lovely sunday

today was equally great for us! we had a hearty breakfast before checking out and we headed to tanglin mall which is a great place if you visit it like once a year! :P

no kidding, we enjoyed the shops here given the last time we were here were few years back. i really like the toy shops here - good quality and different from what is offered in the mass market out there.

bought a bag for YR and a puzzle set for the boys which hopefully can be put up on their bedroom wall once done!

 

some shots taken @ the lobby by the husband

 

we headed to ubi to fetch the elder boy who was so glad to see us. yes, we missed you too YZ! :D

then, it's off to bugis plus to have tea break (?) - @ ramen champion before watching maze runner 2.

the husband was adamant against watching hotel Transylvania 2 so we settled for maze runner 2 and I was feeling so apologetic *spoilers ahead* that there's zombies in the show!!

which was absolutely YR's nightmare. in fact too scary for YZ too since both of them had their eyes closed during all the "actions" scenes...

 

the show aint too bad but I thought the 1st installment was much better but oh well, just have to finish the series I guess...

ramen + photo-taking @ iluma filmgarde

 

oh, and I finished building detective's office from the expert set! it looks good in-between emporium and pet shop sets! can you see it!

now what's left in my storeroom will be haunted house, vampyre castle and ghost train from the monsters fighters series! oh, and not forgetting fairground mixer and santa workshop from expert series! oops, did I really buy so much over the past year....? ok, one step at a time..

 

looking good! but the display shelf running out of space! *help*

9 years anniversary - staycation @ St Regis

25.09 marks the 9 years anniversary for the mr ng and me as husband and wife!

given its peak period for him at work, we didn't take leave on fri to celebrate. instead, we had a staycation planned some time back for yesterday - at St Regis!

as the elder son was not feeling too well still, we checked him into #hotelgrandma while the younger boy was more than happy to join us for the celebration.

tsk tsk. talking about a life-size lightbulb. but both the husband and I agreed that it has been great spending quality time with him yesterday. we have been doing lots of that with YZ when YR was younger..so perhaps it's fair to do so with him now.

 

after dropping YZ @ my mum's place, we headed out to tanglin shopping centre for our late lunch. lunch was at steeple's deli which is this kinda old school and retro looking deli place that serves the usual stuff - burgers, milkshakes, all-day brekkie etc.

the food aint half bad but hubbi was really pleased with the nostalgic décor of the place. oh, their milkshakes were pretty good!

 

after lunch, time to check-in! the hotel room is very generous with space and I was especially pleased with the couch for us to laze on when watching (cartoon network....) with the boy!

 

clockwise from top left: outside St Regis, @ steeple's deli, lovely bathroom, lazing on couch, @ tanglin shopping centre

 

lovely room!

 

photo-taking time! the husband is .... *meh*

wefie time with mini-me!

 

we lazed for an hour or so before heading out. saw a new museum cum eatery - M.A.D has set up shop where da vinci furniture shop used to be so we headed there.
M.A.D stands for museum of art and design and they have some lovely contemporary art pieces there for sale!

we spent some good time there and YR was curious and interested in some of the art work! after that, we took a slow stroll to heart of town and I was pleasantly surprised to see Dali works on display along the stretch outside wheelock place! what a great afternoon getting close to art. :D

clockwise from top left:

"space venus" by dali, displays outside MAD, "who did it" by Johnson Tsang, @ MAD, "beautiful parabola" by Song Wei

 

we headed to forum in early evening as I've made reservations for our dinner @ Jamie's Italian. our virgin experience @ vivo's branch aint too bad so I wanted to give it another try. but sadly, this time round, all the food was mediocre at best! even the husband who loves steak so much didn't want to finish the steak!

I think this will be my last time eating @ Jamie's Italian. seriously not impressed by the experience and hubbi was very zzz at wasting his calories here...

oops, maybe we should have tried hana restaurant @ forum instead?

 

fancy décor but food was disappointing sadly

the younger boy was very good at self-entertaining, oblivious to all my cuddling, heh.

looks good but rather blah...

 

we headed back to hotel after dinner for the boy wanted to have his "playtime" in the bathtub! gosh, I wonder this staycation is for him or us!

the rest of night was spent watching tv together as a family sans the elder boy. and we like it this way - how boring can we be huh?

 

and I bought myself a wristcandy too! a leather cuff from this multi-label store @ wheelock- threadbare & squirrel. it's from a HK designer - nobeing and I've been eyeing it for 1-2 months? since this is bonus month, I should be treating myself, no? accessories are so hard to resist nowadays!

 

see, how lovely!

hari raya holiday!

happy hari raya to all my malay friends out there! hope they have a great day despite the tiring haze.
it hasn't been a great week for the ng family. haze is taking its toll on us. hubbi is down with sore throat, the younger boy and myself with slight flu and YZ took the greatest hit - his asthma was triggered. :(

he was wheezing pretty badly on sunday and Monday so was granted 2 days MC for last 2 days. however, as he had oral assessments yesterday, he attended school after 1 day rest at home. :( now he's (only) slightly better but we appreciate the 1 day holiday rest for him at home today. so yes, no going out for the ng family today.

this weekend we have a staycation (yes, again!) for hubbi and my 9 years wedding anniversary! I guess most probably, YZ will be staying over at my mum's place and the younger boy will come along with us. sorry yz, you need to rest as much as u can!

it's a good thing things are less hectic at the work front, I left work earlier on Tuesday and took PM leave yesterday just to ensure that YZ has access to his inhaler in time. and it's bonus payout this week! *wee*, the monies are now safely in my bank account! and yes, bulk of it is going into my savings! if only the stock market can show more resilience towards the china and us markets, then everything will be better! :P

busy week at work!

it has been a busy week at home for me!
full day workshop on Monday, back-to-back meetings on wed & thurs, 7AM meeting on Friday... @_@
but on hindsight, I can safely conclude that it has been an extremely productive week! a full day workshop on how to lead change better, 2 sessions to engage with the wider function team on their feedback pertaining to employee pulse survey results, 1-1 development catch-ups with a few individuals, knowledge sharing session and finalizing current FY KPIs with the team and kick-starting important initiatives - a project + a review on current function structure. sounds like a great achievement, no? are you wondering what about BAU stuff?
that's the advantage of having a team who is engaged, know exactly what they are doing thus ensuring no balls are dropped even when im tied up with other stuff. it's awesome to work with self-motivated, independent, capable and bright individuals. :D

next week's agenda is slightly more manageable with a public holiday smacked on Thursday - looking good already.
ending Q3 of the year soon, really hope I can sustained a reasonable level of energy and positive outlook for the rest of the year!

#feelingpositive

GE2015

http://junlong-wenhui.blogspot.sg/2011/05/my-5-cents-worth-on-ge-2011.html
http://junlong-wenhui.blogspot.sg/2006/05/my-2-cents-worth-on-ge-2006.html

it is rather interesting and amusing to read what a 29YO and 24YO me wrote about past elections. GE2015 is over and it seems like nothing much change and it feels like something changed too. in the past 1.5 weeks, I was caught up like many Singaporeans during rally week. I pored over reports, I watched live rallies streamed on youtube, I (forced)get others - mostly poor mr ng- to discuss "politics" with me, I tried to rationalize my (ir)rational choice, I tried to influence and convince others to see my point, I got worked up with all the nonsensical comments on social media etc. it was exciting and emotionally draining at the same time and of cos I chose it upon myself. no one forces that on me, right?
and that's the beauty of it all- we make our choices. and we live with it.

vs 2011, I'm in a much more zen state though some things still get to me. it's age, I tell you.
still, want to pen down my thoughts to capture how i perceive this GE through my 33YO lens.

1. near to 70% victory for PAP
like many, i foresee the incumbent party winning the majority seats but didn't expect the margin to be this good. pleasant surprise for me as i was also victim of the negative sentiments online (#silent majority vs #vocalminority - more on this in my next point), I thought it's not impossible for PAP to lose up to 3 SMCs AND 2 GRCs to opposition this time round. so what's the reasons for the swing in votes? im sure analysts for next few days to weeks will do their job well but there will never be a confirmed version of truth. for me, 2 probable logical reasons - majority witnessed and gave credit to the hard work and improvements by PAP for the last 4+ years and they believe that PAP is still the capable and credible party to progress with Singapore. i know there may be all kind of reasons out there for people to cast their sacred vote but i sincerely hope it's driven by these rather than the reasons put out there by oppo fans - that scare tactics work, that we are cowards, that we are stupid people who cant see beyond the mainstream media manipulation etc. it's saddening and sweeping to think this way of the majority of those who cast their votes in favor of PAP.

2. silentmajority vs vocalminority
For those who even bothered to just discuss a little politics with people around you in an open-minded way, you will realize most people do it nicely and wouldn't mind a healthy debate on topics that are close to their heart. these are the silentmajority if you ask me, who don't go online and make a lot of noise on their opinions and shoved them down anyone's throats whether they ask for it or not. the vocalminority online (be it PAP or oppo) are so aggressive that most people i know including myself think twice of airing any opinion online. and that is exactly what's happening on social media platforms, the negative voices are louder and they reinforce one another's voices so much so that some of them felt blindsided when actual results are announced.

it's the same to MPs, they should reach out to silent majority for the vocal minority will always shout and let you know their opinions BUT their opinions may not be always right or representative of what Singapore really want or need.

3. WP + other opposition parties
i think WP has been commendable in continuing bringing in credible capable new additions to the party. Daniel goh and leon perera are strong candidates and i appreciate them being a pair of rational voices during the rally campaign. however, as compared to last GE, my opinion of WP as a party fell a notch or 2 though i still believe strongly in certain candidates. for me, a good MP needs to be capable, have the passion to serve and possess integrity. i know the AHPETC saga was discussed to death but unfortunately i belonged the camp which thinks there is no proper closure. i know PAP TCs have own troubles of their own and they are not doing the best jobs either but i just don't like it when a question is being deflated by another question. it took WP/Sylvia Lim until the last rally to admit that they could have done better. i wasn't expecting an admission that they did wrong but just that it could have been handled properly. and the way as i saw her responding all the while to queries by PAP/reporters, it reeks of the exact arrogance and defiance that WP has claimed PAP to be guilty of for the longest time. so WP doesn't really pass my integrity test for this GE. of cos, that's my basis and that's just 1 vote right - doesn't count?

that's exactly what i hope the opposition parties can realize from this GE - every vote counts.
much as the results may be counterintuitive to your expectations, don't sweep it away like how some of your supporters think and credit it to PAP sabotaging or voters being cowards etc. seek to understand like how you want to represent our voices. understand the reasons why we didn't cast the votes in your favor and change things to win back that vote of confidence. do something within your control rather than attributing it to forces outside your sphere of influence.

SDP and CSJ are synonymous, no? maybe yes, maybe no. after this GE, i continue to think CSJ will have a tough political career ahead. why, because fundamentally and at the end of the day, he is just not convincing enough. i was impressed with his first rally speech and as he himself mentioned, it was swinging for him probably due to most having low expectations of him after a decade absence from GE. but somehow, call it gut feelings or what, i just cant seem to trust him 100%. oh well, just my personal view.

and there were many other stuff that i have an opinion on:

• not convinced by minimum wage policy put out by WP, SDP etc
• Tharman was good with explaining the tax system in layman terms. he is living proof that PAP is definitely not that bad afterall
• if WP is at the one end of the spectrum, then RP is at the other end
• we share the same responsibility in making Singapore a better place - we really need to stop blaming the government for everything
• reflecting on this whole GE, i have a clearer idea what kind of voter i want my boys to be - whatever you believe in, no personal attacking on anyone! respect others' choices!
• Opposition needs to make their proposed policies more solid, stop over-claiming the credit that PAP has done
• PAP needs to communicate their policies better, let us know where they are coming from so we can let them know if we endorse these policies

at the end of the day, we stand as one united Singapore.
but i know haters will be haters and will continue to divide Singapore in little ways that they themselves may not even be aware of.
we just have to do our best, i guess. have faith!

Staycation - Llyod's Inn

yeah, hubbi and i took leave yesterday to do a mini staycation in city with the boys since it's the school holidays this week.

 

we moved out of the house for lunch @ 313 marche. its been ages since we visited a marche as a family. i really like their rosti and find the kids' meals a steal - super value for money. filling and a cup of apply juice for each of them. *thumbs up*

 

lunch @ marche

 

after lunch, we explored gateway and central before heading to our hotel - Llyod's inn to check in!

the boutique hotel is situated at a quiet corner on llyod road. we booked a garden room and added an extra bed to cater for the 4 of us. the room is pretty small which is expected but i like the minimalist décor. :D

 

we lazed for awhile and slowly made our way to national museum of Singapore which took us around 25mins on foot? 

along the way

bottom right: the boys seeing mimosa for the first time....

 sadly, NSM permanent collections section is under renovation. we did explore a temporary exhibition - 50 products of SG - while we were there. it was pretty interesting to note the products that come from SG!

@NSM

 

on level 3, there's PLAY which has an explore section for kids which is pretty interesting for the boys.

we had our early dinner @ food for thought and i can only sadly conclude their standards have dropped... :(

 

evening plan lined up was watching "inside out" at plaza sing! *wee*

it was a brilliant show as what most reviews said. what if emotions have emotions indeed.

Pixar once again combined wonderful storytelling that illustrates the simplest human lessons with gorgeous graphics. lethal combi that never fail to enthrall and entertain.

i still don't like sadness at the end of the show, unlike most people. but we are all reminded that we can find strength in the most dire situations. it's really a matter how we see things in perspective.

and bing bong. :'(

 

great show for the whole family! we ended up taking a cab back to hotel after the show for the haze was atrocious. PSI >200!

spent the rest of night lazing in hotel before calling it a night. i was actually having the jitters on GE today. LOL.

 

breakfast was at killiney at killiney road (no kidding, that's the breakfast coupons given by the hotel). of cos, it was great. im for traditional brekkie anytime!

 

had a lazy afternoon at home after checking out and we went bedok town centre for leisure walk and groceries shopping. oh, and of cos voting in between for our GRC! :D

a national duty im proud of. an entitlement and not obligation from how im seeing it. :)

 

ok, back to TV to wait for results with bated breath!

i was on leave yesterday since both boys have no school due to teacher's day holiday. brought them out to town for lunch and spend some time there. it's really not easy bringing 2 active boys out and trying not to yell at them like some crazy woman. @_@
in the end, whisked them home where they can play (rowdily) in peace while i caught up a bit with my dramas. hehe.
then it's to hubbi's workplace for an early dinner with him! nice way to end a Friday by starting the weekend early. :D

today, the highlight was (supposedly) to be my birthday treat to my mum for her birthday. her being her with predisposition to throw things out of proportion, managed to turn it into a dinner treat to include some of my uncles and aunties so altogether there were 13 of us!
OMG, im all for treating my uncles and aunties dinner given how they doted on me so much in the past but i really don't appreciate my mum throwing me the bomb like on thurs leaving me only 1 day to figure out where to eat (for oh, she has her "standards" on where to dine too..). gosh.

luckily, ended up well. we had dinner at tunglok xihe peking duck at orchard central and everyone finds the food good. *phwee*
luckily it's bonus month so my wallet can weep more gracefully. :P
at the end of the day, i just want everyone to have a great time!

bonus!

finally, month of bonus is here and i received my "letter" today. *wee*
a year of hard work, efforts and performance translated to figures on a letter. what sets things apart are the words of encouragement and appreciation that accompanied the letter. in life, sometimes we forget the most tangible stuff usually come from the most intangible stuff.

i myself need a constant reminder from time to time too to let my appreciation and thanks be shown to others where they fully deserve it.
i hope my team appreciates and feels proud of their achievements and contributions for the past year like i do. and we continue to learn from one another and add value in this coming new year!

#feelingpositive

and no, im not spending on any big-ticket item this year. my paper loss in the stock market is as sobering as it can get. in times like this, i guess we can all agree cash is king, no? :(