Cool name tags

Coutesy of What a Lovely Name

The bo-chap mentality

Weekday morning rush hour. Commuters walking hastily trying to catch a train or bus to work. This is a common sight in Singapore and in many developing and developed countries. But what's missing here?

This morning, a lady was sitting near the door of City Hall-bound platform at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. She was attended by another lady, and I believe they did not know each other. However, there were many onlookers gazing at them as if it was a "show". I volunteered to get help from the MRT staff.

Up went I go towards the Control Room and sought help from 2 staff. One followed me, and he asked his colleague to prepare a wheelchair.

Once the MRT staff has attended to the lady, I left for my train knowing that she would be well taken care of. While in the train, I felt disgusted by the onlookers for not doing anything. Feeling sick and weak in an unexpected place may happen to anyone! Wouldn't they wish that someone lends a helping hand if it happens to themselves or their loved ones?

People, take a moment to think. It's not rocket science but a simple human touch that is lacking here. We not have a simply bo-chap mentality, we also adopt a "aiya, it will not happen to me" mentality.

We certainly do not want our children to grow up in such an environment where there is no basic common sense and TLC.

Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

Japan revisited

My first trip to Japan was almost 25 years ago.

This time, due to work, I had the chance to revisit this intriguing country from 12-16 April (cherry blossom ended on 7 April in Tokyo). The weather was great with a temperature ranging from 15-20C.

The 6-hour flight to Tokyo by JAL was pleasant though it doesn't provide an array of magazines and latest blockbusters like SQ.

Checked into New Otani Hotel at Akasaka area after taking the airport bus, which cost JPY3,000 per way (SGD45). The ride was less than 1.5h.

Wasting no time, I explored into Harajuku, Shibuya and ended at Shinjuku for dinner with some shopping. The food floor of any department store made my eyes popped - there were a HUGE range of daintly presented food and desserts! They were oh-so-fresh-and-ultra-yummy. I tried sakura-infused cake and papa beard puff. I also bought a punnet of sweet and juicy strawberries for JPY600 (SGD9). I was pleasantly surprised to see a limited edition Agnes b dumpling bag and bought one as it's so durable, fashionable and functional. It cost JPY9,500 after tax rebate (SGD143) as opposed to SGD215 sold here for the usual range. I also bought Shinkansen stuff for the kids and other cosmetics (Aube Couture, Maquillage and MM)from a local drug store. At a bookstore, I bought the Jill Stuart mook at JPY1,000 (SGD15) with an umbrella, which came in handy as it poured in Hamamatsu on Tuesday.

Dinner was at Katsukura located on the 14th floor of Takashima, Shinjuku, touted as the holy grail of tonkatsu. I wasn't disappointed as the food was delicious and the batter was crisp but not oily. The chawanmushi was another not-to-be-missed, the broth used to cook the egg custard was top-grade and full-flavoured.

Came Monday was a full-day meeting at the office, I only had sushi at a sushi bar near Akasaka-mitsuke station for dinner.

On Tuesday, together with my very nice German colleague, we took Shinkansen to Hamamatsu for another meeting before our event the next day, hence there's nothing to talk about here. We shall fast-forward to Wednesday night as I took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. On the way back, the weather was great and I could see the majestic Mount Fuji, it was a grand sight! I wish I was on holiday. After checking back into New Otani, I zoomed out for a quick dinner.

On Thursday, as my meeting in the office only started at 10am, I decided to explore the much talked-about Tsukiji Fish Market. I left my hotel at 5am, took train from Akasaka-mitsuke station to Ginza and transferred to Tsukiji station. I followed the crowd towards the famed market.

There were many people, fishmongers and visitors blended in harmony. I have never seen so much fresh seafood in my life, they were so fresh that the place did not give the usual fishy stench. As I explored further, I found the auction area. One man was seen shouting his lungs out as the auction was going on. Hunger pangs struck just after I was done with the market. Navigating my way out, I was lucky to have found the alley where the sushi bars were located. My friend Fannie recommended that I ate at Daiwa, there were queues and it took me 45 minutes to get a seat and 15 minutes to finish my meal. I had the JPY3,500 set (SGD53) consists of uni, chu-toro, ebi, squid, etc, it was THE highlight of this trip. I was happy I went to the market and returned to my hotel in time for my walk to office for meeting before heading to the airport.

All photos can be found in my Facebook.

Kieran, the bronze swimmer

Have been so busy that I couldn't find time to update my blog!

Anyway, Kieran took his first swimming test last Saturday, 12 April at Raffles Institution. It was for the Bronze stage, which is the basic.

He was jittery at first but warmed up real soon.

He swam 16 x 25m, treaded water for 3 minutes, stayed afloat for 1 and made a float from his PJs.

What was unexpected after the test in the waters was the survival Q&A test, which his instructor did not inform us about. He was asked what one couldn't do at a swimming pool. He scratched his head and answered only when prompted.

Once the examiner said, "Congratulations, you passed the test.", Kieran was beaming and so were we.

I am so proud of him.

Kieran the model

Kieran played model while preparing to attend a wedding dinner, on his daddy's behalf. Shirt and jeans from Old Navy.

It was Friday the 13 when the dinner took place. Hubby worked late hence Kieran became my partner. The dinner was held at Havelock Road near Zouk and I decided to drive there. I wasn't sure of the location, got lost and circled around Chinatown twice until I met my guardian angel. The KFC delivery guy was riding on his bike, halting next to us at the junction. I asked him (who is a Chinese national) for direction and he led me to our venue! How sweet of him!

Play

Snapped some pictures of the boys playing at home.

Farmer & Builder at work (Raeyen used playdoh as "dirt" for his dump truck)

Leapad Fun

2nd day of school holiday

We took the kids to our neighbourhood swimming complex for a splash. And of all things, I forgot to bring our camera!

Anyway, to cut it short, they had a whale of a time for 2 solid, fun-filled hours. Raeyen kept himself occupied in a kiddy pool while Kieran slid down a not-so-junior tunnel. His dad had to convince the guard that Kieran would be fine taking the tunnel despite his under 1.2m height.

In the late afternoon, we watched Race to Witch Mountain with Kieran at Cathay. We missed its Mom 'N' Tots offer where kids under 7 years of age go free if accompanied by their parent/guardian. It was an exciting movie and Dwayne Johnson has been my fav actor packaged with muscles and sense of humour. You should rent the DVD on "The Game Plan" which he starred if you have not watched it.

A nice afternoon with Kieran

This week begins the first week of school holiday in 2009.

I took leave to spend some time with the kids. After Kieran's cartoon drawing class yesterday, the whole family had lunch at Swensen's to enjoy its 1-for-1 weekday lunch promotion. After lunch, I took him to my hairstylist for a hair cut while I have my usual hair treatment. Kieran has never stepped into a professional hair salon (he either goes to a"ma-ma" shop or those $10 Japanese-styled quick-cut hair shops) before and this was his maiden experience and he likes it very much.

Despite having a good lunch, he asked me to bring him for some food after the haircut. So I took him to Hairloom & Caramel for another new cafe dining experience. That was my second visit. Previously, I dined there with Ivy and Josephine where I had tofu salad ($7.50) and they had chicken salad in honey mustard dressing ($8.50), with a cup of homemade lemongrass drink on the house.

Once we stepped in, Kieran already likes it. Looking at the montage above, you too, will fall in love with its quirky decor and ambience. I like the upholstery of the chairs and stools in particular, as well as the wall mural. I read from a magazine that the owners designed the place and bought the furniture. My hungry son, who is in a growth spurt now, had creme brulee (my fav too) and a eggnog cup cake while I only had its signature Vita Plum (ice-blended vitagen with sour plum).

It's nice to spend a quiet afternoon with my little boy to bond and talk nonsense. Wonder when will I do the same with my other little boy, Raeyen.

A Chinese who failed Chinese

My poor boy failed his first Chinese test on Monday.

While he was nonchalant about it, his mom was anxious like an ant in a hot pot!

Friends said I should put him in a Chinese enrichment class, such as from TienHsia or Beijing Language School or private tuition. My goodness!

Tomorrow, he's going to attempt Maths test for the second time.

Oh, how I loathe our education system!

Movies I wanna watch

There are a few movies I wanna watch, some are those that my hubby will not be interested, meaning too feminine and boring by his standard.

Those I wanna watch with girlfriends:

He's Just Not That Into You; Confessions of a Shopaholic and Marley & Me. In fact I have the Marley & Me book and decided not to finish reading it because many times, movies are not as good as the books.

Those I can watch with him:

Angels & Demons, which book I had not read and have no intention of reading. I read the Da Vinci Code, which was far better than the movie.

X-MEN Origins: Wolverine, ahhh.... Hugh Jackman.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which Kieran is looking forward too. This film features the animal transformers, hope it can be as exciting as its prequel!

Siah Suey Engrish

Courtesy from Kenny Sia, a popular blogger from Malaysia.

Read about our special imported blend of English in his entry here.
Guarantee you sure read until you fall backwards from your chair ah.

PS: The kiddos' brain food arrived yesterday: a swift 6-day wait from the US!

25 Ps

1. Priscilla is my name. I like the sound of "Priscilla" and apparently it suggests a feminine, refined, independent, intellectual and charming lady. Am I?
2. Pigging out is something I secretly love to do and I have a soft spot for POTATO CHIPS of any flavour! But gotta restraint myself for obvious reason!
3. Prosperity may mean good fortune, loaded, abundance of MONEY; unfortunately it may also mean physical and horizontal growth. So if someone says to you, "Hmm, you have prospered" or "You look prospered" it doesn't mean what you like to hear.
4. Pager is now an antique replaced by an ever-evolving gadget called mobile phone / cell phone / hand phone. Many people are nuts about the iPhone, which may be facing a threat from HTC's Dream.
5. Phone is a fantastic communication tool (thanks to who is that inventor? Ah..... Alexander Graham Bell) which many have a love-hate relationship with it. We love it because it connects people (ya, I know I sounded like a Nokian), we hate it when telemarketers called, which leads me to....
6. Phishing.... I've heard of fishing, but what's phishing? I am not a techno geek and must admit I first heard of this term when I was doing Internet Banking. I wonder if this word has been listed in dictionaries?
7. Phonics is an important what-do-you-call (methodology) for every parent when teaching her/his offspring on how to pronounce words. It's mind boggling with vowels, consonants and different approaches. Being a parent is tough!
8. Photo-taking is another great way to keep fond memories. The best photos in my life are those of my wedding, the births of our sons and our holidays along with their growing years. However, keeping the photos in albums (not virtual ones) is an art.
9. Piano is a beautiful instrument that I have always wanted to learn since young. Life then was tough for my sole-breadwinner dad of 6 children. I would love to learn when the kids need not so much of my attention.
10. Playground is every kid's temple but I prefer one that is indoor for the sake of our skin.
11. Pregnancy had "ballooned" me, made me "unglam" with lots of inconveniences and stares from idiotic/unkind commuters. Havng said that, those little butterfly flutters that I felt were utterly amazing!
12. Parenthood is as profound as it gets, phew!!! Lots of trials and errors, tears and joy, resentment and contentment - all rolled into one! It made me a mother, worker, playmate, tutor, wife, driver, minder, reader, cook (sometimes), planner, nurse... and the list goes on.
13. Planning becomes crucial as I became a mother, there's so much to plan!
14. Pedicure is a therapeutic nail care for toes and it makes my feet wonderfully smooth and polished, something I can only do when I apply an annual leave to be ME!
15. Pampering myself once in a while is a privilege, being pampered is an indulgence!
16. Pitter-patter is the sound of Raeyen's little feet running to the door to receive me, that little moment delights me, I just wanna hug him.
17. Pink is my favourite colour but red reigns! Psst, Kieran likes red too.
18. Puppies are cuddly and the cutest. My family once had a puppy, a bichon frise whom we named her Angel. She was 2 months old then with fluffy white fur. Angel died at a prime age of 14 in dog years. I want a chihuahua puppy when the kids have grown up.
19. Past is history (don't dwell), present is now and a gift (please treasure), future is where our dreams hold (dream big if you will).
20. Pressure to excel and exceed in everything is common in Singapore; kids grow up here thinking that they will be a nobody if they do not perform academically.
21. Pessimism is pathetic, optimism is ecstatic!
22. Picky means trying too hard to be perfect.
23. Plus size is an awful term to use, clothespeak that is.
24. Procrastination is not in my bible. Just do it!
25. Places I am dying to visit are ....... too many to list. I love to travel and to see the rest of the world, to understand and appreciate each culture, social norms and architecture.

Gotta watch this with a girlfriend

I was thrilled when I saw a life-sized standee poster of the upcoming movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, adapted from the novel by Sophie Kinsella, which I read and blogged about. I have read all of Sophie's books, her last was "Remember Me".

You can have a glimpse of the movie trailer here or here.

I gotta watch this, it is thrilling that something I enjoyed reading comes to live! Any girlfriends keen to join moi?

Brain Food

Kieran and Raeyen have been taking Scotts Emulsion cod liver oil the moment they turned one-year old.

In order to give them a better "brain food" besides getting it directly from fish, I have decided to venture on a highly recommended fish oil - Children's DHA by Nordic Naturals (supposedly "supports brain development, and visual and nervous system function") to replace Scotts.

Some local websites are selling at about S$42 each while at iHerb, where I placed my order today, costs US$20.36. If you were to place order for the first time with iHerb, you will get a US$5 discount using the code "CIL778" at billing.

I hope both my angels will like it... this is just my little way of boosting their learning capability (Kieran's starting P1 is giving me the quivers already).