Lost treasure

People ask me, how do I managed to move from one country to another. Moving house is tough enough, imagine moving from country to country. Of course it is tough and it is something you learn as you do. The more you do, the more experienced you are. The secret is planning way ahead. Don't procrastinate. I tell you, if you leave everything to the last minute, you will collapse. Since middle of last year, I have already started giving away clothes, books which my kids have classified as "non-readable" (it is very difficult to get them to part with their books) and many miscellaneous stuff.

Today, I found something…

Kai's very first pair of moccasins. We bought it for him when he was two years old. He has long out-grown it but I just couldn't bring myself to give it away. It is such a nice pair of shoes and the workmanship is simply out of this world. Just look at the shoes. It is well-worn but definitely not torn.


  
These were Kai's and Ann's baby shoes. I framed them up. I remembered the spouse and I were running around looking for a pair of shoes for Ann. It was the eve of Chinese New Year. She has no shoes and we couldn't possibly allow her to go out bare-footed. Finally, at a shop selling baby wear, they had this last pair of shoes on display and we bought it immediately.

Now, you know that I am such a sentimental freak!

Kai in action…part II

Remember I told you that Kai has volunteered to do the praise and worship. He did that and it was a great effort considering it was his first time and his Sunday School classmates said that he was better than the teachers…kekeke


His power-point slides. He did everything himself


Father and son team. The spouse is the person-in-charge of the sound and sight in Sunday School. It was nice to see them working together!

...and mama came tumbling down

I don't know how many steps I missed just know that from walking down the steps, I was soon sitting on the floor with a twisted leg.


Half a 'pai-ka' and it cost RMB1650. *Double gasp* 

Ann, upset

This chirpy, free spirit little princess is rarely upset. She is so chirpy that she doesn't walk, she skips, she dances, she hops all around the house. That explains the numerous scars and blue-blacks on her legs. Today, she came home really upset. Well, according to pastor Joseph Prince, "Parenting with Grace". He said that don't be too quick to offer solution and kind words. Let the child release.

That's exactly what I did. I just let her talk it all out. It was a small issue but to her, it was a big issue… Her Chinese teacher has rearranged the sitting position. So every child now has their own individual seat, no  partner beside them. Ann was super upset. She wanted her good friend to be right beside and not one seat away…hahaha, so cute (of course, cannot tell her that). After she was done pouring her heart out, sobbing, wiping her tears and mucus （一把鼻涕，一把眼泪）, I went on to explain to her.

Close friends, best friends need not be right beside us all the time. We will soon be heading home and we have to leave friends behind. Once a best friend always a best friend, no matter where we go, no matter where we are. 

Kai in action…

Kai Shia gave a very interesting presentation on "The Miracle of Water" at our Monday Assembly. His pictures and information were amazing . . . ask your students about it! He gleaned his information from a book about how positive and negative words affect how water crystals are formed. He then went on to wage a compelling argument that if words can affect the formation of water crystals so greatly, think how positive and negative words can affect us, as people!! After all, we are made up of 70% water!! Kai did an amazing job of getting us to think about how important it is to have a positive attitude in life. Hats off to Kai!


(Credit : Text and photos from SSIS Newsletter Issue No. 24 16 March 2012)

He is indeed growing up. Taking on extra task on top of his heavy work load - daily homework, iPSLE and an entry test. (He even took up worship leading this week for the Sunday School). He has such a positive energy. He took them all in his stride and I try to do my part by not giving him extra stress … more yummy home-cooked meal. *wink*

Inspired by a throw down

Saw Throwdown with  Bobby Flay on the Food Network channel. This time it was the 'pineapple upside down cake' throwdown. I was inspired to bake one myself.


Beautiful cake, so delicious. I cut down on the sugar a whole lot to make it healthier. Instead of cherries, I changed it to cranberries....YUM-MO! I shall try an apple upside down cake the next time.

Home remedy

Sorry for the blurry picture. You see, I was still double-boiling it when I took the picture.

Talking about self-medicate, making simple home remedy like this one is very effective too. Above all, it is easy peasy. I made this for Ann. She has been having this phlegmy cough only in the morning and it has helped her a whole lot. Even if you are not sick, it is great to eat it as a dessert!


Half a sweet pear (I used the Korean big pear), a handful of almond seeds, four read dates and some rock sugar. Double-boil for about 1 hour…easy right and above all...healthy!

Look after yourself well

Let me tell you why it is no good to fall sick here. For us foreigners, we usually go to the "imported" clinics with "imported" doctors. Yes, you feel safe and confident enough to know that you will be in good hands BUT…the medicine prescribed  are all local medicine. That's not all, the price you pay is also "imported" price. Just seeing a GP can easily cost you USD150 to USD200. So, what do we do? Self-medicate.

I was struck with a stomach virus. Don't know where it came from? I was home most of the time, ate home-cooked food and I was the only one who got it. The spouse said that it is in the air cos' two of his staff were also having diahorrea. 

I started off taking the charcoal pills, by lunch time, I took panadol because the bones were starting to ache. Managed to drag myself to school to pick up the kids. Then it was downhill all the way, at one point, I couldn't even get up.  After a simple meal of white rice and fish soup, it was smecta and lots of sleep in between. Wah-la…the next day, I was as good as new!  Kai was most happy to see mama well again. He said that sleep is important because that's when the body repairs itself!

One other reason is because mama has been looking after herself well. Weekly exercise, daily stretching and good old home-cooked meals! Doesn't this encourage you to lead a healthier life?

Make things happen

Kai popped a question to the spouse and I… "Can I lead the worship in Sunday School?"

I was pleasantly surprised and so was the spouse. We have not asked him to do it but he felt that the praise and worship time in his Sunday School was not going anywhere and he wanted to help out. I do agree with him. There is a huge shortage of helpers and sometimes, the same praise leader will lead for two consecutive Sundays and they repeat the same songs. *Gasp*. It really upsets me. Firstly, it shows that there is no passion to serve. Secondly, this session of praise and worship is not important, just a filler. If one were to ponder…Sunday School should be a place to nurture and raise up men and women of God. It is not a drop-off center with activities…

As for my son, Kai…we are really proud of him. See something is wrong, don't wait for someone to correct it, be the one to make things happen! I am looking forward to his first time as a praise and worship leader. You go, boy!

Cheese cake again

After watching the Junior Master Chef and making my mango cheese cake, I decided to make a strawberry cheese cake this time.

The company's driver gave us a box of strawberries. They were picked from a strawberry farm owned by one his friends. I made use of some of them to make a strawberry cheese cake. I don't really fancy salty and sweet stuff so I decided to use the mascarpone instead of cream cheese this time. Mascarpone has high fat content but the plus point is that it is also rich in calcium and the taste is so much more pleasant than cream cheese. The result was fantastic!



Really fresh, sweet and juicy!

My very capable kitchen assistant!

The verdict...it will be mascarpone for all my cheese cakes!