Expensive Dinner

I hope I am not turning this blog into a ranting blog but really can’t helped it. It’s the weekend so hubs suggested we to dine out yesterday evening. We went to Ngee Ann City as I wanted to get more Brainy Baby CDs for Ryan. As usual, the place was packed with people. Restaurant Q was as long as ever. So we walked a bit further down and saw this Teochew restaurant that has no Q in front. We knew either the restaurant food sucks or it’s one hefty bill one has to pay. But after deliberated for awhile we decided to give it a shot la. Hungry already ma. So in the restaurant we dined. The captain recommended a few dishes. All sounded exotic of course. So we picked a few dishes (1 fish, 1 BBQ pork and 1 vege, 1 soup, 3 glasses of leongsui to be precise) and the bill came up to a shocking:

Yes. It’s SGD169.49!!!!. That’s RM390!!! The small little tasteless Garoupa alone costed SGD72. Veryyyyyy…. ’sum toong’. Sob sob… I can buy 10 Brainy Baby CDs with that amount. Today I asked Linda to cook at home. Hubs deserved some good home cooked food and lo foh tong (soup). Frankly her cooking definitely taste much better than Imperial’s and cheaper for sure.

Isetan Private Sale

Isetan Private Sale – Members and Guests ONLY

I confessed. When I received the above I knew I was going for it. I admit, I’m a kiasu greedy cat but it’s only natural that when a woman sees this one will be tempted to go right. I was no exceptional. So I texted MalaikaMommy and we agreed to meet on Thursday which was yesterday to sapu the goodies together gether.

Ryan woke up from his nap at 3.30pm (an hour earlier than his usual.. as if knowing we have a place to go) and happily we packed and together with Linda and headed straight to our destination – Isetan Scotts. MM was on the way. So I went in and I got a shock when I saw the crowd. Soooooooooo many people. Anyways, I headed straight to the children’s department as I have prioritise to get Ryan some new Brainy Baby DVDs. I was really disappointed. First there was whole bunch of OLs (how come they don’t have to work???) crowding the CD section, picking this, flipping that, one hand holding a few, the other searching for more..I actually walked around for a bit and infact picked a toy for Ryan. Then I peeped at the cashier, the Q was like ‘mo lui kong kum cheong’ (super long Q). I gave up. Definitely not a place I want to be especially with a baby. Alone, I don’t mind. I can.. Heehee…

So we dashed down and I called MM again. Poor her.. She was stucked at Marriott (opposite the road). Taxi stopped her there. How could the driver be so irresponsible to just drop a mother with a baby and stroller opposite the road of their intended destination? MM, complain! Blehh… The weather was not kind to us either. It started to drizzle. My plans to go Taka went down drain too. I decided to go home instead and poor MM did not get to Isetan either. But trust me MM, you did not miss a thing. You’ll get drowned inside.

Aaaghhh.. moral of the story. Don’t attempt any pre sale esp with a baby. You may end up like me, spent $20 for cab to merry go round the city, came back tired and empty handed. Sigh….. but hor.. I noticed people here can really shop at office hours!!!! Geng!

WE HAVE MOVED!!!

*Drum roll* *Drum roll*

Inconjunction with our physical move to Singapore, I’m also annoucing our official virtual move to our own domain http://www.etceteramommy.com/blog/ Please do visit us at our new home ya… Still a lot needs to be done on the new blog but .. bear with me. Still trying to get the hang of using WP.

Ps: Oh… what about this blog? Will still maintain it…*wink* it’ll be my official ‘wansek’ (cari makan) ka-chang.

See you all and please update your link ya. Muaks!!

Cure the Chronic Dry Skin

I never had any major problems with my skin. I mean I do get flushed and my skin will turn red easily under sunlight but that’s about it. As such my skincare range is pretty pathetic. I only have a cleanser and moisturiser. I know I need to put in more care as biological clock is ticking but .. as usual, procrastination win over all the time.

So when my skin condition flared up on me right after a few days we came to Singapore (think I was allergic to something..), I became really desperate, upset and moody. I applied moisturiser day and night but no sign of improvement. Not a bit! I was really really melting then.. I mean, already I was in a state of breaking down because of all these uprooting changes et al, and yet my hair, my face too was sooooo ‘mm teng wah’ (giving me probs). Sigh….

What happened? I blogged about my hair being so horribly dry thanks to my itchy bum to go for rebonding before I came to Singapore. If that’s not bad enough, actual fact is, it was not only my hair that was in dire state. My face too!! It started with a small red dry patch on my right cheek, then slowly spreaded from one side to another then to my chin and it is a matter of time to get to my forehead. I was seriously worried. I was already checking for specialist’s contact when miracle came!

Hubs had a conference in Phuket 2 weeks back and as usual he came back as santa claus. Ryan and I each has a gift. Ryan’s a robot and yippeee… I received ‘miracle water’ as gift (that shows how jialat my face was for hubs to get me skincare!!). So much has been said about this miracle water but I have not been a fan. Expensive la… But I must say I have been diligently using it for the last 2 weeks (never failed day and night) and complement it with hydrating mask on alternate days (bought from Bodyshop). Terra… after 3 days my skin showed remarkable improvement. No joke. It is miracle water indeed. (Pst.. And this is not a sponsored post). So, if you’re having chronic dry skin due to whatsoever reason and you’re just short of seeing a skin specialist give this water and hydrating mask a shot. It work wonders!!!! Lesson learnt: I must not take my skin for granted. Must take care.. knowing I am not 18 – 22 anymore. Bleh….

How the Babies Have Blossomed

@ 17 months 1 week

I have known MalaikaMommy for 10 years. We were uni mates, flat mates, we went diving together and coincidentally we even shared the same pregnancy due date which was 24th April 2006. We actually joked that we would likely be giving birth next to each other and could hear the screaming across the labour room . Anyways, “mo kum kiu keh….”(no such coincidence), I gave birth to Ryan 8 days earlier and Malaika came to the world on 22nd April.

Time has not been always on our side since the arrival of our babies. So we probably only met up 4 times (exclude the time we bumped into each other at Mid Valley) since the last 17 months. The most recent being last Tuesday when I visited her and she came over my place following Thursday so the two Ariens could rekindle their little friendship. Time really flies.. The last time the met was back in Feb07 during the CNY and check out the pics. They have blossomed from chubby babies to slimmy healthy toddlers now…. (as much as i enjoy being with a more interactive Ryan now, I do miss his innocent baby days)

Taken June2006 when the parents bumped into each other at Mid Valley

Taken in Aug2006

Taken in Feb2007

Taken 18 Sept 2007

Taken 20 Sept 2007. Both their eyes glued to the TV (think it was Barney show)

Speaking of Barney, we bought lil Ryan a Barney toy. He has not always been a fan of soft toys but this little purple dinasour is indeed special. This is how much he adores the lil dinasour…

Little kiss from Ryan to the purple dinasour

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Other sembang sembang….

I am one happy SAHM since last Friday? Why? Because in laws were here and they brought along Linda. Yes yes.. my maid from KL and she will stay with us until Raya which by then my new maid will be here. Yoohoo~~~

I hurt my back last Friday and it got so bad that I was limping and could barely move around. I’m much better today and I hope nothing serious happened to my back. Whatever it is… now I could sit in front of my laptop, TV and seriously enjoy some meme time.

Tag Homework

Tag: One word/sentence tag

This is yet another long overdue tag I owed to these three lovely mommies; Judy, Chewlee and kiasumum. Thank you so much but really sorry for the long delay….. Here goes.

Where is your cell phone? Next to bed

Relationship? Married

Your hair? In a Mess

Work? No longer

Your sister? My best buddy

Your favorite thing? Too many

Your dream last night? Horror

Your favorite drink? Softdrinks

Your dream car? Beemer

The room you’re in? Bedroom

Your shoes? Outside

Your fears? Losing loved ones

What do you want to be in 10 years? Getting younger and prettier

Who did you hang out with this weekend? In laws

What are you not good at? Hubs said my meehoon yummy wor

Muffin? Can…

One of your wish list items? One is not enough

Where you grew up? KL, Malaysia

Last thing you did? Typing on the keyboard

What are you wearing? Boring house clothes

What aren’t you wearing? Makeup

Your pet? Wish to have one

Your computer? On my lap

Your life? In the midst of a big change

Your mood? Pretty alright today

Missing? Nothing’s missing

What are you thinking about right now? How to answer this question

Your car? Coming soon!!

Your kitchen? Clean and tidy now

Your summer? Everyday also summer here

Your favorite color? Pink

Last time you laughed? Just minutes ago on my son’s antics

Last time you cried? Cant remember

School? Convent

Love? Always being surrounded

**Not passing the baton…

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Tags About Five

This second tag came from this lovelymommy. Thanks!! Again another overdue tag..

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1. Leah

2. Kiasumum

3. LemonJude

4. Sasha

5. Rachel

6. Lovelymummy

7. Etcetera Etcetera

What were you doing 10 years ago?

-Was in UK doing my degree

What were you doing 1 year ago?

-Seriously cannot recall.. probably at out shopping since it’s a Saturday

Five snacks you enjoy

1. Potato Chips 2. Strawberry sundae 3. Ice Cream 4. Chocolates 5. more ice cream…

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to –

Oopss.. actually none now. I know a bit of here and there.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire

1. Charity (serious… !!!)
2. Save portion of it (in case of rainy days)3. Spend
4. Invest
5. Spend more….

Five bad habits

1. Hmm.. I get emotional very easily
2. I am quite a reserved person
3. I am not used to sharing my problems

Five favourite toys

1. My camera

2. Computer

3. Handphone

4. I don’t any other favourite toy for now..

Five things you like doing

1. Actually just sit down and do nothing is my favourite. Kakakaka….

Five things you would never wear again

1. My 24in Levi’s jeans
2. My sexy low cut spaghetti top
3. Top that exposes my belly
4. XS/S size clothes
5. On last but not least… my school uniform

** Not passing the baton (again)

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Tag: Genie Genie

I received not one but two genie wishes from these two mommies..Shooi and MalaikaMommy. Thank you so much. I hope that means my wish is twice likely to come true… (sorry.. i’m a real greedy cat). Anyways, I do hope your wishes will come true too…

** Start copying now **

Rules:

1. Write a short paragraph about your visit by the two Genies and include a link to the blog that passed on the Genie Symbol to you.

2. COPY the Rules and ENTIRE List below and post it on your blog.

3. List down your wish.

4. Place your name below the last name on the list and pass on the Genie Symbol to at least 5 other bloggers.

5. Please put up either one (or both) of the Symbols of the Genies on your blog to show that the Genies have visited your blog:

Genie King and Genie Princess

The Genie King, the Genie Princess and their trusty Genie Buddy have visited:

Mariuca would like to wish for happiness and success.
Adrian would like to wish for good health and happiness.

Emila would like to wish for happiness and success.

Trinity would like to wish good health for Jan’s brother

Yah and Wan and success

MPG would like to wish for love and peace

Jean would like to wish for stress free work environment and happiness

Cbenc12 would like to wish for health, happiness and luck for my family and friends and me too!Paris Beaverbanks would like to wish for more publicity! Hooyah! (taps swollen head)

Giddy Tiger would like to wish for longer weekends and never-ending holidays!

Shooi would like to wish for peace on earth, love, good health and happiness.

Chinnee would like to wish for happiness and good health forever!

Hui Sia would like to wish for love, health, wealth and happiness.

Chew Lee would like to wish hubby for a successful business venture in Singapore.

Yvonne wishes for a happy and healthy life for her BB Ryan

Welcome aboard the Magical Flying Carpet for the Ride of your Life

!Alakazam!

***End Copying Here***

This is a wonderful tag.. and I wish these two lucky genies would pay a visit to everyone who needs them….

Ryan is 17 Months

@ 17 months 4 days

My baby turned 17 months a couple days back. I don’t know about other parents but at this stage I find it extremely hard recap a 17 month old toddler’s development milestones for record. I mean… seriously I lost track. Anyways… I’ll try as every single word I typed today will serve as good memory for everyone’s recollection.

Physical Development- He can walk, run, jump, climb like an expert. Jumping on the bed is his fav past time now. I’m seriously worried he may jump off the bed that I have to cushion the floor with carpet now. He’s such an active baby that the only time he slows down is probably during sleep. I wonder where he gets all the energy. He should distribute some of it with his mommy so the two of us will be more equally balanced.

Language -Ryan is a friendly baby and definitely not shy. But I noticed despite being a chatter box at home, he’ll somehow transform into a quiet mouse when in front of strangers. Hmmm.. I guess he has Daddy’s traits. Anyways, some words he picked up this month: duck, pat pat pat (from Lil Einstein), goal, bus, close, Mi-Mi, Mommy, B, ba (bye). Poor baby didn’t learn any new mandarin word this month.

Personality wise – I think he’s able to do some rational thinking. The other day we were at the park and he saw this colorful ball (belongs to other kids who were playing nearby) on the playground. He ran to the ball and was staring at it for awhile. I know it was hard for him to resist not kicking the ball. “Ryan, the ball is not ours, and that it belongs to other kids. We will go home and play with our own balls” I told him. Then we walked away. He followed reluctantly (eyes still peering at the ball). Anyways, after a short distant, he ran back to the ball, again he stared at it.. this time I gave him a nod… (I shouldn’t but staring at the pitiful face of my son.. I just let it be even if I will get screwed by the kids’ mommy.. think they won’t la..). Well, it’s not easy to resist temptation but I’m proud at least he tried.

Sleep Habit – Eversince we came to Singapore I’ve tried to adjust Ryan’s sleeping hours to a healthier pattern. Early rise, early bed. This is also because I want him to bond with his Daddy in the morning before the latter gets to work. Poor big B only sees his son in the morning as he work extremely long hours. What to do.. cari makan. Ryan, if you’re reading this one day.. go give Daddy a big kiss who has to work so hard to earn a living for our betterment. Be a good kid ya, learn to respect and make sure you take care of us when we grow old and ugly one day.

7.30am – Wake up
9.30am – Prepare for nap (usually 1.5 – 2 hours). Will wake him up latest 12noon
2.30pm – Prepare for 2nd nap (another 1.5 – 2 hours). Must wake up by 5pm
8.45pm – Prepare for bed (usually will doze off by 9.30pm)

Food intake – 3 meals a day.
Morning: Milk for sure, cereal/toast/bread
Lunch: Fruit cereal / noodles
Dinner: Porridge / Rice
In between snacks: Yogurt, Smoothies, Fruits
Never missed: Scott’s Fisher Oil (original)

I bet I missed out a lot of his little little habits/developments, of which I just can’t recall all of them now. I will blog about it when memory strikes me again.

Happy 17 Months!

Pic taken: 18 Sept 2007

He Picks, He Plays

@ 16 months 4 weeks 1 day

Yes.. he picks his DVD, he plays his DVD…. He even knows which button on the remote to switch on the telly nowadays. Actually wasn’t that difficult. I taught him the ‘red button’. Now he knows…

** Ryan even crawled back to Daddy after his ‘achievement’. Aaah.. actually have not seen him crawled for awhile. Miss those dayss…

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Separately, if you’re feeling a little down today, check out the clip below.. Hope this will bring a little smile on your face.

* Clip of Ryan laughing hysterically here while watching an animated Mr Bean show…

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Before he could feed himself, he decided to feed others. This evening during mealtime, the poor duck became his victim.

Sat his duck nicely on the baby chair

Making sure poor duckie eats its food (squeezing its mouth there). Err.. in case anyone is wondering, NO NO NO, I did not do this to Ryan. Don’t know where he learnt that cruel act

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Random thoughts…

** Daddy is away for a 3D2N conference in Phuket. Will only be back Sunday. Just mommy and baby ….. lonely lonely nightsss….

** Every evening I will bring Ryan to the park. After spending some time there he will lead me to the pool. When we walk near the pool, he’ll pull his shirt indicating he wants to change into his swim wear and go for a swim

** Ryan will bring me the key when I can’t open his can of raisin (yea.. my fault.. he saw me doing it once)

** Every morning, after bidding goodbye to daddy, he will signal to Daddy (pointing to Daddy’s shoes) reminding Daddy to wear his shoes and then say ‘close’ so that Daddy will not forget to close the door. Funny baby I have here heh…

** French Toast for breakfast, Pumpkin cereal for lunch and Salmon Carrot Porridge for dinner

Tag: Nice Matters Award

Although it has not been the best few weeks in my life, but this award from these lovely mommies; Sasha, Elly, Barbara and Sweetpea certainly brought smile back to my face Thank you so much….

The originator of the Nice Matters award states that it is meant for “those that are just nice people, good blog friends, and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others, that are there to lend support, or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!”

This is such a nice award and I’ll like to dedicate it to my four uni mates. Just to let them know “You gals deserved it… “

They are the author of the following blogs:
MyJournal
Malaika-Xiaoyu
My Little Diary
Little Eyes See The World

I’m Feeling Better

@ 16 months 3 weeks 4 days

Thank you all for the support. A week has passed and I’m feeling much better. I no longer stresses myself for a 3 dish 1 soup meal for hubs and I’m also learning to keep one eye close when I see strands of hair, papers, threads on the floor, away from the guilt of leaving the house unkept. Everything is well taken care of now. Hubs will take his dinner in the office as he works late (cannot expect him to starve and only eat dinner at 11pm), and cleaner lady will come ‘fix’ my house once or twice a week for 4 hours each ($12 per hour). So my focus is entirely on my little monster’s needs and my own tummy’s fillings. I really appreciate all the advise given as it gave me insights to take things at a slower pace and not expect too much from my little self. The beauty of blogging. Muakss to you all!!

Some pics to share as usual~~

Walking with both eyes closed

Flexi Baby

An Attempt at Self Feeding

OMG.. The Mess

Stacking spree these days

I cooked again for the 2nd time yesterday. This time Fried Meehoon. Just a simple dish yet it took me two hours to accomplish that. Paiseh. I sucks when it comes to cooking and housechores. But I feel really good cos hubs and Ryan loves it. Not bad for a first timer heh…

Aspiring singer. Bought him a new toy at Metro Paragon this afternoon

OK.. got to go serve my master dinner. Unsalted butter salmon porridge (with pumpkin and cauliflower) for tonight’s dinner. Yummy~~