CNY 2017

So, this is the first year that Dinos celebrate Chinese New Year though they are born before last CNY but were too young then to celebrate and I was still in confinement then.

At Yeye's house during CNY Eve

Happily playing while we prepare for dinner

I brought their CNY clothes last year when we went Taipei in May and luckily it still fits. On top of it, my boss, Dinos' both side uncles and my mum's friend also brought them outfits. So we have more than enough to parade them. Haha Who says having boys are boring? Not when the mum loves playing dress up!

Day 1 outfit

We still need to cook porridge for them this year be it during reunion or 1st day of CNY but I reckon they would be able to join us for our food on the next CNY:).

Baby wearing Small Dino as he got sleepy

Nap wise, they are able to sleep on me when I baby wear them which makes house visiting easier. Only thing is, my mil needs to help out with the other one since Mr Love is driving. Luckily the Dinos are taken care by her and they have no problem letting her carry while I carried 1 sleeping.

Big Dino Solo

Small Dino Solo

Failed Welfie 1

Failed welfie 2

Playing with their cousins

Or rather Small Dino bullying his cousins

Papa with Big Dino

Us in our 1st day CNY clothes

My parents in law have a habit of taking family photo every year during 1st day of CNY and we missed it last year due to my confinement. Am very happy to see the family growing with 2 additional Dinos this year.

The Lees 2017

With Mr Love's cousin's wife and youngest daughter

Day 2 was spent going to Grandma house and also out for our annual buffet. I didn't want to stop the yearly event and thought the Dinos are big enough to last us through the buffet since they can eat some adult food now.

But the preparation was quite intense. Haha

I woke up early to prepare our "field pack" and also steam some buns to bring along in case they want to eat something along the day.

Preparation to go out for CNY Day 2

The Dinos and their Papa slept in late today cause all had a long day yesterday. This gives me enough time to prepare the things I needed.

Big Dino 2nd day solo shot

2 cheeky boys

The Ah Beng Small Dino

Selfie while waiting for Papa



With Big Dino

With grandparents at Grandma's house

This year, we had our buffet at Parkroyal @ Kitchener Road and I had to say it's a disappointment.

Out of the 3 Parkroyal hotels, this is the only 1 we had not patronised before and therefore decided to try.

Our seats

Fruits corner

We took a 6pax table for us with the Dinos seated between us at each side.

Drinks corner

Sad to say, the selection of food here isn't fantastic and leans more to Indian cuisine which my parents do not really fancy. Also the speed of food top up is non existence.

Since there are quite a handful of elderly Chinese here, the Chinese selection of food finishes quite fast given the limited amount.

Food Selection


But they did not top up the food during my 1and half hour stay there despite me keep going round to check if I can still get some more food for my mummy who is busy looking after Small Dino.

In the end gotta make do with what's left there and my mummy did not have much to eat though it is a buffet lunch.

The Dinos got cranky towards end of the lunch and we had to baby wear them to let them sleep on us. Since Mr Love needs to drive, my mummy and I each wear one. Am lucky I got both grandmothers to help out on each day.

We then made our way to the temple to pay respect to my grandparents. It had always been a ritual for us since I got married. The Dinos were again tired out when we reached home at 5pm.

Took a early dinner and went to bed.

2 K.O Dinos

We were pretty much left on our own on Day 3 and I did not bother to make plans since next day is a working day.

But since we got nothing better do, decided to dress them up again and went out to Jurong Point for some window shopping.

Small Dino wanna eat the oranges

We did nothing much except wanna let them wear new clothes and parade. The parents did even bother dressing themselves up.

Give me!

The good thing about going out is, it tires them out and they took a really long nice nap after the trip to mall. Haha

Happy with their trades

Then the last celebration is on 9th day where the Tan's take our reunion dinner together. Since I'm married out and my elder brother usually goes back Malaysia for reunion dinner with my aunties, we have to have a late reunion dinner every year.

Dress the Dinos up in the Polo tees that grandma's friend brought for them and they look so grown up.

We tried to take some photos as tasked by grandma to show her friend but the Dinos refused to cooperate with us.

End up gotta bribed them with their favourite puff and they will sit straight as long as they are eating. When they finished eating, the magic runs out and they will slide down or not stay still for photos. 

Magic runs out

 I lost count of how many puffs we fed to get the photos but Papa commented that they are like those coined car we see outside. Once the credit runs out, they would stop or required more credits to make them work again.

Eating the puffs

A more decent one among the lot

The Dinos were cooperating enough to let us finish dinner though we need fed them on and off. But they were cranky during waiting time for a table. Guess they take after their grandpa for being impatient. Grandpa was cranky throughout the wait too.

The Tan's 2017

This concludes our CNY celebrations this year and hopefully they will get to enjoy the food next year and be able to appreciate CNY more too:)

My Bags Obsessions

 *Edit* This is post was initially written while I was on bed rest and was abandon later cause I am not able to type much while lying down.

Since I'm bored at home, decided to do a post on my current collection of bags. Not super branded or anything but they are all my precious.

Haha Since most are brought with my hard earned monies.

Took some time to search for the pictures as most are old models. Didn't managed to get all the names though. But at least gave me something to pass time.

1). Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM

I gave mummy this bag as an alternative to buy should she failed to buy my 1st choice during her Europe trip and end up she brought 2 and 1 more clutch as a gift for me. Faints.

But this was really much cheaper to buy in Paris than SG and even mummy jumped on the bandwagon and purchase 2 bags for herself.

Anyways Neverfull really live up to its name. Haha No matter how much stuff you put in, it's never full!

The handles look kinda of thin so I don't really dare to carry heavy stuff but it's spacious enough for me to throw in my usual stuff plus a book and cardigan. Not many bag can accommodate so much rubbish.

Also, I love the material of the bag. Literally maintenance free. After a good 5 years, the shape is still there though there are minor signs of usage near handles and top of bag.

Louis Vuitton Neverful MM

2). Louis Vuitton Seleya PM

This is my 1st choice on the list and reason I didn't go for the MM version is due to weight. The MM version is quite heavy and the shape doesn't look as nice as Neverfull MM.

Extra weight came from the zip, thicker handles and also thicker inner material of felt used as inner linings. Again literally no maintenance is need for the bag and even more so since I don't use it often.

Bag is elegant enough for dinner functions when you need more space to store your stuff. 

Louis Vuitton Seleya PM

3). Louis Vuitton Eva Clutch

This is a gift form mummy since it was not in my shopping list to her and I had no idea why she thinks I need a dinner bag since I seldom attend functions.

Anyways I accepted it happily but it was used even lesser than Seleya.

But usually it is good enough to throw in my hp, a pack of tissue, a power bank plus cable, keys, some cash and card and occasionally eye shadow box. 

The Long strap can be used during a causal day out but I am not someone to bring little stuff out on a normal day so I never try this look before.

Louis Vuitton Eva Clutch

  This is the end of my Louis Vuitton collection though I have some other models in mind to buy. But mummy is not going to Europe any time soon and I just cannot bear to buy from local boutique. So shall wait for the chance to arise.

4). Kate Spade Sophie Noel Tote

Got this from an online seller who brings in bags from US outlet directly. This bag is super roomy and I used to carry it for night classes where I can dump in my stuff and notes without much trouble.

Only drawback is the cowhide handles which were pretty heavy and stiff. It adds much weight to this otherwise relatively light bag.

And I love this colour combination as it goes with any outfit. Kate Spade did have quite a number of different fabric designs for this bag and I find this suits me the best. 

Kate Spade Sophie Noel Tote

5). Kate Spade New York Emily

Once, we were having dinner at a coffe shop in Bukit Timah and I saw a lady carrying this bag. Fell in love with the causal design of it. 

Then I came across this for sale again from an online seller. Haha those days it was pretty common to bring in Kate Spade Or Coach Bags from US since it costs only a fraction as compared to local boutique price and you get more variety. 

Only difference is, they are mostly off season bags but it does not affect me much. Every bag will go off season isn't it? I'm not a trend setter and therefore couldn't care much on which season the bag is.

The is again a roomy bag usually good enough for my stuff and a book. It's light weighted and therefore easy for hand carry. Only thing is the handles are too short for me to carry it like a shoulder bag. Blame it on my thick arms. 

Kate Spade New York Emily

6). Coach Zoe Hobo


This is actually 1 of my favourite design from Coach but by the time I became aware of it, it's wayyyy past it's prime and I had difficulty locating it to buy. Only managed to get my hands on this and I treasured it a lot.

It can be used as a cross body or hobo. I usually used as hobo for work purposes but I reckon if I need to hold more things during overseas holiday, can also use as cross body though it might be a tad too big.

Coach Zoe hobo

7). Coach Cross body bags

I totally adore these 2 cross body bags from Coach and it's my to bring when I travel. Reason being, I can slot in 2 passports and 1 small pouch in the zipper compartment, keep my valuables closed to me and also hand phone at the outer slot and sometimes extra battery or tissue and other whats not.

Coach Pink Crossbody

Usually I will have another bigger bag to throw in my other necessities like water bottle, umbrella, story book etc. But I don't feel safe in keep the importantly documents in such a big bag so I would use a cross body and keep them close to me.

Coach Brown Crossbody

8). Coach Peyton Black & White Signature Jordan Double Zip Carryall 


This is Piggy bro's gift to me for my 30th birthday. He got a set of it including a wristlet and lanyard from US outlet for me.

But I'm not too impressed by the design and find it too Auntified. This was chosen by my mummy and she did not heed the advice of her tour mates telling her that I would not like this bag. She kept thinking how practical this bag would be for me only.

Nearly vomit blood. Nonetheless, I still carry it sometimes since I rotate my bags and it would be such a waste to leave it in storage since it was lug back all the way from the US.

The full set

9. Coach Gathered Leather Convertible Hobo


I screen shot this bag design and got mummy to buy back from US for me during her trip. It was a spacious hobo and had a sling which I foresee I could use to replace my small sling bags next time during overseas trip since need to take in 2 more passports and a lot of whats not with the Dinos with us.

The bag is also pretty light which adds another plus point to the bag.

Coach Gathered Leather Convertible Hobo

10). Coach Borough Medium in Red

I was eyeing this bag for the longest time when it got launch. Mummy keep insisting that it looks similar to the carryall she chose for me but this looks way more chic than that to me.

Mr Love offered to buy me a bag when he got his annual bonus in Mar 16 and I came across a post that sells this for a fraction of the retail price since the owner finds it too bulky. I love bulky bags!

Turns out that bag was not used at all! All the tags and packaging are still intact. And I wonder why some woman just buy bags on impulse and not use it even once.

Anyway her lost is my gain.


I love how corporate looking this bag is and also the various compartments it have to store my craps.

Also this is the first red bag I've got. My usual preferred choice will be black if not dark colours one.

Coach Red Borough Medium

11). Coach Mini Borough 

I am not a fan of mini bags for usually I carry a great deal of things when going out. But for some reason I like Borough enough to buy the mini version.

True to it's name, its really small and unable to fit in much of my things.

So I only bring it out for special occasion or to overseas to when I am not bringing a wallet. Luckily it has 3 compartments and can still fit in passports, my bulky handphone etc.

Coach Mini Borough

Brought it to Taiwan in 2016

12). Coach Turnlock Borough in White


My love for Borough bag didn't stop here. Back when I am under bed rest and surfing the net all day long, I cam across a Carousell ad selling this bag.

In a bid to cheer myself up, I arrange to buy from the seller by transferring funds to her account and getting her to send the item by Singpost parcel delivery. Damn win right? Can still shop while on bed rest order.

And I cannot use the bag for the next 7months since I will be on bed rest and then maternity leave. Haha

But this purchase really did cheer me up from the gloomy IC news.

This bag is similar size to my Red Medium one but is with 2 zipper compartments and 1 big middle compartment with a magnetic bucket.

The zipper compartment have a lock by the side where you can lock it when not in use.

Medium white Turn Lock Borough

13). Miu Miu Coffer

This is 1 of my favourite bag of all. Favourite colour and design.

It was also the most expensive one and I took quite a while to save before taking the plunge to purchase it.

The bag structure is super solid and feminine looking.

The only draw back is this colour bag would somehow get spots on it due to our humid weather. No matter how much I took care of it, I still got the spots on the flap.

I still used it time to time but not as often as the spots make it look old. Was thinking of colouing it black but it defeats the initial intention to buy in this colour.

Oh well.

Miu Miu Pink Coffer

14). Miu Miu Bow Bag


Another of my favourite bag that I nearly got another one in blue.

This is a very spacious bag, good for work and leisure.

For the many designs of Miu Miu, these 2 are the ones that caught my eyes and the sense of accomplishment when I am finally able to buy it makes me feel real good. I have since try not to follow Miu Miu's new design as their bags really cause a big dent in my bank account.

Also, their leather bag are not really suitable for everyday use. It gets worn out easily and spoiling the look. Even when I used to rotate my bags biweekly, the Miu Miu bags still show signs of wear and tear which pains me since they are the most expensive of the lots.

Miu Miu Grey Bow Bag

15). Longchamp Le Pliage series

This is a very common bag in SG. You see OLs carrying it, students using it etc.

The bag is spacious though with no structure and the foldable function as it's main selling point.

I remembered buying 2 knockoff in HK back in 2008 and I didn't even know it is Longchamp.

Just found the bag to be super useful and spacious. Got the biggest size 1 at 10SGD each and I will still bring it along for hand carrying food stuff back home when I travel.

Black Medium Longchamp with short handle

Lilac Small Longchamp with long handle

For the real deal, I have like 2 medium short handle -  Black which is my 1st Longchamp bag that my brother's ex GF help buy back from Japan and a Beige one which Mr Love got his colleague to buy from Paris during a sale.

Beige Medium Longchamp with short handle

I also have 2 small long handle 1. Lilac is the one Mr Love brought for me when he went on to Seoul on a company trip and a blue one that Part time Bf helped to buy in Paris and Mr Love paid for it as my 2016 Mother's Day Gift.

I also have a Large long handle that I used to carry it on days I go for my Zumba classes or back when I am studying part time.

It was a very durable bag that for so many years of abusive usage i.e Dumping in tons of stuff to lug around, the bag still serves me well  now.

Brown Medium Longchamp with Long handle

16). Crumpler Backpack Yee Ross

I am not exactly a back pack person but when I travel, I actually prefer to carry my stuff with a backpack.

Yee Ross is not exactly spacious but it can fit in my basic necessities like umbrella, water bottle, book, extra batteries etc when I travel and it is sufficient for me to go. Not to heavy and bulky and yet can leave my hands free for shopping. Haha

So this bag has been with me to quite a lot of trips.

Crumpler backpack

17). Lapalette

I first saw this brand in SG where they used to have a shop in Suntec City and later I realised this is a Korean brand though it sounds European to me.

So when we travel to Korea in 2015, I made it a point to visit their flagship store in Meyong Dong and brought this design. It was near 300bucks after tax rebate. Not exactly cheap.

The bag has limited space though but is good enough for day to day use.

Lapalette

18). Chloe Medium Satchel in Royal Navy


And so after Miu Miu, I came to like Chloe design. Brought the bag this year to celebrate my 1 year of motherhood. Haha Actually it's an excuse to get a new bag.

I love how this bag can be shoulder carry, hand carry or sling across.

Its big enough to fit in what I want yet small enough to carry as a hand bag.

Think this will be my new sling bag when I get to travel with the Dinos since I will have more things to safe keep now with the 2 boys.

My latest bag

This basically sums up most of my bags. With the Dinos here now, I think most of my wish list is not attainable at least til they are much older. But it's ok, at least I once had the chance to buy what I liked then.

Mummy's hack Part 2

So half a year had flown by since I did up my Mummy's hack post. I realised I missed out some and also found some hacks along the way.

1). Recording of feeding time

This was initially a "homework" for us when we first discharge to go home. The key is to monitor feeding amount, number of poos and pees and also colour of poo for the boys. I found this method so useful that got Mr Love to go buy a exercise book to record the feeding time, amount, poo and pee times.

From there I will know when to increase the milk intake. I.E. if they start asking for milk every 2 hours since they can usually last 3 hours in between. Or how much did we feed them each day. You will need to give polyclinic a rough estimate to see whether they are taking enough.

The initial days poo and pee diapers times are also essential to know for this is to make sure they passed out enough to clear jaundice.

For me who are dealing with twins, I find it easier to know what is the next feeding time for we staggered the feeding time to make it possible to do solo night feeding.

Even now that they are a year plus, I would also check how much they are taking in a day. There's no need to add more feeding now that they are on solids but it is helpful to let me plan their meal times.

My record books

2). Filing up the bottle with milk powder beforehand

This is my saver back in the days I do solo night feeding or even during the day. I would prepare the milk powder 1st in the bottle judging from the last feed amount.

 Also, I would like the measuring bottle with room temperature water first. When it is time to make milk when the Dinos scream, all I have to do is to top up the hot water into measuring bottle and pour into the milk bottle and shake and viola! Milk is ready.

This seriously save my life as when the Dinos cry for milk, it would erupt into screaming fit for the milk in no time. Fast is the key word to make them drink. There's a period of time that they would reject drinking milk if you attend to them too slow and must slowly coax them back.

So now in order to save time and not make myself fumble while making milk, I would pre-prepare powder and room temperature water first. But only during morning feed since I am too sleepy eyes to concentrate. They had come to the stage that I can tell them to wait for me to make milk when they wanna drink. Big boys now huh.

Ready bottles

3). Thermos Shuttle Chef

This is introduced by my colleagues and is especially useful for working mums though I am using it for weekends only if we are going out.

The Dinos now eat 2 meals of porridge and I do not want to compromise their solid intake even if we have to go out.

The Shuttle chef basically cooks the food using its vaccum insulation. All I have to do is to make my porridge boil over fire in the inner pot and placed it inside the outer pot and let it cook my porridge further till it's time to feed the Dinos.

I usually used this when we need go out run errands in the afternoon and it is too late to cook dinner when we are back. Do not have to bring out though, just put at home and let it cook. It's also useful for outings, like recently the zoo outing we had. Dinos get to eat their favourite pork and carrot porridge while we adults eat the overpriced café food.

4). Tupperwares

I actually love buying Tupperware containers even before having children. But when Dinos came along, it's even more essentially to have these air tight containers at hand.

Now that they Dinos are taking porridge, besides giving them meat I also need to add in vegetables in their diet. I usually give spinach, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins just to name a few.

Spinach is the most difficult to store since the leaves would turn limply after days in fridge and the Dino (only 1 at home during weekday) don't eat as fast. I came up with the idea of plucking the leaves out and storing in Tupperware's freezer mate series and then putting in the vegetable compartment.

The leaves are still healthy looking even after a week.

So now I store my meat and veggies in the tupperwares to maintain it's freshness. Also I can go marketing once a week to top up the

Part of my Tupperware slash

5). Bean Sprout Pillow

I got them a bean sprout pillow each even before they are born. Got it at the market near my mum's house and the auntie can still customised the pillow cases.

This is especially useful when they were new born as we would placed the pillow over them while they sleep on the cot and it would prevent them from getting startled from the noises since our block is right beside the road.

As they grow bigger, I realised this acts as their comfort item too as when they are inconsolable they would calm down when they start smelling the pillow. We called it "Smelly smelly" in Mandarin.

Since birth we've changed 3 different sizes for them and it never fails to amaze me how the Dinos outgrow them within a span of a year.

6). Daiso storage bag

This is useful when we go out since I always pack their clothing in 1 separate bag and diapers, wipes and cream in another.

If we only required a diaper change, we can just take 1 of the bag to the changing room. Better than to bring the whole bag in and start fumbling for the required items.