Anger, Anguish

It's midnight and I'm sitting here at the computer waiting for my dear son to finish learning his ting xie for the near 20th time!!!!!!! I am on the verge of tearing up his books, throwing his pencils into the bin and ripping his bag into two! It is simply frustrating trying to inculcate the importance of learning his spelling and ting xie! I made the effort to remind him to learn the 3 sentences well since I am on leave tomorrow and was hoping to surprise him that he needn't go to school AFTER he gets his ting xie all correct when I test him tonight. Of course, he was glued to his XBox when I got home. He learnt NOTHING!

And so I've decided to stash the remote controls from tomorrow - no more games and TV after school. I'm going to have a hard time (or rather, he will have a hard time) next year when the demands of Pri 1 kicks in.

I hope he learns his lesson tonight. He's here sobbing, I'm here seething.

And it's about the 10th time he's making the SAME mistake!

Early Mother's Day

In our usual fashion, we celebrated Mother's Day before the actual day - to avoid the crowds, price hikes etc etc. Thought we should try something "off the beaten tracks" and suggested Mimolette at Fairways Drive (next to Bukit Timah Saddle Club). It was a dark and narrow drive into the bungalow house where the jockeys lived once upon a time. But the quaint surrounding was a pretty nice welcome at the end of the winding road.

Food was ok. I had the Pan-Roasted Quail which was quite delightful - stuffed with mushrooms and very very tender. And the Brandy Chocolate Melt is a must-have for dessert. The Tenderloin was ok, as my brother put it - expected. Terence had the Pork (can't remember what it's named) which was very juicy and tender - not bad. I would recommend sitting outdoors if not for the hot and humid weather. It does get pretty noisy indoors once the "cocktail crowd" next door in the bar comes over for dinner. The small dining room amplified the chitter and chatters - I did get a little headache afterwards.

I think I'd like to go back there in the day sometime soon. Am sure it'll look a little prettier too. And Jeremy tells me they're going to start brunch and bbq next week, so hmm... maybe we'll be able to see some horses next time :-)

Oh, Happy Mum's Day!

To the Movies

Cathay is now open at Downtown East, a spanking new mall and cineplex. You know I'm never a movie buff. Spare me the cinema and give me a book anytime. But Terence suggested we should all go (it's usually just him and Gideon) and I thought I'd better give it a shot or he'll never ask me to the movies again... Think my last movie was The Simpsons with the Red boys.

So I started my Iron Man adventure by booking the tickets online close to 6pm on Friday. After I hit the "submit" button, I was told that the "booker" has to collect the tickets personally ONE hour before the show! Geez, I raced around the office knowing I'll never get to Pasir Ris on time. Thankfully they allowed Terence to collect the tickets on my behalf. So don't be fooled by them. R even told me "go half an hour before the movie and you'll still get it" - how gullible can I get :-(

Cathay at Downtown East was a bit of a mess. Perhaps 'cos it's still new and they're still figuring out the kinks. But what I don't get is that they sell BOTH tickets and popcorn at the same counter! Yes, it works well when you pressure patrons to get their popcorn as well after purchasing their tickets. But for those who want a popcorn AFTER they've gotten their tickets, they queue forever! At least have a line, just one line for those who only want food and drinks lah! Aiyo! And so we missed about 5 mins of the show :-(

Iron Man was pretty cool I must say. Robert Downey Jr looks really suave. Step aside George Clooney :-) Ok, apart from the pretty face that kept me captivated, the plot was ok lah... no wonder V said I should watch it 'cos of the cool gadgets and technology. Gweneth Paltrow was a ??? - it wasn't a really big part for her I felt. But hey, there has to be a woman behind every super hero, no?

No. 1 is 6

2 years ago, we organised a Star Wars party for Monster G. This year, we thought we'd have a little bash for him again. As usual, the planning started from early April. From sourcing for goodies for the goodie bags to deciding on the venue. Thanks to Jeremy who helped with booking a holiday bungalow at Safra Resort - my tiny flat certainly cannot contain any more than 5 monsters! The party was held on Sunday, 27 April, 2 days before his actual birthday.

As with the Star Wars party, I decided to hire some entertainment for the kids. Browsed countless websites and found this really educational Science Show by Professor Messy. The kids will be entertained by a number of science demonstrations like the making of "snow", using a Van de graff to show how static works, and hands-on workshop where the kids learnt to make bubbles that don't burst. The price of the show and workshop is pretty steep but let the friendly guys at Kids Party know your budget and they will customise the show accordingly.

Gideon decided that he was going to be Number 1 from Codename: Kids Next Door. Hence his winterish outfit and cool sunglasses.

=

Not all the kids came dressed to the theme (Cartoon Network characters) but in true May Tan fashion, her little Georgia came as Buttercup from PowerPuff Girls! She was so CUTE!

The buffet we ordered from Riverwalk Tandoor was fabulous. For a change, we decided on North Indian food instead of BBQs and predictable local buffet food. So glad everyone enjoyed it.

Gideon enjoyed himself to the brim and wanted to stay over. I wasn't too sure it I could lay on that crummy looking bed in the dimly lit bedroom. We coaxed him into going home, promising Toys 'R' Us the next day. Thankfully he agreed and it was on to a 2nd day of "birthday celebration" on Monday. And it wasn't even his birthday yet, until Tuesday the 29th! And so on the 29th, we gave him a little surprise for supper - a birthday cup cake!

Retail Therapy

Opened my eyes this morning and the first thought that came to mind was "Raffles City". Ever since I left Swissotel, visits to Raffles City are usually because of lunch appointments with ex-colleagues - rush rush and it's back to Newton straight after lunch, allowing me to just very briefly breeze by new outlets like Topshop. So I've been wanting to check the place out thoroughly for some time now. And today's it.

Very happy with my loot today :-) Topshop has lots of vintage(y) dresses and Dorothy Perkins was stocked with pretty skirts. And what's more, it's 20% storewide at Topshop and Dorothy Perkins in celebration of Labour Day! How thoughtful...