Our garden

Our apartment comes with a garden. Everyone in the family knows I lack a 'green thumb' so I'm really hoping the gardener does a good job maintaining this one. Ha ha. Yes, there is a gardener, a paid one, to do the maintenance, much to Johan's protest. Anyway ... we're enjoying the garden especially with the pleasant weather that's approaching.

All she needs is a beach ball ...

a patch of grass ...

... and she's happy!

Ball time with Sera and Yasmin

3 girls and a ball

Dubai daze

Gosh ... where do I even begin. Firstly, I'm not really back online, I'm tucked away in a corner of a Starbuck's, freezing from my cup of mocha Frappuccino, even though it is 39-degrees outside. So I finally decided to come sit here for a little bit while Johan watches over the girls who are hopefully all sound asleep.

It's been two weeks since we arrived in Dubai. Things have moved slower than we'd have liked it to but alas, that's just how it is here. Johan did find us a very nice place for the family to nest. We've enrolled Sera in a nursery just a few minutes away. She's already loving it so it's happy days for her. Yasmin had a few unsettled days but she's getting there, adjusting and appreciating her new environment. But oh mind, she has grown and has changed quite a bit since we left Singapore.

Here are some photos till I go online again, hopefully by next week. Enjoy!

Yasmin the littlelest of the lot has been a sweetie despite all the changes these past weeks

About to check out of the hotel, which we camped out for 2 nights on arrival. Check out Yasmin's make shift mobile on the left. Really pathetic, I know.

We decided to get her a colourful playmat since our 49 boxes from Doha are still no where in sight. Yup, we're still living out of the our luggages from Singapore.

Oh, she did her turn over stunt since 2 weeks ago. That's her on her playmat, checking out her favourite peacock from aunt Sue.

Sera on her rocking chair

Johan and grandma took hours to assemble this little bunk bed for Sera, and eventually for Yasmin too. I think we were all very excited to see her reaction when she first saw it in the morning. She was speechless and grinning from ear to ear, crawling unto the bed to test it out

She stayed in her bunk bed for a while and that night, she really looked forrward to going to bed, no complains at all.

Grandma still can't get used to the dusty and sandy environment of the Middle East. She is always cleaning! She's even got Sera into the habit of cleaning. Ha ha. But Sera loves helping grandma ...

Sera loved it, now it's Yasmin's turn for an 'aeroplane' ride on grandma

Overloaded. Sera jumped on happily!

Up in the air!

All four of us - grandma, Sera, Yasmin and I, arrived in Dubai in four very exhausted pieces.

The 7.5 hours flight could have gone better but it didn't, unfortunately. Sera was just uncontrollable in her excitement about being on a plane, flying to meet her favourite guy and did I just say she was just bursting with curiosity on the plane. She was so thrilled that she got her own seat by the window, her very own seat belt and she couldn't believe her luck when she realised she had her own personal TV. She was in paradise. And there were people who kept asking her if she wanted juice!!! "Yes please!" So Sera was a real busy bee for 5 out of the 7.5 hours flight to Dubai.

Yasmin didn't sleep for the 7.5 hours flight. She wasn't very thrilled about being in a plane with all those strange people and strange noises. So she very 'rudely' let everyone know her displeasure. Grandma had to carry her most of the time. She REFUSED to lie in her bassinet, not for even a minute.

So that was the situation up in the air, on our way to Dubai. Grandma and I were 'dying' to get some rest but our sweet girls just wouldn't let us.

Sera definitely watched too many hours of bad cartoons

She did some colouring for a little bit

Yasmin smiling because grandma was carrying her all the time

Sera finally crashed 2 hours before landing. She continued to sleep until we met Johan at the arrival gate. She opened her eyes to greet papa and then very quickly fell back to sleep in his arms.

The last 2 days

It was a flurry of last minute errands and packing before we left for Dubai. I don't think we could have stepped on the plane if mama hadn't helped me with the packing and just being so calm about everything. I admit, I'm really bad at packing and I think Sera takes after me ... opps!



Thanks Sue for coming over to spend time with us. Sera loves you. Whenever the name 'auntie Sue' comes up, she says gleefully, "Lots of cats, lots of dogs, lots of parrots!" Ha ha ha.


Sera also had to say goodbye to her teachers and friends at her school. According to one of her teachers, she was exceptionally sweet and cuddly on her last day. The teachers were sad to see her go and said they would miss their little 'Miss Congeniality'. "Bye friends ... bye teachers!"



Sera wasn't frazzled or emotional about leaving for Dubai. In fact, she was very cool about all the frenzied packing going on in the house. On Thursday night, she decided she wanted to watch TV with her sunnies. She makes me laugh, really. And when she realised it was a bit to dark to brush her teeth with her sunnies on, she very nonchalantly rests them on her forehead.



Goodbye from Sera, Yasmin, Johan and myself to all our family and friends in Singapore ... we'll see you all very soon, maybe in Dubai?

Ice ... her jellyfish lantern

The invitation from Sera's pre-nursery class to make home-made lanterns came last week. And there was going to be a prize for the best lantern. Ha ha, smells like a competition and I know Johan, her more than competitive papa, would have been very enthusiastic about it! So I tried to put some effort into it. I brainstormed some lantern ideas with grandma, we came up with a few over the top ones but in the end, we went with the underrated but beautiful jellyfish. Ok ok, we were actually inspired by the jellyfish crafts we saw on an episode of Hi 5! Sera's at school now ... I wonder how Ice, her jellyfish lantern did in the competition?

We started with a piece of crepe paper. We got Sera to decorate it with little pieces of coloured paper

She was very precise and methodical in the activity ... reminded me of Johan!

Grandma did the finishing touches

There's a reason for this photo and it's not about her crazy hair. It's how she came up with the name for her jellyfish lantern. 'ICE' because just before I asked her what she was going to name her lantern, she was crunching on ice. Hmm, why not?

Sera with Ice the Jellyfish. This photo gave grandma and I a huge tummy-ache ... from too much laughing. Our enthusisasm with the lantern crafting really got the better of us. The jellyfish lantern was not only too big for Sera but it had evolved into a Portuguese 'man of war'. It was massive! See how Sera had to lift her arm way up high, and the other hand on the sofa, just to accommodate the weight of the lantern.
Ha ha. Too funny!

Monday morning, just before heading off to school. Grandma did a makeover to the jellyfish's tenticles ... and Sera looked so much happier with the lighter and more jellyfish-like Ice! Good luck Sera!

Over the weekend

To start, just two photos of Yasmin taken just before her bath. How nice if she was cheery like this all day, especially when she's in her car seat. Hmmm ....

First thing in the morning, I just have to call her name and she lights up

A close up ... ok, everyone from my side of the family say she looks more like Johan. What do you think?

Thursday morning. We should really be home packing but I brought Sera to see 'The Rainbow Fish' play.

Sitting on a little stool, Sera enjoyed the short musical but I think she was a little sleepy

Friday afternoon. Kim and adorable Elliot came for a visit. We went downstairs to play for a bit.

And just a few steps away, this little monkey jumps into the pool, clothes and all. In case you're wondering why she was in her pyjamas ... err, well, this happens when she dresses herself up.

Saturday morning. My goal was to keep her busy since I was on my own with the girls. She painted a huge mess on the balcony

She was pretty happy with her painting session

The afternoon went by without too much stress, despite Yasmin's very restless one. While I tended to Yasmin most of the afternoon. Sera managed to entertain herself.


Like how I found her snuggled under our covers 'reading' out loud her Blue's World of Words ...

Together in the morning

I know I have posted many photos of the girls together but for me, it's never enough. Seeing them interact is really one of the loveliest things for me.

Sera plants a morning kiss for her little sister

This is funny. Sera is actually teaching Yasmin to 'peace out'. Sera is trying hard to undo Yasmin's inflexible fingers


Sera decides to lay beside Yasmin, holds her hands and flashes her famous 'peace out' sign

"Sera put your hand down please!" She laughs ... think she knows I don't find it very amusing

Check out how she sneaks a 'peace out' with her right hand. Ahhh, this girl is cheeky!

One more kiss from Sera. Yasmin, calm throughout this little photo session looks mighty pleased

Why can't they just sleep?

Remember that wonderful sleeping method our dear friends, Manu and Pablo, taught us a while back? Back in Doha, we tried it on Sera and only after 4 days, she was sleeping on her own, without fuss or pain. Well, we tried to revive that sleep routine since we arrived in Singapore in May but it has sadly, never happened. Sera, we have come to accept, just needs a different kind of sleep routine. What is her sleep routine?

Well, aside from her usual 2, 4 or 6 storybooks that is read to her, she needs to sing. This girl sings like she's in some karaoke lounge, belting out nursery song after nursery song, getting more and more animated and often times, very off key. Basically, she sings till she tires ... then she falls asleep.

Now it's Yasmin turn. We've pulled out every trick in the bag with her. All the walking, swaying, bouncing, singing sometimes just doesn't work. Groan. Then one day, while I was struggling to put her to bed, I went to the toilet to wet a face cloth (I wanted to give her a quick wipe as she was all sticky from 'fighting' me). I turned on the tap and there was silence. I looked at Yasmin and she was still, eyes wide open and then slowly she spaced out. Standing in the toilet, with the tap running, I experienced sweet tranquility with her. Ha ha ha. I thought I might have found something to pacify her to sleep. The running tap lasted for just a bit ... what she needed was real gushing water. And guess what, there an actual waterfall at the basement of our very building!

So this waterfall has been a wonderful pacifier for her. I'm there with her 3 or 4 times a day, and the sleep results are almost immediate. The gushing water, the soft breeze and the lush foliage ... her little bit of paradise at basement 1, right next to the car park. Gosh, I would love to take this waterfall with me ... everywhere we go.

Hoenstly, why can't our girls just sleep ... ?

Dreaming of watefalls

Sunshine Yasmin

Yasmin is a morning baby, I think most babies are? Her smiles are generous, animated and very infectious. Just 4 shots here ... count yourself lucky, I could have posted all twenty-one shots. Ha ha!