Molar eruption

Hubby realised Raeyen had high fever (38.8 degrees Celcius) this evening when we returned from work. We gave him Brufen and checked his healthbook if it was due to new teeth growth. True enough between 12-14 months, 1st molars at all four corner would erupt and Raeyen (who turned 15 months yesterday) has been so far quite slow in this department. Hubby checked his gums and found one molar already erupted and the other three corners have swollen gums.

Raeyen was his usual self until later in the evening that he became clingy to me. We will monitor him and if his condition does not get better tomorrow morning, I will bring him to the paediatrician. And if so, it will also mean I may have to apply urgent leave - a norm for most mothers and some fathers. How I wish our companies allow us to use our 14-day annual sick leave entitlement for child sick leave. It is an uneasy feeling whenever I have to apply for urgent leave. Work environment does not make it an easy and comfortable choice to make.

Raeyen with his fav Barney!

Life is like a box of ...

... fortune cookies

I was shocked when hubby told me last week that 4 men were hit by a sudden wave somewhere in Perth and were/are employees of a Singapore aerospace company. My 3rd bro Joo works in the same company in Perth and I quickly SMS his wife.

While Joo was not fishing with them, he was deeply disturbed by the mishap as he knows all 4 men. Life is not exactly like a box of chocolates though they may be bitter or sweet; it is also like a box of fortune cookies, no one knows what's coming to you tomorrow or even the next minute.

Last Friday, my company had an annual flu vaccination exercise for all employees, I went for my shot as usual. One of my good friends at work didn't want to take the jab for fear of the needle pain. I know her predicament but it's only a one-second shot of pain. Life is so unpedictable, we should really cherish what we have and seize every second and opportunity we have got to do what we want. Take a break and smell the roses. Watch the kiddos grow and learn from them as much as what we can teach them.

Kieran came home this evening with a packet of Hello Kitty marshmallows from a friend who just returned from a holiday in Japan. I promised that he could eat it after dinner. After dinner, he quickly dashed to the fridge for his candy and his happy face delighted me. He made me happier when he offered one to his little brother Raeyen. But when Raeyen wanted more, Kieran couldn't bear to part with his last mashmallow. Nevertheless, it is my fortune to be able to watch them grow together and love each other.

My 2 starry angels, taken on 24 Jun 06:

* Smile *

Yipee, Joyce of Tangs Vivocity called yesterday that while she could not locate the lady who probably found my purchase, she had arranged for me to pick the same jacket compliments from Tangs at their Vivocity branch!

I was pleased with the superb customer service Joyce has rendered. She really made my day though I was not feeling well.

I will be going to Tangs Vivocity this weekend. *^^* By then, I hope Gap will be opened though it's published that it would be opened on Sun 15 Oct. And, if the sky is clear, I will go to Pacific Coffee on the 2nd floor and sit outdoor.

Raeyen wearing a lion dance gear I got from Shanghai

Vivo "va va boom" experience

I brought Kieran to VivoCity on Saturday morning for its opening day.

As Kieran did not have breakfast, we went to Coffee Bean on the 2nd floor. Kieran was obedient enough to "guard" our table while I ordered food & my cuppa. After two reminders to the staff about his breakfast, it was still nowhere in sight. The server said due to huge orders, we had to wait despite already waited for almost 30 minutes, and it was not crowded! I told her we did not want to wait and asked for a refund. Miraculously, she returned in less than 2 minutes with his breakfast! I did not like the fact that after kicking a fuss could we then get our food. So I told her we had no appetite for it and wanted a refund. It was an unpleasant experience. I mean, they could have stopped taking breakfast order if the kitchen could not manage or at least inform customers the estimated waiting time, certainly "your food will be served shortly" is not good enough.

Then we went to Tangs on the 1st floor and were "refreshed" as the staff gave us a tiny Tangs bag with 2 Mandarin oranges. While I dislike its new papaer bag as the handle is uneasy to carry, I love its retro decor and nice clothes! Kieran was a dearie as he accompanied his "vainpot" mommy from fitting room to the next as I tried oh-so-many nice outfit. My second sis joined us shortly and I introduced her a label "IE", abbreviation for "Individual Expression". Their clothes are unique and reasonably-priced. The promoter told me they have an in-store at Taka and a boutique at Heeren. I couldn't resist and bought a nice light peachy pink jacket at $89, kept in a larger Tangs paper bag. God I hate the paper bag handle as I could not hang it on my forearm so that I could continue to browse at ease! My sis bought 2 skirts from them at $59 and $79 each. We paid and was rewarded with a nice tote for having spent a minimum amount of $120 at Tangs.

We went to Pacific Coffee on 2nd floor for cakes and realised the outdoor seating has a great view overlooking Sentosa BUT the haze killed the climax! We sat indoor and enjoyed the cakes before we headed to Tangs Home. Kieran pestered to go to Toys R Us and we parted ways with my sis as she needed to rush for a show. As I was helping Kieran tried on a helmet, I left the Tangs paper bag on the floor. The helmet fitted him well and we headed to the cashier and the queue was long. When it was nearly my turn, I realised my Tangs carrier (and my dear newly bought jacket) was not with me. We hurried back to the helmet section but it was gone. I alerted the staff and left my phone number with them. It was in vain as no one returned the bag to their info counter.

I was very disappointed and we went to Tangs customer service counter to report the loss. My mood was down and we decided to go home. Kieran fell asleep in the train and hubby came to SengKang station to fetch us home.

The haze was so bad (PSI at 143) we ordered pizza for dinner instead of eating out. Wonder why is Indonesia always having fire? And since it's not raining, why couldn't our government sprinkle some water over the sky by enlisting help from MINDEF?

At about 9.30pm, Joyce of Tangs VivoCity called and said that they would investigate about the loss. But I think the chances are quite slim. Then she called less than 10 minutes later that a female shopper just called that she realised she had an extra shopping bag from Tangs but the item wasn't hers, and it seems that it's likely my jacket. Joyce promised to pick it up from the lady on Monday and feedback to me.

I'm crossing my fingers! I hope it is mine so that I can sashay my new "found" jacket.

Kieran (taken 2 weeks later @ Swensen VivoCity)

All Blacks

Kieran & Dad in All Blacks (31 Jan 04), originally uploaded by Mom to Angels.

Hubby is a fan of the All Blacks rugby team of the Kiwis, well what can I say, it's a real tough men's game! When he watches the match on cable, I watch too and I enjoy it more than soccer. While his jersey was from Adidas Singapore, Kieran's from New Zealand when my second sister travelled there. Kieran was about 17 months old in this photo and now Raeyen is wearing it. I remember vividly that Kieran puked like a Merlion when we arrived at Bintan and Dad's jersey was not spared. Yikes!

Coming back the All Blacks. What captivates me is every time before a game begins, these toughies would do the Hakka - sort of a Maori warrior dance, and it's spectacular to watch them doing it - so inspiring. I wish we could have the chance to watch one of their matches LIVE! This November, they will be playing in Europe. But I would prefer to watch the game with my hubby and kids in no other place but New Zealand.

My little angels and my MacBook

As I mentioned in my previous entry, we signed up with Singnet broadband for 2 years and got a free cool white MacBook.

So while exploring its functionalities (our first experience with an Apple), the kids and I tried this cute icon called "Photo Booth". It's like those Japanese photo taking booths you see at shopping malls. We positioned ourselves and snapped a pix to see how we look. Hey not bad I'd say, you see for yourself above. At least I'm glad my face didn't look so puffed-up like a chipmunk. Though I probably looked quite daudy without make-up. Well, that's how I look when lounging at home with my brood.

Ouch!

Hubby wanted to spend some time with Kieran alone and decided to pick him up from childcare at 3pm yesterday. When they reached home, Raeyen was so happy to hear his brother coming home and dashed towards him .... boom! Our poor baby fell and knocked on the floor and now nursing a swollen upper lip.

Raeyen has a few falls on his mouth and I am now very fearful whenever he decides to zoom around the house. I also learned that on Wednesday (a day before my return from Germany), he managed to climb over his cot into our bed as his cot is placed next to our bed. To prevent him from falling from our bed, we had to move his cot to an awkward position in our bedroom. We do not want a deja vu as Kieran had a bad fall from our bed at one year old.

We realised that once kids turned one, they are more accident-prone.

Hot hot hot

Warm heat greeted me upon exiting Changi Int'l Airport T1 last night from my trip to Germany. I was in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen on a working trip since Sunday and the cool weather there at about 20 degrees Celcius was fantastic! It was a long trip from Singapore as I took a connecting flight from Bangkok by Thai Airways. All direct flights were fully-booked, wonder if the recently ended IMF/WB event had a part to play?

As I landed at Frankfurt Airport past 6am local time, I called Kieran as he would have finished his mini graduation concert at Yamaha with his dad (Singapore is 6 hours ahead). He was elated when I called. I told him I had just landed and he asked if I would be taking the return flight right away. I laughed at his naivitivity.

Water Tower near Rosengarten:















We went to Heidelberg but I did not go up to the castle as my friends were there for many times already. For lunch, we had bratwurst with saurkraut and kartofen, it was yummy, see photo:















Most shops are closed on Sunday, except for the eateries, so it was kind of boring as I could buy nothing much basically. As berries are in season, we also had a mixed berries cake, see the window displays of a bakery:
I returned yesterday via Bangkok and was one of the first passengers arriving at the new Suvarnabhumi airport. It was spacious but the walk to my departure gate was a very long one and some airconditioning was not working. Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes as we waited for the bus to bring us to our plane. Not a smooth start I must say for the new airport. I have taken some photos as my transit time was almost 4 hours!

Double Happiness!

Today is my bro, Joo & niece, Rachel's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to 2 dearies in the family - one in Perth, the other we just celebrated on Sunday.

A picture of Rachel's 5th birthday celebration:


Kieran & Rachel posing with the tiramisu I made - notice the Winx birthday message?

Joo "told" me via his SMS that this is the 2nd time he celebrates his birthday without Connie & Jamus, yes bro, cest la vie!

Finally, today is the day that's opened to the public to buy tickets to the SSO Babies Proms! I was awake before 6am as Kieran had high-fever and managed to book 3 tickets for hubby, Kieran & me and we will bring Raeyen along on 1 Dec for the concert. Funnily, the SISTIC system did not allow me to choose booking for non-Friend of SSO, so I had to click on "10% for Friend of SSO", I hope SISTI honours that.

I had to apply urgent leave today to mind Kieran and Dr Tan (his PD) said he has gastric flu + virus hence the 39.2C fever. Cest la vie!

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." Mark Twain

Disciplining Kids

I am now at Changi Airport T2 departure hall waiting for my flight to KL and thought I could make use of some time here to update my blog.

This morning on my way to work, I read an aticle on disciplining kids and laying ground rules on page 18 of Today. I agree with the author who is an educator and a mother of 6! Basic manners are important and such should be inculcated when a kids is still an infant - never underestimate how much our behavior may influence our kids. Basic rules should be followed and explained to the kids.

During the 1 week school holiday in Sep, we brought Kieran to his childcare centre and I was shocked that a 5-year old kid said "I smack you" to him shortly after he greeted Kieran. The teacher who was there said nothing but I quickly told the kid that it was wrong of him to say such rude remark and should not say it again. Alas, he said it again and I wonder if he did it on purpose. Yet the same teacher did nothing! I called the centre manager up and told her what happened. I believe that if all of us (teachers, relatives, parents, etc) were to work together to ensure such behaviour cannot be condone, the kids will be more well-mannered and also, refrain from saying "this is my one". It irks me when someone says that!

OK, gotta go for now as the airport free Internet access machine is going to lock me out in 1 minute.

"Music is a discipline and a mistress of order and good manners, she makes the people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable." Martin Luther
"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood." Martin Luther King, Jr

Our family friends

It has been months since we last met the Yoong family - our longtime friends. May is an old classmate since secondary school and we went through so much together. We share good, bad, sad and happy times together. We were each other's bridesmaid, we inspire and encourage each other. We lend a shoulder to each other. Unspoken words seem to be understood.

We met last night at May's place and Yin was in good spirit too. Megan, their 3-year old angel was her usual happy self, eagerly playing with our boys. May said Raeyen's features have changed since she last saw him and was amazed with his steady walking skill. While we hope to meet more often, our schedules are sometimes hard to compromise.

I believe that good friends do not necessarily have to meet often, but when we do, we realise we cherish each other more and are thankful to have a friend like each other. May is like a sister to me, her advice, encouragement and understanding makes me comfortable and understood. Many times when I was down, she was there for me. I will certainly be there for her whenever she needs me too.

Celebrating Mother's Day with May in 2005

May, Yin .... to our friendship!

"Friendship make prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it." Cicero
"We are advertis'd by our loving friends." William Shakespeare
"It's the friends you can call at four a.m. that matter." Marlene Dietrich

Birthdays, cupcakes & mambo jumbo

Today is my 2nd sis' birthday ... Happy Birthday ChooChoo & I Love Ya!!! And we had a simple meal at Cafe Cartel @ Junction 8 earlier today.

There are a few September celebrants in my family ... 2 sisters, a brother and a niece. Incidentally Joo (bro) & Rachel (niece) share the same birthday but years apart. Coming to birthdays, I have a penchant for mini cakes - cupcakes to be exact. Well, they are dainty and pretty; besides, you probably feel less guilty gobbling 2 more of these little devils.

I came across a uber chic cupcakes baker website from Karen Cheng's. Trish's cupcakes make me drool and I would like to know how to order from her.

Yesterday was a scorching day and hubby brought Kieran to the RSAF open house at Payar Lebar air base. They walked a good 2km from the carpark to the where all actions were. Kieran enjoyed himself very much during this bonding session with Daddy. In the afternoon, they met me at CompassPoint where hubby signed up for a new broadband with Singtel coz 1. our Starhub contract has ended and we were not courted further by Starhub to continue with them; 2. Singtel's latest offer was irresistable ... a free cool white MacBook! We will have a new Singnet account in 2 weeks' time, whoopee!

So hubby called Starhub to terminate the account but was disgusted by the corporate mambo jumbo rubbish that we had to terminate by 9pm today instead of 15 Sep. Hence I am rushing this posting just before the clock strikes 9pm!

I will update the links on this posting when there's chance.

Bringing up a pianist or musician?

I had no chance as a child to learn playing the piano, I hope Kieran does. (Photo on left was taken on 25 Mar 06, his mini concert at Yamaha's Little Notes graduation)

Some said to nurture the interest, I should bring him to classical concerts. There are a few coming but all for above 6 years old - The Fairy's Kiss featuring Min Lee, violinist, et al; MOZARTPlus - Mozartiana by 2 pianists who are twin sisters and SSO Casual Concert. Guess I can only bring him to such when he's around 6. Till then, we shall settle for the "SSO Babies Proms".

We first brought Kieran to Babies Proms last December to let him experience what a symphony is like, and we will bring him and Raeyen this year (1-2 Dec).

We hope our little ways will help in nurturing and bringing up a pianist or musician? Whatever Kieran will become, as long as he is happy.

"Nevertheless the passions, whether violent or not, should never be so expressed as to reach the point of causing disgust; and music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music." Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A crazy day

1 Sep is Teachers' Day & my eldest sis' birthday (so Happy Birthday and I Love You, Sis!!!) ... also a chaotic day for the family.

We sent Kieran to the childcare centre as the kindergarten is closed today. To our surprised, the centre's gate was locked. We called the centre but no one answered. I called his classmate's Mom & realised it's really closed today and she was informed by the centre twice but we received none :(

We were disappointed and drove home while brainstormed where to seek help.

The dilemma was I had a 10.30am meeting with my bosses and it's hard to get last minute help to mind the kids. It wouldn't have been so hard if my 3rd SIL, Connie was in town (she left for Perth with Jamus last night to visit my bro Joo). We eventually troubled my MIL to rush over and I left for work late.

When I reached the office at Suntec City, there was a fire drill. After the all-important drill (wonder if it was on purpose just before the huge IMF event, hence the 4-million smile project and sprucing up the city & all to impress the 16,000 delegates), we had our meeting and discussion, blah-blah till I left office at 8.15pm. By the time I reached home at SengKang, it was already 9pm and my smaller koala was already in his little dreamland. Kieran waited for me coz he wanna ma-ma to read his bedtime story (so sweet). While my dear hubby waited for me to have dinner together.

Hence I ended my crazy day with a sweet note by tucking Kieran in and typing this blog now.

As Kieran turned 4

Our home PC is sick & my work is enormous, hence this late posting.

On 21 Aug night, I was wrapping snacks with fancy serviettes as goodie bags for 16 kids at the childcare centre that Kieran goes.

Hubby & I lugged with a viewcam, digital cam, cake & goodie bags to the childcare centre at 3pm the next day. After our kiddo had done with the celebration, we took him out of the centre to spend time with him alone. We went to Junction 8 and had dinner at Café Cartel (our fav cafe) but left his fav Thomas the Engine drinking bottle.

As promised to Kieran, we had an intimate "Bob the Builder" theme celebration at our home with the family on Saturday evening. We cooked curry chicken (thanks to Prima Taste), fried rice, finger food & got some KFC stuff. Kieran's tiramisu birthday cake was made by me and I was glad that everyone liked it. We had Emicakes' durian puffs (thanks to Sar-Kim) & fruits as dessert. Again, the kids went home with goodie bags - this time I packed the snacks inside used paper bags (see photo below - the kids with their goodie bags and Ah-Gong). The finale was unwrapping his presents. He got a bike (Dad), a pair of blue Crocs shoes (Mom), Thomas the Engine airport set (Aunt Angeline), Fox clothes (Tua-Yi) & many red packets from the family. Kieran was brimming & played with his cousins on the airport set while Raeyen tried to "destroy" the completed set.

We still have many more birthday parties to organise and goodie bags to pack in the growing up years of our boys!

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm." Sam Levenson