We Watched “Transformers: Age Of Extinction!”

Media Invite

The kids had a special treat on Wednesday when I brought them along for the Transformers: Age Of Extinction’s sneak preview. All thanks to the folks from OREO, we had the opportunity to catch the blockbuster movie one day before it opened to members of the public. In line with their Campaign this year, “Better Together”, which encourages greater family interaction by transforming ‘me-time’ to ‘we-time, I want to spend more time with my family whenever I can too. It was also the last week of the school holidays, so it was the perfect family outing for us before the harsh reality of schooling life sets in again.

It was a pity that the husband could not join us, but my mother-in-law came along and it turned out to be a great night of bonding for the kids and their grandmother! We don’t usually go out for movies together, so everyone was very excited. My mother-in-law, especially, was really looking forward to a fun night out with the kids because it’s been years since she stepped into a cinema, and it was her first movie with the kids!

Look what was waiting for us when we arrived at The Cathay – Two friendly Autobots (They are the heroes in the movie, for the uninitiated) stood tall and proud at the entrance, and so many people were trying to take photos with them. Frankly, neither my girls nor I are fans of Transformers, but they look way too cool, and we simply had to pose with them!

   

A sumptuous dinner reception was prepared for the media members and business partners, so that we can enjoy the movie with a happy tummy afterwards. It was such a nice gesture by the Organizers and I had a relaxing time hanging around with my family. My job keeps me busy most of the time, and any time I get to spend with my family is very precious. Furthermore, it’s been quite a while since we caught a movie together!

Very yummy OREO cheesecake – I had 7 cubes! =X

The kids were thrilled to see their friends as well, and there was a buzz and excitement in the air as everyone (especially the boys!) was looking forward to the movie.

Snacks are a must whenever we go for a movie outing, so I brought along the OREO cookies from home, in case they get hungry in the middle of the screening. What I did not expect was a big goody bag of more OREO cookies at every seat when we stepped into the cinema. You should totally see the surprised and elated look on the kids’ faces when they ransacked through their goody bags that contained packets of OREO cookies, popcorn, canned drink and other Transformers collaterals.

Now, what do I think of the movie? If you are a Transformers fan, you will not be disappointed. Transformers: Age of Extinction is an action-packed autobot-filled movie with amazing sound effects and graphics. In the midst of all the massive fighting scenes of autobots and decepticons, the movie also presents many facets of human nature – passion, ambition, greed, love and compassion, and I found those bits particularly moving. Jayne sat through half of the movie before she started getting restless (which was already quite a feat on its own), and Joey watched until the end with her eyes glued to the screen the whole time! The movie’s a pretty long one at close to 3 hours, and if you know how hyperactive Joey is, that’s saying A LOT about what she felt about the movie. I have no doubt “Transformers: Age of Extinction” will be another blockbuster hit, just like its predecessors. I definitely recommend that you catch it soon!

It was a great family movie night out, and a perfect end to the school holidays for the kids. Thanks again to OREO for providing the opportunity for me to spend some quality time with the kids, and bond with them before they go back to school again. I gathered that since the kids couldn’t stop talking about our ‘movie outing’ with their grandmother, everyone had a great time that night. Family time is so important and should never be taken for granted. In fact, very often, we have to purposefully create meaningful moments like these to bond with one another, and strengthen our family bonding. I am so thankful for my happy family, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world! We are really “Better Together”! =D

Aligning OREO’s partnership with its newest ‘Better Together’ campaign, OREO launched an instant-win promotion with amazing prizes to be won, such as bringing your family of four on a trip to Los Angeles, California! From 1 June 2014 to 31 July 2014, purchase S$5 worth of any OREO Brand products from selected retailers. Login to www.oreotransformers4.com to register for the OREO lucky draw and stand a chance to win attractive prizes such as:

• Grand Prize (1 winner): Family trip for 4 to Los Angeles, California (4 days 3 nights, with Universal Studios Hollywood tickets)
• Second Prize (3 winners): 2D1N Resorts World Sentosa Staycation for Family of 4
• Third Prize (150 winners): Set of movie pass for 4 pax

*Please login to www.oreotransformers4.com for details on terms and conditions.

#OREOTF4

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Why I Love To Hang Out At My Mum’s Place

I admit it – There are some things I would never do to my mother-in-law, but would not hesitate to do it to my mum. I absolutely love bringing my kids over to my mum’s place because whenever we are there, the kids stick to her and I get to rest and take a nap, or just laze in front of the TV for hours. I don’t feel ‘pai sei’ about doing that to my mum, because my mum is an extremely gracious woman. :P So yes, I take advantage of that once a week or two.

Plus, my mum’s super good at finding activities to occupy the kids. She has some boxes of toys which she brings out for them to play whenever we go over, or she would have some DVDs standby somewhere to occupy their attention span. On some days, the kids help her with little things here and there while she’s cooking dinner or when she’s baking cakes and cookies. It is a perfect way for the kids to bond with their grandmother, I’m sure you know. And of course, for me to unwind after a long week.

Yesterday, we went back to my mum’s place again, and this time round, the kids were engaged in some high-class playdoh session – They helped Grandma with the dough for Mee Hoon Kuey!

They started off just spreading the flour and rolling the dough, then got bored halfway through, so Grandma gave them some cookie cutters to play around with. Quite frankly, I prefer this kind of dough to the real playdoh because it’s a lot less messy. Plus, at the end of a play session, we can cook them and have a proper meal!

Because of that though, dinner took slightly longer to be served. Haha! By the time everything was cooked and served, I dug in fast and furious and totally forgot about taking a photograph of the amazing pot of homecooked Mee Hoon Kuey. As expected, the girls, especially Joey, ate huge portions of dinner that evening – It was after all the fruits of their hard labor. =D Food really does taste better when much love and hard work is put into it!

So that is the reason why I love to bring the kids to my parents’ house during the weekends. It is the house I lived a large portion of my life in, doted upon by my parents. It is a place of refuge when I feel tired and completely drained out by the things of the world. It is a place I feel most at ease at. But of course, most importantly, it is a place I want the kids to have great memories of – Playing with their grandparents, preparing a meal together or simply watching TV together. Precious. :)

A Special Reunion Dinner

It was a random suggestion that came up when I was having dinner at my parents’ place on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

My brother casually mentioned that he couldn’t remember the last time I cooked him a meal, so my husband took up the challenge and invited my parents and brother over to our place for dinner that weekend. I thought it was a brilliant idea. I love to cook, and the last time I cooked a proper meal for my parents was at least 7 to 8 years ago. I have been blessed often by my mom’s wonderful home-cooked food, and it’s high time I do something nice for my folks.

It was a very special chance for me to appreciate my parents and brother, and let them know how much I love them as my family. I have never mentioned this on the blog before, but my father is sick. I don’t want to go into too much details for the sake of his privacy, but the past few months have not been an easy time for all of us, and especially for him. All the treatments that he had to go through were draining mentally, emotionally and physically. Yet, we are grateful that on this festive season, we can spend time together as a family, even over something as simple as a home-cooked meal. God has been very good to us, and we are holding on to His promises like never before. We are constantly reminded that nothing in life should be taken for granted.

I had 5 dishes on my menu that evening. It’s simple fare, but definitely filled with my love. =)

1. Onion Fried Eggs
2. Stir-fried French Beans & Broccoli With Minced Meat & Mushrooms
3. Tom Yum Beef Pot
4. Steamed Fish with Tomatoes, Chinese Mushrooms & Goji
5. Lotus Root Soup with Peanuts

This must be the reason why I love Chinese New Year so much. Having a family dinner is such a happy and heartwarming affair.

 
My mom, the gourmet, made a mountain of Lo Hei by adding ingredients such as pomelo, blanched prawns and mangoes. I already took out the biggest plate I have at home, but still, there was so much ingredients that it nearly overflowed from the edges. It was so delicious though, and it made us so full even before we started dinner proper!

It was certainly not a perfect meal – the tom yum was a tad too sour and the veggies was a tad too salty. But what matters most was the effort I put in to cook something for my loved ones. It made my Chinese New Year that much more meaningful and special.

Hope your Chinese New Year celebration was one filled with much love and smiles too. =)

P/S: Awesome photographs taken by awesome husband cos I was too busy cooking.

Fun Recommendation: Pasir Ris Swimming Complex

Ever since my mom went through a minor surgery a few months back to remove some benign water cysts, she has been swimming on a daily basis at the Pasir Ris Swimming Complex. This swimming pool is slightly more fun than the usual heartlands swimming pools because it's got jacuzzi, several slides and a water playground. My mom has so much fun swimming everyday that she's been bugging me to let her bring the kids swimming there.

So last Sunday, we finally brought the kids there. They had so much fun with grandma in the pool! I admire my mom's energy - She could actually keep up with the kids' incessant chatters of 'Popo, come here!', 'Popo, go with me on the slide!!'. It was nice for me as well - Had coffee & drinks with my dad & hubby while my mom entertained the excited kids. It was a perfect kinda Sunday afternoon. Heh.

This is really a nice place for both adults and kids. Best of all, the entrance fees are really cheap - $2/adult and $1/child.

My mom says the yellow slide is really thrilling and fun. I am ashamed to say that I might not have the courage to try it myself. =X

The kids love their grandma, they do! =D

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Blessed By My Old Folks

Some people ask me how I can manage my kids without having a maid at all. I think it’s because I have very supportive and doting parents, and I am so thankful for them.

During my mum’s era, it’s common for the mum to stay at home full time to look after the kids, while the dad would be the sole breadwinner of the household. So my mum didn’t really need the help of my grandparents when I was young. She was a SAHM who took care of all my needs.

I am obviously living in a very different era now – Many mums now hold full-time jobs and have alternate childcare arrangements. I am blessed that my mother-in-law helps me with my kids during the weekdays while I work very hard at my job. Without her, I would not be able to go to work at ease every morning, knowing my kids are in safe hands. Without her, I would have to ferry my kids to and fro childcare centres everyday and take child sick leave to stay at home whenever they fall sick. I am able to do what I’m doing today because I have a superb mother-in-law.

During the weekends, I bring my kids back to my parents’ place and have dinner with them. Although we don’t do that every single weekend, but as best as we can, we would. I love spending time at my parents’ place, and having dinner with them always meant one thing: I could have my dinner in peace. Haha. My mum would fuss over my kids, making sure they eat all the veggies and meat with lots of rice. Dinner with my parents is usually my weekly highlight when I get to savour my dinner over nice conversations with my folks. My kids bug me to bring them to visit my parents all the time. See how blessed I am?

I am glad that I got married rather young (at 25) and had two kids by the time I was 31. Both hubby and my parents are relatively young and still physically able to take care of my kids. Having my kids young also meant that I don’t huff and puff while running after them now. =P

So when friends ask me how I juggle so many different roles and still can have quality time with hubby & pursue the things I love, I tell them it’s because I am blessed with parents who are ever-supportive and always there for me. I am grateful. =)

I pray that my parents will stay healthy, strong & happy! =)

Back To The Past

Just some photos to share today, cos I reached home super late last night and had no strength to blog an entry. =)

My hubby’s grandma lives in Johor Bahru, and she lives with her son who is an avid collector of antiques and old things. Visiting her at her house brought so much nostalgia to me. I saw many old things that I saw as a kid in my dad’s old wooden house in a small Hakka village in Seremban!  I absolutely love it. =)