Kiddo Talk & Pic Aug 2022

 Don't go Primary school

After fighting over whose face is bigger on zoom screen….

阳阳: I don’t want to go primary school

Meimei: why?

阳阳: because if go primary sch already will act like jiejie not nice I don’t want to act like jiejie so I don’t want to go primary school

Wah Lau eh

萱萱: why no songs 

Meimei: because you two are talking too much 

阳阳: Wah Lau eh

Meimei: 😑

阳阳: what? I learn from papa one

Drink Cold Water

阳阳: mama mama mama mama mama

Meimei: WHAT!?!?? 😡

阳阳: this is not a complain ah 

Meimei: what? 

阳阳: why adults can drink cold water so much but children cannot

Elloven Monitor Stand

Was at Ikea recently and chanced on a new monitor stand. I had been using old textbooks to prop up the monitor at work so decided to replace it with something more proper and presentable. 

Faulty Lights Again

It was just 6 months ago that I went to service the car and repair the faulty lights on the right. It costed $530 to replace it. Now it looks like I have to spend another sum to replace the left one. Sigh ....

Andiamo @Detroit Metro Airport

Just got off a flight from Cincinnati to Detroit. Left a few days earlier than the rest of the team since I've come here a week earlier. Happen to chance on this Italian restaurant near my gate so sat down at the bar for a beer and a Tortellini alla Panna which is a pasta stuffed with beef, pork and veal and coupled with wild mushroom, basil and a mascarpone cream. It was a hearty dish, a little heavy for lunch but I wanted a proper hot meal before getting on the long haul flight to Incheon.

Asiana Restaurant @West Chester OH

This has to be one of those under-rated gem finds. When I drove up to the place I was worried we were going to have some sub par Korean. The place is like a hole in the wall joint on a small strip mall and looked very old and tired on the outside. 

Thankfully the food is another thing all together. It was authentic and flavourful with the right amount of spiciness. There were several groups of Chinese and Koreans so you know you are in the right place. I was most impressed by the Octopus hotpot.

A definite must come again.

萱萱's Swimsafer Test Day

萱萱's having her first swimming test today. I was still in Cincinnati so Meimei took lots of photos and videos to share. You can see the stress and tension on her face before the start of the test. But once the test starts she looks very confident in the water.

Meimei rewarded her with a waffle ice-cream treat at Bedok Mall. 萱萱 definitely deserves it!

Red Lobster @Cincinnati OH

Another one of those on the team list of to-go's. 

Children Art: On The MRT

Simple drawing but the process is far more interesting. 

Glad that the teachers shared the process with us. Happy to see the kids learning basic drawing techniques and not simply drawing on a whim.

Minimal Shopping @Premium Outlets OH

When you come to Cincinnati, you have to buy chocolates as gifts for the office and home. It's almost obligatory ... well at least right now since this is the first trip in the last 2 years. I'll probably tone down the gifts once I start travelling more. I got some chocolates for Nyaong and a Tory Birch purse for Meimei, even though she didn't want anything. She's having it tough at home, having to manage the two kids, so anything I can do to give her a perk-me-up helps.

The kids are older now so its very hard to buy clothes for them. Plus a lot of the clothes here are for the colder climate. Makes more sense to buy from Uniqlo in Singapore.

Cock & Bull Public House @Gendale OH

Jeanne and I were here for dinner before the game last Saturday. I was really impressed by the fish and chips so I'm back here again today for seconds. The rest of the team broke into different groups for the weekend so I came alone. But that's just as well since it's probably hard to get a table for a big group.

Gathering At Jeanne's

The whole team were at Jeanne's today for outdoor fun and dinner. I remember her sharing the different type of house plans when she was coming back to the US. She sold her old place when she moved to Singapore so I'm very glad she has a great place to stay again.

Montgomery Inn @Montgomery OH

Very rarely do I actually enjoy ribs. But the ones at Montgomery Inn are so soft and juicy that it falls right off the bone. Typically the BBQ sauce is what's turns me off but here the sauce has just the right sweetness and thickness such that you don't feel like you are a mouth full of sugar paste. Definitely will come to this place again next time we are in Cincinnati.

Cincy Crab @Springdale OH

At Cincy Crab for seafood today. The team has a laundry of must-go places and I'm happy to tag along.

My First Live Football Game

It was very very kind of Jeanne to invite me to a football game. I was reluctant to join her at first because it was an informal corporate gathering. My company has a VIP booth at the TQL stadium and the CIO invited the senior leaders of a special project and their family/friend to the game.

This has to be one of my most memorable experience in Cincinnati and I really can't thank Jeanne enough for giving me the opportunity to be in what could possibly be a once in a lifetime experience of watching a football game in a full stadium. The atmosphere was electrifying, there were crowds after crowds gathered outside the stadium before the game with beers in their hand. There was also a marching troop of the loyal supporters banging drums and taking the atmosphere up many notches.

I even bought myself a FC Cincinnati jersey and changed into it immediately. What an amazing experience!

Saigon Noodle Bar @West Chester OH

After a week of having western food I couldn't take it anymore. I needed something soupy and flavourful and with chilli. Asian chilli and not the American chilli. A colleague recommended Saigon Noodle Bar which was near my hotel. Oh thank goodness I gave this a try. The beef broth was superb and the chilli paste (you have to specially request for it) added that much need spice and punch to the soup. I'm pretty certain I'll be back again in the next two weeks to get my mee and soup fix. I give this place 5/5 for being authentic and not modified to the western palate.

Homewood Suites West Chester OH

I couldn't book my usual stay at Hilton Garden Inn as it was way more expensive now. Even the Hamptons was flagged on the Concur travel as having rates that were out of policy. Thankfully the third Hilton on the street was available. It's more of a homestay hotel with electric stove, full set of dining ware and cutleries, full fridge, dish washer etc. The room was 1.5 times bigger than the ones at the Inn or Hampton.

For me I'm not really into cooking when I'm travelling. It helps to have a stove to heat up leftovers for supper but that's not one of my main criteria to judge a hotel.

What I value a lot is the breakfast. We are not in the hotel room for most of the day so it doesn't really matter if its huge or not. But its important they serve a proper breakfast early in the morning (should start at 6am) since the workouts usually start at 7.30-8am. The Homewood Suites has my thumbs up for serving a decent breakfast spread with hot food and coffee. Will definitely consider this place for future trips to Cincinnati.