What do you think – does she look anything like me?
Mother & daughter
6
Monthly Archives: September 2009
Changes to the skin
Moving from Switzerland where it’s cold and dry (relatively coz we lived right opposite a lake) to Singapore where it’s hot and humid has taken a toll on my skin – somewhat, that is.
(My skin used to be combination of dry and oil here then after the move to Switzerland, it went to dry-normal.)
It used to feel pleasantly nice and smooth to the touch (hehehe) without it being too oily but now…eek, I can feel a thin layer of oil on my skin which just won’t go away no matter what I try. Well, I hadn’t try everything though.
I suspect my face moisturisers are too heavy for the weather here – I do hope I can still use them – but for those of you staying in this part of the world, what’s the best night cream (and day too) or should I get lotions coz they are lighter?
Almost there!
Nil got a call/email the other day from the folks handling our shipping. Yes, all our clothes, linen, books, his computer, my craft goodies – sewing machine, fabric, yarns, fibres, spinning wheel (no loom though – I left it in France) – and Eva’s clothes were shipped over…all twenty good sized boxes of the stuff.
They are arriving TOMORROW!
Which means that I’ll get them delivered right to my doorstep over the next few days.
Which means I can get back to my spinning, knitting and sewing!
W00t!!!
Wait…I just realise that I need to find the space for twenty boxes.
Hm.
The linen can go into the cupboard in my master bedroom. The sewing machine and fabric stash in one of the cupboards in the hallway. Eva’s clothes and maybe my stash plus spinning wheel can go into her room. Eek.
Hopefully they’ll fit in without looking too cluttered. I wish some of them could fit on the wall – have heaps of bare space on the walls; maybe I’ll use some plasma mounts (but those are more for electronic stuff). Heh.
O’well…we’ll see how it all goes.
Eating in Singapore.
Being ovenless is a nightmare (maybe I should get one from sites like Green Study which is basically green shopping), and so is thinking of what to cook when the food court is just around the corner, and cheap. Seriously, I’d love to get back into the groove of cooking but with Eva around, it gets a little tiring in the evenings – figuring out what to cook (even simple dishes tire me out!) – and for lunch, I just prefer to take away than eat things like instant noodles with slices of meat, veg and such. Then again, having mixed rice for lunch every day is enough to make me sick.
I miss eating pasta, moussaka, and the likes. *sigh*
Of lately, I’ve been craving for good old Malaysian styled nasi lemak and not the measly pre-packed nasi lemak. Nasi padang is the next best thing but it’s still nothing like nasi lemak. On top of that, I’ve got some mild cravings for lovely Indian rice…kind of like the one I used to have at my old office in Cyberjaya – chapatis, deep fried bitter ground slices and fish curry…
Omigod, I could be buried in Malaysian food now and die happy.
Singaporean food is almost similar to Malaysian dishes but somehow it’s just not the same. Mee siam back at home is dry, spicy and well, served with side dishes like rendang and such, but here it’s served wet in soup (HUH?). Some pan mee styled noodles are served dry but with ketchup instead of just black soy sauce and such.
Well, at least the roast chicken/duck rice is consistent. Hm.
I know how a lot of people would tell me that eating Asian food here would be better than in Switzerland but I don’t eat out in Switzerland – I cook more often. The trouble starts when I do want to eat out here and well, I think I’m beginning to turn into a food snob. I can’t seem to enjoy some of the local dishes here, and find myself comparing it to the Malaysian version ALL the time. What gives? Geh.
Anyway, back to my dilemma – what should I have for lunch? Mixed rice, nasi padang, KFC or instant noodles with pork & lettuce? Hai…
Life with a little one.
Having children is a life changing decision. While a lot of people know that it involves more money, more time, more effort and more responsibility, it’s more than all those things. Being a mum brings out the best…and the worst in people – the expectations, the affection, the mood swings, all of it…being a mum makes you be all that and perhaps even more.
Two months on, I have come to realize that I am fiercely proud and protective of my little one. Her needs come ahead of mine and sometimes it involves making a lot of sacrifices. Those of you with little ones and no helper around (read: maid) will know what I mean. You go everywhere with her, miss out on those manicures/pedicures/shopping splurges for yourself, and your highlight of the day is often her cooing to her or achieving those milestones (which honestly, I wouldn’t want to miss at all!).
While it may be hard to adjust to, I never fault her or regret bringing her into this world. Sometimes, I look at that little bundle sleeping away on the sofa and tell myself that the long needed trip to the hairdresser’s can wait, that my money can be better spent on things for her instead of for me (like getting the best diet pills around – no way!!!) and that I can afford to go out in the same few outfits over & over again.
Yes, I’ll admit that you need to be emotionally ready for a child – frankly, being financially ready is an option if you’re working class – but don’t hold out for too long because there is nothing more wonderful than spending the rest of your life with your little one (and of course, your other half!).
Almost a month.
Give it a few more days and I would have been in Singapore for a month! Seriously, time flies by awfully quickly.
Has a lot changed since I left Switzerland?
Well, I’m still taking the public transport and Bus No 11 (my trusty legs) – it’s hard not to when the bus stop is just outside your apartment and the shops are just around the corner.
I’m still recycling or at least trying to by hanging on to my plastics, cans, boxes and such while refusing plastic bags & opting for my own grocery trolley.
Perhaps one of the biggest change is the fact that I have a TV and cable (OMIGOD), and am catching up on all sorts of series from Law & Order (Criminal Intent, SVU, the original) to documentaries revolving around identity theft protection and so forth.
Then of course, I have air conditioning but it’s more for Eva’s benefit. Luckily for me (and her), I have been praying day and night for showers and rain to cool the place. Living on a high floor allows me to get a fairly good breeze and when it rains, it’s just perfect – not too hot, not too cool.
We’re eating out more often because food is awfully cheap here but not exactly healthy – too much oil really. I must admit though – I’m getting tired of mixed rice and longing for some good old-fashioned MALAYSIAN noodles (pork ball noodles, pan mee, asam laksa, mee siam) and nasi lemak. Sorry but the Singaporean versions just don’t cut it.
Maybe it’s just my taste buds.
I am getting bored at home though – I’d really love to get back to my crafts and am hoping that my wheel, sewing machine and yarnies stuff all arrive ASAP. My fingers (*cough*) have been getting stiff. Gack.
How embarassing.
Imagine how sheepish AND embarassed we were to discover that 80 of our birth announcement cards were printed with the wrong birth date!!! *sigh*
And this comes after “proofing” it at least three times!!! Talk about being scatterbrain!
With the order fulfillment done and the cards dispatched, we have no choice but to correct the cards by hand with the right date.
I just hope people won’t take it the wrong way and think of us as lousy parents who can’t even remember their child’s birth date! =.=
The food row…
Malaysia and Singapore is at it again. And this time, it’s over food.
Malaysia is laying its claim to dishes like Hainanese chicken rice, bak kut teh, nasi lemak and laksa, claiming it to be Malaysia’s signature dish and not Singapore’s. Somewhat like Cuba claming cigars, like the Padron cigars, to be truly Cuban and not from anywhere else. Malaysia’s Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen went so far as to say
“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chilli crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,” she told reporters after launching the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival yesterday.
…
“In the three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa … all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.
And the Singaporeans are not taking the news too well…at least some of them, anyway.
How Malaysia intends to brand these dishes as Malaysian was of little interest to foodies and chefs The New Paper spoke to yesterday.
Instead their reaction was: ‘How can they?’
How can Malaysia claim chilli crab or chicken rice as ‘Malaysian?’
‘I’ve never been so shocked in my life,’ said Mr Roland Lim, 52, owner of Roland Restaurant, which claims to be the founder of Singapore’s famous chilli crab dish.
‘Chilli crab has been around for 59 years. Why did they suddenly claim today that it’s theirs?’
He said he found out about the claim from his younger brother ‘first thing in the morning’ when he arrived at his office yesterday.
His brother, who was already very upset, showed him the online news report about the Malaysian claim.
He added that if he and his brother are this bothered by the Malaysian claim, he can’t imagine how agitated his 78-year-old mother would be.
His mother, Madam Cher Yam Tian, is the self-professed creator of chilli crab.
That is why he does not dare to tell her the news – at least not yet.
‘I better not tell her now. Otherwise, she won’t be able to sleep tonight. I’m sure she’ll be very upset,’ he said.
Newspaper reports aside, I was doing my weekly grocery shopping when I overhead a mini conversation going on between a couple about this food farce. While I found their exchange to be very candid – naturally – and even derogatory, I couldn’t help but agree. One of them mentioned how M’sians are always clamouring after what naturally belongs to other people while the other went “What’s new?”. Aiseh, how embarrassing!
Besides, imagine the actual impact of Ms Ng’s words – do we have to pay royalty every time we eat a certain dish that is allegedly M’sian? If I cook it in the comfort of my own home, how? What about if I take the recipe and make a few changes (like quantity) but essentially, it’s still that same recipe? Do I still have to pay the Ministry of Tourism?
Aiii, all this talk about who owns what food is nonsensical, especially considering that Singapore and Malaysia were once “living in the same house”. Heh.