2011- crowned goodness dripped with abundance

December 2011, an eventful yet quiet/lazy month. I had so much to blog but didn’t know where to begin.

For a start, Israel was fantastic and I have rated it the trip of my life (yet). I encountered Jesus. I got to know Jesus all over again. Miracles happened to me. It was truly a blessed and soul refreshing trip. Now reading the bible becomes REAL to me with so  much more revelation. And Dead Sea was my favourite scenic spot and I’m a new convert for Ahava products!

The next big event – 2 days after our Israel trip, I went for one-eye LASIK. Finally, after 4 years of ‘pondering’. Down time from the surgery also hindered me to resume my blogging. I’ll be doing the other side in three days time and that’s it!  No more specs!

Looking back, 2011 was truly a year crowned with goodness, overflow with abundance. God granted me all my wishes.  Favour at work. A new house. And health. There were some down time but they were tolerable…with Him. And even as we face some challenges right now, I know all things will work to be good, like always.

Lesson learnt in 2011: It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Psalms 118:8). Work can fail us, friends can fail us, the world can fail us but He will not.

I’m thankful for a good husband, a healthy beautiful child and a few good friends who treasure me. 

Thank you Jesus for an awesome year and I look forward to a greater 2012, with you.

Israel dream

3 more days to the Holy Land and my maternal instinct intensifies as the minute goes. Though it's ticking off one of my to-do list and it's the best time to travel to Israel, especially with Rock Kidz, my heart is slightly heavy. The feeling is as if I'm leaving for a business trip, even though it's a holiday. The decision to leave her behind was not an easy one. The weather and some 'walking' required were the key considerations not to bring her along.

10 more years, perhaps, we will go as a family when she can understand and enjoy the footsteps of Jesus.

For now, I just have to battle with my own uneasiness. All things will work out well as God will minister her even as He ministers us in Israel.

Happy Birthday Sherena

It's a specialy day today as my dear friend Sherena celebrates her birthday! I've known her for good 18 years and how we have seen each other grown... The picture shows how young we were then...

- she's the one I would not hesitate to call whenever I am in trouble
- she is a sister whom her sibbilings are proud to have because she is always there for them
- she is a well-loved aunt who worries for the young ones like her own children
- she has a big heart who wants to help everyone
- she is more beautiful than she thinks she is
- she is a fashionista who carries different looks well - from grunge to glam!
- she is someone I love dearly

Happy Birthday my friend and I wish you health, success and peace always!

Holy communion

Every morning, after the two stickers (reward for S if she sleeps through in her cot) are given, it's our holy communion time. S will happily sit and partake the ready-made elements - biscuit and Ribena. Our prayers are simple and short - "Father, thank you for your broken body and by your stripes we are whole and strong" and "by your blood we are forgiven and righteous". I enjoy these short precious moments that are exclusive to the three of us...

It's not a ritual and we are not going through the motion for the sake of it. Each time we take the holy com, we remember Jesus, knowing that we are righteous through Him. What's better than confessing and proclaiming blessings together as a family every morning ?

Eat, walk, shop

To celebrate our dear friend, Sherena’s birthday, the three of us (Sherena, Shirlena and I) decided to take a short-weekend-all girls trip.  It has been 10 years since our last trip, to Batam! After much planning and obstacles (Bangkok was the original destination but changed to Hong Kong due to the flood), we finally made it!

We literally shopped-till-we-dropped as the day would start at 1oam and only end at 12am! I went with a small cabin bag and came back with two additional bags! Four pairs of shoes and lots of ‘unnecessary’ purchase…

It was indeed an intensive, fruitful birthday trip. We talked, we ate, we shopped and boy, we walked! We must have walked 100km over the 3D3N stay… breaking my personal record. For someone who is not fond of walking, I deserve a pad on the back and possibly a medal.

Great food, great accommodation and best of all, great company!

Checkmate

Perhaps even my closest friends don’t know that I play chess, not very well though. I only play against daddy M because he lets me win, sometimes (wink).

I’ve been hunting for a nice cliché wooden chess set for years… and finally on our 8th courtship anniversary, my mate found me a marvellously carved dream set!

Privilege of a first born - turns 2

Last year, after we had the P.O.P party, I thought we should only have the next 'elaborate' birthday for S when she turns 3. But considering that daddy M and I will be in Israel (without her) on her birthday this year, I think she deserves a blast again!

Hands up!

She's at the best age (yet) where she obliges on 90% of our instructions, including doing funny poses just to make us laugh. This is a hands-up-to-show-mommy's-belt stunt.

Home v. Hometown

Recently an old friend of mine who resides in the US posted on facebook: “Counting down on the days to go home, yay!”.

Home to her, just like me is Penang. I’m not sure if it only applies to Penangite, where home to us will always be that little island…

My sisters-in-law who have migrated to Australia and US don’t not say that they are coming “home” when they are in Singapore.  I also hardly hear my friends from KL or HK say that they are going '”home” when they return to their hometowns…

This is still a topic that daddy M and I are not on the same page yet…

The quick dial in my phone still lists Home as my parents’ number. 

One day, I’ll switch.  But I’m not sure when…

So, today we are going home! For a wedding and an extended long weekend.

Dating game

The first daughter-daddy date. And off they went to the zoo on a Friday morning, enjoying the nature and animals without the tourists!  We hope this dating game (one-on-one date with mommy/ daddy) can continue in the many more years to come, even until she finds her own date :)

Sleep training continues - Night 4

I was so exhausted last night that I didn't hear S waking up! According to M, she woke up, but no major crying.

Daddy: "Sophie sit down and sleep."
Sophie: "Sit down."
Daddy: "Sophie sleep.."
Sophie: "...Sit down."
Daddy: "Sleep ."
Sophie: "...Sit down" (dozing off)

Within 5 minutes, she lied down and sleep...

Praise Jesus!

Yay! 2 more stickers were added!

Whose bed is it anyway?

These days, uniterrupted sleep is like striking lottery for daddy M and I. S has been waking up in the wee hours reqeusting to be moved to our bed. And that's it! There goes our sleep with her karate moves in between us. As our dark-eye circles deepened, we decided to 're-train' her to sleep through out the night (like she used to do).

Night 1: She was up around 2am. Cried for 10 minutes. Mommy gave in and carried her over to our bed.

Night 2: As above. Daddy gave in.

Night 3 (last night): She was up again in the wee hours. Both mommy and daddy decided to ignore her and she cried louder. So we comforted her from a distance. Actually it was more like daddy who did the comforting while mommy covered her ears with pillow praying to Jesus for help... The drama lasted for about 40 minutes. This morning, she was rewarded with two Sesame Street stickers for not getting out of the cot!

We are determined to continue with the 'battle'...

Break-free

Two days after my previous post, God gave me one of the biggest revelations of my life – I need to give up my control freak personality to really experience His grace.

For years, I have prided myself as a person who likes to be in control and control the things I want.  While I know that God is the overall in-charge of my life, I still strived to be the ‘controller’ which often created a lot of self-induced stress.  This revelation somewhat set me free, feeling like a child running on the beach, chasing after waves!

Having realised that I should stop labelling myself as a control freak is one thing, getting down to letting go and let God is yet another journey that I am excited to embark! A journey to fully KNOW Jesus as the supplier of grace in my life and walk in that realm that I always see unmerited favour.

I’m not a cool mom yet…

I caved. I went to the school on her 2nd day, ignoring the strict principal’s advise of having the same parent to accompany the child (for consistency sake). The school is strict with no trial lesson allowed and our pre-registration recce to the school was done mostly outside class.  So the control-freak me just had to KNOW and SEE how the class is run,despite having seen some video clips by daddy M from 1st day.

I’m glad that I went because the unsettledness that had bugged me for the past 36 hours finally broke free.  I liked what I saw. The teachers were enthusiastic, the children were happy, the activities were fun. More importantly, S made herself at  home! I walked out at the end of day with peace of mind.

xoxo,

A cool mom in the making

Ready for school

After much thought and ‘search’ we have decided to send S to Shaws, and she starts TOMORROW! She’ll begin with three times a week with three-hour session in the afternoon.

Yes, we are still having Elmo craze! I thought of standardising the snack box with an Elmo design but something tells me “it’s too much!” and may appear uncool (wink).

I didn’t have the opportunity to go to nursery or kindergarten. Neither did I walk into Primary 1 class with fancy stationery/bag/accessories. Maybe the lack of it made me excited and feel privileged to be able to do it for my daughter.

Is mommy going to accompany S on her first day in school?

NO! Because she turns into a sticky koala when mommy is around! So daddy gets to bring her and stay with her for the first week!!

Have fun!

xoxo,

Jealous mommy

Berry nice

If there's anything to remember from my 3D2N trip to London/Frankfurt would be this bowl of fresh berries-granola-yogurt-milk breakfast! Don't you just love the colours? I am a berry fan, especially when I was pregnant with S or when I feel rich and need some natural anti-oxidants. But this was my time experiencing FRESH and SWEET res, blue and blackberries! The ones that are sold in Singapore are hardly ever sweet, not to mention expensive!

The grass (berries) are definitely greener (sweeter) on the other side!

First date

It felt like our first date. Blissful hours of mother-daughter time with some window shopping, lunch and playground fun.  Just the two of us. Can’t wait for our next date!

A tribute to Yellow Light

Everyone (including a 9-year old and a 79-year old) was disappointed that Yellow Light is closing down this weekend. Even those who have not patronised the restaurant were saddened by this news (because they’ve heard so much about it from the avid fan, me). So how do I feel??

What am I going to eat to cheer myself up next time?

Where am I going to hide-out when daddy M is not around?

Where do I find a replacement for the mouth watering Thai lime fish?

When will daddy M get to enjoy the neighbouring Pave souffle since there’s no more excuse to go to Yellow Light?

Where am I going to cater for S’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th birthday parties?

I have a thousand selfish reasons wishing that the restaurant would not close down.

But I know it’s been a difficult decision for my dear friends to reach.

It’s more than a restaurant to me, it’s a place full of memories – where we celebrated different milestones of our lives in the span of 3+ years.

With a heavy heart – a toast to the best Thai restaurant (in my heart) ever.

 

 

PS: At least I was privileged to have cooked in this restaurant once.

Sesame overboard

Some call this guilt-parenting, I call this "way-to-cheer-a-sick-child-up". OK, I may have gone a tad overboard with four books, one talking Cookie Monster and three CDs, all on Sesame Street but I think it's priceless to see a little smile from S, especially after all the medicine battles.

I never really liked Sesame Street when I was young and preferred The Electric Company. I thought the muppets were ugly with their oversized eyeballs (except for Big Bird, everybody loves Big Bird).

For some reason (just like other children), S totally adores Elmo! As you can see, I'm trying to 'dissuade' her that there are more than Elmo on Sesame Street...

PS: Praise the Lord, her temperature has gone down and she's spared from being poked for blood test. Sesame Street played a small part in the healing process prehaps?

Fever battle

Today is the 6th day that S is still running a temperature. After 5 consecutive nights of mid-night sponging, both M and I are TIRED. 1 visit to the GP (for convenience sake), 1 visit to the A&E (after operating hours) and finally a visit to the PD have reaffirmed my view that we should just stick to PD in future. Forget about convenience and cost savings.

Every medicine feed is a struggle and it involves at least 3 adults together with her favourite Elmo DVD playing in the background. No gummy bear/ biscuits/ sweets can work as baits.

I am the good cop when it comes to administering medicine or sponging because I have too much mercy (according to daddy M). He has no qualms shafting down medicine into S and making sure the water is ICY cold for sponging. My role is to comfort and hold her.

If her fever doesnt' break in two days time, a blood test will be required. I'm believing for healing...

Once again, kudos to the Sg government for childcare leave...

Get well soon, S.

Bring it on

A friend of mine reminded me to leave what I can’t do to God.  Just as when our children stumble upon obstacles, from simple task as opening a bottle cap to challenging mathematic sums, all they need to do is to bring it to us.

When you feel that your plate is full, hear God saying: “Bring it on to me.”

“Whatever that you can’t handle, just bring it to Me”.  

“If it’s too complicated, just bring it to Me”.

“If you’re afraid, just bring it to Me.”

Are you facing any challenges today? Bring it on to Him.

His hand is mightier than you think.

Baptism by the beach

On a hot Saturday morning,  little C (bottom right in the collage) witnessed her mummy get baptised by the beach or in her language- “swimming in the sea”.

We were privileged to share this precious moment with my dear friend as she submerged herself in the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Congratulations WL!

School hunt

I started out as a mother who just wanted to send her daughter to a playschool for a few hours, twice or three times a week. But after hearing "Sorry, we are full" for more than 10 times in two days, I have been transformed into a mom-zilla who is sucked into the crazy Singapore 'rat' school chase system.

See the conversation highlights below and you'll understand why majority of the Singapore parents have no choice but to conform to the competitive system.

#1

Teacher: "Our waitlist is very long and priorities are given to existing children's sibblings."

#2

Teacher: "Sorry the registration for playgroup is full. Waitlist registration is also closed."

SK: "Are you saying that my child will not be able to go to your school forever and ever?"

Teacher: "Yup, sorry and thanks for your interest".

#3

Teacher: "It's good if you can come for full day because sometimes I cover that cannot finish in the morning during the afternoon sessions."

SK: "What do you mean cover?"

Teacher: "Syllabus! We have to prepare them for PRIMARY ONE!!"

#4

SK: "How long is your waitlist?"

Schoool: "Very long. A couple of hundreds."

I've seen schools where the teachers are very proud of their 'education' system and good environment. I've also seen some schoools in the heartlanders where children looked very happy despite in a slightly run-down environment.

In all honesty, I want S to attend a school where she can play, learn and be happy. BUT the "kiasuness" in me gravitates towards schools with good environment (spacious and well kept), genuinely enthusiastic teachers, children from mixed cultural background and near our home. Can we have all we want?

Stay tuned to see our school-hunt update.

5 years ago today

This is me 5 years ago today.


I took a leap of faith and joined the equities world, not knowing much about the stocks market. This position (the longest in my career history) has seen me transformed from a bride-zilla preparing for her wedding, who cried every other week over work stress, to one who has some knowledge in the oil & gas related stocks, balancing motherhood and work. The crying has reduced significantly, of course.

I disagree with Daddy M every time he tells me that I love my job. But walking down the memory lane, I think I had more good than bad days in the 5 past years....

My top work experiences (from best to not-so-pleasant) from 2006-2011:-

• Received the best ever (yet) bonus in 2008


• Made some good friends along the way


• S was born on the day the team received an Asianmoney award that we worked hard for and my colleagues nick-named her "Asia"


• Experienced first-class suite on SQ


• Visited some states in the US (eg. Charlotte and Alabama) which I would not have gone otherwise for leisure


• Made my first TV appearance


• Being on a stretcher (from back injury) in a Chinese shipyard and survived CT-scan and X-rays in a hospital where doctors were allowed to smoke in front of patients!


• Worked till 4 a.m alone in the office one of the nights during my 3rd trimester


• Not in Singapore when daddy M had to go for his knee surgery

All in all, it has been good... Thank you Jesus!

Secret library

 

I have a secret library – my closet.  A place where I keep at least 5  to 6 children’ books for big S who loves to read. But I have to hide the books and give it to her on piecemeal basis because she is a speed reader! By speed, I mean she can finish a Geronimo Stilton book in 45 minutes! It’s remarkable for a 9-year old! I don’t even think I could do that. 

So we don’t stop her, as long as she gets her work done first. I’m a firm believer that children who love to read (or love Jesus) will turn out well…It’s ironic coming from a person who doesn’t really read.

Thank God for SANS bookshop, where I can rent the latest books for a fraction of the cost of book stores. So we have a happy kid and a happy adult (not burning a hole in the pocket).

 

xoxo,

Book aunt.

Hansel N Gretel

What’s a better way of supporting Hansel N Gretel (online kids fashion started by my dear friend, WL) than showing off a kid who’s  happy to be the model parading herself  naturally for some glamour shots?

PS: She didn’t want to take off the straw hat!

First visit to the library

She got all excited when she saw the endless shelves of books.  I smirked proudly thinking that my daughter loved to read. 

20 minutes later, the bubble burst. She had more kick removing books from the shelves than reading them.

Happy 20 months

S is no longer in her ‘teens’ months as of today. She’s 20 months old!

A milestone worth celebrating.

So we had a 10 minute impromptu birthday party with a piece of cheesecake, a birthday song and an Elmo sticker book as present!

Playing cupid

We named it “Bring a friend night”.

It started off as good intentions by a few married women trying to ‘gather’ a few of their single female and male friends under one roof.  Who knows what will happen right… Some things may just happen at the right time and place.

It was fun, although the single guys supernaturally outnumbered the girls. Conversations were casual, natural with no awkward silence.  Good food and wine helped, of course.

Everyone’s a good sport. We had girls and guys in their 30’s (married and single) running around to grab the right balloons as they answered quiz related to sexuality and anatomy. Nothing dirty. All perfectly ‘clean’ general knowledge questions, eg. what did Napolean and Hitler have in common? Answer: one testicle. The fact that everyone was in their 30’s (and above), questions were handled with good humour, with no one giggling or blushing away.

Did we meet the objective? Did we have any successful match?

I’m not sure.

It didn’t matter in the end because everyone had fun.

We'll probably have some good hit rates next round :)

Let the weak says 'I am strong'

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness..."
~2 Corinthians 12: 9a

The world judges how well one handles challenges or crisis but the bible tells us opposite. What cannot be cured makes us dependent on God's power. God doesn't always remove difficult circumstances in our lifes but He is always there to support us. It is not about how strong our faith is but how much we KNOW God because He is the one who is faithful, not us.

When we fall, His grace is sufficient to pick us up.
When we fall, don't let condemnation cloud our minds.
It's the weak who need God.

I am the centre of the universe

I wonder how long will S continue to be the centre of attention. Will she be de-throned if we have a no. 2? Can you sense the ‘envy’ from the older children in this picture?

I’m cherishing these precious moments on her behalf for as long as they last…

Blossomed relationship

After close to a year, their relationship transformed from thorny to tolerable to this.

Hope was what my mom had and she finally tasted the fruits of patience. She was never pushy nor showed her hurt despite being rejected a thousand times by S over the year.

It’s still a mysterious relationship.

Cling on me

 

A picture of dependence, love and closeness which makes us want to cherish every single bit of S.

I hardly decline her requests of “Carry please, mommy” (except when she refuses to go to bed) because I know in no time she’ll grow out of this phase and too heavy for me to carry anyway.

19 months of blessings and we’re enjoying more than ever…

Bliss-ful mask

I am a DIY facial mask addict. It’s a must-have in my toiletry bag whenever I travel. Visits to the esthetician or beauty salon are no longer practical and only for emergencies (eg. sudden breakout or excessive de-hydration). I’m not sure if these masks work but I always feel good after use. Perhaps it’s psychological.

A quick count shows that I have four different brands in stock with my latest rave- Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energising Mask. I was already sold on the name. Who doesn’t want to have more ‘oxygen’ and 'energy' on their face? It’s an interesting cream mask that turns frothy and tingly as it releases oxygen into the skin. I usually put it on in the shower, before hair and body shampoo and rinse it off last. It’s a fuss-free quick fix to tired face with an instant glow result. I managed to cajole Daddy M to try and he likes it too!

S plus S

A few days ago, M and I became the temporary guardian of his 9-year old god-daughter. So now we have a bb S and a bigger S under our care. Bb S is the happiest person in the household with a new big sister to play with, following her wherever she goes. Perhaps this is a chance to prepare us for number 2 (wink).

Our conversations have expanded from milk feed and frequency of naps to logistics to/from school, time table and homework.

I am thankful that we have the ability to take on more in life – the opportunity to serve in children’s ministry, ministering to His flock as well as the capacity to care and help those who are in need.

I don’t know how we will do it or if we can do it well but I know God will give us the wisdom and cause everything to turn out well.

Bali 2011

She has a love/hate relationship with water – loves to play with water but hates to be in the pool.

 

I thought I looked cool with this on my back for a few days.

Don’t you just love this oversized hat that covers the whole face? It’s the only souvenir from Bali for S.

Boys being boys, they will never be bored.

She entertained herself with ONE leaf and lots of sand for the whole afternoon. No spades & buckets or beach toys required. Low maintenance child :)

Everyone was mesmerised by the slide show of my in laws and the growing up of their children and grandchildren.

The last time four of them gathered was in 2003 and we are not sure when’s the next time.

 

What is a beach holiday without surfing?

We didn’t want to come back

People are surprised to learn that we spent 9 days in Bali.  With a total of 16 people (8 adults , 8 children) from three continents,  9 days passed by in a blink of an eye. A few days chilling at Kuta beach, 1-day trip to cultural Ubud,  2 days to Seminyak for some yummy food, a few massage sessions and voila, it’s finished! Every minute was precious, trying to get to know new family members, catch up and updates on each others’ lives, not forgetting the main reason why we’re there  - 50th anniversary of Mr and Mrs Dorett (senior).

The Doretts. A very unique family.

Dad: serious, organised with random sense of humour. Loves Black Label Whisky. Note: it has to be Black Label.

Mom: Typical mom/grandmother who dotes on her grandchildren. Her children and grandchildren are the most perfect.

Eldest daughter (in floral Pink dress to my right): Resides in Kalamanzoo, Michigan. The tour director for this trip who tried to ensure everyone is looked after. Endured seeing her two handsome sons (the twins in blue and white at the back row) being tattooed and secretly felt the pain for them. She is the most jovial person I have met who laughs every 5 minutes. She is a true first born.

Second daughter (white top behind me): Resides in Melbourne. A more mellowed middle child, she shares the same birthday as I do and home schools her youngest son (floral shirt-boy behind baby S). Patience is her virtue. The blue shirt boy in the middle of the last row is his second son, who decided to shave his head on our last day!

Third daughter (black floral dress in the second row): She is vocal and demonstrates the ‘youngest’ child attribute (if we don’t count daddy M). She’s also the closest to us as the only sister who resides in Sg. The two beautiful girls are her gems.

The youngest son: Daddy M, smiled from day 1 to day 9. Being the only boy among the four and with huge age gaps ranging 7-12 years, he let the sisters run the show and just follows. 

The blue shirt man standing in between first and last daughter is the cousin who decided to fly from Canada to soak in some fun, love and family warmth.

Stay tuned for more highlights of our trip!

Family trip

It's Friday and we are heading to Bali tomorrow for the first international Dorett family trip, to celebrate my in laws' 50th anniversary (part II). Daddy M is pretty excited over the trip despite his hampered mobility and yes, he is limping there!

It will also be my first time meeting three of M's nephews from the US and Australia (checking one of my to-do's in 2008!)

This is probably the first holiday that I am totally switched off in the planning-where to stay, what to do are all discussed among daddy M and his sisters. I just need to ensure our luggages are packed.


Spa, spa, here I come...

Gastronomy at home

I am no fan of fine gastronomy. However for our 4th wedding anniversary last week, we celebrated it with a cliché at home - a small tin of Prunier carviar, truffled frois gras, mini bilinis, creme fraiche and a bottle of Flying Fish Cove wine (which we toasted on the proposal night).

 

Sounds romantic.

Neh. My mom joined us in our celebration and preferred her bilinis with peanut butter! 

See, now you know why I am not an aficionado of luxury delicacies. It’s not in the blood. 

Belated birthday celebration

I realised that I always opted for girls night out for my birthday celebration. The tradition remained this year.

At 9pm we were making our usual funny faces in an unassuming steamboat restaurant. Very decent. 

 

By 2am, we were on the roof top of Kinki (get your minds out of the gutter, it’s a Japanese restaurant), chatting our hearts out and dancing on champagne.

 

It was a very happy belated birthday celebration.

End on a sweet note

It was a good 48-hour trip. A few meetings got cancelled which left me with some free time to walk around the city, combing every floor of Harrods and Harvey Nicols at Knightsbridge.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), the effects of jet lag hindered me from making any emotional big-ticket purchase despite the sale.

I love London. When it’s NOT raining.  I love the medieval architecture, the parks, the curry and the accents… Unlike the past few cities that I was in, I managed to take it slow in London and enjoyed every bit of it. Shopping, fine dining, people watching and fantastic weather. It would have been perfect if daddy M was with me.

When you’re down, the only way is UP and I see this short ‘break’ in London as my UP after the exhausting past few weeks.

This marks the close of a chapter in my crazy work season.  I’m happy to be home.