a snap

bonding over books

monday.

it's back to school monday for local singapore schools today.
and the first day of nursery one for the toddler girl in the house.
no biggie really...not!

we're excited for her to meet new friends, learn social skills and
to just enjoy being away from mummy a few hours a day. i hope she enjoys the experience! 

bubbles & dreams.

forever blowing,
pretty delicate bubbles.
they fly so high,

some nearly reach the sky,

they fall to the ground,

disappear,

or fade into thin air,

chase them,

hope to catch them.

just like my dreams.

weekending

weekend started with a spontaneous trip to the neighbourhood coffee shop. a toast, water in hand and donned in jammies. i say it was one of the best fridates ever.  

so, who knew that a pineapple is, in fact, a large berry? you did? good for you. =)

then came saturday. the hubs wanted to check out the htc one regional launch. so we went.  

it was a one of a kind experience as we journeyed to paris, new york, and sydney in a matter of minutes! showcased at the launch were htc's newest and most powerful smartphones to date. as an apple fangirl wannabe, i felt a tinge of guilt for being there. but i thought, it was good opportunity to check the competition out. we had kraze burgers and chilli fries here afterwards. 

the sun was out and the sky particularly blue on palm sunday. hearing mass was in order while the rest of the day was spent watching this. it was a weekend well-spent. 

here's looking forward to a solemn week ahead. a meaningful and reflective holy week to all who commemorate.

photo challenge

it's pretty obvious that i like taking photos of my toddler and just about anything that catches my fancy. this became even more so when my hubby handed me down his iphone4s. sometimes i go on a snapping frenzy. so at the start of this year, i resolved to do a proper 365 day project. by proper, i mean not just take photos haphazardly because i do have a strong tendency to do that. a few days into my 365...make that 366 day project, i stumbled upon fatmumslim's #photoaday meme on instagram. i needed no further prodding and jumped right in! here's my take on the FEBphotoaday prompts. 

top-bottom:  my view. cafeteria at work | words of warning | hands at work | that familiar stranger / 10 am..not. 3 little girls on a playdate 

top-bottom: lo mien for dinner | button | sun...shining through my window | front door | self-portrait

top-bottom: makes me happy. saturday baby and daddy swim time | closet of my dreams  | my blue baggu | happy heart's day | busy with their phones

top-bottom: something new | time. snuggle + silly time | drinks at the pantry | something i hate. inching through crowds | handwriting 

top-bottom: favourite photo | where i work.  smiley sharks on lift doors | shoes today. an oldie but goody | in my bathroom cabinet. skincare arsenal | green..lush greens at our estate.

left-right: night light | something i ate. nectarine | money money money lots of money | something you're listening to. 1:30 am of 29022012.

check back again for March photo a day.

oh and don't forget to make today count! it's the leap year! 

tuesday.

out and about on a tuesday afternoon. 

amazing what a stroll, a swing and a view can do to brighten even the dullest of days. 

    
      

crickets

it's been awfully quiet around here.

*crickets*

no good reason really. i just did a bit of un-blogging. not really unplugging because i'm still active in the other social media platforms :p

i am slowly getting back into the grind.

for starters, here's a peek at some of the events at the tail end of our twenty-eleven.

wicked the musical // the witches of oz were wickedly good! it's worth watching a second time. or third. 

home for the holidays // a first for the toddler girl.  quality time with the grannies. rendezvous with the bee. christmas carols at the malls. lanterns and parols. reunions. 

a real christmas // part of my beloved hometown was left devastated by typhoon washi/sendong. 

 i saw the aftermath with my own eyes. tragic and heartbreaking. i knew friends from high school who were left homeless. some even lost loved ones. in the wake of the tragedy, everyone sprang to action. it felt good to have helped bring christmas cheer to those who needed it most. 

how's that for starters? 

*crickets*

memories captured | when you were 2.

  

linky brought to you by

Alison of Mama Wants This  & Galit of These Little Waves

daddy duty

Eve of Toddler Girl's birthday.

Looks like the little lady is mighty pleased while on daddy's watch!

on your birthday

I thank the Lord everyday for blessing me and our little girl

with a man as incredible and as exceptional as you are.

Happy Happy Birthday, Daddy Doods! 

september's come & gone

Amid the flurry of recent events; september is just about over.
It has been a month of changes; of taking leaps of faith many times over.
Of job interviews and seemingly never-ending exam preparations.
Of exclusive events and a book reading session.
Of the little one attending her first real birthday event.
Of meeting new friends and exploring local edens.
Of cupcakes and balloons and a magic show.
Of falling ill twice in a row.
Of reminiscing last year's autumn festivities with friends and family.
Of enjoying downtime and spontaneity.
So forward I look on to the coming months
For growth that may come on in leaps and bounds.

wordless wednesday

Future baller, eh?

Link up with Uyen of Ramble Road Ramblings and Java of Never Growing Old

snippets

"there's two things I know for sure

she was sent here from heaven
and she's daddy's little girl...

....and I thank God for all of the joy in my life"

-excerpt from Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle

milestone alert: 18 months

Frolicking at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, Singapore

Before Baby Hoo turns another month older in a couple of weeks, let me quickly run down her awesomeness at 18 months of age.

(Inserts Hyper-parent Warning here).

Dear A, 

You are at the 50-75th centile for weight, height and head circumference and currently have 12 teeth (and growing some more).

Some people say you're bashful but you're just slow to warm up really. Focused and intense is how your Kindermusik teacher describes you. You indicate your wants by  pointing, gesturing, taking me by the hand and bringing me to where you want to go. Playing pretend, reading, listening to stories, looking and identifying pictures are among the activities that you like to do these days. 

You're quite the copy cat too! You always try to imitate me and Ate A while doing household activities like cooking, mopping, washing dishes and sweeping the floor.

As early as 16 months, you were already showing signs of independence by wanting to do things yourself like brushing teeth, taking off clothing items, feeding self with spoon, drinking from cup, bathing and a lot more!

Once you started walking at 11 months, there's no stopping you from becoming more and more mobile! Run, hop, kick, climb up and down stairs with support, climb on and off furniture, playing hide and seek and so much more! Running after you is my daily workout! 

Scribbling with crayons, shape sorting, building blocks are some of the fine motor skills you've acquired. You love scribbling so much that you're toy kitchen unit also doubles as an art canvas! 

As of last count, you have at least 85 intelligible words in your vocabulary! Daddy has an excel sheet for keeping count hehehe. You've also started to string 2 word sentences like "put up," "go down," "no more," "more apple," etcetera. 

On most days, you have a fairly good appetite for any dish that has rice, bananas, broccoli, pasta, chicken. Like most other toddlers, you put on your "fussy eater mask" on somedays. On fussy days, I am most thankful for my food allies. You have also recently developed a liking to the local palate - hainanese chicken rice, mee pok (minced meat noodles), ban mian, and fish ball noodle. Who knows what local dish you'll end up trying next? Laksa, maybe? 

You're a champion napper but sleeping through the night is a different matter altogether. Let's not talk about that yet :)

Daddy and I are in constant awe of the many tricks and skills that you've acquired! If we only had the power to slow things down...we probably would. 

Love, 

Mum

Force March-eur.

View of the SUPERMOON fromMARINA BAY SANDS SKYPARK 18/3/2011

It is said that the presence of the Supermoon has incited natural calamities such as earthquakes, tsunamis and storms. Perhaps it has. Perhaps it hasn't. What I can only attest to is how this lunar phenomenon affected our lives this month. We've had nothing but good luck and graces this month of March. 

++Clearing both components of a recent exam that I took..which means that I am one step closer to my current career goal. Failing the practical part would have meant me retaking it, which equates to added expense, etc.

++My baby's immigration papers have been approved!

++Getting my long-awaited 11 inch MBA....for free! We've been wanting to get our hands on the MBA. We waited & waited...and just when we were about to bite the bullet, our broadband service provider came up with a free MBA promo, which we were eligible to join! How timely!

For all these, I am truly truly grateful to the One Superior Being who always keeps us under His watchful care.