~ Tiring but a contented Birthday ~

As much as I wanted to post some photos and updates, my mind and body isn't functioning well now. All I can say is I had a pretty rough and emotional start at the beginning of the day but ended feeling contented. Good night. Many more blissful years to come.

~ When is your Birthday? ~

When friends ask me: "When is your Birthday?" I tend to reply: "Same day as Malaysia National Day". :)

Some may know the dates, others don't. But most of them would comment: "Oh! You should be in Malaysia!" or "Why not on 9th August?" (Singapore's National Day). hahaha.

I always think it will be nice and cool to have your birthday falls on a public holiday especially if it is on the same day with your country. You don't need to go to school or apply leave from work and you'll probably get better/more dining discounts too. It is a day of celebration with fireworks and everywhere and everyone is in a cheery mood.

Although it's not a public holiday in Singapore, it has been the eve of Teacher's day and also a special day to me. :) Countdown to being 1 year older.

~ Fun @ Playground ~

Hubby's work has been busy lately and there are many weekends where he'll be working. Yesterday, I took the kids to visit their grandparents and we spent the entire day there.

There is a very cool playground near my parents' home. Ironically, Denver & Gladys never get to play in it because it is always noon time when we visit on Sundays. They finally got their chance and I took them down in the late afternoon when the sun is not too hot.

Unlike the usual playground where there are 'direct' steps up to the slides, this one is slightly different. Gladys ran around the playground and couldn't find the steps. "Mommy, how to get up?" I had a looked and actually there are various ladders and bigger steps around. But since she is new to this playground, she played safe and climb up via the slide. :)

But the children are adventurous and they are expert with using most of the facilities in no time. Counting beads, tic-tack-toe, steering wheel, weather cycle chart, telescope, slides and the various ladders are all built-in within a small play area. The children had a lot of fun sliding and climbing up and down, running and screaming. :)

Just across the road, there is another mini playground where the swings are. Gladys stopped immediately and ran to the swings. Swings are my favourite during my childhood days. I love to sit in it and feel the breeze as I swing in and out. Many of my friends can swing so high and it's so fun! Sad to say, not many neighbourhood playgrounds have swings in their playgrounds anymore. I wonder why.. Safety reasons?

~ Handicraft - Egg Carton Caterpillar ~

Gladys has been pestering me to do painting almost every day. To fulfill her wish, we got together with our egg carton artwork again. This time we'll be doing Egg Carton Caterpillar. The materials are very simple and easily available.

First, parents will need to cut out a row of 'cups' from the egg carton. Depending how long you want your caterpillar to be. In this case I have a row of 3 'cups'. Next, it's PAINTING time. This is what Gladys enjoys doing most. Be sure to lay the newspapers and prepare tissues as it is going to get messy.

Paint and decorate your caterpillar in whatever colour or design you like it to be and leave the carton aside for the paint to dry.

Finally, poke 2 holes on the top of one of the egg carton 'cup' where the head of the caterpillar is suppose to be. Put the straws through it as the 'antenna'. You can also stick some straws at the bottom as it's legs. (I skip that part.)

Here you are! Two Egg Carton Caterpillars! :)

~ Youth Olympic Games 2010 Closing Ceremony ~

Today finally marks the closing of the first inaugural Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010. The YOG which lasted 2 weeks definitely steers a lot of excitement and hitting the headlines.

The table-tennis matches is my favourite and although many pondered on whether Isabelle Li is truly a local born athlete and started "researching" on her parents, grandparents etc.. Singapore's Chopper - Isabelle has truly played well and draw my attention to watch her live matches and cheering for the Singapore team. :)

A spectacular opening ceremony, wonderful games and competition played by the athletes and just a while ago, we saw the official closing ceremony of the YOG 2010 as the flag of the Youth Olympic flag is lowered and handed to the representatives of Nanjing - China who will be hosting the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Games. The tornado Youth Olympic fire is finally extinguished and this marks the end of the FIRST Youth Olympic Games 2010 in SINGAPORE.

~ My Birthday Presents and Lunch @ Nihon Mura ~

Another week to my birthday and I have been looking forward to having lunch with my close friends. They are really nice to make so much effort just to come all the way and plan for this day. We went to dine at the Nihon Mura branch at Jurong West Sports & Recreation centre and they have a lunch special at $7.99++ which includes choosing from a range of main dish (A) , a side dish (B) and a dessert (C).

It is an enjoyable thing to eat, chit chat, gossips and talk about everything under the sun. The other main highlight is of course presenting me with my birthday presents! hahahaha. Wow.. didn't expect to get two. :) They are really innovative when it comes to buying presents. Because of this group of pals, I get to receive stuff that I will never expect myself to buy or do. Now I got a new 'baby' to care for - my little plant. Gladys saw the plant on the table when she got home and says it is a flower. :) She even get ready to water it and luckily I stopped her just in time before my plant falls ill due to over-dosage of watering. hahaha..

THANK YOU ALL!

~ Gladys' Nursery Class Photo ~

Gladys is finally back to school again after Nativity has been closed for the past 10 days for dis-infection due to HFMD. It is never easy to take pictures for the young children as you need to get their full attention. Some are shy, some are restless, some are active and cannot sit still and there are those who are just natural in front of the cameras.

Gladys looked a bit funny in her individual photo. A worried? scared? or trying to force a smile look? The little toys she's holding can't seem to bring a smile on her face. ^_^ But that's fine. Gladys still looks pretty and cute in my eyes.

~ Grandparents & Grandchildren ~

Denver & Gladys always enjoy going to their grandparents' house. They get to eat a lot and play a lot. My mother always cook a lot of delicious food which I miss. Even a simple scramble egg or a cup of milo taste different. I always have an extra bowl of rice and mum will buy my favourite 咸煎饼 for snacks. After lunch, we usually sit down to chit chat until the kids started to make a lot of noise and seeking attention.

Today, Denver had some lessons with 婆婆 who is trying to teach him Cantonese. :) Gladys on the other hand is only interested with eating and playing with 婆婆.

It's nice to see my Brother dropping by at the right time and we get to see my little nephew who is getting cuter and cuter. :) If only Big brother is here and we can gather all the 4 grandchildren to take a nice photo together.

~ Drawings - Flowers ~

Gladys wanted to paint but Mommy is feeling tired today and hence 'persuaded' Gladys to settle for Crayons instead. Crayons can be quite messy too but the colours are bright and cheery.

Gladys drew flowers today. The brightest flower among all is hers while the rest are all greenish.

Mommy's one is more colourful. Assorted flowers for all.

~ Shape Ups with Skechers~

We just spent near to $300 SGD for 2 pairs of Shape-ups shoes from Skechers. Currently, there is a Skechers Shape Ups roadshow at Suntec City Mall (outside Carrefour) offering discounts, star buys and some free gifts.

As the sales assistant explains, Skechers' Shape-ups aims to shape up while you walk. The shoes are designed to:

• Promote weight loss
• Strengthen the back
• Improve posture
• Firm calf and buttock muscles
• Reduce cellulite and tone your thighs
• Increase cardiovascular health
• Reduce stress on knee and ankle joints

It is said to change the way we walk and wearing the Shape-ups everywhere will let our body feel the benefits.

Sounds good to us and so we put the shoes to test and tried it out personally. Hubby says he felt the difference immediately. He usually experiences knee joint pain as he walks (probably due to injury, heavy weight and other reasons). After putting on the Shape-ups shoes, the pain is very much relieved. I also tried it on and the design and cushion within the shoes makes it so comfortable to walk with. The pressure that I usually felt at the base of my feet has also reduced.

There are various designs and colours to choose from and Skechers recently came out with new series of Shape-ups that are running shoes. Hubby and I are very satisfied with the try out and without much hesitation, we bought a pair of Shape-ups for ourselves.

The sales assistants have been very helpful, patient (we tried so many pairs of shoes), friendly and not hard-selling. One gave us free bottled waters, another gave some mini free gifts for the kids and more stuff that is packed together with our purchase. That includes a DVD and booklet, Shape-Up magazine, pouch, coffee pack, water bottle, $20 vouchers, I Phone cover and tote bags. We also got a life-time membership card (spending $150 and above) that will entitle us 10% discount on our next purchases.

The freebies helped to relieve the bit of our heart pinch but I guess most importantly is seeing the effectiveness of Shape-up shoes to help us improve our daily walk.

~ My 5th Voucher from Sakae Sushi! ~

Yeah, I received my 5th $50 Complimentary Voucher from Sakae Sushi! That makes it $250 worth of dining at Sakae within 9 months (since November last year)! Although I haven't receive any $moola from the nuffnang or google ads (yet) but the dining vouchers are just as great! Below are my winning entries which is also published on Sakae Sushi's blogosphere sorted by month.

Nov 09 - Sakae Sushi - 60mins Lunch Buffet!


Jan 10 - Dining @ Sakae Sushi with the Kids


Mar 10 - Hubby's Birthday Lunch @ Sakae


Jun 10 - Father's Day dinner @ Sakae Sushi, Sakae Welcomes the World 2010


Jul 10 - Casual Dining at Sakae Sushi

We love Japanese cuisine and Denver is always happy whenever Mommy wins dining vouchers at one of his favourite resturant. That motivates me a lot to blog about Sakae (the good and not so good comments). Hoping more vouchers to come even though Hubby always says we ended spending more than the $50 that we won. :p

THANK YOU SAKAE SUSHI!

~ Celebrating Two Birthdays ~

We attended 2 Birthday Parties last Sunday. Our neighbour's son is celebrating his 2nd birthday and had a combine party together with another girl who is also celebrating her 2nd birthday too at Rivervale Cres Condominium.

The function room is decorated with a big banner filled with pink and blue balloons and a little play corner for the children. Music fills the room with yummy food and assorted drinks. Blue and pink crown cupcakes, door gifts, 2 birthday cakes (each for the prince and princess) and a playground which is just outside the function room.

Gladys is very fond of balloons. Especially those filled with helium gas since they float in the air. She has been grabbing them ever since she arrives and only to let it go when they went outdoor to play. Slides, monkey bars, running and playing with other children is what they enjoyed most.

Of course not to forget the yummy cupcakes which are finger-licking good. :)

Later in the evening, we went to Hubby's grandmother house to celebrate her birthday in advance. A sumptous buffet spread has been lined up and many relatives gathered at her house for dinner, chit-chatting, mahjong session and watching YOG live on TV. That's how we spent our Sunday.

~ A Need to Recharge! ~

The month of August has been really happening and tiring so far. We celebrated Singapore's National Day, watched the opening ceremony of the Youth Olympics Games, saw a lot of fireworks, went to the Singapore Zoo, Gladys' school was closed for 10 days due to HFMD with the news appearing on Media, Denver had persistent high fever last week which burns out my energy, attended birthday parties and the list goes on.

I can't believe it's only mid of August and so many things have happened. I haven't had much sleep lately and really closing my eyes on doing the housework. After taking care of Denver for the past few nights, I thought I can finally enjoy a rejuvenating, peaceful, good night rest only to realize I got paged early this morning at 5am to check on an emergency case.

I felt so lethargic at work and started to develop headaches. Plus, my work didn't end after 5pm. Since Denver has been missing in action from school last week, he got lots of homework today. I spent quite a fair bit of time going through his work, read bedtime stories with Gladys, finish up the laundry before I can finally rest on my cosy bed.

Tomorrow it's going to be full day meetings and I need to recharge my batteries.

~ Singapore Heritage Festival 2010 - Compass Point ~

We went to Compass Point yesterday to return our library books and was delighted to see the Singapore Heritage Festival being brought to the heartlands.

It's a Kid's World @ Compass Point. There is a showcase of more than 300 dolls all dressed up in different national costumes. All the dolls are listed by their country in alphabetical order and their costumes are hand-sewn. Check out the dolls gallery : http://heritagefest.sg/content/2481/Dolls_Gallery.html

"Project U & I" is the creative works by some 200 schools and junior colleges in Singapore. It gives an opportunity to learn about the cultures and lifestyles of the 204 participating countries of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

Apart from the pretty dolls, there is also stage performances. We were just on time for the Story-telling session - Badang who is a legendary strongman in Southeast Asia. Gladys is so brave and raised her hands when they asked for volunteers. She was lucky to be selected as one of the sound-effect crew and did a fantastic job participating at the side. :)

The story-teller did so well narrating the story and kudos to those who acted in the show. They are so FUNNY! Especially when the head of the axe flew off twice. :) The children had a good laugh and a great time!

Denver on the other hand was also being selected to go on stage and play with one of my favourite childhood game - Zero Point. The rubber bands are interlinked together to form a rope and players skip over the rope at different heights progressively. His actions are so hilarious and brought so much laughter to the crowd.

It's good that they are not shy about being on stage and at the end of the day, they each got a Singapore flag sticker and a tattoo for their hard work. ^_^

~ YOG Opening Ceremony is AMAZING! ~

We all stayed home to watch the opening ceremony of the Youth Olympics Games 2010 in SINGAPORE! Gladys never fails to give us surprise with her little actions as she danced with the songs. One moment she is singing, the next moment she is taking the Singapore flag and waving in front of the television. :p

Count down at 20:10

See Gladys dance!

It is very rare to have all of us watching the same program on TV for 2 hours. Only such historic event and moment can keep us together. :) We stand up to sing the National anthem and also waited eagerly for the Singapore's representative carrying our nation's flag to appear! The children keep asking when is Singapore's turn. :D

I must say I was most impressed with how the cauldron to the Youth Olympic flame is lighted at the end. Seeing the beautiful lighted Phoenix 'gliding' across the Marina Bay escorted by the dragon boats is so majestic! The drums beating and our 6 youth torch bearers carrying the Olympic flame to the light house. Everyone has been speculating who will be the final torch bearer and it is Darren Choy (16 years) who is our national sailor. I love how the flame is being set ablaze, moving up around the lighthouse and finally reaching the top. Not to forget the series of fireworks throughout the show.

The entire opening ceremony is Spectacular, making us feel so PROUD to host the first Youth Olympic Game in our home country!

~ Persistent High Fever - Denver sent to do Xray & Blood Test ~

Denver had fever since Monday and his temperature went on a roller coaster ride since then. Hubby took him back to Doctor Khoo yesterday when Denver (who is still having a fever) woke up complaining slight pain on his feet and weakness. Due to his persistent fever, Denver was sent to do an x-ray and bloodtest at the nearby Polyclinic.

I heard from Hubby that Denver cried a lot when they tried to prick his finger for the blood test. He is still very much afraid of the needles and only to realise it wasn't so bad afterall.

The x-ray and blood test results are fine and I guess there is no indication of Dengue. They headed back to the doctor where Denver is prescribed with a stronger antibiotics and more dosage of fever medicines.

Poor sonny is very weak and restless for the rest of the day. He watched cartoons and sleep most of the time feeling cold and hot interchanging. It is the first time Denver has consistent high fever (~39 degrees) for 12 hours, the highest hitting 39.3 degrees taken from oral!

I was worried but many work still needs to be done! I noted down the timings for his medication, encouraged him to drink more clear fluid (water, 100 plus, juices) to make sure he is not dehyrdrated, sponged his hot body, checked his temperature and read him bedtime stories so that he is not feeling too bad even in sickness.

Late nights is the hardest to pass as it is usually this time where temperature will rises. Denver's fever is still very high (between 38.6 to 39.2 degrees) and I dare not sleep for fear his temperature will rises further. I checked on him every other 15 minutes and sponged him. Woke him up at 12:40am for his medication and continue to monitor his temperature again while he sleeps.

I set my phone alarm to ring at 2am and 3am in case I fell asleep unknowingly. It was only when his temperature went down to 38 degrees before I finally rest and had a little wink. Hubby took over the shift at around 4am and I went back to my room to sleep. Yawn! Zzz Zzz Zzz Zzz.....
I was definitely happy to hear Denver back to his cheery self and cheering when he took his temperature this morning. "Yes! 36.9 degrees!" That is a relief. Still, we are not letting off our guards and Denver will continues his medication and complete his antibiotics.

~ Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Singapore is Here! ~

1 more day to go! The Youth Olympic Games will be held between 14th - 26th August. Tomorrow will be the official opening ceremony at The float@Marina Bay. Tickets are on sale pricing at $200, $120, $80 and $30. Even the closing ceremony is priced at $80, $40 and $15. Well, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm sure many are eager to be part of this historic event where Singapore holds the first Youth Olympic Games ever. We'll probably stay home to watch to live telecast on Channel 5 instead. :)

How much does Denver & Gladys know about YOG? The closest to their hearts is the YOG cheer song - "You Are The one, Singapore" composed and sang by JJ Lin (林俊杰). We have been hearing it for months and the repeating lyrics and tune makes it so easy for the children to remember and sing.

O Yeah, O Yeah, O Yeah, Hey!

O Yeah, O Yeah, O Yeah, Ho!

You are the ONE, Singapore

Now is the time, here we go, Yeah!

Beat of the drum. Feet on the ground.

Shout it out loud. Make us all proud! (repeating)

Not to forget our iconic mascots Lyo and Merly! Lyo is the Lion of the Youth Olympics and Merly ("mer" stands for sea and "l y" stands for liveliness and youthfulness) reminds me of our Merlion. There are so many merchandise products on sale. (Tshirts, stuff toys, stamps etc). Denver likes Lyo and Gladys likes Merly.

Torch relay ran through Sengkang on 10th August. It was a rainy morning and we stayed home since Denver was sick. We missed the event but the 12 year old boy, Low Wei Jie from Compassvale Primary hit the headlines when he ran 15km for 2 1/2 hour in his flip flops following the torch relay in the rain! He definitely displayed a lot of determineation, impressing and winning the hearts of many Singaporeans. Best of all, he now gets to be the torch bearer! :D

YOG competitions are held all around Singapore. The closest to us is of course the Hockey matches to be held at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium. It is part of the Sengkang Sports & Recreation Centre located at Anchorvale in Sengkang. Tickets are ranged between $10 - $30 depending if you are watching the preliminaries or finals. Not sure if it will steer some crowd over Sengkang. :)

HELLO YOG SINGAPORE 2010!!

~ School closed due to HFMD ~

I just received a call from Mrs Wee, Gladys' teacher that Nativity Church Kindergarten will be closed for the next 10 days due to Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD)! Classes to resume on 23rd August. The other time only Gladys' class was affected and her class was dismissed from school for a few days. This time it is the entire school that is closed! Oh my! That means there may be many cases reported already. I certainly appreciate the fact that the school has taken measures and initiative to prevent HFMD from spreading among the young children even though many parents may be affected and have to take leave to look after their children.

The other time Denver and Gladys caught the virus was 2 years ago. We stayed home for 10 days and it was tough to take care pf 2 ill young children. Spending the entire day and night looking after and playing with them. Eventually I caught the HFMD virus too. Hence it is extremely important to be responsible and isolate ourselves from the public since HFMD can spread from person to person by direct contact with nasal discharge, saliva, faeces etc.

More health advisory is available at http://www.hpb.gov.sg/health_articles/hfmd/

At the same time, Denver's fever came back again. He was already feeling much better yesterday, running and playing at home. Unfortunately, he felt cold in the middle of the night and his temperature rises. My colleague's daughters are also having fever and it seems there are many flu/fever cases around recently. Do take care and may everyone stay healthy!

~ Vouchers and Stuff Toy on my desk ~

After enjoying a pretty good long weekend, I am definitely not looking forward to going back to work. :) Vacation is always too short isn't it. I am delighted to see a couple of stuff placed on my work desk after missing in action for awhile.

• A voucher from Bengawan Solo in celebration of one of my colleague's baby 1 month old.
• $60 Robinsons voucher - Complimentary from my company since August is my Birthday month :) YEAH!
• A Chopper stuff toy - a give away from my colleague. :) If you are a fan of One Piece (Shōnen manga- 少年漫画), you will definitely know Tony Tony Chopper who is the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates.

I feel like I'm celebrating my birthday already even though it is still a couple of weeks away. ^_^

~ 1 for 1 Lunch treat at Swensen + Sorcerer's Apprentice ~

Hubby and I took leave today just to keep the children company especially so since Denver is still down with a fever. I spent the previous night checking on his temperature and it was going up and down like a roller coaster. The good thing is Denver is older now and he will check his temperature and tells Mommy or Daddy if he feels uncomfortable in the night.

It was pouring early this morning and hence we waiting till 11am before taking him to the family doctor. The kids are so familiar with Dr Khoo and Gladys practically kept herself comfortable (as though she is at home) in the doctor's room while Dr Khoo is checking on Denver. Apparently it is a flu and throat infection and Denver was prescribed with antibiotics, flu and fever medicine.

I guess Denver is feeling slightly down being ill on a long weekend and he misses some of the activities (even though he already had a lot). So we took the children for a 1 for 1 lunch treat at Swensen at City Square Mall. That surely makes them happy. Swensen was packed during lunch hours and we waited for about 20 minutes before getting a table.

Warm water for all and our lunch orders -  Baked Spaghetti Bolognaise for Hubby, Mac 'N' Cheese for Denver, Mega Burger for Mommy and Chicken Mushroom Mayo pizza for Gladys.

Denver enjoyed his macaroni and had his medicine. Gladys had her free cone ice-cream and I appreciate that Denver knows that he cannot take the ice-cream and let her sister took it.

We took the thermometer with us all day just to make sure Denver is feeling ok. So far so good and I love the siblings interacting together. Either they fight or they will hug each other everyday.

Later in the evening, we went to Cathay @ Downtown East to catch The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Initially I thought Gladys will be keeping me busy throughout the movie, but it seems that she is able to pay attention to some of the scenes. Denver enjoyed the show very much and was very contented.

After the movie, he asked if he can go to school tomorrow since he misses it. Wow! I thought children will take this opportunity to skip school instead. I guess that really shows he enjoys school afterall and that is great! So far no fever for the past few hours but we'll check again throughout the night and see if he is well enough for school tomorrow. In the meantime, it is early night rest for the children.

~ Hungry Ghost Festival 2010 ~

After celebrating NDP 2010 yesterday, today marks the start of the Ghost month (鬼节). It will be from 10th August to 7th September. Our family always pray and make offerings on every 1st and 15th of the lunar month. Chinese believes that on the lunar 7th month, the gates of hell are opened and the ghosts, spirits and deceased ancestors will come out from the lower realm.

There are many things that Chinese will try to avoid doing during this month..including getting married, moving/buying house, travelling overseas, swimming, hanging clothes out at night, staying out late etc. My mum always tells me be careful with my words and to watch where I am going and not to kick, cross over or step on the offerings, ashes or altars.

During this month, we will also see various Getais (歌台) around Singapore where there will be singing and performances. The first row of the seats are reserved for "special guests" and we are not to sit on it.

Superstition?? Well, sometimes it is best to be careful and safe.

~ How we celebrate NDP 2010 - Fireworks, Shopping, Home ~

After spending a whole day at the Singapore Zoo and staying up to watch the fireworks late last night, we are exhausted. Early this morning, Denver woke up complaining of a tummyache and only to find out that he is having a fever. :( Oh dear.

Denver wanted to watch movie very much and initially we planned to take the kids out too. But with his condition, we can only stay home. Still, it is a special day and all of us dress ourselves up in Red and White. Gladys being the most energetic woke up early, drew me a picture, grab snacks out to eat on her own, played with her balloon flower hat and also sang Majulah Singapore.

We took the kids out for lunch and went for our grocery shopping at NTUC Xtra (Hougang Point). Denver is still having a mild fever but he is looking more active now. I guess if he can play with his sister, he shouldn't feel too bad. :)

We had a nap in the afternoon and this is when Denver's temperature went up again. Mommy sponged him while watching the NDP parade on television. In the past, they prefer the watch Playhouse Disney or Cartoon Networks. So this is the first time the kiddos sat down watching the NDP parade. The marching, singing, parachutes etc. They start to get really excited when they saw Sengkang CC is part of the celebration too! We knew there is a stage and carnival from 4pm-9pm, but Denver is ill and so we didn't went down earlier.

Gladys is upset and started to protest. She saw flags, balloons and wanted to go to the Padang too! "走了，走了" - She initiated us to go... but Denver gor gor is still ill, my dear! After much delay and struggle, we decided to drive past Sengkang CC and stop by for awhile. Hubby managed to park inside Compass Point and I took the kids to the back of the stage to avoid the crowd and also to let Gladys fulfill her wishes.

Gladys waved her flag that she brought along. We didn't manage to get the goodie bags which so many people have collected. That is probably the only disappointment so far. :) Well, at least we have been part of the party and we settled our dinner too.

We drove out of Compass Point and went to pump petrol at Shell. Seeing so many people gathering along the open field opposite the mall, our guess is that there will be Fireworks later! The children said that they wanted to stay on and watch. So we stopped by and waited for the grand finale to start. There are crowd all over - from the open fields to those sitting under the HDB blocks. Cars are parking along the road side and I have never seen Sengkang so 'happening' before!

We didn't know what time the fireworks display is going to start, but I expected it being anytime after the One Voice at 20:10pm. :) At around 820pm, Boom, Boom, Boom!!!! Here it goes!!! We are really just metres away and it was so LOUD! The kids covered their ears and Gladys hide behind me. The fireworks are so pretty and the children enjoyed it so much despite the earlier shock.

Hubby said the tanks drove pass too, but we missed it since we are standing at a different spot. It's also time for Denver to go home and rest. Gladys love National Day so much that she still wants to wear her red shirt and white pants. It took me quite awhile before I managed to convince her to change into her pyjamas.

This should be one of their most memorable National Day Celebration so far.

~ Fireworks at Sengkang National Day 2010 Countdown Party ~

8th August 2010 - It's the yearly National Day Countdown Party! Since 9pm onwards, we have been hearing the celebration going on downstairs. We took the children down at around 930pm to check out what's going on this year. There are performances including dance and singing, lucky draw, stalls along the side selling food, drinks, clothes, balloons etc. Not forgetting free flags, tattoos and mineral bottles!

Denver & Gladys with their Singapore Flag!

Mommy paid $1 where Denver had a lucky dip and he got a little goodie bag. Gladys wanted balloons and so we got her a flower hat ballon. :)

The main highlight is definitely the fireworks which Denver & I have been waiting for! Our friend & fellow blogger, Andy also brought his 2 kids to see the fireworks!

Unlike the previous years, the countdown and fireworks only start at mid-night. This year, it was much earlier than I expected. They started counting down 20 minutes before midnight. Luckily we were already downstairs and didn't miss it.

I was a little disappointed with this year's fireworks display as it is not as exciting and glamourous. But I cannot complain too much.. afterall we are celebrating within a neighbourhood. ^_^ Denver likes the firework display and I hope Andy's kids liked it too. Happy Birthday Singapore!!!

~ Drawings - Ladybirds ~

This morning is teaching Gladys how to draw ladybirds. I think it is one of the easiest for kids to learn with it's simple outline and shape. Drawing many ladybirds on the paper can be very pretty too and it is only red and black in colour. :)

Here is Gladys' and Mommy's drawing of ladybirds. :) Gladys says it looked like the 'mouse' for the computer. :)

~ Sushi Ginger at Sakae ~

We are back at Sakae Sushi again! hehehe.. Seems like it has become a monthly affair already and there's always something to blog about Sakae. ^_^

Apart from enjoying the yummy food as we are dining, I realised something different today. Usually I'll have some of the pickled ginger as it taste so good and helps to "cleanse" my mouth in between sushi. To my surprise, the usual pink pickled ginger is yellow in colour. It looked like the normal ginger that goes with the century eggs and I started to ponder if it still taste the same. Well, it did... just that I still prefer the pink coloured ones. Hahaha..

Anyway, out of curiosity, I went back home and googled about pickled ginger. According to Wikipedia, pickled ginger is thinly sliced young ginger marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar and hence it's sweetness. It is known as gari or sushi ginger. Pickled ginger is also said to have many health benefits and one of them is to help destroys the parasites in the body.

The commercially made ones is artificially coloured pink to promote sales whereas the naturally made product is pale yellow to slightly pink hue. Woooooo...Does that mean Sakae is now serving the naturally made ones???! Really cannot judge ginger by its colour. Hahaha (ignorant). ^_^

The other night, we passed by a Sakae outlet (after our grocery shopping) and it was near closing time. I saw an interesting sight that caught my eyes and quickly took a snapshot. :p

It looks to me that the plastic covers are washed and nicely stacked up on the tables and chairs to dry. I thought it was pretty neat as it is similar to how the wine glasses are being stack up - just like those we always see in wedding banquets. Hmmm.. Would the number of plastic covers reflects how many plates of sushi were sold that day/night? :p

~ Gladys wishing Singapore Happy 45th Birthday! ~

This was taken during the weekend before Gladys falls sick. She has learned a few some songs in school and wanted Mommy to video her singing. :)

国旗,国旗,我爱你。有红有白真美丽。

弯弯的新月五颗星，看见国旗行个礼。

S-I-N-G-A-P-O-R-E, S-I-N-G-A-P-O-R-E, Ohhhhhhhhhhhh - SINGAPORE!

HAPPY 45th Birthday Singapore!

~ Primary 1 Poetry Recitation - The Little Blue Engine ~

As part of the school's English Language approach to promote oral literacy, Denver has attended a poetry recitation program during curriculum time. The main objectives is to build up the students' confidence and their oral skills.

Just recently, we attended the Poetry Recitation performance put up by the Primary 1 students. Every student will have the opportunity to go on stage and perform. They are in their costume and make-up and you can see the teachers and students put in so much effort. Many parents also took the time off to give their children support.

Denver practising on the night before his poetry recitation performance.

The actual performance by his class - 1 Courage

Denver says he was abit nervous on stage and I can see that as he looked more stiff compared to his practices at home. Even so, all of them did so well. :)

~ Gladys and Mummy are ill ~

It has been horrible since the beginning of the week. My flu didn't recover well and Gladys' cough got worse. She coughed throughout the night and we couldn't sleep. On a few occasion, she vomited...Gladys coughed so much that it is straining her stomach. Poor girl. :( She has difficulty breathing and couldn't sleep well at all. I stayed up keeping her company all night.. 1am... 2am...3am...I changed her shirt as she vomited on the bed. 4am... 5am... We ended up sitting in the living room watching Playhouse Disney till 6plus when its morning already.

It has been a long and dragging night... Mummy is exhausted...We took her to see the doctor early this morning and she has been 'sticky' to me like a koala bear since. Her hands will stretch out wide - initiating that she wants me to 抱抱. Tonight is expected to be difficult as well.. her temperature seems to be rising and I'll need to monitor if she gets a fever in the middle of the night. :( Haiz...

~ Steamed Cheese Cake ~

Despite being angry earlier, I felt a bit bad and decided to make a cake for the kiddos. No oven in the house so I can only go for steam cake. Again, I must emphasize that Mummy is not a good cook. I can only picked what seems to be the easiest from the recipe book and whatever is available in the house on a rainy afternoon.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

100g sugar

4 slices of sliced cheddar cheese

125g milk

80g butter

220g flour

1 tbsp double action baking powder

Method
1. Whip the eggs and sugar together till the sugar dissolved and slightly thicken
2. Cook cheese, milk and butter over double boiler until cheese melted.
3. Add the melted mixture into the whipped sugar and eggs.
4. Fold the sieved flour into the mixture until it is well-blended.
5. Pour into a greased and lined 20cm round mould. (I only have a square one)
6. Steam for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
7. Spread a thin layer of butter on top of the cake and place some grated cheddar cheese on top.

It took me awhile to whip the eggs and sugar while the children gather around me noising me that they want to help too. In the messy situation, I also forgotten to sieve the flour and line my tin. Arghhh..

Luckily the cake rises pretty well.. before I get to set the cake aside to cool, the children gather again for a round of smell test. Sniff sniff.. MMMM... Smell Nice. :) They couldn't wait to eat!

Actually there are cracks and the cake breaks as I cut it. Still, the children didn't mind it at all and they pick up the bits and pieces and put it in their mouth.

Each of us has a piece of cake for our tea break with extra cheese toppings. Hubby says its too sweet for his liking but the children seems to like it. Denver finished it all and Gladys 90% of it.

Extra slices of cheese toppings for the children.

We still have some left over cakes for tomorrow. Breakfast anyone?