exciting things to share!

yesterday was a day of many firsts for noel and i. thanks to the kind folks at nuffnang, we received two complimentary movie tickets to the gala premier of Alice in Wonderland at Shaw Lido. the movie only opens on March 4. it was very unexpected and truly a sweet surprise, considering just days prior i was FB-ing how much i adore tim burton, and (do i really need to say this?) johnny depp.

and like a wish come true, we get to be among the many other firsts to watch the movie!


it was an especially special "event" for us, because this will be our FIRST movie since we had drayden, and also our FIRST movie WITH drayden. mad excited, but at the same time also a tad apprehensive how he'll behave in a theater.

but still, super duper uber excited! =)


daddy and dray in matching cookie monster tees!
we arrived at lido just in time to catch the dancers and stiltwalker performing an act at the lobby of the building. and we got cute little cupcakes, too, with an A (for Alice) on it!



after collecting the complimentary tickets, dinner was chowed down in a matter of minutes, cos waiting for a seat took foooor-evvvv-er.

i think some people were seriously overdressed for the movie premier. i mean, it wasn't like there was a red carpet or camera crews or anything. well, not that i saw, anyway. but some folks were seriously decked to the nines like they were attending a high-profile event, in their cocktail dresses and all. on the contrary, last night's premier was like going for an ordinary movie date!

and the queue, i tell you, was not funny at all. because it was free seating, the queue was actually snaking from Lido 1, to the restrooms, and then back down to the snack bar, and along again to the big glass doors at the escalators. seriously not glam for you to bother dressing up for. it's not like the hollywood ones, lah. some people really take these things waaaay to seriously, lol.

anyway, it was a very strict no-cameras-and-no-phones-allowed premier, so sadly, i can't take more pictures of us in the theater, as much as i had wanted to document such a monumental event for us, heh. just some shots of the movie posters. booooo.




i don't have to say i loved the movie. it goes without saying! tim burton and johnny depp are like one of the most "power" collabos ever! did you know that they have worked in seven movies so far? starting with Edward Scissorhands in 1990 to Ed Wood (which also starts SJP), Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeny Todd, and now Alice in Wonderland. their eighth project, Dark Shadows, is still a work in progress.

i shan't spoil it by telling you about the movie. go watch it, even if you haven't read the book, you'll enjoy the different unique characters and appreciate the bits of humor here and there. and oh, catch it in 3D if you can!

drayden was surprisingly well-behaved throughout the movie! he was actually engrossed, eyes not wandering away from the screen, hands busy in the popcorn tub, stuffing his tiny mouth with popcorn. he didn't fuss nor did he get restless, which was such a relief, and made the movie date such an easy and pleasant one for us. in fact, in one serious part of the movie, he actually went "oh nooooooo!!" very loudly and very dramatically, as if he understood what was going on, lol!

and everytime he sees the cheshire cat, he would point excitedly at the movie screen and go "meow, meow, meow". i tried to shush him for a while, but gave up in the end, cos i didn't think he was being disruptive anyway. one time, after meowing and meowing, i tell you, he tapped the guy sitting next to him (yes, he had his own seat!) and asked: "nice???" and the guy was kind enough to humor drayden. *slapsforehead*

but all in all, he was a very good boy, so i think we can bring him to more movies in future, and maybe we'll start with the animated ones. i think toy story is coming soon! but nearing the end of the movie, he asked to nurse, and we walked out of the theater with a positively passed out toddler.

so our FIRST movie date went really well!

another exciting piece to share: my FIRST tattoo since having drayden! i have forgotten what it's like to go under the tattoo gun, and my back piece is still a work in progress (we had stopped working on it when i learnt i was pregnant, and have not resumed till now, much to noel's chagrin) so i really have no idea how i'll handle the pain.

to make matters more pressurising, the whole session was to be filmed on camera, for one of the episodes of this tattoo-themed internet tv programme that the husband is hosting. to give you a brief introduction, the husband is part of an internet tv show "Skin Art", produced by clicknetwork.tv, the same folks that bring you the "Shan and Rozz Show" and "Xiaxue's Guide to Life", to name a few.

"Skin Art" is a programme centered on all things pertaining to skin and body art, like your piercings, tattoos, and never-seen-before-or-talked-about body modification art like branding and scapeling. if you're going "huh, what's branding?", well go on over to clicknetwork.tv's website, and watch the debut episode of "Skin Art", which opens with this precise artform covered.

and need i repeat, it's hosted by the husband?! =)

disclaimer and warning: the show and the rest of its upcoming episodes may be too much to stomach for some, so don't say i didn't warn you! =) and while it may not be appropriate content to promote considering this is a baby blog, i hope this can be an exception, considering it stars my other half, heh! must be proud of my husband, what!

so as i was saying, i was to be filmed on screen, getting an ink. i was almost regretting volunteering myself for one of the episodes! i don't take pain very well, and was afraid i'd be too drama on tv! lol!

how did i get myself into this? well, one of the episodes touches on "wacky and unique tattoos", and without thinking, i had offered my skin! well, i was already considering getting a tattoo significant to drayden, and i didn't want to have his name inked, since noel already has that. i had wanted a rosary-like necklace "wrapped" around my left arm, with a letter "D" pendant just above the star on my left wrist, but noel thinks i shouldn't get anything on my arm, should i ever want to return to work, plus it may be tough to hide sometimes.

so while searching online for ideas, i stumbled on this girl's photos who had a join-the-dot tattoo of a giraffe on her calf, and i thought: what a unique idea! it could be an activity for drayden for when he's older, lol! and it wasn't difficult to decide on a design. my son loves elmo to bits!

i think when i tell people i'm gonna get a join-the-dot tattoo (of elmo, at that), the reactions i received were quite "reserved", hahaa. not very excited, maybe cos most can't imagine how it'd look like. well, if you are trying to imagine how it'll look, then don't overwork yourself, here's a little help, heh:


my join-the-dot elmo tattoo DONE!

it should heal in a week's time, and i can't wait to let dray attempt to join the thirty-over dots! =)

i had it done just above my left (inner) ankle, and i'll have you know, it hurt like a *teet*! if you wanna see how (badly) i did getting tattooed, hold on up, and let me post the link to the episode here when it airs. i think i could liken it to when i was in labour!

anyway, here's me getting inked (by dray's godpa, Vik), and also the stencil of the tattoo design before we started:





so watch "Skin Art" if you're not too disturbed and affected by painful stuff, and lend the husband some support! =)

and tell me what you think of my tattoo, will you! lol!