Boxing Day Road Trip to Malacca

We spent Boxing Day and the next two days up in Malacca and with our favourite Uncle Ash and Auntie Eve. Yes, the one who cuts my hair and the one who rides a Harley. Not very Uncle-ish and Auntie-ish, especially for folks their age. Grin. This was our Xth time up to Malacca - home to famous chicken rice balls and other fave foods. I've lost track of the number but we seem to go up there twice a year (at least for the past 3 years)!

This time round it's the same fun stuff - great food, cheap buys and a wicked time with my favourite people. I'll let the pictures tell the sweet story!

Sights and sounds of Malacca - old coffee shops, tin foil shophouses, the famous Jonker Street and little things that depict the old town's charm.

The food - nothing short of greatness. Here's shots of some including wan tan mee (K's favourite), laksa, durian chendol... and I missed out the other stuff we ate - chicken rice and rice balls, many many crabs. We didn't eat Peranakan food this time round though. Dang.

My hip auntie and my ever-so-charming young looking uncle!

Us - the goofy couple.

And snapshots of our cheeky baby!

Christmastime - It's all About Love and Family

I love Christmas because there's a special feeling in the air. Even though it doesn't snow (somehow I associate Christmas with snow...) and sometimes some days in December can be blazing hot, it's still the most wonderful time of the year. The Christmassy music helps too!

Since young, it's always be family gatherings, sweet carolling, fun times with friends and of recent years, outreach to the needy. This Christmas it's been the same, we've had lunches and dinners with various groups of friends from the days leading up to the 25th. The weekend before was spent with the small group and preparing and reaching out to COH (Christian Outreach to the Handicapped) and of course the mad rush to buy presents. The eve was largely in the kitchen cooking and preparing for our family dinner and party and the day itself was church morning service and more family gatherings.

It's usually the busiest at Christmastime - buying, wrapping presents, whipping up my specials (Shepherd's Pie & Salads), carolling and outreach and just the rush from one place to another (somewhat like Chinese New Year... yes...) but it comes with much love and joy and laughter and treasured moments with family.

Lunches & Dinners with Dear Friends

Homecooked Christmas Eve Dinner with Family

Treasured Moments and Yearly Family Shots

And it was most precious watching Claire get excited over her presents! This year she had huge ones too - including a gorgeous huge ELC play kitchen and an ELC electronic piano and mic. PS. It'll be most fun when her birthday comes along. She's totally anticipating it and can sing Happy Birthday to herself now! Grin.

Thank You God for Christmas and thank You for sending your Son that we may have life everlasting and abundant love and joy in our hearts!

Christmas Mall Fun

Hello Kitty at Millenia, Disney Show at Vivo and

Barney & Friends at United Square

I've been the typical Mama, hunting down and scheduling as many kiddy shows over the last week but it was great fun for Claire. She was her usual typical self, expressing her excitement and that made all the rush worth the while. I'm personally amazed at the number of shows scheduled at the various malls - probably to bring in the crowd to add to Christmas shopping and cheer.

We caught Barney at United Square with Auntie Wendy and Evie and the whole Disney gang at Vivo with Auntie Jacq and managed to catch the last bit of Hello Kitty at Millenia with Papa (I need to add how ugly I think Hello Kitty is as a person - cuter as a stuff toy - it's the proportions.. Ha). Unfortunately we missed Hi-5 at Ngee Ann City, was late by 10 minutes and decided to give it a miss. And it was packed at every show! Guess it's going to be this way every Christmas. :) The life of the Mama...

Paris Holiday Day 6, 7 & 8

Day 6 & 7 - Shopping Days!

K says Day 6 & 7 was my days because it was mostly shopping. Grin. We spent the entire Day 6 at La Vallee Outlet Mall (tons of brands at outlet prices - Jimmy Choos, Longchamp, Ralph Laurens, etc - but they were still pretty much beyond my budget range) and bought tons of Christmas presents for mostly family. They should be pretty happy - since it's mostly branded stuff. Hehe. Day 7 was more fruitful for me - We went by both Galleries Lafayette and Printemps (they were next to each other) but ended spending at Printemps - less crowded and they had a 10% discount for tourists (no strings attached, just needed to show the passport). Ended up with a BV and a Miu Miu bag and K, Hugo Boss belts. Without a doubt, leather and branded items are way cheaper than back here in Singapore.

Day 6 & 7 - Splurged on French Foods

We had fabulous local cuisine those two days. We chanced upon a traditional french restaurant - apparently it's incredibly famous amongst locals and tourists alike (I only found that out after) - and it was like a massive upmarket canteen. The waiters were perpetually on the move and seemed highly professional and efficient (ours served probably 20 tables at a go). Food was alright to me (K had a steak and I a salmon roll) but it was pretty affordable. Reviews say that's the place to go if you want an authentic Parisian experience.

Day 7 we decided to splurge on dinner (bill came up to around 100 Euros). I had just wanted to eat Foie Gras and so we went around the Saint Germain/Latin Quarter and took a chance on Le Bistrot de l'Alycastre, a restaurant that had awards stuck all over its door (it was one of the rare ones we chanced upon with Foie Gras, interestingly) and the food turned out fabulous. We were relatively early and sat at a comfortable spot, thankfully Claire was relatively well-behaved. But by the time we left around 9pm, every table was taken and some people were waiting for a table by the door. The best dish was a pan seared foie gras in a caviar lentil something soup base. FAB.

Day 8 - Roaming around flea markets and small streets

The last day was basically left to roam the small streets around our neighbourhood, Marais and down to the Notre Dame area. It turned out that there was a flea market and we took the chance to rummage through the goods. The area had lovely little shops and interesting nooks and corners and it was a great way to end our trip. (Minus the cancelled flight, etc.. see my earlier posting)

All in all, our Paris Holiday was a memorable one. Somehow or other the charm or a European city can never be found elsewhere and with Claire, our holiday to the city of lights made it that bit more special. I would visit again in a heartbeat!

Claire Pix of the Day: My perfect toddler in her pram, giving me the occasional grin each time I look down and say 'Are you ok Clairey?'.

Paris Holiday Day 5

Just because it was such a special day, I decided that Paris Day 5 deserves to have its very own posting and mention. It was the day where as a Mama, I felt so delighted to see my little one express that much joy and emotions. It was the day where dreams came true - I'm pretty sure of it, for my Clairey (and even for me and K - I'm sure all parents would feel the same). The sight of the first Mickey poster had her yelling 'Mama! Mama! Mi-mouse! Mi-mouse!' and she was literally running and with a bounce in every little step. All she wanted was to get close to that poster, and (I think) little did she know she was in his land.

And as much as I love Disneyland (and I always have since I was a little kid), I felt a whole different kind of loving with Claire there that day.

Paris Day 5 - In the land where dreams came true

It wasn't exactly the most sunny of days, but that was a day I remember a perpetual smile on my face, a glow in my heart and being teary-eyed each time I saw the joy and excitement my little one had. The wonders of Motherhood and the strings that truly tug at your heart. You just know holidays will never be the same without her.

If you know Claire, you'll know her as the most animated, talkative, expressive and joyful two-year-old. And if you had seen her in Disneyland... my friend, I could really go on and on and on about this. How better can I write this? *smile* You know as a kid (and even as a 27-year-old - that was the last time I was in Disneyland LA), I would always rush to sit on as many rides at an amusement park. But this day, we took it nice and easy and really just enjoyed the day in the 'fairytale land' and letting Claire take it all in. She loved all the rides - we went on quite a number, from a merry-go-round, to the spinning Alice In Wonderland teacups, to the flying Dumbo, to the beautiful It's A Small World boat ride and so on. The kid's a thrill-seeker (unlike her Papa btw).

But the thing that got her yakking away was seeing Mickey Mouse. We waited in line for more than half an hour and amazingly it was the first time I had seen how patient she was, waiting in line and just talking about him (and pointing at him) every other minute while we were in queue. Grin. The sweetheart. When it was finally our turn, she ran as fast as her little legs could take her and kissed and hugged him like some three times and we ran over to take some photos. *smile*

We met the others too, Pooh bear, Eeyore, Minnie, etc. But it was never the same - oh such love huh! Grin. The day ended with the ever brilliant parade down the main street and with the Christmas do - trees, wreaths, songs and all - it was just a fairytale day for us all!

Claire Pix of the Day - If she could, she would just hug him forever and ever and ever...

Mama's Favourite Pix of the Day - My oh-so-grown-up little girl.

Paris Holiday Day 3 & 4

Day 3 - In Love with the Eiffel

The thing I remember most about Day 3 other than the fact that we visited the two most visited attractions of Paris - the Eiffel Tower and the Lourve was that I had assumed the weather was going to be exactly like Day 1 & 2 and I got liberal with our clothing. It was chilly, windy and wet, well most of the day at least. But thankfully with the little pockets of sunshine, we managed to grab some wonderful snapshots.

I love the Eiffel. Everytime I read about bloggers (on travel webpages) and their take about skipping the long queues and looking at the Parisian skyline from another high point (like on the top floor of Printemps or the Arc de Triomphe), I just disagree. Going up the Eiffel is a big must. Miss all the others. The Eiffel, at least to me is a must. There's a sense of awesomeness and granduer that this amazing architectural structure brings. I must have been up there some 5 times, one of which I climbed all 1665 of the walkable steps up to the very top. This time with a child and my 30-year-old limbs, I headed straight for the comforts of the elevator. The best part about this trip up the tower however was that I was able to reserve tickets online and skipped the long line (all those other people must have waited for more than an hour). PS. the Eiffel just started its online reservations, so please go onto their website to reserve your tickets. It was a chilly day but we spent a good hour taking in the lovely scenery (thank God for clear skies - it was clear and not raining for that hour - the weather changed when we went down!). Claire as usual, had fun with the birds and the bees. :)

Day 3 - Lourve it!

We escaped the rain and went back to the flat for more clothes (and a quick snooze) after the morning trip up the Eiffel. That's the best part about renting a holiday apartment in a prime locale! The rest of the wet day was spent roaming around the Lourve and the surrounding areas (we gave the museum visit a miss. I had been in twice and having not enjoyed - I'm not that into museums, we decided not to go in. K was thankfully pretty optional about it). The area which we probably spent more time in that evening was at Jardins des Tuileries - just like the other gardens, it was a wonderful space for Claire to just freely (and safely) run about. I loved just looking at the twinkling lights of the ferris wheel at nightfall. Half the time though, we had to duck under shelters and huddle up for freshly made chocolate crepes. Memories...

Day 4 - Biking around the City

Bike About Tours was probably the best part about the entire holiday. I chanced upon their website while googling for things to do in Paris and decided to give biking a go. I've always been big on bikes, and so's Claire. It cost 30 Euros each (Claire was free) for the 4 hour long guided bike tour and unlike other city bike tours, this was a little more special in that we were brought around the small streets of Paris and shown little but unique nuggets of treasures the city had to offer. The oldest house, the most expensive restaurant, author Victor Hugo's huge home, the street to signify the injustice of Jews during the world war, the schools, the artists, and so on.

Our tour guide who's an American, studied and lived in Paris for almost a decade was a big modern art, cartoon fan introduced us to Space Invader (some cooky artist who put thousands of space invaders in various areas of the city - some even in unimaginable spaces) and his cartoonic pacman-like art. We were told that if you joined all the artwork on the map, you could see a large Space Invader (I should google it up). Claire was the perfect child on the bike and was a joy to all our fellow bikers. Everytime I heard a compliment about how good she was on it for those 4 hours, I beam with pride.

If you have the chance, bike it around the city - it's a whole new world!

Claire Pix of the Day - She couldn't take the last 20 mins of our four hour long bike tour, and fell asleep in her baby seat behind me. Aww. Such a sweetie.

Paris Holiday Day 1 & 2

Been procrasting re sharing my Paris Holiday, in part because I've been terribly busy - hey it's Christmastime, in part because selecting and editing the photos are an utter drag. I thought of just doing a summary of the trip in one blog post and just highlighting the key photo of each day, but there's just so much to share. And since I ought to and want to blog about this trip, it should at the very least bee memorable and significant. Ps. I just realised I never even shared my Melbourne May trip. Grin. So here goes - my wonderful family holiday in the beautiful city of lights in 4 postings...

Day 1 - On the street where we lived

We arrived at dawn on a friday and spent most of the day exploring the area where we lived - Le Marais. That's the holiday apartment we rented and if you've been to my home, you'll know why I picked it. They share the same color theme and feel. Everything about it was great, the housekeeper, the location, the price (ard 180SGD a night!). We roamed the area and discovered a lovely marche which sold fresh produce and cooked food, although we bought lunch from a takeaway French deli - looks like a family owned placed and I think it was one of the best foods (and more affordable ones) of the entire trip. As with all our other holidays, we spent the first day doing some grocery shopping and stocking up our fridge with drinks, snacks and breakfast stuff. I love the supermarkets btw, it's the best place to know about the so-called 'cuisine' of the place - not exactly French, but they sell what the locals would eat. The rest of the day was spent in the studio apartment and under the sheets.

Day 2 - Walking about Les Halles, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame & Latin Quartier

The weather on day 2 was fab. Before we left for Paris, it was said to be rainy and at around 8 degrees and I didn't think I would enjoy the cold. But the sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze and the temp was enjoyable. I had planned to roam the area around the famous Notre Dame church and we chanced upon a lot more than that. Les Halles was discovered by accident (we walked the wrong way and got somewhat lost) but it's a gorgeous area of greens and there were some churches. And it was really lovely to just sit and take in the sights and sounds of quaint and uncrowded and untouristy Paris. Les Halles is a spot on the map but it's not exactly a tourist destination. And yet that was a nice place for some photography and Claire had a nice time, running after birds, lying on the grass and all.

Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame are the must-sees (especially since it was K and Claire's first trip to Paris) - an architectural treasure. Stained glass windows, hand sculptured and painted walls of art, buildings significant to the city's history and charm. They both sit on the large isle in the heart of the city and we went by a couple of times as it was en route to a couple of other significant landmarks from our apartment (that was how near it was) - in the same 4th arrondissement. We roamed the Latin Quartier in the afternoon (lunch was at a fab seafood restaurant - de Haute Mer - really fresh raw seafood, I had a tiny tiny crab sitting on my cockle - yes it was that fresh) and ended up running amidst pigeons and ducks in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was a saturday and there were kissing couples and huddled families and friendly children all enjoying that beautiful park.

PS. Paris is not exactly child friendly. But it's not that hard to brave the million and one steps of the Metro and a bench can still always serve as a changing station and you can still nevertheless enjoy it, and usually you do (and most) with your little one.

Dinner was at Hippotamus - a family chain of restaurants but take it from me, food ain't great.

Claire Pix of the Day - Enchanted by the little ducklings going 'quack quack' at the Luxembourg gardens.

Adventures of the Kitty Balloon

That's how much she loves this Kitty Balloon.

We were at Tanglin Mall last sunday trying to catch the fake 'snow' (Silly Mama didn't realise it's like a foam party - if you're dirty-phobic like me, don't bother...) and it was nice to just take in the atmosphere from afar. Anyho, we chanced upon a Hello Kitty foil balloon and decided to splurge for Claire. These few days it's been her best buddy - kisses it good night, walks it around the house, hugs it when it sits alone in the room and finally it got scared and 'ran' away (ie. flew out of the window) and Claire's been 'moaning' by that window. Literally it's 'Mama Mama.... Balloon... Kitty.... Balloon... No More... Mama Mama...'

Maybe K will surprise her with another balloon friend tonight. We'll see.

For now, I'm in the midst of planning her two-year-old Hello Kitty themed birthday party! Guess who's the excited one here... :D

Depressing TweetCloud

Just found this Tweetcloud app and realised how depressing my tweets have been over the past week (not that I tweet a lot, twice a day maybe?). Time to think happy thoughts then huh?

Christmas Came Early!

Before sharing details of my Paris trip, I thought I let you in on one of the highlights of the trip -one other was Disneyland (a very special experience with a young child). Keeping it brief, since the following picture would say that million words. K said Printemps (huge French department store, just like its more popular neighbour Galeries Lafayette) was my Disneyland. Truly I felt like a kid in a candy store and came home with two huge lollipops! :D

I'm sure you've guess what they are! Muaks hubs!

Crums have all disappeared!