BBQ in Singapore Too!

Whilst I am getting excited about bbq last weekend (I get to eat and not cook), my SIC (sisters in Christ) in Singapore are also planning for a bbq gathering in a month's time, aussie style! How cool is that? :)

Hmm... I wonder if there will be any men doing the cooking and cleaning at the event?

First Attempt to Barbeque

A panoramic shot of the bbq area

The townhouse complex that we live in comes with a swimming pool (which is really tiny. 2 strokes and you are at the other end. Probably call it a dipping pool instead), a tennis court (which we hardly use because we don't really play tennis), 2 bbq areas and a little playground.

Summer is approaching and many stores are having sale of bbq stoves and its related accessories. A bbq brush cleaner caught the attention of hubby whilst we were at Aldi. Hence we decided to buy it and attempt our first bbq at our complex compounds this afternoon.

(Top left clockwise) Tools of the trade (including the new brush cleaner. In fact, most of them are new), meats and veggies that we are about to cook and the gas bbq stove

And while hubby cooks, I was busy taking photos...

View of the surrounding area

Hubby in preparation, cleaning, cooking and finally, eating (All I did was eat and take photos :p)

Cooked food

VERDICT: It was quite a nice experience :) (maybe because I took a break in cooking and cleaning :p) Weather was really cool as it was drizzling a bit. Mozzies and flies will be a real problem in summer (not now YET). The food turned out a little too black but we removed the burnt bits before eating... But I know this makes hubby want to learn more about bbq cooking and to perfect his cooking skills in time to come. For that effort, his supportive wife scored him a 10/10.

Hidden Surprises

I finally got around to going through 3 half-filled boxes of 2nd-hand stuff given by my SIL when we moved into our new place almost a year ago. I have taken out what I wanted from the pile and my other SIL also took some when she moved into her new place 2 months ago. I was going to take photos of the remaining items and put them up for giveaway on scoodi.

As I open up the boxes, I found the following which I was delighted to keep:

navy blue tea cup and saucer set made in England

I have been considering to buy 4x tea cups and saucer for the past month or 2. Thought of having some decent, nice ones when guests come over for meals or afternoon tea. I am most attracted to those with sweet floral designs but they usually are priced at a minimum of $10 for a set of tea cup and saucer. But I hesitate to buy them, not only because it is not cheap but also because this is not a 'need' item and hence I wonder if I should spend money on them.

Recently Robin's Kitchen and David Jones were having some sale and the Maxwell & Williams Allegro Azure range were going on 50% discount. Their tea cup and saucer set was going for only $5. I was so tempted to buy 4 sets which I could use my David Jones gift card (wedding gift) to pay for it... but I couldn't really justify my purchase, thinking if it was a good use of the limited resources that we have/are given. I was still considering it... always taking a look at them whenever I walk pass Robin's Kitchen....

But today, I found these 6 sets of tea cup and saucer. This set is about the same size as the Maxwell & Williams ones. And even though I still prefer the bright and cheery blue ones, I figure this navy blue will do just as well. After all, these are non-essentials... just something nice for guests to use. I am very thankful that instead of the 4 sets that I wanted, I now get 6 sets without spending any money! :)

Maxwell & Williams Allegro Azure tea cup and saucer going for 50% discount for A$5

Set of plastic measuring spoons

I have the same set of measuring spoons but instead of white, they come in a variety of colours. I somehow lost the "1 tbsp" spoon, which I often use it in my cooking/baking. I have been looking but nowhere do they sell only the 1-tbsp spoon and I am not willing to buy a set just so that I can get one of the spoon. This surprising find is definitely welcomed :)

I am thankful for these surprise finds. Immediately I thank God and I remember our prayer every morning, when we thank Him for His providence and that we will continue to trust in His providence even when we find it difficult :)

The First Fruit

This is the first strawberry that I picked from my 2 strawberry plants in my garden. Although this isn't the first that turned red, this certainly looked 'the best' and juiciest. The rest were either rotten/soft or had a quarter of it bitten away by... (I am not sure what).

However this strawberry has 2 holes (1 in the above photo), which probably was drilled by some worms. But I thought I still could cut off bits of the fruit that was unharmed, just to try out the taste of the strawberries growing in my garden. And so I ate the bottom bit and some on the side.... it was really sweet! :) I am so pleased and so proud that finally, my garden produced a decent fruit. All other plants in the garden are vegetables or herbs. The closest is the chilli, left behind by the previous owner. The 2 strawberry plants were from my MIL. They came as small seedlings some 5-6 months ago. They grew very slowly at first and I was getting disappointed... A couple of months later, I uprooted and transplant them into another spot, which then grew quite a bit more in a shorter time. I was excited when I saw its first flower... and now, the fruits are here!

My heart is thankful... and I recalled how hubby and I actually prayed that our garden will bear us some vegetables and fruits so that we can save a bit on our grocery bill. God is answering that prayer... and hey, this is one way that God provide for our needs, isn't it? :)

Camp Marathon of the Past

I was packing up my storage shelves when I came across this photo. This photo really should not be sitting on the shelves. CY printed it and mounted it up and gave it to all of us as a keep sake. More so for me, because that was my final year being in the camp committee. (See camp committee 2006 photo here)

The message on the back wrote:

Wow, we've been in this for 5 years! How time flies! (I was in the camp committee for 6 years but with CY in the committe for 5 years)

One request that this photo must go with you to Aussieland. Though not the greatest of all camp committee pics but I guess it is the last and the latest of the lot.

Well... this photo did come with me to Aussieland but it was not hung up anywhere in the house. This photo has my 'daddy', 'mummy' and 'little sister', my good friend cum wedding coordinator and a few others whom we laughed, spent good time and got stressed by sinners together in the planning of camps and our camp recee trips to Malaysia. I really missed those... When I heard that some of them will be going to Malaysia to recee 2009's camp site coming November, I smiled to myself, thinking of the fond memories we had when I visited that same hotel before a couple of years back. I missed the way we hung out with each other... with the food, the jokes we cracked, the hokkien that we speak, the common lingo that we used, the 'inside' words that we used and anyone of use will know what it means when we speak that (e.g. "one kind" one), etc... I don't think I can get that same type of bonding and fellowship anywhere else!

I am really looking forward to going back to Singapore in June 2010 where Hoo, Yummy Mummy, JQ and I have made that date where all 4 of us (plus 2-3 others) will be back (from all over the world) to attend church camp together with our spouses and children.

Update on My Garden

Only recently, hubby became a little more enthusiastic about our little garden in our backyard. Being a city girl all my life, I pretty much grew up only seeing plants in the botanical garden. Even though my in-laws are the professional "Adam and Eve", hubby hasn't really quite has any green fingers.

2 weeks ago, hubby decided to try a new dish and it required dill. We ended up buying dill from the supermarket but it has inspired hubby that we should grow some herbs that we will use in our cooking so that we don't need to spend $2 buying a bunch of herbs which usually has more than we need for our cooking. By now, we already have curly parsley and flat-leaved parsley, chives and spring onions in our garden. Last weekend, we bought some more herbs and set up 2 'pots' of herbs in styrofoam boxes.

Hubby weeding the lawn

I am glad that hubby has generally been more keen in the affairs of our backyard. At least we are both involved in a common project. We are both rather practical, except that I am also concerned with beautifying the place with flowers and yet also making it useful for us. We have been watching Better Homes and Gardens to gather ideas, yet we don't want to spend too much money on our backyard. So long as it serves its main purpose to give us harvest, we are more than happy.

Top: Tomatoes and its flowers.
Bottom: Flowers of rocket leaves plant and strawberries

3 basil seedlings, rosemary , coriander and thyme in 2 separate styrofoam boxes

Watercress and flat-leaved parsley

MIL gave me some flower seedlings to grow, pertunas and the other of which I don't know the name of... I've also just bought a pack of 6 Salvia seedlings and planted them in the ground. They are supposed to bear purple flowers and hopefully I will see them in a few weeks' time...

Lavender. For some reason, gravity is very strong in that spot where the plant is :p

Various flower seedlings given by my MIL (except for the little orchids on bottom right) and now have flowered

A part of me is really excited to the potential harvest, although each time I step out to the backyard, I am very wary and on the lookout for garden geckos, spiders and snakes... any other creepy crawlies. I will detest them and be scared of them for a long long time...

Family Legacy

Hubby's grandma was called home to be with the Lord last Wednesday. She was 91 of age. I first met ah ma (I think) when I visited my then-boyfriend in Brisbane. Known to everyone and to me, she was a lovely old lady with beautiful white hair and a really warm smile. Since I moved slightly over more than a year ago, I have had opportunity to spend 2 of her last birthdays with her.

Ah ma's birthday celebration in 2007

Ah ma's 91st birthday celebration in 2008

My impression of ah ma was that she was simple, humble, contented and does not like to impose on others, even though it is her own children/family. You may read her eulogy on hubby's blog. At the funeral service, my FIL also spoke about her. One thing that impressed on my mind - ah ma don't want to live in a big house. She is happy and contented to live in any house so long as the roof does not leak. After her husband passed on some 10 years ago, she'd rather live by herself in a retirement village because she does not want to impose on any of her 6 children and be a 'guest' at their places. She spends her time every day praying for every one of her children and their spouses, grandchildren and their spouses and great-grandchildren by name. One of the fond memories when her children were young, was that they often lie close to her after dinner and she will read them bible stories and pray with them under the stars... and would often, sing her favourite hymn "Jesus is all the world to me".

Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall.
When I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad, He makes me glad, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, my Friend in trials sore;
I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them over and over.
He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest’s golden grain;
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I’ll be;
O how could I this Friend deny, when He’s so true to me?
Following Him I know I’m right, He watches over me day and night;
Following Him by day and night, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better Friend;
I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when life’s fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend, beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my Friend.

This has made hubby and I reflect on the legacy that she has left behind... You know how they say that first generation Christians are live God-fearing lives but their second and third generations seem to be 'less godly' or may not even know Jesus? Ah ma and ah gong (whom I have only seen in photos) have been really faithful to God and completed their race with perseverence (ah gong was the 'founder' of the Chinese Methodist Church when he migrated to Brisbane after pastoring a church in Sarawak). My in-laws are also very faithful and godly disciples of Jesus. With this, hubby and I are motivated and prayerful that we will also be godly and faithful parents to our children (God-willing) that they too will know Jesus and that their children and grandchildren and all generations after will also know Jesus (Psalm 78:1-8).

Ah ma, thanks for everything you have left behind. Farewell and see you soon in heaven!

Romantic Proposals (and reminicising)

2 Sundays ago, as we were driving back from church in the afternoon, we saw this in the sky! Awwhh... how romantic!

The final words (no picture available) read "marry me gem ?" How romantic to use skywriting to propose... Many people would be able to look up and see the words in the sky.

This brings to mind hubby's proposal to me some 17.5 months ago... it was in Singapore and hubby brought me to dine in the sky. What I meant was having dinner in a moving cable car up in the sky. It was a lovely surprise... and the proposal was in its full works - dinner, romantic pipe-in music (into the cable car, instead of recorded commentary), flowers, candlelight, ring, kneeling, poem. It had everything that I wanted in a proposal (and hubby didn't exactly know what I like). Ahhh... those sweet moments... to be cherished in my heart forever...


I have heard of many other romantic marriage proposals too... and some others, not as romantic. But I reckon it doesn't really quite matter if it is romantic or not. A marriage proposal should be genuine, sincere and meaningfully special to the couple. That's all that matters, isn't it? ;)