It didn’t occur to me how expensive cheese and other dairy products were in Singapore until I went out looking for mozzarella for our homemade pizza. At $3-4 per 100 gms, it was definitely a pricey item. Funny how I never noticed in the past when I was in Malaysia but then again, I wasn’t making pizzas from scratch then. In Switzerland and especially France, dollar to dollar, cheese was as cheap as milk per cut and not per 100 gms. Hai, I’m definitely missing Europe more and more.

No, getting people to ship cheese over or shipping it myself (getting moving quotes can be a pain) isn’t going to cut it. The cheese would probably be dead by the time it arrives here.

So due to climbing prices, we had to make do with as little as we could – sorry la but we aren’t exactly swimming in gold. A couple slices of smoked pork belly, plenty of mushrooms, some onions on top of some yummy pizza sauce that came in a can (courtesy of Carrefour) and a couple of thinly sliced mozzarella slices later, we got some square pizza for dinner. It was way too much though – two pizzas, that is – so the next time, I’ll be halving the dough recipe. Otherwise, this was quite yummy; the pizza sauce turned out to be a big surprise and a yummy addition to our shopping list.

Next time, there’ll be some capsicums, more mushrooms, ham and onions plus maybe…just maybe some dark olives? Hm, we’ll see.

And oh, I reckon my tabletop oven is slowly but surely getting good at churning out some yummy food!

Weekends are great for me because Nil is always around to help watch over Eva whenever I need to cook big dishes that either require prep time or cook time. Sure, I can plop her into her booster chair and let her amuse herself but sometimes she just isn’t all that patient. Nil likes to place her in her Bumbo and give her the sippy cup to play with while he hangs out the laundry but that’s the laundry. It’s different. HAHAHAHA.

Anyway, this was my first attempt at cookie-making since I left Switzerland and I’m glad to report that despite missing my baking mat (non-slip and great for rolling out dough and all) and mixing up all the steps (I made the pastry as if I were making a tart shell – crumbing instead of creaming), everything went as went as can be. Just goes to show that baking and cooking skills do get rusty over time if you don’t use them often.

In terms of ingredients and such, I had to make adjustments to it from my previous recipe which incorporate strawberries (I really ought to keep a record of my recipes somewhere like in PDAs or a diary instead of dumping them online coz if I lose them, I’ll lose everything!). I also experimented with using different flours instead of my regular plain white flour. The resulting dough was later refrigerated to harden it a little and then cut out into cute shapes instead of the regular heart/star shape that I used to do with my “moulded” cookies. Really cute and tiny, I’d think.

These were initially intended for Chinese New Year but I manage to churn out only a smallish bottle full of them – about 50 pieces or so – as I like them a little on the thick side. So we decided that it would be for Nil’s breakfast as he likes sweet things for breakfast as with all French – cookies, jam, butter, bread, etc. The overall result in terms of taste and texture was nice – tender yet crumbly with that lemony tangy. Awesome on its own or just with some tea!

…and so is Eva.

We’re both coping just fine although she likes to torture me by not pooping every day. =.=

It’s nice to be able to let go some steam, rant about my life and well, just share what it’s like being a SAHM – it’s not all tai-tai (rich diva-like women) for me. In fact, I’m a far cry from the tai-tai that some women aspire to be when they get married. Facials and shopping are luxuries for me now unlike before when I was working and had the cash to spare. No matter; I prefer to spend the money on Eva. It’s nice shopping for groceries and planning on what to cook/bake even though I can run out of ideas and be all lazy sometimes! I’m planning to bake up a pizza but really, I had no idea that mozzarella was so so pricey here! *grrr* I miss Europe!

I have said and shared many times before about how people view SAHMs here in Asia – many are quite flippant when I share my grouses with them. Partly, I suspect, because they think Nil is on an expat contract. In fact, he isn’t and that shocks many people even his friends. We both don’t need to be reminded about how sucky that (not being on an expat contract) is. Heh. Yet here we are – him working and me staying at home. Ends are still being met regularly and despite our lack of luxuries (includes going for movies and dining out), we’re eating as well as you can eat and living as well as we can. You make adjustments and look for “cheaper” alternatives when you’re on a budget. More often than not, activities that are cheap are also healthier and great for bonding (read: walk in the park).

Y’know, it’s not about getting a listening ear most of the time but more about re-educating people about why some decisions are made in a certain way. I still get a number of people telling me that I should go back to work, I have friends who are torn between old-fashioned financial independence and being there for their new family members…it’s a hard decision to make, easier for some but harder still for others.

Anyway, previous post aside, things got better now that my flu is almost gone. I swear, I’m more patient when I’m not sick, but that’s just logical, no? I’m busy preparing for Chinese New Year – well, sort of. I managed to bake some cookies during the weekend and it was nice to know that I still have my baking touch. *vain* My sewing machine died though; it’s in the repair shop and will only be ready after a week so no sewing for me till after Chinese New Year. A pity as I was looking forward to finishing up a mei tai just for the celebrations.

Eva is beginning to adjust again as well – I reckon it’s either she’s getting used to the pain or I’m getting used to her being demanding! Whatever it may be, the fact that my flu is nearly gone helped with everything. I also got a pleasant surprise in the form of some sales over at my Etsy store and a few orders that I’ve received last week.

So yes, I’m still alive and very busy with my life. Good no?

Yesterday was one of those god-awful crappy days where I question my decision to be a stay-at-home mum with precious little income.

At times, I feel like I’m in school all over again, trying to stretch RM50 for 30 days and even resorting to things like digging out coins to buy lunch. Then with Eva whining and crying in the MRT and bus, people staring at me like I’m torturing her (why can’t I say that it’s actually the other way around?), I was seriously reaching my limit.

Then I took a look at this picture; just before that, Nil gently reminded me about the decision we made as a family unit. The picture made it even clearer.

For her.

I’m doing this for her. WE are doing this for her.

The budget cuts, the lack of expensive meals, the “diets”, the “thinking of new ways to cut cost”, the constant worrying about money, the lack of social independence, the change in our lifestyles…we are doing it for someone else and not just anyone but OUR little one.

Suddenly, everything looked right again.

…was really one of those crappy, “I really hate my life” days.

I’m currently trying to get better from a stupid flu/cold I caught from dirty people here, but because I’m only sleeping around 5 hours a day (no naps) and juggling not only the housechores (cooking, laundry, picking up after messes, washing the toilet, mopping the floor, general cleaning), the grocery shopping AND my shop, I have to contend as well with a pre-teething baby – which means that she is awfully babbling, whiny and cranky to boot. I don’t even have the time to look into franchise opportunities for the shop or some products that I was thinking of bringing in! Gah!

Just to give you an idea of what my day has been like…

I’m up at 7am and busy keeping the laundry, boiling the water, moping the floor, clearing the kitchen and some of the stuff in the sink.

I go online to check my mails and do the usual and she starts babbling on the top of her voice, asking to be out. This is at 9am.

After a feed, I try to get her to play on her own. No way in hell. She babbles, whines and cries – carrying her is the only way to shut her up. So we left for some window shopping at 10am. She falls asleep on the bus but wakes up halfway, sometime around 1130am.

I decide to make the trip back and we arrive home at around 1230 noon after doing some shopping for lunch and dinner. After her lunch, a bath and a change, she is napping at 130pm in her room. I have my lunch and then set about preparing for tonight’s dinner. By the time I’m done, it’s 2pm. I work on an order, hoping to get a snooze around 230pm but by the time I want to get to it, she’s already up.

It’s 3pm and after some playing, it’s time for the next feed at nearly 4pm. After that, she just babbles and whines non-stop. The swing doesn’t help. Playing only works for a few minutes. I tell her to go sleep and what-not, and she bursts out into tears. So off we went into the crib and I turn on the aircon. Doesn’t really work…she’s still babbling and whining.

It’s 5:30pm and I decided that I just had about enough, so off we went again for some window shopping. She nearly falls asleep on the bus but didn’t. I met up with Nil at around 7pm at the shopping mall and we arrived home at around 8pm. After her dinner, and a quick wipe down, she’s in her crib and snoozing away.

Me? I’m still up and having to work on dinner and then an order plus this entry. I won’t go to bed until it’s nearly midnight.

So really, whoever thought that I live an easy, carefree life should switch shoes with me. And honestly, I do NOT appreciate remarks like how I should do more to keep my house clean so that my hubby comes home to a clean and comfy home. If he wants that, he should get a maid. I’m already doing more than my fair share.

The kitchen saw some action this weekend so here are some pics…well, just two!

Yesterday, during our bus ride, there was this guy sitting in the seats meant for people with children, the elderly, those who are pregnant and disabled. What peeved me off was that he was occupying TWO seats – yes, he basically spread his butt cheeks across two seats.

Never mind. I prefer to stand since Eva likes looking out the windows and such. Then about five stops later, he started coughing and without closing his mouth. I could see saliva flying everywhere! As if that wasn’t disgusting enough, he then proceeded to clear his throat on the top of his voice and spat right into a roll of toilet paper that he pulled out from his pocket. Once he was done, he stuffed the paper back into his pocket and cleared his throat over and over again.

The people beside me were all disgusted by this man – it was obvious on their faces. Some even quickly moved to the back of the bus and the ladies standing beside me hurriedly turned to face the window.

Then today, as I was heading to my regular window-shopping spot, this young man walking ahead of me started spitting onto the pavement!!! So what if it was raining and the spot he spat on was wet with rain? It’s still disgusting nonetheless. As if once wasn’t good enough, he did it THREE times! I started scolding him in French as I headed past him; I doubt he even heard me though.

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve seen people – young and old – spit everywhere and cough/sneeze with their mouths open, both in Singapore and Malaysia, but I hardly come across this in Australia, France and Switzerland. Is it an Asian habit?

But really, what’s wrong with these people? Don’t they realize that it’s not just rude and disgusting but it’s also inconsiderate and dirty? Dirty because you spread your germs around and inconsiderate because your bodily fluids end up all over the place (and onto people). If you must clear your throat, swallow back your spit or go to a toilet. If you must cough or sneeze, cover up!

Now I’ve the beginnings of the flu and I’m quite sure I caught it from buggers like these dirty people! =.=

Someone turns six month old today and how did we celebrate (well, we are sort of still celebrating!)?

She loves going out for walks, bus rides and such so we headed off in search of some keropok lekor and playmats in the township nearby. No luck finding either one, but Eva did get all pretty excited from the bus rides and staring at people.

Then we came back in time for lunch and today’s new food is broccoli so it was some barley mixed in with broccoli and plum purée for her, and nasi padang for me. As disgusting as the mixture sounds, she enjoyed it and finished the whole bowl. It was then bath time and a nice finish to the morning/afternoon came in the form of her usual afternoon nap.

After a look at some tretinoin gel reviews and a short nap for myself, I woke up to find her in the above position about two and a half hours later. She was busy staring at the wind chime hanging from her room window. How time flies…

* Cross-posted on the baby blog *