Hi! I’m Grace. Welcome to my blog, WorkingWithGrace. 🙂 Starting this blog in 2010 has allowed me to interview a number of inspiring people, many of whom are celebrities, millionaires and entrepreneurs. One person I did not expect to be able to interview was Peter Buffett, the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett!
Since 2013, this blog has received awards and recognition from many brands. I’ve been blessed with awards such as these ones:
At the Singapore Blog Awards 2013
Absolutely didn’t know then that I was receiving my award from the future PM of Singapore! (@_@)
2013 Best Individual Blog WINNER at the annual Singapore Blog Awards 2013 Aries Gold Watches’ Blogger Contest WINNER 2013 Zespri Blogger Challenge WINNER 2013 StarHub Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 BRANDS’ Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 Influr Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 Panasonic Blogger Challenge WINNER 2015 SingSaver Blogger Contest WINNER
… and more. 🙂
These days, I spend most of my time with my daughter, Melody. She’s such a bundle of joy… and probably the only person in the world who’s absolutely delighted to see me at 5 o’clock in the morning in my PJs and messy bed hair. Hahaha!
So do stay around if you’re keen on parenting and lifestyle topics as the person I’m most curious about these days is this precious little one, and the only award I give a hoot about now is “Best Mama”! 😀
The majority of commenters online seem to take the side of the elderly man, because (1) assault/violence is wrong, (2) they believe he had no ill intentions, and (3) people found out he’s actually a hawker at that establishment (i.e. he’s not some random dirty old man preying on young girls at coffeeshops).
I think he knows now that it’s NOT a good idea to touch other people’s children. Just don’t. One day, you’ll meet a martial arts expert father who’ll throw you to the ground as if you were a ragdoll.
Was watching Joe Augustin’s tiktok live on this subject and realised (when folks pointed out) that the elderly man had first touched the mother on the arm/shoulder region as he was shuffling around and using the tables for support. And he may have turned to her to apologise for the unintended touch. Then shortly after, he patted the girl on the head. I’d totally understand how the mother felt cos waddya mean you say sorry you touched me and then within seconds you touch my daughter (this time on purpose, evidently)?
Also… no one has pointed this out: coffeeshop tables are usually filthy. Greasy, sticky, grimy. So DON’T TOUCH anyone after you’ve touched a table, can?
The girl was seated beside the father instead of beside the mother. Otherwise, the elderly hawker would not have been able to reach her. So to the dad (that most people say overreacted), it’s like he’d barely left his family for a minute when one after another, his wife and then daughter both got ‘touched’ by an unidentified old man. No wonder he was furious. How he responded was wrong, obviously. I’m not defending his actions of flinging an elderly person to the ground. I simply understand his rage.
Would it have been different if the hawker was female? I think so. Nonetheless, PLEASE don’t touch other people’s children. You had your chance to have your own kids. You could touch / kiss / cuddle / hug / carry / whatever. You do NOT have any right whatsoever to touch someone else’s child. ESPECIALLY if you’re unrelated to the person. It’s molest, period.
When you see someone walking a dog, and the dog looks so cute, you ASK the owner first whether you can pat the dog EVEN IF the dog is looking at you all expectantly and wagging its tail and looking like it WANTS you to pat it. You ask FIRST. (And the owner can actually tell you if the dog will bite off all your fingers)
Why is it that when it’s a human child, you can simply touch whenever you like? How ridiculous. And the girl was having a drink, basically doing her own thing and minding her own business, and some old man decides he can just touch her on the head, out of the blue?! It’s not like she returned a tray with used crockery to his stall, thanked him in fluent Mandarin for the meal, and therefore deserved a pat on the head.
Uncle… what the girl’s dad did was wrong but what you did was also wrong ya? If you are so frail already, and using tables for support, just touch tables will do lah hor. Later people think you use the girl’s head for support how? Table, can touch. If it’s a living thing, better not. Later their laopeh hoot you, bite you, or throw you around like a used sock.
It’s Melody’s first visit to Tokyo so I planned for us to stay at different hotels/Airbnb every night. It meant that we wouldn’t need to spend a lot of time traveling back to the same hotel every time as we visited different parts of Tokyo. We would avoid the peak hours which is super important since we’re traveling with a toddler… who can decide at any time that her legs are tired and she wants a lie-flat experience in her stroller while traveling in a packed train. (@_@) We spent 5 nights in Tokyo so here are the 5 spots we called ‘home’ every night…
First up is Sunshine City Prince Hotel Ikebukuro. Ours was Room 3038. It had an unblocked view of the city AND a vending machine on the same floor (I guess there are machines at every level, but I didn’t check). The hotel provided a toothbrush and the cutest bedroom slippers for the kiddo too. There was literally nothing to complain about here.
It was super convenient to get to as the Sunshine City Prince Hotel Ikebukuro is one of the stops served by the airport limousine bus from Haneda Airport! We were sent literally to the hotel’s doorstep. Level 1 even has a Family Mart outlet with everything you could possibly need during your stay… even claw machines!!! The hotel is linked to the Sunshine City Mall on L1 and B1. The latter has McDonald’s (on your right) and a Thomas’ train indoor playground on the left where you enter first and pay only upon exit (so if your kiddo is like Melody – who refused to leave – you really GG liao). Hotel guests can obviously pop by when the indoor playground opens at 10am… and it’s EMPTY! Feels like you booked the whole place for your kid. Our revisit index for this hotel is a 10/10.
Second hotel was Nesthotel in Kuramae. A boutique hotel with compact Japanese rooms. The toilet is good for regular-sized Asians. If you are an oversized angmoh, you will get stuck. XD Even the ‘bin’ in the toilet is about the size of your stationery holder or small desktop dustbin. And yes… for breakfast, there are mini breads / pastries at L2 near the Reception counter. 24/7 drinks machine for hot chocolate, coffee and tea. My only complaints are that the bed I slept on made me itch… and there’s only one pillow per bed.
Revisit index: 6.5/10
Zenziren is kinda like serviced apartments… except the staff are all elderly folks. Take the train to Yoyogi station and exit A3. McDonald’s is just across the road and the curved glass doors to its right will lead you to the lift that goes up to L7 where Zenziren is. It’s one whole level of what were formerly office units, now converted into ‘hotel rooms’. There is a curfew from midnight to 6am… likely due to the elderly staff, as stated. Probably the most interesting place to stay at COS WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS A CURFEW?! 😀
You can choose to have your breakfast served to your room at one of three timeslots. Our 3-year-old didn’t get a meal but it’s OK. There’s Lawson’s across the road and lots of food and kombini options available, and that McD! We stayed in Room 7 – super dated look as you can tell from the photo. But this place is very accessible by train, so it’s a happy tradeoff. Revisit index: 8/10 but just for one night.
Night #4 was at this Airbnb place in Shibuya. It was supposedly a 10-minute walk from Shibuya JR Station but we took the wrong route – and most of it was uphill. My soul left my body halfway… cos we were dragging our luggage along. And pushing the stroller with the toddler who claims she cannot walk but later proceeds to bounce happily over the 4 beds when we reached.
We ordered Sushiro to be delivered via UberEats. It was awesome! Super speedy! We loved that there were 4 beds and a proper table to have dinner at. There’s also a fridge, toaster, kettle, microwave oven too! You can even cook in this apartment if you’d like. There’s a washing machine, etc. The only strange thing is that the toilet is in a separate ‘room’ from the bathtub. And when you sit on the toilet bowl, there is this low wall that is right in your face. Very awkward. But this Airbnb has floral fragranced toilet paper.
Revisit index (after the crazy uphill walk) -2000/10
Final hotel stay was at Shinagawa Prince. I booked this hotel because of its proximity to Haneda Airport. There was no wayyy we were gonna miss our flight back to SG… ever! To get to this hotel, just cross the road from Shinagawa station – you can use Google Maps to get the direction right.
We stayed in Room 2925 in the Annex Wing. The hotel is so ginormous that they have an East Wing and a Main Building too, both of which we had to ‘cut through’ to get to the Annex Wing. Reception is on L7 and there is a drugstore sorta shop on L1 which sells diapers, etc. I bought Melody a bath toy here, and cold cream for myself (the dry, cold air was getting to me). There’s also another shop selling souvenirs, so if you have a ridiculously early / late flight and you want to buy gifts for the folks back home… you can pop by the shop.
Just one bed so we won’t oversleep and miss our checkout time. XD Smart right?
We also walked to Kura Sushi for an early dinner (hence no need to queue). It’s all self-serve from the moment you walk in. Super worth it! On the way there, we passed by a supermarket so we went back after dinner to get strawberries, watermelon and cut fruits (orange, pineapple). It’s really cheap and good.
Upon checkout, we walked back to Shinagawa station and immediately spotted the Keikyu Line ticket machines. Just 330yen to Haneda! Head up to the platform and board the blue train to the airport.
When people ask how many kids I have, I’ll tell them “One”, and this leads to the follow-up question of “Trying for number 2?” My usual polite answer to this is “No” but what I’m actually thinking of uttering is “OVER MY DEAD BODY” with a gazillion exclamation marks after. And the truth is: should I find myself (accidentally) pregnant with said #2, I’m heading straight for an abortion. (*So I’m absolutely not getting into such “accidents”)
Then you may ask… “But doesn’t your husband want a son?” Maybe. Does my father-in-law want a grandson? Definitely. Do I give a shit? Absolutely not.
Me having another child means Melody will be dethroned from her exalted sole-grandchild-in-either-side-of-the-family status. I’m not going to do that to her. That would be plain cruel. PLUS… I have suffered enough. I am no baby-making machine. I have one and I’m done. Amen. Do SG men sign up for another round of NS after ORD the first time? Nope. Once is enough. My sentiments exactly.
~
Our daughter is now three years old, and it feels like we work two jobs. The first one is what pays the bills, and when we get home, the second shift continues. We first need to ensure she is fed and bathed. And toddlers love saying ‘No’.
And all those toys we bought for her? We’re supposed to play WITH her. And when we’re feeling up to it, we tackle the Herculean task of trying to get a very active toddler to sit still and learn all about the awesome letters in the Alphabet. Sometimes I have to peel her off her father’s back or shoulders because she’d climbed right up the moment he sat down on the living room floor. Hello, do we still need a son, you reckon?
And for a three-year-old, she gets a ridiculous amount of homework from school. The most recent one is to construct a 3D-model of our home. Guess who has to do all the homework (such as a handmade lantern for Deepavali last year or a 3D-model of an SG landmark for National Day the previous year)? ME.
Have another kid? You think I’m siao ah?
~
If you ask me how much money one should have in the bank before trying for a kid, I’d say “At least $100,000!” Of course, the more the merrier. The main reason for having this 6-figure sum set aside is so that Mummy can be with the child for the first 18 months of the child’s life, without having to go to work. Abuse cases in preschools are quite rampant, though of course some instances go unreported. Read about this one in which a preschool teacher force-fed a baby till the child vomited: Preschool teacher charged with abusing 3 babies including force-feeding child until she vomited – CNA (*At the end of this CNA article, read about the “string of crimes” committed at preschools across Singapore)
Are you still going to send your 4-month-old to infant care?
And that’s assuming your child is born healthy and stays healthy. What if he/she isn’t?
Recently, there were back-to-back fundraising efforts for Baby Ginny, a 5-month-old that has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and requires $2.4 million for treatment in order to see her 2nd birthday, and Baby Faziq who’s a nine-month-old with the same condition.
At this point, I’m ready to conclude that unless you have a Good Class Bungalow or maybe own two condos, don’t even think about having children. Some things are just out of your control, and one wrong move could lead you and your family into financial ruin… for generations.
You may say “Oh that’s just two kids, what are the chances yours will have SMA?” It need not be SMA, it could be other more common ailments such as asthma or eczema. How about autism? What about food allergies? (Some kids in my daughter’s class have egg allergies so they can never eat the birthday cakes when their classmates have their celebrations in school. They have to sing the birthday song, watch their friends stuff their faces with cake and ask for more, but… they can only eat the fruit or whatever-it-is their parents have placed in their lunchboxes. And they actually have EpiPens in their bags!) What if your child has a cleft lip or some facial deformity – maybe a birthmark on the face which strangers in public will stare at and even ask you about all the time? What if… your child is born deaf or blind?
If you’re the ‘optimistic’ kind of person who always expects the best to happen, then consider this real-life example I’d witnessed. At a kid’s clinic we went to, a couple dressed in work clothes were arguing about whose turn it was to take care of their child ill with a fever. The kid, still in a preschool uniform, had evidently been rejected at preschool check-in due to temperature checks. Mummy says she has an important presentation to the Boss today while Daddy says he has taken too much leave and it’s going to affect his promotion prospects. SO… if you’re going to argue about this with your spouse, I’d suggest you ‘settle’ this before even making a baby. (And if you are thinking about domestic helpers, or the grandparents helping to care for your kid… ha! More issues, headaches and stuff to stress or annoy you)
Even though Melody went to preschool only after she turned 18 months old, I had thoughts of requesting for partial refunds, because she was in school for less than half the time. When people tell you that kids in preschools fall sick all the time, they weren’t exaggerating.
But but but… Singapore gives eligible working parents up to 6 days of paid childcare leave per year, you say? EVEN IF your child survives on acai berries and chia seed puddings, and has superhuman immunity, did you know that preschools have scheduled days off every year for things like “Staff Training Day” and “Professional Development”? How many days, you ask? For my kid’s Sparkletots preschool, EXACTLY 6 days! What a coincidence!
So we have to care for our kid on those no-school days!
So, if spinsters encourage you to get married or if childless couples standing on the sidelines are cheering you on to raise the TFR, it is very important that you ignore them. UNLESS they are willing to provide, say, $2.4 million as ‘insurance’ for you in case things don’t go according to plan.
~
People say that as you grow older, you stop blaming your parents for whatever they did wrong. But till this day, I’d tell my mother I blame her for not being a Drama Queen and not conveying accurately how devastatingly tiring it is to care for a newborn after having a c-section (which is MAJOR surgery, ok, all you idiotic males). In the past, my mother would just tell my sister and me that taking care of a baby was “so tiring” and that her “arm felt like it was going to break” carrying my sister and trying to rock her to sleep during the time both of us had chickenpox (I’d gotten infected in preschool, and brought the virus back home. Sorry sis)
The way my mother had said it… it’s like she had gone clubbing and did not sleep for one night-kind of tiring. Didn’t seem very tiring to me back then. I COULD NOT EMPATHISE!
If you’d ask me NOW how tiring it was to care for a newborn… *clears throat*
Imagine a terrorist group kidnaps you because it mistakenly thinks you have knowledge of certain intel it requires, and to extract that information from you, firstly, they keep you locked up. Then they keep you highly stressed throughout the day and night (loud noises to get your heart racing, constantly keeping you in a fearful state because you don’t know what’s going to happen next), and the worst bit is: the sleep deprivation torture. The result: You are so freaking exhausted that if you have a bit of wall to lean on, or a chair to sit in, you’ll instantly fall asleep. Insomnia? Nah, that shit doesn’t exist anymore.
Photos taken on the same day! Hubby first took an unglam shot of me snoozing (at least I had the presence of mind to secure baby in carrier first) AND LAUGHED. A few hours later, I took a similar shot of him dropping dead sound asleep in the same spot. Our baby only snoozes in the daytime. She parties hard at night! And we were just SO TIRED. I was someone who NEVER took naps before having a baby. Ha!
And, I kid you not, by the time our daughter was around 2 – 3 months old, I was at breaking point. I was checking the MSF website and Googling terms like “Singapore child up for adoption”. I looked out our grille-less windows at home and thought of ending this unrelenting exhaustion once and for all. I just couldn’t decide if the baby should leave with me, or not. I even told the polyclinic nurse during a routine check-up. She didn’t think much of it. She simply said my daughter’s so cute she’d be the first to adopt her. (@_@) I think she was kinda missing the point about post-natal depression and such. But oh well. Thanks for the, er, compliment.
How did we get so tired, you may ask? We gave Melody round-the-clock care. We were afraid of this thing called SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – feel free to Google it). We also let her rest her head on a pillow so she wouldn’t have Flat Head Syndrome which would require a costly customised helmet to correct. So… to ensure she did not suddenly suffocate, we’d have eyes on her 24/7. Prior to having this baby, I’d often sleep from 10pm to 10am and wake up ready to take on the world. After Melody was born, I’d go to bed at 6pm or so, set multiple alarms to wake me up at 2am, have a quick shower and cry and regret my life choices, and go take care of baby while Hubby sleeps then goes to work. Often, that shift would last from 2am to 2pm. We did not have a confinement nanny, lactation consultant, nor maid. Dealing with post-surgery recovery, breastfeeding woes, and a severe lack of sleep meant those days of being tortured by a terrorist caring for a newborn still haunt me. If you don’t have a kid, don’t bloody tell me you can empathise ah !!!! !!!!
SO when Melody grows up and asks “Mama, how tiring was it to take care of a newborn?” I’d tell her that I almost jumped out a window with her. I also nearly gave her up for adoption. THAT’S how tiring it was. Still wanna have kids?
So when people who have a solid 8 hours of sleep every night encourage you to have children, ask them if they’ll take the night shift on your behalf so you can function properly in the daytime instead of being a zombie. If they say “Hell no!” then that’s your response when they ask you to have a kid lah.
~
People say that once your kid is born, you start to worry about him/her till you die. It’s true. If you have a baby, you’ll know. If the fella makes a little noise or coughs in the middle of the night, you wake right up to check on him/her. If it’s been quiet for some time, you get up to check too: is the baby still breathing? How to have good sleep, you tell me?
AND when (not if, but when) your infant has a fever in the middle of the night, and the medication doesn’t seem to have much effect, you either rush down to A&E OR if you are slightly more chill, give the fella a bath every 2 hours or so to bring that temperature down. No sleep, lots of crying, lots of worrying.
And if you had to choose between having one child and going on five family holidays a year OR having five children and having to scrimp and save for that ONE annual family trip, what would you pick? I’m booking five trips, bro. The TFR can go fly a kite.
If you want more Money, Sleep, and Peace, do not have children. Learn from PM Lawrence Wong and Minister Indranee. These very successful politicians are leading by example. Now all you need to do is just follow what they are doing. Not what they say, but what they do. XD
Because there are no detours. A detour is like instead of going straight to KL, I decide to visit Malacca first – have a delightful time eating yummy food, doing touristy things like hopping into a Hello Kitty-themed trishaw and so on. Having a kid is not a detour… it just derails all your plans (career, finance, travel, health, etc) and completely changes your life instead of just “completing you”. When I read reports about moms jumping out of windows with their infants, I empathise. I truly do.
We got back from Japan yesterday evening and decided to have dinner at JEWEL before heading home. Great idea, as traffic was super smooth after dinner. AND… I finally got to visit Elfuego at their new location at level 5 of JEWEL. THANKFULLY, the food’s still good, though of course, lunch sets would have offered even better value-for-money. No biggie. Gonna head back again. And in the picture you see above, they had a few tables decked out as if it’s Valentine’s Day. XD God knows this place is gonna be PACKED come February 14th. Apparently some folks were celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Anyway… for our dinner for two-plus-one-toddler, we dropped $106 on these…
Lobster Bisque ($13++) which was more than decent. Not overly salty, which I like.
The toddler prefers mushroom soup though. SO… she did not want to touch this at all.
Tagliatelle Porcini Mushroom ($26++) because said todder ADORES mushrooms. The fungi were good, and so was that crispy thingy on top (which is like a savory cracker). The choice of pasta was regrettable… kinda thick and chewy so I’d rather have linguini instead. Chef… could you make it happen? XD
I’d rate this 7/10.
‘Salmone’ pizza (also $26++), good for 3 – 4 pax actually so it’s apparently much better value-for-money than the pasta above. Salmon, large chunks of mushroom, and… leeks? Very interesting choice of erm… ‘greens’ cos they lend a touch of bitterness to an otherwise just savory and cheesy pizza. 10/10 would order again.
AND yes, there’s a lamp on each table so you are GUARANTEED good photos every single time. LOL!
Asparagus with King Brown Mushroom ($14++) Ordered this because our daughter is the biggest fan of mushrooms we know. Was expecting thin, stringy asparagus but no… these are the ‘fully grown’ ones which I only eye but don’t buy at supermarkets because of their eye-watering pricetag. So this dish is REALLY worth it. 20/10 would order again.
Not pictured are the Vanilla Bean ice cream ($5++ and tasted so good), and two glasses of juice (Mango > Orange) which were also $5++ each. The juices taste like the ‘Peel Fresh’ carton variety so I’d probably skip them next time.
When I was paying for the meal, the Manager (I assume he’s one) asked if I was gonna use Visa or Mastercard, which I thought was a weird question to ask. I said Mastercard and he replied that there would be $6 OFF then. WOOOOOOOOOOO! Niceeeeeeeee!!! OK Lao Niang will be back.
Elfuego, #05-203 JEWEL Changi Airport. Located next to Jack’s Place.
I ate an entire chocolate cake from Bob the Baker Boy… all by myself. Hubby will probably only find out after reading this blogpost. Oopsies! And, thankfully, Melody is unable to read this yet. XD So yes… the chocolate cake you see in the picture above… it was so delicious, I finished it all myself. It’s not meant for sharing! 😛 And, in my defence, I’ve just ordered a brand new pastel pink treadmill online so I figured I’ll walk it all off after. Hehehe! What was for sharing, though, was this box of brownies below since there were all of 16 pieces! Thank you, lovely folks from Bob the Baker Boy, for sending all of these treats over and taking us to dessert heaven. 😀
Assorted Brownie Boxfrom Pinch Bakehouse- 16pcs GREAT FOR PARTIES / OFFICE MEETINGS
Pinch Bakehouse is the sister company of Bob The Baker Boy. And Pinch is Muslim-friendly. They do not use pork or lard, so dear Muslim friends, do give them a follow. And Chinese foodies who are inviting Muslim pals to visit your home during CNY, you can get these bakes from Pinch Bakehouse – surely well-received! And if you were to take some to the office too, everyone can grab a bite. 😉
The brownie topped with cornflakes is so creative. As you’d have guessed, it has a nice crunch with a caramel drizzle, and folks with a sweet tooth will find this so satisfying. And the best part about these brownies is that they don’t dry out or get hard from sitting in the fridge for a couple of days! They’ll still be soft and moist when you retrieve them from the fridge on Day 3. Consider me very impressed. I didn’t even put them in Tupperware containers or such. Just the box they came in.
The Brownie Box you’ll see on their website now is a bit different from what was sent to me. Now they have these delicate floral brownies which are oh-so-pretty. Do click on the link in blue and it’ll take you right to their website.
And this next cake made me chuckle when I took it out of the box. Because it says “twenty one” and I am so far from 21 that I appreciate the… erm… walk down memory lane. And since my sis was celebrating her birthday, and she’s in her thirties (like me), I said this cake’s for her. 😀 It’s hilarious! Thankfully, it doesn’t say ‘fifty-one’!!! 😀
This almost-forever-21 cake has chocolate balls inside… which I absolutely love. You can also choose to get the cake in other flavours, such as strawberry shortcake, which is their bestseller, or Signature 55% Belgian Chocolate (another hot fave, and definitely mine).
And if you’re throwing a party for kindergarteners or… models, maybe, Pinch Bakehouse has this Assorted Party Pack of bite-sized treats that are around 3cm each.
Super cute and tiny. Get them here. 10/10 keeping within calorie count for the day.
And NOW… these were the real shockers. These cookie tins are so gorgeous, and I wasn’t expecting the cookies inside to taste so good. I have to admit that I have eaten all the seasalt dark chocolate ones already… and am trying to ration the macadamia ones. Hur hur. Perfect balance of chewy-crunchy and definitely not dry or hard. How do they make cookies this good?!
Hubz chose today’s (early) dinner spot: Daily Chicken at Waterway Point. It takes the spot formerly occupied by Tiong Bahru Bakery which had taken over the spot from Cedele. Maybe it’s the fengshui, maybe it’s the shape of this unit. But let’s just say only the fittest of F&B brands will survive here. We’ve seen so many brands enter (and exit) since Waterway Point first opened, so we have a sense of what will work, and what won’t. So back to Daily Chicken…
No flyers were sent to our home. I’m not sure how much was done to publicise the opening of this outlet but we didn’t notice any hype and certainly took our own sweet time before coming by. XD I opened the menu and… I’ve got to say that the colours are rather dull and unappetising. But if you know anything about Korean-style fried chicken, you know it’s all about the taste, which usually does not disappoint. But hey, better pictures won’t hurt!
We ordered 1x Chicken Tender Gimbap ($15++), 1x Daily K-Coldmyeon ($8++), and 1x Daily Chicken Chi-Myeon Combo ($13++) which came with a choice of soft drink.
The Gimbap arrived literally three minutes after I hit the Submit order button. I was shocked. The gimbap tasted very clean (*healthy) and the kimchi it was paired with made it taste much better. And oh the kimchi’s not sour too, which I appreciate.
Then the cold noodles arrived. The auntie simply plonked it down and left. No mention of the dish, no wishing that you’ll enjoy it. Just drop and go. And it was around 3.30pm so… only three tables were occupied. Not a super busy timing, really. So service could have been a little better. (Just saying)
Ramyeon with ice cubes, sliced cucumber and half an egg.
I have doubts about the longevity of this concept because, really, what is it they do here that we cannot cook on our own at home? Ramyeon with ice cubes, sliced veg and an egg? Duh.
And my own main arrived… noodles were sweet… and the cucumber made an appearance again. The chicken was tasty but… just one drumstick and one chicken wing? Perhaps a chicken thigh instead of a wing would make it a more satisfying meal. But once again… what is it we cannot put together ourselves at home? Dry ramyeon with air-fried chicken?
All in all, pop by soon to try Daily Chicken if you want to. If you wait too long, this place might just be replaced with another concept. Maybe one of those China F&B brands. Sigh.
We spent $43.16 on this meal. And, sadly, I cannot even pinpoint one item I’d return to eat again. Just another ten bucks or so and we can have a meal for three at Sushiro, which my daughter loves. Sushi on the conveyor belt, sashimi, free flow water, and even a toy for my child at the end of the meal. Plus complimentary wet wipes too!
Not easy for F&B brands to survive at Waterway Point, really. Lots of young families with annoying little toddlers prone to screaming, bouncing on the seats, etc. So you’ve got to be family-friendly and offer food options which will tantalise the tastebuds of the picky little ones and also delight the weary, sleep-deprived parents. 😛
What I miss most about our stay in Jasmine Resort Hotel in Bangkok has to be the breakfast buffet spread. I’d always start with a fruit and veggie salad because their fruits are OH SO SWEET!!! The rockmelon… the pineapple… yum! And GET THIS: they offer ORGANIC vegetables for your salad. So fancy! It’s like we were at a health and wellness retreat. And there’s even gluten-free bread (which looks a little sus to me cos it looks like what you get when you reduce cardboard to pulp and mash it together into small blocks XD).
And, of course, there has to be fruit-infused water. There’s your usual coffee and tea and diabetes-inducing juices BUT you can choose the healthy options:
There’s an Egg Station too, so you can order your sunny sideup, omelette, scrambled eggs or even Eggs Benedict! *And there’s the usual: cereals, a selection of cooked foods, baked goods and cheeses, and even some items to cater to Japanese and Taiwanese guests like ‘lu rou fan’, miso soup, etc.
After breakfast, we took the BTS to Chit Lom to visit centralwOrld. Even at 10am, the trains are STILL packed. So be prepared to fold your baby stroller or WAIT till a suitable train comes by.
Kinokuniya had almost no Pokemon packs…
And there wasn’t a queue at Chagee so I bought us our first cups from this tea chain that’s so popular in Singapore. It even comes with a rather-pretentious-looking straw made out of 3 parts… Like 3 micro-straws glued together. Just tasted like average tea though. I don’t know what the fuss is about. Quite cool that there’s a free playground just behind Chagee though. So kiddos can have some fun while their parents try and figure out why Chagee’s taking South-east Asia by storm.
The best place to get Pokemon packs in Thailand has to be Toys”R”Us. Besides MSRP pricing, tourists spending over 2000 baht can also get a tax refund at the airport!
Around 100baht cheaper than at the TCG store near our hotel.
And here’s the Tax Refund table. So you can figure out how much to spend…
At Level 4, there is a mini-Pokemon Center of sorts. But their Mega Brave packs were all sold out.
The Care Bears Cafe is really worth a visit! You would think that the food served here might be overpriced and not yummy, BUT it’s actually decent. I also picked out some souvenirs for Melody’s teachers.
Can skip the cookies. Pretty… but not the yummiest.
I bought 6 packs of the Soft Dried Mango – gave 5 packs to teachers and enjoyed 1 pack myself. Really good. 🙂 I’d usually ‘gift’ something to teachers after Melody skips school due to a family vacation. When she returns to the classroom, she may have difficulty adjusting back to school life so… a sweet present never hurts, methinks. Also… I’ve noticed she gets very pretty hairdos afterwards.
In her Icecream-with-sprinkles Era. I should go get a bottle of sprinkles so she can have them with everything – prata, fruit salad, bread… XD
These were going at 1-for-1 as well. Super worth it.
The playground behind Chagee.
The obligatory visit to Big C.
The Care Bears merch might be cheaper here… though I didn’t actually compare prices.
We bought the Mango ones. XD
Melody started fussing midway through this supermarket visit. I thought she was having a UTI or something cos she kept grabbing at her diaper (which was dry). I quickly booked a Grab instead of taking the BTS back… and holy cow… once we reached the hotel room, she was right as rain. Hubz started saying something about how toddlers are excellent manipulators. And I’m like… why are you stating the obvious? Now let’s go watch Vlad and Niki on the giant TV screen with her, and bounce on the bed too.
Our princess has traveled a lot more than we did at her age. XD Barely three years old, she’s already been to Penang, KL, Taipei, Seoul and now… Bangkok! I picked our hotel with her in mind – I couldn’t find one with in-room ballpit, unlike the hotel we stayed in while in Seoul. So… we made do with a hotel room that came with its own (heated) jacuzzi. Sounds damn cool, right? Until you consider the fact that there are steps leading to the jacuzzi which can get wet and slippery… and I have a toddler who LURVESSS running around, exploring, and climbing stuff. You should have heard me say “No running! Walk sloooooowwly!” on loop. XD Luckily, there were no mishaps. Phew. Another silly thing we did was to book a 6.30am flight to BKK. This meant waking the Boss a good 5 hours ahead of her usual schedule. We deserved every bit of crankiness thereafter. Yup.
Our Jacuzzi Suite at Jasmine Resort Hotel also came with a fridge (not minibar wor! And super cold!), microwave oven, induction stove, and a washing machine too. We used only the fridge. DUH! Not gonna cook while on “holiday”, thank you very much.
There are only 2 good reasons to book a room at Jasmine Resort Hotel, according to… me, of course. Firstly, a BTS station is literally at its doorstep so tourists who intend to travel a lot using the skytrain and mrt network would appreciate the convenience. Secondly, while the look’s dated, the room we stayed in was very clean. No mold in the bathroom, no weird stains on the bed linen, nothing left behind by other guests. If I had to nitpick, it would be that they don’t do anything special for guests. I’d emailed them ahead of our arrival that hubby would be celebrating his birthday during this trip but no, they don’t serve any cake or a fruit platter, or even provide a simple birthday card. It’s no biggie if you’ve paid for the cheapest room, but I’d splurged on the Jacuzzi Suite – 4 nights cost 31,841.42 baht which is roughly S$1273. And not even a slice of cake. WLE. Really WLE. Next time I’m booking the cheapest room. XD Then I won’t care that they don’t even have towels shaped to look like animals or hearts on the bed. 😛
And because we have multiple handphones and an ipad, I got us the Changi Recommends wifi device. Very easy to pickup as well as return it to them at the airport.
Interestingly, this trip did not make me feel like I’ve left Singapore. It’s all so familiar even though the last time we went to BKK, it was before COVID hit SG, and that feels like a lifetime ago. I suppose it’s because we have SO MANY foreigners in Singapore. The Vietnamese ladies cooking our food for us in coffeeshops, the Filipino teachers in our daughter’s school, there’s even an angmoh working at the SAFRA outlet near us. Same thing in BKK.
*But oh, we did not know BKK has its own digital arrival card now too. Mistakenly thought they’re still using the ‘paper’ system distributed during the flight, hahahaa. So that took a while at the airport.
Exit the airport and you’ll see the Grab pickup points ahead of you (point A / B).
Our Grabfare was 331baht + 70baht for the toll from airport to hotel.
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel lobby (check-in timing is 2pm), we went to EmQuartier. A store I’d wanted to visit (Sedai 4.5) had already closed down but we found some Pokemon packs at Kinokuniya.
Damn chio but hubby and daughter weren’t impressed. So no wefies here.
And Greyhound Cafe absolutely broke my heart this time. Every single trip to BKK, their prawn pasta dish has me blown away. BUT this time… I couldn’t even finish that watered-down disappointment of a pasta dish. SIGH.
The salmon was fab though. Credit given where credit is due.
I’d travel to BKK just to enjoy this dish. But maybe it’s this outlet at EmQuartier. Or maybe ‘cos it was Monday and the chef was having Monday blues. SIGHHHHHHHH
Totally let down by this dish. Even hubz who is the most non-fussy eater I know didn’t like it.
But yeah… we found Pokemon packs in Kino. No buy limits. Only Sonny Angels came with a 3-per-customer restriction.
And as luck would have it… we found a well-stocked Pokemon / TCG shop near our hotel!!! I think I spent something like 7000 baht here on the first day alone…
Japanese vs Thai. Can you tell the difference?
Loose (Thai pokemon) packs are typically sold at 49baht (MSRP) and in sealed boxes for 1470baht. However, this store prices them according to popularity so the more popular ones can go for 3500baht or more. Tsk tsk. Not gonna name them, obviously.
The selection is just insane. Just do your sums so you don’t go broke. XD
What I bought on Day 1.
As for dinner, hubz loves trying food from those Michelin-awarded restaurants and eateries but there’s no way in hell I’m gonna queue to enter one of those establishments with a cranky toddler. I’ve read that the wait can go up to 1.5hours SO the only sane thing to do is order the food via Grab! Bless the folks who created the app, seriously.
So here’s Pad Thai Fai Thalu which has been recognised with a Bib Gourmand. The pork is simply… superb. And the prawns have this smoky flavour that is amazeballs, though a tad oily. Placed the order around 4pm and the food arrived super fast. *You can also opt to pay by cash when placing your order, so you simply hand the delivery guy the cash when he shows up at your hotel lobby.
We have convenience stores near our hotel so on one trip to the store, hubby returned with this delectable selection.
I tell you ah… that HOROYOI Melon is damn good. I’m not sure if it’s available in SG but… definitely grab a can if you see it. Yummy!!!
That’s the end of Day 1. Boss was so pleased with the king-sized bed (to jump on) and the jacuzzi so we didn’t actually go out much. So that’s the thing, when the hotel room delights the Boss so much, she doesn’t wanna leave at all! Meanwhile, hubz is the kind who won’t sit still and read a book or watch TV while on holiday so… thankfully we have the ipad (that allows me to catch up on Netflix shows I wanna watch) and Boss and I can stay in the hotel room while hubz goes shopping. XD Stay tuned for Day 2!
Had a craving for pizza after watching a show on Netflix so I jio-ed the hubz and daughter for dinner at Tenderbest Makcik Tuckshop. It’s the perfect spot for 5pm dinners in Punggol ‘cos there aren’t many people and it’s free seating so you can choose your favourite table: mine’s towards the back of the restaurant, past the washrooms and all. It’s been a long time since I last did a blogpost so here’s an update on our little princess:
She looks just like her Papa, and is every bit as mischievous as him. And she does the same victory pose in every photo. XD
Because we have a toddler who cannot sit still for long, the plan today was for me to head down to Tenderbest first and order our meal. Hubz would pick Melody up from school and when they reach the restaurant, they would not have to wait for the food to be ready as it would all be laid out on the table. And indeed it was. Such genius, Mama.
In the very first picture above, there’s our half-and-half pizza (half Hawaiian and half truffle mushroom). It’s more expensive than if you were to order just one flavour but I didn’t want to risk making the wrong choice. So anyway… we did not like Hawaiian. But Truffle Mushroom was delicious. It’s a huge pizza but super thin crust, so honestly, I could have eaten the whole damn thing myself. XD
$17.90 for the half-half pizza, $8 for the Grilled Chicken Salad with Mustard Mayo (the greens were so fresh but the chicken was so-so only, therefore we won’t order this again). The 2pc Chicken Wings cost $4.50 (princess approved) and the Prawn Arrabbiata cost $11.50 (super delicious and spicy with sliced chilli padi OMG lovessssss). <- Will get 2 servings next time so no need to share. XD
Melody thoroughly enjoyed the Cream of Mushroom and the Lychee Nojito is a must-order, as usual.
The restaurant also includes a Cat & The Fiddle counter so I got 3 slices of cheesecake (MSW durian, dark choc and milo). Only the first two made the cut. *Also… the cakes are all frozen so it’s recommended to order them before you even eat your mains, so they have time to defrost. *There’s also Buy 2 Get 1 Free if you’re paying with a DBS/POSB card.
I also bought 3 macarons and instantly regretted my decision when I saw they were packed in… get this…small ZIPLOCK bags. OMG. Got 1 crushed on the way back to our table. So just trust me when I say you have to dine in if getting their macarons. You’re wasting your money with takeaways. And they are SO incredibly sweet. I think only the Earl Grey Lavender was worth the calories. As for the cheesecake, I’ll skip the Milo next time. MSW Durian was pretty good. But if there’s no DBS promo, I won’t order the tiny cheesecake slices again lah (they just look big in my zoomed-in photo).
All in all, a satisfying meal. I’ll be more wary about what I’m watching on Netflix next time. XD
Day Two in Seoul was spent exploring Hongdae (just take the train to Hongjik University station). The Kakao Friends store wasn’t open yet so we went into one of those self-serve photobooth stores. This one has a Squid Games theme which I thought was uber cool. And prices are SO affordable. Two photostrips for just 4000won (around S$3+). And you can use their props like hairbands, plushies, sunglasses, etc.
Can’t find such prices in SG. Won’t even try.
Don’t understand a word of Korean but the Papago app helped translate some of the instructions. XD
There was another photobooth section in the Kakao Friends store but the ‘early birds’ were already in there so we just took our own photos…
There’s a Harry Potter-themed photospot too! Cute!We popped into the LINE friends store as well. Interesting how we rarely get such massive structures in stores here in SG but they’re pretty common in Seoul. Even if you don’t buy anything, you can get (free) photos for the ‘gram.
And using Naver Map, I found this burger place called Fullinamite which has gotten pretty decent reviews from Korean diners. So we dropped by… after climbing up a steep flight of stairs with our stroller and toddler. XD Thankfully, it was worth it.
Melody amused by the cold Pepsi can.
We saw EGG DROP on the way to Fullinamite but there was already a queue – and we didn’t wanna join in just for food for takeaway. We had this at Coex the next day though.
And we found one unmanned arcade – like FINALLY, after so many hours in Korea. Won a few small prizes and of course, managed to get one stuck at the chute with no way to retrieve the prize since there’s no staff there. XD Oh well…
That was a Melody one too…
We also popped by 943 King’s Cross which is a Harry Potter-themed cafe. There’s a giant broomstick outside so go take some photos!
We didn’t manage to go into the cafe though. Melody took one look at the giant ‘dragon’ at the entrance and started wailing. She REFUSED to head inside so… what to do… we decided to try our luck elsewhere.
We got quite lucky at another arcade. I actually caught two of the My Melody plushies. And apparently someone’s happy. XD
We’d wanted to visit a Meerkat cafe too, but didn’t manage to find much information about the place online. So we simply went to the cafe – carrying our stroller up – only to be told that kids under 5 are not allowed to go in. Bummer. Will admit that I was a bit pissed off. ‘Cos they’re not located on the ground floor, AND they could have put up a sign to warn people that you need to be at least 5 years old before you can enter. Then we wouldn’t even head up that staircase. SIGH.
Anyway, you can see a guy holding what looks like an iced Americano in this pic. Haha! Hubz thought it would be freezing cold in Korea so he brought his winter jacket and all. Turns out the locals simply put on two layers of clothing and went about with their icy beverages. But the weather’s quite unpredictable. After we left Seoul, it apparently started snowing. Melody and I wouldn’t have been prepared for that so… HENG AH!!!
And this is the end of Part One. Stay tuned for the next blogpost.
Working With Grace 
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