Streamer from Mio

Last Thursday (21st) Mio sent me a message informing me that she has left my number as a form of contact for the postal services, and that she has sent a small package to che-che. 

Fast forward 5 days later, we received the parcel 🥳

So sweet of her to share 1 of the 3 streamers she picked up from the concert. She even made a deliberate trip to the city [which I found out later she had a fall otw there. Feel more paiseh she went thru so much.] to buy a yellow container (Kento’s colour) to put the streamer in. 

Needless to say, che-che was happy for this momento. Can’t go to the concert but she received something from the concert. Even though I teased and joked that “Aunty M also collects streamers from concerts just like you did.” Although I don’t like seeing her spending money on buying the CDs, cards from Family Club Store, rubbish from the secondhand shops I hope that one day she gets the chance to attend their concert. 

Indulgence for Mio

 22nd May (Thu) 

I managed to find the satay premix yesterday, I bought another 2 more today. 8 in total, each box is for 4 servings and I know Mio won't share with her family. Should be able to last her till (maybe) if I resume the FUK pilgrimage in Jul 2026. x2 chicken rice premix and x2 chilli crab. I need to get her Lee Wee Brothers sambal and then I'm done shopping for her. The girls will pass it to her for me when they meet her. Haha! I can't imagine what she will think "I see Athena in Dec 2022, July 2023, July 2024, June 2025". And I think the girls will also gossip and complain that I didn't want to have them with me in my trip.  

Mio. please ration the satay 😁 and please drink your beer sparingly. They expire in 2026.

25th May (Sun)

Girls went out to tampines for lunch. I sent them on an errand to get sambal for Mio 

The next day, I bubble wrapped them up

All ready for them to pack it into the luggage. 

No more Skype

Saw an email today. Yah like today they informed what they retired 2 days ago. Hmm…🤔 

I have $18.51 balance inside!!! Gone just like that?! They have switched to Microsoft Teams. But I don’t even use Skype or need to make any overseas phone calls anymore. The last overseas phone call I made with Skype was with Terry (from UK) when he informed me of Velda’s passing in 2020

The old-fashioned me

Gone are the days when we have more letters than rubbish pamphlets in our letterbox. With technology and smart phone and all now, there’s no such thing as handwritten letters, greeting cards now. Not that there isn’t any greeting cards for sale now but the selection is little and so few places you can find them now. Why? Even the big bookstores are closed in Singapore!!!! So we have lesser places to go to buy cards. 

Hallmark, American Greetings cards used to line up in rows on a huge shelf but now we see a smaller selection. Having said that, I used to like to drop by these stores in the US to get my cards and cute calendars. Now with changing consumer demands, I’m sure the number of stores across the country (USA) has also decreased. 

Now to the sensitive point - are cards not appreciated and obsolete now? I think for most people it’s yes. Personally I’m the old traditional folk (where I feel that I cannot go to a person’s house empty-handed) so receiving cards from the sender shows the sender’s genuine greetings. One in a million card 不真成宜才怪呢 !  I used to collect the cards and put them in a box until …. I come to a point where I wanted to declutter, so I scanned. And I started scanning lots of the girls’ stuffs for them, their primary school artworks in scanned or pictures. I scanned the cards friends gave a few months later and discard. OOPS! 🫣 sorry my friends if you’re reading this. But they’re all categorised into the years, and I scanned both front and back. 

Then you might think, “I should just send a digital card to you then”. Hmm…I can’t force anyone to send me a physical or digital card. Receiving cards is better than not.

Over the years too, the number of cards I sent out gets lesser and lesser.  not many local friends here send so I do not send to all my friends, only the few who have religiously been sending cards to me and me sending cards to them. I used to be able to get a box of 10 cards and use up everything. These last two years, I buy the least - box of 6 and I have extra. 

This year - 4! 🫣

In my card to Terry, I put in a handwritten letter too. Terry doesn’t believe in social media which pose a challenge to me coz that’s the only way I can maintain contact with my international friends. Since I haven’t held a pen writing for more than 15mins my handwriting went from bad to worse 😂, the letter was so untidy. I couldn’t rewrite anymore as I was in a rush to get the cards out. 

Aiyoh! Now I hope my friends will receive the cards in time. 

Super old lady already

Dinner on 6th Oct

Usually we are lazy to leave the house on Sundays, but this week is an exception. Coz che-che and I came back around 3+pm on Saturday, we were so tired and needed a shower badly. And the moment after we shower, nobody likes to leave the house 🤣. 

Our celebrations are usually quiet affairs, no big booha or freaking expensive meals. No way I was going to pay $200++ per head for a meal. But the birthday boy/gal gets to choose what they want to eat. But when the girls’ get older somehow the adults' choice also became the girls' choice as the adults aren't so fussy over food. 

No pressies except when it's for the girls. Of course when they were younger, gifts and the thrill of tearing the wrappers and squealing in delight made the girls remember their kiddy days. As they grew older, there's no such thing as buying presents coz 我们什么都不缺. On a daily basis, the girls may suddenly in the month of May say they need a laptop replacement (for eg.) or whatever we get it for them. Clothes, shoes we buy it anytime not just buying it for the sake of buying something for birthday. As perse, that's why we don't give christmas presents too. The more practical thing to give now is angpow. We give the girls angpow for birthdays, nothing for christmas. The man and I don't give each other present for the reason that I'm not earning any money so it's dumb to give him present from his own money (aka left pocket go to right pocket), hubby gave me a supplementary card so technically if I want to buy anything I can just swipe his credit card which I hardly. He will approve coz I hardly spend his money on self.  Which woman wouldn't covet for a branded bag? I do, but ..... I think that requires another blog post on my stand for this.    

Today, che-che and I were just so full coz we ate the warabimochi we bought the previous day. So when lil' one, the messenger, asked me what I wanted to eat. Hubby will always let me have a chance at chilli crab on my birthdays coz he knows I love chilli crabs (however in recent trips, I noticed lil' one likes it so I peeled and gave her more than for myself.) Hubby suggested seafood but we were full so I decided to go somewhere near - Royal Host. 

Usually there’s always a long queue whenever we walk past this restaurant, strangely it wasn't today. We ordered 2 soups and 2 mains. Added one dessert to share. I saw the bill later - $116.55. Told hubby it's not worth it for the amount of food we had, he agreed. Well at least we tried it and won't go back anymore. I feel Joyfull has more choices and price is reasonable. Did I mention that che-che love Joyfull's matcha latte, which I always have to remind her to drink sparingly so she wouldn't fill up her tummy too fast for lunch.   

   Royal Host, coincidentally is from Fukuoka, a place I love. I kindda miss FUK and want to go there this year again 😂. 

My lobster bisque. 

Hubby ordered onion gratin soup but they had mistakenly served us two lobster bisque 😂 . I would love to try that. 

Mushroom & Porcini Cream Sauce 

具だくさんきのこのポルチーニパスタ

TATSUTA - style Teriyaki Chicken

チキンタッタチリヤキソース

French Toast with Caramelised Banana

フレンチトースト

～バナナキャラメリーゼー

Small birthday cake which I had no idea when hubby bought. So touched with his gesture. He knows I love chocolate, and he bought the one I like from Four Leaves. Maybe he was just lucky he picked the correct one. Whatever it is, just so so thankful for his small little love 💕 gesture

Kena forced to sing for me. Clap hands also like buay gum guan like that. 😂

7th Oct (Monday) 

It’s HBL day for lil’ one. I’m just so thankful her HBL is on Mondays. Can they also do it on Tuesdays? I’m so tired ironing her school uniform. Day was just as usual doing housework. Receiving birthday greetings from friends. But I jiak zua, I declared partial housework just for today, I deserve a little rest. So spent some time clearing photos in phone, doing a little iMovie. 

@ 11.54am while I was in the toilet I received a call to unlock the gate. Called lil’ one (who was having lunch) to help me pick my parcel 😂. I thought it was my parcel. 

After my shower I came out to see this lovely floral arrangement sent by dearie W. Such a sweet gesture from her. 

Last year of me in my 40s. Next year I’ll hit the BIG 5 - half a century old. 

49 yrs 1 day old

Flowers looking good and cheered me up a little. 

Please please 观音菩萨 I only asked for those wish and blessings, can you please grant me my wish? 

 

  

On This Day - (20th Aug) #Reminders from FB#

20th Aug 2022

Plants matter

#thelousygardenerspeaks#

Fertility Dr Teo saw 2 babies 😆. IVF aka cleaning the

  plants 成功！

Tutor gifted me this, so sweet of her. I should stop getting plants already.

Love this beauty

+3 other young adeniums which I have to wait long long for them to flower.

The 2 bigger ones came with as little leaves as the small pot - that few! From April till now still no sign of any flower buds.

3 other indoor plants which I have no time to re-pot. Or maybe I shouldn't? Perhaps I should just leave them outside in the inner side of balcony? Put a plant stand at the wall between the room windows and only put plants that needs indirect sunlight there?

My sunflowers 🌻 - sowed new seeds into soil. Said I

want to give up on sunflowers but coz I still have seeds which I bought from overseas shop so can't waste it.

When they are stronger I'll move them to the direct sunlight. Thrice my babies died coz pelting raindrops killed them.

I repotted this from soil to water. Love this pink simple lady.

That old monstera baby from last year.

Moonshine sansevieria which I bought at the same time didn't last that long

My goodness! How long will my magnolias and nemo babies start to root?

I did this the same time as my previous sunflower seeds, where I managed to transfer some sunflower 🌻 seedings to the pot (but later died coz of 🌧️ ). Or perhaps I should just throw the seeds into the soil directly.

20th Aug 2021

Just found out that I can play the sample out in one of the music books I got recently for the stagea.

Haha! I pressed the wrong button n was about to play when the melody came on. Next time I can pretend as if I was playing the organ.

So enjoy! Pardon for the lousy recording.

20th Aug 2021

QOF is free. But we did end up spending money.

1. wifi is horrible! zoom lessons were laggy. She complained to us just the first full day of QO at hotel she couldn't hear what tchr was talking n he disabled some function that she can't message to inform him. we asked her to switch over to data instead which means we had to come up with the $$ to make her lessons comfortable. It worked well for her but not for some of her friends who still had trouble listening to teachers for the rest of their QO
2. food is horrible. She was forcing herself and can tell us "it's not bad." but her facial expression showed otherwise. Anyway, majority of ppl who served QOF always complain abt food. Most ppl end up ordering food instead, we are no exception.

Finally, we told her that she can ask them not to bring food for her from Tuesday (17th) till she leaves the place.

20th Aug 2020

Checklist on Thursdays now.

Lipstick! 💄 

Dawn Zoe and moi with our lipstick during class.

#happy 就好#

20th Aug 2019

19th Aug - Mom was so emotional meeting Richard Lee and Irenea Flora Lee after so many years.

Certainly a lot to talk about but not enough time for me.

Tuesday - I had family matter to attend to so didn't get a chance to send them to airport but glad they made it to Jewel. Well, it's another mall but at least they got the pics to proof they were there 😀

20th Aug 2019

* tagged in Richard’s photos

Met Lily and her Mum, Irene, for a Dim-sum breakfast followed by a visit to the indoor and air conditioned gardens, to see some flowers.

First time we've seen Irene Ma for over 10 years.

Wonderful to see her again. Love to you both and thank you for looking after us during our visit to Singapore.

20th Aug 2016

Yay! Che-che I caught more today. Too bad....you had to be back in school.

We are outside and she caught more. And she saw one on daddy's butt. Hahaha! 

20th Aug 2016

Interesting. I thought it's just the colour but it's the varied Ang ku kueh. Coffee, durian, mango and ..I can't remember what else

20th Aug 2014

Bought few packs of original rainbow loom bands. "Quality is abit better than S&Sparkle", says QC Mgr Athena Ting. 😉

Will prob get a pack or two from each place friends recommended n then let QC Mgr decides.

20th Aug 2011

Celebrating KZ's birthday 2 days in advance.

Baby grapes for our little baby

20th Aug 2011