i really think ian is cute & handsome :D. guys, think my son will join the playstation club soon. buy spare controller...his birthday is coming...29 november. there're a lot of november babies, ie. my dad (13), jem (15), my elder diana (17), john tan (23), myself (24) bernie (25) and ian (29)

as for ian, i've been looking for his birthday cake via internet. kidz nowadays super 'hao ming' ok, lots of variety to choose! forum mommies recommended cakes from eCreative, RoomForDessert, CakeAvenue, HotFuchsia, The Pattisier...etc. i browsed through all of them, decided to shortlist cakes from eCreative and RoomForDessert instead. Most mommies gave positive comments on eCreative...praising their chocolate sponge and blueberry filling cakes yummy and prompt delivery service...the rest of the website's cakes look super nice and tempting, but think my little son is too young to appreciate...probably to make adults 'wah wah, very nice'. doubt have birthday party to celebrate for ian's 1st birthday, papa jem said celebrate with family.

Shortlisted cakes (not cheap though)
eCreative
1st birthday
3d - train celebration
3d - plane
3d - soccer (guys, that's probably your favourite too)

RoomForDessert (i like this because it's chocolate...probably the rich and moist type :P, yet to check it out)
no 1. cake

bk to in law's place now...here's the highlight of my 3-day stay at home, actually am hoping to stay longer at home but jem needs father in law's car to go jurong for his ippt. so...come bk!

anyway, interesting 3 days to me. ian broke ALL my eggs yesterday. prammed him down to buy eggs, i hanged it on his pram. i went to the kitchen when reached home, left the pram and ian outside the kitchen...i heard 'blak'...ian pushed the pram down and all the eggs cracked! my fault my fault....so what to do??!!! went to search recipe that required lots of eggs!!!

butter cake...i used 6 of them! actually recipe called for 5 and i spilled the egg white while preparing it 'kelam kabut', so gotta top up, i sat ian down the pram, make him watching me doing the baking prep process! the rest of the slightly cracked eggs put in the fridge. let me tell you! my kitchen is like just had a typhoon attack! plain flour, egg white, egg shells, caster sugar, batter...all over the table and floor! very messy. must show you this before & after kitchen...spent lots of time cleaning it up.

after that, while watching tv, i decided to let ian air his buttock! he happily crawling ard without his diaper....then he decided to give me a new job, he peeeeeeeed!!!

when ian slept, i spent 3 solid hours to clean up the mess, till almost 12am...slowly. where's the cake?!!! *sigh* cannot display! decided not to take the pic....i accidentally tore it apart while transferring the cake from baking pan to the cooling rack! disaster....

the result - taste ok, but dry.
where papa jem? he's not home yet.

so what's happening in our last gathering...these pic tells it all, look at their eyes...reminds me of a song 'can't take my eyes off you'. the guys had fun playing playstn! the ladies played with ian...no baking session, went to buy choc cake at jalan kayu instead...very nice! added to my favourite list.

my poor mom in law received lots of rejection from ian couple days ago...jem and i went out for lunch, left my parent in law to take care ian...we were out for 3-4 hours, can't go home coz heavy rain...so during those time, she probably trying to make ian happy by telling some 'white lies', like go gai gai but ended up staying at home, and tried to pat ian sleep but he doesn't like it...(ian only nurse to sleep)...suspected he angry that day...he refused to let mom in law carry him when we were bk. when attempted, he either looked away or turned away...worst, he bite her, it lasted 2 days okie...so cham! thank God mom in law and ian are friend friend now...ian doesn't reject her anymore...

what do you think of me having long hair once again? i had long hair couple years ago, it's for my wedding, took me 2 years to 'grow' it! i searched through all my long hair photos in the past....mannn....only managed to find a reasonable ok looking one (u won't post your ugly pics on the net right??!!)...this photo was taken in malaysia 2 years ago, that was after bet's wedding!!! miss bets deep deep! anyway the rest of the long hair photos cannot make it. either too pale or my face is so big that...uhm..don't know how to describe! when my good old buddy, michelle brought me to saloon, 2 years of hard work gone in seconds, i had it cut real short without feeling sad at all. tell me your thoughts k. leave your msg in the msgbox on the right panel. no need to post short hair lah! you all see me once in a while! joyce (jem's sis) said short hair better, but if want to have long hair, at most shoulder length.


going home tonight! will be networkless again. my cookies still not finished, my muffins moulded. think will do some roasting/grilling this week. been out everyday since last week, happy and exhausted. brought ian for his 2nd hair cut on monday, not too short this time, don't want him look like monk. father and son's hairstyle looked the same now, haha! then we went imm @ jurong! discovered sth abt myself (actually long time ago, just reminded), i really really not the observant type, or simply bo chup! i bought quite a few things from 'daiso', been wondering why there's no price tag on all the products, but didn't really pursue it...so...when paying up at the counter, only to find out all items are $2 only!!! i fall in love to this new place liao!


but but but, if it's abt bgr (boy girls relationship), i have very high antenna! esp...towards your own spouse heh :P...i always remind jem and myself, must always be on guard...married doesn't mean no more temptations! am i right????!!!! am i right!!!! right??!!! poor jem, always get a lot of injuries from me, coz i'll interrogate him after watching some silly tv singapore series! why? if you notice, every single singapore series, one of the men (good one esp.) go astray! extra marital affair!!! and i started to think rubbishy stuff after watching it, then ran to the room (jem was playing comp) and i'll be like the sumo wrestler, pinned jem's down with my hands and interrogated him. as a result, my lou gong banned me from watching any series that contains extra marital content.


so ladies! pls i beg you! don't be like me okie. must trust your husbands (but most of all, trust God). marriage/relationship cannot be built without the foundation of trust, period! commit your spouse to the Lord and focus on changing ourselves for the better! and let the Lord to do the job to change our spouse. i know how does it feel to be trusted...jem trusted me a lot! even when i mentioned a lot of guys in my bedtime stories with him, he will not suspect anything and i feel good abt it! (eh...even though i do hope he feels a bit jealous but ...if you know jem well enough, he simply won't loh!).

it's been a busy week. hehe! ian & i went out everyday!!! went phoon huat, grocery shops ard my area, clinic, mothers meeting at globetrotters (united sq). ian loves to go out and i'm dead tired pushing and carrying him ard but still love it.

there're some new shops opened in our area recently. one called top kang supermarket, another gigi minimart. uhm...interesting names...

anyway, what i love most is that they have a new wet market! hehe! i foresee myself frequent this place a lot! they have this organic goods stall okie...so ex! $3 for one avocado! i got no choice but to buy coz ian was having food strike that day, i gotta give other food.

love my kitchen utensils to bits! bought 2 bags full of baking ingredients from phoon huat....hehe! i'm very excited okie, keep on wanting to try out my mixer and oven. i have a digital kitchen scale, that made my preparation easier and faster. and i prepared the ingredients throughout the day, then bake when he's sleeping. decided to bake in the day instead of night...coz night time is my only relax time. very challenging and rather difficult to prepare in peace when ian was making noise for attention or kept crawling into the kitchen and open all the drawers, rubbish bin and washing machine. but still manageable! i managed to bake muffins and cookies in one day! very ambitious! but that's probably my last attempt...

..so ladies and gentlemen, allow me to announce my baking adventure.

yam muffin - at first, i thought i succeeded coz it rose beautifully...but too dry. let me describe how dry ok...each mouthful compels you to drink water! jem doesn't like yam muffin and in order to convince myself muffin is not that bad, i ate 6 out of 12 of them...

chewy choc chip cookies - 30%, tasted quite ok but the appearance cannot make it...jem don't even know that is cookie, the first time i showed him the cookie and he said "what's that?"

choc chip and nut cookies - 80% passed! the BEST! though a bit soft but everybody says NICE! jem, joyce, mom in law said nice!

i realised whoever came out with this recipe book must have very sweet tooth. i halved all the sugar content and still find it sweet.

so how's my son been doing this week? he tore taxi driver's magazine, tore my recipe book, had food strike on thurs, bite my shoulder (very painful) and still smile happily, teach him friend kiss and he hit his head instead and still love starwars ringtone. i noticed he gets excited whenever he sees kidz ard his age, that's why i brought him to the mothers brunch gathering at globetrotters...where all mothers bring their babies and toddlers and to have a chat! ian was very excited okie, kept on touching the ang mo little girl, but the little girl ignored him after that.

but i would describe this week as busy and great! jem & myself were in ian's room one night, watching him crawling happily, standing supported and kept on smiling at us, that was the first time which i felt a very enjoyable quality time! we would normally in living room but we both too busy to say 'no's and carry him away from dangerous spot, his room is more child proof. we just sat down and watched him, without worrying too much. ian simply loves to have ppl ard him, it's not enough to be present but must commit 100% attention to him...attention seeking boy boy :P

let's see...here are the 'daddy mommy' similarities we observed in ian...some bad habits we found in ian, we'll tease each other "see!!! he's like you!"

daddy

• his look
• starwars fan
• cheeky
• cannot sit still
• love fruits

mommy

• attention seeking
• loves going out
• very 'deh'
• suspect left-handed
• love to eat ppl's food

another exciting day tomorrow...church @ am, lunch gathering @ noon, watch soccer match (liverpool vs man u) in fread's place @ night! oh happy day! ohhhhh happy daaaaaayyyyy!!!

oven! mixer!!! cozai will be home tonight!

been looking forward to go home! been collecting quite a few recipes recently and can't wait to try them...will be a challenging week, juggling between taking care of ian alone and finding time (if there's energy left) to bake.

we went nat's place yesterday, good time to hv friends around, very yummy fried rice! tiring though, coz ian never sit still...think there'll be another gathering this weekend. yay! can't wait! bernie mentioned there'll be baking session for the ladies...hehe! if you think this will free you guys to play winning-11, think again, my son will have no one to take care... bernie, i'm thinking of assigning you guys, all the gentlemen to take care of my beloved son. to give cozai a break...what say you! ;P only when he needs to sleep, then look for me. if he's crying, need diaper change, bathing, feeding, i'll leave him to you guys to handle...very basic course "fathering 101"

will be networkless from tmr onwards. wishing me all the best in my baking journey okie!

"oh no, i'm going out with my mother!!!" said jem...the so-called mother is meeeeee! coz i wore my mom in law's clothes to kelvin's wedding last night. what to do?!! he's too tired to send me home to take my dress and i have no opportunity to go out shopping. think i ain't look that bad last night...serene said my tuiqouise top looked nice okie! should have taken lots of pictures to prove to you...but the camera battery died on me after taking 2 shots in hotel...worst...the wedding dinner not even started yet...*sigh* i had full faith of my camera, believing that it can tahan a bit longer...oh well.....jem gave me this sigh look "this kind of thing only happen to cozai"

this is the first time we brought ian out to wedding alone without parent in law's help. very challenging & busy, trying to keep him from screaming by stuffing food in his mouth, but this tactic doesn't last long. alright...let me clarify here, ladies & gentlemen, not all babies are like that okie, some babies love to sit still. mine just happened to be a cannot sit still type (like his dad). but all babies are lovely and you'll love them deep deep esp your own.

overall, despite the initial part of busy entertaining ian, i still enjoyed the wedding...yah...ian slept after 2nd dish and there're food to enlighten me. esp the last dish...mashed taro with pumpkin and gingko nuts (or-nee). i had 2 servings of this very sinful dish and feeling a bit regret after that...think one serving is just right, 2nd serving feel less 'shiok' liao...started to feel a bit jelak and guilty. kept on thinking there's loads of LARD making themselves comfortable in my body. just in case u don't know, this 'or-nee' has lots of lard in it, else it wouldn't be so smooth!

looking forward to gathering at nat's place later! more gathering pls!

shin kushiya....heard of this? it's a new japanese charcoal grill restaurant opened by khia tun, edwin piper & ....another guy @ vivocity! yap! khia tun is the one of the restaurant owners cum chef! jem, myself & little ian went for their opening ceremony food tasting last night. the place is very very very nice (sorry, my english vocab is limited), the back of the restaurant faces sentosa! the food is yummylicious (die die must try), waitresses are young and pretty too. we ordered quite a lot of food, have something to confess here...i brought my camera, intended to take all the food pics and ah...only remember after devouring all the food, so the pic on the right is...we're going home liao...ian already asleep in the sling. for those of you who know tun (and don't know), pls go and try their food okie! the food is nice and fresh. this is one of my must-go place whenever i have friends/relatives in town, must show support to him mah!!! and of course, the food is nice.

must take note of one thing okie...look for 'nick/nicholas' if you are looking for khia tun. ppl there don't know who is khia tun hoh! haizzzz!!! should have took picture of tun too, the chef look! very 'jun'.

address

shin kushiya - 1 harbourfront walk, #02-120 vivocity

must try okie!

how do you know whether your baby likes the food?

let me tell you mine. when ian doesn't like the food, he will quickly change to reverse gear and speed backwards...with his mini cooper (aka walker), stay far far away from mommy and both hands pulling his hair. eat his food and pretend very nice like those japanese food show ..."argghhh ....o...i...shiiiiiii!!!!" also doesn't work. it's getting harder to feed ian now, every day is a wrestling game...and i wonder why baby doesn't get bruises like his mommy.

my parent in law were bk from their kl trip yesterday...and as usual, ian has lots of new clothes and another new car again....a fire truck! maybe i should pray for a boy again next time....what say you?!

look @ the pic on your left? ian loves to do this whenever we ask him "where's daddy?"...he will stretch out his hand, bend his head to the side and with his fist down...i have no idea where he learnt that from...jem said probably he learnt from me...i would bring ian down to wait for jem's return from work sometimes...and i'll point out to show ian where daddy is while he's still far far away.

oh...i'm a new convert to bathing cold water now...very refreshing! my itchy skin is recovering...no doc, no medicine, just by itself. still very naughty, eating all the seafood and complaining itchy later...my in law bought the sotong from kl, and i ate quite a gd amount of them...life is short mate! enjoy the food! (excuse...)


okie...this paragraph is attn to all the couples or...actually to all. if you're reading mine, take heed!
when you have children in future (or baby), always remember to greet/kiss/hug your spouse when you're bk from work or anywhere. besides God is number One in your life, your spouse is the next in line. you only have your spouse left when your kidz growing up and have their own lives...so for God sake, cherish your spouse. if you concentrate so much on your baby and even your spouse stand just right in front of you and you still not aware of his/her presence! SMACK THEIR BUTTOCKS!!! jem's former cell leader gave him this advice ..."greet your wife first then your kidz." i actually take this advice pretty seriously and i remind jem once in a while...coz once you married for many years, familiarity sets in, we tend to forget all these things. as much as i hope this advice works, i modified this advice a bit...mine is...it doesn't matter who comes first, just don't forget to greet me. hehe, if you think i'm complaining jem in this blog, then you're wrong! i just feel this advice is important so just want to share to all of you. jem has been a great hubby! i understand that jem hardly able to spend time with ian, coz unlike me, he's working and reach home late most of the time. so he'll be very excited to see ian when he reaches home (more excited than to see me....:P hehe! very normal), play starwars tone from his hp, to make ian happy and excited...but of course, we're still human yah...mistake is unavoidable....so gotta work 2 ways, if he forgets, don't show black face lah! just jump on him and hug him loh.

what am i doing???

gathering info...abt how to make a cakey, moist, bit bitter, not too sweet brownie and sinful like the one from chocolat & spice in shunfu rd. i'm sorry to repeat this again, their brownie is simply unforgetable. the pic on the right is from the shop! nice huh!!! if i can achieve sth like this, i'll make this to everybody in christmas season, if not, will tell you it's from shunfu market. someone in the m4m forum described their brownie as 'cakey'...didn't know this term existed, and search from the internet, there're 3 types of brownie: fudgy, chewy and cakey. anyway, ever since i got my new toy (oven), i've been searching recipes pretty diligently....very hardworking!!! (just like my study time, ehhhh, like real :P) and hoping to start my brownie journey. ok ok...i know i'm a bit too ambitious yeah....haven't even improved all my failed products, let alone brownie. will continue to improve okie...

alright, i'm having this 'hoping to have 2nd child' symptoms again....i know it's not the right time coz ian is still too young...but maybe i'm just thinking my age is catching up, am afraid may not have as much energy as the years go by. this is quite embarrasing to share....but nevermind...share anyway...i suspected i'm pregnant this morning, coz i'm feeling very very very tired recently, esp when home alone with ian 3 days ago, ian just woke up from his nap and as i lied down, hoping to have some 'floor activity' with him (actually i'm lazy to get up), i felt so tired suddenly, i was actually fighting to stay awake throughout. i started dreaming when i closed my eyes and awake when ian made slight move. i got this same symptoms when i 1st conceived ian last time...so...i got so ganjiong, and get my last preggy test kit...rush to the toilet, didn't read the 'how to use' instruction...and lo and behold i spoilt the kit, didn't get to know the result....told jem abt it and we went to buy new one. i bet with him $50 i'm not pregnant. and....yah...the test showed i'm not pregnant. in fact, i kind of know i shouldn't be pregnant coz period is not back yet...the wonder of breastfeeding...but i'm very curious!

speaking of betting...i know christian shouldn't bet, but among family members, think is fine. though i'm jobless, i think i earned quite a bit recently...bet with mom in law, who will win in singapore idol. she bet jonathan, mine hady...and voilaaa!!! i won, hady he is! $5.
but not easy to win from jem though, i lose $200 (long story, maybe tell you another time)....and as a result, contribute the fund to ian's piggy bank...well...ian is in the win-win situation, any of his parents lose, he will be the one who pockets all the money, shiok huh, no need to 'jo gang'.

just played hide and seek with ian today, very tired. i crawled on the sofa n the floor, left, right up and down the sofa...ian got very excited abt the game and keep on smiling...will do more next time....this time was short, i got so tired till i have to stop and watch tv...:P...left him to auntie to take care. hehe, i can only do this when at in law's place.

continue my recipe hunting now....tata

bk in bishan last night...celebrated my mom in law's birthday. resolved to giving angpow in the end...ok...bad daughter in law, i know. jem bought cake from 'awfully chocolate' shop, chocolate cake with banana filling. pretty nice, i like it as compared to sweet secret :D think it's nicer if it's all chocolate. if i can make that kind of standard and and and....make it more chocolaty...ohhhhh!! i'll be delighted!

i got my new rowenta oven on tuesday!!! haha! courts, best denki sell $549 with free gift 'tefal wok'...i got it from parisilk for $470 with the same gift! i called twice to parisilk, the 1st quoted me $470, the 2nd quoted $475 n the day when i called up to order, another person quoted me $480, of course i choose the cheapest one lah!!!! i said somebody quoted me $470 and wa lah...i got it. jem said i should have bargained...could hv been cheaper...unfortunately i don't know how to bargain... anyway, i got so excited that i started to bake on the day i received it! after ian zzzz of course. i baked choc chip muffins, mission failed....turn out like muffin kuih again. then i bake japanese cheesecake (the light and spongy type) the next night, eh....not too bad but a bit dense and dry. ah gong said passed! (didn't show them the muffin....i donated to mr. bin already). i used my new mixer for the 1st time for the cheesecake, sitting so nicely in my kitchen now...feel so good as it looks very nice and pro! other things have to 'make way' to this new item...

phoon huat shop is absolutely a must-go place! a place where u can buy all the baking utensils and ingredients. brought ian to the hougang branch! thank God i brought pram and sling...attempted to let ian sit on pram in the shop, proved to be disaster, the shop was so crammed and ian kept on touching, pulling and biting things...i got so busy and can't shop in peace! no choice but have to put him in my sling! i have more control and he sat comfortably till he fall asleep in the end. i bought A LOT of things, 3 bags full...and that's where pram become very very very useful, to carry my things. ok...then i faced the next challenging moment...my left side slinging a sleeping child, my right hand is pushing the pram and i got very high tide while waiting for taxi...still have time to contemplate whether to tahan till go home or go nearby shop and settle it. moms and moms to be! if you have no helpers! pls resolve to 2nd option, i can guarantee you will surely wet your pants if you continue to tahan. i chose the 2nd, how great to feel the 'set free' feeling!

brought ian out a lot while staying in sengkang this week. ian loves it and so do i. we went to compasspt...very good timing! i have a new oven and i managed to borrow 3 chocolate recipe books! nice pics and....whether it's easy to make, i'll put that aside, just enjoy drooling while 'reading' the recipe book! oh oh oh...beware if you have a sleepy and cranky child okie! ian was getting tired while in the library, screamed soooooo loud that i have to cover his mouth and chop chop borrow the books! my next baking adventure will be either chocolate cake or quiche or pizza!

installed grilles finally! never been feeling so safe! before that, i always have fear that i may cause ian fall out of the window accidentally, the thought of losing him, the traumatised experience and intense guilt i will face...etc (yah! i think to that extent). now no more :D!

i like to eat rice/spaghetti with minced beef sauce...but after cooking this at nat's place couple years ago, i never cook this dish to other ppl again...only at home. why? any food i cook for ppl always turn out a failed dish (except salad, you can't go wrong unless the veg is not fresh), the minced beef turned out too fine...like muddy and watery. you can tell it's 'not so nice' by ppl's body language and they just eat quietly :P, poor them... haha, anyway, i still love it...i just cooked couple days ago, of course not the watery type, jem commented that it looks a bit like dog food hahahha...i think so too, coz of the presentation...brownish and mixed with rice...u have to agree with him after seeing it.

it's a fruitful and tiring weekend...fruitful because i'm out most of the time, hehe...and we bought a new vacumn cleaner finally...not cheap...but still haven't got my oven. long story...don't ask me.

we just came bk from shopping, i hardly carry ian for more than 2 mins...someone will offer to carry him, i do want to carry ian too, but i guess i cannot be so selfish right??!!! these ppl (hubby & in laws) only get to spend more time with the little one in weekend.

got to see nat's newly renovated home. very nice and modern! definitely more spacious. but what i really enjoyed the most was to meet up with nat, bernie and aaron...it has been a very very very long time since we met, all were so busy. weiye and serene bk from hong kong for good, i foresee there'll be more gathering ahead! very happy and excited!

oh oh oh!!! i enjoyed the baking class (see demo only) too...hope to start my baking journey soon. i watched how the trainer demo on all the three cakes (chocolate mocha cake, chocolate fudge cake & chocolate ooze cupcake)...been wondering...why some ladies carry such a big bag to class. see demo only mahh....and i knew the answer at the end of the class. they brought containers!!! yap! we get to try on the cakes and of course...there's leftovers. some prefer to bring home and eat than to eat on the spot. finally, i get to see how choc ooze cake is made, my goodness, the ingredient....very sinful!