My ramblings & whatnot

Well, I guess I'll do a recap of what happened on my 5th day in S'pore before anything else.
We didn't go out that day, just being busy doing last minute packing and making sure everything's ok in our room before checking out. When we arrived at the airport, we applied for our GST and then went to the weighing machine to get our baggage checked for any excess. We were over probably about 5 kilos together with Dib's stroller so we had to take some out as hand-carry. It took about half an hour to get our baggage sorted to the allowed weight before we finally checked in and went straight to the gates. Hubs & I wanted to look at some stuffs and I managed to buy a bottle of perfume (which when I arrived home, didn't like the smell of it as I did when I sampled it, so gave it to mum) before we walked leisurely to our gate. About a few metres away, I heard our name being announced to we legged it and was berated by the security of our lateness (Our flight was pushed forward half an hour in advance). I've never figured out why they always push flight time forward when it's from Singapore....
Anyways, since we were late, they didn't check Dib's seatbelt properly (we pretended it was clipped tight) and my bagpack tucked away behind my legs, hidden from view (it was supposed to be placed in the overhead compartment). Or they probably just ignored it...
It was a blessing our row of seat was just us so we didn't have to mind anyone being disturbed with an active baby on flight. Before half-way to the flight however, Dibs fell asleep in his dad's arms (the time coincidentally was his usual noon nap time) so we could eat and rest in peace until we arrived Brunei. Getting through immigration and customs was quick since we were the only Bruneians (no long queues) & my sibs met us outside at the arrival hall. Trip was ok considering I had to nearly do everything myself so I deem it a success.

This morning I had to attend court to make a statement as a witness on a breach of trust case. I was anxious since the prosecutor informed me that the person accused will be sitting near and that I would need to identify him since I lost my receipt bearing the officer's name. So I brought hubs for moral support from meeting with the prosecutor before the hearing, waiting for my turn to take a stand and giving my statement to the judge as well as being cross-examined by the defendant. I thought I wouldn't be able to remember the defendant's face after 5 years but surprisingly I was able to recognise him when I saw him sitting outside the court waiting for the hearing.
I thought the guy would play hardball when questioning me but he was pretty polite about everything & even smiled and nodded as if I've done him a favour. Eeeeee D:
He's the 2nd person I'm nervous of though. The judge was scarier. He sternly put everyone in place, making sure we followed all court rules and used the proper wordings, from the prosecutor, the defendant, the interpreter and myself. When I was done (quicker than the two witnesses before me I might add), it was past two hours we first arrived so I went straight to the office and hubs went to pick up Dibs.

Right so... hmm... lemme see if I remember...

Ok, so 4th day of Singapore we went to Jurong Park. I was hoping there weren't a lot of people but as soon we sat for the bird show, the place was packed. Dibs was excited at first to see the birds flying around but he got scared as soon as the crowd started cheering ^^;;;; Oh my dear boy....
So he spent the whole show alternating between pointing at the birds or huddling close to either one of us. After the show, we walked around, looking at the birds in their enclosure and it was a long walk until I managed to find the Iori station where we can feed the birds and have pictures taken with them. One pecked Dibs on the finger when he wanted to touch it and poor baby cried coz it hurt. So his finger had a cut but after a while, he kept reaching for the birds again so I'd be grabbing his hand every now and then in case it happened the 2nd time since the birds are actually free to fly around us and half the time land on our shoulders, arms or head while they fight for food.

After Jurong, we went back to Bugis Junction by taxi where we tried out the all-you-can eat shabu2 buffet. Dibs was hungry so most of the time while I was scurrying around getting some food I'd be giving him something to eat coz he wanted me to feed him. Hubs wasn't into the food (he preferred the soup from the shabu2 restaurant in Brunei) so I ended up gorging myself coz I got too much and I didn't want to get penalised for the excess. And I had to do it fast coz Dibs was making a fuss even with hubs taking him out for a walk while I ate. So after I ate & paid, I carried Dibs while hubs takes care of the stroller and bags. It didn't take long for Dibs to fall asleep so it was easy to put him in the stroller & push him wherever while we did our last day shopping. Hubs commented that the complex was so extensive and said the same about Vivo, that it would take him more than a day to cover all areas. And I did the "I told you so" spiel coz he has been hung up on the old popular areas of Singapore since before we arrived rather than the new ones that I showed him e.g. VC & Bugis. Then again, it was a good thing he hadn't caught up, or he'd be wasting his money shopping the whole days away rather than enjoy ourselves sightseeing the country.

After Bugis, we went back to the hotel & hubs bought some food from the same Malay restaurant we went to on our first day. We also stopped by the 7-11 to get some munchies in case we get hungry from then on to the next day coz we'd be busy packing for the trip back home tomorrow.

After the sucky day the day before, I decided to put us back on track of the itinerary I had in my head (which is doing touristy stuff) & place shopping (which I know hubs want to do) as a side-note.

We went to Sentosa first, using the mrt to get there. By that day, it was thankfully sorta easy to entertain Dibs along the way coz what he usually likes to do is crowd gazing, and since he's already tasted the wonders of the train the day before, train watching.... oh and escalators... which I will mention later.

We took it easy and it was awesome that people would get up to give me a seat since I was with a toddler, never mind when said toddler was already in a stroller :)
At Harbour front I brought my fam to Vivo City first to get myself a pair of crocs coz the one I had was already worn out (have been using it for about 5 years). Hubs took a look at the crocs and decided to buy his dad, bros & bro-in-laws each a pair. Adib got one too coz for the past two days, he hasn't been using shoes coz I forgot to bring them ^^;;
Anyways, since we didn't want to lug about 5 pairs of crocs with us, we asked the store to hold it for us before we pick it up after Sentosa.

Since I was too lazy to look for the monorail (couldn't remember which section of Vivo City the station was at), we used the boardwalk to get to Sentosa. Hubs bought icecream along the way and Dibs just enjoyed the scenery (admittedly he looked a bit sleepy). Surprisingly the entrance to Sentosa was free (last time I had to pay $1) & we went straight to the Maritime museum but before we went in for the exhibit, we decided to eat first at Fish & Co. After eating, we went in and it was a crush of tourists at the first tunnel where the sharks and fishes swim around you. Hubs was interested in catching pics of the exhibits but he had to contend with a lot of other ppl taking pics so we could only sorta breeze through until we got to the end.

After maritime exhibit, we went to Universal Studios outside area to buy some gifts for the fam back home (hubs initially didn't want to buy any but saw the cool stuffs and decided to get some as well). By that time Dibs was asleep so it was easy to shop around without worrying him wanting to pull stuff off the display ^^;;

We then started to walk back to the boardwalk (I asked if he wanted to visit the old area of Sentosa with the beaches and such but he declined) when I saw the Trickeye Museum near the exit. I took it upon myself that we should go there and while I was taking pictures, Dibs woke up so we had him in some displays. He looked mostly befuddled but he liked being in the mock cage that his dad had to get inside to drag him out ^^;;

Again, it was difficult to take pictures because there were a lot of people vying for the spots we wanted to take. After we finished we finally walked back out to get back to VC. At VC, we got our crocs and shopped some more before taking a taxi back to Bugis. At the hotel, we rested while we packed our purchases so it won't be a hassle later. It was night-time when I suggested we try looking for the place mum mentioned to get her cd which was City Plaza (I got confused with City Palace - a karaoke club - which was at Golden Landmark) at Geylang. AGAIN, we got the place wrong & again it wasn't our fault since I already told the taxi driver City Plaza, not City Junction. I didn't realise it was wrong until I saw the banners inside the complex the name of the building.
And again, taxi was difficult to come by but it was better, as in instead of an hour wait, it was half an hour before we got one to go to the proper place. Didn't stop the people queuing with us from grumbling though.

When we got to CP, it was already 8.30pm and most of the stores were already closed. There was a cd shop there selling malay cds tho and the chinese guy manning there was so good that he got me buying an extra cd (on Islamic songs to boot!) for mum without me planning for it -_-::
Hubs bought some cds too (he commented the selection there were better than at Geylang Serai) & then we went up to get some takeaway dinner. While waiting for our takeaways (the queue was pretty long considering the lateness) hubs bought an extra luggage bag while I entertained Dibs with the coin operated kiddy rides (I paid $1 to get it moving but Dibs was so freaked out that I put him in another ride that wasn't moving -_-). Also, elscalators. He started to get a taste of escalators at Brunei Airport where I'd bring him up and down while we were waiting for our gate to open. So yeah, I brought him up and down the escalators at CP too for a while before the restaurant called us for our takeaway.

We instantly got a taxi when we got out and when we got back to the hotel, we had dinner, Dibs slept, and so ends our 3rd day in Singapore.

So.. the 2nd day of Singapore sucked.

We planned to go to the complex where hub's bro-in-law asked to see about his shoes but after talking to the taxi driver, we changed our mind and asked to go to Geylang Serai instead. It was quite a long drive but since we started early, when we got there, only about half of the shops are opened & the rest are still closed. Hubs was only interested in the classic malay cds and he spent a lot of time on one shop since it was the only one selling what he wanted. I spent most of the time walking around with a sleepy toddler in a sling after I didn't find what mum wanted in the cd shop.

Then we went to the building across it and hubs bought some food before we left to go back to the hotel. However on the way back, we decided to give the complex for the shoes another try but when we got there, it was the wrong place. More specifically, it was in the wrong country because the name that hub's brother-in-law gave us (Lot 10) is found in KL, not Singapore. At least that's what I thought because I've gone to that place before but I wasn't sure at the time because there was a possibility there is branch in Singapore. When I remember that taxi driver commented that it sounded like a popular complex in KL, it only cemented my suspicion. Just that instead of Lot 10 in KL, there is Junction 10 in Singapore. So yeah, we went to Junction 10 where taxis are rare. It took nearly an hour before I gave up and went around to see if I can find a way out of the complex because the surroundings were mostly apartments separated by highways. Thankfully there was a free shuttle and we got on that & I could only guess by the lrt crossing overhead where we should stop. It was embarrassing coz we nearly tumbled, standing up too early before the shuttle properly stopped because I thought the driver was stopping at a stand instead of a red light. Oh well, we made it safely out of the complex at least, and we went straight to the nearest station to head to Bugis Junction. It took probably 3 line changes to get there and we went back to the hotel from the station after buying more supplies. I had to rest after that because the trip was exhausting and unfulfilling. I didn't feel like going out after that so I brought Dibs to play at the pool & had to tire him out walking outside the hotel before he wanted to go to sleep. I forgot what I had for dinner... *sigh*

I just ate so... being the sleepy sssssnake....

The trip to Singapore was good. Also very tiring.

So, hubs and I, along with Dibs flew off the Spore, sent off by our parents. Our siblings couldn't make it but I wasn't really thinking about it because my mind was full of things. I nearly left the baby stroller until my sis brought it to the airport before we checked in.

We waited until the near last minute to board and we were three of the lasts to take our seats. We were seated with another family who also has a toddler and it was a crash course on how to put on the infant seatbelt before take-off. Dibs was excitable the whole trip. Then he got hungry, then sleepy. I had to rock him to sleep using the baby sling (had to do two trips along the isle coz I made the mistake of putting him down too early) & when he finally slept I could rest, napping with him until we landed. It took a while to get through immigration and when we did I instantly steered my fam to the taxi stand. The taxi driver wasn't familiar with the hotel that I booked for our trip but we muddled though from the descriptions I gleaned from the internet and we got there not too long before Dibs got too fussy.

The hotel was nice but the suite that I managed to get on a promotional price looked as big as a standard room you could get in a 4-5 star hotel. Then again I couldn't afford a 4-5 star hotel so I guess The Ardennes was good enough. Mum would've liked the area but the bathroom would've offended her sensibilities since all that's covering the view from the bathroom and bedroom is a rolled down shade which you can still see people moving about esp if the lights of the bathroom is switched on.

Hubs went out to scout the area outside and buy some drinking water & smokes while I unpack with Dibs crawling around the room doing his own scouting. It was tiring watching over the baby & making sure he didn't do anything dangerous without restricting him too much (there was blessed peace when he got hungry and he fed quietly lying on the bed). After nearly half an hour, hubs came back empty-handed because he couldn't get a grip on the layout of the area. I was pissed... ah married life... & I couldn't really blame him coz the last time he was overseas was 8 years ago so he's rusty in moving around foreign places.

So I brought hubs and Dibs out and we walked around until we saw a crowded malay restaurant three blocks down. Since hubs was hungry, I bought him some food and we went back to the hotel so that he could eat while Dibs stayed with him and I go out to get some drinking water. Hubs initially said he'd go out again to find drinking water but after pressing him that he needs to be certain that he can find his way this time, he reluctantly decided to stay back.
After talking to the receptionist, she pointed me to Bugis junction and it was quite the walk - about 20 minutes away with my short legs. I was just 4 blocks away from the hotel on my way back with two 1 litre bottles & McD burger when I saw hubs with Dibs in the stroller walking the opposite direction, hubs having to get out with Dibs since the baby was restless & acting up at the hotel room. Hmph... now he knows how I felt when it was me the first time. Dibs was already asleep so I took over the stroller after pointing out to hubs that there's a 7-11 nearby (I have no idea how he missed that), so he can buy his smokes. We decided to continue walking around again and decided to go to Golden Landmark nearby to look for cds that mum wanted. It wasn't there so we just wandered around when it began to rain cats and dogs out. We were stuck there for nearly half an hour before we finally agreed to brave it back to our hotel after buying an umbrella and two panchos from a tuck shop at the complex.

After resting, we went to Bugis junction where we bought some more drinking water and other stuff, like salt for Dibs' rice porridge. After walking around and me re-acquainting with the place, we went back to the hotel. Then hubs went out to buy some food and I tucked Dibs to sleep before I could finally eat my burger.

Story of the 2nd day of Singapore to be posted later :)

*counts* So I've not logged on lj since March ^.^;;;

fb's good and all but lj's where I pour my heart out for more than 50 words XD

Sunday today so it's a slow day. Tomorrow is the start of 2016 school term for Brunei so it won't be as busy in the restaurant as was during the school holidays where the parents would bring over their kids for a meal while they do their errands at the bank next door.

The day after tomorrow will be Adib's 1st birthday. I went to Bakerlyn this morning after dropping off Adib and the maid at the office, to order his birthday cake. I went there last night with my sis to scope their offerings and as soon I found out how much they cost I was hesitant coz I don't want to be spending more than $100 for a cake that won't be eaten or won't be appreciated fully by a one year old baby before it inevitably gets cut up so I left telling the woman who attended me that I'd have to think about it. After going to bed last night I had a dream that I was telling my sister that I'd get the cake so I figured it was my subconscious telling me that I do want the cake so I did ^^;;
When I went back to the bakery it was the same woman who attended me last night so we went straight to the design I wanted (luckily the tab was still at the same design I chose last time) and picked the flavour (fruit flan).
For the meal, I'm planning on nasi lemak (sis' suggestion when I was flailing for ideas), mee goreng & friend chicken. Oh! The reminds me, I did plan on also having animal patterned jelly so I need to order those as well. Since it's hi-tea, there'll be hot drinks and sis will be bringing some muffins she ordered somewhere... or was it cupcakes...?

Ballons, crepe paper for streamers I've already bought... I'd like to get one of those Happy birthday hanging signs too and some more party favours from the $1.80 shop in the neighbourhood. Maybe later on the way home. The dad will be getting those small packets of crackers, chocs and drinks for the door gifts... hmm... hopefully I haven't forgotten anything else...

Before the party though, there's a berbedak function for one of my cousin who's getting married on Sunday after Adib's party. After all that, off to Singapore!!

Yes, I'm finally going on a holiday overseas and it'll be frightening and exciting at the same time because I'll be bringing along my baby and husband who hasn't been on a plane for more than 5 years.
I'll be leading the entourage but I have faith hubs will catch on on things. For extra pressure, we'll be using the public transport so there will be a lot of rushing around dragging along the baby stuff i.e. stroller and a bag full of diapers, change clothes, bottle & whatnots.

I have an itinerary on where to go... I wonder if Geylang still exist? I've had someone tell me they're doing a major overhaul on that place so either the stalls are all gone or the ambiance has totally changed. I'm not itching to go there, just hubs was pretty nostalgic about that place.

Mostly I'll be heading for the touristy spots tho like the Marine exhibition, Sentosa beaches and the Jurong Bird Park. Although it's tempting, I won't be going to Universal Studios since we can't go on the rides as a family with a baby and we won't be enjoying it much just walking around and stare at the expensive merchandise. Unless let's say I've suddenly acquired extra funds before we leave, or miraculously free entrance to the park then sure why not XD
If not, then we'll be going to other places that hubs will probably want to revisit like Orchard or if I'm keen to look for directions: the Merlion.
Nevertheless we only have 5 days, minus two days to unpack and pack, that'll be just three days and three nights to enjoy the city before we go back to Brunei so our schedule will be packed. And because we have a toddler along, I want to take it easy. Ooh! That also reminds me that I need to buy a cover/screen for his stroller. Hopefully I'll be able to get one at the baby shop on my way home.

Workwise, last week was hell - having to prepare the end of month wages and getting the labour consensus (lc) submitted. The lc is now incorporated into a new system where everything is being done online. I've already registered a few months ago and only just realised that the lc form has already been online since last month. So cue me scrambling to the labour department to figure out what to do where there I find out that there are two steps in registering where I only have gone through one. So I rushed back to the office, registered, and then had to go back the next day to get my registration approved before I can fill out the lc form. I've had to queue up three times for IT assistance where all registration were done and all those times, it look me 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours to finally get to IT helpdesk officer. A lot of people need the IT helpdesk so we all queue as early as 7am to get there first.
So I've done my lc form, now I need to wait for any queries from the labour department if any and if not then I'm all clear. Hopefully I'll be done before I need to fly off for my holiday :/

I'm losing my hair! Yes, I've lost hair before but not this much D:
Sis-in-law had the same problem straight after giving birth.... But I've only just experience this 4 months after. Or maybe coincidence and something else is at play here? Maybe I need to stop using the elastic band I've only just recently used and go back to using clasps -_-;;;

AoS!!! I've been skulking around for the recent eps. I need more Skye, Coulson & Hunter!

Outside is scorching & inside is stiffling because the aircond doesn't work. Shitty building is shitty since recently there's at least one day in a month where the aircond doesn't work. If it's not the aircond, its the water supply. Not really good for an eatery in these conditions. Are they trying to run us out? We have a year left in our lease before it can be renewed again for another 5 years. Will they try to kick us out then? It ain't a secret we have a love-hate relationship with the CEO of the building. They love our food, they hate our guts when we complain. We love their patronage, we hate their uneven treatment on tenants especially us. Yadda-yadda.

Anyway, yeah, it's been warm this week. I've been outside the whole day today, dealing with my bank account, breaking down $ notes for wage payment tomorrow and checking this months revenue at our Skg branch. Also visiting my baby boy whose at home with the maid. She was laying down and quickly sprung up as soon as I opened the back door >_>
As long as she's not neglecting the baby.
He was alseep when I checked. He really loves the warm weather. He sleeps better when warm than cold. I hope the maid doesn't overdo him sleeping but I can't ask her to take baby for a walk outside because of the smoke from the forest fires in KB still in the air. Hubs will also be popping by for his own check-up.

Also went to check on our canteen in OA. It was a pretense of checking up on them as well as taking a look at the new building where the owner of the building wants us to move to asap, when actually what I really wanted to do was check on their stock of condensed milk since in two days, one carton of the stuff has mysteriously dwindled.
What I saw flabbergasted me. They managed to stock half a carton of the stuff when at the eatery I help supervise, only has one tin remained. WTF D:
Since mum and bro are away for the holidays, I'll be the one to count their revenue for a week so it'll give me a chance to investigate and report to mum when she comes home next week. I've also taken over the supply for the dry goods while hubs will handle only the wet ones. Why? Because mum complained that she had to pay $6k for the most recent claim from the supplier of the dry goods. How am I supposed to know where it came from since (1) I'm not the one in charge of monitoring the goods & (2) mum holds the cheque and I have no way of knowing when the last time she paid for the supplies.

Ugh... I want a holiday...

Or something mind-numbingly entertaining to watch.
*stalks for kpop e4 & AoS s2 torrents*