duuky's ramblings

Pineapple Tart Day

2012-01-15T23:42:00.000+08:00

Every year, my aunt will bake pineapple tarts for the whole extended family. This year, Jeannie helped out too, kneading and baking the entire day, along with my mum and another aunt.

The semi-sweet pineapple filling was prepared the previous night,
ready to be placed onto the flour base.

Ready to go into the oven.

And here's the final product - pineapple tarts in its golden yummy shade.

This year, we also had a new helper - Hazel.

She is quite deft with her fingers and able to pry the flour from the cutter.
All those weeks of playdoh came in handy.

She did a pretty good job too, of getting the flour in the required shape.

First day of school!

2012-01-03T21:52:00.003+08:00

Today marks another milestone of sorts - Hazel going to K1 and Rachel switching over to Cherie Hearts from NTUC First Skool.

This morning, both were very excited about going to school together and taking the school bus together. Heard from their mummy that Hazel took very good care of Rachel, reminding her younger sis 'Don't always say no huh', 'Must tell teacher if you want to go toilet huh', etc.

We are quite glad that Rachel managed to settle in quite well. I think it helps that Rachel is familiar with Cherie Hearts, as she has been there a few times previously when we brought her to her older sister's school events. Rachel didn't cry the whole day too, even when she came back alone on the school bus.

As for Hazel, I remember that one of my earliest memories was telling one of my relatives that I was in K1 already, and that I had this secret crush on another classmate. I suppose this means that she might remember some of the things she does from this point onwards and hopefully, she will have a fulfilling childhood.

And we are already counting down to the next major milestone - when Hazel graduates to Primary One.

2012 New Year Resolutions

2012-01-01T23:35:00.006+08:00

Resolution #1 - Leave office by 6.30pm

Ever since I took up my current job at WDA, I have been consistently leaving office at 7.30pm to 7.45pm. With the 50 min travelling time, I have not been able to reach my mum's place early enough for dinner. Most times, Jeannie have got to pack food for me and bring the kids home herself.

So my first resolution is to leave office by 6.30pm, latest by 6.45pm, on a regular and consistent basis. This way, I am able to reach my mum's place by 7.30pm for dinner, before bringing the kids home. The missus has been very understanding, but the kids are our responsibilities. Kinda unfair for her to shoulder most of the things.

Resolution #2 - Exercise, Lose Weight

It used to be that gaining weight is just a cosmetic issue. But with a family of my own now, I need to live responsibly and that means losing some bulk. No more gorging at buffets.

I need to exercise more too. If I can fulfil my resolution #1, maybe I can spare some time for a run too. I hope to take part in the StanChart run later this year.

Resolution #3 - Blog more

I started blogging because I wanted to experiment more as part of my social media job some years back. By and by, I realised that the blog has actually become a legacy of sorts, a record of the activities that we do as a family.

So for this year, I shall resolve to blog more, at least once a week.

Sunny day at the beach

2011-10-16T16:39:00.000+08:00

Nice sunny day after what must have been days of dreary weather.

So we brought the kids out to have some sun.

Scouting for a good spot to build sandcastles,

but found a dead rotting fish instead.

Gosh, it must have been over twenty years since I last played with sand.

Mummy's turn to fetch the water.

Guess where we brought the kids to? Looks like some resort right?

Working in a team, the two sisters makes a gallant attempt to build something...

anything that resembles a structure... but mostly its just playing with sand...

This was an achievement. The last time we brought Hazel to the

beach last year, she refused to get down at all. Now she dares

to go to the shore and fetch water. And of course, brave Rachel too.

Pretty mummy having a relaxing time.

Its great to see them having fun and having a laugh.

Sometimes, we adults get so caught up in making a living

that we forgot just that - to have fun, and to laugh...

Rachel, the future ultimate frisbee player.

Finished up the day with spaghetti. This is such a unglam shot.

Rachel, Upsized!

2011-10-07T12:16:00.001+08:00

Today is Children's Day celebration, and the two kids got to dress up for school.

Here they are, in two very pretty dresses given by their aunt as Children's Day presents.

And then I came to work, and saw a colleague wearing the exact same dress.

On my, how Rachel has grown in that few hours!

DIY Lantern

2011-09-14T09:00:00.000+08:00

Hazel's DIY mid-autumn lantern in all its different hues

Hazel's teacher gave her (and us) homework over the weekend - to make a DIY lantern from recycled materials. Best lantern will get a prize.

That set off the competitive streak! Ok, the gloves are off! We are going to outdo all the other parents and we shall make the best lantern EVER!

Ok, that didn't actually happen. We were quite happy to do the lantern with the kids, not so much to win...

Anyway, Hazel's grandpa had a brainwave and contributed this old sweets container in the shape of a rabbit. I bought a cheapo lantern from NTUC and wedged it inside. Ok, this isn't exactly environmentally friendly, but I had to get a bulb that works.

Thereafter, the kids punched out 'hearts' and 'stars' using a paper-puncher, though you can't really see from the photos above.

As a finishing touch, we placed a small plastic girl and accompanying swing inside and viola! We have a lantern!

Not bad eh?

Hazel turns four!

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000+08:00

Birthday Celebration Part 1, with a party at her nursery along. Cake was from Pine Garden, with 'Vanilla and Strawberry Jam' for the top layer, and 'Hazelnut Chocolate Crunch' for the 2nd tier.

Blowing out the candles, with a very interested onlooker by the side.

All her friends looking intently at the design. I was told that the Hazelnut favour was very popular. Too bad I couldn't go, since I just started a new job.

Brought them out for presents shopping and here they are pretending to be Ironman and Spiderman.

Scooter from Hazel's aunt and hubby. They dote on the two kids a lot.

Hazel trying it out. Might be a bit challenging for now to balance on two wheels.

Another cake from Pine Garden - Mango Passionfruit. The adults quite like it.

Hazel with her great-grandma, another one who loves our kids very much.

Wishing for more cakes perhaps?

Happy 4th Birthday, Hazel!

Party packs for the little ones

2011-09-09T00:51:00.000+08:00

Hazel is having a birthday celebration at her childcare centre yesterday and we prepared party packs for all her friends. The pink bags are for the girls, while the blue ones are for the boys. (Stating the obvious.)

She's a happy girl. She has been so looking forward to her party, and has been counting down since four weeks ago.

Tonight, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep, she can't wait to give all her friends a present each tomorrow.

But I think we might have bought a bit too much stuff. They could barely fit into the party packs.

Happy Teachers' Day from Hazel

2011-09-01T10:20:00.002+08:00

Hazel reminded us a few days ago that she wants to give presents to her teachers for Teachers' Day.

So this morning, we packed her off to school with her cargo of Kit Kat bars and nice, pretty bookmarks - with a reminder that its for her teachers and not to share with friends.

We are quite glad that she is so willing to share and has a spirit of giving.

Lizard Soup for the Soul

2011-08-18T16:39:00.001+08:00

My mum happily prepared a big pot of chicken soup for dinner a few evenings ago. Just as she lifted the lid to stir the soup, something jumped out and disappeared.

She stirred the pot, and lo and behold, she scooped out a dead lizard! Of all the household pests, my mum fears the lizard the most and she was freaked out. Despite that, she bravely disposed of the offending carcass (no choice, she was the only one in the house) and had to pour the whole pot away.

On hindsight, that is better than drinking the chicken soup halfway and then discovering the lizard's body. That would be damn gross.

By the way, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, lizard soup is purportedly good for lowering blood pressure (source) and in India, its a “stress busting” concoction being tried out by some students ahead of the board exams (source).

Oh, remember the 'something' that jumped out? That should be the lizard tail, which by now has not been discovered yet. Time to call in the CSI.

We scold harder, she cries louder.

2011-08-17T10:26:00.005+08:00

Rachel threw the mother of all tantrums this morning. Refused to brush her teeth, refused to change into her school uniform, refused to go to school, refused to wear her shoes, you get the drift.

She must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

We tried cajoling her, tried telling her nicely, tried scolding her, tried putting her onto the 'naughty' chair, tried showing her the dreaded cane. Nothing works. We scold harder, she cries louder.

As a result, Jeannie couldn't send her to school as usual cos of the delay. I literally had to force her to wear her school uniform and shoes, and carried her all the way across the Bishan Park to her childcare centre.

She was bawling all the way, and I was fuming mad all the way.

Parenting Guide on Toddlers

When I reached home, I found a booklet by the Children's Society on my table - Parenting Guide on Toddlers. It was given by Hazel's childcare centre and its as if fate has decreed that I should read it, given what happened this morning.

In the section on "My Child Throws Terrible Temper Tantrums", it advises on what to do: "Remain calm and stay in control. Scolding and shouting at your child will not help."

How to remain calm with a bawling kid? The adults need to go to work, Hazel's school bus is waiting and Rachel is still kicking and screaming. In the heat of the moment, how not to scold and shout?

Still... I recognise that maybe I should try a softer approach in future. Now that I have an opportunity to cool down and reflect on the events this morning, the advice is really quite practical and logical.

Sigh... I shall resolve to stay in control in future.

About the Book

A disclaimer first, I have no vested interest in the book. It happened to come in useful when I had a toddler situation.

Anyway, among the other topics are "my child won't sit still; fussy at mealtimes; rough; etc." Quite a useful read for young parents out there. Here is the link for the booklet:
http://www.childrensociety.org.sg/services/other.htm

They also have a booklet on "Parenting Guide for Babies".

Splash Out @ Sembawang Shopping Centre

2011-08-16T15:52:00.003+08:00

The weather is hot, the sun is blazing and we are in need of some cool relief. So we brought the kids to this free outdoor waterplay park at Sembawang Shopping Centre.

Kaoz, the two of them can really run and run and run and run! We spent an hour there and the two of us were already tired, but the two kids are still running from corner to corner, splashing water from station to station. And then repeat. Again. And again. And again.

Not too bad, although its a bit out of the way. The place is well designed and water is coming out from every imaginable sprout - from the ground, as a fountain, as a water mist, as a showerhead, etc. Plus there is also a dry version under the shade.

Can consider bringing hyper kids there to expend their energy. Guaranteed to have a good afternoon of sleep afterwards.

I think its a really smart move for Capitaland to build these in their malls to attract whole families who will inevitably dine and buy stuff there. There are a few of such waterplay parks in their malls around the island too, such as NEX and IMM.

The bystander that became a photography subject

2011-08-15T15:55:00.004+08:00

Last month, while on a business meeting at the Singapore International Water Week, I ran into an ex-colleague. She had helped me out numerous times as a model for my photoshoots before and this time, the roles were reversed with her looking for a delegate to take photos with her polytechnic student volunteers.

With just one line "Its time you repay me!!", I became her "delegate".

Sigh, I've always been behind the camera, whether as an amateur photographer or getting colleagues to pose for magazines and newsletters. Apart from my own wedding shots, I've never been the model, not with that kind of pock-marked face, double/triple chin and long horseface.

Its kinda awkward pointing to non-existing objects, smiling at no one in particular and looking meaningfully into the distance. With a crowd watching and with the camera flash. This is karma man...

I hope I didn't traumatise the polytechnic student in the shot....

There goes the other clan elder

2011-08-12T16:35:00.002+08:00

And so the other clan elder is leaving for pastures anew.

With one already transferred to another team, there leaves two who remains in the coop.

Nothing is constant, except change. Good luck everyone!

Happy (belated) National Day!

2011-08-11T11:07:00.002+08:00

Happy National Day!! Taken on 9 August itself during a BBQ.

I love the buay song face of Rachel. LOL.

The geeky family

2011-08-10T23:13:00.002+08:00

The kids got educational 'laptops', redeemed with NTUC linkpoints from Downtown East.

It entertained them for all of 20 minutes.

Random

2011-08-09T23:32:00.002+08:00

On Sunday night, I was woken up by a phone call at 3.45am. With apprehension and fear, I ran to the phone hoping and praying that it's not some family emergency or bad news.

Damn it, it was a wrong number.

The guy said that he just got a missed call and was returning it. I told him in no uncertain terms that "it's 3 plus in the morning and you are telling me it's a wrong number?!?!?!"

The next day, I ran through my phone log and confirmed that no, I did not call him, much less at 3 plus. But he did call me at 4pm the day before. Turns out that he was the delivery guy from the BBQ caterer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We brought the kids for a 3D2N stay at Costa Sand Downtown East. On the 1st night, I ran out of cash, discovered that my OCBC ATM card was spoilt, and that there aren't any Stanchart ATMs in the whole of this resort.

Cashless for the next day at least, we had to ration our last $10.

Thank goodness that the food court accepts payment via EZ-link, that Macdonalds accepts credit card and that help arrived the next day in the form of my dad who loaned me some cash.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's 11.30pm now in the resort. The kids are sleeping, the wife is taking her well-deserved rest and I'm blogging.

But there still seems to be a lot of life in the other chalet units. BBQs are still in full flow with no sign of abating, teenagers are still screaming their heads off and slamming any available doors in sights.

Makes me wonder, were we like that when we were young?

I'm 34 and a dino!

2011-07-22T06:33:00.004+08:00

A small cosy celebration at home with kids, parents and siblings.
"Gula Melaka" cake from Cedele, courtesy of my dear sister.

Though it does seem like the kids are the ones enjoying it most.

Mum bought my favourite fruit - durian! See how Rachel is enjoying it.

And she is so thrilled at showing off her durian-ed hands.

See how delighted Hazel is.

If there is one thing they inherited from their daddy, its the love for durians.

In any case, happy birthday to me!

And they wonder why there are gripes about public transport

2011-07-21T10:01:00.009+08:00

Just two days ago, I had an appointment at Shenton Way, right smack in peak traffic timing.

Allowing myself an hour to make the trip, I started with a ten-minute wait for the feeder bus. Which is usually a reasonable time to wait, except that the frequency was listed as 5-7 mins during peak timing.

At Ang Mo Kio MRT, I was greeted with a constant flood of commuters. I usually don't take the MRT, since my usual mode of transport is a direct bus to my workplace. So I was slightly surprised.

Six trains came and went, and still the commuters keep coming. Gave up and went to join the taxi queue.

The trip to Shenton Way was fraught with traps - ERP traps. Went through three gantries worth a total of $8.50. That's one-third of the total fare that went to the government.

Yet the traffic was super heavy. Time to raise the gantry fee even higher eh?

That will be a really smart move. And last I heard, COE prices have hit $56k and $72.5k for Cat A and Cat B respectively.

And they wonder why there are gripes about public transport and overcrowding.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Edit] I found out that there is a premium bus service going to my destination. Not right to the doorstep, but close enough I guess. More expensive than the feeder bus/MRT combo, but definitely cheaper than cab. Maybe I'll try that later.

Heartwarming words from the Big Jie Jie

2011-07-17T23:15:00.000+08:00

Just a few moments ago, Hazel whispered to me "Papa, next time buy toys for Mei Mei, buy Hello Kitty ok? Mei Mei like Hello Kitty."

That's nice :)

The Gift of Sharing

2011-07-11T14:58:00.004+08:00

The story started about a month ago, when Hazel's classmate gave her a pack of biscuits. Since then, she has been reminding us that she would like to give 'presents to her love friends' (her words, not mine).

And so last evening, we brought her to the supermarket and she picked out two boxes of Oreo biscuits (the third box is for Rachel to bring to school too). Cue smiles all around.

This morning, I tried to 'persuade' her to leave the biscuits at home, and she can finish all of them by themselves. To her credit, she refused and told us "Noooo, I want to share with my Teacher Jel, Hong Lao Shi and my friends."

I hope we bought enough for all her friends though.

Making Faces

2011-07-10T15:35:00.002+08:00

Now that you have seen some of our faces, which one do you like?

Rachel the Hairdresser

2011-06-08T09:43:00.001+08:00

Rachel works her magic and blew the house down!

Our grandma, the hairstylist

2011-06-05T23:46:00.002+08:00

Identical hairstyles by their grandma. Nice?

Enjoyable stay at the Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa

2011-05-18T15:43:00.000+08:00

We stayed at the Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa, and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. The hotel was quiet, private and had a very tranquil feel.

Food was amazing and the chef was excellent. Every item that we ordered from the hotel restaurant was delectable. Prices were reasonable too.

Service staff was friendly and always wore a smile. The spa was excellent and we wished we could have gone for more sessions.

(Or perhaps the reason that we felt so good was that this is our first couple trip for more than three years. The last one was to Bail, when was barely six months old.)

Anyway, thoroughly recommend this resort if anyone is keen for a trip to Yogyakarta. (Though if your main purpose is to visit Borobudur, then Manohara Hotel is recommended.)

Special mention to the swimming pool:

For a while, I was looking for the swimming pool.
I only realised this was the pool when I saw people swimming inside.

Bliss is floating in the waters and letting the mind go blank.

Bliss is enjoing an ice-cream and coconut in the hot afternoon sun.

Fooling around with the camera. Almost got it perfectly centered.