Our September JB Holiday Day 1 Part 1

If it isn’t bcos Nana has O levels in a few weeks’ time, we would have taken advantage of the September school holidays and flown somewhere for a vacation. Nevertheless, O levels isn’t enough to deter us from a holiday. If she must stay in Singapore, I would have contemplated leaving her behind. lol. We decided on a short vacation across the Causeway.

I didn’t even have to keep the luggage from the Mumbai trip, I basically unpacked and the packed again, all in the same day. We will be away from Saturday to Tuesday. During our absence, we have hired Nana’s church friend L, to come over to feed Mochi once a day, on Sunday and Monday. I hope the arrangement will turn out well. Nana has given her instructions and we had laid out all the needed on the dining table. 

We fed Mochi one last time at 5.30am this morning. He didn’t mind the extra wet food.

He was chilling when we were getting ready to leave. 

Our plan was to leave the house at 5.30am, in hope of beating the custom jam. We left at 6am, not too bad. Google map directed us to the Woodlands checkpoint bcos it is nearer to our home, though the immigration wait was longer than 2nd link.

Let’s go!

A long Q of tail light greeted us. 

It took us about an hour to finally clear the immigration. The sky has brightened and we were still stuck. We saw many cyclists braving the custom. 

It was about 7.30am when we finally arrived in Malaysia land. Our 1st destination was Pasar Pagi, which is a new flea market at the open carpark outside Angsana mall. We chose to visit the market bcos it is opened from 7am. We would have loved to stop somewhere for bfast but Daddy Lim was trying to get used to the JB roads and complicated google map, such that we decided to head straight to the market. We did stop for toilet and almost had MacD. Luckily I stopped them in time. There are too many good food in JB to waste our stomach on MacD.

Check out Zaky’s new hairstyle. Hoho. 

The Pasar Pagi is a small market with about 30 stalls selling 2nd hand merchandises, mainly toys and clothes. 

Why does the market open so early? Bcos it was already freaking hot by 8am. We decided to head to the kopitiam beside to have bfast. 

We didn’t stay long in the flea market, bcos it was too hot and we opted to hide in the shade with ice milo and teh peng. The kids did score a couple of T-shirts and Zaky bought the Hunger Game trilogy for RM35. Not bad. 

I questioned the T-shirts though. They looked very worn and I will probably ask the kids to bring them during our next overseas trip to wear and throw away. Hoho. It is ok, happy can le. Nana specially told me yday that she is turning on her “spend $$” mode for the next few days. Win le.

We headed to the JBCC mall that opens at 10am. It is funny how the security guard stops us from entering the mall (from the car park) until the clock strikes 10am. What greeted us were mooncakes! 

We then shopped at H&M and Zaky kindly humoured me, by changing into attires that he normally wouldn’t wear. His wardrobe solely consists of big T-shirts and cotton bermudas. This is him, holding on to another second for me to snap a picture bcos he said that the shirt was so prickly.

I did inspire him to change his style. This is the 爱美 stage and it got him even more interested in shopping for the rest of the day.

We all bought something from H&M. Yes, money spending mode fully turned on. Then it was more shopping and the kids got to play the claw machine and Nana got a prize! She said that the claw flipped the toy at the last moment and it coincidentally fell into the slot. Lol.

We walked and shopped some more. Even shopping for snacks was a lot of fun. At almost noon, we decided that our poor feet needed a massage. 

It cost us RM58 each for 1 hour. I kept telling my masseuse to go lighter. He said that he barely used much strength and it was bcos my soles were very “tight”. He then added that there isn’t a point for feet massage if he doesn’t use some strength to reach the acupuncture points. It made sense but it was so painful that at some points, I wanted to kick him. lol. Then my toes started cramping at certain angle and I was busy tolerating the massage pain and then the cramp pain. I was very busy. Then, I saw Zaky napping. So pain and he can nap!???! 

When I was done, I saw Daddy Lim napping too. How did they do that? He said that his massage was painful too but he was tired. Wah, win le. 

Mummy Lim

Conquering India Again Part 2

I have checked that the hotel has a gym. This is an important criteria. It was a mini one but I didn’t mind the size so long as it is a decent gym.

Was it decent? The treadmills work but the speed was screwed up and I had to adjust based on my 感觉. The elliptical doesn’t seem to be connected. Zzzz. The weights  were 2kg, 2.5kg and then 5kg. I duno what happens to the in between. On all 3 mornings, I was the only one in the gym and I didn’t mind, rather than sharing the tiny and not too well ventilated gym with another sweating human beings.

I didn’t have time for bfast and the spread wasn’t too interesting anyway. There is a subway joint right at the office ground floor. This was my lunch for both days and I was pleased “normal” food. Hoho. 

I had a short day on the 2nd day. I was advised to leave the office at 3pm bcos there was some mass celebrations taking place and many of the “small roads” would be closed. The celebrations consist of many people gathering to try to build a human pyramid in attempt to retrieve a hanging jar of curd. Yes, I didn’t mind leaving office early and I obviously didn’t want to be stuck in a mass of humans. On my way to work, I was already stuck bcos there were cows crossing the road. 

I had time for bfast on the 3rd and 4th day and this is what typically bfast looks like. 

There is only 1 non-veg and the rest of the spread are Indian veg cuisine. At least they served eggs too. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful and I made it safely to the airport on Thursday evening for my flight at 11.40pm. Yes, it was super tiring. I had Burger King for dinner and slept most of my flight home. Again, I had the empty middle seat. Yay! 

I survived Friday and even managed to make it to the gym at 11am after playing dead for 1.5 hrs. Laundry and unpacking can wait. Comforting desserts after dinner on Friday night. Hoho. 

Home again! One more business trip conquered! Will I stay in the same hotel again? No!!! I cannot take the musky smell, the lousy gym and bed. My colleagues advised that I shouldn’t attempt any of the non-branded hotel. Orh.

Mummy Lim

Conquering India Again Part 1

Once again, it is time for India. I waited until the last minute before I booked my air ticket and hotel bcos I was so reluctant to go. Hoho. I contemplated postponing the trip but both my passport and visa are expiring and it will take time to renew both. No choice. 

Flying to Mumbai means 7.40am flight and I was up at 4.30am. I thought I barely slept and then the alarm rang. 

This is always the favourite part of my trip, other than returning home.

This time, I decided that I needed a teh before the flight. 

The cup is so fancy; I think majority of my $2 went into paying for the packaging. 

My flight.

I realised that I flew so much on SQ that I now have the Krisflyer Elite Silver status that allows me priority boarding. I had that status for a while and just realised that it gives me priority boarding.It is that “KFES” printed in the ticket. 

Priority boarding is cool. At least I have plenty of time to settle down and didn’t have to worry that there isn’t space in the overhead compartment for my hand carry.

The flight was not full and the middle seat was empty. Yay! 

Bfast time! Double yay!

I caught 1.5 movie before deciding that I needed to nap to survive the long day ahead. The 2nd part of the flight was hit by turbulences and at one part, it was bad enough to make me gan cheong and want to grip the arm rest. I napped bcos I have the super power to nap everywhere. 

I eventually landed safely. The pilot was good, such that there was no bump when we hit the ground.  The immigration wasn’t particularly crowded but murphy’s law must be at play bcos they kept opening up new lanes and directing people behind me to the new counters, such that I ended up as the last few to cross the immigration. 

The ride to the office was decent and I started my meetings. Bcos I had back to back meetings/ calls, this was my lunch, portioned out of my colleagues tiffen lunch. 

This was from 3 different kitchens. The 2 yellowish color things were sago and very flavorful. This is supposed to be common staple during this fasting period - it was one of the gods’ birthday the next day. The 2 curry puffs thingy were super sweet and coconut was wrapped inside. It was like soaked in sugar syrup.

I left only at 6.30pm, in my half dead state. I decided on to stay in a 3 star hotel that is nearer to the office so that I didn’t have to spend 45 mins traveling. A colleague dropped me on the way to home. He was very discouraging over my choice of hotel. It should be alright, some other colleagues stayed in the same hotel some weeks back. 

The Majestic Courts Sarovar looks decent from the outside. It was beside a busy road but I didn’t explore anywhere. I realised that the hotel was with age once I entered and it has a funky musky smell. I was shown to my room. It was smaller than the usual hotels that I stayed for business trips but very decent sized for 1. 

I don’t have problems with the size but the room has a very musky smell. I called to order in room dining and feedback about the smell. The staff said that they will send housekeeping. 

So what did housekeeping do? He came armed with an air fresher. T.T He said that he would check if I could change the room if the smell persisted. Did the smell go away? Of course not lah. The air refresher was only a temporary solution and barely masked the smell. They eventually did give me a room change after I had my dinner. Comfort food. 

My changed room was on the 6th floor. While the musky smell was much lesser and tolerable, the aircon was weak and the bed soft. The springs creaked like it had been around for ages. lol.

It is ok, it is only for 3 nights. I thought I would have problem sleeping on the 1st night but I slept very well despite the hard rock pillows and the roughy bed linen. I must be very tired. 

Mummy Lim

Spending the Whole Day out with the Gfs

We met up on Saturday afternoon. Auntie R sourced and arranged for us to meet at this Cafe Margaret somewhere near Haji Lane. It must be a 网红 cafe bcos it was constantly 80% full. Majority of the tables were for 2 or 3 pax and we were super lucky to find a table for 4 and we squeezed in 6. Hoho. I like to think that we are 娇小玲珑. Hoho. 

The coffee was normal but they served interest desserts though I had better. What they do have is a very handsome Korean young staff in the cafe. Lol. It does feel a little like Korean drama.

We caught up on the usual what’s happening in life and left but decided that we should go for round 2. 

Round 2 was a totally different vibe - auntie SL said that we should go for Teh Tarik. No more handsome Korean staff. Haha. 

I know right, such diverse and peculiar combination in an afternoon. The Indian kopitiam was so much more spacious as compared to the tiny cafe. 

Auntie SL, DL and H left at about 6pm to return to their family. For a long time, our gatherings had been like this. We will meet for brunch/ lunch/ coffee/ dinner for a few hours and part ways bcos the hubby/ kids were waiting. It had been a while since the hubbies and kids joined. Most of them would be busy during the weekends anyway and we are better off with the peace and quietness while catching up. 

Daddy Lim and I were planning to meet another couple for the live band in Blackbird but one of them fell sick. Anyway, Auntie R, S and I were just very free. We decided to head to 3rd cafe for another drink and chit chat. 

Bcos we were done catching up, we started talking about the past. With this many years of friendship, there is a lot of “past” to talk about. lol. We left only at about 10pm. Yes! I spent the entire day with my gfs. It had been a long time since I last did that. I got reminded of the times before we were married and had kids and can hang out the whole day. Best friends forever! Lol!

Mummy Lim

Nana’s Chinese O Level Result

The mid year Chinese O levels result was released at 2pm today. I have back to back meetings from 1pm and had been anxious the whole day. I told Nana to WhatsApp me when she receives her result. She has Chemistry prelim paper in the morning and will be in school to receive her results. 2pm come and went and there was no news from Nana. #gancheong 

During her Chinese prelims, she proudly shared that she was 1 of the 5 people in her 普华 class who passed paper 2. Majority of the students in NH took 高华. Then, she 离题 for her compo and she ended up with an overall C5 grade. Bcos of the 离题 experience, we had worked so hard on so many 作文大纲 to prevent the same situation.

Even if she has performed her usual on her prelims comp, she would probably gotten a B4 overall. We can only hope that NH has higher Chinese standards and set difficult prelims paper. 

We worked hard for her Chinese O levels. Yes, “we” worked hard. Not only did we work hard for paper 2 but on everything from 作文 to 口试. We were still drilling on the 口试 topics the night before the exams. Nana said that I drove her crazy. I wanted to say the same.

I half suspect that Nana is a B3 standard. A2 is probably attainable, if she performs at peak while the other students do badly. lol. I probably would ask her to give up retaking if she obtains a B4 or lower grade. To try to improve 2 or more grades is tough and I think she is better off concentrating on the other subjects. What if it is a B3?!? That would be a really tough decision bcos she might just get an A2 if she tries a little harder. Hmmm… This morning, when Daddy Lim and Nana were heading out, he asked me if I would make Nana retake the exam if she doesn’t do well. I don’t know….. retaking is too painful for both of us.

Finally at 3.05pm, Nana called. I was still in a meeting. She then texted that she has obtained a 2 distinction! We were excitedly celebrating when she suddenly asked “is 2 distinction = A2”? Huh? How would I know? She hurriedly went to ask for confirmation. lol. 

Confirmed! Chopped! Stamped! Nana has an A2 for her Chinese O levels! She even attained a distinction for her oral! No need to retake! 

Nana was very pleased and was sobbing away on the phone when we finally spoke. We were both very thankful and had been praying for a thankful heart to accept whatever result God would bless us with. 

We also updated Nana’s tutor, who provided us with so much guidance in the last few months before her exam. Zaky reminded Nana that she is now so done with Chinese. Indeed! I will now have all the time to concentrate on Chinese with Zaky. Kekekeke. I even asked the tutor if she could help Zaky with Chinese tuition next year. The last I asked, she appeared reluctant, maybe bcos I said that Zaky is worse in Chinese than Nana and that scared her off. Today, she said “ 好呀，有妈妈支持肯定没问题的”. Ah Yee said that it is bcos Nana didn’t pull down the tutor’s success rate. Hohoho.

Whatever the case, Nana is so done with Chinese until…. 

Mummy Lim

Commencement of Zaky’s Braces Journey

I noticed that Zaky had little teeth that were closely packed when he was a toddler, while Nana’s little teeth were widely spaced at the same age. I suspected that Zaky would have overcrowding issue and mummy knows best. 

Fast forward 10 years later, some of Zaky’s teeth were overlapping while Nana’s pearly whites are standing fairly orderly. The kid are not foreign to braces and they see their friends donning braces very now and then. I had asked Zaky last year if he wanted braces and he turned me down. 

Of course I wouldn’t insist. It is his responsibility to take care of his oral health, especially as he grows older. If he realises that he does need braces in the future, he can even pay for them on his own. Good deal for me. Hoho. 

Then, earlier this year, he changed his mind. I don’t know if it is bcos he has started to pay attention to his appearance but one day, he said that he is keen to consider braces. Ok lor. Then a couple of months ago, he said that he wanted braces after his NSG. Orh.

I asked around but there didnt seem like a systematic way to decide on when dentist for the service. We decided on Advaced Dental bcos we were seeing the dentist at the clinic when we were staying in LV. While they have a branch in Bukit Panjang, the braces consultation had to be done at the Novena branch. 

The Novena branch is atas can, at Novena Medical Center. At least it is very accessible by MRT and Zaky can come on his own for future follow-ups. I am told that the follow-up takes place monthly after donning the braces.

Zaky had to 1st take a couple of X-rays before the consultation. The special vest for the X-ray.

The dentist said that she would try to “create space” to ease the overcrowding and not resort to extractions as the 1st option. Braces would to an extent alter the appearances and if Zaky doesn’t like how he looks like a few months into the journey, we can consider extractions then. Bcos extractions need to be balanced, 4 teeth, 2 upper and 2 lower, would be needed to be extracted. Of course the dentist’s preference is to keep all the teeth if possible. Mine too, especially when extraction costs extra $$. Haha. 

So how to create extra space when it is already so crowded? The dentist explained filing of the teeth by a little each. It sounded painful to me, which the dentist assured not, bcos only a tiny is filed per tooth and when needed. To me, all dental procedures sound painful. 

After we confirmed to proceed with the procedure, the dentist proceeded with some scanning. How much would the braces cost? It would be a 1 to 1.5 year journey and the student package (excluding extractions) would cost $4.5k. I was still living in the times that braces cost $2 or $3k. Auntie S assured that this is the market price now. Darn the medical inflation and GST.

Zaky will have the brackets and wire all done up the next appointment. We had decided that this would be done after our short vacation in JB when the school holiday starts, so that he can still continue to enjoy the good food then. Hahahaha. He is taking the eating very seriously, and kept telling me that he still has a few more weeks to enjoy good food.

#爱美

Mummy Lim

Goodbye to Ah Yee and Athena Part 3

It was SuperPark day! We extended the invitation to the Fs and only the smallest F took it up. I understand, bcos I also happily skipped. 

We had bfast and headed to IMM bcos Zaky needed new basketball shoes. Daddy Lim was very enthusiastic about bringing him shopping and I was wondering why. Then, we ended up with 2 pairs of shoes. Zzzzz…  now I know why.

After lunch, we headed down to Suntec for the 2pm session. Ah Yee got to escape this time bcos Daddy Lim volunteered for it. I duno why he wanted to go SuperPark but at some point, he regretted. Too late. lol.

Ah Yee went shopping for a bigger bag bcos she had too many things to bring home. I went for a gym class in Bugis Junction. We all made perfect use of time. 

We met for the last family dinner. 

No crab this time but still good dinner and good catch up. The kids were funnily reminiscing about old times, recalling the old tunes that they had composed. Other than the famous John Lim BooBoo Cracker, there is also the Subaru song, completed with advertisements. 

After dinner was more fun at the playground before finally heading back to my brother’s place to say goodbyes. 

We spent Sunday lazing around in the house with Ah Yee and Athena. Daddy Lim left for work early in the morning. Nana wanted to head off to church and then to tuition. Fortunately, Athena woke up early enough to say goodbye. 

We didn’t do much. Zaky spent the morning practicing his 电邮 for the upcoming test. I am pleasantly surprised that he actually has a good grasp of it. We had lunch at home, consisting of the leftover fried rice from Friday and supplemented with chicken nuggets and honey wings. Any meal with chicken nuggets and honey wings will be good. Ah Yee said that fried rice is good too bcos the fried rice in Paris doesn’t have the wok hep taste.

Ah Yee attempted a nap with Athena but failed miserably. Then at about 4pm, it was final pack up and Athena got to watch a last episode of Scooby Doo with Zaky before calling a cab to head to the airport. Their flight was at 11pm but they were meeting friends at the airport for dinner and a final attempt to tire the kid out for a hopefully quiet flight. 

When Ah Yee and Athena boarded the taxi, the reality hit me almost immediately. They are gone! 回家了! I suddenly missed Ah Yee so much already. 

It was 10ish when they finally boarded the plane. 

Ah Yee text yday afternoon to say that they had completed their 1st leg and were back in Europe but the plane was full of turbulences. Then a few hours later, they had safely landed in Paris. 

Athena looks so happy. I think as a kid, going anywhere with the parent is always fun, whether on a holiday or head back home. 

The following morning, I was still hit emotionally. Everything in the house reminded me of their presence and their absence. Athena’s powder. 

The Wonder Woman toy that she left behind that now has a new home on our shelf. 

Ah Yee’s love for the kids when she did a final stock up of the fridge - the milk, oatside.

Ah Yee said that  they probably wouldn’t come back next year or the next few. Athena would start primary school next year. More painfully, the flight tickets are very expensive and the long haul flights very painful. I know, that is why I have been putting off going Europe for holidays. 

It is ok. I told myself that I will work hard and save money and we will fly to Europe to visit them at the end of next year. 

Meanwhile, please stay safe, healthy, be happy and enjoy life. We will meet again very soon. 

Mummy Lim

Goodbye to Ah Yee and Athena Part 2

Ah Yee saved the last weekend for family time. We had to book the kids in advance and remind the them times and again that we are spending time together. They are so busy with their social lives and on multiple occasions, double booked themselves when we had pre-arranged dates. Zzzzz. 

On Friday, with 4 hours of sleep (after Mambo), I went bfast with Daddy Lim. We bought bfast back and then headed out at 11ish to Kallang Leisure Park for ice skating. Unlike the Rink in the past, Kallang Ice Rink has no online booking and is on 1st come 1st serve basis. We arrived at about 11.45am and managed to get tickets for the 2pm slot. Only the kids were ice skating with Athena and Ah Yee. Ah Yee didn’t have much of a choice. lol. Daddy Lim and I went coffee drinking. Hoho. 

The Kallang Ice Rink is mini and non-ticket holder cannot enter the rink. It was almost impossible to peep or take photo from outside too. 

Yay, Nana brought her skates, which had been in storage since the Rink closed over a year ago. She was half worried that she wouldn’t fit. Those skates were made to be snugged for the jumps. 

Did the kids had fun? Of course! Ah Yee was just very tired. Lol. They complained that the ice was bad, which we all know and it was puddling like a swimming pool 5 mins into the session. They related about how they saw people falling and getting all wet thereafter. Nobody fell in our group. Nana said that she can still do some of her spins and jumps and was very happy. She even had a mini fan club cheering her on in the rink. I missed the times seeing her dancing on the ice. 

This is the time that I cannot help but sneaked in an old skating photo. I had like this costume out of all that she had. 

After ice skating, we rushed off for our 2nd session of fun. We bought laser tag tickets and our session was starting at 5pm at Home Team Bukit Batok. It was a lot of fun but very tiring after just the 1st game. We played 3 in all. 

Bcos the vest and gun were so heavy, Athena had to partner with an adult. The adult would wear the vest and get shot at while she tried her best to shoot others with the heavy gun. Ah Yee stayed with her in the 1st 2 rounds and missed out on good fun. I was the chosen one on the last round. It wasn’t too bad, I was very tired anyway and happy to walk around, warning people not to shoot me. lol.

We headed home for NDP broadcast. I am not a NDP fan but having people in the house excited over NDP hypes things up. We got chicken, rib and bread from the supermarket. Ah Yee bought 2 big crabs; she wanted to treat Zaky, who suddenly had an interest in eating crabs. Yes, picky eater Zaky. We rarely have crabs bcos eating them is such a chore. They were really delicious and we all had a good dinner. 

So, how was NDP? I have no idea. Zaky had no idea too. He went to bed at 8.30pm bcos he said that he was exhausted. I followed him to lala land 15 mins later. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim