BFFs in Hanoi - setting off

We planned the trip months ago and to have the day roll around brought immense joy to me! The girls and I were high school friends (24 years and counting!) and our last trip was to BKK 2+ years ago. On this morning, we met just as the sun was rising and checked in. We had a leisurely, simple breakfast of coffee and toast then walked around browsing cosmetics, alcohol and the usuals, as one does when we have time. With no kids in tow. WOOT!

Pre-depature

The flight was nice - best way to fly, Singapore Airlines! I caught a movie, an in-flight meal and a 15-minute short snooze... and it's welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam! We have never been to Vietnam before, and it was an existing trip for us to explore new territories together.


Upon arrival, we caught our transfer to hotel and got to the hotel 1 hour pre-checkin time. We dropped our baggage at the concierge and went in search of food. We found this quaint little street with food stalls and settled on one.

Being led up to the seating area

Our al fresco balcony seating

We had our first taste of local pho which was so awesome! The air was smoggy (not sure if it was from the pollution or the cold) but temperature was just right. Match that with our hot, soupy noodle soup - yummmm. We saw a supermarket and went in to get some stuff - beers, snacks, water... then we headed back to the hotel.

Mandatory tourist shot

The hotel was a 5-star hotel that really met our standards. It was clean, spacious and kept us very comfortable our entire stay. While we lazed on our beds, the BFFs started to research on what we could do that afternoon. We read some blogs and decided on some of their recommendations. Credit for most of our first afternoon in Hanoi goes to this writer.


It was about a 15-min stroll towards the old quarters, but it felt super nice and comfy in the cool temperature. We found our way with our trusty map that we took from our hotel, and the bestie had scribbled some places to go to and off we went. First stop, ice-cream with the motorbikes.

Scoops

Open garage space behind us

It was tasty, but slightly sugary for me. I liked the feel though, as I swear 70% of traffic on the roads were motorbikes. The locals could ride right up to the space and park to eat. Very quaint. With our cones in hand, we headed down the streets of Hanoi, heading towards the old quarters.

Streets of Hanoi

Park - wedding shoot sighted

Park - open, badminton area!

I said it before and I'll say it again, the cool weather really made the walk so enjoyable! We did not feel gross or sweaty, and had no issues just strolling along taking in sights. Truly a best time to travel during spring-type-temperature; though I think Hanoi is generally cool due to their geographic location. We were heading towards our next destination: rabbit-hole.

creepy.

OK, it wasn't that creepy. The shophouses along the streets were pretty much all quite old and rustic, and everything is truly tiny. The buildings were low-rise, there were only a handful of tall buildings, the walkways were squeezy...



Coffee spot.

It seemed quite natural that we ventured down a tiny corridor to locate our egg coffee. Vietnamese coffee is known to be pretty thick and this discovery was something additionally so because it was a mix of egg white and rich coffee, pretty much like a liquid tiramisu. Slightly sweet for my liking, but still a tasty local delicacy worth trying.

Us, trying our best to fit in with the short furniture

Egg Coffee

After coffee, we continued down the streets in search of our next relaxation spot - the spa.

Typical roadside view - graffiti-filled walls and tiny, tiny chairs

This spa was recommended and it was truly a great experience. The girls spent their hour being kneaded, and I used the hour to descale my skin. I emerged with less dead skin on my fingers and toes - it was truly a worthwhile hour spent.


After this pampering, we walked across the road to have dinner. It was a quaint, roadside store that served beer and local fare of fried wings, spring rolls and it was truly an enjoyable night.

Bemused by tiny furniture - I struggled with where to put my legs.

Dinner

We ended the night by walking back to the hotel, having a night-cap at the hotel bar/club. It was super windy and cold, we needed the alcohol to keep warm! Did I mention already that the weather was truly lovely?


We retired that night tired from the long day, but fulfilled in our tummies and hearts. Lovely day 1!

GNR - 25 Feb 2017 #notinthislifetime

Many months ago, when the big news that Guns and Roses were coming to Singapore, the husband and his boys were all super excited. They snapped up tickets within moments and the date was locked down for the crew to attend it.


Come 2 days before the actual concert, I realised that I would have an evening all to myself. I randomly tried to arrange for a meet-up with some gfs and realised that - gasp - they were going to the same concert! I deliberated for half a day, and 24 hours before the concert, I clicked to purchase ticket. Just one, for myself.


That Saturday was a leisurely one, with the kids being taken out for play with the Godpa. The husband and I had a healthy, protein-filled meal while he then sorted out some air miles while I picked up my ticket. Just one, for myself.


That afternoon, we spent quietly on our own, taking a nap and preparing for the concert. Truth be told, I'm not a huge rock fan, but I cannot deny that the lure of (1) good friends and the husband (2) live music (3) a rockin' good time held plenty of appeal.

This iconic logo!

The night was not perfect. We were stuck in traffic heading in (made better with a carton of beer and jokes aplenty), stuck in queues to the portable loo (euw), more long queues to get F&B (super ugh lowlight of the night), but the parts where we got to enjoy the live singing and music, the snippets of mad moments I saw my girlfriends before losing them for the night, the laughs, hugs and kisses I shared with the husband... it was a lovely night to remember.

Crazies with my lovelies

The climax during November Rain. So good!

Fortunately, we managed to secure transport and got out of the mayhem post-concert relatively quickly. I suffered from beer-vomit from the awfully long ride from Changi to Sembawang (throw in some poor-smells. ugh.) but otherwise, managed to clean up upon arrival at home.


I'm so pleased I have this sweet memory with the husband to add on to our library of life events.
Sometimes, unplanned things turn out rocking great and this was such a case. Super love!

Happy birthday Jake

Leading up to his birthday, we made plans of what to do, how to spend time with the boy on his special day. He had gotten better after the pox attack and on the weekend of his birthday meal, he was in fine spirits that very morning... then fell super sick at lunch.


So while everyone was eating away heartily at the restaurant of his choice, the boy was lying asleep, fighting the fever that burned him. The fever pulled his spirits awfully down, to the point that he rejected his cake and present at lunch. Oh dearie me.It upset us greatly to see him in discomfort, with little for us to do except feed him meds and bring him to consult the doctor. This explains why for this 2017, there is no family group picture at his birthday meal.


Sunday afternoon was no better, as he pretty much slept through his fever and only managed to consume crumbs (literally, dry bread). The highlight of the night was when we set up his birthday gift. The husband had this idea of gifting him an electric drum set and oh boy, did his face light up!

First cheery smile from this fever-attacked boy :(

It was a rough night crossing into his actual birthday. Thanks to the husband who managed the night duty of tracking his temperature and dispensing meds, the boy awoke the next day still fever-beaten. I cancelled the secret play-date I had planned for him. In between his grumpy moods, we had some moments where he was able to stay up and engage in activities.

This is a 5yo, deep in concentration

Through the day, he slept and managed to eat some porridge and a good sign was when he requested for more porridge as he was hungry. We were mindful to moderate his intake though, as he had vomiting spells.


Another highlight was the late PM, after he had some snooze and regained some energy - he jammed to some music I played on youtube for him as music accompaniment and it was super cool watching him get into the groove.

My little drummer boy

The finale of his birthday was the cake. It's a bummer that we did not manage to celebrate the cake with my family and his friends, but it still matters that he had a cake afterall.

Playing along to act surprised

Tadah!

Cake-cutting

While the day did not pan out as planned, what's important is that we tried to keep him happy with what we could. This boy will stay positive as long as he gets to play! I cannot imagine that he was merely a bean... just look at him today. To end off this reminiscent mood, here's a picture of this little chum exactly 5 years ago.

28 Feb 2012

Happy birthday my baby boy. You will always be my baby, no matter how big you are. I love you.

Sick bugs, hello March

It has been one event after another.
First, the boy got pox. Then the helper got pox. Then the boy caught stomach flu. The husband started to cough. The girl caught a viral infection (bad throat and high fever). The husband continues to cough. And I am slightly hit by the bug too.

It'd wash over..

The house is clearing out of germs... kinda, and I hope the husband and I get well soon from our bugs leftover from the younglings.


And this is how we welcome March. Ha!

Progress

Mid-Feb: was trying to get my feet straighter

19 Feb

(L) 14 Feb; (R) 23 Feb

As with anything at all, practise makes perfect. Tracking my own progress is interesting, and there is no hard or fast rule against what you may achieve at the end of the day. The only constant is that if you do not try, there is no chance of improving. So always try!


This has been a relevant reminder not just to yoga, but to work and everything else.


Another goal I have is to do a pull-up unassisted. Despite having some muscles, I cannot do a pull-up. Boo. I have just begun working on that by using the assisted chin-up machine at the gym. Let's see how I progress!


TGIF!

A lovely Saturday

The son had chicken pox. He's in the clear now (yay!) but last Saturday, in a bid to quarantine him, we ended up having just the firstborn, an afternoon free from classes and a craving for haidilao that needed to be satisfied.


What happened was an extremely lovely, leisurely, indulgent and lazy Saturday. The husband made reservations to make lunch happen, and after some work with the girl, we commuted to town to meet the husband (who had sent the boy to the doc's and MIL's).


Lunch was lovely - we ate till we had dumplings coming out from our nostrils -  and I thank the husband for being so generous to share his craving with us so that we all get full tummies and hearts.


Post-lunch, we had no agenda at all; and ended up walking around with little aim. The beauty of this was that we ended up walking into a lovely piece of history where my old school sat; seeing some lovely architecture that we wouldn't normally admire and some nice pictures to capture this lovely Saturday.

Swinging fun

The man and the little girl - so much love

The girl enjoyed the time together too, feeling special that she was the only child for the afternoon. I hope that the husband and I can do this with each child more, as the attention and love devoted to one child feels different from when both are together.

Thankful, as always, for time spent with loved ones.

Valentine's Day dinner

After the smirky conversation with the husband, I was truly surprised when he texted me yesterday afternoon asking, "what's for dinner tonight?"


We made rough plans and made a reservation for an omakase meal that we had before, and enjoyed. Come 7pm, I was nearly at the restaurant when the husband rang me to say - horror - that we made reservations at a wrong restaurant. Oops.


So, this restaurant is not the one we had in mind, but since it offers Jap food we decided to try it. 10 minutes later, we walked out, because other than offering us drinks of our choice, nothing on the menu was. Unfortunately, this night, they did not offer the omakase meal - boo.


We ended up driving off to a nearby cluster and having a very simple meal. It wasn't the top restaurant choice, it wasn't very romantic, but I was very happy.


Why?


1. The husband initiated to have dinner with me. Unprompted.
2. We filled our tummies - thankful for simple basics in life; take nothing for granted.
3. We had a peaceful meal, with no one stealing our food, shouting into our ears, distracting us by asking us many questions... you get the idea.
4. With the botched attempt to eat at the preferred Jap restaurant, we will get to go again - hopefully soon!

Sexy date in an even sexier environment

Thank you for being my valentine, my love. I love you!