Belated Christmas Present

Zaky couldn't decide on what he wanted for Christmas. I didn't want to buy him some trashy toys; the kids are getting a tad too old for toys. Now, new toys barely captured their interest for a day before they headed to the shelf for exile.  He agreed that we would buy him his Christmas present when he finally found what he really wanted.

He did bug for a segway or hoverboard. Unfortunately, they were both deemed too dangerous and expensive by mummy dearest. Next on his list is the skateboard. I was unwilling to buy it for him bcos he is already a timebomb to himself and his surrounding when he is on his 2 feet, what's more on a moving board and 4 wheels.

He must have done something to Daddy Lim bcos after Batam, Daddy Lim suddenly agreed to buy him the skateboard. Maybe Daddy Lim suddenly remembered a childhood dream or something. Lol. They were so enthusiastic about it such that Daddy Lim drove him to West Coast Plaza to buy the skateboard after our return from Batam. It was already evening when we finished dinner with my brother's family. So super onz. Lucky boy.

Of course it has to be put on test immediately. The agreement is that he has to have his full protection every time he uses his skateboard.

Daddy Lim's attempt. I hope it can hold his weight. Haha.

The boy picked up balancing on the skateboard very quickly. He was a ltitle upset though bcos Feline tried his skateboard and received plenty of praises from Popo, much more than him. Zzzzz.

Yday morning, there was no school. Lil Shauna was upset that I went to the gym without her. I ended up bringing her for rollerblading.

Zaky wouldnt give up any chance to practice his skateboarding. He ended up a very upset though bcos he couldn't do the right turn.

That boy is stubbornly impatient and gets upset when he couldn't do what he envisioned but how to run when you haven't learn how to walk? And when he gets upset, it is impossible to convince him to practice. It only meant that it was time to stop and head for breakfast. Haha.

Maybe it is just me - the perfect ingredient for his whines and tantrum. I guess he would soon get it if he can get past his tantrums and put in enough hard work.

Anyway, belated Merry Christmas little boy!

Mummy Lim

CNY 2017 Chu San: Batam

Zaky didn't have a good night. Before bed, the behind of his knee and calves were itching like crazy. His skin usually gets dry and itchy while on holiday due to climate change. Unfortunately, his usual physiogel did little to relieve the itch. The itch became worse in the night. I woke up to the boy clawing at his skin and angry bumps covered the back of his legs. All I could offer was more physiogel.

By morning, the angry bumps were still there. The bumps started to spread to his arms and back. When he doesn't scratch them, they reduced to red dots, flaring up to become angry bumps when irritated. We couldn't tell what exactly caused them. Was it bcos of dirty hotel linen? Or the murky swimming pool water? Maybe it was something he ate? The massage oil was a great suspect too.

The itch irritated him a lot when he was tired but tolerable when he was distracted, like in the arcade. Zzzzzzzz... We checked out after pick and choose bfast and headed to the arcade for one last hour of fun.

Given the crazy Q when we arrived, we left ample time for check-in. The Q was definitely so much better. We cleared immigration in less than 1 hour.

Finally, time to board the ferry and go home.

While waiting, we could see our hotel. Bye!

The trip back wasn't too bad except for a little boy who soon was tired and started complaining about the strong wind, then itchiness everywhere.

The Singapore immigration was such a breeze; we were done in less than 5 mins. I love our efficiencies.

The angry rashes were still on Zaky and they are still everywhere. However, prickly heat power comes to the rescue. He had a much better night sleep, all thanks to mummy who was applying powder on his whenever the rashes act up. That is why we need to celebrate Mothers' Day. Haha.

Happy CNY people.

Mummy Lim

CNY 2017 Chu Er: Batam

Zaky fell asleep while watching TV the night before. It must be too early bcos the he woke up at 7ish Batam time and made a lot of noise and soon Lil Shauna was up. Fortunately, everybody loves watching TV in the bed, regardless of what time it is.

We lazed in bed for a long time before bfast bcos Daddy Lim refused to wake up. Lol. He said that he slept at 2am the night before, watching 3 movies on his own after all of us had turned in. Backside itchy. 

The kids were escatic to have pick and choose bfast. Kids below 12 dine for free!

After bfast, we watched more TV before starting the Batam routine - eat, shop and arcade. 

Daddy Lim prefers to stay next to the Megamall; he thinks that it is less 杂 than Batam City Square Mall (BCS) or Nogoya Mall. The kids didn't care so long as mummy gives them plenty of arcade time and money. 

After round 1 of arcade, we lured the kids back for swimming. I thought it would be good fun but the water was waaaayyyyy too cold for swimming. The kids took a long time to climatise before they managed to get into the water.

At least they got into the pool bcos I couldn't make myself do so. Lol. I was all dressed but didn't get into the water eventually. 

So I was the official photographer instead. Daddy Lim and the kids were happily doing jump shots and I was happily being the photographer, so long as I didn't have to go into the water. Hahaha.

They didn't last long too; it was imhumanly cold. Lol. Daddy Lim wanted to do massage and gave the kids the option to go to the BCS. Zaky was all for it bcos they would get to play the segway and hoverboard. 

BCS was about 20 mins by taxi and we paid INR 75k for the cab. Segway and hoverboard were definitely the 1st on the kids' list. 

We went for massage after that; even the kids. It was the same massage place that e went to the last time and we opted for 60 mins body massage this time. Lil Shauna and I shared a room while Zaky went with Daddy Lim. I was worried that Zaky wouldnt stay put the whole time. I heard him speaking at 1st but he was quiet soon after. I bet he was enjoying the massage as much as I do. 

One hour past so quickly bcos it was pure enjoyment. Then, we realised why Zaky was so quiet; he had fallen asleep. Hahaha. He slept so deeply that we had a hard time waking him up. At one point, I thought maybe he had fainted and I was so relieved when he finally stirred. 

We had dinner at the big foodcourt next to the massage place. I wanted to eat there the last time but didn't have the chance. The foodcourt was like the hawker center we visited in my younger days; we ordered food and it was sent to our table. 

It was crowded and I only remembered to take picture after we finished the food. Haha. We had pork satay! Where to find pork satay in Singapore now?!?!

The kids had round 2 of hoverboard after dinner. Even Lil Shauna opted for the hoverboard this time. 

Then we hit the arcade. For INR 100k, we spent more than 2 hours at the arcade. The arcade uses tokens and it was a lot more fun bcos the kids get to win tokens, which explained why INR 100k lasted us for such a long time. We won quite some tokens but spent all at the end of the day. At the Megamall arcarde, the kids finished INR 300k in less than 3 hours. We finally left the mall at 9.30pm and managed to hire a cab. Phew. We went to lala land while watching TV. Totally blissful. 

Mummy Lim

CNY 2017 Chu Yi

Apparently Zaky had no idea what he had said in his half awake state.... he woke up in our bed and asked me how come he wasn't in Fionne's house. Lol. Fortunately, it wasnt such a big deal for him to miss the sleepover; jiejie would have been devastated. Lol.

We headed to my brother's place at about 10am and a sumptuous brunch was waiting for us. We had a very tired Lil Shauna though. She said that the aircon was way too cold and the blanket too small and she didn't sleep the WHOLE night. However, that didn't at all put her off sleepover; she just asked us to buy her a blanket and put it at my brother's place. Haha.

It had been a few years where we spent CNY outside of Singapore. It is not that we don't value meeting up with extended family but Daddy Lim usually have to head back to the yard on the 2nd day of CNY if we remain in Singapore. Moreover, holidays are always good. Muahahahaha.

While my brother's family headed for visitation, we headed to Haborfront for Batam. Last year, Port Dickson took us 8 hours and we do not have enoigh courage to brave the custom again this year.

We were early but there was a Q at the ferry counter to collect the boarding passes. What happened thereafter were painful waiting and queuing.

We opted for an afternoon ferry bcos we didn't want to wait for the mall to open upon arrival. Maybe it would have been a lot better if it was a morning ferry. We stayed in the Harris Batam Center, which is minutes walk from the Batam Center ferry terminal and one street away from Mega Mall. This is the 2nd time in the hotel.

There was a long wait for broading probably bcos we chose to clear immigration early.

Boarding was slightly delayed.

We were glad to board and thought that good times would be really here soon. The boat ride took longer than 50 mins. Daddy Lim and Lil Shauna had a good nap. Daddy Lim sleeps anytime, anywhere. Lil Shauna must had really slept badly the night before; she rarely took naps. Zaky alternate between Mindcraft and bothering me. Lol.

Finally the ferry docked and we quickly got off the ferry, worrying about long Q at the immigration. The worry was real, too real that it was nightmarish. We were made to join a super long Q.

There were that many people at any part of the Q and now imagining the Q snaking 200 times. The Q cleared slower than the arrival of new batch of people. Seriously, I wasn't joking. At times, the Q wasn't at all moving. Other times, we saw people alighting from the ferry and headed straight to the immigration hall. Some other people were cutting Q like nobody business. We don't know how is the Q system and in no authority to question.

The kids were ok to Q in the beginning 45 minutes but it took us bloody 2 hours before we entered the immigration hall. I am sure we weren't the only irritated and fustrated ones. We heard some people shouting every now and then only to be hushed harshly by the immigration officers. Most were obediently Q-ing bcos nobody wanted to be turned back to Singapore.

Lil Shauna was an angel like usual and waited so patiently. Zaky needed to be carried for the last 1 hour. I exercised my muscles very well with the 20ish kg weight.

It was an another mad Q upon entering the immigration hall. At least there was a "proper" Q-ing system for most part of the Q. Only at 1 point, there was no barricade and 3 Qs converged to 1. Though slow, the Q was moving and we couldn't be more glad. We were so happy to finally cleared the immigration. It took us almost 3 hours before we finally checked in. Phew.

The rest of the evening was dinner, shopping and of course arcade. Hohoho.  Despite the ordeal, we were all happy. Lalalala.

Mummy Lim

CNY 2017 Reunion Dinners

The kids had school celebration and had to wake up at the same time as usual school days. Lil Shauna tried her luck and told me the night before that school was not compulsory. Sorry young lady, good try. In the morning, she couldn't wake up and repeated her request to skip school. It was not going to happen. Muahahaha.

She reused the qipao from last year. We needed a new set; it is getting a tad too short. Zaky's costume was a last minute buy; his old set that had been recycled for 2 years and is getting way too short. This one can hopefully last another 2 years.

More pictures before the kids got chased off for school.

Of course the kids must go to school bcos I didn't have to work and that 4 hours of peace was so precious. I got to mad chase after my Goblin, packed bag for the upcoming Batam trip and even moved my butt to do a run on the treadmill.

School wasn't too bad; Zaky excitedly told me that he touched some lions. We lazed around a bit before my brother fetched us to their place. The plan was 2 reunion dinners. See, I needed the run in the morning.

The kids had a great time playing and so did I pretending not to be around. My Goblin marathon was so successful. I also almost dozed off a couple of times on the sofa bcos nobody disturbed me much. That was bliss. Lol.

Reunion dinner was ready at 2pm. Popo must be really excited.

We only started at 4pm and continued for a long time. Daddy Lim joined us only at 5pm. Look at the spread.... I love steamboat.

All in except ah yee and at tioh C but ah yee watsapp and assured that she had a nice reunion dinner too with the multi-purpose rice cooker. I had to convey the message to Popo to put her at ease.

Round 2 took place at 6pm. We all had a full tummy and Daddy Lim was our representative. We had steamboat at gugu's house. Steamboat again! Yeah!

The kids didn't eat much except for plenty of desserts. They were bored intitally but learned to play the harp and was entertained for a good while.

Lil Shauna learned to play "twinkle twinkle little star" very quickly. Zaky preferred to play his own composition. Auntie J was so encouraging while Zaky's music just sounded like rumbling to me. Hahaha.

Gugu and xiao Shu were also very encouraging and asked me to send the kids for music class; telling me that the kids have strong Lim musical genes. I suddenly had flashback of the painful struggles with Lil Shauna learning and practicing the electone. I am sure that whatever Lim musical genes had been diluted by the Tan non-musical genes. Muahahaha.

The kids were bored at times but they are also at the age where they can carry decent conversations with the adults. Although we didn't bring along any toys, I would say that the kids werent too hard to handle. The handphones had to come in a couple of times though.

We left Gugu's place at 9.30pm. The plan was to send the kids to my brother's place for sleepover. Zaky wanted to tag along bcos Popo was staying over too. In the end, he was too tired bcos he woke up too early and fell asleep in the car. See, jiejie is so much hardier. I made an attempt to check if he was still keen in the sleepover. In his half awake state, he said that he wanted to go home with mummy.

Lil Shauna always had fun with sleepover.

Happy CNY!

Mummy Lim

Gone and Back from Vietnam

There was a last minute work trip to Vietnam. I was told on Thursday and was on my way on Monday. Seriously, things happened too quickly for me to figure out what was happening and I found myself lugging the luggage for the airport.

The necessary arrangements were made for the kids; they didn't have to go student care just in case Daddy Lim couldn't pick them on time. I bet, for that, they were happy that Mummy was away. The different stakeholders, from adults to kids to school were informed of what had to be done when mummy was gone; protocol 101 kicked in. All set.

On Monday morning, I forgot that it was peak hours and there was a mega storm brewing. The taxi took longer than usual to reach the airport. For a while, I was worried that I would miss the flight. Just when I boarded the cab, the radio was playing and the DJs were talking about their most scary airline mishap. Why like that?! I don't want to hear. Maybe it was a good thing that it rained so hard that I could hardly hear a thing.

I arrived on time and my waiting time was well-utilised; I bought and started reading a book, bought souvenirs for the Vietnam colleagues and bought the much needed sun block from the DFS. I arrived at the gate only to find that boarding was delayed bcos of some cabin repairs. What? Sound scary already.

It wasn't too bad to travel without kids; I get to watch a K movie and eat in peace. Getting all ready to enjoy my solo flight.

I do hate the turbulences though. The pilot already pre-warned about them and the take-off was so rough. The plane was literally jerking and I wonder if the howling storm had anything to do with it. I was so glad that I was taking SQ; their pilot should be well trained, right? Turbulences hit quite frequently during the flight too and it was a rough landing. I had to say a thanksgiving pray upon landing. So scary.

Then the immigration took a long time. I don't remember such a big crowd during my last visit last year. I thought it would be better after immigration only to find long Qs to get out of the airport. All bags had to be scanned and there was a massive human and luggage jam. I don't know why they were doing that; nobody was stopped and everybody got passed after throwing their bags into the x-ray machine.

Of course the nightmare doesn't end there. There were massive people outside the airport, as if some korean stars were visiting Vietnam. There was barely much space to walk to get to the taxi stand. I was so tempted to wave, smile and pause for pictures as if I was some kpop stars. Lol.

The usual empty taxi stand was filled with people getting taxis in a haphazard way. I so badly hoped that I could speak Vietnamese. Then it donned on me that it is almost CNY, which probably explained the crowd. I must be one of the few crazy people who come to Vietnam for work when it is so near to CNY.

I waited for a long time and there wasn't a system to get a cab. There was no Q, the staff were busy dispatching the cabs to the waiting area but it was up to the passengers to get their cabs. The only saving grace was the steady flow of cabs. I finally got a cab after I made up my mind that I would hop into one even if it meant that I had to cat fight somebody. Fortunately there was no need to show my claws. See, hair still neat.

Hello to the land of crazy motorcycles.

I got to the office safely and the colleagues were impressed that I survived alright traveling during this period.

Time was very well utilised this trip. I only managed to leave the office at 7pm Vietnam time followed by dinner with the colleagues. Day 2 started at 7.30am. Woohoo!

My flight was at 7.50pm yday. My Vietnam colleagues were so worried that the road and airport would be crowded and arranged for me to leave the office at 3.30pm. The drive to the airport took about 1 hour and the taxi never once went faster than 40km/hr. Daddy Lim would be screaming if he had been driving. Lol.

The airport was surprisingly empty. The taxi driver told me that the Vietnameses were heading more for the domestic airport, which explained the jam and empty international airport.

It was a long wait at the airport and I so wanted to be on the flight asap; to be on the way home. The return flight was smoother than the departure flight. Again, I got to enjoy a movie and a nice and much needed dinner. I was hungry.

I arrived home at almost midnight. This morning, it was a mad rush to get the kids ready for school. I hoped I packed what they needed. Otherwise, too bad. Zaky didn't learn his spelling bcos he doesn't know where was the list. We got spelling done in 5 mins on the way to the school bus.

I am tired. Yawn.

Mummy Lim

CNY Chinatown

The last time we visited Chinatown during CNY was many years back. I think Lil Shauna was still in a stroller then. I remembered that the crowd was impossible and I slapped myself for having such a crazy idea.

Humans are forgetful; especially after 2 kids. The advertising is to blame too; I kept hearing about Chinatown everywhere I go. I was tempted and pyscho Daddy Lim to drive us there yday afternoon. We so happened to have 2 hours to burn after the kids' maths class and before meeting my brother's family for dinner.

It started to drizzle when we got into the car, what lousy timing. Zzzzzzzz. I was reminded of our Christmas Wonderland tragedy and was hoping that the rain would stop by the time we arrived.

No such luck but maybe others will stay away from Chinatown bcos of the rain?

Chinatown wasn't extremely crowded; it was just crowded, even with the rain
... what the.... It wasn't easy to shop especially with the rain and whiney kids who acted like it was acid rain and they would melt if the rain touches them.

The stalls were selling almost the same stuff too; there really weren't much to buy. I remembered that Chinatown was adding new concept stalls to attract the younger crowd and I was actually eager to see those. We did eventually find Nitrogen Pop and had to try those.

It was cheese ball snack "fried" in Nitrogen gas. A small cup cost $6 but it was a novelty that we have to try. Dragon breathe...

Was it tasty? It didn't taste like cheese balls. It didnt taste like anything at all, just extremely cold and I thought it burned my tongue and throat a little. The moment we popped the ball into our mouth, we were supposed to quickly chew it and blow smoke. The kids enjoyed the experience but not eating the balls. Me too. No wonder the balls were sold in a small cup; we found it hard to finish even when shared amongst the 4 of us. An irritating aftertaste lingered in the throat for a long, long time.

We left Chinatown in under an hour. How was the experience? It was less torturous than what I remembered years back but it wasn't enjoyable too. Maybe the rain was to blame, let us try again many years later.

Mummy Lim