My Christmas Schedule
Monday, December 14, 2009
12/14/2009 11:44:00 AM
Christmas is the season to be chubby, opps, I mean MERRY.
Christmas is so near that I don’t even have time to undergo the long-established custom of ‘losing substantial weight before the season’ in order for me to feast without a tinge of guilt. Well, I have to also admit that a part of me is recalcitrant towards the custom because I can still fit into the super skinny jeans which I have been using it to gauge my weight (apart from the cruel and impossible-to-go-wrong electronic weighing machine).
The thing about dieting is that you need to cogitate cautiously, you have to ensure that your shopping route avoid nice restaurants, you have to pack your weekend with activities with the son, pepper some sports activities in your weekday schedule etc…
Anyway, it’s kinda late to talk about dieting when we are about a week to the season to gain weight.
My schedule…
22-Dec: (can you imagine it started THIS early?) Dinner at Vanilla Pod with the usual ST suspects
23-Dec: Ex neighbour’s newborn baby full month celebration dinner at Carlton Hotel
24-Dec: Attempt to have a romantic lunch with just me and Kevin,
Dinner, present exchange, church and MJ with MJ kakis
25-Dec: Usual Christmas gathering with the in-laws and the relatives
26-Dec: Tradition Christmas party at home with the gang from NYP
27-Dec: Wedding dinner at Goodwood Park
1-Jan: Lunch buffet with my parents at Sze Chuan Court
2-Jan: New Year dinner with Emily at Conrad
3-Jan: Dinner with my family to celebrate Grandma’s birthday
9-Jan: Farewell dinner with R
What scares me the most is, the calendar is DYNAMIC, there won’t be any deletion, only addition.
How many Yoga lessons do I have to go after this??
Ziv's Collection
Saturday, December 12, 2009
12/12/2009 11:23:00 AM
Like parents like son.
Look at the collection...
Ziv has this strange affinity in shoes. Just like his father. For all the oversea trips we went, excluding France, we bound to get some shoes for him. And each time we showed him his shoes, he will walk around the house in them! Looking very contented. Even my cousin knows about it and bought a pair of Addidas for his last birthday.
They were mainly Puma, Nike and my personal fave Addidas.
I planned to keep all of them except Crocs so he can start his collection since young.
Labels: collection, shoes, shopping, ziv
Baking and Me (Episode 5)
12/12/2009 11:20:00 AM
Baking is now so elementary! When you achieved sponge cake, there's nothing you can't do. And now its time that I experience cake-making using assorted flavoring. Last week I made pure chocolate and chocolate chip cupcakes for the young (Ziv) and old (Kevin).
As usually, Ziv gobbled up about 8 small ones at one go and down with his milk, and Kevin had a few. He was even telling me to make more of different flavours! Probably cookies and cream next. As for Ziv, he prefers something less fanciful, he just want butter and chocolate (minus chocolate chips cause he said those chips are EYES!).
I wanted to give myself and the family a break by not baking today but before Ziv had his nap awhile ago, he asked me for a cake and even cried when I said I'm not baking today.
It seemed that I have to bake later on but first I need to get more ingredients!
This was what I baked last weekend...
It was a great success because the sponge filled up the paper cups! I did it!
Labels: baking
True meaning of Christmas
Friday, December 11, 2009
12/11/2009 03:50:00 PM
It feels happy to see and know that someone is happy for something you did to them.
This Christmas is probably the last Christmas that R is going to spend in Singapore. After working for almost 2 years in Singapore, he will probably be back to the States and perhaps not coming back to Asia within the next few years. Knowing that to send them a present in future is no longer like, ‘here you go’, ‘are you in the office? ‘ or ‘can I drop by?’, I took the opportunity to send someone to deliver an early surprise to him today. A wine hamper with 2 glasses, one for him, one for his wife whom I think is one of the nicest people in my previous company.
Although I don’t get to see R’s reaction when he received the hamper but I can sense his exhilaration through his voice. Christmas season is about love, care and compassion, even if there is no return to your giving in terms of physical gifts, it will still send a heartfelt smile to your face and warm up your heart.
Well, to me, seeing them happy is already the best return gift from them.
Labels: christmas
My Gym Bag
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
12/09/2009 04:46:00 PM
As I have been working out religiously during lunch break, it is inevitable that I lug a huge gym bag. Any some of the country pumpkins in my office told me there was this joke in the office about me. I asked one of them what it is all about. I am pretty calm because I know I made no fashion mistakes all these while and is extremely sure that I haven't do anything foolish. And guess what? They said my bag is bigger than me.
What so funny? Is that even a joke? I smiled, briefly. I wonder if they know they are talking about a Prada bag that cost more than a small Chanel and its too big for anything except for gym class.
Case 39
Thursday, December 3, 2009
12/03/2009 10:22:00 AM
Movie-going is usually the last activity on a mother’s to-do list, probably after, tucking her kid to sleep, amuse the kid, feed the kid, dance with the kid etc. However, lately, Kevin and I have been very privileged. I have my in law to look after Ziv for us during the weekday and so Kevin and I have ample time after work, and obviously I am ‘not used’ to working OT after all these years. Sometimes, we run out of idea of what we should do after dinner and then we go back to our pre Ziv days. Pre Ziv days means more time for leisure and one of the activities includes hitting the cinemas. I was given some complimentary movie tickets from American Express and they have been in my wallet for the past half year and just recently again, another pair from Standard Chartered, it seemed that I can never be able to utilize them completely, no matter how hard I try. Cause most of the time, we end up purchasing our own tickets because we decided to deviate from the designated cinemas for these free tickets due to full house for the blockbusters.
Back to movies and cinemas, another key reason why I haven’t been patronizing the cinemas lately is due to the movie pricings, they confounded me, vastly. The thing is, since when did movie ticket pricings varies from different cinemas, and since when there are different rates for adults, kids, senior citizens, students and lastly, since when that even the day of visiting the cinemas matters in terms of dollars and cents? I simply don’t fathom.
And one more thing, since when the cheapo gassy drinks and air popped popcorn cost more than an extra value meal plus upsize at Macdonald’s and they are just snacks.
I tell myself, no free tickets, and no movies.
Back to my original intent of this post, I wanted to tell you about Case 39. Since the free tickets are expiring end of this year and I think there won’t be other movie coming out soon that has nothing to do with Christmas, I decided to go for the not-so-popular movie, Case 39. This movie sends chills down my spine.
The last movie that made me covered my ears and eyes in the theatre for a good ¾ of the show was, Audition. And man, that was a waste of time and moolahs. Case 39 is slightly better, I covered my eyes and ears throughout ¼ of the show and joined the 2 other gals sitting next to me and made some really scary yells at fellow audience. The show was mentally disturbing and I hope it is not a true story retold. This show is great to watch if you want to take a break from the typical Japanese, Korean and Thai horror. It actually sends the entire theatre of people to stop breathing for quite a few scenes. It is worth watching than Ninja Assassin though I haven’t see it, cause having yourself breathing hard is better than having Rain to do the breathing. I don’t fancy him.
Baking and Me (Episode 4)
Monday, November 30, 2009
11/30/2009 10:03:00 PM
As I blogged, long weekend means more baking.
Here's another product produced during the weekend.
May I present the chocolate-coffee cake. Baked one with chocolate chips and one without. Was too busy eating the one with chocolate chips and didn't manage to capture it in my camera.
Of course the main reason for forgetting it is because it tasted DELICIOUS!!
What's next?
Labels: baking
Enhancing the Active Movement Campaign @ Home
11/30/2009 11:22:00 AM
In conjunction with the Active Movement campaign to advocate Kevin to just MOVEEEE (his ass), the abode has added a new electronic device. It aims to egg him on to shed off the excess kilos without having to feel being forced to do so. So what’s the device that works wonder?
Wii.
So happened, this is my Christmas present too! Thanks dear!
A story and a moral
11/30/2009 09:40:00 AM
Here’s a story to share.
Uncle Ace Ho owned a supermarket and for the past quarter, his business was not doing too good.
So, he went home and told his kids, “Sorry kids, Daddy’s business have not been doing well for the past one year and for this year, I cannot afford to buy you chocolate for Christmas. However, to reward all of you for achieving excellent results in your examination, I have decided to reward you all with something lower in value, but hey, at least there’s something.” Ace Ho had a great wife, he educated his children to be scholars and they often top the class. Uncle Ace Ho continued, “Daddy will reward you all with not more than 7 sweets, and that depends on your examination performance, so if you got an A1, you will have 2 sweets, A2, 1 sweet and so on, but remember, not more than 7 sweets in total for all the subjects.”
Uncle Ace Ho was so proud of himself for thinking such bright idea, and he called my Dad. He persuaded my Dad to do what he did. When I learnt about that, I was so angry with Uncle Ace Ho’s stingy ways and even though I was just an average student in class, that doesn’t mean I have to settle for something less, cause at least, I behave myself in class and at home!
Luckily, my Dad was understanding and he still bought me chocolates and some other cookies because he told me he had a pay raise from his company. I am lucky to have such a good father.
Moral of the story, we don’t have to be scholar, or top of the class to be someone lovable to our parents, it is how much we are valued in our parents’ eyes (as a kid) and that is the most important thing.
Labels: random
Baking and Me (Episode 3)
Friday, November 27, 2009
11/27/2009 11:48:00 PM
Who ever says baking is an inexpensive hobby is certainly wrong. I don't even want to calculate how much I have spent on the newfound hobby. The electrical mixer, assorted bowls/trays, trays and trays of eggs, pricey ingredients such as Hersheys chocolates etc.
Anyway, this Friday I decided to make something which Ziv really really love. Started baking at 12midnight because I went to Fair Price and Giant to buy the ingredients and necessary apparatus.
I love midnight baking, because no one is there to distract me or see how I fail.
This is the first time I tried a supposed-to-be reliable online recipe and as expected, it doesn't work for me and I ended up sleeping at 3am, feeling disgruntled. Woke up this morning at 630am to go Yoga class, came back drove Kev to spa together, went house viewing, and started baking again at 4pm using the same recipe.
Alas, mission failed painfully.
With these 2 failures, I lost 17 eggs, lots of flour, half pack of sugar... I feel bad not because I fail, but I wasted the ingredients. In the evening, I went to buy new ingredients and found new recipe, returned home at 8pm, started baking again.
I am in fact a very determined person and I hate to fail in things that are within my control.
Guess what?
Ziv ate 6 small pcs and kept asking for more. We had to stop him because it was near to bed time.
Another mission accomplished!!
Labels: baking