~Couple Spa Package~
as part of last year's company's benefit, we were entitled to "Wellness Dollars" where we can sign up for spa/massage package to enjoy & pamper ourselves...so off i went to this nice & pretty posh place (@ Paragon) to sign up for the Couple Spa to pamper me & my hubby....


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You are entitled to:
a) one 45 min massage (choice of Shiatsu, Royal Thai, Tuina or Aromatic)
b) one 30 min Gentle Body Scrub
c) one 45 min Aromatic Touch Facial
d) one 30 min Foot Massage
e) one SPA meal
f) usage of spa facilities (hot therapy pool & sauna) and
g) reading & movie lounges

This voucher is valid till 15 April 2008.
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suddenly remembered that the validity is till 15 April 2008, called & request for an extension ( cos' i'm preggie and not possible to go for the massage or enjoy the facilities)...thinking that it was the most valid reason..all they could say is that i need to go down personally and talk to them....

so dar & i went down..
the staff asked " so, how many months preggie are you ? "
" 3" , i replied...
"Let me check with my manager....."
after a while....
"Actually, we can change it to pre-pregnancy massage..etc etc etc "
"No, i dun wan..i would still lose out on the usage of the spa facilities"
" Erm, but we can only extend it till August 08"
looked at her and said " you know its nt possible right ? i've not delivered then"
off she went..to check with the manager AGAIN...
" or, you may like to give the package to someone else ??" ( of cos not...the package cost $ 400+)
"or, your husband can come with SOMEONE ELSE / his friend ?? " ( like who ? my MIL ? gosh..what kind of suggestion is that ?? who is someone else?? )
Finally, the manager came, gave a weak handshake..congratulate me on my preggie (but sounded very fake)..and "out-of-goodwill" extended the package till Jan 2009...
whatever...the whole experience was horrible..when you sign up..everything is possible..can negotiate/discuss...now, a simple thing to extend (with a valid reason) simply show how inflexible & insensitive they are..the kind of suggestions..shouldn't even be made..is this where the service industry is heading to ???

~Yearning for a Holiday....~

Craving for a holiday badly...but unable to=(.. thus i can only dream or rather make some 'long-term' travel plans..heee...guess my next trip will prob be in a year's time when bb is turning one...so let's look @ my next 5 years travel plan.. heee...
*Year 1*
A Beach Holiday !!! always envisioning a family walking down the beach, (though not too sure if bb is crawling / walking then. keke) enjoying the sea breeze & the soft sandy beaches..listening to the lapping of the waves..oh-so-calming..and relaxing... followed by a nice romantic dinner..and perhaps steal some time for a nice massage...sooo looking forward....as for the destination..??perhaps back to Bali to revive all the fun moments of our honeymoon..this time..with our little one... =)

*Year 3*
to the place where Magic comes alive. to Disneyland..hahahha..cos most rides are only suitable for kids aged 3 & above..so perhaps that will be the right time to be there to enjoy all the 'Magic'.!! wahhhh....
*Year 5*
a road trip !! yesh..together with cousin Ian..to Downunder...Australia..we reckon that that will be the best time..cos they will be kinda more independent and appreciate the things..and remember the fun...heee..driving down Surfers' Paradize..and back to Movie World..Dream World..and perhaps Sunshine Coast..oh..Exciting!!!!
mmm...well....these are all my little dreams...of cos..things might change along the way...another new addition to the family ?? strike lottery ?? blah blah..but its always nice to have something to dream of... till then..just have to focus on taking good care of myself...and get ready for my new role in Oct =)

Happy 5th Bday Nacho!!

(which means that he is 35 years old !!! ~human age)

you are always a darling to all of us...
never failing to melt our hearts..
Love you soo much...
happy birthday!!
Woof !!

Our Little precious is Fifteen weeks old c",)

"*You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!
*Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!
*His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.
*The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.
*Fingernails and toenails are growing.
*Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.
*All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm). "
amazing!! soo many things are happening to our little precious..he/she has grown to 9.1cm and doc assured that the bb is growing well *phew* (every visit to the doc is an anxious one..cos i'm not able to feel the bb's movement as yet..thus always wondering if bb is ok..did i take the wrong food..etc..but of cos, this anxiety only happens when i'm outside the doc's room..oppss..other days, i will be happily enjoying my sips of cold drink, a little fast food here and there..blah blah blah) was telling bb the whole week to..'rem to open your legs..so that daddy & mummy can start shopping.."mmm..but bb still decided to close the legs..so guess we can only tell the gender when we visit the doc next month."bb, be good, must co-operate yah"
Sleeping time has became much better..only downside is..i need to PEE oh-so-frequently..and this comic simply sum it up!

~Jollying Ard in Japan (final day)~
mmm..its our final day in Japan..time always passes very quickly when you are having fun!! before we catch the plan back..we are gg to SGI Tokyo!!

Firstly, have to take the hotel shuttle to the airport..then board the Airport limousine to Shinjuku..and up on the JR line...gonna be a long journey.. (approx 2 hours..can zzzzz....)

Got off the wrong station, and afraid we couldn't catch the bus back..we almost gave up..luckily there was this kind man who walked us to the "domestic" train station..and along the way..more kind souls leading us to our destination..when we finally reached..i teared..indeed not an easy journey..we're glad that we persisted and finally reached our destination =)

Upon hearing that we are from Singapore, our fellow members showered us with lotsa hand0made gifts and postcards for us to share with the members in Singapore.. totally overwhelmed by their hospitality!

continued walking along the streets..where there are many shops run by soka members...Soka offices..and also the cultural centre..as we entered one of the lanes to one of the centre..beautiful cherry blossom trees welcomed us =) One of the members was saying "you are very lucky, the weather is very good today..thus the flowers are starting to bloom" Indeed...soo happy to see this beautiful sight before we leave for Singapore.....

Till then..its Sayonara Japan...Welcome Singapore..hope to be back again really soon....

~Jollying ard in Japan (Day 5&6) ~
@ DisneySea ~ with different theme ports like " Mermaid Lagoon", "Arabian Coast", "Lost River Delta" etc..the only sea-themed disney is found in Japan..so how can we miss it!!!!
As the statment says " Where Adventure & Imagination Set Sail"..we can't help but enjoy ourselves as we 'enter' the different mystical ports...get into the adventure of the myths & legends of the sea....mmmmm......


after getting all soo excited @ DisneySea,,we decided to forego our shopping plan the next day & continue our adventure @ DISNEYLAND !!! heee...since its gonna be a multiple day pass..we save $20 for the next day ticket (now SGD 40, instead of SGD 60).well..as this was our 'extended' day, we got into a little adventure trying to figure our way around..taking the train / bus etc...while our hubbies went to the train station to ask for direction for our return journey back to the hotel...Lilian & I were patiently waiting here for them...

and suddenly, all the charaters came out for pic-taking..i looked at lilian and asked "do you have a camera?" "nope, its with daniel" oppsss...mine is with Rick...sadly..we looked @ all the little children and adults running after the characters to take a pic...how long more will they take ?????

Finally, when we caught a glimpse of them from afar.. the characters were already proceeding into the themepark!!Gosh...hurriedly... i called out to Rick..and began our character-chasing..oh boy.. i've forgotten that i'm preggie..you should have seen how i was trying soo hard to take the pics...opppsss...and when i turned back, i realised that there was a little queue formed..for pic-taking..i simply cut the queue w/o realising...talk about kiasu....

Street Parade!!! here's the hubbies getting the yummies while we braved the cold to 'chop' the seats..but boy..am i impressed.. the japanese were soo disciplined..all of them were sitting along the pavement..which means that no-one is standing so that everyone can enjoy the parade...(unlike in HK where we have to keep jumping up & down..trying to get a glimpse..and all the pics had heads 'popping' up and we couldn't really enjoy the parade then!!) The parade was awesome...we felt like a little kid all over again...clapping, smiling..swaying our heads..soo fun!!!

Everything about Disney is soo fun & magical...mmmm..so, when and where is the next Disney destination ??? we can't wait.......

~Jollying Ard in Japan (Day 4) 22nd Mar 08~

peering out from windows of our hotel room.. i exclaimed "Baby, look..mt Fuji!!"yippee..the wind had blown the clouds away..unveiling the oh-so-magnificant Mt Fuji..unable to capture the full view from our room, we went to the stairway..

and this is what awaits us....

while our tour-mates were busy boarding the bus..we were busy snapping pics away..oppss..but you can't blame us for finding a good spot for these beautiful pics..heee

next up, we are gg to Tokyo..gonna be a long journey..but fret not, this BIG PAU is my fav and never fails to warm my stomach on those loong bus journey..ooiishiii!!

In Tokyo...shopping @ Harajuku & Shinjuku..and not forgetting BLUe LABEL !! ermmm..cos its only avail in Japan..i was prancing up and down the shop TRYING very hard to buy something...!!!

@ the AsakusaKannon Temple, to offer prayers for a happy & healthy baby...

its been a long day..so good night....on the most comfy bed!!!

~Jollying Ard in Japan (Day 3) 21st Mar 08~

Perfect weather to start the day !!!... We are going to Mt Fuji today!!

Lunchie before ascending Mt Fuji..

due to the bad weather =( can only ascend to the 1st level (instead of the 5th) mmm....not able to see the magnificent Mt Fuji...but never forgetting to have fun!! its snow-fight time !!

Since its still winter..we are entitled for this special tour to the ski centre....
mmm...not daring to try the steep slopes..we decided to head off to the kid's area..and try some 'gentle' skiing...wheeeee.....


finally..back to our hotel.. dressed in the Yukata and enjoy the traditional Jap Steamboat and the guys went to enjoy the traditional onsen bath...totally refreshing !!!