vegemaniac, zebigna and other stories

The Notty Things I Do

2010-02-07T21:50:00.005+08:00

Crying and screaming....

Waking chie-chie up....

Throwing tantrums....

There Is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power

2010-01-05T21:31:00.002+08:00

Sophie's Kindergarten Concert

2009-11-27T13:58:00.004+08:00

The opening song.

Emma was so excited. She wanted to take part too!

Little Clouds In The Blue Sky

2009-11-19T21:35:00.001+08:00

Sisterly Love

2009-11-15T21:42:00.007+08:00

Sophie must always hold Emma's hand when she's having her milk milk...

Cuddling while watching TV...

Caterpillar Cake (birthday no 2)

2009-10-29T12:24:00.002+08:00

Sophie's birthday bicycle.

The caterpillar cake was for her birthday party at school. She was SO shy and wouldn't blow out the candles. Don't know if she even enjoyed herself. Calvin took leave to go for that, and it was over in 10 mins! We were sent off and the kids were to have the cake later on during their break. :)

The (Homemade) Decorations

2009-10-29T12:07:00.003+08:00

Everything was home made as usual, ostensibly to cut costs, but I'm not TOO sure about that! Anyway, C and I made the streamers from wrapping paper over a few nights when the girls were in bed. The bunnies were printed from the net and soph and i had great fun colouring them and sticking cotton wool on the tails.
As you see in the prev post, sophie had fun pumping up the balloons with her bicycle pump. The house was our gift to the girls.

Sophie and Emma's birthdays

2009-10-29T11:56:00.005+08:00

The food!
I spent a month thinking and planning it all up! The bunny cake was quite a success tho sophie refused to eat the icing and I had to scrape it off before she would eat (a little bit) of cake. The pizzas with funny faces you can't really see, and there was a jelly fish bowl made of blue agar agar and sweets in the shape of fish, seaweed and pebbles - looked so real that no one ate it! also fruit boats, and pink juice, no less!

Emma Getting Off the Bed

2009-08-23T21:29:00.003+08:00

Finally getting the hang of it after weeks of training, and demonstration by Sophie.

More Baby Laughter

2009-08-14T23:08:00.004+08:00

Somehow everything that Sophie does is very funny to Emma.

Hello Emma Droolie!

2009-08-14T22:38:00.003+08:00

Laugh Until Cough

2009-08-14T22:18:00.003+08:00

Better Than Barney

2009-05-23T23:08:00.003+08:00

2009-05-18T22:28:00.001+08:00

Do We Look Alike Part II

2009-05-16T23:32:00.003+08:00

What happened to the hair??? Sophie was 4 months in this picture while Emma is 7 months, believe it or not!

In The Car

2009-05-16T23:13:00.002+08:00

The girls are pretty good in their car seats nowadays. Well, usually la. We still have some days with baby screaming the car roof down. But if she's not tired, and esp if Mummy is next to her (she is really a Mummy's girl, even more than Sophie was); she is smiles most of the time. Sophie often falls asleep on long journeys, but without much fuss. Here I think she was pretending to be asleep as she didn't want to smile for the camera.

Little Miss Sophie

2009-05-14T11:04:00.003+08:00

Here are some photos of Sophie. She is such a bigger girl now!

Sunglasses are a very important part of her wardrobe. She has to bring them almost everywhere we go.

She also loves talking on the phone and can now carry on a conversation on her own accord, tho' sometimes quite hilarious! At one point every conversation started with "I'm in my new house". Then, everyone was asked "Do you want come my house?". Now the latest topic of interest is, "I can use chopsticks, and I eat my vegebles".

Can't seem to get her to smile normally. This is her camera smile.

Crawling

2009-05-07T17:20:00.002+08:00

Chocolate Volcano

2009-04-24T10:26:00.000+08:00

Laugh Baby, Laugh

2009-04-07T09:18:00.003+08:00

Sophie was jumping up and down as Calvin sang to her, "Jumping Up And Down, Sing Hosanna", and Emma just couldn't stop chuckling! Sorry about the ending, though. Sophie was jumping on me too!

Sophie See, Sophie Do

2009-03-28T11:22:00.001+08:00

Using Mummy's sling for her teddy bear.

Why We Had To Bid Sad Farewell To The Bouncer

2009-03-28T11:13:00.001+08:00

Neat Hair, Messy Hair

2009-03-26T17:03:00.001+08:00

Papa's Girls

2009-03-21T10:23:00.001+08:00

Picnic at the Obsevatory, Sydney

2009-03-18T08:59:00.002+08:00

Who's this baby?

Oh, it's you cutie!

Sunblock Babies

2009-03-14T07:50:00.002+08:00

The UV rays are supposed to be really harsh in Australia, so we were careful to slather on the sunblock.

Finally!

2009-03-09T18:39:00.001+08:00

Finally a recent photo of Emma. More another day la, I need to go cook dinner.

2009-03-09T18:11:00.001+08:00

2009-03-09T18:06:00.000+08:00

My Si-ling

2009-03-02T11:47:00.002+08:00

Sophie took this waist pouch out from my cupboard the other day (we were still in Japan, as you can tell from teh sweater!) and figured out that she could use it as a sling (she pronounces it si-ling) for her Barney - just like Mummy does to baby!

Singing

2009-02-17T16:15:00.002+08:00

Ryokan Part 3

2009-02-03T12:11:00.003+08:00

All dressed up/down in yukatas to go to the onsen. Unfortunately there were no yukatas in Sophie's size.

This is the bathing place. You sit on a tiny wooden stool and wash yourself thoroughly. Then take a bit of hot water from the onsen and splash yourself from the feet up to get your body used to the temperature, then dip into the actual hot spring.

Kazuko buro.

Ryokan 'Suite'

2009-01-29T09:54:00.005+08:00

There was a jap style bathroom but we didn't use it. Just used the one in the onsen.

2 sinks! One outside the bathroom, one outside the toilet. But the one outside the toilet only had FREEZING cold water and no soap!

We opted for normal beds rather than futons, which was more expensive. No idea why! Seems that the japs prefer separate beds rather than double beds. But they did give us a futon for Sophie, FOC. Service here is fantastic. So going to miss it!

Ikebana in the alcove in the dining room.

The private dining room adjoining our bedroom.

Tiny sitting room 1.

Tiny sitting room 2.

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Sort of main room adjoining bedroom with an electric blanket below the table. Made one's legs warm and toasty! I dived under it when we arrived as the corridors were freezing (it was snowing outside if you noticed in the previous post). Calvin, of course, was busy taking photos "before the room got too messy". I have spared you the pictures of the toilet, btw.

Ryokan Daimaru Besso Part 1

2009-01-28T14:11:00.001+08:00

Finally, I guess I'd better upload the photos of our ryokan stay. Ryokan means a traditional Japanese style inn, by the way. This is part one as there are so many photos to sort through. This is the outside of the inn. Wait for the rest of the photos, ya!

Cold Winter Days

2009-01-25T15:23:00.001+08:00

Big Sister Duties

2009-01-24T17:10:00.001+08:00

" I don't really care whether you like the story or not - I die die will read to you until the end!"

Smaller Pool

2009-01-18T15:24:00.002+08:00

Sophie prefered this 'pool' in Granny's back yard to the actual swimming pool. It was so hot that she bathed there almost everyday.

Kedah Club Swimming Pool

2009-01-18T15:12:00.001+08:00

Blogger has been doing funny things lately to my picture. They never end up in the same order that I arrange them it. I usually have to rearrange them, but this time I am not going to bother; partly because I am carrying Emma in one arm, partly because my fingers are cold!
As usual I am so late posting that these are from last month's visit to Malaysia while we are now almost freezing our butts off back home!

We went swimming at KKDR, after her 'swim', Sophie posed for papa's camera. I think she was a bit 'sien' since he had been constantly trying to get her to smile at the camera since we arrived while she had been trying to concentrate on swimming!

The newly refurbished swimming pool and clubhouse.

As usual, Emma slept through all the excitement.

And lastly, here is a shot of Sophie in her swimsuit before she was induced to go into the water. I told you Blogger is going nuts with the order of the photos! Anyone got any tips?

Sophie's Learning Holiday

2009-01-12T15:29:00.003+08:00

Learning to make 'music'.

Learning to do stunts while watching Barney.

Learning thru imaginative play like talking on a toy phone. She is starting to talk to her soft toys too.

Learning to do chores such as washing the car.

It's more of a game than a chore when one gets to play with soapy water as this big grin shows!

Emma's Hairstyles

2009-01-08T13:29:00.002+08:00

Travelling

2009-01-05T15:10:00.005+08:00

Travelling back to S'pore last month. The girls were very good on the flight though we did have a lot of things to keep Sophie entertained.

They have colourful headsets for kids. Unfortunately there were no shows that Sophie wanted to watch. No AVOD (audio video on demand) on this flight, so she couldn't watch the one show that she might have liked - Thomas the Tank Engine. She is so familiar with flying that she remembered where the table was kept. She doesn't even blink an eye when we take off or land.

Emma slept in the bassinet which is more than Sophie ever did.

We had a few hours transit at Changi, but it's the best airport in the world to transit in. Great playground for kids, rooms to change nappies, feed babies, hot water to make milk, shopping galore, strollers to loan, free tv and internet...

What I've Been Up To Recently

2008-12-18T22:01:00.001+08:00

Smiley Baby

2008-12-10T21:56:00.004+08:00

Emma is so responsive nowadays, and often smiles and coos when being talked or sung to, especially after she's done a big poop!

Here are some pictures of her smiling...

Emma trying to sing along...

I Don't Want To Wear This, Mummy, It's Too Big

2008-12-05T10:02:00.000+08:00

Family Pictures

2008-12-05T09:45:00.003+08:00

Mummy and her girls.

Papa and his girls. Bad hair day for both parents!

Yakuza, Japanese Mafia

2008-11-26T13:57:00.001+08:00

Looks like she's been in a fight, ya..

Emma Bond? Or the next Bond girl?

What Was She Thinking?

2008-11-21T09:46:00.000+08:00

All Togged Up

2008-11-16T21:16:00.010+08:00

This is Sophie all togged up in her raincoat and boots....

...just to follow Papa downstairs to throw rubbish.

And here are the 2 girls all togged up....

...to go out for yaki-tori.
Emma can almost stand up by herself already, albeit with some support from Sophie.

Sophie likes yaki-tori. Yum!

Colours of Autumn

2008-11-16T21:14:00.001+08:00

We went to the Japanese Garden after church last Sunday. Third time for O & S, second time for E, first time for C! It's very beautiful and serene. S likes to feed the fish there.

2008-11-08T15:49:00.000+08:00

Stroller or Train?

2008-11-08T15:46:00.003+08:00

This is how we go out nowadays. Even a trip to the nearby supermarket is quite an adventure, from opening out the stroller, putting on jackets and shoes, getting the two girls in etc.

Sophie thinks is rather fun.

Emma: "Papa, don't take my picture - I haven't done my hair yet!"

S.Q.P.H.I.E.

2008-11-04T20:03:00.004+08:00

One of our close friends here gave Emma a similar set for her birthday, so we thought we should get Sophie her own too. Clever lah, so busy deciding between the yellow "S" and blue "S", that we didn't realise we'd taken a "Q" instead of an "O". To be fair, between the 2 of us, we had 2 little girls whose nappies needed changing, a big box of diapers, and a stroller full of other baby stuff from Babies 'R' Us. Now we have to go back again another day to get the "O".

More Pictures of Emma

2008-11-03T17:52:00.002+08:00

Big Sister, Little Sister

2008-11-03T17:24:00.005+08:00

Do We Look Alike?

2008-10-31T20:02:00.003+08:00

Sophie then, Emma now.

Special Dinner

2008-10-30T10:30:00.002+08:00

The hospital provided this dinner for us before we were discharged. Good food, beautiful presentation (it is Japan, after all), nice ambience. Only thing the food was rather cold. Still, we enjoyed it. Will probably be a very long time before we have a nice quiet dinner like this again!
There were 2 other couples having dinner at the same time. Both the other women wore pajamas which kinda spoilt the atmosphere!

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

2008-10-26T17:04:00.008+08:00

The preparations...

Thanks, Auntie Teresa, for my lovely cake!

And thank you, everyone, for all your birthday wishes and presents!

Happy Birthday, Emma!

2008-10-22T20:13:00.004+08:00

I do!

Look! A flamenco dancer!

10 October 2008

2008-10-17T20:35:00.010+08:00

We arrived at the hospital at about 8.45 in the morning...

Car park...

Entrance to Izumi Hospital...

Reception area...

It's not usually this empty...

Play area - Sophie's favourite corner...

Bath & toilet in the delivery room...

Little lamp with Ave Maria (hospital CD) playing in the background. We got tired of it after a few rounds, so we decided to get our own CD "Butterfly Kisses" from the car after lunch.

Ceiling...

And so the long wait continues...

Prep School Girl

2008-10-08T19:55:00.001+08:00

So happy to be going to school. Doesn't she look like a prep school girl with this pinafore?

Like My Smile?

2008-10-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

Posing for The Camera

2008-09-29T09:26:00.001+08:00

Outing

2008-09-27T07:04:00.002+08:00

Last weekend (or was it the one before?) we went to the Marizon and the Momochi beach. It was a nice, relaxing outing.

They have small fountains there which Sophie loves to play in. Of course she got totally wet, but that was all the fun.

She got all wet almost immediately and spent the rest of the time running from one fountain to another in just her nappy. No pictures to post as they were mostly blur. She wouldn't stop running long enough to pose!

Finally, caught and being dried off and changed. I came prepared with a towel, change of clothes and nappy as well as more mosquito spray. The whole idea of the outing was for her to have fun playing in the water.

After that we went on to part 2: playing in the sand! Unfortunately she only got to play for a short while as it started to drizzel and we had to head off for dinner.

We tried out a new restaurant quite near the beach. I thought it was going to be a western restaurant; well it turned out to be a japonized western restaurant. The food was okay though. Had a very nice starter of fried prawns of which Sophie ate tons. She even was given a small cup of soup on the house which she thought was a great idea and ended up dipping her prawns into it!

All in all it was a nice outing, not too tiring but fun. No pictures of Papa though, unfortunately.

Dancing

2008-09-25T14:34:00.000+08:00

Carousel

2008-09-25T10:42:00.002+08:00

There were lots of wooden shoes everywhere to make it look like Holland.

Sophie loved the carousel. We ended up going on it 3 times - twice on the first day and once on the second day.

We took a ride on a boat back to the hotel after a long day. Unfortunately Sophie was asleep so she didn't get to enjoy it.

HTB Palace

2008-09-23T15:36:00.002+08:00

More HTB photos as Calvin think I shouldn't deprive you guys of all his fantastic shots... :)

This palace is a replica of some palace in Holland. Can't remember the name of it. I think it's probably a bit smaller than the actual one, but still pretty big. We were not allowed to take pictures inside it. There was a museum inside.

Lovely formal gardens behind the palace, but it was super hot to walk around them.

View of the back of the palace.

Me taking a rest - very hot and exhausted from walking miles.

Part of the canals that run throughout the park. Our hotel is on the left (I think!).

Huis Ten Bosch Holiday

2008-09-21T20:47:00.002+08:00

Here are more pictures taken at HTB. I've been too lazy to upload them but Calvin keeps on at me to do so... so here are some rather randomly chosen ones. It's his fault for taking so many pictures! :)

Along the bridge from the railway station to the entrance.

An arty-farty picture of the architeture that Calvin was quite proud of - the picture I mean!

There were windmills everywhere, some, at least, were working ones.

House of chocolate. Somehow we managed not to buy anything there! :)

Swimming In The Baby Pool

2008-09-18T09:15:00.004+08:00

All set to go swimming with orange bikini and robe some more.

Ta da... the bikini! Heheh.. look at that tummy!

Having a blast playing with water with Papa.

Super Trick Art

2008-09-14T20:27:00.002+08:00

These and the pictures from the earlier post were taken at Super Trick Art in Huis Ten Bosch.

Hair-raising Escapades

2008-09-14T07:04:00.000+08:00

Missed Out Hakodate Picture

2008-09-13T09:48:00.002+08:00

Cycling around the resort. Pretty tiring for Calvin tho as he did most of the pedalling.

Sophie playing in the playground.

Peek-a-boo Papa!

What We Did Last Week

2008-09-11T09:49:00.003+08:00

Sophie Superheroine saved the day!

Hakodate

2008-09-07T17:30:00.004+08:00

Taking a break from all the running around. It was a huge resort so we walked quite a lot.

In front of the hotel. Sophie was wearing her pajamas! It had been so hot and humid in Fukuoka that we didn't expect it to be so cool and windy in Hokkaido. As a result, the only warmer clothes she had were her pajamas.

With a little friend. These two enjoyed each others' company so much that they were pretty much inseperable.

She loved the wide open spaces and running around in the fields.

Journey to Hakodate

2008-08-24T17:06:00.003+08:00

Well, earlier this month we travelled to Hakodate, Hokkaido, which is in the north of Japan. It was peak holiday time because of the Obun holiday which is similar to Cheng Beng. As we had not booked early, we couldn't get a direct flight and had to take a flight to Sapporo instead, followed by a 2 1/2 hour train ride to Hakodate.

Sophie at FUK airport, enjoying a bottle of Yakult. Reward for sitting quietly on the 1/2 hour taxi ride to the airport.

At Sapporo airport.

Waiting for the limited express train to Hakodate.

All Dressed Up But Nowhere To Go

2008-08-23T20:14:00.002+08:00

She got all togged up like this and said goodbye to me. Said she'd see me again. She is wearing my slippers, and carrying the cover of my iron and and an umbrella. Clothes: Model's own.

Here she is wearing my boots. I have had to put these out of sight as she kept on wearing them and I was worried she'd fall over in them.

On another note, she is lying down going to sleep in her room right now. I heard her crying a few minutes ago and went to see what was the matter. She said between sobs, "Where is Sophie's hat?" I told her it was outside and she could have it tomorrow and she stopped crying. How come can cry over her hat???

Funny Antics

2008-08-15T18:01:00.001+08:00

Combing her armpits???

Sophie at the Beach

2008-08-15T17:55:00.002+08:00

Not looking too happy cos she didn't like the feel of sand on her feet!

The view of the beach. It's only 10 mins walk from where we are. But we have only been there a couple of times. It's just too hot except in the evenings and I don't have the energy to push her there in her stroller anymore.

Copying Mummy

2008-08-14T12:45:00.001+08:00

Delicious!

2008-07-28T09:23:00.002+08:00

We had KFC for lunch yesterday after doing some shopping (summer sale now). I gave Sophie some bits of chicken in her bowl, but she wasn't very interested. Then she stood up and took out a drumstick from the box of chicken. This was much better! She ate the WHOLE drumstick!

Oops!

2008-07-25T20:46:00.001+08:00

At least it was only a pack of 4 eggs, not the usual 10, thank God! I managed to salvage the 2 that were just cracked. Only one got away.

Patience is a Virtue

2008-07-21T20:24:00.002+08:00

Waiting patiently outside the bathroom door for Papa to finish his bath. On weekdays, I'm so happy to see Papa home that I wait outside for him to come out of the bath. As soon as I hear the creak that tells me he is out of the shower, I rush there and wait for him to dress and come out.

Feeding Sophie

2008-07-21T20:19:00.003+08:00

After the last post featuring a fat little face, some people have have been asking what we've been feeding Sophie.
Well, she eats a lot of stuff. No porridge everyday for her!
She has weetabix and milk or french toast (oh, yummy!) or eggs for breakfast.
She likes to eat noodles and pasta, tofu, rice balls (onigiri), sushi, sausages, kiwi, eggs, meat, pizza etc.
Even tho she is pretty solid, I actually have quite a hard feeding her. Trying to get her to eat what I want her to eat (e.g. sandwiches, vege) is often quite a battle!

Hairstyle

2008-07-17T09:54:00.002+08:00

It's so hot and she sweats SOOO much on her head that I have to tie her hair up like this everyday. Cute hor?

She likes to sit in my laundry baskets. I wonder if she is pretending that she is in a boat? Probably not. Maybe when she is a little older, I guess.

Little Miss Bossy

2008-06-27T16:17:00.001+08:00

I was lying on the bed this afternoon, praying and singing. Sophie was lying next to me, playing with a pack of sweets. She turned to me and said, "Mummy, quiet! Shhh!!"
I ignored her and a few minutes later.., "Mummy, quiet!!!Shhhh!!!!!"
Getting to be such a bossy boots la..

Family Picture

2008-06-25T14:25:00.002+08:00

Latest family picture taken before church on Sunday - which is why we all look so presentable!

Petrol Station

2008-06-19T11:56:00.002+08:00

For a long time, we thought this was a workshop, not a petrol station. Finally someone pointed out to us the 'pipes' (can't think of the right word) hanging down from the ceiling!

So Grown Up

2008-06-17T21:32:00.000+08:00

Doing It Myself

2008-06-11T20:03:00.001+08:00

Mummy's Helper

2008-06-07T16:22:00.002+08:00

There is something to be said for buying good quality (expensive!) toys. At least they don't break easily. She hasn't played with this that much, but I'm sure she will find it more interesting as she gets older and tries to copy me more.

And after ironing she's happy - see her face?

She Has More Swimsuits Than Both Her Parents Put Together

2008-06-06T13:22:00.000+08:00

Throwing Money Away

2008-06-05T09:41:00.001+08:00

Umbrella: New on Saturday
Broken on Monday
She did enjoy it for the brief time that it lasted though.

The Last Of The Holiday Photos

2008-06-04T14:40:00.002+08:00

Finally, the last of the holiday photos. I've made them last a long time, haven't I?
But if I put them out all at once, then there wouldn't ba anything new for a long time.

Sophie and Papa looking at the fishes in the pond while waiting for a taxi back to the hotel after a good dinner.

Taking a buggy ride from the hotel room to the pool. Sophie loved riding in the buggy. We could get her to get ready just by promising her a buggy ride. Even after we had left Phuket, she was still asking for the buggy!

Having breakfast on the last day, enjoying french toast.

Surin Beach

2008-05-29T04:10:00.000+08:00

Lunch On The Beach

2008-05-26T10:37:00.002+08:00

Taking a walk around while waiting for the food to arrive. Going up and down the steps, looking for birds and dogs. You didn't expect me to sit down quietly until the food arrived, did you?

Eating tom yam noodles. Not very spicy even though Mummy threw in the whole saucer of chilli padi.

Wind-swept hair. Waiting for the buggy to arrive to take us back up to the hotel.

More Araya Photos

2008-05-23T09:53:00.001+08:00

Ayara Hilltops Phuket

2008-05-23T09:41:00.003+08:00

The Type of Glass Matters

2008-05-21T12:34:00.002+08:00

Enjoying a welcome drink of fruit punch when we checked into our hotel in Phuket.

The next day when she wanted to drink water, she refused the tall cylindrical glass and the tea cup and would only drink from the wine glass! Drink water also must be high class, ne!

Yukata

2008-05-19T09:33:00.002+08:00

All dressed up for church in a yukata - summer kimono. We had a tough time convincing her to put in on, for some reason. And when I wanted her to put in on again when we went out for dinner later she totally refused. We bought it from the airport when en route back to S'pore. Rather expensive, but just too cute!

New Experiences

2008-05-16T09:28:00.001+08:00

Feeding the fish at Suntec after dim sum at Crystal Jade (yum yum!). Sophie got bored after a little while. The carp were so huge they looked like monsters!

He Does It Better Than Mummy/Papa Do

2008-05-15T09:30:00.002+08:00