Saturday, February 27, 2010

Bye bye Ye Seong

Tonight's the night (technically it's tmr morn) that Ethan's godpa is flying off to Shanghai for a one year stint.

He's leaving behind a distraught gf n two doggies. We treated them (excl dogs) to a meal at Food Foundry last nite, coupled with millieu crepe cake as dessert. Yum!

Hope the couple will be able to get thru the long distance and maintain their relationship! Jia u!!

Today's also the day I ended my recluse and started my tuition with my last two remaining students. Their taitai mum bought ah boy a lot of clothes from Paul Frank, two bibs n even a cute lil pair of shoes from obaibi! For the mum, a body spa package was received! What generosity!!!:)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Ethan's First Holiday (Cameron Highlands Feb 2010)



It was Ethan's first holiday trip and we show took many pictures to commemorate the occasion!


18th February 2010 (Thursday)

AGAIN, we had to wake up a tad earlier. But since Alan was driving, I tried to let him sleep in more. We actually left the house around 930am, headed to TMC to buy batteries (for the GPS had konked out on us) and then started our journey.


The drive was smooth and the son was cooperative (touch wood) and by the time we got to Avant choco factory in Cameron Highlands, Ethan was still asleep. I wrapped him in the sling and introduced him to the chilly air.

It was very unfortunate that there were SO MANY tourists in CH. Apparently many will visit during CNY period (we had already been forewarned). This totally spoiled the quaint charm the place had..but , like Alan said, the business have to survive, right???


We headed straight for Hotel De La'Ferns, a relatively new establishment. Not too bad, considering the price was right. We retired to bed after our lunch of beef horfun and lamb rack and woke up at around 5+pm to get ready to head out for dinner. We roamed around the area and had a drink at the sweltering Starbucks Cafe (which was not there previously when I visited the area 2 years again). Then, had our zichar dinner at Mayflower Restaurant.

19th February 2010 (Friday)
We woke up ard 8+am and had a leisure breakfast before heading out. First stop was EQ farm. We paid Rm20 for an empty styrofoam container and then proceeded into the garden to pluck their minute strawberries. Sad to say, they paled in comparison with those we had plucked and fed on in 2008. Now, due to the influx of tourists, the strawberries left were small and sour. SIGH.


A KS aunty squeezed me into the corner and I was carrying my LV (diaper bag) , VideoCam bag and Baby Ethan. So my LV ended up squashing some strawberries on the plants and the juice actually stained the bag. :P Stupid KS Aunty :P

I gave up trying to carry all the barang (including kid) and pluck strawberries so I left the garden with Ethan and let Alan pluck till his heart's content. hahaha He emerged pretty victorious, considering there was nothing much left to offer him in the first place.

After the unpleasant incident, we left and ventured to the Big bee apiary. Nothing much. We decided to save our RM for Uncle's Bee Farm (ok that's not the real name hor...) Two years ago, we had visited this farm and enjoyed bottles of honey there. Alan had bought bars of soap that have magical effect on his bodily issues. hahaha.


We bought and bought like there was no tomorrow and left the farm with 6 big bottles of honey (1 small bottle free), 3 small jars of honey and 11 boxes of soap (buy 10 , 1 free). hahaha. Alan taught Ethan about the birds and the BEES at the farm too. ahhaha

We headed next to Water Cress valley and were fascinated by the beautiful plains of water cress in the valley and esp by the charcoal steamboat. Alan immediately paid a deposit to make a Reservation of that evening's dinner meal. hahaha

We left for "59" a mark we had made on the GPS to look around. It was a small lil' market-like place (one of the many in CH). But it had nothing to offer. So we went back to our hotel for a rest.
Back at the hotel room, we introduced Ethan to "strawberries". He held them in his minute palms and smelled them. hahaha. So cute.

Our dinner appt was at 7pm and the place was pretty crowded. Ethan woke up just as the food was served. Initially he was OK and sat quietly, enjoying the chilly air. THEN he started his Monstrous Ways. He wailed and wailed and e'one was staring.. Sigh. Alan and I agreed that if we ever (CHOY) had another child, there wld be NO ONE eating at the table (as we two wld be too busy carrying and cajoling the children). Heaven Forbid that from Happening!!

By the end of the dinner (9pm) we were exhausted and so was little Ethan. Back at the hotel, we found out that he had made a stinkie - the real reason for the wailing. :P
20th February 2010 (Saturday)
Having slept in and getting ready for breakfast only at 10am, we felt more well-rested than before. After the check-out, our first stop was Healthy Strawberry Farm. deciding against self-plucking, we purchased 7 small punnets of strawberries for only RM30. Also, an auntie was selling organic veges and fruits. I bought a bag of cherry tomatoes / sweet potatoes/ 7 sweet corn. YUM.
Alan stopped his car along the roadside a couple of minutes later (because our car wasn't full) and bought 6 small honey melons and a huge watermelon for personal consumption. hahaa. Then, we headed for the renowned BOH TEA plantation and cafe II. We had wanted to visit this particular one because of the beautiful scenery but had taken the wrong turn the day before and ended up at another not so spectacular one. Initially, we hadn't even realised that there were TWO!
After a long queue to buy our scones and apple strudel, we left Cameron Highands for Home sweet Home.

Chinese New Year in Singapore

Because my Vaio has given way and has been sent for repair, I've been procrastinating to update my blog. Alan has generously lent me his Apple and I am trying not to 'kill' it. hahaha. V disappointed with the Vaio. It was bought only last June and yet has given way so quickly. I did take good care of it (I Promise!), but still.... it will only be ready for collection next week. :P


Now, on to something more pleasant...let's recap the Past:

11 February 2010 (Thursday)

This morning, we woke up very early (615am) to prepare for our flight. I quickly showered and got ready and then tried to rouse the sleeping Ethan. Hahhaha. The lil' one was sleeping so soundly that it was pretty difficult to wake him up. But thankfully, he allowed us to wipe him and prepare him.

Uncle Raymond, the trusty taxi-driver, reported for work bright and early (at 730am) and whisked us off to the airport (KLIA). We were excited (and apprehensive) since this was going to be Ethan's maiden flight. Good that it was via SQ and not budget airways t00.

Upon arrival at the KLIA, Uncle Raymond good-naturedly present lil' Ethan was a red packet for good luck. How v sweet of him! We strolled into the airport leisurely, since we had already done an internet check-in the night before. :)
After checking in our luggage, we made a beeline for our usual breakfast fix (Mac Donald's). Ethan even had a chance to take a pic with Ronald just outside the restaurant! :) After his poo poo and diaper change (great timing, I must add!), we went into the departure waiting area for our 1025am flight.

All was well on board the flight and the lovely stewardess helped buckle Ethan's seat belt to mine. I fed him almost all the way through (also to prevent ear aches due to the air pressure during take off and landing). Lil' Ethan's inaugural flight was pretty smooth, Thank God for that!

We landed at around 1115am and decided to treat ourselves to a lunch tonic at Soup Restaurant. Luckily, we arrived early for 15mins after we got seated and ordered, the lunch crowd milled in. Ethan was not very cooperative in the restaurant and we got quite a few sympathetic stares as a reward... ;p
Finally, we arrived home at 110B and after a quick bath, we all took a nap. Sad to say, Alan had to attend a dinner function for CNY at the Spore HQ office. Yvonne and Paul and Tyler were to come for dinner though. :)

Thankfully, we have great friends who also have 2 cars and KK and Julia so generously offered to loan us their Lancer for the period of stay in Spore. I dread to think how we wld survive w/o a car, lugging the baby/ stroller/ oranges etc around the whole of Singapore. :P Thanks for your generosity, guys! Much appreciated!!
12 February 2010 (Friday)
Today started off with something v exciting! We were to bring Ethan to Crescent Girls' School (where I used to teach) to attend the CNY Concert. Of course I wanted to pay a visit to my dear ol' friends and to say hi to one and all as well!
We arrived at 10 minutes to 11am and Vashoo, the security guard who seemed to have aged a fair bit, let us in without further ado. We headed into the staffroom to say HIIIIIII...Ethan was enjoying himself and all the attention until Zhao Fang sucked on his fingers. hahaha. The poor fella then started to waillll. hahaha. I can see he's very possessive about members of his anatomy! ;p
We brought Ethan to the school hall and by then the lion dance troupe was at it on stage. The resounding "dong dong chiang" seemed too much for our baby son to bear and he let out a wail (just as the dong dong chiang stopped) so loud, enough for the whole school hall to turn and look. hahaha. Oh my. I quickly retrieved my husband (who was busy watching the show) and we made a beeline back to the staffroom for some reprieve. ;p
My ex-4C1 gals came specially to say HI and to meet Mr Ethan. hahaha :D Thanks sweeties :D

When everyone had returned to the staffroom and we had said hi and bye to most, the three of us left for Turf City. It had turned out that my dear husband had bought a (HUGE) box to contain his RC Cars and he had been mighty disappointed that it had not been delivered to 110B. So we had to go down to collect it ourselves.

We soon found ourselves in Turf City "shopping complex". We located a loo where I changed Ethan's soiled diaper and then had a quick Spanish lunch at a small child-friendly cafe. I enjoyed my tapas whilst Alan dug into his Aglio Olio with gusto. We also admired the troupe of Jap mothers (and children in tow) who gallantly put all the toys and books their children had been playing with in the play area back neatly and to their original positions. Sad to say, we Singaporeans would probably never be that civic-minded, huh? We must definitely take a leaf from their books!

Anyway, once I had found out exactly how huge the box was (and rolled my eyes heavenwards a couple of times), we lugged it and our tired bodies back home for a short nap.

Dinner was with my JC friends at Ochard Central. The mountain turtles in my husband and I emerged as we had not been to the newest additions of Orchard Road yet. Otoya (8th floor, OC) was highly recommended by Felicia for its affordable and healthy Jap cuisine and it did not disappoint. But a warning: It will get crowded after 615pm and they do not accept reservations. Also, they will only seat you if half or more than half of your entourage has arrived.

Dinner was delicious but it was pretty warm in the restaurant and soon Ethan showed his horns. :p This sweaty little boy , once uncomfortable, will start squirming and then wailing. Alan and I quickly gobbled down our food and brought him next door (Heaven's Loft) where we would all adjourn later for desserts.

The waitress in HL was so friendly and she whisked Ethan away to show him off to the rest of her colleagues. When he started crying again, she showed me a quiet VIP room for me to soothe him. Such a nice gal! :> 10 points for service!

All of us caught up and chit-chatted. Such opportunities are rare, especially since two of us gals are based overseas!! It was fabulous to meet up but by the end of the night, the recent activities had taken their toil on me and I was exhausted and ready to jump into bed!

13 February 2010 (Saturday)

This morning, I relinquished Ethan to the maid gratefully and Alan and I met up with Leo , Wan Hui and WeeSuan for brunch at Cafe Cartel at 10am. The cafe had recently seen a revamp and they can cleverly accommodate more customers now. Sad to say, the service was not upped and we waited possibly 1/2 hour for our breakfast sets to be served.
After chatting, we bade WS farewell and happy NY and the 4 of us adjourned to 110B. Wan Hui endeavoured to show me who to transform fats into abs and her bf was rewarded with a bottle of pineapple tarts. hahaa
When they left, we packed our bags also and got ready to go to Amara Hotel. Dad met us there and checked us into room 808. We loved the super king size bed but to our disapproval found that the mattress was sunken in. Since we were to sleep in the hotel for quite a few nights, we requested a change of room.

The next room given was 927 but the bed was queen sized. That would equate, again, to a tight squeeze for the three of us. No point, right? Change Room, please! Finally, after hours, we got what we wanted in Room 909. :) By then, it was already 630pm.
We hurried to shower the kiddo and ourselves and rushed to Centrepoint, Teochew City for our Reunion Dinner. Everyone had fun staring at Ethan and he was the constant source of entertainment. Alan and I were zoned out though. hahaha

The meal, sad to say, tasted very mass produced. The quality suffered due to the immense number of patrons, all celebrating CNY. Only the promfret was delicious and up to par. By the end of the meal, I was quite happy to return to the hotel to relax.

14 February 2010 (Sunday & Happy Valentines' Day)

We headed for Dad and Mum's place late, around 10+am. And then, it was to the temple for blessing we went. The place was packed and we wormed our way into the aircon eatery for the meesuar we would eat yearly.
Next stop: AMK Ah Ma's place. Sad to say, this year, I was not to play MJ (and win the other players' $) I had not packed Ethan's clothes for a change and I clamoured to go back to Amara Hotel. So Alan, TK, Ethan and I went back.
At 5+pm, we headed back to Ah Ma's for dinner. Ah Ma's pig organ soup was to die for and even more delicious than the shark fins soup she had cooked. YuM! I decided promptly to diet another day....
It was almost 7 when we left for Lorong Chuan, my grandmother's house. When we got there, the many children were screaming and running around. The food did not tempt (esp since a coarse-mouth cousin loudly exclaimed how my sister and I had lost our beauty and figures since we had delivered). :P
All the irritating Aunties also claimed that since I was already fat, I "might as well" had Number 2 then diet. hahaha. Wasn't it just last year that they were nagging me to have children? I really give up man. WTF. My husband affectionately nicknamed them as "CB-mouths". I fully agree. ;D
I was glad to return to Amara Hotel at 10pm to get away from the irritants. If I had my way, I frankly wouldn't even wanna come back to Spore to celebrate CNY. I shall clamour (and get my way, of course) for the husband to whisk Son and Wife away to somewhere nice in 2011. No More Nagging.
15 february 2010 (Monday)
This day was spent in a daze and at my inlaw's house. There is simply nothing much to write about. Just that I lost $10 in MJ to my husband whilst playing and breastfeeding Ethan. haha Mr Ethan also enjoyed sleeping on ye ye and nai nai's bed most of the day.
16 February 2010 (Tuesday)
We had brunch at BK downstairs and the 3 Flowery Fairy Children came from different parts of Singapore to bai nian and play with their Fairy Didi. hahaha. :D After force-feeding them with bakwa and pineapple tarts etc, we all made a move.
We fetched Mum from her workplace in Tampines and adjourned to Aunty Florence's place. After that, we left for Waterina to visit KK & Julia and their 3 children :) Then it was to Eugene and Michelle's condo near National Skin Centre.
After a quick shower in Amara, we headed for Pan Pacific Hotel for a glorious dinner feast hosted by Yvonne. :D We celebrated her hitting the Big 3-0 as welll!

17 February 2010 (Thursday)
It was finally time to return to KL!! I didn't mind one bit. All the travelling and visiting, with kid in tow was certainly exhausting!!! Poor little baby Ethan also felt the brunt of it. He missed his night feeds, opting to sleep right through due to exhaustion. I think he lost weight :(
Anyway, Zesa came to visit at 1030am. Ethan enjoyed her company and posed for a few shots of the camera as well. haha
We checked out of the hotel at 1130 and proceeded to 110B to collect stuff. Then, we went to Jln Senang Temple to pray to my dad. It was Ethan's first visit to see Kong Kong as well. :)
After returning the car to Waterina, we all headed to Changi Airport. Daddy drove us, albeit feeling under the weather...and Jean joined us for lunch at Crystal Jade restaurant. All of us had porridge and we shared the charsiew and silken toufu. Yumz.
After bidding them goodbye, Alan and Ethan and I took the 5pm SQ flight back home.