A Then-and-Now Post

In 1999 I went to Ho Chin Minh with Ashley to run errand for Matriarch and we made a couple of friends. Ten years later, one of them came to Singapore to work so Ashley and I caught up with him during the weekend. I love how things turn out the way you least expect it to.

Here's a Then-and-Now pic ONTD style.

Our dear Vu was only 16 then.

Mollusk

The doorbell rang yesterday and I opened to find Neighbour wanting to hand me a bag of mollusks.

He asked if we eat them but I only stared blankly before running off to call Matriarch who got excited upon seeing that she cleaned and boiled them right away. Not exactly right away lah.. she left them in the kitchen sink for a bit. That was when I carried Munchkin to show her the gross-looking, sluggish thingy crawling out. I said "Look Sarah, it's Gary(of Spongebob Squarepants)!" *insert murmurings: what is she teaching her kids?!* Anyway, she screamed out of disgust while trying to move her upper half as far away from the sink as she could.

I was hesitant about putting anything that gross-looking into my mouth but curiosity compelled me. Now I want more. What exactly is siput gong-gong called in English??

I could only find this-
Conchs, Slugs, and Snails: Class Gastropoda

Question on Parenting

Often I see new parents asking questions such as "When to wean baby off pacifier?" or "When to toilet-train children?" but I've yet to come across one that's been bugging me - When do we stop talking to our kids in third person? We've been talking in third person with Munchkin so much that sometimes, she still hasn't used 'you' and 'me' correctly. Come to think of it, up till now, I still speak this way with Matriarch but then it sounds pretty normal in Malay.

Eid 2008

Munchkin threw a professional tantrum on the morning of Eid.


Hello lilac and purple to us and 3/4 of the malay community we saw on the streets that day.

Evening Clutches

I always look forward to Matriarch's return from her small 'income-generating' trips not only cos it puts an end to my worrying about her safety but also because I get to check out 1st hand what she has in store. Especially as I get older, the items have become of more relevance.

She's got these in the sack from her recent trip.

Filial Piety vs Post-Natal Confinement

The family spent a night at Swissotel last weekend because Matriarch had made advanced booking for a discounted stay in conjunction with her friend's birthday. I couldn't let her go on her own because filial piety wins. Well at least.. I did my best keeping confined to the hotel's premises.. and maybe the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre.

Munchkin with her Cousin Sirin

Me doing the Karen Cheng at 2 weeks post-natal. 10kg down, 10kg more to go.

Probably our first couple pic since our wedding.

Morning after.

Unintentional Dad's Day Dinner

Unintentional because it was supposed to be a birthday dinner but it fell on Dad's Day. Plus it was partially my brother's (who has been a dad for almost 11 years) treat so it turned out more of a Dad's Day Dinner at the Carousel. Matriarch had always suggested dinner there but it is constantly fully-booked so we managed to do a way advanced booking for last Sunday.


My brother the Midnight Hero (he only sleeps in the day) with Munchkin and my niece.


Me as the dugong. I've lost my collar bones and jawline. We'll work something out later.

The Art of Roti Kirai-ing

Of all malay dishes I can currently think of, I think Roti Kirai/Jala is one of the most interesting around cos it requires a certain artistic flair in creating that perfect net. I pretty much enjoyed 'kirai-ing' these while Matriarch was away.



Don't ask about ingredients. I cheated. Everything from batter to curry had been prepared by Matriarch before she left.

4-Day-SAHM

I was a Stay At Home Mom for 4 days straight due to Matriarch being away for a short slightly-income-generating trip to Terengganu. Because the Mister had to work from 3pm to 11pm on weekends (which is the most humanely period to not be working), I didn't make plans on Saturday thinking I should be home busily nesting up but Munchkin woke up cranky from her afternoon nap so we went out to loiter around a little.


The most gorgeous thing about Munchkin at this stage is that she doesn't pick up something she likes off retail shelves and insist on holding on to it. On the contrary, I was the one who picked items with her favourite cartoon characters, showing them to her if she wanted them. She didn't even want to hold. Strange.. but I sure hope it stays this way. I ended up buying her a Playhouse Disney activity book and a dessert recipe book for myself (which I know will be one of those neglected buys sooner or later) and we shared a cheesecake at Coffee Bean.


As usual, Munchkin has her time limitations.

Turnaround bright eyes,..

.. Every now and then I fall apart



I swear by this thing. The Matriarch had always reminded me how important it is to take care of my complexion but early this year got me so tied up and tired that I only realised it was taking effect after the obvious showed up. Panic-stricken got me this product (something I had used when I was younger and had been effective) which the staff claimed have been improvised and I'm still swearing by it. Pricey but worth it!

Early for Eid

Eid always comes as a shock to me especially since I've got Munchkin. We were often too occupied to realise that we have not gotten our outfits ready, then I would end up doing the way the Matriarch and I never used to practise which is buying a ready outfit off the rack. This, I find inappropriate because the Matriarch herself sells nice fabric to be tailor-made into your own preferred design. This year, I foresee with the coming of a new family member, we'd be even twice as busy so I've decided to begin my quest early for the perfect color and design.

Then comes another problem. Finding that perfect design can be a chore because,

1. I have to rule out the sweet, conventional, roomy, baju kurung pesak because of Mister's opinion.
2. I'm done with layerings, what more with the hot weather. I'm so tired seeing the same see-through/lacy trend that's been going on for years.
3. No more tight, breathless kebayas or bustier inner-wears. The Mister likes his missus hot but sayang, I would need to give allowance to a 3-mths post-natal belly. Plus we'll have 2 kids to deal with this year so as much as you were able to handle one all by yourself the previous years, this year I will have my fair share.

So that leaves me with what?!!!


Tummy-sucking tight, french-lacy, bustier inner-wear kebaya like this cannot make the list anymore.

Vibrating Devices

Getting birthday gifts is the hardest because I'm a woman of all things practical. I have yet to get one for the Matriarch's 60th (can apply senior citizen ezlink already ok?). I'm so hardcore about giving practical gifts that I made the Mister do the same. Once he bought me a digital camera for my birthday, I got so worried about him buying me an expensive gift again that last year, I actually made a request for a vibrating device that I can stick into my mouth every morning and night.