A Lovely Surprise!

I was quite excited when I heard the doorbell ring today, accompanied by, "Postman!" I'd been waiting ages to receive some shoes I ordered online for Cherise, so I've been listening out for the postman for quite some time now, but it was a surprise when he handed me not one parcel, but two. The registered parcel contained the shoes, but the other one contained this:



A big thank you to Uncle Kenneth, Auntie Evelyn and Baby Kate in Australia for the lovely, lovely gifts! The barrier balm is a much needed item - we're on our last jar! We're going to keep the frame for a family photo once David arrives, and Cherise has already made me read her the book a few times in a row. As for the sunglasses - well, you gotta see for yourselves!

A little diva in the making...


Her royal taoness. I call it the Jay Chou look.


More Jay Chou...


A smile at last!


Thank you once again for the gifts - it brought us a lot of laughter on an otherwise dreary afternoon.

Sweetness....

I haven't been taking many pictures of Cherise lately partly because I don't carry our camera around with us all the time. Thank God we decided to stuff it into the bag anyway because I found the perfect photo opportunity...

How can anyone look at this sweet little face and resist picking her up for a cuddle? My heart simply melted when she went "daddy daddy bao bao?" Sigh...what will I not give to have her stay like this forever...

This reminds me of a song by Collin Raye, "I Wish I Could". The chorus of this song really struck a chord in me. It's officially my theme song for Cherise and I.

Looking out my window
See you playing in the leaves
It's amazing how a little girl
Means all the world to me
When I tell you that I love you
I love you more than words can say

Smile, say cheese pretty-please
I wanna take your picture
How'd you ever get so big
I gotta take your picture
Hold on to the memory before the whole thing slips away

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
But I wish I could

When you kiss me for no reason
It goes straight to my heart
When I feel your arms around me
I almost fall apart
It's time for bed you whisper
Daddy, we forgot to pray

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
But I wish I could

And when I watch you sleeping
All my worries fade away
A little bit of heaven glows on your angelic face

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
I know I can't
But I wish I could

Here's his live performance of the song, enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Jesus

I was trying to find the lyrics to the song with the above title (which Jas sang for Christmas two years ago, which according to Pastor Pete caused some folks to end up with diabetes...muah ha ha!!) and came across this video.
For the record, this little girl by the name of Stormie Carter was only 4 years old at the time this video was recorded. That's pretty amazing for a kid that age.

Well, I do not have a voice like Stormie and I am certainly not four years of age. But I would still like to dedicate this song to my Lord Jesus. I pray that my family and I will continue to serve and love Him with all that we are and have till the day He returns.

Happy birthday to You
Happy birthday to You
Happy birthday dear Jesus
Happy birthday to You

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice.
But the real gift is you.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the carols and bells
Make the holiday swell
And it's all about you.
Happy Birthday Jesus, Jesus I Love You.

Have a Blessed Christmas everyone!

Why I Love the Christmas Season...

Here are 10 reasons why I love this time of the year:

1) One word...HOLIDAY!!!!
2) Decorations. Lights, trees, glitter, fake snow and the whole lot.
3) Christmas music. Nothing beats Christmas carols, one of my favourites is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" made famous by Judy Garland.
4) Another reason to meet up with family and old friends.
5) Receiving presents.
6) Giving presents. Surprisingly, I find this more enjoyable than the former.
7) Seeing the faces of your loved ones when they open up their gifts.
8) Shopping for gifts with my family.
9) Staying up late at night with Jas wrapping presents and stressing over who we might have forgotten to buy gifts for.
10) Being reminded that the reason for this season is the greatest gift ever given to us...the Christ of Christmas.

Have you ever wondered why Christmas is such a big deal even to non-Christians? I believe that it is more than just the gifts and parties. I believe that deep down inside each and everyone of us there's a need...a need for a reason to express love and to receive it. And Christmas gives us the reason to do so without the "asian" in us feeling uneasy about it. My prayer for anyone who has yet to receive the greatest gift of all is that you will experience Jesus in a very personal way this Christmas...after all, it's His birthday party and you are invited.

Christmas Isn't Christmas
Jesus brings warmth like a winter's fire,
A light like a candle's glow;
He's waiting now to come inside,
As He did so long ago;
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life,
And makes them bloom and grow;
So welcome Him with a song of joy,
And when He comes, you'll know...

That Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts;
So give your heart to Jesus, you'll discover when you do,
That it's Christmas, really Christmas for you!

It runs in the family...

Last weekend, we visited our friends Des and XL as it was their baby's first month. Our cell group was in full attendance for the first time in a while, so I had a good time chatting with ZG and Ade while our babies played with Clara's toy kitchen - you know, one of those push around stove-cart thingys with a toy oven below. And so I had only half an eye on Cherise while she was seated on the floor, happily taking fake food out of the oven, when ZG brought me to full attention when he exclaimed, "Eh, what happened to Cherise?" I turned to look at her and found her still and unmoving, one arm extended, reaching into the oven, and her head resting on that arm. I quickly went to her, thinking maybe her arm was stuck inside or something, and when I gave her a tug, I found her whole body very heavy and limp - the little girl had fallen asleep while playing! In mid-stretch, as it were!

Everyone else thought it hugely amusing - but being the concerned parent I am, I was a little worried. Was it normal? I asked my mom and she thought it was amusing and unusual but no cause for worry. Still not convinced, I googled "child sleeping while playing", and "baby sleep problems" but all the search results came back with articles on parents who couldn't get their children to sleep, not the other way around.

And then I read this on my sis-in-law's blog. Ah! So it runs in the family!

Just now, while we were taking a leisurely walk back from Bukit Panjang Plaza, we found Cherise slouched over in her stroller - lulled to sleep by the ride.

I guess I am a little surprised. Cherise never could fall asleep easily - she was always one of those active babies who struggled to sleep - and now, she's falling asleep all over the place! But how nice! It's a good thing.

Family Retreat @ Sentosa - Part 3

Day 2 of our Sentosa escapade started with breakfast at the hotel's cafe. The buffet spread was nothing to boast about, the food quality was not fantastic either. Cherise was not very cooperative during breakfast so we had our hands full trying to feed her and keep the flies away from our food. She got bored of the bread with jam and banana pretty quickly and wanted to be carried, till we gave her this...
Meiji Yogurt! She liked it so much she finished two cups of it. And she insisted on feeding herself.
You should have seen the mess she created after she was done.

We went swimming after breakfast and as mentioned here, the swimming pool was indeed a pleasant surprise. The water was so clear and fresh that Cherise kept taking sips of it, much to our dismay. We didn't manage to take her to the shallow area where the waterfall was cos' there was a bunch of other kids playing there. She enjoyed splashing about at the deeper end with us though...

Doesn't she look adorable in her little pink hat?
Once again, no pictures of Daddy swimming cos' he looks more pregnant than his wife.

We managed to negotiate for a later check out time so that Cherise could take a nap before we headed to the Underwater World. I also managed to squeeze in another solo session in the jacuzzi while they slept. It would have been perfect if I had a nice cold glass of iced tea to accompany me but for some reason the hotel does not serve room service before 11am (yes, not even drinks!!) so I had to make my own hot tea with the tea bags provided in the room.

After we checked out, we left our bags at the hotel and had lunch at Rasa Sentosa's Silver Shell Cafe. The buffet spread was excellent and the service was outstanding. There are hotels that claim to be 5-Star and there are those that simply are. Rasa's got everything! I suspect we may end up coming here for our anniversary next year.

The main event was our visit to the Underwater World. Cherise has always been fascinated with fishes, she can't stop looking at them whenever she passes an aquarium or seafood restaurant. But nothing could ever prepare her for this...
You call THAT a fish?!? More like a giant sea monster with scales!
The little girl was quite daring though, she tried to tap on the glass to get their attention but got a little startled when they swam towards her.

She had a whale of a time (pun intended) looking at the sharks and sting rays and observing the schools of fishes darting to and fro.


She was clearly frustrated that we kept asking her to turn around for pictures ha ha! We almost had problems leaving the place cos' Cherise kept going "Fish Fish" every time we walked past the aquarium with the giant Arowanas.

We're glad that Cherise enjoyed herself there. At least we gave her the opportunity to see real sea creatures as opposed to pictures in story books or on TV. Our next excursion will be to the zoo! Better go and see the animals before mommy becomes one of the elephants ha ha!

Family Retreat @ Sentosa - Part 2

I think Jas and I are simply not the kind of people who can simply do nothing but chill out when we're having a holiday. It's like we have a desperate need to make the most of our time by doing as many things as we can when what we need the most is simply do nothing but rest. Maybe it's because we get bored easily. I bet we would have felt a lot more rested after the retreat if we had just stayed within the hotel and soaked in the jacuzzi till we turned soft but noooo......

Barely 40 mins after checking in, we found ourselves frolicking under the sun at the private beach of Cafe Del Mar.
Day beds and Cabanas on the beach...how cool is that!


This beachfront dining hotspot even has its own swimming pool (and pool bar)...
Check out her cheeky grin...
Hot mama....
Cherise REALLY likes the water.
Sorry, no pictures of daddy in the pool cos' he's too fat!

After about an hour or so in the sun, we decided to have lunch there. The food was not fantastic this time though, Jasmine's lobster bisque tasted more like lobster consomme, and my spring chicken was more like erm...a spring chick??? Or maybe a quail in disguise. We were so unimpressed this time round that we didn't even bother to take pictures of the food.
The little princess was not too thrilled with her home made porridge as well.

After lunch, we went back to the hotel for a nap because her royal highness was starting to get a little cranky.

Later in the afternooon, we took a leisurely stroll to Palawan Beach and made it just in time for the animal show at the amphitheatre. Cherise was probably still in her semi-awake state, so she didn't get very excited when she saw the huge birds of prey. She wasn't even the least affected when the wings of the falcon whisked through her hair when it flew past us. Her mommy on the other hand was quite tense throughout the performance. Cherise managed to get up close to the albino python for the first time though. After the show Cherise gave indications that she was hungry for a snack, so we stopped over at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for tea and bought her a muffin. Mummy also bought her some new toys which she could not resist playing with immediately...


Oh, I have to share this with everyone...never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that Sentosa would take the effort to make the island more baby friendly...well, they did!
A relatively well maintained family room at the train station.
Big changing station for the toddler, and a small foldable one for the baby.

We wanted to go to the Underwater World initially but thanks to my superb navigational skills, we ended up at the Butterfly and Insect Kingdom instead. By then it was too late for the former so we decided to kiv till the next day. It was not a wasted trip though, because we ended up finding Sarpinos Pizza there and decided to order a couple of them back for dinner. My navigation skills did not improve despite having a map on my hands, so we ended up walking along the long and winding route along the main road back to the hotel.

Lesson learnt - Stick to the beach....or at least walk back the way you came!

I was quite impressed with Jas for walking all the way back without complaining though...hee hee, sorry dear!

Anyway, the rest of the night was divided between a bonding session at the jacuzzi and watching the 1st episode of "Don't Forget the Lyrics". I would have won the the 50K if I was the one playing!

So that's the end of day 1, standby for Day 2!

Family Retreat @ Sentosa

I took Jas and Cherise for a short retreat at Sentosa last Thursday. I've been wanting to do this for the longest time but was unable to get my leave approved due to the shortage of manpower at work. But like they always say, "good things come to those who wait", I managed to get a pretty good deal for a 2 days 1 night stay at the Siloso Beach Resort.

A first of its kind in Singapore, this eco-friendly hotel is a heaven for folks who wish to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and just pamper yourself in the midst of nature. You can tell that a lot of effort has been made in the design of the hotel to preserve the original flora and fauna as much as possible. Instead of cutting down trees to make space, they build the walkways around them. It's almost like staying in a treehouse.

We went for the Roof Garden Suite because they were having a relaunch promotion. The main draw of this suite is that it features a private open air roof top garden that comes with a jacuzzi. Needless to say, that was the best part of our stay...nothing beats a nice warm bubble bath with your family under the stars...

If you are naughty, you can peek over the ledge to spy on your neighbours ha ha!


It's not as small as it looks...it's meant for 2 adults, so the 3 of us managed to squeeze into it quite comfortably.

Ok, this is not an advertorial for the hotel but I always believe that good things must be shared, so here's what I like about the place other than those I've mentioned.

1) Accommodating service Staff
Official check in time was 3pm but we arrived really early (before 12 noon) cos' we wanted to make the best out of our day in Sentosa, so we requested to leave our bags with the hotel while we go "jalan jalan". The staff upon seeing that we had a sleeping baby in tow, told us that we could check into our rooms immediately for our convenience. How thoughtful indeed.


2) Location
I love the fact that the hotel is just behind Cafe Del Mar, our other most favourite spot in Sentosa. It is also within walking distance to the Underwater World...the only attraction that Cherise could appreciate at this point.

3) Swimming Pool
They use natural spring water...erm...makes me ask this question - Singapore got natural spring meh??? But who cares? Once you dip into this pool, I gurantee you will never want to use those heavily chlorinated swimming pools again. It's really very refreshing.
Check out Cherise in her new hat...
Our pictures cannot do justice to the pool, so just go the website to see more of the pool if you want to.

But the place does have it's cons too:

1) No room service between 0700H to 1100H.
So if you don't like the buffet breakfast, too bad. Wait till the kitchen opens at 11am. Oh, there are also VERY limited items in the room service menu between 2300H to 0700H. It'll be wise to bring your own cup noodles if you need supper.

2) No shelter from Reception area to the accommodation area.
The two areas are linked by an uncovered suspension bridge, so you will be at the mercy of the elements. They do provide umbrellas though.

3) The Roof Garden Suite haa a VERY small toilet
Understandably so because they have to make room for the private stairwell that leads you to the roof top garden. So if you are anything like me, you'll let the exhibitionist in you run wild and bathe here...


Overall, it was a very pleasant stay. We would have been more rested if not for the fact that Cherise had a mild fever that night (due to her MMR jab 10 days back) and we (ok lah, mostly Jas) had to keep waking up to sponge her. I'm glad Jas enjoyed the stay, though I suspect she may have preferred Rasa Sentosa. But for the refreshing pool and the hot tub under the stars...we may just come back again next year...maybe without the kids ha ha!