USS

Kae's school was closed from 23-27 Sep, hence we thought we would bring Kae to the Universal Studios Singapore on a thursday as it would be less crowded on a weekday.

Kae did not take to USS at all. As usual, she was scared of the loud sounds heard every now and then, of the rides, of the crowd. Sigh. So, not surprisingly, we didn't take any rides while we were there.

We were there for 3 hours, but were bored after just 1. USS is simply too small. It's like less than 10% of the size of Disneyland Tokyo. I won't be going back to USS anytime soon.

a trip to JBP

Kae's school organised a school trip to the Jurong Bird Park last wednesday, and I tagged along. Big mistake.


As with the other kids, Kae was super whiny just because I was there. She clung on to me for dear life, and wouldn't let me out of her sight. She is so much better behaved and can interact freely with her teachers and friends when I am not around.


And it got worse when we reached the bird park. She started to develop this phobia for loud noises sometime this year. So when we reached the ticketing area where loud noise and music could be heard, she started to cry and insisted on me carrying her. Sigh.


So when we got into the bird park and area where the loud noise has subsided, she was all smiles again until we went into the panorail. Why, because there's the sound system in the panorail where visitors are introduced to the bird park as the panorail moves along. So, she started her whiny "I want to be carried" mood all over again.

The last straw was when we went to the amphitheatre for the birds and buddies bird show. She cried all the way and forbid me to sit together with her friends in the audience. I had to carry her up all the way to the top and stand there carrying her until the show was over.


So, throughout the whole trip, I couldn't take much photos of Kae enjoying the trip. Rather, I had to carry her and appease her most of the time. I am so not tagging along next time. Case in point, the next school trip on children's day eve to Polliwogs to celebrate children's day. I am not going!

Kae, Birthday and Barney

Here are 2 recent videos of Kae.

This is Kae singing a birthday song to my mum, and of course, she was not around. Note Kae's action after singing the song.




This is Kae singing the very first song she learnt when she was younger, the Barney I Love You song.

More fine pix coming up!

I noticed that we have not been taking much photos of Kerri. My main excuse for this is because we did not have a point and shoot camera. Our only gadget was the DSLR, and let's face it, it is really troublesome to bring out another bulky object when we are out as a family. And the iPhone 3G's camera sucks too.

So, I decided and dar agreed that we should buy a digital camera. Our Sony T9 died on us last year after serving us well for 3 years, which was why we bought the Canon 500D.

We went down to the shop and were thinking of buying the Canon Powershot S95. Since we have been happy with our Canon DSLR. I love the look of the S95, sleek and matt. Then we compare the photos taken in the shop by S95, Panasonic LX5, and Fujifilm Finepix F300EXR. We were more impressed with the photos taken by the F300EXR. The colours were more real under the lights, not overexposed. Also, the photos are nicer and it's kinda easier to use with their auto mode unlike the S95 and LX5, which take nicer pictures only if we use the manual modes. Why get another complicated camera when we already have the DSLR, which I still haven't figure out how to use "manually".

So, we bought the Fujifilm Finepix F300EXR last week. And it has been really good so far. So, more pictures of Kerri and our family coming up!

Happy 3rd Month day Kerri!

Happy 3rd Month day Kerri! Muacks!

the Unsung Hero

It has been tough taking care of the little tigress. And I have been really tired recently. Not enough sleep, not enough time to eat lunch. On an average, I only have 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep daily. And nowadays, all I have for lunch are bread and cookies. Yes. Quite sad. I don't even have time to enjoy a bowl of instant noodles. I have to be at the beck and call of Kerri! Argh.

That being said, it is not just tough for me. The poor daddy is also feeling the heat. After work, he has to help look after Kerri while I look after Kae. He has to watch over Kerri after Kae is asleep so that I can finish up with the household chores. He can only go to sleep after I'm done with the pumping of milk. And in between, he has to do his work online too.

I'm not trying to justify who is doing more or less at home. We are both trying to do what we can as parents. And I know dar is making an effort to lessen my load. Just because he doesn't "complain" on facebook doesn't mean he's doing any less work.

Thank you dar!

of Friendships lost and found

I was out for brunch with my secondary school friends from the netball team on Sunday.

We went to Epicurious at the Quayside to try out their brunch. But in the end, I think we all ordered from their lunch menu. As I've hungrygowhere.com them before I went (now I always do this for any new eating place), and their reviews for their brunch (or the cafe itself) is not that fantastic. The service sucks, the ambience is so so, the food is average. My cup of mocha looks like a cup of milo to me. And as for my burger, I though that the meat patty was not very well cooked and the quality of the meat doesn't taste very good to me. How can anyone go wrong with a burger order?


Okay, that is not the main point of this post.

The main point is, I am glad that though we may have lost contact with one another after we leave our mutual school, our mutual organization, we still keep in touch once in a while and still meet up.

Life is funny at times. We came together for a reason, be it school mates, class mates, work colleagues, hall mates, and we drift apart for the same reason; when we leave the school, the class, the work, the hall. And if the timing is right, and most recently, if you are on Facebook, it is easy for you to reconnect as friends if all parties make an effort.

Seriously, it is so much easier now to hook up with friends, even long lost ones nowadays. Everyone is on the social platform. We just send a message via FB, and voila, a lunch date has been set. It wasn't so easy in the past, when we has to send smses to everyone and wait for every individual to reply. And if one date or place is not ideal, the whole sending process has to start again.

So, I have been meeting up more regularly with my friends recently. That is, if I can tear myself away from family.

I think the renewed connections with my old friends may also have something to do with motherhood. I am of the age whereby some of my friends have kids or are intending to, or having kids. This phase in life can actually bring us closer. Like for example, Mama Jo from my hall days. I haven't been keeping in touch with her since year one in uni. And yet, because of our 2 girls whose birthdates are like 11 days apart, we have been keeping in touch and meeting up more regularly than I can say for some of my older friends. And I am thankful for this renewed friendship. Same goes for my girlfriends whom I met over the weekend. Yes, we've been meeting up once in a blue moon, but because 2 of them have become mothers recently, we have been keeping in touch more frequently, even with those who are not yet pregnant.

I always believe that fate has a part to play in friendships, and not just for lovers. We become friends because we happen to be in the same place at the same time for the same reason. And it takes work and effort in making your friendships work and last.

So thank you to all my friends from past and present. Thank you for making the effort to meet up every now and then. Thank you for having me in your life.

Money money money

I spent $ today. Lots of $, by my standards.

I bought 6 pieces of Gingersnaps clothing for the 2 girls, 1 Styleworks shirt for dar, 1 Mango romper for myself, 1 box of Pigeon breast pads, 1 Pigeon straw brush, 2 sets of Fancl cleansing oil and washing powder, and finally a medium Le Pliage Longchamp bag.

The above may not cost a lot to most of you, but it does for me. Why? Because I do not draw a salary. That's why I have to think for a long time even before buying the Longchamp bag (which only costs <$300) which I have been eying for a while now as my diaper bag.

My income comes from my dar now. And out of this income, I give an amount to my mum. The rest is mine to spend. However, it never seems to be enough. And mind you, I don't usually spend on shopping. I only buy at most 2 pieces of clothing per month, and usually don't spend more than $100 a piece; the usual range is <$50 for a top and <$100 for a dress. Unless I need to buy clothes for special occasions, eg wedding dinners etc. I do also spend on food when I meet up with my friends, and cab fare and misc etc.

And I don't buy lots of shoes. Though I love looking at shoes. More because it's difficult for me to find shoes which are comfortable for me as my feet are rather wide at the front area. Yes, I have duck webbed feet.

So, it was rather liberating for me when I spent that amount of $ yesterday. Even though I know I have to cut down for my next month's expenditure.

It's times like these that I wish I was working. Of course, I can just waltz into the shops and spend what I want and claim the $ from my dar. Of course he will nag at my buys, but he will pay for them.

But he will never understand a woman's love for bags, shoes nor clothes. Just like all men, he will never comprehend why we need another bag when we already have another of the same size which serves the same purpose.

It's not just about owning another expensive bag or pampering myself to another spa. It's about having the freedom to buy stuff with my own money. It's about having my own spending power without having to "ask for permission" every single time.

I wish I have my own income to buy my LV or Gucci or Tiffany as and when I want without feeling guilty. I don't even step into these shops coz I know I don't have the means to. I wish I have my own income to treat my dar to a nice meal once in a while and pamper him. I wish I have my own income to send my daughters to the best schools (supposedly) to be educated by the best there is. I wish I have my own income to send my parents off to a holiday trip overseas which they have never taken, ever. I wish I have my own income to spend on whatever I want without watching my budget every month.

I wish I have my own income.

the Many faces of Kae?

The many faces of Kae. Or so she says. But they all look the same to me. Hah!

Her nonchalant face:


Her angry face:


Her smiley face:


Her sad face: