Owly Molly!!!

Hey'ya, this is a dedicated post for you owl lovers out there! Someone who cannot resist anything owly- accessories, furniture pieces, bags, etc. and one who cringes at the sight of a real living owl; you are the identicial me!

Out of late, there are more & more owly goodness sprouting everywhere.., i mean practically everywhere! I forgot when I fell in love with this bird, but I always knew I have more than just a soft spot for it. I had once displayed my humble owl collection of clothes, accessories, shoes and took pictures of the whole family of them on my bed. But I realised I keep buying them and the pictures were soon out of date..

My love for owls took on to a higher level after I seen the creatures in person at the Juring Bird Park. They are no different from how they are commerically marketed/packaged. Too cute for words! Though there are one or two solemn looking species you would call - the wise owls. I'm paticularly smitten by the snowy owl for his pure white fur, and eyes that would look right into yours. I stood outside the glass exhibit in total darkness, except of a few night vision rays/lights emiited to showcase the exhibits; and watched the night creatures as still as the darkness, making the occasional hoots. It was a special moment, an undescribable connection with the owls that I cherish so much; only to have Rianne whinning and bugging us to bring her out of the darkness. Party pooper.. :(

Nevertheless, I just wanna share some of my favourite owly pictures and stuff that I know will bring a smile to people who love owls as much as moi.. Enjoy, and hoot away!!

Check out this owly website too : http://www.myowlbarn.com

Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park

The name may sound unfamiliar to you, but how about Hello Kitty Town or Little Big Club? If these ring a bell, then we are on the same page.

Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park refers to the 2 park attractions which the first houses the famous Sanrio characters Hello Kitty & Daniel, plus some others like Little Melody, Badz Badz Maru, Kerropi, etc. The second park has residents like Thomas the Tank Engine, Barney & friends, Pingu, Angelina the Ballerina and Bob the Builder.

We have long heard and seen lots of publicity on this Theme Park located offshore at our neighbouring Malaysia. It seems like the best choice for a short weekend getaway with your kids who undoubtedly are obsessed with their daily watched cartoon series and the characters.

The travel agency specializing in the travel booking for Hello Kitty Town (HKT) & Little Big Club (LBC) is WTS Travel. They also offer Legoland Malaysia as part of the itinerary. We have been to Legoland when it first opened its doors to public, so we decided not to repeat Legoland again.

The price WTS quoted for a 2D1N trip with hotel stay at Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour was $174/adult n $89 for child with daily breakfast but without bed. This includes 2 way coach to Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and return, and of course entrance tickets to HKT & LBC. We didn't want to rush through out trip, so we went with a 3D2N trip instead.

Thus the trio departed for Puteri Harbour on an early Saturday morning in end Sept. Customs clearance at Singapore was quite bad even at the Tuas checkpoint. We eventually landed and checked in to Traders at around 12pm. We wanted to tour 1 of the 2 parks on Saturday itself so we had to settle lunch quickly.

The F&B options at Puteri Harbour are pathetic. They have this area called 'Little Red Cube' which supposedly refers to the shops, F&B restaurants located in the same compound as HKT & Traders Hotel. But 80% of them are not open yet. It is a sad sight to see the glorious Shangri-la hotel and the interesting Theme Parks being buried away in a place where bored patrons could only find consolation in the beautiful harbour with countless yatchs anchored.

We did not manage to visit HKT & LBC on separate days. Both parks have to be visited on a single occasion. So, we had a relaxed first day of our trip, walking around and exploring both the hotel and the harbour which is walking distance from Traders.

Parallel to the harbour are a few bistros and one of them sells alcohol and has a live band singing on Saturday nights. Sitting there, drinking and enjoying a meal while nice soft voices flow into a night of sea breeze; can be quite relaxing actually.

Of course, this post is about the main attraction which is the theme parks; so here are my two cents worth on HKT & LBC :

. Suitable for young toddlers between age 2-5, anything older should go to Legoland or Universal Studios Singapore.
. Grab every chance to pose for a picture with the characters. You have to queue like mad for such shots in other theme parks. Whatsmore, they have a package deal of 4 pictures at the price of RM 100; so it's quite worth it to take these pictures tagged with memories home.
. A camera is a must bring, at least a camera phone should be available. The Hello Kitty house is where you will ever find the most Hello Kitty merchandises and furniture, some being especially unique to the house only; like HK's bed, bath-tub etc.
. Complete all the missions/areas in HKT. Every one promises a different experience for the kiddos. From jewellery making, nails painting to cookies decorating, the girls are expected to enjoy themselves more than their opposite sex.
. Avoid taking the helicopter ride at Thomas The Tank Engine area at LBC on a full stomach. Too many spins at a speed of at least (in my opinion), 30/40 km. Scary until my little pilot alighted the flight feeling nauseous!
. Do not leave your child at the Thomas playground on their own. It is a maze, full of tunnels and dead ends (yes, dumb right?!). We almost didn't make it out if not for a little girl who guided us to the exit. It is most imperative to take a good look and remember the route to the exit before embarking on the maze. Else, I bet you will be panicking inside with your body permanently arched or on the floor, when you cannot find the exit after numerous attempts!
. You are allowed multiple re-entries to both parks within the same day of your visit. It is advisable to bring your kids out of the parks for lunch then go back to where you have stopped. Lat's Place is my recommendation for a quick but filling lunch fix. Both kids & adults will like the kampong inspired restaurant decor, and the interactive screen which tells tales of the old kampong days. Ask for non-spicy dishes for the children (if they have not learnt to take spicy food) and not assume the kampong style fried rice is definitely not spicy.
. If you really have to buy something from the merchandize shop located at the exit of the Theme Park, then buy something. The stuff are not cheap, and you can probably find the same things in any Sanrio shops around.

With all of that said, I genuinely believe the kiddos will enjoy HKT & LBC when more than 1 of their favourite characters come together under 1 roof!

Big smile now for the camera!!! :)

Little Ms Smartypants

I may sound boastful, but I'm actually not bragging..

Rianne cannot be more street-smart, I'm telling you. I observed so many times when she takes us by surprise with her eloquence and high EQ.

Take this recent incident for example, we are very sure that the only insect repellent she has seen are the Hello Kitty sticker ones she used, and also the Tiger Balm sticky patches I bought before. So, me, my mom & Rianne were almost ransacking the whole Watsons store for the familiar Tiger Balm insect repellent when Rianne shouted loudly in the shop "I found it!"

To my surprise, she showed us a box of insect repellent patches which is not from Tiger Balm but from Garfield, the cartoon character. We asked Rianne to bring us to the shelf where she found the repellent, and it was at a hardly noticeable temporary make shift booth. The repellent was amongst many other Garfield merchandise which look about the same- bandaids, tissues, stickers, etc. I couldn't help feel very impressed.. :)

I guess every parents will have that moment with their precious when something amazingly intelligent comes out from the little kiddos. I say, treasure that proudest moment and go on, tell the whole world what that is; it is the nicest story anyone would love to hear!

Angry

Yes, I am a whiny bitch again..

How can a woman pretend not to see a mother with a sleeping toddler in her arms on a crowded train during peak hours?!! The only explanation? She's a fat, rotten spinster who wants to sit on her huge awful a** for the rest of her life, and damn right; she don't give a heck to who's standing right in front of her on the reserved seat meant for people who need the seat more than her!

Honestly, these people disgust me more than puke, cockroaches and office politics! If you tell me that they are intellectually inferior than normal people, I will just forgive them. However, except looking idiotic; they are nothing like a moron. Yet their behaviour spells 'Inconsiderate moron'!

I can still remember the most-talked about incident where a chinese man spat thrice at an uncle (of a different race) when he was asked to give up the reserved seat for the old uncle. The chinese emphasized during the confrontation that there is no law stipulating that reserved seats must be given up to the people who need it. As much as I want to side the older man, the chinese man is not wrong.

It is not legislated and mandated to give up reserved seats. They say it is a privilege seat and not a compulsory act to do so. Then why not make it mandatory? Should we?? Each MRT cabin has about 12 reserved seats (yes, I counted them discreetly just now!), and I believe the train has around 10 cabins (at least). That would make up to 120 reserved seats! This means we must be ready to sacrifice reserved seats and vacant them at all times; and by all times, it includes even the peak hours of the day!

Is it reasonable? Is it viable? Say there are totally no (none at all!) needy people as illustrated per the sign above the seat on a weekday morning. Thousands of commuters pushing and fighting their way into a squeezy train, and there you have 120 seats kept empty for the folks who are not there. Makes sense? I don't really know...

If people can be more sensitive and selfless, then this question would not exist at all.

I hate that I am unable to give a closure to this. I wish I can stand up for the needy folks on the train and make the people occupying the reserved seats see and realise their ugly natures. But, how many times can I do this? Not possible to go to all the 10 cabins and lash at the 120 inconsiderate bums each time I'm on the train.

I am thinking a bit deeper, and somehow my thoughts revolve around how we educate our young and how we teach them the respect and the kindness to people who need some things more than themselves or others. The courtesy ad is a good initiative, but think of people/kids who don't watch the tv. And, did I mention how cheesy the ad was? Showing commuters dancing away to keep to the left on the escalators, and giving way to alighting passengers don't seem like the strongest delivery method to get the message across. So, the ad definitely has its imperfections! Try harder, LTA!

Also, instead of hiring staff or 'conductors' with a flashing baton-like rod which I see serve no purpose; why don't SMRT put their resources to good use? Have the manpower stationed inside the cabins and not outside (kinda like an easy job to just stand and flash the 'magic wand' while chanting the "Please move in" mantra!). Design their scope to include crowd control within the trains, ensuring that lazy bums shift their masses inside to the unpopulated areas. Most importantly, govern the reserved seats and see that only the needy people (I reiterate, people in this category are as per illustrated on the signs. Don't pretend you don't understand pictures!) are occupying the seats rightfully. We will appreciate that you are trying to make us, your customers feel valued and creating a comfortable ride and not a grouchy, uncomfortable-to-the-max journey!

Take this cue, SMRT before you become the number 1 detested corporation in the nation. You jolly well knows what this equates to, so do something!!

Slimming

Ha, I finally succumbed to slimming..

I'm not a savvy person in terms of beauty, wellness and skincare. Of course I know the big players in the market - London Weight Management, New York Skincare, Mary Chia, Slimfit, etc. The first 2 are sister companies if you are not aware. But, I don't really have any idea of what goes on in a slimming therapy/treatment. So, I was just unprepared and clueless when I booked an appointment for a slimming session on Tuesday.

go60 is the place I went. It is conveniently located at Esplanade Link, where I'l pass it everyday to work and going home. Initially I wanted a massage only to relieve the tension and aches on my body caused by hectic weekends of cleaning the house, shopping and bringing Rianne for Sunday brekkies or playtime at the water park.

go60 however offers more. Their services menu spawned from facials to massages and to slimming treatments. And the best part is all services are at a nett price of $60. No service fee/GST, how wonderful is that?

Being my first time, I wanted to go for the safer options and not those massive treatments where your body goes under some heating device, and be wrapped by basically the same food wrap we use at home looking absolutely like a cocoon!

There are a few slimming treatments available at go60. Some being manually massaged, and others by machine. Well, I personally don't think a masseur can massage fats away that easily, especially stubborn fats. Hence, to give my $60 a run for the money; I chose the go-Catwalk treatment which is a 45 minutes long session that encompasses massaging (I thought it seem more like punching!) at a target area of your choice plus a cold mask thereafter.

My overall slimming experience? Let me start off with my review for go60. It is a no-fuss, straight to the point beauty booth which offers services of value you are paying for. No value added services if you are thinking like maybe eyebrow trimming or any additional things the typical beauty parlour will throw in. They have a space constraint, so no nice cosy waiting/lounge area before and after treatments. There is no place for you to freshen up. They don't even have a built-in bathroom, so best to go first before you start your treatment.

The staff who attended to me was friendly and thoughtful. Maybe it was because of the holistic massage, which she needed to gauge my pain threshold against the amount of force she use. I thought my joints would break into halves by the end of the massage coz they have been cracked, rubbed, threaded non-stop for 1 whole hour!

The slimming treatment was quite an experience as I have never applied so much pressure onto my poor stomach before! The machine threading was definitely not gentle, but bearable. There was even an ampoule applied as the machine rubbed against my stomach. I asked the therapist if I should be expecting any post treatment effect, and she told me maybe there might be some redness on my tummy where the machine has 'run over'. Other than that, I should not feel anything different.

After the machine, I had a cold mask applied around my stomach. I think it was to reduce any potential redness as well as aid in the contraction of my fats. It was relaxing as I managed to catch a short wink before the mask was removed and I was hushed to put my clothes back on.

I would love to try the same slimming treatment again, and the therapist recommended a gap of just 1 week for the next treatment. Well, I wasn't about ready to take on the same thing so quickly again, so I did not fix my next appointment yet.

So?? I'm hopeful that the slimming therapy can bring down my waistline by a few inches.. if not, at least enable me to put on my favourite pair of Levis in size 25 back again!! Ambitious me, hah!!

Attaching a picture of the sleek mooncakes 'carrier' which looks a little like a tool box or one of those bags which you store your musical instruments in, eg. a trumpet. Inside the box are 4 baked mooncakes in lotus paste with single egg yolk, complimentary from Holiday Inn when you sign up for a 8 sessions treatment package with go60 now. I believe it should be while stock lasts, so don't wait if you are interested in losing an inch or two like me, or just craving for a nice relaxing body massage! :)

Hybrid

Scientific, I know.. but i'm not really going to dive into the science behind it.

Hybrid is a term commonly used when two different elements come together to become an unique component. Take for example, the automatic vacuum cleaner that goes around the house on its own, supposedly sucking up all the dust & dirt as it goes while not hitting itself into the expensive furniture. I personally find this to be the most genius idea in this century! An hybrid of a vacuum cleaner and a robot.. Which housewife wouldn't dream of having someone/something do the cleaning on their behalf? I would give up everything to own one!!

How does a hybrid child sound to you? Honestly, ain't all children hybrids of their parents? But it seems that most people have that misconception that an eurasian child is a hybrid. Of course they wouldn't be calling that child a hybrid, instead they tend to say a 'mixed' or 'ang mo kia' (it means a caucasian's child in dialect).

You would know I'm referring to my own child here.. Papa D's of pure English blood, and me a Chinese created the most beautiful being - Rianne. Apart from some of her features looking similar to those of a British parentage, she looks just like any other local kid. She even has a chinese name! The main reason why we gave Rianne a chinese name is because we want her to see that while she may be half English, she has also Chinese blood flowing in her body. Her English name spells the same too, having both Papa D's family name and mine. We didn't plan the name to be this way, but as circumstance forbids, Rianne had to take my surname as her last name. It was perfect as a result, I can't love her name more!

I don't know how parents of an Eurasian child take comments from outsiders. Are they offended when people call their kid a 'mixed'? Seriously, that sound like 'mixed veg rice'; hahaha!! The worst way of labelling an eurasian kid which I have heard is a 'cross-breed'. Hello everyone, the parents of an eurasian child are humans if you are not aware. They were not put together to 'mate' or 'breed' to produce an offspring.

Well, initially I don't feel anything when curious onlookers comment that Rianne looks different. They'd eventually figured out she is an Eurasian, and will start asking about her parentage. It's a vicious cycle that I have gone through since her birth, and it hasn't gone away even when Rianne has grown older and looking less like a caucasian. My concern? I don't know if this will get to Rianne soon, when she's sensible and understand why people says some things.

It probably will be a confusing phase for Rianne next year, when me & KL get married and she will have a chinese step-daddy..

My future in-laws

I realise I have never really talked about my future in-laws and KL's siblings, not openly at least. The thought of becoming family with them soon triggers this post..

I may not have mentioned it anywhere in my blog, but you folks may have made out already that KL & me are quite the opposite of each other. We are 2 extremely different characters. Very obviously would be our personas, he is an introvert while I am nothing less than outspoken and extrovert. He is a cool, no-fuss guy who doesn't appreciate crowds while I am the sort of "the more the merrier" social butterfly who loves a good party with lots of friends, liquor and music.

The way KL is, I believe is somehow linked to his family and the upbringing. His mommy aka my future MIL is probably the nicest and kindest MIL I have ever heard of and came across. I not want to badmouth some of my exes' mums, but there are really some terrible ones out there.

My FMIL is not just kind to me, but to Rianne as well. She has bought Rianne a lot of clothes, and she loves Rianne's company whenever we go over to their house. There was this night when Rianne was asking for food past 11pm, and my FMIL offered to go buy food for her. I didn't let her do it of course. That's not all.

Well, the first time I experienced her kindness was in my early dating days with KL. At that time, KL still had a super single bed. Guess what my FMIL offered to do? She wanted to swop room or give up her queen sized bed to us, so that we won't have to squeeze on a bed meant for a single person. If you think that is generous, wait til you hear this. My FMIL actually gave up a functional spare part from her aircon unit in her room to KL, whose aircon had broke down in his room. It is so that me & Rianne do not have suffer and sleep in a stuffy room when we are there to stay over.

However those are still not the most selfless thing my FMIL has offered to do. She knows that it is gonna be a while before me & KL get our BTO flat, so she decided that we should still have our temporary matrimonial home which would be her current flat she's living in with KL. She would move out when we get married next year to stay with KL's sister or somewhere else, and let us have the whole house to ourselves. Where on earth can you find such a kind FMIL? I'm not even her daughter in-law yet, man.. Honestly, I was at a loss for words when KL told me my FMIL had proposed this during a family dinner I missed. I was touched by her kind intention..

But these aside, she & KL are actually very similar in nature. Both kind at heart, but many times cannot be bothered with the nitty gritty stuff. You know both of them can even not talk to each other the whole day being in the same house. Sometimes when I'm around, my FMIL would text KL to ask if we want dinner. Really? Hell, yes. Hah! Also, I understand from KL that he and his siblings have been trained to be very independent since very young. Their mom was the sole breadwinner back then in the absence of their dad. I heard that KL was practically taking care of himself every day at the age of 8 or 9 years old. His meals were catered as his mom was working long hours. His eldest brother was staying in a boarding school, and the sister was always not home accordingly to KL. The brother had studied abroad and since his return, he had been staying on his own in a rented apartment. It is weird not to stay with your own family when you are not married. But apparently it seems perfectly normal for KL's family.

The other thing I noticed a 100% identical between KL & his mom is that they both are big ticket item buyers. They don't mind paying hundreds of dollars for some overrated products; eg. a Braun kettle at over $70, a stainless steel wok at a whopping $214, and the original Flip Flops for more than $100 where you can get an imitation pair at 1/10 of the price!! I am someone who believes in value for money, so some things need not be branded or overly marketed on the internet, to serve its function.

I am actually quite fearful that me & KL will get into arguments on our house renovation and furniture/appliances shopping. I don't want to let him have his way in spending our hard-earned money on expensive, state of the art technology and gadgets. I just want simple, practical, and comfortable pieces for my house. No point having high tech when you are not savvy enough to use them. Moreover, we may be living together with my FMIL who easily break PC speakers, monitor screen, mobile phones every other month. Totally not practical.