Catering

I've come to realise that I don't enjoy cooking neither am I good at it. Sure I can boil soup and cook some dishes by following my mum's recipes, but that's about it. I can't modify the recipes or (gasp) come up with my own recipes, that's totally beyond me. I do however acknowledge the benefits of home-cooked food. That's why, about 2 months ago, we started catering our dinners. Apart from the fact that we now eat a more balanced diet, it's so nice to come home after a long day's work and see dinner waiting right at our doorstep; it sure beats having to decide what to eat every day  ("your turn, I decided yesterday").

Landscaping

I'm so glad (and excited!) that something is finally being done about the landscaping at our apartment. The landscaping has always been a sore point with the residents of The Treeline (highly ironic given the name of our apartment). It's been 2 years since we moved into this apartment and that's also how long we've been pushing for the Developer to improve the landscaping. The Developer's idea of improvement was to simply move unwanted trees from other developments within the vicinity to our apartment!?! To make matters worse, the Landscaper commissioned by the Developer did not water the plants or cut the grass regularly. As a result, our landscaping looked haphazard and unkempt.

In the end, the Council gave up on the Developer, fired the Landscaper and hired a new Landscaper (at a lower cost, mind you). So far, the new Landscaper seems to be doing a much better job at watering the plants and cutting the grass regularly, here's hoping that they do as well at improving the landscaping. Incidentally, Ed is Chairman of the Council.  ;)

Visit from Priscilla

Had a blast shopping with Pris (short for Priscilla) over the weekend. Spent Saturday in Orchard and Sunday in Bugis, picked up loads of stuff between the two of us. I must say, the Great Singapore Sale this year is much better than last year's. Pris also fell in love with Patch - not unlike everyone else who's come and stayed with us - and Patch in turns seems to miss Pris; he's been awfully quiet and sticky ever since Pris returned to Malaysia.  :)

Flash Floods

This morning, I decided to drive Ed to his office because it was raining heavily and I did not want him to catch a cold or sore throat. Getting from our apartment to his office was easy, coming back was a different story. The heavy and continuous downpour had resulted in excessive accumulation of water all over Singapore. Even housing areas like Bedok and Telok Kurau (my area) were not spared. I had to brave 2 flash floods on my way home, all the while thinking of how I would have to carry Patch and swim my way through the water if the car stalled. Thankfully, nothing eventful happened and we reached home safely.

Visit from Ma and Pa

Just saw Ma and Pa off  (they're heading back to KL). House seems so quiet and empty now, sniff.

Michael's Leaving

This morning, we sent Mike to the airport (to catch his flight back to Malaysia). We both felt a little sad saying goodbye to him, it felt as though this would be the last time we see him. I'm pretty sure he'll settle in the States just fine and will probably even meet a special girl then settle down there for good. I do feel excited for him because he's starting this new chapter of his life but we'll definitely miss him.

On a brighter note, my parents should be arriving any minute now.  :)

Couple Sports

I've been trying to get Ed involved in some kind of couple sport. 2 key reasons:

- he needs the exercise  (he's put on weight since we got married!)
- it's a good way for us to spend time together and provide long-term support to each other


We tried tennis but he didn't seem as into it as I.

Then we tried running (after all, he told me that he used to run back in Malaysia), but he didn't seem too interested either. It was always me pushing him to run on the weekends and, on the occasion where I didn't bring it up, he would conveniently keep mum.

So now, we're considering cycling. Ser May and George (our close friends who live down the road) cycle regularly and they both seem to enjoy it. When we last met up with them, George was trying to talk us into joining them and Ed seemed pretty receptive. In fact, I can recall several instances where Ed (on his own accord) suggested that we get bicycles and cycle to East Coast Park. Personally, I'm not crazy about cycling but if this is what it takes to get Ed to exercise, I'll do it.

Upcoming Visitors

We're expecting quite a number of visitors over the next 2 weeks. First, Michael (Ed's friend) will be coming today and staying until Sunday. Then my parents will be coming on Sunday and staying until next Thursday. Then Priscilla (my friend) will be coming next Friday and staying until next Sunday.

Dang, I really should do (a little) housecleaning. Don't plan to kill myself, will just sweep the floor and wipe the table tops. Maybe I'll hose the toilets and let them dry. Shouldn't be too difficult to do.  :)

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An Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree

They say our parents play a pivotal role in shaping our values and habits. The older I get, the more I realise how true this is.

Both my parents are very neat people; as in, they like things to be tidy and orderly. As a child growing up, I used to hate that part of my parents. My mum would insist that we made our beds every morning and wash the dishes immediately after we ate (no dirty dishes to be left in the sink, heavens no). My dad would angle the shampoo, conditioner and body-wash bottles so that they were parallel and the floor had to be swept daily to ensure that it was shiny and dust-free (no easy feat, considering we always had at least one canine companion growing up).

This obsession with having things tidy and orderly was a constant source of conflict between my parents and me. My bedroom was the one place in the house that my parents could not bear to look at; my bed was always in a mess, my dressing table was coated with a thick layer of dust; my clothes were strewn all over the bed and the floor (hey, it's not easy looking good), and my wardrobe was so messy that even I could not find what I wanted. My dad used to joke that my bedroom  was the result of "hurricane Anne". Looking back, I wonder if perhaps this was my way of rebelling silently. I used to tell myself that when I grow up and have my own place, I will never ever be like my parents.

Well, I'm all grown up now and have my own place. And you know what, I've come to the (horrible) realisation that I'm a neat freak!?! I like things to be in their rightful place and I absolutely abhor clutter. You know how some people have the habit of accumulating items over the years because of sentimental value? Well, I'm not like that at all. I don't see the point of keeping something just because someone (special) gave it to you. In my mind, if it's of no use then it should be discarded (either thrown away or sold). Ed reckons I lack emotion. I don't agree. I think I'm just practical. Fact is, if we had a huge house with plenty of space to spare, I'd probably keep a lot of the things I'd discarded. However we don't. We stay in a typical Singaporean apartment (less than 1000 sqft) where space is limited. If we want the place to stay neat and nice, we have to be very careful about what we buy or keep.

I'm neither proud nor ashamed of the way I am. I just find it fascinating that after all those years of rebelling against my parents and vowing never (ever) to be like them, I turned out to be very similar after all.  :)

House Reno II

We recently undertook some renovations works at home. Nothing major, just some enhancements here and there:

- Living area: Craft stone on the main TV wall
- Study area: Display cabinet for Ed's (growing collection of) toys
- Master Bedroom: Wardrobe with full-length mirrors

We're very happy with the outcome.  :)

Clean House

Who doesn't like makeovers? The most fun part of makeovers is where you compare the before and after (and hopefully, see how much better the after is). These days, Ed and I are hooked on the Clean House series on Style Network. It's basically about a team of 4 people - Niecy (host), Trish (accountant), Matt (handyman) and Mark (designer) - who go around helping house owners get rid of clutter and transform the house into a clean and beautiful home.

What astounds me is how the owners allow the house to get so cluttered in the first place then act as though they had no hand in contributing to the clutter!?! There are husbands who threaten to walk out on the family; wives who break down and cry; children who fight among themselves and yell at their parents ---  all because the house is cluttered! Then in comes the Clean House crew to solve everyone's problems and save the day. Of course, each episode always ends with everyone happy with the newly transformed house, happy with the crew and happy with each other. Sigh, if only life were that simple.

Belated Anniversary Present

Thank you, monke.  :)

Bye-Bye, Uncle Benny

Ed's Uncle Benny (father's brother) passed away this morning at 12.15am. May he rest in peace.

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Back to Basics

We were forced to give up 3 C's over the weekend. No, I'm not talking about the Car, Condo or Cash. I'm talking about our Carpet, Curtains and Cushion covers. It's been 2 years since we moved into this apartment and this is the 1st time we're sending our 3 C's for wash. O well, better late than never.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Celebrated our 3rd anniversary yesterday. Our anniversary is actually on 12th May, so it was really a belated celebration. Long story, don't ask.

Went up the Singapore Flyer, yay! The anticipation turned out to be more exciting than the real thing. The crowd was bigger than we had expected. The view was disappointing  (then again this is Singapore). Ed was highly irritated by one of the (China) passengers in our capsule, who talked non-stop and went around bothering everyone with her "Excuse me" because she wanted to take pictures from every angle of the capsule.


Still, we had a good time.  :)