Artistic ambition, hell no! (But yeah! Clara arrives tonite!)

When Mabes dropped by for a visit, I made a sign for Danielle to hold up & welcome her at the airport.

Tonight, Clara arrives at our place so I thought I should do something similar to welcome her. But this time, as I had run out of drawing block, I had no choice but to use the roll of IKEA paper from Danielle's drawing board.

V ambitiously, I rolled out quite a long sheet but regretted it soon after. Longer meant I had more to fill up and more to colour! Alamak, too late!

This is why I never aced in Art & Craft! And this reminds me NEVER to use too large a surface area if I'm no Matisse or Picasso. :P

* Have bought some Halloween goodies so we can have a mini party too! Yippee!

A Roadtrip to Cambridge...

We stayed the night @ the Lanes on Friday coz we'd planned a mini roadtrip to Cambridge the following day. Yes, home to the dreaded GCE papers!

But backtracking abit first, I MUST give special mention to Meiling's drool-worthy sambal stingrays! I didn't even know Sainsbury's sold them (the stingrays, not the sambal)! Incredulous! It was a wonderful treat having such local 'comfort food' on a cool, autumn night. Of course, my pet buffalo seized the opportunity to take more than a swig of Guinness, again. The Lanes being Irish and all, he feels compelled to 'do as the Romans do'! Sure sure, excuses...*rolley eyes*

Meiling's the one who first introduced us to the world of dessert with cream. Now every time we have dessert, we have to have a dollop of cream, on the side. By dairy standards, there are several rungs to cream. Right at the bottom, we have single cream, then whipped cream, double cream, super double, clotted... and in another camp, we have creme fraiche, sour cream... the list seems endless. My personal favs are clotted and super thick double cream.

But what about your calorie counting, Saggs?

Stuff 'em, I say! When it comes to dessert, there's always room for sinful indulgence! I'll just... erm, avert the gaze from what's behind me?

We always have hearty meals @ the Lanes. Meiling is a fabulous cook & takes pride in cooking up a storm for each meal. On Saturday morning, she prepared a full Irish breakfast for us - fried bacon, fried eggs, fried sausages and special Irish soda bread. Fried, of course. Fab on the tastebuds, disastrous to the waist-line! But I ate with my eyes closed so that helped somewhat. :P

The drive to Cambridge from Harpenden took slightly over an hour. I really enjoy such quiet drives along the countryside, where all around you see autumn trees clothed in hues of gold and brown...

The scenary in Cambridge is, should I say, sublime? And ergo, very condusive for studying? Heehee. It's a beautiful town filled with pretty buildings, gorgeous colleges, extensive parks and quaint little windy streets for one to explore. As it was a Saturday, we were lucky the markets were open too.













King's College, MM Lee's Alma Mater(?) is simply magnificent. I walked the grounds with goosebumps, in awe that people actually study here. I can so imagine students walking the cobbled grounds on graduation day - looking all proud and dignified in their ceremonial cloaks and mortarboards. What a proud day it must be for them!

As we walked further into the college grounds, we were drawn to sounds of laughter from a bridge ahead. There, we saw people taking leisurely rides on river barges. Very Venician, with 'gondoliers' rowing down the river canal. Didn't know how much it'll have cost to take a ride but it sure looked like fun. Will definitely try to visit Cambridge again, time permitting.

Postscript: We are very fortunate Andy and Meiling like Danielle and try to incorporate her into their lives. They bought this special spill-free beaker for her to use at their place! And when they went househunting recently, the lack of railings on the stairs at a house they quite liked became a consideration coz they were afraid of Danielle's safety for when she visits!

On a starry night in Harpenden...

I had my first brush with illegal substances on Friday.

Andy managed to purchase quite a neat pack for not alot of money. And since it was Halloween weekend, the Lanes thought we might want to try this out - just once - since it's illegal to dabble in such activity in Singapore.

We buckled under pressure. Well, at least I did. Dee was just rearing to go!

But the result was EXHILIRATING! Wheeeeee...I'll definitely do it again! :P



Caught you there, didn't I? Kekeke.

Friends in the UK?

To me, one of the biggest banes of living abroad is not having family and friends with you. Being sentimental ol' me, I miss seeing familiar faces, receiving slews of sms-es/calls, chatting over coffee, meeting up for makan etc.

But still, I am blessed.

In the 3 months we've been here, I've had my MIL over, Mabes for a weekend & Clara flies in tonight. We're also very fortunate to have a few Singaporeans here who've become friends - Reuben, Meiling & Andy Lane, and even Auntie Mimi.

And in between playground visits, library sessions and playschool, I've managed to make a few new friends of my own - Beth & Scarlett (the Aussies), Silke & Nelson (the Germans), Shela and Hussein (the Pakistanis).

I suppose I can constitute them as friends, can I not? These mummies are the ones I receive sms-es & emails from - arranging to meet on a weekly or fortnightly basis - or simply chat with at the library or school gate.

I've gotten to know them becoz they are fellow mummies - fellow kindred spirits who know how it is being alone in a foreign country. As you would have noticed, none of them are native to the UK.

Whatever the reason, I thank God for the people He brings in and out of my life. To me, it's good enough knowing someone out there wants to meet up, or bothers to stay & chat when they see me & Danielle.

It's funny but receiving an sms from one of these ladies is enough to brighten my day. :)

'Mummy Date' with Silke and Nelson
We met Silke & Nelson for a 'mummy date' on Fri (27 Oct). We decided to have coffee at Crumpet on Northcote Road - a popular, child-friendly cafe that has a cosy play area for tots, and all sorts of yummy kiddy pastries for their young clientele.

Hadn't seen them in about a month coz they were in Germany escaping renovation work at their rented apt. I was amazed how much Nelson's hair had grown and that he can now stand on his own! What a difference a month makes! :)

Despite the spills & squeals from our kids, Silke and I managed to catch up over coffee. Found out she's getting married to Alex next July 14. And all this time I thought she was already married! She invited me to attend her wedding in Cologne next year. :) Gee, our travels to Europe seem to be planned around wedding invitations?

After our cuppa, we took a walk to Clapham Common where the kids had fun at the swings. By the time we said our goodbyes, we'd spent 4 hours together! And this is gonna sound so strange but Silke said meeting me and Danielle was like 'falling in love'. Yes, I quote her verbatim. She said I always show a keen interest in her & Nelson and that's what she likes about me.

You know what, Silke? The feeling's mutual.

Turn back the Clock...

...by an hour.

Yesiree folks, as of midnight last night, UK time is officially 8 hours behind Singapore, instead of 7.

No more daylight savin', my friends. Take note.

Our Performing Seal...

I swear this was self-taught - something she did impromptu that drew guffaws from all of us (Dee, Meiling, Andy & me)!

We visited the Lanes over Fri & Sat. More on that in another entry.

Mission Unstoppable: Christmas Warfare

Clara's arriving next week (30 Oct) and it dawned on me that I hadn't finished shopping for all the girls yet! Heelllllp!

So on Thursday night (26 Oct), I made a mental note to get ALL the shopping done by mid-day Friday. I decided my best bet was to head to Tooting Bec - the next biggest shopping suburb to Clapham Junction and nearest to Clapham Sth - to tie those 'loose ends'.

Shopping with a toddler is like planning 'tactical warfare'. As commander-in-chief for the mission, you'll have to:

1. Identify ground zero. Sift out the best area of attack that'll achieve optimum success, minimum damage (in my case, being housewife & all);
   
2. Be precise. Be a sharp shootor, decisive when zeroing-in on the targets;
   
3. Be resourceful. Be armed with the most effective ammunition;
4. Be swift. Launch attack then evacuate with cheetah-like speed!
   

In mummy 'shopping' terms, all that would mean:

• Identify where you want to shop for great gifts without having to pay an arm and a leg, and is not too crowded or manic. Pram must be able to go up and down aisles with relative ease.
  
• Once in shop, quickly identify & pick up gifts according to needs or likes of the recipient(s)
• Take with you a whole bagful of kiddy treats and healthy snacks to distract. Oxymoron? Kinda is. These include cereal bars, tiny gummy sweets or slice or 2 of bread, assorted fruit, kiddy biscuits. And of course bottle of water, wet wipes and extra diapers.
  
• And unless you wanna commit parental kamikaze, DO NOT even think of dawdling! Make a beeline for the counter, pay, and get yourself the hell outta there before your 2YO becomes cranky, starts screaming or squirming (or both) and demands to be let out of pram to wander all over shop!
  

Anyway, after a rather successful mission, I was v fortunate Danielle was absotively pooped & slept the minute we got home. And while she was snoozing, I managed to wrap, tag, make & write Christmas cards for 'ma homies'. You guys better be appreciative, you hear!!!

Although shopping's rather harrowing these days, it was well worth it. HoHoHo!

Child Entertainer? Or so it's stated on my Revised resume...

Being a stay-at-home mum means you have to be child entertainer amongst many, Many, MANY other things. Catch my drift? *ahem* :P

It's been 3 mths (only?) since we've moved here and honestly, my 'thrill tank' is running on empty and I'm in desperate need for a 'top up'. Fresh kiddy ideas, that is.

Since I've been catching episodes of Goong (or the 'Princess Hours') via YouTube, I was sure I could think of something along the theme.

'Ingenious' (or Incredibly Lame?) Idea numero uno? I made her a crown (in connection to princess, geddit? Geddit?) & all her furry 'subjects', tiny hats.

What's the fun in that you may ask? V frankly, I haven't a blinkin' clue?!! Ask the 2YO who seemed to revel in her new 'persona' and paraded round the house, looking utterly regal with her subjects in tow. But judging from the smiles, I'd say she enjoyed being 'Queen for the Day'!

* What a difference a blanket makes! I put one round Danielle like a 'royal cloak' to get her further 'into character' . Instead she uttered, 'Superhero'! Afterwhich, she pretended she was one & started singing (or what sounded vaguely like it) Hi-5's 'Action Heroes' song! She entertained herself with 'superhero' antics for the next 1/2 hr or so. Lucky me! Woo hoo!

Danielle taking her first steady steps... :)

One of my fav past times is looking through our extensive archive of photos taken of Danielle from birth till present.

Dug this out from one of the folders and it put a HUGE smile on my face. I can't believe that just a few months back, the wee one was taking her first steps to 'independence'. And this same girl now bounds up and down staircases, runs intrepidly down pavements and in many a heart-stopping moment, 'threatens' to cross the road without me.

Even then, she demonstrated an independent streak by not wanting to hold Papa's hand... tsk tsk. :)

To my dearest sis... on her birthday

It's your bday today and while I'm not there with you, I'm not far away.

Birthdays only come once a year but frankly, I don't need such occasions to let you know how v special you are to me.

Because to me, you are special each and every day...

I love & miss you, Chichi. Have a beautiful birthday.

Happy belated 5th Anniversary, Ni-s! (20th Oct)

Want to smack myself silly for forgetting, esp when I'd recalled it religiously all those years when you were overseas...

Hope you guys had a great one! Sorry it slipped my mind this time. I hope the 'Raffles' snowglobe I gave you as a housewarming gift will always remind you of that beautiful wedding on 2 Aug.

May your love for each other continue to grow and be everlasting... I miss you.

Slave to the Kitchen

We played hosts again on Saturday night (21 Oct). Hmm... kinda getting the hang of 'entertaining', actually. I find it rather gratifying - being able to regale(?) people with home-cooked meals and warm company. :)

Our guests for the evening were Reuben, Ori (his gf) & flatmate, Donovan. Been meaning to ask them over for the longest time but Dee's schedule or our own family plans didn't permit it till now.

I reckoned 'them single people' would appreciate a hearty home-cooked meal - delectable or otherwise - since they do so little of it themselves. Heard from Reuben that they usually have their meals outside, and even if they were to cook, it'd be the 'quick-fix' kind (pasta, canned soup???), easily put together with little hassle, minimal fuss.

With this in mind, I made it a personal goal to whip up a 'fantabulous' meal (or whatever I could pull off with my v limited culinary skills!). I put in my best effort and practically slaved over the stove. However, it was a challenge to come up with dinner to feed 5?! Undaunted, I decided to plan my dishes carefully and cook some the night before. In any case, I reckon some dishes are better when they are allowed to 'sit' overnight? Makes them more serup (malay for 'flavourful?). My dinner menu consisted of:

Aperitif
Malbec Argentinian wine, courtesy of Dee

Entrée 
Stewed Khong Ba with boiled eggs
Fried Bee Hoon with assorted veggies, prawns and sliced chicken
Herbal chicken soup
(brewed with dried scallop, chinese mushrooms, assorted chinese herbs & chicken thigh meat)
Steamed eggplant with spicy mincemeat
Dessert:
Choc fudge cake from TESCO's
Cheese platter (put together by Dee)

More vino

And my personal assessment of the evening's meal? Taste-wise, the khong ba, bee hoon and steamed eggplant were passably palatable, although the texture of the khong ba could be much improved. After simmering for many, many, many hours, the result was a 'bak kwa'/'beef-jerky'-ish texture! Alamak! But the fats of the meat saved the dish somewhat, thank God! Should've taken B's advice to boil the meat in bi-carb first! Hai...

The herbal soup was, in my opinion, a tad oily. But Reuben seemed to relish(?) it, what a relief! I remembered he liked soup so prepared that just for him.

The choc cake was something I decided to slip in as a surprise coz it's Ori's bday on 24 Oct. I thought it'd be a nice gesture for us to celebrate it during her sojourn to London. She was caught off-guard but I certainly hope it made her day. I love giving surprises... :)

During their trip to Italy recently, Reuben and Ori picked up a dessert wine and a box of biscotti for us. We sampled the lot over more drinks and cheese after dinner. Oyishii!

It was a blessing for us that Danielle didn't have a nap in the afternoon so she was completely knackered by 8pm! That gave Dee and me the ability to 'entertain', uninterrupted. Praise God! We had debates over religion, the different ways churches present themselves, Don's lack of prowess in Chinese (he's waaaay worse than me! Heehee!), and the hegemonical desires of the US.

It was truly a night of gastronomic indulgence! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did! :)

Safe in A Crazy World

Music/songs play an integral part of my life as seen peppered all over my blog. But some songs stand out more than others - the ones that always have that special effect on you.

For me, 'Safe in a Crazy World' - my fav song by Corrinne May - never fails to tug at my heartstrings. I honestly don't know whether Corrinne May had God in mind when she wrote it, but I'd like to think she did. Coz whenever I listen to this song, I invariably think of God. To me, this is a song of hope, a song of love, a song of promise that despite Life's ups and downs, God will never leave you...

My crazy world is filled with milk powder, diapers, screams, & hollers - where a 2 YO cries incessantly when sent to school, who runs out of the schoolgate to get away, who screams for me not to leave her, who refuses to get out of the shower, who messes up my cooking, whose dribble gets all over the sofa, who rolls on the floor for attention or in insolence, who demands I carry her even when my back and arms are killing me, whose crankiness brings out the worst in both of us, who doesn't know how trying & painful being her mummy is sometimes. It is a noisy world where vigor & patience wear thin & inevitably, give way to helplessness and hopelessness. And I start to wonder whether I have it in me to carry on...

Then just when I feel like I'm in desperate need of reprieve, there God is. For one who does all the cradling at home, it's nice to be cradled for a change.

There is no more need for words here. The lyrics say it all...

Safe in a Crazy World

I try to smile my tears away,
I try to keep my cool.
Oh but one more door gets in my way
I feel like such a fool
Trampled and bitter,
My heart just wants to bleed and stop believing in me.

It feels like nothing is for certain
and that nothing comes for free
When they're lowering the curtain to the theatre of my dreams
I stumble and i crumble and I'm sinking to my knees for you
You cradle me

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

Noise keeps chasing me
No matter where I go
Oh and life likes pretending that it's on a TV show
When it's hard to tell what's real
From what the world just wants to preach
You are the voice I seek

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

'cause when I'm wrapped up in your arms
Nothing else can touch me
What a wonderful way to recharge
I feel like I can breathe again

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

* Corrinne May's Christmas album 'The Gift' will be launched early Nov 06. Listen to some of her new tracks here.

A public announcement? :)

A formal complaint has been lodged to this blogsite for the 'unauthorised' usage of certain photographs.

In a message laced with 'sarcastic undertones' today, Ms Skiver A who hails from NE Singapore, raised a concern that this blogger failed to seek her permission before using these v 'exclusive' photos (right). She highlighted that exclusive rights were bestowed to her previously but have since been grossly violated following their appearance on this blog. So as a mark of apology, I hereby acknowledge that these photos are used courtesy of Madam Skiver A.

Makes one seriously wonder who the real photographer behind them is??!

Major issues, peng yu eh, Major!!!

Happy now? Kekeke.

SURPRISE! Happy Anniversary B & Jo!

No, I didn't forget. Have a fabulous 3rd wedding anniversary, babe.

xxoo

The dreaded domino effect...

Danielle's got the sniffles again. That makes it twice in 3 weeks!

And either she's lost her appetite, or my fish porridge (with extra portions of garlic and sliced ginger to remedy the flu) simply isn't appetising enough,coz she now REFUSES to eat any for dinner! Lunchtimes are ok, only dinner is problematic. Weird!

As a measure of discipline (plus ahem, a rather 'bruised ego'), I'm insisting if she doesn't eat Mummy's porridge, she eats NOTHING. That's right - zilch, nil, nada... This means she goes hungry till I give her her usual bedtime bottle. But I cheat abit and give her an extra portion of milk lah. I'm not THAT cruel! :P

To add to the dribbles, I too, have been hit by the dreaded flu bug. Great, now there are 2 sickly girls lugging their near dead-weight bodies at home...

Ahhhh-tishooooo!

* be it rain or shine, sickness or health, we Chans always have our smiles ready for the camera! This is what I call 'professional', man! Kekeke!

Victoria's Secret

Sorry ah, no negligée nor buxomy nymphet modelling lingerie here. Kekeke! Just wanted to grab everyone's attention regarding some v exciting news.

My dear friend Vick (who hails from Perth now) is the latest addition in the line of people I know putting their talents to trade. She took a short course in accessory making sometime back & is now ready to foray into a business sideline.

Her website, VictoriaStardust, is not completed as yet but I asked whether I could give y'all a sneak peak before her actual launch. So, here's a special 'blog premier' of some of her original creations. These 2 are the ones I fancied the most from her collection. Aren't they pretty? :)

Once her website's up and running, will 'advertise' it on my blog! Please lend her your support then ok?

So proud of you, girl! 2 thumbs up!

Life's Simple Pleasures

We visited Kensington Palace on Saturday (14 Oct). But rather than wax lyrical about the 100th 'Presence Chamber' or 'King's Quarters' we saw - because once you've seen one, you've kinda seen them all - I'd prefer to share the other wonderful scenes I captured on camera, outside the Palace grounds.

But first, a mini factoid - the most 'famous' royal to have inhabited Kensington Palace was Princess Diana. She lived there till her untimely death in 1997. A small exhibition dedicated to her memory was set up in a few of the palace rooms - a collection of photographs taken of the Princess by celebrated photographer, Mario Testino . The exhibition featured some never seen before pictures of the Princess in a very laid-back, casual setting. I must say, she looked absolutely stunning. Not her usual prissy, bejeweled self but barefoot, using nothing but tiny hairpins to style her hair. These were the very same photos that glossed the pages of Vanity Fair all those years back. Think the mag sold out for that issue...

Anyway, as I've titled this entry, 'Life's Simple Pleasures', here's a look at some of the things that put a smile on my face on Saturday:

English Tea
A delectable spread of tea munchies at 'The Orangery'. Located on the grounds of Kensington Garden, this, in my opinion, is THE epitome of mid-afternoon English Tea. Buttery croissants, carrot cake with thick cream cheese frosting (exactly the way I like it), zesty lemon pies, trays of hot fruity scones served with dollops of clotted cream and strawberry jam, perfectly twirled meringues...even Dee mentioned Skiver A. would fall in love with this place! Will try to take Clara there when she's here for a visit, if time permits. :)













Squirrels!
Must've seen a whole legion of them at Kensington Gardens! And am a tad bashful to admit that I was chasing after them as enthusiastically (if not more) as Danielle. Kekeke! Never seen these furry little critters that close up before so was absolutely thrilled! And I love this shot (left) of the elderly gentleman feeding one of them. To me, that was a 'Kodak moment'.

Wide open spaces
Something I really appreciate about being in the UK. I love seeing Danielle run and jump around, kick fallen autumn leaves - completely no holds barred. The abundance of parks here is something I will sorely miss when we return to Singapore.

A very lazy Saturday afternoon
Watching my other half & the 'wee' one lounging on sun-deck chairs at the park - taking in the sun's rays, watching the clouds roll by. The view they had before them was a huge pond filled with swans and geese swimming gracefully over the water surface...relak.

Grow old with you...

A friend of mine is thinking of proposing to his girlfriend soon. When asked how he knew she was The One, he replied simply, 'I can see myself growing old with her.'

You know, I can't imagine Dee and myself old? But I envision we'd be 2 cranky old fogeys wriggling our dentures, adjusting our bi-focals, waving our walking sticks & 'tut-tutting' at teenagers making out on the MRT.

I think I'd still love holding his old wrinkly hand then. Or straining to count the black strands of hair (if any!) from his receding locks of silver and greys...

It sure is a nice thought, growing old with someone you love.

Danielle & the Proud Pita...

Actually, the 'smug' one's Danielle, not the pita. Kekeke.

Every Fri, Lochinvar runs a cooking session for the little tots. Part of the curriculum to teach the children about diff kinds of food and healthy eating. So after school today, Danielle proudly showed off her 'creation' - pita stuffed with lettuce and cheese.

Even though all the ingredients are ready made, I couldn't help swelling up with pride? She stuffed her own pita! Now isn't that something? :)










* I knew that pita didn't stand a chance. She admired him lovingly for a couple of minutes, then chomp, chomp, munch! And he was gone...

:P

Down Hysteria Lane...

Latest update on what I now term 'Danielle's School Blues'.

She's taken to whimpering whenever we go out, thinking I'm packing her off to school. No worse, she starts crying when I'm changing her out of her clothes! Her waterworks only stop when she realises we're heading in a different direction, or when we go past, not turn into, the road leading to her 'perdition'.

Yes, it seems her 'topo' skills are in top form. Papa will be most proud...*roll eyes*

Today, the minute our buggy swung round the bend into Oldridge Road, she started howling piteously. The teacher had to literally 'peel' her away from me...

You know those tear-jerking movies that show lovers being (cruelly) separated? Or action flicks where some 'calla fare' (which language gave birth to this word? Cantonese? How the heck do you spell it?) hangs precariously off a cliff/building trying desperately to grasp onto something, anything??! Well today, I felt as though one such scene was being played infront of me.

My daughter, the proteganist, frantically tries to cling onto her 'saviour' (played by none other than yours truly). Despite her best efforts, she manages to only 'brush fingertips' with me before she's viciously consumed by the flames of 'Nursery Hell'!!!

So much for my bit of 'drama'. Let's see how the plot unravels next week. Hopefully, with a happier ending? *Fingers crossed*

Bringing up Daughter Jekyll and Monster Hyde

The 'Terrible 2s' has got to be one of the most 'trying' times in a parent's life! No, wait a minute, I think teenage years might be far worse. Another shaky bridge to cross intrepidly when I inevitably get there! Adoi! (or "Santa Maria!" with a* slap on head*. A frequently-used exclamation by Brazilian actors on those awful soaps they used to screen on Ch 8! Gag!)

There are many facets to Danielle these days. On good days, she's all sugar & spice and yada-yada-yada, is suuuuper manjah, a complete angel. On bad, she stomps around like a mini Godzilla (my poor neighbours downstairs), throwing toys around when she doesn't get her way, mimicks 'I don't like it!' (I say that too often to her methinks) and pouts. And her pièce de résistance? She hurls herself on the floor and pretends to cry (well, I choose to believe it's 'put on' anywayz! Hmph!).

Scary eh? You haven't heard the end of it yet. This is one little cookie who certainly knows how to work her way to your heart, push ALL the right buttons, and charm the pants off you.

Example:
She tears up my magazines (thank goodness they are FOC!) or scribbles on them. Then upon seeing dark clouds loom above me, quickly runs to my side and in her most cutesy voice says, 'Shhh-orry Mummy!'.

Some days lagi manjah, she'll say 'sorry' then either hug me (with a 'pat-pat' on the back coz she knows how that makes Dee & me go weak in the knees!) or hold my hand. When I'm at the end of my tether, she widens those huge eyes in 'mock ignorance', flashes her brightest smile, or breaks into an infectious laughter that makes it hard for me to stay chafed at her.

Little conniver!!! *shake head*

But one thing's for sure, she definitely takes after me in being 'manjah'. At meal times, she leads me to a designated spot with 'Mummy, sit here' then promptly brings the 'cat pillow' (present from Cin and EeLin) and asks me to put it behind my back to 'relax'. For no rhyme or reason, she'll take my right hand and kiss the burn mark on it to make it 'feel better'. She takes out my red Nikes for me when we're going 'gai gai'. When I take a 'bite' from her oh-so-chubby right arm, she proffers me her left. Before she sleeps & we're lying side by side, we'll go through our ‘roll-call’ repeating, 'Mummy!, 'yes, Danielle?', 'Mummy!', 'yes, Danielle?', till one of us finally drops off to Zzz-land...

Geez... feeling all warm & fuzzy writing all this down.

Hang on, did I say she was a monster just now? Hmmm.... :)