Attack of the Pox

Gideon was down with a slight fever on Wednesday evening so Terence decided to let him skip school the next day - much to Gideon's delight of course! On top of that, Terence took him to his very first movie at GV Tampines Mall - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was after the movie that Terence discovered some small spots on Gideon's tummy - straight to Dr Sim. It is Chicken Pox! Was worried sick being thousands of miles away in Zurich - was he in pain; itching; aching; high fever??? The reply sms I got : "Don't worry. He said "Yahooooo!" when Dr said no school the next 2 weeks." And this was the face that greeted me when I got home this morning...Incidentally, the meeting went alright. Long story short : the "future" looks ok for now though not sure how I will cope with the slightly new structure. We'll see...

Que Sera Sera

Well, in not much of a mood to write this weekend. Will be leaving for Zurich tomorrow and I've decided to go straight from the office - to make it less traumatic for me and Gideon. Hate the sight of him sobbing whenever I walk through the immigration doors. This trip is a little question mark for me as I'm supposed to be discussing "my future" and of course, there's the Corporate Marketing meeting. For some reason, I don't have very good vibes but Que Sera Sera... the future should be clear by the time I fill my next post. Wish me luck!

March Full of Birthdays!

March is definitely a month filled with birthdays - well at least for me. We spent almost every Saturday this month welcoming a new-born at a hospital. There's Liam Simon, Ryan & Ashlynn. And of course there was Terence's and our godson Jerome's birthdays on the 15th. It was such a busy day at work, I only managed to get Terence's present at 5pm! It was either a pair of Tag Heuer sunglasses or something from Mont Blanc. It was Mont Blanc eventually... and he likes it (of course, as Julian says, he could always "pretend" he likes it :-( Anyways I like it, and BIG watches are IN now, no?

And there was Jerome's birthday on Saturday. The kids turned the Safra bungalow upside down. Time flies, Jerome turned 8! I can still remember all the excitement since he was the first-born in the gang. This just means we're getting older, isn't it?

By the way, Gideon was sulking and refused to be in the picture (read : Why are you forcing me! I don't want to take photo!!!!!!!!!)

Grumpy G

How quickly children grow. Of late, Gideon has been acting and speaking like an adult! I hear and see myself sometimes 'cos he emulates us adults. And yes, he tells you when he's unhappy and says things like, "I don't understand why you like to force me to do this!" That "Talk of the Month" face is the face that usually follows... arggggh!

Ankara Awoken

The order of my Turkey posts is kinda weird, I know. All due to collating photos from a few cameras. Well, more on Ankara, Turkey. Swissotel Ankara is right smack in the heart of a residential neighbourhood - think Holland Village minus the happening restaurants and nightspots. Strange one might think but apparantly, many businessmen choose the hotel simply cos it's away from the main city. Ask around which is the capital city of Turkey and almost everyone will tell you it's Istanbul. Wrong. It's actually Ankara!

The WW Conference certainly awoken the Swissotel neighbourhood. Mid-afternoon games held right outside the hotel during one of the coffee breaks at a temperature of about below 10 degrees. That certainly got the neighbourhood peeking from their windows. We were given Michelin-looking wind breakers - so huge we looked like odd shaped snowmen getting together for afternoon tea.

And the night tour to the Ataturk museum was really cool. The musuem grounds are actually closed in the evening but special arrangements were made just for the Swissotel group! Ataturk is highly revered as the "father" of Turkey and the museum showcases his glorious battles and bits of his private life.

I think there were lots more of Ankara we missed. And despite its understatedness as compared to Istanbul, I am sure Ankara will emerge as a thriving city very soon.

Turkish Delights

Taking advantage of the WW Conference in Ankara, the team stopped over at Istanbul for a night at one of Swissotel's best hotels - Swissotel The Bosphorus, Istanbul. We arrived on a Sunday and packed a day of shopping (the Grand Bazaar was closed, unfortunately), sight-seeing and eating. We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and adventured to local eateries for breakfast and dinner.

The amazing view from my room...

For those of you planning your next holiday, Istanbul is definitely worth a visit simply for its exotic(ness) and spectacular sights.

Swissotel Worldwide Conference 2007 - Turkey

This year's conference in Ankara, Turkey marked the first after the Raffles International (RIL) era. The split of the Raffles and Swissotel brands meant leaner teams, tighter resources and for some, transfers to a different brand. For me, I was fortunate to remain in Swissotel. For the past 8 months or so, there were lots to be done and learnt. Different bosses meant different management and work styles. Bottom line - most survived. And this conference is especially symbolic as it shows how well the Red team did, under all that pressure and constraints. For the Singapore team, the long distance "relationship" with Zurich worked out; and much was achieved. From department restructures to the revamp of Club Swiss Gold and the entire brand's collateral, Red Team East did well.

The conference was an opportunity for many to put the face to the name finally! For me, it was a chance for the young Singapore team to present itself to the "world" as they personify the many accomplishments since the restructure. I am proud of them! Since my first WW conference in Bangkok when I first joined RIL, I wondered if there will come a day when I could have the opportunity to make presentations, strike up conversations or even get to know our GMs well. I look back now with a smile - knowing I've done all that! I've been recognised for my work, all thanks to Petra, a strong, assertive boss, yet one who never fails to find time to tell us how well we've done. That all important "pat on the back" which many often forget. And of course, I am tremendously blessed with many wonderful bosses I've worked with in the company - Jack, Mr Ong, Mr Muhlemann, Mr McAuley... without whom I couldn't have achieved today's success.

And this is me with Jack and my award for Best New Concept, which I dedicate to my team, Petra and my ex-bosses...

Reunion of the Golden Gals

I only managed to give Rina, Violet and Sheran their X'mas pressies yesterday, during Chinese New Year! It's been some time since we met, with two of them in China and one whom I've been too busy to catch up with. We managed to catch up on some latest gossips and updates. And of course, we managed to coax Gideon into taking this picture for us...

Happy Oink Oink!

It's the year of the Pig - my year! As feng shui would have it, those born in the year of the pig are at conflict with Tai Tsui and so this is a year that may not be very good for the "piggies". Ah well, I can't complain 'cos last year was a really good one for me. As for the year ahead, I guess piggies will just have to take things easy, watch your backs and be more charitable (general advice from most feng shui masters).

I started the lunar new year with very bad jet lag. Returning from the WW Conference in Ankara, Turkey on on Friday, I spent Saturday drowsy in bed. It was only at the reunion table that I realised I have not gotten my nian gao and mandarin oranges! Thank goodness for petrol kiosks stocked with new year goodies.

Dinner was rather "chaotic" as usual, with the kids tossing the yu sheng so high I think there was more salad on the table than on our plates. As you can see from the photos, everyone was excited and moving so much, I couldn't catch a clear picture (and no one heard my pleas to look into the camera).

We visited my mum and then Terence's mum on the first day. Not before sending my mum to the temple as she was intent on praying for the pigs in the family (all pigs except my Tiger brother). Then we had the gang over in the evening. The mini-me(s) turned the house upside down as usual and the big boys had their usual card session until the wee hours of the morning.

Updates...

Well, it's been some time now that I've been searching for this picture and I finally found it in my laptop! This is crazy but Shu got married, like, last year and I'm posting it only now! Still, I'm so happy for her and can't wait to see mini-me(s) of theirs soon.
Speaking of mini-me(s), Aik Hong's and Angie's little Seraphina celebrated her one-month birthday a few weeks ago. Check out this cool surfer outfit which Aunty Philo got for her... happy birthday Beach Gal!

2007 here we come!

Before the stroke of midnight on New Year's eve, throngs of sms(es) had already started pouring in. Simply too many to reply to. Then I chanced upon breaking news of the bombings in Bangkok. It is sad that the year has to close with another tragedy, another crisis. Since Terence was out, I took the opportunity of some "me time" after Gideon fell asleep to remember 2006. Looking back, I have nothing to complain about 2006. I made some pretty "decent" achievements at work. I visited Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva, Beijing and Shanghai. Terence & I managed a few vacations - a cruise; Bangkok and then Hong Kong. Gideon got used to school and has even attempted holiday courses! I started a blog. Etc etc. Now, looking ahead, I do have a few resolutions for the New Year. As with the countless marketing plans I've done, not all may be accomplished but at least I give myself some goals to work towards.

• World peace - I know it sounds cliched but ...
• Exercise - I simply don't do enough. I will swim instead of just basking in the sun when we take Gideon to the pool.
• Temper control - especially at home.
• Holiday to Australia - I will make it come true this year for Gideon.
• Family / Work Balance - less time in the office (and at the computer at home); more time with Terence & Gideon.
• More time with friends

A Blessed New Year to all and may you get as close as possible to your resolutions; better still - REALISE them!

All I Want For Christmas - Star Wars and more!

Gideon insisted I took a picture of his favourite Christmas presents. What else but his Star Wars transformers and a really cool R4 - P17 (R2 - D2's galfriend) from Aunty Angie. It's amazing how quickly kids grow up. I did some packing of his toys and gave away little Tonker trucks, Sesame Street toys etc. His toy box now contains light sabres, guns, Darth Vader masks and Marvel Heroes cars, books etc! Well, at least I see no traces of Barbie and Hello Kitty :-)

Ho Ho Ho!

Mum, Alice and the kids spent Christmas in Korea. With the house empty, I decided to volunteer organising this year's Christmas get-together. The usual "gang" plus Stephan and Lisa who were spending their first Christmas in Singapore. The wet weather didn't deter a great party. The kids, as usual, tore the house down. I was busy busy busy - totally forgot to snap some pictures. These are all I managed, at least...

The RED Christmas

The RED team had an early Christmas celebration before some of us went on vacation. It was also an opportunity for us to welcome Stephan to the team. And of course, the Moet saved from the office opening came in handy. Yes, we were drinking on the job. But hey, it's Christmas!

Beijing

It was great seeing Rina in Beijing. But not so great to know that her job's not really treating her well and leaves her no time to take care of herself! If it was one thing I learnt during my China trips, it's the fact that one should never be too polite. C'mon, you can't even get across the road if you're too polite! And it makes no difference even if it is a "legal" pedestrian crossing! Nevermind if you got there first for a cab, 'cos there will always be someone who comes later and coolly getting into the cab that you thought you'd flagged down. Nevermind if it is the grand lobby of a grand hotel; there will always be staff pushing a noisy metal trolley right across the lobby! It's either the staff needs re-training (which I'm told is "pointless") or the trolley needs re-oiling!

Anyhow, Rina had no choice but to leave work behind so that she can play host. I actually didn't feel half bad since I provided the perfect reason for her to leave work earlier (like 8pm!!!) and enjoy a soothing foot massage. Hou Hai where she brought me for dinner was beautiful. It is actually a stretch of eateries and pubs, filled with a young, fashionable crowd. And of course I tried my "self-photography" skills again - which turned out with hilarious effects. Rina (being Rina) decided that we should also get "proper" pictures and asked someone to take a shot too :-(

Wangfujing is another bustling street. Although tourist(y), it has quite a number of unique stalls. Like the chopsticks shop I found myself in. That's where I found a very pretty set for jemej as a wedding gift. And Rina's apartment was huge and comfy! Ironically, it's also where she spends very little time in :-(

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Tuesday - flight booked; Wednesday - finally found accommodation; Friday - departure. That's how our Hong Kong trip had been planned. It was Gideon's first real overseas trip and he was excited about being on a plane - although a Jetstar experience wasn't the equivalent of true air travel.

Che che and Nick were also holidaying in HK. We met at the Airport Express station, a very inexpensive and convenient way of getting from the airport to the city. Having woken up at 5.30am (almost missed the flight at 6.40am thanks to our (t)rusty alarm clock!) we were tired and decided to rest in the comforts of our 33rd storey hotel room before setting out to satisfy our tummies. L'Hotel Causeway Bay http://www.lhotelcausewaybayhv.com/ is a new hotel just one MTR station after Causeway Bay. I love the wooden flooring - something not many hotels boast. The interior was cosy and being on a high floor, one can't quite complain about the view. You can catch a section of the harbour from a corner of the room. We were pleased. Gideon, who simply LOVES hotel rooms (I wonder why!?) was elated!

The next few days were filled with aimless walking around, strolling and eating. Then it was Ocean Park day. Endless escalator rides uphill and constant irritations with mainland Chinese tourists. Sighhh... but it was the Kids' World and the cable car that Gideon enjoyed most. Of course, the Ocean Park Grand Prix got the two boys in action - the father and son team on the tracks!



The following day, we were off to Disneyland. A much anticipated day, which unfortunately saw Terence fall ill, skies turned grey, rain and more irritations with more mainland Chinese tourists! But more importantly, Gideon had a great time - which was why we were in HK in the first place, anyway. I was glad Terence managed to stay really patient the entire day despite the wet weather and his wet nose :-)



Our favourite had to be the Buzz Lightyear ride. Gideon took about 4 rides in all! The 3D Mickey's Philharmonic Orchestra was a splendid show as well - not to mention the 3D glasses which amused Gideon quite a bit. As though a carousel ride didn't turn my world into a giddy haze, I went on a dizzy Dumbo ride right after :-(

It was finally time for home. And a 2-hour flight delay back to Singapore which left us in bed only at 3am Wednesday morning! Until our next holiday...
Oh! And Mickey waffles anyone?

Debut Performance

Gideon made his debut as an "actor" at his kindergarten's Christmas concert. The Nursery kids put together The Nativity. Though not the lead performer in the cast, he managed a pretty convincing role as one of the sheep that witnessed Christ's birth. In fact, he was so immersed in the role that he continued "mehhh(ing)" away when the play ended and everyone started singing Christmas carols!


To our dearest Sheep, we are so proud of you! Mehhhhhh...

Mad Over MADDY

Ahhh... simply LOVE this Jimmy Choo! But the price is just Madness. Possibly why it's called the "Maddy"?