~ De-stressing moment @ Sakae Sushi ~

The month of October didn't start well as it should have been. We have been down with Conjunctivitis for 2 weeks at the beginning of the month and I was feeling pretty upset. On the second week when Gladys caught the eye-infection again, I was struggling with a busy work schedule while looking after an attention-seeking daughter.

I felt so bad for neglecting her and didn't even have time to cook a proper meal. Gladys only has bread, cereal, steamed bao and snacks for breakfast and lunch for a couple of days. I skipped my meals and was feeling pretty drained out from work while still recuperating from my sored eyes.

After we all got better, Hubby suggested that we go Sakae Sushi for dinner. I guess he knows that eating my favourite food can help me to de-stress and I definitely need it at that point of time. After skipping my breakfast and lunch earlier, I am totally famished!

I had plates and plates of sushi and handrolls and that really helps to lighten my mood. :) We also picked another new pink plate to try.

Since I was feeling a little moody, I played with my food and made different faces on the sushi plates. I think the waitress who saw me finds me really WEIRD. Opps. :) Which one is representing how I'm feeling? I can't really decide.

I'm glad that Hubby took me out to eat. At least I can take a little break and enjoy a proper meal. Good food definitely helps me to recharge.

~ Love for Donuts! ~

Did I ever mention Denver and Gladys love eating Donuts? Well, basically the kids enjoy all sorts of sweet, yummy, tasty food. Donuts is one of them. Whenever we pass by a shop selling donuts, Gladys will bug me to buy 1 for her.

Tonight, we have a special supper treat. Compliment from Hubby's good friend. A box of 12 donuts from Donut Factory! Denver and Gladys are SO HAPPY that even though they brushed their teeth and it's their bedtime, nothing will stop them from taking a bite. They choose their favourite donut flavour and even 'reserved' which donut to eat tomorrow. Daddy and Mommy have to take the 'unwanted' pieces.

Can you guess which one they chose? ^_^

~ Final Year Examinations Preparation Week ~

After being sickly for a month, it's time to get BUSY. Apart from being busy at work, I'm also tied up with coaching Denver with his studies and looking through his homework. Last Tuesday to Friday was PSLE marking days and Denver got tons of worksheets from school in preparation for his final year examination which is starting next Monday to 1st November. (Listening Comprehension, Composition, Spelling, Maths, Chinese etc). I got to take almost 2 hours every night (after work) to go through all his work. TIRED!

Denver recently finished his Oral examination too without much preparation or help from Mommy since he was staying with my inlaws when we were all being quarantined at home. He self-studied and I think he was happy without Mommy nagging at him. Hahaha

It is revision week and only 1 more week to go before we are FREE! Denver and Mommy can't wait for the exams to be over and welcome the HOLIDAYS!

~ Haze Haze Go Away! ~

We just recovered from an eye infection and the haze is causing irritation to our eyes. Due to the Sumatra fires, with an increased in the number of hot spots, the haze condition has worsen.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) has hit over 100 earlier this evening, reaching the unhealthy range.

PSI Value	PSI Descriptor
0 - 50	Good
51 - 100	Moderate
101 - 200	Unhealthy
201 - 300	Very unhealthy
Above 300	Hazardous

NEA has advised the public to reduce vigorous outdoor activities, and people who feel unwell should consult their doctors. Those without underlying conditions may also experience eye irritation, sneezing and coughing.

I was working in Tuas 2 days ago and the haze condition in the West is definitely worse than in the North and East area. I can even smell the burning scent within the office.

Haze condition is expected to continue for a few more days and here's a helpful Haze Health Guide link.

http://www.asiaone.com/Health/Health+Matters/Story/A1Story20101020-243236.html

Hopefully we will get to smell the fresh air and see the clear blue sky again soon!

~ Burning hot weather ~

The weather for the past few days has been terrible. Apart from the humidity, it is scorching hot with temperatures around 34-35°C. The good thing is my laundry is getting dry faster but we are keeping ourselves away from outdoor activities during the day and drinking more water.

Due to the heat (even at home), we are also switching on the air-condition more frequently. Last night, the kids snuggled with us inside our room so that we only need to on the aircon in 1 room to help cut down the cost of the electrical bills. Denver welcome the idea very much since he has always wanted some company.

It's almost year end and hopefully the temperature starts to cool down a bit.

~ Physically and Mentally Tired ~

Have not been updating my blogs lately. The past few days have been extremely busy and tiring. I have been struggling taking care of Gladys at home and at the same time working.

One moment Gladys will says "I'm Hungry!", "I want milk.", the next moment she'll say "Mommy, play with me", "I want to watch TV", "I want to play games". Very often, I cannot fulfill her needs immediately and she starts to get upset. I cannot even have a decent teleconference meeting without her screaming, shouting or calling me. I got so moody and frastrated that she also got a scolding from me.

Not only that, I am also trying to work with a worn out vision. Can't really stare at the computer for too long as my vision will starts to get blur. But so many issues happened at work that I have to force myself to work it out somehow and only to find myself all tired out at the end of the day.

It has been a chaotic week and it's FRIDAY! Gladys is finally back to school today and we took Denver back home last night. Hoping to have more rest during the weekend before I start a new battle for the coming weeks.

~ The "Sickness" Cycle continues... ~

I HATE to say this... but I'm really tired and overwhelmed with the series of illness episodes. Fever.. HFMD... Conjunctivitis...Gosh.. Is there an epidemic going on within our house!!? I simply cannot believe it. Even with our best effort during the past weekend to disinfect and clean up the house, what do we have?! Gladys being sent back home from school today with another eye infection.

A BIG BIG SIGH...... We are back to square one (again) and this is exhausting me out. Since this morning, I took time off from work, went back to the clinic, looked after Gladys, separated Denver and possibly another round of clean up this weekend. When is this viscious cycle going to stop?

Going to miss Denver again and not sure how am I going to cope with working and caring for Gladys at the same time. Denver just had his oral exam today and his year-end exams will be in another 2 weeks time.. I guess he is pretty much on his own to self-study (without Mommy nagging and monitoring him) and hopefully he continues to stay healthy.

There is something to be happy about that happened during this sickly episode. Gladys has been diaper free for a week! We have been giving her midnight wakeup call to pee and although she had a couple of 'accidents' and wet the bed, Gladys has been pretty cooperative. Yesterday, she even wakes up on her own and goes to the toilet! Kudos to her! I believe this time she will be permanently saying GOOD-BYE to diapers.  

~ Recovering and Disinfecting ~

We are on the road to recovery (after the conjunctivitis incident). My eyes are still a bit reddish but not infectious any more. Doctor says it will take another week for the blood vessles within my eyes to clear off. In the meantime, I think passerby still find me 'scary' to look at.

This virus not only has put Gladys out of school but also Hubby and me out of work for a week! We are lucky that Denver was separated from us just in time and did not fall as a victim like us. Even though we are confined at home, it has not been easy. The irritation on both eyes has blurred my vision, caused a lot of discomfort and impaired my daily activities. To ease the pain and uneasiness, I have to close and rest my eyes and also indulge in taking short naps.

Since we are all feeling better today, it's time to disinfect the house before Denver gets home. We refilled our disinfectants, sprays, hand wash, tissue boxes and started cleaning since morning. From door knobs, toys, keyboards to remote controls, switches, handles, we tried to clean up as much as we can. Vacumming, mopping, washing the bedsheets, sofa covers, blankets, towels etc.... It looks like we are doing spring cleaning for CNY! It is a lot of hard work and hopefully, we will not be plagued by another viral incident. (at least making sure that the source is not from our home!)

~ Drawings - Missing Denver ~

It has been 3 days since we seen Denver. Due to the Conjunctivitis virus, Denver has been living with my in laws for the time being. Gladys has started to miss her gor gor and says she wants to make a present for Denver since yesterday.

It's funny and contradicting. Whenever Denver is around, Gladys will fight with him for TV channels, chance to play the computer games, food and almost everything. Now she is home alone with us, I guess she felt the loneliness that no one is around to play and fight with her anymore. :) Time for her to appreciate her brother more.

And so, she started drawing a picture as a present for Denver. I was busy washing up as she gets on to work, scribbling on a piece of paper all by herself. I am delighted to see the lovely drawing that she drew earlier (without me telling her what to do). I teach Gladys to use the marker pens to outline the pencil mark first before using the colour pencils to colour the picture. This will make the drawing more prominent, colourful and lively. A little surprise for Denver when he comes home in a few days time. We all misses you!

~ Conjunctivitis ~

Month of September was fever and HFMD.... going to the start of October and what do we got?? Conjunctivitis! Gladys started to have yellow discharge from her left eye on late Sunday night. It started to swell and by the next morning, both her eyes are teary and swollen.

I started to develop similar symptoms on my left eye on Monday afternoon and quickly went to see a doctor. It was diagnosed as Conjunctivitis and I was given antibiotics and eye drops. I tried not to infect my right eye but very soon, both my eyes were infected. :( Even hubby got the "pink eye" as it is highly contagious.

Luckily, we separated Denver just in time and sent him to stay with my in laws for the time being. I am glad that Gladys' condition wasn't as bad and her eyes aren't as reddish as mine.

There are many websites and information on Conjunctivitis (Pink eye). It is basically an inflammation on the clear membrane that covers the white part of our eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. Pink eye can be pretty scary looking as it spread rapidly making the eyes are extremely red and bloody.

Conjunctivitis can be caused by allergies (e.g. Pollen, dust mites) and also by bacteria and viruses responsible for colds and other infections (e.g. Ear, sinus, sore throats etc). Till now, I'm not sure what has causes pink eye to trigger within our family but we planned to do another round of clean up in the house as soon as we recover and before Denver comes home.

It has been difficult for the past few days. I never had eye infection before and "pink eye" is causing extreme discomfort to me. My eyes are teary, irritable, painful with occasional burning sensation. It felt like there are sand particles in both eyes all the time and yet there is nothing I can do about it except to take my medication, applying the eye cream and dripping eye drops.

I always have difficulty applying eye drops and do not like water getting into my eyes. Because of this, I have to force myself to drip eye drops everyday! Daily activities have been affected and I am feeling a bit down. Haven't been sleeping well and every time it takes a while to open my eyes because of the dried yellow musces on my eyelids. I'll need to use warm water to wipe my eyes gently before I start my day. I am praying that I'll feel better tomorrow ... if not, the doctor will need to refer me to another specialist. :(

~ Visit to Daddy's office ~

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon and we didn't plan to go anywhere today. Hubby needs to do some work in the office and so we tagged along. The children thought that going to Daddy's working place will be fun and interesting since they haven't been there since Hubby moved to a new block.

Well, it hasn't been exactly as fun as they thought it would be. First of all, there is no air-condition, no snacks or food, and only messy tables and stuff lying around. The only 'interesting' thing is exploring and running around the cubicles, playing hide-n-seek, games of tic-tac-toe, and enjoying a cup of hot milo from the vending machine.

Would they consider visiting Daddy's working place again? Maybe not. Hehehehe. ^_^

~ Make it a Happee Day for Children with Cancer ~

As parents, we all hope to see our children spend their childhood happily, grow up and be in good health. Unfortunately, there is also a group of children who are battling with cancer every single day. They too wish to live normally and happily like other children, but aren't as fortunate. Families with cancer patients are also facing the long, hard battle as it takes a lot of strain and toil from them both physical and financially.

Mother, Inc (By Mommy Daphne) has worked with the Singapore Children's Cancer Foundation to organize a mini carnival at the Hort Park on 31st October (Sunday). Apart from raising some funds, it also helps to bring some cheers and joy to the little children.

If you wish to contribute, here's how:

- Join in the event on 31st Oct! (Be a volunteer or you can bring your kids too!)
- Help to donate to the Children Cancer's Foundation
- Spread the word and help publicize this event! (on Facebook, Twitter, personal blog etc)

For more information, please visit Mommy Daphne's blog: http://www.motherinc.org/happee-day/make-it-a-happee-day-for-children-with-cancer/

~ 2nd tooth extracted ~

Barely 4 months from when Denver had his first tooth extraction, we saw another new tooth growing behind his baby tooth again. This time we are not as alarmed as before and booked an appointment with the school's dentist. Denver finally got his 2nd tooth extracted today and his beautiful set of baby teeth looks kind of unaligned now. Hopefully, his adult teeth will set in place when he grows up. :)

~ Gladys' first art lesson ~

Gladys has been telling almost everyone that she is going for an art class. She has been counting down the days since Sunday and is SO looking forward to it. Denver never had that kind of reaction when he goes for his Creative Play & Learn class 2 years back. I believe the difference is Gladys specifically wanted to go for the class versus we suggested the class for Denver.

There were already many children waiting outside of the classroom when we reached. Today is the start of a new class but it seems to me many children continued from their previous lessons. Most of them knew what to do and Gladys is probably the only new student (who seems lost) joining. Nevertheless, I'm glad that Gladys is brave and not shy at all as she sits through.

First lesson has been chaotic (at least in my perspective). I guess there was too much anticipation and I ended a little disappointed. I would appreciate if the teacher could orientate the parents with the children who just joined the class. Gladys was waiting at her seat not knowing what to do and poor Mommy (who was tired after a long day at work and feeling lost) tries to approach the busy teacher on what to do. The entire class was noisy but I managed to compose myself and observe what the other children are doing to follow suit.

For a start, the children are queuing up with a piece of paper in their hands. (It is half the size of a drawing block). I quickly asked Gladys to join in the queue too. The teacher will draw sketches of simple lines and shapes (faintly) on each paper and tells the child to trace over it when they get back to their seats.

There are basically 2 levels of students here. (A) for Advance and (B) for Beginner. The teacher will based on the child's level to determine which group they belong to and what they will draw. He will then goes to the white board and divide into A and B portion. The (A) drawings are much more complicated and the children in the Advance category will follow the (A) drawing and vice versa for the (B) group.

This is really a test of concentration and following instructions because there is simply no time to lose! Gladys was pretty lost and worse of all she sat too far away from the board to catch up with what the teacher is drawing!

After following through the first lesson with Gladys, this is pretty much how the lesson is run.

1) Children will trace the simple sketches drew by the teacher at the start of the lesson.
2) Following the teacher's step by step instruction on drawing from the basic sketch.
When the teacher says "Pencil", hold your pencil up and gets ready to draw. They will need to follow exactly what is drawn on the board. Whenever the child is unable to follow/draw a certain part, he/she can goes up and approach the teacher for assistance.
3) Following the teacher's step by step instruction on what colours to use.
The teacher will ask what colours he is using to colour the fish and the children will participate by answering. (Light green, Orange, Beige, dark yellow... etc). Luckily Gladys knows her colours very well to catch up.
4) Getting ready for water colours and painting.
Children needs to fill their little containers with water and follows instructions on what colours to paint.
5) In between the lesson, there is one toilet break. This is the time the children go to relief themselves. I saw Gladys following suit as she ran to the toilet, pee and ran back to class again by herself.

I won't be able to sit in for the following lessons as the teacher is only allowing parents to join in for the first class. It may take Gladys a few more lessons before she catches up. I'm not sure how confident she will feel as she did mention after her lesson that she is worried about not being able to follow up with the teacher. I hope this will not discourages her from enjoying her future lessons.

In fact, I think she did really good today on her first art lesson. She traced nicely and tried her best to see and follow what the teacher is drawing on the board. Gladys also displays a lot of effort to colour and paint her picture nicely. (I only feel it may be better if the teacher has been more encouraging. At times, he will comment that the child is drawing/colouring too slow and needs to speed up. This really sounds a bit pressing.)

Still, it is not all that bad. Through this lesson, apart from learning the basic drawing techniques, colouring skills, knowing more about colours, shapes and sizes, children also learns to be discipline, independent, pay attention to details and follow instructions. This might be a good training for Gladys in a certain sense and we will just have to see how it goes for the next few lessons.

~ Shabu Shi buffet lunch at AMK Hub ~

We are back at the Shabu Shi Buffet resturant to celebrate Gladys' birthday over the past weekend. This time we went to the branch at AMK Hub. (Our first visit was at the Hougang branch outlet back in March this year - http://phoebelau.blogspot.com/2010/03/shabu-shi-alice-in-wonderland.html).

Shabu-Shi's lunch buffet pricing over the weekend is $17.90++ for adults and $5.90++ for children which is very affordable for the entire family to go. Choose the soup base that you like and you can start to eat and drink all you can!

Don't get the wrong impression that there is only sushi. Somehow we were too quick and busy 'dumping' the food into the soup to cook that I just didn't have time to take photos. :) Apart from the fried food counter with hot dogs, fried ebi, nuggets etc,  there are dishes of food on the train belt serving assorted vegetables, fresh prawns, slices of beef, chicken, fish, mushrooms, eggs, fish cakes and many more.

The customer service at both outlets is superd! The waitresses are very attentive, efficient and always putting on a smile. :)

Denver & Gladys had fun eating and playing with their food. On the other hand, Hubby and I lost count on the number of plates of thinly sliced beef that we took. :p We definitely had our stomach filled and we were so delighted that Gladys gets to dine for free! Total bill for our lunch is under SGD$50 on a weekend! Dining at Shabu-shi is really enjoyable and value-for-money. :)

~ Art class registration for Gladys ~

Gladys has turned 4 officially and as promised, we registered her to an art class from Sengkang community centre today. Gladys displays more interest in art and she has been asking us to send her for drawing/colouring lessons for months!

Earlier, Hubby & I had a look at the program schedules from the CC and we managed to choose a suitable date/time among our working schedule for her to go. Gladys is so happy that she even thought that her class starts tomorrow! We bought some art materials and packed them nicely in a bag all ready and set for her first arty lesson.

In the past, Gladys always tag along whenever we send Denver for lessons. She will linger around in the classroom and seems reluctant to leave the room at times. Soon, it will be her turn attending the lessons and Gladys even told us that she'll say "Goodbye" to us. :) We'll see what happens on her first day in class at the CC.

~ Happy 4th Birthday Gladys! ~

It's Gladys' 4th Birthday and we started our day as early as waking up at 5plus in the morning. Why so early? We are going to the airport to send my lbil's family who is going oversea for a vacation. :) The children loves going to the airport. It's breakfast at Mcdonald, play area at Terminal 3 with lots of space to run about and quenching their thirst whenever they see water-cooler units.

Gladys can't wait to open her presents when she got home. The anticipation on what is behind those pretty wrappers and it is fun to see her expression when she finally sees her presents. You'll know at that moment which is her favourite. :)

It's MOVIE Time! Hubby & I took the kids to AMK Hub to catch "Alpha & Omega". The movie, with a simple story focusing on how two wolves (Kate & Humphrey) tries to get home after being taken by the park rangers. In the meantime, back home, the rival wolf packs' conflict emerged with Kate's dissappearance and how they will help to restore the peace. It may not have the best graphics nor special effects one can ask, but it is a pretty funny and entertaining movie suitable for the entire family to watch and relax.

Gladys has really changed and grown a lot over the past year. She started going school, learned how to write the alphabets and numbers as well as her name in English & Chinese. She can spell a few words (eg. 1-10) and her recognition of words increases. Gladys looks prettier now (not so tomboyish) but she is quite tough and rough. Always yelling and shouting whenever she don't get her things. :)

Apart from liking balloons, Gladys loves bubbles too. She received a mini bubble gun in one of her presents and the children can't wait to go and play with the new toy.

It's Bubbles Everywhere. ^_^

After a whole day of fun, we had dinner at KFC with fil and bbil's family. A birthday won't be complete without a Birthday cake and Happy Birthday song. :) Gladys chose the design of the cake by herself and it is not difficult to guess what she likes. (Pink and Princess) The whole cake looks so sweet!

Singing a HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to GLADYS and it's time to cut the cake. :)

Is the cake Yummy? Is all written on her face. :)

HAPPY 4th Birthday Gladys

~ Birthday setup for Gladys ~

Gladys has been asking me to decorate the house for her up-coming birthday since last week. I guess she had that impression since I surprised her on her last year's birthday and ever since then, she remembered. Mommy didn't want to disappoint our little princess and took out the birthday banner and put up some pretty balloons. Gladys LOVES balloons and she always could not resist the temptation to get one whenever she saw other children holding one in their hands at the shopping malls (especially the helium ones).

Gladys is in an extremely cheery mood today as she gave out all the birthday goodies bags we prepared to her friends in school and her playmates at bbil's place. She also received early birthday presents and was happy to see the living room decorated with balloons. ^_^ Tomorrow is going to be a special day as we celebrate Gladys' 4th Birthday!

~ Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2010 ~

Almost every year, Chong Ghee Temple will organise some events in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, there is also a Lantern Festival (中秋赏月提灯会) event beside the temple. We were home at around 6 plus in the evening and you can feel the party already.

The children are READY with their lanterns. :)

Public can collect a free lantern and mooncake. In addition, there is a range of stage performances lined up. Denver & Gladys love the jumping castles and they had so much FUN! Apart from the free entry to the jumping castles, there are free balloons, popcorn, candy, french fries, nuggets, vegetarian beehoon, nasi lemak and drinks!!!!!!

There is a long queue for the balloons but the children waited patiently. While waiting, we ate non-stop. The food is really YUMMY! Especially the nasi-lemak and french fries. They gave very generous servings and it is warm and tasty! THUMBS UP!

Mr Michael Palmer (MPs for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Advisor of Chong Ghee Temple) is the Guest-of-Honour for tonight's event. He lead to the start of the lantern procession together with the dragon/lion troupe. We lighted our lanterns and joined in the crowd with the walk. We are lucky that the earlier downpour has stopped and we can see the beautiful full moon in the night sky.

As we make our way back to the event area, more and more crowd has gathered. Everyone is enjoying themselves and having a good time. Entertaining performances, yummy food, fun activities and free balloons and lanterns have made this festive event so enjoyable for all of us. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

~ Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary - Sakae Sushi ~

Today it is our Wedding anniversary for the 8th year. Last year, Hubby was away working in the Philippines. This year, we didn't take leave but took the children out for dinner and spend some time together. Since I won the $50 voucher from the previous months' Sakae Sushi Bloggers Affair Contest, we decided to go out for a special treat on a special day. ^_^

Denver knows Daddy & Mummy loves to eat our sushi with the wasabi so he prepared some for us today. That is so sweet. :)

The sushi are yummy and the children grabbed their favourite from the sushi belt. We also tried one pink coloured plate sushi today. Looks really delicious. Mmmmm.

All of us are busy eating. Denver started playing with the sushi by stacking them up and call it "The Sushi Tower". Well, his tower isn't very tall and he only manages to stack 3. Hahaha. Maybe there can be a contest to see who can stack the tallest Sushi Tower. ^_^

Knowing each other for more than 10 years, eight years of marriage and contented with 2 children. Wishing many more years to come and seeing the children through their growing years.

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary!

~ I Hate Ants! ~

I really dislike seeing ants crawling around in my kitchen. A couple is fine, but not a lot of them. :( Every time, I'll try to trace the path to see where and what is the cause of their 'visits'. Even a drop of sweet juice will attract an army of them. Due to my persistence on getting rid of these pests, I am well known as the 'ant-killer' in the house. :(

Today, I think I probably found their 'hide-out' and started spraying a bit at the kitchen door frame. I was shocked to see a bunch of ants crawling out in the attempt to escape from the 'poison spray'.

More and more ants crawled out and it is a really uncomfortable and disgusting sight. So many dead ants on both corners of the door frame and on the ground. I nearly fainted. Any good ideas or recommendation on baits to get rid of the ants are welcome!

~ OpenNet Installation ~

OpenNet installation is finally here at our block! They will be setting up the optical fibre cables into homes & offices islandwide where data and information can be transfer at ultra-high speeds.

We received the letter from OpenNet sometime ago and setup the appointment for the installation today. If home owners choose to reject the offer and decided to install it next time, it will cost $2xx. Installation fees are waived for the first 15 metres of optical fibre (from point of entry into your home to termination point). It is recommended that the termination point is installed near your existing TV Cable/TV/AC power point and/or telephone points in the living room and one fibre termination box will be sufficient to support the bandwidth needs for your home.



The entire installation and final testing took about 3 hours to complete. It was really dusty and messy after the setup and we took another hour to clean up. Nevetheless, it's a free installation and looking forward to see how beneficial it will be in the future! :)

~ Colgate - Free dental check up ~

Almost every year, Colgate will have a free dental check-up session at Compass Point. This is the second time we register, participate and join in the queue for a round of free dental assessment. It is a very encouraging movement opening to the public to have their teeth checked at no cost!

A few dentists will be stationed to help the public do a quick check-up on their teeth and writing down some pointers. Afterwhich, they will join in another queue where there will be guidance on the outcome of the assessment. Each participant will also receive a free toothpaste and mouthwash. Cool!

Gladys is only keen on getting the balloon and not interested on having her teeth checked. I guess she probably thought that it will be painful. :) On the other hand, Denver's tooth doesn't seems to be in a good shape. Another of his baby tooth is shaking with his adult tooth growing behind. As advised, he should go for an xray to check for signs of tooth decay at the side.

Depending on the queue, the dental check up didn't take very long. We got free assessment, free gifts and most important letting the children know the importance of brushing and taking care of their teeth!

Check this link to find out where you can get your free dental check up too. :) http://www.colgate.com.sg/app/OralHealthMonth/SG/EN/CheckUp.cvsp

~ Road to recovery ~

Earlier this morning, I went back to the clinic to get my health checked. Just to make sure if my HFMD episode is finally over or not. Blisters on hand and foot are almost gone and I'm left with 1 ucler in my mouth. The doctor says it is pretty safe for me to go back to the office already, but no sharing of food yet and maintain the usual daily hygiene. So if nothing goes wrong (again), I'll be back in office next Monday.

It has been pretty rough for the past few weeks with the children and me falling ill. My backache has also been acting up in the nights and I find myself losing sleep. Hopefully the coming weeks will be better and I get cheery again.

~ HFMD for the 2nd Time! ~

As much as I hate to say this.... I am diagnosed with Hand, Foot and Mouth disease for the 2nd time. :( The possibility of adults getting HFMD is low and I can only say I'm just one of those "Lucky" ones that keep getting it. Sob! Sob!

The symptons are the same.. High fever, mouth uclers and blisters on the hand and foot. The anti-viral and flu medicine is making me drowsy and the blisters on both foot is causing some discomfort as I walk. The burning throat and uclers make it so hard to swallow my food. I feel hungry but couldn't enjoy my food. :( I can imagine how difficult it will be for a child to endure this.

It's staying home and away from the office for the next few days. Most importantly, staying away from Denver & Gladys. Gladys will be difficult to manage since she is always calling for Mommy. Sigh.. I do hope this sickly episode will end soon and hopefully I can get a clearance from the doctor this Thursday.

~ Gladys' Lunar Birthday + Goodie Bags ~

Today is Gladys' lunar birthday (八月初四). As per Chinese tradition, hubby made longevity noodles (长寿面) and 2 hard boiled eggs for our little princess. Well, she won't be able to finish them all but it is just symbolic for her to just have a bite in each egg.

Gladys will be celebrating her 4th Birthday in another 2 weeks time. We bought some lollipops, biscuits, jelly and balloons earlier and got Denver & Gladys to help pack the items into each bags. These goodie bags will be distributed to Gladys' classmates in school as well as to her friends. The kids had fun packing the goodies and even packed one for themselves too.

~ Chin Lee Resturant ~

Earlier, we went to Chin Lee Resturant (深利美食馆) for dinner. It's a dinner treat from Bbil and Bsil. Too bad I have not fully recovered and hence my taste bud is not working as well to comment too much about the food. Overall, I think it is not too bad and there is free flow of tea too. There are a lot of patrons at the resturant and business seems to be very good.

Chin Lee is located within the neighbourhood area in Bedok and with the crowd, it is best to call for reservation first before coming down.

~ Fever cycle continues ~

Feeling feverish on the eve of Hari Raya. :( 38.3 degree C. I went to see the doctor early in the morning but till now the fever didn't really subsided yet. I slept for almost the entire day only to feel more tired. 39.1 degree C now. Head is spinning and body is fuming hot.

I'm pretty upset because the past weekends have been burnt with Denver & Gladys falling sick. Just as I thought we going to have a peaceful and healthy weekend, now I'm plagued with fever over the Hari Raya holiday. :(

Sponging myself to bed and hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

~ 庆中元节 2010 ~

Yesterday marks the end of the Lunar 7th Month (Ghost festival). There is an auction dinner and Teochew opera held near my Bbil's neighbourhood. We all went to 凑热闹 and enjoy another round of dinner and free flow of drinks. The waitresses are very efficient and always make sure our cups are full.

Throughout the dinner, you'll hear the auction going on very loudly. $50!! $88!! $288!! ...... $1000!!! All kinds of items are being taken out for auction. From wine, beer, rice sacks to electronic products, laptops, bicycle etc. Many will bid for the items hoping and belief that this will bring prosperity to them in the year ahead. For us, it is just indulging in the food and drinks plus 'enjoying' the atmosphere of the shouting arises from the auctioning that is going on around us. :)

Not forgetting the traditional Teochew Opera performance at the back. Gladys was feeling bored after sitting by the table for too long. I took her to watch the wayang and surprisingly she enjoys it even though we couldn't quite understand what the play was about. I guess it must be the make-up and costumes that attracted and caught her attention. :)

I wonder how long these tradition and culture will be preserved and how will it continues through to the next generation.

~ KDrama - My Girlfriend is a Gumiho ~

This is going to be one of my favourite KDrama this year (besides You're Beautiful). Apart from the mythology, comedy, love storyline, I love the song too! The tune of "Fox Rain" by Lee Sun Hee keep humming in my head and I really love the MV.

Lead actor, Lee Seunggi (whom acted in Shining Inheritance) and lead actress Shin Min Ah look so compatible and well-suited for their roles.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is a typical love drama between a human and a gumiho (nine-tailed fox). Cha Dae Woong (Lee Seunggi) accidentally releases a gumiho (Shin Min Ah) who is a legendary fox with nine tails that has been sealed for 500 years. After Dae Woong learns that she is a gumiho, he is afraid of her powers  and that she will eat him up. In the process, there are many funny scenes in the story and eventually Dae Woong falls in love with the gumiho.

It is still airing in Korea and one of the kdrama worth watching. :)

~ Handicraft - DIY Mid Autumn Festival Lantern ~

Denver has an assignment from school - to make a lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival which is about 2 weeks away. Since he is still down with a fever, we stayed home to make the lanterns.

Materials required : Red packets, paper/coloured paper, stapler, coloured pens, strings and scissors.

The kids drew and colour on the paper while I help them to cut and put the lantern in shape.  For the bigger red lantern, I teach Denver how to fold the red packets and stapler them into position.

These D.I.Y lanterns are very easy to make and the kids will enjoy seeing their lanterns on display. Gladys is posing with the lanterns on behalf of Denver.

~ A Sickly Month ~

It has been a sickly month for the kids. First it was Denver having a persistent fever for the entire week. He was sent to do his X-ray and blood test and was also given a stronger antibiotics. Then, Gladys had vomiting and tummy ache for a couple of days. Mommy & Daddy has been waking up in the middle of the night to clean and wash the mess.

Just as we thought both of them have finally recovered, Denver is down with a fever again! Sigh... Tomorrow marks the start of the 1 week September school holidays and I hope the children will feel better and get well soon.

~ My Birthday Presents - from Denver & Gladys ~

Simply spending my birthday with my love ones is a blessing. Hubby took me to eat dim sum for breakfast and helped me with some of the housework. This is always the best chance to ask for his help since he will usually obliged on a special day. :)

We picked the kids after they finished school and went out to window shop around Orchard road. Dinner was at Cafe Cartel and the whole day of work and walking has exhausted Hubby totally. :) Thanks Dear for putting in such a big effort.

Denver & Gladys on the other hand seems to be pretty active still. They worked on drawing me a birthday card as soon as we got home. (I was instructed not to peek while they are at works.)

Gladys wrote "Gladys Heng Love Mummy" on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope and sealed it with glue. She happily passed the letter to me and said "Happy Birthday, Mummy!". Awwww .. so sweet!

Denver on the other hand, spent more time decorating his card which is so colourful. "Happy Birthday Mummy" and there are so many balloons, confetti, shapes and hearts. Gladys seeing her gor gor made such a pretty card for me decided to re-do her card but this time with more colours! Competitive.. Hahaha!

The cards are so pretty! I framed them up and it is now in the children's bedroom for all to see everyday and night. :p

Birthday is not complete without a birthday song from Denver & Gladys. They are sleepy by now but still very playful. ^_^ Thank you Hubby, Denver and Gladys for just being with me!