Movie Review - Hello Stranger

I know I had skipped writing quite a number of Movie Reviews already, which include Chen Zhen - Fist of Fury, Harry Potter, Rapuzel etc.

But I feel that I cannot skip this one.

After so long, I finally found pleasure in watching another really GREAT Romantic Comedy :) The last one I saw and felt is really good was Valentime's Day.

This great movie I will like to recommend is called 'Hello Stranger'. It's a Thai Romantic Comedy.



The Story is about how two Thais met and get to know each other in Korea. The man was there on tour package to keep his promise with his just broke-up girlfriend since they booked this tour before they broke off. And the lady was there on backpack and lied to her boyfriend to attend a Korea friend's wedding ceremony. Ended up the lady's lie was discovered and she broke off with her boyfriend over a long-distance phonecall.

Two heart broken souls then stood by each other and spent many wonderful days together. They grew to like each other. However, on the day of departure back to Korea, the man's ex girlfriend appeared in Korea to patch up with him. The two 'strangers' then went back to Korea separately to live their own lives.

The man who once again was with his ex girlfriend then realised he had fallen in love very much with this stranger he met in Korea. However, because they had not exchanged real names or contacts, hence he was unable to find her. But the magical thing happened that both of them appeared at the same theatre to watch a Korean performance. Yet they were not able to bump into each other.

The man had never believed in fairytale love before he met the lady. That was the reason why his ex girlfriend broke up with him. He did not believe in marriage or living happily ever after. When he met this lady in Korean, he did not believe he would fall in love with this lady. However, the lady is a great Korean Romantic Drama Fan. She believes in all the 'impossible love in the world' and she knew she was in love with this stranger, but yet his aloofness pissed her off often.

Back in Korea, the man realised that Love is when two strangers felt so at ease with each other even if they knew nothing about each other. In other words, you can call it chemistry or fate. He then made a call to the lady's favourite DJ's radio and coincidentally, the lady was listening to the radio...

The movie ended with the DJ asking the man to leave his real name and contact with them...And the blissful look on the girl's face when the man expressed his love to her over the radio...

It was really a great ending. And this would mark the beginning of their relationship, I think.

I guess there are still many people in the world who do not believe in love at first sight or falling in love with a 'stranger' very deeply. And I am not relating to those who fall in love with Con-Men or Love Cheaters who just want the ladies' money.

But maybe because there are too many Con-Men and Love Cheaters around, hence human beings have become very cautious in where and who to place their hearts with. Things were so much simpler in fairytale stories, when a prince saw a commoner girl and fell in love at first sight. He then swept her up onto his royal stead and brought her to his palace where they live happily ever after...

But lately I noticed people are very aloof about relationships too. Instant get together and over night they may break off already. It's really sad huh?

Anyhow, I am still one of those who believe in Happily Ever After kinda of relationship. And I had always believe Love Can Make One Do Wonders...

And I believe that two strangers can fall in love after spending days together. Because me and my hubby are a good example of two semi-strangers who got together after spending 8 days together continuously.

We did not go on tour but we spend every afternoon to night together back then. We aren't really strangers but we only seen each other a few times (exclude watching him walked around in school or eating in the canteen on the same table) and it was during the Countdown to Year 2000 when we actually have 'a good look' and interact with each other.

We then hangout as new friends together for the next 8 days because of our similar holiday job working hours. Miracles happened and Ta-Da it was like we really cannot do without each other after the 8th day. Of coz, we did try to think over whether it's just an temporary infatuation or overdose of seeing each other etc. We did try to logically think over the feelings we grew for each other in just 8 days.

But we were unable to find a word or words to reason it out with ourselves. We tried not to meet on the 9th day and it felt as if we lost a part of our souls. We really did not quite know about each other and yet did not think about the challenges ahead of us. I guess it's really magic that brought us together. And yes, we are celebrating our 11th year together on 9th Jan 2011.

Ever since, I enjoy sharing my story with my friends and tell them not to run away from these magical feelings... But well, I think most humans still don't believe in it... Do you?

Xmas Weekends with Just Jamie ^^

hahaha.. I am so naughty to kept emphasing that I spent the weekends alone with Jamie (and Pyone). Maybe most people will think I am upset over it or trying to suan my hubby. Actually, I am ok with it. I was more worried that I had nothing to do over the weeknds than upset that my hubby went to KL with his friends.

I guess it's fair that he should have his personal social life too. Besides, I know those guys for as long as I know my hubby. They are really nice chaps :) Decent and Mature.

So friends out there, stop pitying me :P hahaha...

Anyway, it was a great Xmas Weekends with Jamie (and Pyone). I used to be upset that my hubby had no time for me. But things changed after I had Pyone into the family. She had become my good helper and good friend. We talked about almost anything and everything. I think sometimes I talk to her more than I talk to my hubby ^^ We had lots to share about Jamie and her growing up. She always had lots to share when I came home from work.

As much as she felt I neglected Jamie quite a bit coz of the late working hours (for the last few months), I felt that she felt lonely too at home. I could see her eyes sparkled when I came home. They sparkle as much as Jamie's eyes!

I would really hope things will change for the better and I can accompany both Jamie and Pyone more, especially we move to the new house.

Anyhow, back to my Xmas Weekends!

Saturday (25/12/2010)
It was quite a last minute decision to meet up and I am so glad we did meet up!

And I feel it's fate that me and Annie (who is my hubby's cousin's wife. Yes, sounds really complicated) can click so well ever since we started chatting about our wedding preparation two years ago. Following that, we had lots of sharing due to our pregnancy too.

It was fun watching the kids, even though they had yet learnt to play together. Jamie who was still unable to work then could not chase after Brian korkor at all.

Vivocity children playground really look fun! We even saw kids swimming at the pond area on the roof. Wow... And Vivocity is really thoughtful to install the baby changing room just next to the playground. The only pity was, it started to rain just as we wanted to bring the kids out to the playground to play after dinner.

Nevertheless, the two children enjoyed watching the dogs in Pet Safari and Shopping at Daiso.

Can't wait to bring them out together again :)












26/12/2010 (Sunday)

Was really that we can have a mini 'celebration' at Sandra house this year despite her confinement. Her mummy is really so nice. My mum would have kicked all my friends out :P hahaha...

Jamie was again ignored by another big korkor, Lucius. She really wanted to 'please' him. However, I think Lucius needs more time to get to know Jamie better before he can open himself up.

But it was cute to watch Jamie peeked over at Baby Alvern and even said 'Baby, Play.' to Baby Alvern. She was eager to share her mickey mouse with Alvern Didi too but Didi was far too young to response to Jamie jiejie :(

Anyhow it's really great fun watching all the kids grow up, especially it's the kids of your long term friends. Knowing each other for coming to 11 years, we had now progress from watching each other 'grow up' to watching each other's children grow up. One day, I will hope the three children can hang out together like the 4 of us too :)

Preparation for the ReLaunch of SGShopper.com

Getting ready excited over this Re-Launch...

Almost ready... Jiayou

Juggling both work and hobby now is definitely not easy. And that does not include the need to find time for Laogong and Jamie :D

But will really hope things work out well this round :)

Hence I will work hard to make it work :)

Never Say Die is my motto in life ^^

Jiayou~!!!

Stay Tune for the Re-Launch :D

Slimming Progress

Finally found my weighing machine this morning.

I took a deep breathe and stepped onto the weighing machine...

Almost fainted when Pyone told me it said '60kg' 0____0

But realised she saw wrongly.

Okay, not too flattering either....

After 2 weeks of salad and minimal exercise and some treatments... I am down by 1kg~!!!! OMG... hope this means every 2 wks = 1kg. Hope I should be back to 48kg in 20 weeks time (5 months?!!) Ermm.. kinda of long...

Anyhow I had decided to sign up my RC gym instead! It costs $100 per person (One time payment) And I can use it from 7am to 11pm everyday. It's really cheap compared to the $1000+ we have to pay for the yearly gym membership :(

If I ever can wake up before 7am, I will like to go for a jog before I head to work... That's IF I can wake up before 7am :P

The RC is only opened for registration on every first and last Friday of the month. This Friday is New Year Eve, so I will need to wait till next Friday to sign both my hubby and myself up for this RC gym.

So looking forward to it~!!! Hope I can shed off more weight soon~!!!

Archiving...

I was doing some archiving for the previous entries and realised I only wrote so little entries for the last few months :(

*guilty*

Most people will tell me, it's really hard to maintain any hobby when you have a full time job. But I believe in 'We are what we conceived to be'... Or something like that. Haha.. Lets hope the person who taught me this won't be reading this blog :X

Anyway this phrase means as long as we have faith either in ourselves or in something, it will just come true. So I am going to continue to tell myself that I WILL NOT give up this blogging hobby and maybe I DO hope one day, I can hit an amazing number of hits per day too :P hahaha...

Oh yaa, I realised too that many of my friends are my ermmm 'FANS'? Hee..

Thanks everyone *Kisses* and more *Kisses*

I will continue to work hard in blogging ^^

Hoping to post a few more entries today :P Stay Tune :D

Oh Yes... My new website is ALMOST DONE :D Going to Add a Link here too :)

Stay Tune :D

Time not Enough...

It always happened after a full weekend with Jamie.

And it's worse when I spent a LONG weekend with Jamie.

Time never seemed to be enough with Jamie. I never get tired of her. And fun time always passed really fast.

Though I always complained of how bored it was when I was not working, or how deprived and broke I was during that 18 months, I never really regretted over it either.

I enjoyed the full pregnancy and the early months after delivery. Without stress from work, I could really enjoy the motherhood process and enjoyment.

The only issue back then was just MONEY... If MONEY is not the issue, I think I will love to spend everyday and every minute with Jamie.

And now that I had worked for coming to 6 months, I started to miss those days with Jamie again, especially so when Jamie is so expressive and responsive these days.

I love to watch her play.

I love to hear her talk.

I love to kiss her on her cheeks and have her kiss me back.

I love to hold her tightly in my arms and have her hug me back.

I love to have sit on my lap or/and lean on me as we watch the TV together.

I love to bring her out and share the moments with her, though sometimes she can be such a monster. However, when I tell her nicely, she will understand and be good.

How I miss her so much now. And wish I can be with her always...

I never seem to get enough of her... :D

May You Live Happily Ever After

I had always love to attend weddings.

Especially more so for my good friend's wedding.

He should be considered as my male BFF I guess :)

I had to say he really put it a lot of effort to make his wedding a great success. Most guys hate going through the details and doing the research work. However, he seems to be enjoying it.

Great Job Winston :) She is really a lucky girl ^^ And of coz she is also someone who is so special that you wish to do so much for her~



I had always believe that True Love is when One can go all out to do something that One had always think it's impossible. When two persons are truly in love, nothing seems impossible.

It applies to myself and my hubby. And so does it apply to Winston and his spouse. He was never a great singer but he definitely sang his best or unbelievably well during his church wedding. I can see her shy yet delighted look on the bride's face.

It's really a lovely sight to watch two persons so in love with each other get married. It's rare these days already. Seriously I had seen couples who don't look quite in love during their wedding. To many, wedding had became just a process along the way when two persons come together.

But I never believe in that. So did my male BFF :) That's why we can be each other's morale support for so many years. It was never easy being the repeat students among so many younger friends. And it's not easy being one of the very few taking the old syllabus. Without his cheering on, I guess it was hard to believe I can make it in my As. And he had always been a great inspiration to know that One can do so much with so little time.

He never seemed to be tired after a long day of work. He is always looking for more business opportunities and at the same time working hard voluntarily for community and relevant good causes.

May you and your lovely spouse live happily ever after :)





Ermmm, try not to forget your female BFF here when you have some spare time! Haha...

Oh yes, Jamie came along to his wedding too. And I believe she enjoyed herself though she might not know what was going on. See how happy she looks...

Touching Up on the Blog

Currently touching up the blog layout and design a little. May not be too obvious yet but hopefully this will bring new life to the blog. And of coz, New readers too :)

Opening up new opportunities too for retailers or blogshop owners who wish to find a more affordable source to advertise their products. Feel free to drop me an email at jolene428@gmail.com if you have any collaboration ideas :) I am open to joint marketing, blog advertising or space advertisement etc. Do feel free to give your suggestions :)

Backlog Backlog Backlog...

Sighh..

Backlog again~!!!!!!!!!

I think I need a secretary to help me set a routine so that I don't end up having too many backlogs in my blogging :P

hahaha...

Anyway, I am currently busy revamping my online shop :) Hope everyone will have this EYE-OPENING sensation when you see it :) It's really well done and must give credit to my buddy cum new biz partner Chan for this great job :)

I am so looking forward to see the completed website :D

And will try as much as possible to catch up with my backlogs :P

The Amazement of Online Networking...

How amaze can online networking be these days?

So amazing till you actually can get to know your neighbours even before you move into your new flat.

YES~ That's what I am doing now!

I now know both my next door neighbours even before I get the new house keys!!!

That's not all~ I know many neighbours from the next few blocks too which are within the same development...

It reminds me of the good old days back in my mother's place where we get to see the same Uncles and Aunties in the lift for the last 20 over years...

My mother likes to call it the 'Kampong Spirit'. And it does not exist in all the HDB estates. There are some particular estates like Yishun (where I came from) which are very strong in the kampong spirit...

After moving out of Yishun, I still get to see familiar faces at Chong Pang Market whenever I visited my mother. What's more, I realized most people who grow up in Yishun, likes to stay in Yishun or at least like being in Yishun whenever there is a chance.

The most amazing thing is from Sgmothers, I got to know this friend, who happened to be my Da Sao's younger sister's primary school BFF... And my brother used to teach her Taekwando too!

Singapore is small and through all these online networking, you will realize it's smaller than you think!

But of coz online networking sometimes can get you into potential risks too, especially if you share too much about yourselves, your family and where you staying. You never know if you ever going to have a BIG fan who will stalk you home or even bring inconvenience to your family members.

Hence, always be careful what you share and who you share it with...

Meantime, enjoy knowing more people through this amazing portal called the internet :)

Neighbours! I am so looking forward to moving into the same development, block or even floor with you :)

Key Collection to my New Nest ^^

Hurray Hurray Hurray!!!

Thanks for all the good people that are in my life :D

I was still wondering when I will receive the letter for the Key Collection Dates when I browsed the Punggol.org forum yesterday. To my surprise, I was among the last few who had yet to receive any letter of notification for key collection~!!!

As usual, the Gan Cheong Spider side of me popped up and I immediately panicked and wondered if I was left out altogether by HDB (accidentally).

I was lucky to have met up with nice neighbours earlier on and also had chatted with many on the forum. So I SMSed this particular very helpful neighbour and he advised that I could check out my HDBpage.

And YES!!! The Key Collection Date was posted right there!!!

We are going to have our very own nest on 3 Jan 2011~!!!

I immediately plunged into looking at the lunar calendar for next year to find a good date and time to open the door. It needs not be on the same day as my Key Collection but definitely not too many days later since we still need to check for defects etc.

And my Mum was as excited as me. We exchanged quite a few calls to confirm on the Door Opening Day and Time. Felt really glad she would be helping me get the things ready and do the ritual too. I am really new in this and did not want to do the wrong things :P

Excited Laogong went to check out the new house after dropping me at work :D I wonder if he managed to peek into any neighbour's house that is under renovation now :P Waiting to hear more from him later :D

And Guess What? It's our 4th Year ROM Anniversary Today :D And Guess What he gave me??? A iPad~!!! I had longed for it like for months and YES~ My very sweet and generous Laogong decided to grant my wish so being obedient (to find a job) and understanding :P As I said so myself. After all, he had been busy at work, be it at home or at office. But of coz, I had to appreciate his understanding too for my busyness and not being able to be a full-pledged good mother who can be there for her little girl at all times.

Thanks Laogong for always making me feel important, appreciated, accepted and understood :D HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LAOGONG :D Thanks for the Very BIG Gift :D

And now I am saving up to buy a BIG gift for Laogong too :) Hope I save up enough (by spending less) soon :D

Another Late Working Nite...

Sigh... Another late working night...

Sometimes I wonder when will all these end.

And I really wonder why are those people not tired of it all? Is it coz they have no other better and more productive things to do about their lives? Or that they are just worried they are forgotten? Some people like to do things to be remembered, be it something good or something bad...

Jamie was asleep again when I got home a while ago. She woke up for a few minutes whining for me. It made my heart breaks to know that she needs me and I could not be around for her. I knew she wanted to stay up later for me but she was too tired to do so. And I am grateful that my good helper, Pyone had created a sleeping routine for Jamie. She used to take her naps between 8pm to 9pm, and drove everyone crazy till 1.30am before she KO-ed. Now with her new routine, she would stay up to play till 11plus and fell asleep after that. Okay, *touch wood* Hope Jamie keeps up the good habit :)

Well, of coz she can't be compared to my friends' children who sleep at 9pm. It's quite impossible to think of it even, especially her parents love to hang out late. And we don't mind bringing her along even to late night movies as long as she doesn't make a noise. In this way, our good helper gets her reward while taking care of Jamie still in the cinema ^^

I really miss Jamie a lot... And I felt really bad that I worked late the whole of last week since I got back from the trip. What's worse was, I was so tired that I could not bring her out much over the weekends, since I need to catch up on my sleep.

Sometimes as I held Jamie in my arms as she leaned on me dearly whenever she saw me at home, I wondered and really wondered.. Sighh...

No time and energy to catch up on serious blogging again :( Haizzz... Everything becomes a bit meaningless when you worked so hard for a living and yet not able to have a life...

I tried shining a torch down the tunnel... Yes, I see some lights... and I continued to walk towards it...

Back from my First Cruise Trip ^^

Hi All :D

It's been another few weeks since I last blogged.

Sigh.. my low period don't seem very low right?

Well, let's hope it's only temporary :) So I am staying positive and learning as much as I can for now in this 4 month old job ^^ Guess it's still too early to judge it.

But one good thing about being back working is I FINALLY can enjoy PAID holiday!!! And FINALLY Laogong and I can have some private time with each other.

Yes~!!! We just got back from our first Cruise Trip and this time we were on board with the all famous Royal Carribean, Legends of the Sea for 3 Nights~ We boarded the ship on 26 Nov and arrived in Singapore on 29 Nov.

Was out the whole of yesterday to met up with my Uni friends of which one will be delivery next week. Now praying for her smooth delivery... She is pretty amazing to be walking so fast still when she is 38.5 weeks pregnant.. Wow... I was not working when I was pregnant. I had bad heartburn and low blood pressure towards the 3rd trimester. Hence I was half the time lying in bed during my pregnancy (including my first trimester). I really can't imagine myself having another child while working...

I also met up with some close friends to celebrate one of their birthday :) Had a nice drink and chitchat session too. Missed going to Batam with them already~!!! Yah, I just went on a short Batam trip with the two of them. I think it's fun to be travelling with your good friends. That is, if we won't mind about each other's bad habits or weird habits.

So I was out the whole of yest and was working today so until now then I can upload the photos for my trip. In my next few blog entries, I will share more about the trip :)

HAPPY ONE YEAR OLD JAMIE~!!!

HAPPY ONE YEAR OLD JAMIE~!!!

Time really flies... One year has passed and WE have survived this year as new parents. The process of learning about parenthood is definitely not easy and now we have entered the stage of learning about parenting.

The new challenge now is no longer just about whether we know how to bath or feed Jamie. We now need to learn and to standardize the discipline methods for Jamie. We need to provide even more for Jamie physically, emotionally, spiritually and academically...

Jamie's Birthday Party on 6th Nov 2010 was a great success.

It was raining since late afternoon but my guests did not disappoint me. I really appreciate their time and effort in making their way down to the FAR EAST Aloha Loyang on a raining day. I am really really touched by everyone of them who attended Jamie's Birthday Party...

However, I still have to apologise for:

1. Not having enough time for any group of friends, as I was very busy running around receiving and sending off my guests. But I tried as much as possible, esp during cake cutting to take photos with all my guests. However, I think I still missed out a number of friends :( So Sorry about it :(

2. It was only later then I realised the guests who came after 8.30pm did not have much food left. I feel really bad about it. I was quite confident there would definitely be food leftover at the end of the day because a number of guests only made known to us about their absence after I confirmed the number of pax with the caterer, hence I was unable to make further reduction to my order. However, despite the 20-30 absentees, the second serving of food had to be topped up earlier than expected. Sighh.. I am really sorry about what happened.

And because of that, I told myself that I may not organise such big scale events in years to come. And I have intention of organising small groups of quality catch up session with each group of friends instead.

Nevertheless, it was a good experience and I enjoyed myself a lot throughout the planning and preparation for the party. But of coz at the same time, I was really stressed too. But thank you my hubby for always supporting my crazy ideas :D

Take a look at some photos taken on that day. For more photos, kindly browse from my facebook account :D

Oh ya, because it was a very special occasion when my grandma-in-law birthday happened to be very near Jamie's birthday, hence we decided to celebrate grandma-in-law's birthday during Jamie's cake cutting session too. This additional event had made Jamie's birthday even more memorable and special...







Hereby I will like to thanks all my guests for attending Jamie's first year birthday and for all the thoughtful presents too! Jamie really loves them all :) Thanks so much :)

2 more days to Jamie's 1st Year Birthday Party...

It's quite an irony why I could blog today.

Not coz I was sick with stomach flu, I guess I might not have time to blog until after Jamie's Birthday Party~

Just 2 more days left~ And I could say I am 90% ready :) I just need to do a few more things and buy a few more things will do :) The rest like the following had been completed and packed in boxes. And those ordered would be sent directly to the venue on the day of the event latest by 5.30pm.

1. Goodie Bags - 4 varieties x 10pc each
2. Balloon package - 1 jumbo balloon bouquet, 2 entrance balloon bouquet and 7pc x 3 bouquet of printed balloons.
3. Catering - 100 pax
4. Cake - 3kg and 2-tier
5. Table Cloth/Banner/Posters/Decorations

I just need to buy/pack the following and will do all done :)

1. More plates and cutleries for cake cutting
2. More cups and syrup + ice for drinks
3. Stationery for decoration purposes
4. Guestbook - still thinking how to do it
5. Angbao Box - With Sandra
6. Pool Pit - Borrowing from Ivy
7. Balls for the Pit
8. Colouring Pages and Crayons
9. Guestlist - still thinking how should I prepare the guest list.. hmmm...
10. Music for the day
11. Portable Speaker
12. Icecream and cone/cup for the children

Almost done :D

It's always a mixed feeling to plan an event. As much as I think it's fun, I am stressed over whether:
1. my guests will enjoy themselves
2. my guests will have enough food
3. whether any bad things will happen
4. whether the weather will be good
5. whether the gifts will be able to cover the expenses (oops :X)

But I guess it's pretty normal to feel this way? Hmmm...

Anyway I really hope things will turn out well and everyone will enjoy the day and the kids will love the goodie bags :D

Okay, time to rest.

Will need to go to office to finish some work before I can go off to see the doc and go home to rest... Nitez :)

Hope to chat again here soon ^^

Oh ya, I hadn't shared about the vendors/suppliers I chose for the party :) I will share more after the party k so I can give a more accurate comment :) Anyway, so far their customer service is really good :) And the vendors/suppliers I am using now are:

1. Catering - Elsie's Kitchen (Halal)
2. Cake - Pine Gardens
3. Balloons - Baby Kid World
4. Goodie Bags - Baby Kid World + Baby Terror Online + Many Party Favours + Kidz Goodies
5. Table Cloth/Banner - Baby Kid World
6. Party Supplies - a shop in AMK and SKP in Bishan

Will comment more on each vendor/supplier after the event ;)

17 days more to Jamie's 1st year birthday~!!!

Heehee, I know I had been lagging behind quite a bit in my blogging. But really hor, once a while I still had late night meetings or there were so many times I just wished to spend more time with Jamie when I got home from work. And of coz, I had also been busy with the purchasing of Jamie's birthday related items and also doing all the planning etc.

Frankly I think I was so excited that I over-invited the guests. Which means, I was initially not expecting myself to invite so many people but then it turned out otherwise. But of coz among my guests, there are some friends which I had not had the time to catch up for a while, so I guess this is gona be really a good time to do some quick catch up. And among other friends, I am really happy to be able to share my joy of Jamie's growing up with all these significant people in my life journey.

I am also very grateful to all those who had agreed to help me with the birthday party! Minghui, thanks so very much for agreeing to become my photographer. I really hope you can enjoy yourself too, despite all the 'work' to be done. Really thanks thanks and thanks so much!!!

And of coz thanks to my 5 lovely girlfriends who are always ready to help out!!! Love ya all :D

My preparations are almost done~!!! So far I did the following:
1. Confirmed the Catering (Elsie Kitchen - Halal)
2. Confirmed the Cake (2-tier 3kg cake)
3. Ordered the cake toppers and candles
4. Ordered all the goody bag items
5. Ordered the balloon decorations

And I still had to do the following:
1. Pack the Goody Bags
2. Do up the angbao box
3. Do up the guestlist for reception counter
4. Do up the guest book
5. Prepare Music for the event
6. Prepare the venue deco - Jamie's Montage
7. Bought some additional items

I intend to get everything done latest by 31 October so that I would not need to feel stressed closer to the event date. However, I felt blessed that I still had Friday, 5 Nov 2010 to do last min purchases.

Oh yaa, don't forget the theme of the party is Mickey Mouse :D So my dear guests out there, do dress up as best as you can to the theme to win a mystery prize~!!! 3 prizes to be won~!!! I intend to do a colouring contest and treasure hunt contest too if possible. Still in the midst of brainstorming for the children activities.

Because......... I am expected up to 40 children at the party!!! The age group ranges from as young as below 1 yrs old to 12 yrs old~ It's really a headache to think abt what to put into their goody bags :P But lucky, I finally break through and made up my mind :)

Oh yaa, the adults are bound to have some fun at the party too and be reminded of their own childhood :D

10 Good Places for a Family/Friend(s) Outing with a Baby (Part 1)

I guess thinking about where to bring the baby to every weekends should be a 'problem' to many couples. Some have no idea that they rather leave the children at home or stay home with them altogether. And other never taught it is a problem at all.

What about you?

What about me???

Well, personally I don't find it an issue at all. Maybe becoz I am blessed with two things:
1. A good helper
2. A Car

With this two 'assets', I can bring my baby to anywhere I want. And yes, without the presence of my hubby either. Hahaha...

Anyway, in this case I will share about where we can bring our babies or children below age 5 years old to every weekend.

1. Kite Flying at Marina Barrage

There was one weekends when my jie-meis jioed me and my family (hubby, jamie and my helper) our for a kite flying session at Marina Barrage.

That was among the very few times I had flied my kite since I passed 12 years old. I remember I tried flying a kite at Marina South before when the rows of steamboat restaurants were still at the area. But yet I could not remember who I flied the kite with!!! Hahaha...

Anyway, at first I was a bit worried whether it was too hot for Jamie since she is know as the 冷气宝贝. And indeed it was pretty sunny at first till she could not open her eyes and had to have both her sun-hat and umbrella over her.





However, I realized like many other babies, Jamie loves the outdoor. She was so happy and can't wait to get out of the house every weekend. See how thrilled and pretty she looked in her sun dress and sun hat¬!! I think this is her favourite outfit so far.



Jamie did not have to hide from the sun for very long. We reached the place close to 6pm and by 7pm, the sun no longer heated the place. What we saw was a beautiful sight of the Singapore Flyer and MBS...

The scenery was so lovely that we had wedding couples and families bringing their camera crew to take pictures there.





And since the sun has set and the weather becomes very windy, it was Jamie's party time. She struggled from one adult to another adult among the group enjoying the attention. And when she got tired, she simply lay on the picnic mat and listen to the adults' conversation.









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You may wonder so does it mean there will be a lot of preparing work to do for the picnic food? And with a baby, it's definitely become very leh chek if still need to prepare food and lugged it to the destination.

We kept the whole process simple because we just like to snack a bit in the midst of kite flying and have the main course after the outing. Hence we brought very simple food for picnic which we grabbed from Carrefour: 2 roast chicken, assorted sushi, grapes and strawberries plus packet drinks. We then had a very filling supper after the session.

You must be wondering whether Jamie can tahan till so late? Well, she is our daughter afterall, and hence she doesn't sleep very early if she wants to ^^ She was wide awake to share my tou hua supper :D





Is kite flying difficult? Hmmm, we have two experts with us on that day so Laogong picked up the skill pretty fast then :D But then there were so many kites that, half the time the amateurs are pulling down the other experts' kites and kena glared at or their kites were dragged down by the expert kites.









Anyway, its really magnificent to see so many kites in the air all at one time. And the most exciting part is when the sky is dark and the kites with lights started to rule the dark sky...







Look at how much Jamie and Daddy were enjoying their time together :) I guess when Jamie is older, we can teach her how to fly kite together with us!!!

Hence, I greatly recommend parents to bring their children to Marina Barrage to fly a kite or just picnic and watch other people fly kite. There is ample space for the little ones who can run around. You can bring along the pets too. But do remember to bring an umbrella for the infants before the sun set, in case the sun is too glaring for them. And if you do not want to buy food, you can always make simple snacks like mini sandwiches and fruit salad to bring along.

And it's a good venue for big group outings too!!!

Checking out the New House Again...

Met up with some new flat neighbours yesterday and took a look at one of the estate neighbours' house interior.

It was really difficult for us to imagine how big will our new house be and hence it was really very thoughtful of these neighbours to allow us to visit their house so that we can have an idea of the meaning of 90sqm.

I have to say, my new house is gona to be really small... And I feel bad that Jamie won't be able to enjoy as big a bedroom as her little cousin :( Nevertheless, I am going to doll up Jamie's room to ensure she feels good about her own room still :D

We sneak up to have a closer look at the new house too. And I was disappointed by the size of the window plane :( Sob...It's really small... I really miss the big big windows at my mum's house. Having grown up in a home with lot of big windows and able to have a good view in-front, I guess I will definitely need to adjust my expectations of the new house from now onwards.



But of coz, having been able to own a house I call my own is already a blessing. And hence I will continue to look forward to this new place :)

A Sicky Week...

I was not convinced that today was Friday...

Maybe coz I had a sicky week at work, so despite the week being super fast sailing, I was not excited when Friday comes.

However, the goggyness due to the medication did keep my spirit low, instead I was still working at my usual productivity (I think).

Was pretty excited to be given the chance to speak to PAs of Ministers and MPs and Chairmans or high-level personnels of various CCCs/GRCs. And I hope eventually I can speak to Ministers over the phone too!!! Hahaha...

Anyway, one more event to go for this period of the year, and we can slow down a bit and catch up on some backlog. Everything seems important, setting up the system, running the temple events and fighting fire everyday. All these work is tiring but make me feel alive.

I have to admit it's really not easy to juggle so many roles... As a woman, other than having to be a good mother, we need to be good daughters, good daughters-in-law, good wives, good employees, good employers, good managers etc etc etc... But ultimately, we have to be a good person too.

I guess having to be a good wife + mother + worker is really tough already, not to mention the other roles... Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier being a full time mother, but then I was then quite sure I won't be because I was really low on cash. If I were to be a stay-home mum I would not be able to shower Jamie with what I am showering her now too. Instead I would be blaming it on her everyday that I had to stay home all day to do the housework and take care of her.

And secretly I actually feel happier when I am at work. I feel that at home, there are too much stress over how we should behave etc because we need to set a role model for the child and also not to result in double-standard disciplinary actions. It's really not easy.

Frankly, I never wanted to become a shadow of my mother, hence I had many times hope that my Laogong can take over the role as a DM. But then, he does not seem to be very interested and yet disagreeable in some ways regarding the way I wish to discipline my child. Haizz...

Anyway, I guess it's still a long way ahead for me... And there will definitely be much more challenges coming my way... Thinking about it makes me tired already and don't feel like having another child.

Jamie Missing her Ice Cream (Baby Yogurt)...

Jamie surprised me again last night by opening and closing her hands when I sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for her.

And I realized it's good to give tasks like such to Pyone too, because Jamie spent more time with her than with me. Thus Pyone is definitely the best person to teach Jamie certain things during their playtime together.

Most people prefer their helpers not becoming their 'friends', and most of the time, they may not even want to bring their helpers along for family day-outs. I guess we are quite different from the majority population. We believe in giving before we expect to receive.

But of coz, I don't deny, like most other employers, I had nightmares and crazy worries before Pyone joined the family. However, from the day she stepped into the household, I somehow just felt I can entrust Jamie to her. And so far, she has been performing well, learning fast and being very positive.

And I believe being positive doesn't only depend on the helper's personalities. It also depends on how she is treated by her employer and the other family members. If we treated her as if she is an outsider or with paranoid attitude, the helper will always feel that no matter what she does, she can feel belonged as part of the family.

The helper is going to spend a good 2 years or even more with the family. If she can never feel belonged, it's definitely not a good feeling. I guess it's the same when we work for an employer who never really treat us as part of the organisation. Soon or later, we will want to leave the organisation right?

But of coz, there are definitely black sheeps around in the foreign helper industry. However, we should always keep an open mind that we may be the next lucky one to get a good helper afterall :D And as long as we treat them fairly and shows them that we can trust her, I believe she do her best in all her tasks.

Anyway, I was teaching Jamie the alphabets and number charts on the wall, when Jamie suddenly burst out crying. I did not know what was the reason, until I opened the fridge and she pointed to a direction. I then realized she misses her ice cream (baby yogurt).

Last week she had a good supply of the baby yogurt so I did not buy new ones during our grocery shopping day over the weekends. But this week, there aren't any left. And when I taught her the word 'Ice cream', she seemed to be reminded that she has no more ice cream left.

Just now I brought her to Thomson Plaza NTUC Finest to buy her 'ice cream.' When Jamie saw the 'ice cream', she started to make a lot noise to indicate that she wants the 'ice cream'...

This is a picture of a banana favour yogurt she ate earlier on...



The baby yogurt comes in 6 in a packet with assorted favours - vanilla, banana, pear and peach :D I tasted it myself and think it's very nice.

Heehee...

She is really getting cuter everyday~!!!

Looking forward to the New House...

The news came both as a surprise and a shock...

I was surprised I can finally have my own space... But at the same time, I know we are not financially ready for it yet.

As much as I had been looking forward to this new house since 2007, I now secretly prayed that our key collections and/or renovation can be delayed as much as possible...

After visiting my brother's new house, we started discussing about our new home. And I suddenly feel like checking our the Punggol.org website which I hadn't been checking for a while. I was dumbfounded to know that 603A and 603B had received their HLE request letter and someone in the PL thread had estimated that I will receive my letter by October. This would mean, I will be able to get my house by end Dec...

I remembered I had hoped to celebrate Jamie's birthday in the new house or Xmas in the new house. Now that I can get in end Dec 2010, this will mean I maybe able to spend my CNY 2011 in my new house.

But we had an issue. We weren't financially ready yet...

We knew even if we only get the keys in June 2011, we may barely have enough too :( And to get it end 2010 will definitely be not enough.

Nevertheless, we are both secretly happy over the new house still...

We decided to have a look on our own to see if the forum is telling the truth. And yes, it's true... See my new house picture...



It was a super hot day on Sunday (29/08/2010) when we visited the PL site, but then even Jamie was thrilled.





We then shopped at IKEA and Courts to check out the prices of the furnitures and electrical appliances. Saw somethings we like but since we are not sure when we can get the keys, hence we cannot place deposit yet. Pray there will be a better sale end of this year :D

Jamie had her fun too, trying out the potential children furnitures :P



We involved Pyone as well for the furniture choosing because she will be staying in the new house with us for 1.5 yrs before she decided whether to extend her contract. Though I had asked her before and she said she will like to come back to work for me after her contract ended and after a visit back to Myanmar, but then we really never know how things will turn out to be. As much as possible, I will wish to convince her to shorten her visit back to her homeland if not I will be very handicapped when she is not around.

Anyhow, I told her she would be sharing a room with Jamie so it's good that she can give opinions on what type of furniture we can get for Jamie's room.

A second child? Guess the idea has to wait. I don't think I will have a second child if I don't have a good helper. I even told Pyone that I will have another child only after she returns.

Laogong said I sounded as if I was threatening her but then her response was really positive and felt very appreciated :D

After the visit, we headed to ECP for our dinner at BK. For the first time, I let Jamie tasted French Fries. It was cute to see Jamie biting the fries :D It reminded me of how I used to bribe her with Mcdonald Fries before each gynae checkup :P

AT LAST, a swimdate for the two little cousins...

Had been looking forward to this day.

Had went for a swimdate with other children and friends but yet to go for a swim with my niece and my da sao.

It was a wonderful experiences for both Jamie and myself.

Last Saturday (28/08/2010) which was one day before my mum's birthday, we decided to pay my brother a visit at his new house. We had yet seen it since he moved in in early July. Since it's a condo, we also get to use the swimming pool.



I could see that Jamie really envious her little cousin... It makes me hope to decorate her future bedroom nicely :D







And yes, my house is ready by end of this year. Will talk more about this in the next blog entry...

Other than the kids had fun together, it was a great time swimming together with Laogong too. He rarely bring Jamie out during his free time, so every moment of dayout with Jamie is so precious to both Jamie and myself :)







After the swim, we had KFC for dinner and ended the Family Day together with my mum's birthday cake cutting. Jamie for the first time, tried cake (egg white) and she seems to like it. She too tried Tomatoes and she loves it~!!!

I am so looking forward to next year when the two kids will be able to run around the house together holding hands...