Comfort Food

Surefire remedies that help chase away ze blues, horrific days with lil' Ms D and of course, a cold autumn night... (in random order)

My TOP 5 Comfort Food in UK

1. Boiled eggs with light/dark soya sauce
2. 'Reduced price' egg tarts from Tesco
3. Sainsbury's 'Basic' chocolate bar
4. Cookies dunked in semi-skimmed milk
5. 3-in-1 MILO!

These are on my list. What are on yours? :)

* Above list is applicable only in the UK. PRATA maintains its #1 spot on my Singapore Comfort Food list!

All Smiles Day

Nothing can rile me today. NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING!!!

It's been a FAB day up to this point (*fingers crossed*). I'm sitting infront of the comp, blissfully blogging at 4pm in the afternoon.

My angel for the day is sleeping soundly behind me.

Our morning began smoothly and we got dressed (no fuss! no fuss!) to attend the women's group @AllSouls. With a container full of bran cornflakes in hand, we got onto the Tube and headed for Oxford Circus station. Arrived smack on time at 1030am. Unfortunately, Danielle didn't want to stay confined to the pram.

" ... "

Okaaaay, no problem?! Mummy has 'biceps of steel'???!!! I carry her 3/4 of the way to church - with buggy folded & bag on shoulder. Had to ask (read:plead) her to walk the rest of the way coz "Mummy's arms are tired!". That seemed reasonable to her & without a pout, she walked the rest of the way. Phew phew!

Settling her into creche was a tad difficult at first, but the creche grannies managed to distract her with a 'Bob the Builder' book. She didn't even notice me sneaking away... 3 cheers for Bob!!! 3 cheers for the sweet granny nannies!

Prayer meeting was good. Although not all the ladies in my group turned up today, the rest of us who did, had a meaningful time praying for one another. And I found out there's going to be another Christmas luncheon next week! YES, again! Methinks it's going to be loads of fun coz there'll be 45min set aside for creative activities - decorating Christmas gift tags and putting icing on Christmas cookies etc etc...ho ho ho!

After church, popped into BHS to help Dee do a bit of Christmas shopping. Danielle began to fuss but no matter, whipped up my 'contingency' packet of orange-flavoured gummies! That kept her happy the rest of the time.

After leaving BHS, I had the craziest idea to cook Japanese (Oyakodon!) tonight coz Meiling's coming over for dinner. Needed tofu for the miso soup I was going to simmer (not cook, since it's a ready mix. can't claim credit now, can I? heehee) so decided to walk from Oxford Circus to Leicester Square to get me a tub of tofu. I was half deliberating whether to do it or not coz it's v unpredictable going out with a 2YO. If Ms D suddenly demanded to walk or be carried, I'd be in BIIIIG TROUBLE! I said a teeny-tiny prayer. Yesiree, told God about the oh-so-important tofu, the walk to Leicester Sq... so a small measure of assistance would suffice, thank you v much. And as it turned out, she was... manageable. Threw a few 'grouchy' darts but nothing I'd hurl myself under a train for.

After 20 mins of invigorating brisk walking (phew! was steamin' under that puffy jacket!), we arrived at Leicester Sq. Went to Loong Fung and purchased the tofu and some bottled sauces (isn't that what always happens? you go in for 1 item, and come out with 10?!!). Afterwhich, headed for the nearest Tube station.

Rolled up my sleeves to pram her down several flights of stairs to get to the trains. Now, anyone who's been to the UK would know the stations here lack 'modern technology' such as lifts & escalators. It's a terrible bane having to lug your pram (as it is in my case) down 10,000 steps. But a wonderful boon to meet a kind samaritan who's willing to help you carry half your daughter's weight, the rickety pram, and groceries down those 10,000 steps.

I met 2 good Samaritans at the station today. Bless their souls.

And that, has been my day up till now.

It's 5pm - Danielle's still snoozin' & Dee just waltzed through the door having been in Bournemouth for the past 2 days.

Surely, Life cannot be better. :)

* Just a thought: I praised God with my time, and He in turn, blessed me with a good time! :)

Yesterday's Pain is Today's Sheer Bliss

In the movie Shadowlands, Debra Winger delivers, what I think, is the movie's most poignant line:

...the pain then is part of the happiness now.

That, in a nutshell, describes the torrent of emotions I feel today.

After a night of self-reproach over the way I handled Danielle yesterday, I'm thankful to God for the almost '180 degree flip' in how things panned out today.

We began the day at the library for the 11am reading session. Met Silka (with baby Nelson) and Devi (with baby Rosa) there. Had a nice chat and made arrangements to meet next week for a cuppa, and a cookie-baking session at Silka's. Whoopee!

Went to the One O'clock Club at Clapham Common, South Side. Hadn't been to a One O'clock Club in ages so it was a nice change to our daily routine. Had fun decorating paper Christmas trees with all sorts of glitter, bits and bobs. Adjourned to the playground after the One O'clock ended. Had a glorious time at the swings, played peek-a-boo at the train, and watched a beetle do a slow crawl on the chimney of the train. Danielle was absolutely fascinated coz it was her first time seeing a live beetle. Kicked autumn leaves together on the way home.

Once home, watched Bob the Builder (Giant Carrot, Mummy!) and Hi-5, did some doodling and pretended to paint each other's faces with watercolour paint (just brushes & paint. no water). And as she didn't have an afternoon nap, she was ABSOLUTELY beat by 8pm.

Woo Hoo!

I suppose this is what it means - when the Pain then (i.e yesterday's nightmare) adds immeasureable joy to the Happiness now.

"AS A MOTHER COMFORTS HER CHILD, SO WILL I COMFORT YOU." ( ISAIAH 66:13 )

A Tirade of Complaints

I had an absolutely awful day with Danielle yesterday. Absolutely horrid.

If our neighbours downstairs kept a logbook or diary of sorts, their entry would read:

"That scary SAHM upstairs is trying to murder her child... again."

And they wouldn't be far from the truth.

The long and short of it was there were screaming matches, wild threats, and wielding of the cane at several points throughout the day.

A Day in the Life of Little Miss Stubborn

9am - Danielle wakes up unusually late. Try to get her ready at breakneck speed for our 'mummy date' with Beth and Scarlett. Refuses to put shoes on. Tears clean sheets off my recently replenished toilet roll into the bowl whilst I was hastily getting her food bag ready. Run like mad to meeting point. Am 8 mins late. Danielle has snot as long as longevity noodles dribbling down her nose. Not a pretty sight.

930am~11am- The catch up with Beth is sketchy. Danielle is extremely aggressive towards Scarlett - demanding to have Scarlett's biscuits, and REFUSING to share her own. In fact, whenever I proffer a nibbly to Scarlett, Danielle knocks it off Scarlett's hands! And she will NOT let go off Scarlett's Minnie Mouse! I cower in embarrassment. Where's all this aggression coming from? Nursery? We go to the library so that the girls have more 'play space' . No such luck. They start pulling at books instead. Beth and I roll eyes in unison.

1230noon - Nursery. Screams and clings onto legs again. Help.

3pm - Pick her up. Smile soon turns to scorn when she REFUSES to sit in the pram. Shela has to offer her a cookie before she relents. Apologise profusely for the ruckus she made outside Lochinvar. Scurry home.

330pm - At Tesco's. Demands to get out of pram after brushing off cookie crumbs. Uses feet to hinder wheels from moving smoothly. The nerve! I do not relent. Instead, charge round supermarket like a headless chicken, grabbing items off shelves while cursing and swearing under breath.

4pm~9pm - 5 hours of pure nightmare. First, refuses to come out of the bath. Then screams to be taken out for a poo. Unfortunately, business is 'unfinished' and some remnant poo ends up bobbing up and down alongside Mr Whale. I bathe her all over again, then dettol the bathtub. Does not allow me to brush her teeth. Clams mouth shut. Then when I forcefully pry them open, tries to create dents on toothbrush. Thankfully milk teeth not strong enough to do so. Ha! Refuses to get changed. Runs half-naked around the house evading my grasp. Neighbours experience mild earthquake whilst 'cat and mouse' chase ensues overhead. Give her a pear but she only chews, then spits bits out all over the sofa spread. I read to her but give up halfway, exasperated from the day's events.

By 9pm, I'm exhausted. Despite the fact she's still awake, I crawl into bed, brandishing the white flag. After mooching around for a couple of minutes, she too, submits to her own crankiness and falls into a peaceful sleep. Hmph!

I'm almost sorry I'm making my daughter sound like a mini She-Devil. Perhaps all 2 YOs have horns they're dying to show off?

I know there'll always be BAD days like this. But barely surviving them is...well, the thing that kills?

The 'tongue' that binds

We hardly ever meet groups of Singaporeans here. Such gatherings, if any, are few and far between. In fact, I'd say all the times we've met more than 3 Singaporeans 'under one roof', are when we go to Reuben's.

So last Saturday when we attended his 'Piñata' Mexican-styled get-together, there they were - our fellow countrymen. There were 7 of of us, I think?

Reuben, the chef du jour whipped up a smorgasbord of Mexican (or perhaps, pseudo-Mexican? Heehee) delights. Menú del día included:

Mains
Beef Quesadillas - v v yummy!
Seafood Paella (ok so this is Spanish?)
Portobello mushrooms with cheese (this is Italian? American?)

Sides
Tacos with Guacamole (prepared by Ori)

Vino
Sangría (prepared by Ori)

It was our first time sampling Reuben's cooking and I'm happy to affirm that yes, 'da man can cook!'. It's always a treat having someone else cook, and an exotic cuisine at that! Dee absolutely relished Ori's Sangria which was a refreshing blend of red wine (no surprises why he enjoyed it so much! Hic!), soda, and diced citrusy fruits (strawberries, oranges, peaches etc). We're now thinking of doing the same concoction for our Christmas party when my ILs are over. Hola!

Anyway, back to meeting Singaporeans.

As I mentioned, it's 'an anomaly' for us to mingle with so many Singaporeans in London. We haven't exactly jumped on the bandwagon to 'get connected' with the local Singapore network. So it felt familiar and kinda nice to be among 'fellow comrades'. You know- talk the tok, slang the shh-lang?

Ok, so I exaggerate.

This group of Singaporeans speak Acrolectal English, i.e sans 'discourse particles' like 'lor', 'lah', 'siah' and the like. Many of them are from really good schools in Singapore so...that figures, I guess? But regardless of where you've been educated (as long as it's within Singapore), we Singaporeans, are still easily identified by the way we speak.

End of day, it's our 'Uniquely Singapore(an)' intonation that binds us together. Hosei liao! :)
Wikipedia has an excellent write up on Singlish intonation. Go read it some time. V enlightening, and not to mention, entertaining! Heehee!

And what happens when you have not one, not two, but THREE ACS alumni (Dee, Reuben and Ronald) in the same room? You have a raucous time laughing at their school anecdotes, especially the 'malicious' names bestowed on certain teachers - Miss Lulu (or L-cube), 老 ying, 白鬼, and... Metal Bra? What the...? *roll eyes*

Boys will be boys.

But my fav part of the evening was playing Taboo. It's a lot of FUN and a great party game. It's kinda a cross between 'The Pyramid Game' and Charades, with 'word-blocks' . I'm now considering purchasing a set online if I can get it for cheap. :)

Perhaps a game at my place sometime? Anyone? :)

* Most photos courtesy of Getty Images since our darn camera... well, you know the story.

Foul, Flu-ey & Frustrated

I've just gotten home from Boots (UK's fav chemist) having grudgingly spent a fortune on More medication for wee Nelle and meself! Bah!

To date, we've gone through 3 bottles of cough medication, 1 flu mixture, boxes of Lemsip (just me); even swallowed spoonfuls of the usually efficacious Chuan Be Pi Pa Gao, but still we're indisposed...

Perhaps Mum's right. Certain illnesses need to 'run their course'. It's the body's way of building up its immune system.

But seeing Danielle have difficulty sleeping at night, have a perpetual runny nose, watery eyes, a HUGE dip in appetite, regurgitate her food coz she doesn't know how to throw out phlegm, and cough so hard, is fretfully unsettling.

Our house is practically a 'viral war zone'. I'm convinced we've been beset by flu germs of every shape and size - where each attack leaves us more 'wounded' than the last.

What remains are tell-tales signs of a battle lost - wastepaper bins overflowing with tissues filled with snot, spit and all sorts of watery goo (sorry for the graphic details!), and a kitchen top lined with half-empty bottles flu/cough 'ammunition'.

So I certainly hope this new batch of medication work!

I'm declaring war on these confounded bugs! WAR, I say!!! *thumping chest in warrior princess-like stance*

Family Friends

It's not often we hear friends say they treat you like family. So it was particularly heartwarming when Meiling emailed saying that to me a couple of days back.

We're indeed blessed to have Andy and Meiling in our lives. Since moving here, they've been more than hospitable to us - we've quaffed copious amounts of wine and beer together, nibbled on waaaay too much cheese and crackers, O.D-ed on chocolate cakes and cream, and drunk unending mugs of warm tea. We've also done roadtrips together, cooked for each other, and more recently, they've even baby-sat Danielle.

We are v grateful that they sincerely like Danielle and try to fit her into their lives.



So here's a big THANK YOU to Andy and Meiling! Thanks for spending time with us, dishing out comforting home-cooked meals, enjoying thrift shop bargains together, but most of all - introducing me to your world of flowers and plants (I'm sold - hook, line and sinker)!

Thanks also for all the thoughtful things you do - buying Danielle a special beaker to use at your place, bringing Mr Shark on the car ride, taking her to the zoo, equipping yourselves with your own wet wipes, giving her a bath, feeding her, changing her diapers, but most of all, showering her with your genuine love and attention. We couldn't ask for better...


* photos are courtesy of Meiling... our's DEAD!!! I can't stop moaning at the loss...

Saggs Abbreviations

In one of my random flashes of 'creativity', came up with these while washing the dishes:

MOO - Mother of One
Everyone knows that the minute we start breastfeeding, we turn bovine.

MOT - Mother of Two
I didn't know this was an actual word and it sorta means 'witty'. Well...It definitely pays to have your wits about you tending to 2 progenies!

MOTH - Mother of Three
Nocturnal creatures. Enough said.

What d'ya think? Can use? :)

Death of a Shutterbug

My. Life. Is. Practically. Over.

our camera died

Just the 2 of Us...

On Saturday, Dee arranged for MeiLing and Andy to babysit Danielle for a coupla hours while he brought me out for a night about town. T'was part 2 of his anniversary surprise... :)

It was my 1st time in 4 months out alone with Dee. That is, without Danielle in tow. But I have to say, it felt kinda weird... and almost wrong?!!

The ever-accommodating Lanes came over at about 2pm and whisked Danielle off to the Battersea Park Children's Zoo (fabulous idea on Andy's part!). I was completely floored, if not a little bruised, when Danielle simply waved goodbye to me and bounded into their car. Talk about cutting loose! So quickly!!???

Hmph! *rolley eyes*

Dee's initial idea was to bring me for a musical but I baulked at the prices and declared myself 'unhappy to go' if he was going to spend that kind of money! So we opted for a nice, quiet dinner somewhere.

We ended up at Leicester Square, in case I changed my mind and if we could grab cheap tickets at the box-office stands. But I didn't.

At first, we thought of revisting the National Gallery to catch up on the paintings we'd missed the last time. In the end, we decided to go in search of Cafe Vergnano, an Italian coffee joint reputed for serving the best espresso in London. Not that we've turned into coffee connoisseurs since coming here, but we figured if 4 people we know have given it '5 out of 5 star' reviews, we might as well check it out since we were round the corner.

Despite Reuben's directions, we still managed to get lost! After traversing between Charing Cross and Leicester Sq, we located it, took a quick peak and some snapshots, then decided to come back after dinner.









Since I was given the mind-boggling task of deciding what to eat for dinner, I opted for Italian. Then choosing the restuarant came down to 2 impt criteria - menu without cut-throat prices, and availability of Insalata Caprese - my all-time favourite italian salad! Delizioso!

We decided to try Ristorante Lulivo. Unfortunately, the food wasn't great, but I still enjoyed my caprese. I reckon it's hard to go wrong with bufala mozarella, sliced tomatoes and basil, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, no?

Dessert was ice-cream @Baskin Robbins. This was certainly a walk down memory lane for us. During our uni days in Australia, we loved to pop into the Baskin Robbins outlet(now closed) on Queen's St Mall to get a sugar-fix of Jamoca Almond Choc. Although the outlet didn't end up having our all-time fav, we settled for Butter Pecan and some custardy-flavoured ice-cream with a forgettable name. Cheers!

Next, Cafe Vergnano. Felt the cafe could do with a bit more 'warmth'? Think it's coz the decor was a bit too pristine for my liking. Nevertheless, was impressed by the skills of the coffee baristas, who obviously took pride in their craft. But then again, I guess anyone would take pride in their job when using the 'mother' of all espresso machines - the Elektra Belle Epoque Q1-C (see left). It's truly an impressive looking machine! I liked the way the espresso did a slow drizzle down the filter into those cute espresso cups. Drats, should've caught in on camera! We both ordered espressos - one with hazelnut syrup, the other with amaretto. JH would've enjoyed it, I think. :)

I certainly enjoyed sharing 'cafe intimacy' with Dee. Chatting over coffee, catching up with our lives. You know, we NEVER do this in Singapore! So I'm glad we can do it here, at least once. I recommend this to all couples. Take time to catch up with each other over coffee or a meal. Never for a moment think you know your partner through and through. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised...

Our last stops before heading home were a 'Murders and Mysteries' bookshop along Charing Cross, followed by a walk through the rather dodgy SOHO. The latter locale is the infamous gay strip of London and although we deliberately looked out for gay pubs to peer into; instead, we found ourselves faced with shop after shop of 'Bargain Books' - a lame front for adult publications, sex toys and porn flicks offered downstairs. Don't get me wrong, they did sell 'normal' books on the ground level, but the basement revealed items that would make Pamela Anderson look like a prissy schoolgirl! V distasteful indeed! After meandering through SOHO for about an hour or so, we finally headed back at 7ish.

Thankfully, Danielle had been on her best behaviour the whole day. Phew! Andy and Meiling said they enjoyed babysitting her. Both Dee and I are so glad she's comfortable with the Lanes. Missed my little one so smothered her with kisses when I saw her, all nice-smelling & squeaky clean from her bath. Meiling is so adept with kids, she should have her own soon! Eh, Meiling? Heehee! :)

Our 1st Christmas Funfair

We went to a Christmas Funfair at Northcote Road today.

Organised by Dolphin Primary School, it promised to be loads of fun for the children - or so claimed the school administrator who brought it to my attention. I figured anywhere fun was A-OK with me. So at 11am, together with the Mister and wee one, we got onto the G1 and set off to the fair.

Suffice to say - this being our first UK school funfair and all - I was curious to check it out. You know, see how different they are from the ones in Singapore?

The fair was held in the school sanctuary/hall. Entry tickets were 50p per pax tho' Danielle went in for free. The entry fee came with a complimentary cuppa tea (what d'ya expect?) & a mini mincepie.

Being a Primary school's funfair, the Christmas decor was pretty simple, apart from the 'Photo with Santa' booth. That, was decked with your usual party streamers, tinsel, baubles, and cotton wool 'snow'. There were all sorts of games for kids - raffle tickets for mystery prizes, 'see-how-far-you-can -throw-a-beanbag' game, 'ring round the bottle' - easy peazy games.

Danielle had her face painted for the first time that day! I chose a very 'safe' design, in case it turned out to be a disaster coz the 'face painter' was a kid herself! But she was v sweet and I think she did a pretty good job! :)

There were stalls selling all sorts of food & knick knacks - fruity wine, hand/body creams, Christmas cards, jewelry, T-shirts, brownies/ fairy cakes, jars of jams and mincemeats. Dee and I liked the second-hand booth best (actually, it was more like books, videos and toys messily displayed on the pews). And we bought heaps! We were really, really pleased with our purchases.

In our shopping bag:
1) 2 cupcakes for Danielle - 40p
(actually 1 but Danni dropped one on the floor so had to get her a 2nd one. I would've just wiped off the top layer of icing had it not been Dee who shot me 'dagger' looks! I know, I know, I'm terrible! Kekeke!)
2) 5 story books for Danielle + 1 DVD - 1 pound! *faint with disbelief*
3) Thick medieval history Encyclopedia - 'star buy' at 4 pounds!!
4) 1 packet of apple juice 50p

I enjoyed the free mincepies. Yes... mincepieS coz I wolfed down Dee's as well! He didn't quite fancy the sweet mincemeat*. Of course I had no issues with that! I savoured every bit of the citrusy, fruity, cinnamon-y filling wrapped in buttery pastry. Sluuurp...sedap!

All in all, it was a wonderful morning out with the family. The Christmas atmosphere at the fair just about made me wanna break out into carols!!!

Check out happy Danielle stuffing her face with cupcake icing again (yes, just the icing, *roll eyes*)!

* btw, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Skiver A! Miss you, Luv!

My Seasonal Obsession

Did I mention I love Autumn? I'm sure I did, if not for the millionth time!

Admittedly I'd much prefer it sans the chills. Even then, I simply can't get enough of this 'ambience' I walk out to every day.

And I must confess, I've gone completely mad taking pictures of autumn leaves, trees, twigs - everything and anything that has a semblance of 'Autumn' stamped on it.

In the meantime, pardon this MOO (my new abbreviation for 'Mother of One') who's rather enjoying her 1st Autumn in the UK. :)

TODAY

Today you had no problems getting dressed
Today you said, 'I want to go to school.'
Today you asked for your school bag
Today you shed nary a tear when prammed to school
Today you waited patiently for the school gates to be opened
Today you couldn't wait to have your coat taken off
Today you no longer clung on
Today you waved and said, 'Goodbye Mummy!'

But today, silly mummy ached that you've finally let go...