My Very First Mother’s Day

Baby Chanelle

Happy Mother’s Day to me and all mummies out there! It felt very heartwarming to receive numerous texts from friends yesterday 🙂 The husband and I travelled back to my parents’ place together with Chanelle to stay over for the weekend. Thanks to my mum who offered to take care of Chanelle! We managed to take a breather and unwind ourselves through good food and retail therapy! 😀 Being a mother is really not easy. It drives me crazy and wears me out, but of course, a big toothless grin from my baby really brightens up my day! Chanelle is almost 2 months old now and she’s really smiling a lot more than before 🙂 Because our little one is still so young and requires too much of our attention, we decided to go for mother’s day dinner without her around 😛 At least we can eat in peace and not have to rush through our meal and feel so stressed! Felt bad but we will definitely include Chanelle next year 🙂

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Our dinner venue was decided out of spontaneity. The husband shortlisted a couple of places but I wasn’t too keen. The night before just when we were about to go to bed, he said, “Let’s go to Keppel Bay!” Asked if he was thinking what I’m thinking. YES! We were both thinking about Takumi Tokyo. Hehe. We had our first year wedding anniversary dinner there in 2012. 🙂 The menu hasn’t changed and this time, we ordered the Salmon Belly Sashimi ($25). Not as fatty as I would have liked it to be.

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Looking back on my previous blog post, the dishes that we ordered this time were the ones that left us a positive and lasting impression back then. Assorted Sushi ($35) comprises of 8 sushi pieces and 1 roll. Loved the uni!

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The Chirashi Sushi ($38) is what I call “Happiness in a bowl”. Even the sushi rice is worthy of mention.

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Grilled Assorted Mushrooms ($22) were flavorful and tasted mildly sweet. Must have been coated with butter!

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The Pan Seared Foie Gras with Wine Jelly ($35) was melt-in-the-mouth smooth. Definitely will order this every time we visit Takumi!

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Again, the Grilled Lamb Rack Marinated with Apple Miso Sauce ($25) was very tender but it was even saltier than the previous visit!

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Thanks for everything! Enjoyed the company! 😀
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Surprise Mummy Dearest With A Sweet Touch From PrimaDeli

PrimaDeli Mother's Day Cakes

Add a special touch to Mother’s Day this year with exquisite PrimaDĂ©li’s cakes – Abundant Love and Pink of Roses. Both delicate creations will be perfect as a welcome treat on its own or a light refreshing finish to a hearty Mother’s Day celebratory meal.

If you can’t choose between giving mum a bouquet of flowers, fruit basket or a delicious cake, don’t fret about it; give her the best combination with the PrimaDĂ©li’s Abundant Love. This sweet delight is an artfully crafted ensemble of moist vanilla sponge infused with a subtle hint of salted caramel cream within layers, intersperse with almond flakes and chocolate pearls for that extra crunch. This charming creation is topped with an abundant array of fruits – peach, kiwi, strawberry and gooseberry for that fruity touch. What’s more – the sides of the cake are creatively fanned with white chocolate pieces, cleverly resembling a humble “wooden crate” full of white chocolate flowers with juicy redcurrant ‘buds’ within – giving a wonderful burst of flavours with each bite!

If good ol’fashion chocolate is mum’s ultimate favourite, then the Pink of Roses will be an absolute treat! This jewel of a cake is a luscious chocolate sponge slathered with luxurious chocolate truffle ganache, prettily adorned with triple hues of lovely pink fresh cream roses in full bloom.

Both the Abundant Love and Pink of Roses will be available from 17 April to 11 May 2014 at all PrimaDĂ©li outlets. The Abundant Love retails at $48.80 (approx. 1.2 kg) and the Pink of Roses retails at $26.00 (approx. 600 g). Advance order of three days is required for all Mother’s Day cakes.

For general and corporate enquiries, please call PrimaDĂ©li’s hotline at 6276-3333 or visit www.primadeli.com

Emicakes’ Mother’s Day Special Design Cakes

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This Mother’s Day, let’s take time to remember the wonderful impact that our Mothers have instilled in our lives. The unconditional love, unrelenting support, and untiring effort to provide for our needs are the very reasons why we have to celebrate this special day for our Mums. Take a look at the special designs that Emicakes has specifically handcrafted for our Mums this Mother’s Day.

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Flowers are one of the gifts that Mums receive every Mother’s Day. Make it different and more exciting by giving this “Flowers for Mum” special cake design! Entirely covered with fondant, this cake is made special by the flowers embossed on top of the cake, which, by the way, are all edible!

Flowers for Mum cake design is available in chocolate flavours only. Minimum size is 20cm. At least 4 working days lead-time is required.

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Win Mum’s heart with “Especially for Mum” special cake design. Its overall design best describes how beautiful Mums truly are – simple yet elegant.

“Especially for Mum” cake design is available in any flavour. Minimum size is 20cm. At least 2 working days lead-time is required.

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Seeing this lovable cake will definitely put a big smile, not just on your Mum’s face, but including the rest of the family.

Fabulous Mum Happy Face design is available in different flavours (Durian, Chocolate, Mango, etc.) for advance orders with at least 2 days lead-time. Minimum size for orders is 15cm.

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Indulge in the strong heavenly flavour of the King of Durians! Mao Shan Wang cake is made using fresh durian filling, sandwiched in between soft layers of Vanilla Chiffon.

You won’t miss its signature spiky design that is topped with intricate chocolate swirls.
Get it at 15% OFF till 11 May 2014 (15-20cm sizes only). T&Cs apply.

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With its new captivating look, you’ll still get the same mouth-watering aroma and enjoy the same D24 goodness in every bite.

Get it at 15% OFF till 11 May 2014 (15-20cm sizes only). T&Cs apply.

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For Mums who do not fancy Durian, we bring you Pure Addiction cake. One of the best-selling premium cakes, it has layers of chocolate mousse with rich chocolate ganache filling, drizzled with almonds, and sandwiched in between layers of fluffy Chocolate Chiffon!

Be addicted at 15% OFF till May 2014 (15-20cm sizes only). T&Cs apply.

10% OFF regular discount from 5-11 May 2014. No discount for deliveries from 9-11 May 2014. Promos applicable to Emicakes Family Card Members and selected credit cardholders only (UOB, Citibank, and Standard Chartered Bank). Not valid in conjunction with other discounts and promotions. Other T&Cs apply.
Orders can be placed via Emicakes’ website www.emicakes.com.sg or through their outlets island wide.

Happy Avenue Baby Shower Package

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Howdy chewys! Sorry for the lack of updates! A little busy and lazy these days 😛 I have loads of backlogs which I will aim to clear soon! In the meantime, I wanna thank Judy from Happy Avenue for sponsoring 45 boxes of full month favors which misterchewy and I gave out to our colleagues last week! I had previously blogged about Judy’s amazing cupcakes and kueh lapis, which you can read about here.

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Judy contacted me about a month before the birth of Baby Chanelle and she seemed even more excited than me! That’s what really impresses me most — the passion and love for baking that this lovely home-baker has! We discussed briefly via whatsapp and I decided to do away with red eggs and go for Judy’s irresistible cupcakes and ang ku kuehs. If you have not tried her famous best selling Signature Valrhona Triple Dark cupcakes, seriously, what are you waiting for?! Her cupcakes are super fluffy and moist even after taking them out of the refrigerator. The thick chocolate topping is very chewy and yummy! I like! The nice surprise is the chocolate bits that you get upon biting into the cupcakes! 😀

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Our boxes of full month favours contain ang ku kueh with red bean and green bean fillings. Very fresh and best consumed within 24 hours! I bet the peanut fillings one would be equally awesome too 🙂

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Happy Avenue’s full month favors come in boxes of 4, 8 and 12.

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Toppers are customizable. I chose this pink cartoon horse design because we used this for our outdoor maternity shoot with Dphotofolio! 😀

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Judy also very kindly provided extra two plastic topper designs which are very adorable!

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I didn’t get to keep the toppers because we gave away all the boxes! Sob sob. If you are sourcing for full month favors, do check out Happy Avenue’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/happi.avenue for more info! Strongly urge you to try Judy’s fabulous range of cupcakes and kueh lapis too! 😀 Thanks Judy for being such a darling!

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Ending off the post with a photo of our lady boss! Haha! 😛 Have a nice long weekend! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

The Heart Stuff

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The Heart Stuff Website

I love customizing my stuff because it’s something I can proudly identify as my own! The Heart Stuff is an online store selling items that are uniquely personalised to each individual’s tastes & preferences.

Passport Covers & Keychains

Some of their popular products include Passport Covers and Keychains, which can all be personalized with your name and you also have the option of adding a charm.

How To Order

If it’s all Greek to you, there is a How To Order page on the website that teaches you how to go about personalizing your item! Isn’t that convenient?

Do check out their step-by-step guide in greater detail here.

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Here’s what we got from The Heart Stuff. Baby Chanelle has her very own customized passport cover too! Can’t wait for the day when the three of us travel abroad together! 😀 Besides passport covers and keychains, there are also pencil cases, travel pouches and cuffs or bracelets that you can customize.

Awesome news for loyal supporters of The Heart Stuff! Hashtag them at (#theheartstuff) on Instagram with your items to get a 5% off your next order! Just drop them an email at sales@theheartstuff.com once you’ve done so, with your IG account name! All accounts must be public for viewing.

Website: www.theheartstuff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theheartstuff
Instagram: @theheartstuff

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– Discount code ‘MISSUSCHEWY5’ to get a 5% off total cart, valid from now till 2 May 2014!

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Chanelle’s Baby Shower

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Motherhood has been wearing me out almost completely but let’s leave this out for today. I’m sharing some photos taken on the day of Chanelle’s baby shower so this is gonna be a happy post! 😀

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Little misschewy was supposed to have her hair shaved off to mark her full month but since we were expecting guests at Chanelle’s baby shower later in the evening, we decided to put this till another day and just snip a bit of her hair off as part of the ritual. I mean, very poor thing right?! Your relatives come and visit you for the first time, and you are BOTAK! OMG.

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Heh.. The little one was protesting to have a bit of her hair snipped off by her papa. She was really reluctant!

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All of us were very stressed! Cuz misterchewy seriously don’t know which strands to pick! LOL. -_-

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Our nanny helped to give Chanelle a bath and changed her into a cutesy romper dress which my mum bought specially for the baby shower. Here’s my MIL carrying little one and misterchewy offering his prayers.

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Chanelle was changed out of her dress as the material was a little thick and she started to get cranky. She was all smiles and also had her nap.

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Most guests arrived between 5 to 6pm but this little lady boss woke up like around 7plus, 8pm?! Then nanny quickly changed her back into this dress. Haha.

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Displaying her gold and inviting everyone to take a look. LOLOLOL. Bought by my MIL and GMIL.

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This is Aily auntie, our nanny from PEM. We are really thankful for the tremendous help that she had given for the past 28 days. Also learned quite a bit from her, like the proper ways of carrying a newborn, how to bathe Chanelle, and many many more. We just cant thank her enough.

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We actually forgot to take photos with most of the other relatives and they had already left 🙁

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Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Jara Petit Cheesecups Baby Shower Package

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Happy hump day, Chewys! We threw a baby shower for Chanelle one week in advance over the weekend 🙂 It was the MIL’s suggestion and she wanted to invite her family members and relatives so we went along with it. I personally was quite afraid that Chanelle would be overstimulated with so many people carrying and cuddling her but she slept so soundly for the first few hours. When she finally woke up, all aunties and grannies were fawning over her and showering her with hugs and kisses. LOL.

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I was really lucky to receive Jara Petit’s email two weeks before Little misschewy’s baby shower because my MIL was also planning to order full month packages and that certainly saved us some trouble amidst the busy period. We were blessed with 20 boxes of Cheesecups with gift favours and had them delivered to our place early in the morning on the day of the celebration. I like the simple and clean design of the boxes, and of course, blue is my favourite color! 😉 What are Cheesecups, you ask? Cheesecups are miniature cheesecakes in cups, an interesting hybrid between cheesecakes and cupcakes! What a brilliant idea! More often than not, even a cheesecake lover like myself find it hard to polish off a slice of cheesecake all by myself in a single sitting. These Cheesecups available in muffin cup sizes allow one to indulge without guilt!

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Founded in 2009, Jara Petit Cheesecups sparked off as a hobby between best friends Jia Hui and Cara after the duo devoted much time in the kitchen experimenting various ways of baking cheesecakes in their favourite flavours. The girls shared their Cheesecups with family and friends, which were very well received and this spurred the two best friends to turn their hobby into a business setting up a Jara Petit Cheesecups bakery in 2013. They started selling Cheesecups online, gathering feedback and improving on the Cheesecups along the way. In July 2013, Jara Petit set up their first pop-up store at a quaint café along Bussorah Street and managed to build a small but significant following. Jia Hui and Cara were then determined to focus their efforts on opening a permanent shop at Dhoby Ghaut Xchange, which is slated to open on 17 April!

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Jara Petit’s Cheesecups are hand-baked daily using premium cream cheese and fresh ingredients. You can rest assured that there are no added preservatives or artificial flavouring. These Cheesecups are also suitable for vegetarians and Muslims as they do not contain gelatine or pork derived ingredients. Made up of three layers – the wheatmeal biscuit crust, cheesecake and toppings, Jara Petit’s Cheesecups are specially catered to suit our local tastebuds and currently come in nine signature flavours – Classic, Blueberry, Lemon, Durian, Matcha, Strawberry, Cookies & Cream, Banoffee and Lavender! On the overall, the Cheesecups are neither cloyingly rich nor sweet, and they taste really refreshing! They are best consumed chilled. Plastic spoons were provided and I was digging into the Cheesecups like a happy little girl. Even my MIL who isn’t much of a desserts person was singing praises for these yummy goodies! 🙂

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There are 5 types of baby shower packages that you can choose from. Prices range from $10 to $28 per box with a minimum order of 10 boxes. Our package consists of 3 Cheesecups and 3 gift favours. Some of the other packages come with more Cheesecups, which I highly recommend! 🙂

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Personalized baby cards can be included at $1 each, with a minimum order of 20 pieces. Besides baby’s full name, birthday and parents’ names as seen above, the baby cards can also be customized to include baby’s photo and other details such as weight and length 🙂

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This is the only package that has all 3 gift favours – red eggs, ang ku kuehs and marshmallows! The bags of marshmallows were such a hit among our younger nieces and nephews and it kept them occupied for a while 😛

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As with the gift favours, you can have your choice of Cheesecup flavours but only one combination of flavours and favours is allowed per order.

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All baby shower packages come with a set of three toppers. If you wish to customize the toppers, it can be done at 80cents to $2 depending on the design.

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This is by far the cutest topper I have ever seen! You can actually save some of these toppers for scrapbooking purposes 🙂 If you are looking for unique baby shower packages that will delight your guests, Jara Petit is certainly worth considering! They also cater to other occasions and corporate events.

Opening poster FINAL

Here comes the exciting news! Jara Petit’s very first shop will be opening tomorrow, 17 April 2014, at Dhoby Ghaut Xchange! And they are running the following promotions:

1. Like and Share: People who like Jara Petit’s facebook page and share the above poster publicly on their facebook page by 17th April will stand to win a box of 9 assorted Cheesecups.

2. Opening Special: All Cheesecups will be sold at $3 each for the first week of Jara Petit’s opening. (17th April – 23rd April) Usual price is $3.30 per Cheesecup.

Hope this piece of sweet news brightens up your Wednesday! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Jara Petit Cheesecups
#B1-35 Dhoby Xchange
Tel: +65 6338 9335

Opening Hours:
Daily
10am – 9pm

Top 10 Ways To Save Money While Travelling

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The world is yours to explore – but often time and money are holding us back from reaching our true potential. Here are ten tips that can help you easily save money while you’re travelling. Feel free to leave comments with other tips and enjoy the photos 

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1. Plan in advance
Preparation is necessary for planning trips. Not only will it help keep you organised, but it will also ensure that you find cheaper tickets. Book your flights, buses, trains etc a few months in advance before your trip to help you grab the best savings. Think through your accomodation plans as well – the longer you wait, the higher prices will be.
Although flight comparison websites can be great (e.g. www.kayak.com) be careful for hidden charges and cancellation fees. Often if you need to cancel a flight but have booked through aggregator sites, they make it very difficult for you to cancel. My advice: use websites like these to find the cheapest options BUT once you’ve found a good option, book it through the actual airline.

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2. Choose country according to budget
If you’re looking for a cheap holiday, choose a place that has cheaper day-to-day expenses and has a weaker currency than your own. If you’re living in Singapore this is easy, as the neighbouring countries are generally cheaper (e.g. Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur).
Cheaper areas in the world are often less-travelled and therefore more off the beaten path. You’ll be less likely to fall into disapointing tourist traps and will be able to engage better with the local culture if you avoid big, popular and expensive cities.

3. Choose places where you know people
Visiting a place where you know someone is far superior than being a complete stranger to a place. Friends and acquaintances not only expose you to the best spots, but they know where and how to avoid rip-offs and unnecessary expenditures.

4. Check out couponing sites
Couponing sites are growing in popularity throughout the world and are great to look at a few months (and a few weeks) before you head out on your adventure. They can give you ideas of where to go (through their extensive lists of products and services) and simply provide fast and convenient ways of saving.
From cultural events to flights, hotels and dining, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the plethora of discounts they have on offer. I’d check out Flipit’s coupons and deals – a great couponing site for just this purpose. They are available in Singapore but also in 20 other countries, so it’s likely that they’ll have something for you and your travels.

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5. Couch surfing
Accomodation is, after flights, what people end up spending the most on when they travel. I would recommend Couch Surfing, a free, online website where people offer beds or couches for travelling strangers who happen to be passing by their city. The hosts are generally very enthusiastic people who are keen on meeting passerbys and welcoming them to their city.

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(Metro, Washington DC)
6. Travel by public transport or walk
Public transport is always cheaper than more private forms of getting around (like taxis). It’s also how the majority of the population of a given area gets around town, so you’ll be doing it like a local and directly participating in the geography of the place.
Walking is one of the most natural gifts we have as humans and a fantastic way to spend your time if you are travelling. It’s also free – so you’ll be saving money and getting a much better feel for the area you are in.

7. Find free entertainment
Everything tastes better when it’s free! Look on social media sites, ask your concierge, or chat up a randommer at the local pub to find out what you can do for free, or at least ask for activities that they would recommend.

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8. Travel during the week
Flights and other forms of transport are more expensive during peak travel times (around weekends and rush hour) so avoid these times like the plague! If you can take the time off, travel during the week 

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9. Slow down to smell the roses
Try not to cram too many excursions or trips within your holiday. Spend more time in less places and take a moment to breath. Instead of trying to see 5 cities in two weeks, bring that down to only 2 cities so that you’ll be able to see more within those places. This will not only help you spend less but will enahnce your overall travelling experience, because you’ll have time to stop and smell the roses.

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10. Be flexible
Travel plans can change (even mid-travel) and you never know who you may meet or what sort of circumstances may arrise. Be willing to accept this fact and embrace it with open arms – a lof of what travel should be is embracing the unexpected. So keep your chin up and your arms and eyes open.

Farewell Grandpa..

CNY with grandpa

This is the last family photo that we took with my Grandpa during this year’s Chinese New Year. He was diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma last year and his health deteriorated very quickly since then. Grandpa got weaker and thinner each time we visited him and it was a saddening sight for us. The last I saw Grandpa was on 1st March, Saturday evening. Well, life is very cruel. I gave birth to Baby Chanelle but Grandpa didn’t get a chance to see her in person because I was still doing my confinement at home when he passed away on 30 March. I can only console myself that at least he saw her photos that my dad took using his mobile phone.
R.I.P Grandpa. We miss you.

Dphotofolio Outdoor Maternity Photography

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The husband and I are extremely delighted to have our outdoor maternity photos taken by Dphotofolio. Established way back in 2005, photographers Alvin and Jane have come a long way indeed and accumulated a wealth of valuable experience from various photography projects. We met up at their studio located at King George’s Building a few weeks prior the shoot to browse at some of their work and exchange ideas as to how we want our maternity photos to turn out.

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As for the venue, the possibilities are endless. Alvin suggested shooting at a lalang field, amongst a few other places but I was totally excited to have our photos taken at a lalang field because I imagined that it would be perfect in capturing the blissful and magical moments of my pregnancy. I really admire Alvin and Jane for their willingness to push their limits, go out of their comfort zones and explore areas of photography that they have barely ventured into. Alvin was even adventurous enough to suggest underwater photography! I was kinda tempted but felt that my baby bump might get in the way and make things difficult for me.

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The day was a very special one for misterchewy and I. It was Valentine’s Day! Our fourth one together! The weather was kind. Very sunny and the sky was in a lovely shade of blue when we reached our first photo destination early in the morning 🙂

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One of the most important things during a shoot is to be able to relax and have fun and that was exactly how misterchewy and I felt. The entire shoot was very enjoyable and it was also memorable as we felt Baby Chanelle’s gentle kicks when we were posing for some shots. It certainly brought a genuine smile to our faces and we just wanted to remember these special moments forever. Hope you guys like the photos as much as we do! Kudos to Alvin and Jane for being so passionate towards their love for photography and also for being so patient throughout the shoot! 🙂

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Not sure if you noticed that there is also a ‘horse theme’ for our photoshoot because Baby Chanelle is born in the year of the horse! That explains the real horses and horse balloons in some of the photos 😛

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If you like what you see, and would like to view more of Dphotofolio’s works, simply hop on over to their website or Facebook page.

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂