Free & Easy

I've just started a free & easy week...yay yay yay...for those who knows me, you all know that.

I'm gonna feed my voracious appetite with books & magazines - yay yay yay...read, read and read.

I like. I like.

I dont know though, if I am patient enough to handle the stresses of looking after 2 kids all by myself.

I wonder. I wonder.

I will keep posted.

Blah!

at the airport

R+R

endless housechores + restless kids + rush jobs = BUSY = weary ME.

thus, needed another SPA treatment for MEself - hot shower + face scrub + "astronaut" thermal heat hair treatment + honey mask + OSIM zap zap + Harpers Bazaar = relax ME.

photoshot courtesy of sneaky hubba who took the camera and started pointing and shooting with it. This was the best of the worst shots amongst the few he took and that can be published and shared. dont bother about even looking at the rest - I look like an alien - especially the close up ones.

we are one

Elaine in MooMoo Land

Today, as I said before, I run errands for hubba's business, I took to the wheels and drove to, yeap, where else, yes Park Orchards again!!!

Since I had Jewel's latest CD aptly titled Goodbye Alice in Wonderland (that's right, after that fairytale) - in the CD player, I decided to play it rather than just listening in to 774AM ABC Melbourne, which is usually what I do each morning.

However, the more I listened to the songs and the more I drove, I felt that I had literally been transported into the realm of the famed fairytale.

I saw horses, I saw trees (okay, bushes, we are in Australia), I saw creeks, I saw hills and valleys, I curved according to the turns, and I saw white cows (I swear), wait a minute, pardon my ignorance, it could very well, be a white horse. Alright, because I was in fairytale realm, the cow morphed itself into a horse. or vice versa. I cant even tell the difference between the two. please excuse me, I'm after all, from Singapore.

the drive was scenic, the views panoramic. oh, anyway, I think the CD should be titled Hello Elaine in Moo Moo Land. hee...

rah rah rah...

what can I say?

first, I had my son dropping his lunch for 2 consecutive days.

then, yesterday, he came home with his thermal lunch box sans the lid - the top cover. but this crime is worse than dropping his lunch coz this one is expensive. it is a zojirushi one and it was bought in Hong Kong. (actually, he lost the plug on the lid last year when he was in kinder but that was still okay). but now the whole lid is gone.

however, he was still proud that he had finished his baby spinach and tuna spaghetti with cream of mushroom lunch. because it is a rarity he finishes his food (lunch). because playing is more important than anything else (like lunch). no wonder he keeps pestering me for sandwiches for lunch and only sandwiches. just so he can eat and play at the same time. and that was the very same reason why he could lose his lunch. playing is more important. than anything else.

just for fun - the lovebirds

a mum's ranting

How would you feel if you had woken up at 6am this morning, went to the freezer, took out the puff pastry from it to have it defrosted and went back to bed to catch a few more winks and then promptly waking up again at 7am, proceeded to

• gently retrieve the tomato paste in the fridge,
• patiently spread a layer of it on the thawed pastry,
• carefully grated that chunk of tasty cheese onto it,
• meticulously scattered some dried pastry flakes on it,
• punctiliously opened a tin of tuna (must be sirena and only sirena's) and strew it on the pile,
  
• tenderly squeezed some extra virgin olive oil mayonnaise,
  
• then painstakingly rolling it into a roll to be topped with sesame seeds,
  
• lovingly placing it in the pre-heated oven to be baked, and
  
• delicately wrapped it with foil for your son's lunch
  

ONLY to have your son come home to tell you that he dropped his lunch a 2nd time in a row (and that was only yesterday) ??? and that he was left without lunch to fill his sometimes growling BUT most times not hungry little stomach???

Oh yes, I am greatly pissed. In fact, I am pissed like a pisang. *boohoohoo.*

Something NEW About Me

Maybe I should change my profile ABOUT ME to the following:


About Me
Name:
Elaine

Location:
Melbourne, AU






"I am a stay home mum (who DOES NOT like to stay at home) and I love to cook but my kids (& hubba too) DO NOT appreciate it. I love good food but my kids (& hubba too) DO NOT like to eat. I LOVE to shop but I live in Australia where the tax rate is so high and things are so expensive, I CANNOT AFFORD to shop.

Besides running a family and home, I dabble in a little bit of graphics (and enjoying it), I blog (and enjoying it too), I run errands for hubba’s business (like making a trip to ulu Park Orchards to collect payment & banking), being an English tutor (correcting the grammar & spelling in hubba's reports because I'm from Singapore and he's from HK - every single pun intended) and as well, being the receptionist to all incoming calls for the business - "Hello. Good morning/afternoon. Rptecture" (not just with a flat tone, must be with intonations!)

I hail from Singapore (as I already said) and I like to be surrounded by good people still.

This is my style. my life!
maybe my style. no life!
or no style.mylife!
...ok, ok there you have it - no style. no life!"

This is my acerbic wit, everything else remains the same.

dinner!!!

This was the dinner I cooked tonight - deep fried pipa tofu (from yesterday's unused portion of the fish paste and tofu) with cucumbers and stir fried snow peas, carrots and fresh shiitake mushrooms on a bed of crispy noodles.

but look at Tessa:





and look at Theodore :





my dinner must be pathetic? or should I say they are pathetic? or is it both ways?

why should I even bother cooking dinner??? *sigh sigh*

spring art

The photo above was taken when we went to Carlton Gardens on Sunday after church as the weather was perfect. I took a shot of the tree branches sprouting some leaves and flowers as spring draws near. The "sun" was actually an effect I used in Illustrator.

food talk

yesterday's lunch was bread at Brumby's - 2 Turkish bread, a vegie scroll and a chicken and vegetable pie. and i popped over a Greek deli and bought a bottle of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil to dip the breads in. 3 of us enjoyed it alfresco style as it was a perfect weather day. (not now, as I am writing this, rains have started to pour and the skies turned a dark grey and the gloominess has set back in again - I thought Spring has arrived???).

anyway, since lunch was so pathetic, I decided to make it all up for dinner by cooking a storm then to have the hubba complaining that I spent too much time in the kitchen when there were other things to do. (Men!!!)

but, when I saw Theo and Tessa enjoying the food immensely, it all but put me back at ease. Both Theo and Tessa had 2 pork ribs each and boy, did they, chewed it all down to the bare bones.

i took some pictures of the dishes - deep fried lemon grass spareribs (香茅金沙排骨）with a onion and lemon grass sauce and a dish of fish paste mixed with japanese tofu topped with green soy beans and wooden fungus.

cereals and brekkie

recently, i discovered the world's best breakfast cereal - it's called Granola Clusters and it's available in 2 different flavours - vanilla and almond as well as maple and raisin. because i could not decide which i like better, i bought both. what the heck. just coz it was on special at Safeway.

I was and have never been a great fan of breakfast cereals my whole life. Back in Singapore, I have a whole choice of chee cheong fan, tou-huay (beancurd dessert), char bee hoon (fried rice vermicelli), fried chinese critters, mee rebus and char tow kuay (fried radish cakes) or when not given a choice, just bread, (not the normal plain ones - must be exotic ones or different flavoured ones like milk bread, pandan flavoured bread, corn bread or even better, the ones from the Australian part of Singapore - the bakery in Tanglin Mall) are my preferred mode anytime.

however, since, we live in Melbourne, and the classic ang-moh breakfast here would be bacon, sausages, eggs, grilled tomatoes and toast . and at times, throw in baked beans. but who has the time to make these brekkie everyday anyway? so, bread with vegemite is good enough for me. (Tessa loves vegemite too!!!)


today, i decided that i want to TRY breakfast cereals with milk (okay, for me soy milk as I dont drink cow's milk). Excitedly as I was, I warmed the milk in the microwave. and then scooped 4 spoonfuls of the 2 different falvoured cereals into the milk. IT WAS A MISTAKE. a huge one!

all the crunchiness of the granola clusters were gone. it was soggy and yucky. i wonder why people even enjoy eating them all soaked up? yucks.

no more cereals with milk for me anymore. i would rather have a bowl of the cereal and a separate glass of milk (soy milk). and yes, eat them separately. but still given a choice. no more cereals at breakfast for me. that granola clusters would just be my snack. a healthy one at least!

pampering

since Tessa is sick, I decided to stay home and away from cell group since the bug is highly contagious and I dont wish to spread it to the Ngu's family who has a little baby at home.

Tessa retched again - her dinner, medicines, vitamins and all. brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth and off she went to bed.

so, i needed to clean myself too. with all that putrid smell, I'd better give myself a good scrub too.

then I thought, it's time I pamper myself with some SPA treatment. hmm, good idea. i shampooed and conditioned my hair. and yes, there was this pearl protein treatment (which Pauline dutifully brought back from Singapore from mum's place). so i applied on my mane a thick layer of it.

after which i gave myself a good facial scrub and a hand scrub, foot and leg scrub and body scrub before the wash.

my skin feels so baby smooth and soft now. then i moisturised and applied that tummy firming cream on that wrinkled fat piece of flab - *yikes*

right now, I put on that Korean thermal treatment hat on loan from Happy and as I am writing this post, is working its heating effect on my head now. hmm...my hair had better turn out shiny like pearl and soft like silk. but i feel like an astronaut (imagine it). maybe I am? coz I am now feeling high and over the moon.

the next thing in my mind is to give myself a facial mask and then do something to my ugly soft & brittle nails. i hate my nails. they are just so ugly. which is why i dont bother much about painting my nails. a natural tint is alright for me.

my toe nails too - time to trim and give it a new coat of colour.

whoahoa - i dare say, I feel relaxed totally. music please.

Tessa sick again!

no wonder Tessa made a fuss last night although it has been the same two nights before. she wasnt feeling well again. the bug didnt leave her. we thought it had already did when we visited Dr Goh yesterday afternoon for a review because she was found to have this particular bug (picked up from the stool test) which made her so sick last week.

so, this morning when she claimed she has tummy ache, i took it that she was actually playing up again and wanting attention. and that was, until, she was in kinder and I was at the bank when the kinder called up to say Tessa was complaning about tummy ache and that she did not want to join the rest for a play in the small graden play area.

when i went to pick her up, she was seated on a little chair and i could feel her with a temperature.

without hesiation, i sent her straight to Dr Goh again.

doc had no choice but to prescribe a very strong anti-biotic for her. her body is very low in immunity and could not fight the bug by itself. Which explains why, Bactrim, which contains sulphur, has to be dispensed for her. I have to test her with 1ml to see if she is allergic to it.

and at the same time while awaiting for the prescription, I picked up the Centrium multi-vitamins for kids as recommeneded by the doc, Incremin Iron mixture as well Demazin for her incessant runny nose.

when we came home, she threw up. This aside, I made steamed japanese tofu rounds with green soy beans, carrots and shiitake mushrooms with different soy sauces, oyster sauce, abalone & chicken stock and sesame oil for her lunch. she had 1 teaspoonful and decided she wanted a rest.

so her lunch is still sitting in the wok and as well, her medications.

God, I really need your almighty power to heal Tessa of her many ailments.

just a pic

Tessa and hearing.

on Rani's (Tessa's Montessori director) persistent advice, I took Tessa to the GP during the time she was ill and got a referral letter to see an audiologist. I managed to secure a last minute booking for her last evening, which was a good thing.

We arrived at Taralye in Blackburn into a vast ground surrounded with a lush garden. Theo thought we were going for another easter camp. I quite agree. beautiful place.

Anyway, tests revealed that she (Tessa) has a "conductive" hearing problem due to the accumulated fluids in her ears and is affecting her listening skills which will then escalate to affect her speech development.

Some kind of surgery has to be performed and at this stage, I have to speak to the GP as well as an ENT specialist. Before that, 1 ENT specialist (which coincidentally bears her brothers name sake) had recommended her to remove her enlarged adenoids behind her nose. and now this. we were trying very hard to avoid any surgery for her at this stage. We feel she is still a tad too young for such things.

She was also found to be generally weaker too - in her immune system as well as lacking in some nutrients and vitamins.

Please pray for my little angel. pictures taken at Taralye, Blackburn. the kids found the place beautiful - like in the country, away for easter camp.

bits and pieces. here and there.

despite feeling a bit queasy, i went to church on sunday together with Pauline and Steven, who was due to leave that very same day back to Singapore.

i even introduced Ivan to them coz both Ivan and Steven went to ACS, who at their era, was school on a hilltop - Fort Canning Hill. very atas.

then it was off to Ikea again after church. this time, besides the usual 5 families, we had the Oens in the midst.

dinner was at HaLong in Richmond. we were jokingly saying that, this time, no LongHa (Lobster in Cantonese dialect) unlike the night before. Which brings to remind me that there was a dish I had totally forgotten to mention in my previous post - and that was the juicy ginger and spring onion crab on a bed of egg noodles. how could I ? so sinful.

at the restaurant, Theo threw up twice. Thank God for kind waiters and waitresses. and he retched again upon reaching home. the bugs must be flying!!! they are everywhere. go get lost bugs. anyway, he turned out alright the next day for school.

well, i am proud to annouce we are in a clean bill of health with the exception of my hayfever. spring is early this year coz i think winter arrived equally early too.

on a side note - was over at Happy's place yesterday for leftover Korean food. This was the 2nd time I had her leftover food Korean style - hmm, leftovers has never tasted so yum. and right after lunch, we decided to make some Korean side dishes - the sweet potatoes in syrup and the pumpkin cake. we did not succeed in making the first one but the second one was yum. i even warmed it up today and served it with extra creamy vanilla ice cream. heaven!

free dinner???

no such thing as a free lunch/dinner/meal in the world? u bet.

we've just returned from a jam packed popular seafood restaurant in trendy South Yarra. dinner comprised of a roast duck, steamed green lip ABALONE for each person including kids, stir-fried vegetables, egg tofu and mushroom claypot, steamed 3pound barramundi fish, pipa tofu, salty and spicy deep fried calamari and of course, the free winter melon soup which comes as part of the meal.

for free? it sure is. thanks to the owner of the restaurant and of course, Florence for her connections.

but i am little worried about about my tummy. in fact, i've just returned from the bathroom. *sigh* when will it stop? although i would have to admit that i didnt regret stepping out of the house for this rare opportunity. *gleam gleam*

update: PICTURES to tell!!!
- forgot to mention the spring onion and ginger CRAB on egg noodles
and that bottle of Penfolds vino

worst.night.ever.

worst.night.ever. - i felt embarassed to have 2 guests in the house and having to endure a sleepless night. last night, in the wee morning, to be precise. Tessa needs to have the Supernanny tactics imposed ("The naughty step/corner/chair", "Your behaviour is very naughty"). And truly, our guests Pauline and Steven, are superfans of Jo Frost. We have to heed their parenting skills as they have devoured themselves with loads of parenting tips from books and, needless to say, including this book titled Supernanny - How to get the best from your children.

Althought they (Pauline & Steven), are parents to only a 7 month old Tim, they exude such an airy confidence in disciplining kids which, really, puts us to shame, and of course, embarassment. I thought we have been parents for nearly 6 years already???

and i am still sick. all these blubbering made me developed headaches instantly. and i had to gulp 2 pills right away. my tummy ache too. and, as an accompaniment, frequents trips to the loo. even right NOW. it's damn right irritating.

Docklands Winter Wonderland

phone call, flowers and card

just as you were feeling sorry for yourself, indulging in a little pity party, thinking about how good to have families around or even better, a maid to help around with the endless housechores to do and at the same time, feeling ill - you received these in the space of a day:

- a telephone call to ask about your well-being and offering support and solutions to the problems and difficulties I have to face

- a bunch of sweet lilies (I think?) with a card and a message to cheer up

- a get well soon card with a encouraging message written in it

Thanks Sharon for your call, Happy for the flowers and Pauline for the card. You all lifted my spirits.

this week

things took a 180 degrees turn this week.

Pauline and Steven left for their trip on Monday. and it was good thing. while they were away, we have been having sleepless nights. Tessa caught the bug from Theo and developed a fever, tummy ache and diarrhoea while in the meantime, Theo got over his bout of the virus. Tessa, being as she is (read: spoilt), whinged and cringed over the slightest little ache she had. and every night withouit fail, she would whine.

and last evening, my health had taken the toll, a thumping headache developed and as much as I would like to avoid it, I sought the help of Nurofen to relief it. that means Theo was unbathed (read: dirty) - he had come home from art class with paint on his nose amd mouth (resembling a 小花猫）. i told him to be a good boy as mummy's sick and he duly got changed and brushed his teeth and went to bed by 8pm. oh, he's such a darling.

but Tessa had in the middle of the night, poohed in her pants, cried non-stop about her physical woes and retched. and hubba had to attend to her as i was too sick to do anymore.

this morning i woke up feeling shivery cold. it's official - i caught the bug from the kids. damn.

Happy Birthday Singapore

Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura
Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura

last week

The highlights of last week:

i attended a funeral

i cooked Japanese - edamame, sushi, soup, chawan-mushi (Theo loved it so much he had 2 bowls of it - OISHII!!!)

i had friends over for dinner - and i cooked curry spanish mackerel for adults, pan fried spanish mackerel for the kids, plain boiled caulis,broccolis and carrots WITH deep fried garlic and dried shrimps coz it's boring (read: tasteless) without it, minced pork with water chestnuts and mixed vegetables steamed with tofu

i baked buns - sweet ones, savoury ones and interesting looking ones and enough for neighbour, cell group and visitors this one looks like a lolly
this one resembles a cute teddy
one plateful each for neighbour, cell group and visitors

i made pipa tofu served on a bed of blanced broccolis for cell group dinner

i made a big mess in my kitchen

i was tired - sleeping late and waking up super duper early and baking the buns a whole day plus preparing a dish for cell group dinner on the same day

no wonder InChyi says no to setting up a bakery - it's tiring.

I AM STILL TIRED. *yawn*

one winter friday night...

and it was past Tessa's bedtime, we drove past bohemian chic Brunswick Street and stopped by Trampoline for some good old ice cream. she was ecstatic and was busy playing hopscotch in the shop while her poor exhausted brother was asleep in the car. nevertheless, daddy, mummy and her had a good time trying to keep warm while licking the jumbo sized ice cream in various flavours. we even enjoyed the music performed by 2 buskers and daddy gave them a donation in appreciation of their music and performance. by the time we finished, it was 11pm and we had to head home. Tessa was done in. it was a memorable winter night.

Gloomy winter - on the way out

yay...the cold is finding itself out of the way...

today's maximumn temperature is 19 degrees...

flowers are blooming...

WHICH MEANS...

...MY HAYFEVER IS BACK!!!

RCC 4th Anniversary Sunday School Videoshow Presentation

This was the video I made for the Sunday School presentation. In between the videoshow halfway through, until the part where the audience were told to clap, the kids performed in their various fruits/vegetables/flowers/grasses/trees costumes and sang the song "The Tree Song". The kids looked so cute in their outfits!!!

Welcome Friends from Singapore

we welcome our friends Pauline & Steven, who had flown overnight from Singapore, in our midst as they will be staying with us during their trip here except when they venture to the regional attractions in the next few days.

It's funny how our friendship developed between Pauline and myself. I got to know her through Keren. When the both of them came to Melbourne in 2003, they stayed over with us for a few nights. At that time, mum was here to help with my confinement after Tessa's birth. And so I took the opportunity to go shopping, had a all girls outing and as well, a dinner at Nam Fong in the city. Funnily enough though, Keren and I have sort of lost much contact whilst I still keep in constant contact with Pauline first through her many encouraging emails and later her blog. And it was her who started me blogging too. I can say, it's one of the best things I have ever undertaken. Thanks Pauline.

We decided to do Vietnamese tonight and settled well and truly at Tien Dat in BoxHill. All of us enjoyed the fellowship and meal together and it was definitely a great bonding time for us all, including the kids.

*on a side note* - when Keren came to visit us in 2000, we brought her along to Jonathan Ngu's to pick up some sleeping bags because we were all going to the easter camp. right there at the doorstep, they (Jonathand and Keren) were shocked to see each other coz they had been close ex-colleagues before in the their heydays at Compaq. Amazing, in a bizarre sense, of these webs of friendship being weaved and formed.

Tessa. Love. Marriage.

I have a daughter. Her name is Tessa. She is 3 and a half years old. And, erherm, I am shy to say it, but she is in LOVE. not only that, she already has a marriage proposal. today. at 12 noon after kinder. proposal venue? my car. however, i have to profess that no bling bling (read: diamond ring) was in sight though.

you see, everytime, when they meet, she would get so mushy and she would hold his hands. and, my my, even lay her head on his shoulders and worse, openly hug him in view of the many prying eyes that are around them. and she wants to sit only next to him in the car or anywhere else for that matter. and he, would be sweet-talking to her in his ever caring, lovey-dovey nature that is just so him.

and they are entangled in a sort of a love triangle already. just yesterday, over at Crystal's place, we had Kristen peeling mandarins and fed him WHILE he fed Tessa her lunch of fried rice.

and just earlier on, Joseph had said that Tessa is his best friend. but Yishuen quickly interrupted to say that Tessa is his best friend and THAT he will MARRY her. and he was quick to tell off his "rival" to marry Caitlyn instead. and even proclaimed that he has the right to choose who he wants to marry. after which he promised that he would send us a card very soon.

erhem ...*clearing my throat* I now announce that I am ready to marry my daughter off. or so I say...hurhur...

Please listen to this song. Thank You.

Thank You

Listen To Song :


Words and Music by Ray Boltz

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came

And he said, Friend
You may not know me now
And then he said, But wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart

CHORUS:
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry
You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I am here today

CHORUS:
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed

And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord
He said, My child look around you
Great is your reward

CHORUS (repeat)

Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave
I am so glad you gave

©1988 Gaither Music/ASCAP. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

Life is short especially after yesterday's funeral that of sister Siok Wah's. This song delivers a very powerful message. I hope you will be touched by the message in the lyrics itself and be totally engrossed in the music too.