Basic Elements of Life

2010-12-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Having the sniffles and scratchy throat

Dec should be a time to take things slow and probably go on leave. But I'm having the sniffles and having a sore throat AGAIN!!! Been falling sick way too often this year. At first it was attributed to the little hours of sleep I clocked in due to work, the housework, cook and taking care of a baby and worse even get up to pump when Sophie was still young. But now that I no longer breastfeed her in the night and there is no more night pumping to do, you'll think I'll get more rest....

No...

Okay only myself to blame too because I'm still not sleeping earlier. Preferring to stay up, catch up on FB, twitter, emails, chats, updating her blogs, etc...

Gosh I really have got to learn to just REST.

Now that I'm sick and feeling awful I really should just crash on the bed. Else maybe get MC for tomorrow and look forward to my long leave.

December and counting

2010-12-07T16:56:00.001-08:00

Finally we are in the month of December where the year end holiday mood sets in. Unfortunately on the work front, I'm still as busy and working just as hard. Sob sob. But as I have a weeks worth of leave, I have made plans to clear them off.

On my off days, I'm packed with plans to complete my Christmas shopping, go for my facial, celebrate hubby's birthday, attend Christmas parties and yes feast on all the yummylicious goodies like turkey, shepherds pie and maybe indulge in some sparkling bubbly too

And with so much feasting to come, I better get my act together and start getting active again. Recently I was complaining to Alexis that it's almost impossible for me to do any exercise especially on a weekday. By the time we get back from work it's dinner time and I have to prepare Sophie's dinner and have my dinner. Then proceed to bathe her and put her to sleep which should be around 10 plus. At that time I would have lost all motivation if not the will to even think about any exercise.

Good thing Alexis felt for me and agreed to help put Sophie to sleep. He used to do the bed time routine until she decided that she only wanted me to put her to sleep. But thank God, this time round she was not so fussy and so for the past 2 nights, Alexis has been tucking her to bed after her bottle of milk.

So no excuses for me now to skip my exercise. Also no excuses for me to sleep so late.

Now for a dose of discipline and motivation.

2010-11-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Days like this

It was a public holiday today and we decided to get our butts off the bed early and go for breakfast. We headed to Siglap and had breakfast at Killiney. We found out that Sophie is not a fan of chee cheong fun as she spat out after a few mouthfuls and was contented with her or rather Daddy's french toast.

And since the weather was so good, we proceeded to East Coast Park for a stroll before Sophie took her afternoon nap. The heat and all the walking must have tired her out and she knocked out on the journey home.

In the afternoon, we went over to my bro's place as we had to scrap the plans to go kite flying. It was actually a nice afternoon there as I had a chance to rest while my bro and sis in law took care of the little girl. I even had a short nap... Perhaps I can consider bringing her over more often so that I can catch more winks. Haha.

What a nice way to spend the public holiday
- With my family
- Having a nap
- Just chilling

2010-11-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

Don't even know where to begin to describe how today sucked big time

- Sore throat
- Running nose
- body aching
- tired as hell
- headache
- hubby having to work on a weekend
- being a maid on a weekend which includes, cooking, washing the clothes, cleaning up, blah blah
- Wrestling with a baby that refuses to nap
- blocked ears from the constant sneezing
- stuck at home and having to eat maggie mee
- having to deal with guilt from baby that jumped on the bed and landed on the floor face down with a huge bump

TIRED....

Hope tomorrow gets better

2010-11-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Me is Ninja in the night

This was my FB update some time ago and I see so many people agreeing, especially the mummies. I should take comfort that I'm not the only one around who have to resort to such tricks to go undetected in order to put Sophie to bed.

But these few nights... correction is these few weeks, 3 weeks to be exact, my little one has been up in the night and would not go back to sleep unless I breastfeed her. Initially it happened after her bout of illness so I thought maybe she's still uncomfortable. And of course the rationalisation that she could be teething. But after one too many times, she's gotten so used to it that she refuse to go back to sleep on her own. So poor mummy has to wake up everytime she cries. Which can be as bad as 4 times mind you!!!

And to think I used to say that she can sleep through the night. NOT anymore. Just praying and hoping that her teeth will emerge soon for my peaceful nights to resume too. And the only reason why I'm still up writing this blog is to remind Sophie the sacrifices that mummy has to make when she was young so she better be a good girl! Haha

2010-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

I ♥♥♥ Hello Kitty

I may be 30, but I still have a soft spot for the mouthless feline, Hello Kitty.

And when I saw this Limited Edition Maybelline mascara with Hello Kitty, I just had to get it.

I was pretty impressed with this mascara. It gave a nice curling effecting and the mascara brush separated my lashes so it looks really sui! After all this is the Number 1 Mascara worldwide okay, don't play play.

Loving it for the moment, so my mojolica majorca mascara is on the sidelines for now.

Picked up so many facial products recently, from BB cream to make up brushes and all sorts of gels and all. Feeling so vain... or maybe being insecure that I'm getting older. Lets see how these babies help me put my best ~~foot~~ face forward.

2010-09-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Motivated

My Sept to do list included

1. ~~To pack my wardrobe~~

2. ~~Pack my toiletries~~

3. Do a scrapbook for Sophie's first birthday

4. Print Sophie's photos

After I cleared my wardrobe, I had a pile that is classified as the "still can wear but need to lose 3, 5 kg" type. That was my motivation to get back into exercise. So sad that even after one year, I still have not shed all the weight from the pregnancy. I guess I got conplacent that I could still eat more when I was breastfeeding but as I progressed to partial breastfeeding, the portions that I ate continued to be the same.

So I made a decision to get my butt off the bed and do something about it. Sadly my work out gear were all too small too :( so it was time to go shopping. And once I spend money on something, I really want it to be worth my money.

I also got back into the habit to record my food and exercise and now I have a new app on my iPhone that helps me track that too. The app is called MyNetDiary. What's really useful is that it even churns out a report on area you did well and areas that you fail.

So hopefully my renewed motivaton will get me the results I'm hoping to achieve by the end of the year.

Gambatte!!!

2010-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Too idealistic

Sigh, find that I've been very discontented. Discontented with work, with standard of living, with the mess in my house, with my body, with my lack of sleep, lack of free time....

But I wonder if it's because I'm too idealistic. The desire in me to be the modern mom who still has a great career, who can handle a job in the day, be a great mom in the evening, can cook, can clean and have everything. But as I struggle to find my source of happiness I end up feeling quite the opposite.

And it didn't help that work was just crappy this week and I had to work late for so many evenings just to clean up s#$@. As a result, I feel so tired and worn out by the end of the day that even my patience with my two babies is wearing thin.

I hate feeling this way. I need to focus on the things in life that really matters. And it starts with eliminating the things that steal my time, my energy. That's why technology, or more specifically my iPhone is such a distraction sometimes. No doubt, it has brought me so much more convenience and entertainment, it has also kept me from the things that I should do or things that I enjoy more. At the same time, if I want to make my life more enriching, more satisfying, I have to start changing my mindset. Stop complaining and start making a change.

Belt out, *I'm starting with the ~~man~~ woman in the mirror, I'm asking her to change her ways...

Don't we have have such struggles to be a better person? I know I do... But I'll get better, I know I will. So please help me God.

2010-08-13T07:30:00.001-07:00

Newbie on the iPhone 4

With so much hype on the iPhone 4, Alexis decided to make it my next present. This was to be my big present from the hubby for my birthday, valentine's day and anniversary present. I had a feeling that he was more interested to get it as a new toy. To show his sincerity, he was even one of those who queued overnight outside the M1 paragon on the day of the launch on 31 July so that I can be one of the first few in Singapore to own the iPhone. Now that I'm an owner of the iPhone 4, I'm very proud to say I'm a a iPhone convert!

The iPhone is so much better than my previous Nokia E63. I especially liked the fact that the phone has 5 megapixel and comes with flash. And the photo quality is so much better than my previous handphone which was only 2 megapixel! Now I can go trigger happy and snap away at my darling Sophie.

With the iPhone, it's so easy to get connected on my social networks like facebook, twitter and ebuddy. Surfing the website is just a breeze with the ability to scroll up and down with a flick of the finger too. Oh and have I even mentioned about all kinds of apps to keep you entertained, simplify your life, be updated with the news, etc

Oh and just in case you're wondering, the antenna issue is really over rated and blown out of proportion. I hardly had any problems! And what's more if you have a bumper then it's not even an issue at all!

Any apps that are highly recommended? Tell me about it!

2010-07-30T08:39:00.001-07:00

Planning for Sophie's Big ONE!

Baby Sophie is turning one in 2 weeks time. We decided to throw a simple party to mark this milestone in her life with a few of our close friends. After all it can get over whelming for her if there are too many people especially.

Planning for her party has been no small feat. There is the timing to consider especially since a few of our friends have kids too, so lunch time is not so ideal since it may be close to their nap times.

Then there is also the cake. My gosh, have you seen the extent parents are going to just for cakes?With what have you, two tiers cakes, characters themed, I decided to keep it simple since my dear Sophie wouldn't even be able to eat her own cake. I can put in more effort when she's older and can appreciate it.

Some of my friends was asking me what I'm getting for Sophie. It didn't really cross my mind that I have to buy her something. After all, I do agree that not all presents have to be material presents. I know of someone that actually bought a Tag Heuer watch for her son that turned one! What I plan to do is to put together a scrapbook of her first years with my wishes for her. This is for her to know how she was as a baby. I doubt she'll be crazy about it, so the back up plan maybe is some fisher price toy! Haha

2010-07-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

I want my copy of the Yum Yum Bento Box!!!

Waiting for the book to be stocked at the National Library patiently... I think my bento adventures will start very soon. Muahha

2010-07-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Bentolicious!

Recently I have taken a new interest in lunch boxes. Or to be more precise, japanese lunch boxes, or more commonly known as bento boxes. Just like all things Japanese, bento boxes are loving packed and artfully created to make one go "kawaii!! Just like how a young girl goes when she sees hello kitty, cute babies or all things pink. And that was my reaction too as I got introduced to the world of bento via fellow twitters like bentozen, SusanKYuen, bentolicious, etc.

It also happened that I have started to pay more attention to Sophie's dinner as she's now approaching one years old. And since the infant care does not provide for dinner, a policy of Cherie Hearts as they believe that kids should spend dinner time with their parents, I decided to take time to prepare her menu for her. Of course she does not care about how cute her dinner looks as long as its edible at this stage. It's more of a new interest that mommy has taken too.

So I embarked on my bento journey by first getting the necessary bento equipment. From cutters to egg moulds, to bento boxes to pretty picks, you get satisfy your bento desires all at the trusty Daiso where everything goes for $2. And I find that PS carries a better range... at least compared to Vivo City :P

Colorful picks with animal design

Bento box and silicon molds to hold food in

I'm so excited at getting all crafty over food. Hopefully it adds more joy and bring out the domestic goddess in me! :)

Sophie excited over my bento box already!

2010-06-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Half a year gone

Cant believe that half a year has slipped by like that. Gosh I wish I was more careful with my time. I wished I had savored more of Sophie growing up days. I wished I had spent more time with my friends. To spend more time feeding my soul, to rest, to dream, to appreciate things around me instead of living in a whirl day by day.

Still another half a year to pay more attention to the details in my life to make the moments count.

2010-06-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy your job?

I wanted to title this post, "Do you love your job?" But love is such a strong word that I don't think many would use that on their jobs.

Today I'm glad I had a talk with my boss to voice some unhappiness I was facing at work. It's been some time since I felt frustrated by the sheer volume of work, some colleague's bo chapness and my boss's recent disappearing act. Anyway the air's been cleared so hopefully things will get better and I will enjoy my work again.

Honestly I didn't think I'll be in Prudential for so long. 4 years and 6 months to be exact. Almost approaching 5 years in another half year's time.

My first job, which was to do Marketing in the Investments Dept in UOB was 2 years and 4 months. But things got unbearable after a while with almost the whole department experiencing a turn over. The colleagues that I used to enjoy working with left one by one. And the new ones were well not just as friendly. Moreover with a change in boss, it also means they brought along their own people and made you feel like the forgotten child.

What I really enjoy in this current company is the spirit of the people. From the management to the fellow colleagues. Oh not to mention that there is a sense of family and closeness that we share. That's why it's not surprising to find us going out for brunch or dinner even on weekends. Oh and did I mention that we also have birthday leave too? Just some of these perks of being in a company that cares.

But ultimately I think the colleagues matter a lot too. And I'm glad that I work in a fun department where even though we make alot of noise sometimes, we always deliver our best. We all have our different patters - the life wire, the obsessed one, the anal one, the lor sor and cheong hei one, the everything also want to sell one, the motherly one.... but we have come to learn to accept one another.. or maybe still getting there.

Anyway reminding myself that it's TGIF tomorrow! So going to enjoy my work tomorrow and look forward to the weekends with baby Sophie!

2010-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Brunch at Hatched

Had an egg-cellent idea to go for brunch this Saturday. So I rounded my girlfriends from the office and suggested an egg-citing place, Hatched!

Enough of the pun :) Hatched is located at Evans Lodge which is tucked away from all the bustle of the city and just next to the Botanical Gardens. Just nice if you wish to grab a bite after a walk in the Botanical Gardens.

My first impression: Cosy place, great for small or big group like ours-there were 9 of us! The decor was done in a no-frills meet old school feel as you can see from their benches.

Their menus were very interesting too with specially designed characters to represent the different ways their eyes are prepared. And it's hard not to be tempted to order one dish as there were so many ways I love my eggs to be cooked, scrambled, fried, sunny side up, etc.

And on their wall, there also had special items not found on the menu like their cupcakes, ice cream and dinner menu.

I ordered the Sir Benedict, which is one of their signature dish. It consisted of 1/2 English muffin, topped with Blackforest ham, poached egg & Hollandaise sauce, served with homemade mash and a side salad. The muffins were lightly toasted and the wining formula must lie in the Hollandaise sauce. Before this I had no idea what egg Benedict was. (Don't be clueless like me, read the origin here).

Most of my friends opted for the Designer Eggs where they cook the scrambled eggs with toppings of your choice like ham, bacon, cheese, onions, etc. That also came with their homemade mash and a slice of toast and a thick one it was too.

Verdict: Great place for egg lovers. Leaves you egg-specting for more eggs the next time you come. Left with a great egg-perience :)

Hatched

26 Evans Road
#01-06 Evans Lodge

2010-06-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

New Look

How do you like my new layout? This is blogger's new designer templates which is very useful for people like me who wants to update the look for my blog for the longest time but just am clueless on how to go around doing it. And they made it so easy to update the template that it's not only the design but the layout, pictures and many more.

And guess what there's even a video on how you can create the look you want to achieve on your blog too. Link is here.

I like how this meadow background gives me a calming and serene effect. This may just inspire me to blog more often :)

I think I shall explore other templates available and see if I've really done myself justice by selecting this template so quickly.

2010-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Year Anniversary

We celebrate yet another year of our blissful, happy marriage on 3 June 2010. And this year it's with two of my babies, Big Baby Alexis and baby Sophie! Baby is like a pet name that I give to Alexis. But he's too shy to even want to call me dear or any endearing terms when we're in public and just calls me Susan. Bleh :P I still hint to him that he can at least call me dear, honey, etc..

We celebrated this special day by having what I call a "Moving Day". Moving of the jaws ad moving of the body.

In the morn we wanted to have brunch because I like starting my day with nice food. But alas after dropping Sophie off at my in-laws it was already 11. So we ended up having an early lunch at Bakerzins.

Then we went to SengKang swimming pool to check out the pool that we wanted to go for the longest time. We heard that there is an in door pool and jacuzzi as well as slides. So that was us moving our bodies. I think I may bring Sophie there for a swim one day as the children's pool is really big and the toilets are near by too.

And for the evening, we ended the night with more moving of the mouth! Seafood at Jumbo. Cereal prawns that I love, chili crab that I've been craving for, fried you tiao coz it looks nice and vege just coz I think I needed some fiber after so much of an indulgence!

Looking all satisfied after having crabs!

4 years of marriage

It's not always been easy. And now with a baby, it has sure added joy and sometimes tension to our relationship too. We have our squabbles over the housework, families, work, etc but at the end of the day there's nothing that we cannot resolve together because we know we have a common goal. Not to take each other for granted and look out for each other's interest.

We make a promise that we must always remember to say I love you often and end each night with a good night kiss. Though these are seemingly small things but it's the small things that matters too.

I like it that Alexis can still surprise me from time to time be it with flowers or just by showing a different side of him which is totally unexpected. I too enjoy discovering more about him, growing old beside him, and falling in love with him day by day.

Love you honey bunny!

2010-05-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Finally a Holiday!

Title says it all. The family of 3 is off for a holiday to KL this week. This will be our first holiday as a family, Sophie's first road trip to KL. Hope we survive it especially the long drive and hopefully Sophie's feeling better and no longer bothered by the teething episode where she was constantly being cranky.

Just the list to pack for her is already so long! The good thing is, we'll be staying at my colleague's, Vivienne's place so at least the cooking aspect is all sorted out. Else I think I have to lug along the slow cooker to cook her porridge.

Reminding myself that we're there for a holiday and time to take things slowly and just relax. So for once, there is no agenda, no itinerary (Yes, on other days I even make plans when travelling up to KL :P ) But Vivienne did promise to bring us to lots of foodie hideout for nice local food. Dieting plans out of the window!

Looking forward to Wednesday already!!!

2010-05-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Making small changes to my lifetsyle one step at a time. For too long, I have been procrasinating on doing exercise, eating healthy, all because of baby.

Well if you don't know, apparently after you exercise the composition of the breast milk for nursing moms changes as lactic acid build ups due to the exercise. According to some studies, it may result in the baby being fussy or refusing the milk as the taste of the breastmilk may changes. So I didn't want to take any chances and laid off almost all exercise. And besides which mom has time for exercise when you're already trying to get more rest, more sleep everyday.

And as for my diet, I'm honest when I say that my appetite is probably bigger after I started breastfeeding. Did you know that one can burn 200-500 calories just by breastfeeding? So in a way I could afford to eat more. Initially the breastfeeding did help me shed my weight, but as I got complacent with my diet, there is no change to my weight after the 3rd month or so...

But it's almost close to 9 months since I gave birth and its finally time to stop the excuses and get this body of mine to do some good! So today I traded my bubble tea (one of my weakness I swear!) for fruit juice. And mind you not just any fruit juice, but kiwi grapefruit. And did you know that grapefruit is a diet fruit? It may block enzymes involve in fat and carbohydrate storage and speed up the way our bodies burn fat, resulting in weight loss.

And that's not all, I also traded my evening to go jogging instead of shopping and opted for a no carbs dinner with my barbeque chicken salad with corn on the cob.

Proud of myself...so far. But I know it will take more than one day's effort to achieve my desired weight loss.

PRESS ON!

2010-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Pleasant Surprised

Don't you like pleasant surprises? I know I do. Be it a call from an old friend, a mail from someone unexpected, or flowers from the hubby just because or simply good food when it's unexpected. And boy have I discovered some lately.

Portuguese egg tarts

Now who would have thought Mr Conel Sanders would include these Macau delight in his finger lickin good menu? After all, weren't they the ones that took away some good desserts? Like their good old strawberry cheesecake which I still secretly hope they will revive one day.

Never mind that portuguese egg tart seems like sucha mismatch to fried chicken like I don't know pokka dots to checkereds? If you have not tried their egg tarts, you should else you don't know what you're missing. Each egg tart is smooth with a bit of caramelised in flaky crust. The kind I totally love. Totally yumms.

And thumbs up to another item on their menu, their KFC AM breakfast!

To be honest, I didn't have any expectations of their breakfast. After all I though surely it must be their way of trying to gain some market share of Mac's breaskfast. But I was proved so wrong. I had their waffles which came with maple syrup and scrambled eggs. The waffles were fluffy and light and were slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The taste is so much better than Mac's pancakes. I am so coming back for more!

No wonder Mr Seetoh is sold too!

2010-03-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Universal Studios Singapore

Entrance of Universal Studios Singapore

It was a night of roller coasters, mascots and good food at the Universal Studios yesterday. It was a special invitation from one of my working partners to the latest theme park in Singapore together with some of my colleagues.

All ready for universal studios!

Despite being down with the flu and a sore throat, I decided to still go and check out the place. After all I had to see if it was well worth the $66 day ticket :P and see how it compares to the one in LA

Mr Kungfu Panda, Po!!

The usual operating hours of the park is from 9am to 6pm. But our event started at 6:30pm, so as we entered the staff were waving good bye to their guests and we had the whole park to ourselves. But then we found out that only a section was opened for us and there were only 5 rides for the night. Nevertheless I still enjoyed myself. The first ride that I took was the much talked about Battlestar Galatica, Human vs Cylon.

Description of the ride:
Themed after the hit television show Battlestar Galactica™, the world’s tallest pair of dueling roller coasters will propel thrill-seekers on several inversions, a zero-g roll, a cobra roll, corkscrews, vertical loops and near collisions mere centimeters apart.

The rides was crazy scary!!! There are basically two rides , the red, Human ride, was the first one I took. It starts off with a plunge that practically leaves your heart in mid air as you come crashing down and whirling all around. I was so After the rides, I was light headed and a little faint. I cant figure if it was from all the blood rush or the medicine that I took. I know, ko ko right? Sick already can still go to the theme park and sit roller coaster some more.

But after getting a "high" from the first ride, I just has to take the blue , Cylon ride. The one that suspends you and turn your world upside down as it runs through vertical loops, corkscrews and cobra rolls.

Somehow the adrenalin from the rides suppressed the flu and I was better already. I was still joking that doctors should give their patients a shot of adrenalin to make them feel better!

After these two rides, it was time to explore another part of the park, Ancient Egypt. Here I sat on the Revenge of the Mummy indoor roller coaster. It was exactly the same as the one in LA, so no surprises there.

After all the fun, it was time to fill our tummies. There was no lack of food as the streets were lined with tables of food with all kinds of cuisine to suit every taste buds, from Western to Chinese to Indian to Italian.

Streets of food, glorious food

Didn't get to see the whole theme park, but just based on what I saw for the night. I would say wait till 2011 when all the rides are ready to get more bang for your buck. But somehow it still lacked the movie magic like the LA one. What would complete it is definitely the movie tour bus where you see the sets like Desperate Housewives and also scenes from War of the World and Jurassic Park.

Anyway Sophie's too young for the park now, maybe in another year or two when she can run around then we'll visit the park and she'll be able to go on the rides... or maybe just the Party Go Round :)

2010-02-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Parenting is "heart' work

With baby Sophie growing so quickly, it's more apparent that Alexis and I have to agree on how we want to bring up Sophie. The values that we want to inculcate in her and the kind of person we want her to grow up into. I am convinced that there is only so much that is attributed to nature but how a child turns out is mainly how we nurture them too.

Its always funny how siblings from the same factory all turn out very very different. Just take my family for example, I have two younger siblings, a younger brother and sister and we all turned out so different.

My sister: Independent, ambitious, sporty, lives for the future

My brother: gift of the gab, rebellious (mostly during his youth), out-going, humorous

Me: family oriented, lives for the now, messy (according to the hubby)

That's why I tweeted this statement, "Parenting-doing it intentionally, doing it deliberately."

It takes effort to be a parent. To be able to bring up your next generation who will model after your life, the things you stand for, believe it, value. That's a huge responsibility upon my shoulder. I don't want to live my life carelessly, to just go with the flow and let things happen as they come. More so now that I'm a mom, with a little girl that's watching me. That's why more than just changing their diapers, ensuring that they have 3 meals, sending them to school, bringing them on holidays, its about nurturing them, molding them, shaping them to be the person of a character.

I borrowed this book, 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know by Michele Borda.

Here's the list:

A mother who loves teaches worth
A mother who is firm and fair gives her children a moral code to live by
A mother who listens shows her children they matter
A mother who is a good role model give her children an example worth copying
A mother who teaches values inspires character
A mother who supports her children's strength builds their confidence
A mother who encourages independence cultivates self-reliance
A mother who applauds efforts nurtures perseverance
A mother accepts her children's short-comings nurtures resilience
A mother who takes time for her children helps them build strong relationships
A mother who laughs teaches joy
A mother who takes care of herself holds together her happy family

Sounds like a good list don't you think :)

Parenting -replacing the hard work into heart work.

2010-02-12T08:18:00.001-08:00

New wall sticker for the hall

Decided to jazz up the plain O' wall in the hall this year. As you can see it's just... a little boring now.

Cutting the wall paper stickers into more manageable size

Ta dah!

Just the way I like it. Pretty in pink. Wahaha. Very timely for the Chinese New Year too.

2010-02-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Spring Cleaning for Chinese New Year

CNY is in another 6 days. This year, we started spring cleaning early because we expected that there will be days when we will be busy cleaning Sophie than the house. While I'm the one pointing out the areas to be cleaned I would never be the domestic goddess at home and Alexis would be the first to second that.

In the home, I'm the hoarder because I feel that somewhere sometime down the road, this is going to come to good use although I have absolutley no idea what to do with it now. And my reasoning is that I spent money on it (most likely an impulsive buy), got it as a gift or a free gift so why throw away something good. Alexis on the other hand believes that if you have no immediate use for it, it must go since it does nothing but make the house more cluttered and messy. God knows how many arguements we have over our different styles at home.

So in my attempt to keep the house tidy, I borrowed this book titled Clutter Free from the library.

The author of the book is a more extreme version of me. She came realize how messy her place was when one day her door got forced open. But because her home was so messy, the burgular couldnt even push open the door! And when the police came by they told her that her place was ransacked... And to her embrassement she had to admit that the state of mess was her doing! So this book is written by someone who have difficulties keeping the home neat because it's just not natural to them unlike some authors who make it sound a breeze because it's just in them to be organized and neat.

Alexis's idea of neat

okay, I'm really not like that

I joked with Alexis that perhaps we could write a book on this topic too. In it will be stories of the fights we have over different housekeeping styles and how I find it an absolutely pain to keep the house tidy while he does it ~~so..~~ more naturally than me. I'll give them pointers on things you dont do, like hiding stuffs things right at the top of the cupboard so that once its outta sight, it's outta mind or the story from Alexis's side about how being clutter free starts from having the liberation to throw things that you don't need.

So anyway Alexis is very excited over this project to give everything in the house a home that he has decided that as my Valentine's present, he shall do exactly that...Give everything in the house a home.

So there goes my idea of having a present that goes bling bling. The only sparkling present that I'll receive is a sparkling clean new house...which I told him feels like the equivalent of receiving an iron as a present :P Maybe just maybe I'll appreciate it more in the future...as for now, how about a more decent Valentine's Day present?

2010-01-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

My tweet and Facebook status says it all
Susan Koh needs more hours in a day...so much to do, so little time.

There is simply not enough hours in a day, especially on a work day. Just the mornings are enough to drive me in a frenzy.

typical morning:
wake up, feed sophie, express milk, wash pumps, wash up, change, makeup, change sophie's diapers, dress her, breakfast (if I'm not already late), then rush out of the house for work

This usually takes anything between 1 hour to 1 and half hours, depending if Sophie is cooperative in the morning. Some days, I will feed her and when I'm done feeding her and gone on to pump, she decides that she's still hungry and wants to drink somemore. *faints* so I've to feed her again which throws the schedule all off. And if Idecide to be lazy and sleep in for 10 minutes, I'll be late for work already :P

Not to mention, work is getting more and more busy. I've got meetings to attend, presentations to prepare, research to do, funds to launch... blah blah blah. And then in the middle of the day, I've got to run off to pump, not once but twice. Not that I'm complaining lah, because it's the only time in the day that I have a mental break from the stress of wor... And also time that I think of Sophie baby.

I really do hope to keep up with the pumping to try to breastfeed Sophie for as long as possible. After all it is the BEST for her. So really got to gambetei and work extra fast. Which means less time to chat to my colleagues during office hours and work work work.

2009-12-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

Reflections on year 2009

Counting my blessings for the year

promotion at work despite the economy being in a recession
had a smooth pregnancy despite the growing fibroid to the surprise of my gyne
had a smooth delivery despite having to deliver baby Sophie earlier due to preeclampsia
made new friends who are fellow mummies for us to exchange stories on sleepless nights, baby's poo , etc..
love and support from family and friends when the role of being a mummy was sometimes too overwhelming
supportive and loving hubby who often gets his hands dirty changing the diapers and bathing baby Sophie.

2010 is just a day away... I no longer have the habit of setting new year resolutions anymore. But maybe for this new year I would.

New Year Resolutions for 2010

1. Pick up driving : I really have not been driving for a long long long time. And I have to admit I'm really very put off by driving a manual car. Like it's not hard enough trying to navigate and watch other cars in front of you, beside you and behind you, still got to make sure that I don't press too hard/ too soft on the accelerator, control and switch gear, apply handbrake when going up the slope and then releasing enough to go off...and the last is always the one that makes my heart race, palms sweaty and mind blank! Maybe I should stop having such negative feelings towards it first then I can conqueror whatever feelings to start driving...

2. Be more productive at work: I think that I'm already quite an efficient worker hence the nick name in office - Super Susan *wink*. But now that I have to spend about an hour to pump (30 mins each time), that easily shortens my day and I have to be less "engaged" with the gossip in the office and work faster. And after work, I have to pick up Sophie from the infant care so I cant work OT anymore. And did I also mention that the new boss seems like a slave driver too :P

3. Have more me time : As a mummy, I don't have my own life anymore as everything revolves around Sophie esp after work and on the weekends. Sometimes all I wish for is some time to sleep in, hubby to do some of the housework so that I can read a magazine or a book, go for a nice massage, go out with friends and more than anything spend time with the hubby and not have any baby related conversations. Yes, and not feel guilty that I'm having time for myself too.

I think the list will be more than just these 3 items. But I'll add them as they come to mind before the clock strikes 12 to 2010!

2009-12-15T05:48:00.001-08:00

My breastfeeding journey

First week back at work and I'm already down with a flu *sniff sniff* Alexis too has fallen ill, so the flu bug is definitely in the air at home. Hopes that Sophie will be strong enough to withstand the virus flying around the house else we will have to keep her away from the infant care centre. Heard that man babies are also sick, hence the near empty state when I visited Sophie today. Another reason why I plan to continue to breastfeed her so that she will have my anti-bodies now that I'm ill.

Although I am proud that I have successfully breastfeed Sophie for the past 4 months, the journey for breastfeeding has not been an easy one. The first few days in the hospital, the nurses and my mom were so insistent that I should feed Sophie with formula. But I was stubborn and refused and insisted that all babies have enough reserve since most mummies milk supply don't kick in until the 3rd day or so. And on the 3rd day,it was a great encouragement to hear the nurse comment that the milk I've expressed is actually quite a lot. So I persisted and persisted. Persisted through cracked nipples, bleeding nipples, engorgement, leaking nipples, nipple being bitten by Sophie. Such is a mother's sacrifice just to give the best to my baby. Of course, nothing beats the bonding that I enjoy with her while breastfeeding her. Knowing that she is nourished and also connected to me in such a special way.

Of course the plus point is that breastfeeding burns calories, so that allows me to still eat and not put on too much weight. But cant say much about losing all the pregnancy weight. I suspect, it may take a few more months for all the weight to be lost by the way I'm still eating now. But the downside is that I still have to watch my diet in case it gives Sophie tummy upset. Now I'm a bit more relaxed and will have my daily dose of coffee and even have spicy food like tom yum occasionally.

Well hope that I can continue to give Sophie mama's milk for as long as possible but also gotta see if I can keep up with all the pumping at work. It's such a chore sometimes, having to run away from work and pump and be stressed that the boss may not be happy about it.So conclusion: On a best effort basis :)

2009-11-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Sianz...

One word that sums up my feeling towards going back to work in 2 weeks time.

After a good 4 months away from the office, I will have to drag myself back to the routine of 9-5...dunoe what my new timing will be. Hoping that when I go back to work, I can work from 8:30 to 6pm and leave on the dot to pick baby Sophie from the infant care centre.

Gosh I'm going to be the one suffering from separation anxiety from my little one. Better prepare more tissues on the first day I go back to work. Haha.

Sianz also describes my feeling when I look at my wardrobe and see the clothes that I can no longer fit into and the money I have to spend for a new wardrobe. Yes and not to mention my shoes too...

SIANZ ah..

2009-11-18T02:19:00.000-08:00

Speedy Gonzales

These days with a baby around, I have become Speedy Gonzales. From eating, to bathing, to doing the houswork, and I think even my beloved shopping trips are a fraction of what they used to be.

In fact I think I no longer savour my food anymore and just gulp it down fearing that she will make noise half way during my meals. The good thing is she's usually asleep when we're out so meals outsides are more "peaceful" compared to meals taken at home.

There was once, I was halfway cooking dinner and Alexis has to take over the cooking because she was crying for milk. Fortunately for him, dinner was a simple affair of pasta. So everything could just be dumped into the pan. Pasta, ham, mushroom and sauce. Hehe and that's how I conned a dinner cooked by him :P

Probably this training will be helpful when I go back to work too. In fact, I think I'll need more speed when I return to work. Cant imagine the morning rush having to wake her up, feed her, change her diapers and clothes and the for me to bathe, change, apply make up and then hopefully have some breakfast. Gosh, what time do I have to wake up everyday? 6?

We're training her to wake up earlier in the day so that hopefully she'll get used to this routine when it's time for me to return to work which sadly is in 3 weeks time. So baby Sophie, you better co-operate.

2009-11-16T20:32:00.001-08:00

Alone at home with baby Sophie on a lazy Tuesday. The only sound in the house is that of her happily sucking on her thumb. *zuk zuk zuk* She started sucking her fingers about a month ago and has recently picked it up again and this time with a vengeance and only sucks her thumb!We tried to "exchange" her thumb for the pacifier but I guess nothing beats having a perfectly fit pacifier that is softer than a rubber teat in her mouth.

There are days when she prefers it over milk and we'll have to pry her thumb away from her mouth to stuff the bottle or my boob in. But we'll have to keep trying to make her take the pacifier else it will be harder to wean her off her thumb which is so easily available. Not to mention that it's certainly not a very ladylike thing to do.

Anyway, decided that I shall blog about me instead of baby Sophie and reclaim some identity of my own :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Cant believe that December is round the corner now. Also means it's almost Christmas, back to work (gasp!) and also Alexis's birthday. He turns 31 this year... sorry for exposing your real age dear.

Last night I got upset... (I blame my erratic emotions on post delivery) partially because Sophie has disappointed me when she decided to sleep at 11pm instead of 8pm which she did last night. This also means another evening spent coaxing her and less time with the hubby. I have already adjusted my expectations that our evenings (and even some days) will no longer just be about the two of us ever since we knew a baby is on the way. But what gets to me is even when we have time alone, he chooses to sit in front of his computer surfing the internet.

When he's home, I long for adult conversations after a day of baby talk with Sophie. And somedays after hearing a day's of mom's complains about my dad, her negative attitude rubs off me when I begin to find fault and pick on Alexis too. Of course, I cant push the blame on her for my behavior and I don't think I can justify it by saying that it's because of all the whining that I hear from her that I am also turning into a whiner myself. I am a strong believer that one has to take responsibility of my choices, my actions and one's consequences. That's also one reason I choose not to be too near her as her attitude really affected my self esteem when I was younger. Another story altogether...

So last night, I decided that I will choose to be thankful for what I have in my life and make 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 the hallmark of my relationship with Alexis and Sophie.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.

This is what I want in my heart for my hubby and daughter. To build my family up with kind words and in so imparting the right values to Sophie. To teach her that somedays when its hard to love, we still do so because love bears no records of wrong. But most importantly, we love because God first loved us.

I love you Alexis and Sophie :)

2009-10-27T08:21:00.001-07:00

Back to work soon....

Oct is ending soon and the end of my maternity leave is drawing near too. Recently, I've been rather stressed up on the arrangements on who's going to take care of Sophie when I return to work in Dec. One of our plans was to put her at the infant care centre which is near our offices or the next viable option would be to leave her at my in laws place.

I was rather hesitant as that would mean a daily commute of about an hour to and fro as they live in Tampines. Not to mention having to buy an extra set of stuffs to leave there. But this arrangement would be better for our parents who have agreed to take care of Sophie. After all, it's not fair to ask our folks to travel daily to our place... So I'm slowly at peace with it. Guess it's all the anxiety of the new mom.

Gosh I really cant bear to go back to work so soon. I was still kidding with Alexis if I can stay home to take care of Sophie for about a year before we send her to child care. Guess that has to take the back seat for now... Maybe when we have two kids then more worth while to be a SAHM :) But for now still a FTWM, else no $$ for shopping.

2009-10-09T07:41:00.001-07:00

Home alone

It's Friday night and I'm home alone with baby Sophie while her Daddy is out. I'll get my turn soon too and leave her in his care when I go for my company D&D in Nov. How I miss my ~~office~~ colleagues in office.

Thank God Sophie's sleeping now giving me some much needed ME time for this entry.

Ever since being a mother, my life just revolves around this little princess. More so because of the fact that I'm breastfeeding her so I've to be on "stand by" for her milk. Being a mother really changes your life in so many ways.

I was commenting the other day that having a baby is like a daily lucky draw coz you don't know when she'll have a good day, bad day, whiny day, colicky day, when she'll wake up, sleep, etc... So look who's the boss now?

Shall update another time and check on my little tow kay now.

2009-10-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

2 months and counting..

Into my new role as a mummy for 2 months and I can really appreciate what my mom went through to bring me up. One word, tough, tough, tough!

The first month with the confinement lady was a breeze with someone to bathe baby, change baby's dirty diapers, wash her clothes especially soiled nappies, feed her in the middle of the night. After the confinement lady left, Sophie started to get more colicky and difficult in the nights, which means less sleep for me and Alexis for sure. We have to take turns to carry her, soothe her by rocking her, feed her in the wee hours of the morning.

Recently, it has been more difficult getting her to sleep as she'll cry. And boy, does she have powerful lungs! Alexis says that his ears will ring when she turns up the volume when crying. And frankly sometimes her cries are so shrill, I get so scared of her. Good thing Alexis also tries his best to take care of her before he sleeps as he knows that I will have to wake up to feed her.

Understand from other parents that this is a phase for babies and they will outgrow it in another 1 to 2 months time. So we're really praying it happens soon before it threatens our sanity. But in the morning when I wake up, seeing her greet me with a smile makes me melt with love for her all over again. If only she can be so nice to mummy all the time. But I know she's only a baby and wants our attention.

2009-08-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

Diary of a new mom

These days I have become nothing more than a walking milk machine that goes moo moo. Right from the start I decided that I will try my very best to breastfeed Sophie. After all, studies have proved that breastfed babies tend to have stronger immunity and also gives mummies and babies more bonding time. Not only that, it's also fuss free feeding without the need to sterilize bottles, boil water, etc.

But it certainly has not been easy especially in the early days when Sophie is more sleepy than hungry. Having to latch her on to feed it no easy task and I often get so tensed that my neck, shoulders and arm ache. Now it's a lot better but Sophie still has her days when she fusses and will not feed immediately.

My confinement lady commented that I sure have a lot of patience. What to do as I only want what's best for Sophie. Though it can get frustrating to feed Sophie when she's a fussy little brat in the middle of the night, her smile (yes she can smile when feeding!) makes me melt...

I cant wait for her to grow up quickly so that I can start playing with her and showing her more of the world.

Been meaning to start her on a routine but it's easier said than done. Guess it will take a while before I start that. Meanwhile some pictures of my dear daughter.

My favorite picture of Sophie after a bath

2009-08-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

Mummyhood

Sophie was born on 9 August 2009 and became a National Day baby!

Mummyhood for the first week has been really challenging. Because the confinement lady only arrived 2 days after I was discharged, Alexis and I had to be hands on and grope our way about. Thankfully we attended the pre-natal class so could remember how to bathe and change baby. It also helps that Alexis is very involved so was adapting to his daddy role very well. Not forgetting the fast that he offered me alot of emotional support when the stress got to me at times

Feeding in the inital days were also tough coz I didn't have any milk yet and that was also a stressful time especially when the nurses and even my mother wanted me to give Sopie formula milk. But as I persevere the milk supply slowly began to build up. So now Sophie can have breast milk and hopefully I can continue to do so for a long time. After all breast fed babies are supposed to have better immunity and helps in mummy and baby bonding.

Being only a week old Sophie loves her sleep and wants to sleep more than eat now. Hopefully we can start putting her on a routine soon so that everyone will be happy too :) I cant believe how cranky I can be when I'm super tired too.

Verdict: First week of mummyhood has been very fulfilling and looking forward to more exciting moments to come.
You can read more about Sophie at her blog too.

2009-08-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Count down...

How much more swollen can my feet get?

While they may look stubby and cute but they hurt a hell lot now a days. Told Alexis that I have to take cab to work for this last week coz the walk to the MRT, and from the NEL to NS line and from the MRT to office is getting so tedious for me. Not mention I get easily breathless now, so it's such a chore going to work.

But thank God that it's my last week at work ... finally!

Am going to miss my colleagues at work. But I told them, the feeling will go away pretty quickly once I have Sophie to keep me occupied.

Shall enjoy my 4 months of maternity leave and enjoy every moment being a Stay At Home Mother (SAHM) for as long as I can.

2009-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Retail therapy for ME

Was telling my colleagues that I have not really shopped for myself at this year's GSS. With baby on the way, the only things I seem to be buying are stuffs for Sophie. Pram, cot, clothes, toys for Sophie, and all seems to revolve around her. Not complaining coz I'm really excited buying pink, girly stuffs for her. Oh have you seem the rompers and dresses they have for little girls? So cute!

Oh and the thrill of shopping online for Sophie, or rather ordering form sprees and having the excitement when the package gets delivered in your mailbox. Be it clothes, socks or even just bibs! I know, how silly :P

And after getting pregnant, I have not really shopped in Orchard until yesterday when I made my debut trip to ION Orchard. The latest swanky shopping mall along Orchard Road. Found it a bit hard to navigate around the mall with escalators that runs everywhere.

But that didn't stop me from indulging in a bit of shopping for myself. So I bought myself some post-pregnancy stuffs, like this stripped wedge that will be perfect for the weekends...in the near future. No heels for me now ever since I nearly tripped when I was 3 months pregnant wearing my 3 inch heels. Now I only wear my scholls sandals, how unglam. Boo hoo :(

Oh and I love love my cup cake t-shirt. It's got glitter okay. Haha. Hope I wasn't too confident and bought a size too small. We shall see, we shall see. And a pretty cardigan which I just liked coz of it's frills.

Not sure when I can start wearing these clothes or even fit into my old wardrobe. Maybe I should take the opportunity to revamp my wardrobe when I get back to work after my maternity leave too. Husband will surely not be too happy about it.

Dinner at a DIY Teppanyaki restaurant, Shu Teppan. Not much different from Pepper Lunch in my opinion.

o

2009-07-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Some indulgence first... or not?

The idea of having food craving sounded like the perfect excuse to indulge in all my favorite delicacies during my pregnancy. But alas, my dear husband was spared of this seemingly unavoidable pregnancy symptom because I had none of it... Or at least only had them in the mildest form. So no excuse to make him drive out in the middle of the night with char kuay teow, hokkien mee, roti prata...

The furthest I went was just to crave for spicy food. And what proved to be comforting was mee siam, tom yum, where spicy meet sour. Perfect combination :) Wonder if Sophie will have spicy taste buds too?

And now that my pregnancy journey is coming to an end soon, I wished I had eaten lesser. Easier to lose the weight that I have put on over the past 8 months. Blame it on my gyne who told me I was not eating enough as I was putting on less than 1 kg per month initially. So I let down my defenses in my bid to follow doctor's instructions. Then came the frequent tea breaks, or rather regular tea breaks. Which also mean I got chided by my colleagues for "choi-ing" them along.

Unfortunately,that also meant I over compensated and put on more weight than I needed to subsequently. *faints* And now at 8 months, I over did it as I still have another 3 more weeks to go... meaning I'm still likely to put on more weight till Sophie is born.

And at this point,I have a last craving for crabs!!!

I have heard of horror stories of pregnant woman eatig crabs only to have their kids behaving like crabs. You know being all busy with their hands! At least that's what my sister-in-law claims with my niece! But still that does not put me off.

One last indulgence, CRABS.
Pepper crab, chilli crab, butter crab...
Dreaming of crabs tonight...

2009-07-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last leg more to go

The last leg of the pregnancy is certainly taking a toil on my body. More aches, more swollen feet, ankles and I suspect even puffy eyes too. Oh yes and the dreaded stretch marks which have started to appear ferociously that even my l'occitane mom & babe balm is no match for it!
And without saying, sleeping has become harder as well with Sophie getting in the way. Now I have to hold my stomach to get into a comfortable position when I turn from side to side. Oh and have I not mentioned about getting up at least once to pee cause of the weight of her on my bladder.

Woes of being a mother ... and yes I hear mothers telling me, "Wait till you're in the delivery room"...

One more month, one more month...

2009-07-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

The countdown to Sophie's arrival

In just another 4 weeks or more accurately 32 days more to go, our princess Sophie will be born. What a wait this has been for our baby.

The last few weeks have been more tiring with Sophie betting bigger and a lot more active. Did I mention that she gets very active after I eat and especially in the nights! So to help me sleep, I play classical music so that ether she gets knocked out first or me!Her movements are so obvious now that you can see the skin of my tummy in a wavelight manner when she moves about. And my little one knows when it's time for mummy to go to work coz she'll start kicking me when the alarm goes off in the morning.

Whenever Sophie gets too rough, I'll keep reminding her to be a gentle baby. One strategy is to keep her tightly swaddled after she's born. Some mummies tell me they miss the feeling of baby's movements in them after baby is delivered... I'll let you know after Sophie's born... Prob not :)

Just the other day I asked Alexis what we want our home values to be.

Crying will not get you your way and it's something Daddy reminds Mummy too :)
To teach Sophie that a person of character is more important than a person of success.
That God gives us an area where to excel in and it need not necessarily be academically.
It's important to try before giving up.

We will probably discover more about raising a family as we go along...as we grow along.

2009-06-28T03:39:00.000-07:00

Into my 33rd of pregnancy by the next week. The big day is fast approaching.

Don't know what to expect... okay maybe I do know, like sleepless night, waking up to cries of baby, etc. But it probably wouldn't sink in until the read deal.

Last night, Sophie was having hiccups in the night and didn't want to sleep. I think she's going to be a Saturday Night baby. It's getting more amusing to feel her moving and her movements can be quite painful at times. Alexis too gets excited to see her moving in my tummy.

Sophie's room is fast taking shape with the arrival of most of the furniture. I'm so excited at her arrival. So far the date set is 12 August 2009. Will have to discuss this with gyne at the next visit. Gosh.. will we be ready for baby?

Meanwhile we still have about 1 month plus for our dates before our lives start to revolve around Sophie. Not a bad thing, just different... very different :) One that we're definitely looking forward to.

2009-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

My Restaurant in Restaurant City...

Still very humble looking. Doesn't help that the program is often under maintenance or down. I'm no where near serving all level 10 dishes. Need more friends, need more trades.

2009-06-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Had the busiest day ever

Up since 8am and only back home at 12am. Exhausting but fulfiling day. Accomplished most to do items for the month of June.

Up at 8 and went for breakfast at Mac. I heart my mac muffins
Decided to try designing my own twitter background. Check it out here
Off to Ikea for lunch and furniture shopping. Bought an arm chair and other misc stuffs
Then to Serangoon to buy bed and wardrobe. Finally settled it.
Dinner with parents at Hougang to celebrate Father's Day
And it's off to the Night Safari!

Ultra tiring day. Walked so much my feet hurts. I don't think I even walked this much when I'm not pregnant. What's more I'm carrying so much weight, my own and dear Sophie.

Shall update more another time...clock is ticking now and I'm going to Lala land.

2009-06-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

Month of June with loads to do..

The month of June is going to be a busy busy month for me. Not only do I have to shop for Sophie's nursery, also got to get some basic furniture for the confinement lady who will be at my place for a month, finish reading my books, wash baby's clothes, pack and clean up the nursery...

And with just 2 more months to Sophie's arrival, we have to go on more dates before we get house bound with baby. So we've made plans to watch a couple of movies, go to the Night Safari, go for nice dinners.

Taken on our 3rd anniversary

Don't know how our lives will change with a baby in tow. But we're excited nevertheless.

These days Sophie has been really "interactive". Kicking, rolling alot in my tummy. My colleagues are literally getting a "kick" feeling her kicks, especially after lunch. Alexis was so shocked at how vigorous her movements are and exclaimed, Aiyoh Sophie! Wonder if Sophie is going to be as active as she seems now.

2009-06-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

New Indulgence

You know they say that the worst way to while your time away is on games. And now with Facebook, there are just games at your fingertips.

There used to be a time when I was hooked on Fluff Pet, where I would pet, feed and race my Pinko. That's the name of my chubby Penguin pet. I'll even read the forums on how to increase her speed, take part in contest like fluff art and easter hunts to win rare gifts.

Fluff art of Pinko on the moon

Now Pinko's very much neglected and let to defend for herself. Thanks to the occasional visits from other people who will still pet and feed her on my behalf.

I now have a new indulgence, Restaurant City.

The aim of the game is to serve up dishes to customers who patronize your restaurant and keep them happy. At the same time you have to also keep your staff happy by letting them rest, drink and eat so that they will be happy workers. But what's more fun is that you get to play designer and decorate your restaurant, both on the exterior and interior.

Like Hello Kitty? Make it your theme, like the one I chanced on below.

Or how about a backyard BBQ theme?

Or perhaps a Rainforest theme?

You are only limited by your creativity. Mine however is very plain and simple...I'll need to level 10 by getting the right ingredients to cook dishes that can bring me to a higher level, which will give me more income and hence more $$ to buy deco stuffs. Give me a few more weeks and I'll show you what I've got!

I lurve this. This is so funny!!

2009-06-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

L.O.V.E

A few days before our wedding, Alexis asked, Do you think your friends will sabo me at the gate crashing ceremony? I told him there’s a possibility. (Cant let him think it’s so easy to get this bride of his!)

Alexis: Do you think they’ll make me sing
Me: Yah I think so…
Alexis: But I don’t know any songs to sing.

So I suggested the L.O.V.E. song by Nat King Cole.

Maybe I shall make him sing it to me for our 3rd anniversary today :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DEAR!

LOVE

L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you

Love is more than just a game for two

Two in love can make it

Take my heart and please don't break it

Love was made for me and you

L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you

Love is more than just a game for two

Two in love can make it

Take my heart and please don't break it

Love was made for me and you

---Nat King Cole

2009-06-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

And so our story goes...

Last Saturday, while having deserts and coffee, Denise made a comment, that marriage can make one a better person. I thought it and cant agree more. I nodded and agreed not because it sounded like a correct thing to say to friends, esp to those who have not given up their singlehood. But in all honesty, I know that marriage, my marriage to Alexis, has made me a better person.

At Sentosa back in 2002

Alexis and I are probably more different than alike.

He is a homie while I like to be out of the house.

He's very analytical and logical while I'm more.. lets put it, go with my gut feel.

He hates me being messy and I'm well ... messy :P He's quiet while I'm more chatty.

Posing like some damsel in Chinese Gardens

He's logical, sensible, reasonable, cool-headed, techie, smartie

I'm spontaneous, creative, people-oriented, celebrates people... I think I'm pretty sensible too.

Taken at the Peak in Hong Kong, after Alexis got down on one knee and proposed. Where I said, "I do."

Yet in spite of our many differences, we still love each other, not just for what we bring to each other but also what we bring out of each other. How in accepting each other, we also want to change not because we want to please the other party but because we want to be a better wife, a better husband to each other.

In our home sweet home

Over the past 8 years, 5 years of courtship and 3 years of marriage, our love for each other has grown stronger and deeper. There is a new degree of maturity in our relationship that developed over time as we nourish each other with support and encouragement, carrying one another's burden, walking side by side through the challenges and even struggles in life.

At Great Ocean Road- our honeymoon in Melbourne

I cant even recall the countless times when all I needed was the quiet assurance of him beside me as I go through difficult times. And indeed he was the pillar of strength when I was weak, to hold my hand and remind me that I'm not walking alone.

Peter Pan and his Tinkerbelle

And today, even as I count down to our 3rd anniversary, I know that we have much to be thankful for in our marriage. And like I told my friends, marriage can be hard work. Yes, we still have to "work" at it everyday.

There are still days that we don't see eye to eye, bicker and lose our cool with each other. But what has worked is not taking each other for granted. And never delaying to say, sorry. Or thank you. Or I love you.

Baby Sophie is on the way

And what better reminder of our love than our dear baby that's on the way... Where there'll be a little of him and a little of me in a life that we create together.

2009-05-31T07:08:00.001-07:00

I do, I do, I do...

It didn't seem so long ago that we took our wedding vows.

I take you as my wife...
I take you as my husband...

This June, 3rd we'll celebrate our 3rd year wedding anniversary. What an exciting journey it has been for us. And though it has not always been easy all these years, we always have each other's hand to hold in this journey.

Very soon, we'll have another pair of hands in ours- our baby girl, Sophie.

A life that is a gift from God. A life that is created by you and me. A life that is a reminder of our precious love and what we have ahead of us.

Happy Anniversary, Alexis.
My hubby, my darling, my friend.

2009-05-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Planning for Baby

With baby on the way, I thought I'll do some financial planning and see if I'm on track. Boy did the upcoming expenses add up to quite a bit! With bills to the gyne, hospital stay, maternity clothes, confinement lady and not forgetting baby's stuffs like the cot, playpen, stroller, baby's clothings and a thousand and one miscellaneous stuffs, they do add up to quite a bit.

Now that we're contemplating sending Sophie to infant care when she's a bit older, that's going to be another area of expense too.

No wonder the mummy still have to work and cannot be a tai tai...yet! Haha.

But that said, I'm sure there will be many "priceless" moments which cannot be exchanged for all the money in the world.

2009-05-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Retail therapy

Did some massive shopping last week as my wardrobe can no longer fit a more pregnant looking me. So it was off to the malls for some major shopping.

My loot:

2 pairs of shoes
1 pair of pants
1 pair of shorts
4 tops
1 bra

Besides shopping I also tried to catch up on some reading...

Photoshop is a skill that I've been trying hard to perfect for a long time. Gonna practice, practice, practice...

2009-05-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Being pregnant

The title of this article says it all!This was in last Thursday's Mind Your Body supplement.

Look what it says in the last sentence of the 1st para, "For one, it may make you smarter." Not sure about making me a genius, but at least being pregnant has not made me dull. Which is a common complaint that I hope wouldn't plague me even after delivery. Really thankful that my first pregnancy has been smooth sailing. Believe that this is nothing than God's grace and goodness. The main one being no complaints of morning sickness, which is common for 7 out of 10 pregnant women. And I hope that the swollen feet, stretch marks, etc don't find their way to me too :P

Random observations when I'm pregnant:

My pee was bright yellow until recently. Tried to check if it had anything to do with having a baby girl, but findings are all non conclusive.
I started to have a slightly hairy belly :P which made suspect if I was having a baby boy initially.
Contrary to what I expected, I didn't crave for sour food, but more for spicy food and enjoyed all my tom yam, laksa, chilli.
Having a belly means the common opening to most conversations with people I've not met, "When are you due?".
Earlier in my pregnancy, I had very vivid dreams which are more boy like in nature, like action movies type dreams. Another reason why I thought I was having a boy at first.
I wake up in the morning with my hair parting to my right instead of left making me wonder if baby will have a right parting.
I cant decide whether to agree or disagree when they say that Sporeans are ungracious, coz I havent been offered a seat on the mrt all the time.
The time will soon come, when a pedicure is not a luxury but a necessity... I have a feel it's going to be real soon.

2009-05-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

6 months and counting...

Surfing the net the whole evening. On flickr to be precise. Looking at beautiful pictures of babies and pregnant mummies. Look forward to owning an SLR soon so that I can capture all of Sophie growing up moments.

But before that, I hope to have capture myself while Sophie is still in me. As a keepsake of the 9 months that she's growing in me day by day, month by month, as we share a special bond.

Feeling her movements more frequently now and wonder what's she's doing snuggled up inside me. It's really such a wonderful feeling knowing a beautiful life is growing inside me.

This was taken on my 29th birthday :)

2009-05-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

All about food

Checked out this new restaurant, Mykii at Holland Village last Saturday with a few of my colleagues. Mykii (pronounced “mee-kai”) is inspired by the highly popular Greek island Mykonos and the phonetic of “sky”. The concept behind this place is inspired by the Greek islands, which is evident from the white walls and blue fittings.

Nestled near the far end of Holland V, this cafe, restuarant, makes one feel like you're far away from the business of the city.

Here's a peek at their lazy brunch menu.

Free-flow of home-made bread & spreads

Mykiian Brunch Platter
Free-flow of eggs ( sunny side up / well-done /overeasy /scrambled /omelette )
Served with crispy hash brown, cheesy baked wild tomatoes, mixed salad,
streaky bacon & chicken chipolata sausage

Selection of main
Curry Garlic Mayo Sandwich
Grilled Dory Fish Steak
American Pork Sausage with Mixed Capsicum & Arugula Salad
Forest of Mushroom Pasta
Tamarind Glazed Chicken with Glass Noodles
Roast Vegetable Wrap
Papaya & Avocado Salad
Chicken Tofu Burger Salad

Free-flow of Granny’s Aromatic Lime Leaf Pancakes
( topped with chocolate syrup/maple syrup)

Selection of drinks
Apple/Orange Juice
+
Coffee/Tea

Enjoyed the Brunch platter a lot and had to save space for the mains and pancake. I went with a healthier option of Grilled Dory Fish Steak, that had a nice creamy sauce. Didn't like the pumpkin that came with it. By the time it came to pancakes, there was no way I could stomach more than one.

If I do go back, I'll probably skip the brunch (way too filling) and try the rest of the food there.

After that it was time for some baking action at Tse Wei's house where we baked white and chocolate cupcakes. Tse Wei said these are "score points" cupcakes for her mom and mom-in-law. Heh. Turned out pretty decent, but we'll need lots more practice if we ever want to turn this into a business.

2009-05-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

6 months and counting

I've reached my 6th month of pregnancy this week. Cant believe how time flies... From the time, I learnt that I'm pregnant to now, the last month of my 2nd trimester. And very soon, Sophie will be in my arms instead of in my tummy.

Sophie has been more active now a days, poking and kicking mummy. The feeling is quite funny and I'll usually tap my tummy in return or gently rub the spot where she kicked to ease her. Sometimes I'll try to soothe her by singing to her. But these movements sometimes keeps me up at night when she refuses to stop her "interactions" with me. So daddy will sometimes talk to Sophie and tells her it's bedtime and to go to sleep.

I think Sophie is going to be Daddy's girl next time. Daddy is very sweet too, talking, singing and reading to Sophie. You can tell Daddy is going to spoil our dear princess fifi in future.

2009-05-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

More Birthday Celebration

1 May. Labour Day. Public Holiday. No need to work! Yippee.

Lunch at Bugis.

Dinner with friends who celebrated the April babies birthday at Franky's Kaffe Kitchen at Millennium Walk.

The April Birthday girls

Group Photo with friends

One with the hubby too

2009-04-28T00:27:00.001-07:00

Happy 29th Birthday

One more last birthday as a 20+ before I hit the big 30! And to that Alexis told me, welcome to the club.

For my 29th birthday, Alexis treated me to a stay in sunny island Bintan. We stayed at the Bintan Lagoon Resort for 3 days and 2 nights. Was a relaxing holiday, basking under the sun, swimming, chilling at the beach, catching upon reading and getting a nice healthy tan.

The highlight of the trip was the night looking for fireflies. The nicest sight was watching them light up the top of the trees like a christmas tree. Heh too bad their glow don't last too long so we decided to release them when we got back to the hotel. First time we explored out to Pasar Oleh Oleh for massage and dinner. Massage was disappointing despite the taxi driver's recommendation as an authentic massage spa. Dinner was better and we had my favorite cereal prawns. Yums! Last day was spent lazing on the beach before we head back to Singapore.

And on my birthday, Alexis surprised me with flowers before lunch. Like it so much esp since I havent received flowers for a while.

Had lunch at Edogawa restaurant at Velocity. Their Australian beef teppanyaki set lunch was surprising yummy. And to finish off the day, we're going to have Jap food at Iciban sushi later. :) Day of jap food, my favorite!

2009-04-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Red is the new black

My hot red Canon IXUS 100 IS to go with my ...

equally chilli red Nokia E63 :)

And looking forward to an all RED GH1 soon...

2009-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for parenthood

Time sure flies and I'm almost 5 months pregnant. In another 4 more months,baby will no longer be in my tummy but in my arms. I cant wait for that day and am pretty excited about it.

The journey of how we got here is really a testimony of God's goodness.It happened about a year ago when we started our family planning. But a visit to the gyne left us feeling discouraged when she told us that a fibroid in my womb may cause problems conceiving. It was hard to hear that and left me feeling upset and guilty for putting off having a baby for sometime. But we decided to leave things in God's hand as He knows what best for us.

After a holiday to the US, baby was made. But its not USA baby :P Most prob happened after the trip.

And what's amazing is that I didn't experience any morning sickness, like vomiting and even strange cravings like most pregnant mummies. Thank God for that.

And now with 4 more months to go, we're really excited at the arrival of baby.

2008-12-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

2 and half years with you...

Yesterday we just passed the 2 and half years mark. 2.5 years is only half the time that we dated before we got married and yet it seems like we've been married for so long.

And in these 2 and half years, I've gotten to know you better, love you more...

And there's still no better felling of falling asleep beside you and waking up to see your face.

I love you dear, happy anniversary and I want to build a home, a family with you.

2008-08-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Back from Bangkok and US is next!

Got back from my bangkok shopping spree last Sunday and boy did I shop. From head (head band, dress, tops, bags, skirts, shoes) to toes. It was really enjoyable shopping at Platinum Mall, MBK, Chatuchak, enjoying massages.

But none can beat where I'm going next.

Here I come USA!!!

2008-07-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm off for a holiday

No more holidays to KL. I'm jeting off to Bangkok in less than 10 hours time :)
Chatuchat market, MBK, Siam Sqaure. The thought of shopping is making me excited!!

Weeeeee...

2008-07-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Breakfast for today

Fusion is the way to go for breakfast

Scrambled eggs and roti prata
Not forgetting my cuppa kopi

2008-07-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Savior
by the Planetshakers

Jesus, Beautiful Saviour,
God of all Majesty,
Risen king,
Lamb of God,
Holy and righteous,
Blessed redeemer,
Bright morning star

All the heavens shout your praise,
All creation bow to worship You

How wonderful, how beautiful,
Name above every name, exalted high
How wonderful, how beautiful,
Jesus your name, name above every name, Jesus

I will sing forever, Jesus I love you, Jesus I love you

2008-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

I wonder

I wonder if ...
Really???...
How will it change my life?

Although it's something that I've been looking forward to, am I ready?
Am I prepared?
Will I do well? Will we do well?

Enough of needless worries. The Lord will take care of them.

2008-06-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Slowing down to think and reflect

Been thinking about my job recently.

Had to think about what kind of job opportunity I want to pursue and how I want to develop my skills and knowledge. Decided that I want to stay on, to give myself more time to develop myself and also to prove myself. It's hard to move on if I keep making comparisons and feel unjustified.

Like my colleague said, it's time to do things differently. Time for a new strategy. Time to realign that I do and how I can make a mark in what I do. Which I agree. But it's not going to be easy. After all I'm hardly the sort that likes the limelight, so it will take more of me to "be seen and heard". Wonder if that's really what is expected to go higher, further.

It's been a good 2.5 years in this company. Time sure flies.. Had many happy moments with the dept and in many ways I have grown too, in the way I think, act, work, treat those around me. Still very proud to be part of the No. 1 company :)

2008-06-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

I wanna go on a holiday!!

The last few times that I've gone away was only to Malaysia. I want a real getaway. One that I have to get on a plane and be in the clouds to reach another land. Miss going on holidays.

2005- Hong Kong
2006- Bangkok and Melbourne
2007- Japan, Taiwan and KL
2008- Port Dickson and KL

Enjoy my holidays but wanna have a get away soon...
Have the company's trip to Bangkok to look forward to.

2008-05-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

So not a cookie person

My attempt at baking cookies has been a disappointment. A reminder of why I still prefer baking cupcakes than cookies. I don't know how you can ever make the dough hard enough to be cut by my cookie cutters. The moment I start to keand them, they turn soft and unmanageable. The end product, they look nothing like what I imagined.

Sigh... Back to baking cupcakes instead.

2008-05-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Do something new everyday

I am on a mission to do something new everyday.
In a year that's 365.
In 10 years 3,650 days.
If I did that till I'm 50, 8,030 days.
If I did that till I'm 65, 11,680 days.
If I did that till I'm 88, 21,900 days.

Why these ages?
50 coz that's half a century
65 coz that's the official retirement age in Singapore
And 88 coz I think I dun want to live too old :)

Mission starts from tomorrow! Whee... Something to look forward to.

2008-05-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

2008-05-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sniff sniff

Caught the flu bug and was down since Friday. It's so tiring being sick. Obviously the body feels weak, accompanied by body aches and that's not all, when the head feels groggy from popping too many pills which are supposed to make you feel better.

So the past few days were spent sleeping, resting and recuperating...

Today my mom came over to visit and left me ... I dun even know how to describe those feelings. I know that many times she doesn't have anyone to confide in. But telling your daughter stories about her father will only make me want to distant myself further from him. Sometimes I think, I really could end up just like my mom. In a way, I'm thankful I'm not like both my folks.... Or at least dun have what is not good about them. It's so tough to hear her go on about her stories. It pains me, angers me and leaves me feeling sad at my family.

I know that there is no perfect home and many have it worse than me . But there is always this longing that it can be much better... Maybe I can only wish it will not be worse?

Somehow it makes me think about my future family. I pray that I'll do a better job after I learn from mistakes that others have made without going thru the same pain myself. And to do that, the foundation of the family has to be strongly rooted in God and His Word. I really do want mine to be built on such strong solid grounds. Unshakable and held together by a conquering love. A love not just to overlook but to overcome.

2008-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Off for my birthday getaway

So glad to be away for my birthday. It's really a much needed break since the last holiday I took in December. These few months have been busy with work. So of course a break anywhere is good especially when I'm with my dear hubby.

Happy and thankful that he's so sweet to take time off work to spend my birthday with me.

Look forward to being refreshed, rejuvenated and recharged :)

2008-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's not everyday that I get to knock off at 5pm. Yes, a good 15 mins before my official knock off time at 5:15. That's why sometimes, attending workshops are a good "get away" from the office.

Had dinner at Vivo City with Alexis, my bro and his gf. It almost seems like yesterday when my bro and I were kids screaming and fighting with each other in the house. Now we're all grown up, talking about work, the family and all over coffee. When did time fly by so fast?

In another 8 days, I'll be turning 28.
And just 2 more years before I hit the big 30s!
I feel unprepared to be 30. There are still things that I want to do before I turn 30...

2008-04-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

Rest

Hide me now under Your Wings
Cover me within your mighty hands

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still know You are God

Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still know You are God

I want to have that rest in God. Knowing that all is well when I leave it in His care, in His hands. Not to have to worry about anything but to have that quiet trust that He loves me and His grace is sufficient for me.

There are days when I struggle to reconcile the fact that its in spite of what I've done or failed to do that God still loves me for who I am. Thank you God.

2008-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

My Sunday

Sundays.. A day I really look forward to in the week. Of course there's church where I'm reminded of who I am, why I'm here and that I'm still a work in progress who's far far from perfection. Thank God for that weekly reminder, of God's grace and hope that can be found in Him!

Today Alexis and I went to Ginrich at Hereen to get out hair done. Courtesy of Rachael who highly recommended her stylist to me. Didn't regret it and it was a high price to pay for too. But like my new colour. It's really been sucha long time since I last went to Orchard and spent the day there. Alexis was of course very sweet to accompany me shopping for my retail therapy :) We had fun, holding hands, being on our weekend date, enjoying each other's company on a lazy Sunday.

And then it's back to face the work week tomorrow! Monday here I come.

2008-03-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

End of Q1 & into Q2 of 2008

It's been forever since I last had an entry... Even the title says it all. As cliche as it sounds, time really flies. Before you know it 2008 will be gone without my knowing it. But God forbid that I should let it end without me making the best out of every day.

Feeling like I'm back at the cross roads once again. For my life, for my job, marriage, in so many many ways. God how I need your wisdom to make wise decisions that are in your will for me, my life to fulfill my destiny. I know that this is not just all there is to life, but an abundant and fulfilling one that I can find in You.

Still my heart God and as I seek you, may I find you.

2007-08-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

For some reason I havent been able to post any entries for the longest time.

Random updates for Aug
1. Went on a roadtrip to KL over the National Day weekend and stayed at the Tune Hotel. (I prob should blog more about my stay there. Quite an experience)

2. Big Apple Donuts and Coffee are the best! (from KL too)

3. Dyed my hair (again while I was in KL)
4. Did eyebrow embroidery ( I have permanent eyebrows!)
5. Cried because I was emo

Work pace has been picking up again. Such a drag knowing that I will not be able to spend more time doing things I rather spend my time on. Like exercise is one of them. Not as if you can tell I have been trying to get more exercise. :P July was some of the best times after my busy period ended. Now another peak period starting...

Well at least I can look forward to Taiwan in 2 weeks time :) Yeah!!

2007-07-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

I killed my cupcakes :(

So sad I murdered my 15 cupcakes today. Since I stopped about 3 months, I think I've been losing touch with baking. Even the speed of getting everything ready is so much slower. How??? There goes my cup cakery dream. Wahahaha.

My cupcakes!!!!

My body is also aching...

I'm in pain.

2007-07-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

Adrenaline Rush

Running never fails to leave me with an adrenaline rush. But its something that I haven't felt for a long time since I stopped exercising. Blame it on work, the late hours, and then because I have to sleep in on weekends because I worked those long hours on weekdays. Days, weeks and months. I think all these excuses caught up and the result is fairly evident now. So it's back to setting a resolution to not live this way and put on those running shoes again.

Adrenaline rush is such a short spurt of that high feeling and it leaves you wanting more sometimes. Sometimes leaves you feeling unreal, almost like an out of body experience. But sometimes leave you empty as well if that's only what life is about.

2007-06-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Child at heart

Besides baking, I have taken up a new hobby. Making toys!

Oh yes, another thing that gets me very excited during the weekends. It all started when I explored pictures of toys on my now favourite website, flickr.

I know how strange to like surfing on a photo album sharing site. But they've got these tags which allows you to find photos when you type a key word. So at first when I was all hooked on cupcakes, I was looking for inspirations for cupcakes. Now it's toys.

And I absolutely love to get my hands busy with making toys now. Here are a couple of my own creation.

I call this my bakery shop. There is an ice cream, biscuit, bear cookie, bunny cookie, star cookie, gingerbread man who looks more like a voodoo doll and a biscuit stick!

My favourite has got to be the ice cream! tried to make it into my handphone toy but realise that I cant hang it at all =(.

I simply love this new hobby of mine. Baking, making toys.. what else to pick up this year?

2007-06-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

What a week!
Having had crazy weeks at work I decided to treat myself better and make an attempt to leave earlier. So on Thursday, I left the office at 6:30 and enjoyed a Swenson's dinner and some shopping. I think Alexis appreciated it as well, after having to spend most eveings on his own. Then again, unlike me, he may enjoy being alone at home. I think if he was the one that had to work late most of the time, I'll prob not be home most nights. I'm just not the sort who enjoys being alone at home. At least not for days on end.

Over the weekends, I caught a play that my cousin was acting in, "On North Diversion Road" at the Arts House in the play den.

It was a cosy set up where the stage was in the middle of the room. The story revolves around ten different couples driving along the same highway, dealing with marriage-on-the-rocks, love and betray issues. SOme end up killing themselves, some end up fighting like cats and dogs, some giving the tit for tat treatment and some just unresolved.

This plus the past few nights of listening to love songs confidential on class 95, makes me wonder how people treat the value of fidelity in their marriage. On love songs confidential, you have people writing in to share their darke secrets. Some whom are married and are havng affairs they know fully well will get them no where, but still refuse to let go of. Them others who are the 3rd party themselves and feel guilty for breaking up families yet also refusing to leave, citing reasons that are just plain sad... *sigh*

It's impossible to expect fireworks in a marriage forever. And who ever said keeping a marriage strong requires no effort or work? Having passed the one year anniversary in my marriage makes me realise how one party's actions, moods, decisions, affects the other so much. Be it for the better or worse. How carefully marriage must be nurtutred, pruned, receiving love, affection, affirmation, praise, encouragement.

2007-06-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Buzi Buzi

Hit the busy period at work again. Makes me lose the will to live as my colleague would say. Spending ungodly hours in the office that makes me look forward to the weekends and wanna just spend them doing absolutely nothing. Not very productive I know.

Tired, drained and just a little more to go...

2007-05-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

Random photos

It was Labour Day last tuesday. The day we rest from labour. So we headed to sunny SENTOSA!

The luge is the funnest way to get down the slope. WEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEE...

2007-05-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

My Hobbies

The other day I asked Alexis if my hobbies were a waste of time.

Me: Do you think I waste time and money on my hobbies?
Alexis: Like what hobbies?
Me: Like baking, scrapbook, handicrafts..
Alexis: You like it what.

I think he didn't say it like he's resigned that his wife is one who squeals with delights at pretty, cutesy ,adorable and "useless "stuffs and insists on buying them for either her baking, scrapbooks and crafts. Rather there is an acceptance in who I am. I'm so grateful that he's so accepting of me even my hobbies that sometime costs quite a bit and doesn't make any sense to him.

Like not too long, I picked up this wire basket from Dasio not knowing what I can do with it. And here I am 3 weeks later turning this into a hamper for my mom for Mother's day. I lurve my creativity too!

And of course not forgetting my new interest in baking with dreams that I can one day turn it into something serious. Like a small humble business.

Mother's Day cupcakes made for Alexis mom

2007-04-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

Life's still good

I'm so swamped with work! Want to cry. But instead I'm going to take leave on Monday for a pamper me day. Also do catch up on things that I want to do. Oh yes I mentioned that already. Like a long awaited haircut, maybe facial.. but then I'll just ruin my hair right? Oh well. Maybe another day then.

Just got reminded that my very first wedding anniversary is going to come up in June. 3rd June. Wow how fast a year has passed!

Happy that Tuesday will be a public holiday too. Time to catch the sun, exercise, shed some weight! So many people have hinted that life must be SO GOOD to me. Yah yah I know what they are secretly thinking. Irrating...

But that said, yes Life is good! Still good.

2007-04-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese!

My first attempt at cheesecake cupcakes today.

Verdict.
1. Base of the cupcakes did not "stick" well. The crumbs were falling all over the place. The best way is probably to eat it with a spoon. I think it's because I did't mix the butter well into the crumbs.

2. Texture of the cupcakes were still okay, but some of the top cracked. I suppose the oven was too hot. Should have baked them at 180 degress. And I didn't fill up the cupcake liners enough so they didn't look puffed up.

3. But the most disappointing part should be the frosting. I tried to make chocolate ganache but the texture was way too runny to do any piping. I ended up just spreading it all over the cupcake. Well at least it does taste nice.

Cheesecake cupcakes will be a hard one to perfect. I shall stick to easier ones and improve on the decoration instead.

It's Monday again. Back to work...wondering when I can not go to work anymore. But, since I still have to work then I shall be the bestest worker. I'll try :) First, by being on time for work tomorrow and hopefully that means leaving on time too.

Anyway something cute that I saw about cupcakes.

Who says cupcakes must be eaten?

2007-04-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Birthday Wishes

I almost cant believe it, I'm turning 27 this year. Surprised to be where I am at this age. For one, I didn't even think I'll get married at 26, in fact I thought that 27 would be a good age to settle down. That said, the past 9 +months of married life has had it's moments. I cant imagine how life would change when a kid comes along. So that should be on the sideline for the time being while we have more time on our own, for our career, and interest. Yes my new found interest of baking too!

I'm planning for a relaxing birthday. Prob catch up on some long over due things that I need to do but always push to the back of my mind stuffs, like to the dentist, maybe a haircut, and yes a facial... Yeah how exciting right? Suddenly that doesn't sound all that relaxing.

I don't know what I want for my birthday. But what I don't want, is to celebrate it with food. So save your birthday treats and buy me a present! Oh there may just be something I want...

I'm so in love with Gucci's Cruise Monogram Scarf Tote Bag!So nice can. Lusting over it. But boy is the price mad :(

On a more serious note, I would to take baking more seriously so I'll be investing more into it, equipment, books. So you can contribute to my dream and maybe it will turn to a reality soon .

2007-04-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Cupcake Party

Last Saturday was the first cupcake birthday I had with a few of my poly girlfriends. Who can possibly resist cupcakes for birthday cakes?

We all had fun baking our own birthday cake. And in everyone's enthusiasm, not a single cupcake was left unfrosted! What a sugar rush :)

Next occassion for cupcakes would be Mother's Day. I just learnt some new decorating techniques that should give very pretty results. Maybe then I can start taking orders? What an idea.

2007-04-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

I wanna try!!

This may sound cruel but I wanna try the prawn noddle from this stall. This was recommended by Leslie from this blog, ieatishootipost.blogspot.com. How the prawns are cooked is really an act of, now you see them in the tank, and now you don't coz they just got boiled alive for my prawn noodle. Muahaha

Feng Yun Live Prawn Noodle
100 Kim Seng Road
#01-04 Kim Seng Plaza
12pm-3pm 6pm - 4am (or until sold out)
Closed on Sundays 81123675

Here are also some of his recommendations from Lavender foodcourt.
1. Prawn Noodle (Again ) from Albert Street Hokkien Big Prawn Mee
2. Beef Noodle from Bugis Street Beef Kway Teow
3. Wan Ton Noodle from Kok Kee Wanton Mee

Horror of horrors he didn't recommend my favourite ba chor mee stall which is so nice can? I may just try each of them starting from this Sunday :)

2007-04-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Baking in Progress

These are the cream cheese cupcakes that I made over the weekend. I think I shameless, but I do think they are tasting nicer and looking more presentable and interesting.

I trust that those who have tasted them, colleagues and church friends will not lie to me (esp the latter grp!). But personally, these cupcakes look nicer than the first time I started baking. They are not as hard, not as burnt and they are decorated with lemon flavour cream cheese frosting. Very yummy, but a tad too sweet for some.

So far, I have tried chocolate chip cupcakes, peanut butter cookies, cream cheese frosted cupcakes. I wanna explore more and do this every weekend. Especially to improve on the appearance to make them "sale worthy". Learn more toppings, frosting and flavours as well. Wondering if I can really take this further as a business opportunity. If I did, would you be my first customer?

2007-04-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday

I'm really quite a idiot to type my post and somehow just close the window. The problems with tyring to multi-task. Tsk tsk. Probably a sign from God not to post what I was typing...

In any case, what I was trying to conclude was that I wanna be able to declare that I can be a history maker. Not to look at the current situations and throw the towel in. Not to look at the situation but to know the greatness of God.

History Maker
Is it true today
that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you

2007-04-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

It's the long weekends!

Good Friday came and passed so quickly. Finally the show was over after weeks of practice. Even though it's a lot smaller scale than the usual productions we have back at SP, it was still a ministering drama. Many commented that the script had very real issues that people struggle with. The song and dance ministered in their own special way too.

I think this is really my interest. Maybe not as passionate about it yet, but I really believe this is one of the ways that a church can be relevant to the world. There's still so much we can improve, so much we can convey and communicate and impact through the arts.

Spent the afternoon at hypermarts today, Ikea and Giant at Tampines. Been so long since we went out on dates on a weekend. Just enjoying walking through Ikea, checking out new stuffs and enjoy meatballs and chicken wings.

So excited to resume baking tomorrow! Happy Easter all :)

2007-03-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm happy and upset and all mixed up

Why is America still voting to keep Sanjaya around in the American Idol? He obviously cant sing, does not look cute (In fact I think he has a chipmuck look!) ? I'm beginning to find him a joke, a big fat sad joke. *sigh* I though only Singapore suffered from such a fate when the silly school girls voted for their favourite guy in such competition. What has happened to this being a singing contest? I'm disappointed to see the good ones leave the show. (Screams, INJUSTICE!)

Enough about Sanjaya..
I'm happy, H-A-P-P-Y, happy. Check out my latest buy, a Fossil watch :) Pretty eh. My colleague insisted it was a damn nice watch and that I MUST buy it. I think she does a better job at promoting this watch than the promoter. And so I did!
Upset, happy and now mixed feelings..

2007-03-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunny Cookies

Aren't they adorable? So the key to making cookies that will fly off the shelf lies in the decoration. I have to admit that these bunny cookies of mine are not that quite ready for sale. But with more icing, with more practice, I can almost see that happening.

So care for some easter bunny cookies anyone?

2007-03-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Cupcake and cookies for sale

Wonder when I can master baking so good that I can start a business of my own. So far, the chocolate chip cupcakes were not bad. And it's on to cookies this weekend. Easter bunny cookies. If they turn out good, I may bake them for breakfast counter for my church building fund.

I'm so impressed by what you can do with baking and what decoration can do to make them look so pretty! I want to bake pretty cupcakes and cookies too.

2007-03-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

More shopping this weekend to start baking

List of Kitchen Baking Essentials (As claim by some)
1) Measuring cups (for dry ingredients-plastic or stainless steel)
2) Measuring cups for liquid ingredients (such as pyrex glass or plastic)
3) One set of measuring spoons (plastic or metal)
4)A set of different size mixing bowls (small, medium, large, and extra large)
5) One round and one oblong or rectangular cooling rack
6) Rolling Pin
7) Rubber spatula's (silicone ones are good because they can be used in high temperatures, and may be washed in the dishwasher) Also, metal spatula's for removing baked goods from pans
8) Either a wood or marble pastry board for rolling out your pie, tart or pastry dough
9) An offset spatula for decorating and frosting cakes, pastries and cupcakes, etc
10) Two or three pastry brushes
11) Pastry blender (what's this?)
~~12) Fluted or plain pastry wheel~~ (not going into pastry yet)
13) Pastry bags, and assorted size and shape pastry tips (do I need them for cupcakes?)
14) Flour sifter
~~15) Dough or pastry scraper~~ (not going into pastry yet)
16) 9 piece set of glass bowls (graduating sizes of mixing bowls for preparing ingredients for recipe) (9 pieces??)
17) Metal or wood cake testers (don't you test by just trying?)
18) Assorted cookie cutters in different sizes and shapes. 2 and 3 inch round biscuit cutters are good to have for cutting out biscuits, scones, etc. (I love this part :))
19) Cookie press (not the same as cookie cutter? )
20) Variety of food colors for tinting (either liquid or paste food colorings)
~~21) Pudding mold~~ (Pudding is not my thing)
~~22) Pie crust shields and Ceramic Pie weights~~ (No pies yet too)
~~23). A good pair of kitchen scissors and a good set of kitchen knives. (Bread, and cake knives are important to have if you are going to be making cakes and breads)~~ Not advanced to cakes yet
24) Oven mitts (very important) (I have them already)
25) Aluminum foil, Parchment baking paper, waxed paper, and plastic cling wrap
26). A variety of flavorings and extracts (essences)
27). At least one or two whisks, one being a balloon whisk (the balloon whisk shape is especially good for whipping egg whites and heavy cream, when you need the maximum amount of air)
28). A kitchen timer

I'm bring Alexis shopping with me.

2007-03-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Attempt at baking and cooking this weekend

I bought a book titled Japanese women don't get old or fat after personally witnessing the beauty of them in the land of the rising sun. So hopefully this book lets me in on some of the Japanese women secrets. Actually they are some that are already known, how they drink green tea (antioxidants and boosts the metabolic rate!), the small portions they eat, the only eat till you're 80% full rule, etc.

So it's down to some Japanese cuisine this weekend. I intend to cook soba, miso soup and tempura ... Quite an attempt! Hope this will not be the last too.

And after more reading on baking, I shall embark on my first attempt to bake!And the first recipe shall be Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie Cupcakes.

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie Cupcakes

3 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oat bran
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Whisk 2 cups oats, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bran, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in sour cream. Stir in raisins with a rubber spatula.

3. Transfer 2 3/4 cups batter to a small bowl, and stir in remaining 1 3/4 cups oats and the coconut; set aside. Spoon 2 1/2 tablespoons plain batter into each prepared muffin cup; top with 1 1/2 tablespoons oatcoconut batter. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Hopefully it will turn out like this =)

PS: Why do you need sour cream in a cupcake recipe?

2007-03-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Playing with a thought

Just having time to myself these days makes me wonder what life would be like if I stopped working. You know how the government has projected a population of 6.5m in the next 40- 50 years. That raised questions on how the government is supporting this target. While there have been baby bonuses handed out to lighten the financial costs of raising a family, the more vital question is how to bring up a child without being absent in their growing years. I don't think I'm ready for a child now, because the way I work already leaves me with little time for my family. I really cant imagine how life will be so different when it's a baby who will require attention 24/7. I would consider stop working in my child's most vital years to make sure that I spend time with my child, to pass on values and be the one to hear their first word...

Then I had a ~~crazy~~ creative idea. I could embark on a job that I can work from home, something like baking! I recently got interested in baking though I have not gotten down to trying it out yet. I have came across websites and articles and people who have been ordering customized cakes, cupcakes, etc. so it seems there is a market for this business of customization. So I started my research online and found some options for me to take this to another level. I've a feeling I could do this, yeah like as a job.

So first, I would have to learn to start baking!
Already on my birthday wishlist are these books
1. 500 Cupcakes: The Only Cupcake Compendium You'll Ever Need
2. Cupcakes Year-Round: 50 Recipes for Every Season and Celebration
3. 500 Cookies: The Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need
4. 125 Best Cupcake Recipes
5. Biggest Book of Cookies: 475 All-Time Favorites
6. Crazy About Cupcakes
7. Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids' Creations from the Cupcake Caboose
8. Cupcakes Galore
9. The Flour Pot Cookie Book: Creating Edible Works of Art
10. The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery

Another thing to add on my to do list for the weekend- bake cupcakes

Here are some inspirations to keep me inspired.

2007-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

More food reviews as promised

I'm such a cheat. I didn't even do these reviews, just plucked them from what I've read. Anyway, when you're sick perhaps the only consolation is that food just taste blah and I'm hoping against all hope that it will make me lighter.

But anyway, back to my recommendation...Have you ever heard of the Rabbit brand sharkin? I bet you thought Rabbit brand only sold white milk candies wrapped in the paper like plastic that melts in your mouth. They do.. but more than that they've got sharkin, bird's nest and now seafood! Rabbit Brand Seafood Restaurant is where I wanna go for baked crab with cream sauce.
RABBIT BRAND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
325/327 Joo Chiat Road, Tel: 6348-8772
Open: 6pm to 4am daily
Food:
Service:
Ambience:

Doesn't that make your mouth watering already?

I'm in a "I wanna eat more crab kinda mood". (And I just has chilli crab last week!)

2007-03-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

On sick leave

On MC for 3 out of 5 days… On Tues, I had the flu bug and also a sore throat. Then when I got back to the office, I coughed my lungs out. My boss sent me home and ordered me to rest before I start to spread it to my other colleagues. In fact this string of virus have been spreading around from one colleague to another after everyone's back from the CNY. So it's back to the doc I go and I got two days MC.

So I tried to make the best of my day.

Mom came to accompany me and we had breakfast at the market
Watched curse of the golden flower (It was an overdose of spilling blossom of other kind)
Packed aside old newspapers for the garang juni man this weekend
Cooked dinner
Sorted old magazines and found good places for food J (more on that in a moment)
Begin scrapbook on my Japan trip
Watched花样少年少女 (this is actually very funny)

I have another day of MC tomorrow and I’m wondering what to keep myself busy with, especially when it rains and it keeps you stuck at home. I wanted to pop by the library and borrow some cookbooks to start on my baking. But the rain prevented that from happening. I bought my baking equipment but yet to start on it. It’s quite exciting but just hope that it would not be a disaster! Haha.

Oh and yes some good finds while clearing the papers and magazines...
Care for Western Food? Then lets head to UNO in Toa Payoh.

Tucked away in a HDB block off Toa Payoh Lorong 5 is this western food stall that serves it yummylicious signature black pepper sirloin steak. There are also other just as delicious chicken chop and fish and chips. Choices that you can never go wrong :)

UNO BEEF HOUSE
Block 51 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, 01-60
Open: 12.30 to 11pm, closed on alternate Wednesdays.

More food discovery when I blog again. Stay tuned.

2007-02-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

As a married person, one of the things that is vastly different from all the other Chinese New Year is of course giving ang baos. Wasn't as painful as others make it sound. Though it was a little odd giving to my older unwedded cousins. And at such occassions, it's all expected that the other relatives start flooding me and Alexis with questions like, when are you going to have a baby. So predictable right? And as this is the year of the "golden pig" according to the lunar calendar, this makes it a very auspicious time to have a child, since the so-called "Golden Pig" year which happens only once every 60 years. Children born in such a year are thought to be particularly fortunate with money and business. And can you believe it, the Chinese are so obsessed with it that there's apparently a baby boom in China! And my grandma decided that since there is no "dragon" in the family yet, she made an "order" for it in the next 5 years! Faints...

Thank you very much, but I would like to enjoy this phrase of my married life first. I can't imagine being a mom yet. Just not quite yet. That's why I have planned to go for more holidays first before that happens.

Oh by the way, the recent trip to Japan was great!It was a good 9 days away from work and stress.

What I enjoyed the most was no doubt, Tokyo Disneyland! The place where magical dreams come to life with childhood friends, like Mickey, Donald, Pluto and the more recent addition, the Disney Princesses.

We also visited Hakone for their hotspring. What an experience it was, imagine dipping your bare body into the hotspring during winter time. Pretty awkward at first, but to really enjoy it you just gotta do it like the locals and lose the inhibitions. What can I say but that it was really shiok!

We also went to Kyoto for a slower pace of Japan. It was a lot of walking and visits to castles, shrines and the gion area to catch a glimpse of the geishas.

It was winter in Japan, but apparently not a very cold one. The average temperature was only 8 degrees, but I was not really enjoying it as my skin started to get very dry and threatening to crack. And you know how winter is, when everyone is all wrapped one and walking faster than usual to get away from the cold. And of course I complained that it prevented me from enjoying more shopping. Shoes sizes there are really interesting. It comes in S, M, L, XL. So you hardly get shoes that really fit. But that didn’t stop me from bagging a pair of boots, simply because most chic Japanese gals all wear them during winter. And despite what most think, shopping is not that expensive. That is if you’re like me scouting for sale. So my boots cost me S$26 and so did a suede furry jacket (the one I'm wearing below).

I think the next time I go to Japan, I want to wander up to Hokkaido where I can experience snow. I actually did see snow on the way back to Tokyo while travelling back on the shinkasan, but what a pity it was only all on the ground. I would so love to have a white christmas once in my life. Not too long away I hope :)