Countdown to 19 Jan 08!

It was a whirlwind of gatherings, activities, and preparation for me. The past 1 mth whooshed past me in a blink of an eye.

Looking back, I realised that the Xmas that just passed will be the last one where I will be celebrating alone with my hubby! I am not sure if you noticed, but once you have a kid, there is this tremendous stress to make sure Xmas has to be a huge and mah farn affair where ppl will start buying presents for your child and you have to buy presents for theirs!

I guess the best present I could ever wished for was my husband to return back to Singapore from Perth soon and he managed to do it before Xmas! In fact, his attempt to surprise me with his trip back turned into a shock for himself when he arrived home in a cab that stopped in front of mine! I gave him a shock instead! That was the most classic case of "who was more shocked"! hahahah....

The past 7 mths of handling the pregnancy alone suddenly became more manageable. Though I have been described by many friends as "independent" and "tough" and "brave to handle pregnancy alone", having another person to share the load of the baby preparations and housewrk, meant I could finally heave a sigh of relief and rest better. The sudden spurt of growth of my tummy and the bb's increasing weight also proved to be rather tough for my body....exhaustion, backaches and all started to take its toll on me. Luckily I was constantly going for prenatal massages from my 7th month so it definitely made me feel better!

Well, I am now in my 37th week, which is considered full term a.k.a baby can pop any moment. Till 19th Jan 08 is but 1.5 weeks away....hopefully the baby will stay in my tummy till my trip to Mt Alvernia Hospital! Let me do my last minute shopping, read my storybooks and sleep!!!

This Xmas and New Year was definitely unforgettable for me as I prepare for motherhood. I also managed to meet up with so many friends that I have lost contact with and found even more on Facebook! I was also in the best of health in 2007...never really falling ill except for the first trimester symptoms! 2007 was definitely a year of fun and experience for me and I am really happy with all the decisions my hubby and I made with regards to our life.

To all who have shown me care and concern for the past few months, thanks so much, I really appreciate it. Happy New Year! :)

Attack of ze Bitch

You know...sometime in your life you will meet this person who seems intent on noticing what you do, what you wear, how much weight you put on and attack you maliciously?

Well, having come from a girl's school, this is fairly common. It has been sometime since this has happened to me (last time was in my first job in an IT sector) so I am surprised that while not working in an office environment, I would hear such shitty comments being made to me, especially now that I am pregnant!!! Weird right? Why would anyone be anything but extra nice to pregnant women you would ask? Well, beats me!

I am unsure of the intention of this "evil" being but I think I have been very nice and kept quiet with regards to her comments on my increasing weight, my ever increasing butt size, my clothes etc. Could it be that I refused to acknowledge her comments that she refuse to stop attacking me? hmm...I really have to think abt her puzzling behaviour.

To be fair, I have not made any comments to her physical attributes at all (even though she is out of shape) as my philosophy is "why be mean to anyone else unless you are damn perfect" and I sure dun think I am perfect! Though I try not to take her crap comments to heart as I am sure I am gaining weight since I am pregnant, but I sure am affected (not sure if itz the hormones) and disappointed.

Well, to this "evil" being, hope life treats you well. I may be nice now as I am trying not to be evil back to you as I am carrying a baby...but beware...I am not sure when my patience will run out! grrrrrrr......

I wish I had known...

I wish I had known...

i) that the initial morning sickness I suffered was named day sickness as mine lasted the whole day! and it lasted 14 weeks.....:(

ii) that getting pregnant is not a happy joyous thing from the start....I started off becoming grumpy and sick especially when I had to eat the hormone pills to stabilise the pregnancy.....I felt so damn hot all the time and felt like screaming at all those around me! hehe...

iii) that the prenatal vitamins that are so called good for me and the baby are so large and hard to swallow! the freakin pills are HUGE! having trouble swallowing food was already bad enough....sheesh can't someone make these pills more "pregnant friendly"?

iv) that i would have to spend $2 per pill for a fish oil pill that is supposed to enhance the brain development of the baby! hmmm...imagine how many shoes, bags, pedicures and massages I can buy if I din have to consume this!! all the things I sacrifice for motherhood..hahahah

v) that having a baby is such a "community affair"! Once anyone sees me, all the well-intention advice starts pouring out...and I must admit that I get really confused at times!! Heaty or cooling food? Si Mi Lai??? What do you mean I cant eat this fruit? Aren't all fruits good for a person if taken in moderation?

The most stressful part is when your gynae proclaims that u can eat ANYTHING (even pineapples!) but not herbal stuff.....and you get all these "why you so kia see" kind of comments from your elders! "What you mean cannot eat herbal stuff?" they would ask me....So how? Listen to gynae or all these "people who have given birth to so many children"? U tell me!!! stress rite?

Frankly all these contradicting things about food and what NOT to do (eg cannot squat down) can sometimes be too much for someone who is trying to adjust to her mood swings, body aches, nausea and dizzy spells..kekekke...But in all fairness, everyone is concerned so I dun hold it against them. :) Know what I do? I eat different food when I am with different people!! I know it's cheating but I'd rather not get scolded or daggar stares when I consume that piece of potato chip! hahahaha...

vi) that some of the horrid symptoms from my first trimester will revisit me as I enter my third trimester! feeling even heavier and tired this time, its so scary to have mood swings and bouts of "feeling damn hot" at weird times of the day! I also cannot push myself to walk too much anymore or I will suffer the consequence of swollen feet and back aches at night. :(

vii) that people will treat me like I am some endangered species! hehe..It's actually them being extra careful with what I eat and do but sometimes pregnant people just want to be treated like a normal one too! hahahah..

viii) that going to toilet to pee will take up such a big chunk of my time especially during the night when i am supposed to SLEEP! yikes...

Hope I have not scared any of u ladies who are planning to get pregnant...take it in your stride ....the way I am trying hard to!! hahahha

FAQs...

I have been dealing with FAQs in my previous jobs as I am always dealing with clients/customers so attempting to answer all possible questions is something I am familiar with. You would think a departure from the working world would "release" me from such work but NOOO...I still get them and as per my wrking style, I try to tweak the answers until there are no further questions!! hehe... I always knew my job was useful!

I know it is an ineveitable thing and what else would people ask me after looking at me and my protruding belly! Here are the FAQs I have been encountering ......

1) Person A: How many months pregnant are you?When is your due date?

Me : I am currently 7.5mths (as at 19 Nov 07). Giving birth on 28 Jan 08.

(I learnt that telling ppl my pregnancy in weeks (as per what pregnancy is measured by) doesn't seem to evoke any understanding as one of my friend remarked "wah u are 4 mths pregnant already ah" when I told her I was 24 weeks! I am like "No...24 divide by 4 is 6mths leh"....it has happened so many times until I decided to tell ppl in mths for better understanding. However, a full term pregnancy is actually 40 weeks which is of course 10 mths so it also kinda confuses people when I say I am going to give birth end Jan 08..sheesh...

2) Person B: Is it a girl or boy?

Me: Boy

Person B: Wah your parents-in-law must be very happy! At least U dun have to worry anymore cos you have a son.

(Hello!! what era is this huh? what's up with having a son as opposed to a daughter?I mean, look around you, isn't it obvious having a daughter nowadays is so much better? Anyways my idea is that having a healthy child is so much more important than the gender. gosh...)

3) Person C: Wah you going to give birth pretty soon hor? (this person thinks a child is born in 9mths instead of 10mths) Aiyo when is your husband coming back?

Me: He has to complete his training first. He will be back before end December.

(me not sure and lying cos if I dont give a date, the conversation will never end..hehe)

4) Person D: Which hospital you going to?

Me: Mt Alvernia ...my gynae gave me a choice of Gleneagles, Mt Alvernia and Thomson Medical. I am choosing Mt Alvernia because its the nearest to my home.

Person D: Huh really ah? I prefer Thomson Medical/Gleaneagles leh. The service there so much better. The food at the food court also nicer. I think the nurses there more professional than Mt Alvernia.

Me : Oh, is it ? hehe..(me gives a sickly smile and wonders when this person will stop convincing me to change hospital :S)

5)Person E : Your tummy is a little small hor? How much weight you put on ah?

Me: Small meh? I checked with my gynae and the size of the tummy doesn't indicate if the baby is big or small. My last check showed the baby is growing well. Anyways I am glad my tummy is not too big if not I will be suffering backaches. I should have put on abt 10-12 kg so far.

Person E: Ok la. I guess it doesn't look so huge because you are so tall. In fact, you don't look pregnant at all. (Me gives a grateful smile at this last statement as it indicates I am not a whale! hahah..but then thinking of it, if i don't look pregnant then what? I look fat ah?)

Person E (continues) : You know ah, the last time I am pregnant, I ate so much, always so hungry...I think I put on at least 20kg! U not eating well is it? Cannot diet at this time you know. U must eat more to have a fat round baby! Don't worry abt losing weight...look at me now!

Me: (totally unconvinced by this person since she is not TAT slim so I try to entertain her) Is it? wah you lose the weight very fast and now you are so slim

Person E: The trick is to breastfeed. Once you breastfeed, you will become slim like me. Very fast one. But once you stop breastfeeding, you will put on weight.

(images of a cow pumping milk flashes through my brain...and I imagine myself possibly being one soon...sigh...i start calculating : how many mths must I breastfeed in order to maintain the "new slim me" after 9mths of "fat ol me"... siao liao)

Well I suppose everyone has some level of concern over my current well-being so I practise and answer all these FAQs with a level of patience that I normally would not have. So, pls do not worry abt asking me the above, I promise not to slap you unexpectedly....hahahaha..

As I start my 3rd trimester with "new" symptoms and aches, I am mentally preparing myself for what's ahead......in the meantime if I bite your head off for no reason whatsoever, pls ignore me.......I read that my hormone level is at an all time high as I approach the birth date! sheesh....

Crash Test Mommy...

I always watch this TV show Crash Test Mommy on Discovery Home and Health where a person gets to experience the life of a "mother" for 2-3 days. This person will normally be the sister or mother of the "mother". They would normally start off by saying things like " I can't understand why her house is always in a mess etc"...and end off by saying " I am sure I can do a better job than her". The person will normally end up emphatising with the "mother" on how taxing her job is and understanding why the house will never be neat. Basically most of them kinda wanna give up after 1 day with the kids!! They also can't wait to return the kids to the "mother". Scary leh!! Whoever says working is easier than staying at home to take care of kids must be joking!!!

From this, I never underestimate how stressful it is for my elder sis who has to stay at home w 2 hyper kids. I learnt to be more understanding where the "state" of her house is concerned cos I personally witnessed the 2 kids messing it after she just cleaned up! hehe..

My siblings and I always try our best to relieve my sis of her kids to give her a break. Of course now that I am pregnant, I can't handle them alone as u need to be able to be really alert to "catch" them when they slip away.

Last weekend, my mum brought Anna and Elijah to my place and I decided to be brave and bring them to cut their hair. Note that Elijah has refused to cut his hair on many occasions and I decided that it was worth a challenge to see if I can make him change his mind! Of course, poor Anna who did not really need a hair cut gamely went along with being a "good example" for her younger bro by cutting her hair first. See the pics below for their facial expressions!! I need to qualify that he tried to run out of the salon many times and I had to force him back in. In the end, he sat on my poor mum's legs and my mum had to endure stray hair all over herself while restraining him!! hehehe..the job of a grandma is def not easy!

All in all, I am so glad I finally helped my sis with this errand though I am not sure if the haircut was that nice since he kept twisting his head left and right! The hairdresser also got quite confused on which side he cut already! kekeke..


As I am able to spend more time with my niece and nephew during this time, I try to meet them as often as I can. I anticipate that there will be at least half a year where I will be so sleep deprived that I can't function so I wanna play with them while I can! :) Here we are at Ikea with 2 of them playing at the children's section. Cute hor??

It is always so easy to "return" the children back to the mother after one whole day of fun. I guess my life will change dramatically pretty soon...:)

Phase 2: Itz happy days again!

Now that I am well into the 2nd trimester, which consists of 4-6 mths of my pregnancy, I suddenly realised that I am my old self again!! :) Well, not realli the same but u get what I mean.

The sudden surge of energy that filled my body was amazing since I was extremely sickly in the 1st 3 mths and I thank God for that! It made me appreciate life so much more and the simple act of being able to walk around without feeling dizzy or puky made me so happy. It so weird how much we can take for granted when we are in proper good health so I can well understand why those ppl who recover after going through a major illness have so much zest for life.

I took advantage of my mobility and good health by contacting friends and relatives. I somehow developed this fear that my life was going to change once my baby is delivered and I'd better start going out and enjoying myself. I think I may have overdid it for some days as my legs would swell and ache. hehe...I also took on small projects which mostly allowed me to work from home. All in all, I must say that it was time well spent though many people kept asking me "what do you do all day? Not boring meh?" *keke* ...somehow being "available" means people will automatically seek you to go out (actually they are all curious on how I look w my tummy!!).... Mentally I kept reminding myself to "enjoy the peace and quiet" that I have now and the fact that I only have to worry about myself and my meals.

Though itz definitely not the same going through the pregnancy without your husband by your side to cater to your whims and massage your aches, I think it definitely made me more independant as a person. My husband on the other hand contacted me daily and tried to read up on pregnancy stuff so when I tell him any symptoms I was encountering, he would discuss with me what it meant and all and when I should alert the doctor. I have never ever seen him so "studious" with anything before so I m kinda glad he is taking the effort to know more so I can leave all the tedious reading to him!!.hehehe...

Of course him not being here meant that I couldn't suddenly "feel like eating" Changi Village Nasi Lemak or Jalan Kayu Roti Prata. I have heard of friends who "torture" their hubbies with such weird requests...for me, I try to drink a cup of milk or eat biscuits to tahan the cravings who incidentally love to "attack" me at the midnight hour. Just a few nights ago, I kept thinking of Moss Burger fries and McNuggets! gosh it was torturous!..I then try to tell myself repeatedly" it's for your own good, eat so much will also put on weight!"....somehow this trick has worked really well and I hope it can continue all the way until I give birth!!

I have been told that if a pregnant woman has a craving, she should satisfy it , if not the kid will turn out dissatisfied and make a lot of trouble for you! Not sure if it is a proven thing or old wive's tale, but it has been 6 mths that I have not catered to my cravings. I guess I will let you know after my child is born on how satisfied or dissatisfied he is!Hopefulli i won't get tortured! :S

I noticed that perks of being pregnant meant that everyone around you is extra concerned and nice to you. My cousin was telling me this "perk" will expire once your baby is born! wah where got such thing! heh..

Being a person who was very used to doing things for myself and helping others since a young age, it takes me a lot of effort to accept help when friends/relatives volunteer. I know many people will willingly sit back and relax but I just can't! call me weird or whatever...I guess I don't believe a pregnant person has to behave like an "invalid". On this note, I admit that I also have on occasions overstretched myself doing housewrk or carrying stuff so I learnt to "know my limits" as I have an additional responsibility to take care of this little person growing inside me.

Well I am about to hit the 3rd trimester, where many have warned me that it will be tough for some people. I guess I will never be prepared no matter how many books I read or shows I watch so I will have to learn to cope as it goes. Already I am suffering from swollen achy legs and back pain so I hope my symptoms won't get any worse! "cross fingers*

Cutie Pies on Mooncake Nite!

Nope I haven't had the mood to start my baking again..keke...it's realli quite a mystery to me as I used to have such an incredible sweet tooth before I got pregnant! What happened to it? How come I dun feel like eating muffins, brownies, cookies or even tau sar bao?!! Without saying, mooncakes are off my "to eat" list at the moment ..sigh...

For those who have not been pregnant before, it's definitely hard to understand. Imagine taking a bite of warm chocolate cake with delicious vanilla ice cream...and not feeling even an ounce of excitement or happiness!! Imagine that!!...sigh...somehow having that "no happy feeling" makes me feel even more depressed. So I guess, until I feel the craving, I better avoid all my fave sweet stuff.. :(

Here ,instead of pics of my cakes/muffins, are pictures of my energetic niece and nephew , Anna and Elijah. Kids at their age (5 and 3)..they can either be a pain or joy (depending on their moods)...I guess having taken care of them at times gives me an idea of how rearing a child could be like...and I sure emphatise with my sis!! Where in the world does one get all these energy to keep up with them? hehe.... I guess I will find out soon enuff!


1) Anna and Elijah sitting in the park posing for my lousy handfone camera (i forgot to switch on the night mode!! sigh)...in one of those rare moments where they are super cooperative!!
2) Elijah concentrating real hard to make weird shapes with the sparklers...don't u think he has the potential to be Singapore's Harry Potter? :P

3) Anna makes a huge effort to conjure a circle with her sparklers. Just for your info, she did this like at least 20 times so that we could capture it on the camera!!keke... Best part is she did not complain!!

Phase 1 : A new life in the works!

As many of my friends and family can see by now, I have developed a bump! A bump which contains a little life that is currently 22 weeks old. It is definitely an amazing thing I must say since I am the one experiencing all the weirdest sensations and changes to my body! hehe...

You would think that after seeing so many pregnant women around, and hearing the equally horrifying stories, you would be kind of prepared of what was to be expected.

My first 3 mths which incidentally is called the 1st trimester, was pretty rough.Unluckily, I was not one of those lucky ladies who breeze through pregnancy without a hitch. I had all the works! Morning/Evening sickness, dizziness, fatigue , vomitting and all the weird ass symptoms you read in books...phew! It was amazing how a person can still stay sane after going through all these!!

Of course, I was still in Perth when I started off with all these symptoms so it was extremely tough on my hubby. Thank God it was winter in Perth so the weather was cool enough for me (preggers have very high body temp!) and I stayed in a peaceful place so it was very comfortable for me. Having to "tahan" my vomitting bouts was enough to turn me off food and it was difficult to find food that suited me. All the thoughts of ingesting nutritious food and all for the growing foetus was not even in my priorities!! Instead I ate biscuits, cereal, potato chips, chocolates and fruits ...all other food (especially after I cook them) just made me wanna puke..*grimace*. My hubby tried to cook but he had to air the kitchen or eating area before I could eat..I suddenly developed this extremely keen sense of smell where any food/cooking smell made me puky ..sheesh...It was unbelievable to me at that time that a person can feel that way...and I can imagine how frustrating the people around me must feel!!!!

I kept reading that the symptoms of the 1st trimester would disappear by 2nd trimester so that gave me hope that it would all pass sooon! I then came back Singapore so that I could have the proper checks from my gynae here. It was still my first trimester...and though it was just 12 weeks..I was literally counting down the days. I was still sick in Singapore and the humid weather and city noise made it worse. It did not help that I was alone as my hubby as still in Perth.

I was really glad I had a great family and a great friend(who was also pregnant)'s support as I was too sick to even cook or walk downstairs to buy my own food. At that point, I found it incredible that women actually wanted babies and some even had more than 1!! Why does one have to suffer through all these mental and physical discomfort for 9mths? As I was eating some medication to stabilise my pregnancy, I was literally feeling "pissed off" and in a PMS mood every day due to the medication. Gosh... I can imagine what a pain in the ass I must have been to everyone around me. I felt so bad especially since my siblings tried their best to accompany me and got their heads bitten off by me! And for no apparent reason, I would start crying uncontrollably!!! hehe.... I scared my dad who walked into my room once and saw me crying like there was no tomorrow! He must be thinking when he would need to admit me to a mental institute...*hyuk hyuk*

Special Delivery all the way from Perth from my hubby to cheer me up!!

At that point I was confined to bed (doctor's orders) since my pregnancy was unstable and did not contact any of my friends. It was tough for me as I was a very energetic person who walked a lot and did lotsa stuff. When the 1st trimester was finally over (at 12 weeks), I magically woke up from this "bad" mood that was eating at me. I guess stopping my medication helped a lot too. Yahoo!!!!! I started feeling like a "normal" person again, but with a bigger tummy and decided it was time to tell the world that I was back in Singapore!!!

Revival!!!

I am back! Yup back in good ol' humid Singapore, back to my family and friends, back to yummy food and back to blogging!

I was bugged by many on why I suddenly stoppped blogging.....reason is....No Reason! hehe...Suddenly I have no more inspiration to "gossip" or say anything. That's of course not to say that my life is suddenly THAT boring...hehehe....far from it!

I realise that I tend to blog a lot when I am overseas ...which was the main reason why I set up my blog and spent so much time taking photos(irritating the hell out of those who were dining with me!heh) and allowing my family and friends to find out what I was up to. You would expect my blog and pictures would explain what I had been up to...YET I realise that many people always ask me with this peculiar expression , "WHAT exactly do you do in Perth everyday?". .and they really want to know a day by day account (i am not joking!). I know the reason for the "popular" question is becos Perth is well known to be a slow slow place with nothing to do. Also being there with my husband( who is working) and I am not working....so people really want to know how I could spend my few months there without dying of boredom.

On the other hand, I spent an even longer time staying in Ho Chi Minh City, being even more bored and ended up watching a lot of TV just becos it was a working stint....yet everyone seems to think it is so exciting to be there.. haha...

From both overseas experience, I deduce that most people feel that life is so much more exciting when one is working and not when one is taking time off to enjoy life...I mean it is considered one of the deadly sins in Singapore if you are deemed to quit your job to take a break!! haha...

Having such a peculiar shift in my lifestyle one year back into what all my friends call a "tai tai" lifestyle (they are too polite to call me an unemployed useless bum!) , I personally feel that breaking away from the norm of the typical executive lifestyle in Singapore is something one should attempt to do once in your life just maintain your sanity and mental health. I know of friends who toil in job after job, with no breaks in between, complaining of "no life"and "bad health", sacrificing precious family and friends to wrk late and weekends....just to chase the "lifestyle" deemed acceptable by the society. Comments such as" how can you quit a job just like that? You mean you quit your job WITHOUT another job? What abt your house, your family?You are married you know! You very rich ah, husband support you is it?". These "reality check" comments from kind souls are enough to scare one into sticking on with a shitty job. I mean, who DARES to take a break from work?

I definitely know and have experienced all these comments which kinda irritated me at the start since SO MANY people kept repeating the same thing to me for doing something so unorthodox but ultimately I am responsible for my own life and did not have to explain to anyone what I wanted to do (except my hubby of course!) .

To me, it could be the fact that I was approaching the big ol 30 and realised that I have not much time to do what I want since I would need to be a "responsible and stable daughter, wife and mother". These are the times when I look toward my swinging single "executive" friends who can afford to "go out for weekly drinks at the latest clubs" or "go for the latest Gucci sale" with envy. I guess starting a family and owning a home forces one to "grow up" and you will naturally restrict your carefree ways. So I gather, what better time to work and stay overseas, especially when my husband also decided on a career change that will base him overseas? It was fortunate for me that my hubby shared the same thoughts as me (he knows me best!) and he also supported my decision to do something different since we did not have too many financial/family burdens at that moment. We then planned our overseas transition quite smoothly and managed our relationship while being in different countries for the past year pretty well. If I look back now at both our plans, I would say this definitely had been the experience of our lives and despite all the tough adjustments and luggage packing, I would not trade it for anythg else (well, unless its a Gucci bag!).

Of course, to end off my "globe trotting" experience, I am currently expecting a baby! Now you know why I am back in Singapore!! *grin*

23May07 Surprise

Had a midnight surprise from my hubby who came back late (now tat I think abt it, he must have purposely come back late, if not I will uncover his "surprise"..hehe)..

1) 12midnite - Presenting a beautiful gerbera packaged in a cool orange box, an Elmo pastry and a card ...note that all the colours match and all my fave colours some more! wah..not bad huh..

2) Close up of Elmo pastry - Itz actually made of marshmallows and placed on top of 2 cookies. Cute!!3) My presents!! :)

Had a great bday lunch at the Bluewater Grill (Perth)..Its a restaurant recommended by a friend who said that this used to be a mental hospital converted into a restaurant. I am so glad I chose my Bday to eat here..Its such a nice peaceful restaurant with a great view!

The food is fantastic...we did not eat a lot though as we had a heavy breakfast....For some reason, I forgot to take pics of the restaurant..sigh..

1) Beer battered Fish and Chips.....this one wins all the fish and chips I have eaten in Perth so far! The crunchy batter combined with the succulent fish is sooo good.*yumz* It comes with fries that is fantastico(I am a fries person so I can judge them realli well) and a garlic cream sauce that is light and tasty.2) Seafood Wood Fire Pizza......the fresh seafood marinated in herbs and chilli baked on the thin and crispy base is great! 3) After lunch, we went to Corica, which is a famous Apple Strudel shop in Perth to buy my bday cake. In Singapore, we have similar ones (Renaldo and Ritz Apple Strudel). The pastry is sooooo nice...must be the quality of the milk here...the cream and custard has a much creamier taste than the ones in Singapore. * drools*

Now I can officially scream....I AM NO LONGER IN MY LATE LATE TWENTIES!! AARGH..:<

Surprise!!

A surprise package arrived for me this morn..bright and early! Here are the pics....thanks to my lovely lil' sis who made the effort and to all my dear family who are far far away for sending my gift one day earlier.....errr are u trying to remind a certain person in case "he" forgets? Wat a brilliant move lil sis!!! * sneaky laugh*

1) Hmmm...how come I get a package in a box that is labelled "Baba's Curry Powder"? Isn't that the brand of curry my MIL uses?!
2) AHHH....here's a cute bear holding bouquet of pink and purple flowers (my fave) trapped in the box! cute huh..like a prisoner..hehehe..3) Here's the card that came w the flowers.....a nice bday wish from my dear family.....whoops Addey and Raven...they spelt your name wrongly. I noticed the florist shops here are different in SG. If u order a bouquet of flowers in SG, the person who receives it will get a computer typed card unlike a hand-written one here in Perth....makes it seem as if the sender actualli sent the card personally doesn't it?

4) Me with my "just woke up but happy face" posing with the bear...its as soft as "ba hu"..I like!5) The Bear's new place......my side table!

Apple Pie Muffins

I have a truckload of apples that was given by some kind souls who bought too much...nah a tuckload sounds too much heh..itz just A LOT of apples for 2 persons. Well, I have been faithfully trying to keep my doctor away by eating apples..but can't seem to finish them! As usual, I try to think of ways to put them into my meals....

I was asked to attempt to make Apple Pie, Apple Crumble, Apple Turnover...but those are boring rite?! I decided to make apple pie filling and put it into my muffins instead! It turned out GREAT! The stewed apples tasted just right...not too sweet...yum yum...will definitely make it again.

Home cooked goodness..

Some home cooked food I made (those that I rememberd to take a photo!)..

1) Home made fluffy pancakes..almost can rival Macs Hotcakes!
2)Mini Chicken Pies ..using a muffin tray to bake! Ingenious idea huh..heh. This time round, the chicken pies are successful and tasted great. Feedback from "testers" were it tastes better than Jesters Pies (famous pie shop in Perth). "grin grin*

3) Chicken Pie Foldover (using the left over filo pastry from the above pies, I pieces them together and tried to form an acceptable shape)..not that bad an effort huh..tasted great too! 4) Laksa Delight! ..made this laksa using a pre-mix of course...a touch of local delight for my hubby..
5) Honey Snaps ... made these using a Donna Hay (famous Australian food stylist) recipe. Alas...tho it looked fantastic, I found it to be realli difficult to eat! meaning, once the honey hardens, its like biting a rock! not joking..onli way to eat it is to heat it up. Not too sure if I did it correctly but the cookies are turned out a lovely brown colour, smelled great but tasted BLAH....will not make these again!
6) Apple Ham Salad ...using crunchy Granny Smith apples, ham, lettuce, hard boiled eggs, I concocted my own dressing using vinaigrette, mayo and sour cream (all low fat of course!). Tasted delicious!

7) Garlic Bread ...buttery warm garlicky bread....yum!
8) Minestrone Soup .... wanted to make a healthy soup filled w Veg so decided to make this soup to complement the garlic bread.
9) Burritos.....discoverd tortillas was something both my hubby and I liked so I decided to see the different ways I can make diff dishes/fillings with it. Wen warmed in the oven, with melted cheese..the tortillas are fantastic!
10) Lamb Ragout - had lamb leftover from a BBQ so decided to make a ragout (similar to a stew)...yummilicious!

Sour Cream Butter Cake

I bought a tub of sour cream for baked potatoes, a dip for french fries and for my tortilla chips (yum!). I was clearing stuff from the fridge and noted that the expiry was nearing..aargh!Why do I always buy such a large tub?! It was a cool coincidence that I came across a recipe for a Sour Cream Butter Cake. I was a little apprehensive but decided to try it..so that I can use up the sour cream asap. heheh..I also halfed the recipe , just in case it wasted weird. I altered the recipe and put dark chocolate in the cake similar to a marble cake. Hmmm.. sour cream in a cake..interesting...


I started off putting the batter in cupcakes then I realised how tiring it was swirling the melted dark chocolate into each tiny butter cake mixture..it was even worse as I was using mini cupcake liners! Being a teeny wenny lazy, I decided to pour the rest of the mixture into a loaf tin.


Here are my pics- Surprisingly, the cake tasted smooth and buttery. The dark chocolate I used was a great contrast. Too bad I halfed the recipe ...now my hubby is asking me to make it again!! *grin*

Raisin Cookies

Cookie request from Cookie Monsters to make more cookies!

I decided to try another recipe (what's new!) and alter it a little..the original recipe asked for walnuts and choc chips but I added raisins and choc chips instead. I am not sure how this affected the recipe as mine did not look like the picture shown in the original recipe.Well, I gather it may be the raisins but thank goodness it still tasted great..as reported by the cookie monsters!

Carrot Cake..ang moh style

I love Carrot Cake..both the western and eastern type. Going to Dimsum to eat the steamed radish cake or having tea in a cafe eating Carrot Cake just lights up my day. *drools* Doesn't take much to make me happi eh? well, lest you tink that all I tink is FOOD .. the reason why I am attempting to make this cake is becos there is a sale at Coles! The Carrot Cake mix is half price! * whoops u can see my 'aunty' signals going off*

This is one of the mega supermarkets similar to Carrefour in Singapore. The two other huge supermarts in Perth are Woolworths and IGA. It's soo fun to walk around and see the aisles of food...I know I am not the only girl who loves going to supermarkets to window shop the food items..but at least I am brave enuff to admit it! :) hahaha..

Well this is one of those "cheater" cakes where I use the cake mix. I decided to alter the cake a little by adding walnuts, raisins, choc buttons and grated apples. I did not make the icing on the top as I was not too keen on it. The cake turned out ok...The grated apples and raisins made the Carrot Cake moist and overall the taste is good...but not to the standard of Cedelepot(cafe in Singapore) yet...I guess I must make the recipe from scratch to see if there is a difference. But I must say using a cake mix is such a breeze...esp on the washing!

Here are my pix of the Carrot Cake:

Going Bananas over Fried Bananas

It's a banana experiment again. Went to Fremantle Market and bought a cheap pack of bananas which are ripening. My housemate has a craving for the malay snack Jemput-jemput Pisang (Fried Banana Balls) so we decided to try it out. It was surprisingly easy to make as the ingredients just required plain flour, baking powder and sugar. I also added Vanilla essence for the added taste. It was not easy making the "spherical" ball shape so the first few looked weird. Its a great recipe ..the only bad thing is the wastage of oil...but will definitely make it again! :)

Vanilla Choc Chip Muffins

I am on the prowl for more muffin recipes. It is difficult when you only have that amount of ingredients and you have to make different stuff. I guess u just need to be a little more creative and patient in surfing for ideas.

I chanced upon a food blogger who has made Vanilla Choc Chip Muffins. The method of making the muffin is different from the way I always make mine. It is similar to making scones where you have to crumble the butter into the flour.

I decided to take the risk ..Risk becos if it is done wrongly, I may have to discard all the muffins. I am quite a perfectionist and will not hesitate to throw away if the recipe turned out weird so u can imagine how much $$ I have wasted!It is also becos I do not have any basics in baking so some terms used by these bakers are a little foreign to me. Well, I have discussed with my hubby and decided that I will take baking classes to improve what I know and learn new stuff. Hey it's a long term investment..I cant keep throwing away food rite..hehe..

The Vanilla Choc Chip Muffins turned out great! As I ran out of muffin liners, I improvised and cut squares of baking paper and stuffed it into the muffin pans. Quite an effort cos the paper kept popping out but it works! The vanilla taste of the muffin is not too strong ..i guess itz the low quality of my vanilla essence! hehe..no choice...on a budget leh..But the muffins were moist and crumbly..my choc chips melted beautifully inside. Another great recipe discovered..yeah..*grin grin*.

Ingredients:

300 gm. self-raising flour

1 tsp. baking powder

50 gm. butter

80 gm. caster sugar

150 gm. chocolate chips

2 eggs - lightly beaten

230 ml. milk

1 tsp. vanilla essence

Method:(1) Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar into a large mixing bowl.(2) Add in butter and rub until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in chocolate chips.(3) In another bowl, mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla essence and then pour into the flour mixture. Mix briefly until just combined.(4) Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing equally. Yield about 12 to 13 nos. of muffins.(5) Bake at 200C for about 20 mins. or until well risen, golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 mins. then turn out onto a wire-rack.

Cornflake Cookies

I am one person who can have Muesli, Coco Pops, Corn Pops, Cornflakes or Nutrigrains for breakfast everyday! It is best eaten with cold milk and topped with raisins or fruits. I can even eat these with yogurt instead of milk. Gross rite? My hubby says I am a real "ang-moh"(westernised) wen it comes to my brekky (breakfast slang in Australia). I couldn't imagine how ppl can eat noodles or fried stuff for breakfast (unless it is Mac's hash browns!) for breakfast until I met my hubby. That's why I am so happie to be here in Perth...the milk here tastes fantastic! Dunno how to explain..it just has this creamy, milky taste that is just yummy to the max! I drink the low fat version of the milk and the same type of milk in Singapore just tastes bland. I just read somewhere that drinking milk won't make you fat and instead prevents osteoporosis in women...so drink up y'all! moooo....

As I have a ready stash of cornflakes and came across a cornflake cookie recipe in the web, I decided to try my hand at it. In Singapore, we normally eat cornflake cookies during Chinese New Year. It is like a staple you will see at most pple's houses...together with pineapple tarts and BBQ pork.

Here is my effort at it...feedback is that it is really good. How do I know? My 2 housemates finished all my cookies really fast and asked me to bake more! hehe...My hubby did not eat too much of it cos he felt it tasted too "healthy" and he prefers chocolatey ones. The cornflake cookie turned out crunchy and crumbly...and not too sweet too. It is great that there are more cookie monsters around me..so I can experiment with more stuff!

Ingredients:

110g butter (room temperature)

50g - 60g castor sugar

less than 1/4 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 - 1.5 tsp orange zest

150g cake flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

50g cornflakes

Raisins or cherries for garnish (optional)

Method:1. Sieve flour together with baking powder and baking soda.2. Cream butter with sugar and salt till creamy.3. Add in the egg yolk and vanilla esssence and cream till well combined.4. Stir in the orange zest.5. Fold in the sieved flour mixture and cornflakes. Mix till you get a soft dough.6. Divide dough into equal pieces of about 12g each, shape into flat rounds.7. You can stick a raisin into the middle of the cookie before baking. (This step is optional).8. Bake at 175C for 18 - 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Chicken Pie

My housemate had a packet of filo pastry and asked me to try making something with it since I love mucking around the kitchen. I decided to try to experiment with a savoury item since I have been making cookies and muffins. As usual I surfed the web for interesting recipes and chanced upon a Chicken Pie recipe that seemed quite easy.

The results of my homemade Chicken Pie were pretty good for a first attempt. I was quite clueless on how to drape the pastry in the pie dish. Luckily it turned out pretty ok! The chicken pie filling tasted good but it was not enough! Haizz...I was worried it will overspill so I did not fill enough for each pie and it felt a little empty inside.

Here are my pics of the pie before baking, while baking and the finished products!