East Coast is Alive!

Caught a boy throwing sand at a live crab on the beach this morning. Thankfully, the crab got away from these mini hooligans. They thew enough sand at it to make it go scuttling back to the sea.

Another boy managed to catch a jellyfish in a plastic cup. It was still pulsating and this same group gathered around to look, with one suggesting that the crab and the jellyfish should be put together in a bucket so that they can 'fight and see who win'.

Personally, am not very impressed by the kids' respect for other living things but am very pleased to see there's actually some fauna left on our local beaches.

Chilli crab and seasoned jellyfish anyone?

BY's handsome cousin AT.

Rock

Suddenly reminded of an incident which we witnessed before you were born.

Your dad and I were at the beach. A man was there with several kids. One of them was throwing some stones around. The man told him repeatedly to stop. He didn't. So the man picked up a big stone. Big enough to be called a rock, lifted it up meancingly over his head and shouted at the kid, " You throw one more time I throw this at you!"

I remember we both looked at each other and started laughing!

Equivalent retaliation aka tit for tat.

Works!

Smacked

The small one got smacked last night. Really hard. The big one smacked him once but that one time was was enough to leave angry finger welts on his arm for the next 10 minutes. The small one screamed for about as long after that.

Small one was uncooperative the whole evening. Didn't want to get in the car, didn't want to get out of the car, didn't want to carry his bottle properly, dragging it around, didn't want to walk properly, didn't want to be carried, didn't want to follow close, didn't want to sit down and the last straw was picking up dirty chopsticks when specifically told not to...SMACK!

The chopsticks went flying out of his hands. Am suddenly aware everyone's looking at us. Judging. Wonder if anyone thought of calling the police?

Much later, made them both apologise to each other. The small one, for being naughty and the big one, for losing his temper and for smacking the small one.

Smacking is just so passe now. I don't smack the little one at all. I just use time-outs. The big one does (evidently), but on very rare occasions.

Am not sure whether it is right or wrong. The little one was an angel after that smack but I strongly believe that because we don't smack (well, only that once in a blue moon) or beat or pinch or slap or kick him, the small one hasn't learnt how to smack or beat or pinch or slap or kick his little friends when he doesn't get what he wants either.

Good or bad?

Is it a sign of maturity or a sign of repression?

Who's to tell?

Really?

Another call from the police

The story is, my dear husband lost 3 mobile phones in 1 week. He left 2 at the ATM machine and 1 at home. The 1 at home, the maid took. She denied it but who else right? Anyway, the police called about the 2 at the ATM machine. They've retrieved the details of the woman who took it (she made a transaction so her details were captured) and they have the CCTV footages to proof she took them. My dear husband will be asked to review the footages in the next few days. This is getting exciting...

Dreams in Flight

Watched the Singapore Arts Festival's 2007 opening celebration - Dreams in Flight - at the Padang yesterday. The father-in-law, with a long history of heart attack, bypass & stroke felt his heart go arrhythmic. Swear we weren't trying to kill him with Spanish visions. The boy couldn't take the racket and wanted to leave. Think the one person who enjoyed it the most was the maid.

Photo borrowed from here

New Toy

Raffles Creamery

Bought 12 tubs of single scoops to go from this place today. These guys are ill-prepared for this kind of order. There are no special containers, no dry ice, no thermal bags and I had to wait and wait and wait for them to sort it out. After 20 minutes, they were "ready" and handed me 12 plastic tubs of ice-cream in 4 cake boxes split into 2 plastic bags.

All I could say was, "Are you sure they have not melted yet? Can they last another 20 minutes?" They looked at me, looked at the ice-cream, looked at me, looked at the ice-cream some more and then finally sat me down to wait for another 15 minutes with a complimentary scoop of cookies&cream while they refreeze the ice-cream in their kitchen.

Anyway, I did burn enough rubber to make it to the agency with stuff that still looked like ice-cream and the people I used to work with and care about got a yummy treat. They were happy and so was I.

The ice-cream is good, the range of flavours ( pina colada / singapore sling sorbet / kitkat ) excellent but I suspect the people working behind the counter are not bothered enough to care about maintaining its quality.

They should have turned away my order.

Conclusion: Eat but don't ever consider takeaways...

...unless like me today, you ask the husband, "Eh! how come the car not responding?" and the husband replies, "120 already. How much faster you want it to go???!?"

(doubleclick on the picture to see the full list of flavours)

$6,518,692.00

Winning Numbers 5 24 29 40 41 43 Additional Number 26
Winning ticket was sold at: Precise Optics - 111 North Bridge Road Peninsula Plaza #02-42 (1 QuickPick Ordinary Entry)

$6,280,000.00

That's the jackpot estimate for today's TOTO. Quick, go buy a ticket before 9pm tonight. GOOD LUCK!

Melting Pots

For as long as I remember, my mother is always burning up things in the kitchen.

She will cook something, then promptly forget it as she goes about her other chores. Sometimes, she'd decide to heat up something, then decide to mop the floor and then a full hour later, return to the kitchen to find nothing but a charred pot.

Today, she decided to sterilize Bingyang's bottle. She told me she reminded herself to remember. But guess what? She forgot, went to the market and ended up melting the bottle into nothingness.....

Fantastic!

Siblings

Met up with my niece & nephew earlier today. Really heartwarming to see how these 2 siblings are connecting with each other.

They used to stay over at our place when we were all much younger and I still remember how they will fight with each other. Viciously.

We (yes, I was involved) even dragged the younger one out on the mattress to the balcony, whilst he was napping and locked him out there. Not content to wait for him to wake up, we banged on the glass doors, making such a din that it woked him up in a shock and he started brawling. His utter horror, our cruel delight. Albeit a short-lived one because the banging also brought the adults into the picture and he was swiftly released, much to our disappointment.

Anyway, for all the scratches and bruises they gave each other, the mutual goodwill, respect and lighthearted rapport they have now is unmistakably positive.

Keep looking out for each other guys!

Cheers!!!

Worms & roots

Spent a four-figure sum today on some worms, some roots and some more Hou Ning from Eu Yan Sang. Then, got upset and bought 2 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses, a pair of pants & more makeup. Looks like my credit card is burning up as well!

Here's more information on the worms & roots.

And I'm upset because ... I'm doing all I can, to keep you strong and healthy. If wellness can be forced, I'd force it! if a robust constitution can be bought with gold, I'd buy it! If it means enduring your tears & protests while I feed you bitter concoctions, be it worms, roots or bezoars, I'd bear it.

I have a nagging suspicion that you are here to teach me about responsibility because I've never been responsible for anything or anyone, including myself, my whole life!

So dear God, the lesson has been learnt and I have had enough! You can take it away now. Not the boy!!! Just the illnesses. I'd still be responsible for him alright.

What the ****

Went to see the GP this morning.

Doctor: Are you working?
Me: No
Doctor: So you are a housewife.
Me: ?????!?????

****! Must have looked like a housewife! Am so so so so glad I'm going back to work soon.

Right, now back to scrubbing the toilet feverishly.

Random conversations

Me: Mummy going back to work.
BY: Then Ah Gong and Ah Mah come?
Me: Yes.

Me: You are turning 3 in another 3 months!
BY: Then I become bigger than you?
Me: Eh, not yet. Maybe when you are 12 or 13 or 14.

Me: What kind of birthday cake do you want?
BY: Chocolate!
Me: What shape?
BY: Round like a circle!
Me: How about a fruit cake?
BY: No! I want a chocolate cake!

ME: Eh, you getting heavier leh, what if Mummy can't carry you anymore?
BY: Then I carry you!

Papa: Why mummy go back to the room?
BY: Because she forgot something!

Got a job!

2 more weeks and I'm back to work.

38.8 degrees

...that's me. Your's hovering around 37-38 degrees.

39.9 degrees

PAID the PD a visit in the morning.

Realised my panic threshold has been raised to 39.6 degrees. Any fever is bad but it's happening so often that I just go... Oh? Again? Ok.

Just ride it out... ride it out... ride it out... ...


For the record:
Klacid Syrup 125mg/5ml => 6ml / 2 times a day
Polaramine Syrup => 6ml/ 3 times a day
Paracetamol Syrup 250ml/5ml => 6ml / 4-6 hourly
Silomat / Mucosolven => 6 ml / 3 times a day
Voltarene 12.5mg (only when required)

39.4 degrees

How can anyone's temperature just shoot up from normal to 39.4 degrees after a 2 hour nap?

Arcade partners

THE GAME:
(1) BY PRESS THE 'SCOOP' BUTTON
(2) MUMMY PRESS THE 'DROP' BUTTON

OBJECTIVE: GET AS MANY GOODIES AS POSSIBLE!


"MUMMY! HAVE!!!"


OUR LOOT FOR THE DAY ... (",)(,")

Sleepwalk worsens.

The previous night, I brought you back in to the room twice. Last night, I think we both brought you back twice. Separately. So, that's 4 times! 4 times you walked out of the room to sleep somewhere else!

0-6 months, we wake up to feed you
6-8 months, we wake up to feed you + flip you back on your back (beacuse you could flip over on to your belly but not the other way round)
8-11 months, we wake up to feed you + help you sit down (because you knew how to pull youself up but not sit back down)
12-15 months, we wake up to feed you + make sure you you haven't fallen off the bed (you do that on a regular basis)
15-24 months, we wake up to feed you.
24-30 months, we all mostly sleep through the night.....
30+ months, we wake up to look for you!

I received a call from the police today.

... and they told me that my husband is too demanding.

It's so funny and yet not.

Not kidding here.

Every bit is true.

World's funniest video

... could have been shot at the playground today.

Picture this. Big One on the swing, watching Small One and another toddler kick a ball around. Ball comes towards Big One. Big One instinctively extends one leg out to kick the ball. Only that he wasn't holding on to the chains. Big One loses his balance, makes a startled "Whooopppps!" and falls backwards, off the swing. He lands with butt and head in the sand, legs still dangling on the seat. The 2 toddlers stare at the Big One. They start announcing what they saw to each other. "He fall down!" says one. "Papa fall off! Papa never hold properly!" says the other. I couldn't stop laughing. I laughed so hard the toddlers started laughing, then Big One started laughing followed by the other toddler's Dad. Took a while before we ( the other dad and me ) regained enough composure to ask if the Big One was alright. He was but what an impression he made!

I was laughing too hard to notice but Big One said Small One helped him up by pulling his arm. Awww.....Mummy's terrible.

Happy Mother's Day!

Received 2 cards, a bag of cookies & a laced macaroni necklace from BY. He made them in school.

They also taught him to sing:
Mummy Mummy I love you,
you know that I really do,
so I sing for you!

Aw...

School Fees >>> $450/month.

Madam Contractor Part 2

After the unfortunate episode, we never got round to getting a new contractor to put up the woodwork for the bay windows in our rooms as originally intended.

After a couple of Lycheetinis & 3 complimentary fillet mignon's steak sandwiches at Morton's in Oriental yesterday, we walked over to Marina Shopping Centre, intending to buy a rice cooker. (Oh yes, we managed to get our hands on the free sandwiches 3 times! The Big One happened to be seated facing the main door and so, everytime the waiters came in with the laden trays, he would smile so expectantly at them that they couldn't help but offer him one.)

Detoured and ended up in a DIY Home-Fix store. Big One wanted to get some putty to fix the hole in our wall. Good idea! I told him to get some silicon sealant for the kitchen & bath areas as well and wandered off.

Spotted a roll of self-adhesive 'bamboo'. Somewhat beefed-up by the alcohol, yours truly decided to DIY.

*drumroll.......................................*



TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


~the efficient housewife~ (It's working!!!)


.......................

On second thoughts, oh dearie me! We forgot about the rice cooker!!!

Right. Here comes the answers!

Stress Balls:

Remove 2 balls from the 8.
[1st Try] Weigh 3 balls on each side of the balance scale.
If it is the same, then
[2nd Try] Weigh the 2 balls you have taken aside to find out which is the heavier ball.

Bingo!

If it is not the same, then remove the 3 balls that are lighter. Keep 1 ball from the heavier 3 and
[2nd Try] Weight the remainding 2 balls.
If it is the same, then the ball you've kept aside is the heavier one. If not, the scale will show.

There you have it!

More stress leh:

Mark the balls properly so that you can tell which bag they came from later.

Remove 1 ball from Bag 1, 2 balls from Bag 2, 3 balls from Bag 3 etc... and weigh the 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 45 balls on the weighing scale. If it is 2 grams more that it should be, then Bag 2 is the one with the heavier balls. If it's 3 grams more, then it would be Bag 3 and so forth.

Hope you guys had fun!

Hokkaido Ice-Cream

Went for a walk with the big one last night. Stumbled upon this ice-cream shop at The Central @ Clarke Quay. We tried Black Sesame - tastes a bit raw, Strawberries & Blueberries - top seller, nice but only if you like berry yogurt & Green Tea with Red Bean - we both liked this one.

Big One: If you like Green Tea, it comes with Red Bean and if you like Red Bean, it comes with the Green Tea. So you must like them mixed together.

Me: But they have GREEN BEAN!

Big one: ?

More stress leh!

Well, was told "Stress Balls" is a no brainer.

Try figuring this one out:

Use weighing machine. You got 9 bags of marbles...in one bag, each marble is 1 gram heavier than the rest. So, in one weighing...how do u figure out which bag contains the ones with the heavier marbles?

Stress balls

Went for an interview earlier.

I was asked this question:

If you had 8 balls (not that I do) and one of them is heavier than the rest, how would you determine which ball is the heavier one with only 2 tries on the balance scale?

***WHA PIANG!***

Told him I could do it in three tries but he only allowed me 2 so I stared at the 8 balls he drew on the whiteboard.........and then suddenly, EUREKA!!! Yes yes yes! It can be done! Had to explain to him how.

He was pretty impressed.

***PHEW!***

I was pretty impressed with myself too!

***GRIN***

Go figure. Answers in the next couple of days.

Voodoo

When was the last time I mopped the floor?
Can't remember.
Picked up enought hair today to make a voodoo doll.
We don't have pets.

~ the efficient housewife ~

(positive affirmations I'm told, will make the chores go away!)

The Bark Cafe

Sparkles! This is near your mom's.

Had dinner with YL and the boy earlier at The Bark Cafe.

Boy ate: two skinless chicken wings (or equivalent) with ketchup / some mushrooms - insisted they must be cheese-free & the top bun - insisted this must be cheese-free as well - from the mushroom burger / half a potato wedge & some 'soup of the day' (mushroom)

We ate: What's above plus Escargot.

The Chicken Wings were lovely - big, nice & juicy. Burger was good only while it was hot. The Escargot came slightly burnt but was still tasty. Soup of the day though was a complete disaster - lumpy and lukewarm. Didn't send it back because I could feed the boy with it straightaway without scalding his tongue. Wonder why he didn't take more than 2 spoonfuls......(".)

Child friendliness
(1) they have booster seats
(2) because it's alfresco, there're no doors to run into & the kid can play safely on the grass patch nearby while you eat and watch.
(3) there's a squattie in the ladies and the kid can take a dump (which he did) without you having to worry about seat cleanliness.

Will I take us there again? Definitely.

Location: 1000 Upper Changi Road North.

Check out other reviews here.

Just now

I guess if you are a little more than two and a half and less than three years old, anything that happened, happened only "Just now".

Anyway, this is a picture I took "just now". Found a cave for you to explore after school today. When we got there, I told you 'we are going on a bear hunt' (just like the book) and you took to your heels!

Told you dad over the phone what happened and he said, " He ran into the cave?" I said, "No! He ran away, away from the cave!"

You were hugging me when I took this shot. Can tell from your eyes you were having fun and that you knew I wasn't serious about the bears.

Love you so much!

Community Happenings

Useful site. Check it out.

Thomas the Tank Engine Theme Song

They're two they're four they're six they're eight
Shunting trucks and hauling freight
red and green and brown and blue
they're the really useful crew

All with different roles to play
Round tidmouths or far away
Down the hills and round the bends
Thomas and friends

Thomas he's the cheeky one
James is vain but lots of fun
Percy pulls the mail on time
Gordon thunders down the line
Emily really knows her stuff
Henry toots and huffs and puffs
Edward wants to help and share
Toby, well let's say, he's square

They're two they're four they're six they're eight
Shunting trucks and hauling freight
red and green and brown and blue
they're the really useful crew

All with different roles to play
Round tidmouths or far away
Down the hills and round the bends
Thomas and friends

They're two they're four they're six they're eight
Shunting trucks and hauling freight
red and green and brown and blue
they're the really useful crew

All with different roles to play
Round tidmouths or far away
Down the hills and round the bends
Thomas and friends

Acedia

I did get a cake from HE........and it wasn't a brownie!

So, the little one sang me a birthday song (this was top on my list of happy things for the day), I made a wish, the little one helped me blow out the candles, we cut the cake, put a huge slice on a plate and shared it as a family.

Some many hours later, after HE and the little one have both gone to bed, ME, after reading up all those HR stuff, wanted to get under the covers as well. ME walks past the dining table and sees "A PLATE"!

I stared at the plate for a while. Maybe 5 seconds.

Right, have lost 5 seconds staring at the plate.

Could have used those 5 seconds washing it up.

So......I DID SOMETHING WHICH I SWORE I'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE!

I PUT THE PLATE,
THE EMPTY,
DIRTY ONE,
INSIDE THE FRIDGE,
AND
WENT
TO
BED.

Laurance of Margaret River Red 2003

Beautiful bottle. Stuff smells wonderful & tastes good. Would have been perfect if I had a slab of beef to go with it.

Description at the back of the bottle:

"This very elegant and smooth red is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. This hand-picked grapes are harvested from our famly-run vineyard in Wilyabrup of Margaret River. Your nose will be seduced by fresh violets and taste buds tantalised by flavours rich in blackcurrant, mulberries and plums. It doesn't get any better. The epitome of Margaret River. ~Dianne Laurance"

Wait! I think I have some Bak Kwa lying around...

Currently reading....

The Pleasure of my Company by Steve Martin.

Review on Hou Ning

Wow.

WOW.

WOW!!!

"Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may (stop coughing!), I say." Not green eggs and ham, just some odd cud from a goat.

Vic asked if I've tried it to see how it tastes. Well, I went to the extent of scrapping the plastic vial, fit for lilliputians, with a toothpick to get every darn speck out. Taste them? You must be kidding. I rather eat gold. Cheaper!

32 and alive

Yesterday, HE said, " I didn't prepare anything!" to ME.
ME says, " Prepare what?"

and then, it dawns on me... MY BIRTHDAY! HE DIDN'T PREPRARE ANYTHING FOR MY BIRTHDAY!

ME replies, "Aiyah, it's been 10 years and I'd be stupid to expect anything from you on my birthday! "

ME thinks HE simply cannot be taught new tricks!

Friends will ask, " Will HE get you presents?"
Last year, I think I said, "Better not expect anything, else will quarrel."
This year, I think I said, " I didn't marry him because he knows how to get me presents."
Next year, I think I'll say, " If I expect anything, we might as well get a divorce. "(Because that will mean I still don't know him well enough)

HE says, everyday is a day for celebration.

ME thinks, "Hey, I'm not getting presents everyday either!"

Anyway, I had a wonderful lunch with DD at the SSC today while HE tries to pretend HE might have arranged something for me during that time. Hahhaaa! Not taken in!

ME parents are coming over later. ME will have a nice dinner with them together with HE and the boy.

Cheers! Because I'm 32 and still kicking!

P.S. It has rained every year on this day since I was 7. It might have rained the 6 years before that but I'd never know. Anyway, it's raining today and this always brings me back to the day when I turned 7. I remember looking at the raindrops as it fell in our school courtyard, feeling the nice cool breeze on my cheeks and thinking how nice it is to have a birthday.

Calcified cud

Gold price SGD$35/gram

Price of Hou Ning: SGD$60/0.37 gram/ box
>>> SGD$162/ gram

This calcified cud costs 462% more than gold, weight for weight!

You asked me what it was. I told you it was "Magic Milo" and cursed silently when some of it went over your upper lip like a moustache. Scrapped them off like an obsessive nut, back into your mouth, every single visible speck!

Hou Ning - Ingredients: Capra Hircus L. Bezoar 100%

(Source: WordNet (r) 1.7) Capra hircus n : any of various breeds raised for milk or meat or wool [syn: domestic goat, Capra hircus] / (Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) ) Bezoar n : A calculous concretion found in the intestines of certain ruminant animals (as the wild goat, the gazelle, and the Peruvian llama) formerly regarded as an unfailing antidote for poison, and a certain remedy for eruptive, pestilential, or putrid diseases. Hence: Any antidote or panacea.

Right... going to get these tomorrow. Hope to kill your month old phlegm with these goats!

A latch, milk powder & bottle detergent

Grocery lists

Before marriage:
Instant cup noodles / Chocolate

After marriage:
Instant ramen / Chocolate

Now:
Brown rice
Darn expensive fish
Darn expensive beef
Mushrooms / Broccoli (also known as 'trees')
Fruits
Milk powder
Bottle detergent
Diapers
Latch (from the hardware department)..... son has been sleepwalking recently. 4am: Son is missing from the room! 4:02am: Son is found sleeping in the living room, on the marble flooring with his legs dangling out from the window grills.