Exams are coming mummy!

What is it with kids' exams and parents' stress these days?

My mother never use to be stressed when I was young. She just warned us that if our results were no good, the cane would meet our butts. That was enough to scare us all. We didn't do too bad...at least we all made it to the U and without tuition and enrichment classes.

Are the teachers not good enough these days? Almost all the children I know have tuition or some kind of enrichment nonsense. Why do we send our children to school if we need to send them again to tuition classes after school? Is their childhood supposed to be classes after classes? What about playtime?

Sigh!

Weight battle.

What is it with middle age women and weight? 
I definitely don't love it, but my body loves it. 

I must tell my body not to love it too much. Rolls and rolls of jelly belly, don't make Sue a beautiful gal.
Exercise, I must exercise, but laziness gets the better of me. What am I to do?

Foods, glorious foods!! I love foods! All foods, I am not fussy, god gives me good appetite , I must appreciate it. Love you God.
God bless me with sweet tooth, makes me love all things sweet...cakes, tarts, kuey, jelly rolls, sugar rolls, chocolates, cheese cakes, ice-cream, apple pies, apple crumbles, fruit tarts, pineapple tarts........slurps! Drools....!

What the heck with a few extra pounds....I off to raid my fridge!!!

My Dogs

My Dogs

Buddy, a Golden Retriever. Adopted him when he was a pup.
















 
He has grown.

Silky, a Corker Spaniel , adopted her 3 years ago.

 Goldie, a pariah. Picked her up from a wet market in Malaysia 5 years ago.

Horse Riding Lessons

 Hubby and daughter love horses, hence weekend trips to riding school are common.

Discovered a new place just an hour drive out of Singapore....

 Going on a trail ride

Horses are tame and well trained

Kids monkeying around after riding

Camp fire at night

What an enjoyable weekend!!

Ski slope in Japan. She wants to go there again. Looks like I have to start training myself again. The 1st time I was there, I was so unfit. Let's see if I have a picture of me flat on my face....

 hm... no, guess not, cos I landed on the photographer (my hubby) and almost tore his groin. LOL.

Our 2nd trip there was better, I was a bit fitter, the yoga classes sure helped alot. I had better sense of balance and no more falling all over the place, plus there weren't any cute guys for me to fall on!! Gekgekgek! (Evil)

Us on our 2nd trip there.  It was a good trip.

Ghost

It is time of the year again. Chinese Lunar 7th month.

This is the month, Chinese believe that the Gate of Hell open for all the spirits to wonder free on Earth. It is like a one month vacation for them and their holiday destination is our dimension.

My daughter told me the other day that children can see them - "ghost". She said some girls from her class saw it in the school's toilet... but we all know that story. It has been around for the last 80 years.. my mother's time, my time, now my daughter's time.  I remembered when I was in primary one, one of my classmate ran out of the loo screaming, claiming that she saw a hand waving at her. I dash into the toilet immediately, but what I saw was a hand print on the wall.

During my secondary school days, there were talk about a ghost girl crying by the well, the teachers' room was haunted, the sewing room was haunted, the toilets were too... I wondered around hoping that I too could have a story to tell but all to no avail.

Years later, my youngest sister told me a spooky story. You see, they built a new secondary school and when it was ready, all the secondary students walked, two by two, from their old school to the new school on the first day of the opening.

All was well, the opening ceremony was good, the students explored the school, checked out their classrooms and allocated seats for themselves.

A week went by without any hitch. The students were joking about how the ghost, if there were any, were left behind in the old school.

Lo and behold! The next week, there were cries of the new school being haunted. My sister's classmate, who usually reached school pretty early in the morning saw one!  She saw a "girl" in the classroom sobbing.

We asked around and were told that when the students all walked to the new school, the "girl" may have followed, but "she" could find her way back to the old school.

Anyway, how much do we believe?  I don't know. Some people claimed that they can see cos they have the "third" eye. Well, in my case, I am glad I can't see "them"!

Am I a good Mum? That is the question.

Watched YOG closing ceremony on TV  with my daughter last night. Saw her dance mates performing on center stage. The TV crew captured them so clearly, unlike the opening ceremony.

Let me start from the beginning...
My daughter was selected to participate in Singapore's Inaugural Youth Olympic Game Opening ceremony. The rehearsals and practices were very long and tiring for her and her dance mates. There were times during the course of rehearsals that she cried and said that she doesn't want to go thru with it. I could understand and sympathize with her, cos most times she would return home past midnight after rehearsal. Guess it was not an easy task for a 9 year old, especially when she had school to attend the next day. However, I did make it easier for her by allowing her to go to school late the next day, ensuring that she had enough rest.

After much coaxing, she finally performed in the Opening ceremony. It was a proud moment for me and hubby. As there were many performers that day, we were unable to spot her on the stage. She was quite disappointed with that, but overall she did enjoy the whole event, thanks to her ballet teacher. Without, her I don't think my daughter had this opportunity to perform in such a great event.


When my daughter was told that she would also be performing in the closing ceremony, I was so excited for her. Even though it clashed with her piano exam, I would at the most forfeit the registration and pushed it to next year. However, she was not so. Said she didn't want to do so, reason being she was tired.

I tried to persuade her, coax her and even bribe her, but she stubbornly refused.

After last night, as we watched her friends performed which was clearly captured on TV, I was filled with a sense of "failure" as a mum. My daughter's face was so crestfallen and I could see a sense of regret and remorse creeping up. She turned towards me and said," mommy, now I feel really guilty."
She felt that she had let herself down, she had let me down, she saw her friends on the stage and she wasn't there. I felt horrible. I failed as a mum. I should have insisted, should have told her she had no choice but to go ahead and do the closing ceremony.

I am an adult, I should have known better, should have known that she would regret that she had missed such a wonderful opportunity.

What was wrong with me?

I walked around the whole day berating myself... ah!!!!


 I was angry with myself, why didn't I insist, why was I so soft? Sigh!

My Baking day

Woke up this morning and decided I should do some baking. I been watching James Herriot DVD and was so inspired by their afternoon that I have decided, I should follow suit.

Hubby, just bought me a new tea set....

lovely ain't it? They are from Vietnam.
Shall I have some scones and sweet cakes?

I bought myself a new coffee set .....

Hmmm... all ready to bake.

I will organize a tea party...just like the English. Hahaha!! So "masak masak".

I am back...(with a tune)

One month of utter nothingness... I have been busy doing everything and nothing. What have I accomplished? Nothing. Busy doing nothing. I am afraid, I may have the Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder (AAADD).

I started off a project with good intention, then before embarking, was distracted to do something else, followed by another something else...and else and else....

Now, (music..loud battle music) I must snap back and be more focus.

Focus No.1: Must update blog weekly.
Focus No. 2: Must stop day dreaming.
Focus No. 3: Must enroll in calligraphy lessons.
Focus No. 4: Must finish chores/project before starting another.
Focus No. 5: Must stop kidding myself that I can multi-multi task.
Focus No. 6: Must be more FOCUS.

Ok... "Jia yu!!"

Cheese cake

My first attempt in baking cheese cake was very successful.. yippee!! Forgot to take a picture- alamak!
My mother, the Empress Dowager, who doesn't like cheese and anything foods related to it, took a bite  and felt in love with it.

Very apprehensively, she used her chop stick to break a piece off a slice of my Nutty Cheesecake and tentatively put it to the tips of her lips. Slowly she bit a tiny bit off that, with eye squeeze shut, she took her first taste and wala, she said, "hum.. not bad." Broke off another piece, this time bigger for better taste, then it was no stopping her. I must say, it was most satisfying to see her enjoying my cheesecake. (Smile)

I bought a recipe book - "Fantastic Cheesecake" by Alex Goh. I must say it is a really good recipe book. It tells you everything, not just the recipes but also how to treat the finish products. The tips and extra information is a must read. I feel like a professional cheese cake baker now! LOL!

My next attempt will be Oreo cheese cake.

Chinese New Year baking

A novice baker I am, I must say I did a good job baking cookies, tarts and cakes.

After years of buying new year cookies and paying such indecent price for cookies that are not that fantastic, I decided to bake some myself.

My first batch were sweet tangy pineapple tarts. They were my favorites since I was a kid and still my favorite now. I remembered my Nonya Aunty from Malacca, she baked those wonderful big pineapple tarts the size of half a hamburger  bun. Well, I may have exaggerated a bit, but thru my very young eyes, it sure looked very big and it took me a few big bites before I finished the whole tart. I loved visiting her during the new year... mustn't tell her that it was because of the tarts.

Anyway, I had started experimenting with these tarts since last year and today I am proud to say, I have succeeded. My hubby and kid love them.

Look at the picture... not as big as my aunt's tart tho..

...but it sure melts in the mouth!!

My next feat was Cashew Nut cookies, got the basic recipe from internet, make some modification and wa-la, my very own verson of cashew nut cookies....

So yummy! I used the basic recipe, added more Cashew nut, a couple spoonful of milk, a dash of salt to bring out the sweetness...hmm!

Want to see my banana cake with cream cheese frosting?

There...

 

 My next conquest will be cheese cakes...

Yoga Lessons

I am a member of my neighbourhood gym. I signed up cos' I would like to built some muscles and get slim. Ya ya ya, great dreams.

Attended hot yoga this morning. Went in with good intention, hot room, great! Can lose weight... so I told myself "must work hard!"

Half way thru the lesson I was looking at the clock wishing that it would be over.  I looked at the ladies in the class, they looked like yoga teachers themselves. "Where are their bones?" I wondered. They can all bend down, kissed their knees without any effort. The part where everybody did a split and rested their bellies and chests on the floor , I told myself; "girl, you've got a long way to go."  Know why I can see everybody when we were suppose to kiss the floor? With my legs barely six inches apart,  body trying to bend over to kiss the floor, but only managed a nod of the head, of course I had a good view of the class!  So if you looked into the class, you can only moi sitting "tall" panting and puffing with arms out.... stretching and trying but....

Anyway... never say die. Although now I feel like a car has just rolled over me .. I will persevere.. got to go soak in the tub now... ooche!

Happiness

I am happy most of the time. Life is great! I have a fantastic husband and a lovely girl. Every morning I thank my blessings for having such wonderful family.
Home is not a matter of how big or small your house is, it is how you put everything together to make it cosy and homely.

A friend introduced a book recently; " You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise L Hay.  I love what she wrote in there saying that we are in control of our life by the way we think. It is true. When I tell myself, I am happy, I am. Nonsense as it may sound, try that, it the power of the mind.

Anyway, I am still reading this book, and am really glad my friend told me about this book. Bless her!

First blog in a new Year

How time flies!

December holiday came and went. What did we do? All those plans I made before the holidays never materialized. Alamak! I was so ambitious, wanted to take kid out to farms, nature trials, play lots of sports, go cycling, bake lots of cakes.....but alas! Laziness got the better of me. Botanical garden is as far as nature trials go.

Now, a brand new year, this means brand new ideas, brand new things to do. The first thing thing I am going to do is.. I tell myself..  to update my blog everyday.

Christmas gifts

Tues, Nov 3rd, 2009

Woke up bright and early. No more jet-lag.. yeh!!!

Had to start planning my annual Christmas gift purchases.

Before I embarked on this annual ritual, I had to get myself mentally prepared.

A good breakfast, eggs, ham and bagel with tons of cream cheese...hm...yummy! 

Now,  to make a list... names, sex, ages, likes, dislikes. This was the best method, this way I won't get wrong gifts. Gifts had to be useful, something that the receiver can use, not something they put away in a dark corner and never see daylight again.

A friend once said that Christmas gifts are the least useful, nice to receive that is all.

I had a list of 50 people ranging from age 2 months to infinite. As i was working down the list, there was this one person whom I can't think of what to get. What can you get for a person who doesn't need anything? He has everything that I can possibly think of. Now, I was talking about things within my budget means, not some Ferrari, or Lamborghini. Skipped this and work on it later.

My excel sheets are filling up fast, yeh! I am almost there. Will plan where to go shop for these next. It is like a war zone out there. I am planning my route carefully, must strategise.....I come I see I buy!! Hahaha.....

Jet-Lag

The trip to the States was good and enjoyable. Will talk abt it later.

1 October, 2.40am
Hubby crashed into the bedroom like a big clumsy baboon. The ruckus he created was enough to wake even the dead.

3.00am
8 year old daughter whispered ;"Mummy did you hear that noise? It is coming from my tummy."
"No honey, try to sleep..." I mumbled.
1 minute later, "Mummy, it is really loud, here put your hand here on my tummy... hear that?"
" Oh alright, I 'll fix you something to eat"
I stumbled out of bed with her scrambling after me.....

3.35am
"Let us try to get some sleep now ok?" I said.
We dragged ourselves back to bed, but she can't sleep.
"I think I am suffering from jet-lag mum." she announced very brightly.
I rubbed some essential oils on her and after 20mins she was fast asleep. Jet-lag? No she didn't have it.
Me??? Ya, I, saya, me, tossed around for the next few hours. So, was this jet-lag?  I, the sleep anywhere and everywhere type of person, for the first time in my entire 40+ years can't sleep!!!! Scream!!!

4.20am
Peeped at the clock.....oh my...blanked my mind.... did slow deep breathing....

5.00am
Still deep breathing away....

5.30am
In.... 1...2...3.... alamak!

5.45am
I think I finally doze off...

6.00am
"Mummy!!! I am very hot, can make air-con colder?"
....Ah....!!!!! Scream!!

9.00am
Writing this blog after I have been up and about since, doing hundred and one things... take her to school, read the papers, breakfast on the table for the in-laws.....

Will try to stay awake the whole day and go to bed at 9.00pm... good luck to me!!!

Cup Cakes decoration

Attended 2 cupcake decorating sessions.

Good eh?







Well, you tube has lots of decoration tips. Learned quite abit there as well.

Cups Cakes baking with the gals

The gals loved it. It was fun, I had fun, they had fun, our tummies had fun.

Yummy!

Finally all done.

Food Galore in Ipoh

Flew to Ipoh last week. Spent one "fulfilling" week there.

Now that there is a direct flight to Ipoh, traveling there is not so tedious and draining. One hour of flight time.... two and half hours ...zoom... reach Ipoh!! (laughing)

Ipoh, although a small and quite town has lots to offer. My daughter loves horses, hence, she was enrolled in the equestrian school there. We were there every morning for her lessons. She loved those lessons. 

Afternoons were spent looking for foods. The famous "Kai Si Hor Fun" - the coffee shop hasn't change for years. I was in Ipoh 20 years ago, went to the exact coffeeshop, now 20 years later... shop is still there, still selling the same "Hor Fun". Time has changed many cities and towns, but not Ipoh. I love it!

My daughter loves the "hor fun" there. She said; " I love eating hor fun, it gives me an over-whelming sense of satisfaction and happiness!" Smile:)

Must go back again!!! Will go to the caves next.

What a wonderful day!

My kid doesn't have to go to school today as it is Teachers' day. What a lazy morning I had with her.

Didn't get out of bed till 9am, what luxury! So nice to smell hair (she slept in our bed last night). Hubby went to work at 8 or was it 8.30? I was semi-conscious.

Back to my morning...

The wonders of motherhood... looking at her sleeping, those little hands, little fingers and toes. I can see a shadow of my image in her, she has my lips, my face shape, yet her father's nose, eyes...a perfect combination of hubby and I.

A good breakfast together. We talked and chatted about all and nothingness. I know she enjoys such mornings. Mother and daughter bonding. Oh what a wonderful morning!

Contemplating to eat or not to eat a slice of chocolate cake

Humm... yummy... big slices of chocolate cakes staring at me..."pick me up...choose me!!!"...with chocolate shavings and thick frosting, topped with lots of brandied cherries...Oh dear how tempting. Spongy layers with chocolate wafer bottoms... oh heavenly.

200 calories at least. Looking at my love handles, I better have some self control.

My mum use to say, if you past it by, you will think about it for the next few days, torture yourself and then back to the shop to get not only 1 but a few extra slices.

Come to think of it, she is right. It happened a few times, which is why I am still fighting a loosing battle. Half an hour of exercise on the machine every other day is not helping.....think I will go get a low fat snack from the kitchen now... LOL

Searching the net for a pet gate

Try to confine my dogs to only my balcony and living hall. Currently they are let loose, everywhere the run, kitchen, bedrooms, toilets, study, shedding their hair everywhere.... vaccum and mop the floors 3 times a day, very tiring...sigh.

Searching the net for a pet gate as the common child gate in the shops are not long enough to fit. Came across a site with beautiful gates on wheels, but from US and I have to fix it myself. i will call around to c if any local carpenter can fix me a gate.

Searching for steam chainese pumpkin cake recipe

Bought an electric pressure cooker the other day . The promo lady in Tangs was demonstrating how easy it is to make pumpkin cake. "It takes only 20mins." she said.

Me I am a gadget person. Love all things electrical:- cake mixer, steamer, slow cooker... etc. You name it I have it. hence, happily I lugged home the pressure cooker.

Now, here am I searching for the recipe. I have forgotten what flour to use. As usual, did not listen carefully. Hahaha...