weekends in pudong-puxi

Saturday
We got up early and went to Pudong with Elvis' colleague to do some stuffs. After that, we wanted to go to Super Brand Mall 正大广场 for lunch but we took a wrong turn (towards the tunnel), so we decided to go back to Puxi and head to XTD Afternoon Tea for lunch instead. Ann called us at the same time, so we arranged to meet at AT. Haha... We're always doing late lunches together!
(Super Brand Mall is somewhat the biggest/newest mall in Pudong. We've only been there a few times coz we're mostly in Puxi.)

XinTianDi was crowded! The weather was so lovely everyone was out of the house! It looked very much like the cafes in Paris! People just enjoyed the sun! Look at the photos of the AT pastries i took while waiting for our seats! Looks very yummy, right? That's why i can eat it every week! ;)
(Their set meal of Food + Drink + Sweets/Cake is ¥88. For ¥100, you get to choose a soup too! Everyday till 6pm.)

Ann said she also thought of going to Super Brand Mall...so we took a taxi there. We shop, shop, shop... The Uniqlo store there is very huge!
(Uniqlo UT kids-sized tees SALE! Only ¥59 each. Usual ¥79. Keke... Too bad they're too big for Joel. Smallest size is 100 Japanese size. I can fit their size 140/150 so i bought 2 kids tees for myself!)

We went back to Puxi JinXian Road 进䝨路 to continue shopping and have late dinner/supper at 10pm...then home. So tired after the 1 day Shanghai Pudong/Puxi tour! ;p
(I've blogged about JinXian Road before here. It's also small shops similar to ChangLe Road. There's some antique shops there too. But JinXian Road is a very short street.)

Sidewalk cafes at XTD

Afternoon Tea at XTD


Cute Joel! ;)


Sunday
We went to Joel's play class at Gymboree then we had tea-break at Wagas. I've always wanted to try their food...but Elvis says it's not good. Lots of angmohs go there the whole day. Actually, their cakes are also not superb and over-priced. ¥20-25 for a very tiny slice. I still very much prefer AT's pastries/cakes.

After that, we headed to Pudong again to do some stuffs. For dinner, we met our Japanese/American, Singaporean, Shanghainese friends for dinner at Daikichi 大吉 at GuBei district (TaoHong/GuYang Roads). It's a very small restaurant with ALL Japanese customers. Most of the food are skewered, so we ordered a lot to share! Super yummy! I like it! Hope to go back again next time.

Then it was time to go home after another long day...
(The restaurant was packed when we arrived. Need to make reservations. We stayed till after 10pm, so when i took these pictures, there wasnt many people left in the restaurant)

P.S. O ya, we let Joel wear his 3-6mths Zara checks shirt and it still fits!!! Though tight-fit lah. He wore them when he was 1 month old during CNY 2008. And his 3-6 mths pants fit well too! Length is just nice! Hahaha... ;p

Gymboree

Wagas

Waiting for daddy...

Daikichi... and rosy-cheeked Joel

Sayonara!

walker

I've been wanting to post this video of Joel pushing the activity walker...but YouTube is down again (here in China). Here's a still...

Lately, Joel seems to be quite "lazy" in walking...always wanna sit down. Maybe he's too afraid of falling. But he seems to like this walker pretty much. He even knows how to twist it to change direction or to make a U-turn. Too bad we dont have much space around the house for him to walk about.

walk walk

It's Good Friday... and since most of my Singaporean MSN kakis are not online, i decided to go shopping! It's not a public holiday here in China although some malls have the typical Easter eggs and bunnies decoration.

Actually, i've been wanting to go out earlier this week...but i always change my mind at the very last minute becoz

1. some situation will "pop up", or

2. i feel it's a bit too rush to reach home by 6/7pm (need to consider the peak-hours here or i'll have to fight for a taxi from 4.30/5pm onwards), or

3. i'm just plain lazy.

All these also depends on the time that i can leave the house after Ahyi comes in. That's something i have to deal with IF i really wanna get out of the house. Even if it's just nearby (walking distance), i'm sometimes too lazy and comfortable at home to get up and change into my jeans. Most of the time, i'll just wear my home tshirt with jeans and add a jacket. Keke... How lazy can one get?! ;p

Fortunately our house is conveniently located. I can get to HuaiHai Road by taxi at hop-on fare of ¥11. (I can reach most places within 5-15mins by taxi) Even if i just wanna take a breather to have lunch and walk walk nearby, there's also some small shops, Watsons, LiJia Baby (where i order all of Joel's stuffs), MacDonalds, KFC, Yoshinoya, Ajisen, and of course, the huge supermart just opposite. Sooo many things to see along the way for this aunty. ;p (Last time before i had Joel, i will walk walk as far as an hour "upwards" and look at things along the way...then walk back home again on the opposite side of the road. Sometimes without realizing, i've walked so far "up" that i have to take a taxi home. I'm always intrigued by the very local things - the people, food/snacks and shops. There's just a particular charm about the busy neighbourhood.)

Elvis always ask me to go out on weekdays instead of sitting in front of the Mac. But it's quite scary coz somehow here in Shanghai, we tend to bring more cash out. (I'm not sure if it's becoz their money is "small" and the biggest note/denomination is ¥100 which is approx S$20) I seldom use NETS and only go to the ATM when i'm out of cash. I almost never use my credit card. So when i'm shopping alone, i tend to buy more (unnecessary) things. Of course, the sales people are pretty good at promoting too. I always come home with a bag of stuffs for myself & baby Joel. So scary! Keke... ;p

Today, my plan was to go look for some baby girl things. But i bought more than what i intended although i did try to be as sensible as possible... :{

Every time i go walk walk, i really dont know how the ¥ flow out of my purse like water ~~~~

ginger free

O ya, the ONLY THING Ahyi improved on her cooking is NOT adding all those big slices of ginger into EVERY SINGLE DISH!!! (It's many many big slices in every dish. NOT thin strips/julienne.)

She told me as-a-matter-of-factly 'ALL meat need to add ginger'. What kind of stupid theory is that???!!! FYI, that includes adding ginger to eggs with prawns. Hence, my eggs always taste of ginger!!! Even before i eat, i can smell the ginger (when i bring the plate to the dining table). It's really worse than my confinement food!

I dont know how to cook, but i thought that most people would add chopped garlic first and stirfry it a bit before adding the other ingredients (i think i saw from all those cooking programmes).

Anyway, i've since told her to STOP ADDING GINGER!!! So, finally, i get to taste the real food-food.

Chicken taste like chicken,
pork taste like pork,
egg taste like egg,
vegetable taste like vegetable,
soup taste like soup...

She also ALWAYS have all sorts of her own theories when i tell her that something is wrong or that it should be done this way etc...and when i tell her the reason why (not). She has never replied with a 'Yes' or 'Ok'. Her favourite phrase is '不会的吧?! ....'. (translated into: It cannot be/I dont think so).

Whenever i ask her about something (which she doesnt know), she will pretend to know and give me some very silly answer. When i tell her my views instead which could be wrong too (coz i asked her coz i dont know)...she will then say 不会的吧 + use my answer, phrase it in another way, and tell me HER NEW ANSWER!!! How smart!

F*** her 不会的吧s!!!

followers

Dear fellow bloggers,

Do add the 'Followers' gadget to your blogs. It allows your followers to know immediately - from their dashboard - when you have something NEW on your blog!

I like using it to update myself on blogs that i follow. It's so easy, quick & convenient! ;) (I think non-bloggers can also signup and get notified by emails)

And here's a special THANKS if you've already signed up as my blog followers. ;)

BlabberingJo

uniqlo online

The 2-storey UNIQLO 优衣库 at HuaiHai Road was closed for renovation for a few weeks. (It's in the same building as Crystal Jade restaurant & Gymboree, so we're there very often) Last Sunday, they opened their new clear-glass doors! There were lots of people. 人山人海. We did not go in to take a look as Elvis was rushing off to work. And i wanted to go buy those yummy mochis opposite (at Pacific).

UNIQLO online store will also open this month 16 April 2009. Check it out! Here is the USA website in English. The other versions are China/Chinese and Japan/Japanese. (No English translation).


The speed that the clothes "MOVE" (on the website) makes it look very exciting! Personally, i feel the ads always look very nice (ADS what!!!), but there arent many things i like when i visit the stores.

And with all the hype about them entering into Singapore...when their doors finally open, you might find that you only like their...
- UT MegaCulture: their summer tees. Usually designed by some famous people, actors, models etc. Some tees are in super soft cotton!
- their ladies lounge wear/PJs (in cotton or fleece)
- underwear (camisole tops and panties are made from very soft cotton)
- boxers (men)
- socks
- leggings (ladies)
- selected bags
- kids clothes (Japanese sizing 100-150, for 3yrs and above)
and you have to buy at least two of their
- UMBRELLAS!!! (long & short)
*FYI, their thermals are very good if you need them for any winter holidays.

Happy Shopping, Singapore!

CHANGING CLOTHES. CHANGING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. CHANGING THE WORLD.
UNIQLO FROM TOKYO TO THE WORLD.

knit patterns

Hahaha... Today's daily comic strip reminded me once again of my knitting nightmare!!!

Fortunately i only kept to the very simple patterns (same from start to finish)... and i had a very nice 俆老师 (Shanghainese accent is "lao2 shi3"). She always start the first few rows for me, helped me when my needle/stitch "dropped", helped me end the final stitches...so...until now, if you asked me know to knit, i'm afraid i really do not know anything!!! Keke... Anyway, knitting is way too much work. Maybe i will pick it up again when i'm really in an old folks home.

"This is our knitting club... for a while now, there has been a disagreement about some of the patterns, but I'm sure that will be resolved before you move in, Miss Petersen."

from Wulffmorgenthaler.com

dinner

This is what Ahyi cooked about 3 weeks ago. I remembered i told her to buy the "si ji dou" 四季豆 vegetables...she then suggested with much enthusiasm that she will cook another veg which she cooked for another family and they liked.

End up it's...
1. water chestnut with some mushroom (i dont like leh)
2. chicken with my cashew nuts tidbits, cooked her usual soya sauce style
3. tiny prawns with my usual bottled chili sauce




And this is what she cooked today. Actually all taste ok lah. Much better than before (very bland). It's just the process before the buying/cooking sucks!
1. chicken fillet sliced too thinly with lots of spring onions
2. eggs with prawns (when i walked into the kitchen, i stopped her from "mincing" the eggs any further. Coz she wanted to minced them like what she did the first time!!!)
3. chicken, pork & wolfberry soup (which she didnt cover the lid after turning to low fire...but i wasnt sure until i checked with Elvis later at night. He said can cover the lid fully when it's simmering. Coz i realized Ahyi ALWAYS let the soup EVAPORATE until left 2 small bowls! I thought it was a bit weird coz the nutrients will be evaporated mah...But since i cant cook, i better dont "say her" in case she give me some special ingredient inside the soup.)

i really hate it

Finally, Elvis can come home earlier for dinner! I dont have to order delivery.

I just sent Ahyi to the market. I hate 'that moment' telling her what to buy, what to cook... It's so damn awkward!!! She'll be standing at the side while i'm trying to flip the cook books quickly, thinking which dish to show her, what ingredients she can buy, what to "simplify", what can she cook...

WHY CAN'T SHE LOOK THROUGH THE PAGES I'VE TAGGED TO SEE & LEARN WHAT WE LIKE TO EAT???

She always questions me about the "ingredient" too!?! Even a simple kai-lan 芥兰, she will say, "Show me the picture." So i always ask her again, "Do you know how to cook?"

OMG!!! She never learns! I've bought so many cook books, and even tagged (post-it) some of the simpler home-cooked dishes for her! I told her many many many many times to take a look when she's free...BUT she never listens and never learn any new dishes!!!
(I also told her she can watch TV when Joel is asleep. But she would rather sit on the sofa and stone...or play with her cellphone)

I know you might think i'm being ridiculous and horrid. But here's the dishes i've tagged. I hardly think it's complicated at all. Anyone who knows how to cook will know how to cook these:
1. steamed egg toufu with cucumber
2. stir-fry chicken with cashew nuts (with my bottled sauce)
3. eggs with prawns
4. steam fish with some preserved vegetables on top
5. fish slices with ketchup
6. "si ji dou" (as what i've cooked previously)
7. stir-fry bean sprouts
8. squash & prawn soup (just dump in and boil)
9. chicken soup with wolfberry (just dump in and boil)
10. radish & fish soup (just dump in and boil)
11. fried rice with prawns and eggs
12. fried rice with salted fish and diced chicken

Am i being so difficult???

Fedup.

UPDATE:
She came back with CELERY instead of "kai-lan"!!!
The 1st time i told her it's NOT "kai-lan" 芥兰, she said, "They look the same from the picture". When i told her again the 2nd time it's NOT 芥兰, she said, "The seller said dont have". So...which one is true??? I think most likely she doesnt know.

yeyent was here

Last night while blogging, i received a surprise message/comment! I have another fan from Indonesia! Haha! (No wonder my blog roll is increasing lately)

Yeyent is Astrid's friend. She also agrees that my blog is "crappy" but it's sure as hell, addictive! Haha! She has a blog too (Ruyent: behind the veil) but it's part Bahasa Indonesia, part English. I've realized that's how Indonesians talk too! Maybe it's like our Singaporean English. Rojak with Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay or whatever goes...and it becomes our signature broken English Singlish!

Trust me, if you're in another country and you hear someone speak like that... 100% confirm is a Singaporean! Also, if you're in Bangkok, it's so easy to spot Singaporeans wearing 3/4 bermudas or board shorts with tshirt or singlet - with a sling bag across their bodies!!!

I found this translation website which might be useful...
1. English to Chinese
2. English to Bahasa Malaysia
3. Bahasa Malaysia to English

*Corrected: Rudy is her husband, she is Yeyent. Ruyent is a combination! Just like Jo-El! ;)

my foot

Elvis just came home and told me excitedly that he looks THE SAME as the picture 10 years ago! He claims he didnt age at all!!!

Actually, he was fatter at that time coz he was happy. He had just started working in Advertising - he liked his job, he liked his colleagues... He was sitting down so much on that "Unimportant Chair" that he had put on weight! Over the years, he definitely has a lot more wrinkles. And being in Shanghai made him put on weight - coz the food is oily! And he's over 30 now! Haha!

$hanghai in a nutshell

We're expecting some friends this month (and next). I realized that most people tend to think that China is a very cheap place. BUT Shanghai is not that cheap. At least most of the places that non-locals go to arent cheap at all - unless you wanna eat at roadside stalls or cramp in that small eatery. Of course there is nothing wrong with that. But i hardly think anyone would wanna do that while on holiday. Besides, Singaporeans like to 'Live like a King' when they're on holidays. (Even living here, i dont wanna eat at "pathetic-looking places" unless it's some famous takeaway snacks)

Just think Singapore/Hong Kong standards and you'll get a rough idea how much money to bring along for food! For shopping, the sky is the limit! Keke... In fact, during our recent trips back to Singapore, i realized that clothes (in general) are much cheaper in Singapore! You can even get something decent & fashionable for under S$20 in Far East Plaza! Here, it's impossible. Think x 5. At least S$100 for something nice at ChangLe Road. If you wanna get something H&M or Uniqlo before they enter into Singapore, you can do it here too! (I know they always say 'Coming Soon, soon') Why do you think they chose to enter Shanghai first?! This is the Oriental Paris! There's also HK & Japanese labels - Izzue, 5cm, Baby Jane by Cacharel, i.t., I.T., Olive des Olive... And Korean Y by Codes Combine! (That's why i love Shanghai!)

And if you're thinking of buying anything "branded" (clothes, shoes, makeup), it's also definitely more expensive here than in Singapore. So dont put that on your shopping list. What you HAVE TO write a list for is a DVD list! From S$2 per disc! English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Angmoh... Hahahaha...

Nonetheless, you can still find cheap clothes & shoes here. There's wholesale places if you're willing to shop in "messy surroundings"and practice your bargaining skills. ChangLe Road is the best place to shop though (some opened by HK celebrity shops). Even if you dont buy anything from those nice small shops along ChangLe Road, it's enough to soak in the ambience! It feels great looking at beautiful things - the mix of the old and new in this exciting city! That's why we're in ChangLe/XingLe Road almost every week! It's one of the most interesting street for shopping in Shanghai!

So dont worry. Just come! O, and please wear comfortable walking shoes.

FOOD
Restaurants HK Cha Chan Ting-styled 茶餐庁 - ¥20-35 for fried rice & noodles, ¥20-100 and above per dish (if ordering dishes to share, average below ¥100/pax)
Restaurants - ¥80-500 and above per pax
Fast food - ¥20-25 set meal
Food Court - ¥20-30 each
Roadside food stalls 大牌档 - ¥5-10
Local snacks - ¥1-10
Local cakes & biscuits (by weight) - ¥1 onwards
Ice cream - ¥2-40 stick/scoop (local/imported)
Dessert - ¥10-30
Cakes (whole) - ¥150-300
Cakes (slice) - ¥5-40
Bakery - ¥7-15 (BreadTalk, ToastBox, Beard Papa are all about Singapore prices)
Mochi - ¥6-8 each (from Mochi Sweets)
Portuguese Eggtarts - ¥3.50 (from Lilian Cake Shop)
* I feel that some things are comparable if not more expensive than in Singapore. Eg. food courts prices can be quite ex. That's why, i would rather eat at restaurants/Cha Chan Ting.

DRINKS
500ml PET (from convenience stalls) - ¥4
Restaurants - ¥10-30
Cafe - ¥20-50 (Starbucks/Coffee Bean prices are the same as Singapore)
Alcohol - a wide range from local to Singapore prices (or more)
* I feel that drinks are quite expensive considering ¥20/30 for food, and half that price for a beverage! Most restaurants serve complimentary Chinese tea.
* Clubbing at expat places is expensive. But the clubs are mostly super nice, and opened by celebrities eg Carina Lau, Faye Wong...

CLOTHES, SHOES, BAGS etc
Departmental Stores - ¥500 onwards (Men, Ladies & Kids)
Small shops - ¥300-500+ onwards (Men, Ladies)
Tailor-made - suits about ¥500, shirt/blouse about ¥80... all depending on fabric (Men, Ladies, Kids and ANYTHING!)
Wholesale markets - ¥20-100+ onwards, accessories from ¥10 (mostly Ladies)
Kids - ¥20-100+ onwards (at mommies paradise NiHong which is actually 'Neon Kids Place' in English)
* If you wanna shop in departmental stores, the key is to go during SALE! They will offer good discounts! Sometimes even 70-90% off! There's always promotion like Spend ¥300 Get ¥100 off, Spend ¥600 Get ¥300 Free... The most ultimate is Spend ¥300 Get ¥300 FREE (in terms of vouchers for next purchase).
* Most small shops in ChangLe Road are fixed-priced, cannot bargain. But you can try asking for some discount if it's too expensive.
* Ask for the best price in other small shops. If you dont like the seller, dont buy from them.

TRANSPORT
Bus - ¥2 flat rate
Train - generally ¥3-4, a little more if you're going somewhere further
Taxi - Flag-down rate is ¥11 (for quite a distance, approx 10mins). ¥150-200 from Pudong PVG airport to town
* Taxi is the best way to move around the city. Requires you to know the names of 2 roads at the junction. (So that's a BIG challenge for me... like a maze!) It's difficult to get a taxi during peak-hours, impossible when it's raining. Lastly, scold the driver if he is rude or drive recklessly. HAHA!

* Today, 1.00 CNY = 0.221384 SGD

As a rule of thumb, a proper meal would cost anything from S$30-100+ (for 2 pax). Nice clothes nothing below S$100. Taxi is cheap at S$2-5 if you're staying in "town" and also moving around "town". You'll know once you get here coz Shanghai is too huge!!! (The outskirts are still quite like "village")

The most "amazing" thing you'll soon realize when you're here is... The locals dont have the typical "Chinaman look" which we often can spot easily in Singapore!!! Hahaha... In fact, they're mostly very trendy - even trendier than us. I'm considered old-fashioned here. :_(

white choco

This is Fuji Instax Mini 7s

When we saw it, we thought it's nice...and was very tempted to buy it for fun (and using baby Joel as an excuse). But i know we wont bring any "big" cameras out. (Elvis NEVER brings his 2 cameras out...yet still wanna buy a DSLR!!!) So i dropped the idea. Now, with all these polaroid posts, it made me drool again! Keke... Very terrible... ;p

Anyway, i'll still recommend this camera to anyone who has never owned a Polaroid before. So instant, You'll Love It! ;)

choco . white

a decade ago

Here's a picture i saw on my desktop... (which i poladroided)

We look young, right?! Coz it's taken about 10 years ago (in JWT Singapore office).

P.S. I've been wanting to post some old photos on my Facebook... maybe i should get it done soon...

google u

Just wondering if you've ever googled yourself?

I wonder what will turn up...

pros-n-cons.com

Perhaps you could tell me what you liked and disliked about your Polaroid (or even your instant Fuji).

I'll start...

LIKE
1. Instant
2. Holding it in your hands seconds after... Anticipating
3. Can write/draw on the white part
4. Unique
.
.
i wish there was more to say

DISLIKE
1. Bulky to carry around
2. Expensive film (S$2 each photo at that time i used my Polaroid. Joycam film was about S$1)
3. What comes out is slightly different from what you see in the viewfinder (coz of the distance between the 2)
4. The colour is a little yellowish/greenish. Not vibrant
5. The colour fades over time
6. Difficult to split among friends (if taken in a group...and too expensive to take so many shots)
7. Difficult to store them
8. Worried that the film will be out of stock/discontinued

savethepolaroid.com

Okay, i know i'm contradicting...
Here's a site for a worthy cause.
Save the Polaroid.com
You can submit your precious Polaroids.

P.S. I'm wondering if she can spot my fake Joel polaroid. Keke... ;p

polaroided

Do you have a Polaroid camera collecting dust at home? I have had 2 Polaroid cameras - a smaller Joycam and another, a regular Polaroid 600. A few months ago, we thought of buying a Fuji instant camera too. Something a bit more handy compared to the bulky Polaroids. Fuji's colour is also more vibrant.

Now there's no need for it! (i think)

This cool site actually creates Polaroid shots for you! It's Poladroid. Look at my desktop! Even has the usual Polaroid "processing time". Haha! Interesting!

Here's a sample of the new Poladroid on the day Joel was born - which will be saved on your computer. Cool! ;)

square face and his mommy

Just took some "weekend shots" on the taxi... We were on our way home after we dropped Daddy off in his office.

The picture shows (1) a toy shop and (2) Garden Books. It's a cozy foreign bookshop (meaning expensive English books) with a cafe (they sell gelato!), and a backyard which they used to hold flea markets on some weekends. (Although i'm not too sure if it's still happening now)

This is Square Face as we call him.

sailboats

I love graphic prints.

Something that caught my eye some years ago was a sailboat print dress by Singaporean designer hansel. Recently, Stella McCartney also has this amazing silk dress with boat print priced at about US$800 (see right).

A few weeks ago, i saw this tiered mini skirt with lots of sailboats! I knew i had to get it. Of course, it didnt break the bank. Haha! ;)

Who says women over 30 should dress their age and cannot wear mini skirts?! ;p

joel is here!

Although Elvis had to work, we decided not to let Joel miss his play class. We ordered delivery lunch and stayed home to watch TV. We had to wake Joel up from his nap to feed him too. The journey by cab takes less than 10 mins and we were running a little late. (Cannot go into the class if one is more than 15 mins late. Coz the class is only 45 mins per session.)

Even before we reached the main entrance, the reception girls who saw us from the glass windows and shouted, "Jo 来了! Jo 来了!" (Joel is here! Joel is here!) Such warm welcome! Haha! To our surprise, there was only ONE baby girl waiting for her 3pm class to start. They needed at least 2 kids to start a class, and it was her first Gymboree session. So, Joel saved the day! ;)

It's so weird that the weather was sooo lovely, yet no one else came to the class. Maybe everyone has gone to "sweep the tombs" since Saturday's weather was really bad.

Anyway, that little girl looked bigger than Joel but she was 14 months old (1 month younger), could walk, and also knew how to share toys etc with Joel. Keke... Quite "embarrassing". So when the teachers asked how old Joel was, Daddy Elvis quickly answered "About the same!" HAHAHAHA... ;p

chinese snacks

Chinese always have some kind of "special food" for a special occasion. On QingMing Festival, they will eat "qing tuan" 青团. I have never eaten or seen this snack before in Singapore. I imagine it taste like "tang yuan". It comes in many different kinds of fillings too eg. red bean paste.
(If you can read Chinese, it might be interesting to find out how this snack came about)

I see it everywhere here but i did not buy any to try. Somehow, i think it's the artificial colour that puts me off. It's the Incredible Hulk kind of green-green.

Picture taken from the link above.
I saw on TV that some people even queue many hours to buy it at some famous snack shop at Nanjing West Road.

BUT I LOVE the "bao" from this place! It was only ¥1/S$0.20 each in 2006 when i learnt knitting. It had vegetable & "chai po" inside. Just thinking of it makes me drool. I used to go there quite often until the Aunty knows i'm there #1 for the veggy bao 素菜包 ¥1, if sold out, then i'll go for #2 crab meat bao ¥10 rather unwillingly coz it's not as yummy as veggy bao! She probably recognized me coz i was definitely the most civilized person there. EVERYONE else was cutting queue and raising their voices to get their orders across! Haha! The price is also unbelievable coz that is a "high-class district" near Plaza 66!!! It is also near the famous local food street WuJiang Road - which i heard will be closed soon coz of the Expo2010 (probably concerns about the hygiene of the food). Sometimes when i'm tired with my knitting, i will call it a day and walk there to buy some local snacks before heading home. (Some days if it's early and not freezing, i will walk 15-20mins down to JingAn area/Sogo to shop and look at some stuffs) O ya, the gyoza at WuJiang Road is also the best! And only ¥2-3 for 4pcs then. It was during winter, so i always feel very 幸褔 holding the hot snacks in my hands. I last ate the gyoza when Clara was here for a holiday in July 2007 (summer). It doesnt taste so nice somehow... Hmm...

This evening, we were in that area again for dinner with Elvis' ex-team as Susie is back for holidays (she's gone to work in Singapore). When we left, i couldnt resist buying the famous Lilian Egg Tarts - the most delicious Portuguese egg tart in Shanghai! Now ¥3.50 each. (I think it used to be ¥2.80) I just ate one before i typed this. 幸褔! Elvis also "dabao" for his team since he went back to continue working. Poor thing...but i hope they feel 幸褔 too! They have a good boss who slogs with them. Haha!

fog

The weather was terrible yesterday (on QingMing Festival). It was very foggy and raining at times. It's also very cold. Below 10˚C again. This photo was taken at about 5pm yesterday.

And this was taken at the same time today. The weather since morning was lovely - bright & sunny. It wasnt very cold either. Can keep that thick winter coat and just wear a light jacket. Probably around 15˚C. We love this kind of weather! So SPRING!

Where i have typed the words, you can see ships. Maybe it's a river or somewhere that leadings to the sea (i'm not too sure). It is still slightly foggy at this hour but definitely not as bad as yesterday.

We just came back from Joel's play class, and will be going out for dinner later with Elvis' ex-team. Elvis has gone in to his office again. He will be working over the whole long weekend (Sat, Sun & Mon).

public holiday

Today is QingMing Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day). Since 2008, it's has become an official public holiday here in China. It's a long weekend too, extending till Monday.

But Elvis has to work on Sun & Mon. (His team doesnt wanna come into office on Sat, so they told him they have to go "shao mu"/sweep the tomb! Keke...)

You might want to know this too...
Starting January 1, 2008, the People's Republic of China reduced May Labour Day holiday period down to 1 day, while simultaneously reviving three traditional Chinese holidays: Dragon Boat Festival (端午节）, Tomb-Sweeping Day (清明节) , and the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节）.

Labour Day is celebrated on May 1, and is a public holiday. In the 1990s, the Labour Day holiday was extended from 1 day to 3 days. The Chinese government made it a 7 day holiday by moving the prior and upcoming weekends together with these 3 days. The Labour Day holiday was one of the three Golden Weeks in China, allowing millions of Chinese people to travel during this period.

* Hence, there's only 2 Golden Weeks now - Spring Festival (Chinese Lunar New Year) & National Day on 1 Oct.

new labels again

I've added some new labels - kilos, shanghai & weekends.

Kilos - Joel's monthly weight updates. Also see him transform from Very Blur Joel to Blur & Cute Joel!
Shanghai - Things about Shanghai
Weekends - Our usual weekends (replaced the 'Everyday's)

the naughty face

I've made up my mind to spend less time on the Mac when Joel is not asleep. Actually, i dont mind looking after Joel when Ahyi is here, and i really dont mind doing all those simple Mommy Chores for Joel (although i take a breather every now & then to chat on MSN, blog and/or check emails), but Ahyi tends to "snatch to do things" the minute i'm gone for a few seconds! Sometimes, she even snatches Joel from my arms when i'm carrying him (just like a MIL). I get frustrated, but i let her be most of the time... Anyway, i can use the computer! ;p

Still, i like to feed Joel myself. I bathe him and cook his porridge too (instead of getting Ahyi to do it). I also like to change his soiled diapers myself coz she always makes Joel's butt & even his penis RED!!! I was so worried for a while...and even took pictures of it to show Elvis when he gets home at night. Anyway, i've told Ahyi to be a bit more gentle. ;p

This is Joel's naughty & cute face when we're alone...

Joel got a shock knocking into the Jumperoo behind him! So funny! ;p

Joel & Mommy
2 April 2009, Thursday evening

our sofa bed

My special task for today was to pack the things on the sofa bed. Stella told me to take a photo of the before & after. I didnt want to...but still, i took a photo of the 'Before' (in case i change my mind later). This is exactly the scene behind me every day as i'm using the Mac...

My task is finally complete after laying the bedsheets! I'm so impressed that i have to take the 'After' shot.
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Drum roll
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TADA!!!

In this Tiny Room
- 40% is made up of wardrobes (8 units)
- 20% is the sofa bed (folded)
- 20% is the study table
- 5% suitcases
- 15% walking space

In the 8 units of wardrobes
- 5 units are existing built-in (front)
- 3 units we bought from IKEA (left)

How it is split up
- 80% of 1 unit belongs to Joel (20% hat collection as seen previously)
- 2 units are bags, Elvis' pants & shirts, some of my dresses,
- 3 units are mostly Elvis' JACKETS (!!!) and our sweaters,
- and the remaining 2 units (blocked by the sofa bed) is our storeroom.
The rest of our clothes (mainly tshirts & jeans) are in another 4 units in our bedroom, and 6 drawers. On top of that, there's a rack in the living room for jackets which we wear regularly. O ya, and a whole drawer of socks beside our door. Our house is almost like a warehouse!

likes and dislikes

Joel hasnt shown much progress in both his speech and actions for m-o-n-t-h-s. He's first stood up when he was 9 months old, and he weighed 10kg then. Now at 15 months, he weighs just 400gms more! We're not worried since he looks healthy.

I think that Joel doesnt know/learn as much things as other babies - at least from the kids we see at his play class. He's now at Level 3 for 10-16mths. Being the youngest, he's always less responsive than the other babies/toddlers. Now at 15mths, Joel is almost the eldest in the group and the teachers always praise him - coz he smiles & claps more than the other babies! Of course, he's also the most stylish baby there lah! Haha! In terms of size, he's neither the biggest, tallest nor the chubbiest. Many babies who just joined at 10/12mths look even bigger than Joel! Many also know more "tricks" than Joel.

I believe other babies learn better through interaction with family members, grandpas and grandmas. Whereas Joel only has me 24 hours. Daddy Elvis comes home late most of the time (when Joel is already asleep), so he can only spend time with Joel on weekends. And even then, all we do is eat & shop!

I think it's also becoz of me as a mom. Maybe i havent taught him enough, talked to him enough, listened to him enough, fed him enough (HAHA! Just joking!)... Maybe i've been using too much computer.

These are some of the things that Joel can do
- he walks with support (yes, he's still doing that)
- he can stand on his feet for about 30 seconds
- he says Daddy, Mama, Bear-Bear, Car-Car, Star, Socks, Shoes... (i cant think of anything else now)
- when i ask him what sound does a lion make, he will open his mouth wide and go "Arr" very gently. Such a gentle roar! Very cute!
- he understands and looks/takes/points at these objects when told - book, ball, socks, shoes, milk, eat, lion, bear, car...
- he knows the actions for clap, shake, high-five, bye, smile, hug, milk (sign language)...
- he takes a clean diaper and places it at the right place which amuses us a lot!!!
- when i hum/sing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' or the 'Alphabet Song', Joel will go to his piano and play it (by flipping those pre-recorded pages lah)
- he moves rigidly to the song 'Proud to be Me' from Signing Times (it can hardly be called 'dancing')
- he knows where are Bear-Bear's eyes but not his own

Joel likes
People - Daddy (esp on weekends), Mommy & Bear-Bear (whom he shows lots of LOVE to)
Food - mommy's home-cooked porridge, bananas (not satisfied with just 1), chinese buns 包, bread, biscuits...
Daily things - reading (and being read to), spinning objects esp balls, spinning wheels, throwing things outside of his play yard, babble (sometimes it's as if he's talking to us), watching his DVDs, watching TV commercials with beautiful women, baby massage (it's actually just applying his body lotion after his bath), applying face cream (haha! maybe coz it smells good), looking at the mirror, listening to the Smurfs Goodnight Song when he sleeps, twirling his tongue, laugh & SMILE...

Joel doesnt like
- to eat apples (i think)
- to be left alone
* recently, he doesnt like it when we wanna put him down in his play yard. He will grip us at the hips very tightly like a little koala.

And Joel's bad habits are still...
- scratch & pinch (my hands) when he's trying to fall asleep
- bang his head against the bed's headboard or wall (before he prepares for bed or when he wakes up in the morning)
- hurdles over us (on the bed) to reach the objects on the 2 side tables
- toss and turn on our bed, lie horizontally (90˚) and upside down (180˚) and kick our faces
- pretend to cough when he sees his milk bottle coming towards him
- toss his milk bottle when he's done with it
- pull mommy's hair
- twirl his tongue
- "saw" his 2 front teeth with the 2 lower teeth
- lick things esp rough surfaces (eg. velcro, zip, the soles of his home shoes)
- bite his Bear-Bear's nose (till 1 strand of thread broke)
- signature blur look with his tongue sticking out
- sleeps late (usually anytime between 10pm to midnight)
* recently, he starts to fuss when we're eating
* for the past week, he has been waking up at 7+AM!!!

That's all i can remember and list out for now. ;)

extraordinarily

I was asked to show Joel's fat thighs aka pig trotters. So i decided to pick out some extraordinary pictures...

Please scroll all the way down to the 12th picture. Enjoy! ;)

bunnies for sale

I saw the rabbit peddler again. The little bunnies looked "puffed up". Maybe they were cold too.

This little girl's mom was buying her a bunny.

we're twins

btw, i cant bear to give away any of it to anyone! It'll probably be left intact forever...
(Bet you too!)

at play

Joel has been quite grouchy of late. So i always give him my camera to play with when he starts to get restless. I saw these in my camera...

Other things i give him are
- biscuits
- pacifier
- toys
- water
- food
- anything "safe" on the table
(kinda in this order too. Haha!)

prints

Wish i worked in an office that uses these cool paper cups.

From Askul.com

tshirt shop

Saw this tshirt shop along ChangLe Road 长乐路. Interesting paper mache plates on the walls, and picture frames too.

Each collection has its own theme. This mens range is 3 Days. The ladies range is Blue.
(Mens tees are priced at ¥280/approx S$60)

I love the pillars on the ceiling.

friends on facebook

Hey, you guys, I know I've just fired all of you, but remember - we're still friends on Facebook! Not bad, huh!?

in search of a midnight kiss

As much as i dislike movies with seemingly "no ending", i highly recommend this lovely movie. From the producer of Before Sunset.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007)
In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a rollicking comic ride and tender journey though love, sex, and modern romance in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a twenty-nine-year old guy who has just had the worst year of his life, is new to Los Angeles, has no date, no concrete plans and every intention of locking the doors and forgetting the last year ever happened. That is until his best friend, Jacob (Brian McGuire), browbeats him into posting a personal ad on Craig's List. When Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a strong-willed woman hell bent on being with the right guy at the stroke of midnight responds, a chaotic, sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching journey through the black and white streets of L.A. begins. In the waning hours of the year, emotional vulnerability and bitterly honest humor seem to be waiting around every corner.

More info here.

P.S. There's nothing wrong with your TV set, this is a black & white movie (not sepia as shown on the cover).