值得!

Earlier this month I went to Watsons (my fave personal store!) and was just browsing through (as is a habit of mine) when I saw a new brand of facial masks going on sale. I usually use Watsons house brand of masks that comes with green tea or bird's nest essence. These are economical (since I use them almost every night I can't afford to use something costly) and does well for my skin. But this new brand was on a 1-for-1 sale. So I got 4 boxes (2 flavours) and gave it a try.

    The components of the masks are stated on the packaging.

The exposure to the sun yesterday at East Coast Park must have done a considerable amount of damage to my skin. So I decided to use this new mask (since it stated that it's for whitening and I certainly needed that!) that contains rice stem cell and vitamin B3. Boy, am I glad I got this! When I woke up this morning, my face felt so soft and supple without being oily (some masks leave my face feeling oily even till the next day)! Who would have thought something so affordable can be so good!

 

I'm definitely gonna get more of these. You should give it a try too! 

Press On!

We've been back for more than a month and during this period, we've mostly been to the malls. So the hubs and I decided that we should do something different for the boys. Today, we brought them to East Coast Park and planned to do some cycling after breakfast. 

    Off we go, for a fun-filled morning! Or so I thought. 

    Looking all bright and chirpy! I love how he looks in here.

Before we set off, I had this picture-perfect scenario of us cycling happily in good weather with strong breeze caressing our faces. How wrong I was! 

The weather was extremely sunny and the heat was really in-your-face. Nevertheless, we set off and I was thankful that at least, it wasn't raining and our plans were still in place (and there really was a strong breeze). So, we got on the bikes and went on our merry way. 

    All set! Here we go!

15 mins into the cycling, Dallen said he was tired (and we rented the bikes for 2 hours!). We half cajoled, half commanded that he carried on. At some points I had to get off the bike to push him along. Towards the end, he started crying. That was when I kept reminding myself to not let him stop cycling; that I had to push him to press on. 

    A very tired boy.

    Then he started crying. And I stopped pushing him physically, but started pushing him to carry on on his own.

    And my baby fell asleep, just like that!

The temptation to let him give up was strong, for I know he really was tired. But I didn't. This boy needs to be toughened up and life cannot always be a bed of roses for him. It's time to insert some thorns so he can better weather life's forest. Our job, as parents, is not to make life easy for him but to prepare him for the challenges of life, no? 

Note to self: Stop bubble-wrapping him and start preparing him. 

All Done (I Hope!)

So, after the last heart-breaking incident of the mbr wall being cut open, the renovations and touch-up works for the house is now completed, or so I hope. We have started decorating the place and bringing more stuff back from storage.

    The tv console is finally no longer empty.

 It's real back-breaking work, especially for the hubs and with each lift of those heavy storage boxes, my anxiety level goes up one notch as I'm afraid he'll get a relapse from his slip disc. Having said that, if he doesn't do the moving, then we'll have to engage professional help since I definitely don't have the strength to challenge those boxes! 

We're more or less done (ok, there's still a lot of stuff in storage, I know) and the place looks brighter and more personalized with photos and decorations strewn all over and I'm very glad my shoes are in their proper places instead of being squashed up like sardines. 

The next project will be the altar and I really would love to get that done soon. But we'll need to get some essentials before that can be done and I don't know when we can get to them. Anyhow, the place is slowly coming together and I really can't wait till I say "it is finished". 

Heart Pain!

Although we've shifted into our new apartment for slightly more than a month already, there's still some touching up to do for our renovation and these go along with the tiling for our balcony which needed to be postponed due to the Lift Upgrading Programme for our estate. 

So today, the apartment was swarming with workmen and we're expecting the major works to be completed tomorrow. We made some small requests to facilitate the wiring in the master bedroom and our ID got his carpenter to help out. Much to our chagrin, the carpenter accidentally drilled a hole into our aircon pipe and caused a leakage of all the gas for our air conditioning system. This is really a disaster, considering the fact that we use the aircon every night and our ID is travelling tonight and won't be around till the end of the month. But he did what he could and solved the issue of the aircon but we had to put up with a damaged feature wall. 

When the aircon man came and cut open the feature wall, I felt as if he was cutting me up instead. To have put so much effort into something only to have it destroyed right before my very eyes is really painful! I have to keep reminding myself to let go, that they're just material stuff and can be restored anyway. But the perfectionist in me will always know that the particular part of that wall is not perfect. :(

You Complete Me

The clock completes the dining room. 

We're Back!

And so, we're back from Hong Kong and I must say it wasn't a very pleasurable trip. Besides the fact that we had the kids with us and that definitely changes the equation, the fact that there were so many Mainland Chinese made the trip more frustrating and unpleasant. I hear more Mandarin than Cantonese and I could sense the anger and frustration of the locals. The social atmosphere has changed and if I were the locals, I'll feel very invaded too. Big cars are everywhere, more upmarket and luxury goods stores replaced the old shops which sold affordable goods to the average man-on-the-street, even the F&B outlets have changed hands and the number of traditional food stalls have scaled down and been taken over by new-age and more avant garde cuisines. I don't know how the people of the lower economy class will survive in time to come. I can only say the gap will get wider and even the business models will have to change. Having said that, things are still cheaper than that in Singapore. But I'm suspecting, this won't remain the case for long. 

Anyhow, we made the best out of what we can and of cos, there were happy moments too. We made our virgin visits to Disneyland and Madam Tussauds and, of cos, went up to The Peak and did some shopping as well.

    A photo can never justify what the real stuff looks like.

    A couple of beer to recharge us!

    Off to Disneyland we go! 

    Hello, Mickey!

    Welcome to Disneyland!

    We managed to catch one of the parades. 

    The best meal we had for the entire trip. Can you imagine this costs less than S$50! 

    Women Street. The once bustling and crowded must-go has now lost its appeal to the second-hand branded goods stores.

    I don't really like to wear T-shirts out. But since it's a family thing, I got one just for the heck of it. Now we need to find one for Dayen too.

Most days, the kids were tired and cranky and the hubs' and my patience were stretched to the limits. Guess we'll have to make another trip there when the kids are older and can better take care of themselves. 

You Got It Right!

Happy Birthday To Yours Truly

A little cake, simple dinner and a less costly than expected present which I love to celebrate my 31 years of living.

Half-way Point

So, we're at the mid-way point of our trip and frankly, it's been tiring and not nearly as enjoyable as our previous trips here. 

Went to Disneyland yesterday and was blessed with good weather (it wasn't raining like it did the previous days). But it was real tiring and warm and all of us are sunburnt. 

Taking a lunch break now before heading back to hotel for a nap for the kids. 

Till our next connection again, toodles!

Here We Are!

And so, here we are in Hong Kong! 

Having the kids with us is indeed very different from our previous visits here. Anyway, wifi is limited and we had to have breakfast at Starbucks just to get some connectivity (a grand total of 20 mins). Otherwise, we're largely not connected. 

Till the next connection! Ciao!