A Day at Ueno

Headed to Ueno for a Saturday with Dan's Japanese colleague. 

National Children's Castle at Shibuya

We had no idea that this place existed until we found ourselves there. Our day started when mommy wanted to bring the kids out to play at the 'free' admission Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall at Shibuya. As we headed out of the station, we were lost. It was a massive and busy junction - pedestrians and cars zipping right across our faces. My attempt to ask for directions fell flat as my English could not be understood. And a major part of the reason why we couldn't find the place is that the Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall has been closed since the March 11 2011 earthquake in Japan.

But of course, we knew nothing of it. So, right in the middle of busy Shibuya, we did a 'Pied Piper of Hamlin'. Since it was Japan's summer holiday, we saw Japanese mothers, with their distinctive hats, umbrellas and sun sleeves and their children all walking towards a particular direction. So, we followed the 'silent music' and found ourselves at National Children's Castle - a 6 storey playarea filled with lots and lots of children. But it was so big that we were comfortable. I think we spent a total of 5 hours there, only scooting to a nearby onigri shop because Sarah and Sammy wanted to eat and pop right back to the play area.

Settling down in Tokyo - Konichiwa!

Here we are - at our hotel apartment which is to be our home for the next month. Things are settled down nicely because everything is very convenient - a 24 hr Tesco Express just beside our lobby, the local Chuo Line station which is 2 minute walk from our lobby and many many restaurants line our street, including the famous Menya Muashi Shinjuku flagship branch which is a 10 minute walk from our apartment.

It's back to our usual routine of studies for the kids, home cooking, heading to the gym - peppered with lots of sightseeing and exploration. 

Three and Half Countries - Transit through Thailand

According to Sarah, Thailand is her fave country ever. Haha... and we only stayed there a night, did not even enter Bangkok city because we were transiting there enroute to Tokyo. What sealed the deal for Sarah was that  there was a pool [albeit small one] which Sarah had a whale of a time jumping in. Armed with 2 ring floats, Sarah would sprint about 1 meter from the edge of the pool before flying right into the pool with a great splash and emerge exhilarted with the experience. I would have stopped everything to snap a shot but I was enjoying the moment too much. I think she did about 30 jumps in total. Sammy had already long retired into his hotel room, complaining of the cold. Haha.

For Dan and us, revisiting Thailand was memorable for us. Squeezing in those short getaways whenever there was a uni break, hopping onto to budget flights and enjoying the yummy, spicy and very affordable Thai food. Those were the days - without kids:)

Thailand was fun while it lasted. 

Our Next Adventure across Three Countries

Daddy's off for his work attachment again and this time we are off to Japan [again woo hoot!], USA and Canada for 3.5 months.  We were full with 100 kg of luggage carrying kids and food supplies. 

Our seasoned travelers:)

A New Year Ahead and Much to be Thankful

C.A 125 - 6.4 and a good mammogram

I have much to be thankful for. 

Sometimes when I put my kids to bed, the occasional thought of 'not being around for them' crosses my mind. And it makes me very grateful - to be around for the kids in all their growing, learning and mischief. I am grateful and so thankful for my family. 

Had a really enjoyable 36th birthday celebration in a quiet part of Singapore.

4 Years and Counting

Today is July 12 - 3 days short of July 15. Always an emotional time. Always a reflective time. Always a time of praise and thanksgiving. 

In a year fraught with many life threatening decisions to make, I was yet faced with another difficult situation in July 2008 [i think this is something that I have never blogged about]. I was about done with my fifth cycle of chemotherapy. My sixth and final cycle was another dilemma. There were two options. The first option: Should I go ahead with my sixth cycle of treatment? Doing so would mean that my body and bloods would have lesser time to recover before my scheduled caesarean and hysterectomy. That might bring about a host of complications during operation. The second option: Should I wait till Samuel is delivered before I resume my final cycle. A break in the cycle might render the previous cycles less effective and there may be a chance of recurrence. These options were really not the easiest to make and each option paved roads unknown. [Side note: It's stuff like these that reset my perspective and made me realize what are the essentials and non-essentials in life. Enables me to shrug my shoulders easily over trivial things]

Well..we eventually opted for the former - to go ahead with my final cycle. That was after deliberation and prayer and understanding why we did our chemotherapy in the first place. As we entered the month of July, my bloods fell dangerously low at one point of time. The implications could mean an inability for my blood to clot during the operation and it could mean serious blood loss. There were quick decisions for blood transfusion to be done. So, when I though my hospital days were over till July 15, it wasn't. I headed to the hospital for another two times to do my blood infusions. 

After close to 6 months of treatment, my body has taken a toil. Nurses were finding it hard to locate my veins. We could only pray that my body could withstand the long operation that was to happen on July 15.  Miraculously it did. And I know that it was the Lord who who carried me through this journey, and perhaps my family too. 

So, on July 15 2008, by the grace and to the glory of God, our dear Sammy was born [like a little lizard] - with legs and limbs as fragile as toothpicks. But he was a precious precious gift from God. In And so here we are now, 4 years and counting. 

Blessed birthday precious Sammy Boy - our emblem of God's grace, hope, faithfulness and power! To God be the glory. 

Samuel Tan Hsien Ern [Xian En] - The Lord has Heard

A Scrap Page by Auntie Chiao Chi

A special birthday drum cake from Godpa, Godma and Elliot:)

Hakone

Our stay at Hakone was lovely. We engaged a tour guide from www.toursbylocal.com again and we had an elderly man Hide-San bring us around Hakone. Hide-san is a learned and well travelled man who was a business man in his earlier days. His work brought him to many places [including Dubai, Singapore]. After he retired, he decided to put his multi cultural experience into good use as well as meet people and signed up as a tour guide. He was a joy to talk to and like Auntie Kaoru, it was kinda like having a Japanese friend bring you around. 

We spent a day travelling in his car and heading to beautiful spots, had lunch at a soba and ramen joint famous with locals, Hakone Gateway, a wood mosaic workshop and he was so accommodating to bring me to search for the famous chimoto at Hakone even though we have exceeded our allocated time with him.

Japan Trip: Part Two

We bade farewell to Tokyo and boarded a day trip towards Mount Fuji because we hope that the tour bus would alight us some near our next destination - Hakone. That is the rare few package trip we have ever done in our travels and Daniel absolutely completely hates them - where your guides ushers everyone up the bus like school children, brings them to a spot, hurries them off the bus and let them snap a million photos and ushers them up again onto the bus to the next stop. We were kinda puzzled why the rest of the busload of tourists - a family of Singaporeans, some Europeans and some Asians allow themselves to be treated as such. Well, it could just be us:)) 

I think our family trip only begun when we asked the tour guide to drop us at Hakone as their bus journeyed back to Tokyo. With only our backpacks [our luggage was safely deported to our next destination Tokyo Disneyland Sheraton thanks to the fantastic Taikuhaibin service that only Japan], we literally skipped our way down the narrow steps of the monstrous bus, wave goodbye to our fellow tourists who have now developed a sense of familiarity with our noisy family and headed to an unknown bus terminal. 

Coming down the steps of the bus was liberating. The air smelt fresher. The sky is bluer. Hahaha. I didn't truly understand Dan's frustration until I 'smelt' true liberty. [Don't worry if you do not understand our jubilation here]. Only our astute Sarah could sense some abnormality here, "Mommy, where is everyone in our bus?" 

We are on our own - on the way to our next adventure. Our Japan hour adventure resumes. 

So for the record, that's our family in the middle of nowhere and happily posing for our camera [hung from a signpost] as it happily snaps away in its auto mode. Note: Dan looks especially estatic. Hahah!!

Where I have been all this while

While this blog was sleeping, I was...

1) Taking stock and reading....

2) Experimenting with a little css

3) Busy with the home while Daniel made two trips to Korea

4) Getting the kids' learning program on the roll

4) Preparation of our next leg of travelling in Aug - Nov

5) Settling paperwork for our trips

6) Meeting up with ole frens, a long lost fren and a new found fren

Well, I am a little relief to say that the admin of our first part of our travelling leg is almost done and we are heading to Japan again for a month! Woohoot! *Double flip with a triple twist somersault* 

To the kids, they just can't wait and they prob think that Mommy is going to bring them to Disneyland everyday. Mommy, on the other hand is making sure that she packs enough necessities to help us survive through expensive Japan for an entire month. Well, but we are sure it would be adventurous, especially when we have experienced cold Tokyo in March, now we are going to experience the true Tokyo heat wave in August - at a cool 29/30 degree celsius with the occasional thunderstorm. 

I will try to update a little more before we head off to the Land of the Scorching Sun:)