32-going-on-Two

Just when I thought a good night's rest was all I needed to help 'the dust settle', my emotions were given yet another rattle-about this morning.

The trigger? An innocent conversation with my daughter:

8am ~
Danielle: (groggily) Mummy!
Me: Yes? Good morning, Danielle!
D: Where's Papa?
M: He's in the room sleeping.
D: Where's grandma?
M: (lump stuck in throat) Where do you think she is, Danielle?
D: In Shing-ma-pore.
M: Do you miss grandma?
(D nods head, thoughtfully.)
M: I miss her too. (tears)

and a few minutes later...

D: Mummy? Where's grandma?
M: ... (i have no words, no words.)
D: Maybe she('ll) come back tomorrow?

Oh help, here we go again...*dab dab*

I'm friggin' 32 this year. But in moments like these, I may as well be that 2YO who wakes up crying coz mummy isn't the first face she sees in the morning...

Dust will settle, but the longing... that's something I'll have to manage.

before leaving for Heathrow

* sorry for the incessant whining. I take time to recover. But I'll get there. In any case, this is MY blog! So I'll whine if I want to! :)

Goodbyes

I hate goodbyes, particularly when they involve loved ones.

Even as I type, my mum's on her 12.5 hr-long flight back to Singapore.

I miss her already.

I'm glad we said a hasty goodbye at the airport. I simply could not hold back my tears and could only muster a brief hug before the waterworks inadvertently turned themselves on.

In Singaporean terms I'm (emotionally) jin jia lut.

I tried to think up a dozen happy thoughts like: I'll see her in a few months' time (Christmas '07 or February '08?), I'll be back for good in 2008, I can see Dad & her on Skype... But these thoughts literally 'flew out the window' when the time came for her to go through the departure gates.

I wish she was still sitting at our dining table, furrowing her brows, poring over the Sudoku puzzles in the London papers we get free from the Underground.

What Mum leaves behind are subtle traces of her visit - a 3/4 eaten loaf of bread, a jar of nearly-finished Ya Kun Kaya, my plants ALL given a new lease of life with soil she took care to replace, rye crisps she'd have for breakfast almost every morning, a newly-opened jar of Tesco coffee, my chai sim wrapped up in newspaper sitting in the fridge, the Andrew Brownsword mug she so pain-stakingly cleaned out for me of all its stubborn tea stains, and her towel, still slightly damp, hanging out to dry on our banister...

I'll miss Mum fussing over me - prodding me gently to have lunch, advising me to sleep early, asking me whether I'd taken my meds for my toothache, advising me to wear a jacket out in case the weather turned unexpectedly cool.

I guess it doesn't matter how old you are - or even if you've become a parent yourself - for once you're a child, you'll always be your parents' child.

For the past 2-ish years, I've transformed myself from being someone's child to being someone's mummy. So yes, it was nice to take on my 'child' role again, even if for a short few weeks.

I thank God I'm your daughter, Mum. And your daughter forever I will be. Thanks so much for visiting, for your thoughtfulness, your company. They meant the world to me...

I love & miss you.

Mum & me @ Big Ben

Our last day with Mum/grandma, a visit to Tower Bridge

* Is it just me or do other daughters find it equally as hard to say goodbye when their mums leave? How was it for you, Mich? Or Vick?

Dream a little dream...

I had it all planned out:

• 7am - wakeup, washup
  
• 7:10am - bolt out of door, hop onto bus 155 to Balham High Street
• Wait in line for Sainsbury's to open their jaws, or doors as they insist on calling 'em (whatever, I say!)
  
• Make a beeline for that 5 pound bag
• Impt note to self: in event of a man pile, be sure to shove all others to the ground (in manner of Daniellosaurus), clutch bag with herculean strength, whilst (all the time) professing undying allegiance to ALL Green projects henceforth!
  
• DASH darnnit!
  
• Shove 5iver to cashier! Forget about receipt! No time, no time!
  
• Get the hell outta there! (remember to look over shoulder intermittently coz you never know... them green-eyed demons!)
  

But at 7:30am, I didn't stand a blinkin' chance.

Snake-like queues started forming as early as 4am (don't Brits sleep?!!) and within minutes, the eco-friendly totes were snapped up. What the bleedy * &@b#*! *

Oi! Doesn't 'frump queen' count for anything? I'm royalty too, for crying out loud! Show some respect!

Unfortunately neither regal nor aristo status will get you anywhere in this Bag...I mean, Big country. It looks like momma's gonna be delayed by a few more weeks, my precious. But I'll be sure to get my hands on them pre-allocation orders once the US version goes online in May.

The US version in navy blue writing

+++++++++

According to the local tabloids, some queues began at 2am! And on ebay, the once-upon-a-yesterday 5 pound bag is already being sold for as much as 400 quid! For the love of @#g&@$!

These are hearsay reports, of course. I wouldn't know for sure since I wasn't even there.

Ah yes, I hear your jaws dropping collectively...what the?... konk konk splaaah.

Yesiree, I made a more sensible choice of bringing my mum out of London to the quiet serenity of the English countryside (and away from the bag-grabbin' London vultures!). We visited Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds and Stratford.

Here we are @ Stratford-upon-Avon (Birthplace of Shakespeare)

I surmise it was a much better way to spend the day. And a more valuable keepsake to store than any storage bag in the world.

So I guess that means I'm not shallow after all? *fingers tippity-tapping till May*

:P

Saggs version 2.0

Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself?

I do. Did. Today.

Sometimes I find it so hard to be good. To think before I speak. To be patient. To be understanding. To be kind. To not hurt the ones I love most.

But more often than not, I fail.

And what comes after is inconsolable remorse and regret. For things out there - said and done - of which I cannot take back.

Today, I became the worst version of me - the worst mum, worst wife, worst daughter, worst sister, worst friend...worst human being.

Fashionably Green

This, has to be The World's Most sought-after grocery bag. From fervent fashionistas to frumpy housewives (me! me! me!), this holdall is this season's supermarket fashion must-have.

Wait a minute, supermarket fashion? Whatever do you mean? Certainly we're not expected to traverse le frozen food section in sexy Jimmy Choos, Chanel glasses and cute summer tunics?

Or are we?

'I'm not A Plastic Bag' is the brainchild of famed British accessories designer, Anya Hindmarch (notice her signature 'tiny bow' emblazoned inconspicuously at the top of the bag?). And this is her first foray into what I term, 'supermarket fashion'. Her motives are genuine (I suppose) and this bag is eco-friendly, and designed to address the issue of plastic bag usage that blight the environment.

But I suspect the advent of this tote bag will change the mart-shopping arena forever.

Now everybody and anybody wants to be seen with The Bag. From Keira Knightley to Lily Cole, even celebrities are coveting this limited edition. And all in the name of 'the environment', of course. Or so they say...

Soon, it'll be hip to pop into your local supermarket to load up on your fromages, tomatoes, yoghurt, and pint of milk. In fact, the bag may well cause supermarkets to ring up robust sales?

Perhaps I'm jumping the gun here, yet already there are tell-tale signs.

Even before its launch in March '07, this limited edition tote was 'sold out' online, i.e pre-order allocations were made available but forced to close due to overwhelming demand. The bags then flooded eBay selling at up to £200, around the same price as a regular Hindmarch bag!

Despite its green credentials, this bag is more desirable as a fashion item than one to save the world. What's more, with its utterly seductive pricetag of FIVE British pounds (!!!!), it's a trawl line that requires no bait.

Call me shallow (ok, I am) but if a fiver is all it takes for me to do my bid for the environment (and hopefully up my hubba-hubba housewife quotient by a notch), then let's save the Planet already, I'm gonna 'bag' me one of those!

My precious...

* 'I'm not a Plastic Bag' goes on sale in Sainsbury's stores nation-wide on 25 April, at 8am. Each store will carry only 30 bags. I've already briefed Mum to queue alongside me on that day. Sales are limited to 1 per customer so let's see whether I'm lucky enough to score one! Do you think Q-ing at 7:30am is kiasu enough? Do ya? Do ya? Keep your fingers crossed for me, peeps!

Finally... A Blog Premier

The long-awaited announcement. Presenting NIMO... Found, at last.

Why the delay in divulging this EXCITING news? Blame it on Nimo's mum who was constantly 'having kittens' over the safe period, or nail-biting at every test/gynae visit... It's understandable though, I suppose parents do begin worrying for children from time of conception till... well, does the worrying ever stop?

Having said that, let's remember that our children are God's gifts to us. Their lives are in His hands and He knows them intimately because afterall, He created them... :)

CONGRATULATIONS again, Ni-s! May the good Lord always shine His face upon your little family!

* why NIMO? Well, that's kinda a long story... go ask his momma!

A Blog Entry Trailer...

Coming Soon
to a blogsite near you

Saggs Productions is proud to present...

FINDING NIMO

(Nope, I didn't do a typo. I really mean N-I-M-O, not Nemo.)

Who is NIMO?

WATCH THIS SPACE TO FIND OUT*.

* for the love of God, it's been over a week! Send me those pictures pronto! You HEARD me?! Bah! :P

Naughty or Nice?

Danielle's behaviour has been rather appalling of late. She's taken on this strange 'I-don't-like-anyone-but-my-parents' attitude. Since returning to the UK, she's been exceedingly possessive over Dennis and myself, our things, and doesn't like it when others have our attention.

If her fluctuating 'neuroses' were perpetrated on her papa or me, I might be more tolerant. But her recent behaviour has seen her rude, defiant and behaving like a downright brat to my mum (and don't get me started on her equally deplorable behaviour towards my MIL in SGP!).

And that, does NOT sit well with me. At all.

At her worst, she's 'beat' and 'admonished' my mum, brandishing her index finger (a habit she picked up from me. Oh bad, bad). Other ghastly behaviour include screaming blue murder, refusing to follow instructions, rejecting to hold my mum's hand, asking my mum to leave her bed, using hurtful words like 'Go away!', 'I don't like you!', and 'I don't want you!' (we never use the last 2 phrases on her so I'm wondering where she picked them up from? TV? School?)

We're utterly nonplussed by her recent behaviour and find it hard to marry her 2 very diverse personalities together. On one end of the spectrum, she's all manjah, eager-to-please and a sheer joy; on the other, she's a diabolic little monster who wittingly, or unwittingly hurts others with her words & actions.

We've tried different approaches to tackle this mind-boggling issue - from soft reproach to harsh reprimand- but nothing's worked so far.

I've had to apologise profusely to my mum for my daughter's atrocious behaviour. Whilst my mum's been understanding, and even tries to analyze the reasons behind it, I'm ashamed.

I've tried explaining to Danielle that grandma is 'Mummy's mummy' and that she has to treat her nicely or Mummy will be upset. She always nods her head thoughtfully, but within minutes, is at it again.

Is this yet another phase all parents have to go through? I know toddlers are a handful but are they charateristically mean to their grandparents at this age? Surely this is not normal?...

Danielle turns 3 in another 4 months. With that comes another set of milestones, another uphill task trying to 'psycho-analyze' her ever-changing moods and behaviour.

Just when I thought my SAHM status has made me know my daughter whole-hog, I'm humbled again...

++++++

On other news, I'm pleased as punch to announce that... (drumroll) Danielle's toilet-trained*?! *fingers crossed fingers crossed* We drilled her on the potty whilst in Singapore and by the 3rd week, she could announce quite proudly, 'I need to shee-shee'.

At last. Phew!

* she still wears diapers to bed and wears pull-ups when she goes out. But she doesn't wet them at all. So does this mean I'm home free? Whoopee!

Pooped Out in Paris

I won't lie to y'all - we did not exactly enjoy Paris.

For some reason, my mum and I were constantly fatigued. Were we suffering from remnant jet lag? Or was it the sweltering heat from the strange, summery weather that did us in? (I hear Paris is NEVER that warm in Spring.)

Je ne sais pas?

We left Paris last night with nothing but a sketchy opinion of the city and our digital photos (I took no less than 355 shots). Oh, and a newly-developed aversion to bread, baguettes and crepes. I'm not a fussy holiday eater, neither is my mum. But 4 consecutive days of carbohydrates - tho' served in different styles, with different sandwich fillings - can be a tad nauseating.

Shocking as it may seem, we did not visit any of the museums (du Louvre, d'Orsay, Rodin etc), didn't walk down the 'most beautiful avenue in the world', Champs-Élysées , nor take a boatride down the Seine River. In fact, our visit was so scanty we didn't even sight a Starbucks outlet to purchase a Paris City mug or buy a fridge magnet as proof of visit, as we often do during holiday visits.

Even then, there were good things.

Paris certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The roads are wider compared to London, and are lined with (seemingly) endless rows of well-coiffed trees & shrubs. And because it's Spring, the gardens were abloom with all kinds of fleurs, covering the landscape with hues of lavender, pink, yellow and red.

C'est beau!

We put up at a modest (read: el-cheapo) hotel located at rue Saint-Honoré, near Musée du Louvre. The accommodation was clean & adequate enough. But there was a tiny hitch- there was no flask for boiling hot water. So every day, we had to climb up and down the stairs (there was no lift to the 4th floor either!) to get hot water for Danielle's milk. Amenities mishap aside, the hotel's location was pretty good - a stone's throw to Louvre Museum, Metro/RER stations and lots of eateries around the corner. Eateries that sell crepes, baguettes and croissants, that is. Bah!

Most days, we took the 'open bus tour' to get around and that gave us a quick overview of Paris, its famous landmarks and monuments. Unfortunately, unlike in the UK, Parisian bus tours (or at least the one we took) had no tour guides to provide running commentary. Instead, we had to rely on headsets for interesting nuggets of information on Parisian history and architecture. Trouble was, the recorded commentary was indecipherable most times due to interference. Merde.

Nevertheless, Tour Eiffel et Arc de Triomphe did not disappoint. They were 'suck-your-breath-in-ly' awesome. And we took many a happy family shot at the world famous monuments.

And not forgetting, the lovely wedding. It was a cosy affair celebrated with friends and family from all over the world. Joanna was stunning in her champagne gown and Emmanuel cut a dashing figure in his suit. The Catholic ceremony was held in a quaint church and I thought the priest did pretty well speaking in both English (albeit haltingly) and French. The reception was held at a clubhouse about a 15-min drive away. Needless to say, we were treated to a full-course French dinner that included favourites like duck confit and foie gras. Ooh lala!

+++++++

If you ask me what I thought was the highlight of the whole trip? I'd say being holed up in the stuffy hotel room chatting with Mum and Dennis. We reminisced bygone days, shared life experiences and family stories. We even gushed over (at least, I did!) how good chichi was/is! I know, we ALL have ISSUES! Heh heh.

But most of all, the look on Danielle's face as she took her first ride on a donkey at Tuileries garden! :)

J'adore, Maman!

En vacance à Paris

Oui oui, we are heading to the 'City of Lights' ~ Paris! We board the Eurostar first thing tomorrow morning and will be back to London on Monday. Hoorah!!!

This trip, besides being my maiden sojourn, is extra special coz we're attending Joanna (ex-PlanetMG) & Emmanuel's wedding!

More updates when we return! :)

Look who's here for a visit?

I made a cursory mention of this in my previous post so in case you blinked and missed it - my momma's in da house! Uh-huh, uh-huh...

I can't begin to describe how wonderful it is to have someone from my side of the family visit for a change. I'm sooo thankful for this opportunity to share my life in London, as well as the places I frequent, with my mum.

We're taking it slow and easy for now. I fear jet lag and sore neck/shoulders are impeding my mum from venturing too far. So I'm starting with places around our vicinity first - visits to the various supermarkets (my mum's started to baulk at the prices of things here!), the commons, and thrift shops.

I do hope I make a good host. I so want my mum to enjoy her stay here...

But hosting duties aside, let the 'mee hoon kuay' feasting begin! Sluuuurp!

Look Grandma, daffodils!

Enjoying mee hoon kuay together

Salivary glands going on overdrive!

CockaDoodle - D...Zzzzz

There's no denying it - I am no longer a spring chicken.

Just what IS a Spring Chicken?
A young person. The phrase is usually found in the negative, as 'She's no spring chicken.' The implication is that she has reached an age when she is no longer a chick.

Uh huh, that describes me to a T alright.

And whilst I'm on this 'poultry' (or 'paltry' as it is) subject, let me add that when I scoured my usual Stock Images website for a photo of a 'spring chicken' (oh u know how I like to embellish my blog entries with all sorts of pictures!), these are all I found:

'Chick' material? Not Saggs.

More like this, she is.

Just how did I reduce myself to this cold, featherless, lifeless bird carcass?

I O.D-ed - with endless streams of appointments, meetups, excursions, makan sessions etc. These past three weeks in Singapore, though enjoyable, was debilitating to my '32-going-on-85' body.

I'm certain every joule of energy's been sapped out of me coz when I landed at Heathrow, I was a vision... of swollen eyebags, dark circles, sallow skin and flyaway hair caused by static from the airline seat. Hubba hubba...Gag!

The whole household's still trying to recover from the unbelievable jet lag. My mum's nursing a headache, Dee slept from 11am~ 5am the next morning then upped and left for work, Danielle woke me up at 3am this morning and resisted sleep till 11am...$%#&(@*@$%!

The funny thing is, I don't even remember 'cheong-ing' that much? Sure, I had a few late nights having coffee or prata but such days were (literally) few and far between?

Oh well, guess I have to come to terms with my new-fowled status.

Cluckity cluck cluck, people.

A 3-week Hiatus

This blogsite is on a well-deserved break. For those who don't already know, we're back in sunny Singapura!

I'm enjoying bowl after bowl of steaming hot mee hoon kuay, slurping on delish ice-blended Coffee Bean concoctions and enjoying the company of family and friends.

I've had my durians.
I've had my soya bean milk.
I've had toast with kaya and butter at the neighbourhood coffee shop.
I've even had fried nian gao.

Life is good. Still, it could be better. That, will be instantly remedied once I get me smackeroos on some PRATA!

I can't believe I haven't had any yet. Darn that confounded stomach virus I came down with! BAH!

My Dream Red-Letter Day...

Another reason why we should encourage reading in children! :P

Wouldn't it be nice to receive 'Dear Mummy/or Daddy' letters padded with superlatives describing how great we are!?

A mummy can dream, can't she? :P

Something to SMILE about

taken 26 feb 2007

taken 12 Mar 2007

I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat. Dee too, if he could. Soon, soon!

His right face muscles responded a little today - he could blink a little faster & when he smiled, a faint crease appeared on his cheek! I know it won't be long before I see that big toothy grin I love & miss again!

Thank You, Lord!

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

A Stake through my own Heart

I'm writing this entry for a friend who's tottering precariously on a tightrope of emotions. Ironically, this song WILL NOT make him feel better. In fact, I worry he may feel a little worse listening to it.

I'm writing it nevertheless because it's my way of telling him -

You're not alone, bud.
I cannot feel what you feel
but I'm trying to imagine the pain lodged in your heart
I know you feel nothing will dull the pain
But there is.
If only you would learn to commit your heart to Him.
And whilst you're moping and taking your time to reach out and hold His outstretched hand,
I'm here.
And I'll be here for a long time...


How can I just let you walk away,
just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all

How can you just walk away from me,
when all I can do is watch you leave
Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain,
and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all

So take a look at me now,
'cos there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me,
just the memory of your face
Take a look at me now,
'cos there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me
is against all odds and that's what I've got to face

I wish I could just make you turn around,
turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you,
so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all

So take a look at me now,
'cos there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me,
just the memory of your face
Take a look at me now,
'cos there's just an empty space
But to wait for you,
well that's all I can do and that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now,
'cos I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
That's the chance I've got to take, oh, oho

Just take a look at me now

Saggs' Bookclub for Kids

I've never been one to frequent libraries in Singapore. I wish I was a more avid reader, but I'm not. On my night stand are books I've bought & plan to read, but mostly it's piled with stacks of ES mags that come free with every Friday's Evening Standard.

Oooh I just can't help myself, I need tabloid trash from somewhere!

Since moving here, I've had no choice but to resuscitate my (practically) non-existent love affair with libraries and books. And revive they have. Libraries are perfect defillabrators because they are such a good resource for entertainment/education.

It's helped that our local library - with its friendly librarians, Story Times and well-stocked shelves - made it easy for me to get 'into the groove'. But the clincher - none of 'em grimy, grotty books we find so often in public libraries! YAY!

Reading to Danielle has also helped ignite my passion for the activity (golly, that sounds so 'formal'?). Even though the majority of books I read now are for 2YOs & onwards, they are immensely enjoyable. The innocence that resonates from each page reminds me of my childhood. I remember days where I'd curl up in a chair and devour page after page of Enid Blyton, Judy Blume and Roald Dahl... I wonder where my tenaciousness to finish a book from cover to cover went? Must've been lost in transition.

Anyway... back to the library. I've found solace within its walls. And thankfully, Danielle seems to enjoy her time there too. We pick out new books, she mingles with other children, and chats up the librarians.

OH YES SHE DOES.

At 2!

Especially with that young chap with a mohawk. Oh help.

Indeed, libraries are gold mines waiting to be tapped, and we're blessed that our life here allows us to be immersed in books for hours and hours.

I've been here for almost 9 months and already we've gone through over a hundred different books. And from the hundreds, I've managed to sift out some good childrens' authors from, perhaps, the mediocre. Through our reading sessions, I've found out which books keep us both engrossed.

It is through our personal experience (experiences? oh, I can never get these right!) that I'd like to share our list of great childrens' authors:

Our Top 10 Great Childrens' Authors:
1. Julia Donaldson
2. Eric Carle
3. Ian Whybrow
4. Marc Brown
5. Lucy Cousins
6. Mick Inpen
7. Jane Hissey
8. David Wojtowycz
9. Nick Butterworth
10. Jean & Gareth Adamson

Although they've been placed in random order, I'd have to say Julia Donaldson is our favourite author at the moment. Her writing style and storylines are simply delightful.

And our favourite book by her is Sharing A Shell. Coincidentally, a song based on the story was composed specially for World Book Day 2007. Watch Julia and her husband perform the charming ditty here.

Danielle not only makes me play the song on the computer EVERYDAY, it's also her most requested bedtime lullaby. So yes, I've had to learn to sing it. If anyone cares for a performance when I'm back in SGP, let me know! Kekeke.

There are lots of other great childrens' authors (David McKee, Enid Blyton, Dr Suess et al) but I've left them out of our list since I haven't introduced their titles to Danielle yet.

If at anytime you decide to check out our recommendations, do share your views on the authors/books ok? But I hope the books will bring you & your child/children hours of pleasurable entertainment, in the same way they've brought Danielle and me!

Here's to many more days of reading, singing & FUN while you're at it! :)

Love 'im, Hate 'im

frustrating as an itch on your back you can't get to

irritating as a Newton hawkercentre tout

grating as nails scraping down a blackboard
irk-some as Steven Lim (ok, maybe Steven's worse)

Some love to hate him, others hate to love him. Whatever your view is, there will only be one David Caruso, only one inimitable Horatio Caine...

+++++++++

My first encounter with Horatio was an accidental one. I'd recently become addicted to CSI (Las Vegas) and when the Miami series began on Ch 5, I thought, 'what the heck', it can't stray that far from the original.

Maaaan, was I wrong!

With his gek ji der say 'sauve' swagger, the irritating way he puts his shades on, the perpectual nasal tone, and his infamous, skin-crawling one-liners - Horatio soon became 'TV Enemy No.1' in my books.

But the irony is, the more repugnant he was, the more glued I was to the excruciating series. I HAD to watch him to pass my snide remarks or snigger at every, single episode.

Just why are his lines so tacky? Why does he wear his sunnies even when he's indoors? Why does he act like he's People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive? Why David Caruso? Why Why Why?!

And now thanks to Mel, I can now share my irks with y'all. Enjoy tearing your hair out! Hohoho.

*Thanks for sending the videos, Mel. They sure 'made my day'. *gag*

The Village & THAT Assembly of Stones

Danielle braving the strong winds!

Our Bath escapade continued...

Day 3, Sun 4 March: Ah, You mean that's it?
We woke up to the gentle pitter patter of rain outside our window. Alas, we were not to enjoy an extension of yesterday's wonderful weather. But no matter, a little rain was NOT going to dampen our holiday spirits! Whooo-wheee!

After a quick breakfast, we set off for the nearby Methodist church, hoping to catch the service. However, we were too early so in the end, decided to give it a miss. But not before saying a prayer to hopefully 'absolve' ourselves of the guilt. Sheesh.

Having seen most of Bath, we decided to make the most of the rented car by driving to nearby towns/villages. Not wanting to pack in too tight a schedule, we kept it to 2 locations: Stonehenge and Lacock Village.

But this time, we made sure we got directions first before setting off. Driving was smooth-sailing after, and we made it to Lacock without a hitch in 1/2 hr.

Lacock is a tiny village north of Bath. It's so small it doesn't make the 'must-see' list with most visitors. I was wooed by its 'uniquely preserved country village' description on the brochure but more so by the BOLD print that read: Location for films - Harry Potter, Pride & Prejudice, Moll Flanders and Emma. That made ALL the difference and I cajoled Dee into driving there for a looksy.

As we meandered through the windy roads, I slipped into a reverie- of long, lazy walks on the vast grounds at 'Pemberley', gazing upon the pond where Colin Firth stripped and took a dip, unending meadows and genteel ladies carrying pretty parasols.

But Lacock was NOT the location for those scenes. Darnations! No Pemberley? No Netherfields? No pond with half-naked Colin Firth? Oh woe to me! (actually, my indignation's more on Queen Lovie's behalf. Hoho!)

That visit to Lacock, though futile in its 'filmed-on-location' offerings, was not entirely wasted. Visiting the village was like a 'blast from the past'; as if Time had stood still in the 13th century. The shops and houses were left virtually untouched by modernization. We browsed in quaint corner shops, inns and the Townhall - all very charming...

Next stop, Stonehenge.

It was pouring by the time we got to the site. We'd taken a 1.5hr drive from Lacock and were thankfully not lost due to the excellent directions given by Rose's husband. But it was NOT a good day to visit the stones, not that we'd have stayed long anyway. We stared at the monument for 5 minutes, got bored, and headed back to the car. I think the heavy downpour must've dulled our excitement. Besides, the traffic zipping past the prehistoric site at 100km/h was all too strange. The monument is located next to a highway, see.

And I must be helluva uncultured because all I saw was a bunch of rocks. No 'ooh-ing' or 'ahh-ing' from this girl. Nosiree. I couldn't believe we drove ALL THE WAY to see a bleedin' rock formation!

But I guess we can now say 'Been there, Done that', and...'Good Riddance'! Once is enough!

sian ji puah at Stonehenge

On the whole, the trip was still wonderful. Made even more so by the fact that it was spontaneous. But best of all, the 3 of us were together and we had fun! Now what can top that, eh?

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May

I love this phrase taken from Robert Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.

Isn't that what Life's about sometimes? Taking chances, making spur-of-the-moment decisions, initiating impromptu actions, or as the Latins put it - Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! (more accurately translated, 'pluck the day').

This weekend saw one such moment.

Consumed by wanderlust, Dee decided the family should go on a minibreak, a roadtrip of sorts. Our destination of choice - BATH.

Here's a breakdown of what we did over the 3D/2N trip:

Day 1, Fri 2 March: Never do things improviso!
An irony since I did say it was a 'spur-of-the-moment' decision, didn't I? :P

We rented a small car, threw in some clothes, diapers & toddler supplies into a haversack (but not without leaving Danielle's toothbrush, our toothpaste & raw meat thawing in the microwave!! Arrghh!) and headed to the car pickup point @ Norbury. Without finding out exactly how we should get to Bath, we hit the road. Daredevils we are! And as expected, we got IMPOSSIBLY lost! Wasted precious time going back & forth on the highway (M3, M25, M4???!) and taking innumerable wrong turns. We finally made it to Bath by nightfall, after 6 hours of silly detours. Checked into a B&B (my 1st B&B experiece! Hoorah!) and went in search for dinner. Unfortunately, all the food outlets near Braemar Guest House were closed. In the end, we had to pop into a Co-Op Supermarket to buy instant noodles, ham & a can of Dr Pepper. Oh, did I fail to mention we got lost within Bath too?

Our luv-erly dinner spread!

Tip of the Day:
On a roadtrip with the Chans - take Dee (coz he's a driver) & perhaps the 2YO (only if you enjoy listening to 'Ba-Ba Black Sheep' sung continuously throughout the journey), but lose the severely 'navigation-impaired' one! That, would be me.

+++++++

Day 2, Sat 3 March: First breathtaking then breathless...
We suffered a night of interrupted sleep - no thanks to Danielle whose diaper not only leaked slightly onto the bed, but who changed sleeping positions 589,203,031 times a night! Bah!

Outside, the weather was perfect! Just what we needed - a clear blue sky, cool breeze and lots of sunshine! We tucked into a hearty breakfast prepared by Gillian, our B&B proprietress. It was a quintessential English breakfast consisting of sausages, eggs, toast... la-dee-da... Danielle made friends with 2 friendly American ladies over cereal. They turned out to be nurses and could instantly tell Dee had Bell's Palsy. They told him to be patient as 'it could take months' to recover.

Poor Dee, he's taken to holding a conversation with a hand over his mouth...

Danielle & the Americans

We'd decided only the night before that we'd stay one extra night in Bath. But Gillian was fully booked for the weekend so she directed us to her friend Rose's B&B, Milton House, which was a few houses down from hers. So after breakfast, we moved over to Rose's and registered ourselves for another night.

After settling our accomodation, we finally set off to explore Bath.

Simply put, Bath is a very pretty town. It's not as grey and definitely less polluted than London. Its buildings bear a tinge of custard yellow and under the sunlight, the whole town seems to shimmer like gold when seen from a distance. Our camera couldn't capture the vibrant colour as we saw it but I hope you get an idea...

Some of the must-see(s) in Bath would definitely be the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. Dee said he had a new-found respect for the Romans after visiting that World Heritage Site. Indeed, there is much to marvel about regarding these Baths. The Romans' prowess in architecture and their ingenious system of heating rooms (modern day suanas) and baths, are truly awe-inspiring. Even their bathing rituals bear a strong resemblence to today's Japanese Onsens (温泉) and Taiwan's notorious 三溫暖. Just sans the seediness, I hope?

We spent over 2 hours at the Roman Baths and whilst Dee busied himself listening to the audio aid, Danielle hollered at a half-naked male mannequin, imploring it to 'turn round and look at' her. I explained that 'he' was about to take his bath. She muttered 'shame, shame' (for his lack of decency) before dismissing him for his impertinence.

Danielle having a mini picnic by the Roman Bath, completely oblivious she's at a World Heritage site. Thank goodness she goes in for free!

Our next stop was Bath Abbey. All Abbeys look similar to each other - rose tainted windows, ornate cornices, beautiful carved ceilings. But what made this visit different was the wind orchestra performance we were fortunate to catch. For a good half hour, we were treated to music from the Renaissance and medieval periods played on rauschpfeifes and recorders.

Nice music was followed by a nice tea. We visited Bath's oldest house and residence of Bath's most famous baker, Sally Lunn. We tried the much-raved about Sally Lunn's Bun and loved it. I had mine with Tiptree Strawberry Jam and loads of clotted cream (but of course!). Dee had his with homemade brandy butter. Honestly, the bun tasted like the 70cents toasted bread we find in our neighbourhood coffeeshops. But it was good...Perhaps that's why Dee and I enjoyed it so much. A slice of Singapore in Bath!

Our next stop was very much for Skiver A's benefit - The Jane Austen Centre. I tingled with excitement when I sighted Colin Firth's handsome mug at the shop window. We didn't visit the Museum since we had to pay an entrance fee so settled with browsing in the shop. It was filled with all sorts of Jane Austen paraphernalia and souvenirs I had a hard time picking out something for ma Queen Lovie. But in the end, I did. Here are some pictorial souvenirs anyway:

Not quite Darcy, more like Mr Collins? Gag.

We ended off the day with some activities for Danielle. We reckoned she'd been 'gracious' to follow us to 'kid-yawning' places so it was time she had some fun. We'd brought some bread nicked from breakfast and told her she could feed the swans with them.

We didn't find any swans at the Royal Victoria Park, so settled for feeding just de ducks.

Ducks, come here!

After, we went to the nearby playground where she had fun on the swings, slides and 2 rides on the Merry-Go-Round. She had a blast and so did we, just watching her!

We finally headed back to the B&B at 5ish pm. Convinced Dee we should walk back instead of take a bus. In the end, I paid for that decision with my thighs! Our B&B was located on a hill so it was a long, arduous climb back to the top. I took in short breaths at a time in a bid to pace myself better. Was darn proud I didn't give in to the posterior pain. I prammed Danielle all the way up the winding path! *pat on back*

Hellish uphill climb!

Dinner was at a newly-opened Indian restaurant just round the corner from our B&B. It's funny how we're trying Indian cuisine in Bath when there are a dime a dozen Indian eateries in London! The food was palatable and I had myself a 'paratha'! Methinks I still like the ones back home waaaaay better.

It's late now and as usual, I've rambled on for too long. Day 3 in another posting. Misadventures at Stonehenge!

Goodnight! or Good Morning!