Our adventure begins again...

Yes, relocation is not a 'glam glam' thing. I have posted about it before. We are now in our pre-adventure stage. This period gives the most headache...looking for houses, schools, settling down....the list is never ending. While we adults have to go through all the changes, we must also be the pillars of the family. A fort for them. Mothers play a very important role of holding all up while fathers adapt to a whole new working environment and colleagues.

But let me tell you, God is very good, He has a way of cheering you up, perking you up when you are almost down there... see what I chanced upon when I was feeling down and out!


Puts a smile on my face

If I have access to any computers, you will hear from us in the next couple of days. In the meantime, stay healthy, stay happy!

Till death do us part...

DH and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary at Macungie at the beginning of the year. Yes, we got married way back in 1994. That year was a year of never ending wedding celebrations. We co-ordinated many weddings for our friends and one of the couples just celebrated their 15th Wedding Anniversary two nights ago. DH and I were honoured and felt privileged to be included in their celebration once again.

We received their inviation via email...

"Colin and I would like to invite you all for dinner on 27 May (Wed) at 7.30 pm. Venue to be confirmed later. Just to thank you all for sharing and imparting into our lives for the past 15 years or more".

We were just glad to be home to share this moment with them. Yes, this was what we missed most when we were in USA. Friends gatherings, families gatherings...In life, nothing really matters more than our families and friends. People who know you yet accept you with all your lovable traits and flaws. You remember, when we were younger, we used to write those mushy lines to our friends...

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Friends like you are hard to find!

Run to the east,
Run to the west,
Run to the friend you like best!

Je t'aime, Friends Forever (this was my all time favourite)

(I am giggling away as I type them....) Mushy right, give you that goose bumps right...but don't you think that these are so essential in today's society where everything said to our loved ones have become 'voiceless'.

And in today's society where divorce rate hits all time high, able to attend and celebrate a wedding anniversary with our friends is something to be cherished.


Colin and Lee Fin's 15th Wedding Anniversary (the third lady on your left and the third man on your right). Cheers to them...and
cheers to all our friends...

Food therapy again

After the stress from Kai's exams, now come the stress from the relocation. So, what do you do to cope with all these busy-ness...of course, food therapy. Remember, cooking and baking are therapeutic for me. Go to my previous blog BeLive, under the food therapy label, you will be able to see all my 'therapies'. I have a wonderful physio therapist who makes me feel good physically. Cooking and baking are my 'therapists' that make me feel good mentally!

Even with my baking tools all packed up, I can still whipped up some stuff. This is 'semi-home cooking', something I picked up from the US.

These are blue-berry and lemon scones. Very flavourful and the lemon gave it a very light and freshing taste.


These are scones baked using flour from The King Arthur Flour. Yes, I shipped some back home.
They have one of the best flour I have ever used. Dough made from their flour are very different. The end result is something more tasty and light.
King Arthur flour are available in some supermarkets here...BUT, it is very costly. Unless, really necessary, I wouldn't recommend that you buy them.

Not one but two

DH and I have been up all night, sponging Kai and Ann, making sure that their temperature wouldn't rise too high. Yes, not one but two fell sick at the same time.

(When we were in Macungie, the kids never fell sick for a year. It was just little running nose because of the cold. I guess it must be the clean countryside air. Since coming home, the kids have already visited the doctor three times. Oh, I missed the Macungie air!)

We know that this is very rare but somehow, there is always a fear when the kids have a fever. The fear of their brains being burnt and they become abnormal. It is no laughing matter when the temperature rises slowly from 37 deg C to 39 deg C in the middle of the night. What happens when it hits 40 deg C? And with the H1N1 (swine flu) going on now, it's more worrying.

While we 'worked' through the night and finally, we could see sunrise and the doctor's clinic is opened, we went straight to the clinic. The doctor checked on their temperature,calmly said "no fever"... both went down to 36 deg C to 37 deg C.

I guess sleepless night is just one of the many 'perks' in the parenthood package!

Sunset...always follow by a sunrise


This is sunset at Holland...erm...I mean Holland in Singapore. Sunset holds the promise of a sunrise

Brag, brag, brag

This posting will be bragging about Kai.

Most Asians are shy about praising their own kids but they never hesitate to praise other people's kids. But I am here to brag about my own son ;)

Kai did well for his SA1 (Semestral Assessment 1)or the mid-year exams. I am indeed proud of him.

We just came back from the States, he has hardly settled down and he was flooded with CA (Continous Assessments) and not forgetting the transition from the US (relax) school to the SG (intensive) school curriculum. Also, the drastic change in the weather. From sub 20 deg F to 33 deg C. All these were huge changes to a nine-year-old boy. I knew he was frustrated because many times, he couldn't control his emotions and burst into anger and tears easily. Maths was a huge headache to him because it was a big change from simple multiplication to Heuristics Maths and all kinds of problem Maths.

Inspite of all these, Kai managed a perfect score for his Maths MCQ (multiple choice questions) and an overall score of 80%. He even passed his Chinese gramma paper. DH and I am so proud of him...not that he scored 80% but that he rise above his circumstances and did his work in his own stride and produced results which he is now enjoying.

We never have the habit of rewarding the kids for good school results because we do not want them to think that 'I will work hard because there is a reward'. We want them to cultivate the habit of working hard, regardless of...afterall, diligence is a virtue.

But in this case, it was very different, we wanted Kai to know that we really appreciated his efforts in going against all the odds and emerging a victor. Kai in Chinese, afterall, meant Victory!


This was the reward from Kai, he chose it and he fixed it all by himself


The proud owner of the Star Wars - armoured assault tank

Exams fever, finally over

I now understand why parents send their kids for tuition...it is an extremely exhausting, mentally draining task to coach the kids in their studies.

For the past one week, Kai was having his exams and I was helping him. From English, Science, Maths and Chinese...it was very tiring. In fact, I must said that Kai was really great in handlng it although there were many times, he just sat there and cried. He was back in school only in March, he missed term one and only did term two work and he was pushed into the cauldron of examinations.

I am not expecting much from him because to swtich from the US cirrulum to the Singapore cirrculum, it takes alot from him. Just like one mummy friend said "treat it as a warm up." Perhaps, also a training for him to handle the difficulties in life. I believe this process will make him stronger.

It has been draining for me especially when it came to Maths problems. Close friends and dh all know that I am hopeless in Maths but during these time, I pushed myself to learn and to me, the killer is the Heuristics (big word) Maths. Give an example -

6 children can sit at a round table. 8 children can sit at a rectangular table. 104 children are seated at 14 tables and there are no empty seats. How many round tables are there?

Well, for some of you, you may have already solved the problem even before you have finished reading this posting, but for me, a 'Math-dropout', this is like rocket science.

DH is an expert with Math or basically he is just very good with numbers. I make sure he explains till I know.(Poor man)

Kai asked why I want to learn, I told him so that I can understand and teach him. I know that to get into the world of my children, I have alot more to learn to ensure that there is no gap between us and that I am not just their mum but also their friend.

Gosh, looks like I need more ginkgo nuts, suppose to be good for my brains.

We went Japanese

You can call this a 'perk me up' dinner. It has been nothing but work and more work for Kai. It's the examination fever. Kai loves learning, it's the exams he hates very much. Well, all kids are like that. I have yet to find a kid who can tell me joyfully, "Exams, I LOVE it!" In fact, he has been complaining that it has been nothing but "do work in school, do work at home..." I had to remind him what comes after exams....HOLIDAYS!!!

No, I am not into feeding him with chicken essence or tonic soup (this is Chinese herbal soup meant for keep us strong and healthy) but I try my hardest to make meal time interesting and healthy. At least there is still some fun.


Yup...Japanese rice and beef teriyaki, Kai's favourite. He finished his rice first and slowly, savour his meat!

Sorry, not in the picture were to-fu and egg miso soup and tepanyaki bean sprouts...all went into the tummy in no time.

Making preparations...

Now, we are picking up speed on our relocation preparation. I am so thankful. God has once again deliver angels in disguise.

I got to know a mummy through my 'mummy cyberworld'. She shared about her many years of relocating from places to places. She mentioned that she has been on the move since her first child was two years old (the child is now 12 years old).

Wow...that's a lot of moving, that's a global nomad! Comparing myself to her, what I have gone through and going through is really nothing.

Another mummy from the cyberworld introduced me to the person in-charge of the Singapore Int'l school and I have been in touch with him. He (Mr Chan) has most certainly helped to put my mind and my heart at rest in the area of education for both Kai and Ann. They will both be able to attend the same school. Mr Chan is always so quick to answer all my queries. I am really very grateful to him. Not only in terms of school, he has also helped us locate good neighbourhoods.

I have said it and I will say again - the power of the internet! Remember, it was the internet which brought us to the little chapel on the hilltop in PA where we found much love and the Loves! That love is still pouring in.

Barb Love emailed me "My personal opinion is that families should try to stick together as much as possible. That is where the kids bounds and boundaries come from - secure parents having a constant in their lives where they can be free to develop."

I have to agree. The environment may change, the school may change... but as long as the kids can return to a constant familiarity, (it's defined as "freedom of behavior justified only by the closest relationship")return to a sanctuary, feel secured and protected all the time, free to express their views and be themselves...then moving will no longer be a fear but always a joy to look forward to.

Perhaps, this relocation is reminding me not to go all treaded path but to create new path in an untreaded road.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you - Deut 31:6

More on brown rice

If you have become more interested in brown rice, there was a feature on healthy food in The Straits Times - Mind Your Body (14 May 2009). Brown rice was mentioned.

Brown rice is tops when it comes to health....compared to polished grains like white rice, wholegrains like brown rice contain more fibre, nutrients and phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds). Studies show that a diet rich in wholegrains reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes. Brown rice also gives you 50% more fibre than white rice. To get white rice, the refining process removes much of the bran and the germ of a wholegrain, leaving only part of the grain called endosperm, which is mainly starch.

...and starchy food are broken down into sugar (it's a huge irony, how we reduce sugar intake in our diet but yet eat so much rice). It is therefore, healthier to have more brown rice than white rice in our diet.

Now, I have a 'gi-mongous' (Kai coined this word by combining the words 'giant' and 'humongous') task of brain-washing my family into eating more brown rice!