And I would have this year too if I wasn't so injured but oh well, it is what it is. #nexttimethen
I still decided to take a solo birthday trip to Bangkok this year again though to rest and relax. It's been a crazy first half year with our new family & work schedules.
I know some people think it's weird that I'd want to spend my birthday alone but like I mentioned before, being alone doesn't necessarily mean you are lonely. Sometimes it's good to be alone to give you time to be yourself and to find yourself.
As mums, daughters, sisters, friends, we can sometimes find ourselves so overwhelmed by all our different roles and expectations. If possible, it is worthwhile to have little time-outs to rediscover your sense of self, and to make an effort to care for yourself. It is not about being selfish or self-centered. It is about loving yourself, and letting yourself know that you are worth giving yourself 100% of your precious time and concentration. And I can think of no better time to do this than during my birthday.
In taking care of our own needs and wants first, we are happier and in a better position to fulfill our other roles as mums, daughters, sisters and friends.
This time, I disconnected completely from social media for the whole trip {hence zero updates for the past week!} and barely used my mobile to chat to anyone too. Probably told like less than 10 people I was even away haha.. Spent most of the time sleeping, massaging, eating, exploring and reflecting... a week of just me, myself and I.
It was a very relaxing, soul-searching trip and I came back feeling more alive and energised to take on the rest of the year. Even the boy noticed how refreshed I seem and suggested that I take another solo trip in September perhaps heh..
I really want to thank my family, especially the boy, for supporting me and letting me enjoy this birthday trip without worries. If he wasn't such a good, reliable and hands-on dad to Lil Pumpkin all the time, I wouldn't have the heart to leave too ♥
Thanks Poogeo, and Happy 33rd birthday to me!! o(^∀^*)o
May has always been my favourite month of the year what with so many birthday celebrations this month... including mine, of course (*^▽^*)
We've been to Sentosa sooooo many times, but this weekend will be the first time we are going to have a family staycation there!! As always, Lil Pumpkin wanted to go to Universal Studios for her birthday {if we aren't traveling during this period we'd usually bring her too} so I had a look at the Resorts World Sentosa {RWS} staycation packages and decided to book one for the weekend as a surprise gift for the boy and her! ♥ And yup, we'll be staying there for 3D2N and be going not just to one theme park.. but to THREE - USS, Adventure Cove AND Sea Aquarium!!! Woohoo!!!
It' a long awaited rest-and-relax time with the family as we haven't gone for any holiday overseas or staycations this year yet... considering that we used to travel at least once a month, even for short weekend trips, this has been quite a record! But oh well.. we've really been busy juggling our new work, school and extra-curricular activities for the year so this break is long-awaited and very welcome.
Lil Pumpkin will be celebrating her birthday today, and on Sunday will be the boy's special 40th birthday!!! Woot woot!!! What a milestone!
I really wanted to do something extra meaningful for him, so I gathered some of our friends and families to wish him happy birthday and printed giant posters of the messages to put up on our wall, and encourage him for the future as a reminder that he is loved and respected not just by his immediate family, but by everyone he meets too. There's a positive and inspiring glow within him that touches people.. and the most wondrous thing is, he doesn't even realise it. And I really wanted him to know it.
It was a pretty impromptu idea because it took me a long time to figure out what to give something to a man who seems to have it all.. I only started on this project last week {!!!} so I'm very grateful to those that answered my last-minute request & took the effort to think through and write personal and meaningful birthday wishes to him. Thank you.
As I read through all the wonderful messages that poured in, it made my heart swell with pride and eyes tear with joy. Not meaning to brag or whatever, but honestly, my dear husband is such a well-liked guy that has motivated many others through his kind heart, hard work and humbleness. He is not a man of many words, but his actions speak louder than anything he can ever say and truly, I can safely assure you that if you ever meet him outside, he is the same honest, caring, loving and thoughtful man at home too.
I am so proud to call him my husband, and so blessed to have him take care of me and be a father to Lil Pumpkin.
Happy 8th birthday to our darling daughter, and happy 40th birthday to my dear Poogeo!
IT'S CELEBRATION TIME!!! (ïŸ^ăź^)ïŸ*:・ïŸ✧
P.S. It's my dad's birthday this Sunday too!! Yup, he and hubs share the same birthday!!
P.P.S. I gave hubby his gift yesterday as I didn't want to lug the huge posters all the way to Sentosa haha.. the boy was truly surprised, touched and adored them too. Mission accomplished ♥
P.P.P.S. These family photos are the recent ones taken by Alwyn at Gardens by the Bay {East}. Check out the rest of the collection here. We love them!
Right after I sort out all the photos, videos and notes I jotted down about the trip. My trainers took some photos for me too and I'm waiting for them to send those over as well.
If you've been following my on-the-go updates on Facebook, Instagram and also recently Snapchat {add me at @AiSakuraHaruka}, you'd see that most of the time, I actually stayed in camp to rest and relax since I had early runs each morning and 2 Muay Thai training sessions each day. Pretty intensive.
The training site was rather out of Bangkok city centre so not near any of the usual touristy attractions or shopping areas at all. I didn't intend to go there to shop, eat or massage as I usually do when I'm in BKK though - just train - so it was ok.
There were some markets for the locals nearby which I bought some stuff from and it was a really nice, authentic Thai experience. There was none of the "touristy" stuff and most of the stall owners did not speak English actually. Thank goodness I'm rather good at communicating with others who don't speak any of my languages {good practice from all my travels & previous work}.. and charades haha
Only during the weekend, I made my way down to Chatuchak Market to shop as a special birthday treat (⌒▽⌒)☆
Overall my shopping haul from this trip is {relatively} small but thought I'd share it anyway since I haven't made a shopping haul video in ages, and it serves as a reminder to myself of what I bought too haha. I had time to make the video on the last day before I flew off...
I'm kinda mad over cute rompers now and bought a few this trip. Wore this one on my birthday.. the first time in that week I was actually out of my fitness clothes and probably the first time in many years I wasn't actually wearing a dress on my birthday haha
Check out my shopping haul video above or on my YouTube channel if it isn't showing properly. If you've seen my previous shopping haul / vlog videos you'd know that I usually do it in 1 take with little / no editing so they might be a bit long. Sit back, relax and watch with some popcorn hahaha.
I'd be posting my Muai Thai training videos too so subscribe to my YouTube channel if you don't want to miss them! Stay tuned to the upcoming blog post on my Muay Thai training camp experience at Khongsittha, Bangkok too! xox
I'm in Bangkok again. The third time in the past half year I think haha. But this trip I'm here not for shopping, food or massages {although I might get to enjoy them}... no, I'm actually here for a week-long intensive Muay Thai training camp. Alone.
It's actually a present from the boy for my 32nd birthday, which is coming up this Sunday *grins*
A few weeks back the boy asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I thought about it and I really couldn't think of anything that I wanted / needed to "get", but so many things that I wanted to "experience".
On top of my list, was the chance to experience an authentic Muay Thai training camp in Thailand.
Muay Thai to me is pretty cathartic. There's something about being on the mats and being able to legitimately kick and punch things {or erm, people haha} ferociously that helps to cleanse your soul and mind. It releases your pent-up aggression and stress, and not to mention is a great way to get your body moving and fit. I'm not doing it to be a professional or join fighting competitions, but I do enjoy it as an exercise.
Some of you know that I took it up for a while a few years back and then stopped due to a very busy lifestyle as a new mum. I wanted to take it up again but time and other factors like my bad knees got in the way... now that I'm stronger thanks to my fitness training with slightly more time at my hand {or maybe just better time management skills hah!}, I reckon that I should try to get back into it.
And there's no faster way to get back into it than to be fully immersed in a Muay Thai training camp where I'll be eating and sleeping on-site, and training 2-3 times a day with local Muay Thai nak muays / experienced boxers.
Does it sound crazy to want to do that?? Maybe, but there are moments in life where you really just gotta #YOLO!!
If there's one thing I don't miss about Muay Thai it's the tedious hand-wrapping though! You can see me practising the wrap in the video above or on my YouTube channel if it isn't showing properly.
Anyway it was a pretty impromptu trip and I'm glad that we sorted everything out. My mum will stay over at our place to help the boy take care of Lil Pumpkin while I'm away for the week. Hubby has always been a very hands-on and involved dad, and I've no doubt that he can manage on his on too, but it's always nice to have an extra pair of hands to help.
And after celebrating the boy and Lil Pumpkin's birthday last week, now is my little time to celebrate.
It's not the first time that I traveled without the boy or Lil Pumpkin, but it's the first time that I'd be completely on my own throughout the entire trip. And also the first time that I'd be celebrating my birthday alone overseas too {I'll be flying back the day after}.
But that's ok. Being alone doesn't necessarily mean you are lonely. Sometimes it's good to be alone to give you time to be yourself and to find yourself.
As mums, daughters, sisters, friends, we can sometimes find ourselves so overwhelmed by all our different roles and expectations. If possible, it is worthwhile to have little time-outs to rediscover your sense of self, and to make an effort to care for yourself. It is not about being selfish or self-centered. It is about loving yourself, and letting yourself know that you are worth giving yourself 100% of your precious time and concentration.
In taking care of our own needs and wants first, we are happier and in a better position to fulfill our other roles as mums, daughters, sisters and friends.
That's how I feel anyway and thank you to hubby for understanding this, and for giving this lovely birthday present to me ♥
You can follow my Muay Thai training camp experience on Instagram and Facebook. See you all when I return as a 32 year-old!!! xox
We celebrated your 7th birthday yesterday. It really is all going by too fast. I am so proud and happy to celebrate your growth and milestones, but each one is a reminder that time is passing by too fast for my liking and I wish I could somehow slow it down to make all these moments last just a little longer.
Every goofy grin, every silly joke, every curious question, every colourful doodle, every time you reach out to hold my hand.. will you still be like this as you get older?
Just a few days before your birthday you finally confirmed that you wanted me to bake you a Frozen birthday cake. There wasn't much time to plan or prepare so your Daddy said we should buy you a cake instead. I asked you back if you really wanted me to bake the cake, or if you wanted something from the store.
You said, "No Mummy, I want you to bake the cake."
So bake I did. After all, I baked you all your birthday cakes ever since you were born.
I'm not the best baker or cake decorator, but whenever I bake for you, it is always done with all my heart and love. Your 7th birthday cake wasn't the prettiest {although I'd dare say it was oh-so yummy!!} but you looked at it like it was the best, most gorgeous, most delicious cake you'd ever laid eyes on.
Thank you, my darling.
Growing up, Mummy never had to go to school on my birthday since your grandmother said it was my special day and my own special holiday. It really did make me feel very special and I have fond memories of that.
I would have let you off school today as well but your Daddy didn't want you to start this habit. Oh well.
But it was a good thing you went to school as well as I know your teachers and friends made you feel like a rock star on your birthday too by giving you little gifts and wishing you "Happy Birthday!!" throughout the day when they saw you around. You came back beaming and grinning ear-to-ear as you told me about it.
We've never been into big fancy parties mainly because I find it too tedious to plan and organise, but you've never questioned or asked for one. We did have a fun day out after school spending pockets of time throughout the with your extended family, and yup, getting that little feet massage that you desired. "I want to relax", you said.
I wanted to bring you to one of those giant indoor playgrounds as a birthday treat but you opted for a feet massage and fish spa instead. Oh Lil Pumpkin, Mummy is so amused by this! haha #definitelymydaughter
Hope you will enjoy Part II of your birthday celebration at Adventure Cove this weekend too!
Thank you for being the wonderful child that you are. You bring Mummy and Daddy so much joy each day and we never fail to go to bed each night thinking how blessed we are to have you in our lives. You are everything I could ever ask for in a daughter.
I hope that even though you had a simple birthday, you will always remember the love that you felt and were given from everyone that you've touched in your life, both near and far.
The first full month {æ»Ąæ} since birth is a very important celebration in Chinese families. In the past, infant mortality was pretty high so to make it past the first crucial month was definitely worth commemorating!
Indeed, seeing Lil J achieve her first month milestones and grow into a healthy and happy baby calls for a celebration!
The blessed little girl had her first party last Saturday when my sister and bro-in-law threw a Manyuejiu {æ»Ąæé } in her honour to celebrate her first full month with family and friends. Traditionally, a manyue party can be as big or as small as you want it to be. Some families book a few tables at the restaurant and invite colleagues, business associates, family, friends etc. while others just have it at home with relatives and close friends, like what my sister did.
She catered mee siam and other savoury local delights for guests to munch on, and also set up a dessert buffet table with sweets & treats from The Icing Room.
Did you know that you can order The Icing Room products online and have them delivered straight to your doorstep?? There's a wide selection of cakes {even their famous Design-It-Yourself specialty cakes or rainbow sponge cakes}, pastries, macarons, muffins etc. to choose from.
If you're not sure what to order, they also have various pre-mixed party packs of assorted tea cakes, muffins, brownies, cupcakes and macarons to cater to small {6-8 pax} and large {15-20 pax} parties. Very convenient especially when you have other party preparation like decorating the venue, getting door gifts etc. to take care of!
For Lil J's manyue party, she had an assortment of delicious macarons {S$20 for 12 pieces} and they were such a hit with the guests because seriously, who can resist their chewy shells and luscious fillings?? If I could, I would have eaten the whole lot haha.
The colourful Icing Room macarons certainly brightened up the party and were perfectly sized {not too small!} and oh-so delectable. I liked that they weren't overly sweet and the different flavours were strong and distinct. Some didn't just have cream fillings, but fruit jam fillings too.
There were also sweet pink baby-themed cupcakes {S$15.50 for 6 pieces} that were too cute to eat! Each vanilla-flavoured cupcake had either a strawberry, blueberry or chocolate filling and were topped with pink buttercream frosting and dainty icing sugar decorations.
When delivered to the party, the freshly-baked cupcakes came in boxes of 6 with separate holders for each cupcake so the frosting and cupcake decorations were all still beautiful, intact and not smashed at all.
This baby brown bear was Lil Pumpkin's favourite cupcake design :) The details are so fine and fantastic! I think they are all handmade by the bakery's pĂątissiers.
The party cupcakes were the same as the ones in The Icing Roomâs Baby First Month {My Little Princess} beautifully packaged gift sets for family and friends.
For manyue celebrations, it is a customary to give sets of cakes, red eggs {symbolise birth & good luck}, ang ku kuehs {turtle design/ pointed for baby boys, peaches design/ flat for baby girls} and glutinous rice {anybody knows why??} to relatives and friends. This was what we did for Lil Pumpkin's manyue.
However, you usually have to finish the glutinous rice and ang ku kuehs on the day delivered as they are made fresh with no preservatives so some parents like my sis & her hubby prefer modern gift sets with less traditional offerings like cupcakes that although are also best eaten on day they're delivered, still taste good even after a day or two.
They still prepared the red eggs though and gave them out as those are definitely a MUST-HAVE for manyue celebrations!!
Each of The Icing Roomâs Baby First Month set {S$16.80 each} comes in your choice of a baby blue or pink box, with a personalised baby announcement tag and individual carrier.
You can choose either Little Bundle of Joy gift sets {2 brownies, 2 almond cakes, 2 lollicakes, 2 cookies, 2 macarons and a packet of meringue kisses} or Little Princess / Little Prince gift sets {6 pieces of cupcakes with icing sugar decorations}.
Customisations are possible e.g. you can change the sugar decorations depending on what's available in-store, but please confirm with The Icing Room for more details. You need to order at least 4 working days in advance & there's free delivery of the gift sets with a minimum order of S$300. See full details here.
Since it's the Christmas season, Lil J's manyue party desserts also included a yuletide creation - the Holly Choco Log cake {S$48, 750g}! It is a rich chocolate chiffon with layers of moist chocolate cream and fragrant homemade strawberry paste.
The log cake was sooooo smooth and practically melted in your mouth. It was a chocoholic's dream and Lil J's party day was seriously one of those days I wish I didn't have to watch my calories and could stuff myself silly with all the decadent desserts!!
I checked online and the rest of The Icing Room's Christmas selections look really festive and sumptuous too. I've got my eye on that adorable Jolly Santa vanilla chiffon cake {S$32, 500g} filled with cocktail fruits and Chantilly cream, topped with fresh strawberries or the Christmas Candy House chocolate & hazelnut chiffon cake {S$35, 500g} with a puff pastry roof decorated with tart raspberries and jelly candies which I'd probably get the boy to order for our own Christmas dinner party.
There's an early bird promo now until 13 Dec 2015 for 20% off regular Christmas cakes {only valid for Winter Berryland log cake, Holly Choco Log, Christmas Candy House and Jolly Santa} or if you're a Citibank Card member, the offer is valid until 25 Dec 2015.
The Icing Room Christmas Collection 2015 is only available until 25 Dec 2015 {duh!}. See the full Christmas cake catalogue here. Like the Baby First Month gift sets, you can order them online {requires 3 working days advance order} and have them delivered to your home.
Overall, kudos to my sis for pulling off such a fine party for Lil J even though I know she must be so stressed & tired as a new mother taking care of her newborn kid. Thank goodness Lil J is a sweet little thing who doesn't fuss much and sleeps pretty well... unlike our dear Lil Pumpkin when she was a baby hahahaha.
Looking forward to celebrating more of Lil J's milestones and birthdays! Happy 1st month again Lil J! We love you very much~ Hope you like the gift we got you!! ♥
Did you celebrate your kid's first month birthday?
What was inside your manyue gift sets?
* Disclosure: This is a review for The Icing Room. All opinions are my own.
After Lil Pumpkin's 6th birthday party with her classmates {more on that later!}, we brought her down to Motherswork at Great World City to get her birthday present!! :)
Motherswork is a pretty well-known as a one-stop boutique for all the baby products you'd ever need - diapers, cribs, bedding, skincare, toys, clothes, accessories etc. Everything you need as a parent or parent-to-be, you can find it there.
They have one of the largest selection 7of the popular Bugaboo baby strollers! So many designs for so many different functions, parents would be spoilt for choice with all their offerings!
They even sell the latest Vincent van Gogh collaboration piece - Almond Blossoms. Like a piece of art and really one of the prettiest baby strollers I've seen. Not just saying that because there's Sakura prints on it haha.
However, Motherswork is more than just a babies store and offers a wide selection of products for older kids like Lil Pumpkin too.
The Moll Tables from Germany caught my eye since Lil Pumpkin is starting Primary 1 next year and probably needs a bigger, more ergonomic table than the chalk table she's currently using. It's kinda getting too small for her now :P
They are supposed to grow with the kids and allow great flexibility and variation. With the Moll Champion, one part of the desktop can be tilted and used for drawing, writing or reading - while the rest of it remains fixed in place as a practical storage surface and working space. Pretty unique!
Made from durable wood, each Moll table comes with an adjustable desktop that can be tilted just by lifting up to 18°, a book holder, a bag hook, and adjustable table legs. You can even customise the table colour {orange, red, pink, blue, green etc.}!
We had a look around the store for her birthday gift and found that there are also beautiful clothes...
And loads and loads of craft materials, books and games!
Basically everything a child needs to enjoy an active lifestyle, explore the world through books and play while cultivating a curious mind.
Actually Motherswork has stuff for mums too and I couldn't help but admire the quirky RICE home ware and accessories. Comes in melamine and my fave enamel! Such funky colours and bold patterns.. I likey.
Those lemon and watermelon designs make me think of summer pool parties! Perfect for our hot tropical climate (*^▽^*)
And these super kawaii Hello Kitty paper cups and plates are great for parties too!! Oh be still my Hello Kitty-loving heart （*＾ăŻ＾*）
Lil Pumpkin decided on getting one of the award-winning Micro Scooters that Motherswork carries. I knew that she has had her eye on a kick-scooter for quite some time already, but I had my reservations about getting it for her when she was younger.
Firstly, safe kick-scooter riding is limited to smooth, flat surfaces like sidewalks and well-paved roads. When younger, Lil Pumpkin may not be able to manouver over bumps or cracks safely and fall over easily. Secondly, I was afraid she'd be over-reliant on one leg as she uses it for "kicking" off the ground. Thirdly, she was learning how to bike and I didn't want to rush and confuse her.
I like stores that allow kids to touch and play with toys before purchase. There used to be this stuck-up toys store in Takashimaya that didn't allow kids to touch anything. I mean, it's a kids' store!! The least you can do is to be welcoming to the little ones and provide some toy displays, rather than signs of "do not touch".
I'm sure most kids are supervised by their parents/ guardians to make sure they treat the toys with respect. Why would you expect the kids to just browse your toys {I'm talking about stuffed toys, model trains etc. not the collectible kind} and not want to try them out? As a parent, I'd like to know that my kids are interested enough in the product first or see how it works before spending money to bring it home.
Motherswork allows the customers to touch and try out their products, even scooters, before purchase and from there, I could see that Lil Pumpkin is old enough to understand how to control the scooter and learn how to use both legs to kick-off, and felt that ok, she was ready for a kick-scooter :)
Lil Pumpkin chose the pink {no surprise there!} Maxi Micro Scooter that's suitable for kids aged 6-12 years old. The T-bar is extendable to "grow" with the child and it can take up to 50kg. The boy likes that it has 3 wheels to offer better stability.
I realised that Motherswork takes their value of selling products that have been tested for kids safety very seriously.
Obviously Lil Pumpkin wanted a pink helmet as well, but I was told by their shop assistants that although they do sell pink helmets, the latest batch was returned to the manufacturer as they found that the buckles were not up to their store's safety standard. Wow. I think for a lesser shop, they wouldn't even bother to test after the products arrived in-store and just sell them to unknowing parents!
Anyway if we wanted a pink helmet, we would have to wait for the next shipment to arrive so I convinced Lil Pumpkin to take the yellow helmet. Still pretty cute!! *(*´∀｀*)☆ The store assistant even helped us to adjust the helmet to fit her head snugly.
Lil Pumpkin was so excited and happy with her gift and has been asking us to let her scoot around almost every day! She got the hang of it pretty fast and loves to zoom at the playgrounds, parks, void decks etc. Basically anywhere she can!
Happy 6th birthday Lil Pumpkin! May you always have a curious mind and enjoy zooming around to discover more of our beautiful world d=(´▽｀)=b
Made a little video of our shopping experience at Motherswork. Check it out to see what else they have in-store and if the video isn't working, watch it out on my YouTube channel here.
Promo: Motherswork is celebrating their 17th anniversary with a store-wide sale {includes brands like Avent, Stokke, Musela, California Baby etc.} now until 29 June 2015. Toys are up to 20% off, bedding up to 20% off, maternity wear up to 50% off, kids apparel & shoes up to 20% off, feeding tools up to 20% off and body-care up to 30% off.
Motherswork Singapore
#02-16, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Great World City
Open 10am - 9pm daily
Website: http://www.motherswork.com.sg/ *Also available at Tanglin Mall, Marina Bay Sands and 112 Katong
* Disclosure: This is review for Motherswork Singapore. All opinions are my own.
