sunday

We met up with our Singaporean friends and 1 of their sister & niece who is here on holiday at Tai Ping Koon Restaurant - which is like the most authentic of olden HK 茶餐廳 "cha chan tang". The food is nice but more expensive than most other 茶餐廳s. I was actually craving for Afternoon Tea's pasta just next door...but they wanted to eat at TPK.

Anyway, the lunch was also kinda for Elvis to meet our friend's sis coz they happen to be from the same secondary school in Singapore, and she was Elvis' dream girl. But i can let you in that he had bad taste. (She's an AhLian through and through...and even her 2yr old daughter is dressed as one! Toddler in black PVC leather pants!!! OMG!) ;p

After that, we went to check out Gymboree (HuaiHai Road branch) becoz our friend said that she signed the package and couldnt get her balanced amount refunded (and her daughter has outgrown Gymboree), hence, we could perhaps take over from her number of leftover classes. Other than Play, Music & Art classes, there's also Baby Sign, Mommy & Baby Fitness, Yoga Fun & Global Kids. But for Joel's age group (for 6-10mths), he can only attend 3 classes - Music, Baby Sign & Mommy-Baby Fitness.

Package prices
- 12 classes for ¥2880 (about S$600)
- up to 96 classes for ¥15300 (that's a whopping $3000)
Unit price/per class
- from ¥159 - ¥240 (about S$32-48)
Registration fees
- ¥360/family

What i dont like about the package is that one need to state/confirm the number of times they wanna attend the classes, and there's also a validity period for the package. Hence, if they're not in town and/or miss a class, they'll have to put in an extra class the following week. I feel it's not flexible lor.

I looked through the glass windows and thought that the Music class looks pretty boring coz the teacher was singing away (and holding some rattle thingie)...there were 3 babies inside who didnt really seem to respond much. Haha! They were sitting/playing around with their parents - who perhaps are equally bored. I asked the Consultant what happens if the baby is not concentrating at all...and she said although they dont seem to be responding physically, the ir mind is actually "responding to the music". Haha! So profound! I thought that the Play classes looked pretty fun with the "sponge obstacles" and all... But only when Joel is able to stand/walk can he attend the Play & Art classes. Anyway...that's something to consider for our growing baby...

joel's play area

Joel has taken up exactly half of our living room. What a "mess"!

After moving the new playmat around the house, i thought that this arrangement might be the best...coz we'll still get half the room for watching TV. ;)

mochis 2

Here's my 2nd time trying the mochis...caramel, lemon, peach, blueberry & chocolate (milk & dark). Elvis had to work (on a Sunday) after our lunch...so we each bought a box...and his colleagues loved it too! ;)

I think what's so nice about this mochis are that they have a cream filling. I cant wait to try more more more...

P.S. They actually stamp the flavors on the tracing paper. The milk chocolate mochi is also bigger than the rest! Keke...

mochis

This is the mochi i ate yesterday. Mochi Sweets/"Mo Ti Gong Fang". It's sooo yummy! I took a flyer and it says there's 17 flavors - dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sesame, sakura, coffee, pumpkin, caramel, red bean, green tea, honey lemon, orange, chestnut, peach and blueberry.

I've seen it a few times when we're at Sogo (in JingAn) and i always say i wanna try...but didnt...coz Elvis doesnt wanna share. Yday, i only bought a few to eat before our dinner, and now, he says it's VERY NICE! It was really not enough to share! (Dont trust him coz he doesnt know what mochi was until yday. Haha!) We must really try ALL flavors next time!

Each piece is ¥6-7 (about S$1.30). You can buy them individually (placed in soft paper and put into a doggie bag) or in lovely black gift boxes of 6/9/12 pieces. It's so pretty as a gift too! Here's a picture of the Sogo B1 counter (not Pacific B2) taken from someone else's blog. ;p

XXX

If you didnt get your hands on those limited edition Dirty Thirty jeans yday, here's how they look. There's also a XXX-rated video on it (a very funny one)...but i better dont embed it here coz my underaged nephews read my blog for Joel updates. Keke... ;p


Personally, i'm not too sure about the "torn parts" although it seems to be all the rage now (Nice meh???) ...and also the colour... Hmm...i think the touched-up pix (side profile, bottom post) looks sooo much nicer! When we were in Spore, Elvis was also looking for a pair of super torn vintage 1947 Levis 501 jeans that costs about S$500/600. I will FAINT if he really found it!!! Spore's Levi's Flagship Store at The Heeren only carries 1 model of the 1947 501s selling at about S$200+. In the end, he found a nice pair of Nudie Jeans at Queen's Coutour that fitted his errmm short legs. Apparently, they have a fit for any kind of body shape. Prices from S$200+ to 400+...and you're supposed to wear them everyday and NOT wash for SIX MONTHS!!! ;p

Heeren has the widest range of Levi's you cannot find in other Levi's stores/corners...or if you are looking for something special. But i feel they're so over-priced for Levi's. Haha! Go check it out if you are also into torn and tattered jeans.  

diesel dirty 30

If you do not know by now...time to shutdown your computer on the dot...and rush to the Diesel store!

TODAY only, becoz Diesel is 30, their jeans are going for only 30 Euros!
EURO COUNTRIES: 30€, UK30£, Denmark 300 DKK, Sweden 300 SEK, Norway300 NOK, Switzerland 50’30 CH, USA $50, Canada CAN $50, Hong Kong 390 HKD, China 390 RMB, Singapore 78SGD, Bangkok 1978 THB, Taiwan 1830 TWD, Korea 59.000 KRW, Philippines 3030 PHP, Brasil 300 REAIS

UPDATED:
Elvis said he doesnt have to work too late today, so we arranged to go out for dinner. Before that, i wanted to go out earlier to shop shop and also look at the Dirty Thirty jeans. But I was waiting for Joel to wake up from his afternoon nap...and he didnt until 5pm (I was already changed by 4pm and waiting)... Then i fed him and by the time we left the house, it was almost 6pm. As soon as i got off the cab, i saw that the lights at the Diesel store was dimmed (OMG)...when i got closer, i saw a paper pasted on the door (in CHINESE). I was thinking maybe it will say "Please Enter From The Other Door" (coz the Diesel store here at Infiniti has 2 levels). Then I tried to read it...and it says something like 'The Shop Is Closed For The Day". I saw a few of the staff having their dinner inside the shop (sitting on the floor), and also a XXX jeans signage with "SOLD OUT" pasted on it. So...the shop is REALLY closed for the day!!! Why is that so??? They only need to sell the Dirty Thirty jeans today??? Weird huh.

Anyway, i just walked another 5-mins to Pacific Department Store to shop-shop and also wait for Elvis. In the end, he only reached at about 8pm. I was so hungry i bought the mochi i've always wanted to try. I was actually hesitating between Beard Papa or mochi. It's soooo yummy! (I must blog about it next time) We ended up eating at Crystal Jade and ordering the "salted egg crab with lots of roe" which we both love! Yum Yum! ...and the dinner is even more expensive than a Dirty Diesel Jeans. ;)

porridge outdoors

When we were in Spore, i checked out some food containers at Taka. Tiger's range of nice "bag-styled" food containers costs about S$59-70+. There's 2 sizes which i thought the bigger size would be more ideal for big-eater Joel. I really liked its rather compact size VS those huge flask-containers.

The lady promoter showed us basically 2 styles (bag & small flask) suitable for kids...and she said that 1 is from Japan, the other from Shanghai (although the price is about the same)! So, i decided to come back and look for it! Haha! Probably can save money too if it's Made in Shanghai! ;p

It's for Baby Joel when we start him on real food-food (i.e. porridge). When we're at home, he eats fish/carrot/vegetables- flavored cereal once or twice a day. I think it'll be quite a headache once he starts to eat anything other than milk. Imagine all the preparation, bowls, spoons, flask & whatever...we have to bring! Haha! We're lazy parents who still feed him milk & bottled baby food when we're outside. ;p

Every weekend, after Joel has had his milk in the morning, we'll head out for our brunch. Usually, i'll bring along 3 milk feeds enough for the whole day - 1 hot water flask, 3 milk bottles (with lukewarm water inside) and 3-parts milk powder. And that is pretty heavy already plus diapers, wipes & mat. Arrgh... So, i kinda fret about the porridge part...and also coz i cant cook. ;p

Anyway, back to the bag-styled food container... I got it today at only S$28 for the bigger size which would probably be enough for 2-3 porridge feeds. HAHA! (The smaller size is about S$20 and has a lot more designs for the bag)

Time to learn how to cook porridge! (click)

* Only the rice container comes with a stainless steel "thermal pot" which can keep food warm for up to 6 hours. All other plastic containers are microwavable.
720ml Size (for Ladies):
- Rice container 280ml, 2 side-dish containers 220ml/each
1250ml Size (for Men):
- Rice container 470ml, 2 side-dish containers 390ml/each

gross things

which i wonder if it's normal...
- move his finger/hand back & forth (like a pendulum), rubbing against his tongue which is always dangling outside his mouth like a dog's
- he does the above with anything! Eg. pacifier, toys, cloth books...
- lick his palms so wet, open & close it to make a swooshing sound (just like the handsign for milk)
- open his mouth so big to "contain" the bottom part of his pacifier (he's actually using his 2 lower teeth to bite the pacifier INSIDE his mouth)
- you have probably seen him pout his lips and make some sounds...sometimes, it's so bad that he can even spit saliva out
...
Sometimes, when i look at him...i cant decide if it's "cute" or plain digusting! ;p

blanky with tags

Stella made a cool blanket with tags for Baby Joel! The fabric is very soft and double-sided too! WOW! Here is it!

She was the one who told me about Taggies which her friend told her kids love. True enough, i realized that Joel likes to lick & suck the tags on his toys! This is just 1 of the disgusting things he likes to do! Haha...

round-angled

This morning, i started baby-proofing the house starting with the table corners. Almost all the furniture in this rented apartment is made of super heavy & chunky wood-wood and it is really OUCH! to knock into them. Even for us, it can give a really bad blue-black. In fact, it's all so sturdy that every part can be a hazard. :/


The "plastic corners" were really cheap at S$1.20/pack of 4pcs. (There were at least 3 brands from the LiJia Baby catalogue costing $1.20 to $5+. I bought the cheapest and i'm happy with its quality)
LEFT: Mickey's hands (from Ikea) is also very cute and has a bit of "shock-proof" from the rubbery gloves. But it's a little prominent (unless you have white furniture) and dust actually sticks onto the rubber. I ended up using it only for our study table...the bottom, i used the cheapo $0.30 corner. The toilet countertop also needs to be "angled-off" but Daddy says it's still out of bounds for now.

our family & friends

i made noise every time when Daddy & Mommy are eating (Mommy likes the middle picture)

playing at home with cousin YiChen who is 1.5 months older than me - i am 2kg heavier than her - she doesnt like to smile and play - she looks like a boy with less hair than me - charm everyone at home especially AhGong & AhMa - i had to stay at home for 1 day becoz Daddy wanted to watch a movie and shop without me (sob sob) - i had yummy banana becoz i have constipation - keep taking very short naps - Mommy thinks it's so funny that i sat still and waited for Daddy to make my milk milk - YiChen & i likes the organic Apple Cinnamon baby snacks Aunty Sandra bought (but I dont know how to put it into my mouth)

cousins Xavier & Xan showing me their turtle soft toys becoz i'm too small for their toys - PorPor & GongGong who hasnt seen me for 6 months (i'm much heavier now) - cousin Xavier is worried that i'm hungry & cousin Xan tried ways to make me stop crying - Aunty Janis likes me and i kinda look like her too (she says, "When it's fat, all look the same! Haha!") - finally got to meet Aunty Agatha in Spore (instead of in Shanghai) - i tried fish porridge (YUCKS!)

at Ikea to help YiChen's parents pick out furniture for their new home - saw many nice Tag Heuer watches at Paragon (Daddy likes one from 1975) - i begin to notice other children play (looks fun) - met many Uncles, Aunties and 2 very cute boys Noah & Johan - Shanghainese Aunty Susie is also in Spore now - Uncle Tomy is bad influence (HAHA!) - i like Singapore except the heat ;)

baby playmat

Yeah! I've finally found a playmat for Baby Joel. Many people in Singapore are selling these Korean LG playmats for anything from S$100+ to $300+ (depending on the thickness/design)... and i got it for only ¥268. That's only about S$54!
(It's a 1.2cm thickness/foam mat. Not the thin silver foil backing ones which costs about S$20+. They look like car sunshades to me. Yucks! And the LG double-sided foam ones are selling here for about S$140...but i dont wanna spend so much on a mat. Also, i think my $50 foam mat can cut into any size i want. Maybe even can use the extras on the walls too. Keke...)

In fact, even before Joel started crawling, i've been looking all over for these playmats. Due to space constrain, i was quite set on getting the ABC-123 puzzle-mats to fit our living room. That would cost about S$10-30 depending on the EVA material (and the maximum "empty space" of 1.2m x 0.9m i could find in our hall). I didnt think that China would have these Korean playmats...but...almost everything is Made in China...so...i can actually "save" lots of money here - esp on kids stuffs which are so expensive and such a waste of money coz they outgrow everything so quickly! Hmm...but come to think of it, Daddy is right...i do tend to buy more stuffs than what Joel really needs. Anyway, the playmat design (of cute animals) that i wanted was sold out, so i decided to take Thomas the Train. It was this or another boring animal print. Is Thomas still in or out (already)? Anyways...

...here's Joel before the real (HUGE 2m x 1.8m) playmat arrives. This is half-dining/living area, just outside the door of the study room (where the Mac is so i can keep an eye on him) and the future Joel's bedroom.

And a vain baby in front of the mirror with a really cheeky smile! ;p

it has arrived

The DHL man just delivered ELVIS C! Wait till Daddy comes through the door and sees the parcel! ;)

Chey... Daddy wasnt surprised at all coz he said that DHL called him before the delivery. But i could tell that he tried to "act cool"...when he actually cant wait to open the box! Haha! We couldnt decide which colour shoelace is nicer - pink or grey. (Each pair of NIKEiD comes with 2 shoelaces)
* Photo taken with flash.


P.S. We were told that NIKEiDs were made different countries namely China, Vietnam and Thailand. From the box, it seems that ELVIS C was made in Thailand!

happy baby

Hi everyone,
We're back "home" in Shanghai! The weather here has turned chilly...like winter is almost here.

It's been an exciting week of meeting up with so many family & friends back home in Singapore. Last night, Aunty Michelle also came to our house to see us just before she goes back to her work in HK today. Daddy also managed to do some "damage shopping" in Singapore, Mummy only a little bit, Baby NOTHING (!!!) ...yes yes, a $3.90 Ferrari from 7-Eleven store. HAHA! ;p

This is Joel grinning after his breakfast today. He's wearing this thick sleepbag for the first time and i'm quite worried he'll get "choked" coz the neckline seems pretty tight and he can turn 180 degrees when he's asleep. (I think i heard him cough) :/

Anyway...God will bless us & you.
See you again in Chinese New Year - only 3 more months! ;)

un-pack

It's 11.30pm and the little one still doesnt wanna sleep and/or doesnt show any signs of sleeping soon. OMG, my luggage is still unpacked... only Aunty/PorPor's things (in the 2 separate bags)...and half of Joel's things. He's got a bit of separation anxiety...so i cant leave him to pack too. That's why i placed him on the floor near the suitcase so i can at least grab some stuffs.

So far, i've packed in his diapers and about 10-days of clothes...only to realize it has already taken up almost a quarter of the luggage space! Sooo many other things havent even go in yet (and i also tend to over-pack lah). The sterilizer is also going to take up quite a bit of space too. That will be the last to go in. I've decided to bring his diapers (even though it's cheaper in Spore) coz he's kinda "in-between sizes" and i wanna finish them before he really gets too fat.

Baby, what time are you going to sleep huh?

P.S. Those who have been to our house...you can see from the picture above that yesterday i've moved the armchair to the far end of the living room (just in front of the balcony) to create a space in our small apartment for Joel to play on the floor (where the Jumperoo is). I will buy those puzzle foam mat (90 x 60cm/piece) when we come back. Planning on doing up a 90cm x 120/180cm area. Decided that those 2m x 2m Korean playmats are way too big. Hmm...hope it wont be too cold either on the floor. :/ The weather suddenly turned cold today - like in aircon room.

Our timing today is a little haywire - although Joel doesnt really have a fixed schedule. Coz Daddy has been working late late nights for the past week (since the weekends) and he had to work through the night yesterday. He only came home at 6+am to bathe and then went back into office again for his very important presentation at 9am. So, Joel actually woke up at 6am when he heard Daddy's voice! Daddy came home today at 6+pm and has been sleeping like a log. Our day started so early and i'm surprised Joel is still so active now - playing with a packet of tissue paper.

sadist baby

Last night, Baby Joel was very happy (an understatement) when his good friend Monchichi accidentally fell down from the bed... Then, i decided to show u guys how MUCH he enjoyed it! Hahahahahahahahaaaa...
(Pardon Joel's super mismatched pajamas)

This baby also likes/love to
- pull peoples' hair (Grrrrr!)
- pinch those flabby bye-bye arms (OUCHHH!)
- scratch people with his fingernails (HEY!)
- push back your nail cuticles (ouch)
- play with your ear-rings...and pull! (OUCH!)
Dont say i didnt warn you! ;p

joel's first trip back

This time tomorrow, we'll be at Shanghai PVG and coming back to Singapore! It's China's National Day - 1 week holiday! We'll be here till 6 Oct, Mon. ;)

It's Joel's first trip back - in almost 6 months - since we came in April. I'm sure all his GongGong, PorPor, aunties and uncles miss him a lot.

Aunties Yen Yen, Audrey & Sandra: I've packed your Longchamp bags already! U can use them on Monday! ;)
Sandra: I bought some girl stuffs for Jerome's little niece...your (authentic) Paul Frank bermudas...and Jerome's stuffs.
Xan & Xavier: I've got your Adidas tshirts in size-150 coz you are such BIG boys now!
PorPor: I'm bringing back some sweaters and 2 nice jackets for your coming Beijing trip. Hope it'll fit (coz i figured the rest are too small for u). Keke...

9 months & my big bag of rice

Baby Joel is 9 months old today...and i just weighed him...he's 10kg!
Yes, a big bag of rice. ;)

baby swap

I'm excited that my swap with Lara in Germany is in the mail as i type. My package should reach her soon. I've sent her a swap of sorts and she's sending me baby-swap (for Joel). I cant wait! ;)

Keeping my fingers crossed that there wont be any problems with the customs (at both ends). Coz when i mailed out the package, it's sooo strict now that they need to inspect literally EVERYTHING that's inside the package! So many restricted items. Anything "written" (even a small note) will also have to go into another envelope and be sent separately as a 'Letter'.

!!!???!!!

P.S. Her package sent via SHA-US-DE (Germany) which might take slightly longer...

ugly betty 2

I have finished watching Ugly Betty Season 2! The ending is sooo Felicity - having to choose between Ben & Noel. (Ben! Ben! Ben!) Usually, i'm on the side of the follow-your-heart-guy (who is almost always hotter)...but i'll definitely want Betty to be with Gio...and he's also much hotter than the nerd Henry who happens to have too HUGE a chest for his small head and a tiny waist. I wonder why sometimes in the show, they actually call him "hot"???

I also realised halfway through that Wilhelmina Slater is actually Vanessa Williams (yes, the singer-songwriter)...and Salma Hayek is in the show becoz she's also the Executive Producer! I was like "She's in Ugly Betty?!" when i first saw her appeared and took off her top (HAHA!). No wonder her name keeps appearing at the start of every episode.

I just had to google again and see if Betty looks anything like what she does in reel life...and she's actually quite pretty. America Ferrera. Look at this shot of her in the cannot-go-wrong Jennifer Aniston hairdo...and also check out some other photos! Some are really quite Betty-like. ;p

Anyway, catch Ugly Betty if u can! Two thumbs up! I really enjoyed watching it! The sad parts also didnt make me sob as much as Felicity or Alias. Yes, i always cry - even for sitcoms! Haha!