Talk About Getting A Head Start

This is really NOT what I had in mind...

I'd like to think its because she absolutely LOVES to work the steering wheel and that kept her hopping from one "hot seat" to another and feverishly turning the steering wheel this way and that during the time we spent at the bowling alley after our lunchen yesterday at the Chinese Swimming Club. "Driving! Driving!" she tells you. We almost had to apply the crowbars to peel her fingers away from the steering wheels when it was time to go.

ONE gaming person in this family is more than enough, thank you very much. And I HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY!!!

And then a friend of mine suggests to me that, given her "prodigious" talent, she probably can join the F1 races when it comes to Singapore next year.

I just rolled my eyes some more.

Sakuraya

The weather was quite good today...no dark clouds threatening to unleash a heavy downpour on us. So Aileen and I decided, instead of frequenting the usual cafeterias around our office, to venture a little further today. We decided on Sakuraya, another Japanese restaurant tucked away on the 2nd storey of the Village Centre along South Bouna Vista Road.

Aileen recommended we go for the Sashimi as the cuts of fish sold at the restaurant are really fresh. So when we arrived there, we wasted to time in choosing a few cuts of salmon, salmon belly and swordfish.

We also ordered some other side dishes to go along with our sashimi platter.

Looks like such small servings right? Well, I was surprisingly stuffed after our satisfying lunch and was quite grateful for the short walk from the Village Centre to the bus stop! This was one meal that has not only met and but exceeded my expectations. The sashimi slices were INDEED very fresh and tasty. And the cooked food selections were equally tasty and well prepared as well. Needless to say, between the 2 of us, we practically cleaned up the plates (yes, even the wasabi...THAT was Aileen @.@) And the price (the MAIN consideration for me) was very reasonable. It was worth every single cent.

I also like the fact that the restaurant, by virtue of the fact that it is also suppose to be like a fish mart, sold other Japanese foodstuff there (miso paste, udon noodles, etc). So convenient.

I am definitely going to come back to sample the yummilicious sashimi again. This time I will bring along my dear, long suffering husband to savour the selection there. Compensation for the non-treat on his birthday perhaps? :P

Big Sister In Training ;)

Here's Janine, after her Mama's (KY's mom) birthday celebratory dinner at the Golden Dragon Phoenix Restaurant located in Novotel Hotel, doggedly pushing baby Caleb in his pram ;o)

She must have decided that on no account should her Mama have to exert herself with the "tremendous" task of pushing Baby Caleb on the day the family is out celebrating Mama's birthday. So the little girl had insisted on taking over the reins of the pram from her Mama and was soon speeding down the lobby with baby Caleb in tow, leaving 3 rather anxious mothers (KY's mom, Dawn and me) to chase after her!

Well, given that Caleb was pretty quiet throughout the little ride she took him on, she must have done a pretty OK job, especially since this is the first time she is pushing a REAL baby in a pram ;o) WELL DONE, my little princess!

Bane Or Boon?

I am so frustrated and disappointed with my present helper that I feel if I don't vent some of the angst SOMEWHERE, I am going to shrivel up from the inside out and die from all the negativity that is being generated if I have not already blown up like a volcano and cause some SERIOUS devastation.

Here is a list of things that she does/has done that has TOTALLY peeved me

1. She is so lazy. She can't be bothered to fold your clothes nicely or put them away your things in the RIGHT place. She'd rather squeeeeeeeze your belongings into whatever small space there is or chuck them somewhere in the house. I have to go treasure hunting for my stuff in my own house. I have found my bag in the kitchen cupboard where the gas canister is, my letters chucked in a box under yet another pile of things she has amassed around the house, mine and KY's clothes all mixed together, our CDs in the drawer where the TV remotes are placed and the list goes one. I am missing more things when she is here than with any other helpers that I have had in my lifetime! OK so I may be anal about my things but wouldn't you feel frustrated too when you can't find something that you know would have been in a particular location if someone hadn't gone and kept them and the person who kept them don't know what you are talking about (or pretends to) or doesn't remembers where she has kept them?

2. She lies. When she has done something wrong or has spoiled any of our things, instead of owning up, she pushes the blame to Kin Yew or Janine or anyone else she can think of. She must think I am blind to what's going on in my household.

3. She has destroyed/spoiled/broken SEVERAL of our things. My slow cooker (that I used to cook Janine's porridge), several clothes items, a photoframe, an EXPENSIVE China vase and not to mention the foodstuff (chopped garlic, pieces of raw meat, etc) that we dispose of on a WEEKLY basis because she has, with her superb housekeeping skill, left them to rot in the fridge. Even with SPECIFIC instructions on how much garlic to use or what portion of meat to cook, she STILL leaves a small fraction behind (maybe for her own consumption at a later day and time), places it in the fridge and completely forgets about it or doesn't tell you what she has squirreled away. It is so bad that it has come to a stage where we would rather do the cooking ourselves (and not as if she possesses ANY cooking skills) so that we don't find "surprises" when we open the fridge and whiff a dead rat.

4. She doesn't listen. Even after you show or explain the procedure to her for like the umpteenth time, she will STILL do it her way (which is most often the wrong way or the slipshod method). She simply REFUSES to do things the way YOU want it done. When you correct her, she has a thousand and one reasons for you, sometimes she will even glare back at you, or what must be the most nerve grating, she laughs! She doesn't listen not just to instructions but also WHEN we are giving instructions. Before you can even finish your sentence, she is off to do whatever it is she THINKS you want her to do, which of course will be wrong because she didn't get the whole picture. I harbour illusions where I can use a megaphone and SCREAM my instructions into her ear in the hope that maybe volume will help lodge the correct directions in her head.

5. She steals our food. And take this...NOT just our food but Janine's as well! I am so so SO disgusted. And mind you its not that we are NOT feeding her or depriving her of victuals. You should see the MOUNTAIN of rice she/we pile onto her plate at meal times. But then she goes and steals our food. I use the word "steal" because she consumes them WITHOUT asking for our permission and does not even have the decency to tell you she has eaten something of yours. And the best part is, when you confront her, she acts like she doesn't know what you are talking about and only when yuo start blowing your top then she has a light bulb moment and 'fesses up. The icing on the cake is when I find out she has been consuming my daughter's milk powder on the sly!! Every shred of self control I have is stopping me from striking out at her with a mother's instinct to protect her little one.

There is still a whole lot of other things that she has done that has thoroughly annoyed me but those are the top 5.

Honestly, I am at the end of my tether. On our part we have tried EVERYTHING.

1. Initially, we were VERY patient with her. When she first came to us, we were a bit lenient, closing an eye here and there where she made a mistake or done something wrongly. Our rationale is she is new and we need to give her time to settle in and get use to us, our routine and what we need or expect of her. We patiently explain how certain chores are done and even do it for her to show her how we want it done. She started off OK but then became progressively worse. After more than 4 months of working for me, she can still forget to help me cook Janine's porridge, still mixes up my T-shirts with KY's T-shirts or hang wet clothes on top of each other.

2. We made a time table for her. Ok given the language barrier, she may not understand our needs so we have tabled them out for her PRECISELY what is expected of her on a daily basis. We even got Lin, KY's parents' helper, who is also a Myanmarese, to translate and/or explain the timetable to her so she can follow. But for some reason only known to her, she chose NOT to follow the time table and insist on continuing on her own merry way, doing the household chores all wrongly and thus incurring even more work than neccessary for herself to do and our wrath. Only when I finally lost my temper and gave her a major shelling then she decides to be obediant...but even then, she only follows the time table partially.

3. We have held "forum" sessions with her. Together with Lin acting as our translator, we have tried to find out if she there is something bothering her (family matters perhaps) which is causing her to be unable to do her work properly here. Or maybe she just doesn't like us and wants to change employers? I mean, fair enough, I am not the PERFECT employer and if she is unhappy working for me I'd rather she tell me now so I can take the next appropriate step. But talking to her is like talking to a wall. You get NO WHERE. I mean, how DO you help someone who tells you she wants to work but "I don't know why I behave like this"?

4. We called the maid agency to talk to her. That was our last resort. Our trump card. And also to show her we mean business. Unless she doesn't pull up her socks, the likelihood of her being sent back is very high. The effects of the call lasted for about a week. And then slowly, she starts to slip once again.

KY tells me to just write her off as being stupid just so I can cope with all this madness. Because surely she MUST be stupid if she can't follow simple instruction. But she can laugh at a joke I cracked to my mom in Singlish! And she has even managed to make friends with OTHER (Filipino) maids from around my parents' estate! Obviously, she is NOT stupid and apparently, she CAN understand our spoken English reasonably well too...better than what we thought she was capable of!

The thing is you KNOW she can do the job. Its only after we have screamed, ranted, raved, railed at her like some pyscho employer from hell that she will do her work properly and flawlessly. But a few days later, her nonsense will surface and then we start the ugly cycle all over again. I can't be a screaming maniac every other day for the next 2 years can I? Do u know that EVERY sunday I go to church with a heavy heart because I feel so lousy inside?

Nam is suppose to be our domestic HELP, but instead I have even more things to worry about ever since she was around. I appreciate that there IS someone to help me clean the house, do the laundry and be that extra pair of hands to carry my bag and Janine's things when we are out and I am busy running after the little girl. But that is about all that she is doing! I can't trust her to look after Janine. I can't even trust her to do the household chores properly. Instead of relieving us, she is creating more problems for us and giving me tension headaches.

Everyone tells me to just throw her back at the maid agency and just get a new one. I think I should. I really should. For my own sanity. For the emotional, spiritual and physical well being of my family. But why do I hear a small voice telling me to keep her? Maybe I am hearing things...probably the ringing in my ears from my last shouting match or maybe I really have indeed gone mad!

ARGH!

All I can do is just cling on to the verse that says "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). Surely He is stretching my patience and grace. And surely only He can "deliver" me from all this nonsense and give me the strength mentally to endure!!!

The Face Of The Future

This is Asher Kam, son of Leong Heng and Sharon (a pair of truely inspiring parents and our new found friends in Oldham Hall), who not only is just slightly older than Janine by a month (he is a Dec baby) but has the energy level to match hers as well!

And the best part is that the 2 get along very very well - they will chase each other around the dining hall, are actually interested in what the other party is doing and are GENIUNELY delighted at the sight of each other. This has of course prompted many people in the Hall (and this crazy mummy as well), to entertain thoughts that they might actually end up marrying each other 20 or 30 years down the road! Someone even mentioned that they have the "fu qi xiang" (husband and wife look)! Lol.

Sharon and Leong Heng will tell you that this precious little boy is their miracle child. At a time where doctors would tell Sharon that it would be medically difficult for her to have a baby, Asher was conceived and delivered at full term with no complications whatsoever. He is a testament of God's hand of grace and blessing on Sharon and Leong Heng.

Its a delight and hilariously funny at times to see the 2 of them interacting with and influencing one another. This mummy is very happy. Not just because a prospective son-in-law is found right under my nose, but more so because Janine now has a playmate whose company she obviously enjoys very much and vice versa.

Even if they don't end up marrying each other, we pray that the 2 of them will grow up being good friends who will encourage each other positively. Doesn't everyone need a good friend to weather the trials and tribulations in life? We hope that Janine and Asher will be that kind of friend to each other ;o)

All In The Spirit Of Being Spontaneous

Today distinguished itself as a day to be SPONTANEOUS.

Just before logging off from my work terminal in office on Friday, I SPONTANEOUSLY decided to take leave for today to spend a nice looong weekend with KY and Janine.

After breakfast today, we (KY, Sharon and I) SPONTANEOUSLY decided to bring Janine and Asher (a sweet little boy who often gets refer to as our "future son-in-law" - more in a later post!) to go for a spin at Vivocity.

And it was there at the wading pool located on the top floor of Vivocity that Janine SPONTANEOUSLY gave Asher a peck on the cheek!!

With NO prompting from us, the little girl, mid way of pouring water from a plastic mould into a little red pail, stopped, gazed and proceeded to plant a kiss on the unsuspecting boy! And then the 2 of them carried on whatever they were doing as if nothing had transpired!

Hmmmm...yet another incident that we the parents can whip out should we SPONTANEOUSLY decide to thoroughly embarrass either one of them on their wedding day ;)

I Spy With My Little Eye...

...and what do i see?

MY TUTU (pacifier)!

Lol. That was my daughter - the pacifier addict!

And oh the faces she would pull when we took just a little too long in helping her extricate her precious from the small red tupperware container poised high up on the shelf. Lol.

This post is a "tribute" somewhat to that little girl who needed her "fix" everytime she went to sleep. Her "love affair" with her tutu even started to extend to beyond nap times. If it wasn't because my mom made it a point to NOT let her chomp on it any longer than necessary (only during sleep times, other than that NO tutu for Janine), I think the pacifier would have become a permanent fixture on her face! Because her mommy here would, on A LOT of occasions, be forcefully and purposefully shoving her tutu into her mouth and allowing her to munch away at the little pink plastic at times no where near sleep time...all in the spirit of trying to keep her quiet during church services and (especially!) during car rides!

Anyway, if there is such thing as a PA (Pacifier-holic Annonymous), my daughter would probably have stood up in the midst of the assembly of babies and declared "Hi, I'm Janine and I haven't taken a pacifier for TWO MONTHS!" Yup! the little girl has been pacifier free for the last couple of months. She no longer needs it to lull herself to sleep or to use it as some sort of security blanket or just because she had a "craving".

Everyone is of course VERY pleased. We no longer have to go crazy whenever we forget to pack her pacifier with us. Or quickly snatch it away from her and make our umpteenth trip to the toilet to wash her beloved because she had either dropt or flung it to the floor.

How did we do it? Ahhh...we didn't do anything actually...she did it to herself! Hahaha! She had unwittingly thrown her pacifier into the bin ON HER OWN ACCORD. We of course capitalised on the situation and quickly proclaimed to her that her precious tutu "no more" because it is "yucks" already. The poor girl was looking quite forlorn staring into the bin for a while before deciding that, while it may have been her long time companion for so many many months, it's just too eeky to put something from the rubbish bin into her mouth.

The next few days that ensued were probably the hardest for her (and us as well!). She would ask for her precious only to be painfully reminded that she had thrown it away. The girl had to go "cold turkey"! And what a lot of tossing and turning she would do before she could fall asleep. We struggled along with her too because it seem to take her forever to drop off to sleep, and when you are sleep deprive yourself, it can get very frustrating. There were moments when I entertained the thought of retrieving her extra pacifier (we had resorted to keep one in each home to minimise damage control when we forget to pack her pacifier with us) from the refridgerator so that she can just please go to sleep!! Thank God we didn't cave in and perservered on because now we are savouring the "fruits" of our labour ;o)

In a way I am going to miss her pacifier days. I get a kick hearing her call so endearingly for her tutu or seeing her twist the little gadget in her mouth, with or without her hands, into the "right" position (FYI: NUK brand pacifers or milk bottle teats have a special shape so there IS a "this way up" position) or to see her grinning away behind her pacifier or (when she still a wee baby) to see little arcs imprinted on her cheeks after some tutu time. But of course there are BETTER things to embrace...like being able to capture sweeter, prettier shots of the girl sans pacifier...and more importantly, NO NEED TO SCRAMBLE when we discover (much to our dismay) that we have once again left her pacifier on the table top.

For the record, she dropped her addiction earlier than I did when I was a kid. According to my mom, I was still slurping away on my pacifier until I was slightly over 2 when finally, after months of wear and tear, it went flat and I was convinced to throw it away. Haha...she is better than her mommy in a way :P

A Modern Day Parable

My friend in office forwarded this to me and I thought I would like to share it with you because it strikes a chord in my heart. Here it is...

The Four Wives

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most. He adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He loved the 3rd wife very much too. He's proud of her and always wants to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other man.

He loved his 2nd wife too. She is very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the nerchant faced some problems, he always turns to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business, as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the 1st wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took noice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a knife right through the merchant's heart

The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No!", replied the 3rd wife, "life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devasted.

Then a voice called out, "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his 1st wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Actually we all have 4 wives in our lives.

The 4th wife is our BODY. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

The 3rd wife is our POSSESSIONS, STATUS and WEALTH. When we die, they all go to others.

The 2nd wife is our FAMILY and FRIENDS. No matter how close they are or how much they hav been there for us when we are alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

The 1st wife is our SOUL. It is often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perchaps it would be a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we are on our deathbed and lament.

Ok. this "parable" probably has loopholes but the point I want to make here is what are you going to do to IMPROVE the condition of your soul? The little story didn't exactly give us any idea how we can "cultivate and strengthen" our soul. So HOW?

One thing I know is that the condition my soul is indeed in a very sorry state ["For all have sinned; all fall short of the glory of God" ~ Romans 3:23] and it is doomed to an eternity of death ["For the wages of sin is death" ~ Romans 6:23]. BUT, thank God there is a way to turn the situation around ["He (Jesus) died once for the sins of all of us guilty sinners, although He Himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that He might bring us safely home to God" ~ 1 Peter 3:18]. To get out of my miry situation, all I needed to do is just simple believe and receive my "get out of jail free" card ["To all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. All they had to do was to trust Him to save them" ~ John 1:12] And I am glad I did because my life since then has been filled with peace, joy, contentment and (very importantly) purpose. Oh of course there are many many times where I struggled (and still do) and life just seems to be filled with trials and difficulties. But with God, facing each testing moment is more bearable and I know that I will come out into the bright light victorious after my struggles in the dark tunnel of anguish and pain.

At the end of the day, what steps we make to enrich our souls IS a personal thing. And it WILL be a personal thing. Like the dying man, our material possessions and our family and friends can't go with us when we face Death. But Jesus can. He went to hell and back because of us and for us and that's why I know Death will not have a grip on my soul ;o)

So, how is it with YOUR soul today, my friend? Don't wait till it's too late to do anything.

(Jesus said) "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
~ Revelations 3:20

Ahhh...FINALLY! The Brunei Post!

...in a photo slide show!

Hahahaha...

Aiyah...I am just too lazy to sit down and write a blow by blow account of our weekend in Brunei. And what better way to skirt around the issue than to post a slide show with photos after glorious photos of our Brunei trip? Pictures afterall are SUPPOSE to speak a THOUSAND words, no? lol! (Yes, Aileen and Shiwei...I know this is yet another testament to my laziness. Shhhh! :oP)

But lest I am accused of not making SOME effort, I have penned down the highlights in POINT FORM:

We will fondly remember our trip to Brunei as...

...our FIRST tirst time traveling out of the country (with a toddler in tow) by ourselves

...our FIRST time attending a friend's wedding overseas

...Janine's FIRST time travelling by aeroplane! (And she did very well ;o))

...our FIRST time staying in a 6-STAR hotel (The Empire)!!!

...our FIRST time bringing Janine to the MOVIES! We caught Transformers at the hotel's in-house cinema! (The hotel is so atas (high class)! It even has its own cinema!)

...the FIRST (and hopefully LAST) time we let Janine eat nonsense as staple for her 3 meals. Her "diet", during those 3 days we were there, consisted of Nestum for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which was supplemented heavily with muffins, pastries, cakes, popcorn and other sweet stuff, topped off with pathetic servings of some measley bites/chunks of fruits. Where is the nutrition in all this??

...my FIRST time getting a facial (it was part of the hotel package) and it was a HEAVENLY experience ;o)

...the FIRST time we saw and used a super luxurious baby high chair!

...where we toured most of the major landmarks and tourist sports in (get this!) 3 HOURS! Talk about efficient! lol!

...where we met our NEIGHBOURS!!! A charming Australian couple, on a mission to set up an authentic Aussie style grocery in Singapore, living in the SAME (!!!) condo and only a few blocks away! How cool is that!?

Well, we had a WONDERFUL time. Travelling with a child in tow wasn't as nightmarish as I had thought it would be. We handled everything rather well if I might say so *ahem* ;o)

So...where to next on the world map, KY? Haha!

She Won Something!

My daughter is GIFTED!

Hahaha...OK this is a biaised mother's opinion. But really, you feel so PROUD when your child actually WINS something. Even if it's for something as frivolous as a colouring competition :oP

Here is her winning entry...

...which clinched her the 2nd prize for her age group ;o)

And here is her prize for coming in second.

A very colourful Beginner's Bible For Toddlers complete with a handy strap (so she can carry and swing her Bible around) and a velcro clasp (to keep the Bible intact).

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she won something. Especially since I know that the girl, at this age, doesn't colour within the lines. It would be an achievement if she doesn't start colouring off the paper and on to the floor / table surface / anywhere but the paper. So to win SOMETHING in a COLOURING contest definitely deserves some bragging on her parents' part. Heheh!

OK so she did get some help from Uncle Ben who helped her choose where the colours should go and even did some of the colouring. But hey! This, by and large, is still a Janine piece of work and as her parents we will still applaud the effort that she has put in. Simply because we know that, at this point in time, this was the best that she could do. And doing her best in whatever she does makes us feel proud to be her parents. Regardless of whether she wins anything or not ;o)