Charlotte's Web

I Have Shifted....

2011-06-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

I Have Shifted....

I have shifted my blog...

This is the only way to keep me blogging - To get a new fresh look for my blog, and that will keep me excited to maintain it, I think, at least for a few weeks? :)

Do visit me at www.charsablogger.wordpress.com, eh... don't expect super flamboyant and professional blog design k? I decided to opt for simple and sleek.... less maintenance lol.

Hope to continue hearing from my curious readers... See ya!

Bidding Farewell to MediaCorp

2011-04-27T08:37:00.001-07:00

Bidding Farewell to MediaCorp

I tendered last wk of Mar, after hearing a good proposition from my hubby, that I thought it's worth a try into the new venture.

My last day with MediaCorp, where I've been the last 3 and a half yrs was something that was not what I've imagined. I'm still running here and there to do some errands and attending meetings amidst finishing my handovers 3 days ago. Had wanted to have a photo-taking session with my dear colleagues and bosses, but realised that I had only 1 hr left to pack my stuff b4 the day ended. Nonetheless, loads of farewell lunches were done a week ago...

Still, managed to take a photo with my admin mgr, and that was when I'm handing over my laptop!

I'm gonna miss the pple, but definitely excited to be my hubby's secretary. Hopefully, it works out well.

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Places To Go When U Don't Know Where To Go

2011-04-04T02:56:00.001-07:00

Places To Go When You Don't Know Where To Go

It was 1 of those afternoons whereby u're at home lazing, after doing all the housekeeping that was accumulated for the whole week, and thinking of where to go for some chill up time. Thank God for a grp of colleagues who're always looking around for nice places to visit and they told me that there was this concept store cum cafe, tucked in a corner at 7 Ann Siang Hill, that serves nice cakes and sells vintage toys.

We decided to take a look yesterday, while the kids were napping, and went to have our 1 hour of serenity.

The location was really inconspicuous. Run by a husband and wife team( husband bakes, wife serves- great inspiration lol), they sold japanese cakes and beverages. KKi Cakes are opened from 12pm to night time(can chk the website for more details) except for mondays. The design of the store is very homely, tidy with interesting items on display to help you reminisce on the childhood to teenage days. For eg, me and Yo started talking abt those times we flash transparency songsheets during P&W when we saw an old OHP.

Some signature cakes we ate: Kinabaru and Tiramisu. Looks sweet but actually taste quite light. It's a bit pricy though... 1 slice of cake is around $7-8 and each cup of say latte is abt $4.50. And the cup is smaller than that of Starbucks reg size.

Overall, not too bad to go there once in a while. Just 1 of the perks to stay in the town area. I love Tanjong Pagar!

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Sibling Rivalry Starts Early!

2011-03-31T09:11:00.001-07:00

Sibling Rivalry Starts Early!

These 2 cheeky monkeys have been up to mischief, and the amazing thing is the sister actually knows how to retaliate when being bullied! What's going on? Early maturing of an 8 mth old bb?

- Fighting over iPad and iPhone...
- Fighting over Lego blocks and cars.
- Meimei pulls gorgor's hair
- Gorgor smacks meimei's forehead....

Yet at times, they r so 'lovey dovey'...
- Gorgor hugs Meimei when came back from sch.
- Meimei climbs over gorgor's back and laughs.
- Meimei touches gorgor's hair and squeals in delight!
- Gorgor goes over to a Meimei climbing over the edge of a bed and says, 'Be careful!'

These 2 monkeys r making their daddy and mummy so puzzled and amused. But we're totally enjoying each moment in discovering more about their individual personality. Thank God for these 2 darlings!

YouTube Video

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XBox or Fuji Xerox?

2011-01-12T02:45:00.001-08:00

XBox or Fuji Xerox?

Kids are so much observant than us!

I still remember that we were driving along the road, heading towards the ECP, when George kept on saying, 'Xbox! XBox!'

We were looking around to see what he might be referring to. Then, we realized that we just passed by the Fuji Xerox building.

Oh I see... Didn't notice that the 2 logos are so similar... Lol. Clever boy!

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Location:On the MRT

Zhanwei's Proposal.... Finally!

2011-01-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Zhanwei's Proposal.... Finally!

It was my bro's proposal on Sun! I had always had the idea that a proposal shd be between the couple, with at the most a small grp of close friends to help up... Until Evelyn 'chio' us to support...

Why not? The only bachelor of the Fong family is getting hitched soon... Whoppee....

Anyway, heard he rented a van for 2 days to put in all the balloons and props... When my mum heard that on sat, she said 'wah... My boy grow up already!' (huh... She took a long time to realize that! But not that she will treat her ah boy differently ....)

Anyway, I brought the whole brood to Marina Barrage. Quite enjoyed the fact that my helper was on leave, so I can enjoy some family bliss with my 3 darlings... Audrey fell asleep while we were 'in ambush'. The wind was strong and made her drowsy... Siying was led down by her CCH friends from the cafe at level 2. And Zhanwei gave that 'Baby, here I am...' gesture (with arms wide open to receive her)

I think she teared...

All in all, it was a simple proposal. We couldn't hear what he was saying in his speech and confession... But he said something like, 'Generally, I have decided to....' Aiyo, so preachy....

But then again, it's a 2 persons affair. The speech must have been something to make Siying so touched. Like I always believed, a proposal is between a couple themselves. But we were glad to share the joy with them!

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Location:In the Car

Candylicious

2010-12-21T08:17:00.001-08:00

Candylicious

Went to IR to take a look last Sun... Discovered this shop called 'Candylicious'. Thought that George would enjoy it more than anyone else but I realized that I suddenly became a little girl when I walked around. The store sells really cute stuff... So cutie cutie that you just wanna bring all of them home.

Yo has to grab hold of me as I was just wandering around from 1 shelf to another, exclaiming at how pretty and cute the sweets and souveniers are. But too bad, we aren't allowed to take photos. They claimed that their candies are too shy!

Just a few pic that I managed to secretly snapped:

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Location:IR

Xbox Kinect

2010-11-22T02:35:00.001-08:00

XBOX Kinect

Have always wanted a nintendo Wii to entertain family and friends when they come over till XBOX Kinect was launched last few wks. Heard that 2000 sets had been sold out on the launch day itself. It's really great fun and a good tool for bonding. Can be used for good workouts too, confirmed will sweat lots regardless of what game u play.

YouTube Video

Always thought that hubby is very agile in dancing, only to realize that he's not so good in shake-your-bom-bom. Haha... But other than that, he's good... Yup :)

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Location:Home

Self Taken Pictures

2010-11-15T01:53:00.001-08:00

Self Taken Portrait

We are both bad at taking self portraits. But Zhanwei says practice makes perfect, so Georgie joined in the fun last night too.

My head! Arrrgh..

Anyway, it seems like Georgie is the only one enjoying himself...

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Location:Home

Bringing up the Xmas Spirit

2010-11-06T22:22:00.001-07:00

Bringing up the Xmas Season

Dec has always been a month that I look forward to. It's my bdae month and of course not forgetting Xmas is coming!

Hubby gave us a big surprise when he brought home a big Xmas tree. What's missing right now are the Xmas presents. It'll be our 1st time celebrating Xmas at our own home, and u can't imagine the excitement we have in preparing for this festive season.

Javier came over to stay during deepavali PH. Georgie was super excited and went around the house introducing his room, sharing his toys, and even opens up to the idea of bathing together. It's so interesting to speak to a 7-yr old. The conversation is amazingly quite adult, yet funny.

For eg, we were taking the lift up when Javier asked which floor we were staying at. 'Oh, 43rd floor! Yee Yee, I'm very excited leh... To stay at a HDB-condo.'

I told him that mine is a HDB, not a condo. He replied, 'To me, it's a HDB-condo... And I shall keep calling your hse that!'

(speechless)

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Location:Home

Wrong Teachings!

2010-11-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

Wrong Teachings!

Today, Jiu Jiu drew an apple for Georgie. Georgie shouted out 'Apple!' but naughty grandma corrected him, saying that it's 'backside' (buttock) instead...

A few hrs later, Georgie looked at the drawing again, and this time round, he shouted 'backside!' with some added sound effects: 'Hmm Hmm...'

Oh dear!

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Location:Tampines

A Stroller for Georgie

2010-10-30T01:12:00.001-07:00

A Stroller for Georgie

Was looking around for a stroller for Georgie for our yr end trip. After looking around a few stores, decided to buy this McClaren lime green stroller that's at promotional price $159. The only minus pt was that it only had 1 seating position. But so far so gd, he had napped for almost half an hr. Hope he feels comfortable on it.

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Location:Vivocity

Auntie or Jie Jie?

2010-10-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Auntie or Jie Jie?

I was queuing to pay for my groceries earlier on when I heard the couple behind me talking with their kids. Their kids were waiting urgently behind me to pay for their tidbits...

Husband: Children, wait.... Let the jie jie go first...

(It's very obvious that the dad is referring to me)

Wife: Auntie lah....! what jie jie.....

Me: !!

(I was thinking in my heart: Does the wife need to emphasize on the word 'Auntie'? Suddenly, the reality of being 30 yrs old soon hit me real hard..)

Anyway, at least in the eyes of a man, I don't look that old... Oh gosh....

Chilling out @ Long Bar

2010-10-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

Chilling out @ Long Bar

I'm at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel now. After settling the kids, decided to have 'happy hour' with hubby.

Interesting place.. Have a glass of 'Singapore Sling' and lotsa peanuts where u can throw your peanut shells on the floor. They said that littering is encouraged! Lol...

peanut shells! Lots of them on the floor..

Singapore Sling

Just us....

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Location:Raffles Hotel

Another Milestone for Audrey

2010-10-13T05:16:00.001-07:00

Another Milestone for Audrey

Our little 'Onion Head' aka 'Xiao Cong Tou'(thats what the family calls her, except for Georgie who calls her Mei Mei) starts to laugh heartily! Was preparing to sleep when I heard she and her daddy playing...

YouTube Video

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Location:Home

I'm a 'Keh Kiang' Mum...

2010-10-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a 'Keh Kiang' Mum...

My hubby always says that I'm very keh kiang... He was shocked when he found out that I took George to have a swim, just the 2 of us, on 1 of the days during my maternity leave... I brought the boy not to the nearby Queenstown Swimming Complex, neither the one at Bukit Merah... but the one at Jurong East because it had waterslides and stuff and had a man-made wave pool... We took MRT there, and changed to a feeder bus even though it was my 1st time there and I wasn't very familiar with the route. I ended up asking a passer-by how to walk to the complex from the bus-stop where I alighted.

Initially, he would always call me to check where I would be going for the day, and esp asked about what mode of transport I would take. Starting from the period when I'm still pregnant with Audrey, he knew I would still take the public bus or train to work and off work, and he always said,'Take cab la.....!'

There was 1 week when I brought the maid and the 2 kids to church on Sun all by myself as Yo was away for a friend's wedding overseas. It was easy actually... called a cab and waited for it to arrive downstairs at the carpark. The challenging part was the boarding and alighting.... bringing the baby to the nursery, with a toddler pulling your blouse while on the way there, calling 'Mummy, mummy, mummy... carry, carry, carry' and tried to shove mei-mei to my maid..

There was another time when I drove all of them to my mum's place in the heavy rain. Setting up the car-seat, putting the baby in, with a whining toddler was a challenging feat as well. When I settled myself behind the wheel, I was sweating profusely. And yes, my hubby called me to check if I did safely reach the place...

And just today, I brought Georgie on the pram, took the MRT to Orchard to meet Evelyn for some shopping time. By the time I pushed the pram from Pinnacle, went through the Tanjong Pagar market, crossed 2 roads under the hot sun and reached the MRT lift, I was already sweating profusely at the 2 sides of my face. I was so afraid that my armpit area would be drenched with sweat.... that I kept pulling my shirt to 'air' it.

I'm not sure why I can live with all that inconvenience. But I just don't like the feeling of being confined at home, when my hubby is busy working and not able to ferry us around. But one thing for sure, I love to spend time with my kids. To bring Georgie out for some fresh air... and do the things he like... My kids are at the centre of my life now... And that's because they are gifts from God to me... I tell myself I must take good care of them and bring them up well.

And finally, now I can truly appreciate my mum for doing the same thing to us when we were yet young. The trips to the library, swimming complex, grandma's place, shopping malls were definitely not easy at all. Not when you have 3 kids to watch over...

3rd Wedding Anniversary

2010-10-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

Lots of plans and ideas initially, but decided to just keep it simple. To us, having some personal time to jalan x2 and enjoy each other's company is more relaxing and enjoyable.

So, 1st stop: To mum's place to drop the kids, after which we went to run some errands. 2nd stop: decided to hang around cineleisure to see what show we can catch. Bought tic for 'The Legend of the Fist' then shop around and wait for the show to start 2 hrs later.

Next, walked into a neoprint shop and decided to do what we did 4 yrs ago when we were dating- take Neoprint! We were both so blur as the instruction was all in Jap- dunno how to operate the machine. After some time of fussing around, we finally finished this kiddish but fun activity.

4th stop: after the show, we went to Brotzeit restaurant and bar for our dinner. Decided to try some beer... The sausage platter (famous German cuisine) was quite an experience. Too bad, the legendary pork knuckles were sold out - missed that! Heard from Yo that it taste even nicer than the ones at Marche.

sausage platter

pizza

mixed salad with sour cream

Last stop: Tampines to fetch the kids b4 going home.

I totally enjoyed my date "p

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How Time Flies....

2010-09-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

How Time Flies...

Oh dear... how time flies.... 4 mths are almost over and really, I've found myself backsliding from blogging. Somehow or another, there were just so many events that happened for the past 2 mths that I couldn't jot down immediately the bits and pieces of them. Night-time (which happens to be my blogging time in the past) has become so precious to me that I would rather spend the time sleeping or surf the net for some 'breathing space' and 'Me time', until I finally 'awakened' and decided to blog again because of F1.

It was really an eye-opener and adrenaline experience at the grand prix. For the 1st time, the tremendous speed of the cars were so real to me as they zoomed past me, just 1m gap, right before my eyes. The sound of the engine was so deafening, that the ear plugs that were given were only able to muffle the 'engine roar'... The event was like a big carnival - something liken to Asia Conference, but much more relaxing... where u can stroll to the different stages for performances. If you're tired, take a rest at the open air temporary bistros to have some food and drinks, visit the stalls to buy some F1 merchandise and if bold enough, make friends with other F1 fans (many of them are foreigners - tourists from different countries). If you'll like to have a better view of the whole race track, take a 'Spore Flyer' ride (unlimited rides that come together with the package if you buy Premium Walkabout tic).

It was really a wonderful night spent with hubby, in celebration of our 3rd wedding anni. However, what makes me blog again is because of the fact that our digital camera was pick-pocketed and we didn't realise it until the end of the event. To be more accurate, it was my dad's camera, which made the whole thing even worse for us. And all our F1 photos, the video of the flagging off of the race were all recorded in it. I was so totally affected by the loss as in it also contained the photos my dad took at the hospital when my sis gave birth, our mooncake festival celebration, snap-shots of Georgie, Jewel and Javier (all are my dad's precious grandchildren). The thought of not being able to retrieve those memories made me angry about the whole incident.

Therefore, I realised that it is so impt. to record down the wonderful memories and happenings you have had, in somewhere safe.... Blogging may not be the safest channel to keep all those memories. Nonetheless, you'll still be able to read about it probably a few years down the road... provided that there won't be any technical faults with blogspot. At least for now, I'm still able to retrieve and read about my past entries, back-dating from the time Georgie was born, bringing back lots of sweet memories..

Thank God that my dad was a forgiving person.... Nonetheless, I have got a new camera for him already, just in time to capture Bb Josh's 1st mth celebration.

Something Wonderful Happened on the 21st July!

2010-07-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Something Wonderful Happened on the 21 July...!

Yes, finally... Bb Audrey decided to come out of her 'comfort zone' into this real world...

My In-laws came the Sun before the week of my delivery. The wait for the contractions to come was really unbearable. It's like so near yet so far. My dilations were there, but no sign of tummy pain... And this had gone on for weeks.. So 1 of the morn, my MIL suggested for me to go for induced labour, as she was super freaked out to see my super protruding and big tummy everyday.

The night before the day to be induced for labour, I couldn't sleep at all. Too excited and nervous. And I know Yo didn't sleep well, as he kept turning side to side. I woke up super early, at 7am. My appt with the doc was at 930am... Bathed myself, changed, dbl-chked my delivery bag, drank my Chicken Essence (my maid spilled half of the bottle while opening, much to my dismay) and quickly got ready to leave the hse. Meanwhile, my tummy was feeling a bit sore and achy... I thought it was due to butterflies in my tummy.. so didn't really bother abt it.

Reached the clinic at 850am. We decided to have Delifrance for breakfast since the clinic was not yet opened. When we finally saw the doc at 930am, she did a contraction test on the monitor and chked my dilation. I still remembered what she said, 'Jiaying, you don't need to be induced already, you are already in labour!' 3cm dilated, let's admit you in now.'

What comes after that took place within 6 hrs... I laid in the labour ward, waiting for dilation to increase another 7cm. I was put on epidural, didn't have much side effects except some shivering and being nauseous. Doc came at 1130am to burst my water bag and before I knew it, I was wheeled to the birth rm at 3pm.

This time round, the epi wasn't too strong a dosage, as compared to Georgie's time. So I could still feel a sensation down below, but no pain. Nurses were there to instruct me when to push while we waited for Dr to come after she's done with another delivery. I could feel Bb Audrey's head pushing itself out whenever contractions come. Frankly speaking, the whole sensation felt like passing bowels.

Felt like pushing everytime the contractions come. Could feel Audrey's head making its way out. However, the nurses stopped me and told me to wait for the Dr at some point. What frightens me was what she said following after, "If the Bb comes out now, we wouldn't know what to do!" So we spent another 20 min watching CNN... And I still remembered that we and the nurses started discussing about Lindsey Lohan being sentenced to 3 mths' jail as it was reported on TV during then...!

Dr Joy came into the birth rm after abt half an hr. Audrey was out in about 3-4 more pushes. I was so happy when she was placed in my arms. Finally, the ordeal was over! And I was amazed at how much easier this labour was compared to my 1st baby... PTL!

Always felt that Yo must have freaked out when he rejected the Doc's offer to cut George's umbilical cord 2 yrs ago. He denied that he was in a state of shock, always saying that blood sights do not make his knees tremble. Well, he did prove me wrong this time round. Hee...

Waiting In Progress

2010-07-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Waiting in Progress...

It will be 38 weeks now in 3 days' time. Have started my maternity leave since last Mon and boy! it has been such a tiring wk and a half. I would have Georgie coming into the rm at 8am and waking me up for his routined fun and play. And it would continue till late afternoon @ 3 plus for his nap, before the usual bathtime, porridge time, tv time, play time that goes all the way to 8, 9pm at nite b4 he sleeps. (He now chooses me over maid for his daily activities..) And the cycle begins again the next day. So totally different fr what many pple expected abt maternity leave: shopping for bb stuff, catching up with friends over afternoon tea, doing mani and pedi, relaxing in bed with books on motherhood. I had little or in fact none of this! Boo hoo...!!

Went for my check-up last Wed. Doc says baby weighed a shocking 3kg at 36 plus wks. 300g abv ave. However, I was quite at ease aft knowing fr my mum that my bro was also a heavy baby at birth. But just look at his size now! - He's the skinnest among the 3 of my siblings. Just hoping that delivery will be easy. It should be... given that I have been squatting, kneeling, walking, to accompany Georgie in the day.

Managed to squeeze my last shopping for bb stuff last Sat. Bought a mini play pen to put in my tiny bedroom. Went to Carrefour to buy some drawers for Audrey's clothes, prepared my delivery bag oredi.... Bought herbs for bathing during confinement, ordered my confinement food, bought Georgie a present which is supposedly from his mei mei, stand-by some chicken essence in case I have contractions during the night (can glup down to store energy for pushing).... This time round, will be doing confinement all by myself since I'm staying by my own. It will be tough for my mum to come over every single day. I can make it!

Bought Georgie for his pre-school open house last Sat. As usual, he always takes quite a while to warm up. Georgie actually has a warm personality. However, when in the midst of unfamiliar faces, esp kids, he will be super careful and cautious and has withdrawal symptoms.

For e.g., he would choose some toys he likes and play by himself at 1 corner of the table. Was quite a worrying sight until I saw how he begins to talk and start a conversation with the teacher who came by alongside, and he starts to be a chatterbox out of a sudden.

Both of us are quite surprised by his behavior. I'm still trying to read up more on this. But hopefully, things will start getting better once his school term starts end of July. At least, what's heartening to know is that he started dancing alongside other kids during last Sun's playgroup in church. An improvement!

Not sure if this would be my last blog entry before I go off to the hospital. Meanwhile, do pray for me... Am nervous, but excited as well. Still quite overwhelmed about what's to come...

Be blessed you all!

My Tabletop Tummy

2010-06-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

My Tabletop Tummy

Just entered into my 36th week now... Already in a landing mode... just waiting for D-Day to come.

Colleagues keep asking me to go on leave. They are super freaked out whenever they saw me walking around the office. Anyway, there was 1 time when my sis said they saw my tummy 1st before seeing me, as I was coming out of the lift. This was quite exaggerating... but as I was sitting on my couch and watching TV 1 of the evenings, I realised that Audrey was quite protruding out... See my tabletop tummy (below)....

Anyway, I'll be going on maternity after nxt wk. Not really super excited.... but I suddenly had the urge to do some baking and cooking.. came across a few recipes in 'Simply Her' magazine... Looks easy and the most impt thing is I don't believe I can't cook...

But hopefully Audrey doesn't come too early... So that I can still have 1 more wk of rest and relax. Btw, I was still thinking of a middle name for her... What do you guys think about this: Audrey Kayla Zou?

Kayla is an American name: meaning Pure and Beloved...

Happy Feet!

2010-06-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Georgie's Dance Inspiration - 'Happy Feet'....

7 More Weeks to Go....

2010-06-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

7 More Weeks to Go....

Into my 33rd week now... 7 more weeks to go! Wanted D-Day to quickly come as I'm becoming 'sian' of the weight I have to carry now, but if I'm going to pop now, Audrey would be pre-mature. So better not...

Spoken to my boss abt my maternity leave.. It was so hard for me to open my mouth and request for an early off. I've arranged to go off from 5 July onwards, just 3 wks b4 the EDD. I think I need this. I've not prepared anything and I'm not prepared mentally also. Some more, I had frequent muscle cramps at the area below my abdomen. Doc said it's a syndrome that has to do with the pelvic bones widening and loosening. This is something common among girls who are in their 2nd pregnancy and above... Anyway, walking has become a challenging feat for me, so I really wish to see my girl soon.

Praying that my boss will allow me to take the full 4 mths maternity in one shot.. She's a bit hesitant - guess it's because the team is lacking manpower... Oh gosh...

Was at Marina Square the other day and spotted this ride that we used to take when we were still kids... Brought back lots of memories...

Life at Pinnacle

2010-06-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Life at Pinnacle

I chose a blue colour font for my blog title because life at Pinnacle has been one that's comfortable and cosy for me. Yes, I've finally moved to my new home on the 21 May, a friday... My parents were there to help as I went to work as usual. According to the elders, pregnant women aren't supposed to be involved in the moving process, so I guess I had better made myself scarce.

Unpacking into a new home was really something new for me. I had never had the experience of moving house b4. That evening, I decided to just take out the basic necessities from the carton boxes and left the unpacking over the weekends. We took my parents to Vivocity for dinner, and after driving them back to Tampines and going back to the new home, I suddenly felt lost.. I told Yo that it was my 1st time having to learn how to uncleave from my parents... Didn't know I'm going to have such emotions in the inside of me..

Anyway, so far so good. I'm beginning to enjoy the feeling of having my personal space and it has been a very cosy stay. Just hoping that we'll be able to find Georgie a vacancy at the Montessori pre-sch downstairs at my block. He's getting bored just staying at home everyday with the maid.

Took some photos of our new home before moving in. It looked so much neater and tidier until we began shifting Georgie's toys and stuff over. Oh ya, and Yo's numerous books and gadgets as well - they're occupying way too much space. Photos not in order though - had a hard time locating and downloading them...

Georgie stayed in the study rm whenever his dad is working there.. it's monkey see monkey do - but I find it cute though..

Just look at daddy's barang barang - my hands are itchy to just help dispose of any unnecessary stuff.

This is our open-concept kitchen (before shifting). I love the white bar-top but now it's filled with milk bottles and water jugs. Still love it now though...

Yo's study and work room..

My favourite corner - the dining area...

I got this dining table + chairs at a gd price: $600 (at White furniture store @ Marina Squ)...

TV console...

Living room area... simple but good enough for my family... Thinking of putting a painting on the wall... that would have to come later then..

He sure knows how to enjoy the view and breeze...

We've finally settled in our new home.. Thank God for His providence... It's time to move on to our next project: building our finances!

Just Another Weekly Blog Entry...

2010-04-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Just Another Weekly Blog Entry...

Today marks the 28th week of my pregnancy. Went for a chk-up yesterday and everything's normal. Audrey used to be slightly heavier than the average but her weight went back to normal again - 1.1kg. Doc forecast that she'll probably weigh 3.2 plus kg at birth, which will be abt. the same as Georgie then. Really wonder how she'll look like, so decided to try power of visualisation again. Went to buy a baby poster... I was really bad - subconsciously tried to avoid the posters of bb with curly hair... haha - I just prefer a straight haired bb girl probably :p

Had a strange dream few nights ago. Dreamt that Evelyn gave birth earlier than me and at a relative's house somemore. In the dream, I vividly remembered complaining to my mum saying... 'Couldn't be!! What abt me? I should be due earlier than her... She's seriously entered into pre-mature labour...' Haha... (Weird Dream) I'm probably having pre-natal anxiety.. :p

Georgie recently is very into Michael Jackson. We tried hiding the DVD - it was one of MJ's concert that had the largest crowd. However, he just managed to locate it (amazing... - talking about the best treasure hunter, he totally fits in the bill). Worse still, he managed to pick up the signature poise - grabbing of his 'underneath'. This is bad... but somehow, he didn't find it a disgusting act as he doesn't understand. Then, the next move he is picking up is the moonwalk. Definitely, he couldn't pick that act up... but he replaced it by marching to and fro and yes, he needs his hat whenever he practises MJ's dance.

We're banning the DVD now... seriously!

However, just one thing that I need to mention to give Georgie some credits. He's really learning to speak fast. His Vocab. now is amazingly quite wide ranged given the fact that he's just turned 19 mths few wks ago. He doesn't have an issue with calling the main animals by name. Naming body parts - not an issue as well. Verbs like 'Eat', 'Sleep', 'Dance', 'Hop', 'Jump' or 'Pat' are quite normal in his conversation. I'm just amazed that there's so much stored in his 'library'. But the downside of absorbing fast was that he also started learning some not-so-nice words. There was 1 time my Dad was calling someone 'crazy' in Cantonese. He repeated that same word several times. Oh gosh!

Anyway, happy that I'll be celebrating my 3rd Wedding Anni. very soon. Still thinking of how to celebrate... Wanted to go Bali again... but who'll take care of bb Audrey then.. It would be nice (just a thought) if we could go for a 1 night relaxation stay at Sentosa Resort World... probably add it with a spa session for 2 - it will be great :p

Jewel's 2nd Bdae

2010-04-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jewel's 2nd Bdae

This year, Evelyn organised a small family party for Jewel's 2nd bdae instead. And as usual, the bdae girl came, clad in princessy outfit - the sweetest pink tutu skirt u can ever find, with a little silver crown on top of her usually very plaid hair. Cute!

The mummy was super busy today... She came all the way to fetch us from Tampines to Yew Tee and upon reaching the place, immediately went to hang up the party flags, set the 'Pooh and Friends' table cloth, arranged the kid's goodie bags, cake and once in a while, made a few phone calls to get people to buy extra drinks, plates, cups, plus a bit of scolding Javier here and there for making so much noise, calling out for Jewel not to run too far away, going from table to table to 'entertain' the guests, and all these done with a small little one in her tummy. Aiyo, I can't imagine with the addition of another baby in a few mths... God, pls bless her with more 'hands'!!

Anyway, she has always been spoiling market for the rest of us mothers. If she has not been such a super mum and so 'hands-on' in everything, I think I won't feel so stressed with the high expectations I gave myself in motherhood. And for the 1st time when I heard she decided to take a break from CG leadership, I thought for once she has finally decided to be human and normal... hahaha.

Anyway, Georgie has been so co-operative and obedient today. It seems like he knew who's the 'big shot' at the party. Always very wary of Jewel, as she's like the 'lao da jie' whenever she came over on Sat, Georgie has been responding in a very warm manner towards the bdae girl. Well, at least he tried to clap along during the bdae song, went through the cake-cutting w/o breaking out in tears, hugging and doing face-to-face kisses with Jewel before we left the place. Yes! He has finally grown up to another phase, where he's more 'accepting' of other kids and is more sociable. PTL!

The next upcoming few mths are busy mths for me personally as well. I'm now in the last stage of the reno work... should be complete in a wk's time.. Plus some time period we give ourselves for the filling in of furniture and household appliances, we should be able to move from the east to the central west very very soon. Housewarming, the arrival of princess Audrey, 1st month cele, Georgie's 2nd bdae... Woah, better prepare myself well.... Probably I need to get some impartation from the super mum 1st...

Change is for the Better!

2010-03-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Change is for the Better!

Last week during CG, a few of my members popped me the qns that I wouldn't think they would ask. 'JY, I heard that Yohandi is not a full-time staff anymore?'

Yes, I forgot that Yo has been posting on fb recently abt. his property listings and him travelling more often to Jakarta. And many of my members happen to be close followers of his status updates on fb. I explained to them briefly abt. his vision and direction of what he's currently doing now and amazingly, my members were all so receptive and supportive of his decision!

I strongly believe that this change is really for the better! There has always been a nudge in him to always try something different, something ground-breaking, something out of the comfort zone every now and then so that there will be progress and breakthroughs. And in addition, just to prepare himself for any possible aid that his family requires of him in their business, he finally decided to take this big step into the unknown and give it a shot!

Anyway, there has been many feedback of how people have been cheering him on, esp. his members and close friends in church who are so supportive. And so far, he has been very happy working hard.

It has always not been easy in embarking to do something different, and for a person to have a big change, it does take lots of time of thinking through, seeking advice and of course praying. And definitely, we have mentors to guide us through... and encouragement from true friends does prepare the way as well.

As of now, we're excited and looking forward for greater breakthroughs and praise reports in the days to come, yet at the same time, keep reminding ourselves to maintain a good attitude and close walk with God.

Cheer us on! I know you will, won't ya? :p

Fetal Development - 22 Weeks

2010-03-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Fetal Development - 22 Weeks Pregnant

I can't believe the progress! I'm already 2 weeks to the end of my 2nd trimester. Looking forward to see my bb girl real soon. And I've not prepared any bb stuff yet - my shopping's not done at all, which is supposed to be done during 2nd trim.

Anyway, I'm reading more during this pregnancy. Probably I just want to be better prepared this time round and do a better confinement. Always felt that my body's not as strong as before my 1st pregnancy. Anyway, I've lost track of my weight gain. Or should I say, I decided not to be bothered by it anymore. Oops, am I on the road to self-despair? Haha! No lah, I just wanna stay happy so that I can have a happy bb...

This morning, I was having my DHA Fish Oil supplement pill as usual. It's said to be able to help in the brain development of the bb. I accidentally broke the plastic/transparent capsule and the fish oil spurt onto my chin and neck! I didn't realise that the fish oil was SO OILY till then. I had to wash my face with facial wash and soap 2 to 3 times to get rid of the greasy feel, and the worst thing is I carried a fishy smell for the whole morning in office (It's those lingering smell that stayed on fishmongers). No perfume seems to ease the intensity. O man!!

"The baby now weighs almost one pound/ 430 grams, measures nearly 11 inches/ just over 27 centimeters long from crown to heel, and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thinner version since her baby fat hasn't yet developed. Although she's getting heavier every day, her skin still appears wrinkled because she needs to gain more weight. The lips are distinct and the eyes are formed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. Even this early, the first signs of teeth appear in the form of tooth buds beneath the gum line. Before you know it, your baby will be born, and soon after, her first teeth will come through.

You've probably gained between 12 and 15 pounds/ 5.4 and 6.8 kilograms. Starting now, you'll begin to put on weight more steadily, averaging about half a pound/ 225 grams per week. You may crave certain foods and you may notice an increased (but not bloody) vaginal discharge. Both are a normal part of being pregnant." -adopted from BabyCenter Singapore

Georgie is Still Enjoying Himself at Jakarta...

2010-02-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Georgie is Still Enjoying Himself at Jakarta...

We brought him to the Seaworld 2 days ago for his 1st time looking at underwater sea animals with a much more magnified view. He was indeed super happy... To him, everything is known as 'fish'. When we brought him to the sharks' aquarium; 'Fish...', he would point and say. Seahorse; 'Fish...', Turtle; 'Fish...', Eel; 'Fish', even when stingrays swam past him in the underwater tunnel, 'Fish!!!'

Anyway, he liked walking through the tunnel the most. Altogether, we have to bring him in and out for 4 times - he was just so fascinated by the... Travellators on the floor! not so much by the sea animals.

Georgie had the chance to take as many car rides as he likes at the arcade this time round. He was really as happy as a king! Well, this was the only chance when Mummy and Daddy have the time to bring him out almost every single day. I'm sure he will miss this experience when we're back in S'pore.

Greetings From Jakarta!

2010-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings From Jakarta - Selamat Tahun Baru Imlek!

I Missed S'pore!

Yes, I know this starting liner may be a bit weird and doesn't totally fit in the excitement in my entry title. But, I really missed S'pore... The family photo-taking time on CNY day 1, the mahjong playing of my relatives, the hustling and bustling of preparing for CNY visits or even just having CNY cleaning up on CNY eve.

Things are just much more simple here at my in-laws. Because the family is not big, Georgie is the one who brings in the most hustle and bustle. And he has fallen sick just on Day 3 of our whole trip: Slight fever, cough, flu and a little bit of diarrhoea. I guess his tummy is adjusting to the environment here. Just praying that he will get better. The last 2 nights were the most challenging, as Georgie woke up crying 3-4 times, probably due to the unfamiliar environment and the very tiring CNY visits. At one moment, I thought that Yo has to perform some kind of a deliverance as well, coz Georgie kept kicking his legs and jumped up, patting his chest as in showing he was afraid and we had to calm him down.

Anyway, there are lesser celebrations in Jakarta as well; people started getting back to work on Mon - which is the 2nd day of CNY. My sis-in-law had school to attend, therefore we continued our visitations at night. The interesting thing is that our neighbours released fireworks for the past few nights till late into midnight; I was asking Yo how come my sis-in-law did not join in the fun, before I realised that this 'festive sport' is mostly for boys as it's quite a dangerous activity. He was saying some fireworks could land up into other people's homes, because instead of shooting upwards into the sky, it went sideways instead.. Haha - not as safe as the systematic display of fireworks in S'pore indeed.

During the afternoons when there're no visitations, we would go to the malls to do some Jalan Jalan. Went to our 2 favourite malls: Taman Anggrek and Senayan City. We had our J-Co Donuts (I know that S'pore has opened several chains, but there's just something different with having donuts and coffee in the Indo branches). The yogurt is simply nice (x10). I was totally enjoying my portion until I found another store selling better yogurt - 'Sour Sally'. Add it with strawberries, mangoes and longans topping - simply yummy(x100), and I think my little Audrey would like it as well... (Oops, I still didn't know the gender of my baby yet. On some days, I would call him Aiden, on other days, I would call her Audrey. Hope he/she doesn't have an identity crisis! :p)

When we were driving back from the malls yesterday, there was something interesting that I discovered. There was a line of people standing at the side of the road, asking for a hitch. Actually, this was just one of their sideline jobs: Because the highway that we were about to enter has a 3+1 system, meaning every car needs to have at least 3 passengers. This is to minimize the amount of traffic congestion. So for cars who have less than 3 passengers, they could pick one of the people at the roadside up to make up the number, or else would be caught by the traffic marshalls. Initially, Yo was still saying that normally they would open 1 eye and close 1 eye, until, we were being signalled to stop at the side of the road. However, nothing serious really happened, cause the traffic marshall couldn't see that we have more than enough passengers in our car as the windows were all darkly tinted.

Nonetheless, I would update you guys again on the happenings over here. It has been adventurous thus far. Ever since Yo accidentally knocked down a motorcyclist on CNY day 1 - (anyway it's not really Yo's fault, the cyclist was a young lad), I knew in my heart that this trip would be really quite different from our previous visits!

Have a great CNY celebration back in S'pore... Hope to see more photos from you guys in FB....

Chinese New Year Is Coming!

2010-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year Is Coming!

It's the time of the year again... when it's time to distribute Ang Pows. In fact, I've already started planning since last year Oct, as I'll always receive my sales commission 2 mths after I'v closed the deals... I 'chionged' very hard during Nov so that I can have more than enough for Ang Pows during this festive season.

Come to think of it... Since becoming parents, CNY has become a totally different festive season for me. When I was still single or even married w/o kids, I would be super excited to do my hair, buy new clothes, do mani and pedicure, go on late night movies during CNY eve with my pak-tor, after movies would be supper time till 3-4am before going back home to catch a short sleep and appear with panda eyes during CNY Day 1... These 2 years were so different for me... I think I would focus on buying some new clothes for George, new shoes... and CNY eve would be a time when me and hubby would stay in the room to pack Ang Pows before Reunion Dinner so that we can give to my in-laws. Anyway, as usual, this year, as the same as other previous years, we would be going back to Jakarta. I'm feeling excited, as I could finally take a break from my work, yet at the same time nervous, as we would be bringing Georgie on the plane - this time round, a much active and 'walking-around' Georgie. I wonder if he could stay still on his seat on board. Anyway, 'Pondok Laguna' here I come! They serve the best Indonesian food and seafood... Yummy!! J-Co, Massage, Hair Spa, Cream Bath... Yeah!!!

Renovation work at my new house has started few weeks ago. Though I didn't really update on the progress, both of us were really excited as we wait in anticipation for the final product. We were happy that we could find a designer who has almost the same taste as us. Much need not be explained and briefed and re-briefed again. Somehow, she knew what we want and her suggestions were very logical, practical, yet not compromising on the aesthetics part.

Finances were a challenge for us during this period. As similar for other young families who went through a time of building their 1st love nest together, we just got to trust in God, literally day by day for His provision. Yo has always been a person with an eye for excellence and great aesthetics. Not saying that I'm not, but I would tend to be more practical and somehow down-to-earth when it comes to budget-planning. There were times when we have to live with the fact that there are going to be some furniture that we have to live w/o in the beginning. But I took heart when I always remembered what my mum said: 'It's ok not to have a complete set of furniture in the beginning. Just get the basics - when you two slowly add in the pieces as your finances increase, you will definitely appreciate and cherish even more, with a greater sense of satisfaction.' I thank God for her wisdom.

One of the days while Yo was driving, he told me he asked God how he can have peace in his heart. The reply came saying: 'You do not have peace because you trust in money and material things. Trust in Me because I am the Prince of Peace. Peace is a Person and I am He.' That changes us. I could say that we are now more settled in our heart when we are managing with our finances.

Nonetheless, we are very confident that our future home will be a really beautiful home. Can't wait to hold house-warming parties real soon... but that has to wait till we get our sofa to host all our friends... and TV.... and Dining table... and PSP ... and DVD player (oh, that's a must. Georgie needs that for his Barney and Thomas & Friends show) Anyway, the list goes on and on. hahaha :p

I Need to Remember I'm Expecting

2009-12-23T01:16:00.000-08:00

I Need To Remember I'm Expecting

These 2 weeks were super busy for me. Last Thurs and Fri, I went to Medan to attend one of Yo's friends' wedding. He was actually one of our entourage when we got married. If those of you Ah Yees remember, he actually did the "Bra Dance" together with Yo during the sabotage. We came back on a Sat morning, then just 2 hours later, went to fetch Yo's mum who was here in S'pore.

Then Sun came our weekly service, followed by our appreciation service at JW till 1030pm. Whew! What a long day. And then Mon came for us to collect our keys to our new flat. I went back to work on Tues and realised that my desk was topped with Xmas gifts from my colleagues. And I have not done any Xmas shopping yet. So that evening, I went off to Tampines Mall, followed by Century Squ and then finally Tampines One, to do all my Xmas shopping for all of them and also for my family. That evening, I was too overly ambitious. Over a span of 2 hrs, I literally continued walking around the malls without much rest. Though I'm satisfied with the stuff I've got, but I FORGOT I WAS 2 MTHS PREGNANT!

Nearing the last few stops, I was feeling super nauseous and couldn't stop 'vomitting' (into the air) as I entered every shop outlet. Yes, I still continued walking into every shop. The last straw came when I began to feel a bit dizzy... Alright, it really was my fault. I was overly ambitious and I forgot I have a little one in my womb. From that evening onwards, I told myself that it's really no joke. I should start to be careful not to strain my body anymore. Sorry 'Audrey' or 'Aiden' (whatever the gender may be), mummy shall be careful nowadays...

Anyway, we finally collected the keys to our new flat. My mum kept reminding us:" You young people may not believe, but I don't care, you got to sprinkle white glutinous rice at the 4 corners of every room. And while you sprinkle, shout "Huat Ah... Huat Ah...". Well, that's where my helper comes into the pic. I told her to do accordingly (we have to fulfill all righteousness towards my parents) and the funny thing is as she's "performing the rites", Georgie ran behind her, getting all excited when he saw what my helper was doing. He even stretched out his hand to ask for the rice... And then at 1 moment, he accidentally tripped over the rice grains because there were just simply too many on the floor. Haha...

Just some pics of our new flat:

Georgie's view from our proposed study room

The view from the living room

Our tiny living room (good enough for a small family - Do you see that Fuji Xerox bldg? Beware prudential gang, I'm watching you, hee hee)

Georgie running in his room (with the tiny balcony, which we are still deciding what to do with it, cause we don't dare to step out)

Georgie following behind his daddy while checking around for defects

Let Me Introduce to You....

2009-12-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

Let Me Introduce to You....

Dear all, let me introduce to you.....

(Ta-dah!)

This is Yohandi Junior No. 2! The 4 dotted lines indicate the length of the embryo. We just realised that he (or she) exists in mummy's womb for 6 weeks. After much searching from the gynae. during the scan, we finally spotted him with his heartbeat heard. He was so small - 3mm, almost undetectable... but was already making me nauseous since this Mon. Amazing!

He would get to see all you uncles and aunties when he comes into this beautiful world on the 30th July. Till then, pls help me pray that he would continue to grow healthy and strong while swimming in my tummy...

Anyway, thank God for this miracle once again!

Pst Dennis Balcome

2009-11-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

Pst Dennis Balcome

For those of you who"ve been in church for quite a long while, you would hv remembered this great missionary to the mainland Chinese who"s currently staying in HK. He came to have a session with the leaders tonight after so many yrs. When I first saw him on the stage, I went, "OMG, he has really aged a lot." But nonetheless, his testimonial of his ministry is ever so impactful.

After attending tonight"s ldrs mtg, I asked Yohandi:"Do u know that I remembered vividly 1 incident that happened when I last heard Pst Dennis in church (I recalled that the last mtg was abt 5 to 6 yrs ago, when I was abt 21 yrs old). He started to grin...

I continued, 'I remember there was this Indonesian lad, who came up to me after we broke out into our own individual zone meetings, and he stretched out his hand for a handshake, "Hi jiaying, you still remember me? I left you a message on friendster and you replied the mail by asking me to say hi to you if we ever meet in church one day... You mentioned you were not so good at remembering faces.."

Well, you would have known who that lad was. Hee hee, the rest was history. Realised that somehow Pst Dennis did 'help' the 2 of us to get acquainted..

(Sweet... :p)

Javier's Secret Recipe

2009-11-17T22:41:00.001-08:00

Javier's Secret Recipe

This little boy stayed over for the past 3 weekends. I was tidying up some papers and I realised that he wrote a secret recipe, as for which dish, this I'm not sure..

Maybe you can try decoding his secret recipe:

2 gaalses of milk

and 2 pawder of energy rich flaver

1 beard and 1 Jank

and mix the ingrideyans tot in

Jank

And I found another sentence he wrote that is more accurate:

'You are Micheal Jakeson Popo!' - hahaha

I think I Love Kids...

2009-11-09T21:32:00.001-08:00

I Think I Love Kids....

I just came back from a medical chk-up. Finally decided to book an appt. with my gynae last wk, as my 'Da Yee Ma' had not come for 5 mths?

Was quite looking forward... not just to see my gynae, but to really set my heart at ease after knowing what's wrong with my body. It was really De Javu... The babies crying at the waiting room, the very heavily pregnant mummies whom I would thought theirs would be due in 1-2 mths time by the look of their tummies, and also those who were just showing a bit of a bump waiting for their turn, with their anxious hubbies accompanying them.

The doc. did a scan for me to see if I would be expecting my 2nd one. When I saw that my scan was full of black black shadow... meaning there's no 2nd one, surprisingly I was quite disappointed... In actual fact, I was VERY disappointed, that's why I went to blog abt. this immediately when I came back to the office.

Women are really at a dilemma sometimes right? Esp. a woman like me... I thought I don't want to have the 2nd one so soon, coz it was really tiring to take care of Georgie now. But funny, now I felt like having one.

Anyway, the doc. said that I have hormonal imbalance, that's why 'it' kena 'stuck' in my womb... Ha ha... will be on medication for a wk to re-adjust back. Meanwhile, she told me to learn to relax coz it might be b'coz of stress that caused the imbalance. So, I shall keep myself very very happy...by 'forcing' myself to watch more movies and to shop more often. :p

Hmm... that shall be my year-end resolution. (smirk on my face)

Dear Karen...

2009-10-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Karen...

(Replying to your blog: Help me Aunt Anne, Not that I'm Aunt Anne of coz :p)

Hello...

Out of the 3 solutions u listed out, I think the most feasible one is No. 2 - where you have to talk to Lisa your concerns and state your stand. You don't have to feel embarrassed actually. Because though you want to respect her as an adult, you gotta know that you are the Landlord and has the right to make things clear (the rules & regulations she has to abide as a tenant). It's just like employer and employee, it's perfectly fine (I feel) to have some kind confrontations once in a while.

To add on, Daniel has also stated his stand that he wants to continue renting out the room. You may want to ask Daniel if he wants to speak to Lisa or both Lisa & Alvin on your behalf. But from the experience I have with my hubby, I realised that men don't really like to do these nitty gritty things - especially when it has to do with domestic affairs. So this is the part when wives have to step in and play the role of the one handling the domestic issues. So why don't you find a chance to sit Lisa down (w/o Alvin preferably) and state your stand and your concerns. I believe things will improve. And if you can settle this, I think Daniel will be super proud of you.. And things might not be that difficult to resolve as what you think :)

If there's still no improvement, I suggest that you change the lock and pass 1 key only to Lisa. Haha... no lah (this will be the last resort).

Georgie Learning to Walk

2009-10-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Georgie Learning to Walk

I love blogging abt. Georgie's development these few days. It's 1 thing that makes me happy every single day.

He's learning to walk now. The time is just right, not too early and not too late. Should be able to walk w/o any aid by 14 mths, haha - at least faster than his daddy, who only started walking at 15 months... Hmm, Georgie resembles me in this area then. My mum said I started walking also at the age of 14 months, if not slightly earlier. But the older folks have this belief that kids shouldn't walk too early - coz it means they will have a more difficult life. Haha, whatever!

Noticed that he has changed gradually. He is a bigger boy now - lesser baby fats. Not as plump and round like when he was a baby. I actually missed the time when he was abt 6 mths. People said he looked a bit ang moh then... guess it's b'coz of his high forehead and fair complexion. Now he looks totally asian.. haha. But it's more fun to play with him now. He understands what is allowed to do and what's not. Of course, he's still a baby. Not saying that he totally can distinguish right from wrong. But, he knows that when he plays with the TV cable, his gonggong will be angry. When he ransacks the DVDs and CDs, his popo will come pointing her finger at him. When he sweaps my cosmetics and perfume into the wastepaper basket, I'll come exclaiming:" Geor.......gie! No no!!!"

Toys aren't really his best friends now. He's always meddling with remote controls, cotton buds, DVDs, CDs, cables, bottles, papers, even ANTS! Yikes! There was 1 time when he was chasing after a baby cockroach, thank God I managed to press it dead with a tissue paper before the cheeky boy gets his fingers on the dirty insect...

(To be continued...)

'Pi Pa Pu Pa!'

2009-10-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

'Pi Pa Pu Pa!'

Seriously, I don't really know what it means. But our dear 'Dr Javier' concocted a formula that caused Georgie to keep laughing when he came over to Tampines last weekend.

The key word is 'Pi Pa Pu Pa!' You can try using it on Georgie next time when you see him. But then again, Probably only Javier has this special charm on Georgie as the cheeky boy treats his Ja Gor Gor as his Singapore Idol!

A Crazy Week

2009-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

A Crazy Week

And I really mean crazy....

Tues - Georgie was down with fever, vomitting and diarrhoea last Tues. Received a phone call from my mum that day and I thought it was just a slight fever. On the way to leaders' mtg that evening, received another phone call again - fever was 38.7 deg. Rushed back home asap.

Wed - his fever was still fluctuating. No diarrhoea - thank God - went to work.

Thurs - I woke up in the middle of night - vomitting and it continued till morn when I decided to report sick for work. Georgie was crying as he started having diarrhoea again. My mum and hubby took him to Thomson PD. I was left at home - vomitting. Went to see a doc for myself. Suspected - stomach flu. For George - doc took a blood test - confirmed it's bacteria infection.

That afternoon - my mum started vomitting and running a fever.

That night - my dad started having diarrhoea... My maid was holding the fort herself and also my hubby, who had to take care of me and the boy..

Fri - The adults were feeling better. However, Georgie was still having diarrhoea. Frequency - 8-9 times that day...

Sat - Georgie having diarrhoea, still 8-9 times. His butt was red and sore. Everything he drank or ate was flushed out, almost half an hr later. He was super exhausted, laid on the mattress the whole day. Couldn't jump up and down, crawl or laugh. He was feeling very 'sian' when we carried him to the toilet to wash him up every few hrs. In fact, it was not just feeling physically strained. I think emotionally, he was feeling embarassed. How do we know? Bcoz the moment he passed out the loose stools, he cried.

Sun - Brought him to an experienced GP. I was quite against at 1st. And bcoz of that, had some disagreements with my mum. The worst and most drama thing happened that night. I was cleaning Georgie, as usual, after he soiled himself in the room, when suddenly I heard my mum cry out 'loud' in her room. She was stressed and worried and angry. Georgie heard the commotion, woke up and cried too. I was vexed, my hubby was shocked, my dad was amused and the maid was at a lost as she did not know who to attend to first.

Anyway, bad reports aside. Thank God that now the nightmare was over. We laid hands on Georgie for several times every night. And the saving grace was actually when we decided to go to a chinese medical shop in the neighbourhood to ask for some advice/tips (out of desperation). The person recommended a medicine powder (cost only $2). I went back to feed Georgie and diarrhoea no more!! Haha... what a mockery to the western medicine which we spent over $100 for all the past clinic consultations.

Thanks for all of you who showed your care and concern thru messages/sms/phone calls. I didn't really reply to your sms as I was very occupied at that moment. :p

2009-10-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

2 Years of Married Life....

Wow! It has just been 2 years since I've got hitched... and it seems like yesterday..

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anni. on the 30th Sept. Brought back lots of memories.. Still remember during then, our entourage were still single, though not very available :) Now most of them were all married.

Didn't have any specially thought-out plans on that day, just wanna spend the day with Georgie. Guess that's how you feel when you have kids - you just can't bear to leave the house w/o them. We brought Georgie to the zoo! Have been putting that off for quite some time, felt that we need to expose him to the animals so that he wouldn't just learn about zebras, elephants, lions etc off the TV screen..

Hmm... he didn't really feel an affinity with the animals when we were there, except for some special animals like the dogs, some 'passer-by' birds that weren't inhabitants of the zoo at all and the tiger! Haha, he was even squawked at by a parrot when we first arrived at the entrance and you would have guessed correctly, he started bursting in tears... I have slowly come to terms with Georgie being extra-sensitive with regards to his emotions. But yet, I'm determined to develop him to be a man of stability and guts as he grows up...

After the zoo trip, we went back home and left him to my mum for his evening nap as the 2 of us went for a date out to sentosa - we decided to have something different. Tried Italian food at this restaurant called Illido - where they claimed they were the only authentic Italian cuisine in S'pore.

The ambience was great.... but I still prefered my Sushi Tei or Chinese Fusion fine dining...

The appetizer - Smoked Ham with Peach toppings

Cod fillet for me as the main course

The dessert - best dish of the day (Melted chocolate fudge in brown muffin)

A zoomed-out pic to show the rest. ambience - I feel like I'm in the 'Ratatouille' movie

Brought Georgie to the KidzWorld at the Zoo - 1st experience with the horse

I realised why there are people who loved to rear horses, at a closer look, you'll notice their

skin and mane is very beautiful...

Well, Georgie is still not eligible for a ride on a cow, so we'll have to make

do with this 'Ben & Jerry's' mascot 1st..

His favourite, dogs! - always a man's best friend..

Up close with the goat...

The size of a kangoo's foot - twice the size of my foot!

Do you know how a kangaroo's name comes about? An australian spotted the animal in the early early days

and asked the aboriginal pple what's its name... they replied: 'Kangaroo' - which means 'I don't understand!'

Enjoying the walk along the forest trails

Pulling Daddy's hair - cheeky enough of him to smile after his act..

Looking at what other plush animals he can bring home - Urgh eh.. Georgie, you

only can bring home one....

Brainy Baby Series

2009-09-22T09:38:00.001-07:00

Einstein's Brainy Baby Series

I have been exposing Georgie to the Einstein's Brainy Babies Series since he was abt 3-4 mths old & realised recently that it really helped him learn how to be more attentive & easy to relate to the things around him. It did help him in his language as well. Recently, he could pronounce words like 'Bird', 'Blue', 'Ball', 'Balloon', 'Fish', 'Fan' (though not so clear-articulated yet)... but I didn't really understand why most of the words start with the letter 'B' or 'F'.. I find this series quite good as they used visuals to engage with toddlers.

The funny thing was there was once when we were walking along Orchard Road, when he pointed at the street lamps which are round, and he called them 'Balloon'.... Oops, wrong words used.. But at least, he can associate the shape of the object as round.

And there was another time when my dad made a casual statement: 'Where is your friend?' Georgie pointed to the ceiling fan. He thought it was 'fan'.... that my dad was asking. Ok, in this case, it should be my dad who didn't pronounce accurately that misled him.. Hee hee..

Finding the Best Helper

2009-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Finding the Best Helper

I used to be very cynical when I got to know of people who changed maids very frequently. As I would always conclude there must be something wrong with the employer instead of the maid. Until I have a taste of what it means to be a wise employer & finding the right helper.

'Yours truly' have changed 2 domestic helpers since 3 mths after Georgie was born. And the journey was extremely tiring, dis-heartening and sometimes when there's issues with the maid, I took it too personal. The 1st one was sent back to the agency as there was a time when she sneaked out of the house to meet her friend to collect a face-wash foam while we were out bringing Georgie for a check-up. The funny thing was she, as well as the agency mentioned it was her 1st time here in S'pore, therefore we felt absurbed how come she would know any friends here...

The 2nd one was lazy and slow.. Alright, pls do give us the benefit of doubt when we call someone lazy. Afterall, me and Yo don't really have a high standard fixed for our helpers. So when we say she was lazy and slow, she was really lazy and s...l.....o.......w...... so much so that it should seemed justifiable if we split her salary with my mum ( who will probably be fit to take 50% of her salary, if not 75%?).

The 3rd one is the current one we are having now... She is good! Bubbly, works hard, lively, plays with Georgie well, and can take care of him single-handedly while I work. However, 2 months plus have passed since she came, and slowly her certain patterns start to show... Forgetful, careless, too noisy (can u imagine? She's so talkative that even Georgie sometimes finds her too loud and gets frustrated) and 'climbs' over my mum's head b'coz my mum treats her too well and kinda spoils her. So now, my mum starts complaining, which really gets on my nerves, and that's also why I'm now complaining via my blog (sorry guys, no other channel to release my frustration). However, after all these experiences, I finally realised that there isn't a best helper in the world, only the RIGHT helper.

Just a few tips which I hope will be helpful if you're intending to look for one:
- Ask yourself why do you need a helper?
To clean-up/do housework as main priority, or to take care of elderly/kids or to cook.
Once you've set the main priority, expect her to fulfill that particular task a 101%, but be prepared to compromise and manage your expectations on other secondary tasks.

- Treat them well BUT don't pamper them.
Feed them well, becoz they need the strength & energy to do their work. Give them ample rest but don't pamper them. My mum bought my helper a $50 plus swimsuit during Georgie's bdae so that she can join in the Wild Wild Wet session. See... she's reaping the after-effects now! (PS: On the other hand, a small little treat once in a while won't be able to do much harm)

- Be firm with them.
Maintain an employer-employee relationship with them at all times. When they did something wrong, correct them on the spot immediately.

- Be prepared to repeat.
Keep reminding them of the right way of doing things again and again. Don't be afraid to repeat as some of them take a longer time to register in their minds.

- Always conduct an evaluation session with them once in every 2 months.
Give them a channel to sound out their concerns and ask them with regards to their well-being, about their family's well-being back in their hometown. Praise them of their good job if there is.

- Do not be too concerned or swayed by what other people say. AMEN!
Always keep a look-out/observe the way she does things, responds to your family members. Keep things easy. Trust yourself and trust what you see with your own eyes. If you're concerned if they have been ill-treating your kids, just observe the way your kids react & respond to them. If they shun away from your helper and don't like to be with them, then THERE"S SOMETHING WRONG!

Georgie's 1st Birthday

2009-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Georgie's 1st Birthday

We really had a fun time... Been a while since my immediate family stayed over at a chalet. But though fun, it was tiring, so much so that from Tues-Fri, I always felt I didn't have enough sleep and going to work was really challenging.

I was the main organizer for this celebration. And I sweat so much that day that when the guests arrived, I looked so unglam... :p I told Yo that next time if I become rich, I would engage a party organizer to plan and arrange for it, then all I need to do is to be beautifully made-up and entertain guests and collect ang-pows & gifts for my lil' prince..

Some snap-shots of the party:

Seemed like Georgie knew it was his big day coz he was super excited & active

His 3kg Barney cake - surprisingly it tasted quite good and was gobbled up with little leftovers when the party ended.

Of coz, his favourite friend - Barney was there. When Yo collected the balloon, he went: 'Aiyo! How come Barney looks so ugly one lei...' I told him, 'Ya, he may be ugly, but he won the hearts of many little kids loh..!'

Georgie's Indo Uncles & Aunties

The 'thorns among the roses' of my CG

My friends of many donkey years - can you imagine us attending each of our kids' wedding nxt time? haha

Andrea & Lil' Bb Charis who always made George feel shy

Took him for a ride with Barney & friends

Celebrated his bdae with his 2 cheeky cousins who were so co-operative to wear party hats :p

Cupcakes that are nice to see, but not so nice to eat...

So, Georgie boy, after all that me & daddy & gong gong & popo & uncles & aunties had done for you, do grow up strong & make us proud ok?! ")

A Beautiful One Year...

2009-08-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

A Beautiful One Year Has Passed...

I Used To Be Sleeping All The Time...

.....

But Now, How I Wished Mr Sun Sun

Never Goes Home!

Dear Uncles & Aunties, my mummy says I can invite

more friends to my birthday party. If you would like

to join me this Sunday for a super-duper fun time,

please call my mummy or daddy for details in case we

missed out anyone of you. We would love to have you with us!

Am I Pregnant....Again?

2009-08-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Am I Pregnant.... Again?

So did my blog title cause you to sit up, and set your antenna working? Haha, seriously, I was very curious and suspicious these few weeks... Firstly, my 'Da Yee Ma' never come visit me for almost 2 mths le (ok, I'm being very open here), recently I've been feeling nauseous in the morn and have been experiencing some backaches, mood swings and loss of appetite. BUT, no, I was not expecting - got it tested 2 times. Hmm... my hubby was bit disappointed, I was relieved :P

I guessed I have been stressed over work recently. Yet, I keep on telling myself: 'Don't lose your joy, have a happy soul and you will prosper in whatever things you do.' Seriously, I made a few mistakes at work, couldn't concentrate and focus sometimes, esp when you have so many things to handle. I seriously need to get myself organised and priortise my work well. Am looking at getting a PDA phone, a blackberry might do the trick. But, many pple say blackberry is a curse of the modern technology. Hee hee..

So enough of the stress reports. Decided to share a testimony. Recently I was awarded as an over-achiever for the last qtr in the whole of the sales dept. I was thrilled! Though there's no gift or prize reward, but the recognition is enough to motivate me to the next goal - that is to receive the Platinum Award at the end of the FY. The receiver of this Award will win for himself/herself a trip for 2 to any country of your choice in Europe plus all expenses paid that's worth $20K in cash. Attractive right? (Drools...) Evelyn was saying that if I could get $20K cash, I could go Europe and buy back some of the LVs, Gucci, Pradas and YSLs and bring back to Spore to start a rental service. Not a bad idea though... Anyway, it's really a far-fetched dream, but who knows with God, all things are possible! Currently, I'm ranked no. 9... Therefore, I guess Yo has already started his praying & fasting for me oredi. Ha ha..

So, urgh-huh... no plans for the 2nd kid yet. If not, I won't have the energy to run for my sales. Hmm, hope this answers the qns that some of you have been asking me on FB... :)

Love,
JY

My Celebration With CHC

2009-08-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

My Celebration with CHC

As for me, it has just merely been a journey of 11 years ever since I stepped foot in City Harvest Church. And like what many of the pioneers shared during today's 20th Anniversary Celebration Service, it has been a step where I've really never looked back. At least, this is the place - my church, where I've experienced joy, sadness, times of breakthrough and really extreme brokenness, a place where I've found my identity, discovered and developed my leadership qualities, bumped into the love of my life and learned how to build my little family.

I was not really expecting my mum to come with me, as she always would change her mind at the very last minute. However, I guessed it might be because I made an effort to accompany her to go for a singing competition audition on sat (which she was really jittering over it) that ultimately she attended the service. (Ok, and also partly because her dear grandson Javier was performing).

I was really quite cool about the service, not super excited - I also don't know why...probably the whole task of preparing Georgie for svc, driving them down, and the effort to guide 2 new friends (my mum and maid), 1 frightened baby who was overwhelmed by the loud cheers and applause during the 'Don't Forget the Lyrics' segment, and 1 heavy-duty pram up the many flights of stairs to our seats, have tired me out tremendously. I was literally sweating profusely when I was seated down. However, what made my day was the strong presence of God that made me tear continuously and also the experience of my mum worshipping God standing next to me.

Yes, my mum was really worshipping God. At least, she lifted up BOTH her hands and sang the songs loud enough for me to hear in the midst of the huge congregation: 'Beautiful One, Merciful God, God of all heavens, reigning in my heart....' then followed by 'Because of You, I could live again, Because of You, Heaven knows my name...'. And you know what, she also sang together 'Sing Sing Sing' when the children church presented their item. By the way, my mum is chinese-speaking and doesn't really converse in English well. She pronounced Durian as 'Liu Lian', that's how bad it is.

Anyway, praise God for today! I'm really happy because I know that salvation is near. I'm looking forward for the next 20 years to come. But before I continued running in this race again, I know that there are some priorities that I need to re-adjust, some fire and passion that I need to capture back, some conviction and commitment that I need to re-affirm again.

And to all my friends that have been with me for the past 11 years, I really thank you guys for your love and support and friendship at every phase of my life! May we run together with victory for the next 20 years to come!

Mummies' Therapy

2009-07-31T10:00:00.001-07:00

Mummies' Therapy...

Yes, our TTF has moved to the next level. This time round, we had high tea at Marriott Hotel! Somemore w/o our kids! Alright, it's really very tai-tai of us to arrange a meet-up like that, but not because we didn't have anything better to do. All 4 of us, Eve, Serena, Shuying & me had to really put aside all other agenda to meet-up for fellowship so that we can find the moral support and strength to continue our hectic mothering duties for the following weeks to come. (Ok lah, that was an excuse and I sounded too serious and exaggerated, hee)

It was super enjoyable but the most fun part was when we talked about our ex-romance stories.. Ha ha, I shall leave out the details because some of our hubbies are bloggers now as well (Esp.. Mr Tan....ahem) Anyway, that's not the point. Talking about our ex-romance reminds us how good God is to give us such a great hubby now. :p

It was amazing. The time was well-spent. You know, I just felt that many times, we meet our friends in church once a week, but didn't really get to understand them better and really be interested in their lives. So I'm really looking forward for more sessions like this in the coming months.

Not able to post up any photos because there weren't any. We were too busy enjoying the buffet!

What Am I Up to Lately?

2009-07-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

What Am I Up To Lately?

Basically, I'm just going thru the normal routine of working and mothering. Hee hee, just wanted to put up a blog title that draws your attention... or did it not??

Anyway, my mum took Georgie to the PD today coz he had been having runny nose for almost 1 wk plus, been to a neighbourhood PD last 1 wk, since was thinking to save some money (anyway, realized that it wasn't that cheap either), went back the 2nd time, and still his flu still didn't go away. Not wanting to take chances, I decided that he should go back to his PD @ TMC.

Went to find my mum and kid @ the PD during lunch time. Boy! was I surprised to see him playing at the see-saw (of coz, with my mum supporting him) at the clinic. You must understand, it had been sometime since we went back. The last few visits were when Georgie was still quite young and didn't know how to play alongside other babies. Suddenly realized that Georgie was no longer in the little baby stage.. He's a 'big' boy now. Anyway, he's turning 11 mths in another 2 wks time.. :)

Went back home after work today for dinner. Was eating and chatting with my mum. She was sharing with me the persecutions she faced these few days, just b'coz her kids were city harvesters. Ha ha... didn't know she went thru 'so much'!

She was saying that 1 of the aunties who owned a 'pots and pans' shop at the opposite market had a daughter who attended CHC and who was an 'on fire' believer. To her, 'fanatic' would be a more suitable description. Somehow another, whenever my mum went to buy some stuff @ her shop, she would complain and complain about how silly her daughter is, how religious the church is... and so on and so forth. Sometimes, she would also make general accusations and ugly remarks indirectly about us. Then recently, the auntie who delivered 'Yakult' regularly to my house stopped calling her, or stopped chit-chatting with her when she came by. My mum then added saying she saw this Yakult auntie at the 'pots and pans' shop one day 'gossipping' with the lady boss. So, therefore, my mum concluded by saying that the 2 aunties must be talking against CHC... or gossipping about her.

Haha... alright, I guess that this was just another 'market politics' story among the housewives aka aunties. Whatever it is, what's heartening to know is that in the midst of all this, my mum has been standing up for us and our church. Hmm... God bless her soul! Haha! Prayed that 1 of these days, she would be a part of God's family.

Anyway, the following pic I downloaded is for Georgie's Auntie Audrey:

Thanks for giving him these wacky shades, we had some real fun time together!

'You of little faith, why do you doubt?'

2009-07-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

'O You of Little Faith, Why Do You Doubt?'

Yohandi was sharing with me with much excitement and conviction one of the sermons he heard on Youtube by Rob Bell earlier on. I didn't fully understand how impactful the Word was to him (as I was busy looking forward to watch Ice Age 3, which was starting in 5-10 min time at the theaters). Came back home to check out the sermon video and felt that I HAD TO SHARE THIS!

Rob Bell gave a little background of the education system that the Jewish kids had to go thru:

1) Bet Sefer
A school for children aged 6-10 yrs. At this stage, the Word was being introduced as honey to their lips. They had to memorise all the books of the Torah.

2) Bet Talmud
For children aged 11-13 yrs. At this stage, students were being taught deeper truth and were developed to be well-versed in the scriptures. There was a culture of questioning the teachers ('rabbi') the Word of God and challenging the deeper things of the Word. This also explains why Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the synagogue asking questions at the age of 12.

3) Bet Midrash
At this stage, children aged 14-15 would be looking to follow a rabbi and they would have to pass an intensive scripture knowledge test of the Torah. In addition, the rabbi would have to decide whether the candidates have what it takes to be their disciple, to live a lifestyle of the rabbi - to put it plainly, whether will they be able TO BE LIKE HIM, before being accepted as a disciple. On the other hand, should the rabbi feels that the candidates do not have what it takes, they would be asked to go back home to do their family business instead.

In Matt 4:18, Jesus came to Andrew and Simon Peter and said '...Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him'. Many times, when we came across this verse, most of us would feel that the 2 fishermen were willing to cast away their nets to follow Jesus because probably a light from heaven came upon them, 'brainwashed' them, and they began to make a great sacrifice and followed Jesus by forsaking their livelihood (if you know what I mean..) After learning about the education system that these young men received during then, I realised that they followed after Jesus because they were privileged that finally some rabbi wanted to accept them as disciples! That finally there was a rabbi who felt that they have what it takes to be a disciple! Keeping in mind of the fact, that they would most probably be rejects by some other rabbi earlier on, because if not, they would have not been doing their family business (the fishing business), when Jesus first found them.

That also explains why Mrs Zebedee was so insistent to ask Jesus to be the rabbi of her 2 sons. It was an honour for a parent whose children were under the cover and teachings of a rabbi.

In Matt 14:29, Jesus spoke to Peter to walk on the water. Peter started walking on water because he knew that if his Rabbi could do it, he could do it as well. However, while he was walking midway, he doubted in the presence of boisterous waves and started sinking. Jesus said, 'O you of little faith, why do you doubt?' The question over here is what exactly did Jesus meant, Whom did Peter have little faith in? Is it having little faith in Jesus (God), or having little faith in Peter, himself?

The reason why Peter started sinking is because he started having little faith in himself, that he started doubting if he could BE LIKE HIS RABBI, BE LIKE JESUS.

In John 15:16, Jesus says, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you...'

Jesus had chosen us to be his disciples, to be like Him and the reason why He chose us is because He believed that we have what it takes to do the great and mighty exploits that he has done.

Last Sun was our 1st decentralised SVC. As a zone that has barely 300 members, we were facing a challenge of having inadequate resources. Our service did not have performances from SuperBand. Neither did we have seasoned P&W leaders. Our P&W team has to meet up several times over the week just to practise 4 songs. For some of the singers, it was their 1st time being backup vocalists. It was my 1st time co-ordinating the practices. It was some of our CGL's 1st time leading announcement and giving an offering message in a service. Many of our members had to rise up to the occasion to prepare for a great service. Nonetheless, just like the message I heard from Rob Bell, many one of us may not be the A team, however, it's heartening to know that Jesus also chooses the ones in Team B and C.

Hope the above pointers has blessed you in some way or another. For the full sermon, you can source out on YouTube Rob Bell's message on 'Covered in the dust of your Rabbi'.

George

2009-06-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

George

I was watching TV one of the nights when I heard somebody playing with his saliva. The sound came from the play pen beside me and I managed to capture this.....

The TTF Club

2009-06-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

The TTF Club

Hi hi.. our TTF club finally had a get-together for the young mummies! Yup... credits go to Shuying for preparing her place, setting up the toys for the kids to play, whipping up the curry chicken (yummy) and also kudos to Eve for bringing along some spagetthi and Serena for bringing along some apple & strawberry strudels and tarts and cream puffs.

Alright, I was the only one that came empty-handed...So...I decided I shall organise the next outing to make up for it.

Some photos of the day's activities...

Nostalgic...

2009-06-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Nostalgic...

Yo found some old stuff while trying to retrieve some old doc.. He was quite excited, these were old movie tickets and some old receipts during our pa-toh days. I said, 'Wah, u so excited, and u still keep the receipts till now... Why? U wanna find a chance to claim the expenses izzit?'.............................(No, la, i'm just joking. I know that my hubby is not like some guy friends that I know, claiming expenses spent on meals from his girlfriend.....that's very cheapo hor...)

Anyway, it really brings back some memories...

Our first dinner tog. (during our 1st date of course) - @ Marche located at Heerens (no longer there now). Date: 30 Aug 2004. We spent 30 over bucks....cheap cheap, coz we still young then, no money in our pockets. Yo ate Rosti & Cheese Sausage and I ate Steak (yummy yummy).

*Sorry, can't upload the receipt pic, coz too faded oredi.

Then we watched a romantic comedy 'Terminal', starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones during our next date, 22 Sept 2004. (You see, we very good boy and good girl, only meet again almost 1 month later lei)

* Movie tic still at $6.50 during then...

Michael Bolton concert on 27 Nov 05 - We were already together during then. Eh... dun be mistaken. Both of us are not Michael Bolton's fans, not in that era. These were just some complimentary tic from the church... Btw, some of you may not know him. He's the singer of 'When a Man Loves a Woman.'

Actually, i had wanted to post up some studio photos that we took during our 1st v-day cele. But Yo refused, coz he was wearing a shirt in the photo shoot, and he is still wearing that shirt till now. Hmm...

Cycling Expedition

2009-06-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

'A Cycling WeWill Go, A Cycling We Will Go, Hey Ho A Merry O, A Cycling We Will Go...'

Decided that it's time we went for some sporting and healthy activities for the N331-ians. So off we went to ECP on 1 of the Sat afternoon. Gave Val and Jamie the privilege to plan for the games and Iza and Ray to plan for the itinery.

I asked Val: 'So, what do you guys have in store for us today?' I literally did not know what game they're going to play except for Captain's Ball. She said: 'Dog and Bone...' "Ahhhh...' I exclaimed. Doesn't sound exciting and anticipating lei...

But I was wrong! It indeed sounds simple, but actually requires some bit of a strategy. We really had a rollin good time.. Ya, some people did fell and 'rolled'. It was really sometime back since I worked out my sweat... And immediately aft that we went cycling and blading for like almost an hr and a half... Came back to the bike rental place, had some drinks and fries and ice-cream, alright and some burgers for the guys who seemed to always be hungry. Thought I'd just called it a day, but some of them said that they still had not had their captain ball's game. So as what the crowd had requested, we played the game for another 1 hour..

Wah... ask them to worship and pray in Cg for a bit longer, also not that 'on fire'... Guess, we've been too 'spiritual' that we've neglected to feed our recreation needs for some time oredi..

Took a bit of photos that day, but most of the fun shots were with Keith C (whom btw still owed us our photos ever since our V day gathering) Hello...just wanna stress u a bit... Hee hee

However, 1 of my favourite shots is this:

Howard was holding onto a bag of..........RAMBUTANS. You would have thought that he was holding onto some fishing baits or some unique species of fishes since he looked as if he wanted to show us what he had caught. Btw, the above location was at the Bedok Jetty.

Singapore Flyer

2009-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Singapore Flyer

'I have a dream. A dream to shine for God in the marketplace, touching hearts & impacting lives.....' - Georgie BOY

Haha...does the above sound like some phrase from our BF video? Hee... was just thinking that it might suit the pic quite well. We went to have a round at the Flyer on 1 of my off days. Since it was free for me and the 2nd person I brought along would have a 25% off..Woo hoo. Of coz, George had no idea that he was few thousand metres above ground.

Went to take a stroll along the Raffles Boulevard and took a few pics at the F1 track. Just right, George was wearing his F1 jersey and sitting in his red hot 'Ferrari' - if you know what I'm referring to.

Excited about the opening of Universal Studios at Sentosa once it's completed. That would be another spot that we could go and jalan jalan. Will be putting up more pics at facebook...

Penning down...

2009-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Penning down...

Just spent 14 hrs at work today. I"ve finally adjusted to the lifestyle of focusing at work when it"s time to work and not being distracted by domestic resp. or thinking abt George.

Read thru a few friends" blog entries few hrs ago. Came to a realization that mothers are such noble creatures and great mothers are really those that threw behind their 'girly' rights or facet, making a decision to grow and mature. To take up the responsibility to be a source of support to their hubby and pillar of strength to their kids at the expense of their own interests. There's no room for the pouting of your lips and complaining of lack of sleep when you have to spend nights taking care of kids who have fallen sick. There's no justification for the cutting down of your shopping time, movie time or whatsoever personal time in exchange of more time with your family. When you've come so far to this phase, you suddenly realised how much your own mothers have sacrificed their little personal ambitions while they were and are still parenting you to give you the best in life.

I remembered that my mum used to pawn her jewellery, took up part-time sewing jobs at home, scrimped and saved...not to just pay the daily household expenses, but to have extra allowance to send us for piano lessons. Piano lessons!! During our time, learning piano is something exclusive.. a skill that my own peers do not have the luxury to pick up. Wow!!

And her reason being she wants to give us whatever opportunities we have to grow and develop our talents.

Kudos to all the wonderful dads but frankly speaking, there's always that extra something that mums can do that dads will find it being a challenge. Esp for the working mothers of today, it's really a feat to wake up early in the morn, go to work, excel in work, come back home, feed, bathe, tutor and play with kid, talk to hubby, encourage, motivate them in their work and the cycle starts again the next day, 24-7, 365 days a year. What about those seemingly insignificant, yet 'dirty' tasks they have to perform? For e.g. killing the cockroaches/lizards that are scaring the nerves out of their kids, the pulling of our kid's 'dropping' teeth, the execution of being the disciplinarian in the family, the running of errands and grocery buying..and the list goes on.

Just penning down.... ya, just penning down the thoughts of a young mum. The responsibilities to come seem great, yet when you see yourself in your little babe, as they imitate you and your funny behaviour, you can't help but being amused and in awe of this little gift that God has given you to develop, govern and protect for the rest of your life.

Paying a tribute to all mums, YOU ARE AWESOME AND DOING GREAT!!

Kids Say The Funniest Thing

2009-05-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Kids Say The Funniest Thing

One day while eating lunch, Javier asks me..

Ja: Yee Yee, how come George has blue-black? (He"s refering to his birth mark)
Me: Oh, God put it there.. So that God can recognise which baby is George..(I can"t think of a better ans.)
Ja: (aft thinking for a while) Then why God doesn"t put one on me?
Me: Hmm.. (almost choked by the rice, I just blurted out) Oh..that's because the moment you open your mouth to talk, God already knows that it's you from a distance!

The other time, Javier was actualy looking on while my dad was offering joss-sticks.

Ja: Gong Gong, the one in the centre is the king right?

(He's talking about the picture of the Tien-Gong)

Dad: How come you know? (Amazed at Ja's qns)

Ja: Because he's the only one sitting down. The 2 men beside him are standing up..

Javier asked my bro this qns one day..

Ja: Jiu Jiu, Pst Eileen is the boss of all the school teachers in church right?

Bro: ......... Eh, yes...

Do you know who is your daddy's boss?

Ja: (Silent)

(Either he knows but doesn't want to say, or he is confused..)

A Grand Affair

2009-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

A Grand Affair... :p

I attended a wedding last Sat at St Regis. Wow...I guess it might have been the grandest that I had ever been to. So happening and so much eyeball of the event that my facebook was flooded by their wedding dinner photos, their album, their montage posted up by the different individuals for the whole of 1 week and still counting. I was thinking, 'Wow, this couple is really like the Brangelina of the Indo Svc!' And they do look like Brad and Angelina...

We brought along Georgie with us that evening, and it was really a wrong move. Though I enjoyed Georgie's company (coz he really helped us get quite a lot of limelight that evening hee hee)...but I totally missed out the embasking into the luxurious ambience, great fine dining cuisine, the fellowship with other friends and the many performances of the live band. That's b'coz Georgie kept hopping, fridgeting, playing with the cutlery for the whole night and I have to keep on carrying him in and out of the ballroom. He was really funny... amazingly, he didnt cry b'coz of the loud march-in/march-out and montage music (in fact, he was quite captivated by the montages and videos) but he cried at the 'Cheers' (The finer version of Yum Seng) and at the laughter of the guests..

A few items that's quite special:

(Of coz, other than the bride's beautiful gown specially purchased from Europe, and their many distinguished guests for the evening) It was the dance that the bride had with her dad, and in the middle of the dance, the groom came and took over her hand. SO SWEET AND ROMANTIC!! It's like the dance in 'Beauty and the Beast'... Oops, no, I mean it's like the dance Cinderella had with her prince. I had wanted that for my wedding! but then coming to think of it, I think my dad would feel really awkward if I were to arrange for that. After all, my parents (and Yo's parents as well) were more singlet and shorts type, karaoke king and queen, and it was more fun to have 'Yum Seng' than 'Cheers' for our family.

Another amazing thing was the decor of the chinese church hall during the matrimony. Their theme colour was white and red. So, our dear chinese church hall green curtains were all changed to nice creamy white!!

Anyway, no matter how great the wedding has turned out to be. Every bride will still feel that her own wedding is the best! That's because after the last handshake, and last 'thank you for coming' you've said at the end of the evening, what's most blissful is when you woke up the next morning and found that you've married the most wonderful guy in the whole world...

(Aww......... :p)

And So I'm Back Blogging...

2009-04-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

And So I'm Back Blogging...

Sorry guys, have been missing out on my blog updates for like 3 wks? Have been quite pre-occupied with the day-to-day activities that I simply find no energy to blog at the end of the day. It's amazing that right now I find myself needing to hit the bedsheets before 12 or 1230am.

Quite a lot of happenings during my absence on 'Charlotte's Web'. How should I start? Maybe i shall try out the systematic way by categorising. Hope you don't find reading my blog as if it's a report :)

Work:

Yes, I'm very much pre-occupied in my job. From a 'scouting for good lunch deals' person to a 'stay-in-office lunch' girl. That's b'coz recently I'm trying to pack myself with meeting clients and doing proposals for the list of developing clientele accounts I'm being assigned with. It's a challenging task, and I'm in the midst of breaking new grounds, adjusting to my new boss, whom in my opinion, is like Meryl Streep in 'The Devil Wears Prada' (I shall leave the details aside :p). Nonetheless, I'm enjoying this process, though it may be teeth-griting, but yet the satisfaction after every accomplishment is sweet.

Family:

Ya ya..I'm going to blog about my son, again. Haha... His newest trick: blowing whistle.. (What! Isn't it a bit too early for an 8-mth toddler?) Well, again...to be surrounded by 5 adults at home, more or less, he'll definitely pick up some of their habits... Of coz, it's not a full & complete whistle, but the lip-pouting with bits of saliva flying all around is there. Not a bad habit though... at least when he's old enough to attend children church, he could be involved in the cheer-leading team or at least lift up the vibes during their praise & worship.

Friends:

Yeah...I'm looking forward to attend weddings after weddings for the next 4 months? Ya, one wedding per month... Starting from 1, tmr evening. Woah...sweat sweat... But of coz, happy.. to see my friends marrying off and starting a new phase in their life, and of coz being promoted to be a mum real soon... To my girlfriends: Don't put off the idea of having kids early (if you can afford it). Why? You see ah, if you have kids soon, you will have lots of benefits like:

Our kids will be around the same age...

- We can exchange toys and mum tips and clothes within our own circle.

- We can exchange past yr exam papers when they go to school around the same time.

- We can take nice group pic with our 'pride' w/o anyone of us feeling left-out (ha ha)

- We can relax and go for a nice hol together once our kids grow older and they can take care of themselves.

- When they grow up to be of a marriageable age and decide to pair with each other, maybe it will make things easier to discuss about the no. of wedding tables, dowry and stuff like that? Or not?

Anyway, I know I'm being ridiculous...but all the above possibilities r quite feasible..

Hmm.. so how? Karen & Ruxin... Babies for you?

Gone Swimming

2009-04-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gone Swimming...

Georgie and his 1st swimming instructor

10 Truths About Mr Yohandi Abraham

2009-03-30T11:13:00.001-07:00

10 Truths About Mr Yohandi Abraham

1) A man who is passionate about what he does
(You can never find him doing slip-shod work)

2) Has a high standard of what beauty is
(Explains why he has his wife)

3) Intelligent

4) Aloof and serious he may appear to be, he has a soft spot for people who are in need.

5) Plans and organises his tasks well ahead of time

6) Nonetheless, get things done fast even if it's assigned last minute-ly

7) Has a great build and looks suave in executive shirts

8) Love languages: Good food and cool IT gadgets
(Oops...wrong, should be quality time and words of affirmation)

9) Picks up new things fast

10) Is currently happily married and not available for any interested takers...Sorry ladies!

10 Things That God Feels About Me

2009-03-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

10 Things That God Feels About Me:

1) That I am a fast learner...
2) That I am loyal and steadfast in my relationship with friends and loved ones...
3) That I can adapt to changes well
4) That I am a GREAT wife and a HOT mama
5) Trustworthy is my name.
6) Having a wonderful hubby and handsome son is my well deserved reward!
7) That I am super fun-loving
8) That I have an underlying talent in cooking (keke)
9) That I am a life-transforming preacher
10) That 10 statements are not sufficient enough to describe who I am!

Crazy Me!

2009-03-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

CRAZY ME!

I know this may sound crazy. But I really did it. I left my baby at home with my mum, went night cycling at 1am along East Coast Park, and best still, with 3 single guys.

Alright, don't point your condemning fingers at me 1st. I need to justify myself. The 3 guys were Dev, Xue En and Vincent,all younger than me and the purpose of this outing was for zone bonding alright..

I agreed in the 1st place bcoz Dev msg all the leaders saying:'We're going to have a night cycling session on friday (the 13th) and Jiaying is confirmed coming! (Yes, even Jiaying).' So I thought that all of them were so 'on' to come and little did I know that they were sabo-kings and queens...haha

Alright, anyway, it was quite an experience. We cycled till 3am, went for MacDonalds supper and they proceeded to cycle to Esplanade, while I waved my white flag, saying 'I gotta go home!' But it was really a time well spent. Through all the chit-chatting, they realised that I was quite a sporty girl (quite contradicting to the demure, fragile outlook I always portrayed in church) and were amazed that I had done, kayaking, absailing and slept in a tent before. I also realised that Vincent was known as the walking 'GPS', he knew his North South East West very well, Xue En cycled on a one-wheeler before and loved to flaunt his cycling stunts and of coz something about Dev - he ate 6 small meals a day - which consist of protein drinks, wholemeal breads and he couldn't live 1 day w/o eggs, that's all...quite a boring eater huh...

I felt so bad towards my boy when I reached home at 430am in the morn, but I guessed I had already made it up to him by bringing him swimming hours later at 5pm.

Our Puppy Love

2009-03-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

OUR PUPPY LOVE

My hubby and baby are snoozing away, finally had some real personal time to do my own stuff - blogging!

Was reading thru some of my friends' blogs. One blog says:' 3 mths....weeks....days to our wedding', another blog says:' 4 mths......weeks and days to our wedding...' Wow, time passed by really fast. It just seemed like yesterday that their future hubbies proposed to them...

Actually, it's really fun to prepare for your own wedding, esp the gown selection - 1 of the most imp. responsibilities o the bride. I still remembered the day when I tried on my gown, it was fun, full of anticipation yet worried that I couldn't fit in nicely. wait, let me see if I could find a pic of that day....

My Day Gown (I've always known I want a gown with a back like that)

Us, with me in my evening gown
(we looked young rite? As if we juz came out of college...)

My Tea Dress (Didn wear it at all, till to-date, probably for future D&D?)

My colleagues always said: 'Charlotte, I can't imagine you in a wedding gown. You looked so young!' (Of coz, that was b4 I gave birth...) 'You very brave hor..., after only a 2-yr courtship...so fast get married..'

Well, it's all because of L-O-V-E, i can't say that we're blinded by love, but we're truly convinced that LOVE conquers all!

Mr Producer

2009-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

MR PRODUCER

Hihi...I'm back blogging! Ya, it's been a few days...

Had a studio production today for 1 of my clients, Standard Chartered. Yes, they're starting on a radio campaign nxt Mon onwards on Class95 and Gold90.5. Do look out for their ad - abt their ext. hrs banking 7 days a wk at selected branches.

There was this producer whom I've worked with a few times. At first, you'll thought that he's rather mean, the way he commented on others, esp women...(i shall leave the details aside). But after sometime, realised that his bark is more fatal than his bite. he's quite a nice person actually, helpful in a certain way. Realised today that he's from a Faith methodist church and he has attended CHC b4 for abt 3 mths. He calls us a 'showbiz' church. Funny, the way he described it. But found out he changed to his current church bcoz he found the music too rock... Hmm, quite contradicting to his personality.

B4 he attended CHC, he was from another Anglican church. Somehow or another, he left thereafter becoz his pastor was insisting that he joined the music ministry grp which consisted of mainly pple in their 40s. i believe during then, he was just a young chap. Guess, partly he felt being pushed, which led him to leave.

Throughout our conversation, we found out that 1 of my clients who was there for the production was also a christian, and is from Canon James' church. She did also attend CHC b4 back in the Hollywood times, and the reason she left was also partly bcoz of the music.. Haha. But anyway, left me with 1 conclusion..

1. There isn't 1 church that is suitable for all. But having said that, i still felt that my church, CHC, is the best i've ever been to.
2. As leaders in the church, we shouldn't force or insist members to do things according to our ways. Instead, we should encourage, motivate, challenge and inspire them to do the right things. Afterall, we're dealing with human beings, require a lot of patience and skills in growing the relationship. Dont ya agree?

George is becoming naut naut and playful

2009-03-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

George Is becoming Naut Naut And Playful

Doc said that George will be more interested in playing than in drinking milk at this stage. Which explains why he has slimmed down recently.

He is really becoming more playful and has a temper of his own. The thing is nowadays he will usually play for an hour to an hour and a half before he sleeps at 10 plus, sometimes 11. And especially when he has 2 as equally playful grandparents, we have to at times switch off the light, and make it totally pitch dark, to show him that everybody's sleeping, so he should do likewise as well.

The below pic shows him swinging on the sarong as if it's a hammock on a tree, like little tarzan, except that he's wearing clothes. This is 'introduced' by his dear grandma and he seems to enjoy it a lot.

Another thing that we observed about him. Recently, he has to 'stand' on his feet, or at least supported by an adult before he could pass motion. Lying down isn't comfortable for him and sitting down could smash his ______ (er hem.. - you know right?)

On a Thurs Night

2009-02-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

On A Thurs Night

Came back quite a while ago from Lush Anniversary Party at Zirca. Hmm...nice to be able to 'chill out' with colleagues but after some time spent there, not really appreciate the loud music and lotz of pple talking. Am still looking forward to rush home and spend time with my son. So, I sms my hubby at ____pm who's around the area after his cg and went home b4 the event ended.

A few changes coming up at work... recently met a few bumps here and there coz of the changes. Could felt the impact of the economic downturn so real personally, but i'm still hanging on and fighting thru. Realised recently that there are people who can lie through their teeth so blatantly and yet not feel sorry about it...Nothing's new under the sun though.

On another note, it really felt great to be praised by your boss :p

(Boss, you may be reading this... just to tell you it's been nice working in your team, :p)

I know I'm blabbering now... just an indication that it's time to sleep. Gd nitez!

.......

Okie, I'm back to add in a few lines.

My hubby said I didn't blog abt him praising me.

Ok lah, he praised me the last few days.....

On certain days,

Me: 'Honey, am I fat?'

Hubby: 'No, you're not, you're gorgeous...'

On other days,

Me: 'Honey am I fat?'

Hubby: 'It's ok honey, I'm fine with that....'

Ehhhhh....

Just Some Thoughts....

2009-02-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

Just Some Thoughts...

Am just thinking of blogging about something though there isn't much unusual happenings these few days.

Last wk's sermon on V-Day week is abt the next few needs that men and women have. You know what, it's not something surprising when we learnt that men needs a recreational companion and attractive spouse. Hmm, but as I'm evaluating..somehow these 2 points are quite contradicting.

Yo's recreation is eating good food, other than watching movies. I would love to be his recreational companion. These 2 activities are such easy tasks to accomplish. But the prob is, in order to be an attractive spouse, I can't eat too much.. So that leaves us only 1 last option: watching movies.. hee...

We celebrated V-Day on the following Mon... ate a nice meal at Bali Villa, wanted to watch a show, but ended up shopping. It has been sometime since I've really shopped for myself. I've a weird habit: I don't find much prob splurging on other pple - like buying gifts, clothes for my family, friends, son, colleagues, church mates, cg mem and treating them for a meal. But when it comes to buying clothes for myself, I'll find it a waste of money. Not trying to prove a point here, but it's really something I struggled. And I shared this with my hubby... So on Mon, I managed to buy a really nice purple chic dress, green pleated long flowy top and grey checked pants. Spent abt 250 bucks - And of coz got my hubby to pay for it since I can't bear to part with my money on my own personal expenses.. Hahaha (well, no choice, since he wanted an attractive spouse)

While doing all these shopping, I realised that he likes me to wear clothes that will make me look 'curvy'. Clothes that I like bcoz i look slim in them, he says I look like a barrel (straight all the way at the sides). Clothes that I don't like bcoz I look huge in them, he says I look gorgeous.. ??!! Think men and women really look at things differently. Sign..

Oh ya, something about Georgie.. This morn b4 i left for work, I told him saying, 'Georgie Boy, Mummy go work work, u play with Popo, be good boy ok? Ok? Ok? (Yes, I keep on repeating Ok..)

And he responded: 'Ok.' (Now, I'm not exaggerating - ask my mum)

2009-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Another Blessing!

Hi all, Yo has got his PR!!! Finally!

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement.... He says it's really the result of attending Morn Prayer this wk....

Hmm...guess this is God's Valentine's Day gift to us this year... Kekeke :p

2009-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sentuh Hatiku (Touch My Heart)

A song inspired by the true story of a girl, who's sexually abused by her father daily. Being extremely traumatised, she would lose her senses and screamed and yelled, esp when there were guests in the house. Her father had to lock her with chains and shut her in a storeroom.

There was a Christian friend who came to visit her regularly to tell her about God's forgiveness and prayed for her daily w/o fail.

One of the nights, after her Christian friend had left for another city, there was a strong light that shone down from above. Miraculously, by the power of God, her chains were suddenly broken and she was loosened. The 1st thought that came into her mind was: 'I'm going to use these chains to kill my father!' However, just seconds later, God began to speak to her and said: ' I have forgiven you of your sins and washed your guilt away. Will you also extend the same level of forgiveness to your father as well....?'

This is what the song meant:

How I love

Everythng that has happened

I never walked this life alone because You're always here with me

How I realised

In my life

You always give the best plan because of Your love

Father, touch my heart change my life

Like the pure gold

You shape the vessel in my heart

Father, teach me to understand love

That always give

Like water that keeps on flowing and never ends

2009-02-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

Georgie's 1st Walker

Finally he got the experience of walking on his 2 feet by his own!

And this is how he felt as he watched his walker being installed...
PS: Look at his feet :p

A Happy Marriage Is A Long Conversation Which Always Seems Too Short

2009-02-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

A Happy Marriage Is A Long Conversation Which Always Seems Too Short

How's that for a title? I came across this line in the latest Mother & Baby mag. Just in line with the upcoming romance seminar.

Anyway, I'm back from Jakarta. Funny thing is Javier and Zhanwei came to fetch us at the airport. Georgie was exceptionally excited to see Ja, and his legs, as usual went kicking to and fro.

I asked Ja whether he received lotsa ang pows. He denied initially. However in the car, he confessed he got quite a lot. I asked him what is he going to do with the money. He replied: 'I'm going to buy a house.'

Ok....... that's quite a nice ambition, haha.

It was back at home then I realised that Evelyn promised to buy him a pet dog when they got a bigger house... Zhanwei told me.

My MIL said that LingLing (Yo's sis, a 10-yr old girl) instructed her not to wash our bedsheet at Jakarta. Coz she said that there is Georgie's body smell on it. :) Seems like she really missed the little boy...

Greetings From Jakarta

2009-01-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Greetings From Jakarta!

Hi all, I'm currently into my 7th day at my 2nd hometown and.....I missed my maid, Auntie Ella!!

Why? Coz I realised that I can't make it w/o her around coz no one is helping me jaga Georgie boy! And b'coz of that, I'm totally exhausted the 1st 2 days over here.

Anyway, this trip was quite a fruitful one, at least I had lotsa personal time with my hubby and son. But the most amazing thing is the many 'tricks' that George performed during this trip. During the flight here, he was really super obedient and well-behaved..slept throughout the 1 and half hr journey. Well, we didn managed to take any pic on board the plane, coz me and Yo were actually quite on our toes as we cleared all the customs..no matter what, it's our 1st attempt bringing Georgie 30k feet above ground..

He scored some brownie points when he saw my in-laws coz he flashed some smiles that amused them a lot. My mum-in-law (MIL) prepared a newly renovated room plus personal bathroom and the only one with an installed water heater for him. Will post up the pic when I come back...

I felt that George has crossed another milestone in his life. This trip to Jakarta made him stronger. He used to being intolerant of noise...now he's very used to loud traffic noises.. beeping and honking of vehicles, bumpy car rides and mozzy attacks. We spent the CNY 1st and 2nd day visiting relatives, it's very diff from my Spore CNY celebration, where 1 stop at my grandma's place settled it all. Over here, we made 3-4 visitations per day and Georgie followed along as well... He did scream and wail in the car, but I'm so proud to say that I've learnt how to manage him after so many days of training...

Today, we juz had a very nice dinner at Pondok Laguna... a nice Indonesian rest. which all shld come at least once. We brought my family when they came over for my Jakarta wedding. Esp the fried, curled up fish... it's so yummy!

Will update you guys on the happenings for the upcoming few days. Will be going to JPCC this Sunday for their SVC...and also Sunday, all the relatives will be coming over for my Father-in-law (FIL) 60th bdae.

Have a gd nite rest! Selamat Malam!

Trying Hard to Blog

2009-01-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Juz a pic to update on Georgie's well-being. He's growing up well, got sick a few times but that ain't gonna bring him down... haha

He could flip over by himself now, still loves to laugh, and is learning how to eat fruit cereals.. Think he's getting a bit bored over milk now.

Trying Hard to Blog

Aiyo...I'm really trying hard to blog... Wanted to post in recent happenings but dunno where to start..Maybe pick up from where I left the last blog:

My hubby is back! Happy... but that means no car for me to drive oredi. Actually, it's really very convenient to have own transport, can really meet more clients, and it takes a shorter time to travel here and there and to reach home aft work.

Went for Poh's session on praise and worship last Thurs. It was very refreshing. And sometimes I wonder how nice it would be to have a skill in a certain area... Actually, I do know how to play the piano. When Poh talks abt how hard he practised on his guitar, I suddenly remembered how hard I practised on my piano during my 'piano-ing' days. To an extent, when my fingers would go sore and numb after my lessons every week. Regretted that I didn pursue finishing my grade 8 exams... due to O levels that yr. Anyway, wanna thank Mum for the money invested all thru the yrs - think that was quite a huge sum. Hope I'll be able to resurrect this skill someday...otherwise a bit wasted.

Alright, time to blog about my new flat. We actually balloted for the Pinnacle @ Duxton last yr Sept, didnt expect that we would get it. Just to paint the background story. Coz b4 getting married, we met quite a no. of obstacles in really starting a new family together: for e.g. Yo tried applying for PR but was rejected twice for no valid and obvious reason. We felt uncertain (esp when all his peers, both younger and older than him were all invited by ICA to be a Spore PR). Then nxt, in the midst of preparing for our wedding, juz like what many Sporean couples planning to get married would do, we tried to apply for a HDB loan for a resale flat, but decided to forgo coz resale at that time was too ex and our HDB loan wasnt substantial enuff-based on my salary alone. That time, we received a few pressure to buy our own house here and there, therefore when we tried to ballot for this flat, we really zipped our lips tight. We felt that it would be marvellous to be able to get a successful ballot. So we decided to keep this little dream deep in our hearts.

We prayed hard. He sourced out the units that we want, wrote it down on a piece of paper and that became our prayer list for many months. He even copied the artist's impression of the Pinnacle and pasted it on his laptop screen so that everytime he worked on his laptop, he would see it comin to past. We used our emotions everytime we prayed to remind God that he gotta bless us this time round, haha... Hope that God is not offended and felt blackmailed... :p

So, Praise the Lord! We got the queue number 100, out of 2000 plus application for 317 units. Really thankful...hey God, You do remember!

Our unit is on the 43rd level. There are still a few more obstacles to cross over. For e.g. Yo's PR application hasnt got thru yet and thus we couldn re-apply for the HDB loan. However, we're still believing in our faithful God. If He can bless us once, He can bless us again and again.

My Hubby's Away!

2009-01-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

My Hubby's Away!!

Yes, he has gone overseas again... after staying put in Spore for a period of time in the name of having to take care of just-finished-maternity wife and new-born son. However, this time, he's away for leisure in Korea for a convention. Though also for work, but this trip sounds fun to me. At least, it makes him occupied with buying winter clothes for the last few days b4 he flew off this morn. And looking at the way he packed his luggage yesterday night, wow... his apparels are quite comprehensive. Hmm... feel like going for a holiday NOW...

My hubby's away!! More time for myself. But yet, the night seems quieter. Thank goodness I have my parents staying with me and now a Georgie boy to accompany me. Think it'll be a bit unbearable for me to be alone when I move to my new place.

Am considering to have a big family next time... hee hee :p

Countdown To 2009

2009-01-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Countdown To 2009!

I had a 'GREAT' countdown to 2009! Our last few seconds of 2008 were spent in our little Honda Jazz, on our way to the 24hr supermkt to buy a tin of milk powder for Georgie boy. When the clock striked 12, both of us said to each other:'Happy New Year Honey...' and back home we went to catch up on our sleep.

How 'interesting' can it be...haha..

2008-12-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Xmas At Vivo!

What a pampering Bdae Celebration!

2008-12-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

What a Pampering Bdae Celebration!

Ok...how should I start...

My colleagues brought me out for dinner aft work the nite b4 my 26th bdae.. Actually, its meant to be a xmas get-together... And

the funny thing is, they were real excited to bring me to zouk, aft knowing that I've never been there b4. So, we had it all planned nicely, ordered a cake, meant to cut at the wine bar, but who knows, aft a heavy dinner & some xmas shopping, we decided why dont we cut the cake at somewhere near instead. So, we ended up at coffee bean... hee hee, so typical.. but nonetheless, its still fun! I mean, 4 girlfriends together, getting all excited and giggling o

ver the gift xchange... its back to the teenage times again - PS: 1 of them is also a mum already..

Okie, the more exciting part is what comes after next.. My hubby gave me a surprise gift, and boy...I was really pampered. He gave me something that I think all the wives in the world wont mind receiving for the next 10 birthdays of their life. Yes, I GOT IT!... an 'IT' bag, as what Elle mag always say. It's an LV Damier Trevi PM. It's better than the one I listed on my wish list. Keke...

I was speechless, coz I juz told him to buy a digital cam for me for my bdae. You know what, he never forgot abt. it, and he placed a canon ixus 870 IS in the bag.

Well, like what my sis said: 'Our husbands may not be rich now, but their hearts are very rich!'

We brought Georgie out for a nice dinner at Sushi Tei(Though he was sleeping half of the time). had some photo-taking with the xmas lights at Vivo, its a pampering 26th bdae cele...

'I Just Turned 3 Months Old!'

2008-12-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

'I Just Turned 3 Months Old!'

Satisfied

2008-11-29T07:53:00.000-08:00

Satisfied...

I felt happy and satisfied today because I finally had the chance to treat my parents to a 'decent' dinner, using my own money. Always felt that I could do more to bless them, not just simply thru gifts, but many a times, I really wish that I could bless them more financially. Not that they need the money, but becoz of the things they have done for me throughout my growing up yrs till now... a nice bag or watch can't measure up to that.

Started work this wk. Fun, exciting, challenging, having greater responsibility. I am not the most junior in the team now.. Got to work harder now, have more rounds of hitting targets, above and beyond.

I enjoyed today. Spent time with George... After 5 days of working, it's really a time to catch up with him. Really, motherhood changes a person. From a girl, to a lady, to an auntie? NO WAY.. What I want to say is, motherhood makes my world revolve around my baby. I love him so much!!

Asia Conference 2nd Nite

2008-11-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Asia Conference 2nd Nite

We had parade of nations today. As usual, the song 'Crossing Over' was played but I never got sick of the melody. Today's message was more of an apostle addressing the church family and edifying the body of Christ. Well, was looking 'more' forward to tmr's session by Dr AR Bernard.

Got introduced to Pst Caleb and wife from Surabaya aft. the mtg. Hmm, think I got to seriously train up my Bahasa already.. probably can get Rio to tutor me, since he can deliver such dynamic preaching during parade of ministries. ;p

Recently, Pocahontas seemed to be incurring Mdm Loke's wrath. Sign.. Though she can really clean up the house well, but it seems that she doesn't really like to receive instructions on what or what not to do. Not teachable... and she's like having been soaked in sour plum juice for decades. It's amazing that even with her around, Georgie can still smile and laugh a lot. Is it time to get her replaced?

Asia Conference 1st Nite

2008-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Asia Conference 1st Nite

It was the 1st session of the Asia Conference just hrs ago. Decided to blog abt. my thoughts b4 I forgot..

We had parade of ministries tonight. It was spectacular, considering the limited space we had in expo hall 8. It looked more like Chingay to me, with all the pyrotechnics. However, I was quite uncomfortable coz of all the smoke emitting out after the pyrotechnics display, esp since I have a history of being asthmatic.

There was a video of our community work being screened. I wasnt really emotional abt. all the testimonies that were being shared, of how the less fortunate ones are being helped by our CHCSA volunteers. I'm more impacted by the work that our volunteers are doing. I was thinking how could I contribute to make a difference in the society as well. But while my mind was spinning, I felt that God spoke to me reg my role as CGL. Well, being a ldr for almost 8 yrs, sometimes I would lost track of the purpose of leading the grp of pple that God has placed in my hands. But tonight, I felt commissioned by God once again. That the lives of people God placed in my grp needs to be transformed and released to serve the community and touch the lives of others. Discipleship, teaching, leading them to a higher level of maturity, to the '3rd space' is what I will focus right now. I felt that I can't waste any more of my members' time. There got to be another Sun, John(CHCSA volunteer mentioned in the video), another apostle Paul in my grp.

Baby Dedication on 16 Nov

2008-11-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Baby Dedication on 16 Nov

Read Eve's blog just minutes ago... Ya ya ya, its so true! George also seems to have 'crossed over' aft his baby ded. A few changes that happened...

1. He started watching TV!!
After church last wk, we went home and bcoz it had been a very long and tiring day. I just placed him on my mum's bed to rest and relax.. That's what newborn babies like to do...to rest and relax while lying down. But instead, he started fidgeting. So, I placed him on my lap, leaning against my chest and we watched TV together for 15 min. He was really attentive to the big screen.

2. He started focusing on small objects (surprisingly, they all happened to be food items).
I was eating a muffin one afternoon when he started looking not at me, but at my muffin, while being carried by my mum. It happened also when my bro ate a muffin few hrs later.

3. He started responding to a conversation.
Of coz not in words, but thru goo goo ga ga-ing.

Well, to those who r singles or married but yet with a child, don't find us mums irritating for keep on blogging abt. our babies. You would too, if you have one yourself. It's just simply amazing to see them grow thru the days with new and 'new-er' tricks...

Make-Up Collection Re-vamp

2008-11-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Make-Up Collection Revamp

Recently I'm looking around for make-up tools and colors of all kinds. Was thinking it was time to revamp my collection. I felt that all along my colors are always more to the lighter shade. Have always wanted to have darker and more dramatic shades for my eyes but yet, not just simply black or greyish, if u know what i mean..

Last fri, I bought 3 eye shadow colors from shu uemura. The funny thing is I actually wanted to buy back the same brand of the one that I'm using now, which was actually a gift from evelyn. It was a shiseido palette combination of white, green and pink. I thought what I'm using now was a shu uemura product. So when I asked the salesgirl for the same collection, she looked a little puzzled and explained that it was probably an old collection. They dont sell it anymore.

Anyway, I bought a silverish white, dark bronze and yellow for my eyes. Yellow is for my day make-up, like for work or for going on casual dates. Tried the yellow one for church last wk. Hmm...but the colour dont seem to come out as much...

Girls out there, any tips or suggestions on applying eye make-up? Is it a matter of applying more in order for the colors to really stand out?

My 'Pocahontas' Maid

2008-11-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

My 'Pocahontas' Domestic Helper

Juz got a domestic helper coz think my mum will need some help aft I go back to work in 2 wks time. Actually, I'm a person who initially not used to this idea. Don't really like the idea of having an outsider staying with us. But so far so good. My mum is doing the training and disciplinary work while I'll just be in charge of giving the payroll.

Btw, she really looks like 'Pocahontas'. ;p

I Started Gym-ing!

2008-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

I Started Gym-ing!

I finally started going to gym on Wed. Actually was getting a bit concerned abt. my stagnating weight. Hmm, it doesn't seem to go down further. So, i decided that those xtra kilos need to go off soon, and i need to get into action fast.

Met Yo aft his bs on Wed so that we could go to gym 2gether. He's a little indifferent 2wards my excitement, and he reasoned by saying that it's just gonna be a short burst of passion to exercise b4 i give up. Hmm, is that one of his strategies? using reverse psychology to spur me up? Anyway, i look a bit cuckoo when i enter.. eh...like not knowing what equipment to use 1st. Both of us do a lot of things 2gether, except for exercising and working out... b'coz it's not a forte for either 1 of us.

We worked on the treadmill 1st.. it's a bit stressful for me to run nxt to him. Esp when he has been a regular gym attendee. I started with a slow speed as a means to warm up.. And u know what he did minutes after? He stretched his hands over to my treadmill to increase the speed for me! Talking abt encouraging a 1st-timer. I told him that I could just simply ask for the gym staff and complained that I was being disturbed and claimed that I don't know him.

Anyway, it's really a fun experience. Liked the feeling aft. having sweat it all out.

Recently, Yo has been meddling with some special photo effects thingy. This is what he has come out with..

Haha... I don't mind seeing him on the front covers of a finance mag in yrs to come. I believe in the power of visualisation.

The Dating Process

2008-11-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

The Dating Process

I was having some chit-chat time with my girlfriends when 1 of them told me that she has initiated to ask a guy out. What a sport! Nowadays, I find it perfectly alright for the girl to make the 1st move. This only shows that she has a confident, outgoing and fun personality.

I remember that b4 me and my hubby get tog... the 'wooing' process is not entirely his effort. (I can blog abt. this since I know he won't ever read my blog coz he wants to avoid looking at my WISH LIST ;p). I still remember the 1st few mths, he was the 1 who tirelessly tried to initiate dates and make things happen. But there are also times when I would initiatively sms him, esp when he's overseas for missions, to ask abt his well-being and display my TLC . Even aft. marriage, we'll take turns to be the one to 'chase' after the other - doing some romantic stuff or heart-warming acts of service for the other party. So, it really doesn't matter who make the 1st initial approach.

So way to go girl! If u're reading this, hope I didn't put much pressure on u. If it works out, PTL! If it doesn't, there'll be better oppt. Just have fun! Love ya... haha...

My Saturday Afternoons

2008-11-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

My Saturday Afternoons

My Sat. afternoons are usually moments spent with my family. My nephew and niece will normally come over for dinner and play... Below are some snapshots:

George went for his vaccination on Mon. We were mentally prepared for him to burst out crying during the injection. But surprise surprise, he did not wail at all! What a brave boy... i'm so proud of him. Guess he has quite a high threshold of pain, like his dad ;p

Can't Sleep...

2008-10-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Can't Sleep...

It's 5.30am. Just finished feeding George. Can't sleep, my mind is too awake now.

Yesterday was Deepavali, a public holiday for most of us (except for Dad, he still had to work). I didn't go out the 1st half of the day. Gotta wait for Mum to come back b4 me and Yo went out for our movie session. Nonetheless, I cherished the time spent wif George, esp when it was a rainy afternoon..love the weather.

Still remembered those days when we watched movies once or sometimes twice a wk. It had become my fav past-time. Couldn afford to frequent cinemas so often now though, esp with a little one. Really cherished yesterday's day out. We watched 'Tropic Thunder'. Very funny show...the best thing is there was the appearance of Tom Cruise as one of the characters, and u only know it's him at the end of the show, when the credits were screened.

I finally bought a new HP too - E71. (Okie, to my sis and bro, I didn meant to have the same model as both of u...I've been eyeing it way b4 I gave birth). I took the white one. Looks cool and professional.

Heard a sermon by Joel Osteen today in the car. He's good! Talks about 'Success is meant to be intentional'. It's good to refresh these biblical princples once in a while. Sometimes, we thought we knew a lot of His Word. But I realised that re-hearing sermons and reading the scriptures again and again will help us dbl-chk if we have really applied it into our lives. A few pts that I've noted:

- Success is never an accident, it is intentional.
- We need to have short-term goals so that once we have achieved them, we can celebrate while we move on to achieve the long-term goals.
- Desire in latin means from the Father.
- Goals without a written plan are just plain wishes. They will never be fulfilled.

Gotta stop blogging now. Better go back to sleep b4 I wake my family up.

To be continued...

Jewel has a New Toy too!

2008-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Jewel has a New Toy too!!

My sis came over on Sat & I realised that Jewel has a new toy too.. Well, not sure if I should call it 'Big Lumpy' or 'Lumpy Junior'. Coz although it's a new addition into their family, yet it is bigger in size than Javier's own.

Came back home after hanging around for a while in church today. Thought I could juz quickly pop by at Tampines Mall for some Ya Kun or to do some quick shopping. But, the moment I stepped in my hse, I started to get busy over Georgie...Feeding, changing diapers, coaxing him to sleep, and feeding again. When I looked at the time, it was already 9 plus in the evening.. ;x the shops were already closed. Arrgh...I missed my recreation this wk again... When can I start to explore Orchard once again?

George's New Toy

2008-10-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

George's New Toy

Noticed that George kept staring at the ceiling fan recently. These days, it's not juz enuff to feed him milk and make him sleep. Think he needs some entertainment!! So Yo went to buy a cot mobile for him. It was really an elaborate one...with Winnie the pooh and friends hanging down, each with their fav items, like Winnie's 'hunny' pot and bees and Piglet with butterflies... Think George really likes it. At least it keeps him occupied for at least 10 min b4 he seeks for something more interesting...

We also got him 'Build your Baby's Brain' Mozart, Bach and Beethoven music CD series. Well, call us kiasu parents, but it was found thru a research that exposure to such music, esp Mozart's collection, can stimulate creativity & make them brighter. And a child's brain development actually starts while they r in mother's womb.. So for George, it's already considered a bit late.. haha

Well, u may not believe it. He actually smiles while sleeping when he listens to these music during bedtime. Sometimes, he even lets out a hearty laugh...u know, those kind of laughter that sounds like 'hey ku'. Think these music does wonders for the water molecules in George's body...like what we learnt from Pst Kong in church.

Mom's back from hospital

2008-10-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today Mum is back from Gleneagles after an operation at the neck-throat area to remove the tumor. Praise God that it's benign and everything runs on smoothly. The hos bills are quite hefty though..heard from my dad that the doc came in to the ward, ask a few qns to chk on mum's condition and then 'ching ching $$' 300 plus bucks gone.

George smiled at mum when he heard her voice. Well, guess there's an inexplicable bond bet. them both. He cried many rounds when she was 1st admitted to the hos on Mon *Jealous*

Embracing Motherhood

2008-10-20T03:17:00.000-07:00

3 mths have almost passed since I started to be on maternity. Time passed by really fast. I'm excited to go back to work; its like a new start.. actually i'm more excited abt investing on new work apparels, already thinking abt what new image i want to bring to my clients, hee, esp after 9 mths of preg. wear, my wardrobe is getting a bit dull and boring. Also have an ambitious desire to be the top sales person... my then tummy cost me some 'easy-getting-tired' work days and 'nauseous' presentation. Its time to make up for the lost commission due to my physical body restraints.

However, the thought of spending less time with George makes me hesitant as well. Talking abt George, I really have lotz to pen down. He's really super duper 'quadruple' cute (and I'm not embarrassed to say that)...when he's not crying. In fact, he's got features that I've been asking God for: Big eyes (not super big, but I'm satisfied with it), double eye-lids, small and sharp nose, tiny lips and fair skin. But when he cries, it's like the whole world stops, and your heart can't stop palpitating, your mind keeps thinking hard of what to do next and he could wake the whole family up in the middle of the night. Strangely enuff, he loves to make lotz of noise when he stretches his body while sleeping (he stretches almost every 15-30 min) and the noise is quite distracting, so much so that me and hubby call him 'Little Dino'. Did I also mention that he drinks once every hr? Thank God that he's adjusting his drinking patterns to once every 2 hrs now. And by the way, he would 'demand' to change his diapers once he has wet it.

Well, I have received encouragements from well-wishers that all this fuss will stop soon and I got to hang in there. I will, definitely. He's my darling son... I also understand that no other person can do a much more better job to take care of 'Dino' than me. So for the sake of 'Dino's' well being, I will continue to go thru those sleepless nights w/o complaints.