2008 significant events

SK circle of life annual report 2008- significant events page

• Jan– Ate at Yellow Light three times a week


• Feb- Gave my first 'married' CNY ang pow


• Mar- DAP rocked Penang


• Apr- Step foot to the legendary Monkey God Mountain. Best McCouple sleeping annonymous

• May- Yvonne got married. Our official honeymoon



• June- Forgot my 1st year wedding anniversary. Chickened out on my lasik surgery


• July- Bon Jour, cava, bien. Arrival of baby Jeen

• Aug- Wong proposed to wl. 48-hour get-away in BKK

• Sep- My dream came true to make my dad's dream come true

• Oct- Wrote my first blog


• Nov- Learned how to lap dance

• Dec- Marcel turned 34, WL got married

Acrophobia

I heroically suggested taking the cable car ride to Sentosa with Eve and Sonia to make our outing more fun.

I thought I could do it because it was dark. I thought I could be distracted by the chirpiness from the girls. I thought my protector nature could outshine the fear given that I was the ADULT.

I was wrong. The full glass view of the brightly-lit Genting Resort construction site made the fall-space between the cabin and the sea very apparent. My muscle was tensed. My heart palpitated like I just finished hot yoga. My mind was irrationally wondering what lies beneath… It was the longest 10 minutes in my life. Marcel’s hands were near-bruised after the ride. The ride back was more joyful on the sky train.

I’m giddy recounting it.

The picture was obviously taken before the ride started.

Fusion prawns

My discovery for this Christmas.

Poach prawns in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes and refresh in iced water. De-shell and de-vein.

Dressing

• Chili-1-2
• Palm sugar – 1.5 tsp
• Garlic 2-3 cloves
• Lime juice – 30ml
• Rice vinegar-30ml
• Fish sauce-30ml
• Oil -1/2 tsp
• Kaffir lime leaves 1-2, grated
  

1. Pound chili, palm sugar and garlic
2. Add lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, oil and Kaffir lime leaves
3. Pour dressing on poached prawns and refrigerate

Accompanying salt

• Sea salt – 2 tsp
• Lime rind, finely grated
• Dried chili – 2
• Sugar -1 tsp

1. Place chili in a small frying pan and cook over high heat until crisp, add salt, stir continuously. Cool it
2. Pound cooled chilli & salt with lime rind and sugar

Silent day

I'm eating the fruits of not believing in delayed gratification while my fellow colleagues are sleeping in and Marcel relaxing at home on this rainy Boxing day. I'm the ONLY soul here in office with 16 empty cubicles around me. It's so quiet that I'm blasting Duffy to keep my spirit high. Hmm... I wonder if Robinsons or Taka is having Boxing day sale?

Wishes

My random Christmas and New Year wishes to you...

Peace. Joy. Have a good laugh. Know who Jesus is. Fun time with family. Receive presents that pleasantly surprise you. No hang over. Smooth drive on the road. Full house. Right recipe. No weight gain after feasting. Meet someone special. No pimple breakout with junk food overdose. Look back in 2008 and find some precious moments. Wake up to a big smile. Not caught in the rain. Sleep in. Rest & relax. Find the right present. Perfect nails. Truly enjoy yourself and forget about work. Great company. Count down with someone you love. Health. Your wish come true.

To be or not to be

THE house is wafted with scent of fir... Our Christmas tree is finally up. It fits perfectly in the empty corner where the invisible side table is. It's been my dream to have a side table with a beautiful lamp, vase of flowers, some photo frames on it, against a painting or mirror on the wall.. We have not found one that we love and affordable. OK it's not about the side table today... It's about our Douglas Fir tree.

The story of our tree was well illustrated in Marcel's blog. Now, let's hear my version of it titled "Doing the SiewKhee thing".

I know the unspeakable joy of having a real tree, especially more so for Marcel. Being a prudent wife-wannabe, I've had it all planned out (if only you could see my sureness) to get it at great discount days before Christmas like we did last year. Low and behold, all nurseries along Thomson Road decided to cut down their orders simultaneously this year. They were sold out earlier than expected!!! "Penny wise, pound foolish", "Stupid Chinese woman" kept ringing in my head the whole time when I was frantically trying to find a solution - my last resort was to get a fake tree. Poor husband tried to hide his dissapointment because I was in tears and condemned by guilt...

When I found out that Cold Storage Jelita still had stock, I promised myself I would never pull this stunt again in the years to come! BUT I think God is really grooming me into a prudent wife, because the tree was only S$49.90 after 50% discount!! Much cheaper than my original budget. I'm torn now...

My girl friends in A-Z

I wanted to blog about my good friends to tell them I love and treasure them. This is the best I can do… Those who have eyes, let them read…

The All-rounder. She sings, she writes, she cooks (best chef in town), she sews, she’s good with her hands and she’s smart. She’s one whom I call for ALL recipes. She is a survivor.

Miss Big heart. She’s got the biggest heart and compassion beyond comprehension (she donates to busker-uncles DAILY). She’s always ready to help with ANYTHING (from buying diapers to event organizing). She's one whom I would trust to baby-sit MSKJ one day..

The Calmer. She’s always calm and composed. Yelling is not in her dictionary. She remains unrattled in times of trying.

The Dreamer. She not only dreams but she carries out her dreams. She’s an idealist yet versatile. Her life is never dull and always ready to plan the next holiday, gathering, and celebration.

The Etiquetter – She’s the master of all social graces and manners. You’ll never catch her walking and eating simultaneously alive. She’s also the Singapore-version of Martha Stewart who can host beautiful parties to planning a perfect wedding.

Miss Frugal– She’s good with numbers and the person whom we entrust with ‘ang pow’ box at weddings. She’s organized in her money management and a savvy consumer who doesn’t waste her money, time and energy on things she doesn’t need.

The Guy’s girl. She can be any men’s bestfriend because she knows more about football and car racing than any normal guy. She’s humorous and not afraid to make fun of herself to entertain others.

Miss Outspoken. She’s frank and honest. She’s never pretentious and doesn’t hide her feelings. She’s protective over her friends. She lives life to the fullest by swaying in ballrooms to wakeboarding in waters...

Social butterfly. She’s easy going and have tonnes of friends. She has the gift of gap and can help you break the ice in a boring party.

Tough cookie. Independent and strong minded. She knows what she wants and in control of her life. She doesn’t take any nonsense and definitely not afraid of a bully. Her luurve for Chicken Vindaloo is as much as mine...

The vain pot. She’s in denial of her flawless complexion. She knows the best dermatologist in town. She’s positive and contented with her life (other than her complexion). She chooses to look at the bright side of things yet carries a bitch bone in her body. She’s the winner of ‘the most transformed woman after motherhood’.

Walking medical encyclopedia. She knows which doctor to recommend in town . Tell her your symptoms and she would probably be able to diagnose you over the phone with all the medical terms.