candid

Band of Brothers.
They couldnt stop laughing...

the end

If you've never been to Shanghai, you've missed Edison Chen's fashion store ACU on ChangLe Road. It's one of the coolest 2-storey shop along that stretch. It's East meets West deco...lots of wood & bamboo elements. No photography in the store...AND there's even a security guard at the door! Becoz some of the shoes are REALLY EXPENSIVE! During early winter, i saw baby suede moccasin shoes selling for more than S$800!!! All these expensive shoes are displayed in acrylic cases. The rest of the relatively "cheaper" shoes are displayed on stylish wooden shelves with chinese elements. On the whole, this cult shop makes chinese furnishings look so very fashionable!

They carry labels like ACU & CLOT apparel (by Edison, the man himself), Adidas, Be@rbrick, Converse, Goodenough, Head Porter Plus, iDiom, Nike, OrginalFake, PAM, Recon, Subcrew... Most are pretty limited stuffs. Eg. the Nikes are not the regular Nikes in stores. Hence, almost everything is very expensive here.

They closed their heavy wooden doors on 27 April 2009.

I sneaked a picture on my cellphone while Elvis was in the fitting room. Not the best angle from where i was seated. We just found out that that was the last day (of operation). Most of the shoes are gone, there were also none girls stuffs or bags left (although they stock very little girls stuffs lah).

Elvis bought 2 P.A.M tshirts and a CLOT sweater. The ¥4000 baby shoes were gone...although i doubt anyone bought them. Keke...

This is L2. The guy you see is their staff. Somehow, we think that all of them look a bit like Edison - esp the "saay". ByeBye, handsome boys!

P.S. Actually i was here a week ago with Cheewai & Jayz but i didnt go upstairs as i had Joel-on-stroller with me. Apparently, we needed to QUEUE to get in! The 2 guys also didnt buy anything either. They said it was still expensive after the discounts. We didnt know it was a Closing Down SALE! We thought it was just a Sale-Sale. If i knew, i would have gone upstairs with my fat baby!!! SHARKS!!! No time for regrets now. :/

sat & sun

Saturday
The weather was so lovely today! We went to Norman's villa for BBQ in the afternoon. It's a huge house - Villa Riviera. This is the kind of scene along the way... Looks really "outskirts" huh. The chinese kind of concrete bridge...(see right) It's quite a long taxi ride...esp with the traffic jam.

At the BBQ...



Joel & Mommy went home alone as Daddy went to attend a wedding dinner. I let Joel sit facing out today. (And i used my Marc Jacobs handbag since i dont need to bring any porridge out today! Finally dont need to take big diaper bag! Haha!)

Home

Daddy brought home this very cute Wedding Candy


Sunday
Went to Daddy's office early in the morning. (Yawn!) Waiting... (See: cute mini coloured pencils)

Lunch at Tsui Wah HK "cha chan ting"... Joel had the yummy fishball noodles.

Going to Joel's play class...

As usual, it was shopping spree at ChangLe Road & HuaiHai Road. We went home to unload the shopping...then dinner with friends at Chiang Mai Thai Cuisine - our favourite Thai restaurant by far. The Thai chef has also become our friend becoz of Pick. (I like Coconut Paradise for its ambience though)

it's spring

In the mood for flowers! ;)

sweet 16

Uploaded pix for Joel at 16 months below...
This weekend, Joel has also taken a few steps on his own (from the distance of 25cm to 70cm), and can sometimes stand unsupported on his feet for pretty long (about 2 mins).

Joel is fussing a lot now when we're eating outside. He makes so much noise we've finally given in to him (when the baby biscuits dont work anymore). On Saturday, i finally used the small pair of scissors i put inside his lunch bag. He ate some soup fishball noodles (guo-tiao tang). (I've actually been waiting for this day! Haha!)

I started to use the new 330ml Avent milk bottle on Joel too. He's been drinking from his usual 260ml milk bottle, + 20/30ml more. Filled to the brim (after i dissolve the milk powder). Lately, he's been crying for more after he finishes the milk. But he's always alright after a while...so i didnt want to open the new milk bottle becoz it looks so big - even though it's only 70ml more. (It was more of a stand-by bottle. Just in case.)

Daddy Elvis also snipped the teat of Joel's pacifier. True enough, Joel didnt want the spoilt pacifier. We kept 1 pacifier intact - to soothe him when he wants to sleep. (Elvis very blur as always. Instead of cutting off the tip of the teat "horizontally", he cut it "vertically". Fortunately it still "works" although i'm afraid Joel's tongue will get caught in between. Ouch!)

Mommy sometimes likes to bite Joel's things eg. his clothes, his Bear-Bear (instead of clenching my teeth or biting the real baby). On Sunday morning, i bit Joel's sweater...thinking it's the sleeves...but he cried...and then i realized it's his hand!!! There was my 2 teeth marks, and it was red (looked like blood underneath his skin). I felt sooooo terrible it was like a piece of my flesh came off! Joel was alright after a short while and he didnt even fuss over it after that. Still, i feel very bad about it. :_(

Actually, i'm also pretty sure Joel "knows" the meaning of these (new) words...coz sometimes i hear him say them and it's right - at that point of time.

Nine (for 9)
Bluu (for blue)
Nana (for banana)
Boo (for cow)
"EIEIE" (Old Macdonald song EIEIO)
Daddi, Dada (for Daddy)
Nine Nine (for Goodnight)
.
.
And those he already know are Mama, Car-Car, Bear-Bear, Star, Socks, Shoes.
(see more of Joel's Likes & Dislikes here)
.
.
He taps the items on the 'Number Book' and pretends to count.
He appears to be "talking" to us sometimes.
He loves to laugh - esp with Daddy, and when he's being tickled.
He sways his body and butt (front & back) and nods his head when he listens to music (when seated).

Joel is just getting cuter & cuter!
We love him so much. ;)

tap your cellphone

I just saw on TV that commuters in Shanghai will soon be able to use their cellphones to pay for rides on the bus, train and taxi. All this with just a tap with your 交通卡手机 translated into transport card enabled cellphone.

So cool, right?

Japan and Korea commuters are already using this technology. I hope the cellphones designs are nice! (The one i saw on TV was a nice sweet pink local brand cellphone tested by the reporter on the bus, train & taxi. She SUCCESSFULLY went through all! WOW!)

along the way

Some of the interesting things i saw last week...

On the taxi.
Covered-up laundry.
(Becoz of the Expo2010. Actually, this is the first time i saw clothes hanging on bamboo "tek-ko", Singapore-style.)

Waiting for taxi outside our house.
Family taking a stroll on the track meant for bicycles and motorcycles.
(I found it weird coz there were lots of bicycles in front, beside & behind them. But by the time they were close enough for me to take this shot on my cellphone, there were none in sight!)

Waiting for taxi.
Old couple working (front).
(I think the wife is walking and "protecting" her husband from the other motorcyclists)

Old couple working (back).
(It must be extremely heavy)

On the taxi.
Electric cable chaos at Nanjing Pedestrian Street.

16 months

Joel still weighs the same as last month. 10.4kg and (approximately) 79cm.

3 things he likes to do. (1) Ask you to read him a book. He insists and shoves the book at you! (2) Read on his own with his cute little voice. (3) Smile at pretty girls in TV commercials. CHEESE + Square Face!

14 tippy toes

These are all of Joel's socks which i bought before he was even born. Everyone loves them! But he's outgrowing them (he outgrown the little "shoes" before he turned 1)... so i have to get some new ones for him. Fortunately, socks are really cheap here! ;)

P.S. The "slippers" are really cute...but they dont match Joel's skin tone. So, he looks like Chinaman wearing nude-coloured silk stockings with slippers!!!

tough question

What do you like to do in your free time?

---

Read a book, take a walk, low key relaxation.

Go to rock concerts, see live music.

Spend time outdoors, connecting with nature.

Get dressed up and enjoy the finer things in life.

Play video games or tool around on the computer.

Anything exhilarating and high thrill activities, you will try anything once.

Party!

Entertain your friends.

It's like one of those quizzes: What is your ideal Friday night? How would you best describe a perfect Saturday?...

It's always tough to answer coz mine's always a little bit of everything - well, almost. I'm not a clubbing person, but i sure enjoy going out with friends. We shop, have drinks at cafes, shop more, have a nice dinner, go to the movies... Sometimes, we could do something different. That's my ideal Friday/Saturday!

FYI, i happen to do some of those quizzes on Facebook: What Muppet Are You?, Which Celebrity Mom Are You?, How Many Kids Will You Have? (Answer: 1 kid, 1 girl. You will spoil the little princess!)...

I also feel that quiz answers are mostly too vague, too "everything", or just inaccurate. How can the world ever be made up of just 12 types of people/characteristics esp those based on zodiac signs?! 12 chinese zodiac or 12 astrology signs.

Actually, i also hate it when i'm asked to describe myself... you know, esp at interviews. I think it's an "unnecessary" question. I also hate it when people i meet for the first time ask...
What's your occupation? What do you work as?
Designer? Graphic Design? What kind of design?...

I dont have to answer any of these now coz i'm just a MOM. And before Joel came along, people i meet were just very surprised that i dont work!
(Then what the hell do you do for a living???! is probably going on in their heads. Sometimes, they give me a look which makes me feel like i'm a "kept woman" - if you know what i mean. Becoz i look "young" they probably thinks that i'm with a balding old man! Haha!)

I know that Singaporeans (esp those ladies at mommy forums) like to use this term "SAHM", meaning Stay-At-Home-Mum. But please dont call me a "SAHM".
Yes, i do look after Joel AND i'm not working. But i do not consider myself a SAHM. Haha! I dont know why... Maybe coz i'm not all cooped up at home, slogging to care for my kid, i dont need to do any housework (except for those i choose to do i.e. bathing and cooking for Joel) ~ that's why. I'm not that "yellow-skinned Aunty" aka 黄脸婆. I can go out as and when i please, buy almost anything i like, eat anything i wish... We also go out every weekend as a family - doing things we like. In fact, life's been pretty much the same before/after Baby Joel. I think we are pretty unfazed by being first-time parents, and we manage pretty well at home, on normal outdoor trips and even overseas. (Just imagine "all the trouble" bringing a baby out!) Even our friends thinks we're pretty cool parents from the way we handle Joel. For that, i feel so proud! It's like getting a pat on the back! ;)

I think i have a pretty G-R-E-A-T life!
Bash me up, hate me, envy me...
YES! I dont need to work. Haha! ;p

Most of all, i'm glad that i can see Joel growing each day. Sometimes, he does things which surprises me and i'm sooo glad i'm there with him - at that very minute - to witness it! I've always heard people say that your kid's first few years are the most precious, and you shouldnt miss it for the world. I'm thankful that i dont need to work and can be with Joel every single day.

box and plates

Talk about being environmentally-friendly...
Although i kinda wonder who will really do that...

1 pizza box, 4 plates and 1 left-over box
The Ninja Turtles can be green in more than one way with this awesome idea of an environmentally friendly pizza box. It's so simple and brilliant: One half of the box breaks into four squares, which can be used as plates. The other half of the box has a crease running down the middle, and two triangular pieces can be ripped off to easily fold this part into a storage container for leftovers. The Green Box is made from 100-percent recyclable material; it reduces waste of dish-washing detergent, disposable plates, aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

Freaking radical, dude. Eco Incorporated holds a patent for the Green Box and hopes to sell it to pizza businesses. Check below the jump for a video of the Green Box in action.
CREDIT: Picture & article taken from here.

little manhattan

You wouldnt know what lengths i went to to get my hands on this. (I watched 3/4 of the movie onboard SIN-DSP) I couldnt understand why NO shops carry this - coz it's not a new movie!!! So glad when i finally found it last week! Elvis enjoyed the movie too..and was laughing his head off. I feel i could watch it again, anytime! ;)

Little Manhattan (2005)
Little Manhattan is a feel-good comedy that's perfect for kids and adults alike. Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) and Rosemary (Charlie Ray) have known each other since kindergarten, but when they come face-to-face in a karate class, they see each other in a whole new light. Filled with all the magical, marvelous and maddening moments of first love, this charming film is fun for the whole family.

Will there be a Little Manhattan 2? I want, i want!!!
There's even a Facebook Group on it!

beautiful friends

Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult (almost impossible) for your single & unattached friendsssssssss to find their Mr. Right or Mrs. Right?

Where have all the other beautiful & available ones gone?
- not counting the very beautiful, very muscular and very single guys who are mostly you-know-what.

Where is L-O-V-E?

trip advisor

I just thought of doing this up.
My very own Little.TripAdvisor.com

Places of Interests:
Must-See #1-3
In Puxi
1. The Bund
2. Nanjing Pedestrian Street
3. ChengHuang Temple/YuYuan
* entrance fees needed for YuYuan only
In Pudong
4. Oriental Pearl Tower : 468m. 360˚ view of the city
5. Jin Mao Tower : 420.5m. Office building & Grand Hyatt Hotel. View of the city from the highest 88th floor observation deck which can hold 1000 people at any one time (entrance fee applies), or just have a drink at any of the restaurants inside the building.
6. Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
* all entrance fees slightly more expensive, above ¥100
In the outskirts
7. ZhuJiaJiao Ancient Towns (water villages)
To neighbouring cities
8. Hangzhou
9. Suzhou
10. Wuxi
11. Nanjing
* accessible by train/car/bus

If-You-Have-More-Time Places of Interests:
Recommended #1-3
1. Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall (opposite Raffles City at People's Square)
2. Shanghai Museum
3. The Municipal Museum (at the Oriental Pearl Tower. Included in OPT entrance)
4. Automotive Museum
5. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
6. The Former Residence of Chen Yun and Qingpu Revolutionary History Memorial Hall
7. The Former Residence of Song Qingling
8. The Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen
9. The Memorial Hall of Fushou Garden
10. The Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China
* entrance fees are generally quite cheap, below ¥50

The Art Scene (See & Eat):
Recommended #1-3
Art Museums
1. Shanghai Art Museum
2. Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Exhibition Spaces & Galleries
3. 1933
4. Red Town/HongFang
5. M50 at MoGanShan Road
* art exhibitions in converted old warehouses along the Suzhou Creek. Please check for more info

Arty Places (See, Shop & Eat):
Must-See #1
1. XinTianDi 新天地
2. TianZiFang 田子坊
3. DuoLun Road 多伦路(文化街)
4. Cool Docks 老码头
* Please check for more info

Shopping (Shop & Eat):
Must-See #1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 13 if you have kids, 15
Interesting Designer Small Shops
1. ChangLe Road 长乐路
2. XinLe Road 新乐路
3. NanChang Road 南昌路
4. JinXian Road 进贤路
* there's lots of interesting small shops all around the streets of Shanghai
Need-Bargaining Small Shops
5. 香港风情街 (People's Square underground shopping area, near MRT exit 1/2)
6. 吚美广场 (from JingAn MRT exit 5)
7. FuYou Road (cheap "little things" near ChengHuang Temple 福佑门商厦)
8. QiPu Road (wholesale shops. messy area but very cheap)
Shopping Malls, Dept Stores & Boutiques
9. HuaiHai Road
10. XuJiaHui District
11. JingAn Road & Nanjing West Road (high-end boutiques Eg. Plaza 66)
12. Super Brand Mall 正大广场 (in Pudong)
Kids' Shopping
13. Neon Kids Plaza (PuAn/JinLing Road)
Antiques & Curios
14. DongTai Road
DVD
15. DaGu Road or XinLe Road (beside Source)

Food
Restaurants, cafes, eateries, fast-food can be found everywhere.
Take your pick here

Clubbing
Take your pick here

- More info on Shanghai Attractions here.
- More info on Shanghai Shopping here.
- More info on Shanghai Climate here.
- Also refer to my previous related ¥ and ¢ post here.

Disclaimer:
Please do some research as this writer only knows 0.2% of Shanghai (up from 0.1% since 2006)

the beauty in old things

Most of the time, i love to show people the "Old Side" of Shanghai. (You probably thought of Shanghai as very old, rural and dirty from my photos) Shanghai is a big and modern city. I just didnt think that tourists come to see/shop in big air-conditioned malls. Shanghai has lots of shopping malls too - much bigger than Singapore's.

In fact, many of the "hip" shops are housed in those seemingly old stone houses known as shikumen 石库门. Some are old-old. Some are rebuilt. Some are restored. That's the beauty of Shanghai - in my opinion.

design and community
设计和社区

sudden rush

Surprise! Surprise! Catherine & Ricky are arriving next Tuesday! (Meanwhile, Ricky applying for his visa to come coz he's Indonesian/Spore PR)

They'll head first to Hangzhou for 2D1N...then back in Shanghai for 3D3N. Leaving next Saturday night.

Based on what she plans to see (in Shanghai), i've planned a rough 3-day itinerary for her... Quite rush again... I always wished people had more time to see S.h.a.n.g.h.a.i.

So far, my longest-staying guest is Janis (in Dec'06) coz she's a teacher and came during her school holidays! Haha! We had a really great time touring Shanghai! Her colleagues & some archery students were also here at the same time, so i also went to visit them at the training ground. FYI, Janis left Shanghai with a 35kg suitcase! That's some crazy shopping! Haha!

no more holiday

My other friend, BeeLing, who was keen in coming to Shanghai for holiday (this/next month) before she pop* just told me over MSN she's not coming after all. Coz her daughter was sick over the Good Friday weekend. Little Kaede vomited, couldnt eat and has lost some weight. So her daddy is very worried...said dont wanna go holiday already.
*BeeLing is pregnant with #2 and EDD in early August.

So now, we're just expecting:
- Catherine & Ricky (our Nafa friends) in May'09
- Benson, Sharon, Claudia & #2 in Summer/Autumn '09
- Becky in Spring '10

a little tour of shanghai

Elvis' good friend, Cheewai, was in town...

Thursday, 16 Apr
XinTianDi 新天地, TianZiFang 田子坊...

After Lisboa BaoBaoHao 葡京煲煲好 dinner. Joel at Muji. DVD-shopping!!! (Home & Club)


Friday, 17 Apr
After wholesale place, at Nanjing Pedestrian Street, The Bund... Dinner at AhMao1 with Jayz... (Home & Club)


Saturday, 18 Apr
Cheewai's gig poster (outside The Thing at XinLe Road)

After lunch at Crystal Jade dimsum, ChangLe to XinLe Road...

At 1933

At Cool Docks

Cool Docks Starbucks


Dinner at DongBeiRen 东北人. (Home & Club)


Sunday, 19 Apr
HuaiHai Road (Gymboree, H&M, Codes Combine)
And after Cheewai GorGor left...

no water

This morning, i woke up early but decided to lay in bed for an hour looking at Joel play (which meant grabbing things from our bedside tables, spinning objects, chewing his BearBear, playing with his milk bottle, spilling milk on the bedsheets...).

When i finally woke up to brush my teeth, i realized the water was "small". It's a bad sign. They're washing the water tank AGAIN! I quickly finished up washing and went to make Joel's porridge. Before i knew it, the taps were dry. (So Joel cannot have his usual morning bath)

On Friday night, when Cheewai & Jayz came to our house after dinner, Jayz was still saying how nice we're staying in the "penthouse"...and i told him it's not good when they wash the water tank. Becoz no water, and when the water is back it is very small, not enough pressure to light up the gas coz we're on the top floor, so no hot water, need to boil water to bathe...blah blah blah... Elvis was still chiding me for exaggerating, saying 'It's not so bad lah'. I said it happens twice a year which seems very often. (How often do you need to boil water to bathe in Singapore???) I think he doesnt notice it since he only comes home in the wee hours - when the water is 'Back To Normal'.

Once, Elvis' parents came to visit in early Spring/Winter...and there was also some problems with the water/pressure. And his dad so "lucky"...always the one who encounter it when he's in the bathroom - bathing or brushing his teeth! So he's always cursing and swearing inside the toilet! Once, i asked him to quickly rinse away the soap with the (cold) water then come out. But he doesnt want to. So he stayed inside for a loooooooong time. So poor thing.

(At that time, we didnt have the water dispenser yet. So no water = no water. Wash hands no water. Shit no water. Bathe no water.)

The worse was after they left, i remembered i even had to boil water to bathe. At that time, i only had 1 pail (for washing the floor), so i had to scrub it clean before i used it to contain the water for bathing. On top of that, i only had a 1L kettle. Imagine the number of times i had to boil 1L of water enough to fill the pail!

And now this - today!

Fortunately Cheewai has left. Or else, he'll wake up with with a really bad hair day! ;p

dilly & dally 3

Cheewai just left our house to the airport. I can use the computer again.

This room suddenly seems empty.

It was raining today and all of us overslept! I woke up earlier to cook Joel's porridge...then i just wanted to get back to bed for a 5-mins nap...then i jumped up when i saw it was 1pm! (Joel had gone back to sleep too. Must have been the rain.)

So, we ordered delivery lunch. We rushed off to Joel's play class while Cheewai went to Codes Combine & H&M to look at stuffs.

When we wanted to go home to take his luggage, there were NO CABS! It's impossible when it's raining. With everyone snatching shamelessly for cabs, it was even more impossible...and disgusting (we were disgusted). The worse case scenario was to take a bus (Awww). So we walked to another street...then to PartyWorld KTV when we finally found an empty cab!!! Yippie!

The driver said she could wait downstairs. (Many drivers are more than happy to go to the Pudong airport coz the fare is about ¥150)

Joel waved Bye Bye to Cheewai GorGor (not uncle).

Today (Sunday),
2.50pm: to HuaiHai Road.
Taxi driver very blur...detour...5mins ride became 20mins (Angry)
3.15pm: 15 mins late for play class
4.15pm: H&M
5pm: Home...and we stayed in for dinner too coz it's been raining heavily the whole day... :(
Order Pizza Hut delivery.

P.S. Actually there's not much dilly dally-ing on Day 2 & 3 lah...but i just name my post 'dilly & dally 123'