Top Referrer for Huggies Refer a Friend Program (2022)

It is 3 years in a row straight that we have been awarded the Top Referrer by Huggies. Thanks Huggies for sending over a nice gift for Baby #2. We actually have a Baby Gym already (i.e. the Koala Musical Newborn Cosy Gym) which we are very used to (You can read our review here). The LO currently still sleeps in the nest at our parents's place so if there is a power struggle, this new gym might come in handy. 

Once again, we would like to thank you guys for being really supportive our Baby Talk series. Especially with a 2nd one on the way, I am not entirely sure how long I will continue writing but it heartens me to know the knowledge we share do help some parents out there. It keeps me going (and my husband knowing that there are people who enjoys reading his wife's writings grudingly allow me to set aside some time to continue with this.)

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On a separate note, we are also a VIP Parent on The Asian Parent App and also an ambassador for SuperMom Voices! (Use referral code - ChaaYen for $2 credit!)

I went to Yue Hwa Chinese Products

I feel so much like an influencer...bleh. Since we were at Jurong Point and waiting for our food, we decided to roam Yue Hwa Chinese Products cos some of their produce look really interesting. And I was very tempted because it was flashing pretty big in the store "Taiwanese Produce". When you can't travel and you wanna eat their food, guess you will be lured in. 

What we looted was pretty disappointing. The husband was like "Oh I am cutting down on supper/ snacks" and Me, well basically I can't eat a lot of dubious things now that I am expecting. Sigh. Read all the way to the end, cos I saved the best for last!

1. Scallion Soda Sandwich

I like scallions and I like those soda cream in between biscuits (didn't know they were called soda cream by the way). But for this packet, they didn't go well together. Sorry, but apparently the website don't hold all the produce in their stores and I can't remember the prices anymore. Oops. 

2. Nougat Biscuits

When I was in Taiwan, I had really good Nougats. But I can't really remember the brand etc. The husband insisted it was this. And the packaging did look really attractive and yummy. IT ISN'T!

3. Ou Pian

We decided to try this cos mala was raging and I love my lotus. I didn't like it. I think the lotus had to be crunchier and the mala was too sweet and not spicy enough. Skip!

4. Mala Tofu

Husband picked this and it is frigging good. Must buy! He ate 3 at one shot! Definitely going back to stock up more of this. 

Maternity Freebies: 2022 Edition

It's time for the maternity freebies again. I think in comparison, this year's gifts seem a lot better than my last loot. Most of them actually come from insurers (AIA) in particular. You can read my post here where I look at the maternity insurance products from different insurers. I don't mind listening because I am now looking for life insurances for the kiddos and there are always new products out there!

Singtel Step-Up Promo

This was actually the best I have received thus far. I really needed a spare bottle warmer for the in-laws house and we were thinking of letting Baby #2 using bottles of a different brand so that it makes identification easier. Can I say that the decathlon bag is pretty cute and functional too? And I am always happy to get diaper samples. If you sign up, you also get a $500 Motherworks voucher. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Also, the AIA agent was considerate enough to let me meet via Zoom.

Similac Maternity Pack

Interestingly, I don't remember signing up for this. But this came at a pretty good time because we were looking for a carrying diaper bag pack. Not that we don't always bring the stroller, our sling diaper bag isn't the most convenient. If you take maternity milk, they come with a nice can. Was really excited about the diaper samples and vouchers to buy cheaper diaper. Weird Mummy brain. 

Clearblue Bump Bag

Personally, I thought this was quite easy to redeem (if you use clearblue to test for your pregnancy) since you would definitely take a photo when you first test positive. But actually, a lot of people don't haha. And some Mums were like telling me they don't want to "reveal" their pregnancy until the baby arrives. 

This is actually our 2nd time redeeming it. I really like the oil (not stretch mark by the way), but I use it for my tummy and it sort of works (my stretch marks only appear postpartum during #1, weird). The nail clippers are really good and the other swisspers products also come into pretty good use!

Envy Her Gift Box

This appeared via my IG. IG pretty much know I am expecting by now. Similarly this is by an insurance agent from AIA. If you really have the time to sit down with insurance agents, I presume you can get a lot of freebies because I keep seeing such free stuff popping on my IG. For me, I listen until I find a decent agent. (Pss. my first maternity insurance was from such cold calls too. The agent turn out to be very helpful and we ended up buying a few other products from them as well.)

I don't entirely it is a waste of time. Sometimes you just need to put aside some time to do some hunting. The Gift Box is pretty functional, containing a romper, swadder, wet bag (loves), nursing bra (useful too), breast pads (very very useful) and slippers. I do see myself using everything.

**Will update as and when I see nice goodies around. 

Happy Father's Day

I feel like I let the husband down, haha, cos I totally forgot about father's day until IG reminded me about it. Last year, it was pretty much a muted one for him. I guess men don't really care about being celebrated. But still, I thought he should be acknowledged since he is a pretty hands-on Dad. And he seemed pleased that we care. 

We started the day bright and early with a grilled meal made by yours-truly. I was so inspired by a TV show that I grilled the breakfast and made some scrambled egg for the son. I also made some chrysanthemum tea. I know I don't really appear to be the traditional sort but I love brewing such handmade drinks for the family and my friends hehe. The husband also had a cup of vitamin C. 

The only con about grilling is that the floor became really oily after that and we had to do a mop-up cos I hate a sticky floor. The husband volunteered to do that maybe because the meal was so satisfactory. Though I would think it is more because I am pregnant and housework is proving to be quite a challenge. 

The husband suggested making a trip down to Star Vista to celebrate the rest of the day because the mall is looking kinda of different lately. He suggested eating at Monki which serve pretty decent taiwanese food. I went for the oyster mee sua, which was pretty good but not as good as ChiaYi Chicken Dry Noodles. That was the best ever!

Maybe because we came at an odd timing, most of the other food which we wanted to try was unavailable. We had to settle for the Taiwan Fried Chicken Cutlet which was amazingly delicious. We initially got that for our toddler but he ended up rejecting it. We have been dreaming of making a trip to Taiwan thinking the food would be more palatable for the little one, guess this dream is now officially dashed. LOL!

Ended the day with some chocolates from Lemuel Chocolate. I was so intrigued by it because I could smell the freshly made chocolates 5 stores away. I just had to give it a try. I went for the chocolate drink and a dessert. Chocolate on chocolate was a terrible choice. The desserts was divine. I think it is much better than Awfully Chocolate. 

The son obviously love it too. Have to admit that Star Vista is having a nice selection of eateries, will probably go there another time to eat to my heart's content :)

Trick Eye Museum - Siloso Beach

Have to be frank, the only reason why we were even here was because my friend had complimentary tickets and we sort of thought Trick Eye Museum was still in its old destination - close to USS. Somehow, Sentosa has moved all its "more boring" attractions according to me and my friends to an ulu area at the far flung end of Siloso Beach. 

Each ticket cost about S$25 per adult and my kiddo (who is less than 3 years old) had free entrance. The husband and I brought our stroller along and because we didn't know the change of location was so inconvenient, we didn't take a taxi in (big mistake!) We ended up being an hour late and it doesn't help that most of the lifts/ ramps were closed so we struggled to bring our well-stocked stroller up certain steps. 

The museum is pretty much split into 4 arenas. Quite honestly, my friends and us had more fun watching my kid ran around the empty space. Thank god, he had enough decency not to hijack other photos. Personally, I felt that this new space though spacious seem to hold lesser exhibits. (You can read my old reviews here.)

Trick Eye also explored 4D animation this time round. My friends tried it out and it seems like it is not the most intuitive to use. We had one video which "erm" my friends didn't really direct haha. We were quite lucky it came out funny. I think if you want good photos/ videos, you totally need to go with dramatic people who love to post on their IG. (Obviously my friends ain't those people. Hehe)

My friends jokingly commented that it was so difficult to film a moving toddler and how the f did I catch these photos of my son? The trick, my fellow readers is to take continuously and numerous photos if you are a beginner. For me, I more or less know my kid's pattern. So when I cue him to smile or pose, he actually does it. Budding supermodel or what, so it makes life easier for me. 

Nonetheless, you still can't really control where they stand or what he chooses to do. For the swan exhibit, he thought it was more fun to climb in and out and hide in a corner. So I guess it is free for these kids because you just can't enjoy the full experience when you are lugging one along. Here's more photos for the memories. 

Hello Baby #2

I am so excited to share this news with you guys...we are expecting a #2. Suddenly, I am sure it all makes sense to you guys why I am suddenly missing in action. Given that I am going through this "experience" a 2nd time, you would think that with prior experience, this time it would be a breeze. Hell no, it was worse.

1. I had real bad nausea, and unlike #1, I had absolutely no idea what was the trigger. So, I pretty spent a good deal of my after-meals puking and resting to prevent myself from throwing out. It lasted from Week 5 to Week 13, but damn though it just seems to be 2 months max. I felt like it was eternity.


2. I was prescribed with Diclectin and it didn't work. But I hung on to it because I needed hope and I believed in the placebo effects. For mothers who want to know, I had "withdrawal" effects. I would end up heaving more heavily when I attempt to stop/reduce the medication. So in the end, I only used it for urgent situations - i.e. meetings. 


3. Nausea was my biggest issue this time round. I couldn't even swallow water, so I ended up almost getting a early stage diabetes. The solution (suggested by my gynae) was to take chamomile tea. I restricted myself to 2 teabags a day because I am a huge believer of moderation and things started to look up.  





4. Exhaustion is still a problem, but I sort of mitigated it by outsourcing my toddler to the extended family. In the day, my in laws would care-give. At night, my husband would pick up the slack. My parents did weekend duty. I didn't have much Mummy Guilt because the kiddo was having so much fun with someone different. 


5. I am surprised this one made it thus far. I am serious because my toddler really love bouncing on my tummy and it took a lot of effort to tell him this is no longer possible. Believe it or not at 18-20 months, we managed to sell the concept that there is a baby in tummy and now he helps me cream my tummy and wishes the baby good morning every day. He still occasionally slaps my tummy but apparently toddler plays are pretty harmless.


6. I was somewhat depressed. Because my body was shitty, it took a beating on my mental state. I thought of quitting everything I was doing. But I didn't...every time I had such thoughts, I went to sleep HAHAHA.





7. My diet restrictions started early as well. Eating is a real pain. It is so hard (expensive too) to replace carbs with cooked proteins/ vegetables. Now that nausea is better, I am hungry most of the time. 


8. Going to bed hungry, this seems like a recurring theme too. So I always sleep it away. I think my bump looks smaller this time round. Haha. Sadly, womb service has never been a thing in this family even for #1.


9. Despite my numerous grouses, I am still pretty stoked we are expecting a 2nd baby. A bit earlier than expected...but the older brother seems ready for a new playmate.  

Italian Festival: A Night at the Opera

We went for our first opera recital. This is probably one of the most exciting thing that has happened after we got Covid. Honestly, most of the time, I was just trying to survive the rough nausea and now that the sun shine through, this is such a much welcome treat. 

In celebration of the Italian Festival, the recital - "A night at the Opera: Musical journey through Italian love and drama" was free. But initially, we couldn't get any seats. But fortunately, some seats came out in the last minute and we managed to squeeze our way in. Neither the husband nor me know our opera well, but we were so game to give it a try. 

We were initially fearful that we would fail to understand/ appreciate the music and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves enjoying the evening with the singing. It helps that there was a narrator and music truly has no boundaries. At some of the tunes, I found my feet tapping along. Decided not to take any videos because I sort of figured out certain things are best experienced live. 

For the performing trio - Soprano Marcella Di Garbo, Baritone Lorenzo Barbieri and Maestro Manuel Cini, this was their first visit in Asia. Thank you Italy of Embassy for bringing them here. I feel a better understanding of the Italian culture and is stoked for the other events of the Italian Festival (still on by the way). Some are pretty exclusive sadly. 

Took the opportunity to explore Esplanade and found this delicious BBT drink - Chun Fun How. I tried the sweet potato series and was absolutely blown away. I think this is the first ever sweet potato BBT in Singapore. It is quite a big cup and the design of the cup is really cute too. How did that know I am a fan of the fortune cat!! Hehe. 

Ending off with some more photos of the beautiful SG, you know sometimes with a toddler, the Hubs and I barely go on weekday evening dates like this anymore. :')

Eagle Wings Cinematics Experience

We haven't exactly been to the movies much ever since we subscribed to Disney+ and Covid struck. Even when we did go to the cinemas, we always went for the premium experience for the cushy and spacious chairs. Call me spoilt, but I don't think we can go back to enjoying the normal cinematic experience. 

Since we celebrating the husband's belated birthday, he asked for something different so we decided to venture out to Eagle Wings Cinematics to experience their Gold Class and Premium Lounge. I did a bit of research to get the best bang for my bucks. 

1. Free Access to Lounge (for 2 hours): So if you get the Silver or Gold class tickets, you automatically get access to it for 2 hours before the movie starts. It does with the perks. We came 1.5 hours ahead because we wanted to have lunch and tried out their food. But from observation, other patrons came about 0.5h - 1h ahead. Guess you can call us kiasu. 


2. Free flow of drinks: Yes, this is still true. And we have verified that you can refill during the movie too though I doubt many would do that intentionally. The soft drinks dispenser had a lot of interesting flavours but I preferred the hot drink selection. In fact, I am now in love with the Super Tea Infusions Series. 


3. There is a massage chair (2 in fact): Ok, we admit we sort of came early cos we wanted to try it out. But boo, it sucks. The strength of the massage was too weak. Good thing we didn't buy this model for our home. 





4. There is 10% off the food: This was also why we wanted to try out the food (See menu here). No regrets cos it is really good. In fact, we were quite full, we had to give up finger food. We had:


• Lobster Bisque ($12): It was really good and came with lobster chunks. My photos don't look fancy because I customised to remove the cream. 


• Curry Katsu Don ($17): It is delicious but not mind-blowing. It is not my usual choice of food, but my choice is kinda limited because of my current dietary restrictions. 


• Truffled Black Beard Pasta ($18): This was the best dish ordered. Would recommend totally going there just for this again. It was very unique and I am pretty sure I never tasted anything similar elsewhere.





5. Ordering food is difficult: It is quite stupid. They made us order through an app and you had to fill in your credit card details etc. Am not sure how that would work in the cinema. Maybe you are supposed to order ahead so as not to distract yourself from the show. 


6. The theatre was not lighted before the movie: This is one of my biggest grouse. Cos I am vulnerable and clumsy now. I hate anything that make mobility even harder. 


7. There is no charging port in the cinema: Some of the reviews claimed that there is a charging port but I never found it, not that it will make or break the experience. LOL! I am just aunty. 

Ending the post with a yummy Curry Yong Tau Fu I found at a shopping centre across the street (forgot the name of it.)