Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

This year's Christmas was special because we decided to head to Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to experience winter, Christmas markets and lots of train rides. First stop - Haarlem because we are not big city people so smaller towns like Haarlem is perfect. 

There was not much tourists in Haarlem. We felt really at ease being part of the local scene. Great town...

Second stop -The Hague, since it was on the way to Belgium and Madurodam should be fun. Did not have great expectations of The Hague but what a pleasant surprise. The beach with its whimsical sculptures humorous, Legoland got the kids super obsessed, nice walks in the park, first tram rides, simple local playgrounds, charming streets cemented happy days in The Hague. 

Was never keen on Belgium after being robbed at knifepoint in Brussels during my backpacking days. But this trip, we arrived in Antwerp and I was blown miles away! Pretty Pretty Pretty!!!! Jaw drop. 

The architecture, scale of the city, vibrancy and diversity of Antwerp was delightful. The vibe electric yet chilled, everything was just nice without being overwhelming. I was in love...

And food was awesome! To die for Belgium mussels, Belgium waffles, Belgium fries and not to forget Belgium chocolate!!! Megan was so impressed by Chocolate Nation Museum - how a narrative can be presented so differently. Morgan only cared about the chocolate tasting. Fun Fun Fun...

Antwerp had much more to offer and we would come back again another year but now was time for Ghent - a city Kenneth has been raving about for years and finally I see he had good reasons. 

Ridiculously cold when we arrived. Temperature just plunged to new sub zero level again. Everything was misty and foggy and freezing. How romantic. 

We were not anticipating winter markets here but as the evening approached, the squares came alive with ...wow, our first taste of Christmas.. It was amazing. 

No matter how freezing cold we were, we were hitting the streets for churros, sausages, potatoes, hot chocolate, mulled wine and plenty of carnival rides. Happy children, happier adults (after dropping frozen kids back into bed and heading out for round two).

Got lucky catching Klefki - a uniquely French Pokemon, since we were so close to the French borders... 

Cologne's Christmas markets are famous and our whole four day itinerary was nothing except busking in the Christmas mood. We were not disappointed. I wish I was in the ice skating photos but after crashing face down onto a three year old gal in the rink, traumatising her ice skating experience for life, I decided it was safer for me to hang along the edges holding onto M&M's water bottles. 

Ahhhh... My favourite Heinzels Wintermarchen... maybe it was the house of elves, the piping hot street snacks, the beautiful crafts sold, the outdoor ice rink or the sudden snow... Thumbs up to Cologne's reputation of best winter markets. 

It was an excellent trip. Could not have asked for a better one, even with crazy disruptions on every single ICE train (hello Germans, what happened?), non functioning room heating in -2 deg, three of us catching winter flu and fever... 

Sometimes we needed a change of environment to realise how independent our kids have grown to be. Megan was the reliable big sister,  taking care of Morgi in more way than one. "No you can't do this, no you cannot do that" so often that Morgi came complaining that "Jie Jie disrespects me". 

Morgan had no problem adapting anywhere he went, his main concerns being checking toilets and demanding every stranger who stepped out of toilet cubicles to answer "did you flush?". 

This will be a holiday to remember for a long time. Time to plan the holidays for 2023!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone...

Non Stop Action Sept, Oct and Nov 2022

Non stop action for the last 3 months. Literally work, party, play and laugh till we drop...

 

 More birthdays than we can celebrate. 

Cousin Kelly’s wedding – one to look out for since the Heng family weddings are too hilarious to miss. Expect drunk uncles (to take the lead on all embarrassing episodes one wishes to forget the next day), short-circuit cousins (aka crazy ladies), relatives you "may" not know you have. Tea ceremonies turning into catwalks. Enough breakup songs to flood the wedding's music background. (Hello wedding singer, why you ignore all our heartbreak songs dedications?) Gossips… More gossips… We love fill-in-the-blanks type of gossips, they offer immense potential to grow out of scale. The Hengs know how to have fun! And Kelly certainly knows how to take a joke. I am super proud of the clan. 

PSLE happens… kinda happens… halfway. Meggie only catches the tail end of the action due to fever. The much anticipated season of high anxiety build up has not happen due to her low ability to generate stress output beyond 4 out of 10. I FOLO because cannot participate in parents' chats.  Watever… She PASSES!!! Moving on to Secondary School... Hurray. 

So while other students and parents are single heartedly fighting for their futures that few days, I come home to see a very bored Meggie catching Pokémon.… So my only logical next step is to join her. And there is no going back. 

Ever since my first pokeball thrown, my screen time increases to 10 hours daily average. My thumb aches. My eyes strain. But I feel no shame. Well at least not, compared to Kenneth whose level shoots up to 14 within one weekend. He becomes so alarmed at his lack of life purpose that he deletes his account after a week, then fully regrets after 3 days to crawl back into action with a brand new “Catch them all” motto in life.

 

I for one, absolute existential nihilist. No shame. My precious app never leaving my failing eyesight but fat fingers sabotage me by accidentally pressing LOG OUT during Morgan’s weekly Sunday bus adventure. 

Oh yah the Sunday bus adventure… Taking buses is physically demanding - backaches, headaches, nausea, you name it Meggie and me suffer it… Kudos to Ken who diligently do these weekly trips. But check out this 3 doors, 2 staircase double decker from Woodlands. Never know they exist! 

I digress. Bad fat fingers… This is a disaster. Knowing me, I have no idea what my username and password are (despite just registering it for less than a week), I cannot even click “forget password” since all my social media date of births are fake and imaginary. 

 

Anyway, life since her PSLE has been Pokemon and more Pokemon for three of us. Dining midway, father and daughter disappear to fight for nearby empty gyms. Movie halfway, I am hurried out of the house to battle, bra or no bra. (it is dark, you can hunch, we will be driving anyway, nobody will see... I am told)

Even driving can send us straight into a moral dilemma: 

 

OMG look at these! HP all zero.. can just go in and wipe them out.

Wah… Goddness of Mercy leh… 踢馆 not very… merciful.

Then how? We offer them berries? They are all starving.

Cannot get close enough to do anything. Pokestop is too far in the monastery.

(google) Hang around. Monastery opens at 8am. We let others come and raid these guys out then we can just go in and occupy the gym. Like that we are not 杀生 (kill life).

 

I love how aligned our moral compass are.

Safari GO at Gardens by the Bay. 

First time to a meta event and it is epic! 

 

So fun that we go back everyday even when our tickets are only for Day 2 - 6 hours. Out of nowhere, some guy ask the crowd for group photo. He is @BrandonTan91 and we are educated through witnessing live action of my daughter - a new term called “Fan-Girling”. 

So many strategies to play this game that Kenneth declares Pokemon the new Mahjong. I love how such a simple game bonds us with Meggie as a tight team. Love the community, we even join forces with an old couples in the rain, raiding ultra beasts. True couple goals!! 

From here on.  Bye Bye Gold Medal Marathons. Hello Pokemon Gold Cup in Yokohama and Chicago.

Seriously, last three months never been more fun! Now, we look forward to December Holidays in the freezing cold lands of Netherlands, Germany and Belgium... 

Our little Lives

Past 5 weeks are so full of action that I need a blog fast just to keep abreast of events.  

National Day and the Tan family celebrates in style with the red and white prata party. And it’s the same prata chef after so many years!!! He totally remembers the family.

 

TIP No. 1 : Forget the kosong and egg prata. Bring on the plaster, tissue, onion and cheese, banana and chocolate! And folks, red, white, sake does not pair well with prata, let me drink my Teh Tarik in peace, PLEASE!

SIA T3 lounges finally open, and the midnight photoshoot has been fun. 

 

TIP No. 2 : Always bring your own setting up props… because OMG, the vases look bad, any better flower arrangements, the buffet counters no accessories? The Art … what Art?

Kenneth has been using Mad Charcoal as our extended kitchen and dining place twice a week. After ordering buckets of Heineken to go with steak because we are becoming true blue kopishop uncle and aunty, we delightfully realize the old customers bring their own bottles of wine over. Ever since the rays of enlightenment shine through our thick skulls, we always exchange $5 corkage for three wine glasses.

TIP No. 3 : Always offer the chef a glass of wine in appreciation of the nice food (to come). A nice gesture learned from Ray Ray. From restaurants to hawker centers, the Chef will make sure to orchestrate their best flavors and complimentary side dishes start to debut.

We and Chef upgrade to buddy level so fast that now when he sees us walk into the coffeeshop, he races to decant his own collection and tells us “I finished the sake on Wednesday (thinking you guys will come) but try this old vine, it needs to breath, no need to order, I will arrange your food tonight, go sit”… … TADA kopishop style omakase. 

Mum in Law is diagnosed with very early stage of Dementia. One of the many dementia tsunami cases in recent years when elderly sustain from social activities due to too much Covid precaution. 

 

TIP No. 4a : 

Go for diagnosis early. The level and depth of support the government and extended agencies have for patients and caregivers is amazing. I may not always be pro the ruling party but I need to give the entire well thought out system from medical care to counselling to grassroot activities a standing ovation.

 

TIP No. 4b : 

 

Blog. I am blogging for the day I lose my memories. In fact, if not for all these written and visual records, I cannot even remember what we did a month ago. 

PSLE is upon us whether we know it or not. 

Meggie certainly does not inform me of the all-important dates and by the time I learn that my receptionist is taking leave for her daughter’s PSLE Oral, it is 4 days before the big day. Bad news is, it is too late for me to do anything. Good news is, it is too late to do anything. 

 

“What do you want to do?” complains the girl. “You don’t really care what, you even fold all my worksheets into paper containers for bones before I can submit to my teachers”

 

Ouch! Girl has issues… 

TIP No. 5 : 

 

Control the sustainability impulse in you. Refrain from recycling worksheets, just make them disappear. Marie Kondo things that do not spark joy away! 

Compare two scenarios: 

(Seeing fish bones in recycled boxes) Mum, that is my science worksheet!!!

(Seeing nothing) Mum, I can’t find my science worksheet. (Pretend to help her search)

 

Extraordinary Attorney Woo has been delightful to watch because her Asperger’s syndrome and little actions are like Morgan’s. The subtle portrayal of general public’s misconception and expectations of people on the spectrum is also humorously heartbreaking. 

 

Instead of whales, Kenneth banned Morgie from talking about buses. So, boy channels all his energy into drawing instead. 

The biggest benefit of picking up Art is peace and quiet descending on earth. 

Creating his own story books is also the hottest trend in the family. 

 

Here we are, our tiny family living out our little lives… …