Very Much Around

It's been sooooo long - hah! So much has happened since April... so little time to write about it. But still very much around :-)

Random: One of most recent my favourite pix.

Gideon is 7

He's in a BIG school!
He's shy to kiss me at the school gate!
He has his own laptop!
He MSNs!
He's trying to find out more about FACEBOOK!
He's SEVEN!
He's a BIG boy!
Happy Birthday my little BIG Boy!

Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's

It's my first entry since we welcomed 2009. Time flies. Yet some things never change - I still lazy most of the time... hah!

It hasn't been a wonderful start to the year, really. Health-wise, work-wise. But we did reach one of our most important milestones - Gideon going to Primary One, being a SAINT :-) He's really enjoying school but getting him to be serious about school work is another hurdle we've yet to cross.

The Lunar New Year came and went - all too quickly. This year, we had the Lion Dance troupe from S'pore Poly (Terence's students) visiting our home. The kids of course had a blast! I was more concerned with the lion's "feet" on my white flooring, and the lion's shedding of its "fur" and sequins.

A Lunar New Year B&M family portrait

No one struck Toto, no one hit the 4-D but in this economic climate, having a job still, is already a blessing.

We celebrated Valentine's last evening with dinner at Barossa, a new Australian restaurant at the Esplanade. Food was good but the company, as usual, was great. As usual, it was Rena who made it happen :-)

It's been some time, eh?

My! I just realised I've been away from this page for the longest time - since Sept??? Yes, that's how busy (and lazy) life has been. Work is madness and once home, I crash, pass out...

It's not going to slow down - year-end or not. After an entire week in Shanghai conducting POP training, I dread thinking what's in store tomorrow when I head back to the office. Trip was fruitful. Managed to accomplish other POP items apart from the training. And finally getting to meet and spend time with our Marketing gals in China - they make me feel old. All so young, enthusiastic and energetic. Of course managed to catch up with RO over a nice Italian lunch, and Aik Hong & Noel over dinner :-)

I also just realised my hatchday had come and gone in a flash. No pictures put up even. So this is going to be a "cramp all" post - from birthday to Shanghai.

HATCHDAY

The team bought me a fab Korean birthday lunch at Dempsey (can't recall restaurant name)


With my best friends and God sons :-)

SHANGHAI

A satisfying and relaxing breakfast at Tian Zi Fang - so relaxing I only remembered my camera after breakfast :-)


These 2 are at the same place! Littered with quaint local designer boutiques, cafes and art galleries while plenty of old folks still live above in these 2-3 storey brick blocks. Forget Xin Tian Di in Shanghai, Tian Zi Fang at Taikang Lu is a must-go!


Perfect harmony of old and new.

Chen Yifei's art studio inspired the transformation of Tian Zi Fang.


My home in Shanghai.

Oh! And there's one more photo I adore, taken some weeks ago in the office - that's the day when "North America" showed up in black and white! Kodak moment!

Say cheeeese!

Spree Wheeee!

Took the day off to do nothing. Of course, with a blackberry and a handphone, doing nothing is near impossible. Wasn't a complete day without work on my mind - sigh!

Anyhow, I managed to get to Vivo City and spent $300 within 30 mins! Geez! I think Mel is right - Chennai was traumatic enough to make me vent on 2 pairs of gorgeous pants, 3 tops and a dress. Not bad for $300, really. From one of my favourite local brands, GG<5.>

I'll have a great week to look forward to now - new clothes!

Hello Bugz

Yes... we've got another bunny. This time, Gideon decided to name it Bugz... It's more like a dog than a bunny, really. Check out the way it rests with legs all stretched. Hope this one works out this time :-)

Welcome home Bugz!

The Big 'I'

I = Incredible
N = Noisy
D = Density
I = Intrusive
A = Amazing

My trip to Chennai, India, was nothing short of "eye-opening"! From the moment I stepped out of the airport until when I got back to the airport to head home 5 days later. The city is INCREDIBLE - it is incredibly PACKED! The people were nothing short of incredible too! They were incredibly accommodating, 'yes' to everything (but actually delivering is another story altogether).

It is NOISY! We joked that the locals can drive without a steering wheel but not without a horn. It was like the honk replaced the indicators, informing other drivers that they are going to be cutting right in front of you (heads on at times). The vehicles actually remove their side mirrors! Not surprising considering a 3 lane road is really, a 5 lane road.

DENSITY is an understatement. The streets are packed! With taxis, their version of a "tuk tuk" called an "auto", cars, motorbikes and lop-sided buses! Yes, people DO hang out the buses - just like what you see on TV!

INTRUSIVE behaviour - it's not you, nor them, it's just the way it is! The Indians have no idea what personal space means. You encounter this "closeness" the moment you get off the plane. Their trolleys, laden with the flat screen TVs, blankets and toasters from Mustaffa, roll right into you. They are simply oblivious to the fact that others around them happen to be human beings. On the flight en-route to Chennai, I had a big belly in my face everytime the seat belt sign went off - Mr "Govindasamy" (like I know his name...) had to open the overhead compartment each time. I say "open" and not "take something" cos he NEVER took anything. It's like, he just had to open to check that his trolley was still there! Argh!

Having said rather nasty things so far, I think Chennai was an AMAZING experience. From the busy cross junctions where vehicles give way to crossing cows, to the beautiful hotel (http://www.raintreehotels.com/) I was put up at, I must say I have learnt to appreciate the order we live in, the neighbours we live with, the environment we so often take for granted.

Amidst the disorder, Chennai does have a certain charm. It is a city of extremes - the filthy rich, the unthinkably poor; the run-down houses lining the dusty streets, the stand alone houses stretching for acres (some complete with a real forest with real deer and fed cows); the rusty buses, the gleaming BMWs...

I never got to take many photos but the images are edged in my memory for sure. I may return, next time more prepared. Much more prepared to appreciate the city for what it is not.


Road disorder & an "Auto"

Goodbye Spotty

I bought a Holland Lop bunny for Gideon on Friday - having been told that it requires minimal attention and looking after. Had also been told pets are great for an "only-child". Gideon named it SPOTTY (it's got a spot on it right eye area). Gideon spent the afternoon yesterday playing with Spotty in the balcony. And this morning, Spotty was lying there motionless :-( Spotty has passed away. Not sure what we did wrong. His breeder said it could have been shock as baby bunnies have weak hearts. And spotty could have been unused to his new environment. For some reason, I think Ter and I are more distraught then Gideon. Guess he has not been too attached to Spotty, yet. I'm now unsure if I'm ready for another one... what if...?

Haven't even gotten the chance to take a pix of Spotty as the camera battery died yesterday. Thanks to Yu Ming for this photo he took on Friday when Spotty arrived in the office.

Goodbye Spotty!

Term 3 Performance

Gideon performed at his Tien Hsia Term 3 graduation showcase last week. The monkey faces he kept making were hilarious and the scratching during the performance was rather embarrassing (video upload problems - will try again). But optimistically, I think these are signs he's enjoying his class now and not afraid of standing in front of an audience.

And he scored 46/50 for his test... again unbelievable! Haha!

Weekend Comfort

My weekend outfit from Wood Wood (at Far East Plaza) and sandals at a steal from Heatwave. Love 'em!

And a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon blog surfing and enjoying my kopi and J Co :-)

Blue

Decided I prefer my clean white template. Decided the gentle light blue will cheer and soothe anyone reading this.

The new mast head is pretty too, isn't it? Gideon took the picture! He managed to dig out these bears from somewhere - I must have gotten them at least 5 years ago from McDonald's. TGP - Terence, Gideon, Philo... awww

Now I feel nice, warm and BLUE :-)

Green, Brown & Yellow

I decided to change my blog template to colours I've been in love with of late - mud green, brown and yellow. Although the default templates couldn't quite match up to my ideal palatte, the result wasn't that bad. Maybe it's all those Earth messages that have moved me to like these colours.

As I'm recovering from the bout of spinnies, I started to think how I should (and when should I) re-decorate the house. I was flipping through the latest IKEA catalogue and found they have the most gorgeous stuff in there.

I'm totally in love with this yellow sideboard. Although the measurements don't fit the space I have in mind where I could place this :-( Isn't the colour spectacular? An instant cheer-up(er)! Anyways, they don't even carry the yellow piece in Singapore, only the black. And I have nowhere in the house I could place this =(

And check out the Billy bookcase. I have a few of the white ones. But this floral one is so retro :-) I'm tempted... maybe this weekend... although Terence isn't a fan of assembling this.

V-E-R-T-I-G-O

I think it must have been nearly 3 years ago that I came across this word. While at Swissotel The Stamford, we named this event at Equinox, Vertigo, since there was so much booze at such a high altitude that we thought those who were going to be there WILL experience Vertigo. I never got that drunk eventually, and Vertigo remained a name, not an experience!

Until yesterday...

I got up with a splitting headache and saw the ceiling going round and round. I really thought I was dying and that's a "before-you-die" scene. I forced myself up and washed my face. Then I realised I was walking sideways out of the bathroom! I thought perhaps I was hungry. So I had breakfast. Still not good. I laid down and closed my eyes. I must have dozed off. When I opened my eyes again, the same thing happened. Ceiling was dancing, everything was moving! What's more, I now feel nauseaus!

Went to the doctor, and he said I had "Benign paroxysmal positional Vertigo". WTF! Say that again!?? "Yes," he said, "it could be caused by an infection of the balance orgran." What sick virus could cause you Vertigo!? To at least help me walk straight again, he gave me a jab (a long, painful one! my arm's still numb!). "You shouldn't drive for the next week or so 'cos you may get an attack until it fully subsides, usually in a week or two." He smiled.

Argh!

Ok... and so this morning was still bad. But had to get some urgent work out of the way. Took the pills and stared at the computer for the entire morning. Took my second pill after lunch and felt better already. I'm not spinning any more, and neither is the house. Let's hope this persists.

Gosh, it's tough being perpetually GIDDY :-(

My Latest Drool

Just after a weekend walking our feet bald in BKK, Angie and I found ourselves back in town yesterday (just over 12 hours after we landed at Changi Airport). We saw a couple of Dior gauchos we liked at the BKK airport. And so Angie wanted to check out the price difference in Singapore. We side tracked and walked into LV, LOEWE, Fendi and Dior. We resisted, walked away. As if by some strange pull of the "Paragon magnet" we walked out of Taka and headed straight into the Prada boutique. And the unthinkable happened - I saw a black flappy bag that was too sweet to resist. Slightly more than 3K I had to apply my shopping theory. I asked for it to be reserved for an hour while I thought hard over a cuppa upstairs. We finished coffee and I bravely whisked past the boutique and headed to Tangs where we parked. I gave it a MISS :-( I shall resist the temptation. Angie was a happy lady with a very pretty Nappa A Hobo, while I'm still sitting here, a day later, saddened by the "passing" of my pretty pretty Nappa S Satchel (apparently the LAST PIECE in store). Bawwwwwwwwwwwwwl!!!!!!

Farewell...

Local Tourists

I just realised that it's pretty fun checking out some of our local attractions - like a local tourist. A couple of weeks ago, we saw a huge banner (an interactive Mozart exhibition for kids) outside the National Musuem and decided to check it out. The refurbished musuem was beautiful inside. Terence and I thought it was like the old days where we could see the 'regular' exhibits for free. Of course, we were wrong. It costs $10 per adult and I think $6 per child. Due to Gideon's small build, we managed to get him through for free saying he's just turned 6! The Mozart exhibition was a hefty $16 per child!!! Is there any wonder why locals do not visit attractions such as the museum? It's simply too costly! Think how much one would have to pay for a family to visit Sentosa, for example. Perhaps we should consider lower charges for locals?

Nevertheless, we had a rather enjoyable afternoon. The exhibits were so-so but we tried to make it as educational for Gideon as possible. Not sure if he was disappointed 'cos when we asked him if he knew what a museum is, he confidently said "it's a place where you see the bones of a dinosaur!". Novus Cafe at the back of the museum was nice, though. It's a great place to sit down, relax and have a cuppa even if you don't intend to visit the exhibits - you can bride-watch as there was much photography action going on in there.


Fooling around at Novus Cafe's ultra comfy couch & the dancing chandeliers

So, if spending money visiting local attractions isn't your cup of tea, how about checking out our FREE attractions such as the Botanic Garden!? My first encounter with this beautiful place was last week when we met Rina and the ladies for lunch at Les Amis Cafe there. And this week, I suggested we went as a family and take a walk through the garden. It was good exercise and a good chance to take in the fresh air and see some monster trees :-) We will be going back again soon - this time for a nice morning picnic perhaps.


Lunch with the gals last week


Our 'roof' for the day & the Monster tree


Heading to Swan Lake to feed the swans


Waterfall Gideon

It's HOT in Doha

The Pearl Qatar at the Corniche, Doha (coastal causeway linking mainland Doha to the diplomatic area of West Bay)

For once the heat gush when the automatic doors opened at Changi Airport didn't hit me hard. In fact, I felt some relief. That was simply because I got back from a 45-degree (celcius!) weather in Doha, Qatar! Simply leave your face in front of a heated oven and that's what it feels like. And yet, the locals wrap themselves up in their khandura (for men) and black abaya (for the ladies) complete with a sheyla (head scarf that covers the face as well)! Despite the heat, don't forget a shawl when you're there 'cos the inside temperatures (where there's air-conditioning) are chilling to the bone. You just need to be in a shop for less than a minute to feel your brains freezing up - just like gulping 7-Eleven's Slurpee too quickly!

I was told that a holiday is declared when the temperature hits 50 degrees. So the government thermometer usually stops at 48 degrees - ha ha! Qatar is one of the richest nations in the world, with GDP per capita threatening to overtake Switzerland! With its abundance of oil and gas, is this any wonder?

My first encounter at the immigrations counter at the airport made me aware of how "forward" Qatar is. They accept ONLY credit card payments for Visas. And at the souq (market place), every shop accepted credit cards. In fact, I was told that at times, you are slapped with a "penalty" for paying cash!!! WOW!

And you know, they have a fetish for GLASS. All their buildings are clad in glass! Amidst the desert sand and heat, you can imagine keeping the glass buildings looking like... glass? But labour intensive tasks like cleaning of these buildings are not a problem. Qatar has a huge population of foreign workers (Indians, Indonesians etc) who are well-paid (supposedly) to do these tasks. We couldn't get off the car to take pictures so I got some of these beautiful buildings I saw, from the web. Will post the actual of Somerset West Bay, Doha when I get it from Andy :-)

The souq was an interesting place too. It is a marketplace filled with restaurants, cafes and shops, complete with a mosque and an art museum. We had a wonderful dinner at an Iranian restaurant which had the most gorgeous decor and yummy fresh breads and kebabs!

The Souq & The paper cone- like mosque in the middle of the Souq

Business centre services in a back alley at the Souq (in 45-degree heat!)

No back alley left wasted

Entrance to restaurant & Main hall of restaurant

The 'source' of our yummy bread...

Apart from the yucky flight to and from Qatar on Qatar Airways, my experience in Qatar was nothing short of amazing - the Heat, the skyscrapers, the $$$!