i went out shopping yesterday afternoon, was out for 3 hours. thanks to my mother in law, took leave on friday and help me to take care of the little koala bear. spent 1.5 hours in two banks, one to close account and another to deposit money. had quite a dramatic experience in posb. a man waited very impatiently for his turn and kept on complaining loudly and i was just behind him.

"I WANT TO SEE YOUR MANAGER!!! I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER" (all counter ppl ignored him)
"EHHYYY HELLO!!! GET SOMEONE TO OPEN THIS COUNTER!!!" (he complained outloud 3 times, request ignored)
then when his turn, he spoke very rude, things like
"WHEREEEE? SIGN WHERE?!!!"
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, I KNOW OKKKKK!!"
.....many more...and i 'kaotao' to the lady who served him, very calm. if i were in her position, i may freak out.

anyway, am very happy...bought a mini new wallet for myself & 2 bed sets. spent bombs on bed set...won't tell you how much...i've a feeling i'll be lectured by my lou gong...or maybe he will just give me this 'sigh look' and i'll be loaded with guilt.

came bk from piper's wedding. very nice wedding :D there's uncle singing throughout the dinner. bridegroom keeps on smiling and bride is so pretty & gorgeous! thanks to my parent in law who came with us...my mom in law sacrificed her dinner and look after my sleeping ian...and the greedy daughter in law busy eating inside. oh Father, can You plssssssssss remove my desire to eat too much. i can easily eat 2 person's portion.

very happy from today till sunday. why? i was out in the afternoon, out for wedding dinner. will be out tmr morning for breaky, out in the afternoon for baking chocky session, out on sunday to church service, out on sunday afternoon to buy electrical appliances...uhm...very tired and sleepy now. good night and sweet dreams!

ever experienced this before? something excited happen and you told yourself, must share this in the blog!!! and your mind went blank totally when you're facing the comp.
that's where i am now...hv sth to share and yet donno what is it...

my mother in law attempted to make ian sleep without me ard last night but mission failed. ian cried very badly for me (actually not me, but mommy's milk milk). we have a wedding to attend tonight, so...thinking of leaving ian behind but decided to bring him along instead. some ppl suggested to let him cry it out, but we can't bear. when my sis attempted to let chris sleep by himself without nursing, she let him cried for abt an hour, subsequent nap, he cried 20 mins, the next nap only 5 mins and no more...he sleeps by himself since then. good huh...
anyway, ian grows up fast, very soon he doesn't need mommy liao...so i'm STILL fine with nursing him to sleep.

ian can crawl pretty fast...i let him crawl a lot when home alone with him...than to use the walker. hehe, not only to train him to exercise more, it also gives me time to do some food prep. i always put him at one end of the cot and let him hold and 'walk' slowly...i'll run bk to the kitchen and by the time he gets to the other end, i would hv finished cutting vege/or marinaded some meat...:P cheat! this trick doesn't work at times though, coz little fella sometimes crawl so fast and quiet, only to find out he's biting his father's shoe, pulling down his pram, tearing his books apart or biting the grills when i'm out of the kitchen.

will buy oven this weekend! hooray!!! not only that, we'll buy vacumn cleaner (bye bye to all the eight-legged creatures and bye bye to cockcroaches, sayonara, enjoy your new home in the vacumn bag!!! wahhhhaheaheheh), fans (to replace all the cheapo and broken down fans in bishan). somebody has been baking at 9ish in sengkang at night...smells sooooooooo good! and i've been reading the same old baking book over and over again for the past few weeks....as though i can bake a cake by reading it :P...i remembered i made pineapple tarts with my eldest sis bk in tawau (my hometown)...not sure whether it's nice but i guess shouldn't be that bad, coz my sis attended baking class before...anything not nice, can blame her, haha :P. anyway, i shamelessly forced my friends to eat all of them.

have made up my mind, will start my baking mission in sengkang. if turn out nice, can give to neighbours, if not nice, can donate to mr. bin. jem made his 1st request already...choc chip cookies. if you have a nice cookie recipe...pls share yah! thank you.

tired...sianzzz...

just read the SGParenting forum for at least 3 hours...and I can't absorb anything anymore...Glenn Doman, Shichida Method...you you you make me headache! Think maybe it's very simple, but i make it very complicated...so get nothing in the end. am NOT going to read the forum for time being, just sent a mail to the owner to teach me how to START first. what flash card lah, must quick quick flash 1 sec, word comes first then pic, but some said pic comes first then word, must make certain size lah, the word must be certain size, what math dots....pengsan already!

am happy that jem, myself and ian will be out for breaky with nat later...can catch up & see see look look her renovated home, so excited! yap! i'm very happy to be OUT OF THE HOUSE! and i'm happy not to face this SGParenting forum! think if i know this methods, i'm going to be even busier, making DIY flash cards will be my past time. anybody?? anyone??? can do this task for me???! i'm a housewife! no income, only know how to spend money, can volunteer to do flash cards for me??!!! i bake carrot cake to reward you!

ok ok...must get this off my chest! tell you what...i think i'm very very very fortunate to have a very very very nice mother in law and... i'm the most 'kiam ka na' daughter in law. i'm not kidding! not meant to put down myself but it's true. let me tell you why.

85% of my working clothes, going out clothes, 95% of my maternity clothes, 95% of ian's clothes are from my mother in law. either she bought it new or she bought for herself but never wear or she wore but no longer fit....whatever she thinks fit me, she will come to me and say

"connie, connie...mommy has this dress/shirt/skirt/pants for you, it's new, i bought it x ago but i never wear, take it"

my wardrobe already spilled over, ...no place for new clothes but the supply keeps coming in. i just have another new one again, for piper's upcoming wedding dinner...she gave me a black dress. i don't always accept every clothes she gives...would say no to some sometimes...and of course, yes most of the time...

jem said "connie, if you continue to wear what mommy gives you, you're going to be like my mother already"
there was once i wore an orange t-shirt at home, joyce said "oh it's you connie, thought is my mother...the way you wear just like my mother nowadays"

told you i have this itchy skin problem recently yah? am not been consistent eating my medicine, just apply on whatever oilment i can find to soothe the itch. trying hard not to scratch and i'm still trying. in other words, i didn't really take any action to see doc, intend to let it recover by itself. but my mother in law went pharmacy and bought me some itch related foam bath & cream...whether or not it helps, all i can tell you is i'm very touched. so for those of you who knows abt the 5 love languages, her expression of love is giving gifts.

now...what did her daughter in law do to her??? i bought her some stuff when i was courting with jem....but NOTHING after married...not that i don't bother or lazy. just that...i don't know what to buy for her. have bad taste on the things i bought. so very often, we just give her money to buy whatever things she likes....but you know...i'm just thinking, if i'm a gift person, i wish someone to reciprocate, you know what i mean? ok ok...some of you may say, it's the heart that matters right????!!! i knowwwww!!! anyway, her birthday is coming soon, 7 october...will get someone to shop with me and buy things for her. joyce, if you're reading this, i'm targeting at you to buy with me. you know your mom better than i do and you have better taste than me :D

gotta stop now...need to bathe the prince!

this gonna be a quick one....just want to express out only. think singapore system is very stressful...or rather the education system nowadays is getting complicated...not easy to be parents.
heard of flash cards? i just got to know there's certain ways of doing it...then there're always some geniuses out there came out with some brilliant ways of teaching your kidz, even starting from baby stage. donno what...glenn doman method, what what shichida method...papa jem recommended it and wants me to flash the cards to ian everyday, i've not been very consistent abt it...and he reminded me again last night. and guess what, after reading just less than 1% of the forum (yap! another new forum, i'm going to be very very busy from today onwards), all i hv been doing was wrong and i'm trying to find out how to go abt it. it's going to take quite a bit of time coz i'm not those (like jem) can understand after reading just ONE time...i'm the type who needs to read many many many times.

i don't remember i hv to study so many things when i'm little!!! what more as a baby...just play, eat and sleep...life is good then, don't you think so? feeling as though i'm going through some kind of crash course, gotta read the forum tonight....one thread at a time...method method method, i'm going to dream method tonight.

was bk to own lovely home this week, my parents were in town for 2 days and they stayed over my place. though time is short, i had a good time with them, managed to have good chat and my mom had a good laugh over my cake making story :D.

what have i been up to? ...i'm down with some kind of itch problem for almost 2 weeks! it's all over my body & limbs! very very itchy! the more i scratch, the itcher it is. went to see gp, gp said it's food related if it involved the whole body...thanks for the helpful information, i also can be doctor...and that ended our conversation, there goes my $21 consultation & medicine fee. till now, i've yet to find out what's the cause of this itch! maybe eczema??? i don't know...hv lots of scars already...and i hv to make very very very conscious effort not to scratch...okie...cozai, if you scratch, you cannot wear some nice clothes liao!!! my merciless hubby said "it's ok, continue to scratch lah...scratch lah! the more you scratch, the itcher you are. scratch lah!"...very low morale now, both my legs have lots of blue black, thanks to my son's walker, always knock on me...plus this red foreign thingy on my body....*sigh*

i signed up to cake-making class finally! only one session! hehe!!! i don't know how good is this instructor, the demo is in kebun baru community centre....bumped into this ads while browsing on yahoo auction...will demo 3 of my favourite desserts! 1) chocolate fudge cake 2) choc ooze cake 3) chocolate mocha cake ...it's the ooze ooze choc that drew my interest! i'll do this secretly till i consider myself succeeded! my carrot cake still here...left 1/4...nobody eat liao...ok...consider not bad as compared to my 1st chocolate cake...i threw almost the entire cake.

i don't hv sweet tooth, i won't eat the cake i bake, i mean not wont eat lah, not a lot only...probably 1-2 pieces at most...but if it's chocolate cake and choc ooze ooze, probably more...haha. but of course, i have another reasons of why i don't eat what i bake. i remembered i love to eat certain kind of dessert till i see their ingredients... the amount of butter/oil, sugar, cream in it...just think of these things dwelling happily as a citizen in my body and refuse to migrate to the white throne...it scares me sometimes...and yes...i don't exercise...so i've been thinking of how to make good use of my upcoming oven.

i like scones, probably make that more...think i'll use it to bake pies, roasting and grilling. i prefer savoury food! this is my only reason to buy a good oven, you don't hv to agree with me. that is.....anything gone wrong with the baking, i know who to blame...that's me...rather than leaving me to figure out who's the culprit. yah? jem would say "you can say what you want lah, you've already decided to buy anyway"

yo hoh...i finally baked a reasonably successful cake yesterday...it's a carrot cake, without using the mixer...intended to use it to make cream cheese frosting, but the cake itself is quite sweet, so drop the idea. got this recipe from my perth foundation course friend, faris. he made this cake and i fall in love immediately. i tried to bake it once before, must say 1st attempt was a success (very proud). but after many years, forgot the steps liao...now bake again, not so nice :(. anyway, the entire family tasted my cake...for the 1st time :D hehe, without making themselves disappeared like last time. here's the verdict

jem - uhm...i like, give you 4/10, cannot give too high mark, else you won't strive to improve
mother in law - 7/10 (the most generous)
father in law - passed (5/10)
grandmother in law - ok ah, better than the choc cake, that one not nigh (nice)
grandfather in law - disappeared
joyce - ok ah, would be nicer if smaller pineapple chunk, more walnuts & shredded carrot should not be too fine
myself - too sweet (i know why....looked at the wrong recipe...i have 2 recipes in one page, supposed to be 2 cups of sugar, i measured 3 cups...managed to lessen the sugar but a bit too late coz it's already quite sweet)

jem went reservist today, am gonna be a loner for 9 days...:( hope time passes quickly.

quicky news: ian can crawl now.

went robinson with parent in law & ian today. hehe! as usual, ended buying things for ian. new clothes and some safety items. the one that ian is wearing on the left pic is new too! so cute yah! he has lots of new clothes! first born always very fortunate! everything 1st hand...if my next baby is a boy again, he will have to wear kor kor ian's hand me down clothes liao! if gal gal, then have new reasons to buy new things again. hehe!

there're times i wish i can pregnant again! chop chop mah! finish all while i still hv the energy. but breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive...so may take some time to conceive again. guess it's good for us and ian...can spend more time with ian...pay more attention to him before having another one :D. for those of you who knew me in the past, you tie me down & torture me, i die die won't want to have kidz! why? i simply can't connect with kidz, i won't play with them, i always ended up kena bullied by them...and...ok ok...i simply don't like...period!!! before jem & i got together, we list down all our shortcomings! one of mine is i don't want to have kidz and i knew jem loves kidz. but uhh....u know, that time, jem & i are in the 'process' of going together...so... scared because of this, deduct point...everything become from "die die won't want to have kidz" to "can consider to have kidz". score point score point!

i prayed for 2 years for God to change my heart k! i really struggled! we actually agreed to have baby after 2 years of married life...as the days get closer, i panicked coz still not ready! thank God He did! i don't believe myself too! at almost the end of 2 years, i have growing desire to have baby! you wouldn't believe this! i really really really want to have baby all of sudden, very badly too. bought many pregnancy test kits, always test secretly, only to get myself disappointed! yah...u know why? i suka suka test! menses delay 1-2 days then test! fertile and infertile period also test...as though i print money, pregnancy test kits very cheap! i remembered i saw this pregnant woman at the bus stop while i'm waiting for mine to go to work...don't know how to put in words...i'm envious of her...more than envious...and i told God "God, i really wish to have baby".

March 2005, i read bible abt sarah (abraham's wife), that's when God spoke to me that i will have baby in march! i was so happy kkkk, i thought my baby will be born in march, but what He meant is i got conceived in march! i test again in april, in the toilet, cannot tahan already, missed menses for 1 month or slight more i think...i closed my eyes...don't dare to see the result...scared of disappointment again. but the moment i see the word "pregnant" (i spent more on preggy kits again, this time digital one), i burst into tears! that kind of joy...even when i think back now, i almost want to cry. very happy!

my in laws even happier...the moment we announced the pregnancy, my father in law took out the chinese calendar to find out whether is boy or gal. geeeee...!

well..time flies yah! ian is 9 mth old now...i thank God for answering my prayer.
Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart

haven't bake my cake yet...no time, no chance :(. ian been sick...yah...both his parents are sick too, all sick!!! so he's been very manja. whenever he sees me, he would show this pity look and voice, want me to carry him, so i'm the car, he's the steering wheel..."mommy, turn left, turn right, go straight, no no no turn back". he's not talking yet, but his 'uhm uhm uhm' & body language is telling you that. would visit his favourite spots every moment...like the washing machine, family photo frames on top of the piano & stars hanging on ceiling. grandparents can't entertain ian for too long as they have house chores to do :P. ah gong suggested to bake this coming friday, my mother in law will be on leave...yay!

so how am i going to bake when home alone with ian in sengkang? good question! will let you know when the day comes yah. i suspect easier...uhmm...don't know yet...wait till i buy my oven. i'm eyeing on rowenta oven. somebody told me, i will be very very busy in 2 months time, ian should be able to walk or crawl ard by then. yah i agree totally, but i also want to tell the person, don't have to wait for 2 months??!! i'm already very busy :P.

uhm...going to rest now...

home sweet home

spent whole week at own home last week, had good time with my little boy. went for his periodic development assessment in amk polyclinic last fri, then went compasspt, walked till my bone almost broke & my muscle ached...as though i just had exercise of the year...yah yah yah...i didn't bring pram (leceh lah, one person don't want to bring too many things) and i went compasspt because craving for duck drumstick!!! but all my effort has gone down to drain...hving nose block again when i'm having my 1st drumstick bite, no taste.

so...this is his latest development is, he can stand up himself by holding on to sth, eat more solid food, 6 tooth all sprouted out, lost a bit of weight due to sick and more mobile, very manja. he cries when ppl go out too...papa jem always very sad every morning, coz ian cries not because of missing daddy, but because daddy didn't bring him out. so i'm very evil, whenever i want to throw rubbish or buy groceries, i will stand outside and leave him inside the house and said 'bye bye ian', wait for him to cry then carry him along with me :P can tell he loves to go out coz he smiles and very excited when carry him out of the house! uhmm...i think this part of ian is like me :D

oh oh oh! he's been kneading dough too...not the plain flour....my 'lembek' tummy. probably common among nursing babies, they nurse and keep their hand busy at the same time, not very pleasant sometimes...coz very painful, use his finger nails to knead, like pinching your flesh!!!!
anyway, both of us just recovered and fall sick again...he spread to me this time. same thing, runny nose, phlegm n coughing. won't go into this sick story. still brought him to church today, ah po worried abt him but evil momma cozai still 'nge nge lai' want to bring him out...

okie, planning to bake banana cake tmr...will buy ingredients tmr since my mother in law is on leave, can take care of ian. hope turn out nice! i tried this recipe before, that's 7 years ago, forgotten the steps...have to try try. if turn out nice, will bake again and offer to you okie. my examiners are my in laws...if they have 2nd serving or more, i know i pass.