Where has that time go? It's 2015!

It's been a seriously long break from this blog. Looking at the last post, it must have been 2 years since I last blogged! Has it been that long? Where did the time go?

Whew! Too much things had taken place in the last more than 600 days and it's also too much to record them down.

It's 2015! Yes, I know it's already March and it's not a celebration but still, it's the old saying of 'it's amazing how time flies!' Clayton is in year 5 and after all that whinging about not being same class with his 'familiar friends', I'm glad that he's settled well with his new teacher. At first, I wasn't sure of the matching... new teacher with a new teaching career...?But I trust God for His good purpose. He knows best.

It was a bit of a stressful year in 2014. We had been through much, therapies, appointments, strategies...etc. and not forgetting the traumatic detentions and disciplinary  rules of school. Anger, frustration, uncertainty, confusion, disappointment, sadness, sleepless nights, anxiety.... you can name all the negative emotions a mom could ever had. I went through them in the four terms of school. Yet, I find myself asking for more grace and strength because His grace is sufficient and I am a mom. Not a perfect mom but it's a calling and I need to live up to it.

Choices... how I dislike them sometimes. Yet, I expect my smart, gifted, quick-minded and ferrari-engine brain 10 year old to make good ones every time. Oh boy, did he fail... and miserably. Yet, he picks himself up, with lots of frustrations and tears, but I can only pray that his resilience will be stronger and tougher. He's loaned to me and I will do whatever I can in my best ability to help him 'BE'.

There's a greater calling and purpose when you are a believer in Jesus Christ. You know that this world is a passing phase and we can only live, one day at a time, to fulfil His plans and purpose.

As I continue to pray and await His restoration this year, I will continue to do more baking, more loving, more smiling, more exercise, more traveling and more blogging!

It's parenting duties' time!

Chinese New Year Goodies

If I live in Singapore or Malaysia, I may still feel the festive ambience of Chinese New Year but because this is not Asia, it's just another day of everyday routine.

But I did worked towards a Chinese New Year mood by baking all my favourite goodies including pineapple tarts, kueh bangkit, almond cookies and included a couple of new cookies. It was nice to share around with friends and it brought back childhood memories of goodies snacking. I made two batches of pineapple tarts and I was glad the paste turned out better than last year. I tried out sugi almond cookies and these sinful morsels turned out to be one of the favourites among my friends. The spirit of sharing made Chinese New Year meaningful here though I reminisced those childhood years of ang pow collection. In those days, spring cleaning was essential before CNY and every household would be busy cleaning up their homes, fixing up stuff, decorating them with festive colours. Some people will go into the detail of fixing bar knobs and making sure every corner of their homes are spick and span. For me, the CNY snacks helped us compensate what we miss back home and I had to say that making those delicious and fattening cookies had been enjoyable.

 
 

Happy Chinese New Year

I have been absent for too long and it's just hard to put in all the chronicles after a long break. It was a 6 weeks break in Asia then before I knew it, this is the fourth week of school term 1! 

Nothing much had changed except for a new 'baby' in the kitchen - my Philips Air Fryer! Oh yes, I have been experimenting lots of things with it and it's just a useful appliance to have at home.

This was a cake done for our CNY home group gathering. I was happy that I did a mango rose and it turned out better than expected. The little jellies complement the delicate texture of the japanese cheesecake. Everyone loves this passionfruit mango jap cheesecake and it makes me happy to see smiles on their faces. This is the joy of cooking and baking... 

Happy Chinese New Year to all.

One More Week to Go...

One more week and we are off for our long vacation. It's that time of the year where many people will be traveling so the air traffic will be busy. DH had left early this week and with one less person in the house, there seems to be a little lesser chores to do! I'm still doing some bakes and they are going out to neighbours and friends since there isn't anyone to eat the buns and cakes.

 I was talking to a friend about christmas shopping and she seems to have a long list as compared to mine. She was telling me about karaoke machine at acekaraoke.com then she went on to talk about a retro game machine of the 80s. I told her my Christmas list is simple, unlike the past where I felt obliged to buy a gift for all the friends around me. Not anymore now. Life is simpler and quieter now. At the end of the day, there's just an accumulation of too many gifts and you just don't know what to do with them! If I have an oven in SG, I'll love to bake for my family and friends... but since I don't, I should pamper myself into an indulgence this holiday season.

This afternoon, I attempted these Mexico Buns (aka Rotiboy buns)... and am truly happy with the outcome!

Paper Wrapped Cupcakes

I was half way with my batter and just as I started to preheat my oven, it just stopped and I thought to myself, what timing it was!

I have been spending so much time in the kitchen and baking is my current passion. So when you are in the midst of baking something and your oven decides to play up, it is frustrating. Well, I checked, troubleshoot and did lots of things but nope, it just wouldn't start at all. So I turned to my table top turbo oven... thank God it was just paper wrapped cupcakes. I told myself, nothing to lose if they didn't turned out. After a good 20 minutes, the cupcakes rose and yes, fluffy HK style cupcakes in my less than perfect table top oven! I was delighted.

Not sure about you, but I spent lots of time on the web googling information and sometimes, I do my friends a favor to find them something they were searching for. Someone wanted to know about software development and I found http://www.eoncode.com, another wanted to buy winter wear and there were many websites for that. But I don't like spending so much time in front of the computer so being in the kitchen is alot more fun! That explains the long absence from my blog these days!

Bread Making and ....

I finally know why bread making is addictive. It all started when I saw my blogger friend's bread roll photos in Facebook and I was hooked since. The only thing is, I can't eat them fast enough before I get my hands on the next dough.

I had never hand kneaded a bread dough and it was quite an experience. The method I was keen to experiment was called the Tangzhong 65C method, aka water roux method. This method produced lovely soft bread like the ones you get from Asian bakeries, such as the ones in Breadtalk or Breadtop (in brisbane). I'm not a big fan of sweet breads but I just love making them!

It's amazing to know that we are into term 4 of school and in a few weeks' time, school will end. This has been an exciting year of ups and downs, joys and pains for me as a year 2 parent. I struggled and thrived in many situations but through it all, I learn to trust more.

For now, I'm preparing for my long trip home though I have been too busy with lots of other daily stuff. I might have to put my Christmas list on the paper and as usual, gift ideas such as best fragrance oil, accessories, lego for kids will be in it. And yes, my little boy turned eight last month and whenever I looked at him, I realized he had grown taller in the last few months. I missed those baby and toddler days, though I love every stage of his growing up. Parenting is both a joy and pain and like food, it can taste nice whether bitter or sweet.

My favourite bread from my oven: Hong Kong Pai Bao

There's a time to say 'goodbye'

It was the first time we had visitors since moving to this part of Brissy. DH's nephew and his family had visited us during the China golden week holidays and we were excited to see them again.

Clayton was delighted as he hit off so well with the two girls and they had so much good fun together. They played hot wheels, Lego and he even taught the girls how to play Monopoly. I could see that he enjoyed their company so much but I had to pray that he weren't be too sad when they leave.

It was so timely for them to visit during Clayton's spring holidays and we could take them to sunshine coast, spent time in GC and did some touristy thing in Brisbane city. The weather was nice and I was glad to see the smiles on everyone's faces. The kids enjoyed the beaches and they didn't care about the cold water in the surf... all they wanted was to plunge into the ocean with the body boards! We went shopping in Eumundi, checked out some crafts, homemade chutneys, excellent groove hats, jewelry, watched Clayton's classmate basked with her beautiful voice, did the kiddy rock climbing...etc. It was just one of those holidays you wished you could linger a little longer.

When it was time to say good bye at the airport, I could see the sadness and disappointment in my boy's eyes. The girls wished they could stay longer in Brissy and Clayton was sad that he had no one to play with again. I had to comfort him and told him that this was part of life... we learn to say good byes when we have to... and wish we can meet each other 'again'.

A week had passed. I asked him last weekend if he was still sad about the girls' leaving... and he said, "not so much anymore".... time heals.

Spring is here to stay

Spring is here and the weather is warming up each day. Having said that, we had a few days of gusty winds with cool morning temperatures last week. It felt like winter for a while but I was glad it didn't last longer than 3 days.

This is officially spring weather - nice cool breeze and the blazing sun... it's all good and I'm not complaining. I'm glad to put away my winter jackets and scarves and got out my board shorts and tees. We went to sandgate to watch the kite surfers last week... it was super windy and Clayton had a nice time in the cold pool, though he did feel a little lonely not having anyone to play with there.

 My days went by pretty quickly during the spring school holidays as we welcomed our visitors from China. It was nice to catch up with family and the kids had so much fun together. I had the opp to show a friend how to order her color guard equipment online since I've become a loyal online shopper. Why go to the retail stores when you can save heaps online. Sometimes, I don't understand why things are so expensive here. It is scary to see shops shutting and businesses closing down... I only hope the people here are prepared when things take a turn. Here's a picture of warm sunshine in Maroochydore... spring is here.

Sping Holidays is Here!

Finally, it's the last day of term 3 and school holidays is here!

This term has ended faster than I think and I know that in the blink of an eye, I'm bound for my hometown. It's been an amazing term despite the ups and downs and I'm forever grateful to God's mercy and strength. His grace is ever so suffice for me and I am so thankful.

I've been baking more often than before and my gas is using up fast! Gas here isn't cheap but it's just hard not to get my hands on my kitchenaid every other day. This has been a very busy week with a few baking project. First it was a birthday cake for 2 ladies who turned 70 at Dorcas and then a cheesecake for my boy to take to his class party today. I enjoyed every bit of baking despite the challenge of making a Japanese strawberry cake which I had never attempted. It turned out good and I liked how it looked and tasted.

Mixed Fruit Jelly

Japanese Strawberry Cake

Besides baking, eBay has been a popular activity this week where I finally bought my missing 72mm lens cap for my telephoto lens. I even bought Clayton the rare Ninjago Green Ninja and that would be a surprise for him... I know he wanted it sooo much. Ebay is just a great place to find and buy things but you need to do your homework or you would be paying much than you should. You can find all kinds of stuff, from tupperware to collectibles to pillow block... my probe thermometer arrived this week and I'm delighted! Yesterday, my square pan with a removable base arrived and then my 'handmade' stickers came in the mail today too. Tomorrow, we are off to the camp and it would our third since arriving Brissy. It's nice to check out a new campsite and most of all, get closer to nature in the most natural sense... sleeping in the tent! Just pray that there are no ticks or any crawlies this time!

Bakes from the Kitchen

One of the things I look forward to is to build a kitchen of my choice. Big marble or granite table tops, an island, a wide digital oven, a 6 stove and a walk-in chef pantry. I know it's a dream kitchen but it is possible!

The oven is working overtime on some days and despite its imperfections, it had brought forth many goodies and treats. Not the best I want but for now, it serves my needs! Last night, I told myself that I had to succeed on the Castella cake and while waiting for a long 60 minutes for it to bake, I did my chores, got on the computer, compare some quotes from equote life insurance and catch up on some emails.

Here are some goodies attempted in the last 2 months.... are you drooling?



 

A Big Week that Harder than Baking Macarons!

The kitchen is filled with activities and I'm very busy, as always. Sometimes, I wonder why I'm so crazy... I can decide to bake a Japanese Kasutera cake at 10.30pm at night and I'm surprising myself with the outcomes of the bakes. This has been a macaron week. Yes... it's a finnicky cookie and I had failed enough attempts before seeing those little treats come out of the oven looking pretty and dainty. It's a challenge and it's no wonder why many will bury their heads just to get it baked right. It's a very big week at school as we reach week seven and the assignments poured in. I thought the last project was hard but this one was harder! Imagine a year 2 student 'creating' a new tool for an occupation. They have to construct, design and justify their design... I think we parents are put into a challenge ourselves! So if you have planned to be a musician, you may want to design a MF ibanez tube screamer that allows you to play some music or something like that. My little one has no clue and so does the parents. After some brain storming, we finally arrived to something and believe me, this is harder than baking macarons! I will choose to attempt any bakes anytime than to crack my hard over a project like this. But it's all good and the weekends is here!

The Last Weeks of Winter

We are into the last weeks of winter. Being our first winter in the new place which isn't insulated, snuggling on an electric blanket is a bliss.

 Brisbane has nice winters where the days are sunny and a little warmer compared to places like Melbourne and Canberra. I recalled having some sunny winter days in Perth but Brisbane winter is beautiful. You can still go to the weekend markets and have a good time. Strawberry season is here and this year, I had savoured some really good ones and the camarosa variety has to be the best. Big, juicy and sweet, they are so delicious - I don't even need icing sugar to go with it!

On Wednesday, I went to the Jan Powers markets in queen street and bought another 1kg of those! It was a nice market with more food stalls and I enjoyed sitting down with my mushroom lunch near the tabletop water fountains stall. When the boys are with me, we will end up with a German sausage bun each but I much prefer the freshly cooked mushrooms when they aren't with me.

 Last Friday, I whipped up some Hokkaido cake with fresh strawberry filling... they are light, fluffy, fresh and yummy!

 

Smartphone Convenience

I was asked a question not too long ago. That is, can you rather not brush your teeth for one week or be without your smartphone for a week. I find it hard to answer to that question!

The truth is, most of us are so used to having our smartphone with us all the time that it has become a very important part of us. When I have to get out for a short while, I'll grab my phone apart from my drivers. I don't even bother bringing my wallet or bag. The phone contains so much information and resources I require every day and I have to admit that I have become quite dependent on it.


I'm not sure how many people do this. I even shop with my iPhone. It is that convenient. Viewing stuff on the ipad is definitely easier but it's just faster with the phone. With many online stores launching their own apps and mobile sites, it's becoming so convenient to shop via smartphones. I was looking at some dakine back packs the other day and shopping online means savings too.

I only have to exercise some self control because online shopping can be impulsive too. Before you know it, the order is placed and your card is charged. Self control... that's something all of us need to work on, isn't it?

Oops... Seven Months Past!

As a matter of fact, I had almost forgotten that this site existed until an old friend reminded me that I had not updated it for more than 6 months. Has it been that long?

I blamed it on the pneumonia bug that took a toll on my health early this year, as the virus attacked me viciously, leaving me bed ridden before flying back to Brissy. Then came the move out of our Carindale townhouse into a new suburb. Like they say... time flies and now, it's mid July!

Grade two has been another stepping stone for the little boy who took some time to get used to his new teacher. He is still his normal self - playful, fun, unpretentious, lively, energetic, witty, hyperactive... definitely not one who will sit quiet for more than 15 minutes unless you give him a good book. This is a blessing indeed. He loves books and that's one thing that can occupy him for a good 15 mins or more.

On the personal side, I have been baking more than before in this new house. Cooking with a 5-stove is great but having an oven that doesn't heat up to the right temperature is a baker's nightmare! I had to sacrifice many cakes and recipes due to the wrong temperature and at one point, I thought I had to give up that baking passion of mine. One thing for sure, I will get a digital oven when we have our own house!

Baking is fun and relaxing still. I had the privilege to attend some cake decorating classes and it was fun to get my hands dirty and exposed myself to a new realm of cake art. These days, I enjoy baking for home groups and friends, they helped to share my calories and allowed me to experiment more. I am looking to my macaron and chocolate making classes next month.

Oh yes, we did Taipei and Singapore during the autumn break and it was good catching up with friends during the trip. I count myself blessed to travel back even though it was a short one. Shopping in Singapore is liberating and very... dangerous!

For the first time in Alex's life, he drove interstate and did a 12 hours road trip to Sydney. I applaud him! Clayton was such a wonderful traveler despite those long hours in the car seat... believe it or not, we don't have one of those DVD players in the car! I broke the rules a little, allowing him to read a bit and play a bit of games... not something he is allowed in the car.

It was a good trip for us and I'm very happy that Alex discovered Home which served one of the most authentic thai food in Australia. Brisbane thai food is pathetically sweet and Home reminds us of Bangkok's homestyle thai cuisine. He said that he would drive 12 hours just for the food... that sounds good to me! But I told him it's better that we fly next time, that would be less stressful.

As for me, Sydney wasn't a nice place for shopping, contrary to what many Aussies told me. Coming from Spore, Sydney shopping is pathetic and I wasn' impressed one bit. I have to say that Darling harbour is still charming, despite the touristy crowd. But I brought home a piece of sweet memory with me... it was something that would linger for a long time.

That's a brief summary of happenings in the last seven months. For anyone who is following my blog, I promise to update more... here are some photos that say the bits and pieces of life in brissy....

A milestone for Clayton:

Sydney collections:

My Passions:

Happy to be Home

I've been away for a long year and it's good to be back in Singapore again. Touching down to a place so familiar felt nice though I wasn't sure how I would like it after a long absence.

Being away for so many years allows me to appreciate the sheer convenience this city brings and i am not about to take it for granted. I was already planning my appointments and updating my calendar. This is the first time in man years that my birthday was spent here and I'm also happy that I can be here for Christmas.

We are missing big daddy who is in KL and I think he should be bored with the food and lack of space by now. We are all looking forward to Krabi and then HK..l it would be what we call a family vacation. This trip to Singapore is packed with activities as I had signed up with a few baking and cooking classes with chef Aki. I've always want to learn the art of macaron making and good souffle cheesecake. It took me 4 attempts to succeed macaron baking a few months ago so I do like to know how to do it well. And I'm happy that I had made a really soft and nice Japanese souffle cheesecake yesterday.

I'm looking forward to some good Christmas shopping here in Singapore and its quite hard choosing the right gift as there ae heaps of gift ideas. Maybe some funny t shirts for the teens and a masculine gift for the big man in the house. I forgave him for missing my birthday. Now, he cant complain about my shopping spree!

Its on to physio at Physioeficaz before watch shopping at The Hour Glass with my dear friend...

Less Baking and More Packing

The week has been quiet but very busy since DH left for Malaysia. It's tiring doing the school and activity runs on my own but I'm coping well.

In less than two weeks' time, school is out for 2011 and it's vacation time for most. It's been an amazing year and I'm so thankful for everything. Though I didn't like the idea of moving another time, I'm thankful that we found a nice place. Though I didn't like clearing the yard for the fussy owner to do the concrete works, I'm thankful for strength to do the clearance and for friends who so graciously look after my plants. I miss my herbs and veggies and can't wait to grow them again next year in the new place.

I've started group fitness training and it's been so tiring. It's good to know that I'm toning up and burning calories but I didn't like wobbly knees the next day! Now that DH is not here, I'm baking less cos there isn't anyone to share the sweets! I'd love to share them with friends but I just don't want them to get bored with my baking pleasures. Less sweets for me means less weight gain! I'm one of those who never seem to be bothered with the best weight loss pill though I know of people who use weight loss aids.

So the packing begins... it feels like a year ago where we had to pack and do the big move. This one is smaller... that's for sure.

House Settled, Move will be Next

After some stressful weeks of home inspections, we had finally confirmed our place for next year! What a relief! I was praying hard that it would all be settled before Alex leaves for his long trip.

Looking back, God has opened doors for this house and I was very sure He would do the same for the next. He is faithful. I'm glad that I don't have to do anymore house inspections and though I dread the move, I am happy to move into a house soon. Last week had been a busy one for me as I moved all my plants to friends' homes. I am missing my mini cherry tomato plant and my french beans! They were growing so well and I miss watering and caring for them. I can't wait to have a vege patch when I move into the house next year!

The next few weeks will be different as DH won't be here. I'll be doing all the school runs and packing. My friend whom I used to do coffee with is looking out for Pharmacy Technician Jobs so I will be without a partner when she starts working.

This week, it's cooking time again with my 'teacher-friend' and I can't wait to learn something new with these lovely ladies. It's life here in Brissy and I'll be missing these things in three weeks' time!

Moving Again...

I felt a little sad when I learned that we needed to move out of this place end January 12. We have grown to like where we are and it's just nice to be 8 minutes drive from school! No traffic jams, no highways.... the local area is beautiful and we enjoy the park.

But we need to face the truth and move forward. I trust that God has a purpose in all things. So the house hunting starts and continues. It's time to find a place before any of us leaves for our long vacation. I certainly look forward to the coming holiday. Singapore, Krabi, Hong Kong... plus the baking and cooking lessons I'm going to have. I know it's going to be fun, fun, fun! Clayton will have his fair share of fun at Children Technology Workshop.

Well, I hope that we can find a place near parks and all. There are plenty of parks here in Brissy but some of them can be a drive away. Last weekend, we took a drive to the Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve and it was nice. We saw bikers in their scorpion helmets and the bike tracks looked cool!

I can't believe that it's just two more weeks and school holidays will begin. Till then, I am geared up for a long break but I don't look forward to the humid weather in Singapore.

Holidays Are Coming!

Just when I felt so settled, we got news that our rental lease won't be renewed. This isn't very good news for us as we will be away in less than two months' time.

It did take me some days to accept the situation and I dislike being back to a 'square one' situation. But I know it happens for a good reason. I do hope that we buy a place next year but for now, I have to work on getting a place to move into early next year.

Sad news aside, I'm glad that our Krabi trip is confirmed and it's nice to be on holiday with good friends again. We have never been to Krabi so it would be nice as we go island hopping. Clayton is happy to see his friends again and I'm missing the beautiful beaches in Asia. Queensland does have some nice beaches but the waters can be too cold to jump into!

Now that the holidays are confirmed, I need to start shopping for a gift for new baby arrival as a friend of ours will be having a baby girl soon. It is nice to rejoice over a new birth and I can imagine the joys that surround the family. Shopping for a baby gift can be fun as those little baby clothes are so pretty and cute.

As the trip home draws closer, I am listing down the things to buy when I am back. One thing for sure, I'll be visiting a few bake shops. It's time to stock up things I can't find here!

Cooking, Baking... in brissy

So many things have happened in the last month that I'm having difficulties recalling them one by one.

In a nutshell, the little junior celebrated his seventh birthday last weekend, his first birthday celebration in sunny brissy. He was very happy to have his friends on that day and we decided to do it at Lollypops playland. It was a very simple and 'stress-free' celebration as there was a party host who took care of of the activities and games. He received lots of lego gifts and we had only allowed him to unwrap them once a week. The party place had personalized bags for the party guests and it all went well. For the 1st time ever, I made a cake for him and the chocolate cake brought much compliments and I was comforted.

There had been so many cooking and baking lessons in the last month and I found myself picking skills of making rice dumplings, chee cheong fun and even tiramisu cake. Last monday, I even learnt how to make ang ku kueh... sweet!

Next week, I'll be teaching a friend how to make kueh bangkit.... life is brissy is exciting after all :)