Wednesday, 17 July 2013

The Au-some Four's Trip - SIN/TPE/SIN

17 July 2013

Finally have time to pen down (my overdue) our gastronomic adventure with the Yeos -  a 7 days trip to Taiwan!

Day 1: 桃園機場出發>台中>赤崁楼>安平古堡>安平树屋>夜宿台南


Arrival at the airport, our driver 三彤 from Utaxi picked us and head straight for breakfast.  We had ee-noodle as he recommended that the stall are very popular and latter we found out that actually the stall is popular for their porridge.  >_<  After our breakfast, we continued our journery for the first toliet break and take some photos at 幸福天空 before heading to 台南,赤莰楼 for lunch.  Tried the meat ball, yam cake and 冬瓜茶!On the way, we visited 安平古堡 and 安平树屋。 So tired after night flight and the humid and scorching hot weather!  We finally checked into hotel and refresh ourselves before visiting 台南花园夜市, had the stinkiest 臭豆腐! Not enough with the street foods, we stuffed ourselves with Yakitori and some beer nearby the hotel!  :)

Accomodation - 天下大饭店 approx NT2,380/night

Day 2: 台南>七股鹽田> 青青草原>夜宿清境民宿


On the way leaving 台南, we visited the salt museum before climbing up the salty hill.  Wind was too strong, almost flew my cap away.  三彤 treated us a very nice sausage made of fish meat and I thought it tasted like some kind of black pig and I had two!!  It was too good!  The weather was pouring when we reached 青青草原 and was informed that the 绵羊秀 is cancelled due to the rain so we have to change our plans to visit the farm again the next day before we leave 清境。

Accomodation - 日光民宿 approx NT3,100/night

Day 3: 清境>日月潭風景區>夜宿台北北投溫泉


Early morning breakfast outdoor seating of the 民宿 cafe at 19 degrees - so shiok!  Lovin' the weather!  We head to catch the first 绵羊秀 at 9.30am right after we checked out - just a 5min drive!  The farm smells and I didn't know that the sheeps meh so manly.  Almost spent the whole morning at the farm!  We went to 日月潭,stopped-by to take a photo and buy their famous 阿婆茶叶蛋 and catch the same ferry back to the next point, in fact nothing much to see on the short ferry ride.  *so waste of my time and money*  Had a tea-tasting session at the small town, bought some tea before we start our journery to 北投, a hot spring hotel!  Very nicely deco hotel, the toiletries were all very unique - in forms of test tubes.  Of course, ah Thiang had a wonderful time soaking at the tub and all I do is to prepare the tub for him... watching him soak in happiness.  :)

Accomodation - 漾館時尚溫泉馆 approx NT2,666/night

Day 4: 台北>故宮>淡水老街>漁人碼頭>士林夜市>夜宿台北


Visited 故宫 and we did a very fast one, brisk walking through most of the exhibits but spent a few moments on those exhibits which were worth mentioning like the 白菜头,the famous green jade craved into the cabbage and some super micro walnut craving thingy.  No pictures were allowed to be taken so, nothing here for me to do the talking.  :P  Made 3 sets of the CUTE animal horoscopes for the family at 淡水老街 - best buy so far!  So happy!  Then catching the fabulous sunset view of Taipei, Fisherman's Wharf... wind was extreme extremely strong and all my hair was entangled and I think I lost quite alot of hair trying to untangle them.  *angry*  Checked into an airline theme hotel before we explore 士林夜市。 And guessed what, I prefer SG's shilin's chicken chop to their 豪大大鸡扒!

Accomodation - Airline Inn Hotel approx NT2,900/night

Day 5: 台北>野柳地質公園>九份老街>平溪(放天燈)>夜宿台北


Had a long walk and climbing flights and flights of stairs at 九份老街, boy the weather is killing us!  We climbed all the way to the top just to buy the famous 阿柑姨 dessert.  Had a fun time writing all our wishes onto the lantern and see them all lit up then set them freely into the blue blue sky!  Hope all wishes come true!  The shop assistant was helpful and insisted to help us take some photos at the railway track using ah Thiang's DSLR - Mmm, not too bad lah I must say... the effects were like those how we go bridal outdoor shoot.  LOL!  *I liked.*

Day 6: 台北>五分铺>饒河街夜市>101大樓>夜宿台北


The day Imma looking forward to - is visiting Jay Chou's themed restaurant!  ah Thiang was so so so so so super nice okay, kept reminding me to check out if they are still in operation and ask me to make reservation.  Nice right?  Eventhough he kept making fun of my idol and say he mumbled all his songs and cannot hear properly and will make him puke if he listen to his songs while dining at the restaurant like until he don't want to go... but in the end, he still ask driver to send me there!  One of my birthday wishes come true.  *sweet*  We only managed to catch the night view of Taipei 101 as we took quite awhile to do our shopping at 五分铺... bought some stretchy bottoms and nothing much... such a disappointment because the quality and range of clothes were like those selling in Platinum Mall but the price like not within my expectations.

Day 7: 台北>维多利亚花园餐厅>桃園機場


Last day in Taipei!  We had sometime for lunch at a Victorian theme restaurant before our flight departure back to Singapore at 3pm.  Restaurant was very nicely decorated but my order of some pork as main course SUCKS.  So tough that you can't even chew properly, I should have followed the crowd and ordered chicken (and I had to order a cup noodles on our flight back).  Right after our lunch, we were all on the road to the airport.  Bid goodbye to 三彤  and took some photos before we check into our luggages....

A quick overview of what we had over the last 7 days in Tawan!  Actually everywhere in their night markets and on the streets sell the simliar stuffs and bites but my favorites are still the 香肠 and mee sua!


Sunday, 7 July 2013

Our First Philips Avent Purchase!

07 July 2013

Shopping for our first baby products!

Not forgetting to mention that the Yeos bought us a Quinny Buzz 3 from the last Motherhood Fair!  That 战车 (with baby car seat from PWP promotion) of ours cost them almost S$900 (S$899 to be exact, the usual price is S$1099 without baby car seat)!  Lavishing us with sucha 厚礼 (what are bradaas & sistas for...  :P)!

Since then, ah Thiang has been surfing the net on all the accessories to zhng his 战车... can't be more than happy that he did cos I can sensed that he is really really excited to becoming a father (rather than showing me his excitment via his expression, he expressed by committing his time researching on the brands, features, reviews for each and particular nursing model/item!).  Of course this can be very tiring for him since he has to cope with work and after dinner and bath, he straight hop-on to the bed and was glued to his iPad for the rest of the evening until bedtime.  How can I not love him more?  Lol.

Thanks to the latest news released by Amazon.com, we can now buy online and have our loots shipped to Singapore for free* (items purchased must sold and shipped by Amazon.com and orders must be more than USD125 and not exceeding USD400 per transaction)!  He has already has more than 20 items in his shopping cart waiting to be carted out (pending green light from me because we have limited storage space for now)!  So for some of the items that cannot be shipped directly to Singapore, we have to trouble our Aunt to recieve the package for us and resend them to us or bring back when she is returning for a home-visit next January I guessed!

Chanced upon the Robinson cardmembers promotion leaflet one night, and he started to seriously compare the price online to the promotional steal offered by Robinson... guessed what, he is sold!  We head down to Centrepoint and fasterly grab the offer.

看哪孩子的爸那专注的眼神!*真迷人* / ah Thiang posing with his first purchase of baby products!

 
The steal: S$209 nett (usual price for Comfort Single electric breast pump is already S$309!) from the flyer it says promotional set S$279, cardmembers S$259 plus S$50 vouchers off with S$250 charged to the card!

What's in the steal: Comfort Single electric breast pump x1, Natural feeding bottle 9oz x1, Natrual feeding bottle 40z x2, Breast milk storage containers x3, Bibs x2, Nipple cream x1, Breast pads x1, Electric bottle and baby food warmer x1.

Who can resist such offer?  So I finally gave him green light for this steal!  :)

Saturday, 6 July 2013

New Chapter of My Life (1st Trimester)

06 July 2013

One pee changes everything.  Yesh.  I am not just pregnant, I am abdominally challenged.

Because of some pang-tang issues, I cannot announced this 天大的喜事 until I completed my first trimester... and today marks the completion of my first trimester!  So, anyhoots I can only backtrack history alittle...  (sounds like history in the making!)... whoopwhoopwhoop!


On 7 May, two days before my actual period is due, we tested with a home-kit and it turned out positive!  Being kaisu and because 2 test-kit is still somehow cheaper than buying 1 test-kit so we got the dual pack instead but now I am stucked with the other test-kit brand new sitting in the drawer...

To double confirm this great news, we'll have to make our first visit to the Gynae before we can announce our "fruit of labour" to our family!  ah Thiang (now the father of my child) then searched for the nearest Gynae clinic available and it is just across where we stayed!

One week after we tested positive using the home kit, we are here at the Gynae clinic for our first appointment - by then I am already at week 5!  My Gynae, Dr Lee 行医-ed since 1975!  You cannot imagine how lean and young he looked in his attire with matching white shoes (my imagination was a flabby old uncle with fatherly look, in his late fifties)!  I did my first ultrasound scan and to find there is this little 'waterbag' measuring 0.97cm formed inside my womb - and inside the 'waterbag' contained this tiny 'full-stop' size dot!  This.is.Miracle.  My first visit to the Gynae cost us $280 ($120 consultation, $60 medication, $80 ultrascan and $20 lab test)!  I told the father of my child that his/her first photo cost us $80!  *pun-intended*
 
Baby bump and scan at week 5


Another one week later - week 6, we were scheduled for our second appointment.  This time the scan cost abit more, $85... total fees cost us $240 ($120 consultation, $15 medication, $85 ultrascan and S$20 lab test!).  Because Dr Lee was having some difficulty in seeing that little baggage in my womb and the scanning part took alittle bit longer than usual.  My little miracle grew alot more from the first scan but this time there weren't measurement indicated in the print out therefore I am unable to guage how BIG this were.

Baby bump and scan at week 6


We were scheduled for a third appointment - week 9, just one week before we depart for Taiwan.  Good news was that Dr Lee say it is safe travel on my 10weeks!  That means I can go ahead with my babymoon to Taiwan before we are home-bound with the baby!  YAY!  I did a blood test and this round my bill choked to $355 ($120 consultation, $22 medication, $85 ultrascan, blood test $98 and S$20 lab test!).  *cough cough*  Now my little miracle grew much bigger at 2.64cm!  I hope we can see its gender soon...

Baby bump and scan at week 9


Back from our fourth appointment - week 12, this morning... and my little miracle is now measuring 5.94cm, twice the size!  I am checked all OK from my blood test result!  Finally signed up the antenatal package with the clinic and this is the MOST expensive bill we have paid so far from all my consultations - $730 ($650 antenatal package, $45 ultrascan and fish oil $35!).

Baby bump and scan at week 12


Now can finally break this good news to  my close friends one by one... more updates after my fifth appointment - week 15 in three weeks time!  :)