James & Jacqueline Most Precious Little Ones - Jovin and Jovan

Weekend Dining @ Central!

2012-02-04T23:17:00.000+08:00

Brought our little 'J's to Central this evening. There wasn't much shopping crowd, but we enjoyed fun snapping shots of our little 'J's and had a very satisfying meal at Watami restaurant. We ordered the deluxe set for 2 which was just nice for us. Had a great night with my beloved ones.

The Dragon Roarssssss.......

2012-02-04T09:47:00.000+08:00

This Dragon CNY differs from the previous ones we had. This year, due to custom traditions, we are not allowed to distrbute ang pows as dear's granny passed away in Nov last year. Nonetheless, we still had a great time gathering and meet-ups with our relatives and great pals.

Relatives
Every year, we used to gather at dear's aunt's place for the 1st day as granny was staying there. However, from this year onwards, my in-law's place shall become the focal point of gathering. Haha that conveniences us too! So my in laws busy prepared and whipped up delicacies for the relatives. We love her dumplings and we actually wiped out over 60 dumplings!

It was a great chit chat session as we rarely meet these relatives. Our little 'J's had fun eating and playing 'SABOTEUR' card games with us. Of course, all were busy eating too amidst all the playing. So my mother in law was the happiest as we helped to 'clear' her stock of festive goodies haha....

As for the 2nd day, we visited dear's maternal grandmother's place as usual. The 3-rm apartment was really bursting with the ever-growing numbers annually. However, at least, we deconflicted the timings so it was still made possible with almost all corners filled. Jovin had her playmates, Jovan had his I-Pad, we interacted with the adults over some card games. The most amazing thing was that, dear's grandmother actually forgoed her usual buffet catering and cooked all the dishes by herself! A 84 year old lady! Kudos. The homemade dishes were really fantastic. especially abalone! Jovin helped herself to so much abalone pieces haha....

Family
For the 1st day of CNY this year, as we were barred from visiting some places, we had some time to ourselves and our intial plan was to catch a movie instead. But alas, we went to both J8 and AMK hub and all tics were sold out! So we decided to give it a miss. Brought the kids to explorer kids instead.

Jovin had a art and craft session whereas dear brought Jovan to shop around. We were surprised quite a no. of shops were operating then, Jovin completed her princess scratch artpiece. Could see that she really enjoyed it. Then we settled for our dinner at New York New York. Hmm, this was something we didn't do in the past. The kids and us enjoyed ourselves thorougly.

Therafter, we went to sis's place and played card games together. A night filled with fun and enjoyment!

On the 2nd day, we also went for louhei session with my family at one of the usual Chinese restaurants we patronize. The kids love the louhei session best as they tossed and flipped the ingredients, shouting all the positive tidings. Every year, I truly look forward to this part of the programme when I see all the happy faces on all my beloved ones.

Friends

As for friends, we went to dear's buddy's Krist's house on day 2. This was our first time visit there. It was a small and cosy condo apartment, perfect for the 2! The decor and reno was aptly done suited to their styles. We had a great time there as we were their exclusive guests, so honourable! Before we left, posed some beautiful shots with them. Not easy to get Jovan to pose as usual haha but we still got him to join in the finale shot :)

Of course, every year without fail, we made time for our long-time JC CLDDS pals of 18 years. This year, the hosts were Jimmy and Lijuan. We met last Saturday, went for dinner in the nearby neighbourhood. To our surprise, the food tasted great. We had a 10-course dinner. Over-estimated ourselves, so couldn't finish the food haha...After we returned, the guys as usual congregated at one corner for men's talk and we ladies fussed over the kids. Chloe and Jovin were more interested in their girly activities whereas the rest of the 3 boys were busy playing other interesting toys which really amazed Tingting and myself. Chloe's toys were mainly bought from internet and were really fun. Even we adults were drawn to them. The kitchen and tools set, slicing toys etc.....

The climax was here when the play slide made its appearance after being shelved in their storeroom for sometime. The 5 kids took their turns, queued orderly and played repeatedly. Except for Jianping's little Justin who needed more attention and that really made his parents dead exhausted, the rest of us merely sat one side and too photos of our little ones.

We were glad our professional photographer Andy was with us and he took so many nice shots of us and the kids. Thks pals! Hmmm, our dear pal has been so busy thta we hardly see him join us for gatherings. This year, he really made it possible and joined us for the reunion dinner and this CNY gathering. He even said in jest " I've clocked my hours haha!" ( Pal, does that mean u won't be able to join us for subsequent gatherings haha?)

It was a pity that that this year's CNY only had 2 public holidays. How I wish this will last longer.... Nonetheless, we still had a great gathering and celebration. My last celebration will be tomorrow when my family will all gather at mum's place for steamboat dinner and a final round of louhei yippie!

HAPPY DRAGON YEAR TO ALL!

龙年来咯！

2012-01-24T01:31:00.002+08:00

就这么一晃，水龙已降临人间。昨天的除夕恰逢星期日，不用像往年般匆忙赶往两家享用团年饭。

如往常一样，我们每年除夕都得赶两‘场’-所以每年都几乎撑破肚皮。但一家乐融融享用晚餐，温馨无比。中午时分，开始懂事的乐琳非常热心地帮助阿嫲拿年糕，准备祭品等等，再诚心跪下，似模似样地祈求祖先保佑。乐文随之也不甘示弱，模仿姐姐跪在地上，双手合十，诚心地祈祷。

黄昏时分，我们便到家婆的家享用‘上半场’。桌上的美味佳肴如鲍鱼、干贝、麦片虾等的确令人垂涎三尺。乐琳为了可以和小叔的宠物小狗玩乐，所以很快地就吃完盘里的一切。乐文和乐琳与小狗玩得乐不思蜀，但乐文很快就不感兴趣，转而玩I-PAD。

我们之后进行‘下半场’，回去妈妈的家，姐姐一家也正好从柔佛赶回来。外甥们都忙着一展‘厨艺’，努力地烘烤美食给我们。而哥哥也不时运用我买给妈妈的AIRFRYER。真的挺管用，而且食物没这么油腻，吃得较‘心安理得’，哈哈！

之后，我还充当‘美发师’，运用我的烫直发用具，为姐姐与外甥女进行‘发型拯救大行动’！我似模似样替她们涂上发霜，再以‘专业’的技术，替他们烫直头发。结果两位‘顾客’满意不已，对我的服务赞不绝口。嗯，看来下次可以往这方面发展，哈哈。。。。

最后，与往常一样，我们一家大小到寺庙求神拜佛。每年的这项‘节目’似乎已成为我们除夕不可或缺的一件事。除了祈求保佑，也趁机加强全家人的凝聚力，孩子们更视活动为‘郊游’！

一年复一年，在这刚降临的龙年，希望我们一家大小身体健康，龙年行大运！

牛车水一逛

2012-01-22T01:56:00.001+08:00

尽管有多么地忙碌，但始终得忙里偷闲，每年农历新年来临之际，总不忘一家大小到著名的牛车水街道办年货，趁机感染新年的气氛。我们带着两个宝贝到牛车水逛逛，想不到当时离农历新年虽还有两个星期，但已挤得水泄不通，人山人海，我和文强费了九牛二虎之力，才抱着两个宝贝冲出重围，真的是汗流浃背。。。。

但，我们边逛边品尝各式各样的小吃甜点，真有口福。我们还很幸运地在美食街找到位子，在那儿享用美味的晚餐。

两个宝贝逛得不亦乐乎，目光直盯着灯火璀璨的街道。我们虽没买什么物品，只买了些零食，但我们一家四口度过了一个难忘的晚上。对我来说，每年牛车水一逛是有必要的。毕竟，它让我的两个小宝贝有机会深入了解农历新年的各种饰品与一些传统习俗。所以，尽管老公诸多抱怨，但我仍然执意进行这项‘人挤人’的活动，嘻嘻。。。。

Jovin's first day!

2012-01-22T01:00:00.001+08:00

Home internet has been encountering connection problems for the past 2 weeks, thus unable to update the blog regularly.....

Still recall Jovin's first day of school.....

Decided not to take leave as we have already briefed and familarised Jovin with the necessary procedures during the December orientation. Moreover, the school didn't allow parents to accompany or even take a sneak peep at our beloved little ones during recess time, so dear and I decided to let our dearest Jovin attend Primary school all by herself ( Well, due to my work nature, not very viable to take leave on the first day of school too..) But my mum was not so 'heartless' after all as she still accompanied Jovin to take the school bus.
Dear and I decided to give our princess a surprise by fetching her directly from school. Remember vividly what my girl told me the night before ' Mummy, u must come and fetch me from school cos u are the first person I want to see.' First day of school was really extremely tiring... Perhaps couldn't get used to the hectic packed schedule after such a long break... Nonetheless, as a mother, I need to abide by my promise so I made my way all the way to Toa Payoh to fetch Jovin. Dear happened to call me and decided to knock off earlier that day just to chauffer our dearest princess that day.

At 5.50p.m, we went to Jovin's school bus and saw her waiting together with other school mates. She was thrilled when she saw her dearest daddy and mummy! Our princess was so excited, told her she spent 60 cents, bought chicken rice and showed us the remaining 40 cents in her Barbie wallet. Jovin also proudly told me that she did remember my instructions and packed her belongings all into her Barbie pink trolley bag. As we walked past the canteen, we bought her a packet of tidbits to reward her for being so obedient.
When we reached home, she excitedly showed me her diary, then wrote down 2 simple sentences what happened in her school today ( Hehe... Jovin is supposed to write diary-2 simple sentences....my way of building up her English foundation as well as getting an insight into her daily school life). In her first day of diary, she clearly wrote ' I made 3 new friends. I enjoyed the lesson.' Through the simple sentences, I taught her the usage of simple past and present tense. This strategy is indeed effective as she now makes fewer mistakes on the usage of past and present tenses.

Dear and I are really glad to see Jovin adapting herself well to the new Primary school life. Now, with spelling, book review and an average of 4-6 pages of homework everyday on top of her abacus enrichment class workload, Jovin is still managing well. We hope our dearest princess will continue to stay jovial in her school life. All the way, Jovin!

老爸又成熟了！

2012-01-05T22:06:00.000+08:00

每年的1月2日对我们周家来说，可是一个重大的日子。我们的一家之主又老（噢，应该是成熟）了！去年的12月31日，我们聚集在哥哥的家，一块儿倒数迎接新年之余，还提早为老公庆祝他的生日。我预先订好了蛋糕，大伙儿一起唱生日歌，我们的两个小宝贝，手舞足蹈，很开心地围绕着爸爸，哼唱生日歌曲给爸爸听，逗得老公乐不思蜀。

1月1日，我们一家四口先到餐馆享用香港点心，等候食物的时间好久，等得我们的肚子咯咯作响。点心终于送上来了，色香味俱全。不一会儿工夫，我们四人便把桌上的食物“杀”个片甲不留。之后，我们迎合寿星公的意愿，到怡丰城逛街，结果大有收获的竟是我们其余的三人，为新年添购了不少新装，哈哈！

当然，生日不忘送上厚礼啦！老公要求我送他PS3，附加游戏，也花了好几百。老公真正生日当天，足不出户，待在家一整天与我们一块儿玩PS3的游戏，童心未泯哈哈！希望老公在这未来的一年里，笑口常开，远离那日也烦，也也烦的销售目标，抛开烦恼，身心愉快。

老公，生日快乐，我们永远都是你的精神支柱！

Bye 2011, Hi 2012!

2012-01-02T02:25:00.000+08:00

Really harbour many thoughts in my mind and wanted to finish writing this blog entry last night, but really too exhausted and drained of energy and after a day out celebrating our dearest daddy's birthday, I finally get to enjoy some restful moments....

365 days just passed in a flash. As we age, time seems to pass by so quickly. A few significant events took place in 2011 which really form the most cherishable moments in my life. Firstly, I graduated successfully from NIE with relatively good grades that I am really satisfied. Being a mid-careerist to 2 young children to attend to, it wasn't really easy adapting to the change as a student, yet having to juggle with the tight assignment deadlines alongside with managing my little 'J's. I was glad that I did well during my practicum period and 'endured' through the 'hell' days haha. In fact, if u were to ask me, I prefer actual classroom teaching to studying in NIE.

As for dear, his career switch to another bank did bring increased revenue to our houshold income. However, seeing the intense stress level that he had to face daily, my heart really goes out to him. To me, dear's health and definitely well-being is of utmost importance. So, whichever final decision he makes in his career, we would definitely be his pillar of strength which he could always rely upon.

Jovin finally graduated from kindergarten and she put up a marvellous performance on 29th Oct 11. We saw her confidence and poise as she sang and danced on stage. Jovin also enjoyed her 3 enrichment classes - Art, Chinese speech & drama & Abacus. Really wanted her to take up ballet dancing but considering her going to start primary schooling in 2012, we decided to give ballet a miss and continue to enrol her in these 3 classes which she wanted to continue. Jovin has a keen interest in artwork and never fails to draw or do handicraft in her spare time. We see a great improvement from her intial usual princess drawings to coconut trees, beach, animals etc. Everytime she returns from her art class, she proudly shows us her artwork. Now Jovin manages to coordinate the paint colours very well all by herself. As for her Chinese class, Jovin copes very well too and recites the poems and short stories very well. She does not have stage fright and performs well in front of strangers. Perhaps it's all due to my influence? Jovin has attended abacus for 2 years and we have transferred her to another centre in July. Intially we were afraid she couldn't adapt to the change but apparently, our girl is very adaptable to changing environments. Now she even progresses much faster than her peers according to her teachers which we are really proud of. Well done, Jovin!

Our little Jovan now speaks in complete sentences and is very talkative when it comes to family members. He is still trying hard to master his numbers and alphabets and learnt many new words through flash cards. From the intial shyness, Jovan now learns to speak up and interacts with his classmates. However, Jovan is more introverted compared to Jovin and is not bold enough to perform in front of outsiders. Hence, this is one aspect in Jovan which we truly hope to see an improvement. However, I am very happy to have successfully established Jovan's bedtime story routine. It is really a tall task to settle Jovan in studying. Every night without fail. from the intial grabbing and forcing to sit beside me to listen to stories, he now comes to me automatically just like Jovin for bedtime story session before sleep. He now reads 4 Chinese story books by himself which dear was truly shocked one night when I told Jovan to read to daddy. Haha, kudos to my patience!

As for travel, House of 'J's couldn't go ahead with our Japan travel plans as intially decided due to the earthquake and radiation ( Sigh, wonder how many more years it would take before we dare to bring the kids there) So we switched our plans to Hong Kong travel instead. It turned out to be a great enjoyment with our kids. They didn't cause much inconvenience and we have decided to materialise our annual overseas trip with the kids ever since. Of course, another most significant event was our joint trip to Genting with our best pals, the Lim family. It was truly enjoyable and fun and both wives hope to plan an annual combined trip which we believe our hubbies would surely jump for joy!

Finally, we did a major decision in 2011! We sold our flat in Sembawang which fetched us a fairly good price. Still remembered I really had a hard time then as school just reopened in July and the due date to shift was early Sep. As u know how tedious shifting house could be and the entire packing is primarily done by me. Having to juggle with the new school and packing simultaneously was really not an easy feat. But I survived nonetheless and since then, we had been actively searching for a resale flat near my parents' place for future convenience. Still remembered the last night before the big shift, dear and I stayed alone in the apartment, had a long chat about our reno, buying of furniture etc and now, we had to hand over the keys, our 1st love nest to someone else, really didn't bear to...

We did months of intensive flat viewing. Was contemplating between condominium and resale flat as the prices in Bishan area are really exorbitant. However, after serious consideration and budgeting, we decided to settle for resale flat as we did not want to end up in a situation such that we have to slog for our house no matter how unhappy we are with our jobs. Moreover, we prefer to have more money for leisure and travelling. With a common consensus in mind, dear and I went ahead with intensive house hunting. Finally finally, just before 2011 ends, we settled for our new apartment, very conveniently located opposite my parents' block, high floor and huge living room which dear and I always love. Of course, price is slightly on the high side but dear and I really love it so we decided to go ahead with the purchase.
So, we are temporarily 'parking' in my parents' place till our new flat is ready. Guess it would take another half a year, hopefully by Jun 2012. Till then, got to settle my reno, furnishings, furniture in warehouse etc. Another round of headache....
Ok, soooooo much have happened to us in 2011. However in 2012, I believe all the good things will come along our way especially with our new apartment coming along the way. Below are my wishes for 2012:
Dear: Stabilised career with less work pressure faced, less migraine attacks, more family time and shorter working hours!

Jovin: Adapts well to Primary school curriculum, enjoys her enrichment classes, continues with her good reading habits and stays jovial always!
Jovan: Adept at numbers and alphabets, stays more focused during studies, play lesser I-phone, continues to read story books, enjoys his Chinese enrichment class and be bold enough to perform on stage! Of course, stay jovial always!
Myself: Lesser problematic students, good time management skills, develops good rapport with my students and colleagues, less workload more $$ ( haha just foolish thinking...), focused upon Jovin's academic progress.

Travel:
-Local Hotel stay,
-KL Jun trip ( was planning Taiwan, but afraid it may clash with our house shifting, so contemplating to choose year-end overseas travelling instead),
-Taiwan Nov/Dec trip ( hope to materialise with Lim family is possible),
-Family trip to Malacca /Desaru with family in Dec.

House: Of course, we are all looking forward to our new love shelter in 2012. Dear and I are going through what we last did 7 years ago, but this time round with our 2 little 'J's. Still remember one night, Jovin pulled dear and I over and pointed to a page in the home decor magazine with a princessy pink decor furnishing bedroom, told us that she wanted this, but wanted to remove this and that, then 'instructed' us to buy... Her last sentence was ' Papa, u just need to pay the men some money and they can build my room right?" Haha dear and I really had a good laugh! This is one of the major projects that House of 'J's would be embarking on in 2012.

Phew, written sooo much. Really hope all my positive dreams and wishes would materialise and may all the negative things be shooed off. May 2012 be a good year filled with happiness, good health and hope for us as well as all our beloved ones.

HAPPY NEW YEAR OUR FRIENDS!

Last day of 2011!

2012-01-01T03:13:00.000+08:00

It's already 2012! Yet I'm still wide awake as I look at my dearest 'J's sleeping in their comfy beds. We just had a great New Year Bash at my brother's place. This year, we chose to combine X'mas and New Year's Eve celebration, thus the delay in X'mas gift exchange for the kids. They really had such a longgggg wait.........
We chose to dine at the nearby coffeeshop for our long-time favourite zicar dishes. Brother had already pre-ordered the dishes last week and this time round, what made it special was that, we requested for a small table to be arranged for the kids whereas we, the adults could enjoy our meals heartily on another table. A great suggestion indeed :)

After a hearty meal, we proceeded to my brother's place and brought the kids downstairs for the fire sparklers. Jovan was no longer afraid of the sound and sparkles. He was so brave and held the sticks all by himself and was enjoying heartily. The kids had more fun at the playground after the sparkles. All of them were all sweating, especially Jovan who really looked as though he just had a shower, haha!

Back at brother's place, we had Bingo and even got our parents to join in the fun! Jasmine even prepared presents for the winners and guess what? Jovin was the overall winner for the night as she won twice! I wasn't too bad either, emerged as the winner for the first round!

The highlight of our gathering was a family birthday celebration for our dearest daddy James who turns 3X! Got a strawberry shortcake for him and we sang the song for our dearest one. Dear was so embarassed as he said it really felt weird to hear so many singing birthday song for him hehe..... The cake was delicious and we wiped out every bit of it, including the giant strawberries on the cake!

Of course, the kids' long-awaited gift exchange came..... At 11,15p.m, all were so anxious to know what presents they had. There were NERF guns, t-shirts, pretty disney princessy accessories, drum set, Ben-10 etc. All the 5 giggled non-stop. They were definitely the happiest cos there's no need to do homework, just eat, play and get presents!

We made our way back nearing 12a.m. We had such a special way of New Year countdown. We did the countdown in the car with our little 'J's as daddy was driving home. And guess what? Sis's car happened to be beside us at a traffic junction and we wished one another Happy New Year 2012 through the windows haha... So interesting and indeed memorable way to welcome 2012.

2011 has come to an end. 2012 has just begun.... What's in store for us? Something to ponder........

乐琳上小一了！

2012-01-01T02:18:00.000+08:00

时光飞逝，看到一身穿着培群校服的乐琳，我不禁感慨万千，岁月的确不饶人。想当年，我也穿着同一款的校服，扎着马尾，拎着粉红小书包，拖着妈妈的手，步入我的小学生涯。如今一切依旧，但当然女主角已不再是我，而是我们可爱的小公主。

星期四一大早，我们便带着乐琳到培群报到，参加小一新生迎新会。随着时代的进步，学校的运作水平自然而然地也提升了不少，凡是以讲求效率为先。一到礼堂，便有热心的老师主动带领乐琳去自己的班级，而我们便坐在一旁仔细聆听校长的致词。

节目安排得非常周详紧密，设想周到。乐琳犹如往常一样，脸上泛着一丝丝的微笑，看着她与新结识的朋友手牵着手，有说有笑的，一见如故，根本不像一般新生那么羞涩胆怯，非常有自信。这宝贝的确让我与文强感到非常宽心。

学校特别安排了各班级的负责级任老师带领学生到学校的周围走走，趁机让他们熟络周围的环境。之后，我们还有机会亲自教导乐琳在食堂买食物的程序，以及正确处理碗碟的程序。宝贝好可爱，可能自觉有了自主权，所以一次过竟点了一大盘堆满配料的炒面，还嚷嚷着要买果汁喝呢！结果，不出我所料，她的小胃根本容纳不了这么多的食物，所以我们也提醒她以后千万不要再买这么多食物，无谓地浪费。

休息后，学校还特别安排让家长观看一堂英语模拟课，好让我们看看自己的孩子在班上的适应程度。乐琳很开心，非常专心听老师讲故事，并积极回答题目。

之后，我们再带乐琳在学校的四周围走走，告诉她一些重要地方的位置。看得出乐琳很向往到新学校报到的日子，因为直到今日，她对新学校的一切依然喋喋不休。女儿终于升上小一了，尽管她所必需面对的压力有增无减，但对我们来说，孩子的身心发展比学术上的成就来得更为重要。我们希望乐琳会很快适应小学的生活，继续看到她那灿烂的阳光笑容：）

X'mas Day!

2011-12-27T19:21:00.000+08:00

On X'mas Day, House of 'J's had our own simple and exclusive programme. We brought the little' J's to Orchard. Intially, we were deciding between taking MRT or driving there. We finally decided to take a bet and luckily, there was no jam and we managed to secure a parking lot easily!

That night, X'mas lightings were really bright and enchanting. Our kids were thrilled and kept posing for me. Haha I was the happiest, busy snapping photos away..... I always believe in capturing cherishable moments .

We decided to settle for X'mas dinner at Domino Restaurant @ Takashimaya. Queue was ok but the wait for food was really long..... We were starving so took photos and played games with our kids to pass time while trying to curb our hunger.

Finally, mushroom soup was served with the garlic toast. We drank soup while our kids took the toast hehe... & our main courses FINALLYYYYY arrived. Our pasta and pizza! Yummy, the food was rather tasty, perhaps we were too hungry? However, don't the dishes look appetizing?

Of course the kids favourite ice-cream dessert was soon served and all 4 of us happily sunk our mouths into the mouth-watering dessert... Yummy!

We were among the last guests who left. Really a relaxing X'mas night as we strolled along the streets, took pictures with the various X'mas settings and off we left. It was a simple but cosy celebration with our loved ones indeed :)

Santa Claus has arrived! Hohoho.....

2011-12-27T19:03:00.003+08:00

Every year, House of 'J's is especially busy during X'mas season. Our first kick-off started with dinner @ SHIP restaurant with the newly wedded Krist and Diana and Bernard. It was a cosy session exchanging small talk with our close pals. A great night spent indeed and of course, our little 'J's were the happiest with generous gifts lavished upon them from Uncle Krist & Auntie Diana. The kids simply love the Disney Princess shopping trolley and Ben-10 toy!

Our next gathering was held at our best pals, Junwei 7 Ting's place this year. Every year without fail, we rotate our hosting venues for X'mas and CNY. Although we do not achieve full attendance every year, the numbers easily exceed 10 these days since we already have 7 kids haha.....

We were among the earliest guests who arrived. Kaden was so excited to see his Genting playmates hehe and all 3 helped themselves readily to the toys available. Soon after, all our pals arrived with 6 kids running around the place. However, all were very disciplined and not much hassle running after the kids since they were appeased and engrossed with their favourite toys.

Dinner was pot-luck as usual. This time round, food quantity was just appropriate and filling. Of course, not forgetting our ever-loyal Ms Log-cake Auntie Bao hehe. Husbands gathered around dining table for their men's talk on cars, houses, jobs etc while the wives gathered in the room to view the Genting photos and chatted about our kids, schools, enrichment classes and so on... What about our kids?

Really thks to our dearest Auntie Bao who 'sacrificed' herself that night to take care of our kids.... 3 cheers for Nanny Bao!

Jovin was so pally with Chloe towards later part of the night. Chloe was initally clingy to her parents but finally relented and was very close to Jovin. Haha best playmates! Well, the only 2 pathetic little gals around surrounded by 4 boys, of course clique very easily.....

The hightlight of the party was none other than the gift exchange. We first arranged the 6 little ones to be seated in front of their gifts in descending order according to birth dates. They were surprisingly super cooperative and even posed for us. What a rare sight! After posing, all hurriedly unwrapped the presents to find out what's in store for them.

Of course, we the adults had our fair share of gift exchange too and all were happy and contented with bags full of presents. It was indeed a wonderful night spent with our pals nearing 18 years. I believe the friendship will be further extended to our next generation.... Merry X'mas to all!

High in the skies ( 15/12 - 17/12)!

2011-12-26T12:12:00.001+08:00

Genting has been one of our favourite family getaways. Although Jovin is merely 6 years old, this is her 4th visit since her first visit when she was only 13 months! As for Jovan, it's his 3rd time visiting the familiar place. This time round, we still decided to go by Transtar solitare coach but it's our first time staying at First World Hotel World Club Room, and we were even more excited travelling with our best pals, Junwei/ Tingting and their little Kaden!Of course, this is not our first combined trip with our pals, but travelling as 2 families is our first attempt. 4 adults with 3 kids, very interesting!

Early morning at 5a.m, the kids were woke up even earlier than us! They were so fresh and perked up for their trip and kept rattling about travelling with Kaden, Ah Pek & jiejie ( this is how they address our best pals haha...) Dad was so kind and drove us all the way to the meeting point at Golden Mile where we met our pals. We thought we were already kiasu enough carrying such a huge suitcase, although we were only travelling to Genting for 3D2N, never did we expect our pals were in the same 'plight' as us with Kaden bringing along 2 bolsters and 1 pillow haha....

On the coach ride, the kids behaved rather well. This was Jovan's first time occupying the seat all to himself. Intially he wanted to sit with us. However he soon got used to it and enjoyed himself so comfortably lazing on the coach, playing with i-phone, i-pad, snacking etc. Peace was declared as the 3 slept comfortably and this was when we had our free time enjoying the coach entertainment services and I happily watched my HK drama serials on my I-pad haha...

We reached Genting much earlier than expected. It was drizzling and we mummies took care of the kids while daddies settled the luggage. We set up the prams and settled the 2 princes on it to relieve our burdens. Along the way, there were so many down-riding escalators with no lifts, so we had to make several trips up and down the escalator before we finally reached First World Hotel.

Check-in process was rather smooth as there was an priority queue for World Club guests. We checked into our respective rooms and we were greeted by the spacious area in the room, so much better than the usual First World Deluxe rooms. We first bought our indoor theme park tickets, went for the usual family rides like rodeo rider, carousel etc. We had taken most of the rides but the monorail ride which gave us a spectacular overview of Genting from indoor to outdoor park was one of our favourite rides. As the train brought us outdoors, the chilly wind was really breezy and seemed like autumn cooling weather! It was indeed a long wait for the ride but waiting with friends always kill time faster.

Of course, the kids loved Bumper Car. Kaden had his first attempt with Jovin. Jovan tried to 'drive' his own car, but he had to rely on the staff's assistance as his legs were still not very long yet, needed to stretch quite a bit before he could 'drive'. Nonethelss, the kids had countless rides on this, especially my little 'J's who played till 1a.m when our best pals already went to sleep.....

The next morning, we proceeded to our buffet breakfast exclusively for World Club guests. To our surprise, the food was rather appetising and delicious. At least the spread was to the kids' liking. Our dear pal Junwei overslept till he missed the breakfast, haha... Tingting brought Kaden alone for the breakfast. Luckily with us around, she could still manage alone.

After that, we bought our tickets to outdoor theme park. However the weather was not very favourable. Drizzles, dark clouds appear at times and we could only seize the opportunity when the clouds clear. However, we decided to settle our tummies first at Ah-Yat restaurant before we continued our rides. Lunch was definitely satisfying with our fav dim sum, cod fish and a small serving of sharks fin soup.

In view of the changing climate, we decided to get additional tickets to the indoor theme park as well so that we have free unlimited entry to both indoor and outdoor rides. Of course, the happiest were none other than the 3 little ones! We took mostly family rides like Astro, spinning tea cups, flying dumbo elephant and the kids loved one of the rides which took them up and down (mini space shot). Intially, we feared Kaden would cry but he enjoyed as much as our little 'J's haha... The kids were so 'automatic' that they immediately joined the queue once they finished their rides and repeated several times. Both mummies happily filmed the entire process to capture the cherishable memories.....

Amongst the rides, we paused and the kids happily snacked with their yan yan, pocky, cotton candy etc. We went indoors soon after as it started to rain heavily. We continued with the indoor rides while our best pals went for a massage as Kaden had fallen asleep. We took several rides with the kids, did some shopping and decided to choosing outdoors with the heavy fog.

Almost couldn't see! The kids put on several layers of jackets (mummy is always well-prepared hehe...) We took the antique family car ride which the kids truly loved.

Our final highlight of the trip was the dip in heated swimming pool! Daddies brought the little ones for the swim. Actually the water was really shallow. With the slide and some other pool facilities, all enjoyed the dip just like jacuzzi. Jovan was rather apprehensive. Kept going in and out of the pool till he finally relented and joined them fully into the pool. He used to love to swim when he was younger, however there was a recent apprehension towards pool recently. Guess we need to help him to overcome this barrier.

After swimming, we went for our meal (dinner/supper?) at a Hong Kong restaurant. Perhaps we were too hungry, so just gobbled up all the food. After which, as usual, house of Lims returned for their bedtime rest while we gave a last shot at the indoor theme park to maximise our $$$! Daddy 'deserted' us for the adult roller coaster and bumper car rides. Jovan was actually dozing off in his pram but he immediately jumped up once he heard the word' bumper car'! So the 2 took several rides on that, Ride De Paris, and the mini train which they had fun playing with the bell. We were the last guests haha...

On the final day, we merely settled the check-out, did last minute shopping and happily departed. On the return coach, all 3 were really exhausted and it was pouring heavily. All had a good sleep for almost 3 hours! It was indeed a great getaway with our best pals. We definitely look forward to our next combined trip probably next year end. This time, may be contemplating travelling by air to somewhere further. If it truly materialises, not only the kids, I believe our hubbies would love it to the max! But of course we mummies enjoyed too. Vacations are always fun, expecially travelling with our best companions :)

Beary beary X'mas!

2011-12-22T12:56:00.000+08:00

This December, apart from buzzing with my own stuff, I brought our little 'J's to a couple of holiday shows at the various shopping malls. We've watched Barbie, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds and the recent Care Bears show at AMK Hub. To ensure the meet and greet pass, I usually sacrifice around 1.5 hours for the queing session ( weekday!!!).

Last Tuesday, I brought them for the Care Bears show. Both were ecstatic. We took a bus ride, joined in the already formed queue at 2.45p.m ( Show was at 4p.m!) We were all experienced. We sat down, got ready the tidbts and I-pad. The kids were super cooperative. The gate soon opened at 3.30p.m and we got our photo pass!

There were some games before the show as usual which amused and entertained the kids. The show however was merely 15minutes with the 3 bears singing X'mas songs like Jingle Bells. Hmmmm, is that worth the 1hour plus wait? Well, mums do anything just to see our kids happy. Isn't that so?

After the show, we had our photo taken with the care bears but Jovan with his Ben-10 pose, covered half of his face. Sigh....

That was not all. There was a mini Care bears carnival held for the kids. So I went to NTUC, spent $40 on tidbits ( for our Genting trip), and exchanged the receipt for 2 passes to the carnival. There were colouring activities, mini care-bears bowling, and lollipop making session! The kids really enjoyed themselves at this carnival and I gladly had my I-pad as my best companion.

This December, guess my kids' eyes were really in for a feast having watched so many performances. This was something I could never have done with my previous job. December holidays is really one of the best takeaways from my mid career switch. Most importantly, my kids benefitted :)

X'mas shopping!

2011-12-12T18:31:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, the House of 'J's really had a long tiring day. We went out shopping for 12 hours ( 11a.m to 11p.m)! Unbelievable isn't it?
Our first stop was Orchard, mainly Tangs and Takashimaya. Amidst the X'mas shopping, we saw many publicity events going on. The most hilarious scene was, just after we parked our car and were making our way to Takashimaya, we passed by a huge crowd wooing and 'salivating' at an entourage of suave and really muscular fit topless young men. They were there to assist in the publicity of the newly opened gym. We actually wanted to by-pass and proceeded directly to Takashimaya. However, one of the macho suave men suddenly 'pounced' towards Jovin and requested to take a shot with her. Haha our princess was stunned by the sudden act and was hesitant. She insisted pulling me along for the shot and reluctantly agreed to posed with the guys. One of the guys wanted to give her a hug but she simply refused, too shy haha. However guess what? As she left, she said she wanted to tell me a secret. Her secret was " Mummy, the man is really handsome!" Haha....

As we moved on, there was another publicity event by the newly opened I-Studio and we got a free print shot on the spot with those dressed as prince and princesses. Along the way, there were many X'mas decor which we took shots for our lovely girl. As for our dear Jovan, he chose to enjoy his lollipop to taking photos....

We managed to settle some gifts from Tangs, then headed to Domino cafe for a rest since Jovan dozed off. Found a perfect spot which he could sleep on comfortably and the 3 of us got to enjoy our churros and tiramisu with free-flow tea and coffee, yippie!

We went to the Taka toys fair at the basement, bought more toys for our CLDDS little ones. Dear even couldn't resist the NERF addiction and got another NERF gun, the latest vortex! Really don't know if the gun is for the kids or himself? Our hands were really full then after buying the toys. However, there were more things on our shopping list and we proceeded to Tampines Mall! Very adventourous right?

We went to BHG, so much bigger than Bishan's outlet. Got the remaining gifts and dearest Santa Claus arrived earlier to distribute X'mas presents to Mummy and the little 'J's. We are happy!

When we reached home, it was 11p.m! Really exhausted but glad we have done the shopping. Great accomplishment! Now I can happily look forward to the upcoming gatherings!

Fun in the sky!

2011-12-12T17:53:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, I went on the Singapore Flyer with my family. This holiday season, MOE staff get to enjoy concessionary rates for the flyer tickets. Since we had never gone for the ride, I decided to make this a family outing and gathered my family members along.

Apart from my dad who's fearful of heights and my sis with Patrick and Crystal, the rest of us went ahead. It had been raining the past few afternoons, so we were unsure if the weather was in our favour. God really favoured us! We reached there around 6p.m. However after the long queue, delay in meeting etc, we finally got to enter the Journey of Dreams at around 6.30p.m. Except for my sis-in-law, this was our first visit and it was an eye-opener for all of us. The journey provided us with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Singapore Story.

The journey had 7 exciting galleries encompassed within it. We first walked through the Prelude where we saw revolving 3D rotating gear mechanisms displaying the inner workings of the Flyer. We had most fun at the Fragment of Dreams Gallery which allowed us to explore Singapore’s culture and architecture by simply shining a torch onto a portrait of old Singapore. Not only the kids, even my mum had fun shiing the torch onto the screen!

We finally made our debut flight on the iconic Singapore Flyer!We were stading at 165m above the ground! All of us had the feeling of boarding an airplane while waiting for our turn to get onto the flight. On the flyer, it was still daytime and we managed to capture many memorable shots. The speed was really slow that we even thought it was stationary! Mum even told the kids the hotels that sis, brother and our weddings were held as we saw Oriental, Marina Mandarin and Pan Pacific from the flyer.

The kids had fun with their woos and ahs, while we also busy captured the memorable shots as night fell. So we were so fortunate to have both day and night shots of the flyer haha...

After the flight, we bought the souvenir shot which cost $2x for a mere 8R shot. However, it's the memory that counts. We settled for dinner at the food court and went to Mac Cafe for coffee and desserts. It was a fun night spent with my family. Most importantly, I saw the blissful look on my mum's face and she kept telling me the ride was a good one and she enjoyed it. The money spent was indeed worthwhile :)

Family Chalet 3D2N!

2011-12-11T01:49:00.000+08:00

Yippie, finally back from our annual family chalet. As usual, we had our getaway at Aloha Loyang. Manage to secure the booking of Seaview terrace which was large enough to accomodate my entire family. The kids really yearned for this from the day they knew the booking date. We checked in on Sun 4 Dec at 3p.m. Settled check-in and the necessary administrative procedures. Then we began our activities.

This time round, apart from the normal WII games, bubble-blowing, mahjong, ball games, swimming and water bomb, the kids engaged in NERF gun shooting. Each of them had one ( we even have 3!) and my dear hubby also joined in the fun. To the kids, dear was the gigantic predator. It was really a rare sight to see dear running after the 5 with the NERF gun, shouting and 'escaping' from the bullets. So different from his usual banking pro image haha....However such photos are highly classified, not for uploading hehe.... Only the privileged ones (i.e me lah) get to retain such precious memorable shots....

We had 2 rounds of swimming too this time. Morning and evening swim. However, Jovan was not too keen on swimming this time. He preferred to stay at one corner with his water gun to attack his dear cousins and of course his beloved daddy haha. Daddy was running for his life to escape from his son's water attacks. Jovan also went to the arcade for some fun while the rest were having an evening dip in the pool.

Oh yes, Jovan finally had his first attempt at cycling during this chalet. He had a hard time deciding between renting a bicycle to his own or choose to be 'chauffered' by us. He finally chose to rent his own bicycle. But he simply did not know how to paddle, or to put it simply, he was plain lazy. So he happily sat on it but poor daddy had to push him haha. Daddy was grunting non-stop..... As for Jovin and the rest, they happily cycled and enjoyed the breeze during their rides.

Of course, apart from family bonding, our main intention for the chalet was to celebrate mum and Crystal's birthday! We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant nearby. Food was good and reasonably priced. Had the fruit birthday cake as our dessert. All were fullest to the max!

It's always a blessing to have elderly around on such trips. This time round, mum and brother-in-law even prepared home-cooked dinner for us on the second night! We went to Parkway Parade for lunch and bought the necessary ingredients for dinner that night! While we went for swimming, the experienced chefs prepared dinner for us. Those were merely simple dishes like fried egg, salmon etc but all dishes were whipped up in a flash. The kids ate separately at their kids' table, whereas we the adults ate at the dining table. Really an enjoyment!

The annual get-together really binded all of us closely. We did everything together through simple activities. Most importantly, all of us enjoyed the experience. Shall wait till next year. Wonder if we would still stick to chalet, or perhaps try Malacca? Hmmm, well nothing beats more than having all our beloved ones with us always. Wish for such everlasting blissfulness within my family :)

What are little 'J's doing at home?

2011-12-01T12:50:00.000+08:00

Holiday shows!

2011-12-01T12:37:00.000+08:00

Year-end school holidays are here again! Usually in Dec, House of 'J's do not have any overseas travelling plans as daddy is not used to the idea of travelling in coldness. So apart from family chalet and a short stint at Genting, we would just stay local and bring our kids around.

This is the time of the year where major shopping malls will organise holiday shows with the kids' favourite casts like Pokemon, Power Rangers, Barbie etc. My first 'mission' commenced on Tuesday at Junction 8. Single-handledly, I brought my little 'J's and started queing for the meet-and-greet Barbie session. Jovan and I were merely accompanying our princess. Luckily I had I-pad and tidbits ready for Jovan's standby use so I didn't have much problems during the 1 hour queue.

Although it was a weekday, the queue was already very long. Before the session, there was a Q&A session and Jovin was so lucky to be chosen again. I couldn't even help her with the answer as the questions were from the movie Barbie Princess Charm School. I was so surprised that she was able to answer it correctly and she won herself a Barbie tote bag ( the same tote bag which she already had!) After which, the meet-and-greet-session commenced and Jovin went up the stage herself for the photo-taking session.

However, a small episode happened on the way home. Jovin's usual forgetfulness and carelessness set in once again. She forgot her newly won tote bag with her EZ-link card that was within it in the bus. Of course, she was severely reprimanded by me as this was not her first time. As a punishment, I told her to remove $15 from her piggy-bank and returned the money to my mum who has just topped up $15 in her EZ-link card the day before. On top of that, one star was struck from her rewards list ( A reward system has been set in place for Jovin such that she would get a small present whenever she accumulates 10 stars). We hope that this should serve as a penalty warning for our girl and make her realise the importance of accountability and responsibility for one's things.

Kids really antagonise us parents at times. I asked dear why I took so much effort to queue and 'waste' my time. In the end, she lost her EZ-link card and made me so furious because of her forgetfulness. What do I stand to gain? Of course I got nothing but anger in return but still, I had no qualms doing it and am very sure will still do these silly things again. I'm sure dear won't do that but I am clueless why I still go ahead bringing my kids to shows, accompanying them for long hours queues etc. Guess this is the power of motherhood. Their smiles bring me satisfaction :)

Cut Cut Cut! Grrr Grrrrr Grrrrr!

2011-11-21T13:16:00.000+08:00

Jovan has always been not very cooperative during hair cutting sessions since young. Last weekend, mum and I really had a tough 'battle' with my prince. Jovan's hair was really getting long and unmanageable as his fringe was almost covering his eyes. We resorted to all tricks and tactics to get him step into the saloon but he simply refused. No amount of cajoling, coaxing or cuddles worked! He refused blatantly and did not want to give in. Sitting on the pram, the whole market could hear his screams and cries, really tested my patience.....

Ok, so I gave in to him and brought him all the way home. Guess what? The moment we stepped into the house, he said he wanted a hair cut and screamed like mad! Mum and I were really furious! I simply locked him out of the balcony ( his usual punishment corner) Really got on my nerves and it really took me quite long to calm my nerves....

Night time, Jovan passed by the saloon and insisted on having the hair cut again, so dear and I simply brought him in and guess what? He was really super duper cooperative, can't believe that's my boy. He tilted, lowered, raised his head etc according to the stylist's request haha! Sigh, never did I expect such a simple hair cutting matter to evoke such reaction from Jovan.

Till today, still trying to source and experiment various teaching methods to engage and guide Jovan. He's really different from Jovin. I know dear has really no patience for him but no worries, I will continue with my 'research' and 'experimenting' on teaching methods, I'm sure will devise a teaching method to educate my son one day.
Never give up and stay calm - My motto!

Mrs Zhou for 8 years!

2011-11-09T12:09:00.006+08:00

Last night, dear gave me a pleasant surprise with a bouquet when he returned home late after work. Haha was secretly thinking if there would be anything in store for me. Hmmm, dear really reads my mind. It was our 8th year ROM anniversary!

I must admit till today, I'm still not used to people addressing me as Mrs Zhou. Even in school, I'm addressed as Ms Lim, haha. 8 Nov 2003, the day I decided to entrust my happiness to the most important man in my life. People often say marriage is a lifetime gamble with no 100% guarantee. True, I concur with that! Even till this day, there's no 100% certainty our marriage will stay loving and blissful as it has always been for the past. Who can predict the future?

However, the only certain fact which I can attest to is the unyielding and unconditional love which I've enjoyed since the day I'm officially crowned as Mrs Zhou. Though imperfect dear might be with his flaws, he's undoubtly proven himself to be a steadfast lover who always places me as the most important person in his mind. Yes, he's forgetful, too serious at times, insensitive ( and the list goes on haha.....), but BUT he's down-to-earth, trustworthy, caring, forgiving etc..... I definitely do see his positive traits, turning a blind eye to his flaws haha....

Every year without fail, we make an effort to celebrate the ocassion. This year, chose to stay at Royal Plaza on Scotts ( merely cos we wanted to savour the buffet breakfast spread which we have heard much about it). The hotel stay was average, our last stay at Fullerton was much preferred though. But we really loved the buffet breakfast spread as the variety was great!

We spent most of the time lazing around in the room, snacking on our bed, pillow-fighting with the kids, Dear and Jovin had a dip whereas Jovan (barred from swimming due to cough) and myself were busy snapping shots. A wonderful family retreat!

My hearfelt words for my dearest hubby James:

Though imperfect u may be, thks for accepting all my flaws too. I know u still love me deeply as u did since 1 Mar 1995 ( the official day we became a courting couple!!). Dear, I never stop loving u before, now and future. Let's continue to strive for our happiness and nurture our little 'J's.
Happy 8 years ROM anniversary!

Wedding Bliss!

2011-11-07T23:21:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, House of 'J's attended dear's long-time uni buddy, Krist's wedding. Since SMU days, dear has been the best of pals with Krist and he has really showered much concern and doted very much on our little 'J's, never fails to buy them expensive toys and clothes.

Dear was one of his 'brother' team. Together with another good pal Bernard, they helped Krist to 'secure' his lovely bride, Diana. The tekan session wasn't too tedious, but they were rather 'disgusted' by the fact that they had to perform a mouth-to-mouth kiss. Haha, we teased dear and Bernard throughout the wedding dinner especially when we saw the montage.

We were dressed to the nines for our buddy's wedding. Jovan was so cooperative when we put on the tie suit and formal pants for him. He looked like mini James haha! Many commented he looked so adorable. As dear was one of the helpers, we arrived earlier than the other guests.

The kids busy entertained themselves, helped ythemselves with the dessert table which was a well spread of lollipop biscuits, chocolates and Jovan's favourite cup cakes! As for us adults, we helped ourselves to the generous servings of lychee and peach cocktails and happily posed with one another.

The wedding dinner went on very smoothly. It was a cosy one with 15 tables, and we sat together with dear's SMU pals, so had a great time catching up with one another.

Jovin was elated when she could finally take a picture with her favourite Uncle Krist. Too bad Auntie Diana was busy changing her outfits, so we missed the opportunity. But Krist was really a great host as he came specially to thank us and pose with our precious princess.

We are really happy to see Krist finally settle down with his beloved. We've waited long enough from the year Jovin was born till now, it's already long enough haha. We next yearn to see little Krist / Diana popping out soon and wish the 2 of them in marital bliss forever.

Princess turns 6!

2011-11-04T12:37:00.000+08:00

Jovin enjoyed a super, duper wonderful 6th birthday celebration last weekend! On 28th, dear and I made deliberate efforts to enjoy the special moment with her in school. The school even made special arrangments to bring Jovan to Jovin's class, so our dear Jovin enjoyed status like a royal princess that day, wearing her favourite clothes, accessories and not forgetting having the cake-cutting session and goody bag distribution for all her classmates. The kids really loved the Belle 2kg cake so much that many asked for second helping!

Jovan too, interacted happily with Jovin's classmates. All of them doted on Jovan and he enjoyed eating the cake happily with rest of Jovin's classmates too.

This time round, we even deliberated boys and girls' goodie bags. Boys have Ben-10 / Transformers whereas girls have Disney Princess/ Barbie sets. Haha, we are so considerate. Guess what? Jovin's classmates really love this arrangement. Teachers commented this class's girls and boys are truly typical pink and blue types.

On Jovin's actual birthday 30th, Jovin woke up bright and early and joined us earlier at the function room for the decor setting up. Buffet was there, soon the balloons decor company arrived too. Jovin was excited to see all her favourite Belle, Ariel balloons and started to pose before all her guests arrived. The balloon decor was well done, with balloon arch which many guests complimented too.

Dear and I specially did up birthday collage and posters for Jovin too and prepared customised birthday favours for our guests.

From 12.30pm onwards, guests started to stream in. There were some of Jovin's classmates which she specially selected haha. Only her best friends were invited. It was truly a girls' party. Soon, others like Chloe, Kaden all arrived. It was more like a girls' party as we saw lots of pinky belongings hehe. Jovin was just like a party host, bringing her friends to the birthday wish corner where many drew their favourite mermaid picture and birthday cake on their wishes for Jovin.

This time round, we specially engaged Macdonalds party services another time since Jovin loved it during her 4th birthday celebration. There were about 12 children for the game, just nice! The kids were elated over the happy meals, and had a wonderful time partying with 4 games, caterpillar, jigsaw puzzle and the kids' long-time favourite - musical chairs!

One of the games was tekan game for dear and myself! Haha. Dear and I were asked to sit in the middle. The kids were divided into 2 teams and they needed to compete by first finishing putting the clothes peg on us. Jovan happily sat on my laps and joined in the fun too. We ended up looking like clowns, but had lots of fun with the kids, especially our 2 little ones.

The entertainers helped us to host the cake-cutting session too and took many memorable shots for us. Everyone complimented on the beautiful Disney princess cake from Pine Garden. Jovin chose the design herself. Together with her Disney castle set of 4 princesses, the cake looked and tasted as fabulous! We wiped out the entire cake!

The party was an informal and cosy one with all our dearest ones. I'm glad our family and close friends stood by us all these years. Most of our friends knew us through JC, uni days through workplace. We really come a long way with them. Thks everyone for lavishing your care on us and our little 'J's. Jovin enjoyed a wonderful day with your presence, not forgetting your wonderful presents, and would like to say a big 'THANK YOU' to all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OUR DEAREST JOVIN!
DADDY, MUMMY AND DIDI JOVAN WILL ALWAYS LOVE U!

Jovin graduated!

2011-11-01T09:19:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, House of 'J's was extremely busy with 2 major events that centred upon our dearest Jovin. We finally witnessed our elder 'J' perform confidently during her graduation ceremony last Saturday. The night prior to her performance, Jovin was still busy practising her songs and dance steps. Could see that she really took this very seriously. The kids were allowed to put on their favourite outfits, so Jovin gladly chose the white floral dress which she wore 2 years ago! Haha, her petite frame could still fit many dresses which we bought years ago.

Together with my mum, we proceeded to her school and saw all the kids's art works displays. Jovin excitedly showed me all her master pieces, and explained her school project to me. She proudly explained the working concept of her Princess House, together with her group members, really looked professional haha!

Jovin and her best buddies hugged and cuddled one another and we took many memorable shots of them. All of them wore their princess dress outfits, very typical of girls :)

We first sent Jovin in for her back-stage preparation, whereas we toured around the exhibit area and chatted with the parents. The moment soon arrived. We chose a good spot and happened to sit beside Jovin and Jovan's best friends ( happened to be siblings as well). The kids soon started to perform and brought us the lovely song and dance performances. Coupled with the movie clip, the performance was great! As we watched the video, the kids burst into laughter as they saw themselves and their teachers appearing on the huge screen, haha. Kids are really innocent....

As I saw Jovin walking onto stage to receive her certificate, really felt a sense of consolation. 6 years ago, we saw her gently brought into our arms. From cries, blabbering, conversing to show and tell on stage, we witnessed Jovin's transformation. Our efforts ( of course not forgetting $$$) invested upon her have not been in vain. Today, dear and I see Jovin who's confident with sweet and cheerful disposition. That really consoles us.

The performance ended with a chorale singing which involved everyone in the theatre. In our eyes, it was a splendid performance put up by the kids. Despite minor glitches during some segments, in all parent's eyes, this was hard work and effort by all teachers and our dearest little ones who have spent months rehearsing.

Next phase marks another journey for Jovin, challenging nonetheless, we would definitely brave through all with her. Right, our little princess?

Hear the Dinosaurs Roarrrrrr.............

2011-10-27T11:43:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, it was the first time our little 'J's had a up close and personal session with DINOSAURS! We pre-booked the DINOSAURS ALIVE exhibition tickets currently held at Science Centre. The kids had been yearning for it ever since the day I bought the tickets. We wanted to have our exclusive birthday celebration for our little Jovin before her actual day. So decided to opt for this.

The kids were excited early in the morning. We had Macdonalds breakfast, enjoyed 2 sets of Big Breakfast Deluxe and off we went to Science Centre! Carpark lots were not easy to locate due to the public holiday and we weren't that early haha.... Finally after some time, secured a good lot under shade. Our little 'J's were elated and both held our hands so tightly, haha they must have thought they were real dinosaurs! With the roaring sound effects, actions etc, it was a great experience for us.

Not easy to take pictures as little 'J's were busy moving from on exhibit to another, no time to pose. As we walked, the last stop even created a space for the kids to colour and trace out the dinosaurs template! Well, Jovin was very keen but not our little prince as usual. He'd rather enjoy viewing the dinosaur exhibits cuddled in his daddy's arms.

When we came out, we saw a huge dinosaur exhibit which allowed the kids to climb on and pose with it. Jovan suddenly threw tantrums, so we only managed to get Jovin to do it.

We proceeded next to Science Centre, and rented a stroller since it was free haha...( in case Jovan sleeps) The various Science exhibits indeed amused and attracted the kids' attention.

They had fun with magic mirrior, experimenting sounds, listening to their own echoes through echo tube. They had most fun out of "HEAD ON A PLATTER". The kids simply entered from another entrance and popped their heads out of a fruit platter which created the illusion they were without bodies, haha! They ran in and out of the tunnel several times!

Another exhibit which the kids stayed longer was the doing of fractions! We were surprised Jovan could stay there for almost 10 mins, simply choosing and mixing the correct proportions of the pizza to complete the whole pizza. With Jovin and my help, Jovan was so proud whenever he completed his mission. Hmmm, hopefully his interest sustains.......

Finally, we stopped for some light snacks when Jovan had fallen asleep in the pram. It was raining heavily then and Jovan seemed to be enjoying his beauty sleep so much. We continued to tour remaining exhibits like SPACE and ROBOTICS before we proceeded for our Omni Theatre show - The Flying Monsters at 6p.m. Our seats were among the last rows and Jovan was very cooperative throught the 45min show. Jovin asked many questions and Jovan even 'shooed' her, asking her to keep quiet haha... Dear and I found it a hilarious sight indeed. Towards the 2nd half of the show, Jovin fell asleep, guess she was really too exhausted. Jovan seemed to enjoy the show. He had ample nap, and remarked " Dinosaurs have so big wings, the monsters die already, dinosaurs fighting!" Guess this is really boys' cup of tea.

The kids had some more fun at the kinetc outdoor garden before we left. It was 7.30p.m by then and we merely rested while the kids roamed around till they were willing to leave. Went to nearby IMM for dinner. As our birthday princess wished, we opted for HongKong delicacies where the kids can have their favourite 滑蛋河粉. I asked if Jovin enjoyed the day. She said she was very happy but dead tired as well but would want to return since they didn't have a chance at the wet playground due to wet weather. Well, we would definitely be back since my membership is for 2 years.

Hmmm, it was indeed a memorable birthday trip for Jovin, especially hearing the dinosaurs 'roarrrrr'! We enjoyed the day as much as our little 'J's!

Counting Down to Jovin's big day!

2011-10-24T00:11:00.001+08:00

Finally finished marking all exam scripts, done with results analysis and all other admin processing. This is the time when I can finally set my heart on preparing for my dear princess's upcoming school and home birthday party this weekend!

As usual, bought the necessary gift items for the school party bags. As Jovin grows older, we allow her to be the decision maker wherever possible. This time round, she's the boss, the dictator! She personally saw to the choosing of all gift items for her little classmates, decided upon her own birthday party invitation list as I showed her all the past years' photos. We even had to seek her 'approval' when deciding upon the customised birthday party favors, party decor etc haha.....

Our dear princess may look petite and underaged, but she's actually very composed and systematic when handling matters. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted when I gave her choices, posed her questions etc. Hmmm, rather mature behaviour for her age.

Past few days, we started to get started with our party favor packing. She enlisted her little helper, Jovan to assist her in packing 20 bags. We worked simply like a production line Daddy is the supervisor ( merely SUPERVISE - see and do nothing lor) and I'm the Quality Control inspector, haha.... House of 'J's had loads of fun while doing this....

Apart from that, daddy and mummy are doing some kinda poster for our dear princess. Well, was actually deciding if we wanted to order a customised banner, but thought perhaps it would be a good idea to do one birthday poster for her since she's always nagging why Jovan had a birthday poster ( which we did for Jovan's 1 year old), so to exercise fairness, dear and I just had to sacrifice a bit more of that time to please our dear princess. That's why I always tell my friends, the possibilty of us having a 3rd one is really remote cos how to have so much energy to do so much for the 3rd one to ensure fairness among all kids? As far as possible, we try to be consistent among the 2. ( From scrapbooks, photo books, studio shots, parties, presents, etc.) So far so good and we are definitely very satisfied buzzing over our precious 2 little 'J's.

Jovin is really looking forward to her cosy party with all her dearest ones, counting down everyday....Of course, thanks to everyone who's coming for the fun. House of 'J's looks forward to seeing all of our dearest pals this Sunday!

Adorable moments.....

2011-10-16T00:50:00.000+08:00

Many of my friends have stopped the habit of snapping shots at their precious ones wherever they go ever since their kids start to grow. However, I never seem to get tired of snapping and capturing memorable shots of my 2 little 'J's. My camera is still in my bag wherever I go every weekend. Haha, even bought a brand new Canon camcorder recently. All ready to pull shots of my little princess's upcoming birthday celebration and her K2 graduation concert!

These are some of the recent adorable snap shots of my little ones. Jovan was talking over the phone with granny, having fun with the newly bought Ben-10 masks etc. Hehe, simply love the ones which Jovan posed with Jovin's hat, so girly yet cheeky haha.. Gonna show him when he grows up. I always believe such memories are worthwhile to be captured. So I shall continue with my snapping :)

Jovan's 1st time!

2011-10-16T00:41:00.001+08:00

There's so many first times in a child's development. We, as parents, always yearn to be the first ones beside them to witness these first precious moments. Last Friday night, I witnessed my dear Jovan's another great milestone - Jovan's first attempt at using chopsticks! My dear prince was eating beehoon. He suddenly switched to using chopsticks when he saw Jovin using it to eat her share. I was surprised he was able to use chopsticks to feed himself! It was a wonderful first attempt. Jovin and I further motivated him by complimenting him on his good effort. It works and he used chopsticks to finish the whole bowl of beehoon!
Good effort, Jovan!

F1 night!

2011-09-30T14:28:00.003+08:00

It's the F1 fever... I'm definitely not an ardent fan, but dear has been attending one of the rehearsal sessions with our best pal, Junwei since 2 years ago. This year, the wives decided to create a special link-up for the kids since daddies are away enjoying themselves.

We arranged to meet at Toa Payoh after Jovin's class, parked our cars and took mrt all the way to city hall mrt. Haha.. it was just fun bringing the 2 families and 3 kids. It's just like a rehearsal for our Genting trip in Dec! We met up with Ting's sis, had dinner before we waved goodbye to daddies.

As for us, we brought the kids to the indoor playground at Matrina Square. It was great having Tingyu around as she was a superb babysitter, giving Ting and I ample opportunities to chat and organise future link-ups for the 2 families. The kids merely stayed there, had ample fun till the 2 daddies returned around 9.30p.m. The 3 had great bonding indeed and enjoyed one another's company. Hmm, looks like we will have a great time in Dec.. We then had Starbucks, sipped our favourite beverage, enjoyed waffles and cakes. A great night out indeed...

It's reading time!

2011-09-30T14:06:00.001+08:00

There are rare peaceful moments when our little 'J's can sit down amicably, Jovan listening to jiejie telling stories through I-Pad. Really cherishable moments........

Happy Smurfy weekend!

2011-09-19T22:41:00.006+08:00

Last weekend, the House of 'J's went for the SMURFS show and surprisingly, our little 'J's loved it to the max, even little Jovan! The 2 of them favourite hum is the smurf tune! We went shopping for the smurf soft toys, posed with smurf mascots, everything gotta do with the little blue smurfs!

Both happily talked about the movie when they saw my mum after we reached home. It's Jovan's second movie since his first at the Kungfu Panda 2. Our next family movie date would be the Pooh movie nearing Jovin's birthday in mid Oct.

Apart from a wonderful movie date, we had a wonderful meal at a newly recommended cafe by daddy. It was near upper serangoon road. No crowd, great food at reasonable pricing. Good recommendation indeed. After which, we went shopping at NEX and bought Jovan a pair of sunglasses to replace the old worn out one. No work, stress free, only fun and play, that's what I love :)

毕生难忘的中秋夜晚。。。。

2011-09-19T21:54:00.005+08:00

每年中秋节，我们全家总会聚集在姐姐的公寓楼下赏月吃月饼，但今年因恰逢恺义外甥的小六会考，我们便取消了这个聚会。老公和我吃了晚餐后，便带着两个宝贝与伟骏外甥一块儿到楼下的碧山公园提灯笼。人山人海，平日寂静的公园，顿时热闹了起来。今年的月亮虽显得朦胧，但大伙儿的兴致依然高昂。

我们五人点灯笼、提灯笼、拍照留念，热闹不已。但这并不是我毕生难忘的原因。接下来所发生的事，真的是我这一生无法忘怀的。走着走着，我交待老公看着乐琳与伟骏，因为我得费多些神看紧乐文。所以我们的距离就越拉越远，因为我得看牢乐文，免得他走失。我万万想不到的事发生了！

老公忽然带着伟骏，问我有没有看到乐琳。我说女儿不是跟着他吗？他说，不知怎么的，丢失了乐琳。我整个人先是一怔，再质问老公来龙去脉。乐琳真得不见了！我们都慌了。我们分头去找女儿。我紧抱着15公斤重的乐文，管不了那个重担，脑子里只浮现着乐琳的样子，往最坏的方面想，不知女儿是否被坏人拐骗，跌伤了，躲在什么角落等。我带着乐文，像疯婆子般走遍整个公园，甚至走到最阴暗的角落，希望奇迹般地看到乐琳，但我一次又一次地受到打击。公园里这么多人，人心险恶，还有这么多外地劳工，真的很担心女儿的下落。

我哭了，真的急得哭了。如果再也看不到乐琳怎么办？我真的彷徨失措，整个人失了神。我不停埋怨责怪老公的失职。怎么能走在两个幼小的孩童面前，而不看紧他们呢？我不敢想象，如果失去乐琳后的未来是怎么样的。我开始胡思乱想。。。

正当我失魂落魄地站在一旁时，忽然碰见住在我附近的一位表婶。他告诉我，她碰到乐琳，而在乐琳的指引下，已把她安全送回家。我马上拨电给妈妈，确定乐琳已安全到家。一听到乐琳的声音，我心中的大石顿时放了下来，宝贝安然无恙！

我们飞速冲回家，宝贝紧拥着我，告诉我她刚才很害怕，但并没有哭。宝贝真的很勇敢，而且还认得路回家。但真得是不幸中之大幸，非常感谢表婶，要不然后果就不堪设想了。当然，老公之后遭受严厉的谴责（老妈、家婆、老婆），真的很气老公，但幸亏化险为夷，我也不再追究下去，而且也骂了他好久。但我告诉老公，以后绝对不会让他单独带着孩子，必须在我的管辖范围才许可，免得重蹈复澈。

乐琳告诉我，她以后不要再单独跟着爸爸了，因为她害怕会不见妈咪，哈哈！现在乐琳变得好乖，时刻紧握我的手，深怕她会再次不见。所以，你说是不是毕生难忘的中秋夜晚呢？

（出事前，还拍了许多照片，毕生难忘。。。。）

Me Superwoman?

2011-09-11T03:06:00.004+08:00

Being a working mum is never easy. See? I'm still working till this unearthly hour.One week holidays is almost over. What happened for the past week?

1)Busy with my cousin's wedding
2)Marking of students's essays
3)Finished setting exam papers
4)Done with Jovin's holiday revision (self-imposed by me, hehe..)
5)Done with my assignment due next Thur ( so fortunate to be one of the selected few to attend a 1 year course which comes with assignments in addition to my already heavy workload, sigh...)
6)Arrangement of Jovin's upcoming 6th birthday party- venue, decor, party favours etc. ( ya, this year having a party for my dear princess as she may have to spend her future birthdays in the midst of exam preparation as she starts P1 next year, so gonna give her a good one this year).
7)Settled year-end family chalet booking (4-6 Dec) & materialised Genting trip with our best buddy pals! House of 'J's and Lims are going Genting from 15-17 Dec! So excited!
8) Made a very important decision and completed a very major tasking which had been weighing on dear and my minds, but now faced with yet another major challenge which we would reveal when the time is ripe. Really very weary... But I survived and no regrets!
9) Sick for almost 3 days with severe sorethroat, went to see doctor, had to take antibiotics which I hated! Luckily recovered now.

So u see, so much was happening around me. Dear said I exerted too much upon myself, especially over kids thingy. However, my answer to dear always remains the same, I went through so much to give birth to my lovely 'J's. I would do anything I can as long as they are happy. Nothing is more fulfilling than seeing my little 'J's cheery and happy always. I'm my dear's superwoman :)

Cousin's wedding 4 Sep 11!

2011-09-11T02:19:00.010+08:00

It has been a long while since we last attended wedding dinner together with my siblings and parents as an extended family. Think the last round was my own wedding in 2005! Last Sun, it was my cousin's wedding. Apart from the night reception, we attended the tea ceremony during day-time. Hehe, it was dear and my first time having tea served to us by a newly wed couple, so we felt rather amused by it.

Jovin took photos with the beautiful bride and couldn't help but steal glances at her. Jovin simply loved to touch the bridal gown as usual cos she has always loved to be a princess!

After a busy afternoon with great buffet food and chit-chatting with relatives, we went home, rested for a short while before I dressed up the kids. Jovin was in her pretty pink dress and Jovan was in his white long-sleeved shirt with blue pull-over coupled with long pants.

Jovin simply loves dressing up. She chose her own accessories, then I put a tiara on her head, with her crystal shoes. Wow, really looks like a princess!

When we reached the hotel, my siblings have already reached. We sat together, enjoyed the dinner as all of us joked, laughed, played I-pad, I-phone, watched the wedding video. Great night of photos and of course, food!

Recently, a lot of upcoming weddings, mainly from relatives as our cousins have mostly reached marriageable age. Next Jun, another close relative getting married. Gotta buy another suit for Jovan as I think he's already outgrowing the current one. As for Jovin, she simply has too many dresses to choose from, haha....Looks like gotta save $$$$ for at least 4 weddings till next Jun!

A Date with the Lanterns!

2011-08-30T03:20:00.007+08:00

Ever since we had kids, we never failed to give Chinese Garden a miss during Lantern Festival. Still remembered the first time we came here was in Sep 06 when Jovin was barely 1 and the theme then was Seven Wonders of the World. Following which, we brought Jovan to enjoy the ambience too in Sep 08. Still remembered we enjoyed ourselves a lot that year as the theme was Hello Kitty at F1 races. The kids really loved the brightly lit lanterns and Hello Kitty decor then. However to our disappointment, it did not organise any lantern exhibtion for the past 2 years. So we switched to Chinatown instead.

This year, Chinese Gardens is back at the Lantern Festival once again with its theme: The World of Legends. However, this year, we managed to organise as a combined family gathering with our best couple pals. Well, credit goes to the 2 wives inadvertently who were so dilligently checking up on our timings and schedules, activities and even settled the dining place!

We arranged to meet for dinner at the nearby Taman Jurong Food Centre. We are all northern residents, so it's our first visit in this vicinity. Our hubbies settled the food ordering and we had simple hawker fare. Kids mingled and were rather cooperative during dinner time. All of us were so excited and even decided to make this an annual thingy between the 2 families, hehe...

After dinner, we proceeded to Chinese Garden. It was only the 2nd day, so there wasn't much crowd. However, many stalls were still not opened yet but the kids enjoyed walking and running along the trek. The 2 wives were carrying much barang but kudos to the 2 obedient hubbies who were our porters for the night, haha! See below pictures and u will know what I mean....

As night falls, we chose a spot to light up our lanterns. Jovin and Jovan had their respective Disney Princess and Ben-10 lanterns while Kaden had his Doraemon bubble lantern! Each of them walked with their lanterns, but it was really challenging to capture a combined shot of the 3 kids, think only managed to catch these 2 precious shots as we couldn't get all to cooperate at one time. Nonetheless, good attempt :)

We commented the theme wasn't that suitable and understandable for young kids like ours. Even secondary school kids nowadays are so weak in their knowledge on Chinese ancient tales like 后羿射日、神农尝百草etc. I doubt even my dearest pal Junwei can understand haha.... Nonetheless, the colourful lightings and brightly lit decor did capture our kids's attention. It wasn't easy to get Kaden to pose too unless Tingting is with him. He just loved to run around instead of being 'hijacked' for photo-shoot, hehe...

The main highlight of the stroll was none other than the funland. We intially spent $10 worth of tokens for each to take a ride on their choice of rides, but Kaden too took a liking to the Merry-go-round which Jovin and Jovan took. So Junwei bought another $10 tokens and the 3 took the ride together. The kids were thrilled and Jovin was 'assigned' to sit beside Kaden to take care of the youngest Kaden.

As compared to previous years, I found that the scale wasn't as massive and the decor was so much lesser. Guess it's all replaced by the fireworks display? Somethng different this year was the fireworks performance at 9p.m. We chose a great spot and watched the though not-so-spectacular fireworks show. Jovin and Jovan were appalled but Jovin commented," Mummy, why isn't there big pattern like in Hong Kong?" Haha, guess the Hong Kong Disneyland's fireworks must have left a deep impression in our princess's heart.

It was lucky that the weather was in our favour. It was a pleasant outing after all since the kids had much fun and of course, we adults took the opportunity to chit-chat and plan for our next meet-up. Time really flies. To think that this is already the 3rd time we brought the kids here for Lantern Festival and only came to realise how much our little 'J's have grown over the years. They still looked so small then hehe....

Believe on actual Lantern Festival, we would bring the kids to my sis's place for our very exclusive family lantern festival celebration where we would lit up the lanterns, parents would sit and enjoy mooncakes and pomelo at a corner etc. Hmmm, this reminds me it's really time to choose and buy mooncakes. Looking forward to the actual day :)

2011-08-29T02:31:00.002+08:00

Ever since the ex Crown Prince Hotel was re-furbished, we have never taken a peep into the hotel interior. It happened that Jovan was in a state of 'emergency', desperately looking for restroom in the area. That's how we ended up 'visiting the hotel and realised it was so beautifully furnished.

It's now named as Grand Park Orchard Hotel. The kids loved the cosiness and took some photos after we settled Jovan. Hmmm, maybe we would consider here for a weekend stay?

Date with the Teeth!

2011-08-29T02:21:00.002+08:00

Last weekend, we were doing some usual grocery shopping at Junction 8 when we came across the Colgate fair. Free dental check was provided so I gladly signed Jovin up for it. We followed through the steps, form application, rinsing etc. and finally met the 2 lovely dentists. Jovin was intially apprehensive as she has never seen a dentist! She laid back on the chair but kept holding onto my hands so tightly for security. She opened her mouth widely and did everything she was requested to. Result? Jovin is free from teeth problems! Dentist said, just wait for her baby teeth to drop and currently, everything is perfect for her.

Jovin was elated, collected her free toothpaste sample and paid full attention to the specialist who explained to her the correct way to brush her teeth. The kids took pictures with the various Colgate mascots too. That very night onwards, Jovin was conscientiously following through the instructions as provided by the specialist.
Shall wait till Jovin goes P1 next year when the school dentists shall take over the montoring. Hopefully our little 'J's stay free from any teeth and gum-related diseases. May they keep up with their bright smiles :)

National Day Picnic Get-Together!

2011-08-14T21:22:00.004+08:00

Since the successful implementation of our CLDDS picnic gathering last National Day, our dearest organiser, Ms Ah Bao, gladly offered to organise this year's National Day picnic gathering again. This time round, we settled for Woodlands Waterfront.

Early in the morning, as we woke up, thunderstorms were heard, followed by heavy rain then slowly drizzles. Our dear organiser was really so considerate to the extent that she made wet weather programmes. All of us were prepared to gather for a pot-luck party instead at Junwei's place should the rain persisted.

God really favoured us. We were really in luck as the skies soon cleared to facilitate the smooth implementation of our picnic gathering! We arranged to meet around 4, but as usual all turned up around 5 with sumptous food like fruit tarts, bee hoon, fish balls, nuggets etc. Ah Bao was even so thoughtful that she brought along a mini radio and provided much entertainment for us throughout the gathering.

The kids were elated as they saw Justin and Javier with their bicycles, especially my dear Jovin. So afraid that she wanted the whole bicycle to herself. Luckily Justin was so willing to share with her. Well, they are great childhood friends since they have met and played with each other since birth, hehe....

As for Jovan, he was busy running after the ball as he enjoyed ball games with Kaden and dear. He had much fun but what really annoyed us was that, he kept wanting us to change his shorts even though it might just be a bit wet. Luckily I had 3 pairs of spare bottoms for his change. My boy is really a hygiene freak which we really had to surrender at times to his nonsense.

We adults had fun catching up with one another, exchanging small talks about our jobs, chatted with Guowei on my new teaching career, discussed about impending Genting travel plans with our best couple pals ( of course our hubbies are most elated should this really materialises)etc.

Of course, food and photos are the crux to a picnic gathering. We tried to gather our 6 little ones for a group photo which was really no easy feat as one of them was sure to be looking elsewhere and it wasn't easygetting Chloe to face the camera as she was still rather camera-shy.

Apart from bloated tummies, we had much fun at the end of the gathering. It ended well around 7+ in the evening as we took some group photos. I bet this would be one of our annual CLDDS events apart from CNY and X'mas. Another excuse to binge on food and go wild with our great buddies!

Happy Birthday, dad!

2011-08-11T19:11:00.004+08:00

We had a simple birthday dinner for dad at a nearby coffee shop last Saturday. Dad always doesn't like us to spend too much money, so we chose the usual coffee shop which we often patronize as he wished.

This year, apart from the usual family members, we had a new Japanese friend, Aimi, who's here on the exchange programme with my niece this period. We ordered the normal Chinese delicacies like deer meat, seafood claypot etc and Aimi enjoyed the dishes tremendously as she usually doesn't eat such food in her homeland, Sapporo.

Jovin loves her as we have previously hosted her by bringing her to some scenic spots like Orchard, Bugis for shopping. To Aimi, most things are considered cheap in Singapore( of course, when we travel to Japan, everything is soooo expensive to us!)Dad was happy as he got to savour his favourite claypot sea bass and blachan vegetables. Dad ate to hte fullest as he had 3 servings of the rice!

As for the cake, dear Jovin and I went to Icing room and decorated a simple cake for dad. Well, I scored low in my Arts subject, so don't expect much creativity from me. James always comments I am so good at cutting and pasting but never designing, needless to mention drawing and sketching. Hehe, I second that. However, Jovin and I had fun doing the cake decor. What's more, it's our sincerity that matters and I'm sure dad can feel it :)Despite the crowd at the coffee shop, we sang our hearts out for dad when singing the birthday song. Hehe, making dad very paiseh....

The girls played Japanese hand signal games and the boys played arm-wrestling with Jovin as the refree, haha! Adults chatted as we discussed about year-end chalet plans, grandparents' day celebration etc. The celebration ended with a family shot taken. Too bad, not well-taken. Really a pity. I'm glad the cake tasted well and we finished it though all of us were so full.

Would like to wish daddy a happy birthday and may he be in the best of health always with my mum :)

Studies? Ben-10?

2011-08-11T18:36:00.003+08:00

Boys really differ so much from girls. At a tender age since 1, I have been making concerted efforts in cultivating reading interest for my little 'J's. For Jovin, I can confidently say that I have successfully 'created' a reading routine for her and she loves to read story books during her leisure time. Through this, she has developed a keen learning interest and word recognition for both languages are good.

However, when it comes to Jovan, I'm really clueless. The only way to get him settled is through Ben-10 i-phone flash card images, Ben-10 laptop etc. Even bedtime stories are Ben-10! Really succumb to Ben-10's ultimate power. It's always a challenge to get my dear boy to sit and learn. Currently, have been relying on this Ben-10 laptop to teach him words and numbers. He can dictate the complete set of Ben-10 characters which I actually learnt from my boy like Humongosaur, Big Chill etc, which I never bothered. Looks like I need to familarise with these too and give myself a Ben-10 makeover soon too!

Happy Birthday, Chrus!

2011-07-27T22:09:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday, we held a cosy family birthday celebration for our dearest nephew, Chrus at my sis's place. Time really flies. Still remembered the time he was only a tiny baby whom I held dearly in my arms. Today, he almost overtakes my height!

The kids always enjoyed one another's companionship. We had normal hawkerfare food like satay and bbq chicken, coupled with mum's fried beehoon, fishballs, and pizza!Sis even bought the specially marinated wrapped chicken all the way from JB and it really tasted wonderful! International buffet! All of us ate to the max, no room for further expansion.

Had fun games like uno stacko, shared hongkong photos with my family etc. The highlight was none other than the birthday cake-cutting session! Sis bought Chrus's favourite cocoa cake from four leaves and our little 'J's were elated, as though it was their birthday haha!

Our family always love to celebrate one aother's birthdays. This is one of our bonding activities. Looking forward to the next gathering for Dad's birthday on 8th August!

Happy birthday, my dear Chrus!

Fun Dining @ Parkway Parade

2011-07-27T21:54:00.003+08:00

Last weekend, we went to Parkway Parade after Jovin's Chinese speech & drama class. It has been quite sometime since I last visited Parkway. It used to be one of my favourite usual weekday lunch hangouts at my last workplace before I started teaching.

I have always loved to shop at Parkway and it was indeed a rewarding trip. Realised there were further extensions and we chose to dine at the newly renovated New York New York. We ordered our favourite pumpkin soup, mushroom soup for the kids, Teriyaki chicken main course and not forgetting the sweet delicacies- Chocolate mud pie and root beer float! On top of that, the kids even got free cotton candy! Dear and I took turns and ate with the kids. Really relived our childhood memories haha....

The kids were elated that weekend as we allowed them to enjoy the cold drinks and ice-cream. Seeing the satisfied looks on their faces really make our day. Well, but it's not often we do allow them to 'lavish' on such cold desserts, fearing the kids may fall sick.

It was indeed a satisfying dinner. Though simple, but most importantly, my loved ones are with me and nothing matters more than that :)

Our pretty princess!

2011-07-27T21:51:00.002+08:00

Jovin has always loved to look pretty, haha genetic... Bought her a new floral hairband recently and that's her favourite piece of hair accessory for the month! Everywhere she goes, u see the hairband. See her various poses.....

After 22 years......

2011-07-14T21:42:00.004+08:00

It has been a good 22 years since I graduated from Pei Chun. It's time I dig out my primary school report book and looking back at the teachers' comments, grades etc, really flashed back much memories.

On Monday, once again, I stepped into the school grounds together with dear, Jovan and of course my princess Jovin. Time really flies. It's time for P1 regstration for children born in 2005 and I really can't believe my dearest princess is going to attend Primary 1 next year!

Dear took half day and I left for little 'J's school straight after my lessons to fetch them. We then drove to Pei Chun. The school has expanded so much over the years till I almost couldn't recognise but looking at the once familiar canteen vendors (one of them has been operating for 40 years!), hall, garden etc, really brought back much fond memories of my primary school days. I took a look at the staff organisational chart and saw some familiar faces as some of my primary schoolmates have become teachers here!

Registration process was very smooth and we took the opportunity to tour the school. I explained to Jovin and dear my school ground and even showed Jovin my name which is inscribed on the board for 'Past Outstanding Pupils of the Year'. Dear and Jovin were surprised to see my name in the year 1989, hehe that was really a long time back but Jovin was really proud of mummy.

I believe we would now be making more frequent trips to Pei Chun especially from 2012 onwards. Luckily the vacany is already secured for my little Jovin, and of course for my little Jovan in years to come. Saves me the trouble of doing volunteering jobs or cracking my brains to secure P1 slots. Really tough being parents nowadays. Dear was so thankful to me that I saved him from the P1 headache which many of his friends are facing too, haha.

Well, now looking forward to P1's orientation and of course intensive P1 preparation for my princess!

Fun in the East!

2011-07-10T15:04:00.003+08:00

Last evening,the house of 'J's ventured into the east. We went to IKEA and Giant!Frankly speaking, didn't have anything specific in mind but we thought it might be a good ides to pop by the place since we haven't been there for quite sometime.

It happens to be IKEA mid-season sale, so the place is packed with shoppers. We see others carrying and taking so many items into their shopping bags, but nothing seemed to be able to catch our attention. Nonetheless, the kids and us had fun exploring the various sections like kids-play, home organisation etc. What surprised us was that. Jovan was so eager to pose for photos yesterday and kept asking me to take photos of him in different poses, haha!

Dinner time, we initially wanted to try the famous chicken wings and meatballs but dinner crowd was really too horrifying. We were put off by the idea so we went opposite to settle for a quick and simple meal at the food court. The kids shared a plate of yummy charsiew rice while dear and I had normal hawkerfare food too.

Thereafter, we roamed around Giant. My first time in this hyper Giant store. The kids had their hands and legs on the bicycles and they were thrilled. Well, Jovin was busy trying out the various models as dear and I intend to get her one as her birthday present for this year.

As we returned to IKEA's car park, dear and I decided to try our luck at the eatery again cos we really miss the chicken wings haha. Guess what? We were the last lucky couple who got hold of the chicken wings. It was the final serving! We happily ate the chicken with our little 'J's.It was a simple family weekend spent. Really love being together with loved ones:)

终于毕业了！

2011-07-10T01:34:00.004+08:00

2009年12月，在老公的支持与鼓励下，我做了一个重要的决定-离开我守了九年的工作岗位，投入教育界。
做出这项决定后，曾反复想了许多，不知自己是否能够顺利应付学院繁重的课业。毕竟现已为人母，加上两个宝贝仍年幼，需要我多花些心思在他们俩身上。许多身边的朋友都问我，这到底值得吗？老实说，我不晓得。在学院上课的一年里，的确不容易。课业不但繁重，还得应付许多模拟教学，准备教学材料、教案等等。过去的周末，大多数都得熬通宵，才能如期“交货”。我一向来不喜欢临时抱佛脚，所以宁可牺牲睡眠，从午夜十二点钟通宵达旦也在所不惜，那种完成课业交差的感觉太舒服了！

NIE 的战友们常取笑我，称我为Super Young Ah-bu.哈哈，实在不敢恭维。但经过这一年的磨练，我终于撑到底，坚守自己当初的抉择。同事们都问我为何自投罗网，哈哈！我笑说自己一时想不开，所以想用特别的“自杀”方式，嘻嘻。。。。

终于等到了毕业典礼！昨天，由衷感谢我生命中绝对不可或缺的人-我亲爱的老公！文强昨天还特意抽空参加我的毕业典礼，给了我一支强心针。一纸合格专业教师的毕业证书在手，心理自然而然会有些踏实的感觉。这条路会走得多远，我不晓得，三年？五年？十年？我没有答案。但目前我很享受自己每天在学校所面对的不同状况，所涉及的不同活动。下两周是母语周，我也得负责一些比赛项目、带学生参观漫画厂、正在想如何帮我的学生准备讲故事比赛等。我想，这才是我的理想工作环境吧？因为我每天都笑脸迎人。做人的宗旨“不开心是一天，开心也是一天，何不乐观些呢？”我相信，我总有办法妥当安排家庭与工作的时间，况且，学了不少教孩子的绝招，对我非常有用。

现在什么都不去想，只希望每天都是开心日，在工作岗位上一切顺利！

开学感言。。。。

2011-06-27T21:13:00.003+08:00

悠闲的日子终于过去了。尽管有多么不舍，但始终得面对“残酷”的现实，就积极面对新的旅程吧！

今天是开学的第一天，无惊无险，风平浪静地度过了这一天。一整天，除了进出教室，摆出一副严师的模样，还忙于整理桌位、领取手提电脑、办妥一些行政上所需的文件等。就这样，一天工作日就如此过去了。

猜一猜我正在忙些什么呢？忙着收拾行装，整装待发，哈哈！真希望是去旅行，但可惜不是。。。。周三至五，将被委任到三巴旺一带与学生一起度过三天两夜，但幸亏只需留宿一夜。到时，将和学生一块儿划船、进行一些竞技活动等，可说是多姿多彩哦！哈哈！我的宝贝乐琳嘱咐我一定要打电话给她，说她没有听到妈咪的睡前故事很难入眠，但我总算游说老爸夫代妻职，给宝贝孩子讲故事咯（虽然老爸讲故事的功力仍差妈咪一大截，毕竟妈咪曾正式受训于演艺戏剧班的，嘻嘻！）

虽得“抛夫弃子”一夜，但我想换回的却是与学生们在这三天两夜所建立起的真挚感情。要在事业与家庭之间取得平衡绝非易事，如这几天忙于筹备课业，但又得忙于照顾乐文（宝贝这几天病倒了，咳嗽伤风，脾气暴躁。只有我才能哄得了他），然而，相信在家人的支持下，我能凭着自己坚强的信念，在这新的里程碑能发挥所长，勇往直前！

Unforgettable Hong Kong meomories.....Final episode!

2011-06-20T02:43:00.004+08:00

Day 5 2nd day in Disneyland

Early next day, we settled our hotel check-out, had our breakfast in the room before we attacked Disneyland once again. Our luggage expanded by so much that we even bought 2 mini luggage trolleys for our little 'J's, so we had 3 extra bags in total haha! Daddy was trying so hard to curb our spending but failed hehe...We reached Disneyland around 11a.m and planned our rides.

We took the rides which we missed the day before, watched the famous Lion King live musical show, took Tarzan's boat ride and visited the forest, watched the hilarious 4D Mickey show.

Jovan found wearing the 4D glasses so funny and he kept meddling with it. He simply looked hilarious with the glasses on :)

Of course, Disneyland visit couldn't have been made complete without memorable shots with the various Disney characters. We took the shots with Pluto, Mickey & Minnie, Winnie the Pooh etc. The kids simply kissed and hugged when they saw the characters, especially the last Mickey and Minnie duo which we queued so badly after the second time we viewed the parade. Our time calculation was perfect.

After our final shot with Mickey and Minnie, dear and I each carried our little 'J's and rushed to take the shuttle bus back to hotel. Luckily we made it in time at 5p.m. Had a fresh change of clothes and we were all ready to depart for the airport!

Bye Hong Kong

We continued to savour great Hong Kong delicacies dimsum, egg tarts etc at the airport. We had ample time as our flight was delayed by an hour, so we did last minute shopping once again. Bought more wife pastries and egg rolls as the 4 of us finished the egg rolls which we entrusted our tour guide to buy before we could even bring back to Singapore haha.....

On the return flight, there wasn't much problem as the kids were provided Mickey toy kits and after having a great meal, both soon dozed off as it was already 12.35a.m by the time we touched down in Singapore. Both were really exhausted that they slept through the next morning! Luckily, our parents were there to fetch us and helped us with the luggage.

After thoughts

This was our first flight experience as a family. Many complain travelling with the kids is a hassle. That includes my dear hubby who complains at times too. Perhaps we face stares, snobs or jeers from passer-bys when our kids throw tantrums and shout for no reason in the public. However, this is definitely something which I believe all parents have to embrace. I do not deny the inconvenience but it's another kind of experience which money can't be bought. This is what I called family blissfulness. From another angle, cherish family blissfulness firmly in your hands cos this may not be within reach for all.

I would still plan more family vacations together be it distant or near, as long as we are together. Nothing beats more than having all your loved ones with you. Dear and I are already contemplating to bring the kids back next Jun for a free and easy trip. Hong Kong, await for our return :)

Unforgettable Hong Kong memories..... Part 3

2011-06-20T01:25:00.011+08:00

Day 4
Avenue of Stars / City Gate Shopping

Finally, we are one step nearer to the kids's favourite Disneyland! We checked out of Harbour Plaza Metropolis and the tour guide brought us to a local Chinese restaurant for great dimsum. We were so bloated by the end of the meal cos the servings were huge and of course, sumptous!

We went onto Avenue of Stars and took a stroll along the handprints of the famous celebrities, not forgetting to locate my favourite star, Andy Lau! After which, we proceeded to City Gate outlet, but we didn't buy much there cos it was nowhere compared to the U.S and Gotemba Tokyo factory outlets which we last visited. Nonetheless, still got myself a pair of Guess jeans and located some rare Ben-10 story books for Jovan!

We reached Disneyland!

We reached Hollywood Hotel around 2p.m and we were lucky to be able to check in on the spot. Wow, there's many Disney-related decor and souvenirs in the room, but the drawback was that it was so much smaller compared to our last hotel room. As it was only a day stay, we merely chucked our luggage one side and rushed to Disneyland via the shuttle bus.

The kids were elated and very excited upon reaching Disneyland. It was a long stroll from where we alighted to Disneyland. Jovan was tired, so dear had to carry him. So, the first thing that we did was to rent a stroller haha! Luckily, this time we were in luck! Jovan hopped onto his emperor seat without hesitation and took out his Ben-10 mini fan to cool himself down as we grabbed ourselves a seat to watch the Disney Parade starting at 3.30p.m.

Soon after the parade started and Jovin was so lucky to be chosen as one of the rara party to swing the colourful strings as the parade took place. We saw how the kids gazed at the various characters like Toy Story,Pooh Bear, Disney Princesses etc. Their eyes were really in for a feast!

After the parade, we commenced on our park rides. Dear and I first brought the kids to Tomorrowland and took the Astro Blasters ride. That was a perfect choice as our little ones loved the shooting game so much that we took the game 6 rounds in total, haha!

After which, as we were settling for our meals at the fast food restaurant, dear shouted "Hey, the astronaut is out for photoshoot!" So we immediately went to join the photoshoot queue. Luckily it was short, so we got hold of our 1st shot with the Toy story cast :)

After our 6 rounds, we proceeded to take other rides like Pooh rides, carousel, (really don't understand why the kids simply love this), Jumbo elephant, spinning tea cups ( which daddy took a total of 5 times with Jovin too!). However, the most courageous was Jovin who had her first ever experience on the roller coaster! Jovan couldn't meet the minimum height requirement of 107cm, but he did not allow Jovin and me to enter, so we had to sneak out once we finished the Jumbo elephant ride with him haha! Jovin's heartbeat got faster as we walked nearer the gate. The most hilarious part was, Jovin screamed even before the coaster set off haha which made the others laughed. The coaster was merely fast, jerky and in complete darkness. Worried that my little princess might cry but she made it! She was so brave.

However, she told me the moment we got off the ride " I'm still ok, mummy, I didn't cry, but so scary. I don't want to sit anymore. I think I will cry if it's longer..." That's my girl :)

We stayed till the fireworks display at 8.30p.m. It was really worth staying till the end to watch the spectacular scene. Jovin sat on my shoulders and enjoyed the show. Of course, it was tough on me but seeing the smiles on her face tells me this is definitely worth it. Dear and I didn't stay behind to watch the fireworks last time. This time, we managed to catch it with our kids, truly an unforgettable experience.

After the fireworks display, we stayed shopping in the souvenir shops and bought lots of momento, not forgetting my favourite collectible disney biscuit tins hehe. Also bought a couple of t-shirts for the family. Guess what, we were among the very last who left Disneyland and we reached Hollywood Hotel only at 11p.m! We were starving.... Luckily, there was a cafe in the hotel which was the medicine to our growling tummies. By the time we had our meals, it was 12a.m and the kids dozed off in their dreamlands......

Final episode continues......

Unforgettable Hong Kong memories....Part 2

2011-06-19T03:36:00.009+08:00

Day 3 Ocean Park

Day 3 was fully dedicated to Ocean Park. This was dear and my first time visiting this theme park too so we were pretty excited like the kids. We settled for a quick breakfast at the nearby Maxim's Express local cafe. However both kids were too drained of their energy the night before, so they were very listless during breakfast time. Nonetheless, dear and I enjoyed our fried mee and marcoroni with our little ones nodding off their heads on the table.

We took the coach to Ocean park and there we are, ventured into our one day's fun. Ocean Park is indeed much bigger than Disneyland. However, dear and my hearts sank when they told us stroller rental was down for maintenance. We almost flopped. Oh my! We did our pre-checks, knowing that stroller was available for rental at Disneyland and Ocean Park, so we decided not to bring stroller. Well, gotta count on ourselves then.

The sun was glaring. Weather was really unbearable, so we sought shelter at the cooling aquarium first. It was really an eye-opener for us as we saw so varied ocean species and the size of the aquarium was gigantic! The aquarium was only newly opened in Jan this year, so we were really fortunate to catch a glimpse of the creatures. The kids 'wooed' and 'wowed' as they saw the diver, the strange creatures like spider crabs, clown jelly fish etc. This was really something which we never got to see in Singapore.

One of the main highlights which attracted the kids was the cable-car experience. Our little 'J's were excited while they were on the cable-car and they had no fear of great heights! However,the queue was really long and the unbearable weather made it worse. Jovan dozed off so we had to carry him on our shoulders and guess what? we had to queue almost 45min for the to and fro cable car trips and he slept throughout as we were queuing! His eyes immediatley opened wide as we sat in the cable car. Grrrrr...... But the breeze on the cable car was indeed exhilarating. The experience was indeed positive.

The rides at Ocean Park were mostly for adults, but there's a kiddie area which our little 'J's had fun and went wild. They took the kiddy rides, choo choo train, bouncing castle, flying aeroplane, playground and their favourite ride was the frog hopper which goes up and down. It was their second time as their initial experience was at Genting. They truly loved it, especially Jovin!

This version was slightly different from Genting's as it allowed an adult to sit in the middle with the kids, so I took once with Jovin, so fun!

Amidst the rides, we went into the various retail shops and of course got momentos and toys. We even tried on the shark caps and had lotsa fun with the kids while posing. Luckily Jovan was very cooperative that day. He was willing to walk a lot when we were in the park. This really saved Dear and I lots of trouble. However, Jovan was really dead tired by late afternoon and we located the best spot for him to lie on it. The restaurant's customer service counter which wasn't in use. It was breezy and a perfect spot for us to catch a breather and rest our legs.

We had a great day at the park. We only left at around 7p.m and decided to take cab back to hotel, instead of the MTR transfer since all of us were dead tired. WE really had a great nap on the cab. However, this was not all! We returned for a freah shower and rest for merely 2 hours before we returned to night market for our final attack! Had great late dinner at the cafe. They served really great food. Even Jovin loved the fish. Plain broccoli with fish pieces but that tasted heavenly with rice! We requested for another serving but too bad, we missed their last order. But at least, we have had a taste of the great food.

We ended our day with the tour guide's strongly recommended 发记糖水. The dessert was really really good and our kids loved it to the max like us. Their pomelo and mangoes were so abundant and the gravy was so thick and juicy. This was really the best I've ever tasted.

Next stopover is the kids' long-awaited Disneyland! We would be moving to Hollywood Hotel for our final night stay in Hong Kong. Catch my final blog update on Hong Kong memories!

Unforgettable Hong Kong memories.....Part 1

2011-06-19T02:24:00.008+08:00

Finally, done with the unpacking and fully recuperated since we returned on 16/6 12.35a.m. This was our first time taking flight overseas with our little 'J's. Of course, there were hiccups every now and then, I ended up in blisters on one of my feet, neck and shoulder ache, all thks to my darling Jovan who could be temperamental at times and refused to walk, so dear and I had to take turns to carry him, but BUT I would still conclude this was an enjoyable family trip after all. Nothing beats having the whole family together.

Still remembered the night before we depart, I stayed up late till 2.30a.m before I tucked in, probably due to excitement, but I was busy packing as well, kept referring to the check-list to ensure nothing was missed out. Slept barely 3 hours before I woke up for a great shower. Being fresh and perky, I woke up my 3 'J's and of course my dear mummy had already woken up to help out in dressing up the kids. Mum is always a dear no matter how much we have aged, hehe. Little 'J's were so cooperative and got themselves dressed up, in high spirits and humming tunes as dad drove us to the airport.

Day 1
On the Plane

We had ample time for check-in as the tour guide passed us the necessary documents. Had breakfast with parents at WangJiao cafe before we departed. Time seemed to pass by in a flash. It wasn't too long before we had to board the plane.

Our little 'J's were very excited once we boarded the plane. They were so experimental with the screens, remote controllers etc. The most anticipated moment was the take-off when both of them remarked it felt like roller-coaster ride! Both looked so amazed as they realised the plane was in the clouds and they couldn't believe their eyes. The kids' second excitement came as they started to explore the channels on the screen. I managed to locate kids channel for them and that managed to appease the two. Both excitedly put on their headphones and watched the programme.

Jovan was more unsettled and active but the toys story toys kit soon appeased him as the little toys in the toy box managed to entertain him for a while. Of course, the best long awaited moment was flight meals! The kids loved the food. There were mashed potatoes, ice-cream, fruits, corn, fruit juice, corn etc. However, it was quite a handful as I had to settle their meals single-handledly since dear was sitting in another adjacent row. After meal time was the best moment as Jovan soon fell into drowsy state and fell asleep not long after. Jovin enjoyed her cartoon till she fell asleep too and so, peacefulness declared for myself till we arrived Hong Kong!

Arrived at Hong Kong!

After 3h15min of travelliing, we finally arrived at Hong Kong! The kids were woken up from their naps, so felt a bit grouchy as they walked out of the plane. Everything went smoothly and we first checked into the hotel Harbour Plaza Metropolis. Dear and I were in for a pleasant surprise as the room was very spacious. It's almost like an apartment with kitchen facilities, attached liviing room. The kids ran round the room and started to play hide and seek as I started unpacking while dear examined the map directions.

Our first stop was targeted at Ladies Night Market! However, dear's stomach started to growl so we decided to take some light snacks at the nearby food court. Had baked rice which was cheap and good. At least it gave us some energy to persevere to take MTR to our destination. The directions were pretty clear, so in no time, we reached Ladies Market. As we last visited here 4 years ago, we still had some vague memories of the place. It wasn't difficult exploring the place. Little 'J's were as excited as mummy to see the cheap and good bargains. Saw so many Ben-10, princess toys, stickers etc. But heavy rain soon came pouring down. Luckily, mummy prepared umbrellas and raincoats so we were not drenched but of course it caused much inconvenience.

We sought shelter at one of the HK tea restaurants and settled for dinner. Ordered ginger milk, papaya steamed milk dessert ( so good that I ordered 2 servings!) soya chicken, cheese baked rice. We whipped up all the food!

The drizzle continued but it didn't dampen our shopping spirits. Little 'J's were so united with mummy, so we continued shopping in raincoats and umbrellas haha and we went to the 4 storey Bossini. Managed to locate the smurf edition T-shirts which I didn't manage to get in Singapore at only $8/piece! Really a bargain! The shopping expedition continued till 11p.m before we returned to hotel and the kids were still very much awake when they returned to hotel! All thanks to cartoon network which telecast Jovan's favourite Ben-10 and Jovin's princess cartoon ( there were 2 TV sets in our room). So I ended up sleeping earlier than them haha....

Day 2 ( Scheduled Itinerary)

The next day, we followed the planned itinerary and visited many scenic and tourist spots like Victoria's Peak, took a boat in the Aberdeen Fishing village, took great shots at 1881 Heritage where it used to be Marine Headquarters and did some shopping at Festival Walk.

We had breakfast at one of the local cafes where we ordered their set A,B,C,D which comes with porridge with rice flour rolls, nissin noddles with ham and egg etc. After the breakfast, the itinerary was packed with the above but thks to the coach which brought us around, so it was rather hassle free for us even when Jovan dozed off at times.

Had another round of boat cruising at the fishing village. It used to be only dear and me but this time round, there's 2 little ones with us. Really relived much memories.It was a rainy morning, so we had to take the umbrellas as we took a scenic view of the peak. Rather unforgettable indeed.

During night time, we returned to night market once again and started attacking once again. Bought snacks from the streets like yoghurt, ice drinks etc and the kids really helped themselves to generous servings!( Luckily, both did not fall sick, phew!)We rturned to the hotel with more toys, shoes, accessories etc. That night, we were even later than before. Reached hotel only at 12.30a.m! The kids were exhausted this time round and almost fell asleep while waiting for MTR transfer.

As for Day 3, we went on to Ocean Park. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Packing, packing....Hong Kong!

2011-06-10T22:19:00.002+08:00

Guess what I'm doing now? Packing non-stop since afternoon! Tomorrow is House of 'J's first overseas flight. We are going Hongkong to visit Disneyland, Ocean Park and binge on the delicacies dimsum, egg tarts etc. Of course, mummy is the one who has to do all the packing. Travelling with the kids is definitely an entirely different experience. However, as I pack, my heart is filled with excitement and anticipation. Hmmm, how are the kids gonna respond to their first flight experience? How??? Many 'H's and 'W's running across my mind. My little 'J's are so excited now too who can't sleep haha....

Hmmmm, ok gotta continue packing now cos gotta sleep earlier for tomorrow's morning flight.

Stay tuned to our latest updates. Hong Kong, here we come!

Water Fun!

2011-06-07T22:48:00.004+08:00

It's the Jun holidays and it's fun time for the kids!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kaden!

2011-06-07T22:07:00.005+08:00

Time really flies! Our best couple pal's precious Kaden has turned 2 and the House of 'J's were among the first guests who arrived for his party. Last Saturday, we reached their place around 5p.m and our little 'J's were so excited to see their pally, Kaden.

The 3 of them had their mini play running around in the function room, followed by taking turns to sit on Kaden's toy motor car. Our pals only invited their close pals and relatives this round.

The professional BBQ services engaged was good and we had a great time mingling around, not to mention the kids who had fun with musical chairs and playground. Play is never enough for kids.

The 3 still continued with their fun back at their place and Jovan even had to put on Kaden's T-shirt as Jovan perspired so much that even an extra set of clothings was inadequate. It was a wonderful party that evening and Kaden was elated to see so many presents and of course his dearest parents who dote on him dearly.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kaden. House of 'J's wishes u stay healthy and happy always. We love u!

Little 'J's Artwork Display!

2011-06-02T22:48:00.003+08:00

Ever since our little 'J's began school, I have made all efforts to retain all their artwork, especially the cute little handbags, pots, etc and through the years, this has accumulated into a box! Did a spring cleaning last week and displayed some of their artwork in the kids' room. The kids were thrilled and especially Jovin, was amazed at the artwork she did even during her childcare nursery days. Mummies, do start keeping all your darlings' artwork as this is something cherishable which can never be bought with money.

Exclusive Bonding Mummy Moments!

2011-05-29T19:26:00.003+08:00

On Tuesday, I brought my darling little 'J's to Nex Water Playground. It was really blazing hot that late morning. It was really so cooling to be able to be splashed by the water, running around the playground all to ourselves as it was a weekday. Such opportunities are indeed rare. It was simply fun and laughter that afternoon. I settled for lunch at the kids' favourite Macdonalds. Each had a set of happy meal and entertained by their free toys. I brought the kids to shop and I even bought shoes etc. A rewarding shopping trip even with the kids!

Dear and mum are always amazed at how I could handle bringing both out single-handledly taking public transport.Haha cos I'm a super mum!This is something which dear concedes defeat. I really love such exclusive bonding moments with my little 'J's. People may think it's a hassle to bring both kids out all by oneself, but this is an unique experience which only mothers would understand. Anything for my kids, I would do it without any hesitation.What's more, seeing the smiles on their faces tells me this is definitely worth it.

Universal Studios!

2011-05-27T14:55:00.003+08:00

Tuesday was my first visit to the Universal Studios Singapore. Last time, I was merely taking shots from the exterior as we felt little 'J's were too young for most of the rides. This time round, I 'abandoned' my dearest 'J's and went on this exciting excursion with my NIE mates on a weekday. The feeling of enjoying and playing on a weekday is really exhilarating!

Well, the majority of my NIE mates are at least 10 years younger than me, so of course mostof them are really risk-takers. The first ride that we attempted was Cylon which was the horrendous 14th storey high suspended roller-coaster. As I looked from ground, the cylon is one that goes up and down with an intense corkscrew and a cobra roll. This was one of the world's tallest duelling roller coasters. The other was named as the 'Human' coaster, which was defnitely inhumane! It goes at a speed of 82.8km/h and goes up and down from 14 stories high too! My heart really popped out and felt as though I had committed suicide several times!

These 2 rides were almost queueless. Guess not many had the courage to go on the rides. It has really been long since I took such breath-taking rides. However, under intense peers' influence, I bravely stormed my way up the stairs together with the rest. As they shut the gutters, I started to feel the fear and anxiety. For both rides, I intially screamed like mad but Cylon was 'better' in the sense that there was a cushion which allowed me to grab close and felt more secure. I was left with no energy to shout towards second part of the ride. Just felt a bit giddy after the Cylon ride. Thinking 'human' ride should be more humane, but that was wrong perception. There was merely a safety bar and I had nothing to hold onto for security. What's worse was that, 'human' ride was going up and down at a height of 14stories, really scared the wits out of me... But I successfully conquered both rides nonetheless and I was really proud! The first thing I 'landed' safely was to call dear and told him "你的老婆已经死两次了！" Dear was really surprised when he learnt that I took the 'garang' rides!

We proceeded to the less intense rides but 'Revenge of the Mummy''s ride though less intense, was very jerky due to the many twists and turns in the dark. What's more,the feeling of 'committing suicide' was totally made unaware, so it was rather exciting too. We had fun on other rides like Jurassic Park Rapids where I was almost drenched due to my seating position. The deceiving ride was the 'Canopy Ride'. From the ground, it looked mild. We were strapped back to back and I was soooo lucky to be in the back position. We were moved from the land to high up in the sky when we suddently descented before we could realise anything. It was definitely not as what they have described the ride to be ' enjoy a pre-historic bird's eye-view of the park'. I needed time to catch my breath rather than enjoying the view.

Other enjoyable rides was the show at Shrek 4D Action theatre, water world show,watching the thunder, lighting effects at the Steven Spielberg's show, Magadascar leisure boat ride.

We settled for quick and most inexpensive lunch we could find at the food court. Well, only 3 choices, wanton noodles, chicken rice or malay cuisine each costing $10.50 for such normal hawker-fare food. Another highlight of the trip was that we managed to vchance upon most of the casts like Woody Pecker, Shrek and Princess Fiona, Puss in boots, Marilyn Moore etc. We really maximised the full use of our tix by staying throughout from 10a.m to 7p.m!

It has really been long since I last enjoyed myself so tremendously with all the youngsters haha! Most of my peers are parents like me, so even when we meet, we tend to bring our kids along and there's limitations to what we can really do. This time round, I really let myself went wild and did all the 'mission impossible' things! Really many thks to my NIE mates. Despite suffering from bruises, neckaches and backaches now (post-coaster syndrome, haha!), I still felt that the trip was definitely worth it.

Guess what? Jovin thought mummy went to work that day hehe... Ya dearie, mummy indeed went to work and worked so hard till I suffered from so many bruises hehe....

Healthy Lifestyle!

2011-05-25T21:56:00.004+08:00

Last Sunday, sis arranged for a family healthy activity for us and of course the kids were elated! We arranged to go Seletar reservoir since our visit there almost a year ago so that the kids could catch up with one another. Actually we just had a gathering at Jerad's birthday 2 weeks ago, but it seemed ages to the kids. Guess what? They hugged and kissed one another when they saw one another! The bonding among them is self-explanatory.

We brought our barang like fishing net, pails etc and the kids were so cooperative with one another. The 5 had great fun catching little fish, tiny weeny prawns and so-called 'lobsters' haha!

Jovan initially joined in the fishing gang too but he was too paranoid over his wet shorts and so, he eventually chose to stay with daddy on the picnic mat and meddled with the PSP Ben-10 games.

This time round, highlight of the event was, we met so many monkies! It was really a troop! We were pretty wary and kept all plastic bags and food away from them as monkies are most fond of 'attacking' plastic bags. So many of them climbed and rolled down swiftly from the trees. Jovin and Jovan were sooo excited and we even had to grab them, fearing they might antagonise the monkies. It was only after sometime we confirmed their dispersion before I took out the yummy doughnuts for the kids.

The activity ended with a great hawker fare dinner at Ang Mo Kio central. Not only the little ones, but we adults had much fun too at the mingling activity :)

Post Mother's Day Dinner!

2011-05-19T11:02:00.004+08:00

Every year without fail, we dine on the actual Mother's Day weekend with my in-laws. This year happened to coincide with elections weekend and to avoid the crowd, we decided to postpone a week later. Hmmmm, it was a wise choice indeed.

We made an early reservation at Great World City's Imperial Treasures Cantonese cuisine. Dear and I arrived earlier and we were in for a pleasant surprise when we realised it was an exclusive VIP room for us. There was really so much privacy.

What's more, the baby chair provided for Jovan was just like an emperor's leather couch seat haha. He happily sat on the chair and there were even 3 revolving positions. He really enjoyed sitting on it, meddling with the i-phone. Soon after, my in-laws arrived and they too, commented as though we were having some kinds meet the parents formal dinner session haha....

Service was indeed great as there was an in-house attendant throughout our dining to accomodate our needs. We ordered roast pigeon, their speciality soup which was really really delicious.. But of course this comes with the exorbitant pricing too.... Towards end of the dinner, dear gave his brother a surprise as it coincided with Winston's birthday that day. Dear bought him a birthday cake which he never did for the past 32 years haha. I told Winston u must see who's the 'instigator', which is me lah who always loves to create such birthday pangs.

The waitress captured a wonderful family shot of us. It was a great dining experience.

A night out with House of Lims!

2011-05-16T13:29:00.005+08:00

The night would not have been made possible without the 2 wives i.e Ting and me. We just met about 2 weeks ago, but knowing there's always so much for the 2 ah-peks to talk about and the wives wanted to share small talks about our upcoming Hongkong trip. So I smsed Tingting and made our dinner date possible at City Square!

We particularly chose to dine at Putien restaurant since both are typical ah-peks hehe. Luckily we made a reservation earlier, so the seat was made available readily. The 3 kids were jovial as usual. The kids enjoyed their food and i-phone play. Daddies engaged in men's and banking talk, mummies busy sharing proposed itineraries about Hongkong trip in Jun. All were very busy haha...

We were joking this was the second time our trips missed by a week. Last time it was Japan. They travelled and shortly after, we went to Tokyo. This time round, history repeats itself... They will be back on 1st Jun and we would travel about a week later, hehe... That's our intended plan, not to allow the hubbies to have too much privacy.

As Junwei and both Kaden and Jovan not feeling too well, we ordered mostly less heaty food like spinach, doufu etc. It was a good meal cos we had great companions! After that, we proceeded to Macdonalds for some light snacks and coffee. Dear and I had our fair share of carrying little Kaden. Guess he has grown to be familarised with us, so he didn't really resist us. Our little 'J's had fun enjoying their happy meals, Junwei tickling Jovin as usual, Jovan enjoying his Ben-10 toy....

It was a great night with our best pals. Hmmm, it has been sometime since we last watched a movie with them though. Hoping this will materialise in the near future. Looking forward to meeting them soon for Kaden's 2nd birthday!

母亲节快乐！

2011-05-16T13:05:00.003+08:00

期待已久的假期！

2011-05-06T09:34:00.004+08:00

终于挨到了最后一天！今天已是实习的最后一天了！漫长的十周一晃，就过去了。回想过去的这十周，每个周末都忙于准备教案，筹备资料等，似乎没什么可喘息的空间，但与上一份工作比较，始终觉得有多些时间陪我的两个小宝贝，而且在教导他们方面，也来得较得心应手。每份工作有利也有弊，以前的工作，不需带工作回家，但教职这一行，不可能不带作业回家批改，尤其是语文老师，因为批改量永远堆积如山。尽管日以继夜地批改，还是累得心力交瘁。然而，从另一个角度而言，批改也不乏乐趣，尤其是学生所写的作文，有时真的令我捧腹大笑，哭笑不得。回去学院后，课表将轻松许多，会尽量充分利用这段难得的休息时间，为自己充电，因为日后的工作量肯定有增无减，但对于像我曾经有些许工作经验的过来人，相信也较能适应生活。

很庆幸在这里遇到很好很容易相处的同事，个个亲切诚恳，以礼待人，毫无私心，是个非常理想的工作环境。我一生中，运气一直都不错。虽然不是什么大富人家，但起码日子过得充实，婚姻美满，拥有一对幸福可爱的孩子，事业也一帆风顺。下来我很期待六月份，因为我终于可以出国了！从去年至今，鉴于学院的课程表，无法安排出国的行程，所以最多只去了云顶。这次本已预订好去日本的机票，岂料遇上日本地震与辐射的问题，更改行程的谈判一直不能解决，与旅行社谈不拢，但庆幸老公这次亲自出马，与其花费唇舌与他们在电话周旋，老公最后单枪匹马上旅行社与他们解决问题。最后，老公的唇舌技巧果然奏效，我们得到一个圆满的解决方案。最后也敲定6月11日，到香港展开我们全家5天4夜之旅！

价钱虽然偏高，但我们也不想再计较这么多。现在这一事件已解决，可以开开心心准备筹备行装咯！两个宝贝听到要坐飞机，看米奇老鼠就雀跃万分。这次是两个宝贝第一次与我们乘搭飞机，希望一切顺利。虽然我和老公之前已到过香港，但这次行程仍与我们上回的有些出入，而且这次我们也会下榻好莱坞酒店，听说酒店设施很不错，也有不少纪念品，所以热切期待6月11日的来临！乐林已每天已在倒数，一直告诉弟弟要去迪斯尼乐园了。从说日语的米奇老鼠变为说广东话的米奇老鼠，别有一番风味：）

老公和我对于日本之旅不能成行，有些遗憾与失望，但这也是无奈的。希望日本尽快复苏以往繁荣的景象，日本人民生活会获得改善，我们日后再去探访东京的米奇老鼠吧。现在最重要是购买行李箱，一家四口的行装都要由我一手包办，所以得从长计议，想必会买很多东西回来，嘻嘻。。。。会尽情享受我这应得的假期：）

Great May Day weekend!

2011-05-06T08:58:00.005+08:00

Last long weekend, the House of 'J's had a wonderful time visiting sandy beaches at East Coast on Saturday evening, followed by visit to Resort World on Sunday.

Dear and I were cracking our brains where to bring the kids for quality family bonding moments. Thought that our kids love sand castle building, so we decided to mae full use of their sand tools and that's how we landed at East Coast. Crowd was still manageable, probably due to exam period. The kids rushed to the beach, poured out their tools and began exploring. Dear and I sat at a corner, where we could monitor the kids, fed the kids with some finger food and we too joined them for some fun as we brought them nearer the water, and the 4 of us had fun kicking and splashing one another with water haha....

After all the fun, we continued our endless fun the next day at Resort World! Have never been there since it's opening last year. So we decided to make a trip there in our newly bought Angry Bird Family Tee! We saw the great and magnificent USS which people have been raving about but we didn't visit USS as the kids are too young to enjoy the rides. Nonetheless, we still had a great time while touring outside USS and took photos from the outside area, creating the impression we've entered, haha! We felt like tourists once again in our own country! But really felt RW is somewhat a replica of Genting's First World Plaza, even Jovin spotted the similarity!

There were great image spots and mascots going around. Our little 'J's were so excited whenever they saw one like Hershey's chocolate, Peeks etc. We brought them to Candy Empire and the kids were thrilled when they saw the mini trolleys and each of them pulled one, pushing here and there in the shop. Oh my, we really had to follow them closely fearing they might just bump into others.

We later ventured into Hard Rock Cafe. It's my usual 'trait' to buy a T-shirt for whenever I visit a Hard Rock Cafe, so I naturally bought one too from our own homeland :) The kids got free ballons, ran around and posed wherever there's opportunities. We didn't realise it was already around 6pm as we decided to leave. Intially wanted to go Sentosa, but decided to leave it for another day and returned to Vivo City instead.

At Vivo, we bought the kids for great water fun. Dear had a good rest, taking care of our belongings, while I followed my little dearest as they chased each other in the water, and even lay down completely since they knew that I had an extra change of clothes for them.

The best part of enjoyment especially for Jovan, was that he saw his great idol, Ben-10's statue placed at Toysrus! He was sooooo elated and posed several photos beside his greatest idol. The weekend was fun-filled and well spent with our little 'J's.

Children's smiles are really the greatest presents and consolation on earth that warms parents' hearts. Now I fully comprehend the true meaning of this statement.

Another year older, but another year wiser!

2011-04-27T08:41:00.007+08:00

Time really passed by in a flash. 25th April 2011 marks my 3x journey. Can't believe I've progressed thus far!Every year, without fail, despite amidst examination period or hectic work schedule, my family members never fail to celebrate the day for me. This 'tradition' carries on till today....

This year, I had my 1st birthday cake on 21 Apr by my new colleagues in Montfort! Really touched as it was a surprise for me. They secretly planned it and told me to attend a department meeting. Never did I expect a cake was waiting for me on the table. Felt so warm by the wonderful gesture. Looking forward to a greatworking relationship with my new working partners :)

On Easter 22nd, we had a joint family celebration with my nephew Jerad whose birthday falls on 23rd. But of course, kids usually get the limelight. But we still relaxed and enjoyed NERF gun, WII games and my dear princess happily cycled on Jerad's bike. The home party was small but cosy. Had a wonderful night and it made me feel happy and blessed to see my little 'J's enjoying themselves so heartily.

My moment came hehe.... First wonderful surprise was my present. Dear gave me the present earlier on Sat night. Was taken aback by the surprise when I saw the LV wallet he gave me. I'm really one who doesn't covet branded bags and stuff. So all my branded stuff were showered upon by my dearest hubby. Really thks to my dear dear who's so observant as well to discover my old Pierre Cardin wallet of 5 years is 'walking out' on me haha. Happily transferred all my 'barang' to the new wallet which really 'smells' wonderful! You know the kinda new leather smell.....

On Sunday morning, bright and chirpy, we had Macdonalds breakfast before dear's specially planned trip to Downtown East for the theme park fun. Alas, after almost half an hour ride from Sembawang all the way to the east, it was a sheer disappointment to know that the park was overtaken by a company's family day and it was closed to the public for the whole day! We were like, oh my, what to do? Even brought extra clothers etc, thinking we could have a wonderful time with the kids...So we brought the kids on Ferris wheel ride instead.

Though it has been umpteen times we've taken the ride, the kids still enjoyed it very much and still standing here and there, looking up and down the complex as tey sat in the cabin. We then went for lunch and dear suggested " Dear, shall we try KTV with the kids?" Hmmm, really sounds interesting, so we really went ahead and that's how we end up at K-Box from 3-7pm haha!

Our Little 'J's were so excited when we were brought to the KTV room. Jovin immediately took the mics and started swinging and swaying her body to the rythm. So hilarious! We soon started our debut KTV experience with the kids. Besides kids songs, our little 'J's were familar with some of the pop songs too as they often heard it on radio on car rides. One of their favourites was Wonder Girls' 'Nobody' and Jovin even sang it twice. Though not very pleasant to the ears hehe, but dear and I had a great time laughing, dancing and first time singing duet with the kids haha!

As for Jovan, he started to throw a bit of tantrums as he wanted to rest for a nap. However, despite patting and attempting all methods to coax him to sleep, we still failed but he quietly laid on the couch, our laps as he enjoyed our singing. Towards the second half, Jovan became energetic once again but he was more interested munching the tidbits instead hehe...

After KTV, we went to Northpoint Mayim Cusine restaurant for traditional Chinese food. Perhaps we were too hungry so we over-ordered but all were so tasty and delicious yummy yummy. So sinful that we ate so much... Oh my expanding waistline, but once a year it's a well-deserved treat from my dear, so should show my appreciation isn't it?

On my actual day, Jovin asked me innocently why there wasn't a birthday cake for mummy. So she called dear in the office and posed the question. Well, so I got a birthday cake, though mini but real tasty lychee mousse cake from breadtalk. Dear was busy but returned home around 10.30p.m for a heartwarming celebration for his dear wife. Dad and mum also joined in the birthday song singing. Of course, my little 'J's were the most jovial, haha guess it's their birthday, not mine! Dear gave me a birthday card, which he claimed that's to compensate for not doing a DIY cake at ICING room which I wanted him to do, so reading the mushy sweet dovey words, of course I relented.....Dear really can read my mind and knows how to 'manage' me after sooo many years of togetherness.

My birthday celebration doesn't end here! My NIE comrades had a belated birthday celebration for me last night. Had a simple Korean dinner at Suntec and a wonderful dessert and cake session at PREGO. We had so much to talk about, gossip and relive our good old days during our training period. Looking forward to seeing them in the week after for our last lap of enrichment programmes filled with exciting field trips and excursions like Science Centre, Chinatown, National Museum etc. We are more in the mood for play hehe.....

It was a really wonderful birthday celebration for me this year, especially with the numerous sms and birthday wishes flocking all in form dearest friends, students, family and 'bombarding' dear's i-phone on the 25th haha. I wish for family happiness and smooth career progression for myself as I embark truly as a professional and qualified teacher with effect from 13 Jun 2011 :)

Busy busy busy......

2011-04-11T21:15:00.004+08:00

It has been almost 7 weeks since practicum began. Now, last lesson observation to go which is tomorrow and I will be freed! Going back to NIE for more relaxed sessions.....

Since 21 Feb, all weekends have been burnt and drowned in lesson plans, preparing resources, and never-ending marking.... But I survived through all these! Many thks to my ever-supportive hubby who game me some opinions for my lesson plans, helped me do cutting, pasting etc to prepare for my group activity etc. Of course, my dear Jovin chipped in the cutting too. As for Jovan, passed him those unwanted papers, so it made him feel as though he was helping mummy too. It became a family affair thingy hehe...

Despite the busy schedules, I still managed to fork out quality time with my dearest 'J's and brought them to shopping malls to do window shopping, enjoy playing at playgrounds, had great coffee and cakes at out favourite Starbucks outlet. Being with our beloved ones is always a blissful thing.

Amidst the hectic piles of work, no matter how suppressed or pressurised I feel, I always feel energised upon doing little lovey dovey cuddly acts with my little 'J's. Since baby, I've always loved to stay intimate with the little ones through touching our little noses and gave each other a kiss. Our little 'J's still love me to cuddle them like a newborn baby, though both of them have completely outgrown my reach haha... But these are the sweetest things that would really cheer me up. Of course, not forgetting the ever-powerful words of encouragement from my better half, dearest hubby James.

Glad I've pulled through past days of NIE assignments, projects etc and now overcoming practicum period soon. Kudos to my wonderful 'J's. Sharing with you the secret behind my happiness.....

Weekend family bliss!

2011-03-22T12:45:00.005+08:00

Have been shopping at Nex, City Square Mall, Orchard these weekends and captured lovely shots of our little ones. Truly love such memorable cheeky moments. Our kids especially love the temporary games arcade set up in conjuncton with City Square's 1st year celebration. Nothing but fun!

Barbie Princess Jovin!

2011-03-21T22:18:00.007+08:00

Last Sunday, I rose up bright and early, sacrificed my precious sleep on a Sunday morning for an important mission! Guess what? Have heard of the Dress-Up As Barbie contest held at Jurong Point, so knowing Jovin definitely loves the experience, mummy and daughter 'abandoned' daddy and son for the important mission!

We took a hearty breakfast, a leisure scenic MRT journey trip all the way from Sembawang to my most dreaded Jurong Point which I have not been to since I started practicum a month ago. Bringing Jovin alone was really a breeze. She's so cooperative and had a hearty chat with mummy along the way. We listened to music, played phone games etc. It was not too long before we realised we have reached Jurong Point!

It was only 10 when we reached the shopping mall where all the shops have not even started operating! I thought we were so early and sooo kiasu. So we strolled to the queing point. I was totally appalled when we were already the 18th in queue and only 1st 20 get the opportunity for the dressing up! So, that's when our long waiting journey bagan from 10a.m when the event only began at 2p.m! I asked Jovin if she really had the patience to wait so long for the event and she assured me confidently no problem. Ok, so mummy just gotta cooperate with our darling princess.

I was all prepared, got ready all the snacks, buns, drinks etc but my dear princess didn't eat much as she told me she's afraid she couldn't fit into the gowns! My god!It was indeed a long wait. However, the organisers did not seem to be very well prepared for the large turnout. Queue started to form nonetheless and suddenly more people appeared from nowhere and joined their friends and families in the earlier queue. No queue number was issued only till 2p.m. So we were even very unsure if we were really secured a place for the contest.Full of complaints, grouches and of course tummy growling as it got nearer lunchtime.

I really pity those who also wasted at least 2-3 hours queuing up. The organisers could have at least informed those at the back they no longer stand any chance and save people the agony, especially little girls from the severe disappointment. Saw a couple of girls wailing soooo loudly as they couldn't get into the queue when the organisers made their final count. I called dear earlier and he brought Jovan to support our dear princess for the catwalk cum beauty paegent.

Jovin was so excited when she finally got hold of her official pass for the make-over contest! Her patience finally paid off after 5 long hours. Kudos to my dear girl who really didn;t make any big fuss despite no i-phone entertainment! Wait and wait... finally it's Jovin's turn! As she's so petite, there's not many gowns for her selection as most were sweeping gowns for her!

Finally got one to her liking that fits her exactly! Our princess sat down obediently for the make-up, listened to the instructions and got her make-up done in a jiffy.

Brought her backstage to change into her Barbie gown and she started her catwalk rehearsal. The compere taught them do curtsy, bows and waving of hands just like a beauty queen haha. Jovin faced the public confidently. There was so many audience and she did not show any signs of stage fright. Really proud of my girl!

The contestants ranged from age 6-12. Dear Jovin was one of the youngest contestants. She walked alone from the backstage, showed off her best on the stage but still appeared a little shy after all. However, I am surprised that Jovin was able to answer the compere's question by not remaining speechless during the Q & A session. She's merely 5yrs 5 mths old, but she really takes after my genes as she's not afraid of public speaking. Compere asked why she wanted to be a princess, she replied she loves animals, so she hopes to save animals with special powers haha...

Jovin did not win eventually but dear and I complimented on her fabulous performance on the stage. In our hearts, we reckoned her effort for doing so well. After the contest, daddy accompanied her to queue for an up close and personal autograph session with the real Barbie and this really made her day! It was indeed a tiring day.

What's more, I was terribly hungry and to worsen matters, Jovan's constant wailing while I was alone with him really got on my nerves so much that I misplaced my video camera. I almost burst into tears! It goes like this. Dear accompanied Jovin to queue for Barbie's autograph while dear wanted me to bring Jovan to buy a pair of pants cos he wetted himself accidentally. Well, if it were me, I would have brought an extra change of underwear, but since it was daddy who brought him out single-handledly, you really can't expect much (no extra change and no water bottle!). Ok , so I brought Jovan to John Little and Kiddy Palace but he kept wailing and nothing seemed to please him. He insisted on Ben 10 shorts which he totally couldn't fit in, yet he refused to listen and threw tantrums. I was starving like hell, ate nothing since morning till 4.30pm then, and had to ut up with his nonsense. Just grabbed a pair of shorts and brought him to change. Only then I realised my video-camera was lost! Called ear desperately for help. Shuffled between John Little and Kiddy Palace, really going mad and crazy till a receptionist approached me and asked me if I was looking for a video camera. Some kind soul located my video-cam! I was elated and hugged dear! Really appreciated the person's help. Saved my cherishable memories which I've taken as well as a big bomb!

Only then, I was at ease having MOS burger, had lots of food to replenish my lost energy and sanity haha. Then we still continued to shop. Though really angry with Jovan, but still bought toys and clothes for him. I'm so ironic right? Really owed him in my previous life..... Nonetheless, I do not regret what I've done for the kids cos everything I did, I did it in the best interest for the kids. I'm not a super mum, but I'm definitely a dutiful mum to my pair of prince and princess. I love u, 2 little 'J's!

Stay-at-home mum!

2011-03-15T19:14:00.002+08:00

This week, I transformed once again into a 24/7 dutiful wife and mummy to my dearest 'J's. Apart from fussing over my lesson planning, I dilligently did my chores, prepared yummy meals for my little ones, smsing hubby what he would like for dinner, bringing little ones for short walks etc. Still surviving well and enjoying every bit of it.

As usual, sleep pretty late every night, oops I mean morning, to do up my lesson plans and marking. However, the time spent at home with my darlings is indeed very fulfilling and I love it. Though frustrating at times when the kids irritate me, tired of ironing etc, the smiles and satisfaction on my kids' faces tell me all these is worth it and dear rewarded me every night without fail his tender loving massage.

Gonna cherish every bit of it and get ready for my next recharge!

姐弟情深的写照。。。

2011-03-10T20:46:00.005+08:00

难得一见的温馨画面，姐姐教弟弟识字。若时间可以停留在这一刻，那该有多好啊！

ICT Teaching!

2011-03-10T20:20:00.003+08:00

Apart from moving towards ICT-based teaching in my formal curriculum, I've started
to incorporate this component in Jovin's curriculum too. Every night, without fail, I would spend at least 45 mins going through her homework which she has completed at my mother-in-law's place in the afternoon. 1 day of abacus, 2 days of Chinese and 1 day of English. Weekends are for relaxation!

Last year, I bought a hanyu-pinyin interactive software which Jovin displays much interest towards it. I started using it since beginning of this year. After teaching her the basics through tradtitional methods, I adopted using the software which enabled Jovin to 'mouse' around by reading aloud the pronounciation, doing the related assessments and self-appraisal! She really looks forward to this every week. It has truly helped in stimulating her interest in learning Chinese and promotes self-regulated learning.

I hope to instill stronger foundation in her hanyu pinyin through such fun interactive approaches. Also, some friends have been asking me what are the methods I adopt to stimulate Jovin's learning interest in Chinese. Well, just some sharing tips: Besides the above,

1)I would read through the simplified primary school Chinese newspaper (知识报）, telling her some of the interesting articles from the papers

2)and of course, a bed-time story before sending her to her sweet dreams.

3)Every fortnightly, she would do simple newspaper cutting by cutting and pasting a story which she loves and paste it into a jotter book and she would write a new word which she learns from the story and she usually loves to decorate by drawing her favourite characters on the page.

The above have worked pretty well for my girl. U may try it too if u are keen. As for Jovan, he's not as studious as Jovin, so gotta influence him through Jovin and engaging him in more software-related learning. Still need to exlpore more options for my little prince.

ICT-based learning coupled with traditional teaching methods do not necessarily work wonders for everybody, but I genuinely there would definitely be a positive impact their learning.

We are coming, Mickey, Princess, Hello Kitty....!.

2011-02-28T23:26:00.005+08:00

Yes, yes, we have finally secured our major Jun vacation plan last weekend at Natas Fair after a long and careful deliberation by dear and myself. We are leaving on 10 Jun and returning on 17 Jun! House of 'J's is taking our 1st flight together!

We have been talking, planning about it for very long almost half a year back. Intially wanted to bring Jovin to Japan when she was 5 and leave Jovan behind in Singapore. However, mummy really couldn't bear to do it so decided to wait slightly longer till this year and bring both our little 'J's along!

We reached Natas Fair real early, fearing the queue and huge turn-out at the fair. Had a hearty breakfast after parking our car and we were among the first few who entered. We made several comparisons among the major agencies. Actually our most preferred partner has always been Chan Brothers. But this time round, their package tour do not suit us, so we finally set our decision on Hong Thai which better caters to our needs. Will be going Disneyland, Sanrio Puroland, Universl Studios etc.

Nov 08, we travelled free and easy but this time round gotta take package due to the kids. We chose a 7D6N package with SQ flight, hoping the best can provide the best comfort for them. Our little 'J's are so excited. Jovin keeps telling everyone she's going Disneyland and Jovan is muttering 'Mickey mouse, Mickey mouse...'. Will definitely take loads of video clips so that Jovan can remember as he grows up.

Something to countdown and really look forward to as I'm undegoing the miserable days of practicum teaching.... Japan, here we come!

Happy Birthday, 弟弟！

2011-02-28T23:20:00.003+08:00

Happy Birthday, our dearest baby Jovan!

2011-02-26T23:19:00.008+08:00

Yes, no matter how much Jovan has grown, he's still dear and my dearest baby Jovan since the day he was in my tummy :)

Time flies and Jovan is soon turning 3 on Mon 28 Feb! It has been 3 years and I really can't believe it. This year, we brought forward his celebrations a week earlier as his actual birthday week coincides with my new school hours and the earlier family celebration was held too to convenience our nephew Chrus, who would be having his common tests starting 28 Feb!

As mentioned in my earlier blog post, I managed to secure earlier bookings for Ben-10cakes and party bags for Jovan's school and family celebration. Jovan was extremely thrilled for the whole of last weekend.

Last Friday, he had the privilege to be dressed in his favourite suit to school. This is a concession made by the school. All birthday pupils are allowed to come dressed in their favourite outfit on the day of celebration. Of course, our dear boy was all dressed in his Ben-10 outfit with his Ben-10 omitrax.

Jovan took the school bus as usual to the school with Jovin and he was so surprised when he saw me appearing in the school as they were having assembly. The N1 students were so lovely and adorable. Jovan was surprised and sooo happy when he saw the Ben-1o cake and little cupcakes with Ben-10 on it! The cake was really so nicely decorated with Jovan's favourite character. Jovan was grinning from ear to ear....

Jovin joined in Jovan's celebration as well and led Jovan in the singing of birthday song, cutting of cake, bringing the cakes to the N1 students etc. Jovan was so forthcoming and brought the cakes and party bags for each and every one of them. So sweet....

However, there's always separation anxiety. As I made my move after the celebration, Jovan started to tear and I had to sneak out like a thief. Oh my!

On Saturday, we had a mini celebration with our best pals, Junwei/Tingting and the kids favourite Auntie Bao! We dined at J8 Watami Japanese restaurant. Jovan was overwhelemd by the Ben-10 birthday presents received on that day. We prepared a mini chocolate cake for our pals and the staff joined in the singing too. This really made Jovan his day especially when he saw so many Ben-10 presents that night.

On Sunday, it was our family celebration for our little precious baby. Jovan couldn't wait till the end and started to unveil the mystery presents. All were Ben-10 series! Jovan had 2 bags, 3 water bottles, 2 stationary sets, clothiing,several Ben-10 toys etc. Just look at the range! I can start operating a Ben-10 merchandise shop!The 1 kg cake was so appetzing and beautifully decorated.

Jovan was really jumping with joy and joined in his own birthday song singing as he saw his presents and all his beloved ones by his side.

Our dearest baby prince Jovan, you have been such a dear for the past 3 years. You are the sunshine and joy in daddy and mummy and jiejie's lives. House of 'J's would not be complete without your addition. Daddy, mummy and jiejie just want to say WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS, HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, OUR DEARRRRREST DARLING LITTLE PRECIOUS!

妈咪，我当组长了！

2011-02-22T07:27:00.002+08:00

昨晚，乐琳一踏进家门口，就兴致勃勃地冲上前告诉我：“妈咪，我当组长了！老师说乐琳最乖最好。”顿时，我觉得我的宝贝公主长大了！我问她组长的职务是什么，她说“我帮老师拿东西给小朋友，帮老师拿书。”只见宝贝一脸的喜悦，她真的感到很骄傲，很光荣。我与文强都称赞她，希望她继续努力，在班上要树立一个好榜样，不要说太多话，嘻嘻。

看着乐琳，恍然觉得乐琳真的遗传了我的优良细胞。想当年，我也担任了不少如组长、班长、学长等的领袖职位。如今，女儿也像我一样，我和文强必定努力栽培。期盼我们的小乐文也会被姐姐所影响，那我就高枕无忧了！

乐琳，加油哦！

Preparing for Jovan's BIG 3!

2011-02-13T19:24:00.004+08:00

Jovan's big 3? Haha, I mean, he's turning 3 real soon.... Still remember the time I gave birth to him on 28022008! But he's really a dear who gave me a quick 45min labour pain only. So whenever I feel like discipling him real hard, I always think twice haha. 3 years have passed in a flash. This year, something gonna be different is that, Jovan is going to have a school party birthday celebration!

Our dear boy turns 3 officially on 28 Feb. However it happens to fall on a Monday. Dear and I couldn't make the necessary arrangements due to work committment. Thus, I decided to bring forward Jovan's school's celebration to next Friday,before I officially start my practicum.

Our dear boy is in a Ben-10 frenzy lately. He's a crazy Ben-10 fan! So I tried to get as many Ben-10 associated party items as possible. Finally managed to find Jovan's Ben-10 cake after gathering info from websites and word of mouth etc. So I placed booking for 2 cakes - family and school. Got Ben-10 party bags, cups, party hats. Really tried everything I could and tried to search for Ben-10 items. Dear said I am really a 24/7 dutiful mum haha. What to do? Only one pair of precious prince and princess. I'm sure most parents would not hesitate to do that, especially mummies!

Jovan has happily packed his goodie bags, now trying to tie some loose ends. Hope our boy will have a great time next Friday!

The visiting continues....

2011-02-13T18:57:00.005+08:00

Every year without fail, we usually need 2 weekends for CNY visiting. This year, our last stop was SMU CNY gathering at Jasmine's place. All of us have been too caught up with hectic work schedules, so couldn't find a common time to gather all most of the time. Last night, it was our first time seeing them since their wedding in Dec 09!

After Jovin's class, we set off for their place in Simei and we were the second guests. Long-time no see Guimei and Gary and of course their latest addition, Kiran. It's been quite a while since we carried and cuddled young babies. So dear and I were ''fighting'over cuddling Kiran, haha! He was really an adorable child who's not afraid of strangers. The saliva, milky baby smell really brings back fond memories. We exchanged small talks over child rearing and being experienced parents of two, we had no problems carrying the baby compared to Cuiling who fumbled and sought S.O.S when we placed Kiran in her arms haha.

We had the opportunity to savour great soba noddles specially prepared by our hosts, Jas and Tony. We loved the soba so much, coupled with nuggets, BBQ wings. It was really a time to feast! Our little 'J's as usual, were entertained by i-phones and i-pad so we could eat in peace and Guimei and Gary were really envious of us. So we helped them to entertain Kiran as they could then eat in peace.

Our final guests, Yuanyi and Wenshan arrived around 8pm and brought sumptous fried rice and charsiew, roast meat from Crystal Jade. All of us had the usual louhei but it was a vegetarian one with no raw fish haha cos Cuiling just grabbed one from NTUC, didnt know it was just the condiments haha... Nonetheless, we had fun and all the toto winning, ,make big bucks wishes came pouring out as usual. Of course, our little 'J's had another round of louhei fun and they were so professional.

After dinner, Little Kiran had to make a move first while the rest of us continued. Tony was a great guitarist and kids lover. He entertained our little 'J's with his songs with rest of the hubbies, while we ladies took a breather and gossiped about wedding ,marriage life, renovation, pregnancy etc. We didn't realise we chatted till 11.30p.m!

Although they were dear's uni friends, but I am very at ease and familiar with all of them too as though I'm from SMU alumni too haha. I'm glad to have made these great accquaintances through dear. Apart from JC CLDDS pals, they are another group of long-time great trusting pals. Friendship rocks!

恭喜恭喜，兔年来咯！

2011-02-05T02:17:00.004+08:00

虽然许多身边的朋友都抱怨过年越来越没气氛，提不起劲去拜年，但对于我来说，从小到大，我始终想往农历新年的到来，也不知不觉把这传统意识灌输给两个孩子。与往年一样，办了不少的年货，买礼篮、送鲍鱼干贝等给长辈、到牛车水逛年货市场买了台湾果冻麻署、换钱包红包、大扫除、还有我最爱的买新衣，哈哈！

过去两天，与以往一样，拜年行程都安排得很紧凑。一大清早，我便第一个起床，然后忙着为两个小呱打点一切。当然我的宝贝公主需要花更多的时间，因为还得梳理她的头发。两个宝贝和我们一样，都非常兴奋。我们每年都会录下他们向我们拜年的情景，重看他们从小到大向我们拜年的情景，真的感叹岁月不饶人。从宝贝坐着婴儿车座，支支吾吾向我们拜年直到今日，他们都会向我们说贺语，真的觉得很欣慰。乐琳的新年贺词可说是极流利“大吉大利、年年有余、身体健康”等等一字不漏；乐文呢，摆个模样似模似样，到处说“恭喜恭喜”，令许多亲戚朋友捧腹大笑。

到每一户人家拜年，大伙儿叙叙旧，侃侃而谈。小孩儿则趁此机会，“偷吃”了不少平日被禁止的食物零食与冷水，所以过年当然是他们的最爱啦！我们去了曾祖母、舅婆等亲戚的家。曾祖母一看到乐文，就笑得合不拢嘴，难得乐文还肯合作与她拍照，都得高龄93岁的她眉开眼笑。

除了拜年，我们今天也相约父母亲、姐姐和哥哥一家人去捞鱼生。大家兴致高昂，沉浸在欢愉的气氛中。我们最乐于捞鱼生。今年，乐文也踊跃参与，还吃了不少鱼生呢！晚餐的菜色属一般，但还算过得去。之后，大家都到我的家继续玩扑克牌、电脑游戏、烟花枝等，玩得不亦乐乎。

我们大伙儿围绕在一块儿，所谓小赌怡情，一年一次的“余兴节目”是我们的最佳娱乐！今年，老爸是大赢家，妈咪则垫底，成了“牺牲品”，哈哈！一家人乐融融，尽情玩乐。我们最爱的妈咪还带来了芋泥、杏仁糊、汤圆等甜品，让我们有享不尽的口福。妈咪万岁！

首两天的农历新年就这样过去了。虽然很疲惫，但能够和亲朋戚友齐聚一堂，是一个难得的机会。下来还有朋友的拜年活动，所以两个宝贝的红包继续滚滚而来，而爸爸妈咪的钱就从口袋滚滚而去，哈哈！

希望大家在兔年，和我们全家一样，事事称心如意。我本身则希望自己接下来的十周实习顺利过关，顺利走马上任。祝大家在兔年都“发”啊！

2011-01-31T00:42:00.004+08:00

This morning, I attended our dear little 'J's schools's Chinese New Year celebration. I dressed up our little ones and they were in high spirits. Many parents were present too and we joined in the fun of singing songs, playing games, listening to stories during the short one hour+. I was busy taking photos for my little 'J's, but it was realy challenging for me as both of them were seated at different places due to different classes. Nonetheless, I still managed to capture some memorable video and photo shots of them. Both of them were so happy and the school even prepared little angpows for them which contained sweets - Children's all-time favourite. It was a short, but enjoyable session with my little ones. Looking forward to more fun the next few days.....

Our Little Warrior Jovan!

2011-01-31T00:42:00.002+08:00

Jovan is really a typical boy. All that he engages in are entirely different from Jovin. He's recently very much into Ben-10 and this new set of armour and sword set bought by daddy. My heart really races up and down with Jovan as he now runs around the house to chase after Jovin and Jovin simply pretends as though she's a princess in distress, wearing tiara and putting on blanket, trying to escape from Jovan. Oh my, never-ending fun for the kids but never-ending nightmares for mummy!

Mr Ben-10!

2011-01-25T01:04:00.002+08:00

The craze over Ben-10 nowadays. Jovan has a complete set ranging from socks, briefs, shoes, water-bottle,melamine set etc. Not difficult to get my dear prince his birthday present for this year!

16 Jan!

2011-01-25T00:46:00.003+08:00

16 Jan marks the day when dear and I finally get the 'official' approval to stay under one roof haha! This is our 6th year! Time really flies in a flash and I can't believe our dear Jovin is turning 6 by Oct too! Next year, she would be in Primary 1!

This year, we didn't have a big celebration. It happened to coincide with our dear friend, Lijuan's Chloe's 3 year old birthday. We attended her party at Peek-a-Boo at Leisure Park. The little ones were so excited and went chaos and ran wild when they saw the ball pool, slide and lots of kids!

Dear and I didn't have to follow our little 'J's through like our other pals did. Jovin was there to help us look after Jovan and both were so independent. Dear and I had time to ourselves and chatted with our pals.

After the wonderful time at the birthday party, we made our way to Chinatown! It drizzled a bit and we were so busy putting on and removing raincoat for the kids. Weather turned hot soon after. We were target specific and finally decided on the traitional costumes for our little 'J's. The sales auntie intially recommended one outfit but guess what was Jovin's reply? " I want sexy one!" Haha, we almost laughed over heels!

There were many interesting things on sale and we bought a couple to entertain the kids. Most of the stalls gave free samples like jelly, mochi etc and so, our kids ate non-stop! But that was a good trick to make them walk! Then, we took a rest and had a good rest at an air-conditioned tea house where there was nobody else! It was heaven! After the rest, we continued but the kids didn't have much more stamina, so dear and I had to carry one each! Really killing... Bt luckily Jovin still cooperated and agreed to walk at times.

It was a tiring day indeed and that's how we celebrated our 6th anniversary. Thks for the blissful marriage, my dearest Wenqiang James :)

友谊万岁！华会万岁！

2011-01-17T18:11:00.002+08:00

时间飞逝，岁月悠悠。一瞬间，又到了农历新年的时候。除了与家人聚首一堂，共享年夜饭。每年，我们都一定会和初院好友预先约定吃团圆饭。人数逐年增加，现在已有7个小孩加入我们的阵容，可说是声势浩大。

刚过了圣诞不久，我们的团圆饭统筹珍妮，每年都会尽心尽力为我们安排这项聚会。今年也不例外，但今年与往年不同，我们选择到日本餐馆享用晚餐，有别于以往的传统中式料理。我们预先订下厢房，所以有隐私。但岂知，房间有点儿太小了，尽管有些人没来，但10个成年人，3个小孩，能够挤在那小房里，也的确不容易。然而，大家凑合凑合，勉强还可以。房间座位安排属TATAMI 式，我家两个小呱与KADEN吃饱后，开始走来走去，坐不住。没办法，只好用I-PHONE 先敷衍乐文。乐琳则与KADEN 一块儿玩乐。

我们各自点菜。但我们其中四人听取侍应生的推荐，决定订两套火锅套餐。但我们也不是听得很明白。结果上菜的时候，来了一大盘蔬菜，几根没多少肉的蟹脚，然后等了许久，再来了绿豆。难道这些值得一人$48元吗？花这么多钱，为了吃青菜豆腐？大家匪夷所思。其中一位好友反映我们的心声，后来餐馆免费补上生鱼片，串肉两盘以示补偿。不幸中的大幸是，侍应生只替我们订了一套，所以四人享用两人份，总算心理取得平衡。况且，服务人员不断致歉，我们也深感他们的诚意，最后他们还替我们拍了一张漂亮的群体照！

晚餐后，一些人先行离去。我们其余的继续找个咖啡座，坐下来喝饮料吃甜点，有说不尽的话语。虽岁月不饶人，大家已逐渐步入中年，不能相信我们已深交17年了！但与这群死党，总有说不尽的话。最舒服的莫过于与他们侃侃而谈，无须戴上任何面具。他们都是我和文强的大媒人，更是最了解我们的好友。面对他们，只要有任何困难，相信我们这群朋友必定会互相伸出援手。在今时今日金钱挂帅的社会，能够维持这段真挚的友谊不易，相信我们的传统会长存，友谊万岁！

The Survival Story of Little Jovan!

2011-01-16T00:28:00.006+08:00

Finally, our dear Prince Jovan survived through his first week! 3 cheers for our little boy! Instead of usual school opening day as others on 4 Jan 10, Jovan started his first day on 6 Jan instead. The school made special staggering arrangements for the new Nursery 1 kids. For the first 2 days, only half of the class i.e 5 attended school for 2 hours. For the next 2 days, the second batch i.e Jovan attended with the other 5 kids. Finally, on the following Monday, the entire class of 10 students with 3 teachers attended school together with no parents allowed.

This was the first time I really witnessed my child going through separation anxiety as Jovin has been very independent at a tender age of 18 months when she was sent to weekend playgroup. Still remembered vividly she waved goodbye to me at the very first lesson when she was only 18 months! Truly unbelievable by many of my friends when I told them about it. However, separation anxiety is not uncommon as I've seen it happening to my niece and nephews when they were young too.

For the very first day, Jovan still happily cooperated by wearing his uniform and enjoyed playing pranks on Jovin while waiting for the school bus. He waved goodbye to us as he boarded the bus with Jovin, but started to look lost. Must be wondering why daddy and mummy did not follow him. Dear and I drove to the school and hid behind the trees and any other corners we could to take a peep at him. All other 4 parents were there. Jovin was assigned to sit down with Jovan. Jovan started to look worrisome and his eyes kept lurking around. The next moment, I heard Jovan's cries as Jovin spotted me and told Jovan. So she even brought him to me! Alas, I was exposed, no point hiding. Teacher told me to stay with him for sometime as this was the first day and all other parents were there. Al were like koala bears, hugging their mummies tightly. So, no choice, we accompanied him to the classroom. Teacher started to attract their attention by bringing out loads of toys like large LEGO blocks, choo-choo train etc. Slowly, we sneaked out quietly and decided to leave him alone.

After an hour, we returned and see Jovan happily playing with the blocks. Teacher was getting ready to bring them to the playground.

As it was raining, he sat on the tricycle and police car kiddy ride. We were there with him and could see him enjoying himself.

Problem arose the next day. Jovan refused to put on his uniform. Think he knew we were bringing him to the school. It wasn't only until much coaxing with Pocky sticks, jelly etc then he finally relented. However, he was full of tears as he boarded the school bus. Entirely different from the first day! Similarly, I rushed to school and found a great hideout corner behind the trees, taking the risk of being bitten by red ants though. That's motherhood, sigh! The 4 mothers were still there but I decided to leave Jovan alone and onyl returned to the school nearing dismissal time. Jovan spotted me and clung onto me when he was dismissed. Teacher fedback he cried for a while, looked sad, asked for mummy, daddy, then continued playing on and off. Looks like there's some great improvement!

On Monday, I couldn't be with him as I gotta attend lectures. Mum told me he only agreed to wear the uniform when he saw the new BEN 10 briefs that I've bought him! Then he started to complain of 'tummyache' nearing bus pick-up time and cried like mad when the bus auntie took him away from my mum. Oh, really sounded cruel but things have gradually improved. Yesterday, Jovan happily waved goodbye to me as he boarded the bus with Jovin and even greeted school bus uncle! No more cries! Yippie, Jovan has succeded and survived through his 'nightmare'!

I believe Jovan will slowly adapt better and love his schooling life as there will be a pool day every Thursday when he gets to wear his swimming trunks and enjoy water playing with other kids!Furthermore, he would be going'on school excursion with Jovin to watch the play Úgly Duckling'. Bet it's going to be an exciting school year ahead for our little Jovan. Good job, Jovan!

Happy Birthday, daddy James!

2011-01-09T00:12:00.007+08:00

Dear finally turned 3X! On 2 Jan 0000 hours, our dearest little 'J's specially arranged a mini birthday surprise for daddy. Together with mummy, we secretly arranged the candles on the toy birthday cake toy and hand in hand, they brought the cake to daddy as they sang the birthday song. Daddy was soooo surprised and touched by his little dearest 'J's....

On Sun 2 Jan, upon dear's request, we went to Junction 8 Japanese Watami restaurant to celebrate dear's birthday. This was dear's first time to the restaurant. We ordered many dishes by our birthday 'BOY'. Verdict? It was an excellent lunch!

The kids loved the sizzling tamago with fried chicken katsu best. The crispiness of the katsu and the sticky tamago goes so yummy with rice. I ordered a salad for myself, coupled with assorted skewer platter and cream scallop croquettes. Of course. not forgetting brownie dessert to complete the meal. Our tummies were soooo bloated!

This year, instead of buying a cake for daddy, we brought the kids to ICING ROOM and let the kids had a go at decorating the cake for daddy. Haha, it was intially ok with legible birthday wordings. However, as Jovin squeezed more cake icing onto the cake, all wordings were gone! As for Jovan, he ate the star mini icing biscuits as he helped to place the stars on the cake as decor, haha. It was a real hilarious sight. But most importantly, dear commented this was one of the unique and most memorable cake he has ever had in his entire life. Most importantly, this was a special effort by our little dearest ones.

At night, we had the cake celebration as we sang the song and the kids had a hand at cutting the cake with daddy. Though the cake did not look beautiful, it was delicious and this cake size was appropriate for the 4 of us. In our hearts, this cake is the most beautiful cake in the whole world.

As for dear's present, I bought a shirt for him as dear is a practical man, so this would come in handy as he switches to his new job. Happy birthday, our dearest daddy and hubby, we love you more than anybody :)

回顾2010，展望2011

2011-01-02T02:13:00.002+08:00

365天一晃，就这样过去了。随着年龄的逐增，日子似乎飞逝得特别快。2010 年，我终于做出一项事业上的抉择，离开了已有8年半感情的工作岗位。一度曾以为会永远呆在同样的地方，但手脚脑袋却不听使唤，最后选择投入教育界，执起教鞭，当起华文老师。毕竟曾是中文系的毕业生，对中文始终有那份不舍又难以言喻的眷恋。大半年在胜宝旺中学度过了教书生涯，如今重入校园，隔了这么久，再次踏入讲堂，周旋于课业与孩子之间，的确是一项挑战，但感谢上天赐了一个难得的好老公给我，为我分忧，让我顺利完成自己应尽的职责。

孩子与老公始终在我心里占据第一位置。认识我的人，都知家庭是我的全部。两个孩子尽管调皮捣蛋，但始终是我最爱的宝贝。乐琳今年转换到ZION 学校，第一次搭乘校车，第一次上美术课与珠算课程，表达与舞台表现方面大有跃进。乐琳从小都很独立，而且学东西很容易上手，不必我操心。而今年我也开始教她汉语拼音，乐琳的进度让我很满意。但她刚被检验患有散光，所以得规定她观赏电视节目时，一定得戴上眼镜。至于乐文，今年，从小，他好动活泼的个性让我操心不已，不是额头撞伤，就是膝盖瘀青，名副其实的MR BUMP！他在沟通方面会比乐琳来得慢些，但今年他大有跃进，能够说“STRAWBERRIES，I WANT THIS”。从年头的害羞，如今的乐文已不再害怕陌生人，大胆与他人玩乐。11月的N1迎新会，虽然乐文如同其他孩子也哭了，但他很快就被老师哄得了堂堂，融入玩乐之中。

至于老公，今年换了新工作岗位，收入虽多了，但时间也相对拉长了，最重要的是，老公仍然不懈尽他应做的责任，做个称职的好老公，好老爸！

投资方面，有点儿利润，今年的回报率不错，多亏老公一直盯紧市场走势。还不是我一直不停地在他背后唠叨，哈哈！

旅游方面，本想今年6月到香港，但乐琳宁愿选择去云顶，所以我们决定听从宝贝公主的话，而且还替爸妈省钱呢！

最让我头痛的莫过于房子，本想把现有的房子卖出，再购买碧山的转售屋。但适逢政府刚宣布新策施，影响房价。老公又有另一想法，想把房子先留住，静观其变。房子的确令人伤脑筋。。。。

2011年，最希望的当然是全家身体健康，永远沉浸于欢乐之中。但做人始终贪心些，希望以下几个小心愿能在2011年一一达成。

1）老公决定继续往上爬，决定投入另一个工作环境。所以希望他继续名利双收，利润丰厚，多多花红，妈咪与两个小宝贝有多点儿礼物，哈哈！
2）妈咪二月底开始的十周教学实习顺利过关，尽早脱离PRACTICUM 生涯，顺利毕业！
3）妈咪的教书生涯顺利展开，不要碰到太棘手的难题，嘻嘻！
4）乐琳即将从今年开始，加入福建会馆少儿组的戏剧演艺班。觉得乐琳有我这方面的遗传，所以希望能够培养她对华文的喜爱与舞台方面的才艺。
5）乐文会享受他正式的校园生涯，通过学校，强化他的表达能力。
6）愿瘀青等远离乐文，不再让我的宝贝乐文受伤，不再做MR BUMP！
7）能够完善运用教育学院的学识点，教育自己的两个小呱，顺利确保乐琳掌握基本的汉语拼音。
8）今年6月，一家大小到日本迪斯尼乐园游玩。（2月去NATAS FAIR！）
9）安排ALOHA LOYANG CHALET- 全家的年底最佳娱乐！
10）能够与老公在房子方面取得共识，做出我们共同的决定。

总之，坏的去，好的来，那是2011年我所希望带给我们一家和我身边的亲人朋友。
新年快乐，愿2011年带给每个人欢乐！