Singapore - June 2010

I had just came back from a 12-day trip in Singapore. I am glad to be back home. Jon's super loud now, shouting when he's excited, or happy or when he wants something. Hmmmm, that will need to be fixed, but in the meantime, I am so happy to see and hug him.

This is the longest that I have been away from Miri and from Jonathan. Simon was with me for the first four days and we spent the time running errands, and viewing flats (yes, on our anniversary too).

Highlights of my Singapore trip (not in order of importance)

Buying a HDB resale flat

I asked Simon what he was going to get me for our 9th anniversary, and he said with a deadpan expression, "Buy a flat lor." You know what? We did made an offer for a flat that very evening. And dinner was with his ex-colleague-cum-property agent...char kway teow and sugar cane with lemon at Toa Payoh!

Buying the flat could not be considered a present coz I am paying for it too. "But it's more memorable that we bought it on our anniversary," Simon said. Technically, the date of completion will be later , but the fact is, we viewed and found a HDB resale that we like on our 9th anniversary.

Anniversary
We have been married for 9 years! We thank God for each other and for His blessing of two sweet kids. I also said a prayer for my friends who are married that they will be richly blessed in their marriages and that their relationships will be strengthened and enriched.

And we did have a belated Anniversary lunch at Ember at 1929. Would love to go to Iggy's but with sweet Jillian in tow, I think better not yah?

I had yummy pan-fried foie gras, miso cod fish and dessert of frozen nougat with lemon sorbet! Simon had a soft shell crab starter, with tenderloin for his main and the warm choc cake (which I usually take, but skipped to try something diff).

I love the savoury foie gras (crispy on the outside and it just melts on the inside) and the sweet frozen nougat balanced by the lemon sorbet was just right to complete my meal.

Made with Love's Grand Opening

I attended Made With Love's grand opening on Sat, 26 June with a very good friend, Chwee who brought her month young son, Daniel, and my niece, Winnie. The new store is fabulous! I love the layout, the lighting and the new products, especially the stationery! I couldn't resist snapping up Paul Frank's flash cards (which I will frame up for the kids' room in our new house) and Susie Ghahremani's tiny books. I wanted to buy these online, but didn't managed to coz I was taking care of the kids who were sick the week before I left for SG. They are now on sale on Amazon for less than US$5, a savings of 72%!!!!

I met Pooi (photo courtesy of Pooi) and Sharon from MWL's design team. Pooi had these incredible canvas shoes that she painted herself but I had left my camera at a friend's place so I couldn't take a photo of them! Sharon will be teaching at Shabby Chic in Brunei sometime in August (filenote: corrected by Sharon, should be Nov) and I hope she will make a day trip to Miri so I can bring her around.

One of the founders, Sandra, was so patient in ringing up my purchases. I was thinking why I fueling my love for stationery but was convinced when Sandra said she had enough notebooks and stationery to last two lifetimes! I didn't know that I would buy so much, but plus Chwee's purchase, we racked up S$250 worth of stuff and I got a free red corduroy album (worth around S$40) + a $25 voucher.

What made it more memorable was that I was one of the lucky six to get a full refund on my purchase! How sweet is that!

Visit to the Singapore Art Museum (no photos coz I left my camera at a friend's place)

After reading Pooi's visit to the Art Museum, I brought my niece there too. Initially she was bored with the stuff on the ground floor. She was, however, more excited at the interactive displays on the higher floors. She and two other kids were so full of energy that they ran continuously to change the way the flowers are projected on the floor, and the way the waterfall flowed.

We both enjoyed the Moving Image Gallery, where we sat down and watched a selection of short films for and about children. Made by filmmakers from Singapore, Asia, Europe and the USA, these shorts range from colourful stop-motion animations and whimsical fairytales to animal fables and school dramas. I particularly enjoyed a short film called Ting, where plates, cups and cutlery dance, move and go places in a cheerful stop-motion animation.

Catching up with friends

From play dates (more like the toddlers played on their own, while the mommies chatted with each other in between feeding them), to enjoying a quick meal, I love catching up with my friends. It may be a short half hour to a leisurely long dinner of 2hrs. Friends are for keeps.

The Lims and KJ

Shopping

This time, I bough clothes for Jill and her cousins (3 girls). It is indeed more fun to shop for girls, with so much variety and oooh, the accessories!

Jill willingly played dress-up for Aunty Wendy Koh, who thought I should really get this fuchsia pink frou frou skirt. But we're in Miri and we won't get much mileage from it. If we are in Singapore, it would be a totally different story. How practical I have become...

Purple

(I am awake at this early hour after measuring my kids' temperature every half hour or so.)

Poor baby Jillian is also down with fever and a cold. I am tired from taking care of the two kids, taking their temperature every half hour, remembering which med to take and when (I even had to write down the timings in case I forgot).
On the brighter side of things, Jon can be very cute when he's sick. Last week and this week, he kept wanting to carry the girls. First was cousin Qiqi (8months) who visited last Sun. When he carried her, he exclaimed, "Big meimei...SO BIG." In case you didn't know, cousin Megan calls him Big didi (brother).

Then he wanted to carry Jillian and and his cousin Mabel. He would ask me, "Mama, I want to bao meimei." And would proceed to sit down somewhere so I could carry the girls and put them on his lap. Then he would beam and smile.

This morning when I was giving Jon his meds, he protested with feeble attempts. I armed him with gummy multi-vitamins and water. Then I gave him his meds one syringe at a time. I smiled at him and spoke to him in my sweetest mommy voice, "Jon, you are a big boy and a very good boy. You have to take your meds coz you're not feeling well."
"This pink med is for your fever, so you will not fee hot, hot." But he gets to eat a gummy first. Then in went the paracetamol, followed by some water.

"This orange med is for your runny nose." Proceed to feed him med and followed by a part of a gummy, and some water.

"And..." before I could finished, Jon said, "Purple." Yes, purple is the third one and that's for his phlegm. He said, "No more." I don't have the heart to tell him that there's still the clear one for his allergy and the white anti-biotic to be taken in another hour's time.

"I don't like" and "No more"

Jon is sick... again.


Same thing as two weeks ago. He's down with high fever, plus phlegm and a blocked nose (which has now progressed to a runny nose). When Jon coughed due to his phlegm, he would say, "No more." to indicate that he has stopped coughing. When I gave him his meds, he would, "No more." or "I don't like."


Why is it that just before we're going to travel, one of the kids will fall sick? Simon, Jillian and I will be in Singapore next week to attend Simon's good friend's wedding. Jon will stay in Miri with grandparents.


It started on Wed evening, when I was feeding Jill and Simon brought Jon out to reverse the car out so Uncle Stanley and drive his car out. Simon let Jonathan play for almost an hour outside while I fed and bathed Jillian. By the time I put Jillian to sleep and came down, I found his aunty feeding him. I took over and noticed that Jon didn't have a good appetite. I felt his forehead and he was already having a temperature.


Jon must have came into the air-conditioned living room too quickly. Yes, he was wiped down and had a change of t-shirt. But my son sweats excessively. he sweats like two to three rounds, and therefore has to be wiped a few times, even if he has his shirt changed. MIL said that he played too aggressively with the dog. Simon didn't understand why Jon could have fever when we had brought him to the park on Tue evening and nothing happened. I told him the weather on Wed was super hot, and there was no shade compared to the park.


And I was supposed to have my first ladies dinner on Wed...no husbands, no kids. I asked my MIL if she could cope and feed Jillian later. MIL said she was tired (she was also down with cough and cold). I didn't want to go but my friend had came to pick me up. When I told her my son was sick, she also told me not to go. But we couldn't get the other girl on her mobile phone. Simon and MIL told me to go ahead, so I went.

But it was a quick dinner. Jennifer's MIL's asthma acted up again and she went to the hospital, thus leaving Jen's husband with two kids. We had dinner at a North Indian restaurant. Jen and I had been meaning to give it a try for like almost half a year already. Jiahui joined us. She will be giving birth in early Jul, and we thought we had better meet up before she gets tied down with her newborn.


Guess what? All three of us love North Indian food while our husbands don't really like it. Jiahui even worked in a North Indian restaurant when she was an undergraduate in Australia.

We finished our starter of Fish Amritsari very quickly. And dinner comprised Murg Malai Kebab (chicken kebab), Murg Makhni (chicken curry with a dash of cream sauce) and Mutton Rogan Josh (lamb curry) - with Garlic, Kashmiri (fruit) and Paneer Kulcha (cheese) naans! The food was excellent and didn't disappoint!


We said the next time, we will eat at Zaika, our husbands will have their meal at the Italian restaurant downstairs!


Dinner was over in an hour. While it might have been short, an hour is sufficient when we are in great company. It's also a luxury for me as I didn't have Jon or Jill with me. Would love to do this again. But in the meantime, it was back home to take care of my boy.


I checked with the doc today, even if his fever was slightly over 39 degree Celsius, we have to wait until the third day before starting him on anti-biotic. MIL was like, "This is worse than the last time, Jon definitely needs the anti-biotic!" I had to stop myself from panicking....even though my poor rascal looked so uncomfortable, and kept saying, "I no like" when I gave him his eds. But the brave boy still took the meds after a few mild protests, and I rewarded him with gummy multi-vits.

Road trip

Tue and Wed were the Gawaii holidays, which is the Harvest Festival in Sarawak. We went on a road trip with the Ngus to Brunei. It's our first road trip with the two kids, and we've got enough toys to ply Jon with during the trip, including: colouring books, dinosaurs, a mini magic doodle, and a 'laptop' education thingamagic contraption. And biscuits, water, green tea and even milo!

Jillian? Just a blankie and a bolster rolled from nappy cloth. Yeah, she's very easy.

Jon was good for the first part of the trip, gave him his biscuits which he polished off everything! I was like, "Jon, we're going to have noodles for lunch. At the rate you go at the biscuits, you will either end up with a sore throat, or the biscuits will be wiped out even before we reach the hotel." No comprehension on his part.

We made a pit stop at Seria for a quick lunch. It was so difficult to find car park near the shops, so we ended up at a public car park two streets down. Yes, I have become Malaysian in my ways, meaning we will circle round and round till we find a lot right in front of the store, well, at least a few shops down. Jon made a fuss about wanting to sit in the pram. Which is better, coz at least we don't have to run and chase after him should he see something he likes and decide to take off.

Getting back into the car was a nightmare. Jon made a big fuss and didn't want to get back inside. He must have saw something and wanted to see more of it. But Simon didn't notice anything and I was carrying Jill. You might have thought Simon was a kidnapper, forcing him into the car, and I was the accomplice, giving Jon a tight one on his lap to ask him to quieten down. I let him brawl his eyes out before giving him some water. That did the trick. I must admit, I don't know how to calm him down in such situations. I basically let him cry. Coz when I talk to him during a hissy fit, he cries and shouts even louder. anyways, I was glad when we hit back onto the highway, coz highways make kids sleep. Well, at least mine do.

We reached The Empire Hotel and Country Club in time for check-in. The sprawling grounds had a main building (where the suites and restaurants were),a few blocks of rooms, a Golf Clubhhouse (with blowing alley), and even a cinema!

We got onto a buggy to bring us to our Seaview block. The kids loved the buggy ride. Now, check out the room! Isn't it huge?

Jon enjoyed the welcome chocs and cookies

Since the kids were wide awake, we decided to bring them to the swimming pool.

Jillian had such a sun time splashing around. Jon spent more time on the sand than in the pool.

After swim time, the kids were still wide awake. So we showered them and then went out for Japanese dinner. Love the sashimi at Escapade but not the sushi...too much rice!

We brought the kids back to the hotel after dinner. And as expected, Jon screamed a couple of times when he slept....too much stimulation.

The next morning, Jillian was awake at 6+am. There goes my beauty sleep. Thankfully, Jon woke up about 6.50am. I was feeling hungry and wishing that Jon didn't sleep in. Otherwise I don't know how to entertain Jill, what more on an empty stomach.

Brekkie at the hotel cafe at 7.30am was an issue. The cafe was on the third floor and overlooked the atrium, super 53m in height from level one to the ceiling. So when Jon was screaming excitedly, you can imagine the loudness! Aiyo...so many executives that morning. When the Ngus came for breakfast around 8+, more families had came down and less of the suits. I think we will go to Club Med from next year on.....then Jon can go ahead and scream and be normal.

I didn't want to bring Jon to swim again, lest I have problems bringing him out of the pool or beach area. So we checked out and went to The Mall. There, I had a tough time getting him into the trolley to shop at the supermarket! Aiyo! Thankfully, my patience prevailed and he got into the trolley. I found Sweet Home and Post Cereal at B$6. Can you imagine that Post is selling at Miri at RM30? Ridiculous.

Jon saw someone with a balloon and wanted one. I told him he could get one if he was good and didn't scream and shout. Well, I got him one anyway. so he was in a good mood, and that meant daddy and mommy were in a good mood.

After a quick lunch at the food court, I went to find Shabby Chic, the LSS in Brunei. After searching and looking for a while, someone directed me back to the food court level. I found Shabby Chic and bought a couple of Dear Lizzy papers, which were sold out in Singapore and online too. Also chatted with Irene, one of the bosses. I was carrying Jillian and she was smiling away at Irene who had came into the store. Irene has a baby boy born in Aug too!

After a quick chat, I quickly went to find Simon and Jon. Then we loaded up into the car and went on our way back to Miri. Jon was fussing and screaming again. He didn't want to go into the car. Luckily we went on the highway, and Jon fell asleep. Jillian had already fallen asleep and it was a peaceful 2+ hour ride back to Miri!