Ian, 3 year and almost 9 month old.
Isabelle, almost 6 month old.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Siblings
A rare, nice shot of our 2 babes, with them looking at the camera at the same time...
Ian, 3 year and almost 9 month old.
Isabelle, almost 6 month old.
Ian, 3 year and almost 9 month old.
Isabelle, almost 6 month old.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Ian, Wow, Art
It was an official closure day for Ian's school today, and I had signed him up for a holiday workshop at WowArt Studio, after learning about it from a friend. It was $38 for one lesson (1 hour 15 mins).
Yesterday afternoon, Hubby had brought me around the area for me get a little more familiarized. This morning, after dropping Hubby off at work, the 3 of us headed directly to the studio although it was a little early. It was drizzling, so I could not park at the open carpark outside, even though it was very empty. Instead, I tried to park into the basement carpark. I was not sure whether it was open to visitors, and caught a fellow motorist around to ask. She was not sure whether it was open to guests but she had been parking there for an hour anyway. And the strange thing was, the barrier was up, meaning that she could exit without paying. Anyway, I just parked there as well, and brought the children up.
There were only 3 children in this class, which I liked for the small group. In the class, the teacher taught them how to knead clay, and they had to cut out some shapes using dough cutter. As expected of Ian, after he finished a shape, he would crush it up and do it all over again. The teacher had to remind him not to do that again after he had finished another one. She also helped to put the finished product aside so that he could not do it.
After Ian had settled down in the class, I went out with Isabelle back to the carpark. The carpark attendant was back, and she said she would help me with the barrier later when I needed to exit. There was a Sheng Shiong supermarket and I walked around. It was pretty cold, so I just grabbed myself a bottle of drink and returned to the studio to wait for Ian.
When I returned, Ian had already finished painting the clay model and they were doing free painting. When I saw his "abstract art", I thought that hmm, I had better enrol him in some art classes soon. I guess painting/drawing is not his forte, at this stage.
Here was Ian's finished product, though I was not sure how much of it was done by the teacher...
I had asked him on the way home on the class, and he told me that he liked going there, and asked me to bring him back again.
As for the carpark, the attendant charged me 1 hour 1 minute, $1.90.
We had originally wanted to meet up with Hubby for lunch, but unfortunately, he had been called away for a business lunch. Hence, we bought takeaway lunch from the drive-through Macs. It was Ian's favourite food and he kept bugging me to give him the fries on the way back.
Yesterday afternoon, Hubby had brought me around the area for me get a little more familiarized. This morning, after dropping Hubby off at work, the 3 of us headed directly to the studio although it was a little early. It was drizzling, so I could not park at the open carpark outside, even though it was very empty. Instead, I tried to park into the basement carpark. I was not sure whether it was open to visitors, and caught a fellow motorist around to ask. She was not sure whether it was open to guests but she had been parking there for an hour anyway. And the strange thing was, the barrier was up, meaning that she could exit without paying. Anyway, I just parked there as well, and brought the children up.
There were only 3 children in this class, which I liked for the small group. In the class, the teacher taught them how to knead clay, and they had to cut out some shapes using dough cutter. As expected of Ian, after he finished a shape, he would crush it up and do it all over again. The teacher had to remind him not to do that again after he had finished another one. She also helped to put the finished product aside so that he could not do it.
After Ian had settled down in the class, I went out with Isabelle back to the carpark. The carpark attendant was back, and she said she would help me with the barrier later when I needed to exit. There was a Sheng Shiong supermarket and I walked around. It was pretty cold, so I just grabbed myself a bottle of drink and returned to the studio to wait for Ian.
When I returned, Ian had already finished painting the clay model and they were doing free painting. When I saw his "abstract art", I thought that hmm, I had better enrol him in some art classes soon. I guess painting/drawing is not his forte, at this stage.
Here was Ian's finished product, though I was not sure how much of it was done by the teacher...
I had asked him on the way home on the class, and he told me that he liked going there, and asked me to bring him back again.
As for the carpark, the attendant charged me 1 hour 1 minute, $1.90.
We had originally wanted to meet up with Hubby for lunch, but unfortunately, he had been called away for a business lunch. Hence, we bought takeaway lunch from the drive-through Macs. It was Ian's favourite food and he kept bugging me to give him the fries on the way back.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
HK Trip 2011: Day 5
15 December 2011
We woke up a little earlier today, as we had a reservation at the Enchanted Garden restaurant, to have breakfast with the Disney characters! We arrived punctually at 9.30am, but there was such a long queue that by the time we sat down at a table, it was almost 10am.
Wasting no time, I went to take food for the whole family.
Unfortunately for me, Goofy came to our table while I was away so I did not manage to take a photo with him. I wondered if it was because there were so many guests in the restaurant, it was not exactly easy to get all the choices of food available, as they were always running out. For the price tag, we were quite disappointed with the food, plus taking photos with the characters was a rushed affair with occasional guests from other tables harassing the characters. And, we only saw Goofy, Mickey, and Pluto. That was it! :(
After breakfast, we returned to the room to do a last minute packing.
Isabelle, all ready to go...
After checking out, we still had some time, and decided to explore the hotel.
We had a walk through this maze garden. Ian completed it, with some help from Daddy!
We took a cab to the airport, and was in time for another round of dessert before entering the customs. We wanted to revisit the restaurant that we had eaten at during our last visit, but could not find it. Hence, we settled down at their "foodcourt" for wanton mee, duck rice, and char siew bun.
Until next time, HK!
We woke up a little earlier today, as we had a reservation at the Enchanted Garden restaurant, to have breakfast with the Disney characters! We arrived punctually at 9.30am, but there was such a long queue that by the time we sat down at a table, it was almost 10am.
Wasting no time, I went to take food for the whole family.
Unfortunately for me, Goofy came to our table while I was away so I did not manage to take a photo with him. I wondered if it was because there were so many guests in the restaurant, it was not exactly easy to get all the choices of food available, as they were always running out. For the price tag, we were quite disappointed with the food, plus taking photos with the characters was a rushed affair with occasional guests from other tables harassing the characters. And, we only saw Goofy, Mickey, and Pluto. That was it! :(
After breakfast, we returned to the room to do a last minute packing.
Isabelle, all ready to go...
After checking out, we still had some time, and decided to explore the hotel.
We had a walk through this maze garden. Ian completed it, with some help from Daddy!
We took a cab to the airport, and was in time for another round of dessert before entering the customs. We wanted to revisit the restaurant that we had eaten at during our last visit, but could not find it. Hence, we settled down at their "foodcourt" for wanton mee, duck rice, and char siew bun.
Until next time, HK!
HK Trip 2011: Day 4
14 December 2011
Just like the previous day, we had our brunch at Main Street Corner Cafe first. We ordered the same fried platter, but a different salad. It was a regret though, as we preferred the salad that we had on the previous day. Nevertheless, Ian got to enjoy his favourite fries once again.
We went to have photo taking sessions again, this time with Hubby and Isabelle. While waiting in the queue, we saw the trains that we had missed in our last visit.
While waiting for our turn, Eeyore made a surprise appearance!
After queuing up for almost an hour to take a picture with both Mickey and Minnie in their Christmas costumes, we made our way to Tomorrow Land for a few more rides. I sat down with Isabelle, eating popcorn and drinking soda, while Hubby and Ian went for the rides. Thankfully, it was a cool and cloudy day. I brought Ian for one last Buzz Lightyear ride, before calling it a day at Disneyland.
On our way out, we caught part of the parade. To our surprise, it was quite different from what we had seen last year. There were characters that had not appeared last year.
Our next stop was HarbourCity again. We planned to feast on sushi in HK for one more time, and so our dinner was at Itacho Sushi. We took a while to find the place, but thankfully, there was no queue at that hour.
We had a little feast on the various types of sushi that we seldom got to eat over here. It was delicious!
After dinner, we tried to go to ToysRUs again, keeping fingers crossed that Isabelle would be more cooperative. This time round, we managed to buy a remote control McQueen car for Ian.
On the way out, it was a nice surprise to catch a glimpse of the laser light display. We were not sure if this was the actual show, because it was almost 8.30pm. Moreover, we could not hear any music. But, the lights did move! It was a bonus as we had not planned to see the beautiful Victoria Harbour in this trip.
Back in the hotel room, Isabelle enjoying a hot bath in the baby bath tub.
We bought 3 packets of milk, and some desserts from the famous dessert chain. We let Ian choose his milk first, and coincidentally, we liked his choice the best.
In the order of our preference, from right to left...
Just like the previous day, we had our brunch at Main Street Corner Cafe first. We ordered the same fried platter, but a different salad. It was a regret though, as we preferred the salad that we had on the previous day. Nevertheless, Ian got to enjoy his favourite fries once again.
We went to have photo taking sessions again, this time with Hubby and Isabelle. While waiting in the queue, we saw the trains that we had missed in our last visit.
While waiting for our turn, Eeyore made a surprise appearance!
After queuing up for almost an hour to take a picture with both Mickey and Minnie in their Christmas costumes, we made our way to Tomorrow Land for a few more rides. I sat down with Isabelle, eating popcorn and drinking soda, while Hubby and Ian went for the rides. Thankfully, it was a cool and cloudy day. I brought Ian for one last Buzz Lightyear ride, before calling it a day at Disneyland.
On our way out, we caught part of the parade. To our surprise, it was quite different from what we had seen last year. There were characters that had not appeared last year.
Our next stop was HarbourCity again. We planned to feast on sushi in HK for one more time, and so our dinner was at Itacho Sushi. We took a while to find the place, but thankfully, there was no queue at that hour.
We had a little feast on the various types of sushi that we seldom got to eat over here. It was delicious!
After dinner, we tried to go to ToysRUs again, keeping fingers crossed that Isabelle would be more cooperative. This time round, we managed to buy a remote control McQueen car for Ian.
On the way out, it was a nice surprise to catch a glimpse of the laser light display. We were not sure if this was the actual show, because it was almost 8.30pm. Moreover, we could not hear any music. But, the lights did move! It was a bonus as we had not planned to see the beautiful Victoria Harbour in this trip.
Back in the hotel room, Isabelle enjoying a hot bath in the baby bath tub.
We bought 3 packets of milk, and some desserts from the famous dessert chain. We let Ian choose his milk first, and coincidentally, we liked his choice the best.
In the order of our preference, from right to left...
Saturday, December 17, 2011
HK Trip 2011: Day 3
13 December 2011
At almost 10am, we purchased the tickets from the hotel counter before heading to Disneyland! It was a little late, because we had not had our breakfast, and now we had to have a brunch in the park.
Just like the previous visit, Ian had been fascinated by the fountain right at the entrance of the park. We took a photo of him before entering the gates.
As it was the Christmas holiday season, there was a huge Christmas tree just pass the entrance. We rented a stroller for Isabelle so that she could lie down, as her butt was suffering from a bad diaper rash. As usual, we headed to the Main Street Corner Cafe for a quick brunch.
While waiting for the meal to be served, we asked for some crayons from the staff to keep Ian busy.
Our brunch... it was good!
After the meal, our first stop was to the newly opened Toy Story Land! It was so crowded, and I did not have a pleasant experience there because of queue-cutters.
We had a few rides, and then went straight to take photos with the Disney characters. Hubby and Isabelle found a comfortable spot in the garden, while I brought Ian to take the photos.
We took a few more rides at the Tomorrowland, with Hubby and I taking turns to bring Ian for the rides, then settled down at Plaza Inn for dinner.
After our dinner, we took a stroll outside along Main Street USA, while waiting for the fireworks display at 9pm.
It was such a pleasant surprise to see snow falling from the top of the buildings! We secured a "good spot" outside the shops, and sat down on the curb in the snow. (We decided to be near the exit this time round so that we would not have to squeeze our way out with the overwhelming crowd after the fireworks.)
It was rather cold, but it was a good experience, and a first for Ian to see falling snow.
At almost 10am, we purchased the tickets from the hotel counter before heading to Disneyland! It was a little late, because we had not had our breakfast, and now we had to have a brunch in the park.
Just like the previous visit, Ian had been fascinated by the fountain right at the entrance of the park. We took a photo of him before entering the gates.
As it was the Christmas holiday season, there was a huge Christmas tree just pass the entrance. We rented a stroller for Isabelle so that she could lie down, as her butt was suffering from a bad diaper rash. As usual, we headed to the Main Street Corner Cafe for a quick brunch.
While waiting for the meal to be served, we asked for some crayons from the staff to keep Ian busy.
Our brunch... it was good!
After the meal, our first stop was to the newly opened Toy Story Land! It was so crowded, and I did not have a pleasant experience there because of queue-cutters.
We had a few rides, and then went straight to take photos with the Disney characters. Hubby and Isabelle found a comfortable spot in the garden, while I brought Ian to take the photos.
We took a few more rides at the Tomorrowland, with Hubby and I taking turns to bring Ian for the rides, then settled down at Plaza Inn for dinner.
After our dinner, we took a stroll outside along Main Street USA, while waiting for the fireworks display at 9pm.
It was rather cold, but it was a good experience, and a first for Ian to see falling snow.
Friday, December 16, 2011
HK Trip 2011: Day 2
12 December 2011
We woke up at our usual timing - 7-8am and headed out for breakfast at Mongkok only at around 9am. Ian loved taking the Mickey Mouse train that ran between Disneyland and Sunny Bay.
We took the MTR to the Prince Edward Station first, and walked down the markets. We were in search of a cafe for pineapple buns and ying yang. Unfortunately, the cafe was located along the stretch of buildings that caught fire recently. There was a strong smell of burnt things, and we saw that a lot of goods from the stalls in the market were still around, some were burned, and some still intact. However, the whole area were cordoned off and there were policemen around.
Along the way to hunt for our next eating stop, we passed by the Ladies Market and quickly bought a set of Chinese costumes for both of them. They costed HKD180, perhaps slightly cheaper than our local prices. We did not haggle a lot because we were in a rush as Ian was grumbling that he was hungry. Hence, we settled down for a meal at a fishball noodle shop that we passed by. It was OK, so we had only ordered a bowl of noodles and a plate of vegetables to share.
When Ian's hunger was satisfied, we had more time to hunt for the next eating stop that we had planned in our itinerary - Mi-Ne Sushi. It was not difficult to find this place along Nathan Road. We ordered those that were not so easy to find in our local sushi chains - uni sushi, different grades of toro and some other miscellaneous. For Ian, he ate tamago sushi and ikura sushi. The latter definitely did not taste like what we had in Tsukiji Market, but that could be expecting too much. On the overall, it was a memorable and satisfying experience at this restaurant! How I wish I could taste them here!
Along the way, we went into the Xu Liu Shan dessert shop and took a short break again!
We had an early dinner at Ippudo Ramen, Silvercord Tower. Good thing that we had the itinerary planned with the route to take, so it was quite easy to find. We ordered the Akamaru Shinaji and another soup base which I could not remember the name. Unfortunately, we did not know that the ramen did not come with a half-boiled egg as we normally had them over here, so we had to order an egg separately after the ramen came. It was quite disappointing that the egg was white in colour, and not braised. Both types of ramen were quite good, but still, it was quite a disappointment as the local shop that we had been to, tasted better and had more ingredients, plus a tasty braised half-boiled egg. Perhaps it was better to have spent the time on some dim sum.
When we were back at the hotel, we finally discovered the cause of Isabelle's crankiness - she had a nappy rash from her diarrhoea. There was a raw spot on her skin, and it must have hurt her a lot. Good thing that we had brought along the Bactoban cream, so we applied it with Desitin.
We woke up at our usual timing - 7-8am and headed out for breakfast at Mongkok only at around 9am. Ian loved taking the Mickey Mouse train that ran between Disneyland and Sunny Bay.
We took the MTR to the Prince Edward Station first, and walked down the markets. We were in search of a cafe for pineapple buns and ying yang. Unfortunately, the cafe was located along the stretch of buildings that caught fire recently. There was a strong smell of burnt things, and we saw that a lot of goods from the stalls in the market were still around, some were burned, and some still intact. However, the whole area were cordoned off and there were policemen around.
Along the way to hunt for our next eating stop, we passed by the Ladies Market and quickly bought a set of Chinese costumes for both of them. They costed HKD180, perhaps slightly cheaper than our local prices. We did not haggle a lot because we were in a rush as Ian was grumbling that he was hungry. Hence, we settled down for a meal at a fishball noodle shop that we passed by. It was OK, so we had only ordered a bowl of noodles and a plate of vegetables to share.
When Ian's hunger was satisfied, we had more time to hunt for the next eating stop that we had planned in our itinerary - Mi-Ne Sushi. It was not difficult to find this place along Nathan Road. We ordered those that were not so easy to find in our local sushi chains - uni sushi, different grades of toro and some other miscellaneous. For Ian, he ate tamago sushi and ikura sushi. The latter definitely did not taste like what we had in Tsukiji Market, but that could be expecting too much. On the overall, it was a memorable and satisfying experience at this restaurant! How I wish I could taste them here!
Along the way, we went into the Xu Liu Shan dessert shop and took a short break again!
We had an early dinner at Ippudo Ramen, Silvercord Tower. Good thing that we had the itinerary planned with the route to take, so it was quite easy to find. We ordered the Akamaru Shinaji and another soup base which I could not remember the name. Unfortunately, we did not know that the ramen did not come with a half-boiled egg as we normally had them over here, so we had to order an egg separately after the ramen came. It was quite disappointing that the egg was white in colour, and not braised. Both types of ramen were quite good, but still, it was quite a disappointment as the local shop that we had been to, tasted better and had more ingredients, plus a tasty braised half-boiled egg. Perhaps it was better to have spent the time on some dim sum.
We attempted to shop at ToysRUs at the Ocean Terminal for a while before going back, but Isabelle was not cooperative. She was yelling in the store and I had to bring her out when we just barely stepped into the store. We tried to feed her and coax her, but nothing worked, until we carried her around. When we tried to put her back into the carrier, she was screaming again. So I had to take out my backup carrier - my sling - and tried to carry her in it. We endured the way back as my legs were aching after walking for the entire day, plus Ian was tired as well and Hubby had to carry him for part of the way back. On the way back to the station, we stopped at Xu Liu Shan again for a short rest.
When we were back at the hotel, we finally discovered the cause of Isabelle's crankiness - she had a nappy rash from her diarrhoea. There was a raw spot on her skin, and it must have hurt her a lot. Good thing that we had brought along the Bactoban cream, so we applied it with Desitin.
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