Winter Wonderland

Hubby was in Seoul for a business trip since 9 Dec, and persuaded us to join him there for a holiday. Unfortunately, temperatures in wintry Seoul dipped below zero degree celsius, so my mum advised me not to bring Little Bee there, boohoo! Hence, last Tuesday, 16 Dec, Big Bee and me headed towards Changi Airport for a winter holiday via a midnight flight, to be back on Sunday, 21 Dec. Both of us left on a somewhat solemn note because we knew that we will miss Little Bee, and had to sneak out of the house so that she will not see us leaving!

Some highlights of this trip:

Day 1-2, 16-17 Dec (Tuesday to Wednesday)

1) Spending quality me-time with Big Bee in the airport, eating a sumptuous supper of waffles piled high with whipped cream and a steaming cup of frothy milk. We chatted, giggled and laughed like 2 girlfriends going for our holiday. She is a big girl now, her behaviour is so different from our previous trips last year to Japan and Mauritius. She is highly curious and excited, and stayed awake till midnight when the plane took off! She woke up in the plane at the slightest disturbance, unlike last year, when she could sleep like a log, prodding me awake at 3am, uttering "Breakfast!" excitedly when the aircrew switched on the lights.

Her new boots fit for arctic temperatures!

Grinning with elation - way past her bedtime! - in Changi Airport

2) Taking an airport shuttle bus with just the 2 of us, yakking and snoozing in the bus...catching the first glimpses of a city that was awakening in the chilly morning light. Reaching the hotel to find Papa waiting for us in the cold hotel porch, waiting to snatch a few moments with us just before he headed for work.

3) Both Big Bee and me falling into a deep and dark slumber from 11am to 3pm, hugging each other on the warm hotel bed. I sure wished Little Bee was snuggling with us too!

4) Scouting the gargantuan mall below our hotel for food when we woke up finally, like Sleeping Beauty emerging from her long yet satisfactory sleep! Finally settling for a Chinese fusion restaurant (Mummy here is not a fan of Korean food) with both of us gobbling down a big bowl of delicious crispy noodles, YUM!

5) Going to the COEX Aquarium with zero expectations, only to be amazed by the scale of the aquarium that was filled with so many more creatures than mere fishes! Big Bee's eyes nearly popped out when she saw creatures that she had never seen before, upclose and personal! Tarantula, scorpion, beaver, otters, a friendly seal and ALL kinds of gigantic, fearsome sharks with the sharpest of teeth (that Big Bee said resembled the criss-crossed patterns of a weaved basket!)

We were doubling over with laughter at the array of funny mirrors on display! Check out how Big Bee has now become Little Bee!

Sealife Galore!

6) Meeting Papa for a heavenly BBQ dinner of sinful yet delectable beef and hot steaming soup, sitting on an ondol floor in an old-fashioned, traditional Korean restaurant that the locals frequent. A perfect recipe for a cold, freezing night!

7) Traipsing to Dongdaemun, the pinnacle of shopping glory, with rows and rows of shops opened till 5am! Of course, with a grumpy and sleepy girl in tow, it was almost impossible to focus on getting cheap and good buys from the plethora of winter wear!

Starring at the plethora of nail polish bottles in Skin Food...at 11pm!

8) Snuggling in the soft, warm bed, all 3 of us - with the biting cold outside! How we all missed Little Bee though!

Day 3, 18 Dec (Thursday)

It's Lotte World day!! Big Bee was excitedly looking forward to it. It was a superabundance of rides after rides, with us shivering in the Magic Island, Lotte World's outdoor park complete with a Disneyland castle that enthralled all 3 of us, and grinning in the comfortable warmth of their adjacent indoor park with a domed glass roof that allowed the sunlight to seep in.

We played all sorts of games and rides, with Big Bee playing the Bumper Car for the first time and enjoying it thoroughly and dark thrilling rides that got timid Mummy screaming, Papa laughing at silly Mummy, and Big Bee hiding her face throughout much of the rides.

Big Bee's favourite bumper car!

We stayed there from 11am to 9.30pm, and witnessed the closing light show with pyrotechnics, fire and laser, much to Big Bee's open-mouthed amazement!

Day 4, 19 Dec (Friday)

It was Papa's and Mummy's turn to see the soul of Seoul, much to Big Bee's chagrin, whose mind was still wandering amidst the rides in Lotte World.

1) We went to Insadong, the old quarter of Seoul, filled with little shops and quaint restaurants that seemed forgotten by modernity. Cobble-stoned pavements and wooden walls filled our tactile sensations with glee. Antiquated architecture filled our visual senses with wonder.

The rustic, narrow and charming streets of Insadong

We relished the freedom of just walking about, deciding on what restaurants to go into, peering into dark touristy shops and buying local snacks along the streets. Big Bee braved the harsh cold courageously, trudging alongside us in temperatures hovering around 1 to 3 degrees.

2) Our lunch was taken in another small restaurant frequented by locals, where we had to use sign language with the friendly matron to order our food. Seeing our food cooked and stir-fried on 2 portable gas-cookers, away from the harsh cold, made us feel so contented and at home!

3) Papa played baseball in a make-shift baseball range in a dank building, very much like a golf driving range, only much smaller.

4) Having nice warm tea in a cosy, small, charming teahouse atop the Insadong streets, where we people-watched and bonded big-time, chatting with Big Bee, being entertained by her constant invention of funny songs and rhymes, and laughing till our stomachs ached!

5) Heading towards Myeungdong, the posh shopping district, where we were dazzled by the bright neon lights from all the shops!

6) Seeing Big Bee eating heartily from the street side hawker stalls, latching onto any small bit of warm food just to heat up our cold bodies.

Day 5, 20 Dec (Saturday)

Big Bee's day again (though Mummy and Papa were equally excited too!) to Everland, the supposed Disneyland of South Korea.

We searched on the internet the night before for ways to get there, and finally made our way through a shrewd combination of subway and a rickety public bus that went up into the hills, 50 minutes away from the heart of Seoul.

Everland was magical. It was like a mini Disneyland minus all the beautiful Disney characters. It was the coldest day since the day we arrived (highest temperature at 1 degree, lowest at -12 degrees!), having rained the night before, hence, there were minimal crowds - which suited us fine!

We took lots of rides and watched parades there, in the midst of subzero temperatures. What was thoughtful in Everland were the ubiquitous heating stations with kerosene-like lamps where many cold souls huddled together to warm our chilly bodies in between rides.

Big Bee's favourite was the toboggan slide down a long gentle slope of pure white sparkling snow! She made us slide down 4 times, with Mummy screaming her way down, deafening steady and calm Big Bee. But it was certainly bewitching to be up on the snowy slope, feeling the arctic wind biting on our bare faces.

Her next favourite was her first time on a roller coaster, albeit a big kids one, and she took 3 rides, with Papa not liking the twirly rushing sensation one bit, and Mummy taking it twice with her. Despite the fact that it was a big kids coaster, it was certainly thrilling, minus the 360 degrees twirl! We were screaming away in the coaster!

We finally made our way back in the same rickety bus and rapidly descending temperatures with Big Bee snoozing all the way from the Everland hills down to the city centre. Had room service in the hotel, which was something that Big Bee had been bugging us to do for the past 3 nights! This girl really knows what pampering is about!

Day 6, 21 Dec (Sunday)

Homebound! We had a lazy Sunday morning breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and Big Bee proceeded for her manicure, a tradition that persisted since our Japan holidays, where Big Bee never failed to have manicures during our holidays in different countries. The high life indeed!

Happily doing her manicure!

We finally reached home on late Sunday night to find Little cute Bee sleeping soundly, no doubt missing us loads...and us missing her tremendously too. All of us rushed into the dark room just to feel her soft skin and little hands, and I told them that we will not go on another holiday without Little Bee!

Overall, it had been a wonderful holiday, experiencing the cold subzero temperatures, relaxing in the streets of Seoul, immersing in the excitement of the different theme parks, not thinking of work and just focusing on what to enjoy! A fabulous break indeed!

Makeover For A New Year

A new year, a new chapter, a new hairstyle to match! This evening, we brought Big Bee to chop off her long, luscious hair that was almost reaching her waist...to a short sassy and spirited bob that was merely touching the nape of her neck! With her full permission, of course.

Courageous her did not feel any regret at getting her long straight hair cut off, despite the hairdressers' exclamations that it was a pity to have her hair shortened significantly. I like this attitude of hers - just look straight ahead and not regret the past!

She was rapturous after her hair was transformed, and thrilled at her new self. The first thing she did was to shake her head crazily, overjoyed that her head felt so light, and that her hair will not mess up with her vigorous shaking.

I wanted her to cut her hair so that I will not need to plait her long beautiful hair in the cold, murky early morning hours before her morning session this coming Friday.

YES! She is going to primary one this coming Friday. I can't imagine! Time really passes SO fast. So, here we are. All ready for primary school, after intensive buying of boring white shoes, stern blue/black hairclips, and all sorts of practical stationery. I can't wait :)

Sweetness

As I patted Little Bee to sleep tonight, in the Bees' air-conditioned room, I can see her slowly drifting to sleep. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she uttered "Mama, cold cold!" And she inched towards me, touched my shoulders and pointed to my usual lavender blanket on Big Bee's bed. Asking me to cover myself with a warm blanket just like Big Bee and her on this cold December night. After I took down the blanket for myself, she patted me with a satisfied expression and settled down to sleep.

How sweet indeed that she is slowly transforming into a little knowing adult!

A Homey Christmas

Our Christmas tree

The culmination of chasing blazing trails of Christmas trees and fairy lights, of exuberant anticipation, of a laid-back holiday mood spanning 1.5 months is finally here. This is the best time of the year. And the most uplifting season of all.

We spent a very rainy Christmas Eve in a most quiet and peaceful mien, befitting its synonym of "Silent Night". Plenty of bonding with the Bees, with a profusion of cuddling and tranquil reading, as well as informal singing of Christmas carols with lyrics found online. Big Bee managed to memorise 2 full Christmas songs - "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Christmas Day was spent with friends over a cheery lunch gathering at our place. PF, Eliz and LP came with the kids, arms full of presents for every kid. The present exchange at the end of the party was every kid's favourite moment. All their eyes lighted up like the twinkly lights on Christmas trees. Something about colourfully wrapped up presents imbued a certain exhilaration and pure excitement in kids...even adults! The mystery and enthrallment of what lies beneath those thin wrapping papers.

We had the usual delectable potluck - PF brought a succulent roast turkey, LP lugged 2 big boxes of mouth-watering and divine chicken pies, Eliz cooked a whole tub of juicy fish nuggets and I simply contributed practical fried rice to fill our stomachs and a dessert wine to awaken our senses! A gathering of close friends is never complete without huddling around the dining table, gossiping and chatting over scrumptious food and sweet wine!

The kids had a funner time catching up, chasing each other, playing quietly alongside each other over toys and Wii games.

All the kids hanging out together, entranced by Wii...


...except for foodie Little Bee who sat apart from them, tending to her bowl of grapes!


LP's boys jostling over Big Bee's scooter during outdoor play

After the party had dispersed, the Bees busied themselves unwrapping all the presents. Big Bee was highly expressive, exclaiming over every single present and declaring "Christmas is WONDERFUL!". She was ecstatic that she received 2 presents from Santa Claus, whereas Little Bee only had 1 present from him, claiming Santa was probably frowning on Little Bee's Terrible Twos' tantrums, with difficulty in learning to share. Little Bee had started showing signs of understanding the beautiful concept of presents, and busied her little tender hands tearing open her presents and examining with a furrowed brow every present in full detail right after opening it.

Very busy Bees in a sea of wrapping paper and presents!

Merry Christmas to all :)

Christmas Presents

This entry was written by Big Bee :)

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Today, I made a snow globe each for Mummy and Papa as their Christmas presents. First, I took two containers and a small bear and dog. Then, I put super glue on the animals and stuck them on the containers' covers. And then I poured water and sprinkled glitter powder into the containers. After that, I put the covers back into the containers. I like making snow globes. Papa and Mummy felt very happy because I made them Christmas presents.

Toilet Trained!

Erm, self congratulatory grin?

Little Bee had succeeded in toilet training herself completely for a whole week! Here's to fewer diapers for us and helping to save the earth!

She can now go diaper-less throughout her waking hours, and whenever she needs to answer nature's calls, she will look at us cheekily with a mischievous expression and a twinkle in her eyes, clutching her crotch, saying "Sh-Sh!" (for pee pee) or "Ng ng!" (for poo poo). She does not use the potty though. Instead, she prefers the child toilet seat on our adult toilet bowl and would always lower her head to stare at her stream of yellow goodness whenever she is in the loo! Then she would insist on taking the toilet paper and wiping herself. Which, in times of her big business, you can imagine how messy that could be!

She is such a brave girl today. Jie Jie was playing a board game with her Gong Gong, with the door closed in her room. When I came back and carried Little Bee into Jie Jie's room, Big Bee shouted loudly at Little Bee to get out because she was messing up those small board pieces. Poor Little Bee was so hurt, I could see it in her eyes. Her whole little nose turned red, her eyes welled up with tears simmering at the perimeters, her miniscule mouth downturned sadly. Yet, when I carried her up and offered to "sayang" her, she swept my hand away, visibly swallowing her tears and putting on a brave, uncrying front, remaining glum instead of bawling. What resilience and fortitude for such a little one!

She seemed to be losing interest in doodling whilst picking up interest in reading. Or more like asking me to read to her. Her favourite books are the plethora of pop-up fairy tales and those kiddy touch-and-feel books so she can explore and feel her way through every page.

The picture below was her last masterpiece exactly a month ago. Big Bee and I deduced that Little Bee drew a sun. I can't really tell actually. Since then, she had not touched the poor doodling board at all! Hmph.

Battle Of Nature

This was a queer sign we saw beside an enormous green field. Big Bee was fascinated by it, especially since we were trudging around the same field a little while ago.

And while we were passing by this sign, we saw a giant eagle gliding and swirling around the field. We stopped the car, all 4 of us with gaping mouths and bated breaths, waiting to see if the eagle had spotted the cobra and was zero-ing into its target. The eagle swooped down so low that it was on the same level as us in the car, just a couple of metres from our vehicle, its size gigantic and majestic. Out of the blue, a gargantuan pitch-black raven plunged towards the fearsome eagle with ferocious speed, and they embarked on a graceful dance of battle, making invisible mid-air fortresses in twirling circles, with the eagle fiercely protecting its unseen prey and the raven soaring away in disappointed defeat after moments of watchful warfare.

And ironically, this morning when I woke up, Rosilyn my helper told me she discovered a long thin black snake coiled comfortably just at the threshold of our main door, fast asleep no doubt! Brave her managed to take a stick and shooed it away..wondered where it slithered to! Although we were aptly terrified (because this thin snake can easily slither underneath our main door and enter our house!), I was thinking that manytimes, humans are frightened because we find these animals unfamiliar, thereby killing to eradicate our fears. When sometimes, these animals just want a warm habitat to rest, moving on if they are not disturbed...

The beauties of nature seen so upclose. In this age and time. And at such close proximity in our modern world. Wondrous indeed.

Cloud Nine

We went on an extended family holiday from 1-3 December to "Cloud Top", a literal translation from the Chinese name of Genting Highlands. My in-laws, mom and helper all came along, and I must give full credit to my mom-in-law for organising everything! This is the first trip we had taken with such a big family, and naturally, the Bees were thrilled to have such great company.

We took a comfy coach there (those with reclining massage seats and a TV set/game console for every seat, very restful!), and the Bees were surprisingly very well behaved in the 6 to 7 hours journey there and back! Big Bee was busy entertaining herself with the game console (I realised she was pretty adroit at arcade fighting games, hm!) and Little Bee slept through 1/3 of the journey to and fro.


All ready to set off on an early Monday morning!


This was taken on the journey back..Big Bee engrossed in the games console, Little Bee looked on, wanting to play but don't know how! And yes, Little Bee was supposed to be sitting on my lap but she happily inched me off the seat when sleeping and awake, leaving Mummy with no proper seat throughout both journeys, tsk tsk!

Nothing beats our closest family around us on a holiday, so, even though this was a short holiday just to neighbouring Malaysia, I found that this had been such an enjoyable break with plenty of relaxation, bonding and getting re-acquainted with our parents again! I am sure our parents found it a pleasure to be close to us, sharing the joy of our children with us as well.


Happy paternal grandparents with their beloved grand-daughters


Maternal granny, helper and the Bees striking a pose beside a pretty Christmas tree. It was Christmas wonderland there!

The weather's cooling, the theme parks are within walking distance, all we did was eat, relax, play and sleep! I told my mom that we should all come for an annual holiday here from now on!


Food galore!


Little Bee was thrilled by the outdoor park's clowns and looked on excitedly as her jie-jie went for a "Rodeo Rider" thrill ride...yee-haaah!


An ecstatic Big Bee on the Flying Dumbo...high up in the sky!

Mass Birthday Party!

Everyone's heard of mass weddings, but I bet mass birthday celebrations might be rarer. On Sunday, Little Bee was lucky enough to enjoy a group birthday party together with 6 other toddlers all turning 2 in December! It had been a really busy birthday weekend for her indeed!

This group of lovely tods were from the Singapore Motherhood Dec 06 babies forum, and it was so heartwarming to see all the little kids singing their very own birthday song and blowing their candles together!

Happy birthday to us!

The party was held in Gymboree and the tods went through an hour of fun games before settling down with some scrumptious cupcakes baked by one of the mothers. So sweet, right?

Food connoisseur Little Bee could not resist a good cupcake!

All the kids were elated, frowning with concentration when they tackled the gym structures, jumping up and down non-stop while dancing to the music, squealing when playing with bubbles or other thrilling, exhilarating games.

Bubbles and excited kids galore!


Little Bee loves the monkey bar...future gymnast!?

What was most endearing for me was to see Big Bee playing alongside Little Bee, guiding her, watching over her, mentoring her! It certainly moved my heart with the knowledge that Little Bee will always have a strong jie-jie protecting her, helping her outside the home, despite all the aggressive cat fights happening within the home these days!
Hardworking Big Bee busy looking after her darling sister

Kei, one of the mummies, wrote a first-class account of the party in her own blog here. Happy reading!


The birthday stars!

Birthday Bash For A Little One

We celebrated Little Bee's 2nd birthday with a little bash in my estate's function room. Our closest friends and family came by to lend joy and cheer to this sunny girl's 2nd year on earth. It was a party overflowing with curious toddlers checking each other out and boisterous big kids yelling, screaming and chasing each other around the room. It was a perfect setting for old friends to catch up and acquaintances to touch base again.

Our youngest princess was decked in white lace but was not her usual gregarious self. She was rather clingy and kept wanting us to "bao bao" (carry) her. Perhaps she was overwhelmed by the number of guests coming to her party. For I had read that the ideal number of party guests in a toddler's birthday party should be consistent with their age. Which, in her case, will be 2 kiddy guests, compared to a raucous 25 kids fiesta today!

Grand entrance...!

The jie-jie was more excited than her, dashing around the room with her best pals, Eugene and Claire, and making some new friends along the way - Josh, Dylan and Nate.

I prepared for this party sometime in advance, renting a small bouncer with slide, a role-play kitchen and a playhouse to entertain her little friends. We also brought along Big Bee's jolly yellow electric car which proved to be a hit with the kids, creating scenes of jostle and hustle amongst them. The big kids conquered the bouncer like there is no tomorrow, and the little toddlers were fans of the kitchen set, tinkering away with the utensils.

Little Bee elated with her cake and gamely singing her own birthday song!

We gave out goodie bags consisting of plush toy characters from Pooh and 2 bottles of Playdoh for the little guests, and different sets of craftwork and chocolates for the big kids. And every kid also got to choose his or her balloon. We also spent the night before decking the room with pink and grey balloons and birthday banners. And I must give credit to Papa who manually pumped all the balloons in the party! It was certainly fantastic to organise your own party rather than outsourcing to others, though it can be a tad tiring.

Little Bee's joy at receiving presents!

For me, my heart was warmed by the fact that friends and family took the effort to come by and spent time to look for presents for Little Bee. Thank you, all of you who came by!

Some of the friends and family who were here...

Kiddy Telephone Conversation

Big Bee's best friend, Rachael, always calls her almost every night. They will then giggle together, whispering secrets to each other. One night last week, Big Bee gleefully passed me a second handset to let me into her little world of friends. I was elated that she was so willing to share the gossips with her friends with Mummy, and listened on excitedly. Here's what they spoke about, to my amazement!

Part 1
R: Do you think K likes me? (K is one of the boys in their class, purportedly Big Bee's one-time boyfriend as well. His parents called me and Hubby the "in-laws" *faint*)
Big Bee: I think he likes Elizabeth more!
R: No, I think he likes me the most because I spend the most time with him alone.
Big Bee: How many times did he kiss you?
R: I cannot remember. I think he kissed me a few times. (!!!???)

Part 2
R: Let's pretend me and K are getting married.
Big Bee: (giggles) OK!
R: Rachael, do you take Kai as your husband and promise not to fight with each other?
R: (in squeaky voice) Yes!
R: K, do you take R as your wife?
R: (in deep, baritone voice) Yes!
R: Now you may kiss the bride (ended off with rapid smooching sounds)
R to Big Bee: Now's your turn to tell the wedding story!
Big Bee: OK! (and the story continues, but with more giggling from the more innocent Big Bee)

My my. These days, kids do start off BGR relationships early! Tsk tsk! I am happy that Big Bee was so enthusiastic to open up her little social world to me now. And wonder when she will start hiding in her room, shutting out Mummy from her gossips with friends. I hope that day never comes :(