Rainbow

You are the rainbow in my life, dear Kate.

In the bible, rainbow is "a reminder of God's promises" (paraphrased by the sister); which rings true for the husband and I because we both wanted a child and we both had secret pacts within our heads & hearts. Rainbow is also a thing of fleeting beauty, the fleeting in reference to fact that it is beautiful but scarce; thus precious.

My personal story is that Kate is my treasure/pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Yesterday evening, we caught a beautiful sight.

Amidst the trauma that the world is going through these days, with so much unhappiness and deaths and despair going on, I feel love and warmth and faith in my heart as I admired the miracle of nature with my little 10.7kg gold bar.

I'd caught the treasure.

3 years ago

We said "I do", exchanged vows & rings and began a life of partnership.

It's been a great ride and I look forward to many more years together. When we dated 15years ago, you said that you enjoyed watching old couples (the ah-gongs and ah-mas) because they'd been through so much together.

I want to be an ah ma and you the ah gong that youngsters snigger at when they see us holding hands while walking.

Happy 3rd year anniversary, my love.

Missing you

Dear Kate,

I feel like we haven't spent much time together lately. I'm totally in the groove of working and I think that you're very comfortable with Papa, so much so that you seem, to me, very independent. I miss you so much, right now.

Loving you, Mommy

Daddy's day out with his girl

The husband was off work yesterday and he spent the day out with his girl.

Taken at the train station; they took public transport!

They ended up mucking around for hours at IKEA, before I picked them up after work.

How many wives can say that their husband are independent enough to bring their kid out on their own? Via public transport? Not once, twice but several times before (though not every time via public transport)?!

I'm so proud of my husband.

On the same note, the two of them have bonded so well that Kate prefers the husband to carry/rock her to sleep!

18 March 2011

I had a lovely day celebrating my birthday with the husband and Kate. Thank you for making my life so much better, happier, more fulfilling with your presence and your love.

Horsing around at Spruce's kiddy playground

Kate's first time to the beach. We spent the day lazing at Sentosa after filling our tums.

What's not to love about this pink bumble-baybee?!

Thai dinner, surprise cake from the husband.
Thank you for keeping your promise of giving me a cake every year. It's been 6 years and every year gets sweeter as our love strengthens.

Last surprise of the day: a giant sunflower bouquet, as tall as Kate! Thanks to the WAGs.

Three-One

So. You'd think that turning thirty one was a piece of cake. I mean, you'd already turned the corner from 20s to 30s and it's not as "big a deal" as becoming the big "three-oh". Right?

Guess so, but maybe not.

I've been feeling slightly antsy, and I've expressed my views to more than one person, about how I'm feeling more anxious turning thirty one than last year, when I hit thirty. How odd. I wonder what the cause is. A friend gave his point of view, that turning thirty was easier to swallow because you'd just past twenties, so it wasn't too far behind. But thirty-one was, well, it's truly you going forth in your life and aging because the clock keeps tick-tocking already. That theory kinda makes sense, but I still don't know what it is that I'm thinking so till now, 48minutes (& counting down) before I turn 31, I still feel slightly antsy.

A more logical explanation could simply be that I was busier at work last year (I was working on my birthday for the entire day dammit!) and so I barely had time to think, let alone think about my life, my feelings and/or me. That, I think, played a huge part.

Last year, I checked against several achievements in my life at 30 including husband (check), house (check), child (check), job (check). This year, nothing's changed and I still check against all of the above, but since I'd changed jobs 3.5months ago, my life has improved, definitely for the better. I guess, after all that mindless rambling, I shouldn't feel too antsy because I know that life is good!

I have always enjoyed celebrating my birthday because it is a day about me, where I can unabashedly do what I want to do with pure abandonment, where I feel guilt-free indulging in anything at all, and it's all made sweeter because I'm at a point in my life where I'm terribly happy. What's not to like about presents, leisure time, indulgence and cakes!

And on this note, I end this post giving thanks to everything I have in my life - my family, loved ones, friends, job, the life in general is good & I am grateful.

Now, let's google where the husband, the baby and I can head off to celebrate my day...

SURPRISE!

Was pleasantly surprised in the office, by my lovely colleagues, with a very yums chocolate cake & my lunch-gang even got me a card & presents! I'm terribly touched & happy.
What an awesome way to start the day!

Today also marks the day that my lovely, spunky, mischievous, adorable, precious daughter turns 18 months old. She's one & a half years old already! Gee. Where's all the time gone?!

Cannot wait to spend all day tomorrow with the husband and the baby. Whee!

Hungry?

Kate was really cranky last night and insisted on wanting to eat some egg rolls. I promised her that I'll feed her some, after she had her dinner proper. So when she finished her dinner, I took out a roll and let her have fun with it. It crumbled, so I handed her a plate so that it'd be slightly less messy. It was soo cute seeing her pick up the crumbs with her tiny fingers, savouring every bit of the snack. I totally cracked up when she picked up the plate and put it to her mouth! HAHAHA

I love how Kate loves food with gusto. This, she definitely inherited from me. I need to say loud and clearly though, that we do not starve nor under-feed her!

Better tonight

So Kate was indeed slightly better tonight, than last. After her milk at 10pm (rather late but she was too hyper-active anytime earlier and she adamantly shook her head every time we offered her milk), she took half hour to fall asleep.

In that half hour, she talked to herself, called me and the husband many times, rolled over us many times (we were both playing dead in the darkened room the entire time), climbed off the bed and back on again many times, flung herself on the bed several times, played with the curtains some times, tossed the adult-sized bolster about several times... at least there were no teary wails and frustration.

She's well but her temperature seemed a little high, gotta keep monitoring her.

Seeing red

That's what the husband saw when Kate played with the "safety" nail-trimming scissors for children!

I didn't see it with my own eyes (just as well, I don't think I want to) but the husband told me that Kate cut herself with the scissors today and that she bled and her whole hand was red.

Gulps.

"What was her reaction?" I asked.

"She was still cutting," he said.

Oh boy.

She doesn't seem to be suffering from any trauma or upset or anything really, post the episode. I guess it's great that I wasn't present cos as it is, I seem to be the one most affected!

Unhappy Kate

Kate's been a fitful baby pre-sleep. I'm not sure if it's because she's over-stimulated and/or over-tired, but over the weekend, she's been a very restless and unhappy baby before going to sleep. She cries, she struggles, she wants to walk around and well, she doesn't seem to know what she really wants. All I know is that she is terribly grumpy, very frustrated and very unhappy.

Dear Kate,
I hope you settle down and go to sleep happily like you used to. Is it because Mommy's upset you with me having gone away and come back to you again? You seem confused when you cry and ask for Papa, then me, then Papa, then me repeatedly. Are you feeling uncomfortable/unwell somewhere and are not able to express to us what it is that is causing you distress? The last time you behaved this way, it was when you were ill and teething. Whatever it is, I hope that you feel well again very soon so that you aren't so unhappy. I'm sad seeing you behave in this incoherent manner.

Be happy soon, my dear.

Love, Mommy

Cool weather makes you happier

I really believe that. Cos I was a happy monkey the 4 days that I was in Hong Kong!

Kate, very happy and amused in this luggage-pram thingy at the airport (amazing things that are catered for kids). This was at 7.30am in the morning, btw.

A close-up: "Smile baby!"

After we said our goodbyes at the gates, I headed to purchase travel insurance via the internet terminals. The husband was kindly helping out to ensure that I managed to get coverage and phew, I'm glad I managed to. It's more a safety than a real need, but that's insurance for you. I managed to squeeze in time to pop into the duty-free cosmetic counter and got myself a Dior tinted lipstick. I made it to the gate 15minutes before take-off and my boss was so alarmed that I hadn't boarded that I got a call from her just as I was walking through the gantry to the plane. *oops The flight to Hong Kong was uneventful, and I found the time to myself absolutely luxurious and enjoyable. I caught the movie "The Town" which I enjoyed. The food served was yums and the dessert was Magnum ice-cream! Totally enjoyed it. The flight to Hong Kong is only 3.5hours, painless and swift.

Upon arrival, my colleagues and I headed to the hotel via cab and with an hour+ to spare before the work gig, I headed out to the streets of Tsim Tsha Tshui to revel in the Hong Kong air (and very cool air). Within 50metres of the hotel, I sighted my first Levi's logo on a random banner! Haha I had to take a picture.

Spot the Levi's logo

After roaming the streets for an hour, I was pretty familiar with the general layout of the area. In that hour, I managed to buy 3 pairs of (very cheap) shoes as well as a (rather cheap) scarf.

Happy June, post-shopping. Spot my new scarf around my neck.

Back at the hotel, I washed up and met up with the colleagues and headed for an early dinner. We had tomyam noodles soup. I got to see the Levi's office building (not the office itself, just the building) and we departed from there (a chartered bus) to the event venue.

Now, this event marks the celebration-cum-introduction to the new branding platform that Levi's is going into. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to immerse and experience the brand wholly.

Stage

With Margaret (product manager) & Gina, (my boss, division manager)

I had an early night after the event, and I was up and hitting the gym on Monday morning. I'm so glad that I packed my shoes despite people telling me that I'd not have any time to work-out! The gym was spacious and of hotel-quality, and it was quiet so I felt like it was my personal gym! Awesome. After the work-out, I went for breakfast with my colleagues. It was my first local meal of nai cha, polo bao and dan tart. Then we launched into the first day of work. It was fun and enlightening, opening up my eyes and mind to the possibilities of what can be done; as well as what the brand is all about.

At the end of the day, I headed straight to shop at H&M and went mad shopping for myself, the husband and the baby. I also invested in gifts for friends' children. I then met up with my ex-uni mate, Iva. She came along with her fiance, Daniel (my first German friend) and they shared the happy news that they're tying the knot on 2 April. It was a night of great fun talking and catching up and making a new friend. I've met up with Iva once before since we left school 10 years ago, and that was in Tokyo where I was holidaying and she was studying in 2008.

With Iva. The lovely couple treated me to dinner of Peking duck *yums

Tuesday was a full-day of work. While Monday was more a look-and-see to absorb and watch, Tuesday was the day I had to engage, interact and work through the day for the marketing workshop. It was excellent getting to meet and know the marketeers from all the Asia-Pacific offices, and interacting with them that day. I gained a lot by the end of the day.

Workshop at the W Hotel

After this full-day workshop, I was knackered! I hadn't expected to finish early, and when I did, I decided to venture out to Mongkok on my own. I rang up a local friend at the last minute and he very kindly agreed to meet up with me, together with his wife. That night, I had a late dinner with Andy and we had drinks with his wife, Irene & her girlfriends. I hadn't expected to hang out so late, but by the time we paid up and left it was past midnight.

I spent my last morning in Hong Kong at the hotel gym again. After the work-out, I headed out to the streets to do last-minute shopping. I was driven to the airport and I completed all my shopping there (food items) and it was final call by the time I reached the gates to board! I guess I cut it slightly lean by packing in so much to do but I really needed to eat my dan tart & drink nai cha before I left Hong Kong.

The flight back was great, again. I caught the movie "Convicted" and by the time I cruised back to Singapore, I was energised and eager to see my loved ones.

Great experience, happy moments, awesome trip.

Angsty baby

Simple pleasures

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this work trip to Hong Kong has been awesome in many ways. Not only did I get to immerse myself in new experiences that enrich my understanding and passion for the job, I also totally enjoyed the time outside of work. I hope to have time to jot those memories and moments down, but for now, I have to dedicate time to talk about my favorite foods in Hong Kong; breakfast. Specifically, polo bao, dan tart and nai cha.

I love food and I eat everything, but I think breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. And what's not to like about authentic nai cha & dan tart in the country that makes it so good?

Breakfast on day 2, at a cha can teng: my half-eaten egg tart with the ginormous polo bun. They were not exceptionally good though the egg tart was better because it was served warm. I daren't ask for the polo bun to be warmed up for fear that they'd spit on it or something. The tea was the yummiest item in this meal, which unfortunately does not make a cameo appearance (though you can see a bit of it in the top corner of the pic).

I didn't get to have this breakfast set on day 3, because I was rushing to the work thingy. But, thanks to a very sweet colleague from Malaysia, I got to drink yummy nai cha cos she tapau-ed it for me!

Day 4: I invested time at the gym and shopping, so I didn't manage to eat anything until I hit the airport. I'm pleased to have that 10minutes of quiet time to breathe and enjoy the food - it was truly good.

Warm egg tart bought from a bakery at the airport - it tasted much better than what I had before, the crust was thinner & buttery. I held the egg tart scouting around the place for a coffee-counter and was very pleased to locate one that served local tea. Aaahhh, nai cha with dan tart...

Dear nai cha, I'm sorry that I couldn't finish drinking all of you, & in fact barely drink half a cup. I usually cannot finish a whole cup (and you were pretty much) because I'd get caffeine OD, not to mention that it was already 1pm and I'd have developed a headache as well as not been able to sleep if I'd finished it all. It's not how much I drank, but how much I enjoyed you!

Missing you

It's the third and last night of me being away. As much as it's rather fun & exciting, I'm still looking forward to being back with you two.

See you very soon my babies.

Love!

It's nice...

... to know that you miss me when I'm away. Our roles are usually reversed (with me on home territory) and I can only do what I gotta do because you can handle the homefront.

Thanks for the support and encouragement in what I have to do. You are an awesome friend, partner and father.

Love you.

Lei Ho! from Hong Kong

Dai ka hou! (literal translation: everybody hello!)

I'm writing this from Hong Kong, on my maiden work trip. The weather is absolutely lovely and it has been pretty great so far. Going to keep this short, so some key highlights the weekend before I left Singapore.

My little helper parking herself in my luggage; oh if only I could have packed her in

Us at the airport. For someone who doesn't enjoy the pram, she obviously found great delight in this novel equipment

Friday, the 4th

I had a really busy day. It was fun and largely good and I was greeted with this lovely sky on the way home. The picture does not do justice to the beautiful colored pink sky that I saw with my eyes. I love to watch the sky and nature and appreciate what we have around us. It's so easy to get caught up with the this and the that so much so that you forget what is just there.

Evening sky on my drive home this Friday at about 7pm

The poor husband is hit by a bug, let's just say he didn't have the most fun of them days (in fact, he ended up doing nothing). After a simple dinner at home, we brought Kate out to the suburban mall and the husband was in one of his Daddy-moods where he bought Kate something. Make that, he said that he promised her to buy her something so he looked for something to buy for her.

Kate with her new buy, "narnee" bag

Happy Friday!

Happy times

... with the sister. Sometimes, you have to steal time (ahem, literally) to do something special with special person. So we did. A drive that would have been excruciating, made bearable with lovely (spastic) company; topped with dramatic-exclamations ($THREE DOLLARS?!???!) that started off the date just awesome. Of course we also had ditzy moments such as printing miscue (what coupon?), "takes times" and angsty cashiers (uh, you wanna go home but we need to eat. and the sign says Open.) It was all worth it and terribly fun. Thank you.

... with the husband. The curry fish-head was so-so, but the time and company with you was priceless. Thanks for the encouragement, for the support, for your love, for sharing your rice; I've missed you with you being so busy this week!

Life's good with special times and moments such as these. I'm a lucky girl.

We love you

I love how you look when you first wake up in the morning. You rub your eyes, yawning. They look dreamy. If you don’t see me, you’ll call out “MAMA”; but when you lay your eyes on me, you’re comforted then you continue laying in bed, you stretch your body and wordlessly watch me prepare for work.

I always say ‘good morning!’ and I give you kisses and when I tell you “I love you, ok?”, you nod your head; I am happy that I offer you comfort and that I envelope you with love so that you are a secure, confident and happy child.


You say “orr orr” to Ah Ma, and she holds you to her chest, rocking you lightly while singing the Hokkien song “ti orr orr”. You stop wriggling for those moments, listening intently as if you understand the lyrics, or you probably just enjoy the warmth and love you feel while being hugged tightly.

We love you, Kate.

For you

Because you so poor thing, have to work overnight, I hereby dedicate this post to you with lovely pics of your loved ones.

She allowed me to leave the pin on her hair long enough to take a picture!
"nai nai" (nice nice)

Not sure why she looked so constipated. See you tonight!

Love

Love my life, love my family, love my sister, love my brother, love my mother, love my father, love my girlfriends, love my husband, love my baby.

There's much in life to be thankful for and I want to take some moments to think about those good stuff. There's always going to be the crap bits but hey, that's life.

Love!