~ Cebu, Manila - Here we come! ~

Denver is getting really excited about the trip and can't nap at all. We are almost done! CEBU, MANILA HERE WE COME!! :D

I will upload lots of photos and updates when we are back! Stay Tune!!

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~ Luggage Packing ~

Hubby and I are doing our last minute packing... Going through our checklist and making sure the things are in place. (e.g. Passport, Money, Clothes, Medicines etc).... SO much stuff!! The kids can't wait to go. They are already planning which luggage to pull. We are 90% done!

~ A Good Deed & An Uneasy Thought ~

Just did a good deed awhile ago. ^_^ My neighbour's maid dropped her keys inside the lift hole and she was stranded outside the house with a 2 year old child. Poor thing... I helped her called the Essential Maintenance Service Unit (EMSU) and the technician arrived within 20mins to retrieve her keys. (Efficient). The service is Free of Charge and all they will need to verify is against your NRIC.

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I was feeling uneasy about the oncoming trip. Rightfully I should be excited but somehow can't help worrying as Typhoon Urduja hit Cebu earlier. Fast ferrys to Bohol were cancelled... and on top of that, another Typhoon (Vinta) may be expected to enter the country as Urduja moved out of Cebu yesterday. My trip plans to Bohol might be cancelled or changed due to the weather conditions...

Just came back from praying for the safety of the trip and we were adviced to avoid the beaches and sea. -_- Gosh, these are the main attractions of the trip! I guess we have to see the situation and decide what's best and most safe for the family when we are there. Praying for good weather, safety and an enjoyable trip. 1 more day to go..

~ Housework - Folding Clothes ~

Today marks the end of Jasper & Royston's 6 Days 4 Nights stay at our place. (Why 4 nights? cos the cousins went home to sleep on 1 of the nights :p). They will be bunking in with their aunt for another 2 nights before my inlaws return from their vacation.

Peace is temporarily restored.. so today I got Denver to help me fold the smaller clothings and towels. (Mummy needs to delegate task to ease my load :D. Moreover, it's good to train them early with simple house work). Started teaching Denver some months ago and he needs more practice or he'll forgets how to do it - like today. Gladys on the other hand is busy following how gor gor is doing and tries folding it herself. Although it is consuming more time and energy to have the kids fold the clothes compared to me doing it myself now, the returns will be great in the future. :D

Good job!

~ Transitition Lens ~

Today is my bbil & bsil's 13th wedding anniversary. Since Bbil is not in SG, he has asked us to help him buy a bouquet of red roses for bsil. So sweet. :) I meet Hubby, Bsil and the kids at Kovan for dinner and she had a surprise when she saw the flowers. :D I'm pretty sure she is very happy. ^_^


After dinner, we went down to Upper Serangoon Shopping Center to collect my new glasses. Hubby said the sun in Manila is hot and suggested I make a pair of transition lens. Paid $185 and it is really cheap (my degree is very high and always need to do high index for thinner lens). I'm sure it would have cost more the $200 if I were to make the transition lens glasses from other shops. Uncle always give us special discounts as we are his customers since schooling days.

I'm still trying to get use to my new glasses. Uncle has reduced 50 degrees from both side as he said I am starting to have 老花眼. (Although he says it's normal... ) Gosh.. I'm getting old? Sniff sniff. Think I looked a bit different in it. Prettier I hope... Hhahahaha :p

~ Ready or Not? ~

4 more days to go and there are so many things that has yet to be done! I finally started packing our luggages for the trip and am only halfway through... After seeing the amount of load we have so far, hubby decided to borrow another 20" luggage from his colleague.

Gosh... so many things to do and for the first time I felt so not ready. I guess it's probably due to the recent happenings.. Denver's Graudation and P1 Orientation, my inlaws away for vacation and we are helping out with the kids etc. Busy Busy Busy....

I will be going to office early tomorrow and hubby will be left alone with 4 children at home. I wonder if he can manage them... Hopefully by the time I'm back, everyone and everything will be in 1 piece.

~ Gifts & Electronics Fair + Movies Under the "Roof" ~

The day is not over after the Orientation. Hubby and I took all the children out for lunch at the foodcourt @ Marina Square. Yummy.. Japanese Bento and Saba fish sets. A nice treat for the kids. The Japanese Stall serves tasty Japanese food at a reasonable price (~$5.50) and their portion is quite a lot. Hubby & I felt it's worth to eat at a foodcourt price.

After lunch, we head on to Suntec for the Gifts & Electronics fair. There are a lot of gadgets and Christmas items on sale but since we did not come with a buying intention, hence there are not as many things to see as it would have been. Nevertheless, we did manage to visit the Hollywood Dinos booth and bought 4 tickets (open date from Dec 12 till Feburary).

The Anime Festival was more interesting... There is a BIG crowd with many people dress up as various anime characters. They really took a lot of effort and time to rent the costumes, do their make-up and hairdos! What an amazing sight! The children loves Naruto and they get to see so many at one time! :p Denver even got a chance to take a photo with one of them whom I think did a great job in posing as Naruto.

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Evening event is "Movies under the Stars" - (UP)... Urmmm.. I would say it's "Under the Roof" this time - due to the weather conditions lately. It has been raining almost everyday! The sky is gloomy with dark clouds...and it did rain for awhile. Luckily, it is being held at the Multi-Purpose Hall just downstairs. We went down at 6pm and started queuing for our food. After filling up our stomachs, its MOVIE TIME! The show started at around 7plus.

The children loved the MOVIE. UP is a very entertaining animated film for the entire family by Pixar. I really enjoyed Pixar's production.. from Nemo, Toy Story, Monster Inc to Wall E.. they have been GREAT! Coming 2010, Toy Story 3 will be OUT! Can't wait! We were lucky to win a PRIZE too! There are only 10 prizes and we got the 8th prize. Our lucky ticket no. is 1003 and Denver went up to collect it. HAPPY!!

It is a Telephone! What a pleasant surprise because this is just what Hubby and I needed. Our phone in the living room has been faulty and this prize comes in just on time! ^_^

~ Denver's P1 Orientation ~

It's Denver's P1 School Orientation Day!! Busy schedule with lots of things to do!

We arrived at Seng Kang Primary at 850am :) Just in time to place him with his class at the canteen where the rest of the students are assembling. Parents go straight to the hall above for the Orientation talks while I believe the children are being led to their respective classrooms. Denver is old enough and I have confidence and no worries that he will cry for Mummy now. :) He wave me goodbye as I went up with Gladys.

Sitting in the school hall reminds me of the days when I was in Primary school.. Being a child, my only responsibility was to study. It was a long 1 half hour talk and I had difficulty keeping Gladys still. The talks have been informative and I think the school did a good job in keeping everything oragnised. One comment the Principal had said which left me an impression.. "We prepare your child not for PSLE, but for their life. Love your child for who he/she is and not what you wanted them to be." Looking forward to see how Denver learns and grows with SKPS. :)

Hubby on the other hand has already gone straight to purchase the remaining books and stationary items to avoid the crowd. Before the talks ended, I handed Gladys to Hubby and followed the teachers who led the parents (according to class) to the classrooms to fill in the required forms. (e.g. Giro application, Dental consent etc).

Next station, School Uniforms! Since Seng Kang Primary has P.E lessons daily, their "uniform" is also their P.E attire. :D This really saves us some money on purchasing 2 different sets of clothing.

To go with his Green House Uniform, we bought a PB (Pacific Bookstore) bright green school bag (which is Denver's favourite colour). Hubby and I did hesitated on the colour for awhile as it seems too light-coloured and bright which will be hard to maintain and get dirty very easily. Ah well, Denver likes it and here it is - an ergonomic backpack which is designed for comfort and lightweight.

All the Books and stationary are now packed nicely in a box. (By Pacific Bookstore). Makes it so convenient for Parents to carry around easily.

Items Purchased
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• School Bag - $29.90
• Name Tag - $4
• Books & Stationary - $52
• School Uniform (Shirt and Shorts - 2 sets) - $28

Additional buys (optional)

• Chinese e-Dictionary - $35
• i Flash Book (Online learning - 1 year) - $19.90

Total Spent Today : $168.80

Thanks to Nicole and Bsil, we saved a fair bit by reusing most of the old textbooks. :D I also saved a few dollars by buying most of the workbooks from Popular ($26.97). Total spent to date is $195.77.

What's left to buy?

1) Book covers and misc stuff (e.g. pencil box) which I will be getting them from Popular using the free vouchers. :)

2) Shoes and socks. Hubby wanted to buy a better pair of white shoes for our boy. We shall be hunting for one next month after our vacation. ^_^

~ Last Day of School ~

Denver has enjoyed the party in school today... his final day with Nativity. Yesterday, he brought back a sheet of paper with some of his friends' phone contacts. (Of course he gave my mobile contacts to his friends as well). Later that evening, I started to receive calls from his friend - Jordan. This morning, I also received another call from another friend of his. Denver, not losing out also started calling Emmanuel and Ivan as well. I do not remember making calls to friends until higher Primary. I guess that is how kids are behaving nowadays.

Apart from that, I also got the assessments Denver did during Term 4. He drew a few drawings which I personally thought was good. (Given the fact that he did not go for any art lessons and does not display much interest in art).

The other thing which amused me was his write ups on a few topics. "Note to God", "Dolphins", "My family".. I like the ones he wrote on "My Daddy" and "My Mummy". Apart from the spelling and grammar mistakes, I had a better understanding of what his impression of Daddy and Mummy is.

"My Daddy - My daddy is tall and fat. He is very fierce when I do something wrong. My father likes to watch Chinese drama. When he is busy he do his work on the computer. He likes to jog with me. My father has not much money left. He likes to watch his show. I love my daddy."

"My Mummy - My mummy goes to work. She is tall and slim. My mother likes to jog with me. She likes to tickle me. Every Wednesday, she have meeting. She has less money. I love my mummy".

Wow.. I'm tall & slim? Hahahah. Very simple and short paragraph but this is how he felt about Daddy & Mummy. Always busy with work everyday and I'm sorry to say.. due to my reporting structure to the U.S, I have night teleconferences very often and sometimes it can even go up to 3-4 times in a week. The other common thing he mentioned was we are not rich. Well, I guess this started some time back whenever he wanted to buy something, we often tell him that we have to save up. Daddy & Mummy is working very hard to earn that extra cash and so we need to think of how we are spending the dollars and cents wisely. Since then, he has rarely ask us for toys and the only thing that we are probably spending more on him is FOOD. Hopefully, when he goes to Primary 1 next year, he will spend and save wisely.

~ Bunking In ~

My inlaws have flew off to China for their 8 days holidays early this morning. Jasper & Royston will be bunking in with us till Monday. Denver is very excited about this because this means he can play, eat and sleep with his cousins. Hubby & I on the other hand will be busy juggling with 4 children now.

This is where the 6 of us will be squeezing for the next few nights. ^_^ Lucky we have big beds. :)

Today is also the last time Denver will be wearing his uniform to Nativity as there will be a party tomorrow and he will be wearing party clothes. I took some photos as a remembrance.. Many people told me that Denver looks like a Primary school student already due to his height and build. Standing at 1.27m now, Denver really looks like a P2 or P3.

Playing cards with the kids while waiting for the school bus to come. Denver has been practising to make the cards stand in /\ shape. He can now make a few now one by one. Of course Mommy built this card tower and the younger ones are only interested in blowing it down.

Denver got his Report book from school today. I am happy to see he has performed much better than mid-year. Almost every item is "A" (which stands for Always).

~ Health Screening & Big Bang ~

Went for my Health Screening at Parkway (@ the Arcade). First time there and I was impressed with the clinic settings.. I was asked to fill in a form and another lady showed me where are the lockers and toilets. I took my urine sample, changed to the robes they provided (Nicely packed in plastic). The waiting area is also very clean with nice seats, tables... a big TV and a computer while we were waiting.

Other than that, I had a looooong waiting time. There are a lot of people and the sequence at which tests you will be doing is unknown. Some can be doing their blood test first, while others go for their ECGs etc. Lucky for me, they called me to take my blood first and I get to have my breakfast after fasting for more than 12 hours! HUNGRY! Good to see that there are a selection of white or wholemeal bread, jam, butter, cereal, milk, milo etc...... ^_^

After eating, it's another few rounds of waiting.... and waiting.... and waiting.... before I finally did my ECG, Vision test, Height & Weight measurements, X-ray and seeing the lady doctor for body assessment. Total waiting time : nearly 3 hours!!! -___-

Lesson learnt: Not to schedule health assessment at Year End.

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Denver got his VCD that was taken during his K2 Graduation Concert. (we paid $65 for the costumes and the CD copy of the conert).

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I just had an accident.. bang my forehead on the top kitchen shelf while trying to keep an item. :( The hit was very hard and it was awfully painful!!! *CRY Sniff Sniff.. Hubby and the kids came to see what happened since I was crying out loud. Denver has been really nice and sayang me asking if I am ok. He also asked if I felt better and that I should rest. Gladys on the other hand ran to grab some medicine for me to apply.. So sweet.. I will be expecting the bump on my head to take days before it eventually recover. :( Darnz...

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After resting for awhile, we went out to buy tickets ($2 each) for this weekend activity near my block (Blk 159) "Movies Under the Stars". This time round there will be buffet dinner and lucky draw. The selected movie is "UP" which Denver & Gladys has watched before. However, Denver wants to watch it again and so we bought 7 tickets so that my Bsil and her kids can come to join in the fun too. (Moreover, Jasper & Royston will be bunking in with us this weekend and Denver is sooo looking forward to it). :D

~ Sakae Sushi - 60mins Lunch Buffet! ~

A couple of days ago, Hubby and I 'sneak' out to have lunch. It's one of those days where we left our kids with my inlaws to enjoy some personal time together. Being the nature that both of us ENJOY good food, hubby ask.. what shall we have for lunch? I already had Sushi on my mind.. and Hubby knew that I love Japanese cuisine. :)

So SAKAE SUSHI here we come! Can't miss the 60Mins Lunch Buffet deal! We can eat to our hearts desire! Hahahaha. We went to the branch at Hougang Point.. and we are the first customers of the day! Hmmm.. maybe the management can consider giving special discounts for early birds. :p

The moment we sat down is looking through the Menu and prepare our Orders. Being frequent customers, we already had in mind what we wanted. Salmon sushi, Temaki, Fried Toufu, Chawamushi are not to be missed. BUT..... The MOST IMPORTANT order that we wanted is.....drum roll............ SALMON KAMAAGE! And we ordered 5 of them (3 for Hubby and 2 for me). I think the waiter was kind of surprise with our orders and came back to double-check with us... "Mdm, just to clarify... you ordered 5 plates of Salmon Kamaage?" Hubby and I nodd our heads. "YES!!" (Smiling)... We are not surprised at all because everytime we will order at least 4 to 5 plates of it and almost everytime, the waiter/waitress will come back to us with either clarifying our orders or saying "Sorry, there are no more Salmon Kamaage" - Leaving us Disappointed. (Well, NOT for THIS TIME!)

While waiting for the food we ordered, we wasted no time in indulging on the sushi on the conveyer belt!

Here comes our ORDERS!

Not to forget... Our YUMMY SALMON KAMAAGE!!

Squeezed the lemon on the salmon! The meat is very tender and really NICE! In no time, here's whats left of it.. :p

Well, not as messy as it should be cos I must say the waiter is very efficient in clearing the plates. :p I did not even have a chance to take a photo of the pile of plates that we had taken. I must say the service of the waiter that day has been GREAT! Hubby and I were Sooooo Full that we decided to cancel our orders for the Chawamushi.. The waiter has been nice and polite.. We did the same for the Desserts as Hubby had to rush for an appointment and so we changed our orders *Again for the "Grab and Go" types and the waiter also helped us swiftly.

Hubby and I - Satisfied customers with 2 very heavy stomach.. Gosh! I got a health screening test and am sure my results will not be good. :p

Sakae Sushi has a lot of merchandise on sale and some are really cute. We bought a neck rest for the children before.. Sad to say, Gladys tear it off within a week and make a whole mess in the car..

It would be nice to take the kids out with us next time as Denver LOVES Sushi too! However, we often hesitate to bring Gladys as she has exceeded the 90cm mark since she was just 2 years plus!! (Thanks to the genetic genes of my hubby) and would need to pay for the Child Price... But being a really small eater for a little girl, it is really difficult and we have to go for other alternatives which is more cost effective instead. I realise the children nowadays are really getting taller very fast at an earlier age! It would be great if Sakae Sushi can consider placing an age instead of height limits for the children so that families with younger children can enjoy a family lunch/dinner together more often. WIN-WIN Situation :D