Skipping Lunch For Shopping ... Not Me

I went shopping at the Monroe Premium Outlets in the morning with the team. I was here earlier in the year so I wasn't going to buy a lot of stuff. I had planned meetings in the afternoon with the Digital core team folks so I couldn't stick around too long. I had a quick lunch at the cafeteria and drove to BEBC for the meetings.

I was to meet the team at Kenwood mall after my meetings. I reach there to find that they had only just arrive too. And ... they were ready for dinner at 4.30pm because they skipped lunch to shop at Monroe. Goodness ... there was so much shopping that they decide it was more important than food!

Dinner it is and they were excited to dine at Cheesecake Factory. I ordered the shrimp scampi and the Chinese chicken salad, similar as last year's trip. My shrimp scampi took a long time to come and  when it did arrived, it was overdosed with salt and totally inedible. I rejected it and the waiter returned the dish and had the kitchen make a new one.

The rest of the evening was fine, we had a good dinner and the team went off for more shopping at the mall. I didn't have anything to get and wandered around catching pokemons. When they were done we went off to grab water and groceries at Walmart. I got myself a nice bottle of wine for the week.

Narita > Chicago > Cincinnati

I jumped on the American Airlines plane for Narita to Chicago. They had me at a end section two seater on the left of the plane which is right beside the toilets. I was smelling crap the whole flight but the space I had on the seat more than make up for the torture on my nose. Because the row in front of mine is a 3 seater, there is a 'triangle' area behind the right aisle seat for me. I could safely move my knee out of my seat without fearing a hit by the food trolleys.

I finished all the movies I wanted to watch half way through the 18 hour flight and switch to music and tried to get some sleep. Oddly it wasn't as comfortable as my earlier trip on UA. I should really try to fly UA next time .... if I can get people to cooperate on the bookings. I was tired when I arrived at O'hare.

It was 4.30pm when I arrive and the next flight was scheduled for 6.50pm. So naturally the first thing to do is getting early dinner. There will probably no restaurants open by the time I reach Cincinnati so better get something now and worry about supper later.

The rest of the team had arrived earlier and they were getting ready to leave and get onto the connecting flight when I arrive at Wicker Park Sushi at Terminal 2. My connecting was at Terminal 3 but as I was walking to T2 I received a notification that my connecting to Cincinnati has been delayed to 7.30pm. Ok, just as well ,,, that gives me more time to enjoy dinner.

That delay was unfortunately a first of many to come. What was a 6.50pm became a 9.40pm flight. The only bright side to the delay was the opportunity to play Pokemon. This place is a gold mine with multiple gyms and Pokestops peppered tightly across 4 Terminals.

I also took the chance to get as many regional exclusives as I can so I can trade them to Meimei and the kiddo's account to complete their Pokemon collection.

By time I reach Cincinnati I was a little past midnight. I reach the hotel at around 1am ... it was horrible. I would try my best to avoid O'hare if I ever come to Cincinnati again.

Flight To Cincinnati On JAL/AA - First Leg To Narita

My colleagues were put on an earlier flight and traveling together. I'm flying alone because someone screwed up and another decided to be mean and put $200 for a 2 way priority over me having to spend additional 5-6 hours each way. Brilliant!

Anyways because of the fiasco with the non-issuance of ticket and finding another flight, the tickets were issued late and they simply put me in any seat they can find .... which usually means the middle seats. And even better was that they booked me via Japan Airlines and I couldn't check in on the American Airlines flight from Narita to Chicago to try to change seats. They had me booked on the middle seat for the longest stretch - 18 hours flight.

I arrived early at the American Airlines check-in counter in hopes of getting a seat change. There was a Caucasian fella on my left who seemed to have some problems with his booking and was arguing with the counter staff that he was promised aisle seats over the phone. However he was not able to produce any documentary proof nor was his request recorded in the airline's reservation system. Seeing how he was reacting and the response from the airline staff reminded me that it's not going to work if I hardline it. So I politely requested for a switch to an aisle if it was at all possible. The counter staff response was that the flight was full on the Singapore to Narita flight but he can put in a request. He was however able to switch me on the Narita to Chicago, which meant wonders! I thanked him with a big smile ... I can survive 8 hours in middle seat on the first leg.

Once I cleared customs I settled down at Starbucks for a quick breakfast. Nothing fancy but important to get some hot food before the flight. You never know what sort of quality you will get on a flight.

The next thing that happen made my day. As I pass the security check to get into the waiting area, I pass the counter and scan my ticket. Out sounded a loud beep and the counter lady stopped and checked my ticket closely. "Sir, you have a request for an aisle seat? There is an available aisle and we will be switching your ticket." WOOOT!!! rang those my head. Thank you!

Yeah they put me in the baby row ... which is perfectly fine with me. The front was empty and I could fully stretch my legs .... Super Win! There was a lady on my left and then a Japanese couple with a cute baby boy The trip was pretty good except ... there's seems to always be something that happens on my flights. On the last trip, I had my spectacles crushed on the flight which prompted me to pack the backup on my carry-on. This time I broke the USB charging cable for my phone. I didn't really get how it happen, just that when I woke up from a nap, the USB end of the cable was bended 90 degrees. Bah ...

I spent half hour hunting for a cable and then another half walking around to see if there was anything good to catch. There was nothing so I went straight to the gate to grab some food. There was a Yoshinoya and that's what I had for lunch. There wasn't even time to go get something better at the other terminal but at least this is hot food.

Off to Chicago we go!

Two Weeks In Cincinnati

I'm travelling to Cincinnati again ... and this time for 2 weeks on request. I have 3 other team mates going too but they are there for the initial Deloitte POC from Tuesday to Thursday. They fly off on Friday and will be back in Singapore on Saturday evening. 

I, on the other hand, have been asked to stay another week and will only fly off on Wednesday morning ... and back in Singapore in the wee hours of 27th. I didn't like that I had to stay the weekend, especially when here was an assignment due in the middle of the 2nd week and a class as well. But it was difficult to decline the 'invitation'.

So I'm flying off tomorrow ... on a crappy flight because someone decided that two hundred Singapore dollars savings for the company was more important than an employee having to spend additional 5-6 hours on each flight. The appointed travel agency for my company forgot to issue my ticket so they had to put me alone on another flight. And even then this someone insist I travel on the cheapest ticket ... which means I reach back in Singapore past midnight instead of the original 6pm+.

This whole saga pisses me off to no end. I made it very clear to my boss that I will not travel again for the company if this is going to be how it is in the future.

All the grumbling aside ... I'm still stuck on a 28 hour economy flight to Cincinnati because I have to lay over at Narita and Chicago. Phhhhffff ... this is one of the worst company to travel for. And that's saying a lot because it is in the aerospace industry!

YY @19 mths - Walking Up And Down

YY has been asking to get down the stroller to walk the past month. I think he likes the freedom to go where he wants and the opportunity to explore and touch the world around him. He is innocently fearless and that scares me, especially when he attempts to climb up and down steps without holding support.

He recently went up and down the steps at the basketball court while I watch worryingly close by, ready to catch him should he fall. He did get up and down brilliantly though, taking single steps carefully and not trying to rush it like OO when she was the same age.

Playground Renewals @ Bedok

We're noticing that playgrounds are progressively getting revamped at Bedok. Which is a great thing considering that some of them are visibly old and ragged. However the new ones looks to be made for older kids like OO.

I cannot imagine a two year old YY trying to scale the steps. And the slides coming down have less depth. I think they are safe if the kid obediently sits down and just slides down. Hopefully OO and YY will not get into naughty stunts on these new slides.

I'm waiting eagerly for the one near our place to get its turn. And it would be great if they bring in a version for younger kids.

Building A Basket Ball Net For YY

We did this for OO and Meimei had been planning this for sometime too for YY. He loves balls and throwing them is a prime fun activity.

He loves it! But he tries to 'cheat' by going by the side haha. It didn't last too long though as he keeps trying to get into the box. Kudos to Meimei taking the initiative to create fun for YY.

OO's First Dentist Appointment

Meimei brought OO to her first dental appointment. I didn't think about dental care ... I had my dentist visit when I was in primary school. But these days parents .. eh Meimei ... are more conscious of their kid's health and go the distance to get the 'best' for them.

Since I wasn't there I can only share the pictures Meimei took of OO during the visit. I think she kinda likes the experience.

Meimei did feedback that the children dentist had lots of toys in the waiting lobby and that helps to give the kids a 'feel good' feeling to the entire experience. Smart move ... and that probably explains the expensive fee.

First Sight Of Jewel Fountain

Normally I wouldn't blog about something like that but I was actually in awe of the magnificence of the Jewel fountain and its surroundings.

I am here to pick up Meimei and YeeYee. Since I was early I thought I would walk around. Changi Airport has outdone itself in giving visitors a spectacle. This is definitely photo-worthy and I can see many people taking photos with the fountain as their backdrop. Awesome fixture!

Losing A Iphone Charging Cable Head

I was charging the phone with power bank in the sling bag. In a hurry I accidentally caught the line against the kitchen barrier gate and yanked out the cable against the phone.

The metal end was still stuck in the port of the phone and I had to use a plier to pull it out. What a waste of a good cable ...

Pokemon Go: First Special Raid Event - Suicune

Today's the first special raid event I participated. When the last one happen in July (Entai special raid), I was watching OO while she slept and Meimei took my phone to go raid. I didn't get to see any of the action but was glad Meimei enjoyed herself. They did get me a Shiny 98% Entei so it was all good hehehe.

Meimei is in Jakarta this weekend for a cousin's wedding so we couldn't go raid together. But that didn't stop us from getting the Legendary Water Pokemon. I had both kids take the big blue stroller and went out raiding with Hazey.

It wasn't really fun without Meimei but we went through 5 raids for each account, even YY's one which took extra fights as his phone was used to host Meimei's account. It wasn't as fun too as Suicune seems a rather underwhelming Pokemon ... Plus the CP is low so I doubt it'll ever come up for battle on anything, especially not with so many other water type Pokemon in my inventory.

Pokemon Crazed

It's been a month since Meimei introduced me to Pokemon Go and I must say I am hooked. I would wake up early in the morning with YY and then go out for a tour through Bedok central to collect poke quest and catch Pokemon. In the afternoons I will try to see if I can get to raid with Meimei during lunch or drive to a Pokestop to collect quest to get more Pokemon. In the evenings I will try to go out for a walk just so I can walk the eggs.

It helps that we have 3 Pokestops and a gym right at our doorstep. I cannot imagine sustaining the interest in a game where there is little to do while lying in bed. My slippers are starting to worn from all the walking haha

I suppose I can put this down to getting healthier with all the exercise? I like that I'm playing a game with Meimei so that helps with some dinner banter. Not too sure if she approves of me being so indulgent in the game though hehe.

Oh and I got my first 4* Pokemon today from a quest ... which drives me to do them even more!

A Tour Of New Playgrounds Aug 2019

Another weekend and another opportunity to show YY to the many many playground dotting the Bedok area. There is so many around old towns because they have large pockets of land between flats. If we were still in Tampines, it would have only be that one and only playground nearby that the kids will ever play at.

The first new playground was near the police station at Blk 85. It was rather old and unshaded so I didn't let the kids stay too long. It was just as well since we spent close to an hour at the next.

The second playground is beside the church and it's relatively new. Although the playground featured two slides the kids were fascinated with the two merry-go-arounds nearby. This is probably the first time they've seen one and they had a great time on it.

OO will play the big 姐姐 and push the merry-go-around for YY. YY is oddly in a 'scared scared' phase and didn't seem to enjoy spinning around. He was however excited with the company and chance to play with OO.

The last playground was near our flat. It's the one where OO hit her nose and bled badly a few years ago. This time YY had a minor mishap ... he was on this bouncing contraption. Somehow as I was taking a video of him bouncing on it, he slipped and fell backwards head first.

He cried and cried ... partly from pain and partly (I'm guessing) from the shock of falling. We rushed him home and thankfully there was only a small hump on the back of his head on close examination. Phew!

YY @18 months - Early Terrible Two

I think OO started about the same time or maybe earlier. I think it's the teething that causes the children to be irritable and naughty. Plus now with a 姐姐 to get into trouble "with", be it together or against each other, it's just a mix of shouting, lots of 'No!' and general frustration.

Naturally we don't capture any of the naughty times in photos. We save that for fun and happy times hehe.

Pokemon Go: Ralts Community Day

This Ralts community day is a far cry from the Mudkip one. The server was laggy, there were long waits between spawns and we couldn't catch many at the end of 3 hours. And instead of having it at 4-7pm like the last one, it ran from 11am-2pm, which is right smack in lunch time.

Since there wasn't much to catch I went to grab lunch. It seems there are many trainers who walk around rather than stay stationary like us. Well we would probably do the same if we didn't have kids. It was simply not possible for us to stroll around for 3 hours during lunch time so we were stuck at home.

It seems walking around was the better strategy to catch Ralts. I took this picture after catching 4-5 of them ... and there were still another 4 to go. They're everywhere except at our house which already has 3 Pokestops. Hmm I'm going to see if we can plan some walking the next community day. We have to catch them all!!!