My first high jewellery invite by Chanel

14th october. A date to remember. The day i married my love of 18yrs. Unfortunately, this year he wasn't in town..surprise surprise. The man has been away for so long even his son is showing signs that this man is a stranger. Being wife to a frequent flyer is no easy task. Many view me as some supermum but honestly, i would rather take off my cape and be a human once in a while. Being the woman behind such a man takes a lot of emotional strength and one way to ensure you don't get all emo over the fact that he is unromantic and may not even remember this day; or the fact that you won't be receiving any handmade presents/ flowers/ jewellery or for that matter, anything at all, is to pack your day with activities! Be surrounded with love and friends. Don't be on your own am let the mind go wild.

So the Chanel invite couldn't come at a more timely occasion. I've never been to a fine jewellery exhibition hence didn't know what to expect. I was told to just chill, pamper myself with canapes and champagne. So that's what I did! It was held at the heritage-packed Fulleton Hotel. Great pairing. Fine jewellery with fine hotel.

The Lion of Saint Mark’s

Photo © Chanel Joaillerie

The purpose of this show was mainly to introduce the Sous Le Signe Du Lion Collection. A lot of Chanel's past was shared with us. Chanel’s admiration for the lion originates from her birth under the star sign of Leo, but her true adoration of the majestic feline transpired at an incredibly difficult time for the talented designer.  She fled from Paris to Venice after the tragic death of Arthur "Boy" Capel, the love of her life. Arriving by train in August 1920, Venice and its winged lions, which can be seen throughout the city, reinvigorated her sullen spirit with endless sources of inspiration.

Pictures of her apartment was shared with us and the look and feel of the place was completely different from what I had imagine. there were lots of power and strength in her interior decoration at her rue Cambon apartment in Paris. Lots of wood and little statues which included a fengshui toad/ frog!

Reflecting her fondness for Venice, the new collection re-imagines its roaring mascot and Byzantine mosaics in dazzling diamonds and precious gemstones in splendid detail.  

The collection captures this king of cats in spectacular jewels. It is Chanel’s favorite feline and a testament to Chanel’s prowess in high jewellery design.

The jewelled lion of craftsmanship! Now, would anyone be keen on getting me a $240k birthday present? :P I look good with it right?

Painting in progress. This lady has never had any training in painting but she paints like a pro!

That's me on the bike, riding along Venice. The details of my top were drawn in as well! Meticulous! Hopefully, one day I'll be able to visit the place and have coffee by the river. Such tranquility which I can only dream of right now.

So the entire afternoon was pleasantly whiled away. Made some new friends, had champagne and finely prepared canapés. That's not a bad way to spend my wedding anniversary. Now, it would be perfect if the hubs ends it off with a present from Chanel. Haha...

PS: the hub DID remember to text me a Happy anniversary at the stroke of midnight! I was pleasantly surprised and in fact, truth be told, I forgot it was already 14th October! haha. AND, to add to his credits, he DID buy me a present and in his words, it was the most expensive tee shirt he has ever bought me! Well, Lucky me!

How to survive a hospital stay with a toddler

The last two months has been crazy. And that's really an understatement. What with the first big shift and Small K not adjusting well in his new environment. He has been screaming bloody murder for a month at night. We've tried to pinpoint the cause but to no avail. He isn't overstimulated, he isn't warm. Granted we are all now living in clutter due to the boxes pending the next move, everything is kept in clean condition and neatly arranged (well at least I try to). It probably was about his wonder week but week turned into weeks which got me wondering. It was really baffling. It was like he was afraid to sleep. Scared to be placed down on his bed. Then someone reminded me about fengshui and I realised that his bed position is in the "coffin position" i.e.. his feet is pointing directly to the door! GASP! Why didn't I think of Fengshui?! So i shifted the bed the very next day, but for the next two nights, things didn't improve. He was still screaming bloody murder every 15 to 30minutes. Then I figured, perhaps it is because the hubs isn't in town hence the little one misses him. So I brought him into my room and co-slept with both Big and Small K. Seriously not the most ideal plan but I can't be in two rooms all at once. However, that didn't alleviate the matter either. He would whine and I'd jump right up to calm him down to the best I could otherwise, the uproar would cause Big K to wake up and then I would have to mambo jumbo with the both. Thankfully, Big K was really corporative and understanding. She tried her best to get back to sleep on her own. At times she would get really irritated but a bottle of milk and she'll be a happy trooper once again. In our old place, she didn't have to wake up for a dream feed, but these days, i guess with so much happening, she is back to it again. I didn't even want to negotiate with her as I'm simply too exhausted for it. That said, it's not always so smooth sailing. A lot of cajoling and screaming (on my end) involved. At its peak, I wasn't sleeping for 2 whole days! That's 48hours! Geez!! that probably happened only when I had tons of presentations to handle during my university days! Then, I decided that it was time for some divine intervention and voila, he is sleeping a little better now. Still whining a little in his sleep but much much better.

So, ok, I thought things should be a little better now. #Soleparenting ain't that bad right? I can handle a mere sleep issue. The hubs has been away off and on for  a month and I thought I'm doing a great job holding up. But Alas! Just when all was calm, the storm brewed again! Big K was down with fever last Thursday. She came home vomitting and looking awful. However, after a night's rest, she was all good again and because Friday was Children's day, I thought since there wasn't anymore fever, it would be nice to go to school for celebration. That evening when she got home, she was 38.5 degrees celsius! So I oiled her furiously with peppermint oil and thieves and managed to bring her fever down. She was good the whole of Saturday and Sunday morning hence, again, I decided to allow her to go for a friend's birthday party. We went, she enjoyed herself tremendously and she came home at 39 degrees celsius! Ahhhhh...Someone just stab me please!! It's as if i should be getting Bad mother of the year! So the next day we visited the paediatrician who said that her lungs seem clear but has a throat infection. True enough she was coughing a little. We were given a course of medicine which included antibiotics but no improvement. Her fever would subside for a day or two, and it'd be back again. Her cough was worse. She was coughing very badly I felt so pain. Heartbreaking I tell you. So I wanted to go back for a review but our regular paediatrician was on leave. Hence I brought Big K to our family GP and guess what? He heard sounds in her lungs! We were immediately advised to go for an Xray and blood test at the hospital. 

So here we are. At the hospital . Since Friday. Whilst waiting for a room, I had to zoom back home to grab our stuff. I grabbed whatever that came to mind and within 15mins, I was lugging a huge sports duffel bag, a diaper bag and a toddler! The dishevelled me was really hoping that some help could come my way. Help did come. the next day, I requested my sister-in-law to stand in while I go off to work for 3hours. I needed to as much as it made me sound like bad mother. It is super peak at work and I have my responsibilities too. After work, i went back to grab a luggage of stuff again and zoomed back. Oh hang on. So what's wrong with Big K you asked? Pneumonia. Apparently she caught the mycoplasma bacteria and that caused her lungs to be filled with phlegm. Kids this age don't really know who to cough it out hence one thing led to another, she developed an infection of the lungs. 

Waiting to check in into our suite.

She was such a brave little darling! whilst the nurses and I tried acting like clowns to entertain her and divert her attention, she was a calm as a clam!

On the nebulizer. She had to do it 4 hourly which meant disrupted sleep. Hence night one was hellish as she was rudely awoken an shoved with antibiotics, thereafter, given the nebulizer. She struggled the whole time and I had to pin her down. Pained me when that happened.

All comfy on her very expensive bed. It's $560+ per night per room!

They found the mycoplasma bacteria in her lungs, causing the infection. This bacteria is everywhere so we really don't know how she caught it. It could also be due to the very bad haze the last couple of weeks.

It's really not easy to be alone in the hospital with an active toddler. yes, despite being ill, she's as hyper as ever. Every minute I've to think of something for her to do. Here are some stuff I brought along:

Movie date. Her favourite show of the moment which we had to split into two sessions to watch coz it was too tiring for both mommy and baby. We really enjoyed this as we've never caught a movie on the big screen before. 

I'm so glad that this bubba enjoys the puzzle more than the gadgets! I was surprised by the fact that she could do this puzzle. The last puzzle i did with her was a 6pcs! That was a long time ago.

I had to bring along my oily stash to help speed up her recovery

Being confined to a room was not easy and support was important. I was really thankful for a friend who came by to visit and help entertain Big K. She had loads of fun monkeying around.

ooooo...Look at the range which they are using! Crabtree & Evelyn! In my favourite range La Source. Now, all I need is a bathtub and their bath salt and it will be perfect!

The food provided was surprisingly not bad. There was also a Delifrance downstairs hence I didn't starve. 

Am really hoping that the little one will recover soon and we can all go back home. Honestly, this stay is quite a pleasant one coz it beats squeezing with 5 other people in an apartment together with tons of cartons. In addition, there's air condition 24/7 and I don't have to prepare any meals! I also don't have to wash dishes for 7 other people at 11pm! However, work still needs to be done and to find someone to assist with babysitting is a pain. It's peak season at work hence I can't just drop my work. I could but responsibility beckons as well. This made me feel terrible for it made me feel like I'm a terrible mother who only thinks of work. But in my line, no work = no money. Money isn't everything and nothing is more important that my baby's health, however, I will ensure that she's in good hands before I go off to work with a heavy heart. The burden is just so great in Singapore. Latest update: the paediatrician said if the phlegm starts to clear, we could potentially be discharged tomorrow. Yipee!

Review & Giveaway: ZooMoo! A preschool channel on StarHub

We received our package from ZooMoo recently and you can tell the kids were delirious! Just looking at those smiles plastered across their faces made my day! Kids are really very easily contented! Every morning, I find it a struggle. I'm like a headless chicken rushing to get their breakfast ready, bathe them, cook their lunch, nap them and get one ready for school. This is on top of cleaning their poo and what not. I used to do a lot of homeschooling. That is until Small K came along. I still try, but try as I might, it does get a little tricky with both hankering for attention. The activities would also have to be different, hence to sync the session is absolutely challenging. Often, when I'm preparing lunch, Small K would also come over and explore his new surroundings. There was this once when he toppled a whole jar of sea salt and I had to sweep it all up! Talk about more work. So there were many occasions when i resort to the television. I used to be very hung up over the fact that children under 3 should not be watching television programmes or exposed to gadgets. For Big K, I managed to advocate it. Her screen time is tremendously limited except over at gramps. Now that we are living with gramps, it's a different story altogether. Small K would clamour the grandfather for his favourite National Geographic. Ok, that at least is more educational than the mother-in-law's favourite 黄金年华. Big K thankfully, due to my rigorous training, hasn't been addicted. In fact, she would watch for a while and tell the adults that that's quite enough. 

However, I do need some help and hence I'm always on the lookout for educational programmes or dvds which can stimulate those little minds. I do admit that there are some programs and apps out there which are pretty good. One such avenue which I recently discovered is the world of ZooMoo. This is aired on StarHub Channel 306. It's the world's first preschool channel that is all about animals. ZooMoo explores the animal world in ways that are entertaining, interactive and enriching, sparking in kids a love for animals. ZooMoo is a collaboration between some of the world's foremost wildlife filmmakers and world renowned early childhood educationalists from the University of Otago, New Zealand's premier university. Sounds very intelligent to me. Together, they have created a powerful package: a catalyst for learning that engages both children and their parents. 

Look at how happy they were!

 wow what big eyes you have!

 These are the premiums and goodies we found in the gift pack!

I love it that my children are so innovative. One parcel kept them busy the whole morning! And I hadn't even switched on the programme for them!

The trailers were stored in a thumb drive which doubles up as a bracelet as discovered by Big K.

Ahhhh..a moment of peace. As they watched, I could peacefully do my stuff or cook their lunch without getting it burnt! The ZooMoo program lineup comprises of short form and long form shows which combine spectacular wildlife footage with a range of puppetry, animations, and narrative techniques to create a unique viewing and learning experience for little viewers. 

Photo credits: http://asia.zoomoo.tv/photos

Which kid wouldn't love funny furry characters? The children were excited when they saw Flash, an intrepid wildlife photographer, who gets lost on every mission in a new series which had premiered on 16 September. Together with a cast of funny furry characters, the children are taken on a journey of discovery about the animal kingdom.

Photo credits: http://asia.zoomoo.tv/photos

And....That's not all! ZooMoo has an app!! You can download it for FREE! The app works as a stand alone experience, where children can feed and look after animals, pose them for photos, watch video clips and learn each animal's name and how common or rare they are. After the initial download, no Internet connection is required! Good right? And and and....there's a "parent's page" where parents can learn more about what animals their children are interacting with most. This would certainly bring about more sincere conversations rather than the "it's so fun right?". Parents can gather more information on each animal and bridge the gap between the child and them.

SO what are you waiting for? Tune in to Starhub Channel 306 or download the app today!

Giveaway Time!!

The kind people at ZooMoo are giving away a gift pack to One lucky winner. Here's how to participate: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:

This giveaway will end on Friday, 9th October 2015, at 2359h, and is open to Singapore residents only.

The winners will be contacted via the particulars provided when entering this giveaway, and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be selected.

All incomplete entries will be disqualified, and all entries will be verified before the winner is announced.

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

*Disclaimer: We received the ZooMoo gift pack for the purpose of this review. All opinions, are our own.

{Review} Illuminating the mysteries of the Deep Sea

“More men have walked on the moon than have dived to the deepest part of our oceans.” 

– Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover

Last weekend, we decided to explore the sea. The deep sea to be exact. I've always been very fascinated by the ocean and what's under. I've never dared venture into deep sea diving unlike my other half. So, what better way to find out more than to attend an exhibition of such theme. The Arts Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands is presenting an exhibition entitled THE DEEP from now till 27 October 2015.

The Deep is presented in a unique, pitch–black environment, virtually immersing you onto the realm of the deep sea. It will unfold to reveal the different depths of the sea, such as life in the mid-water and life on the ocean floor through different themed zones.

The specimens presented in The Deep are extremely rare. These fragile creatures are most of the time unrecognizable, as they are often damaged by nets during trawling. Several deep-sea fauna included in the exhibition have been captured in situ by scientific samplers on submersibles or tethered robots. Others have been carefully trawled during oceanographic missions conducted throughout the world. Some of the specimens on displayed are anglerfishes (the most famous deep-sea fish, thanks to Finding Nemo) and whole colonies of deep-sea radiolarians.

Big K and I were completely mesmerised by the specimens. I'm not too sure about Small K though. Ok, more me than them. This exhibition would benefit primary schoolers especially, in my opinion, as several interesting facts on adaptation (a topic in Primary 6 Science) are revealed. You know how the PSLE setters love coming out with weird creatures which you've never heard before right? And a question like why do camels have long lashes is so last millennium. Well, exposure is the key! Read more and see more! Here's sharing stuff which we've gathered on our learning journey:

Pycnogonid or sea spider

Up to 50cm in diameter

These distant cousins of the spider travel along the bottom of the ocean in search of soft, stationary meals that cannot escape, like anemones. They suck the tissues out of their prey with the help of their proboscis. The surface of their body is reduce to such an extent that their digestive tract reaches to the end of their legs. One rare characteristic is that it is the males who look after the eggs.

Some kind of angler fish which name i forgot. It looks pretty angry and cranky honestly. Well, i don't blame it. It lives in the lonely, lightless bottom of the sea. These creatures generally have enormous crescent-shaped mouths, filled withs harp, translucent teeth. Nope, they aren't anything like the one you saw in NEMO. Their mouths are so big and their bodies so pliable, they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size. In lieu of continually seeking the vast abyss for a female, the male has evolved into a permanent parasitic mate. He latches onto her with his sharp teeth. over time, the male physically fuses with the female, connecting to her skin and bloodstream and losing his eyes and all his internal organs except the testes. A female will carry six of more males on her body! Talk about 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉。吃到了但也被吃了！(translation: A toad wishes to eat swan's meat. Meaning to crave for what one is not worthy of and in this case, the male i.e. "toad" is ultimately eaten)

Fireworks physonect siphonophore

Size: 45cm

The spectacle this siphonophore stages when feeding is like a grand fireworks display, as it deploys thousands of toxic, bioluminescent tentacles to lure prey into its fatal snare. The structure of this gelatinous creature is basically the equivalent of a colony of hundreds of jellies all living along a central cord.

Here are the ticket prices for your reference.

So if you are an ocean lover like me or have a little one who is keen to know more, do check out these amazing creatures at the ArtScience Museum soon!

Daily: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Including public holidays
Last admission at 6:00pm

Disclaimer: I paid the tickets out of my own pocket. No monetary compensation has been received and I do not stand to gain any commission arising from ticket sales from this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and written according to my experience.

Sg50 NDP 2015

Ok, so I'm late. But I've a very legit reason. Whilst many were flying or chilling over the Jubilee long weekend, we had been busy going through our first major shift. Yup. Even though it was just across the road (literally), it took us 5 whole days to fully move all our stuff over to my in-law's place. After staying in our marital home for 9 years, we finally shifted. A move which I find ridiculous and unnecessary. Why? Coz it's still in the same vicinity! I did say it was across the street right? I wasn't kidding. Whilst many would think of shifting to within 1km of some school, we were stuck. Coz the in-laws had balloted a unit elsewhere and we couldn't move. After 9 years, you tell me I still have to stay put? Thanks. seriously. I love the neighbourhood we are in, but see, Big K will be going on to Primary school really soon and we have to think forward. But noop, the entire family thinks I'm kiasu and insane to have to think that far plus they are the sort who feel that things will naturally fall in place and kids learn their ABCS in primary school coz they have great teachers. So ya, i've moved. For the moment, the tiny place we are living in resides 7 people and I'm now maid to not only 3 (it used to be only the 4 of us), now I'm maid to 6. 

Rants aside, I felt really bad to be neglecting the children and we made time on National day itself though the hubs and I were tremendously knackered. We had a very different national day this year. Instead of checking out the fireworks from our living room, we were itchy backside and decided to head down to Tanjong Rhu. We were there at about 430pm and traffic was already at a standstill. Hence we decided to make a U-turn and park at Jalan Batu, somewhere across the river facing "The Cage". From there, we walked all the way to the Marina Bay Golf Course and found a great spot under the Shears Bridge. There was a small park and it was packed with people of all races. They were armed with ground sheets and picnic baskets. Some came with a really good spread of cheese and roasted chicken. *Slurp. We weren't that well prepared. All I did was to make egg sandwiches for the children. Thank goodness for my hindsight for we would have starved if not for those sandwiches! There was a big screen set up under the bridge and a big crowd gathered. 

The children and I enjoyed the fireworks display as well as the performance by the Black Knights tremendously. We had a very good view but carrying two children was quite a workout. The total walk to and fro took us almost 2 hours. Yup, i kid you not. I made Big K walk almost the whole stretch and she is not a fast walker. On the way back, it was worse. They both SLEPT! I had to put Small K in the carrier and walk the whole stretch back! I almost gave up halfway! I don't think I had that much exercise for the longest time! But that night, the both of them slept well. 

Here's sharing some of the beautiful shots captured that day:

Little Miss Vain insisted on putting on some tattoos 

We paused along the way to the park, letting Small K roam on the grass. This boy really looks good don't you think?

Whilst others were watching the parade on the big screen, these two were playing in front of the big screen and this scene was captured by a reporter from The Straits Times who came forward to tell me that it will be placed on their instagram. But hmmm to date, I've not seen the shot she took :(

Credits to Big K for being our photographer! I think she's getting really good at taking photos

This was the scene we were greeted with. Nice and Free!

Stunning performance by the Black Knights.

Was really glad that the boy could entertain himself. I mean it was no joke to hang around that long just to see the fireworks and the rest of the parade. 

It was really sweltering so we simply had to strip him! What a hunk eh?

Am really glad that Singapore has come such a long way. Am very glad that I am a Singaporean and this is home. A place so peaceful where I have no worries to raise my children. A place so stressful but motivates me to scale greater heights. 

Happy Birthday Singapore! #SG50

Review: Jane Means, the Gift Wrapping Guru

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend a gift wrapping workshop conducted by the renowned Jane Means. I was really excited as I'm really big on crafting and this would value add to my diapercake business (rhapNroll). If you haven't already known Jane, she is an author, a presenter and a designer who in her early days, made bespoke cards and wedding stationery which became very successful. She was commissioned to make a card for the Queen (which later went on display in Buckingham Palace Mews). By the late 90's, she decided to start her own gift wrapping training academy. I've never knew that there's a training academy for gift wrapping and to learn from the "Gift Wrap Guru" is indeed such an honour. Jane not only trains staff for Harrods, provided a luxury gift wrapping service for Dior, Ralph Lauren, Chanel just to name a few, she has also designed a signature style for YSL and has appeared live in the windows of Liberty London. Clients travel worldwide to attend her workshops in UK and Singapore. Clients travel worldwide to attend her workshops in the UK and Singapore.

Here's sharing some of the stuff I learnt at the workshop:

This simple gift wrap was done with cellophane paper bought from Diaso! Economical yet so pretty!

I've always battled with wrapping odd shaped items but Jane showed how easy it actually is. The trick is to use tension. Also, if you need to hide the design of your tin, wrap a dark colour tissue inside and a light coloured out. And look how a duo-tone pom pom added life to the entire piece. Pretty isn't it?

This was a fabric rose made using a wired ribbon. I didn't even know such things existed! She even prepared tutorial cards! How thoughtful! You can find the tutorial here. 

The beautiful flower added such a nice touch to the wrapping. It adds an instant luxury decoration to your gifts. A great alternative to bows. Tip: you could even spray on some fragrance to give it a special touch.

Dying to decorate your home or next party with some pom poms? did you know you could actually do it yourself!

A simple envelope created just with a few folds.

I've always encountered much difficulty when tying the perfect bow. Jane suggested that we place a little rose bud made of ric rac ribbon to cover up any unsightly knots. It instantly brightens the present don't you think? Back to tying the perfect bow. You can find a tutorial here, but Jane's advice is to pause and look and arrange before you tighten things. It's that easy!

At the end of it, I even received a certificate of completion! Talent unlocked!

The entire workshop was conducted with this as our backdrop. What a fabulous way to spend my Saturday! A real treat!

Was delighted to have made new friends: 

Front : Jane Means

Back ( Left) : Dominique, Pc, Me & Serene

The wrapping expert has a dedicated team and now designs her own ribbon collections. This is such an inspiration for all crafters! Her well recognised ribbons can be found online. She also has a team of experienced Ribbon Bloggers who regularly post DIY tutorials and craft ideas using the company's ribbons and craft products.

Jane Means recently also launched her global book ' 'Giftwrapped'  and has produced her DVD  'The Art of Gift Wrapping' . Psst: If you want a peak to her book, you can check it out here. 

So if you are inspired to start dressing up your gifts and creating a neatly swathed gift that looks stylish and presentable, get in touch with Jane and her team for the dates on her workshops or connect with her via the following social platforms: Pinterest, Twitter @janemeans; Jane Mean's blog and Instagram!

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the above workshop. No monetary compensation is involved. All opinions are of my own.