lunch @ oriole with dow girls!

just back home from a lunch @ oriole with my dow buddies!
the boys have zzzed together with the husband. so i have some time to down/upload photos!


gerry, nelly, franny and me!

all 3 of them have just gotten engaged this year! :)
what good news!
its always good to see others' relationships "开花结果"!
and im glad that there will be more chances to do lunch with both franny + nelly in the near future!

ok, maybe i should go get some shut-eye too.
thinking of going out later to shop for dining chairs/bench for the house.

all-fu day is very good!

im on leave yesterday and as usual, i tried to run some errands and spent time with the husband.
time and energy are seldom on our side on normal days so we've to resort to taking leave just to spend time together. *tsk tsk*

super heavy downpour in the morning. good thing i didnt have to go to work.
we took our own sweet time to pack things, dress up the boys etc in the morning.
after dropping yz at his childcare, we had breakfast @ kiliney road before hubbi went for work.
good thing the rain has pattered out to a very light drizzle by then.
finally its yr's turn to do breakfast with us alone since gor gor has so many opportunities before him!
the little bun was looking around curiously and of cos getting all excited when the food arrived. heh.

after hubbi went to work, time to drop yr at my mum's place for his staycation at ubi. hohoho.
time to run errands!
1st stop is to sean lau studio to collect yr's prints and photo frame.
its been a good 3-4mth since the photoshoot.
im such a procastinator!
then losing my way (like as usual!) for awhile at kallang way area before finding my way to town.
time for a quick review with my skin doctor and a facial session. *Bliss*

before i knew it, its time to meet the husband who's on half-day leave for our mini date!lunch was at PS cafe @ palais.
i was peering into passion to see if i can get a glimpse of david gan but he was not in sight. LOL.


finally my craving for PS cafe truffle fries was satisfied!

but it was really ALOT Of fries for 2 of us!i ate till my tummy became a convex one. @_@

had a really great time just eating and chatting with ah long for almost an hour plus there.
till we were almost late for our movie session!
"Source code" this time round and sadly, it didnt live up to our expectations.
perhaps we expected it to be much better.
oh well, i got to see full lower lashes anyway. Jake Gyllenhaal!!!

by the time we fetched yz from cc for dinner, we were both so tired out (dont know by what!?) that we just spent a quiet evening at home with the son.
yawn. part and parcel of aging, i guess.

just another weekend with my boys

somehow, weekends spent with the boys are more taxing on ah long and myself during a busy working week!
saturday was especially a long day for us.
lunch was at serangoon nex to have family lunch with ah long's family. after which, we made our way back to our voting station at redhill area to cast our votes.
didnt manage to have a good nap cos the boys did their really short naps in the car while we drove here and there. :(


can you help me put on my shoes so we can go gai gai?
no dearie, when i say go go, it was meant for your bath rather than going out.
okay, mummy's mistake in not being clear.

to escape the terrible weather, we ventured out to raffles city for our dinner.
we took mrt and yr was absolutely giddy with happiness boarding the train!


dinner @ canele

thanks to the long day, the kids were asleep by 9+pm.
ah long and me munched chips while wating for GE results together... really forced myself to stay awake while waiting for the results.
and mr yam's voice just doesnt help! i was struggling to keep my eyes open as the RO kept droning on in that voice of his. @_@

imagine despite zzzing at almost 3am, we had to wake up at 7+am to ferry the elder son to his phonics class.....
for the rest of sunday, we hibernated at home.
most of the time at a low-energy mode, hiding in air-conditioned room...

my 5 cents worth on GE 2011

this was my 2 cents worth on GE2006.
5 cents now cos of the higher cost of living. wahaha. ok, very lame joke.
apparantly, my political "awakening" started from the last GE even though i did not have the choice to vote the last time round.
i dont recall being too emotionally-charged the last round, perhaps i've just "woken up".
but, definitely not this time round. i am so pissed mad with one million and one things!!
there is a need to pen down all these crazy/angry thoughts so that 5 years later, i can come back and remember GE2011 for how it is!

most important point of all:
seriously, i feel how people rationalise their voting decision and their ultimate decision is really their own business!
who are you/am i to judge if its a good/bad decision!?
i hate it when people get all personal when your choice differs from theirs. totally mad crazy.
again, who are you to judge?! i ve been seeing all kinda sweeping statements online that im bursting at the seams with anger!
ah long kept asking why are you so affected?!
but the basis of democracy IS everyone has their own voice/perogative. WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE?
wah, im getting fucking angry again.

i kept seeing stupid comments online that i just want to puke!
like how people voting for PAP are just downgraded to senile old people who can only recognise the PAP logo or greedy myopic shallow people who are only interested in getting that fresh coat of paint.
and giving snide remarks like he is senile, he is just getting sympathy votes blah blah.
its just not right to give statements like this!
SO bloody angry.
yesterday, i was reading temasek review to get the latest updates and i kept reading comments that make me BOIL.
one guy was saying so sad that WP didnt win for a GRC. all those coward supporters dare to turn up at the rallies, but fail to do the act at the polling stations. i was like HUH?!?! how you know?! this is so freaking unfair to all those opposition supporters who attended the rallies, rationalised their decision and voted FOR WP.
another was saying shame on PP voters for turning their back on CST. i dont know if its laziness from specifying those voting AGAINST CST or he really mean ALL PP voters??
even if its for those against SPP, its their choice?! wats so hard to understand. so many thousands of votes stemming from different reasons and you deemed it as a personal vedetta against CST. SIAO!
一竹竿打翻整船人！

in a nutshell, all these irrational/senseless remarks are getting to me BIG TIME.
one of my friend was saying all these remarks are common and i should just ignore them but its really hard to.
for personally, im really for the notion that everyone is entitled to their own thinking!
so if you are just writing some stuff abt your feelings for the GE, im ok. BUT not when you ASSUME and generalise others based on their thinking/decisions.
dont slam people JUST because they think/act differently!
you know whats worse than prejudice? when it worsens to discrimination.
and sadly i see that happening ALOT during this GE2011.

i got so many things to vent! this is going to be a long post.

1) Potong pasir
in the last GE2006, chiam held on to PP despite the upgrading big fat carrot dangled by PAP. it was a great achievement and it shows that PP people is not lured by upgrading projects. so 5 years later when PAP won by that super-thin margin, does that mean PP people has become old and senile, young and ungrateful, shallow for upgrading plans etc (you know, you can permutate these variables to hundreds of combinations)? who are we to say?!
im sure most PP voters have their own internal struggle before casting their vote. and for every person who is glad with the results, another person is sad with it. life, and especially politics, is never fair.

i dont know chiam personally but from all the news articles and information gathered on the web, i think he's really a very capable man who managed to make his way as one of the very very few opposistion MP in parliament during a time when its so hard for opposition to do so. but for GE2011, some factors to consider:
i) CST is part of SDP previously up till 1996 when he was sorta ousted from the party due to difference with CSJ. after which he set up SPP. and then he set up SDA in 2001 which SPP falls under as part of the group. However, for GE2011, he decided to withdraw SPP from SDA and contest under SPP directly. it may be a possible consideration to some with regards to all this musical chair movement.
ii) having LL as PP candidate. CST's succession planning is his own wife. i would actually expect him to groom or already have groomed a good second in command for PP just like how LTK did with YSL at hougang. and SPP itself knows it may be a concern to the voters as they stressed during their rallies that by voting for LL, they are effectively voting the whole of SPP in for PP.
ive no doubts that LL would have made the many walkabouts/MTPS with CST all these years and PP pple would have known her personally. but to be a MP, is she really the person? is SPP trying to secure votes by appealing to PP's people loyalty to CST?
is this the right approach? WP has garnered such a strong support this time round because of its high calibre candidates line-ups. as well as its clear and defined manifesto for the nation.
emotional calling may or may not work for PP in today's time.
iii) STYP. alot have been heard about him since last time. that he was just someone to sacrifice from PAP viewpoint. that he has no heart for PP people but only focused on bringing down PP for PAP.
during the last GE2006, i only feel he has a slight resemblence to steve chia. LOL.
but his sincerity shown through his videos at least to me this time. just like how CST's speech made me teared and how GY's one moved me a great deal. you may say, ha you are so stupid to fall for his trick. but you being you, so ignorant and thinking you know all, will fail to see that there's a great deal of "stupid" people out there who really feel his sincerity and cast their votes for him.
you cant deny he spent a good ten years at PP too, working hard at the fields. to work against someone like CST takes ALOT of hard work. and STYP must have work hard during the last 10 years too. im sure people voted for him not just bcos of his upgrading plans but somehow he did managed to work his way into their hearts over the past 10 years. he did win my respect when he rejected PAP's offer for him to contest in a GRC (>90% chance of becoming a MP!) but instead chose to continue fighting for PP. again, you may say personal agenda against CST? seeing that CST's condition, he thinks he has a higher chance of winning (as compared to contesting in a PAP's GRC??!) a seat in parliament? you continue with your conspiracy theory, thank you!
i really do think he has the heart for PP people. but its sad how people's love for CST sometimes undermine his efforts and love for PP. even when he wanted to implement upgrading plans (lifts for every floor) BECAUSE (he said) for the old people, people still continue slamming him that PAP only know how to throw money at upgrading. this is v bo liao!! then to prove your point, no upgrading for PP people, and who suffer?! the old pple who had to climb 3-4 storeys of stairs or you who are not staying at PP!?
dont forget that 44% of the PP people voted for him in GE2006! the swing in votes is really not kua zhang at all. for the past 5 years, is it just SO IMPOSSIBLE FOR STYP to do anything to win more hearts in PP? crazy.

sometimes, people are so fast to discredit those that are not agreeable with what they want to root for.
the above factors that i listed are only POSSIBLE reasons affecting the PP voters. they may vote on totally rubbish grounds like face of candidates or tossing a coin.
the point is we wont know. and really no point criticising the PP people or passing rubbish judgements.

to me, both CST and STYP have contributed to PP and PP people have made a choice.
only time will tell if its a right choice. again, time and having an open mind, of cos.
i saw a clip where a PP voter (very obvious that he did not vote for PAP, ha) said that PP can only move on now and STYP had better fulfilled his promises that he made and PP will see for themselves along the way. despite his slight buay song tone, i can feel that he's really willing to give STYP a chance to prove himself.
this is very heartening.

2) Aljunied
i must give credit to WP!! when LTK introduced SL back in GE2006, i was suitably impressed. it has been such a long while that opposition came up with such high calibre candidates!
and SL went to put on a very good fight for aljunied back then. i was still saying in my 2006 post that if WP continues to prove its worth, it has a high chance of winning people's votes in GE2011.
and it did. apart from doing a good job for the past 5 years with keeping in close touch with the people and raising important issues as NCMP, they introduced more high calibre candidates this time round!
aljunied was such a tough decision, for me though. (though i cant vote for aljunied lah, haha.)
as i said in my GE2006 post and still believe so now, opposition will ALWAYS has its relevance as a check on incumbent government and providing an alternative voice for the people.
somemore, WP aljunied team is such a strong team to start with!

BUT, personally i like GY alot. i think he is one of the rare gems in PAP that really still believe in working for the people.
im sure if its some other ministers to replace him, lesser people will make such a big hoo-haa over the loss of a minister for aljunied.
but GY is foreign affair minister and he has done such a good job for this role. im sure many will agree with me on this count.
for even in the alternative medias where PAP is being slammed left right upside down every minute, we seldom see personal attacks on GY. in fact, some of those who are super pro-opposition will even share a positive link about him from time to time.
it is so heartening to see people give credit when its due.
i dont know how the role of a foreign affair minister fit into the big jigsaw of a future singapore that you wish to have, but its definitely quite a big piece for mine.
but if GY stays on, it may mean ZERO opposition MP in the parliament. that is really a scary thought.
hence, the talk of sacrificing a small GY for the better of the bigger picture.
but i still cant swallow this school of thought. i guess some is right in saying whatever vote you cast, cast it with your conscience.
but again, everyone's conscience differs. is allowing a parliament with only two, one or horrors zero opposition MP to exist very wrong to you?
or is allowing 3 ministers (ok, maybe only 2. im still v undecided on ms LHH) who have been very good in their roles to be "sacrificed" for a better good?
personally, im very against the word sacrifice. this word in itself seems wrong.
so its no big surprise for those who know me that i feel its such a big regret and pity that GY has to exit this way.

but, again who am i to judge what should be the "right" way/outcome?
aljunied has voted and we should respect its decision as GY and his team advocated.
im very sure WP will do a good job, if not better than GY's team for the next 5 years! they have to and they can, simple as that.

some questions burning in my mind:
1) who will replace GY as foreign affair minister?
2) will he run for presidency? i hope not.
3) which PAP team will contest against aljunied in GE2016? soooooo interesting.

3. WP
politics is never simple and never easy.
personally, i dont think WP will stop at just being a voice for the people in the parliament. they definitely want more.
to have a decisive say in passing of bills, definitely.
mark my words here (though we can only see 5 years later), WP will campaign on the basis to vote in oppositions to make up more than 1/3 of the parliament next GE.
if this is true, this is good. a good party should be one who will work in the best of the people interests. and what good is one that has no deciding power?
if WP has the calibre and the drive to make things happen, it would definitely be a good change.
seriously, if opposition is just contented at being just a voice in the parliament, such opposition team is really not a good one.
of cos, a gamble has to be taken whenever staus quo is being challenged.
im willing to take such a gamble if the right candidates come along!

4. PAP
winning percentage went down by ard 6 points comparing to the last GE. what have gone wrong?
i still stand by the conviction that the previous (cos the new one has TPL!!! and no GY!!!) government has done a really good job so far.
the general direction undertaken by PAP IS on the RIGHT track, just that the degree needs to be varied a little here and there.
most of the manifestos from opposition suggest changes to current policies but not radically changing or removing them totally.
i think the majority of the people still think PAP knows how to and is capable of running Singapore wisely BUT they defintely need some forms of check on them from time to time.
and not because they are senile, cowards or just lazy people voting out of convenience!
the worst accusation is those who define PAP according to their own definitions and deemed all those who voted for PAP to be of the same kind, ie: stupid, materialistic, selfish, arrogant, rich people etc.
totally baseless! excuse me while i go puke. BLECH.
pls dont abuse the privilege of free speech.

i do agree that PAP seems to have grown detached from the people over the years. and its style is defintely outdated for today's time.
how many MPs are actively learning how to use alternative platforms to reach to the masses apart from the traditional walkarounds, interviews, rallies etc?
how many MPs are fallible to the same crime of passing insensitive/sweeping statements?
thats why i said people are emotional creatures and voting is more of an emotional than logical one.
once you cannot stand someone, whateever he/she does also shit, i tell you!

back in GE2006, i dont recall much people having so much negative comments about PAP. sure, the usual backlash and stuff but not unprecedented level like this for GE2011.
some parties like to ask if your lives have improved over the past 5 years which i think its too short a period to judge. and everyone knows how bad the last 5 years have been to most countries.
but i suppose its too much to ask you to think back another 5 years right? im just trying to say its so easy to pinpoint whats wrong with current system.
the more difficult part is :
1) can anyone propose a better solution (yes, opposition may be able to do so being "nearer" to 民情 & having high calibre candidates as well)?
2) is it feasible in reality? i read a note by a young 21yo chap in fb and i was struck immensely by one of the phase he used inside.
"you can never cheat reality"
pls try to remember this and dont think policy-making is never that easy to formulate. every policy has repercussion effects that commoners like us may not know. and heck, even the almightly PAP also cannot take into account in their foolproof feasibility studies.

you can say that im kind to PAP or im blinded by ..... i dont know what you can accuse.. the material things PAP brought to me?
oh well, i cant stop you from judging me.

there are like a million issues out there but personally im still concerned with the same things im concerned with in GE2006!
1) how is our government helping singapore in retaining its competitive edge and staying relevant in today's fast-paced dynamic global environment?
2) how is our government going to take care of its aging, needy and poorer citizens?
3) how is our government going to ease the impact of rising costs (inflation is inevitable, that im aware of)?

i think for (1) , they are doing a very good job for the past 5 years. so much so it raised the question of foreign influx and putting too much emphasis on GDP growth.
with so much foreign influx, our unemployment rate is still at an impossibly low rate of 1.9%! i think the problem of foreigners is not that they are taking away our jobs but more of making us feel that this is no longer feel like our singapore. national identity is an important issue and PAP should take it seriously. if there is a need to curb foreign influx, they may have to do it anyway. but again, there may be repercussions. dont lie to yourself that foreign influx WONT create jobs for sporeans. THEY do for they encourage growth for certain sectors. but sporeans with lower education level or less technically inclined may be left behind when this trend continues. and the focus on wealth growth is not helping those who are left behind or not progressing in pace with GPD growth. thats why government has a 2-prong approach to this drive in economy growth - education and training to keep sporeans updated/relevance. but i agree that a lid need to be put on somewhere. we can and definitely need to progress but at a slower pace perhaps? it will really be a better scenario if singapore as a whole progress rather than leaving some behind.

(2) having said the above, to contradict myself here, i think there is no perfect system whereby all people can be taken care of. there will always be poor/unfortunate people falling through the cracks of current system and finding themselves helpless/sandwiched.
the best system will be one that take care of the highest % of majority and then through setting up special welfare groups to take care of those which fail to benefit from the system.
currently, PAP strategy is by helping you to keep in pace with economic growth, the % of needy/poor will fall to the minimum. it is indeed the case of so in singapore but as i said, there will always be poor/unfortunate people in need of help no matter how developed/rich a country is.
perhaps, more can really be done for those unfortunate in singapore.

(3) everyone keep harping how how how. until, i also have no answer.
both PAP and opposition have not really touch on this topic! for both GEs!

PAP really need to win the hearts of the people back. as i said, once you are in bad books of most people, 很难翻身!
it is really lucky that the majority is still willing to give it a second chance to prove itself.
statistics have shown that unhappiness with PAP can lead to votes even for the most incompetent opposition just to prove a point!

5) weakest link in PAP
TPL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i tried my best to be neutral towards her for the longest time. i dont want to be biased against any candidate just because of their looks or mannerisms.
but time and time again, this TPL shows that she is really of the lowest calibre!!
we dont vote management trainee into the parliament! and pls lor, even when the best bother to teach, i doubt it will be of any USE for her!
wah, im so so so frustrated with her.
after living for almost 20 years in marine parade GRC before moving over to radin mas 5 years back, i've the utmost respect for SM Goh!
and he was really really 被拖累 by this TPL!
that kind of winning percentage is a disgrace to SM Goh! i am so angry now my eyes blazing with fire! argh! *tearing up the tissue paper on my table*

im sure any other GRC other than Pasir-ris-Punggol, AMK, Jurong, will jolly well lose if she has been in those GRCs!!
she has that ability lor!
mad angry now.

conclusion:
despite some regret and disappointment over the results, im glad to witness a historical moment in singapore's political history to have the most no. of opposition MPs since independence day! :)
lets hope that the MPs will work together for the next 5 years for the best interest of people.
always remember, a good party is one that DOES not divide the people.
to do so, they must try their best to work with one another in parliament.
lets hope this is really the case!

5 years later, i should most probably be in aljunied GRC.
but too early to say much. maybe i wont move there afterall.
maybe GRC system will be abolished by then.
lets see!

ok, i feel so much better after venting out all my frustrations in my own blog.
goody good.

S&S bday lunch & walking the waves

the girls gathered together for shirley & stella bday lunch today!
a very belated one for shirley and an advanced one for stella. hehe.
it was at villa di parma near chomp chomp @ serangoon garden area.
the food was sadly, below expectations....
but the company, as usual, made up for it.


yay.

the ng family ventured out around late noon.
where to this time?
to henderson waves bridge! im actually quite against the idea but cant convince the husband otherwise.
@_@ so its a stop before our dinner at vivo!

the walk up to the bridge was already quite tiring for me!
i cant imagine people doing the forest hike to vivo side or walking to hort park! totally crazy!
ok, maybe when the weather is cool and with sport shoes on, it will make more sense.


the view up there is actually quite good!

ah long commented "你的三个最爱都在这张照片里."
i LOL till tears welled in my eyes. hahaha.
he is so right and knows his own staus so well. HAHAHA.

the boys K.Oed at 9pm after a long day!

good, now i can do some of my own stuff. need to sort/choose photos to be developed again!
ok, better get to it soon.
i need to zzz early too. closing is this week. *gulp*

ser ser's 30th bday @ 10 at claymore!

the day was over for me in a flash!
it was raining heavily when we woke up this morning and so breakfast and lunch were done at home.
and due to staying up late yesterday watching GE news and whats not, ah long and me fell asleep with the boys for their naps after lunch and only woke up at nearly 4pm!
*madness*
but being efficient us, we were ready to go by 5pm!
hubbi and the 2 kids will be meeting the in-laws at marina sq for dinner while ive a date with the gang for ser's bday dinner!




photo-taking time while ah long is paying for petrol. hehe.

with the husband when he's back

i left marina sq after settling the kiddos' dinner. yz was very sad to see me go and insisted on following me.
had to tell him a couple of white lies to get away. :(

reservations were made at 10 at claymore (at pan pac orchard hotel) at 7pm!
the spread was quite decent for the price.
and as usual, time flies when we shoot all kinda rubbish under the sun.
no surprise that we spent a considerable time debating on the hot, on-going GE. haha.
so glad that we are all essentially understand the meaning of "to each his own" so no hard feelings even when we support different parties! :P

ser ser & her 寿桃 cake! LOL.

the bday girl berry happy with her pandora bracelet!

with bursting bellies, we left the place ard 9-ish for balaclava at ion for drinks.
luckily, there were not much people and we were given a corner for us.
we were definitely making a racket there, especially so during the time when we were taking all sorta of silly photos!

me + zm

me+tanny

and of cos, the rest of photos cannot see daylight one.
so that's it.
gosh, soooo late. better hit the sack now!

i am just a mother of two. pui, who cares!

nowadays, its so easy to just give a disclaimer saying im no guru, specialist or hey, im just a normal teenager, average citizen blah blah and then proceed to slam people left right, upside down.
so convenient.
yes, you know what i am talking about.
cant stop the onslaught of "notes" on facebook being shared.
cant resist reading them too.
and then getting my blood boiled most of the times.
well, there are indeed some well-written notes that are thoughts-provoking as well as giving us the impression that the authors DO indeed make effort to research and think through their arguments before presentation.

BUT! alot of random notes are just like TPL! riding on the coattails of those i mentioned above!
stupid analogies, far-fetched assumptions and criticizing people whom they have never meet before or even bother to research more on these people's credibility.
im rendered speechless, most of the time.
to me, most of the above are just verbal diarrhea.

disclaimer: i know nothing about politics, i just want to give my 2 cents worth.

kite-watching + piling on the pounds

its good friday, start of the long weekend! *wee*
the boys have just recovered from a bout of HFMD (though a mild one). :(
yes, for the second time...
so we decided to just go out in the late afternoon when the sun aint so hot.
and we were really glad when a short sudden downpour at 3+pm made the weather a lil' cooler after that.
so where did the ng family go today?
we set off for marine barrage for kite-watching after the boys' naps in the afternoon!


my little nut looks really really cute in these photos! :)

both the boys were really happy to see all the kites in the sky!
and we let them to roam freely on the green. peanut is especially happy!
some photos:

check out my scrunched up face!

given the limited dining choices there, we left the place at 6+pm for town.
dinner was at Imperial treasure @ triple one.
after that, we went 313 as i've previously inquired for a zara pants and was notified that the stock has came! :)

the story goes like this, i chanced upon this lovely blue cropped pants but the sizes left on the shelf were XS, M, L, XL.
obviously, i cant fit into size XS with my butt.
i was normally a S/M for zara so i tried the M since S is not available.
M was a tad too loose so i requested for them to check if there is any size S available in other branches.
turned out, size S is OOS in all branches. @_@
so i left my contact for them to call me once the stock is replenished.

now, im naturally rejoiced that size S is available.
BUT, when i tried it on, its a lil' too tight for me!!!
AND when i tried size M, it fits me well now!!!
so i can only conclude i put on the pounds in just 1 week time. madness.
oh well, this didnt stop me from getting the pants (in size M, of cos...) and a top from zara! :)

we reached home at 9pm, just in time for the boys to sleep.
but as usual, with the wiping up and milk-drinking, it was almost 10+pm before they finally zzz...
haha, better than nothing lah.
time to spend some time with hubbi.
WHO decided that reading headlines with his iphone is more fun than spending time with me. pui.
ok, shall go disturb him now.

learning as a process

the husband shared something really interesting to me and i would like to share it with you guys!

there are generally 4 levels to learning as a process:
1) you don't know what you don't know
oh gosh, you are even clueless over what you dont know!

2) you know what you don't know
ok, better now. you are aware where the gap in your knowledge lies.
but the question is, are you going to do anything about it?

3) you know what you know
i guess >50% of the people should be in this stage.
you are good at your stuff. good for you!

4) you don't know what you know.
you are so good at what you know that its incorporated in your reflexes.
for eg, when doing a right turn while driving, you pushed down the signal for right turn, check your blind spot while your hand automatically start steering the wheel to the right.
all these without your conscious mind knowing.
wow. i want to be at this stage.
time to work harder.

good food for thought for the above?
i really hope so!

wat a day..............

the day started really awesome for the ng family. we decided not to be lazy and left the house at 9am! breakfast for this weekend saturday was at jones the grocer @ dempsey. :)

me with the boys

breakfast was definitely nicer as compared to spruce but if i must choose, i still prefer CA & wild honey ones!

started eating before remembering to take a photo. ha. after that, we went to ion @ orchard.

there was no crowd due to the early timing and we let the kids roam around to their delight. incredibly, i could not find anything i like froom some of my fav. brands. BUT, i managed to find a brand which designs "co-incidentally" mirror some of the other brands almost to the T.

been awhile since i last bought anything there, but i went home with 2 new tops from this brand. tsk tsk.

we reached home at 2+pm and the ng family just K.O.ed together for an afternoon nap till almost 5pm!

but when we woke up, yz suddenly developed fever. :(

not sure if this is due to his cough for the longest time or an onset of a new virus/bacteria.

we are monitoring for the time being and see if we should bring him to see doc first thing next morn.

sigh.

get well, baby. mama is very sad to see you unwell.

its been so long since the husband and i both take leave just to catch up with each other! im so glad we did so today! even though its just a simple lunch+movie+shopping combo, we are happy! :)

limitless is a good enough easy watch for a friday. keeps the mood light and happy! :)

when will be the next time before ah long and me have time to ourselves again without the kids....? hmmmm.....

count my blessings, i will. (longest post ever?)

recently, i've the opportunity to talk to many others with regards to some planned changes in my life. its interesting how everyone differs in their thinking and perspective of life. so far, ive viewed myself to be pretty open-minded and definitely understand and accept that there are bound to be differences among people. my take is always for those who matter to me, i will try to resolve the differences or just accept them. for those whom i cant be bothered, i will keep contact to a minimal level so i wont get too affected by them. after all, vita brevis. life is really too short to be unhappy over unworthy causes. so hopefully, others can understand that ecookie is just another individual entitled to her own beliefs too. :) im turning 30 this year. i am at a crossroads. be it that im forced to be standing here at this junction or it is i myself who led me to be here, the train of thought process has started. so i think about my life. i think about the achievements and falls ive had in my 29years+ of existence. and i agree with a close friend of mine that a person should really count him/her blessings. so i shall count here. to remind myself of how fortunate i am.

1) health. im asthmatic. i was forced to stay off cold drinks of any kind till i was in mid-pri school when i secretly sipped cold drinks in school without my parents knowing. i have asthma attacks a few times a year but pretty under control with the help of my inhaler. i was dignosed to have irregular heartbeat during a routine health check up. a follow-up with a cardio specialist showed that one of my valve of the heart chamber is not functioning quite normally. test results showed that its not detrimental to my overall health as of now, anyway. so i guess, im pretty healthy. and all my love ones have no major health issues too. thats really one of the biggest blessings anyone can have.

2) love. i must have done some good deeds in my previous life to meet ah long. ive been falling in and out of love (are those really love?) at an alarming rate before i met him. i seldom talk about him here for im normally not the type who gushes over her other half. but now i shall highlight some of his good points, just to remind myself. haha.

sidetrack, my eyes never failed to tear whenever i heard of this song recently - <因为爱情> especially these few lines: 因为爱情 简单的生长依然随时可以为你疯狂 this is such an ideal situation. 我还可以随时为你疯狂吗？ the answer is not a definite yes. anyone in a r/s long enough will understand that 生活磨人. ive always been the more cynical one in this r/s. i always harp about how we must consistently monitor the r/s for a change in heart can happen ever so quickly w/o the 当事人 realising. but ah long, him being him, has always been firm in his belief that status quo should not change. im not sure if he is being over-idealistic or too simple in thinking. haha. but im thankful that he teaches me to have that lil' more faith in our marriage. 有时会突然忘了我还在爱着你 we need some reminders on-off, dont we all?

gosh, im getting teary suddenly. emo ninny like a certain mr ng.

i was watching again with ah long just 2 nights ago. i guess at the end of the day, its really important to find someone who really just accept you for who you really are. we have just past our 9 years mark and i can safely conclude he has seen my immature, bitchy, manipulative, vengeful, insensitve and many other bad sides. and he is still sticking around. hmmm... i think i better clean up my act. having said so, he has his own terrible sides too ok!

3) family. it used to be only my mum, dad, bro and extended family. now i ve my own 2 lovely boys. yz and yr are one of the best things that could happen to me in my life. i cant say im the best mum in the world but i always try my best to be a good one to them. still a little short in the patience and effort departments, i guess. i can only try harder. my parents are great too. from young, they give me the freedom i crave and is never the strict, law enforcing parents that i so dread. and my r/s with bro does improve as we grow up. haha. so yup, family is good.

4) friends. i consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by some of the people i love alot in the world who love me as well ( i think lah). ive always tried to put in effort in maintaining relations with people that matter to me. for those who dont bother to reciprocate the effort despite me reaching out, i have nothing to say but bye bye to the friendships. i wont get pissed/angry but just dissappointed. but as i said, life goes on. so i wont get too hung up with sad cases like these for too long.

5) career. or just a job? as u can see, i try to list down the above in terms of importance in my life. hehe. im currently in my 3rd job in my 7.5 years of working life since graduation. my 1st job allowed me to gain valuable working experience that definitely work for me in my career progression path. it allows to meet and keep in touch with some great people. till today, im still keeping in touch with a good number of my ex-colls from my 1st job. :) my 2nd job is the one that gives me the least job happiness in my working life so far. all i can say is bad management suck. bad culture suck too. still, i managed to befriend some wonderful people from there too. :) though we only meet up like 2-3 times a year @_@. hehe. since im unhappy then, no point whining and complaining. so i took action and made a job change!

im really lucky to land in my current job. it gives me exposure in an area that i've very limited exposure to before this - financial reporting. and it definitely value-adds to my resume. most importantly, for the past 3 years here, the work-life balance has matched nicely with my family planning. over here, im allowed to spend quality time with yz, had a rather stress-free pregnancy, added yr to our family, have control over my timing to juggle my responsibilities as a wife, mum, daughter, friend etc well. im really thankful for the past 3 years. :)

so it seems like my life is good enough from the above. of cos, i have my fair share of unhappiness in life on-off. but if you notice, i seldom grouse too much here.

because i try not to let negative things get to me so much that ive to blog 'em out. normally, i just whine and scold to friends/family to let off steam and then i move on. as i said, unworthy people/things are really not worth my time and attention. one belief i hold on strongly to is definitely this - if you are unhappy with anything, either accept it or do something. whining/complaining can only bring you so far. at the end of the day, you are still the one facing the shit. not the others.

so for those who really know me, you will realise after a bout of whining, i will try to do something about it. be it just going ahead with the plans, saving up and buying the thing, confronting the person, avoiding the person etc. i will just have to do something. but this is me. i accept and respect those who decide to hang on to something bad. or complain incessantly about the same thing. its just their choice. like its my choice to act on something. for at the end of the day, no matter what is your opinion about others' lives. its still them living their lives, like you are living yours. to each his own. ok ive digressed.

anyway, im supposed to be in this very fortunate situation as mentioned by 1 friend. and i should not be wanting more? instead, i should be contented...... and stay put? im still very confused. i think being contented can co-exist with having the drive/desire for changes? but again, another friend mentioned that if you are contented with your life, there should be no need for changes. hmmmm.... i discussed this matter with ah long. (im so glad that my husband is still willing to entertain me on this subject and actually have the content and arguments to engage in a long enough conversation with me! LOL) we both believe in Maslow's pyramid thingy that at the tip of it is called self-actualization. (wow, we share the same beliefs. good.)

self-actualization is kinda like fulfilling one's potential.

its something like this: self-actualization esteem love and belonging safety needs physiological needs i guess my physiological needs are defintely fulfilled. my safety needs too. i have love and a sense of belonging in my current network of family and friends. i defintely have a healthy sense of self-esteem. what's left is the self-actualization part. and what is this? im clueless. ah long and me have a debate over it. it seems like everyone has a different sort of potential to fulfill. some may want to be the ideal parent. some may want to give love to the unfortunate. some may want to earn those millions. again, you must be clear with what's your potential is and then realizing it. well, most of us despite our old age, is still seeking for the meaning of life. one minute we just want that super career, one minute we just want to be with the love of our life and everything takes a step back etc. but one thing for sure is change is a constant. so is your potential? by mastering the pyramid of needs above, you may not end up being super happy/contented but im sure it will at least bring you one step closer to nirvana. higher degree of life-satisfaction im sure. im still unsure of what i can do, what i can achieve but that should not stop me from constantly trying to understand more, seeking out and venturing into new areas which may not be the answers at the end. afterall, life is but a trial and error. :)

currently, im a little dissatisfied with an aspect of my life. just because im more fortunate than alot of people means i have to stay mute and just stay on? i dont think so. there will always be lots of people worse off than me, same like lots of people more fortunate/successful than me. i wont feel guilty pursing better life when i face those unfortunate people. i wont feel jealous when i see those better off people parading their good life to me. i am just living my own life, like they are living theirs. so long i can answer to myself for my decisions and not affecting anyone negatively directly, why should i care about how people think? ecookie ah ecookie. for ages, ive pride myself to be strong enough to be resilient to others' negative comments or judgemental remarks. so why should i fall this time round? hehe. im back! for those who love me, they will support me unconditionally. just like i've back those i love unconditionally even when they sprout the most unreasonable/illogical thought/action/remark at times. :)

most importantly, ah long has told me that no matter what my decision is, he will support me. this is the best support i can hope for. im truly blessed.

disclaimer: i hope you dun feel im 晒-ing 幸福 here. im really just counting my blessings which i have not done in the longest time.

Spruce, Nex & hanging out with the girls!

nowadays the working week just flashed past and im so caught up with 1,001 things that i just dont have the time nor energy to update my blog during the week! before i know it, saturday is here again! so what did the ng family did today? we left the house early at 9+am for brekkie. look how grouchy the boys are! tsk tsk.

so where did we go for breakfast? we went spruce! i had a good experience for their dining hence the decision. but sadly, i cant say the same for their breakfast .....

yz's thick lips must be from ah long! brekkie... not very impressive and not cheap at all. bleh. after a not so satisfying breakfast, we made our way to NEX! its our first time there but we didnt have much problem finding our way and parking there. perhaps, due to the early timing that we reached there. NEX, per my expectation, has nothing much and definitely not my cup of tea... we left around 1+pm for the boys' naps and we saw a long snaking queue of cars waiting to enter NEX! stella, jm & ah boon came to our house for a small session of catchin up at 4+pm! the boys were excited with their company in the house too. :) after which, we had a simple zi char dinner near our house in the evening. now with both the boys zzzing, its time for the husband and me to catch up with some "us"-time. perhaps chips and movie combi again? hehe.

nowadays my sundays are pretty much set. we will all move out of the house early at 8+am to send yz to his weekly phonics lesson. after his lessons, we will go to my in-laws place for lunch. by 1+pm, we will leave their place for our own for the boys to nap for the afternoon. after the nap, we are pretty good to go anywhere! but we are running out of places to go..... so yesterday, we found ourselves back at vivo again. just a short 20mins drive from our place, children-friendly, good selection of dinner choices and some of my fav. brands, nothing much to complain about! while husband was busy making cake (hehehe), i brought the boys to the playground area and let them roam free. can see that yr was berry happy! after spending most of the week weak from stomach flu, the boy is back in business! he was walking up and down non-stop. definitely more garang than the gor gor in climbing here and there. :) my lil' peanut looks so grown up now! @ 14m++ the brothers trying on shades @ GAP. i cant say enough of this: they are the love of my life!

Dinner @ Culina

the ng family decided to venture out for good yummy dinner on saturday! i will be treating hubbi since im getting my (pathetic) bonus payout this month! we wanted to have an early dinner partly the boys had their lunches early and to avoid the crowd but we encountered much obstacles in trying to do so. haha.

stop #1: Spruce cafe which is just a stone throw from our house. we reached at 5pm and was told that dinner orders will only be taken from 530pm onwards. @_@ dont think the monkeys can sit still for a whole 30 mins, we left the place and drove to dempsey area for better options.

stop#2: PS cafe for i've cravings for its truffle fries for the longest time since ching told me about her dinner! tsk tsk. BUT PS cafe is worse! dinner starting only from 630pm!! OMG. we left the place and drove (again) to the main area of dempsey.

stop #3: jones the grocer this time round, thinking i can stuff myself silly with egg benedict or something but of cos dinner is not until 6+pm. *teared* so difficult to have an early dinner meh!? in the end, we walked over to the opposite cafe, Culina. and yay, it serves food regardless of timing! so here we stayed and a yummy dinner we did have eventually!

escargots for appertisers!! so proud of yz who tried and liked it. LOL

us with our mains! we had warm choco cake for desserts after.

after dinner, we walked around the area for awhile before making our way home. it has been a short "busy" evening for us. hehe.

lazy sunday with the boys

playing with hubbi's iphone. with peanut baby attempt 1: 哥哥的表情。。。 attempt 2: 弟弟的表情。。。

last attempt: yay! 虽然妈妈 over-smile 了。。。

宝贝们生病了。：（

after our HK trip, both the boys are down with cough. :(
brought them to the PD yesterday and we were shocked by the bill.
PD is really not cheap! but what to do?
sometimes, GP meds just doesnt seem to work for them.

yr's cough was phlemy one and PD commented that his throat is a lil' reddish.
hopefully, the inflammation will come down soon after meds and he will recover soon.

yz is the one whos making me very worried.
he has been nursing a mild cough for the longest time (almost 1.5mth) and his coughing has proceeded from a phlemy one to a dry hacking kind.
ive a bad feeling about this as dry hacking cough for me is normally associated with asthmatic cough.
true to my worries, PD noted a very very slight wheezing in yz. :(
given one of his parents (me) has asthma, yz is in a high risk of developing one too.
hence, care must be given whenever he's down with common cold/cough for they might just trigger a wheezing episode.
currenly, PD prescribed inhaler for preventive purpose. and i was instructed to use these whenever he has cough coming up.
sigh.
i really should work hard to build up his constitution after he recovers this time round.
im really crossing my fingers hard that he will not develop adult asthma like me. :(

anyway, the boys seemed to have gain weight from the trip. haha.
yz has finally passed the 16kg mark and yr is weighing a hefty 11.3kg at 14m old now!

i am such a boring shopper

shopping with 2 kids, 1 husband and 1 mum is not an easy thing to do!
most of the time during the trip, i've to help out with taking care of 1 of the boys.
and time has to be split evenly between satisfying
- the boys : toys, play time, nap time etc
- the man: good food! window shopping for his watches!
- the auntie: sourvenir shops are such a sure-winner for my mum..., food shops like egg rolls, pineapple tarts etc...

so that really left v v v little time for me to shop for my stuff!
in the end, i only bought things from 3 places - zara, staccato & H&M.
tsk tsk. how boring.
but bo bian, only in these places i can buy w/o trying since i know my sizes well.

after 2mths of being good and all, i guess i went overboard and bought a little wee too much.
but again! i've known many more who bought TONS when in HK. :P

zara (a good 25-30% cheaper than sg!)
1 jumpsuit, 1 dress, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 tops, 1 skirt & 1 pants.
H&M (affordable good stuff!)
1 fedora hat, 2 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 top, 1 romper & 1 jumpsuit
staccato ( a good 30% cheaper than sg!)
2 pairs of shoes

now now, it doesnt seem that bad after all right.....
but the husband doesnt seem to think so.
oh well, time to lie low again! *embedding myself in the sea bed*
tata!