the last day of 2011
What better way to celebrate the end of 2011 than by documenting the day in pictures? The party with my friends was wonderful, especially because for once I didn't have to wrangle The Bun and could just relax and do what I wanted and have both hands to myself.
I'll write about The Bun's sleepover in another post, but suffice it to say that on the first day of 2012 when I went over to pick him up, he came running to the door, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, shouting 'Happy New Year!'
Yes, it was very happy indeed.
Awake but still groggy.
The usual morning ablutions.
The Bun's awake! He rolls around in bed pretending he is a turtle.
J takes over his morning routine so that I can eat some breakfast in peace.
If I don't eat first thing in the morning I can't function at all.
The Bun plays with his favourite Christmas gift while eating his breakfast.
While I get ready to leave the flat.
And off we go! We're heading east (sort of) today.
My job is to read the map.
One underground highway later...
We emerge at Tanjong Rhu.
This photo looks like an advertisement for the condominium along Amber Road.
Here we are: Kallang Leisure Park.
It's way too hot today to do anything outdoors,
so like many other Singaporeans we go hide in an air-conditioned mall.
Stick a parking coupon on the dashboard.
The mall is not very interesting, but it's air-conditioned, uncrowded,
and we haven't been here in a long time, so it's fine.
The Bun does a good job of pretending he knows what the Animal Kaiser game is all about.
But the real game he prefers is counting all the tiny
mosaic squares on one of the benches in the mall.
Japanese food for lunch! No other food pictures.
It's hard to handle chopsticks, a toddler with wandering hands,
and a camera all at the same time.
A short supermarket run for some fruit and cheese.
The cookie aisle sings its siren call.
Picking out some wine for the party tonight.
And then it's time for a chocolate break!
Specifically, this.
It doesn't look like much but it is all sorts of deliciousness.
Before and after.
Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig.
While the boys take a nap I go online,
Tame the laundry monster,
And pack for The Bun's sleepover at the grandparents' tonight.
Ah. When they're awake you wish they were asleep.
Then when they're asleep you wish they would wake up.
Finally The Bun wakes, and a small snack is in order.
To Grandmother's house we go!
My parents' place. No pictures inside their flat because
both the kid and the family dog were going nuts
and I was busy giving handover instructions.
Right after we leave J and I both feel peckish so we make a quick stop
at the nearby hawker centre for something to eat.
We (rightly) predict that dinner will be very late at the party we're attending.
Chai tau kway and sugarcane juice with a squeeze of lemon.
That definitely hits the spot.
Let's get this party started!
We arrive at my friend C's cafe. She's closed it for the night to host the party.
The hostess with the mostest!
After a lot of talking and nibbling on snacks while waiting for the others to arrive,
we finally get the cook-off started. We're all divided up into teams that have to make
the starter, the main, and the dessert courses for dinner. Each team has to work with
a bunch of mystery ingredients and only 30mins to cook. We draw lots from this cup
to find out which course we're making.
Tadah!
Mag and me, my partner for the starter course.
We have to work with these:
kumquats, melba toasts, and a tin of luncheon meat.
Getting to work.
Our final product: crisp luncheon meat slices on melba toasts, drizzled with a kumquat reduction.
The judges don't seem impressed.
The main course cooking starts:
Veal tortellini, mushrooms, potatoes, haloumi cheese, and dark couverture chocolate.
Things heat up in the kitchen.
The end result.
In-between courses, the judges make themselves
useful by cleaning and refreshing the kitchen.
Dessert course: pancake mix, root beer, bananas, and Chinese waxed sausages.
Their final product is quite impressive.
The judges deliberate. (And yawn.)
Surely this kid deserves a prize for sleeping through everything,
and staying asleep all the way until the party ends.
The winners are announced!
Dessert wins, of course. My 'boring' starter wins third prize.
Our 'consolation' prize.
We laugh and talk and before we know it, midnight is upon us.
Hello 2012!
Everyone drinks and talks till it is almost 2am.
I am the designated driver, so J snaps this first shot of 2012:
the empty streets as we make our way home.
I'll write about The Bun's sleepover in another post, but suffice it to say that on the first day of 2012 when I went over to pick him up, he came running to the door, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, shouting 'Happy New Year!'
Yes, it was very happy indeed.
Awake but still groggy.
The usual morning ablutions.
The Bun's awake! He rolls around in bed pretending he is a turtle.
J takes over his morning routine so that I can eat some breakfast in peace.
If I don't eat first thing in the morning I can't function at all.
The Bun plays with his favourite Christmas gift while eating his breakfast.
While I get ready to leave the flat.
And off we go! We're heading east (sort of) today.
My job is to read the map.
One underground highway later...
We emerge at Tanjong Rhu.
This photo looks like an advertisement for the condominium along Amber Road.
Here we are: Kallang Leisure Park.
It's way too hot today to do anything outdoors,
so like many other Singaporeans we go hide in an air-conditioned mall.
Stick a parking coupon on the dashboard.
The mall is not very interesting, but it's air-conditioned, uncrowded,
and we haven't been here in a long time, so it's fine.
The Bun does a good job of pretending he knows what the Animal Kaiser game is all about.
But the real game he prefers is counting all the tiny
mosaic squares on one of the benches in the mall.
Japanese food for lunch! No other food pictures.
It's hard to handle chopsticks, a toddler with wandering hands,
and a camera all at the same time.
A short supermarket run for some fruit and cheese.
The cookie aisle sings its siren call.
Picking out some wine for the party tonight.
And then it's time for a chocolate break!
Specifically, this.
It doesn't look like much but it is all sorts of deliciousness.
Before and after.
Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig.
While the boys take a nap I go online,
Tame the laundry monster,
And pack for The Bun's sleepover at the grandparents' tonight.
Ah. When they're awake you wish they were asleep.
Then when they're asleep you wish they would wake up.
Finally The Bun wakes, and a small snack is in order.
To Grandmother's house we go!
My parents' place. No pictures inside their flat because
both the kid and the family dog were going nuts
and I was busy giving handover instructions.
Right after we leave J and I both feel peckish so we make a quick stop
at the nearby hawker centre for something to eat.
We (rightly) predict that dinner will be very late at the party we're attending.
Chai tau kway and sugarcane juice with a squeeze of lemon.
That definitely hits the spot.
Let's get this party started!
We arrive at my friend C's cafe. She's closed it for the night to host the party.
The hostess with the mostest!
After a lot of talking and nibbling on snacks while waiting for the others to arrive,
we finally get the cook-off started. We're all divided up into teams that have to make
the starter, the main, and the dessert courses for dinner. Each team has to work with
a bunch of mystery ingredients and only 30mins to cook. We draw lots from this cup
to find out which course we're making.
Tadah!
Mag and me, my partner for the starter course.
We have to work with these:
kumquats, melba toasts, and a tin of luncheon meat.
Getting to work.
Our final product: crisp luncheon meat slices on melba toasts, drizzled with a kumquat reduction.
The judges don't seem impressed.
The main course cooking starts:
Veal tortellini, mushrooms, potatoes, haloumi cheese, and dark couverture chocolate.
Things heat up in the kitchen.
The end result.
In-between courses, the judges make themselves
useful by cleaning and refreshing the kitchen.
Dessert course: pancake mix, root beer, bananas, and Chinese waxed sausages.
Their final product is quite impressive.
The judges deliberate. (And yawn.)
Surely this kid deserves a prize for sleeping through everything,
and staying asleep all the way until the party ends.
The winners are announced!
Dessert wins, of course. My 'boring' starter wins third prize.
Our 'consolation' prize.
We laugh and talk and before we know it, midnight is upon us.
Hello 2012!
Everyone drinks and talks till it is almost 2am.
I am the designated driver, so J snaps this first shot of 2012:
the empty streets as we make our way home.