We *heart* Cookies

Last Sunday (17 Feb), on the spur of a moment, I decided to bake belated birthday cookies for my niece, Huihui. She turned 5 this Valentine's Day.

Because we missed her bday do entirely, I wanted to make it up to her by surprising her with a batch of heart-shaped cookies - to show we were thinking of her despite the distance. But what began as a simple surprise became a full-fledged cookie-fest and I ended up baking for all the family.

For my Valentine girl

For the Tays

For ma folks
No icing as they'd find it too cloyingly sweet

Cheeks was ever the eager beaver. As a show of her 'commitment' to the baking session, she donned her HelloKitty apron, her groovy sleeve protectors, and took out her toy rolling pin and cookie cutters. She did all these BY HERSELF. She was that enthusiastic.

And as expected, she OD-ed on cookie dough and icing.

But we had oodles of fun and loads of pretty cookies after, and that's all that counts, eh? :)

Smiley faced hippo by Cheeks which she did for herself
It vanished within seconds of this photo

4 Weddings and another one...

As some of you may know, we'll be back in Singapore very soon to attend my brother's wedding. On my wedding checklist:

* Kebaya (check)
* Kerosang (check)
* Church wedding outfit & shoes (check, check)
* Accessories to be worn during wedding (check)
* Handmade 'Just Married' sign (check)

and, last but not least... copies of my wedding speech.

Yes, I've been asked again. For the 5th time. In my lifetime.

I really hope this is the last.

Will there be torrential rain and flashfloods? Oh, I don't know. I'm just going to do my best and speak from the heart.

Ian/Geri, if you're reading this - it is done. *hugs*

RED

I'm almost tempted to put this down as a serious case of conjunctivitis - seeing how we've been subjecting our eyeballs to so much red lately they've turned quite scarlet.

It's the crimson-hued festivals we've been celebrating, you see. Red banners, posters, hearts, roses, chocolate boxes, lanterns, firecrackers, balloons - everywhere is splashed with ruby red or dazzling gold. They're hard to miss, much less ignore.

We're not griping the fiery hue though. How can we when it's brought us through 2 very joyful and abundant occasions filled with friends, feasting, but most of all, Love.

For those who love and are loved...

May it be forever.

Tea buds

A cup of tea solves everything.

(age-old British saying)

For a nation that consumes a staggering 165 million cups of tea per day (surpassed only by water), refusing a warm cuppa, when proffered, would almost be considered a sacrilege.

To the English, Tea is comforting, Tea is therapy, Tea is the happy pill for a bad day, Tea is the anti-depressant, Tea is be all and end all of British life.

The consumption of Tea is an experience in itself, and can be heightened by dunking shortbread, rich tea biscuits, hobnobs, digestives, or buttery biscuits. Better yet, Tea is perfect when accompanied by a selection of delectable tea-time nibbles - assorted finger sandwiches, scones, cakes, cupcakes, and the like.

Tea is also better shared with a friend. Friendships can be developed over a hot, milky, comforting cuppa.

After Makiko & Dan returned to Japan, Cheeks and I cut down our visits to tearooms and cafes. It was only when we got to know Val and Luke - who seem to share a similar passion - that we rekindled the weekly jaunts to some cafe-out-there-not-Starbucks.

Together, we began trawling London's best-loved tearooms and cafes. With a greedy vengence!

For the past 3 'playdates' (more like teadates for the mummies, really), we've been to different tearooms/cafes around London. Between sips and chomps, we catch up with each other. And we've kinda begun DVD swopping with each other, mostly tear-jerkers or heart-warming classics. What a bunch of sentimental sops we are!

2 Fridays ago (1 Feb), we caught up at Shipp's Tea Room in Borough, nearish London Bridge. Cozy and exceedingly quaint, the old-fashioned tearoom exudes warmth with its pastel hued walls, country-styled tablecloth, and wooden furniture. I loved the ceiling with its white chandeliars, and pretty array of teacups suspended near the shop entrance. Against the walls were rows of shelves and display cabinets stacked with bone china tea sets. It had the perfect ambience as tearooms go - charming, and inviting.

Then last Fri (8 Feb), we popped over to Ottolenghi, a swanky cafe located in Islington. With its modish interior and vast selection of pastries and savouries, I was sold at the shopfront. Once inside, the cakes did not disappoint. The apple vanilla cake I ordered and Val's chocolate rum were divine.

My teensy weensy grouse on the place? That it lacked a certain...'soul' - something I found more evident at Shipp's Tearoom. Perhaps it was a tad too pristine, too tailored for young, fashionable yuppy types? So whilst I found the pastries pukka, I still prefer a comfy spot to nestle in and while away the afternoon. But I doubt it'll be long before I drop in at Ottolenghi again though. Afterall, I did say the cakes are DIVINE, did I not? :)

the heavenly bevy of beauties

my apple & vanilla cake - gorgeously good

the little chocolate monster!

The Stuffed & The Sulky

Shaky CNY Part II

Despite the frayed nerves and fretful thoughts of a (possible) burlesque performance, the session at Cheek's nursery went great.

The day saw me spending the afternoon with the children from Danielle's frontclass (a total of 22 kids). Besides leading in origami fish, I was also asked to read a CNY story ('Ling's Chinese New Year' from the nursery's library). These went off without a hitch.

The school wanted to show the children how to hold chopsticks as part of their CNY activities. They'd prepared boiled noodles for the occasion and asked if I could do a demo. Which, I had no choice but to. So as best I could, I showed the kids the right method. I'd brought Cheek's training ones along , just in case, and it ended up being a huge hit with the kids. They thrilled at how deftly they were able to pick up the noodles using those, compared to the fiddly grownup ones.

I also taught them how to say 'Gong Xi Gong Xi' which they belted out enthusiastically whilst passing mandarins to each other (I made them do this in a circle so the children passed mandarins to each other while piping the greeting). I explained the significance of ang pow giving, showed them pictures of Singapore's CNY night market, and listed different new year goodies that were consumed during the festival etc.

I was fortunate the session went well. The children were very involved, asked loads of questions, and were more attentive than I had expected them to be.

Cheeks seemed rather puffed-up by my visit, which, was kind of expected, I suppose. She stuck close to me, smugly 'reminding' her little friends at intervals that I was 'her mummy'. I had to hold myself back from being her mummy at certain points though - reigned myself in from chiding her infront of her friends when I saw her do things that would otherwise have riled me at home.

Suffice to say, it was a wonderful experience - talking and interacting with Cheek's schoolmates, gathering insights to their wonderfully diverse personalities, picking subtle charateristics through their words/actions. Some children stuck out more than others, of course. And my favourites, if I may be allowed to reveal them here, were: Maddie (for being exceedingly precocious), Venus (for being the most inquisitive and enthusiastic) and lastly, sweet 4YO Poppy (for simply being a darling and the only girl to choose baby blue origami paper.)

the school dedicated 2 whole boards to
Chinese New Year

this side of the board shows the activities I did with the kids last Thurs.

A close up.
In this pix : Cheeks, Hannah, Sebestian & Boyd

my 15 minutes of 'fame' ;P

A shaky start to the (Chinese) New Year

I have been asked to appear in the buff to a raucous 20-odd strong audience. My buck naked performance is scheduled for tomorrow, from 1pm.

I am an insane kamikaze who's landed myself in an uncomfortable predicament. I have promised to show up, lend my support towards 'the cause', so it's improbable I can back out from it now.

By the way, did I mention my audience is just over a metre tall, and between the ages of 3 & 4?

Yes. I've been asked to speak at Cheek's school. About Chinese New Year! Oh the horror!

Public speaking is not my forte. I don't care how old you are, whether you're male/female, heck, I could be addressing a group of 5 individuals and I'd still feel the heebie-jeebies! (not to mention feel like I'm giving an address in sheer nakedness!)

Exposés aside ...How do I intend to depict Chinese New Year? Let's see. I've prepared:

1. A toy broom (to show that we clean the house before the NY, sweep away the bad luck, that sort of thing...)
   
2. 2 mandarin oranges (as is a custom)
   
3. Assorted ang pows (need I elaborate?)
   
4. A pair of chopsticks (they want me to show them how to use it to pick at noodles. Good grief, I don't even hold it right!)
   
5. The Official Map of Singapore (2006 version, in Mandarin. To show the bright lights of Chinatown)
6. Chocolate coins in red packets as a sweet treat for each child to take away at Hometime.
   
7. This:

For the past half hour, I have been folding and creasing origami paper. I'm going to show the kids how to make origami fish because '年年有餘', get it? And yes, I am fully aware origami is a Japanese thingamy but hey, if it's listed as a CNY craft activity on a kiddy website, that's all right by me.

I recognize my own shortcomings in the creative department so I've no choice but to resort to websites like this over the Internet. But bless 'em all for being life-savers!

Anyhew, wish me luck. I sure do need it this Chinese New Year!

(Oh, and I hope the kids enjoy the session with the jittery 'nudie Mummy'!)

*heart kerplonking wildly*

(not) Much ado about nothing

I'm going to blog this beginning in mid-sentence - pretend we've been deep in conversation, chatting about nothing of consequence. Because that's what this post is - about nothing, really.

... so hey, there are a couple of movies I've been eager to catch. Some recent releases, some from 2007:

1) Cloverfield (Cheeks calls this 'the statue with no head' whenever we pass the movie poster. Am wondering whether it's worth seeing since my cuz commented over FB that she actually hurled after. I can only presume it was due to the intentional jolty camera movements, and not becoz the movie was that bad. ??),
2) Lust, Caution (how can I resist watching the ever-talented-brilliant Tony Leung on screen, I ask you?)
3) Atonement (ahhh, James McAvoy. Reason enough.),
4) Juno, (looks quirky. I like.)
5) La Vie En Rose (the story of Edith Piaf. Should be interesting.)

Have you seen any of these? Were they any good?

+++++++++

I've also been listening to arias.

I dug some out from memory - from days of yore where Dad flooded our ear canals with powerful, rich in timber, vibrating voices: Maria Callas, Mario Lanza, Enrico Caruso et al - voices that reverberated around the house because (I'm convinced) Dad played them at full volume (ok, so I exaggerate. But it was LOUD), making the music pretty hard to ignore. Through Dad, we were introduced to a great many operas, such as 'La Boheme','La Traviata'. Eventually, I grew to love them. And now, I find myself soothing a frazzled day with music from certain romantic arias. I'm going to put this down to an age thing. But who's to know? Perhaps one is drawn to certain music because of its ability to evoke memories? Anyway, this is one of my favourites:

+++++++++++

Spring will soon descend on us. My favourite flower, the daffodil, has been lending some cheer to the weather with its sunny appearance. This time last year, Dee was struck with Bell's Palsy. When I look upon their bright, happy hues, I am once again reminded of God's grace on our family.