Father-in-law's 59 Birthday!

Good Friday April 10th - everyone's at home. my in-laws didnt go work today. its my FIL bdae. i booked buffet dinner at Shangila's The Line to celebrate his birthday. read from the papers that Shangrila had a special bdae promotion and i planned the celebration for my fil. the promo is called Flash Your Age! they will give a max table of 8, %discount according to the bdae person's age, on the actual bdae!

i walked with my mil to look at the different counters and we started off with cold appetizers and seafood platter! very sad that i only can take prawns from the cold seafood section!!! below is gx's platter of HUGE fresh juicy oysters, mussel and cold crab! boohoooo.... the oysters look so good... i had some "cooked" sushi and tried a tapas that was shrimps with cranberry jelly - ok and i dun really fancy it but intersting. gx and fil started on meat as it was fil's 1st stop! they had cuts from a whole lamb which both men said it was very good compared to the beef. i can eat none of the meat!!! very sad again esp when i was told the lamb is really good!

my seconds stop was at the italian station and tapas station. love the smoked meat from the tapas station! it was very nice with the soft coloured peppers! the veg pizza was nice but gets alit tough when it gets cold. tried coucous and didnt like the 1st bite but as i ate on. somehow the taste and texture grew on me! didnt like the lasagne maybe its vegetarian and no meat in it. didnt know how to appreciate the milk polenta... glad i got to try some new dishes that i always wanted to know how it would taste like! sil and bf got a nice platter of sashimi of salmon and tuna... gx came back with a platter of salmon sashimi and salmon belly! i was so green as they tired the salmon belly and exclaiming the freshness and creamy soft texture!

thou there were 16 stations at the Line, i skipped the chinese station and meat station. i was saving room for desserts! i had another platter of fungi pizza which i prefered, some beans, roast potatoes and more of the smoked meat with peppers! i oso had a slice of parma ham with melon. then i decided to take a break from savoury to have my 1st round of dessert. wonder if this was the famous shangrila cake? the centre is a lit sourish mousse, passionfruit? with nice chocolate, i love this cake but gx didnt fancy it cos he didnt like his dessert sour! was disappointed with the guy who did my crepe! looks terrible! he is young and prob not experienced! my sil's crepe looked better! i had chocolate sauce with brownie bits for filling and i love it that i get bits of nuts in my crepe. love the macarons here cos its very soft and not as sugary sweet like the ones i had elsewhere! it has a nice aroma but they only serve one flavour!

at this time when i went to get my 3rd round of savoury from the indian counter, my in-laws had stopped their meals! they were both too full to eat anymore! i kept the indian food last as we were sitting very close to this counter! love the papadum but it was spicy! love that it was very cripsy but the black pepper made it very challenging! prob should have taken some curry with the nann... but i was too full if i did! the mutarbuk was too thick and wished there was more meat! love the chicken and roasted potato!

then it was back to the dessert counter! i wanted cold ice-cream! the ice-cream must be "home-made", saw the gal "frying" the ice-cream on the cold slab of marble! for round 1 - gx and i shared a bowl of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, topped with roasted almond bits. only like the strawberry as i would have prefered if the chocolate was darker! this we love alot - we got a whole scoop of vanilla ice-cream topped with expensive cherries soaked in brandy! this cherries were the same ones i tried at cooking school but i bot the strawberries in the nice blue pot instead. i mit consider getting the cherries as they were so good with the vanilla ice-cream! as i type i am craving for some now!!! the cherries had a very strong liqour taste! went back to get more ice-cream. we got the fruity sorbets next! mango was not bad, gx said the coconut didnt have much taste prob overwhelmed by the mango and blueberry sorbet! blueberry was not too bad but this melts pretty fast!

then gx and i shared little shots which nowadays i find it hard to interest me... but i love the pretty presentation and that makes me want to try it. we each had an elaire! no sharing for mini elaries! the tart was filled with passionfruit so gx didnt touch it! then my sil and bf came back with a new find from the cold station, some kind of shell delicacy. i got to pinch some of the breadstick they took! i prefered the black dough with white sesame while my sil prefered the other.

it seems scary that i ate so much but it was not gobble and go! we took our time to savour the food, talked and rested before getting up again! but i took a longer interval before deciding to try the laska as my in-laws said it was not bad. mayb i was too full and also the gravy became thicker as they brew... i found it ok... cos maybe i was too full to savour the taste! was glad that sil and bf came back with a cheese platter! tried all the cheese and i love eating these with grapes! when sil's bf tot goat cheese was difficult to swallow, he was disgusted with the blue cheese! gx who declared NO more food, tried the bluecheese and he finished it as he loved the taste! could see the stunned face on sil's bf! i found it pungent but i was ok with it just that gx and i said it would be great if we had it with champagne or wine! the soft cheese were easier on the taste bud.

then i proceed on to my last set of desserts. the cake platter - i only like the layered chocolate cake, like the texture of the greentea flavoured cake with strawberries and cream and the rest were alrite. the little round white dessert was cheesecake which was nice and light. only ate the lychees as i didnt like the jello and the 3 tiered-coloured kueh was made of very small or maybe smashed sago. took a bit on each and didnt finish any of the items...

the hotel was nice to provide a little round chocolate mousse cake for the bdae person. the tables around us all sang bdae songs and we were next! it felt weird when we faced almost everyone singing the song.... we sat down for a cup of tea which the hot beverages are inclusive in the buffet, waited for the bill and takeaway box for the cake.

each pax cost $68++ so for 6 paz it cost $408 and with the discount of 59% -$240.72 + 10% +7%, our total bill was $196.90. so each pax was about $32++. it was a worth it meal! i have never been to a restaurant where u get a huge discount and its more than what you need to pay! the flash your age promotion does not have a ending date set yet. you can choose to have the bdae celebration anywhere in the hotel, the jap or chinese restuarant, hightea or buffet area.

my bdae is on a friday in 2 weeks time! anyone wants to take me out for dinner??? but i only get a mere 32% off! my advice is not to call the hotline provided for this promo! cos when i tried, no one picks up or its engage. so i call the direct line for the restaurant instead! we took some shots before we left and a nice guy stopped and offered help to take a family shot for us. my fil like the layout and decor of the Line. was afraid that my fil got bored waiting for us to finish our dinner but gx said that he thinks dad enjoyed himself and gx was glad i planned the party at Shangrila.

before we left we went over to check out the easter chocolate table. the shangrila had all these items for sale. the biggest rabbit chocolate which they named it XXXXL bunny, cost $288! the cutest items has to be these pretty mazipan animals! good to look at but very sweet to eat! we all reached home, filled and ready for bed! my tummy was so tight but i glad i felt my baby kicks! she was extremely excited when i was having ice-cream! everyone teased that baby high becos of the brandied cherries!

Clarins Yummy Mummy Beauty Chat

i planned to take up cake decorating class but in the end i was afraid i mit not complete the 4 weeks course and they dun encourage stopping and changing class, so i didn't sign up. but since the date was set for my last day of work i left it as it is. then came an email for members of TMC - Clarins YMB chat. honestly, i haven used the clarin tonic oil to prevent stretch mark often and aunt o will prob kill me if she knows! also i haven make my red date soup... but with the time at home i told myself i have to make it all happen! yes... i have lots of stretch marks and i tot i was beyond hope! but decided to go listen on how to save my belly skin or prevent it from worsening... and best of all it falls on the 8th april.

tot it was at 6pm... i arrived at 5.30pm... 1st to arrive and was told its at 6.30pm. so i decided to walk at borders. got myself 2 mags. one on parenting and one on cooking for and with children. after that i was tired and lazy to walk around wheelock or pop into the jap fair at isetan, so at 5.55pm i was back at Institut Clarins at wheelock. i was ushered into the talk room. served juice in a crystal glass. sat on a nice red one-seater, i started flipping thru my mags. the counter had chamomile tea, peppermint tea served in english teacups and saucer. OJ, apple and iced water served in crystal glassware. there were platters of fruits, bananas, grapes and strawberry.

then a very pretty lady walked in to give me a sun moulin box. she told me its a snack box they prepared for the mummies. very thoughtful! inside were 3 miniture buns. didnt eat it as i was experiencing heartburn... the heartburn days are back... and i dun like it! the pretty lady that served me was the main speaker. she went thru some tips for mummies and then moved onto the products from clarins that can save the skin! from face to eyes to shoulders, to breast, to tummy, to legs. we were introduced to all the products and they even pump the products onto our hands to let us smell, feel and apply the products. then they taught us how to apply the products. followed after the beauty talk, TMC parentcraft speaker spoke to us about breastfeeding our babies. the whole talk lasted from 6.30pm-about 8.15pm. thru the talk, at times, my baby moved and she is reminding me its dinner time! she does that quite often when i dun eat on time! after the talk ended, it was purchasing time.

for this talk, we have to pay $30 which was fully redeemable for Clarins products on the day of the workshop. we were all given a Clarins Mummy Beauty Bag worth $80! thats the brown stripy pouch. then the rest was my buy for the day and with my total purchase, i was given a trial set of facial products to try.

in the pouch, we were given body serum, lip balm and face mask to try. they included a brown teddy puppet for the baby. i like the minty feel of Clarins high defination body lift. for now cos i am pregnant, i can only use this product on my legs. after birth i can use this on the tummy area. with this product, in a promotion set, included a body shaping cream, extra-firming lip and contour balm and a gentle exfoliator.

i bought this Beautiful Mum Kit at $125 (worth $179). Kit contains: Smoothing Body Scrub for a New Skin 200ml, Stretch Mark Control 200ml, Energizing Emulsion 30ml, Beauty Flash Balm 15ml and Tonic Body Treatment Oil 5ml. i was advised to use the Tonic body treatment oil that my aunt o got me with the stretch mark control cream to save my stretch marks from turning into silver threads! they say that the reddish brown lines right now is still at a saving stage. then they suggest that i give my body a scrub 2-3times a week, mixing the scrub with the tonic oil, to soften, smoothen and firm my skin. it was worth to buy this package cos the main 2 products i needed were full-sized and the rest i wanted to try but didnt want to get the full-sized.

i wanted to get the Energizing Emulsion for my sore right calf! after applying in the class, no kidding, it did work on my sore crampy calf. it wasnt so tight but i think my calf is in a pretty bad shape that if i press harder, its still sore. but with the trial-sized, i applied last nite and i didnt get any cramps but its still sore but not as painful as before. considering whether to buy this! most likely i will! Beauty Flash Balm was a product the beautiful speaker swears on! she said that this was applied after moisturer before makeup and this gives the face a glow. well i am not into makeup but glad they gave a trial-sized and when i do use it, i will take a before and after photo. but right now my skin is breaking out, so dun think its gog to make me look any better. given a trial-sized Tonic Body Treatment Oil, this would be handy to bring along if i do stay at mum's during my pre-birth leave. yes they gave the baby a lighter tiffany greenish blue puppet bear, yes a weird colour... but i love the big draw-string bag that is lined with a lighter tiffany greenish blue pokkadots clothe. prob gog to use this for store baby's diapers and cream as there are little side pockets in this pouch! i have to be hardworking to save my skin!

one day before i leave school...

Monday 6th, my 2nd last day at work. jack came to me and gave me a bag. it was a pretty bag! he told me its a gift for my little gal. he was so sweet! love the paper bag cos you can pull out the rubber ducky portion! they didn't write on this card and i want to laminate it and use it somehow for my baby!

Jack's mum wrote that J was the one who picked the present and he liked the letter J best! J for Jacks! the flip chart was in english and spanish. J goes for after school spanish class! sometimes its not the gift... it the sweet tots that counts! the reason why it was chosen...

K was my subsitute for the 2 months when i am away from work. we have 2 days for handover. it was a very busy day cos i have so much to tell her. i am very detailed in handling over as i want her to be able to cope and that my tcher and kids adjust smoothly. this year my class is a little handful but overall they are getting better. we were thrown with a new book preparation by my tcher. i had so much to pass on to k and i was hoping she dun freak out! she looked pretty calm.

ordered pizza to treat my collegues at lunch, to thank them for their care they have showered on me. i ate nasi lemak given to me by angela! she is very sweet! she knew i was leaving and with pta meals provided on tueday, she gave me a treat on Monday instead. but i had no time to eat it at breakfast so i had it for lunch! ordered Sapprino pizza which was not bad. had one-for-one offer. i topped up 2 packets of ruffles chips and treat them macarons for desserts. i have worked with them for 3 years and they have been very supportive esp Aida who always help me out when i have to take down or put up anything on boards in my class!

the photo above was prob taken in our 1st year, got this photo from my collegue K. the ladies know that i was very lucky to have alot of hands-down from my aunt, so they gave me an angbao instead. very kind of them! had alot of well-wishes from all my collegues but one of the written mgs stood out - something my collegue H wrote...

i always enjoy chatting with H. she is very well-learned and has alot of background knowledge on how to handle kids, love the way she handles her family life and her perceptions are very objective. i will try... very hard to remember what she says... "When the going gets rough, just remember every woman goes thru it!"

Sap chose to give me a little bag of surprise! love these beautiful baby paperbags! i love pretty packaging! love what i saw when i unveil the pink crepe paper! love the dark pink hot shorts! love the ribbon details cos i got myself a dark blue pants with the same ribbon details! love the rompers that came with mittens and love the stripy socks!

after school, met up A. i got very mad with her when she shhh me while i was talking to her in the train. i wasn't loud! i was just telling her about my pregnancy aches, the pain i just felt when i sat down and dam it, she hush me very rudely and gave me crap excuse that people are watching me. i was mad. i had enough of the "brush me off" incidents. who does she think she is and i had enough of her attitude. i told her off that i wasn't happy and i had enough of her nonsense while she plug her earphones on. i was glad she gave up her seat to an elderly cos i can't stand sitting next to her. she really made me boil and i decided to cancel the shopping trip. at one glance, it looks like i bully her all the time but she is not an angel! no one see how she throws tantrum at me. worried for her, i always try to talk to her and encourage her. i had enough of the inferiority complex tantrums. i need to be happy and positive and i dun want to care. gx knows i am a softy and won't ignore her for long. stupid thing i did was to complain to gx with a very mean mgs where i called her a B and F her and haha sent it to A instead of gx! i was guilty at first but i was glad in the end cos i really want her to know that my patience has run dry. she got me up to my neck! i need to take a break and care more for myself and make my baby happy. i got off at novena to do my shopping instead.

got my tcher a wedding card. i wot be there in late May to give her this cos i kept having this feeling that i will prob give birth late of May. walked around and decided to get her a nice box of 16pcs of chocolate from chocz. i packed it with 2 little bottles of Jacob's creek sparkling wine. i got a box of 4pc of chocs fpr Vivian, to thank her for helping me order stuff from online sprees and giving me good advices.

also i got a very cute pink strawberry chocolate heart for Angela, who has been feeding baby and i with nice nasi lemak! head home to rest and packed all the gifts for my collegues, pretzels, jap rice crackers i bought to give the kids a treat.