We had dinner at Kuishin-bo today. The food was still as good but it was freezing at the restaurant cos we asked for a place outside. Suntec is really cold (Btw, I can take cold very well but the place is super cold loh! Ale , you will sure "die" there...haha!). Joash found his "First Love" today too (see pics for the very cute & pretty girl). They were sitting next to us and the baby girl was also munching on the same type of biscuit as Joash's. Joash kept turning back to smile at her. I tried to secretly take her pics a few times! But towards the end of the dinner...... they became friends so I don't have to pretend anymore. The baby is of British-Indonesian mixed blood type....no wonder so pretty! And my goodness, her earrings were huge! So Godma...you like her...pass a not??? Btw, they are Christians too.

We did not have time to shop so just changed Joash's diapers and went to Carrefour to buy Ale's earpiece. The changing room was super cold too...... ai yo next time....go Suntec...... must wear thick thick!

I am looking forward to see Ale's new place at Kiam Tian tomorrow. Ale...... see you!

MY PINK CHI-NA BLOUSE WHICH I BOUGHT FROM METRO YESTERDAY

We went shopping for Joash's chi-na clothes at chinatown today. Rachel, Daphne, Daryl & Nat were with us. I have not been there for a mighty long time. The last time we were in chinatown was before Joash's arrival! Anyway, it was cool and breezy..... I was worried that it might be too warm for Joash & I....... but it turns out to be so enjoyable to walk down the streets. We saw many piggy stuff cos it's the year of the PIG....... the red packets were covered with pic of pigs....haha........ plus lots of pig ornaments too. Joash liked the windmills very much (every windmills contained a 4D number and it cost only $2....hee!). We just walked around, made some stupid jokes and ate ice dessert and dim sum.

After much searching, we finally decided to buy this $17 (the lady gave us a discount of $1.....so ridiculous...... I feel so silly....... reminded me of Jing Jing in Holland Village show when she bargained for a lower price for a blouse. Btw, we did not bargain.....so wierd!) yellowish gold suit for Joash (this shop was was our first stop!). This was the only suit that was small enough for Joash to fit in. I liked it very much......though I was actually looking for a white one but this looked good on Joash and my DH found it nice too!

We also stopped by Chinatown Point's Macdonald for some snack.....though the main purpose was to heat up Joash's milk. This was one of the most filthy Mac I had ever been to....... we found 2 baby cockroaches on the walls! So frightening cos if there were small ones, there bound to be big ones too..... eeeeeeks! We had to change to another table. We left at about 9.35 pm cos Nat needed to be back camp by 10.30 pm.

I was glad that the trip was a "fruitful" one and we had such a relaxing and fun time together. Strolling along the streets of Chinatown with all the CNY music really puts me in the CNY festive mood........ oh ya.... it also reminded me that it's time to pack the ang pows too........ And tomorrow (well, ar....today...) is Joash's 1st birthday & our 7th anniversary....... will be going to Kuishin-bo for dinner. It's now 12.15 am....... Dear, if you're reading my blog, just want to tell you this:

I am sure some of you are anxious to see the pics taken at Joash's 1st birthday. As usual, Tom will take some time to load them up. In the mean time, I had posted a few pics for you to share in our fun!!

Many of our friends told us that whenever their child 1st birthday is approaching, some strange things will happen before the party....for example.... some may fall sick, some refuse to have nap, some teething, some grouchy...... well ....... you get what I mean??? My dear son happen to fall into the same "trap"........yup, he is teething and having a high body temperature, he did not nap well and was grouchy throughout the party (can tell from the pic right?)! He did not even respond when the guests sang his favourite song "If you're happy & you know it", all he did was to frown and play with the balloon's string.......haiz.... And I had to carry him all the time... but overall, we had a great time and Joash eventually got adjusted to the crowd...... and allowed others to carry him....what a relief for me (my arms were aching badly)!

Here's a thank you list to appreciate all my helpers & friends for making this party a success (in random order):

1. RACHEL - Thank you for your effort, time & brain juice in making the function room so well decorated with balloons and banners. You also double up as an Emcee, cake mover, cake cutter, food transporter, part time photographer plus baby entertainer...phew..... wow ...... you're so super!

2. MICHELLE - I really don't know what will happen without your help..... Thanks for carrying Joash and taking care of him while I get ready all his stuff and dressing up. YES......thanks for driving us to the party on time and carrying so many things for me.... I know you nearly sweat a bucket just to help me out........ you've always been such great help since Joash was born..... luv you to bits!

3. DAPHNE - The video that you did was a 1st class job.... we love it sooooooooo much! Thanks for your time and effort in doing up the video (till 5 am!). We really appreciate it. You made Joash's birthday party such a special one ....... a big kiss from him to you!

4. GODMA GILLIAN - Thanks for being my "unofficial banker" last minute......hee! You know how much we always appreciate all your help and love for Joash. Thank you for helping to decorate the place, carry Joash, cutting the cake and helping me each time I need something. Yes, you're the best Godma that Joash can ever have and a wonderful friend to us....... a great big hug from us to you!

5. DARYL - You surprised me with your superb Emcee skills. Your lame jokes are a delight to me (but pls not too much ok...haha)! Thanks for helping out with the logistic too. Your time, and labour of love is so much appreciated by us...... yes, once again...... I think you have hidden talents! God bless you!

6. NICKY - You always liven up a place wherever you go! We love your crazy personality and friendliness (Hmmm....... you even wanted me to introduce you to my mum! Haha!) Thank for taking the time and effort to help us out. You are really an enjoyable person to be around with.

7. KUEN - Thank for sacrificing your precious times to take pics for the party. You have been a great help to us. Looking at the pic, we know we had chosen the right person for the job. You've made Joash's party an forgettable ones..... with so many well-taken pic...thank you!

8. UNCLE KENNETH (aka KENNETH) - I am sooooo impressed with your balloons sculpturing talent...... the balloons were so beautiful & nice..... you made all the kids so happy and comfortable...... I am sure they like you very much. Thank you for making the party a special, fun and awesome one! And yes....next time.... I want magic ok????

9. EMMIE & KIAN KEI- Both of you were pull in last minute to "labour" with us and yes..... the help was much needed and appreciated! Thank you so much. (Em, btw, your blouse is really pretty! And Kei, your brows are so neat....hee!)

10. THE WOO FAMILY - We cannot have a party without your help. Thanks for opening up your place for us to use. Eileen, thank you for staying up to make sure everything was cleared before leaving. You are a such an angel. A kiss from me to you!

11. TO ALL OUR FAMILIES & FRIENDS - Joash's 1st birthday will not be so enjoyable & successful without all of you! Thank you for celebrating this important and special day with us. And yup thanks for all the wonderful gifts and ang pows too...... thank you...... thank you....... thank you!

Alright...that's all I have to say...... pls wait patiently for Tom to load up the rest of the pics in his blog. Good night.

Introducing our godson, TIMOTHY SOH! He is really our godson bestowed upon us by his parents since he was in Primary 6. I was giving him tuition then (can vomit blood teaching him!!!). He is now a 17 years old young man and I am almost 3 decades old (Daryl, stop complaining you are old loh!!). His whole family migrated to Perth and now he is back for NS. So as his godparents, we have the responsibility of taking care of him (Tim told everyone that when his parents go to heaven, we have to take care of him.....lol!). Yup, yesterday was his last day of "freedom" and we wanted to encourage him by giving him a "treat"! We had KFC chicken for dinner and at 11 pm, we embarked on our "project". Tim was so cooperative...... he just sat there and let us cut his hair (he will be botak the next day anyway so who cares!). Btw, Tim really mixes well with the group. He only joins them recently and it seems he knows them for a long time, some of the girls mentioned that if he was older, they don't mind having him as a boyfriend cos he is so hunky...hahahaha! To cut the long story short, we really like his new hair cut..... so much better than the old one..... very clean cut! Last word for Tim before his enlistment:

TIMMY, WE'RE ALL BEHIND YOU...JIA YOU"!

A MEAL FOR MY LITTLE PRINCE

STEAMED EGG, BROCCOLI SOUP &

SOYA SAUCE/SESAME OIL CHICKEN

SOFT RICE MIXED WITH SOME EGG AND SOUP

Joash has not been eating well for 2 weeks already. He seems to have lost some weight too! We guessed that he might be teething cos he kept putting his fingers into his mouth plus his tummy seems to be filled with "wind". So of course this paranoid mother cannot just sit back and watched her son "suffers" this way. At first, I tried to pry open his mouth and stuff all the porridge in but he managed to spit them all out! It was extremely frustrating for me especially when I took so much time and effort (and $ cos got cod fish!) to cook them. Finally, today, I decided to end this feeding battle..... soooooooooo I change my strategy............. cook rice instead of porridge with all the other dishes separately for his lunch (I assumed rice is harder to spit compared to porridge.......haha!). Joash was pleasantly surprised by the new taste and finished about 3/4 of the rice and dishes (btw, he wanted to spit out half way but I managed to hold him down, so it was not without struggle.). Well, I shall continue to feed him rice and now I need to "create" more dishes for him to try. Hope this period of "Feeding Battle" will end soon!

BEFORE

AFTER

I painted this pair of shoes last night. Well, looks alright but nothing fantastic. It was rather fun though! I enjoyed the mixing of paints and it was also quite therapeutic for me. Thks to Gillian for this idea and also the paints. Btw, I also done up a scrapblog at www.sumbebejo.scrapblog.com/sum of my shoes...... go take a look and give me your comments.

Gillian & Daryl came over to my place with dinner yesterday. So sweet of them! Actually I was rather surprised to see Daryl, so touched, never thought he would visit me...haha. Girls, he is still single but don't know whether still consider available (Daryl, you know what I mean?), so start dropping hints now before it's too late...haha! Gillian even bought Bak Zhang & Yong Tau Foo for me to cook and eat...... this Godma of Joash is really NICE, NICE & NICE! No wonder so many guys eyeing her (PITA? our private joke though not exactly very private!). Tom came back last night about 9 plus. I was so happy to see him. Hope he can be back tonight too!

Nicky will be coming with lunch (hokkien mee) today...... he is still my sweetie pie after so many years (right Nicky?)

WHO SAYS KIND PEOPLE DON'T EXIST IN SINGAPORE! LOOK, I HAVE PLENTY AROUND ME!

Yes, another fun filled weekends with the group. We were so glad to see Emmie cos it's been so long since we saw her. (Em, you're still as pretty!) They slept overnight at our place on sat night...... tho' not everyone sleep! We seem to enjoy seeing each other and we met up at our place on Sun afternoon to slack again. Some of them managed to catch a power nap. And some went home with nice eyebrows...haha!

We were invited to a dinner to celebrate YMM 10th birthday. All of us have been serving for 10 years already. There were about 18 of us...... we are a very faithful batch. The food at Pudong Kitchen was very good. They serve Shanghai cuisine.....really nice. We had some sharing and left earlier cos Joash was grouchy and tired.

Tom will be going on reservist for a week tomorrow. I will be alone at home.Guess my lunch & dinner will consist of mainly instant noodles...haiz......poor me! Ok, gtg, bye!

NOTE: These are just some pics, you will have go to Tom's blog for more. Hope he will upload them soon. Btw, for this slide, you have to use your mouse to point to the pic so that you can see the captions.

We were so busy having fun so no special post for New Year's Day. It was so eventfull (notice that it is LL, cos full of events mah!) I am going to list down all the things I did and eat for these 3 days, starting from New Year's Eve. Be prepared....it's going to be a very looooooooooooooooooong post! So go grab a drink and some snacks before you continue to read!

31st December 2006 (last day)

We had a year end teachers' meeting in the afternoon. Wow, it's been a long time since I joined the Children's gathering, what to do, Joash comes first! I led Praise & Worship (have not led for as long as I was preggy till Jo's arrival!). It was fun and funny..... we laughed a lot during praise and worshipping with so many people was great (really missed it). It was also Gerry's birthday so we sang her a birthday song with her playing on the keyboard..haha! The meeting was great, there were laughters as well as tears from the sharing..... overall, we enjoyed ourselves. Oh ya, the food was great too, we catered the famous Chong Pang Fried Bee hoon and Nasi Lemak for lunch..... yummy........ just the thought of it makes me hungry!

In the evening, we had vegetarian food with Tommy's family at Guan Yin Restaurant. The food was quite good. I like the "abalone" most. Joash cried throughout the whole dinner! Guess their faces were unfamiliar to him. We also gave our nieces and nephews their belated Christmas presents and they loved it. We went home after that.

Gillian, Nicky & Kenneth came over to our place for count down at 10pm. We (nicky, ken & I) had a "sinful" time looking at pretty gals pics (Ale, you were were one of them..... yes a hot mama! "ouch"). Kenneth sculptured some balloons for me. They were so nice, especially the pink rose. About 11.50pm, we switched on the TV for the countdown. We exchanged kisses (on the cheeks and only the gals did that!) at 12 am sharp...haha! After that, Gillian, Nicky & my hubby watched Death note while Kenneth and I watched some funny videos online. We stayed up till about 4 am!!! Gosh, have not done this for a long time..... so tired, I am getting old! Gillian & I slept in the bed room. The guys were given a bigger spce to sleep in..... the living room on Joash's bumper mat...haha! Gillian and I were talking about some family stuff when suddenly, the fan speed went down, I was a little shocked (who won't after watching Death Note!). The guys were hiding at the bedside...... goodness, trust them to play such silly pranks at an unearthly hourly...... Gillian and I wacked them with our bolsters! We finally slept at about 4 plus.

Phew ........ what a long day for me!

1st January 2007 - NEW YEAR'S DAY

Nicky & Kenneth left my place about 9 am. Gillian had breakfast with us before leaving. She just got to take a last look at Joash before leaving. Joash was delighted to see her. They were so in loved..... haha!

Tom & I took a short nap in the afternoon when Joash was having his. Rachel, Daryl & Michelle called us and we arranged to meet again. Unfortunately, Tommy got to go over to Chevrons for an emergency case so they had to come over to our place first. They came about 3 plus and had Hokkien mee for lunch. Gillian, Nicky, Nat & Tim joined us in the evening for dinner. We had steamboat buffet at Hotel Royal. It's the only place that is more affordable for them. The food was ok only! The restaurant had changed so much since the last time I been there (before I got married! Hee!). Joash wasn't very cooperative cos he was rather tired from the many activities. Poor boy! Too bad his parents just cannot sit still, what to do! In the end the whole lot of them came and stayed overnight at our place except Nicky and Tim went back home. We watched Happy Feet on DVD. Tom & I slept at 2 am cos we, the oldies can't take the late night anymore!

Yup, this is how I spent my New Year...... so tiring but fun right?

2nd January 2007

The whole group of them woke up at about 10 am. All of us had to go for a lunch treat from Aunty Helen at "Uncle's David Restaurant". She wanted to thank the worship & pastoral team for their hardwork in church.... she is sweet and rich! keke! The food was Western & Japanese. The prices were reasonable and the food was very good. Joash had to missed his morning nap.......haiz.... but he wasn't grouchy. We left the place at about 2.30pm cos Joash was getting tired. We were equally exhausted too. I still have unfinished housework to do then.... sigh! But I did manage to get some power nap.

In the evening,. we had dinner at cineplex food court with the whole group again ......... should have gone to Causeway Point for dinner instead. Had a very yummy Japanese Green Tea ice cream though. Then we went home. Finally had time to check mail and chatted with Ale on skype. I slept at about 2 am after expressing milk..... wow.... slept immediately cos I was so tired. Tom was still up then!

Wooooooo.................. this is the end of my very long winded post. For those who managed to read all....congrats on being a patient reader. Ok going to end this post abruptly cos my fingers are aching from all the typing.... not going to check for errors at all..... so pardon me for any spelling or grammatical errors made here! Sayonara..........