Rising cost of living

Many things are getting more and more expensive, let me count what have gone up:

1) coffee
2) eggs
3) rice
4) petrol
5) school fees
6) dairy products
7) transportation
8) movie tickets (first Cathay, now GV)
9) Food Republic dough fritters and "hum cheen pang" ($0.70 to $0.90 = almost 30% increase!)
10) hotel room rates
11) medical fees
12) cod liver oil
13) diapers
14) many more...

The ones that are being hit the hardest are the lower-income earners. Will "someone" do something to help defray such rising costs?

The Return of the HFMD

The HFMD is very dreadful....

The childcare centre has 11 cases 2 weeks ago and just last week, the Kindy has 2-3 cases and 1 chicken pox case. Last Friday, the Kindy called me about Kieran's ulcer and asked if I knew.

I explained how he got the ulcer - he knocked his lips on a toy car while playing hide-and-seek with Raeyen and Yani (our helper). It was good to know that the Kindy has been very vigilant and observant of such sightings in the kids.

However, I don't understand why is HFMD so deadly and scary. It is rampant and seems seasonal. I could only urge all parents and caregivers to be watchful and mindful of hygiene. Inculcating the right values and the importance of hygiene to the kids as well as to practise the same themselves is paramount. It irks me when someone spits, sneezes/coughs without covering his/her mouth.

Girls' Day Out

Took half-day's leave on Friday to go shopping with Ivy.

We had a great day at Vivocity shopping after lunch. Bought clothes for ourselves and the family.

I was particularly happy because I bought 2 empire dresses from Gap, a blouse from bYSI, a shirt for hubby and a bermudas for Kieran, both from Fox. Last week, I got a casual tie-back dress from Women's Secret. Hmm, I should get something for Raeyen before the guilt kicks in. You see, Raeyen receives a lot of hand-me-downs from Kieran - books, clothes and toys. Sometimes, it seems kind of hard to think of what to get him.

Papular?

Kieran saw a paediatric dermatologist on Tuesday and was diagnosed with Papular Eczema on his elbows, kneecaps, thighs, buttocks and left shoulder.

Doctor said it's not contagious nor food-proned and most likely hereditary. Hereditary means he got it from my family (sigh...). Given Elomet cream, QV wash and moisturiser cream.

A Tribute to a Lost Son

On Tuesday, I read an article on The Straits Times with grief.

It was an article about a teen triathlete, Thaddeus Cheong who died last June after crossing the finishing line in a SEA Games triathlon selection race. He was only 17 and suppose to have a bright future ahead.

I cried while reading the interview with his parents and aunt. I could feel their heartache for losing their older son. I told hubby it's devastating for any parent to lose a child for no good reason. In his memory, his aunt wrote a book "Running The Full Distance: Thaddeus Cheong" where proceeds from its sales will go to a fund to build a church for the indigenous people in Sarawak.

Horton Hears A Who

Together with Ivy's family, we went for the movie at Suntec last Sunday.

There were pre-movie activities from The Little Linguist, Belly Dancing and Airbrush Tattoo. Just before the movie started, we went to Carl's Junior for lunch. After lunch, the daddies did their own thing while the mommies took the kiddos into the theatre.

It was a great movie and started well at first (Horton's a great character for the kids to learn that "a person's a person no matter how small") until Raeyen displayed his disinterest by making noise, kicking, etc.... To let the rest enjoy the movie, I took him out of the cinema to coax him but it didn't quite work out. He was moody and restless. I think I will not bring him for a movie until he is a little older.

And to complete the movie, I have to get the DVD when it's out.

My Betula

Bought this pair of Betula Luca from Tobias Mayer online, which arrived a few days ago. It's a great online shopping haven for Birkenstock (and the likes) sandals.

Did you notice I wore this to Disney On Ice?

Disney On Ice

We took Kieran and Raeyen to catch Disney On Ice at the Indoor Stadium this evening. It's Kieran's 2nd and first for Raeyen. This year's theme is on Adventure with a mix of stories from some of the most loved Disney classics, cartoons and animations.

While Kieran is more subdued, we were surprised that Raeyen watched the whole production intensely! He even clapped and waved at the characters/performers!

They even sang the chorus "coz, I can't wait to be King" from The Lion King theme song.

The finale was the best part for the boys as they had the chance of shaking hands with the performers. Kieran said, "the best is still The Lion King!" When I asked Raeyen if it was good, he said, "Yes, it's fun!". If you asked me, my favourite is The Little Mermaid. The props were amazing; among those mentioned, other stories enacted were Lilo & Stitch, 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan.

Hmm, looks like we'll come back next year if the program is interesting.

Raeyen and his "manja" ways

Raeyen has his unique way of being "manja" to me.

When he wants extra TLC, he would come to me with those kitten-like eyes, purred "meow" and gently bury his little head into my chest.

Every morning when he wakes up, he would give me a nice, wide grin and say, "happy face, mommy".

He also has his own little ways of showing love.

When Kieran got punished by us, he would go to him, take his hand or embrace him and say "what happened?", "it's ok", "don't cry".

While he is getting more and more "challenging" (= more mischievous), he is still very adorable and lovable. Seeing Kieran is almost 6 years old, I can't help not wanting Raeyen to grow up so as to enjoy this moment of innocence and naivity.

How to have brighter larger looking eyes?

I stumbled upon a great video tutorial on how to achieve brighter larger looking eyes through clever and easy to follow make-up techniques.

Try it out, it really works:



And if the above is not enough, try this one to achieve a natural look with minimal make-up. Have fun!

More about Horton Hears A Who!

The movie, adapted from Dr Seuss' book of the same name will be released on 14 March. It's from the creators of Ice Age.

The story goes (courtesy from Wikipedia) ...

The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Who-ville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos.

The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo, and the small kangaroo in her pouch. Horton tells the Whos that they needed to make themselves heard to the other animals, lest they end up as part of "beezlenut stew", which they finally accomplish. The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small".

In the movie, Jim Carrey is the voice-over for Horton. I think it's gonna be a fun movie that kids and adults will enjoy.

Click here to view the trailers.

A new digicam

We needed to replace our current Canon IXUS 40 due to wear & tear. To avoid the crazy load of people at the IT Show at Suntec, we decided to get a new digicam at MS Colour at Ang Mo Kio today.

We were deciding between Canon IXUS 860IS or the latest Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX36.

In the end, the Lumix was a clearer choice, not only for its better price but higher resolution at 10.1 megapixel and better wide angle at 25mm. We chose the black piece for a sleeker look.

We'll use it next Saturday as the kids go for Disney on Ice, and on Sunday, we'll bring them to the movie premier of Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who! organised by Berri Werks. Most importantly, we are going for a short holiday to Bangkok and Hua Hin from 1-5 May!

A treat I deserved

I have to confess... after so many years (since being a parent), I've never spent so much on myself.

On Wednesday, while at T3 Changi Airport waiting for my flight to Hong Kong, I visited Gucci and laid eyes on a classy hobo bag from its Spring/Summer collection. A man was at that time buying the same bag. I inspected the bag, tried it and simply loved it. I told the sales associate I have to consider before making that feminine investment.

Together with my colleagure, we went to the Cosmetic & Frangrance section. I was still comtemplating, I already have a few LVs, an old Gucci hobo with bamboo handle Gucci, a classic Ferragamo before the kids came, do I REALLY need another? I called Ivy & Choo, both encouraged me that it's time I pamper myself.

As I walked out, I met the Gucci sales associate who probably was going for lunch break. She threw me a hopeful grin and I said hello; at that spur of the moment, I told her I was going back to the boutique to get the hobo. She immediately called her colleague to reserve a piece for me.

I marched back knowing that my girly happiness is near... there it was, sitting on the counter waiting for its new owner. After checking her inside out, I flashed out my partner in crime (my credit card) for tax-free payment.

Upon checking into my hotel room in HK, I immediately replaced my beige eyelet GG5 hobo with my newfound ladykiller.

As with every trip to HK, I always lug home boxes of Krispy Kreme yummy donuts for the family. This time, I bought 6 bars of GODIVA heavenly chocolates onboard the SQ flight for my hubby.

Health & Hygiene

The Kindy is having Health & Hygiene week and kids at pre-nursery level took part this morning. Parents were encouraged to participate with their kids.

I took morning leave to help Raeyen out and the chores they did were washing laundry - own socks, hand towel and school toys. It kicked off with their teacher asking questions about how to keep healthy. She showed them the food pyramid and exercised with them. The kids were very cute exercising to the hippy tune (see video). Eh, in case you noticed his mismatched outfit, it's due to his accidental "shh-shh" on his denim shorts before I arrived.

I had fun bonding with Raeyen, I felt so good when I could see his eyes sparkled upon spotting me at the door. He asked me to sit next to him while his teacher spoke, so sweet.

The activity took about 35 minutes and each kid took home a toy tambourine.