Month: June 2010

Toy Story 3

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It’s nice to have good friends who think of you when they mess up on a cinema booking 😉  That way, my munchkins and I had a nice surprise of catching Toy Story 3 on Saturday morning.  Thank you, Uncle Jason!!

I completely enjoyed the film.  It was much better than Toy Story 2 and I can’t wait for the DVD!!  My munchkins, on the other, wasn’t quite as enamoured.  Their verdict – too scary :p I can see how through their eyes it can be quite scary … after all, dolls coming to life and abused ones at that doesn’t make for a relaxed bedtime.  For their Pixar crazed Aunt, she was thrilled to bits.  You can imagine her excitement when her other favourite Studio Ghibli character made a cameo.

Yes, in the left had side, that’s Totoro!!!  I actually nearly let a squeal out when I first saw him on screen.  Yes, two of the greatest animation characters on screen together in the same film, Totoro and Woody.  I can’t wait for my toys to come out of storage and put by side by side too 🙂  I digress.

Back the film, the story made the toys seem timeless with a plot that will touch the child in you.  So yes, enough action, drama and comedy for the whole family.  I loved it so much, I’m planning to watch it again :p

That’s my way of saying even if you ever played with toys and loved any one of them, you’ll enjoy this film 🙂

Puppy Tales

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This post is for Michele 🙂 The least favourite thing I enjoy about puppysitting is the mornings when I leave for work. My sister’s puppy has an incredibly sad face that she puts on the minute she realises that you’re leaving her for the day :p

While I’ve enjoyed the last couple of days alone, I’m so glad my sister is coming home tomorrow. Then this face wouldn’t solely be just my responsibility.

Camp Pong

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Amidst my babysitting duties last weekend, I took out an hour and a half to try my hand at Ping Pong.  I don’t ever recall actually playing ping pong ever in my life … maybe once in primary school :p  Anyway, back to last Sunday … it was not bad … took me a while to get into it but once I did, I could actually appreciate what an intense workout it could possibly be.  Although, mine was hardly the work out :p

Here’s the two who are responsible for getting the rest of us into a seemingly 1960s trend.  Why does table tennis seem 1960s to me, I’ll never figure out :p  Anyway, these two are serious enough to get their own bats and are actually participating in a ping pong league!!!  Hang on, I think it’s just Tommy so if you have nothing to do on 10th July, you can check him out during the heats at Camp Pong :p  They even managed to get Shannon, Mr Ping-pong-is-a-gay-game-no-thank-you, to check it all out.

That picture was taken just minutes after they arrived.  While he does look uninterested, the game managed to intrigue him enough to pick up the bat once or twice 🙂

Other than picking up ping pong, I was reminded how different girls and boys are.  The guys true to their competitive nature, played games where scores were kept and a winner declared.

The girls, we were just happy to keep the ball bouncing back and forth.  There were no rules, no scores, just the fun of hitting the ball in the right place so that the other girl can hit it right back 🙂

Yes, our spectators weren’t very into the game when the girls were playing.

That said, the boys were sweet enough to play the game girl style when they were playing with one of us and kept their cavemen tactics targeted solely at each other 🙂

Will I go back? $10 buys you 2 paddles, 3 balls and half an hour.  Not ludicrously expensive and with the right crowd, it is quite fun 🙂  The place even offers champagne at about $160 a pop so if you want to throw a ping pong party, you know where to go.  Meanwhile, anyone who’s up for a round of ping pong can give me a call 🙂

A Date on Saturday Night

/ carlenetan / 4 Comments

By any standard, the date I had last Saturday was a really good one.  Yes, my husband has left for Vancouver and when he does, I get naughtier than usual 😉  By that I mean, I have a little more time for adult girly action … and by that, I mean a nice long dinner at Michelangelo’s with a dear dear friend.

The initial plan was to catch up on work in the office but I’ve found out that being back on a Saturday is not an environment for optimal efficiency.  For one, the air conditioning hasn’t been on the whole day so the air was stale and uncomfortable.  For another, it’s completely loser-ville to be in the office on a Saturday night.  So when Resh asked if I wanted to do dinner, I reckoned that it must a sign 🙂

We met, shared a really good meal and just talked and talked and talked.  So yes, it would be defined as a very good date, which reminded me that I’m going to have to reinstate date night with my husband when he gets home.  Life has a tendency to get crazy without you realising it and before you know it years have passed and you don’t know the person you’re married to anymore.  It happens to the worse of us and the very best of us.

Before you get married, because you don’t live together, you make plans to meet.  Once you’re married and live in the same house, it’s so easy to think being in the same room would suffice as spending time together and sure, it can.  However, it’s always nice to get out of your comfort zone, try something new and talk.  For me that’s why I’ve always enjoyed dating, the finding out about each other and sharing your thoughts and opinions.  Sure, my husband and I have been together for 8 years now and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard most of his stories, some of them more than once :p but I’m also sure, we have to be creating new ones together.

So that’s on my to do when he gets home.  Time for more dates.  Meanwhile, don’t forget to take your other half on a date and hey, any where interesting I can bring my husband when he comes back home?

Nissan GT-R R35

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Left to my own devices I most likely wouldn’t be driving but I have a Daddy who loves me very much and so I do drive a nice car, a very nice car.  I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world but if resources weren’t an issue … this is the car I dream about.

I’m not sure about you but that video … nearly orgasmic and if the GT-R could transform into a talking ass kicking robot, resources aside, I’d devote the rest of my working life saving to buy one.  Since it doesn’t and I’ll probably never be able to convince myself to give up my flat and buy my dream car … coz that’s what I’d have to do.  I live vicariously off videos online.

Now everyone knows what keeps me awake on my iPhone when my husband is away :p

The A-Team

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I was on msn with Jules the other night and she mentioned that my posts are mostly about kids. Yes, lately my life has been consumed with the loves of my life, my munchkins. Every once and a while though, you need to make room for things a little adult and the The A-team movie is one such thing.

For starters, Mr George Clooney move over because Mr Bradley Cooper is in the house. This man is hot in a suit and more so topless, which was rather often in the movie. When my husband comes back from Vancouver, I’m going to see if I can get him to grow his hair out and sport a close shaven beard ala Face from the movie :p So yes, all you girls who reckon it’s a a boring action pack boys movie, you have NO IDEA what you’re missing.

Other than that, it’s simply just that – an action pack boys movie. Mindless entertainment, perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon 🙂 I loved how they managed to keep to the essence of the TV series yet make it relevant for 2010. It isn’t thought provoking drama but it was so so so fun 🙂 I suspect this is the new Ocean’s 11 where boys get together and have fun doing boys stuff so I suspect there’s going to be more than just one sequel.

And just for Bradley Cooper, Resh, if you’re reading this, I would so watch this again with you 🙂

Resorts World Sentosa

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If I wasn’t there with my munchkins, my review of the place would be a lot less satisfactory :p  In a nutshell and no offence intended, it’s a little bit of Malaysia here in Singapore but because I was there with my munchkins, all three of them, it was GREAT!!!

That’s my three munchkins with my cousin and my cousin-in-law … is there such a term?  Anyway, it’s two weekends ago now, on the day after Vesak day, we found ourselves checking into the Festive Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa.  Don’t trust the pictures on the the website the room is way smaller than it looks :p  The thing that worked for me though was that my munchkins loved it.  So despite the fact that they didn’t have room service and wouldn’t bring me enough fresh towel, I’d cut them some slack.

The weekend was all about them and me getting my kid overload 🙂  That’s code for yes, I had fun, loads of it.  There’s nothing like being surrounded by the innocent laughter of children that reminds you why you have them.

The first day was spent checking in, hanging out in the room and seeking Jonah out at Palawan beach.  Nope, I haven’t got my camera yet and so I didn’t manage any pictures on the beach.  Auntie Daph, if you’re reading this, pictures please 🙂  Then it was dinner … where we thought we’d take the train to Vivo but the line up to the train was impossible and the other beef I have about RWS is the lack of decent eateries :p  Seriously it is not a reflection on what Singapore offers as a food haven.

Thankfully come bedtime, I was enjoying the hanging out with my munchkins and preparing them for bed.

There’s something about being able to smell their little heads as they doze off.  Maybe it’s just me but that’s my favourite thing to do, sniffing their little heads :p

Day 2 had us visiting Universal Studios Singapore!!  Advice to parents of little children, don’t bother till they are bigger.  If not for my cousin and my nephew, the number of rides you could go on were limited at best :p

With our express passes in hand, we were enjoying the rides and making through the park quick 🙂  So we had the afternoon to check the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel … because the pool at the Festive wasn’t ready!?!?!  I can’t believe they opened the hotel … …

I happy with the afternoon coz I managed to get this shot of the sisters.  How often does one get a picture of two kids looking into the camera at the same time?  Not often, that’s why I love this picture 🙂

I hope the two of them share what my sister and I have.  There’s something about being sisters.  Unless you have one, you don’t quite understand how there’s this other being who gets you better than anyone else, is the very same one who can also drive you crazy better than anyone else too 🙂  My sister and I are the only sister pair from our generation and I wonder if they’ll be for theirs?  We’ll see … if I have my way I have a pair of girls too 😉

All in all, it was a GREAT weekend away.  We had so much fun, we want to plan for more … that’s why we work!!  As Daph reminded me the other day, we work so that we make enough money to play 😉

Till the next getaway 🙂

Big Friends and Little Friends

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When Daph and I first met in 2006, I was still single and she wasn’t a mum.  Fast forward to 2010, I’m married and she’s a mum 🙂  It’s been quite the pleasure working with someone who’s become a good friend.  Someone who I reckon if we were in school together we’d be hanging out too.  Someone who helps me keep it real at work and shares the craziness we have to put up with :p  So it’s bigger treat when the young’uns in our lives are friends too 🙂

A recent jaunt to a nearby ice cream place had them talking and tickling each other … it’s funny what gets to kids these days 🙂

Some Mornings

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You wake up and it feels like the wind has been taken out of your sail … and you aren’t quite sure what to do or where to go … times like this I remember a scene from Finding Nemo:-

Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do?
Marlin: No I don’t wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.

Life can always be worse and as reality would so bite, my boss reminded me the other day that I could actually be in an SME that was dying :p  So who’s up for a swim?