Model of the Year 2006 !

Guess it's an inborn gene for girl to be vain. See the two girls really pose and give their best smile for my camera.

Up Close and Personal with Barney !

Last sunday we brought the girls to IMM for an Up Close and Personal with Barney! We arrived on time but the stage area was already crowded and barricade were up. We should have anticipated the crowd but anyway we get to see barney in person from a distance.

The girls didnt not display great excitment when they saw Barney and friends. Neither did they sing or dance along with the familiar song they enjoyed watching everyday. Look like they are the quiet-shy type or maybe they have not develope their personality yet... we shall wait and see... 女大十八变... who knows... but still I perfer girls to be demure but talented.











I think the girls had enjoyed the show very much, albeit quietly.


















Finally they responded... it was the end of the 15 mins show and they waved bye bye...

Young Masseur

So you must be thinking how good job can a toddler do?

Dont play! play!

GSS Prelude (cont)

Bought this 3D art & craft booklet for the children at Popular... very simple yet colourful and best is, cheap! $2.90 for 18 pieces of artwork. No mess. Just tear along perforation, glued as instructed and you made beautiful mask, wind mill, animals, spectacle, greeting card...

GSS Prelude

Yes ! The annual Great Singapore Sale is here again! But before the actual sale starts, my wallet has already burnt a big hole...

I am so excited to find our Plaza newly revamped Popular bookshop is selling Eric Carle book, though cant find the title " The Very Hungry Caterpillar ", I bought the other interesting one. Eric's book has not many words but has very distintive style of illustration, very innovative, inspiring and motivated... I am overwhelmed that my impulse is urging me to owe his complete collection.

夜半孤魂

4am
Waken up by Clarabelle's cry... Clara was having a block nose, again... she's very frustrated as cannot breathe...mummy rubbed some vick on her chest and nose, though not advisable on nose.

4.15am
Clara very disturbed by her blocked nose... climbed up and squeezed beside mummy... mummy patted her to sleep...

4.30am
Mummy cant sleep... mind wandering... thinking, if clara fall sick again, shd bring her to the PD or GP?... hven got a bookshelf for them... the hse not very organised... shd i raise to my boss about the dept transfer... shd i stay or go?...how can i slim down?... Oh...stomach cramp... (dinner had mee pok with alots of vinger and fruit had pineapple)

5am
Came back from the loo. Must catch some sleep before dawn... today work will be very busy... Clara had occupied my space...no choice but to sleep horizontal... mind still wandering...

5.15am
dont wander already! must sleep! come on, switch off !
Suddenly something hard hit on mummy's chic bone! Arrh.... Clara's big head...

5.30am
trying to sleep but cocoon is... Snorring... cannot sleep... stretch out right hand.... cant reach... stretch out left hand... reached the cocoon... cocoon wiggle abit... silent at last... better sleep before cocoon starts snorring again...

6am
Snorring... from cocoon (* *)

6.15am
(* * ) Snorring...from baby cocoon

6.30am
Snorring orchestral...(* * )

7am
ti ti ti ti... ti ti ti ti...

7.15am
Hubby : " eh wake up! Today I got meeting! "

8.30am
(@ @) pandan bear

Alternative Resources

One afternoon, I was laying on the bed, mind wandering... far far away...

Then an echoing from the living room... " Mummy ! Mummy .... yes " 雷电不及掩耳 the two girls dashed into my room and jumped onto me before I can... DONT ! 20kg ! ouch... -_-"

The girls are bursting with with energy.... but mummy always so restless.... what to do.... age is catching up.... not comparable to the youthful kiddy.... *sign* .... how I wish now someone can massage my aching head, shoulder, back, leg... body

wtpg : " mummy ! mummy! "
me : " Yes, my dear... ok but later... mummy is tire, want to rest. "
wtpg : " mummy... tire..."
me : " Yes, mummy is tire, would you both like to rest also? Who wants to sleep beside mummy?"

OOps ! wrong move! The two girls start squeezing beside me and....

wtpg : " mummy... mummy... No!... qijing! No! weiwei..."
me : " Ok girls! Who wants to massage for mummy? "

Hehee... I'm now enjoying... OOh... Ah-rh... Mmm-h... SIOHK !

2nd Hair Cut

Finally the girls' frindge are long till unmanagable, keep poking the eyes... So that day I gave them a snap snap... and when the girls stood infront of the mirror, their faces turn shy and said - Pretty Pretty !

Sleeping Beauty...

Green Bean Day

I always love greenery in the house but grooming plants in our house is never successful. Most probably due to our house ambient condition, still air, no proper sunlight and humid, I think even the most easy propagate plant will die. But check out this geen bean plant... they are flourishing and it took 3 days only!

Looks like I can get a trench and start planting geen bean at the window sill. Hee *grining*

Pay Attention ... Mummy !

Below is an extract from an article " Ten ways to build up your two year old child's self-esteem " in Babycenter .

Pay attention. Carve out time to give your child your undivided attention. That
does wonders for your child's self-worth because it sends the message that you
think she's important and valuable. It doesn't have to take a lot of time; it
just means taking a moment to stop flicking through the mail if she's trying to
talk with you or turning off the TV long enough to answer a question. Make eye
contact, so it's clear that you're really listening to what she's saying. When
you're strapped for time, let your child know it without ignoring her needs.
Say, "Tell me all about the picture you drew, and then when you're finished,
I'll need to make our dinner."

Lately I realised that my girls are always trying to catch our attention, or should I say as they grow older their attention from us grew more also? Anyway I dont mind, in fact, I love the feeling of being needed, my love for them are unconditioned.

With me around, the girls are always calling for me. Mummy see... mummy ball... mummy butterfly... mummy milk (they are drinking milk)... mummy bear drink milk (their mattress cover has a bear holding milk bottle) etc, whatever whenever they see or inspired, they will go mummy mummy, so fond of "informing" me what's happening. Sometime if I didnt respond imediate or unattentive to their calling, they will go mummy mummy with a higher pitch and even use their hand to sieze my head towards them and eye looking deep into your eye, calling mummy mummy... how can anyone resist such innocent look ? They are really a good attention catcher... dono if this work for me on their daddy ??! Hahaha :D

Another Challenge...

华文... Yes my another big challenge, how to teach the girls chinese, to be exact, chinese culture.

I am a oriental person, brought up in an mandarin speaking family. Spore has an unique culture, not only multi racial but the chinese also have an rich mixture of dialect groups. From the big Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, to small Hainanese, then sparse hokcha and fuchou... My dad is Pure Hainanese and mum is Pure Teochew and when they cross dialect and gotta married and had children, I became a Hainanese-Teochew and my hubby was Hokkien-Cantonese and then we gotta married and had children, Abella & Clarabelle become Hokkien-Cantonese-Hainanese-Teochew!

Wow!!! The best is, I cant converse in most dialect except bits & pieces of Hainanese and Teochew and only within family. Though my mum always speaks Teochew to me but I always reply in mandarin... After 30 over years of nuturing... very sad, I still dont acquired. Too bad, I am not a language person but I love mandarin, I love chinese character, every different strokes combination create a beautiful word. I can read but cant write, I can understand but cant express... Anyway I am determine to instil the rich & beautiful culture of chinese to the girls. However is not easy to find children friendly chinese book. There english book for children are more tone down to childish, children are attracted. But the chinese one are dull, bored, tough... I am really struck where to kick off : (

3 syllable Words

It's an excitment to see the childrens progress...

Part 1.
They used to say.... and Now
but-ti.... Mummy see but-ter-fly
car.... Mummy bi-cy-cle, mo-tor-cy-cle
nana.... Mummy Ba-na-na

Part 2.
Clarabelle was pointing at the floor mosiac, " Mummy square..." (Oh, yes... where is the triangle?) " Tri-an-gle where? " (looking for one) " There! Tri-an-gle! " (Mummy's mouth wide opened)

Part 3.
Children bringing the doodle board to me, " Mummy draw... " ( I drew a heart shape) " Heart... heart... " (abe & clara chanting, mummy astonished) " Yes, it's a heart shape ! " " heart shape... heart shape... " ( abe & clara chanting)

.... mummy is so happy (watery eyes)

Mother's Day Thoughts

Though Mother's Day has passed... but I have some thoughts... to pen down...

Prior that, I did contemplate to write something and wishing for all the mommies Happy Mother's Day as mother really deserved this day but, work caught me up... and didnt bother also after the weekend, since Mother's day is still not very memorable for me as my two girls are still "naive" about it.

Though this is my 2nd mother's day, still I havent felt this is my day, like my birthday or Valentine's Day. However my mother was quite enthusiastic. I am not bother whether I will receive flowers but when I gave her three stalks of carnation, she asked : “ 那你呢？”, I replied : “ 我不用啦！” she then asked : “ 你有礼物吗？” I think hard and Yes, I do have...

On that saturday my hubby came telling me : " Tomorrow is Mother's Day, I haven get you pressie, I thought of giving you "angbao" but since you are buying the WMF cooking set, I'll pay for it. Hee... or you want "angbao"? $10 dollar? "

Of course I am taking the cooking set! Now sale... 7-pc for $127... and WMF is a good brand. Im gona overhaul those Teflon cooking set at home, after hearing so much of Teflon adverse effect on health. Stainless steel is still better... Anyway this is an surprise, I am not expecting pressie from the hubby.

When we were choosing carnation for our mother, my hubby asked : " You want one for yourself too? " and I answered : " NO ! I dont like carnation."
Hubby: " Oh, there are some rosy overthere but not very fresh."
I was thinking it will be nice that he can just pick one and present to me later : " Dear, this is for you..." but he didnt...

I am not expecting big or expensive, just a little thought, some sincere... am I too high expectation ??? Im not really excited about the surprise... after all this "years"... I felt that everything is so practical... so unromatic... I ever asked the hubby, can he make some effort like what he did during courtship, his answer : " Lazy lah "

My "Anne Geddes" babies

I love the way Anne Geddes does those babies photograph.
That day, at my mum place, they girls were dragging out the pails and sitting in it and I captured this, my very own " anne geddes " babies ... : )

We are Two !

We are 2, next year 3, followed by 4, then 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.... and many many more wonderful years to come!

Nebuliser...

The nebulizer can be intimidating to the little girls. When they first tried at the clinic, Clara felt dreadful the moment when the nebulizer was turned on. Most propably was the noise generate by the motor and especially the starting torque. But very soon she acepted it and quietly lay in my arms, holding the mask herself. I always feel that she is a sensible child toward receiving medication. However Abella reaction was stronger, screamed & cried like she was sentenced to execution field. Luckily the other patients and nurses in the clinic were not aggitated, most propably they are numb already.
Abella was indeed a pain in my neck. No matter how I coax her, she just dont budge, kept pushing away the mask, one hand covered the nose and the other switching off the machine, wanting me to bring her out of the treatment room. I have no choice but to I force her complete the treatment as there are many patients waiting outside to be treated also... of course she created a big tantrum but luckily didnt tear down the clinic.

I had a hard time trying to lure her to neb. I even deploy her fav Barney... poor Barney had sacrificed -_-"

How I wish 长今 was here...

Now Korean TV series are very popular is Spore but I only follow up 大长今. Heard from my mum this is an true story. 长今 is the first female doctor in the Korean Empire. I shall not elaborate on the story but she is a very capable doctor with very noble moral and what I want to say is today doctors are more dollar factor and less patient oriented...

My girls' have been coughing for a month but still no sign of improvement after seeing few time GP... I was thinking cannot save this type of money already so decided to bring them to the Paediatrician as Clarabelle was down with a fever too. The PD's diagnosis was bronchitis and they required to neb. When I heard this, I was so sad and blame myself for not bringing them to the PD eariler so the girls wont need to suffer so long despite the total medical cost is ( cons $45, neb $20,med $16, $20... + GST ) x 2 = $304!

What disturb me was, later the day, Clara was down with fever 39dec and I realised the PD's prescription did not include for fever. I called up the PD and was told " OH, I thought u have your own panadol already... anyway I expect her fever to up and down but you can come down tonight (clinic closed in the afternoon, re-open 7pm) to get the " xxx " (xxx- tablet insert asshole for quick suppress fever) incase in the mid-night she run a high fever. I was very pissed off as in the morning she had told me if Clara's fever exceed 38.4dec I have to bring her down for an xray as the symptom can be pneumonia. And now she has another saying and how can she just assume that I have my own panadol before even ask me do I need panadol and of course if I have seen a doctor, I will just take the doctor prescription and stop the previous whatever medicine. Anyway she shut me off, I decided to send my girls straight to KK hosp for an x-ray. Luckily their result are positive thought I spent another $65 x 2 = $130 and add that day TOTAL MEDICAL CONSULTATION COST = $434 !!!
There goes my "Progress Package" money as I tot finally I can have some saving : (...
Whatever... Girls, you both must get well soon... Mummy love you...

For those who like watching 大长今, Please click here for the simplified version of the song. Remember to on the speaker...

Clarabelle 1st Year Collage

Abella 1st Year Collage