Touched By An Angel

2 weekends ago I found out that I'm pregnant and was really glad since the hubs and I have been trying for another baby for a few months. The happiness got side-tracked a little when I started bleeding on Thursday. Not a great way to start the day when you're supposed to be pregnant but saw blood early in the morning. With the experience of last September's miscarriage looming over me, I decided to keep Dallen at home so I can lie down and rest before deciding to do anything. I knew getting him ready for school and struggling to get him home after lunch and school could be detrimental to my pregnancy. This was last Thursday and when one of the mothers SMS and asked if everything was ok as Dallen was absent, I told her wat happened and she was mighty concerned, having gone through more than one miscarriages and a very difficult pregnancy herself.

After resting through the long weekend ( Friday being Good Friday), I felt better and the bleeding has also stopped. So I sent Dallen to school and was all prepared to sit my butt down for the entire 2.5 hours instead of going to the nearby mall like I usually do. Little did I know wat laid ahead of me.

The same mother who SMS me asked about my condition and we started talking about pregnancy and hospitals and gynae, etc. I also mentioned that I tried to look for Chinese herbs to strengthen the body and stabilize the pregnancy but the medicinal hall was closed. Upon hearing that, she cancelled her tuition (she goes for Mandarin tuition twice a week when her son is in school) and promptly drove me to the medicinal hall to get the herbs. So we got the herbs but as that hall does not do pulse-reading, she asked around for a sinseh and then drove me to another medicinal hall but the sinseh was not there yet. All this while, she reminded me to sit wherever possible and refused to let me walk much. On the way back to the children's school, she asked if I have the pot to cook the herb. I didn't but told her I intended to get one. She wouldn't hear of it and said she'll lend me hers. By this evening, she swung by the house and deposited the pot on my porch (we were out for dinner when she came by). And the reason why she knows where my house is is cos she has given me rides home before.

This is a woman who's not very sophisticated. You may even say she's a bit 三八. But she's definitely one who allowed herself to be a blessing to others and who allowed God to work through her. For the few times that I've ridden in her car, I've heard only gospel songs which she plays for her son from a cassette player. Yes, not a CD player. A cassette player. That's how simple she is.

Hawker Centres We So Take For Granted

I've been missing a lot of food we take for granted back home. Call them cravings if u wish. I miss the little hawker centre and coffeeshop which are just downstairs but which I was often too lazy to visit. Now that they're not present, I miss them terribly. I want my fish soup beehoon, kuey chap, hokkien mee and char kuey teow. I miss the tze char stall too, even though the hubs wasn't too willing to eat there cos he found a staple in his food once. I miss the friendly economy rice couple at the coffeeshop. I miss the wanton mee!!! I miss the sambal stingray. I want my ice kacang.

Funny how you always find it boring when they're all there and now that they're not, you think of them as treasures. Human!!! You tend to really treasure something when u lose it. Sigh... Food!!! I want SG food!!!

Alway Look On The Bright Side of Life

When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life.

~~Monty Python's Life of Brian

Chocolate Strawberry Bread

My first 2 attempts at baking bread may have been total failures but my quick bread was certainly a success! It's easy to make and there isn't even a need for a mixer.

The original recipe was for bananas. Since I'm not that big a fan, I decided to change it to strawberries since I have some very ripe ones (which I dun like to have as fruits) in the fridge and the lil one in in his 'strawberry mood' nowadays. This boy is really peculiar. Likes sour and bitter stuff! So anyhow, I tried my hands at it and it came out a success. So that added one more variety to the baking bag. :)

Ingredients:

- 55 grams (or as much as desired) toasted walnuts or almond, coarsely chopped

- 230 grams all-purpose flour

- 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

- 200 grams granulated white sugar

- 1 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 85 grams (or as much as desired) white, dark, or milk chocolate chips

- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

- 113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled

- 10 (or as much as desired) strawberries, cut into small pieces

- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.

- Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-sized bowl combine the strawberries, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (strawberries mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky.

- Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse brown sugar (optional).

- Bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be covered and stored for a few days, or frozen for longer storage.

Life

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

---- Mother Teresa

Your Kids or You?

There are so many families where both parents are working and the number of latch-key kids is always on the rise. While it is inevitable for some to have dual income, others see it as an escape and choose money instead of the responsibilities of parenthood. Indeed, I have heard parents commenting that they can't wait for the weekend to be over so they can go back to work. Spending time with their kids is more tiring than work, they lamented. So many kids nowadays are brought up by their domestic helpers, grandparents or childcare teachers. Where are the parents in the lives of these children? It is a choice that parents (not necessarily only mothers) have to make. A life choice. Sadly, most choose money or career over their children. They choose to be slaves to their big cars and private apartments or houses. Will the children be less happy if they travel from point A to point B in a Corolla as compared to a Lexus? Will they be healthier if they stayed in big houses rather than a HDB flat with enough space for the whole family? No doubt, having a higher household income will give the children a better quality of life. They get to travel more, have fancier toys, eat at better restaurants, wear branded clothes, etc. They are so rich materially, but so bankrupt emotionally. Does it matter if the family take a vacation every year (some go overseas more than once annually) or if they go away only once every two years? I have witnessed first-hand, the effects on children when parents do not spend as much quality time with them as they desire and also how the state of their parents' marriage affected their behavior. We impact our kids more than we realize or care to find out. Seriously, if money is so important to you, why did you decide to have a kid in the first place? Only to throw them to someone else or put them in childcare. For these parents, I hope you enjoy being taken care of by domestic helpers when you're old or to be sent to an old folks' home or to have your kids visit you only at their convenience. For this is the way you're treating them now. You can't really blame them for taking your lead. What goes around comes around. You reap what you sow. The returns you get depends on the investments you make now. If you can't be bothered about your kids, I don't see why they should be bothered with you when you're old and needy. Afterall, you didn't tend to their needs. You succumbed to your own selfish intentions and choose to celebrate your own life rather than those of your kids. Are your kids more important or are your own convenience or leisure more important? To borrow the words of my parish priest, the choice is yours.

Time Not Enough

I haven't had the time or energy to blog. First, the part-time cleaning lady quit without notice. Then we went away for the weekend to celebrate the hubs' birthday. I totally enjoyed the stay in Hotel Phoenix and definitely put on some weight, though I couldn't clarify this cos the weighing scale at home wasn't working. Then it's back to reality. Cleaning the house, doing the laundry, getting the lil one to school and battling his poor appetite. This rendered me very tired, really. The hubs asked why I'm so tired when I'm actually not doing much. Oh well... I wished I have more than a pair of hands. I haven't done any baking and haven't even the strength to run. I set a goal of 100km in the second quarter and I haven't even started yet. The clothes are getting tighter and my eyes, together with my body, heavier. Perhaps, age is really catching up. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps....