Father-daughter time

Dad left for Penang this afternoon and M was sharp to observe my reluctance to go to work in the morning. I always make sure we spend some last-minute father-daughter time before we part (either back to Penang or Singapore). Dad would repeat tirelessly his usual advice and I would listen to him intently, hoping to catch some nuggets of wisdom.

- Do more exercise
- Find time for yourself
- Go for a swim
- Health is wealth
- Meditate everyday
- Drink less coffee
- Be more polite to your husband. Watch your tone. Control your explosive temper
- Talk sweetly to your in-laws (??? This is new). Win their hearts (have I not already???)

I will pa. I will try.

Easter break

Hooray! 1 more day before we scoot off to our holiday in Perth for a week! This will be our third visit in seven years. Perth is a special place for our family; it's a place where 1) M did his degree; 2) he proposed to me and 3) we went for our short-getaway after wedding. Cheesy to go back again? Absolutely not! This is the best option if you're travelling with a 16 month-old running around yearning for attention 90% of the time and an elderly couple who are not up for long-distance walking or adventures. Good weather and familiarity are two things we need.

The games children play

Do all children grow up playing the same things? 

I believe so…

This is Mister Shawn @ 13 months in 2008…

SAHM

My dear friend, WL has gone on to the ‘bright’ side of being a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom). I’m sharing her happiness as she woke up at 10am and went to the market at 11am on her first day!

To certain extent, I will miss her because she has always been "there" (online) over the past 10 years, since we discovered ICQ. Even though we didn’t chat on a daily basis, knowing that she’s ‘online’ made a difference. It’s like I knew that I was not alone (read: melancholic-sentimental talk).

This is one of the best decisions of her life. WL, so don’t let someone else's jaded views on SAHM affect your self-esteem. Be proud of your stay-at-home mom days. It can be a thankless job but it is definitely a rewarding experience. On days that you feel lousy or bored or gasp for kid-free time, know that there’s more than one person out there who would trade your position.

Quality time

What can you do in 2 hours? A lot.

6.30pm: Mommy arrived home

6.45pm: Mother and daughter took a walk to the nearest playground. Daughter ran around happily…

7.00pm: Both strolled home

7.10pm: Mommy slowly enjoyed her dinner while toddler played with the helper

7.30pm: Let’s play stacking the cups

7.35pm: Let’s do some reading

7.45pm: Called home and have a chat with Ah Boh (my sis)

7.55pm: Let’s do some massage (Baby lied on her tummy, mommy pretended to massage baby’s body)

8.00pm: Let’s play baby gym (Mommy lifted baby up and down like a dumbbell)

8.05pm : Butt wash

8.15pm: Bible story time

8.30pm: … and baby went into dreamland…

Hmmm….My ideal mother & daughter time.

Happy list

It's been a while since I posted about happy list, forgetting the origins of my blog - a record of my appreciation of little things in life. So there you go, some of the 'happy' things that I see in my life and people around me.

Happiness is...

Meeting old friends

Taking cute pictures of Mary Jane shoes

A church service in the cinema

Bosses attending offsite meeting

Sake from Tokyo

New beginnings

Big orangy sunrise

Sabbatical leave

Lavender macarons and Wow! Ichigo in Pavé

Sous-chef wannabe

I started working as a part-time waitress in Yellow Light in my teens, on ad-hoc basis, when the restaurant needed help. 20 years later, I got promoted to be the sous-chef. Ahem, not exactly sous-chef per se, but in charge of the mise-en-place for Tom Yam soup and some simple stir fries… Last weekend, Shih and I relived my childhood's masak-masak dream in YL kitchen due to last-minute staff shortage. It was more like a girly cactch-up session because Daddy M who was dining in the restaurant could hear our laughter coming from the kitchen (oops!). It was an honour to be able to 'cook' with my dear friend, the executive chef. This is definitely a keepsafe picture.