More than mommy

Can a mother be a daughter’s best friend? Some say yes, some say no.

Best friend is different than a mother-daughter relationship. It requires having common experiences, eg.  growing up together, attending the same school/ college or being in the workplace together. Mothers and daughters are never in the same stage of life at the same time, so the relationship is never equal.

I recently read that parenting begins with us (the parents), not the child. It is like the analogy of oxygen masks on an airplane. The flight attendants always tell us that in the case of emergency, secure your oxygen mask FIRST and then your child’s.  If we apply this on the ground, only after we are balanced and secure can we model that kind of strength and security in our children.  OK, this sounds very theoretical.

I just wish that I can be one of S’s good friends - need not be the best, but I will be happy if I’m one of her confidants… 

I hope we can have a better relationship than that of between my mom and I.

I hope we can find a way to strike a balance between nurturing friendship while maintaining a healthy mother-daughter dynamic. 

Let’s pray that both of us will have the wisdom to realise this wish…

Different faces

I still can’t see much resemblance of me in S, apart from her determination (ahem) and at-times stubbornness (wink). Her face changes every other month, and this is one of those pictures which I don't think she looks like any of us.

Short-lived ME time

The weather was just nice – not too hot.  It was perfect for my ME time at W’s pool, alone.

So I drove 20minutes (weekend jam?!) and there it was, an empty pool all by myself!

I needed to stretch and swim-off all my neck and body aches built up these past weeks.

Calm and relaxing.  It was good…

10 minutes passed.

I started to see rain drops! And they got bigger and heavier.  It didn’t look like it’s going to stop soon…

I packed up and drove home….

So much so for my ME time.

Birthday month

Yippee! It's my birthday month! What's in store for me?

• Long and short haul work trips to KL, HK and London


• Half-day spa at the Sentosa awaits me


• Girls night out in a Sake bar


• Movie night with daddy M (this is so rare that it qualifies as a significant event)


• Great Singapore Sale


• 3D2N turn around trip to Bangkok?


• Picnic at the Botanical Gardens


• 4th wedding anniversary


• The return of mom's delicious cooking

I think a vacation is crucial because all I think about is sea, blue sky, fresh air...

Fly me to the nearest beach resort...

After a long week of fever, stomach flu, travelling, tight deadline at work and late nights, I have a burning desire to hop on the plane to the nearest beach resort for a 3D2N spa getaway. Best if I can just do NOTHING and stare at the sea...On second thought, I need at least one week.

Sometimes I wonder how my parents coped with work stress when they were young... They too had to work hard but didn't have the money to go for holidays nor getaways. Yet they survived and remained sane all those years.

Am I a spoilt brat??

Home is wherever we are together

We are officially homeless and now living in a 100 sqft (I think) room that fits a double bed, baby cot, 3-door wardrobe, small study desk, 4-boxed storage unit and an Ikea diaper-changing-table converted shelf.

Our life has been boxed up and labelled into 121 items stored away in the warehouse far far away…  The move has been a smooth one with the help of professionals, if only they could also sort out the emotional department. The farewell was harder than I had imagined.  Although I know it’s temporary and we are on our way to our next dream home, I couldn’t stop my tears when we handed over the keys. Perhaps it would have been easier if we had moved to our new home and not the present little room at the in-laws.  This is a true reflection of “home is where the heart is”. My version reads  “home is wherever the three of us are together, doesn’t matter where…”

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” – Ecclesiastes 3:11 .

We shall wait in faith for our new home, according to HIS time.

PS: we found a diamond ear-stud under the couch/carpet during the move, and it’s not mine!

Dad and his girls

My sis, dad and I –an unusual combo. Three of us hardly took any picture together that I can remember.

There are not many common traits among us, although my sis took after my dad more than I did – quiet, thrifty and athletic.  Probably the only similarity that we share is our less-than-pleasant disposition in spite of our great smiles when we do :)