Energizer Night Race

Maybe bcos we had too much good food in Penang and we all needed to lose that extra kgs, Daddy Lim wanted to join this.

Don't get too excited. He is only looking at the 1.5km Parent and Child Obstacle Race. Hehe. Luckily for me, the child needs to be at least 6 yo. Lil Isaac cannot join and it also means that I need not join.  Hahaha.

Daddy Lim asked Lil Shauna and she was game. He was about to sign up when I suggested that maybe they should try doing some running 1st. It wouldnt look too pretty to have to drop out of the race midway. And so they did train.

This was them doing some serious warmup. It is so rare to see the princess in T-shirt, shorts and running shoes.

They completed 1.5km - 3 rounds at the park near nainai's place and they survived. Lil Shauna complained that her whole 2 legs were in pain after the run. Lol. They walked some way but at least they completed the run and are alive!

While they ran, Lil Isaac was happily playing at the playground. Hehe.

They made me feel like exercising too. Hmm, feel only. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 5

It was our last day in Penang. We woke up a little later than usual and headed for bfast and then to the mall for our coffee fix. I managed to grab my one and only buy in Penang for RM9.

Good buy, right? I also like how I look skinny in this picture. Right angle to take picture. Haha. While I spend rm9, Lil Shauna bought a rm60 pair of shoes from H&M. Lil Isaac bought a rm40 pair of swimming shorts from the same shop. Win already. Lol.

We checked out after that and headed to the kids' club. We had decided to head to the airport from the kids' club. There is showering facilities at the kids' club and we could freshen up before heading to the hotel - or at least that was the plan.

Unfortunately, the kids weren't well-behaved and fought continuously in the car until I had to yell at the little boy. He also got punished and was not allowed to go to the kids' club. He was bawling when Uncle C drove Daddy Lim and the boy to Hard Rock after we alighted at the kids' club. He didn't take the punishment that hard. Daddy Lim said that he stopped shortly after arriving at Hard Rock and they came to join us not too long after as well.  The cheeky boy was all smiles when he joined us. Chey.

We had lunch and departed for the airport. This time, I sat with the girls while Daddy Lim took the boy.

The girls were so easy. Lil Isaac wasn't that tough too. He fell asleep shortly after the plane took off. Haha.

When we were back in Singapore, I was so glad for air con and clean toilets. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 4

Auntie A and family were departing in the night. We of course started the day with a delicious spread. Then we headed to the famous old streets with wall painting. There were many other tourists despite the heat. It was very, very hot.

Along the way, we visited some quirky shops, like this one. 

And there were of course plenty of pictures taking. 

We saw many tourists riding bicycles and I was tempted to do so but it was too dangerous considering that we had so many kids. We continued on our foot in search of the famous paintings. 

By 1pm, we were sweating buckets and I was urging the rest to stop for lunch. I needed the shade and wonder if people get heat stroke while looking at the wall painting or would I be the 1st to do so.

We decided to end the tour after lunch and took the trishaw to collect our car. The trishaw was tiny and could hardly fit Daddy Lim and my butt.  We couldnt move after we managed to squeeze into the seat. The old uncle worked so hard to peddle and sent us back. We had to gave him extra tips. While on the trishaw, Lil Isaac was so pleased and kept repeating that we didn't have to walk back. Lol.

We went back to the comfort of our car and took a "car ferry" across the sea (??). We all enjoyed the experience. Along the way, we saw so many jelly fishes in the sea. Lil Shauna said that she counted 130 of them!

We went back to the hotel thereafter. Lil Isaac took a nap while the rest went for dinner. I finally had some quiet time to myself. The kids hadn't been the most well-behaved during the trips and there were so much bickering. 

We went for some late night shopping at the mall in the night - Daddy Lim needed a new shirt and we ended our day with nice ice cream.

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 3+

Hoho, I actually forgotten that we went to the Butterfly Park after the jungle hike! Obviously, that was memory that I didn't want to keep. Lol.

So, how was it? I have totally no idea. I opted to wait outside the park. I didn't think that my poor heart could take the extra stress. But the kids said that it was good.

So, what was I doing while the rest visited the park?

Yummy, what else is there better to do to cool down? It would have been perfect if the waiting area is air con. But I at least had a shelter, a seat and a ceiling fan. Psss.. don't tell the kids that I had an ice cream without them!

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 3

We met up at 8.30am and where to except super good food breakfast. By the 3rd day, we were already used to the notion of good food every meal and sweat buckets in the day.

We headed for the jungle trail after bfast and was sad to find that the canopy - some bridge walk was closed for maintenance. We decided to head for the monkey beach instead. It was the most real hiking that I had ever done. Wait, i have never done hiking actually. Lol. Most of the time, we were on dirt track created by other hikers who had gone before us. There wasn't real sun but it was humid and we were sweating barrels! The tracks were really challenging for the kids. Some of the climb were half of Lil Isaac's height. I was hoping that Lil Isaac wouldn't ask to be carried any sooner. It would be a real challenge. 

The top 2 pictures were taken in the beginning. Below were what we saw most of the time while hiking.

The trail just goes on and on and on. There was simply just climb and more climb, trees and leaves everywhere. At some point, my imagination runs wild and started wondering what if we got lost or ran out of water? I felt pretty out of control but was at least distracted with making sure that Lil Isaac doesn't trip and fall. 

We didn't make it to the monkey beach. When we stopped for water break, we found that we were still very far from our intended destination and decided that we all had enough tracking for the day. I secretly celebrated that decision along with the kids.

The descend was much faster but just as challenging.  Lil Isaac wanted to be carried by then and was throwing a tantrum to make his point. Daddy Lim then swept him up and descended quickly. I stayed behind to help Lil Shauna, who was very much independent. I was very impressed and proud of our big girl. I was also worried that Daddy Lim might trip and fall. It was no easy feat trying to descend whilst carrying the boy but my worries were needless - our army had trained Daddy Lim.

We headed to the kids' club after the trail. We all needed peace and air con. Unfortunately, the kids' club couldn't accept kids below 5 and Lil Isaac was excluded and ended up playing at the indoor playground instead. He did join the jiejies for a snake show in the afternoon and volunteered to carry the snake! I was very proud of him. 

Then it was more swimming before heading back. We had dinner along the way and Lil Isaac was very tired by then. We ended up with a grouchy boy and I had to miss most of the good food.

It was heavenly to be back in the hotel. We needed rest and sleep very much. All the walking and the running and jumping in the indoor playground weren't doing Lil Isaac's foot much good and he was still limping and limping.

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 2

We woke up at 7.45am and headed for this super nice breakfast. Uncle C and Auntie H know where to find all the good food. Even jiejie enjoyed the breakfast. Didi took some coaxing but had sufficient to last him as well.  They aren't the best bfast people and usually took a while to get used to food in a different country.

We then went to visit this really big and famous temple after bfast and Auntie H already warned us that it would be hot and it was no-kidding-you hot! We had to climb this long flight of stairs to the temple and was already panting and sweating by the time we arrived at the temple entrance.  Then it was more climbing and climbing to the top of the pagoda. The climb up was narrow and the steps were so tiny. I was worried about the kids slipping and falling. But we survived. By the time we reached back to the bottom, my legs were threatening to cramp. I should have done warming up exercises before starting my adventure. We left the temple and Lil Isaac was fussing to be carried. Daddy Lim and I took turns and made it alive to the car. 

Next, we headed to the penang hill.

We took this tram up to the hill and the ride was fantastic. At certain point, the track was really steep. Lol Isaac thinks that we were on a roller coaster ride.

It was much cooler on top of the hill but there were too many butterflies for my liking though. The kids enjoyed running around. Nothing beats good companionship. These pictures were taken at the place where we had lunch.

After Penang Hill, we went to the Golden Sand Resort (by Shangri-La) kids' club. Our hotel is affiliated to GSR and we get to use their facilities for free. Hehe. But we were too late to sign up for the activities and the kids ended up in this indoor playground instead with these magnificent slides. I tried the scary ones ALONE bcos the kids didn't want to go for those with me. LOL. 

Of course i also tried the red slide. It doesn't really look like in the picture but it was like a vertical slide. Jumping off those slides took some courage but once off, it was pretty cool. Lil Shauna attempted the blue slide but refused to go after the 1st round.

Then we had swimming! Swimming is always good in the hot, hot weather. Just that we looked pretty burnt thereafter.

We met up with Auntie H's friend in the late evening who just flew in from Singapore for the weekend - Auntie A and family. Dinner was again great except for a grouchy boy who napped and was angry that his sleep was disturbed. 

We had a great day but also realised that Lil Isaac was limping again. He said that he tripped and fell over some gorgor but couldn't tell us clearly where and when. He said that it was a little pain and saw that his left foot was starting to swell. Poor boy. We got him medicated plaster and hoped that it would help him. We needed him to be well for the jungle trail the next day. I can't imagine carrying the tiger up and down the jungle trail.

Mummy Lim

Penang Day 1

We took the 3pm flight and it was a jostle deciding who would sit where. Eventually, Lil Shauna sat with Boo and Auntie H, while mummy sat with Lil Isaac and Daddy Lim enjoyed his ride with Uncle C. I am so proud of Lil Shauna. She's so independent now.

It was evening time by the time that we settled down in the hotel. The rest of the night was spent chomping down on delicious food - they are everywhere! It would have been wonderful should the weather be kinder. Sweat was pouring while we tucked in. 

Then we did grocery shopping before heading back to the hotel. We were all tired by then, especially the little boy and the heat took some getting used to. It wasn't fun feeling so hot and sticky and yucky. The cold hotel room was heavenly, coupled with hiding underneath the quilt. Hohoho. I could stay like that forever.

The kids soaked in the bathtub while Auntie H and I chatted. The daddies went for a massage. A super relaxing holiday indeed.

Mummy Lim

Penang Trip

We are heading for Penang tomorrow! We are excited and the kids are excited. Packing had been a mess bcos the kids insisted on bringing their own bag, which also mean that they have ideas of what they wanted to bring and keep in their bag – think unsuitable clothes, unnecessary toys and weird why-do-you-bring-this-for-a-trip items. It gets worse when we ended up with 3 bags (one for the kid each and one for the parents) and we have to pack personal belongings accordingly. Lil Shauna has been particularly persistent on helping to pack, which drives Popo crazy and I get affected naturally. Since Monday, she found things on each night that she wanted to bring along. If I were to look at it light heartedly, the whole scene is pretty amusing. Haha.

Bcos Lil Shauna wanted to bring her own bag (read Trunki), Lil Isaac is fussing as well. We had wanted to get him a nice luggage initially but didn't find the time to find one. He will be bringing a backpack on wheels instead, not any backpack but a Hotwheels one.

Tonight will be my only chance. I have to make sure that I stayed awake after tucking the kids to bed so that I can do the final packing. Yeah! It will be a great trip.

By the way, Lil Isaac’s foot seems to be doing much better. He walked a lot more yday and there was less limping. Popo said that he has started to resume his jumping around. Lil Isaac even proudly demonstrated to us that he could run already. Faint.

Mummy Lim

Happy Anniversary

Time flies. It has been 1 year since I joined the new Company and am still surviving. I rarely blog about work, so bing me separately if it is really an interest to you on how I am doing. Lol.

Anyway, there was an office event yday led by my team, themed “School Days” and we were all in school uniforms with plenty of old school goodies and played old school games. Though a short 1 hour event, we had fun monkeying about. Life is ironical, only after one started working would they yearned for the carefree school days. Lalala. 

Mummy Lim

Limping, Limping

Lil Isaac refused to walk much yday and when he did, he was very much limping around. His left foot was still swollen and I think he was really in pain. But we all agreed that it is most probably a sprain than anything else.

When we were at the Paragon playground, Lil Isaac was going about really slowly. We had dinner at Mache (313) and the kids rushed to the playground after dinner. At the playground, he was trying to run and limp at the same time and almost fell on several occasions until mummy almost suffered a heart attack and had to pull him out of the playground. He finally agreed to go back to the table at the promise of an ice cream.

This morning, Popo said that he was still limping but walked a lot more than yday. Popo said that he cried at the playground in the evening when jiejie accidentally knocked into him and hurt his foot. But he still had a blast at the pool after he calmed down. We brought him grocery shopping in the late evening and for the first time in a long while,  he sat obediently in the trolley.

The swelling seems to have come down. I think his foot does still hurt but the limping is likely to be more psychological that  physical. I hope the swelling and pain will subside soon and not hinder our Penang holiday. The Chan family has suggested to go hiking and it would be really tiring to koala a Lil Isaac while we hike.

Mummy Lim

Accident!

Setting: an indoor playground in a restaurant.
We were having dinner after our monthly gathering. The kids were jumping and running and bouncing in the playground after dinner while the adults took the chance to chat and skive.

Next, Torres and boo came running to tell us that Lil Isaac was crying in the playground. We thought nothing much of it, Lil Isaac often bumps and falls and cries. The next moment, we saw J gorgor carried a crying Lil Isaac out. Then we realised that it is more than the usual knocks.

Nobody saw how he injured himself. He said that he jumped and landed awkwardly on his left foot. We could see that his left foot started to swell. We immediately iced his injured foot and he couldn't really put his weight on his foot.

Uncle C asked us to monitor him and see how things worked out tomorrow. If he is still unable to put weight on his injured foot the next day, it is time to hit the hospital for a x-ray. Boo!

We gave him a dose of bufen after we reached home to help with the pain. He slept shortly after we tucked him to bed. It had been a long day. Just before he fell asleep, he cuddled to me and said, "my poor leg". Mummy duno to cry or laugh.

Mummy Lim

Updates:
Lil Isaac's left foot is still swelling. He seems to be unable to put weight on it especially when mummy is near and watching. But at times when he forgets about it or nobody watching, he did limp a little but could put weight on it. I guess we would continue to monitor a little more.

Jakarta

 This is my 1st ever trip to Jakarta and it is very different from what I expected it to be. I didn't expect the traffic to be so bad. It took us about an hour to reach from the airport to the hotel and more than half the time, the traffic was literally crawling. We saw people weaving through halted traffic selling their wares, from drinks to tidbits to tissue paper. It was bad. A few times, we were stuck in the traffic for more than an hour when our destination wasn't that far away. The traffic was basically not moving.

We stayed in a nice hotel in a upmarket area of Jakarta. This area is generally populated by Chinese.

There are arty farty exhibits everywhere.

I have a nice room with a big bed, which I definitely put to good use.

Our hotel is right next to a huge shopping mall. There were so many international brands and I found so many familiar food. I felt as if I was in Singapore. I didn't know that Jakarta is so modern.

Shopping cost in the mall is about the same as in Singapore though, which I suppose is considered as expensive for Indonesians, but I see many Indonesians shopping and buying. Food is definitely cheaper and very good. I fear for my waistline. Haiz.

We also see many of such security posts. The are everywhere.

But they hardly do much real security job. According to my Indonesia friend, it is more like psychological effect. Win already.

Tomorrow will be another long day with many hours on the hour.  I hope and hope and hope that we wouldn't stuck too long on the road.

Mummy Lim