Browsing Tag

lake tahoe

A bucketful of dreams

March 30, 2010

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this mommy gig for almost two years. As Tru approaches his second birthday, I can’t help but feel like time is slipping through my fingers without even noticing it’s gone,

Two years of living, sleeping, breathing, thinking of nothing else but the kids. It seemed like yesterday when I was still dreaming of the powdered peaks in Lake Tahoe and planning my career as a media person. I used to say that Singapore was too small for me. I dreamed of joining a PR firm in New York, going on a book tour, shooting a film, learning dance, maybe even writing a screenplay. I wasn’t going to spend my life doing the same thing in the same place until I got too old to bother trying something new.

Then kids came along. And for a while, I stopped dreaming. I was content, even happy to wake up every morning to my babies. Heck, I even managed to not leave the house for a whole year (except for a couple of hours every weekend). All I wanted to do everyday was to survive till nightfall, when I could sit back and breathe before a new day ambushed me.

I wasn’t counting on the kids growing up so fast. Every day, it gets a little bit less intense and they need me a little less. And to be honest, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do when they start going to school and getting married and starting their own families. I know that’s a long time away but this thing called time, it sneaks away from you. One day you’re 18 and unstoppable but before you know it, you’re left wondering what you did with all that time.

I love being a mom and I’d gladly spend the next 25 years kissing boo boos and telling stories and making fish fingers. But lately I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s not too late to dream again. When the kids are all grown up, I want to have something to call my own. Something that has a bit of my heart and soul. Something I can keep doing till I’m really, really old.

I’m not sure what that is yet, but at least, I’m trying to figure it out before it’s too late. So I’m starting a bucket list. And when I’m done with it, I’ll start another. And another. And another. And then, I’ll do one more.

1. Join the circus for a day

2. Build a life-sized snowman

3. Learn photography (with a proper DSLR camera)

4. Write for the New York Times

5. Do stand-up comedy even if nobody laughs

6. Spend a night in Yosemite

7. Hot air ballooning

8. Visit Israel and take a dip in the Dead sea

9. Watch a match at Old Trafford and scream myself crazy

10. Grow my own vegetables. In my own garden.

11. Shoot a short film

12. Start a beach bonfire and snuggle up all warm and cosy

13. Skinny dipping

14. Drive a formula one car

15. Publish a book

16. Travel for a year

17. Be a mascot in Disneyland

18. Ride a mechanical bull

19. Attend the Academy Awards

20. Follow a band on tour

21. Build a large ass sandcastle

What’s in your bucket list?

by Daphne

love bites

California Dreaming: Lake Tahoe

August 22, 2009

Leg 2: Heavenly Village is well… heavenly

Whatever heaven must be like, it’s gotta have Tahoe. The folks at Heavenly Village obviously shared the same sentiment, seeing that they came up with the perfect name for the place. With its unassuming rustic charm, it totally took my breath away. Being in Lake Tahoe is like stepping into a Hemingway novel, complete with plenty of that old-school romance.

I loved everything about it – the babbling brooks, the snow-capped mountains, the Lake with water so still you’re almost afraid to disturb its serenity. It was the perfect place to escape from the cares of the world, as it were. No phone calls, emails or pesky work issues to clear (URGENTLY it always seems). People knew how to stop and smell the roses, to give you the time of day and chat like old friends and enjoy the little things in life.

Snow-capped mountains in the distance

The lake from 30,000 ft

The lake at ground level

Some may say that it’s terribly backward but sometimes, a little trip back in time may be just what we need.

Originally, we wanted to stay in a log cabin, the kind with walls made of actual logs, a fireplace with actual chimneys and an actual wooden bear outside. I found the loveliest place – the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village, but then it was situated at the other side of the Lake (about an hour’s drive from Heavenly Village). So we settled on Harveys, which was right at the heart of the action.

The loveliest place to stay in Tahoe

You can't have a lodge without a real bear outside

We were in Tahoe in the middle of April, so it wasn’t supposed to snow but we woke up on the second day to find a thick layer of snow had fallen during the night. It was like Christmas came early for me and while everyone was running for cover, there we were, 2 crazy Chinese kids jumping around in the snow.

Speaking of Christmas, Starbucks only brings in Toffee Nut Latte in December and it is the most delightful drink on the planet. Imagine my ecstasy when I wandered into the Starbucks in Tahoe to find Toffee Nut Latte in April. I could have died happy there and then.

I refused to take shelter until I couldn't feel my fingers

Ice-kachang, anyone?

Of course, Tahoe would not be complete without a ride to the top of Adventure Peak on the Gondola. You could ski, snowboard and for the less adventurous, do kiddy stuff like tubing. I watched in awe as skiers flew down from the top of the mountain. It was poetry in motion. I thought for a while and decided to go with tubing just in case I broke a rib or got a concussion. As it turns out, tubing was surprisingly fun. Ok, so it was an activity for kids, but my inner child was having the time of her life.

We were so high I could reach out and touch the clouds

Tubing on Adventure Peak

Gives ice cold beer a whole new meaning

In my opinion, Lake Tahoe is the best place to fall in love. And if you’re already in love, GO TO LAKE TAHOE. There will be lots of boom-chica-wow-wow action. Trust me, I should know.

by Daphne

love bites

California Dreaming: San Francisco

August 14, 2009

I’m having the most severe honeymoon withdrawal ever. It started the moment I got on the plane from LAX and it hasn’t gone away since. For the first two weeks after I got home, I’d crawl into my “happy place” in my head and imagine that I was strolling down the strip in Vegas and squishing snowballs in Tahoe. Some days, I could almost smell the scent of fresh snow. Heavenly. On the last day of my honeymoon, I was throwing a hissy fit refusing to go home. I told the husband something along the lines of “that’s it, I’m staying here forever and you can go home without me.”

2 years and 2 kids later, I still wonder if I should have sat my ass down on the kerb and stood my ground. Life would be so different. IHOP every morning, skiing in the winter, road trips, shopping at Saks, sipping coffee in Santa Monica, Disneyland. Life would be good.

These days, I still retire to my happy place whenever things got too depressing. The irony is that I end up feeling more depressed than ever. It’s bittersweet, especially now that there’s no chance of ever recapturing those moments again. We were young and in love, flying by the seat of our pants and without a care in the world. We’re still young and in love, but my pants are now stuffed with diapers, breast milk and baby vomit. And responsibilities compel me. It’s a catch 22, really. Taking a holiday with the kids would be a logistical nightmare and taking a holiday without them would be an emotional one.

So I’m content with browsing the pictures and recapturing the moments in my head. And since I’m feeling extra generous today, I’ll share them with you.

Leg 1: I left my heart in San Francisco

I still don’t know what ever possessed us to do it, but in a bid to save $400 on admin charges to fly direct to SFO, we decided to land in LAX and take a 9 hour drive along the Pacific Coast Highway right after a gruelling 27 hour flight. I have since learnt a painful lesson on not being too cheapskate.

I was so exhausted I had to hold on to the car for support

I love that the entire Bay area is so laid back. Folks aren’t rushing at breakneck speed and they’ll take the time to stop and chat. The first day, we were up at 5am and by noon, we had conquered Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, the Embarcadero, Chinatown and Union Square. Don’t ask me how we did it, but we did it.

climbing up coit tower was enough workout for the entire trip

Bubba Gump has the best shrimp in the whole wide world

My personal favorite was Sausalito. It’s like a slice of heaven. We’ve already marked it as our ideal retirement location. I felt like I was stepping into Stars Hollow on the set of Gilmore Girls. The shops were quaint and there was magic in the air. I even made friends with a cute little Goldie.

there's love in the air in Sausalito

one day, I'll get a goldie just like this one

And of course, the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. Driving across at 80 mph, my hands were trembling as I felt the bridge sway. And in the distance, the bay was completely fogged up.

Me: Look, its all fogged up!

Husband: Hey, stop swearing ok.

Me: Just shut up.

see, I told you it was all fogged up

by Daphne