I promised Athena this about a month back, so this is a good time to bring her to the Zoo. After all the first time she went to the Zoo was on 1st Sept 2005, by then probably some old folks animals have died.
I asked helper to come along as I needed to push 2 strollers out. I can't handle with one stroller all by myself, and a baby in a baby carrier; weather hot; everyone perspiring and fretty. Worst still.. if the small one wants to be hand carried; and big one refuse to come down from stroller etc...a few hours (till mid day) excursion may turn out to be longer and frustrated. In the morning, called mom and asked her if she's inerested to come along. She came along citing that the last time she went to the Zoo was... when I was a little girl.
Reached the Zoo close to 10am. Put more anti-mozzies lotion for children and was doing it for mom when I heard someone calling me - it's Moo Han and her lovable Nathan. How I envied her - able to bring Nathan without stroller and empty-handed. The lazy pui pui girl wouldn't want me to leave the stroller at home/car. And her legs are 'tied with heavy shackles' - I'm like going for a war.
1) stuffs for Aricia - feed + diapers change
2) Wet tissues for all
3) Athena's junk food (dunno if she's coming for picnic or what..)
4) prepared for a rainy & extremely hot sunny day : umbrellas (athena's small one and mine); sunshade for Aricia's stroller; rain shield for Aricia's stroller; Athena's raincoat (if it rained, I'm gonna let her put on her raincoat and hold her umbrella) - cheapo stroller is like that one - no cover. Haha!
Two years later, a little more responsive when she sees animals but more irritating too! She wanted to snack and kept saying "I much hungry now!" Refused to let her snack before lunch, she complaint. The 3 adults were like her ah-sum like that "ma-ma open this for me. Mummy, I want you to push me, Aunty Zet to push mei-mei" blah blah. Whole trip - hear her voice.
Was happy she's looking at the animals until.... she realised I had the map with me. So kept asking for map. And the funny thing is when we walk from one enclosure to the next; she'd look on the map. Then when I exclaimed "Athena, did you see the giraffe?" She'd look on the map. "Athena, does the giraffe have short neck or long neck?" "Let me see....(looks at map) giraffe have long neck." Found it amusing, "mummy bring you here to see the real animals. You see the real animals not the map!" She did that a couple of times.. quite irritated with her but found it funny. The funny thing is when we were at the Children's World, I spotted a squirrel climbing up the tree. "Athena, did you see? what's that on the tree? Neh neh (pointing to her)." "mummy squirrel is not on the map leh!" Wah piang eh........like that also can. Might as well ask them to map down all the ants as well! But she was happy there, I was surprised that she wanted to touch the goat herself. A mother came prepared with kangkongs and carrot to feed the goats. I asked from a little girl a little and gave it to Athena to feed it. She was so happy and kept talking to the goats "hello.. goat. Hello.... say hello." "Athena goats say meh meh." She then proceeded to touch the cow and pig.
We went to a rainforest thing - wrong move. Just outside they had this small exhibition on all the pests you see.... eeks! cockroaches. Damn big! I'm going to use up cans & cans of insecticide. And we had to receive a souvenir the moment we stepped in. I spotted 2 quails (I think so) but not sure coz it has slightly different colour, walking with us; then we looked up to see another dunno what. KZ was stuck to the floor coz' she saw bats in the distance and was bloody afraid of them. Then mom said "look there's 2 birds directly above us. Quick move otherwise gonna shit on us." I told KZ "KZ walk ahead first, birds above us. Quick quick quick." Think she was still stunned from the bats; turned "huh" and next minute PLONK! Kena sai! Thank goodness it was on the sunshade not on the stroller itself. People behind us were laughing when I started scolding "ji dan wan ban dang.. da pian zai zhe li". If only I'm that lucky with lucky draws. Then I was so bloody scared anything else might just shit on me.. we were the only fools to open up our umbrella. Haha! Then I was more scared of the smallest thing - the fluttering butterflies. I was scared to move when more was flying around us. Athena kept her head ducked down and opened her umbrella. Then as we were walking out, one flew on KZ's shirt. Mom walked forward to tell her before she bring it out with her, as she left me alone to push Aricia out - one bloody butterfly had to rest on my bare shoulder (keh kiang lah! should have covered my whole body). One child heard me shreaked out got scared and told me "hurry walk..so I can go out!" Anyhow there was a big space he could have just walked before me while I was struggling with the stupid chains (before the door) and the stroller. Athena was so scared and angry with me, nagged at me "mummy, who ask you to go inside? Why?" (I'm that terrified that I had a dream of myself being lost in the Amazon. I dreamt that predators were calling out; only to be woken up by Aricia's cries...?!)
Just before we left, saw flamingoes and then pointed it out to her. "Athena you remembered you asked me about the pink colour birds we saw on TV? Was it a documentary?" She looked at the group of flamingoes and then said "no mummy.... I saw it on Wonder Pets." Then started singing..." and ming-ming too...." *slap head* she paid so much attention on cartoons.
We spent a good whole 6 hours there, longer than planned. We were lucky coz as we got into the car it started to drizzle and then pour about 5 mins later on our way out. On way back, I realised that I could have used a shorter and faster route from home. TPE/SLE exit at Upp Thomson. Turn right towards Sembawang. Go a few blocks and then turn left to a road that will lead to Mandai.
Oh well! It takes some discovery. And Athena also made this funny remark when I was briefly looking at the map to get there "mummy, how come you need the map? How come you dunno how to go so many places? Daddy knows how to go so many places." I joked with her "yah, mummy only knows how to go from Tampines to Punggol, so now we go back to Punggol ok?" She knew I was teasing her; started smiling.
* More photos will be uploaded in her blog *
I asked helper to come along as I needed to push 2 strollers out. I can't handle with one stroller all by myself, and a baby in a baby carrier; weather hot; everyone perspiring and fretty. Worst still.. if the small one wants to be hand carried; and big one refuse to come down from stroller etc...a few hours (till mid day) excursion may turn out to be longer and frustrated. In the morning, called mom and asked her if she's inerested to come along. She came along citing that the last time she went to the Zoo was... when I was a little girl.
Reached the Zoo close to 10am. Put more anti-mozzies lotion for children and was doing it for mom when I heard someone calling me - it's Moo Han and her lovable Nathan. How I envied her - able to bring Nathan without stroller and empty-handed. The lazy pui pui girl wouldn't want me to leave the stroller at home/car. And her legs are 'tied with heavy shackles' - I'm like going for a war.
1) stuffs for Aricia - feed + diapers change
2) Wet tissues for all
3) Athena's junk food (dunno if she's coming for picnic or what..)
4) prepared for a rainy & extremely hot sunny day : umbrellas (athena's small one and mine); sunshade for Aricia's stroller; rain shield for Aricia's stroller; Athena's raincoat (if it rained, I'm gonna let her put on her raincoat and hold her umbrella) - cheapo stroller is like that one - no cover. Haha!
Two years later, a little more responsive when she sees animals but more irritating too! She wanted to snack and kept saying "I much hungry now!" Refused to let her snack before lunch, she complaint. The 3 adults were like her ah-sum like that "ma-ma open this for me. Mummy, I want you to push me, Aunty Zet to push mei-mei" blah blah. Whole trip - hear her voice.
Was happy she's looking at the animals until.... she realised I had the map with me. So kept asking for map. And the funny thing is when we walk from one enclosure to the next; she'd look on the map. Then when I exclaimed "Athena, did you see the giraffe?" She'd look on the map. "Athena, does the giraffe have short neck or long neck?" "Let me see....(looks at map) giraffe have long neck." Found it amusing, "mummy bring you here to see the real animals. You see the real animals not the map!" She did that a couple of times.. quite irritated with her but found it funny. The funny thing is when we were at the Children's World, I spotted a squirrel climbing up the tree. "Athena, did you see? what's that on the tree? Neh neh (pointing to her)." "mummy squirrel is not on the map leh!" Wah piang eh........like that also can. Might as well ask them to map down all the ants as well! But she was happy there, I was surprised that she wanted to touch the goat herself. A mother came prepared with kangkongs and carrot to feed the goats. I asked from a little girl a little and gave it to Athena to feed it. She was so happy and kept talking to the goats "hello.. goat. Hello.... say hello." "Athena goats say meh meh." She then proceeded to touch the cow and pig.
We went to a rainforest thing - wrong move. Just outside they had this small exhibition on all the pests you see.... eeks! cockroaches. Damn big! I'm going to use up cans & cans of insecticide. And we had to receive a souvenir the moment we stepped in. I spotted 2 quails (I think so) but not sure coz it has slightly different colour, walking with us; then we looked up to see another dunno what. KZ was stuck to the floor coz' she saw bats in the distance and was bloody afraid of them. Then mom said "look there's 2 birds directly above us. Quick move otherwise gonna shit on us." I told KZ "KZ walk ahead first, birds above us. Quick quick quick." Think she was still stunned from the bats; turned "huh" and next minute PLONK! Kena sai! Thank goodness it was on the sunshade not on the stroller itself. People behind us were laughing when I started scolding "ji dan wan ban dang.. da pian zai zhe li". If only I'm that lucky with lucky draws. Then I was so bloody scared anything else might just shit on me.. we were the only fools to open up our umbrella. Haha! Then I was more scared of the smallest thing - the fluttering butterflies. I was scared to move when more was flying around us. Athena kept her head ducked down and opened her umbrella. Then as we were walking out, one flew on KZ's shirt. Mom walked forward to tell her before she bring it out with her, as she left me alone to push Aricia out - one bloody butterfly had to rest on my bare shoulder (keh kiang lah! should have covered my whole body). One child heard me shreaked out got scared and told me "hurry walk..so I can go out!" Anyhow there was a big space he could have just walked before me while I was struggling with the stupid chains (before the door) and the stroller. Athena was so scared and angry with me, nagged at me "mummy, who ask you to go inside? Why?" (I'm that terrified that I had a dream of myself being lost in the Amazon. I dreamt that predators were calling out; only to be woken up by Aricia's cries...?!)
Just before we left, saw flamingoes and then pointed it out to her. "Athena you remembered you asked me about the pink colour birds we saw on TV? Was it a documentary?" She looked at the group of flamingoes and then said "no mummy.... I saw it on Wonder Pets." Then started singing..." and ming-ming too...." *slap head* she paid so much attention on cartoons.
We spent a good whole 6 hours there, longer than planned. We were lucky coz as we got into the car it started to drizzle and then pour about 5 mins later on our way out. On way back, I realised that I could have used a shorter and faster route from home. TPE/SLE exit at Upp Thomson. Turn right towards Sembawang. Go a few blocks and then turn left to a road that will lead to Mandai.
Oh well! It takes some discovery. And Athena also made this funny remark when I was briefly looking at the map to get there "mummy, how come you need the map? How come you dunno how to go so many places? Daddy knows how to go so many places." I joked with her "yah, mummy only knows how to go from Tampines to Punggol, so now we go back to Punggol ok?" She knew I was teasing her; started smiling.
My 2 lovely princesses
* More photos will be uploaded in her blog *
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