Jurong Bird Park

At the other end of Singapore from where we stay, there is the Jurong Bird Park. It's basically a zoo that mainly exhibits the different species of birds. Since years ago, it's been upgraded a bit. There is a new monorail system that brings us around the park. But you can only go once around. There were a couple of pretty interesting bird shows. Especially the one with the big birds like vultures, owls, hawks, eagles...

And there were lots of new exhibits. There is one where we went into a huge aviary of mainly Loris that we can feed. They are really pretty, from green to bright red. It's also the first time Bryan's been this close to a real bird.

Their main attraction was the waterfall aviary, where it's supposed to be one of the largest manmade waterfall in the region. I wonder if they recycle the water used for the waterfall. It was quite a hot day that day and by the end of it, we were exhausted. Well, I was anyway. I still think the Singapore Zoo's still a better place to visit though.

In Memory of Ng Gek Tian

Sorry for the delay in posting any new entries. My hubbie's grandmother just passed away last week. God rest her soul. We had been busy with the funeral and the wake. But it's comforting to know that she is with the Lord. Thanks to everyone who came to give their condolences to us.

My Son: The Artist

Last Friday was Bryan's school 'Open House' where parents get a glimpse of what their preschoolers have been up to since the beginning of the year. Bryan has definately been busy with lots of art and craft. Their class Bluebells have worked on a lovely butterfly made of beans. The whole class did it together.


Aside from their class project, Bryan has also lots of individual art projects on display, He has made a caterpiller, a spider, a leaf collage and done some leaf printing. I really had no idea he was capable of doing stuff like that. So I am really proud of my boy. He grows up so fast!

O Happy Day!

It's been almost 5 months since Quixotic so I decided this page needs a facelift. Photo was taken by hubbie, I've modified it using Photoshop but kept the original colours. I wanted it to be a bright cheery blog this time. Brushes are from Seishido by Janita. She creates the cutest and loveliest brushes.

Retrospective

This year, there are quite a few of my colleagues/peers who are just about pregnant or just married. Which makes me a step or so ahead of them, with already one son and about to have another child. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them I'm married with children.

Actually looking back, getting married and then having a child at 25 was quite scary for me. I didn't really have anyone to talk to and ask questions as most of my friends were unmarried. And being a doctor, I've heard of all the complications and stuff that can go wrong which made it even worse. I had just started work, it was my first year as a house officer. And I was officially married for one year. I was just barely coping as a doctor and a wife.

But it was by God's grace, He gave me a gorgeous, intelligent son who is mostly well behaved and easy to handle. It made things so much easier on me and gave me so much more confidence in myself. Having a child has changed me, maybe for the better. Now I have someone I need to take care of, who depends on me for everything, and who needs me for the next 20 years of his life at least. It's a huge responsibility, having to teach him, not just about reading and writing, but also about all aspects of life, about relationships, about caring, sharing and all the right principles.

I think I've started to be bit more assertive and less selfish. I only have this much time during the day and I have to maximize it. I do much more planning and I have backup plans for when things crop up. On the other hand, I've also become more flexible and I don't get so upset if I have to cancel plans if someone is sick. I've also stopped trying to make everyone happy. In the end it's the important people in my life that really matters. I've also become more practical and less idealistic. Instead of 'things should be done this way', it's become 'let's try to work with what we have'.

Oddly, my change in attitude shows in the hobbies I do, books I read, shows I watch on tv and even the music I listen to. I used to do cross-stitching, read romances, love soppy dramas and boy band pop. Now, I do scrapbooking and blogging. I prefer watching CSI and the Discovery channel. I'm more interested in Asian based novels and only read romances by Nicholas Sparks. And the latest mp3s I bought and downloaded include artistes like Chris Daughtry, Hinder, One Republic, Maroon 5, Timbaland. I also like good vocalists like Leona Lewis, Colbie Caillat.

And nope I don't think it's the hormones...

Lunchtime Reviews

Ever since starting this new job in a new clinic. I've had lots of time to have a leisurely lunch. I'm situated in the heart of Orchard Road, right next to Paragon where I have most of my lunches so far. I'm within walking distance of Tangs, Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City, Heeren etc. I've had to increase my own budget for lunches to accomodate the steeper prices. But I find that the food is really quite good. Here are some review so far...

Thai Express - The curry is very good and they tend to be very crowded during lunch. The service is not too bad although waiters tend to be a bit busy. They don't have a lunch time special so all items are ala carte.

Soba So Good - A japanese restaurant that specialises in sobas (noodles). It's a bit pricier for their set lunch menus but the amount of food is quite a substancial portion. I had their tempura set lunch and it came with both rice and noodles. I don't usually eat japanese sobas but there is usually a small queue outside so I thought I should give it a try. The noodles are really good. And the service is good too.

Coffee Club - This cafe is a little bit harder to find because it's on the 3rd floor. They don't have a set lunch so I tried their Shepard's Pie. It was really good. It's generally not crowded during lunch too.

Bakerzin - I've heard good things about this cafe and it's all true. They don't really have a set lunch menu but there is a add on special where for a small price they give you a drink and dessert/soup. I had the chicken curry and I have to say it's excellent. The service is impeccable too. And it can get quite full during lunch. Definately go for the desserts which are really good.

Soup Spoon - It's in quite a few shopping centres now and it's good for a quick healthy meal. They serve soups and sandwiches. The soups are almost a meal in itself, very chunky and yummy. And one of the cheapest meals so far. It's free seating and can be quite crowded so it helps to have a friend to book a table.

Akashi - This seems like quite an authentic japanese restaurant and I was afraid of the prices at first but they have a set lunch which isn't very expensive at all. I haven't had a chance to try their sushi and sashimi set lunches yet but I will.

Spageddis - An italian restaurant. They do have set lunches which include the soup and drink. The food is so-so. But good for when I feel like pasta.

The Balcony (Heeren) - I took my clinic assistant out for lunch here one lunch and we had quite a delicious meal. They have set lunches for only $9.90. Including a drink. The food is western-eastern style. But quite good. It's open air and a refreshing change from the indoor cafes. I think it would be great at night for drinks. It's also a bar. It's quite empty during lunch so the service is quite prompt.

More to come when I try out others!

National Museum

We haven't been to the National Museum in years and years but this year, the Museum happen to have an exhibition specifically for preschoolers. At the entrance of the Museum stands a copy of Michaelangelo's David. Bryan found it very fascinating.


In the actual exhibition itself, Bryan learnt about what it was like to live during Mozart's time. He tried on their white wigs, long coats. He played with their toys like bean bag balls and wooden horses. He also learnt how to make tooth powder to clean teeth. And how they wrote with feather pens. And that they travelled in carriages pulled by horses.


And right outside the exhibition is a little playground with pots and pans that he can hit, bean bags that he can jump around in. And tunnels and even a little ball pit that he could 'swim' around in. He really really enjoyed himself a lot. It's worth going too because children under 6 is free!