Utah to Nevada

Dec 22 - Dec 25 2007

In the beginning,

Then "Shooting Stars 流星"

As the day gets brighter......what beautiful mountain ranges

I feel I can reach the clouds

Road To................. MacDonald's

Cows in sub-zero weather

Buildings, buildings

Witness the Grandeur of ZION NATIONAL PARK

Zion National Park boasts one of the most magnificent rock structures that I'd seen, with some that looks like a fortress, reminds me of the Great Wall of China. The trees provide good photography objects as they have nice foliage and thick, weathered barks. And the streams, they are still flowing in sub-zero temperature! Of cos, don't miss out our family photos! Enjoy the show......

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

P/s: BTW, the "shooting star" were aeroplanes hah! Took me quite sometime to realise that...

Las Vegas

Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, Paris, New York New York, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, not forgetting the lousy hotel (or I should say the lousy room) we stayed in - Tropicana. There's a Lion Enclosure at MGM Grand, however some pics are blurred as I'm taking them using free-hand under extreme lighting conditions.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Curry Chicken

Ingredients
1. Yeo's Malaysian Curry Powder - 1 pkt
2. Yellow Onion - 1
3. Garlic - 6-8 cloves
4. Ginger - 1 inch
5. Sugar - To taste
6. Light Soy Sauce - To taste
7. Oyster Sauce - To taste
8. Coconut milk - 1 can
9. Potato (chopped into chunks) - 1 (I use the large US potato)
10. Chicken wings - 4

Direction
1. Puree and blend items 2, 3 and 4 (A).
2. Add a few tbsp of water to item 1 and make into a paste (B).
3. Turn stove on High heat and stir-fry (A) till paste turns translucent. Add (B) and continue till mixture darkens and oil starts to seep out. Be careful not to burn it.
4. Lower heat, add potatoes and chicken wings. Stir-fry till all are coated with curry mixture. Add coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
5. Lower heat and simmer for about 45min (depending on how soft u want your potatoes and chicken to be. If u want melt-in-your mouth chicken meat, I suggest u add potatoes later and simmer longer). Add a little water if u prefer a thinner gravy (optional).
6. Add items 5 - 7 according to personal taste.
7. Ready to serve.

Servings 3-4

(Adapted from http://www.malaysianfood.net/recipes/recipemsianchxcurry.htm)

Adventure ride

Finally, the day has come for En to go for her 1st Ballet Class in Utah, the time to put her to the test of going for lesson ON HER OWN (her gym classes require Parent's assistance to get them on the apparatus. For ballet classes back home, she'd wailed once I wasn't around, perhaps because most parents were in the studio and she didn't really get into the mood of learning, as lessons were very disorderly). Prior to this, I had pep-talked with her on various occasions to get her mentally ready.

Unfortunately, it isn't just a test for her, it's MY test too. Why? Because it's snowing heavily and the roads are snow-covered. Gosh, 4th time driving and 1st time in the snow. K called to warn of the road condition as he was stuck on the highway with his colleague. Oh well, what to do. Can't possibly miss lesson, especially when it's her 1st day, so I 硬着头皮 "die die" also must send her there.

After strapping her in her seat, it's time to brush the snow off the windscreen etc. No joke man! There's this thick layer of snow there. If I don't clear it, I won't be able to see at all. Ok, time to move off. Seat belt, check! Heater, check! GPS, check! Done, ready to go. The car certainly needs more power than usual to reverse. And oh my goodness, it's difficult to control the steering, as the car tends to swerve left n right on the snow. Oh boy, this is going to be a tough ride...

Onto Bangarter Highway, a lucky thing it's not peak hr. Snow everywhere, the roads are not very well-plowed yet. Slowly, slowly, 40miles/hr I go (though speed limit is 60miles/hr). WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! OHHHH　NOOOOOOOOOO!!! BRAKEEEEEEEE!!! Heart pumping at 150 counts/ min! My car skidded, spun 90 degrees and swerved to the right! And I actually stepped onto the accelerator for a while before realising and braked! Phew luckily there's a road shoulder and there's no car there. A couple mins passed. Cool down, cool down. Ok, just reverse and get on the way. Hopefully no more "surprises".

I can still feel tires slipping time n again. It's ok, just go slow, stay on the tracks created by other vehicles, everything will be fine. Yes, it's nearing, just a couple of hundred feet, hey I can't see the entrance under all the snow. Oh no, passed it. Hah, luckily one more in front. Phew, finally time to park.

Into the warmth of the studio we go. Not many students here yet, guess most are late due to the snow. Ok, class is starting. En goes to the teacher quietly. Hey, that's great! She's actually trying to follow the demonstration by the teacher. No crying yet. Mins ticked by, still going well, paying attention, though sneaking a peak at me once a while through the glass viewing panel. I must say she is progressing much better than expectation on her very 1st solo lesson, trying her best to catch up. Most of the students had been there since session started in Sep. Finally, lesson is ending soon. Ms Heidi comes out from another room with a basket of SWEETS(think it's quite common here to reward kids with lollipops after a class. The same happens at her Gym class)! Ah ha, her eyes start to shift to the basket at the door and she starts to leave! Ms Heidi calls out to her. Luckily she walks back. It's not her turn yet. The girls have to complete some tap movement before leaving. Finally, as she finishes her moves, she runs to the basket to pick a strawberry lollipop.

Hopefully, the ride home will be without adventure. It's certainly easier to drive now as some of the snow has melted.

At last, we're back. So hungry.......

P/s: While having lunch, En went around dancing, prancing and TUMBLING. She learnt it during Gym classes. On her 3rd lesson last Sat, she started tumbling on her own. Through the classes that she has been attending, I realise that they help build her, not just physically, but let her gain confidence as well. Soon, I'll be sourcing for Pre-school for her to attend on some mornings.

Gym class - 3rd lesson

By saying Gym class, I'm not referring to those that the kids did at so-called Tot Gyms back home. This is a proper Gymnastic location with all the equipments used for training Gymnasts. Of cos, you'll not see En doing the flying-from-pole-to-pole type of "stunts" lah. She's still a kitten (they use terms like "kitten", "cubs", "super-cubs" etc to differentiate their classes). However, she needs to do a fair share of tumbling, rolling, swinging on rings, jumping on trampoline etc.

During her first 2 lessons, she needed help with tumbling and didn't have enough strength to "walk" the wall on her own. Oh mine! Today, she started tumbling on her own! And she was able to "climb" up the wall at times. While she was walking on the balancing beam, it's apparent that she had more confidence, she walked the lower beam on her own, with little help holding on to Daddy's finger.

K wasn't keen for her to go for Gym classes. However, with the improvement that En is manifesting with each lesson, I believe in his heart, he'll come to accept that my decision is right and I hope it may be easier for me when I request to send En for classes (recently, I was rather upset that I blurted to him point-blank that y should we short-changed En, since we were already spending at least $300 back home sending En to half-day childcare. So I'll be sourcing for some Pre-school classes for her since I still have budget for that even after converting the $300 into USD. When it comes to $, and how to spend it, guess even if it takes a lifetime, there will still be difficulty for us to see eye to eye).

Pics & Videos taken during her 1st lesson (050108)

Ho Ho Restaurant

Was a little disappointed, as I'd planned to go skiing this morning. However, it started snowing and I knew K wasn't keen cos he doesn't like to be in the open when it's cold. Thus, the plan was postponed AGAIN. Many of my plans for the week had already been shoved due to all kinds of reasons, like weather, work etc. So it wasn't difficult to imagine what I was feeling.....

Anyway, there was no reason y dinner plan should change, as he was the one who proposed it and it's indoor. When we reached there, we were still wondering if we went to the right location. Ho Ho Restaurant was recommended by his colleagues but it really looked "lok pok" from the outside.

We went in, ordered Ginger n Scallion CRAB and 红烧豆腐．Fortunately, we were smart enough to go for small portion for both dishes. Surprise, surprise! The dishes tasted great, though some 煮炒stalls back home scored better, but this is by far, the BEST Chinese cuisine we had since we arrived in US. The crab cost US$15 and the size is huge. Although the meat tended to stick to the shell, overall, it tasted fresh and palatable. The tofu is an all-in-one dish, with vegetables, mushrooms etc, healthy and savoury. Good thing about this joint is, the flavouring and seasoning is just right. Chinese food here has the tendency to be overpowering in terms of flavouring, exceptionally sweet, sour, salty whatever. Too heavy for our liking. It's tweaked to suit the American. No matter where you eat, they food will taste the same, and we're getting really sick of Chinese food here. Moreover, the dishes came with steamed rice. We had to order rice when we dined elsewhere.

At the end of the whole experience, what made it all the more worthwhile was the bill. Cost around US$24. For the same price, we get to eat fried rice, noodles etc elsewhere. And no tipping is required! That's a big deal here where it's common to tip between 15 - 20% of your bill. Trust Singaporean to be complaining about the 10% service charge......

Ho Ho will definitely be in our list of regular haunt!

Discovery Gateway

As the name implies, it's a place kids made discovery, of fun, play couple with some scientific knowledge (though I personally believe En only got to the first 2. Ha!). We brought En there yesterday morning as it was K's off-shift. It's basically a 3 storey establishment at The Gateway in SLC, with exhibits mainly on the 2nd and 3rd level.

Wow, even though it was a weekday, we saw streams of people moving in, mainly school going children, with their teachers and parents. Sort of brought me back to the time when I was still schooling and our excursion ground was usually the Science Center. Got so sick of it, I hadn't been there since I left school.

We got ourselves a 6 mth membership as it's more 划算. Typical Singaporean mentality, cannot lose out! Think we made the right choice. For a typical adult, we'll probably take 20mins to cover the grounds. For a child, HA! It will take hrs! Y? Cos the place is like a BIG Playground. Look at the pictures and you'll get what I mean.

On the way there,



Take a look at En's photography

At the Bee Hive having BALLS of fun

Making music

Up, Up. Up, there goes the coin

At the Construction site, want to see me carting concrete?? No way! Daddy! Push me!

Ha, I'm a crane operator. Not bad huh??

Yo, I'm driving a police car! Identity Crisis? Fire Chief driving police car.

Who says I'm scared to ride a bike? Look at me! BTW, I "wrestled" it from an ang moh boy who tried to take it from me k!

Water play and other areas (I'm too obsessed with driving around to play here)



Little shopkeeper at work

At the Farmhouse Whose this Moo Moo Cow?




Well, we didn't even finish Level 2 as K needed to return to his office in the afternoon. Oh well, we bought the membership pass......

News Flash

Latest Updates:

For the past mth, there's been quite some speculation on when we can finally go home. Well, initially, soon after we came over, news came that our return may be delayed till July/ Aug due to integration of technology.

Yesterday, K went back for an hr-long meeting scheduled by one of his directors. And it included personnels back home as well. Now, our forecast will be Oct/ Nov as they will not start production till mid Dec due to poor pricing. Since K is in the Production dept, he will be one of the latest to return home.

Well, for me, I'm ok. As I was very keen for K to join his current company when news came out initially that training in US was for 1 yr. Was quite disappointed when he didn't take any action. Happened that when K finally made the jump, training time had been reduced to half a yr. Apparently, after all the ups n downs, lefts n rights, things turned out as what I had wished for months back. Haha. But K wasn't keen. Food, weather etc. He's just not one who embraces changes. So......

What a day!

Yipeeeeee!!!!! Why am I so HIGH? Cos I started my day off great!! What did I do??!! I drove all the way to Utah Dance Artists, about 25mins drive away. To many, that's not a big deal. But it's the 3rd time I'm driving in US and the 1st I went that far. Top it off, I like what I saw at the studio. The kids were very obedient and were following the instructions given, very different from the ballet class I brought En to at the CC back home (the kids were running around and the instructor couldn't do anything. She didn't enjoy it and always asked to go home).

After which, I DROVE again, not home, but to Walmart at Jordan Landings to do some shopping before we proceeded home. My dear baby behaved well throughout the entire trip, like she promised. I know she has the propensity to behave, just a matter of whether she wants to or not. She enjoyed the trip thoroughly too!

Though En gave a bit of problem after we got home, I just wanted to pen down my feelings of exhilaration, the rush and excitement I felt of being able to move around on MY OWN. It's simply GREAT!

Note: I started my day visualising of how well my journey is going to be and it DID lead to a positive outcome.

CSI - Utah

"Zzzzzzzzzz", as Baby En and K drifted into dreamland....

"&%%#@X!??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"(not because they were spouting obscenity, but rather I couldn't make out what the hell they were shouting about), came the commotion from outside our apartment. The Kpoism in me geared into full-drive. "Where?? Where is the noise coming from??" As I went around the room peeping out of blinds, Hah! A couple screaming at each other, beside their fiery red car, parked hap-hazardly near the estate's entrance.

"SMASH!"(don't worry, nothing broke. Just that the guy trashed a bunch of keys onto the floor). The heated exchanged went on, with a couple of cars driving into the driveway. Nobody went out to check (like Singapore hoh). Should I call the police? Or wait till someone flashed a gun?? Perhaps must wait for the "BANG BANG" before taking action huh? Wouldn't want to be branded as Kiasu u know.

Next thing I knew, police carS! Gosh! I was too late! (Notice the capital "S"). 1..2....3..4..5...6!!! Hey, there were just 2 person at the "crime scene", and NONE armed! It was just a "domestic affair", need it required that kind of 排场? Wow, they blocked the entire driveway entrance. Arm-wrestling, baton, gun-fight.... Nay.. just some officers bringing the couple apart and lecturing them I guess. (Hey, what can u expect! This is just a SMALL town. Be appreciative that you can get this amount of action. 6 police cars u know. Expecting Hollywood-style car chase, masked bandits???!!!)

The action lasted but a.... 10mins?? Yeah, 5 police cars stayed throughout the entire episode. No arrest, nothing. Talking about Kiasuism..... Maybe that's how they maximise manpower usage. Hmmmmm

2008 - 新的一年

2008来临之际，读了朋友们为生活记录的点点滴滴，关于孩子们的成长、生活中的顺心与不如意的事、事业与情感问题等，很开心一些朋友愿意重新给自己一次机会，让自己过得更快乐，同时想在这里为所有的朋友献上祝福，无论此时此刻，你们的生活过的如何，愿你们找到自己的快乐！

以下摘录于我在某友人的部落格的留言，希望能为浏览我的小天地的人们，提供一些联想的空间，同时让自己做些反省。

"是的，人类的进步，社会的不断文明，带给我们许许多多的“包袱”、“束缚”。我们不再能“任性”。回到根本，当人类刚来到这世界，饿了便捕猎，男人有繁衍下一代的冲动便找个女人等等等，这些随本意而为的行动，不就是“任性”。可惜，现时今日，当人们说到“任性”，必定将它附上贬义。从此，我们的“包袱”越来越多，“束缚”越裹越紧。文明带给我们许多，同时却掠夺了我们最基本的“自由”。或许在现今社会，这是最好的模式，但，这些条规已经够多了。在不伤害他人的原则下，我想，偶尔“任性”一下，是释放心灵的良药，也可能为我们带来另一片天空。"

我自己来

在2007年结束之前，恩恩要让大家看一看她有多厉害！

我要快乐

性格使然，我不是个很快乐的人。自认相当悲观，也是个cynic。而且一旦对某人、事、物产生某一种想法，就很难改变。比如某人若一开始就让我对他的处事方式感到很反感，接下来，只要他再做出任何小动作，即使无关痛痒，我也觉得难以忍受，极端厌恶。
我的脑袋永远停不下来，是个思绪很频密的人。时不时会想些有的没的，就这样，经常会想些跟自己沾不上边的事，甚至在事情未发生时，预知可能会发生的事，而且通常都是一些我不喜欢预见的状况，弄得自己心情烦闷。
最近SY让我看了“秘密”。虽然才刚开始接触，但觉得Law of Attraction瞒有道理。所以我决定了，我要快乐。虽然别人可以影响我们的情绪，但我们可以选择如何去调试它。我要学习让自己更乐观，让身边的人活得较没有压力，让自己过的更轻松、自在。

Birthday - Bye Bye

Dec 19 Night

While I'm having my Birthday Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at SLC (waited for more than 1 1/2 hr) around 8pm, my family back home is busy preparing to send my a gong off on his final journey.

Guess this year's birthday will be a bitter-sweet event, though I don't feel as much pain and sadness as the past few days, there is not much feeling of happiness too.

The weather forecast predicted a day of rain and snow, though it wasn't quite accurate, the night was still rather chilly. The day went by quite well, with my baby's behaviour being better than average. There wasn't any quarrel. Everything seemed fine.

For dinner we ordered 2 side dishes of Fried Calamari and Buffalo Wings, we had Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta for Main, a Godiva Choc Cheesecake for dessert and Typhoon Punch + Peach Smoothie drinks. The portion was huge, thus we packed the Cheesecake and Wings. I would have expected better food for the crowd, perhaps it's just not to our taste. So many people can't be wrong.

Another year has past, what can I wish for or expect for the one that just arrived? Frankly speaking, I don't know. There are many things in life that we can't plan for nor dictate the direction of how do you want them to flow. Perhaps, for the moment, I'll just let nature takes it course, till I'm ready again.

Happy Birthday and Good-bye a gong!

The Best Thing That Happened

After all the disasters and heartache, I finally saw a silver lining today.

This is the first day I get to go out of the house with my gal ALONE. Yes, I finally get to drive. Though it's not somewhere far, just the nearest supermarket 2km away, but it's the first time I taste freedom, freedom out of these four walls. Not sure if any of you out there can understand.

When I got home, I took my laptop apart with the new screwdriver I got. When I dismantled the battery, the indicator light that would not go away disappeared. It didn't re-appear after I re-assembled it. So I thought this could be it. Yes! It's working again! I can keep in contact with what's happening back home, have a look at the wake. Though I can't be there physically, at least I am still there. I think ah gong is definitely watching out for me. Things will get better.

阿公没有了

12月15日 傍晚7点30分

还是失眠的夜晚。凌晨2时多起床，翻来覆去，决定上网察看电邮，希望NWA会回复询问。是回复了，但没什么帮助，尽管是凌晨时分，仍决定打电话给航空公司。侥幸热线是24小时服务。询问结果和我昨天上网查询的答案一致-最早的班机要等到20日。当我抵达新加坡都已经是22日了。继续寻找其他航班，可是真的负担不起，单程票价比双程的还贵，母女俩一起飞，起码需要5千新元，对我而言，这简直就是天文数字！

打电话回家，爸爸在医院。收线不太清晰，只听到他要我跟阿公说话。“阿公，你一定要坚强，要等我回来。你一定要好起来。”之后，妈妈接过电话，她问我跟阿公说了什么。跟她说了，她竟然答到：“你应该叫他安心地走。告诉他不用担心我们，大家会和睦共处。阿公很辛苦，他很难呼吸，他们都说可能他还有没有见到的人，不放心，不能安心地走。”“我怎么可能叫他走？我做不到。我跟你们不一样，我走前都没机会见他一面。”

一直地祈祷，一生中所祷告的次数加起来，都没这一天来得多。一个我从不正视的上帝，我居然一直求他，要他给阿公力量，带他渡过难关，驱走他的痛苦......因为这是我唯一知道怎么祈祷的方式。

一大早便离开寓所，昨天已通知薇，若有状况，一定要打到我在美国的手机号码。从没那么开心手机如此寂静，No news is good news。开始相信奇迹可能出现，沿途不断地祈祷。

下午4点多，终于回到家，拿起新加坡的手机一看，四则简讯，分别发于家乡时间凌晨2。41和3。30。一致的信息：Ah gong is gone。立即回电，爸爸的第一句话是：“阿公没有了。”“阿公回家了没？几时出殡？”“已经在楼下了，20日。”“我肯定来不及回去。最早的班机在20日，回到新加坡都已经22日了。”妈妈说：“你不要难过，阿公知道的。你不用赶回来，来不及的。需要处理的，我帮你处理。”“我本来要去看他才走的。我要打电话给他的，可是就一直拖，一直拖。现在没有机会了。有些事真的不可以拖的，现在没有机会了。”

我心里最后一个在乎的祖父就这样突然走了。奇迹没有出现，上帝没有答应我这个不虔诚的人的乞求。我的人生又多了一件遗憾，我对不起阿Ma，也对不起阿公。

这次的旅途，除了碰到的好人，剩下的只是寒冷的冬天、劳财、伤神与无尽的心痛。

阿公，你要走好。到另一个更快乐的世界，在那里守护我。再见！

Please Pull Through......

Dec 14 7.30am

Couldn't sleep well. Woke up when it was ard 5+ in the evening Singapore time. Tossing and turning from then on. Finally it's 7am here in Utah. In a moment, I'll be able to 'see' my family.

7.15am, B is not online. 7.25am, not online. 7.35am, still not online. This is abnormal. I should call home. Nobody answers. Call Dad then, no answer. Call Mum, B and R's mobile. All turned off. No!! This can only mean 1 thing. Someone must be in hospital, the only place where people have to turn their hp off! I must get someone. The only one who seems to have his hp on is Dad. I shall call him again. "Beep, beep" goes my hp. A message from B! "Call Dad on his hp." "Where r u people? Y didn't anyone answer?" Dad said,"In hospital. Ah gong's was admitted. He fainted suddenly while watching TV. Just wheeled out. Doc said brain haermorrage. If he is to be operated, likely to become a vegetable." Why??!! Why must my hunch be so accurate??

I should get a flight back asap. Not again! No economy tickets available! Even if I upgrade to business or first class, the flight hrs is ridiculous!!! 40- over 50hrs! How to fly for so long with a 2 yr old?? Next possible available flight is on 20 Dec. If anything bad really happened, I won't even be in time for......

Why must all the bad things happen to me?? I didn't get to see my grandpa before I flew as it was a last min change. Had wanted to call him after I arrived, but I procrastinated. Now, I don't wish to live with another regret. I regretted I didn't spend more time with my grandma when she passed away 3 yrs ago. Please... not this time.... Let grandpa pull through, even if it takes a miracle.

End of the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!

I'm in a state of absolute HISTERIA now!! My laptop, my only form of communication with the outside world had DIED on me!!! YYYYY???? Bcos my DARLING. she actually FLOODED it!!!! Now I can only have access to the real/ reel world when K is at home AND not using his laptop!!!!

Why does this have to happen to me???????!!!!!!!!!!!

寂寞

En: Elmo is not sad. Elmo has Big Bird.
M: Mummy很寂寞。Mummy没有朋友。
En: En En 是Mummy的朋友，我们是朋友。

寂寞本是无形的，却能通过有形的环境体现 - 受困在四堵墙内，有脚却似残废，有爱护我的亲人与挚友，却在世界的另一端，唯一联系着我们的，是一台冷冰冰的电脑。面对它久了，真的很厌恶，因为这正是我孤独无助的写照，可却不得不得依赖它。多么讽刺啊！

这里四面高山环绕，环境清幽，居民一般还相当友善，真的还不错。而且在新加坡一直缠着我的一些生理状况，也不见了。可是，过惯了城市生活，一出门就有巴士站、地铁站，手一举，大把德士愿意停下来，谁在意你会不会驾车，或者是否是拥车族。来到这里，如果少了一辆车，就好比如断了手脚，哪里都去不得。想找朋友聊一聊，谈何容易。这不是钱的问题，其实打长途电话并不贵，也可以通过MSN、Skype等网上攀谈。时间却很难配合，而且有时真的很想能见个面，喝喝茶，吃吃饭，那种有个伴的感觉就是不一样。

我嫁的不是SNAG，他不会偶尔打个电话问你还好吗？甚至能告诉你他连一分钟时间打个电话给你都没有。回到家，不是继续上网，就是与同事看电视闲聊。排队排到我时，他想上床睡觉了。环境并不能使一个人改变。

想起临别时，SQ对我说了一句话：“If u really don't like it, then come back.”我真的很想回去了。至少家里有在乎我的人。我爱去哪儿，就去哪儿。如果没有小妹时不时在网上与我聊天，日子一定过的更孤寂。

我不想过孤单的生日、圣诞、新年。在这里我只是煮饭婆，在家里，我是爸妈亲爱的女儿、微微的好姐姐、Fur Fur的Mummy、死党的好朋友。I know I'm loved at home. I miss home.

12月8日

按原定计划，今天才是我们从新加坡起飞的日子。临时的变卦，让我在今天见识了第二场大雪。

昨天是下雨天，一大早便和旅居当地的一位新加坡妈妈与她的两位小绅士出游。我们去了Ikea。那儿的儿童游乐场比新加坡的大了两倍，家长可以把小孩寄放在那儿，再开始购物之旅。员工会将一个通讯器交给家长，以便有紧急事故，可以联络。要入游乐场的孩子必须达到规定高度。宝贝应该刚合格，但她不愿自己留下。妈妈A帮大儿子T登记后，两个大人便托着两个小孩开始逛。


基本上，这里的Ikea和新加坡的大同小异。不过我还是挑到一些便宜货-0。99的地毯、1.99六支装，双用途marker...午餐时间，宝贝要坐在儿童桌椅。不久后，一对父女便来与我们搭桌子。原来父亲F是德国人。由于妻子在德国无法找到工作，在11年前便移居美国。看来他应该是SAHD。跟他聊天，发现他不太喜欢这里。他认为这里的居民有种族歧视，会侵犯他人隐私，比如邻居会翻查他们的垃圾、留意他们何时回家等。我呢，到目前为止，一切还好。这里的服务水平一般较高，人们相当友善、乐于助人。F在离开前还留了联络号码，邀请我和家人与他们同游。

妈妈A送我们回家后，便上来小坐。她还带了许多绒毛玩具、书本和影碟借我们。人在异乡，能与同乡碰面，已是一种福气。再加上这些友善、贴心的帮助，可说是雪中送炭，心中有说不尽的感激。

傍晚时分，雨天转为茫茫大雪。K在回家途中遇到塞车，听说他有些同事还冒着大雪夜，驾两小时的车到赌场。今天早上问起和我们搭房的同事，才知他们零晨4点才回到寓所。

虽是星期六，K还是得回公司受训半天。明天他将正式上班，所以这星期他将不会有任何休假日。下午，我们计划带着小瓜去看电影-Golden Compass。和新加坡一样，三岁以下的小孩进戏院是免费的。而且5点之前看戏，戏票较便宜。这里虽然也有电影分级制，不过一般只是供参考作用。儿童在下午6点之前，在父母陪同下，也能入场看R级片。

说不定多一会儿会带宝贝到户外玩雪。希望她不再那么排斥。

后续：宝贝不再怕雪了！这回，她不但冒着雪在雪地里走动，还与我堆雪人、打雪战，不但玩得不亦乐乎，甚至还不想回家。

Pls come to US!

Invitation from Baby En

生命力

天气转晴，虽然没有大雪纷飞，与家乡的天气相比，还是相当冷的。还是决定出去走走。










数天前的皑皑大雪，留下了厚厚的一层积雪。宝贝决定试着在雪地上走走看。或许积雪没那么厚了，或许少了白雪纷飞的景象，她没那么排斥了，甚至走到游乐场玩。








经过阳光的洗礼，部分积雪渐渐融化，地面上露出了被冰封了数日的草皮。好神奇啊，本以为小草应该都被冻得枯萎了，却惊见雪白之下露出一片绿意。好顽强的生命力啊！不禁佩服起那不起眼，平时让人们践踏的小草。

First Glimpse of Snowing

Woke up at 4am. K woke up even earlier. Baby En didn't do much better. However, she managed to get back to sleep after 1 1/2 hr.

Couldn't get back to sleep, so decided to sneak a peek outside. Wooh!!! Snow! It's snowing at 6am!! The photographer in me got off to work. Clad in T-shirt and shorts, I quickly rushed to the balcony in K's shoes. Snap Snap Snap!! Not nice. So I decided to switch to manual mode just so I could get the falling snow and backdrop into the pic. Yes!! Did it! It's COLD!
















K's supposed to go for Cultural Training this morning. The snow didn't get lighter. Gosh, he just got his car last evening. I'm worried. The visibility out there is really bad and to mention the slippery road.




















Just got a call from his company. They will be delaying the class due to bad weather condition. Hope they'll be able to get K on his mobile as he just left 5min ago.

Called K. The class might be cancelled. The office is trying to contact the others staying elsewhere. Hopefully they really cancel it.

Brought En out to the balcony for a feel of real snow just now. She didn't take to it and nearly vomited. She commented that the snow is SMELLY. In case some of u don't know, she is very sensitive to smell and will even feel nauseous when she smells her poo. :-p

Utah

28th Nov

We're finally here, after the long flight and transits.

As I'm typing here, Baby En is sleeping behind me on the soft, comfortable couch, even though she wanted to watch Elmo and the VCD is still playing away. Guess she must be really tired, as her sleep time is in a mess now. Could be the weather too. It's like an air-conditioned room though the heater is on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29th Nov

Woke up at 7am to do video call with family. Somehow the speaker didn't seem to be working on their side. Anyway it's a great feeling to be able to see them.

Think we're all getting a little sick. K is having his cough again. Baby En a little too. I'm having a blocked nose now. Not sure if it's due to the tiredness or the weather. Hope it's not the latter, else I'll be having it for the next few months.

Over here, it looks like a town. There's hardly any tall buildings around. The weather is really cold and dry, even though it's not at it's lowest yet. On the whole, everything seems nice. Our apartment is self-contained and very nice and cosy. We have a play ground here though I'm not even sure if we'd ever use it. That applies for the outdoor pool too. Basically it's like a condominium with a clubhouse.

We went to Wal-Mart last night. It's open 24hrs. Guess how much we spent? Over USD$200! We got a booster seat. Figured it's more worthwhile as it can be packed into smaller size when we leave for home. K got a local lousy hp for cheap local calls.

Baby En loves it here.

Will include pics in my next update.

Last Minute Changes

We'll be flying to Utah with Daddy tomorrow morning!

It was a last minute decision as a check with NW this morning revealed that they had economy tickets available now. Thus, we did the top-up of $1.2k plus. Next came the frantic packing, informing of family, friends, change of currency, banking etc etc. My house is still in a mess!

Amidst the chaos, this sudden sense of lost crept in. I started missing everyone and everything even before I flew, especially my Dear Fur Fur (perhaps part of it due to guilt, as I always feel that I'd neglected her since the arrival of Baby En). Gosh! I miss you Mummy, Papa, Bee Bee and all my dear gfrens (u know who u are)!

Take care!

HFMD

"Mummy, I got ulcers." True enough, 2 of them on each side of her tongue. "Itchy (referring to her feet)." GOSH! Blister-like rashes on both her feet. First thing that came to my mind was - HFMD!! I checked her hands but there was only one blister. No fever. Nonetheless, I rushed her to the doc.

The verdict - Positive. As treatment is symptomatic, there's really nothing much we can do except to let her immune system work it out. How unfortunate that it had to strike (1st time) just 2 weeks before we fly!

Luckily:-
1. It was mild. There wasn't any fever and the ulcers were not wide-spread. (By the time we got home from the clinic, the rashes had spread to both her palms and around her pelvic area. Good thing is, till now, there's no other signs that it's worsening).

2. It would have been worse if she contracted it later as recovery period is approximately 1 - 2 weeks. Phew!

I'm wishing that she'll be fully recovered from all her illnesses by the time we need to leave, otherwise it'll be a very uncomfortable trip for her. That translates to "It will be HELL for Mummy." Sigh......

P/s: She was first diagnosed with the disease yesterday morning.

坏小孩语录

1。小鬼做错事被我骂了两句，结果她说：“I want to call your HUSBAND”。然后她便打电话告状。

2。谈到妈妈生日快到了，便向她要礼物，她回答：“我很小，我还小，不可以买礼物。”

3。正要喂她喝咳嗽药水。小鬼要自己拿量药水的小杯子，说道：“It's MINE! I want to take myself. U pour inside. U don't take ha. Be a good girl.”

4。阿嫲问她：“U broke piggy(coin bank)?”
小鬼答：“I did not break piggy.”
阿嫲：“Then who broke piggy?”
小鬼：“It's En En.”

5。在车里，小鬼喃喃自语：“Teacher Yeow Gek, Mummy. Teacher Yeow Gek, Mummy..... Miss Chong, Daddy. Miss Chong, Daddy........”
爸爸多嘴道：“Yes.”
小鬼应：“Are u Miss Chong?”

Belles of AJPS - Thank You!

It's been very difficult to organise an outing with full attendance - family commitments, work schedule etc. But this time, WE ALL MADE IT!

Despite the horrendous jam (due to ASEAN summit), torrents rain, sickness, family woes, work schedule etc, we met, some even with young babies in tow.

"Heavy jam, Callous rain

Battling work foes

And family woes

Weak in body

Tired in souls

Despite all troubles

You gals came

At Aerin's we gathered

Amidst the wining and dining

We shared our stories

It's great to know

Regardless of time and space

We'll always have each other to share."

- dedicated to the lovely gals of AJPS (92/93)

This is the first time I'm trying my hands on a poem. It doesn't rhyme and might not seems that fantastic. But this is something I'll like to do for my dear friends of so many years. Even though the gathering wasn't well-planned, nonetheless we had a great time together - something we didn't have the luxury for in a long, long time.

Hope that we'll have the opportunity for such a marvelous gathering when I return.

P/s: Aoqun, pls forward me the pics u took so that I can post them here. Ths!

出国 - 散心？烦心？

到了今时、今日，没有一件事是定下来的。唯一能确定的是，肯定无法在28日起飞，经济舱已爆满！K公司发出的消息来得太迟了。

接着就是烦要订哪天的机票、票价、怎么安排接送、回程日期............明天的Visa interview不知会否出状况？？

一想到要独自一人，又提行李，又拖个小瓜，还要转两趟班机，就万般恐惧。特别是上回在Narita专机的经历，它们的候机室特别混乱，程搭不同班机的搭客都挤在一个诺大的候机室里。

原本满怀期待的白色圣诞，终于能够实现。却早已被烦琐、满布荆棘的过程一扫而空。真的不想去了........

注：几分钟前，终于确定了机票（NW的网络订票系统实在“烂”。结果还是得通过电话订票）。12月8日 - 如果证件等都通过，我们真的要走了。

坏妈妈

发现每个月生理周期起变化的那一、两个星期，脾气会变得特别急躁，完全失去忍耐的能力。

常因为一些小事情，跟孩子大喊大叫。可怕的是，情况好像越来越糟。今天一大早，又为了孩子闹情绪而发火。整个人好像疯子一样，跟她大吼，“讨厌”、“irritating”等可怕的话脱口而出。一直喊，一直喊，一直喊.....完全失去自制的能力，还出手打了她。一巴掌打了下去，她没静下来，还拿藤条在小手心抽了两下。

宝贝，对不起！

我到底发生了什么事？希望只是最近为安排到国外的事，比较烦燥而已。最好不是得了忧郁症......

Why u call me "Wei"

There was a period of time when Baby En decided it was cool calling people "Wei!". So she went around shouting "Wei!" to me. Till I told her it's rude to do that. And if anyone were to call her "Wei" in school, she should just ignore and tell them that she has a name.

It kind of improve for a while. Then, one day, while we were waiting to board the plane home at Phuket Airport, Baby En was messing around near a rubbish bin. As a reflex action, I shouted "Wei! Baby move away from the rubbish bin." Next thing I knew, she strolled up to me and said in an angry tone, "Mummy, why you called me 'Wei'". Papa laughed so loudly, but I wasn't in the bit embarrassed. In fact, I felt happy she registered my message, thus I apologise to her and took the chance to reiterate that it wasn't nice to be called "Wei".

Not too long after, DEAR DEAR DADDY became the butt of his own joke. Hahahahaha!

Feeding at 6 mths

Was looking through some pics taken in 2005 when I came across this video of Fat En during one of her initial feeding experiences. Do remember to turn on the speaker to listen to the "commentary" (courtesy of Mummy and Yi Yi on 12 Oct 2005).

乱

这阵子，生活过得有点杂乱无章。有太多东西需去处理，可是却因为少了许多info，很多必须做的事情都被迫卡在那儿。VISA、机票、保险等等等，没一样敲定。Oh my gosh!这个月28日要走了，看现在的情形，走不走得了还是个未知数。烦！