Homesick perhaps

After browsing a few Singaporean food blogs today and as always, I feel I'm missing out so much, food-wise that is. Over here, we don't have the luxury of eating out that often and most of the time, it's Italian (cos the girls love pasta and pizza), very boring I know. We're also not those who will drive somewhere out of our radar to have a meal, well maybe once in a blue moon on a whim. Looking at the food photos - all the kueh kuehs, zichar fare, Peranakan dishes (must try, having watching 'Huan wo ji tang' drama), Japanese/Thai/Korean food.....(so glad I'm not hungry now because I just ate pineapples), I feel so sorry for my taste buds. I have the same lunch practically everyday - lotti. Angmo nang suka jiak lotti (caucasians like to eat bread) so since I'm in angmo country, just follow lor. You won't believe how many loafs of bread my family consumes each week. Anyway by the time I come home from work and picking Lavigne from nursery, I'll be too famished to whip up anything. I've digressed.

So everytime I return to Singapore for a holiday, other than family and friends, food is one thing I really look forward to. Yes, I'm the live to eat kind of person. Love food, enjoy food! My dear dad will always prepare and buy food he knows I like for my first meal back home. I remember the last time I went back, he went and bought a roast duck to welcome my return. As much as I love roast duck, I can't stomach any food everytime after a plane ride. I felt so bad but forced myself to eat anyway. Simple hawker food from Kovan Food Centre which I am most familiar with - fishball noodle, vegetarian beehoon, nasi lemak, fried carrot cake and laksa. I make sure I eat them all before coming back. My mum always dabao one of these back for me whenever she goes to the market. Very simple things and gestures like that make me feel - I am happy to be home.

The last time I went back, I had so many wonderful meals with my family. That was when everyone of us were reunited (youngest sis was studying in the States for 4 years or was it 3? before that. Sorry Qi, I'm getting old). My memory is seriously failing me these days if you believe me. Must be due to too much bread consumption (not much nourishment). Oh and age is another factor lah. Digressed again. All the places they took me and everytime I eat the food, I actually felt like crying. Ok lah, a bit over emotional. But tasting those food made me feel 'these are what I've been missing out on'. I wanted to savour every bit and pieces very slowly. I wasn't sure when I would get the chance to eat it again. My most memorable meals (in no particular order) were at:

1. Japanese restaurant at Vivo
2. Ramen restaurant at Central Mall
3. Korean restaurant (my first proper Korean meal) at I've-been-away-for-so-long-my-peasize brain-is-failing-me place - that durian building. I can't believe it! Ok, the Esplanade. Thank God!
   
4. Chinese restaurant at (Teng, what's that place called? You joined us after work) where a man (customer) went into the Ladies while the girls and I were in there. No, it's not memorable because of that man but the food was really good!
   

My dear sisters, I'm counting on you girls to bring me on pig-outs. No lotti please, thank you! Of course I will still collate my glutton list.

Louisa's birthday

The last time Louisa celebrated her birthday in Singapore was in 2004. We'd relocated to UK since then. I'm so pleased that she will have a chance to celebrate it with family and friends this year AND NEXT! when we return for holidays. I'm going to take a rest from baking my own cake and self-catering. Phew! Am I glad! Someone will be too. It's going to be so stress and fuss free. Now I wonder if I should get my party supplies here or wait till I get back home. Trouble is I'm so out of touch with such things in Singapore I don't know where to get them and if I will find what I want. But then again, she doesn't have that many friends of her age so I'm thinking if I should just keep it within the family. I haven't given much thought to it other than knowing I'll be outsourcing everything as I have enough things on my plate at the moment.

Inspiration board

This is going to be the colour scheme for the playroom and my workroom. Not that it's a big room but that's the only extra room we have which is in fact a bonus. We used to stay in a 2-room house, currently a 3-room and then what will be a 4-room. Finally! I can have a work corner that is NOT in their bedroom. Going to confine all the toys in there and they (toys) will be banned from the lounge. It's great that the present curtain in their room fits the colour and the accent wall in the new house seems to be this shade of blue but I'm not 100% positive. If it is, it will save me lots of work. Now I just have to figure out how to fit 3 tables and shelves/storage in there.

Rainy days

I've come to realise that here in UK, a few good sunny days will always be followed by rainy ones. We had a warm bank holiday over the weekend with the temperature over 20 degree celsius. But after that, it's just been rain. It doesn't help when it's half-term too and the girls can't go outside to play. The fruit and vegetable market is open today and I need to go shopping. But I dread going out when it's wet and windy with the girls in tow. So here I am, still waiting for the rain to stop.

Update: I finally dragged my feet out of the house and went to the market quite late. Good thing it had already stopped raining but it was still very windy. Fortunately too, the girls didn't complain as they always do when we have to go shopping. I thought we were too late. Most of the stalls had already closed but I managed to get what I wanted including some great bargains as they were packing up.

Craving

My heart rate went up.
I started salivating.
Just because
I saw THIS!
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while doing some research at Flickr.
and
I WANT IT!!!! WANT IT!!! WANT IT!!!

The last time I ate durian was in 2006 and that's so LONG ago! I'm so going to gorge myself on it when I go back to Singapore but must wait till after sis-in-law's wedding if not can't fit into my dresses. When's the durian seasons in Singapore huh?

Lobang

Anyone knows of any good florists or flower suppliers in Singapore please let me know. Thanks!

Dealing with Estate Agents

The house that I currently live in has been on the market for about 4 months now. So far, no one has put in any offer. Every week, people will come to view the house and I have to put up with certain inconveniences such as staying in to let them in the house. Actually to make things easier for myself, I could have agreed to letting the agent keep a key for themselves so that they can come as and when they like without me being at home. But Adrian and I didn't like the idea. So far, I'd been very accommodating towards them and whenever they called me to book a viewing, I'd say OK unless I had prior arrangements to go somewhere. But they'd been rather 'cheeky' on several occasions.

1. A few no-shows and the agent didn't bother to call and tell me. Very annoying when I had stayed home to wait for them.
   
2. One bloke from the office rang me up to say all their agents had been booked for viewing and asked me if I could kindly show a couple around. I thought since I'd be at home anyway, I agreed.
3. I had to be somewhere last Friday afternoon when someone had booked to view the house. So I loaned my key to the agent. There was going to be another viewing the following day and we were going out so I asked them to keep the key. When I rang them to ask for my key back on Saturday afternoon, one guy (Tom) said he was rather sure the key's in the office but that he had to check it with Matt and would call me back within minutes. An hour passed and then Matt rang me to make arrangement for a viewing on Monday. I asked him if my key's in the office as I wanted it back. He said he's not sure as Oliver (the one who lives near me and hence the person I pass the key to) is on leave and so the key should be with him and not in the office, hence I won't be able to have it back that day. I asked him what about the viewing that afternoon. Someone should have the key. He then apologised and said he didn't know there had been a viewing but could miraculously tell me that it was Carol who did the viewing and so she's the one with the key but would only be back in the office at 5pm and that if I need the key urgently, I could go pick it up on Sunday between 11am and 3pm. In the end, I didn't go get my key as we were out the whole day. On Monday morning, Oliver rang me while I was at work and told me that he would bring the key along with him for the viewing that afternoon. But about 5 minutes before the appointment, Matt rang me to say he's running a few minutes late and if I could show the people around. I asked if he was going to turn up at all and he said no and that he would drop my key through my letterbox afterwards. I said I'd just let the people in and let them wonder around themselves. Now he rang me from his office. If he's running a few minutes late, he could still turn up since I'm very near to the office. Anyway like I had told Adrian many times, since I am at home, I don't mind just letting the people in. Did I get my key back? No. No sign of key, no phonecalls from them. I waited and waited till it was after-office hours thinking that perhaps Oliver would drop it off on his way home. 7pm. Still no show. So I rang Oliver on his mobile to ask him whatever happened to Matt and my key. He said he would bring it to me within the next hour. You've guessed it. He didn't. I've had enough! The following day after work, I went to the office without calling them. I walked up to Oliver and it still didn't occur to him that he had 'forgotten' to pass me my key. I plainly said to him 'Can I have my key back please?'. Very drama he was. He went 'Oh! Yes! I forgot about your key last night!'. Haha! As if I believed him. Anyhow, I just wanted to get the key back. Not then end though. There's a number tag chained onto the key. He asked if I wanted to leave it. I thought it's no harm and said fine. Then he brought out a form and it read 'Key Loan Form' and tried to get me to sign it. Wait a minute. It's my key and I kindly lent it to them. Now they want me to sign a form to say that I'm loaning it from them? I kept repeating to him it's my key and why should I sign the form? I'm not loaning my own key from them! He tried to explain that it's just so that when I next loan it to them, they'll know it's that number and which house it belongs to and beat this - so that they'll know where's the key. DUH! What kind of reasoning is that? I told him IT'S MY KEY and when I want to lend it to them again, they can tag it on again. He could see that I was getting crossed and so took the tag off and passed it to me.
   
4. This afternoon, another viewing. Oliver turned up at 2pm and said that if the people turn up within the next few minutes, can I just let them in because he has to get back to his office as he'd forgotten to take his mobile phone with him. I told him the appointment's at 2.30pm. He showed me a puzzled look and said the office must have made a mistake. I am sure it's at 2.30pm because I wrote it down in my diary. Then he told me he's got another appointment at 2.30pm but he'll rush to the office and either he or Matt will be here at 2.30pm. I naively believed him. A couple knocked on the door and there was no sign of Matt or Oliver. The man told me the agent rang him and said to just knock on the door and I will show them around. Now that's news to me. No one asked me to show them around. But I let them in anyway. The lady said that's very cheeky of them and that they'll wonder around themselves.
   

After this incident, I am getting really annoyed. I had been nice to them all these while and they're really pushing it. The next time they want me to do a viewing for them again, I'll ask them if they're paying me commission, just to be sarcastic. I don't mind doing it if they ask me beforehand. But I don't like being lied to and not being asked. I wanted so much to ring Oliver up just now and tell him it'll be nice for him to ask me to show the people around before they turn up. I'm won't lend them the key anymore. If I'm going to be out, they have to choose another time when I'm in. Adrian wasn't happy that I'd been showing people around and that I drop the key and pick it up myself most of the time. He feels I'm being bullied. I told him I'm just trying to make it easy for my landlord so that when it comes to us moving, there won't be any problems. But it seems like doing good deeds don't necessary pay.

Bali

We took advantage of the SIA offer this time and had booked for tickets to Bali during our trip back to Singapore. It will be a 4D3N getaway sans kids! Anyone has any recommendations as to where to stay/eat?

Just another day

I had a mad morning today. As I had a course to attend, the girls were dropped off at school earlier than usual which meant everyone had to get up early. I was so worried I couldn't get to my colleague's home on time due to the morning traffic but luckily, I got there 5 minutes early. Another colleague picked us up and we attended a 'Food Hygiene' course which was really interesting. However, some stuff were quite off-putting such as an incident where a restaurant owner taped up the entrance to the toilet and refused to let the food and environment officers enter. He was eventually forced to and the scene was vile. The WC had been taken out and the waste matters were overflowing. As if that's not bad enough. Food was stored in there and cooked curry was placed on the floor with just a cling wrap covering the top. I swear I felt sick when I heard that. Also, do you know that cockroaches carry about 50 eggs in their bodies and if you kill them by stepping on them or hit them with rolled up newspaper/magazines, the eggs will be dispersed and spread all over the place which means you'll end up with more cockroaches! Yeeeks! Another valuable piece of information is that frozen food needs to be put back in the freezer within 30 min after you come back from the supermarket.

Even though I was paid to go on the course, I had to cough up money to put Lavigne in the after-school club as I wouldn't be able to get back on time to pick her up. Then I spent more money by going out for lunch with my colleagues. But it was good. My social life is almost non-existent so it was nice to have a meal and just chill with some adults. Then it was time for the school run again. Rushing around is really tiring.

I'd left the key with the estate agent as someone had booked to see my home. I forgot to remind them to take off their shoes when they come in and the carpet on my stairs is now soiled. Humph! I just can't understand how alot of people can walk around their houses with their shoes on. I have a no-shoe policy in my home and once I move, that will be even more strictly enforced on my wooden floor. Talking about which we went to view a house last night where the wooden flooring had just been laid by a company which we were interested in engaging. The workmanship is fantastic but its price is on the high side. There's always this thing about spending less on poorer workmanship and inferior quality or just that much more on something really good, isn't it? It will depend on my finance minister.

The deal's moving along although not as fast as I would have liked. I think they need to be chased since there's no chain on both sides. I'm now wondering if I will be able to get everything sorted before my trip. Walls need painting and wallpapering and I want to get them done before we move. Time! Time! Time!

It's about time.

We've found a house. In order not to jinx the deal, there won't be any photos or much details yet until we've exchanged contracts. However, I can reveal that it's a newish house and little work needs to be done. The toilets and bathrooms are carpeted (BIG NO!) so we're going to change it to either lino or ceramic flooring. We're also in the process of getting quotes for real wood flooring for the ground floor. Yes! Goodbye to carpet, goodbye to stains. I'm pleased to say that the rolls of wallpaper I bought from Laura Ashley last year (yes, last year in a crazy sale) will finally come to good use and thankfully, I've got enough to cover a feature wall for both ours and the girls' room. The wallpaper cost only £1 per roll and the usual price was £25 each. It was a relocation sale and all the prices were slashed. Too bad the store was in central London and I wasn't able to carry much as I didn't drive. The theme for the girls' room will be butterflies but they haven't decided on the colour for the wall yet. I'm going to have a teal and taupe colour scheme for my room. Actually, all these had been decided ages ago, just that we didn't have our own place then. It was a case of building sandcastle in the air but now they're going to turn into reality. Oh and I can get back to gardening. My own garden. No one to come and mow my plants away. Hooray! Fingers crossed. Hope everything will go smoothly and we can move end of June or early July.