10 Days To Go

I previously blogged about 10 more weeks to go. I am now down to the last 10 days to my EDD.

My sister who was due on New Year's Eve is overdue and started to have contractions last night. She is likely to give birth to my first nephew (on my family's side) tomorrow or perhaps tonight! I'm looking forward to be an aunty 大姨 :)

With 10 more days to go, now it feels like pregnancy will never end. I have been hoping and looking forward to bub arriving as a 2013 baby but he didn't. He is probably too happy and contented in my womb to want to come out anytime soon?

I continue to be very thankful for every movement that I feel from bub. I have been praying that he will go down lower and head to be further down the birth canal, as my doctor has been telling me for the past 2-3 weeks that his head is still quite high. But yet that does not mean that bub is not ready to be born. I have been getting more braxton hicks contractions and menstrual-like cramps but none of them are regular/predictable. There were also times today that I wonder if I am leaking pee or was it my waters leaking? Either way, I am increasingly feeling difficulty in walking because I am getting heavier, being more unabley to withstand heat (Especially today's 41C in Brisbane! So thankful for airconditioning at home!), inability to sleep on my back (I was able to do so fairly comfortably until recently), finding it a huge feat to turn from sleeping from one side to another in the middle of my sleep because I feel like I'm turning together with a watermelon. 2 days ago, my left thumb's tendons incurred further inflammation and now more painful after I widened my grip to release my phone. Some treatment from my father-in-law improved it but the De Quervain Syndrome likely won't go away at least until bub is born. All these symptoms make me feel like they will never end and this waiting of bub to arrive is taking longer and longer, even though I really am in the last leg of this pregnancy. I think God is teaching me patience in all this waiting and learning to trust in His timing and plan.

The big revelation exactly 8 months before the EDD

My mum arrived from Singapore 2 days ago to be here with me for 2 months. I am glad that I can at least take a break off cooking for the time she is here. :) For now, I continue to wait...

Baby Shower

It would be so fun to have a baby shower. I look forward to the cute cupcakes, pretty little finger food, decorations, catching up with friends. A number of friends asked if I was having a baby shower for our first baby. But since a while ago, I already decided not to have one. At one stage, I thought of having one in combination with my birthday in November, which will just be a catching up session with friends - no games, and the usual baby shower things, just catching up with friends and their families. But in the end, I wasn't motivated to have one and just had a simple quiet birthday spent with hubby.

In Singapore where I grew up and spent most of my life living in, I have not heard of baby showers. The common practice is a celebration when baby is one month old. I think in the past, babies may not survive past one month and hence it is a celebration when a baby turns one month old. I feel a little odd to have people giving me/us presents when baby is not born. I feel more odd to have a baby shower and in a nice way, telling my friends "please give us presents for the baby!". Maybe because I am Asian so I prefer to receive presents when friends are willing to give (and some have asked me what I need) and not having to ask for presents from those I invite to the baby shower party. On top of that, I trust the God will provide what I need, whether brand new (bought or given), preloved or loaned. And He did and still is providing! What a great God who sees to His promises!

I have attended a couple of baby showers of friends in Brisbane. As much as it can be fun with many pretty things and food, I find that I generally don't enjoy them (I know it is about my friends and their babies and not about me so sometimes I will attend for their sake and not my own). Maybe because I don't like the games part and I also realised I cannot deal with the attention I will be getting at my own baby shower. I guess, as extrovert a person as I am, I much prefer to chat and catch up with friends on a one-to-one or a small group in a very casual setting.

In the past 5 years of trying to conceive, I also found it very hard for me to be at baby showers. I am very happy for my friends and blessing them with a gift for their coming addition in their family but I struggle to varying degrees when I am at baby showers. I can't just invite friends who have had children and not those who are single or married without children. I appreciate and know that my friends sharing the joy of  us having our new addition but I prefer not to put anyone who might be struggling to have children in an uncomfortable position. Of course, this is my personal position and struggle and does not represent everyone who struggle to conceive. I don't mean baby showers are a no-no and I am not downplaying friends who have/had baby showers. Baby showers are a joyous occasion and there is nothing wrong in itself having one. This has just been a personal decision(s) for me and thought I will share here for those who might be interested to know. :)

Recently I read about someone's church who organised a prayer shower for her and her bub. I really love the idea! So about 2 weeks ago, I emailed the girl friends whom I might invite for a baby shower some prayer points to be praying for me and bub. It has be a great encouragement, privilege and blessing to be showered with prayers! :)

10 Weeks To Go

Its been a long while, a long break away from blogging. There is no excuse. I was just plain lazy. But I thought I want to share/write down my reflections from these few days.

After close to 5 years of trying and waiting, at an unexpected time (but in God's perfect timing), He blessed us with a child. For the past 30 weeks, He has been weaving and knitting a little human inside my womb. I like how a friend puts it - "This is the only time that God and I can "create" together". But really, it is God who is doing the creating work and I can only try to take good care of my body during this "creation" process. I probably used to take it for granted but now realised that it is a beautiful privilege to be able to conceive and bear a child. And when I say this, I don't mean that any woman who cannot bear a child for whatever reason is any less than those who can. What I mean is that the conception of a child is not an easy thing. It requires many different biochemical and hormonal reactions in the body in order for a pregnancy to take place. And of course, these are only under the control of our Maker, the Creator of this world, our Lord God. Similarly, for a child to continue his/her life (and for everyone, for that matter), only God is in ultimate control. Medicine can only do/help that much.

I do not know how long this child growing in me will be alive for. I only know that every day, every hour, every minute that this child is growing and alive, is purely God' grace. Perhaps I sound a little pessimistic here. In the past 2-3 years and especially this year, I have had a total of 5 friends (whom I know personally but may not be actively in contact with), lost their baby either stillborn or breathed no more than a few days after birth. 2 of such occurred within the same month in July. This does not include those whom I know about but don't know them personally. Any death is devastating. Somehow a child/infant's death seems much more heartbreaking. This is why I have not been very excited, unlike our families and friends, but just being realistic that our lives are in His hands and whilst we rejoice and give thanks, we also know that "The Lord can give, the Lord can take away". No matter what happens, His plans for us are good. I have to admit that at the very early stages of my pregnancy, I had moments of fear/worries about miscarrying. Partly because of that, the first 3 months felt like a much longer time to pass. I knew that because it has taken this long for us to conceive, by the time if we do, the child would be very precious to us. I do fear and pray that the child won't be an idol that takes us away from God. I recall 1.5 weeks after my first gynae appointment, telling my close girlfriends that it felt like a long time to have to wait another 2.5 weeks to see the doctor, to know if the child is alive or not. Those months were really a good challenging time of trusting God, trusting that this little life is in His hands. Minutes before I enter the doctor's room at my first few monthly appointments, I would prepare myself that I may not see/hear a heartbeat and pray and remind myself if this child has a heartbeat, it is totally His grace and mercy. I was thankful that the one day where I really worried a lot (and considering if we should carry on our plans to fly to Adelaide when I was 7 weeks gestation), God reminded me gently that rationally, it was safe to fly (my health was ok and doctor says I can fly). If anything happens to baby because of the trip, it is all in His good plans as well. And so I realised that even if the child were to only be alive for a short period of time, I can still thankful for his/her existence, which has shown me that I could conceive and He did answer my prayer. Even though it was very early then, we had shared with our families and very close friends. I was very moved at how all of them were so happy and so full of thanksgiving to God for this conception, this answered prayer, that I know this child is already so well loved and welcomed. Without the conception of this child, I wouldn't have got to experience this, nor people have the chance to specifically praise and thank God for this child, this answered prayer. The realisation of this, got me through the first trimester.

The second trimester started to be challenging for me, health-wise. I am one of the lucky ones who didn't have morning sickness in the first trimester (except for an isolated incident at week 14 where I threw up and not due to nausea). I was more tired than usual but I know of others who were much more tired than me. However, it was when I started to have symptoms of water retention which caused my right arm, later my right hand and progressed to my left arm and hands to be numb and weaker due to carpal tunnel syndrome caused by pregnancy-induced water retention. This caused me inconvenience in doing some household chores, cook and prep food and when I sleep. This has and is still training my patience and trusting that even with physical restrictions, I can still give thanks, despite my occasional frustrations of this unexpected and unwanted inconveniences. The symptoms only got worse as time past, with my feet quickly and easily swell up whenever the weather is warm or whenever I ate too salty, or when I walked too much. Overall, I'm thankful that these symptoms and the blood tests I have had did not show any complications to date (I had a scare for gestational diabetes recently but very thankfully, it turned out to be negative).

With my sister (who is 2 weeks ahead of me) and my grandfather who will soon be a centurion by the time we both give birth to our baby boys. He is looking very much forward to meeting his 2 great-grandsons.

I am 2 weeks into my third trimester now. I know that these 3 months (or less) will feel like the quickest and it is time to count down. Bub can pop anytime from the week of Christmas (8 weeks from now). Thankfully, bub's head is already 'down' about 5 weeks ago. Since sometime in the second trimester, I already have been feeling more and more easily breathless (I get breathless even walking up the stairs at home slowly), having heartburn and getting hungry very easily. My hands and feet are still the same as before. I now sleep with 6 pillows in order to be comfortable. I know that I am already starting to wish that bub can be born soon so that the symptoms can be gone. In addition, I am also finding it awkward to do certain things like squatting down to pick up something , standing by the sink to wash dishes (my tummy is in the way and I have to stand in an unnatural position that my back is being strained and results in backache). Recently I'm also getting tired of having to look for food frequently because I feel hungry, or because of the onset of heartburn. A few days ago, while I was doing my weekly grocery shopping, my back was achy, my hands were numb (and makes picking up things and pushing the trolley difficult, and also holding my phone which has my shopping list) and then suddenly I get heartburn. I realised I soon might need hubby to accompany me to shop (even though I know he dislikes shopping). I admit, I felt some frustration then. Towards the end when I cooked dinner that night, I asked hubby to take over because my hands were hurting. I sat down and could feel my feet were tired. For a few seconds, self-pity filled my mind. "How long more do I have to go through this?!" Very quickly though, I recalled I had a smooth first trimester. If I were very tired and throwing up all the time, I think I'd have felt a lot worse. I thank God for that, thank God for what I am going through now. I don't blame baby for the cause of these, especially when he is an answered prayer. I don't blame God or anyone. It helps to be thankful and learning what is "to be thankful in all circumstances". This is probably training me for the harder part - caring for the baby after he is born. Let's not think about that for now ;) I am also thankful for every movement I feel from the baby (even if they make me uncomfortable). Very honestly, I think I am still somewhat worried what if this boy isn't healthy or normal. For that, I have to just constantly present my worries and fears to my Lord and just trust Him. After all, this baby boy is really, God's child and I am only a steward to bear and care for him.

Celebrated my birthday quietly and leisurely with hubby yesterday. We watched 3 movies over about a 24 hour time frame - at the cinema watching my favourite martial arts guy Donnie Yen, a true life story movie at Gold Class (gift for us from sister-in-law and family) and a Singaporean army movie at home. We also had lunch at my favourite seafood place and free ramen dinner which is one of my favourite too. It is nice to have a weekend of chilling out which would be a great luxury after baby comes.

We are growing in excitement to meet this child and are thankful that family and friends are generally much more excited than us. We are thankful for the provision of many things that having this new family member requires. They were either given new or second hand, or us buying at a great discounted price. For now, we have a long way to go to sort through our things to make room for baby and deciding on a name that we both like for him. I know these few weeks would come and go really quickly... :)

Little Glimpse Into Parenting

(A backdated entry)
At the Mother's Day weekend a few weeks ago, my nieces B & C stayed over on Fri so that her parents could go for a seminar on Sat morning. I brought the girls to Macgregor State School's Mayfest since hubby was volunteering with SES at that event. The girls had fun, had their first fairy floss and their first at a school fair. They also had a go on the merry-go-round. It was a great morning out.

We went back home for a small lunch and by then, I was very exhausted (later realised that I was going to be ill with a gastro bug) and hurried C to finish drinking her Chinese medicine (for her hives) so that I can have a short nap. I could hardly keep my eyes opened by then. The girls wanted to do some craft so I took out a stash of craft materials to keep them occupied while I took (what was supposed to be) a cat nap, and instructed them that they need to have a nap after completing craft. In my half drowsy state, I took a nap upstairs on my bed. Somewhere in my sleep, I could hear the screams and laughter the girls made. B at one stage, came to me to ask me if they could use the glue. I told her when the glue was and she helped herself with it. As they played, I realised that they were stomping up and down the stairs and also playing in the guest bedroom upstairs (where they slept by themselves in the room without us for the first time the night before). In my weariness, I could not pick myself up to get up and since they sounded like they were having a good time, I somehow uttered a prayer that God will keep them safe while they played (told them several times to be careful at the stairs) and I have to trust God to take care of them for that moment because I just couldn't get out of bed...

 Not sure how long later, I barely woke up, went to the room, told them firmly that they have to stop playing and get a bit of rest/nap. I closed the door behind me, in my mind thinking that they will be safe and went back to bed to lie down a bit. A few mins later, B came to my bedside and said "C didn't sleep and made a mess of herself with lotion and cream". I immediately jumped out of bed, feeling anger brewing within me and also trying to tell myself to be self-controlled. In the room, I saw C sitting on the carpeted ground, with a bottle of hand sanitiser in her hands and her face, arms and legs were white and covered with calamine lotion. Some lotion also spilled onto the carpet. I wasn't sure if I should laugh (she looked really funny and cute) or be angry with her. I quickly decided I should be angry with her. I carried and took her and put her in the bathtub, reprimanded her and left her there as a form of isolation while I sort out the mess she created. In my mind, I was thinking how tired I already was, and that they made such a mess and I was also tight for time to bath them before I take them out to meet their parents for dinner. I also questioned B about the incident in an unhappy but with controlled anger (at least I thought so). Apparently B was trying to sleep/rest on the bed. C went on to play and woke B up with her noises and then B saw the mess and came to inform me. I had a firm talk with C (while she was still in the bathtub), trying to let her know that she did wrong by playing with something she should not have, created a mess (and also throwing some of my books all over the room) and not obeying what I instructed her earlier, to stop playing and rest up. I had to be clear with myself and with her that I was upset about the disobedience most of all and not let my inconvenienced situation (tired and having to clean up the mess after them) be the reason and fuel for my anger. C was quite stubborn and refused to say sorry and was somewhat unrepentant. Anyway, due to the lack of time, I eventually bathe them and took them out, etc.

Reflecting through the incident, I realised how much more angry and irrational I could potentially get but I didn't. Praise God for that and that I did not lash out on them in a disastrous manner (I am pretty sure I am capable of that, especially if I have to deal with this on a more regular basis and for that, I'm glad I'm not a/their mum!) I also realised that I would not be as upset if I was not tired. The girls would not have been so bored that C was playing with the creams and lotions if I was spending time with them. They would have rested up earlier if I had not taken a nap. If I hadn't been unwell, I won't be napping and be able to have enough time to bath them and leave the house. God was good, He did take care of them - it was only a mess of lotions and books. The girls did not fight, injure each other or injure themselves. B was obedient to my instruction to rest when I told her to. And really, the girls were not very naughty. They only appear 'naughty' because I was inconvenienced and at one stage, I was thinking why can't they be more understanding that I was tired and unwell and not give me extra 'trouble'. Really, the girls have been really good by entertaining themselves, playing and did not disturb me much, nor insisted that I do craft or play with them. They have also heeled my constant advice to be careful with the stairs and not injure themselves. They have been really, quite good by themselves. I am so thankful for the Lord's protection over them. This is an isolated incident, in case you think I'm a bad babysitter by letting my nieces play by themselves while I napped :p It has also taught me how to be upset in a controlled and rational manner. Parenting, in particular, Christian parenting is certainly not easy, to teach and model God's love, wrath and forgiveness towards us. But our Lord will provide us with the necessary grace to do so when the time comes.

Kitchen Gadget - 2 Ways

This gadget is quite uncommon in Australia. Following a friend's recommendation, I went back to Singapore last year and bought my own.

This is a half-boiled eggs maker. Place between 1 to 4 raw eggs in the top compartment, pour in hot boiling water to the level indicated for 1, 2, 3 or 4 eggs and allow it to work its magic. The water will drip into the bottom container and by the time all the water on the top container is emptied, all you are left are the *almost* perfect half-boiled eggs. Hubby and I have an egg a few days per week. Having this little useful gadget means I could cook eggs without having to keep a close watch on them. I haven't been quite successful at cooking half boiled eggs. I only boost of ~20% success rate using a saucepan on the stove ;)

This can be also used as an ice bucket. Remove the top container from the bottom. You can store ice cubes in the bottom container and cover with the same lid.

What a clever invention! Praise God for enabling men to invent gadgets. :)

Counting My Blessings

Recently, I am learning to be more thankful for what I am / have been blessed with. Bought this pretty journal book to encourage myself to write them in.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen! 

Happy Busy Months Ahead

All thanks to discounted domestic and international budget flights (and to Flight Centre for all those savings), we have a line up of visitors over the next few months:

June - K&J and kids
July - A&J and kids
Aug - my parents, aunty P and uncle S

We are opened to visitors in Sept :) and we are travelling end Sept to mid Oct interstate and a surprise trip (surprise to *most* people in the country but not to us).

In the meantime, we have the 2 bedrooms to tidy and lots of declutter to do before we get to paint them. We have 4-5 weeks to do that before our first lot of visitors for the year arrive.

P.S. I have helped the visitors above saved $440 in total for their flights Brisbane/Gold Coast to Melbourne by booking with Flight Centre. :)

Meals Planner 30 April to 4 May 2012

I was away most of last week to visit a dear friend in Melbourne. Am back in Brisbane now and back to serving my household :)

Mon - stir fry pork with veggies, buttermilk pikelets
Tue - steamed salmon, prawn stir fry
Wed - butter chicken
Thu - savoury muffins, passionfruit slice, baked barramundi
Fri - apple ginger slice

What I Look Forward To Every Wednesday

Every Wednesday, I look forward to grocery shopping after work :)

I am well and truly a homemaker... I love grocery shopping! 

I love walking around the supermarkets in Aust - the aisles are wide and trolleys are larger. I hardly fill my trolley most of the time but I like it that it is spacious and I have a little of my own personal space along the aisles. 

Image source

Where I love to shop (Image source)

Just Photos

These photos were taken last year when we had dinner at our friends' place. This friend is our friend and our photographer for our Brisbane wedding some 4 years ago. 

Our friend has been blessed with very good photography skills. Doesn't this meatball pasta make you hungry? ;)

Meatball sauce with fresh homemade pasta

A very flattering photo of me serving the apple crumble I made :)

B Growing Up

At the wink of an eye, B turned 5 last December. 2012 is a big year for her as she started attending prep school. 

Before school started in late January, hubby and I brought B (and her sister C) out for a little treat - their first movie at the cinema! We were a little apprehensive as we were not sure if they will cry, feel scared watching a movie in the dark or be very restless and want to leave. I am thankful the prep talk helped. We did toilet runs before the movie, armed with little snacks to keep them occupied/well fed, showed them things around in the theatre (removable arm rest, where the movies are screened, etc). We let them both sit with each other and in between hubby and I so that we can each attend to one child. It was nice to see them enjoyed "Happy Feet 2", loved the penguins, krills, seals in the movie. B was very good, while C was rather restless (expected), was walking around a little and was a little afraid at 1 to 2 scenes but was easily assured with a hug and cuddle. 

Before the movie at Southbank

After the movie

With their balloons at Lifeline Book Fest

The first term has just ended and B was very happy to have a 2-week break. She does enjoy school very much but towards the end of the term, she was rather tired, emotionally tired of going to school. B is generally an introvert but her love for Jesus and the gospel has compelled her to share Jesus with her friends in school. B thinks that everyone needs to know Jesus and people need the Bible so that they will know the real God. I think she has been sharing Jesus almost everyday in school but has been facing rejection. At this thought, a mixture of joy and sadness fill my heart - joy because I praise God for such pure and innocent love, faithfulness and perseverance to share the gospel in a 5yo, sadness because the little her is starting to get a taste of the reality and sinfulness of the world (not everyone will accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour). 

I am very thankful and moved to see how God is growing and changing B. Some say her parents taught her well. I think my SIL and BIL do their best (but are not perfect) but most of all, the glory goes to God and the Spirit's work that B is who she is today. There is only 1 Christian (that she knows of) in her class. I shall attempt to pray with her as often as I can since I help to send her to school 2 days a week (her school is walking distance from my workplace). I pray that her love for Jesus and the gospel will grow with her as she grows physically. 

B loves to bake (influence from her mum who is very good at baking)

A New Fruit in My Dictionary

I have heard of figs but cannot remember eating them. I have no recollection of having tasted it before. Even if I have, I must have not liked it.

It is amazing how much a fig tart changed my mind. Recently, I saw a fig tart recipe. It looked so good that I told myself I must try making it one day. This also happens to be the right season for figs. I bought some figs from the markets and wanted to make the tart but didn't get around to it until last night. This is the result -(pardon the imperfect broken bits due to transferring out of the dish)

This tart is so so good - naturally so because there is quite some butter in it ;) As with most tarts, they are in their best when warmed and served with ice cream/cream. I love the cinnamon pastry this comes in.... yum! I hope to try out another fig tart recipe where it uses less butter but has hazelnut meal in the pastry and the tart topped with chopped hazelnuts :)

Figs are fairly healthy too - rich in calcium and fiber. Figs are mildly sweet. 2 weeks ago, I cut up some and added it to my breakfast cereal. I love how its little seeds burst and pop in my mouth. If I am able to find more figs at a cheap price, I'd love to try making some fig jam before autumn ends :)

The Return of Meals Planning

Although I have not been posting/sharing about my meal planning, I have been planning my meals, or at least, try to plan :p 

I have been trying, every Sat or Sun, to look at the coming 1.5 weeks to plan/review what meals I have to cook (or bring to someone's home or church to share) so that I can buy them coming Wed/Thur when I do my usual grocery shopping. (I try to shop those days because the major supermarkets' weekly sales begin mid week. Should I still want to buy a sale item towards the end of the sale period, I could do so by Tuesday the following week) Sitting down for 15 mins or so to plan, also means that I can look through my collection/list of recipes which I would like to try and schedule them in to try out on a convenient day or occasion. I note down my meal planning using Springpad which I will be able to access on my computer/laptop, smartphone and tablet. When I alter my notes, I will be able to sync the info and view them on any of the 3 devices. I often refer to the list on my phone when I am out at the shops (sometimes to remind me why I needed to buy a certain ingredient) and to think/plan what meat to defrost in the fridge 2 days ahead of cooking.


For those interested, I am using the Woolworths app on my phone to help with my shopping list when I shop at Woolies. There are many other general grocery shopping list apps around. I use a very basic app where I am able to draw up different lists for when I go to Coles, Asian grocery store, Aldi, etc I also use this app to store a list of things that I want to buy to bring to Singapore to visit family/friends and another to list of the things I want to buy back here. I am so thankful because that means I won't be having many pieces of paper with me and I can add to/edit any of these lists anywhere as long as my phone is with me. When I get around to it, I will be entering a list of spices and can food which I have in my pantry, so that I can refer to them at the shops. E.g. when I see an item at a very special price at the shops, I can refer to the list to check if I already have the item and how much I have at home before deciding to buy.


I know this makes me sound like an "aunty" (an old housewife) but for my sanity, I have to be organised ;)


9 April to 15 April 2012
Mon - pork stir fry
Wed - butter chicken
Fri - baked barramundi (or roast chicken), sambal prawns, passionfruit tart
Sat - baked dippy eggs, apple pie
Sun - apple tea cake

Am I An Introvert?

I am pretty sure I am an extrovert. People around me would also agree.

However, it seems that now that I am older, I am a little more introverted but still overall an extrovert.

According to this blog entry about the advantages and disadvantages of being an introvert, I realised that these speak true of me:- (although friends who know me might not agree with me)

• Introverts are just as satisfied with one good one-on-one conversation as we would be having all our friends around for a party
• Introverts don't want for more friends (assuming we have at least a couple of close friendships)
• Introverts don't need to fill the calendar with social engagements to have fun
• Introverts can easily become overwhelmed with too many social engagements or a too-crowded schedule

• Introverts do not have as much social stamina
• Introverts can often not balance as many balls in the air
• Introverts can become more easily overwhelmed with over-stimulation (e.g. 3 wild, screaming children!)
• Introverts often find it more difficult to break from routine and "go with the flow

I think since a few years ago, I realised that I much prefer smaller group or 1-to-1 gatherings as supposed preferring to hang out at a big gathering of friends. I guess with smaller groups, conversations are more meaningful and possibly deeper. Since moving to a new country, I found myself less keen in big group gathering of friends or going out often to meet up/catch up with people. I attributed that to mostly (initially) labelled as "hubby's wife" as most of them are hubby's friends that I befriend. Hence it can be pretty overwhelming to meet people all the time and having to remember names, things about them and getting to know them. I am thankful that many of them are also now my friends.

I am also thankful and happy with the number of friends I am blessed with (and this is not from the number of 'friends' I have on my facebook). There are a number of friends and/or their spouses (maybe around 10-20) in Singapore, whom I still keep in touch with, either closely or semi-closely. I know these are very close friends who will stay with me for the rest of my life and I am so so thankful for their love and friendship. In Brisbane, I have less than 5 girls whom I am closer to and about 10 or so on the outer circle, of whom I would not mind sharing with, even though I only see some of them a couple of times a year. So in that sense, I don't crave for more friends but trying to keep up with the current.

My calendar is not filled but it can be full of activities and engagements sometimes. These days, I am happy to have a free weekend of just being at home, doing a combination of a little housework, baking, watching tv, sewing.

Just recently, I felt very overwhelmed... I felt busy even though I am not literally that busy. With aging and a different stage of life, I find that I cannot balance as many things as much as I could. I have to admit that I cannot do that now and will have to adjust the things on my plate accordingly. I decided I needed to get away for a short break and I am looking forward to this weekend of rest/break/reflection/retreat with hubby.

So on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being introvert and 10 being extrovert, I probably was 8 on the scale. Now I am probably 5 to 6. Who knows, give me another 5 years and I might be a 4? :)

New Replacements

Last year, we have had to replace some electrical appliances at home. I am very thankful for God's provision of great affordable prices and a very resourceful hubby :)

Our previous oven's thermostat has been faulty for a year or so. I have been using an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature when I bake/cook. This however, still resulted in a number of burnt cakes and food. Hubby decided it was time for replacement and boy, do I love this new Westinghouse oven! This oven was so affordable in price (mid-year financial year sale) and great functions and quality for its price tag. We manage to sell our old oven for $20, bringing us additional savings.

The next thing that had to go was our Panasonic vacuum cleaner. We were given a second hand unit from a family who were moving out of Brisbane. After 4 years of serving us (and having replaced its broken hose once), the vacuum cleaner's suction suddenly wear out and could not suck as well as before. It was a little inefficient to clean our place without one that works well since most of our floors are laden with carpet.

I almost spend $300 buying an Electrolux unit but hubby found this Vax Zen which fitted my requirements and $100 cheaper. It was going on sale for half its usual price at Godfrey's and many have given good reviews about this vaccum cleaner. I love cleaning the house now because I know this 'cleaner' is doing its job well.

The largest appliance was our fridge. When we moved into our own place 4 years ago, we inherited my sister-in-law's old 303L Westinghouse fridge which was sitting around and not used. The fridge was just almost sufficient for our needs (however, the freezer was not big enough and we bought a second small freezer about 3 years ago) but sometimes I run out of space, especially since we sometimes have friends and family over for a meal. When we had a boarder staying with us for 2 years, I had to restrict the amount of fridge space he is able to use because my fridge hardly has space.

I know that I don't quite have a reason to buy a new and larger fridge so long as this fridge was still in working condition. I just have to make do with what I have. However, because I like shopping, I have been looking out and comparing prices of my "ideal" fridge whenever I walk into an electrical store, just in case our fridge collapse one day and by that time, I need not look too much longer to be able to get a replacement. That research has finally paid off just after Christmas, when our fridge could not cool down below 8C (ideal fridge temperature is 4C) no matter what we tried to do. From my research, I decided I would like to get a Westinghouse fridge. Hubby was able to find the best price on the market (after some research and comparison) and arranged for the new unit to be delivered very quickly. 

This Westinghouse fridge was not the best around but I am happy for what it offers with the price we paid. I didn't think I could justify another $600 for an Electrolux fridge (Electrolux and Westinghouse appliances are made in the same place and has the same customer support centre). This new fridge is 200L more than my old fridge, providing me more space to store more food when we entertain :) Best of all, after we switch to the new fridge, our average daily energy consumption has dropped. Our old fridge was sold for $50 - bonus! 

This latest purchase is not quite a replacement. I bake quite a lot and I have been using a handheld mixer to do all the beating, mixing, creaming tasks. I used to think that I don't need a benchtop mixer because it is just a bigger, more expensive version of a handheld unit. Recently I learnt about the functions and uses of benchtop mixer and realise that it would be more useful to me than I think. After looking around a little (I didn't consider too many different brands), I decided I like this Breville unit. When I saw the actual appliance at Harvey Norman, my choice was affirmed. I did not want to spend close to $300 more on a Kitchenaid mixer. I figured so long as I care for this well, I might be able to pass it onto the next generation. This Breville mixer has a 2 year warranty + 5 year motor warranty.

With this benchtop mixer, I now am able cut some time in my baking prep. It takes just 1 min 20 sec to whip 4 egg whites to stiff peak. With the highest setting on my handheld mixer, it took longer.. long enough for my arms to feel tired ;) I am now able to do something else while it mixes the ingredients. I am looking forward and am planning to use the mixer at least once a week.


I know I have a tendency to go crazy over kitchen/homemaking appliances. But I am glad hubby keeps me grounded (more or less). I could have bought all these appliances new, 4 years ago when we got married and move into our own place but I guess waiting until they outlive their working capacity was not a bad idea.   Hopefully nothing big in our house will break down this year!

A "New" House

We moved in to our first and own house some 4 years ago. I didn't quite like the colours of the walls of all the rooms but in the interest of time and cost, I thought I shall bear with it. Hubby didn't mind the colours (as with most other things). He is a practical man. To quote one of my SIL - "what were the previous owners thinking when they chose these colours?". The paint job itself was also quite badly done. You could easily tell that it was a rush job. 

After watching "The Renovators" TV series, hubby and I learnt a little more about DIYing at home, so we thought we will have a go at it. The 2 main jobs I had in mind was to paint the walls, or paint the kitchen cabinets (a cheaper option than to renovate the entire kitchen, or change its cabinets). We also want to do something that will add value to the house, just in case we ever were to sell it one day. We chose painting the walls, or rather, just to get rid of the colours of the various walls and not touch the white walls. To date, we have changed our feature wall in our living room and also painted our bedroom. There are 2 other bedrooms to paint.

Living room - original army green colour when we moved in

Getting ready to paint

Painting the first coat after 2 coats of undercoat

The new (not quite a) feature wall after painting

I'm so happy now that the wall is nicely painted in a much lighter, neutral colour. This lighter colour brightens up the room (living and dining area) and enlarge the small space that we already have. We are thankful for the help of some friends to help paint over the New Year weekend. Painting is not as easy as it looks. We have to clean the walls, fill holes with filler, sand the wall to ensure it is even, before painting 2 undercoats and then 2 coats of colour and cleaning up after. I quite enjoy the painting bit (although it can be really tiring) and I am extremely thankful for hubby who did most of the other work, especially cleaning the brushes and tools we used. The paint job looks much more decent now because it was done with love! 

Before - the 'interesting' blue in our master bedroom which is now in a neutral colour

Our guestroom's 'interesting' wall colours

The guestroom and the currently known as the study room (which we don't use it for that purpose other than storage) are next to be painted. The study is donned with walls of pink and purple (previously use to room a 2yo girl). I cannot wait for all the painting to be completed!

Wedding Coordination Déjà vu

Today I attended a wedding where I don't quite know anyone else other than hubby and (to my surprise) the wedding photographer (who is our friend and also our wedding photographer). The bride was hubby's friend in uni and I have only met her once before. There were other guests at the wedding whom hubby knew from church or high school and I kinda know who they are but I really don't know them beyond a greeting and a smile. If you know me, it is a little unusual that I am at a wedding where I don't really have anyone to talk to. (Actually, I just remembered another one but that was a very good friend's wedding in Jakarta where I was her only bridesmaid and almost every guest was an Indonesian) Anyway, maybe because I had no one to distract me, I had the chance to be an observer. It makes me recall the days when I was a wedding coordinator.

Between 2002 to 2005, I had the privilege of coordinating the wedding of a number of friends (when I was single). I have organised and coordinated 6 weddings of close friends and 1 of a couple I barely knew (I was approached by a church staff worker to help a couple who were new to church). On top of that, I have served in many weddings where I was either a singer, song leader, usher, bridesmaid, "bride-helper", receptionist, food organiser. Hence I'd say that I was rather experienced in weddings (at least in Singapore) before my own wedding.

At the wedding this afternoon, I picked out some things which I would usually look out for and I suppose, little things which a married-couple-to-be could take note:

1. Make sure that your wedding gown is not too big that you have difficulty walking down the width of the aisle with the person who walks you down the aisle.
2. When you (the bride) walk down the aisle, enjoy the moment (other than counting the steps and wondering if you are walking too fast/slow), SMILE. Do not look down (unknowingly) because your long eye lashes is brushing against your veil or when you have difficulty walking in your shoes/gown. Look and smile at your groom (if you can see him), and/or your guests.
3. When posing for group shots with guests, the bride and groom must/should be either holding hands or bride's arm around groom's arm. It will look better in the photos.
4. When you are walking down the aisle as Mr and Mrs, it is alright not to hold your bridal bouquet. Just relax because you are married! Yay! I realised sometimes the couple is not sure how to hold the bouquet at this point and look very awkward in doing so.
5. When you are saying your vows, hold each other's hands and look at each other to say the vows/declaration when exchange rings. Some couples are too nervous to look at each other.
6. [Very important for the groom] Ensure that when you unveil your bride, place the veil properly down towards the back of her head (not on top of her head). Many grooms don't know this and are too anxious to kiss their brides :p At the very least, the bride or bridesmaid must know this so that she is able to put the veil back in its place or cue the groom to do so.

There are many more tips which I could share but there are just too many. I look into little details as such so that the couple will 'look good' and also to ensure that the couple and their guests enjoy the day. Having said that I don't subscribe to the idea of having a "perfect wedding" (hence I won't make a good professional wedding planner). I won't guarantee the couple a wedding of their dreams and that everything will go smoothly. I always tell my friends that there will be things that can go wrong although I will try my best to ensure things go on smoothly. They should enjoy the first day of their marriage and learn to laugh when things don't go according to plan for this is the reality of marriage! ;)

Now that I am married, I have 'retired' from coordinating weddings. In Brisbane, hubby and I have served in various areas at different weddings. I have also since coordinated one wedding and another with hubby (where he did most of the work because he is more organised than me :p). At this stage of my life, I think I prefer to be a wedding consultant (not a coordinator) and to advise couples about their weddings. It is time for me to enjoy being a guest at weddings ;)

Birthday Eulogy

A birthday eulogy sounds wrong? A eulogy is a speech that speaks well and praises of someone who is recently deceased, usually at his/her funeral. Although most dictionaries define it as it being used usually on people who have passed away, wikipedia mentioned that it can be used to praise a living person too, which normally takes place on special occasions like birthdays, etc.

A few days ago, I decided to not reveal my birthday on my facebook profile page. Basically, I wanted to prevent the many wall messages that people will write because all my facebook contacts will be informed that it is my birthday. It was quite cute to know that the first person who send my birthday greetings via facebook, was an ex-colleague who remembered my birthday. He sent me a facebook message (as supposed to a wall post) to wish me happy birthday because he did not see any birthday greetings on my wall. At the end of the day, I still had about 30 birthday postings on my wall but that was way better than having 50 to 100 postings ;)

As I was reading the messages left on my wall (and the 2 birthday cards I received), I noticed that some people spoke well and kindly of me. I begin to wonder if these would be what people will say at my funeral, hence I thought of "birthday eulogy". These messages also reflect how people think of me. Strangely, I didn't feel proud of myself nor delight excessively at the nice comments like I used to... I mean, who doesn't like to be praised and appreciated?

These are the 'eulogies' I received on my wall -

• Your joy in Him is contagious and beautiful.
• You are a happy, positive person to be around.
• You have a generous heart to serve God and His people, especially in your adventures in baking and cooking.
• You have been a great blessing with your love for life. Continue serving Him with great great joy.
• Stay happy, cheerful and healthy for you are blessed. 

This is not quite a eulogy but I like what one said - to rejoice in the physical and eternal life God has given me. Indeed there is much to be thankful and rejoice in, despite many things in my life that are less than ideal. The biggest thing I can rejoice is living this new life that my Lord Jesus has given me, through the sacrifice that He has done for me. The next best thing is the family (blood family and the extended church family) and friends whom I have been blessed with :)

I quote this last sentence of a book I recently finished reading - So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. May this truly be what people say about me at every birthday and at my funeral.

My Birthday Cake

I have been baking birthday cakes for people in church... Last night, I baked my own birthday cake and had it with hubby this morning. It does not look pretty, glamourous nor appetizing, but I like its flavour. It has some of my favourite fruit and nut - mango and macadamia. The recipe is found here.

Praise the Lord, my God for another year of His goodness and faithfulness. May I dwell in His word all my days long.

A Surprise

Every morning, I give hubby various types of pills to eat. This morning, he gave me a tablet :)

Thanks dear!