Happiness is... chasing dreams and celebrating milestones

October was an eventful month for us and one filled with celebration, joy and dreams come true.

For one, it marked the end of PSLE for Ariel and considering this is a major milestone, of course we had to party and celebrate. With a stroke of luck, we happened to get a sponsored cruise trip that considered with the PSLE marking period so I brought the three younger ones on this short but sweet dream vacation.

As always, we gathered as a family to celebrate Halloween and this year, we dressed up as mummies, played games and danced to "APT" and "Bye Bye Bye".

One crazy thing I did was bringing the littlest to an autograph session and squeezing with thousands of others for hours just to get my concert tickets autographed and to see my idols up close. As for who, well, read to the end to find out.

This month, "Happiness is..." all about celebrating milestones and chasing dreams.

Thanks to Genting Dream, we had a fun-filled 3D2N cruise getaway packed with lots of kid-friendly activities and yummy food. I was only offered three weekday sailing dates so it was really lucky that one of them coincided with the PSLE marking period. If not, it would have been a one-on-one trip for just me and the toddler, since he is the only one who can still skip school, haha.

You can read all about our highlights in my detailed post here, which includes activities we did like bowling, foam party, obstacle course, rock climbing, water slides, sports and recreational games, and more.

The kids said we did so much in the short two-night stay and I totally agree! We even managed to dine in five different restaurants and enjoyed the food immensely too.

What others might not realise was how we had to literally film everything we did since this was a work trip, which made it more exhausting than if it was a leisure one. I had to trouble my kids to help out, like how Asher had to stand in the sun to record the sister and I going through the obstacle course, or how I had to wait at the water slides patiently just for the kids to emerge. All while handling the needs of a toddler who can be fussy and have a short attention span.

Nonetheless, I really did have a good time and especially cherished the fact that I could celebrate the end of PSLE with Ariel on board. We had lots of foam covering each other with foam at the foam party and also set a new mum-and-daughter achievement by overcoming a high element course and a zipline in the middle of the ocean.

We still make it a point to visit attractions in Singapore and go for fun family events even if it means travelling to the opposite side of the island. This time, we made it to KidsStop and Snow City. It isn't always that the kids get to see snow and I always feel like I shortchanged the younger three considering how the eldest had the chance to live in Scandinavia and experience winters, ski trips and reindeer sleighs.

Anyway, we had lots of fun going down the slippery ice slides which were longer, faster and more thrilling than we imagined. It was also our first time going on the ice bumper car ride which was a highlight for the kids too.

October is also a time where I would conjure my creative juices to do handmade cards for the kids. This time, I did a colour-changing card and used transparencies and paper to draw their favourite things and used an insert to create the colour changing visual effect. They were all amazed by it and thought it was pretty cool, woohoo. I also penned a heartfelt message to each of them at the back of the card and hopefully they will remember my words for years to come and know that they are deeply loved.

I've shared the details of our Halloween 2024 party so hop over to have a read if you have not. I love our Halloween parties but with the kids getting bigger, I'm not sure for how long more would they wanna join in such games and be willing to dress up too. Plus, it also takes lots of effort to make it happen and I am the sole party planner. Well, let's just take it a year at a time and see how it goes.

The girls made effort to add in bakes this year and we had cupcakes and chocolate. I thought the ghost design was pretty cool and maybe we can do something special every year too. And yeah, we used up lots of bandages for our outfits this year but at least we only needed this one material.

On another note, I've officially hit 11 full years of breastfeeding my four babies and judging by how this toddler still refuses to let go, we are in for even a longer ride. I am not complaining though because I love the feeling of breastfeeding and how it made me bond to each of my babies. Truly, truly blessed and through it all, I learnt to be a more patient and determined mum too.

We went for a family shoot with Our Second Studio and I must say it is one of my favourites so far. The studio, with its earthy colours, minimal set up, fireplace and reindeer, reminded us of Scandinavia and thus it was the perfect theme for us. These photos are so priceless and the good thing is they last for a lifetime so we can always remninsce these years even when the kids are all grown up.

A Yole treat? Yeah the kids love having their frozen yoghurt with toppings so we still go for it from time to time, usually on Fridays. It's like a celebration of yet another tiring but happy week that passed us by.

I had time for a one-on-one lunch with Asher and brought him to Yakiniku because he loves to cook. It's really hard to carve out time for each kid, and it's not always that they say yes to hanging out with Mama, but I will just have to keep trying.

Making time for friends is also important and I met up with my jie meis to have a Sichuan high tea to celebrate the bestie's birthday. All of us are busy with our own lives and each of us has a different story to share. The good thing is we still make time for each other and I hope this will continue even when we are all old and frail. 29 years of friendship and going strong!

We had a belated birthday celebration for my Dad and had a family meal at Lao Huo Tang. The hubby was out of town and my kids had to choose this day to kick up a fuss and throw tantrums. Haha. It's funny how my parents always witness these moments when I am barely trying to hang in there but I hope they know I am trying my best and being a stay-at-home mum to four kids isn't as bad as what it seems.

So after lunch, I asked my Dad if he would wanna try indoor climbing with the older ones and he gamely said yes. So while they were busy climbing, I took the youngest me to meet....

ENERGY!

Yeap, it's probably one of the craziest things I've done with a toddler in tow because we had to crowd with thousands of people. At the end, where we were queueing to go on stage for the autograph session, it was a tight squeeze as everyone tried to get to the front and so I had to carry the boy for a long time for fear that he would be stepped on if I let him down. Yup, so 咬牙切齿 and eventually, we got there and he got to talk to 牛奶，Shuwei, 阿弟 and 坤达. Woohoo! His favourite is Toro who unfortunately had to skip the autograph session as he was feeling unwell.

I must tell you it was just so fated because I had already planned for a lunch with my parents who stay in Tampines before the publicity for their autograph session was announced. And yup, guess what, I was dumbfounded when I read that the session was going to be held in Tampines Hub on that EXACT same day and anyone with concert tickets could get their autographs. I already had two concert tickets with me so it was really 命中注定 that I showed up for the session.

The boy was really well-behaved despite the long waiting time and he also sang to some of Energy's songs, much to the amazement of other people around us. I guess that's called 爱屋及乌, right?

Anyway, so why do I like them so much? I think I am just very inspired by the pure fact that they got back together after a over 20-year hiatus and have chosen to keep dancing, singing, performing and holding concerts. They are my age so it really motivates me to keep chasing my dreams too and also, to keep working out to stay fit and healthy.

See how my kids drew me this portrait of them? Yeah, I love it lots. So yeap, can't wait to attend their concert next month and share more in my next post of "Happiness is...".

It's never too late to 追梦, yar? If you still have any unfulfilled dreams, do think of ways to keep pursuing them and not let motherhood stop you totally. For me, writing has always been one of my biggest dreams so even though this is not a paid job, I just hope to keep writing from the heart, keep sharing and keep it real.

Our 17-pax family vacation in Bali

Family vacations are precious and deeply cherished.

With the years zooming by, while it means the kids are fast growing up, it also means that our parents are getting older. With age comes a slew of health issues and we are lucky that all our parents are still able to walk, fly and travel with us, even if some of them might require a little support.

As for the kids, my niece, nephews and my girls are now teenagers and young adults. It won't be long before the girls move into university hostels or go abroad for studies while the boys get enlisted for NS. Yes, time truly flies and it makes me feel like I am not young anymore too. That is why we feel the need to travel together for as much as we can. While we still can.

We went on an epic 17-pax trip to Bali in December last year and made countless fond memories from that 5D4N trip. Even though our itinerary was kept simple, we still had a super awesome time and the kids can't stop talking about the trip from time to time. Here's sharing all about it.

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We arrived early in the morning and did our check-in after everyone had arrived. With 17 people, it was inevitable that there would be plenty of waiting time and since we had to take care of both the young and the elderly, there was a lot of running to and fro just to ensure that everyone's needs were met. 

There would also be differing opinions from time to time, even between the hubby and I, for instance we disagreed about the luggage limit and while he firmly believed that each person could only deposit one single piece of luggage not exceeding 20kg, I was pretty sure that you could deposit a few pieces as long as the total did not exceed 20kg. We quibbled slightly over it and as usual, I decided to ask a third party and this time, I went straight to the airport staff to clarify our doubts. It was eventually proven that I was right, haha, and we could move on after we deposited as much luggage as we could. 

This was Ansel's first flight which made it especially exciting for him. Yeap, it's pretty costly to travel as a family of six so up till now, we've only brought him on road trips and cruises. Even though we were only going to take a budget airline, it didn't matter to him because all he could think about was being able to finally step into an aeroplane for the first time.

Before we boarded, we went for breakfast in the transit area in Terminal 1 as well as checked out the Cactus Garden and Water Lily Garden.

I think the Cactus Garden was worth a visit as it featured several impressive cacti species and made a good photo spot.

After some time, it was finally time to board the plane, woohoo! We managed to book seats close to each other and I was stuck in a row with the two younger ones so that I could look after them. Well, I wouldn't have it any other way though.

Everything went smoothly at the beginning and we were all snug and comfy in our seats. That was, until the weather began to change. 

A thunderstorm approached and before we knew it, it was raining cats and dogs. Initially, we didn't think much of it but when the heavy downfall persisted, we knew it wasn't a good sign. Indeed, the pilot informed the passengers that our landing would have to be delayed as visibility was poor due to the storm. 

In the end, we ended up hovering for over two hours just wait for the rain to get smaller. The boys were bored and since there wasn't any inflight entertainment, we just had to occupy ourselves and we did that by snacking, playing games and making monkey faces.

By the time we landed in Bali, it was already night time. We were supposed to reach Club Med Bali in the afternoon but it was already past dinner time when we stepped into the resort. Oh, we had booked a 28-pax bus to take us to Club Med Bali comfortably. Just so you know, unlike Club Med Bintan, transport fee is not included in the package for Club Med Bali so we had to book our own and we did it via Klook.

Why did we choose Club Med Bali? Well, it is an easy solution when you have a huge group of travellers with diverse ages and interests. We thought it would suit our parents, the teens and the young kids best since they would be able to pick out activities that they were keen in. Plus, since the drinks and food was free flow, it would suit our parents too.

Was it really worthwhile? 

Well, on hindsight, I think Club Med was really expensive but that was because we needed 7 rooms and only stayed for two nights. I was told that the nightly rates would be cheaper if you stayed for a minimum of three nights but since we wanted to experience staying together in a villa too, two nights was all we could afford.

So who made the trip possible? Well, the finance was settled by the hubby and my brother-in-law while my sister-in-law and I were the ones who did the research, planning and booking. Yup, we are the sandwiched generation who have to take care of both the kids and our parents but it is a privilege that we deeply treasure.

After enjoying an all-you-can-eat buffet, which is always one of the highlights of a Club Med stay, we made our way to watch the theatre show before finally checking into our rooms. It was past 10pm by this time and phew, what a long day this had been!

But guess what? Some of us were still energetic and wide awake so we decided to head out to the bar to join in the late night party. This always reminds me of my clubbing days in uni but what made this different was that I was with my Dad, Mum, niece and three of my kids. Yup, the hubby took the youngest to rest in the bedroom while the other kids joined me for some fun. 

While the older ones enjoyed the alcoholic drinks, the younger ones went for mocktails and and shakes. It was such an interesting and memorable night where we played finger guessing games with three generations and I toasted so many times with my parents to thank them for giving me a 好酒量, haha. But oh well, gone are the days where I would party with friends at St James or Mohammed Sultan till daybreak and then head straight for breakfast.

The next day, we rose early and headed straight for breakfast. Our parents are early risers while the kids like to sleep in more but as much as we could, we tried to coincide our meal timings so that we could spend our mealtimes together.

After breakfast, we went for one of the activity highlights in Club Med - the trapeze! Well, the thing was it was raining earlier on so the outdoor trapeze was wet and slippery, meaning that we had to do it indoors instead. In our past experience, an indoor trapeze was usually stationary and we had done it a couple of times. However, this trapeze resembled the outdoor one meaning it would swing up high and you would need to wear a harness before getting on it.

We went for the family session which meant that both kids and adults could join in the fun! While it was a breeze for Asher and Ariel who both had experience from our past visits to Club Med Bintan, it was much harder for me. Somehow, even though I don't think I am overweight, I still couldn't get the momentum or find the right technique to swing myself up and hook my legs onto the bar. Oh boy. But I guess it would come slowly with experience and I made a promise to never give up trying.

That said, thanks to the GOs who held the bar still so I could hang upside down (I find it so much easier when it is stationary than when it is moving), this was the first time I managed to do a back flip, woohoo! Check it out in the video below yar.

But what made me most proud was when my Mum was so spontaneous to accept my invite to try out the trapeze for the first time! I mean, she is 71 but she has never let it stopped her from trying out new challenges and climbing greater heights.

Even though she couldn't do the fancy tricks but she did try to lift up one leg and she actually hung onto the bar for quite a long time so all of us were cheering for her. Yeap, that's my Mum up there!

There were also other fun workshops like a macrame keychain making workshop which some of the family members attended and had fun weaving their own keychains.

In between, we would also explore the resort, take a stroll by the beach, sit down for a drink or two and enjoy being close to nature. 

We were at this outdoor bar where we saw squirrels climbing up trees and the staff was so nice as to give my Mum and Ariel a few pieces of dried fruit so that they could feed the squirrels.

In the afternoon, we made our way to the sports complex and had a family workout session. Yup, pretty cool, right? It was fated that there weren't much people there so we were able to play sports like badminton, squash, basketball and more. We even split into two teams to play basketball and the grandparents joined in the fun too, which was so cute to watch.

After a rushed lunch, we made our way to the beach for a snorkelling session, woohoo! Remember our trip to Bintan last month where the kids snorkelled for the first time? I couldn't because I had to look after Ansel so this time, I was really grateful to the hubby for taking him so I could have some time off to be with the older kids.

Even though we didn't really manage to see nice fishes, it was the experience and the feeling of togetherness that mattered.

While we were busy swimming and snorkelling, the parents were also having fun on the golf course. Yeap, they had lots of laughs especially when some of them kept missing the ball, haha. We love how you can try out new sports and experiences in Club Med, which is one of their biggest highlights.

Upon returning from the beach, the kids and I went to the pool to continue our swim and have a splashing good time.

We spent hours there doing things like racing, flipping, handstands and balancing acts. This 'human pyramid' where we stood up on each other's shoulders keep us entertained for a long time as we tried and failed and tried again till we succeeded.

It's been so many years since I first did it with the girls and now, they are the ones standing at the bottom tier supporting their cousin and younger brothers. Yup, time truly flies and I wonder for how many more years can I continue to do this, but I would definitely try.

We then headed to the beach to build sandcastles and throw stones before finally heading back to our rooms to wash up and get ready for dinner.

We ended our last night at Club Med by watching the theatrical production followed by joining in the signature mass dance session. 

Yup, I simply love how I get to party with my kids here, reminisce those carefree days and feel young once again.

On our last morning at Club Med, we squeezed in time to do a couple more activities before we checked out. The majority of us headed to archery, including the kids and our parents, and had fun taking part in a friendly contest.

Asher joined in the Kids' Club archery session with some other kids and amazingly, he emerged champion and was rewarded with a lollipop. Haha. Good job, my love!

The boys also took some bread to feed the fishes and birds and then it was time to say goodbye to Club Med and move on to the second part of our trip.

Of course, we had to take some more group pictures before we left and I really liked the ones we took at the 'I love Bali' signboard. It's never easy take a photo of a family of six, much less of 17 but we managed to get a couple of good ones, yippee!

Moving onto the second leg of our trip, after leaving Club Med, we made our way to our private villa - Villa Andaman, woohoo! You know, it sounds easy when said but the truth is we had to factor in considerations like the roads near the villa were too narrow were buses so we had to change our bookings to two vans instead. It was a lot of hassle going back and forth and making sure that all 17 people's needs were taken into consideration.

What made me very proud was that after the hubby made a comment that no villa can fit 17 people, I made it a point to research on it and contacted a few villas before we decided on this one. Haha, yar, maybe partly just to prove him wrong but mainly so that we can all be under one roof instead of having to split up.

Did everyone like the villa? Yes, they did and it was like a dream come true. In fact, the kids were saying we should have just stayed in villa for four nights instead of splurging a large sum on Club Med, haha. They loved the huge pool, the pavilions, the big tubs, the long kitchen table, the cosy nooks, the comfy beds and more.

Since everyone was tired after the travelling and accommodation transfer on our third day, we decided to rest in the villa, enjoy the pool and order takeaways. The hubbies and dads drove to a nearby supermarket to stock up on supplies and we then enjoyed a cosy dinner in the comfort of our villa.

What made the night even more memorable was how we sat together to play games like chess, poker cards and had lots of fun singing too even though there wasn't any karaoke system. Haha. My dad and father-in-law were super funny as they 一唱一和 and made all of us laugh incessantly.

Rise and shine! On our 4th day in Bali, we woke up to a nice yummy breakfast spread prepared by the villa staff. Yup, breakfast was included in our stay and it was lovely to wake up to the fragrance and be able to try local delights too.

After our tummies were filled, we made our way to Luwak Coffee Plantation in Ubud. In case you don't know, Luwak Coffee or civet coffee is a coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by civets then passed through the digestive tract. Yup, you can say it is a coffee made from poop but it is infamous and unique.

Besides trying out civet coffee and a special series of tea, we also fed fishes, took photos at the scenic points, ate ice cream and more. The staff here were very trained in taking pictures and videos and I love how our group shots turned out.

But the most wonderful highlight of the trip had to be how my mum and I made a spontaneous decision to go on the Bali swing together. Yup, we didn't need the fanciful gowns or elaborate makeup - we had each other and that was more than enough.

So we sat on the couple swing and swang forward and backward, we took couple and individual shots against scenic backdrops and this included a nest that was high up and we had to climb up a tall ladder to reach it. My mum said she didn't need any help and proceeded to climb up all by herself! Yup, kudos to my Mama and I hope to be fit when I am in my 70s too.

We were thinking of heading to a market for shopping followed by lunch but that would have taken hours and gotten us stuck in the evening jam. The kids wanted to go back and just enjoy the villa since this was gonna be our last night so we decided to just have lunch nearby the coffee plantation and head back straightaway.

So although the food was not as great as it could be and the crispy duck here couldn't hold a candle to the super delicious one we had a decade ago, we were still happy and full.

It took us quite a while to get back to the villa and thankfully, there was still enough sunlight for us to hold a birthday celebration for Ariel and Asher. Yup, my two middle children are both turning a year older, woohoo!

It might seem easy and fuss-free but you have to understand the logistics of travelling with 17 people. There is a lot of waiting time involved, the kids need to help with the elderly when moving around and when going to the toilet, and even taking a group photo takes ages because some of our parents are not that agile anymore and takes time for us to get everyone into position. So yes, I absolutely cherish each and every of our group shots because they hold lots of happy, precious memories.

I have to thankful the staff at Andaman Villa who helped me to order the cakes in advance when I was unable to do it on my end from Singapore. Yup, the online ordering couldn't work but the staff helped me place the exact orders we wanted and even added candles for the kids too. Plus, the cakes turned out really yummy!

At night, we had a BBQ dinner which we had booked in advance with Andaman and the food was nicely done by the staff so all we had to do was eat and wash up. Woohoo! 

The kids wanted to swim again and knowing me, I couldn't no even if it meant that I ended up sitting at the poolside to feed them and share food with them. I know, the parents must be thinking I spoil my kids too much but oh well, it's a birthday celebration after all and birthdays are special.

I had to deal with a huge tantrum from the toddler halfway through and well, his cries were so loud and disturbed everyone and obviously, no one else could handle him but me. Even so, it took me long to calm him down and wipe away his tears. I guess mummy duties don't take a break ever, even on vacation, right?

To my birthday dearies, I hope you enjoyed every bit of this holiday celebration and that these priceless memories will stay in your hearts for a long time to come. You are blessed to have a huge family who loves you and I hope you'll never take it for granted.

Late at night, we gathered to play card games once more. Then my mum took over the role of being the game master and we played charades whereby each of us took turns to act out a word, be it a celebrity, politician, proverb, 成语, song title etc. It was fun having everyone joining in and taking turns, from the youngest to the oldest and it was the epitome of 一家人其乐融融. 

Check out our breakfast spread on our last morning in Bali! The fried chicken was so aromatic and delicious that it was gone in a matter of minutes.

We received both good and bad news that morning, the bad news was our Scoot flight was delayed by a few hours but the good news was they upgraded us to a SQ flight instead. Woohoo! To me, that was an excellent news because the kids could experience flying SQ for the first time and we could also have more time to go for last minute shopping.

So we bade farewell to Andaman villa after breakfast and made our way to Krishna Ole-Ole to get some local products, souvenirs, food, apparel and so on. After that, the hubby suggested lunch at Gourmet Market so we made our way there too. There was a wide variety of food to choose from and you could just select what you want along as you walk down the aisle and let the chefs cook it on the spot and then have it served to your table.

Finally, it was time to conclude our trip and make our way to the airport. We had plenty of time to spare so we took it leisurely, stopped to take photos with every Christmas decoration and had ice cream at the airport while we waited.

Was it a wonderful trip? Yes. Was it fun travelling with such a big group? Yes. Did we have a blast? Of course we did. Will we do it again? We definitely hope so.

The kids were all so happy that they got to enjoy nice food on board SQ and also pick a movie of their choice to watch. Oh yeah, we totally enjoyed that flight home.

That marks the end of our Bali trip with our loved ones and we are thankful for all the memories we made and laughter we shared. Till more travel updates in 2025!

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Here's a video showcasing all the fun highlights and memorable moments from our trip. Have fun watching!