Wedding Dinner

I used to like attending wedding dinners when I was young because I get to wear pretty dresses & at one point in time, boyish outfits. I get to watch singers sing on stage thou I felf sad for them having to sing to an audience who are more interested in the food or talking than his/her singing. I remember there was once where I was 'traumatised' when my family coerced me to go on stage to sing my idol 江玲's song. It became one of the jokes of my life till today...Those were the days when wedding dinners were held at restaurants where wedding favours were fruit cakes, which I think serve a practical purpose since dinners start very late in those days.

Slowly, wedding dinners moved into the hotels. Live music was replaced with soft music & photo collages with video footage. Hard liquor was not as popular as beer & red wine & wedding favours have changed to chocolates & later, to bears, key chains, photo frames etc. But what remains pretty much the same are the march-ins, fan-fare for the 1st dish, cake cutting, champaign pouring & yam-sengs.

The significance of wedding dinner took a different stance when I had my own. It's an art trying to figure out the best seating arrangement. A can't sit with B, B must sit with C, D request not to sit with the boss etc. Who to be seated at the 'Red Table' was also one of the headaches. This was the time I realised that love does not just involve 'the 2 of us'. It's just not possible to please everyone. I also succumbed to my grandma who insisted on having sharksfin for dinner. For the sake of my in-laws who were not physically mobile & some practical reasons, I decided to do away with the champaign toasting. I even tried to arrange for a 'singles' table to create opportunities for new friendships. But thanks to the last minute decision of my relatives...my well-thought out seating arrangement was almost ruined.

Knowing the amount of work (& the amount of cash) that goes behind the wedding dinner, I have since then, been more proactive in my RSVP to wedding invitations. Looking at the video footages, I could feel the joy & happiness of the couples, their family members together with their friends & relatives. & I'm always touched to see shots of parents hugging their daughters (so far yet to see any sons who have hugged their parents). So attending a wedding dinner is not just which hotel/restaurant, how much to give for the angbao, whether the food is good etc. To me, it's a reminder of the significance of a marriage & appreciating the blessings given by the people around you.

Had attended my relative's wedding dinner held at Restaurant 88 last Sat & it was a memorable one partly because it seemed like a mini family gathering for us. Never mind if we laugh loudly at our own jokes, never mind if we pass the dishes to each other, never mind if my grandpa spoke a little louder as he was high on red wine. Everyone is genuinely happy & in the joyous mood.

We joked, commented on how each other look since they made extra effort to look good. Made fun of each other, took photos with my aunts' cameras. They even managed to make the bride's parents to take a loving shot :) & bargained on how much to charge each other for taking this photo. Let me try to get it uploaded soon.

It was a time of catching up. It's been weeks that I've met them & though still the similar faces, I felt
time has really made significant changes. My cousins have grown so fast that I felt time seemed to have stopped at the time when they were just kiddies. They are now already towering over me...On the other hand, time has also left its trail on my grandparents, aunts & uncles.

Of course I was bombarded with the 'usual question' of 'when's my turn for a baby'. Now I can understand the stress faced by those childless couples. But hey, I suppose I don't need to avoid such functions just to avoid those questions. Perhaps a good way would be to think of various unique answers to their questions =)

The usual shot with all the grandchildren

The Trio or 三面夏娃... or 蛙?

Having a stroll under the moonlight after the dinner ;p

Kids for Character, Character for Kids

It seems that there are many events happening on 3 Nov, especially so for this year. There's the Women's Fair by Simply Her, Hey! Baby 2007 by MediaCorp TV, my friend's housewarming and there's also the family seminar by NTUC Childcare and The Little Skool-House Int'l.

For me, I have it all planned. Will go to the Simply Her Fair with my colleagues the day before. Then attend the 'Kids for Character, Character for Kids!' seminar, to learn something that might come in handy for my future lobang :) And then off to my friend's housewarming.

I was told that this seminar was well-received where it had attracted more than 500 people last year. This year, the theme would be 'Enthusiastic and Engaged: Supporting Young Children's Positive Approaches to Learning' & they have invited Dr Marilou Hyson, an acclaimed international speaker & other early childhood education experts as speakers who will touch on fun & creative approaches to support the development of values & character.

Here are the details for the seminar if you're keen to attend.

Date : Sat, 3 Nov 07
Time : 9am- 12pm (Registration starts at 8.30am)
Venue : Orchid Country Club
To register, you could contact Lynn at 6391 9244/ Stacia at 6391 9248 or email to info@littleskoolhouse.com


You can click on the poster to see an enlarged version.

2nd Wedding Anniversary

Time flies. It was my 2nd wedding anniversary on 22 Oct & it was my 1st time celebrating it...we've forgotten about it for the 1st last year ;p & upon checking last year’s calendar, it was actually a Sunday…hmmm….what was I busy with exactly? Or was I in the mode that wedding anniversaries need not be celebrated?

I’m not exactly a romantic gal & am rather practical. I don’t believe in spending on over-priced bouquet of flowers, posh restaurants, and expensive gifts. Ok, it’s the thought that counts & it’s that special moment that matters. But I’d really prefer a handmade card or a card filled with personal thoughts/feelings. & I still didn’t regret insisting on not getting a diamond ring for my wedding band. Cos that could send me on a holiday trip or even 2 to Japan :) My wedding proposal was unspoken – a card where I had to figure out some sort of a puzzle with The Question propping out from a poem he had composed, followed by an anklet, something that I wanted.

Come to think of it, it’s kinda weird to propose when we had already signed on the dotted line to purchase a HDB flat. Well, I suppose it’s common among Singaporeans since application of HDB flats is one of the most common proposal tactics used by our fellowmen. My ex-colleague, who had previously stayed in Australia & married an Aussie wife, said that Singaporeans generally marry twice – the ROM & the customary wedding. I would prefer to combine to the 2 for convience & cost effectiveness but because of the HDB policy, we gotta get ROMMED before we could collect the key to the flat. But I was lucky enough that I didn’t have to wait for too long for my new flat to be ready.

It was quite an unplanned celebration given that we sort of realized that the date is just a few days away, phew! He managed to take only half day leave & I had to apply mine on the actual day. It felt different in the morning as we prepared to go to work. It was unlike the days where we just took leave to relax. In fact, we look forward to the later part of the day.
It was not all plain sailing though. Prior to that, we almost quarrelled over which place to dine as I was kinda upset that it was really very last minute & had wanted to dine at somewhere we’ve never been before. But hey, I realized that it doesn’t matter as long as it’s the company that we enjoy. And so we did.

We dined at Sushi Teh at City Hall as strongly recommended by my colleague for their fresh & value for money salmon sashimi. A plus is they offer nice secluded seats which we didn’t have the chance to try as it was rather crowded. Definitely will visit there again given the variety, great taste & reasonable price. Personally, I thought it was better than Kuriya.

Oiishi ne!!

Flavourful crab meat with some roes baked with cheese

Uni! My fav! Taste so sweet on its own. My hubby said it tasted like the 'sea'

Fresh succulent salmon with roes & caviar. All for the price of only $6!

Instead of watching movies followed by swimming as we sort of decided, we went for a stroll. From City Hall, we walked to Raffles Place & chanced upon a mini art exhibition along the tunnel leading to the Espanade & decided to be part of it.

Trying to get funny with a honey bunny ? This is what you get...

Friends from around...the tree :)

Setting our feet on the treasure map...

Oops! You caught me with my baby...with Captain Jack haha ;p

and our love boat full of babies...

Ahhhh!!!

Testing if it's real gold

Once men get rich, they get funny...tackle a blonde this time... ;p

I still think Asian beauty is the best hahaha ;D

Then we sat at Starbucks café for a cuppa, watching the world go by…

We continued our journey to one of the paradise of office ladies – Caltex House & Change Alley. I was disciplined enough not to get any bajus & am contented to just browse around. Whilst shopping, my hubby managed to slip away & got me flowers. Ok lah, once in a while. & he told me that he had 'bargained' with the lady & managed to round down the price haha :D

I ended up getting a pair of shoes as my shoes weren't too seasoned & I didn’t expect a walking. Was a little embarrassed to be walking around the shop with plasters on my feet & trying whatever shoes that can fit my size 3 feet. Coincidentally I found something that I've been looking for :)

Age seems to be catching up with us. We felt rather tired from the walking though it was less than half the day. So we decided to have our dinner takeaway instead. It was a fulfilling day. Somewhat unplanned, yet enjoyable.

It's actually quite good to celebrate wedding anniversaries. Even when you have kids cos couplehood time is important. Can be quite 'exciting' to go on a rendevous date with your hubby without kids, hehe...;p

The 2 years of marriage has its ups & downs. Indeed, it requires quite a bit of tolerance, adjustments, generousity & effort to keep it going. Our courtship days were rough where it took him almost a year before I accepted him. Then came the disapproval from my family because he was out of job for a period of time due to the poor economy & my family members were concerned he may live out on me. But somehow, not because of defiance, there was this strong inner belief that he's not that type of indecent guy with dubious character. I must admit he's had a hard time during courtship days facing obstacles from my family plus my KIVIGI (aka Kin's Virtual Girl) which is due to my low self-esteem, family history & lack of trust in men that had made things very difficult for him.

I suppose the 3 years of emailing without meeting up had sort of formed the basis of our relationship & his patience & persistence had paid off. Not that I'm the perfect wife lah, at least I make it a point to cook often & sometimes I try to do cranky stuff to make him laugh. For him, I can laugh at the smallest unnoticeable things. Try asking him to nod when he's topless keke ;p

So go on, fall in love again with your spouse :)

Bundles of Joy

Specially designed by Shawna

Some say women look their best when they are expecting. It is true, because they simply radiate the joy & happiness within them which you can't help but to notice it.

3 of my jie meis are now pregnant. One in her 13 weeks, which we were told weighed around 64g (where the daddy described it as 'slightly less than the size of a pork chop'); one is in her 24 weeks & travelling to Moscow with her hubby before she gets banned from all airlines; & one with just 2 weeks to go for her delivery, with everything prepared except for her own belongings to lug to the hospital when she delivers.




Preparing size S tummy for the shoot.



Presenting the S-M-L tummy-size mummies. Won't you agree that they exudes happiness?

Times flies...2 years ago we were talking bridal studios, wedding photoshoots, booking of hotels, where to get bridal shoes, dates to receive keys to our flats, renovation costs, recommendation of contractors, cheap deals for household appliances etc. Now, we talk about number of weeks into pregnancy (Note: pregnant mummies count their foetus growth according to weeks rather than months, so if you're like me who counts by the month, just divide the numbers given to you by 4 :>), hospital tours & charges, which brand of stroller and playpen to get, number of paternity & childcare leave, breastfeeding etc.




Yummylicious spread.

Mummy Gwen: Better eat more now before I get stucked with the confinement food in 2 weeks' time.



One missing jie mei who might be busy with her cute little niece, Isabelle




The blissful papas and mamas

I suppose parenthood is a natural milestone after marriage thou it's not on the priority list for some married couples now. I can understand because there are so many things we wana do in this limited prime time. We need to build our career, we wana travel, we need to build up our financial nest, date a few years (if you're lucky enough to have met your soulmate in your school years, you probably have more time for other things), queue to get new flats (which might take years depending on availability) or do research to get resale ones (duration depends on urgency or how picky you are), preparations for wedding (which usually takes about 1 - 2 years of preparation if you're talking about booking a hotel to host your dinner), go for honeymoon, adjusting married life etc. By the time, we're probably in our late 20s or 30s.

And...we are told to have our first kid before 30 because, a woman's fertility rate will decline rapidly as well as the egg quality after age 30 & more so after age 40. For men, the quality of their sperms will go downhill after the age of 35. Sometimes even if they have ejaculated, it doesn't mean the semen contains a lot of sperms because sometimes it can be mere blank shots or it may even contain abnormal sperms, which could also contribute to the increase chances of a miscarriage, not to mention the higher risks of abnormal births. So it's not just the women's thing. There

Am sharing this info hoping to clear some misconceptions about fertility & hope we all can make informed choices & perhaps hope that some of you might reconsider to place that as one of your priorities if you belong to those who want to have children later due to some other factors. It will be a pity if by the time you decide to have, it will be an uphill task or it might not be possible because you have passed the biological time. IVF doesn't come cheap & it's not a comfortable process especially for the ladies, not to mention it's not 100% child-guaranteed.


The most common reasons or laments I've heard would be lack of time and it's expensive to raise a kid in Singapore. While I'm not really a supporter of our local education system though I'm a true blue local student throughout, we have been raised to look at efficiency, performance, results etc. Civics & Moral Education is something which I thought is a luxury lesson in schools as usually they will be replaced by other examinable subjects, especially nearing the exams period. I'm glad to belong to the era where some of the veteran teachers focused more on inculcating values.

Values affect our perceptions, how we view things & prioritise our lives, which in turn affect our behaviour. Perhaps we have focused too much on the material stuff that we got lost & confused as to what really matters.

Indeed, it is not cheap to raise a child. During the conversations I've heard from the parents on the cost of pampers, strollers, clothes, playpen, gynae checkups, the hospitals to deliver the baby, enrichment classes for babies, infant/childcare, innoculation for the child etc, I realised a lot has to do with one's expectations. I have one group wanting to give the best to their kids where they would rather save on their expenses & spend on their kids & another group which believes in using hand-me-downs & not splurge on kids unnecessarily. They feel that babies & children grow up fast & it doesn't make sense to get the best or spend a lot on items with a short usage lifespan. I belong to the latter group, for environmental reasons as well as my personal expectation. I believe there are many babies around using hand-me-down items who are still save & sound.

Of course, parents would want the best for their kids. But I still think that the best gifts you can give your child is a loving, supportive & conducive home with the inculation of the right values.
If I were to be a parent one day, I may not be the perfect parent, but I hope the child could appreciate the little things in life, share & contribute in whatever way she can.

May all mummies & their babies plus daddies be happy & healthy :)

Things we do in a hotel room

This year's Dec is gonna be a quiet Dec in office as most of my colleagues would be travelling.

We were talking about each other's travelling plans & ended up having a hilarious & 'enlightening' lunch time talk about our travel habits, particularly in the hotel room. Here are some of the interesting 'rituals' that I find amusing, unique & even intriguing:

1. Courtesy call - before entering the hotel room, knock on the door first & mumble things like 'I'll be staying in the room for the next few days, so please excuse us.' This is to inform the 'occupant' of your stay so that it will not disturb you during your stay. Never mind if the 'occupant' did not answer to your knock, you have the room key.

2. Be my guest - if you have an uneasy feeling upon entering a hotel room or if the room has a musty smell, it could mean that you've got company. Well, at least it can keep you company through the long lonely night if you're travelling alone.

3. Oh my god! - I was pleasantly surprised to find a Bible and a Quran in the sidetable's drawer at one of the hotels I was staying in Thailand. I was shocked to realise that this means that the room could be haunted! & by multi-racial nationals too...

4. Shoo Shoes - some say to place your shoes neatly to indicate to the 'occupant' that you're only staying for a short; others say to place it in a disorderly manner to prevent the 'occupant' or any other 'Its' from slipping on to your shoes easily since it's inviting to see pretty shoes placed nicely, just like you can't wait to try the shoes on at the shopping malls.

5. Peek-a-Boo - some of my colleagues, including my hubby, have the habit of searching cupboards, curtains, underneath the bed & toilets each time they return to the hotel rooms. Just to make sure noone is hiding there. Some of my colleagues who prefer not to be stabbed to death chose not to do the search while those who prefer not to be raped & then stabbed to death, stick to the screening routine.

5. To unpack or not to unpack - this is the most contentious habit of all. Half the group will unpack their luggage where they'll hang their clothes in the cupboard & lay out their toiletries nicely in the bathroom. The other half (including myself), would prefer to leave our stuff in the luggage cos it's cumbersome to repack if you're changing hotels eveyday or in case of emergencies, we could just carry the luggage & run with our stuff intact.

I found it very interesting to watch my hubby (then bf) unpacking his toiletries & laying them out nicely upon checking in to our resort. It was just a 2D1N trip in Bintan. But later, it became something which I grumbled about, because to me, it's time wasting. Eventually, I've developed a habit to resolve this - watch cable TV whilst he does his unpacking and boils the water.

Speaking of boiling water, came the next interesting highlight.

6. The kettle or the steriliser? - some of my colleagues brought along with them mini kettles for boiling water because they found some of the kettles in the hotels with rusty heating coils. Some would pour away the 1st round of boiled water before boiling the water again for consumption while others hold the view that heat is sufficient to kill all the germs & bacteria... unless the kettles were used for some other functions such as sterilising socks, briefs, undies etc.

7. Home away from home - some of my colleagues' mums/ in-laws actually brought along their pillowcases & gasps, bedsheets & even bolsters! Come to think of it, I remember watching a documentary about how dirty hotels/ cruiseships can be especially when you shine an ultraviolet light on the carpets, bedsheets, chairs...you'll see stains of all sorts ie. semen, spits, vomit or even urine...in addition to the bedbugs...i wonder if ignorance can be a bliss. here..

And these people will definitely bring along their personal towels instead of using the hotels' as they were not sure if the towels were being sterilised properly...well, if you're like me who use the hotels' towels, you may not wana contine reading on......cos some of these people actually use the towels as floormats in the bathroom...yes, the very ones you wipe yourself clean with after a shower, the ones you wipe your face with......

Of course there are other pretty standard habits like taking with you the hotels' toiletries & bathroom shoes, covering the mirror if it's facing your bed, leaving the toilet light on (though not too eco-friendly), blocking the door with the chair or table whilst you sleep for security reasons, not using the bath tub as it was cited as one of the dirtiest place in the bathroom besides the toilet bowl (unless you have a travel companion like my colleague who will actually clean the toilet & disinfect it before using) & placing your money in different places.

Oh, one last personal advice which I'm speaking from my personal experience. If you can help it, try not to stay at hotels near places of worship as they usually attract a lot of 'unwelcomed guests'.

The list isn't exhaustive of course & feel free to add in comments if you have any :)

Can you believe it?

Gosh, no use of toilet paper nor washing his hands...well, it suits the website name thou "nothing toxic" ;p

I remember seeing a fella peeing right in front of someone's garden at Krabi. Saw the 'stream' going straight into the bushes...

The Elite, the Thugs, the Majority

"Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses." Richard Morgan

This was the sign off used by one of my online friends. I just can't agree more with this statement.

Well, the statement may sound too strong for some to accept & I do admit that at times, I'm part of that majority. Do we have a choice then? Yes. But how many dare to make a choice?

It applies to the workplace too.
Systems, frameworks, procedures are created by man, yet, we are the very ones being trapped by something that we've created. Some managed to break through, while some continued to be trapped & moving in circles, hoping to see the light someday.

We have the choice & there are implications after making a choice. Do we want to take the risk? What if it affects others? What if it becomes an even bigger problem after making that choice?

Most of the time we complain about the way bosses treat us. But sometimes it's also how we respond to the bosses that affect how they treat us. I remember having a boss (aka the non-uniformed thug as described above) who would sms or call us late at night or over the weekends when it was nothing particularly urgent. We were like her PDA where she could enter the info anytime she remembered she needed to do something. I didn't know why I had that rebellious streak in me with this particular boss cos usually I'm an obedient staff who would conscientiously follow what my boss require me to do.

I didn't reply all her smses if I don't see the urgency to do so. It's not a life and death issue & it's just tomorrow that she could convey that message to me. At least an email would be less intrusive. It worked. She commented that she realised that I kinda 'switched off' during the weekends & that was why she didn't sms me that often. My other kind colleagues tolerated her nonsense until one day when they gave her the feedback that they would prefer not to receive smses, the boss asked as a matter of factly "Do you mean you prefer me to call instead?"

We all came to the conclusion & I'd prefer to put it as 'She's lonely' rather than 'She's got no life'.

After working in various organisations, I came to realise that sometimes we just need to speak up. Certain issues which we thought it's impossible to solve, may actually turn out to be easily solvable. Of course when to say it, how to put it across & the personality of the boss matter. I might not have left my 1st dream job if I had been more open about the issues I faced. But fortunately, he has now become my 'advisor' cum lunch kaki who shares with me lots of stories about the army.

Sometimes, I don't mind to be the majority just to enjoy that 'wilful ignorance' once in a while. Ignorance is bliss afterall :)

Baby Yu Le

Finally got to carry Le Le on Children's Day :)
My ex-colleague brought her 5-mth old baby girl
to visit us & brought so much laughter cum saliva to the office ;p


Oh look at her cute little socks. Yea, they are socks not shoes.





Siew Teen re-living her motherhood days ;p





Le Le: Speak my language...deh dah deh deh...must stick
out your tongue like me...






Ok, time for us to go and witness the world's largest caricature being drawn at Suntec.

Ah Kin: I can have Le Le all by myself later kekeke....

Siew Teen: My hum chim peng...

Mr Teo: I'm just helping Le Le's mummy with her bag...later I may have to carry another woman's bag....