No Ordinary World of Lovexiaolongbao...

Decoding Mountain Boy Part 2

2012-02-10T22:46:00.005+08:00

At bedtime:

Mountain Boy: Mama, I want blue pancake.

Me: Blue pancakes? Where did you learn that?

Mountain Boy: BLOO PANCAKES (like i was hard of hearing).

Me: Context baby context... I don't understand. Blue Band Aids?

Mountain Boy(frustrated) : I find...

He walked from his bed to behind his toy shelf to pull out the blue blanket.

Decoding Mountain Boy

2012-02-10T22:45:00.001+08:00

Mountain Boy is learning more advanced english these days. I think he finally just got the gist of the difference between YOU and ME. Most recently he is unto the word "because". He knows that it is a response that usually comes after "WHY?".

Eg:
Me: Why did you step on Mei mei?
Mountain Boy: Because mei mei!

Me: Do you know why you cannot eat food from the floor?
Mountain Boy: Because! Because! (looking all proud)

Lily inspired: Wear Sunscreen

2012-02-10T21:58:00.000+08:00

No actually, avoid the sun like a vampire if you can.

When i was in my teens and early adulthood i loved the sun. Hours and hours i'll spend sun bathing, no SPF. In fact I used sun tan lotion not sunscreen. I got a lot of compliments on my tan, i meekly boast that i don't get sun burns and i tend to tan evenly.

Mid-twenties came. Uhm, the skin starts to sallow and yellow due to late nights (work, parties, surfing the net etc). I realize i needed more and more make up to make myself look better. And because i was tanned and always a different shade, my powder was never the right shade. And powder on dark skin looks gray. I started investing in skincare. No more supermarket products, give me the caviar, gold flakes, highly scientific pitera mambo jumbo.

And then late twenties. On my wedding day the make-up-artiste told me that the best way to keep our skin looking fresh is to go a shade lighter. You'll look younger, make up will look better, wrinkles will look less obvious. The chinese has a saying, a shade of white covers three shades of ugly "一白遮三丑". Wish I knew that earlier! Think Scarlet Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett!

Then... the big 30 came. I had your brother, then i had you. Freckles started to appear. These dust-sized flecks may look adorable sprinkled on the cheeks of a teenager, but when they become snowflakes on an old lady no amount of concealer can cover it.

If you have my genes then "lucky you". But if you have your dad's genes and you go sun tanning, chances are you'll turn red like a lobster, peel like a shrimp and then become pale again. And btw, your dad has freckles too so you can't escape these brown little flakes.

So my dear daughter no matter how tempted you are to flaunt your figure at the beach (then again if you have my genes there goes the flaunting), at the very least wear sunscreen.

请问。。。

2012-02-03T22:08:00.004+08:00

Did i ever say that i have the "ask me for directions" face? Whether i'm pregnant, with kid or alone minding my own business, i'm surprised at the frequency i get stopped by strangers to ask for directions. Do i look local? Or perhaps i look particularly kind-hearted enough to stop and help those in need.

Either way i take it as a compliment to myself.

But to be honest, i won't ask me for directions. I've led my friends cars and my driver astray so many times that i'm embarrassed. Mountain Man won't let me book hotels for holidays anymore because we'd end up in the suburban projects. North South East West are nothing but mahjong seating positions to me. It took me almost 4 years of marriage before i get my bearings of my in-laws' estate.

So yeah... don't ask me for directions ever.

The Water Dragon

2012-02-03T21:51:00.000+08:00

We got back from Singapore about 4 days ago. Seems like an eternity because our nanny hasn't returned from her hometown. Makes me realize how much she contributes to this household and we appreciate her even more now.

Anyway Singapore was great. Big thanks to my in-laws who washed and cleaned up after us, if you're reading we couldn't have done it without you.

Here are some choice pictures from our Singaporean Lunar New Year.

Family from Jakarta came to Singapore. It's so nice to see the children play together. It's even nicer that we don't have to watch Mountain Boy like a hawk because the older jiejies do a fine job.

Akhim! There's a better picture of her not squirming but it took forever to upload this one.

The only family photo we took on the Singapore Duck Tour.

Lilybuff just looks adorable here.

And here too. She is photogenic isn't she.

The cousins meet again! The last night they hung out till WAAAAy past their bedtime.

2 men and 3 babies.

Lily Inspired: Daddy's Girl

2012-02-02T23:23:00.002+08:00

You are my muse. Because of you, I've decided i'm going to start a new "label" on the blog called Lily Inspired where i'll capture all the advice a mother can give to her baby daughter.

I think it'll be fun. Right now you're kind of like a tortilla wrap who smiles back but can't talk yet (that's what 2.5 months old babies do fyi), so this will be like me time traveling to the future and talking to you like a friend. Sounds good right? yay!

Okay where do i begin.

Your dad... He is the sweetest to you. He has been telling everyone that your brother can go sow the wild oats when he grows older but he wants to put a chastity belt on you. Very protective he is. I don't know if he notices but when he plays with you he puts on this gentle smile like you're this piece of eggshell he is afraid to drop, with the older brother he's like growl here and growl there, tickle and throw in the air type of thing. I think he is apprehensive about having you, in a good way.

I once read that a daughter's relationship with her father will determine the kind of husband she finds. The closer she is to her dad, the greater her expectations of her husband. I guess it's quite similar to the notion that men tend to find wives who embody qualities of their mothers.

Anyway, i can't wait to start this journey with you. Already you are melting my heart all the time.

OMG why why...

2012-02-02T23:01:00.001+08:00

Itchy backside me went to click the button for new blogger interface now i don't know how to go back to the good old ways.

Don't give me new technology, i'm a laggard. I like uploading photos one by one, i like knowing where each button leads to even though it's 10 times slower. I cannot handle tech support people because they speak in alienish. HELP.

First post from iPhone

2012-02-02T21:22:00.000+08:00

I've been enjoying my new toy past couple of days.

The joy

2012-01-27T13:54:00.000+08:00

Seeing the two kiddos together does put a smile on my face. Mountain boy wakes up and climbs onto my bed where Lilybuff and I are and says "jood morning mei mei jood morning! Love mei mei" and then plants a big giant kiss on her. She always just stares at him in awe.

Why we cannot have a third child in Singapore...

2012-01-20T22:36:00.005+08:00

Nevermind that Singapore weather is so damn blardy hot that when i take two kiddos out i'm covered in layers of grime and sweat by the end of each day. I don't mind the "hardship". But logistically I cannot have 3 kids (or more) because of the new car seat laws. How can i possibly fit 3 car seats into the back seat of a normal 5 seater? I need to wait till Mountain Boy turns 7-8 yrs old (which is roughly when a kid reaches 135 cm) before I can have a third child. By that time i don't even know if i want to have a third child, or if my ovaries are still working. I'm convinced that this stupid new law aims to break the child bearing momentum.

Even if i have a third child by the time Mountain Boy turns 7-8, this bugger still cannot legally sit in the front seat because of the car safety regulations. So which means the 3 kids have to sit in the back seat. Think of the possible scenarios... 2 toddlers and a baby doing stuff the parents can't control. Hmm...

So the last possible scenario is to get an MPV, but think about the road tax and coe, and petrol consumption!

Dun buy car lah, just take the public transport. Or better still, just don't have a 3rd kid! If you already have child no.3, whooops... too bad!

We're featured!

2012-01-20T18:06:00.003+08:00

Pop Tots was featured on My Paper, January 20, 2012, Page A13. A journalist from My Paper contacted us three days ago regarding the Bruce Lee Romper. We exchanged a few emails and next thing voila we're on! It's a proud moment for my business partner and I. It's going to be a good year i can feel it.

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

Sentosa Day 1

2012-01-18T22:36:00.002+08:00

The last sentosa holiday was so delightful that we came back for more. We've covered so much today! We went to Vivocity for lunch, the shopping mall has this wonderful kids area to play and lots of kids-related shopping to do. After checking into Hard Rock Hotel the first thing Mountain Boy wanted to do was take the monorail. After that we went to the beach station and chanced upon the Siloso tram and took that as well, who needs to pay 60 bucks at Universal Studios when cheap public transport can do the job!

The one with the strangers

2012-01-18T22:13:00.003+08:00

Yesterday us 4 were at Lucky Plaza, minding our own business waiting for the lift. And then suddenly this hand came from behind me and gave Lilybuff a pinch on her cheeks. I don't know what came over me but my hand went *piak* and i gave her the you're-dead-to-me glare before exclaiming "please don't touch my child". Turns out that she's this pleasant 50ish lady who seems quite well-groomed and nice, but of course she scurried away probably feeling quite embarrassed. At that instant i feel a teeensy weeensy guilty for over-reacting.

Look, I know i don't have a universally cute baby girl. She's not eurasian or mixed-blood, just this ordinary looking chinese baby whom I think is cute because she's mine. My point is, you don't just touch a baby's cheeks without asking for permission. What if you have SARS? Or you've just unconsciously dug your nose or picked your teeth, God forbid that you may have gone to the toilet for number 2 and didn't wash your hands, with soap.

I'm all for my kids being interactive to strangers in my presence. Mountain Boy for example is somehow very popular amongst the Indians. Once we went to Jurong Bird Park and a bunch of Indian tourists wanted to take pictures with him (instead of the birds, hello?). And on our plane ride yesterday another indian man played with him, to whom Mountain Boy said "nice shu-shu" (nice uncle). Today he almost jumped into the Harbour Front River and another Indian man helped me hold him back because i was busy with Lilybuff.

So anyway, I don't think there is any harm in being friendly to kids IF the kids reciprocate. But please, don't assault babies in strollers. If you wanna pet someone's dog, ask the owner. If you want to pinch my baby's cheeks, ask me.

Singapore

2012-01-18T16:10:00.000+08:00

I'm soooo tired!! Traveling with two kids is just insane. For the past 2 days I've done nothing except pack and unpack and pack again- 3 luggages, diaper bags, extra stuff in case we stay out the whole day, and god knows why we planned a sentosa stay which requires more packing and unpacking.

I'm complaining but I'm actually grateful that Mountain Man at least bothers to create some kind of holiday for us.

Thank goodness lilybuff is a good traveler, and mountain boy is big enough to be comprehensible and somewhat reasonable.

Anyway in case I don't write again before cny, gxfc everyone!

Happy 2 months Lilybuff!

2012-01-14T21:31:00.000+08:00

This little lady is growing up too quickly, she has outgrown some 0-3 months ralph lauren pieces I got during the last sale. So far she has been a total angel to care for. Very low maintenance, just eats, sleeps, poos and coos.

On some nights she finds it hard to sleep so she tends to keep me awake too. But because I've been taking care of her every night since the confinement lady left, I feel even more bonded to her.

We will be heading back to singapore this monday and I can't wait to dress her in summer clothes! I hope she can still fit most of them I didn't expect her to grow so fast!

Mother of 2

2012-01-10T22:19:00.006+08:00

Sometimes I feel like an old soul i really do. My friends are mostly unmarried or just married, but here i am unable to join hen parties, attend weddings, go on holidays because i have 2 kids. I know that when my kids grow up and are able to care for themselves, i'd still be young and i'd have plenty of time to pursue unfinished business, but that day is so far away right now that i can only imagine that it exists.

Day to day i feel so pent up. I spend so many hours each day facing a toddler whom i'm constantly fighting with, a baby who just wants to suckle, and a nanny whom i can barely communicate with. My life revolves around domestic issues and i can't help feeling upset over small things like Mountain Boy refusing to brush his teeth. Sometimes i want to just get a life...

But at the risk of sounding like a cliche, i love my kids sooo much. They are so precious to me that i want to hold and squeeze and kiss them all day. How can your bane be also your boon.

Here's some recent pictures of us. Seeing these pictures do make me thankful of my beautiful family.

Trust me, it's hard to get both kids to look at the camera.

Mountain Boy is caught up with a Dora episode. Lilybuff just wants to suck on his hand.

I have a picture of me like this with my older brother.

The 2 boys wearing matchy-matchy adidas sweater. Mountain Boy just loves dressing like his idol.

Hey peeps...

2012-01-03T22:50:00.003+08:00

Hello... Is anyone still out there?

I have perfectly good excuses for the radio silence.

A. I have 2 kids now. And Mountain Boy is on school holiday.

B. Confinement lady has left so i'm doing night shifts, which makes me sooo damn tired that i'd rather sleep than blog.

C. I'm still running my pre-orders on http://poptotsshop.blogspot.com. Business is good pre-cny so it's just crazy.

I can't even begin to blog now cos so much has happened so trying to recap everything would be like trying to swallow an entire elephant all in one gulp. But all is well at home. Lilybuff is growing quickly, she has almost doubled her birth weight!! Granted she was born light. Mountain Boy is also maturing, he is talking and singing and creating all sorts of mischiefs at at home (i think i'm gonna get a cane soon even though i don't believe in beating).

So anyways, some quick pictures.

Mountain Boy spending quality time with Lilybuff.

Our first family picture (minus that lady at the background).

Us at a school concert for Dylan. I want to upload his performance video soon. He was supposed to be a pig but then he got stage fright so he ended up roaring instead. We suspect it's because he had been watching Lion King. It was just adorable.

Merry christmas!

2011-12-26T08:32:00.000+08:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday. My confinement nanny left so I've been swamped!

Botak doll

2011-12-22T10:54:00.000+08:00

We shaved her bald yesterday. Unfortunately the electric shaver died halfway so she looks a little patchy in this picture. But no problem we charged the shaver and she's all good now. The shaving actually revealed some rashes which became little pimples today, scary. But I'm glad we did it else the rashes would have been hidden for longer.

She looks so much chubbier with her hair off!

Eh....lephant...

2011-12-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

Being silly at home as usual.

Lilybuff

2011-12-17T15:04:00.000+08:00

Dear Lilybuff,

1 month into this world and already you've brought so much joy into my life. Your coos, and aas and the girly noises you make when you suckle. You are eating well, in fact so much that you never say no to more milk You were born so tiny but it seems that you are thriving well outside.

My love for you grows each day. We are going to spend so much time together in the coming years and I just can't wait.

Happy First Month my beautiful Lilybuff.

Mother of 2

2011-12-07T20:57:00.000+08:00

When did I become a mother of 2 its unbelievable! It really didn't hit me until I saw 2 of them together like this. I'm so blessed.

Equal isn't always fair

2011-12-04T18:46:00.000+08:00

The confinement lady commented today that I've only observed Lilybuff taking her bath once. From her tone of voice I'm guessing its a rare occurrence in China, given that most parents fawn over their only child. I'd like to think that they are afforded the time and energy to do so because there's no older child to fight for their attention.

Honestly, I've no guilt over this. Neither child is favoured or neglected. Time in this household is divided according to individual needs, not according to meticulous calculation of 12 hrs each day per child. The priority is given in order of importance and urgency. I would love to observe Lilybuffs bathtime, be a bystander and do nothing but watch her being bathed by a perfectly capable nanny but I think Mountain Boy would benefit more from the evenings that we spend together. Similarly, I tell Mountain Boy that breastfeeding time is important to Lilybuff because she needs to eat and grow, and he respects it and backs off.

In a nutshell, the aim is to learn to respect each others needs (including parents') instead of always calculating how much time I spent w child A versus child B. In all fairness, the only way to give each child equal time is to neglect them both totally.

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First pets

2011-12-04T18:12:00.000+08:00

Mountain Boy has been watching Finding Nemo over and over again. To our surprise(maybe not so surprising since I consider myself to be a beach/scuba diving enthusiast) he has no interest in Cars 1 and 2 so I've been spared from buying all the related merchandise and having to memorise all the names of vehicles.

On the flip side, we now have a fish tank! We promised him a fish yesterday and I didn't expect Mountain Man to come home with 9! I'm not looking forward to them dying on me because I don't want to explain death to a 2 year old, and I feel very eeky about dead fish. I may have to just keep buying and replacing before he realises.

Anyway, he was very excited about being a first time pet owner.

Ayi(addressing me): 今天去超市要买设么？
Mountain Boy: 买鱼！买鱼！

Bulk Purchase Begins!

2011-12-03T14:16:00.003+08:00

log on to http://poptotsshop.blogspot.com to find out how you can order this pair of hand knitted shoes for only $9.90.

Snow in Beijing

2011-12-03T10:42:00.000+08:00

T-shirt project: Hands

2011-11-28T10:38:00.000+08:00

A month of confinement in winter means our activities are pretty much limited to indoor projects. Its hard to keep our interaction "educational". I feel quite guilty that sometimes all we do is sit together and watch his favourite tv program. I always think tt I should be showing him flashcards to increase his literacy,teach him how to sing and count to 100 or something. I try but most of the time he runs off and I lose patience. The incentive to keep trying decreases with each attempt.

But one of the things we do a lot is create art pieces because it keeps him interested. In our latest project I bought a couple of plain Ts and fabric paint. In our first attempt he wanted an outline of his hand and mine. He then helped to create these beautiful blotches all over the sleeves and back using his palms and fingers. I won't say its nice but I praised him for his attempt at creative conceptualisation. Looking forward to create the next T.

Lilybuff

2011-11-26T17:27:00.000+08:00

10 days old!!

2011-11-23T11:30:00.000+08:00

This household lasted 10 days with a newborn! All thanks to great helpers and cooperative kids.

Also, happy to announce that she will now be known as "Lilybuff" on the blog because that's what Mountain Boy calls her. A huge upgrade from Baby 2 in my opinion.

The one before I popped

2011-11-21T21:30:00.000+08:00

Picture taken the day before birth against the background of yellow fall leaves. Today I look out my window and everything is bare.

Winter is coming (reference Game of Thrones fans out there)...

Rockstar!

2011-11-20T17:41:00.000+08:00

Mountain boy lovessss putting on hairgel. He feels instantly perky when he wears his hair up. What a vain pot!

The Lactationator returns...

2011-11-20T17:27:00.000+08:00

Yummy...

Siblings

2011-11-20T01:43:00.001+08:00

Mountain boy has been great at being a big brother! He is a curious little munchkin and wants to see everything that's going on. He calls his sister "chute" (cute) and kisses her a few times each day. Apparently at school he was so proud to be called "哥哥" and was beaming from ear to ear all the time.

He likes carrying his "mei mei" but gets bored quickly n says "dowan dowan". He says her name is "E-li-ba-buff" emphasis on buff so its quite hilarious.

Of course he gets jealous too but the occurrences are minimal and reasonable. Let's hope this continues..

Elizabeth Ng

2011-11-16T20:39:00.000+08:00

I can't remember if I've announced Elizabeth's arrival to the blog readers yet, but here she is. My beautiful daughter.

She was born in the morning of Nov 14, 2011. She weighs 2.6kg and is 50cm long. We've both returned home and recuperating as well as we possibly can.

I'll share the birth story soon.

Fireworks

2011-11-10T17:57:00.000+08:00

The budding artist displays his masterpiece with immense pride.

He is down with this mega terrible throat infection so no school and art class this week. I very reluctantly took out an old paint set and let him do his own thing expecting a catastrophic clean up afterwards, surprisingly he didn't go smack an swish swosh on my paper walls. In fact the paint never went beyond my coffee table.

For this piece, he painted each of his finger a different colour and went "stamp stamp stamp", the colours came out beautifully like fireworks exploding. He had a little help from mommy but he did it mostly by himself.

Dadong duo

2011-11-06T22:53:00.000+08:00

Nice picture of father n son at dadong roast duck restaurant.

Letter to Mountain Boy: We will always love you

2011-11-04T20:54:00.003+08:00

Dear Mountain Boy,

the past 2 days have been particularly out of the ordinary for the both of us...I don't know if it's because I made you watch Finding Nemo that made you fear losing me, or that you are sensing the imminent arrival of your younger sister. Either way, you are not letting me out of your sight from the moment you see me. You're grabbing on to my thighs when i want to take a bath, you're hanging on tight to my hands when we go out. There are moments where you bury yourself in my chest and sob like i'm gonna leave you.

You know what baby boy, I will be here for you as long as i'm alive, and for as long as you want me in your life. It hurts me more than you know when i think about how you might assume that i won't love you as much when your sister comes. I wish, I really wish, that you can be my only child forever so you'll never have to "share" our love.

Let me tell you the truth. You will have to learn how to share your toys, share the time you have of us, share your food, your clothes, your belongings, but you'll never ever have to share our love for you. It doesn't work that way and you'll only understand the day you become a parent. When i gave birth to you, I also gave birth to a whole new depth of emotions that i never had before, i.e. you helped me experience a new type of love, i didn't have to take love away from someplace else, i just have more. In the same way the birth of your new sister will bring on additional love in all three of our lives- your dad, myself and especially you. You will be a big brother!

A lot of people who know you including the teachers at school and us believe that you will be a wonderful brother. You are already very good at sharing and helping. You are always cheerful, you are kind and gentle, you have no idea how much joy you give me everyday.

My baby boy. We love you. You'll always be special in our eyes.

Kiss kiss,

mama

Feeling a lot better

2011-11-04T20:36:00.000+08:00

After laying in bed for 2 days, and taking several doses of medication including ventolin puffs, I am feeling a lot better today. Hope baby girl's immune system aint as screwed as mine has been this pregnancy. Mama lives to fight another day!

Sick mama

2011-11-02T15:48:00.000+08:00

Dunno what hit me but I'm suddenly mega mega ill. I've had a cough for 3 months intermittently now, I've taken a dose of antibiotics just 2 weeks ago and I'd most likely be given a 2nd dose today. Haven't felt this terrible in a few years but worst of all I feel so guilty for not being able to spend time w mountain boy and for taking all the drugs that has some sort of risk to baby girl. I'm in hell right now.

Halloween Hooters

2011-10-30T15:08:00.008+08:00

We had a blast at this year's Halloween Party. There's nothing like hanging out with people you really care about, make memories together and always have something to talk about years down the road.

Here are some pictures from today.

3 Hooters! It's very hard to get a decent family picture taken.

Papa and Mama owl... I don't know why we look so formal here. I tell Mountain Man that we used to be more "fun".

Mountain Man and Boy together. Mountain Boy decorated his very own dorky specs with minimal help from Daddy. He is really a budding artist according to his teachers!

Getting his face drawn by one of the older girls. It's such a smart alternative to a mask, he had been refusing to wear his!

Making "music" with a butter cookies tin. The kids banged and clanged in unison, supposedly emulating STOMP. It wasn't too bad.

Here's our halloween pictures from 2007 and 2010. By next year i'll have a make a 4th costume for baby girl!

Halloween Costume reveal!

2011-10-27T19:32:00.004+08:00

It's been about 1-14 degrees in Beijing, sooo cold it's not funny. I could either let Mountain Boy brave the Halloween chill in an awesome costume and risk catching a cold, or let him stay warm but hidden under his wool coat. The choice seems pretty clear to me but hey it's not like i'm gunning for Mother of the Year.

Anyway doesn't he rock!?!

FYI the yellow thingie on his pants is supposed to be the owl's feet.

Back view.

In mid-air.

Wings spread.

He got quite a few praises from people and he felt so proud of his costume that he wore it the entire 3hrs at school so the effort was worth it. We can't wait for the Halloween Party this Sunday. Mountain Man and my costume coming soon....

Artist at work

2011-10-21T07:44:00.000+08:00

I sent Mountain Boy for a trial art class last friday. I was told to leave the classroom 15 into the lesson and that sent all kinds of warning signals to my mind. I was worried that he may cry, or wet his pants etc...school has been tough enough on him. So I sat outside the claSsroon jittery for the next 45mins wondering if I'd get a phonecall from the art teacher.

45 minutes later I went into the room again and saw this little guy wearing an apron that ran all the way down to his shoes, busy doodling with his 10 fingers and 2 palms. He merely looked up at me to show me his maroon palms and then continued to work on his masterpiece. Considering how at school he is usually the first to rush out of the classroom to hug me, this came as a shock.

The teacher commented that he was very experimental in his brushwork and use of paint. At the end of the lesson I had a tough time bringing him out of the room, which I guess is a good thing right.
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Nail Marbling

2011-10-18T21:08:00.003+08:00

I've attempted this nail marbling at home many times but it doesn't work. I don't know if it's the nail polish i used, or that i've applied the wrong technique... It's not popular in Beijing but i want to try it some day.

Hooters...

2011-10-18T19:53:00.000+08:00

I'm so excited that I'm giving away more than I should. The suits for us 3 are now complete. I'm slightly worried that Mountain Boy won't wear his on the actual day. I hope he will put it on long enough for me to get a decent picture.
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somethins brewin for halloween...

2011-10-18T00:49:00.000+08:00

It's way past bedtime and I'm still working on this yrs halloween costume. He has a party at school and I am so excited for him (now that he has a decent costume haha). Just the finishing touches left but I won't spoil the fun by showing u the final product. Here's a preview of the sketches... Project runway taught me something useful afterall.
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Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

2011-10-13T19:57:00.009+08:00

This is a "push present" I'm giving myself. Sparkles and smiles at me all day.

Unlike handbags, diamonds have little/no resale value so this one is for life, to be passed down to generations after me. At least that's my justification.

Some info on setting options:
The 4-prong setting versus the 6-prong or basket setting has a a key benefit of allowing more light to enter the diamond. The height of the setting also determines how much light can pass through. A higher setting gives the illusion that the diamond "sticks out" and is therefore bigger. But IMO if setting is too high and the diamond is so small the ring looks a little too wannabe. My current setting is in fact a little too high for my liking, need to get it fixed when i get back to Singapore!

There are not my own diamonds unfortunately, but the picture below shows the difference between 4 and 6 prong setting. The 6 prong results in a rounder look and more security.

Picture from Dancing Fire, Pricescope.

All time favorite classic Tiffany design has a little window below to allow light to enter the diamond, making it quite a popular solitaire design. I think i may reset mine to this eventually. Or maybe Mountain Man will buy me his version of a push present down the road, and i would like to state for the record that this is the setting i would like to have my future rings in.

Example of basket setting. More blockage, but i also like the way it looks from the side.

Also if you are a bloke (or if you are Mountain Man) and you are thinking of getting a diamond ring for the other half, u can use the table below as a reference, it shows the ratio of your diamond to ring size. No need too big, 65% enough. *wink*

Other tips on buying a diamond ring that wows...

In order of priority, in my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

Carat. Because size is the first thing people notice.
Cut. When a diamond is badly cut, it doesn't sparkle, or it doesn't look round. Go for at least GOOD cut. If you have to choose between shallow or deep diamond depth, go for shallow because a "fish eye" effect is more tolerable than a deep dark centre look. Plus shallower diamonds also mean bigger table, ie bigger looking diamond.
Colour. D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K, L, M N.... I know there are people who feel that color matters, but i've seen with my own eyes how J compares to F, and frankly the difference is not worth fussing over, especially if the cut is good.
Clarity. If you haven't seen the diamond physically, go as low as SI2. Some (but not many) I1-I2 diamonds can still make the mark depending on where and what the inclusion is. Some inclusions are right smack in the centre or rather feathery so it results in a cloudy spit-like look so that's definitely a no-no. But if some inclusions can blend in with the diamond then don't worry, unless people start carrying a magnifying glass in their purse. Some experts say that I1-I3 diamonds are so flawed that the diamond may chip, so keep that in mind. The recommendation is not go lower than SI2.

Having said all these, I think if you have the budget and it's an engagement ring, go ahead and get that perfect flawless diamond because she deserves it. Think about this, she is going to wear it almost everyday for the rest of her life so it's gonna cost less $/day as compared to say... a pair of high heel shoes?

Mountain Boy is billingual!

2011-10-12T20:33:00.002+08:00

One of the pros of being in China is that our children get to grow up being exposed to 2 languages simultaneously. Some months back i had been fretting (just slightly) about how Mountain Boy isn't talking as much as he should be. Of course i knew everything will happen in due course and people tell me i shouldn't panic yada yada... but it's normal for a parent to wonder if there was something that could have been done to help the talking, or worse still was there something I had already done that needed undoing.

In the last 2 months though, his speech development has taken quite a huge leap forward. He is basically parroting our last words and he speaks in 2 languages! But the more amazing thing is that he knows how to process who speaks what language and he responds accordingly.

For instance...

While he was on the potty after he poo-pooed, he tells me "finish". And when the nanny walks over he says "没有了".

This afternoon he wanted some polo sweets on the table but couldn't reach it so he said "I want i want", and when i said he couldn't have it he immediately turned to the ayi and said "要！要".

But the most interesting incident happened yesterday morning... He was busy digging his nose and when he dug out something succesfully he proudly showed me "peesai!" (which essentially means booger in hokkien, its a term we use quite commonly in the Singaporean context). And then he turned to the nanny and said "鼻涕!".

Go "green" with handbags...

2011-10-10T22:17:00.003+08:00

Okay it's a nice and misleading subject headline that might make you think that I'm about to promote some enviromentally friendly handbag like that cloth bag many years ago. Actually, no.

Over the past 5 years i've accumulated a small treasure chest of handbags that would have been breeding mould if Beijing was humid enough. Honestly, i really only carry 2-3 bags at a given time. Since becoming a mother my repertoire has grown even smaller. I have basically gotten rid of the really heavy ones like the Balenciaga Giant Hardware series, the ones i haven't worn in a year except for a Jimmy Choo that my mom got for my wedding gift which i intend to keep, and the really delicate ones that only gets to see the light/night of day when i'm out without Mountain Boy- which is never.

In the past 1 month alone, I've sold 4 handbags- 2 Chanels and 2 Balenciagas. Making my handbag count at -3 this year because i've only acquired 1 bag this year, which was the Marco Tagliaferri . Totally an excuse to get more before year end. *snigger*

After buying/selling so many handbags i've learnt a few tips to make a good handbag recycler.

Keep all tags, dust bags, receipts.
Invest in brands and models that have good resale value. LV and Balenciaga retains their value pretty well, Chanel classic designs are very good investments because the actual retail price increases every year and there's a huge 2nd hand market. I've not sold any other premium brands but just by looking at ebay trends, the contemporary and sub-premium brands don't sell as well. I'm not sure about Bottega Veneta, but i'll find out some day. *snigger*
Care for your bag. This is something i need to work on but it's hard protecting your bag when your toddler thinks its a stepping stone to mommy, which has been the fate of the Miu Miu Bow Satchel that was gifted by Mountain Man for Christmas last year, now it looks rather like roadkill.

Open yourself up to the idea of 2nd hand bags if you cannot bear to fork out the full price. Sometimes a good buy does come along. I personally don't mind if the bag is no longer sold, or that i like a vintage look, or if i'm not sure i like this design so maybe paying less for it will cause less heartache if i i end up hating it. =)

Brother from another mother

2011-10-10T07:08:00.000+08:00

Photo of the week

Let's Burger Plus

2011-10-09T14:27:00.000+08:00

It's "try something new" day for us so we explored the new wing of sanlitun village and stepped into the brand new Let's Burger Plus chain. The decor is a lot more plush than the original Let's burger and the menu has a wider variety. We had a good meal, strongly recommended!

Autumn fashion for mountain boy

2011-10-09T12:13:00.000+08:00

Went to the zoo market 2 days ago and acquired 5 sweaters and a pair of kiddo converse for Mountain Boy. This blotchy sweater design is my favourite of the lot, already a couple of strangers complimented how handsome he looks today. Its the crazy hormones but I just wanna squeeze him and bite off chunks of his cheeks today.

Winner

2011-10-01T15:16:00.000+08:00

Hello!

2011-10-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

Back online!

2011-10-01T09:12:00.003+08:00

I'm finally back online. By online i mean with vpn access, by vpn access i mean access of Facebook, Blogger and the interesting world out there that China doesn't block. Because i haven't had vpn access for a long time, i've limited my surfing to sites which China deems as "safe", so for me that basically means ebay, and ebay is not "safe" for me (at this point i don't know if you're still following my train). In fact ebay can be quite damaging.

Anyway, my 1.5 yr old Mac Book Pro's hard disk crashed. Electronics don't go together with Lovexiaolongbao, my friend's Mac lasted her almost 4 yrs and it's still going strong. I had to spend quite a lot of money to get it fixed, but luckily i managed to save all of Mountain Boy's photos and videos before the hard disk was rendered 100% unusable.

It's the October Holidays in China now. We're really excited because we're expecting 4 esteemed guests in our household. Mountain Man's brother's family is coming to visit and Mountain Boy is going to have a wonderful time with his cousin! I'll be super busy but in a good way. Hopefully i'll find time to blog.

Oh oh! And i forgot to update progress on my pregnancy. The baby is now 32 weeks, 2.07 kg and get this, SHE HAS HAIR!!! During the ultrasound the sonographer pointed out a halo of floating hair around the outline of her skull. Must be the regular bird's nest intake. Less than 2 months to go. Can't wait can't wait!

Pop Tots launches today!

2011-09-22T19:16:00.002+08:00

Hi friends, readers of the blog...

Apologies for the very long silence. I've been up to something again, I've set up another online boutique!

This time I've teamed up with a girlfriend to set up Pop Tots, an online boutique selling kids wear. We only have shoes and hair accessories for now, but i think there's already plenty to choose from. I hope you'll like our collection.

Some of my favourite Hair Accessories:

Pom Pom Hairclip

Double Rosettes Hairband

Pink Mini-bow Hairband

Victim of cross-sell

2011-09-13T11:56:00.000+08:00

Walked into MAC wanting to replenish my staple Hug Me lustre series lipstick cos. I've been using that same colour for over 10 yrs, thankfully they never stopped the colour.

The salesgirl told me tt my lip colour is slightly pigmented so I needed a dark colour. And she insisted I buy this deep maroon which I now think is wayyyy too early nineties. Somewhat a cross between the black widow and a pregnant cannibal. One of those purchases that will end up at the bottom of my very large make-up case.

Time 2 Paaarrrtty!

2011-09-11T20:41:00.002+08:00

Sometime last month, Mountain Man and I debated whether we should organize a birthday party for Mountain Boy. It'd be nice to celebrate his 2nd year with friends we love, but i also knew that it wasn't something we'd be able to keep up every year. Plus, i'm carrying around 7 months of pregnancy weight and i was growing more and more tired by the day. Mountain Man suggested a "relaxed" party and i wondered what "relaxed" meant, and who would be the one feeling "relaxed". I never knew the word could apply to party planning. Anyway, we kept the guest list tight. 7 families with an average of 2 kids each. So that would come up to about 30 odd people.

There were quite a number of setbacks during the day which upset me. The oven broke down which meant that i couldn't bake the perfect pizza i wanted, the stove wouldn't start, and somehow when it did the chicken wings were almost burnt every batch. The kitchen god must have taken the day off.

Thankfully the guests were gracious with praise for whatever food was served on the table. And many later on sent text messages saying how much they enjoyed the party. I was completely exhausted by the end of the night i could only afford to go to the toilet when my bladder was very very full, and even then i had to waddle-limp.

What made it most worthwhile though was how Mountain Boy felt the excitement for days leading up to HIS birthday party (which he now understood). Seeing how he clapped along during his birthday song and how he blew out his own candles just made me swell (not that i'm not swollen enough already) with pride.

Here are some pictures from the night:

Mountain Boy chose the colours of his balloons and it was a surprisingly good combination. I would have just gone with yellow and purple. We bought a helium canister and blew up the balloons ourselves, it was a lot of fun. I also stuck photos of our family all around the house to give the walls a pop of colour.

Kiddo friends...

Savoring the burnt chicken wings. He has no complaints!

Mountain Boy had been waiting for this moment for days! He was clapping along and went "Yay!" when the song ended. Sooo cute...

Just us 3 (almost 4).

First Day of Pre-school

2011-09-07T22:53:00.004+08:00

Mountain Boy just started pre-school today. *hik hik*

Actually it's not preschool preschool. This programme is only 3 days a week and 3 hrs each session. In fact we've only enrolled him for 2 out of the 3 days. It's new set-up by 2 of my Singaporean friends who have had years of experience in education. It's not full montessori (ie they don't do much) style like most International preschools in Beijing, i like it because the curriculum is structured but flexible. They actually learn and do things.

Anyway, no sobs or drama from Mountain Boy when we parted. In fact he waved me goodbye like i was going out shopping. But he did have 2 mini outbursts- first at the 1 hr mark and another shortly after. Teacher said he was quickly pacified so it's all good.

He was a bit quiet when i picked him up probably because he was quite overwhelmed by the 3 hr stretch. But i am very proud of him already because he is one of the youngest students. Helps that he already knew the teachers and environment because we've been attending parent-accompanied classes for months. He also has a good friend whom he often played with to hang out/look up to. The friend being the older one was also very sweet to help him ease into pre-school life.

So far he hasn't acted out yet. In fact he slept well (touch wood) and ate well (touch wood). He nodded his head when i asked him if he liked his teachers and his school. Can't ask for anything more can i! Let's hope he keeps this up.

A Boy's Bedroom

2011-09-05T20:40:00.011+08:00

I enjoyed putting together this little project. Mountain Boy had a lot of creative say in this.

No prizes for guessing his favourite transportation vehicle.

He chose his own bed. And thankfully he has had more good nights than bad nights on it. He likes the freedom and rightly so because he is almost 2 and almost a big brother! The RoomMates Robot stickers on the wall have actually followed us to 3 different houses. It's amazing how reusable they really are.

His petrol kiosk bookshelf. It's very slim and functional.

I didn't quite think through this wooden cupboard, it was actually the first piece of furniture i purchased for his room. It ended up feeling very out of place and clunky in his bedroom so i decided to spruce it up with some decal stickers. Mountain Boy helped paste most of the stuff and surprisingly he doesn't peel them off even though it's within reach.

He spends a lot of time in his room each day. It's really cosy and breezy because it's north-south facing so the natural light is great. And again to my surprise, he doesn't get up from his bedto play with his toys in the middle of the night (at least not to my knowledge). I always thought that toys and bedtime shouldn't mix but i was wrong.

Toilet Training Part 2

2011-09-05T20:20:00.003+08:00

Okay, somebody, anybody, if you know the secret and won't tell me i'd... i'd.... okay i don't know what i'll do except get really angry. Someone out there PLS TELL ME HOW TO GET A TODDLER TO POO IN THE TOILET!!

I've even invested in this 300RMB potty seat and it's about to become a white elephant! But to be fair before i got this potty seat he refused to even sit on the toilet bowl, now at least his bum is on it but he just can't complete the deed.

Prince Lionheart Weepod

Mountain Boy is a pee-pee champion now. He is basically off diapers except during nap time and night time. Even when he is very excited he knows how to tell us he needs to pee. But when it comes to poo, he prefers to do his business in diapers. In fact he has somehow accidentally regulated his poo-poo schedule to after naps because that's when his diapers are still on.

Yesterday i made sure i removed his diapers right after he woke up so he won't have time to "cultivate" the sensation to poo but he ended up not pooing. Okay... so today i waited till he had that "i'm about to poo" look before removing his diapers and somehow the poo just magically gets sucked back in.

What do i do now? Do i offer rewards? Do i wait till he is more "ready" and when is "ready" really ready? Do i just let him constipate in the hope that he'll eventually poo? Please help me!

Fire engine toddler bed

2011-08-25T09:35:00.000+08:00

So far so good. He has been taking long naps on his bed. But at night he tends to wake up and sleep on the mattress below with his daddy. He's been having flu so mountain man has been sleeping next to him.

Transition to Toddler bed

2011-08-23T11:22:00.000+08:00

The long awaited Fire Engine bed finally arrived this morning. Mountain Boy had been anticipating his bed for almost 2 weeks. When I first showed him the picture, he said "mama, buy!" And subsequently when I asked him if he wanted to switch to a toddler bed he said "engine, mama buy".

This morning I got one of the maintenance workers to come in and set up for us. I've never seen Mountain boy sit so still, he just observed the guy put together piece by piece, didn't even ask to watch tv.

Let's see if his first nap and night sleep will go smoothly. He is down with a terrible cough so I am hoping it doesn't affect the transition.

Ready for big brotherhood?

2011-08-18T21:35:00.009+08:00

Practice makes perfect...

I know at one point i was lamenting that all the damn discipline books i've been reading hasn't worked shite for me, Mountain Boy was then driving me nuts daily and most of the time i just wanted to smack his butt, confiscate all his toys and leave him hungry. But I started to realize recently that actually he isn't as terrible as i thought. Maaaaybe i should give those experts some credit.

He behaves reasonably for his age. He shares his things, he helps around the house and he pretty much does what i say if i explain to him properly. Of course on some tantrum occasions i've had to be very patient and reason with him very extensively, but so far i haven't resorted to smacking, bribing or threats. Warnings yes, but not threats.

Anyway...

Before I got pregnant with baby girl, I chanced upon this book called Sibling Without Rivalry , written by the same authors of How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk. The latter book was from a recommended reading list from the Parent Effectiveness Training course which i attended late last year.

The book on siblings is an interesting read, I mostly like it for the comic strips. But the very first epiphany is the parallel drawn between a firstborn and a first wife- having a 2nd kid is like your husband taking on a concubine. I can scarcely imagine what it'd be like for me if Mountain Man took a 2nd or 3rd wife. Imagine him saying how i should learn to like wife #2 cos she's so slim and pretty. gah!

So anyway, I've applied some of the principles on sharing and conflict management on other kids and sometimes the results shock me because they work. Freaky like voodoo magic. The other thing that strike me was how the methods differ from what i thought was right. It has made me afraid to trust my "instincts" a little bit.

But honestly, i will only know that these methods really work until i've applied them to all of my kids and achieve good results. I think I also need to get past the impending Terrible Twos because that is the real challenge. *fingers crossed*

PS: Mountain Boy points to my belly and says "meimei" and kiss kiss kiss many times each day. I wonder if he knows what's coming at him!

Toilet Training!

2011-08-14T23:36:00.005+08:00

I wasn't planning on toilet training Mountain Boy so early. It just sort of happened. Sometimes during his bath he would pee into his bathwater and we'd have to empty the tub and refill the water. But not too long ago Mountain Man was able to make him pee at will into a bucket instead of the bathwater. And i thought, if he can do that maybe he can be toilet trained.

So i took off his diaper. The nanny and I would run after him every hr with a small sand bucket and sometimes he could pee into it.

Slowly we progressed to making him tell us when he wanted to "niao" (slang for pee in chinese). For the sake of simplicity, we stuck with the "niao" so the ayi didn't have to say "pee" and he didn't have to process in both languages. There was a short period when he didn't want to take off his diapers so i had to reassess if i was pushing him too hard. But i explained that it was too hot to wear diapers and he can stand and pee like Daddy! That somehow worked.

I always made sure that the Nanny didn't force him to pee like some of the local chinese would. They are very fond of going "shh shh" to induce pee out of the child, and worst still they would suspend the kids in mid-air and make them do the spread eagle which i think is very unsightly! The whole point of toilet training is to train the child to verbalize when he wants to pee, at his will not ours.

After some time of peeing into the bucket, i decided that he should try the toilet bowl. He resisted the first few times but i made him watch his friends do it. Soon after he didn't mind trying. In fact, he enjoys the ritual of us running to bathroom together, stepping on the stool, aiming into the toilet bowl, flushing (his favourite part), and then washing hands.

A few days went by with minimal accidents at home. So we started taking him downstairs diaperless and when he wanted to pee we always just let him do it in the grass or drains. I know it's very unsightly, but it's common in China! At least i don't let him pee on the pavement or on the floors of shopping malls, some do ok. Of course in time, I will train him to only pee in the toilet.

Today i went even further. I brought him out of the compound. We had lunch, we went to a shopping mall, and in the evening we went for a concert totally diaperless! Even during the excitement of seeing Elmo he didn't pee in his pants! I'm super proud of him.

Attaboy! So handsome in briefs.

The next step for me would be to train the number 2. I have heard that it's harder. So far he has refused to poo without his diaper.

What is it with Elmo?! and Barney!

2011-08-14T22:49:00.009+08:00

We went to see Elmo's Green Thumb today at the 北京展剧场. To the kids, seeing Elmo is like watching your favourite band live in concert (in my case it would have to be either Depeche Mode or The Killers). There was pushing and screaming and all the violent stuff one can imagine.

Can't see here but he is wearing an Elmo T-shirt and carrying an elmo soft toy.

But to adults, Elmo's pretty much a snooze fest, like this...

This is my nanny by the way, 15 minutes into the show and she fell asleep.

So what is it with these furry colourful monsters? And more importantly why do the kids hail them as rockstars?

Honestly, i think Elmo has his merits. Elmo's world is quite light hearted to watch and it covers general knowledge like what to do when there's a fire, how to treat pets, learning the alphabets and numbers etc... Elmo is very lovable and cute, he asks questions as a child would so i think kids like him. Interestingly, Elmo is left-handed.

To digress from Elmo. Another character that I would recommend to parents is Barney. I used to crucify Barney even before i watched a single episode. But i can say that after Barney, Mountain Boy has learnt how to be affectionate. He would run to hug me when they sing the "I love you, you love me..." song. And the kids in the show are very polite and considerate to one another so i think the show does teach children good manners. The range of topics covered by Barney is also quite wide. Numbers, colours, shapes, animals... all the essentials.

So yeah. If you're gonna be guilty of using the TV as a virtual nanny. Might as well choose good programmes.

Other stuff he likes:

Dora the Explorer- it's his number 1 craze now. He remembers the sequence and he interacts with the programme.

Leap Frog- Letter Factory and Talking Words taught him the alphabets!

Fireman Sam- Totally not educational but he loves fire engines!

The difference between 1 and 2

2011-08-10T22:38:00.002+08:00

This is the first belly picture I've taken since becoming pregnant with baby girl. I haven't even taken time to think of a nickname, or include her in the title of this blog yet.

I've been busy, really really busy.

But you know what? I anticipate her arrival very eagerly and that's the truth. I just can't wait to have a baby girl. Already a brand new wardrobe awaits. Leggings, cardis, dresses, tops, shoes. She's going to be so special I know it. We already have a name but right now we'll keep it a secret first, but its gonna be the most beautiful name for my first baby daughter.

I've also started taking a tablespoon plus of concentrated bird's nest every night to ensure that she has fair and delicate skin, compliments of pohpoh in Indonesia. I also take a bit of pearl powder as prescribed by a tcm physician. So if she turns out dark like me, i can't say i haven't tried.

She is kicking a lot these days. Sometimes I feel a jab right through my bladder and it makes me wince. The not so good news is that I'm suffering from incontinence (can so hear pohpoh say "I told u so") from carrying both kids. And my glucose screening didn't go too well so I need to go for the glucose tolerance test. Hopefully all is well.

See u soon baby girl! I love u so much already.

WHAT'S THAT?

2011-08-08T18:16:00.002+08:00

The answer is...... *drumrolls*

Mountain Boy's super large ear wax. HAHA. Becoming a mother has made me immune to gross things like poo, snort, booger and ear wax. Of course i'm only immune to Mountain Boy's "excretions". Sometimes i even have long conversations about texture, consistency and colour. This piece of ear wax here was soooo huge that i couldn't see pass it in his ear canal. I became quite obsessed with it after a PD commented how big it was. One day i could reach it with the ear digger (i know not supposed to dig ears) and out it came. Huge, dry and maroonish for some reason. eew.

Suede Underwhelms

2011-08-08T18:03:00.001+08:00

The concert started only 5 minutes late. I think the anticipation build-up from typical hrs of waiting never really got to a high point. Nonetheless, good for pregnant people because we can't sit/stand for very long.

The stage was pretty boring. Just curtains and lights. No special effects or swanky projection. Brett Anderson made no effort to connect with the audience, he just went from one song to the next and to the next.

For the whole night we were waiting for Can't Get Enough which never came, and they skipped Beautiful One too! The setlist was incredibly short, only 15 songs as compared to 18-19 in Taiwan and Singapore, and the concert was over by 840pm! Very unhappening.

Date Night: Suede

2011-08-07T20:04:00.000+08:00

Decent seats considering we got our tix last minute!

Summer Singapore: Boys and Toys

2011-08-06T21:08:00.012+08:00

The idea of being obsessed with transportation vehicles has always been a mystery to me. I never learnt how to ride a bike till i was Primary 5 (11 yrs old), and that was only because we had to go to East Coast Park for Children's day celebration and i didn't want to lose face in front of my friends. I was (is?) chubby, I was a prefect, so i didn't want anyone to make fun of me. Not surprisingly, i still don't have a driver's license until now, and i suspect i never will.

So back to my almost 2 yr old.

He is absolutely positively bonkers about vehicles. In Singapore he is content with daily trips to the mall via the public transport. In fact it's a reward we used often to make him go to sleep, "Take your nap ok? We'll take the bus afterwards."

But his biggest treat this trip was our visit to the Alexander Fire Station located next to Queensway Shopping Centre, open to the public from 9-11am every Saturday morning. Big, small, long short... all sorts of civil defence vehicles to create havoc in. On some days, the fireman can hoist u up the ladder up to 8 storeys high!!

Firemen Mountain Boy and Cousin ready for the next mission!

They even give u a helmet for keepsake. Mountain Boy wanted to wear it all the time so i had to bring it back to Beijing.

Maa, can i have this one instead?

Project Fatten Mountain Boy: Avocado + Mango

2011-08-05T14:51:00.003+08:00

Milk + Avocado+ Mango smoothie

Avocado is the superfood for babies. Its like butter but healthy. Mountain Boy used to eat it a lot but i got lazy because avocado is really expensive and difficult to store. It takes forever to ripe, it's good for 2 days and then it spoils. Reintroducing avocado is quite a challenge now because it's an acquired taste that can be easily forgotten.

I actually love the banana/avocado smoothie combination but he hates it so a friend recommended mango to mask the strong avocado taste. I don't quite like it and i think he doesn't either. So guess we'll have to move on to something else. Maybe i try guacamole?

Summer Singapore: Sentosa

2011-08-04T20:58:00.007+08:00

The highlight of our Singapore trip was definitely our 3d 2n stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. Cost an arm and leg but it's the best hotel we've stayed in as a family. The suite we got was luxurious- the bedsheets must have been at least 800 thread count, free toiletries from Bvlgari, and a Nespresso machine! I'm so easy to please.

The launch of Resort World and Universal Studios have really transformed Sentosa into an ultimate tourist dream. I can no longer say that Singapore is boring. There really is so much to see and do.

We brought Mountain Boy to the beach for the very first time and look how much fun he had! Kept wanting to go deeper and deeper into the sea, roll around in the sand and refuses to leave. Maybe he is a Beach Boy after all.

He plunged into the sea before i could put on his rash guard.

Of course the best part of the holiday was the company of family. Mountain Boy got to hang out with his cousin and boy did they keep us busy.

A rare picture of both looking at the camera.

Awww...

Mountain Boy has never taken public transport in China so the monorail ride was a real treat. There was once we killed time just sitting in the monorail going back and forth the stations.

Monorail madness.

Lolli-freaks.

The Hard Rock Hotel beach/pool was awesome. The sand was apparently imported from Australia so it's silky smooth and pristine. There's also a water feature and slide to keep the kids entertained. Mountain Boy enjoyed the pool so much that i had to drag him out after an extended countdown.

Can we stay here forever please....

Father and son enjoying to sun.

I felt so sad that we had to leave Sentosa because i've never seen Mountain Boy enjoy a place so much. Let's hope we can go back when the new baby arrives. Till then Sentosa!

Husband talk

2011-08-04T20:46:00.002+08:00

True stories.

Story 1

Overheard on the radio in a beijing cab. DJ says that if you observe a member of the opposite sex for more than 8.2seconds, it could be a sign of infatuation or what is commonly known as "love at first sight".

Taxi driver: WHAT? I observe everyone for more than 8.2s!

Me: (nonchalantly)Yeah seems a little short...

Taxi driver: everyone except my wife...

At this point i couldn't help but burst into a giggle.

Story 2

Immigrations officer tried to compare Mountain Boy's passport photo taken at 2 months old versus his almost 2 yrs old face and commented that his face has changed.

And then when the immigrations officer saw my passport photo the husband automatically volunteered information.

Mountain Man: This one's face also changed.

&$#@!

My first boxer briefs

2011-07-21T19:43:00.000+08:00

I'm not a man so I don't know if "boxer briefs" is the right term for these squarish briefs. But aren't they cute!!

We're doing some light toilet training at home these days. Summer is so hot here that I feel bad if he has to wear diapers and shorts on top of that. So far he is willing to pee into a bucket, sometimes he warns us and says "niao niao".

Usually he just grabs his penis when he feels urgent because he knows that wetting pants is uncomfortable.

But we're returning to sg for a short holiday so the training may have to stop for a while.

Beware of a new compound that might kill you

2011-07-19T15:26:00.001+08:00

The fate of bananas

2011-07-18T18:25:00.003+08:00

3 food entries in a row. I'm on fire!

I hate having to buy a big bunch of bananas from the supermarket because we can never finish all before they turn mushy and horrible. It's also a big waste to dump them. So the best way to deal with over-ripened bananas is really to turn them into nutritious and wholesome breakfast banana breads.

I haven't found THE recipe yet... The one i baked above was ngeh... okay only. It didn't make anyone feel like 2nd helpings. If you have a good one to share please do!

Complete the sentence: The best recipes come from....

2011-07-18T18:09:00.002+08:00

... the back of ingredients packaging. I swear on it.

I've tried alot of internet recipes and if i compare them with the ones behind the packaging, i have to say the latter wins hands down.

I recently made a batch of soft oatmeal cookies using the Gold Medal Unbleached Flour Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and it came out just heavenly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I made only one slight change to the recipe. Added 1plus a bit of egg instead of 1 egg because i feel that china eggs are very small.

Separated the dough into 2 batches.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip with walnuts.

Oatmeal with cranberry and white chocolate.

Mountain Man and boy prefers the cranberry/white chocolate combination. =)

Project Fatten Mountain Boy commences!

2011-07-18T17:08:00.006+08:00

I am sick and tired of people telling me that my boy is skinny. I get questions like...does he eat well? He doesn't drink enough milk? He doesn't sleep? Some parents even automatically assume that i cook unappetizing meals so my son doesn't like to eat. Well, thanks for the advice and accusations, but no thanks.

He drinks milk. He eats a healthy amount. And he sleeps just fine. PDs tell me that kids at his age tend to be very active and weight gain is usually slow (1-1.5kg in one year is normal). You may find it hard to believe, but i was a slim kid too until i was force-fed by my maid when i was 7 because people thought i was "too skinny". Anyhows that's another story altogether.

Make no mistake, I am concerned about his weight gain too. Every parent will want their kids to be a wee bit fatter, a lot taller, healthier etc etc. There is nothing i would not try to make him grow.

So i'm embarking on a new project. Fatten Mountain Boy. I want to feed him all the fattening stuff and see if he can put on more weight. Don't say i didn't try...

First up.

Very fattening 2-cheese pizza with whole-wheat flour base. Made everything from scratch, even the damn dough.

Verdict:

He wolfed down 4 slices of a 10-inch pan at one go for his afternoon snack!

Now where's that weighing scale!

Tomato ketchup monster

2011-07-17T09:27:00.000+08:00

Nothing gets his appetite going like a squirt of tomato ketchup. He loves to dip his fries, suck the sauce dry and dip the fries again.

Perv alert!

2011-07-16T09:11:00.002+08:00

Mountain Boy went for a haircut at Melonheads at The Place two days ago. Afterwhich i told the nanny to watch Mountain Boy at the playground opposite while i rummage through the Zara summer sale (awesome yield this year btw).

Upon returning, i sat next to this young man not more than 25. Tanned, stud in his ear, looks decent. Most of the parents who were watching by the sidelines were screaming their heads off at their kids, "Careful! Don't snatch anything! Come on you can climb over that obstacle" etc etc... But this dude, he was calm and collected. Didn't seem fussed about his "child" at all.

With my back facing him, i suddenly felt a nudge on my waist. I glared at him and gave him the "wtf" look but brushed it off as an accident. After i managed to get Mountain Boy out of the Playground after an eternity of yelling and threats, I saw the same man staring himself down at the mirror in the wash area, posing and admiring himself! *goosebumps*

So the nanny and I proceeded to the rather secluded lift lobby to take the lift down and he followed us. I muttered "变态!" under my breath... He pressed "up" and the lift for "up" came first so he went in. BUT GUESS WHAT, he didn't go up. He waited for the lift door to close and re-open so the lift would then be go going down. EEEKS! He gestured and wondered why we didn't enter the lift. I gave him the "Do i look stupid or what?" look. Will a lamb willingly enter a wolf's den?

The scary part was, he was there before I came back from Zara, observing the kids. I wonder what he would have done! Should have called security or taken a spy picture of him. Maybe he was a pickpocket, maybe a pedophile, or a kidnapper i don't know. But man he is sick in the brain.

So parents, you've been warned.

Bladdersome

2011-07-13T23:01:00.000+08:00

A friend once commented that the best part about not being pregnant is the ability to pee a full pee.

See, when one is pregnant, the womb compresses all the other organs making them send all kinds of weird signals to the brain. Like I'm hungrier than I really am, or its ok to eat 3 slices of pizza after a full dinner.

The bladder, oh the evilest of them all. I finish my business and I think I have no more pee. 15 minutes later I run to the toilet and finish another one. And 15 minutes later again... This can go on for as long as I'm awake AND asleep.

I do not like being pregnant. *sulk*

2 or more

2011-07-13T21:18:00.002+08:00

There was a time when we wanted 3 kids. And then i got pregnant with the 2nd one and i thought "Maaaan this is hard!". I've been complaining the last 5 months that i'm exhausted, worn down, i'm completely wasted at the end of each day. Some of the old wives say bearing girls give you stronger pregnancy symptoms. Another school of thought said the 2nd one is always worse. Whoever is right, the symptoms were there and there's no running away from it. That was when i decided that 2 is enough, for now. At least until we return home where we'll get more family support.

Good news is i'm starting to feel better now. Mountain Boy is getting used to seeing my belly grow, i don't know if he knows what's going on but he points to it and say "meimei" (sometimes he points to his own belly and says "meimei", hmmm), and he likes to put lotion on my belly.

I think about how lucky I am to have a pair of the sexes. Not many people are blessed with that. But i also think about how much more fun it would be for Mountain Boy if he had a brother for a companion. Maybe i'm generalising but i think boys are closer to boys, and girls are tighter with girls. But if i go by that theory, i'll need at least 4 kids- 2 boys and 2 girls to ensure that everyone is satisfied. Everyone but me, the thought of having 4 kids just makes my eggs shrink back into my fallopian tubes (for those who've watched HIMYM season 6 i'm borrowing the reference).

So how? I guess 2 or more kids are back on the table. Plan is, birth the 2nd kid, go for a long holiday- dive with the great whites, jump off a helicopter, climb the Machu Picchu and then attempt the impossibly dangerous 3rd child.

Howdy!

2011-07-11T13:08:00.000+08:00

It's been a while. We've since moved house (for the 4th time in 4 yrs) and we are loving the new house! The location is great, facilities are wonderful and mountain boy enjoys his new room. To our surprise the adjustment was extremely easy, he even slept through his first night here!

Our new apartment came empty so we had a short two weeks to furnish everything. Lucky this is china so furnishing a house didn't cost us an arm and a leg. Its not cheap but in the long run its a better investment.

The baby is doing great. Fetal movements are getting stronger now. I'm finally past the nausea and I'm sailing through the 2nd trimester. My new helper is also really good with mountain boy so I feel a lot more at ease.

Mountain man is very busy at work, but he always finds time for his son. Daddy is still number one in the boy's eyes, I'm not jealous because that means he also wants his father to change his crappy diapers!

Ok I've rattled on quite enough for now. Lunch with the lady friends awaits, toodles!

Whoops!

2011-07-10T16:56:00.002+08:00

Hey folks,

Sorry about the interruption. I missed the email regarding the renewal of domain name (damn those spams) so i lost thirdmay.net. I tried to buy back the domain name but it's a complicated process and i don't understand technical jargon. So what the heck. org is as good as net, whatever.

I've missed blogging. So watch this space for more updates soon!

xoxo

lovexiaolongbao

Man bag

2011-06-10T12:47:00.000+08:00

I bought this kenneth cole reaction bag in america about a decade ago, lucky I didn't throw it out after all these years. Its now my supplies bag when we go for a short walk. I put diapers, wet wipes, water bottle and some light snacks. Mountain boy insists on carry this bag whenever we go out. He drags it on the floor a little but it makes me laugh.

Update on the baby

2011-06-10T10:56:00.002+08:00

Since the baby announcement, I haven't really said much about the pregnancy. I must say that this pregnancy is a little worse than the first one. Probably a combination of age and having an older boy to run after.

I'm glad to report that everything is going very well. The baby is growing and healthy. We had a scan last tuesday and the sonographer said this one is most likely a girl. I can't believe our luck. We were expecting to hear that it's another boy because of Mountain Man's ancestral history of men breeding boys, and boys breeding more boys. So we were shell shocked when we were told it's most likely going to be a girl.

WE WERE THRILLED. Mountain Man's "X" swimmers didn't let me down afterall.

We are still brainstorming names. We initially wanted Jade, but we're leaning towards Sienna for now. Ideas are welcomed. =)

"Haaazhou"

2011-06-09T17:48:00.008+08:00

The family went for a short weekend getaway to Hangzhou over the Dragon Boat Festival. Mountain Man flew ahead of us for a work convention so that meant i had to travel with Mountain Boy by myself, and that's a real mammoth effort since i'm technically flying with 2 kids!

To prepare him mentally, i made the huge mistake of overexciting him with the aeroplane ride a day before and he threw a massive fit because he wanted to take the aeroplane there and then. Took a few phonecalls from Mountain Man in Hangzhou to pacify him. He is a little "cray-cray" (for readers above 30, "cray cray" is the slang for crazy that i just learnt) over transportation at the moment.

Surprisingly on the day of travel itself he was on his A+ Star Student behaviour. Held my hand the entire time we were at the airport, waited in line for his turn at the immigration, ate his meal, drank his milk, took a nap. I think he was afraid of getting "left behind" so he followed the rules to the letter. Lucky for me. The universe rewarded his excellent behaviour with a short bus ride from the aeroplane to the terminal, we never take the public bus in China so this was a real treat for him.

The trip to Hangzhou was fabulous. He has clearly matured because this trip was way easier than the others. Slept better,ate better, and he had a ball even though we were pretty much rained out.

Some quick pictures:

I was the kiasu tourist mother who insisted on taking a picture with the aeroplane even though we were flocked into the cabin in order to avoid delays. Mountain Man was quite embarrassed but i wanted to create a memory for our son!

Mountain Boy's first non-squinty smile.

He loved swimming so he wanted us to take him again but we couldn't cos it was raining.

Instead we brought him to some funny but not in a good way underground military museum. We ended up just taking jumping pictures of Mountain Boy the whole time.

Here's another... "Hip Hip... Haazhou!"

Fabulous warm chocolate cake

2011-05-25T11:21:00.001+08:00

I've been bitten by the baking bug. I've been baking for the past few weeks and this is a fabulous and easy recipe. Can make in under 1 hour.

PS: Read other references that suggest putting the batter in the fridge to chill and then pop in the oven for 12-14 minutes (when the top just cracks). I think it's a good suggestion because then the outer layer will be harder and the inner layer more gooey.

He has a way with the ladies...

2011-05-24T18:17:00.000+08:00

Mountain boy is not the forthcoming sort. In fact he is quite shy around girls. His girlfriend is quite hot property amongst some of the older boys (by older I mean 2 - 3 yrs old), sometimes they just go right up to her and kiss her. My little boy isn't like that. He is always gentle, he gives her his toys, lets her sit on his favourite rocking chair, and sometimes even shares xiaoxiong.

When the girl lets her guard down, that's when he swoops in and lifts her off her feet with that seemingly gentlemanly demeanor... Maybe a bit like the father come to think of it.

Don't say I didn't warn you baby girls.

First attempt at colouring

2011-05-18T18:31:00.000+08:00

Not bad right? I'm so proud of him.

Watching Elmo

2011-05-13T18:04:00.000+08:00

A new addition

2011-05-13T10:54:00.000+08:00

We are expecting number 2 in November. We are very blessed to be given this gift so quickly. I haven't been feeling myself lately. Being pregnant and having an older one run around is so exhausting!! Mountain boy now points to my tummy and say 'baby' or 'meimei'. Gender of bub still unknown but let's hope he is right.

Look what we did at class today!

2011-05-09T18:07:00.000+08:00

Made an elephant from bread, apples slices, raisins, banana and cheese. So cool.

Congratulations Singapore

2011-05-08T10:38:00.004+08:00

I may not be Singaporean, but i've lived there all my life, I married a Singaporean, I gave birth to a Singaporean and one more Singaporean is on his/her way. So I am proud of all Singaporeans who stepped out of their comfort zones and supported the opposition parties yesterday. Worker's Party's historical breakthrough was a testament of how Singapore is truly maturing. Singaporean politicians of today face a tougher job than a decade ago because you no longer vote based on gratitude or fear (or so i hope). It takes so much more to convince you that not any Tom, Dick or Harry can join politics!

I also commend educators, parents, and citizen journalists who've paved the way for a more balanced political discourse. Your perseverance and fearlessness helped to level the playing field so that the opposition could have a voice, so that the common man had a real choice (it rhymes!).

I am not an expert in politics, but I know that a natural monopoly doesn't apply to a government. This is not the end of PAP or the start of it's journey down the slippery slope, but competition and failure will only propel a worthy party to work for the better, and i believe that is what we can expect from hereon- a better future for Singapore.

Much ado about hair.

2011-04-24T14:54:00.002+08:00

Hair is an underrated body part for men, but for women it's nothing less than our crowning glory. Over the years, i've done it all. Rebond, relax, perm, digital perm, multi-digital perm, bleach, highlight.... I'm surprised my hair don't look deep fried (at least on most days it doesn't). And that's because i spend way more time and money to undo the harm than anyone can imagine. Conditioners, treatments (home and salon), home remedies which involves mayonnaise and beer, i was that desperate.

I've been using Frederic Fekkai's Brilliant Glossing series on and off for almost 1 year now. I especially like the glossing cream but the results are quite temporary. Somehow using the same hair product continuously creates some sort of diminishing effectiveness over time. Still, it's the most effective product i've used to date.

But now i'm on to try the latest Moroccan Oil Treatment after reading Lisa's blog and the rave reviews on forums. I can't wait. Spring/Summer (ie humidity) beckons so i better have something on hand to tame the mane.

But what i can't wait to try is the Brazilian Blowout (sounds kinda dirty). A revolutionary hair treatment that leaves your hair salon-blowed everyday for 12 weeks. *drool* I wonder if Singapore has this already?

Mountain Boy Updates

2011-04-18T21:45:00.002+08:00

Haven't done his monthly updates for quite a while now. He turned 19 months about a week ago and i finally found some quiet time to write. The change in nanny has been quite hell-ish for us cos he wants to sleep on our bed all the time. His naps have just gotten better and he has just started to sleep past 12 midnight in his own cot.

Developmentally, he jumps like a big kid. He used to be able to jump only without shoes but now he can lift off wearing shoes. He goes up and down the stairs pretty much unassisted. He climbs tables and chairs and everything dangerous. He can pretty much drink from a cup now, though i still prefer the straw bottle to reduce the potential spills. I have no intention of changing him to fresh milk yet so he's still sucking his milk bottle.

Speechwise, he is still on 2 syllables. But lately he started stringing 2 syllables together. He can't make every sound yet (like words that start with K). Although we speak to him in english, he is starting to show that he is bilingual. He knows words in both chinese and english and will say them when you ask for a translation. Most of the time he verbalizes the easier version first (ie 飞机 instead of aeroplane). He definitely comprehends instructions in both languages.

I know that the Terrible Twos is just around the corner for him. During this period the child develops his own agenda but has limited means of expressing himself, so he gets frustrated when the adults misunderstand his needs or when things don't go the way he wants. So as a result he tends to throw more tantrums or vent his anger in other manners.

Already Mountain Boy has started exhibiting some pretty violent behaviour such as hitting, pinching and pushing, but it's mostly channeled towards either myself or the nanny, not other kids (thankfully). I do sometimes flare up when it really does hurt and i'll make him cry. But being fierce mostly doesn't work on him. Actually i don't know what works, sometimes i get quite desperate and i know Mountain Man can identify with the feeling especially after spending an extended period of time with the boy. Sometimes i really want to smack him!

It's gonna get harder. I sometimes wish i had more family members to fall back on so i can take off somewhere and have a holiday for a few days.

New hat for summer!

2011-04-15T17:37:00.000+08:00

He stood in front of the mirror to giggle and admire himself for a few minutes.

Boo! Designs by Lovexiaolongbao

2011-04-14T16:19:00.002+08:00

I'm on etsy!

Never have i dreamt of starting my own clothing line, and i never thought i would start my own business. But one day i was inspired. So I took one step, and then another and another and another.... A few months later I saw the birth of my very own collection- a little eclectic, somewhat granny, kind of bohemian.

I currently have 3 main designs (more to come).

The Wrap/Shawl/Long Cardigan. Long ends can be tied into a knot, or slung over shoulders. View more here.

Butterfly Top. Not that it matters but this top is made from one single piece of cloth (not two pieces together). It covers my big butt/hips and it's very comfortable to wear. View more here.

The sundress. The first dress of my collection. The straps are adjustable and can be worn 3 ways (halter, classic, crossback). The belt not included, but belt can also be worn at the hip, or belt-less! View more here.

Most of the designs can accommodate a range of body types, even pregnant/nursing women, they are generally "freesize". Some people might think there is no such thing as "freesize", well i agree on that so i also offer customization of certain pieces (Blue Magnolia, Salmon Stripes, Grey Wilderness, Coloured Forest).

Go visit The Shop. Buy, browse, drop me a note if you see anything you like. =)

Mountain Boy is doing great

2011-04-14T14:15:00.004+08:00

For those who've been wondering how Mountain Boy is recovering after the incident, he is very much well and alive, the stitches have come off, he is itching a little but it's overall healing perfectly.

We are barely making it though. The new nanny has been around for almost a week and Mountain Boy is blowing hot and cold. Sometimes he refuses to let her touch him, sometimes he waves goodbye to me and voluntarily plays with her. The sleeping has also been affected, we're basically co-sleeping now and he kicks up a fuss during naptimes so i break all the sleep-training rules. It happens i guess. Mountain Man and I are officially just tired all the time. 1 whole week of not sleeping through and i'm completely destroyed. Poor Mountain Man still has to go to work and have important meetings in Chinese!

Anyways, here's a cute video of the boy doing his favourite action song. I've been wanting a good video of it for a long time so i'm glad he was finally cooperative in front of the camera. Watch out for his expression at the end.

The One

2011-04-09T09:49:00.000+08:00

For the record, finding the right nanny is harder than finding a husband. I've had more nannies in 2 years than boyfriends in my lifetime.

With much regrets I let go of my last nanny, the one whom I thought was The One. She was efficient, clean, pleasant looking, but she just ain't the right fit for Mountain Boy. After almost 5 months of being with us, he still rejects her.

She also has a bunch of problems I could no longer ignore.
1. She is hard of hearing. Sometimes she doesn't hear when I call her, and it also causes her to do chores really loudly which forced me to have her to stop working when mountain boy is asleep.

2. She mispronounces her Ls and Ns. Its a big problem, one day the boy said "neng" instead of "leng" for cold.

3. Not nurturing. He hasn't learnt to speak that much chinese and I blame her. Really I do. Instead of teaching him that cat is "mao", she says "xiao mao mi" which is so much more difficult to learn. Then she took my advice so literally that she started cutting down 3 words to 2 and it even doesn't make sense. Like "dui bu qi" becomes "bu qi". Huh? Dumb right?

4. She takes advantage of my generousity. Besides being my most highly paid ayi, she also spends the most money on herself. She goes grocery shopping for us but ends up buying her own stuff and forgetting our stuff. And not just that, she buys the anti-aging and whitening range of products ok!
She is very choosy with food, and has no qualms about telling me that she likes sunmaid raisins, post cereal, and that wheat bread and mantous are not nice.

5. She is quite troublesome. Always asking me to buy stuff for her on taobao. Not only that she sometimes ask me to return them do you know how troublesome that is!! As if I have so much time. And she is always asking me for skincare advice, like which sunscreen, what kind of make up etc etc. Its just very irritating coming from your nanny.

6. She is stubborn. I asked her to put the trash can in the landry room next to the kitchen instead of the kitchen itself cos the boy likes to play w the trash can. I told her at least 5 times, I even physically put the trash can in the laundry room myself before finding out the next minute that it is back in the kitchen. I asked her to pin up her hair to prevent her fringe from pricking her face and it never happened. I even bought her a row of hairclips. 0ne day I physically took a hair clip and pinned it for her.

See these are just some small examples of her transgressions. She also has some serious attitude problem and likes to talk back. She says stuff to me that my chinese friends say an ayi will never say to a local chinese family.

So there, I am finally letting go despite wanting very much to keep an ayi for longer than 4 months- yeap tts the average lifespan.

On a happier note the new one arrived yesterday. I asked mountain boy 3 times if he likes her and he said "ess!" all 3 times. That's a good start.