KL road trip & Daddy's Day weekend - 19-200610

Saturday, 19 June 2010

"Are we ready folks?? I'm raring to go!"


After clearing the jam / stopping for toilet & food breaks / somemore jam, we finally arrived at KL in one piece!

Reached our hotel. Oh it feels so good to stretch our feet!

We parked at priority lobby lot

Upstairs...

Our open-concept toilet

My Bubbly is just thrilled that all the sitting-still-in-the-carseat has paid off: he gets to romp around the bed and climb everywhere, YAY!

Mr Chuckles

Still very happy after a grand 15 minutes. Hee!

Darling Kai's crib

We settled down and then there was no stopping the shopaholics!

Outside Lot 10

Kaikai is excited as well - can you see him waving his hands in the air? Haha!

At Lot 10 and Sungei Wang

At Chinatown for dinner...

By nightfall, all adults and one baby were sweaty, sticky and had tired, abused feet. Time to head back to the hotel for a shower and World Cup!


Darling Kai & Mummy had lots of fun playing in the huge bathtub filled with his bubble bath and rubber duckies. It was divine. He enjoyed himself so much that he refused to get out of the tub and we had to carry him away, with him screaming!

After a clean & nice-smelling Kai is changed into his PJs, it's Daddy & Mummy's turn at the tub.
It feels so terrific after a long day of shopping and eating, to just relax in the bath, swigging red wine with the man I adore :)

The next morning:
20 June 2010

Kai's breakfast for the morning: Honey stars, baked beans, tomato, scrambled eggs and mango yogurt. WOW

Kai feeding himself honeystars

Aunt LY


After breakfast buffet on Father's Day, the deserving Dad gets a treat in Spa :D

On our drive back, we stopped over at Tangkak for their famous durians. Kai looks spaced out because he's so weary from the long drive

3 adults on 20 kilos of DURIANS.

Mmmmm.... This is heavenly!

King of fruits.

"Woah, everyone is stuffing themselves silly with durians but me"

All the species of durians in Tangkak are what we never even heard of - Golden Phoenix, No. 13, 5 Dragons, Milk Bottle (pictured below). They are all nicer than our top grade Mao San Wang.

This is the place to go to for famous durians, frequented by our local stars eg. Pan Ling Ling and the likes.

It was a great trip. So proud that we all made it in one piece - especially Baby Kai. It must've been unbearable for a baby to be trapped inside a carseat for so many hours on the road.

Happy 1st Father's Day, hubs!
Love you!
Your kayu wife.

Photos: Family Chalet & BBQ

Some photos from a recent family BBQ before we leave for KL :)

Date: 16 June 2010
Venue: Aloha Changi chalet


Beautiful dusk before the dark

Andy's aunts and Kaikai


One of Andy's aunt's friends sculpted balloons to entertain the kids (in that case, only Kai, cos the other kids very big already haha)

Playful mon

Can you imagine I only had half a chicken wing that night and the other half went to a poor stray?
I feel even worse off than the stray cat. Super hungry, not enough food to go round for the kids and elders. Zzzzzzz

This is the 2nd worst BBQ even I ever been to, the 1st one was by the same organiser, where also not enough food to go around, and the guests in the end only had otah. This time slightly better, between Andy & I, we ate 3 satays, 2 hotdogs, fried beehoon, and half chicken wing (eaten by me). Super miserable. For goodness' sake, next time if you are organising a family BBQ for the young and old, please cater/buy enough food to BBQ lah...... ZZzzz...

Went home with a hungry stomach that night and felt utter miserable. Haiyooo..

But I digress. Some photos of me & Kai:

He ain't heavy, he's my son!

that's all for now. Catch everyone when we are back from our ultra short holiday!
Ciao~

2 MORE DAYS to KL!

With my exam and assignment behind me, now it's time to pack up and look forward to our KL trip! Our second family trip together, this time with my aunts.
This is nothing compared to our Melbourne trip with Kai, but still, I am excited at the prospect of doing what I do best - s h o p p i n g~
Perhaps this trip will serve as a warm-up to our year-end Hong Kong trip and also a great chance for me to bond with my aunts and enjoy myself away from the mundane-ness of everyday Singapore life.

So are we all ready?
- passports: check
- hotel: check
- milk powder, diapers and what-nots: check
- Combi lightweight pram: check
- adults' weekend bag: not yet

New laptop

Kai is playing on his new educational laptop which Aunt LY has given him for his birthday. It's pretty awesome- he can choose games, or learn spelling and even math on this neat little machine.

I suppose technology is a guy's thing, speaking as a technophobic woman myself.
I'm waiting for the 4G iPhone and I'm so buying it for Kai because of the cool Apps for kids which Drayden's mummy has posted in Drypers Discussion board on FB. If you aren't already a member of Drypers Discussion board on FB, maybe it's high time you checked it out.
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Oh by the way, I lost my Tag Heuer watch. I must've lost it eons ago, since I dont even remember when, but I only found out today when I wanted to wear it to school for my exam.
SIGH. It's no expensive watch like Rolex or Omega, but still, it's my first watch and from my Mum and the only watch I ever wore, since I dont usually wear watches.
I feel so despondent now. I feel like crying. I searched everywhere around the house and in my bags but still I couldn't find it. It must be really lost. Maybe I dropped it somewhere without knowing, as it's highly possible that I removed it while playing with Kai.
Oh God I hope my Mum doesnt kill me.

Andy was very kind to offer to buy me another watch, but it's not that. It's the sentimental value, ya know?
Dear God please let me find my watch. If You dont, please let me strike 4D or Toto so I can buy one more without the guilt. :(

Big Daddy Cool

The new mum is Dad. This is when Mummy is busy mugging for her exam and has no time to take care of Kai.
But seems like Daddy is doing a terrific job - as always - and Lil Kai is enjoying loads :)

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GSS Shopping~

Can't wait for our KL trip, Andy & I went to do some GSS shopping for Baby Adam and our new pad.

More board book for Adam's bed time reading


Bright-colored and (quite) destruction proof

Some long-sleeved clothes for KL trip.


Our new toy from Robinson's: a Martello gourmet coffee machine! in Fire-engine RED

came with many freebies such as the frother, lots of free coffee capsules and a capsule display-box.


We saw the demo by the sales rep and were sold. Really cool lah!
I'm gonna learn how to make heart-shaped froth like the below picture for our guests.

Imagine popping by our place for some nice gourmet cuppa, relaxing on our outdoor lounge set and talking cock or simply reading magazines. Cool ain't it?


Next on our to-buy list includes furniture for our "Little Prince's Room":
- Easel (using the vouchers from my sisters Meena & Charm)
- Mammut bookshelf
- Little Tikes Roadster toddler bed

Now I can't stop thinking of buying furniture for our new home. Bank-breaking but fun! :D

Rest & relax

Kai enjoying some "me-time" in his hammock, drinking his milk and shaking leg. These are his precious moments which I do not interrupt.
I love how his Baby Zara short-sleeved shirt and berms look on him in this shot - casual with a resort look down pat. Here's a good compromise - boys can still look suave and play rough minus over-the-top dressing in SG's weather.
The Bubblegummer's are presents from Andy's cousin Cindy. Thanks Sis, you have good shoe sense! ;)

Mugging for my exam is making my mind a little bonkers. I'm soooo looking forward to next weekend for our KL shopping trip getaway, kinda like a prelude to our HK shopping trip in November if you may . This time, Aunt LY and Aunt Connie are coming along, which is fab because Aunt Connie is so well-travelled, she knows where the It places are not just in KL but all over the world.
As if GSS shopping hasn't done sufficient damage. More retail therapy for this Mommy please!

Adam's 1st Birthday - Part III

Date: 5 June 2010 Saturday
Venue: Mint Museum of Toys
Time: 6pm - 8pm

It's Kai's official party!
More PHOTOS HERE: official party photos by ALP


The banner being hung at the grand entrance



Kai's birthday cake - Mickey & disney themed

The gift favours for the guests - handmade by yours truly!

The presents he was showered with. And lots of angpaos too. Thank you thank you everyone!

These are just some preview pics.
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who turned up and shared our joy with us on our precious son's 1st birthday party - the official one!
Our apologies if we have not been a good host but do know that your presence is much appreciated.

We even had a slideshow just before song-singing! A compilation of our precious son's development from conception to his 1 year.


Thanks to our photographer, and Joy for making the slideshow, everyone said it was like a wedding dinner!
We had a fantabulous time and Kai was so happy to receive so many presents! A tricycle, a drum set, a musical table, Crumpler baby bag, educational laptop, among many many other things!

P.S. Waiting for the official photos taken by my professional photographer of the evening :)

Kai and the helper

Kai keeps kakak (Malay for elder sis) on her toes. She squats down and follows Kai everywhere when he sweeps things off the table and scramble about. I really hand it to her.
When Kai grows up, I will never allow him to be disrespectful or rude to our helpers. I don't like calling them maids. Make them sound like lowly servants. "Helper" is a more apt term - in my opinion anyway - since they ease us from so many mundane chores.

It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it! :P
There is Nurses Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Teacher's Day... there ought to be a Helper's Day to salute them for their help.

Sometimes I see young children scolding their helpers, ordering them to do this and that, and I feel pure rude shock rising within me. How can any parent allow their child to treat another human being with such little respect? Singa the Courtesy Lion has been around for 30 decades now and still not much's changed. So much for trying to instill graciousness in our society huh?

More update about the new pad

Paintwork up, and they even tore down the fencing.
I'm so pysched up. If I have to wait any longer, I might have palpitations.

I want Kai to have his own room and our planter to be filled with veggies he planted plus a water feature with fishes he rears, and our living room to be filled with toys so I can organise playdates and gatherings!
The kids can play while the yummy mommies sip some Nespresso. Grand idea isn't it?

When.can.we.move.in??!

Hop on!

Kai's new vehicle - featured here is Alice our Silly Sheltie hitching a ride.
Cool isn't it?

Our tiny home is becoming Tiny Land, overcrowding with Kai's toys.
I need to get my act together and do some serious packing -> Stash, Trash, Donation, Sale.

By the way, Andy's mum suddenly told me she's going back to Indonesia for the weekend and coming back on Monday night. We're packing up and going back to my Mum's for the weekend. I miss my room and Kai can have the entire air-conditioned living room to play in! Woohoo!

A piece of my mind

The other day, I was in the kitchen fixing milk for Kai when I saw a bottle of Woodwards Gripe water gone. Gone, just like that. I remembered my MIL had just bought it almost 2 weeks ago and now it's empty so I questioned her about it.

MIL: "Oh I always add to his water if not you think he wanna drink plain water?"
Me: "But that's not the way. You have to train him to drink plain water if not it will become bad habit"
MIL: "Aiyah, last time Andy & Tony also every morning drank 1 spoonful."
Me: "Yah, that's your son, nevermind. Kai is my son, and I dont want him to be like that"

There. I did it. I gave my MIL a piece of my mind.

She's a nice lady, God bless her. But she seems to have a problem differentiating between her grandchild vs her child's child.

Escaping from the heat at Parkway Parade

The heat's been unbearable these days. We decided to escape the heat by staying indoors at malls. Went to Parkway Parade today. Buying stuff at the GSS and enjoying some aircon - killing 2 birds with 1 stone.


There are sales every corner you go for the GSS period, but unfortunately for me, my 2 boys do not share my kinda enthusiasm for shopping.
I'm officially outnumbered. To make the shopping trip more fun for Kai, we put him in this Little Tikes Cozy Coupe shopping trolley.
We couldn't rent it around the mall yet of course, because it is meant for children above 2, but still, Kai was thrilled just sitting and playing in the Coupe. So were we.
Kids will be amused leaving the parents free to concentrate on the task at hand - sourcing out bargains and doing their shopping in peace.
Once again, I'm reminded of the wonders of staying in the East.

When it was time to go, Kai refused and wanted to play a little longer, so we obliged. After that, we had to literally pry him away from the steering wheel!

With this clever innovation, grocery shopping has never been more fun!

Ball of a time

My 2 boys sweating it out on a hot summer evening.
Some photos of my Slam Dunk border collie teaching his disciple a trick or two.

Kai gets on brilliantly with the dogs, so well that I'm afraid he might approach strange animals with the same enthusiasm and end up endangering himself.

Maverick, aged 5 going on 6 this July. Still a puppy at heart.
I've stopped training & trialling him, but this hasn't stopped him from amazing us with his never-say-never antics. You go boy!

Scoring...

And it's a GOAL!

I'm no expert dog trainer, but I managed to train Maverick to do this Slam Dunk trick almost instantly!
I have the smartest dog in the world :)

Ladybird

Last night, Adam was in his playpen when he kept pointing to his sippy cup and said repeatedly "Doo", "do-doo..." Then Andy went closer to inspect the sippy - Adam was actually pointing to a ladybird that had somehow landed on his sippy.
How cute!

I should've taken a photo of the ladybird.. aiyah.. :)

Dinner with the Floridians

The Griffows came to visit all the way from Florida so we had the honour to bring them for dinner on Saturday evening.

Venue: Seafood International at East Coast

Christopher looking lobster red after seafood and beer. Future lawyer and handsome bachelor *drools*

Uncle Walter, Aunty Mary, Andy's grandma and Chris.

Had a dandy good time with Andy's relatives, they are such a warm and close family.
Lil Adam, though he didn't have much sleep today (because he was busy going from one apt to the next), was generally a good baby.
Except for the times at dinner where he wanted to be carried to walk around, he was overall well-behaved, thank goodness.
He now has this new game - you have to carry him to wherever he's pointing at. For eg. He points to a pond of fishes and says "Doo" and you have to bring him there. (just last week it was 'der', now it's 'doo') At first, it was a novelty to us, then a bit of fun maybe, however after walking round and round, one's arms can get pretty tired! But toddlers being curious busy people, it's hard to fault them :)

Uncle Walter has welcomed us to stay with them when we go visit, and their home is only 2hours drive from Disney World, and 2hours away from Miami beach where they see filming of CSI Miami all the time. So envious! Time to plan another itinerary after our HK trip? Heh heh

Fingerfood: pancakes

pancakes with cheese rolled up

No matter how I make them, these pancakes never seem as nice and smooth as MacDonald's Hotcakes. I give up. Maybe I should just cheat and buy Hotcakes and fill them with my own ingredients :P