eunice treehouse

In love for the first time

2011-09-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

After 23 years of being in a relationship, I fell in love for the first time. He wooed me tirelessly but I never paid any attention or knew how deep and patient this love is. I always thought I'm not worthy of a love like this. But this is what He told me: I love you with an everlasting love. (Jer 31:3) You do not need to do anything to win my love for you because I already love you. I am not a liar. (Num 23:19) I love you and that is the truth. The truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

I was deeply touched by the promise and declaration of such love. Although I've been a Christian for more than 2 decades, I never understood what it really means to be a child of God. Nor have I experienced His love for me. Last Christmas, I cried out to Him to show Himself to me, to proof to me that He exists, that He cares for me. Since then, He has not stopped wooing me. He has been relentless in His efforts to proof His love to me. He is the almighty God who creates heaven and earth and sent His son, Jesus, to die for me. He has done it all. He has proven His love for me thousands of years ago. I am but a speck of dust. Yet, He goes all out to pursue my love, to soften my cynical heart. In Him, I know I need not strive. In the midst of storms and chaos, I can hide under His wings. He says, 'Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10). My grace is sufficient for you. (2 Cor 12:9)'

The Script

2011-07-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

In this MTV era, it is hard to come by good singers who write music with integrity and depth. That is why The Script is a rare gem. The 3 Dublin blokes sing songs about the broken-hearted that touch the hearts of the young (my teen) and the old (me). I especially like their song 'For the First Time', about a couple struggling to find their place in the world. It kind of reminds me of my early years of marriage. My hubby was studying for his Masters and I was starting out as a teacher. We were always worried about money but somehow God provided and we were never lacking. Thinking back, it was a tough time but it cemented our bond and solidified our marriage. I believe if we had not gone through hardship together and stayed the course, our marriage may not have survived. So, for young couples who just started out, it's a long journey ahead but take heart, you can always rely on your partner through the ups and downs, especially the downs. Never say, 'I give up!'

London: Shopping, Eating and Musical

2011-05-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I would love London this much. I guess the nice weather and the freedom to do what I wanted at my own time for 4 whole days was the main attraction. London is a great place to shop and eat. Although the exchange rate is about S$2 for 1 pound, most things are affordable, if you look hard enough.

Shopping

My favourite shopping places:

1. Primark, Oxford Street - tops are about 5 to 8 pounds on average with cool high street label designs but long queue for fitting room, patience and time essential
2. H&M, Knightsbridge & Oxford Street - pricier than Primark but cheaper than most high street labels, tops are about 12 to 24 pounds on average and dresses between 15 to 35 pounds
3. Marks & Spencer (M&S), everywhere - good quality underwear & slips and cakes
4. Nex - nice jeans with various lengths and a petite collection
5. Neal's Yard, Covent Garden & Borough Market - great natural facial products and travel size essential oils

A coat from H&M. Marked down to 15 pounds. Had to get it.

Primark entrance at 1130am on Sunday. Young and old crowding outside waiting to get a piece of the action. (Bottom)

Harrods is a posh mall with interior that resembles a 5 star hotel. Each restroom had a restroom lady greeting you and offering you perfumes that are sold in the stores for sampling.

Harrods food hall. This is no food court. Everything here are of good quality and very expensive.

Eating - London's glorious food

Our first dinner In London was in Bugis Street Restaurant in Millenium hotel, just across the street from our hotel at Cromwell Kensington Holiday Inn. This restaurant and the Millenium hotel were owned by Singaporeans. The Penang fried kway tiao and garlic pork ribs are ok if you really miss Asian food.

We had Indian curry, apparently London's new national dish, on the second night. It was very good and spicy too.

This Victorian cake was bought at M&S in one of the afternoons when I was feeling like I needed cake. I went back hotel early with this precious and ate nearly half of it.

My most expensive lunch in London was at this dim sum store in Harrods food hall. I was craving for dim sum somehow and ordered the set that set me back 28 pounds. I was expecting some major gorging but when I finished the 3 dishes of 5 dumplings, 1 scallop and 3 small fishcake, and was told that there wasn't anymore, I sat there drinking my pretty Jasmine tea and thinking, 'That was the most expensive dim sum I had ever eaten.'

Another one of those afternoons, tired of shopping, and finding myself in the company of a good pastry. Laduree is a famous French pattiserie. This eclair cost me 3.50 pounds. It tasted really good with the Duchy milk I bought from Waitrose.

My hubby packed Gourmet burgers back to the hotel one of the nights. I had the burger with avocado and bacon - it was so juicy and yummy and huge. It was so good I nearly finished the whole damn burger. The onion rings were awesome too. Man, I really ate a lot in London. Luckily, I walked a lot too. So I didn't gain any weight, much to the suprise and disgust of many people.

On the advice of my hubby, I went to check out South Kensington to have a look-see. Didn't find anything new there, just the usual high street boutiques. I was hungry as I practically skipped the boring egg and bacon English breakfast provided by the hotel. I went into a shop called Claire, which could also be found in Australia, bought some cute mirrors and asked the counter girl for lunch recommendation. She said to go to Sticky Fingers for some wholesome English food. The place looked more American than English but was opened by one of the Rolling Stones member, who was English. Anyhow, I ordered half a slab of dry-rub ribs with coleslaw and onion rings. This was, like, kids' meal but I was diasappointed that I could not even finish the very delicious onion rings, so the sticky toffee pudding was out of the question. The waiter, who looked like one of the Glee cast, had the forsight to stop me from ordering dessert at the outset.

Luckily, on the second last day, I had the opportunity to taste a traditional English pudding at one of the pubs in Covent Garden. Actually, it was a small restaurant above the pub. The pub in London in daytime is a little deceiving. It looked really quiet on the outside, until you stick your head in, which was what I did and got a shock. It was full of men drinking beer. I walked calmly to the bartender and asked, 'Do you have pudding?' The bartender, after looking at me for a few seconds and realising that I was a tourist, said, 'Upstairs.' The restaurant looked very different, with sweet old ladies and young families having their afternoon tea. I ordered a toffee pudding with vanilla ice-cream. Not sure if all English pudding taste like this but it was rich and gooey - my kind of afternoon dessert. Wanted to order tea but was worried about the caffeine affecting my good sleep record in Europe, so gave it a miss.

After watching a play on the last night in London, I told my hubby, 'Let's check out that pub that is near Gloucester Tube and 5 minute walk our hotel, called Stanhope Arms. It looks interesting and sells traditional fish and chips.' It turned out to be a great place to hang out. No loud music or heavy smoke. Just a bunch of blokes and a few group of girls having beer and chatting. The fish and chips was really traditional, served with peas. We also ordered an English beer called London Pride. It was light and not bitter.

On the last day, my hubby was free to keep me company, so he suggested going to the Borough Market as I had lamented not having the chance to go to a London market. Dang! I was planning to have another go at Primark at Oxford Street. But this market adventure with my hubby turned out to be really fun.

One of the shops at Borough Market sells the yummiest-looking stuff. I bought a slice of Victorian cake and a slice of Fudgepacker Brownie with toffee bits. Both were heavenly.

We had so much fun tasting all the cheese, dips, strange sausages and bought a chunk of parmagiano cheese from this bloke.

The truffle olive oil from this stall was amazingly fragrant, so despite the glass bottle, we bought a black and white each of truffle oil. They gave us so much pleasure when we ate them at home with crusty bread bought from Cedele and Swiss Bake.

One of those crazy English royal cakes that were sold everywhere to celebrate Will & Kate's wedding.

Spotted this cheese sandwich stall and recalled that I saw something similar in Samantha Brown's programme, so I took a number and joined the queue. It was one of the best things we ate in London. These guys put 3 types of cheese, shallots and garlic between 2 slices of sourdough bread and press them down onto a hot pan until everything melt into a gooey delight.

The fish & chips at the market was better than the one at the Stanshope Arms pub, especially the codfish.

Musical

Wicked is one of the most popular musical in London and won several awards. It tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with Galinda, later Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South). Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace.

The performers were great singers, especially the one who played Elphaba. The performance was highly entertaining and had a lot of hilarious moments, especially Galinda's bimbotic manners. We had a great time.

Versailles and Confit Canard

2011-05-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

Versailles

It was Friday and tourist season had apparently begun. After the hectic schedule the day before, we wanted to take it easy this day. But we also knew how incredibly stupid it would be not to book tickets for hot tourist attractions in advance. We left for Versailles from the Gare d'Auxterlix train station at about 9.30am. The train cabin filled up by the time we reached Versailles. I'm not a fan of public transport, so I always bring lots of water and some food on day trips to make the travelling more bearable. For this trip, I had with me the M&S easter chocolate eggs. Spring in Paris and London tend to be cold in the morning then hot in the afternoon, then cold again at night. Useful to have a scarf to protect the neck.

Entrance to Versailles, which was flanked by golden gates. (Top) However, everybody was ushered into the premises via another entrance.

The chapel which had a very high ceiling that stretched 2 floors. (Bottom 2)

The entrance into the famous hall of mirrors. (Below)

We took a picture of ourselves through the mirror.

Boudoir of a very opulent and feminine queen.

Exquisite paintings and initials of the occupants adorned all the ceilings of the rooms.

A view of the vast area that is Versailles. It is impossible to walk the entire town by foot.

There was a bistro within the castle that sold sandwiches and other snacks that became our lunch. We shared a ham sandwich and a chocolate waffle. Not the most satisfying lunch we had in Paris.

After seeing the main castle, we took a tram to explore the rest of the estate. Tram ride was less than 10 EUR per person, I think. I anticipated that it would be a hot in the afternoon and had the smarts to wear the t-shirt I bought from Pimky, a mid range French boutique, the day before.

Was tempted to buy the silk scarf that cost 35 EUR but couldn't come up with any reason to buy it. I still have a few scarves at home that are collecting dust.

A primieval pram.

The mood and decor in this smaller castle seemed less elaborate and more simplistic.

A premieval toilet.

A lake in the estate.

We left Versailles at about 4pm, planning to look for the ice-cream parlour Phillipe told us about that was in Rue Mouffetard. Before we hit the entrance of Rue Mouffetard, we wanted to check out the award-winning Carl Marletti pattiserie nearby. Everything looked so darn good. I asked the suited man behind the counter with a phrase I had practised to perfection: 'parlez-vous anglais?' When he said 'oui', I asked for the best 2 pastries there. They were the lemon tart and the chocolate biscuit thingy. I wanted to save some space in my tummy for the Confit Canard that night, so I just ate the chocolate pastry. Oh, it was gooey, crispy awesomeness.

Along Rue Mouffetard, saw this old man playing what looked like an ancient musical instrument while singing some old French folk songs. A boy came along a while later to dance to the tune. Very charming and sweet.

My favourite street in Paris...

My hubby found an ice-cream parlour. Not the one recommended by Phillipe but just as good. He found his beloved pistachio ice-cream and left me shopping in one of the boutiques, where I bought 2 tops for 10 EUR each. Score!

The people at this ice-cream parlour took great efforts to shape the ice-cream to be like a rose before presenting it. I discovered that Amorino, the ice-cream parlour recommended by Phillipe also had the same concept. Not sure who copied whom but the customers are the winners, I say.

The square at Rue Mouffetard. (Top)

Our dinner reservation was at 7pm at a street about 10 minute walk from our B & B. (That's why I'm going back there again - it has everything). We hit the shower and headed out for our much anticipated Confit Canard.

We saw this graffiti on the wall when walking to the restaurant. (Bottom) We thought it was the most beautiful graffiti we ever saw.

We were the first customer there, cos like, Parisians don't eat this early. It was great to have the restaurant to ourselves though and take pictures without being self-conscious.

This apple cider drink was very good. Unlike other liquor that tasted bitter, this one was sweet and tangy with bits of crunchy apples.

The bread plate came with a meat pate which is salty and nice when eaten with the bread.

Both of us ordered the foie gras as a starter each. It was amazing - fragrant and soft on the inside. It was paired with a kind of soft bread, berries and gravy.

My hubby ordered the Confit Canard for the main. It's his favourite. And it was truly the best we have eaten so far - crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and bursting with flavour. Rather like a nice marriage of crispy pork and roasted duck.

I had the cod fish with vegetables instead cos I figure too much duck would make us quack-out. It was good on its own until you tasted the duck. Then, you would want to throw it away and just kidnap the duck.

One of the best dinner we had in Paris... no crowd and great food. Or maybe because it was our last night in Paris...

The restaurant.

This would the last night for us to try out the Amorino ice-cream, so with just enough tummy space, we walked to my Rue Mouffetard once again. The atmosphere at night was different from the day time - it was more crowded and vibrant, but not rowdy.

The rose-shaped artisan ice-cream from Amorino.

There was a charity-like massage session going on at the square with any donation amount. I was very tempted to try but the clean-freak part of my brain stopped me.

It was a great last night in Paris and we headed back to the familiar small elevator that would take us up to the 3rd floor...

Notre Dame de Paris, Montmartre and Eiffel Tower

2011-05-11T03:14:00.000-07:00

Vosges des Place

We read in the website that Rue de Rivoli was a shopping street with H&M and the like but an hour and an eclair later, we ended up in Vosges des Place, an ancient square built when Louis the 13th was in power. Victor Hugo once stayed in house no. 6 in that square.

Some views of the square.

Bronze statue of Louis the 13th.

A small alley. (Bottom)

With no shopping potential in sight, we headed to Notre Dame Paris. As it was our second last day in Paris, we were hit with the sudden realisation that time was running out. The darnest thing about this day was that it was the first day of the time of the month. All the walking made me tired and my insides hurt. I needed a place to rest. At close to noon, we reached Notre Dame and I was looking for a place to rest, go toilet and perhaps eat. This bistro had a number of cuttings and accolades, including one from Tripadvisor, so what the hey, as long as it had a toilet, we were in.

The bistro near Notre Dame was managed by a friendly blond chap. But my mood was foul. My food came really late and I hated the men that day. They did not understand that a woman on her first day of inconvenience needed rest, a clean toilet and fast food. Why won't they learn?

The escargot was alright but my hubby refused to eat them, saying they didn't smell good.

My duck breast with mashed potatoes and tomoto was pretty good.

The lamb stew that had me stewing. It took so long to cook this dish and it is the Parisians' practice is to serve meals at the same table at the same time.

Just a few shops away, we found the real Berthillon. We knew it weas the real deal because there was a posh counter displaying Berthllion products.

So many choices, so little tummy space...

We had some light sorbet - lime and strawberry for me and cherry and mango for him.

Notre Dame de Paris

With a good rest and a full tummy, I was ready for Notre Dame de Paris. The cathedral was polished, grand and crowded. Some of the sculptures were even colour painted.

The confession box in Chartres was blackish and dirty but we had great fun playing in it. This one at Paris was cordoned off, for a good reason, I guess.

A wooden replica of the cathedral.

Montmartre

We only had time for just one more tourist attraction before we head back to the B&B to shower, take a quick dinner and then go to Eiffel. Monmartre is an artist town as well as a red light district. How to miss such a place?

After we alighted from the metro, we took the 30-minute tram ride around the area. I would like to go back again in the night the time I'm there. I was sure the mystic and vibrancy of the place was lost in the day.

The famous Moulin Rouge. (Bottom)

On board the tram with my favourite drink - Orangina which only cost less than S$1.

At the artist square and loving my new Longchamp bag.

Eiffel Tower

The Paris icon was indeed romantic, especially at sunset. We booked a 9pm slot online and reached the tower just when the sun was setting. The view was gorgoeus. What I did not count on was a tiff with my spouse atop the most romantic place on earth. I told him he owed me a sunset in Paris, and I have not stop reminding him.

At 10pm, the tower became a fireworks itself, emblazoned with thousands of dazzling lights. Some people may find this tacky but it moved me. I'm sure many successful proposals happended here at 10pm.

Rue Mouffetard and St-Germain-des-Pres

2011-05-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Rue Mouffetard

Itinerary for day 5 was St-Germain-des-Pres. Philippe advised that we shop at Le Bon Marche in St-Germain rather than Galeries Lafayette as the latter is more crowded and both malls sell similar stuff. Since we bought a 2-day boat pass, we thought might as well enjoy a nice boat ride to St-Germain. And that day, we took a different route to take the Batobus. That's where we discovered a street market gem that is Rue Mouffetard. It was only a 5-minnute walk from our B & B yet the century old street market offered us a whole new sight-seeing experience. I love the cobbled stone street and the authentic old market feel. It was my best morning walk in Paris. I took lots of pictures of the sights and things that the people at Rue Mouffetard took for granted and I absolutely adored.

The street market sold all sorts of things - breads, fruits, seafood, poultry, chocolates. It even hads a provision shop that sold all kinds of nick nacks. I bought the most useful thing in Paris in that shop - a pouch towel - which the Parisians use as a loofah but I see its usefulness in holding ice cubes to nurse a headache or fever.

Humongous prawns and squids.

This basket of colourful watering cans were found in a provision shop selling nick nacks and the pouch towel I bought.

Cheese!!

Pastries in France are really exquisite and yummy but the best ones have yet to come...

We saw this humongous Nutella at one of the creperies. Biggest bottle of gooey ecstasy I have ever seen but not found in any retail store. If little prince saw this, he would have thought he had died and gone to heaven.

We didn't get to walk the entire Rue Rue Mouffetard, as the street was pretty long. We proceeded to Jardin de Plantes, a public garden near the Batobus stop and stopped to smell the tulips and cherry blossoms.

A Batobus stop taken from the boat. (Top)

Closer and more artisitc shots of the Eiffel Tower.

The weather turned really hot on this day. At about 11am, we braved the heat and did the perfuntory walk in St Germain where lots of unique French boutiques could be found. I found the famous French perfume store, Annick Goutal , as recommended by Lyne and some magazines, and let my nose did its work. While I let the scents sink in, we headed towards the direction of Le Bon Marche and found lunch at Le Pre Aux Clercs, a crowded bistro near St Germain. You could get a decent prix fixe menu, or set meal, at less than 20 EUR. My hubby got the fish with bastami rice while got the duck breast with sweet potato - always get the duck, I say. We also tried the French onion soup which was so-so but the duck and fish were good.

With a full belly, we headed to Le Bon Marche, my first shopping opportunity in France. My hubby liked the place - not crowded, no tourists and I didn't enter any fitting room even once. Clothes there were all brand names with price tags that would burn a hole in my pockets, if I had one. But I found my Annick Goutal perfume and my Longchamp bag there. I had told my hubby before we went to Paris that he had to buy me a bottle of French perfume. The one he got me was perfect. Love the smell and the whole packaging.

Saw this adorable neck pillow at Etam, a lingerie shop that could be found everywhere in Paris and I had to get it.

The weather was really hot and we were craving for the famous Berthillon ice-cream, so we took a Metro to Notre Dame. Didn't manage to see the cathedral that day as it was close to 5pm when we reached there. Saw a queue outside an ice-cream parlour that had the Berthillon sign and we got really excited. My vanilla and caramel was so good and the cone biscuit was crunchy. Think my hubby had the nougat and coconut. Despite the ice-cream tasting divine, we found out the next day when we returned that it was not the bona fide Berthillon. The original shop was a lot more posh and just a few shops away. But both my hubby and I agreed that they tasted equally good.

Street perfomers along the bridge. They were good and people were buying their albums on the spot.

Exterior of Notre Dame de Paris

They say that this particular spot is the centre of Paris and that if you stood on it, you would return to Paris. We stood there for a while, taking pictures...

When dinner time came, we wanted to try soupy ramen. There were a number of Jap restaurants near our B & B but we went for the Yoyo Ramen, a small shop that sold simple Jap food. The spicy beef ramen was very good. The katsu don was little less authentic.

Un Ciel a Paris and Musée d'Orsay

2011-05-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Un Ciel a Paris

Woke up to a nice aroma and cozy bed in Un Ciel a Paris, a B&B in Gobelins, in the 13th arrondisement. This is our fourth day in Paris. Gobelins is a nice neighbourhood that is not too near the city centre yet a convenient location as the Metro and bus stops are just 2 min walk. The bedroom and bathroom smell really lovely with an aromatic pouch and glass thingy strategically placed.

Owner, Philippe and Lyne have been living in the same house for more than 20 years but they only recently opened it up as a B&B when Philippe retired. Both are typical Parisians - well-dressed with a penchant for fine food and posh stuff. They have a resort house in Bordeux and love playing golf. Lyne is easily excitable and loves to talk while Philippe exudes a quiet and dignified persona. Yet when they talk to each other, they are just like any typical couple - teasing and sometimes pointing out each other's flaws. Lyne is also a typical woman - she admits that French women love sales and will go crazy to get the best bargains. And we outsiders think that the French will poo-poo at such behaviour.

Unlike the rural area, in Paris city, apartments are expensive, just like Singapore and space is precious. This is the neighbour's courtyard which we could see from our second floor window.

Philippe and Lyne are master decorators. Everything in the house and the rooms look exquisite and appealing.

The breakfast at Un Ciel was also good, although no hot chocolate. But Philippe, who is the default cook, offered eggs with sea salt, so no complaints. Breakfast included cereals (which we ignored), breads, croissant, real French butter, slices of cheese, yoghurt, fruits, tea and coffee with honey, orange juice and Philippe's homemade pastries. Oh, how I love the almond chewy round pastry he made (see picture below). When I didn't see it on the third day, I enquired about it and it appeared again on the fifth day. Lyne and Philippe were nice enough to let me tabao four to eat on the train to London. On the whole, it was a lovely B&B and if I returned to Paris, I would stay there again but maybe in a bigger room (Calisto room).

After 4 days in France, we decided to do our first obligatory tourist thing. So after breakfast, we took a 20 minute walk to the Jardin des Plantes (a public garden) to ride on the Batobus, a boat that takes you to major Paris attractions. We realised that Parisians' perspective on distance is very flawed, or maybe it's just Philippe. To him, everywhere is 10 to 15 minute walk. After the first few walking adventures, we learnt to take his estimation with a huge pinch of salt. Maybe walking is such an enjoyable thing to them that time seems insignificant. That probably also explains why there are no fat people in Paris. I didn't gain any weight although my food intake in Paris and London was colossal. Just wish that Singapore weather is more pleasant for walking.

On board the Batobus eating a nutty chocolate slab we bought from one of the chocolatier in Amboise.

Caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the boat.

I think we alighted at the Champs-Elysées stop to walk to Musée d'Orsay.

Musée d'Orsay

We forgot to book tickets for Musée d'Orsay in advance and had to queue with hundreds of other tourists and school children to get into the musuem. It wasn't too bad. The waiting took about 45 min. As it was close to 1pm, we went to the museum restaurant to take our lunch first. While I follow the meal-time clock, my hubby follows his body clock. He won't eat his meals until he is hungry. So, he ordered a beef carparcio while I ordered a hearty salmon and scallop fettucini. Food was alright but the deco in the restaurant was amazing.

We didn't reaslise that we were eating underneath a nude sculpture until our meal was over. My hubby thought the ass was quite nice. (?!)

We couldn't take pictures in the museum but the paintings was mainly impressionalist and include the works of Monet, Van Gogh, etc. I thought Musée d'Orsay would be a more interesting and intimate setting than than Louvre.

Anyway, we promised to skype with the princes that day and their bedtime was like 4pm Paris time, so we had to rush back to our B&B. In a way, half the afternoon was lost that day but it was good to see their cute faces and hear their stories. That evening, we visited the Vietnamese restaurant 'Pho 14' along ave de Choisy, Quartier Chinois or Chinatown. It was a 15-min walk from our B&B and was crowded on both days with a good reason - the food was great, especially when you are cold and a little flu-y. A nice change from the western food. I regretted not taking pictures. Well, I guess we were too eager to tuck into the hot steaming noodles and fried rolls that we forgot about taking pictures.

Chartes, Paris

2011-05-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Leclerc Hypermarket

After having our breakfast on the third day, we packed and drove towards Paris. We had planned to go Versailles as it was on the way but Versailles was closed on Monday, so we decided to visit Chartes instead. Chartes is a small town south of Paris. Before hitting Chartes, we went to the local French hypermarket, Leclerc, as recommended by Gloria. It was just 20 min drive from Amboise.

I wished I had more time there. There were so many frenchy things to see and buy and they are cheaper than Paris centre and even Singapore for some items. I found my ramekins for less than 1 EUR each. Back home, ramekins are rare and cost more than S$10 per piece. But because I was worried about the luggage space, I only bought 2. Stupid! Thinking back, what is the bloody difference between 2 and 4??!! Anyhow, my hubby also bought his glass tea pot with strainer, which he had been looking for, at just 12 EUR. Other things we bought included oven mitt (made like a long thick cloth with the mitts at the ends), strawberry jam, nutella sticks and mineral water.

Notre-Dame de Chartres

At first, we were a little puzzled about 2 Notre Dames in France. Turns out Notre Dame simply means 'Our Lady', so the cathedral in Paris is called Notre-Dame de Paris. The Notre Dame in Chartes is one of the great monuments of Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After visiting both, we thought that the one at Chartes one is more awesome that the Paris one as it is more 'raw' and less touristy. In fact, there were less than 20 pple in the cathedral when we were there.

We parked at a roadside parking lot and climbed the steps to the cathedral. (Bottom)

View from the top. A couple of kids were having a quiet picnic at the grass patch. There were a number of schools nearby but our entire visit there was very peaceful and quiet.

Various views of the cathedral. (Bottom)

The interior of the cathedral was dark and quiet, not as 'impressive' and touched up as the famous one in Paris. In fact, many of the sculptures and walls and ceilings were dirty-looking and blackish, compared to the one in Paris, which were cleaned up and and given a fresh coat of paint. But we thought this one was more authentic and awe-inspiring. It also helped that we didn't have to squeeze with a hundred other tourists to truly enjoy the place.

As there weren't many people, we paid 7.50 EUR to climb up the tower. Boy, it was tough. The spiral steps was made of stone and very narrow. We had to stop a few times to catch our breathe and catch the rope for support. But the view was worth it. (Bottom)

Chateaus of Loire Valley

2011-04-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

Chateau d’Amboise

After the Sunday market, we walked to the Amboise Castle. It was still drizzling and I regretted not bringing my trusty sneakers to Paris . My converse would look way cooler, I'd thought. By the time I climbed to the castle, my converse and the lower half of my jeans were soaked and I was freezing my toes off.

The castle from the outside. (Bottom)

One of the buildings in the castle, possibly a church. The Amboise castle is not very big, to begin with, so it was not really worth a visit. (Bottom)

Views from the castle and it was still drizzling...

Some paintings in the castle.

Stone staircase and my wet jeans...

Lunch time! We ate at this restaurant called Le Lion D'or outside of the town centre that served set lunch at 25 or 29 Euro for a starter and a main. Not a bad deal for the quality of food we had. Starter for me was potato souffle with escargot and little lobster. For him, it was foie gras with sliced pear. For main, I had the veal with asparagus and little lobster and him, salmon with big lobster.

Thing about ordering food in paris is that there is always an element of adventure and surprise as we do not understand the menu and depend heavily on the waiter/waitress' translation, which is not always accurate or reliable. And don't rush the process. Just wait patiently for your food like the other patient and have-lots-of-time-to-waste Parisians. I saw an old couple at a table when we first entered the restaurant to make a reservation at 1pm and left for our B&B to collect our car (so as to park there and then proceed to Chateau de Chenonceau after lunch). They were still there when we finished our lunch and left restaurant at about 2.30pm. Talk about slow food.

Potato souffle with escargot and little lobster

Foie gras with sliced pear

Veal with asparagus and little lobster

Salmon with stuffed lobster - this one elicited the most oomph.

We drove by the 'Pagoda' on the way to Chateau de Chenonceau. It was nothing to shout about but the 10 minute walk amidst the trees and the idle chat with my darling was nice.

Chateau de Chenonceau

This castle is worth the visit - it's huge with many interesting stories (scandalous and bizzare ones) about the kings and queens and other residents.

Again, another one of those 10-minute walk into the castle. But I find walking in Paris and surrounding areas very scenic and pleasant.

A chapel in the castle. Seems like the royalties like to build churches in their own premises and pray in solitude.

One of the rooms.

A boudoir of one of the queens.

When the king died, the queen mourned his death by painting the room black with black drapes and black everything. I couldn't be bothered with the names of the kings and queens but I guess I could find out in the internet if one day I wake up dying to know.

A view of the castle.

The gardener's house? Looks a little too pretty.

A lake outside the castle.

I Love Paris...

2011-04-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

It is every girl's dream to go Paris. That's why when my older prince finished his PSLE last year, I told my hubby that I would follow him to London, at long last! and extended our trip to Paris as well. And yes, Paris is truly romantic and London is great for shopping and musicals. We spent 12 days in these 2 lovely cities and I was free as a bird and happy as a lark. I also slept like a baby and ate like a pig.

It reminded us of the Switzerland trip we took 3 years back as we spent quality time with each other with no cares in the world. Although I hate flying, and for 13 dreaded hours, I am happy I went.

However, I wished I had done more research and planned our route better. We landed in London Heathrow at 6am, took a 2-hour Eurostar train to Paris, then hired a car and drove 2.5 hours to Amboise, Loire Valley. So by the time we reached our B&B, it was 6pm. As we were so tired, we couldn't go out for a proper dinner. But Loire Valley is a place near Paris that is worth going. I can't imagine spending 7 days in Paris centre. I need my countryside. I need my space.

Le Vieux Manoir, Amboise, Loire Valley

Our B&B, Le Vieux Manoir in Amboise, Loire Valley is a quiet little town with very little action. As it was not yet tourist season, we were the only guests in the B&B and the host, Gloria, told us she would spoil us and she did. Gloria and Bob are Americans who moved to Paris some 13 years ago to set up a B&B here. The entire manoir is very private and surrounded by lots of greenery and flora - perfect!

The living room and fireplace.

The little black Renault in the middle is our car.

This is a view from the 2nd floor window. (Top)

Views from our 3rd floor bedroom. (Bottom)

The creaking little hallway that led into our room. (Bottom) Very warm and inviting.

The next morning, we took a stroll along the little streets in the neighbourhood before breakfast and breathed in the fresh morning air. It was drizzling a little but it was freaking cold. I was wearing a wool sweater and a wind-breaker plus leather gloves and I could still feel the chill.

A pleasant surprise find - almond and chocolate croissant in a little boulangerie that opens at 730am. Many bakeries in Paris open this early but they close in the afternoon about 3pm.

The Amboise bridge and river.

The Amboise chateau is on the right.

A small street near our B&B. (Top)

The Breakfast

Breakfast at the Le Vieux Manoir was an event in itself . Our first meal of the day was at the greenhouse facing the garden, so we were shielded from the cold but still enjoyed the outdoors. The breakfast spread was the usual European fare but very chic: hot chocolate or tea or coffee, selection of breads, jams, cheese, yoghurt, fruits and fruit juice.

The breads are so nice - soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. The cheese and jams were sheer delight. (Bottom)

The hot chocolate and strawberries.

On the 2nd day at le Vieux Manoir, I was feeling a little flu-y and requested for the homegrown peppermint tea. But I couldn't miss out on the bittersweet and rich hot chocolate.

The rasberry tart was truly tart and natural.

This is the best yoghurt I have ever tasted in my entire life. It's vanilla flavour and sold in glass bottles. We took the bottles home as souvenirs and to remind ourselves that there is such a thing as yummy yoghurt in this world.

After breakfast, I explored the garden and surrounds and took pictures of the little things that made me smile.

This is a cherry blossom tree. Who knew we could get to see this in Paris?

The Sunday Market

We had a rabbit leg and a sausage in this stall where roasted potatoes were cooked in the meat fats dripping from above and sold by the trays.

Uncooked sausages - didn't look appetising at all.

My Resignation...

2011-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

My Resignation...

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again. I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree & run a lemonade stand with friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So....here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, because...

"Tag! You're it !"

Author Unknown

Patience

2011-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Margart Thatcher, United Kingdom's first woman PM, once said, 'I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.' That pretty much sums up how I live my life in motion, but not necessarily how I want to continue moving forward.

I try to analyse a recent very ugly confrontation with a road bully and came to an obvious conclusion on the cause of it. This is how it went: The green arrow appeared. I horned at the guy in front, who was obviously in la la land. He didn't move, so I horned again. He moved but the arrow was blinking. Then in an obvious attempt to p***ed me off further, he blocked my path. I horned some more. The middle finger emerged from his car window. In the next traffic junction, I practically flew out of my car and assaulted the guy's window, which he closed after his very rude gesture and which he stubbornly (or cowardly) refused to open. He relented when the knocks became violent. This is how the conversation went:

Me: Why you have the guts to show me the middle finger but have no guts to open the window?
Guy: Why you horn at me?
Me: Because the light turned green and you are not moving, so I am reminding you to move.
Guy: But why must remind? (This question sounded incredibly stupid at that time and infuriated me further. Meanwhile, the cars behind us were horning as the light had turned green.)
Me: Because you are a blur f***!!!

Then I stormed off, expecting more touble from the guy but he drove very slowly and at a distance behind me. When I told my hubby and my father in law about this incident, they said that the guy was probably in shock - a woman had got off her car to confront him. And we all concluded that he is a coward who bullies the weak.

On hind sight, I think it was impatience that got this whole thing started. I was impatient that he reacted so slowly to traffic conditions and he was angry that I was impatient. Although it seems I am perfectly justified, I don't feel proud of my actions. The vulgar language was unnecessary even though my impatience was tested to the limit. I am not a confrontational person. I am not even a social person - I won't speak unless I have to. Socialisation and confrontation are 2 big stressors for me, yet I'm faced with these on a daily basis. I tell people that I will do pretty well living in a cave where I can focus on breathing and relaxing and being patient. Well, maybe I will be OK for a couple of weeks or so. I still need to be with loved ones and go shopping but I'm sure a period of solitude will do me a world of good.

It's a battlefield out there!

2010-12-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

As a parent, I make it a point to teach good values to my princes. Values such as honesty, respect, loyalty and love for family and friends and to do what is right, in God's eyes. I'm lucky that the princes are generally receptive to their mom's advice and guidance. They also have good influences from Sunday school and other positive mentors. Of course, like their mom, they are no saints. They have their moments but generally they have pretty good inbuilt moral compasses.

It is, therefore, utterly frustrating and sad when you groom a couple of good kids only to see them get slaughtered when they step into the world. What's a mother to do? Teach them to continue to be nice or fight back? For me, there is no way I will make nice when the person's behaviour is obviously of ill-intent, so I would be a hypocrite to teach my princes to do what I would not do. In very extreme situations, I passed them my own dose of wisdom - First, a gentlemen. Then a jerk. (A chinese proverb) Give the other party the benefit of the doubt first but when proven to be evil and unrepentent, you have the permission to return the favour.

I figure teaching them moral values without some defensive skills will be as good as sending a bunch of wagyu grade cows to a cheap slaughter house. And I really hate to see my precious get hurt. I am OK that they get the usual growing pains and challenges but when they give their all and have their hearts smashed into pieces, I ache for them. I cannot always be there for them, I tell them, so they need to learn how to outwit their enemies and take care of themselves and each other. It is a battlefield out there and the fight will not always be fair.

I guess if there is one disadvantage of being parent is that you always worry for your children and you never know, despite your best efforts, if they will turn out alright in the end. I guess like what Hal Runkel, a parenting expert, said in his book, Screamfree Parenting, 'Parents should always do our best but let go of the end result.' Letting your kids walk through fire on their own is an essential part of letting go. And the primary role of a parent is to work yourself out of a job. I'm still working on it...

Childlike

2010-12-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

'A society in which adults are estranged from the world of children, and often from their own childhood, tends to hear children's speech only as a foreign language, or as a lie. Children have been treated as congenital fibbers, fakers and fantasisers.'- Beatrix Campbell, British journalist (1947- )

When I was a kid, my impression of mom was someone fun and easy to talk to. But somehow, when I grew into a teen, she also became an adult. A dull and stressed out adult. Recently, my 9 year old prince told me that my life is dull. He made that deduction after asking a series of questions, such as my hobbies, things that make me happy, etc. He is a smart kid and his analysis of his mom is not entirely wrong. I can be too serious at times, I have no hobbies to speak of and I can't remember the last time I had a proper date (er-hem, someone better take note).

I do take on the goofy mom persona once in a while but I guess the stress of living does get to me. After a while, I kind of forgot how to have fun. I become like my mom - dull and often stressed out. To kids, the world is a playground and they can find funny in any situation. Well, at least, my kids are like that. If not for them, I guess I will be even more dull. They remind me not to take life or myself too seriously. They taught me to 'chill-lax' - combination of chill out and relax and apparently a Gen Y term. I know I'm capable of that -when I don't have so many things on my mind. People close to me tell me I think too much while those who do not know me think that I am insensitive and often act on impulse. The woes of the misunderstood!

The last 10 years or so, mom became fun again, cracking jokes at others and herself and meeting up with her friends. I guess she learned to relax after her children reached adulthood. I hope I don't have to wait this long to live a well-lived and happy life. I guess my new year resolution will no longer be to lose 2 kg but to think more childlike and live a little.

We are all damaged goods

2010-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

One out of four people in this country is mentally imbalanced. Think of your three closest friends and if they seem okay, then you're the one. - Ann Landers

Ever noticed that the beginnning of a hike is always a little hard, then it gets easier and then after a few hours or so, it gets even harder? That's how I feel as I get older and wiser. It doesn't make sense. I'm supposed to get better at this, this thing call life. It's not that I am less competent. Just that as I get older, I realise that people are more complex and things are very grey. Although my capability index gets better, the indicators also shift upwards, so I always feel like my teenage self - unsure of my judgement, feeling like a moron and regreting some of my past actions.

But I know I'm not alone in feeling incompetent in dealing with life's challenges. We all bring along with us baggages from our past and try to blend into the world. In a sense, we are all damaged goods. Imagine we are bikes travelling on a very long bumpy ride. If we are blessed with a good setup, i.e., good parents and values, we are likely to last the distance with little damages but along the way we will still get knocks here and there and lose a wheel or two. Nobody gets away unscathed. When we meet other travellers along the way, we may share some of our sad stories and help one another fix the damages or we may hide our less than glamourous past with a shiny coat of paint. Inside, we are still damaged. If we do not fix the damage, it will get worse as we trudge along and eventually collapse into a heap of despair.

Somebody once said that 'Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.' We can choose to ignore our injuries and lead life wearing a perpetual mask or we can nurture our souls and be kind to ourselves and others. Of course, it helps to have some divine intervention. Fortunately, human beings are capable of resilience. Although we cannot undo the past, we can conquer fears and weaknesses, one at a time and slowly and surely, we can get back on the road - more assured and confident. Perhaps we can even help other damaged goods along the way. The journey may still be harsh and demanding but when we learn to take care of ourselves and others, it will definitely be more bearable.

Why be a parent?

2010-08-25T01:12:00.000-07:00

There has been some debate recently in my social circle on whether or not to have a baby or how many babies to have. The hardcore DINKS see no reason to spoil their weekends or their lives by welcoming little monsters. They are perfectly happy playing with friends' or relatives' babies and then return them before night falls or diapers get soiled, which ever comes first.

I always tell people they should have one if they are not too squimish about them. Babies, I mean. Why? Because not being a parent is like missing out on a huge part of the human experience. It's like eating pancake without maple syrup or having bakut teh without bakut. Or riding a roller coaster without the twists. You get my drift. Life is a lot more interesting and 'multi-layered' with a child. Seriously, some times I wonder what I would do with all the free time I would have, without children. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Ya, pathetic. I know I could hang out with friends, go shopping, pick up golf and watch obscene amount of TV but I think I will tire of these after a while. You see, a child is different. A child will keep me on my toes with his witty remarks and mischief and feed me with a tornado of emotions. No one can evoke joy, anger and hit that little soft spot in your heart that makes you all teary, all in the same day like your child can.

I recall an incident which reminded me the real reason I want to be a parent. I was walking home one day and bumped into a neighbour's pre-teen daughter at the lift. She was a pretty little thing and she smiled so sweetly at me that my heart skipped a beat. Then I went home and cried. Stupid woman! What was that all about? Then it dawned on me that I was grieving because I knew I would never own that smile. I would never have a daughter. Even though I already have 2 beautiful smart boys, my heart was broken at that point. So for those who have made up their minds not be a parent, I hope they never have to experience this painful regret and if they do, I hope they find a darn good way to cope.

2010-08-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

I don't watch TV. Why? Because it's a waste of time. I get nothing out of that box which many deem indispensable. Besides, I hate the trouble of having to remember the timings of the shows and remembering to watch them. My brain is already overloaded with data.

But my princes and my Hubby lurve the tube, so I do sit down with them once in a while to catch up on the latest stuff. So far, the only TV series that impresses me is the animated Avatar, the Last Air Bender. Well, considering I don't watch much TV and most of these times were to supervise the princes, I'm more familiar with the yellow sponge and the cute monk with the arrowhead tatoo on his head and limbs. Avatar has many interesting characters and is really funny. My favourite character is Toph, the blind earth-bender with a big attitude. If I had a girl, she would be like Toph.

Before I go down in histroy as the only adult woman in Singapore who watches nothing on TV except kids' shows, I would like to qualify that I do appreciate adult TV shows like The Mentalist, Lost and most recently Glee. Among these adult shows, I must say Glee gives me the most 'high'. Set at a Midwest high school, this award-winning comedy features a Spanish teacher who takes the glee club, populated by teenage misfits, and manages to turn it around. Each episode features four musical performances. All the songs featured in Glee make me warm and fuzzy inside, maybe because they are so familiar. The dysfunctional characters, especially the teachers, are eerily real to me, although some of the characters, like Sue, are blown out of proportion. I like her infamous quote: 'I'm going to ask you to smell your armpits. That's the smell of failure and it's stinking up my office.' To a certain extent, I'm also dysfunctional and these characters voiced out and acted out these 'dysfunctional-ness' and make them seem almost normal.

Questions: Are there really such musical clubs in the American schools? Why can't Singapore have one as hip? And why can't all music teachers be this hot and cool at the same time?

Glee trivia:

All of the singing and dancing on the show is genuinely performed by the actors.

After releasing a remake of Journey's hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" in May (2009), the song skyrocketed to #1 on the iTunes charts.

Confident that the series would be a huge success, Fox and Columbia Records decided to record a soundtrack for the show.

Series stars Jayma Mays (Emma) and Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri) have both appeared in vital guest starring roles on NBC's Heroes as Charlie and Meredith (Claire's biological mother) respectively.

This ain't a love song

2010-08-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I thought I'm more of a ballad person but I recently realised that what really excites me is soft rock such as this one by Scouting for Girls. When I first heard it over the radio, the lyrics made me smiled.

And I’m a little bit lost without you

And I’m a bloody big mess inside

And I’m a little bit lost without you

This ain’t a love song this is goodbye

I'm glad that music is one of the ways I connect with my pre-teen prince. I'm not a sporty or outdoor person and constant talking can be boring at times. But when he hears a new song, he will share it with me. We happen to like the same kind of songs, for now. I guess my teenage angst is still buried underneath the thick layer of cellulite.

God remembers

2010-07-14T03:09:00.000-07:00

Often times we pray for certain things and ask God to right a wrong and hope to see results immediately. But God doesn't work that way. His concept of time and timing is unlike ours. To us, if things don't instantly go our way, we conclude that it is not God's will or that we did not pray fervently enough. The beautiful thing about God is that He hears you even when you do not have the strength or will to pray. Even when you wail like beast, and have no words to utter your pain or strength to seek help, He knows and He remembers. And He is there with you.

Even when I have forgotton about the injustice I suffered, God remembers and He delivers justice in His own ways. And He makes sure that you respond with a good attitude - no bitterness or hatred, just sympathy and forgiveness. I can only say that I have an awesome God.

Shopping and children just don't go well together

2010-06-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

The other day, I witnessed an ugly meltdown by a mother of 2 toddlers in a mall. I overheard the frazzled mom shouting at her crying toddler to shut up and something about throwing her younger sister away. Said younger sister was sitting in her pram none the wiser while the girl wailed her lungs out. This noisy drama played on for quite a while.

I don't know what exactly happened, only that the young mother was stupid enough to attempt shopping while dragging 2 unwilling toddlers with her. What was she thinking? I had a good mind to tell her to abandon her shopping and settle her tired kids at home. To young children, the mall is a big scary place with giants moving along huge sign boards and shops. It's a place full of noise and smells and negative stimulation.

When my princes were small, I hardly brought them to the malls. They were more familiar with the zoo, the parks and the library. What benefit could they possibly get from the mall and what joy would I derive from crying children and crowded places? This explains why I looked frumpy when my princes were small. I barely had time to rest. What more shop? The current yummy mummy generation would raise their brows at me for saying this. But let me put it this way - could you possibly work full-time, raise good children, maintain a household, put good food on the table, have a healthy marriage life and yet look fabulous all at the same time? Impossible! Something's got to give. When the kids are older, you will take back your time and your old self again. But for now, one less trip to the mall won't kill you. Trust me on this.

Perfect day

2010-05-20T00:48:00.000-07:00

What is a perfect day? As my birthday approached, I asked myself and a few people this question: How would you create a perfect day for yourself? How would you pamper yourself?

I want my birthday to be a perfect day, especially seeing as my days on earth are numbered. I'm not dying any day now but I have reached a stage when years lived and years remaining have reached an equilibrium.

Turns out not many people have given much thought to having a perfect day. When probed, some said they would go shopping or spa or bookstore or stay at home with a good book or the box. Some don't even have plans for a good lunch, which was what I had planned to do. But who could blame them for having such boring answers? The caveat to this question was that you need to spend this perfect day by yourself. Well, at least in the day time.

My supposed perfect day got off on a bad start. I woke up with a pounding headache, perhaps from too much anticipation. I was at work in the morning and my colleagues gave me a 'surprise' by singing the birthday song and giving me gifts and shopping vouchers. That kind of compensated for the headache. When I got off work at 12pm, I drove to town to check out the Marmalade Pantry at ION that a couple of people recommended. The place was crowded on a Tuesday afternoon, so it must be good, I thought. I walked in even though I didn't like the menu and requested for a corner seat. The captain told me that the corner table was not available and put me wedged between 2 groups of rowdy women. I sat at the table for all of 10 seconds and stood up to leave, telling the waitress that I had changed my mind. I didn't think I would have much of a good dining experience.

I walked aimlessly in ION. Hungry. Then I decided, I would dine in the next restaurant that served cod fish. No such luck in ION. I moved on to Wheelock Place and stopped by this Japanese restaurant called Sun & Moon. I asked the waitress if they served cod fish as I was craving for some. She said the most beautiful 3-letter word at that time - yes. So, I stepped right in and was shown to a dark corner in the restaurant. The ambience of the restaurant was more Western than Japanese, with soft lighting and sofa chairs.

I was quite happy being left in a dark corner where I could still have an outside view. There were 2 other lone diners in the area - both were caucasian women. I remembered my female friends who told me they did not like to dine alone and would rather 'tabao' or have a quick lunch when alone. I quite enjoyed my own company. No small talks. No comprising on what I want to do. No need to worry about my quirky dining habits, like chewing ice.

My teriyaki cod fish set lunch came with fried potatoes, sashimi salad and a bowl of steaming white fluffy rice. Oh, how I love my starches. It was a very good meal. The rice was a gem. I have not eaten such good Japanese rice in a long time. Soft and starchy - that's how rice should be in a perfect world and on a perfect day. The perfect day was taking shape at this point.

After the good lunch, I went to Marks & Spencer and bought some chocolates and cookies, which were discounted as M & S was having a sale. Perfect shopping experience - checked.

Then I moved on to Far East Plaza to hunt for a pair of shoes and a white cardigan. Although I did not intentionally limit my shopping list to these 2 items, I ended up with only the shoes. The place was not like it used to be. I recalled there were a lot more shops. Must be the recession. But I was happy with my shoes - it was something I had been searching for for some time. I had to abandoned the Godiva milkshake in Takashimaya as I wanted to go home to nurse that headache before my date in the evening.

Dinner was at a modern French restaurant at Purvis Street called Gunther's. The food was superb and the service was great. But somehow, I felt like I was being watched constantly. The place was very small and the ratio of diners to wait staff was like 2 to 1. I liked the food and getting dressed up for dinner but I would prefer the ambience to be more casual. Our dinner that day:

- Free flow of freshly baked bread

- Lobster salad

- French onion soup

- Wagyu beef (for him)

- French lamb (for me)

- Selection of desserts

I was the only person taking pictures and was afraid that the wait staff would stop me from doing so. If they stopped me, I would say that I was a celebrity blogger, I decided.

The bread was very nice - warm and crusty. And they served real butter, not margarine.

My apple juice and sparkling water.

The lobster salad was out of this world - sweet, light and juicy, served with cherry tomotoes, some veg and a layer of crispy potatoes underneath.

The French onion soup was alright. They claimed it's made with Belgium beer. I guess either French restaurant or posh restaurant has no concept of sharing. We ordered 1 serving of soup to share but they gave us 2 and charged us accordingly. Miss smarty-pants at the corner of my left-side brain snorted, 'Fine-dining. Duh.'

My phone camera, or rather my skill did no justice to the wagyu beef. It was succulant and tender with the right amount of marbling and cooked to perfection - slightly burnt outside but still pink inside. No gravy whatsoever. This will be my last meal before I die.

Best lamb dish I have ever eaten, served with a thin layer of potatoes and gooey cheese underneath and with the right amount of fats too but I wished it was a little burnt and crusty on the outside to bring out the flavour. Still, this could not beat the heavenly wagyu beef.

This tiramisu was a surprise, with compliments from Gunther's. Even the surprise-maker, my hubby, was surprised by this gesture.

This was another surprise. We didn't order desserts as the surprise-maker had planned to bring me to another restaurant near his office to eat molten lava chocolate cake. The biggest surprise was that we had to pay for these even though we did not order them. Oh well, we enjoyed the dessserts tremendously, so we will not quarrel about it.

The left most one was a chewy cake with crusty exterior; the white truffle macaroon was chewy and good too; the biscuit was alright and valrhona chocolate was rich and bitter.

I simply couldn't eat another bite of the remaining desserts on the plate even though they were really yummy.

Check out the bathroom. They use L'occitane!

It's hand towels, not paper napkins.

So did I have my perfect day? Well, other than the headache, it was almost perfect. But it was all over too soon. It got me thinking: what is the point of it all? You spend indecent amount of money and effort creating a perfect day and then it's over before you can savour it. For that matter, why bother to go for holidays and then get back to the same rut after a while? My 'Aha!' response: so you can look forward to more of such wonderful experiences in the long journey called life. Another 'Aha!' answer: so that your book of life will not be blank; it will be as colouful as you want it to be and when you look back, you do so with a smile. I am still smiling.

My parenting philosophies

2010-04-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

Parenthood is a long and arduous journey and we have to keep revamping ourselves and upgrading our skills to keep afloat. The goal post always seems to be shifting and the rules keep changing. That's why we should never leave parenting to chance, because chances are that you will regret it. Over the years, I have learnt many parenting tips, from books, internet and friends, some of which are brillaint but some I just can't relate to. Below are my personal parenting philosophies, some may seem radical but they have worked for me so far.

Begin with the end in mind
In my 20s, I was cynical, negative and perpetually on PMS mode. When I was pregnant with my first child, I resolved to change all that. I didn't want my child to become like Wednesday of Addams Family. I see my child as someone happy, confident and kind. I wanted him to grow up with strong positive Christian values and surrounded by love. Hence, I revolved my parenting styles and philosophies around that vision. My parenting style, as many of my friends know, is child-centric. It is not an easy one as it involves much sacrifices but it also humbled me and made me a better person.

Start young
Whatever skills or knowledge you want your child to acquire, you gotta start young. I started reading to my child when he was old enough to sit on my lap, i.e., about 5 months. Reading to my child became a nightly ritual which he enjoyed tremendously. Even now, my princes are still avid readers. According to their teachers, they are 'strong in communication and vocabulary' (aka talkative and aggressive). My princes also started swimming lessons when they were 4 or 5 years old. I deem reading and swimming as essential lifeskills. Even for discipline, I believe in starting young. If you allow your one-year old child to throw tantrum, he will continue to do it until adulthood. That explains why some of your friends and colleagues are so unreasonable and obnoxious.

Parent with love and service
We have heard of the 5 love languages - time, touch, affirmation, gifts, acts of service. I try to show my children all the love languages but frankly, to me, acts of service is the hardest to do. Yet it is a very important factor in family relationships. Acts of service, basically, tells the receiver that, at that point in time, his or her needs are more important than yours. What message can be more powerful than that? This doesn't mean that I'm a slave to my children. They still need to do their chores and obey their parents. I try to make them feel important by doing things for them when they least expect them, e.g., massages. I also have no qualms about apologising to my children when I make a mistake. Being parents doesn't mean we should behave 'big'. Sometimes, in order to earn respect from our children, we have to act 'small'.

Don't do for your child what he can do for himself
I'm glad that my children are relatively competent and independent. Sometimes, they surprised me with their capabilities. Recently, due to some miscommunication with my in-laws who are overseas, my younger prince took public transport home himself. He tried calling me but somehow I kept missing his calls. The poor kid took about an hour to reach home. Although I felt sympathy for him and hatred for myself, I'm proud that he found his way home without any help. I'm not suggesting that we leave our children to their own devices. We need to coach and nurture our children and provide them with the necessary resources and knowledge before we send them out into the world but we must also prepare them to face the world on their own, baby-step by baby-step.

Let them suffer a little
I personally believe that hardship builds character. We do not need to cater to every want or demand from our children. By K2, the princes know that they do not get any toys or gifts except on birthdays and Christmas. They also know that holidays overseas are not a given. My older prince begged for a handphone for a very long time, citing that all his friends had one. I only gave him an old handphone when he started to play in his school sports team and his gramps and myself needed to know his whereabouts - when he was Primary 5. And he knows that with privileges come responsibilities. He has to abide by the handphone etiquette, e.g., handphone must be switched off by 9pm. Now my younger prince is telling me that all his Primary 3 friends have handphones except him. Sigh...

When the princes told me the unfairness and injustice they experienced, I taught them skills to manage these and for cases where nothing could be done, I told them that the world has never been fair and never will be. This is part of growing up. But I also share with them positive stories and tell them that that they should always do the right thing even though people don't do the right thing by them. I believe that children should learn to fight their own battles while we observe in the background. Great generals are groomed by a nurturing mentor who provides the right training and armour.

A mother's heart

2010-04-12T02:36:00.000-07:00

They say that once you become a mother, your heart no longer resides in your body. It goes and lives beside your child's heart, so you feel his excitment, his disappointment, his fears, his heartaches. A mother's heart knows no limit in giving and forgiving. It refuses to detach itself from the child's heart even when the child has made room in his heart for other occupants.

She patiently waits for the time when that space is available again; that place of love she knows only she can fill. While she waits, she gives and she gives and she prays. And she knows that the day will come when the child's heart will come and reside in hers. That's all the more sweeter.

Somebody stop me!!... Or maybe not.

2009-12-07T00:44:00.000-08:00

Been eating mindlessly for the past 2 weeks. I just inhaled 2 pieces of cheesecake in like 5 seconds. And this is after having chocolates and cookies together with my lunch 2 hours ago. And dinner last night... I don't even want to go there. Christmas is still 3 weeks away and then there is Chinese New Year. If I continue to eat like this, who knows what will become of me by Valentine's Day. I may get invited to take part in the 'Biggest Loser'.

There are only 2 possibilities to my bingeing - either I'm happy or I'm not. I guess I'm not. My hubby has been doing his disappearing acts more frequency these few weeks and there is the prospect of having a new domestic maid before Christmas. Plus, work has not exactly been a breeze. But I gotta stop this senseless carnage. Get a grip on yourself, girl, and snap out of it!

If you've never failed, you've never lived.

2009-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

Famous Failures

Don't be afraid of failures. Don't go through life with trepidation. And don't let anyone tell you that you are not good enough.

Arriving at destination...

2009-10-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Recently, my hubby decided to outsource his job of directing me to places to a Garmin GPS for a low low price of $169. I guess it's worth its salt if it means lesser arguments about unclear instructions and exploring more places in his absence.

We tried it out the first few days and the princes were tickled by the GPS going 'recalculating' or 'u-turn when possible' whenever we took a different route from what the GPS recommended. We joked that the GPS some times kept very quiet because she was having her tantrums or PMS and that maybe we should change it to a male voice which may be less talkative.

I have mixed feelings about the GPS. When my hubby is overseas, I feel more secure going to places with it but some times, the direction it gives is different from what seems to be the correct route and it can be frustrating because I can't scold this damn thing or ask it questions. In such situations, I have to re-activate it to re-direct. According to a friend, Singapore is very small, so it's impossible to get lost. I disagree. Anyway, what I love about this machine is that I can save some favourite locations and there is an icon that that says 'Go home'. I feel safe knowing that even if I got lost, I will somehow find my way home. I hope.

A piece of our past

2009-10-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's strange how we form emotional attachment to inanimate objects. Our coffee table had been with us since we got married and moved into our first house. It was a simple square table made of low quality wood. Yet it weathered our daily abuse over the past 14 years and still stood strong on the day it was abandoned.

The day before the new coffee table was due to arrive, I told my hubby that maybe we should keep our old coffee table after all. Ok, stupid suggestion. Then, I suggested that maybe we saw off a leg of the table and keep it as a momento. Stupider. So, we just took a picture of the old fellow, in its usual form, with remote controls, toys, cups and anything our 2 princes put on it.

The day the new coffee table arrived, I received it without any emotion. Unlike the old coffee table, this one is more elegant and is made of good quality Indonesian wood but lacks character and a certain charm that the old table had.

I guess human beings are nostalgic suckers. We associate anything, from an old coffee table to Michael Jackson with our youth and time lost. We grieve for MJ not because we love him. Come on, we don't even know him. We mourn the lost youth and freedom that we had during the times we listened to his music and watched his rebellious crotch-grabbing dance moves. In the same way, the coffee table held many many memories of our early married and parenthood years. It witnessed our fights and hugs, held our TV dinners, heard our stories and grew with us as a couple and young family. It has stopped becoming a furniture but a part of our lives.

I tapped into the logical part of my brain and told it to let go of the old fellow. Maybe it will serve a purpose for its next owner. For now, I have to get used to the new coffee table - the smell, the shape, the texture and move on. Like the slogan in the movie 'Meet the Robinsons', 'Just Keep Moving Forward', we cannot be stuck in the past. And we shouldn't. So I guess the new coffee table has to earn its keep and hopefully last long enough to bond with us and become part of our children's memories too. When they have their own homes and coffee tables, I hope they will remember the happy times they had in our home and around our coffee table.

The perfect apology

2009-09-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

From the movie 'Fireproof''.

It takes humility and commitment to apologise whole-heartedly to someone, especially someone you love. Feeling contrite can come naturally but expressing it is one of the toughest thing to do. Some people even choose to end a relationship than say sorry! A sincere apology and asking for forgiveness will melt away hatred and hard feelings and improve relationships. Why don't we do it more often?

Human beings are strange creatures. We value our pride and ego much more than we should. Is keeping our pride and ego intact really worth the sacrifice of a relationship? I believe a lot of people lost relationships this way. Why can't we eat the humble pie once in a while when it really matters? Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love, humility and forgiveness. For God so loved the world that He sacrificed His only begotten son to die for us so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) and God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we are still sinners, Christ died for us (Roman 5:8). Why would someone go through torture and humilation and die for us when we have proven to be unworthy? Even as Christ took his last breathe on the cross, He said, 'Father, forgive them.' Love conquers all pride and hatred, only if we allow it.

The Love Dare

2009-08-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Caleb's father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment he calls 'The Love Dare.' Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees, but more for his father's sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the books daily challenges are tied into his parents' newfound faith, his already limited interest is further dampened. While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father,'How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?' When his father explains that this is the love God shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. And--with God's help--he begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife. But is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever--rescuing his wife's heart.

Watch this movie! It will help many people in their relationships! This is by the same people who brought us 'Facing the Giants'. Very touching and meaningful. Never leave your partner behind.

Date: 11th Sept 2009 (Fri)
Time: 7.45pm
Venue: BBTC Hall 1 (Level 1) Bethesda Bedok Tampines Church,
300 Bedok North Ave 3, Singapore 469717
Admission: By complimentary tickets (550 only).
Ticket Reservation: Email events@bbtc.com.sg

Got 'hung!'

2009-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I'm saying this but wholemeal bread tastes good. Especially when eaten with egg and tuna mayo (just half a teaspoon) and some cut up lettuce. I watched as older prince bit into the healthful egg mayo wholemeal sandwich I made for him. No violent protests. No dagger stares. Score!

This is significant as older prince is one of those who rolls his eyes at me when I grab a multi-grain loaf or bought some purportly health food. He doesn't care for this healthy eating crap. He just wants real food that makes his taste buds happy. Ditto for the rest of the family.

But the 'brain' of the family recently got 'hung' (scared in hokkien) by a medical report on the sorry state of her health - high blood pressure, high sugar level and low iron and low healthy red blood cells, and a weight that is not exactly Kate Moss category (actually more like Jennifer Hudson category). So begins the quest for healthy living. Goodbye to my beloved oreo cheese cake and sticky chewy chocolate ice-cream and hello spinach and wholemeal.

As I journey through this squeaky clean, semi-sweet land, my beloved friends and dear ones, please bear with my grumpiness and my inevitable hatred for you as you munch on your chocolate donut. I'm, afterall, just human. A miserable sugar-deprived human...

A celebration of unions

2009-08-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

A friend and ex-colleague got married to her long-time boyfriend on 1 August. It was a simple wedding with gathering of family and friends and 2 of our mutuals friends' kids were the page boy and flower girl. I was the guardian for the flower girl. I was a little worried to be given such a delicate task. But all turned out alright. The ceremony began at Lady of Our Perpetual Succour Church followed by a reception at the SAF Yacht Club.

It was good to meet up with friends, old and current, to celebrate the new couple and to catch up on one another's lives. We discovered that no one had changed much over the years or perhaps when we got together, we just behaved like we used to in the past. We laughed and shared stories with one another freely. Somehow, the colleagues in FED during the early years are the best I have. Many of us feel the same way. It was a new department then and we sort of journeyed through the ups and downs together. Even though the six of us (Hui San, Karen, Sharol, Meng Yee and Pei Shang) only see one another monthly, the connection is still good. I wish we could all work in the same place again one day.

The bride, Meng Yee, in her beautiful gown, walking down the aisle with her father and the page boy, Lucas and flower girl, Anne, aka, son of Hui San and daughter of Karen.

The new couple after the ceremony.

Anne and her sister, Andrea. Aren't they such angels? Aw...

All FED staff, at some point in time. Front row from left: Hui San, Eunice, Karen & Guek Ee. Back row from left: Sharol, Richard, Pei Shang & Mindy.

Me & flower girl.

Hui San and baby Lyra.

At the SAF Yacht Club. SAF Yacht Club is a beautiful place for romance - deserted location and near the sea. I think I will go back there with my hubby for dinner some day.

At end of reception. Meng Yee's purple and fuchsia gown was gorgeous.

Three of Karen's 4 lovely kids and she wants to produce more!!.But then who can blame her for falling in love with such lovely creatures.

Control freak? Who? Me?

2009-07-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've been accused of being many kinds of freaks - clean freak is the most common one. Recently, I have been accused of being a control freak. What the ?! How am I a control freak huh? Just because I plan my travel itinery months ahead and have a packing list that wows many and prefers to know every single damn thing in advance doesn't make me a control freak!! Or that I like my laundry hang a certain way and my children to be in bed by 9.30pm. These are normal expectations right? I'm in no way freakish. Insecure maybe. And paranoid. But a control freak I am not.

So those people who think I am a control freak, stop it right now!

Diamonds in the rough

2009-07-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

Last evening, when I was sweating it out on the treadmill at the gym and not entirely feeling on top of the world, something beautiful happened that warmed my heart. My older prince entered the gym and gestured to an umbrella that he placed at the door, knowing that I wouldn't talk to him because I was plugged to the MP3. Then he left. I saw him walking home in the dark rainy night with his own tiny green umbrella. He had given me the bigger umbrella. At that moment, I felt so much love for him.

When I reached home, I told him how much I appreciated his gesture. The prince, of course, just brushed it off with his usual laid-back manner. My hubby confirmed that he did not ask the older prince to bring me the umbrella. I could have guessed as much. It just wasn't my hubby's style. I shared with him my pride in older prince and related another incident where little prince told me, "You're a good mom." while we snuggled up before bedtime one day. Four little simple words but what impact it made on me. Hubby listened in silence but I could sense just a little tinge of jealousy on his face.

We always complained about how naughty and lazy our children are but hardly 'catch' them doing the right thing. Our children's thoughtful efforts can easily be overlooked, like blindspots, if we don't take time to notice them. Once we allow ourselves to enter into the world of these little people, we will be pleasantly surprised to see diamonds in the rough. I was dazzled by one last evening.

Let the mane thing be the main thing

2009-07-20T01:38:00.000-07:00

I have a full head of long thick hair. Many people have told me that they envied me for having so much hair and never having to worry about going bald. I always tell them that being hairy has its woes, like how incredibly hot it is to walk under the Singapore sun. It's like wearing a sweater on my head in summer. Unlike girls with tamed, nicely-coifed do, I always found it a challenge to style my wavy thick blob of mess. So I end up tying it half-way. This has been my hairdo for years. It's safe and fuss-free. In fact, I've taken such a nonchalant attitude to my hair that I simply couldn't be bothered to blow dry or comb it. In short, I took my hair for granted.

Last Friday, after coming home from a night out with my girlfriends, I washed my hair (although I neglect my hair, I'm still a clean freak!) and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache. I call it the 'mother of all headaches' as it refused to leave me alone for the entire weekend. At first I thought my lack of sleep could be the cause of it but upon some reflection, I realised that I have been sleeping with wet hair quite frequently. Maybe it wasn't an old wives tale afterall. Maybe we really shouldn't sleep with wet hair. Anyhow, I've decided that in order to prevent myself from future pains in the head, henceforth, I shall take good care of my hair. Making sure it's dry before I go to bed would be the first step. But don't expect me to comb or dye or do anything glamorous with my hair (except for glamorous occasions which, thankfully, hardly ever happens). I intend to keep my hair the way God has intended it to be - beautifully untamed.

To be 17 again...

2009-05-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Caught the zac efron show last night with my 11 year old prince. Why did I spend good money on a lame teen flick? Well, the appropriate answer would be that I was being a good parent acceding to a son's request. But actually a part of me wanted to watch that show. Plus, it doesn't hurt that zac efron is super cute.

I wanted to see if the movie could address my curiosity on the 'second life'. Don't all of us at some point in our lives wished that we could start over again; be given a second chance to lead a different life? If only I had studied harder and got a masters or phd and be a psychologist like I always wanted to. If only I had parents and siblings who gave good advice and guided me through life instead of letting me fall again and again. And would I lead a more exciting life if I had not married or had children? I wish I had cooler friends, a cooler job and a cooler me.

The protagonist in the movie, Mike, led his life full of regrets and bitterness because he felt that life had shortchanged him through missed opportunities. Through some warped encounter, he became 17 again and realised that because of his self-absorption, he failed to see his son's struggle with self-esteem, his daughter's desperate need for love and acceptance and his wife's unhappiness with an emotionally absent husband. As with all family movie with a moral message, Mike had an epiphany - he didn't want another chance to live his life over. He needed a second chance to restore his passion for and dedication to his marriage and family. It's a lesson on wanting what you have, not having what you want. If only all of us could reach such enlightenment.

Another thing that struck me about the story is that Mike's desires and fears are so similar to our own. His fear is the fear of most middle-aged adults - mediocrity. Most of us want to experience greatness in our lives. We are afraid of being invisible, forgotten, insignificant. Sometimes, I do wonder: could I have been successful if I had chosen a different path? I guess I could but would I be happy? It's hard to tell. Not many people can handle greatness. Look at Britney Spears and George Michael. They are icons but they are such a mess.

The movie is not a hit but it does make me think deeper about life, so I supposed the $16 is money well-spent afterall. I tried to analyse the movie with older prince as I always like to do but I guess to a pre-teen, life ain't worth analysing. Wait till he's 37. He will understand some day that youth does not last forever and that life ain't simple.

An old friend visits...

2009-05-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Mel is an old friend from way back in the uni days. When I first met her, I thought she looked like a very pretty Malay girl. We met through a mutual friend, Huixian. She was studying for her secretary course then. We clicked right away and that was the beginning of a string of saturday night partying, which also led to her meeting her husband.

Melinda has always been a fun-loving girl and our laughter has what you might call a 'stereo surround sound effect'. We had our first boyfriends together. Our boyfriends also knew each other. My relationship didn't last but hers did. She and her husband moved to Canada about 9 years ago, much to my dismay. She was back only once about 6 or 7 years ago, so in March when she came back for a month with her son, whom I have never met, I was estatic.

Together with Huixian and their sons, we went to the zoo, buffets, shopping, stayed overnight at rasa sentosa and had long chats. Mel has changed quite a bit and so have I. I think motherhood has made us more mellow and mature, yet we still find common things to talk and laugh about. Although we have not seen each other for years, the bond is still strong. Friends whom we grow up with will always have a special place in our hearts no matter how many new friends we make along the way or how long we have been apart. I look forward to more good times when you visit next year, Mel.

The farewell dinner at Tunglok Nobel House.

Mel still maintains her youthful figure and looks. Must be the Canada weather.

She loves this blue dress I bought for her.

Building sandcastles on the sentoa beach.

The little boys of Huixian and Melinda. Fate has it that all 3 of us have boys to torture us.

Torturing captured on camera.

Mel at the Toa Payoh foodcourt. She had cravings for beef noodles and bak chor mee and any Singaporean and Malaysian food.

Why God made little boys

2009-03-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

I had always thought that I would be one of those stratford moms - calm and always so sophisticated, never yelling at my children, who, by the way, would always be clean and well-behaved. I also imagined that I would have dainty daughters to go high-tea and shopping with and share all the girly secrets with. When my princes were babies, they were oh-so-cute and sweet.

In recent years, they suddenly grew out of their baby-cuteness and became... gasp! Boys! To the uninitiated, esteemed mom of boys need to be tough. Not just tough in a physical sense, but tough as in I-don't-buy-your-s**t tough. And you must learn to take in all kinds of nonsense (such as gruesome jokes of s**t, violent display of 'boy play', dramatic phoney bambi-eye moments) without batting an eyelid. It's crucial for survival in this testosterone-jungle.

I was recently hit with a giddy aura of smelly shirts and loud noises at my older prince's birthday. At 11, he only wanted to invite boys to his birthday party as 'girls were silly and annoying'. In the short span of 3 hours, I witnessed shouting, laughter, quarelling, wrestling, teasing, vomitting, messy food area and dirty faces and feet. At some point during the party, I told my friend that if this had been a girl's party, it would have been a lot neater, quieter and saner. She looked at me sympathetically and agreed whole-hearted as she also has a boy.

But then during the party, I also saw my older prince standing up for my friend's 6-year boy who was trying hard to snatch the basketball from the bigger boys. I saw him passing the ball to the little fellow and hoisting him close to the net to score a point. His little friend was grinning happily when everyone cheered for him. My heart exploded with pride. I never thought much about how lovable boys can be.

I began to count all the ways that having boys is good for mothers and felt blessed and lucky to be the mother of my princes.

There is a poem entitled 'Why God Made Little Boys' which really describes how boys should be appreciated - as they are - funny and courageous.

God made a world out of His dreams,
Of magic mountains, oceans and streams;
Prairies and plains and wooded land.
He then paused and thought,
"I need someone to stand on top of the mountains,
To conquer the sea,
Explore the plains and climb the trees,
Someone to start out small and grow sturdy,
And strong like a tree"
And so... He created boys,
Full of spirit and fun to explore and conquer,
To romp and run
With dirty faces, banged up chins,
With courageous hearts and boyish grins.
When He had completed the task He'd begun,
He surely said, "That's a job well done."

God's wonderful creation - boys. Older prince with his 'ya ya' brotherhood.

Little prince with his little friends

Older prince wrote this in his school student handbook... Hope the teacher is not a detailed reader.

Being 'zen'

2009-03-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Recently, in my office, there is this joke about being 'zen' when the going gets tough. I had read a work-related email that was suppossed to be worrying and stressful but for some (sick) reasons, it tickled me so much I couldn't stop laughing. My colleagues thought I had gone bonkers.

In the past, when things got stressful, I would have been irritated and blown my top. Now, I am not so bothered any more. At first, I thought that must be a good thing but then on second thoughts, I might be repressing the negative emotions within me cos I still had problems sleeping at night. I guess for that particular incident, I had looked at the the picture from the outside, like a third party and somehow found it ridiculous yet funny.

Anyway, there is really no point getting stressed over things that are beyond my control. There is a theory that we all have our small sphere of influence. Beyond that sphere, we have no control and if we try, we get frustrated and unduly stressed.

'Zening' is not necessarily a bad thing. It's different from being apathetic though. 'Zening' by my definition, simply means ' don't sweat the stuff you can't control'. So, I'm going to try to 'zen'. ohm...

Rogue hawker

2009-02-22T23:44:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, my family went to simpang bedok for breakfast. My hubby and younger prince ate the roti prata while I had some dim sum. My elder prince was craving for fishball noodles, so we ordered a bowl for him from the supposedly famous store in one of the coffee shops.

After about 20 min, we had all finished our breakfast and the fishball noodles was still nowhere to be seen. After the elder prince went to remind the hawker about his order, we waited another 10 min. Then I went to the hawker and asked if my order was ready as the whole family had finished our breakfast. The woman assistant raised her voice at me, 'how can you talk like that? What is your table no.? You got to wait. Everyone is waiting." Then I asked how long it would take, to which she replied, "5 bowls." I repeated my question. She repeated her answer and then added, "about 10 min la."

When the noodles finally arrived, I took out a $2 note and started to count some spare change slowly and left them on the table. She was so agitated that she snatched the money from the table and stalked off. And she was telling me that I gotta wait for my food, which took about 30 min to come. I took all of 10 sec to give her the money.

Bottomline is: If you want to eat good food served by rude hawkers, be prepared to wait and be insulted. For me? No thanks. I'd rather have instant noodles.

The value of breathing properly

2009-02-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

I read some where that 9 out of 10 people breathe improperly. All babies and animals breathe in the right way but somehow as we grow older, we lose that instinct. Most people tend to breathe in a shallow manner, inhaling air up to the chest instead of all the way to their lungs. I am one big culprit. I'm a bad owner of my lungs and of my body, for that matter. When I'm focused on doing something, especially when I'm rushing for something, I forget to breathe. This is very damaging to my sleep and my health because all the breathes I forget to take during the day catch up with me at night, leaving me breathless and tensed when I hit the bed.

This is how I know I am not breathing properly:

Lie down on a flat surface and place the palms of hands on abdomen, just below ribs.

Breathe normally.

If the hand on the abdomen rises while chest is flat, that means you are breathing properly. If it’s the chest that rises while the abdomen barely moves at all, that means you are breathing improperly.

Even if we are not breathing properly, we can still correct it with daily exercises.

Here’s what I TRY to do on a daily basis:

Lie down flat your back with my knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor. This can be done while sitting or standing up straight, too.

Place hands on abdomen, just below ribs, palms flat against stomach.

Breathe slowly and gradually through the nose, counting up to five. Imagine you are inflating a balloon in your stomach while you are inhaling. Your hands should rise with the abdomen as you breathe in. Make sure that your shoulders do not rise up while you are inhaling.

Hold your breath for a few seconds, but don’t prolong it.

Exhale as slowly and gradually as you have inhaled, counting to five. Imagine the inflated balloon in the stomach slowly deflating while you are exhaling. Your hands should also go down as your abdomen deflates.

We should practice proper breathing for around five minutes at a time, two or three times a day. We can do it the first thing in the morning, while taking a break from work, and before we go to sleep.

Having a proper breathing method may seem like a small thing, but it takes effort to remember and practice. I did a pretty good job when I was in Switzerland and at home but now that I'm at work, it's extremely challenging. But I will continue to try. I want to live life fully and for that to happen I must unlearn the bad habits and re-learn how to take life one full breathe at a time.

http://monsterguide.net/how-to-breathe-properly

New Year Resolutions

2009-02-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

The initial New Year Days have come and gone and I have not come up with any new year resolutions this year. People have been telling me that making new year resolutions are a waste of time and effort because 1) you won't remember them, and 2) you won't keep them. That is mostly true. Every year, I have resolved to lose weight. Look at me. I probably lose like 2 kg in total in the last 10 years. So ya, new year resolution may not be worthy of my efforts but it will give me some focus and purpose for the year ahead. Without a road map at hand, we end up walking in all sorts of directions.

I have searched the web for some popular new year resolutions for inspiration. Here are some:

- Wear sunscreen - Protects the skin from frying and developing wrinkles.

- Pick up a sport/start an exercise regime - As we age, our metabolism will drop and our muscles will deteriorate, so without exercise, we are asking for trouble.

- Maintain a healthy weight - Enough said.

- Live to a budget - Do we really need that crystal hair clip or another pair of black shoes? I discover that usually if you wait a week, you don't really want the thing anymore. But if you still want it, get it!

- Make a date with my sweetheart regularly - My hubby started this ritual 10 years ago when my elder prince was born. Every Friday, he would bring me out without the princes. We may not be doing anything exciting all the time, but it gives us some space for couple time. It takes effort to maintain this ritual though.

- Choose a role model & then think, “What Would ____ Do?” - Make sure you choose the right one though.

- Every day, pay someone a compliment or do something that makes someone happy - This one is not easy to do in Singapore. But there is always someone doing something worth applauding - whether it’s the bus driver who is polite & smiley, or your kid trying to cheer you up. Tell them how much you appreciate it.

- Read - I'm not an NLB ambassador but I believe that reading feeds the soul. There is a Chinese saying that goes something like, "one day of not reading makes your appearance hateful." I guess it's saying that if you do not cultivate your inner being , your attitudes and behaviour just shows.

- Pray/ Self-reflect - It makes no sense to go through a wonderful life journey without assessing how you are faring and how you can make it better. For me, praying and self-reflecting are important things that I need to do. But having said that, too much inner-searching can be harmful when we become self-critical. So...

- Cut myself some slack - We all make boos boos and sometimes huge ones but we should get up, dust ourselves off, repair/ contain the damage and let's just move on.

Hong Kong 29 - 31 December 08

2009-01-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

First Day - 29 Dec

I figured this would be my last chance to travel in 2008, so despite the protests and emotional blackmail from the princes about being away on New Year Eve, I flew happily to Hong Kong on 29 Dec.

We arrived at the 'fragrant harbour' around 3pm, took the airport MTR to Tsing Yi before hopping on a cab to Tsuen Wan. The hotel that we stayed in was called Dorset Far East and very near to the Tsuen Wan MTR. When we entered the room, I got the shock of my life. It's like the tiniest room I'd ever set foot on. I could almost touch both the bed and the room door with both my feet spread out. As for the bathroom, all I can say is that I kissed the walls several times whenever I took a shower. For a room rate of US$97, it is definitely over-priced.

On the MTR to Tsing Yi.

The tiniest hotel room.

And the tiniest bathroom.

After putting down our luggage, we headed out to look for some wanton mee, like everyone said we should. The concierge directed us to one nearby. Our first meal in Hong Kong turned out to be a disappoinment. The wanton mee was soup-based and the noodles were tough. Luckily, being one who likes variety, I also ordered a pork chop bun, which turned out to be yummy. The tea was also good.

Our first wanton mee in Hong Kong.

Then we explored the nearby shopping malls like City Landmark Shopping Centre I and II which have clothes that were relatively reasonable. I bought a pink shimmering cardigan that came with a tank top for HK$120 (about S$24) in one of the shops. We took pictures of some prime residential area in Tsuen Wan and were accosted and questioned by the security guard there. We pretended we did not understand a word he said and moved on.

The residential flats looked very tiny and hardly had any space to hang laundry. The windows were also very small. A little too claustrophobic for me...

After a quick shower, we were driven to an outskirt area (I think it's called sam jing) by some friends in Hong Kong to a famous roast goose restaurant for dinner. My first roast goose meal, which I have anticipated for so long. If nothing else, roast goose would be my main purpose for this Hong Kong trip. And man, it was so worth it! The fats and crispy skin that hit the mouth just made me go limp. The other dish worth mentioning is the ku lu yoke (sweet sour pork). Damn good. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The restaurant name (and mascot?).

Ooh... the fat yummy goose. Come to mama...

The spread included fried calamari, scallop and brocolli, ku lu yoke and some herbal soup with noodles.

Second Day - 30 Dec

The second day, I was on my own. I went to Tung Chung Citigate Outlet to take a look although some people told me it was not worth the long trip. I went anyway just because I thought I had a lot of time. There were a lot of designer and luxury shops having sale. I bought a black Esprit dress, which I really love and a hair clip from Evita Peroni, which is also something I have been looking for. So I am a happy woman.

Then I took the MTR to Prince Edward to meet the famous bo lo bao and egg tart. Man, the restauarant that sells the stuff is like a trading market, with people shouting their take-away orders and the staff shouting back, sometimes in not so friendly manner. Being a polite Singaporean, I stood and waited for my turn, which never came. So I told the staff I wanted an egg tart, repeatedly, cos I was ignored and my voice was drowned by the hollering around me. Finally I got my precious egg tart and munched along as I trailed Fa Yuen Market Street.

Most of the stuff in Fa Yuen looked pretty unimpressive to me until I chanced upon a shop called 'Mirror' that sold only black clothes. When I saw the clothes and the prices, I was excited. Finally something decent that were priced reasonably. Each piece of clothing was about HK$49-HK59 (about S$10-12). I bought 2 tops from there. The staff were super efficient. They came to me and recorded the item numers of the clothing I wanted on a slip of paper while informing her colleague on a walkie-talkie to get the clothes from the storeroom. I just needed to take the piece of paper, go to the cashier, collect my items and pay for them. Hong Kong people thrive on pressure, I figured somehow. They seem to be very fast and very impatient. And they don't stop for you when you ask for help. Makes me appreciate Singapore and Singaporeans more.

This is the famous restaurant that sells bo lo bao and egg tart.

Fa Yuen Market.

I drank a lot of this stuff - mango jelly drink. When the gooby mix of jelly and mango cubes glides down your throat, it felt disturbingly good. I wished this would make its way to Singapore soon. Costs about HK$22 (about S$4). Not cheap for a dessert drink but will buy again if given the chance :)

The tops I bought from 'Mirror' in Fa Yuen. Costs HK$49 (S$9) each.

The clothes I bought from a shop near Tsuen Wan MTR. Each costs about HK$59 (S$11).

The pink cardigan I bought from City Landmark (set costs HK$120 or S$24).

My beloved Esprit dress that costs HK$299 (S$55).

The street in front of our hotel.

In the evening, we decided to venture out to Tsim Sha Zui to have our dinner. We went to Chee Kei in Langham Place to have some crab porridge, beef stew and braised chicken wings. This meal was rather cheap - HK$130 (about S$25).

Beef brisket and tendons - so tender and flavourful.

The crab porridge didn't have a chance to meet the camera before its demise.

I introduced my hubby to the disturbingly good mango jelly drink. He liked it too. Hoi Lau Shan seemed to be everywhere, so we could get a fix anytime we wanted. Then, deciding that we still needed more food, we took a MTR to Mong Kok. We sampled some very good and cheap shui jing bao (chrystal bao) in some dingy shop and a skewer of curry fishballs (too much flour) along the roadside.

Then we trailed the delicious smell of claypot rice to a stall where a man was cooking like 20 claypots outside a small restaurant along the road. We ordered a chicken claypot rice (bo zai fun) with sausage and duck egg. We had to wait for like 30 minutes as the rice was cooked from scratch. We saw him taking raw rice from a bucket and raw meat from a container -everything from scratch, so it was a long wait but it was so worth it. My hubby and I practically scrapped out every morsel of rice in the pot.

The trick to fragrant delicious bo zai fun is to pour the soya sauce into the pot, cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes before eating.

Doesn't look impressive until you taste it. The claypot rice is light colour, unlike the ones sold in Singapore.

We also sampled some potato skins from Ireland's Potato, a franchise found everywhere in Hong Kong. I still prefer the ones in Tony Romas.

A Christmas castle in Langham Place.

Christmas deco in Langham Place, which has a H & M.

Last Day - 30 Dec

I decided to check out Causeway Bay in the morning but found nothing interesting. Seemed to be a place for the rich people. When I travel, I like to go where the locals go, shop where the locals shop and eat where the locals eat. To me, that's the best way to truly experience a place. So, I headed back to hotel to meet hubby and we went to Mong Kok to search for lunch. We chanced upon this coffee shop that had some roast goose dangling temptingly, so we decided to satisfy our roast goose fix one more time. We ordered a goose thigh, a plate of fried rice and fried hot fun. Mmm... did I mention how much I like roast goose?

This plate of fried rice is 'power', with lots of shrimps, ham, sausage and egg.

This roast goose is not as good as the one in Yu Kei but still good.

After lunch, we took the MTR to Prince Edward again to see if we could try our luck at the chaotic place that sells the famous bo lo bao since I only tried the egg tart the last time. Before that, we walked around a bit and saw a huge crowd in front of a traditional biscuit stall that sells gai zai beng and kok zai. We bought some and tried on the spot. I'm not a gai zai beng and kok zai person, but these ones were good.

When we reached the restaurant with the famous bo lo bao, it was unsurprisingly crowded. The staff asked us to go in and wait. It was a restaurant but felt more like a foodcourt or a hawker centre. We had to share a table with another couple. This is very common in Hong Kong. There is no such thing as personal space. We ordered 2 bo lo yau (a buttered version), an egg tart and tea and observed the scene in the restaurant. It was chaotic. The staff were shouting orders and people were standing around waiting for seats and trays of bo lo bao were constantly being brought out. Not exactly a place to have tea, relax and catch up on a book.

The bo lo yau and egg tart were very good, so I guess the chaos was worth it but I don't think I would go there again. In fact, I don't think I would go Hong Kong again. It was a nice first time experience, especially with the food but it's not exactly an ideal holiday destination for me. I like to have space. When I get out of Singapore, I like to take it easy and experience nice scenery, good food and nice culture with a spot of shopping. Hong Kong is too much like Singapore or perhaps more hectic. So thanks for the experience but I'm not coming back.

The egg tart was piping hot and soft yet crispy.

The bo lo yau needed another slice of butter, I thought.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas with close friends - 19 Dec

This year, Christmas with close friends took a slightly different slant from previous years. On a friend's suggestion, we were each given a card and everyone must write something about that person in the card. So we took some time passing the cards around. Until then, we didn't realise how long since we wrote a heart-felt card for someone and how we rusty we had become in our writing skills. We laughed and teased one another about taking forever to write something but it was really fun and meaningful.

The cards that contain all the heart-felt words from good friends.

This year's celebration was at a friend's house. Her mom is a marvellous cook, so we decided to go there every year. This decision was made without her mom's consent. Ha ha...

Friends for 20 years...

Friends for 24 years...

Christmas Treat at Changi Airport Terminal 3 - 21 Dec

We went to Changi Airport Terminal 3, Candy Empire to get some chocolates and candies as Christmas gifts. Because my hubby and I spent more than $60 each, we were each given a pass to enter the Candy House where we could collect free candies. Of course, we gave the pass to the princes. Upon entering the Candy House, the princes were each given a huge plastic cup to put as many candies as they wanted into the cup. The glee on their faces were palpable as they surveyed the area and stuffed as many of their favourite sweets and chocolates into the cup. The candies were just ordinary candies, but the thought of stuffing all the candies they wanted into a huge cup somehow made it a treasured experience.

The hansel and gretal candy house.

The anticipation...

The loot...

Christmas in the office - 24 Dec

A few of our colleagues ordered a Haagen Daaz ice-cream cake and bought some chips to celebrate on Christmas Eve (who works on Christmas Eve anyways?). We played a game called Guessture - something like charade on steroids. One person would act out the words on 4 cards, which would drop one by one into a box based on a timer. So the team members must guess the words before the card disappears into the box. A really fun charade with an edge.

The cake has a layer of chocolate and another layer of strawberry cheesecake ice-cream.

The mayhem...

The pressure...

And the many butt pointing...

Christmas with the relatives - 24 Dec

Every Christmas Eve is spent at my parents' place where all the relatives gather. It's like a preview to CNY, except that it's better because there are always presents and good food, gossips and casual banter. CNY tends to be less relaxing, with all the protocol and the pressure to remember who to give angbao to.

Glorious food...

A lot of pressure taking picture with the young ones. The cousins look 'power' with youth and beauty on their sides...

Sister-in-law and cousins. Less pressure now...

Tradition!!

As my older prince pointed out, it is our family tradition (we do a short dance with a finger pointing to the sky and say 'tradition' loudly, much like the father in 'Fiddler on the Roof' film) to go to Seah Street Deli at Raffles Hotel every year to have our dessert after the Christmas Eve party.

Traditionally, we also allow the princes to open one present on Christmas Eve every year. The rest of the presents can only be unravelled on Christmas Day itself.

Every year, we take a picture with the big Christmas tree in front of Raffles City Shopping Centre. I guess it is important to establish and observe family traditions. It gives a purpose to events like Christmas and brings the family closer. Even a 10 year old knows that :)

Rediscovering Singapore

2009-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

During the Dec hols, while many went overseas for their vacation, we decided to stay put in Singapore. It's a challenge to try to find fun stuff to do in Singapore without breaking the bank. We have been lucky though. We got free tickets to go to the zoo and discovered some gems in our own shores.

Singapore Zoo

The newly opened Rainforest Kidzworld was a blast. After we had some home-made ham and egg sandwiches at one of the quieter areas of the zoo, the princes couldn't wait to fly to the Rainforest Kidzworld, which had many water-related features. The princes had fun being swept away by the water waves from the big bucket and gliding on water slides. They have been water babies since they were very little so they really dig water-related games.

We also checked out the white tigers which mauled one of the zoo staff. Somehow, after an incident like this, you look at these animals differently. They are meant to be in the wild, not kept in a zoo. This particular one was pacing the edges of its confines and snarling at the onlookers. I think it had tasted blood and it wanted more.

Science Centre

The Science Centre was having some magic exhibition when we were there and there was this eerie machine that made the body disappear so it looked like you had been decapitated. The princes also enjoyed some live magic show.

Changi Beach

The princes had recently mastered their cycling skills and the hubby had also just bought a bicycle , so the boys and I headed off to the Changi Beach to check out if it is a great place to cycle. I rented a bicycle from one of the shops near a carpark for a mere $5 for 2 hours (it's having an extra-1 hr free promotion). The view and the cycling route were great. We even spotted some jellyfishes on the pavement, obviously being discarded by some fishermen. I never had so much fun cycling. It's definitely better than East Coast.

The grand scheme of life

2008-12-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

One baseball player who made it to the baseball hall of fame was asked what he wished someone would have told him when he first started playing baseball. He replied, "I wish that someone would have told me that when you reach the top, there's nothing there."

There is also the story of a very wealthy man who said in his last days that he wished he had spent more time with his wife (he was divorced many times) and his children. Many people fervently pursue so-called successes only to realise their emptiness after years have been wasted.

I have heard so much power-struggle and office politics in the last few weeks from the private to the public sector to the self-help industry that makes me ask, "what's the grand scheme of things here? Is it power? Is it control? Is it fear?" I feel tired just listening to these, what more partaking in them. I guess I was lucky enough never having to dabble in politics. Basically, I refuse to be part of it, even though that does not give me immunity from it. I have been a victim of politics a few times but survived. A little bruises here and there but no great harm done. Maybe I was never in that kind of high position where politics can literally kill one's career.

But seriously, if it's not a matter of life (like losing one's job) and death (career death, that is), is it worth wasting time and energy to think of ways to outdo one another and be seen as the victor/ not the loser?

A couple of years ago, it would have bothered me very much about being seen as a loser in my career. But it occurred to me that many years from now, on my dying bed, I wouldn't remember or be remembered about being a star employee. That's not how I wanted it either. I'd rather be happy and carefree and know in my heart that I have been right with God. That does not mean that I absolve my responsibilities from being a good employee. I am accountable for the salary that I am paid but I will not make casualities of anyone (including myself and my family) because of it.

The bible says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30) and “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10b).

I am not a good christian, yet, but I know that putting God as the centre of my life is probably the best bet there is. He is the grand designer and my compass for the grand scheme in life. I can't think of a better life coach.

Save more, live simply

2008-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

I watched an episode of Oprah the other day (this is the good thing about having the mornings to yourself) that features how to cut waste and live simply. It's amazing how wasteful the average family is. We leave the TV on as we fall asleep or do other things while the TV/computer is on, abuse plastic utensils, buy tons of clothes which we never wear, etc.

It got me thinking about my own spending habits. After admonishing a colleague for buying more sweaters/cardigans, I did an inventory of my own cardigan collection and was amazed that I have 16 cardigans. Just cardigans, not including sweaters and other long-sleeve shirts. I also did a check of clothes that I had bought but not worn. There are quite a few of them. So I told myself, 'Ok, no more buying of clothes unless the damn piece of fabric totally blows me away or it's a darn shame not to buy it cos it's so cheap and good.' I hope I can hold on to my promise cos I have been known to make such a promise and broke it like the very next day. Anyways, times are tough and although I'm lucky to still have a stable job, bonuses are going to be lean. So now is as good as any time to start reining in the spending monster and live a simpler life.

Here are some tips which I found on MSN Money on how to start using our resources wisely. I have also added my own:

1. Eliminate premium channels from our cable TV service.
2. Reduce phone extras such as call forwarding or waiting. I save $5 per month on caller ID.
3. Investigate whether bundled service (phone, high-speed Internet and cable television) might save us money.
4. Wash only full loads of dishes or clothes.
5. Use a clothesline and use dryer just to soften air-dried clothes.
6. Switch to compact-fluorescent bulbs, and turn them off when not needed. Turn off TVs, computers and other electronics when not in use.
7. Bring lunches and snacks to work.
8. Cook once, eat twice: Double whatever you're making and freeze the excess for a later meal.
9. Avoid overpackaged, overprocessed and highly advertised foods. The closer a food is to its natural state, the less it tends to cost.
10. Buy fruits and vegetables in season.
11. Cruise through the fridge daily to use items before they go bad.
12. Give up a vice (smoking, drinking, soda, salty snack foods).
13. Shop on Thursdays when NTUC has its weekly specials and plan meals accordingly.
14. Find out what looks good on us and stick to classic styles that won't look weird next season.
15. Inventory our wardrobe and buy pieces that work with what we already own.
16. Avoid dry-clean-only clothing.
17. Make hair appointments at beauty schools or neighbourhood salons.
18. Drop the health club and form a walking or jogging group with friends.
19. Hold a clothing swap with friends.
20. Ask friends and relatives for hand-me-downs for kids.
21. Check out consignment and thrift stores for lightly used items.

22. Don't buy magazines and books. Borrow from the library.

Little hamster face

2008-10-21T02:56:00.001-07:00

Ah San came to my office today to show off her little precious and also to distribute full-month cakes.

I really like little Lyra. She is so fiesty and expressive. In the short span of time here, she cooed, grunted, poohed, sucked noisily on her mom's er-hems and showed off her dimpled little smile.

My colleagues thought that she looked like me. They also said that she looked like a little hamster. Hmm...

I told Ah San, one of these days I'm going to kidnap little Lyra. Ooh!! She's so darn cute!

Another reason for not going to work

2008-10-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

Today when I wore my glasses after switching on my PC at work, I discovered that the text on my PC screen seemed blurry. When I removed the glasses and looked again, it was clear. After half a year of not staring endlessly at the computer, I realised that my astigmatism was cured. Huh! Another reason not to work.

I have started work only for 3 days and already I miss my home. On the first day, I thought about the garden view outside my window. On the second day of work, I thought, 'What the heck am I doing here? I don't belong here. There must be a better way of earning a living.' On the third day, I daydreamt about doing freelance work or working from home. Today, I discovered yet another reason not to work. I gotta settle in to work life soon or I will go crazy just struggling with this feeling of 'I don't belong here. But I need to be here.' Or I need to have a 1 or 2 or 3-year exit plan.

Maybe I just need time to adjust. Maybe I will be more motivated to stay when I see my pay slip and bonuses. Maybe I should migrate. Maybe I should just choose to lead a simple one-income family life. I don't know what I want but at least now I know the many benefits of not working in a box.

196 golden days

2008-10-14T07:30:00.001-07:00

I can't believe half a year has passed me by. It seems like yesterday that I made the very hard decision to stop work and stay at home. I was inspired by an article about an american woman who dropped everything she owned and achieved to live a simple life in a foreign land. I was unhappy at work and at home for a while. I was frustrated at having to do things to please everyone. Basically, I was spread so thin I could barely breathe, literally. So against all rational thoughts and hesitation, I took the plunge. And the learning curve was steep.

I disliked staying at home at first. I disliked the housework and cooking botched meals for 2 unappreciative boys while getting cuts and burns in the process. I disliked the monotony of sending and picking up the kids and having no specific and meaningful things to excite me. Then, slowly and surely the learning curve got smoother and the elder prince started his CCA, giving me 2 afternoons to myself. I began to enjoy being at home, admiring my neatly hung laundry and proudly presenting my flavourful lunches to the princes.

The 2 one-dish meals that I have mastered well are chicken fillet and claypot rice.

Staying at home has many advantages, although many working moms feel that working has more advantages. This is a perenial debate that can go on until the cows come home and get themselves slaughtered. I have been on both sides of the fence and I can only say that it is good to experience both at different stages in your life. Life is not one straight line. In life's all important journey to fulfillment, we take different paths and sometimes stray a little to explore what's on the less trodden trails. We could choose to take the safe, straight highway to reach our goals or we could take the scenic route, which although takes longer to reach our destination, is probably more fun and enriching. Taking time off work feels a little like taking the scenic route. I go off course for a while and may take some time to catch up, but along the way, I gained perspectives and valuable experiences.

The many rewards of staying home for half a year:

1) Better skin
This is the first thing I noticed when I stopped work. The skin on my back is completely without pimples or blemishes. I myself am surprised at how smooth and clear my back skin is. My facial complexion still remains unchanged though, so it's really amazing. Maybe not working drains toxin from my body?

2) Opportunities to learn new things
With me being at home all the time, I'm always available to listen to problems and trivial gossips and of course teachable moments. I have taught the princes to resolve conflicts peacefully with their friends with great success, did art projects, created clay robots with them and taught them to play some simple card games. They are also able to perform simple household chores such as folding clothes and washing their own school shoes. The elder prince can even clean the floor. The princes also picked up cycling with ease. No rushing, just plain enjoying the process of learning how to cycle - first with 4 wheels, then 3 and 2. They are better cyclists than me now. For me, my biggest achievement in terms of learning new things is that I now can proudly boast that I can cook a full meal (up to 4 dishes) with ease. More importantly, I learn not to take things seriously. I learn not to rush things unnecessarily and to be in tune with myself and my family.

Our homemade clay robots. The princes had a competition after that to see whose robot could wobble faster.

The little prince's art project, made of egg carton, tissue box and other recycled stuff. It got selected to be displayed in the school.

The princes learned 21 and gin rummy quickly. No gambling allowed, of course. A rare set of cards by 3 players.

The little prince showing off some biker moves.

Learning how to blow a bubble gum.

3) Smelling the roses
With no work stress riding on my back, I'm better able to appreciate my surroundings and have fun with my family. Before, I hardly walked around the condo that I have lived in for 5 years. In the last half a year, at least twice a week, I would walk for half an hour around the estate with my younger prince while he cycled. I was also less hung up about things like what they should do or eat. Mostly, I try to give them healthy food but when my younger prince requested for chocolate waffle for lunch one day, I said, 'why not'. When the princes made rude jokes about farts and shit and their er-hems, I laughed and told them not to repeat the jokes to others. We also made up silly songs, commercials and dance moves, sometimes witnessed by some poor unwilling audiences, when the lift door opens suddenly. We often laughed after these incidences and hissed 'embarassing!' to each other and then continue doing them. Basically, I want to have fun with my kids without them feeling that they need to be wary of me. Of course, when they are out of line, they do time in the corner.

The little prince enjoying his choc waffle lunch.

I like spending time with little prince. He's always full of laughter and joy. Very infectious.

Roughing out at the pool.

A game of UNO.

Game of Life - Spongebob Square Pants edition. In this game, transformer and squidward faced off.

Elder prince entertaining himself with the laundry basket.

I also learned to relax more easily. In the past, I could not even relax on the spa bed. The masseuse would be asking me why my breathing was so laboured. Now, I learn to stare out my window without panicking and thinking, 'why the heck am I wasting precious time staring into space? I have to do this and this.....'. I like to stand at my kitchen window/balcony with a cookie or a drink in my hand and watch kids playing or the gardener trim or water the plants (no, I'm not a desperate housewife and the gardener is no shirtless hunk). I also make more impulsive decisions like going to Switzerland on a moment's notice. I panicked when my hubby booked the tickets, thinking, 'what have I done?!' But it was one of the best decisions I have made, like my decision to take time off work. Both were made on the same premise - although we are poorer financially, we are richer in experience.

My favourite view from my living room window.

4) Exercise
Working up a sweat needs time. With more time, I am able to lose a little weight exercising although I figured if I had also dieted, I might have achieved my happy weight by now. But then again, I like my food and I might as well enjoy them while I still have my teeth and my health.

Now that I have come to the end of my 196 days of hiatus, I shall not feel sad. I must learn not to wait for life to throw roses at me. I will learn to pursue a purpose and passion-driven life, every single day. Even in my darkest moments or moments when I lose purpose, I will remember to deliberately go into the 'woods' to find my peace and joy.

I wished to live deliberately...

2008-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived … I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms..."

Henry David Thoreau

Recently, I had a bicycle accident that got everyone talking. The wound on my arm is rather nasty. I had not cycled for a long time and I did not have a proper bicycle but one day, my elder prince asked me to cycle with him, suggesting that I took his bike while he took his brother's. On impulse, I went along. I had forgotten how exhilarating it was to wheel down a slope and feel the wind in your hair. I had much fun but alas, I passed a narrow path and hit an aluminium wall at a construction site and scraped off more skin than I could bear. The pain I suffered from this accident lasted for days and I suspect there would be a scar.

At first, I regretted going for that bike trip but upon reflection, it gave me and my prince much joy, so it was worth it. I also realised that I had more wounds and bruises during this half year of hiatus than I had in my entire adult life. Then, it dawned on me that when you live life fully, you will have more chances of falling, literally and metaphorically. And falling is good. Not leading a perfectly well-planned and safe life felt good. And that is what I have done in the last half a year - I have climbed mountains, numbed my feet in the icy spring water, bathed naked in the open alps, acted silly in public with my kids, got cuts and bruises from water slides, cycling, cooking and challenged myself with new things like creating a blog, exploring the unknown, etc. Living life to the fullest does not mean perpetual happiness and comfort. It means you have made the decicion to live life deliberately and passionately, without fear and hesitation.

I love the movie, Dead Poets' Society where the above quote was uttered. Sometimes chasing one's dreams can be extremely hard but what is life if we allow others to dictate how we should live it? It's good not to work once in a while for it is when we are still that we are able to think clearly what we want out of life and appreciate life as it is, without the complications of materialism and human politics. I will always remember this half a year of my life in 2008 when I 'went to the woods...'

Do You Remember...

2008-10-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

For those who grew up in the 80s and 90s, coke commercials were very prevalent and hip. That's before all the other more advanced, special-effects commercials came along.

This one is so corny and catchy that I still remember how my frens and cousins used to sing to this along with me. It was kidish but good old fashion fun, back in the days when the gameboys and x-boxes were not invented. Just like we used to memorise the MacDonald's Big Mac jingle, 'Two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onion on a sesame seed bun' or something like that. Kids nowadays don't get to do fun things like that anymore.

I also remember the Jim Beam commercial where I fell in love with the very rugged kevin sorbo of hercules fame and his famous one-liner, 'This ain't jim beam' although I heard the drink tastes awful. I'm not able to find a video of that commercial though :(

A Little Experiment

2008-09-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

I have been conducting a little experiment in the last few weeks. I decided that before I go back to work, I wanna see if I could be more patient and peaceful. This decision was spurred by a comment by one of my friends who noted that staying at home had made me a nicer and more patient person. I knew that I was impatient and sometimes aggressive. Ok, I'm impatient and aggressive. But I was still surprised at her comment. In the last couple of months, I did notice that I smile more and lose my temper less frequently, except for a few days every month.

I also wanted to see if I did my part in being a nice s'porean, would other s'poreans reciprocate? The first and most difficult test of one's patience is on the s'pore roads. I started by not driving in a hurried manner because when speed gets the adrenaline pumped up, hell some how breaks loose. I also tried to be courteous by waving my hand and smiling to the driver when I need to cut his lane in a crowded situation and consciously gave way to other cars. For this experiment, I would say 75% of the time, drivers reacted by being less aggressive. They did not horn at me and some times gave way to me. I was also less stressed out. I was amazed at the power of hand-waving. I guess drivers tend not to be nice because we are all boxed up in steel containers and we couldn't communicate other than by horning or hand gestures (good and bad ones), so a friendly wave is a good way to say, 'thanks' or 'excuse me, please'.

Note to self: Use friendly hand-waving often.

A new korean family shifted in next door a few weeks ago. I had wanted to start a conversation with the woman, who always brings her son for a walk, but never made eye contact with me. One day, while in the lift, I saw the boy holding a ball, so I said 'hi' to him and asked him if he liked playing ball. The mother smiled at me and we started talking. Score!

Note to self: Don't be afraid to initiate a conversation with strangers.

Like most people, I buy things for my parents, especially food, when it is convenient. But recently when the weather became unbearably hot, I drove all the way to bedok camp to buy the famouse 'qing tang' for my dad and my parents-in-law. As my dad owns a provision shop in the heartlands, the heat gets to him more than others. I bought 'qing tang' and lunch for him a couple of times for the last few weeks. My dad is not a man of many words or affection but I knew he appreciated my gesture when he bought me a packet of my favourite 'bak kwa' 2 days ago. He is a good father but also a very busy one, so I can count with my fingers the number of times he actually bought stuff for me. As for my mother-in-law, it was a long-drawn test of patience. However, it was worth it because her attitude towards me also became warmer over the years.

Note to self: Investment in people always reaps rewards no matter how long it takes.

I realise that in the past I was so busy and distracted that I hardly bothered to build relationship with others, even my family and friends. It was always 'touch and go'. It was the same in my relationship with God. When I stopped work, I was less distracted and I made a conscious effort to understand my kids better and spend more time with my parents. I also begin to spend more time praying and studying God's words and see that being a perfectionist is more harmful than useful. To have peace in my life, I find that being efficient yet not getting upset over mistakes or oversights is the way to go. Because, 10 years from now, I will forget those silly incidents but I will remember that I have made a difference in my relationship with people that matter.

Father's Love Letter

2008-09-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

What is Father's Love Letter?

Father's Love Letter is a compilation of Bible verses from both the Old & New Testaments that are presented in the form of a love letter from God to us.

There are testimonies from thousands of people all over the world who have had a life-changing encounter with God while experiencing the message found in Father's Love Letter. Since 1999, this message has been downloaded from http://www.fathersloveletter.com/ in 85+ languages from people in over 125 nations. It has also appeared as full page newspaper ads and has even delivered to every home in entire nations.

This letter is the best love letter one can ever read and receive. I like the audio version. Sounds like Kenny Rogers :)

http://www.fathersloveletter.com/audio.html

Father's Love Letter

My Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad, Almighty God

Our Happy Weight

2008-09-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

I read in Feb issue of the American magazine, Self, that 87% of normal weight women wish they weighed less. I think we should stop obsessing and aiming for unrealistic weight that people in hollywood and the entertainment industries are falsely representing.

The mag recommends a formula to calculate our happy weight, weight that we should be happy with. See below:

Multiply your height in inches by itself (to convert cm to inches, divide by 2.5), then multiply by 0.031. (The answer will be in pounds). This is our weight at a body-mass index of 22, in the middle of the healthy range. But there are many factors that can contribute to our happy weight.

Multiply the number above by 0.95 if you have small frame and by 1.05 if you have big frame.

Add 1 pound if a family member is obese.

Add 2 pounds for each decade you are over 20.

Add 5 pounds if you have had kids.

Subtract 1 pound if you exercise and weight train once a week and subtract 2 pounds if you do so 3 times a week and subtract 3 pounds if you do so 5 or more times a week.

Add 4 pounds if you smoked at least a pack a day for a year or more and have quit.

Add 1 pound if you allow yourself a treat now and then.

Add the numbers to get your happy weight. To get your happy weight in kg, just divide the final number by 2.2.

All this time, I have been beating myself up for being way too fat. Even the doctors advise me to lose weight in order to keep my blood pressure on a healthy level. Although some people told me I look fine for a mother of 2, and my hubby loves me the way I am (and tells me he doesn't like skinny girls), I still get upset every time I step on the scale, thinking that I will never ever get close to my ideal weight. After doing this happy weight formula, I discover that I'm not that far off from my happy weight. I'm happy enough just knowing that it's an achievable goal. This gives me motivation to lose that last few kg. Many women give up because we compare ourselves with celebrities and those women in slimming ads and think 'I will never look like that'. But we don't have to. We lead real, less-than-glamorous lives and we all have different lifestyles. It is good to maintain a good and healthy weight but there is no need to starve ourselves and feel guilty when we gain a little weight. Life is really too short to waste time worrying about a little weight. So, I'm going to continue enjoying my chocolates every now and then and try to hit the gym as often as I can. Bottom line is: Being healthy is more important then being slim.

Fighting Common Illness the Natural Way

2008-09-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

I am down with flu, together with half of the world's population. Saw the doc last monday but still having the sniffles. The doc had persuaded me to take antibiotics but I resisted because I wanted my body to fight it out. Looks like the virus is winning. I know it takes longer to heal without antibiotics but that's really not the natural way to heal. For the past 4 months while at home, my princes and myself have not seen the doc, except for myself last monday. They had a bit of cough and some runny noses now and then but I just let them fight out the illness on their own and at the same time providing good nutrition and supplements. I think taking too much medicine is harmful to the body. Now, I can afford to go by the natural route but when I return to work, I will not have the luxury of time. Docs usually only give a maximum of 2 days MC, so I may succumb to quick fixes again. Sigh...

Some kind docs have candidly told me that constant intake of medicine can harm the kidneys and other organs, even something as mild as panadol. There are always natural remedies for common illnesses. Of course, when the illness is serious, better be good and take all the necessary medication.

I found the following to be useful when having cold/flu:

gargle throat with salt water
drink lots of fluid
drink homemade ginger water (just throw some ginger slices and cube sugar (bing tang) into boiling water to cook for abt 10 min)
sleep and rest a lot
skip the gym (walking outdoors is ok though)

Few Good Men... in Singapore?

2008-08-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

In my recent conversations with my friends, we all lamented that there are no more good men left in s'pore. One of my friends told me that many of her colleagues' husbands are cheating on the wives, and these are good-looking wives. Some other friends also complain about their husbands/ boyfriends being dumb or numb or a bump. They all put the blame on the men. Although I think cheating men are scums and that most men are dumb, I also feel that women need to do some self-reflection. Not saying that women who have unfaithful men are to be blamed but it's good to examine why they find another woman more attractive. Some men are just naturally scumbags but some may have wives who are just difficult to live with.

People have said that S'pore women are not that easy to deal with. My hubby once told me that if he wasn't married to me, he would have stayed single or get himself an exotic wife. Granted that statement needs to be discounted in view of the 'scoring brownie point' factor, I will not disagree with him. We are aggressive, unforgiving and sometimes unreasonable, and that's me included. Our men here have a hard time managing us.

I do admire kick-ass girls, like one of my friends who will not hesitate to give some kids a piece of her mind when she overheard them criticising about their parents in public. Or another one who scolded a man for not giving up his seat for a pregnant lady in the MRT. However, sometimes in our eagerness to appear assertive, we kick wrong innocent asses or injure some asses unnecessarily. I, myself, sometimes find it hard to stand my ground and remain gracious in this city of competition - for seats, for sale items, for our voices to be heard. One classic example, I went to a movie with my kid and brought along our lunches. The ticketing guy stopped me at the entrance and told me that I could not bring outside food into the cinema, despite the fact that I have bought popcorn and soft drink from the cinema vendor. I demanded to see the manager, who insisted that I collect the food from him after the movie. That got me mad. I gave him a big piece of my mind and stormed into the cinema depsite his protests. Although it was a stupid rule, on hindsight, I could have dealt with it better. I'm not saying that all s'pore women are bitches but sometimes, we assert our rights a little too much and it can be scary.

Another thing about women, which is universal, is that we enter into relationships with unrealistic expectations. We can't expect a man who knows no difference between Tiffany and Taka jewelry to suddenly be an expert in buying us excellent gifts. Men get confused when we get angry over things like this. It's not their fault. They are slow-learners. And when you ask them to help with housework, just shut up and let them do their stuff. As long as the house is not on fire and the kids are not lost or hurt, let them rule the house for that moment. If your husband is housework-duh, teach him patiently and allow mistakes.

The way I see it is, men are like children. Set some basic rules and agreement that cannot be compromised, e.g., be home by 11pm or no divulging of couple secrets/bedroom matters to outsiders, etc. As for the rest, go with the flow. Choose your battles wisely and don't sweat the small stuff. This way, the world is a lot more peaceful and you have a partner who appreciates you for not running down his back all the time. This marriage thing is not easy. After 13 years of ups and downs and ins and outs, I'm still figuring it out. Thing is, men and women are very different yet similar. We have different likes (for men, it's basically sex and for women it's shopping) and dislikes (for some men, it's shopping, for some women, it's sex). But for sure, both men and women share one thing in common - we want to love and feel loved, respected and appreciated. So if we work on the similarities more than the differences, we should be alright.

Switzerland - 14 Aug 2008 - Last Day...

2008-08-24T17:50:00.001-07:00

Last day at Switzerland...

I woke up and opened the kitchen window for the last time to breathe in some fresh air and thought about going back home. I missed the kids and wanted to see them but I also wanted to stay longer. I guess there will never be such thing as a perfect holiday. When we travel with the kids, we have so many things to consider and spend much time entertaining them but when we travel without them, we miss them.

I woke my hubby up to take our last morning walk in zurich. We took some pictures of the forest path where we walked most mornings, enjoying the fresh air and scenery as we talked. In s'pore, we hardly have time to talk and spend time with each other as he is always travelling. I think the past 10 days had been good for us, to relax and just be with each other.

After we packed the last of our stuff, we called the cab. While my hubby loaded our luggage onto the cab, I gave ah kin a hug and told her we would meet again in 1 and half month's time. As the cab drove off, ah kin's face looked a bit lost. I was a little worried for her cos she likes company and she loves to talk, but I knew that she would be alright. In fact, I think the half a year stay in swit has made her a stronger woman. Ah kin, you go girl! And until we meet again, fatten up please.

The path of peace and happiness. Why can't we have forest paths like this in s'pore? Our parks are just too neat and contrived.

A mini 'water-fall' from the river along the walking path.

The tress with red berry-like fruits.

The morning walk route.

We saw this quaint little country-like cafe in the swiss international airport.

The returning flight is never as good as the out-going flight. The former felt more bearable because of the anticipation and the latter just have a tinge of sadness, of a holiday that is over way too quickly. When we reached home, I had a short nap before meeting the kids for lunch. When the kids saw us, they flew to hug us. It was a nice feeling and the sadness of leaving switzerland was gone. Afterall, it is just a holiday. Our home is right here.

8 things we like about swit:

Fresh air - plenty of it
Hiking and living in the alps and mountains - not just admiring them from a distance but being in tune with them, 'becoming one with them'. So zen!
Chocolates - the fresh ones are very good but expensive but those from the Lindt and Sprungli Chocolate Factory are yummy and cheap
Real - although I complain about swit being tourist-unfriendly, it has managed to retain its authenticity and culture and has not been contaminated by the rest of the world yet.
Sausages and rosti, although we got sick of them after a week
Ovalmaltine - like nutella but with crispy bits. We polished off 1 bottle in less than a week.
Bread - the bread is always nice, even if it's a day old
Swiss made products - I have confidence in them as they are good and lasting

Seealpsee region, Appenzellerland

Ebenalp, Appenzellerland

St Gallen Church

Appenzell Town

Switzerland - 13 Aug 2008 - Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory and Bellevue Old Town

2008-08-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Day before departure...

Time to shop for some souvenirs to bring home. We all decided that chocolate would be the best and most thoughtful gift (and economical too ;p). Uncle tan's friend recommended the Lindt Chocolate factory, which was in Schooren, about 11 stops from Bellevue on tram no. 165. Before we even entered the place, our olfactory senses were smack with the sweet sweet smell of coco. When we entered the place, it was like chocolate heaven - lots and lots of chocolates at low low prices. The chocolates here were like 40 to 60% cheaper than those in town areas but some of the packaging was not as nice la. Aiya, who cares about packaging as long as the contents are equally yummy? So my hubby and I started piling our baskets with chocolates in all flavours and sizes. While we went on a chocolate frenzy, ah kin calmly surveyed the area and mentally planned what to buy when she goes back in 1 and half months' time. We walked out of the store with 4 big bags and about SF150 worth of chocolates. At the tram stop, we began to worry how we were going to pack our horde of precious into the luggage.

We ate lunch at Little Saigon, which sold very expensive 'chap cai beng'. It was near to the tram stop from ah kin's house. Then we left the chocolates at ah kin's house and headed out to do some last minute shopping. We left ah kin at home to 'jaga' the chocolates. No la, she had too much excitement from the chocolate factory excursion that we asked her to stay at home to rest.

On our way to chocolate heaven.

The place that provided pleasure for the eyes, nose and tongue. Too bad there was no guided tour of the factory. Could only buy chocolates.

At the tram-stop outside the factory, waiting for Mr Sim to take picture. Ah kin: "Aiya, your hubby very 'beh zi dong' leh. Take picture so long. He don't know my hands are itching for those chocolates meh?!" Suisui: 'Cool down. The chocolates will still be there one. Give you one chocolate from my pocket first la." Great picture story huh? ;p

Four big bags of precious. Mua ha ha...

In our afternoon shopping spree, I bought a flik flak watch each for jeremy and myself since joshua already had a watch. I also bought a pair of cerjo sunglasses as my existing one had scratches. My favourite phrase which I had mastered very well during this trip was 'I need this.' These were swiss-made products so should last me for some time. Didn't buy any swatch as the prices were similar to s'pore's. Throughout the entire swiss stay, my proudest find was my red wind-breaker cos I couldn't find a similar one at about S$100, which was my budget. Then it was the brown leather belt which I bought out of need as I forgot to bring my belt. This belt held up my jeans for the entire swiss stay. I bought the belt from Tally Weijl, which is like Fox in s'pore at only SF9.90.

Some of the things I bought during my swiss stay. Clockwise from top: pink top from Schaffhausen at SF9.90, orange dye shirt from tally weijl at SF5, pink sweater from zara kids at SF9.90 (I also bought an orange sweater from zara kids at same price which I wore to appenzell), green tank top from tally weijl at SF5, white t from Schaffhausen at SF3.95 and sheer flower blouse from C&A at SF12.90. I also bought a green dress from C&A at SF14.90. As a reputed budget-hunter, I only look out for stuff that were cheap and nice or it had to be unique to interest me. I have too much clothes so I had to be very selective.

In the evening, we all met uncle tan at the main train station and walked to Bellevue for dinner. He had made a reservation at Restaurant Swiss Chuchi for cheese fondue. While entering the restaurant, I spotted 2 big men eating this sausage and rosti meal. I knew I told myself no more sausages for the rest of the swiss stay but this one called out to me. And it turned out to be a beautiful relationship. This beauty had cheese and bacon wrapped inside and out with some yummy brown sauce. It was a pleasurable but short-lived romance.

Showing off my new cerjo sunglasses.

Our first cheese fondue meal. The alcohol was a bit strong but the cheesy crusty residue towards the end was marvelous. We had fun scrapping them off.

Although this was the second time we went to Bellevue, we did not explore the place cos the previous time, my hubby was climbing the tower while I was busy shopping. A rather nice place to walk. Very crowded for a Wednesday evening.

The cheese fondue left us all very thirsty, so we went around looking for a place to drink. Then we chanced upon this remote place with many people eating al fresco, so we decided to walk in. The interior was a pleasant surprise. It was like entering into a tropical country, with palm trees and bamboo fans and lots of tropical plants. The owner, who must be mexican, was very hospitable, shouting for us to go right in. Although we only ordered 2 beer (futchsberg) and 2 desserts (chocolate cake and vanilla ice-cream and some creme brulee with fruits that came with burning alcohol), he gave us a plate of complimentary snack - some fried banana with salsa.

We took a tram back to Smiede Wiedikon and on the tram ride, somehow the topic of 's**t' came about. It was a gross but funny way to end the outing.

The first dessert. The second dessert suffered a quick demise before we had a chance to take a picture of it.

Two empty plates, very well cleared out and 4 very happy stomachs.

The night view of Bellevue was beautiful.

Passed by Migros on our way back. Migros, our favourite 'NTUC' in swiss. We went there a couple of times in the morning at about 8am to get fresh bread and croissant.

Schmiede Wiedikon, the region where ah kin stays. I like the sound of the name.

The tram station where all our journeys began. Rather sad not to see it again.

Tomorrow we would bid farewell...

Switzerland - 10-12 Aug 2008 - Appenzellerland (Part III)

2008-08-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

12 Aug 2008 - Seealpsee, Jacobsbad and Urnash

Our last day in the mountains before returning to civilisation. A little background on Appenzellerland. It is situated in the eastern part of Switzerland and is known for its gently rolling green hills, flowery meadows and rugged mountains. It is made up of 2 cantons. We were staying at the southern, or the alpstein region, which assumes the hilly, wooded landscape.

After breakfast, we untied the one of the 2 boats and rowed round the lake. The interesting thing here was that the inn never charged anyone for using the boat, even non-residents. Anyone could have a go. As it rained the night before, it was a little chilly out but the air was FRESH! The boat ride also gave us a different view of the entire place.

The happy boat-rower.

The happy boat-rowee.

The view of our inn from the boat. The inn looked almost mystifying yet welcoming at the same time, like a home.

The farmhouse on the left was where we had some fresh milkshake (no ice-cream though, just fresh milk and some coffee powder) and the one on the right was where we had our whey bath. Although these farmhouses shared the same lake as the inn, it took 10 to 15 minutes to walk there. After the boat ride, we packed up and relunctantly said goodbye to the lovely waitress who tried her best to communicate to us for the last 2 days and checked out of the beautiful mountain inn.

More feet soaking in a small stream before we exit the mountain region to take a train to urnash. The water was icy cold. After a minute or so our feet felt numb, so we lifted our feet, ate some chocolates then dip some more. I also picked some smooth cool stones to bring back home as momentoes.

An unexpected find enroute to urnash. While approaching Jacobsbad station, we saw a rugged amusement park with a roller-coaster that looked different, more like a slide. We made a rash decision there and then to alight and check it out, barely made it out before the train door shut. The roller-coaster slide cost SF9 for the 2 of us. Finally found something cheaper than s'pore. It appeared mild as it started slow, which was ok by me cos I was just happy to enjoy the scenery and cold wind on my skin. 'Looks are deceiving' would be an appropriate phrase to use on this thingy. The slow rickety start turned into a series of sharp twist and turns and ups and downs. My hubby had wanted to take a video of lush tranquil scenery but ended up capturing the dizzy movement of the car and the wild screams of his crazy wife. It was another pleasant surprise and the reason why we never liked package tour. Only when you travel on your own will you have the pleasure to live like the locals and discover new things.

Some hotels in urnash. Seemed like most urban houses looked like that. We wanted to check out a restaurant called Sonne which reportedly had some very nice veal ravoili but we couldn't find it and the town was like a ghost town. We couldn't see more than 5 people within a span of 10 minutes in this town and more than 99% of them spoke no english. A little too quiet and spooky. So we ended up eating in a small little cafe with only 1 table of old folks and another table of young people and yap, we ate sausage and swein (pork) snitchzel and potatoes again but we came prepared. We brought along macdonald's garlic chilli sauce to eat with these bland-looking stuff. The chilli sauce woke up my tongue and gave the meal a different edge. If the chef knew what we did to his food, he would have chased us out with his swiss victorinox chef knife. After we finished, we decided to be kind to the chef and hid the chilli sauce packets in the paper napkins and made a quick exit.

Although swiss food was generally not as diverse and kick-ass or kick-tongue as s'pore food, the views were always great.

We stopped by a shop that sold appenzell products and bought some cookies, flauder sparkling mineral water and a bottle of beer for ah kin and uncle tan. When we reached ah kin's house, we were happy to know that she had prepared our dinner. We bathed, did some laundry and sat down to a scrumptious meal. Both ah kin and uncle tan must think that we were very hungry cos we gobbled up all the food on the table. Somehow, people don't get tired of asian food as easily as ang moh food. Maybe because asian food is generally more varied and flavourful and less jerlat.

Later in the evening, my hubby did a show-and-tell of our appenzell stay and we ate some sprungli chocolate cake that I bought from the main train station. We also tried the appenzell cheese which ah kin found too strong. This was also the night that I made a great discovery - ah kin reminded me of the cows in appenzell, who ate all day, from the time we woke up at about 7am to our sleeptime at 11pm, we could hear the cow bells, signifying that the cows were still grazing. Ah kin nearly fell off her couch laughing when I told her my observation. Well, some people are just lucky - eat all day and still no ounce of fat on them. Tsk tsk...

Switzerland - 10-12 Aug 2008 - Appenzellerland (Part II)

2008-08-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

11 Aug 2008 - Seealpsee and Ebenalp

I woke up to an awesome view and thanked God I was lucky to have the opportunity to see His mighty works. We headed for the breakfast buffet, half expecting to see crap as the rate was SF60 (about S$80) per person per night in Bergasthause Forelle, which was considered dirt cheap by swiss standard. There was no bathroom ensuite. We had to share a common bathroom with 4 or 5 other rooms on the same floor but the bathroom was very clean and big. Of course, you could also stay overnight in the same inn or other mountain inns at SF35 if you were willing to sleep with 10 other people. Obviously there were people who were willing to do so, judging by the number of inns offering the backpacker rooms. The breakfast was surprising good, with cold meats (the ham was delicious and light), local cheeses, cereal/muesli, yoghurt, OJ, milk, bread, jam and fruits.

Imagine waking up to this every morning. I would be a happy girl.

The mountain inn we stayed in - Bergasthause Forelle, which was located at a beautiful spot, with full view of the alps, in front of a lake and about 10-minute walk to nearby farmhouses that produce cheese.

Some amazing sights we saw during our morning walk. Couldn't believe we took these pictures. They looked like they came out of some postcards.

We chanced upon this chapel behind the mountain inn which was surrounded by forests. It was so tranquil. I would love to take my wedding vows here.

Outside our room. Everything in this inn was made of wood.

The night before, we received bad news from the paragliding instructor that all paragliding sessions were cancelled for the entire week due to forecast of bad weather. Damn!! I missed it in sydney due to bad weather and now I missed it again! A californian couple I met at the inn told me that at least 1 person died from paragliding in america each year, so they prefered to stay grounded. Maybe this was for the better afterall but I would still jump at the chance to paraglide or hangglide if I could.

Thankfully, during our morning walk, we chanced upon a farmhouse that offered whey bath in the open. Erm, with appropriate covering to protect our decencies but with great uncovered sky view.

This was the sign that turned our day around.

Whey is basically leftover water from the cheese-making process. We thought it would smell cheesy but it turned out to be sweet smelling with a hint of milk/cheese scent. The whey water was warm and the tub was very deep. I could feel myself floating in the tub. It cost SF80 for the both of us with complimentary mineral water, some chocolates and a slab of local cheese that tasted really good. And we could soak all day. After an hour and half, we decided we had soaked up all the benefits of the whey and had enough of the sounds of cow bells. When we wanted to bring the mineral water bottle back, the owner, Daniela, offered to give us another bottle as this one was expensive and they could recycle it for some money. She even filled up the bottle with drinkable water from her own house, knowing that the tap water in our inn was not drinkable. It was truly a great experience.

After the whey bath, we decided to treck to the famous back-packer inn, Aescher, which was built into the mountain (the mountain made up part of the inn structure) and had a great restaurant. It took us more than 2 hours to reach there, first by walking down to Wasserauen, then taking a cable car to ebenalp, then walking another 20 min to Aescher via a cave. I was never so glad to see a restaurant. We had our lunch at about 3pm but there were still alot of people there, which was a good sign.

Happy to have found the restaurant at last.

The view from the restaurant was spectacular. No wonder people stayed here long after their lunch.

Some of the scenery along our trecking route. Although the trecking/hiking was not easy, it was an enjoyable one. We stopped frequently to rest and drink in the sights around us.

In the evening, we were craving for instant noodles after more than 1 week of swiss food. We brought along some beef instant noodles that my hubby bought from shanghai and started cooking with the portable cooker and mineral water (the tap water was not drinkable). I tell you, it was the best instant noodle meal we ever had. We also ate some cheese and red wine. It was raining and cold outside. Sitting at the window in the chilly evening slurping up some hot noodles while looking at the alps and lake. What joy! After the noodle meal, we headed for the inn restaurant for some desserts as we saw many people ordered yummy-looking ice-cream. They were delicious! Then we borrowed some cards from the waitress and started playing jim-rummy until we felt tired and headed back to bed. It was a fulfilling day, filled with new and exciting experiences that would last us for a long time.

Mr Sim slurping up delicious hot beef noodles. We actually ended up snatching the bowl from each other ;p

Switzerland - 10-12 Aug 2008 - Appenzellerland (Part I)

2008-08-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

10 Aug 2008 - St Gallen and Appenzell Towns

We have been looking forward to this 3-day stay in the mountains, to experience the vastness of nature and to what I call 'rough it out' in comfort. We booked a 2-night stay at a mountain inn in the Seealpsee region, a 50-min climb from Wasserauen train station, less than 2-hour train ride from zurich city. We stopped by St Gallen and Appenzell towns along the way so the ride was broken into comfortable segments.

We set out early to catch the 8.45am train and made it just on time. When we reached St Gallen on a sunday morning, the town was very quiet. Luckily the main attractions, the Abbey Library and the church were opened, although the rest of the town was not. The Abbey Library of St Gallen was founded by Irish monk St. Gallus in 612. It is the oldest library in Switzerland, and one of earliest and most important monastic libraries in the world. In 1983 the library together with the Abbey of St. Gall were made a World Heritage Site, as "a perfect example of a great Carolingian monastery". Yes, I copied these from wikipedia. The library was a sight to behold. Too bad no photography was allowed. A video of the library can be viewed at

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/multimedia/video/detail.html?siteSect=15045&ne_id=8158378&type=real

The St Gallen Church, which is now a cathedral, was built in the 17th century. A choir and orchestra were performing when we were there.

The painings on the church ceiling.

There was a sunday fair going on when we reached appenzell town. In contrast to St Gallen, this town was rowdy, with live music and people dressed up in their traditional costumes. The appenzell people were often the butt of swiss jokes because of their ancient practices but I thought it's cool that they didn't see the need to change.

Tents like this where music concerts were held were everywhere. Apparently, you had to buy tickets to go for these concerts.

We had our lunch at the Hotel Traube, where a live band played traditional music during the lunch period for free. Who needs tickets to the outdoor concerts when you could have them for free in the comfort of a restaurant while enjoying your food?

The restaurant was famous for its veal and this was the best and most tender veal I had, accompanied by some gnocchi-like pasta and veg.

We discovered smooth appenzell beer and flavoured mineral water, flauder.

Saw this cute little girl in traditional costume and couldn't resist asking her mother (in the background) for permission to take a photo with her daughter.

After a satisfying lunch, we headed to Wasserauen to start our 50-min climb to paradise. The road to paradise turned out to be quite hellish. This little river was the turning point of our climb - after this landmark, it was a steep and grueling back-breaking uphill climb. It turned out that for the swiss, it was a 50-min climb but for s'poreans, it was more like an hour and half. The amazing thing was there were old folks and young kids, some even had pacifiers in their mouths, who made the climb! And there we were panting like our lives were about to expire.

Along the way, we saw some paragliding enthusiasts which motivated us somewhat as we had booked a slot the following morning to glide in the sky.

The ardous climb. Some people were making their way down.

The torture was worth it after all. Imagine seeing this view when we opened the windows in our room. Breathe-taking...

After a much-needed bath, we decided to explore the area before heading for dinner. The air was fresh and crisp and the lake was just beautiful. This picture just goes to show that black is so slimming. After dinner, there was nothing to do. No TV, no malls, no computers, so we did the most logical thing... read, talked and went to sleep, anticipating the next day's activities.

Switzerland - 9 Aug 2008 - Uetliberg and Street Parade

2008-08-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

Switzerland... Day 6...

It was a gorgoues saturday morning. Uncle tan brought us to uetliberg to climb the uetliberg tower. We took a train from Binz, within walking distance from ah kin's house, to uetliberg and walked uphill for 10 minutes before reaching the peak.

On board the train towards uetliberg. The swiss trains were always clean and punctual. Very efficient and reliable system, like the s'pore government.

Uncle tan had mastered the skill of self-sufficiency when it came to taking pictures, with great accuracy too. No need to take second time.

At the uetliberg train station. I'm really loving my red wind-breaker. Goes well with all background :)

The uetliberg tower. It was not a tough climb really.

The view from the top.

Enjoying the best view in the world with the best guy. I shared my thought with my hubby: 'I doubt I would appreciate travelling this much if I didn't have a great partner to enjoy the journey with.' If that's not the best line on earth to say to a partner, I don't know what is. Sure beats 'You complete me'.

At the cafe after the climb, where we had our little morning tea - hot chocolate for me and latte/cappucino for the boys, and sausage, of course. Uncle tan was very good company. He was always available when we needed him but also 'conveniently disppeared' when we needed a couple moment.

We went home around lunch time to meet ah kin to go to the street parade in the afternoon at Bellevue.

Street Parade

This was my first street parade experience, not counting the s'pore swing, which was quite lame really but I was a teen then and any social gathering was good to participate. This one at Bellevue, old town, was an eye-opener in many ways. The europeans (heard this parade was also attended by people from neighbouring countries) were sporting and creative and young and old took part in the event. We saw some very 'interesting' mature people shaking their stuff. Woah!

People really dressed up for the parade and were game to pose for cameras and have a good time. The techno music was infectious as you see many people, including the mature ones, grooving along. The europeans were a committed lot. We saw some people dunking red bull, to keep themselves alert and ready for some fun. Of course with this kind of revelry, you would find sex and drug abuses. Condoms were freely distributed. We headed home before the party got really 'steamy'. When we saw the evening news, we were glad we left the party early as the place was packed with people determined to get high.

This must be for some charity purposes as the old folks were dressed up as doctors in wheel chairs accompanied by sexy nurses. Some reporters were interviewing them.

What's a street parade without street food? This steak burger tasted yummy but cost about SF12 (about S$15)

We spotted captain jack sparrow and couldn't resist his charms.

The horde of people in the afternoon, even before the real deal began.

I gave this woman 100 marks for courage. She is like what, 60 years old? Ah kin and I wondered how come her 'er hems' were so smooth and perky when she had so much wrinkles on her face?

This was a refreshing parade all by itself. Whenever there was a 'sinful' parade, there would be a counter-parade to remind all to refrain, restrain and resist. Cool!

Outside ah kin's apartment, heading towards an italian restaurant for dinner.

Molino, an italian restaurant at stauffacher. The decor was beautiful, with a big chandelier and painting of countryside on the walls.

The food was good too. This pizza was chockful of goodness, with cherry tomtoes, parmesan and mozarella cheeses - fresh ones, not from plastic packs (I hope), parma ham and some wild rockets. The dessert was tiramisu - gorgeous. We were so full, we had to doggy-bag some pizzas. Apparently, this doggy-bag concept was not popular with swiss. They never packed the food for us, so in the end, we took home the pizzas wrapped in napkins.

We decided to walk home to digest some of the food in our bellies, and along the way, we passed some lavendar bushes outside a florist. I plucked some, to the amazement of my companions, who tried to shield me from potential attacks by passing swiss. I explained that this purple stuff could help me get to sleep easier, so they relented and let me took some. The fragrance of fresh lavendar accompanied us as we chatted and headed home through the chilly night...

Switzerland - 8 Aug 2008 - Bellevue, Stauffacher and Langstrasse

2008-08-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Switzerland... Day 5...

Today, uncle tan had very kindly offered to take us to a few places to shop for my wind-breaker and other things. We started off in Bellevue, Zurich old town. The boys left me to shop while they climbed the towers. Whew!

Behind us is supposedly the biggest clock face in the world. I discover that Switzerland has many 'biggest' or 'best' things in the world or in europe. Either this is not a modest country or the rest of the world needs work.

This is a view from the tower taken by the boys.

On our way to Stauffacher, we saw this construction worker and recall ah kin told us the day before that she liked to watch the construction workers in swit as they had very nice rock hard bodies. We showed her this photo of her 'rock hard body' construction worker in the evening and we all had a good laugh.

Most of the wind-breaker for ladies were just too long for me, so in the end, I bought a kid wind-breaker for SF79.90 (about S$100) from Ochsner Sport. I love the fit, the fabric (windproof and waterproof and very durable) and the colour (the red is a cross between orange and peach). It was perfect and I would not have found it if not for uncle tan. We bought the Rukka wind-breaker at his office building, which is a shopping centre at Sihlcity. Uncle tan and my hubby also each bought some stuff from C&A, a department store that sells pretty decent and non-expensive stuff.

This is an interesting chair that doubles up as a toy for kids. While waiting for the boys, I was sitting on this chair beside a man. When he got up, I nearly fell off. He quickly apologised. It's not his fault really. He probably assumed I knew and would stand up as well.

Dinner time! Ah kin cooked stewed pork (I think), fried veg and eggs. It was a yummy meal. My hubby gave ah kin a cooking tip for fried eggs - always add some water to the egg mixture before frying. Ah kin tried it the next time and loved the texture.

On our way to Langstrasse, the geylang of Zurich, and me wearing my new wind-breaker. When we reached the tram stop near her house, ah kin gestured me to the phone booth and slowly opened the door, grinning happily, as if she found some treasure. Her ingenuity to get some shelter from the cold wind and her actions tickled me so much I couldn't stop laughing, so my hubby took a photo of us. I was trying to stifle some giggles.

The 'sight-seeing' trip to zurich geylang was disappointing. We saw many sex clubs with 'performances' but no street walkers. Maybe zurich has a law against street-walkers. The sex shops were also closed. What a bore. I guess that's how you measure the cost of living and wealth of a country - there are more sex clubs than sex shops and no street walkers.

Switzerland - 7 Aug 2008 - Muotathal and Shwyz

2008-08-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Uncle tan had been telling us about schwyz and how beautiful it is. I don't know whose idea it was or how we ended up with the decision to take a self-drive day trip to schwyz. The decision must have been rather last minute because we only booked the rented car the night before and ended up with a small beat-up opel corsa with manual gear. The car was so small, my hubby had some difficulty getting comfortable in the driver's seat. But ah kin and myself packed lots of food and we were ready for an adventure. There were some missed turns and problem with the car's power, or lack of it, especially when driving uphill and then there was the problem of fueling it up cos we couldn't find ways to open the fuel tank. But it was all worth it. We got to see the most amazing views of the alps and lakes and apple trees and farmers in action and ate some awesome food at Hotel Haug at moutathal, enroute to schwyz.

An amazing view that we would not have seen if we took the train.

Hotel Haug served the best cheese pan rosti I have ever laid tongue on.

One of the many apple trees in the area. I plucked one and tried. Not like the fuji or rose apple we have in s'pore. This one is sour.

We passed by a mini waterfall and stopped to see if we could dip our feet but the water was not clean. We also saw some very obedient llamas that went into the shed in a herd by themselves, probably to have their lunch.

This bakery in Moutathal offered some of the softest and yummiest cakes. Once we laid our hands on them, they didn't last for all of 5 minutes.

Another lake in Schwyz.

Uncle tan was so enthusiastic in getting all of us to explore the Holloch cave that he forgot to mention that the interior of the cave was 4 degrees celcius and and the whole expedition lasted 2 hours. I was a little worried cos I only wore a light top with a thin sweater and a fashion scarf - hardly items that would keep me warm. Ah kin was more worried. At least I have more natural insulation than she has. But her uncle tan was sweet to borrow a worker's jacket for her, so she didn't freeze her skinny butt off. The cave expedition was a fun adventure although the guide was like 100 years old and only spoke german. The most exciting part was when we had to pass through a gate or door. Once the guide opened the door, we could feel strong wind gushing towards us but it was only when you passed the door that you felt like you were literally swept away by the wind. Ah kin had to hold on the the guide and her uncle tan to stay grounded. It was an amazing thing. Where did the wind come from in the middle of an enclosed cave? Puzzling.

Towards the end, it was not as cold as I had feared. We all survived, and I was particularly proud of ah kin who used to need someone to hold on to while crossing the overhead bridge. She went on a full-day driving trip, braved the climb and the coldness of the rugged caves and risked being swept away by the strong wind. Although she was shivering for the rest of the journey, she was ok the next day.

The upward climb to the cave. We could feel the chills as we were climbing.

The skyview from the entrance of the cave.

We were in this adventure with about a dozen students and their teachers.

After the cave adventure, we treated ourselves to the cakes we bought from the bakery, at a scenic spot while driving uphill.

Another beautiful sight to behold along the way.

When we got home, it was late, about 9pm. We were all tired. So the boys returned the car and bought some take-away kebabs from uncle tan's friend. It was another fulfilling day. The next day, we were going shopping for my wind-breaker :)