Ice Skating 175: Costume Testing

We had the last class on Saturday morning before the competition. It was also time to do a last minute costume test out. Actually Lil Shauna has no choice; she only has 1 costume and she die, die must fit inside. Hohoho.

This is the 3rd and last time that she would be using this costume. It had started to fray and it was already slightly tight when she wore it the last time. Well, it is definitely well depreciated. I like this costume the best by far bcos the shiny sequins are sewed on and wouldnt drop, not like the glued on crystals on her previous costumes. By D day, we would be busy preserving what's left.

Her costume usually lasted 1 to 2 competitions before she outgrows them bcos her competitions are so far apart. Moreover, this one didnt cost alot. I think it was between $65 to $85 when I got it from Taobao. Well, this cheapo mummy never buy expensive costume for her to begin with. Yes, that is considered as super cheap already. Just that day, this mummy was admiring the costume that she had just collected from the tailor. It was very elaborated with shiny crystals and all. It was a freaking $650! If I buy that for Lil Shauna, she better not grow anymore. Lol.

Daddy Lim was out for work on Saturday morning. It was a rush to try to get Lil Shauna ready after my WWF ride. Fortunately, she squeezed into the costume all right. She asked to bun up her hair and the bun was held in place the entire day, all thanks to the super powerful old school hair spray, the kind that my mum used to use.

The last 2 competitions, we used kids' shiny face tattoo but almost gave up making them the last competition; it was a pure mess. This time, I wanted to try out something different. I saw on internet this "sparkling feackles" not too long back and decided to try with the fake eyelashes glue.

The glue held up well. Tadah!

The problem was the crystals. Lil Shauna's collection of shiny stuff was in her bedroom and Athena was having her nap. We made do with the extra crystals that came with her costume and she ended up looking like her costume. Lol.

Well, at least we know that the glue and the idea works. We just needed to chose the right shiny stuff and spend more time gluing them aesthetically on D day.

We finally made it to the rink to remember that class was supposed to be at a later time bcos the rink was closed in the morning for short track event. Chey. It was full ice when we arrived and Lil Shauna still has things to complain about - too many people - even when it is full ice. As a result, we had so much time to even eat lunch at the rink and of course to take pictures. She looks so pro.

The costume and shiny feckles worked and stayed up throughout. The overall effect looks good too. Coach Raymond said that she was crying sliver tears. Haha.

The 1/3 ice was freaking crowded bcos all the classes were squeezed together. Lil Shauna practiced on some of her elements and Coach Raymond helped her to refine some of her actions. Ok, what is the most important is for her to remember. "Forgot" had been her constant excuse.

Tomorrow is D day; where the months of hard work is showcased. Fingers crossed.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 171: Intensive SISA

After seeing how rusty Lil Shauna was after our return from Brisbane, I was seriously worried. At that point, we had about 2+ weeks left before the Interschool competition and I wasnt sure if we had enough time to pick ourselves back.

We had class on Saturday morning on 1/3 ice. We were finally back on SISA ice on Sunday early morning. We were up at 6am to be on time for the class at 7am. With the competition nearing, I had expected the ice to be crowded with skaters wanting to prepare for their competition with music. Surprisingly, the ice wasnt too crowded and only 3 skaters (Lil Shauna included) were practicing with their music.

As a result, Lil Shauna got to practice with her music like 6x. She was able to practice with music when desired and was totally exhausted by the end of the class. Lol. Her performance wasnt too bad given that she hasnt had the chance to do full ice for several weeks.

We have 2 more SISA ice before the competition and were back on ice yday evening. The ice was much more crowded and so was the q to do the program with music.

She was quite on form! Her spins were very nice. She got to practice her program 3x. She was also able to time her program better and end right on the dot.

During the last practice, she managed all her hand actions. She had been insisting that she cannot remember them during her program despite my nagging to try, which fell on deaf ears. After lesson, she told me that she did them bcos Coach Raymond threatened to throw rotten eggs at her if she didnt. Win liao. I should bring rotten eggs too.

At the end of the class, we were just in time to witness the sequence draw. Lil Shauna hates being the 1st. She was the last to skate the last competition and was happy; so long as not the 1st.

This time, she will be the 7th out of 12 skaters and she was so happy about it.

Ok, the competition is really getting near. I should bring out her costume, dust it a little and hope that she can still fit in it. Haha.

Mummy Lim

My Very 1st RI

My longest clocked distance was a decent 80km. One of my new year resolutions was to complete a Round Island (RI) trip. Daddy Lim did his earlier this year with the WWFs during the bike rally. On the noble account of taking care of the kids, I volunteered to miss the bike rally. In actual fact, I chickened out. The bike rally started at 7am and the sun is not my best friend. The thought of completing an RI under the hot sun was too scary. 

I jumped at the opportunity when one of the usual kas suggested a RI ride on Saturday morning as the usual morning ride was replaced by an evening durian ride. I love the idea of a morning ride bcos I am actually very much a morning person, largely dead by the end of the day. I doubt I have much energy left for a night RI.

To avoid much of the sun, we agreed for the ride to start at 4am. While it is an unearthly hour, it allowed less sun exposure towards the end of the trip. 

It was my 1st time cycling to Punggol to realise that it isnt that far from Jurong, only 30ish km. I mean, it takes an awful long time to drive from Jurong to Punggol and I had imagined it to be much further by bicycle. We then past by Pasir Ris enroute to Changi Village. These are familiar places from my growing up years but always by car or bus. 

Again, I was amazed that Changi Village (CV) is only about 50km away. That was also the much needed bfast stop and the sunblock slapping bcos Mr Sun was out. 

From CV to ECP, then finally to Barrage. 

By that, I was really exhausted. The remaining return trip was by will power and there wasnt much of it left. The sun was also draining the little left much faster. I was literally counting down the kms. At the last leg, I was much zonked out. My legs were spinning and my mind was somewhere else; my hands were not reacting much and every need to brake or steer was an effort. 

Finally after 6 long hours, we made it back home. The 1st ever 3 digits ride registered on my cateye. 

My cateye sometimes reset itself during ride and I am so thankful that it didnt this time bcos I forgot to restart the Strava when we stopped for bfast at CV. As a result, my Strava was "left" at CV and teleport back to JW, clocking merely 50ish km. Why like that? 

My legs were jellyish when we were finally home. We still had to bring Lil Shauna for her ice skating class. 累死我了... such that I dozed off at the coffee place in JCube while waiting for the kids to finish their Maths' class. 

I must be strong. That cat nap actually re-energize me. Daddy Lim was supposed to go for an evening durian ride with the WWFs in the evening and I offered to bring the kids to USS before our season pass expired tomorrow. 

Off we went to USS at about 5pm. 

The kids had been pre-warned about how exhausted their old mother was. 

We survived all right. The weather was not too warm after the rain and the crowd wasnt too thick. We managed to ride the exciting rides like 3x Cylone,  the Mummy ride and the Transformer ride. We even caught the Donkey Live show; the kids very 1st bcos they didnt quite understand the jokes when they were younger. 

Dinner was at the all familiar Sesame Street restaurant; we used to frequent that when the kids were younger.

We ended off our last USS visit for a while with a 8.30pm WaterWorks show. It had been a long time back since we caught the WaterWorks and we forgot how good it was. 

We opted to sit in the Splash Zone and had a good time getting slightly wet. 

Daddy Lim's durian ride was cancelled due to threatening rain and was able to pick us from USS. I so needed that. By that time, my battery was all time low; the early morning and long ride was again getting on me. 

Mummy Lim

Poor Tooth

Zaky had such a bad cavity in one of his molars some years back that eventually led to a baby root canal done in March 2017. The idea was to keep the molar until such a time that it would be ready to drop. We were hoping that it would hold or part 2 will be an extraction and a retainer to keep the space.

Fortunately, it did hold. Every time that he complained of some toothache, my heart would freeze and hoped that the baby root canal hasnt given up on us.

Then came the Phuket holiday. I chipped a molar during one the days. Then Zaky had the same complaint. Ok, Phuket food isnt that hard and Zaky isnt that old to chip tooth. For once, I was hoping that it was the same molar. Fortunately, there was no other complaints of pain.

Days past in peacefulness. Then the boy remarked that the tooth was shaky. Well, he is turning 9 and about time to drop his molar. One fine day, his molar dropped... ok, HALF of his molar. The only half though shaky, was still very much attached to his gum. He asked to be brought to the dentist but his mother procrastinate. I mean, it is only a matter of time, right?

It took a few weeks before the other half of the molar finally decided to leave.  Hooray!

As you can see, it is actually hollow on the inside.

Dear Molar, you have worked hard. Thank you!

Mummy Lim

The Gardes are Back

Ah yee and Athena's last trip was late last year. Athena was literally a baby then, attempting to  crawl and eating mushy food. In my imagination, 10 months old baby could run and fly already and I was surprised to realise that she was just a baby.

The family is back again! This time, ah tioh CY is also in the house. They were supposed to arrive on Saturday night only to miss their connecting flight due to delays. After flying across half the globe, they finally touched down and showed up at our door step for the MacD bfast that I just lugged back from JP. Hoho. MacD just taste different in this part of the world.

Athena 2.0 is now upgraded to toddler status. She is walking, exploring, babbling and just as smiley. The kids were obsessed with her, showing her their toys and trying to attract her attention. Zaky's cars! I havent seen them in ages!

We soon left for classes; the jetlag family needed to catch up on sleep too.

It was the late afternoon when we gathered again. This is the 1st time that the entire family came together.

Our tiny humble house was hard to contain the growing kids (and noise). Everybody wanted Athena's love.

She has so many choices and Daddy Lim lost favor; he was her favourite person the last trip.  Sorry, next pls.

When the family gathers, it can only mean good food. Popo cooked up a storm. We licked up even the last drop of gravy.

Athena isnt a good sleeper and hasnt learnt in her 18 months' of life. Well, it is no surprise. The realisation of how precious sleep is normally wouldnt occur until one hits working life phase.

I still remember how every night was a screaming ordeal when she last visited. On this 1st night with us, I heard her cried once and stopped quickly. Or maybe I was too tired to hear anything thereafter. Hohoho. Ah yee said that Athena slept well lah.

Courtesy of my bro, the Gardes are having a staycation in Sentosa now.

The kids spent the whole yesterday's afternoon at the beach and had so many stories to tell me on the way home.

Diet plan is non-existent and we closed the night with a good dinner.

The last activity of the day was a final run at the playground in Vivo to drain all last bit of the kids' energy for a good night sleep. The kids, including Athena were totally enjoying themselves. In the beginning, Daddy Lim and I were watching over the toddler, making sure that she doesnt fall. It was so long ago that we had to run after a tiny person at the playground. It was absolutely foreign. Lol.

It was a good play and right when we were about to leave, Athena had an incident. She mis-cued and ended up landing with her forehead instead of her hands. Aiyo. Zhun, zhun, she had to land on the sharp edge of the structure somemore. While she hushed quickly, she brought home her very 1st barugu.

Fortunately, she is fine and still a happy baby other than the bump. This reminded me of Zaky's infamous barugu. It must be a rite of rituals that all kids must pass though. Lol.

Lil Shauna got back her bed while the Gardes are on staycation. The kids will be bunking in our room while the Gardes are here. Well, Zaky is absolutely celebrating. Zzzzzz.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 168: Rusty

Two weekends off ice and Lil Shauna has rusted; she had left all her spins and jumps in Brisbane. No joke!

She was anxious before Saturday's ice and was awkward when she hit the ice. I understand.. i feel the same way riding with the WWFs after missing cycling for 2 weekends too. Haha.

Lil Shauna had problems with her sit spins. Then, she cannot do her jumps. Errrr... competition in less than 3 weeks leh. She said that everything feels the same as what she had always been doing. Ya, my foot

We had to video her and upon close inspections, we were able to correct her wobbly sit spins. Then it was time for class and she proceeded with class anyway.

After class, Lil Shauna said that she was still not able to do her lutz jump. It was something about the outer edge that she didnt manage to do before jumping off. Of course her back to front spin was another problem. In other words, she "lost" all her competition elements in that week in Brisbane. How come?

I had wanted to be a chillax mum but the situation calls for some urgent action. Lil Shauna was coaxed to stay on after class. We were even youtubing on how to do a proper lutz jump but the videos were more confusing than helpful. Coach Raymond came back after lunch and saw us burrowing our heads into the phone and commented that she shouldnt lift her left leg so high. Huh? Lol. It was time to leave soon after and we didnt correct her lutz jump bcos the girl was upset that she had to stay "overtime" for so long and was not productive.

Of course we came back on Sunday. We had to find back her spins and jumps. Instead of chilling one corner, I was videoing her jumps and then discussing adjustments with she to make correctionss to her lutz jumps. Along the way, Coach Raymond was passing her a couple of instructions while having his classes.

I think we eventually got it. Hohoho. I hope she remembers it. This trip to the "lost and found" had been nerves whacking. While she still struggles with her back and front spin on its own, it was decent when she did it as part of her program. Dont ask me why.

Her next SISA ice will be next Sunday. Only then will we be able to see if the rest of the program is intact. SISA ice will also be crowded with the nearing competition. Fingers crossed.

Mummy Lim

Brisbane Day 8: Mt Coot-Tha, Urban Xtreme, Home Sweet Home

It was the last day of our Brisbane holiday and it was a city mouse day. The kids knew that we would be visiting the Urban Xtreme park but didnt know that their dear mother had other stuff planned.

We were up by 7am and we had paid extra to book the "pick and choose" bfast. It was a luxury to enjoy the buffet spread after having to "work" for our bfast the last few days. 

Though it was similar food of eggs, ham and bread, I was secretly grinning at the thought that I didnt have to scrub egg-stain frying pan after bfast. 

The 1st itinerary of the day was another hike, much to Zaky's dismay. Despite his protests, we were soon on the way to Mt Coot-Tha, that was a mere 20 mins drive from the city center. At least we assured him that it was an easy hike. 

After some quick read up, Daddy Lim decided that we would park at the summit. This basically means that our hike will again be downhill 1st before the need to climb up to get back to the car. 

On the drive to the summit, we saw so many cyclists riding up. The gradient was no joke! Really must clap for them.

While the cyclists huff and puff up, we travelled comfortably for the summit pictures. 

I asked the kids to help me take a nice picture while waiting for the man to use the toilet. 

After several attempts, I still didnt find one that I was satisfied with. I think the problem is with the model in the picture... haha. Too much eating!

There were several routes to choose from. They were all downhill actually and didnt quite make any difference to me. Eventually, we decided to hit the JC Slaughter Fall via the Mahogany Track.

Zaky's only concern was how far we were from the turnaround point. Are we there yet?

It was an interesting trail and the hike was largely on sandy path. It was a popular hike and we met many other hikers. The hike was an easy walk given that it was mainly downhill.

I was reminded of our Treetop Walk back home bcos the trail was also right next to the road. Ok, at least we know that help would be near. 

It didnt took us very long to reach the end of the track where we met a big picnic/ bbq area and a big carpark. Hey, where is that (water) fall? After a quick break, it was time to head back up to the summit. The kids devised a kids vs parents challenge and were constantly a good 5m ahead of us throughout the way back. It was a fantastic challenge bcos they were so motivated to win and we didnt have to walk with whiny kids. I absolutely heart this challenge. Lol. I hope to do the challenge every hike. 

Soon, we were back and took a nice coffee break at the cafe at the summit.

Then we went back to the hotel and had a simple lunch of convenient food from the 7-11 and the 2 cup noodles from previous days, so that we didnt have to lug them home. On the way back, we saw that many pubs were already opened and actually crowded. The Aussies do start early.

We also had the opportunity to visit the huge Giant bicycle shop a few streets from our hotel. It was too tempting not to buy anything. I got a new pair of gloves!

Finally, after much pestering from the kids, it was the Urban Xtreme park time. The tickets were not cheap at AUD32 per piece for 2-hour slot. We had expected it to be Super Park alike. The kids agreed to go into the park without the parents. Nice, nuahing time!

We were minutes before our designated time slot. The kids reluntantly posed for pictures, which didnt turn out well and refused another one and was running off.

The Urban Xtreme park is very different from the Super Park. There were only 4 activities - trampoline, Ninja warrior, Parkor and Laser Tag. It took the kids a while to figure out that other than the Trampoline, the other activities go on an estimated 15 mins slot.

Bcos the kids missed the 1st 15 mins slot, they were off jumping on the trampoline.

Not long after, they went to Q for the parkor. Lil Shauna was a little lost with the big crowd and followed Zaky blindly to the parkor. They had to join a safety briefing.

There was an instructor to teach the kids how to do Parkor. It looks to me more like a very tiring core training. Lol. The were running and jumping over high steps, doing front roll, going under the bar - hit repeat mode. Then Lil Shauna missed a step, hit and scrapped her shin and tumbled over. Luckily, it was merely some scratches. Some time was also allocated for free style. Lil Shauna's free style = blindly follow Zaky's styel. Lol. Parkor was surely not her thing.

For the 2nd 15 mins block, Lil Shauna attempted the Ninja warrior while Zaky continued with the Parkor. The Ninja Warrior was no child play and was just like what we saw on TV, requiring a good amount of physical strength.

By the end of the 2 15-min slots, the kids were red faced, sweating and running off to the Laser Tag.

According to the kids, the Laser Tag was super fun and made friends with their team mates. They went for it for 3 consecutive 15-min slots. It was valued for money too. It would have cost us more if we had done the Laser Tag separately outside of the park.

With that, they headed back to the Trampoline for the last 15-min. I like how the park has designated coaches for all of the activities, teaching and helping the kids. Zaky was taught how to land on his feet after his front flip.

The kids had so much fun and were appalled to realise that their time slot was ending. The park wasnt strict with the time and Zaky managed to squeeze in the last activity - the wrapped wall, just like the real Ninja warrior! Not bad lah, Zaky managed the easiest wall.

With that, it ended the kids' adventure. I pointed out to the kids that we were the only Asians (tourists) and the only kids with glasses. Is it a genetic thing?

We headed back to the hotel and went Target shopping and had KFC for dinner. Daddy Lim was so impressed with how speedy the food was served. Same what. Lol.

Our Target shopping turned up empty handed bcos the kids didnt need more toys. There also wasnt the need to buy more short sleeves tee as we were heading home. At least we got to walk the Brisbane City center.

Our flight was at 2.35am. We knew that it would be painful to try to roam the streets; we didnt even know if the shops would be opened. As such, we booked an additional night at Ibis so that we could rest our legs before our flight.

It was a fantastic choice. The kids were exhausted after all the physical activities. We had a decent rest and started our way to the airport to return the car at 9.30pm. At that point, Lil Shauna was so tired that she was ready to go home.

It was a long wait at the airport. Fortunately we could connect to the wifi but had to sit on uncomfortable big wooden chairs. Of course the kids didnt mind.

About an good hour before boarding, I had to insist that we moved on in search of more comfy seats. My back! Towards the boarding gates, there were long rows of sofa that made perfect beds but no wifi connectivity. The kids grumbled a little until their mummy dearest showed them what they could do with the must-be-the-most-comfy-sofa-in-the-world-at-that-moment.

We really all dozed off except for Daddy Lim who probably was watching his Netflix. Great, we needed somebody to wake us up for boarding.

The kids made it onto the plane and continued to snooze. It was afterall in the middle of the night. It was a Qatar/ Qantas flight, which means a different selection of movies. I attempted to watch one but was dozing off in front of the screen like an old lady in less than 20 mins. Lol. When I woke up, it was already the credits rolling.

While the seats were not much more comfortable than the earlier Qantas flight, we were definitely much more tired and sleep we did. It was Australia's 7ish when we woke up and just in time for bfast and to catch up on the movies. Hehehe. The kids were served their kids meal 1st. The presentation was great but Lil Shauna said that the taste was not. Every other thing was organic, too healthy lah.

We survived the 8 hours flight very nicely and touched down in Singapore on time at 8ish. Woohoo! It was an absolutely fantastic trip.

Mummy Lim