tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19044404421819111982024-03-13T07:27:49.307+08:00Open Kitchen ConceptOpen Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.comBlogger705125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-83663880093298829152019-09-24T22:45:00.005+08:002019-09-29T17:56:01.506+08:00Losing 10kg - 3 Easiest Things: Number 1I previously wrote about <a href="https://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.com/2019/09/how-we-lost-35kgs.html" target="_blank">how we lost 35kg</a> between The Husband and I.<br />
<br />
I lost about 10kg and to be honest, looking back, some things were hard, others not.<br />
<br />
Let me start with the easiest things first.<br />
<br />
Number 1: Stop drinking sweet drinks<br />
<br />
I like my food and my desserts. But to stop drinking my calories wasn't too hard. <br />
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<i>(Note: I don't drink alcohol much, except a drink whenever I am at social events, which thankfully isn't that often.. I continued these since they are very occasional. Usually, I opt for a wine.)</i><br />
<i></i><br />
What I did was cut out sweet drinks:<br />
<br />
1. No soft drinks, not even diet or "zero" versions<br />
<br />
Soft drinks belong to the "must stop" items. <br />
<br />
Coke has 35g per 330ml can. 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4g. So that means a 330ml can of coke has almost 9 teaspoon of sugar, and that spikes your insulin, which makes you fat.<br />
<br />
Hence, coke (and all other soft drinks) is a big no. Run away as far as you can.<br />
<br />
Diet sodas are a no for me too. <br />
<br />
These contain artificial sweeteners but there is research that artificial sweeteners are not linked to weight loss and may be associated with obesity. Some still generate an insulin response, which make them no different from sugared ones.<br />
<br />
So no "cheating" with diet sodas.<br />
<br />
2. No fruit juices and other sweet "healthy" drinks.<br />
<br />
Fruit juices, to my horror, are sometimes worse than soft drinks.<br />
<br />
As an example -<br />
<a href="https://www.lazada.sg/products/marigold-100-apple-juice-i301124386-s527162947.html?spm=a2o42.lazmart_search.list.1.28fe257fFbwAnV&search=1" target="_blank">Marigold 100% Pure Apple Juice</a> with no sugar added has 10.4g sugar per 100ml. That's almost 35g per 330ml - which makes it almost the same as Coke!<br />
<br />
Some may say it's all natural and with no added sugar. But it's still sugar, with minimal fiber (a paltry 0.8g per 100ml).<br />
<br />
So, no fruit juices or yogurt drinks (these have really high sugar content) and no smoothies.<br />
<br />
Even freshly squeezed ones are a no - they have natural fructose in them and your body process them in the same way as sugar (which is part glucose and part fructose). When you blend or squeeze the juice, you take out most of the fiber too.. which makes the juice bad.<br />
<br />
So the fruit is okay (because of the fibre which slows down the insulin response process) but juice is not.<br />
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Sweetened "healthy" drinks are equally bad.<br />
<br />
As an example - <br />
<a href="https://www.lazada.sg/products/yeos-chrysanthemum-tea-i301132395-s527182693.html?spm=a2o42.lazmart_categories.list.19.7c26349fOCW9X7&search=1" target="_blank">Yeo's Chrysanthemum tea</a> - what our parents will "allow" us to drink when we were young when they deny us of soft drinks - has 23.1g of sugar per 330ml (I change everything to 330ml to compare with coke. That's still a whooping almost 6 teaspoon full of sugar.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.lazada.sg/products/yeos-chrysanthemum-light-tea-i301118885-s527230509.html?spm=a2o42.lazmart_categories.list.12.5049349fatjMmU&search=1" target="_blank">"light" version</a> is just slightly better at 19g per 330. If you choose this, you'd get "only" under 5 teaspoon instead of 6 for the regular version. (Is it just me or is there almost no difference?)<br />
<br />
So all sweetened "healthy" drinks are out. They are not healthy at all with all that sugar in them.<br />
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3. No sugar in my coffee or tea<br />
I used to drink my coffee or tea with a little sugar. I cut that out. It didn't taste so nice in the beginning. But I continued drinking it with milk and now, I think that even with milk, it's pretty sweet.<br />
<br />
So yes, I didn't cut my lattes, kopi-c and teh-c (local coffee/ tea). I just cut off the sugar in these drinks.<br />
<br />
And if I'm out and really want to order a cold drink, I'd order sparkling water or unsweetened tea. There are only 2 unsweetened tea choices mostly in Singapore - Oolong Tea from Pokka or Green Tea from Ayataka.<br />
<strike><br /></strike>Interestingly, when we travel to Japan, there is usually a lot of options for unsweetened cold tea. I'm waiting for these options to be available in Singapore too.<br />
<br />
Honestly - the "less sweet" drinks are just another unhealthy version of the same drinks. They are not healthy at all!<br />
<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-89821272449885246202019-09-20T16:53:00.000+08:002019-09-29T17:57:58.731+08:00How we lost 35kgs<div>
Today is Little N's 7th birthday and as always, Facebook memories reminds me how she has grown. But also, it showed how much weight The Husband and I have lost.</div>
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A photo on her 2nd birthday reminded me that we are now 35kg heavier - I have lost 10kg and The Husband a whooping 25kg. We both now have a BMI of less than 22.</div>
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I started this weight loss journey first so her third and fourth birthday photos shows a thinner me. The husband started in 2016 and her fifth and sixth birthday photos shows a trimmer dad.</div>
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2 books that have really influenced me on this journey - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307474259" target="_blank">Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fat-Chance-Beating-Against-Processed/dp/0142180432/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lustig&qid=1568968790&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Fat Chance: Beating The Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food and Disease</a>. </div>
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There are lots of other books and online videos of course, but the first book was what got me started and the second what kept the weight off for me.</div>
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I'd share more about what we do but 3 things to highlight..</div>
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1. We did no additional exercise so this was pure diet</div>
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2. We have both kept the weight off for a number of years now (4 for me and 2 for The Husband)</div>
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3. A few things are really easy to do </div>
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I’d share more about my journey in future posts.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I love desserts and never gave them up </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(They are the reason why I only lost 10kg and not more, haha)</span></i></div>
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Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-63965312027763797252019-09-20T12:49:00.000+08:002019-09-29T18:00:15.894+08:00In transitWe moved out of our home for the last almost 6 years on 13 Aug.<br />
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It was the first house that Little N remembers moving out from because although she was born in another house, we moved before she turned two and she only has vague memories of that place.<br />
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She was very reluctant to move.<br />
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“When I grow up, I will move back into this house.”<br />
<br />
This move was Step 1 of a 2-step move.<br />
<br />
We had sold our place even before we bought our new house. Our original thought process was, it’d take a long time for us to sell, and maybe even longer to look. So we put our house up for sale and planned to move to an interim place for maybe about a year whilst we hunt for a new house. But as it turns out, our house was sold pretty quickly. And then we started our house hunt and found a new place pretty quickly too.<br />
<br />
So that meant our interim stay would be just a 3 month transit... and we’d move house twice in 2019.<br />
<br />
After we moved, Little N missed the old house and asked to visit the place. So we decided to visit during her September school holidays.<br />
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Until we reached the place, she did not understand that she would not get to go into the house anymore. But she was contented to visit and play at the nearby park - a place she played at often.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sFJ1eyoVAXol9zbwNQpeLBdXdU9RMoP-WsjMlGyAmTfYBjOcjIq9HZoPyeX3MzfcHcyJJoezCECCH7C0UEePUJCDJNoZruYOp2FVIJVTr1A_iBHaOPkT4quNBwVv6FsqS0odTz7fvk4/s1600/61069C7D-DFA2-4805-8BE1-531A8ECBA27F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sFJ1eyoVAXol9zbwNQpeLBdXdU9RMoP-WsjMlGyAmTfYBjOcjIq9HZoPyeX3MzfcHcyJJoezCECCH7C0UEePUJCDJNoZruYOp2FVIJVTr1A_iBHaOPkT4quNBwVv6FsqS0odTz7fvk4/s320/61069C7D-DFA2-4805-8BE1-531A8ECBA27F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The movers came when she went to school. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">After school, I brought her back to the empty home to say her goodbye.</span></i></div>
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Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-66035762046936381322019-09-17T22:25:00.002+08:002019-09-20T15:41:36.314+08:00It’s been a whileI have not been posting for a long time.<br />
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Looking back at my posts in the blog, there were so many things I am reminded about and I really wanted to restart blogging as a way to document my memories.<br />
<br />
But each time I thought about doing it, I thought of the effort I need to put in to “catch up” and blog about the “missing years” and it just seems to much for me.<br />
<br />
Then the solution came to me recently.<br />
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Just don’t bother to catch up.<br />
<br />
Well, I should have thought about that earlier.<br />
<br />
Haha.<br />
<br />
So here I am, many years later, with my girl in primary school, ready to start blogging again.<br />
<br />
About school, our impending renovation and move, family projects and travel. Basically about my life, but as it is now..<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I’m back.. 5 years and probably 1,000 coffees later</span></i></div>
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-59528026319442190882014-03-05T22:53:00.000+08:002014-03-05T22:53:11.457+08:00Last Week in the Business DistrictI've always worked in the business district in Singapore.. For the better part of my career, I have been working in Raffles Place.<br />
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The furthest away from Raffles Place I got was Raffles City/ Marina Square area.<br />
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From next week onwards, my team will be moving to an office in the suburbs, very near to where I live currently.<br />
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I've always "complained" about working in the business district. The rush hour traffic, the mad rush during lunch hour..<br />
<br />
But I think working in the business district also did mean I could quite easily meet a good number of my friends for lunch.. if I wanted to. There are also lots of choices for good food in the area.<br />
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My new office will be next to a Sheng Shiong supermarket and there aren't very much nearby apart of some apartments and some factories.<br />
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It'd be nice to stay near the office for a change. But sadly, it'd only be for a maximum period of 2 months because I will be moving to somewhere rather <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2011/08/2014-expectations.html" target="_blank">far away</a>... (by Singapore standards anyway).<br />
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So.. goodbye Raffles Place.. for now.<br />
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And goodbye to my great window view. I will miss you.<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-65955384524443086072014-01-08T22:36:00.002+08:002014-01-08T22:36:38.627+08:00The Many Expressions of Little NLittle N has lots of expressions.<br />
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Recently, she learnt how to show the "surprised" expression and it's pretty hilarious. She freezes with her mouth open and 2 palms facing out.<br />
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Here's a series of her expressions during our outing to the Marina Gardens By The Bay.<br />
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Have a Happy New Year all!<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-72957425222189959772013-12-31T23:29:00.002+08:002013-12-31T23:29:17.703+08:00Summary of 2013It's that time of the year again!<br />
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The year has just flown by and I can't quite believe I've left it to the very last day to be writing my last post of the year.<br />
<br />
Little N and I spent a
couple of weeks almost alone together in January after the Mother-in-law went back to Hong Kong. After that, I started <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013/01/transition-time.html" target="_blank">transitioning</a> her to my mum's place during the day so that she could get used to the arrangement when I went back to work. <br />
<br />
I
still can't quite believe how blessed I am that my mum and dad would
offer to take care of Little N during the day. It certainly isn't easy
for both of them. Baby caring is hard work... and an active baby (who is
a toddler now) is even harder. But I can see them bonding really well
and I'm just so grateful to my parents, especially mum! <br />
<br />
It took me quite a while this year before I got
confident going out with Nicole. I was just at home a lot during my
maternity leave. In the beginning, it seemed like every trip meant her
daily routine got thrown off balance and resulted in a nervous mum and a cranky baby. It
took a lot of pushing (Em.. I should say encouragement) from The Husband
before I became more confident with bringing her out. I still prefer to
ensure she gets at least 1 good nap at home in the day though.. And I still prefer going home earlier at night so that she can be in bed before 9pm.. because I
think a well rested baby is a happy one.<br />
<br />
I
started work just before Chinese New Year and it isn't long before I settled into a rather fixed
<a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013/07/my-daily-routine-weekdays.html" target="_blank">routine</a> of work, breastfeeding and baby caring.
My days are fully packed and it sometimes feel like I am running a race with no pit stops. Thanks to good suggestions from friends and colleagues who have young children, I started
making sure I leave work by around 630pm everyday and
then restart only at 9-930pm. This helps me get some time in the evenings with Little
N.. I get to play a little with her and put her to bed. <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013/03/day-one_1.html" target="_blank">Driving to work</a>
helps me get a little bit more time and I used that time for some
precious me-time in the morning during breakfast.<br />
<br />
Things are a lot better now that I am quite used to the routine and night wakings, but I still really wish for the day
that Little N would start <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013/03/sleeping-through-night.html" target="_blank">sleeping through the night</a>.<br />
<br />
In
April, I went for a business trip and training session in the UK for
about a week. It was the first time I was away for Little N for so long!
The main purpose of the trip was to attend this training session at the
UK's Royal Marine's headquarters in Exeter. It was an extremely
interesting training on leadership and team work.. but I <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013/04/separation-anxiety.html" target="_blank">missed my girl</a>
a lot. I insisted on freezing and transporting back most of my
breastmilk for Little N so it was also a logistically challenging trip -
with 3 hotel moves and lugging bags of frozen breastmilk all between
London and Exeter. I was quite pleased with myself for doing it though..
because in a way the complexity and challenge of this trip kept me
going and I managed to breastfeed Little N exclusively for the first 13
months of her life.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A meal at my favourite restaurant near the London office</i></span> </div>
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In
the middle of the year, I had some
bad news at work (some of my key staff members resigned) and some really
awful news at home (my dear grandmother was diagnosed with last stage
liver cancer). These 2 events really make me look at my work quite
differently. I realise that I need to live out the fact that health and
family is priority and not work. It's really not easy. Especially the
health part.<br />
<br />
It was also around this time that Singapore
got hit with one of the worst smog in recent history, with pollution
levels hitting record high. There was a mad scramble amongst
Singaporeans to buy air purifiers and I was no exception. I got my
sister and my sister-in-law to lug air purifiers from Indonesia and Hong
Kong because they were all sold out in Singapore. Again, it was another
reminder that we cannot take things for granted.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The usual view out of the window from my office</i></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The view when the pollution index hit record levels</i></span></div>
<br />
I managed to squeeze in a weekend trip to Beijing
on my own. 2013 is the year that one of my main projects whilst I was
working in Beijing ended. It was a 6 years project that started in 2008.
The team organised a couple of special dinners - one with the client
and one with all previous members of the project. I got the opportunity
to meet old friends and dine at some of my favourite restaurants in
Beijing. I also had a couple of hours by myself to visit some of the
places The Husband and I used to visit in Beijing. I enjoyed myself a
lot and it was a good break from my daily routine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSk90wT_qQ3Y6Z_9AFMqTWveUB-qP5TiayKGxchjOtV8u5Ir5tUwMpsXteh4DZixCTiFubY0ChCMR2TEsHceL6xXmCdfhB1U4O3IuXxVb4T-3kWgfnrrrzduDyg8pxQYVrQS-GN7RsPgU/s1600/2013+iPhone+Photos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSk90wT_qQ3Y6Z_9AFMqTWveUB-qP5TiayKGxchjOtV8u5Ir5tUwMpsXteh4DZixCTiFubY0ChCMR2TEsHceL6xXmCdfhB1U4O3IuXxVb4T-3kWgfnrrrzduDyg8pxQYVrQS-GN7RsPgU/s400/2013+iPhone+Photos.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">2 of my favourite restaurants - <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2009/08/my-favourite-peking-duck.html" target="_blank">Dadong</a> and <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2009/09/what-makes-good-hotpot.html" target="_blank">Hai di lao</a>. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I didn't have enough time to visit the others.</span></i></div>
<i> </i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was a market that The Husband and I frequented. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We visited it almost every weekend whilst we were in Beijing. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I went there to buy some peaches home this trip. </span></i></div>
<br />
In September, Little N celebrated her <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2013_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank">first birthday</a>.
The Husband and I had a big row that day. I cannot for the life of me
remember what the row was about. But I still have evidence of his
unhappy face in the photos. Being tired most of the time makes me more
irritable and makes rows with The Husband a lot more frequent than they
used to be. We probably had more rows in 2013 than our previous years
combined. I do feel strongly the need to do something about this perpetual tiredness.. but I don't have a good solution yet. I'm still amazed at how some other mothers seem to have so much energy.. and why they seem to have so little need for me-time. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Little
N seemed to be blissfully unaware of our big row on her birthday. We
went to the river safari that day and she saw pandas for the first time.
Around her first birthday, she also started speaking quite a bit..
which is good, especially since it helps us understand her at times.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8oHP4JnPXYdBrrKnanSYmX-2y8ZrpGKV8SYFwDdCyLtENu7a0JQCFXFYl-XSW2dPj5Ef6vrlwMHfGVL_TWGq4CZMYkA7aSndHnnBrweZkMdLVsVZxq_ndoOQRnJi-kqJTPipmwueKqE/s1600/IMG_3441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8oHP4JnPXYdBrrKnanSYmX-2y8ZrpGKV8SYFwDdCyLtENu7a0JQCFXFYl-XSW2dPj5Ef6vrlwMHfGVL_TWGq4CZMYkA7aSndHnnBrweZkMdLVsVZxq_ndoOQRnJi-kqJTPipmwueKqE/s400/IMG_3441.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Little N feeling happy after seeing the pandas at River Safari</i></span> </div>
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<br />
In
October, we went for a trip to Taiwan. This was our first family trip
overseas with Little N. Travelling with Little N meant we weren't able
to travel light! There were just so many things we had to lug along! But
Little N was fairly co-operative and though it was tiring, I did enjoy
all the food and sights we got to see.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Highlight of the trip - Taiwanese food and drinks!</i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Another highlight this trip - onsen!</i></span></div>
<br />
We
also got our keys to the new home in the west in October. We have been
looking around for an interior designer and going furniture shopping
quite a bit since then. We've just recently confirmed our interior
designer so things will be getting really busy and exciting soon. To be
very honest, I am very worried about moving to the west, so far away
from my parents, our main support system at the moment. I am also
worried about how I'd cope with a house that's more than twice the size
of our current place. The thought of all the endless housework kind of
freaks me out. Though I do look forward to the space we'd have as I do
feel with Little N, our current apartment is spilling over with her
books and toys.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We'd be doing some renovations and then this place should be ready by April! </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Too fast.. I don't feel prepared to move! </i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>New view in 2014.. </i></span></div>
<br />
So there you have it. 2013 seemed rather uneventful... but it did seem to have just flown by.<br />
<br />
I
am excited, yet fearful of what 2014 will bring. To be honest, I am
not approaching the new year with confidence that I'd do well in all my roles - as a mother, a wife, an employee and a boss. I somehow feel I'm just
barely juggling everything at the moment and everything will fall apart
with the renovations, move (gosh!), new home, new childcare arrangements
and possibly new office next year.<br />
<br />
May God carry me
through the new year as He always have and grant me strength and
wisdom. And may he do the same for you as well.<br />
<br />
Have a happy new year and a good year ahead.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photos of Little N through 2013</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-58072445995136765592013-12-24T06:30:00.000+08:002013-12-24T23:07:23.071+08:00Waffles and CoffeeThere's something about Melange Cafe that makes me want to visit it each time I go Taipei.<br />
<br />
The strawberry waffles are very nice.<br />
<br />
It comes with a generous helping of sweet strawberries, custard, strawberry ice-cream and strawberry sauce.. but it's somewhat cake-ish and far from being the best-ever waffles.<br />
<br />
They have a great selection of coffee. Exotic, interesting and extensive, you can check their menu <a href="http://www.melangecafe.com.tw/" target="_blank">here</a>. And oh yes, expensive. <br />
<br />
The cafe is also set up beautifully and comes with quaint details like small pots of flowers here and there.<br />
<br />
Mostly, I think it's the crowd that attracts me to Melange.<br />
<br />
Predominantly female, you see small groups of friends, mothers and daughters... and couples where the guy accommodates the lady's choice of restaurant (yes, The Husband included).<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>Melange Cafe</b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">
</span>米朗琪咖啡館<br />
聯絡電話:(02)2567-3787<br />
地址:台北市中山北路二段16巷23號<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-19857106147856521932013-12-23T23:07:00.002+08:002013-12-23T23:08:04.115+08:00Interesting Places to go in TaipeiI have been to Taipei for quite a number of times now for holidays.<br />
<br />
After the first 3 times, I get a bit tired of the usual spots - Taipei 101, Shilin night market, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall<br />
<br />
This trip, I discovered a few nice places to go in Taipei.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Song Shan Cultural Park 松山文創園區</b><br />
<br />
There are many reasons to visit this cultural park.<br />
<br />
1. There is a modern museum of sorts in this old cigarette factory<br />
2. They tend to have interesting temporary exhibits there. There was a futuristic Hello Kitty one when we visited<br />
3. There is a very nice E<a href="http://www.eslitecorp.com/TW/OperationContexts/Store.aspx?no=S003" target="_blank">slite Store</a> there with a lot of good food<br />
4. The famous <a href="http://www.wupaochun.com/concept.html" target="_blank">Wu Bao Chun Bread store</a> (吳寶春麵包店) has a branch there. This is the guy whose bread won first place in a bread baking competition, leaving all the French and European bakers speechless.<br />
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<b>2. Yangmingshan National Park</b></div>
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I can't believe it took me so long to visit Yangmingshan National Park but it really is a huge and beautiful place.</div>
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We visited it on a day where the weather wasn't exactly the greatest. It was drizzling and rather cold that day.. too cold for Little N. But it was a beautiful park and we did have a nice walk while it lasted.. so, I'd definitely be back.</div>
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<b>3. Addiction Fish Market 上引水產</b><br />
<br />
The Husband didn't like this place but I quite did.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.addiction.com.tw/" target="_blank">Addiction</a> is an interesting fish market located near a traditional market. So you can visit the fish market, have some freshly prepared seafood there and then visit the traditional market nearby.<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-31298252548679703032013-12-19T23:15:00.000+08:002013-12-19T23:15:54.688+08:00No Time to CookThis year, I haven't had much time to cook.<br />
<br />
So much so that I don't think I've used the kitchen for more than 10 times in the second half of the year.<br />
<br />
We have been either packing home (most of the time) or else eating out (on weekends).<br />
That's really terrible!<br />
<br />
I do miss cooking and eating home cooked food.. Actually, my mum does cook and pack tingkats for us once or twice every week.. so it isn't right to say I miss home cooked food. I actually miss "own cooked food"..<br />
<br />
I don't think it'd get any easier in the new year with my hours at work and having to put Little N to bed when I get home.. but I can try being creative - like making stew in the morning before I go off to work and keeping them in a thermal pot.. preparing a roast chicken and throwing it into the oven when I get home.<br />
<br />
I made a roasted chicken with thyme recently and it was nice to be eating something I made for a change.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQlNm8bBwnh4j_G4t4RLCsKcmnp1MhOb115_uAe9nI0Gacejlv_opq9q3rRrjZRO4pemSh4KWonZasryiTACZl61HPZAATJkVbQHGSTjUyI2-2VwqRs6JKSQX25Lex2VS9AsWLrmYvD8/s1600/IMG_1727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQlNm8bBwnh4j_G4t4RLCsKcmnp1MhOb115_uAe9nI0Gacejlv_opq9q3rRrjZRO4pemSh4KWonZasryiTACZl61HPZAATJkVbQHGSTjUyI2-2VwqRs6JKSQX25Lex2VS9AsWLrmYvD8/s400/IMG_1727.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A pretty effortless roasted chicken. Just season and cut and throw into the oven!</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-11098716628674227762013-12-18T06:30:00.000+08:002013-12-18T06:30:01.936+08:00Leftover PastaLittle N is selective when it comes to her food.<br />
<br />
Her selection criteria is based on her mood... and textures.<br />
<br />
I find myself often finishing things she does not like.<br />
<br />
She did not like these cute little star pastas I bought her and flatly refused them. She takes a mouthful, then opens her mouth and takes the little starts out of her mouth (*FAINT*) and then plays with them (*DOUBLE FAINT*).<br />
<br />
I've only cooked her these pasta once so what was I to do with all these little star pastas?<br />
<br />
I started adding them to my <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2009/09/simple-tomato-and-beef-stew.html" target="_blank">tomato and beef stew</a> but I don't cook often enough nowadays to use these up.<br />
<br />
So, I decided to add them to my salad.<br />
<br />
It's really easy as well.<br />
<br />
Open a bag of salad leaves, boil and shell an egg, add in cherry tomatoes and grapes, shred in some carrots and any other vegetables you can get (broccoli, corn, whatever) and add in the pastas and top off with a light vinaigrette dressing or wafu dressing. I added some cilantro and pumpkin seeds to add some punch and crunch.<br />
<br />
This is a useful way to do something with leftover pasta.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-nIlaZRN2gXzBSNyXsvtFDvVGuki3sQX_wcF6jv_LUguaAPL15VCelyLnGT3kd3q8QfMeuliyvMq75tS4sX-zJ5_hRGifLqvm8Tu5bhjwdTZXlkpilNcywJJIBgrKdQntd63HuU7sNk/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-nIlaZRN2gXzBSNyXsvtFDvVGuki3sQX_wcF6jv_LUguaAPL15VCelyLnGT3kd3q8QfMeuliyvMq75tS4sX-zJ5_hRGifLqvm8Tu5bhjwdTZXlkpilNcywJJIBgrKdQntd63HuU7sNk/s400/IMG_1788.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>See those tiny little star-shaped pastas? These were meant for The Baby</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-31176153651882235092013-12-17T08:51:00.001+08:002013-12-17T21:19:01.020+08:00My Almost 15 Months Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Little N examining my camera lens cover</i></span></div>
<br />
Little N will be turning 15 months by the end of this week.<br />
<br />
When I look at her, I'm amazed at how time can pass so slowly yet so fast.<br />
<br />
She
seems to be growing up so quickly... so time does seem to fly by.. Yet,
at times when I'm tired (and she is cranky), time seem to creep by and
the day seems too long.<br />
<br />
She isn't really able to walk
independently yet. She can stand on her own.. (her proud look when she
does this is priceless and brightens my day).. she can take a couple of
steps on her own and walks pretty well when you hold one of her hands..
but this little girl isn't ready to venture out on her own 2 feet quite
yet. Many people ask me about it.. but I'm pretty cool about her not
walking yet. She'd have lots of opportunities for that for the rest of
her life! For now, she's an extremely quick crawler and I'm pretty happy
to be carrying her about otherwise.<br />
<br />
She does talk
quite a bit though. Mostly, it sounds like some blabber to me but there
are certain words that are extremely clear.<br />
<br />
So that I can remember them, here's the list.<br />
<br />
"Mama"<br />
"Papa"<br />
"Ah-mama" (My mum)<br />
"Ah-gonggong" (My dad)<br />
"Ah-ple" (Apple)<br />
"Ball" <br />
"Milk" (for milk, or milk bottle. She says this when her milk is overdue and I'm glad she can communicate her feelings instead of just being plain cranky)<br />
"More more" (no more.. She'd hold her hand up and sign no more. She says this after finishing her milk.. and also, ahem.. after she poos..)<br />
"Call" (When she picks up the phone, she'd say "call"... pause... "ah mama")<br />
"Star"<br />
"Car"<br />
"Car car" (cable car)<br />
"Cup"<br />
"Bag"<br />
"Beck" (as in put it back)<br />
"Ah-per" (diaper)<br />
"Bah" (bus)<br />
"Aaachew" (sneeze)<br />
"Sh-tool" (stool)<br />
"Hah" (or hahah.. for heart) <br />
"Umbaba" (umbrella)<br />
"Bird" (ladybird and bird)<br />
"Me" <br />
"Baby"<br />
"Booka booka" (book) <br />
"Mole" (mole)<br />
"Hat"<br />
"Bear bear" (bear)<br />
"Da" (panda)<br />
"Grrr" (lion or tiger)<br />
"Baa" (for sheep)<br />
"Bra" (for zebra) <br />
"Moo" (for cow)<br />
"Pig" (also for pig)<br />
"Onk" (for oink)<br />
"Mao" (for cat) <br />
"Brrrrrrr" (for balloon and moon, strangely)<br />
"Noooo"
(When I ask her "Do you wear diapers?" She'd say "Noooooo"... one of
her books say so.. she obviously still does wear a diaper. She says "No.." when she does something she knows inside right as well)<br />
"Orhhhh" (Similar to "No".. used when she does something wrong) <br />
"Oc-ca" (Octopus)"Ac-ca" (Abacus)<br />
"Mei mei" (Pretty in Chinese. She said this once when my mum wore a dress and my mum was delighted) <br />
"Nie" (Pinch in Chinese. Ouch. Enough said. She says "Noooo" after pinching)"Pa" (Scared in Chinese. She's recently scared of almost everything)<br />
"Zhe-ge"
(This in Chinese. She goes "zhege zhege zhege" and then laughs and say
"Ah gong gong". We suspect it's because my dad says this often) <br />
<br />
There are also "half words" that she seem to use.. "ffskkkk" for Mickey mouse and mouse.. "Sssss" for sun and a clicking sound for clock. <br />
<br />
There
are some words she have only blurted out once of twice.. like "man",
"jar", "girl" that I'm just not quite sure if I'm just hearing things... :) Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-15516074767004151922013-12-16T23:26:00.002+08:002013-12-17T22:56:58.309+08:00Things to do in TaichungHere is a list of some of the things I think you can do in Taichung.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Visit the night markets</b><br />
<br />
Fengjia night market is very good.. It's very big.. the biggest night market in Taiwan and there are some very famous food stalls there.<br />
<br />
Personally, I prefer Yizhong Street night market. It is smaller but the food is very good.. and there are also some pretty good restaurants there. I don't usually shop at night markets.. but the shops looked interesting at Yizhong Street and there are a lot of shops selling sports shoes at reasonable prices.<br />
<br />
There is a very famous "Barbequed Chicken Chop" stall in the night market. The chicken chop is first deep fried and then dipped into a very light barbeque sauce. It's crispy, salty, sinful and totally addictive. <br />
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<br />
<b>2. Take a walk along Calligraphy Greenway</b><br />
<br />
Take a walk along the "Calligraphy Greenway". This is a belt of greenery in the middle of the city. There is an outdoor museum (勤美術館 CMP Block Museum of Arts) that is interesting.. It's right behind the 勤美诚品 (Eslite bookstore), which itself is (as all Eslite stores are) a nice place to visit - for books and interesting shops. There is a coffee place within the outdoor museum where you can have a nice cup of coffee and cheesecake if you get tired.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, there is also some sort of flea market near the outdoor museum on weekends.<br />
<br />
Do note the opening hours though. The place is only open from 2pm onwards. For more details, visit their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cmpblockmuseum">facebook</a> page.<br />
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<b>3. Have lots of bubble tea</b><br />
<br />
Bubble tea originated, after all, from Taiwan. This drink was supposedly created by Chun Shui Tang Teahouse. I find the bubble tea at Chun Shui Tang really quite good. The "pearls" used are medium sized ones and you can drink the tea using a standard straw and not a big straw like most other places. The noodles and snacks at Chun Shui Tang are pretty good too. Taichung is pretty famous for its beancurd so do try out some at Chun Shui Tang. Their Oolong beancurd with Blood Ricecake (烏龍豆干米血) is really good, if you dare to eat blood ricecake.. It's a ricecake that is made with pigs' blood added to it. It sounds totally gross but it taste okay actually. I also like their mixed shao mai (綜合燒賣) and Burdock tempura (山根甜不辣).<br />
<br />
There are a lot of good takeaway bubble tea shops that originated from Taichung as well. Recent popular ones are those that sell bubble tea with fresh fruits and juices added.<br />
<br />
When I was in Taichung, I made sure I had bubble tea every day. <br />
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<i>The bubble milk tea is fragrant, frothy and has chewy bubbles</i></div>
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<i>I like the burdock tempura (more like a fishcake than "tempura")</i></div>
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<i>The noodles are good too. Little N love the chewy noodles</i></div>
<br />
<b>4. Buy some Sun Cakes (太陽餅)</b><br />
<br />
Sun cakes, or Sun biscuits, are from Taichung and there are lots of shops selling these in Taichung. Everyone has a view of which shop is the best. I think in general there are 2 types - the traditional type which is made with animal fat and the modern type which is made without. I like the modern ones from Gong Yuan Yan Ke.<br />
<br />
This shop is an over-the-top pastry shop - selling pastries at top prices in a beautiful shop. It's like the Tiffany's version of a Taiwanese pastry shop. The shop itself is quite worth a visit, even if you don't like their prices. Apparently they have really good ice-cream as well so be sure to try some if you visit.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Take a day trip to Sun Moon Lake (<span class="st">日月潭)</span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="st">The Sun Moon Lake is a beautiful lake that is about an hour's drive from Taichung city. It is actually the largest body of water in Taiwan. </span>The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name. It's a nice place to visit - you can take a boat trip around the lake, ride a cable car to the top of a nearby hill for some gorgeous view.<br />
<br />
Little N loved the cable car ride and goes "car car" ever since that day whenever she seems a picture of a cable car<br />
<span class="st"> </span><br />
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<b>6. Visit a lavender farm</b><br />
<br />
I really wanted to do this but we didn't have time. I've read quite a lot of good reviews of this place.. so it's on my to do list for my next visit to Taichung!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I didn't get to visit the farm but we did see some lovely flowers at Sun Moon Lake</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-31563074322521465312013-11-12T22:34:00.001+08:002013-11-12T22:34:33.723+08:00TaichungI last went to Taichung in 2009, when I was exploring whether or not I should be setting up a drinks business.<br />
<br />
I had 3 impressions of Taichung back then:<br />
1. There are a lot of nice drinks shops in Taichung.. It is, after all, the "birth place" of bubble tea<br />
2. The Fengjia Night Market is very big and probably one of the nicest I've been to<br />
3. Taichung people are very friendly.. Someone offered to help me with my luggage up and down the stairs at the train station, which did not have any escalators<br />
<br />
This trip to Taichung with The Husband and Little N, I still think that the above holds true.<br />
<br />
Except I also think now that:<br />
1. Things in Taichung are very affordable.. compared to Taipei and certainly compared to Singapore<br />
2. The Yizhong Street night market is smaller than Fengjia but nicer.. with delicious street food, good restaurants and small shops selling nicknacks<br />
3. Food in Taichung overall is of very high quality.. and there are lots of options available<br />
<br />
Most Singaporeans tend to travel to Taipei when they travel to Taiwan. With some direct flights now to Taichung, I think it is actually a good city to travel to for just a long weekend.<br />
<br />
In my next post, I'd share what are some of the things I think one can do in Taichung.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Loads of yummy food in Taichung. Bubble tea is a must!</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We stayed in a hotel room with loads of sheep on the wall. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Little N went "Baa Baa Baa" in the room all day.. very funny!</span></i></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-21131786392972148092013-11-11T21:41:00.003+08:002013-11-11T21:41:54.868+08:00Got our keys!We got back from Taiwan about 3 weeks ago.<br />
<br />
So many things happened since.<br />
<br />
My grandma got a lot worse.. was admitted into the hospital because of a stroke and things got really bad for a while.. Then she got miraculously better.. but still, she is now at home with a nurse by her side 24 by 7 and is also being managed by a hospice care doctor. But we are really thankful she got somewhat better because that means we have more time to be with her.<br />
<br />
Then, we got notice that the keys to our new place are ready for collection just before we left for Taiwan.<br />
<br />
Here's a picture of our new place.. Lots to do and exciting times ahead.. Yet... I am not sure I'm ready to be moving so far away from my parents!<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-3870272225539812232013-10-10T22:42:00.001+08:002013-10-10T22:42:15.319+08:00First Birthday and a Trip to TaiwanI have really been neglecting my poor blog.<br />
<br />
Being busy is never a good excuse but it is indeed the reason why I haven't been blogging.<br />
<br />
I haven't even been reading the blogs I follow too much. Tsk tsk.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a lot has happened over the last couple of months... apart from super hectic days at work!<br />
<br />
Firstly, Little N turned one. Yep, she's officially a toddler now... Aw... only, I still feel she is a little baby. Maybe it's because she doesn't walk yet... nor talk too much... Maybe it's just the way all mothers feel.<br />
<br />
It was a little milestone for me, nevertheless. I survived Year 1 of motherhood - breastfeeding (yep, still continuing somewhat), middle of night wakings (yep, definitely still happening) and diaper changing (yep yep).<br />
<br />
In celebration, we went to River Safari to see some pandas, fishes and alligators. The River Safari is under soft launch and I feel it's such a far cry from the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari. I probably will not be visiting it any time so soon. But the pandas made a big impression on Little N and she now says "da" when she sees any pictures of pandas.<br />
<br />
We also had a few other other things happening at home. My grandma fell quite ill and got us quite worried. It is unlikely she'd recover so we are just treasuring the time we have left with her. <br />
<br />
This Saturday, we will be going on our first family vacation. Just the 3 of us. We'd be in Taiwan for 10 days and honestly, I feel a bit nervous.. The food will be new to Nicole because we'd probably not be able to cook most of the time (we are only staying in an apartment for part of the trip).. and I have no idea how she'd handle air travel and missed naps plus late nights.<br />
<br />
But still, I'm looking forward to a break from work and lots of time with The Husband and Little N.<br />
<br />
Wish us all the best!<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Overpriced panda "bao" but so cute!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Little N at 1 year old and her daddy (whom she calls "paaaa")</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-55297897077190318472013-08-19T22:23:00.002+08:002013-08-22T22:14:11.210+08:00Bird Park and New Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
We brought Little N to the Bird Park last weekend.<br />
<br />
We
headed over pretty late.. reached the bird park around 3pm.. with just
enough time to watch a penguin feeding session, take a tram ride and
catch parts of 2 shows they had...<br />
<br />
It was pretty enjoyable though.<br />
<br />
I've
not been to the bird park for at least 10 years.. The last time I was
there was for a team dinner so it wasn't like I saw any birds apart from
the flamingoes. My real last trip was probably more like 20 years ago!<br />
<br />
Little
N seemed to enjoy the Bird Park a lot though. She stared at the
penguins.. pointed to the hawks flying above during a show and flapped
her hands with the pelicans.<br />
<br />
Over the last few weeks, the
things she understands seemed to have grown exponentially. From
the basic few key words she seemed to understand only a month back, her
vocabulary seemed to have grown.<br />
<br />
Currently, here are some of the words I observed that she knows:<br />
<ul>
<li>She can point at pictures of the following - penguin, apple, orange, leaf, butterfly, zebra, elephant, ice-cream, duck, cow, key, sun, star, clock, watch, smiley face, milk bottle, heart</li>
<li>She can point at the following objects -
clock (probably her favourite word), alarm clock, watch, fan, air-con,
stairs, chair, table, television, balloon, ball, dental floss, hand
soap, hand towel, mirror, Elmo, teddy bear, phone, Eeyore, moon</li>
<li>She can signal the following - bye
bye, hallo, wheels on the bus, bell on the bus, honk on the bus (all
from the same song), star, shake, brush hair</li>
<li>She can also point to her own ear, hair, pat her stomach, point to my toes and my bellybutton </li>
</ul>
It's
so fun to see her pick up new things! Penguin is the word she learnt
from the Bird Park trip. We showed her the brochure when we got home and
asked "Where are the penguins?" When she pointed to it, I almost fell
off my chair. She consistently pointed to the penguins each time I
asked.. so I guess.. she really does know it after all!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>At almost 10.5 months old</i></span></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-6439953819840056162013-08-01T21:42:00.000+08:002013-08-01T21:42:03.242+08:00My Weekend Routine<b>Saturdays</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wake up at 630 or 7, depending of what time Little N wakes. How I wish she has a concept of sleeping in during weekends! I suppose that will come one day... </li>
<li>Feed Little N</li>
<li>Take a shower, pack Little N's breakfast whilst The Husband plays with her</li>
<li>Have breakfast outside together with Little N</li>
<li>Attend a 75min class together with Little N</li>
<li>Go home and cook Little N's lunch whilst she naps</li>
<li>Catch a break myself if she naps longer</li>
<li>Pack Little N's lunch and then go out for lunch </li>
<li>Go home after lunch and bathe Little N </li>
<li>Play, read and crawl around with Little N until about 4pm</li>
<li>Feed Little N milk and hopes she takes an afternoon nap. If she does, I'd cook her dinner and do some housework</li>
<li>If she naps quite well, I'd have a bit of me-time to either take a catnap or have some tea </li>
<li>If she doesn't nap, I give up after about 60-90 mins and will cook her dinner and then play her her until dinner time</li>
<li>Feed Little N dinner and then bathe her</li>
<li>Read to Little N, bring her out to the balcony to take a look at the birds going home and then put her to sleep</li>
<li>Depending on whether she took a nap in the afternoon, it may take anything between 15mins to 60mins to get her to sleep</li>
<li>Have dinner with The Husband at home (We usually pack back) </li>
<li>There are some evenings where Little N will wake between 9pm to 12 midnight. If she wakes, carry or feed her so she goes back to la-la land</li>
<li>Spend some me-time surfing the internet, reading or just lazing around before going to bed</li>
<li>Wake up around 1 to 2 times in the night.. bad nights I'd wake up to 3 times.. </li>
</ul>
<b>Sunday</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Very similar to Saturdays except we go to church in the morning and then go out for brunch after church</li>
<li>The rest of the day is similar to Saturday </li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A busy Little N playing with blocks..</i></span></div>
<ul>
</ul>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-83089251353109901872013-07-09T18:03:00.001+08:002013-07-10T21:28:00.239+08:00My Weekday RoutineLittle N is turning 10 months soon.<br />
<br />
I think that one day, I might actually forget this so I thought I should write down how my daily routine has been like since I started working. <br />
<br />
<b>On weekdays</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wake up at 6-ish to her whimpers in the other room</li>
<li>Feed her and then play with her until 7, when The Husband takes over for 15 mins whilst I shower </li>
<li>The Husband leaves for work at 715</li>
<li>Continue playing with her until about 8, when my mum comes by after her morning exercise to pick Little N up to spend the day at her place</li>
<li>Do my laundry or some other housework (pick up toys, clear the diaper bin..) and then leave for work</li>
<li>Eat breakfast as I navigate through the morning traffic to work</li>
<li>Clear my never ending emails (what do people do before emails?), administrative stuff and some actual work if I'm lucky in the morning</li>
<li>Have a meeting with my team </li>
<li>Go to the nursing room at about 11am for 15 mins and then rush back for meetings</li>
<li>Go out for a good lunch at about 1230pm <i>(I insist on having a nice lunch on most days - it keeps me sane. On the days that I can't help but have to pack lunch in to work from my desk, I feel miserable. There are other days when I'd spend my lunch running some errands.. but even that helps me take some time away from work in the day, so I don't really mind)</i></li>
<li>Start my meetings from around 2pm</li>
<li>Use 15mins of the 30 mins I've set aside in my calendar to go to the nursing room again at around 3pm. Spend the other 10mins or so following up on some matters from my earlier meetings</li>
<li>Continue with more meetings (over the phone)</li>
<li>Finish off my last call in the office at 6pm. Try to resolve some issues or send out a last email from office and leave by around 630pm</li>
<li>Pack chilled milk and drive home </li>
<li>Say hi to my parents and Little N at home.. Change and get a run down of Little N's day from my mum before she goes home</li>
<li>Spend some time reading to Little N and then feed her before she sleeps for the day</li>
<li>The Husband usually returns after she sleeps with dinner and we'd have dinner together before I start my calls again at 830pm</li>
<li>On days where I have calls starting from 8pm, I'd have dinner after my calls end</li>
<li>Most days, I'd have about 1-1.5 hrs of meetings in the evenings</li>
<li>Take a shower if I didn't have time to do so before my meeting starts </li>
<li>There are some evenings where Little N will wake between 9pm to 12 midnight. If she wakes, carry or feed her so she goes back to la-la land</li>
<li>Spend some me-time surfing the internet, reading or just lazing around before going to bed</li>
<li>Wake up around 1 to 2 times in the night.. bad nights I'd wake up to 3 times.. </li>
<li>On good days, she won't wake and I'd get at least 6 hours of continuous sleep. The frequency of good days though over the last 2 months is about 4 nights over the entire 2 months.</li>
</ul>
I am very impressed by mothers who can cook, bake and still maintain their hobbies... or even serve in church.<br />
<br />
My plants are dying, I have not cooked for the longest time (not for adults), my house is messy and my laundry is piling up all the time.<br />
<br />
I do wish I have more energy to do other stuff.. I suppose you just have to make yourself do it.. no matter how tired you are.. to break out of the normal routine.<br />
<ul></ul>
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To be continued..Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-88213057624155725042013-07-03T21:45:00.002+08:002013-07-03T21:45:14.031+08:00Taiwan in OctoberWe are going Taiwan in October!<br />
<br />
I'm excited to be going on a holiday. Our last vacation was more than a year ago - <a href="http://openkitchenconcept.blogspot.sg/2012/05/itinerary-for-switzerland-trip.html" target="_blank">Switzerland</a> last May.<br />
<br />
And I really like the food in Taiwan so I'm glad we are going there.<br />
<br />
I'm worried at the same time though, because we'd be going there with Little N.<br />
<br />
She'd be slightly over 1 year old by then.. <br />
<br />
What if she doesn't take well to the flight?<br />
<br />
What if she can't sleep in a hotel?<br />
<br />
And if the travel tires her out too much and cause her to be cranky all day..<br />
<br />
Oh dear. Our trip is 10 days - will I end up wanted to fly back on Day 3? <br />
<br />
So I have been asking around for travel tips from friends and reading up on some tips from mums online.<br />
<br />
Here are a few I find particularly useful:<br />
<br />
<b>Feed during take-off and landing </b>- Babies don't know how to pop their ears, so it's helpful to feed them - milk or water when the plane takes off + just as the plane begins to descend, to help ease the ear pressure.<br />
<br />
<b>Sit apart on the plane with your spouse</b> - so if you switch the baby between the 2 of you, you each get some time off in between and are not on co-baby duty throughout the whole flight.<br />
<br />
<b>Ask for a baby cot at the hotel</b> - so that you don't share the bed with your baby during the vacation and then end up having to do that when you return. Particularly if you don't sleep on the same bed at home. If you can't get a baby cot, invest in a travel cot.<br />
<br />
<b>Consider renting an apartment </b>- it'd give you more space and you can have a meal in the dining room or watch TV in the living room whilst the baby is sleeping.<br />
<br />
Do you have other tips for travelling with a baby/ young toddler to share?<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Passport photo shots of Little N - I love the photo on the bottom left! Hahah..</span></i></div>
Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-61925538291448928112013-06-17T20:31:00.005+08:002013-06-17T20:31:51.772+08:00All that glitters is not gold<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really like pastries.<br />
<br />
Each time I walk by Brunetti in Tanglin Mall, I'm attracted by how good everything seems to look on those wonderful shelves! They have heaps of shiny, colourful pastries screaming "try me" at the bar.<br />
<br />
Recently, I went for a medical check-up at Gleneagles and needed to wait 2 hours for my medical report. It's a rare 2 hours for some "me time".<br />
<br />
Since I didn't know what to do, I walked over to Tanglin Mall to have a morning coffee, catch up on some reading and then do some shopping.<br />
<br />
I finally managed to try out Brunetti.<br />
<br />
Alas, I was really quite disappointed.<br />
<br />
The chocolate eclair I got wasn't good. The coffee was just alright taste wise but it wasn't hot enough...<span id="goog_1351169670"></span><span id="goog_1351169671"></span><br />
<br />
Everything at the bar looked a lot less shiny to me after my coffee.. I decided I shouldn't spoil my day further, so I left soon after I finished my drink.<br />
<br />
What a disappointing experience.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, I had a good time shopping in Tanglin Mall after that. The mall has a lot of interesting children's stores!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>Brunetti Singapore</b></span><br />
Add: 163 Tanglin Road #01-35/36, Tanglin Mall Singapore 247933<br />
Tel: (65) 6733 9088Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-67273669135787858562013-06-14T22:55:00.004+08:002013-06-15T01:29:51.203+08:00Baby ClassesIt's only recently that I realised what a myriad of classes are available out there for babies..<br />
<br />
Music classes, play groups, baby gyms, right brain training... you name it..<br />
<br />
I like bringing Little N for baby classes.. or rather.. to try out baby classes.<br />
<br />
We have been for a couple of trial classes now.. and what I like about these classes is that I get good tips and ideas on some of the activities I can do with Little N on my own.<br />
<br />
Of course the internet is full of good ideas as well.. but a real class kind of also helps me see other babies and mummies in action!<br />
<br />
Here's her during one of the classes we attended.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
There
was a short break for snacks and my girl was concentrating so much on
hers that she didn't realized mummy stepped away for a minute to go grab
her water bottle. (The mummy next to us helped kept an eye on her so
she didn't roll off her chair or something.) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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She didn't move an inch off
her seat.. but sat there quietly to polish off all her snacks.. (those that didn't drop off on to the floor anyway!)</div>
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The one class I'm really keen to try out and even sign up
though.. is baby swimming class.<br />
<br />
Little N likes water. She's enjoyed her
baths since birth.. and we occasionally bring her to the pool.. and
have her join us in the big pool. She seems to really enjoy herself..
and isn't afraid of the cold water. <br />
<br />
I've not been able
to find a class on weekends though. The world of baby classes, esp baby
swimming classes are dedicated to SAHM (Stay At Home Mums) or mums with
flexible working schedules. Boo.<br />
<br />
Oh well, so in the
meantime, I guess we'd just continue with our occasional weekend
swimming (more like dipping) sessions together for now. The fun for her
doesn't end at the pool. She likes the showers at the pool as well - the
water jets are nice and strong. I suppose they feel like a waterfall to her!<br />
<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-56394745776715811672013-06-11T21:20:00.000+08:002013-06-14T22:26:10.431+08:00SwarmedI've really kind of disappeared from the blogging space - I have not blogged.. nor have I been reading many blog posts for quite some time now.<br />
<br />
And the simple reason is that I've been swarmed at work.<br />
<br />
Work has been really busy and stressful.. and somewhat depressing as well. I have had a number of leavers in my team recently.. and a lot of issues on my project.. leading to demoralised and demotivated staff.. and so on.. Some colleagues have been rather ill and have gone for operations.. so overall, things have been gloomy at work.<br />
<br />
But things are starting to look a teeny weeny bit better.. Or so I think because I just can't see how it can get worse.<br />
<br />
In the weekends or on my days off, I've been with the baby. She's almost 9 months now. Time flies!<br />
<br />
She's getting really cute and I've been wondering if going to work and spending all this time away from her is worthwhile.<br />
<br />
On the other hand though, it makes me treasure the time I get to spend with her more.<br />
<br />
She has been a lot more active recently - crawling around at top speed (and getting into all kinds of accidents.. ouch!) and cruising around (ie walking around whilst holding on to something like the side of the sofa and the railing of her cot).<br />
<br />
She also started to learn how to wave goodbye, shake hands and do all kinds of funny little tricks - so cute!<br />
<br />
I look forward to coming home everyday just to see her.<br />
<br />
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<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-53852946161861532002013-04-25T21:42:00.003+08:002013-04-25T21:42:57.433+08:00Separation AnxietyI been back in Singapore for about 5 days now.<br />
<br />
I was away in London for 7 days and suffered from separation anxiety (from Little N) from Day 3 onwards.<br />
<br />
I arrived in London on Monday morning, freshened up in the hotel and went straight in to work. Back to back meetings on Monday and Tuesday left me pretty exhausted and I did not have time to miss my little girl.<br />
<br />
But on Wednesday, I went off to an offsite training and started really missing her. <br />
<br />
Quite badly.<br />
<br />
Thank God for photos on iPhone.<br />
<br />
I was really glad to be home on Sunday.<br />
<br />
The trip was a good one though and I did enjoy my training session a lot. I went for an offsite training at a training centre for the UK's Royal Marines. It was a corporate training session conducted by real military men. The training focused mainly on leadership, team work and planning. It included a couple of physical sessions (think army obstacle course and PT sessions), a formal dinner with generals and "fighting" session (paintball) planned by real army captains. I enjoyed the training time thoroughly, even though it was rather tiring and I missed home and Little N badly.<br />
<br />
More importantly though - I was glad this trip gave me an opportunity to understand how Little N would do without me. She coped really well being away from mummy for 1 week.. and though I missed her a lot, I was in a way glad that she was adaptable and could cope so well staying at my mother's place for the week.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is probably the one and only photo I'd ever put of myself on this blog.. </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>but it's probably also the one and only photo I'd ever take wearing an army uniform..</i></span></div>
<br />Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1904440442181911198.post-84827664528048612302013-04-05T15:38:00.002+08:002013-04-05T15:38:39.318+08:00Arbite at Serangoon GardensArbite is a restaurant at Serangoon Gardens with pretty good online reviews and I have been meaning to go there for lunch for a while now but never got the opportunity to visit.<br />
<br />
We went there on a weekday and was disappointed to know that the new weekday set lunch was only available the next day.<br />
<br />
"Oh, what about the old set lunch then?"<br />
<br />
"That's not available today as well."<br />
<br />
The board outside the restaurant didn't seem to indicate so.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, we went ahead to order.<br />
<br />
I had the Truffle Beef Burger and The Husband ordered the Arbite Breakfast.<br />
<br />
The burger was a disappointment. I could taste some truffle spread onto the sesame bun but the bun was really too dry. The beef patty was chewy and not well seasoned too. The wedges that came with it was okay - crispy but very dry. Best taken with lots of ketchup.<br />
<br />
I looked over at The Husband and he didn't look like he was enjoying his meal too. He avoided the scrambled eggs as it was too creamy and under seasoned.<br />
<br />
I was too disappointed to order the supposedly famous chocolate cake.. <br />
<br />
The drinks were nice though. My ice lemon tea was home made and not too sweet.. The Husband's vanilla milk shake was good - like drinking vanilla ice-cream, as a good milkshake should be.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, for a lunch of around $25 per person, Arbite didn't impress.<br />
<br />
I'd be hard for me to return there again for lunch.. not when there are so many other better options at Serangoon Gardens.<br />
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Open Kitchen Concepthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863149035170245497noreply@blogger.com7