glorious food

we ate like every 2 hrs...
here is our food dairy...

first stop after we landed... headed for a seafood dinner at long beach @ kallang... 2 tables... about 20 of us... 9-course set meal... think my cousin and i ordered too much... there were so much left overs..! =p

next morning breakfast... my very first sip of kopi siew dai..! indescribable..!

gals had morning fried noodles with luncheon meat... egg... taiwan sausage... dad and i had mee siam and mee rebus... then rachelle continued to have an egg prata...

lunch was at bishan... jus 2 hours later... haha...

we had chicken rice... added some duck meat... shio bak... char siew... chicken feet... innards... dark soy sauce... chilli sauce... the works..!
visited my in-laws... just 2 hrs after lunch... had mooncakes... gals had their favourite indomie... mee goreng with egg... just how they like it to be done by 爷爷... we also had lotus soup... ooohh... how i miss double-boiled soups...

oh... did i mention... in between... we had macdonald's nuggets and fries too..? =P

ending the day with dinner at humble coffee shop... actually... that's the best place to eat..! had fish head curry... prok rib king... sambal tapioca leaves... yumz to the max..! =P

then gals and i headed for perth...

summary of all the good food we had there... hor fun... hokkien mee... salted fish fried rice... posh dinner at frasers... where we had steaks and seafood... amazing banquet dinner at a church... followed by world's best fish and chips... clam chowder... nasi lemak... malaysia fried kway teow...
then in that short 8hrs back in singapore...

we had duck rice... black and white carrot cake... minced pork mee pok with lots of vinegar... more kopi siew dai... then breakfast at killiney... nasi lemak... wanton noodle... kaya toast... half boiled eggs...

BURP..! =P

singapore

in less than 18hrs... gals and i will be back..!

cant wait..! =)

latch-key for a day

will be going to the gotemba premium outlets with wen and mark tmrw... both hubby and i will be leaving the house before the gals do...

they will lock up and go to school together... and come back together... when back... they are to call me using the guard's phone to let me know that they are home...

when home... they have a schedule to follow... when to bathe... homework and stuff...

dinner has been prepared... taught hubby how to warm up the curry... while the rice will be timed to be ready at 6pm for them...

praying protection over them... =)

packing day

i am to pack today... it's almost 4pm... and my luggage is still in the store room... =P

but... i have been busy... busy food planning...

as i will be going shopping with wen and mark tmrw... i need to think of the gals' and hubby's dinner... and also that i will not be home to cook for hubby for the next 5 days... i prepared one batch of 糯米饭 to be stored in the fridge... so that he can warm it up for breakfast... or anytime he is hungry... especially in the nights...

right now... i am steaming the 糯米饭... then i'll prepare tonight's dinner... after dinner... i can start cooking tmrw night's dinner for the 3 of them...

planned to cook curry rice... put in the fridge... single serve... gals are capable of warming up food... so they can help themselves to dinner when they are hungry...

so before i leave tmrw morning... i'll start the rice cooker... set it to complete cooking rice at 6pm... so clever is my rice cooker... =)

think i'll finally get to pack when hubby is at home... he is the packer... i need him to be around... i will just take out what we need... and let the expert place everything nicely into the luggages... =P

Weekend With Wen

we finally met in tokyo..! =)

met up at roppongi... and decided to go with her planner's recommendation of black ramen... it was not easy locating the shop... but we found it... and it was worth it..!

it's actually the last shop at the end of the street... we were about to turn back... and probably thinking of what to have for dinner... but when we double checked the address... we realised that we were standing right in front of the shop..!

the adults ordered their famous 'black ramen'... which actually is called Kogashi Ramen... you could choose a shoyu (soy sauce) or a miso soup base... amongst the 4 of us... we had both types...

when our food came... it didnt look at all appetising... it smelt only of shoyu... a little apprehensive to take the first sip actually...

but when we did... woah... it was so good..! so yummy..! so fragrant..! actually... indescribable..!

we finished every single drop of soup in our bowls... *slurp*

then we headed for a nearby park... happy to note that oktoberfest was still going on there... and we had a great time jus talking... eating and drinking... and taking in the great weather that night...

we had the next day all planned out... starting with a visit to the hair salon...

wen had loved how my hair looked... and we made an appointment jus before we had our black ramen... =P

at the hair salon... she was extremely pleased and happy with the services rendered her... and of course... how her hair was cut... jus the way she wanted it to be...

then from harajuku... we headed to omotesando... and had ramen again..! =P

this time... ramen served in a hot stone bowl... great in such a cool weather..! it was delicious... rachelle just couldnt telling us how good the ramen was...

we just did a lot of walking yesterday... from harajuku... to omotesando... to shibuya... then a train to shinjuku to buy some bus and train tickets... then ending the day at tsukishima...

went to have monjayaki again... gals totally enjoyed the dinner... especially when they were given the responsibility to cook one of the dishes of us... though wen and i had the most horrid drink... dinner was fun and good...

after dinner... we wanted to look for some confectionery that sold some buns... which looked like large por lor bun... earlier... a few gals walked past us and were each carrying a green bag with the bun in it... raving how good it was...

the shop was just a couple of shops away...

didnt think too much of it initially... so we just bought one to try... and we ended up buying another 4 more..! =P

it's called a melon bun... crispy and sweet on the outside... moist and fluffy on the inside... yumz..! it was really sooo gooood..!

happy and satisfied... we all got home... really tired from the 12hrs out... but i must say one thing about my gals... they were FANTASTIC too... not a single whine from them... =)

going with wen and mark tmrw to some premium outlets... means shopping..!
looking forward...! =)

new colour

when i said that i was nervous about today's visit to the hair salon... i really meant it...

for almost 18yrs... other than my hair stylist... no one else had laid their hands on my hair... either to cut... or colour... so being here... and not speaking the language... is really scary...

thank God i had my host with me... so i explained to her how i would like my hair done... keeping the length cos i wanted to wear my hair long... dun like that it is so messy and thick... wanted it layered... thinned... and i oso wanted to colour my hair... not one colour... but highlights in my hair...

but by looking at her facial expression... i knew that she didnt understand me 100%...

anyways... she then told the hair stylist wad i had wanted... and all i could do was to trust that my hair will turn out ok... *fingers crossed*

first step was to choose a colour for my hair... after spending some time understanding each other... about base colour and highlight colour... instead of the usual browns and reds... she suggested something different for me... a colour from the green family... =P

it looked ok on the sample... and so i said ok...

unlike the process in spore... where they jus apply the cream... wait 20min... wash... and there... done...

here... it took a total of 3 persons... using more than twice the amount of cream compared to spore... over 2hrs... being left alone for 5min at most... using at least 2 machines... the colouring was finally completed...

by then... i needed the loo urgently...

as i entered the loo... and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror... i liked wad i saw... the colour was nice..! =)

wad followed after was the trimming part... almost similar techniques were used...

but the end result was great..! i loved the way my hair looked... definitely much neater than before... my host said i looked younger too..! =P

and cos my host and the hair stylist's parents are friends... we enjoyed a 50% discount...! which meant that i had saved a lot more money by doing my hair here..!

made me happy the whole of today... =)

preparation

doing my hair tmrw... going out with ribena and kayabun sat and sun... then doing my nails on monday... go outlet shopping on tues with ribena and kayabun...

and off we fly to spore... then to perth...

many friends would think that i am dolling myself up for the return trip and perth... actually... it's all jus good timing... =)

i had planned to do something about this untidy mop of hair when i am back in spore... but then... my host family had asked if she and i could go to a hair salon together... she'd take me... maybe my hair so in such a terrible state that she had to ask..! =P

anyways... i agreed... esp when japan seemed to be so advance in this field... have heard ppl rave about how good the cut is in japan... and also that a japanese is taking me... and shop belongs to her friend's daughter... why not..? =)

as for the nails... have always liked painted nails... if not for the fact that i have to cook and wash everyday here... i'd be spotted with different coloured nails each week..!

so having the luxury of not having to cook and wash for a whole week... i decided that i should pamper myself to a manicure...

dun think that i only prepare physically and logistically for the trip... i oso prepare spiritually and mentally hor...

actually that's the most exciting part... =)

initially was required to share my sermon that i used 2 years back on worship... and oso at a women's cell... then it changed to sharing about how a worship team should work together...

i got really excited to do the 'team' sharing... cos i had so much to share... and it was a practical topic... and it was about dealing with people... my favourite topic to talk about...

then 2 days ago... some changes in the plan... now i have to talk about the heart of worship... the character of a worshiper... and wad was so amazing was... i had earlier started out reading a new book by Andy Park... on cultivating the heart of a worship leader...

so when i received the topic... i was thrilled..! not only do i have notes... now i have a book to glean from..! how good is God..?!?! =)

really looking forward to teaching... sharing and leading again... it's been a long while... but i thank God that He has initially put this desire of wanting to learn more in me since a few months back... that's when i embarked on an online worship conference...

and all that i have learnt from the conference... kept me passionate about worship... and now this... i am jus amazed at how God works...

cant wait to meet the team from Oops... and minister together with them..! =)

drastic

just yesterday... we were complaining how hot it was... had to switch on the air-conditioning in the house... and we had ざるそば... cold soba...

yesterday's high was 32deg... low was maybe 26deg...

then weather forecast revealed that today would be a high of 26deg... no one believed... not even i... how possible..? a drop of 6deg..? ridiculous... shouldnt it go down gradually..?

and the weather forecast was correct... we woke up feeling the chills...

for the rest of today... the highest temp recorded was 23deg... that's a drop of 9deg from yesterday's highest..!

it's 18deg now... raining... and the real feel is 13deg...

now i truly understand the phrase... as unpredictable as the weather...

but i am enjoying the cooler weather now... =)

new song

during church service last sunday... i felt inspired to write a new song... a song that tells God's faithfulness... to our family... in this one year... here in japan...

we actually have an amazing story to tell... from how we couldnt agree on bringing the entire family here... to agreeing... to renting out our place... to uprooting the family to be away from home... into a year of rest... a year of blessings...

then i thought to myself... actually... there is already a song that speaks of how i am feeling... it's 'more than' by hillsong... but i wasnt satisfied... cos it isnt MY song...

i have never written a song... poems maybe... but not a song...

the more i thought... the more daunting the task seemed to be... i do not play any instrument... except the tambourine... so getting the melody is gonna be a huge task...of course i could jus sing it into a recorder... but then... i'd need someone to translate it into a score sheet for me...

guess like wad a friend said... i jus need to take the first step... guess i had better begin to worship a song out from me... out from the gratitude of my heart... let my soul sing..! =)

so loved... so blessed...

wondered if i should blog this... of fear that others may read it as pride... or even boastful...

but really... i wanna boast... of how the Lord has shown his love for us... and how he has blessed us with family and friends...

being superbly excited over our 1 day stay over before heading to perth... i shouted it out to the world (aka FB)... of our return to sunny island...

in order to get the most out of our 24hr stop over... i needed an itinerary... yes... that's me... i needed a run sheet... a schedule... =P

as i was planning the itinerary... which is already very packed with lots of errands... like visit to the hairdresser's... supermarket... clothes... shoes... pick up laptop... requests to meet up kept popping in...

asking for coffee together... dinner... lunch... one even offered to cook us chicken curry... and when i told him that we were on a very tight schedule... he said 'jus come and pick up'... *melt*

but one by one i had to turn down... if i had the luxury of time... i would gladly meet all of them... really... i miss them so much...

then jus last week... my aunts and grandma said they want to meet up for dinner... i have time only 2 dinners in spore... and i have already made plans where to eat and what to eat for the 2 dinners...

but you cant say 'no' to your grandma rite... so we are having dinner together... at a seafood restaurant... really wasnt keen on having a restaurant dinner... had wanted stuff like zhi char... or hawker centre kind... but cant do that... cos there will be 20 of us at the dinner... =P

my in-laws have been asking when is our return... wad flight... wad time flight... i have the idea that they wanna come receive us... but that would mean more logistics planning...so we planned that we'll visit the next day at their house instead... but had requested that they dun cook... as we needed to run some more errands after the visitation...

but i believe they will make something for us... especially for the gals... you jus cant stop them from loving us... =)

many others have asked to meet up... to catch up... but really... i am already planning to the minutes...

the most touching of all... was that i jus learnt from dad that bro and sis-in-law will be taking leave jus to be with us... and when i asked about SIL's 3 month probation at new job..? dad told me that she said 'the most take no pay leave lor'...

wah... that really swept me off my feet...

feeling immensely loved... and so blessed... =)

first-timers

a friend was jus sharing with me... his wife's and his first experience at an onsen in japan... hilarious...

" we were given a towel as big as a prata... to cover our vital parts... for us men... it was easier... but my wife had a problem... she din noe wad to cover... so i told her...COVER YOUR FACE..."

wahahahaha...

it's finally autumn..!

after enduring the scorching heat... the wait is finally over...
autumn is here..! YIPPEE..! =)

you know autumn's here when...

you can put the fan back into the store room...
when sweeping and vacuuming do not leave you sticky and sweaty...
walks to and fro the groceries store are enjoyable and cool...
there are no mozzies and noisy bugs irritating you...
when you start spotting patches of deep orange and yellows... among the shrubs and trees...

oh... think i love this season the best..!

fifteen

15 more days...
15 more sleeps...

to crabs... seafood... chai tau kway... chicken rice... orh luak... prata... curry fish head... mee siam... mee rebus... durians...

to my favourite nephews... family... laptop... shopping...

to ministry while in perth... sights... new friends... shopping...

wahahaha... shopping..!

looking forward... cos japanese are all so petite... i cant seem to buy anything nice here... even their largest sized shoes are a half size too small for me...

it's gonna be good..!
sooo goood..! =)

6.5 hours

that's how long we left the gals at home...

rachelle was not feeling too well... a little cough... lethargic... but basically... i jus think that she was jus looking for an excuse to stay home...

the gals always preferred to stay home... so... hubby and i decided to go church... and then shopping after the service...

we really had a great time... not that we do not like having the gals with us... but it was jus different without them... we could walk longer distances... without having to think of a place to rest... jus so that the gals do not begin to whine...

walked all the way from harajuku... to omotesando... then walked on to shibuya... had spicy ramen served in a hot stone bowl... not very smart in this weather... but loved it anyway... think i'd go again...

bought myself a jacket... something i could wear in autumn... happy cos... it's not the usual black or grey... or even beige... it was a dull green... nicely fitted at the waist...... loved it..! =)

though hubby and i were having fun... we kept calling back... maybe about 3 times... to check if the gals and eaten... and also to check if rachelle was feeling alright...

happy and proud to note that rachelle had prepared lunch... not only for themselves... but also their 2 korean friends... she warmed up the leftover curry rice from last night's dinner... warmed a couple of 'an pan' pau... and also some 糯米饭...

if not for the fact that we specifically said 'no cooking'... i think she would have cooked..! =)

i'm really thankful for today... assured me that the gals are capable of taking care of themselves... and also for the precious time spent with hubby...

though we enjoyed ourselves... all 4 of us... i am not ready to turn this into a regular thing... don't think it's healthy for the family... once in a while... it's precious... but when done to often... it can be detrimental to family life...

classic

comprehension...

a story about a man going to be released from prison... writing back to his family... asking them to tie a yellow ribbon on the tree... so that when the man arrives home... he will know that he has indeed been forgiven... when he returned... the man saw that the tree was full of yellow ribbons...

so the question asked...
how did the man feel when he saw the tree full of yellow ribbons..?

answer...

sad... because it means that he has committed MANY MISTAKES..!

wahahahahaha...

at the same time

things are getting so exciting...

as it gets nearer to the end of the month... i'm getting a little bit more nervous... getting a little bit more confused...

my schedules seem to be all mixed up...

i have a schedule with ribena... an itinerary for our short transit in spore... a schedule for the 4 days in perth... a schedule with me coussie who is coming with my aunt... and finally... a 14-day itinerary for my dad and relatives...

cant seem to remember when i am doing what... and with whom..?!

and my online courses start again tomorrow... back to readings and MP3s...

but i'm happy... sure beats having nothing to do..! =)

friend

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.
3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile.
4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.
~dictionary.com~

was jus thinking about the topic... being away from home... your family is all you have physically... makes me realise... not that i did not know already... but come to a realisation... that there are in fact many different types of acquaintances... but all commonly know as 'friends'...

since today is rainy... after so long... i'll jus use the seasons to describe some of the people who are in my life right now...

Spring
like spring flowers... they cheer when they are in bloom... people actually yearn for spring to come... especially in the cold of winter... but these flowers will soon wither when the heat of summer begins to be felt...

these people are like the spring flowers... colourful... cheerful... by jus being with them... makes you happy already... you look forward to meeting them when you feel lousy... or jus need someone to talk to...

but the down side of this is... they are rather temperamental... their cheerfulness does not last long... so you gotta know when to approach them... and when to stay away...

Summer
hot... hot... hot..! an occasional rain is always appreciated in summer... but when it comes to doing the laundry... i jus love summer... the clothes dry to a crisp quickly... and you can do more than 2 loads in a day..!

passionate people fall into this category... they seem to have boundless energy... everything they do is always exciting... and it gets the people around them all motivated to jump onto the band-wagon too...

when i am feeling lethargic... i love being near these people... they jus seem to have the power to energise you... jus seem to be able to rub off that extra zest onto you...

but summer burns too...

sometimes a period of time away from them is appreciated... to recuperate... cos you simply cannot catch up with them...

Autumn
ah... autumn... something i am so looking froward to now...

this season seems the most calming... when leaves turn orange... and the weather's cool... not too warm... and not cold yet... jus right... a time when long walks are really pleasant... outdoors are great...

calm is the greatest characteristic of such people... the world may be in a rush... but these people take everything in their own stride... they are not frazzled with unforeseen circumstances...

i love sharing my problems with such people... they make you feel that the problem can be solved... it can be conquered... it's no the end of the world yet... there is hope... jus relax...

but sometimes... they can make your problem look so small... that you feel plain silly worrying over it... and that it's like they dun understand what you are going through... every problem to them is small...

and it's more frustrating when they bring 'God' into the conversation... not that it is no good... jus that it's not the right time... of course God knows all... and all things will be made beautiful in his time... we know that... but at the moment... a quiet listening ear gives more comfort than words...

Winter
a season that almost everyone would like to experience...at least once... the beauty of snow... the pretty clothes... the boots...

people here are like celebs... i have friends who are famous in their own rights... would really love to spend some time with them... that is if they have the time for you in their busy schedule...

and if you are able to meet that person... more time naturally would be spent on deciding what to wear... knowing that you dun get to do this much... so had better leave a pleasant impression...

then when you really do meet... conversations are superficial... nothing deep... nothing close to the heart... maybe jus reminiscing the past shared together... a good laugh over ourselves... and that's about it... till the next time you meet again...

All-Weather
only have a couple of friends who are like this... and i count myself privileged... =)

besides my family... these are the people in my life that matters the most... we are not in contact all the time... not even on a regular basis... but you jus know that they are there for you all the time... regardless of time... regardless of weather...

when you run to them... either to share good news... or bad... they are always there to share your joys... half your sorrows... and make your load feel a little lighter...

i feel secure with these people... cos i know they love me for who i am... they dun judge me... they jus love me...

these people know how to give space too... they dun intrude... when you are not ready to share... they jus wait patiently for you... standing by...

these are also the ones who will tell you exactly what they think of you... not what you want to hear them say of you... they are not afraid to tell you when you are wrong...

the relationship i share with such people is almost magical... a tad bit scary sometimes... cos we seem to be able to tell what each other will say next... even before the other party speaks... it's like telepathy...


so many different types... jus so that life is that much more interesting... and exciting... =)

cheap thrill

was reading in the room... then kept hearing fluttering noises... sounded like a flock of birds has jus landed on my veranda...

i looked out... and saw so many pigeons flying from branch to branch in that 1 single tree jus next to the veranda... there were at least 20 of them...

observed for a while what they were trying to do... no idea...

then thought of chasing them away... dun wan pigeon poo on my veranda... so i got myself 3 small plastic bags...

filled 1 bag up... and popped it...

that made a few birds fly away... only circling to settle in the same tree again...

so i popped the 2nd bag... this time... none of them moved... they all stood very still in the tree...

then i decided to pop the last bag...
this time... all the pigeons flew away... and did not return...

haha... dunno who are they annoying now... =P

糯米饭 {lor mai fan}

joanna doesn't like bread... so breakfast can be boring... so i asked her what does she like for breakfast... and she said 糯米鸡...

haiyo... where i find this here for her nei..?

so i started to search for the simplest recipe on the net... and this was the closest 糯米-anything i can find... the rest were too tedious...

this is so good that we had it for 2 consecutive days... and i made extra to store in the fridge... or freezer... to be served when the gals return hungry from school... =)

ingredients
3/4 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp chopped ginger
400g glutinous rice
200g chicken (cubed)
2 shitake mushroom (cubed)
1 chinese sausage (lap cheong)... didnt add this cos dun have.. =(
2 tbsp dried shrimp (soak 5min and drain)
1 tbsp sesame seed oil

seasoning:
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp chinese cooking wine
250ml water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain rice after soaking overnight or for at least 4hrs.
2. Heat sesame seed oil. Fry garlic and ginger till fragrant.
3. Add chicken, dried shrimp and mushroom.
4. Add seasoning and toss well.
5. Add rice and allow it to soak up all the sauce in the pan.
6. Fill bowl with rice and press slightly.
7. Steam for 30-45min.

the above is the lazy way of doing this... you can actually dish up the ingredients after step 4... before you add the rice...

use the dished up ingredients to line the bottom of your bowl... before topping it up with rice...

i cling wrap the rice and store... so there is instant food when the gals need it..! =)

親子丼 {oyako-don}

have used this recipe many times... a huge success each time... so decided to put it here for me to recall whenever i need it... =)


ingredients
340g chicken (bite size)
1 onion (sliced)
420ml stock (jus add a third cube to hot water)
7 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp sugar
4 eggs (lightly beaten)

1. Heat stock. Add soy sauce, mirin and sugar.
2. As it begins to boil, add chicken and simmer on low.
3. When chicken is thoroughly cooked and shrunk a little, add onions.
4. Simmer on low till onions turn translucent.
5. Bring soup to a boil. Stir in eggs with a pair of chopsticks.
6. Lower heat to low. Cover lid.
7. Turn off heat after 1min.
8. Serve hot over rice.

you may add strips of seaweed (nori) on top for a nicer finish..!

never fails to satisfy the family..! jus had this last night... yum..!

steps closer

visa to australia... checked..!

print e-tickets for both flights... checked..!

food itinerary... checked..!

permission to resign while on no-pay leave... checked..!

prepare heart... in progress... =)

ministry

the upcoming perth trip is gonna be really exciting... faith stretching... =P

as details of the trip are coming in... i get a little more nervous with each email...

the team would be ministering in 2 churches... then share at a women's cell group... think i'd be alone for this one... stress... =P

have not done this for a while liao...

but i know that faith will rise a little more with this experience..! =)

food itinerary

dad jus planned out our food itinerary...

dinner
curry fish head + durian

breakfast
black noodle (gals' special order from hawker centre)
carrot cake
mee siam
mee rebus

lunch
chicken rice (coffee shop @ bishan)
orh luak

dinner
crabs + zhi char

supper
prata


sure put on weight..! =P

new hobby..?

received a scrapbook mini-album kit... put together all by herself... as a farewell gift... before i left for japan...

during the first 3 months... i managed to paste the coloured paper onto the cardboard for the album... but that was it...

we do not have a coloured printer... so i couldnt print photos at home... and was too intimidating to go out and get them printed...

until last week... joanna had to print 3 photos for her school's homework... and so... she and i went to the shop... and gave it a shot...

and it was easy..! within 10min... we got our photos... with that i printed another 10 for my mini-album project... =)

so i started yesterday... on the very first photo... took a long time... playing around with the kit... managed to stick the main things on the cardboard... and then it was time to go out...

while outside... i spotted some really cute stickers...! like this one... so pretty the flowers... and they are 3D..!

as we shopped some more... i was so tempted to buy some more stuff... my eyes seemed to have opened up and saw really cute stuff for scrapbooking..! =P

bought 1 more sticker and a roll of stickered border... for my page on the fun we had at the river bed in yamanashi... =P

anyways... this is what i could do... never did this before... thought it looked a little plain... so i guess this page is unfinished...

ribena... thanks so much for this..! =)

in jus 3 days

got a job...

got air tickets to singapore... and perth...

got exciting projects lined up...

got so excited..! =)

becoming a reality

after planning and coordinating the flights... i tried booking the tokyo to singapore flight... then came the part i had to fill out the passport number... and suddenly i was reminded that we all are holding onto diplomatic passports... actually didnt know what that meant... dunno can travel out of the country of posting or not...

so i started searching high and low for the note that spells out what we can and cannot do due to the fact that we have been issued diplomatic passports...

sigh... couldnt find... and being already so excited... couldnt wait for hubby to call back to ask... i acted on my own... i emailed MFA to enquire...

no reply till now...

but wad was great was that i spoke with hubby over the phone and he directed me to where he had kept all the documents... and there... i found what i was looking for...

so i started to read it carefully....one document states that hubby cannot leave the country of posting during his course... yet another stated that he can... so i am still confused...

anyways... worst case scenario...

we go back to singapore on our diplomatic passports... and fly to perth on our normal passports... that will do... wont it..? =P

but a bit leh cheh la...
means i have to carry 6 passports with me...

so blessed... i cant contain it..!

after contemplating... praying... talking... over the last 3 weeks... my family and i finally decided that i should take up the offer and be a part of Oops! Asia Singapore...

and so... the email was sent out this morning... and the things that happened following that was simply amazing... =)

there is this opportunity for me to go to perth in oct cos of the ministry that i will soon be joining when i return next year... and the ministry has even extended the invitation for me to take the gals along with me on this trip... of course the gals were elated...

but due to cost... the gals understood that they may end up not going...

so in my email... i asked for permission to be excused from this trip... if i were not able to arrange for childcare for the gals during that period... but assured them that i will try my best to make it for the trip...

i began searching for the cheapest flights from tokyo to perth... there were no direct flights... at least 1 stop over... either in sydney or in singapore... and the cheapest one makes me stop over in singapore for over 8hrs..!

at that point... a thought came to my mind... that i can actually spend some time in singapore in between flights..! and at that very same moment... my dad came online... and we talked...

then he too... encouraged me to take the gals along with me...

with that we both searched the net for the cheapest fares... then we realised that it was cheaper for us to book the flights separately... i book the flight from tokyo to singapore... while my dad helped me book from singapore to perth..!

a lot of coordination went on... cos the timings need to match... needed to factor time to check out and also to check in for the next flight...

after trying a few permutations... getting very excited along the way... we arrived at the best one...

gals and i will arrive in singapore... in the evening... spend the night with my dad... eat chicken rice... laksa... char kway teow... then next morning... meet the team from Oops!... and take the flight to perth...

upon returning... we'll leave with the team on the same flight for singapore... reaching in the evening... spend another night with my dad... eat durian... chili crab... orh luak... then the next morning... leave for tokyo...

and the best part of it all... we get to save over $1300 by doing it this way..! =)

God is so good..!

fried rice

being the summer vacation... i have to oso prepare lunch for the gals... so looking at what i have in my fridge... and with the different scraps of food... i announced that we would be having some fried rice for lunch...

there were bits of carrots... daikon... chai por... minced pork... onions... eggs...

as usual...rachelle made a bee-line to the fridge to get her bottle of mayo... then i asked her to try first... so that she would know how much mayo to put... actually was afraid that she would put on too much weight with all that mayo... =P

so she tasted some... and remarked 美味しい..! and then said... no need mayo...

haha... that's the best compliment to any chef ..! =)

wipe your hands

was at the zoo... having our onigiris... i was done with mine... and i was wiping my hands with a piece of wet-wipe...

mom
the japanese wipe their hands BEFORE they start their meal... we are so used to wiping them AFTER we eat... which do you think makes more sense..?

dad
i think it makes sense to wipe BEFORE you eat...

mom
i think... AFTER we eat...

joanna
both of you are WRONG... we should wipe our hands before AND after we eat...

guess she was right... =P

most memorable

guess the most memorable experience that we had over the last week... would be the one we spent at the river bed...

it was an experience we would never find in sunny island singapore... what made it feel good for me was the fact that the particular river bed that we went to... was the one that our host family frequented when their boys were the gals' age... dunno why... but it jus makes it so much more special...

our host family is jus great... they treat the gals as though they are their grand-daughters... remembering what they liked and disliked from the previous trip...

back to the river bed... the water was really so clean and refreshing... the gals drank from it... but i didnt... didnt think it was that wise to be drinking where we jus played... =P

the view at the valley was magnificent... upon reaching there... i remember thinking to myself... how nice it would be to be praying through a worship set right there... worshipping God...

there the gals 'mined' for gold bits in the river bed... hiked up a rough terrain to get to a mini waterfall... caught tadpoles with their bare hands... pee-ed among the bushes... haha... and even learnt how to stay calm and still when a bee was near...

all these are so precious to them... to us... brought back some childhood memories for hubby... esp the tadpole catching part of it... jus that he did it in the long kangs... =P

indeed... i am so grateful to God for giving us our host family... and for this experience... dun think the gals will ever forget this... =)

onsen 温泉

whenever others know that i am in japan... one of the very first remark or question is... have a tried the 温泉..?

i have been very reluctant to visit one... even my korean neighbours have suggested that we went together some day... i usually will be the one that is not too keen...

reason is simple... i dun like the idea of being naked in public..!

but it seems that for the japanese and koreans alike... 温泉is very much of their culture... family bath-times were normal...

i told myself that before i leave the land of the rising sun... i would have visited an 温泉at least once...

well... i did... with the gals... while on our trip to hokkaido...

guess it was easier to go with the gals... they kinda give me courage to go... at least if we did something different from the others... there will be at least 3 of us...=P

the gals were... like me... hesitant initially... but went with me anyhow...

the first was at the hotel in niseko... dressed in our yukatas... we bravely marched to the 温泉... before getting there... there were jus so many questions in our minds... wad if we embarrassed ourselves..? the gals jus squirmed at the idea of seeing other naked bodies...

anyways... we went... and actually found the whole experience rather enjoyable... nobody really cared how you looked... in fact... no one was looking at no one... everyone was jus doing their own stuff... showering... soaking... simply enjoying themselves...

before we dipped into the 温泉... we had to shower first... there were many showers... each station had a stool and a basin... shampoo... conditioner and body foam were also provided... we were to sit on the stool and shower...

as we were showering... it was common to see women scrubbing each other's back...

after the shower... we dipped in the 温泉... joanna found it too hot... and took a long time to get in... but she didnt stay in there long... rachelle could almost instantly submerge her whole body into the pool... i found it most relaxing... shiok..! =)

people usually dun soak for hours in there... 10min at most... then a quick rinse... and out they'd go... and so did we...

it was such a good experience that rachelle and i went again at the hotel in furano... joanna did not join us as she skinned her knee jus moments before we went to the 温泉... rachelle and i went to the one that was outdoors... so cool i tell you...

what an experience we had...

looking forward to more 温泉experiences here..! =)

mt fuji

hubby and a few of his classmates are gonna climb mt fuji tmrw... a night climb... reaching the summit at day break...

many have climbed and the experiences that i have heard... rather mixed... some vowed never to do it again... some enjoyed it... some got really sick... some kept on climbing...

praying that hubby's prepared for the climb... that he will be protected... and he will enjoy the climb... and be awed at one of God's most magnificent creation...

that means... the gals and i will be spending the night by ourselves... which means... i will have more time to blog..!

have been wanting so much to blog about yamanashi and hokkaido... the memorable experiences that we shared... jus gotta blog them... so that i can return to read them years later... =)

10 more days

that's exactly how much time i have to come to a decision...

have been struggling a bit... yet at the same time... standing in awe of what He has provided... humanly... i am struggling with a lot of 'what if'... the unforeseen... things of which i have completely no control over...

when i asked the gals for their opinion... if i should take it up... rachelle asked me back... why are you not accepting the offer..?

though a very simple and innocent question... it has set me thinking... really... what's holding me from making that decision..?

is it cos i am still thinking of going back to the team at my home church..?

or am i afraid to quit teaching... for the second time... and most probably my final time to do so...

what if i dont like doing what i am to do..? what if i am not up to it..?

then it is at this point that i find myself reminding myself that it is not about what i can or cannot do... but what God has designed me for... so if i were designed for this... He will enable me...

so then... is this what i am designed to do..? =P

photos galore

finally managed to upload all the photos taking over the past week... phew..!

a total of 8 albums...
3 @ yamanashi...
4 @ hokkaido...
1 @ rachelle's 10th bday...

now to blog about them..! =)

backlog

there are jus so many things that were blog-worthy the past 2 weeks... but hardly have the time to be alone to do so... still in the midst of sorting and uploading our photos on FB...

and it is getting so warm here... that i find myself doing 'new' things... things that i have not done before in sunny island singapore... like carrying an umbrella to shade the sun... having a towel constantly in my bag... going for dips in the public swimming pool... having meals that are cold... like cold ramen and soba... turning the air-conditioning on for 24hrs... phew..!

and did i mention cicadas..!!! they are so irritating..! not that they are in my house... but they are everywhere outside my house... and the sound they make... for 24hrs a day... is so loud and irritating...

gals go back to school next wednesday... think i should have time to myself... to blog... to clean the house... to pray and ponder about taking on a new job...

holidays..!

gonna be spending the next 3 days with our host family... in Yamanashi... this will be our second visit... fell in love with his house during the first visit... so kind of them to invite us again... =)

then back on wednesday...

off again early thursday morning... to catch a plane to Hokkaido..! pick up car... and begin our journey..! so exciting... first time... a self-drive trip... 4 days... 3 different hotels...

bag is packed for Yamanashi... but not for Hokkaido... think we should have enough time to pack on wednesday night... =P

amazing..!

jus had the most amazing chat on FB... amazing cos it seems that God has opened yet another door for me... something for me to be seriously praying about...

job scope and pay package have been emailed to me... sounds so exciting... something that i would really love to do...

now to pray over it...

parent-teacher conference

met the gals' teachers today... was really reluctant to go... especially when they are 1.5hrs apart... lasting approx 20min each...

i went nonetheless...

met with rachelle's teacher first... he speaks almost no english... and i spoke very little japanese... there were many awkward silences during the 20min... i did most of the talking... half english... half broken japanese... dun really know if he understood a thing that i said...

then it was joanna's turn... this time it was not as challenging... there was another japanese teacher who came along to help translate... her english is not too fluent... but definitely more enjoyable than the previous...

at the end of the day... gals seem to be doing very well in school... raising their hands to try answering in japanese... hardworking... always smiling...

良かったですね。。！

august... already..?!?!

it has been 4 months... how time flies..!

it has been jus amazing for the family... the gals are so much more bonded now... relating well with each other... it simply warms my heart... =)

back at home... everyone was jus too busy... hubby does devotion with the gals twice a week... but here... not only does he do at least twice a week... the gals even have put up a notice to say that every monday and saturday nights... are family devotion nights...

with no car... and no where to go after dinner at home... we are playing more games together as a family... wii... board games...card games...or simply jus talking...

our dinner times can last from 6.30pm... to about 8pm... almost every night...

really thanking God every day for this opportunity He has given us... =)

すごい。。！ {su-go-i = awesome}

was out of the house this morning from 9am to tutor a neighbour's daughter... left the 2 gals at home... set them each a paper to do...

while i was at neighbour's house... i was offered some grapes... and neighbour was nice enough to walk over to our house... to give the gals a bowl of grapes too...

after a little while more... there was a knock on the door... my gals were at the door... they had wanted to return the bowl... my neighbour then exclaimed... すごい!...

initially... i thought she was surprised that the gals had finished the bowl of grapes... but no... in the bowl was ham omelet..!

rachelle had used 3 eggs and a slice of ham... fried them in the pan... put them in the bowl... and returned the bowl..!

instantly... i swelled with pride... =)

this gal has been watching me... you see... neighbours and i have been sharing food with each other quite often... and each time we receive a plate of food from them... the plate will never be returned to the neighbour empty... i will prepare something... put it on their plate... then return them... even if it were jus strawberries... the plate is never returned empty...

the gals had asked me why... which i replied... that by returning an empty plate... seems to say that i wanted some more from them... and in any case... it was much nicer to return the plate with something else on it...

this made me see how important it is for us parents to be exemplary in what we do... how we conduct ourselves...

truly... our children are always watching us... they are really our mirrors..!

public pool

we are staying very close to the community centre... it has lots of facilities... like the library... gym... indoor and outdoor pools... children's hall...and many other services...

today... one of the gals' friend asked if the gals would like to go swimming... being the typical singaporean... i tagged along... jus cannot bring myself to let them go without an adult...

and so... i thought i'd be going with 4 gals... but it turned out that there were 2 boys and 3 gals... a total of 5 kids under my charge... felt like mother hen...

anyways... i really enjoy the pool..!

everything is so organised... so clean... so systematic... i mean... not state-of-the-art equipment... nor interiors... but jus super pleasant...

before we enter the premise... we had to remove our footwear...

as we enter... we bought tickets from the vending machines... then walked through a few ladies who greeted us happily as we made our way to the changing room...

there in the changing room... there were more lockers than shower facilities... lockers required a 10円 to work... the best thing about it is... you can lock and unlock as many times as you wish... not like the ones back at home... where you forget something... you'd have to put in more coins to lock it again...

then we walked towards the pool... there is this sensor that will automatically turn on 4 showers as you walk past... and it's warm water..! so no rude shocks..! I LIKE..!

the pool was crowded... not surprising cos of the heat... but what's surprising is that the water is super clean..!it was so clear... not cloudy at all...

after swimming for about 50min... there was an announcement for all to leave the pool to rest... for the next 10min... there were people cleaning the pool... 2 will be doing laps in the pool to look for anything items at the bottom of the pool... another 2walking along the perimeters of the pool with large nets... fishing out hair... and other floating particles... yet another 2 scooping water from the pool to flush the other dirt that are along the edge of the pool...

then after 10min... another announcement will be made... signalling that the pool is now ready for us to enjoy once again...

a wonderful experience... thing we are gonna do this more often in this summer..! =)

birthday party

rachelle asked if she could have a birthday party next month... she'd like to invite her international friends staying in the same block as us...

this will be our first birthday party...

joanna had her birthday 12 days after we moved here... so there was no party... have not made friends yet...

the only problem now is that our place is really too small to hold a party... so venue is a consideration now... might have to seek permission to use one of the function rooms at first floor...

as we'd be back from Hokkaido on the 14th... and the party's on the 15th... we decided that it'll be a tea party... from 3-5pm... so that there will not be any major cooking involved... maybe some nuggets and fries...

guess it'll be fun... =)

towels

have seen many pretty handkerchiefs here at the departmental stores... in fact... they are everywhere..!

never had i imagined myself spotted with one of those... i mean... we have tissue papers right..? so convenient... jus use and throw la...

since the 2 days spent at Disneysea and Disneyland... i have come to appreciate them..! and i would not leave the house without one in this summer heat...

having a towel with me is such a great thing now... tissue papers may tear when wet... or worse yet... you get bits of them stuck on your face and everyone sees it... but jus wont tell you that you have them on your face..!

the towel absorbs all the perspiration... put it over your head to shield from the sun... better yet... wet it before use... so refreshing..!

me-time

since the start of the summer vacation... hardly have much time for myself... to be on FB... and blog...

gals are at a friend's church for a 3-day summer day-camp... from 10am to 3pm..!
wooot..! =)

got this strange thing about me... when someone is at home... i dun like to do chores... not even sweeping the floor... so the house was not in her best state... =P

so today... immediately after the gals set off... i started cleaning... changing the bed sheets... vacuuming... wiping... washing...

happy to say... the house looks great now... and i still have time for myself to blog..!
yeah..! =)

summer vacation

so the summer vacation started... 6 full weeks of it...

we're into the 3rd day of it... and the heat is starting to get really unbearable... it hit 36 degrees yesterday...

looking forward to our holidays... and events coming up...

we kicked off the hols by going to Disneysea and Disneyland... making the gals miss 1 day of school... and a day of summer swimming program...

gals have a summer swimming program for the next 2 weeks... and they are already very tanned liao... have been slathering them with sun screen before they leave for their swim... but the sun is really unforgiving...

we're looking forward to a live baseball game happening 2 weeks later... our host family's really great... they bought the tickets and invited us for it... =)

then a week after the game... we will be again visiting our host family's home in yamanashi..! for 2 nights this time..! really looking forward to the stay...

immediately after the stay... we will be going Hokkaido for the following 4 days... self drive..! another trip that i am so looking forward to...

amidst all these... i am hoping that we find time for the gals to catch up on their singapore syllabus... actually planned for the gals to complete the year's work... =P

perspective

which is yours..?

you burn with so much passion...
that others see you burn...
and then catch the fire...

or

you burn with so much passion...
that you wanna spread the fire...
and burn others...

happy gal

rachelle had her cast removed yesterday... she had been looking forward to this day... and so have i...

she no longer needs my help during bath time... no longer do we have to 'tahan' the stench from her cast... jus one more follow-up trip to the docs... and that's it... i hope...

since walking out from the doc's room... she has been beaming from ear to ear... telling us how light her arm feels... humming... singing... basically jus very happy that the cast is finally off...

funny thing is... now that she is so used to using her left hand... she was seen feeding herself with her left hand... responding with her left hand when we hand something to her...

no play for one more week... jus want to be extra careful with the arm la...

holiday planning

we had a family conference yesterday... gals were so excited about it...

we all sat at the dining table and discussed about plans for the 2 1-week holidays... 1 this month... and another the next...

on top of hubby's schedule... we had to also take into consideration the gals' summer swimming lessons in school...

at the end of the 'conference'... booked a 2 nites stay at a hotel near Disneyland... as for the next month's hols... we will be visiting our host family in yamanashi again... 2 nites this time... and following that... a 3-4 days trip to Hokkaido...

now to plan the Hokkaido trip... should we book everything ourselves... or go through a travel company..?

so fun... =)

proud of me

when i returned from my shopping trip today... there was a memo in my mailbox... all written in japanese...

with my little japanese... i gathered it was a note to say that there was a delivery made while i was away... guessed it was a book that i've ordered through amazon...

there were numbers on the note... guessed they were telephone numbers... tried one... but it seemed that was not a telephone number...

deciphered the memo a little more... figured out the driver's mobile... and decided to call...

'hello... すみません。えいごをはなせますか。'
(excuse me... do you speak english..?)

'... ... ... ...'
(i dont speak english)

'すみません。だいじょうぶです。'
(sorry... it's ok then)

'... ... おなまえわ。'
(name?)

'~husband's name~'

'わかりました。'
(i understand)

'delivery... きょう... だいじょうぶですか。'
(delivery... today ok?)

'... ... ... ...'
(~guessed~ ok... from 4-6pm)


tada..!

i conversed with a non-english-speaking japanese... and arranged for a re-delivery of my book..! ha..! =)

s.a.l.e.s.

jus over the last 7 days...

1 zara denim shirt
1 baracuta t-shirt
1 gap tailored bermuda
2 t-shirts

dilemma...

stay home on weekends... boring...
go out on weekends... expensive... =P