A Day at the Beach

It is the year end and everybody is trying to clear leave accumulated from another year of not traveling, I have dated Auntie S and the kids to the beach. I have half expected Lil Shauna to be busy with her own programs and not join us. Instead, it was C who did that this time. Welcome to motherhood of teenagers. 

The original plan was to meet for bfast at Vivo at 8am, only to push back by 30 mins bcos the teenager says it is crazily early to have bfast at 8am. Sleeping in, even for 30mins is ultimately important. OK lor. 

It was free entry to Sentosa! Yay! We finally parked ourselves at the Siloso beach and just nice, a camp of 5. The kids were eager to enjoy the water while the aunties sacrificed and sat under the sun to guard the bags. It is dangerous to leave the bags unattended leh. #警察叔叔说的

We brought the beach vball but couldn't find the Frisbee. I must have thrown it away when we shifted or during one of those decluttering sessions. Hoho. 

The aunties did try to do play some vball. Not bad, we can still keep the ball in the air. What's more important is to take picture and record this moment. Haha. Still look very pro; really pro or not is secondary. Lol.

The kids joined us for a game of monkey but opted to soak in the sea mostly bcos it was so freaking hot.

We basked in the sun and absorded enough vitamin D to last us a year before finally packing up at 12noon. 

Next up was the Luge rides bcos we should do something truly Sentosa-y. We bought 4 rides each at $30 per pax. 

We came to realise that the luge skylift was equally exciting as the luge ride. 

Auntie S told me that she has a fear of height; not the roller coaster kind of height that happens in a split second but this kind of slow moving at a height fear. She has a greater fear of dropping her slippers and we saw her putting her legs in this position throughout the lift ride. Lol.

I realised how high butterflies can fly and a couple were hovering at the tree top, right under our feet. While I cannot save Auntie S from her fear of height, she told me equally resigned to fate that she can't save me from the butterflies bcos she needed both hands on the rail. Fortunately, all 4 skylift rides ended peacefully - no butterflies attack, no dropping of slippers, no screaming aunties. 

We bought the 4 rides package bcos the price is not much more expensive than the minimum 2 rides package. I am not sure if that was the right choice bcos the luge ride route all felt the same after a while, even when there are 4 different routes. What really dampened the spirit was the long wait for the 2nd ride. There was a sudden influx of riders and we had to q in the heat (though under the shelter). Auntie S and I were still caked in the sea salt, the sand and sunblock. Then hunger took the same time to knock on the door. We asked and were told that all 4 rides must be completed at one go. 

Thankfully, the Q for the 3rd and 4th ride moved a lot faster and the kids appeared to enjoy the luge much better than I did. The boys also had each other to entertain and made the wait more bearable. Poor Lil Shauna didn't have C and was very quiet throughout the wait. 

We were back in Vivo for lunch and the moment we entered the air con shopping mall, I felt alive. We had a simple lunch at the food court before polishing off the meal with ice cream. 

It was then the slow mrt ride back home and we only got seats nearing lakeside. My legs! My back! I was very thankful that I was able to make it home on my 2 legs. 

Many years back, after a particular fun event/ day, the kids would exclaim that they had a best day ever. As they grew, I rarely hear that anymore. Interestingly, they now switched and thank me for bringing them to the fun event/ activity after that. While it is not the same words, to their dear mother, it meant the same appreciation and I am equally thankful for the times and memories that I built with the kids. 

Mummy Lim

Merry Christmas 2021

Thankfully, the restrictions eased up for gathering up to 5 pax this Christmas. My memory probably failed me but it seems like we had more Christmas activities this year as compared to the last. 

The 1st hint of Christmas must be our dear Christmas tree. We see the presents building up under the tree and disappeared as Christmas approaches.

And the 3 "wise men"?

The cruise was very Christmasy too. Look at the big Christmas tree on the ship!

Then came my 1st Christmas present from the girls. I had asked for a DIY Terrarium. 

Zaky was a lot more excited than I was. He was constantly asking to do up the Terrarium. All it took was one meeting call. One call later, everything was done. I didn't even get the chance to put 1 pebble. Zzzzz. 

I have no green fingers. Now, it is a question of how long the plant will survive. Hoho. 

Popo was away on cruise the next weekend (after we came back) and of course we had plans. Kekeke. We had Boo over on Friday for sleepover and then the Chan Family for Christmas dinner on Saturday. 

On Sunday, I met up with the girls for lunch. Of course, the topics were no end. 

More presents.. I like...

My brother's family came over on Christmas Eve. Feasting, feasting. 

Presents!

This morning, we started Christmas with a morning ride. It had been a long time since we rode together bcos Daddy Lim had to work on weekends now. Otherwise, Zaky will steal him to go to the skatepark. I got him this time. Happy. 

I like this picture, I looked skinny beside Daddy Lim. Hoho. He said that it was tough hiding his tummy taking a picture while sitting down and in a tight jersey. Hoho. Look at the strategically placed hands. 

Lil Shauna invited us to the Christmas service with CNL church. For the past 2 months, she had been to countless dance practices in prep of this Christmas service. 

Not knowing if Daddy Lim would be off, we didn't register him. 

The CNL church is one that brought back so much memories. The kids had attended their kindy school here and I had been in the same hall so many times, watching their different graduation concerts. 

I was busy videoing Lil Shauna on stage, just like many years back. 

At the end of the service, I must make them take this picture. 

Merry Christmas!

Have a blessed Christmas; bcos He lives!

Mummy Lim

From Ice to Land, Aggro Skate Private Lesson 1

In the beginning, it was Taekwando and Zaky was at it for a long time. He started his 1st lesson in July 2015 and decided to take an indefinite break after his 2nd pom exam in November 2019. His Junior Black Belt uniform is still hanging proudly in the his wardrobe but I don't think he can fit into them anymore. Haha. 

Then it was the ActiveSG basketball sessions that were super friendly to the pocket. That was when he realised that drills are not fun and his interest weaned after a few seasons. 

He was restless for a while when he suddenly decided to join jiejie on the ice after a long break. He re-took his core 3 and then core 4 before proceeding on to private lessons with Coach Raymond. After a while, he again realised that the few glamorous minutes on ice is the result of years of hard work and ice skating didn't look that interesting anymore. Win already. The pair of 2nd hand skates that we bought gave way and we had to stop lessons while waiting for his new skates to arrive. The arrival was delayed bcos of covid and it was a blessing in disguse bcos he found a new interest... again. To cut losses, I was glad to stop his ice skating lessons. He had done 9 individual lessons in all. 

One fine day, he was watching aggro skating on YouTube and decided that he would do aggro skates instead bcos ice skating is so boring in comparison. This interest resonate with Daddy Lim very well and he was so encouraging. Zzzz. 

Zaky took his 1st lesson in May 21 and bought his 1st pair of aggro skates the same day. I bought a package of 4 group lessons but unfortunately, bcos of covid, the remaining lessons were delayed. The last 2 aggro skates lessons were done recently at the Sommerset skatepark and he loves them. 

The Company insurance comes with a $400 claim for Wellness related activities. We decided to use the credits for 4 private aggro skates lessons with the same aggro skating school. With focused attention, we hoped that he would be able to learn faster and brush up his skills. 

The 1st lesson was scheduled yday evening at 8pm. 

This is Coach Justin. 

As you can tell, one to one lesson is super physically taxing and as the lesson progressed, he was sitting/ kneeling/ flopping more. Hoho. 

I also realised that Coaches seem to have a common posture. 

The barricade must all feel very safe and protected by the coaches. 

By the end of 1 hour, Zaky was dripping sweat; his whole hair was wet. I think he has a very good workout. 

Did he learn anything new? No leh, but he said that Coach Justin gave him advice and corrected some of his mistakes. So what did he do during the lesson? He did the usual ramps, the front side grind and some airing.

Zaky totally enjoyed the lesson and was so exhausted, such that he fell asleep so easily. Hoho. This morning, Daddy Lim was on leave and brought him to Kallang skatepark. Zaky commented that the half pipe at Kallang is too small and he cannot fully show his potential wor. So yaya. Haha. 

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 260: Practice, Practice, Practice

Checking back my blog posts, Lil Shauna had been learning the basic novice program for a few months and started skating with Hedwig Theme since early November. Oooo... I so love Hegwig Theme. The "ting, ting, ting" sounds so magical. 

After 2 months of skating to the music, she is now able to catch up to most parts of it. Has she improved drastically? Not exactly. Bcos they are SISA ice lessons, they are either early in the mornings or late in the evenings. She looks like her bones are still sleeping for the morning classes but has no energy for the evening classes. Like that how? 

We are not sure when would be the next test date. She should be ready by then. What we do know is that there is an upcoming National Ice Skating competition in March 2022 and Coach is very keen for her to participate. I am not sure what level she would be competing in, it all depends on whether she has taken the basic novice then. 

Other than her program, she said that her double salchow jump is gaining more consistency. I am still waiting for her to find her legs, so that she can consciously crossed her legs and land her double toe. She mentioned that she once landed it in one of the lessons but fell upon landing. Then the double toe jump becomes evasive again. 

Her camel spin looks more consistent too but at times failed the 90 degree requirement. Her back sit spin and broken leg spin are looking more and more decent as well. Fighting!

Mummy Lim

 

Royal Carribean 3rd Time Day 5

It is home sweet home. Sob, I didn't want my holidays to end yet. On the final day, I finally managed to drag the boy to join us for a walk on the deck. 

Good morning Monday!

Our scheduled disembarkation was at 8.15am and we had enough time for bfast before the final packing. 

As per the last 2 cruises, the disembarkation procedure was very smooth and we left the cruise before our scheduled timing. The release by batches also meant little crowd at the immigration. Soon, we were in the grB headed for home. My end to my last holiday for 2021.... sob!

How was this cruise as compared to the last 2? I did miss our teenager a fair bit but she was so busy throughout our absence and only responded to my texts in the morning and night. I actually enjoyed myself a lot more this time bcos it was 2 parents to 1 kid and I get to do a lot less parenting and got the chance to really enjoy the activities. 

Bcos we are such experts with the Qunatum of the Sea, we managed to book and participated in most of the activities that we wanted. I did find the food choices a little stale though but I aren't no foodie and made do. We did many of our meals at the Windjammer bcos we were too lazy to Q for food at the Main Dinning Room. 

Would we keep up with our regular Royal cruises? I am not sure. I would love to really travel out of Singapore anytime. Finger crossed. 

Mummy Lim

Royal Caribbean 3rd Time Day 4

I was very pleased on day 3 to remember that we had an extra day on this cruise vs the previous 2 cruises. I never have enough of holidays, especially now that the kids are older and I get to enjoy the holidays as much as they do, other than just mothering. 

The alarm got set alright and I was up early for my morning exercise. The NB that I like so much but worn out so quickly, would be thrown onboard. Hoho. 

Yay, I got this fetish to bring old clothes to wear while on holidays and to throw after that. Hoho. It is different to just throw old clothes away at home. The feeling to be able to do it again while on holidays is super shiok. Hoho. 

Me, myself and 1.

After my Hiit set and it drizzled a little. 

Going back to the cabin to wake the boys for bfast. They were awake already lah. Zaky woke up with a chicken hair and we found his friend with the same hairstyle. 

Waiting for the boys to take picture together with Sunday. 

While waiting for the morning dance class, I saw a full rainbow. 

I ran up one deck to the open deck to try to catch the full rainbow but it had faded so much that I couldn't catch it on camera. The rainbow made me very busy bcos right after I went back down 1 level, it appeared in full glory again. Zzzz. 

So pretty.

By Day 4, Daddy Lim felt that the activities were getting a little stale. Zaky was lazy at times but otherwise attacked the activities with as much enthusiasm as I did. Hoho. I am a good holidayer. We did Bingo and the host did a very entertaining job. While we didn't win, it was enjoyable booing the winners, egged on by the host. Lol. I was telling Daddy Lim that the winners may be super lucky to win the Bingo but earned themselves 1 year of bad luck with so many guests booing at them.

We had a turtle waiting for us back in the cabin.

The other highlight of the trip has to be the iFly. It cost USD40 to fly for 1 min but it is super popular and the slots were fully booked out the last 2 cruises. Zaky had been wanting to do iFly and we finally managed to book a slot this time. The preparation to fly for 1 min took about 30 mins. There was the safety briefing and trying out the posture. 

The gearing up.

They cleverly added little hooks to the helmet to accommodate the masks. 

The "flyers" were led to the air tunnel. It was raining and the spectators had to brave the rain to watch. Heng I got my waterproof jacket. Daddy Lim was not so lucky. 

While waiting for his turn. 

There was a family of 5 with 3 young kids trying out the iFly too. The youngest boy is 3 and was seen busying grabbing the instructor in the air tunnel. He looked more scare than anything and probably thinking what the hell his parents put him through. Hahaha. 

Finally, it was Zaky's turn. His parents were busy helping him take pictures and videos. His face was so distorted. Lol. That was one obvious reason why I didn't try the iFly. I don't think I appreciate flappy face skin pictures. 

Did he fly? He did and 1 min was up so quickly. 

Daddy Lim did a great job with the pictures taking bcos Zaky didn't actually fly as much/ well as what the pictures showed. The instructor did comment that he did a great job though. I bet his weight helps to stabilise him. Haha. 

We asked Zaky about the experience and he said that he didn't know when the instructor was holding him or when he was left go. He exclaimed that there was water (droplets) in the air tunnel and he only felt the wind blowing his face and the water hitting his face. He had initially thought that the water droplets were his drool. I think I can create that sensation with less than USD40. Haha. 

The iFly was followed by the foosball. The last time the kids played foosball together they had so much fun. Bcos Daddy Lim is so pro with foosball, Zaky and I got bored playing with him. Lol. 

I cannot win him even when he was playing singlehandedly and with his left hand lor. 

In the late afternoon, we headed to the jacuzzi. 

We headed to the indoor pool bcos it was raining. The indoor area was aircon and I was hoping for a heated pool. No lor. The water was icy cold, probably due to the rain and the aircon. I didn't last very long and had to warm up in the jacuzzi. That marked our one and only dip in the pool and jacuzzi. 

We didn't partake in many activities in the evening bcos we had a tired boy who didn't nap. Daddy Lim and I went for some live music while the boy stayed in the cabin. 

We returned to find him dozed off. After tucking him properly into bed, we left for another live music performance. This was supposed to be party music band. The 1st set wasn't too bad. We were joking that these performers may had been chefs and game hosts in the day and performers by night.

I realised how much I missed clubbing and this was like the closest I can get to clubbing now. No dancing was allowed; we were required to be seated but that didn't stop me from wriggling to the music in my seat. 

We returned for the 2nd set at 11.15pm and stayed for about 20 mins before I urged Daddy Lim to go. Why? The set was getting boring. It was supposed to be party music but how can Adel be party music? Zzzzz.. moreover, the bags were not packed. 

Daddy Lim said that he would help with the packing. He ended up walking around the cabin and passing me random things. I was more efficient doing it myself. Lol. 

Last night of our sweet holidays. Good night!

Mummy Lim