Saturday, August 27, 2011

Ten Months Old!

Ethan_Happy


I am a big boy now! I can crawl, I can stand, I can babble, I understand 40 to 50 words and simple instructions, and I can eat! Boy oh boy can I eat! Rice, cheese, strawberries, passionfruit, tomatoes, bell peppers, all disappear into my hippo mouth. But I refuse to clap or point or wave cos mummeee, i am not a performing seal. Tee hee hee!

Ethan_Happy2

Monday, August 22, 2011

Fruits, fruits and more fruits

Surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly, Ethan loves (almost) all sorts of fruits, especially those which are sour. We've been trying him out all sorts of fruits including passionfruit and strawberries (cut into chunks) and they all just disappeared into his little tummy in no time at all (complete with loud and urgent caveman grunts when he thinks we're not feeding him fast enough). What he didn't like? Papaya and persimmon, we figured that it's because these are purely sweet tasting and therefore very boring to the little epicurean.


Ethan_eatingdragonfruit

Pretending to be a hippo.

Ethan_eatingpassionfruit

I may look innocent, but I just ate up all those passionfruit seeds. No mercy shown.

Be afraid, be very afraid.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Joo Joo, Joo Chiat Road

JooJoo Collage

Joo Joo, one of the new concept restaurants by the founders of Awfully Chocolate (the others being Everything with Fries and Mooshi Bakes), looked promising but turned out disappointing. We had mediocre kushiyaki (about SGD36 for a set for two persons) - there was hardly any grilled aroma, heavy on the salt, the grilling / dipping sauces seemed to have come out of bottles, and the chicken skin was served in the form of deep fried cracklings instead of the grilled crisps I had been eagerly anticipating. The garlic fried rice was also not aromatic at all, tasting instead like it had been mixed with soya sauce and cooked in a rice cooker.
Well, at the least it was a (super) filling lunch. And Ethan had a good time people watching, la-di-dah.

Ethan_atJooJoo

JooJoo
131 East Coast Road

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Chiang Mai highlights

Our trip to Chiang Mai went really well, although it was very tiring, as travelling with tiny kids always is. Ethan was tremendously well behaved on the flights and captivated by the planes on the runways, and especially enjoyed the Chiang Mai zoo and aquarium, although he was bored stiff by the sleepy sleepy pandas.

Ethan_feedingJaguar

The tiger feeding the jaguar


Dusit Chiang Mai

Never too tired to crawl on the bed, even if the parents are knackered

Dusit D2 hotel, right on the steps of the Chiang Mai night bazaar was in a really ideal location for us, as it meant that we could take turns going out at night for a quick browse and even cheap massages after Ethan had fallen asleep (although as it turned out, I only managed to sneak out for a half hour massage and half hour quick stroll at the market on our third night in Chiang Mai). The hotel itself, although nicely kitted out in a modern style and with excellent service, was not what we typically would have chosen - since our preference runs to more unique boutique-style hotels rather than the rather characterless big chains - but well some adjustments are part and parcel of travelling with kids.

Just Khao Soy

Food was good and cheap too, like the khao soi (a tangy curry-based noodle dish popular in Myanmar and Northern Thailand) that we had from Just Khao Soy. While there are undoubtedly cheaper and more authentic versions to be had on the street, this place scored for its cleanliness and quiet environment.

Riverside_Chiang Mai Sausage

The Riverside restaurant, where we had dinner on another night, was excellent and very affordable. My favourite was the charcoal grilled Chiang Mai sausage (yeah, mystery meat, i know), very aromatic with spices and with a crispy crackling skin.

Riverside

Chiang Mai was a good holiday and break from the everyday tedium and routine, even if it meant many hours of lost sleep (Ethan couldn't sleep at night, to the extent that I clocked less than 2 hours sleep on one night, carrying and rocking him to sleep every one or two hours). Thankfully (oh thank heavens!!) he has by now adjusted back to his usual sleeping schedule from 7 pm to 7 am, and falling asleep by himself without any carrying or petting (double thanks!!).

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Back from Chiang Mai

I played and played in Chiang Mai....
mummmee and daddeee bought me a lot of toys....
I'm exhausted now....
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.....

Ethan_Sleeping with Toys