Christmas is coming!

It's been more than a month since i last blogged.. And so much has happened!!

I've been to Bangkok and back, to Hong Kong and back, celebrated Bria's first birthday, celebrated one of my best friend's marriage, and Christmas is 3 days away! 

My baby is a big girl now, and she has 4 little teeth!  I am so delighted.. At the same time, so hoping for another baby soon to relive all the little baby moments now that Bria is growing up so fast!  I need to work harder.. ha ha..

It's been a really really crazy two months for me.  Year end is supposed to be rest and relax, but it seems to be super crazy for me.  So starting from this friday, I am going to go on leave until 2011 !!  Sounds like a long time, but actually it's only one week.

I'm going to spend time with my baby and my hubby during this one week.  K is also on leave, so i can't wait for Friday to come!! 

Looks like it's gonna be difficult for me to blog more often now.. thinking of starting a blog to sell baby clothes from Bangkok.  My recent trip to Bangkok had me shopping at MPK, and the branded baby clothes there are super cheap loh!!  But gotta think about the logistics and all...


Sigh, how i wish i can just sell baby clothes online for a living.  I would so love that.. just go to Bangkok once a month to shop for clothes to sell back in Singapore.. But the margins are not that good to replace my income loh.. gotta look for other ways.. = )

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Super long weekend!

I worked only 2 days this week.. Supposed to be a super long weekend, but so far, the past 2 days had been sucky.

Yesterday, i took Dad to the hospital for day surgery to remove his cataract.  Thought it would be a quick procedure, so i brought Bria and C along.  Ended up staying in the hospital for 8 freakin hours from 8am to 3pm.  Poor Bria also had her whole feeding and bathing schedule disrupted.  Don't know why the stupid hospital people asked us to reach at 8am when my dad could only go into surgery at 12pm!

By evening time yesterday, i fell sick with fever and flu.  Went to see the doctor this morning, and spent the most of today drifting in and out of sleep..  Just finished a telecon with my colleagues from Fairfax about an hour ago.  Still have a bit of flu now, so worried that i will spread to Bria.  And it's not helping that she keeps wanting me to carry her! = )

Hopefully will feel better tomorrow.  My mom in law wants to bring Bria to Pasir Ris Park tomorrow morning, and i really want to be there with my baby.  Last weekend, we had a free stay at Grand Copthorne Waterfront.  Bria had 2 days of swimming in the pool, and slept really well at night.  Lucky loh, else K and I will be sleep deprived, especially since we didn't bring C!  We will be bringing Bria to KL and Genting during the Hari Raya Haji long weekend.  It's gonna be 5 days without C.  Keeping my fingers crossed that Bria will be a good girl, else I will be really really exhausted!  Anyway, for now, i will just focus on enjoying my long weekend.. = )

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Bria's clothes for sale

12:02 AM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Every month, my in laws will rent a stall in Cairnhill CC for the monthly flea market.  And for the past 3 months, i have put up Bria's clothing for sale.  But i never sold a single item.  So last month, i decided to improve my "marketing" for Bria's clothes and attempted to decorate the display box in which i put Bria's clothes. I also hang some of her clothes onto little hangers.

Got teased by my relatives (who also set up stalls there) for my efforts.  They said it seems like i was selling Bria more then her clothes.. haha.. = )





In the end, i managed to at least sell a few beanies / hats.  My sister in law keep saying i am selling at too high a price for my clothes.. A lot of the other stores were selling Carter's rompers at $1-$2.  I was selling at $5.

I think it's just ridiculous to sell them at $1-$2.  So cheap!  I rather keep for next one, or give to Salvation Army.

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Daddy's back!

K is coming back from Shanghai tomorrow!

He's been gone for 5 days now, and i miss him terribly.. = (  For some strange reason, i keep dreaming about him these few days.  Never happened in the past when he travels.  Stupid haze has subsided a bit today, but i still didn't want to bring Bria outdoors, in case she falls sick.  So we stayed indoors today, and only went out to my grandma's place in the evening after my driving lesson.

I had a talkative instructor today.. But he's quite funny lah, kept making me laugh.  Good and bad, bad cause i wanted to concentrate on my driving.  Good cause he help to make me feel more relaxed.  Went on 4 test routes today, and had at least 5 "immediate failures".  Sigh.. i really must pass my driving the first time.  Don't want to waste money retaking.  I can do it!!  Tomorrow another lesson, at 430pm. I really hope K's 3pm flight will land earlier, otherwise i will be late for my driving lesson.  And i really want to go airport to pick him..

This weekend is kinda boring.  K not around, plus the haze, so never go out at all.  But i guess i got my wanted rest.  I have been complaining to K that every weekend is so packed with activities that we never seem to get enough rest before the work week starts again. 

Bria is sound asleep on my bed now.  And suddenly, i got nothing to do, so got time to blog.. She really fills up my life, this little baby!


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I Love Borders

K and I brought Bria to Orchard road yesterday.  K had to go to Tangs to do some inventory set up for his Moleskines, so I had about an hour to hang with Bria around that area.

I decided to bring her to Borders, and never regretted my choice.  There are SOOO MANY interesting children's books there!  And the bonus point is there are plenty of seats at Borders for browsing.  So I picked up a few baby books, sat down at the children's corner, and read them to Bria.  We could have sat there for hours given the hige variety of books there to keep Bria interested.  What I like most is that the books are all brand new, unlike those at the libraries.  I told K we should bring Bria to Borders more often from now on. = )

For dinner, we went to California Pizza Kitchen for the 1-for-1 birthday treat.  I fed Bria her porridge before starting on our pizza and pasta.  And Bria just sat there throughout my dinner, babbling and smiling to herself.  I didn't even give her any toys to play.  Such a good girl! = )

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Bria is 10 months!

11:08 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
My baby is a big girl now.  It's really amazing how time flies, it seemed like yesterday when she was still a tiny baby that I could cradle in my arms. sometimes in one arm.  Now it's not so easy to cradle her, much less in one arm!  She keep wriggling around, struggling to get out.

At 10 months, Bria has 2 little teeth, can crawl, can pull to stand, and say 3 words clearly and that makes sense: Da Da, Cat and Mama!  Mama being the most recent yesterday.  I was quite upset when she said "Da Da" first.. and then "Cat".

I am at a stage whereby I am finding it harder and harder to leave Bria at home every day.  Instead of her experiencing separation anxiety, I think I am the one suffering from this.  I just don't want to leave her and go to work!  In fact, I am thinking of quitting my job and find something that can allow me to spend more time with her.  Like teaching tuition.  K says if i can earn the same salary teaching tuition, he is fine with it.

Just sent out more resumes yesterday and today.  Actually, I would really like to be a corporate secretary, or admin assistant of some kind.  Miss my secretarial days at UOB.. = )  I think i will do well in this kind of jobs cause I am a very organized person.  Hopefully I can find something soon!

K is leaving for Shanghai tomorrow morning, and coming back on Sunday afternoon.  Which means I am going to spend the weekend without him = (

Plus, tomorrow I have this stupid farewell dinner to go to after work.  Which means i won't get to see Bria.  By the time i reach home, she would be sleeping already.  Actually, I have one more dinner tonight, but i rejected the invite.  I am not going to miss putting Bria to sleep 2 nights in a row! Tomorrow's dinner bo pian have to go, cause it's a farewell dinner for a colleague in my team.  I have been rejecting all these dinner invites, so thought this one i better go since she is from my team.  Although I really really don't feel like it!  Sigh..  I don't want to work!!


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11 Oct: Bye Bye Osaka!

Our last day in Osaka!  K and I checked out at 1030 this morning, and headed straight to the shops for some last minute purchases.  First up, we had breakfast at this fast food burger chain called "Freshness Burger".  Shouldn't they call themselves "Fresh Burger" instead? = )  Anyway, I had fish burger while K had teriyaki chicken burger.  Both were horrible and don't taste fresh at all.


After breakfast, I went straight to the "Loft" - a 7 storey home and living mall.  Bought quite a lot of stuff there.  Plenty of Disney pop up greeting cards, a set of mickey mouse ear phones, and a mickey mouse cup cover, among others.  Love them all!



We headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags around 12 noon, took a cab to the train station to change to the airport bus.  On the way to the airport, we saw this sexy white Lambo and I just had to take a picture.


This was the last picture I took of Osaka before we checked in, ate some lousy snacks at the lounge and boarded the plane for another 11 hours flight....

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10 Oct: Osaka castle

Today is Osaka castle day! K and I had another bowl of ramen for lunch.  When we went into the shop, there were only us and another couple.  But when we left, the whole restaurant was full house.  I didn't think the ramen was nice leh, average only.  But I love their tortoise shaped sauce containers!  So cute.



We started our journey to the castle after lunch, and was greeted at the entrance to the castle park with rows and rows of pretty flowers. = )


And a bunch of youngsters rolling around on a pair of wheels.  The interesting thing was, the wheels are separate, so it's kinda like a skateboard but without the whole piece of board in between.  Quite cool.



There's also this cartoon looking tram that brings people around the park without all the walking.  K and I decided to save the money and walk instead.


The weather that day was so hot that i started to develop rashes on my back.  Perspiration and wool sweaters doesn't work well for my delicate skin = (  Initially, i wanted to wear sleeveless, but was worried it might rain again like yesterday and the weather will turn cold at night.  So wore my wool sweater with hood.
Totally regretted my decision!

So i walked and scratched the whole way until we finally reached the castle.  There was some dance performance in front of the castle, so we stood there and watched for a while before heading right up to the magnificent castle.  I was half contemplating to buy the ticket to go into the castle, but decided against it for 2 reasons.. One, my back was itching like mad.  And two, K told me the castle was not the original one, and had been torn down and rebuilt 3 times already.  So i thought, forget it!  But it does look pretty from the outside though.



We headed back to the hotel after Osaka castle, so I could change out of my itchy sweater and take a shower.  My itch went away the minute i got into the air conditioned train station.  We had omelette rice and ice cream for lunch in the train station near our hotel, i bathed and changed, and then we headed out again for some street side shopping.  Bought a whole lot of stuff at the 100 yen shop, from Winnee the Pooh zip lock bags and laundry bags to Hello Kitty toothbrushes for the kids..

Along the way, we came across this really happening supermarket with a bright flashing signboard.  If only they knew what this means in Chinese!  = )


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9 Oct: A Rainy Day

12:34 AM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Its been raining the whole freakin day today.. Well, as the weather forecast predicted, its supposed to be thunderstorms today, so i guess showers are already a bonus.  

K and I went to Universal City Walk for the most part of the day.  Didnt go into Universal Studio though, but we ended up spending the whole day there shopping and eating., and watching people scream on the roller coasters.  We went to the Takoyaki museum, which is a total spam, cause its not a museum at all.  More like a food court with all the different (but same) Takoyaki stalls.  


I also bought more things for myself today.  Got this really cute Elmo handphone holder for myself and for S birthday present, and some handphone / keychain accessories.　K got himself a terminator and spider man handphone accessory, and got me the elmo and snoopy ones.  We also bought a nice pink snoopy winter scarf for Hannah..


 Also bought this really cool South Park picture montage sling bag.  Am using it now!  It has so many little compartments inside and on the sides, and i only paid US$20 for this.

 
K and I also had sushi, star bucks and this cheese fondue chicken burger set meal at Macdonalds. So interesting right.. But it didn't taste all that great...= )

 

And the highlight of the day was that we saw two of K's favourites today.  He went "Holy Fuck" when he saw them.. haha..


An entire train painted with Spiderman images
 
Life size figurines of the Star Wars gang
 
To end off the day, we had oknomiyaki and fried udon for dinner at this place with a super long queue.  We thought it must be very nice, but end up the food is so so only..


One more day in Osaka before heading home.. Time flies...

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8 Oct: Day 3 and Happy 29th Birthday to Me!

12:15 AM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Happy Birthday To ME!!  Cant believe this is my last birthday before i hit the big "3"!  I am getting old.. sigh..

K wished me Happy Birthday twice yesterday, once at midnight Japan time, and once at midnight Singapore time.. haha.. Then he hid my present behind my pillow.  It was a Baby Blues 2011 calendar.  He knows i love Baby Blues comic, and I was also looking for a 2011 calendar for my office desk.  So i love it!  But the best present he gave me was this trip to Osaka.   But then he forgot to get me a cake.. So we went out for a romantic stroll in the rain searching for a slice of cake and candles at the 24 hour convenience stores near our hotel.   The stores only sell those standard white candles - 24 in a box.  And ugly.  So in the end, i got myself a slice of those plastic wrapped chocolate cake, and K used his lighter to light up a flame for me to blow out.  By the time we reached the hotel, it was past midnight Japan time, so k said we will celebrate based on Singapore time.. haha..

Today was a whole day of shopping and eating.  I bought 2 pairs of shoes and some clothes for myself and baby from Gap.  Sometimes i really wished i was living in a place with winter.  The winter baby clothes are SOOOO adorable!!  I think i will go crazy shopping for winter baby clothes for Bria. 

 My new shoes..

My new H&M top..

K and I had another bowl of ramen (our 5th since we came) and more Takoyaki. Initially, K had planned for us to go for a river cruise, and then to the magnificent Osaka castle but it started to rain around dinner time.  So i guess we will go Osaka castle tomorrow. Eventually, we went to this shopping mall with a whole floor of dining on the 7th floor.  All the restaurants had great views of the city, but i couldn't find any to my liking.  Wanted to eat sushi, and there was this one sushi restaurant but without any view.  In addition, the stupid waiter wanted to sit us at the counter seats even though there were so many empty booth seats.  He said booth seats are for 3 people and above.  Rather leave it empty than have us.  Stupid! Eventually, K and I went to the basement supermarket, got some tonkatsu and more takoyaki, and went up to the 7th floor public viewing gallery to eat our dinner and enjoy the view.  Was just about to finish my meal when a security guard came and told us to stop eating.  Bummer..

I just went on Gmail to check my emails.  Got so many emails from Facebook, so decided to log into Facebook.  I got so many birthday wishes on my Facebook!  Those wishes really put a smile on my face. 

3 more days before flying back to Singapore!  Must really eat and shop all I can while I am here.  Although a large part of me missed baby. I called home during my ramen lunch today to talk to her, but she refused to utter a sound.  C told me she just keep smiling when she hear my voice over the phone.  If only i can do a video call with her and see her cute little face.  That would make a really nice birthday present. = )

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7 Oct: Day 2

One more day to my birthday!!  K and I had such a long long day yesterday that we overslept today.  We were supposed to wake up at 8am to go to Nara, but woke up at 10am instead.

We had our first Takoyaki (octopus balls) yesterday night at this little restaurant specializing in Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki (pancakes).  We got to make our own Takoyaki!  I thought that was soo cool.  It seems so easy, but when i tried to do it, i find it so challenging!  Not easy to make the mixture into little balls.. In the end i asked the waiter to help me.. haha..





Just came back to the hotel and using the hotel lobby laptop again to blog.  K and I went to so many places today.  First, we took a 45 min train ride to Nara and explored the different temples and shrines at the Nara Park.  We also got to see the famous deer of Nara.  Took so many photos of the deers roaming freely around the park.  There were also many kids and little babies chasing after the deers.  Bria would have loved it so much! 



After Nara, we headed back to Namba for more shopping and food.  Bought some clothes from H&M for myself, some very kawaii childrens socks for Bria and Hikaru, and a big and very pretty Mickey Mouse jewellery box for myself to put my earrings, hairbands and stuff.   Told K that this will be my birthday present..  = )


Then to end the day, we shared a delicious bowl of soy sauce ramen.  Overall, today has been quite an enjoyable experience.. = ) 

I will officially turn 29 tomorrow, dont know whether to be happy or sad.. haha.. One year older, one year wiser?  

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6 Oct: The Land Of The Rising Sun

11:20 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments

Greetings from Osaka!!  I just went on Facebook to announce to the whole world  that i am officially on vacation .. = )
Im actually typing this on a laptop at the hotel lobby.  There is no wireless internet here, so i cannot use my ipad.  I actually typed in this blog entry on my ipad at the Haneda airport while waiting to board the plane.   Had my first meal in Narita aiport - a terrible bowl of Tokyo ramen.  Total waste of my gastronomic juices.

K is sitting at the hotel lobby now, waiting for me to blog.  Got this survey from this company called "ＦｉｒｅｆｌｙＳｉｎｇａｐｏｒｅ", and they are gonna pay me $200 for blogging every day for the next 4 days for Phase 1, and then doing something for them on my Facebook for Phase 2.  Its gonna be a challenge, since i will be traveling around and there is no wireless internet here in the hotel.. But i will try my best.. 


So far the trip hasnt been too enjoyable.  After 12 hours of travelling on the plane, bus and subway, i just managed to check into the hotel.  Poor K had to lug the big luggage up and down stairs cause we could not find any elevators at the train station.. sigh..
 
Yesterday was a crazy day.. My big boss came and I sat through a host of presentations from 10am to 5pm. By the time my turn came to present, everyone was half asleep already. But I think my interesting and energetic presentation perked them all up..=) The downside was, I only started the days work at 5pm. So I was rushing like mad to finish my work before I go on leave.  By the time I reached home, it was already 7pm, and I missed my chance to feed Bria her dinner. So I brought her into my room and played with her, had my dinner, and then cleaned her up. I kept talking to her, telling her that daddy and mummy will be flying to japan, that she will be staying at grandma house for the next 5 days, and that she must be a good girl. It was only after I cleaned her that I started getting ready.  And that too became a mad rush. I ended up forgetting to bring my hat, sunglasses and swimming costume. Sigh..

Anyway, Bria slept in the car on the way to the airport. She held my hand while she slept. And the more I look at this sleepyhead, the more I fall in love with her... When we arrived at changi airport, I whispered into her ear and told her that I am leaving. And she tightened her grip around my fingers. It's as if she know mummy is leaving.  So sweet!  It's been more than 10 hours since we left Singapore, and we still haven't reach our destination. And I miss my baby so much!

I love Japan. To me every time I come here, I will always see or experience something fascinating. Their food, their customer service, their creativity and sophisticated technology. I saw a guy tap his hand phone on the boarding gate machine. How cool is that! I also caught a glimpse of the yellow Pokemon aircraft that ANA bought.. So cute.
  


And the toilet! The little buttons to warm the toilet seat, to activate flushing sound etc. Now they even install an LCD screen in each toilet stall for advertisements! Plus they have baby chairs installed so babies can sit which their mummies do their thing in the toilet. How thoughtful! I wish Singapore toilets had these too.


But the whole lugging of luggage up and down stairs because there are no elevators?? Totally uncool.
K just googled to search for the best ramen near our hotel.  Cant wait to go up to my room, freshen up and go shopping and eating!!  Its been a full 30 minutes on this laptop now.  So Tata for now! 

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Bria is 10 months old!

1:06 AM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Bria turns 10 months today!! And my mom 56. = )

I took one extra day leave today, cause i knew i would be dead beat after touching down at 1140pm last night at the airport.

There is so much to blog about on my 5 day Osaka trip. I did actually blog a bit while I was there, just didn't post it yet. Will do so over the next few days!

Anyway, I took Bria to Tampines for lunch with my parents to kinda celebrate my mom's birthday. We had Jack's Place, and went grocery shopping after that. Most of the groceries were for Bria. = )

Then I left C and Bria at Eunos MRT where K picked them up, before I headed to M1 at Change Alley to settle my handphone bill. Stupid M1 cancelled the outgoing calls and SMSes for K and my lines because we didn't pay our bills in full.. Sigh. K made a mistake during his 3 week reservice, and called me everyday using this *138 service by M1. We ended up getting a $1600 handphone bill. Sigh..

After the bill payment, i went for my long overdue pedicure. I had planned to do my toenails before i leave for Osaka. Sort of like my birthday treat. But my pedicurist went back to Malaysia. I went for the full pedicure with dead skin removal and scrub. My first time doing a full pedicure, and it was a wonderful experience! But i think my pedicurist was horrified at the massive amount of tiny dead skin bits raining down from my feet onto her towel.. haha.

Nonetheless, she did a great job. I love my toenails now!! They are so pretty i have this sudden urge to buy a new pair of open toe heels so i can show them off!

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Counting down!

One more week to my birthday!!

And 5 more days before K and I fly to Osaka to celebrate...  can't wait to go shopping and eat all the ramen and octopus balls!

Really hope the weather will be nice to us when we are there.  And I won't miss Bria too much.. = )

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My first F1

12:12 AM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
K and I went for ou first F1 race last Sunday.   It was quite an exciting experience.  We had Padang grand stand tickets, so we had a good view of the race track stretching for about 300 meters.

At first, K and I didn't want to buy the ear plugs.  We thought it wasn't gonna be that bad.  When i sat down, the guy next to me looked at me and asked: "Aren't you gonna wear earplugs?"  And when i said no, he smiled and told me it's gonna be REALLY REALLY loud.  Then the race started.  After the first few cars zoomed past us, K and I looked at each other, and we decided to go buy our ears some plugs.  It was SUPER DUPER loud loh!

So we left our seats, purchased $2 ear plugs, and then went back to enjoy the rest of the 61 laps.  I had thought it will be very boring, like waiting for the cars to zoom past, and then wait again.  But it wasn't like that at all.  The wait was only for a few seconds before another car comes zooming past.  Plus, i guess the fact that i was supporting Lewis Hamilton (because he is sponsored by Mobil 1) made it more exciting for me.   My heart sank when he got banged and went out of the race!  Sigh.. 

Tried to take some photos with my handphone camera.  I was amazed that i managed to capture some of the race cars.  They were so fast!  It helped also that there were a few accidents during the race, so that the safety car had to come out, and the race had to slow down.  It's quite funny how all the cameras suddenly came out when the safety car drove past us.  If not for the safety car, i think it would be quite impossible for me to take the photo below!


After the race ended with Ferrari's Fernando as the champion, K and I moved out to the main stage to wait for Mariah Carey.  I was shocked when she finally came on stage after being 30 minutes late, diva-style.   She is SOOO fat !!  K thought Oprah was in the house. = )  

Not only that, she was such a lousy performer.  If that had been her concert, i will definitely ask for a full refund.  She sang half heartedly, went off pitch couple of times, and kept complaining that the weather is hot lah, her shoes are killing her lah.  She even asked the audience if she could sit down on a sofa and drink some water during her first song! And after singing 2 songs, she left to take a rest and got some calefare dancers to perform on stage. K and I left before she could finish.  Very disappointing.  Don't know what the hell happened to her..

Overall, it was a wonderful night for K and I, with the exception of Mariah.   I wouldn't mind doing this again.  Maybe not every year lah.. once every 2 years would be nice..  K don't share the same feeling unfortunately.  He said he would prefer to watch it at home, or at a nearby restaurant where there's air con, and he can still hear the sweet engine sound..  So ironic, i thought him being the male would enjoy this more than me! = )

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Finally hitched!

EK and S is finally married!  Actually, they registered their marriage one year ago, while K and I were in New Zealand, but they finally held their wedding banquet 2 weekends ago.

I am SOOO happy for the two of them.. We've been hanging out for the last 6 years now, and have gone through a lot of stuff together..  S share the same english name as me, they are both our regular mahjong khakis, house party khakis, and not forgetting traveling companions.  K and I have been to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Perth and New Zealand with the two of them.  In fact, K and I are the ones who persuaded them both to quit their jobs to go New Zealand and do what we did!  Their relationship definitely grew a lot during this period, and I am proud to be part of their lives.. = )


The wedding was a unique outdoor event at The Legends.  I love the whole decor.  So nice!  Food was so so though.  The bride and groom sang a duet for their second march in.  How apt given that they are both karaoke lovers! 

Me, June and the gorgeous bride

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Happy 123 months!

11:48 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Our 123rd month-niversary fell on Mid Autumn festival.  K and I celebrated over moon cakes and chinese tea at his Grandma's place with his aunties and cousins, and Bria of course.

Few days after that, during the weekend, we brought Bria to Marina Barrage together with my grandma, my sis and my uncle's family.  It had rained heavily that day, but the rain stopped just an hour before we were scheduled to leave.  The whole family had loads of fun although there was no wind and our kites couldn't fly. 

My grandma had a chance to get off her wheelchair and stand up to lean against the railing and enjoy the scenery of the sea.  We also let her wear a pair of sunglasses to avoid the sun glare.  She look so hip! = )
The kids also went wild splashing around in the fountain area, and I joined in the fun with Bria too.  I think this whole fountain area is a wonderful idea.  It's good clean fun for the family!  And not as lame as the fountain in front of Bugis Junction.  Part of me wished Bria was much older so she can too splash  and run around with her cousins.  Then again, kids grow so fast that the next thing i know, i will be wishing she is still a baby!













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3 mums and their babies..

11:35 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
It's been 15 days since i last blogged.. A lot has happened.. Bria is growing taller and taller everyday now.  She has 2 little teeth at the bottom, and has already learnt how to stand up by holding on to her cot and other furniture around the house.  She also knows how to wave bye bye now when prompted.  Plus, she is babbling a lot more these days... My baby is soooo cute!

Two Sundays ago, I brought Bria for breakfast at King Albert Park's MacDonald's.  Met up with Carol and Shanice, both my colleagues' wives, and their babies.  It was the first time i met Shanice's baby girl Lea.  Lea and Bria are 1 week apart, so it was kinda inevitable that we started comparing when we met.  In fact, I had to keep telling myself to restrain from comparing, and try not to be too affected if i don't like the results of the comparison.  In addition, I was quite freaked out at the whole idea of going out with baby alone with no C and K.  Was so worried that Bria will kick up a fuss and then i cannot handle her in public.  Luckily for me, Bria was such a good girl.. She sat in the baby chair the whole time while I ate through my Big Breakfast.  

When i saw Lea, I was also quite relieved.  Although Lea felt heavier than Bria when i carried her, they looked about the same size.  So at least my baby isn't too small!  Plus, Bria has much more hair, and looks much happier.  One thing Bria didn't have though was Lea's double eyelids. = (  

Despite that, i still think my baby is prettier.  Even though there were 2 baby girls there, Carol's 2 year old son keep wanting to hold Bria's hand! So cute.

Bria is so clever.  When Shanice wanted to feed her some baby rice crackers, she didn't open her mouth, just kept staring at her.  But when i wanted to feed her, she opened her mouth immediately.  Shanice said Bria is smart enough to understand not to take food from strangers.. haha..

Although it was quite messy, it was quite a fun experience, 3 mums and our babies... don't mind doing it again, perhaps this time with our husbands!

Bria and Carol's 2 year old son Travis
 
                                                        3 mummies and their babies

                                                         2 babies and a toddler

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K comes back

K is finally coming back tonight.  It's been 2 whole weeks since he left for his reservist.  Come to think of it, this seems to be the longest period we have been apart.  

Part of me missed him a lot and is glad that he is finally back.. But there is also a small part of me that kinda enjoyed the days when he's not around.  Mainly because the house is very neat and tidy when he is not around.. haha.. = )  I think part of K also wouldn't mind not hearing my constant nagging for 2 whole weeks!

I plan to bring Bria to the PD tomorrow for her 9 months check up..  I am very sure that she is underweight or at least too small for her age.  She's a lanky girl, but not chubby enough.  I wonder what i must feed her to make her grow fatter!  Sigh...
Yesterday evening, my in laws came over for dinner.  My mom had bought some salmon fish and asked C to cook salmon fried rice for dinner.  It was delicious.  And Bria loved the salmon bits.. Bria also did her first "bye bye" yesterday.  Previously, she would wave her hands for no reason, but yesterday, she waved her hands when we said bye bye to her.  I tried it again today, and she did it again..  So clever my baby! = )

My colleague told me yesterday that she is also going to Osaka.  Apparently, SQ has a air fare promotion at SGD788 nett per person including taxes.. I am soooo pissed!!  and SQ flies direct to Osaka some more!  Sigh.. the ANA flight that we booked is not direct flight loh, must transit in Tokyo and more expensive than SQ.. stupid.. Hai.. actually, now i am not so excited about my birthday trip anymore.. I would actually prefer to spend my birthday in Singapore with Bria.. oh well, too late..

Work has been boring recently.. I am very occupied everyday, and there are tonnes of things that i need to do .. but i just don't have the mood to do it.. I am so tempted to switch jobs again..  I've reached the point where I no longer look forward to going to work everyday.  In fact, i dread going to work.  I lunch alone almost everyday, cause i can't find a khaki that I can be myself with, and my work isn't going too smoothly because of some idiots who are the type that goes by the rule book and loves making things difficult for me.  When I was working at the airport, I was actually excited to go to the office everyday.  How I wish i can find back that drive.. And i miss my previous assignment, when my boss is so far away, and i get to travel so often. = (  Now, i only look forward to going home and weekends...

On my way home today, i met a stupid Caucasian man in the crowded MRT train.  I was approaching Eunos station, and he was standing in front of me.  I said "excuse me" but he didn't hear cause he had earphones on.  So i tapped his shoulder.  And he said very loudly: "I'm also getting off, but there's no where you can go".  This was not the first time i hear this.  If i had more time, i would have shown him how to squeeze through the crowd, and "go somewhere", rather than waiting for the train doors to open before starting to move out, and risk NOT getting out in time.  The irritating thing was, his rebuttal implied that he can only move when the train doors open, but he himself started to move towards the door even before we reached the station.   So much for "there's no where he can go"! What an asshole.

K called just now and told me he's not feeling too well.  Bummer.. And i am on leave tomorrow.  Thought we could spend some time together with Bria.  We also had a little crossfire when i told him that Bria will be sleeping in our bedroom tonight.  He must have thought it was a temporary arrangement while he is away.  But i intend to make it permanent.  Because Bria can only sleep well in air conditioned rooms, and if i was going to pay for my air con bills, might as well enjoy it in my bedroom. Rather than let C enjoy it with Bria in the baby's room.  I think K wants some privacy with me when he comes back.. But he's coming back at 3am!  I will be snoring like a pig by then! Don't know why he is so unhappy.  It's not like I am sleeping with another man!  Hai....

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Happy Hari Raya!

It's the long weekend, FINALLY!  And Bria, C and I had a very exciting day today.  In the morning, my in laws came to pick us up to go to Marina Mandarin Hotel where my mom in law had booked a free stay in one of the rooms.  After hanging around in the room for about an hour or so, C and I pushed Bria in her pram to meet my family at Shaw House for tim sum lunch.  We got lost along the way, cause of the stupid fencing that had been erected for the upcoming F1 race.  It's actually a very short distance from the hotel to Shaw House, but because of the stupid fencing, we couldn't cross the traffic lights, and had to walk one big round via the underpass.  And for some reason, I couldn't find a single Singaporean along the way to ask for directions to Shaw House.  Everywhere I went, i see either Banglahs, China men, Thai or Filipinos.  Sigh.. C and I had to carry Bria and her super heavy pram up and down stairs and escalators before we finally reached the restaurant!

My dad, mom, sis, bro in law and my two nieces were all at the restaurant.  By the time we reached, Bria had fallen asleep, exhausted from all the pram pushing..  It's been a long long time my whole family gathered together for a meal outside.  Too bad K wasn't there, otherwise it would have been "full attendance".. = )
After a sumptuous meal, we walked over to Suntec and Marina Square to do some shopping.  It was raining by the time we stepped out of the restaurant, and that's when the chaos started.  Between us, we had 1 wheelchair and 2 prams.  So we were like holding umbrellas and pushing the 3 "cars" in the rain.  So funny.. 

After about 2 hours, my mom in law called and asked me where I was.  I think she got bored idling in the hotel without Bria.  In the end, she met up with me and my family at this baby clothes store, where my mom bought Bria a pair of pink floral shoes.  Then we parted ways, with me following my mom in law back to the hotel.

K's 2 aunties came shortly after, and the whole gang went to the pool for a swim and gym to exercise.  My mom in law brought Bria swimming with her new float, despite a slight drizzle.  I hope Bria won't fall sick tomorrow!


After swimming, we hung around the room for a bit before walking over to Suntec to meet my family again for dinner at Soup restaurant.  Again, Bria fell asleep from all the pram pushing.  After dinner, the whole family went to see the Kois at the Koi Garden, and some hamsters and rabbits at the pet shop, before heading home.  I think my dad is super happy today, cause all his grandchildren is out shopping with him.  Well, I must say it's really nice.   We should do this more often.. = )

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Prezzies from Hubby!

10:14 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
Last week, i got another another small carton box from vPost.  More presents from K.  This time, it's the 3 Skagen watches i chose from vPost USA.  So now, I got 3 watches to match my 3 new bags! = )



I think K intentionally arranged for the bags and watches to arrive when he is away.  So while I have Bria with me and presents to receive, poor K is suffering in camp.

Yesterday, I spoke to K.  He told me he had to squeeze inside a truck with 20 other men, and sleep together.  What's worse than that is they had to sleep sitting in the truck.  Plus he injured his shoulder blade.  And the highly preserved food makes him want to puke. My poor hubby!  

5 more days to go before K comes home.. i am counting down!

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What a mess

It's been a week since K went for his reservice in Thailand.  Feels like a year to me..

These few days have been a mess.. Bria fell from my bed twice.  Once she landed on her hands and feet.  She was sleeping on my bed, so i left her in the room as usual and went to do my things.. Next thing i know, i heard a thud and her cries.  My heart jumped out when i saw her on the floor and crying.  I quickly carried her up and rocked her gently to soothe her, and she fell asleep within 2 minutes.  The second time was not as good. She was playing on my bed, executing her new found skill of going from crawling to sitting up again and again.  I turned around for one second to take something from my bedside drawer.   Next thing i knew, i saw her roll over the edge of my bed with the bolster, and she landed on the floor HEAD FIRST.  I can never erase the look on her face from my mind.  It was so sooooo heart breaking.  Her eyes was tight shut from pain and fright and her mouth open as if she was screaming but no sound came out.  That lasted for a few seconds before the crying was heard. And it didn't stop even after i carried her and rocked her.  I cried with her, and kept apologizing to her for not taking good care of her.  Now i really can understand the meaning of "heart broken"!

Then yesterday, i spoke to C about some complaints i heard from my mom in law about her watching TV and not taking care of Bria 100%.  She started to cry.  This girl really cannot receive negative feedback, everytime like that!  Sigh.. really wish K is here with me.  These few days is like a big mess for me.  I have been so busy preparing for this 2 day training course at SAFRA, and today was the start of the training.  And it was a mess as well.  Let's just say that SAFRA did not do a good job preparing my room and the set up, and the trainer was terrible at connecting with the audience.  Sigh...  There is another session tomorrow, but the attendance is terrible.  Only 10 people when i had planned for 30.. even the food is too late to cancel now..

And as if it's not bad enough, i am developing a severe cold sore on my lips. Both ends of my lips are swollen and cracking like hell.  Even eating is a chore, cause i can't open my mouth too wide without feeling pain.
I am SOOO bloody glad that this week is a short week, and i have the long weekend to rest and relax with my baby!


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I hate SAF

While packing for K's trip last week, I came across 3 packs of unbranded condoms.  When questioned, K told me it was standard issue by the SAF to all the men.  Now why the hell would they need condoms if they are supposed to be on re-service and doing training in the jungle etc?

K said it's mainly for the 1 day R&R that they will have.  And that it was the SAF's way to "protect" their men cause it's like their responsibility.

I have absolutely NO doubt that K will not use the condoms, but I am just uncomfortable that there is this practice going on with the SAF.  To me, these are all grown up men.  If they really want to have sex with strangers in a foreign land, can't they buy their own bloody condoms?  Still must babysit them and issue condoms to them? Won't that be a form of "encouragement" instead? Plus, they issue the condoms to ALL men.  Why can't they issue only to single men and not to the married men?  I am sure they have the full bio data of each and every Singaporean man in the army to categorize them as married or single.  Anyway, i just don't think the SAF is sending the right messages by issuing condoms to married men as well.  

I hate the SAF.  First they issue condoms to my husband.  Then they take him away from me and my baby for 2 weeks.  Arggghhh..

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Absence makes the heart gow fonder

11:05 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
K left for his 2 week re-service last night.  His first call up and he's being sent to Thailand.  For 2 freakin weeks!  I miss him already..  Can't believe he's not going to be with me and Bria for  2 weekends, including the Hari Raya public holiday long weekend.  I hate SAF.

I took leave yesterday to spend time with K, but we both ended up busying ourselves with our work.  And booking our flight tickets to Osaka for my birthday.  We went to the NATAS fair last weekend, but couldn't find any decent deals.  Wanted to book a trip to Europe, but either the dates were not suitable, or the itinerary always seem to include Rome and Paris, both of which I've been to so didn't want to go again.  So in the end, we left empty handed and decided to book ourselves instead of going through the travel agencies.  So it's gonna be Japan for my birthday, and either USA or Europe for our year end trip.  I am doing research on Osaka now, can't seem to find much exciting things to do there leh.. compared to Tokyo.  Probably should have chosen Tokyo.. sigh..

Bria slept with me last night after K flew off.. She slept much sounder than in her own cot.  Slept at 9pm and woke up only at 6am. Will try again tonight to see if it's the same.  Hopefully, after 2 weeks of sleeping with me, she will be well trained to sleep through the night!

Poor baby and mummy, won't see daddy for 15 days.. sob sob... = (

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Prezzies from hubby!

10:55 PM by Adeline Woo 0 comments
A big carton box addressed to K arrived today.  At first, I thought it was some of K's Moleskine notebooks coming from his office in Hong Kong.  On closer inspection, i noticed that the box wasn't from FEDEX, but from vpost.   I knew K bought a bag for me from vpost USA, so i opened the box.  I was expecting one bag, but I got 3!!  One work bag, one casual bag and one baby bag... I was so happy I woke C up to share my joy with her. = )


I think K must have felt guilty so he bought me 3 bags.  Few weeks ago, we had a tiff that had me in tears.  On hindsight, it was kind of stupid.  Anyway, to summarize, I was upset that he was spending so much money on his other wife i.e. the MX5.  Whilst I had to wait so long for him to buy me a bag.  
You see, I had been asking for a bag for the longest time, as my "reward" for going through labor and boring him a baby.  One of my friends' husband bought her a really expensive watch when she gave birth to their son.  Her husband said it was a gift to her for giving him a baby.  I know I shouldn't compare with other people so much, but I can't help it.  Plus it's so sweet I want my own husband to do it!  But K didn't buy me any big gift despite the many hints i dropped about wanting a new bag / watch.  He did ask me to go to vpost and choose the bag I wanted.  Which i did.  But he never followed up after that, so I was quite pissed that he wasn't sincere about it at all.  I might as well just use my own credit card and pay for the damn bag.  

I can't remember what triggered the quarreling, but I just broke down halfway cause I felt so hurt that he never bother to make the effort to go and find / buy me something for the past 8 months since Bria was born.  But when it comes to spending money on his car, he is so enthusiastic about it.  K kept apologizing and went online immediately to shop for my bag, but I kept telling him it's too late already, that there is no meaning even if he get me a gift now.  The present was supposed to be given when Bria was born, not 8 months after!  To me, if i have to go through all this trouble just for him to buy me a gift, then it's kinda pointless already right?!

Anyway, about a week after that, we went shopping at Orchard, and i bought 2 cheap (about $30) but nice handbags.  And now i have 3 more new bags.  I think i got too many bags now.. haha..  = )

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K's Birthday

Last Tuesday was K's 29th birthday.  For some reason, K didn't really want to celebrate this year.  He seemed quite depressed that he's getting older but haven't really achieved much in life.  Sigh..

So this year, we kept it simple.  On sunday night, the usual gang gathered for dinner at Tian Tian chicken rice in Joo Chiat.  Everone was quite surprised at this arrangement cause we usually would go to a nice restaurant or buffet place to celebrate, and there will usually be a cake.

I took 2 days leave on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, I took Bria and C shopping for K's present.  My plan was to buy K a watch, an ipad and a crumpler bag to put the ipad in.  K has been targeting all 3items for some time already, but refused to buy them.  The plan was to go to Funan and get the ipad cause there were quite a number of retailers carrying it.  But alas, i spent nearly 2 hours in Funan looking for the ipad, cause all the stores were sold out!  Eventually, i resorted to sitting at Macdonald's for half an hour and calling all the retailers in the north, central and east of Singapore.  But all were sold out.  Except for one reseller in Lucky Plaza. But that stupid reseller is selling at $250 more.  The problem was, I was running out of time.  So the next thing i knew, i was on a cab to Lucky Plaza.  It was raining heavily at that time, and C and I had to wrap Bria with her spare clothes to avoid the rain cause there was no shelter between Funan and the taxi stand.  Plus, there were no cabs cause it was like 5 minutes to the peak surcharge timing. 

When we finally alighted at the Lucky Plaza taxi stand, it was almost 530pm.  I went to the reseller shop, paid for the ipad in cash, and headed to wheelock place next to buy the crumpler bag.  The people at the crumpler shop were all so friendly and played with Bria while I settled the payment.

We took the train home after that, me all exhausted from the day's work.  I hid all the presents underneath C's bed.  At midnight, I played hide and seek with K and asked him to go and find his present, which i had hidden in his wardrobe. I think this year's birthday present is one of the best I have given to him.. haha.. he was so happy.. = )

The next day, which was K's birthday, we spent the whole day in town shopping, and also for K to replenish his Moleskine notebooks at his customers' shops. We had Japanese buffet for lunch at Heeren, shopped around a bit, before heading off to Bukit Timah to collect his birthday cake.  This year, I bought a customized birthday cake for K from my boss's sister, who is into baking.  It was a one of a kind Almond Earl Grey tea cake.  Basically, i told the lady that K likes almonds and nuts.  She suggested almond green tea and almond cheesecake.  But K didn't really like cheesecake, and he preferred earl grey to any other tea.  So viola, we had a winner - earl grey almond cake.  So special right??  And he loved it!

We had dinner at home while watching "Love", and then had our cosy little birthday celebration as a family with the cake and candles.  I think Bria enjoyed her first birthday celebration with Daddy too!

Our lunch place

The resemblance after a heavy buffet lunch

K's new toy


The crumpler bag

The one of a kind birthday cake




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