Danielle's hair is finally long enough to tie 2 decent pigtails. She quite liked them and started posing infront of the living room mirror, admiring how 'cute' she looked.
And as opposed to popular belief, Danielle doesn't always smile for the camera. She's certainly accustomed to it - since I shove it in her face every OTHER day - but even 'mor-dels' have their 'off' days. :)
Hey, who DOES she look like? I still have no idea?
Every August/September, Skiver A and I will start 'singing' Christmas carols over MSN. We'll gush over Christmas preparations, start email threads discussing the christmas menu for the annual party, and maybe plan a Christmas 'recital' of sorts... For us, Christmas is really the most wonderful time of the year.
But our tradition has been rather difficult to keep up with this year - with time differences, work and Danielle's schedules coming in between.
And we haven't yet sung any Christmas carols over MSN, not once. (but thanks for calling yesterday, luv, to start the ball rolling.)
Although Christmas goodies went up on sale in September, Regent Street dorns pretty Christmas lights, and aisles in TESCO and Sainsbury's are dressed in Christmassy greens and reds - I still can't 'feel' Christmas. And it's not because it's still early.
I know I'll still have a nice Christmas dinner here with my little family and in-laws. And for the first time, really experience a 'winter wonderland', see 'ang mohs' in Santa suits with their rotund tummies instead of skinny bean-pole Asian ones. I'll see gardens decked up in Christmas lights, see real poinsettias grow out of flowerpots, not pathetic fake ones.
Despite all these, I'll still miss my Christmas in the tropics.
For those who understand... this is why.
...is ALL of you.
Be chic, not sick with this season's 'Must-Have(s)':
Saturday was my 'girly day out' with Clara and if you haven't already noticed, Danielle was markedly absent from those photos. She was at home 'bonding' with Papa (at least I hope that was what they were doing!).
When we got home that evening, my manjah little girl asked to be carried, hugged & coddled. She trailed me like a shadow and 'demanded' my undivided attention.
She must've missed me, I thought to myself. Having been away for 6 whole hours, I was happy to indulge her.
I no longer recall what we were doing at that time as it's inconsequential. All I remember is that special moment when suddenly - for the very first time - Danielle uttered,
"I Love You, Mummy".
It was unrehearsed, completely spontaneous.
And in that one, precise moment, I became the world's proudest mummy.
Happy is the day any parent hears these 3 magical words from their child. But happier still, when you know your child really means it...
I certainly do not know whether Danielle meant it when she said it. She is after all, but 2. Nevertheless, hearing those 3 special words from her was enough to make being her mummy the single most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life.
This poem is something I got off the internet by Robert Sexton, an American Romantic (or so he calls himself). No prizes for guessing why I chose it.
A Daughter's Gift
By Robert Sexton
When I imagine
the life you will live,
I think of the pleasure
your presence will give.
I see the joy your smile will light
and the wonders you'll weave
when your dreams take flight.
I feel the hope
that will grow with your grace
and the difference you'll make
to each heart you embrace.
I imagine your life
as I know it will be;
for, my daughter, you've given
all this to me.
What a difference a day makes. Actually, less than a day.
I just got off the phone with Clara, who called to let me know she's arrived safely in Singapore. To think just hours before, she was with me in London, and now she's back in the comfort of her own home...
Day 5 with her started off with Sunday church service at AllSouls. Rico Tice, the associate minister, gave an excellent sermon on the realities of 'Hell'. Clara found the church 'quaint' and congregation-wise, bigger than Prinsep Presby.
Danielle did really well at Sunday School - and for the 2nd week in a row! Good job! In fact, she announces this quite proudly when we pick her up, 'I didn't cry anymore!'. Can't say the same for how she reacted at nursery today though. Tsk tsk...
When we finally settled down for lunch, my mission was clear - to sample the 'jew yim xim yau' Mabes has been egging me on to try. Mabes, if you're reading this, is this (right) the dish you mean? If it is, it's delish, delish, delish!
After lunch, we parted ways with Reuben & Ori and went on to visit The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square.
Clara and I went in search of Paul Delaroche's famous depiction of 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey'. It was brought to our attention by Malcolm, our guide on 'The Original London Sightseeing Tour'. He had given it such a glowing commendation, we Had to see the real thing for ourselves. And we weren't disappointed. It was absolutely stunning. But probably made more so by the story behind it.
We spent about an hour at the Gallery. Had we more time, I'm sure we would've loved to linger. There are just so many chambers and exhibitions within the Gallery, one would need a whole afternoon to finish them all, frame by frame.
Our last stop for the day was Covent Garden. I slipped that in for good measure since Trafalgar Sq, Leicester Sq and Covent Garden are closely situated. Covent Garden is famed for its street performances, restaurants, the Royal Opera House and fashionable shops. I was surprised, and delighted, that there was a market open on Sunday. The market sold everything from china, to soaps, to hand-painted apparel. In fact, just learnt via the Internet that the market actually operates throughout the week! Super! We watched 2 street performances (good stuff) then took the Tube back to our place.
Brought Clara about London on 'The Original London Sightseeing Tour' on Saturday. It's a 'topless' bus that conducts various tours around London. Some of its tours include: the Original tour, City tour, Museum tour, and the Da Vinci Tour (another one jumping on the blockbuster bandwagon) . It's similar to Hippo Tours in Singapore, only better, with excellent tour guides who lace their commentary with proverbial British dry humour. Brilliant!
We decided on the Original Tour as it has the most comprehensive route, covering all of London's 'Must-See(s)' - Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral etc... A complete ride round the tour route took over an hour but it was well worth it. We even went past Belgravia, London's poshest suburb, home to the top echelon of British society - Margaret Thatcher, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John - all who hold residences there. One can only rent apartments in Belgravia and rentals start from, get this - 5,000 pounds a week! Keeer-ching!
We were fortunate to have Malcolm, a slightly elderly tour guide who gave superb commentary. Not only did he give us deep insights into England's history - wherever applicable - he'd quote Shakespeare, or punctuate his sentences with dry wit, while keeping a straight face. Clara and I were enthralled. We were, perhaps, the only 2 Asian girls looking at him utterly beguiled, hanging onto his every word.
As we did the rounds on the bus, we both decided we really wanted to see Westminister Abbey, so we hopped off, hoping to catch a glimpse of the insides of this work of architectural genius. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, we'd missed the last visiting hour for tourists. So we had to be content just taking pictures from the outside. Even then, we were in awe of the structural beauty of the place. I can't wait to see its interior on my next visit!
Clara bought hot chocolate at a coffee joint outside Westminister and it worked miracles in warming our shivering bodies! Despite the many layers, we were stiff with cold after sitting on the top deck of the bus (foolhardy?) to catch the sights better, but where cold winds paralysed our bare faces!
The tickets for 'The Original Tour' gave us a free ride on a catamaran down the River Thames but we'd just missed the ride at 4pm and the next one was at 5pm. Didn't want to wait without doing anything so decided to explore London on foot. Found ourselves at Waterloo where we saw a 'Gorillaz' exhibition, skateboarders pitting their skills against each other, and browsed at a mini book fair. Snagged 2 books for Danielle at 50p each. Sweet...
It started to get really dark by 5pm so we headed home. At last, reprieve from the cold! Whoopee!
I declared Friday 'Market Day' so brought Clara on a grand tour round Borough Market @ Southwark, then Camden Market & Camden Lock @ Camden Town.
Having visited various markets in Australia - Fremantle in Perth, Eagle St Pier in Brisbane, Paddy's in Sydney and the illustrious Victoria Market in Melbourne - I feel Borough pales in comparison to these markets in terms of size. However, it makes up for its shortcoming with its tempting foodstalls. Clara couldn't stop herself from drooling at stall after stall of hot food - pies, fish & chips, burgers, mouthwatering sandwiches and tantalizing desserts (admittedly, I was the one who drooled more at these!).
Top on her list of 'Things-to-do in London' was to have fish & chips with vinegar and salt. So like gourmands on a mission, we meandered through Borough in search for that fish & chips stall. And we found one, smack in the middle of Borough. Thankfully, the lunch crowd hadn't invaded the market yet so we were able to get great seats just outside the stall and have a satisfying, filling lunch of fish & chips. Watch us tuck in!
All in all, we probably spent 2 hours at Borough, taking in the sights, buying all sorts of nibbles, and 'oohh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' at the sizes of truffles, carcasses of rabbits and pheasants (not a pretty sight) and variety of tomatoes and aubergines. It's always fun visiting such markets and I think Clara quite enjoyed herself.
From London Bridge station, we took the Northern Line to Camden Town. Having been there with Mabes previously, I was eager to show Clara the same sights. But Camden Market wasn't particularly interesting to her as she likened it to Chatuchuk Market in Bangkok, only prices were in sterling pounds! *Faint* Undaunted, we hopped over to ALDO which was having a massive sale! Clara picked up a gorgeous tan-coloured bag. Think it was 50% or 70% marked down! We continued our shopping trail at Camden Lock. I really like it there. It has such an eclectic range of shops that sell all sorts of knickknacks and cool apparel. Picked a wolly scarf for myself and Clara, another bag and a tunic-like top. All really good buys.
We left Camden Town at 3ish so that I could prepare dinner for the night. We'd invited Reuben & Ori over again and I needed ample time to cook. Was going to cook Thai (groan...) since all of them hadn't sampled my Thai dishes before. Usual lineup - yum woon sen, tom yam goong... but this time, added a Thai green curry with chicken, potatoes and ocras, and stir-fried chai sim with dried scallops and chinese shrooms. Poor Dee, must be so sick of these Thai dishes! Ok, I endeavour to pick up another type of cooking! Japanese or Korean perhaps? Yea?
As it's Guy Fawkes Day weekend, there was a fireworks display at Clapham Common. But we couldn't abide the thought of chilling ourselves in the open again so gave it a miss. Managed to catch some sparks over the building across from our flat though... 'pretty lights', said lil' Miss Chan. :)
If dinner wasn't filling enough, we certainly did ourselves in for dessert. I'd bought assorted cheeses, dried figs and nuts. Clara got fresh figs, elderflower fizz and zinfendal, and along with Reuben and Ori's strawberries and mascarpone cheese, we had ourselves quite a smorgasbord of dairy and sweet things!
I don't know about the rest but I was certainly comatose from all the feasting. But it was all gooooood...
Weather update: It's getting so chilly Clara & I have been dorning 3 or 4 layers of clothing! Even with gloves on, our fingers are blue from the cold! Heeelp!
As Danielle had to attend school at 1230 (noon) today, I decided to bring Clara around the neighbourhood to let her experience a bit of 'heartland living' as I saw it.
We started the morning with a bus trip (the G1) to Northcote Road, the much-loved shopping district for people living in the Wandsworth, Balham and Clapham vicinity. Had a looksy at the quaint shops along Northcote then headed to ASDA (The UK version of Walmart), where we popped in for some groceries. Clara insisted on cooking for us tonight so we bought some beef for the stew she wanted to prepare. On the way home, Clara caught her first glimpse of Danielle in her 'Monster Hyde' persona. Her crankiness began unexpectedly on the bus and in short... well, at least a friend's now seen Danielle at one of her 'worst'. :P
We walked Danielle to school together and Clara got to witness 'first-hand' Danielle's weepiness when left in school. Think she found it rather incredulous how the little one could 'switch' between emotions so quickly. Anywayz, Clara took 'incriminating' photos of Danielle to document the moment so if anyone's interested, ask her to show them to you when she's back in Singapore! :P After dropping Danielle off, we took a bus to Tooting Bec. We bought some Asian groceries for the Thai meal (not again??!) I'm preparing tomorrow, and visited Primark where she picked up a fantastic wolly jacket. Extremely value for money! We also bought fresh figs for a steal at 20 for 2 pounds! Clara's never tried fresh figs so I told her she HAD to try them! She fell in love with them at first 'bite'! Now she wants to bring a whole crate home!
Also brought her to Sainsbury's, TESCO, M&S, Woolworths, and some of the thrift shops I frequent here. I'd say she's seen almost all the places I visit on a weekly basis, sans the library. Didn't think it warranted a visit. She absolutely LOVES the supermarkets & has started to fill her luggage with all sorts of junk food!
Dinner was late as Mr Chan was a little caught up at work. But it was well worth the wait coz her beef stew was fab! Chunks of succulent beef in rich gravy made with red wine, Worchestershire sauce and a sprinkle of dried herbs; then stewed together with big onions, potatoes and carrots. Perfect comfort food for an extremely cold night! Speaking of which, we've started using gloves when going out. The winds are getting so chilly our hands are numb from the bitter cold! Brrrrr....
It may seem a little odd but we started Clara's 1st day in London by attending the women's bible study at our church, AllSouls @Langham Place. It was my first time at the session so I reckoned it would be less 'intimidating' if I had a friend in tow.
We set off at 9ish (am) and I was glad Clara was able to get 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Best she's had in months, she said.
The session, we both felt, was pretty good. The study & discussion on the book of Ruth was altogether riveting. There were quite a few attendees, some were mummies like me, with one or 2 tots in tow. Best part is there's a creche to leave your children so sans Danielle, we managed to enjoy a meaningful bible study. But during the prayer request, I totally embarrassed myself by breaking down. I gave thanks to God for bringing so many friends to me in the short period of time we've been here. In the hustle and bustle of looking after a household and a hyperactive 2YO, one hardly finds time to mull over things (not necessarily a bad thing) but when you realise what you actually miss, that's when it hits you - WHAM! I think that's what happened, thus the waterworks. And here are women I'm meeting for the very first time and they have to see me all dribbly and teary. Sheesh-aroos. But Clara teared too. So the embarrassment was somewhat spread out. Ha!
After bible study, I brought Clara to Kensington Park where we had tea at The Orangery. Eat your heart out, Skiver A! We had our 'cuppa tea' (with 'stiff upper lip' poise and all) in that charming, quintessential English setting! Clara had a lemon tart with creme fraiche and a side accompaniment pot of lemon & ginger tea, while I had a thick slice of fruit cake with clotted cream and Earl Grey tea (on your behalf, Skiver A!). Even Danielle had fruit scones with strawberry jam and cream. So you see , EVERYONE had their fair share of English tea! Jolly good!
After tea, we took a slow stroll down the park, catching squirrels on camera, admiring swans & geese (who thought we were going to feed them and were frightfully close) and watching other strollers traipse by... It was an ideal day for a stroll - weather was cool but the sun was still out. Simply perfect.
After Kensington Gardens, we bravely ventured a walk to Knightsbridge. I was certain - gauging from my London Guide - that it was not too far a walk from the Gardens and thankfully, I was right. It took us approximately 20 min to get to the 'home' of Harrod's and other fashionable shops. We browsed through Harrod's ground floor - decked with beautiful Christmas coffrets/hampers & Harrod's own merchandise, its gourmet food section (where Clara bought 130g of white bait to munch on, yums!) and the branded goods section. Afterwhich, we visited shops like Office, H&M, Zara, Accessorize, and Harrod's 'supermarket' (a downsize of the mainstore that sells only food and home products but for the life of me can't remember the actual name!) before heading home via the Tube.
Dinner was home cooked by moi, but of course. The night's menu consisted of rice and 3 side dishes - steamed egg (with mincemeat), pak choi and baked plaice a la Saggs. Nothing fanciful. Told Clara this was food I'd have cooked on a normal day. But she was a fabulous guinea pig and thankfully, lives to tell! So I guess she'll let you guys know her real verdict when she gets back! Heehee!
Clara arrived to our place at 6ish (pm) yesterday. She came by cab, from her hotel, all by herself - unfortunately.
She wanted to save us the trouble of going to Bayswater to pick her up. But I think she was more unnerved by reports of 'mischief' on the BBC regarding pranksters prowling the streets on Halloween, and didn't want Danielle & I to be exposed to such 'dangers' while commuting to get her.
Good ol' Clara, always so considerate.
So despite my initial protests, I relented. Stayed at home to put up the welcome banner, watch over my sweet potato/ginger soup (a dessert fab for a cold night), popped over to the Tube station to get her an Oyster card, and geared Danielle up to welcome 'Auntie Clara'.
When she arrived, just seeing her resusicated a surge of emotions in me. No, didn't cry or anything (well, not yet... but more on that in next entry), but was very moved to see a dear friend again.
After settling down, she started unpacking all the 'goodies' from Singapore she'd brought with her. And I must admit, I was a tad embarrassed when I realised HALF her Samsonite contained things for Danielle and myself! Once again girls, thanks so much - for the 8Days, teh tarik, Milo, Christian CDs for Danielle, wet wipes, bak kwa, dried mango, Jap sponge, Lemsip etc etc etc etc etc... You guys are amazing.
xxooo