.::. 2016 Resolutions .::.

This was in draft for months, and before I got it published, it's already March!?

2015 Resolutions (and some of 2016):

1. Be more disciplined with exercise and diet to reduce fat % and become leaner/stronger.

While I have gotten stronger and have been keeping an active lifestyle, I don't think I got leaner nor reduced my fat %! This is a constant struggle especially after I started driving to work and consequentially walked less. We did spend more days strolling at Botanical Gardens and brought Chikey to Sentosa to swim and stroll at Sentosa Coast after we got our car though.This shall be a constant work-in-progress every year!

2.Reading more news and books to enrich myself and to meet my financial goals this year.

We have been pretty disciplined and have not spent much on big-ticket items this year. Even holidays were pretty muted to Indonesia and Boracay, Phillipines this year. I also took up additional tuition assignment out of interest and for more supplementary income to cover our addional petrol expense or my music lessons. To some extend, this also helps to mitigate earned salary-risk, given that my income and job was not exactly stable with a 25% workforce reduction in 2015. Financial goals were on target or slightly ahead. We need to persevere 10 more years before she finish our mortgage and become financially free. Hoping to be more disciplined with savings to be ready to take advantage of any market downturn.

3. Learn a new instrument – violin and piano

After starting violin lessons in January and piano lessons in March, I took my ABRSM Grade 3 in February 2016. It took considerable hard work and some stress towards the end, but I'm so glad of the progress I've made. People think I'm crazy, I think I'm crazy too, but it has brought me immense pleasure in playing and making all these progress. There’s still a long way to go, but I hope to continue on this journey in the many years to come!

4. Reduce clutter and organize the home.

We did quite a thorough spring cleaning before Chinese New Year! The house is the cleanest since we moved in, but I still need to continue de-cluttering and organizing my (many) stuff.

5. Experiment with new recipes and cook/bake more often.

Highlights of the year was Prawn Noodle Soup, Chicken Rice and steamed fish! I also cooked for my family's reunion dinner in 2016! I haven't baked much though, it's too fattening and the husband doesn't like sweets.

6. Finish ACCA

Like finally! *wee. No more guilt for not spending my weekends studying and no more night classes! You know what's worst than studying or working? Studying AND working. I can't believe how I used to rush to classes after work and got home past 11pm, only to get up at 5am for work, and still have to find time to study among everything.

2015 was a year with many milestones, but has not been very lucky for me. For one, I lost my wallet the first time in my life, together with all my cards. The wallet was 5 year-old but in very good condition, purchased in New York during one of our trips. I also dropped my phone and cracked the whole screen epicly. Work has not been the smoothest too given the downturn in O&G and dreary environment. There were also many hospital admittance for the family. But as a whole, it wasn’t too bad a year as we still chugged along happily and I achieved most of what I set out to do in 2015.

2016 is supposedly a good year for both of us, and I indeed had a pretty good start.

In 2016, I hope to continue the momentum and make more progress on these core goals.

1.       Stay active and healthy – now that we’ve a car, we do walk less but we can do more. I hope to have more active weekends since the husband does not like to exercie. Shall plan more walks to botanic gardens and MacRitchie, and to bring Chikey out more often to the beach. I also hope to continue my weekly gym sessions and I’ve been planning to start Kayla’s BBG program again. I also cook less often now that we can quickly and easily drive out to eat. I also pick the husband up often, and drop by somewhere for dinner before coming home. So hopefully, I can continue cooking few times a week for more nutritious and healthy meals.

2.       Save and Invest – We are pretty much on-track for our 10-year plan, but it might be more challenging with a car. Given our current lifestyle we should be alright, especially since we’ve cut down on traveling.

3.       Do more – Although the husband and I donate monthly, and I take part in charity programs now and then, I hope to do more for the less priveledged. I have been urging the husband to join me to do some volunteer work but he hasn’t been too keen about it. He thinks that I should take the time to do more for our place (like more housekeeping and packing my stuff) instead of spending the time to do others’ place. =_=” Perhaps we can work out a few one-time off events to volunteer at. Children and animals always have a special place in my heart.

4.       Practice more -  After my Grade 3 exams for both violin and piano early this year, I hope to play more of what I enjoy instead of preparing for exams! Looking forward to work on my dream pieces and perhaps save for a violin upgrade.

5.       Love more – life is too short to be too busy for your loved ones. Broadly, this includes more cooking, more housekeeping, more quality time together with all my loved ones.

I can’t believe that I will be turning 30 very soon I have turned 30. I don’t feel like 30, although I do feel that at this age, I am in better control of my life in all the different aspects. It might be a scary thing to age for some, but I realized that time gives you a perspective that nothing else could.

Time. Time is a very scary thing that is slipping away every second and can never be recovered. I was looking through my old stuff like photos from secondary school and my studying materials in school and from my time in Sweden. I threw most of them away, but I feel this sense of loss and emptiness, like I can't bear to let go of those wonderful times. It's another topic all by itself, but well, time pass us by way too quickly.

The husband is away yet again on a work trip. It's during these times when I'm home-alone and free that I spend more time reflecting. I know right, how did he become such an integral part of me that I feel a sense of emptiness and a dull ache of loss without him?

To another wonderful year ahead! =)

.::. His 29th, Our 10th .::.

We celebrated the husband's birthday few weeks back. It's his 29th birthday and the 10th year we're celebrating it together. The husband is a very simple (and very kind) man who always put others before himself and never asks for anything. He always says that he already have everything and isn't that sort who will boast about his knowledge or flaunt what he has. He's mostly quiet, but one will only get to know him if they bother trying to make conversation and wait for him to warm up. He's the most loyal person I know and you can definitely trust him with secrets and know that he will never tell a single soul.  He's nice, very nice in fact, but don't mess with him, he will fight back if you cross his limits. Sometimes, he amazes me and I love him a little more everyday. I think that despite our differences, we have a lot in common when it comes to our views about life. That's my amazing husband whom I adore.

I always struggle to think of what to get him, although I know that having me by his side is probably all he asks for and the best thing I could give. =P 10 years ago, we started going out and I still remember getting him a Levis' short-sleeved shirt for his 19th birthday that he still wears today. That's the extent of his thriftiness - he never shops and I buy him most of his clothes, and even shoes.

This year, we celebrated his birthday at NOX. It was a great experience dining in complete darkness and not knowing what you are eating. It's also a very expensive experience that is probably not worth another visit. We could have gotten very good steak at a fancy restaurant with that price.

Having said that, I was pretty excited to try NOX and the husband was somewhat taken aback when he realized that we were dining in the dark. I like that they have put in a lot of thought into the whole experience, and all the food were served in small portions which is slightly warm but definitely not hot enough to scald you. The waiting area was also dim, so that you can adjust your eyes to and from the complete darkness. I didn't quite like the atas service that I found pretty impersonal and even somewhat snobbish although polite. The visually-impaired who served us in the dark were very well-trained though. We did manage to guess most of the food correctly though we totally did not expect pig's tongue! And me who have been abstaining from foie gras had it in the dark. The husband took a lot longer that normal to eat in the dark and the whole dinner took us 2 hours for 12 small portions - 4 starters, 4 main course and 4 desserts. It really makes me cherish my sight and we both decided that our sight is probably the most important as compared to hearing and other disabilities.

We did enjoy the whole experience though, and most importantly, the company!

Here's a picture of us this year, and obviously there's no other picture because we dined in the dark. This tiny birthday cake cost me $20 by the way (I didn't dare tell him that). Morton's serves their warm chocolate cake free if you're celebrating your birthday there!

And here's the most important person in my life whom I'm going to annoy for the rest of my life. May you be blessed with an abundance of happiness, laughter and love. Stay happy, stay grounded, stay true.

It's the people who think that they have everything and want nothing who really knows happiness.

Happy Birthday my dearest.

.::. It's the little things .::.

Few weeks back, we celebrated Edward's one-year-old birthday with our friend. Edward's a really big baby and he was running around the whole place the entire afternoon. Looking at how quickly the children grow up around us makes me acutely aware of how time passes us by.

Here's a picture of Edward enjoying his snack.

The point is, I wanted to remember this day.

I love attending my friends' children's birthday parties and weddings, mostly because it's where you get to meet your friends and catch up. The few that meet often are people whom I really care about. I was intending to spend the evening chatting with these people till the husband suddenly said that he needed to go to town 'to collect something'. It sounds very fishy, because well, the husband does not buy much. And what do you buy that needs you to collect from town by 8pm?

I kept asking him about it but he stood his ground. The husband is good with secrets like that. He secretly enjoys being able to fool an unsuspecting wife who would keep guessing and hounding him. He never lets any clue out though. After awhile, it became apparent that we were going to Marina Bay Sands. He refused to admit it till we were there. Putting all the pieces together, I proudly guessed that he was bringing me to watch the fireworks. He, as usual, smiled and refused to divulge anything. Well, many people were at MBS trying to catch the national day rehearsal fireworks, and it was around 8pm too! Makes sense right?

Apparently not. I was happily rushing with the hoards of people, thinking that we're trying to get up to street level for a good spot before the fireworks starts. Before I knew it, I was pulled into the MBS theatre!

He was bringing me to watch the 'Sound of Music'! As usual, he manages to pull off another surprise with an unsuspecting wife. You should see the proud smirk on his face, sometimes teasing how 'dumb' I can be. We laugh at each other that way, but I was overflowing with love yet again.

I didn't even know 'Sound of Music' was on! We enjoy musicals, and my favorite is still 'Wicked'. But then again, 'Sound of Music' holds a special place in my heart because I used to watch the movie again and again on tape as a child. It was also why I always wanted to visit Innsbruck and the mountains in Austria.

I get really happy about these small things. It's these little things that make me feel exceptionally blessed and loved. *thankful*

.::. Bangkok 2013 .::.

I found this draft that was never published:

It has been an extremely stressful period for me these months, too much on my plate. Apart from juggling work and Bundle With Love, I'm (trying to) prepare for my ACCA exam in December and (trying to) make some time for fitness goals. I have been wanting to share our...honeymoon pictures since early this year and here I am, almost at the end of the year. I'm acutely aware of how quickly time simply pass by.

 

Amphawa Floating Market - the 'original' one where locals go. The food was so delicious and freaking cheap! My Thai friend whom I knew in Sweden as classmates drove us there.

We then spent a night at Hua Hin, because she bought an amazing apartment there.

Didn't finish writing at all, but those were the pictorial of our Bangkok trip last November. I really love the mookata and have been trying to find the pot for home. We also went to Hua Hin with Fai who drove us and brought us to a very delicious food stall for dinner. We went to the floating market too. And I came across so many beautiful home and decor ideas. It was a great trip and I really love Bangkok - so much so that I've considered buying an apartment there (not that I can afford it yet) so that I can stay there for extended periods after I retire and eat cheap street food. It's hard to explain why, but I love Thai food and like the attitude of the people there. Everything feels very 'real' and down-to-earth there unlike some cities like Singapore where we deliberately try to portray a certain image.

.::. The Getaway .::.

We went for a short trip a few months back during one of the long weekends. It was our first trip of a very busy year and a trip that I absolutely do not want to do anything.

I have never been a beach vacation kind of person. I don't exactly like being in the sun and bum around all day. It just wasn't me, until recently. Maybe it's a sign of aging, or maybe I'm simply too tired that I really looked forward to not doing anything for a few days.

We flew AirAsia from Changi to Kuala Trengganu. There was a slight delay of the flight, other than that no complaints. We took a taxi to the jetty where we took the public ferry to Taaras, previously known as Berjaya. There are direct flights to Redang from Singapore, but they do not fly daily. We were somewhat worried by the bad reviews we read online - there were strikes, very horrible food and some bad service complaints. And when I emailed them to check things out, I got an auto-reply saying that internet was down till further notice! They were already really bad when I was asking about private transfers and ferries, it was so frustrating but I assumed that it was a language issue - certainly not a good impression!

We went ahead anyway, because of the beautiful beaches. While waiting for the afternoon ferry (because the hotel did not have private transfer), we took a slow walk to their Chinatown and market, buying a huge bag of mangoes for $4! We counted and there were 13 mangoes - RM$10/kg. They were all ripe and sweet. We were stuffed with mangoes the next few nights till I swore of mangoes for a long time.

Thankfully, the hotel did pick us up from the jetty (some people waited for hours). We were in awe of the beautiful beach upon arrival. They checked us in promptly, asking about our departure and said that they would prepare a breakfast box for us since we were leaving very early in the morning.

We didn't have much time before it turned dark, and we spent the evening lazing on the beach chairs and checking out activities tomorrow. To our disappointment, ALL the activities such as island hopping and seeing the sunrise weren't available because there was a minimum amount of people needed and nobody wanted that. We could only do the snorkeling trip.

We didn't have an underwater camera, but here's one of the views.

The snorkeling trip wasn't cheap at like around SGD$60 per person for half a day trip. It was badly organized really, with insufficient vans to pick everyone to the jetty. They simply dropped us there and we stood around waiting, not knowing what was going on. Then, after like 30 minutes of waiting we were ushered to the speed boat with 13 of us squeezed on it. A french woman was so upset about it, though we were totally chill. I'm too determined to enjoy my holiday anyhow.

The service was bad - they spoke zero english and didn't even tell us how many stops there were or when should we go down or how long will we stay there. The snorkeling was amazing though, way better than Tioman and both of us enjoyed it.

By the time we were back to the hotel and showered for our late lunch, it was already late afternoon. We spent the afternoon on the beach with me reading a funny novel while he fell asleep. Absolutely blissful.

From where I was lying.

Absolutely stunning beach!

The second day, we slept in and spent another day on the beach. The husband stayed there while I went for a facial and massage at the spa.

I really enjoyed the me-time and spending a few days just doing nothing.

By the way, the food was quite bad and the service was hit and miss. We confirmed our breakfast box during checkout the night before, but they said that there wen't informed (though they did during check-in). They said that they would arrange it, but we didn't have any breakfast boxes the next day! I insisted that we did ask for it, they eventually did prepare it for us but many other guests weren't aware. Internet was also pretty bad, and only available near the reception area. Food was really pretty bad and I would bring some cup noodles if I go back again.

The room was nice and comfortable, though it's pretty expensive. There's not much activities really - the karaoke room wasn't open and the games room had carom without the thing to shoot. There's only a small souvenir shop that's open in the day with a few Pringles chips and nothing but the resort actually. We would have brought some snacks and chips if we knew.

We had to go home after 2 days on the beautiful beach. Really reluctant to, though the bad food made it easier to leave.

It's amazing how we still feel the same way about each other after 10 years.  Always thankful to have him on this journey.

.::. Walks with Chikey .::.

I wished we went on more walks with Chikey, apart from around the neighborhood. I always imagine that we would spend our weekends bringing Chikey on walks if we had a car. But then again, it's a tad ridiculous to get a car just to bring the dog for walks, but sometimes, it's a lifestyle! Hah, but being the practical people we are, that's obviously just a thought.

We brought Chikey out some time back, when he had his mum's car. Chikey went to Hort Park!

It was actually quite a short walk, because we were running late for dinner.  But I think Chikey had fun!

.::. 2013 in photos .::.

iphone. The one thing that follows me wherever I go and contains snippets of my life. Things that I sometimes forget about.

Mental note to buy a bigger capacity iPhone! And in no particular order, just happy memories that I'd like to remember:

The many celebrations at our home:



With my CCHS friends.



With his CCHS friends.



LY's birthday.



Also JH's birthday, with Minnie and a greedy Chikey.

With the neighbors.

The lazy dog who has grown so much.

Brunch dates.

Unglam pictures I took to send him while he's on work trips.











He sometimes arrive in the morning before I leave for work, and buys me breakfast. And yes, I'm very appreciative of that. I wonder if he'll continue doing that till we both grow old.

Outings with the neighbors.

Brunches at home during weekends. My favorite is the bacon and cheese sandwich.

Sometimes there's pancakes and a good pot of tea.

I cut my hair short after a long time.

We celebrated little milestones in our lives.

I mugged and passed my exam - last 2 in 2014!

One of the rare outings with the dogs.

My all-time comfort food. I love a good porridge whenever I don't feel well, and the husband cooks a good pot of porridge.

We visited Hong Kong, his first trip to Hong Kong.

And Hong Kong's Disneyland pretty much sucked.

We celebrated his birthday and had a delicious steak.

We visited Bangkok again after 6 years.

And my little precious boy has grown so much over the past year.

That about sums up 2013. Lovely memories, cozy home to call our own.

Yea I know, the first quarter of 2014 is already almost over. It's been a crazy, hectic year.