crazy tiring weekend

this has to be one of the most tiring weekend for this year.

the weekend started early on friday 3pm when the whole finance team (50+ of us) left office for our teambuilding event at clarke quay.

the organizing committee engaged external event company to facilitate some sort of scavenger hunt for us.

so a good almost 2 hours in the afternoon was spent running around clarke quay answering questions or taking photos to meet different requirements.

it was all good fun.

after dinner, some of us continued the night going for drinks around fullerton area.

though i left early around midnight, i was dead tired by the time i reached home .... @_@

saturday morning was spent bringing the kids to their classes and i KO with the kids in the afternoon from 2-5pm!!

gosh, i must be very tired out from friday's running & drinking. :(

then it was time to head out to meet the gang for ser & dd's bday dinner at imperial treasure steamboat @ tripleone somerset!

our dinner started late at 8pm and by the time we are done with desserts at TCC it was almost 11+pm...

some of us continued to pub/club crawl until the wee morning.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

it was very late/early by the time i finally hit the sack. 

but i must say we are still alrighty with the drinks. :P

the husband was very nice to let me sleep till almost 10+am today.

and of cos i napped again with the boys in the afternoon lol.

as the boys are nursing coughs still, we didnt go out.

dinner will be pizza, yeah! waiting for the delivery anytime now. :)

\

photos taken with the boys yesterday before i headed out for fun night with the peeps

some outfits for the week:

left: top from MNG, pants from zara

right: jumpsuit from BKK local designer

a lovely weekend spent with the my favorite boys again! :)

3 more weeks to our staycation!

but before that, i've to be supermum for 4D4N when the husband goes for his work trip. *gulp*

i can do it!

new rest + new trip!

finally after 7 years, its time to change our mattress!

our previous omazz mattress has served us well but it has sadly became uneven and im starting to feel my  backache creeping back...

robinson was having private sale the week before and we decided to go shop for a new mattress.

after trying out a few mattresses, we ended up buying a tempur.

though the memory foam takes some time to get used to after omazz latex, i can safely say after sleeping for a week that the new mattress is awesome too! :)

though the husband thinks all mattresses feel about the same... @_@

and we finally booked the air tickets and accomodations for our next trip in Jun after some major negotiations (with respective bosses) and delay. :(

june is a busy month at work for both of us and it coincides with school holidays sadly.

we had to really fight for our mere 5 days of leave. zzzz.

and the air tickets and accomodations got atrociously ex with us booking so late.. SIGH.

oh well, must count our blessings still that a family trip is possible afterall....

some outfits for the week:

left: top from haji lane shop, shorts from axara

right: dress from gg5

yet another week flashes past...

April is fast coming to an end. 

you  may thought you will get accustomed to time whizzing by but the truth is, it will always surprise you even by your best estimate.

pui.

like many others, i tend to fall into the "looking forward/elsewhere" trap.

always looking ahead to the next holiday, the next event, the next exciting stuff.

always multi-tasking with phone and stuck in the virtual world and neglecting the real world.

from time to time i've to keep reminding myself and rein myself into the now.

focus on the boys - any time spent with them is always good. 

do not reject their requests for bedtime stories no matter how tired or eager i am to proceed with own stuff after they sleep.

the now with them is slipping away at alarming speed as the cms grow and their crave for hugs dwindle...

with work taking up bulk of our time, making time work for you effectively is very important.

utilize any pockets of time efficiently is always my strategy.

1 - 2x lunch times to the gym for the health.

1x lunch alone with myself to enjoy a good magazine, novel or even drama make me much happier.

sure, lunch with colls is always good to strengthen bond and good for unwinding but we really don't need to do it 5x a week right.

nowadays, we tend to stay at home for 1 of the weekend just to spend time with the boys though they drive us nuts half the time. lol.

work presumably will only get busier due to system release in end Sept.

with all the testing and prep works, i can foresee my workload stepping up from end June till Aug.

zzzzz. but never a worrier for work, im sure things will work themselves out eventually.

its still an ongoing project to make 2013 a fun and fulfilling year.

so dont lose sight or heart, ecookie!

some outfits for the week:

left: top from DKNY, asymmetric skirt from topshop

right: romper from local BKK brand (yes, from recent BKK trip!)

succumbing to K-drama and wishing for 26 hours in a day.

i must admit, it has been yet another slow week at work for me.

my brain is slowly turning into mush but im not complaining at all.

after settling my priorities of my life - the boys - once after work till 10pm, im free to do other stuff!

and i caught yet another korean drama in a mere week! 

ok, its only 16 ep if that helps...

caught  那年冬天，起风了 and i tell you, its good!

of cos the plot has some inconsistencies - its korean ROMANCE dramas for god sake - , but the perfect acting of both the leads more than make up for it!

and their faces are flawless, can! and the director sure knows about it for more than 50% of their screen time is super 大特写 of their faces!

but so far its the best drama ive caught this year - but of cos i only watched this and another show this year.... LOL.

 can anyone look better? i think the next leads in the next show will be.... LOL

everytime i watch a new show, the leads seem to be the most compatible until the next show comes along, really!!

that is the wonder of K-dramas i guess.....

and its been a good 4 weeks since i last shopped for anything (since BKK trip!).

pretty amazing huh!??

and of cos candice has to ask me out for lunch yesterday to visit gg5 for its having 15% sale. tsk tsk.

bought a dress and a top...... 

BUT i managed to stop myself from getting yet another dress from ms selfridge today...

oh well....

today was a pretty long day for the ng family and the boys are now well asleep before 10pm. :P

after their phonics class in the morning, we went home to bath and set off for a birthday party at mac @ farrer park.

the location was outdoors and in the crazy weather, we were all sweating in no time.

but hubbi had fun catching up with his friends and the boys were real glad to have mac for lunch.

happy boys!

we left in an hour plus to visit a car showroom.

the husband has been contemplating to change our car (current one around 5 yrs+old) for some time and has been doing his maths and "proposals" shared with me... zzz

we went for a test drive and i must admit the model is definitely much better but at a hefty price tag too!

with crazy COE now, im more inclined to just continue driving our current car.

especially our current car is already fully paid for.

its abit zzz to get another loan to service for the next 5 years... @_@

but if he really wants to go ahead and get a new one, i'll go along too. 

just hope he wont decide not to get and continue to whine....

went orchard for the rest of the day and am sooo tired when i reached home just now.

i think i shall coop up at home for tomorrow to rest the mind and body.

some outfits for the week:

left: top from gg5, skirt from bysi

middle: bodysuit from ms selfridge, harem pants from aryn K

right: dress from warehouse

staycation! *wee*

hubbi will be heading off to HK for training next month.
when we first learnt of the news, we were happy and made plans to follow him to do a short family trip there.
but his training is actually from 8-9pm everyday and his hotel is a good 35mins from city centre, its really 晴天霹雳.
obviously its no use for us to go over when he wont have time to spend with us at all and with us commuting so far from his hotel to the city on our own each day! :(
so we decided its a no-go for the rest of us. 
the disappointment - only to me since the boys know nothing more, lol - is crushing.

so dear hubbi decided to sponsor a 3D2N staycation instead! :D
and so reservations were made swiftly and itinerary borne - yes, im that good -!
the ng family is going for a short staycation at sentosa!
nope, no RWS this time round. 
I don't think we want to do a third time USS in so short a time span.
we will try other attractions like true blue tourists on the island.
im getting excited!

but we are still getting nowhere in our planning for our june holidays.
we have simply run out of destinations to go.. :(
korea - our first choice but with crazy fat boy its really a no-go...
HK - we have just been there last dec
BKK - been there this mar
china - not a good choice for kids
taiwan - it was actually a good choice but with the H7N9 spread in china, we were worried about taiwan's proximity to it. :(
japan - radiation...
australia - too cold

i want to scream.. where can we go!! and its not like we have a lot of days to afford but only a week.
zzz.
i need to decide and plan soon!

expanding waistline and treating the mind well after toooo long

it has been sinful these 2 nights... for the tummy!
met up with the hall peeps for yummeh peking duck dinner @ imperial treasure at paragon.
with all the carbs taken during the meal, i dun even bother sucking in the tummy after dinner for it will show anyway! zzz.

and tonight, met up with the gang for dinner @ oriole cafe.
no matter how hearty the meal is, we have room for desserts always!
off to dean & deluca @ orchard central for more food! *burp*
my plan of no supper just gone down the drain.....

work has been breezy for this week so most of the time im not using my brain much and feasting like a pig = bad idea...

and im back to reading since no more candy crushing. lol.
finished the night circus - loaned to me by dear jacQ - in just 2 days for it was impossible to be put down!

the author painted a wondrous magical world that seduces us like what a true fantastic circus does!
elements of intrigue, mystery and most of all believable unbelievable stuff!
i kept turning the pages to see how the competition between the 2 protagonists will end up.
a tragedy the ending seems to hurtle towards but as all good books are, the endings are never what we expect.
treading between a sad and happy ending - depending if you are outside looking in or inside looking out or vice versa - i must say i like the ending much.
the author has done well for her debut novel! i wonder if her next one will be as enthralling.

what should be my next book?

the quarter is over!

the easter long weekend has been a long and tiring one for the husband and myself.

hubbi's grandma passed away on friday itself and we have been pretty busy with the wake rituals and all.

and the whole affair clashed with month-end closing so i was a little stretched on mon & tue when i had to rush my closing activities while working from home and going through the more intense last-night rituals and moving out procession.

rest of the week was trying to catch up with the boys since we more or less neglect them for most nights over the weekend.

so this weekend, we kept it low-key and try to spend more time with them at home.

the rest came in handy for me too as the tiring week took its toll on me and i was not feeling well on friday.

some photos for the weekend:

the little one enjoying his choco cupcake :)

YR got himself a haircut! not unkempt like before!

i went for a haircut as well! the heat is getting to me!

some outfits from last week:

left: top from bysi, pants from gg5

middle: dress from gg5

right: top from gg5, skirt from axara

and im finally done with candy crush!

android app not yet updated for levels beyond 275 so i can finally take a break from it first.

till the next candy land is updated!

for now, i will have more time for other stuff!

im at running man 2012 nov already too...goods things all need to come to an end soon i guess. :(

too hot for anything, i tell you.

the first quarter of the year is going to end soon.

how scary.

rest of the working week for this week was over in a flash (2 days anyway) with me frantically catching up with all the work piling up from my break...

friday evening was spent ironing all my backlog of clothings (near to 30+ pcs....).

gosh how i hate ironing clothes...

and yesterday, the ng family just spent the whole day lazing at home apart from the kids' enrichment classes in the morning as usual and a quick dinner at PP in the evening.

apologies if i seem to be jumping abit all over but the brain is not exactly functioning straight.

blame it on the super hot weather.

the brain is just in a mush state...

some photos: 

still very into their caps. wore them out for dinner...

some outfits for the week:

left: top from MNG, denim dungarees from H&M

right: printed midi dress from MNG - i had this from eons back (like 3-4 years back?) and i still like it tons!

sidenote: met candice for lunch on wednesday and as usual ended up going to more than 1GG5 branch to check out clothings and ended up getting 1 dress + 1 top.

tsk tsk. she is no better. apart from getting 2 pieces the same day, she went back to get 3 more tops yesterday!! 

BKK - the last leg!

we had around half a day more in BKK before we are due to whizz back to SG with our late afternoon flight.

it was an easy time just heading back to siam paragon yet again (who can blame us, its just 5 mins walk from the hotel!).

the husband was still complaining that there were nothing for him to buy at all in BKK just the day before.

and in the mere hours in siam paragon on our last day there, he went on to buy a polo tee and a pair of shoes for himself. tsk.

the boys picked out caps for themselves.

YR especially love his green (dont ask me why green,..) cap and requested me to take shots of him with it.

his pose on the bottom left has me reeling in laughter for the longest time.

he really think he is a model?!

the boys loving their caps.

they had it on alll the way till we touched down in sg! crazy or not!?

and i shopped, of cos. :(

i expected myself to shop of cos but i thought the stuff would be cheaper given its BKK.

maybe im shopping at the wrong places. oh well.

i bought:

- 1 dress and 1 bodysuit from ms selfridge (it was having 20% sale and having my size so...)

- 1 skirt and 1 shorts from axara (sales over there!! this is one of my fav. brand - only available in robinson here in SG)

- 1 dress, 1 jumpsuit, 1 romper from local designers 

- 6 bras + 3 undies! all from wacoal yes!

- sandals from melissa x gareth pugh & sneakers from supra

and not to mention the skincare that i bought from DFS before my flight to BKK. *gulp*

okok, but those are BAU. i need to use stock up anyway.

left: melissa x gareth pugh - i dont really know who is this london designer but this melissa collection was interesting enough to catch my eyes

right: supra sneakers - supra was rather limited in sg (the most selection in Tangs i think). i like this gold pair that i bought. :)

i should stop my shopping until GSS? 

or i should stop kidding myself?

BKK - day 3 (Part 2)

we were utterly famished when we left the ocean centre.

lunchie was at another hound cafe which was yet another recommendation from friends.

the feedback was PS cafe style food at reasonable pricing.

and it was indeed the case. :)

we had the salmon spring rolls as appetizers and they were good!

i tried the sphagetti with anchovy which was really flavorful but it would be better if i the meat was more substantial to chew on...

and the afternoon whizzed past with the kids napping in the pram, and us walking around siam paragon (which was boringly very similar to central world)...

YR still like to see himself as a baby - he loves to plonk himself down on stuff meant for infants/toddlers.

either that, or he is busy wearing all the transformers/superheros masks.

we adjourned to siam centre next door in the late afternoon and what a good choice!

the place was choked full of local designers - i like!

the pieces can be gorgeous and good quality - but the prices can also be very "pretty"...

still, a good departure from the usual brands in the big malls!

the decor in siam centre was all quirky and fun.

this is the sign for ladies restroom and message behind the cubicle - i was bringing the elder boy for his pee... im not so free to take photo when im in toilet ok!

dinner for our third night was..... you guess it.. recommended by friends as well! LOL.

it was c'est bon restaurant at intercontinental hotel.

foie gras never fail to make me salivate but what really impressed me here were their sorbet (before the mains for palate cleaning) & the tenderloin mains.

it was one of the better beef (and im not a beef lover) ive tasted and the portion was suitably on the bigger side for french cuisine..

not exactly cheap for BKK foodfare but very reasonable for french food.

it was around ~ S$50 per pax.

we had a good walk back to our hotel after dinner.
we called it a day pretty soon after dinner itself for day 3 has been a long day for all of us.

BKK - day 3 (Part 1 - Siam Ocean Centre)

among all the shopping and eating, we need to schedule in some activities for the boys obviously.

since siam paragon is just opposite our hotel, the ocean centre at its basement is an obvious choice.

the place was pretty small and we spent around 2 hours plus to cover it.

but it was a good time spent for the boys enjoyed themselves alot there and their energy was so well spent that they took an hour nap each one after another in the afternoon to free us up for shopping.

*teehee*

photo taking at the entrance!

the place boosts a decent enough selection of ocean animals to keep them interested.

the jelly fishes, crabs, seahorses, lion fishes, stone fishes and the usual penguins, sharks and stingrays etc.

it also has a random selection of land animals like snakes, geckos, spiders to keep the boys intrigued.

glass bottom boat ride!

we went for the glass bottom ride which YR found it pretty scary and was looking anywhere but at the fishes (and sharks!) at the bottom of our boat!

YZ enjoyed the ride and for a few moments, sharks were really just swimming below our boat - giving me a queasy feeling in the tummy too.....

the boat was not powered but rather operated "manually" by the staff pulling it round the place using the perimeter rope... zzzz

when we asked if the sharks will eat the rest of the fishes, the answer was that the shark were fed twice a day to keep them full..... *gulp*

face painting time for the kids!

the boys chose their own designs - starfish for YR and lobster for YZ

 

very pleased with his starfish which lasted only a grand 30 mins before he rubbed away almost 80% of it by accident... tsk.

some more time spent at the kids' playground, taking photos with mascots and of cos ending the whole experience with purchase of a 3D family photo (much to the hubbi's disgust - LOL!) wrapped up a nice few hours time spent here. :)

BKK - Day 2

it was such a luxury to sleep till 8+am BKK time (almost 10 for SG timing!.

somehow the boys sleep better overseas.

maybe its the staying up the night before or the air-conditioning.

anyway, both the husband and me enjoyed the 睡到自然醒 part. :)

after hearty brekkie at our hotel, we made our way to central world.

there is actually a covered sky walkway near our hotel to central world.

took us just 10mins of walking to reach!

hubbi kept exclaiming the mall must be opened by singaporeans for the brands within are oh-so-familiar. LOL.

it happened to be the sale season for we saw % at most of the brands. nice!

it feels just like another weekend in singapore for we were doing the usual stuff - window shopping, eating when we got hungry and visiting sama sama shops. ha.

centralworld has these "camera" booths set up scattered in the mall where you can take shots and send to yourselves apparantly.

only the photos never really got sent to us at all. zzzz

and i must exclaim here like a frog in the well (pardon me since ive not been to thailand for the longest time, really).

wacoal is very CHEAP here!!

i got my fair share @ the isetan here and the boys got to see their toys.

we were happy except for the husband obviously who was falling asleep all over from all the window 

shopping.

taking photo with their fav. toy - playmobil!

playmobil having 20% off though after all the conversion, it was only slightly cheaper as compared to sg.

but that didnt stop them from buying a small set to play with for the rest of the trip. tsk.

Dinner for the day was pretty far - 4 stops from siam station.

but it was worth the distance.

thanying  - the chef used to cook for the royal family or sort.

im not too sure of the history but this was recommended by friend so we went ahead without much expectations.

and boy, it was one of the best meals for me there. :)

MUST recommend the chicken in pandan leaves, fried sea bass in sweet/sour chilli sauce and ...... last but not least their mango with sticky rice.

the sticky rice is the best. not too sure what was added but the added ingredients give the rice a more crunchy textured feel. *yum!*

the tom yam goong was pretty good too - more sour than spicy the way it should be.

the mango desserts were long gone before i remember to take a shot...

so this concluded our day 2 in BKK.. slow leisure time lost in HUGE central world before concluding with a very yummeh dinner. :)

to the land of smiles!! - Day 1

it is the march school holidays and we were deciding where to bring the kids..

initially, we wanted to do a staycation at sentosa but the whole 3D2N affair with attractions thrown in is not as cheap as we thought.

so we were thinking why not top up abit more and go for a short trip.

it makes sense then. it still does to the husband but not to me anyway...

cos NOT when you factor in all the shopping that i usually do when overseas....

ANYWAY, we had decided to go BKK given its proximity to singapore.

it will be the first for the boys and 8 LONG years since hubbi and i last visited it in 2005!

has it been that long?!??!

at that time, platinum mall was not around yet can you imagine?! LOL

it was a short relaxed trip for all of us. 

so it was a good trip afterall.

waiting for boarding time at T3

we took the afternoon flight to BKK on saturday. 

would have preferred an earlier flight but promotional tickets have limited timing..

touched down in a jiffy in 2 hours! 

the flight was smooth and the journey from the airport to our hotel - novotel @ siam sq - was pretty fast to my expectations (around 25mins with a little traffic jam nearer to the city centre).

 on cab to our hotel - excited boys who cant wait to go to the hotel!

they love the hotel so much that during the trip, they kept requesting to go back hotel to rest. zzzz

the room was spacious enough for our family with 2 super single beds.

after some freshening up, its time for dinner!

ive made reservations at this supposedly popular restaurant - ban khun mae - which is just opposite our hotel.

and it was a good thing that we made reservations.

perhaps its saturday and the timing is peak period, there were 10+ people queuing outside the restaurant and were told to wait at least an hour for their turn.

we got our table pretty fast and we ordered a set which has a few choices of the standard thai staples:

- green curry

- spring rolls

- chicken in pandan leaves etc

the food was pretty decent especially the green curry and the prawn spring roll.

but it's not like a must to recommend to anyone.

though i must say their thai iced tea is one of the best ive tasted during our time there. 

thick and sweet - the way i like it!

after dinner, it was time to explore around siam square area.

the shops were interesting enough but with 2 cranky kiddos (with bad naps on flight), it was rather challenging.

our day 1 in BKK was rather slow and smooth. good.

the week is over in a flash when you are counting down!!

to your next holiday that is!

the tons of work helped to make time pass faster too. @_@

anyway, brought the boys to catch 2 movies last weekend and during mid-week.

2 family shows - jack the giant slayer and oz the great and powerful.

both are so-so but entertaining enough for the kids.

to be honest, i caught the first show for nicholas hoult for he impressed me suitably in his other shows "the single man" & "X men first class".

but in this improved version of jack and the beanstalk, there is not much acting to show.

lets hope his next movie "warm bodies" will be a better one.

yes, im definitely catching that one.

very original genre (think horror/romance/comedy blended into one) and storyline.

some outfits for the week:

left: top from gg5, brocade pants from zara

right: top from forever new, skirt from gg5

and yes, we are leaving for the land of smiles soon!!

the ng family gonna be there for the next few days! :))

met up with the hall friends yesterday for yong zhi's bday dinner @ shunjuu, robertson quay.
the yakitoris were yummeh and it was fun catching up with this group of friends whom i see once every 1 or 2 months. :)

as usual, too busy chatting and eating that no photos were taken..
think we only took one of the birthday boy with his cake and that's all. ha.

and the ng family cant wait for our next family trip next week - off to BKK we are!
YR is decidedly more grown up and kept asking when are we going to bangkok.
when i finally told him that we are going soon, he replied,"可以去 bangkok 了虾？bangkok 开了虾？"
LOL, he thought bangkok is a place closed and not yet opened for us to go so far... :D

some outfits for the week:

left: dress from zara, belt from soon lee

right: top from zara, pencil skirt from bysi

poor little nut has fallen sick again.

this time round, its the darn HFMD again!

teacher at childcare spotted ulcers in his mouth and throat on tuesday morning and pappy has to bring him to see doc.

once confirmed its HFMD, hubbi took leave to take care of him for the day.

for myself, i work from home for whole of wed and thurs PM.

then its the husband turn to take the PM shift from home on friday.

once again, we are grateful for the flexibility available at work.

the good thing is it is a much milder case this time round.

YR has only 3 ulcers in the mouth so his diet was not affected and he is still the same old cheeky little one.

and its good to spend time with him alone at home though i was rather busy in front of the PC most of the time.

but the little tot has grown up and was rather good with playing alone. :)

playing with his fav toy of the moment - angry birds!!

oh, one more thing on his development:

the little boy is finally diaper free during the day. :)

though there are still mishaps once every few days, we are very pleased with diaper savings from now on. :)

happy time @ W Singapore

some of the peeps were doing a 3D2N staycation @ W Singapore this weekend and we joined them yesterday later afternoon for some lazing and of cos sumptious dinner as usual. heh.

this is our first time at this newly opened hotel at sentosa cove.

though some said its nowhere as good as W taipei but im still suitably impressed with the decor and such. 

top left + right: berry nice decor at the corridor & lift lobby

bottom: lift interior decor

we were just lazing in the suite until dinner time watching countless rubbish youtube vids and enjoying their in-room bose system. 

good sound system!

finally at evening time, we dragged ourselves out of the room in search of food.

horsing around taking photos while waiting for the lift. lol.

top left: floor mat that got changed few times a day to say good morning, afternoon and evening!

top right: candy crush is just everywhere

bottom left: nice pool area

bottom right: we totally heart the hammocks that lined the pool!

with zm & tanny

we settled at one of our fav. restaurant - brussel sprouts for dinner.

we finished up tom yam, laksa, lobster bisque & L'escargot mussels and a few other side dishes.

*burp*

not good- feeding our muffing tops.!@_@

:D

after dinner, we went back to the room to ..... continue nuaing and watching B-grade HBO movie.

it was time well spent in good company. lol.