Second Kid - First Aid

John doing his part at the blood donation drive at Singapore Polytechnic

 

This post is about our second kid. It's small things your kid does that makes you proud as a parent.

 

Last weekend, he was on the MRT when an elderly man grasped his chest, groaned loudly in pain and collapsed to the train floor. With his basic First Aid skills, he, his friend and another stranger attended to him to the best of their ability. He described to us the 'response' of fellow commuters and the train staff but I think I'm not keen to stir sh*t here. I will however say, you better pray not to have a seizure or a heart attack on our trains.  

 

Whenever we're in Bangkok, we will usually make a trip to a pharmacy we're familiar with. Once there, John will rattle the names of medicines he would like to purchase for his first aid kit at home. Don't ask me how but his knowledge of medications for everyday ailments is quite good. I've noticed the elderly pharmacist has shown himself to be quite tickled by John. (Just so you know, we believe the meds to be authentic and have had no problem with them so far).

 

John's the family's quack paramedic. Quack only because he's uncertified. Basic training received but uncertified. Let's just say he's handy to have with you on an outing or in the event of an accident (God forbid). My mum had a fall last year and her head had bled quite a fair bit as she had hit it against the corner of a piece of furniture. John told me there was a pool of blood (yucks!). He was the only one with her at the time and had attended to her. He had bandaged her up with his basic first aid skills. The actual paramedic arrived in the ambulance and had later told my mum that John had done a really good job stemming the bleeding.  

 

Before he entered Singapore Polytechnic, he had told me he might want to be a paramedic. I wasn't sure how to react. He was also crazy about all things planes! Anyway, he went ahead to study an aviation engineering related course and last semester, managed to do well enough to be offered a PLUS programme by the school this semester (which is basically an additional course with certification). This course has turned him into the family's pseudo electrician because he has to study electrical circuits as part of his course. Very, very handy! I no longer have to rely solely on Mike to fix all things electrical! He also takes the time to explain the electrical stuff to me. As I told hubs, during a war, I'd want my son next to me!

 

Anyway, he has indicated that he might want to apply to be a paramedic for his NS stint. I thought he would prefer being in the air force but hey, nothing is set in gold yet. Who am I to say, "Make up your mind what you want to be"! At my age, I still don't know what I want to be when I 'grow up'! What I know about this kid is if he is pursuing something he enjoys, he will do very well in it. If he is forced into it, he may just be mediocre or worse. So as a parent, I'm just taking it semester by semester to see how it pans out. NS is NS. Of course we hope that he'll maintain his good GPA to make it to Uni like his sis (despite the subliminal messages we keep getting from the 'top' that a degree isn't everything). So it's long ways yet what line he (or his sister for that matter) will end up in.

So back to his First Aid skills. He would like to get certified. The proper course with certification takes a couple of full days to complete. Even on weekends, that's quite 'tough' for him to spare nowadays. His PLUS programme means he has to have night classes one night of the week. Other days he has to stay behind for group discussions or project work. He's also got himself involved in a non-compulsory CCA with his Polytechnic, doing charity work. He's very involved in it because he enjoys it. Anyway, the First Aid courses in November and December are full so he'll have to check his schedule (which is difficult to plan ahead) to see if he can join the January course. I put a shout-out on Facebook to check if anyone knew of any free-of-charge First Aid course (with certification) because it can cost a couple of hundred dollars and some kind souls actually responded with sponsorship! Thank YOU, you know who you are! (*wink)

(Update 2015 - John is now a certified First Aider! Singapore Polytechnic ran a course and he got selected to attend it on behalf of his club. Yay! How blessed are we that the Lord knows and hears us? Praise God!)

 

 

 



 

Intimacy in marriage

It's been slightly over 23 years since hubs and I got married. With the state of the marriage as it stands today, I 'don't see us parting ways until 'death do us part'. I can only pray that God continues to bless us with a love-filled marriage. I can't predict the future or the odd behaviour of the human race, of which he and I are part of but I can trust in the Lord.

I could lie and tell you that all has been a rosy bed of roses but oh please! We are what you could classify as 'same same but different'. Yes, we do have several similarities. For example (and this is not exhaustive), we like 'chionging' (rushing) around like chickens with no heads while on holiday to maximise the time spent abroad. We both turn our noses up at uppity settings (the word 'tatler' comes to mind and does turning our noses up in turn make us snobs?) and have no time to play lapdog to people who expect to be well, lapdogged. We dislike long haul flights. We prefer travelling around Asia (we have been to Europe). Although we enjoy cold weather every now and then, we prefer to not have to lug thick coldwear with us when we travel. He is good with housework, I am not. He can smell a fart a mile away. I can fart to smell a mile away. I catch jokes. He needs to have the joke explained. I like to cook, he does not. We love hawker food. We love chicken rice, mee pok,wanton mee, briyani (chicken for me, mutton for him), wadeh (accompanied by copious amounts of fresh green chilli), laksa, nasi lemak, bak kut teh, dark sauce zhujiao/pig trotters, ikan bilis fried rice, durian and well probably some more. We both like sleeping on white Egyptian cotton bed sheets. We both eat chocolate in bed (yes, even with the white bedsheets) and we both get pimples the next day from eating the blasted chocolate. Oh, oh and lest I forget to say, we both come from humble backgrounds and are both poor church mice!

Ah, differences. Too many to count! I am an organiser. He is not. I think ahead. He does not. Let me paint the picture for you with an example. From this alone, you will be able to see how different he and I can be. This is when we travel. I plan the trip. I make the reservations. I pack for the trip. I buy the travel insurance. I set the alarm clock on the day of departure. I wake everybody up. I yell and shout. I plan the itinerary. I set the alarm clock during the trip. I carry the map. I carry the passports. I carry the extra copies of the passports. I carry the foreign currency. I carry our currency. I carry wetwipes. I carry batteries. I carry chargers. I carry EVERYTHING (and that's why I have my handy Longchamp by the way. He he). And he? He's on his ipad. When I get mad at him that ít's 3am and I'm still packing the luggages and we have a flight to catch at 7am and I am already dead tired coming back from work earlier and he's not helping.....he looks up from his ipad, catches me with his charming grin and tells me 'I know you can do it'! The plane is on the taxiway getting ready for takeoff and I am praying in Tongues and he is already....snoring.

Yep. It's that grin. The grin that made me go weak in the knees all those years ago. The grin that still makes me go weak in the knees.
I need not go into all our differences. That grin did me in and differences count for squat today.

I will just say (food again), I like soupy, saucy stuff and he likes fried foods. I like veg and he does not. I like rice and he likes bread. I like noodles and pasta and he does not. He likes cake and I do not. He claims he can eat bread alone and thus is not fussy when it comes to eating but I beg to differ. Having to feed him bread when I have cooked something else is not being easy at all!

With so many similarities and differences, it makes for a colourful relationship. Alot of fun, I kid you not! It really is an awesome friendship. I cannot deny I have had a roller coaster ride that is both scary and exhilarating at the same time! I'm not saying that I am RIGHT and he is WRONG. Nor is he right and I am wrong. No, no. On the contrary. We have differences and we agree to differ. We have learnt and are still learning to accept the differences. It gets easier with age because we tend to live and let live more now. And I guess, that is what being joyful in a marriage is all about.

God has been the glue that held us together through the roughest of storms but I also need to point out that we both share an intimacy that is sweet yet explosive. My favourite time of the day is when we wind down and are just about to fall asleep. Our arms and legs are entwined around each other (okay, except when his snores get too unbearable, then I'll inch away). We snuggle against each other and even though we may have had an exhausting day, the snuggles make everything all right again. Oh and sometimes, the snuggling gets a bit too much and things get explosive on the intimate front. S.E.X. Yep. I think why the glue has held is also because we are still great together, always experimenting with each other, always keeping it exciting even after nearly 24 years of marriage. We look like a typical Singapore Uncle and Auntie. Hehe. But who would think that things are so explosive behind closed doors? I think we have a few more good years of intimacy before our hormones will start to naturally wind us down and we'll perhaps enjoy cuddling more than S.E.X (bummer! humbug!). But before we reach the finish line, I'm making the most of the good run! Hello? Pass me the baton?!




 

U-Turn Aunty

I have a new nickname from Ah Lau.

"U-Turn Aunty".

Ok, the Aunty is added because I started calling him 'something Uncle'.

Apparently, I am known for making U-Turns when driving. It's true. I make mistakes all the time even when I've been that route countless of times before. The fact is, I'm really good at reading maps (even though I do say so myself) but am usually in too much of a rush to read a map before setting off or do not have the GPS with me (Yah, yah, I know the phone has it. Too lazy you know?).
So I usually just drive off and depend on the road signs. Most times, I exit the highway at what else...the wrong exit or I'll turn at the wrong junction or miss the turn completely. Wait, I have to say, IF I read a map before I set off, I usually won't make any U-Turns!

I don't have an issue with that. So what? Make a mistake? Just make a U-Turn and get back on track. What's the big deal? Once I make the U-Turn, I learn from it so that I will make it a point to remember the correct road to take the next time. Ok, I admit it. Some of my mistakes have taken me to Timbucktoo before I could find a legal U-Turn point. I guess when you are a passenger seated next to me, you won't be as patient with me as I am with myself. Hehe.

Anyway, the COE on our car runs out in less than a year. With crazy mad COE prices, who knows if we will still be driving after that. Our car is a people mover. It has moved loads of old foggies. Brought them for family gatherings and back, brought them for medical appointments and back, brought our kids to school and back. If we can no longer afford the COE than, our old foggies will have to find alternative transportation and this U-Turn Aunty will have to retire her U-Turn ways. Sad day that will be. How will I learn from life's mistakes then?

Hmmm...would anyone dare to take a taxi driven by U-Turn Aunty?

Batam, Indonesia again!

Be warned: Super long post and picture laden!

So, we went to Batam recently (again).

You would think that with this haze in Singapore, we would be avoiding Indonesia like the plague. The thing I remember is the last time we had the haze, we had also visited Batam and they actually had clearer skies than we did! Actually, it was also hazy in Batam but we were indoors most of the time this trip.

I did consider long and hard before deciding on Batam. The mister and I desperately needed a break and we only had 2 nights max to spare. To avoid the crowd, we planned it for the weekend before the Hari Raya Haji long weekend. Both kids were home. The girl had her recess week and the boy is still in the midst of his hols. They were supposed to come with us but they were dragging their feet and we decided not to compel them. They boy had stuff to do (so busy with his Poly CCA) and the girl wanted time to catch up on her reading before her tests.

I'd considered Genting Highlands (our usual haunt for cool air) and K.L but in the end, decided it was too much hassle to drive there and back. Genting Highlands is going through a major revamp at their amusement park to make way for the 20th Century Fox amusement park. Long ways yet. My mind is thinking it's a mess up there with trucks bringing debris back and forth. Well, that's just me being paranoid. Although neither Genting nor KL is far to drive to, I didn't want us too knackered after the trip. You know, needing a holiday after the holiday?!

I'd also considered Malacca and wondered if we should bother going on a food trial trail this time (because we are not the type of people to queue up for 'highly reviewed' food). Then I thought of the bus loads of tourists (and car loads, including us!) and the haze (I find it hotter there than here during the 'haze season') and decided I could live with not visiting Malacca.

I was highly drawn to driving to Desaru for a night's stay. To spend an entire day visiting their small 'farms', ending the day with a delicious seafood meal to be followed by a firefly boat trip. Then I read review after review of all the decent hotels there and it seems the hotels leave much to be desired. I really don't get this about Malaysia. They have SO MUCH POTENTIAL but most of the places seem to have died in a time trap. Once they build it, they do not seem to maintain it. I can even say the same about a BIG local venue owned by a Malaysian company. Oh yes, did I ever mention? When Mike and I had just gotten married, I had won a contest for a stay at a beach resort; Tanjung Bidara. It was beautiful. Then. Fast forward about 10 years later, we visited the place again with our kids and....they had the same outdated curtains and bedsheets. My kids called it the 'mothball' hotel for a reason. When I read the reviews about some chalets in Desaru, I was silently laughing. I'd stayed there with relatives as a kid. I bet the only change they have seen, is the process of wearing out.

And then I also thought of Legoland and my boy was like.....'my friend said you'll enjoy it if you're a kid'. The theme room looked so cute but I didn't quite fancy Legoland in this hazy weather.

Anyway, Batam it was....(OK, that took too long to get here).

DAY 1

 

Harbour Front (Singapore)

Pretty clear day for a ferry ride if you ask me. We had booked Sindo Ferry tickets from Harbour Front (Singapore) to Harbour Bay (Batam, Indonesia). We could have saved SGD10 per person if we had chosen to go to Batam Centre instead but our last experience there (the queues! the chaos!) really put us off. Besides, the Sindo Ferry guy told us the 'no talking' rule was imposed over at Batam Centre but not at Harbour Bay. I have to say though, people were relatively quiet at Harbour Bay (Batam) when we were queueing up. Guess no one wanted to take the chance of being sent back on the next ferry! Did I say we nearly missed the ferry because parking charges at the open air carpark opposite Harbour Front has changed! I am so mad because we now have thirty dollars worth of S$2 parking coupons. When am I going to finish using 2 hourly parking coupons? My car's COE is going to finish in less than a year's time too! Arrrgh! Suggested taking a cab to Harbour Front but no, the mister wouldn't hear of it.

View of Sentosa Cove houses.



 




Didn't realise how much the Sentosa landscape has changed. How filthy 'rich' it has become.

 

The ride was fairly smooth. Ferry left on the dot. It takes a shorter time to reach Harbour Bay (the ferry company claims it's 45 mins). Customs was relatively 'smooth going' with a slight kink. When it was Mike's turn, he went up to the wrong customs officer who waved him to the correct one and the correct one looked pissed and wanted him to rejoin the back of the queue. Thankfully he had his wife (yes, me) to point to the front of me and say, 'He was in front of me' and his wife was actually next in the queue. Was kinda holding my breath wondering if he was going to tell us to get off the jetty into the next available ferry back home!

Sosro Teh Botol

 

Upon arrival, we went hunting for a local breakfast. Attacked my favourite drink; Sosro's Teh Botol. The bottle is too tiny I say! Gimme more!

 

 

Mee Rebus, less than SGD1.50

 

I thought Mee Rebus sounded good so I ordered a plate while the mister when went in search of goreng pisang (fried banana fritters). The gravy wasn't thick but it was quite delicious. At less than SGD1.50 a plate, it made it all the more delicious. In fact, when hubs returned to the table with his fried bananas, he tasted my Mee Rebus and ordered a plate for himself! The lady vendor looked really happy and asked me if it was nice! You don't see a plate of the Mee Rebus because we ate it up before realising we hadn't taken a pic of it.

 

We walked to a nearby Mall and found it deserted. Quickly caught a cab to our hotel and by then, it was just before noon and the hotel let us check in. We refreshed ourselves and headed to a nearby money changer (rates are better over there) before going for our Indonesian oil massage! We took the 1 1/2 hr package and it was bliss. Had Mike speak to them in Malay to not massage me too hard! they were very tickled when he told them to 'sayang' (love) me!  After that, we walked to Nagoya Shopping Mall for lunch. 

 

 



 

This kueh-kueh stall we always frequent & a yummy yoghurt from another stall

 

On our previous two trips, we bought this tau-kua kueh from a stall inside Nagoya Shopping Mall. The same young sales assistant served us. Same sleepy look. Same 'you are disturbing my sleep' look. If it weren't so delicious (can you see the green chilli sticking out?), I'd give the stall assistant a miss. I kid you not. She actually sleeps (rests her head on the counter) and there were times we had to wake her up!

 

Ok, anyway, I tried to replicate the tau-kua thingy but without deeping dipping in batter or deep frying and without the ubiquitous MSG. This is my version, cooked in the Philips Airfryer.

 

 

My version of the Indonesian Tau-Kua whachamicallit

 

I bought the white uncooked Tau Kua (bean curd for frying). I guess I could have bought the ones pre-fried but sometimes they have that 'old oil' smell (fried in recycled oil). So anyway, I pan fried them in very little oil to get the golden colour, cooked the veg and stuffed the Tau Kuas up. Then popped them in the Air Fryer. I should have tried not pan frying them to see if the Air Fryer can also give the same golden hue (will try again soon). Anyway, hubs loved it.

 

Back to Batam.

 

 



 

KFC

 

Who goes to Batam to have KFC? We do. Their chicken is so soft and tender! I insisted we eat KFC and Mike had to agree it was different and delicious. By the way, I understood nothing on the restaurant menu except the family meal. So seeing as it wasn't at all expensive, I just ordered it. It came with sticky rice (like the ketupat rice)! How thoughtful! I think they should serve rice back home too! I still think Batam chickens are anorexic for some reason (like not much meat) but who's complaining when it's delicious. We sat through a very stuffy and hot meal though. These eateries at Nagoya Shopping Mall do not seem to have aircon of their own. They seem to be borrowing the Mall's aircon instead! Phew!

 

Then we spent some time in our favourite hardware store, ACE. Okay, not just some time, we spent quite a lot of time there but I didn't buy much this time round. Hubs ended up buying a whole bunch of fake green plants. I'm amazed at the things one can buy there but probably only because we can't find them in a hardware store back home.

 

After ACE, we headed to the Hypermart. While the mister headed in the direction of the car accessories, I needed to replenish some toiletries (and lipsticks!) which I had bought on my previous trips. I'm not gonna mention the brand of the lipstick I use just in case the Singaporeans go snap it up! It is really good and I've had no adverse reactions to it. They last and are not at all drying. 

 

I was not surprised to find the Hada Labo stuff running low on stocks. My guess is the Singaporeans there caught on to the cheap prices they were going for over there. Managed to grab a couple of tubs of Hyaluronic Acid face creams (my favourite moisturiser) for a song. Truth be told, I am actually not a very big fan of Hada Labo because of one thing. The funny smell. Otherwise, they really do moisturise. They're not far from the truth when they say a drop locks in an ocean. But they should also say it kinda smells like death.

 

I have to mention I had used my Debit Card at the Hypermart and the cashier made me sign twice and he also wrote down some figures. I thought I saw him copying my security code from the back of the card too! His list carried other people's numbers too. It all happened so fast at the cashier's I just caught glimpses of what he was doing. I'm still feeling a bit weird about that; wondering if that's the norm. So far, checking against my bank records, the deduction is okay. But one cannot be too sure of a couple of months down the road. I had my one of credit cards 'scammed' earlier in the year by a car rental company in Europe while my card and human self was were still in Singapore. I received a texted message alert as soon as the transaction took place and called in to file a complaint immediately. I got billed a couple of thousand and the credit card company gave me a credit for that scammed value but I'm wondering about the interest I got charged between the time it got charged and the credit! Worthy of mention is when I shopped at Matahari (located in the same mall), the cashiers did not require me to sign twice.

 

 

 

Shopping made us hungry (again) and we had coffee and doughnuts. Again, I over ordered because ordering one doughnut wouldn't have been cost effective! LOL. Kept the balance in the hotel fridge.

 

We ended the night on a high.

 

Huge private KARAOKE room! 

 

Non-drinkers we are and so we ordered our boring Cokes. As with the last time, think we pissed off the waiter again who was probably expecting to make something from our order of Cognac or VSOP instead! Did I mention I pissed off a lot lady escorts-in-waiting just by being present beside the mister? I was in my T-shirt and shorts. What competition do I pose? Haha. They were all dolled up and some were stunning. It's not an ideal place for a family to hang out but it was located at the top of our hotel and we were too lazy to go anywhere else. Hubs had booked the smallest private room and it was huge. We had a blast, singing our hearts out! Cost us SGD21+ for the 2 hrs and our cokes.


DAY 2

We went to the morning market (beginning to dislike that place because of the intense heat!). I wasn't very interested in their wares this time round. While hubs nosed his way around the tents and tents of street vendors, I snuck into a nearby shopping centre, hoping to catch some cool airconditioned air. It was not to be. Saving energy as usual, the shopping centre had no aircon on! How do they expect people to want to shop there? I pitied the staff there. I was dripping with persipiration when I stepped out, not a penny poorer.

We caught a cab (if you can call it a cab) to Batam Centre. We were hoping to rest in the cab but when we entered the cab, it had NO AIR-CON!!! Hubs was pissed to say the least (because I had refused to take this private car who had offered Mike a cheap fare instead of a regular taxi). I realised I had been scammed too because his cab was probably unregistered. To be honest, I've not taken any cabs there who was willing to be paid by the metre. But fares are cheap. About S$5 from the Harbour Bay to the town or from our hotel in Nagoya Area to Batam Centre which is where we were headed.

Batam Centre is quite a nice place. It's like a regular shopping mall in Singapore with a mix of shops, spas and eateries. But it was 10am on a weekday morning and we briefly walked around before declaring ourselves bored out of our minds. Hubs stumbled upon a family karaoke place and suggested we spend the next 2 hrs singing (again)!

This room was much smaller but it came with free drinks and french fries : )

 View from the karaoke place in Batam Centre Mall

 

When hubs took a pee break, he came back so excited, urging me to take a pic of the view from another section of the karaoke place. I must admit, it was lovely. It's a bit distorted because I was taking it through the glass window.

 

 

By the time we had become pro in figuring out the complicated song selection system, it was time to throw us out. Throw us out they did cos we were trying to squeeze in one last song when the whole system froze. Hehe.

 

Got thrown out just in time for lunch!

 

 

We had lunch at a very cosy place just a few doors away from the Karaoke place.

 

And....last picture, I promise:

 

 

 



Each plate was about SGD2 while the steak you see on that hotplate (although not big) cost us SGD1.50!

 

After lunch, we headed back to Nagoya area because we found it too boring over at Batam Centre. We went to check out this new nearby spa and it turned out to be really good. It was newly renovated, the Indonesian music was soothing, the massage was good. It's difficult for me to fall asleep whilst being massaged but I did this time round! After the massage, we went shopping at Nagoya again!

 

Did I mention that the whole ladies shoe section at Matahari is filled with wedges (my favourite shoe type)! Probably the flavour of the month. Hubs pointed to them and asked me how come the old fashioned shoes are back in fashion. Haha. I used to wear wedges in the 80s. Love, love, love them. 

 

Unfortunately (for them and for me), the sales staff couldn't even figure out where they kept the stocks of the pairs I wanted. I only managed to buy ONE pair (just as well) for about SGD14 this entire trip. It was in denim and with straw lined wedges (my favourite)!

 

Honestly, although it was wedges galore over there, I find the taste a tad not in line with mine. Just either the cutting, colour or accessory was off.  I can find more pairs I like at our local OG shoe section in under one minute as opposed to glossing over their shoes for two days over at Matahari. I also did not find any clothes I fancied. Would they like to hire me as their buyer? Please?

 

Hubs on the other hand, found several shirts to buy for a song. Very well made and with good material. No wonder their men's department is more crowded than those found in our local stores.

 

Anyhow, it was late when we ended our shopping at the Hypermart (again) and we had dinner at Bistro Godiva and then headed back to the hotel for an early night's rest. 

 

 

DAY 3

 

The hotel breakfast was decent (local fare) and we popped over to the mall again for some last minute shopping. We checked out at 1pm and took the hotel cab (realised you pay about the same and it's safer) to Harbour Bay. We had planned to have lunch before boarding but when we booked our return trips, they told us a ferry was departing soon. So we left earlier than planned. We really spent up our last Rupiah before boarding. Bought a kueh lapis from a teochew speaking shop owner. He wanted a few dollars more than the Rupiah we had left but in the end, he just accepted whatever we had left. Hehe. In all, we only changed SGD300. The bulk of our spending was on the massages and karaoke. We gave seafood a miss this time round. Will save it for the next time when our kids around. For our next trip, we'll probably incorporate a beach side resort stay.

 

By the way, I have this to say. I find it very strange that in Indonesia (and Malaysia), the sales staff can sometimes make so much noise laughing and talking while working. Maybe it's me being a stiff-necked Singaporean. I just cannot get used to it. And turn on the blardy air-con! There, I said it.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



PCOS and Health Update

I've been quiet for some time because I was distracted with some health stuff going on in my life and because I didn't really feel like writing.

First off, my PCOS seems to be under control now. My cycle is currently prompt despite my approaching menopausal age and one cannot complain when one has had irregular cycles all of one's life. I am experiencing no menopausal symptoms. Generally, I'm currently feeling fine and in fact, with so many people coughing in my face, I've surprisingly not succumbed to the flu bug in months.

I've not experienced menopausal symptoms BUT I have been on a wild roller coaster ride since April because I had in fact been experiencing pregnancy-like symptoms. (Life behind closed doors is still pretty exciting for us old farts).

I must say, the experience of being over forty and telling the doctors my symptoms has not been a pleasant one. They were dismissive and made me feel stupid for even thinking I may possibly be pregnant at my age. I KNOW what happened when it happened (because I have it recorded in my calendar) and I KNOW it could have been a possibility with all the symptoms showing. However, I also know that my job requires me to lift heavy equipment (DON'T EVEN ASK ME ABOUT THAT CRAZY PART OF MY LIFE) and I know the aches, pain, nausea, blue veins across the breasts, enlarged boobs, heart palpitations, sleepiness, tiredness, extreme bloatedness, leg cramps and general discomfort I had been experiencing initially could have been caused by anything but a fertilised egg. I also know that it could have been caused by a fertilised egg.

A few weeks after I first started experiencing the symptoms, I had to lift and move some heavy stuff at work. I felt extreme pain in my lower abdomen and experienced odd bleeding thereafter. The symptoms carried on for about 2 to 3 weeks after the bleeding.

See, some people (including the docs) gave me the impression that they thought I was yearning to have a baby again. Really? My oldest is 20 and my youngest is 17 (soon to be 18). Really? Nausea in my mid-forties, how fun! Here I was yearning more to sail into the sunset on a yacht with my lover husband or lie in bed watching Korean dramas for the rest of my life! I won't go into details but after several visits to KKH, a private gynae and scans, I am declared to have a good size womb with NO BABY inside. I've lost a teeny weeny bit of weight since but my belly is still enlarged. Moral of the story? Wild nights will have to be safer.

Long Hair

As if anyone cares but here's an update on the length of my hair.

OK, that cartoony half crown was pasted just so no one would be desperate enough to copy my silly looking pic for use!
My hair was initially in a simple one length cut. It hung very straight. In January 2014, I found the long bob to be too heavy and trimmed off at least 3 inches and had some layers put in (by myself, ahem!). What happened was my naturally wavy hair started curling even more. I'm pretty happy with the way the layers fall actually.

I've not coloured my hair since Dec 2013 and from the pic, the colour at the crown actually doesn't look too bad. I have my reasons for not colouring my hair at the moment. Might talk about it another time. I'm tempted to go for a haircut but I also know myself very well. I will probably not be happy with the outcome and will probably have to spend more time in front of the mirror trying to fix it (which I would positively hate! Aaarrrgh!). Hard to believe but although my hair is relatively long, I really spend very minimal time on it. I am a wash and go person. In fact, I am more a wash and sleep person. I know, I know. Terribly unhealthy but hey, time is of the essence. Long hair also means I get to tie it up away from my face when I need to. Little fuss as far as I'm concerned. I'd probably be a lot less sweaty if I cut it super short but too scared of spending too much time on it thereafter!

Have been pretty busy so I figured I'd just post something inane about my hair! If you're trying to grow out your hair, my suggestion to you is to just leave it alone. The ugly phase will pass in a few months. Be patient and resist cutting it! Ta!

St Anthony's Brief - Ecce Crucem Domini

Saint Anthony's Brief

Ecce Crucem Domini
Fugite partes adversae
Vicit Leo de tribu Iuda
Radix David! Alleluia!

(English Translation)
Behold the Cross of the Lord!
Be gone all evil powers!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
The rood of David has conquered! Alleluia!

The above is a prayer given by St Anthony of Padua who had miraculously appeared to a woman oppressed with the temptation to kill herself and she was subsequently freed from the spiritual oppression.

On a good day, I would already lack the memory to remember the latin verse. So I can just imagine how if I was in a position of what I call 'spiritual warfare emergency', I would probably draw a blank in trying to recite this in Latin! But seriously, I doubt God would mind very much if I recited this in English or good old plain English (my own words to that effect)! He who knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb, would He not know what my heart speaks?

This Lent - Milestone leap of faith (Palm Sunday weekend)

Something happened to me last weekend. I should say some thingS because events happened both on Saturday AND Sunday. Without going into detail, I have come to realise that I have reached a personal milestone in my faith journey. It's like when you play a computer game and you've reached the end of a level and graduated to the next. I am surprised that I hadn't realised it until it came to the crunch. I didn't see it in myself until I was tested. Twice.

I was taken aback by some words on Saturday. My first reaction was one of great disappointment. I felt appalled but I felt no anger. I did not feel as emotionally shaken as I would have ordinarily felt. Instead, I felt a great sense of peace and determination. I felt no fear because I proclaimed my trust in my Lord Jesus. I felt no fear and I felt strangely strong. I told God I did not understand and that He must have His reasons but if it be His will, I would accept it. I told Mother Mary, I did not know how she did what she did (be so agreeable to trust in the Lord when the Archangel Gabriel broke the news to her!) in the face of such uncertainty but that I would not be able to do it alone. I needed her help. I needed her to cover me in her mantle of Blessings. I needed her prayers to her son, our Lord Jesus. I also begged her to let me hear some words from a person. In all gratefulness, I heard those exact words of humility the next day. You cannot imagine how my heart leapt with joy. Mother Mary hears our petitions. Make no mistake of that. Just because we do not see her, does not mean she does not see us.

Do you know why I could be so accepting of  something that would probably strike fear in the hearts of men? Because if God is with me, then who can be against me?

The next day, I again was faced with something perhaps... diabolical. I cannot say for sure. Fear? No. I stood my ground in strength that I know did not come from myself. Again, I proclaimed Jesus as the Lord of my life and that as He was above everything else and because of that, there was nothing that I feared.

When did I become so fearless? I realise that it was a long journey and it has not been easy.

Do you think for a moment that people do not view me as the crazy person who keeps proclaiming the goodness of God? Do you think I don't sicken people with my witnessing by way of telling my personal testimonies? Do you think I don't make people roll their eyes because 'here she goes again'?! Do you think I will not be fodder for criticism or gossip? Yes to all of the above and more.

The question is, 'Do you think I care?'
NO. Not much anyway. Not much anymore. I have experienced a personal conversion. From there, He has worked many small miracles in my life. It does not mean that bad things do not occur once you start loving God. Who ever told you that? Who ever promised you that? Bad things WILL happen any way but with God's help, you will be able to see the silver lining amidst the dark, looming cloud.

How long more do I have on earth? I have no idea. Do you? But I do know where I want to go from here. God will be my judge, whether I will ever get to go to Heaven but at the very least, I am aiming to go there. I'm not going to be able to bring along anything. I'm not going to be able to bring along anyone. We're all going on our own so, even though I'd like to help people to get there, the truth is you'll be on your own in the end, buddy. In the meantime, in utter humility and gratefulness, I feel compelled to continue to provide personal testimony of all the goodness He has done for me. If my sharing can move you an iota in the right direction, then suffering all the eye rolling would be well worth it!

By the way, if you're reading this and just passing me off as another looney Christian who's probably a loner, wimp or nerd, let me tell you that I HAVE been a partying whachamicallit before and a few years ago, I was still saying things like, "I just want to go to church and do my own thing! Don't talk to me about God!' and "I am not the sort of person to talk about God. Religion is a personal thing".
Being loved by Christ and loving Christ is no longer a religion. It is now my faith. I sit in the palm of Jesus and I place my trust in Him (even when things don't go right).

Prompting for husband

I seldom post twice in a single day. But I'd better do this now before I forget.

I received a prompting for my husband yesterday evening. I told it to him. It did not 'work' on him. Without divulging too much, he refused to budge. So after dinner, on the way to our Charismatic meeting, we had a conversation (okay, I was the one talking as usual), I was trying to explain to him why I felt he needed to do something. I felt strongly that the Lord was expecting him to do it. My man still refused to budge. Suffice to say, I was quite exasperated by the time we reached the meeting.

Yesterday's meeting turned out to be a Thanksgiving Mass. Even I cannot believe how the Lord works. The first and second readings. The homily. They were all reiterating the whole conversation I had with my man in the car to church and they were reinforcing my explanation to him! 

It was like the words were speaking to Mike and myself! Okay, I also kept poking him in the ribs. I know he still sat there arms akimbo with his head shaking and lips pursed but I know my man. He won't admit it but I think he sometimes wonders about me.

I am afraid, I too do not know what I am up to. I can only say that the more you open your heart to God's goodness like a child, the more wonders He will work in your life. All Glory to God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

By the way, my man finally relented last night (probably just to get me off his back) but we will see how it works out.

Missing MAS Flight MH370 declared in Indian Ocean

On 24 March 2014, MAS Flight MH370 has been declared by the Malaysian Government to have gone missing in the Indian Ocean. They seem absolutely certain. Well, certain enough to make an official statement. Is it possible they will retract it tomorrow because the evidence is 'unverified'?

I do not know what other evidence they have based it on but to explain simply, the Inmarsat Satellite pings received from the missing MAS plane MH370 were studied. The angle in which the pings were received were then used to determine the supposed flight path it took after it had already fallen off the official radar.

Indian Ocean. Not a big surprise to me, given that I had received that prompting on 11 March 2014 while praying. I'm not sure I'm even glad that the prompted words of 'Indian Ocean' matched the 'official declaration' of yesterday.

I don't know.... I keep telling my husband that I half expect someone to walk out of a tropical jungle. He stared at me like I was nuts. But then again, he is quite used to this. That is probably the human side of me subconsciously and desperately wanting there to be survivors. Why did I not feel water? Why did I feel land? Plants? Heat? Did they fly very low across a tropical forest off the West of Sumatra before they hit the water in the Indian Ocean? Darn! Just to shut some incompetent morons up, I really wish a survivor would live to tell the tale!

Being in the Indian Ocean is not far fetched because the prompting I received clearly mentioned 'INDIAN OCEAN' when they had only started searching the South-China Sea. Remember I said I did not 'feel' any urgency to do anything after this personal revelation? On hindsight, perhaps it was because it was already too late.

It took some state-of-the-art technology with 'never before used' 'data analysis' for them to conclude that they were 'absolutely certain' that plane was somewhere in the Indian Ocean. It took me only a question in prayer (All Glory goes to God). O, we who think ourselves so mighty. Who then is really in charge of our lives?

To the loved ones left behind, what can I say? Take heart that this world we live in is but a temporary abode.

To those missing, I'm so so sorry. We humans are an arrogant lot. We think so highly of ourselves. Our intelligence, our technology, our assets, our status, our power! The list is endless. But we can still find you not. But I can tell you this. The Lord knew all along where you were.

Still missing the missing MAS plane MH370

I cannot and will not use the Lord's name in vain. This is especially so in regard to such a serious issue. I have no discernment if what I heard was from who I was speaking to but on 11 March 2014, I was praying and talking to the Lord (as usual) as I was driving home. I had finished singing and praying a decade of the rosary. I implored the Lord for His help in locating the plane. I asked Him where it was. I was prompted with the words Sumatra and Indian Ocean. (This is before the Malaysian authorities mentioned the relocation of the search from the South-China Sea to that part of the world). When I was prompted with those words, my first reaction was 'What? But Lord! The Indian Ocean is on the other side!'. Then I said, 'Lord. I am a nobody. What am I supposed to do with this information?' I was prompted that I was to do what I could do but I felt that it was not my position to 'push' it. There is a reason why everything has happened the way it has and with tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of people praying, it cannot be that if the Lord willed it, we would not be able to locate the plane or wreckage (God forbid) by now. We therefore have to be patient and also understand that we do not comprehend everything that occurs nor are we expected to comprehend everything.

Let me repeat at this point, I represent no one and no particular church group when describing this. I am speaking about my experience for myself only. I have a childlike attitude towards the goodness of God and I always feel that that Lord Jesus loves and watches over me unceasingly. This does not mean that He doesn't love anyone else and it doesn't mean that He loves me more. I just love being childlike with Him. It's difficult, given in reality, I am a cynical adult.

I am not a fortune teller nor am I clairvoyant (as yet, I think). I do not dabble in the occult. I just love God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit and Mother Mary, all the Angels and Saints. I've just come to love and appreciate my guardian angel. I gravitate towards Saint Anthony, Saint Padre Pio and Saint Therese of Liseux (not that the other Saints are less important!). I cry when I think of the sacrifices Jesus and Mary and Joseph made for us. I just know that I talk to the Lord and hear promptings. I never asked anyone else to discern this particular prompting because the human side of me does not enjoy being mocked. So I cannot technically confirm the 'source' of the prompting. That would be reckless of me. 

I could eventually be proven wrong. I don't really care, as long as they find the plane. It's not like I am some money making fortune teller who is worried that if I make a prediction that doesn't turn out to be true, I will lose customers! I also need to say that I did not receive any promptings (perhaps because I did not ask) about the reason for this incident. But I feel it so strongly in me that it will not remain a mystery.

I'm probably making a fool out of myself. I feel the ocean but the plane is not in the water. It is on land.. I feel heat. I feel plants. It is REMOTE. I could be feeling everything wrong. But what have we to lose? We have already lost 239 humans on a large plane! I am a nobody but God willing, if anyone who can make a difference happens to read this. Please search the area WEST of SUMATRA. Please God, please.

My husband wonders why I am so obsessed with having this plane found. Interesting question. I told him well because there was a boy on board who had studied in Singapore for 4 years prior. He was a year older than our son and a year younger than our daughter! He went through our gruelling education system and he was on a well-deserved break with his parents after just receiving his GCE 'A' Level results! He had probably been separated from his parents all those years. My heart goes out to him. 

Then I thought about it further. That's not the only reason. The real reason is because I received that prompting about Sumatra and the Indian Ocean when the authorities were still searching the South-China Sea. Yes. That's the reason. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that they would do an about turn and start searching in the opposite direction. I do not mind putting all of this in writing and making a fool out of myself. As long as the plane gets found and there is some closure for the loved ones waiting. 

Lord Jesus, please help. Mother Mary, please intercede. All the Angels and Saints, please intercede with your prayers. Thank you. Amen.

Missing MAS Plane MH370

Malaysian Airlines (MAS) plane MH370 fell off the radar on 8 March 2014 and todate, is still missing.

I've felt so helpless and upset since I learnt of the missing plane on the Saturday morning of 8 March. Why? Because of the proximity, any one of us could have been on that flight to Beijing. Because at the age of my kids, they are now capable of travelling on their own. Because of the circus-like handling at press conferences, I feel even more empathy for the loved ones clinging to the thinnest thread of hope. 

No one doubts this is a very difficult situation for any government to handle. But by now, by their own doing, no one doubts 'their' incompetence or lack of PR skills either.

This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever written on this blog but this is my take on where the plane is. I told it to my husband and son on 11 March 2014 and they of course reacted with disbelief (at how crazy I can be). Like the hundreds and thousands of busybody armchair, online, warriors, my take on the missing plane is:

In the direction of  "Sumatra" -- > In a ravine near a remote coast, somewhere near the Indian Ocean --> Some survivors.

Okay, laugh all you want. If some witch doctor at KLIA is allowed to tell you his take, then so shall I. At least I am not saying it is either in the air or in the ocean!

When I told that to my son on 11 March, he rolled his eyes in exasperation at me and reminded me that the 'INDIAN OCEAN' was in the opposite direction of the intended flight path. I just kept quiet. That is until today, when I learnt that U.S investigators have started searching the Indian Ocean. Keeping my fingers crossed. Please God, help.

Jesus loves me

How often do we wonder if God even hears us?

On a clear, sunny, blue-skied day with little worries at hand, one may not even hear God, let alone on a day overcome with anxieties, blinded by fear; the fear caused by our inability to control issues or situations in our lives.

As I usually do, I had my heart-to-heart talk with Jesus while I was driving alone last Friday and had asked for His forgiveness that I had felt really rotten that day because of a certain situation. His words to me were simple and firm. I was reminded that I was clearly a servant and I was being paid by my master to do the work. I was instructed to do the work with gladness in my heart.

Bummer. It kinda hurt that He wasn't all soft and lovey-dovey. He had stated a fact I could not dispute! He had told me exactly what my husband has been drilling into my head for the longest time! But God our ever-loving Father also reminded me that 'the Master above sees'. At dinner, I related the conversation I had with God to my other half. He of course was over the moon that he had already been telling me that and perhaps if it came from God, I would finally listen! (I shall not get into the details of the long lecture I received from my blessed other half).

The next day, I attended a retreat and this was one of the passages mentioned (Luke 17: 7-10)
"Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? Of course not! Instead, you say to him, 'Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.' The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty."

The affirmation of His message to me is clear. Yes, I agree. I need to stop whining about the situation. I am paid to do the work. The execution of it by the earthly 'master' should not be of concern to me. I am only to do my duty as agreed by my acceptance of the dues paid to me. But more than that, I have walked away from Friday's and Saturday's messages with a joyful step in my heart. I know people tell you this all the time, you read it all the time but this was a personal affirmation to me. It is that Jesus hears my every cry and feels my pain and where I am today, at this point in my life, carrying the cross I carry, He has made it clear to me that He hears me!!! Thank you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.

GCE 'O' Level Results 2014

Happy and ever so grateful that the boy is done with secondary school and headed into a new and exciting chapter in his life. PSLE seems so recent and yet so far away. Probably because it was a big milestone (or rather, millstone around us Singapore parents' necks). Also pleasantly surprised that he picked up a school character award when he went to collect his GCE 'O' Level results. This is on top of the Edusave character award he had already received recently. Proud of him. Proud of both my kids! Feel so blessed. 

Thank you, Lord (because Lord, I know you read my humble blog and I'm not even kidding). 

Michael and I have been truly blessed by you, Lord and I know you are continuously watching out for us : ) 

I also want to thank you, Lord for opening my eyes and heart to embrace a new and better future. Thank you!

I love my husband

I love my husband.
He loves God.

I love my husband.
He is my go to person for whining. He's NOT a good listener, mind you. He turns his attention away at the most inappropriate times! He walks away while you are in mid-sentence. Have something urgent to speak your mind on? He might just fall alseep just when you get to the juicy part! In fact, he's the worst person to whine or complain about anything or anyone to! If you expect comfort in your time of need, he'll give you a good nagging so you might actually feel worse than before you confided in him! He doesn't care to know that you need TLC. Uh uh. He'll get what you're trying to say all mixed up and he nags you to knock some sense into you. Actually, I say 'you' when I really mean me and I don't know why I still whine to a man who doesn't want to hear my whining!!! Note all my exclamation marks!!!

I love my husband.

He does for me, things, many other husbands would not. He can whip up a decent fried rice. So decent, the kids think I will never outdo his! He's really good at housework. He mops! He does the laundry! (OK, no one's perfect! The ironing piles up because he and I both dislike ironing, much!) He's always there for me even when it's like he's never there!!!

I love my husband.

He does for the kids, things, many other fathers would not. He drives them around everywhere! He's been their unpaid chauffeur for 2 decades! He loves them and they know it. He loves them and I know it and because he loves our children so much, I love him for it.

I love my husband.
He loves people and you can see it in the way he treats others. He loves without asking much of others. He loves without asking much for himself.

I love my husband.
He may be this, he may be that. He may not be this, he may not be that. But at the end of day, when he climbs into bed, he'll wrap his arms (and legs) tightly around me, snore loudly into my ear and I'll know that he loves me (or maybe I just make a good bolster!!!)!!!

I love my husband
He seems like a toughie but those few vulnerable moments when we are together and he and I connect, I know the man that he really is and I love him.