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!