Growing Up

Baby no more. Kit turns two!

2011-09-23T00:56:00.000+08:00

A birthday treat: Holding a pen while drinking milk on the morning of his birthday.

[I wrote a letter to Kai when he turned two. Here's one for Kit on his birthday.]

Dear Kit,

We knew what we were expected to do the day you were born. What we weren't sure of, is what you'd be like as a baby. Your big brother was a difficult baby; would you be the same?

You are a happy baby, who loves to giggle. We marveled at how easy it was to take care of you. Then you became a toddler and we found out how fiery and fierce you can get, but yet you continued to make us laugh. You love holding two objects, one in each hand. You chew up fruits, and spits them back out. (You don't anymore, which is why we have reintroduced apples to your diet.)

And what I really, really, really love about you is your smile. It lights up my heart every single day. And every night you say good night to me by wrapping your arms around me and snuggling your little head on my shoulders.

Your temper tantrums and passion for getting into fights really drive me up the wall. But for you, and for Kai, I'll willingly take both the good and the bad.

Happy second birthday, Kit. We love you.

Nature's scrapbook

2011-09-21T01:10:00.000+08:00

The 'tree' that I created, with Kai's help, using bark rubbing, leaves, and photographs as my backdrop.

Last month, I blogged about a project that I would be doing for Canon PIXMAtown, and I am so pleased to say that my little craft work has gone live on the site!

Basically, I was tasked to create a scrapbook using the Canon PIXMA MG8270 All-In-One Photo Printer and write a step-by-step how-to guide. I was half scared to death when I got the brief because scrapbooking is serious business, and this would be my first attempt at scrapbooking. I remembered visiting a scrapbook supplies store before and was overwhelmed by the equipment, the tools, and the prettiness of everything that's sold in the store. How would my DIY scrapbook compare?!

But everything just fell in place after I did some research and thought about the theme for my scrapbook. It also helped that Canon has a great creative resource for scrapbookers online. And I was impressed by the quality of the print. I wanted the backdrop of my scrapbook to stand out, so I took photographs of the sky and of a nice patch of grass. This explains why I have been staring at the sky lately. And thanks to the prints, my photographs really did stand out.

Kai cut part of the 'grass' for the background.

The best part is that Kai had fun helping with the scrapbook, and I was surprised at his cutting skills. I wasn't sure if he could create a convincing silhouette of the grass, but he did! (I helped by drawing the lines for him.)

Read my how-to guide for this Nature's Scrapbook here.

Hot, hot, hot!

2011-09-06T23:08:00.000+08:00

People make small talk by talking about the weather. I hope this doesn't come across as a meaningless post that has nothing to do with our life here in the sunny city state just because I am talking about the weather. But the weather has been just impossibly HOT. I step out of the house fresh in the morning to send the boys to school, but I'd be perspiring by the time I strap Kit into his car seat.

I have been staring quite a bit at the sky lately. Not day dreaming. Just looking for a nice patch of sky to snap a picture of for my Canon PIXMAtown project, and just wishing that the weather isn't so darn hot.

Hello Charlie Bucket!

2011-09-03T00:33:00.002+08:00

"Charlie!" cried Mr Wonka. "Well, well, well! So there you are!"

And so began Charlie Bucket's (and Kai's) adventure in Mr Willy Wonka's Factory...

...as told in this delightful pop-up book version of Roald Dahl's classic, which I found at Littered with Books. I can't wait to read it with Kai over the weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Shh... a new craft project's in the works

2011-08-31T23:32:00.000+08:00

I am very excited over a small project that I will be doing for Canon PIXMAtown. A very big heavy box arrived on Monday, and I will be using whatever's inside to help me with the next craft project.

The terrible twos. It's upon us already?!

2011-08-31T23:11:00.003+08:00

For the past five years of sending Kai to childcare, I never once received any complaint from teachers about his behavior. He is a sweet, gentle boy who gets scratched/bitten/shoved, not one who scratches/bites/shoves.

Kit has been going to playschool in the same center for only about six months now. Yet in this short six months, I can't believe the amount of feedback (or rather polite admonishment) I have received from the teachers about my feisty 23.5mo. Here's the latest: He scratched three (or was it four) boys in his class today and threw toys at another. A few weeks back, he fought with the biggest boy in his class and won(!). And as if that wasn't enough, he saw two classmates fighting (presumably over a toy) and decided to join in the fun.

Good grief.

There are some days where I feel like throwing my hands in the air, look up to the sky, and say: "Why me?" Yup. This is one of them.

Getting crafty at the museum

2011-08-31T13:24:00.003+08:00

We wanted to visit the Istana during its open house on August 30 (to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa), but the queue to enter the Istana snaked all the way to the office complex two blocks down! We were in the car, and stared in disbelief at the crowd waiting patiently to enter the Istana. Kai was a little upset at being denied a visit to "see Singapore's president" yet again, but we didn't have a choice. I am not going to wait one/two hours just so I can visit its gardens. Lucky for us, the National Museum of Singapore is just round the corner and since entry is free for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents for the month of August, it was our way of salvaging the outing for the boys.

Contemplating what goes on his box.

There was a live art exhibit (in conjunction with Singapore's national day on August 9) where visitors could draw their dreams and aspirations for Singapore on a box die cut, punch out the die cut, fold it, and place it in a designated corner of the museum.

Kai wants a bright future for Singapore!

Kai wanted to draw the Singapore flag; he had help from Terence.

Kai getting increasingly annoyed with Kit, who was stopping mummy from helping him with folding the box.

I helped him with folding the box, with no help from Kit who only wanted to tear and destroy.

He then gingerly placed his box on the exhibit.

There! Kai is officially part of the museum's 'art history'.

We then had a well-deserved lunch break at Novus, a cafe at the museum which we all enjoyed immensely. (Doesn't Terence's face say it all?)

New lease of life

2011-08-24T14:46:00.001+08:00

When we got married, I knew Terence had a stack of comic books which he read and collected in his teens. Every time we moved, we brought them along. They were a big part of Terence's life and I always thought that, maybe one day, I will read them too. But they were never a priority and over the years, they were left lonely, dusty, waiting for our next move.

Up until Kai developed this major appetite for every thing and any thing to do with X-Men, Spider-Man, and Captain America. So the comics had a second chance in life, and Kai was thrilled to inherit his daddy's comics collection! I am reading Spider-Man's Perception series of comics to Kai.

And Terence put together the X-Tinction Agenda (for X-Factor) comics, which he thought were the best, for my reading pleasure.

Adventures (and misadventures) in the ArtScience Museum

2011-08-23T00:33:00.002+08:00

Kit playing with an automatic dice roller for a board game that is placed
just after you enter the exhibit to engage the younger audience.

I love visiting museums, but the museum isn't top of my to-visit list for my two rascals on a weekend. With this, I don't mean the special programs that our Singapore museums put up for children; I am talking about the shuffle-silently-and-stare-in-deep-contemplation-with-furrowed-brows-while-perusing-museum-brochure-seriously kind of exhibits.

I always imagine my 5yo wandering bored and uninterested through the exhibits and my 23mo tearing down an installation or setting off a security alarm. But boy, was I surprised by how well our first family outing to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands went.

It looks like they are in an illegal gambling den! This game table is a nice touch for
young children; it engaged my boys for a good 5-10 minutes.

OK, but I kind of played up the fact that we will get to see REAL treasures from a REAL sunken boat at the museum's "Shipwrecked" exhibit. That caught Kai's attention; he probably was initially thinking about pirates, treasures, canons etc. So there weren't any pirates (or their remains) to see, but the whole exhibit was set in a dark hall with dim lights, giving it a mysterious air (like how it would be shipwrecked, under water) and he was hooked. He sat through a short documentary about the ninth-century Arab dhow that sunk near Indonesia's Belitung island about five times in a row! He was so enthralled by the underwater images of the sunken ship that he made me explain everything again and again and again. And it helped that there were some kid-friendly activities to do in the exhibition hall.

As for my 23mo, he tried to dislodge a fire extinguisher hanging from the wall. Twice.

It was good fun, and I even had time to enjoy and appreciate the exhibit. I think a key reason why the outing didn't turn out to be disaster was because we were there first thing in the morning, just after the museum opened its doors. That gave Kit a fair bit of room to ramble around. Nice. So I'll just nudge "visit a museum" up a notch (or two) in my to-do list for the weekend.

("Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds" ends October 2, 2011)

Captain America 2.0

2011-08-20T00:40:00.001+08:00

Kai's Captain America shield received an upgrade from his grandma who painstakingly made and painted two shields -- one for Kai and another for his cousin -- from a used cardboard box.

He was so pleased with his new shield, and wanted to throw the one he made (with our help) away. Hell no! I need it when I do pretend sword fighting with him!

Would you like it braised or grilled?

2011-08-18T22:49:00.011+08:00

Asians eat almost everything. We push the envelope of strange eats. Fish head? Fantastic; the cheek is the best part of the fish. Fish eyes? Yup, love suckin' the juice out of 'em. Chicken feet? Yum, great for making soup.

Waku Ghin's Tasmanian abalone with fregola and tomato

Do we even find anything strange anymore? Yup, throwing a fresh abalone on a grill. Now that's strangely different. For the uninitiated, an abalone is a type of sea snail. A delicacy in some parts of the world. Most of the time, we braise (canned) abalone or sometimes, we use them to cook porridge. But throwing a fresh abalone on a grill is most uncommon if not, almost unheard of. We didn't think it would even taste good, until we tried it at Waku Ghin in Marina Bay Sands.

We were just blown away by the taste and texture.

Terence's take on Waku Ghin's dish

And so Terence tried to replicate it at home on our BBQ. Our guests have never heard of grilling (or BBQ-ing) a fresh abalone, and they were pleasantly surprised that it tough or overly chewy. (Terence cooked chicken stock instead of a tomato-based stock that was used in Waku Ghin's dish.) The abalone wasn't all that expensive either; we bought ours at S$10 a piece.

So game for grilled fresh abalone anyone?

Clearing the secret path

2011-08-18T00:03:00.012+08:00

That looks like a nice piece of dried leaf that needs moisturizing.

My days have been pretty busy lately; it was a mix bag of things -- Kit is sick, again (!); work, work, and more work; chauffeuring boys from some place to another; arranging playdates; visiting museums; shopping.... Some tiles also fell off the kitchen wall in the middle of the night. I thought it was the cats up to no good again until I saw one of them, wide-eyed, bushy-tailed with fur all poofed up and staring at the tiles on the floor.

Right.

I was tricked by the noon weather today. There were clouds in the sky, covering the glaring noon sun and I didn't imagine it, there was a nice cool breeze too. It's a perfect day for Kit to walk home from school via our secret path. Then just as I managed to haul him off the school slide, the sun came out with a vengeance and the heat was soon beating down our back.

Why don't I do a good deed and give it all the moisture it needs...

But little boys really don't care for things like harmful UV rays, skin cancer, and dehydration. So trivial. It's more important to clear the path of all dried leaves by throwing them into the drain, and say "丢"! (throw in mandarin) for each leaf that drops.

...so there you go, into the drain. Drink up!

We took 30 minutes to get home as a result! Mind you, the journey home via the secret path only takes about 10 minutes. And maybe my 22.5mo was so excited by our little excursion that he simply REFUSED to take his nap thereafter; he was quite a handful by evening. Urgh. Despite the discomfort from the heat and perspiration, I can't help smiling to myself this afternoon. All it took were some dried leaves to keep him entertained for half an hour. Ahh, the simple pleasures of childhood.

(Rockin' or not in my) Darcie

2011-08-03T11:07:00.003+08:00

I am going crazy. Shortly after Kit recovered from HFMD, he fell sick again with fever, running nose, cough... AND he's teething.

So.

I don't know about you'd feel, but having a sick, hyperactive toddler in the house is REALLY NO FUN. Work is piling up and there are the usual day-to-day running of the household thingies to take care of.

So.

On the first sign that Kit was ready to go back to school (i.e. no fever in the morning), I packed him off to school and decided to be a little unconventional with my outfit for a client meeting. I pulled on the lovely Dr. Martens Darcie boots in teal^ (yes, teal). I have been eyeing the Darcie for the longest time and it was a tough decision -- it was between leopard prints or teal -- but I finally decided I REALLY dig teal. (Plus, I already own a Dr. Martens clog in leopard prints, but that's another story....)

And so.

Nothing beats retail therapy. After the meeting, I checked in at Zadig & Voltaire in Marina Bay Sands.

It was fun going through the sale items, and I finally found a cashmere shawl (100% cashmere!) that was on discount. (My previous helper put my old shawl in the washing machine, and I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement.) I felt rockin'.

So.

Kit came down with fever again in the evening. Not rockin' right now. Feeling all guilty for packing him off to school.

Eyewear model

2011-08-01T20:28:00.002+08:00

I love my mum's sun glasses.

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He's my Captain America

2011-07-30T16:17:00.001+08:00

Chris Evans is cute. But my Captain America's cuter.

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If the puzzle fits

2011-07-28T22:34:00.005+08:00

I walked in to switch off Kai's air conditioner this morning, and I saw this. A piece of puzzle wedged, up high, between the a/c and the wall.

Terence got creative and solved the problem of the rattling plastic a/c cover, which rattles like a motor engine when the a/c is on, using one of Kai's puzzle pieces.

Kai's reaction? "Mummy, but I don't like it up there."

Well, darling, if a piece of the puzzle fits, use it.

Treasure box

2011-07-27T15:21:00.004+08:00

Sometimes when we are in the park, at the beach, or walking along our secret path, my 5yo would pick up objects and ask if we can bring them home. He wants to bring home gravel, twigs, chunks of dried mud, seeds, flowers, shells.... If I allow it, they would sit strewn on his shelf or the dining table until I'd wait for him to forget about the item and I'd throw it away.

Then I thought it wasn't such a nice mummy thing to do, and that's how Kai's treasure box came about.

I gave him a box from NET-A-PORTER and we both thought it would be a great idea if his giant purple spider could sit on it to keep his treasures safe (and frighten Kit away, he added wisely).

We now have a twig, a coral, a thank you note from his pal Ian, and his amazing collection of Angry Birds drawings.

And not forgetting the seeds that he so painstakingly picked up on the way to school one day, which he made me promise to bring home. They look like dried watermelon seeds but smaller. Luckily, nothing disgusting has popped up in his collection yet!

Saying goodbye

2011-07-25T00:46:00.004+08:00

Terence and I decided we will all say goodbye to the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway track on Sunday morning. The 3km stretch of the railway from Rifle Range Road to Rail Mall is currently the only stretch opened to the public. It will remain opened only until July 31, 2011.

I've never taken a train from Singapore to Malaysia before. I think my parents would have thrown a fit if I did. Terence did once. He said people would hop in through the windows when the train reached Johor Bahru.

Kit was quite happy to sit in the Macpac Possum throughout the trek and Kai was happy to skip along until he realized he wasn't going to have it easy like his little brother. Both, however, are not old enough to know the significance of the railway line, and what it all meant to Singapore.

It was a nice outing nonetheless and no, we didn't take any stones from the track as a souvenir, in case you are wondering. But by erasing the railway and returning the tracks to Malaysia, we are inevitably deleting a part of Singapore's history. It's almost like we are playing a computer strategy game where you can build a railway track at your convenience and click it away at a whim.

Anyhow, enjoy the experience while it lasts. It'd be interesting to see what the government will do to conserve sections of the KTM railway so that the significance will not be lost to future generations.

Background:

- The Green Corridor campaign

- Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (Wikipedia)

The tiger sleeps tonight. My 22mo.

2011-07-20T23:39:00.004+08:00

At the risk of being labelled boring, here is yet another picture of my napping soon-to-be 22mo boy. I can't help it! Ask any mummy and they will tell you that they love to watch their babies/children sleep. (This is beside the fact that because the child is asleep, there is no one to bother us.)

But here is Kit. Looking so peaceful and angelic. Who would think that he scratches like a tiger when he's angry, excited, or when he wants his way and doesn't get it. Everyone has been scratched. Me, Terence, Kai, school teachers, MIL, and helper. I am amazed I haven't been called into the principal's office yet.

The Kit we know and love has come so far since the day he was born. Which brings me to the question... what should I do for his birthday?

# # #

Post-HFMD update:

After six days without food, Kit finally started eating ramen on the seventh day since coming down with HFMD. On the eighth day, he was gobbling fishball noodles with gusto. On day nine, he went back to school a happy boy.

Kalkitos

2011-07-19T16:30:00.007+08:00

It is always nice to see a revival of toys/items popular in the 70s so that we can reminisce over it and have the smug parental satisfaction of letting Kai know that his parents are really cool since "mummy/papa used to play with this when we were young". The latest find is Kalkitos.

I don't know how many would remember Kalkitos (or even know about it). But both Terence and I played with it when we were kids, using pencils to transfer dry-transferables containing cartoon images from plastic sheets using pencils onto a scenario printed on cardboard. We don't remember that it was called Kalkitos then though.

Kai liked it quite a bit when he started, but he lost interest after a while. Maybe he's too young for Kalkitos or perhaps in the advent of iPhone/iPad apps, computer games, and cable TV, Kalkitos has lost its charm among the young?

Where to buy:

A girlfriend found them at the Singapore Art Museum and Woods in the Books. But you can also buy them online at www.kalkitos.sg. On the Kalkitos web site, you can also find a list of retailers in other parts of the world, including Malaysia. It costs S$8.90 each.

Best part of your day

2011-07-19T00:45:00.003+08:00

My Monday just ended (12:47am on a Tuesday)! Having Kit sick with HFMD leaves me with no time to work in the day. This means that for the past one week, I can only work on my clients' projects after Kai goes to bed which is usually around 9:30pm if I am lucky. Kai's school was closed for the day too, so I brought him to the Marina Barrage for waterplay with his two of his good school pals in the morning.

So by the time I tuck (Kit first and then) Kai in, I was poop tired to the core with eyelids that were threatening to shut for good. After reading is a mandatory snuggle time (mandated by Kai, that is), and I wanted to know whether he enjoyed himself today.

Me: What is the best part of your day?

Kai: (short silence) You.

With just one word, he cheered me up.

- Water play at Marina Barrage

- Marina Barrage

HFMD Day #5 Update

2011-07-16T01:34:00.002+08:00

Kit hasn't had food for five days. He just didn't feel like eating. What will Day #6 bring?

Happy weekend everyone.

My new fall bag

2011-07-14T23:06:00.005+08:00

Just to take my mind off the sick toddler, daily cleaning and disinfecting issues, and how tiring it is to entertain a toddler in the confinements of home, I thought I'll just write about my new fall bag.

One topic that's bound to perk up any tired SAHM at the end of the day is fashion and I recently messaged a girlfriend near midnight about my latest acquisition in preparation for A/W 2011: Rebecca Minkoff's latest Cupid Satchel in navy. Suffice to say we had a wonderful end to our long day discussing whether the teal version looks better than the navy (navy's a more practical color, she said), checking out the RM web site, and discussing the clasp on the RM Mac Bombe Clutch.

After much anticipation, Cupid finally arrived. I love the gold hardware against the blue and the bag is SPACIOUS to say the least, which is great for a long day of running errands and shopping. There are plenty of pockets to organize whatever we ladies like to throw inside our bag. But I discovered that if all you have is a wallet, mobile phone, and keys, the bag doesn't hold its shape at all. This is a little disappointing considering that one of the reasons why I bought the bag was for its shape.

But, but, but... I must say it holds lots of potential for days where I am out with Kai and I need a bag to hold all his junk and mine. I mean, this was why I specifically wanted a spacious satchel as my companion for Fall 2011.

(RM has FREE international shipping for purchases above US$300. ;) )

HFMD: Day 2 draws to a close

2011-07-12T22:17:00.003+08:00

I thought I could cheer Kit up by bringing him downstairs for a walk early in the morning, after the office crowd hustles out of the estate and before the heat from the late morning sun beats down our back.

But no. He was disconsolate. Poor chap. And he was grouchy, teary, and irritable most of the day. I've never seen my sunny boy so down.

He woke up almost every hourly yesterday crying and thrashing around in bed and had to be comforted. Day two of HFMD has ended but day three has already started for me because guess who is on night duty? *raise hand*

Hello HFMD

2011-07-11T20:38:00.008+08:00

Hello HFMD.

We meet. Finally. Kai has been attending childcare for three plus years and he has been lucky enough to avoid your acquaintance. But you decided it is time we meet, and so Kit is your latest friend.

Kit has been down in the mouth, thanks to you.

He's confined at home, which he hates. I can't bring him downstairs for a walk when he is running a temperature. And when his fever goes down, the weather's too hot. We played at our lift lobby to break the monotony. He cried when it was time to go home.

We long to bid you adieu.

Muffin transforms: Bright side of the moon

2011-07-08T11:21:00.002+08:00

Kai picked all the chocolate buttons off his chocolate/banana muffin and left this thing on his breakfast plate. It was a perfectly nice looking muffin when I bought it and after he was done, it looked like the craggy, pocked mark face of the moon. There was a lot of muffin left and it would be such a waste to throw it away! *sigh* I ate it for breakfast instead of the yummy cheese muffin, which is still sitting pretty and perfect in the fridge.

Bottle crush

2011-07-07T22:39:00.005+08:00

I suspect Kit loves Jasmine Juicie more. He likes purple, you see.

Other toddlers cuddle their teddy bears to bed. My toddler holds two sample bottles of OPI Avojuice Skin Quencher, one in each hand. Yes, no kidding. Coconut Melon Juicie and Jasmine Juicie are their names. It is printed on the bottle.

He screamed his head off before bedtime yesterday until I figured out that he wanted his comfort bottles. Today, both bottles went MIA and the whole household went on a bottle hunt. They were discovered under his cot. Didn't I say life is so interesting with my 21mo?

Friendly neighborhood Spider-man

2011-07-05T19:20:00.003+08:00

One sure sign that your toddler is growing up is when his toys change to something that's more big boy-ish. Spider-man is now Kai's favorite of the month. So long Thomas and Friends!

It's come undone

2011-07-01T19:36:00.001+08:00

Just before taking his afternoon nap, Kit sat down in his bedroom and pulled out the magnetic door latch screwed into the wall. Ah I love my son. Life's so unpredictable with him.

We've gone batty

2011-06-28T20:20:00.002+08:00

It's art and craft night with Kai. While he makes a card for Terence, I finish up the cardboard bat for our horror house pencil holder project.

What's your view?

2011-06-23T22:59:00.007+08:00

Perhaps sometimes it's ok to have a myopic view of the world. Especially if what you see is a strange yet beautiful, warped yet romantic image of the world. It's just as if you are looking at the world through a giant kaleidoscope. And here's what Kai and I will look like from a myopic view. It's actually an image of Kai and I in The Real Thing, a giant kaleidoscope, which is activated by the participation of the viewer. (The Real Thing is part of the National Museum of Singapore's The Playdome program.)

Don't believe? Zoom in closer and there! Kai's wearing a blue shirt and I'm that squished up image in coral.

Like I said, perhaps sometimes it's ok to have a myopic view of the world because sometimes the big picture or having a macro-perspective isn't so... romantic. So. What's your view of the world?

Melaka memories

2011-06-16T23:16:00.006+08:00

Here are some of my favorite memories from our road trip to Melaka in April 2011. We stayed at Holiday Inn Melaka, which came highly recommended by friends. Not only were the rooms clean and well appointed, I was bowled over by their service.

Where's Kit Kit? He loved hiding behind the curtains in our hotel room.

Remember the scene from "Three men and a baby" where a ghost of a boy was reportedly seen standing behind the curtains? Here is Kit's take on the scene.

# # #

Vendors almost everywhere in Melaka, in shopping malls and at pasar malams (night markets), were selling Angry Birds plush toys. Kai begged us to buy some Angry Birds for him and every night (or every time we returned to our room) during our holiday, we built the pigs' fortress on the bed using pillows.

Checking out the enemy's hideout from behind a 'barricade'.

Then jumping up and launching the Angry Birds at the pillows/pigs. Terence made the game realistic with his sound effects.

And we played Angry Birds, taking down the thieving pigs by launching our birds at 'em!

# # #

Climbing St Paul's hill with Kai because I was there too when I was a child.

Spit 'em out!

2011-06-14T20:38:00.007+08:00

Kit didn't quite like the grapes, courtesy of Holiday Inn Melaka, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

Hansel and Gretel left a trail of bread crumbs. Kit leaves a trail of masticated fruits. He chews on them, extracts their juice, and spits out whatever he doesn't like. We have to watch our step when we give him a bowl of fruits. You never know when you'd step on something wet and squishy, courtesy of Kit.

We discovered that he is sure to spit out apples, so we don't give him apples anymore. He sometimes spit out grapes and blueberries, depending on his mood and the quality of the fruit. It's almost funny except that I have to keep cleaning up after him!

My energizer bunny at 20mo

2011-06-13T22:39:00.006+08:00

There! I made my first edible installation with decorating icing and white bread.

I have been grousing to some girlfriends lately about Kit's reluctance to talk. Like all good girlfriends, they reassured me that everything is well and asked me to think positive.

Like all mummies, we have all thumbed through parenting literature and asked other mummies for their opinions or help when we encounter problems. From breast feeding, sleep training, potty training, disciplining, weaning, to... OMG, will the list never end?! And the number of experts out there telling you what's right and what's wrong is just mind boggling.

Today, I decided to forget about what I perceive is a problem and just, oh well, focus on the positive. At 20mo, Kit loves to babble with a cheeky grin on his face. He has decided talking is not important (since his mummy understands him well enough) and focus on other skills like climbing and running so that he fall into prickly bushes and muddy patches, feel what it's like to have water in his face and rushing up his nose when he jumps into the baby pool, and getting his wind knocked out of him as he runs straight into a crashing wave. All the things Kai didn't dare to do at 19mo because he was focused on another set of skills, talking.

I feel better now. :)

Kai's Angry Birds piñata: It was whacked, stabbed, and ripped apart

2011-06-11T23:01:00.012+08:00

Kai, beaming from cheek to cheek, with best friend Ian. Now that smile is the reason I spent many late nights on the piñata! Happy birthday my baby boy!

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that no one could give a straight answer on just how many layers are appropriate for a paper-mache piñata built for young children. I still don't have an answer but I know for sure, eight layers was too much. Our piñata was tough!

Before we let the children loose on the piñata, we asked all the adults at the party to guess how heavy the piñata was. So at least the bird was fondled by many pairs of gentle hands before it was abused. It weighed 2.2 kg, and we gave away a prize to the guest with the closest guess. (Congrats U-Jin!)

Then we hung it up again and the birthday boy was given the honor to be the first to hit the piñata.

But the piñata was so tough that it only suffered dents in its body. Although I used four ropes to hang the piñata with, Terence cut off two before the party (he thought two were enough). The ropes tore right through the piñata, and the bird fell to the floor intact. We then hung it back up by tying the rope around the bird's comb. (Whew! Disaster averted.)

Die, birdie, die! Or rather, break, birdie, break!

More whacking by the kids followed, but the bird just wouldn't give up its goodies. Drastic measures were needed. Terence took a kitchen knife and stabbed it multiple times.

Everything happened in a blur. It was just a split second, from tearing of the piñata to pouncing on the candies. (Photo courtesy of Eva Wong.)

By this time, even some of the big kids (i.e. the fathers) were hitting the bird. Finally, it was Alvin, Ian's daddy, who gave it to the bird. It ripped and fell to the ground with a thud, still without giving it up goodies! But before it could became a bad PR moment, Terence quickly picked it up, ripped it apart, and then there was a sudden downpour of sweets, confetti, and streamers all over the place. That's when the kids lost it and scrambled for the 'kill'. (Great crisis management, babe!)

Lovely Kate Lyn still quietly picking up candies long after the dust has settled.

No Angry Birds. Hello Kitty will have to do.

We gave goody bags for the children to store their treasures too.

Kit holding his first lollipop and me holding my treasure and an object that gave Kai another happy memory.

The hitting of the piñata was quite a laugh actually. Even the adults had fun. The next time (that is if I am mad enough to do it again!) I might do just five or six paper-mache layers. But then, the question is would it be strong enough to hold up 14-16 bags of sweets?

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: Creating the cake

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: DIY Angry Birds Piñata

- Angry Birds (Tan-style): The making of

Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: It's party time!

2011-06-09T00:01:00.023+08:00

Balloons galore! Great for decorating the place and they served as gifts for the children too.

Ideas for Kai's Angry Birds birthday party were put together/executed over a course of two weeks. It started with the invitation card featuring part of Kai's Angry Birds army in the Melaka hotel room. (The price tag of the white bird in Ringgit was still attached in the photo.)

Invitation card (front)

Invitation card (back)

Kai's friends may bring their own Angry Birds plush toys. I'm not sure how many did, but there were some birds flying around and rolling on the floor that day.

From the top: Ian, Kai, Josh (seated and unsure what the rest were doing), and Joshua (Photo courtesy of Eva Wong).

Including boys rolling on the floor pretending to be birds that had fallen off after hitting their targets (in this case, the pinata).

For goody bags to give away to the children at the party, I bought Angry Birds thermos cups which contained Angry Birds erasers and a (non-Angry Birds) sharpener. No sweets in this goody bag because the children would be getting them from the pinata!

Children had to hunt for the Angry Birds' stolen eggs placed all around the living room. (Terence had to quickly place 40 bouncy balls in the room while I briefed the children on their mission.) They could keep their 'eggs' at the end of the game.

Thomas and Friends were around to entertain the kids too, thought he's definitely not part of the theme. A toddler-size battery-operated Thomas was available to take children on a ride. And going a full-circle around the pillar/refrigerator in the living room was also...

A train track that Terence so patiently built before the party. It was totally destroyed by the boys mid-way through the event.

Coloring of Angry Birds, however, was not so well received. All of them were too busy running around and keeping their little mouths busy with goodies they have created using the...

The birthday boy had a go at the chocolate fountain before his guests arrived.

How was it? Definitely yummy, judging by the smear on his face.

Chocolate fountain! There were marshmallows, biscuits, colorful candy sprinkles, and fruits to choose from.

And what's a party without balloons? We had balloons in colors that represented all the Angry Birds and pigs. They entertained the kids pretty too. So it didn't matter that we only had one party game. There were lots of things to keep the children busy.

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: Creating the cake

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: DIY Angry Birds Piñata

- Angry Birds (Tan-style): The making of

Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: Creating the cake

2011-06-08T18:23:00.014+08:00

Lovely white fondant (or pettinice) from Bakels. Though they (ready-to-use fondants) were a life-saver, I don't want to see, touch, smell, or mould fondant for a long time to come!

As mentioned in my previous post, Kai's obsession with an Angry Birds birthday cake started with a YouTube video. But that was months ago. I had forgotten about it until three weeks before his birthday, while watching an episode of "Cake Boss", I sat up with a jolt. Horror of horrors. I didn't know if there are local bakers who could bake a 3D Angry Birds cake, playable or non-playable. Or should I *drum roll* attempt to make my own?

Option #1: Outsource the entire cake

A quick search online led me to this lovely lady, Veronica, who makes gorgeous looking cakes. She has a playable Angry Birds cake, but the cost of commissioning a cake for my party of 25 people was more than what I was prepared to pay. I can understand why she charges that much though; a lot of work goes into making and decorating the cake. Since I've made Angry Birds figurines before using clay, I thought: "OK, why don't we bake the cake and make the Angry Birds toppers ourselves? It should be easy. Right?"

I spent many sleepless nights over the cake as a result.

Option #2: Make it myself, 100%

Bags...

and bags of instant fondants. I am so grateful for ready-to-use fondants.

Veronica and many other bakers use fondant, which is a thick yet pliable sugar paste, to decorate cakes and sculpt pastries. Lucky for this dum-dum of a baker, there are ready-to-use, colored fondants. I bought them in all the colors^ that I would need for the birds, pigs, and concrete/wooden blocks.

I roped in Kai to kick-start the project, and he helped me roll two red balls and three blue balls of fondant. (They formed the bodies of the red and blue Angry Birds). Then I gave him some fondant to play with while I made the actual cake toppers.

My favorite pigs were the one with the eyes closed and the injured pig with a black eye and red tongue sticking out. (Photo was taken with the iPhone 4 at 3am by zombie mummy. I wish I had taken out my DSLR!)

Subsequently, I worked on the toppers at night. It took me two nights to make nine Angry Birds, one night to make eight pigs, and one night to make some blocks to put the pigs on.

I even made my own catapult^ for the Angry Birds. It's very rudimentary, but Kai was thrilled when he saw it.

Then I couldn't muster enough courage to bake a cake (I'm an artist, not a baker!). Furthermore, I was running out of time. That's when I turned to Option #3.

Option #3: Make it myself, or just 50% of it

My initial plan was to get a baker friend to bake the cake, and I would put a layer of green fondant over the cake. Then, as I tossed and turned at 3am, the solution came to me: I'd buy an ice cream from Swensen's and place my toppers on it.

I only placed the toppers on top of the cake a few hours before the party. Terence made the tall tower for kingpin pig with three Kit Kat bars, held together by white fondant.

I nearly danced and whopped with joy at Swensen's Parkway Parade outlet when I found out that they could remove their toppers from their Soccer Mania cake, and kept it plain. That way, I had a green surface -- to represent grass -- to place my toppers on. It was perfect. A lot of people don't like the taste of fondant anyway so covering the cake with a layer of fondant might not be such a good idea. And who doesn't love ice cream? (I chose strawberry and sticky chewy chocolate.) I bought a tube of sparkly red decorating icing to write "Happy Birthday", and I helped Kai write his name on the cake.

It was a quite an experience. I can't believe I was so stressed out over the cake, but I wanted to give Kai the best. And I am glad he had a small part to play in the process. (I promise, I made him wash his hands with soap and water before touching the fondant.) My only regret is that I didn't have a chance to take proper pictures of my toppers and cake! Fondant starts to sweat whenever there is moisture. So every time I took the cake out of the freezer, my toppers would sweat due to condensation, giving it a shiny, runny gleam to it. As a result, I didn't dare to take out the cake unless necessary.

Oh well, as Terence would say: It doesn't matter if I have no photographs to capture 'the moment'. My memories are all that matter.

Related posts:

- Kai's Angry Birds Piñata: It was whacked, stabbed, and ripped apart
- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: It's party time!
- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: DIY Angry Birds Piñata
- Angry Birds (Tan-style): The making of

Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: DIY Angry Birds piñata

2011-06-08T11:47:00.027+08:00

The 2.2kg piñata I made using paper-mache, with a 24-inch latex ballon as my base.

(I am embarrassed. It's been a while since I updated the blog, but it's been CRAZY since we returned from our Krabi, Thailand getaway. However, Kai turned five yesterday and I want to put up all posts related to his birthday ASAP so he could read it when his older and remember just how crazy he had been about Angry Birds.)

Kai with his Angry Birds army in the Melaka hotel room.

What started this whole "I want an Angry Birds' birthday cake" craze was this video Kai saw on YouTube. It was about a father in UK who made a playable birthday cake for, coincidentally, his 5yo son too. That was a few months back, say around March. Then when we went on a family road trip to Melaka/Genting, Malaysia in April, we played Angry Birds with him in the hotel rooms using pillows and Angry Birds plush toys^. (More on that, hopefully later!)

Then Terence put the final nail in the coffin by telling Kai: "No problem, your mummy can make an Angry Birds birthday cake for you." And that was how the whole family started on our Angry Birds birthday journey.

Kai and Terence with the 24-inch balloon on the night started making the piñata.

Other than the birthday cake, the other birthday accessory that will make the Angry Birds theme, I thought, would naturally be the piñata. After all, the birds are round and I can easily make it with a ballon and paper-mache. I got my design inspiration from another blogger. I then went to some balloon stores in neighborhood malls but I couldn't find a latex ballon that is bigger than the usual 11/12-inch balloons. I finally found them at Party With Us, and I bought a 24-inch latex balloon. (If anyone is interested is making an even bigger piñata, they have a 3-feet balloon. Now that's HUGE!)

The ballon is prepped, workspace cleaned and covered, with the glue made. I am ready to begin!

As I could only work on the piñata for only a few hours a day at night, I gave myself one week to complete the piñata. I made the glue using flour and water (one part flour, five parts water), which gave a really nice smooth paste. If you are going to attempt this, it's essential to lay out the newspaper on your workspace before you start. It can get really messy if you intend to get your children to help!

"Eeee YAH!!!" said Kai, who added that an empty balloon with eight layers of paper was too heavy for him.

Most DIY paper mache piñata sites will tell you to use three to four layers of paper for your piñata. But we didn't want the piñata to break after just a few hits by the birthday boy. I had about 11 children at the party, and everyone should be able to have a go at the piñata. Some sites suggest 10-12 layers for a piñata built for teenagers and Terence urged me to do more than four. So under duress, I made eight. (Was it too much, you ask. Read on.) The final layer was made with white A4 paper. I could use white crepe paper for a smoother finish but I couldn't find white crepe paper! The shops have crepe paper in every possible color except white.

Outline of the bird's eyebrows, eyes, and stomach in pencil.

After spending about four nights plastering the balloon, I dedicated a weekend afternoon on painting the balloon. This was the part where Kai participated. :-) First, I drew on the face.

We used normal poster color by Pentel.

Then we painted the stomach.

Then red. Note the intense look of concentration on Kai's face! He was so serious about getting it right that he ended up making lots of funny faces without knowing. As the bird was very big, there was a lot of 'ground' to cover and Kai gave up painting after a while. I finished up the body, and started on the finer details.

The eyebrows and the eyes.

Then I made the beak using yellow cardboard paper. I then released the air from the balloon (we wanted to reuse the big balloon as a toy for the boys), and pulled it out of the piñata.

The next step which was really fun for Kai to do was to put the sweets, streamers, and shiny confetti into his piñata. I bought about 14-16 packets of sweets, which we all threw into the hole. Kai was quite excited; he wanted to see how they all looked like inside the balloon.

I put him more streamers in for him after he went to bed. The bird looked pretty funky with colorful curls.

Hitting the nail in the head. The bird's head.

This is the step which I think can be improved. To secure the ropes to the piñata, I made a hole with a nail so I could put the rope through. I made four holes and tied two knots at the end of (four strands) of rope. There are other ways of securing the role to the piñata, which I may use in the future. That is if I ever have to make a piñata again.

So this marks the end of our piñata-making journey. Many times, during the piñata-making process, Terence asked me not to spend so much time over an object that the children were going to whack to pieces. In reply, I'd like to borrow something from Brian (aka Piñata Boy), who loves making piñatas for his children:

I'm not just building piñatas, I am building memories. All these piñatas have become an indelible part of my kids' childhoods, and that will last a lifetime.

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: It's party time!

- Kai's Angry Birds Birthday Party: Creating the cake

- Angry Birds (Tan-style): The making of

From one island to another and another

2011-04-20T00:04:00.007+08:00

The standard Hong Island tour in Krabi brings you to four stops: Hong Island; a lagoon near Hong Island (or Hong lagoon); Pakbia Island; and Lading Island. While Hong Island has a nice, calm, and clean bay with plenty of shade to settle down for a spot of lunch, the Pakbia beach was filled with rocks and corals. Not great for little bare feet to walk on and certainly not great for sand play as there is very little shade.

However, we spent about half an hour on Pakbia Island feeding fishes and exploring the island. Kai found a long branch which he was playing pretend fishing with when I decided to walk round a tree stump in the water.

Lo and behold, I spied crabs with shells the color of the tree bark coupled with bright green spots mimicking the mould growing on the tree stump. You would have missed them -- yes "them", the stump was crawling with life -- if you didn't look too carefully. So Kai and I spent a good few minutes trying to spot crabs, both big and small, and sneaking up to them for a close look without scaring them away. But they were all too quick for us.

Our last stop, Lading Island was a huge disappointment and not even worth a visit as the small stretch of beach was filled with tourists, vendors, and boats. Kai absolutely refused to get out of our boat; this beach connoisseur knows when a beach is not worth his effort.

The motion of the boat combined with all the excitement in the morning put Kit quickly and easily down for his nap. Lucky for us. We didn't have to deal with a cranky, over-stimulated toddler on this trip!

Kai was a happy camper again after we left Lading Island for Sheraton. We'll never forget this adventure on our long tail boat! (Oh by the way, the boat on the left is our replacement boat which picked us up at Hong Island.)

I mentioned earlier that we thought the beaches on other islands in Krabi would be better than the beach outside Sheroton and that it wasn't so. That impression was based purely on this first island hopping tour -- the Hong Island tour. Only Hong Island got our thumbs up. But, but, but... I changed my mind after our second island hopping tour on Day #4 of our Krabi holiday.

Hong Island and an Amazing Race moment

2011-04-19T00:18:00.011+08:00

It might not a big deal for some mothers/parents, but I wasn't sure how we'd fare bringing an 18mo toddler on a half-day island hopping tour in Krabi. I was worried about whether Kit would eat the packed lunch provided by the tour vendor as he is a very fussy eater and whether he'd have a meltdown if he's too excited to take a nap during the trip. But he was such a trooper, and so was Kai. Once again, Kai was doing so many new things on this trip; we could literally see him grow up before our eyes.

It was Kai's first boat ride^ out in the open sea in a wooden long boat, and he was looking forward to "a nice beach", which his parents promised, at Hong Island

As we neared our destination, our boat stopped suddenly and wouldn't start again. Terence and I looked at each other quietly. What are we going to do? Stuck in the open sea with two young boys?!?! How long are we going to be out here for? The Thai boat driver spoke so little English that he couldn't tell us what he was going to do or what was going to happen. His actions didn't inspire confidence either. He was texting (!) and calling a few people and when we asked him questions, all we got were weak smiles and "OKs".

It was like one of those Amazing Race moments you see on TV. The contestants are in a tight race to the pit stop and their boat just STOPS half way through the journey. Kaput. Adios amigo. Sayonara. There's nothing you can do. Just sit, wait, grip your wooden seat tight, and pray that the replacement boat comes quickly.

Ahh.... but the difference between the Amazing Race contestants and us is that we have a cellphone that, THANK GOD, had reception out in the open sea. Terence called the tour operator, who spoke with the boat driver. We were then told by the operator that a replacement boat would arrive in 20 minutes time. But the boat driver was more competent than he looked as he contacted another boat driver, who swung by and towed us to the island.

Terence and I silently breathed a sigh of relief. I was never so glad to see land.

The small incident was quickly forgotten as we all took in the beautiful sight. Here's Kai taking a dip in the clear water of the bay at Hong Island.

And this is the view that he was looking at.

Beach vacation

2011-04-15T22:23:00.007+08:00

Hello Krabi.

Kai is very happy to set foot on your lovely shores.

The beach that is in front of our hotel, Sheraton Krabi, is very different from the wonderful stretch of beach that we are used to at Karon beach, Phuket. Karon beach has fine white sand, clear azure waters, and you can look out into the blue horizon as your walk without worrying whether you are going to sink your foot on a craggy coral. (You can compare the shot of the Krabi beach^ with our Phuket photographs taken during our stay in Movenpick Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Phuket Arcardia Resort & Spa.)

The beach here, however, is littered with dead corals, rocks, and shells which makes walking on the beach a rather unpleasant experience if you are not too careful. But it is a problem that can be easily solved by wearing Crocs (or in my case, a pair of diving booties). Both boys enjoyed it nonetheless. After all, their needs are pretty simply. Kai just wants to muck around in the sand with his toys and have a dip in the ocean once in a while. Kit just wants to splash in the water and feel the waves crash in his face. The water is here is very much calmer than the huge, crashing waves at Phuket, so I guess it's great for our young boys.

And because this is a beach holiday after all (and now that Kit is older), we decided to bring them out on an island hopping tour on Day #2. I thought the beaches may be better on other islands, but it wasn't so. We still had fun though! :-)

Starting playschool

2011-04-12T17:43:00.008+08:00

I had mixed feelings about Kit's first day in school. That's right. Kit is now 18mo, making him eligible for childcare. I wonder if it's too early to send him to half-day playschool since I am around to look after him though I spend half a day working from home most days. But he is such an active and inquisitive boy that I'm pretty sure he'd enjoy school. I am not afraid of him catching bugs from other children in school and falling sick; he gets enough of that from his elder brother. But maybe he's just too young to be in school?

Call me a snob; I don't care. But when I heard my helper speak to him in her broken English again, I knew I wanted to minimize any exposure to bad habits. So bad English was the straw that broke the camel's back, and convinced me he will have a more productive and educational time in playschool.

One week has passed since Kit started playschool, and he still cries when he reaches the school gate. But he stops whimpering the minute I hand him to his teacher/s, who both speak excellent English. Looking at the photographs and videos that his teachers have taken of him in school, Kit seems to be enjoying himself. He earned himself the nickname of "The Worm" today for being a boy who squirms in his seat after few minutes and who attempts to squirm out of your arms when he wants out.

Ah yes. It's nice to be relieved of my back-breaking duties and let the teachers take over my lovable 18mo for a little while.

Osteria Italia

2011-04-05T23:16:00.006+08:00

We just discovered a delightful Italian joint near our place tonight -- Osteria Italia. The food was unpretentious, which is what you'd expect in an osteria. The service was personable and prompt and the prices very reasonable. (An osteria is an Italian-style eating establishment where the emphasis is on maintaining a steady clientele than on haute cuisine.)

Thumbs up to its squid ink spaghetti (S$21).

And two thumbs up for its beef lasagna (S$21).

I haven't felt so relaxed for such a long time. Maybe because the two boys are growing up (or maybe it's the bottle of Prosecco, sparkling Italian white wine, that we ordered). Kai is so much fun to be with and Kit is now doing toddler things at 18mo. I put Kit to bed before we left for dinner, which gave us time to bond with Kai. Lovely....

Where:

Osteria Italia

201 Telok Kurau Road

+65 6346 3970

Opening hours: 11.20am - 2.30pm (Weekdays); 6pm - 10.30pm (Weekends)

Poor red bird

2011-04-05T22:56:00.004+08:00

Alas. After two days of abuse by my 4.5yo, red bird is the worse for wear. Paint has chipped off his crown and beak; his beak and tail feathers broke and had to be glued back.

Kai refused to let me paint him. He probably thinks red bird has more character looking the way he does now.

Angry Birds (Tan-style): The making of

2011-04-03T22:58:00.006+08:00

The Angry Birds craze has taken over our household lately. Kai has played Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and he is now playing Angry Birds Rio. He also wants Angry Birds, in clay.

The body and the beak were the easiest to mould, obviously; the crown and the tail feathers were harder.

Then I popped them into the toaster oven together with a bird and a boulder that he made.

After baking them for about 25 minutes, I drew their faces.

And painted them.

And voila!

I don't expect the birds to last very long. They are made with clay after all. True enough, Kai dropped the red bird shortly after I handed him the bird. Red bird fractured his tail feathers (i.e. the tail feathers broke away from the body). He cried and we had to send the bird to the ER doctor -- Terence -- immediately. Terence glued it back, and it is now recuperating in the hospital -- Kai's bookshelf.

I'll keep you posted of its progress.

Good day, bad day

2011-03-17T20:40:00.003+08:00

Kai told me yesterday, in a woeful tone, that he didn't have a good time in school. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. "No," said the sad soon-to-be-5yo (who incidentally, got reprimanded by his teacher for being rude just before I picked him up).

He was still down in the mouth when I tucked him in to bed. So I asked him what are the things that make him happy? He just shrugged.

This is what I said: "Mummy has good days and bad days too. On bad days, I like to think about things that make me happy. You know what makes me happy? You. So when I am sad, I think about you. And that makes me happy again."

That finally put a smile on my little man's face.

How was your day?

Splash of spring

2011-03-02T19:43:00.003+08:00

So bold bright colors are in for SS11 huh? I guess I'm on trend then.

I was mucking around in the living room with Kit, pretending to be soldiers and marching around the room. Suddenly he whirled around and walked right straight into the CUSHIONED armrest of the sofa. Blood streamed down his lips and my poor baby screamed in pain.

He had cut his upper lip badly, and he wouldn't allow me to put pressure on the cut. Eventually I calmed him down enough to stop the bleeding and check that he didn't need stitches. What drama.

Nonetheless, he returned to his sunny self shortly after the incident, drank his milk, and went down for his nap happily. And this is how my blouse looked like in the aftermath.

My 17mo

2011-02-24T12:32:00.003+08:00

My 17mo boy is slowly creeping towards the dreaded terrible-two stage.

He is no longer a baby, though I still think of him as such. He is definitely his own person, and he lets us know that ALL the time.

When I tell him it's time to leave the playground, he throws a tantrum. When I tell him it's time to come up from the pool, he slaps my face (!). When his biscuit gets knocked out of his hand, he looks everywhere for it. When his older brother takes his toys away from him, he asks us to take it back for him. He knows that Kai's spectacles is not a toy, and hands it back to me when I asked him to.

But of all the wonderful things he does, my favorite is when he kisses me. :-)

Starstruck

2011-02-24T11:45:00.005+08:00

I have a confession to make.

For thirty-something years of my life, I have never felt starstruck before. I have met many famous CEOs of multinational companies and interviewed them during my years as an IT journalist.

But I was NEVER, EVER awestruck. Until I met Eric Khoo during a recent interview.

Yes, THAT Eric Khoo who has put tiny Singapore on the world stage in the film industry. I've watched some of his movies: his debut film "Mee Pok Man"; "12 Storeys"; and "Be With Me". I've read about him in the news. I've seen his pictures, which were taken with gorgeous celebrities at the Festival de Cannes.

So when I was told I would get to interview the man himself for a client of mine, I thought: "Wow."

Then "Wow." turned into this strange feeling in my stomach when I finally met Eric. He has always come across as very serious, very dark, and very stern in his photographs. So for the first time in my life as a reporter, I was nervous. Oh dear, what if I asked questions that he thought was stupid (though I have put in hours of research before the interview)? What if he asked me something about his film/s and all he gets is this blank stare from me. What if all I got were moody, monosyllabic replies. What if. What if?

Then the interview started, and what a relief! He is very serious about his work but he is such a wonderful person to talk to. None of the stereotypical star-attitude that some celebrities gave reporters. Eric gave lots of interesting quotes, he is very passionate about his work, and he is very down to earth.

Whew. What a relief.

I never told Terence that I asked to take a photograph with Eric. (He'll find out for the first time from this blog!) I'll get teased to death. He'll think I'm going through some strange phase. No. No. No. I was just starstruck from meeting a truly talented man.

P/S: But all the high I experienced from meeting a celebrity quickly dissipated when I sat down to write the story for my client. With so many great quotes, it became a massive exercise to squeeze them into a specific word count.

Taunting the waves

2011-02-12T10:29:00.005+08:00

As you can see, me and the boys spend quite a lot of time at the beach. :-D

I took this sequence (using my iPhone) of Kai playing with the waves at the beach. After I looked at the sequence again on the computer, I realized something. While capturing people's faces is a great way of telling a story in photographs, great stories can still be told even if the face cannot be seen. I wish I could bottle up his happiness for eternity.

Happy weekend everyone. :-)

No hat, no play

2011-02-09T20:26:00.000+08:00

There isn't a lot of emphasis in Singapore about skin damage caused by the sun. Before I had Kai, I couldn't care less about putting on sunblock daily or donning a hat at the beach or in the boat (while wakeboarding). But a few years back, while having lunch in a hawker center, I sat next to an old man with skin cancer ON HIS FACE.

That scared the s***t out of me.

I now have a rule for the boys: No hat, no play. And the one place where they absolutely have to wear the hat is at the beach.

Well, you know how young toddlers and babies HATE wearing hats. Or at least, both my boys hated wearing hats when they were babies. But I kept pulling it down on their head, which works out in the end. Now Kai wears his hat dutifully at the beach or wherever else I ask him to. Kit? He is still a hat-wearer-in-training. But whether he likes it or not, he'd get there!

The force is strong with this one

2011-02-08T20:37:00.004+08:00

Cookies! Om-nom-nom.

合家欢乐!

2011-02-08T00:45:00.006+08:00

These days, you never know when you'd chance upon a water play area in Singapore. You can find it right smack in front of a shopping center, which is ok because you can always walk into any of the shops to buy a whole new outfit for two soaked-to-the-skin boys. (Ahh... a ploy by the shopping center management to help boost sales?)

But when you chance upon it at Resorts World Sentosa, then you face the dilemma of leaving your kids in their wet clothes for the rest of the evening or walk a long way to buy a t-shirt from a souvenir store.

Lucky I still carry a spare change of clothes for Kit. Damage to the pocket was minimized.

That aside, the boys had great fun and we all had a good laugh on the third day of the lunar new year. So here's wishing everyone: 新春愉快, 合家欢乐! (Happy new year; Felicity of whole family)

On the second day of CNY

2011-02-04T11:45:00.005+08:00

After nine straight tiring hours of visiting loved ones on the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY), we decided to stay in on the second day and just chill... all except for Kit.

After his brekkie, he flipped through Style Magazine to keep himself up to date on SS11 fashion trends.

He wanted to reorganize our wardrobe.

Then take out the trash from his room.

He thought it'd be a good time to organize daddy's namecard drawer and...

Remind mummy to update her it bag.

He finally settled down for 5 min of Scooby Doo with Kai.

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

Weekly routine: Off to the beach

2011-02-01T23:48:00.004+08:00

Once a week, after I pack Kai off to school, I'll bring Kit to the beach.

For maybe 5-10 minutes, my hyperactive 16.5mo would be content to sit on the beach and try to scope sand into a bucket.

Then 5-10 minutes later, he'd be off chasing the waves for another 20 minutes.

Then I clean him up and wheel him around in his stroller with a snack for another 10 minutes before we head home. He'd take his bath and settle down for his 1 hour nap.

Boring as it sounds, I think this routine has been pretty exciting for the baby. After all, the beach is where he learned how to stand up and finetuned his walking skills. I wonder what's new after this?

Story time

2011-01-15T23:09:00.004+08:00

Kai: Come, come, mummy. I have a story to tell you. (Holds up drawing.)

Me: Ok. Tell me.

Kai: (Places toy aeroplane on the runway that he's drawn.) One day, you, Papa, and I went to the airport. Then we saw an aeroplane take off on the runway.

Me: That's lovely. Erm.... where's Kit?

Kai: He is crying, so he has to stay at home.

Here's looking at you kid

2011-01-14T22:49:00.003+08:00

The inevitable has happened; though it happened earlier than I expected. After spending four frigging hours in Singapore National Eye Clinic, the pediatric ophthalmologist says Kai has astigmatism. It is recommended that he wears glasses when he watches TV programs.

I grew up in the 70s where options for children's frames were limited. All my bespectacled girlfriends and I had those HUGE, oversized, dorky plastic frames that did nothing to help us through those awkward growing up years where one starts becoming more conscious of one's looks. (The irony is that the same HUGE, oversized dorky plastic frames are considered a fashion statement now by many.)

But things are so different now fashion wise for children. (Isn't that how we get kids the likes of Romeo Beckham?) He picked this red pair himself and refused to budge even when his daddy offered him other options. I am glad. He made a good decision. Fashion-wise, that is. Red accentuates his skin tone, the shape fits the frame of his face, and yada yada yada. Anyway, he must be pretty pleased with how he looks and how it sits on his nose because he's been very compliant with wearing it!

This is his playground

2011-01-13T10:08:00.005+08:00

You can bring Kit to the world's most amazing and fun-tabulous playground on earth, and he wouldn't bat an eyelid. No siree.

All he wants to do is muck around with the woodchips (in Australia).

And stomp on metal grilles covering drains and hug the lamp posts when he's back home.

My 4.5yo SNAG

2011-01-11T20:34:00.004+08:00

My 4.5yo is a sensitive new age guy (SNAG). While other boys his age are into Ben 10 and superhero cartoons the likes of Spiderman and Superman, he is hooked on Scooby-Doo. His favorite character in the old-school cartoon series is not Scooby Doo; it's brainy Velma. *beam with pride*

He loves flowers too. In fact, he was so excited when I said we'd go shopping for flowers in the wet market last Sunday. And today he made me promise we'd grow a flower garden soon.

Watch out ladies. He's such a SNAG, he's a definite catch.

A 15mo's blog entry

2011-01-06T07:00:00.000+08:00

Dear Mummy,

Baby toys are so 'yesterday'. I am a big boy now, and I deserve better. So please do not ply me with things like a toy phone. It has no real dial tones, no speed dial, no volume control, and no voice messages to delete. And don't try to fool me with cordless phones that don't function either. I know they don't work. Big BOY is watching; there will be consequences.

So when I insist on jumping on a stack of CDs, for instance, let me do what I wish. When I want to open that bottle of calendula cream and walk around the house with the cap in my right hand and the bottle in my left hand, let me have my way.

Or else, as gor gor Kai would say: "If you don't listen to me, I won't give you my stickers."

Love, your son Tan Kit

My 4.5yo

2011-01-05T01:58:00.004+08:00

My 4.5yo loves trucks. Railway trucks to be exact. When he was two, we brought him to the "A Day Out With Thomas" show and though he wasn't talking much yet, he was blabbering with excitement when he saw Thomas' Troublesome Trucks in 'real life'.
He never outgrew his passion for railway trucks though he has fleeting love affairs with an engine once in a while. (The current favorite is Hiro.) He loves filling up his trucks with tiny stones and other whatnots he finds outside, and shunts them around on his Thomas tracks.

So imagine his delight when he saw REAL coal trucks^ on display in Blue Mountains. He examined the couplings. He stared at the wheels. He sat outside a mine entrance and stared and asked a thousand and one questions about the exhibit inside the tunnel (which features a mine worker and his tools).

He attempted to take pictures of a truck^.

Another attempt^.

He asked Terence to take pictures of the wheels^.

And the trucks^.

If childhood ambition doesn't change with time, I would say he's sure to become a railway engineer. And I love how steadfast he is with his passion; it's another thing about him that makes Kai, Kai.

More from our Sydney getaway:

- Trekking in Blue Mountains

- Anxiously waiting for...

- Road trip snacking and its consequences

- Where the wild things are

- Paddling like a hamster

- Summer in Jervis Bay

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Trekking in Blue Mountains

2010-12-29T23:08:00.004+08:00

The Macpac Possum is one of the best investments we've ever made as parents. It is a backpack child carrier that allows you to go off the beaten track with kids. We bought it two years ago in Melbourne, and we have been bringing it faithfully on all our trips where some heavy-duty-walking-in-the-great-outdoors would be involved.

For our recent Sydney trip, we knew without a doubt that we would bring the carrier along. But the question was: Who are we going to carry? Kai won't be able to complete a one or two-hour trek. So if we carry him in the Possum, what are we going to use to carry Kit? The Baby Bjorn carrier places the baby in front, which is quite a strain after a while. Furthermore, this means we would need another backpack for the essentials (i.e. water, snacks, diapers).

So we ended up bringing TWO Macpac Possums to Sydney. Yes, two carriers in addition to our two luggages and stroller. And no, we didn't buy another carrier (those things are pricey!). We borrowed the second one from our friends. I carried Kit and most of the supplies at the start of our trek in the Blue Mountains. It was a matter of mathematics really. Kai weighs around 16kg and Kit is about 9kg. Though Terence was really chivalrous about it and said it was ok, he could carry more, I was quite confident I could manage.

We completed a medium-grade trek (Lyrebird Dell and Pool of Siloam Circuit) in 2 hours. The trek brought us to two waterfalls, and we had a picnic at the Pool of Siloam^.

Kit fell asleep at the start of the trek and was still asleep when we reached the pool. So I propped him up (supervised of course), still in the carrier^, against a big rock while we ate and played for a while.

He woke up eventually and enjoyed the rest of the trek.

One thing stood out from the whole experience: Terence's mum joined us and she completed the whole trek with no problems. Now, she is 60+ and the trek has its fair share of uphill climb and steep, slippery downhill track. But she kept up. It just reinforces the importance of good health; I want to be able to do the same thing with my grandchildren when I get to her age.

(I left our camera battery in the warm confines of our cottage. So the pictures were taken with Terence's iPhone 4.)

More from our Sydney getaway:

- Anxiously waiting for...

- Road trip snacking and its consequences

- Where the wild things are

- Paddling like a hamster

- Summer in Jervis Bay

For tips on trekking with children:

- Grampians part 2: Lesson Learnt

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bubble, bubble, boys and trouble

2010-12-28T23:23:00.003+08:00

Kit is too young to be interesting enough as a playmate for big brother Kai now. So I have to get creative when both of them are at home together.

Waterplay and bubble time is a perennial favorite, and they can play side by side for a change. For about 30 minutes, I get to be in the same room with BOTH of them without having to split my time (and self) between the two.

Christmas this year...

2010-12-27T23:58:00.003+08:00

...was jolly good. But more about that shortly.

I disappeared from my blogsphere recently not for lack of stories and pictures to share with friends and family. It's just that so much has happenend over the past three (four?) weeks. It's all got to do with this stay-at-home-mum (SAHM) business.

A friend asked me a few days ago how long have I been a SAHM. Fifteen months. Now 15 months isn't long compared to some of my friends who have been SAHMs days, months, or even years longer than me. I feel like I am still feeling my way around this whole SAHM business. The last few weeks have just been trying. By the time I finally tuck both boys in bed, I am exhausted. There is a glut of stories to share, but I can't seem to find the drive to pen them down.

It's not like there aren't happy stories. There are. Plenty of them. But all of a sudden, I felt tired of writing about them. Perhaps I am starting to doubt whether or not I am cut out to be a SAHM. And whether I am a good SAHM.

Anyway, enough of the depressing ramblings of a SAHM trying to sort out her issues. Christmas this year has just been wonderful. Kit crossed his 15mo mark just before Christmas, and he is starting to do toddler-like things including throwing tantrums. On a brighter note, Kai tells me he loves me every single day. I also started some new family traditions that I hope both boys will treasure for years to come. For one, Kai made his first Christmas ornament^, and I intend to help him (and Kit) make one every year from now on. Then when they are finally old enough, I can put them all in a box as a keepsake.

I always felt I sucked big time in arranging flowers, so it was a BIG morale booster when I finally put together a lovely centrepiece for our family Christmas dinner.

And of course, nothing beats seeing smiles on all my boys this Christmas.

My 14mo

2010-11-29T22:21:00.003+08:00

Kit loves playing with sand. In fact, he is more interested in the sand and wood chips (found at the play ground) than going down a slide. And here's what he means when he says:
- "alma?" = Elmo
- (with hand to his ear like holding a phone) "woe?" = Hello

He can also say (in Mandarin):
- ＂妈妈＂ = mummy = me! :-)
- ＂猫＂= cat
-＂摸＂= touch. He says everytime he pats Smokie our cat.
-"奶奶＂= for milk rather than paternal grandmother
- "mum mum" (in Cantonese) = eat i.e. feed me!

Very recently, he has also figured out how to stand up on his own.

Here's Kit getting ready to put his hands on the floor.

Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble. He's pushed off!

Ta da! Success!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Anxiously waiting for...

2010-11-28T23:20:00.004+08:00

The weather was cold and the sky was grey when we arrived at The Train Shed, but that didn't bother Kai at all. For all intends and purposes, the whole objective for our trip to Australia this year was so that he could ride on Thomas and his friends at the miniature railway. He was the sunniest person that grey, grey day; it was such a joy to watch him.

The miniature trains at The Train Shed probably made the cartoon characters come alive for him. Here's Kai anxiously waiting for his last ride on....

Toby! I thought he might pick Thomas again or ride on James, another main Thomas and Friend character, but he chose the adorable and silly steam tram instead. My sweet, sweet boy is a sentamentalist. (Toby is the only steam tram on the Fat Controller's railway, and he's really old.)

More from our Sydney getaway:
- Road trip snacking and its consequences
- Where the wild things are
- Paddling like a hamster
- Summer in Jervis Bay

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Road trip snacking and its consequences

2010-11-26T08:29:00.004+08:00

When you have two young children, going on long road trips can be a really stressful affair. You have to pack lots of snacks, plan stops, include an entertainment device for older kids, and most importantly bring a sense of humor.

During our recent holiday in Sydney and surrounding areas, our road trips can be as long as 4 hours. I have a 14mo toddler who can't usually sit still for more than 5 minutes on a normal day and a 4yo who hasn't been on long road trips for quite a while so I wasn't sure how he'd take to it.

Snacks (lots and lots) and cartoons loaded on the iPad saved my sanity.

But our rental car suffered dreadfully. I lifted up Kai's booster seat to find a treasure trove of crumbs that can keep a nest of hungry roaches pretty happy for a lifetime. In addition to crumbs, I found pebbles that Kai picked up during our stops.

As well as rotting blueberries and dried up blueberry skin.

I am pretty sure the cleaner from the rental car company found even bigger horrors after we returned the car. What would they think! Which horrible family with terrible manners sat here? I certainly don't treat my car like this back home, but when you are on long road trips and you are always getting in and out of the car, lugging heavy luggages out of the boot while trying to keep an eye on two boys, sometimes feeding young toddler in a moving car, something's got to give.

More from our Sydney getaway:

- Where the wild things are

- Paddling like a hamster

- Summer in Jervis Bay

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Where the wild things are

2010-11-25T07:58:00.004+08:00

As city dwellers, I don't want my boys growing up thinking that the natural habitat of animals is the zoo. Every chance I get, I remind them that hey, animals do live in the forest or parks around us.

One bright early morning (at 6.30am) during our stay at Bay of Plenty Lodges, which is located right in New South Wales (NSW) Booderee National Park itself, I saw a bright patch of red among the green trees right outside our cabin. It was a bird chomping on some fruits for his breakfast.

I brought Kit, who was awake at that time, as close to the bird as I dared and pointed out the bird to him. Then I left him in his playpen, grabbed my camera, and tried to see how close I could get to the bird.

I got really, really close and the bird just continued eating. It obviously didn't think I was going to have him for breakfast. (Later I found out that this species of bird is called the Crimson Rosella. What a pretty name.)

Pretty Rosella wasn't the only wild life we saw at the national park. Kai and Terence were chased by a wild kangaroo which probably knew they had some yummy grub for him back in our cabin. It stood right outside our door for a long time before going back to graze at our front yard. On our way to the lodge late in the evening, we saw more wild kangaroos (and a joey hopping into a pouch!) as well as a mummy possum with her baby on her back.

I certainly hope Kai will remember this experience for a long time to come.

Paddling like a hamster

2010-11-20T07:38:00.003+08:00

The weather on our third (and last) day in Jervis Bay was finally warm-ish enough for us to go kayaking with Kai in the bay near our Bay of Plenty Lodges.

The kayaks were rented free of charge to guests, which I thought was such a lovely gesture. The bay was just a short 5 minutes walk from our cabin and it took Terence and I about 15 minutes to haul two kayaks down to the bay which was just a few steps away from where the kayaks were kept. The water was clear, a light breeze was blowing across the bay, and it was calm. Absolutely nothing that would spell disaster.

In fact it was a perfect setting for Kai's first time in a kayak, and he was thrilled to bits.

But as we paddled, we noticed that the tide was coming in and the current was carrying us very quickly towards the opposite side of the bay. That was when Terence said it was time to call it a day and I remembered words like "danger", "strong currents", and "be careful" coming out of his moving mouth. How they all got strung together I can't remember because I was already trying to paddle back to shore like a mad woman and I was NOT moving. The current was against me all the time.

I felt like a hamster running in its own exercise wheel. So much energy spent but the hamster's going no where and neither was I. I was in my version of caged up, hamster hell. And whenever I stop paddling, the current would push me further and further away from where I want to go. Terence and Kai were getting smaller and smaller. Then they disappeared.

I paddled. I cursed. I paddled. I cursed.

Then I thought, "To hell with it." I got out of the kayak and WALKED, dragging the kayak behind me. The water was shallow enough to walk yet deep enough to dip the oars in. How unglamorous.

I dragged the kayak to a part of the bay where the current wasn't so strong (and the water deeper) and paddled quickly back. Terence was about to launch his rescue mission after dropping Kai off in our cabin, but he came back just in time to see his tired wife hit the shore in her kayak.

I don't remember what I was doing when Terence took this picture^. All I can say is that the whole experience was lovely enough but I am no national sailor.

Summer in Jervis Bay

2010-11-19T10:28:00.003+08:00

Australia's Jervis Bay is the kind of place that is beautiful, charming, and atmospheric even on a cold, rainy day. It is the kind of place which I wish is just an hour's drive away so that I could--any time I want--go canoeing with Kai, explore rock pools with the boys, and just be the only family playing on the beach.

When I read about Jervis Bay two months ago, I knew it was a place we would enjoy as a family. But we were plagued by a cold spell when we arrived about two weeks ago. It was cold, the sky was overcast most of the time, and worst, it rained on our second day there. So most of what we wanted to do in Jervis Bay was cramped into the third day, which thankfully stayed mildly sunny though the wind was chilling.

It explains why we were decked out in our sweaters and long pants at Chinaman's Beach in Jervis Bay; it wasn't a good time to bring out the bikinis and swim shorts. And it certainly didn't feel like summer!

We arrived at Chinaman's Beach by accident; we originally wanted to go to Hyams Beach, which reportedly has one of the whitest sands in the world, but we weren't quite sure which stretch of the beach it is. But no one minded. We all had a lovely time, and there were so much to see and explore.

There were plenty of rock pools to peer in to see if any fishes or sea creatures had been trapped when the tide ebbed.

We could walk among the corals and seaweeds.

And find creatures we have never seen before in our entire life.

The only sign of spring/summer were the wild flowers blooming on the beach.

Magic

2010-10-29T16:46:00.003+08:00

Shimmery, magical green. That was what came to my mind when I walked past this leaf-covered trunk in East Coast Park a few months ago. I can imagine pixies living in it, and it has since become one of my favorite spots at the beach. There is a shelter right behind the tree, and that's where Kit and I will seat on some days to enjoy our morning snack.

Like seashells on the seashore

2010-10-28T17:38:00.002+08:00

Today is just one of those days where I feel like crawling under my blanket and just DIEeeeeee. Not literally, of course, but I just want to lie down and sleep away the fever that's been haunting me since yesterday. With no care in the world.

But alas, I have two boys to entertain.

Right now, I feel like seashells on the seashore. Hot. Dry. With skin that feels so sensitive to touch that my clothes feel like sand rubbing into my skin when I move. Yuck. Hope your day has been better than mine.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New adventures

2010-10-26T23:51:00.003+08:00

Kit turned 13 months last Friday. It's hard to stop thinking of him as a baby but as a toddler who wants to try new things all the time. And he wants to conquer the world! I discovered that he loves going down water slides and he really doesn't care if water splashes all over his face, which is something a lot of kids are scared of, including Kai.

He is also starting to toddle around on his own. But he is still a little unstable and is liable to topple over when he gets excited. Nonetheless, he's actually making baby steps. Be warned world, here's a new exploror on the way!

Unlike Kit, however, there is no way I can get Kai down any water slide. But Kai is exploring the world in his own way. I thought he might be afraid of taking a ride on a pony, and he surprised me.

He still wanted me to join him on the carousel though. (Not just because I had to due to a height limit). It's nice; I don't want them to grow up too fast. :-)

Elmo's up, Elmo's down. Elmo's running around.

2010-10-25T22:20:00.004+08:00

I make no apologies for being "that kind of mother" that lets her young children play with the iPhone and iPad. Kai doesn't play ALL day of course; I limit the amount of time he gets on the iPhone. And Kit, I discovered, will sit for 5-10 min to watch his Sesame Street podcasts and that means A LOT for my sanity as he can't be still for long periods of time. He has to be up and about almost all the time.

This was how I discovered that Kit likes Elmo. One of his favorite clips is of Katy Perry sing "Hot and Cold" with Elmo on YouTube! Although Kai is no Elmo fan, he'd drop what he's doing to watch the clip. Yup, that's a picture of both of them, enthralled by Katy P and Elmo.

I like i Light Marina Bay

2010-10-23T00:44:00.006+08:00

The past week had been a hectic one with freelance assignments that I wanted to get out of the way by Thursday as Kai's school was closed on Friday, which meant I had to dedicate all my time to the kids. So that definitely put a crimp on my blogging time. But just before the start of the crazy week, we visited the i Light Marina Bay festival that made me look at our island state in a different light.

i Light Marina Bay is sustainable light art festival that entertains as well as engages the audience. As the title of the festival suggests, only energy-efficient lights and lighting techniques are used in the light art works. When we visited the bay last Friday, the haze hadn't made its unwelcome presence felt just yet so we had a relaxing stroll along the bay--or rather we strolled, Kai run from one installation to another.

Photography buffs were out in full force that night. We only had our Canon S90, which Terence and I took turns to give our own interpretations of the installations. That's how I saw "My Public Garden"^.

And here's how Terence saw the same exhibit^.

They placed these inflated mats^ shaped like aeroplanes on the grass and it looked like they were docked along a runway. It wasn't just an installation, but picnic mats! We just had our dinner so we just rolled around for a while to enjoy the night scene.

These alien shapes are part of a light sculpture, which isn't part of the festival (I think, as I can't find it in the walking guide).

I liked the "Human Tiles", which is an interactive installation. Using what the artists call "virtual tiles", which cover a building's facade, a video camera captures movement of people in an area in real-time, creating constantly moving and ever changing color images on the tiles.

Kai really liked Lumenocity Singapore as he had a blast running through the columns.

When we got tired, we just sat down by the water edge and took in the sight. Singapore has come a long way. The whole experience felt worldclass. Don't miss it.

(Festival ends November 7, 2010.)

Taming of the drool

2010-10-13T22:03:00.003+08:00

My soon to be 13-month-old is a lean, mean, drooling machine. He has been drooling like forever, teething or not. Recently I found Mum 2 Mum bibs from Mothercare that earned top marks in both the drool-catchment and fashion department. It is thick, has a water resistent backing, and is designed like a bandana. Even Kit's PD said he's making a fashion statement with the bib.

Plan B

2010-10-12T21:53:00.004+08:00

Kai was very excited about walking above the trees at the TreeTop walk (accessible from MacRitchie Resevoir) on Sunday. But right after we dusted off the MacPac Possum, I found that Kit was running a low grade fever, possibly having caught a cold from gor gor.

He was quite disappointed, and at the same time adament about visiting a 'treehouse'. Luckily Terence remembered he had fun at The Tanglin Tree, which features a wonderful playground right next to the cafe. It has a house on stilts, which satisfied Kai's desire of playing in a treehouse.

The food there was superb, and Kai was so absorbed in his play that we managed to sneak in a leisurely breakfast. The Mac and Cheese (S$26) isn't just any normal Mac and Cheese; it has a whole lobster in it, which makes it real good value for money.

The portions there are huge. My Egg Benedict (S$14) came on a bagel and a generous serving of spinach. Yum! The Tanglin Tree was definitely a perfect Plan B for us. But if you plan to go there on a weekend, you should go there early or make a reservation well ahead of time because it gets filled up mainly by expats really quickly.

Where
56 Tanglin Road
#01-01 Tanglin Post Office

What are little boys made of?

2010-10-11T16:08:00.003+08:00

I don't know anything about "snips and snails, and puppy dog tails", but mine is made of sandy shoes, dusty nose, and grubby shirts after a few good roll in the sand.

Vegetable 'soup'

2010-10-09T17:01:00.002+08:00

The weekend is here, which means it's time to cook up a new batch of baby food for freezing. Here is an Oaty Vegetable Puree, which smells and tastes like a creamy vegetable soup! It's easy to make, and it is one of Kit's favorites.

Serves 4 portions

Ingredients
2 tbsp porridge oats
1 small leek, finely chopped
2 tbsp canned sweetcorn, drained
1 medium tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
Small knob of unsalted butter or magarine

Method
Steam the leeks for 10-15 min until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the oats based on instructions on packet using half portion of water and half portion of milk. Cook until soft and creamy.

Combine cooked leek with the oats, sweetcorn, tomato, and butter. Stir until heated through.

Puree or mash, depending on the desired consistency. (You may need to add a little extra breast or formula milk.)

V for...

2010-10-07T17:46:00.004+08:00

It seems like only yesterday that Kai needed help with making the victory sign. How fast they grow.

Repurposed

2010-10-06T12:08:00.003+08:00

I had a chunky charm bracelet which, truth be told, I've only worn twice. It had all these gorgeous ocean-themed charms that jingles and chimes with every single movement. And I sound like a clanging truck when I type on my laptop.

I loved it though. But what's the use of it when I don't wear it at all.

So I turned them into wine charms. Love them still, and they (will) get used at every party.

Roll over Kiki

2010-10-04T21:43:00.003+08:00

Kai has his Eeyore, and now Kit has Kiki the Monkey.

It's funny how Kit suddenly took to this monkey which he saw in a Mothercare shop. It was love at first sight, or rather, bite as he grabbed the monkey from the shelf and put it straight into his mouth. I felt I had to do the responsible thing of buying it.

So that's how Kiki the Monkey came to be part of our household. Thanks to Kiki, it doesn't take much to put Kit to bed in the evening now. I'll just feed him, kiss him goodnight, and give him Kiki. He'll grab the monkey, roll on to his side, and fall asleep on his own. That's it, no fuss.

Hurray for Kiki!

Yummy pasta for baby

2010-10-03T23:21:00.004+08:00

We didn't have the luxury of time to cook all of Kai's meals when he was a baby. I was working fulltime then, so Kai's weekend diet consisted mostly of bottled baby food. (Thankfully he had homecooked porridge during weekdays as my MIL took care of him while we worked.)

But since I am now a SAHM, I have time to experiment with baby food and it's been pretty fun! It's also satisfying to see baby tuck in the food that I cook for him. Here's a recipe that's a favorite of Kit, and it's really easy to do. It's suitable for freezing too, so just cook up a batch over the weekend and you are all set to go for the week.

(Adapted from Marks & Spencer Baby & Toddler Meal Planner's Minestrone Soup recipe:)

Serves 4 portions
Age: The recipe is for 6-9 month old babies, according to the book, which means it'd be better to puree the final product. But Kit is eating this at 12 months, so I didn't puree or mash the final product.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
300 ml no salt vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
4 tbsp tomato puree
55 g small pasta shapes
25 g spinach, washed and thick stalks removed, finely chopped (I halved the amount as 25 g seemed too much and I wasn't sure if baby would like the taste.)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Method:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium-heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened.

Add the bay leaf, stock and puree, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, boil water in a separate pot and cook pasta until soft.

Once pasta is cooked, drain, and add to vegetable sauce. Mix well.

Add the spinach and cook for further 2 minutes or until the spinach is tender. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

If necessary, puree or mash the mixture.

Separate into 4 portions and freeze.

Walking with dinosaurs

2010-09-29T22:14:00.004+08:00

Kai is into dinosaurs now. Here're the dinosaurs through the eyes of my 4yo.

The ankylosaur. (Note the spikes on its back and the club tail.)

The tyrannosaurus rex. His short fore legs are reaching for pieces of meat on the left.

The stagosaurus with his plated back.

This is my favorite drawing: the sauropod. He has almost finished eating the leaves from the tree on the left.

Stamps

2010-09-26T22:04:00.003+08:00

My dad used to be an avid stamp collector. When I was (a lot) younger, he gave his album to me. For a while, I added to his collection though my collection was really nothing compared to his.

I had to send some documents to the US about two weeks ago. I have forgotten how pretty stamps are, and each design has a story to tell. Weighing letters, buying stamps, and sticking them on to envelopes used to be something we all did rather frequently. But gradually over the years, technology caught up with us and I stopped thinking about stamps. Almost every thing and any thing can now be dissected into bits and bytes, and sent through cyberspace, over networks.

Will my boys even use stamps at all? Or even know what they are?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

An accident to mark his 1yo milestone

2010-09-24T22:48:00.003+08:00

Nothing wakes you up in the morning like seeing blood dripping down your baby's face. I just got out of the showers and was thinking about how badly I needed a cup of coffee when I heard Kit's cry outside, followed by a frantic knock on our bedroom door by our helper who was minding him. Kit had apparantly slipped while crawling and fell against the edge of Kai's toy.

It was a whirlwind of activity after that. We drove to Gleneagles A&E where Terence's friend was kind enough to see us immediately. He 'glued' the wound together with surgical glue, followed by some Steri-Strips.

It could have been worse; i know friends whose kids have had gone through worse too. It was really the shock of seeing the blood ooze down right after it happened. I am glad he was back to his normal self almost immediately after the accident.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The morning after

2010-09-23T15:17:00.005+08:00

I was about to pack away Kai's paper Thomas lantern (for the year) when I noticed a candle stub left in the candle holder. I thought Kai had opted for light bulbs to light up his lantern for yesterday's lantern festival. So imagine my surprise to find out that his daddy had managed to convince him to go the traditional way of using a candle.

Amazing. And the lantern didn't burn down. Mine always did when I was a kid.

Remembering you as a one-year-old

2010-09-22T20:32:00.002+08:00

Dear Kit,

Your dad and I, try as we might, can't remember how your gor gor Kai was like when he was one. We have pictures and some video clips, but how did he smell? What made him smile? How did he feel in our arms when we carried him? We can't remember every precious detail.

I want to remember you as a one-year-old, as clear as day, even when you are 16, 21, 30 or whatever age you are when we die. This blog entry will not capture everything that you are, today on your one-year-old birthday, but I hope it will jog up memories from the recesses of our minds.

I like picking you up after your naps because you feel soft and smell so sweet. You weigh 8.3kg on our digital home weighing machine, and look pint-sized compared to other babies. You love to watch Sesame Street podcasts on my iPad. That's just about the only thing that will keep you still for, oh well, 5 minutes.

I love nursing you. You always have the sweetest smile for me, and sometimes even a chuckle, after every feed. We'd end up giggling together, like you have cracked the funniest joke.

Happy birthday Kit, our sunny, happy, little boy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Working on a computer

2010-09-19T20:50:00.002+08:00

I came into my room and found Kai furiously tapping his fingers on a book, which was on my bed. Another book was placed behind it, leaned against the pillow. So I asked, "What are you doing Kai?"

"I'm on the computer, Mummy!"

Then he pressed a 'button' on the 'keyboard', flipped the 'cover' of his 'laptop' down, and said, "Ok, I'm done!"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hello Mr Turtle, and other fishing friends

2010-09-13T23:53:00.007+08:00

Kai has been pretending to be a fisherman lately using a make-belief fishing pole made with a yoyo tied to a train track. And after reading Joel Henriques' fantastic blog, made by joel, I was inspired to make a fishing pole and a few fishes for him to play fishing with.

Mine looked nothing like Joel's fishing set of course, which looked like it came straight out of an expensive toy store. (Joel is a professional artist!) I had to work with whatever materials I can find in the house like unused chopsticks, sewing thread, paper clip, and fridge magnets etc. And since I involved Kai in almost every step of the way, you can expect things to look, well, unfinished. I drew a few fishes and a turtle for Kai to color in. Then he drew a turtle on his own, which looked really adorable!

I asked him what kind of faces he wanted on them (e.g. angry, happy).

When everything's done, we went fishing together.

He loved the small starfish I made for him so much that he refused to let me fish it!

Mummy, I want to do some art and craft

2010-09-10T23:32:00.003+08:00

And so ok, I said to him, "Let's make a magic wand!"

No time for retrieving clip art from the computer, so I had to draw the outline of the stars in freehand.

My heart is in my mouth each time he uses the scissors.

Ta-da! The unused chopsticks from Chinese takeouts came in handy at last.

Stinky shoe ballon?

2010-09-08T21:38:00.005+08:00

I bought Kai a red ballon, and it was in the car.

As we were walking back to the car after school, the conversation went like this:

Me: Hey Kai, guess what? I've got a surprise for you!
Kai: Oh, oh! Can I close my eyes?
Me: Of course!
Kai (Excitedly): What is it mummy? Is it a stinky shoe? I love stinky shoes!

My funny bunny

2010-09-07T22:22:00.003+08:00

Life's a laugh with my 4yo. He does silly things in front of the lens, and off. Here's Kai kissing his spade, just for fun.

And he's an expert at making funny faces by now.

The "i" generation

2010-09-05T22:09:00.002+08:00

Need I say more? Even Kit loves watching Sesame Street podcasts on the iPad!

Of witches and princesses

2010-09-03T17:52:00.004+08:00

I was playing a game of snap with Kai yesterday night, and he asked me to pass him the card with "the witch" and another with "the princess" on it.

It took me a while to compute what he meant by the witch. The princess was easier.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Warning: This innocent, sleeping baby poops five times a day

2010-09-03T00:46:00.003+08:00

Kit wakes up at 5.30am everyday without fail with poop in his diapers. I'll hear a whimper first, and then it'd slowly escalate to a long wail ending with a "ma ma!"

That's when I try to peel my eyes open and shuffle to his room. My chirpy energizer bunny will be standing up in his cot, and he'd greet his half-asleep mummy with the broadest grin. He'd twist and turn as I try to clean his butt as part of his early morning aerobics routine. I'll be fully awake after his shenanigans.

Then he poops before lunch, sometimes during lunch, after lunch, and before bed. I hope this is just a passing phase!

Of childhood and parenthood

2010-08-31T22:16:00.006+08:00

The loft bed for kids in Festive Hotel, Resorts World Singapore, is a lovely idea. It's a comfortable, spacious cubby hole complete with toddler-size pillows and a cheery, colorful duvet. Kai loved it! The ladder is a little steep, which makes the climb down a little daunting for younger toddlers.

Both Terence and I always wanted a bunk bed when we were kids. It seems kind of fun to climb up to the upper deck, out of sight of the grownups, and look down at the 'world' below. So it was nice to see Kai enjoy the experience, just like we thought we would.

In fact Kai burst out in tears when he was told he couldn't stay the night.

I hope both Kai and Kit have a wonderful childhood. What parents do or don't do, say or don't say to their children as they are growing up leave such an indelible mark and shapes their perception for the rest of their life. What I also realized, over my birthday weekend, is that parenthood doesn't end when your children are grownups themselves. They need their parents, to be their parents still. Our boys wouldn't want a bunk bed when they're in their 30s. But they'd have expectations of me as a parent and I hope I won't disappoint them.

Borrowing what a fellow yogi said and adapting from it: Parenthood (being a good parent) is not a destination. It is a journey of a lifetime.

On the 'wrong side of 35'

2010-08-29T17:48:00.003+08:00

So. The rest of my life from now on will be on the 'wrong side of 35'. Where I creep nearer the dreaded big four-zero.

Hmm.

I wonder what new adventures would life bring?

Pooping and teething

2010-08-26T23:03:00.003+08:00

Kit is teething with a vengeance. And it's not just teeth which are pushing out. He poops runny stools every single day, always first thing in the morning, sometimes right smack during lunch, and then mid-afternoon.

How can a baby have so much poop? Runny, smelly, poopy poop.

Then I recalled what older folks say: that babies have diarrhea when they teeth.

Really?

Masterpiece

2010-08-25T23:52:00.004+08:00

Kai has been drawing/painting quite a bit these days. Trucks were a favorite for quite a while. Then he was drawing happy (and sometimes sad) faces of everyone in the family. I like to keep his drawings (I can't bear to throw them away!) and since he drawn almost every other day, the stack of drawings I have on the table grew, and grew, and grew.

Yesterday I decided it was time to do a 'purge' and threw away all of them except for this. For some strange reason, one day he took an artistic leap and drew a tractor^ and what seemed like fumes coming out of the funnel. He never drew it again.