May You Be Blessed

We Send You Our Blessings

yesterday and today

The Docklands Winter Wonderland was a bit of a disappintment - I was expecting articial snow spurting out but instead I saw tiny bits of polyutherene being scattered through a machine hung up high at one corner. The snowman zone was 2 booths combined with ice piled on top of rucksacks and to the kids was snow. so easy to deceive kids isn't it?

However, we did enjoy the walk on the Docklands waterfront. Chilly though as the wind wafts through. This place bears a striking resemblance to Sydney.

Dinner at Red Rooster was cheap. 20 bucks to fill the stomach of 3 adults and 5 kids. but that's junk food still the kids love it. so easy to feed them isn't it?

I think the highlight of yesterday was Lygon St. At 6pm, the streets was still full of life at the restaurants and in the shops (well, I lied, only Country Road was open past 6pm, until 9pm, coz they were having a sale). Initially wanted to head to Brunetti for some nice Italain desserts, however, the pull of the new Borders Bookstore was too strong and we had but to deviate from the original plan. Plus, we had the Gloria Jeans voucher to use. The childrens corner was our nesting place, where the kids read their books while I scored through some design magazines as well as some computer books. Hubba too was catching up on architecture news. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it and we don't have to buy the books. so cheap to entertain them isn't it?

Lygon St, in my opinion, is the only outdoor place, in Melbourne, on a Wednesday night, that is still happening and alive. People were buying books, drink coffees, tucking into their Italian fares, queuing up for movies at Nova, or some, licking their gelato in this freezing weather. The rest of Melbourne is deadpan. Such is life here.

as for today, the only exciting thing that happened today was meeting for dinner with our neighbour, Ivan, Happy & Christian, at Kayu. Yes, I finally used my free meal voucher today before it expires tomorrow. Ivan mentioned something in relation to the blog which got me thinking and thinking real hard about it.

What I Don't Understand About Men

There are many things I DO NOT and WILL NOt understand about Men.

See, what happened one day, was, I ran out of garlic. and I use lots and lots of garlic in my cooking.

So, hubba was out and coz we needed some other stuff like milk and eggs, we then told him to buy them from Safeway. and he did.

when he came back, there was no sign of any garlic, I then asked, where is the garlic. He told me :"Oh, they dont sell garlic. they sell ONLY purple garlic" Gosh, I nearly fainted. I give up. Isnt purple garlic a GARLIC too ?

Just like you have purple cabbage, white cabbage, Chinese cabbage. Just different varieties, that's all. I mean, of course, you wouldnt want to use the purple cabbage for stir-fries. coz it simply does not look too appetising once cooked. well, maybe his logic was as such? Purple garlic tints your dishes a vicious purple???

So, there are fuji apples, sundowner apples, jonathan gold, granny smith apples, golden delicious apples - are they apples too ? the answer maybe " no, just coz granny smith is green and they are SOUR". gee.......so much on men.

UPDATE :

I did go out and buy the Purple Garlic from Safeway. They are from Mexico as opposed to those we normally buy, which is usually from China. And it did say on the signboard "Mexican variety. great from frying". see, men dont read signs. or do they? AND, I came back home, chopped it up and used it in my stir-fries, and NO, they dont turn your dishes purple. The garlic inside is still white. just like the white varieties we normally buy. however, it is a lot more pungent. that's it.

full on

full on in the day:

- Docklands Winter Wonderland
- Red Rooster Dinner @ Docklands
- Lygon St Borders Bookstore

now:
- very tired. Thank God it's the holidays.

Time for:
ZZZZZ.....Good Night!!!

Mothers Day 2006

I know I know it's been nearly 2 months, but better late than never right? So, ta-da, I proudly present this Mothers Day videoshow to you. Enjoy!

multiple roles of I Me & Myself

I am, besides holding the many roles of being a dutiful wife to hubba, loving mother to my 2 kids, filial daughter to my parents, eldest sis to my bro, slaving maidservant to the housechores, I NOW have to undertake my duties to be part-time teacher to my kids, part-time graphic designer to some jobs, part-time blogger to my blogging (boy, it sure is some hard work but well I do enjoy it very much), AND as well, being a part-time English tutor to hubba's reports!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All these for zero shillings (with the exception for some graphic design jobs to do).

The many roles a woman carry these days is no mean feat. we deserve some recognition and appreciation. Listen. Hear that. I am roaring. Grrrrr

after party post and thoughts

i had to wake up though what it seems like a forever dreamland this morning - to a NOT TOO snap-you-cold-to-death weather. strange and bizarre. maybe i am used to this friggin cold weather now? I kinda miss my t-shorts and shorts days back in Singapore. But still, back there, I used to moan and groan about the heat and the humidity. gah....that's me I guess. forever whinging. forever whining. teeheehee

anyway, i dragged myself out of bed to see a total absolute mess and dirt as a result of last night's party and fun. You see, sometimes, it is not too fun at all when you have to all the cleaning up yourself. the floor was littered with wool sheds, food crumbles, and even grapvines! the door entrance was muttered with specks of dirt and mud from outside. the kitchen - food crumbs and stuff. The bathroom - fallen hair.

Plus unwashed dishes and wine glasses in the kitchen sink after that bottle of red vino. seems the norm to just open a bottle each time guests are here. too bad i have not and dont think i will ever develop that taste for something that is so much valued and cherished by others - wine, beer, coffee and all. water, juices and/or even herbal tea is fine with me. thank you.

and Tessa was groaning about her tummy ache. i dutifully applied that yu-yee oil on her belly button and was instructed to rub and warm my hands with the oil. but right after that she retched - her milk and vitamins and all. yikes.

and we had to rush to over to Pastor's for another sesh of counselling. was good. it lifted my spirits a little which is actually a good thing.

lunch - was at Pacific House BBQ & Seafood down in trendy South Yarra and was where I met Irene, a former colleague at JeansWest. funny enough though, I did not get to meet my former bosses though I did walked past their table. my lunch was just so-so.

as washing my dishes and glasses, i started to think of my friend HuiJee, in Perth, who told us that her mum-in-law does everything for them - brekkie ready in the morning, lunch boxes prepared, cooked dinner and even laundry washed and ironed. how blessed. well, she's been very blessed in her whole life in my opinion. she has everything. But I know God is fair. is very fair in fact.

sometimes i think that there are more important things in life to do than just housework, like blogging.:)))teeheehee. if i were to get a rebuke from writing this, i should really start to learn to keep my own counsel at the very least. boohoohoo.

Inaugural Singapore Fellowship

this is the first time I can still feel my adrenalin pumping at this hour just because I think we had one of the best day of fellowship together with our dear friends.

why is that so? well while still in church, I received a call from Happy, my dear neighbour, who asked me if I would like to join her for shopping tomorrow. Which then led to me telling her that we were heading to Ikea for our usual fellowship with the Ngus, Yuans, Tays as well as Leslie & family and for the first time too, Adrian. And Happy told me they too were heading for the same place. Well, we did meet for a short while at the restaurant, however, they declined to join us for a simple dinner at my place later in the evening.

While in church, Crystal taught us how to bake Tuna Baked Rice and it sounded simple and we decided to give it a try. Went to Coles to get the stuff.

Meantime, hubba invited the Chaus over to join us.

Went home and started preparing the meal and then we decided to give the Lims, our fellow Singaporean neighbour, a call asking them to come over to join us for a chit chat session.

This was where it started whereby one thing led to another. more jokes, more laughter, more stories, more exchanges - the whole atmosphere was just so cordial and good. full of God's love. great fellowship.

It became an inaugural Singapore Village party. why?

- With the exception of the Yuans who were originally from Malaysia and have lived here for most part of their lives, the Ngus did spent 3 years working in Singapore
and was Singapore PR (BTW, JNgu was so coincidentally an ex-colleague to my ex-coursemate Keren. what a small world and we found this out by chance back in 2000 )

- The Tays who came in April this year is part Singaporean (the wifey) and part Malaysian (the hubby)

- The Chaus (part HK part Msian) but Singapore PRs and lived there for 10 years and who just arrived last Nov and this Mar respectively and whom we used to meet up even while we were in Singapore

- The Lims - the true blue Singaporean and our neighbour down and then up the slope

- Us the Chois (part Spore part HK) but wifey patriotically still a citizen whilst hubba was Spore PR many year back

- Adrian, uh-huh, my fella countryman starting on his next perm job real soon and who revealed that he has an apartment in the city. so, you girls out there who are still single and available, here is one good catch. *wink*

- *sigh* if only Ivan and Happy was here too. well well Ivan, you too were born in Singapore didnt you. Yeah, and we even lived down the same street yonks ago.

Now we are thinking maybe we should just get a 5 acre piece of land and create this Singapore Village coz Doris is in real estate and hubba is the architect. gee....good idea?

okay, I have a new joke to share. courtesy of Sharon and little jiexuan:

Little JX was playing up and was getting on Sharon's nerves in the car. and so Sharon told him to look into her eyes while she reprimanded him. Then JieXuan started to look left and look right and then said "it's dark. cannot see."....hey JieXuan is only 2 and half years mind you. gosh

ARISE concert

no, they are not some big-time rock bands but still they have a huge following in Christ.

I am talking about the ARISE concert held this evening at Crossway Baptist Church. The kids enjoyed themselves immensely.

There was 1 song in particular that had required children from different nations to cheer when their country's names is being mentioned in the song verse. And it had to start with "Children from Singapore", so, as mighty as I can sound, I cheered - only to find I was the only one shouting. so sad! Hey Sharon & kids, what have you been doing there?

well well, we have an issue on identity crisis to talk about.

School Hols

so the school holidays has started. besides Tuesday, when we went over to the Ngus place for the Japanese food party, the kids and I have been cooped up at home.

today, just so because my food department is super duper low in supplies, I had, but to bring along the 2 for a "shopping" trip - to BoxHill. After parking my car, we took a leisurely stroll out to the main road when a very graceful senior Aussie woman folk happened to rambled past and had, I guess, took a fancy on my 2 kids squeezed in the one stroller. She stopped by, greeted and talked to us and even waited for us to cross the road and wishing me all the best when it was time to cross over. How lovely. She made my day.

and after which I popped by the yong tau foo shop to get some fishballs and fishcake and spoke to its Singaporean owner Jessie who told me about the benefits of staying home to look after the kids full time (of which she did until her sons started Year 12). Again, I take it as some sort of confirmation again after watching I Not Stupid Too (小孩不笨2） last night. I guess I can lay my career ambition to rest. boo hoo hoo. ah-huh, wait a minute, she (Jessie) also told me about "working from home" which has always been in my thoughts and plans. *wink wink*

too sleepy people

i am now finalising the final touch ups to the Mothers Day videoshow that was long long long overdue AND listening to Silje Nergaard's Two Sleepy People (which has been nominated as My Song of the Week) and might very well end up as My Song of the Year. Boy, the music has a hypnotising effect on me. It's taking its toll and making me very very sleepy.

sorry, no two sleepy people here only I, me and myself and blogging.

good night.

p.s - if you require some sleep therapy now, LISTEN to the song now. it's in the sidebar.

sweet dreams.

Feasts, Food & Fei-lo-ship

seems to be the norm now to have food and parties held during winter. predictably, I can now forecast what the next winter would be like again (it's a vicious cycle) - steamboats and theme food parties.

and so, we had the American food party last year as well as my "Hokkien" food party last August. This year's was held yesterday and we had Japanese. we churned out rolls and rolls of sushi as well as tempura in addition to the fried udon noodles we had for lunch. everyone was brimming full. chockablock. and surely to put on more weight as the amount of rice stuffed into the inari as well as the sushi rolls itself was, can you believe it, 15 cups of rice cooked. although I would have to admit they are healthy probably with the exception of oil-soaked, artery clogging, cholesterol pumping tempura.

someone suggested that the next round would be Korean. NOTE TO Ivan and Happy, we would need your help next time round. what about Scottish food too you reckon?

Food Glorious Food at the expense of my waistline.

Theo & Tessa having a funtime playing "horsie riding"

Amidst fairies and superheroes @ Magic Castle

Tessa posing

Long overdue pictures of mum's bday celebration

Long Overdue MOS pictures

SPIDERMAN WAS THERE AND SO WAS THE UBER COOL DANCING AH-PEK

黑菜＝昆布 = Kelp

昆布表面的白粉可不是尘埃，而是一种木密醇的糖粉，是营养价值很高的物质。

昆布就是海带吗？说法不尽相同，但认为昆布就是海带的占大多数。经过一番查找询问后，记者终于证实昆布和海带是两种不同的海藻，许多人都把它们混为一谈了。

　 　根据《辞海》解释，昆布属褐藻类，翅藻科，藻体呈黑褐色，所以除了“鹅掌菜”这个别名，也叫“黑菜”。它一般生长在温带海洋中固定在岩礁上，藻茎呈圆柱 状，藻叶厚而宽，羽状分裂，叶面有皱纹。至于海带也属褐藻类，海带科，藻体呈褐色，扁平如带，最长可达7米。《辞海》还附上昆布和海带图，两者的差异一目 了然。

　　中医黄怀得说，昆布和海带科属相同，种却不一样，这好比菊花有许多不同品种一样，而昆布和海带的性质和营养价值也几乎相同。这也许是人们容易混淆的原因吧？

　　昆布性质寒凉，味咸，在中医学上功能消痰，也可用于治疗动脉硬化症和作为心脏病人的利尿剂。它的叶状体含有丰富的碘和甘露醇、海带素、氨基酸、镁、钙等成分，是营养丰富的海中植物。

　　作为食材人们一般把昆布当作熬汤的材料。日本人就喜爱以昆布作为火锅汤底的用料。据知这也是最聪明的烹煮方法，能很好地把昆布的营养成分保存下来。昆布熬汤后可当菜食用，它的口感较海带为好。

　　烹煮昆布要得法以免破坏了它的营养成分。昆布跟其他的干燥海菜一样有用的营养价值全在表面，所以不要大力清洗，轻轻用水冲一冲就好。昆布表面的白粉可不是尘埃，而是一种木密醇的糖粉，是营养价值很高的物质。

　　干货昆布可在大部分的药材店购买得到，在一些超级市场和素食食材商店也有销售已经处理过的昆布。

article excerpt from www.zaobao.com.sg

the Tays and their kids jokes

this is a picture of Alan and Sharon Tay who had just migrated over from Singapore 2 months ago. And this was Alan before he had the hair cut. With the hairstyle, the t-shirt and a towel as an apron around his waist when he was cutting the BBQ chicken up last Sunday for dinner, he looked like the zhi-char （煮炒） stall uncle with a very beautiful stall assistant by his side...teeheehee. And gee, he was saying that hopefully this picture does not end up at his parents, coz they would be very very worried about what he is actually doing over here in Melbourne (having left a good job and comfortable life back there for a laid back but equally comfortable lifestyle here in Melbourne).

They have 2 very intelligent boys Yixuan (4) and Jiexuan (2) and shared with us some of their real-life family jokes with us over dinner just now:

Sharon:(to the son Jiexuan) it's time for bed now. it's very late now, look at the clock, it TELLS you the time that is is very late already

Son (JX): mummy, dont bluff, the clock has NO MOUTH, it cannot TALK.

hahahaha...next one

Sharon: no JX, no lollies now. if not i will give you a spank.

JX, angrily : Ok, give me a spank.

one more I couldnt recall now, will find out and blog it later. time for bed now.

UPDATE:

OK more jokes:

Sharon was worried about little Jiexuan playing alone upstairs at a friend's place, so she shouted to him "Son, dont play upstairs. I cant SEE you".

JX: Turn on the lights, mum.

one more:

one day, Jiexuan was playing with Yixuan and they were reading a book on flags. So, Yixuan pointed out his younger brother the flags of Singapore, Australia and they saw the Phillipines flag too. So, Yixuan told him that their former domestic maid Lina is in the Phillipines now. Jiexuan looked intently into the flag and then after a while of intense looking, said "I cant see Lina at all"........cute isnt it?

Self Portrait @ GG>5 Wisma Atria

missed coincidence & missed food

i was reading Mr Brown's blog as well as Kenny Sia's blog and I realised there were quite a few coincidences like :

Mr Brown was at the PC Show on 4 June. Me too. but still I didnt see him. How I wished I could have said hi to him. I really enjoyed his podcast on "Smile and Speak English". That really got me rolling off the floor. So funny.

Kenny Sia was also in Singapore the same time I was there, and according to what he wrote in his blog entry, he too was at the Ministry of Sound on 3 June. Guess I would have left by then when he arrived after midnight. Wonder if he saw the ah-pek dancing on the dancefloor? and the spiderman too?

And now after reading their blogs and also that of someone's elses, I kick my arse for not checking out the few eateries/restaurants than have mushroomed in town (Singapore I mean). XiYan ( should have thought of this restaurant for mum's bday) as well as a JiaXiang Sarawakian Kolo Mee. Damn.

Growing Old in Perspective

I wonder, when I am old, what will I be like?

I am now in the car, waiting for the hubba to get back so that we can attend Theo's performance interview and Tessa is asleep.

My eyes glanced over to my neighbour's, and here they are, a pair of elderly folks, Bill and Jean, and their dog in their midst, busy pruning their garden, on the move, with their thick garden gloves, warm clothing and all, running about their front garden, plucking out the weeds, trimming the branches, sweeping the fallen leaves, watering their thirsty plants and doing it all with tender loving care. Jean is slightly bigger built than her hubby Bill, and has a tendency to hover over a "he's my man and I look after him well, dont you ever lay a finger on him" kind of bodily language, very protective over her man. Very loving. Growing old together so gracefully. They travel extensively whenever they can, after all, it's time they reap their rewards. Nice couple, nice folks, nice neighbour to have.

Meantime now, I see another elderly couple, who has some animosity towards us because of the sub-division issue, and totally feigning ignorance to me and refusing to even greet and say hi. This folks normally travel to their holiday house in Rosebud and they are generally not at home. Wonder why they are here now? The wifey is particularly nosey and we had been warned of by our previous house owners, the Smiths shortly after we moved in. Anyway, we will see them, together with 2 other neighbours, at the VCAT hearing next month.

What will be like when I grow old? Much to the tune and lyrics of Que Sera Sera, only this time, I am in the shoes of a much older person, but I guess the same words still apply "What will be will be. Que Sera Sera."

Seeing Double

Seems that there are more twins these days ?

My cousin Corinne has a pair of twins, Ally & Abby and my friend Sharon, has Jing & Ning.

As I said, during the short stay in Singapore, I bumped into quite a few people. One of which was Sharon and her hubby, who was driving past while I was on the way to catch the bus to the MRT station. I would say, their Honda Step Wagon, a 8 seater is impressive especially in the Ferrari Red. The next time we met was on my last day in Singapore and we had breakkie together over Paper Roti and Nasi Lemak at Eastpoint Shopping Centre while the girls had their BK fares.

Retro Days Retro Food

Does anyone of you out there still remember these snacks back in the olden days? Ok, I shall term them "Retro Food", hehe, reminiscing our past. Well that doesnt mean I acknowledge being old alright? I'm still young at heart...teeheehee. (I Know I Know, although we had to end up hanging around at the Retro section in MOS...)

Anyway, I brought all these snacks to let my kids try. With the exception of Tessa, who dutifully finished the whole piece of that "snow (rice) cake" and the Haw Flakes (San cha), Theo and Tessa DOES NOT like anything else. What a disappointment. Means that I have to finish them all myself now. *sigh sigh sigh*. Means extra calories for me now. *sigh sigh sigh* MEANS PUTTING MORE WEIGHT!!!!!

By the way, in case you havent already know, the food are from clockwise Haw Flakes, Disc Wafers, Snow (Rice) Cakes, Green Bean Cakes and Coconut Biscuits. yum yum.

Our Perfect Mate - article from The New Paper

This article extracted from The New Paper online:

The Great Singapore Sale is on and in case you World Cup befuddled blokes have forgotten, it is the women'sporting event. We ask 40 women between the ages of 20 and 40 what shopping means to them and what they want their men to do during this all-important season.

1. During The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) my man should:
a. Just give me his plastic, no questions asked (27.5%)
b. Follow me and just pretend he likes the entire experience (5%)
c. Just stay at home. This event is for me and the girls (55%)
d. Do nothing. It's the World Cup and nothing short of wild horses will drag him from the television (12.5%)

2. While going from one store to another looking for the perfect bargain I would prefer if my man would:
a. Keep me company - I always need a second opinion (17.5%)
b. Stay in the mens section. He doesn't have a clue what looks good on me (10%)
c. Do something useful like hang out at the cafe or a library (22.5%)
d. Just watch the World Cup (50%)

3. Should shopping be a shared experience with your man?
a. Yes, it's about spending quality time while spending all his money (17.5%)
b. No, all he does is moan and groan. Who wants to shop with Oscar the Grouch? (47.5%)
c. Yes, I need somebody to carry all the bags while I forage for more bargains (27.5%)
d. My man loves shopping more than me (7.5%)

4. What would you think about your man if he loves shopping more than you?
a. We can become the Super Twins of shopping (20%)
b. Hmmm, maybe he is not interested in my gender (25%)
c. Great. At least we can split up the shopping duties (10%)
d. Wonderful. He can shop while I get a pedicure (45%)

5. If your man prefers shopping online to shopping with you:
a. Oh no, I am dating a geek (20%)
b. Wonder if he'll help me get some great bargains? (30%)
c. Is that where he gets all those horrible presents? Time to pull the plug (7.5%) d. Whatever... as long as he is not shopping for porn (42.5%)

6. After a hard day at the GSS I would like my man to:
a. Make me dinner, put on my favourite film and give me a foot massage (37.5%)
b. Stay away from me. Who needs to hear how much money I have 'wasted' shopping (15%)
c. Get me to a spa, especially if I spent the day shopping for him (17.5%)
d. Do nothing (30%)

7. What kind of shopper is your man?
a. Killjoy shopper - he complains about the cost of everything (27.5%)
b. Shopper on a mission - he seeks value, convenience and an efficient shopping experience (40%)
c. Shopper with zeal - any and all types of shopping, he's game for it (5%)
d. Butterfly shopper - shopping is one big social event for him (27.5%)

8. Men and shopping are like:
a. Chalk and cheese - terrible combination (27.5%)
b. A fantastic combination - more men are into shopping anyway (5%)
c. An awkward combination - men tolerate it for their women (27.5%)
d. Nothing - they should just watch the World Cup and leave it to women to shop for them (40%)

9. Do men and women shop differently:
a. Yes - men are soulless shoppers, too efficient and clinical (27.5%)
b. No - if both genders like something, the decision is easy (27.5%)
c. Yes - for men it's about the product. For women it's about the experience (27.5%)
d. No - it always comes down to money and how much you are willing to spend (17.5%)

10. At next year's GSS, I will do this for my man:
a. Get him a hobby while I shop. (27.5%)
b. Bookmark all my favourite online shopping sites on his computer(25%)
c. Get him a pet (10%)
d. Nothing. After all, I spent a month tolerating the World Cup (37.5%)

Good Stuff. Love It!

to miss or not to miss

Things I missed in Singapore :

- meeting up with some other friends especially not being able to see Pauline's son, cute little baby Timothy and spending more time hanging out with busy HuiJee
- more GSS shopping and the late night shopping
- the not that hot weather as I had expected before I went (in fact, it rained and was cloudy some days)

Things I do not miss in Singapore:

- the humidity (the oil, the shine, the clogged pores, the sweaty armpits - erghhhh)
- my brother's computer keyboard (wireless but useless)

Things I rather miss here in Melbourne:

- the cold friggin weather NOW
- the housework!!!

Things hotting up in Melbourne:

- the STOCKTAKE SALE is on now (to compensate the lack of shopping in Singapore?!!)

back in Melbourne

the plane touched down at the Melbourne International Airport at about 10 minutes to 3 pm according to my watch. The flight was extremely smooth and I managed to squeeze some sleep in the midst as well as a glimpse of the movie of Brokeback Mountain.

the hubba was, can u believe it, still at home when I called just before I proceeded to the immigration counter. so pissed.

anyway, while waiting him and kids to appear, I spoke to this lady whom i met while at Changi Airport and on the same flight. She's here to attend her niece's graduation and will be staying at Croydon at her aunt's place.

kids were asleep when they arrived. oh how I missed them. so lovely to see them. such adorable kids.

went for dinner at Kayua again. it was only after dinner and at home I realised that the free meal voucher was with me in my slingbag all the while. better use it before 30 June 2006 when it expires.

did not have much appetite to eat as I guess I was still very full from last night's dinner at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. Thanks to Jenn for her treat. Jenn, you are great. Please remember to collect the calcium chews from John Little at the Expo okay? If not, what a waste.

The dinner last night was as usual the fares I normally order when I go for seafood meals - deep fried baby squid, deep fried critters with stuffed sotong, Singapore chiili crab, a tofu and rice dish for mum plus a new item, scallops in yam ring.

too bad I miss the late night shopping till 1am which is today. anybody shopping out there now? 3500 miles away and my heart is still there.

on the way

at the airport's free computer terminal now.

this is my first in my many trips I am early for check-in. just because it is at such an unearthly hour. slept for a wee bit on the sofa with Jaslyn. woke up at 3.15am and got ready to set off for the airport which really is just not very very far away. 5 mins at most? ha.

and so i had to remove some of my items from my luggage and my hand luggage. I think it was a total of nearly 6 kgs off the load and that was already minus the many more items I had left behind at mum's place.

next time, no more buying stuff for people because there was 1 particular item already weighed 1 kg by itself. and also again, there were many items I had not managed to buy for some other friends. Boy, I think if I had bought the rest of the other stuff, I will be stuck because it is all other's peoples stuff.

This trip I only managed to buy 1 top and 1 dress and 2 pairs of shoes of which I did not manage to bring it back. I now have to beg someone else's who is coming to Melbourne to help me bring them back for me. the rest for kids. and some foodstuff too.

it is nearly 7am over in Melbourne now. time to wake up guys. not for me - I have the whole 3 aisle seats (hopefully) to make me comfy for zzzz time.

Melbourne here I come. oh I miss this place so so sorely. so dearly. my birthplace. my birth country. my parents. my friends. my food. my shopping. I have to go back to my own family now esp my kids.

good bye Singapore

it is now past 12 midnight again.

This time, however, is for me to get ready for my return trip back to Melbourne. I am very sleepy in fact. The timing for my departure is really odd at 530am. Have just called the airline airport office and was told their check-in counter opens at 230am.

OK, Jaslyn has now finished her shower and it's gonna be my turn now.

My dear friend is sending me to the airport. How very touched. You know, the hours are really weird. Thank you dear friend. Appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. A friend whom I have known for 21 years, you can never replace the level of friendship with any other.

My parents too. I'm gonna really miss them. *tears welling*.

Melbourne - see you soon.

THE 4 MUSKETEERS

So, this is THE FOUR MUSKETEERS of WS Class of 1987. Rare opportunity to take a pic of us, th last time being in 2003 at HuiJee's wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel. Rare opportunity = Precious memories.

3 days summary

Sunday - day spent at Suntec City with dad and mum. was at the Book Fair and the PC Show. mum bought some 2 pair of jeans for the kids at kidstyle. wanted to buy the Transformer toy at Toys R Us but could not decide which one to buy. was totally spent by the end of the day and the taxi queue was killing us.

Monday - went to Eastpoint with dad and mum. NTUC was our 1st stop and I was frantically looking for the stuff I needed to buy. Used my vouchers at Ero and had to top up only $1 cash for all the products redeemed. took a train to Raffles Place and bought 2 pairs of pants for the kids outside UOB Plaza and then settled some stuff at GE Life Centre. Then met up with Jas and Jenn for some shopping and dinner at the Republic Food Court at Wisma for some goold old fashioned Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee. Verdict - its lost some fare as compared to the last time I had it in Jan this year.

and it this day our dear friend HuiJee arrived from Perth!!


Tuesday - early appointment at Tampines - ended up with loads of my Avene skincare from Guardian. came home to eat yummy home cooked lunch by my beloved mum (who was insistent I eat home). stir-fried Chye Sim with the mushrooms I brought over and some fish cake and tomatoes, steamed pomfret and my mum's specialty - pig stomach's soup !!!

Sunday

was quite dispirited to find my mum's visa application to OZ has been rejected again due to her health condition of which the immigration dept has her records. I thus have to make a personal trip to lodge an appeal.

met up with,first all, Huijee whilst she was at GG5 Wisma. and so bought a "little black dress" a 30% off for myself. wonder when I can wear it and where to now. hehe. after which we proceeded to, oh yes, G Brand started their sale. after some queuing, we went in to find G brand fanatics scrambling to grab their choice piece(s). thank God I didnt see anything my eyes could fancy. teeheehee...Dinner, or should I say, supper was at this Japanese Soba/Udon eatery at the basement of Paragon. good noodles with a generous serve. brimming full.

HJ drove all of us home. they all agreed that I should spend more time here - I've been praying.

friends and blessings

cant believe during the 2 days here so far, I got to meet some people whom I have lost contact with :

- Jenn joind us to MOS
- Matthew (who was my kinder, primary and secondary school friend and who shares the same surname and birthday and I do), is a mutual friend of Jaslyn's colleague and friend
- repeatedly bumped into my pimary school friend on the dancefloor at MOS
- sat next to my secondary classmate, Iris, by cincidence at the Suntect City food court today
- bumped into an albino acquaintance from NP
- saw my former neighbour (son) from SMR
- met and talked to Serene's hubby at the PC Show

isn't this enough for 2 days I have been here in, yes Iknow, SMALL TINY LITTLE SINGAPORE (often called the Little Red Dot). I mean how often do you strike lottery?

yes, talking abt lottery, the 4 digits combination of my Chinese bday and mum's "western" bday did bingo. bingo small not big though. but still, it did bingo right?

and for the past 2 days here, I have been told to buy 4D by 3 different persons, all due to what happened in cirscumspect.

as for my trip to MOS, I will do a separate entry there. NO, I am not too old for such places anymore, after what I saw and witnessed yesterday. haha, Attica, Zouk, One Rochester here I come !!!...

Birthdays, Singapore and Food

arrived into Singapore at half past 10 last night. my hand luggage nearly cost me my arms!!! proceeded to DutyFee and bought DOM, Wincarnis and Tiger classic. Then collected my luggage and taadaah...Jaslyn was waiting for me at the arrival hall with a red eye - she claimed that was so tired she fell asleep before she came to the airport, *sigh*, I thot she she was so touched to see me again. *grin* haha...

gave mum a surprise by calling her at her doorstep and telling her to open the door. She found Jaslyn who then went on to present me as the "Fat Dumpling". teeheehee. Taadaa......a very astonished look on her face. secret operation part 1- mission accomplished.

Woke up today and as usual planned my secret operation part 2 by calling up relatives to confirm their attendance for the lunch appointment the restaurant.

then I went separate ways (with dad and mum) claiming that I had to get some change of currencies. I had actually gone to pick up mum's eldest brother and aunty in a cab to bring them to the restaurant.

*how i wish i had brought my laptop along now. I hate this keyboard on my brother's computer.*

ayway to cut a long stoy short:
- secret operations part 3 - surprise surprise when mum saw her other siblings and their respective spouses, aunt and cousin as well as niece and grand-nieces
-lunch was vegetarian at Lingzhi Liat Towers
- saw Corinne's twin girl for the 1st time
- after lunch was back home as the relatives wanted to visit the place

it was a good time to catch up the missing pieces in our lives since most of us have not met for ages and it was a definitely good time for me to know more about my grand-aunt and her family side of things
then came dinner time, which we were still full but headed to Soup Restaurant for a simple dinner. bought a cake from Sweet Secrets, came home to take some photos and that was it.

by the way, it's my birthday in the Chinese calendar which well coincides with mum's birthday this year. Double joy, double celebration, double happiness. that's it.

today is the day

it's 12 midnight now.
so i will be off to Singapore in 16 hours time.
but i am still packing. as usual, that's me.
and talking to Julia at the same time.