Cutty

I know that this round-up is a week late.  How can I let it pass when it has brought me countless memories? It was a year of trials.  There were times when our household had to survive with one house-help.  It was in Q3 when I found out that the my most-trusted store supervisor was stealing from me.  Business was unstable.  Kids getting sick at the same time, specially when I couldn't be there to care for them.  Javi was physically abused by newly-hired nanny.  There were lots of late night meetings.   Monthly budgets barely covering expenses.  Lessons were learned, tears were shed BUT I have moved on.  I never realized I could overcome all those despite the judgement and opinion of envious individuals (wink, wink). It was a year of travel.  A summer trip to our favorite shopping destination during summer.  A trip to the World's Cultural Capital and it neighboring countries spear-headed by the ACS took place in Q3.  It...

I thought that by now, Vic and I are experts on travelling with kids.  In the past five years, we've taken five or six vacations with them.   One of which is a long haul trip.  No major incidents took place in the past, so I guess we did things the way it should be done. I knew what to expect.  I was set on not being able to do all things I want to do.  We made sure not to pack all days with strenuous activities.  I have made a mental note of where to take the kids so they'd be entertained.  We also have allowances for resting.  I was even prepared for tantrums. On our recent trip to Singapore during the New Year Weekend, I was quite confident that we could pull it off.  Together with my husband's side of the family, we took the afternoon flight to Singapore last Thursday.  Vic and I reserved a row of Choice Seats so we will be comfortable with the kids.  We brought Johann (4 y/o), Javi (3 y/o), Bettina (1 y/o) and yaya....

When Vic and I went to Singapore a few weekends ago, it wasn't about shopping or being a tourist.  So, usual hotels we're familiar with were beyond convenience.  Besides, the rates would've been hiked up on F1 weekend, so we wouldn't have gone there. Thankfully, a friend suggested V Hotel Lavender. While most hotels boast of their accessibility through public transport, this one is the most truthful.  Literally located on top of the Lavender MRT station, this is one of the best hotels I've been to, in terms of convenience.  After a day of walking, I am never too tired to walk up to the room.  When we got hungry, there were several bread stores and take-away food stalls, a 24-hr Kopi Tiam, and Wendy's.  At the MRT station, there we convenience stores for drinks, snacks and emergency meds. We were 4 stops from Orchard Rd, 2 stops from City Hall and 1 stop from Bugis.  It beats having to stay in one of the hotels along Orchard, where we'd have to walk...

I wasn't supposed to be in the concert last Friday.  My husband booked tickets for the race last March, way before the concert had its date.  But since I was part of the organizing committee, I just had to be there.  Vic flew to Singapore as scheduled.  I stayed behind and flew the next day. I took the early morning flight to Singapore.   Vic and I met at the hotel.  I arrived just before lunch.  I had enough time to shop and rest before the concerts and the qualifying session. I had been to the race in Sepang, Malaysia.  It was nothing compared to the energy and organization of Singapore F1. I can't begin to imagine how much boost Singapore's economy had gained in this one event.  Every part of the city benefited from this.  There were temp jobs to fill, an increased demand for shopping, for food, accommodations and transportation.  It was really worth the investment for the government.  Just look at how many people w...

It seems that my trip is very timely.  When I arrived last week, I didn't realize that Australia is having the Financial Year End Sale.  But, it was of no use to me.   Everything is really expensive here. What I am looking forward to is the Great Singapore Sale.  Since I had to stay the night in Singapore for my connecting flight to Manila, I decided to stay a bit longer so I can explore the city.  I managed to book the latest flight in the afternoon so I had at least 6 hours to waste on Orchard Rd.  Nyehehe! Oh SIA, why do I only have 20kgs?  Sa vino pa lang kulang na.

Since my last update a couple of weeks ago, there have been lots to blog about. I was just too lazy or too preoccupied to write about what's going on. Firstly, the home improvement project is nearing the final phase. Our kitchen cabinets have been installed. Our curtains were put up this afternoon. The landscaper will commence tomorrow. We're just waiting the rest of the furniture, chandelier, oven and stove to be delivered. The re-painting of the current house is about to be finished also. We've decided to put the repair of the stairs on hold since wood is difficult to get these days. Nevertheless, our house will look more like the home we left behind, only bigger. Javi's been sickly the past few days. We've just confirmed this morning that he has roseola. It has been very difficult to make him take his meds. He's been very picky when it comes to his food also. So far, we can feed him spaghetti and nothing else. Johann got hooked on Handy Manny and ...

The husband is scheduled to fly to Lalah land (borrowed from Deepa) tomorrow evening. We haven't finished packing his stuff. We just pulled all his Ferrari gear from the closet. I just wish his jacket and umbrella hadn't been "misplaced" in the office. If Ferrari came out with underwear merchandise, I'm sure he'd have it, too. I just hope Ferrari wins the race. Or else, he'd be wearing the Talunan outfit.

One of the trips that I'll be missing out on, now that I am 7 months preggy, is the one with Singapore F1. This is the second trip I'll be skipping for this year. I am really not that big of a fan of Formula 1 racing. The Sepang race three years ago would do. I just wanted to see Singapore since I've never gone there before. To make up for my loss (or missed opportunity to shop), I am making a list of things to do for Vic. This task is actually more punishing because I keep on reading up on places I wont get to see in person. Hay.... Here is my short-list: Try the duck tours or HiPPO tours (ducktours.com.sg) Songs of the Sea show at the Sentosa Merlion Night Safari Singapore Zoo Try the Chili/Black Pepper Crab at Jumbo in Clark Quay Eat at the Kopi Tiam or Food Republic Get Royce chocolates at Suntec (for me) Get F1 merchandise for Johann and for himself Shop at Sim Lim, Vivo or Lucky for cams (for Vic) and other pasalubongs Ikea for some items for the home Meet up...