So it’s the end of 2019. I’m finally forty! And still fabulous, hahaha 😎

Work

The year began with a bittersweet ending for me. I resigned from a job that was starting to bore me and showed no prospects of any progression, but it was a workplace that I loved so much – the friends, the bosses, the wonderful location, and the proximity to my home. I struggled to make the decision to leave. Then the whole process took so long that I thought I would be happy to finally leave but my last day of work was actually not as happy as I imagined 😭

Score: ➖

Time management

Changing to a workplace that is not 15-munute walk from my home resulted in some changes to my personal schedule. I can no longer attend the exercise class at the park because the longer commute home means 1. I’m already tired by the time I reach home in the evening and 2. It’s challenging to gobble down my dinner and head off to a tabata workout immediately without throwing up the food. Everything became so rushed and I just stopped looking forward to the workouts. So that’s a minus point there, although my weight gain was a definite positive 😑

On the other hand, the longer commute means that I can actually do my reading on the bus and not have to stay up to read!

Score: ➕

Drawing

So instead of reading at night I started drawing again! It started with a personal challenge I set for myself in March – to spend 10 minutes drawing every day for 30 days. The challenge ended and I continued to draw regularly, practising on any blank paper whenever I have time. It’s cool. Its fun. And I can see myself improving. A definite win here 😁

Score: ➕

Sewing

Surprisingly, I got a bit of sewjo back this year and managed to sew a few zipper pouches, tissue cases for my sisters and friends, a coin pouch and 3 blouses for myself, as well as two zippered pouches, a dress, matching t shirt and skirt set for kiki, and also a grey skirt that is too tight for me so it has become kiki’s maxi skirt 🤣

My favourite sew of the year is this slim pencil pouch with 2 separate compartments inside! And of course I had to make a matching one for kiki or she would nag die me 😭

Score: ➕

Piano

Last year I tried to be home during lunch time at least once a week to do piano practise. This became impossible after my new job and so this is still something I need to work on 😣

Score: ➖

Time with the kids

The most painful price I had to pay for changing my job is the reduced time I have with the kids, especially the twins. In the past few years, it was the norm for me to have lunch with them during school holidays or just randomly take leave and bring them out. But because my current workplace is no longer 2 bus stops away from home, I’m not able to anyhow meet them for lunch. And because I have just joined the organisation, my leave is pro-rated, so I’ve been super frugal with my leave applications and have not been bringing them on any excursions or play time 😣

This truly sucks because the twins are now ten years old and slowly gaining independence. It won’t be long before they start wanting to go about their activities without me 😭😭😭

Score: ➖➖

Lost and found

On mother’s day this year, my favourite shinzi katoh tote bag was stolen along with my personal belongings, including the 平安符 that had been with me since I was in primary school. I was devastated and cried for many days, went around begging people to help me look for clues..

In the end I never found the lost bag and the culprit was never found as the police was not able to find any conclusive evidence.

I learned so much from this incident. I am touched by all my friends who offered their help, my sister who worried about me, my brother who got me a new 平安符，and my friends who started to gift me with 0.3mm mechanical pencils that they happened to see in stationery shops. #感动

more importantly, I now understand that physical items are replaceable and what matters most is the memory we keep within our hearts. I can now understand that I am letting go of my attachment to the physical item, not the memories. In a way, I am thankful for the theft for allowing me to understand this 😌

I am also thankful to my father who gave me enough money (via 4D first prize) to buy a new wallet to replace the stolen one. 谢谢爸爸 ❤

Score: ➖➕➕

===

Although this was supposed to be a bad year for people born in the year of goat but I felt that it was overall pretty ok. Shit happened but I was able to learn something useful from it.

My favourite thing about this year is the amount of learning I managed to squeeze into my life. I hope I can continue to learn and grow next year. Read more, draw more, play more, run more, sleep more, eat more, but lose more weight lol!

Here’s a loving farewell kiss to 2019 💋

On the twins birthday, we had our THIRD furama staycation so I figured it’s about fucking time I blogged about this hotel!

The first time we stayed at this hotel, we booked 2 separate rooms because at that time I was not aware of the family package. After our first stay, we were very impressed with the food at the Square restaurant as well as the indoor kids playground Waka Waka,  so we decided to have another staycation during the March school holidays. 

This was when I discovered the FAMILY THEME ROOMS! 

Some of the best things about the FAMILY THEME ROOMS/SUITES are:

• Free buffet breakfast for parents and kids
• Free buffet dinner for parents and kids
• Free 30 mins play at Waka Waka for each day of your stay. 30 mins is not enough BUT you can get discounted tickets through the hotel for all your kids!
• Complimentary milk 
• Complimentary toiletries for kids. Kiki loves the free toothbrush and tooth paste. She is a true-blue teochew. 

Family Theme Room

The room we got for our second stay was pirate themed and it was freaking awesome! 

Kids went crazy over the bunk bed. I did too. Hee hee..

The room was quite cosy.. twins playing Xbox,  kiki enjoying her milk on the slouch bean bag, and fat X nuahing on the couch.. 

Family Theme Suite

For our third stay, we checked in on the twins birthday, we were offered an upgrade to a suite by topping up $80. The staff brought us to the theme room as well as the theme suite so that we could decide on which to get. 

After viewing both, we decided to upgrade since the price difference was not too big!

Kids room with the bunk bed, tv,  and Xbox 

A cute little tent by the side of the bunk bed

The main bedroom with a king sized bed and the mesh cover which we both found pretty annoying lol.

Birthday cake for the twins and cupcakes for the three kids.

Happy twins with their birthday cake. 

Pretty mummy with the three little pigs. 

After checkout, we went to the kids favourite playground – Waka Waka! 

Furama Riverfront is only 5 minutes drive from our home but someone was so tired that she fell asleep on the way back and I had to carry her back from the carpark.. this is what she did when her face hit the sofa once we reached home XD

Buffet dinner at the Square

I dun have any pictures of the restaurant or the food there.. here’s a single picture of the kids playing in the children play area (so adults can pig out without little rascals whining about being bored)

Waka waka

The legendary volcano slide!

Finally made it to the top!

Swimming pool

The hotel provides water guns for kids to play!

We brought our own baby float for kiki, loving inflated using papa’s breath lol

The children’s water slide where kiki had a lot of fun and many unflattering photos taken by me!