Halloween Birthday

It is Halloween today and it is also my mother's birthday. The girls were thrilled to know that their grandmother's birthday falls on Halloween. They also think she has supernatural powers because she always knows when they are up to no good! Lol.


It is also one of the stormiest Halloween ever. The thunderstorm this afternoon/ evening was one of the worst ever. We could hardly see anything out the window because of the heavy rain and the thunder was rambling most loudly. :S

Initially I wanted to take my mother out for lunch but a close family friend came over so only we went for lunch. We went to Nolboo Hangari Galbi, Orchard Central because the girls' father wanted to try out this Korean restaurant. We tried the Korean glass noodle ($18), Ginseng Chicken soup ($26) and Grilled pork belly. There were complimentary side dishes and appetiser. The taste is pretty good. The pork was grilled in front of us which was interesting for the girls but downside, the smell got onto our clothes.

Witch

A Blothings quiz. The result rendered me speechless lol. :P

You Are a Witch

Like a witch, you are often misunderstood and unfairly judged. You are not as sinister as you seem. You are intelligent and spiritual. You feel very connected to the world - both the dark and light sides of things. You tend to keep to yourself, and because of this people tend to think things about you that aren't true. You would just like to be left alone to do your own thing. You have no intention of harming anyone, even though you could if you wanted to!

Are You A Vampire, Witch, Or Zombie?

Gone Retro

My girls have gone retro. They are really into ABBA songs!

They rented Mamma Mia dvd last weekend. They have been watching the dvd everyday and they would sing along to the songs. I never expected them to like ABBA songs so much haha. Their favourites are Honey Honey, Mamma Mia, Super Trouper and I Have A Dream. Here's the Mamma Mia soundtrack remix. ABBA songs are actually very catchy and easy to sing to lol. :)



Here's Juliane performing Honey Honey using the broom as a standing mic lol.

Happy Birthday, Matthew

Happy 7th Birthday, Matthew.

We wish you lots of fun, games and more FUN for your 7th year. :)

love,
Cousins Marieann and Juliane

Emcee

I came home to see an emcee script on the coffee table. My goodness, Juliane has been made one of the two emcees for her end-of-year preschool concert! Hahaha. I am really surprised. I never expected Juliane to have the mettle to be an emcee. Her teacher said she is very confident and could say her lines clearly. I am really proud of her. :)

Now all I have to do is to make sure she can memorise her lines by Saturday 31 October for her preschool concert rehearsal. :)

My Birthday

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, my friends and ex-students. I really appreciate it! :) It was extremely pleasant and heart-warming receiving birthday greetings via msn, sms, email and Facebook. It is so nice to be remembered! :)

A good friend and I went for lunch. She drove us to Vanilla Pod, Mandai Orchid Gardens. It is a beautiful and serene place for a meal, greenery, the orchids. :) For starters, we shared Trio Mushroom Soup ($6.50) which has lots of chunky mushroom bits (no photo) and Pan-fried Duck Liver ($23.50): pan-fried duck liver which went really well with apple ragout, really sumptuous and real decadent! We will worry about our cholesterol level later haha. :P


For mains, I had Pan Roasted Chicken Breast ($19.50) while my friend had Oven Roasted Leg of Lamb ($20.50). My chicken was tender and moist and the mushroom and ricotta cheese stuffing was great with the chicken. :) Although I didn't try it, my friend's lamb looked good.



For dessert, as we were too full lol, we shared a Strawberry Mille Feuille ($10.50). It was darn delicious! :)



After lunch, we walked a bit round the garden. Definitely have to bring my girls here for the orchids and the food. :)



My birthday was a quiet affair at home. The girls' father bought a cake home after Juliane called him to get a cake. The girls helped me to blow the candles before I cut the cake. Told you it was quiet lol.

Kiasu

Marieann's exams are finally over. I can finally relax too (for now).

When I saw the marks on Marieann's Term 3 work, the kiaus demon in me took over. I am ashamed to admit this but I became one of those kiasu parents. Sigh. I have to do something about this kiasu-ness of mine.

NB: Kiasu - a term in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, meaning "afraid of losing".

OC

Not Orange County but Orchard Central in Singapore lol. We haven't been there before so decided to take a look after lunch.

OC has a rather interesting architecture concept, can be a little confusing at times lol. :P But it is refreshing. We saw a couple of restaurants that we could try next time. We decided to have dessert at Heaven's Loft. The girls had Ben & Jerry's ice cream and the girls' father had Apple Pie ($6.50) which was passable. I had Pear Temptation ($13.90): baked puff pastry with pear and almond cream with Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. The puff pastry was really nice and not too sweet. The girls liked it too.



We browsed around for a while before sending Marieann for her lesson. I think we will be back for more lol.

Korean Fever

All of a sudden, my whole family is into Korean series again, Korean historical drama series to be specific lol. The last one which we watched was Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace or 大長今).

Lee San, Wind of the Palace, a 2007 historical drama production, is directed by the same director as Jewel in the Palace. We just rented the DVDs last night and there are 77 episodes! Lol. We are now at Episode 18 haha. Lee San has all the right elements which makes us addicted to watching it - history, action, drama, and romance. :)

Horror Movies

Here is one Blogthings quiz in keeping with the Halloween theme. :)
Horror is one of my favourite genres, be it books or movies. :) I love a good scare! Feeling my heart pounding away, me jumping out of my skin makes me feel ALIVE lol.

You Are a Monster Movie

Nothing makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up like a menacing monster, whether that monster comes from a lab or outer space. You like horror movies with a lot of action and destruction. Of course you want the good guys to win in the end... but not until many people die first. You appreciate the creativity involved with imagining the ultimate monster. The idea of an evil that is capable of anything both delights and frights you. Your favorite movies have a unique take on the definition of monster. You go for movies like Alien, the Mummy, and King Kong.

What Kind of Horror Movie Are You?

Oh yes, I do love horror movies where there are monsters, lots of blood and gore, lots of action and destruction (but don't quite fancy the screaming kind of action). Yes, my favourite all-time horror movies are actually The Alien trilogy and The Mummy trilogy. :) But I somehow don't see King Kong as horror, it's just a gigantic gorilla in an action/ drama movie. :(

Colours of the Rainbow

Quite a few interesting Blogthings quizzes. I took this one lol.

You Are Orange

You are a creative, interesting person who's always looking to spice things up. You are a little wild! Am I?! Lol. You love new endeavors and adventures. You are fearless, and you love the thrill of doing something completely foreign to you. Oh yes, so me lol. :) Life is too short, I don't want to have regrets in life. You are spontaneous, and you sometimes end up doing the strangest things. If you have a gut feeling, you just go with it. That's the fun of it. :) You may be a bit eccentric, but your enthusiasm is catching. People want to live as freely as you do. Hahaha.

What Color of the Rainbow Are You?

Stressless Day (Nearly Entirely)

There is no counselling today because primary schools are closed due to PSLE Marking this week. After yesterday's physical work, I took it really easy today. I did nothing except read and sleep for most part of the day lol. It was really relaxing. :)

In between reading and sleeping, I went through math with Marieann as her math exam is next Monday. Somehow, she is still not stressed about exams. Sigh. This was the only stressful part of my stressless day.

On Leave = Cleaning Up Wardrobe

I am on leave today. Initially I thought I would take some time out and recharge my inner batteries. Maybe I could watch a movie, or I could sit at a cafe and read my novel or I could go shopping lol. But what did I finally decide to do? Clean up my wardrobe! Yes, I know, what a waste of my leave huh lol. :P

I started the task after lunch at 12:30pm and I only finished at 7pm! I never knew I had so much clothes in my wardrobe. :P When I was done, there was a big pile of clothes that I was getting rid of. I asked my domestic helper if she wanted any of them, otherwise I would bring the pile to Salvation Army. My domestic helper decided she wanted everything lol - some she would keep for herself and the rest she would send home to Sri Lanka.

Strangely, even though I was stuck in my room for most part of the day, I felt recharged after the cleaning up of my wardrobe! :) Hmm, now that there is space in my wardrobe, time for shopping! Hahaha. :P

My Parents are BACK!

My parents are back from the UK. They arrived back home around 12:30pm. The grandchildren were most happy to see their grandparents. :) I think they miss their grandparents' company as well as the delicious food my mother cooks lol. To be honest, I also miss my mother's cooking haha. :P Before long, there will be lunch/ dinner gatherings at my place again. :)

Wickedness at Original Sin

Since it is vegetarian day today, I took the family to Original Sin, Chip Bee Garden for a vegetarian Mediterranean lunch. We arrived around 12 noon and managed to get a parking lot nearby. Since it is our first visit, we ordered based on the waitress's recommendations.

Juliane ordered Mini Pizza: Cheese with Pineapple ($7) and Marieann had Pasta with Tomato Sauce ($7). The girls' father ordered Brunch: Egg Napoletana Set ($20++) which came with scrambled egg, portobello mushroom, grilled tomato, baked beans and ciabatta. I had Absolut ($26++): Penne with asparagus, button mushrooms, spinach, capsicum, flamed with Absolut vodka, topped with shaved parmesan. For sweets, Juliane and Marieann had Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream respectively while I had Apple Pie with Vanilla ice cream. :)







The food was absolutely wicked! :) It was darn delicious, even the girls' cynical father agreed and I think he is willing to go back again lol. The food was tasty and rich. Most importantly, the food is really filling and you don't feel as if you are only having vegetarian food! We absolutely enjoyed our lunch. :)

Dental Visit and Rewards

I went to see my dentist who is also my friend from uni for a 9:30am appointment. My girls went along with me. My friend stated that my kids were escorting me to see the dentist. I think she is right, my kids gave me the courage to see the dentist lol.
Thank goodness, my dental problem was not as serious as I thought. Ok, my bad experience with the dentist when I was 5 years old has definitely coloured all my subsequent dental visits. :P After the dental visit, the girls and I settled down at the kopi tiam near the clinic to have breakfast. :)

After breakfast, I decided to reward myself for being so brave in visiting the dentist haha. Juliane and I went to Isetan to get my Clarins products and it being my birthday month, I had double bonus points with the products I purchased. Since Isetan is also having a 10% storewide, Juliane and I bought a few clothing items. :)

The rewarding continued into the night with a Japanese dinner at Tetsu Japanese Restaurant, Tanglin Mall lol. :P Juliane had a Ten Don while Marieann had a Green Tea Soba. Their father ordered a Katsu Curry Rice with breaded pork ($16.50).




I had a Course A ($35++) which came with Appetiser: Crabmeat tofu with century egg and Swordfish Tataki, Vegetable sticks with miso and Sushi Rool; Main: Kushi-Age (breaded scallop, shrimp, pork fillet, pumpkin and mushroom), Inaniwa Udon (hot) and Dessert: Yuzu sherbet. Each dish was tasty and just right in its portion. I also enjoyed the variety. :)

Apprehensiveness

Getting really apprehensive about tomorrow. Hopefully I can sleep well tonight.

Roller Chair

Recently, the girls have taken to playing with the roller chair which is in my room. They have been using it as a pushchair! Each would take their turn to sit in my roller chair and have the other push the chair as fast as it could go in the living room. I found them playing thus yesterday when I returned home from work. Both received a scolding from me.

However, kids will be kids. When I called home today, I had Juliane howling away over the phone that her sister had caused her to fall down from the chair. What chair? My chair?! It dawned upon me that they have been playing with my roller chair again. When I got home, a nasty bruise has formed on Juliane's knee. Both girls knew they were in the wrong and Marieann also apologised to her sister. I believe they have learnt their lesson.

Clearing

I decided to take out the Finetune Radio widget since I seldom use it myself. With one less widget, my blog page might now load faster lol.

Rest In Peace, Stephen Gately

I heard about Gately's death on Sunday. It was a real shocker! :( I have always admired Gately's honesty and guts in standing up for what he was and for what he believed in.

I have always thought Boyzone with its two lead singers, Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately, is one of the stronger boybands around and I absolutely enjoy listening to their songs, in particularly, I love the song "No Matter What". I found a Youtube video clip that plays tribute to Gately with the song "No Matter What". How fitting. May you rest in peace, Stephen.



Lyrics of "No Matter What"
No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true

No matter what they call us
However they attack
No matter where they take us
We'll find our own way back

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know I'll love forever
I know, no matter what

If only tears were laughter
If only night was day
If only prayers were answered
Then we would hear God say

No matter what they tell you
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach you
What you believe is true

And I will keep you safe and strong
And sheltered from the storm
No matter where it's barren
A dream is being born

No matter who they follow
No matter where they lead
No matter how they judge us
I'll be everyone you need

No matter if the sun don't shine
Or if the skies are blue
No matter what the end is
My life began with you

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know, I know
I know this love's forever
That's all that matters now
No matter what

Doing a Recording

Today's the first time I have ever been in an audio studio doing a recording. It's not my first time in a recording studio though. My uncle in Taiwan has a recording studio in his house because he does radio broadcast and audio recordings too. I remembered my brother and I were allowed into his studio when he was recording on the condition that we remain as quiet as a mouse lol. It was a thrill for us, as children. :)

Being in a recording studio again today sure brought those good old childhood memories for me. Maybe because of those early experiences in a recording studio, I was pretty calm when doing the recording today. :) It was pretty exciting and fun too. Before recording, I removed my earrings, bracelet, watch and shoes so to reduce sounds made accidentally by them as well as to reduce distraction. The recording went really smoothly, with no NG at all. :) I am most pleased with myself lol.

Wolfing at Wolf

I decided that I wanted to have Western food after having Japanese food for the last 2 weekends. I overruled the girls who wanted Japanese food (AGAIN!!!) and we went to Brasserie Wolf, Robertson Quay for lunch. It's time to expand the girls' palate to include French cuisine. :)


However, the girls stuck to their pasta with tomato sauce lol. So much for trying to introduce French cuisine to them lol. :P The parents ordered a 3 course set lunch ($29+++).
For starter, I had Half Dozen Baked Burgundy Snails with Tomatoes & Herbs Garlic Butter. Marieann was game enough to try two of my snails and thought they were delicious lol. For the main course, I had Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Mushroom Polenta & Caramelised Apple in Port Wine Sauce. The pork was most tender and juicy. :) For dessert, I had Petit Pot Vanilla Custard which was absolutely yummy and the girls shared it with me. :)




The girls' father had, for starter, Balsamic Marinated Tuna with Preserved Lemon and Rocket Salad. He had Roasted Chicken Roulade stuffed with Crab meat, Risotto Milanaise and Mushroom Sauce for main course and Rich Chocolate Cake with Cream Anglaise. The chicken was quite tasty and unique with its crab meat stuffing.




After lunch, the girls and I went for a walk round Robertson Quay. Hmm, quite a few restaurants which we could try out next time lol. :)

Happy Birthday, Cousin Matthew

Happy 5th Birthday, Matthew.
We hope you love your birthday present.

Lots of love and hugs,
Cousins Marieann and Juliane

PS. We hope to visit you and Abel in UK soon.

Exam Preparation

Marieann will be having her Primary 1 end-of-year examinations next week. I have been trying to help her prepare for her exams. However, she is oblivious to the notion of exams and she is not at all concerned about her exams. I am nerve-wrecked by her exam. It seems like I am the one who is sitting for the exams, not her. Sigh. :(

Script

I was busy for most part of today preparing the script for the recording of the test audio. Unfortunately, I will also be the voice talent. Sigh. If only I don't have to do the recording. :( But I guess since I prepared the script, the recording might proceed more smoothly(?!), I hope.

PSLE 2009

Today is the start of PSLE 2009. Most of my cousellees are in P6. I think I am just as nervous as they are about their PSLE. I hope all of them can do well enough to get into the secondary schools of their choice.

Good Luck for your PSLE!

The Move III

Some colleagues, belonging to a big-scale project, have been reassigned work stations from Basement 3 to Basement 2. At the moment, it is only a handful of them because the project will only start massive hiring at the end of the year or early next year.

Two good friends have to move. However, I think they would much prefer to stay downstairs because they have been at their current work stations for over a year. It actually made more sense for new RAs to move to Basement 2 rather than the settled RAs. Sigh. According to some (from another department) who have moved to the same Basement 2, the new place is quite dusty and the air circulation is quite bad too. :(

I will miss my friends as we have been neighbours for close to 1.5-2 years now. It is hard to get nice (work) neighbours. Sigh.

Eye Test

No, this is not the real eye test but one of Blogthings quiz lol. Quite accurate. :)

Deep Down You Are Sensitive

You're the type of person who notices everything and forgets nothing. You are very in tune with the world. You feel deeply, and sometimes the silliest things can effect you. You are easily brought to laughter or tears. You don't show the world how fragile you are. You instead show people how insightful you can be. You are good at anticipating what's going to happen in your life. You are often the first one to see what's coming.

The Eye Test

Belated Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

It was Mid-Autumn Festival yesterday on 3 October. The girls didn't care too much about eating mooncakes and pomelo. They were only interested in lighting up their lanterns and walking round the estate with them. However as it was drizzling, the girls couldn't carry their lanterns around the estate and they were sorely disappointed. :(

After dinner at Xin Wang HK Cafe, Anchorpoint, there was some time left for the girls to carry their lanterns before their bedtime at 9pm and also before it starts to drizzle/ rain again. Eventhough they only walked to the playground and back, they were still thrilled. I guess it was the fun of carrying a lighted lantern lol. :)



PS. I had the Pork Chop with Mee Sua in Papaya Soup ($8.90) at Xin Wang. The soup which had milk added in it was really tasty and so was the mee sua. :)

Cut!

I can't stand it any longer. The heat is really getting to me. I just went to my hairdresser in the afternoon without even making an appointment. Lucky for me, she had a free slot. :P

I finally cut my hair! I feel so lighthearted now lol. :)

Exhausted!

I am totally exhausted today. I was out in two schools, did 5 sessions of testing. Other than that, I was also hit by mental challenges as well as physical challenge throughout the day. :(

EXHAUSTED!

Children and Mooncakes

It's Children's Day today. Unfortunately, I couldn't take leave as there is plenty of work to do before going out to schools again tomorrow. But I think the girls were able to entertain themselves at home. I managed to get home earlier as I had to bring the test equipments to store in the school first before tomorrow.

After dinner, we went to Takashimaya to get mooncakes. We have yet to buy our mooncakes for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on 3 October. After walking one round, we decided to get our White Lotus 4 Yolks mooncakes from Dragon Phoenix Restaurant. :) I love the yolk! :P I also bought the girls their laterns which they can light up and carry around the estate on Saturday night.