Family gathering - Part I

My brother and family and my parents came for a visit. I havent seen my brother and family for at least 1 full year as we missed each other during the last CNY. It was such a joyous family get-together though we had to squeeze a little at my place. Nicole insisted on sleeping with my parents and Samantha, my 7 seven year old niece, thus adding on to the "squeeziness" upstairs. The two girls really got on very well. They were holding hands everywhere they went. They waited for each other before going to bed. They ate together, played together, just a tad short of bathing and pooing together. :) It was such an endearing moment :) Enough siad of the girls.

The boys on the other hand, didnt really play much together. E is 3.5 yo while Joe is slightly over 4. E somehow preferred to play with his uncle. E insisted that all the visitors should stay with him but I had to tell him our place is too small to accommodate all on a long term basis. Hmm, perhaps, we should consider moving to a house instead which has been a fierce debate between L and I . L has always preferred a landed property for its sheer generosity of space while I prefer a condo for its facilities and you can see whose preference has prevailed over the years :) Well, perhaps, having a piece of land (without the full condo facilities) may not be such a bad idea afterall. We will see :)

Musical Box

When I was little, I was a proud owner of a small ballerina music box given to me as a birthday gift. I loved it with all my heart as it was simply so beautiful and the accompanying music was so soothing. It kept me company for years until I moved away from home to further my studies. It brings back good old memory whenever I see any similar ballerina music boxes around.

Now that I have my own little girl, it seems that history is repeating itself or perhaps this is just a girlish thing. Nicole has been asking for a music box and she particularly wants a ballerina music box (just like the mummy I suppose :) ) and I found this amazing website which retails a good selection of musical jewelry boxes and ballerina music boxes.

I would just pick one for her as a surprise gift after her ballet examination and this would surely bring a megawatt smile on her face. She has already allocated a spot on her new book cabinets to display all her trophies and of course, her ballerina music box. She even intends to invite her friends over after she is completely satisfied with the renovation and arrangement of her belongings in her pink room!

The best birthday gifts ever...

It was the best birthday L had ever had I guess. First, he managed to conclude 2 very significant deals for his company which were the first in Asia, involving the interest of 3 nations, right before his birthday. The conclusion of the 2 deals drew much attention all over, including the top management back at the HQ in the United States. He received numerous congratulatory notes. Well, I guess all the frequent travelling and constant late night conference calls were all worth it at the end of the day :)

Then, on the domestic front, the kids and I wanted to surprise him with a birthday cake (L was on the way home after concluding the deals). We baked him a chocolate and vanilla fresh fruit cake. The cake texture was good – soft and cottony but I must admit that the cake wasn’t well decorated at all as I only had 10 minutes to do the job (slicing, creaming, laying the fruits, more chocolate frosting, more fruits on top). I would have sliced some kiwi and added some blueberries given more time.

The cake batter went into the oven at 3pm and the cake was out and ready by 405pm. I needed to cool the cake very quickly and thus I had to turn up the air cond at full capacity. I was literally blowing the air cond at the cake. L texted me at 345pm informing me that he would be home in 15 to 20mins. Truly, he walked in at 410pm.

We sang him the classic birthday song and cut the cake. ¾ of the cake was consumed within 5 minutes. (I wasn’t sure if it was a sign of hunger or “yumminess”) :) E was napping and we woke him and as a result, he was moody and didn’t want to join us for a photo but we still managed to capture him… heehee :) . You would notice that we were crowding at a very small area in the living room as all the renovation mess was blocked by the sofa!

We extended the celebration to an Italian restaurant. The kids absolutely loved the pizza and pastas (as usual) and the live singing by a very seasoned singer.

And now, the highlight of the domestic event was : I DROVE NIC FOR HER CLASS ON MY OWN, on his birthday! It was a big thing for me and him though it may not sound exciting to many at all.

I had to wake a little earlier to figure out how to start his car. I didn’t know how as it doesn’t use the conventional car key. I rang L for guidance and his first reaction was “ What? Why do you need to start my car? Oh no!!! Don’t drive. Wait till I get back”. He sounded panicky and was afraid I would smash his precious car, I supposed. To me, a car is just a car. I wouldn’t feel a thing whether it was a Bimmer or a Bomb. Then, I had to call a friend for help and was told that I had to step on the brake paddle to start the engine. (oh!, I see!, something new haha). I managed to drive and park the car nicely, to and fro though it took a few more twists and turns to wriggle the car into the lot. At least, N didn’t complain :) Thanks sweetie for your support!

L has been pestering me to drive (again) for the past many years but I chose to turn a deaf ear because I simply dislike driving. So, I thought, perhaps I should pick it up again and that would be a good birthday present for him. Well, it looks like I will be driving to work soon as I have a parking lot allocated but it has been left un-used for the past 2 years. A friend suggested that we should get a second car and my instant response was “ No way!”as this would mean that I would be the new chauffer for the kids :)

Last but certainly not the least, - his “material” birthday present! – however you choose to read it. This gift cost me over AUD$10k!

Looking back 2010

We are counting down to the end of the year. Overall, it has been a good year for us, in all aspects, thank God for the blessing.

The kids are doing well especially N who has achieved much during her pre-school years.

She already bagged the following awards:

1. Taekwondo Green Belt
2. Piano Grade 1 Distinction
3. 1st Runner Up for Best Artist of her Kindergarten
4. Bronze Medal (Swimming)
5. Pre-Grade Ballet Award
6. 1 of the Top 3 achievers for her K2 class (ranking wasn’t indicated)
7. Ceremony hostess for her graduation concert

In the pipeline:

1. Taekwondo Green Belt/Blue Tip
2. Friendly Chess Competition
3. Piano Grade 3
4. Silver Medal equivalent for Swimming (the syllabus has been changed and I have not kept up with it)
5. Grade 1 Ballet

As for playful E, he is progressing well too. He has learnt to re-cite many Chinese poems. He has asked for piano and swimming lessons and we will start him next year when he turns 4. N only started her lessons after she turned 4 anyway.

As for the adults, we fared pretty well too. L completed 2 major deals for his employer which were of a historical significance. As for me, (not being too ambitious :)), I am contented with everything I have, be it my career, family or friends. I treasure them with a thankful heart.

I wish you a Blessed and peaceful Christmas and may the New Year bring you more joy and harmony. God Bless!

My birthday

This is a long overdue post.

It happened to be Nic's primary school orientation day too. We were busy and thus L and I didnt really celebrate my birthday. We would usually go for a nice meal without the kids. This year, we had a quite dinner at home with the kids. I thought of making it different. I baked myself a birthday cake for the very first time! I knew nothing about baking 3 months ago but I learnt and am still learning :) All within a span of 1 hour and that was all the time I had before my kick boxing class.



15mins preparation time, with" N's help ". I reckoned it could have been just 8 mins ha :).

35mins baking time

5 mins frosting time



I reduced the amount of baking powder and baking soda as I am not a fan of "chemicals" and as a result, the cake was a little dense but it was nonetheless welcomed by the kids. E was so excited seeing the cake and N decorated it with some Smarties (that was all we had because we dont keep sweet stuff at home). E simply couldnt resist the Smarties. He actually lowered his mouth onto the cake in order to literally eat the Smarties :) How cute.

Thereafter, I went for my shower and Nic "directed" a performance for me, together with E. As I stepped out of the bathroom, both were lining up outside, singing a "happy birthday" song to me. It was the best gift I received this year! Thank you sweeties!

Last but not least, L came back from his trip with another LV Epi leather bag to add to my collection :). Somehow, he has a preference over LV vis a vis other brands. I have collected easily 6 to 7 pieces of LV merchandise amongst other brands though I am not a very brand conscious person deep down. I am happy carrying a Bagman too :) but I will never carry a fake! That is for sure :). Thanks for the thoughts dear :)

Buzz & Woody

We took the kids out for lunch. Thereafter, we went to the departmental store with the sole purpose of getting some shampoos for the kids and guess what! E spotted his new love – Buzz Light Year and Woody! And that increased my shopping bill by many folds.

At lightning speed, he grabbed a set and ran towards me.

E” Mummy, can you buy Buzz and Woody? I want to bring them home. I love them”

E got excited yet nervous. I guess he didn’t expect to see Buzz and Woody and he reacted as though he had discovered some previous treasures!

L had a glance at the price tag and announced it cheekily to me “ Oh, it is only S$189.90 for two. Buzz is sold separately too. That would be S$99.90. I think it is cheaper to buy 2, Mummy! :)”

My eyes just rolled “I am not sold to a $10 discount!”

Well, how could I deny my little boy of his wish! I managed to persuade him to only bring Buzz home on the understanding that we would be getting Woody for him in Hong Kong next week. He is having so much fun with Buzz and he even sleeps with Buzz next to him. I guess it was money worth spending??

Dancer,,,,

A beautiful ballerina...

Me

Been such a long time since we took a picture together :) - High up in the sky, at the helipad

Showering Fun

My little handsome boy did a wonderful job at his year end concert. He was full of enthusiam when performing his "Stunts". All his teachers were impressed by his readiness to charge. They praised him over and over again and I overheard the compliments when I sneaked into the backstage. :)

Oatmeal loaf & Cheese loaf

Healthy oatmeal loaf and our all time favourite cheese loaf.....

Day 2

I have no recollection of losing my temper in a magnitude anywhere close to what happened yesterday. All about the storage of sand!! It was all very unclear when I was communicating with both parties (contractor and condo manager) over the phone. My impression was that the condo manager was being difficult but when I got home, I realized that it was the contractor who wanted to store the sand in my house for his own convenience when the condo manager had given a special approval to store it in the basement storage area. I got a shock too seeing the number of workers in my house, easily 10 Indian looking workers when Rose told me there were only 2 on the first day. Apparently, the extra 8 came from the opposite construction site to help out. (I saw them pushing back the pushcart to the construction site). Wow! True blue brotherhood!

Immediately, I rang him and literally hammered him flat! My blood was boiling and I could feel my blood pressure going up (though genetically I have low blood pressure), as I was firing at him. Ok, we settled. The workers moved the sand bags out of my living room.

And today, he had the cheek to try to do the same. He intended to move the cement and tiles into my living room AGAIN! I told him off outright and gave him 2 options. Half in the kitchen walkway and half in the basement OR all in the basement. I left it as such and hung up.

Gosh, this is really an experience. Even my colleagues heard me screaming over the phone eventhough my office is rather well enclosed already. All these happened while L is happily away on a business trip and guess what, he will be gone again next week.

Renovation - Day 1

We got through the first night rather well. The bedroom was decently clean, thanks to Rose who did a round of cleaning after the hacking. The door to the masterbedroom bath was also sealed to prevent dust from flying out. Needless to mention, the floor was laminated with thick cardboard rolls to prevent scratches when they moved the construction materials in and out. I told the kids to put on their shoes in the house and they seemed to enjoy the novelty :)

Rose managed to make a simple meal of soup, egg and rice. We have an induction cooker which allows for some simple dishes. Our daily necessities were all packed in boxes - toiletries, kitchen utensils, skin care products etc.

On a funny note, it was quite an experience to cook and eat at the dining area in such a messy condition, but still decently hygienic in my view. We turned the powder room into our mini kitchen wash area. After our meal, we washed the utensils in the powder room! Kinda funny and weird to see pots and pans in a powder room, isnt it? We are like flood victims being put up at a temporary holding area. Haha!

Thankfully, Nic can still escape upstairs as they have left it untouched for now till they are done with the lower deck. I get live updates from my little reporter.

N “ Mummy! Bad news! I cant play the piano now because the workers covered up the piano with some wood pieces” (deep down, I am sure that was good news to her :( )

N “ Mummy, it is so noisy. They are hacking the kitchen now”

N “ Mummy! They mess up the place when they throw the rubbish away and now they are moving the sand in. Oh my goodness!”

I will get to see the messiness at the end of today! I will have a surprise everyday till the renovation is completed.

Good bye kitchen

I bid goodbye to my kitchen of 10 years today. I have never really treasured my kitchen up to 3 months ago when I discovered my “hidden baking talent” by accident. Ummhmmm! :)

We decided to redo the kitchen to give it a modern taste since I am using it so often these days (instead of leaving it to Rose entirely). Well, since we are hacking the kitchen, we thought we might as well hack the bathrooms too! And since we are doing up the bathrooms, we might as well do up some book cabinets and a desk for N since she would be starting P1 soon. Oh, by the way, N insisted on a pink cabinet and a pink desk which almost freaked me out. Thank god, we managed to persuade her to let the ID uncle decide for her while we would get her a PINK chair in return. Phew! Otherwise, we would have a hard time selling the house in the future! You would surely get a headache when you walk into her room. Your vision just turns PINK instantaneously! Oh yes, since we are doing the cabinets for N, L decided he wanted a couple too :(. And last but not least, since we are doing some cabinets for N and L, we decided to install one in Rose’s room too :)

Ideally, we would like to re-do the entire house (ie. Tear down the bedroom wardrobes, have some ID in the living and dining rooms) but we can’t practically as we are still living in it. Moving out temporarily is not an option for me as I do not want the kids’ routine to be disrupted.

Now, you can imagine the consequence of one “since” leading to another “since”. Well, it will take 1 full month before we can restore our kitchen and bathrooms. Thankfully, we will be away for vacation for 1 full week and this helps to reduce our “pains and sufferings” during the renovation period :)