Knock Knock

Does this still work? 

Coconut Macaroons

2/3 cups (151.2g) room temperature butter

1/2 cup sugar 

4 room temperature eggs 

2 cans condensed milk

2 tap vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour 

500gm dessicated coconut

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Cream butter and sugar together, till light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, mixing well before adding the next egg. Add condensed milk and vanilla essence, till well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix flour and dessicated coconut together. 

Add flour/coconut mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into 10 prepared cake cups and bake for 25-30 min, till tops are golden brown.

Next Time When I Grow

Next time when I'm grown up I want to be a pumpkin farmer. And grow so many pumpkins. And grow 2021 million ten thousand one hundred pumpkins. And I grow lots of pumpkin. And I will give you one pumpkin. And my farm will be bigger than a vegetable farm, mine will be even bigger. My farm will not grow vegetables, it will grow pumpkin and watermelon. Because watermelons are so tasty. And if you want to make a scary pumpkin, you can buy from my farm! And if you want to make a scary watermelon, just come to my farm also! 

The Wonderful World of Libby

Woah. I just realised as I was typing the header for this post that Libby was probably a "nickname" of sorts for the word library. *slow click *

Anyway, I just discovered the wonderful world that is Libby - an app that libraries use where you can borrow books online, for free! As long as you have a library card for that library. 

I've heard about the app for a while now but just never got round to setting it up. But now that I have, I wonder what took me so long! 

It's all the wonderful things a library has to offer (free books!), without the ickiness of a library (books that you don't know who has touched). And with covid hanging around, I don't think I will be stepping into a public library any time soon. 

I'm so stoked! Cos now I get to borrow and read all those books that you kinda want to read but don't really want to fork out money to buy cos they are either too expensive or you aren't sure if you'll like it or not. Plus, there isn't much space left on my bookshelf for more books. 

Whee! 

The downside is that the more popular books might not be immediately available, but I guess with a bit of patience you'll eventually get to borrow a copy.

I'm halfway through Michelle Obama's Becoming, because I couldn't finish reading it before I had to return the book. But wah it's been a looooong time since I read a book that isn't targeted at little children learning their first words. 

Happy happy happy. 

I Love You, Mama

So the little one is now at that wonderful, endearing stage where he says "mama you're so pretty" and "I love you mama" every night when I am getting him ready for bed. He does this heart-shaped gesture with his hands, and touches his heart and moves over to mine. *Love*

He also is at the stage where he wants to buy so many flowers.. again because, "you're so pretty mama and I love you so much."

Such a little sweetheart. 

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The covid-19 situation is getting pretty scary in Singapore (of course, not as bad as some other countries) so we've been staying home. There are tightened restrictions on the number of people allowed to be out together (only 2, down from 5, which was down from 8) but thankfully the pools are not closed (the gyms are).

I had a work call this morning, so the 2 guys went down to splish splash in the pool so I could have some quiet at home. 

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Parents, nanny and myself have gotten both doses of our vaccine, and the husband gets his first dose this Sunday. Phew! Glad that it's finally his turn and feeling immensely blessed to be in Singapore where the vaccination rollout has been efficient and smooth. 

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Ok gonna Zzz now. Praying for the grace, strength and stamina to weather through this crisis. 

An Impromptu Day In The Sun

I took the day off from work today cos my old man was getting his first dose of the covid-19 vaccination. The family planned to have lunch together after, cos why not, and it's always nice to enjoy good food together. The little boy was particularly happy because he didn't have to go to school today. 

We had lunch at Din Tai Fung. With more of us at lunch, we could order more varieties of dishes and everyone left with full bellies and high spirits. 

Parents headed back home, and +3 and I brought the little boy down to harbour front MRT station at his request. He noticed that the Sentosa Express wasn't crowded, so off we went. Took the cable car (NTUC members got discount ya) and then got off at Beach Station to walk around. 

Sentosa has changed So Much. I can't remember the last time I was there, previous trips heading in to take the cable car not included. It's been so long since I walked around, let alone stepped on the beach. 

It was hot so we didn't stay too long but the boy was happy. I was the aunty walking around the beach with a brolly open to block the sun. However, I really should plan a trip there again next time with sun block, a hat, sandals and a mat. We took the tram around Sentosa, then headed back by cable car, back to Vivicity by Sentosa Express train then home MRT. 

The Perfect Pair of Shoes

So I decided to take a walk down memory lane today by reading some of my very old blog posts. Came across this post from Jan 2014 about my quest for the perfect pair of shoes, and 7 years 2 months and 3 days later, I am here to tell you that the perfect shoe exists. 

Enter AnotherSole, a company that makes the most comfortable and relatively affordable pairs of leather shoes. FashionJeannie introduced them to me a couple of years ago, and I finally made the decision to try and buy a pair last year. Or maybe in 2019. I forget (and blame Covid). I should have listened to her sooner! 

I wear these shoes to work every day. They are simple, comfortable and go with any and every outfit you have. Did I also mention that they are super comfortable? Cos, they are. 

Once I bought them, I started noticing that everyone was wearing them. Ok, not everyone but many people. That's how good they are. And no, I'm not being paid to gush about them although I'm open to be sponsored if you're reading this, AnotherSole. Hehehehe. 

Anyway, if anyone is reading this. Go get yourself a pair or two, and thank me after. 

1 Jan 2021

So the first day of the new year is almost over. And you know, once you get older, the new year doesn't really feel any different from the other days. 

Festive gatherings this year are kept to a minimum, due to the restrictions on the maximum number of people allowed to gather. I met a handful of people towards the end of the year - Lin and Sharon, some of my colleagues, some people from my coaching class, cousin.e, cousin.sf, Jeanne and Ching, and of course the parents. 

Christmas was a simple dinner with the oldies. There was roast chicken and lasagne, and way too many presents for the little boy under the Christmas tree. We headed out on New Year's Eve to buy a couple of stuff, then had a pasta dinner at home. Dinner with the oldies on 1 Jan, where ma made a Filipino (I think?) version of paella called arroz valenciana. I made takoyaki this morning in my brand new Bruno compact hotplate. 

Reflections on the year that just passed - 

Covid-19 really, really sucks. You can't help but worry about family and loved ones in countries that don't have things under control and all you can do is pray they take care of themselves and stay safe.

I feel so blessed to be in Singapore where life has somewhat gotten back to normal, at least as normal as things can be in times of a global pandemic. 

I love that our family has grown closer this past year, and that we got to spend so much time with the little boy. So proud to watch him grow into the kind, young man that he is. 

The boy's EQ is top notch! He is mindful not to say things like "ewww so yucky" but will gently say "it's a little not so nice" or "the taste is a little not good". He is stil obsessed with trains and now, the train map. And we spend many weekends taking the different train lines around SG. 

There are some food dishes that I love that was discovered in 2020. Wang's curry chicken paste is now a staple in our kitchen. Just add chicken, potato and water! Dalgona coffee is another regular item that I indulge in. Other stuff include Chinese style carrot cake, and eggplant sauce (onion and garlic blended, fried in oil, then add balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha and boom! You've got a sauce which can be used as a soup base, that goes extremely well with eggplant too). 

Food delivery was something we did fairly regularly too. We found a chicken rice stall/shop that we like (chicken rice is one of the boy's favourite foods. So is roast pork rice). Tenderfresh, Lenu, Arcade Fish Soup were also regular places we ordered from. 

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Hopes for the new year? Good health, good luck and good fortune to all. 

A Milestone of Sorts

The boy can walk down the stairs one leg down each step at a time! I never really thought about the amount of co-ordination and confidence needed to go down one step at a time (rather than both feet on each step going down) but I'm glad the boy is sure footedly making his way down staircases. 

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One of our favourite Sunday activities these days is taking the bus to Yishun (bus 85 passes by Jalan Kayu - note to self if craving prata for supper). Then we would have lunch and then make our round on the bendy bus (service 804). Sometimes we'd take a bendy bus back on bus 858 which stops at the TPE bus stop, and walk home from there. Sometimes we'd take the train back. 

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Loving these adventures around Singapore. I've also started trying to clock 10k steps daily, and been going for walks with the Hubby after the little boy has gone to bed. It's a good time to chat and catch up, and get to know our neighbourhood better. 

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I've finished most of my coach training classes and feeling excited. Not sure what the future will bring but I've met new people and made some friends. Need to explore getting more experience coaching a wider range of people!

Birthday Presents

AC is watching a YouTube video on some toy trains and saying "I want this train for my birthday! I also want this one for my birthday! Can you buy for me?" For every single train. 

So I said, "Mama's birthday is coming first. What are you going to buy me for my birthday?" 

AC: "A watermelon."

Me: "A watermelon?" 

AC: "A watermelon and a nice cake."

10 Weeks!

I took an online course, which had classes every Saturday morning over 10 weeks. This meant waking up early (classes started at 8am!) and missing out on sending the little one for swim class. 

10 weeks later and I've completed my course, and this Saturday I happily brought the little one down when it was time for his swim class. 

Swimming lessons went on as usual, while I caught up with some of my neighbours and had a nice chat. After the kids were done with class, I noticed that they ran from the baby pool to the medium pool. Unsupervised.

I started to panic and ran after them when I saw AC getting into the water. It's not safe!!! 

However when I reached the medium pool, the kids were happily playing and jumping around in the water. Jumping? They were tall enough to touch the floor? When did that happen? 

+3 and one of my other neighbour finally came over and he remarked that he was wondering why I ran over in such a panic. They had been watching the children every week and knew that the kids had progressed and grown tall enough to be comfortable in the medium pool. I hadn't known because I was stuck at home having zoom calls. 

How things changed in 10 weeks!  

One plus side of this is that now I can bring the little one down to the medium pool and not have to worry too much. Yes, of course I would still need to keep an eye (water safety to), but today when we were down in the pool, I managed to get a few laps in. Yay! 

Anyway I've enjoyed my course, made new friends, and hopefully have a new skill that will be useful for me and my career. I'll still need lots and lots of practice but I have a good feeling about things. 

Dreams

One of our bedtime routines these days is to talk about our dreams. 

"What is your dream?", the little one would ask. And I would pretend to sleep for a couple of seconds then make up a story for him. 

We'd take turns and he would "sleep" then tell me his dream.

Children are so imaginative. He would tell me stories of people cut out of paper, of walking in the sun, of orange and grey trains that fly in the sky. 

Tonight he told me a scary dream.

In an appropriately low and slow pace, he told me of ghosts and goblins where the light would turn off, and another light would turn off and another light would turn off. 

A storyteller he is becoming! 

4.5yrs

What is mama's favourite thing? 

Apple juice 

What makes mama happy?

Apple juice, and kisses, and chocolate

What makes mama angry? 

When you don't listen 

When you don't keep your toys 

What is your favourite thing? 

Also, I love eyeballs 

Gong gong like to eat eyeballs? Why?

Me: it's tasty

AC: it's not tasty! I don't like eyeballs! 

Who is your best friend?

The mushroom is the best friend (enzer who has a mushroom like hairstyle)

What is your favourite toy?

Blue bendy bus but it is not plastic 

Me: but you don't have it

AC: you need to buy 

What is your favourite toy that you have? 

Eyeballs! Lego eyebaaaaaallls!

What is your favourite food? What do you like to eat?

A good french fries for my tummy not get cough

What is mama's favourite food?

French fries one but it's good for mama's tummy 

What is daddy's favourite food?

French fries but is good for daddy's tummy hahahahaha so funny

Nanny's favourite is the French fries for nanny's tummy hahahahahahhahaa 

How old is AC?

I'm not old! 

How old is mama? 

4 years to go! 

How old is daddy?

4 years to go! HAHAHAHAHAHA 

Who is older? Daddy or mama? 

Daddy!

What do you like to do before sleeping? 

Play! 

What is your favourite song?

'ello how are you? 'ello how are you? 'ello how are you? How are you today?

Goodnight Sweetheart

So tonight, I was patting the little one to sleep, as I always do (or nanny does if I'm busy/sick). We have a cute little routine, which started from one of the books we read at night (Goodnight Moon) where we touch noses. 

Nose to nose. And we boop our noses together.

Cheek to cheek. 

Ear to ear. 

Chin to chin.

Forehead to forehead.

Long hair to short hair.

Nose hole to nose hole. 

And whatever funny combination we can think of. 

After the giggling and laughing, I patted his bum as he settled down. His eyes were getting heavy and his breathing getting steadier. He looked at me through his sleepy eyes and shot me a sweet smile, before closing his eyes and falling asleep. *LOVE* 

These are moments I treasure so much, cos I know that there will be a time when he won't want me to pat him to sleep at night. 

Back To Work

So Singapore has exited the circuit breaker and we are now in Phase 1 of the post circuit breaker whachamacallit. My workplace has implemented working on split teams so one week at home, one week in office so i'm back in the office this week. 

And it's disgusting. 

After more than 2 months of being away, I kinda expected some dust on the surfaces but when I stepped in today - my office chair had MOLD. Icky, possibly asthma inducing, mold. 

Yuck. 

Anyway some thoughts being back :

1. It's disgusting - my office furniture is all moldy

2. I was on MC when the circuit breaker came into effect, so I didn't get to clean up my desk. Coming back to it was so strange, like time stopped and you're looking at how life used to be before a disaster

3. Social distancing among colleagues is hard. Got to remember to keep 1m apart when walking to canteen etc

4. The toilet is so far away (compared to my tiny home where everything is within 5 steps)

But I really shouldn't complain. Today I took the bus and I'm thankful that the (private) bus services had resumed, even though there were significantly less passengers (6 compared to a full bus of 40) on the route today. 

And I still have a job. 

Nighttime Conversation

Me: What is AC good points? 

AC: I play with mama. I can poopoo and wash hands. I wipe my bum bum. And also there is eyeballs. 

Me: Are you nice? Is AC nice? 

AC: Yes yes yes yes yes. Yes no yes.

Me: What else is AC good at? 

AC: Playing with nobody. Play by the self. That good point. 

Me: What else? 

AC: I'm sitting on mama's pillow. And then there is sharp thing that is not so sharp. 

Me: What else is AC good? 

AC: There is weewee on the poopoo and then it melted the poopoo. 

Me: What else? 

AC: AC is good at playing and lying on mama's pillow. Got virus.

Remembering part2

Today, a moth flew into our home and fluttered its way around our living room and into the hallway where the bedrooms were. 

Am I reading too much into things? 

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My heart hurts and aches. I've loved you since the moment I knew about you, and I've never stopped loving you since. 

Remembering Orb

Today we lit a candle. 

Put up a photo where we were at the beach. 

A piece of candy, a toy excavator. 

And we said a little prayer. 

I miss you, Orb. Every day. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic

It's been about 6 or 7 weeks of working from home, and I thought I'd post something here just to remind myself of this really interesting time in history. 

A global pandemic, Covid-19, has brought the world to a standstill. +3 and I have been very lucky that we still have our jobs, unlike so many others who have either been laid off or had to take pay cuts. 

We are also lucky that our jobs allow us to work from home. For the last month, I've been giving my classes and briefings online, to the point +3 says he could probably do my briefings too since he'd heard me repeat myself so many times. Hehe. 

My nanny has stayed with us, and she has been such a big help taking care of AC and cooking meals for when we have been too busy to do so. I'm thankful that my parents were understanding and let her stay with us, and they managed everything at home themselves. I tried to ease ma's load by ordering tingkat delivery meals for lunch and dinner so she doesn't have to cook or wash up (too much). They say the meals are tasty and finish up all the dishes mealtime. 

My favourite discovery this circuit breaker period (food wise):

- Wang's curry paste. Makes really yummy curry chicken and this is definitely gonna be a staple in our home! 

- CP chicken gyoza. So easy to heat up, so tasty. Another staple to be. 

- Arcade fish soup delivery. This was a recommendation from our neighbour and it is so yum. So yum. And not too pricey too. Just gotta pay for delivery fee. I wonder if they will continue with delivery services next time. Ordered this for the oldies once and papa gave it 2 thumbs up.

- Burning Oak - they sell smoked beef rice bowls and omg it's so good. You really can taste the smokiness. 

- Woon Woon white beehoon from Changi village. Another yummy dish (seafood soup with beehoon) where you can really taste the wokhei. Ordered for the oldies and they really enjoyed it too. 

- Windowsill Pies. We managed to get these as part of a group buy from the estate. Awesome to have foodie neighbours. The pies are so good. My fav is the pecan pie. +3 likes their apple pie. 

Some other things we got as part of group buys - carrot cake, rojak, chicken pie, curry puff, soju (remind me not to order alcohol again). 

We really can't complain. I've enjoyed spending time with +3 and AC, playing and just being silly together. I'm glad he isn't in school yet, so we don't really have to worry too much about his academics for now. Play boosts a child's development, so yay to us! 

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Time flies and soon the circuit breaker will be over. We are looking tentatively at 2 June but of course we have to wait for the official announcement and all that. 

The majority of cases have been foreign workers in dorms, and I hope that after this, tangible changes will be made to ensure a better quality of living for them. 

Also, really really appreciate all the people who have been keeping this country running - delivery men and women, healthcare staff, cleaners. Everyone has played such an important role. 

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Hope the situation stabilises but I don't think that we will be traveling much any time soon. Let's keep staying safe and healthy. 

Straight Lines, Curved Lines

+3 was drawing a map for a treasure hunt this morning. 

+3: Ok let's draw a map of the world! 
AC: How come you don't know how to draw straight lines? 

Lol.