Penang trip

We've finally been on a family beach holiday!



Trip was in January 14 to 17th. I initially could not decide whether to stay at the cheaper Shangri-La ( Golden Sands ) or the more expensive one. Thank goodness Chris decided and we stayed at the Rasa Sayang for the 3 nights.



The flight there was terrible, needless to say. Budget air ( Jetstar ) with terrible service and cramped seats. Madison was still recovering from a bad cold that week so she was up early ( at 5!) which worked out fine as we were catching the 725am flight. But she was figeting and fussing when the plane was about to take off and I had to take the iphone away from her. Thank goodness it lasted all of an hour so we were soon put out of our misery.

At the Penang airport we hired a car and got a child seat too ( again, thank goodness for that ). We had the GPS so we were off after that. No trouble at all.



Penang is world famous for its cuisine. First stop: Food. Ayer Itam was halfway to the resort and where my uncle ( dad's side ) lives so that's where we started. My concern was always food safety for Madison so I chose dim sum from a fairly reasonable looking coffee shop. Rather than actual street food. Food was average but we got fed. Packed some pastries to take to the relatives.



It's been several years since we've seen the relatives so it took a bit of warming up. Dear Madison had little trouble though, and soon she was traisping through the house like her own! Language was a problem since my aunt spoke dialect and only I could barely speak it.



We visited the Kek Lok Si temple with its HUGE Kuan Yin statue. The weather was unbelievably HOT at the temple site. There is a lift to the statue at the top of the hill and tourists were routinely asked whether they wanted to purchase tickets one or 2 ways. It was actually quite ridiculous. There was no obvious pedestrian path down and I think EVERYONE just paid the $2 Ringgit to come down in airconditioned comfort!!



The hotel was a blessing. An ocean of serenity and orderliness. It was so cool and breezy at the resort. The room was quite large by most standards and Madison had a cot all prepared. She loved the room. If only she'd stay asleep at night!



The rest of the Penang trip was spent largely at the hotel and beach. We made the disastrous mistake of visiting the Penang hill, thinking Madison would enjoy the funicular train (whatever that meant!). It was a 30 minute torture up and another 30 minute torture down. For that reason I think the train is permanently closed now for upgrading. Penang has great street food too, but we were a little worried about Madison falling sick so she ate mostly hotel and restaurant food. We had char kuay teow, satay, bbq wings driving around when she was down for her nap in the afternoon.

The hotel was definetly the best part of the trip. Great service, cool surrounds and a nice room. Breakfast every morning was the continental spread at the cafe, which we all enjoyed.

The grand finale to the trip was back home in Singapore.. Madison was so badly constipated since she refused to drink much water and boy... did she suffer the consequences back home....

Terrible twos

I think the terrible twos have definitely sunken their teeth on my previously sweet compliant little girl!

Now everyday is a battle of the wills. From the moment she wakes to the time she goes to bed. Of course the funniest things do come out of that little mouth of hers... like telling her 8 month old cousin to go shopping with her, or rebutting the adults from time to time.

Sigh. Takes a mountain of patience dealing with a toddler. Which I admit I am desperately short of. Many days I really look forward to going to work now, to get some relief and time out. The adult world is alot more organised and logical.

The other thing that is really bugging the hell out of me is the stupid contract that we signed with this travel marketing firm Glitterati. What complete fools we were. They promised a "Royal" treatment in terms of travel and service, but within a day of signing on I panicked and wanted to terminate. That went fine, but now we're waiting for the refund of $8000 and it's already 6 weeks! I really wonder if we've been had in some sort of scam. I suspected they would be unable to deliver on their promises after they failed to reply to a simple email. Which is unacceptable for first class service that they promised. Argh. Never again. Lesson well learned.

Some days I am beginning to think that we should send Madison to some form of formal learning on a more regular basis already. Is she wasting her time at home? I don't think I can teach her that well. What if she misses out on expanding her horizons just because she's stuck at home? But on the other hand, I really don't want her chronically ill just from attending school. Already she seems to catch any bug that other kids pass her way! Next year she'll definitely start nursery. This year?

Looking forward to the upcoming holidays. First up is Chinese New Year, which we'll be spending in Kota Bahru ( Malaysia ). A little annoying because my family is going to be in Kuala Lumpur ( so will Geok and Muhon and the rest). Not much choice in that because the great grandfather is not up to travelling to KL this year. Just a little worried about having to face 2 flights per day either way. ( Sing-KL-KB and back!)

I've finally managed to settle the Melbourne trip too. What a complete hassle that was. Absolutely HATE going to the Australian Embassy in Singapore. A real pain in the a--. Somehow they always manage to make you go there at least 4 times to sort anything out. And wait close to 2 hours each time. Not to mention their really short working hours. Anyway, after hours of anguish, pain and suffering waits I am pleased to have sorted out Warni's visa, and we're waiting for Madison's passport to be ready. So one last trip to the place. The plane tickets are booked too so we're all pretty much set. Barring anymore unforeseen tragedies. ARGH.

Gynae visit

Today we had the 2nd gynae visit.

Am now past 11 weeks, although I can hardly believe it. Seems like a world of difference compared to the first pregnancy. I suppose having another child makes time always seem rather short.

Madison was also sick the past 3 days with a high fever. Then Chris said :"oh.. might be dengue fever!" Of course afterwards that was all I could think of. The fever came right out of nowhere; one moment she was well, the next she was crying and fretting. The only person who picked it up was Chris ! ( terrible mommy... I was actually telling her off for throwing what I thought were tantrums! )

So the past 2 nights were pretty bad. She ended up in bed with us halfway through the night and refused to go to sleep. We were also giving her sponge baths the first night, which she cried throughout. Fortunately the fever seemed to respond to my combination concoction of oral and rectal paracetamol.

Thankfully the fever seems to have settled on the 3rd day... and we're holding our breath. But definitely no class for her this weekend.

So... gynae visit seemed rather trivial in comparison ( poor baby 2 ). I nearly forgot, if it weren't for the iphone alarm that I set!

I even offered to go to the gynae alone, as Chris was still in the operating theatre with a burns case. Fortunately he made it to the visit; Dr Tee was running late anyway.

All went well, but I'm getting pretty convinced that we're having another girl. I'm thinking at this stage not to find out the sex till birth.... although I think my mother-in-law isn't going to be happy about this!

Well... another test scheduled at this stage for Monday the 11th. It's the first trimester screening test for Down's Syndrome. After that we're pretty much in the clear until the fetal anomaly screen that Dr Tee wants to do around the 21st week. I thought it was pretty late but he seems quite confident that mine is just another routine low-risk pregnancy! Actually, there was a little blip... my urine test showed up glycosuria today, but Dr Tee didn't even blink at that... asked if I'd just had lunch and then dismissed it. The next visit with him isn't for another 6 weeks.

Otherwise, a pretty routine visit. Dr Tee's clinic assistant is a really lovely lady called Sally and she keeps things humming along during his sessions. I think she's been assisting him for quite a long time already. I was really surprised when she remembered me right out the first visit this time round.

so.. hopefully things stay calm and I don't get diabetes!

Holiday season...

It's been quite a crazy time over the past few weeks, hence the overwhelming silence in the blog...

Chai is back for his annual holidays, which is really nice since we hardly see him the rest of the year. Ma misses him terribly I can tell, and she's quite happy when he's back. It's great too, that Madison and Elizabeth get to spend time getting to know their uncle too.

Christmas celebrations were kinda bombed out this year. My parents had a Christmas eve dinner party to attend, and Celine was so generous to invite Chris and I over to dinner at her parents' place. They had a fabulous 22 pound roast turkey, champagne baked ham, roast beef, mushroom soup and a salad. The kids had a bit of Christmas gift exchange and ended up hooked on the Thomas the tank engine track that Celine had given to Madison.

Christmas day was better.... there was a family picnic planned at Sentosa BUT when the time came round to go it started to POUR. Undaunted, we still made our way to the beach but it became evident soon enough that the picnic was NOT going to happen any time soon. So we ended up at the Sentosa Hotel and Spa ( Beaufort Hotel ) for tea/dinner at the lounge. All 12 of us! ( Parents, Chris and I, Geok and Munhon, Chai, the 3 maids and 2 kiddies). Turned out the food was great, drinks were great and the best part was getting served! We did go to the beach after the meal though, and the rain had stopped. Only thing it was getting dark REALLY FAST. By 730Pm we had to pack up and go home, we could hardly see!

Yesterday we had another invitation to Zhou Hong's place. Potluck and get together for us long time friends. Only now all of us ( almost ) have kids. Zhou Hong has 2 ( Kiera and Erika ) . Kenneth and Grace have 1 ( Timothy ). All of them are under 4. ( Kiera is just 3). The kids mixed quite well together ( ie no fighting! ) and dinner was sumptious. Grace made a most amazing beef stew that I really should try to copy!

Only bad end to the entire event was our silly car. By the time we were ready to leave the car wouldn't start! COULD NOT believe our luck. We got there fine but suddenly the car didn't work! Jumpstarting the car DID NOT work. Ended up calling the Honda people to come and help. I took a cab home with Madison first. By the time the car was sorted out it was close to midnight! Poor Chris was on call too.

The only other news that has been occupying us is that we're expecting number 2. Sad to say, second time round is less exciting, since you kind of know what to expect ( rather, what to dread) as time goes by. So, we saved the OBGYN till at least 7 weeks, told the folks soon after that, and it's been pretty tame afterward, compared to the first pregnancy. Mainly been the lethargy and inertia that has gradually set in...

Now we have to figure out how to fit everyone in our little apartment...

Liz is 6 months!

Time flies.. for other people as well as ourselves!

Madison's cousin Elizabeth is finally 6 months! She's eating solids now and certainly enjoying them tremendously, much like her daddy...

Yesterday we had a mini celebration for her crossing the half year mark. Dinner at home followed by a little cake from Cedele. She got pressies from us as well, which she ripped apart and seemed to like the wrapping just as much as the gift.

I can't wait till she can crawl and walk and then play with Madison. I think the 2 girls will have lots of fun together and be great companions for each other. Elizabeth is already sitting and she is always squirming, trying to get a move and out of her parents' arms!

On another note, we went to see an apartment that was for sale. It's actually in our block but 3 floors up and is tenanted at the moment. But what a shock it was. There were about 4 different groups of people that went to have a look ( as a response to the ad that was put in the papers ) and I think we were all dumbstruck. The tenants really thrashed the apartment. It was a world of difference from our own little place! None of the airconditioners were working, they looked all yellow and disgusting. The wood floor was scratched and faded, when ours still looks almost brand new! The toilet floors were black from not washing.

I was the only one left talking to the real estate agent at the end of the tour. The price was not bad but then, apartments in our block don't really seem to go for that much anyway. Partly because our building has minimal facilities and the layout isn't all that great. But the location is fantastic.

So.. should we spend the deposit money and buy this place, rent it out to pay for the mortgage, or wait for our dream place and have to borrow much much more? It's a real toss up.

We are looking at another apartment directly opposite ours, for the same size but going at a cool 400K more.

The one we really like though, will cost a cool $2.5 mil easily. OUCH. Maybe in our next lifetime?

Playschool and getting sick

Madison is down with a pretty bad cough.

It started probably at home with a mild runny nose, maybe from the grandparents who were sick. That was mild, and after a day or 2 of sniffling she was actually better. We skipped a day of Chinese class so that she would not pass her germs to the other kids. Finally when she was just better I took her to her usual class and to my horror ALL the other 3 kids there were coughing! Of course I couldn't make a big fuss of it, since by default, Madison was the only WELL one!

Of course she started having another runny nose and it has deteroriated to a cough. Sigh. So I started a course of oral antibiotics, antihistamines and TLC. Today my mum decided to take her to the paediatrician.

I can't even imagine what it would be like when she starts nursery and is surrounded by 30 other viruses/bacteria filled kids running around and spluttering everywhere. Right now she is mostly at home so the occasional illness is either from the family or her Chinese class. Or swimming pool. I'm hoping the swimming pool will present her a gradual exposure to viruses and build her immunity up before school!!! ?Fat hope??

I'm not bringing her to class this week. I think her system needs a break from infectious agents, and seeing that the other mothers are not as considerate I just have to look out for my little girl.
I heard one kid even came down with chickenpox in the class! Horrors. Thank goodness we missed that one!

On another note, I've been thinking of getting an electronic keyboard for Madison. I think most toys at her age are not that interesting anymore ( apart from playdoh and Lego) so it's pretty much a waste of money buying them. But musical instruments and books last a lifetime, and they are worthy investments. Yamaha only starts at 3 so I'm waiting till then to enrol her.

The only problem is space. Our teeny tiny apartment was great when we were just the 2 of us, but now things are spilling out from EVERYWHERE! Another device would really add to the clutter, but then time is of the essence. She's only this age for this time and after this her neural connections start dying off!! ( I'd probably be more slack if I had another kid ... but then they could entertain each other!)

So.. still thinking about it... Xmas pressy for this year? I guess we could put it in front of the TV? The balcony? Maybe just win lottery and MOVE!

wonders of competition

Madison and I were at the playground this morning.

Initially it was just the 2 of us ( besides the usual gaggle of retirees doing their morning line dancing) and Madison was climbing up and down the slides.

Then a little boy came along with his grandfather and the dynamics of the playground shifted. Initially both of them were pretty shy and hung on to their respective caregivers ( ie the grandfather and me ) but soon enough it became irresistable to interact with each other. Of course they weren't really playing like older kids do, but more like playing close by each other.

It just happened that I took her sippy cup out and offered Madison her morning milk. Usually it's 30 seconds before she flings it to the ground after a brief sip. Today, the grandfather took the boy's sippy cup out too and offered it to him. Just as the 30 seconds were up and Madison was about to fling the cup to the ground ( and get a telling off from me ) she spied the boy drinking from his cup. And the effect was IMMEDIATE. She stopped herself from throwing the cup and continued drinking!! Until the boy gave up and returned his cup to the grandfather!

I was amazed. Maybe it was just coincidence.

On another note, I've been thinking of whether to continue with Bibinogs for Madison. Chinese class seems to be a little repetitious these days and sometimes the teachers seem to spend too much time on snacks and reading and not enough time singing/action based activity. But having said that, I'm not sure if the other schools are any better. I'm thinking maybe location would be quite an important factor in the long run. Bibinogs at the Serene Centre is just off the PIE but traffic these days is terrible. Also it doesn't look like they do Chinese for the local school curriculum so Madison is going to have to attend a school that does.

So yesterday Chris and I went over to the Hua Language centre to see if they had classes for kids Madison's age but they only start at 3. But they seem to do stuff that prepares kids for the local Chinese exams, so I guess Madison will have to swop over at 3.

And finally... our Karcher steam cleaner is dead. Not even sure when it happened. It was working fine before the maid and now it was proclaimed " choked "! And only because I discovered the maid using the steam cleaner WITHOUT steam! I couldn't believe my eyes. This is after showing her a few times what the steam cleaner should be doing! It's going to cost us $400-$500 to replace. Not sure if I should just downgrade her to a mop. That is pretty indestructible and cheap to replace. Only trouble is that it means chemicals on our floor that Madison eats off. Argh.

Looks like more $$$ down the drain....