December’s fruit- playing housewife

I spent the last week of December playing housewife. Post HFMD, things got better.
My life as a ‘freelance’ housewife (with my blackberry within reach)- cooking, washing, caring, housekeeping, playing, art & craft and some time-off in the afternoon to watch a few episodes of  TVB series when S takes a nap. It is almost a replica of my maternity leave. 
My favourite part is planning the daily menu and see S’s appetite increase tremendously.  One evening, she looked at me and shouted: “Mommy! Thank you for cooking!” and that’s my reward!  The thought of being a stay-at-home-mom is luring if it means I can make her eat more?? It’s just a thought.  In any case, I thank God for letting me ‘experience’ how it is like to be a stay-at-home-mom (with no help). I’m not sure if I really love it but knowing that it’s short-lived and ending soon makes me cherish every bit of it.
It has been a perfect week to end this unceasing fruitful 2012.

The return of HFMD

We celebrated Christmas this year fighting HFMD. This is S's second encounter with this pesky disease (she had it once when she was eight months old). However this time is worse with ulcers in the mouth and crankiness index hit all time high as she couldn't eat nor drink. It also affected her sleep. Ice cream, yoghurt, Popsicle, cold soba, 100 plus - all the things that I hear would help to numb the pain didn't work. It broke my heart to see her yearning for food yet not able to eat... The funny thing was she kept smelling food,"mommy, I smell fried chicken.", " mommy, I smell like watermelon", hallucination perhaps.

It was made worse as we just sent our help back to Philippines for Christmas holidays! Round the clock care almost drove me up the wall. Daddy M was slightly spared because S just wanted ME!
Thank God for a phone call from SI (whom had recently encountered HFMD with her kid) at the point of me breaking down. I felt almost like having post-natal blue. Yes it was that serious and helpless... With that, I have accepted that I am a spoilt brat who can't run the household without help.
Thank God too that it's December and I am able to stay home...
It's day 5 and I think we have bottomed out..



Sent from my iPad

Blastful December

The month of December is like my bonus for the year. It beats any amount of $$ I can get. My mind automatically shut down when the clock struck 00:01 on 1 December. No more deadlines. No more urgent reports. Usually December is all about Christmas shopping. This year, it has been a blast! There were fruits to celebrate almost every single day!

Meeting Chef of the century, Joel Robuchon himself left me breathless for a few minutes.

Having the whole family in town for a week with 10 adults and 5 children in the house was like celebrating CNY in advanced!

The tree decorating experience was warmer than usual with me surrounded by my niece and nephews !

Bouncy castle and balls pool were the major hits for S’s birthday, not forgetting the yummy home-cooked buffet spread that mom and I whipped up for 28 adults and 13 kids!

S’s debut as a flower girl!

Family+friends+Christmas+lull period at work = Bliss.

November's fruits- friends

November was all about friends and catch-ups.

I managed to squeeze in some time during my work trip to meet an old friend, Naids in Boston, whom I've not met for 12 years. It was great to catch up on marriage, work, kids and we're almost up to speed on each other's life in a short duration of 90 minutes in the airport!  

November is also usually the busiest month for me in terms of birthday celebrations. We had several fantastic girls night-out with four birthdays of people dear to me - Sher, SY, YL and Gek.   Oh my, when girls gather, we can really talk...There's always something new to catch up on. There're always things for us to laugh so hard 'til our stomachs hurt. Sometimes we would just walk down the memory lane and revive our juicy past/ reckless youth. Most of the time, we have so much to talk about that we would be the last group to leave the restaurant!!!   

I'm truly truly blessed.

Give thanks and thanks giving

I spent a few days in NY city last week for work.  Compared to a year go, the city looked a tad tired, after being struck by several ‘traumas’ over the past decade – 9/11, Irene hurricane and now another super storm Sandy...

Instead of “How are you?”, people greeted each other with “Have you got power?". A lot were affected by the recent hurricane and lost their homes overnight. The irony is, most of the ubber rich who lived in beach houses had to seek refuge at friends' or relatives' because there were no power and water at home! To make matters worse, it’s winter time now! The city was not well prepared for Sandy because noone took the hurricane warning seriously because such notices come every other week, especially this season.

9 out of 10 people that I met were also disappointed that Obama won the election. There was a hilarious story that went around - a woman ran over her husband because he did not vote for Obama (??!).

The city was in need of some spirit-lifting activities- skating at Rockfeller Centre, putting up the big Christmas tree in the city centre and Macy’s thanksgiving balloon parade. People have more things to give thanks this Thanksgiving, especially little things in life that were taken forgranted previously...

I am really grateful to be in this part of the world. Good weather. Good food. Good church. And thank God for power and water, despite our usual complains of the price hike…

Blessings

Every night before she sleeps, we say our prayers together and I would pronounce blessings over her.
Every morning on our way to school, daddy M would also do the same, a prayer and blessings.
The blessings can be of favour, wisdom, courage or whatever that comes to our mind.
This morning, we said our usual goodbyes and gibberish stuff. And just before I left the house she said: “Mama (that’s my new name this season), you will have favour today!”.
I thought I heard wrongly and asked her to repeat. “You have favour, mama!”.
I knew immediately that I have to remember this moment and pen it down.

Thank you Jesus.

October's fruit

October was all about THE WEDDING. All things worked out within expectations. It was a beautiful and blissful one. I loved my flowers creation!
Post wedding, a friend encouraged me to set up my own wedding planning business. I seriously considered about it and was almost convinced that I could do it. Flexi hours, doing what I really love, reasonable income... But the thought of having to work on Sunday (ie, giving up Rock Kidz) turned me off. And I stopped dreaming.
From time to time I still wonder, was I using Rock Kidz as an excuse to front the lack of courage to make a switch?
In any case, I am thankful that my dream of becoming a wedding planner was fulfilled… and more importantly, for a dear friend.

Fancy dress party

 "Children may come in their fanciest, crazy, creative and earth-friendly costumes. They will do a catwalk to show their gorgeous costumes.".

That's the instructions given by the school for the fancy dress party. Thank God for the hand-me-down fairy costume. By adding on a 'funky' hairband, we have Crazy, Fancy and Creative! I'm hoping that the butterfly on the hairband is remotely earth-friendly - ie part of God's creation and belongs to mother earth??

Penangites reunited

 

We’ve known each other for an average of 20 -28 years, yet this was our inaugural trip together.

In recent years, the Penangites got closer and I feel that we cherish each other more than before. Shih attributed this to a sign of aging??!!

It all started from a random question during one of our lunches :"Wanna go Bangkok?". It was supposed to be a girls trip but some of us (ahem me) didn’t really want to leave our other halves behind. After all, daddy M needed to top up some cheap and good jeans, T-shirts from MBK and Chat Tu Chak.

So we left S behind and headed for our fuss-free dirty weekend, well not so ''dirty'' if you consider staying in a service apartment with 4 others, spending time chatting (mostly the girls), shopping as dirty.

I have a strong feeling that there might be more trips in the future!

Hello, mommy!

 

A few weeks ago, I called home and a 3-year old answered the phone: "Hello, mommy?".
I was pleasantly surprised that S knew how to answer the phone - we definitely didn't teach her.

Today, I received a call from home and the same 3-year old was on the line: " Hello, mommy? Can I watch TV, pleeeeze?".

This is the phase that definitely needs to be posted for my future reminiscence. I'm not sure if I'm prepared to see her grow so fast... 

Belly fat

In recent weeks, there have been a few comments from colleagues 'hinting' that I have gained weight in my middle.

-" ... you hip has grown sideways"
-"... you're quite meaty"

To top it all, a dear friend messaged me to ask if I'm preggers because of a picture posted on FB! Well, I must say that the picture was taken from a bad angle but I probably can't deny the fact of a bulging tummy!!

I claim the fertility but reject the fats!

La Petite

She’s often being mistaken as a 2-year old, because of her petite size. Technically she is a 3-year old (2 more months short). Most of the 3-year olds are one head taller than she is, as seen in pix. According to the teacher in school, bigger kids in class like to seat around her, to ‘look after’ her like a lil’ sister. Sometimes, teachers have to pull her away from the bigger-sized boys to prevent a stampede. Joy of a year-end baby!



Heavy September

Judging from the lack of posts in September, I can’t think of anything spectacular to pen my fruits for the month.

Digging deeper, perhaps the biggest fruit is I see myself grown- to be a more mature person, less rattled or raged, especially when I’m faced with conflicts or difficult situation.

The truth is, my heart is heavy today to recount any fruit.

Someone whom I had not met but only knew of (and she also knew of me) through my cousin ended her struggle post a heart attack to be with the Lord. She left behind her husband and a pair of beautiful children (7 and 13). Since her cardio failure 2 weeks ago, I have been kept posted of her status by my cousin, almost on a daily basis, mainly to stand in faith that she would walk out of the hospital and be a miracle testimony.

I cried as if I knew her. I cried as I feel sad for the family. One can never be too prepared for death. Be it 2 weeks, or 2 years.

I pray that the family will depend on the grace of God to go through this difficult period, to be strengthen by His comfort, knowing that their mother and wife has gone to a more glorious place. Goodness and mercy shall follow the family all the days of their lives ahead.

Hitched

I’ve been breathing wedding. Wedding flowers, gowns, invites, favours, decor… My wedding planning passion is reignited for my dearest friend Shih! And I can finally blog about it after the official invites were sent early this week!

Being a drama queen, I broke down in tears of joy (in a café in Raffles Place!) when she told me the news. It almost felt like my daughter is getting married! I felt a whirlwind of emotions. This scene shall not be repeated on the ACTUAL DAY, in Jesus name, Amen.

It all started with me asking a colleague, A : “Do you have any man to introduce?” and he said “Show me what you’ve got”. After a week, and some due diligence bouncing back and forth between A and I, four of us met for lunch in Yellow Light. And the rest is history. I secretly think that Yellow Light existed for this sole purpose! For them to meet, fall in love and tie the knot!!!

K, the man is a man with dry sense of humour. I can’t say that I know him very all but he has proven himself to be one whom Shih can rely on. Apparently he is a crazy and passionate guy behind his cool and composed frontage.

So here we are, a month to go before the big day, I wish you joy, happiness, bliss, and health, in your life together.

Rest found grace

Daddy M is my fan. And a proud one. He was not reluctant to post my Starmine interview article in Business Times on FB as soon as it was out. The post went slightly viral. Had it not been Jesus, I would have felt embarrassed, or worried that others may judge that I’m boastful. But since Jesus is the one taking the glory and did the work, heck.

I’m thrilled that the journalist decided to end the article with my quote: “It’s God’s grace.” despite giving me the sceptical look that I’ve gone overboard with this God’s grace thing during the interview. This can only be God because how often do you get to see these 3 words in a business publication??

This is a footprint of Rest found Grace.

August fruits

August is a month full of goodness, worth jumping for joy!

• *I was rated no. 1 in the Starmine ranking for best earnings estimator in Singapore 2011.
• *I had the revelation that if I am quick to give glory to Jesus for the good things in my life,  I should be quick to cast my cares to Him.
• *Dad managed to tag along on my 3-day business trip to Hong Kong for some father-daughter bonding.
• *Miracles seed sowed for the Star.

Best of all, something that I have been longing for,  for a very long time came to past this month, which I shall blog about it very soon. No. I’m not pregnant yet.

Digging Siput

Our must-do in Penang- digging for Siput (small clams) by the beach. The kids love it and can spend hours bending with their feet stuck in the sand, searching for these tiny shellfish. On good days, they could pick up some 30+ clams which would be served as a dish (fried with garlic, ginger and soy sauce) during dinner. It is rewarding to see their accomplished expressions, as they savoured their harvest like the the yummiest food on earth.

Sweet dreams

We have quite good success in our project S.L.E.E.P in the past few weeks since we moved into our new home. S has been able to sleep through most of the nights. We went overboard to ensure that the room is enticing.  A kitchen set from Ikea that took 3 hours to assemble, colourful tent for hiding, and the most important of all – DORA quilt cover* (only available in Spotlight Singapore!). The added incentive for her to sleep in the room is Play-Doh–  new colour or mould each day she sleeps through. My stock of Play-Doh colours and moulds are running low….

* design is thrown out of the window as we hedged the Dora bedsheet with Winnie the Pooh bedsheet underneath!

Revival of patriotism

Either daddy M is aging or I am only starting to discover that my husband is passionate of his country. I hissed at his idea of hanging the Singapore flag outside our house to welcome National Day next week. Apart from not wanting to ‘taint’ our new home’s landscape, I simply couldn’t equate hanging flags to patriotism.

From my recollection, my dad and father in-law are the only two people who would proudly display their country’s flag to 'celebrate' national day. I attribute the action to their life experience in seeing how their countries respectively fought for independence in the 1950s and 60s.

Since he couldn’t convince me with a big flag in the new house, daddy M secretly bought a mini-flag and stuck it on the CAR while I was away on a short business strip!!

I crack up every time I see the car now, thinking “ OMG, my husband is becoming an uncle! Please God, don’t let anyone I know see me hoping into/out of this car!”. Perhaps patriotism has long been forgotten, since my move to Singapore. I think I will be torn as to which country’s flag to hang at gunpoint.

July's fruits - faith and speech

I feel that I got closer to God this month. I started to talk more to Him with shooting prayers which resulted in a lot of revelations.

1) Faith comes from hearing -So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
The more good news we hear, the more faith we have. Conversely, the more negatives we hear, it is inevitable that we become demoralized. I was affected after being the listener to my colleague’s complains and grief over our new work culture for about a month. Thank God for daddy M and good friends who point me back to Jesus…I started to mediate on the sufficiency of His grace. I also reduced the coffee breaks/ lunches with people with negative vibes… It definitely helped.

2) The power of confession - The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Believe and speak forth. A few of us started a group chat where we encourage and confess positively over each other’s circumstance on a daily basis. The power of standing in faith together beats worrying alone, hands down.

Carpenters and Cook

I love beautiful things. In another words, I’m a sucker for packaging and marketing. Thank God I have found a comrade, SL who shares my passion and ‘appreciation’ for beautiful stationery, cards, gift wrappers, decor, flowers and all things beautiful though not practical, at times.

Two weeks ago, SL insisted that we should take a 20-minute ride from Raffles Place to Lorong Kilat to celebrate my belated birthday. She said I would love the place! Although the place only serves things-that-I-don’t-normally-eat, ie sandwiches and quiches, I went by faith. After all, she’s my ONLY comrade, it gotta be good!

I fell in love with Carpenters and Cook the moment I stepped in.

A  cafe with BEAUTIFUL THINGS and vintage stuff. Everything in the shop is for sale. Plates, cups, weighing scale, re-upholstered chapel chairs, tables, typewriter, clocks, and of course the food.  Quant and rustic perfectly describe this retro joint. It’s only been operating for about one month but already has huge followings (usually crowded, according to SL)!

The Passion Fruit meringue is a Must-Try. Slightly different from the Pattisier’s, this has crispier shell and more sour in taste.
The shop is a venture among three girls in their 30’s, sharing their love for vintage furniture and artisan bakery.
I admire them with slight envy.

Contemporary art

The latest addition to our weekend activities- 45-minute art class on Saturday mornings.
It all started because a friend is trying to set up art classes for kids (in his office). S is the no. 2 kid he recruited after his 5-year old niece.
Enrichment fever is a phenomena that has gripped a lot of parents. Parents who can afford and kiasu (aka competitive and ‘plan ahead’) start sending their children to all manner of enrichment classes from as young as six months old. Flash cards, Shichida, Mindchamps, growing up gifted, power Chinese, you name it they have it. These classes are intended to help the children to ‘excel’ in their education years later. I had always been reluctant to send S for any program mainly because our weekends are too precious to be spent on car rides, queues and waits in the name of enrichment.
However, if I must and willing, I would start her with swimming (for survival??), piano (free of charge because my cousin used to give piano lessons), or violin (I think she looks cute with it!). Art is the last thing on my mind because I can’t draw to save my life! On second thought, this might be the right choice of enrichment - to pick up a skill that is not inherited genetically nor can be taught by the parents.

The first session was enjoyable and we managed to rope C along for the second session. So now we have three kids in this not-so-proper-set-up-but-intimate art class. It shall be fun!

Eggs home remedy part 2

My mom’s remedy to bring fever down - let the child hold two eggs.

Two years ago, we tried a home remedy concerning eggs, and ended up at the doctor!

This time round, it's definitely 'safer' with breaking the eggs being the only risk. 

I’m not sure how this old wives’ tale work but it did. Well, I can't prove it totally because a dose of Volteren suppository was administered concurrently.
She was happy to 'play' this egg game and told my mom that chickens may come out from the eggs??

 

Meet S at 31 months.  She drives me up the wall sometimes. Everyone tells me that she behaves perfectly in my absence but turns into a whiny, demanding kid the moment I get home from work.

With the move and unpacking, we have been focusing on the house more than her, which I believe is the trigger for some defiance in her, to get our attention. I have been questioning myself if I am doing the right thing or being a 'good' mom, with the recent increase in time-out sessions (stand-in-a-corner-and-'think'-what-you-have-done-wrong).

God knows my heart.

A few days ago, S had a boil on her hand and came to me with her eyes cringed: "Can you pray for me?". Immediately after I prayed, she continued with her activity, as if the boil is gone. During our night prayer, she said: "Thank you Jesus for my new room, my new house, my kitchen, my tent, my milk, my bottles, my toys…". I was moved. It was like an affirmation from God that yes, I’m on the right track, I'm not a horrible mom because she has caught what we want to impart in her - Jesus being the centre and give thanks in all things.

Operation S.L.E.E.P

The sleep/milk battle has ended. Praise the Lord. The wee hours milk requests have reduced significantly. Even if she did ask for it, we have been ignoring her.

Moral of the story: When the parents are ready (to let go or refuse to give in), children will be ready to move along…

Next up: moving to her OWN ROOM.

I have read tons of literature on sleep training methods and consider myself theoretically very competent. It’s all about execution now. Stay tuned!

Logistics, logistics, logistics

My in laws (S main care giver and driver) are in the US and this comes with plenty of logistics arrangement. It involves lots of help from friends and “international aid”, which we are thankful.

Firstly, we switched her to morning session. In order to let her settle in slowly, daddy M will send her to school at about 8am while I make myself to work earlier (our norm was to leave for work together at 7’ish). My dear friend, Shih will pick her up mid-day for the next 2.5 months until my father-in-law returns to resume the role of the designated driver.

On days that Shih cannot make it, daddy M or myself will squeeze our lunch hour to pick her up (and grab a quick bite at home). We are also looking at training our helper to take a cab to pick her up. Last but not least, starting this weekend, my mom will be here for a month, followed by my dad...

On certain days, our dear friend, Selvam is also activated to help (last resort).

I know there is a short cut to these cumbersome arrangement- send her to full-day school immediately where we can pick her up after work. But I am not ready. Period.

Perhaps I need to go through this to let go... Meanwhile, we are tapping on whatever help that we can get...

PS: there is no school bus available.

June's fruit- the great migration

The month of June is all about the house. We have moved the 121 items from storage and finished unpacking approximately 70 boxes (of things that we have done without perfectly in the past year). But we have not officially moved in, pending minor renovation touch up and internet installation. So for now, we are shuttling between the old and the new, passing by this alley numerous times a day. Step by step, we are getting closer and closer to our new home. Praise Jesus!

Personal shopper

I am not a fashionista. Most of my clothes are in black or solid colours. Due to the infection last month, I decided to pamper myself (on daddy M’s account) and booked a session with the personal shopper in Top Shop, Knightsbridge outlet in Orchard.  My original objective was to add some long sleeves tops to cover the wounds, but it turned out to be a great experience. I was over the moon!! My wardrobe has since been coloured!

Coincide with my birthday month, I treated myself again to maximize the 20% discount recently.

I was greeted by the beautiful and friendly personal shopper, Melaine and her assistant Nud.  I had the whole fitting suite (read, not fitting room) to myself- no crowd, no queue.  Daddy M sat comfortably on the sofa and watched me parade. He was also served with a delicious platter of desserts prepared for my birthday!

Before I started changing, Melanie went through an array of clothes, probably more than 30 outfits on two rails split by different categories and key trends for the season - dresses, formal, casual, work, fun. A lot of the clothes that looked good one me belonged to the category “I wouldn’t pick this up if I was alone shopping”. Case in point – I am not a fashionista.

Each outfit was paired with the necessary accessories- belts, necklace, shoes. There was no need to worry about sizes as Nud would dash out of the room to grab if I didn't fit into any.

For first timers, you would have been asked of your preference, likes and dislikes when you book for an appointment. There are a few "services" that one can book, including The Miracle Worker - 2 Hours. The Mother and Daughter - 1 Hour, The Big Wow - 1 Hour. For that big night out, Group Retail and etc…

Did I mention that this whole service is FREE?! And there is no minimum spending! But realistically, be prepared to spend because you will love most of the outfit they prepare! They are professionals after all.

I hope to drag along some girl friends the next time I go…end of year, perhaps (after a big hole in the pocket)!

Two are better than one

On the eve of our 5th wedding anniversary, we had a fight. We said things that we didn’t mean.

The next day, we ‘celebrated’ by attending a friend’s wedding. A lot of flash back on our wedding day but more importantly I was trying to find some revelations on our marriage . A timely reminder surfaced - that Jesus is the secret to a marriage. If we can put Jesus as the centre and love through His eyes, fights get resolved fast (He didn’t say life is fuss free), irritating habits get ignored  (He did say we are imperfect), more respects between each other, more love and more submissions. After all, the Bible did say “wives submit to your husbands, as to the Lord …. Husbands love your wives,  just as Christ also love the church…”.

But very often, I forget to ask Jesus to be the centre of my marriage. I know Jesus is there but I just take things for granted and forget to involve Him, asking for wisdom to be a submissive wife and a proverbs 31 woman. I forget to thank Him that He has given me a husband that I longed for all of my life ie, a man of God (I started praying for a Christian husband from secondary school).  A man who puts Jesus first in his life.  A man who is wise whom I can cling on.  He may not be perfect (hence need Jesus), but he is surely my rock.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labour:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Babe, Happy 5!!!

Smooth operation

We rewarded her with a Dora sticker book for not having milk on night one. She went to bed with the sticker book next to her and only woke up at 6.15am. Praise the Lord. Things are looking up! 

Sleep battle -reset

I lost count of when we started giving in to night feeds. S would wake up at least once in the middle of the night requesting for milk. I believe this could stem from the fact that she is a picky eater, belonging to the 10th lowest percentile of kids her age plus the frequency of falling sick. Last night we decided to restart the sleep training. We prepped her before bedtime that "there would be no milk tonight", and that only babies drink milk at night, not big girl like her, and she said yes. As expected it was an empty promise.

She did her usual routine and woke up at about 2 or 3am. After being refused of milk, she cried pitifully requesting me to sleep with her on the mattress – failed attempts. The bargaining lasted for about an hour with occasional cries and hallucinations – “Mommy there’s a dragon there! (pointing at the wall). I don’t want dragon (cry)” followed by :"Argh.. I don’t want dogs, no dogs!!”.

We kinda won because she got tired and gave up in the end (no more dragons, no more dogs). We are determined to put an end to this interrupted sleep cycle.

I don't wanna grow up

It's the June holidays for Singapore schools, so the cousin and god-sister took turn to stay over in the past week. We had a lot more fun and NOISE at home! There’s no stopping when it comes to play. Play sessions started from the time eyes were opened until bedtime (exhausted)! Mommy and daddy took a back seat, as we became the second choices.

S was emotional (for a little while) on the first morning after they have left. I was a little sad to see her disappointed face. She still occasionally asks for them now but has learnt to accept that the play mates have gone home. Well, this is part and parcel of growing up darling.

About the house... and the pond

 

I'm still hopeful to stick to the dateline of end-June to move into our new home. We are now at the 85% stage of renovation. Key outstanding work is to give the fish pond a new look. Yes, the house came with a pond with 20 Kois. We had wanted to kill the pond for safety reason, plus I am not a fish person. Having 20 fishes seemed like a huge responsibility. So after much thought and debate between daddy M and I, we decided to give away the Kois.

But life would not be interesting if I don't frequently pull my 'doing the sk thing' stunts. After 10 Kois were given away, I CHANGED MY MIND. I was convinced by daddy M and the designer that it's cheaper to keep the pond. My sibblings also played a part in selling the story that having a pond could bring additional joy to the kids.

So the pond is staying. But with the construction work going on, two Kois died. Last week, we sent these 8 remaining lives to a temporary fish 'hotel' while the makeover take place. I pray that all 8 will return safely. God bless them.

2012 birthday

What I want to remember of this year's birthday:-

- My prayer for a friend whose husband was diagnosed of bladder tumor. I’m standing in faith with her that tumor will be gone in Jesus name.
- My first personal shopping experience with daddy M – will blog more about this next time.
- A revelation learnt from the orange Prada pouch from Sher and Shir - enjoy the PRESENT moment. Don’t keep the beautiful things that I have till they have no value in use. Use them TODAY. This warrants another post too!
- Maiden birthday song from S to me - last year this time, she was younger and not able to.
- Decorating a birthday cake in a group is bliss.

Fever fighting – day 5

For the first time, we see temperature shot up to 40’C. For the first time, she said NO to potato chips. And for the first time, we used the suppository.  We know this episode is at its tail-end because we have seen the doc three times and almost admitted her to the hospital out of desperation. Our statistics shows that she usually recovers after the third visit to the doc). We also know that it should end very soon because we have not slept well for a long long while…

Ice ice baby

 

"You are a standard case", said the doctor who tried to console me that S falling sick every other week is a norm as she attends school. Be it a 3-hour play group or full day child care, a child takes 6-12 months to build his/her immunity system when he/she starts to attend school. Therefore parents should be prepared to visit the doc every 3-4 weeks!

Sponge baths are round the clock while Ipad and TV are constantly on standby.
Two things that I am thankful for - daddy M gets to claim all of her medical bills and I am not travelling!

May's fruit

 

2 Corinthians 12:9
 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

The month of May is all about healing and disproportionate grace.

Healing: My emotions went through a roller coaster ride with the boils - thank God they are 90% healed and I've moved on from Gentamicin cream to whitening serum.

Disproporationate grace: In all aspects of my life. He has been faithful, at the valleys and at the hills. Ministry, health, work and family - God's abundant supply did not stop, though I failed to see them at times. Looking back, the challenges that I faced this month seemed small in the palms of the Saviour as well as the bigger aspect of LIFE.

Idolised

 

S is a girl with sense of humour. She looked at this advertisement post card and said: “It’s daddy and mommy!”.  I know parents always see their children as the most beautiful but in this case the other way round? Either way, we are gleeing. 

Budding friendship

This is one of her best buds in school, T, whom she talks about all the time.

The other day we went on an excursion to the zoo with the school. When both of them met, they called out to each other and held hands instantly. There is no language barrier when it comes to kids, and when it comes to play. T is a Japanese and not yet fluent in English but both of them can communicate (in their own language)...

Deuteronomy 28

My life is mostly made up of routines and patterns- work, family, ministry and some episodes for drama slotted in between. This timely SMS from Gek made me STOP and REFLECT.
By the time I finished reading her SMS (it's a l.o.n.g one), I was empowered and 'happified', being reminded what to expect in life as a child of God.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 MSG
1-6 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God:

God's blessing inside the city,
God's blessing in the country;
God's blessing on your children,
the crops of your land,
the young of your livestock,
the calves of your herds,
the lambs of your flocks.
God's blessing on your basket and bread bowl;
God's blessing in your coming in,
God's blessing in your going out.

7 God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They'll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads.
8 God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
9 God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way he has shown you.
10 All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe.

11-14 God will lavish you with good things:
children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land,
the land that God promised your ancestors that he would give you.
God will throw open the doors of his sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand.
You will lend to many nations but you yourself won't have to take out a loan.
God will make you the head, not the tail;
you'll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today.
Don't swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.

The HOUSE

"Let's go the HOUSE" is our daily phrase. We call our new home - THE HOUSE. It's less than 100 steps away from where we currently live. Everyday we walk over to the 'site' to check on the renovation status, sometimes more than once a day. There's always something new to see.

Renovation is fun and stress-free when you 1) have an existing shelter, even if it's cramped quarters or just a bedroom and 2) are not preparing for a wedding (like us, 5 years ago with our first home). 

It's been two months since the 'groundbreaking' and we are probably at 70% milestone now.

We are blessed with an easy-going designer (all things are 'discussable'), a dedicated site supervisor who works 7-day/week and a passionate painter who works till late at night.

Looking forward to move in by end-June!

Flavour of the month

Meet my new love - Passionfruit Meringue from the Pattisier.

I don't have a sweet tooth but this meringue sweeps me away with its heavenly not-so-sweet-yet fresh and light feel. My craving was so strong that I created 'excuses' to order it - I lobbied to have a May-birthday party in the office, volunteered to buy cake for a church gathering, and mothers' day celebration. Can you sense my dedication??

It's abit pricy (from S$42.50 for 9") but worth the while in the name of indulgence and celebration!

Happy mommy's day

This year I feel glorified as a mother. Firstly I was invited to S's school to celebrate mothers' day, along with other mothers. We joined in some action songs and were each presented with a cup cake art work done by our kids. Simple but heart-warming gesture.

Secondly daddy M gave me a Pantahaligons perfume, from my "things-that-I-want-but-don't-need" list. My love tank was filled to the bream!

A friend once asked me of my biggest revelation/ lesson gained in motherhood and I said, "it makes me a stronger person than I can ever imagined".  I can't claim credit for this word of wisdom as it came from the mid-wife on the night of my delivery. Indeed, I see the change in me, growing from glory to glory (although spriritual growth plays a big part).

April's fruits

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NKJV)

¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

When I was going through the most painful phase of my bacteria infections while travelling, I did not have anything with me (no medication, no cream) but a bible and sermons on the iphone. I cramped myself with confessions and the word but every morning I was faced with new boils. I was frustrated and sad - what am I doing wrong? I read the bible, I partake holy communion, I confess. But nothing seemed to help!
Until daddy M enlightened me : "So what if there are new ones? It simply means there are more for Jesus to work on!"
I realised that all these while I have been looking at my circumstances instead of the supply. I read the bible in desperation. I wanted so much to see healing that I was praying for victory and not FROM victory. I have been choking the grace pipe from flowing in me.... So what if I appear strange now with boils? Because I know that I will rejoice with exceeding joy when Jesus restores my skin!

These circumstances should not stop me from giving thanks to my April's fruits...

- Paris Paris, I have missed you much and am glad that we encountered each other for 24 hours! Will definitely visit you some time soon!
- Edinburgh, it's been a while since I last visited you and you're still beautiful as ever...
- Wishart restaurant is still the best restaurant that I have tried in my life (yet). 

Only Jesus

I don’t live a boring life. The latest ‘happening’ in my life: Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

It’s a bacteria infection (in boils form) which started late Oct since my trip to HK. Back then it’s just one or two on my arm and trunk. After 3 GPs and 1 TCM, with rounds of antibiotics but no conclusive diagnosis, I decided to seek the specialist’s help. But the trip to Europe last week worsen it as they started to spread to my body through recycling of thermal wear! The specialist is also puzzled on the hows and the whys. He can only prescribe medication that the bacteria is susceptible to.

It’s a torture to keep a distance from S. Helplessness and depression took over me the past few days, especially when I showered and needed to change the dressing. Memories of post-natal depression came afresh…

Today, I’m in a much better state (mentally).

This is the time where there is only ONE source that can cure me. JESUS.

And of course a very very supportive husband who is full of faith.

I’m waiting for the shower of blessings to come after this episode ends (which is soon !!)

Jesus reached out and touched him (a man with leprosy). “I am willing”, He said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. – Mat 8:2-3.

Off we go again

S is sick again. And I’m travelling for business again. I’m tired of this recurrence of “something happened before/ during my business trip” episodes. But there is nothing that I can do but to trust in the Lord. This time I can’t say NO and pull out last minute because she is not ‘seriously’ ill (fever between 38-39, cough and runny nose). It’s a long-haul trip that involves my presentation.

Dear Lord,

As I leave my sick child at home for business, I know that You are watching over my family.

No harm that come against my household shall proper and I plead the blood of Jesus on everyone at home.

Let me travel with peace of mind.

Amen.

Make time for holiday

I knew that I had to do results during the week, I knew that I had to work doubly hard for a report the week after. BUT we still chose to go on a holiday and did the results during the trip and worked super hard post-trip.

For the adults, it was a chilly, laid-back, family catch-up trip. For S, it was all about playgrounds – I think we visited seven or eight playgrounds in our 9-day stay!  

We talked about migrating every trip we visited Australia- admiring the greener grass and bluer skies … And the thought would pass when we came home…This time, it lingers more because of S – better education?  Less stress? Raising a more care-free child?

 

Neh… it’s probably another passing thought.