Jovan's 1st words!

James and I are thrilled! Today, we heard Jovan calling 'Papa' and 'Mama'! Though this is the 2nd round, we are still very excited as 2nd time parents. Like Jovin, Jovin has given us much joy, laughter, of course not forgetting frustration, worries etc. However, we feel very fulfiling as the parents of these 2 little ones. They are our bundles of joy indeed. Now, as Jovan grows by the day, he's starting to appreciate toy playing. Hence, we are often able to leave both of them in the play room where both of us can have our own free time. Looking forward to Jovan pronouncing more words, His favourite words are 'Pa' and 'Ma' now and favourite activity is learning to walk with the Pooh walker. Have a hunch Jovan will be able to walk before age 1. Till we see.....

Hello Kitty Fever!

Yesterday, we brought Jovin and Jerad to watch the Hello Kitty live performace at Junction 8. Mum went earlier to fetch Jovin from school whereas I met up with her and brother after I've fetched Jovan after work. I reached there by 6.45p.m and the pair of little cousins were already sitting in the first row, all ready to watch the 7p.m performance. Realised could get a Hello Kitty photo pass with min $30 expenditure. As I needed to buy something too, I managed to get the pass for them. The Hello Kitty troupe came 'alive' on stage with Daniel, Kitty, Melody etc. Joivn and Jerad were very excited and thier eyes were set upon all the cast. Jovan was a bit taken aback by the large bouncy characters on stage so my mum carried him away for a stroll instead. The highlight was the bubble foams they released which made all the kids jumped for joy. After the half hour performance, Jovin and Jerad obediently queued up for the photo-taking session. See how happy Jovin was....
James joined us later and told me not to 'poison' Jovin's mind with Hello Kitty too, but I think it's too late hehe.....

Little Miss Universe 2008!

Attended a course at Suntec on Mon. As I was going home, saw this interesting set of girl's beauty accessories inclusive of earrings, tiara, glass slippers, ring etc. I immediately took a fancy to this as I know my girl will surely love it. As expected, Jovin was thrilled and immediately wanted me to put on all the accessories for her. She even posed and asked me to take photos for her. Well, vanity is genetic, I guess, hehe. Enough talk now. Presenting u our little Miss Universe 2008.......

Wedding Vows

Last Sat, James and I brought Jovin to attend his cousin's wedding. Thought Jovan was too young and unmanageable at 8mths+, so we decided to leave him with my mum. The dinner was held at Marina Mandarin. It was a military wedding with the line of swordbearers and the couple had to undergo taskings as usual. The bridegroom openly declared his love for his wife in his speech and made a lot of promises, swearing by his heart to take care and accomodate his wife at all times, will love her forever. Hearing all these vows, looking at the wedding video etc. brought back lots of sweet memories for James and myself. Our precious girl was engrossed looking at the video and told me 'Mummy, I want to be a bride.' Haha my dear, u will take at least another 20 years. Thinking back, James too, made many promises and vows at the wedding, well to date, we've been traditionally binded for almost 4 years with a pair of lovely prince and princess. Well, James asked if he has lived up to the vows he declared, I said no hehe but nonetheless, he's definitely my wise choice as he's a responsible and loving hubby and daddy, though insensitive and unforgetful at times which really can get on my nerves. However, give and take is definitely essential in a relationship. What's more, it's a husband and wife affair.

We've gone through ups and downs in these 4 years. Including our courtship of 13 years since 1995, I feel blessed knowing James and most importantly choosing him as my life-partner and gave me 2 wonderful kids. To me, it doesn't matter if dear is unable to materialise what he vowed during our wedding. Most importantly, the House of 'Js' will stick together forever and stay happily ever after, just like in fairy tales. That's my dream :)

Fun at Sentosa!

Last Tue morning, I brought Jovin to attend RSAF's cohesion day held at Sentosa Tanjong Beach. We took MRT to Harbourfront , met up with my collegues and we took the sentosa express. It was almost 9.45a.m when we reached there. The beach was full of crowd and all the booths were so full. There were popcorns, candy floss etc everywhere but my poor girl couldn't take any of these as she is still suffering from cough. Jovin was intially afraid of walking in the sand. Encouraged by my colleague's son who was 5 years old, she slowly warmed up and even took out her sandals and walked around barefooted! After sandplaying, I brought her to play bubbles, bouncy gastle, shooting games etc. and she was thrilled especially when it came to bubble playing! She was so thrilled when she saw the large bubble foams! Jovin saw the tatoo studio and we joined in the queue. Guess what? We queued twice and each of us got 2 tatoos! Haha! Hers is still evident on her arms and still 'instructing' whoever bathes her not to touch her butterfly tatoos haha!

Around noon, we collected bento luch set. Jovin seemed to be exhausted. She even lied down on the bench and fell asleep as I ate my lunch. After my lunch, she woke up again, seemed to be slightly recharged. Had some bread and we went to queue up for the comic expressions booth. The artiste drew a very nice comic version of Jovin and she loves it! After more sand playing and bouncing, she was real tired then. I had to carry her all the way back to take shuttle bus which brought me to Harbour Front Station. Decided to take bus instead so both of us can sleep in the bus. My arms were aching then. Well, imagine carrying 2 goodie bags, 1 haversack and a 13kg girl walking all the way, not easy feat leh!

Nonetheless, despite aching arms, Jovin and I had a great day at the beach. Hope that her cough recovers soon so that she can enjoy popcorns and floss next time :)

Funny Expressions!

Romantic Tokyo Getaway!

We are back! Just arrived in Singapore at 0035hrs this morning. James and I had an enjoyable, fantastic, romantic and wonderful trip for the past 6 nights.This was our first ever trip to Japan and we did it free and easy. We achieved it though we didn't know how to communicate in Japanese. Both of us didn't regret opting for free and easy instead of package tour as we managed to arrange our own itineraries and had fun exploring the way around in Tokyo.

We departed last Fri on a 6a.m flight. Thank goodness Dad sacrificed his sleeping hours and drove us to the airport so we could save on the exorbitant cab charges hehe. James and I had a great rest and almost slept throughout after breakfast on board the aircraft. We reached Narita airport around 1.30p.m and the checking out procedures were very smoothly done. Well, the challenge began as we needed to source the way to our hotel at Akasaka. Brother gave us very comprehensive instructions via sms and the staff at the information counter were very friendly as well. Best of all, they could speak English which really saved us all the trouble. We got 2 sets of Metro Tickets which works like our MRT lines, took limited express train to Ueno station which was around 1.5 hours ride, followed by transferring lines before we finally reached Akasaka station. From the station, with 3 baggage, we managed to locate our accomodation by around 4.30p.m and that's when we bagan our exploration!

Our 1st meal was Mcdonalds haha! Their menus were different from ours which consist of cinammon melts, ebi burger, teriyaki chicken burger. They were tasty but all the menus were in Japanese so we ordered basing on the pictures haha! After filling our tummies, we decided to head for a stroll along Ginza streets where the branded shops are all clustered there like LV, Shiseido, etc. It was really pure window shopping as I'm not a brand follower but the feeling of strolling hand in hand along the streets dunked in thick jackets under the temperature of 10 degrees was an indescribable experience.







The next 2 days were mainly shopping and exploring in the different town areas like Harajuku, Ueno, Asakusa temple, Meiji Shrine, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro. These were mainly street shopping similar to our pasar malam. Amazed at the biggest Daiso in Tokyo at Harajuku which was a 3 level storey shop and everything is 100 yen! Haha, so both of us happily shopped for a lot of bargain items at this store. The 2 temples we visited were extreme too. Akasuka is very crowded and bustling area, whereas Meiji Shrine is so serene and tranquil and James kept grumbling I woke him up early in the morning. Imagine we were walking towards the shrine at 7.30a.m and it was freezy cold. In the end, we concluded it was not a worthwhile visit to the shrine though there were so many people who kept walking into the shrine which we didn't understand why too. We enjoyed Ueno and Harajuku shopping as there were 6 storey buildings sellinh anime and toys which we bought so much for our kids. We too had the unforgettable experience of eating at their counter-bars and food courts. In the food courts, they were so hi-tech that they passed us 2 monitors after we've placed our orders and once the monitor vibrates, we can collect our orders. So impressesed!



Apart from street shopping, we went to Tokyu Hands (similar to Ikea), Isetan and Takashimaya Times Square where their basement level was flooded with sumptous bento and tempura sets, delicacies etc. Really made us salivate but the prices were really too costly for some. Our most expensive meal was a restaurant at Shinjuku which cost us around $80 but we felt it was really worth it. Had sushi at the revolving bars too similar to our Sakae but the scallop and salmon were real fresh and I even took raw for once cos I never dared to in Singapore! One of the prominent shopping was Gotemba premium factory outlet shopping too which was in the outskirts of Tokyo and we needed to take the Odayku Highway bus from Shinjuku. However, the outlet shopping was still not as shiok as we had in U.S. Nevertheless, still bought some Osh Kosh,Gap and Nike clothing as they were still relatively cheap compared to normal prices.







Finally, we definitely enjoyed Sanrio Puroland ( for me lah!), Disneyland and Disneysea. Sanrio Puroland was a wish fulfilled for me as I've always wanted to visit Hello Kitty land and my wish is fulfilled! I almost went crazy and took many shots at the land and bought many exclusive Hello Kitty momentos. Disneysea was much preferred for both of us from the rides point of view as there were more of those suicidal rides ( u know what I mean? ) Conned by James and took all the thrilling rides including 360 deg roller coaster. space mountain etc. With darling beside me, didn't have to fear lah though I screamed like mad and clung onto hubby so tightly haha! We enjoyed the fireworks, normal parade and parade on the seas. They were such spectacular scenes indeed. Watching these sights with the wind blowing across our faces under a cold freezy temp of around 10 degrees was indeed an unique experience. The ultimate part came when we did shopping and bought many collectibles especially the limited edition disney tins. I'm a fanatic tin collector. Wherever I travel, I'm bound to buy some collectible tins for membrance.The shops were all so crowded and everyone seemed to be buying as though they were free. Hmmm, no signs of recession here..... We concluded Tokyo Disneyland is the best comparing to US and HK because of its spectacular infrastructure and collectibles.

On our last day, we took the same route but it was far more challenging as we needed to carry much more baggage and there were flights of stairs so we had to take turns. My poor hubby had to run up and down haha. Pity him. We had 2 extra bags when we returned hehe. Gotta buy cos most items were only limited items in Japan only. Moreover, I had hubby's consent hehe. We still did last minute shopping at the airport and bought many snack items. That added onto our already heavy burden hehe. However, we made it all through! Dad and mum brought Jovan to fetch us and Jovan smiled immediately he saw us! Oh my little chubby baby! Will be fetching Jovin from school in a while. Gonna give her a surprise with her air-flown pooh bear!



Really enjoyed the trip a lot. Hubby was full of praise for it though we were shagged out from all the walking but it was a great trip. We decided to bring the kids there in 2-3 years time. Hubby, thks for the lovely trip. It waas the happiest anniversary I've ever enjoyed and most of all, sponsored by u haha! Looking forward to the next family trip :)

Tokyo, here we come!

It's 5 a.m now. James and I are having cuppa at Coffee Bean, waiting to board our plane in another 30mins time. Sooo excited.... We had a family dinner with our 2 precious 'Js' earlier at AMK Hub and had fun with them. However, Jovin has grown smarter this round. She was crying and yelling as she knows I'm going to leave her with my in-laws. The moment we left form AMK hub carpark, she knows we were heading towards my in-laws house directions. Poor gal! We phoned her and she has since calmed down then and told me 'Mummy, must get me a pooh bear ok and I want one for didi too'. My heart really melted. These 2 kids are real close to me. They can afford to leave James alone but must tag along with mummy at all times, if possible. Well, 6 nights and we will be back. Think some couple time is definitely essential. Will definitely provide updates on our shopping, sightseeing etc. Doing recee before I bring the 2 kids in the next 2 years :) (Gd excuse huh?)
Tokyo, here we come!

Extraordinary 5th ROM Anniversary

This year 8th Nov 08 marks the 5th year of legal union between James and me. However, this year is so special as we are going to spend this romantic day at Tokyo! We are both so excited and upbeat about the impending trip on Fri 6a.m! We will be going on a free and easy trip, got all our maps and itineraries ready planned exclusively for us by my greta pal Jennifer who's a Kawaii fanatic. Well, our kids are too young, so we decided to leave them in the good care of our parents and in-laws. Anyway, plan to bring them there when Jovin turns 5. This round, Daddy and Mummy will go alone and enjoy some romancing moments first hehe. Have done almost all the packing. Looking forward to Disneyland/sea, factory outlet shopping where I can buy a lot of kids clothings and toys for my 2 precious. The wonderful and sumptous food etc. Oh I'm drooling and falling in love with Tokyo. WE will do the nec recee this round and will bring our kids along the next round. Tokyo, here we come :)

Progressing By The Days!

Our 2 little Js have made remarkable progress in the past month. For Jovan, he's finally learnt to hold his own bottle, though still lazy at times but he's much faster that Jovin in this aspect. His grasping power is very strong and he has started to say 'blah blah' in the past month, trying hard to communicate with us! I always feel so heartwarming as he will always rush towards me in his walker when he sees me at the door and cries so bitterly when I don't carry him. Little Jovan is growing so well and is developing much faster than Jovin.

For Jovin, as we espose her to more story books and flash card sessions by the day, she's able to learn and recognise more words without reference to the pictures like 'TREE', 'MUM' 'DAD', BICYCLE', ' DOLL' etc. She's improved a lot. I will always try to hint her if she ever forgets any word by forming a sentence and she provides me with the answer. Finds that this teaching method is very useful and she has learnt very fast in this manner. Of course, she's still very difficult to discipline and we are still having headaches over this. She will just throw tantrums and it will not be easy to tame her down. We are still trying very hard to improve our disciplinary skills.

Now both our little 'Js' already start to snatch for toys as Jovan will scream when Jovin takes away whatever he's holding onto, looks like we will not have an easy time ahead. But we are always prepared for whatever that comes along.

Part-Time Domestic Help!

I have been so happy since last weekend, mainly because James engaged a part-time domestic helper to free me from the chores at home. Well, it's not impossible to manage chores, family and work but it really wears me out. I told James I'd really wish to have more personal space to do my own things. With Jovan's addition, I have been taking around 5 hrs of sleep, daily weekday routine includes flash card, story and colouring session with Jovin, bonding with Jovan through milk feeding and toys. That leaves me soooo little time for some TV programme watching, not to mention rest. On top of that, I make it a point to blog at least once a week and do up scrap books and photo albums for my kids. During weekends, I have to mop the floor, do washing and ironing, couldn't care much about other detailed cleaning like window-cleaning, thorough toilets cleaning etc.I sound like a superwoman huh? The part-time maid came last Sun and she was very spick and span and very detailed when it comes to washing and cleaning. It relieved me of the heavy chores. I felt the house really felt so clean and she was able to do the things that I never had time for. Really appreciate James for listening and most importantly responsive to my feedback. I now have more time and the house will always be cleaner than ever with consistent maintainence :) Thks hubby!

Teachers - Parents Session!

Yesterday morning was an interesting session for me. I experienced another aspect of parenthood. I attended Jovin's Meet-The-Parents Session. It was a lazy drizzling morning. So tempting to stay in the cosy bed since it was a weekend. However, for the sake of my girl, decided to forgo the bed comfort. Both Jovin and Jovan were still soundly asleep when James and I left. James dropped me at the school on his way to work and I realised so many parents actually made an effort to attend the session. We were already informed of the agenda beforehand, like increase in school fees, new uniforms, new curriculum etc. Well, Jovin will be N2 next year, so will be required to put on uniform. Her teachers commented the kids in nursery classes love to compare their clothing like Barney, Bob the builder character etc. So it's essential they need to put on uniform next year to avoid attention-divert.

We took a peek at next year's curriculum which included computer-teaching aids as well as introduction of phonics etc. Jovin's language teachers commented she's a reserved and quiet girl at class but is very quick-witted and learns at a much faster pace than her peers. I almost fell off the chair on the comments on reservedness. Oh my! She's so outspoken at home, dance and sing, acts like a tyrant at home. What's more, when we meet strangers in the lift or elsewhere, she would always greet people with her signature smile and say Hello Uncle / Auntie. James was equally appalled when I told him teacher's comments on our girl. However, I believe she has the fear and respect for teachers in school. So, she's a 2-sided person who knows how to react accordingly haha! Street-smart!

I saw Jovin's artwork displays too and her colouring works. It was a great interacting seesion between teachers and parents.At least we get to receive feedback on our girl's performance at school and at the same time, we could provide pointers to enhance the school's curriculum too. It's essential that we need to work in conjunction with the school's teaching efforts before we can groom Jovin. Will attempt more effort in spending my quality time with the 2 kids in frequent story - telling and flash card sessions, especially more available time now cos I've gotten a part-time maid to relieve me of the chore work (Hehe, finally persuaded James :)). Looking forward to growing up with my 2 little 'Js'!

Birthday Outing for the 'J's!

On 30th Oct 08, The House of 'Js' went on a family outing to mark the celebration of Jovin's 3 year old birthday! We had already planned earlier to bring them to Explorer Kids as James managed to get free admission tickets under their staff welfare. We left home around 2+p.m and both our little 'Js' dozed off on the car to recharge their energy before playing :)It was almost 3p.m when we reached. We had a late lunch at one of the eateries selling Hongkong dishes. We had fries with beef and cheese sauce, soup noodles, yam with pork floss in crepes etc. Jovin loved the food especially fries which we usually don't allow her to eat. However, birthday girl does have her privileges :)



We didn't know it was compulsory to wear socks so we had to spend $2/pair of socks for Joivn and myself. The play area was very big. There was a huge playground, ball pool, forest maze etc. There were designated areas for toddlers too. Jovin and Jovan both had fun in the ball pool respectively. Jovan merely rolled around and always wanted to suck any balls that comes into his hands. The photos showed how much they enjoyed :) Jovin tried her hand on the big playground too. Of course, daddy had to accompany her as the steps were rather high so James had to run around with her while I was confined with Jovan who was sleeping in the pram in a certain rest area.





We stayed at Explorer Kids till around 5.30p.m before we finally left. Jovin had tried her hands on all she could play except for rock climbing which she was too young for it. Jovin saw the Ferris wheel and pestered us to bring her onto it. Well, we couldn't bear to reject her. What's more, there was this promotion which stated $11.50/3 pax. It wasn't too expensive after all. So we went to have a ride on it. Both our kids were thrilled and kept gazing above. Jovan held onto the rails and was very fascinated by the beautiful surroundings. Jovin also jumped up and down. It was so hard to control her cos she was so excited about it though it was a mere 7 min ride.



Guess what? We went past a toy shop and they actually offered temporary tatoo services. Our dear Jovin targeted at this novelty again. So I decided to let her have a go at it since it 's fast and only at $2. Why not? She chose a sun design and was very cooperative as the shop assistant did the tattoo for her. She chose blue shiny powder and within secs, the tattoo was out1 It was very well done. Jovin seemed to be so proud that she went round showing off the newly done tattoo in her sleeveless Minnie outfit.

We browsed through the shops and bought fruit fondue sticks which were real tasty! As we munched and bite along the way, realised the 2 kids started to get listless. Our greatest fear arrived! Both fell asleep and we had only one pram! James and I decided to settle for New York New York where the waitresses were so helpful in getting us a couch seat so that we could place Jovan and an empty area to place the pram. We had a couple dinner without any interference as both the kids were too tired and soundly asleep throughout our meal! We didn't really order much but ordered 2 pumpkin soups cos we loved the intial serving so much that we decided to order another one. It was a great meal as we could have our meal peacefully :)

We were glad Jovin had a great day on her birthday. She loved Explorer Kids and requested us to bring her back again. I'm pretty sure we will return again with free tix of course! Heehee...
Of course, we wish for our dear Jovin a Happy 3rd Birthday and hope that she will always remain healthy, cheerful and sweet as she has always been :)