YR's bday celebration - Part 1

it's YR advanced bday celebration with my relatives today.
we booked the function room and ordered simple catering for around 20 pax. 
while the boys napped in the afternoon, hubbi and i started to tidy up the house to make it more presentable as most of my relatives are coming for the first time. haha.

the boys woke up from their naps waiting for the guests to come.

these are taken with the J1 camera - i find the results quite good!

with J1 as well, nice results in natural lighting.

we adjourned to the function room at 6pm and the catered food arrived shortly.

we almost finished all the food plus cake which is good for wastage is bad.

my baobei is 3 years old (in a week time anyway)!

blowing the candles and cutting the cake himself.

the gathering was pretty short from 5-8+pm but i thought it was a good one since its quite rare for me to gather with the extended family other than CNY or other occasions.

its a far cry from the weekly gathering at my gramp's house when she was still around...

so i was pretty glad today to see the uncles and aunties gathering once more. :)

hubbi and me gave YR a lego duplo barnset.

it was actually bought for YZ when he was 3yo but we kept it in the storeroom all this time cos we thought they have enough toys LOL.

they really like the set and was playing with it for a good one hour before their sleeping time. :)

gathering with colls & belated bday dinner for mr ng

after a week long of late nights chasing movies and what-nots, i slept yesterday at 11+pm to prepare myself for a long day out today..

and i must be very tired... i actually slept till 10+am when im supposed to meet my colls at 11+ am zzzz...

with only an hour to bath and get YR ready to send to my mum's, i was naturally late for my colls... :P

finally, we managed to reach our boss's house near stevens road around half past noon.

boss catered for home-cooked peranakan food fare and its yummy!

and i had my first lou-hei for this CNY with them too.

after that, had a short MJ session with them and walked away with a bite-sized windfall - $16 nia. LOL.

but im one of the 2 winners hor. 

after the gathering, a coll dropped us at PS and i waited for hubbi to come fetch me with the elder son!

he came at 5+pm and we left for our fav. restaurant - Valentino - for hubbi's belated bday dinner!

as usual, procrastinating me didnt manage to make reservation so we tried to reach early to get seats. :P

we actually reached 6 sharp (its opening hour for the evening, ha!) and gosh, we were told we can have seats but need to exit the restaurant by 730pm cos most of the tables were reserved already.

not a problem for us, heh.

so we settled for sirloin & risotto for dinner. plus moscato of cos. *burp*

yz having a go at semi fine-dining setting... ha

we tried the milk pudding this time round. it was really good!

with the end of the dinner, we called it a day and went to fetch little nut.

felt a little guilty at leaving him out again but its really hard to bring him along.

furthermore, tomorrow is his bday celebration with my relatives. he will have all the attention! :)

ok, now time to have chips & coke with the husband while watching "american horror story S2".

*sweet*!

been a good week!

this week is closing week coupled with half-year reporting.

though only half the deadlines are gone, im feeling pretty good about the week.

this is because it has been a smooth closing with us closing at 7+ pm on WD1 - that is like the first time ever for me since i joined the company in mid 2011! 

and i was feeling efficient and all that i managed to complete mostly on time/ahead for most of the deliverables on thurs/fri! leaving me to have the weekend not fretting over work at all! :D

yesterday was a good long busy day for me and i welcomed it!

went to get myself a new hp - Note 2, no less! - in the afternoon!

thanks to dear hubbi for getting it as my bday pressie. 

(anyway, its not that ex after re-contracting :P)

im totally loving the new phone - it was a bliss compared to my ex xperia arc s...

been tinkering with it most of today and i think ive downloaded most of the apps i wanted and adjust the settings to my preference! all is good!

the girls came to my house ard 3+pm for our very post-xmas gathering. LOL.

we did a mini gift exchange and glad to say no one is majorly disappointed with any of the pressies... ha.

went off to meet the gang at ice cold beer at 8pm for grace & zm's bday celebration!

we ate so much chicken wings - i think ard 48! - among 7 of us.... zzzz.

we adjourned to spider room after that for more drinking!

music was pretty good there but it seems like the youngsters nowadays are into getting tables, opening bottles and just drinking away?

where is the dancing? hmmmm.

oh well, we old folks are still very entertained by our own brand of drinking and letting our hair down dancing. haha.

@ spider room

anyway, i wonder why are my eyes area so white? im not even wearing concealer..zzz

as usual after all the alcohol, it feels good to have warm food in the tummies.

so we went maxwell for supper at 3+am LOLOL.

oh my, hot minced pork fishball noodle soup is the best thing to go into the tummy after volka i tell you.

it was a satisfied me when i reached home to call it a day!

January is a busy month!

next up, gathering at my boss's house next sat & YR's bday celebration with my relatives next sun!

it has been eventful!

my birthday was over in a flash!
no off for me so i still has to go to work for half a day.
the morning was over in a flash while most of us busied ourselves with pre mth-end closing activities.
went to brotzeit @ 313 with my team for lunch and i had a small chocolate cake for my birthday!

happy me.

despite the heavy downpour, i went to fetch the elder son and we left for fifi & RC's housewarming at the Peak!

their new place was done up very nicely!

hubbi came around 5+pm and helped to entertain Yz while i continued the banter with the rest of the hall friends.

what a nice way to end the evening. :)

we went off to fetch Yr from my mum's place then headed home for some quality time together.

i really heart counting down in front of the tv.

really, be it for new year's eve or CNY eve. and the boys stayed up till (almost) midnight!

Yr K.Oed on the sofa while Yz still has the sense to dash back to his bed for comfort. LOL.

hubbi and me stayed up later to chat and watched tv till almost 2am... zzzz

and we went vivo today!

why? to collect the nikon J1 camera that i won in a lucky draw! *wee*

i opted for nikon lenses for the specs that i ordered few months back and i was eligible for the nikon draw apparently.

and i was picked as one of the lucky winners! 

so i went to pick up this beauty below today. wahaha.

J1!

this camera is definitely better-performing than my current panasonic lumixFX68 but much heavier too.

so i guess they will serve different occasions.

i had fun exploring its functions and taking shots of the boys at home in the evening.

will upload the photos soon to see how they fare on bigger screens. :)

i guess, roosters are still pretty lucky in the year of dragon.:P

recap of 2012

it seems like only yesterday when we welcomed 2012.
i still remember we were homeless then and staying at my parents' place while waiting for the renovation for our current place to be done.. 

ok, here goes the recap:

Jan: both Yz & Yr started their new school! kindy for Yz while Yr started his childcare for good (he was on half day, half-week trial for the last 2 weeks of Dec'11).
went ah-mei's concert - very wowed by her voice and also her waistline. @_@
Yr turned 2 and we brought him to night safari - he was more fearless than gor gor with the animals and the dark!

Feb: went for a short 3D2N criuse with ah long's parents - first time travelling with both Yz & Yr with hubbi.
ah long and me were together for a decade - what a feat!
cleared my follow-up check up after health check-up last nov. it was a load off my heart.

Mar: housewarming month with my friends after we moved into our new abode finally!

Apr: both hubbi and I brought new insurance policies after reviewing and concluding how thin our current coverage is.

May: gaga's concert was a smash with the peeps!
got a gout attack on my right big toe. it was a nightmare waiting for the joint swelling to go off. :(

Jun: germany/netherlands trip with Yz & ah long.
a trip well-planned by me and executed by us - lol. i was most joyful to be back in europe since my last trip 2+ years back...
and of cos, the shopping was so good! lol.
i cant wait to go back again with Yr coming along as well. 

Jul: changed my IC - im finally an adult. :P
started doing PV with the husband - it was more fun and enjoyable than we thought...

Aug: peak period at work due to new system releases.
started gym amidst the work madness - the kilos only went down by a kg and got stuck. zzz.

Sept: celebrated 6 years marriage anni with hubbi.
attended yan's wedding - so happy for her!

Oct: Yz turned 5 and we spent a joyous day at USS as a family!
went for annual check-up and was glad that i was cleared for uric acid this time round. shall continue to keep nuts at bay!

Nov: finally, a dose of yoga's voice after 4 years. :)
went for bo's wedding and she looks so happy with her husband! 

Dec: first time overseas travel for just the 4 of us - to hong kong! 
with Yr older now, the trip was definitely easier/more manageable than we thought. 
31st bday is definately quieter than the big 3-0 last year but blissful nonetheless surrounded by people who love and care for me. :)

there, it has been a pretty smooth and eventful 2012 for me.
2013, i say bring it on!
i look forward to having more fun times with all my loved ones.
and of cos, wishing health & happiness for myself and everyone that i cared for!

was on leave on friday so that i can do some year-end shopping on my own before meeting the husband for my birthday lunch at absinthe.

we have been doing birthday lunches for me ever since the arrival of YZ.

i wonder when can we have a good proper sit-down dinner without the kids... ? hmm.

the food was not too bad given the price though with the same budget, i would prefer other places.

still, it was a great time out with the husband. :)

my fav. foie gras for appetizer 

i think im finally getting an overdose from all the shopping.
getting a little tired and jaded with all the browsing, trying and buying....
maybe its my wallet trying to send a message to me.... STOP SPENDING!

of cos, i would have already spend the moolahs..
i bought a top & dress from gg5, a pants & dress from zara and a pair of low-wedge sandals from bimba & lola in 2 days time. @_@
but all are sale items, ok!
ok, no more shopping for me for at least a month!

some photos with the boys before an outing to vivo:

some outfits for the week:

left: peplum top from topshop, shorts from gg5

right: lace top from gg5, peplum skirt from zara

i think i need to stop buying peplum whatever.

catching up with my fav. activities!

before my half-year reporting peak creeps up on me this coming jan, i've been busy trying to catch up with all my fav. activities - movies, books, serials etc - during all my spare time and sacrificing precious sleep in the process of cos....

i read 2 novels recently - lee child's killing floor & David Bezmozgis's the free world.

killing floor is the novel where the iconic jack reacher made his first debut.

while the plot is compelling enough - about money counterfeiting - and its pacing set fast enough for me to plow through it in just 2 days, i don't think i will continue with reacher's adventures.

perhaps its unfair to just judge him with 1 book, but the character does not really strike a chord with me.

i miss my fav. character - lisbeth salander - so much. :(

the free world, on the other hand, is a delight.

it talks about a russian jew family trying to make their way to america for a better life but due to emigration red tape, they got stuck at rome for a few good months.

the characters in the book were fleshed out well and really interesting to delve into their minds and actions to decipher more about their past and hopes for the future. 

i actually read it at a slower pace to savor the turns of events in the book. 

ah, such a good read. :)

movies - who can resist the reel world!

i went to catch the werewolf boy alone one of the weekend.

the plot is really too simple and predictable for words.

the difference lies in what the korean do best - the acting and the directing.

lets just say it has really been awhile since i sobbed - cry, yes but not sob - at a movie.

and im not the only one who did so!

there were sniffing & blowing nose sounds all around me, no kidding!

and Song Joong-Ki's acting is really good in it, despite only uttering few lines for the whole show.

the ng family caught CZ12 too.
it was really an entertaining show which kept the boys occupied all the way.
and jackie chan's show is all good fun and suitable for the young.
with humor thrown in and no body count! LOL.

and im finally done with 2010 running man!! *woohoo*
the variety show is really funny with its line up of MCs and has me laughing till in tears for some of the episodes. haha.

hubbi and me are still steadily chasing american horror story 2: asylum.
we are at ep.8 and cant wait to chase the show till its finale ep.13.
it's keeping us occupied while we wait patiently for walking dead season 3 to resume its airing from its season break in feb'13 :(

it's a bit of a drought at the korean drama front but oh well, ive more than enough on my plate to keep me real busy. 
until the next good serial comes along like Queen In-Hyun's man. :D

ok, time to spend some time with the boys before settling them to sleep so hubbi and i can catch ep.9 for american horror story! *wee*

merry xmas 2012!

it is a rather quiet xmas for us this year.

poor hubbi has no half day off yesterday so i went to fetch the boys home myself first.

not before a short chilling session with my team first. heh.

once we reached home, i got the boys to take their naps first so my time was freed up!

i've tons to do - books to read, movies to watch, magazines to flip etc. LOL.

a good 2 hrs to myself before the notti boys were up to terrorize me!

ah long reached home around 7pm with sushi tei for our dinner! *yum*

so we spent xmas eve munching on sushi and watching "polar express" with the boys.

nice and quiet.

today we just headed out to my mum's place for lunch before dropping by vivo.

wanted to check out hp prices but most were sold out for starhub.

zzz, think i need to wait before replacing my ancient xperia arc S....

nevermind, the shopping goes on!

i got myself 2 dresses from warehouse - 开始收购新年衣!

and a bodysuit from forever new. :D

some shots taken at mum's with the baobeis:

holiday mood! what is work!?

ever since i came back from the trip, i absolutely have no mood for work!

i was still on leave on wed trying to finish up all the laundry for the trip and of cos some me-time for myself.

on wed after lunch, i sent the boys to childcare and my parents' place and i had a few good hours to myself!

went to soak off my gel mani and to get new colors for the upcoming festive season!

cheery candy colors! :) same for my toes. :P

then its off for a hair trim plus some shopping @ bugis.

selfridge having end season sale.

got myself a wool cardi & printed tights - very good marked-down price! :D

back to work on thurs and it was over in a flash trying to clear the emails and backlog of work.

luckily not too many outstanding stuff given many colls clearing their leave and on holidays this festive month. 

after work, its xmas steamboat gathering with the hall friends!

venue was at 鲜得来 steamboat  at liang seah street.

food was so-so but the company more than made up for it.

the crazy bunch adjourned to KTV after our dinner at 10+pm while i gave it a miss.

still feeling tired from the trip and i'll be having another outing the next day too.

better conserve my energy. 毕竟精力有限。

*nom nom*

friday was totally slack.

everyone has no mood at work and the feeling rubs off each other.

we were officially not working as of 5+pm.

had a small tea break session with my team mates before leaving work to meet dd, ser & zm for pre-dinner drinks at raffles city broitzeit.

贴心的dd brought me a microwaveable teddy bear.

yes, an minute in the microwave and the bear will become a heat pad so i can use it to warm myself when im feeling cold in office.

but dd, my office doesnt have microwave wor..

still, it was a cute pressie!

met up with the rest of gang at la petite cuisine @ upper thomson road.

the duck confit and foie gras there were pretty decent.

and the gang was very sweet to give me pandora charms to add on to my exisitng pandora charm bracelet! :))

left: mad dd trying & the bear

right: pretty pretty charms!

and today, hubbi's friends & families are having an xmas gathering at our house!

with >10 adults & >10 kids in our house, i hope everything is under control! *gulp*

outfits worn the past 2 days:

left: drop-waist dress from oasis

right: peplum dress from bysi

HK - 血拼版

it was never easy to shop with the kids with me.

especially this time round, there is still the husband tagging along!

furthermore, the winter season means most of the clothings are either winter wear or too black for me (case in point - look at zara range).

so this time round, i didnt manage to get much stuff except for a few piece of clothings (all black, really!) from zara and some NARS make-up from HK.

i bought shoes of cos!

i would have bought more if not for the fact that there is not much space in our shoe cabinet back home and of cos, the husband's deadly glare. *tsk tsk*

my shoes stash! from left: sketchers, ferragamo, staccato x2

and i stocked up on skincare as they all chose the same time to run out soon....

i bought lamer cleanser, moisturiser, sisley pore minimizer, neck cream, shiseido sunblock, estee lauder eye cream & clinique chubby lipstick.

and trust me, the above cost almost as much as my shopping. @_@

the husband finally know how much more extra expenses a woman has to fork out for maintenance. 

oh well, its time to focus back on the year-end sale back home. *wee*

HK Trip - Part 2

We took the MTR to admiralty stop - just 1 stop from TST - and then transit to the Ocean park bus.

we reached Ocean park in a jiffy!

luckily we heeded hubbi's coll advice not to go during the weekend and we were glad to see the more than manageable crowd there on a monday.

the queue lines were set up to take much more people but we seldom have to queue for most of the rides/attractions - good!

yay! we are at ocean park

we stayed pretty much to the safe attractions like the animals enclosures, kids' section etc.

all the exciting rides are not for us - ha.

at the chinese animal section - the boys got to see chinese alligators, panda (a sleepy one, no less), chinese raccoon etc

above: a fazed YR with the alligator so close to him- LOL

the kids' section was so empty but we were not complaining.

the boys had their fun at the carousel, train rides, ferry wheel, the playground etc. 

scaredy-cat YR IS still opting for the safe choice at the carousel. *tsk tsk*

on board the ferry wheel!

having fun at the playground

Next, we went to catch 2 performances - the birds and the sea lions.

and Ocean park is huge, we have to take an internal train to the other part of it.

at the other side on top of the hill, we went to see the other animals namely the penguins, sea lion, artic fox etc.

the younger son kept demanding that he wanted to see lions and elephants and we were having a hard time trying to tell him we are at Ocean park and not the zoo. ha.

left: at the penguin enclosure

bottom right: in-house penguin, mr YR.

there is no polar bear there despite this. :(

We left Ocean park ard 5pm, lethargic and all.

YR took a cat nap on board the bus & MTR as we made our way to Langham place @ mongkok.

after a full dinner there, we decided to walk back alllll the way from mongkok to TST!

it wasnt as daunting as we thought especially in the cool weather.

and after a good long stroll, we were back in our hotel.

and both boys hit the snooze button once they were bathed! haha.

to be honest, the husband and myself didnt last long too. we were all asleep before 11pm!

Day 5:

we had a short morning of breakfast and walking around TST area before we made our way to the airport for our afternoon flight.

and like a dream, we were back in T3 once again by dinner time!

a fun and good short trip with the family but the air could be better in HK.. i guess.

our next trip will be next mar earliest, hopefully.

HK trip - Part 1

last friday, the ng family departed SG for a short 5D4N trip to HK!

this is our first outing as a family of four. :)

previously, ah long and myself have either of our parents coming along.

the trip was every bit as tiring as we expected with 2 very active boys but it was also more manageable than we thought too.

i think we are ready to do more of such trips now. :)

left: posing with angry birds at T3 before boarding time in the early morning!

right: touched down at HK airport before noon time :)

shrek ears courtesy from SQ and the boys holding on to angry bird toys redeemed at T3

Day 1:

the flight to HK was pretty smooth and we reached HK in about 3 hrs+ time.

took cab to our hotel paranoma by rhombus at TST and the hotel was much spacious and nicer than our previous butterfly by prat in the same area!

we upgraded to the deluxe gold room which has 2 queen size beds - a better choice to accomodate us.

first thing first, we let the boys take a quick nap once we checked in.

We were ready to move out at 3+pm to Harbour City for some good shopping!

So day 1 was more for mummy who shopped to her heart content at the biggest mall in HK.

of cos, the boys had fun in the huge toy r'us there too - i think we spent like an hour there. @_@

we had an early night back to the hotel after supper at aound 9+pm.

Day2:

Today is gourmet day. *chomp chomp*

we made our way to 陆羽 tea house at central for yummeh breakfast.

as usual, i over-ordered and we barely finished our food...

i ordered 2 char siew thinking we can have half a bao each but they came in 两笼= four char siew baos. zzz.

and the 荷叶饭 portion is really too big for breakfast. *burp*

dim sum breakfast is the best.

i especially love their egg tarts!

of cos, a visit to H&M is a must when you are at central.

surprisingly, i didnt get anything for myself but more for the boys.

i think the quality of their stuff does take precedence over their designs to me finally..

taking a hot chocolate break @ pacific cafe

and then its lunch - to 镛记!

a good thing that we made reservations in SG. the place is packed as usual even it's already 2pm..

had the best char siew for us.

a pity that all the suckling pig is sold out by the time we were there (it was only 2pm!! zzz).

so we settled for roast goose - yummelicious none the less.

i love the delicious, albeit expensive, char siew here!

next stop - onwards to the Peak.
the last time hubbi and myself went to the Peak was back in end 2002. 
omg, a good 10 years back.
as usual, the peak tram is really not for the weak-hearted.
so glad when we were finally a the top! and the weather was not too hazy/cloudy so we got a rather decent view.

@ 山顶

Dinner was at 翠华茶餐厅 back at TST.

im mad about their 鲜油菠萝包！

i want to dine at the original tsui wah at central (opp. Yung Kee) the next time im in HK!

Day 3:

we took the train to causeway bay in the morning and shopped around the malls there - SOGO, times square.

the streets at HK are really too crazy dirty/smoky for us.

what's with walking and smoking!!!?? no basic etiquette of not smoking when walking!

*grr* i think they are too busy running their millions of errands to stop to smoke!

both hubbi's and YR's coughs worsened there while my asthma was triggered. :(

Times square having nice LEGO displays and the boys had fun exploring the sets

then, it was back to TST again for their naps given they had a long day the day before with no naps.

before our naps (yes, the adults zzz too. lol), we took a small break at the sky garden located on L40 at our hotel.

it boasts a nice view of the hong kong island!

enjoying a slice of cake with the view in front of us!

after napping, we walked up towards Jordan station shopping at the shops along nathan road namely Park Lane, miramar mall etc.

and then, finally settled for dinner at australian dairy milk - my fav fav. 墩奶!!

macaroni for the boys while i settled for my fav. scrambled egg cheese sandwich + milk pudding. *slurps*

Day 4:

today we are heading to the Ocean Park!!
a first for the husband and the sons!
the last time i was there was when i was really young with my mum. lol.
we are all looking forward to it though we heard feedbacks on it being a little run-down now..

of cos, breakfast at our fav. Tsui Wah tea restaurant!! 

to be continued...

the week was over in a flash, no thanks to it being a closing week at work. *zzz*
having closing workday 1 on a monday is really a pain - resulting in me plodding through the rest of the week like a zombie....
we stayed back really late on monday, pushing the limit till almost midnight!
but luckily everything was back to normal by tuesday with me able to go back on the dot again. :S

anyway, yesterday was really tiring for me.
our business unit organised a badminton session after work so around 16 of us left at 5pm to make our way to singapore badminton hall for a 2 hours badminton session!
its been a good 12 years+ since i last held on to a badminton racket! 
and i had body combat during lunch time!!
my thighs and arms were all aching after the session.. and i've trembling hands. ha.

dinner afterwards was at no signboard seafood! *yums*
our VP asked us to go all out during food ordering and we did. :P
if not for the exercise sessions before, the dinner would be too guilty for words!
i think i ate one crab myself. *gulp* on top of many others...

today, we slept in till 9+am and my thighs/arms were stiff when i woke up...
after our afternoon nap, we made the mistake of thinking it would be good to brave the xmas crowd and bring the boys to see the xmas lightings.....
huge mistake - took us almost an hour to get a carpark lot at ion.
by the time we parked it was almost 8pm. :(

after parking, it was not too bad. 
the crowd in ion was still manageable. 

outside of ion.

the boys love the huge xmas tree though i got a little dizzy seeing the lights from within it. x.x

the year-end sale is in full-swing. :)

for the little time we were there, i managed to get a neat pair of melissa shoes from Tyan. 

speaking of shopping, there is a new gg5 store opening at chevron house! 

finally a decent shop that i love near my workplace.

it was having 15% opening sale this week and of cos, how can i miss it!

while having lunch with the colls on wed, we dropped by and i got myself a top + pair of shorts. sweet!

im already dreaming of all the shoes brands in HK: pedder red, staccato, nine west, sketchers etc here i come! :D

some outfits for the week:

left: romper from topshop

right: peplum top from topshop, cropped pants from zara

went to watch "rise of the guardians" with the boys and hubbi on monday.

not too bad to give that extra boost to an otherwise boring working monday evening.

hubbi was on leave so he went to fetch the boys earlier before coming for me at 6pm sharp. :)

we had a simple dinner at marina sq before catching the show.

the show was not too bad and both boys enjoyed it.

finally, caught the last installment of twilight series with zm last night too.

it was really so-so compared to breaking dawn part 1.

watched it more for the closure of the series.

and knowing what transpired off-screen, the chemistry between the leads failed to touch me this time round. :(

though both zm and me laughed hilariously at one of the moment during the face-off scene.

the cinema was almost quiet with anticipation/anxiety with what was coming next when both of us sniggered like mad, wriggling in our seats. LOL.

guess our sense of humour just aint the same from the rest. :P

zm and me met up with dd for supper after that and it was after 2am when i reached home.

zzzzzz.

and GSS is has started! *wow wee*

was at vivo last evening with the husband and sons and i bought 2 dresses from bysi - at 20% off.

good deal.

and i got hubbi the crumpler laptop bag that he has been eyeing for like..... 2weeks. tsk.

what puzzled me was when is the topshop sales starting?!

going by the norm, they should be one of the earliest to start theirs normally before end of nov.

but no sales in sigh. strange.

oh well.

zara in HK!! i cant wait!