MadPsychMum @ University of Motherhood, a Singapore Mom Blogger

Family Photoshoot at Botanical Gardens

2013-06-15T23:00:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to have an outdoor photo shoot for a long time and we finally had the chance to get our family photos shot by Hart from Tomato Photography.

I chose the Singapore Botanical Gardens because it was near to our house and I've always wanted to get some photos taken there. Unfortunately, there wasn't any wind so the girl and her daddy ended up sweating buckets and were both in a foul mood (you can't tell from the pictures because my girl has been well-trained by her mummy to smile no matter what #perilsofhavingabloggingmum).

Nevertheless, Hart tried his best to interact with my girl and still managed to get some really good shots of her despite her resistance. As a father himself, Hart had no trouble connecting with my girl and making her feel at ease. He told me later that she was one of the best clients he had ever worked with as she took instructions so well despite the fact that she didn't feel like it. A real professional model indeed =)

I have so few shots of both of us as I'm usually the photographer of the family so most of the pictures do not have me in it. It was great to be able to get so many nice shots of me and my girl having fun together =)

Somehow or other, Hart managed to capture her reluctance to leave, which was one of the photos that both her grandmothers absolutely loved. I don't know how he did it because she was absolutely whining to go! Towards the end of the shoot she kept complaining, "It's hot mummy, I wanna go NOW!"

Two weeks later, Hart couriered to us our 6x6'' photo album with my selected photos.

Overall, I had no complaints working with Hart. He was very responsive to my emails and messages and was very accommodating to our schedule. Other than probably choosing the wrong outdoor location (the air-conditioned domes at the Gardens by the Bay would have probably been a better choice), I thought everything turned out really really well =)

Disclosure: A complimentary outdoor photography session and a 20-page photo book were received from Tomato Photography for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

The Colourful 60s

2013-06-09T18:00:00.000+08:00

3 Reasons Why I Love the 60s:

1) The Fashion

Photo credit: lobstar28 via photopin cc

Love the mod fashion that featured bold colours (which is soo me) and geometric shapes and patterns =)

2) Walt Disney's Pinocchio

Photo credit: Jacob Whittaker via photopin cc

Definitely one of my favourite Walt Disney classics. Need I say more?

3) The Bright Psychedelic Colours!

Photo credit: Pink Ponk via photopin cc

I'm not afraid of colour so the crazy colours of the 60s are so my cup of tea =)

What do you love about the 60s?

P.S: Remember to vote for us for the Best Family Blog of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013! You can vote once everyday! Thanks for the support! =)

Our Big Announcement!

2013-06-07T23:30:00.000+08:00

Finally..

I've been keeping this secret for a while now as I wanted to confirm it at the doctor's before making the announcement.. although the hubby went ahead and stole my thunder on Facebook anyway (-_-").

As you know we have been trying for baby #2 since November last year and haven't had much luck in the beginning. During our trip to Seoul last April, the hubby gave an offering to the World Largest Church with full faith that his request for a baby boy would be granted.

And what do you know? Faith moved the hand of God! =)

I realised that I had missed my period about 4 days after our trip so I waited for a few more days before I finally took a pregnancy test.

I peed on a stick and it was positive!

I couldn't believe it! We were finally expecting! ^_^

But then the excitement wore off as I soon found out that being a pregnant working mum is TOUGH!! T_T

My previous pregnancy was when I was studying my masters so I had no idea how bad getting up to go to work everyday while battling nausea and giddiness was! To make matters worse, I couldn't tell most people except my close colleagues how I felt so I had to pretend everything was alright when in actual fact, it was not! Not at all!

I felt nauseous like ALL. THE. TIME. I had no relieve from it, except for when I was eating something appetising or drinking lemon grass tea (really helped). Although I did not vomit, there were days when I nearly couldn't go on working anymore as I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. Needless to say, bus rides were HORRENDOUS for me!

The only thing that got me through the day was this:
Ironically, the worse the nausea is, the stronger the signal to you that your baby is in there, alive and well. So I'll endure any nausea, if that meant that my baby was well.

And by the grace of God, he (or she) is! =)

Girlee holding up our 1st ultrasound scan of Baby #2

Girlee was really excited seeing her little brother/sister for the first time on the ultrasound! I'm also excited to find out that our good friends JK will be expecting their bundle of joy around the same time as us so I'll have someone to moan to and our kids will have each other to play with! I'm sooo looking forward to it! ^_^

In the meantime however, I'll have to learn long suffering while I patiently wait for this stage to pass! Please pray for me! T_T

P.S: Pardon the ranting. My body is making a living human being and I'm soaked in all sort of weird hormones. I'm totally allowed to rant :P

The Ultimate Overnight Drypers DryPantz Test

2013-06-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Drypers sent us a whole box of Drypers DryPantz to try out since for nearly 3 years of diapering, we have not tried Drypers before (shocking, I know).

Carton-load of Drypers DryPantz

As the new and improved Drypers DryPantz (for 6 months and up) has been touted as being able to provide long-lasting dryness, I wanted to try them on my girl for the nights. The mum-in-law was skeptical; she was of the opinion that no diaper-pant can last as long as regular diapers for nights as it will definitely leak.

And bearing in mind that my girl has soaked through every diaper-pant she has had on throughout the night, Drypers DryPantz has its work cut out for it. Besides, there was no way that I would get up and change my girl's diapers mid-way through my precious sleep so they had better pass Our Overnight Test!

First up, getting the Pantz on! =)

Back (left) and Front (right)

It's really intuitive to put on too. Backside of the elephant is the back, face of the elephant is the front. Easy.

Wearing her XXL Drypers DryPantz

Next, getting my girl to wear her Drypers DryPantz overnight for 3 nights in a row. When we checked her diapers the morning after, surprise, surprise.. her diapers had not leaked at all! This was due mainly to Activ-Core that helps to quickly absorb urine and prevent flow-back and the interlocking fibres that help to drive urine into the core in order to keep the butt dry and comfortable.

Greater comfort was also provided by a snug and soft waist elastic, Flexi-Fit, which helps to give greater mobility for my active toddler who enjoys tossing and turning in her sleep. I had previously never used Drypers as I had heard that it was not very comfortable but it turned out that they were even more comfortable than the brand of diapers that we were currently using.

Taking into consideration that my girl only drinks a bottle of milk before she sleeps (it might be different if your child drinks more before bedtime), overall, I'm still pretty impressed =)

Test it out for yourself and see if it works for you too! You can get FREE samples from Drypers here! =)

Disclosure: This is Part 1 of a series of sponsored posts on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions are my own.

Cooking Like Jamie Oliver

2013-05-30T12:00:00.000+08:00

At least, I'm trying to!

Everyone knows that cooking is a talent that God did not bless me with so I was really intrigued by the new Hand Blender developed by Philips in collaboration with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver's vision was to create a series of blenders and food processors that were easy to use (even for Kitchen Noobs like me!) yet versatile enough to prepare anything from gravies to salad dressings.

Philips Jamie Oliver Hand Blender (S$108)

The blender also comes with a set of exclusive Jamie Oliver recipes to get you started (more tips and recipes here).

Guide to setting up your appliance and recipes to start cooking

The 5 Components of the Hand Blender:
1) A powerful 650W motor with power buttons
2) Main blender bar with titanium-coated blade - stays sharp for longer
3) Chopper - for chopping onions, etc
4) Whisk - for whipping cream
5) Beaker with lid - for keeping extras in the fridge for later

Clockwise from left: Main motor, blender bar and whisk; chopper components and container;
Closer look at the motor with only 2 buttons to lessen confusion

The blender bar, whisk and chopper are interchangeable and can easily be attached to and removed from the main body. I thought that was very convenient!

Since it was my first time doing any sort of blending in our kitchen (I told you I was a Kitchen Noob!), my mum-in-law thought we should start with something really easy: making juice! =)

We decided to make watermelon juice since we had some watermelon in the fridge. As we weren't sure whether to use the chopper or the main blender bar, we decided to use both and compare the difference.

Using the chopper to make watermelon juice

Vs. using the blender bar to make watermelon juice in the beaker provided

This beaker is really useful when preparing pancake batters or smoothies with your hand blender because if you don't finish the batch, you can just pop on the lid and keep it in the fridge for later. Very convenient!

Watermelon juice made using the blender bar (left) vs juice made using the chopper (right)

Other than the fact that the juice made with the chopper is slightly finer, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the two. But I guess if you want more juice, you would have to use the blender in the beaker as the quantity that can be placed in the chopper is very limited.

When we realised how easy it was to blend the watermelon into delicious juice, we started to rummage our fridge for more fruits to make into juice!

Such as Orange & Carrot Juice (with a lot of pulp)

And Mango Milkshake

Both were nice but the hubby and my girl preferred the Mango Milkshake best of all. The creamy, sweet taste was superb on a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon! =)

Another benefit of the hand blender is its versatility. As Jamie Oliver says, "being handheld means it can be used to blend directly in your pan, whether it's a pot or even a deep roasting tray for the perfect gravy." So we tried to blend some porridge to test if it works.

Blending porridge into a creamier texture

I thought there will be splatters all over but there were none. Super easy and fast, perfect for making baby food for when I have a baby in future! =)

The verdict?

I really like the Philips Jamie Oliver Hand Blender as it is lightweight, convenient and easy to use and wash. Folks with dishwashers would be happy to know that the blender accessories can be safely washed in a dishwasher as well. However, the Hand Blender may not be suitable for big families of more than 5 people as it is only able to blend small quantities. You may need the Philips Jamie Oliver Food Processor or Blender instead.

As a Kitchen Noob, I enjoyed using the hand blender as it was really idiot-proof. I now have more confidence to venture into my next creations, chocolate ice-cream and cream of broccoli soup (look out for my next post)! Wish me luck! =)

Disclosure: This is Part 1 of a series of sponsored conversations on behalf of Philips Electronics Singapore. All opinions are my own.

We Are a Finalist of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013!

2013-05-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

This came as a huge surprise!

We made it to the TOP 10 in the Best Family Blog category of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013! O.M.G!

We couldn't have done it without you, thank you for your support! =)

Now if you reallly love me and realllllly want to support me (pretty please!), you can help by VOTING for me!

Click here to VOTE!

Online voting by the public constitutes 30% of the total score, so I need your votes!!

You can vote once DAILY, so don't forget to come back and vote again. But no matter whether you vote once or twice, you should know that I'd still love you very much =)

Once again, THANKS SO MUCH for ALL YOUR SUPPORT!! ^_^

The Softness of Comfort

2013-05-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

Who doesn't love the feeling of soft covers?

I guess like father, like daughter, as the hubby does not buy bed sheets that do not pass the "stroke test" while the girl is super picky on the kind of blanket she uses. She would literally kick off her blanket again and again if it isn't soft enough for her taste!

Some time ago, Comfort Ultra sent me their new range of fabric conditioners, Comfort Ultra Pure, to try out.

Specially formulated for delicate skin, Comfort Ultra Pure ensures that your laundry ends up with pure softness and long lasting fragrance.

The best thing is, Comfort Ultra Pure is dermatologically tested to be safe even for the delicate skin of a baby! That means no more washing of your baby clothes and blankets separately! You can now throw all of them into the washing machine together with the rest of your laundry and you will still get baby-soft clothes and covers suitable for children or adults with sensitive skin.

We've been using the softener for a while now and let's just say, the girl has been tolerating her blanket a lot better (I say tolerate because she never liked blankets in the first place).

I mean, who can say no to a soft blanket? Definitely not me =)

Disclosure: This is a sponsored advertorial on behalf of Comfort Ultra Singapore. All opinions are my own.

Chums

2013-05-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

Whenever my colleagues and I want to celebrate, we would always head on to Chums Steakhouse in Toa Payoh because it has the most value-for-money lunch in the area.

Available daily from 11.30am to 2.30pm, every order of a set lunch comes with a free flow All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar!

Salad Bar

Variety of side dishes

Everything you need to make your favourite vegetable or fruit salad

3 different types of soup

The Salad Bar does not just serve salad but also different kinds of side dishes, soups and even soft serve ice-cream! *Yum*

If you love coffee or tea, you may also top-up $3.50 with your meal to get the All-You-Can-Drink Java Bar. If you're wondering about the quality of the coffee, rest assured, it is taste-certified by my coffee-addict work buddy.

Java bar

My favourite mains here is the beef steak (it is called a steakhouse, isn't it?) as it is succulent and goes well with the accompanying mushroom sauce.

Beef steak

And like I always say, no good meal is complete without dessert! You can choose between vanilla, chocolate or mixed soft serve ice-cream topped with rainbow or chocolate toppings.

Soft serve ice-cream corner

Yummy ice-cream

Yes, now you know why we like to have our lunch here indeed.. *grin*

Chums Steakhouseis located at 190 Lorong 6, Toa Payoh #02-516, Singapore 310190.
(Tel: +65 6358 2998)

Linking Up With:

What Are We, If Not For Our Mothers

2013-05-12T23:30:00.000+08:00

My mum with her precious granddaughter

As the saying goes, you appreciate your mothers so much more when you've become a mother yourself. Thanks Ma for everything. Hope you like your gift =)

Happy Mothers' Day! ^_^

Linking Up With:

Our 4th Anniversary at Equinox

2013-05-03T23:30:00.000+08:00

The hubby surprised me with a bouquet of flowers delivered to me at work to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary on the day after Labour Day. Thereafter he came to pick me up and brought me to Swissotel, The Stanford for our romantic dinner.

Equinox

Located at the 70th floor of Swissotel, Equinox Restaurant is the highest restaurant in Singapore boasting of amazing views of key iconic structures in Singapore such as the Esplanade, Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands.

Fine dining at the highest restaurant in Singapore

The hubby told me that you had to top up $20 more just for a table next to the window but we both thought that it was fully worth it for the experience =)

Champagne for him and mocktail for me
(The bouquet was just too cute so it had to be in the background of everything! *laughs*)

Taking pictures of us together with the hubby's new S4 while waiting for the food

As the sun began to set and the sky turned dark (literally), our tasty appetiser finally arrived!

Appetiser: Quail meat roll with cabbage

Up next were our sides that went with our gigantic main dish of the best and most expensive beef steak we had ever tasted since our Kobe beef directly flown in from Kobe during our trip to Hokkaido last year.

Left to right: Black pepper sauce to drizzle on the steak, potato gratin with cheese, seasonal vegetable with mushrooms

Mains: Black angus beef sliced into 6 pieces, 3 for each of us

Despite its hefty price tag, the beef was one of the best we had ever tasted (and believe me, we have tasted a lot!). The meat was tender, juicy and literally melts in your mouth. Each bite oozes with so much flavour that even though we were so full (each piece was really thick), we kept eating as it was simply too delicious to stop!

After meal we ordered dessert and was pleasantly surprised with a complimentary cake from the restaurant to celebrate our anniversary! So sweet of them =)

Happy Anniversary cake

Dessert: Hazelnut parfait with cherries soaked in brandy

Both the cake and our dessert were equally delicious but tried as we might, we really couldn't finish them! Alcoholic fanatics like the hubby would probably prefer the parfait as it contained some brandy, which went really well with the chocolate and hazelnut.

All in all, although each dish took a while to serve to us as I suspect they made every dish from scratch upon ordering, the awesome food and beautiful views fully made up for it. The service was also very good as the waiter was very knowledgeable and responsive to our needs.

We had such an enjoyable dinner, definitely one that I will never forget =)

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us!!

With many more to come!

Seoul Day 7: Don't Want to Leave!

2013-04-26T23:30:00.000+08:00

It's the last day of our 7-day stay in Seoul and we don't ever want to leave! *sob*

We packed up all our things and boarded the Airport Limousine Bus to Incheon International Airport.

Procession at Incheon Airport

"Nooooo, I don't want to leave!!!"

Boarding our plane back home

My Reflections
As usual, I had to write my first impressions as a first time visitor to Seoul, Korea. Having been on many overseas trips to various countries in the world, I have to say that Seoul was really among my top destinations to visit.

The shopping here is awesome as the clothes were cheap but the quality was good! A top can cost as low as 5,000 won (S$5) and skirts at 15,000 won.

Clockwise from left: Super pink 2-in-1 jacket at just 59,000 won;
Pink Hello Kitty boots at 15,000 won;
Full head to toe outfit at just 40,000 won (excluding the jacket & boots)

Koreans don't shy away from colour, not even the senior citizens who would gladly wear bright colours if they liked it. I totally loved all the colours! =)

As for food, Koreans really like spicy food so if you can't, it's better not to order anything spicy. Most Koreans also don't speak English very well so remember to include the Korean words of the places you are visiting so that you can show it to the cab drivers to read otherwise they may have no idea what you are talking about. However, if you speak slowly and gesture a lot, you can still communicate relatively well =)

We also observed that they are very good at making things more efficient and convenient. Luggage belts on stairs, inclined escalators and many travellators. The subway system here is also very convenient so you will find no problem finding your way around the city.

We loved Seoul so much we really didn't want to come back! We'll definitely be back again.. 2 years later! =)

<< Back to Seoul Day 6: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Ginseng Chicken & More Shopping

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 6: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Ginseng Chicken & More Shopping

2013-04-25T23:30:00.001+08:00

After breakfast at our hotel this morning (we were too tired to walk), we took the subway from Chungmuro Station to Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5, to visit the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace.

One of the most famous palaces in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung means “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven” and has the longest and most storied history of any Korean palace. The new structures made up the massive complex with 5,792 rooms, taking up 4,414,000 square feet (410,000 square metres) of land.

National Palace Museum of Korea

Side entrance to the palace

Main entrance to the Palace

Phototaking with the guards, who take their jobs very seriously!

Although a ticket to the palace costs only 3,000 won (approximately S$3), the family wasn't too interested to go in and take a look. They were however excited for a good lunch so we made our way to Tosokchon Samgyetang (address: 85-1 Chebu-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul), which was recommended by my friend A as the best restaurant for ginseng chicken.

To get there, walk back to Gyeongbokgung Station and walk out via Exit 2. Walk straight for about 120 meters towards Hyoja-dong and look out for this house (see below) on your left.

Tosokchon Samgyetang

Traditional dining area with kimchi in a pot

They only sold ginseng chicken soup (the power of speciality is evident and very common in Korea and Japan) in 3 different grades so we ordered 3 of the regular grade and 1 of the premium grade ginseng chicken soup, which was supposedly for my mum but she later allowed me to finish it as she said it was good for nourishing my body since we were trying for a baby.

Regular ginseng chicken soup

Premium ginseng black chicken soup with added sprinkles of ginseng

My family was initially skeptical with regards to the quality of the soup here (they were like, "sure good or not?") but after taking a sip from the pot, they were sold! I personally preferred the premium ginseng black chicken to the regular soup and definitely highly recommend it! It was so good I finished every last drop!

So good!!

After a very fulfilling lunch, we decided to do some last minute shopping at our favourite shopping districts we've visited the days before. Starting with Dongdaemun, we took the subway from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) to Jongno 3-ga Station and transferred to Line 1 to Dongdaemun Station.

Cheap, cheap socks!

Bought more socks for everyone as it's everywhere in Dongdaemun! It's the cheapest here so grab them as they are cheap and good! All my friends and colleagues love them =)

Of course you need to grab shoes to go with your socks and there are rows and rows of shops selling super cheap shoes here!

Tons and tons of shoes!

I bought a pair of super cute polka dot black, white and pink boots for myself, just couldn't resist them =)

Dongdaemun shopping district

And I thought this small river in the middle of Dongdaemun was unexpectedly beautiful as we don't see this in Singapore (we've only got smelly canals here!).

The next stop of our last minute shopping was Namdaemun Market (Hoehyeon Station, Line 3), where we bought more seaweed and other souvenirs. Finally we settled at our favourite restaurant near our hotel for one last BBQ dinner!

Final BBQ dinner

Yummy beef and pork

We said that since this was our "last supper" in Seoul, we weren't going to hold back on ordering whatever we liked! And we ended up being so full! =S

I can't believe 6 days went passed in a blink of an eye! Other than seeing my girl, I'm totally not looking forward to going home! =(

Continue to >> Seoul Day 7: Don't Want to Leave!
<< Back to Seoul Day 5: Lotte Duty Free, COEX Mall & Bampo Bridge

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 5: Lotte Duty Free, COEX Mall & Bampo Bridge

2013-04-24T23:30:00.000+08:00

It was my birthday and since it was the first time (I think) that I was celebrating it overseas, I get to pick my favourite cafe, Paris Baguette, for breakfast this morning.

Paris Baguette Cafe

Bread & Pastries

Hot chocolate & coffee in "soldier" cups

As I was enjoying the food and hot chocolate, the family decided to surprise me with a birthday cake to celebrate my birthday.

Celebrating my birthday in Seoul!

With my mum and sister

The only thing that's missing is my beloved baby girl! Wish she were here! =(

After breakfast, we started our day of exploration by taking the subway from Eujiro 4-ga Station to Jamsil Station (Line 2) to visit Lotte World but ended up spending more time at Lotte Departmental Store.

Lotte Department Store

The hubby bought me the TOD'S bag I've always wanted for my birthday! =)

The luxury goods sold at Lotte Duty Free Store are definitely cheaper than in Singapore so fans of luxurious fashion brands such as Tod's, LV, Chanel, Prada and Gucci will be spoiled for choice! =)

Just note that the way that it works here is very different from other stores in Korea and other countries. Normally, you would pay the full price and then bring the receipt and the items that you bought to the tax refund counters at the airport before obtaining your tax refund. At the Lotte Duty Free Stores however, you pay the tax-free price but collect the item at the airport transit booths just before departure. It's a lot more convenient but may also mean that you would not be able to see/use your purchase until the day of your departure from Seoul.

When we were finally done with shopping at Lotte Departmental Store, we made our way to COEX Mall by taking the subway from Jamsil Station to Samseong Station (Line 2).

COEX Mall

COEX Mall houses a Kimchi Museum and an Aquarium but I was more interested in the latter. However, as it was time for lunch, we decided to eat at this Korean restaurant before proceeding to visit the aquarium.

Simple lunch at a typical Korean restaurant

Although the noodles here tasted like Korean instant noodles, they were actually pretty good. Just don't order the dumpling soup, it's super expensive and totally not worth it.

After lunch we proceeded to the COEX Aquarium located quite a distance (about 15 minutes walk) away from the main shopping mall.

Entrance to COEX Aquarium

Clockwise from top left: An aquarium of big fish; The sister and I at the Japanese themed section;
Cute signboards that introduce unique fish; Small aquariums that contain tiny fish

The collection of everything that you can make into an aquarium including refrigerators and mail boxes

Clockwise from top left: This blue fish looks like it has a bad day; Hundreds of colourful fish;
No aquarium is complete without mysterious jellyfish; An evil-looking eel

The unique thing about this aquarium was that it actually houses more than just sea creatures, it also showcases different unique land animals.

Clockwise from top left: Lonely Prevosts squirrel without any friends; Jungle themed exhibit;
Giant tortoise laying in the "sun"; Cute little guinea pigs

There was also a large aquarium just like the one at S.E.A Aquarium but a lot smaller.

Relatively large viewing gallery

Giant Ocean Turtle

Underwater viewing gallery

Circular viewing window

At the end of all the exhibits was the penguin exhibit where we happened to see the penguins being fed by the staff.

Penguins feeding time

After we left the aquarium, we had to again make the 15-minute walk back to the Samseong Station to take the subway to Gangnam Station where the sister and I shopped for clothes despite our tired legs screaming for help.

When we were finally exhausted from all the shopping, we decided to head back to our hotel to unload our shopping loot before looking for a place to have dinner nearby.

We stumbled upon Chef's Noodle restaurant by Chef Guksoo.

Chef's Noodle

Chef Guksoo has won many awards and pictures of many celebrities visiting his shop has been plastered outside the restaurant so we figured it must be good. And we were not disappointed!

Dry and soup noodles

Clockwise from top left: Rice wine; Pancake; Hamburger beef steak & egg

Not only was the food super delicious (the hamburger steak was awesome!), the service was also superb. The staff could speak English relatively well and even provided us with the English version of the menu so that we were able to order easily. They were also flexible in changing our drinks when we told them we didn't like the coke that came with the set meal. We were very impressed! Definitely one of the best restaurants that we've tried! =)

After we've had our fill, we took a cab to Banpo Bridge to enjoy the Musical Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, which is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest bridge fountain.

Bampo Bridge

Initially the family was super skeptical of whether we arrived at the right place as we weren't sure if our cab driver understood our instructions. Plus, it was supposed to start at 8.40pm according to one website I visited and by 8.50pm, there were still no signs of the fountain starting. We shivered together in the cold for almost 40 minutes before the Musical Fountain finally began at 9pm.

The Musical Fountain @ Bampo Bridge, which lasts around 20 minutes, was really romantic and perfect for honeymooning couples! =)

We quickly boarded a cab soon after it ended as it got too cold to stay out by the sea any longer!

It was a beautiful way to end a lovely birthday =)

Continue to >> Seoul Day 6: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Ginseng Chicken & More Shopping
<< Back to Seoul Day 4: Noryangjin Fish Market, Yeouido, Shinchon & Dongdaemun

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 4: Noryangjin Fish Market, Yeouido, Shinchon & Dongdaemun

2013-04-23T23:30:00.000+08:00

The only request the hubby made for this trip was to visit Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market, the seafood haven of Seoul!

To get there, take the subway from Chungmuro Station (Line 4) to Seoul Station and transfer to Line 1. Alight at Noryangjin Station (Exit 1) and walk across the overhead bridge to the market. You would know if you had arrived at the right place because the minute you alight from the train, you would immediately get a whiff of fish in the air! Can't miss it!

Noryangjin Station

Signs that will guide you to the Fish Market

Bridge to the wholesale fish market
(63 Building is the orange building in the background)

Rows and rows of seafood stalls greeted us as we walked down the stairs into the Fish Market. The hubby was literally in 7th heaven!

Top view of the Noryangjin Fish Market

So many stalls!! =)

After browsing through the many stalls with different hawkers promoting their wares, we eventually decided on the stall with the biggest sea urchins and a very friendly Chinese lady who was able to communicate with us in Mandarin.

Clockwise from top left: Live abalone whose "lips" were still moving when we bought them!;
Lots and lots of snails; Live octopuses still swimming frantically in the pail;
Giant sea urchins whose spikes were still moving when water was poured on them

We decided to get the above mentioned seafood as they were unique and so much cheaper than Singapore. After paying for our seafood of choice, we were brought to a Korean restaurant where they could be cooked in the way we liked them (e.g. steamed, fried, etc). The restaurant charges for the cooking of each dish but does not charge for seafood that is served raw.

Korean restaurant to taste our chosen live seafood

Abalone is best eaten steamed
(we tried it raw but it was too hard)

Sea urchins are best eaten raw

Look at the juicy roe fresh from the shell! *yum*

The sea urchins were super cheap at only 5,000 won (S$5) per urchin! This is my first time trying one and I must say that I absolutely loved it! The yellow roe tasted of salt from the sea and were so good that we went back to the stall to get more! =)

We also tried the escargot, which the sister absolutely disliked while the hubby thought it was pretty chewy and tough. My mum and I refused to try them because they looked really gross!

Fresh escargot straight from the shell

But the most disgusting dish had to be the live octopus that were eaten sashimi style (i.e. raw)!

The octopuses were still wriggling even after they have been chopped up into many pieces! *Ewww*

The sister tried some and since then has developed a phobia for all things octopus/squid, true story! The hubby forced me to try some and I spat them out the minute I took one bite of it. Super slimy and gross!! Yucks! :S

When we finally have had our fill, we proceeded on to walk to 63 Building located just 10 minutes away from the market. However, as we were walking, we realised that there were a large highway in between the market and the 3rd tallest building in Korea and it would take more than just walking to get there! To make matters worse, it started to drizzle and the chilly winds started to blow and we were freezing!

The hubby said that if God wanted us to get there, He would provide a way. True enough, despite the fact that we were walking at the side of a large highway where hailing a cab was literally impossible, a cab suddenly stopped by the side of it to alight a passenger just 10 metres from us! God has certainly answered our prayers! =)

We arrived safely by the grace of God at 63 Building, which was a commercial building that also houses an IMAX Theatre, Aquarium and Wax Museum. There was also an observatory located on the 60th floor known as SkyArt as it is the highest art gallery in the world (an adult ticket costs 12,000 won). We didn't have time to visit them as the family was excited to proceed to our next destination.

Located at the banks of Yeouido Island overlooking the Hangang River, Yoido Full Gospel Church is only the largest church in the world! The funny thing, most of the cabbies might not know the church but they know Dr Yonggi Cho, the Emeritus Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church. Dr Cho is also the senior pastor of our senior pastor so visiting the church that we've heard so much about was legendary =)

Yoido Full Gospel Church

The hubby was so excited to soak in the atmosphere and asked God for a baby boy. He really had faith that after our visit, we will definitely have our wish! *laughs*

After exploring the church on our own (and trying hard not to disturb anyone along the way), we took a cab to the famous Hello Kitty Café (358-112 Seogyo) that I had heard so much about.

Hello Kitty Cafe @ Seogyo

Decorated with everything Hello Kitty!

Hello Kitty themed food and beverages

Everything from the decorations and food were really cute and pretty but that was all there is. The coffee and cake certainly looked better than they tasted and were ordinary at best. This cafe is definitely not for the non-fans of Hello Kitty like my family, who complained like crazy about making a wasted trip -_-.

Note to self: never bring family to anywhere Hello Kitty.. *argg*

After that we did some shopping along the streets of Seogyo before travelling back to Dongdaemun for more more shopping! To get there, walk for about 10 minutes to Hongik University Station (Line 2) and ride the subway to Dongdaemun Stadium Station and transfer to Line 4 to Dongdaemun Station.

We didn't shop at Shinchon Ladies Street as it was raining but if you would like to visit the shopping district, you may alight at Shinchon Station, which is just 1 stop away from Hongik University Station.

After walking and shopping non-stop for the rest of the afternoon, we were so tired out we decided to stop by a Chicken Galbi restaurant for dinner to rest our feet.

Yoogane Chicken Galbi

The menu

Although it wasn't easy to order initially as the staff could not understand what we were saying but thankfully one of the staff understood a little bit of English so we eventually managed to convey our order to them. All of the seafood, chicken and vegetables were mixed into one pot where all of us were supposed to share.

Mixing everything in a pot

Seafood in a pot

On hindsight, we should have ordered chicken instead of seafood as we really had too much seafood for a day! Other than that, the spicy meal was awesome on a chilly night! =)

Continue to >> Seoul Day 5: Lotte Duty Free, COEX Mall & Bampo Bridge
<< Back to Seoul Day 3: Everland

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 3: Everland

2013-04-22T23:30:00.000+08:00

As we were visiting Everland today, we had a quick breakfast of bread from Paris Baguette (of which I have become a super big fan!) in the hotel room. There isn't a free shuttle bus from our hotel but the hotel staff did give us simple instructions on how to get there. It was really expensive to take a cab (approximately S$80) so we did what the locals would do: take the subway! =)

We took the subway from Eujiro 4ga Station (Line 2) to Gangnam Station, Exit 10. Walk straight until you arrive at the bus stop in front of "WHO.A.U" and take bus #5002.

Gangnam Station

You'd need to walk quite a distance before you reach WHO.A.U

Bus No 5002 to Everland

You have to pay using your T-money card so it is worthwhile to get one at the beginning of your trip. The 45-minute journey on the bus was super uncomfortable and hot (for some reason there weren't any windows on our bus) but seeing as we only paid approximately S$2.50 per person and had a seat each while some people didn't, we really couldn't complain.

After the long bus ride, we arrived at a public bus terminal which was also the final stop of the bus route. Everyone got off and we followed the crowd to board a free shuttle bus that would take us to Everland.

Shuttle bus from bus terminal to Everland

To describe our long journey to Everland in my mother's own words, "Everland, Never End!" That was literally how far Everland was from Seoul. So glad that we were finally there! =)

Entrance to Everland

Remember to bring a printed copy of the Everland discount coupon for foreigners (thanks to Dominique for the tip) and present it at the ticketing counter to purchase the tickets at 32,000 won (approximately S$38) per adult instead of 40,000 won.

Beautiful tulips and architecture from all over the world greeted us as we entered the theme park while the sounds of excited Korean preschool children filled the air.

Colourful Tulips are in season!

First buildings that greeted us

Magical tree =)

It felt like we walked right into a story book. We spotted the Pororo 3D Adventure that was going to commence so we decided to join the crowd and watch it on behalf of my girl who would have loved it if she were here.

Pororo 3D Adventure show

It seemed to us that most of the visitors to Everland were Korean as the show was conducted totally in Korean with no subtitles at all. There were 3 parts to the show: 1) the pre-show where the audience had to sit on the floor and a staff engaged the children with songs and activities, 2) a live performance by the Pororo cast and 3) the actual 3D show. Aside from not being able to understand what was going on, we thought the 3D show wasn't too bad though it would be 10 times better if it were 4D (you know.. foam falling from the ceiling like the 4D show at Legoland).

After the show we had lunch at a nearby restaurant, which was reasonably priced and surprisingly tasty. And then it was off to explore the rest of the enormous park.

Beautiful scenery that's great for honeymooners =)

The park was so big that there was always something for everybody, young and old. Parents with young children would be pleased to know that there were many low impact rides suitable for young children.

Clockwise from top left: Storybook building that's actually a restaurant; Flying helicopters suitable for kids;
Bumper cars (so nostalgic); Oz Maze-Playground

No theme park is ever complete without the age old Carousel!

Thrill-seekers can also try the T-Express, a mega roller-coaster parked on the slope of a mountain.

The brave sister super excited to take on the challenge alone!

It was so big I only managed to capture half of it!
(Check out the almost 90 degree drop!)

The sister said it was the 2nd scariest ride that she had ever taken!

While waiting for the sister to get on the ride (the waiting time was 70 minutes long!), we decided to queue for the Safari World ride located just next to the T-Express. The waiting time was also a staggering 70 minutes as well!

Safari World

The lion pride
(If you look carefully, the male lion is *ahem* mating with a lioness on the left >.<)

We got to see the white tigers and lions up close and personal in the comfort of our bus. Even sexual activity did not escape our eyes.. *gasps*

The Safari Bus

The super huge Grizzly Bears!

Seeing the bears standing in their full stature, we could really understand fully why hosts of survival shows like Bear Grills would always caution against bears. Man, they are HUGE! These bears were not only good at showing off their size but could also perform tricks in exchange for treats. Super cute =)

Besides the Safari ride, there was also a Petting Zoo that was very suitable for young children. We used to have this in the Singapore Zoo (so sad) so I was really excited to see it! It's too bad my girl wasn't with us on this trip! =(

Petting Zoo

Clockwise from top left: Ducks; Rabbits; Mary had a little Lamb;
Super cute guinea pigs!

This sheep loved the patting so much it came right up to the fence and put its head near your hand so you would pat it!
The kids loved it!

There was also a mini zoo within Zootopia but we didn't manage to visit as there was no time!

Parents of babies and toddlers would also be happy to know that there are baby services located across the park. I couldn't go in to take a picture as each room always had a staff on duty to ensure that the rooms were not misused.

Baby Services at Everland

We decided to take the Ski Lifts to another part of the park as it looked like fun! =)

Ski lifts

These ski lifts can transport strollers and even wheelchairs! I was pretty impressed by how wheelchair/stroller friendly they were.

At the top was the Double Rock Spin and once again, the sister was the only one brave enough to ride it.

Double Rock Spin

Spot the sister who's upside down!

She said it was just as scary, if not scarier than the roller-coaster ride that she just went on! Don't ever underestimate the power of simple spinning chairs!

I wanted to take the Sky Cruise (i.e. cable cars) to yet another part of the park (yes it is that BIG!!) so we did!

Sky Cruise at Everland

The staff allowed strollers to travel on it without needing them to be closed so if your baby is sleeping, you do not need to carry him/her up. Super considerate right? =)

As my mum, the hubby and I were not up for high impact rides (I'm scared alright), we joined the little kids for all the kiddy rides! *laughs*

Magic Swing

Sky Dancing

By the time we were done with our last ride, we were all so tired we were pretty much ready to leave. At 6pm.. even though the park only closes at 9pm.

Secret Garden

If you're able to stay till the evening, there are fireworks when the sky turned dark! We weren't able to stay as we wanted to catch the bus back because we were afraid that we will be stranded there in the middle of nowhere at night if we missed the last bus.

The verdict? Better than Universal Studios Singapore but not as good as Disneyland LA (I mean c'mon, it IS Disneyland, that's kinda hard to beat). My personal gripe is that the large Ferris Wheel in the park was only for decoration and totally not functional. And I was sooo looking forward to it =(

Anyway, to get back to Seoul, take the free shuttle bus to the bus terminal from the bus stop with the sign that states "4,5 Parking Lot & Public Bus Terminal".

Shuttle Bus to the Pubic Bus Terminal

Please remember to check that you boarded the right bus as we took the wrong bus to the wrong parking lot (if you must know, we took the bus to 1,2 Parking Lot) and ended up having to take the bus back to Everland to board the right bus. Wasted a lot of time -_-

At the Public Bus Terminal, board Bus #5002 back to the bus stop outside of "WHO.A.U" at Gangnam Station (same bus stop that you took the bus from) so remember to look out for the store on your right in order to know when to stop.

We decided to pop by Paris Croissant to get our breakfast for the next morning. The macarons were cheap and awesome! =)

Bread and such from Paris Croissant

By the time we were back at our hotel, it was already 9pm! We decided to end the night with a good ole hotpot on this chilly night.

Cheap and good restaurant across the street that also offered BBQ as well as hotpot

Super spicy hotpot

We already ate 2 nights worth of BBQ beef and pork so the hotpot was a refreshing change. The meat was really tender and the soup was spicy and full of flavour. Their traditional Korean rice in a stone-pot was also to die for! It was one of my mum's favourite food of the trip =)

By the time we were back to our hotel, all of us were so tired we collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep till morning!

Continue to >> Seoul Day 4: Noryangjin Fish Market, Yeouido, Shinchon & Dongdaemun
<< Back to Seoul Day 2: N Seoul Tower, Namsam Park, Myeongdong & Namdaemun

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 2: N Seoul Tower, Namsam Park, Myeongdong & Namdaemun

2013-04-21T23:30:00.000+08:00

We woke up early to hunt for a place for breakfast, which turned out to be a wrong decision on a Sunday morning. The streets around our hotel were literally empty, with every shop closed for the day. Our hotel concierge advised us to check out this restaurant about 5-10 minutes walk down the street, which should be opened at 10am.

The only restaurant opened on a Sunday

Kimchi kept cool by a layer of ice around the pot

Super awesome kimchi!

The kimchi here was the best I have ever eaten! The waitress told us that some tourists liked it so much that they even packaged 4kg worth of kimchi to take home! However, the noodles and pancake were ordinary so we didn't go back although I would have loved to for another round of kimchi.

After a nice brunch, we proceeded back to our hotel to catch the free hotel shuttle bus to Myeongdong Station, where Mt Namsan is located. The shuttle service is one of the reasons why we decided to stay at PJ Hotel as it made travelling by subway very convenient for us.

Free hotel shuttle information

Information of Free Shuttle Service at PJ Hotel
Course A: Chungmuro Station > Myeongdong Station > Namdaemun Market > Lotte Department Store
Course B: Chungmuro Station > Sejong Hotel Entrance > Myeongdong Entrance > Jongro-2ga > Jongro-5ga > Dongdaemun Market

We alighted at Myeongdong Station as we wanted to take the cable car up to the peak of Mt Namsan. You may choose the cheaper alternative by taking the yellow bus (board from Chungmuro Station) which only costs 950 won per adult as compared to a 2-way cable car ticket at 8,000 won per adult. However, we decided on the cable car as I thought it was more fun =)

Leave the station through Exit 4 and walk straight until the main intersection then turn left. Walk up the slope until you arrive at an inclined elevator.

Walking up a slope towards the tower

Namsan Ohreumi inclined elevator

It's the first time I've ever travelled on an inclined elevator, thought it was super cool! The cable car station was situated at the top where we boarded the cable car and got a nice view of the tower.

Cable car to the top of Mr Namsan

Squeezed like crazy in the cable car

It was a bumpy and uncomfortable ride as we had to squeeze with 30 other people but the view was beautiful!

Great view of the city from the top

We proceeded to the famous N Seoul Tower to purchase tickets to the observatory to get a panoramic view of the city of Seoul City from above.

N Seoul Tower

Did the touristy thing and bought one of the few group photos of our trip =)

The view from the top was quite beautiful although I thought it looked similar to what we've seen at the base of the tower so it was nothing surprising. We also saw the Love Padlock Trees which contained thousands of locks that couples have hung on the tree with the key thrown away to symbolise their eternal love locked together forever.

Love Padlock Trees on Mt Namsan

The "Breaking" Bench

Many Koreans were having a picnic at the Namsam Park on this sunny Sunday morning while enjoying the blooming cherry blossoms in the back drop. We loved the fresh air and chilly winds blowing onto our faces as you will never get to enjoy this in tropical Singapore!

Cherry blossoms

Super long flight of stairs to get up and down Mt Namsan

Twist Potato

The Twist Potato, or potato strips twisted around a sausage, looked really interesting so we decided to buy one to try. Aside for being a tad too oily, it was actually pretty tasty =)

We then took the cable car back down to the base and continued our day shopping at Myeongdong, which was famous for its cheap cosmetics and beauty products!

Myeongdong shopping district

Shops like Faceshop, Tony Moly and Etude House lined the entire streets with more face masks than I can count. The sister was in heaven! I think we bought enough masks and moisturisers for an entire village of people *laughs*

Hungry after all the shopping, we stopped to try a 32cm tall ice-cream!

32cm tall ice-cream!

We've never seen anything like it before as something like this will probably turn into milk in Singapore faster than you can say "ice-cream"! And it only costs 2000 won (S$2)! Yum =)

Having been told that the nearby Namdaemun Market was also famous for shopping, we decided to check it out next.

Namdaemun Market

Walking along the streets

The streets were lined with buntings of all the different flags of the world so you would not miss it if you're in the area. After buying lots of seaweed and souvenirs, we took the subway from Hoehyeon Station (the nearest station) back to Chungmuro Station where we had BBQ yet again for dinner.

BBQ restaurant next to Chungmuro Station

BBQ beef steak

The food here was a lot more expensive than the day before although the cut of the meat was also a lot better. Nevertheless, for the price and the bad service, it is unlikely that we will be back again.

We ended the day in the hotel balcony, where we had deep conversations over Korean alcohol, seaweed and bread from Paris Baguette (addicted to their bread!). Great way to end a fulfilling day =)

Continue to >> Seoul Day 3: Everland
<< Back to Seoul Day 1: PJ Hotel & Dongdaemun

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Seoul Day 1: PJ Hotel & Dongdaemun

2013-04-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

My brother drove us to Changi International Airport (Terminal 3) early in the morning to catch our flight to Seoul, South Korea!

SQ600

The hubby is a Singapore Airlines fan so it was no surprise that we will be flying by SQ again for our family trip (not to mention that we got our tickets at a low price of $705!). The journey took approximately 6.5 hours and we arrived at Incheon International Airport at 3.25pm, Seoul time (Seoul is 1 hour ahead of Singapore).

After clearing customs pretty quickly, we proceeded to the Arrival Hall to pick up the iPhone that we rented.

They gave us the latest iPhone 5!

Renting a phone allowed us to use unlimited data usage on the go without needing to use your own handphone.

The cheapest and fastest way to get to our hotel from the airport was via the Airport Limousine Bus No. 6015 from Bus Stop 5B or 12A. We bought our tickets at the ticketing counters, with each ticket costing us 10,000 won (SGD 10).

One of the many bus ticketing counters in the airport

Bus Stop 5B

Bus Number 6015

Our hotel was the 2nd last stop of the journey, which took approximately 45-60 minutes. It was quite a smooth ride all the way to our destination and when we arrived, a pre-recorded passenger announcement system would announce our arrival so that we would know exactly where to stop.

There was a signboard that pointed us to PJ Hotel, which we nearly missed as it was so tiny. Then it was another 10 minute walk before we reached the lobby.

PJ Hotel

Cool luggage belt at the loading bay of the hotel which brought our luggages up to the lobby

After checking in, we checked out our rooms, which were tiny to me but were probably considered large for a hotel in the city.

Our hotel room with twin beds

Balcony with a nice view of the city

Small toilet (but not as small as Japan)

Free masks only on the day of your arrival

We were super famished by the time we were done settling in so we had our first dinner in Seoul at a nearby BBQ restaurant.

Authentic Korean BBQ near the hotel

Our waitress was a lady from Mainland China so she was able to communicate with us and take our order. We ordered pork and beef, which were both tender and juicy. Super awesome! =)

Clockwise from left: Smoke from the BBQ of the pork was sucked straight into the pipe
so that the smell would not stay on our hair and clothes (Singapore should have this!);
The tray was tilted in such a way that the extra oil could flow out into a small pan;
The side dishes that accompanied almost every Korean meal

After a pretty satisfying meal, we decide to head to Dongdaemun Market as the night was still young. The cheapest and fastest way to get there was via Seoul's somewhat-complex subway system. First, you would need to buy a T-Money card (their version of our Ez-link card) from a vending machine at the entrance of their subway stations.

Vending machine for T-money card (3000 won each)

Select "English" and follow the instructions thereafter. After purchasing the card, you have to place it in the holder (the big rectangle on the right of the red button) in order to top-up or, as they call it, recharge the card. This card is useful as it provided us with an easy access to the subway and most of the public buses.

After purchasing and recharging our cards, we boarded a train from Chungmuro Station on Line 4 (light blue) to Dongdaemun Station.

On the train

Dongdaemun Station

It turned out that the night market we were looking for was at another station so we ended up just walking aimlessly until we spotted a Daiso and loaded up on snacks and chocolates that were cheaper than Singapore! =)

Despite not managing to shop much, it was fun just hanging out, strolling along the streets and discovering new things together. We went back early to rest as it was going to be a long day tomorrow.. looking forward! =)

Continue to >> Seoul Day 2: N Seoul Tower, Namsam Park, Myeongdong & Namdaemun

P.S: Visit my travel page for more of our travel itineraries! =)

Thesis vs. Baby

2013-04-16T00:00:00.000+08:00

The lowest point in my life (till now) had to be the 1st 6 weeks after I had given birth to my baby girl.

Five months before I was due to deliver, I was given the news that my thesis needed major revisions. It turns out that my supervisor did not have time to thoroughly look through my drafts or my final write up and so allowed me to submit a paper that did not fully meet the standards the examiners were looking for. She said she "trusted in my abilities to do a good job" but the truth is, she had given me very little supervision and guidance throughout my graduate studies. I had to learn how to fend for myself most of the time, with her only throwing a life jacket when I was drowning. On hindsight, I do appreciate the freedom and allowance to swim on my own so that I will learn independence but I certainly didn't enjoy the experience of drowning.

So it was that I was heavily pregnant, teaching part-time as a Teaching Assistant at the University and revising my thesis at the same time. Thankfully I didn't have any complications during my pregnancy so that I could do what I had to do.

Due to many reasons, the main one being the lack of guidance, I couldn't finish my thesis in time for submission before I gave birth like I planned. So while other mothers could focus on their newborn baby, my attention was split between caring for my girl and writing my thesis.

In those days, "carrying" my girl on my leg after feeding her
while typing on my laptop on the bed is a common sight

It was really hell! >.<

However, since I had to wake up every 1.5-2 hours at night to breastfeed my baby anyway, I took the time between feeds to type on my computer with nothing but the light from our table lamp so as not to wake the hubby. It was feed, pat her to sleep, write, feed, change her diapers, pat her to sleep, write! Not to mention that I was facing a lot of new things I had never experienced before, such as breast engorgement and nipple cracking, which I had to research about on my best friend Google. That was also when I started reading parenting blogs by the way ;)

I can't remember how many times I had wanted to give up! Stop breastfeeding, stop writing! Sometimes my mind would be filled with dark thoughts, too dark to share. I was so sleep deprived that half the time I wondered if I was hallucinating.

But I pressed on through sheer determination and perseverence, simply wanting to finish the race well. I didn't want to waste all my efforts in graduate school only to have nothing to show for it. It's really not how well you start that matters, it's how you end.

By the grace of God I did finish my thesis on time and passed with good feedback from my examiners. The thing that I've been praying for at every cell group/prayer meeting has finally happened, I passed! =)

Since then I've officially graduated with my masters and got a job as a psychologist. I really feel that this is exactly where God wants me to be, making a difference in the lives of children and adolescents who are abused and neglected.

Although what I went through may not be much compared to countless others more unfortunate than me, my experiences taught me that we are truly more than conquerors in Christ! We can do what we never thought was possible through the power of God at work in us.

As one of my favourite pastors always say (paraphrased as I can't remember the exact words ;P)..

You can walk one day with happiness and learn nothing; but walk one hour with pain and she will teach you everything.

Keep on walking, finish the race.. YOU CAN DO IT! =)

Linking Up With:

Play-Doh Plus Frosting Fun Bakery

2013-04-15T00:00:00.005+08:00

It's my not-so-secret agenda to train my girl to become a Junior Masterchef so that I don't have to cook! *cue evil laughter*

And since she is still too young for that, we'll just have to start her off with the Play-Doh Frosting Fun Bakery instead.

Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Frosting Fun Bakery

She couldn't wait to start!

Setting up

Introducing the new Play-Doh Plus, which was softer than regular Play-Doh

First she fashioned regular Play-Doh into a cookie with a heart-shaped cookie cutter

Then she decided she rather have a donut instead so we made one out of one of the moulds in the base of the play-set.

The instructions said that the new Play-Doh Plus was softer so it was perfect for making the frosting while regular Play-Doh should be used for the making the food in the bakery.

Later she made a cupcake which looked so delicious that she wanted to eat it!
(Just kidding, she was just posing as usual ;P)

She was so proud of her masterpiece, she ran excitedly to show it off to her grandma!

If you liked this toy as much as my girl did, great news! We are giving away ONE Play-Doh Frosting Fun Bakery to a lucky reader!

All You Need to Do is:
1) Like MadPsychMum on Facebook, if you have not already
2) Leave a comment on this post on why your child will like Play-Doh Plus

It's that simple! This giveaway ends on 30 April 2013 (Tue) and is only open to readers living in Singapore. Winner will be drawn randomly and contacted by me (note that prize is self-collected). Good luck! =)

UPDATE:
Sorry for the delay, we've finally picked the winner the usual way by drawing from a bag..

CONGRATS!!

I'll be contacting you soon =)

Disclosure: A complimentary box of Play-Doh Plus was received from Hasbro Singapore for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Poulet Chicken

2013-04-12T23:30:00.000+08:00

We've been wanting to check out this restaurant the moment it opened at Great World City. Although there's another outlet at Bugis+, this one's more convenient for us. Poulet (pronounced "poo-lay") is French for chicken, one of their signature dishes on the menu.

Amazing French Roast Chicken

I liked their open kitchen concept where you can see the chefs hard at work. Gives you a very nice old school yet modern vibe.

Open kitchen concept

Our order came relatively quickly and I was excited to tuck into the food as I haven't eaten since my heavy brunch that morning.

Poached egg with mushrooms

Braised duck

The poached egg with mushrooms was a hit with my girl while the duck did not live up to our expectations. The star of our meal, the roasted chicken however, was both juicy, tender and delicious. Even the ordinarily tough breast meat melted in my mouth! =)

Their star dish, a whole roasted chicken

We ended off our meal with a dessert as nowadays, it's really difficult to get my girl to eat her dinner if there isn't a promise of dessert.. -_-

Ice cream covered in chocolate rum for dessert

The chocolate and rum mixture was so addictive, even the usually anti-dessert hubby loved it. Rest assured though, I was careful to make sure that my girl did not eat the chocolate rum.

And the verdict?

Yummy! =)

Our total bill came up to only S$70+, which was really affordable considering that our little party consisted of 3 adults and 1 child. Good food at affordable prices? What's not to like =)

Poulet is located at Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #02-K2/K3, Singapore 237994.
(Tel: +65 67334395)

Linking Up With:

Newspaper Scrapbooking

2013-04-11T23:30:00.000+08:00

Realising that I haven't done scrapbooking in a long time and needing to find a way to display my newspaper cuttings, I did a simple layout a few days ago.

I placed the newspaper cuttings into sheet protectors that I got from my office, having faith that if it's able to protect the important documents at work, it should be able to protect them.

Protected the newspaper with sheet protectors

With the sheet protectors in place, it is much easier to arrange my layout using the stickers I got from Popular as the stickers would not ruin the actual newspaper article.

Sealed the edges of the sheet protector with border stickers

Spelled "The New Paper" and "Straits Times" with alphabet stickers

Added the dates that the articles were published

A nice title at the top

Here's a tip for alphabet stickers:
In general, the vowels are the fastest to run out but it's really easy to turn the other letters/numbers into any letter you want simply with a scissors and a little imagination. You can cut off the "tail" of a "6" or "9" and it becomes a "o", or cut off part of the "d" to make it an "a", etc. I did the same here by cutting the number "8" to form "E". It's unique, creative and results in zero wastage! =)

The final layout displayed in a frame from IKEA

What do you think?

I'm not really a person who particularly likes green but for some reason the newspaper cuttings look really good with this neutral background. Really pleased with the end result =)

Pregnancy Log: Twenty Questions

2013-04-08T22:04:00.000+08:00

Heavily pregnant at only 7 months

1. Was your pregnancy planned, and how old were you?
It was planned, I was 25 years old :)

2. What was your reaction?
Both surprised and unsurprised. Surprised because everyone said they tried for months for a baby and we were super lucky to have had one within 1 week of trying. Unsurprised because I was extraordinarily tired during that first few weeks and my gut feeling told me that I was pregnant. I knew even before I missed my period.

3. How did you find out you were pregnant?
I took a pregnancy test to confirm what I already knew deep in my heart. It was also my first time peeing on a stick!

4. Who did you tell first?
The hubby and mum-in-law :)

5. Did you find out the sex?
Yes. They told me it was a girl the 1st time, we (mostly the hubby) didn't believe it. They said it was a girl the 2nd time, we didn't believe it. It took seeing her womb and ovaries to convince us that we were having a girl!

Hubby was disappointed (then.. now she is his one & only while I'm kicked aside -_-). I, however, was thrilled! :)

6. Did you have morning sickness?
I didn't throw up but I experienced nausea throughout my pregnancy.

7. What did you crave?
Durians!! Mountain cat durians to be precise :D

8. Who / What irritated you the most?
Everyone and every little thing will irritate me! You just had to catch me at the wrong time and the wrong place!

And you can't blame me! I went from being cool as cucumber and never breaking a sweat to being heat-stroke 24/7 and sleeping in aircon and 2 fans in shorts and singlets and no blanket! True story.

9. Did you wish you had a different gender from what you obtained?
I sure didn't! :)

10. How many kilos did you gain during the entire pregnancy?
I gained 23 astonishing kilos! And still trying to get some of it off.. -_-

11. Where did you think the baby was conceived?
I wish I can say it was in Switzerland but no. Definitely at home, made in Singapore ;P

12. Did you have any complications during the pregnancy?
Nope, thankfully!

13. Where did you give birth?
National University Hospital, simply because I was still doing my masters at National University of Singapore so it was more convenient :)

Taken just before I started to push when my cervix is 10cm dilated
(I look like crap but this is reality. Normal people do not give birth with full makeup on)

14. How many hours were you in labour?
Twelve hours. I went into labour at 12 noon and gave birth at 11.53pm.

15. Was it natural, or C-Sect?
Au Naturel baby :D

16. Who watched you give birth?
The hubby, my OBGYN and a few nurses, one of whom was extraordinarily fierce. Did not affect me at all. When you are pushing like crazy, there was only one thing on my mind.."GET HER OOOUT!!!!!!"

17. Did you take medication to ease the pain?
Of course! I asked for an epidural the minute they said I was only 3cm dialated. Be crazy not to.

18. When was your child born?
4 July 2010, yes Independence Day.

19.What is her name?
Girlee Lee. Not her real name but seeing as I call her that most of the time, it might as well be her real name ;P

20. How old is she today?
She is 2 years 9 months old today ^_^

Linking Up With:

Delicious, Delicious

2013-04-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

We were introduced to Delicious by Mrs P two weeks ago and loved it!

Delicious

The portions were so large that even my typically hungry-all-the-time-with-a-bottomless-stomach friend was struggling to finish his Rendang beef!

Rendang tok beef ribs served with white rice

Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Percik served with white rice, salted egg & keropok

I had the cheeseburger, which was rather tasty and just right for one person.

Delicious Cheeseburger served with fries

We were so full that we didn't even have room for cake, which I heard was really good too.

Delicious' selection of cakes, which I will definitely go back to try

Later we went for drinks at Royal Plaza and had a great time of fellowship.

Drinks at Royal Plaza

I missed those days when we didn't have kids and could do this every week. Nowadays, drinks till midnight is a luxury so we fully treasure these moments every chance we got! =)

Delicious is located at Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road, #B1-16, Singapore 228209.
(Tel: +65 6636 0903)

Linking Up With:

Featured on The Straits Times!

2013-04-05T23:30:00.000+08:00

My crazy obsession with reviewing nursing rooms was featured on our local newspaper, The Straits Times today!

Source: The Straits Times (5th April 2013)

Photo Credit: Adalia Tan

In the wake of possible revisions to the building code to make nursing rooms compulsory in all public buildings such as malls and sports complexes, there may definitely be more than enough nursing rooms to fuel my obsession ;P

Many thanks to Joanna and Sue-Ann for the great write up and to Seng Kim for the very pretty photo of my little girl and me.

Thanks to my awesome family, whom I have dragged with me on numerous occasions to review the nursing rooms during our shopping trips.

Thanks also to my friends, colleagues, fellow mum bloggers and readers for all your support and encouragement that you have given me. Love you guys =)

SMB Celebrates with Style

2013-04-01T23:30:00.000+08:00

Our community of Singapore Mom Bloggers is turning 1 year old and to celebrate, there has been a couple of events lined up for all of us.

First up was a makeover workshop organised by our SMB founder Rachel in collaboration with Florinda (also a mom blogger) from Style Essence.

Mirrors, makeup and lipsticks

Workshop conducted by our style coach Florinda

Our style coach went through the basics of determining body types, which they do so by measuring you. I didn't get measured but I know I used to be an hour glass before kids and now I'm pretty sure I'm either a pear (bigger hips *sob*) or a column (no waist * more sobbing*).

She also helped us to determine our skin tone and the type of colours you should wear (i.e. warm or cool). For example, if you've got a warm skin tone, you will look horrible in white or black as these are cool colours. Black does not equal good!

Just how do you determine what's warm or cool? Take a look at my chart below:

Photo credit: MadPsychMum

And if you're like the hubby, who is somewhat colour-blind and can't tell the difference between black and dark blue, either marry someone who can (smart move dear) or ask a woman! In general, women are better at recognising and differentiating between colours than men.

I know I've got a cool skin tone a long time ago so I steer clear of brown, off-white and certain pastels as it will wash out the colour of my face. Blue and fuchsia is my favourite colour of choice for me as no matter what I wear, it will definitely look good.

We also learnt the message that colours conveyed (left) and how they match together (right)

Next, we were taught basic techniques of skincare and makeup. It was really fun joking around and laughing at and with each other. At the end of the session, we even got to take home a special goody bag that Florinda prepared just for us!

Goody "bag" to take home

I had an awesome time at the workshop! Looking forward to the celebrations that are to come =)

Hot SMB mamas after our makeover!
(Photo credit: Rachel Teo)

In the mood to have some fun ;P
(Photo credit: Rachel Teo)

If you would like to join in the celebrations, great news! Style Essence is offering a free workshop pass worth $150 for THREE lucky readers each!

To Qualify for the Giveaway:

Step 1: Like MadPsychMum on Facebook, if you have not already :P
Step 2: Leave a comment (with your email) on this post on why you think style is important for mothers!

Hurry, this giveaway ends on 15th April 2013 (Monday, 23:59) and is only applicable to readers living in Singapore. Good luck! =)

Happy Birthday SMB!

UPDATE:
We always pick the winners the usual way by having my girl draw from a bag and the winners are.. *drumroll*

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Florinda will be contacting you to discuss the details of your prize, enjoy! =)

Disclosure: An invitation to this event was received from Singapore Mom Bloggers & Style Essence. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.