The Ashley Times

2011-03-06T23:14:00.005+08:00

Sometime in Jan 2011

My Scooter Girl

Can't remember exactly when I recorded this. We had just bought this scooter for her and initially she was rather apprehensive, but soon warmed up and was scooting all over the place.

2011-03-06T22:16:00.002+08:00

6 March 2011

Trial at My Art Pencil

Ash loves to draw and Mummy finally signed Ash up for a trial class at My Art Pencil this afternoon. Was pretty impressed with the elephant that Ash drew, more importantly, it was proportionate. I wasn't in the class as only 1 parent was allowed to accompany the child for trial so according to Mummy, the class starts with a story to get the children imagining about what they were going to draw.

2011-03-05T21:57:00.001+08:00

5 March 2011

Carseat Memories

We finally sold Ash's carseat today. Although I knew that Ash would not be using it anymore, I felt a little sad letting it go as it felt like I was letting a part of Ash go. So I searched thru all our photos and found these of Ash in her carseat. It had served her well and it was time for it to serve another child.

2011-02-28T23:52:00.009+08:00

28 Feb 2011

Visit to The Peranakan Museum

The Peranakan Museum was celebrating the final weekend of the exhibit Ramayana Revisited with free entry, free ice-cream, free goody bag & a whole host of activities for kids such as clay sculpting, key-chain making, postcard colouring. What's more the parking was free on Sundays, so why not ? So that's how we spent our Sunday.

Even before entering the Museum, a huge piece of cloth was set outside for visitors to try their hand at Batik painting.

First up was for Mummy and Ash to get Henna designs on their arms.

Next up was to balance things up by getting the other arm "tattooed". After that, it was off for some clay sculpting. Ash chose the to make the character of Sita, the wife of Rama.

Ash trying out Freddy Krueger or is it Wolverine ?

And a photo opportunity with Ravana, King of Lanka who kidnapped Sita.

Finally, for some ice-cream............

2011-02-28T23:04:00.006+08:00

8 Feb 2011

Chinese New Year in Klang

As with every year, we will spend CNY in Klang with Por Por and Gong Gong. This year, Gong Gong had prepared lots of fireworks and sparklers for Ash.

Ash also got to go on a motor cycle ride with Gong Gong around the neighbourhood which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Lights of I-City

2011-02-28T22:07:00.005+08:00

Dec 2009

It's been over a year since I last updated Ash's blog, so I've decided to do a quick month by month summary (of what I can remember). So here goes............

Cycling at the East Coast Park

Christmas Lightup at Tanglin Mall

As usual, we chose to visit Tanglin Mall to avoid the crowd & traffic jam along Orchard Road.

2009-11-11T17:15:00.004+08:00

11 Nov 2009

Fever

Ash has been down with fever since Monday night. Was told by her teacher yesterday that 2 of her classmates were also down with fever. She could have caught it from an idiotic boy in her music class. At a make-up class last Friday, he was already having a very bad phlegmy cough, yet he deliberately coughed right into Ash's face. It wasn't an accidental thing as he turned his face to her, stretched out his neck and coughed at her, and he knew what he was doing as I could see it in his eyes. The mother is an irritating specimen herself, that boy needed to be controlled as he was constantly disrupting the class week after week.

So today was Day 2 at home for Ash and she was playing with Lego this morning and built this "robot" - it is supposed to be a Transformer :p

Next was her pirate riding on some kind of buggy.

And this is my robot.

2009-11-01T21:46:00.006+08:00

1 Nov 2009

Cousin Joshua - part II

Visited cousin Joshua today. Ash was excited as she wanted to see Por-Por, Gong-Gong and Cousin Joshua.

Looks like Ash will make a good Jie-Jie - rocking Joshua.

Ash posing with Por-Por and Joshua

Giving mummy a hug.

Sneaking a snack

I saw Ash hovering around the dining table with Gong-Gong as I was going to the kitchen to get a drink. A while after I came back, I noticed Ash wasn't around and the place was unusually quiet. Suddenly from the corner of my eye, I saw some movement under the table and when I went round, this is what I saw - Ash sneaking a snack of pineapple tarts. We didn't want her to eat it as she had just recovered from a cough.

2009-10-29T22:27:00.006+08:00

29 Oct 2009

At the Marina Barrage

Decided to bring Ash to the Marina Barrage yesterday morning. The way in was thru Marina South, but with the IR and Gardens projects going on, Marina South had become a major contruction zone with lorries everywhere. When we finally got there, I was a little disappointed to see that many schools had arranged for "educational" trips there as well. There were students at every corner and they treated the place as a playground.
Anyway, the weather was initially hot and sunny, I could see that Ash wasn't enjoying it very much, she's someone who's not much for the sun. Thankfully, a little later on, rain clouds came in and at one point, it looked like it was going to rain.
Ash is the timid kind in new places, it took some coaxing to convince her how much fun it was in the wading area, but once she went in, all her timidness just disappeared.

2009-10-20T22:10:00.003+08:00

20 Oct 2009

A feeling of inevitability

Received a SMS from school this evening - 2 confirmed cases of HFMD and 1 pending confirmation from Ash's class. One kid was already down with it since the 15th, so he hasn't been to school since then, so he wasn't at the party. Another was confirmed this afternoon, but he only stayed a while at the party. The kid that's pending was however at the party all the way. Although I'm hoping that she will be alright, I can't help feeling that it will be inevitable.

2009-10-19T21:44:00.001+08:00

19 Oct 2009

Dylan's Birthday Party

Ash's class was invited to Dylan's birthday party at Fidgets over the weekend. She had been looking forward to it for the longest time. The moment the kids arrived, they went wild, running all over the place. While the kids played, us parents chatted.

2009-10-10T17:05:00.000+08:00

10 Oct 2009

The Transformers - Creepy & Crawlie

They were learning about caterpillars and butteflies last week. As part of the lessons, they were given two caterpillars and a stalk of leaves to bring home and hopefully witness the transformation. So they were named Creepy and Crawlie. We were given instructions to change the paper lining daily because these fellas were gorging themselves and as a result, they pooed A LOT. This was in preparation when they coccon themselves for the transformation. One fresh leaf was to be given to them twice a day. By the 2nd day, they both stopped eating and started anchoring themselves to the mesh. By day 3, they were already cocooned. On the day 9, both started emerging, unfortunately, only 1 made it while the other appeared to not have the strength to emerge fully from the cocoon.

2009-10-04T19:49:00.002+08:00

4 Oct 2009

Cousin Joshua

Cousin Joshua was born on the 3 Oct 2009. Ash was so excited to see her new cousin and to be a big jie jie to him.

2009-09-14T16:06:00.002+08:00

14 Sep 2009

4th Birthday Celebrations

Once again, Ash celebrated her birthday in school with her classmates. The theme this year was Disney Princess and Ash chose the Ariel design for her cake. Bengawan Solo should consider offering a 1-1.5kg cake instead of a 2kg cake - 2kg is defintely way too big for 14 4 year-olds to finish. This year, Ash played host and after cutting the cake, she went round distributing the chocolate pieces from her cake. And instead of the teacher just giving the kids their goodies bags after that, this year, Ash was the one distributing the goodie bags.

In the evening, we brought Ash to Swensen's for our own family celebrations. And because it was her birthday, she got a free Birthday Firehouse ice-cream.

2009-09-04T22:48:00.000+08:00

4 Sep 2009

The Fall

Was stunned when I picked Ash up this evening. As she stood up, all of a sudden she started to cry. And then Carmen came up and told me " She fell down today ! "

Apparently, Dylan had accidentally pushed while paying in the playground that morning. Her knees were quite badly scratched and a little bruised but other than that, nothing serious. I guess this was her first such experience, so she was in a super manja mood. Ended up having to carry her to the car and from the car all the way home. Bath time was another manja moment as the water stung her scratches, so was bedtime, as she couldn't straighten her knees, so I improvised and put a pillow under the legs so that they was supported and her knees slightly bent.

2009-08-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

14 Aug 2009

National Day Concert

This performance was postponed from the 7 Aug due to a H1N1 scare.

2009-07-03T22:57:00.002+08:00

3 July 2009

Humorous Conversations with Ash

Conversation #1 :

Ash :" Daddy, today Cameron use her water bottle to hit me."
Me : " Where did she hit you ?"
Ash : "Here." And she pointed to her hip.
Me : " Did you tell your teachers ?"
Ash " Yes, I tell Ms Elaine."
Me : " Then what did Ms Elaine say ?"
Ash : " Ms Elaine say if Cameron hit you, you hit her back with the water bottle."

Mummy and Daddy stared at each other and burst out laughing.

Conversation #2 :

Mummy was feeding Ash her dinner. This is usually a long-drawn affair. And sometimes, our arms and backs get tired from carrying the bowl in front of her face and leaning forward.
All of a sudden this evening, Ash said :" Mummy, I will be a good girl, I will come nearer today so that you won't be tired."

Conversation #3 :

On our way home this evening, as we were about to reach home, Ash started (with an angry frown on her face) - :

Ash : " I want to go back to Pat's Schoolhouse. "
Me : " Why ? We are almost home."
Ash : " I'm so angry with Cameron, I want to tell Ms Elaine Cameron hit me."
Me : " And what will Ms Elaine do ?"
Ash : " Ms Elaine will tell Cameron to stand in the circle and all of us will look at her !"

This part worries me a little as it appears to be sign that she can hold a grudge.

2009-06-19T22:44:00.010+08:00

14 June 2009

Celebrating 21 Magical Years - Pat's Schoolhouse

Teachers had been telling them about the carnival and fun things. Ash was anxiously waiting for this day to come. We reached Fort Canning at around 1045am, but the carpark was already full, so we ended up parking at The Legends - that filled up pretty quickly too.
As we approached, we heard the music, saw the balloons and Ash was going hooray. First stop was face painting by Ash's own teacher, Ms Elaine. She was so happy to see Ms Elaine and gave a huge hug.It started to drizzle while we wandering around the grounds, so while I was still able to, I quickly made my way back to the car to get umbrellas while mummy brought Ash to play some indoor games. When I got back, we decided to try the Woof Ball. The queue was it was incredibly long. We were fortunate that we were number 24 in the queue, by the time it got to our turn, it had reached 70+ ! Anyway, it started to drizzle again while we were queuing, so out came our umbrellas. After about 45mins of sweat and waiting later, it was finally our turn for some fun at the Woof Ball ! What's Woof Ball ?
Lunch was a simple affair from the carnival stalls - Korean glass noodles for Ash, mee-hoon siam for mummy and pasta for daddy.We finally left at around 2pm as Ash was starting to get cranky.

2009-06-17T23:21:00.002+08:00

6 June 2009

Scooter

Today we went down to Baby Hypermart to collect Ash's battery operated scooter. I actually redeemed my ESSO SMILES points for this 6 months back, but kept putting off collecting it till today...maybe because the redemption will expire on the 8th of June !!
One thing about the scooter is that it starts off with a jerk, so it gives the first time rider a shock. And because the floor at home is smooth, the scooter tends to slide and not go the intended direction initially until the tires gain some traction. I have yet to bring Ash downstairs for a ride, I'm sure it'll a lot more fun with the rougher floor and bigger space.

2009-05-10T21:46:00.005+08:00

28 Apr 2009

A Day at the Zoo

Two reasons why I decided to bring Ash to the Zoo - first, was because it has been 2 years since she was last at the Zoo. Second was because I was starting work next week.
The day started well, after we dropped mummy at work, we made our way to the Zoo. We were there pretty early and the weather was still cool. But then, as fate would have it, the dark clouds started to form and eventually the heavens opened. Fortunately we managed to find some shelter, and so the both of us stayed there and chatted. Finally decided that we needed raincoats else we would not be able to see anything at all. So when someone from the zoo came around to sell raincoats at $3 each..sigh...had no choice but to buy two.

2009-05-09T16:47:00.013+08:00

24 April 2009

Star Cruise Again !

Day 1
We've always enjoyed going on a cruise, so when mummy had leave to clear, we decided to book ourselves on a 4D3N package to Phuket and Langkawi - partly also because Star Cruises was having a low season, 1-for-1 promotion for the balcony class.
But before the cruise, we almost had to miss the cruise and would not have been entitled to a refund because it would have been considered a last minute cancellation. Ash came down with a fever 2 days earlier. Thankfully, she recovered and was well enough to go. But as a precaution, we packed the pharmacy along with us.
We spent the first evening just wandering around the ship, relaxing and taking it easy.Day 2
The next day, we booked ourselves on a shore excursion to Phuket. First stop was to the Elephant Park where we we treated to a performance some juvenile elephants, playing dancing, football, painting and doing some stunts.Next was to the monkey show where we saw the monkeys doing a slam-dunk, lifting weights and riding a bike.
Then came the highlight of the tour - the elephant ride. But unfortunately there were no photos of us on the elephant ride that we took - because all 3 of us were on the same elephant and we were making sure we didn't drop our bags, shoes, camera and Ash off the bumpy elephant ride !
Next was short stop at a cashew nut factory, not much to see, but defintely lots of cashew nuts to buy.We were next brought to the standard "duty-free" shop. We only bought 2 bottles of pure eucalyptus oil which we could use in our diffuser when Ash has a stuffed nose. Ash was pretty much fascinated with elephants by now and commeneted that there were elephants everywhere - scultpures of course.After that was a buffet dinner. Dinner was bad, limited variety, flies on the dishes. I decided that I would make up for it when we were back on the ship. Ash did provide us with some entertainment though when she got onto the stage and started to dance.With dinner over, we were driven to Patong Beach for some night shopping. Patong Beach is by far the most famous beach in Phuket, with its shopping, food and of course the gay bars. By the time we reached Patong Beach, Ash had already fallen asleep. So we mooched and browsed the shops with Ash asleep in my aching arms & back.
It was past midnight by the time we got back to the ship.

Day 3
Decided to bring Ash for a swim at Neptune's Wet n Wild children's pool. The nice thing about this pool was it was heated, so it made the initial entry much nice.
We decided that we didn't want to join a tour to Langkawi, and thankfully so too as it rained cats and dogs just after docking at Langkawi. When the rain eased and stopped, we decided to take a walk to the shops just outside the docks for some photos.
It started to rain again just as we got back onboard, and so we spent the rest of the afternoon doing art and craft activities with Ash. Dinner that evening was a formal 8-course dinner.Day 4
The last day, and spent the morning packing and playing at the arcade. Soon we were asked to wait at the assembly area for disembarkation. Ash was busy posing for photos in the sunglasses, but after a while, the wait was too much for Ash and she just conked out.

2009-04-15T16:40:00.003+08:00

15 April 2009

Ash draws herself

Recently she's been starting to draw people. Here's her self portrait.

2009-04-13T22:33:00.011+08:00

13 Apr 2009

Swimming Lesson !

Today was Ash's first swimming lesson at the Arena Country Club. According to the principal, this location is a temporary one and they should be having their lessons at the NTU Alumni Club over BuonaVista soon. Being kiasu parents, Viv and I agreed that we had to check out how the lessons were being conducted and if there was enough supervision to monitor that many toddlers. Toddlers and pools can be quite a dangerous combination.
I got there slightly earlier than the kids and I wasn't really suprised that I wasn't the only concerned parent there. Even overheard some of them had taken half-day off just to see how things were. A funny thing that Ms S told me, as they were leaving for Arena, the kids saw dark clouds forming and kept saying it was going to rain, so Ms S told them to pray that the rain will go away. So they started out with "Rain please go away" which eventually became the full blown, top of the lungs singing of "Rain, Rain go away, come again another day, rain, rain go away, little children want to play !" What a sight and din it must've been !
The lessons were conducted by a swim school, Sports Lifestyle Initiatives. There was a whole team of coaches, minders and care-givers to ensure that the kids were safe. The care-givers will help with showering and changing of the kids. There were also about 4 teachers from Pat's accompanying the kids.
The lessons started with the warm-exercises by the coaches. It was funny watching the kids participating in the exercises and hearing their shouts of 1,2,3,4.

After the warm-up, they were led, single-file, hands on shoulders by the coaches to the pool. Each group consisted on 5 kids to 1 coach.
The initial lesson was more for the kids to trust the coaches and gain confidence of water on their faces. They were encouraged to put their faces in the water, albeit for a split second ! They were also encouraged to kick.

I wasn't sure how long it was, but soon the signal was given from the head coach that lessons were over. They were led by the teachers and care-givers for their showers. After showering, they were led to the lobby where they were given light snacks while waiting for the bus.
And finally up the bus and back to Pat's !

2009-04-11T22:16:00.003+08:00

11 Apr 2009

Goggles

Bought a pair of goggles for Ash from Kiddy Palace in preparation for her swimming lesson next Monday. This is part of the extended program that Pat's started offering to kids at full-day care. Ash was pretty excited about the swimming lessons and couldn't wait to try on her new pair of goggles.

2009-03-28T21:50:00.004+08:00

28 Mar 2009

Our Earth Hour Effort

We did our part. Out came the cylum sticks, torch lights and candles. At 8.30pm sharp, we turned our lights and TV off. We had to leave the fan on as the weather was simply too hot. To make it more fun, I built a tent - 2 chairs and a blanket !

Ash had never experienced blackouts like we did in our younger days and she wasn't used to moving around with just a torch. Overall she enjoyed herself in our "camping" adventure in the hall.

2009-03-24T22:16:00.004+08:00

24 Mar 2009

The HFMD Menace

It's that time of the year again. Since the first 2 cases that were reported last Thursday, there have been 3 new cases reported yesterday and 2 more today, making it a total of 7. From what we know, there are no cases from Ash's class. The checks this morning were stricter, with teachers thoroughly checking every child's temperature, mouth, hands and feet. They've stopped children of different age groups and classes from mixing in a bid to try and contain the spread of the disease. Usually everyone will congregate in the music room for the afternoon nap, but not since last week. Instead they've all been sleeping in their own classrooms. Thankfully, Ash's class is in an annexe of its own with its own bath and toilet facilities. Let's see how many new cases will be reported tomorrow, hopefully none. It will then need 10 days without a new case to consider the cycle broken.......for now.

2009-03-23T21:49:00.000+08:00

23 Mar 2009

Ash says "Eh ! Cannot say La !"

1) Was talking to mummy about buying Pei Pa Kao.
Me : "Just go and buy a bottle at lunch time LA."

2) Just missed hitting a lizard in the bedroom.
Me : " Never mind, it's just a small one LA."

2009-03-21T15:58:00.003+08:00

21 Mar 2009

We were early at mummy's office yesterday evening. While waiting for mummy to come down, Ash suddenly decided to do an impromptu dance performance right on the lobby steps. Can't really hear her sing as there was a fountain nearby.

2009-03-13T20:43:00.003+08:00

13 Mar 2009

Cold, Flu, Sinus or What ?

Sigh !!! Runny nose, cough, she's been having this on and off since the Chinese New Year. She just completed a treatment of Ventolin and Flixotide puffs and Singular tabs. Just when we thought she was recovering.

Brought her to see Dr. Zainal again this morning, got her lungs checked and thankfully they were clear. Dr. Zainal suspected that it was her sensitive nose again and the nasal backdrip that was causing her cough. So back again she is on more medications : Sterimar, Sinupert, Zyrtec and Ventolin puffs (for the next 3 days).

2009-03-12T22:36:00.004+08:00

12 Mar 2009

There are no such Things as Monsters

Yesterday evening, Ash was talking as she made her way down the stairs at the car-park. It was one step, talk, one step, talk and that went on for 2 flights of stairs. Suddenly she looked up and exclaimed : " Look ! The sky is getting darker !"
I pounced on this opportunity and told her that if she didn't hurry up, The Monsters will start to come out. Then she retorted : " Nooooooo, Ms E say there are no such things as monsters. Ms E say cannot say monsters ! "
Generations of parents have used monsters to spur(or scare) their children to eat faster, walk faster, go to sleep etc. This tactic was eliminated for us yesterday evening.

2009-03-07T18:40:00.004+08:00

7 Mar 2009

Those Frogs

Mummy didn't feel like going out for dinner this evening, so it was decided that we would "tabao" dinner home. Was in a mood to explore, so I brought Ash along as we went to explore the coffeeshop at Compassvale Bow. I had read that there was an Italian pasta stall there, but I couldn't find it when we got there :(
Ordered sweet n sour pork rice for mummy and chicken chop for myself. While waiting for the food, Ash spotted a cage of frogs.

Ash : "Daddy, how come the frogs so quiet ? "
Me (err.....) : "Because they are going to be eaten."
Ash : "Why ??"
Me : "Because frogs are delicious."
Ash : " But I don't want. I don't want to eat the frog."
Me : " But you eat fish and chicken right ? It's the same."

I was worried that she would start to cry and I didn't want that to happen, especially in a heartland coffeshop. Who knows, I might end up on STOMP ! So to distract her, I asked her to pose for a photo with the frogs.

2009-02-27T21:49:00.002+08:00

27 Feb 2009

Carrying Tales

I guess it's time we watched what we say in front of Ash. She's now at an age where she can catch what we're saying and she can repeat what we say word for word. Here's why.
Went to pick mummy up, but because mummy wasn't down yet, and our usual waiting spot was taken, so I parked the car a short distance away. Just so happen then, the car in our usual spot moved off and another car of the same make and colour went in. When mummy finally came down, she immediately walked towards the other car, but it drove off. Mummy had a stunned look and I guess she was wondering why did I move off. We saw everything from our car, and I remarked "Mummy is so blur." Couple of seconds later, mummy saw us and came over. As she got in, Ash said : " Mummy, mummy, I tell you something. Daddy say you are sooooo blur."
I acted blur.

2009-02-14T16:30:00.002+08:00

14 Feb 2009

I can read Mandarin

Finally Mummy's efforts have paid off. For months, Mummy has been patiently flashing simple mandarin words, reading short stories and conversing with her in Mandarin. This coupled with Pat's mandarin teachers and Berries lessons, Ash is now able to recognise and read simple mandarin, though the intonation is a little off, but, hey ! she's gotta start somewhere.

2009-02-13T20:40:00.005+08:00

13 Feb 2009

First Valentine's Day Card

She got her first Valentine's Day card today from her classmate, Dylan !! After I read the contents of the card to her, she kept repeating it over and over : " Happy Valentine's Day, Love, Dylan".....like as though she, she, she was in love ! MY LITTLE GIRL !!!!
But then, everyone else in her class also received a card from Dylan. Heh heh.

Will you share your cookie with me ?

Today Ash baked some cookies in class. It looked really delicious and while she was happily munching on it at the playground, I asked : "Ash, can you share some with Daddy ?"

Her reply was : " Next time when we go to the cooking class again, I will bake one for you and Mummy, OK ?"

It was pretty obvious that she was not going to share any of it with me today.

2009-02-11T22:12:00.004+08:00

23 Jan 2009

CNY Celebrations at Pat's

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Pat's held a mini fun fair cum concert. The funds collected from the coupon sales were donated to a charity...which charity, I can't remember now. Bythe time we got there at 9.50am, the entire compound was packed with parents. We scoured the grounds looking for spot with a good view. We finally decided to split up. Viv stayed back with the video camera while I somehow managed to find my way right up front.

They kicked off with a performance by the K2, followed by the playgroup kids. Since this was the first time for most of the playgroup kids, there were lots of crying and stunned looks. And then finally it was the turn of the Nursery kids. Unfortunately, Ash was in the back row.

There was face-painting for $2 provided by the teachers. Here's Ash getting her face painted.

2009-01-12T13:32:00.003+08:00

7 Jan 2009

Welcome Back to School

To welcome the children back to school, Pat's prepared a present for every child - a Firefighter Fred soft-toy.

He is now Ash's best friend, she'll put him on her pillow beside when she sleeps.

2009-01-07T15:12:00.003+08:00

4 Jan 2008

Daddy, Don't be Sad

Our car caught fire last night. We received a call from the Police at about 9pm last night asking me to come to the car-park as the car was fire. By the time I rushed down, the fire had been put out and all I saw was the SCDF, Police, onlookers and my bonnet on the floor with the engine compartment covered in foam. After answering questions by the SCDF and Police, I was allowed to recover the rest of the stuff from the cabin, which fortunately was still intact.

I guess Ash sensed my sadness today. She came up to me, gave me a hug and said " Daddy, don't be sad, tomorrow when I'm bigger, I will buy a big red car for you, ok ?"

What's left of my car

2009-01-04T18:06:00.004+08:00

1 Jan 2009

Happy New Year !

After picking Ash up from Pat's on New Year's Eve, we went over to United Square to meet up with Mummy and for lunch. Fox was having a sale, 50% off. Mummy managed to get 2 pieces for Ash.

And then on New Year's Day, we decided to pop over to the Expo for the Metro Sale. The Crocs shoes there were going at 50% off and since we had wanted to get Ash a pair, we thought this was a good bargain...we got 3 pairs for her !

Two pairs of Ash's new Crocs

2009-01-04T17:29:00.003+08:00

28 Dec 2008

At Plaza Singapura

We were at Plaza Singapura for lunch after Church. As the Christmas decorations were still up, we decided to bring Ash down to take some photos. This year's theme depicted the birth of Jesus. Ash was pretty familiar with the story and was able to relate to some of the characters like the Three Wise Men, King Herod, whom she referred to as the King and of course, Baby Jesus.

2009-01-04T17:21:00.003+08:00

26 Dec 2008

New Class - N1

Today we received information about Ash's new class for next year. It was a relief to know that Ms Elaine would still be her teacher as Ash is very comfortable with Ms Elaine.

2009-01-04T17:01:00.002+08:00

25 Dec 2008

Christmas Day

2008-12-18T23:00:00.001+08:00

18 Dec 2008

HFMD - Not Ash !

Cannot believe our luck ! We caught HFMD last week - first diagnosed on 8 Dec. We suspect that we may have caught it from Ash since four of her classmates were down with it the previous week. So far she's been fine, so we're guessing that she may have been the carrier (ie. carried from her classmates) but it was the same strain as the one she caught in April this year, thus making her immune to this strain.

Viv had it bad, fever, mouth ulcers, blisters. Mine was mild, no fever, 3 mouth ulcers, blisters on the hands and feet. It was so mild that in another time, I would have gone to work without even realising that I had contracted a contagious disease.

2008-12-07T22:00:00.004+08:00

7 Dec 2008

Decided to have dinner at Crystal Jade T3 this evening and T3 was having a promotion, for every $50 spent, we were entitled to one entry to the Candy House and a tram ride.

The Candy House promotion was simple, take as much candy as you can in the mug that was provided.

2008-12-02T17:16:00.001+08:00

2 Dec 2008

HFMD - update

Just received a call from Liu Lao Shi. 1 more case reported from Ash's class today. I'm really worried now.

2008-12-01T21:59:00.003+08:00

1 Dec 2008

HFMD in Ash's class

Viv received a SMS from Pat's today :

"Dear Parents, this is to inform you that there are 2 reported cases of Hand, Foot n Mouth Disease (HFMD) from your child's class. We have sanitized all toys and the classroom. We will continue to sanitize toys after each session. We encourage parents to allow children who are unwell to rest at home so as not to catch up with another bug. Thank you."

From Ash, we understand that at least 3 of her classmates did not turn up today. Assuming an incubation period of 3-5 days and that their last contact was last Friday, 28 Nov, the critical period will be between today to Wednesday. So we have decided to let her stay home for the next 2 days before considering letting her go back.

2008-11-30T23:51:00.003+08:00

30 Nov 2008

Berries - World of Learning

We brought Ash for a trial lesson at Berries this morning and it was a good trial as Ash stayed in the class alone. Although she admitted that she cried a little, but after that, she was fine. She even kept asking to go back to Berries - maybe because today, they learnt the words li3 wu4 and she got a pack of biscuits ! Her first lesson will be on the 3rd of January 2009.

Little Big Lady

After lunch, we went shopping at Isetan Scotts. Mummy wanted to buy shoes, so after mummy had chosen 2 pairs and had gone to cashier to pay, Ash decided that she too would like to try a pair.

2008-11-29T23:31:00.002+08:00

29 Nov 2008

Gulity !

Not Ash, but daddy and mummy. Daddy was the bigger culprit as it was his suggestion.
We had gone to view a couple of showflats today and by time we were done with the 3rd showflat, Ash was already fast asleep on my shoulder. When we got to the 4th showflat and seeing her sleeping comfortably in her car-seat, I suggested that we let her sleep, with the windows wound down slightly. And besides we thought we could still "see" her since we were parked right in front.
When we came back to the car 15mins later, we opened the doors to see a tear-streaked face looking at us. We felt so gulity and spent the rest of the journey home pampering her. Fortunately, she wasn't traumatised and was her usual self, talking and laughing away.
That night, I asked her if she had cried because she was scared, her reply was : " No, I was not scared, I saw mummy and daddy in the shop and I also want to go iiiiiiinnnnnnn."

2008-11-25T22:18:00.003+08:00

25 Nov 2008

Tricycle !

Recently Ash discovered the joys of riding. So instead of playing on the slide and see-saw this evening, she asked to ride a bike.

See the joy on her face ? Maybe it's time we got her a bike.

2008-11-24T22:21:00.008+08:00

24 Nov 2008

Schoolhouse Day Again

Today was Schoohouse Day again - meaning Pat's was closed. This time was because of the K2 graduation concert on the 20th.

With the unpredictable weather, outdoor actvities were ruled out. In the end, with some decision making by Ash, we went to Downtown East to watch Madagascar 2. After getting our tickets, we had our breakfast at Kopi Alley. Ash had her usual Kaya Toast and half-boiled egg while I had my kopi-si and chee cheong fun.

Madagascar 2 didn't seem to capture Ash as much as Kungfu Panda or Wall.E did. Not sure if it was because going to the cinema wasn't a new experience to her anymore or the it was simply not interetsing to her. She was a little restless throughout. After the show, we headed to Pasta Mania for lunch. Because we had wandered into Zone X earlier while waiting for the show to start, I brought Ash back to look around...and ended up spending $15 on the games ! It would have been more if Ash had realised that I had pretended to put money into some of the games! Even after close to an hour there, she didn't want to leave the place, she dragged me around to see other kids playing the games.

Little Drummer Girl

After convincng her to leave, we headed downstairs to have yoghurt ice-cream. Half-way thru her yoghurt, Ash decided that she wanted to dance and proceeded to peform a song-n-dance right in the shop.Decided to call it a day at 3pm and headed to the car where Ash promptly fell asleep.

2008-11-22T21:55:00.001+08:00

22 Nov 2008

Parent-Teacher Meet

Today was the Parent-Teacher Meet for the 2nd semester. We were scheduled at 8.15am, so we had to drag ourselves out of bed on a Saturday morning.
We arrived on time. When we went into the class, Ash immediately went off to play on her own. Ms Elaine presented us with a scrap book of photos of Ash and her classmates, some of her art and craft made during the year. Next was the assessment. Ash scored "A"s for everything except for her ability to unbutton her clothes herself - although Ms Elaine did say that it was a bit hard to grade as most kids were wearing tee-shirts. Another area where she needed improvement was cleaning herself after going to the toilet. I guess this is partly due to the fact that she was only recently potty trained. We'll have to work on this.
Ms Elaine added that Ash can be vocal and be quite a leader after she has "warmed up" for the day.
The session ended at 8.40am and we headed to United Square for breakfast.

2008-11-19T22:18:00.002+08:00

19 Nov 2008

Potty Trained !!

Today was the 3rd time that she asked to "pass motion" on the potty and it was fast. She has already been "urinating" in the potty for some time and now with the "big business", we can declare that she is potty trained.

Next step : To get her off diapers at night.

2008-11-15T15:17:00.002+08:00

15 Nov 2008

She finally did her business in the potty today !!!!

2008-11-15T00:46:00.004+08:00

7 Nov 2008

Received a call from Liu Lao Shi at 5pm. Ash had a fall in the playground at Pat's and had a bruise over the right eye-brow. Apparently she was holding on the rear of a tricycle and lost her balance.

Since KKH was in just around the corner, Viv decided that we brought Ash to be checked.

2008-11-15T00:26:00.006+08:00

Day 5 - 30 Oct

Home. Since our flight was at 7pm, we had some spare time on our hands. We went to the nearby shopping centre Ikspiari - not much to buy as it mainly housed branded apparel. Viv managed to catch Ash dipping her hands in a fountain.

Since we had to check out by 1pm, we quickly bought our Japanese lunch from a supermarket downstairs and made our way back to our room to do our final packing and have our lunch. After checking out, we spent some time exploring the hotel grounds as we had 1.5hrs before the Airport Bus arrived. We even managed to witness a wedding that happened to be held at the hotel.

The bus arrived at 2.45pm. Ash slept all the way to the airport. At check-in, we once again had the same problem of seperated seats. This time, the ground crew at Narita weren't as helpful nor did they make much of an effort to seat us together. Viv was eventually seated with Ash over on the left side while I was seated on the right side, few rows down. However, half-way thru the flight, we did manage to change seats such that I was on the aisle, Viv and Ash were on the same row but at the window. We touched down at Changi at 1.15am.

2008-11-14T22:32:00.009+08:00

TOKYO DISNEY

Day 4 - 29 Oct

DisneySea

There was no direct hotel bus to DisneySea, instead we had to take the shuttle bus to the Bayside Station and then catch a transfer on the monorail which brought us to DisneySea.
We found DisneySea so much less crowded as compared to Disneyland. That made it more enjoyable as we did not have to queue for rides, restaurants were not crowded and we could stroll leisurely without constantly avoiding other visitors.

First stop for the day was teh Arabian Coast for Sinbad's Storybook Voyage. The ride was an enjoyable one as it brought us thru Sinbad's adventures. Ash enjoyed it so much that she asked to ride it again - which we did, later that evening. It made up for the disappointment of missing out on the Small Small World.

Next stop was the Mermaid Lagoon. This was another place where Ash insisted on coming back again as she enjoyed herself playing in Ariel's Playground. The main attraction here was the Mermaid Lagoon theatre where we were treated to a live musical featuring Ariel and her friends.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a boring ride - as you can see, there isn't much to write about, other than Ash and I contriving to somehow drop the US$16 Chip n Dale pop-corn container as we were getting off the ride, causing the cover to crack and getting it from mummy - if you know what I mean.

The Venetian Gondolas was quite an enjoyable ride, only thing was that it was the only ride that we took today that had a queue. Three pairs of tired legs and 30 mins later, it was our turn for a 15 min tour of the Mediterranean Harbour on the Venetian Gondola.

We next rode on the Electric Railway which brought us to Port Discovery, where at Aquatopia, we rode on a watercraft, embarking on a twisting, whirling, wild ride through a labyrinth of fountains, rock formations and whirlpools.
We next made our way over to the Lost River Delta where they had built replicas of the Ancient Aztec pyramids. The main attraction here was the Indiana Jones : Temple of the Crystal Skull roller-coaster ride. Too bad Ash isn't old enought for roller-coasters yet. After dinner at the Yucatan Base Camp Grill, we made our way back to the Arabian Coast for Ash to ride on the Sinbad adventure again and also spend the rest of the evening playing at Ariel's playground.

And that was the end of our day at DisneySea.

2008-11-05T22:12:00.013+08:00

TOKYO DISNEY

Day 3 -28 Oct 2008

The strategy today was to split up so that we could get a FastPass for Pooh's Hunny Hunt. When we were thru the gates, I immediately headed for the FastPass booth and managed to get our FastPass for, get this, 6.30pm !! And it was only 9.30am. After meeting up Viv and Ash, we noticed that people were lined up along the parade route, so we found ourselves a spot and waited for the parade, which happened to be Halloween themed.

After the parade, we made our way over to AdventureLand where we rode on the Western River Railroad and the Jungle Cruise. Later in the afternoon, we brought Ash back to Goofy's Bounce House since she had said that she wanted to play in it again.

As we were already in ToonTown, we decided to see Minnie's House as and we were suprised that there wasn't much of a queue to see Minnie's House.

Since we still has time before our FastPass for Pooh's Hunny Hunt was due, we decided to go on the Mark Twain Riverboat ride and tge Castle Carousel. Oh yes, but before, that, after searching many of the popcorn carts, we finally decided to buy the Chip and Dale pop-corn container for Y1,200 + Y300 for the pop corn. Very expensive for a container of pop corn.

With the FastPass, we were immediatlely allowed into Pooh's Hunny Hunt where we sat in a Hunny Pot and followed Pooh's hunt for his favourite food - HONEY !

After the ride, we made our way to Grandma Sara's Kitchen for dinner. Viv and Ash had gone to get a table and by the time I got the food, Ash had already fallen asleep in the stroller - it had been a long day for her.

2008-11-03T22:13:00.017+08:00

3 November 2008

TOKYO DISNEY UPDATES

Day 1 - 26 Oct 2008

We made our way to Changi Airport at 4am and we had a shock when we checked in at the Northwest counter - they couldn't seat us together as all seats were already "booked". The lady at Northwest counter only said that she would try to work with the CAAS staff to "re-arrange" with the other passengers so that we could be together. So we spent some anxious moments in the waiting area before they managed to switch seats thus allowing us to be seated together. Apparently we weren't the only family that were seperated.

Ash was fairly well behaved during the flight except for the last 1.5hrs when she became sleepy, which also equated to cranky.

After we touched down at Narita Airport, we managed to clear the customs fairly quickly - because they had a special line (no queue) for families with children. Quickly we made our way to the Airport Limousine counter where we booked our seats on the 3.10pm bus to our hotel, Sunroute Plaza Tokyo. The bus ride was a smooth one, Ash slept all the way.

After checking into our room, Ash did her customary inspection and testing of the bed.That evening we had our dinner at the California Restaurant in the hotel, where Ash showed us how to drink from 2 different cups at the same time.

Day 2 - 27 Oct 2008

On entering Tokyo Disneyland, the first thing that amazed us was the crowd, despite it being a Monday - we wondered : Don't the Japanese have to work or go to school ? Soon we were caught up with the multitudes of photo opportunities, snapping away non-stop.

First stop was FantasyLand. Sadly we did not get to go into It's a Small World as it was closed for improvements. Ash would have loved it. We went thru the Mickey Mouse Revue which was a history of Mickey Mouse (I'm sure we would have appreciated it better if it was in English), Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Adventure, Pinocchio's Daring Journey. Because the waiting time for Pooh's Hunny Hunt was 3 hours, and all the FastPass were given out for the day, we decided to do it the next day.

We then went over to ToonTown and rode Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Later in the evening, Viv queued for close to an hour and a half to see Mickey's House and for a photo session with Mickey. While Viv was queuing, I brought Ash over to play in Goofy's Bounce House, which was a 30min queue. When we finally got in, Ash took ages before she stepped in and when she did (which was also by accident cos she slipped), the buzzer rang indicating that her time was up !! She refused to leave and cried. I then pacified her by bringing her over to Donald's Boat.

By 5pm the sun had set and it was as dark as 8pm in Singapore. The temperature had dropped. We had dinner at the Centre Street Coffeehouse because Viv loved the ginger pork and also because it was one of the few reasonably priced sit down restaurants.
We called it a day at 8.30pm since Ash was already knocked out in her stroller.

2008-10-21T22:41:00.003+08:00

21 Oct 2008

Constipation

Her constipation was bad. She strained, slept, strained, slept till 2am when she finally was "done". Even then she needed my help to pull it out. It was big, looking like a medium-sized ginger.I thought it was all over, but when she woke at 7am, the straining started all over again. So we decided that she needed help and brought her to the nearby GP at Rivervale Plaza. After registration and being 2nd in the queue, we didn't expect to have to wait long. Then somehow, the nurse didn't put Ash's card in and when patient No. 1 was out, the doctor called for No. 3 and we ended up waiting for an extra 15mins ! Anyway, when it was Ash's turn, it was a struggle to get her to lie down since she knew what she was in for - Baby Lax up her anus. After all the effort and with Baby Lax in, nothing came out, it made me wonder if her straining when she woke was some residual effect by her gut from the straining the night before.

Quickly we brought her home, showered and made our way to Pat's and work. Left instructions with Ms Elaine to make sure she drank her water and to be on diapers for today so that she didn't try to hold back if she needed to do her business. When I picked her up in the evening, as expected, she didn't do anything. But the moment we got home, the straining started, but at least this time, there was output...and twice. Hopefully, this is the end of this constipation episode for this month.

On a lighter note, it was drizzling lightly when I picked her up and so brought the umbrella out. She had some fun with it.

2008-10-20T22:35:00.000+08:00

20 Oct 2008

She finally plucked up enough courage to climb, slide down and walk across.

Climb - climb up the playground at Pat's unassisted

Slide down - slide herself down the "whirly" slide

Walk Across - walk across the swinging bridge

2008-10-11T22:35:00.003+08:00

11 Oct 2008

Pat's New Playground

Pat's had installed a spanking new playground last week and the children thoroughly enjoy themselves playing with it. It has become a ritual for every evening for every parent when picking their kids up - let them play in the playground before going home.

Ash is no exception.

2008-10-09T22:17:00.001+08:00

9 Oct 2008

Excursion to Underwater World

Ash went on her first excursion today to the Underwater World. Pat's had organised the trip and parents were informed to dress our kids in yellow for easy identification. It cost $18 which included the entrance fee and bus fare. Since this was a no-parent excursion, what I'll be posting here is all based on the fragmented, non-sequential recollections from Ash and some feedback from Ms Elaine yesterday.

Ash's version :
1. Daddy, daddy, today we saw the diver.
2. He, he wear a suit and he feed the fish, then he blow bubbles.
3. We sit in the big big bus.
4. I sit beside Emma.
5. We eat nuggets.
6. Ms Elaine give us strawberry biscuit.

Ms Elaine's version :
1. They were all so fascinated with the diver, I was trying to show them all the different fishes, but all they wanted to see was the diver. So we went four rounds around the Underwater World just for them to see the diver.

2008-10-04T21:26:00.003+08:00

4 Oct 2008

Printed out some Disney Playhouse Art Play pictures for Ash to colour while I washed up after her lunch. I wasn't sure for how long it was, but I suddenly realised that she was rather quiet. As I approached, her back was towards me and I asked her : " Ash, what are you doing ?" She immediately turned around with a guilty look : " What ?" And that was when I saw her left hand.
Why do children have this fascination with defacing themselves with pens, crayons, markers and colour-pencils ????

2008-10-03T00:31:00.004+08:00

2 Oct 2008

First day with her new bag

She was all excited to show off her new bag. She couldn't wait, so much so that she had already put on her sandals and stood by the door waiting...while I was still in shorts and tee-shirt.

When we got to Pats', she proudly wheeled her new bag to Jemima Puddle Duck. When Ms Elaine came out to greet her, first thing she did was she pointed to her new bag. After I said good-bye to her, she happily lugged and wheeled her bag into her classroom.

Cookie Baking Session

According to Liu Lao Shi, the kids had a cookie baking session today and they had loads of fun. Teahcers then packed the cookies into plastic containers for them to bring home.

Ash couldn't wait to eat the cookie and all the way home in the car, it was either " Can I open it ?" or " Can I eat it ?" After her bath at 7.30pm, she finally got to open and eat it.

2008-10-01T14:41:00.004+08:00

1 Oct 2008

Ash's New Bag

Last Monday, Liu Lao Shi suggested we should change Ash's bag as most of her classmates were using those trolley bags, so they could pull their own bags when they change classes...while Ash struggles to carry her sling bag.

So this morning, I brought her to Kiddy Palace for her to select her bag, and this is what she chose.

She was so excited that she wanted to leave the shop immediately, even before I had paid for it, which by the way cost $49.90 ! I finally managed to convince her that it would be difficult to move down the escalator with the bag, so she offered to go home immediately ! Now she just can't wait to go to school tomorrow to show off her new bag.

2008-09-29T23:28:00.003+08:00

29 Sep 2008

The Children's Day Gift

Ash received a suprise Children's Day gift from Ms Po Lin today. Ms Po Lin was Ash's care-giver during the afternoon over at Baby Haven. Although Ms Po Lin is no longer Ash's care-giver, it is comforting to know that she was in good-hands during her stay at Baby Haven and as parents, we're touched by the obvious effort and love that was put into the making of this lovely gift.

2008-09-27T16:14:00.002+08:00

27 Sep 2008

Comfortable ?

Woke up this morning and found Ash in this position.

2008-09-27T00:10:00.000+08:00

26 Sep 2008

Face Paint

Pat's celebrated children's day today and the kids all had their faces painted.

2008-09-25T23:02:00.000+08:00

25 Sep 2008

Sun-Blocked !

Ash was having a mild fever yesterday night, so we decided to keep her at home today. As I was washing up after her lunch, she came to me and wanted "some" sun-block to apply on her face, so I said ok. After about 5 mins, I came out of the kitchen only see "some" sun-block on her.

2008-09-19T22:56:00.001+08:00

19 Sep 2008

Tent

Ash saw a tent in the grounds of Pat's this evening. It was for the confidence building activity for the K2 kids I think. "I want play in the tent" was what she said.

After we came home, and Ash had finished her soup and bath, I built a "tent" for her.

2008-09-15T23:11:00.000+08:00

12-14 Sep 2008

Superstar Aqaurius

12 Sep
Once again this year, we celebrated Ash's birthday by going on a cruise, since our original plan for Tokyo Disney was pushed back to October.
To avoid the long queue at check-in, I did a city check-in 2 days earlier, so on Friday, we just had to proceed straight to boarding. Immediately after checking into our cabin, Ash's first task was to check out the bed. Viv suspects why she enjoys going on cruises and hotel stays is not because she likes the idea of it, but more because she likes rolling on the beds ! Since this was our 2nd time on a cruise, we were a little more savvy, we dumped the bags in the cabin and headed straight for the restaurant for dinner - typically Singaporean !

After dinner, we spent the time exploring the ship, checking out the other restaurants, where the swimming pools were, and what time Bingo was the next day...haha. At 10pm, we proceeded to the Stardust Lounge to watch a musical celebrating Hollywood movies. Despite it being way past her usual bedtime, Ash endured as she especially enjoyed watching the lead character who was playing the Mask....she calls him the "funny uncle".

13 Sep
The day started with a buffet breakfast at the Mariners Buffet lounge. After that, rest of the time was spent taking it easy and participating in the various on-board activities. One such activity was lantern making. During lunch, we were given a special treat, a live-performance right at our table-side.

And how can Ash miss the all important swimming !
Later that night, Star Cruise celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with moon-cakes and chinese tea at the top deck.

14 Sep

All too soon, we were heading back to Harbourfront, so as the Aquarius approached Singapore, we chose to spend some time at the top deck enjoying the sea-breeze. Unfortunately Ash wasn't in the best of moods, so it was tough getting good photos of her.

2008-09-12T23:25:00.000+08:00

12 Sep 2008

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ash !

Not the actual day, but I think Ash enjoyed the "celebrity status" by celebrating her birthday with her classmates. Since Strawberry Shortcake was her current "craze", mummy bought a Strawberry Shortcake cake.

Once Ms Elaine and Ms Jill got everything ready and got all the kids settled, she got Ash to place the candles on her cake.

With Kielee and Natasha looking on, Ash got some cream on her hand.

Mummy helping with the cake-cutting as hungry faces look on.

Smile everyone !

Delicious

2008-09-10T22:52:00.002+08:00

9 Sep 2008

Sparklers

I was at Giant during lunch and came across these sparklers. Decided to buy a pack of 100 sticks which cost only $5.90.

As expected, Ash was initially apprehensive about holding the "mini-fireworks", afraid that it would burn her. So after some coaxing, she finally mustered up enough courage to hold one. After that it was fun all the way.

2008-09-08T09:42:00.001+08:00

8 Sep 2008

Meeting of the Cousins

This is the first time that both Timothy and Ashley have met each other physically. The only other time that they have seen each other was via MSN video chat.

A kiss for you.

Those hot cars again.

This is how you cut it.

2008-09-01T21:58:00.000+08:00

1 Sep 2008

Wall-E

Since Pat's was closed for Teacher's Day, so we decided to bring Ash to watch Wall-E at Downtown East. I'm not sure if Ash really understood what the show was all about, but what I'm sure of is that she likes Wall-E alot. Why ? Because at the end, Wall-E almost gets crushed trying to help Eve return the Axiom to Earth, and Ash cried...no...not cried, she wailed in the cinema ! " I want Wall-E come back !" Heads started turning back. I shrank in in my seat as I desperately tried to comfort her and explain to her that Wall-E isn't dead yet. But thankfully, this is a cartoon and cartoons always have happy endings.

2008-08-31T17:25:00.005+08:00

30 August 2008

Lantern Fantasy 2008

Brought Ash to the Lantern Fantasy 2008 at the Chinese Garden yesterday evening.

Ash was quite excited when we told her that we'd be bringing to see the lanterns in the evening. We dropped by Penang Place for dinner, but as usual, Ash took a long time to finish her dinner, so by the time we got to the Chinese Garden, it was 8pm...Ash has seldom been out 'so late'. Since Ash was still below 3 yrs old, we didn't have to pay her entrance fee, but the kind lady at the ticket booth still gave her a lantern although it was only to be given to paying children.

Not sure if we'll be bringing her again next year. At $15 an adult and $10 per child plus $3 parking, it certainly isn't cheap, and I was a little disappointed by the displays. Anyway, we'll see what's on display next year.

2008-08-29T22:10:00.002+08:00

29 August 2008

Last day at Baby Haven

Today was Ash's last day at Baby Haven, from next week, her class will be moving over to 9 Halifax, now that the renovations over there have been completed. Her class had been temporarily housed at Baby Haven as 9 Halifax was under going renovations, I guess to cater for a bigger intake. Although Ms Elaine and Liu Lao Shi will be moving back with them, it's sad that teachers like Ms Po Lin, Ms Gwen, Ms Belle, Huang Lao Shi, Hu Lao Shi, who have in some way or another taught and taken care of her in the past year, will not be with her anymore. But I guess, that's life, we all have to move on some day.

2008-08-27T21:14:00.003+08:00

23 Aug 2008

Jug

Today Viv showed Ash what a jug was, having just taught her the word JUG. The jug became a toy after that. She hugged the jug, stored her toys in the jug and even played drum on it ! How a simple jug can bring her so much fun.

2008-08-16T21:27:00.002+08:00

16 Aug 2008

Sexy Outfit

Mama dropped by today. She bought a really sexy 2-piece outfit for Ash and she couldn't wait to try it on. Initially I think she felt uncomfortable and a little tickled with her tummy exposed, but after a while, she got used to it and didn't want to take it off.

2008-08-12T22:46:00.000+08:00

8-11 Aug 2008

Long Weekend in Klang

It was the National Day weekend and we headed up to Klang to visit Por Por and Gong Gong.
It was a rush for Viv and I to get home in order to catch our 8pm flight, but we made it. Ash was pretty excited and was looking forward to seeing Por Por and Gong Gong again.

First thing Ash did the next morning was to.....ride the rocking horse ! She actually still remembered the first time she rode on it, which was over a year ago.

Gong Gong then brought out a stool which he made for Ash....even after 2 years of woodwork lessons in school, I doubt if I can saw a piece of wood straight, let alone make a chair !

And here is Ash, comfortably sitting in Gong Gong's self-made deck chair, shaking her feet. See the blur of her feet ?

That evening we had seafood dinner and it was the first time that Ash had tasted crab. And not only did she eat crab, she also had prawns, and some of coconut meat.

10 Aug 2008

Cousin Angeline

17 days apart...Ash being the older of the two. It was the first time that they both met. They were both so shy.

Later in the afternoon, we went to the newest shopping centre in Klang, the AEON Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre. It's even in Wikipedia here ! Gong Gong managed to get hold of one these hot hot cars for Ash. See how much fun she was having.

Viv did some shopping and managed to get some bargains for Ash, like an Old Navy skirt, GAP t-shirt, a blouse and skirt from Wh.

11 Aug 2008

Flight home was at 5pm and we started to make our way to KLIA at 2:30pm to avoid any unforseen jams. We touched down at Changi at 6pm, and after a quick dinner at Crystal Jade, it was home sweet home.

2008-08-04T22:38:00.007+08:00

3 August 2008

At the Istana Open House

The Istana grounds was open to the public for the National Day celebrations. So we decided to bring Ash for her first ever visit to the home of the President of Singapore. It was a hot hot day and the heat got to everyone very quickly. Thank goodness for the air-con in the Istana which allowed us a moment of escape from the heat, albeit at a cost of $2/pax entrance fee.

Lunch was at Swensen's Plaza Singapura. And to top it off, a nice cold strawberry sundae ice-cream dessert to cool us down.

2008-08-02T21:36:00.001+08:00

2 August 2008

Bubble Gun

I finally found the bubble gun at the Takashimaya Toy Fair. Had tried asking Toys R Us at United Square but was told they didn't have it anymore. Thought that with this there would be no more dripping soap solution and slippery floors....I was wrong, it still dripped, the floor is still slippery, that's why Ash is playing with it along the corridor.

2008-07-28T22:20:00.002+08:00

28 July 2008

When I was at Pat's to pick Ash up this evening, I heard her teachers asking Ash if she had something to tell me. Happily she ran to the gate and shouted :"Daddy, daddy, I want to marry Dillon ! Dillon say he want to marry me !" *faint*
I knew this day would come, but so soon ??????

2008-07-16T21:07:00.001+08:00

16 July 2008

Changi Point again

Last Sunday evening........

"Where do you want to go this evening Ash ? Garden (Jacob Ballas) or the beach ? " Mummy asked.
"BEACH !!" exclaimed Ash. " I want to build sand-castle !" she said. So the beach it was.

2008-07-16T12:44:00.003+08:00

16 July 2008

Small voice, BIG Impact

I've been reminding mummy to put on her seat-belt when in the car for the longest time. Warned of the fine to driver and passenger, but to no avail.
Then this morning.....

Ash : Mummy, wear your seat belt.
Mummy : OK (still not belting up)
Ash : Mummy, wear you seat belt ! Later you fly out of the car !
Mummy : OK (finally belting up)

Me : (Turn to smile at mummy)

Small Voice, but a HUGE Impact !

2008-07-15T23:14:00.005+08:00

13 July 2008

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake

Ash's first cake baking experience. Viv bought the ready cake mix which only needed us to add 2 eggs and butter. Our little baker was quite a good helper, she helped to pour the mix, add the eggs, pour the milk. She also watched over the mixing diligently :D, making sure there were no lumps. She checked the consistency of the mix, before supervising the pouring into the baking tray.

2008-07-15T21:49:00.011+08:00

A Day of Firsts - part 2

Today also marked the first time Ash sat in a ride on her own ! She was initially apprehensive, but after some coaxing and I think her desire to ride on the train that she allowed us to walk away. Anyway, she thoroughly enjoyed herself, turning on the steering wheel as the train chugged along.

When the ride was over, she wanted to go a second round. So instead of spending another $3 on the same ride, we convinced her to try the merry-go-round. Because she wasn't comfortable sitting on the horse, Viv accompanied her.

Look ! I'm at Downtown East !

Having a drink of soya bean.

And finally home sweet home and to a good nap !

2008-07-09T22:53:00.008+08:00

7 July 2008

A Day of Firsts - part 1

It was Schoolhouse Day today and Pat's was closed. It was also a day of firsts for Ash. It was the first time for us at the new Downtown East, first time that Ash has watched a movie in a cinema and also the first time she sat in a choo-choo train all by herself !

Because Viv had an appointment in the morning, Ash and I went to Downtown East first to get tickets for her first ever movie - KUNGU PANDA ! After we got the tickets for the 1.15pm show, we walked the entire E!Hub shopping cnetre till we had nowhere to go and we still had to wait for Viv to meet us after her appointment. So I decided to take a coffee break a Kopi Alley. Ordered the coffee, bun and half-boiled egg set which Ash and I shared.

Eating half-boiled eggs.

And Kaya bun

When Viv arrived, we proceeded to Streets Cafe for lunch afterwhich it was off to watch Kungfu Panda. Ash enjoyed the show, though towards the end, she started to get a little restless as she she began shifting a lot in her seat, but overall, she was very well behaved. Her favourite character was not Po, but Master Shifu !

After the show, we brought Ash for a ride in the Ferris Wheel.

2008-07-09T22:12:00.003+08:00

6 July 2008

The Seductive Pose

We had lunch at the Island Cafe at Tang's this afternoon. Not much, Viv wanted to get the thermal cookpot at Tang's and she also needed to get a pair of shoes, which she eventually did, way over at Takashimaya.

Anyway, this blog is about Ash and not about mummy or daddy's shopping. So, ok, now back to Ash. After placing our orders, we asked Ash to pose for a photo, and boy, did she pose, giving her most seductive pose ! Ha-ha.

2008-07-06T00:08:00.009+08:00

5 July 2008

Evening at Changi Point

It was supposed to be "Evening at Changi Boardwalk", but I couldn't find the entrance to the boardwalk and so we ended up at Changi Point - only to notice that the boardwalk was just opposite where we were. But it would have taken too long to make our way there, so we left it for our next trip.

Ash was so excited to be down at the beach, wanting to build a sand-castle, but to be honest, I was too lazy, so I just told her we forgot to bring her pail and spade - bad daddy !

Fortunately, she was still excited to be able to walk along the beach, although she was scared of the waves made by the boats that were coming in and out of Changi Point.

Looking at sea-shells with mummy

"Member of Parliament" Walk

Dining by the sea

Finally, my amateurish attempt at taking a sunset shot.

2008-06-22T22:42:00.000+08:00

22 June 2008

Ash had inadvertently created a "weapon of war" when she chose to stuff a support from her kitchen set into her pram, thus creating what looks like a battle tank !

2008-06-21T21:08:00.004+08:00

21 June 2008

PTC Session

We had a Parent-Teacher Communication session this morning. Ms Elaine told us about Ash's progress, on how she had observed Ash's improvement in her social interaction with other kids. She also said that Ash was very good at role-play, creating lots of pretend games with her friends. At the same time, we were also given all her art and craft for the semester.

Ash in her Goofy Glasses - something made during the letter "G" week.

2008-06-17T23:51:00.005+08:00

17 June 2008

Friends

No politics, no hatred, no discrimination, pure innocence, JUST FRIENDS.
Managed to capture this shot of Ash with one of her classmates, Emma, when I picked her up yesterday evening.

2008-06-15T23:27:00.000+08:00

15 June 2008

My Little Squirrel

Ash is a like squirrel, hoarding her stuff in any piece of storage she can find. She's got stuff in the seat compartment of her Dora Trike, stuff in her handbag and even this one...her pram ! We've not seen Dolly or Baby's face for ages.

Choo-Choo Train

Was wondering what was keeping Ash occupied for so long, so we came over to have to look. She was busy lining up her "family" for a train ride...and she invited us to ride along with them.

2008-06-12T23:14:00.000+08:00

12 June 2008

Father's Day

Look what Ash made at Pat's for Father's Day.

2008-06-08T22:30:00.003+08:00

8 June 2008

Let's Imagine Live with Barney !

Today was the day she had been waiting for. All activities for the day were planned around this show. The idea was to tire her out in the morning so that she would take an early lunch and nap. So I brought Ash out to Compasspoint to do some grocery shopping and on the way back, she almost fell asleep in the car. After her early lunch - which she took an hour to finish, we hurriedly bundled her off for her nap. It took almost 30mins before she fell asleep. At 1:45pm, we woke her up, changed her, spoke excitedly to her to get her in the mood, as we didn't have time for her to drink her milk at home, she drank it on the journey to the Suntec Convention Centre. Parking was bad, we 'camped' at a spot in B2 for close to 20 mins, waiting for someone to leave before we got a parking lot. So with that final hurdle all settled, it was onward to the show !

The show started promptly at 3:30pm. It's always enjoyable when you know the songs, but it was especially enjoyable to watch Ash sing along to the songs that we all have become familiar with - Mr.Sun, Mr. Knickerbocker, Flying in an aeroplane, Baby Bop Hop, When I'm old enough to join the band, If all the rain drops and more.

2008-05-18T17:17:00.004+08:00

18 May 2008

Mummy, Daddy, Ashley !

It's been 3 days since Ash came home, and she's back to her boisterous self. So to keep her occupied, I told her to draw a picture of herself, with mummy and daddy, and I left her alone to do it. This is what she came up with.

2008-05-17T22:13:00.002+08:00

17 May 2008

Ashley's stay at KKH

2008-05-15T23:00:00.001+08:00

15 May 2008

Ash was supposed to have been discharged yesterday evening, but at around 5pm, her fever started rising again. So we decided to stay one more night, and rightfully so, as later that night, at around 10pm, her fever hit 38.6. And that was her last bout of fever.
We finally left KKH at 7pm, after Ash had her dinner. She had gone 21hrs without fever.

2008-05-14T04:18:00.004+08:00

14 May 2008

Happy Mother's Day ??

11 May - Even with Brufen, her fever never went below 38 degrees, ie, Ash was having fever the entire day. By 5pm, we decided that somethng wasn't right and went to KKH again. By 6.30pm, her fever had reached 39.6 degrees. Doctor suggested admitting her because of her past hisotry of fits, we agreed. That night after admission, when I went home to collect a change of clothes for Viv and myself, her fever had reached 40 degrees and Viv had a hard time sponging her down. According to Viv, Ash kept crying "help, help, help me" while she as being sponged. It didn't seem funny then, but it was funny trying to visualise it after that.

14 May - Past 2 days have been tiring for both of us, having to "battle" to get Ash to down her multitude of medication; paracetamol, 4 hourly, Fluimucil, thrice a day, Ventolin puffs, 4 hourly, Flixotide puffs, twice a day, Singular, once a day. Have yet to include her meals and fluids. Ash is now constipated. She's not eating as well. Fluid intake has been averaging 1/2 litre daily. And her fever is still there though, no longer those over 39 degrees. Her blood and urine tests did not indicate bacterial infection, so it's viral and Dr. Kumudhni said it'll take 7-10 days to burn itself out. This is one powerful virus for her fever to last so long.

3:40pm - Ash will be discharged this evening and she lit up when we told her she was going hoem today. She's still having an on-off low grade fever, but at least it is controllable with paracetamol. Poor girl's voice has also become hoarse from all the crying over the past 2 days. She also had Microlax suppository inserted this afternoon as she had been straining to poo since Sunday. With that, she finally moved her bowel...a fairly hard lump. Noticed that after that, she became more cheerful. Coincidence ?

2008-05-11T04:01:00.002+08:00

10 May 2008

Not again, fever !

Her fever started on Saturday morning. Ash woke us up at 2.30am with a 39.5 degree fever. Decided to use the Voren supporsitory as 39.5 was too high to wait for Brufen to take effect. In the morning, brought her to see Dr. Zainal who then said it was likely to be a viral fever. All was well until around 4.30pm when Ash complained she was cold. Took her temperature to find it was already 38.8. It continued to rise despite Brufen until finally at 5.30pm, we decided to bring her to KKH as her fever had already hit 39.5. Because it was a Saturday evening, we knew the CTE would be jammed packed and there was no way I was going to be able to get thru quickly enough, so we called for an ambulance. When we got to KKH, Ash was sponged to keep her temperature in check and she did not enjoy it. We were sent home with fever meds once her temperature had come down.