21 months

Joel is 21 months and weighs the same at 11.6kg. He suddenly looks much taller than before.

cannot use anymore

I have been using Hotspotshield - a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access the websites blocked by China. Now, everyone is busted! I guess becoz practically everyone in China is using that now. I couldnt get a connection since last night. Hence, no more updates (or pictures).

Sorry guys! See you in Singapore!

word game

Joel surprised me again today. In the evening, he took down the stack of flashcards from the shelf, so i took 3 or 4 cards in my hands and asked him "Which is ...?". We went through a total of 3 sets of flashcards. Each time, he pointed to the CORRECT word! I was so happy! WOW! Even Ahyi was so amazed!

Later at night, Joel wanted me to play the Word Game with him again - and non-stop too! When i stopped for a short while to rest (coz we've finished the whole stack), he stomps his feet and pretends to cry! He's so funny! Hahaha...

From this video, it looks like he's crying coz Mama wanna test him. BUT it's the other way round! Mama wanna rest, but he wants me to continue. Haha! By the way, he's turning around in circles. He does that when he's both happy and sad.

new home clothes

To prepare Joel for winter, i bought him lots of new long-sleeves rompers. I also need to buy him new home slippers...but these from last year will do for now.

Top: new Gap romper
Bottom: old home pants

And here's some mismatched stripes at home... ;)

Left
Top: old home romper
Bottom: new Uniqlo camo pants
Right
Top: new DPAM stripes romper
Bottom: old home pants (comes with a long-sleeves top)
(Sometimes it's difficult to match his home clothes nicely coz the laundry wont dry within a day)

behaviour bible

I think this article is sooo good for parents. If you do not have a kid, you might not understand it now...believe me, your turn will come. For now, just try not to give those parents/kids "the look" when you see a kid fussing. As irritated as you are, the parents are not feeling any better about the situation either.

Behaviour Problems
from BabyCenter

eat and shop and 2 classes

Saturday, we went to Joel's 2nd class at MiKids...and he performed badly - just like the 1st class last week. :( After the class, we met Raymond, Carol, Pick & Jennie at a Thai Fair in HuaiHai Road. Then we went shopping. For dinner, Elvis decided to cook...so we rushed to buy groceries and home to cook! Too bad Jennie cannot eat his signature World Best Porkchop. YUM! ;)

Sunday morning, Mama wanted to pack the Combi stroller (since it's very dusty during winter) and Joel wanted to push it around the house. So i put him inside. Haha... ;)

We went to Crystal Jade for lunch then Gymboree art class. Joel painted a pair of paper flip-flops. (Pictures later)

Followed by shopping (what else?)...and dinner at Lao Beijing Restaurant 老北京 for the Peking duck! Yum!

party daddy

Elvis is someone who likes clubbing. Okay, you know it's an understatement. He absolutely heart it! Pun intended.

If he has to work late most days...and there's 1 day that he can leave the office earlier, he would catch up with his friends over dinner and then clubbing or maybe karaokeing. I dont understand why he prefers that over having dinner with me and spending time with Joel. Believe me, i have McDonalds delivery 3-6 times a week (lunch & dinner). The other times, i'm probably having instant noodles.

Last night, he told me that IF he's not working late, he might meet up with a bunch of his Bates ex-colleagues (coz a girl just came back to Shanghai). FYI, it's his ex-ex-company. Then i asked why cant he have dinner with me instead??? He said OK. In the evening, i called him to ask if he has to work late. He said most likely not, so he'll join them. I reminded him, "I thought you said you're not going?" Elvis said OK, and we agreed that he'll dabao dinner home. After dinner, we watched TV and also Joel's DVD. Elvis played with Joel a little.

When i was trying to make Joel sleep at 11pm, Elvis suddenly opened the bedroom door and said, "I go out a while, ok?". I thought he meant 'out of the room' becoz he hasnt had his bath. Then, from the look on his face, i knew he meant 'out of the front door'.

So...here i am. All alone at home again when Joel is sleeping. No one to talk to. Just typing on the keyboard. Silence.

Hmm...no wonder Elvis didnt bathe since he came home. It was a plan. It must be.

Before Joel:
Elvis also had to work late nights...and i also ate a lot of MacDonalds. There was a period he was out so much (and denying it) that i had to make a chart to prove it. I noted down the days he went out clubbing on my calendar. At the end of that month, i showed it to him. 4 days in a month. Or was it 5 days?? Anyway, he even argued that 1 of it was Lesley's birthday...so not counted. (!!!)

Each time, he'll tell me he'll be back by 3am/x am. But he's always appear an hour later. So, i decided to tell him instead to come home by 5am (coz i reckon that's a super long time he can shake his ass)...and he really will appear at our front door at 4.45am/4.55am. Smile and give me the I'm-on-time look!

poll results

Yes, the poll has closed. Thanks to those who didnt get the chance to vote but shared your thoughts with me nonetheless. I really appreciate it. Thanks, everyone.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.

Venus should be a better place.

bangkok holiday 2

These photos are a year late. I just saw them on Ann's Flickr...so i thought i'll copy them and share them here. It's of the 2 days we spent with Ann and Lolita during our Bangkok holiday. Doing what we do best - Eat & Shop.

If you're wondering why Joel has these cut-outs around his eyes...it's his evil Daddy & Mama's doings. We took the remains of the stickers (given by the restaurant) and pasted it on Joel's eyes for just 5 seconds...and Ann took down evidence of the abuse. Oops... Joel, Mama is very sorry i made you look silly...but you're very cute, ok? ;)

And if you're also wondering why Joel doesnt have shoes on most of the time. It's becoz he kept removing his shoes AND socks during this trip. Maybe becoz it was so warm (???) So we took off his shoes since he wasnt walking yet at that time. In fact, we lost one of the blue skull socks during this trip. (Sigh)



Amongst all the food we ate (she has all the shots), i thought that i should save this of the Sonie's pizza (it's a sushi)...but after i copied it, i realized i already have it in my old post. Not one, but TWO! So now, it's THREE! Haha... Nevermind lah. I (highly) recommended it to Alynn during her Bangkok holiday shortly after mine (coz the restaurant moved to a new location)...and she loved it too! It's something that i ate years ago (maybe 6 years, when Elvis was working in Bangkok) but i still remember it and crave for it. Haha... That's how yummy it is! ;)

Joel just turned ONE during that holiday...and he's going to be TWO soon. Wow~

It'll be just the 3 of us again...with a small birthday cake. (Since there arent many birthdays to celebrate here, Joel doesnt even know what the birthday cake, song and candle-blowing is about.) We wanted to bring Joel to Tokyo Disneyland...but decided that perhaps we should wait a bit longer so he can enjoy the place more and get on the kiddy rides. To prepare him for Disneyland, he's been watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! A good head start...and he likes it a lot! I cant wait for our trip! I'm sure Joel will be just as excited if he knew. ;)

sit sit sit

This is what Joel does every night - on purpose. Stand on the couch, stomp his feet...


He does it over and over again. Check out his cute face towards the end of this video. Super cute! Muack~ ;)

handsome boy

Somehow Joel was a handsome little boy on Sunday...

When we got out of the cab and walked into Times Square (through Zara entrance), a lady who was with her kid said, "WAH! Look at this boy. So handsome! So stylish! So handsome! So stylish!" Then, she stood there (still Wow-ing) outside the entrance and stared at Joel even though we had walked away... Hahaha...

We had lunch at Lisboa...and the waitress there also came over to look at Joel and said he's so cute and handsome...and touched his cheeks, played with him... (???)

The reception girls at Gymboree like Joel a lot...so he flirt with them a little that day...and showed his great spinning skills. O.O

At Gymboree...

We went shopping, then had dinner with friends at Taya Japanese Restaurant.


Saturday, we had dimsum with Pick, Raymond, Carol & Jennie...then we went shopping for sunglasses again! Hahaha... Group of mad people! ;p

mopped

Cool mops on cool ChangLe Road...

more on Joel

Joel: Mama, guess where Joel is hiding? Eeee...
Joel: Mama, i really didnt touch your hairclip. Na...

This is the pink sparkly phone that got Mama into trouble...coz Daddy says it's too girlish! CANNOT! (but it has sound and light...)

Daddy: Look, Joel's arms and legs are hugging my arm!
Joel: Zzz... (snoring)
Mama: Ok, i go take camera.
(Joel took a nap before we went out. See, his hands are still on Daddy's elbow...scratching it, of course, till he fell asleep. Ouch!)

The first dinner we had with Jennie who just arrived from Bangkok...and we started to get really busy... (I dont know why i didnt take much photos lately...and few over the weekends too. And i havent taken any photos with Jennie since - even when i brought her to tourist places. Keke...)

We went to Joel's art class...and i forgot what else we did becoz i didnt take any photos.
Joel sat on Ahyi's bike as we went out for dinner (with Jennie again).

Something Joel likes to do now whenever he enters the lift. Fortunately, the buttons automatically goes off after a while (when the lift is going up and we live on the highest floor). Phew~

We went to a newly opened HK 茶餐厅 Cha's Restaurant along SiNan Road. Everything is decorated like olden days 茶餐厅. Everyone around us spoke in Cantonese. After that, we went to Joel's music class.

This was the same day that Joel got angry when hungry... (It was also the only day we didnt meet Jennie. Needless to say, we ate lots of MEAT!!! Haha! O ya, she's a vegetarian.)

Big head Joel 1. Still able to wear the rompers from Aunty Sandra.

Joel: Mama, let me see what we should order for dinner. Mmmm...
(fyi, that's Mama's file for delivery food!)

Joel trying out his new crayons.

Big head Joel 2. Still able to wear the rompers from Aunty Sandra.
Joel likes to "bang" on the floor when he's upset...then he touches his palms as if it was very painful. -.-lll

The night we went to buy sunglasses after dinner at Orchard (Singapore food). Joel was playing with the puppy and laughing loudly, of course. -.-lll

This is how Joel likes to lie down to watch TV nowadays. NO, Joel! -.-lll

acting

Sweet

Sweeter

Attitude

Gangster

please take my poll

Please take my poll on the top right...and/or tell me what you feel about this situation.

What can i say?! I've lost faith in Elvis...and i'm quite distraught. His answer is a definite NO and YES (the worst combi answer)...and he still thinks it's right and it's none of our/my business.

Another friend has fallen into the hands of the Chinese women...and Elvis is still "supportive" of it???!!!

IF it really becomes MY BUSINESS one day...and any of you out there who knows the truth, PLEASE TELL ME!
(Although Elvis had promised that he would tell me if it ever happens to him.)

God, help me!

We are weak but HE is strong.

barbapapa stackables

I couldnt resist these cute Barbapapa cups.
Joel's the PINK! Haha...

biscuits

I was trying to find other alphabets from the pack...and all i found are these.

Can you tell where they're from?

force feed

Joel's cough didnt get any better becoz he doesnt like to take his medicine.

3 kinds, all liquids which i'll mix all into a cup and use a 5ml syringe. Total 10ml, 2 shots.

It takes 2 person and much effort to give him his medicine. One will have to hold him down (his mighty arms and legs) while the other will force the syringe into his mouth. Throughout the ordeal, he'll cry and spit out the liquid. At the end of it, he's probably swallowed only 5ml.

coughing baby

This morning, we brought Joel to the pediatrician at Fudan Children's Hospital. It's our first visit. (The pediatrician at Sun-Tec has left. I called Sun-Tec and they referred me to Fudan.)

When we arrived, we saw a multitude of children and parents. Elvis told us to stand outside the entrance while he goes in to check where is the foreigners' clinic. He's afraid of the virus flying around. Keke... We were told to go to the next building (Block 3) which obviously had a lot less people.

I was shocked that their charges are THE SAME as Sun-Tec's - ¥300 (S$60) for consultation excluding medication. Joel's medicine was about ¥50+, which i'm sure is also more expensive than the (same) medicine dispensed at the local block.
(Their system is exactly the same as other local hospitals. We had to pay consultation fees upfront even before we see the doctor. After you've seen the doctor, you have to go to the cashier again to pay for the medicine before collecting it from the pharmacy. Fortunately, everything is on the same floor. O ya, one also have to keep their own medical record...and bring it each time you go again.)

Ahyi said that her son also goes to this hospital which is the only HUGE children's hospital in Shanghai. Consultation for doctors is only ¥10, and ¥25 for better doctors. Our ¥300 doctor is also local Chinese/Shanghainese lady in her 50s. I hope age ≠ seniority. And...Ahyi said her son takes the same cough syrup! Ahhhh... I cannot believe it!!!

We felt cheated paying our ¥300 consultation for such "local service".