Long overdue post

Been kind of busy for the past few months. With many things small and big. The kids , the pre-school and its expansion plan, housing etc.

The kids are doing fine. E will be joining his jie jie in the same school next year. He is a big boy now, no longer the chubby little baby I used to carry and lug along wherever I went. The precious nine months of nursing built this wonderful bond. He is still cute and is certainly quick on his toes,

E " mummy, can I watch for another 20 minutes?"
Me " give me a good reason for extending your tv time!"
E " oh....so that I have more time to think about what to write for my compo. I will think as I watch "

Hahahaa.... You reckon so?

N is equally cheeky.

N " I have something to announce. I will not be bringing my text books back from school until 4 weeks later. They are so heavy to be carried around."
Me" then how are you going to revise your work.?"
N" I will bring them back 4 weeks later during the exam week. "

Omg! I just rolled my eyes.

The pre school has stabilized and it is on good track. Second one to be born soon. Praise The Lord.

Somehow, the thought of looking for a bigger place resurfaced ( by the kids). They have been asking for a bigger place since last year so all sorts of invalid reasons. To be truthful, our present accommodation is fairly large by Singapore's standard, sitting on almost 1500sf. Still, the kids are not quite contented. So, we looked and looked. Finally, we thought we quite like this particular place. 2400sf, private pool, private lift. Well, we threw in an offer and we prayed about it. If it is meant to be, then it will be ours. We are awaiting a response from the developer. If we don't get it, we know God has something better for us. Amen!

"Dog Boy Girl"

D looked down from the hotel window and saw a couple in the pool, not exactly in their best behaviour.

D remarked " Kan na dui gou nan nu! "

To which A, innocently responded " Dad, where? where? Where is the dog?"

The adults just burst into laughters while the kids displayed blank and perplexing expressions on their face!

2011

The year is coming to an end in less than 2 weeks. We are very thankful for all the blessings for the past 1 year, just like in every other year.

The kids are doing great at all front, be it academic or otherwise. We, adults have had a fruitful year too.

L has had a challenging but rewarding year.

He now tries to live a more active lifestyle instead of being a couch potato. He swims and goes to the gym more regularly. He moved on to a new employment and is doing better than ever. Hours are much more regular and he has more time with the kids now. Thank God for walking with him throughout.

As for me, I am always thankful and I do count my blessings everyday :). I am glad that I picked up cooking/baking, a joy and satisfaction which I have never experienced. Deserving a mention is my driving skill. It has definitely improved but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The slow progress is due to a lack of motivation to drive when L is around. So, I do lack practice but still can get by when I need to drive. Well, put it this way, driving is not a joy to me and so, I would avoid it if I have a choice and this explains why I had not driven earlier when I have had my licience since high school! This also explains why L has not been successful in persuading me to change our car which in my view is still pretty good by the standard of many. Hear this conversation :

L " F is going to get his new Panamera. He has been dreaming about it and losing sleep over it and so his wife gave him the green light. He asked his wife which model he should get and she said he should go for the hybrid instead eventhough it would cost $70k more. F asked if you would think the same. I told him my wife would say " keep on dreaming!..." "


Above pretty much sums up our 2011. As we all know, 2012 would be a rocky year. Like it or not, we will have to get through it. With faith, we will make it.

Merry Christmas to all and God bless!

Lovely curtains

We sold our other property and we needed to clear the unit up before we could hand over the keys. We disposed off the electrical appliances (European made, and almost brand new) at dirt cheap prices and we also removed the curtains since the buyer did not express any intention of keeping them though we would be happy to leave them behind. The worst case scenario is, if the curtains were left behind and they end up in the trash! That would be a $2,800 trash! They didnt come cheap. We invested in it for the sake of the first tenant.

We tried to make use of them at our residence instead. We paid a little alteration fee (relative to that hefty $2,800 if we were to make another set) to have it refitted. Well, we are happy with the outcome. Now, our bedroom is almost 90% pitch dark when the curtain is drawn and this means, we can stay in a little later without being greeted by the early morning sunshine at 7am! Thank God for his seamless plan!

1st year anniversary

Today is the last day of September 2011. Sometime last year of the same month, I chanced upon my oven of 1 year old now and that was the begining of my baking/cooking journey. I have not looked back since. It has been a rewarding 1 year. I have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is such a joy to know friends/fellow bloggers who share the same interest/passion.

My loyal portable oven has been a fabulous partner! Apart from cakes, breads and cookies, it has also produced delicious roast pork (siew yoke) and roast bbq pork (char siew), speaking of which I need to get some done up for tomorrow's bbq party. :)

Happy baking!

Greenie the master "wu gui"!

I discovered little Greenie's hidden "gong-fu" skills just like Master "wu gui" in Gongfu Panda! Greenie could climb and hang himself on the "tree"! I was absolutely amazed when I spotted him doing his stunts!

Isn't it spectacular?

Sunday family outing

It was Rose's off day again. She is off every other Sunday. So, we took the kids out on our own. We wanted to go to Raffles City initially but decided against it after taking into account the heavy traffic in the car park at 1pm. We went to Milenia Walk instead.

Nicole wanted to have sushi on a sushi train but there wasn't any and she started throwing her tantrum again. Thankfully she was easily appeased. The promise of a serving of ice cream as dessert was good enough to get her to eat her Korean udon :)

Then we walked past this beautiful scent boutique. I absolutely love the ambiance. It has recently been relocated to its current unit within Milenia Walk. I could smell the scent way before I arrived at the boutique. The scent was simply so aromatic and unique. For those of you who are perfume lovers, check the store out, you may be able to find something interesting for yourself!

Before we headed home, we went to take a look at our new place, due for completion by the end 2008. The only thing which was of interest to Nicole was the pool! A children's slide was built right in the middle of the kiddie pool :)).

In trouble? Hope not...

My helper, Rose has been with me for almost 3 years now. Rose is my first helper and I am very thankful to have her. We work well together and the kids like her. I dont pick on her and leave almost everything to her. I dont set her work schedule. She does whatever she has planned for the day. At times, she doesnt wash the car for over 2 weeks...ho ho ho :( Lawrence and I would not even remind her. We just assume that she is probably too soaked up in other household chores.

I still remember her first day with us.

Rose " Ma'am, what do you want me to do?"
Me " Err...I dont know...why don't you just do whatever you can"

Then, off she went to pack up her own room, mop the floor and cook porridge for lunch. I was like err?....very good....very organised!

But today, Rose told me me something shocking! The police called her! The officer informed her that her friend whom she has lent money to, has been arrested and she (ie. Rose) is required to be present at the police station. OMG!! We have to send Rose to the police station tonight and see what is required of her :(

Arthur Andersen (2) - Winnie's retirement party

The Arthur Andersen spirit was very much alive at Winnie's farewell party. Many made the effort to attend despite their busy schedule! The Andersen organising committee did a fantastically wonderful job in putting this memorable event together. The team even projected a video clip of the 1999 Tax Division Away Day Trip at Bintan and many more.

The heart felt emotion towards Winnie's retirement filled the air. Winnie would be remembered as a good and passionate leader. She has done so much in leading the Andersen Tax Division and she certainly has been a well known public figure in the tax arena. We would all miss her dearly. She would most certainly remain as a legacy in the Andersen history!

Feeling restless and unsettled....

I have been feeling rather unsettled. Something is bothering me but I dont know what. Waiting in anticipation of God's plan for me is the biggest trial! I thought I have learnt to surrender to Him entirely until this restless feeling set in. I could sense that changes and choices are coming my way but I dont know what exactly. Is God preparing me for something yet to come? Or is it already here?

Please pray for me. Pray for clear direction from the Almighty!

God in heaven vs God in temple?

I was casually chatting with a little girl whom I shall not name. Let's just call her Alice.

Alice " I have a grandmother. She is my father's mother"
Me "oh, so where is your grandmother? do you live with her?"
Alice " No, because we pray to a different god"
Me" huh? so which god do you pray to? "
Alice " The one in heaven"
Me " Oic, what about your grandma?"
Alice "The one in the temple"

It just got me thinking on how observant and perceptive our little ones can be on such minute and subtle difference.

Arthur Andersen (1) - the one big family

I wrote a farewell message to Winnie on Andersen Alumni's webpage yesterday. Winnie was our Head of Tax at Arthur Andersen and she is due to retire next month.

I was recruited from Melbourne where I was completing my fourth year Honours degree. It just dawned on me how long I have been in Singapore when I was writing that message.

We were all once part of the Andersen big family and we are all so proud of it, no doubt about it! I think Arthur Andersen did such a wonderful job in creating this strong sense of belonging which in my opinion, no other big 4s have managed to do so.

I just want to express my gratitude towards Winnie who has been such a wonderful leader throughout the Andersen history. We will continue to miss her and will constantly remind ourselves of the good work which she has done in nurturing the powerful Andersen spirit!

Helpless Me!

Nicole was having a blocked nose last night and so we didnt use the air-cond. We turned in at about 11pm and as I was slowly getting into a deep sleep, some pungent smell woke me. It was nothing but the cigarette smoke again! I checked the time and it was 2am. OMG!!

I was really agitated and did what I could within the legal boundaries. I watered my plant again at 2am!! Just with plain water but I can't be sure if my plant would need some liquid fertiliser the next time I need to nurture them!

Help!!

Connection between confinement diet & child's diet?

It is usually an uphill task getting Nicole to eat her dinner which is most certainly rice. She simply hates it and I think I have a part to play in this too.

During my confinement month (the 1st month after giving birth to Nicole), I literally abstained from rice as I was trying to lose the extra kilos which I succeeded in shedding in barely 2.5months :) As a result, perhaps my milk did not have much of a "rice" taste, thus causing Nicole's strong resistance towards rice thereafter :(

Nicole did such a wonderful job in finishing her dinner last night and I rewarded her with Haagen Dazs ice-cream and she licked the dessert bowl sparkling clean :)

Nursing

Gone were the days when I had to wake every 3 hours to nurse. Looking back, it wasnt such a bad experience afterall. It was a good bonding time for me and both of my of kids. Unfortunately, not all women are able to sustain the stressful "trial period". Imagine going through interrupted sleep consecutively for at least 6 months before many babies would sleep through the night.

I read in another mommy's blog about the various tested ways to getting the best out of breastfeeding. Check it out for those who are expecting and want to learn more about the various techniques.

What would you do if you were me?

As much as we all like to be good neighbours, I feel that there would be a triggering point whereby you would just ignore all the unwritten rules of being a good neighbour and act in the best interest of your family instead.

The unit right below ours is a smoker unit. They perpetually smoke around the clock. It would be none of my business if the smoke doesnt get into my unit. The best part is, they like to smoke standing right next to their bedroom window, leaving the ash tray in the planter and common sense would tell you that the smoke would get into my bedroom right above it. The super best part is, they even smoke past mid night, sometimes as late as 1am.

I maintained my cool and actually went down with a tray of fruits trying to explain our predicament, being a non-smoking family with 2 young children, constantly inhaling second hand smoke. They accepted the tray of fruits and promised to reduce the smoking frequency.

However, there seems to be little improvement thereafter. Two nights ago, they smoked again at 1230am and I could take it no more. I watered my plant at 1230am too, though I have yet to get any green in. The water trickled down to their planter where the ash tray was lying comfortably enjoying the cool night breeze......

What would you do if you were me?

A prayer is needed

I have been thinking about a close relative of mine since many nights ago. We used to be very close and we share alot of things including family disagreement, you know those never ending tales? The last I heard of her was that she has recently gotten into the company of some friends whom we may not necessarily approve of but then again, we are not in the best position to judge her friends. Ever since, we have drifted apart. I have been praying and will continue to pray for her well being. I want her to know that we all love her very much and no matter what, we will always welcome her back with open arms. All that is needed now is for her to turn back.

Please take a couple of minutes to pray for my close relative if you are a Christian too! God bless :)

My helper

Lawrence was very upset with one of the resident in our condo as he has the habit of parking his car along the drive way causing inconvenience to others. So, he wrote a note and asked Rose to put it on the window screen of the "illegally" parked car. But guess what, Rose hand delivered the note to the culprit....oh oh....:(