24 Dec 2008

On Joel's FIRST birthday, we left the house really late. Not intentionally...but the birthday boy decided to take a looong nap just before noon (which is kinda his usual schedule)...and woke up for his lunch at about 3+pm (usually he wakes up at about 1+pm for lunch). So by the time we left the house, it was almost 5pm! We had only ordered delivery breakfast...so we were really STARVING! And we had no birthday cake to fill our tummies first. (Some of you will know that when Elvis is really starving, he will feel like he wanna vomit!) Haha! ;p

On the cab to XuJiaHui, we changed our minds from having Sporean lunch at Prima to Sushi Tei! We think that it should be our lunch+dinner...and we can order delivery supper. The minute we sat inside Sushi Tei at about 5.45pm, Daddy was busy snatching the plates from the conveyor belt! Haha! He was eating very quickly and non-stop! He made me very nervous ("gan jiong") with his actions! Like i also must speed up! Actually, i havent even settled Joel properly...so i was very busy catching up with Elvis and entertaining Joel with his toys, biscuits, water, pacifier. (Joel was being a little fussy) Elvis also asked me to look at the menu and order some other food...so my eyes were literally everywhere!!! :/

After that, we walked around the malls in XuJiaHui area (mostly at GangHui mall) and i needed to collect my dailies contact lens. There's a "Kids Wing" and we went there wanting to let him play. But when we saw the crowd, we changed our minds. We also saw some of those hylem balloons and bought 2 (¥60 each). Joel's was a dog (walking on the floor) & Elvis' was a parrot in a cage. It was pretty cute! The lady said that there's even "lifetime warranty"! Haha! You can refill the gas/hylem with them for as long as the balloon lasts. Not bad! ;)

When we wanted to go home at around 9pm, we couldnt find any birthday cake for Joel. A lot of the cakes were sold out and some of the size were just too big (for the 2 of us to finish by tomorrow). We walked to another mall's basement and finally got a smaller cake which someone else had reserved! So lucky! They decided to release it to us since the customer didnt appear. And a tiramisu which we both like (coz Elvis is the strawberry kind, and i'm the chocolate kind).


We got home to Skype with my family in Spore, cut Joel's 1st birthday cake (which turns out to be our supper), take some photos, open his baby basketball and played a little while before Joel went to bed. Phew... What a day! We're actually quite happy that Joel is ONE! ;)

Now, i really need to go pack our luggage for tomorrow's trip... Bye! Will post pictures when i get the time in Bangkok. Elvis still has to work/check emails...so we will have internet access! Yeah!

That's all for today! Good night.

happy first birthday

To our dearest Baby Joel,

This day a year ago on 24 Dec 2007, we were excited and scared as we prepared to meet you. So many thoughts went through our minds as Mommy was pushed into the operating theater. Mommy's heart was beating so quickly and i kept shivering. I was thinking, "This is it! 39 weeks of waiting." There was no looking back.

I wondered the night before how you would look. I had prayed to God so many times for you to have beautiful eyes, beautiful nose and a beautiful mouth. Seconds after they pulled you out from my tummy, i heard Faye (the assisting nurse) say, "He's very cute! Jo, he's very cute!". When they placed you on my chest, wrapped in a towel, all i could see was how small you were and you were beautiful! I turned to look at Daddy and he was crying too. You were just beautiful!
(When reality sets in, i saw my small eyes, daddy's big nose and thick lips! Keke!)

We named you 'Joel' which has the first 2 alphabets in our names - Josephine & Elvis. Joel also meant God is Willing. God is willing to bless you with the fatness of the earth. (This is what Aunty Yen Yen always say)

The few months that followed wasnt easy for the both of us. I had to adjust to your fiery temper, and you to mine. You do take after me after all! Haha! I kept feeling that i was so alone in everything - having to go through almost the whole pregnancy alone, having to prepare for you alone, having to look after you alone. When i couldnt take any more stress (from anyone), my temper was really bad. I'm sorry i beat your buttocks when you're so innocent and so small. You were just crying becoz you were uncomfortable somewhere i didnt know. You've done no wrong. I'm so sorry. I couldnt wait for you to grow bigger so we can join Daddy in our home in Shanghai. In my mind, i pictured that would be a new life for us. A happy life.

Indeed, we tried to do fun things with you every week for the past 8 months. Maybe it was more fun for us than it was for you. But most importantly, we were together. As a family.

Everywhere we went, people say you were an obedient baby. As i'm typing this, you're busy licking and biting the zip on your sweater, and i kept saying to you, "Baby Joel, NO! Mommy say NO!" But you're still cute and beautiful. You must be sick of me telling you this by now. Haha!

Soon you wont be a 'baby' anymore. You'll become a little monster. A cute monster in our lives which we still absolutely adore and cant live without.

We loved you from the day we met you. Happy First Birthday, Baby Joel!

Lots of love, hugs & kisses,
Mommy Jo & Daddy Elvis

Joel at birth: 2.655kg, 49cm
Joel at 1 year: 10.5kg, 73cm

bangkok

We're going to Bangkok!

Elvis is clearing some of his annual leave. Actually, Beijing was one of the option but the weather is just too crazily low at more than minus 10˚c. I dont think Joel & i can survive that! Pick is going to Bangkok to see his dad, so we decided to go too! I like, i like!

We've found a studio apartment in Sukhumvit Soi 11 (near where Elvis used to live) coz we might need a kitchen to cook Joel's porridge...and the place is not expensive too. It's new (just opened in Nov 2008)! Will go check it out (and review). Keke... ;p

We might also go to some nearby islands eg. Hua Hin where we went to long ago. Such a beautiful place! We stayed in the same room/penthouse as David & Victoria Beckham! Cool huh! Keke... ;p

Meanwhile, we still have not thought of what to do for tomorrow - Joel's FIRST birthday. No celebration. We thought of going to the zoo but friends say that it's boring in winter coz all the animals are asleep! HAHA! Hmm...there's a safari too... We havent had any backup plans yet...

So...we'll be off to Bangkok from Xmas day till 3 Jan 2009! Long break! Yippie!

P.S. Ann is keen to join us too! So she will apply for her Visa tomorrow (coz she's Chinese). She'll have to meet us there coz it takes about 3 days to approve. She's a lot of fun to be with...and i'm so excited! Yeah!

freezing

It was extremely cold over the weekends...and it'll continue through the week (nothing higher than 10˚c). Tomorrow, it'll be super cold too with a high of 2˚c, low of -3˚c. (It was actually pretty cold for about a week sometime in Nov but the temperature went up again)

Everyone says that this is a "warm winter". I was very surprised too coz i wasnt wearing my super thick jackets yet! People always comment that i wear too little...and even wear only a tshirt under my jacket! I remembered this time in 2006, i was already freezing like mad! And 2007 was the crazy low temperature that it even snowed!

Now, the real feel is MINUS 4˚c! No wonder i'm freezing at home! My heater is turned on to 32˚c...but my room temperature is still at 18˚c.

from indonesia

I just received my swap package from Anne from Indonesia! She's a fellow blogger and has been reading my blog (i dont know from who-who). Anyway, this swap is "unofficial" too just like the USA swap coz they're not GYS swappers. Anne wanted to do a swap with me coz both our babies are turning ONE! (Hers turned ONE 3weeks ago)

Here's what she sent:
Indomie instant noodles (sure very yummy), prawn keropok (needs to be fried), Chupa-Chups, Van Houten chocolate-orange bars (i like!), mini bears choco-chip cookies, gummy "animals", magnets, hooks. She also added a panty and a tee for me! Thanks, Anne!

And here is what i sent her.

eat and shop and eat again

Saturday, we decided to lunch at the PartyWorld HK "cha chan ting" again coz sooo yummy! (We're so boring huh) FuXing Garden is one of Shanghai most beautiful parks where people gather to fly kites, aunties & uncles dance together or just to sit around and watch...

This bread which we tried last time was very yummy (served with condensed milk) so we had to order it again! They dig out the inside of the bread, cut it into cubes, put it back in after lightly toasting it and dribble some condensed milk on it. Slurp! (I wonder if Singapore has this too)

O, and this char-siew is sooo yummy! (I can hardly find nice char-siew here in Shanghai)


After lunch, we went to HuaiHai Road to shop for a little while (H&M having Sale) ...then we had to rush to Joel's FIRST Gymboree class. We rushed there as quickly as we could! Maybe coz Joel didnt really warm up to the place, he was a bit clingy during the class. ;p

After that, we walked from HuaiHai Road to Elvis' fav street ChangLe Road...and finally to JingXian Road which is an up-and-coming street with interesting shops. Elvis shopping again lah... (Shake head)


I liked how old antique and curio shops are lined next to the modern & hip shops.

Here is a cute Xmas display inside b+ab store (from HK).

Dinner, we had Singapore food at Crossroads inside Parkson Dept Store at HuaiHai Road. Here's chicken curry, sambal kang-kong, chai-po egg and ngo-hiang... SHIOK!


This is our much-anticipated World's Greatest Buffet brunch at Westin Shanghai on Sunday! (See video in the post below. And they really kept serving the champagne. Free-flow! They even have caviar if you see the video.) There's all sorts of performance throughout the meal - Chinese & "non-Chinese" kinds (but you'll have to make reservations to request to sit near "The Stage"). There were also people folding animals & insects for kids using leaves right before their eyes! I was very amused...but they didnt come over to fold for Joel leh. ;(

There were A LOT of people!!! This expensive buffet brunch is really popular! They also have a lucky draw at 2pm and the waiters go around to ask for business cards. Since i dont have any, we could submit 2 of Elvis'.

I zoomed in to the food i LOVE - sashimi (lots of it), prawns, lobsters... Desserts and cakes are also one of my fav!

And guess what??? At 2pm they did a live lucky draw...and announced a couple of names...and Elvis won! Not bad for his 2 chances! The prize is a complimentary brunch (not valid this time lah). So we'll be back! ;)

We walked to the nearby Plaza 353 (a new mall) but it was quite disappointing. Only some better-known labels like Zara & Mango on Levels 1 & 2. The other shops on the higher levels are super boring. They also have a Toys R Us (a very small outlet), so we looked for some stuffs for Joel - a baby basketball and a drum set. We kinda had a hard time deciding on what to get...coz we didnt know what was good. The basketball set is his birthday cum Xmas gift! The drum set is very nice & cheap about S$30+ only. We will keep for later though (coz it's for 3yrs+). Both were pretty cheap coz got promo. Keke... It was raining and freezing when we left...so we went home to unload the stuffs and rest a while.

Dinner, we went back to PartyWorld "cha chan ting"! Haha... Really boring folks! ;p

We also dabao supper for Elvis' team who's still OT-ing in the office this entire weekend. Maybe Daddy feels bad that he has to work the past 2 weekends so he's spending more time with us this week. And i had a good time eating lobsters! Keke... ;)

greatest brunch

I saw this buffet brunch shown on TV Friday night. Super yummy!!! It's at Westin Shanghai. But at the end of it, they showed the price...and i was like "O mann...so expensive!". ¥468 plus 15% taxes. They even serve good champagne - GH Mumm Cordon Rouge! (Usually dining in Shanghai, dont need to pay any taxes or even tip) We woke up just in time to watch the repeat on Saturday, and Elvis was so ONZ he called to make reservations!

It's only on Sundays 11am - 2.30pm. It's known as the 'World's Greatest Brunch' (at their website, as named by The Wine.)

So, we were looking forward to our Sunday brunch*! ;)
* There's a surprise on our actual brunch.

P.S. I recorded this video on the repeat...but my camera ran out of memory space.

goon-do

Oops... i just cut Joel's fringe - straight - and it looks a little like "goon-do" (ah gong, blur blur)...

a monkey

Actually the eyes not so big lah...this is a SURPRISED look! So times 2. (But nevermind, next time can go Korea) ;p

the taste of winter

Mmmm... I'm trying to describe the after taste of this hot chocolate drink as i type. Mmmm...it has this ginger taste...and a mix of some "exotic" spices... It feels spicy too - like chilli! Quite a surprise, really.

Inside the tin is powdered cacao and "lumps" of chocolate. The instruction is to boil half cup of water on the stove, then add 3 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix stirring constantly. Bring it to a full boil again and stir for another 30 seconds. I used hot boiling water instead - in a cup. Surprisingly, i was still able to dissolve the bits of chocolate quite well. The HugMug works quite well both ways - the thin & the fat side. Slurp... It sure feels like a warm and comforting winter. Like a hug in a cup of hot chocolate! ;)

There's lots of text on the outside of the tin...and i love to read it! (I also like to read any sort of packaging in English) If you're also a chocolate-lover, read on. Such beautiful words...

CHUAO Hot Chocolate WINTER:
Experience the comforting taste of winter anytime throughout the year with this uniquely rich hot chocolate drink that blends the aromatic and deep flavors of Venezuelan bittersweet chocolate with the spices of winter: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and pepper.

Tradition and Craftsmanship
At Chuao Chocolatier our Venezuelan Master Chocolatier blends family tradition and craftsmanship with European culinary techniques to offer you nature's most generous gift: Chocolate.

Origin
By selecting only the most flavorful and aromatic cacao grown in the tropics of Venezuela and artfully mixing it into our own creative and unusual recipes, we tantalize your palate with unexpected and delicious sensations that superbly bring out the true taste of chocolate.

Indulge
Our hot chocolate warms your soul, one velvety sip after another. Suited for any occasion, treat yourself to a moment of delight while enjoying Chuao Chocolatier's hot chocolate flavors.

from the states

I received my USA package today! Such cool stuffs! Max Brenner HugMug, hot chocolate and 2 books for Joel - Dr. Seuss 'Up, Up, Up with the Cat' and 'Wheels on the Bus'! Look! The books are so cool! Has wheels and special sound effects (foil, beep, rattle)! Thank you sooo much, Bee Kheng! ;)

And here is what i sent her.

he is a monster

Every time when we pat Joel to sleep, he will pinch & scratch us! If he's lying on our shoulders, he will pinch the upper arms (OUCH!). If he's lying on the bed, he will scratch and pinch the palms and arms (ouch ouch!). We try to make sure his nails are trimmed regularly but it still hurts A LOT! Elvis also really "tak boleh tahan" but he doesnt pat Joel to sleep as often as me! :/

Tonight, he showed signs of weariness at about 11pm...but i think he's trying to hold out till Elvis comes home. (Somehow he always seem to know. Elvis was away in NanChang and will be back later tonight.) Since 11pm, i've been trying to make him sleep. This includes the usual scratch & pinch ordeal... He likes to scratch the back of my palms and it's sooo painful already coz my skin is very "delicate" with the constant washing under extreme hot/cold tap water. So it's super dry now...and extremely painful!

He's also a bit sadist coz he likes to bang his head against the headboard, shake his head left/right to knock our heads, swing his arm up against the headboard, toss & turn 90˚, 180˚ - all nonstop! I need to constantly hold onto him/his clothes to prevent him from rolling down the bed and/or to pull him back to "the original position". He also likes to "play attitude" and throw away his pacifier...then wants it back!

When i cant take it anymore, i will bring him out and let him sit/play while i use the Mac. When he starts to look tired again, i will try to make him sleep again. So this went on for the past 2 HOURS! (If i'm lucky, it'll be 15 mins of torture) All the while, i'm clenching my teeth (till i feel my teeth are going to crack) ...and i really feel like biting him. Sometimes, i will pinch him back (on his buttocks & thighs where there's most fats). Haha!

Maybe it's my retribution coz i used to pinch babies whom i dont like - esp the super fat and naughty ones. Haha... Dont worry, i think so far i've just pinched all of Elvis' nephews! Keke... ;p

So maybe i'm the one who created a baby monster!

hello JD

My sis told me that our cousin Jeffrey just became a Dad! It's quite unbelievable coz he's like a kid himself. He's 32. His wife Cherie just gave birth to a cute baby girl a few days ago! They named her JD. Neo JD. One would think that his wife name probably starts with 'D'...but the reason is becoz he loves to drink the whiskey Jack Daniels! Are you saying 'OMG' too?! Hello? Is he sober??!! ;p

Anyway, it's a good excuse for me to shop for girls clothes!

So today, i decided to go head to NiHong with Joel in the afternoon. I was there last week with Alynn, and i didnt think i'll be back so soon. Keke! Both of us were looking for summer clothes coz i needed to get Joel something to wear for CNY too. Or he'll just have to wear his existing clothes. (Not much luck though.) Surprisingly, we saw a shop selling some short-sleeves rompers! Coz the sellers said that some Aussies expats are going back for the holidays, so they took some short-sleeves out again. We also grabbed a few. As usual, baby boys really nothing fancy lah...and i bought the long-sleeves for Joel. :(

Here's what i bought today for little JD!
I really like the graphics on the romper & overalls - birds, owls, dog/deer... (It reminds me of Little Odd Forest bags.) I like the tiny socks with rattles too - panda, butterfly & ladybird. I saw them after i bought the Carters 6pc/pack. So JD has 9 new socks!

For the overalls, i came home and realized it's for 12mths (wrong size). So i let Joel try it out for JD! Keke... Ok, it'll fit 6-9mths. (I could also go back again to see if there's anything else for Spore's climate before i go back for CNY. I really shouldnt be going to NiHong anymore this year!)

And these are what i bought for Joel...
Coz i showed him the monkey (and sheep) backpack and he kept laughing...so i bought him the matching scarf too! (It's imitation Nici and they're all very well-made. And wide range too!) I also bought another of the ¥15 china baby vest in Penguins (coz it's quite good), a thick leggings, a warm hat (too big now), a green bomber jacket (also too big now but it's quite similar to my Alpha Industries jacket so i bought it to match mine), and 2 more of the rompers! So in the end, i think i spent the most $ on Joel's stuffs!!!

And these i bought for "whoever"(Jerome's/Elvis' niece) ...coz the owl print & colours are just too nice! But i dont dare to buy too many coz it's all long-sleeves. ;p

I'm looking forward to meeting JD in Jan 2009! ;)

P.S. I bought 2 Alpha Industries bomber jackets here during summer. If you know this brand, you'll know it's not cheap (and very nice & classic styles)! During summer, winter stuffs of course BIG SALE! So it was like less 50% off! So from about S$300++, it went down to about S$100-150. Unbelievable price! Anyway, i bought the Ladies jacket for myself & a Mens jacket for Elvis. In the end, Elvis' was TOO BIG and he gave it to his Thai friend Pick last month. (I wanted to give Ann coz she likes Alpha too, but it was a bit big for her too. Pick hasnt bought any winter jackets then, and it fits him well. It was timely too coz he was freezing!) Or else, we would have a whole family of matching bomber jackets! So uncool but cute! Haha!

china red II

Bought this beanie some time back (Joel looks really FAT with it & i didnt even wanna upload a pix of it)...so i didnt think he would ever wear it at all. Just trying it out the day before the wedding dinner...something red. It's not so bad now! I think he did lose some fats after all! Keke... ;p

polar bear & gorilla

Just saw these pictures on another blog...and here too. Gotta blog it!

OMG! I just did a ¥-to-S$ conversion... I didnt know they were this expensive!!! In Japanese YEN ¥ (not Chinese Yuan Renminbi ¥).

Faint

model:FAKE FUR TT W
color:LIGHT CLAY
price:¥37,800
size:S.M.L
fabric:ﾌｪｲｸﾌｧｰ
composition:ｱｸﾘﾙ80%,ﾎﾟﾘｴｽﾃﾙ20%

model:FAKE FUR TT W
color:black
price:¥37,800
size:S.M.L
fabric:ﾌｪｲｸﾌｧｰ
composition:ｱｸﾘﾙ80%,ﾎﾟﾘｴｽﾃﾙ20%

model:FAKE FUR HOODY M
colour:black
size:S/M/L/O/XO
price:¥31,500

model:FAKE FUR HOODY M
colour: brown
SIZE:S/M/L/O/XO
price:¥31,500

funny expression

china red wedding

This weekend, Elvis had to work on both days...but we still managed to go out makan and also attended a wedding dinner.

Saturday, we went to Gourmet Cafe for lunch before Elvis went into the office. The first time i ate there was becoz Elvis highly-recommended their burgers which is extremely rare coz he doesnt like burgers at all. And i remembered it was really yummy! This time, we both decided to have fish burgers (mine is salmon)...and it just doesnt taste as nice as their beef burgers. Quite disappointed. And it's rather expensive for burgers too. The bill came up to about S$50 for fish burgers. ;/



Surprisingly, Elvis doesnt need to work till very late, so we met up again for dinner with Pick & Raymond (and his "sticky" Shanghainese girlfriend, Carol). This Hong Kong "cha chan ting" is called 钱柜茶餐厅. It's quite new and their food is very very very yummy. It is actually by Party World 钱柜 (KTV) at FuXing Garden.

After dinner, we went shopping for a while coz Pick needed to buy something red for the wedding dinner. In the end, i also bought an Adidas Originals jacket which i was "eyeing" some time back...but didnt buy coz it's not cheap and i really dont need another jacket...then i didnt see it anymore for quite a while...and so was a bit disappointed. Typical woman mentality lah!!! I thought it was all sold out...so i was happy to see it again at this outlet! It's ¥560 and there's only a little bit discount (coz it's the 'Buy ¥300, less ¥100' promo). It's PINK with graphics of blue rabbits on the inside of the jacket (cant see from the outside though) and has frills which is seldom seen on Adidas jackets. Anyway, i'm HAPPY that i finally bought it! I also got a pair of Adidas woolen gloves FREE (well, sort of...coz i bought it - to round off closer to the next ¥300 - so that i can get an additional ¥100 off)! Keke... That's how shopping in Shanghai works! ;p

Sunday, we went for dimsum lunch at Crystal Jade again. Was supposed to bring Joel to Gymboree for his Play Class at 3pm (before Elvis goes to work), but Joel was sleeping and the teacher said it's better to come back another time (rather than to wake up him). So we missed his 1st real lesson - again!



The wedding dinner was 6pm at Dong Bei Ren 东北人. Everyone was supposed to wear RED! It's the wedding dinner of a Singaporean couple whom i do not even know. They have had their wedding dinner in Singapore, and this was just a casual dinner for friends here (only 3 tables). I couldnt tell which were the newly-wedded couple coz they werent even wearing anything "special". It's my first time dining there (or at any Dong Bei restaurants) and i was a little shocked! Apparently, the staff will sing for you if you order a lot of "big fish, big meat". Haha! Quite funny. And most of the food are also BIG BIG portions/chunks just like Dong Bei people - "hao suang" (easy-going). ;p

After the dinner, Elvis & his colleagues went back to the office and OT-ed till 4am. :(

Having fun the traditional way...but still got Singaporean "Yummmmmmmmmmm Seng"...


These are just SOME of the more unique dishes. There's so many so many dishes, and so many so many cold dishes!!! I think there's more than 20 dishes in total for each table. The yellow "deep-fried bowl" is very yummy corn cracker, and the yellow "mushy stuff" was huge round balls which you have to SNATCH when it's served coz the sugar that coats the balls will stick together if you're slow. The inside is banana! Tastes a little like goreng pisang. (The big picture shows the leftover food when we're done eating!!!)

cool docks

Every few months, there's something new to discover in this olden Shanghai. Today, my fav TV - Channel Young - featured 1933! Such a coincidence!

Designed originally by British architects and built in 1933 by Chinese developers, the building was part of a flourishing Shanghai. It served as a slaughterhouse (for animals) and medicine factory. Today, as you stand in this 1933 building, i'm sure you'll be awed! A must-see in Shanghai! I cant wait to go there again with Elvis (coz i dont he'll be able to see its splendour from my pictures).

I have also seen another artas place on Channel Young a while back - Cool Docks/"Lao Ma Tou" but i cant find its exact location. (Maybe it's on ZhongShan Nan Road/Fu Xing Road) Will check out next time.

I also googled and found more info on China's art scene here.