JB with Girlfriends

For our October monthly gathering, we decided that it would be a day trip to JB. While this means having to take leave for some of us, nobody mind. The date had to be pre-planned and 16 Oct was the chosen day. 

Auntie SR helped to book the train tickets. Auntie H suggested the day’s itinerary - eat, massage, shop and eat somemore. We were on our way! 

Uncle C sent Auntie H, Auntie S and me from the 6th Ave MRT to the Woodlands Train Station. The other gang came from the Sengkang/ Punggol side.

It was already crowded when we arrived at 9am and a short wait before the gate opened for immigration. Whatever happened in the next 30 mins was a blur; we simply moved along with the busy crowd. All were good except for a grouchy immigration officer who kept reminding the queuing crowd to lower our volume, walk faster, turn the passport to the right page, blah, blah, blah..

Nevertheless, our spirit was not dampened..

It was the first Woodlands-JB train experience for some of us. Auntie SR is the expert and we were in her good hands - just follow. 

We took the 9.45am train and arrived right on time for brunch. Auntie SR expertly led us to where the famous banana cake and good food cafes are. With hungry tummies and assurance that all the food in that area are good, we settled for the 1st cafe that we saw.

Auntie H said that the kuehs are to die for. Of course we must try and not disappointed.

We ordered many of the recommended dishes to share. We were all very happy to be able to try a little of everything and the food was really good. In total, we ordered 10 different dishes, from kuehs, to noodle soup to desserts and only paid RM20 per pax. So worth it. 

The cafe also has an old school vibes and the perfect background for picture taking. This one looks like it matches the Halloween theme though. Lol. 

It was already 11am when we made our way back to the shopping mall and had to miss the famous banana cake bcos the 1st batch was sold out and we didn’t want to wait. 

What did we do at the mall? Laser tag. I made the aunties do laser tag. Hohoho. My kids were envious.

Auntie SR was nursing a tummy ache and didn’t join in the fun. With odd number, we opted for solo game. Who won? Of course it is yours truely, after all the previous laser tag training.

The games were at RM45 for 2 games and RM55 for 3 games. Auntie TL was still double confirming that we would only do 2 games and not take advantage of the discount for 3. After 2 games, the aunties were very glad that they had earlier insisted on only 2. Lol. I think they had fun, or at least I did. We definitely all had a good workout and were perspiring after the 2 games. 

The workout called for a massage. It was so good. I had the 30 mins foot and 30 mins shoulder and head massage. So, so good.

I had thought that the trip would consist of plenty of shopping. Apparently, this doesn’t happened with a group of aunties on a day trip to JB. Ok, maybe it did, but just a different kind of “shopping”. Other than the relaxed brunch and tea, we were making very good use of the good exchange rate and busy running errands - contact lenses, medications, bread, tau sar piah, earrings, pens… There wasn’t even time to shop for clothes.

We settled for tea at about 3ish. This polo bao was of course very good and went very well with my 奶茶.

We had a good rest over food and drinks. Eating was more important than shopping for clothes. We left at almost 5pm for more last min food grabbing before heading for our 5.45pm train. I got last min roti boy and muruku. 

The train home was uneventful. We all lamented that time passed too quickly. We forgot to take our group photo before leaving. I was with auntie H, hitching a ride to the downtown line MRT while the rest headed northeast and east. 

Would we do this often? We would love too but our leave balance or the little ones at home didn’t quite agree. One day, we shall planned for a longer all aunties trip. The kind where we have to take a aeroplane. Hohoho. 

Best friends forever. 

Mummy Lim

Zaky Cut his Hair again

I am not sure if it is a secondary school boys thing. Before our JB trip in September, Zaky came home from school one day and said that his classmate had helped him cut his hair. The classmate had apparently helped several other boys with their hair. It was somewhat normal looking. He looked like what he normally looked but the haircut was somewhat uneven in some parts. 

I tolerated his hair for a while before bringing him to a proper salon in JB to have his hair cut, along with purchases of a ton of hair spray and gel and what not. The new hairstyle required some efforts and he did so on a few school days mornings, where he had to wake up like a couple of mins earlier to style and gel his hair. Even these few mins of extra sleep is a luxury and he skipped the steps on days that he has PE/ CCA/ whatever excuses.

He said that he wanted to get a buzz cut. I didn’t quite care. I would imagine like this.

Or this. 

Or maybe this. 

But, he went to my brother’s place for dinner after school on Friday and my SIl sent us this. 

Lol! 

My brother had the exact haircut when he was in Primary school! This looks like when the buzz cut had grown out and without proper maintenance. Zaky looked like a durian head. Lol, lol. 

He said that he didn’t mind the look, that it is very refreshing and airy and he can feel the wind in his scalp. He was supposed to pay $1.50 to his (same) classmate who helped him with the haircut; we think that it should be the other way round. Ah Yee suggested that this classmate should give up totally trying to become a barber/ hairdresser. Hahaha. Too funny. 

Zaky looked a lot messier in real life. We have offered to bring him for a proper haircut but he said that his classmate will be helping him to cut his hair shorter on Monday (and it would be better). We don’t know what to expect. It is ok, hair grows back and if he is not embarrassed, we aren’t too. Lol. 

Let’s see what Zaky comes back with on Monday. I hope that he would at least still have enough hair to salvage the situation if chooses to do so after that. Otherwise, he can just be funny looking for a while. We still love him. Hahahaha. 

Mummy Lim

To Legoland, We Go

It was impromptu. Somebody suggested during the last ride that we should go JB for bfast. The next moment, plans were put in place. 

Bcos there is no overnight stay involved, it is simply packing of the passport and the $$. We intended to meet half an hour earlier than usual at 6am so that we can avoid as much of the sun as possible. I like. 

My plan is to wake up at 4.40am and start rolling at about 5am. I was very excited. I woke up, there was no forecast of rain, I didn’t hear thunder in the middle of the night and the weather looked clear when I glanced out of the window. However, upon proper look, the roads were wet? It was drizzling?!’? 

We decided to observe the situation a little. One of the ride leaders commented that it was a passing shower and we would decide by 5am. We usually call off rides if the roads are wet or there is a high possibility of rain for safety reasons. This round, we decided to press ahead bcos it was a special edition ride. I didn’t have enough time to head to the meeting point and decided to meet the gang at Junction 10 instead.

I “saved” about 7km (one way) and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the Woodlands Immigration. The immigration was fairly smooth. It is always scary to have to share that tiny lane with the many zooming motorcycles. This time, bcos there were only 9 of us, we waited and rode together across the Causeway.

All done and on the other side of the bridge. The plan was to ride to Legoland before heading for Dim Sum bfast.

The flyovers and bridges that appeared so insignificant while we are driving comfortably in a car were making me huffing and puffing. I never notice that many flyovers and bridges when we drove. Lol. 

Finally, Legoland! #打卡

We were more excited about the Dim Sum bfast than Legoland actually. Good ah! 

I duno how much was the dim sum bfast bcos one of the riders insisted on treating. We didn’t over-order bcos we still needed to ride back home. 

Although the sun had come out full force on the way home, I found the ride back easier. My guess is that my tummy was filled and I had more energy. Lol. 

The immigration took a little longer bcos the lane dedicated to cyclists was held up by a Malaysian motorcyclist. It was freaking hot and I am so glad that I shaved another 7pm off the return ride bcos my house is so near Woodlands. It is ok, I rather not have the distant in that weather. 

Most importantly, I got my 1st stamp in my new passport! Hoho.

Other than my 1st passport stamp and my 1st “overseas” ride this year, Daddy Lim and I also got to spend a quiet Saturday evening. Nana had asked to sleepover at a church friend’s house after youth, so that it is nearer for her to go church on Sunday. The friend is also taking O levels and they would study together after youth. 

Zaky and T headed to Boo’s house for sleepover after youth. Uncle C and Auntie H even made BBQ. 

Look at all those meat! Zaky must be very happy. When the kids come over to our house for sleepover, they simply have tabao food. Hoho.

Bcos there is no kids, I went movie watching with my ex-bf. 

It had been a long while. I don’t seem to enjoy movie watching after having kids. I find the cinema claustrophobic and watching movie a waste of time and movie. Daddy Lim and I used to watch a ton of movies while we were dating. Movie tickets were so much cheaper then and I remembered dozing off in the cinema bcos some of the movies we caught were so duh. Lol. 

We caught the Andy Lau chinese movie bcos there wasn’t any other better ones. The plot was literally unbelievable at some parts and we had a good laugh. What is equally unbelievable is that Andy Lau is 63 yo! Will I still have the same energy at 63? Well, at least it was good entertainment.

Mummy Lim

The Last One to the Dark Side

Yes, Zaky has finally got his iPhone. 

It is not that he doesn’t want an iPhone but the phone that he was using was somewhat ok and iPhones are seriously expensive. At the rate that he misplaces and mishandles his phone, it takes a lot to convince myself to buy him a new iPhone. 

Zaky typically doesn’t care too much about phones. He just needed a decent phone that allows him to play his games and scroll his social media. I think the current one is a hand-me-down Samsung from Daddy Lim after his last Oppo went crazy. He had been whinny a little bcos his phone went glitchy recently. It hung from time to time and I promised that I would get him a new iPhone when the 16 is launched, so that I can buy him a 14 at a cheaper price. Hohoho. 

Other than Daddy Lim, we don’t need the newest iPhone model. We bought Nana a 12 in March 2023. I think the newest model was a 14 then. I got my 13 in March 2024 and that was when 15 had been released. Only Daddy Lim needed to have a 15 when 15 was released, telling me that it is an usb C charging port. Ok, Nana and I didn’t feel much pain without an usb C charging port. 

Zaky has an iPhone 15 bcos the store has sold out the 14s… After calculating the price difference, I bought it for him. 

For a while, I contemplated giving the 15 to Nana and then he can have Nana’s 12 but I think that is a little too evil. Hoho. This would be his early birthday present. Is he pleased? Of course! He has been warned to take care of the phone bcos I will not buy him another phone if he loses/ damages this one in the next 2 years (at least). 

We are now all on the Dark side. Hohohoho. 

Mummy Lim

Mochi, the Cockroach Hunter

Yes, there are cockroaches in our current place. I don’t know where they come from or hide or why they stayed in our place when we don’t cook and thus not much food. I generally attribute them to the place being this old and the only thing I can do is to stick a few more cockroach poison.

Last night, I arrived home to a full laundry basket of dirty clothes. Why am I not surprised? The load that I had washed and hung on Monday evening (before I flew) was still hanging. I am again not surprised. 

At almost midnight, when the laundry was done, I was carrying the clean and dried laundry to the respective rooms, to make space so as to hang the newly washed load. Mochi followed me into Zaky’s room. 

The moment Mochi entered the room, he jumped onto Zaky’s study table and started meowing at the wall. This is not a good sign. The next moment, I sort of saw something black on the wall, near to the ceiling. Oh Shit! 

I was right, it was a full grown, big ass cockroach. Armed with an insecticide, I turned on the light and tried to wake Zaky, hoping that he would be brave enough to kill the cockroach. In my head, I was still thinking how to grab Mochi out of the way in this insecticide vs cockroach war. 

Zaky refused to wake up, even in the threat of a huge cockroach and kept telling me to “call Pappy” (to catch the cockroach). Without another choice, I turned my option to the man of the family instead. 

Daddy Lim was super blur and took a while to understand the “mission”. Just then, we heard what sounded like Mochi knocking off something. Oh yes, somehow, he had pounced and caught the cockroach off the wall, near to the ceiling. He must have made a great big leap from the study table. 

Mochi exited the room triumphantly, with the cockroach in his mouth. The “mission” has now changed from killing the cockroach to snatching the cockroach from Mochi. At least the cockroach is dead, the only scary thing is Mochi throwing the dead cockroach at us. Hoho.

I was happily hiding in the kitchen, with the glass door closed, hanging laundry, while Daddy Lim chased him around the house and trying to snatch the dead cockroach that Mochi will place intermittently on the floor. The question here is whether he is fast enough before Mochi either swipes it away or snatch it back. Dead or not, it is not fun fighting with your cat at midnight over a cockroach. 

Daddy Lim eventually got it. Mochi was very sad and meowed at us when Daddy Lim threw the cockroach down the rubbish chute. Hoho. 

This morning, I had to remind Nana that she is probably kissing part of the dead cockroach if she attempts to kiss Mochi. Hoho. Mochi is not only the cockroach hunter but also the nemesis for grasshopper and lizard. Hohoho. 

Dont play play ah. 

Mummy Lim

Jakarta Probably the Last for 2024, Part 2

Nana’s O levels have officially started on Wednesday with the Chemistry practical. She was anxious that I would be away and asked who would pray for her? Hello, our God is omnipresence leh, Jakarta or Singapore makes no difference. Of course I did my mummy’s duty and prayed for her - for safety (that there will be no kaboomz), for steady hands to pour the precise required amount of chemical and good eyesight to see all the observations and read the right colors. 

She said that the practical was do-able, just that her answers are different from other people. Should I now pray that other people’s results be wrong? Hoho. 

I was up at 5ish on Wednesday bcos I wanted to use the gym and had to cater for time to travel to the offsite office. 

Enroute to the gym, I passed by the indoor swimming pool. Got people swimming at 6am some more. 

There is also a play area. 

The gym is big.

The parquet floor reminded me of old style school halls.

I did my HiiT, showered and headed for bfast. The food was ok only.

Bcos I had a heavy bfast, I skipped lunch. It was also bcos that offsite office is very ulu. The heavy bfast lasted me until about 3pm and my tummy started rumbling. I was really hungry when I got back to Jakarta. 

There were a couple of restaurants at the ground floor of the apartment. Tabao-ed.

I was really hungry and the sandwich tasted so good. 

The color of the mushroom soup (if you are wondering what that was) seems off but it tasted quite alright. 

The dinner kept me very happy but also very sleepy and I had a very good night of sleep. My tummy was still full this morning but cannot waste the bfast. 

The combi did look a bit off but the chips, especially the spicy one, are really nice. I should ask my colleagues to help me buy some to bring back the next time. 

This time, I used the underpass to get to the office. The escalator had to be under maintenance. Zzzzz. There is a lift further down the road but my luggage was feather light after offloading all the chocolates (to the colleagues) and I decided to extend my morning workout. 

I opted for the lift when coming up though. Hoho. Enough workout for the morning. 

The day passed really quickly, which also meant that my trip has come to an end. Woohoo! The return to Singapore was uneventful.  I did contemplate skipping dinner but Running Man ruined it again. I think the casts are now old and the Running Man episodes are all about eating. Lol. 

Home sweet home. One more business trip dusted but still no stamp in my new passport. Zzzzz… 

Mummy Lim

Jakarta Probably the Last for 2024, Part 1

I think this will probably be my last Jakarta trip for 2024. Traveling to Jakarta is easy given the proximity and the multiple flights. My flight was at a comfortable 9.25am. I even sent Daddy Lim and the kids off to work and school before rushing the last bit of cleanup at home and then to the airport.

I had wanted to head to the airport earlier to purchase a few items. I had forgotten my phone’s charging cable and there is always the popcorn.

They are always my Indonesia colleagues’ favourite. 

Oh, the Singapore immigration has upgraded! The automated lanes no longer require the passports to be inserted for scanning. So it is now solely relying on facial recognition? Hmmmm…

The flight was full but comfortable, given that the flight time is only 1.5 hrs. I told myself that I should watch what I eat and maybe skip the inflight bfast but I was watching a Running Man episode and the whole episode was about eating. Zzzzz…

The Running Man casts had so much good Korean food. I couldn’t resist when the food trolley was rolling towards me. They only had egg and sausage left but I don’t fancy the carrot cake anyway. 

Yum yum.

At least I tried to leave the potato and baked beans (beneath the eggs) alone. 

I was seated in the last few rows and was only served at the very last (which also explained why the carrot cakes were gone), which also meant that there was very little time to eat. I had barely started on the yogurt when the flight attendants came around to clear the tray. Stress.

The immigration at Indonesia was also very smooth. I was looking forward to having my new passport stamped! Then, I realised that the immigration in Jakarta had also advanced to automated lanes. It was confusing though; we had to fill in a form before I could use the automated lane and I chose no visa required but I had actually already applied for my eVOA before the trip. Hmmm… anyhow, Immigration was so smooth with the automated lanes. There was nobody by the time I was done with the form. 

I would usually head to the hotel 1st before walking to the office bcos the usual hotel is so near to the office. This time, I went directly to the office bcos I had to book another nearby hotel and I have no idea where the hotel is, other than it is also near to the office. Hoho. 

My colleagues pointed out from the office window, that The Mayflower, Jakarta - Marriott Executive Apartments, is right across the busy road from the office! 

I could try to cross the busy road either using the overhead bridge or mrt station underpass. I must be crazy, bcos I actually opted for the overhead bridge that was super narrow with tiny steps and with my luggage. 

Jakarta busy traffic at 7ish. 

I made it safely to the Apartment. I think I can see my office from the apartment’s window. Hoho. 

The Apartment is huge! There is a living room, a kitchenette and a bedroom. 

The kitchenette comes with stove and oven! 

I was even more surprised to find a washing machine. 

There were some welcome snacks. 

This cheesecake, the receptionist gave to me bcos it was my 1st stay in the apartment, and I had to carry it up the exact way. Lol. 

It didn’t taste nice some more. Zzzzz…

The rest of the evening was uneventful. I had a good night of sleep. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim