Singapore Invasion II

Right at this very hour, my brother is flying to Singapore for his second visit to this island-state. His first tour was in 2007, an all-expense paid trip from his very generous brother (that’s me). But things changed, he has now a job so he will be shouldering his own airfare. And he will not only be seeing me and my wife, but the Sto.Domingo Family, of course with the addition of our little girl.

He wrote on his blog that he will be MIA for some RnR and I’m happy to say that I will have a fair share of those acronyms because I will be on leave from tomorrow until Tuesday. Needless to say, it’ll be an early weekend for me, and a very busy one for sure.

Father’s Day is on Sunday so my warmest greetings to all great fathers out there, and come Tuesday, I will be celebrating my birthday! Man, I’m getting old! God is good, he has blessed me with wonderful 33 years and counting, a lovely wife, an adorable daughter, and a good brother!

Here is a picture taken in 2007 in Sentosa, Singapore. Days when I can still wear a small sized shirt!

Photos and more stories soon. Cheers!

Flower Power

Remember my post entitled Here Fishy Fishy? It’s all about my fascination with balloon creations and my desire to learn the basics.

Well, I did pursue that and bought a pack of balloons the last time we went grocery shopping. And with my keen observance on how a balloon artist did it (there are a lot of balloon artists in Singapore whenever there are children events), I tried to create my first one. And here is the outcome.

Woohooo! Kudos to me (clap, clap clap!) I can now make a flower! I’m proud of myself because before this I can only make a worm!

Cedele!

Last Saturday, we attended the Young Parents Magazine’s SmartParenting Seminar entitled All About Allergies. Surprisingly, unlike the previous seminars we had with them, this one had small attendance. It turned out to be a good one. We only had two sessions, two speakers, and the buffet queue is also short!

After that, we bought some clothes for Ashrie at ZARA and then proceed to Ngee Ann City for some window shopping. We’ve been trying our best not to buy for Ashrie anymore. And yes we failed again, but what an improvement, we only bought one toy for her, Elmo!

Dinner was at Cedele Restaurant. I have always loved Cedele cakes, a bit expensive than other cakes but well worth the price. It was our first time in their cafe and it turned out to be a wonderful dining experience. Jane had Beef Onion Portabello and I had Red Seafood Pasta Arabiatta. Ashrie had her own yoghurt (not from the resto) for dinner.

Here are some of our photos last Saturday (or should I say my girls' photos)!

Ashrie and Jane at the second floor lobby of  the Singapore Marriott Hotel after the seminar.

Ashrie browsing over the menu. She didn't like anything because there are no pictures of the food!

Elmo, her latest chum! (She watches Sesame Street every morning and like him so much)

Jane's Beef and Onion Portobello Burger. Thick, juicy beef patty, a large chunk of mushroom, lettuce and tomatoes on a soft pumpkin bun

My Seafood Pasta Arabiatta. Pasta with succulent prawns, fish chunks, large mussels in  rich and tasty tomato sauce.

Ashrie, full and happy!

Are You Too Busy To Hug Your Child?

I chanced upon an article shared by a page I follow in Facebook (Today’s Motherhood) with the title Are You Too Busy To Hug Your Child? Just by reading the title, not even the whole article, it pierces deep into my heart to ask that same question to myself.

Oftentimes, when I am too busy watching TV, eating, or just slugging around, I tend to neglect my little one, on the defence that she’s playing on her own. But we all know that I can do better.

Enough of self-infliction and needless to say the importance of the physical touch to a growing individual like my child, I would like to share some of the tips I’ve learned to be a better child hugger:

• Say good morning with a hug
• Say good night with a hug and a kiss
• Say thank you with a hug
• Say sorry with a hug

So go ahead, hug your child, feel her heartbeat, nurture her with all the XOXO you can give! :-)

Walk the Dog

She can walk now! And she's enjoying every minute of it. Sometimes, she crawls on all fours with her knees not touching the floor because she finds it faster to move that way, for now.

Here are some of her latest photos walking her toy dog. Enjoy!