Talk To Me Baby

Friends need to grieve too

2012-02-15T01:05:00.001+08:00

I learnt today that a friend passed away last year. She was diagnosed with fourth stage lymphoma (don't have the details), and leaves behind children of school-going age. She used to work at her family's western food stall in the coffee shop next to our primary school, and was a wonderful person with a sweet, gentle nature. Always came over and chatted with me and the kids.

At the end of this super long, hot and tiring day of various commitments, when I finally got into bed, I started crying again. I keep thinking of her. Even though it's been more than a year since I last saw her, I can still remember the way she used to do her makeup, the skirt she used to wear, her hair colour, her voice. It's so hard to believe she's gone.

A timely reminder to cherish our loved ones while we are still together in this world.

Tis the season to make kimchi

2012-01-12T23:49:00.001+08:00

The napa cabbages this time of year are absolutely gorgeous, which is why we Chinese people always have it for our reunion steamboats. Grab some spring onions, garlic chives (optional), garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce and we're all set!

I'm following Maangchi's recipe for kimchi, with minor alterations. We love it! Make in big batches and refrigerate once done so it doesn't ferment so quickly. Leave a jar out on the counter overnight or till it's as sour as desired, then bang it back in the fridge. This is really great stuff. (What a long way I've come in kimchi-making).

The last 2 hours of 2011

2011-12-31T22:30:00.000+08:00

As I look back on the last year (after all, the end of the year is coming and that's what a lot of people do right? look back on the past year), I feel as though I've covered a lot, but it also seems as though I've done nothing at all.

Perhaps much is lost in the mundaneness of life, being a work at home mother, caring for a baby, and attending to the routines of the family. I have grown in some areas - philosophically, physically(hah! horizontally), and hopefully, mentally. I think about a lot of things I never ever used to consider, including life and death.

On a happier note, one thing we have finally conquered as a family is overcoming the fear of driving to Malaysia on our own. Incredible but true - both HL and I have always had this fear that we will get mugged or have our car stolen. But we did it.

We started out by driving up to Melaka for a 2 nights stay. Only had a few quick looks at the maps before we left and just relied on our not-so-trustworthy instincts all the way. So after we got back safe and sound, we decided to take a day trip up to Jusco Tebrau City. As the Chinese saying goes, 一回生二回熟, we were a little more used to the Malaysian road system, although we did take a couple of wrong turns that ate up almost an hour.

So someone is already looking forward to and making plans for the next short school hols d:)

Have a Blessed 2012 everyone!

Foray into multigrains

2011-12-07T23:32:00.001+08:00

I must have gone nuts. Dunno what overcame me at the health food store when I decided to pick up bags of wild rice, brown rice and wheat berries. Somehow I couldn't resist when the grains aisle beckoned to me.

I'm guessing it must have something to do with that multigrain rice that I tried for the first time from Ichiban Bento (ChangiCityPoint, new mall opposite Expo MRT). It was absolutely awesome - tender, fluffy and chewy, not like the boring white Jasmine rice that Chinese people like to eat everyday (at least here in Singapore). Ok perhaps it's better now that we've switched to Japonica Rice which is tastier, chewier and slightly sticky. But that multigrain rice, oh...

I've done some reading up on the net on how to cook the different types of rice, and I'm still figuring out how to cook them all together (including white rice because the kids will surely revolt if I don't ease it into their diet).

#1 Brown rice 1:2 50min
#2 Wild rice 1:2.5 50min
#3 Wheat berries 1:2.5 60min
#4 Quinoa 1:2 20min
#5 Jap white rice 1:1.2 20min

Ye gods. How to cook?? Perhaps cook the first three first then add the last 2 about half an hour later? Or cook #1 -3 together, #4 and 5 together then fold the finished product together? This doesn't sound viable. Anyone out there? Can give me some advice please??

I like the new Blogger interface

2011-12-03T23:44:00.001+08:00

It's been more than a year since I last blogged and the first thing I can think of is, I like the new Blogger interface.

I have been toying with changing my blog name for some time, since the kids have grown up, but then, now another comes along and gives me a reason to continue. It's tough though, I admit I'm not the most faithful of bloggers PLUS I am more addicted to Facebook then I should be!

Reusing something unexpected as a flowerpot

2011-04-10T23:21:00.003+08:00

My husband's old boot! Its partner is somewhere along the row.

Doing my bit for Japan

2011-03-20T23:18:00.002+08:00

I happened to watch this show on ChannelNewsAsia a couple of days ago, called Japan 9.0. I pretty much cried all the way through the half-hr programme.

I'm not the kind that writes a cheque to some suitable relief organisation (heaven help me, I don't even have a personal checking account). But I want to do SOMETHING to help. So I was really really glad when God opened up this channel for me to contribute.

In conjunction with Earth Day (which is actually in April but the school has brought it forward) our primary school Temasek Primary will be holding a sale of plants and proceeds will go partially to the Singapore Red Cross for Japan relief efforts, partially to our school fund (for needy students).

My dear neighbour and I (two herb-crazy women) are donating about 50 pots (or trying to achieve) of herbs including basil, mint, oregano, mugwort to the cause. So we're now trying to establish as many cuttings as possible before the date 23 Mar 2011. I'm pleased to put my love for gardening to something fruitful, and that it can bless somebody else, that's just too wonderful for words.

Ten Years

2011-03-09T22:59:00.001+08:00

Today, I celebrate ten years of laughter and tears, joy and pain, learning and foolishness, that are Motherhood. To my dear family and friends, who have supported me, encouraged me, and gently chided me through these ten years, I thank and honour you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Birthday daughter.

An unexpected factor in the breatfeeding relationship

2010-11-17T02:06:00.004+08:00

An old friend just had a baby. I learnt on Facebook that she was keen on breastfeeding and so I offered her my help if she had any concerns or problems, or just wanted a listening ear. I didn't want to be too pushy because I wasn't sure whether she could take my hardcore breastfeeding persona.

The cry for help came when the baby was about 6 weeks old. She was sick of pumping, didn't know why the baby kept crying and was seriously comtemplating giving up. She wanted to know whether she would still be able to nurse the baby instead of expressing, because she really wanted to continue to give the baby the best. My greatest fear was that the baby had developed nipple confusion, but thankfully, I found she had a great latch and was definitely still interested in the breast.

I also learnt to my horror, that my friend's confinement nanny had told her not to feed the baby too often, but to try to stretch the interval between feedings to 3 hours (and the poor girl had obeyed). Good grief!! THAT explained why the baby seemed to be crying so much, and why the mother's breasts didn't seem full. She also wasn't very hungry (sure sign of not losing enough calories through breastfeeding, haha).

It was quite a shock to me because I didn't realise that the confinement nanny could be such an important factor in making or breaking the breastfeeding relationship. After all, I have quite a number of friends who had wonderful supportive nannies. My friend's mother-in-law told me she thinks that all confinement nannies should be certified before being allowed to practise, and I quite agree with her.

And the EC begins all over again

2010-10-14T16:57:00.003+08:00

With #1, breastfeeding was my main challenge (and a tough one too). By the time #2 came around, I was determined to try my hand at EC (the new thing). I suppose this time it's a given since we already did it full time previously.

This baby was designed for EC. Whereas his jiejie and gorgor pooed in drips and drabs, making catching their poo practically futile, he, for lack of a better word,"consolidates" it into a few times a day, and starts pushing and grunting very obviously in addition to turning red in the face. I recall when Rv was an infant, he peed immediately upon stirring, and thus we had to be intensely vigilant. However this little one is usually able to hold for at least half a minute, leastways till I got to him. We usually make it to the bathroom. Or the little bottle.

My problem is that I do not have enough pocket diapers for use when we go out. At home we're using folded flat + liner + cover, and this combination is hell to put back on when you're at a busy market. I regret altering most of the pockets I made for Rv to become training pants without soakers (WHAT had been going through my head then??). And I am no longer in the sewing mood (nor do I have the time). Dang.

My VBA2C story and thoughts

2010-10-14T16:50:00.003+08:00

Well folks, you won't see stuff like "went to the loo and had a show". Here's the gist of it:

Drug-free VBAC, although we had to do a vacuum because right when I was pushing they did the Doppler and the baby's heartbeat had dropped quite a bit. Because of the vacuum, I was transferred to the bed and put in stirrups, but these actually helped to alleviate some of the cramping and numbness in my legs. I birthed lying flat on my back (not semi-reclining!).

No episiotomy, but I did have a first degree tear and a few stitches.

The whole thing lasted for 6 1/2 hrs, from 3.30am to 10am, much shorter than expected. After all, I laboured for 14hrs with Reuvel, before being told that it wasn't gonna happen and they shot me with an epidural and sent me to the OT.

Reflections:

Some of you know just how much I wanted a VBAC when I was having #2. When it didn't happen, and my postnatal discussion with Paul concluded on the note that chances for a future VBAC would be very slim, I told myself then, if I can't have a VBAC, I WON'T have another baby. Then along comes the unplanned #3, whom God used to show me that I really can't give up hope. Anything is possible with Him.

Regrets:

My perfect birth would be birthing standing or kneeling upright, no tears (and no stitches!), and DH catching the baby. But my legs were numb and cramped from lying on my side once we got to the hospital, so that was out, plus I was tired out. But hey! I got my VBAC! And delayed cord clamping! And DH cut the cord! And I could nurse the baby immediately after Paul was done stitching! All these had been in my birth plan for #2. And I laughed and cried simultaneously for 3 minutes straight when they put the baby on my chest and I realised it was all over.

My deepest gratitude to:

Jehovah God - who heard all our prayers.

Ginny Phang - who taught me, 6 years ago, how to breathe and vocalise when the contractions got intense. This was how we got there drug-free.

Pat Chong - who lent me her last minute buddha's leg.

Amy Chin-Atkins - who encouraged me in every single email

to listen to my body and have faith in myself. And sent me the "research evidence" that I needed to put my fears at rest and go ahead with a TOLAC.

Gigy Chong - who was the very first person to tell me, straight to my face and without a doubt, that I would be able to do it. You know how much it meant to me.

Paul Tseng of TLC clinic - who at first discouraged me to go for a VBA2C but in the end, consented to my birth plan. You rock!

DH - who held my hands when it became unbearable and cried tears of joy with me when the baby was finally put on my chest. And who supported and trusted me in my decisions every step of the way.

And then the fourth trimester began d:)

Time to let go

2010-08-21T22:43:00.002+08:00

We have been living at our new home for 2 weeks, and tonight is the first night my son is sleeping in his own room, i.e. away from me. For the last 2 weeks, he slept on a mattress on the floor in our room, and before we moved, our beds were all connected in the huge bedroom, Ray's included (talk about the family bed).

This morning when I moved his mattress to his bedframe in his room, I wasn't really serious about shifting him out. But he was 100% ok, and looking forward to it in fact. That's when I realised that I was the one, who couldn't leave the family bed.

Yes, I've been babying my big boy, he turns six tomorrow but I still see him as my toddler. Doesn't help that he looks really babyish, and is short for his age, and is SOOOOOO adorable and lovable, just like a baby bear. I really do love him to bits.

But now another little boy is coming along (sometime within the next 3 weeks), and I have to prepare myself emotionally to move my big boy up to korkor status. I know HE's ready to be korkor, and excited.

I wonder how much sleep I will get tonight, probably check on him every hour or so when I go to the bathroom.

Time to move on

2010-07-05T23:05:00.002+08:00

The renovations for our new home have begun and we have an estimated 5 weeks before we move (that is if Murphy's Law doesn't happen). There are a lot of decisions to make, rethink, and confirm.

In the meantime, I am popping my veins over Temasek MagicLand, a fund-raising carnival organised by Ray's primary school (also my alma mater) for the needy students in the school (and I am proud to say that there are quite a number, as well as special needs students). June and I are in charge of the Chinese food stalls at Foodland, only one part of the whole show. This happens on 16 July, and it's open to the public.

I've never been a part of it, MagicLand only having been developed way after I graduated so I am pretty excited (although I'm not sure what to expect). It's challenging to say the least, to organise the food and roster, and in this respect I am bowled over by the generosity of the parents when it comes to fund-raising. We have food, monetary, and time and effort contributions from so many parents! I can only say that I am very proud to be a part of this school.

Once MagicLand is over, I can focus more on house-moving as well as birth plans, with the latter giving me the greatest headache. Paul doesn't want me to go for a VBA2C, on account of my having tried with the boy (who was huge! 3.98kg!). But he says he's open to it IF I go into labour earlier (unlikely) OR if the baby is much smaller (perhaps more Ray's size at 3.28kg). Well, I told him I will give it more thought once these 2 imminent projects are over.

Decisions, decisions!

And I have to decide which of my beloved plants (which have been neglected rather) will be making the move with us. The compost pile will be "inherited" by my parents, and I have been doing some minor reading up on container gardening. My original plan was to build a raised bed at the balcony, but alas! the costs are way too high, so till our situation changes, everything will have to be in pots or troughs. I hate pots!

All the herbs are going over of course, tiny pots which will sit nicely on the low bookcases at the windows. The chilli is already in a pot (I read that chillies and peppers do better in confined soil than open ground), and the red okra will have to be reseeded once I can find the right sized pot (easy) and the time (not so easy). My four o'clock plants are not setting seed (!) and I don't have the time now to read up and make changes, so I will have to ask Amanda for more seeds. They germinate very easily anyway, and grow very fast. Ray's asking for one specimen in her room, but I told her the 4 o'clock will be too big for the bookcase at full maturity. So she's going to try her hand at seeding some new basil.

I will miss my garden, but there's no point in moping over what cannot be changed.

Flowers for Teatime

2010-05-11T15:15:00.006+08:00

This plant is so-called because the buds all burst into bloom round about 4 o'clock. I have been watching them and it's true.

My Four O'clock plants have decided it's time to showcase their lovely blooms after growing for about 2.5 months.Here is a closeup of the yellow flower.

And here is a closeup of the pink one.
And both can be found on the same plant! Yes, one plant will produce flowers of more than one colour and each flower can have splashes of more than one colour as well. After the blooms wilt, each head will produce one big black seed, which is easy to sow and germinates readily. This plant does not grow too tall (about 1.5 ft max), and is very suitable for container gardening. I am sure bringing this with me when I move to my flat!

Use your Basil!

2010-04-23T22:09:00.007+08:00

Basil benefits from regular pruning, and since my Thai Basils were beginning to flower (oh no!) I chopped off most of their foliage, leaving only about 2 inches of leaves on each stalk. SO, what do I with all this crop? Two mature Basil plants can give quite a lot of "harvest", depending on what you want to do.

Herb Garlic Butter
1 250gm block butter (mine is salted), softened
2 to 5 sprigs of basil leaves, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pinch ground black pepper
-> Finely chop the basil leaves and mix everything together. Spoon into a container (I used a Chinese rice bowl and covered with cling wrap) and refrigerate at least half a day to let the flavours meld. Spread generously on bread and toast it. Yummy!

Pesto
At least 10 stalks of basil leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 cloves garlic (add more if you prefer, but beware!)
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, more if necessary
Pinch of salt (optional)
-> Blend or process all ingredients till you get a smooth thick paste. If you have a tiny chopper like mine, process the walnuts fine first, remove and add to cheese in a separate bowl, ditto garlic, and lastly process the basil with some EVOO. Stir/mix well in the bowl.
Store in airtight glass jar in the fridge, make sure there is a thin layer of oil on the top of the paste to reduce browning.

Disclaimer: These are recipes I got off the net but adjusted to my own preferences. They're not necessarily the best. If you have your own recipes, that's great! Whatever it is, just use up your Basil. Pruning will ensure you have lots of Basil whenever you need it (it sprouts more shoots and leaves very quickly).

If only I could find more uses for Mint! I haven't even used a single leaf yet!

First Antenatal Appointment at 20 weeks

2010-04-18T14:14:00.003+08:00

I will be seeing Paul for the first time tomorrow. Many have expressed their surprise that I haven't gone earlier. "Can meh?" they ask with raised eyebrows and eyes wide open. Why not? I counter, will the police come and haul you off to the clink?

The point is that I am comfortable with my actions, based on what I know. If there is something wrong, I will accept it. This is making an informed decision, and I have all my birthing friends (you know whom you are) to thank.

I have also decided that I WILL go for the developmental scan and bear the discomfort of lying on my back for an hour. This after talking through with HL and a close neighbour and friend, so we can prepare for any possible problems.

Other than that, I'm not thinking much about this pregnancy or the birth. I believe I have made my preparations (short of taking the appropriate bag of baby clothes from Mum!) all those years ago when I was expecting Rv and I have never really forgotten what I learnt.

My mind is turned to some other matters instead - renovation, garden, and my work. A lot to consider, and alas, I can multi-task, but not very well. It doesn't help that even at 20 weeks I have horrid nausea days (like today) about once a week. And normal life has to go on - schedules, meals, laundry, cleaning, voluntary work...

Life is full.

More Gardening Plans

2010-03-06T10:36:00.002+08:00

As my fatigue eases off slowly and I make fewer trips to the porcelain goddess, I remind myself that I really cannot let the garden go to ruin on account of the baby. So here are a few plans for some work to be done in the next few weeks, hopefully mostly in the March holidays.

1. Build a low wall around the bed out of bricks and rubble (note to self: buy a bag of cement from the hardware store), this will make for a more effective raised bed to keep the weeds out since I only have the one bed and paths are not necessary.

2. Clear away the old dead annuals in the bed - the french marigolds, the olde spicy basil bush that already has a few offspring growing beneath it.

3. Mix in some finished compost into the soil to build up nutrients. Mulch while waiting to complete point 4.

4. Transplant in the capsicum/chilli plants that have taken a turn for the better, and any new seedlings that we manage to seed in the next week, eg. red okra, ornamental capsicum. (note to self: start seeding!)

5. Divide Mum's thyme plants and repot or transplant into bed. A few clumps would be good.

6. Fertilise all plants with liquid kelp.

Back to bed. My energy has run down.

About my breastfeeding journey

2010-02-22T22:19:00.003+08:00

My son has self-weaned, at the grand old age of 5 years and 2 months. His elder sister stopped at 4 years and 2 months. And just when I thought it was more or less over, it seems it will begin all over again, in about 6 months' time.

I was not too thrilled at first, but with the passing of time, we have come to accept this fact (although I suspect HL is still coming to grips with the issue). I am glad that I will not be tandem nursing, because although I do believe in it, it was a really, shall I say, tough experience for both me and Ray. Not long ago, I was just checking to see if I had any milk at all (none, only a few drops of clear, colourless liquid from one side, doubt it's colostrum) and thought to ask the boy whether he would be interested in nursing again after the baby is born and I have lots of milk. "No," came the answer, so I guess that's that. My boy has left babyhood, although you wouldn't think it to look at him. Few are willing to believe that he will be in Primary One come next year, he looks as though he's only three! (His height doesn't help).

So now, I'm just hoping to live and get through this horrible period of discomfort which I've never had so bad before. Let whatever will happen, happen.

2009-12-21T22:37:00.002+08:00

Every time the flash storms return, I get rather worried about my garden. Will it be too much for the plants? Will it leach all the nutrients out of the topsoil? Do I need to dig some of them up and bring them into shelter? A couple of species have definitely had to be brought in and these are my spearmint and rosemary cuttings. I didn't realise that both their troughs were flooded and now 1 of the spearmints has given up its ghost and will be joining the compost heap. The 3 rosemary cuttings still look okay, but I'm taking extra precaution because I've killed 1 previous cutting before and now that these have successfully rooted, I'm gonna do everything I can to protect them. The reason I took them out was because we had been having quite a long break from the monsoon storms and they needed some sun. Then along came these storms.

The compost bin is no longer, I decided to put the pile out in the open to reduce the smells. Got a rusty wire netting from my Mum and wrapped cardboard all around it, plus a layer of cardboard to keep the rain out (but I forgot to cover THAT with a polythene sheet so now it's wet and sagging).

I am also preparing the patch of ground between the main bed and the "watermelon plot" (although the seeds never sprouted and have been replaced with coneflower seedlings and young capsicum and chilli plants) for cultivation. After the municipal grass trimmers came, Ray and I dug up the irritating concrete slabs and broken shingles that are buried smack between the thin 4" topsoil and the clay subsoil. Our entire area is like this, so every foot of land has to be tilled. Once this is done, we get our electrical goods cardboard boxes, slit them up and cover the area to be cultivated. This forms an effective weed barrier (blocks out light). I'm hoping it won't take more than a couple of months for them to die out, although we do have some pernicious grass runners.

There's not been much harvest since we got back from our Hong Kong vacation, and I just about thought my okra had gone on strike, but today we counted quite a few new buds, which will certainly blossom into delicious pods within the next couple of weeks. I am not regretting this venture into gardening, it is satisfying and educational (for me) and the kids enjoy spending time just hanging around the back when I'm there. Now to get their father to come out and get his hands dirty.

One of my favourite words - Harvest!

2009-11-27T13:06:00.004+08:00

I've harvested (and eaten) about 20 okra pods so far, but this is certainly my first batch of Kailan (Chinese Kale) grown as organically as possible in long troughs with compost-mixed soil.

I'm wondering why they don't look anything like the Kailan we get from the markets, stems are thinner and leaves are, well, rounder. But a tip from some elders last night - Kailan can be eaten whether big or small, if you don't harvest them soon, the worms will be feasting on them next. So I'm taking them and we will feast on them before we leave for Hong Kong (for a long-awaited holiday) this weekend.

Image captured by Rayzel Lim

Any Progress is better than none

2009-09-04T23:32:00.006+08:00

We now have 3 areas that constitute our "home vegetable garden". The first is a Germinating station we set up in a corner of our back porch, where seeds are sown and left to germinate under slightly controlled conditions. The second is the Seedling Toughening Up station for our Basil and and Capsicum plants before they are either transplanted into the open garden or given away. And the third is the little plot of land up the slope behind the house that I sprained my waist to hoe up. This is currently housing some garlic, okra, tarragon, ginger, capsicum, sunflower seeds and our old nursery basil.

There's really a lot to learn. Thankfully, "with the Internet the information is all at my fingertips". I take my hat off to all the home gardeners before the Information Age who got so expert at organic home gardening, through experience and hearing from others. I never thought in my whole life that I'd borrow FIVE books on gardening in one go from the library (and I had to limit myself!).

Some of the most important things I've learnt so far include:

1. Grow your garden on raised beds - Singapore is built on red clay, so beneath the topsoil of a few inches it's just hard clay, which although can be improved over time, is really not good for most plants. Raised beds give your plants more "legroom" to grow.

2. Interplant some ornamental plants with the crop plants - these will help to attract the beneficial birds and insects that will help pollinate the crop plants. Certain species, given the honorific Companion Plants, help to keep pests away as well.

3. Avoid chemical fertilisers and pesticides except as a last resort, and even then, sparingly - using these commercial chemicals will send your plants and soil into a vicious cycle of pests and diseases and degrading quality of soil. Search for organic, natural ways of improving your soil, which will ultimately keep your plants healthier with less effort required on your part. And other ways of repelling pests and extermination.

4. Compost - This is the singularly most effective thing you can do for your plants in terms of nutrition, AND it's very pro-conservation by reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills. Even in Singapore where I am told ALL household waste gets burnt, there must be SOMETHING left over that the government needs to dump somewhere. Composting also recycles nutrients from organic waste back to Mother Earth, so as we take from the garden, we can give something back.

5. Gardening is a family affair - Kids can garden too! They love sowing seeds, remembering to water each day (too many times in fact), checking on the seeds for germination / plants for flowers, transplanting and getting their hands covered with soil. Plus it's a wonderful, hands on way to teach them about conservation and life. Oooh, so profound.

Tomorrow we will, if the weather permits, begin hoeing up another patch of what passes for a lawn, in preparation for planting watermelons. This is because I've read that watermelon plants are
very aggressive and will take over the entire plot of soil. Same goes for Fennel, so I wonder what would happen if I put the two together in the same plot? *evil grin*

Make hay while the sun shines!

A New Journey Into Unchartered Territory

2009-08-04T11:55:00.000+08:00

I've never had green thumbs.

Most plants I tried to grow died out on me and the survivors were usually ragged, as if they had been through a blizzard and were not expecting to see the spring.

However, in my search for organic fruits and vegetables for my family, I've decided to put in a little more work into setting up a mini vegetable garden, which, hopefully, can be truly organic (certification by USDA is not necessary).

There's a lot of research to be done, the first part of it online. I envy those who don't need to read up at all and just DO. Like the Moms of two of my neighbours - they just know how to get started and keep growing. I need to go and read up all I can and hopefully, glean some insight into roots and leaves and all. Perhaps I should go dig up my O and A levels texts (yes, I still have them!).

Raised beds, compost, mulch, fertiliser, tilling, drainage, compaction - too many terms jostling in my mind for attention. I'm thankful to have supportive people around me, but I'll be counting on HL to give me the greatest physical support - chunko out the horrid shingle- and rubble-filled strip of land behind our house! I've actually asked the nursery nearby - Greenology - for a quote to till the area and sort it out. But it's "at least $150, excluding soil", so I guess we have some hard exercise planned for this weekend instead.

I am overjoyed that the okra seeds that were sown in a tiny pot last week have germinated, but they do need to be transplanted SOON so we must get the ground ready for it.

To arms!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

2009-03-27T20:06:00.002+08:00

A little vague but it's just for my own reference.

1. Wash and drain rice. Leave to stand for 1/2 hr.

2. Boil water

3. Rub chicken cavity with salt. Stuff in ginger, garlic, scallions.

4. Immerse chook in water in pot. Turn to low heat. Leave 20 min.

5. Take chicken out and plunge into ice water bath for 5-10 min.

6. Pound ginger and garlic.

7. Fry chook fat/skin. Add rempah, fry till fragrant. Add rice, salt and fry for about 1 min.

8. Add chicken stock to cover and cook. Add pandan leaves.

9. Drain chicken and chop into pieces.

10. Dilute sesame oil and soy sauce with some chicken stock and drizzle over chopped chicken.

On blogging

2008-12-16T17:17:00.004+08:00

It's getting hard for me to maintain my blog, partly because I spend a lot of time on Facebook (in addition to my other usual online activities), and partly because I realise I am always lacking in inspiration to blog.

Hence encouraging Rayzel to update HER blog is rather ineffectual on my part. But recently she's learnt that she can make it a nature blog as well. She is interested in biology, and knows how to google for things. So all that's left for her to master is how to sift the important bits from the pages and pages of information that is out there, to arrange and edit them into something sensible and flowing. And, to upload images. Now this has kept her going for a bit, we'll see how things turn out. It helps that she writes everything out in her notebook before actually blogging. Gives her an idea of how long the post is, and whether she needs more info to put in.

She badly needs to improve on her typing skills, but it's nothing that more practice (and not computer games) will not help. I don't believe in going for typing classes really.

Facebook

2008-09-27T15:32:00.003+08:00

Upon egging from a couple of good friends, I finally got myself onto Facebook.

The best thing is, I found a lot of old friends, from Secondary school even. Even if we don't message each other much, at least it's easy to see what they're up to.

Originally I thought there was no point in getting a Facebook account because I never login to my Friendster. But now I see the difference - Friendster's dead.

And I am absolutely hooked on Parking Wars! Gotta go check on my cars...

Our Tiger crashed!!!

2008-09-27T15:28:00.003+08:00

I never thought this would happen, but it did. Thankfully I seemed to have a premonition about a week before, and backed up most of my important files. However, after the crash, I realised that I'd forgotten quite a number of OTHER important files, argh!

After consulting a few people, we decided to just let it go and reformat the thing. So here I am, trying to catch up on quite a lot of stuff. I was toying with getting a MacBook, but since the eMac is up again, that'll just have to wait (no excuse lah).

HDB 1st appointment

2008-09-04T15:03:00.001+08:00

So we have finally reached this stage. Our dream of moving out of here and into our own place (again) is just around the corner!

We expect things to be completed by mid-Oct, after which we will do VERY minor renovations and begin shifting our stuff over before the grand move.

Christmas in the new home, YAY!

Teachers' Day Celebration Performance

2008-08-29T21:07:00.001+08:00

The Parent Volunteers of Temasek Primary put up 3 items for this - Line Dance, Skit and Bhangra. I was in the dance items, and it was FUN! I didn't realize how much I missed dancing, from my experiences in church last time and also in uni days. Glad to know I still have my sense of rhythm and ability to remember steps. Figure is a sore spot though.

And this is my first touch with Bhangra, I must say I like it very much. Wearing a Punjabi costume was also a first, very classy! Big thanks to Gina who lent me her $300 suit, I was real afraid I'd tear it or something. Photo coming soon...

They are asking for participation in another Bhangra dance item for the Children's Day celeb, I'm very tempted.

Another baby!

2008-08-18T22:20:00.003+08:00

I was awfully glad to hear that Sam, my ex-boss and benefactor, has birthed her fourth child. Time to rejoice my dear! We are all rejoicing with you! Congratulations!

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply...(attenuated)"
~Genesis 1:28

End of Swimming lessons

2008-08-09T09:56:00.002+08:00

We are stopping lessons for Ray. She starts crying whenever she thinks about them, although she was fine at the start, during the earliest phases of breathing, kicking drills. Now that the coach is making her swim in water that is slightly out of her depth, she's very afraid and cries. She cried practically all through her last lesson.

So after talking with her about it, we have decided to stop temporarily and wait till she's either a little taller or has built up her confidence. I'm at my wits' end for now.

House-hunting update

2008-08-01T14:31:00.003+08:00

We've found a 5-room flat in Pasir Ris between Loyang Pt and the police station, street 21. Now waiting for the HDB appointment.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

2008-08-01T14:21:00.002+08:00

It's the Lunar Seventh Month, the 4 weeks of the year when there will be a persistent smell of burning in the air... Thanks to my asthma, this is also the month when I train myself for the Olympic Games event - Breath-holding Till You Get Out Of Range.

This is a hilarious instrumental version by the Muppets (how I miss that show).

Maccha ice cream

2008-07-17T13:57:00.001+08:00

We saw this at FairPrice on Monday, in the ice cream section. $6.11
for a box of 6 cups, great taste, value for money!

All clear

2008-07-14T21:47:00.001+08:00

PHEW..................

I wonder what happened though.

Day Forty Five

2008-07-13T13:26:00.002+08:00

*gulp*

Oh no, I hope not. Give myself one more week before making a trip to the pharmacy.

Crouching Wolf Hidden Pig

2008-07-01T23:39:00.001+08:00

I learnt this from the Yang Sisters tonight. LMAO!

Once upon a time there were three little pigs from 峨嵋派，and a big bad wolf from 武当派。One day, the big bad wolf went to find the three little pigs to challenge them to a kungfu fight. The three little pigs said, "Ok, don't waste time. Let's fight."

THE END.

A Story on Generosity

2008-06-12T22:47:00.000+08:00

Late one evening, an old woman, dressed in dirty and torn clothes, came to a town. She came first to a rich man's house and knocked on his door. When the door was opened, the old woman asked for some food and drink and a place to rest the night.

"What a dirty old woman!" said the rich man. "We have nothing to give you, for times are hard and what we have we must save for ourselves. Go away, and don't come back."

The old lady begged the rich man to give her some water at least, for she was very tired and thirsty, but the door was slammed shut in her face.

She came next to a poor man's house. When the door was opened, the old woman asked for some food and drink and a place to rest the night.

"Certainly, old mother!" said the poor man. "We do not have much, for we are poor and have five children, but whatever we have you are welcome to take as much as you need."

And so speaking, the poor man and his wife sat the old woman down at the table, set a steaming bowl of food before her, and after dinner, gave her their bed while they shared a room with their children.

The next morning, the poor man and his family woke up to find the old woman gone, but a letter was left on the bed where she had slept. The letter read:

"Where the rich man had much to spare but little heart to give, you had little but gave much. From now on, whatever you do will prosper, and all blessings will be upon your family."

And indeed, from then on, the poor man's harvest was always plentiful, and his family always had enough to eat and plenty to spare. They always made sure to help other folks who were poor or in need, and this included the rich man's family, who had lost their riches overnight and were reduced to begging on the streets.

Questions for discussion
1. Was the rich man generous? Did he give the old woman what she needed? What did he say?
2. Was the poor man like the rich man? Did he give the old woman what she needed or more? What could he have done instead?
3. Is it better to give or to keep everything for yourself? Why?
4. When was the last time you gave something to someone else without asking for anything in return? Give an example.
5. Give an example of how we can give to others who are poor and needy.

SPARKS

2008-06-12T22:19:00.003+08:00

I signed up to be a parent volunteer in Ray's school and was assigned to SPARKS (School Parents Are Reinventing Kids' Skills).

SPARKS is a supplementary programme facilitated by PVs for pupils in P1. It happens during the one hour of Contact Time, when the teachers and principal have their weekly meeting.

How SPARKS began
Long long ago (8 years), some parent volunteers were very surprised to find the P1 and P3 children running round and round in the hot sun during contact time. All the teachers were in the meeting and the school was left to only the prefects to keep in order. So they suggested conducting a programme where parent volunteers take charge of the classes and teach them life skills and values through different elements of education.

And so SPARKS was born. VOICE (I'm not sure what it stands for) is the programme for the P3 classes, it is more structured and PVs have to go for some training.

Because I had to look after Ruvie, I couldn't go for SPARKS during the first term. However, I managed to coax him to attend to Nursery at Ray's old kindy, so now I have some free time to do SPARKS. I began in the 2nd term.

It is fun, although at first I got rather overwhelmed when dealing with 6- and 7-year-olds who are as yet unfamiliar with self-discipline and patience. Usually there are 2 PVs attached to a fixed class, but there was one lesson where, due to shortage of staff, I was on my own with my class. I'd almost lost my voice by the end of that SPARKS lesson.

By the end of this term, my class has come to know me better, and I can remember at least half of their names. I think it's got a lot to do with understanding the other party's capabilities and character, and adjusting of expectations. I'm also helping the management team in organising activities for the next term.

I think if schedules permit next year, I will continue to volunteer for SPARKS. It's sad that half of the PVs are volunteering to get their child into the school the next year, and out of the regulars, a few are not-so-regular. Of course, everyone has their commitments, as do I, but I've learnt that having a permanent teacher attached to a class is really more beneficial than changing the teacher at every lesson. Much like caring for a young baby.

Here's to the next term of SPARKS.

Meatballs recipe

2008-06-04T09:20:00.003+08:00

I was hunting for a better meatball recipe after my first batch failed (quite some time ago), and after browsing a few on Allrecipes, here's my final. These are absolutely scrumplicious!

Ingredients:
1 kg ground beef (or substitute half pork)
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 red onion, finely minced
3 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup water
Butter for frying

Method:
In a large bowl, mix beef, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, before adding eggs to incorporate. Add water, mix well. Form meat mixture into balls slightly smaller than golf balls, about 50 balls.
Over med-high heat, melt butter in a wok or frying pan. Brown balls in batches, remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let cool, then split into batches and store in freezer.
To reheat, set oven to 180 deg C and bake balls 10 - 15min.

Yay, school is out!

2008-05-24T09:34:00.006+08:00

No more schedules for me! For one month at least.

Stuff we have planned for the hols - trips to the Zoo, Bird Park, and Science Centre. We've been to all these places before, but the kids just want to go again and again. We haven't even covered the whole of the Science Centre yet.

The end of semester brought us all a very pleasant surprise - Ray's top in class. Praise to God. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the ranking in her report book. However, since the first semester makes up only 30% of the final grade for this year, she'll have to work hard to maintain her standard.

I can still remember all the frustration we went through with revision for the exams, especially with Mother Tongue. Argh. And so careless! With Maths, and even English. (Some of the P1 kids I know that are attending other schools don't even have exams! But my old school hasn't changed at all.)

We told ourselves not to expect too much, after all there were no exams or ranking in her kindergarten, and this kindy believes in making learning fun, so that children will not develop a fear of education. As long as she understood all the principles and passed, that would be enough.

Initially, we set a certain score for each subject, which if she reached, she would be given a special prize. But she said she didn't want it because she didn't want to work hard. Good grief!

She was given a book by the school to set her targetted grades in, and exceeded all of them beyond our expectations. Her highest percentage was in ---- Chinese! And not English as we expected.

Well done Ray. Have a happy hols, but don't forget you still have to help with chores.

The Maya Padded Slings are so beautiful

2008-05-10T09:06:00.002+08:00

I just received a new batch of Maya Padded Slings this week, with an upgraded design (they listened to feedback and redesigned the shoulder area so it's more like the Moms In Mind sling now). It's definitely much more comfy than the Original Maya Wrap.

And I caught myself thinking as I was unpacking them, wish I had another baby right now so I can use those lovely colours!

Gulp. I read once on Asiaparents that women are able to forget the pain and intensity of childbirth, and we go on to have more children, especially after we see or carry a young baby from another family.

Ahhh... But I do not fear childbirth. Perhaps the only thing I would like about having another baby is the labour and childbirth itself. I want to have a successful VBAC, but Paul says chances are slim. My doulas think otherwise.

In any case, what I DO NOT want to go through again are
tandem nursing
the first year of EC
the struggle to lose weight and slim down (I'm still trying to do this!)
re-losing my "freedom" (now that kids are older, I have a little time to myself between sending and fetching them after school)
the worry about finances
guilt from neglecting the first 2 kids

AND not forgetting
Ruvie still so sticky to me
my business
CONFINEMENT (I'm not putting myself under my mom's control again about what to eat etc)
not enough rooms to split between the children
no more car after this one
insurance

Heave big sigh. So thanks but no thanks. We're stopping at 2. For the sanity of all of us. Unless, of course, God wants us to have one more, in which case I can't object. I take my hat off to Barbs, Pat, Serene, Sam, Rita, Pam!

开始缺乏智慧了

2008-05-03T21:53:00.004+08:00

左边下部的牙龈好疼啊！

HL说他看到一个白白的东西要长出来，所以我想应该是吧。

看能拖多久才去看牙医。

Update: It was just an ulcer on the gum at the back, behind the last tooth, cleared up after about 4 days. Pshaw! And there I was getting excited over nothing. Lack of vitamin C.

Please pray for Jill

2008-05-03T21:41:00.002+08:00

I just got to know that a friend's second daughter, who is only 2 years old, has been diagnosed with a rare type of kidney cancer. I was in tears after I read her announcement on the La Leche League Singapore site.

How heartrending it must be to see her very young child in pain, and have to go undergo all that chemo and take so many drugs to prevent the cells from spreading.

And again I told Rayzel (the first time was the school bus accident which took the life of a young boy), the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. We never know when we will leave this world, so better start getting your life right with God.

Dear Kelly, although I know you live your life in the hospital these days and won't have time to read this (probably don't even know about my blog), we are praying for you and your family. Please do not give up your hope and faith in our Lord Jehovah Rapha.

Aspartame

2008-04-26T17:00:00.003+08:00

HL PLEASE READ THIS.

Aspartame is made of

1. Aspartic acid (which becomes aspartate in your body) - 40% by composition

Aspartate, a neurotransmitter, facilitates the transmission of information from neuron (nerve cell) to neuron, however, too much of it in the brain stimulates the neurons to death. The scariest thing about this is, you don't notice symptoms till at least 75% of your brain cells are gone.

2. Phenylalanine - 50%

This is an amino acid (basic protein compound) that is normally found in your brain. However, eating aspartame, especially together with carbohydrates, can lead to excessive levels of phenylalanine in your brain. So what? This can reduce the levels of serotonin, a hormone which regulates sleep and is also a neurotransmitter. Then you get sleep problems, anger, anxiety, and emotional disorders such as depression. Can also cause schizophrenia and make you more susceptible to seizures.

3. Methanol - 10%

Poison alert! Methanol is oxidised into formic acid and formaldehyde in your body. Formic acid leads to a rise in blood acidity, and formaldehyde, a toxin, allergen and carcinogen, is what we used to "fix" tissues for biology, or you can say to "preserve" the dead fish or whatever animal. I'm unable to check right now (dinner cooking downstairs) but IIRC formaldehyde is the main preservative used to "embalm" the cadavers for med students to do dissection. If you've been to the Body Works exhibition you'll remember there's a funny smell in the air - that's the formaldehyde. It stinks! And if you get some of it on your finger, the skin and underlying nerves will die. At least, that's what my tutor told me d:)

From Wikipedia - "An aqueous solution of formaldehyde can be useful as a disinfectant as it kills most bacteria and fungi (including their spores). It is also used as a preservative in vaccinations. Formaldehyde solutions are applied topically in medicine to dry the skin, such as in the treatment of warts. Many aquarists use formaldehyde as a treatment for the parasite ichthyophthirius."

Eew! As a preservative in vaccinations???

Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vision problems, headaches, dizziness, nausea, queasiness (did I get this word right?), weakness, numbness, memory lapses.

SO..... in WHAT can you find Aspartame?

Sugar substitutes eg. Equal, NutraSweet - use these to kill ants in your kitchen, hah!
Diet drinks eg. Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi
"Sugarless sweets" eg. Lakerol, Ricola, Eclipse (DH's current fav)
Chewing gum
Some brands of yogurt
Some vitamins (Redoxon!) and cough drops

So always check the INGREDIENTS on what you buy, "Sugar-free" may not necessarily be healthy, nor "Diet" foods and beverages. Don't eat or drink anything that has "Artificial Sweetener" on its ingredient list. Less calories but more toxins, is not the way to go.

(And they always taste very artificial.)

步入考试的忧虑

2008-04-21T00:06:00.002+08:00

女儿上了小一，我们也开始为华文而烦恼。毕竟用华语跟孩子们沟通并不是我们家庭的习惯。

虽然她幼稚园的老师教得非常好，当时对华文字的认识与发音都从零而进步了许多，还是担心她应付不了小学的华文。

当然临时抱佛脚是没用的，可是这段期间我猛地在帮她补习。

喔！发现我真的对她不耐烦。她也常不专心，放空。竟然还在我解释的时候，用铅笔当着我的面，画画！

我必须告诉自己，别气，她只是个小孩子，心里当然想着玩耍。不能对她有太过分的要求。

我也是过来人，小学的华文根本就是一头污水。

一直到我开始收听华语电台，学唱华语歌，才开始对华文有更深厚的兴趣。

这几年来，也是靠收看台湾许许多多的节目，因而扩大了自己的知识。真后悔，多希望小时候就能够与华文有更多的接触。

好头痛啊！希望，他们不会重蹈我覆辙。

The Dangers of Excessive Childhood Vaccinations

2008-04-02T09:24:00.003+08:00

Got this from Mercola.com
By Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

"I find it interesting that there exist an incredible double standard when it comes to our evidence versus theirs. The proponents of vaccination safety can just say they are safe, without any supporting evidence what-so-ever, and it is to be accepted without question.

Yet, let me, or anyone else, suggest that excessive vaccination can increase the risk of not only autism, but also schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases, and they will scream like banshees – Where is the evidence? Where is the evidence?

When we produce study after study, they always proclaim them to be insufficient evidence or unacceptable studies.

More often than not, they just completely ignore the evidence. This is despite the fact that we produce dozens or even hundreds of studies that not only demonstrate the link clinically and scientifically, but also clearly show the mechanism by which the damage is being done -- even on a molecular level. These include cell culture studies, mixed cell cultures, organotypic tissue studies, in vivo animal studies using multiple species and even human studies. To the defenders of vaccine safety -- our evidence is never sufficient and, if we face reality -- never will be."

I shudder whenever I think of those 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 vaccines. To give a vax is bad enough, but to give ALL these live and attenuated viruses AND their toxin-laden preservatives and additives into the young, young body of an infant younger than 6 months old, and THEN to repeat the darn thing at least twice over the course of the next year or so?? I wouldn't do it to myself, much less imagine doing it to my kids.

I confess that there was a time when I took all of this for granted, which is why Ray has got all her jabs ON TIME up to about 9 months of age (but never the 5 or 6-in-1). It MUST be okay because

1. it's been done for so many years

2. the government says it's ok

3. I had them and I'M fine

4. my parents are nurses and they know what's best

5. (this comes as an afterthought) I don't know anyone or their kids who has autism, ADHD, dyslexia etc. Heck I'd probably never even HEARD of these disorders at the time.

Then I met the right people, who taught me to think for myself and question the "facts" and BOOM! it all changed. (So much for the "thinking-out-of-the-box" I was supposed to have learnt in school.) I learnt to trust my natural instinct (heh!) and make my own deductions based on my own research (ok I didn't do any studies but I read the studies of others).

It's tough converting the people around me. Most of them have the exact same mindset that I used to have (see points 1 - 4 above), and old habits die hard. Few like to break out of their comfort zone. Even fewer dare to challenge the powers that be, in Singapore. In the end, I'm satisfied if I can at least have the final say over my own children. Thanks to Amy, who really taught me that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

F&N refuses to disclose source of Fresh Milk

2008-03-30T18:00:00.004+08:00

I was doing some simple "research" on fresh milks available in Singapore recently, and found that most brands of fresh milk state their source of milk clearly on the carton. For example, Farmhouse is from Australia, Brownes is from Indonesia etc.

However, I checked a few times but never found the source for Magnolia Fresh Milk, possibly the most popular brand of fresh milk (and generally the most costly). So I decided to do some digging. I looked for the telephone number of F&N Singapore, distributor of Magnolia milks, and called their customer service hotline.

When the operator (or whomever) answered, I said I was calling to find out where their milk came from. So I was transferred to another person, a lady who asked me WHY I wanted to know their sources. Well, basically because I want to know where the milk I drink comes from, which country.

She replied that she was unable to disclose their sources, but it COULD come from a few different countries. I pursued by asking whether it is from the Australasia area or Indonesia, but her only reply was, "I cannot tell you". Dodgy, ain't it? She later said that countries may include Vietnam, Thailand and a few others, and that the milks come into Singapore and are packaged here after quality control.

So now I have a picture of different qualities of milk coming from different tubes into one central tank and getting all mixed up and swirled around. Ew.

In any case, I've never thought it was worth spending those extra cents on that brand, although Magnolia Fresh Milk always did taste good and has the longest shelf life for fresh milk. (Side note: does this mean that they pasteurise their milk beyond the usual temperatures? Another uh-oh). I used to get one carton of Fresh Milk and one Chocolate Fresh Milk (yeah yeah, I know it's got milk solids, but it IS yummy!) whenever there was a "2 for" offer, but since our Bangkok trip I've discovered Meiji Choc Milk which we all like (and is cheaper but has a shorter shelf life), so Magnolia has left our lives for some time.

So one of my short-term goals in life is, find a continuable source of RAW MILK, or at least get a taste of it.

Only Fermented Soy is Healthy

2008-03-30T10:56:00.001+08:00

Non-fermented soy products such as whole soybeans (fresh or dry), soy milk and even tofu, are not good for us, because unfermented soy contains various toxic compounds:
#1 is phytic acid (phytates) which binds to certain minerals in our digestive system, hindering their absorption.
#2 is haemagglutin, which causes red blood cells to agglutinate and inhibits oxygen take-up.
#3 enzyme inhibitors - hinder protein digestion.
#4 but probably the worst - they contain high levels of isoflavones (aka phytoestrogens), which mimic and can block the oestrogen in our body.

Fermenting soy drastically reduces the level of isoflavones, reduces the phytic acid level, and also improves the essential amino acid composition in the soy product. It even creates natural probiotics! So what are the great soy products to eat?

1. Miso
2. Nattou (I've always wanted to try this but didn't have the guts)
3. Tempeh (something I never liked since young but will put aside my prejudice to try again)
4. Soy sauce (go for trusted brands of traditionally fermented soy sauce and beware of chemically processed ones)

Must limit myself to one cup of soy milk per week.

Sesame Street - Rubber Ducky

2008-03-26T21:35:00.002+08:00

And here's Ernie's Rubber Ducky, for your benefit, kids.

OH!
Rubber Ducky
You're the one
You make bath time
Lots of fun!
Rubber Ducky
I'm awfully fond of you! (bobobodeo)

Rubber Ducky
Joy of joys
When I squeeze you you make noise
Rubber Ducky
You're my very best friend it's true

Every day
When I make my way to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and yella
And chubby
Rubba dub dubby!

Rubber Ducky
You're so fine
And I'm lucky that you're mine
Rubber ducky I'm awfully fond of you

Sesame Street - Somebody Come and Play

2008-03-26T21:31:00.002+08:00

This is the original version of the song, by Joe Raposo

Somebody come and play
Somebody come and play today
Somebody come and smile the smiles
And sing the songs
It won't take long
Somebody come and play today

Somebody come and play
Somebody come and play my way
Somebody come and rhyme the rhymes
And laugh the laughs
It won't take time
Somebody come and play today

Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind
Somebody see the time is getting late to begin

Somebody come and play
Somebody come and play today
Somebody come and be my friend
And watch the sun 'till it rains again
Somebody come and play today

So the US Government has conceded that Mercury does cause Autism

2008-03-22T22:17:00.009+08:00

When will OUR government do the same? I have no idea how far behind we are on these issues (for example, do we still have thimerosal in our vaccines?) but I'm not counting on us being up-to-date enough.

*Flu shots contain thimerosal as a preservative.
* Thimerosal is 50% ethylmercury.

I am very thankful that Ray, who has had every recommended shot so far, shows no sign of adverse reactions. Ruvie has always been more sensitive to everything, so he's only just had the first 3 DTPs and we're now waiting for another year before the booster is administered.

In America, there are ways to legally avoid vaccines, such as the Religious Vaccine Exemption and the Philosophical Vaccine Exemption. What exemption grounds do we have? Allergy to thimerosal? Do we need a doctor's letter for that? I would really want Ruvie NOT to take the MMR. I am currently collating all the suggestions and experiences of other moms before me, and hoping I can find a way out of this situation.

I'm glad for one thing at least - HL supports me on this. It would be tough to choose to walk this way if I were alone.

UPDATE: Pat has reminded me that it's not just about mercury. What about Aluminium, another neurotoxin? If we're cracking down on all Aluminium cookware and such, what about Al in vaccines? I'm not sure whether this link is still working, but it's definitely worth reading.

And of course, there are the vaccines themselves. Live and/or attenuated viruses, all to be introduced into the immature immune system of a young child, preferably before the age of 2. Gulp.

Time of the month

2008-03-22T22:01:00.004+08:00

There are a few days each month that I am always very happy, because although I get some discomforts such as cramps and backache, I am reminded again of how much I love my Mooncup, and how it has revolutionised my life.

Ever since puberty, I have had to deal with itches and broken skin, because my skin is very sensitive, even to my own bodily fluids. Ten years of sports training served to make that worse, and although tampons were available, I simply couldn't overcome the mental stigma to use them (it didn't help that getting to know my own body was more or less a taboo, so I had no idea where which part was).

I finally started using tampons sometime after the birth of my first child (heh heh, knew my parts better then), but the dangers of Toxic Shock Syndrome were always printed very clearly on the packaging, and you may be sure I never forgot them.

It was certainly a great relief to find the Mooncup just before I conceived my second child, but I held off on getting one at the time because I hoped to have a VBAC (didn't happen).

So here I am with my B Mooncup, having itch-free days, doing my part for the Earth, saving money for my dear husband, and setting a good example for my daughter (she knows where it goes). Only thing is I tend to forget to empty often enough on my heavy days, so dark-coloured underwear is a must.

Ok, I think it's almost time to empty again d:)

Thank you Ginny, for bringing in the Mooncup to Singapore so many years ago, and for allowing me to carry on this splendid tradition.

Another Milestone for us

2008-03-19T21:37:00.008+08:00

My Ruvie will be officially attending Nursery at Changi Bethany Kindy, beginning tomorrow. Sniff sniff.

I brought him down today with his sister for a trial session as agreed with the new Principal (who was Ray's K2 English teacher, congratulations Principal Patsy! May the Lord bless you with the vision and passion which He has prepared for you, to lead this school, and may you bring it to greater heights under His guidance and will.)

At first, he began crying when he saw that there were little children in the classroom, and wanted to go back to the car, but I "manhandled" and carried him in. He sat on my knee with his fists in his eyes and refused to look at anything at all. Finally, Teacher Rose brought over an animal puzzle to tempt him with and we managed to get him to forget the others and begin to play. Shortly after that he was fine so Ray and I "escaped" to the office to enrol him officially.

When school was over, that little boy was smilingly holding onto his teacher's hand, and nodded his head when asked whether he'd like to come again tomorrow. Hallelujah!

For the next 2 school days I will still have to stay at the school, but outside the classroom, "just in case". Recalling Ray's first day at CBK, I didn't even stay with her. We took the school bus together, then before I handed her over to the teacher I told her to follow instructions and I would meet her when the school bus brought her home. And that was that. But then she's always been very independent, and had already made a friend on that first trip to school, so there was no need to worry.

I will seriously be entering that juggling phase that I've seen my friends go through, most notably Rita, heh heh. Bring #1 and #2 to pick #3 from school , then send #1 to school then #2 to school, then go to ILs to pick up #4, then to the office/shop, or some such. I've always marvelled at how well-thought-out their schedules were!

I will really get some "free time" inbetween, so I hope to take up some volunteer work with Ray's school, signed up so long ago but have had no chance so far to really participate.

Here's to the next mile!

Time to say Goodbye to my Bosch washer

2008-03-13T20:53:00.004+08:00

Since December last year, my faithful Bosch 5kg washer has been tripping up the whole house's electricity. At first, after restoring the trip we could still use it, but with this current wet season, it's happening every time we try to use it, and today, it's just running longer than 5 secs without tripping.

Our repairman said it's due to the moisture in the air (tis true, only on rainy days), but after hearing that it's about 5yo (we got it when we moved to staff quarters in 2003), he says he will have to come and take a look and advise us duly.

But we highly suspect that it's time to bury it in peace. We're now looking at the Bosch WAA12165. I can't find its specs on the net! Only lists and lists of product models (some in Arabic I think), and no product specs page. Bosch International's website is also not giving me the info I need, neither is Bosch Singapore. Argh!!

But I like the image d:) Only thing is it's bigger this time - 5.5kg, so... costs more lor.

Update 19 Mar: 'Tis good to have a washer again. I realised as I was hanging up my first load, that I get depressed when I can't get my laundry done, or haven't done any for at least 3 days. Now that loads are getting cleared, I'm a very happy woman!
p.s. i probably sing best when i'm hanging up the laundry.

Egg cartons

2008-03-02T19:39:00.003+08:00

My family buys 10 eggs on average of once a week and we end up with all these plastic egg cartons. They're not recyclable (no recycling marking) so the only thing I can think of is to return them to the egg farms so they can be reused.

However, doing that will cost time, money and effort, so I'm wondering whether I can strike up an agreement with one or other of the egg farms, to give me a certain discount off a new packet of eggs for every carton that I return to them. Or perhaps with Fairprice (I'm pretty sure Sheng Siong can't be bothered to do much about conservation).

In return, the farm can be assured of my loyalty to their brand, and I can also help spread the word. After all, every bit of conservation helps, and I expect there are millions of plastic egg cartons being throw away each day.

I do wish that there are predecessors I can consult though.

Tiramisu

2008-02-04T23:02:00.000+08:00

I watched this on a David Rocco's Dolce Vita last year I think. His has alcohol but mine doesn't. Easy to make, easy to remember and so unbelievably yummy! Valentine's Day is coming...

Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tub (500g) mascarpone cheese
5 egg whites
About 30 ladyfinger biscuits
2 cups espresso (unsweetened)
Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings for garnishing

Method:
In a medium bowl, beat yolks and sugar till lemony. Thoroughly mix in mascarpone cheese.
In a large glass or ceramic bowl (no plastic bowls), beat eggwhites till stiff peaks. Fold in yolk mixture.
Dip half of the ladyfinger biscuits quickly into the coffee (do not soak) and use them to line the bottom of an 8X8" baking dish or cake pan. Spread half of the egg mixture over the bottom layer of biscuits. Repeat with remaining biscuits and egg mixture. Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or dust thickly with cocoa powder before serving.

Blocked duct!

2008-02-03T22:47:00.000+08:00

After almost 7 years of breastfeeding, here I am with a blocked duct, which I have no idea came from where. There were no signs of blebs or blisters, nor have our nursing patterns changed. But I had some pain in the nipple the last couple days when Ruvie nursed, and today when I was having my shower, I felt a sharp stab of pain when I was washing.

Heavens! Hiding sinisterly on the underside like a scheming serpent, was a swollen duct, right to the base of my breast. Upon massaging, it seemed to be clear nearer the nipple, but was there was quite a big lump at the source.

So begins my nightmare. I have always been afraid of plugged ducts, and vividly remember the early days of nursing Ray when I was so engorged and had to see a Lactation Consultant (Sister Linda Ho, thank you!). I also had a blockage just after I weaned Ray, about 3 years ago. That one did lead to mastitis, but thankfully, the fever didn't last very long and the whole thing was over pretty soon (though not soon enough for me).

As anyone who has nursed a baby for at least 6 months will know, once you have a blocked duct, the sooner you clear it the better. It will NOT just go away on its own. Ray and HL have both helped to massage the blockage, but the very last bit is just not going away yet. I'm hoping Ruvie will do HIS bit tonight and keep nursing that side (he's always changing sides every 30 secs).

Ahh... Breastfeeding is a rocky road indeed.

We are shopping for a HDB flat

2008-01-23T15:40:00.000+08:00

And it's crazy!!! Everyone's asking for cash terms of $40K but most are closing at about $35K. We have a rather low budget for the cash price, but now are willing to increase it if we can find one with less renovation for us to change, eg. flooring, bathroom tiles.

Meanwhile, it's fun and exciting to think and plan for the kitchen, bathrooms, and wardrobe. Our IKEA catalogue is getting rather beat up.

Fused Plastic Bag Tote side 2

2008-01-09T20:40:00.001+08:00

Right I am unable to put more than one image in one post because I'm uploading them via Flickr, so here's the other side of the tote. Featuring Ruvie and Dad, courtesy of Ray.

I am so gonna use it when I next go grocery shopping... tomorrow, hiak hiak.

Now working on making another, taller tote with a larger base, better for groceries.

Fused Plastic Bag Tote side 1

2008-01-09T20:37:00.001+08:00

My very first try at making a tote out of fused plastic bags. The bag
itself is from those HUGE red plastic bags my potties come in, and
the handles are from Xmas season Fairprice grocery bags. The silver
flower is the inside of our fav Nong Shim Korean noodles wrapper, and
the doodles are courtesy of Ray.

Practical Tips to Reuse your Plastic Bags

2008-01-09T20:27:00.000+08:00

Kitchen and wastepaper bin liners

Protect your table when doing art and craft projects. Cut the bags up so you can lay them flat.

Shoe covers for wet/muddy places - put your whole foot, shoe and all, into the bag and tie the handles around your leg snugly.

Variation of the above - if you need to put on wet shoes or boots, put a plastic bag over the driest layer (socks or foot) to keep your feet dry.

Donate them to your local library so they can give out to patrons to carry their borrowed books / movies / CDs in (still checking up on whether Sg libraries will accept)

Donate them to your local thrift store eg. Cash Converters

Fuse a few sheets together under a sheet of paper to make a Tyvek sheet (a thicker plastic material) and use the result to make reusable shopping bags, wallets, cushion covers, waterproof linings for wet bags etc. Instructions at
http://mooneatsun.blogspot.com/2007/09/fused-plastic-bags-tutorial.html

Make a "bean-bag" out of plastic bags in a cloth exterior

Make a sock ring or napkin ring by twisting it then joining the ends neatly. Works well as towel rings too.

Tear them into strips to make a ball of plastic bag yarn, then crotchet your yarn into bags, coasters, rugs and more!
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/category/plastic-bag-crafts/

Please let me know if you know other neat ways of reusing your plastic bags.

The Kimchi Dragon

2008-01-07T00:26:00.003+08:00

Behold, this lovely urn has henceforth been christened The Kimchi
Dragon. There are two dragons on it, facing a golden ball (you can
just see it at the left side of the urn), or as Ray described it,
"they're playing together, with the sun."

I needed a large clay, glass or ceramic jar (no plastic containers please) to hold the kimchi for the first 3 days before portioning it and putting into the fridge. This urn is the perfect size and look for 1 large head of Napa cabbage, but I do wish it had a lid.

Kimchi 韩国泡菜

2008-01-07T00:26:00.001+08:00

This has been perfuming the house since this afternoon. Wow... can't wait the 3 days to taste it. Right now it's still rather sweet. Accepting orders d:)

非常感动我的一首歌

2007-12-31T01:08:00.000+08:00

其实我是先在“终极一家”里面听到大东的Rock版本之后才在Youtube上寻找邓丽君的版本。

天啊！好感人！听着听着，还会落泪。。。那么美好的歌声，已离我们而去。。。

我几乎天天都会唱这首歌。连我三岁的儿子也会唱了！（因为我常唱这首歌哄他入睡）

希望你们也会爱上这首歌。

No Knead Bread Recipe

2007-12-31T00:49:00.000+08:00

Especially for Barbs d:)

Ingredients:
3 cups bread / plain flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cup water
wheat bran for dusting teatowel

Method:
Combine 1st 3 ingredients in medium mixing bowl and mix well.
Add water and stir (abt 10 secs). Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 18 hours.
Heavily dust a work surface with flour and scrape dough (will be watery but bubbly) onto it. Sprinkle more flour (just so it won't stick to your hands) onto it and fold like popiah couple of times. Helps to use a scraper.
Generously flour or sprinkle wheat bran on a cotton teatowel (no Terry cloth) and working quickly, shape dough into a round ball with your hands. Place dough seam side down on teatowel.
Sprinkle more wheat bran on top and cover with another teatowel (if you have a long enough one you can just fold the other half over on top). Let rest 2 hours.
About 1.5hr into rising time, preheat oven to 230 degC and put in your cast iron, Pyrex or ceramic dutch oven (any pot with lid that can tahan this heat will do actually) to heat together WITH THE LID OFF BUT ALSO IN THE OVEN.
After 2 hrs of rising, take the pot out carefully and throw the dough in with seam side up, put the lid on and bake 30 min in hot hot oven. Then remove lid and bake another 15 min for a beautiful crust. Cool on rack unless you cannot tahan and want to burn your tongue and hands d:)
TA-DAH!!!

UPDATE: I've tried using a normal loaf pan (no lid) for this as well, works! Just make sure you have a pan of water in the oven and/or spritz water every 10 min.

To be a better Steward of the Earth that God has given me

2007-12-13T00:27:00.000+08:00

If you still haven't done so, go watch Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff, an awesome video on consumer goods.

I told HL just now, the key words are "Sustainability" and "Buy Less". As mentioned in the video, recycling is great, but not enough. Consumers may recycle as much as they can, but organisations and factories in the production step and retail step are not or may not be doing enough in recycling, reducing and reusing. So BUY LESS, and they'll make less, hopefully.

Further reading on how to do your part for our Earth.

More to integrate into my family's lifestyle:
1. Less expenditure on toys, especially cheap plastic ones.
Plastic is generally toxic to us and the environment, and a lot of plastic cannot be recycled properly.

2. Do not be a slave to fashion.
Thankfully Singapore's climate is not seasonal, we don't have to get new clothes unless old ones wear out. I'm actually fine with wearing old clothes for CNY.

3. When we get our new home, keep as much of our current furniture as possible. Functionality is more important than look and style.

4. Avoid bottled drinks- soft drinks, fruit juices, teas, mineral water. Does Bunderberg count? Those are glass bottles. We love our Root Beer (and I my Ginger Beer).

5. Avoid drinks and foods sold in Tetra-Paks and similar packaging - packet drinks eg. fruit juices, UHT milk, Vitasoy, teas.
Tetra-Paks are made of plastic (not again!) and Al-coated (there's Al in my green tea?!) paperboard and according to the video, are virtually impossible to separate (I've read about this someplace else a long time ago too). However, I just found this, but we don't know how much exactly comes out recycled or reused at the end (and how much gets trashed after all), AND I don't know whether our recycling companies here in Sg are able to do that yet.

6. Less TV!!!
And less brain-washing to go out and buy that new toy, that new snack, that cool new gadget.

7. Drive less, walk more.
Fossil fuel depletion, fuel emissions, more road and carparks, less green spaces. 'Nuff said.

8. Less shopping!!!

Cute diaper clip

2007-12-09T12:45:00.000+08:00

This was posted on the big EC list.

A couple of years back there was also a clip like this and it went
"I have a poopy
Inside my diaper
Mommy come wipe me
It's so uncomfortable
It is not fun to sit
In your own pile of sh*t
It's so disgusting
Self-defecating
I have a poopy
Mommy come wipe me
Mommy come wiiiiipe me
Wipe my a$$"

I'm glad we EC!!

麻油鸭 "Ma You Ya" aka Sesame Oil Duck

2007-12-07T15:14:00.000+08:00

This warms us up during cold and rainy weather (end of the year), and we've had it twice in as many weeks. Kids love it too, and leftovers can be eaten with noodles the next day or bread. But man! Duck is costly. This dish is very 补, good for confinement as well (if you're sick of 麻油鸡). I threw in some duck gizzards, courtesy of the auntie at the market.

Ingredients:
1 duck, chopped into bite size pieces
1/4 cup roasted sesame oil aka 麻油
1/3 cup old ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 cup wolfberries aka 枸杞子
1 bottle (ca. 350ml) chinese rice wine, about 20% alc content
Half a head of cabbage or napa cabbage aka Chinese wong bok, with biggest leaves cut in half
Salt to taste

Method:
In a large wok, heat sesame oil over medium heat for a few seconds before adding ginger. Stir fry ginger till fragrant, add wolfberries, fry for about 1 min.
Add duck pieces, turning till evenly browned. Add rice wine, cover and bring to boil for about 5 min. Add a little water so duck pieces are almost completely submerged, bring to boil then lower heat to low-medium and simmer for about 1 hour.
Add cabbage and salt, cover for about 5 min (for crunchier cabbage, just bring to boil).
Serve hot with rice.

Plain white loaves with a little wheat bran

2007-11-24T16:52:00.003+08:00

This was made using dough hooks and given a longer rising time than usual. The first rise was about an hour but the second was done in the fridge, about 5 hours or more. This bread turned out much better than any loaves I ever got from the bread machine, which were only nice and soft within the first 4-5 hrs. These stayed soft till day 3 (after day 2 leftovers went into the fridge). I'm never going back to the bread machine.

My No Knead Bread

2007-11-24T16:52:00.001+08:00

HUGE holes, wonderful! I never could achieve this in the past, whether on my own or with a bread machine. Thick crust, chewy inside. Ok the super large hole at the side is due to my bread knife coming in to dig it out of my mom's pot, which has a wider base than top and couldn't come out on its own. I have since bought a better pot to make this in.

To Ruvie when you've grown up and become a father yourself

2007-11-23T04:11:00.000+08:00

Firstly,
Thank your wife and love her ever so much more for choosing to breastfeed your baby. You will never have to go through, nor understand how it feels to have your nipples cracked, bleeding, and sore from the early days of nursing. Support your wife and give her all the help she needs in baby care, because she will be worn out from just nursing alone. And let her eat whatever she wants. And for goodness' sake, don't ever suggest giving a bottle of formula.

Secondly,
Thank your wife again and love her with all your heart for choosing to continue to breastfeed your toddler. You will never have to go through, nor understand how it feels to have your nipples CHOMPED on by a 3 year old with an almost full set of baby teeth as he is falling asleep and (probably) dreaming of eating his favourite salmon or beef or chicken or pork. It is so much more painful than being gummed by a 5-6 mo baby who is only teething, and it WILL bring tears to your wife's eyes. If she cries out, go immediately to her and hug her and rub her back and tell her you really appreciate what she does. And NEVER suggest that she stops.

And for your information, your Dad has done all these, and I know you will too.

Love you lots,
Mom

Food safety

2007-11-18T22:50:00.000+08:00

I've recently been bombarded with a lot of info on keeping toxins out of the food and drinks that we consume. Among the great and easy-to-read articles are:

Plastics
More on Plastics
Aluminium

Avoid:
Using plastics labelled with recycling code #3, #6, #7 (unless labelled as bio-based plastic), ESPECIALLY if it's polycarbonate, which is under #7
Using plastic containers to contain hot food or to heat food
Plastic bottled water except in areas where other water sources are questionable (eg. in BKK)
PVC-based cling wrap (mine is LDPE)
Aluminium cookware unless they are made from anodised aluminium
Aluminium can drinks (gosh, this is sooo hard!)
Canned foods

Cut down on:
Table salt, use a natural salt instead
Baking powder unless it's labelled as aluminium-free
Aluminium foil for food
Anti-dandruff stuff if it contains Al
Disposable containers in general

I am glad that both the kids' sports bottles turned out to be #4, since they both love their bottles so much - Ray's is Disney Princesses and Ruvie's is Dora, yep, DORA. Tomorrow I shall go and check the plastic feeding bowls and cutlery they're using.

I am VERY sad to discover that Avent milk bottles, the only ones I feel have suitable teats for breastfed babies, are made of polycarbonate. I hope they upgrade soon to a safer type of plastic, more customer feedback would help. It is interesting though, that Avent's Magic Cup is made from PE or PP, safer...

Many thanks to Lynnette for your posts on Asiaparents. I've been procrastinating about doing the right thing, but you've woken me up.

Cute potty picture

2007-11-09T09:17:00.000+08:00

Somebody on the big EC list posted this link to a kawaii photo. Hontouni kawaii nee!!!

http://www.lolhome.com/funny-picture-9120539090.html

No Knead Bread

2007-11-08T12:22:00.001+08:00

I've made this 2 times (just plain flour) and I must say the results are great! This does not produce the sandwich-type bread that Singaporeans are so used to, but is the crusty, chewy insides loaf that Westerners are more used to. Like HL said, texture is like French loaf!

I will be trying out variations soon, whole wheat flour and perhaps some parmesan cheese somewhere. More variations at www.breadtopia.com.

Asthma

2007-11-08T07:59:00.000+08:00

It is just too bad that Ruvie, who has received loads more breastmilk than his sister ever did, is so much more susceptible to asthma. He has probably been to KKH more times in his three years than Ray ever did in her six. And in the KKH records, his diagnoses have been classified as Asthma, whereas Ray's are shortness of breath, bronchitis, and never Asthma so far.

I always hoped that they could both escape the fate I have, the horrid feeling of not being able to get enough oxygen, and when I was older, the fear that I could die. Asthma is not something that you can "leave for a while, see if it gets better". But it looks very much like Ruvie is definitely going to follow in my footsteps. And I had hoped that breastfeeding him a lot could have helped him escape it.

It is interesting though, that Ray is more like my sister, who has slight asthma and bad eczema. I on the other hand, have bad asthma and slight eczema (Ruvie's like me). Thankfully, I don't have to take regular medications to control my asthma, well, my asthma specialist is unhappy about it, but I have found that my current regime works well. I am also very glad that from my own medical history and experience, I am able to deal better with my children's illness.

We've finally sold our HDB flat!

2007-10-26T22:03:00.000+08:00

Yay! Took quite some time from the date we put it on the market, but it's finally over. Even when we were about to apply for the HDB appointment, our buyer had some problems with selling her condo, so we thought we'd have to look for another buyer. But it all turned out well, and we're pretty well-acquainted with our buyer. Nice lady.

And now... to wait for the market to drop so we can go scout for flats. I NEED to get outta here.

Chicken cheese bread

2007-10-26T08:40:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup water
2 tbsp oilve oil
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, and yeast. Create a well in the centre and add water. With a pair of chopsticks, stir and pull the mixture into a dough. Knead a few times and add olive oil. Knead for 5-8 min, till dough is smooth, elastic and pliable. Cover and let rise for about 40 min.
Meanwhile, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and fry onion till almost translucent. Set aside. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Fry, skin side down, till cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let cool till you are able to shred with your hands. Mix shredded chicken back with its cooked juices, onion, and 1/2 tbsp of the herbs.
On a lightly floured surface, punch down dough to remove the stale air from the first rise. Divide dough evenly into 5 pieces. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Lightly grease a large baking tray or cookie sheet with olive oil.
For each piece, roll out into an oval shape about 10 inches by 5-6 inches wide, 0.5cm thick. Sprinkle with cheese, leaving edges clear. Top with 1/5 of chicken mix, then fold in the long ends and roll up to tuck, somewhat like a spring roll. Pinch to seal. You should have a log about 8-10 inches long. Lay on cookie sheet.
After all logs have been made, brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the rest of the herbs evenly over all logs. Bake for about 15-20 min, till golden brown on top. Slice and serve.

Dough, yeast, etc

2007-10-26T08:32:00.000+08:00

I always used to prefer using the breadmaker on the Dough cycle to get whatever dough I needed for making rolls and pizza. This is because kneading by hand was always such a chore and mess, PLUS I felt the end result wasn't as good as using the breadmaker.

But thanks to a cookery show I've been watching a lot of recently, I've learnt to hand knead again, with great results. I now do my kneading in a big glass Luminarc bowl, and I've learnt how to add ingredients and handle the dough so that it really is smooth, elastic and springy after kneading for only about 5 min. From there I can make whatever rolls I want to make, with very little fuss. And along with the finished product comes a wonderful sense of satisfaction. No wonder Angela said kneading is therapeutic for her!

This increased frequency of making bread also means my package of yeast gets used up more quickly and is less in danger of expiring first. I've wasted quite a few packages of yeast in the past. Great stuff!

Howl's Moving Castle

2007-09-22T21:43:00.001+08:00

The cover of the book, not the movie.

I watched the Japanese animated film by Miyazaki Hayao some years back. Honestly, because it was in Japanese and the subs were rather too fast for me, I didn't get much of the plot. Till now, I can only remember scattered images.

A few months back I found out that the film was actually based on the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones (whose book Archer's Goon I read some years ago), and set out to get my hands on it from the local library. Muahaha! Just started reading a couple of days ago.

It's quite annoying really, because my mind keeps conjuring up images from the film, so much that I cannot enjoy the book from a fresh new perspective. Thankfully, the movie missed out quite a lot of details (or maybe it's just that I didn't catch them in the film since most of it went past in a blur), so I am able to reimagine the scene. A lot more things make sense now, but I am only about halfway through.

I have devoured Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci series, Dalemark quartet and am now setting out to read her individual novels. I love that every story has some element of the supernatural in it. Don't understand why they're mostly classified under the Young Readers' (10-12 yrs) section though. I doubt I would have understood most of it if I were that age.

Anything Goes Muffins

2007-09-15T14:56:00.000+08:00

Before I lose this recipe again. Makes 12-18 muffins.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup white sugar
3 tsps baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
Filling - as much as you want of choc chips, chopped walnut, shaved carrot, oatmeal/rolled oats

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degC. Line muffin pans with baking cups.
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl (sift for lighter muffins) and mix thoroughly. In another, large bowl, combine all wet ingredients and add dry ingredients, stirring till all dry ingredients are just moistened.
Fill baking cups with batter till 1/3 or 1/2 full and bake for 10-15 min.

Pinky and The Brain

2007-09-13T09:36:00.000+08:00

People in my age group will remember this short cartoon. Unfortunately Kids Central doesn't show this anymore, so my kids don't get to, ahem, enjoy it. Somebody once sent me the lyrics and the .wav to the theme song, and I have never gotten it out of my system. I hope it will bring you some laughs (and don't ask me why I can remember all the words by heart!).

Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain
One is a genius
The other's insane
They're laboratory mice
Their genes have been spliced
They're Pinky, they're Pinky and the
Brain Brain Brain Brain
Brain Brain Brain Brain BRAIN

Before each night is done
Their plan will be unfurled
By the dawning of the sun
They'll take over the world
They're Pinky and the Brain
Yes Pinky and the Brain
Their twilight campaign
Is easy to explain
To prove their mousey worth
They'll overthrow the earth
They're Pinky, they're Pinky and the
Brain Brain Brain Brain
Brain Brain Brain Brain
NARF!

Steamed Milk Custard

2007-09-09T23:40:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
1 egg white
3/4 cup fresh milk
1 tsp ginger juice (optional)
sugar to taste (about 1-2 tsps)

Method:
Heat milk in a small saucepan just till it starts to bubble, do not let milk boil over.
Beat eggwhite well in a small heatproof bowl (eg. rice bowl, chawanmushi bowl, dessert bowl) and pour in milk, whisking continuously. Add sugar and ginger juice.
Immediately steam over high heat for 2 min and then low heat for 1 min. Serve hot or chilled.

Tip:
I usually do this with leftover eggwhites when I use yolks in other recipes, so I get 3-5 bowls of custard to eat over a few days. Yum! If you are going to chill your custard, remember to cover each bowl with cling wrap before putting it in the fridge, to protect the custard from absorbing smells in the fridge.

Chocolate Pound Cake

2007-09-09T14:47:00.000+08:00

Makes 2 8X4 loaves or 24-30 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1 (8oz.) block cream cheese, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsps baking powder (optional)
5 eggs
2 tsps vanilla flavour

Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degC, grease and flour loaf pans or line muffin pan with baking cups.
In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar at medium speed till light and fluffy, about 5 min. In a separate bowl, sift together plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Beat in flour mixture and eggs alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour into pans or muffin cups and bake for 1hr, till toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

Food science:
The authentic pound cake has no leavening agent, eg. baking soda or baking powder in it. Natural leavening comes from whipping of the fats in the recipe, hence the creaming part must go on for some time, at least till the colour of the butter lightens quite a bit. This is why the baking powder is optional, as sometimes I find adding it doesn't help at all, at other times it does make the cake a little lighter. Nothing is expired so I haven't figured it out. There are recipes using milk and whipping cream instead of the cream cheese, but I haven't had such good results with milk, and I haven't tried whipping cream yet (all my whipping cream goes on New England Clam Chowder, yummy! but oh so fattening).

It is worth mentioning that HL who doesn't eat desserts and cakes in general said this was GOOD. Essentially because it's not too sweet and yet very rich and chocolatey. Also received rave reviews at a kids' party I went to today. But I've done this a couple of times in succession so the next cake will probably be something else eg. carrot cupcakes?

Not AGAIN!!

2007-08-09T11:30:00.000+08:00

Last night.10.45pm.

We were all in our room with the door closed, Ray was already asleep. Suddenly we heard the house alarm go off, but thinking that my Mom was downstairs, she should be able to fix it. However, the alarm persisted and I began to realise that this sounded different from the usual "forced entry" alarm.

So I opened my bedroom door and was hit straight in the face with a cloud of smoke and a terrible charred smell. Previous experiences (yep, this wasn't the first and it probably wouldn't be the last) told me immediately what had happened. Mom must have left something cooking on the stove, gone into her room and totally forgotten about it.

So we rushed downstairs, I to my Mom's room to knock, only to find that SHE WAS OUT. I could feel the lava boiling up inside me. HL had turned off the fire by this time, so we went to open all the doors and windows. It was rice porridge, and only a little in the big pot, so what did she have to go and heat it up for? And even left the house without turning it off!

Thankfully, the house is equipped with a smoke alarm, as we cannot smell or hear anything once we are in our room.

Good Old-Fashioned Pancakes Recipe

2007-08-03T09:14:00.000+08:00

Taken from Allrecipes.com, with some minor adjustments. I make these in the form of mini-pancakes because Ray likes them that way. Also great for bringing to school potlucks with some knobs of butter on top.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method
Sift flour, baking powder and salt and sugar into a large bowl. For fluffier pancakes, sift twice.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the rest of the ingredients. Mix till smooth.
Heat a nonstick frying pan ovver medium high heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan per pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Memories of my Mama

2007-08-01T08:13:00.000+08:00

I can hear her calling my name in her own special way...
I remember the way she doted on my kids (just as she used to dote on me when I was a kid) and was always asking after them...
How she asked me everytime she saw me whether I had enough money to spend...
Her expression as she sat on her chair, blankly staring into space...
The lighting up of her face when she turned to look at the kids playing around her...
The way she grinned at my jokes or when I teased her...

The grief still remains, if I allow myself to sink into it. Perhaps in time, it will fade away into a more bearable sadness, and then perhaps a tender memory. But the memory will always be with me.

Missing Someone

2007-07-03T01:13:00.001+08:00

I wake up in the middle of the night and as the mists of sleep begin to clear, I begin to think of my Mama. My brain registers that she's not there anymore, sitting in her chair in the little flat at Bedok, and my eyes start to flood.

I did not cry when they brought her body back to the void deck, not when I gazed upon her face, nor when I helped put on a shoe for her (according to the rites). When I speak with my relatives, I am usually smiling and eager to do whatever I can to help.

But in the middle of the night, when nobody is around to watch, I miss my Mama. I miss her SOOO much! And when I am in her flat, sitting in a chair or using the loo, everything seems just so normal, and it's so easy to imagine that she's still there, sitting in her usual chair, or walking slowly around leaning on her walking aid.

I love looking at the photos taken in her youth. She looks so lovely, posing at the tender age of 20 or thereabouts for the camera, and we have a few really pretty ones taken in the studio. My grandma always liked to look pretty (which girl doesn't?), and would always insist on dyeing her hair whenever we brought her to the hairdresser's. Everybody else would try, in vain, to dissuade her, because we all feel that she looks really good with silver hair. Our hairdresser will be asking us, the next time we visit her salon, when Mama will be coming to use her services again. It will be tough.

I never knew it would be this tough.

Too soon to say Goodbye

2007-07-02T11:56:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning to the news that my Grandma (who cared for me from babyhood till I was in P1), died in her sleep last night. She was 89 years old according to the Lunar Calendar.

My Uncle who lives with her in a rented studio apartment in Bedok, told us that she didn't wake at her usual time this morning, didn't respond to his calling, and when he touched her, she was cold all over. He'd tried to rub oil on her temples etc, but to no avail. So he called my Dad to go over and ascertain.

So we are now in the middle of making preparations for the wake/funeral.

It was totally unexpected, because she was in relatively good health, after a serious ear infection more than a year ago which caused her to lose consciousness and finally required her to undergo an operation. But she had been well since her recovery.

I am only thankful that she left peacefully - according to my Uncle she had not been eating much the last couple of days but had gotten up and moved around as per normal. I wonder whether she had known that she was leaving us soon. She woke up in the middle of the night to relieve herself and after returning to bed, did not wake again.

Mama, wherever you are, I will be praying for your soul. I will miss you much, and wish that I had brought your lunch yesterday and seen your face, heard your voice, one last time.

I know we don't say this in our Cantonese culture, but I love you.

More babies in Singapore!

2007-06-12T16:34:00.000+08:00

My heartiest congratulations to Rita and Serene's families on their newest arrivals.

It still tickles me to remember that Rita's husband, on his way to the labour ward to meet Rita, bumped into Serene who didn't reach the delivery suites in time and was birthing at the lobby of Mount Alvernia! Drama-mama, man...

Wishing you both a blessed 5th and 6th babymoon respectively.

Review of the BKK trip

2007-04-30T16:23:00.000+08:00

What I remember most - the heat. Traffic. Food. The heat. Shopping. People. Did I mention the heat? Oh I did. And Tuk-tuks.

Ray and I enjoyed our rides on the Tuk-tuks very much, and it's my regret that I didn't manage to get a good shot of one or other of us in one.

Unfortunately, because Ruvie was just not well enough, we spent a lot of time in our hotel room, either trying to get him to sleep or waiting for him to wake up from his nap. He wouldn't eat at all, not even his favourite sausages and bacon, and nursed occasionally, so I got pretty worried. In fact, he's noticeably lighter and thinner now. But his appetite seems better.

We did consider taking turns to go shopping, and I did manage to cover quite a bit on our 3rd day, with Ray in tow. We went all over Baiyoke Sky (to find they had nothing we wanted), then we headed over to Indra Square, and got a headstart on real shopping, all within 2 hrs.

I need to go look for this OTHER wholesale centre Lynn was talking about, seems they have lots of hair accessories, real cheap. Wonder when I'll get a chance to go again? Especially since I'd much rather get to Taiwan.

Our son almost lost his leg in BKK

2007-04-29T10:14:00.000+08:00

It was time to head for the airport for our return flight home. We found a taxi and HL got the luggage into the boot while I got the kids into the back seat. I was guiding Ruvie on how to climb up into the taxi and he had one foot in, when suddenly the taxi took off.

Horrors! I shouted "Hey stop!" and the cabbie braked about half a metre's displacement away. Ruvie had fallen onto his back and his foot just avoided being crushed by the cab's rear wheel. The cabbie then had the nerve to REVERSE. Gosh! What if he had really gone over him this time??

All this happened within a few seconds and I only managed to grab Ruvie up after that. We moved well away from the taxi, he was crying and I was just holding him close. Everyone rushed over and the cabbie apologised and insisted he thought all was clear because HL, who was sitting in the front seat, had shut his door. WTF?? You should check that EVERYONE is in and ALL doors are closed before you hit the gas!

We know that Bangkok drivers are very good at manoeuvreing through the traffic, but now I've come to add another word - CARELESS. I dread to think what would've happened if I hadn't shouted for him to step on the brake. Even now my mind keeps going over the whole scenario like a nightmare that keeps replaying.

I'm only thankful that Ruvie's ok, other than the shock.

Walking in a circle

2007-04-29T09:59:00.000+08:00

I spent the last night (or what was left of it after the kids went to bed at 12mn) setting up my Flickr account and synchronising everything, just so I can upload photos to my blog (again). Why? Because the "Done" button is missing on my Add Image popup window, so although I can select photos for uploading, I can't get them onto the blog itself! And I've just reinstalled the latest version of Firefox!!! Someone PLEASE tell me why, when I never had this problem before I reinstalled Firefox.

It's so troublesome to have to go a whole circle just to get this done.
1. Upload photo to blog via email through Flickr.
2. Edit post, with image in it, via Blogger.

And to make things worse, my Blogger Compose page has gone wacko with the Enter key. I keep finding return carriages in places where they don't belong, making words and sentences attentuated in weird places.

Blogger Help is no use and I couldn't get beyond the first few pages of Google's Blogger Help Group.

New wheels

2007-04-29T01:01:00.001+08:00

Our Honda Fit 1.3, arrived 2 weeks ago. Love the pickup! The Chevrolet Aveo couldn't hit 60km/hr without going past the 3000rev mark. But I feel rather short in it though. And the reception for the radio is not as good as the Aveo's.

My Mini-Travel Guide to Bangkok

2007-04-29T00:09:00.001+08:00

Places to visit/shop:

1. Centralworld - the newest mall in Bangkok. Large, spacious, clean, it reminds us of the best malls along Orchard Rd, except it's not as crowded. Food in poshy restaurant costing only as much as that from food courts in Sg, quality excellent! We had dinner at a restaurant called Kobune. There are lots of Jap restaurants here, and Kinokuniya, probably because as we say in Mandarin, "the Japanese wind is blowing at the moment". But everything in ToysRus is more ex than in Sg. We know, we checked it out.

2. MBK - probably the most famous mall in BKK? I got a few bags from a shop here - Udom Age.

2. Indra Square - an older, more neighbourhood mall in the Pratunam area where our hotel was. Kind of like Peninsular Plaza, and Pearl Centre. Practically everything you can find at MBK, you can get almost at half price here, plus it's nearer to our hotel.

We stayed at the Eastin Bangkok Hotel, booked online via Agoda. Thanks to Lynn for the recommendation! There's a roadside stall just across the road (outside 7-11) selling the best chicken/pork satay we've ever tasted, and for only 5 baht per stick. Good business round the clock. We wanted to get more on our last day but it wasn't open.

23 April 2007 - MN or thereabouts

2007-04-29T00:09:00.000+08:00

Bangkok.

A city that never sleeps. There seem as many cars whizzing by on the highway below our window now as in the day when we first arrived.

It is our first night in BKK. The 2 hour plane ride was gruelling as Ruvie hadn't had enough sleep the night before and isn't fully recovered from his flu. He really made life miserable for many of the passengers around us. As it is, we are dreading the return flight.

Despite my fatigue, I can't sleep. Overtired, unfamiliar surroundings, I am so envious of those 3 who can enter Dreamland within 1 min from closing their eyes. Two shots of prolactin don't work either. I think I need to pray.

Finally, a vacation!

2007-04-19T09:50:00.000+08:00

The last time we went for a break was when I was 5 mths pg with Ruvie. I loved the food in Penang, the famous char kway teow, cendul, Penang laksa... eh, what else ah? But I'll never buy a Slurpee from their Seven Eleven stores again, tasted really weird, like chemicals.

We're heading to Bangkok for 4D3N, our first time there as a family. I've been there when I was very young, maybe 10? Don't remember much of it, except that I had gastric pains the last few days of the trip, and food poisoning immediately when we got home. HL was there during his NS days, but never got around. So this will be our "virgin" trip I guess. Just some light sightseeing, eating, and heavy shopping, haha. I'm looking for a bag and HL's got his mind set on boots. Disney Princesses bag and other stuff for Ray (to prepare for her P1 next year), and Ruvie... well, whatever catches my fancy. Ah yes! If I can find it, Wacoal bras d:)

It's the now

2007-04-18T22:17:00.000+08:00

I was watching my son tonight. He was flipping through an IKEA catalogue by himself, pointing at things and talking...

"This Mommy this Ah Zai (himself)... where's Daddy and JieJie... There he is!... And that one and that one... Yoohoo!... This one!... Round and round and round and... Wheeeee!... That one!..." Went on for quite some time.

He does this pretty often, while playing with toys or flipping through some book or magazine. I guess it's got a lot to do with Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues. Funny how when he mutters it's in English and not Cantonese. And he does seem more rough than Ray was at this age. Ray was very sweet and gentle-voiced when playing with her toys (still is). Time to go get a copy of Raising Boys.

I gotta remind myself to take more time watching and playing with the kids, especially Rayzel, before they grow too old to want my attention anymore. Business can wait (for a little while), entertainment can wait as well (I altogether spend too much time at the computer).

Just watching them can be such a joy, well maybe till the point when they start to fight over something.

Rain No Game

2007-04-13T14:38:00.000+08:00

We were waiting for the membership to a certain club to arrive so we could go swimming. In the meantime we got Ray a new suit (her hand-me-down was just a little too thin, besides I prefer her to have one that covers her shoulders and thighs).

Now everything's ready, but the rains are back! What terrible timing. Ray's so disappointed.

Japanese Ala Carte Buffet Restaurant!

2007-04-12T13:54:00.000+08:00

Since we "lost" Igen at East Coast Road (next to the Thai Express at Siglap), we've been looking out for another. Last week HL went to Elias Mall for lunch with his colleagues and discovered a JACBR at the Pasir Ris Elias Community Club, so we went to try it out yesterday.

Decor was so-so, definitely not as posh as Igen, but at least it's more spacious, and I prefer the service here. We loved the food. Softshell crab was crisp but not oily (good fire control, as the Chinese put it), sashimi was fresh, plentiful and attractive (we ordered 4 plates of Moriwase in total, sampled Kajiki Toro, Sake, Maguro, fresh sweet Scallop, Tai, Ika which I dislike, whatever the chef gives but you can specify your preference so we told them no more Ika please), and they had Ikura (flying fish roe) sushi too! As much as you like! But this being the first time we're trying this, we discovered we cannot eat too much, maybe max 2 pieces each, as the taste is a little too strong for us. Loved their Temaki too. Chawanmushi was fresh, soft and yummy, it took some time coming so we knew it was made to order. I guess it helped that we were the first customers of the evening. Nobody else came in the whole hour we were there.

Name: Hi Sshou Japanese Restaurant
Address: Pasir Ris Elias Community Club, Pasir Ris Dr 3, next to Elias mall
Cost: Adults $29.90++, Children (5-11) $14.90++, kids below 5 dine free
Dinner hours: 6pm to... er... not sure
They open for lunch too but I didn't pay attention to the time.

People in the East must try!! I'm not too keen on visiting Sakura frequently. Next time I think I shall gather up some courage to try the Nattou. Heard it stinks, but taste?

Discovering I actually have a cleavage

2007-03-13T00:52:00.000+08:00

... has made me realise the importance of having a fitting and supportive bra.

Six years of wearing nursing bras, and I seem to have totally forgotten how to wear a "normal" bra, much less choose one. Oh, I know there are underwired and really well-designed nursing bras out there, but, I dunno... I've always been afraid of getting plugs so I never dared to even try a wired one, and I haven't found a non-wired one with padding which I looked good in (IMO). Besides, and most importantly, my priority was always comfort and ease of undoing.

But I've had enough! I am sick of wearing bra cups which keep sliding around (and how do you adjust a wayward bra cup in public??). And heck, Ruvie's already 2.5yo, I can stop wearing nursing bras!

So I got myself to Plaza Sing today and tried out the Triumph bras at John Little's (15% storewide discount except for Triumph products, can ya believe it???). Maximiser, Sloggi, Tshirt Bra, all felt rather weird, or rather, I felt rather weird in them. I guess I've been too used to the unsupported look I usually sport. I went off to get a snack and mull over it.

Hey-hey! Guess what I passed on my way down to the basement - a Wacoal boutique! If there is one brand I remember my mom ever saying, it's Wacoal, although from young I'd always thought it sounded so... unposh. Recently though, I was asking a well-endowed cousin for recommendations, and she too, touted this brand to make the most natural-looking, supportive and comfortable bras she ever had. She would know, she's got a model's figure.

After my fishcake, I went straight to Wacoal and asked the very motherly looking assistant to find something to fit my requirements (preferably no lace, half-cup, simple). All I can say is, she knew what she was doing, unlike the assistant at John Little's. Their fitting rooms are rigged so that you can press a button for help with fitting and, er, arranging your bosom. I must have learnt more about bras from that half hour I spent in there than all the 17 years post-puberty. I left Plaza Sing without going back to JL or putting my foot into the ERO downstairs (which I saw too but forgot about after hitting Wacoal), a hundred dollars poorer but everlastingly happier (hey they didn't cost as much as I'd expected either).

Thank you Ms Lim! And you are so nice and patient. I will learn from you (and I will remember to care for my bras with love and tenderness).