: €210.00 per person

which include Belle Epoque dinner + 1/2 bottle champagne and Feerie show

Moulin Rouge

82 Boulevard de Clichy, 75018 Paris, France ‎

+33 1 53 09 82 82

Website: http://www.moulinrouge.fr/?lang=en‎

Montmartre – Bohemia, Cabaret, Modern Art?

Montmartre is an interesting area. I stayed in Pigalle (famous for its nightlife and a red-light district similar to Singapore’s Geylang) which houses rows and rows of night-clubs, bistros and sex stores. Main reason for choosing the area is the convenient of metro to airport, Moulin Rouge (cabaret) which I had wanted to visit since the movie in 2001 and Sacre-Coeur, the majestic church.

Street was pretty quiet in the morning when I strolled along on the first day. Shops were not opened and could only view items from the windows. Streets increased in gradient as I walked towards the highest point where Sacre-Coeur was. The walk reminded me of the days I was in San Francisco. I walked passed Sacre-Coeur but did not go in as I wanted to save the visit with hubby.

Montmartre to me, is an area with many artistic feel. It is a place where many artists, including Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, had studios or worked in. There are many interesting shops selling unique handmade jewelry and quirky items. Pop colours and interesting displays in shopfront attracted my attention. I love the range of blue bracelets displayed in one of the shops. The jewelry designer presented a creative way to create stack without having to put them on one by one. Another shop display was packed with pinks and burgundy to remind me that summer is coming to an end and we should welcome fall. I was intrigued by a shop selling adorable household items which I had seen them for sale in one of the shops in Hong Kong’s Harbour City. All these items can be found along the street of Rue Tardieu.

Walking along Rue de Steinkerque, seems to teleport me back to Bugis Street. The road that leads me to Sacre-Coeur from Anvers metro station, is filled with shops selling Paris souvenir. I love this street. It is filled with tourists and trinkets that can be brought home. Personally, I love the musical box. Usually musical boxes are square but the ones sold here are round and beautifully decorated with significant Paris icons. On the same road, it is a must to visit Maison Georges Larnicol which sells chocolates. Even if you are not a chocolate lover, walk in to view the amazing chocolate artwork of Notre Dame.

Lastly, gonna leave a picture of Chicken Spot. Hubby and I had cravings for fried chicken and apparently, could not find any KFC. We were so glad we found Chicken Spot and went back two days straight for snacks. It was really good.

Love: Spending Quality Time with Son

Recently, I have been getting a lot of complaints about son’s behavior. These complaints came mostly from family members about him misbehaving and at times from his school bus auntie. When told not to do certain things, he will purposely do it. Maybe I should say that he is acting out. I know that something is wrong but is not able to pin-point the cause.

I started to reflect.

What caused the change in his behavior that everyone started to label him as naughty? Usually, I will send Kaiden to school. Especially recently, he has been clinging and whining to me whenever I sent him. Teacher has to pull him away from me or I have to sneak off. It was not longer a breeze sending him to school. 😦 I actually pin-pointed the problem to the school. Last week, I asked the teacher if anything had happened in school and was wondering why such behavior.

Teacher called me that very afternoon, told me that she has spoken to Kaiden, only to say that he did not want to go Speech and Drama. Teacher said he is a polite and well-behaved boy, gets on well with his friends and never gives her problems in class. I was even speculating that he could be bullied by his classmates cos he has been giving his toys away to his friends. I shared with her the different Kaiden at home, the naughty and hyper-active one which is a different person to her. Then she posed the question back to me…. Could it be that something happen at home recently? Or any privileges that were taken away that caused him to act out? I paused and could not answer cos most of the time, he is at my mil’s place. Asked him about things happened in mil place, he just brushed across saying nothing. It then dawned on me that I may not be spending enough time with him. My focus was on Kaitlyn. The whole afternoon, he was at my mil’s place as I used all my afternoons running workshops, creating and vetting worksheets.

No wonder, he wants me by his side on his bed to accompany him every night.

No wonder, he wants me to send him to school every morning.

No wonder, he would always ask if I have workshops, if I could pick him up from Granny’s place earlier.

Teacher told me to have a good chat with him hoping that we could find out the root of the problem and not just label him as naughty. No one likes to be labeled. 😦

Not accepting more workshops, I decided to spend a little more time with him. Working from home so that I could bring him home earlier. Probably to him, his language of love is quality time. 🙂

He enjoys his company with grandfather. Though grandfather spends very little time with him every weekend, he spends quality time. Really enjoying what he does with Kaiden and focusing on doing it only with him. Father would bring out different kinds of exercising gears to workout with him only. So funny when Father took out the dumbbells and followed through with Kaiden. Father was more excited and amazed than Kaiden when he could lift both the dumbbells.

Let’s get ready to exercise!

Tummy Tuck Time

Then swing our arms!

Lift your legs and touch your feet!

Twill our bellies…

and finally march on the spot.

That ends the exercise procedures. Kaiden was proud of himself and decided to show grandfather one last stunt…

Yea!!!!

So come to think of it… throughout the process, I don’t see son not being able to take instructions… or misbehaving. He was just enjoying the fun he had with grandfather. Clearly the time spent was deeply etched in his memory…. So happened when school required him to complete a work, he did this. Pictures of course done by me but is the thought that counts right. 🙂

So ya… A reminder to myself, I should try to listen to him more and spend quality time with him. Focus on him and look at him while talking instead on my phone. *Guilty*

Love: It’s Time for a Date

It has been a while since Jon and I have our night out. Before he flew off for another oversea work, we decided to have a ‘romantic’ dinner. Son protested the moment we told him about our dinner date while sending the children to their granny’s place. Son said he wanted to join us. To him, a romantic dinner includes beautiful candle light, good ambience and soft music. He even asked Jon if he had prepared a ring. Son said at a romantic dinner, the guy will put the ring on the girl’s finger and ask her to marry him. So hilarious when I heard his interpretation of a romantic dinner but I am sure his future girlfriend or wife will be a very fortunate gal.

Hmmm… nope. There is no ring. To Jon and I, a romantic dinner need not include all the above. It is just a time to throw back our worries and truly enjoy each other’s company, with just a simple dinner and holding our hands strolling down the busy Orchard Road. 

We pin-pointed at a location which is Takashimaya and then decided what we wanted to have for dinner. We chose Pique Nique which is situated beside KFC. The burgers and spaghetti  in their menu attracted us (Jon is a spaghetti person). As it was a weekday, the place was not at all crowded. We were led to a sofa seat. Comfortably seated, we had our food and at the same time, chat about our recent lives.  Jon and I have been so tied up with our work that we have not had a real conversation lately. So glad that we actually made time for each other that day.

I like the place. It kinda of gives me that edgy feel with the brick wall paper, wooden table and modern lightings.

The food tasted good, not really fantastic but the good company made up for it. Price was reasonable to us. 🙂

Jon had the Big Breakfast Burger. The share was pretty big. The restaurant was quite accommodating to Jon’s request. He was afraid of the mess that the sunny side could give and the waitress immediately suggested cooked egg. Quite meticulous.

I ordered the White Wine Prawn Aglio Olio as spaghetti is Jon’s favorite with the intention to share with him. I like the taste of the spaghetti though thought of trying the Bacon Carbonara. Maybe the next time I visit the restaurant again. 🙂

Happy Jon and Happy Me with full enjoyment of each other’s company and food.

Was overjoyed when my favorite waffle came. The waitress chose to place the ice cream aside as she said the hot waffle will melt the ice-cream very fast. Love her meticulous. The waffle was drizzled with salted caramel. Been a bit hype over salted caramel lately.

We then decided to finished up the waffle pretty quickly so that we have more time to do some window shopping. Walked quite a bit… from Taka to H&M and back to Wisma then to Ion…. Enjoyed the stroll along Orchard Road on a weekday. 🙂

The day ended with some Royal Pudding from Paris Baguette for the children. Hoping to make up for the romantic dinner that son did not get to go.

Thank you dear for such an enjoyable night. 🙂 I can’t wait for another night out.

Food: Brunch @ Food for Thought

Sunday brunch with family was so wonderful. As Kaitlyn did not have piano that week, we decided to have the whole Sunday to be filled with family fun and good food.

The restaurant was not crowded even though it was a Sunday. I love the gigantic table in the restaurant that was able to house a family of eleven.

Children were really happy when they met each other. Kaiden had his favorite eggs and Kaitlyn, her pancakes. Jon and I shared the Full Works which left no space in our tummies.

There is a playground to entertain the children. So glad that it was not hazy, the children had some time to run around and play with the slides.

Children had a chance to learn things from Granny too. They were staring hard at something…. 🙂

Food For Thought is definitely a place where I would visit again. Love the ambience and space. We had a leisure brunch not worrying about long queues outside the cafe.

For the morning, children and adults both had chance to be with the greenery, away from the high-tech gadgets and bustling city, breathing in fresh air and embracing the wonders of nature at the Botanical Gardens after that.

I love family time… How about you?

Food For Thought

1 Cluny Road,
Tanglin Gate, #B1-00, S259569
F: +65 6479 1080

Opening Hours

Mon  –  Sun
8am to 9pm
(Last orders at 8.30pm)

Let’s Get Arty at Singapore Art Museum!!!

Have you visited the Art Garden? Actually, I was not even aware of a place like this. Kaiden saw the Art Garden exhibition advertisement and kept bugging me to bring him there. So there we were… on the way to the Singapore Art Museum with the three kiddos.

The children were very excited especially Kaiden who has been looking forward to this trip. The moment we reached there, he recognized the gigantic white  bunny lying in front of the museum. So now… let’s embark on our journey in the Art Garden.

The vibrant exhibition room in the first level attracted our attention the moment we registered to venture. The entrance is free to all Singapore Citizen. Kiddos took off their shoes and went on to explore The Enchanted Garden City on their own. Colorful murals on nursery rhymes and some of the famous twisted fairytales that children have read were on all the walls. The colors used were so enticing that children stayed in this room the longest.

A few activities were happening in this room. One of the activities, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, which children drew, colored and designed  their own version of enchanted garden. Crayons and markers were provided for the children. Children gathered around a pond-like table to doodle while parents sat along the murals to watch. Eye power… quite easy. 🙂

The girls were so engrossed in the designing while Kaiden did his too. He drew the rainbow bridge that he saw and ran up and down umpteen times in the room.

The children submitted their artwork and the young helpers in the room scanned and tada…. their artwork was reflected on the screen. They were so elated to be able to see their artwork on display for about ten seconds for phototaking.

The duo, Kaitlyn and Kaiden, went on to complete other activities in the room. They searched for number of frogs that appeared around the room and gathered the titles of the nursery rhymes and famous twisted fairytales.

*By now, my camera just shut off. 😦 The result of not charging before a trip. Picture from here onwards were then taken with my Samsung S3.*

Next, we moved on to Level 2, another exhibition on Around the Day in Eighty Worlds. Transient to another world, the room was tastefully decorated with many beautifully colored and designed hot air balloons by children who had visited the place. As we walked further in, the room transformed into a monochrome of black and white. Children started playing with the games on the wall. Not forgetting looking through the kaleidoscope strategically located at different parts of the room.

Children went on spider hunting with some newly acquainted friends while I decided to do some craft with Karyn. Kaitlyn and Kaiden also donated $2 each to have a kaleidoscope arty pack which was easily created and beautified on the spot.

Karyn decorated the hot air balloon with the colored papers provided. A job well done!Next exhibition was the Stellar Cave II. The display was entirely created with screws and thread. Making use of the UV rays, I was in awe the moment I stepped into the dimly-lit room, a phenomena art piece awaited me.

Children had their fair share of creating similar works with screws and thread. Definitely they need some visualization skills and patience, taking care not to entangle the thread while making sure that each screw is wound with the thread.

Decided to rest our feet and calm the children down, we entered the film screenings room. Karyn was scared for the room was pitch dark and quiet. We watched a short clip for about ten minutes before moving to the next exhibit, Les rêves engloutis – Glossy Dreams in Depths.

This exhibit room showcased arts in 3-dimension. We put on the 3D specs before walking through the aisle. Children then popped by the activity corner again to create masks. Karyn handstamped her masks while the two designed with colors and markers.

This was also our last stop. Pretty much activity based and children love it. They even explored The Enchanted Garden City for the second time before leaving the place.

If you have not visited Art Garden, try making this the last excursion out with your children before the school holiday ends. It would be fun. 🙂

Find out more from Singapore Art Museum.

POLW – Aye! Aye! Captain!

Been to Port of Lost Wonder many times. Love the sun, the smiles of the children, the running, the shouting….. Just love everything that is part of the nature. Situated at Sentosa Palawan Beach, the location is walking distance from the  Beach carpark. The moment, I entered the area, soft breeze from the sea caressed my face while I screamed at my children not to run. They went crazy the moment they saw the pirate ship. So glad that the weather stayed that way throughout the day we were there.  Lazing under the coconut trees looking at the fluffy clouds on azure sky , sitting on the white washed benches to watch children sliding from the colourful slides or joining them in the water play, getting myself wet, were just part of my plans.

We reached there early, hoping to grab a good spot. There was already a queue at the entrance. As it was a weekend, crowd was expected. Love the way payment is taken. Adults go in free with a hug from their kids. 🙂 Melts my heart.

The kiddos each received a bag of curios and a Port Pass. Every day, there are series of games and activities throughout the day which the kiddos can use the curios to pay for. From the moment it opens at 10am to it closes at 6.30pm, activities vary from treasure hunting, planting and bubble party. Weekends’ activities are far more interesting than weekdays. 🙂

The main attraction is the Pirate Ship and the only place where my two children would spend most of their time at. They can run up the stairs and down the slides umpteen times, not feeling the slighest bit of weary. Well, I enjoyed myself too but definitely had to take turns with Jonathan to entertain kids.

Though the planting area and bubble party were very enticing, the children were not keen. They still prefered to stay at the water area. Kids love water and especially when they get splashed with!!!

There is a picnic area where we can prepare our own food. Since, we did not have picnic in mind, we did not prepare any food. There is one and only cafe, Port Belly, that serves savoury food. Kids meals are a must. We ordered children’s favourite, hot dogs set meal, and they waited patiently with their rumbling tummies. Our tag number is 10! Big and promninent! Very soon, the waiter dressed in pirates costumes served the food to us. Children gobbled the food so that no time was wasted to continue their play.

This is definitely a place where kids can play to their hearts content. I must admit that the management is very thoughtful. The toilets cubicles are equipped with hot and cold showers. The day ended with a warm shower with another blast from the rain showers after being in the cold the whole day. Definitely will set foot on this place again. 🙂