It's been sometime since I blogged and I wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here :)
Each day when I come back from work, I get quite happy reading the blogs that Eve puts up in the day. Primarily because during the day, we don't get to talk to each other much since I'm at work, and in a way, the blog is a way for me to catch up with her thoughts in the day. And the photos that Eve puts up - I get to see the first time, by looking at the blog. Just like how the blog has been a tool for us to communicate to you guys, it has also been a way to catch up with Eve.
Evenings have been busy - dinners out sometimes and then I try to sleep early just so I don't wake up feeling tired. One thing I realise is that Nature has a way to prepare you for fatherhood - just like it has a way to prepare Eve for motherhood. Because Eve sometimes get hungry at night (given the smaller portions she takes in dinner), she sometimes gets up for snacks. As a light sleeper, I also often wake up. It occured to me that this was real training for fatherhood - just in the future, I'd be waking up to look after Baby potentially.
I also realised this week that it is also nice to be a homebody instead of always going out...it is nice just to chill out and do nothing and then get an early rest..think I'm getting old :)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Big America
Since starting my own blog, I've gotten 3 other friends and family to set up their own blog site too. Each of which are in various stages of progress. I'm glad that there's some positive rippling effects. Really, its a good and unintrusive way to keep track of updates and developments of closer friends and families.
Now that I've been in the US for nearly 2 weeks, there's something consistent that I have observed. Its that in the US, everything is B-I-G. Yep! During the first few days of my arrival, I was kinda shocked by how big everything was. So, here's my observation on what I have deemed to be BIG in the US:
1) Houston airport was huge: I had to walk a long long way from my arrival gate all the way to customs and the luggage carousel.
2) Cars are bigger here: There's really a lot of SUVs, trucks and MPVs around. In fact, Louis was telling me that some 60% of the car population here are made up of cars of these sizes. In tandem, the roads and parking lots are bigger too.
3) Servings are huge: Most mainstream American thoroughfare were served in huge portions. The pro is that Louis and I could just order and share a salad plus a main for meals. The con is that we can't order too much, so variety is kinda curtailed becos most times, as a friend was fond of saying, our eyes are bigger than our stomach :) I sometimes develop the craving for junk food like chips and while there are so many variety of Lays' chips, they all come in huge packaging. Its hard to find those small, 1-person size bags that allows me to indulge in my cravings but not eat too much junk at a go.
4) People are Big-ger: By that, I mean that there are a number of Americans that are horizontally challenged, to be politically correct. At times, I question which came first, the size or the appetite. Are they the size they are becos of the serving portions or that the serving portions had to meet their requirements?? Just on Sunday, Louis and I were having dim sum at a chinese restaurant and there was this American family of 4 next to us; Papa-bear, Mama-bear, Teenage boy-bear and Young girl-bear. I could swear to you that I saw Young girl-bear having 3 full rice bowl servings of rice (drizzled with lots of soya sauce), along with dishes, some amount dim sum and horrors of horrors... hor-fun along with all the carbo that she had already ingested. The same could be said of Teenage boy-bear who was devouring his rice and food with obvious gusto.
5) Big on hospitality: I don't think they are pretending to be nice, but generally, most Americans are geniunely warm and friendly. This was quite a contrast to the more reserved and aloof Europeans that we were used to. People would greet you in the lift, service staff would ask you how was your day and retail staff seemed to be willing to go the extra mile to ensure your shopping needs are well-taken care off. Another manifestation of this open hospitality was during Thanksgiving dinner at Julia's friend, Rebecca's place. She warmly welcomed us into her home and treated us as friends even though it was the first time we met her.
6) Buildings are gigantic: The malls, shopping centres, supermarkets, houses, parks, billboards, highways are all huge. For an ex-shopaholic like moi, my legs would cramp from all the walkings in the malls. Now that's a first for me!
That said, there are a number of things that I do like a lot about the US. I enjoy the fact that diners and restaurants are opened till late at night, with some all-nighters too. Supermarkets are opened till 9 or 10 pm or even 24-hours so you can do your grocery shopping anytimes, although fresh meat might be limited or gone if you're there too late. I like the fact that nearly all the toilets everywhere are clean and dry. While I could also go crazy shopping physically at the malls, online shopping is just as convenient since I'm here for a fair amount of time. The fact that I could buy anything online and return them easily if they don't fit triggers thoughts of impulse online shopping. But no worries, I've yet to purchase anything online. Yet :)
I'm thankful for all the experiences and different cultural values that I get to know firsthand through all my travels and stays. Its not something that the average person would get to go through in their lifetime. For that, Louis and I count our blessings. And we do so look forward to the day that Baby would arrive, so that we could bring him/her out with us; to share, point out and learn from all in life's journey.
Now that I've been in the US for nearly 2 weeks, there's something consistent that I have observed. Its that in the US, everything is B-I-G. Yep! During the first few days of my arrival, I was kinda shocked by how big everything was. So, here's my observation on what I have deemed to be BIG in the US:
1) Houston airport was huge: I had to walk a long long way from my arrival gate all the way to customs and the luggage carousel.
2) Cars are bigger here: There's really a lot of SUVs, trucks and MPVs around. In fact, Louis was telling me that some 60% of the car population here are made up of cars of these sizes. In tandem, the roads and parking lots are bigger too.
3) Servings are huge: Most mainstream American thoroughfare were served in huge portions. The pro is that Louis and I could just order and share a salad plus a main for meals. The con is that we can't order too much, so variety is kinda curtailed becos most times, as a friend was fond of saying, our eyes are bigger than our stomach :) I sometimes develop the craving for junk food like chips and while there are so many variety of Lays' chips, they all come in huge packaging. Its hard to find those small, 1-person size bags that allows me to indulge in my cravings but not eat too much junk at a go.
4) People are Big-ger: By that, I mean that there are a number of Americans that are horizontally challenged, to be politically correct. At times, I question which came first, the size or the appetite. Are they the size they are becos of the serving portions or that the serving portions had to meet their requirements?? Just on Sunday, Louis and I were having dim sum at a chinese restaurant and there was this American family of 4 next to us; Papa-bear, Mama-bear, Teenage boy-bear and Young girl-bear. I could swear to you that I saw Young girl-bear having 3 full rice bowl servings of rice (drizzled with lots of soya sauce), along with dishes, some amount dim sum and horrors of horrors... hor-fun along with all the carbo that she had already ingested. The same could be said of Teenage boy-bear who was devouring his rice and food with obvious gusto.
5) Big on hospitality: I don't think they are pretending to be nice, but generally, most Americans are geniunely warm and friendly. This was quite a contrast to the more reserved and aloof Europeans that we were used to. People would greet you in the lift, service staff would ask you how was your day and retail staff seemed to be willing to go the extra mile to ensure your shopping needs are well-taken care off. Another manifestation of this open hospitality was during Thanksgiving dinner at Julia's friend, Rebecca's place. She warmly welcomed us into her home and treated us as friends even though it was the first time we met her.
6) Buildings are gigantic: The malls, shopping centres, supermarkets, houses, parks, billboards, highways are all huge. For an ex-shopaholic like moi, my legs would cramp from all the walkings in the malls. Now that's a first for me!
That said, there are a number of things that I do like a lot about the US. I enjoy the fact that diners and restaurants are opened till late at night, with some all-nighters too. Supermarkets are opened till 9 or 10 pm or even 24-hours so you can do your grocery shopping anytimes, although fresh meat might be limited or gone if you're there too late. I like the fact that nearly all the toilets everywhere are clean and dry. While I could also go crazy shopping physically at the malls, online shopping is just as convenient since I'm here for a fair amount of time. The fact that I could buy anything online and return them easily if they don't fit triggers thoughts of impulse online shopping. But no worries, I've yet to purchase anything online. Yet :)
I'm thankful for all the experiences and different cultural values that I get to know firsthand through all my travels and stays. Its not something that the average person would get to go through in their lifetime. For that, Louis and I count our blessings. And we do so look forward to the day that Baby would arrive, so that we could bring him/her out with us; to share, point out and learn from all in life's journey.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Is Baby Moving in the Stomach?
I've been experiencing uterus contractions for a few weeks now. According to my gynae, its the norm for pregnancy and I would continue to experience these sensations until my delivery. The feeling of uterus contractions is a little like twinging in the abdominal area, not exactly cramps per se.
And according to the books that I've read, right at about 18-22 weeks of pregnancy, I should be able to feel baby's kicks or movements. The problem is I can't tell if the sensations that I'm feeling in my stomach is due to the uterus contractions or baby's movements. Sigh...
Based on the few friends that I've pinged, nobody could exactly tell me the difference in the sensations. Based on descriptions from books, it again differs from moms to moms. Baby's movements could range from feelings like butterflies in the stomach, to a hard punch/kick, to hunger pangs etc. Frankly, I have no way of telling. A good friend told me that you would know it the instant baby kicks. All of which in no way gives me comfort because I still don't know or can't tell. To add it to all, I'm starting to get paranoid and wondering if baby is doing fine in there afterall. I'm starting to feel as if I'm a very obtuse mom indeed.
Baby, if you do know what your mom here is going through, please do drop some very obvious signals soon yah? You do want me to be giddy with happiness and on cloud 9 about motherhood so that I would be in the mood to do some shopping for you, right? :)
And according to the books that I've read, right at about 18-22 weeks of pregnancy, I should be able to feel baby's kicks or movements. The problem is I can't tell if the sensations that I'm feeling in my stomach is due to the uterus contractions or baby's movements. Sigh...
Based on the few friends that I've pinged, nobody could exactly tell me the difference in the sensations. Based on descriptions from books, it again differs from moms to moms. Baby's movements could range from feelings like butterflies in the stomach, to a hard punch/kick, to hunger pangs etc. Frankly, I have no way of telling. A good friend told me that you would know it the instant baby kicks. All of which in no way gives me comfort because I still don't know or can't tell. To add it to all, I'm starting to get paranoid and wondering if baby is doing fine in there afterall. I'm starting to feel as if I'm a very obtuse mom indeed.
Baby, if you do know what your mom here is going through, please do drop some very obvious signals soon yah? You do want me to be giddy with happiness and on cloud 9 about motherhood so that I would be in the mood to do some shopping for you, right? :)
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Celebrating Thanksgiving in Dallas
On the morning of Thanksgiving, we set out early for Julia's & Colin's place. They are out in Dallas and we wanted to have an early headstart on account that its a 4 1/2 hour drive. We nearly coulnd't get out of the hotel as they had blocked the street outside for a Thanksgiving Parade. Too bad we would be missing out on the parade becos I have never seen a Thanksgiving Parade before.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, beyond the fact that its a day of celebration with turkeys and all, I had no clue on its origin. Based on what I've managed to googled, it is actually marks a day of thanks after harvesting. Its good to know now.
The drive to Dallas was very smooth and we made it in 4 hours, including some pitstops and meal/bio breaks. Approaching Dallas, Louis and I agreed that it was a bigger city compared to Houston. The highways were huge. Amazingly, the pillars of the highways on a particular stretch were painted some pastel colours and each was marked with a lone star. We later found out from Julia that the folks in Dallas thought that was a gayish/sissy colour. But we thought it was interesting and added a different touch.
Julia and Colin lived in a nice 2-storey, 3-room house in Plano. The neighbourhood was nice and tranquil. We liked it a lot. And best of all, Julia has got 2 dogs; Hoobs (miniature schnauzer) and Kuro (Shiba Inu). There was a 3rd dog, Leelu (Terrier?), as Julia was dog-seating for a friend.
Thanksgiving dinner was held at Rebecca's, a friend of Julia. There was sooo much food as nearly everybody made or bought something.
After dinner that night, we headed home and went to an outlet mall at midnight. There were so many people about and going for the good deals. I was sorely tempted to buy some Le Creuset cast-iron pots as Julia had a further 30% discount off the outlet price. In the end, I was guided by practicality... as in my luggage had absolutely no more space seeing that I had already shopped quite a bit for my maternity clothes. I consoled myself with the purchase of 2 silicon surface protector.
Louis and I were comatosed by the time we headed home. We slept for more than 10 hours and woke up only after 12 noon the next day! Thankfully, we could still make it for a dim sum lunch. Louis hadn't had dim sum for a long time. After lunch, we decided to head out to Galleria for some shopping. I stopped by at Gap Maternity again and bought 4 more long sleeves tops that would tide me for a much colder winter in London/Paris. Louis bought a cheap US$10 fleece pullover from Old Navy and I bought myself a formal black pumps in Nordstrom.
Tea was at La Madeleine, a french bistro chain (there are a few in Houston too). I like the ambience in La Madeleine. They provide free bread slices along with their homemade brand of jam. The few times that we went La Madeleine, Louis and I stuffed ourselves with a lot of their bread and jam simply becos the jam (marmalade and apricot) was terrific!
For dinner, we had went to a chinese place where they had really nice char siew and wantan soup. Maybe its to do with age, but it always feels good to eat chinese after all the different cuisines.
All too soon, it was Sat and Louis and I made our way home so that we would have time to rest in Houston before the work week starts for him. So, here's some pictures of our time in Dallas.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, beyond the fact that its a day of celebration with turkeys and all, I had no clue on its origin. Based on what I've managed to googled, it is actually marks a day of thanks after harvesting. Its good to know now.
The drive to Dallas was very smooth and we made it in 4 hours, including some pitstops and meal/bio breaks. Approaching Dallas, Louis and I agreed that it was a bigger city compared to Houston. The highways were huge. Amazingly, the pillars of the highways on a particular stretch were painted some pastel colours and each was marked with a lone star. We later found out from Julia that the folks in Dallas thought that was a gayish/sissy colour. But we thought it was interesting and added a different touch.
Julia and Colin lived in a nice 2-storey, 3-room house in Plano. The neighbourhood was nice and tranquil. We liked it a lot. And best of all, Julia has got 2 dogs; Hoobs (miniature schnauzer) and Kuro (Shiba Inu). There was a 3rd dog, Leelu (Terrier?), as Julia was dog-seating for a friend.
Thanksgiving dinner was held at Rebecca's, a friend of Julia. There was sooo much food as nearly everybody made or bought something.
After dinner that night, we headed home and went to an outlet mall at midnight. There were so many people about and going for the good deals. I was sorely tempted to buy some Le Creuset cast-iron pots as Julia had a further 30% discount off the outlet price. In the end, I was guided by practicality... as in my luggage had absolutely no more space seeing that I had already shopped quite a bit for my maternity clothes. I consoled myself with the purchase of 2 silicon surface protector.
Louis and I were comatosed by the time we headed home. We slept for more than 10 hours and woke up only after 12 noon the next day! Thankfully, we could still make it for a dim sum lunch. Louis hadn't had dim sum for a long time. After lunch, we decided to head out to Galleria for some shopping. I stopped by at Gap Maternity again and bought 4 more long sleeves tops that would tide me for a much colder winter in London/Paris. Louis bought a cheap US$10 fleece pullover from Old Navy and I bought myself a formal black pumps in Nordstrom.
Tea was at La Madeleine, a french bistro chain (there are a few in Houston too). I like the ambience in La Madeleine. They provide free bread slices along with their homemade brand of jam. The few times that we went La Madeleine, Louis and I stuffed ourselves with a lot of their bread and jam simply becos the jam (marmalade and apricot) was terrific!
For dinner, we had went to a chinese place where they had really nice char siew and wantan soup. Maybe its to do with age, but it always feels good to eat chinese after all the different cuisines.
All too soon, it was Sat and Louis and I made our way home so that we would have time to rest in Houston before the work week starts for him. So, here's some pictures of our time in Dallas.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Wedding Anniversary to Us!
Thursday, 23 Nov 06 - Milestone for Louis and I. Its our 3rd wedding anniversary and this year around, we are spending it in Texas. And the best part... our anniversary was on the same day at Thanksgiving, although we didn't know it until much later.
There was a little bit of miscommunication on our part. Taking into account the time difference, we rang CP, our best man at the wedding to wish him happy birthday as his birthday was a day after our wedding anniversary. But we got our dates all wrong! Louis and I kept thinking that our wedding anniversary was on Wed but Wed was only 22 Nov, the eve of Thanksgiving! So when we rang CP, it was only 23 Nov in Singapore and he thought that we were calling him in advance for his birthday. We only discovered our mistake after some time.
Oh well... regardless, we would have celebrated our anniversary earlier as we were heading out to Julia's and Colin's on Thanksgiving day. We had a nice lovely dinner at a restaurant and since they knew we were celebrating our anniversary, they added a nice touch at the end by decorating our creme brulee dessert with the words "Joyeux Anniversaire". The service staff was great! They gave us complementary champagne and apple cider (for me since I'm supposed to abstain from alcohol) to go along with our dessert.
Next year's wedding anniversary would be special and different on account that the little one would be around. Really, Louis and I couldn't ask for more and we count our blessings for every day that we spent together as a couple.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Yields from a Speedy Shopping Trip
I'm a jeans type of girl and I've owned my fair share of jeans since the day I wore one. So, you can imagine that pregnancy and the swelling tummy seemed to spell the end of my form-fitting jeans days.
Trust me... maternity jeans are not the same and like all maternity clothes, limited in choice. So, you can imagine how happy I was to buy 2 pairs of jeans yesterday night at the Galleria from Gap Maternity & A Pea in a Pod.
I particularly like the one from A Pea in a Pod becos it looks hip and not like any maternity jeans at all. The cut/size fitted me really well and was flattering to boot. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide much allowance (if at all) for any further hips expansion on my part. According to the sales lady, she said that if I'm already in my 5th month of pregnancy and if my hips haven't expanded, its not going to expand any further. Frankly, I'm not sure if that's really true, but I liked the jeans so much that we went ahead to buy it anyways.
So, here the result of our short and efficient shopping trip :)
The Downside and Upside of Pregnancy
Today is a day for griping. Why? Because I've got nothing better to do in the hotel room and I've decided to take it easy for the day and not do much. So, what better time to gripe, right? Right! ;) For those of you groaning away, well... this is *MY* blog after all!
The gripe session for today focuses on the many "forbidden" food during pregnancy that I didn't know I wasn't supposed to eat, or that restrain would require so much determination or self-discipline. For some people, this might sound like trivial griping but for one who loves her food and the process of cooking, I've got some serious gripe to let loose. Consider it an outlet for me as a side perk to pregnancy.
Pre-pregnancy, I was deluded by those many books to think that pregnancy is a wonderful and enriching experience, you would glow with radiance and have plenty of food to choose from that would nourish yourself and the baby... blah blah blah. Lies lies lies! They are all nothing but a pack of lies! Before some of you jump to conclusion, let me declare that this posting is not a manifestation of my resentment of the baby growing in me nor the lifestyle change that Louis and I would have to go through. We've rationalised it a while ago and have decided to take the plunge afterall.
Alright, so here's my personal gripe list of forbidden food during pregnancy, some of which are proven scientifically, while others might just be old wives' tales:
Gripe #1: Can't eat shark meat, swordfish and marlin -- The first thought that popped into my dear hubby's mind when my gynae told me to avoid these 3 types of fishes due to their high mercury content was that I can't eat sharks' fin soup at so-and-so's wedding in Nov. And that was in May that we discovered that I was pregnant. For one who had loved sharks fin soup since I was a kid, that was my first encounter with "forbidden" food. Depending on how far one wants to go with avoiding food that may carry certain risks, some would advocate not eating tuna either. Sigh... and they say that fish is good for you, which just goes to show that not all fishes, like humans, are created equal.
Gripe #2: No sashimi -- This restriction has made going to Japanese restaurants a damper. But given that its scientifically proven to endangeer baby's well-being and that I was aware of this restriction prior, I couldn't really take issue with this.
Gripe #3: No raw nor half-boiled eggs -- Again, I do like my half-boil eggs now and then. Not a big deal. But don't you ever get that feeling that forbidden food is always most tempting? This restriction has made going to Ya Kun another damper becos other than half-boiled eggs, moi does not like the kaya toast that most seem to favour.
Gripe #4: No alcohol -- Again, this is one of those truth that alcohol consumption would cause fetal deformity or even stillborn. I'm not alcoholic although I enjoy the occassional drink especially at gatherings. I do sneak in a sip or two at times at times when I can't resist, although when I do, well-meaning friends and families tend to get a little worked up about my lack of determination. Sigh...
Gripe #5: Limit caffeine intake -- Caffeine can be not found only in items like coffee, tea and colas only. In fact, they can be found even in chocolates although in lesser amount. I normally do not have a problem with that as I'm not a coffee drinker. But, I've suddenly developed a taste for coffee, tea and colas during pregnancy. And sometimes, I do exceed my 1-2 cups intake for the day. As if pregnancy itself was not a nerve-wracking experience, I have to cope with many a guilt-trip for exceeding my daily quotent of caffeine intake.
Gripe #6: No pineapples -- I do not know where did this came from. Most probably an old wives' tale or that some would say that pineapple has "cooling" effects. All I know is that some believe that eating pineapples near to your period would induce early monthly menstration. However, baby seems to have a mind of its own in terms of food preferences. Again, I had cravings (not serious but I couldn't walk past fruit stalls selling pineapple and be able to resist eating a slice) pineapple especially during my 1st trimester. Of course, some friends and family would again caution me. Having had the foresight to check with my gynae on pineapple consumption, I was cleared to eat them moderately ;)
Gripe #7: No unpasteurised soft cheese -- Refraining from cheese during the 1st trimester was easy as I seemed to be turned off by the thought of it. Interestingly, I do love my cheese. In fact, I'm always near the cheese board at gatherings where wine and cheese are laid out. Starting from my 2nd trimester, my love for cheese returned, only to be dowsed with a cold bucket of water that unpasteurised cheese has risk of listeria infection which could be detrimental to baby (Gasp: might result in miscarriage or stillborns). There goes any plan I had about smearing those nice lovely gooey brie or camembert on crusty french breads in Paris during my vacation. Karen, I'm going to hold you to your promise about eating cheese with "attas" bread after delivery.
Gripe #8: Avoid eating squid, octopus and crabs --This is pure old wives' tales! I was told that eating such items may result in a baby that has tendency to reach his/her hands and touch things in sight. I'll pick and fight my battles for what I want to eat during pregnancy but this isn't one of them.
I concede, there are some perks to pregnancy and IMHO, the best is one where I get priority over what cuisine or dishes I would like at meal times. Just in case, let me confess that this is not one card that I use often but it does come in handy on rare occassions. Although I must say that baby has been good so far, becos I do not get serious cravings for a particular dish or item that I would send my hubby out in the middle of the night to some obscure place to procure. In fact, baby is contented with simple hawker, food court or home-cooked food.
The second is of course eating double-boiled bird's nest regularly that my mom prepares. Slurp! Since I'm out with Louis in Houston, my mom has bought me a box of bird's nest so that I can continue to double-boil and ingest them during my 2 months here. Speaking of which, I've got to go soak me some bird's nest to double-boil for tonight.
And if you're asking what's the perk for the soon-to-be-father, apart from treating me like a royalty and giving me nightly back rubs for my aching back? Well... he gets to share my bird's nest soup along with baby and me ;)
Adios for now!
The gripe session for today focuses on the many "forbidden" food during pregnancy that I didn't know I wasn't supposed to eat, or that restrain would require so much determination or self-discipline. For some people, this might sound like trivial griping but for one who loves her food and the process of cooking, I've got some serious gripe to let loose. Consider it an outlet for me as a side perk to pregnancy.
Pre-pregnancy, I was deluded by those many books to think that pregnancy is a wonderful and enriching experience, you would glow with radiance and have plenty of food to choose from that would nourish yourself and the baby... blah blah blah. Lies lies lies! They are all nothing but a pack of lies! Before some of you jump to conclusion, let me declare that this posting is not a manifestation of my resentment of the baby growing in me nor the lifestyle change that Louis and I would have to go through. We've rationalised it a while ago and have decided to take the plunge afterall.
Alright, so here's my personal gripe list of forbidden food during pregnancy, some of which are proven scientifically, while others might just be old wives' tales:
Gripe #1: Can't eat shark meat, swordfish and marlin -- The first thought that popped into my dear hubby's mind when my gynae told me to avoid these 3 types of fishes due to their high mercury content was that I can't eat sharks' fin soup at so-and-so's wedding in Nov. And that was in May that we discovered that I was pregnant. For one who had loved sharks fin soup since I was a kid, that was my first encounter with "forbidden" food. Depending on how far one wants to go with avoiding food that may carry certain risks, some would advocate not eating tuna either. Sigh... and they say that fish is good for you, which just goes to show that not all fishes, like humans, are created equal.
Gripe #2: No sashimi -- This restriction has made going to Japanese restaurants a damper. But given that its scientifically proven to endangeer baby's well-being and that I was aware of this restriction prior, I couldn't really take issue with this.
Gripe #3: No raw nor half-boiled eggs -- Again, I do like my half-boil eggs now and then. Not a big deal. But don't you ever get that feeling that forbidden food is always most tempting? This restriction has made going to Ya Kun another damper becos other than half-boiled eggs, moi does not like the kaya toast that most seem to favour.
Gripe #4: No alcohol -- Again, this is one of those truth that alcohol consumption would cause fetal deformity or even stillborn. I'm not alcoholic although I enjoy the occassional drink especially at gatherings. I do sneak in a sip or two at times at times when I can't resist, although when I do, well-meaning friends and families tend to get a little worked up about my lack of determination. Sigh...
Gripe #5: Limit caffeine intake -- Caffeine can be not found only in items like coffee, tea and colas only. In fact, they can be found even in chocolates although in lesser amount. I normally do not have a problem with that as I'm not a coffee drinker. But, I've suddenly developed a taste for coffee, tea and colas during pregnancy. And sometimes, I do exceed my 1-2 cups intake for the day. As if pregnancy itself was not a nerve-wracking experience, I have to cope with many a guilt-trip for exceeding my daily quotent of caffeine intake.
Gripe #6: No pineapples -- I do not know where did this came from. Most probably an old wives' tale or that some would say that pineapple has "cooling" effects. All I know is that some believe that eating pineapples near to your period would induce early monthly menstration. However, baby seems to have a mind of its own in terms of food preferences. Again, I had cravings (not serious but I couldn't walk past fruit stalls selling pineapple and be able to resist eating a slice) pineapple especially during my 1st trimester. Of course, some friends and family would again caution me. Having had the foresight to check with my gynae on pineapple consumption, I was cleared to eat them moderately ;)
Gripe #7: No unpasteurised soft cheese -- Refraining from cheese during the 1st trimester was easy as I seemed to be turned off by the thought of it. Interestingly, I do love my cheese. In fact, I'm always near the cheese board at gatherings where wine and cheese are laid out. Starting from my 2nd trimester, my love for cheese returned, only to be dowsed with a cold bucket of water that unpasteurised cheese has risk of listeria infection which could be detrimental to baby (Gasp: might result in miscarriage or stillborns). There goes any plan I had about smearing those nice lovely gooey brie or camembert on crusty french breads in Paris during my vacation. Karen, I'm going to hold you to your promise about eating cheese with "attas" bread after delivery.
Gripe #8: Avoid eating squid, octopus and crabs --This is pure old wives' tales! I was told that eating such items may result in a baby that has tendency to reach his/her hands and touch things in sight. I'll pick and fight my battles for what I want to eat during pregnancy but this isn't one of them.
I concede, there are some perks to pregnancy and IMHO, the best is one where I get priority over what cuisine or dishes I would like at meal times. Just in case, let me confess that this is not one card that I use often but it does come in handy on rare occassions. Although I must say that baby has been good so far, becos I do not get serious cravings for a particular dish or item that I would send my hubby out in the middle of the night to some obscure place to procure. In fact, baby is contented with simple hawker, food court or home-cooked food.
The second is of course eating double-boiled bird's nest regularly that my mom prepares. Slurp! Since I'm out with Louis in Houston, my mom has bought me a box of bird's nest so that I can continue to double-boil and ingest them during my 2 months here. Speaking of which, I've got to go soak me some bird's nest to double-boil for tonight.
And if you're asking what's the perk for the soon-to-be-father, apart from treating me like a royalty and giving me nightly back rubs for my aching back? Well... he gets to share my bird's nest soup along with baby and me ;)
Adios for now!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Technology -- A Help or Hindrance?
Sometimes, I think that technology is a double-edged sword. If you've seen my earlier posting, you would observed that its a little weird. This is becos, my posting for settling into routine life in Houston came after my posting about my description of the flight here. Well... despite it all, its got more good points than bad, I think.
To cut a long story short, I actually typed out another draft posting of our weekend in Austin. But due to a fluke incident, it was wiped out and I've got to start anew, trying to tax my swiss-cheese memory (thanks to pregnancy...) about what I wrote earlier. Louis and I set off for Austin towards Harish's place the 2nd day of my arrival. En route, we stopped at the Prime Outlet in San Marcos with hopeful expectations that I could perhaps start my maternity clothes shopping. Afterall, I only brought along a half dozen of tops and 4 bottoms to tide me through for the next 2 months and I was badly in need for more. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of choices for pregnant moms and sadly, the only maternity shop sold clothes so frumpy that I wouldn't wear in this lifetime. In the end, we headed over to Harish's place ahead of the appointed time becos we finished walking the mall (the 3rd best place to shop in the world according to ABC) in less than 2 hours.
It was nice spending nice with Harish and his wife, Kavita. And as with all Insead reunion, reminiscing over the good 'ole days. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and I was surprised to see that they had satay on the menu. I had thought satay was very much a Malaysian/Singaporean/Indonesian dish. The satay turned out to be grilled breast meat on skewers with a thick, fine satay sauce, kind of like the Indonesian version of gado-gado sauce rather than the cruncy peanut sauce we were familiar with.
After dinner, we took a walk downtown, onto the pub-lined street. Austin's the capital of Texas, but its a bit smaller and cozier than Houston. Oh... we learnt an interesting fact about the state capital from Harish. Texas is also known as the Lone Star State becos of the single star on its state flag. The lesser known fact was that when Texas joined the Declaration of Independence to become one of the 50 states, it signed with the option that it could have the flexibility of becoming an independent republic if it so desires. Apparantly, the option is still valid together. Hence, don't mess with the Texans :)
After an early night, we woke up the next morning to take a car ride of Austin. Harish brought us to a nice look-out point when we could have a panaromic view of the entire skyline of Austin and Lake Austin. And from a very very far distance, he pointed out the home of Michael Dell, sited exclusively at the top of a hill. Soon after lunch, Louis and I left to start our 3-hour drive back to Houston.
To cut a long story short, I actually typed out another draft posting of our weekend in Austin. But due to a fluke incident, it was wiped out and I've got to start anew, trying to tax my swiss-cheese memory (thanks to pregnancy...) about what I wrote earlier. Louis and I set off for Austin towards Harish's place the 2nd day of my arrival. En route, we stopped at the Prime Outlet in San Marcos with hopeful expectations that I could perhaps start my maternity clothes shopping. Afterall, I only brought along a half dozen of tops and 4 bottoms to tide me through for the next 2 months and I was badly in need for more. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of choices for pregnant moms and sadly, the only maternity shop sold clothes so frumpy that I wouldn't wear in this lifetime. In the end, we headed over to Harish's place ahead of the appointed time becos we finished walking the mall (the 3rd best place to shop in the world according to ABC) in less than 2 hours.
It was nice spending nice with Harish and his wife, Kavita. And as with all Insead reunion, reminiscing over the good 'ole days. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and I was surprised to see that they had satay on the menu. I had thought satay was very much a Malaysian/Singaporean/Indonesian dish. The satay turned out to be grilled breast meat on skewers with a thick, fine satay sauce, kind of like the Indonesian version of gado-gado sauce rather than the cruncy peanut sauce we were familiar with.
After dinner, we took a walk downtown, onto the pub-lined street. Austin's the capital of Texas, but its a bit smaller and cozier than Houston. Oh... we learnt an interesting fact about the state capital from Harish. Texas is also known as the Lone Star State becos of the single star on its state flag. The lesser known fact was that when Texas joined the Declaration of Independence to become one of the 50 states, it signed with the option that it could have the flexibility of becoming an independent republic if it so desires. Apparantly, the option is still valid together. Hence, don't mess with the Texans :)
After an early night, we woke up the next morning to take a car ride of Austin. Harish brought us to a nice look-out point when we could have a panaromic view of the entire skyline of Austin and Lake Austin. And from a very very far distance, he pointed out the home of Michael Dell, sited exclusively at the top of a hill. Soon after lunch, Louis and I left to start our 3-hour drive back to Houston.
Heading for the Lone Star State
There's a world of difference in travelling business class on a flight and I guess that's why you pay the premium for it. The direct SQ 38 SIN-LAX flight was an experience and a thoroughly good start for my trip to the Houston.
Of course, service had to be personable and impeccable. I was addressed as "Mrs Tan" thoroughout the flight and constant attention to ensure that I was served with drinks, snacks and meal. Dinner and breakfast on board the flight was like a degustation menu in a restaurant. By the time the entree came along, I was too filled up to eat much. And the air stewardess noted that I didn't eat much of my main course for dinner and breakfast and was very kind to offer to exchange or bring me something else altogether. Hmmm... had better not get use to such high living... while its a good experience, one's certainly going to compare when you take the economy class in future. But, I'm glad and proud to say that our domestic airline is worthy of its global standing for services, especially when I compare it to the so-called First Class cabin service on the domestic flight from L.A. to Houston :)
Perhaps I was so looking forward to the cool/cold weather, but I was a little disappointed when I stepped out of Tom Bradley Airport to walk to Terminal 6 for the domestic flight. Even in a thin, short sleeve blouse, it feel like a 26 degree celsius room temperature. Not the cold, crisp weather that I had thought.
Louis went to the car rental company to change the car. This was his 2nd time he changed the car. The day before, in anticipation of my arrival, they had changed their 2-door Mitsubishi Eclipse for a 4-door Jeep. However, he changed it again on Fri evening as he thought the car was a little high, being a SUV and swapped it for a white Pontiac 4-door sedan.
Thankfully at the Houston airport, Louis could enter into the baggage pick up area and after picking my luggage, we headed to the Magnolia Hotel, Houston. The hotel is nice. The interior decor looks like that of a boutique hotel, kind of similar to a M or W Hotel. The lobby has got a nice and big Christmas tree, along with a nice burning fireplace. Our suite room was nice and cozy too.
This hubby of mine had really stocked up on all the condiments. For all his good intentions, I was highly amused to see that he's put the cooking and olive oil both in the fridge, along with the soya sauce, oysters sauce and all. Hahaha... that's the hubby I know who would leave his clothes lying around the entire room when I'm not around. Thankfully, I arrived to a spick and span room.
After showering and a quick bite since dinner on board the flight to Houston was crap, we hit the bed at around 2 am in the morning, waking up only at 10 am that morning. Thank goodness Louis set the alarm for 10 am, else, I think we would have slept till noon. And we were supposed to go to San Marcos, an outlet mall en route to Harish's place in Austin.
More about our trip to Austin in the next posting...
Of course, service had to be personable and impeccable. I was addressed as "Mrs Tan" thoroughout the flight and constant attention to ensure that I was served with drinks, snacks and meal. Dinner and breakfast on board the flight was like a degustation menu in a restaurant. By the time the entree came along, I was too filled up to eat much. And the air stewardess noted that I didn't eat much of my main course for dinner and breakfast and was very kind to offer to exchange or bring me something else altogether. Hmmm... had better not get use to such high living... while its a good experience, one's certainly going to compare when you take the economy class in future. But, I'm glad and proud to say that our domestic airline is worthy of its global standing for services, especially when I compare it to the so-called First Class cabin service on the domestic flight from L.A. to Houston :)
Perhaps I was so looking forward to the cool/cold weather, but I was a little disappointed when I stepped out of Tom Bradley Airport to walk to Terminal 6 for the domestic flight. Even in a thin, short sleeve blouse, it feel like a 26 degree celsius room temperature. Not the cold, crisp weather that I had thought.
Louis went to the car rental company to change the car. This was his 2nd time he changed the car. The day before, in anticipation of my arrival, they had changed their 2-door Mitsubishi Eclipse for a 4-door Jeep. However, he changed it again on Fri evening as he thought the car was a little high, being a SUV and swapped it for a white Pontiac 4-door sedan.
Thankfully at the Houston airport, Louis could enter into the baggage pick up area and after picking my luggage, we headed to the Magnolia Hotel, Houston. The hotel is nice. The interior decor looks like that of a boutique hotel, kind of similar to a M or W Hotel. The lobby has got a nice and big Christmas tree, along with a nice burning fireplace. Our suite room was nice and cozy too.
This hubby of mine had really stocked up on all the condiments. For all his good intentions, I was highly amused to see that he's put the cooking and olive oil both in the fridge, along with the soya sauce, oysters sauce and all. Hahaha... that's the hubby I know who would leave his clothes lying around the entire room when I'm not around. Thankfully, I arrived to a spick and span room.
After showering and a quick bite since dinner on board the flight to Houston was crap, we hit the bed at around 2 am in the morning, waking up only at 10 am that morning. Thank goodness Louis set the alarm for 10 am, else, I think we would have slept till noon. And we were supposed to go to San Marcos, an outlet mall en route to Harish's place in Austin.
More about our trip to Austin in the next posting...
The start of a new routine
Weather in Houston is nice with a much milder temperature than most places considering that its just another month to winter. Average day temperature 18-23 degrees celsius in the day. Louis and I could pretty much walk around in short-sleeves or with a light jacket at night.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I enjoy the food so far. Other than fast food, which was dry and deep-fried, it hasn't been appetising to eat mainstream American food. On Sunday night, Louis and I went grocery shopping in this chinatown supermarket called Hong Kong Supermart and Krogers. We went to the chinese supermart for more localised ingredients. After my tentative foray into the American food scene, I've decided it was healthier to cook and eat at home, with the side benefit that its more economical for the both of us, of course.
I planned to make prawn noodle soup and chicken congee for the early part of the week. So, we could get some of the more specialised ingredients from the chinese supermarket. The supermarket reminded me of Paris Chinatown. While there were lots of chinese cooking ingredients, I see a lot of Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian cooking ingredients too.
Perhaps its because of jetlag, but I haven't been sleeping nor eating well... hopefully things will get better as the body adjusts to a different timezone and temperature. My night routine is a little wacky, what with me sleeping and waking up every 2-3 hours either to snack (becos I'm hungry) or just for no reason. Its nice to be back in the hotel becos I could read a book, surf the Internet or chat online whenever I can't sleep.
Tonight, we're cooking sphaghetti bolognaise, with salad on the side and *Slurp* artichokes!!! I've not had artichokes for the longest time and I hope they turn out fleshy and good. It would be yummy going with the Japanese salad sauce that Louis had lugged along from Singapore.
If there is time tonight, Louis might drop me at Galleria, the largest shopping mall in Houston for some much needed shopping for more maternity clothes. I only brought along a few tops and 4 bottoms. I've done some preliminary surfing on the web and zero in on 2 outlets for my spending spree; Gap Maternity and A Pea in a Pod.
This Wed, we are planning to head for Dallas, a 5-hour drive to visit Julia and Colin for Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I enjoy the food so far. Other than fast food, which was dry and deep-fried, it hasn't been appetising to eat mainstream American food. On Sunday night, Louis and I went grocery shopping in this chinatown supermarket called Hong Kong Supermart and Krogers. We went to the chinese supermart for more localised ingredients. After my tentative foray into the American food scene, I've decided it was healthier to cook and eat at home, with the side benefit that its more economical for the both of us, of course.
I planned to make prawn noodle soup and chicken congee for the early part of the week. So, we could get some of the more specialised ingredients from the chinese supermarket. The supermarket reminded me of Paris Chinatown. While there were lots of chinese cooking ingredients, I see a lot of Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian cooking ingredients too.
Perhaps its because of jetlag, but I haven't been sleeping nor eating well... hopefully things will get better as the body adjusts to a different timezone and temperature. My night routine is a little wacky, what with me sleeping and waking up every 2-3 hours either to snack (becos I'm hungry) or just for no reason. Its nice to be back in the hotel becos I could read a book, surf the Internet or chat online whenever I can't sleep.
Tonight, we're cooking sphaghetti bolognaise, with salad on the side and *Slurp* artichokes!!! I've not had artichokes for the longest time and I hope they turn out fleshy and good. It would be yummy going with the Japanese salad sauce that Louis had lugged along from Singapore.
If there is time tonight, Louis might drop me at Galleria, the largest shopping mall in Houston for some much needed shopping for more maternity clothes. I only brought along a few tops and 4 bottoms. I've done some preliminary surfing on the web and zero in on 2 outlets for my spending spree; Gap Maternity and A Pea in a Pod.
This Wed, we are planning to head for Dallas, a 5-hour drive to visit Julia and Colin for Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Eve in the plane
Just got off the phone with Eve. It was just half an hour before the plane was due to depart and she had to switch off her phone soon. Hope she has a good flight and that she'd be able to get some rest on this long flight. :) We've so often heard that the journey is as important as the destination and I hope it will be a smooth and pleasant one for Eve.
She arrives 3:30pm into LA and departs 6:30pm, to arrive in Houston at 11:35pm on CO 1694, so it'd be another 12 hours before I'd get to talk to her...
She arrives 3:30pm into LA and departs 6:30pm, to arrive in Houston at 11:35pm on CO 1694, so it'd be another 12 hours before I'd get to talk to her...
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Windy Houston
It was a particularly windy day in Houston. For the first time ever, I experienced what it was like to be in a "swaying building". We had one of our meetings this morning at one of the highest floor in the complex, and the meeting room was actually at the corner of the building. Because of the strong winds, one could actually feel the room moving a little - as if one were in a ferry! :) According to the Houston website, the winds were around 20km/h in the later evening - not sure if those were the same speeds in the morning.
There are more X'mas ads now on TV and definitely lots of Thanksgiving reminders all round - turkey in the grocery stores, Starbucks X'mas cups, and of course, a bit of festive cheer in the air with lights and decorations along some streets. When Eve comes, we'd be having our first thanksgiving dinner in the US with Julia and Colin the week after. It'd be another first for Eve :)
There are more X'mas ads now on TV and definitely lots of Thanksgiving reminders all round - turkey in the grocery stores, Starbucks X'mas cups, and of course, a bit of festive cheer in the air with lights and decorations along some streets. When Eve comes, we'd be having our first thanksgiving dinner in the US with Julia and Colin the week after. It'd be another first for Eve :)
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Detailed scanning :)
Eve went to the gynae today to do a detailed scanning. She called me at around 7pm Houston time to let me know that everything was okay and the doctor had given her the green light to come to Houston :) Can't tell u what a relieve this was, because as much as the chances were slim, I knew from the previous scare that one can't really take things for granted.
I wonder what Eve packed in the suitcase though. I had brought over two of her winter jackets in the hope of lightening her load. I did know however that no matter what, she'd still end up bringing an almost full suitcase to Houston. The grey luggage isn't as big as one would hope, yet it's a good size for her given she'd be travelling alone now with Baby.
48 hours more to go before Eve boards the plane for Houston :)
I wonder what Eve packed in the suitcase though. I had brought over two of her winter jackets in the hope of lightening her load. I did know however that no matter what, she'd still end up bringing an almost full suitcase to Houston. The grey luggage isn't as big as one would hope, yet it's a good size for her given she'd be travelling alone now with Baby.
48 hours more to go before Eve boards the plane for Houston :)
Monday, November 13, 2006
News Alert: Escaped Panda on the Loose
I'm looking like an escaped panda on the loose this morning. I couldn't sleep much last night in mounting anticipation of my flight this week to USA. In fact, I spent the better half of the night thinking about how I'm going to spend my time with Louis and worrying that all the good mood will lulled me to eat indiscrimately and KABOOM! Before you know it, I'm way over the recommended weight increase range for my 2nd trimester, along with with bloated face, arms and legs!
Well... I know they say that expectant mothers should eat to their heart's content and not worry about putting on weight. Frankly, I don't subscribed to the belief that you need to look fat and bloated in order that baby will come out chubby and cute. In fact, there's little corelation in mother's weight gain versus baby's and I much rather subscribe to the belief that there's no need to look frumpy with pregnancy. Fine! I may not look my best, but at least I don't want that to be the period when I looked my worst *cringing*
But I digress...that's not the topic I wanna focused on in this posting :)
Finally, my last weekend in Singapore has arrived and passed. I am so looking forward to being in Houston come next weekend. The week of 17 Nov 06, where I depart for Houston to join Louis is now only 4 days away!!!
I've started packing my luggage a week ago, but on Sunday night, I categorically placed all the clothes that I wouldn't need to wear for this week but intended to bring overseas into the luggage. As much as I say that I have not much clothes to bring, items have a way of creeping up on you. Before you know it, my luggage is almost full. Now, I'm wondering how am I going to lift the luggage from the carousal in LAX and haul it to the transfer baggage for the Houston leg of the trip?!?!
Well... I know they say that expectant mothers should eat to their heart's content and not worry about putting on weight. Frankly, I don't subscribed to the belief that you need to look fat and bloated in order that baby will come out chubby and cute. In fact, there's little corelation in mother's weight gain versus baby's and I much rather subscribe to the belief that there's no need to look frumpy with pregnancy. Fine! I may not look my best, but at least I don't want that to be the period when I looked my worst *cringing*
But I digress...that's not the topic I wanna focused on in this posting :)
Finally, my last weekend in Singapore has arrived and passed. I am so looking forward to being in Houston come next weekend. The week of 17 Nov 06, where I depart for Houston to join Louis is now only 4 days away!!!
I've started packing my luggage a week ago, but on Sunday night, I categorically placed all the clothes that I wouldn't need to wear for this week but intended to bring overseas into the luggage. As much as I say that I have not much clothes to bring, items have a way of creeping up on you. Before you know it, my luggage is almost full. Now, I'm wondering how am I going to lift the luggage from the carousal in LAX and haul it to the transfer baggage for the Houston leg of the trip?!?!
Monday morning, I called up SQ to check for travel advisory to the US and also to find out if there could be porter services available for expectant moms. Well... as the leg that I needed help was in LAX and SQ relied on ground agents there, the SQ person I spoke to told me that she would note my request in the system. I don't have much faith that a porter would be there to help haul my luggage, but one can always hope for the best. Or... play the helpless and inapt expectant mom and hope some kind soul would take pity on me and exhibit some chivalry (I think I would need to stuff some pillow underneath my clothes seeing that my swelling tum-tum looked more like that of a 2-3 month expectant mother than one already at the start of her 5th month).
Nonetheless, one more day down is one more day nearer to the date that I see Louis after 1 month of separation. It felt like eternity to me.
Well, if you have read Louis' earlier blog, you would note his excitement. In fact, he's just bought rice and rice-cooker over the weekend in anticipation of my arrival. He kept asking me if he should stock up the fridge with some food in case I get hungry on the night that I arrive. Hahaha...I think he's going to be one of those fathers who will maintain a brave front for the kid, but behind the scenes, he would anxiously peep and looked surreptiously all around to make sure nothing untowards come to the kid.
Anyways, the countdown for now is 3 more working days for me, and off I go for Houston. Darling, Baby and I would be there soon!
Tick tick tick tick tick.....
Crippled Without My Laptop
What a day! What I thought to be a small problem on my office laptop turned out to be a bigger issue than I had thought. Essentially, I had some corrupted Window System file on my laptop and I wasn't able to boot up my laptop. The helpdesk spent the better part of the day backing up the harddisk and re-installing the software.
While my laptop is now functioning, I have to spent time to install previously installed softwares. Sigh... win some, lose some.
For the better part of today, I wasn't very productive since I was working on someone else's laptop and being away from my desk. But I would rather count my blessings :) Thank goodness for little favours. At least it didn't happen while I was on my No Pay Leave (NPL).
While my laptop is now functioning, I have to spent time to install previously installed softwares. Sigh... win some, lose some.
For the better part of today, I wasn't very productive since I was working on someone else's laptop and being away from my desk. But I would rather count my blessings :) Thank goodness for little favours. At least it didn't happen while I was on my No Pay Leave (NPL).
5 days more!
yes, in 5 days' time, this time, Eve will be here in Houston. In 4 days' time, this time, she'd be getting ready to check-in, just before boarding the SQ flight at Changi Airport. :)
Both of us have been waiting eagerly for this - so much so that whatever happens this week, I think both our spirits will be extremely high. Everything is pretty much in place. Eve has packed about half her luggage and I've cleaned out the unsightly mess in the wadrobe. I'm wondering if I'd be able to get into the arrival gate and meet her when she first steps out of the plane :)
We've also made plans to visit Harish this weekend in Austin. It's been some time since I last saw him at INSEAD, so this will be a nice reunion for us. Just today, I also got the chance to meet up with Wei - a friend from CMU - we've come full circle - having met in US and now with this most recent in the US. I'm reminded again that the world is really so small.
It's a great way to start the week and with so much to look forward to :) We've come down from 4 weeks to 5 days :)
Both of us have been waiting eagerly for this - so much so that whatever happens this week, I think both our spirits will be extremely high. Everything is pretty much in place. Eve has packed about half her luggage and I've cleaned out the unsightly mess in the wadrobe. I'm wondering if I'd be able to get into the arrival gate and meet her when she first steps out of the plane :)
We've also made plans to visit Harish this weekend in Austin. It's been some time since I last saw him at INSEAD, so this will be a nice reunion for us. Just today, I also got the chance to meet up with Wei - a friend from CMU - we've come full circle - having met in US and now with this most recent in the US. I'm reminded again that the world is really so small.
It's a great way to start the week and with so much to look forward to :) We've come down from 4 weeks to 5 days :)
Monday, November 06, 2006
Bo Wee Liao
yes, the fridge is getting well-stocked in anticipation of Eve coming over here. It is getting therapeutic to just go to the grocery store to get the food stuffs. :)
After a later dinner tonight (again at Hong Kong Food Street), I went to the Fiesta grocery store on Bellaire - like most stores on Bellaire - I had noticed that Bellaire had a number of Chinese groceries. However, it was closing (close to 11pm) and the store-owner kindly told me that there was another Fiesta just down the street on Bellaire that closed only at midnight. Off I went and to my surprise, it was actually quite a nice store.
Fiesta is an international grocery store that stocks well, international grocery. It is a Houston area store I believe. Well the store I went to was really quite international - under the UK counter, it had the PG Tips that Eve loves, and there were italian, greek, kosher food etc Quite a good international assortment. And of course, there was CHinese. I bought oyster sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce this time round. I had thought to leave the rice till later - after all, we will need to buy a rice-cooker first, and almost every grocery store I've been to - even non-Asian ones have "Asian" rice (Calrose, for example, which is Californian grown rice).
I get intrigued each time I visit a new store and it is becoming like my mini-excursions on the weekends. It's quite fun and relaxing really - just to window shop in the hope of finding a gem - like being surprised that they sell PG Tips here. Or finding Cherry Noir yaourt.
Back to home - when I heard about what Eve said about Anthea at the airport, it reminded me that she's really a grown-up girl now. It's nice to see how she has become more mature, though I know she still is a kid at heart. More heartening, I heard that about how she and Anders have been conversing with each other - literally having a conversation. I think it just shows that the kids have all come of age. :) I do miss the simple things like family dinners and going out for Sunday lunches after badminton in Singapore - but it's all a matter of perspective and as with everything in our lives, I know that such things makes us cherish those moments even more.
Well, time will fly. As Eve said, we're both counting down to the days when she gets on the plane - I'd be the happiest guy around in Houston then :)
After a later dinner tonight (again at Hong Kong Food Street), I went to the Fiesta grocery store on Bellaire - like most stores on Bellaire - I had noticed that Bellaire had a number of Chinese groceries. However, it was closing (close to 11pm) and the store-owner kindly told me that there was another Fiesta just down the street on Bellaire that closed only at midnight. Off I went and to my surprise, it was actually quite a nice store.
Fiesta is an international grocery store that stocks well, international grocery. It is a Houston area store I believe. Well the store I went to was really quite international - under the UK counter, it had the PG Tips that Eve loves, and there were italian, greek, kosher food etc Quite a good international assortment. And of course, there was CHinese. I bought oyster sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce this time round. I had thought to leave the rice till later - after all, we will need to buy a rice-cooker first, and almost every grocery store I've been to - even non-Asian ones have "Asian" rice (Calrose, for example, which is Californian grown rice).
I get intrigued each time I visit a new store and it is becoming like my mini-excursions on the weekends. It's quite fun and relaxing really - just to window shop in the hope of finding a gem - like being surprised that they sell PG Tips here. Or finding Cherry Noir yaourt.
Back to home - when I heard about what Eve said about Anthea at the airport, it reminded me that she's really a grown-up girl now. It's nice to see how she has become more mature, though I know she still is a kid at heart. More heartening, I heard that about how she and Anders have been conversing with each other - literally having a conversation. I think it just shows that the kids have all come of age. :) I do miss the simple things like family dinners and going out for Sunday lunches after badminton in Singapore - but it's all a matter of perspective and as with everything in our lives, I know that such things makes us cherish those moments even more.
Well, time will fly. As Eve said, we're both counting down to the days when she gets on the plane - I'd be the happiest guy around in Houston then :)
Sunday, November 05, 2006
1 Weekend Down, 1 More to Go!
Indeed I know that if Louis was left to his own devices, his hotel room would be in a total mess -- proven by the picture shots in his earlier blog posting. Hence, my early warnings to him to clear up the hotel room in preparation for my arrival on D-Day i.e. 17 Nov 2006 :)
Nov spells the start of much travelling for the Tan family. As shared in SIL's blog, the first to depart for training was Adrain (eldest BIL or bro-in-law) on Sat, 4 Nov 06. Adrain would be away till Christmas Eve for an overseas training. Not sure if Anthea is starting to realise the concept of missing someone who's away at the age of 4 yrs, but when she walked away after bidding her dad goodbye at the airport, she started bursting into tears :( Anders was as usual, full of his antics at the airport -- running around, trying to drag/pull the trolley cart that was much bigger than him and torturing some little fishes in a pond at the departure hall.
All in, Sat was a rather touching day. In addition to the send-off at the airport, I was invited to witness the baptism of a close friend and her family in church. Her 5-yr old son was also called along for the baptism and was the youngest member to be baptised that day. While the process of the baptism was touching for the adults, for little Darryl, he had a special little prayer done for him that touching and yet funny at the same time.
On Sun, we headed to the airport. This time to receive Terence, my youngest BIL, who was back after a near 3-week assignment in Hong Kong/Shenzhen. That same morning, his girlfriend, left for a 10-day trip to Shanghai. As we were chatting at Mac's in T2, he was sharing with us that he was on the verge of receiving an offer from a software vendor company, after about 2-years of free-lancing work. I think that's a good news indeed if the terms of the offer works out. Bon chance, Terence!
In growing anticipation of my arrival in Houston, Louis made a trip to Krogers to stock up on some kitchen ingredients and spices. Since he was alone in Houston for the last month, he had been dinning out. With me joining him in 2 weeks' time, we hope to do a bit of cooking and relive our 1-yr experience staying in France. He's gotten basic ingredients like oils, salt, pepper etc. The plan is that when he next goes to Chinatown, he would stock up on chinese condiments like sesame oil, oyster sauce, Hua Tiow wine etc and of course, the staple ingredient of all good Chinese household, rice. With that, we would be all set!
Countdown score to 17 Nov 06 - 1 weekend and 8 more working days to go!
Nov spells the start of much travelling for the Tan family. As shared in SIL's blog, the first to depart for training was Adrain (eldest BIL or bro-in-law) on Sat, 4 Nov 06. Adrain would be away till Christmas Eve for an overseas training. Not sure if Anthea is starting to realise the concept of missing someone who's away at the age of 4 yrs, but when she walked away after bidding her dad goodbye at the airport, she started bursting into tears :( Anders was as usual, full of his antics at the airport -- running around, trying to drag/pull the trolley cart that was much bigger than him and torturing some little fishes in a pond at the departure hall.
All in, Sat was a rather touching day. In addition to the send-off at the airport, I was invited to witness the baptism of a close friend and her family in church. Her 5-yr old son was also called along for the baptism and was the youngest member to be baptised that day. While the process of the baptism was touching for the adults, for little Darryl, he had a special little prayer done for him that touching and yet funny at the same time.
On Sun, we headed to the airport. This time to receive Terence, my youngest BIL, who was back after a near 3-week assignment in Hong Kong/Shenzhen. That same morning, his girlfriend, left for a 10-day trip to Shanghai. As we were chatting at Mac's in T2, he was sharing with us that he was on the verge of receiving an offer from a software vendor company, after about 2-years of free-lancing work. I think that's a good news indeed if the terms of the offer works out. Bon chance, Terence!
In growing anticipation of my arrival in Houston, Louis made a trip to Krogers to stock up on some kitchen ingredients and spices. Since he was alone in Houston for the last month, he had been dinning out. With me joining him in 2 weeks' time, we hope to do a bit of cooking and relive our 1-yr experience staying in France. He's gotten basic ingredients like oils, salt, pepper etc. The plan is that when he next goes to Chinatown, he would stock up on chinese condiments like sesame oil, oyster sauce, Hua Tiow wine etc and of course, the staple ingredient of all good Chinese household, rice. With that, we would be all set!
Countdown score to 17 Nov 06 - 1 weekend and 8 more working days to go!
All wrapped up
I've wanted to do this for some time, but never had time till now. Eve has warned me that she will "pick on me" (and not "pick up after me" - her own words) if I continue to leave my walk-in wadrobe in disarray when she comes. Since she wouldn't get a chance to see how messy it really is, I thought I should give her a glance of this before I clear it up next week :) As you can see, the empty boxes on the floor used to be the containers for my loose laundry and the plastic wraps were the protective sheets for my ironed shirts. Given that I send in laundry almost every other day, you can imagine how many empty boxes and plastic sheets I have in that room now :)
Weather in Houston has been a little cool - not as chilly as in France this time of the year, but certainly one needs a light jacket to go around. I've also started switching on the heater in the bedroom as well as the living room. When I first turned on the heaters, I somehow set off the smoke detectors in the rooms - fortunately, the heaters work just fine now.
Just came back from dinner in this place called Hong Kong Street Cafe - next to Sinh Sinh. The food here is definitely more to my liking and less oily than Sinh Sinh. You can tell the food is quite authentic as they even had cut-green chili when I requested it. I had a plate of seafood 'san mee' for about US$9. Not too bad. I think Eve will like it here too, as they have more congee dishes. They also have steamed fishes, though I am not sure if they are fresh. And oh yes, when they came to ask if I wanted tea, they asked if I wanted chrysantemum, kor po or xiang pian - so that immediately made me think that this was truly as close as one can get to Cantonese food. :)
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The little family
