Scrapping!

Just found out that Photoshop is really fun for scrapbooking as well. Another avenue for archiving the photos!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year seems to arrive sooner every year huh? I kinda still remember celebrating it last year with Kieran and he was only about 9 months old that time! Now, he is coming 21 months and all legs!!! Haha.. And, we are looking forward to welcoming our little rat baby!!!

Nevertheless, Happy New Year everyone!!

20 weeks and counting..

Loads of things to think about nowadays. School's starting, new baby, names, school for Kieran, maid. Woah! I am really getting overwhelmed! It doesn't help that our stove's kinda broken, our dryer's broken and there's a huge load of laundry to be washed!!!

Still, I am thankful for each and everyday that I get to spend with my family. Watching Kieran grow and reach his milestones is my greatest joy. I hope that with the addition of a new little one to our family, this joy greatly expands.

Just went to the Dr's yesterday. Baby is well and good. He looks like a big boy already! Haha.. I can't help but remember how it was with Kieran as well. The excitement each time we go to the dr's just to take a peak at Baby at the ultrasound. I think Kieran is understanding more already. He does seem a little excited now when he looked at the screen for the funny image that we say is his didi. :P 5 months already. Only 4 more to go. Why do I think that this pregnancy is going faster than the last???

18 weeks...

Woah, kinda didn't realise that I'm already 18 weeks into this pregnancy! Though I didn't get the vomiting and all, I just don't have a great appetite this time around. I don't think I am eating as well as the last time. Also, I think I am not so particular about what I eat, I do sneak a choc or two every once in a while, or a sip of coke when the Daddy drinks!

I've only felt the butterfly flutters a few times at about 14-16weeks then I didn't feel Baby move. I remember Kieran doing the flutters a lot. Maybe it's got to do with the time difference and all. Plus all the shopping, I may have been too tired to realise that he was hiccupping. However, the last 2 days, Baby seem to be really active and doing sommersaults! I can feel the hard pushes in my tummy, as though he totally flipped around!! They felt like those that Kieran gave when I was quite far along. Good job Baby!

Yup, the use of 'He' is correct! We are expecting a boy!! :)

At 13 weeks...

13 weeks already and I still haven't gotten much of a great appetite. I haven't put on much weight either. I weigh the same at the last 2 check-ups. Went down to NUH for the OSCAR that day cos Dr said that we can't do the usual 16 week Triple test late as it will not be accurate. Saw baby again. Gosh, he/she (will use 'she' at this moment). She was about 6 cm when we saw her that day. We pointed the baby out to Kieran on the screen, but I don't know how much he understood. He was more interested in the curtains there.

We'll be going of to SFO and LA again in Dec. I think Kieran will enjoy this trip. However, with all his running around and all, I think it'll be a tiring trip for us. Ha. I was hoping to be able to know the gender of the baby before we go so as to be able to go shopping. But Dr said that unless we are having a "precocious boy" we won't be able to tell. Sigh.. there goes the shopping spree. It was like that with Kieran the last time too. We ended up buying reds, greens and yellows.

This holiday will speed by really quickly, with all the invigilation and the entire month out of the country. I'm looking forward to the out of the country part tho. ;>

Preggers at 7 weeks

Being preggers with this baby is so different as compared with when I had Kieran. I'm more nauseous all the time, I'm getting big (I look like how I was when I was about 4-5mth preggers with Kieran!), I have no appetite (that's usually a rarity!) and I can't seem to finish my food all the time. Also, I just feel uncomfortable all the time. And I am ONLY 7 weeks preggers!!!!!!

Dept Retreat

The place was nice, the company was good.



They've been such great workmates and pals. I'm really gonna miss them!

Lovey Doggy

Got this on email, lovely!!

A PUPPY has been born in Japan with a large, clear, love-heart-shaped> pattern in his coat. The chihuahua was born in May as one of a litter to a breeder. Shop owner Emiko Sakurada said it was the first time a puppy with the> marks had been born out of a thousand she had bred.

Happy Birthday Hubby!! & Daddy!!

Myspace Text

More cupcakes!

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Made these cupcakes the other day. It was supposed to be a wormy dirt cake. I think it does look 'dirty' enough!! hehe!! Still, I wanted to do something pretty, so I made up some pink icing to ice the remaining cakes! Anyway, it was a Double Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and Double Chocolate Cake with Vanilla icing.

Made these on Saturday. Had some mangoes in the house, so decided to make something with them. Was deciding between cupcakes or muffins, and since I wanted to hone my frosting skills, it was cupcakes again. I thought they were starting to look quite good. Have to work a little on the taste though. Couldn't really taste the mangoes. So here it is, Mango Vanilla Cake with Mango Buttercream Frosting.

More cake making attempts!

These were the Racial Harmony Day cupcakes that I made for Hubb's students when they had a little fair that day. It's a chocolate-vanilla swirl. I thought they looked quite good!


Another cake decorating attempt! This was made for MIL's birthday. Was a regular yellow cake layered with mango cream in the middle. My mum said that the cake was too heavy. Gotta try try again. But I was quite pleased with the frosting on top!

2nd attempt at cupcake making!

This time with butter cream. The frosting now stands... but it didn't taste as good as the cream cheese one..

My first cupcake making attempt!!

Suddenly had the urge to start baking again, after I finished my last pack of Hershey's Brownie mix. And after an unsuccessful attempt at making carrot cake (which turned out to be carrot bread), I decided to try baking cupcakes.

The cupcakes turned out pretty well. But the frosting was a disaster. It was just too runny. I do not know how to save that. Also, the frosting was a little too sweet. Hubb ate the cake, he also said that the cake tasted nice. Chocolately, but not too sweet.

Hot from the oven!

The creamy cheese frosting!! I think I added too much butter so it was quite liquidy! It actually dried up a little after I left it in the fridge!

So how do they look?

Holiday's over and work's started!!

As much as I look forward to holidays, I always dread the ending. Call me a pessimist. But I can't help but feel that the holidays disappear so much faster than all the other days. (Maybe I'm just having too much fun. =P)

Our trip to Japan in June was a great getaway for the 3 of us. It was good because we were just by ourselves, out of the country, out of contact with everybody else! We could do anything and everything without anyone asking or saying anything. Also, the feeling of holiday is always the greatest. No deadlines, no chores, nothing. Just pure enjoyment. Ok, this time we had to wash milk bottles all the time. But hey, it was still great fun.

School's started already. The thing about being in a college is that the exams are always after the holidays (unlike in secondary schools, the exams are before the hols). That's means that we do not have to plunge crazily into teaching right after a long hiatus. With 1-2 weeks of exams, the gears start to go into motion. Need to get past the inertia. So this week, we are just marking and marking and marking. Still, the frightening thing is that, this term is going to fly faster than the last. Looking at our work plan, the term is already over!! Woah!! BUT, that would also mean that holidays are coming back again!! HAHAHAAHAH!!! Yes. My life revolves around the coming and going of the holidays!!

Where in the world have I been?

I have traveled to 14 Cities in 10 Countries
See all my travel pages

Hmm.. more places to come? :)

Just a pic for Kieran's blog

Some misc Japan photos

Headed to the Blossom Outlet Mall in Osaka. hmm, the Chelsea one is better.

That's one of the Shinkansen trains we take!

Toys galore!!

Nara Deer Park

Kieran loved the deers there! And they loved him too and tended to follow us around!

Day 5 (6 Jun): Himeiji Castle

Day 4 (5 Jun): Osaka

Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan). Really wonderful place. They boast of a 52m whale shark!!

Doutonbori Street. Just outside our hotel. Loads of food and neon signs!!