Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Happy Chinese New Year, folks!

We've been snacking on lots of these. Bubs is still trying to decide if he likes mandarins or not which is surprising to me as he usually loves sweet fruits, though we once caught him sneakily sinking his teeth into an entire mandarin, peel and all, and trying to slurp the "soup" (Bubs talk for juice) out.

And also handing out lots of these. 

Have you been eating your body weight in steamboat goodies? Hubs's family loves steamboats and could eat them for all 15 days of Chinese New Year! I devoured all kinds of fresh mushrooms but Hubs is a dumpling kinda guy. Bubs will gulp down bowls full of rice if we top them with tofu and fish for him - we also sneakily shred veggies for the steamboat in his food for him.

This was me on Chinese New Year's eve - I very wisely chose a peplum stretchy top so I could eat a lot and hide my tummy ;)

We headed to my parents' house for reunion lunch.

Reunion dinner was at Hubs's parents' place. Bubs was really stoked to have lunch and dinner at both grandparents' houses and soaked in all the attention from them.

On the first day of CNY, my parents had an open house for relatives. I'm wore the the teal and fuchsia cheongsam that Aussie Godma and I got together online. It was a snug fit - a sign that I should stop grazing on CNY snacks!

All the yummy food - check out the roti jala and chicken curry Mum made. These are always a crowd pleaser and Bubs kept asking for more of them.

Bubs was pleased as punch in his Elmo tee, since it was bright red, I figured it'd be cute for him to wear it. Baby V looked so cute in her cheongsam! The two cousins were so shy around each other though.

Fashion Friday: Floral Perfection

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Statement necklace + floral skirt = perfection! 

Love that pared down makeup by just focusing on the winged eyeliner and how the ruby red platform pumps complements the necklace. 

I must get a statement necklace stop shopping. 

Shopping with Aussie Godma & Baby V's 1st Baby

Aussie Godma came back to Penang for Chinese New Year and was jet legged but I dragged her out for some bonding with Bubs and retail therapy. Can you believe that even though she only had a couple of hours sleep literally, she still washed and peeled lychees and cherries and hand fed Bubs in the car? Both his Godmas spoil him royally!

I broke my shopping ban because it was difficult to hold onto your wallet when you're shopping with what I call an "enabler". Somehow when I'm shopping with gal pals, I just end up splurging because girl friends will always tell you that it looks good on you and you should just get it ;) Shopping with Hubs, on the other hand, is an exercise in guilt. "Do you really need another pair of heels?"

Darn right I do!

My shopping loot: Dorothy Perkins bonded lace paneled top in coral. Couldn't resist an orange pair of strappy heels (it also comes in Tiffany blue, sighhhhh ...) and black slips ons (I was dithering over this or mint). The mid heel height is perfect for an entire day in the office or hitting the mall for hours.

It's scary how Aussie Godma and me both have such similar tastes in fashion. We picked up that exact Dorothy Perkins coral top and ended up buying one each. We also bought the same slip ons!

One of the goodies she carted for me from down under. T2 Take Me To Australia boxed set collection of loose leaf tea - Daintree, Melbourne Breakfast and Aussie Breakfast. A not so subtle hint to make a return trip back, huh? ;) The gorgeous mint green and sunshine yellow box with intricate cut outs and a yellow, beaded tassel just makes me smile each time I see it.

It was Baby V's 1st birthday party in the evening so we headed over with Uncle M. Can I tell you that Uncle M makes the best babysitter? I told him to keep an eye on Bubs who was in the playground while I was chatting to people. When I turned around, both Uncle M and Bubs were on the little cubby house together. Why? Uncle M was scared his nephew might fall from it and hurt himself so he tagged along behind just to make sure, LOL.

Loved the party decorations and the beautifully crafted fondant cake. Happy birthday, little V!

Beating the Monday Blues: a Chipmunk & his Teddy Bear

Just a few more days to Chinese New Year and for those that aren't celebrating it, a nice long weekend! If that isn't enough to cheer you up, then these pictures of a chipmunk cuddling a teddy bear might do the trick :D

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The little furry visitor (the chipmunk, not the teddy bear) is a frequent visitor at photographer Betsy Seeton's home and stumbled upon the stuffed toy she left outside her home for him.

February is Going to be a Month of ...

Birthday pressies for people: Bub's cousin's first birthday, Fairy Godma's and Aussie Godma's too. Well, technically Aussie Godma's birthday isn't until a couple of months later but she'll be in Penang so it'll be an early one for her. Hubs is amazed with how much I've improved my present wrapping skills (self made paper pom poms and all, can't help but brag a little here, tee hee) considering that I used  newspaper to wrap gifts for him last time ;)

I've a confession to make. I'm a bit of a klepto whenever I'm at my Dad's house. I'm the type that will raid his fridge for food to steal, help myself to things like boxes of tissue paper, etc ... heck, I even steal plastic bags from him to carry away my loot ;) Look what I've pinched this time; a potted ket lah (calamansi) tree! Hubs had a hard time carting this one up to our place, it was sooo heavy while Bubs was dancing around and shouting "oranges!"

Peanut candy:  a friend's mum makes these wonderful gems that are dangerously addictive. They've just the right touch of sugar, the peanuts are still fresh and I love how crunchy they are when you bite into them, like little pieces of happiness melting in your mouth. Hubs and I can't stop popping into the kitchen to munch on these. I refuse to let Bubs eat these because I don't want him hooked onto candy (ironic, isn't it - coming from me?) so I scare him off by telling him that these are spicy.