Tales from Dublin, Ireland - Part Un

Urmm, a bit ashamed to announce that 'intermission' has been rudely interrupted? As it turns out, I have connection at the hotel...*sheepish*

Am at Valley Hotel now. It's located in fivemiletown in Tyrone County, where the wedding is being held. It's a v small town with little to do really. Have not seen the wedding premises but expect it to be quaint. *fingers crossed* Never been to an Irish wedding before, thus v excited. Hope there'll be shamrock-throwing (in replacement of rice/confetti) and leprechauns prancing around! Or a pot of gold would be nice too! Kekeke

Our day started at 6am as we had to get to the airport by 10am. We hired a mini cab to take us Gatwick Airport as opposed to taking a train. We figured by the time we spend on train tickets for 2 to the airport, we might as well top up a bit and be chauffer-driven instead? It would certainly minimize stress and hassle. And it turned out to be better decision coz lugging a pram, a baby car seat, a clothes bag and our luggage was far too taxing. Not to mention handling a very grumpy Danielle who had to be rudely awakened to 'fit in' with the tight schedule.

First time at Gatwick Airport and found it nothing spectacular. Had quite a few nice shops (FCUK, NEXT, Harrod's) but seriously, ALL airports (or at least the ones I've encountered) pale in comparison to Changi Airport... We were lucky to arrive at the A/P by 8am, despite London's horrendous early morning traffic. Checking in was a breeze, no problems with hand luggage although had to strip myself of shoes and belt at the customs area. Was also frisked by a female A/P staff and that was just plain awkward. But otherwise, the whole check-in process was brisk (I had expected it to take longer due to the recent bomb threat). We made the cardinal mistake of arriving late at the departure gate, however. Forgetting it was a budget airline(Ryanair)we were taking, and that meant free-seating, we shd hv boarded the plane earlier. In the end, was seated separately from Dee. Never mind, lesson learnt.

Got to Dublin A/P within an hour. Flight was a tad bumpy and found myself saying mini prayers throughout the trip. That's the problem with small planes I think. You feel more turbulence? Anyway, once out of the A/P, we picked up our rented BUDGET car and zipped off to our first destination - Malahide Castle.
(see www.malahidecastle.com/malahidecastle/)

After 15 mins of wrong turns and directions, we finally got our navigation sorted and were at Malahide by noon. Hmmm, quite disappointed with the castle to be honest. Expected to see a big, commanding, medieval building but saw a teeny-tiny castle instead? Was mainly disheartened by the artifacts in the castle. Most were borrowed from other museums or foundations so were not the real McCoy, i.e the actual furniture or items from the castle. Malahide Castle was inhabited by the Talbot family for 800 years but it's ownership came to a sad ending when the last Talbot had to give up the castle due to inheritance tax. I thought it was tragic that the remaining descendent could no longer up keep the castle due to modern day tax issues? I hear she's still alive (ripe old age of 91!) and now residing in Tasmania. How odd isn't it? I mean, Tasmania, Australia???

Walking through the castle corridors filled me with a sense of gloom, or perhaps, a certain loneliness? Can't explain it but just felt like it was not a very happy castle and wondered whether its past inhabitants had sad stories to tell? I could not imagine the children playing happily in its walls, even though there was a children's room. The ballroom was crammed and uninviting. A far cry from the ostentatious ballrooms we see on telly. Perhaps those are the ficticious ones, and the real ones really aren't that opulent?

All in all, despite the disappointment, I'm glad I got to visit my first castle... :)

More on Ireland tmr. Better snooze now. Have to be fresh for Danielle and the wedding tmr!

Intermission...

It's timeout for me for the next few days. Will be in Dublin from 13 Sept ~16 Sept for Meiling's wedding. Will update you guys more then!

Over and Out.

Khan you Singh what I Singh?

Today's trip to Tooting Bec was largely for Mel's benefit, or dare I say, to satiate her overwhelming need to see Indians in the UK? Heeheehee. Yes, Mel loves BLACK.

Instead of buying Danielle's white stockings (which we need for the wedding) from the Woolworth's nearby, I decided to take a bus down to Tooting Bec and purchase them from PRIMARK instead. See the things I do for you Mel? *Roll eyes all over the place*

So with camera poised and ready, Danielle and I headed to 'Little India'.

Just so you know, Tooting Bec is not THE Little India of London. It's probably one of the many enclaves, I suspect. Anyway, it was hard to 'catch' Indians in a group without looking like some crazed person who's never seen Indians before. I know...so unlike Singapore where they move around in herds, holding hands. The 'Asians' as they are referred to here, are a mish-mash community consisting Indians, Bangledashis, Sri Lankans, and Pakistanis (that's all, I think?). They have a HUGE presence in London and everywhere I turn, I'd be bound to encounter one. Every mom and pop shop seems to be owned by an Asian? I can't help but think they have a strange affiliation for newspapers and selling candy?

Anyway, back to my adventures in Tooting Bec. The minute I stepped off the bus, I could feel the difference. The atmosphere's unmistakable - ladies walking around in veils and sequinned punjabi suits, Asian men dressed like wanna-be '50 cents' or 'Tupac' (identity crisis if you ask me!), grocery stores (all Halal) brimming with exotic spices, coconut husks and curry powder. Looking for KFC? Try Take-Away Chicken Tikka or Tandoori instead!

But the clincher for me was definitely the traffic, or more specifically, the MUSIC emitting from the traffic. You would think you were in the middle of a Bollywood movie just listening to the music reverberate from the vehicles! The driver, always some cocky-looking bloke, would being bobbing his head to the beat. Gimme a tree or some rolling meadows and I'd have joined him in some booty-shaking synchronized dancing! Sharul Khan, Aishwarya Rai...ready, set, ACTION!

So Mel, how? :) Come over soon and I'm sure in no time, you'd be someone's spicy little pappadum! Kekeke!

Sekolah updates

I'd made an appointment to view a school today so at 10am, Danielle and I trudged down our street to Oldridge Road. There are 3 schools located in the same compound on this street namely - L'ecole des Benjamins, Alderbrook Nursery and Lochinvar Pre-School Playhouse. I'd viewed Lochinvar last week and today was my appointment with L'ecole dB. Beth (the Aussie mum) sends Scarlett to this school and it's quite reputable it seems.

I was met at the door by Claudia, the school principal. V nice lady, v warm and inviting (or maybe she just wants another admission? Ok, shdn't be such a cynic). She showed me around, together with her school administrator, Sandrine. I was impressed by the sheer size of the school! L'ecole dB is located in a Victorian building and that adds to the charm of its surroundings. Take a peek: www.ecoledesbenjamins.com

The class size for the 2 YOs is set at 14 and staff to child ratio is 1:4. I thought that was quite acceptable. The children I saw seemed to be having fun and that's a good sign. But what I like best about this school is its excursions for the kids. On certain days, they will bring them to Balham Library for a story session or a walkabout in the park. Most of the teachers speak French and English and they converse to the kids in both languages. I raised my concerns to Claudia about it being perhaps 'a little confusing' for Danielle to be listening to French and English, but they assured me that kids that age don't question the differences in language or sound. They simply absorb everything. I also asked her whether there were other Asian kids in the school- there were. But mostly Eurasian. She told me that one boy here had a Singaporean dad and an English mum. And she's had Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese students before. After 20 min of touring the school, I was happy and satisfied with what I saw. Claudia passed me more information regarding the school and its fees, and after promising I'd have a good look through them, we said our au revoir(s).

Alas, we will not be able to send Danielle to this school as it is way too expensive for our (now) 1-income family. But it's ok, I prayed about it and comforted myself that school at this age is more fun than anything else. With that, I submitted my form to Lochinvar instead. The kids looked like they were having fun there too and that's important if it's interaction I'm after for Danielle... She starts in October 06 (3 times weekly) so in the meantime, I will cherish spending full days with her in Sept.

PS: Lochinvar can only offer PM sessions for Danielle now. That's from 12:30pm ~3pm. It will interrupt her nap routine but seeing that she is sleeping later these days (she slept ard 2:30pm today!), it might all work out! Pray for us. :)

The crazy emotional ones...

Steph called me yesterday JUST to tell me she had re-read my wedding speech to her. And it still had her in tears?! What can I say...issues, my friend! But Steph can have her last laugh coz when I read the speech from time to time, I still tear and I wrote it???? DOUBLE ISSUES!!!

Glad you still read it, Luv. And glad it still has the same effect on you like it did on 7th July.

I miss ya.

A whole lotta lovin' from Singapore!

Lucky, lucky me! I received 2 calls from people v dear to me from Singapore today.
1) My chichi
2) Steph

And I also received many luurvin' emails from my B, Geri and me poppa and momma. Oh happy, lovin' day! :)

B told me she had gotten some educational Chinese books for Danielle. I was touched speechless coz she'd bothered to go all the way down to Popular Bookstore to pick them out for Danielle. Thanks B, you are always so thoughtful and doting towards Danielle... and me! We're very blessed indeed. (errr, sorry for the slightly 'exposed' shot, it was the only one I had of you and Danielle! The one at Mabes' place was accidentally deleted by Dee! Bleh!)

After church, we met up with one of Dorothy's friends, Toon Ling, who works in JP Morgan here. Dorothy had made the intros via email and we continued on from there. She's a warm and spritely girl and we had a great time with her despite it being our first meet up.

She lives in Bayswater (Zone 1, mai siao siao hor!) and that suburb is supposedly famous for its roasted meats (cha siew, roast duck etc). So we decided to meet her there to sample for ourselves what people have been runting and raving about. She brought us to 'Four Seasons', dubbed the best in the area. But the verdict - palatable but forgettable. After, we had cakes and coffee at Carluccio's, which is quite a popular Italian chain in London. The cakes were simply scrummi-licious! I had a fig and walnut tart, Toon Ling had a lemon tart (I liked hers better!) and Danielle had an orange sponge which she shared with papa. Toon Ling highly recommended the hot chocolate so we ordered a cup each. Oh, it was goooood...sheer decadence in a cup! The walls of the cups were lined with thick,chocolate sauce and along with the warm sweet milk...it was pure chocolate heaven, I tell ya! A great pick-me-up for people with a penchant for all things sweet! To top off the day's events, Toon Ling presented me with her extra stash of Milo 3-in-1! She said that she was a big fan too and had people bringing more for her. So she offered me a WHOLE pack to relieve my withdrawal symptoms. Hehehehe. It really takes one to know one and I think she must've known how much I missed MILO!

Or perhaps I was drooling a bit too much when she daggled the bag infront of me? Whatever it was, I certainly enjoyed my steaming hot mug of Milo at night.

Dee, the nervous scribe...

Dee went all neurotic on me today and you won't believe over what.

Writing an email to my dad.

Ok, I'm exaggerating his reaction a bit here. But honestly, he was just strange? :P

And I didn't know whether to ROFL (= roll on the floor and laugh, a term I learnt from Geri) or proffer him a sympathetic hug.

You see, I'd checked my emails for today and casually told him that my dad had mentioned him in the email and asked how come there was no reply to my dad's query on Dee's blistered foot. By this, my dad was referring to a photo he had seen of Dee in one the kodak albums I'd sent. (see above)

Dee immediately went to his laptop, logged on and searched frantically through his emails for one from my dad. When he couldn't locate any, he queried me and I told him that my dad didn't send the email to his work email but presumes he (Dee) would read his emails to us from the home computer.

I think that very answer must've spurred Dee to action coz I saw him start typing out a reply on his laptop, frenetically.

Anyway, I left him to it and went about doing my own things... but before long, I heard him hollering for me from the living room.

"Dear! I need you to check through something for me!"

I was like, he can't be serious...?

He had gone through several drafts (for TWO whole hours!) but he still wanted me to vet the email for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, the works. He even wanted to re-write the top para with a disclaimer on his 'lack of flair in writing' and bad grammar! Kekeke

But I understood why he reacted this way. My dad, the English teacher, is what I would term 'old school'. The kind who still loves the sound of crisp 'Queen's English', who reads phonetics, who quotes Chaucer, Shakespeare and God knows which other dead poet, who corrects my emails for spelling errors and tells me things like, 'I've noticed you've been punctuating your emails with 'lah', 'hor'... try to avoid the use of Singlish as it makes for very unpleasant reading'. Heeheehee

That, is my dad for you. A tad prissy perhaps, but God love him for that. His propriety and insistence on writing/speaking good, unadulterated English is something I truly respect and admire.

Awww, but poor Dee lor. :)

(That email was finally sent to my dad with minor adjustments but was left largely au naturel to retain Dee's personal flair *grin*)

One small victory for me... but a Mammoth one for the Oyster Fair!

Slept late last night listening to the addictive podcasts from the mrbrownshow.com and woke up feeling stretched and exhausted. Bugger that mrbrown, had me wide awake and in stitches with his 'Native Speakers Corner' and 'Talking Cock in Parliament House' downloads!!! Felt good to immerse myself in all that Singlish though. For those who haven't had a chance to listen to his podcasts, you should! Pronto!

Anyhow, since Dee and I had marked today down as visit the 'Oyster and Seafood Fair' day, we decided to make the effort to go out even though every sinew in our bodies was begging us to crawl back to bed and 'nuah'. We managed to get out of the house at 11:30am (event started at 11am).

And I'm soooo glad we did! The Fair was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

Now mind you, I say this despite the fact that seafood in the UK actually sucks? The fish, prawns, calamari, mussels you see at the supermarkets look sickly and unappetizing. I kid you not. The only fish worth buying are plaice, haddock and at times, cod. The rest? Forget it. (Gosh, I sound like a true blue housewife now! *slap on the forehead*)

But the seafood at this fair was nothing short of freshness! The fresh oysters... omigod...the succulent lobster.. ooohh la lah. As you can tell, the mere memory of the seafood sends me into raptures!

Although the fair wasn't a big one, we were able to enjoy 2 rounds of yummi-licious feasting. We tucked into seafood risotto, fresh/fried oysters, lobsters and an assorted seafood platter (methinks they call it that coz the 'seafood' is actually 'cha pa lung' seafood bits from everywhere). We downed 2 lovely and refreshing glasses of Pimm's as well. This is a summer must-have in the UK. It's a cocktail consisting of Pimm's, lemonade fizz, and all kinds of yummy summer fruit like strawberries, apples, oranges, cucumber slices and the all-impt, mint leaves. A string quartet was playing some snazzy tunes and that added to the merriment. People were toe-tapping and swaying to the music, while having a swig of their beer/wine. It was just a perfect day - perfect weather, perfect music, perfect food.

Even danielle had a swell time, even tho' she was strapped to the buggy. Pity we didn't buy her that humongous Octopus balloon sculpture she wanted coz it was too darn big and I suspect, expensive. But she's not a whinner so after we makan-ed and drank our fill, we headed for our next destination, Piccadilly Market.

The market's located in the church grounds of St Jame's Church in Oxford Circus. It's an extremely small market with v little to see or do. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone. But the church itself was quite beautiful and I think JH would have loved shooting the stained glass windows. I caught it on my camera but didn't turn out as nice. Pity.

Ok, that was one victory at the Oyster Fair.

Now, I must 'aksi' abit about my cooking tonight. I did 'dao yoo bak' (black sauce pork?) and I stewed it for v long so that the meat would literally melt in your mouth. Dee declared it a dish worth inviting friends over! Hahahaha ok, I know I buay paiseh. But I Really had to log this on my blog coz it's not everyday that Dee compliments my cooking so gratuitously. So I think I deserve 'a moment' to revel in my own achievement, no? :P

Dee & PWC folks on London Eye

Dee went on the 'London Eye' on Thursday. T'was a company function. I think the view's quite breathtaking but am DEFINITELY NOT willing to pay 50 quid to go on it!

Here we go school hunting

Have been scouting for schools for Danielle and today, we went for our first school viewing at Broomswood Montessori, about a 15 min walk from our house. I had high expectations of the school coz had had a nice chat with the Principal, read its Ofsted report (which was rated well), and was convinced that since it incorporated the Montessori approach in its curriculum, it should be quite good?

Unfortunately, it didn't quite make the cut with me. The proportion of boys to girls wasn't right, the school room wasn't bright enough, the children didn't look as happy as they should've... Perhaps it's the first week back in school for most of them & having spent the last 2 months of summer holidays with their parents, they are finding it difficult to adjust back to school life? Whatever the case, I've decided to put Broomswood on my KIV list and shop around some more. No point jumping into it, I figured? And I'm going to go with my 'mummy' instinct...

We intend to put Danielle in a nursery for a couple of hours a week (3 days, mornings only, preferably) so that she gets further stimulation and interaction with other children. I'll be viewing another school tomorrow, and an English-French nursery next Tues. Quite excited to view 'L'ecole des Benjamins' coz it seems quite popular with the mummies here. Plus that french accent, ooh lala... even talking to the principal today made my hair stand. I know, issues! Hahahaha!

Met lovely Silke (the German) and her son, Nelson at the library session today and verbally agreed to meet up for a walk to the park in about 2 weeks' time. :) She recommended the nursery that Nelson will be attending come Nov, and suggested I check it out as well. I'll probably do that in the following week as Dee and I will be going to Ireland to attend his JC classmate's wedding. We'll be away from 13~16 Sept. Not a very long trip and I think we'll get to cover Dublin and Tyrone County (where the wedding will be held) at the very most. Will write more about my adventures in Ireland once I get back.

Dee just came back from a company outing, not without getting drunk, unfortunately. *Rolleyes* He went on 'The London Eye' with his company folk and his feedback was that it was 'a complete & utter waste of time and money'! Thank goodness we didn't bring my MIL there! It costs 50 pounds per pax! Sheesh! Think we print money ah?

The little ones I am missing...

My sister FINALLY sent me updated pictures of Hui and Anna. She says Anna is walking very well now, and enjoys waving at people. How cute...

Am definitely missing a HUGE chunk in Anna's growth spurts. And I guess she is too young to even remember who I am? Or Danielle, for that matter.

With every step, there is a lesson... (written esp for Geri)

Geri and I have been fortunate to 'chat' with each other through Gmail Chat of late. She keeps VERY odd hours so I still see her online though it's the wee hours of the morning in Singapore.

Geri, after reading your blog today, this is what I have to say - your perseverence and 'blind faith' in God have been a testimony to me. I always ask God for answers, I ask Him to show me His ways. But I want BIG SIGNS with neon lights, I wait for MIRACLES to unfold infront of my eyes.

And then I see you - scrapping almost the bottom of your barrel - but you continue to shout praises to God and TRUST in Him whole-heartedly to see you through...

I can't help but be touched by your conviction. My brother is indeed blessed that he has a partner who honours God and trusts in Him, without question.

I hope as the both of you continue your relationship together, you will always pray for each other, always place God in the centre of your lives (and Kae's).

Thank you for showing me how real God is. Thank you for showing me God's unrelenting grace through you life.

His Grace for you, in your time of desperate need, is the miracle I see today... right before my eyes...

Memoirs of an Inexpectant Mum

We had a full day of activities today, Danielle and I. First, we went in search of Beth/Scarlett's house at Mayford Road coz we were meeting them later. I didn't want to get lost so thought I'd better be prepared and familiarize myself with the route. Once again, another good trait I picked up from Dad? So, with road directory in hand, we ventured onwards. (That's their house on the inset.)

After locating their place, we went on to look for Alderbrook Nursery, a state-run school which I am considering to place Danielle in after she turns 3. Education is free for 3 and 4 year-olds in the borough of Wandsworth so I am eager to put her in one of the state-run nurseries here. That way, Dee and I will not need to fork out anything for school fees. But places are extremely limited as there are only 3 state-run nurseries in this borough, so I forsee a scramble to get a place in the nursery of our choice next year. I have to register Danielle for a place in Sept 2007 by February 2007. I am most keen to place her in Balham Nursery as it has a glowing Ofsted report. (Ofsted stands for the office of Standards in Eduction) Must pray hard that we get a placement in that school. Failing which, we may have to put her in a private nursery and that's going to be costly. :(

330pm was the appointed time we were to meet Beth and Scarlet so by 310pm, we were out of the door. Their place is about a 20 min walk from our house (I shd know, I explored prior! Sheesh!). From there, we took another 15 min walk to Wandsworth Common. But when we arrived, we found the playground teeming with children! So after spending about 1/2hr at the playground, we decided it was too much of a strain to keep an eye on the girls amidst the other 10,000 children. So we bundled them up and brought them to play in the park instead, where they could run freely and safely. I found Beth easy to talk to and I really enjoyed my time with her and Scarlet. I learnt that she used to work as a director/producer at the BBC, as a freelancer. She's thinking of going back to work soon coz they're in the midst of confirming an au pair. Also, she's thinking of sending Scarlet to a good private nursery next year so she reckons they'll need the money...

Whilst Beth was warm and forthcoming in her views, a part of me still thinks it best to thread trepidly. I often make the mistake of 'diving into' friendships easily only to end up disappointed. So, I've decided - I will TRY to apply Dee's personal mantra to my life - NO EXPECTATIONS. It is without expectations that you will not get hurt or disappointed. You know, the funny thing is I was actually nervous to go on this 'mummy date'? Never been out with an 'ang moh' alone before and wasn't sure what to expect. So I decided to commit my fraying nerves to the Lord and told Him to bless today's meetup. And if He so wills that Beth and I become good friends during the time I am in the UK, then His Will Be Done. I told God I know He's before me, and He knows how my life will turnout so I will try to commit to Him. I find it so hard, this commitment thing. Which is ironical, coz I know I could make my life so much easier by committing to the Lord, and lead that 'stress-free' life. Instead I cling onto my cares & worries and fall short of leading a life He could've intended for me.

No rest & No sleep make me a Dull Mum

Anyone who's a parent will tell you it's a 24/7 job. That's why it's imperative to get a good night's rest or suffer the repurcussions the next day.

I was awakened by a call at 2am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep after that. The rest of the day was spent sluggishly and whilst I managed to drag myself to bring Danielle to the library for the reading session, I simply could not gather enough strength to bring her out to the park later that evening. Instead, I chose the easy way out - I popped in a 1hr video for her (Thank God for Veggie Tales!) and snuck a snooze while she was at it. :P

Not proud of it and that's not how I'd like to spend a day with her. So tonight, it's off to bed early so we can have a fruitful day out tomorrow!

* Dee sure is lucky. Every time he comes home from work, he has a welcome party - 1 'secretly relieved' wife clapping her hands (Oh gawd, help at last!), and 1 highly excited toddler jumping up and down (Oh finally, another playmate!) screaming 'papa!papa!'. This is what family life is supposed to be, no? :)

If you want it, Bake it!

Danielle and I spent the whole day at home today. Thankfully we didn't drive each other nuts. Phew!

We both luuurv desserts and anything sweet (it's the genes, I tell ya!) so I thought it'd be a great idea to bake a cake together. Using a pre-mix of course, I ain't no baker here! We had quite a bit of fun, and Danielle really enjoyed helping out. Sure it was messy at times (which gave me heart palpitations), but that didn't dampen our excitement in seeing the 'fruit of our labour'. I am proud to report that we were able to enjoy a slice of our 'home-made' choc fudge cake together.

SUCCESS!!!

Solo Mum in All Souls S.S

Danielle still cannot get by in Sunday School without me. Guess it's gonna take more time than expected. Feel quite distressed that I'm not able to listen to the sermon week after week yet know that my presence is needed at Sunday School, a place where Danielle can interact in a Christian environment. But it doesn't help that I am the ONLY mummy tending to her child at Sunday School. All the other mummies just leave their kids there and go up for service. Except me...

Though the teachers are always v nice about it, they hint to me that I should leave her there alone soon. It's not that I don't want to but she really keeps me by her side and even though I tell her gently that 'mummy needs to accompany Papa and listen to God's words', I can't pull myself away from her strong grip and that forlorn look on her face. :( Well, guess I have to leave this in God's hands. She can't help having anxiety attacks at 2.

(* that's Danielle in the bright pink cardigan, btw.)

Geri sent me a really good inspirational verse the other day and I really hope I can apply it to my life. The verse was:

Matthew 8:13
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

It goes on to say:
'There is no particular level your faith must reach before God gives you what you are asking for. Your faith does not initiate God's giving. God has already given to you all things that pertain to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) His blessings are pressing on you already! And at whatever level of faith you are at, God will respond...don't fix your eyes on how much faith you have or don't have. Fix your eyes on the One who loves you, who has already given you what you need. When you come to Him, simply believe that He is waiting to meet your expectation. He will say to you, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.'

Steph also sent something similar that was from a book she's currently reading about a man's encounter with God. The man relates this:

Then Jesus said something that absolutely melted me, and I have never been able to forget it.. "I did this for you, son, just because you asked me to. You don’t know how I long to do for my children if they would only ask Me and believe Me. Many times they beg and cry and pray but they don’t believe. And I cannot answer their prayers unless they have faith, because I cannot violate the Word. But how often I long to help them if only they would let Me by taking Me at My Word and bringing Me their problems, trusting Me to undertake for them."

It means a lot to me to receive all these, y'know. Through your actions, I feel like God is looking out for me. And that everywhere I turn, even before I fall, someone's already there waiting to catch me. I'm glad that I am surrounded by people who love God, fear Him or constantly thirst to know Him more. Thanks girls, for all your emails, sms-es, comments on blogs and calls. U know who you are... and I thank God for you.

Just a side note here. We met Stephie's friend, Reuben for lunch today. He actually made the effort to attend our 930am church service even tho' his usual church routine is to attend the 11am service at his church. Was touched... We yumcha-ed in Chinatown then said our farewells at Regent St. There was a festival going on there and the pram simply could not get through all the human traffic! So we told Reuben to go ahead and explore on his own lah. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and we hope to see more of him. Oh ya! And he passed me a copy of HerWorld! Thanks Steph! Though 8 Days would've been waaaaay better, he couldn't get a copy lah! Never mind! I will savour my HerWorld and pretend I am a 'tai tai' for a day. :)

Held captive at The Tower of London!

Ok, so we don't look exactly like we're being held captive here. :)) That nice elderly gentleman is actually a Yeoman Warden (or Beefeater as more commonly known). We visited The Tower of London today and were taken on a guided tour by one of them. It was good fun! These Beefeaters are a hoot! Learnt about the many executions and tortures that took place in its premises. The more famous or shd I say, infamous executions were that of King Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.

Today was also Danielle's Puma's (the pink ones on her feet) first day out. Methinks she looks quite stylo in them, dun you think? Caught a teenager gawking enviously at them even. The Pums were a gift from Danielle's kuku, Doreen. :)

We arrived at the Tower about 11ish after much dilly-dallying around. Honestly, I don't know what's come over me these days, can never leave on time and ALWAYS seem to have something to double (triple?) check on before we leave - is the gas stove off, are the taps running, are the windows closed? *shakehead* (scroll down to read 'Transforming into Dad' and you'll know I'm suffering from the 'B.P Wee' syndrome!) The weather didn't hold out too well and there were bouts of rain whilst we were walking the grounds. That put a slight dampner on our outing but generally, we still enjoyed ourselves. We even signed up for 'The Palace Tours' membership which gives us 1 year unlimited access to 5 different palaces (exclu. Buckingham. Dammit!). We figured we'd need this in case people came over to visit and the unlimited access does give us the freedom to visit the palaces again. We never cover the places fully coz of Danielle (hard when she's fussing or running siow amok) so it's good to be able to re-visit them again at another time and uncover the areas we'd missed.

Am digressing a little here but need to add this in. I have been enjoying our rides on the Tube. Although there are hardly any escalators to help you get from one Line to another (buggy-bearing parents nightmare!), and the soot in the Underground sure does change the colour of your nose shit (haha, too much info here), I am fascinated just people watching. In an ultra cosmopolitan city like London, you can really see people from all walks of life. I often wonder where these people came from, where they're heading, and how their journey is going to end. We also get the most smiles from people on the Tube coz of Danielle. People just warm up to her really easily. I guess it's coz she's a little person, and perhaps people generally do smile at children more? Whatever the reason, it still feels good & a trip on the Tube quite often makes me feel great. Weird huh? Most people here don't like it coz they think it's just plain grotty. But I think it's got its own character. Plus I heard, it's waaaaay cleaner than the trains in the US? (Someone pls verify this)

Can you believe it's Sept already?

Was just thinking of that GreenDay song ' Wake Me Up when Sept ends' and realised, hey! it's Sept liao lor! Geez, time does fly. If I were in SGP, Stephie and I would prob be msning Christmas carols to each other and telling each other not to 'sabo' the 'Christmassy feeling'. Cannot play it up, sekali get disappointed. Yes, we are v bo liao hor?

Anyway, some things NEVER change. Look at what I got from Woolworth's for 50p the other day...

HAHAHA! Get ready your Christmas stockings some of yoos! Presents (but maybe damn small hor) are on their way! People... I have begun shopping for Christmas! (quite late already, if you ask me!)

'Real time' morning at Chan Household!

Good morning! Danielle and I woke up at 730am today & this is what we did:
1) danielle shee-shee-ed in her potty ('I did it!' she said proudly)
2) Changed into a new diaper, had her milk
3) Had 1/2 a banana, time to watch Hi5! (8am)
4) Mummy starts to prepare breakfast and lunch for papa.
Today's menu:
Breakfast
Danielle's 1/2 eaten banana (sad, but true. Haha!)
Ham n cheese bun
Mug of milk
Lunch
3 x chicken drumstix (marinated with herbs since last nite)
Long beans (boiled)
assorted veggies (boiled)

The amazing thing about the Internet is that I can post all these through my blog and if anyone accesses about the time that I post them, voila! We have 'real time'! Well, almost.

Dee surprised me with flowers yesterday. Dunno what came over him. Not characteristic of him at all! Must be the book Steph gave him, "The Power of A Praying Husband". He reads it while commuting to work. Thanks Steph! :P It was a very sweet gesture and I hope I remember moments like these esp when I'm upset with him...

Oh! Here's a look at my new kitchen gnome. Made Danielle name him yesterday. So now, he's 'Mr Cook', the kitchen custodian! Hahahaha! Bought him after much deliberation (hv to watch spending here,see). Thought he'd add a spark to my kitchen since it's my domain now.

Wandsworth Common & Abbeville Road

In my continuing quest to explore the Clapham district, I decided to explore 2 places that are frequently mentioned by mums here.

Wandsworth Common
Yet another common (aka park) and Wandsworth is just brimming with them! But I'm not complaining coz it's really good for both me and Danielle. Gives us new places to visit every time. This common took us a good 1/2 hr walk methinks?!

Our neighbour, Mark, says the Wandsworth borough (which Clapham South is situated in) is sometimes known as 'Nappy Valley' due to the huge family community that resides in the district. And it's true, coz it's not uncommon for me to share pavement space with another 3 or 4 mummies pushing their McClaren prams! Anyway, at Wandsworth Common, it (also) has a One O'clock Club, quite a huge playground and extensive grassland for children to run about and play. There's also a pond there, not unlike the one at Clapham Common (Southside). But I reckon the geese/ducks look happier at Clapham Common :)

I took the initiative this time to speak to a mother while I was there and as it turned out, she wasn't English but from Sydney, Australia! That made it easier for me to speak with her somehow. Her name's Beth (another chio bu like Silke!) and her daughter's Scarlett. Scarlett is coincidentally exactly one month younger than Danielle (her DOB is 20 Sept). Beth told me she found it hard to make friends in England coz she didn't find the English as inviting or friendly as Australians. I agreed whole-heartedly! I told her I found the people here generally more guarded and less warm. Anyway, we exchanged numbers as well so let's see whether we pick up from there. Err... I sometimes dunno what to do with the numbers I've gotten from these mums? I feel quite pai say to call? What to say ah? Stressful.

Abbeville Road
Danielle and I explored Abbeville Road yesterday. It's about 7 mins walk from our place. Mark was actually the one who encouraged me to check this place out, said there are a lot of nice cafes and quaint shops there. It's actually not a very long street but I did like what I saw there. There were some charming cafes (including a Starbucks), lifestyle shops, 2 bespoke boutiques, a florist and a couple of restaurants. Mark says the Italian Ristorante there is v good. Maybe we'll try it out one day? I had a peek at the menu and the prices looked okay. Worth considering if we want to treat ourselves to a special night out. :)

I went into a shop called Cook which does packaged meals-to-go. They have pre-packed meals for 1 pax, 2 pax or even a family. They were giving out samples of their freshly made Banoffi Pie so Danielle & I shared some. I've heard of the pie before but never eaten it so it was a good thing I walked into the shop! The pie was mouth-wateringly delish! A fantastic blend of toffee and banana (and hence its name). The consistency is somewhat similar to tiramisu I think. Anyway, Danielle and I enjoyed it lots, even tho' it was a small sample!

What's in the porridge pot?

Porridge- Danielle's staple meal here. Once in awhile, she'll have a sandwich or spaghetti bolognaise. Seems quite 'cham' hor, eating porridge and drinking plain water day after day. Of course there are variations to the ingredients lah. The porridge du jour is cooked with long beans (diced), mince meat, 1 egg, garlic and ginger. Papa says die-die must put garlic inside to build body resistance to illnesses.

The 'I did it!' girl and her other little phrases

Danielle's vocab has grown exponentially since she's been here. I am constantly amazed at what she picks up and what she says to me daily. Today it was 'big squid'. Heehee.

Her favourite phrases at present are:
'I did it!'
'Perfect'
'Too high/heavy/cold/hot'
'I don't think so!'
'Bubble mixture' (the kind for blowing bubbles)
'Oh my gosh!' (she learnt it off one of her books)
'Where d'it go?'
'All gone!'
'Can I have some?'

She sings alot too and loves to recite nursery rhymes. Her all-time-favs are 'I'm a Little Teapot' (with actions!), 'Polly Put the Kettle On', '2 Little Dickie Birds'. I must try to capture her reciting these on camera soon. And once I am able to figure out how to upload onto YouTube and onto this blogsite, can share them with all of yoos.

Here's Danielle blowing bubbles at Clapham Common today.


And my mum will be proud to know this - Danielle can fit ALL the bears onto this puzzle already!

No ink on my quill, no fight in my spirit

I didn't blog over the past few days coz I was really disappointed with myself. And very frankly, wanted to go into recluse. A frequent 'escapist' mechanism I use on myself.

The weekend that just passed was actually a long weekend in the UK. They call it the 'Bank Holiday weekend'. We were supposed to spend a lovely weekend together, and hopefully attend the annual Notting Hill Carribean Carnival.

But we didn't.

Instead, I was busy moping and feeling like shit. And poor Danielle and Dee got the brunt of my raging emotions.

What sparked off this emotional reaction? Very silly-ly (and I say this only on hindsight), it was a comment someone made abt me. Heard from a friend that a friend had considered Dee and myself 'tao'. Oh man, you will not believe my reaction after that. All hell broke loose, and dams overflowed??!!

I really don't know what came over me. Was it just THAT time of the month (and it was) or had something been brewing within me, rearing its ugly head whenever there was even the slightest provocation?

Anyway, as expected, once I spiralled, I went down. ALL.THE.WAY.

I felt all my insecurities resurface and culminate to this great ugly mesh of self-denigration/self-deprecation of the worst kind.

In essence, these were the thoughts that ran through my mind (no chronological order, I might add):

I was upset I have been reduced to a brain-less housewife.
I was upset that I am not working = not earning money.
I was upset that I may not be confident to find work again coz am now brainless.
I was upset that now not only brainless, but still cannot make it as stay-at-home mum.
I was upset I am not a good enuf mum.
I was upset I have such low self-esteem.
I was upset I give up so easily, have no fight in me.
I worry that becoz of the way I am, Danielle will have no fight in her too.
I was upset I am sooo easily affected by things and what people say.
I was upset I still cannot control my emotions.
I was upset that Dee doesn't think my food is SUPER (???)
I was upset he didn't thank me everyday for cooking for him.
I was upset I forgot God's goodness in the midst of my self-afflicted misery.
I was upset that all these prove I am a hypocritical Christian and thus not worthy to spread God's word.

And to think that just a few days back, I was glorifying God for His goodness towards my family! How easily I forget. How easily I dismiss. And how I have hurt God...

I read this on Geri's blog just today and was overcome with shame again:
'Sometimes in the midst of a bad day, it can be easy to forget how blessed we are... and it is easy to succumb to our worries'. (How rite you are, Geri!)

I am a worrywart. And I dun even know why I bother? I mean seriously, why can't I just whole-heartedly commit it to God? I know 'what folly' it is to not submit to God's plans and let Him lead.

For the past few days, I know God's been prompting me with the following verses in God's Minute.

On 30/8, it read:
We are all Architects of our own future! The thoughts we
have today dictate what our future holds for us tomorrow.
Therefore a person who has positive thoughts shall have positive
results, just as a person who has negative thoughts shall attract
negative results in their life.

Therefore if we start our day by counting all of our blessings,
and then try to have positive thoughts all day, our hearts will be
indeed merry! And as it is written, "A MERRY HEART MAKES
A CHEERFUL COUNTENANCE, BUT BY SORROW OF THE
HEART THE SPIRIT IS BROKEN." ( PROVERBS 15:13 )

And today 31/8:
FINALLY, BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN HIS MIGHTY
POWER. ( EPHESIANS 6:19 ) For God has said "DO NOT FEAR,
FOR I AM WITH YOU; DO NOT BE DISMAYED, FOR I AM YOUR
GOD. ( ISAIAH 40:10 )

Despite reading all these and receiving love and reassurance from Dee and friends, I still struggle. I struggle to commit, but even more so, I struggle to have FAITH.

However, I am mindful of what Clara said to me. God does not influence free will. He gives us choices and He lets us decide. But no matter what, if we call on Him, He will be there to protect and guide.

With this, I am somewhat comforted that even as I struggle, I am not alone. The Lord is holding out His hand to me. Waiting for me to latch on.

And I hope I do.

And then there was 1...

Received an email from Mel today, reliving our good ol' days. Days where 'The 3 Stooges' - Mel, JH and me, had late-nite coffee sessions at McCafe Westcoast, prata at Fong Seng, xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung (extra ginger pls!) and who can forget, chickie wings at IKEA. Although all our gatherings seem food-related, I think the meals were more like peripherals that complemented the enjoyment of each others' company. Sometimes, the meet-ups were long, sometimes short. But we always had fun listening to each other's grouses, giving JH the 3rd degree for not hving found a gf yet, rolling eyes at the 'darn-est' things Mel said...hahaha.

With the conveniences of modern technology today, I know it's not hard to keep in touch. But internet chats can simply NOT replicate the physical closeness of sitting next to your mate, putting a hand on his/her shoulder or glancing at them and sharing a smile. I sure do miss going out with you guys.

JH, you hold the fort in Singapore for now. One day (hopefully soon), we'll continue from where we left off.

One of the greatest inventions of all time!

Along with air-conditioners, the microwave, cellphones, the computer and most electronic items known to Man, here's a consumer 'must-have' (actually, only if you're a housewife living in carpeted housing lar).

Presenting(drumroll)...Glade's 'Shake n Vac' scented powder (elimates smells and keeps your house citrusy fresh! Do I sound like an ad yet?)

Was introduced to this by Mei Ling, so bought myself a bottle just to try out. Purchased it at an Indian (no surprises here) convenient store down Balham High St for 79p but realised later was 'ripped off' coz TESCO selling at 69p! Oh, woe to me! Sad is the day a housewife doesn't get the best bargain!! :P But the product is pretty good methinks, though scent doesn't last the whole week.

Monday was vacuuming day so here's a look at my 'trusty' Hoover (left here by the landlord). Seriously the world's oldest and bulkiest unit around! *rolleyes*