Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey

J took me to Island Creamery the other day. One of his colleagues swears it sells the best ice cream in Singapore but J has been there twice and did not think it was that fantastic.

Which begs the question: 'Why did he take me there?!'

Well, we were in the area to begin with and J likes to take me to places he has been to so I will know exactly what he is talking about when he mentions the place.

Back to Island Creamery.


I was recommended the apple pie flavour which really tasted like the real thing! There was cinnamon and apple pie in the ice cream. J likes it, I had half a cup, that says a lot. J picked black forest for himself and enjoyed that too. By the way, this version of black forest ice cream has alcohol so yes, it's no wonder he likes it!

The next time I go back, I am going to try reverso. It's chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Now that's the kind of ice cream I like!


This pillar in Island Creamery cracked me up. See that last bullet point? No Chinese dairy products! Muahahah!

So what is my verdict? It's not too bad but not enough to make me an ice cream convert. ;)

Oh, J tells his ice cream tastes much better when he eats it with me. :) How sweet!

It really never ends!

This is my latest acquisition - Frosted Felt Magazine Tote in Peacock.


My first thought when it was delivered to my place was 'Wow! So big! Can put many drawing blocks!' Not that I have any actually. But it is colossal and in Petals' words, it is 'the grandmother of giant ass bag'! Muahahah!



From 0 to 4, that's the number of kate spade bags I've acquired in 12 weeks. My girlfriends kate spade sisters were concerned that J would not take kindly to my sudden shopping madness and asked what his response was when I bought this one. I think it went something like this:

ENOUGH ALREADY! No more bags!

Okay! No more bags, I buy wallets. *grin*

*roll eyes*

Anyway, the bag matches my iPhone cover. I am dressed in kate spade from bag to wallet to iPhone. Maybe I should get myself some kate spade jewellery too!

Valentine's Day came and went

As promised, here are the pictures of the stevie J bought for me. It's a super bright sunny yellow and I LOVE IT!

Forgive the ugly camera strap running across Lily. I was more concerned about hiding my face from sight!

Retail therapy

I must admit that some shopping when I am feeling down usually cheers me up a little. The one too many visits to the hospital got me quite down last week. So I got myself a mood lifter. :)

My latest purchase. :)

It was an unexpected find. They have been on sale for some time but were never available in my size.

The colours are not quite right in these pictures because of the orange lighting. The shoes are blue and go very well with denim.

Cheap and pretty! SGD34.90.

I wrote this post in 2006...

And I am reblogging it with nostalgia. Things have changed since then. My father is 80 and my mom turns 75 this year. While both are still relatively mobile, they also make very frequent visits to the polyclinics and hospitals every other week.

Last week, I visited TTSH thrice. Twice for my mom, once for J's therapy.

It wasn't fun.

This week, I took leave from work to accompany Mom to the hospital again. I don't like this reversal of roles where I have to take care of my parents when they are sick. It is one of those things which I am good at but I rather not do.

One word says it all - heartbreaking. :(



**********

31 May 2006

My folks and I spent some time out yesterday. To me, these little trips are significant because they are rare. My folks are in their 70s and not as mobile as before. In addition, I have inherited mommy's 'I much prefer to stay at home' genes so getting the 3 of us to go anywhere is really miraculous.

But yesterday was the death anniversary of my grandaunt. She was somewhat like a mother-in-law to mom and it's been 28 years since she died. Earlier, I promised my folks I'd go to the columbarium on this day. A promise is a promise and when one has folks in their 70s, one should not take for granted that there is always another time to fulfil that promise.

So we took a cab to the place and later 2 buses home because they wanted that ride on the bus. I used to think that the choice to take a bus over a cab was to help me save some money and would protest in my loudest voice. Now, I realised that they truly enjoy the bus rides from time to time and I think they too realised that they should enjoy these little things in life while they are still mobile.

The trip took us a little less than 2 hours. Yet in that time, I have learnt a few things.

The roles have changed. Dad walks the slowest among us 3. Even Mom with her arthritis walks a lot better than he. Sadly, the mild strokes and heart-bypass really showed their effects on him. When I was little, Mom and Dad used to take me to the now dysfunctional Clifford Pier. I remembered how they would walk and walk and walk so fast that I would complain that my short little legs were tired.

It used to be that they held on to my tiny hand tightly protecting me from danger. Now, I guide them to cross the street, praying fervently with every step we take.

Taking the bus is no longer a dread. I celebrate every bus trip because each one shows that they are in good health.

Riding on the bus is a new journey. I do not grab the first seat I see like I used to when I was a kid. I grab the first TWO seats I see for my folks and stand protectively nearby.

I am not sure if I like the change of roles. Not that I do not like the responsiblity of looking after my folks but the idea that they are no longer that strong and powerful, the way I see them in all my growing years, makes me sad. Add on the fact that I do not live with them anymore and can only spare a day or two in a week with them, I am regretful for all the times I had brought them pain and not loved them enough.

But regret is a waste of time. What is most important is I cherish the time we share and perhaps help my siblings to see that too.

Meatballs and Cider

from the cafe at Ikea

I know I have blogged about this before but I can't help repeating. If only Ikea will give me a commission of sort for advertising on their behalf!

Anyway, every Tuesday this dish costs $4. Sounds like a good deal to me. :)

And this? This is our favourite cider. We first discovered it in Cambridge and are most delighted to find it here. There are two flavours to choose from. I prefer pear to apple. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

While about to alight from a cab earlier tonight, the elderly taxi driver beamed and said to me, '情人节快乐!' (Happy Valentine's Day!)

Momentarily I was stunned. I had taken parent-care leave, it had been a long day, I was dog-tired, and clearly had forgotten it is Valentine's Day.

So there was awkward silence before we both burst out laughing and I wished the uncle a happy valentine's day too. It was a very amusing episode. :)

I very much want to blog about J's present to me. It's the best present ever and yes it's a KATE SPADE! But like I said, it's been a long day and I still have work to finish up so I'll blog about something else, still kate spade-related I'm afraid!

This is going for SGD75 at the stores here! I think most blogshops are selling the iPhone hard covers at around $80.

I find it clean and simple, kinda pretty! ;)

Photo from www.katespade.com

Child at heart

For some unknown reason, J decided that he will set up a 'fund' for me. Every month he will give me some money and I can do whatever I want with it. This concept of him giving me 'pocket money' is very foreign to me because I believe in earning my own keep and spending my hard-earned money not his. This arrangement has worked very well for us because J never interferes with what I buy and I never have to worry about asking him to pay for something I want. Presents are of course a different story. :)

Anyway, I thought it will be fun if he got me a piggybank and put the money in it. Truth is I never really had a piggybank because my parents have always trusted me to save and did not see it necessary to get me one.

To cut to the chase, J got me this!





It is a battery operated piggybank that looks like a safe. You need to key in a number code to open the door.



You see that slot at the top? It works the same way as vending machines that accepts notes. It 'sucks' your dollar bill! Super fun!

It thrills me no end to hear the rollers work so I have been saving money to put inside the piggybank as well!

Real bag sisters

This is my Christmas present to 1 of my sisters.

Pretty? :)

She carried it during Chinese New Year and I was as pleased as a peach.

I have a similar one except mine is white and bigger because I always have plenty of stuff to lug around.

Now we are not only sisters but also bag sisters. Yay! :)

Look what's on sale!

My Beantown Charlie!

Apparently it was USD325 and now it's going for USD227.

-boasting universities, museums and quaint cobblestone corners, boston is the inspiration for many artistic and cultural endeavors. made of traditional tweed adorned with peacoat-style buttons and finished with smart leather trim, our newest bag is reminiscent of boston's bohemian-yet-scholarly vibe. slightly slouchy and charmingly compact, it fits perfectly under your arm, while an open top ensures all your essentials are easily at hand.
-spanish tweed with crinkled patent cowhide trim
-short shoulder with open top
-14-karat light gold plated hardware
-custom woven quick & curious jacquard lining in modern red
-ksny blind embossed signature on trim leather license plate
-imported
-style # PXRU1889
-8.2"h x 17.2"w x 11.3"d

All photos from katespade.com

No kidding!

This gigantic pancake-looking bag is from Kate Shovel Spade.

Each time I look at it, I burst out laughing!

It's ridiculously ugly!

Who on earth would wanna carry this??
And mind you, this hideous Lawn Party Half Circle Tote costs USD345!

All photos from www.katespade.com

Happy 1st!

Darling Muffin celebrated his birthday on the third day of the Lunar New Year this year. Earlier, I made his mom go shopping with me for his birthday outfit.

These are his OshKosh shoes. (I love giraffes!)

T-shirt and matching shorts from Gingersnaps.

I absolutely love this tee! And Ondine agrees the words are pretty funny. :) Here's the birthday boy! Look at that drool! Isn't he the cutest thing? :)

Did you notice that every thing on him, from shoes to shorts to shirt matches? Hee...

Make a guess!

What do you think this is?

A giant Canon DSLR?

Hee... no, it's a tissue box holder.

Super cute right? It's also a great conversation piece.

I so love it. :)