this is my shanghai

We havent blogged these few days coz we've been busy showing Alynn from Singapore around the city. I only have 3 (short) days to show her the BEAUTY of Shanghai - the Arts, Culture & Food. She's more into the Arts. (But if crazy shopping is your top priority, i'll plan another itinerary) It's been 2 days...and she's loving what she saw, experienced and ate! Phew... ;p

DAY 1, Tuesday
We arranged to meet at Xin Tian Di - Afternoon Tea. She liked the pasta, caramel milk chai and cakes. She's impressed by the whole XTD area too! Keke... After lunch, we went to buy Uniqlo colourful thermals which she'll be needing at her next destination - Beijing. Next, we walked from Chang Le Road all the way to (the far end of) Xing Le Road. It's a really really really looong walk (i must say our endurance really very good in our Asics shoes)...and she really likes the nice deco of the small shops and the feeling of how things just fit together here. Here, dont need to buy anything also will feel very good (coz it's like looking at the nice things in Japan). One of the more impressive shop is Edison Chen's shoe store along Chang Le Road (a must-go). Of course, girls can buy something even in winter! Keke...

At Source, we saw the same pair of red checks Jack Purcell that Elvis bought from Tokyo and she bought it too! The both of us also bought some "girlish" clothes - maybe for CNY. Then, we walked again to H&M store at Huai Hai Road. The heater inside was so warm that we gave up after a while. So we went to Shintori where i've made dinner reservations. She was so shocked by what she saw! Really impressed by the whole place (including its washroom)! Heehee...

After dinner (about 8pm), we decided to continue to The Bund overlooking Pudong & the HuangPu River and we walked down to Nanjing Pedestrian Street. She also likes what she saw of touristy Shanghai. I'm glad she had a great day! This is my Shanghai!
(Realized i didnt take any photos of XTD or The Bund/Nanjing Road area but you've probably seen it all over my blog. For the nice nice Chang Le Road shops, see here.)

Looking down to the open-concept kitchen from where we sat...




DAY 2, Wednesday
Alynn went alone to Yu Gardens in the morning and i met her for dimsum lunch at Crystal Jade, Huai Hai Road. She quite liked the rich man's HUGE house (YuYuan) which is like a maze (Current entrance fee ¥30). After lunch, we walked to the nearby NiHong which sells all the kids stuffs. Just wanted to look at some stuffs for her niece (11 days younger than Joel). In the end, both of us spent $ like water... Haha! When we left, it was almost 5pm!

Then we went to MoCA Shanghai museum. I had checked online before we went and found out that the museum closes at 10pm on Weds. (Shanghai Art Museum was showing some Chinese painting exhibition which we both wasnt interested in, so we gave that a miss) When we arrived at 5.40pm, it looked like it was closing! We were told that coz it was the last day of the exhibition, so they will close at the usual 6pm. In the end, the staff was so nice to let us in FREE for a quick look. WOW!

We headed for dinner at Tian Zi Fang. We found a fusion Japanese restaurant and ate there. Nothing fantastic but it's ok. She really liked the whole TZF area too! Then she came to my house for a while coz it's very nearby (actually it's walking distance but we took a cab coz too tiring with Joel). We just relax a while, looked through our shopping before she went back to her hotel to prepare for the next day... Then i got busy again - feeding Joel, making him sleep and washing his lunch box etc...and BLOG!
(Elvis is still at work. Hopefully he can leave earlier tomorrow to have dinner with Alynn before she leaves for Beijing on Fri)

This is at the MoCA exhibition...


This is Tian Zi Fang...didnt take a lot coz it was at night (but here is Tian Zi Fang by day)



DAY 3, Thursday
We had wanted to go to some artas places & galleries... in Mong Gan Shan (aka M50 which u can see in my older posts in July08 here...but i think it's so-so only) and Duo Lun Road (which my China friend says it's not nice). So we changed our plans to this SUPER COOL PLACE - 1933 and Red Town /Hong Fang /Shanghai Sculpture Space /红坊 /上海城市雕塑艺术中心 (I dont know what's it really called). Everything we saw at these 2 places is just so artas! Alynn likes it! ;)

After that, we wanted to go to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center...but it looks closed when we got there at about 4+pm. (I have blogged about the SUPEC before here) So we went to Raffles City to shop and rest a while before we meet Elvis for dinner. (He worked till 4am the night before...yawn...)

Artas Place #1 : 1933. The 1st picture of the building was taken from my friend's Facebook coz i had forgotten to take a picture of its exterior (!!!).

This is the inside of the ultra cool 1933...


We didnt dare to walk to the area where the glass is see-through... Haha! (and I'm much heavier with Joel)

This is just outside of 1933... And an American Apparel store too! (The first in Shanghai)


Artas Place #2 : Red Town.


This is a car made of bricks (not very nice but quite interesting lah)






This is Shanghai food - very yummy Hong Shao Rou and the chicken with loads of dried chilli...

And this is Alynn - my sightseeing companion for the past 3 days. She's Becky's friend but we're kinda also "linked" in a few ways (via my sis Sandra & via my ex-colleague Fiona). Actually, we've only met briefly a couple of times in Singapore but we clicked right away in Shanghai and had a great time these few days! ;)

Bye! I'm sure she'll explore more fun things in Beijing!

food

I've just added a new 'Category/Label' (on the right column) - FOOD!

Coz some people tells me that they like to read the ones about food! My family would definitely zoom in to the ones with BABY JOEL, i'm sure. Some like to read about the SHOPPING! As for me, i like everything that i blabber about. After all, it's the name of my blog in the first place (and i cant change that now too). I do kinda like the old posts more though (pre-Joel). Keke...

Now, i'm just a Mom! That's all. Lots of complains, lots of unimportant & boring things to do...and has a husband who works & clubs too much. ;p

P.S. I tried to update some of my old entries with links too (though not for all). There's too many to do... Lazy Mommy here.

claypot

I was looking through our photos and realized that i've never blogged about a very yummy claypot rice restaurant called Lisboa Yum Yum Pot 葡京煲煲好. It's at Infiniti Plaza, Huai Hai Road.

Here's some pictures we took in Sept. Sometimes we have dinner there with Pick (from Thailand) who also loves the food. These are the softest & shiniest bao with char siew fillings. They also have a signature dish - very tender slices of beef - which they will sound the big Chinese "Gong" whenever it's served on any table. A bit like "got face"! Keke... ;)


I still remember the first time i ate here was when i was a few months pregnant with Joel. When we got home, i threw up everything. Since then, i have a bit of "phobia" whenever we dine there! I keep thinking of the "smell" of the beef and wax-meat (Chinese "lap chiong"). Haha! It's all in the mind. ;p

bear bear

This week, BabyCenter says this about my baby (11months & 2 weeks):
Chances are good that your baby's grown attached to a certain blanket or toy. Transitional objects may help your baby weather potentially stressful experiences -- such as a doctor's visit or an overnight trip -- more easily. You may want to buy a duplicate of that "lovey" (or cut the original in half, if it's something like a blanket), in case you need to replace a lost one or take it away to clean it.
and...
Your baby probably enjoys looking at books and leafing through the pages, though turning those pages one by one doesn't always happen. Indulge in great picture books or stick with sturdy and inexpensive board books that can stand up to small fingers.

YES! Joel is definitely flipping and reading those books! Sometimes i hear him "talk" to himself...when i take a peek and try to capture it on video, he will hear the "di" (sound from the camera) and stop to look at me!

His all-time-fav toy is definitely his Bear-Bear ($2 from IKEA). When we ask "Where's Bear-Bear?"...he will look around for his brown little bear...then he will sink his face into Bear-Bear's and bite him. ;p

mmmmelts

Mmmmm... I'm enjoying the Royce chocolates Elvis bought from Tokyo. I was actually 'Saving the best for last'...coz i've just finished the other snacks. Although he didnt buy a lot, it takes a while to finish coz i'm the only one eating them. But chocolates, i can eat very fast lah. (I can finish a bar of 200gms chocolate a day!) ;p

If you have not tried Royce before, head down to (Spore) Taka B2 where they have a counter. I like the milk chocolate (as usual) but their liquored ones are really good too! My family esp Sandra is a big fan of everything Royce! I'm going to finish this whole box coz Elvis doesnt like chocolates. Grrreat!

You are going to LOVE IT!

rough food restaurant

This afternoon, we decided to try out a restaurant we always see on TV by Hong Kong food critic and film producer Cai Lan 蔡瀾 - Cu Cai Guan 粗菜馆. It is also a popular spot with Hong Kong and Cantonese pop celebrities visiting Shanghai.

Its name literally translates to 'rough food' restaurant. Maybe it's supposed to be like "chu cha dan fan" in Mandarin (which i cant type/google it)...ehh... something like normal home-cooked dishes.

They seemed to "specialize in anything-pork". I'm not a pork fan but one of the pork dish we ordered was really very yummy! Its skin is a little like "shao rou" but very thick and with a little curry powder sprinkled on it. It's very crunchy! We also ordered a curry crab recommended by Andy Lau. (There's even a picture of him at the side kinda like drooling! Keke!) The taste is so-so only lah. It's a bit like Thai curry served with potatoes. We also tried their dimsum which was rather good - comparable to our fav Crystal Jade dimsum. Keke... (Every time we try dimsum at other places, we still always think that CJ is the BEST!)


There is a highly-recommended Pork Lard Rice which is soya sauce and (melted) lard coating every grain of rice. Gulp...
I also had a good laugh at the menu...here's 4 examples:
- Pig brain fries the egg
- Boils the shrimp two kind of cooking (recommended by Zheng Zhi Wei)
- Braised many food in pan
- Boils the shrimp and the chicken

Overall, we think that the food here is quite good and we'll be back again. They also have a really wide selection! This outlet (of 5) is at XuJiaHui, Ascendas Plaza 腾飞大厦 (333 TianYaoQiao Road) not too far away from our place. After lunch, Elvis went to the office (again).

sock it

jump elvis jump

Wanna share this picture. Damn funny!

baby likes tvc

Joel likes to watch TV commercials. Not of the products he uses. He likes skincare & cosmetics - Garnier, Loreal, Maybeline...

He'll be playing in his play yard...and when he hears the "music" or VO/voice-over (only)...he will immediately turn his head towards the TV and try to stand up to get a better view! Haha... Then he will smile soooo sweetly. It's so funny to watch him as he does it every time - without fail. ;)

He particularly likes Michelle Reis 李嘉欣, Chinese actress Liu YiFei 刘亦菲, Zhang ZiYi 章子怡 and now-Singaporean Gong Li 巩俐.

Surprisingly, he also watches the commercials that Elvis did (not for skincare/cosmetics) - Ford cars with handsome men.

Maybe he takes after Daddy. Ad men.

This is Joel's first love - Liu YiFei.

to come

Last night we watched Smart People (my 2nd time watching). I bought this for SJP (of course) ...and Elvis likes it very much too! At the end of the movie, he also realized it's by one of his favourite director - Noam Murro. Highly Recommended!

Elvis has to work today...so i guess i'll just stay home with Joel. Baby Joel seems pretty tired too. He has been sleeping quite a bit. Must be the weather. I'm tired too.

Next week, we have a friend coming from Singapore! So more eating & shopping... And the weather will be great too! Slightly warmer... Keeping my fingers crossed.

Today is still very cold... MINUS 3 to 6˚C

dunk

This week, Joel enjoys stacking rings! He can put the 4 rings into the "cone". But of course i have to pass them to him in the correct order lah.

Somehow, it reminds me of Dunkin' Donuts coming into Shanghai. Haha! Maybe i'm just too hungry all the time coz it's so cold. ;p

P.S. I really like all the shots here! He looks good in grey. Sooo cute! Obsessed mommy! ;p

friends from spore

We were glad to catch up with Joji who was in town. We brought him to Haiku for dinner. Yummy Japanese food! I hope he likes it (as much as i do). Keke... After dinner, Joel & i came home first coz i'm the MOTHER. Elvis went out for drinks with Joji, Norman & NaiYen. Surprisingly, he came home shortly after i typed this! Haha!

Saw from Joji's cellphone his daughter, Riya, is sooo cute! I hope we'll see them again during CNY!

P.S. The temperature dropped again today. Tomorrow should be worse.

i turn 35

Here's pictures of the very posh restaurant Elvis brought me to on my birthday. I was quite shocked - and more so with the prices on the menu! Coz it's too GLAM!...and i'm not the glam kind of person. (See, i'm drinking Coke!) He has been to the Lan Club in Beijing and it's designed by Phillipe Starck. Not sure who designed this one in Shanghai, but Elvis said that the Beijing one has a lot more of the Wow! factor.

This is Lan Club Shanghai. I would recommend it if you want a quiet and romantic dinner...or book their suites for gatherings with bigger group of friends or family. 1st floor is the bar & tapas, 2nd & 3rd floors serve Chinese cuisine and 4th floor is Western/French cuisine. (The entire 3rd floor are "bao fang" /suites)

I liked this hall with the walls of framed butterfly specimens. With every course served, they will describe exactly what are those "small things" at the side. After your meal, they are glad to show you around the place too! (Maybe coz there's really very few customers) Really a very cool place!

Some i-duno-wat prawn appetizers, lobster & beef starters, scallops starters, beef main, fish main, and my favorite chocolate cake (with a few mm of those "biscuits" at the bottom! I like, i like!)...
Typo error on the cake. Supposed to be 'Happy Birthday To Dar'.



Here is a picture of their bar on Level 1 (Click).

welcome

It was my birthday yesterday and Elvis brought flowers home - fit for a Spore Minister! Looks so...ehh...Welcoming!

He said that they only have roses and tulips left...and he dont dare to buy those (coz i hate those). I had another picture in a pout & sulk and he asked me to "Look happier lah!" Yes, i'm the ungrateful brat! I just had to take a picture of the side view too! Stand Up For Singapore... HAHA! ;p

I put them away in 3 separate vases so it looks much better! The tiny ones, the orchids, and the bird-of-paradise with the pink tall ones. I think the "birds" look very scary too! Keke...

* Will post pictures of our lovely dinner later... That was perfect! ;)

a few days ago

Earlier this week, we had dinner at the newly-renovated Grandma's Kitchen at HuaiHai Road. Needed to drink some tonic soup to beat the cold.

Elvis used to be "VIP" here coz the staff recognize him and so we dont need to get a number and wait in line. Now, all the staff are new...and so no choice...we had to sit around and wait too. Keke... Also note Elvis' swollen (right) eye. Infection. So he has to wear specs for a while...

When we got home, i realized that 1 of Joel's shoes was missing. Dropped when i got on the cab. :(


And this is Joel in the cute PiyoPiyo top which feels super comfortable. Most of the babies here are dressed in this kind of cute cartoon clothes. Joel was crying a few minutes before i took this...maybe he doesnt like this kind of fashion. Bad taste! Haha! ;p

His cheeks are also a little peeling and a little rough despite the cream i've been applying for him. Becoz he likes to rub his face against the sheets when he's sleeping. The 2 mosquitoe bite marks/scars on his cheeks are still visible... :_(

joel's sister

This is Megan - daughter of my sister's friend, Jac. Elvis & i both think that Megan looks very much like Joel! She is 2 weeks older than Joel. See...


I've got Megan's mommy's permission to post her pix here. She has more on her blog - and so many shots looks like Joel too! It's her 3rd Glamour Shots! Professional model! ;)

When Joel sees her pictures, he gets very excited too! Screams, kick legs, smile, scream, scream, scream... Haha!

P.S. I got scolded for shooting Joel in the hairclip... It was taken when Daddy was away in Tokyo. Joel doesnt like the hairclip too. Keke... ;p

big head small body

Elvis bought this Head Porter bag for me from Tokyo...and i think it's damn big...and i kept trying it on to convince myself that it's not too HUGE! Although i like big bags, but this seems toooo big...even for Joel's things... Plus, i'm pretty happy with my other Porter diaper bag already.

What do you think?
I asked a friend if she's keen to buy over from us...and she is! Phew... Should sell, right??? It's ¥37,800 (YEN! not RMB)...and a waste if i dont use it. :(

all things nice

Elvis just came back from Tokyo last night. Somehow, i think Joel was waiting for him to come home coz it was past his "new" bedtime.

I can see that Elvis really spent a lot of money although he didnt buy that many things on this short trip. (He said that the 1st day was wasted on a boring day tour. I'm sure he's very disappointed coz he could have shopped! Haha!) Blur King also left the Puma hat which he bought for Baby Joel in the hotel room. Fortunately, Joel also received a BabyGap "Paddington" checks coat (which he can only wear next year). I think he'll look cute in it when he can walk. ;)


His S$1000 Undercover coat and expensive hat,

his fav SHOES!!! Vans & Jack Purcell (Limited, 100th Anniversary Collection),

clothes and stuffs,

retro 2nd-hand sweaters (very cheap),

leather stuffs (the bag & 1 of the wallet is for me),

"Fake Fur Coats" range from Adidas Originals (Limited. Only available in Japan. The top one is for me - Animal Hide. His is the more "furry" one...a bit like my dog's Terry fur - beige, dirty & entangled),

gadgets and stuffs (the dog USB is for me),

and this 18-24mth BabyGap coat for Joel (in the latest fashion - CHECKS!)

He remembered my snacks too...and even bought Royce chocolates (in Milk Chocolate) for me! Keke... ;D

packages for xmas

After my last swap with Lara, i didnt intend to do any more GYS swaps - well, at least not till next year. Surprisingly, Anne from Indonesia asked me to do a swap with her. She's not a fellow GYS swapper, but somehow, she has been reading my blog for a while now...and her son is 3 weeks older than Joel. So we have kinda been exchanging tips through our blogs. ;)

Our swap was supposed to be swaps for our babies (since they're both turning ONE soon)...but i realized that it's almost impossible to find any summer clothes/things. So i can only get generic things for her. (I found these baby tees online, and bought the same ones for Joel too!) Nevertheless, we're going ahead with the swap. I'll send her whatever i've found so far...and she's sending me Indomie instant noodles & keropok! Yummy! ;p

These are what i mailed out today...
For Anne & Baby Bryan - tees, singlet & training pants, socks, Anpanman bib, hand towels, bath glove, bath sponges, pen, paperclips, Hello Kitty hand cream, doll and a "tree" cup lid. (I like the lid a lot)


I also have another package to send to the US for an old friend whom i recently found on Facebook! Haha! (Yes, so amazing!) She saw and likes the hand-warmer that i've got...so i decided to send her a "warm package"! It should be pretty cold over there already (and i should have mailed out earlier). Now, really hope they reach her in time for Xmas...so it'll last a few more months till winter's over. Other than the hand-warmer, i've got her a warmer-cushion, a nice shawl/scarf and a pair of gloves.
Click all pictures to view bigger

shopaholic in tokyo

Elvis will be coming back soon (tonight)! I cant wait to see what he has bought - for himself, me & Joel. Every night when he calls me, i can tell that he really enjoyed his shopping in Tokyo! Haha! Really 100% Shopaholic Daddy lor... ;p

I hope he's got the "heart" to bring me some snacks... (Although i told him that he dont need to buy if he's not getting for his team. Women huh... always "kou shi xin fei")