Lekker!

And So.

2009-07-13T11:43:00.004+02:00

Our bags are finally packed. In a few hours, we leave for Schiphol Airport to our next chapter in life.All week I had everyone telling how nice it must be for me to go back home to Singapore. Out of politeness, I smile and agree but by the time the nth person made the same remark, I was quite ready to thump them with my new handbag. I know they mean well but in reality, I'm leaving my home, not

Birthday Presents

2009-07-07T18:51:00.008+02:00

It's been a month since my birthday but here are photos of the birthday goodies I received from my nearest and dearest anyways. Thank you everyone, I love my gifts.Beautiful birthday lilies from Kristi and her family. Kristi is our neighbour in Beijing and almost on a weekly basis, we'd go shopping, have lunch or just explore Beijing together while the kids were at school.*****Swarovski crystal

Next Stop

2009-07-02T07:04:00.002+02:00

So we've gotten confirmation about Hubs' next posting. We are going to ... *drumroll* ...... Singapore!Really, really well and truly!We are all very pleased. More details later except to say we will be arriving on the 14th of July. Yes, as in this month; just another example of the the kind of lives we lead, all rushed and last minute.In the meantime, I have errands to run and the faster I finish

We're Back

2009-07-02T06:37:00.003+02:00

Lots of things have kept me very busy since my last post, most of them downright heart-stopping in a bad way. Then there were the funny, happy bits in between too, all of which I will recount when I'm in a much calmer state of mind. It's been go, go, go and go faster until yesterday when I could finally sink down in my own big leather couch and breathe clean fresh evening air complete with

Law and Order Special Letters Unit

2009-06-15T04:32:00.002+02:00

Clip taken from one of my favourite prime time shows made by my all-time favourite kids show. I love you Sesame Street!

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-06-11T05:38:00.007+02:00

It was my birthday on Tuesday 9th June.Happy Birthday to Me!This is my year too, the Year of the Ox. I was born in the evening, a water ox. Hence I do not need to toil so hard in life unlike those born in the day. According to the fortune tellers, I have it good amongst my bovine kind.I did have a nice birthday. Hubs could not take time off on the day itself so we celebrated over the weekend. On

Hae Mee

2009-05-22T04:21:00.005+02:00

No long worded entries today. Just two photos of Hae Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup) I whipped up on Monday this week.We are coming close to the end of our sentence stay here in Beijing and I wanted to clear out the freezer by cooking whatever could be used. I found a big bag of prawns, defrosted the whole lot and together with some pork ribs, made the stock for Hae Mee.No one would touch the stuff (

Sarong Kebaya

2009-05-20T02:06:00.013+02:00

I paid tribute to my Indonesian Peranakan heritage last week by donning on a baju kebaya. I skipped the sarong and replaced it with some modern capris instead and felt very pleased with the way I looked that day.The yellow kebaya in the photo is almost ten years old and as far as baju kebayas go, this is not the best of quality but it's good enough for daily wear. Every summer, I give it a couple

Of Friendship And Laksa

2009-05-13T02:13:00.004+02:00

Our Laksa dinner tasted extra delish last night. Oh yes it did. And all because of friendship.Hear me out, I'm going somewhere with this.On board our flight back to Beijing from Singapore, Hubs lamented how he never got to partake of his favourite bowl of Laksa. Ten days of frenzied sightseeing, shopping and eating and somehow, the humble gravy noodle dish slipped past our taste buds. For shame!I

Mother Brings Son's Aspiration To Abrupt End

2009-05-06T04:18:00.007+02:00

So I pick Sonny-Boy up from the bus-stop yesterday. It was business as usual except the bus ayi came running after us asking me about seat belt buckles. I was naturally puzzled - what was she talking about? - but a quick interrogation and search on the spot yielded not one, but three buckles from Seat Belt Thief's backpack. And apparently from two different buses too.Bless my molten lava cakes!I

World's Coolest Flight Attendant

2009-04-27T02:30:00.002+02:00

Now this is what I call inflight entertainment!Thanks to Trish for the link.

The Spirit Is Willing...

2009-04-15T04:19:00.002+02:00

So I got all kitted up in my workout gear this morning. The grand plan was to attend a 10am Chisel session at the gym located within our compound.Well, it's 10.20am right now and I never got past our front door. All is not lost though. As I make this entry, I'm exercising my mouth with a lemon puff biscuit which will be followed up by a thick slice of swiss roll. To make sure I really feel the

Confessions Of A Shoe-aholic

2009-04-09T02:29:00.017+02:00

My name is Dutchess and I'm a shoe-aholic.This recent holiday of ours, I came home with nine pairs of assorted footwear. I had the noble intention of buying only one pair of shoes - the Varina from Ferragamo. But promptly fell off the bandwagon when we went shopping at all my favourite haunts namely Takashimaya, Ngee Ann City and Tangs. Ouch.Right after the next day we landed - by 'we' I mean my

10 Years, 2 Rings, 1 Cuff

2009-04-08T10:48:00.008+02:00

It's our 10th wedding anniversary today.I could wax lyrical about how wonderful Hubs is but I shan't. The fact we're now at double digit celebrations and still having fun is testimony enough.I'll tell you about how we marked the occasion though. Thanks to perfect timing, our recent sojourn to Singapore became our anniversary trip. We had a fantastic time, Sonny-boy included. We visited new

Gone Fishin'

2009-03-26T19:39:00.001+01:00

Well, I'll be!We leave for Singapore tomorrow where we'll bask in the hot tropical sun for the next ten days. It's an early morning flight so we'll have to leave at 6.30am. I've booked the cab, tidied the apartment and tied some loose ends.All I need to do now is pack our luggage. That and pray our water pipes don't burst in our absence.Coming home to a flooded apartment after a holiday is just

Times Are A-Changing

2009-03-21T06:28:00.003+01:00

So Sonny-boy hustles me into the study to show me some pictures he's done with Club Penguin, his online flavour of the month.Well, the artwork turned out to be a full-blown eight page Powerpoint slide presentation complete with introduction, maps and how-to tips. All done by himself while I was snoozing in this morning.Holy Camoley!Whatever happened to good old paper and markers?In any case, well

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-20T09:38:00.010+01:00

Flower PowerPlatform shoes from Scherer Gonzalez's Spring 2009 Collection.Today marks the passing of The March Equinox. I want to say something clever and intellectual but science and geography were never my forte in school so why pretend to be knowledgeable now? However, what I do glean from this natural phenomenon is it marks the change in seasons.Good-bye Winter, hello Spring!And to celebrate,

Don't Know What I'll Do With It But I Want It All The Same

2009-03-17T01:45:00.006+01:00

Saw the above in a magazine I was reading while waiting my turn yesterday. It was a good thing I was alone in the reception area because it just won't do to see a grown lady, made-up and all, drool into a magazine.This lovely, lovely, lovely clutch purse is actually a laptop! I don't care about all the technical specifics (eh?), but what's making my eyes dilate, my breathing irregular and fingers

Counting Down

2009-03-16T04:33:00.004+01:00

I'm counting the days till we are in Singapore. We are down to two weeks.Yippity-do-dah!Plans have been made with family and friends and we can't wait to eat our way through this holiday. Also on the agenda is some shopping - I am hoping to get a pair of black Varinas for daily use. And while shoe shopping, I will also pop by the Louboutin boutique for a look-see but reckon I won't be buying

Korean Barbecue

2009-03-10T01:53:00.009+01:00

Ai Jiang Shan is our go-to place for Korean barbecues. The restaurant is in a stand alone two storey building. The decor and ambience is lush, sedate with lashings of zen thrown in. There is a little stream running through the main dining hall complete with bridges et al. The bridges serve a practical purpose. You really do need it to get to the other side. At the hall way towards the entrance,

There You Are!

2009-03-09T10:38:00.004+01:00

A not quite so long-lost friend said hi today. I am very pleased, what a wonderful way to start the week.If families are the main meal, then friends must be dessert. They make our lives that much sweeter.

At Ten Fu - Da Hong Pao Tea

2009-03-06T02:49:00.007+01:00

I was in downtown Wangfujing to pick up an outfit I'd reserved the day before. I then remembered I had to restock my supply of oolong tea - Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha) to be exact - so off I went to a Ten Fu store in the same mall.The two sales assistants were smoother than a cup of aged pu-erh. I'm a regular so they recognize me. And because I'm a regular, they know I'm not leaving the store

Saturday Golf And Dim Sum Lunch

2009-03-03T02:03:00.007+01:00

Of late, our Saturday afternoons have been taken up by golf lessons. By 'our', I collectively mean all three of us. Sonny-boy gets his own golf teacher and goes off for his private lesson while Hubs and I share another instructor. All this is conducted indoors at Central Golf Beijing. When Sonny-boy heard we would be taught by professional golfers from the PGA, his face lit up and asked if Tiger

Crocheted Dress And Cardigan Ensemble

2009-02-27T01:33:00.002+01:00

As every well-heeled fashionista knows, a lady should have at least one LBD - Little Black Dress, hanging in her closet. I'm starting my 19 month old niece young. A little black dress and matching cardigan is on its way to you, Isabelle. All you need now is a matching kid-size 2.55 purse and black patent Mary Janes and you'll be the spiffiest looking kid in nursery!This crocheted dress and cardi

Vintage '70s Cape

2009-02-26T01:25:00.003+01:00

For as long as I can remember, my mum has always been crafting when we were kids. She had a crochet phase too and as a result, collected a couple of pattern books. On our last trip to Singapore, I borrowed a few of them. Here is a cape I made from from a 1976 issue. It may be 33 years old but because fashion always come a full circle, this design is still fresh as daisies.Check it out:This was