Yang goes camping!

My Yang Yang went camping last week!

Before he went, he said he didn't like it coz of what he heard from Kai - dirty toilets and milo which was like water with brown colouring *.*

We told him to go with an open mind. After all, Kai also enjoyed his P5 camp in the end. And be safe - listen to the teachers and instructors!

But a week or so before the camp, we got bad news from the school - due to higher levels of bacteria in the waters where they were supposed to go kayaking, this batch would not have kayaking :(

I still pack his wet shoes in case his old shoes - from last year and worn to Japan! - gave up during the camp. These wet shoes were from the grands who bought the wrong size or something. 

Ready for camp with his barang barang on Wednesday

The week or so before LNY, I stopped sending Yang and Yu to the bus stop. So when I realised it was raining, I changed quickly and chased after these two. I always shelter them up the bus if it rains. More important this time in case Yang gets wet and falls ill during the camp!

Yu was sad to see him go to camp, awww... Missed this sweet boy, especially at night...

Sito had to fetch Yu on Wednesday and Thursday as Kai would be late. And Kai helped send Yu to school on Thursday - he usually leaves before his brothers but this time, he was so patient and even asked me where he should drop him off! It was HBL for Yu on Friday so no ferry duty.

I kept checking the parents' chat group near noon as they were supposed to return from camp to school by noon. Happy to see that his class was one of the first two classes to go back! He reached home about 12.45 pm, coming in all smiley with a cap on his head - super cute but I didn't have free hands to grab the camera..

So yes, the toilets were gross. He said he held his poop but thankfully, he managed to poop a lot that day and the next couple of days! Guess the school made them guzzle lots of water...

But the milo was great! He even told Kai that it wasn't water with brown colouring haha! But his fave was the breakfast - char kway teow one day and bee hoon the next. He couldn't have a second serving for the former but he had three servings of the latter! He also brought back a lot of banana-flavoured cake and Khong Guan biscuits. 

A funny thing - I found a pack of Khong Guan biscuits in the washing machine after washing his bag. Oops, must have missed that... But it was still crunchy! Fantastic packaging, I say!

Anyway, he also enjoyed the campfire. He said he was shy but he put on his cap to overcome his shyness and managed to do the campfire dance. The campfire was top of his list :)

He also happened to be in the same tent as his BFF ET, for which he was very happy. At one point, there was some mix-up in the sleeping bag coz one kid kept pulling other bags somehow - the kids probably all had the same one from Decathlon! But luckily he brought the right one home. The second night was spent on a bed in a dormitory.

There was also outdoor cooking, amazing race and low element activities. But they were not allowed to eat their pizza, and for good measure, I guess - who knows how hygiene the process had been?! :p

So even though his first response to me was that the camp was meh, it seemed like he had a good time :)

But he seemed to have caught a bug from the camp, just like Kai who had to miss LNY celebrations in school due to a cough. 

On Saturday, he didn't feel well after lunch - which happened to be hotpot like for Kai's P5 camp. We were supposed to go to Macs for dinner, his choice as Kai chose Macs when he returned from his S1 camp. But they returned from the playground just as we were about to go pick them up, and Yang looked pale and felt dizzy.

In the end, Sito brought Kai and Yu for dinner downstairs while I stayed home with Yang. I brought him to wash hands and sat him down in front of the basin while I went to change out of my street clothes.

I regret not handing him the vomit pail. I heard him puke as I went back to him. Sighs... Let him vomit it out on the floor ba... When he felt better, he took a shower while I cleaned up the mess. I used up a lot of old cloths and a mid-sized bag. Gross. But I managed to clean up before he came out of the shower. 

But before he managed to pull on his pyjamas pants, he had to puke. This time, he got to the toilet in time, yeah! And this time, he really felt better coz he agreed to having some food. Sito packed ban mian for him - this boy likes it after having it a couple of times during the recent raining weekends.

When we were at AhMa's place the next day, he declined Ferrero Rocher coz he thought he might have eaten too many on Saturday before he puked - he had six. These kids had no control over snacks if we turned our head...

He didn't go to school ytd coz he said his tummy still felt weird after breakfast and he was afraid he might vomit on his way into school like last time - can't remember when though. So Sito and I took turns to go through all his subjects. At the end of the day, he said it was worse than going to school haha!

Today, he said his tummy felt worse. But he didn't say he would stay home. I gave him a bigger pair of pants coz his old ones were pressing on his belly, and a plastic bag. So far, no phone call. So ok, I guess he's fine!

Hope my sweet boy gets well soon!

Update on the new school year

After a week plus of orientation, Kai's lessons finally started on 13 January. How pleasantly surprised we were to hear that he likes secondary school! Coz the teacher taught fast and the classmates didn't talk all the time. Hmmm...

Unlike in primary school, he seems to have more homework these days. He's quite independent and can do his own work until he faces difficulties. Then it's "Papa! Papa!" or "Mama! Mama!" from his room, regardless of where we are...

His first major assignment was a writeup for LNY, in preparation for Chinese WA. It was a nightmare in general knowledge, organisation and expression. Told him he couldn't just copy whole passages from his research. So he translated that into English, and back-translated into Chinese instead of using his own words! Must applaud his ingenuity but please, really work on expressing yourself in Chinese!

Kai also started having English tuition after a trial on Saturday, 11 January. It was at Bishan Central but in the end, we chose the Monday evening slot at the Junction 8 branch instead. It turned out that we had to change to Saturdays for two weeks in January due to his camp and a reunion dinner...

Happy with a kabab roll from pasar malam after tuition

The brothers had their usual "Care Week" and started lessons same day as Kai. But I think they started on some lessons here and there before that...

This year, they come home on their own Monday to Wednesday as Kai's day ends at 2.30 pm for those days. So I also cook less lunch coz Kai would have lunch in school at 2.30 pm. I wonder why they don't give a lunch break and end school later. The lunch timing is really bad... In fact, with such a late lunch and with recess also late at 11 am, I started making breakfast for Kai. Then his brothers wanted breakfast too so I think I end up cooking way more *.*

They sent me a photo taken with the smart watch while waiting for the bus home one day

We started drilling working with Yang every day after school. Sito would go through all subjects except Chinese, to reinforce what he has learnt that day. I was pleasantly surprised that he took all this in his stride. I mean, he complained a great deal last year when doing papers... But for the past few weeks, he has been listening to Papa and doing his work. 

As for Chinese, he really doesn't like it... But no choice, especially when he just came back yesterday with 10/40 for a compo! We went through the relevant topic and he even told me the whole story based on the pictures one day before the class assignment. But he hardly wrote beyond the first two pictures in the end. He said he was thinking what to write until he ran out of time. 

Sito told him to describe each picture again before doing his correction, which was to copy out a model compo. Wasn't well done. I think he didn't know how to write the words and couldn't express himself properly in the language... He's away at camp now. Will work with him later...

Yang also started English tuition yesterday evening. After our experience with Kai, we decided to take the plunge and start Yang early. Hope this can help improve his English - he still has a spelling issue but at least need to nail his grammar and S&T and compre etc.

Sito sent him and waited for him there. The tutor said he was very active in class! When I asked him about it, he said he couldn't sit for two hours, Jialat! But this social butterfly had already spoken with all six or seven boys, but not the two girls... So free in class?! 

Good big brother to his only DiDi

As for Yu, he had his first HCL extra class on 9 January. Then he regretted taking HCL coz more time in school, haha! Too late, my dear. Must take whole year before I allow you to drop!

As we focus more on Yang, Yu hasn't had much to do so far. Anyway, he is more like Kai, can do his work independently. So when he has nothing to do, he sleeps or plays with soft toys or helps me with housework.

Bia-ing homework at AhMa's place on Sunday coz he forgot to do earlier

Washing grapes

They all need to choose their CCA. More on Kai's separately as trials are still ongoing...

Yang wanted to join badminton again so that he could be with his best friend but we knew from his P3 experience that it was too crowded so we dissuaded him. He wanted art then but we had then learnt more about secondary school CCAs so we encouraged / persuaded / psycho-ed / convinced him to pick something that he could continue in secondary school. 

But we let art be his second choice, after track and field. Next two choices are basketball and robotics but art would definitely have a slot if he didn't get into track. When we received notification that he got into track and told him, he wasn't happy. He said he chose it coz of us :( Just try and see how...

During our recent fortnightly Sunday visits, Yang and Yu played badminton with AhYe downstairs. So Yu also wanted badminton. But too late :p And for the same crowdedness reason, we rather he didn't. He put robotics as his first choice. As a P3 CCA first timer, he had a good chance to get in. Next are track, chess and art. Indeed, he got into his first choice and was very happy to hear about it.

Both Yang and Yu will start their CCA next Wednesday. All the best!

Navigating Singapore's health sector

Apart from giving birth and the many A&E trips (see list in annex :p), I have not used our health services much, thankfully, until lately.

As a kid, we mostly went to a GP for common childhood fevers, colds and coughs. The middle age doc nearby who gave bright green strange tasting syrup, the old Yoda-lookalike doc near Grams who wore a tie and gave bitter powder, and from my teens onwards, the two pretty docs nearer Yan's place (but still near me) who gave me much comfort.

We went to the polyclinic too. All I could remember was waiting, waiting and waiting! Probably went there for baby wellness coz YQ's childhood glaucoma was first diagnosed there.

So I never went back to polyclinic as an adult. It was always GP.

But now the polyclinics are so good. Ok, I don't know about Singhealth or NHG but my area is under NUHS, and all I need to do is to click a few buttons to make an appointment, check in for my visit, check number of patients before me, check where to go next, pay and retrieve bills and reports. The wait time is very acceptable and sometimes surprisingly short.

How do I know? How do I know indeed!

We started using the polyclinic coz a new one opened in Bukit Panjang, but more for injuries etc, in case need referrals for further treatment. Like Yang fell and hurt his shin in school. I think we still went to Raffles at the mall downstairs for regular illnesses and to grab MC for work purpose. 

But I never found a GP I'm comfortable with while staying at BP. The doctors at Raffles are all on rotation. Once I even had one who spilled my blood on the floor when drawing blood, goodness! So I went back to Dr Gill at HV for health checkup and PAP - not having a random doctor for the latter!

Guess it's good that we're making home at HV again?!

Anyway, polyclinic. We went to the polyclinic even more after moving to HV. Sito cut his toe on the metal gate and went for a tetanus shot. I also had a tetanus shot given my frequent brushes with the kitchen knife...! I had a skin issue on a toe - forgot the name - and had to go burn it off with silver nitrate. Yang had a rash on his face and got a referral to the Skin Centre. And of course my intestinal issue.

This intestinal issues opened my eyes to our healthcare sector. Here are some thoughts:

First - how do things work?

Hint: Not everything is automated

I was referred to a specialist at Alexander Hospital who sent me for a CT scan and then scopes. I paid for the CT scan using Medisave and cash.

But I have been paying for an Integrated Shield Plan (ISP) with Great Eastern (GE) since 2014/2015. Even if Medishield doesn't cover outpatient CT scans, wouldn't the GE portion cover? 

I asked the staff at the CT scan. They said only Medisave, and were not sure about the ISP. So I went back to ask my agent. He advised me to ask the hospital staff to do e-file at my next visit since I was going back for more stuff.

However, the financial counsellor for my scopes said over the phone that she couldn't do e-file for CT scan. I tried again at my next physical visit to the hospital, which was for the gynae consultation. The registration counter said they did not do e-file there and told me to pay first and then claim from insurance.

*.*

After my first scopes in June, I still had to pay using Medisave due to deductible and co-payment. There was no ISP payout as I hadn't met the deductible. After my second scope in September, Medishield kicked in and I paid a little for the co-payment using Medisave. The GE portion did not kick in.

I wondered why so I did some digging - coz I forgot details told to me when I signed up! - and found that:

• Medishield does not cover pre- and post-hospitalisation. So the CT scan and all the consultations were outpatient, not hospitalisation = not covered.
• GE (or whatever insurer you have) kicks in only when the hospitalisation exceeds Medishield limits and when Medishield does not cover the specific procedure.
• GE also covers pre and post relating to the hospitalisation. So I found out how to claim pre- and post-hospitalisation bills. 

After my final visit in October, I put together all my receipts and relevant reports from the hospital, and sent them in. I was pleasantly surprised that I got $1,259 in claims within two weeks, largely cash and some Medisave, from the GE portion of the ISP. 

Recently, I put together all the expenses in an Excel sheet, with details from CPF statement, hospital bills and GE statements. Of my total bill of $3,675, I paid $1,798 using Medisave and $56 using cash, the remainder of $1,820 was covered by the ISP, of which only $560 was via auto e-file at the hospital. 

The amount is more than what I had paid for the GE portion in the past 10 years ✌ Later, I discovered I should have included the polyclinic bills too but too late, gone from the system + much smaller amount.

Point is - now imagine if someone less savvy didn't know about pre and post claims. That's good money out of pocket!

Next - time:

When we talk healthcare, we often think money. But there's also time. By the time I was done with my final consultation with the gastro specialist, it was almost a year since I went to the polyclinic. 

There was a lot of time between appointments. I think it was because I opted for subsidised treatment and I didn't have a nasty prognosis.

Now that's scary if I had something nasty! 

But while researching the ISPs recently, we found that in the case of critical illnesses, the wait time for subsidised treatment should not kill you, haha! Indeed, a friend went to polyclinic which told her to go straight to A&E as they suspected meningitis. It was ruled out at A&E but she had a blood culture taken. Next thing she knew, the hospital called her back to be warded immediately for a bacteria infection.

Third - of course, finances:

Cost of healthcare depends on the individual, e.g. type of ward, public or private hospital. But it also depends on the healthcare provider.

I have already chosen subsidised care to minimise my costs as covered in my first point. But does the healthcare provider think about minimising cost to patients as well, besides providing financial counselling?

I recall in previous conversations with XY, she mentioned over treatment in the US. I don't think it's an issue here. Or at least I have not witnessed it. Our polyclinics also kind of make sure that we get a referral to a specialist only if they can't handle - I mean, I went to the polyclinic twice before I got referred to gastro! Same for Yang's rash.

But I have this other issue - over the years, I get prescribed the same types of medicine for my colds etc. Those little packs accumulate in the medicine cabinet and expire, some nearly untouched. After clearing up my medicine cabinet one day some years ago, I've learnt to say no to the usual paracetamol and lozenges. But it is usually at the point of getting medicine, just before paying. 

I remember only one instance where the GP told me exactly what he would prescribe for me - I was surprised but very happy as I was able to ask questions and say no to some before they started packing the medicine. Other times, I was probably too ill to think until the medicine was placed in front of me.

For other ailments, the doctors would generally say this cream or that coz must explain how to apply etc. Anyway, for Yang's recent pus-in-toe (not ingrown in the end), I brought along my own antibiotic cream to ask the doctor if he could use that coz those tend to accumulate too!

Knowing my medicines, I save money and clutter and waste.

But this may not be the case for other patients, especially those with very good insurance coverage - insurance will pay, so just consume max. And this begs the question of whether healthcare providers think the same - insurance will pay so just provide/charge max.

Raffles and even my old GP in later years would ask at the point of registration if the fees would be covered by insurance. And my delivery fees went from $2k for Kai to $4k for Yang - for Yang, I had to ask the doctor to sign some documents for Sito's company insurance. I changed to another OBGYN for Yu.

So....

Years back, I wrote about healthcare costs in SG vs. Evanston. I don't know with all this insurance business, whether our healthcare costs will remain affordable in the long run. 

Fourth - healthcare for all

I only had three points until I learnt of an incident lately which got me wondering... This is not my personal experience but I thought I should highlight it too.

I mentioned above that a friend was admitted for a bacteria infection. She was supposed to stay for five days for IV antibiotics. Due to bed crunch, the hospital wanted to send her home before the five days were up, for home care for 14 days, during which she would not be allowed to leave home. 

When she wanted to just stay in hospital for 14 days instead, the hospital changed its mind and discharged her anyway but she had to return daily for four days of IV and then take seven days of oral antibiotics. 

Maths tells me that the number of IV + oral antibiotics days has been reduced. Was her healthcare compromised? At the end of it, she did recover. But the process, to me at least, wasn't very pleasant.

I understand the need to cater to everyone. All the talk about our ageing population taking a toll on the healthcare system isn't just talk. It is understandable to ask less critical cases - or cases that are no longer critical - to make way for critical cases. But it should be done with finesse, no? I think bedside manner is just about as important as the treatment itself, if only to seek greater understanding from patients and their family.

Aftermath

Anyway, after going through the bills and GE statements, Sito and I dug deeper into ISPs. So besides what I mentioned above, our A/B1-type ISP was meant for (a) non-subsidised components such as choosing a doctor, and (b) A/B1 ward stays with less/no subsidies.

Now that Medishield has increased its coverage, and we are going for subsidised treatments and ward stays, we figured there was no need for our A/B1-type ISP. So we downgraded our ISP to the standard one, covering B2 and below ward stays - we are ok with no aircon.

The delta in premiums between these two is not much at this point, as the bulk is still Medishield itself. But with age, the GE part will increase a lot. So it makes sense for us to just switch based on our needs. Seriously, I also don't know why we took the more expensive plan last time - Sito's was from eons ago whereas mine was a copycat of his. Ya I know, I didn't do my research...

But it's never too late!

And we just got ISPs for the kids as well, since we're already paying for Medishield. They're young and the premiums are low. The Medisave interest will take care of everything.

*** *** ***

Annex

Sep 2005: my tummy

Jan 2007: my thumb

Jan 2013: Kai's fever

Feb 2013: Kai's fever

Jun 2013: Kai's HFMD

Jul 2013: Kai's fever

(Ya, first-time parents... No more A&E for fevers for the brothers!)

Jul 2015: Yang's fall

Jan 2016: Yang's febrile fit 1

Jun 2016: Yang's febrile fit 2

Jul 2016: Yang's febrile fit 3

Nov 2016: Sito's tummy

Mar 2019: Yu's eye

Apr 2019: Sito's ribs

May 2019: Yu's scalp

Aug 2021: Yang's tummy

Jan 2022: my head

Feb 2023: Yang's tummy

Yang's rash

It started in late 2023. Small bumps developed under Yang's left eye and the bit between his nose, upper lip and cheeks, but mostly under the eye. 

Think it was a couple of weeks after Sito's birthday dinner at Famous Treasure. The restaurant was very cold. Yang and Yu shared a scarf provided by the restaurant. As kids go, this boy buried his face with the scarf and goodness knows how clean - or not! - the scarf was! Right after dinner, we saw that his left eye was red and got him some eye lotion which helped.

It was super unlucky for him - and lucky for Yu who didn't have any issue.

The rash didn't go away. At one point, it looked like it was dry and peeling in bits. It was a weekend so we got some cream from the pharmacy. It didn't help. Managed to get an appointment at the polyclinic the next working day, 2 Jan 2024.

The doctor gave him some cream, which didn't work. At the review on 24 February, the doctor referred him to the in-house dermatologist. 

We managed to see the derm on 4 April. She took pictures and sent to National Skin Centre; I'm not sure why but I remember thinking they should have referred us there directly!

Anyway, that was our next destination..

So on 12 Jun 2024, six months after our first polyclinic visit, we met a dermatologist at the NSC. She seemed like a newbie but brought in her consultant to look at Yang. In the end, we scrapped a bit of the rash off the cheek part to test for molluscum, but it was negative. We agreed to a retinol treatment to slough off the bumps gently.

Yang's skin turned red after applying the retinol, an expected side effect. But the rash wasn't getting better; the bumps were still there.

At the review on 4 September, the doctor said it would be safe to continue with the retinol which would take time to show effect, but he asked us to apply a moisturiser 20min after applying the retinol to help the redness.

I decided to alternate the retinol and the moisturiser - Cerave, not my regular! - until our Japan trip. I was afraid the winter weather would make his skin even drier so I skipped the retinol totally and gave him only the Cerave. I didn't resume the retinol since then.

All this while, Yang's rash looked ok some days and less so others. But the skin was red though the redness has diminished a bit since we stopped the retinol. He also kept saying he was fine with the bumps, no need to treat. Think he was tired of all the nightly applications... 

We had another review on 14 January. To be honest, I didn't want to go back after September coz I found it all useless, and Yang was ok with the rash. But I was glad we did coz this doctor was the clearest of them all. 

He said that even though the molluscum test was negative, it could have been a false negative due to sampling. However, the retinol would have killed off any active virus. He suspected what we're seeing now is scarring, which would take time to heal. So we are to continue with Cerave, and avoid sun exposure. If there are new bumps, we can use the retinol.

Wa, I like this doctor. So clear, so willing to share his thoughts on this without just relying on tests or telling me ok la, just continue the cream... 

So now, we just put the moisturiser on the dots. To be honest, there were nights I forgot. But the dots look better, and Yang has no issue with his looks. We will just do our best and hopefully the dots will diminish more as he grows...

Congrats to Yu!

It is Yu's turn to get an Edusave award :)

He was very pleased with it. He said he wants to get awards again! Jia you!

Five of us though the online registration form catered for up to four :p

We were not alone. Some families brought grandparents along too. Sure, share in the joy haha!

This time, they provided biscuits in small packs instead of catered food. More kid-friendly. There was also a big table of books from a recent book collection - free for people to take. 

Our kids were of course more interested in the one game

And then Yu chose dinner - Little Pond. And so off we went for an early dinner. Everyone was happy!

The milk ice cream was very good!

Yang wonders how he could get an award. I told him if he improved from last year, he would get it like how Kai did. So fingers crossed...

Kai went camping

This was his second camp, first being the P5 camp. This time, it was for four days and three nights. Again, we got everything from Decathlon :)

Have fun, Kai!

Ya, he refused to turn around for a picture... Anyway, that was last Monday. I wouldn't have known what they were doing if not for the very active WhatsApp group chat among the parents. Many were worried about the escaped crocodiles from Batam but the kayaking went on anyway!

His absence was keenly felt. It was very quiet. Haha! Yang and Yu were happy to be on their own and were quite quiet in the day. We felt it more at night. Usually he would nua on our bed at 9.30 pm after finishing his chess games. On Monday night, nothing...

By Wednesday night, I was ready to have my Kai home!

On Thursday, Sito and I went to school for Kai's badge ceremony. So, the teacher told us, the kids would get a badge at the end of every milestone programme. For Sec 1, it was this Camp Discovery.

The boys reached school after we were seated. Thankfully, they didn't smell. Haha! But his bag smelled really bad coz he just dumped all wet stuff inside from day 1, yucks!

The kids were just loitering outside the classroom, staring in at the parents and just chatting, until a couple came in. Then I waved to Kai to get him in. The first thing he said was "act normal" - eh, ok...??? :p

One of the peer leaders addressed everyone before the start of the badge ceremony. Then the teachers got them out by registration number. It was very informal and everyone looked happy.

Kai didn't look happy but I think he was happy to leave the camp!

Their class happened to be the best class overall in the camp, for cheers and class flag etc, so there was a big pack of chips. Kai got two bags of chips which he devoured on the spot. Too hungry. We grabbed more food at 7-11 before going home.

Made him carry his own stuff :p

When he got home, he cried "home sweet home!" :p

That night, Sito and I sat on his bed while he put his head on Sito's leg and told us all about his camp. Briefly, kayaking on day 1, Sungei Buloh on day 2 and high elements on day 3. He was upset that he only managed to kayak for 30 min instead of three hours, coz the instructor claimed they were noisy. The wetlands were boring to him, but he enjoyed rock climbing, less so for abseiling.

It was very nice to hear him :)

The next day was wellness day, for them to rest at home after the camp. Sito brought Kai to Fong Sheng Hao for breakfast.

The pork and egg sandwich was yummy!

But he still preferred kaya butter toast. Ok we'll go for kaya butter toast after my ulcer is done!

Protecting my tongue

I am given to consider two everyday objects lately, not in part due to yet another tongue ulcer, which will, in all likelihood, prevent my enjoyment of the LNY festivities, largely comprising eating and drinking, and more eating and more drinking.

(That was written just as I finished reading Pride and Prejudice, which was a wonderful distraction from the pain. This is already mild. Did they really speak like that?? Anyway...)

So I was - still am - nursing said ulcer and cleaning the vanity basin the other day. As I removed a floss stick, I deeply regretted using my tongue instead of a floss stick to dislodge a bit of peanut stuck between my teeth, as I ended up causing the ulcer to form. And one thought led to another - now that's what the toothpicks on the tables of Chinese restaurants are for!

In public, I had more than once discreetly covered my mouth with a tissue or fancy napkin if available while using my fingers over a bit of tissue to dislodge food. But I think I might end up poking the delicate insides of my mouth if I were to use a toothpick. I'll stick to the tissue. Or bear with it until I get home to use a floss stick in front of the mirror.

Just, never my tongue. Never again.

Halfway there...

Probably more, coz DOS says life expectancy is 85 for women :p

It was busier than past years coz Kai started secondary school. Due to recess being at 11am, we decided he must have more breakfast than a cup of milk. So a lot of meal prep for me. Then there were endless messages on WhatsApp.

I was also not feeling particularly well. The cough from Japan was gone, but the nose was drippy here and there. Sito found a Japanese omelette place at Bugis but we had to skip that as I wasn't feeling up to it on Tuesday.

Luckily, I was well enough on Wednesday to do all the things I wanted!

First, breakfast date with Sito :)

Fong Sheng Hao was good! The regular stuff isn't cheap but I really do like my pork floss sandwich with condensed milk. Sito ordered the value set of pork and egg sandwich which cost only $6 with a cup of teh - that is cheaper than Yakun or Toast Box, and super filling!

So good we went back to try other things the next day before a school event!

Sito ordered another value set - bacon and cheese which was even yummier! Also ordered an egg pancake with pork floss - yes, I like that - and a scallion pancake. So good.

Back to my birthday...

Karaoke on my own!

I really really felt the need to sing properly and a lot, haha! It was only two hours but it was fulfilling. Sang a lot of songs by male singers coz Youtube cannot adjust key, you know... Ended with Mayday, 一个人也 high 到不行！

Came home in time to welcome the boys home! Kai came back with them as it was still orientation for him; else his lessons end at 2.30 pm on Monday to Wednesday. They had hotdog buns for lunch as I didn't have time to cook :p

Happy 45th to me!

Nothing beats having my fave four persons in the world with me on my birthday, never mind that the small ones only remembered to say HB to me on Papa's prompts!

Sito surprised me with a two-tier cake! My only other tier cake was our wedding cake, and this one looked somewhat like that, with the lovely cream flowers :)

And the cream on top was that this cake was also yummy! Even Kai decided to have a slice - the boy who doesn't like cake?! We were very happy to see him eat cake :) We finished the last two slices at supper that night, yummmm...

The next celebration was on Sunday. We had a lovely chendol cake - AhYee always manages to find interesting cakes from different places! But of course, the kids would have none of it *.*

I'm sitting down! Haha!

Dinner was at the new Cantonese restaurant at One Holland Village. It was so good, especially the cabbage and the fish! I think Cantonese, Hokkien/Teochew food suits our palate the most. The boys had rice on top of fried noodles. We have been ordering fried yee mee separately for them for the longest time whenever we eat out at such places. Now that they're big enough, this was probably the last time we ordered noodles just for them.

Ok, time for the countdown... to the end, haha!

Budgeting for kids

Some time in 2023, we started giving Kai his allowance on a weekly instead of daily basis. Wanted him to budget for himself. I thought I would start that for Yang in P5 as well but as it turned out, I ran out of change some time last year so I started him on weekly allowance too :p

Yu wanted a weekly allowance too but this boy... Maybe later..

So far so good, no one ran out of money for food during recess. But it's also quite clear who spends the most when I got them to count their savings since P1 - as at end 2024:

• Kai: $250
• Yang: $150
• Yu: $150

Yang enjoys buying things from the bookshop - notebooks, pens, country erasers, picture cards etc *.* So he's maybe $50 short after four years, averaging $13 on random bits from the bookshop each year.

Oh well, he's happy. So be it. 

Now these boys are always complaining about my food. Since we eat out more during the school holidays, I thought we could give them a say in what we eat for the last two weeks in November. It's also a budgeting exercise, not with individual weekly allowance but two weeks' worth of dinner budget for a family of five.

Based on past years' expenditure* in the last two weeks of November, we gave them a budget of $378. Of the 14 days, we spent a day with the grands so that saved them some money. Then, they played with the options on Google Sheets. 

* We keep track of our expenditure. Im fact, I have records all the way to uni! All on MS Excel and more recently, Google Sheets.

At first, they maximised eating out. Then, Sito asked them why they didn't include BBQ buffet which they liked. Somehow that led to Japanese buffet. So they changed their options to include more home-cooked food and coffeeshop meals so that they could have a buffet.

And this was how we ended up at Kiseki again! 

What are they conspiring...

Kai's hair was so long that he looked like ah beng :p

Yang and Yu came over to our side; Kai declined

At the end of all accounting, they had a surplus of $9.50, woohoo!

Of ninjas and samurais

It took me a month to get down to finishing this journal but it's done!

Our last non-Legoland holiday was Taiwan in 2018 just before Kai entered primary school. We had wanted to go to Japan in 2020 before Yang entered primary school but you know, COVID. So no plans for Yu too. When travel restrictions were mostly lifted, Kai's PSLE was looming. So a post-PSLE trip it was!

Our previous long trips with kids - India 2013, Spain 2015 and Taiwan 2018 - were planned with the help of travel agencies and/or driver-guides. Almost everything was settled for us. 

This time, Sito and I planned everything ourselves. The transport was kind of confusing sometimes due to the many types of trains but we managed to sort them out. The only time we opted for private car was getting from the airport to our AirBnB so we didn't have to navigate the subway with our luggage at peak hour!

I was very nervous before the trip. We hadn't been on a long trip for years. I didn't want lizards coming in while we were away. I was afraid the house would be too damp and attract mould. In the end, we shut the house in to keep lizards out, and placed moisture absorber tubs everywhere. We even bought a dehumidifier about a year ago to battle humidity especially in Kai's room. 

The planning started last year but we finally bought flight tickets in February. We spent the time in between to finalise the itinerary, book attractions, buy winter gear etc. And suddenly, the day came...

Wednesday, 4 Dec

Travel day

We're going on holiday!

Woke at 4.15-ish am and started making final prep. Both Kai and Yang woke early. Yu jumped up when I woke him, huh Japan already? :p

Our 6am ride with GrabFamily was rubbish. I had to ask the driver for the car seat?! He drove to the petrol station nearby to give me coz we boarded at a bus stop - I still have no idea how to get the to carpark without taking the stairs. Anyway, I used the carseat wrongly and realised it only when we were happily cruising towards the airport - winner *.*

Couldn't drop baggage as the machine couldn't match my face so we went to the counter for a quick drop-off. The attendant looked very cold but at the end when she saw Yu standing there staring at the disappearing suitcase, she asked if he wanted to go up (on the weighing belt)!

Two helpful (or playful?) kids

Two kaypohs must crowd around the machine

Ok breakfast next. Macs in the transit area. Then I bought some baojiwan on my way to the toilet. I had a major tummy ache the night before and almost had to puke and faint like in Vivo. I recall that I had the same thing the day before our Spain trip and also during our Taiwan trip. Grrr...

The boys didn't really remember their previous flights so it was like first time? Sito sat with Kai while I sat with the brothers behind them. Spent the flight watching movies. Yang and Yu also listened to songs. No more games on the system, maybe coz now there's no more separate control thingy.

Ready to fly!

Oh my, Kai looks so much like Sito!

These two self-entertained

I was concerned about turbulence given that terrible incident some months ago. But the kids didn't go to the toilet at all so yes, all strapped in!

We had a boo boo at the immigration - we thought we needed only one QR code but nope, each had to have a QR code. Almost late for the driver - ¥5000 for every hour late! Phew! We came out not wearing our jackets but it wasn't too cold then. The boys felt it at once though - much colder than back home!

The trip to our apartment took about an hour. Unpacked a bit while Kai and Yu pooped. Then we went downstairs for dinner.

Curry udon!

The portion was very big at Gokuraku Udon TKU! It was so yummy! But the kids' white hoodies were ruined haha! I managed to get rid of more of the yellow stain when back home, using the stain remover, but they remain pretty much ruined...

This was the first time that I had to wash clothes on holiday. I didn't even plan to wash on the first day but I realised quickly that the washer was too small and there wasn't enough drying space.

We went to a nearby konbini and went back to rest. The apartment seemed like a jumbo unit of three small studios coz there were three doors outside. But it was still small. So happy that I brought door hangers and even hangers! No wardrobe here; only a tension rod thingy in hole in wall and two coat racks. The outdoor rack was too low but thankfully there was a foldable indoor rack to dry our laundry.

Behind the main door

Clipped to the sliding door to hang towels; notice the small TV

There were two WCs and two baths just Iike home! Yu got the bidet seat buttons figured out quickly. Yang loved the warm seat, haha! 

Kids ended up playing games on Kai bed on the first night

Thursday, 5 Dec
Cup noodles in the city

First on our to-do list was to get ICOCA cards for everyone. But we couldn't get child cards at the vending machine of our nearest station, Awaza. It didn't matter since the fare is the same with or without the cards, which only make things more convenient. 

Eventually, we found a counter aka みどりの窓口 at Osaka JR and got the cards. The staff asked for their age and for Kai, whether he was in elementary school - 12yo in junior high would not be able to get child cards. Passports were needed for verification and their cards carried their name.

And off to Ikeda we went! Yang was hungry so we got him a sandwich at Lawson at Ikeda station. Kai and Yu had yoghurt drinks. 

It was a short walk to the Cup Noodles Museum. As we neared, Yu commented that it was an uninviting building, haha!

We walked the exhibits a bit before assembling our own cup noodles.

So handsome in their jeans and jackets!

Taken by Yang

Sito likes ramen, cup or bowl :)

Playing with the various exhibits

Yang kept feeling warm along the trip here and there. Had to get him to at least wear his jacket albeit unzipped when we were outdoor!

Decorating our cups

What are they drawing?

Selecting toppings - I wonder if the staff was amused by our mix of Japanese (tamago!) and English (just about everything else)

With their own protected bag of cup noodles!

We deflated and dumped the carriers back in the apartment as they couldn't go in planes.

Lunch was at Yayoi near the museum. Different menu from Singapore's but the free flow rice was the same, except we couldn't have any extra rice!

First, must play at a little park we passed by

Actually the area was rather residential. We even passed by a Yakult auntie arranging goods on her bike!! Yakult auntie leh! 

Kai said it was awesome to have both noodles and rice in his meal!

Yu "plane fed" Yang some jelly from his kiddy meal

Kai too! So Yu called him a baby :p

Back to Osaka-Umeda area. Explored Pokémon centre, which also included Nintendo and others. We played Super Mario Party mini games and let the kids get a gacha each but they weren't super keen, especially Kai...

I joined them for mini games

I must do crazy things...

"What will I get..."

Next was our first ferris wheel of the trip. Why is it called HEP Five??

Sito sat with Kai

Me with the brothers coz each car takes only four

Yang: What if this drops? 

Mama: Then see you next life!

Coz we read 济公 comics before and it talked about reincarnation. But I didn't expect Yu to add in a flat tone: Goodbye cruel world.. Funny!

Pretty decor when we alighted from the ferris wheel

Dinner was wagyu at Yakiniku Rikimaru!

It was kind of cold in there...

A parfait :)

Sito and I ate so much... But the kids didn't seem to like it much. Kai preferred the karaage. Best, Yu woke twice at night coz he didn't feel good. Second time at 3 am, he puked in the toilet bowl. I'm so glad he had enough practice...! Think he had too much ice cream with strawberry sauce - very obvious colour...!

Friday, 6 Dec

Ninjas and samurais

Yu's tummy still didn't feel good in the morning so I put some oil on him. Magic oil, this one.

The kids had some milk we bought from the konbini the night before. They didn't like it. We thought it was the same old milk??

Anyway, the plan was to go to Kyoto. No, not for the temples but for ninjas and samurais!

It was a long ride. Took the subway and changed at Awaji - different from the one for Saturday - to a Randen train. The subway was quite ex but the Randen was a flat fare paid at the exit. This train goes to Arashiyama. The whole train was filled with tourists heading there. We were the only ones who got off before Arashiyama!

Train control with a staff inside

We bought entry tickets to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park on Klook beforehand. Added on the attraction pass at the counter, and it was worth it, ¥1,300 per pax for unlimited entry to four attractions.

Chinchin train at Meiji street

Look like that scene from Spirited Away not?

Yang spotted a samurai!

Must hold the sword

Edo town Nakamura theatre

Edo town Port town - the dragon appeared!

My ninjas :)

Watch a ninja show - Shinobi Highway - about some secret document. Lots of fighting. There was funny audience interaction. It was all in Japanese but we enjoyed it!

Udon for lunch

And Kai's loose tooth came off, yeah! Easier to eat the rest of the holiday!

I went to The Cursed Doll haunted house with Kai and Yang. Pitch dark. We didn't do the mission else I would have freaked out. Sito and Kai did the mission later. Yup, big scare at end of mission.

We met Sito and Yu at the Ninja Mystery House. They completed it while we were waiting for our turn, and they went in with us again. All the doors were very fun!

The Sword N Go Ninja Training Dojo gave each of us an air sword but was less fun. More kiddy.

They played a tikam game

There was, strangely, an Evangelion Kyoto Base!! We tried the entry plug and got individual scores. All of us cannot drive an Eva :p

Yu was the most compatible but still only 39%

While Sito and Kai were in the haunted house, Yang and Yu had fun outside

Kai joined them when done with the haunted house

Eh, Yang should ferry Papa!

Finally we went for the Ninja Fort. The kids went for the physical course while Sito and I went for the mental course. When we came out, we found only Kai and Yu. Yang was still inside. Kai said he must be crying. Sent Kai and Yu in to find. Turned out that Yang had finished very quickly and went to do the mental course. Then Kai and Yu did the mental course as well.

Walked through some exhibits like Power Rangers

And then it was about time to go. But not before ice cream and omiyage!

Saw a yokai as we were leaving the souvenir shop :p

Not scary at all!

There was a slight drizzle as we left. We were lucky that that was the only rain we had the whole trip :)

The Randen was full of people from Arashiyama so it was quite a squeeze to get on. There were so many people that we all paid at the exiting station instead of on the train. Then it was a long ride back to Umeda. It was Hankyu, I think, different from our way there, and much cheaper.

The boys slept

The Kura Sushi queue was too long so we went to Bikkuri Donkey for dinner. The kids all had spag bog and loved it! In fact, Yang liked it so much that he told the staff at the cashier: Your food is good!

They gave us one instead of three spaghetti so we waited...

We watched a Japanese drama - La Grande Maison Tokyo - just before our trip and Mont Blanc was a featured dessert. I like this since I was a kid, thanks to the aunt of the kid Mother took care of, who worked in a bakery and gave us yummy stuff. 

So we had a Mont Blanc dessert!

Random Xmas decor on the way back to the apartment

Our beacon was the bright yellow Naruto luggage tag on Sito's bag :)

This being their first winter, the kids' lips were quite dry. This evening, they finally agreed to lip balm. Forced it on them!!!!

Saturday, 7 Dec

Naruto!

I didn't sleep well. Woke every hour from 1am to cough :( Kai also woke a few times to drink water - I think I disturbed him :( In the end, I got up before my alarm went off to prepare for the day - we have an early bus to catch!

We bought tickets and checked out the bus stop on Thursday so it was easy to find it again in the Osaka-Umeda labyrinth. But we still arrived early coz we couldn't miss this bus! 

Let the kids have some croissants we bought the night before. There was a Family Mart right at the bus stop so we bought more food and drinks.

It's a Naruto bus!

The bus took some 90min. We walked up from the carpark area and saw a little tram-bus ahead. Turned out that was the free shuttle to the various attractions on the island. 

Finally, we're here!

The kids have been watching anime for a while - Naruto, Dragonball, One Piece. So we built this trip around the theme of ninjas and samurais. Naruto theme park? Must go!

It's on Awaji Island, along with various other attractions. We had bought tickets with two missions online. The first mission was a maze in a fort, like the one at Toei but bigger. The mission was to save Naruto.

But how come it's the grown-up, not the kid??

The maze was very fun, going around to find the various characters and get a stamp, and open doors with ninja jutsu handsigns. Sito and I went in the correct order. But it was scary at one point when we saw that we got to climb down a storey. Was wondering whether we should wait there for the kids but turned out that the kids had already gone through that part *.*

So high!

This was taken when Sito accompanied Yu to find his missed stamps

Took the slide to the exit - fast way out!

The whole thing took longer than expected as the kids went anyhow and Yu missed out some stamps. By then, we were ready for...

Ramen Ichiraku!

Naruto leh, must eat this ramen :)

The next mission was easier - just walk, no need to climb or stoop. Along the way were some AR installations. I thought quite nice but the kids much preferred the first mission.

See Yu's hands making a jutsu?

Nine-tailed fox!

Lightning boy doing 雷遁

Fire boy doing 火遁

Giant Sito or mini torii? :p

Had a little おみくじ at the end before we went to the souvenir shop. Kai and Yu got nano lego figurines while Yang got a Naruto headband. The headband was crazy expensive but we were on holiday!

My Naruto vs. the real Naruto

There was no time for us to go to other attractions on the island. We must catch the last bus at 4.43pm! Instead of waiting for the shuttle, we walked down. And it was a very nice walk.

Beautiful colours!

There's a cafe and souvenir shop, Rainbow Oasis. We had ice cream and coffee/tea while we rested and waited for the bus. 

Why when it's so cold??

There was an interesting onion soup on tap. We also tried raw onions with sauce. Both were very yummy! Guess Awaji Island is known for its onions??

Must queue for the onion tap

"Which sauce should I add..."

The bus took two hours to reach Osaka-Umeda, thanks to the traffic near the city. We went back to our neighbourhood for dinner. This neighbourhood happens to have some really nice places.

Okonomiyaki and yakisoba!

I really like this photo of my laogong :)

It was like an izakaya where everyone had to order a drink. Kids were happy :) At the end, Yang told the chef "yakisoba umai!"

Sunday, 8 dec

Namba walk

Washed clothes in the morning. I washed clothes more than I washed my hair on this trip! To be honest, I hadn't washed in Japan up to this point. Yup, my last wash was night of 3 Dec! 

The hairdryer was really lousy. Even the boys couldn't feel much air from it. My hair needs strong air to dry... Luckily in this weather, my scalp didn't feel oil, though I think there must be a layer of dead skin accumulating...

We had a stand-up breakfast at the 7-11 nearby. Their latte was better than the Family Mart one.

Sito tried their smoothie machine

Today, the plan was to hang out at the Namba area. We first headed to 八坂神社 Yasaka Jinja where the kids purified themselves and made a wish. We also bought amulets for them as this was supposed to be a place good for students.

At the temple

Cleansing...

Making a wish

We tried to queue for omurice at supposedly the birthplace of omurice but the queue was an hour long. So we walked around and found Shitenno Ramen with no queue. But when we came out, a queue had formed! Coz "no ramen, no life", says the staff tee.

Split table - Kai and Yang were elsewhere

The Donki ferris wheel - later, we would go...

The famous Glico Man

From another spot

We went to Round 1 after lunch. The arcade was cheap and fun! It cost only ¥100 per game for most games and each game was quite long. The boys had so much fun. 

Sito steady, driving with one hand!

I was super sore, probably from the Naruto maze... Also having less phlegm today. Hope recovering...

Next was snack time! Yu was looking forward to the takoyaki but he decided he prefers the SG version which was not so soft. Yang had almost one ball; he had not had the SG version but now he wanted to try - next time*! Kai took a bite and no more *.* Also had a melon pan with vanilla ice cream - so good...

* We have tried last week at Sushiro and he said it was just like Japan...

Queueing for takoyaki

We went up the Donki ferris wheel. It was interesting due to the oblong shape and the turning mechanism. But all the kids preferred HEP Five.

Before we turned to face outside

Kai made the staff laugh out loud!

And since we were at Donki, must buy something right? Ended up for over ¥10,000 worth of beauty products for me! And tax free! Very convenient.

After our failed attempt to get a seat at Kura Sushi in Umeda area on Friday, Sito made a reservation for the outlet at Namba. But in the end, we were early enough to not require a reservation. 

This sushi chain is very fun. Besides the usual conveyor belt and even the ordered food belt, there is a gacha machine at every table. When you return the plates into a hole by the side of the table, you get a gacha chance for every three or five plates - don't remember! We paid a little extra for guaranteed gacha, though we misunderstood how it worked but the staff explained to us when we asked. Guess many were like us.

Very, very full...

They had nine plus a bowl of udon, seven and six plates from left to right. The tamago in front of Yang ended up in Kai’s belly. Sito and I had 11 plates in total...

Getting a gacha!

One more shot at the bridge before we left

Went to a Family Mart at Namba for water as we ran out. Also grabbed some breakfast food. Then on the way to the subway, we bought lovely daifuku and a powder refill (yup, mine). 

We left the kids to poop and shower in the apartment while we walked to 7-11 for dessert and more breakfast and water etc - long time no evening date! Haha! Even though it was only a short walk :)

Sito enjoying an ice cream on the way back to the apartment

That wasn't all. We also had cup noodles :p

Monday, 9 dec

Onsen!

We had breakfast in the apartment. We bought ticket to Arima Onsen online and didn't have time to check out the bus stop. But it was at 10.50am so we had plenty of time.

The ride was quite fast. Arrived just nice for lunch. The plan was curry udon at Misono but it was very small so we went to a bigger place where the boys had katsu curry rice. 

Why is it so yummy??!

We walked the streets a little and picked up some grilled dango and sweet potato balls for snacks :p 

Then we went for a foot bath!

It was so good.... But there was a little drama - an old lady at the foot bath suddenly stood up and coughed. She even patted Sito to get him to slap her back but a lady went up to give her an abdominal thrust. Turned out she choked on some food. 

The boys didn't want to go into the foot bath so they just sat on the bench behind. Talk talk talk...

Next was nama tansan senbei, with a shelf live of five seconds. It was just the local tansan senbei but freshly made so we had five seconds to eat it while it was chewy. After that, it became normal crunchy senbei. But it was not the salty senbei, more like our colourful waffles. 

Following my beacon

We went to another senbei shop to look see. Kids got to try the senbei and liked it so we bought some. Couple of weeks back, the last two senbei lao hong and became nama again, haha!

Finally, it was check-in time and we walked uphill to the hotel. Waited at the lobby a bit before a staff brought us to our room. It was an old hotel but very spacious! 

We didn't take long to change and head for the onsen. Yu was too big to follow me so Sito took all three. I had me time! Haha!

In our Yukata

The onsen feels so good... And I finally washed my hair! The dryer at the onsen was marginally better...

But I was fretting a bit coz I was worried about the boys - would they run about? Slippery! Dangerous! Would they not like it and leave earlier? Then very sian.. So I came back to the room earlier than the agreed time to find... no one there :)

They took quite a while to return. Comments: Kai - bad (coz too hot); Yang - good; Yu - hot! And they got over the whole nakedness thing, quite cute. They behaved generally ok... But Yu wadded across loudly coz he forgot his towel on the other edge and other people just stared at him, haha!

Put on jackets over yukata to go outdoors

Left kids in room while we had beer

At the bridge linking lobby and rooms

The boys decided to wear regular clothes instead of yukata for dinner, which was Kobe beef teppanyaki set plus buffet! 

Kai was considered an adult so he had the same teppanyaki and salmon as us, Yang's set had only the teppanyaki, and Yu had only the buffet. This was more kid friendly than kaiseki which would have things they don't eat. The buffet had a lot of fried food, haha! They were happy :)

Cooking for himself

The futon was in position by the time we got back. Also a first for the kids. Sito decided to try the outdoor bath by the river. I couldn't stand going outdoors so I stayed in. He took some time to get back as he also went to the indoor bath to wash up.

Looks comfy

This boy's face was all red after the onsen and dinner - my red apple :)

Last time when I visited Japan, I used to watch TV at night. The AirBnB apartment had a TV but in a weird position in Yang and Yu's room so we didn't watch at all. Here at the onsen hotel, we watched a bit but ok la, nothing very interesting.

Tuesday, 10 Dec

Snow!

Coughed like mad twice at night. Kena complained by Kai again... 

During dinner the night before, the staff asked us for our preferred breakfast time. So we planned to wake early to go for the onsen before breakfast. 

Sito and I woke at 6-ish. Yang happened to be up early too. Gave him instructions on washing up before visiting the onsen in the other building.

The hotel we were in was the older, ryokan style hotel while the other building was a newer, western style hotel. Arima onsen water is either kin or gin. I went into the indoor gin bath, before trying the partially outdoor kin bath and back indoor again coz it was hotter. Sito said the male bath in the ryokan side also had a partially outdoor bath.

Breakfast was back at the same table. The table carried sign with the name of our room:

No, it's not pronounced Gekkoen which is the name of the hotel

Breakfast was also kid friendly. I was just very happy with the onsen egg :)

Nice scenery at breakfast

Checking out the koi in the hotel

Taken by Yang

Way to the onsen by the river but it was closed for cleaning

Don't know why but must take picture with tanuki at onsen!

We paid a bathing tax of ¥150 each at check-out, and continued upslope, not heading back the way we came from as we were leaving Arima by ropeway!

But first, we did some fishing. Kai went first but no fish was catching. Sito tried and proved that it was possible before handing the rod back to the kids. Eventually, all caught a fish :) Sito also taught Kai a lesson on patience and getting what he deserves - I was taking pictures and didn't listen carefully :p

Putting on the bait

First position - couldn't reach the fish

Better spot as tested by Sito

Touching the fish - fun meh?

Surprised that all three liked the fried fish and finished the whole thing, bones and all! An elderly worker told us while we were fishing, that this rainbow trout was very yummy and could be eaten whole. Yang wanted to tell the uncle he was right but he was nowhere to be seen when we were done. I told him he could come back when he grew up and guess his response? By then the uncle would have died already!!!

Um, ok... Let's go then...

Yang and his fish

After more uphill walk, we found the ropeway, aka cable car. The ropeway was another steep uphill climb for 12min plus, bringing us to Rokkosan!

We tried to walk to the snow park but couldn't get our bearings right. Sito heard the ropeway announcement about a bus so we walked back to take the bus.

The snow park reception was very helpful to tell us what to buy from the ticketing machine. For snow play, we only needed to rent boots, gloves and sledges. So shocked to see it cost over $200! But ended up almost half was deposit for the rental.

The kids had so much fun! But I think the sledge was tiring, or the lugging of the sledge up the hill was tiring. Coz they played a few rounds and decided to play snow.

Sito made a snowman using a snowman mould!

They were just making big snowballs but no throwing ok...

There was a takeout kiosk near the snow play area so we got some yakisoba, buns etc for lunch. It was damn cold. But later, the kids rode the sledge until they were sweaty!

Sito and I rode the sledge too while they were compacting snow. Then we got them to go play the sledge again before we left.

After multiple successful slides down the slope

We lost Kai's scarf as we were leaving. Should have asked him to stuff it into his pocket instead of hanging on my arm. So no scarf for Kai for the rest of the journey... But the rest of our journey wouldn't be so cold...

Took the same bus but to Sanjo station just in time for the cable, aka tram, downhill, where we caught a local bus to the nearest JR station. 

Our only JR ride this trip

Back in Osaka, we found an outlet of the omurice that we didn't manage to have on Sunday. 

Chubby cheeks waiting for his dinner

It didn't look like a lot but gosh, so full!

Went to a Uniqlo outlet but it was carrying winter gear so didn't buy anything. Also went to a KFC coz must try in Japan, haha! But I was busy on AirBnB and then Klook, settling late checkout and airport transfer so I didn't take pictures! :(

Random Xmas decor while walking to subway

With only two days to our flight home and finally no need to keep washing clothes, I packed a bit. Coz it's a long day the next day...

Wednesday, 11 Dec

Universal Studios Japan!

Aka my longest day of the trip...

Yang woke at 130-ish with a tummy ache. Sighs, he didn't poop for many days so this was not unexpected. I thought of going to a konbini to get an enema but decided I should stay with him. So I woke Sito to go find. He went to a few konbini and even tried a hospital nearby but nope. In the end, the pain subsided and Yang went back to bed after I gave him a tummy massage.

That's one more item in my packing list in future!

I continued to cough at night and woke earlier than planned so I didn't sleep much. But that gave me more time to prepare for the start of the day.

We went out later than the planned 6.30 am but ok, we still reached 7.30-ish. The queue to go in was very smooth! At first, I was afraid they would reject Kai's child ticket which we bought on Klook as we saw something about 12yo in elementary school being considered a child. The ticket could not be exchanged. We thought at most we could buy an adult ticket on the spot. But the JR staff gave him child ICOCA right? Anyway, it was all smooth, thankfully... And the staff was all smiles!

Our first stop - Hogwarts.

Omgosh, it was so magical I cried!! 

It was one thing reading the books and imagining how it was like; it was another thing watching the movies and wow-ing at how they brought it all to life; it was yet another thing to BE in Harry Potter world!

We first went for the Hippogriff ride - early, hardly a queue. It was a roller coaster and Yu said his penis was falling out, haha! But he took it very well. Think Legoland should be ok now...

At Ollivander's

Ollivander's! Yes, we bought a wand so that we could perform magic at various spots. But it was not easy.

Aguamenti!

We took a lot of videos of us doing the spells but I'm too lazy to post videos :p

I want to go!!!!

Sito stopped the rogue car haha!

Next was Jaws for which we had an express pass. It was so fun! I thought the guide was amazing - he drove and acted too! But Kai said the boat should be auto. Later, Sito said the same. Bah *.*

Queued to take picture with THE shark

Then we went for our minions ride. It was so cute but it made me pukish. I thought I needed some food so we got some churros - we were first in line as it just opened and never had the chance at a food kiosk again coz the lines were sooooo long!

My minions

Just opened, yeah!

Time to go back to Hogwarts for our timed ride. I sat with Yu in case he was scared but nope, he wasn't scared... I found it exhilarating to be flying on a broom! As if, haha! But wa I wanted to puke... Yet, how could I not have a butter beer after exiting the ride??

Our only family shot that isn't a wefie

Ok, too sweet. This must be rated DDD. I prefer the hot one to the cold one which was fizzy. Got a 10th anniversary cup coz, why not? I was even thinking of those big fluffy Mario hats for the kids but they didn't ask for them and those hats were impossible to wash and too big to bring home anyway, so I kept quiet. Else, really, why not?? :)

Queue at the Three Broomsticks was too long so posed outside

Lunch at Jaws

Not our first choice but really, all the popular spots had long queues, even the kiosks. We had to wait a bit for a table at Jaws too.

Kai had been wanting a thrill ride for a while so we went to Hollywood Dream next. Didn't get express pass for this as we were not sure if Yu would be up to it, given how he didn't want to take roller coasters in Legoland. But the queue was manageable - only an hour? - and we saved time from other rides already.

But I almost puked while in the queue and wanted to step out at some point. But suddenly, I felt a bit better and decided, what the heck! 

The staff checked us at least twice to make sure we had no loose items on us. Yu had his height measured. Then, I went up with Kai and Yang, while Sito went with Yu. A single rider auntie sat next to me as each car took four. 

This auntie was amazing ok. She was telling me how to choose the music for the ride. Best, she was happily clapping and swinging her legs as the ride went off! I was so nervous... Then at the end, when I asked her how many times she had been on this ride, she said close to 4,000 - yes, no typo, and my Japanese isn't the best but I can certainly understand numbers, 4,000! I totally believed her when I saw her hop off quickly, grab her bag and dash off, probably for the next ride.

Anyway, step aside, Legoland, Hollywood Dream is the real roller coaster! All I could do was close my eyes, grip tight and scream! I turned to check on Kai and Yang - they seemed fine and Kai who was next to me looked super happy! So I minded my own fear and continued with screaming at the next drop *.*

Sito said Yu was very brave. On the other hand, he was fearful for Yu as the momentum made Yu's little legs swing up during the ride! But it's true that he was very brave - I didn't mention anything or ask Yu if he wanted the ride, and he didn't say no at all knowing we were queueing for a roller coaster. He came out looking perfectly fine! 

But later when his brothers went for another roller coaster, he said no coz (1) he didn't want to queue, and (2) he didn't want to not feel his body like in Hollywood Dream, haha!! Btw, he numbered his reasons himself, not me :p

We were still early enough for our timed Mario Kart ride on our express pass. Unlike Hogwarts which didn't implement the gated entry, Nintendo was all gated. 

First, we bought watches for the kids to wear and get points from mini games and all the ? boxes around the area. Expensive but why not? :)

Here we go!

The Kart was quite fun and as we passed by the long queue, we found the express pass super worth it, haha! But Kai didn't score well and came out in a foul mood. It sort of went downhill from there as he then didn't get as many points as his brothers *.*

Anyway, they eventually accumulated enough points to fight the boss :p

Almost getting to the Kart

One of the mini games to get points

The game that Kai missed playing with his brothers due to bad mood

Eventually the brothers played again to help him pass it coz as a single player, he kept getting grouped with very small kids who couldn't play!

We also checked out the new Donkey Kong area which just opened, as in on the very day we were there! Sito thought it took some heat off the other places for a while. Anyway, we didn't queue for the ride. Just walked a bit and had a soba bun.

Then Kai and Yang went to the Flying Dinosaur ride on their own, as single riders. Sito and I brought Yu to the Discovery Restaurant for some food and to wait for the brothers.

Yang came back first. It was dark by then. I found the ride scary enough in the day, much less in the dark!!!

He said three teen boys spoke to him - probably coz each car takes four. He went, "I speak English!" So the boys spoke English and asked him for his age. When he said 10, they were impressed! Haha! Yang added that they screamed and he didn't. At the end, they said bye bye. So cute. Kai came back soon after. He said he didn't like this as much as Hollywood Dream.

Must take a photo of their ride!

By then, we were ready to go - so tired - but must fulfil Yu's wish to go to the kiddy area. He always thinks he's small :) We queued a bit for the merry-go-round. Sito and I sat on a carriage - we call it the parents' seats, haha!

Then we swung by Hogwarts for the lights - it was so beautiful! And the music! 😭

Bye Hogwarts!

Outside Hollywood Dream on our way out

Tax refund took only a short while and then we were out. So tired by then so we just had Macs right outside. The burgers were interesting and they had this bright green melon soda that Kai asked for when we came back to SG...

Anyway, while eating, we found a pharmacy nearby on Google Maps so Sito went to get enema while the boys finished their dinner. 

The train back was very crowded. We had to squeeze. It was a relief to be away from the USJ line and be on our way back to the apartment. Sito went to the konbini while I stayed with the kids. After settling down, we had instant noodles and a parfait while Yu had a cold cocoa.

Last night already!

Thursday, 12 dec

Home, sweet home!

The plan was to wake naturally. I did - at 4.30 am. Tmd. I was coughing badly. To avoid waking them, I went to the sofa to try to sleep sitting up. I don’t know if I slept at all.

 
When it was daylight, I did my 12/12 shopping on Shopee :p And then it was time to prepare for the day. Packed as much as possible before we left the apartment.

Breakfast was at 7-11 again. 

Oh, somewhere between me booking the airport transfer and today, we discovered that we got the flight time wrong..! It was an hour earlier than expected. Our airport transfer would be in time but it gave left us little time to go to a JR counter at the airport to refund our ICOCA cards. 

So we went to Namba - our intended final destination in Osaka anyway - to do the refund, and it was a good choice coz later Sito read that the Kansai one was always very crowded!

Just before they beeped out with their card for the last time

What did we do in Namba?

Spent some time in Daiso - auntie bought some plastic bags, haha! So much cheaper. I had no more space else I would like to get other staples for half the price. Sito got a lot of cup noodles - we had a few already, yummy!

Passed by the Spidey; kids didn't want to pose so Papa did!

Next was Honsen Temple. Interestingly, inside one wall was a conveyor belt sushi restaurant *.*

Yang did the whole praying thing :)

Yu followed Yang for this; Kai didn't want to

Lunch was kushikatsu - fried skewers - just opposite the temple. So of course we must order the temple set!

Sito ordered the cabbage and sauce set to demo how not to double dip

No double dipping!!! Grrrr...

There was a huge version of this statue on the building opposite the Donki ferris wheel. We call it angry uncle :p

Final stop was Gigo where they played a quick game before we must go back to the apartment. Sito went to the 7-11 to get the snack that Yang wanted in the morning, while I packed the last bits, leaving the boys literally to their own devices. 

¥200 per game coz it's a newer version or something

With all our cup noodles (haha!) and other souvenirs, we had to use the cabin suitcase too. We brought it with us in the cabin as it carried our jackets. But for the way back, we would wear our jackets. Anyway, I also brought a foldable bag which I used to put our jackets after we got into departures.

All packed, I wondered if the driver was early so I texted him we were ready. He was already there! Nice, more time at the airport!

Checked out of AirBnB with all our rubbish. Host said we left the apartment very clean, yeah! But we forgot Yu's bear bear! :( Didn't realise until Yu asked about it when we got back. He burst into tears when I said oh no! Poor boy.. Told him I would check the suitcase the next day when I unpacked though I already knew we wouldn't find it there, sighs. 

Sito brought the boys to Ikea on Saturday to get a replacement as the two at home carry Kai and Yang's names; I was ill.

Anyway, the kids fell asleep during the ride to the airport. We couldn't print Yu's boarding pass so went to the staff who also put our suitcase next to her instead of getting us to put on the belt. We left a bit bewildered but no problem, we got it in SG :p

551 Horai - must queue at every outlet

Poor Sito has less than two siew mai - Yu had four, and he let me have a bite. Yang and I had a bun each. Kai declined...

Yang liked the meat bun

Yu liked the siew mai

At immigration, a staff saw us and said "baby" and pointed us to a shorter queue. Yu still a baby!

Once inside, we let the kids have a go at the vending machines. No time to do so earlier. And in Japan, how could we leave without buying something from a vending machine??

A drink each plus some snacks

Also bought some typical Japanese confectionery to bring home. Actually we bought very little compared to when we were younger...

Monkeying around while waiting to board

Dinner - this time, no help needed from me

The wait for boarding was quite long but the flight caught up in the end. Waited a while for the second suitcase. It was Yang who went to the source and took it once it came out. So helpful :)

Tired so squatting to wait for suitcases

Grab - didn't bother with GrabFamily this time, just a bigger car - sent us home. And then...

We were home!

Aftermath

It was a mad rush to check that the towels and bedsheets are usable (no mould etc) while the kids showered. Ushered them to bed while I continued to do light cleaning of the living room area so that the kids would have a clean spot to rest the next day while major cleaning took place...

First thing - no extra mould visible and no lizards came in apparently :) With the house as clean as could be, I set down to unpack the suitcases and do laundry. Think it took me some three days to finish the laundry as there was still regular laundry to be done and the winter jackets couldn't all go in one wash.

We were glad we customised this trip, totally kid-centric, no mountain, no sea, no museum, no "boring" things by kiddy standards. And there was hardly any rush as we packed just one major activity each day. And we spaced out long travelling as much as possible to save the parents' ageing bodies and sanity :p

There were some things which were not planned as such but which worked out nicely in the end - like the wagyu BBQ was changed away from just before onsen (can't remember why!) so we spaced out buffets, and USJ which happened to be on the second last day else we would be too knackered to continue the trip!

When we finally sat down with the kids to hear from them:

• Kai's fave parts were the roller coaster rides at USJ, the nut packs on the flights (nuts, really?) and the food on the trip. His ranking of the food were Ramen Ichiraku, ramen elsewhere, and the dinner at the onsen.

• Yang gave a response - good and bad - which I thought was measured until he said that good was everything and bad was the cold :p His fave parts were USJ, then the snow park and then onsen. His fave ride at USJ was Mario Kart, followed by Flying Dino then Hollywood Dream. His fave meals were the onsen dinner, Ramen Ichiraku and Bikkuri Donkey.

• Yu said this trip was better than Legoland coz got onsen… Then, "USJ, onsen especially the food, ninja house (probably the Naruto one)". His fave meals were the onsen dinner, Ramen Ichiraku and the katsu curry rice at Arima town.

If I'm free, I'll put up the itinerary and details on my travel page. If I'm free...