Premium 'service'

I'm writing this even as I fumes, sitting next to an inconsiderate expat who cross his leg. Not much choice, seeing that this is one of the the last remaining seats on the premium bus.

(I see a lot of anti-social behaviour on this particular route which serves mainly locals and expats working in CBD. Hogging 2 seats, placing bags on the other seat, etc. But that's a story for another day.)

The story goes back in time though. Just 10 mins ago, got bumped off an earlier bus. Bus driver politely asked me to alight and wait for the next bus since no standing is allowed on premium bus services. He proceeded to 'refund' my fare of $3.80.

Why the inverted commas? Cos the refund didn't go through and when I boarded the 2nd bus, I paid a SECOND TIME!

Oh ya, human and machine errors happen and I'm cool with it. But what I'm not so cool is the attitude of the driver, who waved me off DISMISSIVELY when I tried to explain!

It's as if I'm trying to cheat my way through without paying when in fact I got charged twice!

So now, I'm late for work, got charged twice and got a dismissive reply from the driver. Today is so gonna be a charmed day....

(Sent from my iPhone)

What my blog is about

Found an interesting tool - a word cloud that analyses your blog/website and determines what are the main topics.

And so it seems that I've been talking a lot about Rachel, Hazel, Jeannie and surprisingly pineapple. Must be the CNY pineapple tarts.

Create your own word cloud at http://www.wordle.net/create

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

 Two little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell down and hurt its head.
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said.
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Two nights ago, Rachel jumped down from the bed. She didn't hurt her head, but she did hurt her arm in the process. It didn't swell very much but she refused to lift her arm.

However, she pulled a similar stunt before on us when she hurt her arm previously and the doctor said she was fine. Hence, we thought we will monitor for a night before deciding whether she is fit enough to go to school. Bandaged her arm just in case.

Next morning, her elbow was noticably swollen so Jeannie brought her to see the family doctor. Was advised to bring her to the hospital for xray, where the diagnosis was a broken elbow. Her mummy was so heartbroken that she broke into tears.

Rachel's arm was put into a cast and to her credit, she coped admirably well. Started going about her daily activities using her one good arm, which luckily is her dominant right arm. She's a brave girl, didn't cry much too and got on with life.

Next week will be her review. Let's hope the elbow heals properly and there's no need to go for surgery.

Pineapple Tart Day

 Every year, my aunt will bake pineapple tarts for the whole extended family. This year, Jeannie helped out too, kneading and baking the entire day, along with my mum and another aunt.

The semi-sweet pineapple filling was prepared the previous night,
ready to be placed onto the flour base.

Ready to go into the oven.

And here's the final product - pineapple tarts in its golden yummy shade.

 This year, we also had a new helper - Hazel.

She is quite deft with her fingers and able to pry the flour from the cutter.
All those weeks of playdoh came in handy.

She did a pretty good job too, of getting the flour in the required shape.

First day of school!

Today marks another milestone of sorts - Hazel going to K1 and Rachel switching over to Cherie Hearts from NTUC First Skool.

This morning, both were very excited about going to school together and taking the school bus together. Heard from their mummy that Hazel took very good care of Rachel, reminding her younger sis 'Don't always say no huh', 'Must tell teacher if you want to go toilet huh', etc.

We are quite glad that Rachel managed to settle in quite well. I think it helps that Rachel is familiar with Cherie Hearts, as she has been there a few times previously when we brought her to her older sister's school events. Rachel didn't cry the whole day too, even when she came back alone on the school bus.

As for Hazel, I remember that one of my earliest memories was telling one of my relatives that I was in K1 already, and that I had this secret crush on another classmate. I suppose this means that she might remember some of the things she does from this point onwards and hopefully, she will have a fulfilling childhood.

And we are already counting down to the next major milestone - when Hazel graduates to Primary One.

2012 New Year Resolutions

Resolution #1 - Leave office by 6.30pm

Ever since I took up my current job at WDA, I have been consistently leaving office at 7.30pm to 7.45pm. With the 50 min travelling time, I have not been able to reach my mum's place early enough for dinner. Most times, Jeannie have got to pack food for me and bring the kids home herself.

So my first resolution is to leave office by 6.30pm, latest by 6.45pm, on a regular and consistent basis. This way, I am able to reach my mum's place by 7.30pm for dinner, before bringing the kids home. The missus has been very understanding, but the kids are our responsibilities. Kinda unfair for her to shoulder most of the things.


Resolution #2 - Exercise, Lose Weight


It used to be that gaining weight is just a cosmetic issue. But with a family of my own now, I need to live responsibly and that means losing some bulk. No more gorging at buffets.

I need to exercise more too. If I can fulfil my resolution #1, maybe I can spare some time for a run too. I hope to take part in the StanChart run later this year.


Resolution #3 - Blog more

I started blogging because I wanted to experiment more as part of my social media job some years back. By and by, I realised that the blog has actually become a legacy of sorts, a record of the activities that we do as a family.

So for this year, I shall resolve to blog more, at least once a week.

Sunny day at the beach

Nice sunny day after what must have been days of dreary weather. 

So we brought the kids out to have some sun.

Scouting for a good spot to build sandcastles,

but found a dead rotting fish instead.

Gosh, it must have been over twenty years since I last played with sand.

Mummy's turn to fetch the water.

Guess where we brought the kids to? Looks like some resort right?

Working in a team, the two sisters makes a gallant attempt to build something... 

anything that resembles a structure... but mostly its just playing with sand...

This was an achievement. The last time we brought Hazel to the

beach last year, she refused to get down at all. Now she dares 

to go to the shore and fetch water. And of course, brave Rachel too.

Pretty mummy having a relaxing time.

Its great to see them having fun and having a laugh. 

Sometimes, we adults get so caught up in making a living 

that we forgot just that - to have fun, and to laugh...

Rachel, the future ultimate frisbee player.

Finished up the day with spaghetti. This is such a unglam shot.