New Adventure: Mount Broga

Daddy Lim's ex-colleague saw our victorious pictures at the Needle Hill and jioed us to join a hiking tour to Mount Broga, organised by his brother's tour company. He promised that it would be a easy hike, suitable for family. Having just conquered Needle Hill, we were still feeling formidable and signed up. Woohoo!

The meeting time was at 10.45pm Friday night at the Woodlands MRT station. We drove and parked at the nearby hdb mrt and walked over with our barang. It was drizzling and we were told to bring poncho in view of a light drizzle at Mount Broga.

We were on time and had some last min snacks for the hungry tummies.

Daddy Lim must be really hungry, he bought fried carrot cake. What?

Then it was waiting for the rest of the tour group and the bus.

The kids were tired; it had been a long school and student care day. Zaky had a hard time trying to stay awake while waiting for the bus. Towards the end, he didnt really care anymore and was almost dozing off in the little comfy den that he made. Never mind that it was in the middle of nowhere or that he was lying on the floor.

The group was about 25 people. It would be an overnight bus trip before bfast and then the hike. I was hoping and hoping that it would be some kind of luxurious tour bus. The hope was slim with the cheap price that we were paying - $65 per adult and $55 per child. Still, I couldnt help hoping.

It was a 40 seater tour bus. Sob. We were among the last few to board the bus and were lucky to get seats together and even an empty seat in front.

I was freaking tired bcos of 2 late nights of chasing k drama and I knew that I needed to sleep. *sheepish laughs* I sat with Zaky and there was sufficient leg space. The seats could recline somewhat as well. It wasnt too bad until Zaky decided that my laps are his personal pillar.

We soon all fell asleep. Daddy Lim also shifted to the empty seat in front so that Lil Shauna could have the whole row to herself and our bag as her pillar. I was dozing on and off and woke to a super aching butt. Zzzzzz. That is what happened when I sit too long in a same position and with Zaky giving me extra weights. That was also went I realised that the bus was moving very slowly and we were still stuck in the custom jam.

The jam was quite bad and it took us 2+ hours and 2 very sleepy kids to cross the custom. Then it was back to lala land. According to the itinerary, we should stop for bfast at 4am and the climb was supposed to start at 5.45am so that we could catch the sunrise at the 1st peak.

After a night of very rough dozing, the bus stopped for toilet break stop at 4am. Yes, we were running late bcos of the custom jam. I didnt mind that we were late bcos I was in a super sleepy state but unable to doze off bcos our seat was right under the aircon vent and I was freezing cold. That must be why nobody took those seats. Zzzzz. In my very desperate state, I even attempted to use a little bit of chewing up to hold up the window curtains to block the aircon. It didnt work; I needed a lot more chewing gum and I didnt want to vandalise. The solution was to switch seat with Daddy Lim. Hahaha. For the next 1 over hour, I slept so much better. Daddy Lim said that the driver seemed to switch off the aircon from the aircon vent after the toilet break too. Chey!

Bfast didnt happen until about 5.45am. We stopped at a nearby Mac. There wasnt enough time and we had to tabao. We also took the opportunity to wash up. There was a long q for food and the kids took the chance to warm up at the mini playground.

Bfast was done half at Mac and the other half on the bus. While the kids happily chomp down the food, I was busy packing the bags for the hike. It was a short drive and soon we can see Mount Broga.

Hello, Mount Broga.

There was a very light drizzle when we alighted the bus. Nobody mind being late too bcos we wouldnt be able to catch the sunshine in this gloomy weather anyway. The rain didnt dampen ths spirit.

The hike started off with dirt track and it was a very different experience fron our previous hikes. It was dirt track paths throughout, created by the many hikers before us, unlikely the service paths or the cemented or log steps. The rain caked thd soil and I think it wouldnt be a clean experience to fall.

The official "base" of Mount Broga and then it was more climbing.

At some parts, we could see deep soil erosion from the rain. Pls pay attention to the dirt paths in the picture, not the posers. Thank you. Haha.

Finally, we could see the 1st peak before our eyes. The same way up is the same way down. We past by many returning hikers with soil covered pants.

We soon found out why... it was a literal "climb" up the 1st peak. There was some rope to aid the ascent and many times we had to use our hands to pull ourselves up. We too were soon soil clad.

The kids found the adventure very exciting and were taking in every bit of it. Their dear mother was starting to worry about the descend.

Finally, we arrived at the 1st peak and people got too excited with the pictures taking.

The kids were asking for their pictures to be taken at every other big rock, much to their poor mother heart's protest.

We were above clouds!

The stop for pictures was much too long that we appreciate and the kids started getting restless. It wasnt a good thing when we were that high on a mountain. While the kids, particularly Zaky, were enjoying a good climb on the various rocks, I was yelling for them to be careful and not fall over. It was very stressful. Sob. I was so glad that we were finally moving towards the 2nd peak.

It was meant to be a leisure hike and it didn't help that we were much faster than the rest. We arrived at the 2nd peak faster than the rest, which meant more waiting.

Again, we subtly hinted to proceed to the last peak. By the time we arrived, I was exhausted from having to yell at Zaky to be careful.

It was again another super long wait being the final peak. My hair grew white from the waiting and worrying that somebody will slip and tumble down the hill. Zzzzzzz. After like forever, they finally announced that we would be making our descend. While some were still happily taking pictures and making merry, we started our way. I needed to keep Zaky occupied so that I can keep both kids safe.

The descend was even more exciting than the ascent. By then, I really had given up yelling at the boy, doing it only when what he was doing seemed like extreme danger. Surprisingly, he was much more agile than I expected and didnt injured himself the entire hike. I spent more time making sure that I dont slip and fall myself. Some of the slopes were really challenging and Zaky did better than I conquering the slippery slopes.

Our reward was this little snack stall at the bottom of the hill. Woohoo! It was their 1st day of business and they were given out free nasi lemak. We tried paying them but they refused to charge for the nasi lemak. We tried to buy other snacks from them and ended up spending less than RM10 after picking and choosing a lot of stuff. One stick of 3 nuggets was only RM1!

Lunch was at a pitstop place not far away. When Singaporeans see A&W, we must eat A&W.

Then it was another long drive to Malacca. The parents were happily snoozing while the kids watched downloaded movies on the phone.

We had 2 hours to burn in Malacca. Seriously, sightseeing wasnt a good choice with 2 tired kids. The Mamee musuem was our life saver.

We paid RM20 to diy 4 cups of instant noodles.

That fortunately burned majority of the 2 hours.

The rest of the time was spent loitering around.

We managed to grab a light bite before gathering at 5.30pm for home.

The bus ride back was very peaceful bcos we all knocked out. It was 3+ hours later before we finally arrived at the custom. My poor butt again!

It was already almost 11pm by the time we arrived back to Woodlands MRT. I was amazed at how much Daddy Lim and I were snoozing on the ride back. We were constantly sleeping but feeling constantly tired. It must be the very disturbed naps. Despite the naps, we all fell into a deep slumber when we finally hit the pillows and I didnt wake up until 8ish this morning. Haha.

Overall, it wasnt too bad a trip. Would I do it again? I am hestitant bcos of the bus ride; it was seriously painful to try sleeping on the bus. I would probably try again for a mountain nearer to Singapore.

The in between stops were way too long too. It took us over 4 hours to complete the hike, which was only 4km according to strava. We would have probably took half the time on our own. The kids got very restless with the long waits.

On the pros, the group was super nice and the aunties started chatting up the kids along the way; they were very impressed with how energetic our kids were. The best was how everybody watched time and were on time at the agreed meeting time and there was no excessive waiting for late comers. The kids definitely enjoyed the new experience and asked to hike again. It was like a big adventure for them. Let's see, the same hike organiser already have so many more hikes lining up for the year and we are in their call list. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 138 and the Specialist Visit

It is getting fustrating without her good knee bcos there is so little that we can do in class and on ice. On Saturday, she was still complaining of the usual pain. Haiz.

So class was still foot work and spinning. You spin me right round baby, right round... basically, it  was sit spin, back spin and camel spins. We are working on these too during practice bcos she cannot jump. I so miss her jumping.

We are spending so little time on ice and have been skipping off ice lessons for weeks. I really wish that pain would go away soon.

Finally on Monday morning, I could bring her to the NUH specialist for a proper assessment. Yesh! It was such a precious session and took me much sweat (literally) to arrange.

Lil Shauna went to school as usual to do her English paper 1. I was in school about 9am to pick her and was pleasantly surprised to see ths new electronic feature in our buses. We saw this frequently in HKG and Taiwan and we are finally catching up.

We were early for her appointment and I had envisioned long waits. Interestingly, the Sports Medicine department is fairly empty as compared to the other departments. I guessed not many kids get sports injury. We were soon registered and the nurse called for us shortly.

There was the doctor who was supposed to see us in the room and also some orthopaedic specialist, who obviously was the one who call the shots. There were also 2 other medical students observing. Yes, it was a crowded session in the little room.

The session started off with the usual questioning of the pain onset, the possible cause, etc. Then it was the physical assessment, which was quite thorough. I raised my suspicion of her curved spin, which might affect her knee and she got a check too. After the assessment, I overheard the doctor telling the orthopaedic that it is a suspected ligament sprain. To play safe, we were ordered a knee xray and might as well a full body xray to check the spine before coming back to the clinic for the results.

The spine xray was a long wait. Apparently we have many crooked spines people in Singapore. Then to the knee xray, that was fairly quick. It was a lot of going to different clinics within the hospital and plenty of taking out and wearing shoes the whole time.

We also found time to sneak a vending machine toasted sandwich while waiting.

We were finally done with the xrays at about 11.30am. On the way to the clinic, we ran into the orthopaedic who appeared pleased to see us probably bcos we were his last patient and keeping him from lunch. Lol.

The verdict? Her spine is quite fine with a curved of probably 5 degrees and anything below 10 is of no concern. Good. Her knee and femur bones look good too and we can rule out structural or broken/ cracked bone causing the pain. Yeah! This means that the pain is from an injured/ sprain ligament. As per most ang mo medicine remedy, it is about plenty of rest and refraining from impactful exercise that can aggravate the injury or slow down the recovery. I was reminded of how much Lil Shauna was running and jumping at the aerospace park the day below. Zzzzz...

The only medicine would be pain killer, which we have plenty at home. The doctor said that her case probably didnt warrant a knee brace. Anyway, we have a that too. It is just plenty of rest. At least we rule out more serious condition and are able to pinpoint that it is indeed a ligament injury.

We were given an appointment 3 months down the road. I hope Lil Shauna would have recovered and we didnt need to see the doctor by then. If the pain still persist, then we would then probably need a MRI or physiotherapy. Fingers crossed.

Let me go google what we can do to aid ligament injury.

Mummy Lim

Seletar Aerospace Park

Now that we have so many kids and many of them are getting bigger (literally), we are on a constant look-up for interesting open space venue so that the kids can run around during gatherings. Unless really exceptional special occasions, we avoid meeting at somebody's house. The noises that the kids produced can really cause noise-induced deafness and the aftereffect is often more devastating than a hurricane sweeping past.

October is a busy month bcos we have 4 October babies and Zaky is one of them. The honour of planning falls on Auntie R, who has 2 October boys. She suggested the Seletar Aerospace park. There is a nice (but fairly expensive) Wheeler Estate and most importantly, a little playground to entertain the kids. After much deliberation, we agreed to have potluck and picnic by the playground bcos there were so many little people to feed and we need something cheaper to feed them. Sounds great already. 

We headed to the park right after the kids' classes and I realised how far it was from our house. We drove for a long time before arriving at the park. It was the 1st time that the kids had visited the place and soon was off running with the other kids while the parents set up the picnic. 

The venue wasnt too bad. The only problem was the lack of shelters, except at the nearby restaurants. We eyed the dark cloud that hopefully was passing by and went into a mad frenzy packing when the huge raindrops fell. We had to take shelter at Wheeler's Estate. It was a critical decision of staying or going. We opted for the former. Fortunately, it was indeed a passing cloud and the rain stopped soon after.

We did some impromptu overhead shelter using the structure by the playground and the picnic mats. It was good enough to hold off a light drizzle, which by God's grace, didnt come by again.

The kids had a blast! It was actually a small playground but the kids could go on forever with the companion.

Some of them also headed off to watch the planes takeoff. My kids were too lazy. Lol.

Finally, time for the cake. Zaky didnt know that we would also celebrating his bday and was initially reluntant to join in the candle blowing.

But he was super pleased to receive bday presents. Haha.

Then it was more running around. Daddy Lim had to leave for his poly gathering and took most of the heavy stuff with him while the kids played somemore.

Time passes so quickly when there is so much fun. We didnt leave until it was 8pm and not after the all important picture. The beauties.. the littlest one included.

We took a Grab home and when all the fun was done, the tummy started grumbling. We had to  drop off at JP to grab a burger.

Mummy Lim

Inefficiency in an Efficient World

This is a rant post; a continuation of the saga for a medical appointment.

We were told that NUH would contact us in a week for a specialist appointment slot. We have to call them if we dont hear from them. I received a sms on Thursday and the appointment was scheduled for the following Monday. That isnt too bad, the response was within the week and the appointment is taking place in a few days.

Unfortunately, I already had a meeting on Monday morning and replied to NUS via sms for a reschedule. That was when the pain starts all over again. It would take NUH 3 working days to reply to the request. That would mean more time lost. I called up the appointment hotline and was told that the clinic only operates on Monday. The next appointment would be 2 Mondays away. Zzzzzz. I ended up rescheduling my meeting. I reckoned that it is easier to reschedule my meeting than her appointment.

I was super pleased that it was all done, only to remember in the night that the kids are starting their SA2 on Monday. Zzzzzzz. Lil Shauna would be having her English paper 1.

It was again a bad frenzy trying to call NUH appointment line on Friday morning. I was so thankful for speaker phone. After 2 attempts and forever on hold, I finally spoke with somebody. There is NO alternative. The clinic only operates on Monday morning. The lastest slot is at 10.50am before the clinic closes. There appears to be only 1 doctor and he is away next Monday, which explains why the next available appointment is 2 weeks' away. What can I do if I wanted to switch to a different hospital? Yes, I have to call up Pioneer Polyclinic and wait all over again. Aiyo!

I have decided to check with the school instead, crossing my fingers and hoping that I could rush Lil Shauna for the appointment before or after the paper. That idea seems to work as told by the General Office staff, given that the teachers are all off for Children Day.

I ended up calling NUH again, ensuring that they keep our precious slot and then emailing Lil Shauna's teachers to make sure that the General Office staff has given me the right information.

Finally, at 7pm, I received the teacher's reply, confirming that the paper will complete by 9am and Lil Shauna can leave for her medical appointment after that. Finally.. haiz.

Mummy Lim

Tremendous Fun Weekend

We met up with the Chan and Lim kids on Saturday at Kallang Wave. Zaky is always happy to be in Kallang, zooming around the skate park on his scooter. He is totally in his happy land even if nobody plays with him. Lil Shauna had a blast too playing badminton with the rest.

We had a nice dinner followed by ice cream. Rule 101: Play date must come with ice cream.

As if all the fun wasnt enough, the kids pleaded for more time to scoot and run around after dessert. Their energy never fail to surprise me.

Occasionally, I saw Lil Shauna limped a little. Otherwise, she was jumping and running like any other day. Really bad knee pain? Hmmm..

The fun didnt just end on Saturday. My brother's family dated us for an early Sunday morning hike in Bukit Timah. We have never been there and were definitely gamed for the hike. We were told that the hike would take about 1 hour - this is easy peasy for our kids after Needle Hill. Moreover, with the Fs for companion, this would be chicken feet.

Since it was supposed to be an hour's ride, I had my round 1 in the gym early in the morning before home to wake the kids.

While I did oversleep, my timing was perfect and we got out of the house in time. We even had time for some bread.

It took us a while to find the place to park, which was along the road bcos there was only 1 tiny overflowing public carpark. Coincidentally, my brother parked right behind us, saving us the trouble to look for them amidst the crowd.

As usual, a we-vie while we still look fresh and alive.

We started our hike along one of the super steep incline service roads. That was bad and I was surprised to see so many Singaporeans into hiking. There were quite some trail runners too.

Soon, we broke off into one of the dirt trails that was nicely paved with concrete steps - totally Singapore style.

I was told that many years back, the trail was much more rugged and fun. Now, safety comes 1st.

We took a wrong path and ended up with extra steps... I like. Hehe. Fortunately, there wasnt much complaints. The kids were happily chatting and engrossed with nature. It was a nice walk and the paths were mostly nicely shaded.

The Fs were tired towards the end, especially the little one. Our well-trained kids were still going strong, just sweating buckets. Dont worry, we had more than enough water. This is afterall Singapore - very safe.

Overall, Strava says that we clocked 4.1km. A victory picture to mark the end.

We went on to explore part of the old railway tracks on the way to the car. Daddy Lim reckoned that it would be a nice route for trail riding and is dating Zaky next week. The invite was extended to Lil Shauna, whom politely declined.  Lol.

I was strolling with the kids along the walkpath towards the car when I saw my brother broke into a run, followed by Daddy Lim. I thought that they were utilising the last bit for a workout until I finally spotted the summon lady. Hoho. Bcos of the men's effort, it saved us from the penalty and we rewarded oursleves to a hearty bfast of roti prata at Sunset way. It was so good!

The kids pleaded for the fun to continue and my brother finally agreed to round 2 at their place but to allow some time for the middle F to complete her homework.

Meanwhile, our kids had a splash; spending the hour soaking in the pool and basking in the midday sun. Chao Ta!

The fun continued on at my brother's place in the afternoon. The kids can really play and didnt stop until after dinner. We finally left at 8pm. Woohoo! So much fun.

Would we do the Bukit Timah trail again? Probably but not in the near future. I was telling my brother that the Singapore's hikes are all inward, unlike the ones that we did in HKG, where we were rewarded with splendid views at the peak. That also served as a powerful motivation for the kids.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 137: Finally Doing Something

The knee pain still didnt go away. Zzzzzz.

On Aunty H's advice, we had been applying Voltaren - some over the counter anti-inflammation gel. We havent been too faithful though, forgetting every other day. So we cant judge if the cream hasnt been effective.

We have also decided to bring Lil Shauna to get a more professional assessment. It was actually frustrating in the quest to find information when Singapore is supposed to be so efficient. My 1st target is definitely KKH; I saw on website that they have a sports medicine department. After being directed, I was told that they no longer have a sport doctor but she could be referred to an orthopaedic. The staff kindly shared that I could try NUH or KTPH or some hospital in the extreme East that I didnt bother to register. She also advised to go through the polyclinic route for subsidy.

The phone rang out a couple of times when I tried calling NUH. The staff at KTPH said that there sports medicine only treat those above 12. It was also a nightmare trying to call Pioneer Polyclinic to register her as a 1st time patient. I think I spent at least 45 mins of my life on the phone before finally finding out she could be referred to NUH. Yay.

Pioneer Polyclinic has an online appointmemt app for making same day appointment. The app opens at midnight. Bcos I had wanted to secure a Saturday morning appointment to save on my precious leave, I was standing by my phone on Friday night. I even set alarm to make sure that I will be awake. We secured a 10.05am appointment.

We were at the polyclinic before 10am on Saturday and done the self-registeration that took less than a minute. While the appointment was for 10.05am, the registration slip states that the clinic aims to serve us within 60 mins. What? It was basically a waiting game henceforth. Lil Shauna will have her weight and height taken before seeing the doctor.

Nothing happened after 30 mins, not even the weight and height when I assumed that should happen quickly, doesnt it? Everybody got bored waitimg. I was telling Daddy Lim that we had to run even if the appointment didnt actualise by 11.30am for her ice skating class.

Soon after, she had her weight and height taken. She was very please to know that she is under her ideal weight. Lol.

Fortunately we got to see the doctor shortly too. We probably spent about 10 mins with the doctor. She spent half the time examining her, pressing here and there and suggested a X-ray to rule out a fracture. We didnt have time and she too didnt think that it wouldnt be a fracture given the abscence of acute pain. She thinks that it is probably a ligament injury. She then spent the rest of the time writing us a referral to NUH. We waited in awkwardness as her keyboard went clicking away. I was to wait for NUH to call me within 7 days to fix an appointment. If they do not have a paediatric sports doctor, she will be referred to the paediatric orthopaedic. Fine with us, so long as somebody sees us.

We were in time for ice skating class and told Coach Raymond to work on her spins again. I think she will be so super good with her spins by the time we resolved her knee pain. Finger crossed.

We had been spending so little time on ice since 3 weeks back, skipping Sunday ice time and off ice. She nicely agreed to go back on time after resurfacing.

I can only hope that her knee is recovering with the reduced ice time and that the anti-anti-inflammation gel works too. Meanwhile, pls have NUH call us asap.

Mummy Lim