07 June 2010

Zern's Comic




The Ketchup Incident




From "Adventures of Bear Bear & Doggy"

04 June 2010

Happy Birthday Zern!

Nine years ago on this day, Zern came into our lives.




We love you Zern for your "funniness", self-made jokes and riddles, self-published comic strips and self-invented gadgets...your easy-going ways and how you make us laugh without really trying. Papa and Mama are really blessed to have you. And Koko, well, he loves you the moment he sets eyes on you (see the pictures on top!).

Happy 9th Birthday, my dear son and many many more to come!

Lots of Love,
Papa, Mama & Koko
4 June 2010

31 May 2010

Memories are made of these...

We gathered at a friend's place over the weekend to celebrate the son's birthday and housewarming.  For the first time, EVERYONE (including hubbies, children etc) made it.  This definitely called for a group shot!




20 May 2010

School Photos

When you look at photos, you start to realise how much your children have grown.  These photos were taken by the School Photographer.

Keane says Zern looks like a "businessman in his suit".  A sign of things to come?







15 May 2010

Busy again...

Today saw the negotiation on two properties we've shortlisted in Shanghai.  Both are at this townhouse compound in Puxi.  English looking, with lots of stairs, and gardens.  It'd be our first time staying in a house if so.  Well...here's a picture of how the area looks like:



I also finally got down to making the Chai Poh for the Zui Kuey sales on International Day. It's been a while since I made it and it's still amazes me how little is left after all the frying. The chai poh just shrunk like by half! This Friday, will be setting aside time to make the batter for the 150 rice puddings. The house will reek, ahem, be filled with the lovely aroma, of chai poh and rice flour for the next few days…




11 May 2010

Home

With this move to Shanghai, it's another round of house hunting, negotiation, bargaining, buying furniture, appliances, lights and repairs to take care of. Not to mention, packing, throwing, unpacking.

Did it with this apartment two years ago, as if it's my very own home. But we're moving out after two years.

Suddenly feel like going back Singapore. At least, I know whatever I'm doing, it's for my own home.














10 May 2010

International Day

8 May was International Day at the boys' school. It's the one event that brings all cultures and nationalities together.

This year, Singapore teamed with many other Asian countries and so we had a huge booth and probably the most variety in food. We call ourselves ISEAN (including India). There were fried yam cake, ou kuey, roti jala, ice kachang, indian desserts, filipino snacks, longan jelly, nasi lemak, go ngiang, and some food which names escaped me. And I sold all my zui kuey after much "lelong". We were all so busy trying to sell our food I forgot to take pictures of the food and the booth. Alamak.

The dance by the Asian booth, was as usual, one of the key highlights.








29 April 2010

Time...

This has been a strange week. I suddenly find myself with lots of time. Teo is away on a business trip. My gym membership has ended. No school events/activities except for a meeting on International Day. I was expecting a lot of things to do. Then some things got cancelled or postponed.


Time seemed so tight before. Now, it's lying bare in front of me, and I don't know what to do with it. Which means I have lots more time on blogging.

But there's nothing much to blog about.




26 April 2010

Shanghai Shanghai

To all my friends in Suzhou and family/friends back home, in case you don't already know, we'll be moving to Shanghai in two months' time. Teo is moving to another workplace (same company still, in case you're wondering).

We're now busy searching for the place to stay, and the boys will be joining SSIS Shanghai in the new school year. It's been at least one trip to Shanghai every week for the past 2-3 weeks.

Will update and keep in touch more often using this Chinese blogging website. I'm too lazy to access foreign websites. This sina blogger's really quite cool and fast too! Too bad there's no English interface. If you can, leave a comment using "评论" function. Good luck and hope to hear from you soon!

You can browse through the newly-uploaded and long-overdue pictures of Taiwan and Singapore trips. Or tune in and listen to a selection of songs by Jason Mraz. Keane introduced me to his "I'm Yours" and now I'm hooked too! This Mraz chap has great vocals. Here're the lyrics to his song "Life is Wonderful". Have a wonderful life. Ciao!

"Life Is Wonderful"

It takes a crane to build a crane

It takes two floors to make a storey

It takes an egg to make a hen

It takes a hen to make an egg

There is no end to what I'm saying



It takes a thought to make a word

And it takes some words to make an action

It takes some work to make it work

It takes some good to make it hurt

It takes some bad for satisfaction



La la la la la la la life is wonderful

Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful

Al la la la la



It takes a night to make it dawn

And it takes a day to make you yawn brother

And it takes some old to make you young

It takes some cold to know the sun

It takes the one to have the other



And it takes no time to fall in love

But it takes you years to know what love is

It takes some fears to make you trust

It takes those tears to make it rust

It takes the dust to have it polished



Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful

Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle

Ah la la la la la la life is so full of

Ah la la la la la la life is so rough

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful

Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle

Ah la la la la la la life is our love

Ah la la la la la



It takes some silence to make sound

It takes a loss before you found it

And it takes a road to go nowhere

It takes a toll to make you care

It takes a hole to make a mountain



Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful

Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle

Ha la la la la la life is wonderful

Ha la la la la la life is meaningful

Ha la la la la la life is wonderful

Ha la la la la la life it is...so... wonderful

It is so meaningful

It is so wonderful

It is meaningful

It is wonderful

It is meaningful

It goes full circle

Wonderful

Meaningful

Full circle

Wonderful

22 April 2010

Leaving

It's finally here. That feeling..the feeling of leaving.


It feels strange, and yet so familiar.

Maybe it's because I've been moving house all my life.

Thought I would have gotten used to it by now but no, it's new everytime.

A bit of sadness, tinged with anticipation, a bit of sentimental nostalgia, mixed with high hopes.

Suddenly, you begin to see the things around you with new eyes.

Everything you may have taken for granted becomes something you wish you could have for longer.

Like the view from my living room, the view of Jin Ji Lake. I would look at it more, in the hope that I can imprint it in my mind. It's really, frankly, quite beautiful.

Contributors