MRT Pains

With the new office in Kent Ridge, I now take the MRT 2x a week. I remember how I used to dread taking the MRT bcos it was so freaking squeezy. If seated, there was somebody right in front of your knees and giving your knees undesirable rubs frequently. Arrggghhh. If standing, there was no need to worry about falling bcos there wasn't space to. I even promised myself that I would quit if I had to take the peak hour train to work everyday. Lol.

Maybe the situation had improved or the fact that I board at Joo Koon helps. The morning train isnt as crowded as I remembered it to be. Heading home may be a challenge at times but the squeeze is worth it if it gets me home asap.

I was also motivated to taking the train bcos I had to do some walking, which helps me to achieve my daily 8k steps target. I heart my fitbit. Unfortunately, the motivation died as quickly as it comes.

The Tuas extension line opened in mid June. I knew that it had opened but didn't register how it would affect me. Apparently the grey matter isnt activated until the daily dose of caffeine. In my morning stupor, I boarded a very crowded train and was wondering why the unusually high number of commuters until the broadcast informed me that I am heading to Tuas. Great.... Fortunately, solving the issue was as easy as crossing the platform. I do look stupid and very obvious to be taking the wrong direction train though.

I was counting my lucky stars to not experience the notorious train delays and breakdowns. Luck does run out and I met my fate last week. It was the usual commute from Joo Koon and I do keep my eyes open now to avoid the unnecessary journey to the further West. It was the usual empty train at Joo Koon but it started traveling very slowly coupled with intermittent stops. The announcements weren't very accurate leaving the commuters to second guess what was the real issue. After a painful 40 mins, I was only at Lakeside, 4 stops from my start point.

I made the decision to abort the journey and head back to the Tuas office. There were huge crowds on the platforms and long lines queuing to enter the station. I pride myself for the swift decision until I saw the long q at the taxi stand. Zzzzzz. I tried uber and grab but to abandon bcos of exorbitant fares. Soon, every single taxi that came by so infrequently was a booked cab. The taxi q only shortened bcos people were finding other means and dropping out of the q. The MRT situation appeared to have clear up as well. What the....

Just when I was contemplating to head home and work from home amidst the noisy kids (the infamous school holidays were still in), I got a Grab hitch. It must be the silver lining! The only pain was the forever wait bcos the driver seemed to be driving around the whole Jurong West picking up the other hitch passengers before heading for me. Sob.

Finally, at 9am, I stepped foot in the office. It usually took Daddy Lim 15 mins to send me to work and the commute that day was 2 hrs plus a lot of heartache.

I shouldn't complain that much; I only have to take the train 2x a week and have the avenue to escape back to Tuas in the event of train faults.

I am still a noob to taking train outside of Singapore West. Last week, I had to take the train to Orchard and felt like a dinosaur visiting Orchard road. Today, I am on my way to TPY and have checked the Google map a few times to make sure I am on the right way. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Squeezed in Batam: Day 3

Bcos Bali was super action packed and exhausting, Batam must be to help us catch up on sleep. We had been sleeping super well every night.

The Batam sun was up bright and early at 6am. Daddy Lim woke up and I heard him asking me something about if I wanted to go for a run. I flopped back on the bed. An hour later, I woke up to a sweaty Daddy Lim, who just came back from a run. I was super impressed! I brought my exercise gear but their gym only opened late and it was a super tiny gym.

The kids refused to wake up even when the sun was shining in their face.

They were dragged for bfast; we didn't have much time before it was time to head home.

The kids didn't have much appetite bcos it was the same old food. After bfast, we went to the beach. It was super low tide and we walked far out on the seabed. See, the motor boat was on the seabed!

We had to wear slippers bcos the seabed was filled with sea snails!

Lil Shauna was super squirmy, yelling "sea snails invasion!". Lol. There were so many of them!

Bcos of the low tide, we could waddle to the water playground. It was so much easier to climb the structure now. 

We had 1 hour before we needed to catch the bus to the ferry terminal and of course we headed to the pool!

The hotel loaned us huge floats and we had so much fun swimming and competing on the floats. I laughed so much until the other hotel guests were staring at us as if we were crazy.

The sun was crazily scorching and we had to leave the pool. I think I got sunburnt!

We had just enough time to shower and packed up and ordered chicken wings to full the hungry tummies. 

The hotel shuttle picked us up at 11.20am for our 12noon ferry. I was worried that we would miss the ferry but the hotel assured that it was the only bus and we would be fine. He was right!

The Batam trip was alright. I heart the beach but the hotel is seriously ulu and one of the lousier Batam hotel if you ask me. Would we go back? Maybe if we are so dying for a beach holiday over another long weekend.

Mummy Lim

Squeezed in Batam: Day 2

The sun was out early in the morning. We had a good sleep. Given that it was Hari Raya and we didn't know if the malls would be opened, we opted to stay in the hotel.

We had bfast and the bfast was kind of lousy. The spread was exactly the same as the day before. The crowd was huge and they were running out of food at first, then running out of cups and bowls. Zzzzzz.

After bfast, we hit the pool, followed by the hotel's mini private beach. The beach was also the reason why we chose this hotel.

They have a new water playground!

It didn't look tough but it was super tough according to Daddy Lim. Zaky was grumpy and refused to enter the sea so Daddy Lim went ahead with Lil Shauna. The platform was super slippery. At one point, I saw Daddy Lim slipped into the water and I was laughing at him only to realise later that he took huge gulps of water bcos the fall was sudden and it was so deep. He came back and vomited his bfast. Poor thing.

Lil Shauna bugged for banana boating. We didn't have the chance to do water sports in Bali and actually did banana boating in Batam. It cost us INR180k per pax for 30 mins but I was sure that the ride was shorter than that. It was fun, none of us dropped into the water. I am sure they went easy on us bcos we had a kid. The sea was quite polluted though. Sad.

Zaky warmed up subsequently and waded in the sea with Lil Shauna. Lil Shauna pestered to do the water playground again and we finally had a go again but only upon loaning of life vests from the sea sports owner.

It was tons of fun and very exhausting. We dropped into the sea quite a few times. Thank goodness for the life vests! I even bummed Lil Shauna into the sea once, literally bummed. Lol. We had to work together to get from one structure to another. The floats were very sharp and we sustained quite a few cuts but all worth the fun.

After soaking in the sea, we hopped back to soak in the pool to wash off the salt and sand. It was already afternoon by the time we were back in the room. We ordered room service for lunch.

Zaky was bugging to try motorcycling again.

We fully utilised the 30 mins this time bcos the scardy cat went so slowly. I think I can walk faster than him. Lol. When he took a rest, I hijacked his ride and went a couple of rounds on the mini bike. It was liberating. I must look really silly on the mini bike but I felt so cool. Lol.

The sun was merciless. While waiting, we hid in the shade.

We just had to hide in the aircon lounge after that.

We spent the late afternoon in the comfort of our room. The little boy took a nap. We woke him up for dinner in the evening only to realise that they only had expensive BBQ dinner by the pool. We weren't so hungry and opted for room service plus more instant noodles and snacks. We did take a walk at the beach before going back bcos the boy was so whiny. Oh, the pesky mosquitoes helped too. They were buzzing past our ears threateningly.

After the exhausting play at the beach and all the soaking in the pool, night time was again early. 

Mummy Lim

Squeezed in Batam Day 1

I didn't blog about it but Daddy Lim took a life changing decision some months back and switched job. Now, his leave is so very precious. In exchange for the short term pain, he now have his weekends and public holidays back when they used to be non-existent.

Given so, he asked if we were doing "anything" over the long weekend. Of course I wouldn't let such opportunities slipped by. The next moment, I told him that we would be heading to Batam. Muahahaha.

Many Singaporeans must be heading to Batam too; the popular hotels were sold out and we eventually opted for the Batam View Resort. We visited the ulu hotel once with my brother's family. The ferry tickets were running out too and we got the 8am ferry.

It was an early day. Lil Shauna was hyperactive; she woke up at 5am and came over every 15 mins to ask us to wake up. Zzzzzz. We left the house at 6.30am. I was a little worried about the crowd at the ferry terminal and then missing the ferry. It was a mad rush to get the boarding passes and soon we were boarding.

The ferry took about 45 mins to arrive at the Nongsapura ferry terminal. We were happy snacking.

My new cap from Hard Rock Bali. 

The hotel provided free shuttle to the hotel. The ride was about 15 mins and we passed by the premium Montigo. One day, we will stay there. Lol. 

It was of course way too early to check in. We visited the activity center and I asked Zaky if he wanted to try riding a motorbike. Hohoho. 

It cost us IDR180k for 30 mins. The ride took place in the open field beside the hotel. 

Zaky took a while to figure out the relationship between the throttle and speed. When he first started, he went full blast and gave the uncle in charged a heart attack. The uncle was running after him and fortunately, Zaky released the throttle in time and didn't went off the slope. I don't know what was beyond the slope. 

Thereafter, it was smoother.

We didn't use all the 30 mins bcos Zaky decided that he was pro after a short while and went faster plus making sharp turns. At one point, we saw him going really fast, straight into the abandon stage structure. It was too late for us to do anything. He did release the throttle but didn't stop in time and crashed into the structure. Luckily, he wasn't too fast when he crashed but he did fly off slightly and had a bad fright. That was the end of his 1st real motorcyle experience. 

Other than the interesting experience, we had bfast at the hotel only restaurant and visited the game room. It was only 10am. We decided to check the counter in case we could check in early. We were told that a room was available for early check in but we had to pay SGD10. It sounded weird but since it wasn't much, we opted to pay. We wonder if the money really went to the hotel.

I was feeling rich and booked the executive suite that comes with a living room and a bedroom.

We lazed in the room until 1pm. The kids were happily watching TV. The parents attemped too but we were dozing off in front of the TV. Haha. We booked a cab to Batam City Mall at 1pm. It cost us INR200 one way.

The ride was 40 mins long and it was the kids' turn to knock out.

What did we do at the mall? Arcade, food, hoverboard and then more arcade.

The kids would have lived in the arcade if they had endless money. We screwed up our meal time and didn't have proper dinner. We arranged for the same driver to send us back at 7pm. 

Back in the hotel, we snacked and had instant noodles. Lil Shauna found that yummy peanuts that Auntie S introduced us in Bali. 

Despite the naps, we were all dead tired and went to bed early. Yawn.

Mummy Lim

CCA

If there is anything that I want to complain about the kids’ school, it is the lack of interesting CCAs. Lil Shauna was actually “talent scout” by the music teacher to join the choir when she was in end of P1. She declined bcos she thinks that it is so boring to be in the choir. I totally echoed that. Lol. I would love and encourage the kids to be in something physical. Unfortunately, the school has such limited sports CCAs; they do not even have a basketball club.

As per many primary schools in Singapore, the kids are to sign up for CCA when they are in P2. We managed to opt out on the account that Lil Shauna is in ice skating. It is “compulsory” for the P3s. We ran though the list of CCAs available and found them to be so boring. We were further constrained when she can only join CCAs that take place on days that she goes to the student care bcos we didn't want additional ferrying arrangement.

The application took place in the early part of this year and was through the school’s online system. There were 3 choices and she must fill in all 3, with a choice in the limited list of sports; one in cultural/ musical-related and one in clubs. Lil Shauna had really wanted to join the badminton club. She was eventually placed under the Girls’ Bridgette (GB), her 3rd choice; one that she put in so that we can click on the submit button. She said that the badminton club was too popular. I would imagine that too if the school only has that limited list of sports CCAs.

She did join the GB’s activities for a couple of times and was even given the uniform for free! Has it always been for free? I remembered that I was pleading with my mum to be allowed to join GB when I was in primary school but was sadly denied bcos she said that she didn't want to pay extras for the uniforms.

Anyway, after a few weeks, Lil Shauna came back and said that she really wanted to get out of GB. She basically didn't enjoy the activities and was pleading with me to write a letter to help her resign from GB. I thought CCAs are compulsory for the P3s? Lil Shauna said that the soccer team was recruiting girls and she would really love to switch.

So, she did switch. The soccer club must be an “off” club bcos she attended less than 3 practices before the school closed for exams and then the holidays. Lol. She had been bugging to buy soccer shoes and shin guards bcos the rest of the team were in proper soccer gear except her. I had insisted for her to stay on at least for 4 practices before the mummy sponsorship comes into play; I didn't want to spend money on the gears only to have her give up on the CCA soon after. Daddy Lim is for sure a lot kinder when it comes to spending $$ on his little girl. Chey.

The father-daughter duo had been doing soccer boots and gear shopping. The best part? Lil Shauna doesn't want any cheap soccer boots; she chose only Nike or Adidas boots bcos that is what all her team has. Of course fashion sense comes into play as well. I eventually found out that there are only 2 girls on the soccer team – her and another P6 girl. All the more there is no way for me to splurge on a branded pair of soccer boots.    

Last weekend, Daddy Lim brought us to Queensway shopping center in search of the princess’ soccer boots. I told Lil Shauna that her budget was max $70. She was still very much lured by her Nike and Adidas that are so expensive! She eventually settled for a pair of Puma bcos she knows Puma too and they have pink. Lol.

Well, at least it was a happy ending for all of us; Lil Shauna with the new boots and me on our pocket. Let’s see if the new boots will propel her to be the next soccer star. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Blog Mission

We started our blog in April 2008, meant to document the Lim Family’s journey. I didn't know that I would still be updating the blog after 9 years. It is a very private blog with only a handful of guests but the intention has always been an online diary for me and to update family and close friends on our lives. I have not strayed from my purpose.

Daddy Lim used to blog but hasnt done so for years. When he used to blog, he had been advocating the use of labels to sort the posts. I didn't bcos I found it extra work. Little did I expect myself to be so diligent in blogging. After 9 years, I have over 2.2k of posts! Blogspot search engine is lousy and finding old posts on my blog is a nightmare. I have to remember the year and month to locate the post; it is mind bogging to try to remember when Zaky started his TDK, which hotel we stayed in, how much we paid for Lil Shauna’s bicycle; etc.

I finally started the mission to look through all the posts and label them properly. Yes, all 2.2k of them. I spent the last week 9early morning, lunch, late nights); it was an exceptionally painful experience but I finally labelled those that should be labelled. Woohoo! I feel like I deserved a holiday in celebration. Haha.

While doing so, I got reminded of the kids’ younger days and the funny things that they said or did. Happy memories.

I am happy.

Mummy Lim

Red Belt TKD Class

Zaky had recovered from his stomach flu. How did we know? He was very active, very noisy, very irritating and very hungry. Hey, the normal Zaky is back!

There was no off ice bcos Ruby and Jasper were off to Skate Japan. Zaky looked well enough to go for his TKD class and so we sent him. Just like I enjoy watching Lil Shauna in her ice skating class, I enjoyed watching Zaky too. The boy was also thrilled to have mummy watch him.

He is red belt now and training for his black tip. To do his black tip grading test, he would need to attend at least 20 lessons and complete 5 sparring classes. That would mean that he would have to skip his current grading test and only make it the following grading test. We could of course send him for class 2x a week to clock the 20 lessons but no thanks. We would love to have more time to complete his sparring classes. Zaky hates his sparring classes all thanks to the uncomfy protection gear.

If he passes his black tip, he would need to attend another 20 lessons and 5 sparring classes before he can take his junior black belt. What is after the junior black belt? Most of the kids stopped after obtaining their junior black belt, but they can continue learning to get their poom2, poom3 and poom4. When they are of a certain age, they can convert to the black belt and continue with dan1, all the way to dan5 or at least this is what I understood it to be through google.

Today, Zaky was the only red belt student. I saw a junior black belt coaching him.

The boy was very serious and corrected some of his stroke. Maybe that is part of the training for the poom?

The master took over after that and Zaky completed all the 26 steps of his pattern. It does look tough and very much like kungfu at times. Zaky totally enjoyed the class.

Zaky said that he only wanted to learn until he obtained his junior black belt. What is after that? He isn't interested in ice skating. I guess we may be looking for some basketball class/ club for him. Let's see.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 86

Life has almost gone back to normacy except for a sick boy. Lil Shauna went back to her ice skating class after a week's break. She did go to the ice in the week before we flew for Bali bcos the 2 younger Fs were learning core classes. However, Lil Shauna said that the ice was so crowded that it was impossible to do anything.

She forgot so many things after the holiday break; the holiday must be too good. She forgotten the footwork that Teacher Raymond taught her.

It was spinning day and Teavher Raymond worked on her sit spin. She managed to spin faster but didn't complete her spin. To be counted as a successful sit spin, she has to go low enough and complete 3 revolutions before standing up and continuing wity her scatch spin. She has a long way to go. After class, I asked her what did Teacher Raymond commented about her sit spin - " go lower". Hahaha. More hard work.

Her class ended with the revision of her flip jumps and she didn't seem to do a proper one. After class, she said that Teacher Raymond asked her to go to the police station, the lost and found department to find back her flip jump. Hahaha. I was tired from the Bali trip and assumed that she was too and didn't insist for her to practice after class.

Today, we went back to the ice with a very unwilling Lil Shauna bcos she just downloaded a new game in her phone and she wanted to camp at home. Zzzzzzz. She was fine when we hit the ice and she had a good 1ish hour practice. I don't know if she found back her flip jump; I dont know what is considered as a proper one. The sit spin is still in the lost and found department for sure. She did manage to do faster scratch spins though. At the end of the practice, she said that she perspired so much until her underwear wet wet. Lol. We all know ice skating is hard work.

Mummy Lim

Post Bali: Bali Belly

I think Zaky has fallen prey to the Bali Belly. He made a run for the toilet right after we landed. Thank God that it wasnt on the plane; imagine having the runs in that tiny shaky plane toilet and having to watch him in that same toilet. Arrggghhh.

We fed him a dose of paracetamol at the airport. At 4am, he had another run and was yelling at a sleepy mummy to help him clean up after that. He measured 39.6 and I gave him a dose of bufen. In the morning, he started running for the toilet. I panicked when his temperature climbed to 40.2. Uncle C advised a visit to the doctor and plenty of fluids + isotonic drink.

The doctor said that he had a bloated tummy and likely to be suffering from a stomach flu + viral fever. We also had to observe him for dengue fever; a tell tale would be a fever that wouldn't come down even with medication.

Zaky came home with so much medicines. He had no appetite and was super tired. He had a 3-hour nap while Lil Shauna was an energizer bunny. She was so bored and even accompanied me to color my hair. I needed the colouring badly. I looked hideous!

She was happily reading her book and my blog while waiting. She is finally old enough to read my blog and wanted to start reading the posts since 2008!

After a 2-hour treatment at the salon, I looked human again. This morning with Lil Shauna.

Zaky was tired despite the 3-hour nap and asked to go to bed at 7pm. I thought it was the Bali Belly only to be assured that it was normal by Auntie H; her 2 girls were tired and took long naps too. That must explained why I was so tired too. Lol. I took a nap at 7pm with the boy, waking up at 10pm to put on a mask and watch some K drama. Woohoo!

The boy is definitely feeling better. His appetite is picking up and is now interested in the iPad as compared to yday. His fever also broke and I now don't have to worry about dengue fever.

The Bali trip had been fantastic. Whatever that we had planned did happen to a certain degree. The company was superb; the kids played well most of the time. We had no complaints about the accommodation. The villa was big enough to accommodate all of us; it was well maintained too. Hard Rock was fantastic. I loved how all the staff were always smiling and it was indeed very Hard Rock feel with all the decorations everywhere in the hotel. The pool was so much fun for the kids. No regrets at all. We all had so much fun that nobody wanted to come home; we should have made it a 10-day holiday instead. Lol.

Uncle C was the official photographer for the trip. He was so good that we barely whipped out our phone for pictures during the trip. I had so much choice of pictures to do my blogging. I now only have to fret about sorting so many pictures. Hehe.

I looked forward to another holiday with the group though it may be a long time from now; the Chan and Liow families are all going away for a while. I love holidays with good company.

Mummy Lim

Bali Day 6: More Surfing and Home Sweet Home

Only 2 families were left to enjoy the Bali breeze. I was too lazy to go onto the treadmill and lazed on the bed until it was time for bfast. Shiok ah. Hello sunshine from our balcony.

The original plan was to send the kids to the kids club so that the adults can relax and do nothing. The kids had other plans though. Lil Shauna felt that she was too old for kids club and wanted to surf again. We thought we could save some money by looking for Theo at the beach. Remembering that the surfing school's lessons were tied to the tide, we opted to go to the beach at 10am as we saw that the lessons were at 9am and 2.30pm and figured that 10am should still be good for surfing.

We didn't find Theo at the beach. The Balinese at the beach all looked the same to us in their surfer shorts - dark and skinny. We also didn't seem to find any of the previous day coaches; we probably couldn't recognise them too. We asked for Theo and was told that he was still sleeping. I don't know if that was real. We eventually took on some random instructors at INR200k per kid for 1.5hrs lesson.

We were told that the tide was too high and thus too deep for the kids. They suggested to go to the far right for lessons. They are the experts and we followed them to walk a long way before they finally put the kids onto the surf boards and into the sea. The sea was rough, the waves were huge. They were in the sea for a super long time and holding on to the boards for a super long time without launching. There were others taking lessons as well at the same area and seemed to do better. There were even some older kids without instructors and surfing on their own and doing fine.

The waves were huge and the instructors didn't seem to be able to go far without being knocked back towards the shore. Zaky's instructor appeared to be the weakest and Zaky was knocked off his board once while still in the sea. I was so worried. Eventually, Boo and Zaky's instructors released the board and they didn't manage to surf and were knocked over by the waves. The poor kids went under the waves, were in shock and crying. I told the instructors to cancel the lessons. The instructors were willing to do so too recognising that it wasn't a good condition to surf or maybe they were not competent.

I was upset. We didnt have to pay bcos no lesson was conducted. I refused to tip the instructors. I have to admit that the sea was much rougher than the day before but I think the instructors were just eager to do sales without caring about the kids' safety. Imagine if I and Auntie H did not tag along to look at the kids! When we made it back to stall, they were still trying to get us to let the kids surf, suggesting to do it at half price and at the part of the beach which they initially mentioned that it was too deep for the kids. I rolled eyes.

We went back to the pool and the kids soaked themselves silly. Zaky is a competent swimmer now and I didn't have to worry much about him.

The kids still wanted to surf and we decided to go back to surfing school this time. Bcos we didn't need the introductory anymore, we were charged INR300k per kids for 1.5hr. I asked the school to find back Theo and the instructors who taught the kids the day before.

We had lunch at the pool cafe before more soaking and then back at the surfing school.

Zaky wasn't sure that he wanted to surf. He was tired from all the soaking and had a bad experience in the morning. He also complained of tummy ache. I asked him to decide if Theo did come and also after he had seen the waves. The school allowed us to pay for Zaky afterwards if he eventually decided to take the lesson. I like the school.

The school did find Theo. When Zaky saw Theo, it was like meeting a long loss friend - hugs and fist bump. Lol. However, Zaky still wasn't sure. Theo apologised for not being at the beach in the morning. He wasn't sure that we would turn up.

We were at the beach at about 2.30pm and were advised to wait for another 30 mins bcos the tide was still too high. See, how professional these instructors were. The kids were happily running away from the waves while waiting.

After a final check that the sea was waist high, the kids were allowed into the sea. The sea was definitely rougher than the day before. Zaky was terrified. He was persuaded to try but after 1 try, he refused to go back. We didn't want to force him. We asked Theo to tell the school that Zaky didn't take the lesson but still paid Theo INR200k, which was what he would charge us privately. Afterall, he came all the way down to the beach for us. 

Lil Shauna and Boo tried a couple of times and they did surf then refused to go back. The waves were scary. I experienced it myself. I went into the sea with Daddy Lim to try to catch Lil Shauna bcos she didn't want to crash when she reached the shore. When I was in the sea and looked at the oncoming waves, I felt like tsunami was coming. I backed out and waited at the shore instead. Imagine how bad it was for the tiny kids. 

Her last attempt, she jumped off when she was arriving at the shore and went under the waves; she started sobbing. I was holding on to her and wanted to release the cuff on her ankle that was tied to the board. At that point, a huge wave hit us and we both were knocked over. Luckily Daddy Lim caught Lil Shauna. I sat onto the rough coral pieces and had abrasion on my backside. It was really ouchie. The kids wanted no more surfing after that. 

We already checked out of the rooms and had our shower at the hotel gym toilets. We went to walk around a little bit more before heading to the airport.

Zaky and I headed back slightly earlier bcos he complained of a tummy ache but wasn't successful at the toilet. Then he chomped down 2 donuts before the rest came back and we shared a car to the airport.

It was a mad rush at the airport. It was so bad that we ordered food then heard the boarding call shortly. We attempted to cancel the order but it was just being delivered. We had to pay for it without taking a single bite. Arrggghhh.

I sat with Zaky while Daddy Lim sat with Lil Shauna at the other side of the plane. The plane was super cold. We asked for blanket but there was none. Zaky was shivering and whining that he was cold even though he had his long sleeves on and also my cardigan. I though he was tired. He even refused his food, which I gladly polished off. He refused to sleep until he finished his batman Lego movie. Poor boy didn't sleep well and was fidgeting in his sleep. He was curled up in the seat and his feet was pushing against the lap of the passenger next to us. I was embarrassed but the man was kind and told me that it was fine.

As usual, Zaky didn't wake up when the plane landed. He was whiny when he woke up. He complained of pain everywhere and was very warm to touch. The kids slept from the plane to the airport to the taxi and back home. Zaky was officially down with a fever and I was glad that at least we were home.

Mummy Lim

Bali Day 5: Surfing Class

We were undecided on the surfing classes. There is a surfing school right in HR hotel and they charged IDR600k per pax after discount for our big group. This is also the rough rates for reputatable surfing schools when I checked online. I read mixed reviews about the need for good surfing schools and did not book in advance in case all the kids decided against surfing.

I brought my exercise gear on this holiday and had the chance to hit the treadmill before meeting the girls at 8am to check out the waves. Looking all healthy. Yeah!

We would decide if we should sign up for the class after checking out the waves.

There were 2 classes for the day at 8am and 2pm. The class timings were based the tide. It would be dangerous if the tide is too high. The staff had advised the 2pm slot as the tide was receeding then and perfect for kids.

There were people taking lessons when we visited the beach. It didn't look that bad and it was decided that we would sign the kids (less ER and lollipop) plus Auntie S and J gorgor up. The staff also agreed a full refund if we eventually decided that it was too dangerous for the kids. Additionally, they agreed to give us 1 instructor for the 2 adults and the kids will get their personal instructor. I like how they made business, with the kids' interest at heart.

Daddy Lim and the kids were still in bed when I went back to the room to collect them for bfast. Yummy pick and choose - the kids' favourite. It was finally different from the villa's toasted bread and a lot of eggs.

The sky was gorgeous that day and we just had to take picture with the iconic HR structure.

Time past so quickly and soon we gathered for the surfing lessons. They started their "surfing class" early.

We thought that we would be the only ones but there was a huge group of people learning as well.

When the lesson started, we were brought to the swimming pool. The participants went through a safety briefing. While it was super important to be attentive, Zaky was playing with sand. Zzzzzz.

Then, they were taught how to paddle and to stand up on the board.

We busied ourselves with picture taking. Haha.

Practical lesson 101. Into the water to practice paddling.

Soon after, we headed to the beach to start the action.

The kids were assigned an instructor each. The next moment, they were pushed into the sea. It was seriously hard work for the instructors. The kids merely lie on their board while the instructor pushed them out, helping them to ride waves. The waves were no joke. The kids forgot all about their paddling. No wonder we had to pay so much for the lessons; it was brutal work. 

Their worried parents stood by the shore shouting words of encouragement.

Ok, we did sneak rest too. It was hard work in the sun.

They eventually all got it and managed to stand up on their surf board. There were quite some incidents too - going under the waves, eating sand, crashing into other surfers, abrasion, knocked over by their own surf board.... everything. Still, we couldn't be more proud.

The class was supposed to be 3 hours. The actual surfing probably 1.5hrs and the kids didn't last that long. They took rest in between and by the end of the hour, nobody wanted to go back to the water. Who can blame them when it was that hard work?

The instructors were all very nice and patient with the kids. I only heard Zaky's instructor's name - Theo. Zaky was really scared in the beginning, the waves were really intimidating. He eventually gained enough confidence to stand up on his board but reminding Theo times and again to only select the small waves. Lol. Theo said that Zaky was good, that he could stand up 14 out of the 18 times that he was launched. He also said that we could come back and learn from him the next day without going through the school and he would only charge INR200k. He asked us to come back about 11am the next day if we were keen.

The Liow family and Lee family were leaving in the evening. We had the iconic shot before bidding goodbyes.

And said hello to the towel dog waiting for us back in the room.

Dinner was Chinese food near to the hotel. In Bali, the touting took place in an interesting way. The vendors do not approach us directly but beckoned us from their stall. They will only officially approached us after we had selected them. The Chinese food eating place is a big open space with stalls surrounded. While deciding, all the vendors were waving at us, trying to catch our attention.

I was dead tired though I didn't surf. Lol. By 9pm, I was knocked out. Daddy Lim still had the energy to go for his massage with Uncle C and enjoyed the live band after that. I was long in lala land by the time he was back.

Mummy Lim