Morning Ride

The usual routine is to hit the treadmill. However, I had been toying with the idea of a morning ride with the kids for a long time. Moreover, it was Bali Day and we had a late afternoon flight. It is only right to tired the little people out so that nobody bounces around at home and irritates me. Muahahaha.

Actually, none of the kids wanted to wake up. Lol. It was with much reluctance that they finally got their butt off the bed.

The idea was to loan an Obike for Daddy Lim. Lil Shauna then said that she wanted my foldable bike and we ended up with 2 Obikes. Hehehe. We found an Obike right outside Centris lobby but realised that we couldn't unlock it. We had to walk to the bicycle parking space outside Boon Lay MRT station and finally found our Obike. After we got our Obike, we saw so many more park illegally at the weirdest places.

The 1st stop - bfast at the Jurong Park Mac. We needed the energy. Haha.

We took off and used the Park Connector to cycle all the way to Chinese Garden. It was a nice ride though a bit slow bcos Zaky's bicycle has really small wheels.

The kids didn't enjoy the ride as much as I did. Zaky said that we should ride to JE and then take the MRT back bcos he was too tired. LOL. We took a rest at Chinese Garden and the kids decided to explore the green field. Unfortunately it was filled with big angry red ants. Zaky got bitten a couple of times and he ended up crying hysterically. That was when we decided to turn back.

On the route back, Lil Shauna banged into one of those barriers meant to slow down cyclists entering the Park Connector. She ended up breaking one of the brakes and a cut on her palm.

Oh well, we made it back alive though. We will try again another time. Haha.

Mummy Lim

Sungei Buloh

I had not expected to disembark so early from the cruise; Star cruises used to reach the shores at about noon. It was merely 10ish when we arrived home after a delicious bfast at the ABC market. The food somehow tasted better than what we had on the cruise. I must be hungry.

The kids were sent to dip in the pool while Daddy Lim eyeballed them as I got on with the unpacking. I am getting super efficient with the packing and unpacking after so many practices that I even found time to do the treadmill before picking the prune-like kids from the pool.

Bcos we were so early, we decided to do something in the late afternoon. It was a battle between cycling and a nature walk. The kids eventually decided on the latter and we targeted Sungei Buloh, which we had always wanted to visit but never getting down to doing so. Lil Shauna’s Science Teacher also asked us to bring her out more to see what they learnt in the classroom. We tried to date my brother’s family but only Felicia could join us.

The kids were happy to have companion, which makes a whole world of difference. We saw on the map that there are 2 walks to explore and they aren’t long. Right after we picked Felicia, it started to drizzle and dark clouds rolled across the sky. What the… Throughout the car drive, I was hoping that the sky would hold, at least for a little while. We went over the reservoir (via the bridge) and I was reminded of the earlier cruise. No need to any so much, same same.

It did hold for a while. When we started the walk, we could hear thunder rolling in the far end and see a storm brewing. We totally ignored the sign to warn about entering the park in thunderstorm. It is just too wasted to go home without doing some exploring.

It was good that we did. We saw crabs, spiders and many squirrels.

Special tree with roots outside of the soil.

Even a horseshoe crab but a very dead one.

Probably midway through the walk, the raindrops started coming down. The rain wasn't heavy but we could hear the thunders rolling very frequently though some distance away. It didn't help that we constantly see this sign. It made the kids, especially Felicia very jumpy. Lol.

We hurried to the Visitor Center for some shelter and to explore the exhibits a little.
We hid in the shelter for a good 30 mins and the drizzle didn't stop. We asked the staff and she confirmed that the only way back was the route that we took. Despite the warning on the thunderstorm, we didn't have much choice if we want our car back. Lol.

The rain did mellow a little by the time we finished all the snacks that I bought and we headed back. This time, we stopped and spent more time trying to spot the frog that made the sound like a dog’s bark, the bird perched on the fence, the bird nest in the tree, the mudskippers, etc. The kids were still worried about crocodiles though. Lol.

We had to rush off bcos it was getting late and we were supposed to meet the rest for dinner. We will definitely be back again and spend more time listening and exploring; we only managed to walk one trail this time. Hopefully there would be more people and if there are really crocodiles, it will have more varieties on its menu and bigger survival chances for us. Lol.

Mummy Lim

Ending Sunday Nicely

It was the usual Sunday routine. We did hit the rink a little earlier and Lil Shauna had some good practices. Her scratch spin was really great towards the end. She must have done something right but she said that it was the "usual". Give me this special "usual" anytime!

What really made my day was thereafter. I won a lot of Capitaland vouchers last company's D&D. I kept it, intending to use them for Lil Shauna's ice skating lessons. Then, it was out of sight and out of mind. On Saturday, I suddenly remembered them and realised that the $300 vouchers left had expired. Sob. I brought them to Jcube, hoping that Capitaland would give me an extension and they did - 2 weeks. As a result, we went for a mini shopping spree. The kids easily spent $50 in Westgate Isetan and $100 in Popular. We all bought something each. Spending money is always a joy and a double joy to not have to pay. Haha.

After the mini spree, we made use of the last of Ah Yee's love for my bday. She gave me a Groupon for Fish Manhattan and we had a Seafood Platter for 4. We were initially worried about the big portion and were even thinking to tabao the extra for bfast.

It was extra worry bcos the platter must be meant for 4 not too hungry people. Luckily, we only have 1 very hungry big people and 3 very hungry small people. All GONE!

Lil Shauna had to top up with the lemons. Lol.

We ended the hearty dinner with ice cream. Yum.

The kids were very impressed that the big meal only cost $10 (cost of the ice cream). I bet they hope for this everyday.

To end off the day, the kids opened all their "presents" and enjoyed playing Uno before bed. Best Sunday ever! Lol.

Mummy Lim

Let Em Play

When Daddy Lim excitedly brought the kids to buy new helmets, the kids were more excited about a new play site next to the bicycle shop - Let Em Play.

The kids are too old for indoor playground and such obstacle courses draw them like bees to honey.

The system is kind of silly though. Each session is 90 mins and they published rates for members ($15) and non-members ($20) but insisted that all new kids had to sign up as members at $15 registration fee. The registration covers a parent and kid. Then what is the non-member fee for? Additionally, we had to pay $5 to rent the harness. We could of course bring our own harness to save on the rental. Yes, who would have a harness at home? Lol.

The kids would allow no turning back and we were ready to pay for whatever fees. Bcos there was only me (Daddy Lim was parking the car) and 2 kids, only 1 kid needed to be signed up as member and pay the member fee; the other can only signed up as a member if we have another parent or pay the non-member fee. What??!! Maybe that is what the non-member fee was for? Funny right? Since we aren't sure how much the kids would enjoy, we stuck to non-member for the other kid.

They immediately went for the obstacle course. It was chicken feet to the kids.

Next, they hurriedly climbed the coconut tree.

Then to scale the different walls.

The kids had plenty of fun. A 90 mins session is more than enough bcos climbing walls is hard work.  The kids were exhausted and had aching fingers by the end of the session.

Would we go back? This is so much cheaper than the Kallang climbing place.  However, it is also so much smaller and the kids were getting slightly bored scaling the same walls towards the end. Nevertheless, the kids are already asking to go back.

Mummy Lim

Pulau Ubin Cycling

We are very focused in training the kids to be independent cyclists and to be in time for the Bali trip. We tried to make them cycle more at the poolside and also WCP only to find how limited the space that we have. They looked alright; we still have both kids and nobody broke any bone. Choi! To make sure that they can survive Bali cycling, we threw out the invitation – cycling @ Pulau Ubin. Happening leh.

Only the Chan family was crazy enough to accept our invitation, which is good for us bcos they had the experience cycling in Ubin while we had none. The kids were very excited but their excitement is nothing compared to Daddy Lim, who hurriedly brought the kids to buy new helmets. I am quite sure the bicycle shops would have helmets for rental but Daddy Lim insisted that we shall have no part in the smelly helmets. He easily convinced the kids; who doesn't want new stuff? Only I was able to resist the temptation – the helmets are freaking expensive and I bet I wouldn't die if I have to wear smelly helmets.

We were supposed to meet at 8am on Labor Day but we were all late. It was too hard labor to wake up early on a PH. Haha. Then, it was a long walk to the Changi Point ferry terminal bcos there were freaking many cars/ people in Changi, even when it was so early in the morning.

We didn't have to wait very long for the ferry. There were many others going to Ubin too. Each ferry can take up to 12 people at $3 per pax, kids/ babies and adults alike and the boat will only set off when it is full. Group less than 12 can also opt to pay the fees for 12 to skip the wait. The kids excitedly hopped from ferry to ferry to reach ours and soon we were on our way.

The ferry ride was short, probably 15 mins. Bicycle shops lined the road the moment we disembarked. The 1st thing that we did was to head for a nice cold drink. The doctor and nurse said that we needed plenty of sugar for the hard work ahead. The kids were happily exploring the tiny shoreline while they waited.

The bicycles were all similar and similarly priced. We opted for the shop that has a bike with a baby seat in front. Soon, we were on our way and the start of our adventure.

We started out alright. The kids cycled fine. However, shortly after we started, Zaky cycled into a big hole/ drain with brown stagnant water. Luckily, only his bike fell fully in. He managed to hop off the bike in time and landed on his fours. One of his shoes was wet though. He wasn't hurt but had a bad fright and so did his dear mother. We cleaned him and his bike up. I tried to dry his shoe and had to pacify him by giving him one of my socks. He had my sock on all the way and I cycled with only 1 sock all the way as well. Lol.

How did he lose control? The helmet made his head itchy and he only had one hand on the handle bar bcos he needed to scratch his head. Moving on, we did away with the helmet.

I made sure that I stayed closely behind him after the incident. Shortly after the 1st scare, he almost peddled off some slope. He was screaming about something flying into his eye while closing and rubbing his eye and cycling off course. I was yelling with my dear life for him to stop, which he did in the nick of time and was holding on to some tree branch. My fitbit probably thought that I peddled very hard to make my heart rate shoot when it was just my son’s crazy stunts.

For the rest of the trip, I was constantly yelling at him to hold his handbar straight, to look straight and not look down, to keep to the left when there were oncoming cars/ cyclists.

We made several pitstops – at the old quarry.

At the beach and the kids love exploring.

We made it back to the starting point for lunch and it was super crowded with only 1 big restaurant opened for business. After lunch, we cycled some more  and ended the cycling tour at 2ish. Fortunately, there was no wait back for ferry back to mainland bcos we were all freakingly tired, sticky and dirty.

Overall, it was a great trip. The weather was sunny but too hot. Ubin is a little overcrowded though; there were too many other trekkers and cyclists as well as Ubin taxis that come in the form of mini van and all sharing the same tiny road. One of the taxis almost brushed  against my reckless son who again stopped just in time, thinking that he could squeeze through the little space between the trees and the moving van. I almost fainted and so did the many other trekkers who witness the near miss.

Still, it was good fun. I am sure the kids are now fully ready for Bali having cycled not only on normal tar road but also dirt paths. We did quite some bike pushing up the slope though and we can do likewise in Bali. Hahahaha.

Mummy Lim

Training in Progress

We have a Bali trip coming up in June. Muahahahaha. And what is a Bali trip without a cycling tour?

I love cycling tours, maybe it is all the "being one with nature" stuff. I actually don't enjoy the touristy pit stops, I often pant like crazy in the progress and often question why I put myself through this shit at the end. Lol. However, after the whole ordeal, what is left is often a wondrous sense of achievement, probably a result of the happy hormones released from the exercise. This is probably why people run marathons after marathons huh.

The last cycling tour on a trailer bike with Zaky was horrible. I couldn't help thinking if I would collapse from exhaustion and was so glad to make it alive to the end point. Since then, I made up my mind to train the kids to cycle independently.

Last Sunday afternoon, we dated the Chan family to put the training plan in place. We headed to WCP. It was definitely good training. The kids are doing better but Zaky still fell once while trying to avoid the crowd.

After a workout, the kids decided to do some hard labor to start some fire. Lol.

Yeah, training completed with success! Round 2 coming up.

Mummy Lim

Treetop Walk

It all started with a poster in the lift advertising the Treetop Walk organized for the residents. I got excited when the wonderful memories of the Dragonback hike were evoked. I know it is different but we had conquered the Treetop Walk 2 years back and am quite sure that it would be a lot easier this time given that the kids have longer legs now. Right?

It was decided and we hit the Treetop Walk yday. We threw out the invitation and only Auntie S was available and crazy enough to accept our invite.

Whenever we have a special event, it is easy to wake the kids. Soon they were bouncing around the house and all ready to move off. We drove and picked Auntie S from the Marymount MRT. We spotted a big playground next to the station and the kids couldn't resist. Workout started early for them.

While driving to the carpark, Daddy Lim spotted this hawker center and was already thinking about breakfast. Haha. Auntie S soon arrived and we packed off to the carpark along Venus Drive to start our adventure. It was about 5 mins drive away and we found a lot easily.

We have to take a wefie before the journey while still looking fresh.

It shouldn't be too bad. On the website, it says that the trail to the Treetop walk was only 2.5km, which will take about 1 hr.

The trail started with easy walking on nicely structured platform. Auntie S was full of energy and walking really quickly.

She must be annoyed when the kids constantly stopped to look at spiders and beautifully crafted webs; there were so many of them. Lol.

Or sun tanning skinks.

Or the chicken family. Muahahahaha.

Like Daddy Lim, she was already thinking about the bfast and wondering how long it would take us to complete the trail with all the pausing every few minute. Lol. The kids didn't quite care and was totally in awe with nature’s beauty.

We spotted monkeys too. Auntie S and Zaky made good friends bcos they were both jumpy in the presence of monkeys. Not the “happy” jumpy but the “nervous” jumpy. Haha.

She was probably more at ease with the stopping when the actual climb started bcos it was really hard work. When the hike started, she trailed back and joined me as the last women. We were both panting when trying to speak. Lol. When the kids stopped, it is not opportunity to rest. We were so amazed at people who were running the trail. Good ah!

After probably a good hour of walking, we arrived at the Rangers’ station and took a break. I remembered that we took a break at the same spot 2 years back. The kids were hungry with all the walking and it was finally time for the snacks to make their grand entrance; we refrained from taking snacks earlier for fear of hungry monkeys.
Zaky was happily eating his snacks and Lil Shauna’s mamee was waiting for her while I brought her to the toilet to have her hands clean. The moment we were out, there was a commotion and this monkey.

My lousy camera couldn't tell much but it was happily snacking on Lil Shauna’s mamee.

There was apparently a sign warning about food snatching monkeys, which I only saw after our food was snatched. I am quite sure the sign wasn't around 2 years back. The monkeys must have gotten clever and knew where the food would appear.

According to the eye witness – Auntie S, the monkey tiptoed to the bench where Zaky was sitting and snatched the snacks away. The boy was totally unaware of the monkey or would have freaked out. Brave Auntie S also rescued our bag and almost had to wrestle with the monkey. OK, I exaggerated. It was funny nevertheless. I do feel really bad for feeding the monkey though with no intention. Lil Shauna didn't want any snacks anymore and Zaky quickly gobbled his before we started our walk again.

There was a last bit of a steep climb before we finally reached. Hooray! Pictures time.

Zaky was visibly tired and didn't quite enjoy the Treetop walk. Still, we had to take pictures in celebration.

Auntie S also whipped out Korean strawberries from her bag; she figured out that we were too high up for monkeys to come after us. When Lil Shauna asked how to dispose the remaining strawberry stem, Auntie S replied, "discreetly". Then, she very NOT discreetly threw hers over the bridge. Faint.

The real pain comes after that. There were stairs to climb and a lot of them, right after the Treetop walk. It wasn't helping the boy.

What goes up must come down. Though monkeys on the handrail did make things a little more interesting.

After exiting the Treetop walk, it was basically back almost the way we came from. It was a bigger loop though, at 2.6km.
We spotted more interesting stuff, like this huge and fat millipede or whatever. It was right on the path and Daddy Lim kindly moved it with his bare hands. None of the kids wanted to try holding the fat worm in their hand. Lol.

Midway back, we heard something dropped from the tree. Lil Shauna went to inspect and was then yelling that it was a snake! Sorry, my handphone again didn't do any justice to it, it was really bright and colorful.

It just us all jumpy though and we became all very weary of whatever that would drop from the trees. Seriously, snakes?

Finally, after 3.5 hrs, we made it back to the car and everybody was rushing for aircon. Nobody cared about any wefie. Lol. We survived, it wasn't really that bad.

We did head for bfast after the workout. The kids didn't have much of an appetite  but the adults totally enjoyed themselves. It was really a hard workout. Daddy Lim took a long nap, I stole cat naps and had a dull headache the whole day. Only the kids were still bouncing around but bedtime was so easy.

We have decided that we would bring C when he is in town with ah yee. He likes nature. I hope he still likes it after 3.5 hrs of walk in the hot sun. Hahaha.

Mummy Lim