Any Brides whose HTB is 'Ang Mo'?

[eminozy]

hello. heheh. i think today is the last day of good weather here in austria. the valley have decided to harnest all the cold for the next 3 days. SIGH.

Bride bride- am definitely feeling more familar and comfy here than before. But i so need to know german.. i am so pissed with myself for not liking the language. the image of hitler always pop up in my head when i try and speak german!

hehehe

thanks Mrs N. tell me about groceries. after getting away with asian groceries at the customs, i realised i forgot to buy my favourite 'kicap kipas cap udang' over. Now my cooking will taste bad.

And i have too many SUPER 3 in 1 cereal now. heheheheh

Margie..its getting crazier_yes! but i hope for the best. i am freakin out coz i was too lazy to meet with my cupcake and bouquet person when i was back home... oh well.... what to do, right?just have to go with the flow.

i just found out that chris' friend have booked their ticket to singapore! its good news. they will be the only representative from his side- him and girlfriend. sigh. better than nothing.

SIGH.
i found the emoticons! yippeeee.. danke schön.hehehahhaha

 

[liz4jeroen]

The thread moves so fast! I just cannot catch up man! Ha ha ha..... Food! O man I dreamt about my sistern n brother and all I can recalled was it's about food! Funny man! Ha ha ha....

Emilia,

Don't feel sad. My family couldn't even come for my actual wedding in Netherlands. Wrong timing and too expensive. They just have to watch from the webcam. Probably you may like to use webcam for yr HTB's side to witness your wedding. Are you having one on both countries?

Nrs N, are you working now?

Magriel, Ã'm studying to become a dance movement therapist. It's a postgraduate course to prepare me for my future profession. I hope to be able to do a master after that so that I can do research as well. Dance therapy is using movement to help all sort of patients ranging from mentally ill, handicapped, children with special needs, elderly, mother n infant n or for ppl like u n me. I'm enjoying my course very much. It's not just for my profession in future but also own personal growth n insight of myself n becoming more wholesome as a result. It has done a great deal for me in the course.

Gtg n do grocery! Bye ladies! Will talk abt food in the next round!

 

[just_another_bride]

Mrs N,
Plodding sounds like a good way to describe my progress. Fingers crossed eh.
As far as i know, Singaporeans can't drive in Sg with a foreign license at all. So, get hubby to drive in the future if you decide to rent something here. hehe. But it is weird that you didn't get your Sg license back though.

Chrisl,
We've been together for more than 5 years so...he has had a lot of training! lol. Seriously, I think he is really an Asian in an angmoh skin! He has always liked Asian food. I think his fave is Bak Kut Teh! Oh wait, no, it is the fictional Singapore Fried Noodles.

Anyway, sounds like you've got a lot of tests to take but i guess given the extreme driving conditions you can get in Norway, it is always good to be well prepared. After passing the tests in Norway, you can convert to Sg license but you will need to do it before your Basic Theory cert (whatever they call it) is still valid, if not, you might need to re-take it.

emi,
LoL. Having Hitler coming to mind is definately not an incentive, but I am sure you'll get round it! Hmm...I love German films (well, those that i have seen), maybe that can be an incentive. hehe. Anyway, good to hear that you're settling in and enjoying it more than before. Stay warm and happy cooking!

 

[fruitchick]

Mrs N, I tried converting my licence after being here for 4 years but they don't allow it after I think 4 years have passed since you entered the UK so now have to take the test but haven't had time to arrange to send off my passport. I actually don't live close to work. I catch the train from Cheltenham to Bristol every day - takes about 40 mins.

My husband can cook asian dishes better than I do but we don't get to cook so much Singapore cuisine like all of you ladies here do as he doesn't know how to and I don't either!

I lived in Exeter before I moved to Cheltenham - we moved here because my husband got a job here. The yobs here are awful. One experience I had was I was rollerblading by myself happily on a Sunday afternoon and then this topless yob on a bicycle came along and first made fun of me by making funny "chinese" noises and then told me to "go back to my f%^*ing country you f&*^ing immigrant - and then I got scared and put my brakes to turn back to go home and he stopped cycling, looked at me, waited for me to go and said to me "yeah you go back to your f%^%ing country"!!!!!

I was so scared!!!! More scared that he will attack me and run away and I quickly went home and just cried and cried because I was then feeling angry that I never gave him a piece of my mind and feeling like a 2nd class citizen here!

You are lucky to be living in a village - at least there is some sort of a community spirit and u know everyone.

Eminozy, my husband and family speaks German and I have to learn the language too and its so difficult esp for us with no latin background - and I am just struggling!

Bride bride, as far as I know, the last time when my husband queried about driving in SG, for some reason, the internal driving licence that you get from the UK side does not acknowledge driving in SG so my husband couldn't drive in SG. Why can't Singaporeans drive in SG with a foreign licence? That just sounds wrong to me!!!

Another questions for everyone!!! Do we have to inform the SG government of our foreign marraige? I didn't think we had to but I thought I read from somewhere that we should? Can someone please help me???!!!

 

[georginat]

talking about converting driving licence, i am not sure if i need to convert to oz's licence too..think have to check it out before they sue me for driving illegally !!

yes, i encountered 3 racist remarks whhile in canberra too.Twice were i was alone at the busstop waiting for the bus, a car passed by and the front seat passenger, a white ass, shouted something nasty and i heard ' mother fxxker' and i scolded back too..but they didnt hear coz the car already sped off..the 3rd time was me and hubby walking home from the supermarket , while at the roadside, a van passed by, as usual, the white ass shouted 'mother fxxker' too , and i scolded back too...i guess those that dislike asians are not well-educated and never travel out of oz so they tend to be narrow-minded..

 

[just_another_bride]

Fruitchick,
That's a horrible experience. I've been lucky to not come across such yobs when I was living in Notts. Only time some idiots shouted at me was when I was walking with my friend but i suspect it was more to do with her being a muslim than me being foreign. The way i see it, these people are too ignorant, too lazy, too stupid. Most likely, they're the ones sucking their economy dry whilst we work, pay taxes and support them. LoL. I sound slightly right-wing there, but hey, it helps keep my temper in check and from engaging in a shouting match! hahaha. The scary thing in the UK is the possibility that these kids have guns, so the best thing we can do is shut up and just walk away. Don't get too upset with yourself for that, you've got to make sure you're safe first!

As for driving in Singapore, a foreigner can drive with a foreign license (maybe some countries are exempted, not sure) in Sg for 3-6(?) months. If they stay longer, they have to convert to Sg license. The rule on Singaporeans is rather restrictive but i think it is because they don't want everyone to pop over to malaysia or indonesia and buy a license and drive here. Which is why you have to prove that you had been living in the country where you got your license from before they will allow you to convert to Sg license.

And from what i understand you don't have to inform the SG govt that you're married.

 

[cuclainne]

hello to all .. wah, so many posts to read ..

foreigners have a year to convert their licence to a sg one, if they have intention to stay longer. elias sat for the written test and viola, he is the owner of a sg licence. now he's saying that i have to get one if we're getting car - it'll be more convenient with two kids. argh! so used to having a driver .. hahaha .. like chrisl said, to convert our sg licence in scandi countries, have to go for written test and they will test driving skills on icy roads (winter scenario). according to elias, they will place an obstacle on the road which is supposed to represent a moose or elk which will require the driver to swerve and try to go back to the original lane .. however most drivers would end up spinning on the road - he said it's fun .. ???

took sofi to botanic gardens the weekend before - she was scared of the grass. took her to east coast last weekend - she was scared of the sand .. her daddy thinks she is such a city girl! i shall just have to keep on trying ..

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi Bride bride,

I'm so sorry to hear about your story. I've one encounter with the blacks here after I came home from Dutch school near my area where I lived. He was with his gf and made fun of me in Dutch. Cannot remember exactly the words like Hey u from China. His tone was very unfriendly and said a lot of times n louder to get my reaction. At that point in time, I was very furious and I almost wanted to shout at him and said: Hey look I'm not from China but from Singapore! Not all Chinese are from China! But I just walked away but inside burning! When my husband came home, I was complaining to him about it. What saddens me most is that the blacks put others down just coz they're eing put down. I've never been racist until I came here and saw the dark side of some races. I try not to but the way they behave really put me off. Violence is the only key that they think is the way out to solve a problem. I always read and watch movies about the slum, I see it here. Pretty scary! I won't even want to step into the street. I hope to move sometime. My street is all right but wish for a more quiet street as it's near the station. You get all sort of people walking by.

O Gina, u've yr bad encounter too. I heard that aus can be very racist against Chinese coz of this ex politican who has such a racist against Chinese. So sad! Thank God that Singapore govt teaches us about racial harmony. I only realise it when I'm here how the govt has ingrained in us as being a Singaporean and not being a Chinese, Malay, Indian or... I discover that I see myself as a Singaporean rarely a Chinese...

I'm proud to be a Singaporean!

I haven't reported yet since I haven't gone back to sg. I think it's ok not to report but I would like to when I'm back.

 

[mrs_n]

I thought the case about driving license was that you are only allowed to hold one license at any one time. Its some international law according to my hubby when he asked the people at DVLA why I had to give up my SG license. Nevermind its too stressful to drive in SG anyway besides my hubby enjoys taking the bus and MRT. He's quite enthralled with our 'tapping' system.

Cuclainne Sofi so funny! Maybe you need to buy a 'grassy-looking' or 'sandy-looking' carpet for her.

Ha! Ha! Looks like your 'driver' wants to go on strike. But its useful to be able to drive at least can go 'jalan jalan' and not so dependant on hubby.

How are you getting on? Was wondering what happened to you as you 'disappeared' for a while.

Liz I'm still working in the same place. Have you recovered from your cold?

Fruitchick you don't have to inform SG govt of your overseas marriage. But you need to inform CPF and insurance etc. If you have the intetion of adding your married name to your IC or passport you can do it at the ICA building and they will update your marital status at the same time. Your original name still stays though.

Is your husband of Polish descent? Just wondering your name from the multiply invite has a polish ring to it.

Bristol's a nice city. Was there many many years ago.

40mins isn't so bad. Its quite similar from Retford to Sheffield. I used to commute by train too in the last few months of my postgrad. It wasn't so bad just that you had to know when to leave otherwise you'll end up being stranded at the station for hours. A car is definitely more flexible.

Yes those 'yobs' are terribly scary sometimes. Britain is becoming quite a dangerous place to live in especially in the cities what with hoodies and drunkies causing havoc and no sense of civic mindedness.

But its not just asians or foerigners that they bully I know of old people who are afraid of them too. Hee! Hee! We need more 'garang' people like Gina I guess.

Oh dear emilia jo that's too bad. Another excuse to go grocery shopping across the border eh?

 

[margiel]

Yeah me got the emoticons now

Georgina, ya it is sad with the racist thingy cos i think those nasty aussies associate Chinese with Mainland Chinese, they should have stepped out of their comfort zone and look around, it is not what they think, not all Chinese are loud and uncivilised !! Aiyo, made me boil again with my recent rude encounter with Mainland Chinese, I always tell hubby don't associate me with them

Emi, which cupcake did u order? hee ya i know, when the time gets nearer and tighter u just have to move ur butt and flow along. Are Chris's friends attending your Malacca's wedding as well?

Ah talking abt Alum, hmm cant be found in dictionary also, oh well doesnt matter since still can make do without that, thanks Gina n Chrisl.

Eliz, i see, sounds therapeutic. Am oso looking for some therapy courses like Play Therapy, Brain Gym etc, . Something that i hope i can branch out from what i used to do. Yes it is definitely holistic not only for ur future clients but for you also. Nice.

Wow reading how u gals are motivated to learn foreign languages, I feel 'guilty' heee.. Probably should give it a thought to learn German so that I can at least send regards to my in laws instead of smiling all the time heee

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi Margiel,

What did u study in the past? I'm curious. Do u have msn chat? Prob can exchange notes.

Learning a new language is out of no choice!

And it's compulsory here if I want to stay here. Well....

Mrs N, u mean church work? If not, I didn't know you've started working? Thanks, I've recovered but a little lazy nowadays to make ringpillows. Probably coz of having to start my engine in studying! Biz also slowing down, now have to crack my head on how to earn cash in other ways.

Cuclainne, talking about city gal! Jeroen laughed at me that I like nature and growing my own veg, but I'm so terrified of the creepy crawlies insects! They just makes me itch! Ha ha ha... My poor pak choy are invested with green mites! I can only wait till sat to get the biological pesticides! I use a little knife to capture them n put them into the soap water. Me so cruel! I dare not harvest my pak choy to eat! Anyone knows what to do hé? I tried salt water, they can still float and walk on water. O man! Help!!!! Or else all my efforts have gone down the drain!

 

[christie79]

Hahaha Sofi's so cute cuclainne! How old is she now?

Margiel Im also struggling with my Norwegian, but my PILs are nice to try their best to speak english to me. Though MIL said that ''you should learn Norsk soon!''

Oh when i was taking my dip course, i was really interested in 'art therapy'. At that time, the lecturer said that it's one of the courses we can branch out into..apart from play therapy. She also mentioned that such therapists are in demand in SG.

Bride hahah you really 'drill' him much eh?!

I have passed the basic theory test in SG, they said it's a 'lifetime' thing as once you have it don't need to sit for test again? Correct me if im wrong..

Are you ladies on overseasSingaporean portal? Cos there're a few nice people over there who share lots of recipes and such! Im going to make a chilli sauce from a recipe i found there cos i have so much chilli padis left in the fridge..

 

[christie79]

Oh my Eliz! I don't know how to help you cos im afraid of insects and creepy crawlies too! Maybe find pesticides soon as you can!?

But i insisted on growing my own chilli padi in the house though im afraid of the insects. I just started placing the seedlings in a few weeks ago and yesterday i was so delighted that some greenish sprouts are growing out of it!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Chrisl, u are also interested in art therapy? Cool! Yes, it's true that there's a demand in sg. At first, b4 i met my hubby, i tot of doing the study in aus n then start pioneering dance therapy in sg. Have i ever chatted with u over msn? I really lao liao! cannot remember.

What is this overseas singaporean portal? I'm thinking of making satay for my in laws as my birthday treat to them. Cool! My chilli plants have started to grow flowers but i hope it can survive though. I failed last yr! Ha ha ha....

 

[margiel]

Hi Eliz & Chrisl, my msn [email protected]
Would be nice to chat and share abt the alternative therapy. There is no Play Therapy course in Sg but there is/are play therapist in some Sg hospitals. yes high demand indeed as well as speech therapist too! Dance Therapy sounds cool but i wonder with stiff bones/ low muscles tone, is there possibilities to fit in the course criterias?

 

[christie79]

Hey Eliz No don't think we MSN hehee..anyway yes after my dip i thought of going to further too but i needed to save for the course 1st before so that was when i met my hubby and got tied up with work and online chats. So i didn't eventually go and idea just went down the drain.

But you know of any schools have this course online?

It's a SG government website which it's main intention is to gather all overseas Singaporeans..

http://www.overseassingaporean.sg/

think some of us here are also members there, including me ;P

 

[eminozy]

silly me didna pack winter clothings. innsbruck is at 5degrees at this moment and its snowing in the alps. GOODNESS!!! ITS AUTUMN. am pissed. the stupid camera i won on ebay is like stagnant. i have no idea whats going on. everything is not well..sigh.... dunno whats going on.

u think its PMS?

anyways, margie... yes they are also coming to the malaccan one and our honeymoon in penang. i dun think we can call it honeymoon nomore! heheheh. the cupcake is still ablur, seriously. all i know is i want it pandan tasting.

language-wise, i have started to look at the german phrase book.

sigh. i am looking into art therapy. theres not many places that have that course. anyone know much about it?

alamak... so pitiful sofi. afraid of sand and grass. hmm , maybe whats suggested above, to buy her a fake grass-sand-like carpet is a good idea. hehehe. well, try and bring her to a pool, see whether shes ok with water. coz my nephew is so scared of it, we are all worried for him.he is already 5!

Mrs N. i need to go across the border to buy noodles as well, can u believe it, you cant find those wet yellow noodles. how to make mee goreng mama, right? hehh

anyways, do any of u girls know where i can get a pianist to play for my wedding in spore for an hour. the person have to be able to play chopin, bach-classical stuffs( chris wants it baddddddd) and have own equipment.. thsoe mobile electronic organ that have a piano sound on it.

oklah better stop yapping.. .heheheh

 

[georginat]

canberra is 'ulu' but at least still can find some decent asian grocery stores !! surprise, surprise, surprise...

innsbruck is beautiful , went there once in 1999 with my mom..if i am not wrong, that's the place where 'sound of music' was filmed??

 

[just_another_bride]

hey liz,
guess we will meet racists wherever we go, just got to be careful and avoid the more dangerous areas. if all they do is make stupid noises and say stupid things, then let it be. staying alive is my primary concern! in that way, we're very lucky in singapore. we have racists here but i think it is very mild compared to what we experience abroad.

anyway, your dance therapy course sounds interesting. were you a dancer in singapore?

Chris,
not sure about the validity period for the basic theory. i never took the test! l converted my license before they changed the rules and made everyone take it. sorry.

culcainne.
my nephew's the same! he was so afraid of touching the grass and sand with his bare feet. my husband used to carry him and hover him over the grass just to tease him, but also to get him used to it, and he would just lift his legs up in a crouching position to avoid it! it was hilarious. anyway, just keep exposing sofi to it, she will get used to it. Nephew's (he's 2) still acts weird when he steps on grass but at least he will now. hehe

 

[margiel]

Culcainne and Bride Bride, try having fun activities on the grassy or sandy patch instead of getting them to walk on it

Like doing little gross motor actions e.g. 'dancing', patting or rolling while doing nursery song action or even add in water play or getting their favourite toys / pets to be with them at those premises, will be better if u can have some cd music at background to distract the little ones from feeling yucky. To de-sensitised the sensivity feel, it needs a lot of repetition + exposure + Play + PRAISES I used to do alot of early intervention with infants and toddlers as well on such issues.
It's always fun to see them at this age now, soooo adorable

 

[mrs_n]

Hi Liz yeah church work.

Getting busy again as school started, choir started etc etc so Fr busy getting me to get things ready. Lucky if I can get home before 6 pm.

Tired though yesterday went visiting the elderly people and might do some more today.

Chrisl I think all kinds of therapist are in demand in SG. I used to work in a special school just after my 'A's. And most of the therapists there (Physio, Occupational and Speech) were either from Myanmar or India. But I guess SG didn't have the facilities to train locals at that time. Has it changed now?

Margiel it isn't such a bad thing to be smiling at the in laws all the time. At least they smile back at you.

Are they in Germany?

Emiliajo have you explored the possibility of ordering online? Otherwise have to make do with spaghetti 'mee goreng' for the time being!

Hee! hee! I know where I can find a pianist - my dad!

He used to play in hotels before but doesn't do it now as he finds it too tiring. Have you tried putting up a thread on this forum? Maybe there are some music teachers around who could do it or know somebody who can?

Gina can't be that ulu lah if you can find decent Asian grocery store!

 

[cuclainne]

Mrs N, i think she found the grass patch to be 'yucky' cos the texture is unfamiliar to her .. we took off our sandals, elias even sat on the ground with her but she just refused to let her tiny feet touch the grass. we even let her hold a blade of grass in her hand to show her that it's ok, won't hurt her - she took one look, started crying and shooked it off her hand .. aiyah!

yah, he's so 'on' about me getting my driver's licence that he's even gone online to check how long it'll take for me to complete the entire course .. sigh ..

Elizabeth, me too - i love nature but dislike creepy crawlies. a few weeks ago there was a baby lizard crawling on the floor in the living room and on reflex, started hitting it until it died .. elias said i was so mean to kill it cos he would have removed it to another place (he once captured one and released it in the carpark downstairs) - i said i didn't mean to .. it's just that i saw it and i just wanted to get rid of it .. somemore old folks say pregnant ladies cannot kill insects, etc so i wasn't keen on letting my mother know ..

ej, she is ok with water - she has a bathtub where she likes to soak during her baths. cannot get her to leave it .. the other day i tried to get her to lie on her back in it so she would float and she didn't cry .. i think she's more of a water baby.

bride bride, my nephew was once afraid of my kitchen tiles - he would completely refuse to step foot in the kitchen .. now you can't get him to leave cos he's constantly ransacking my fridge for chocolates and sweets! hahaha ..

margiel, sofi was ok with the sand until she positioned herself for a crawl .. that's when the sand stuck to her hand and she started crying when she couldn't shake the grains off .. i told my husband that she got her OCD complex from him.

 

[eminozy]

georgina. australia is a confirmed land of great and wonderful asian groceries. you can find some really neat things you cant find in spore itself! heheh

mrsN, would your dad love to do it? we dont mind, in fact chris perfers pianist above the age of 40. he prefers waiters above 55 too. they seem to be more passionate and very much full of character. the cafe we have our coffee have majority of their waiters above 50. we enjoy looking at them and their professionalism. heheheh.

i think i have enough pasta goreng already! heheheh. we're heading to bolzano in italy this weekend, about 2hours away, i am bringing my shopping bag, who knows they might have noodles!

waaah margie.... sounds exciting, the way u psycho these kids! hehheheh. i think its sound viable!

nisa...ur nephew sounds so cute!whats OCD?



GOOD news girls.. Chris finally got the confirmation from Melbourne uni. we are migrating! hooray!!!

 

[margiel]

Hey Emi, Congrates!!!

Yeah i can see u back in Melb again!!!!! WHhen will that be??

 

[cuclainne]

ej, OCD is obsessive compulsive behaviour - we joked elias has it cos his hands have to be clean at all times. he can wash and wash and wash his hands at one time .. if we are eating, and a strand of noodle or grain of rice falls on floor, he will go to the kitchen to get a paper towel and floor cleaner to clean.

 

[just_another_bride]

margiel,
thanks for the tips. we try to play frisbee with him on the grass but he will still seek out his slippers before stepping on it! haha. but yes, he's so adorable when he acts all yucky about stepping on the grass.

cuclainne,
your nephew's so cute. good thing he discovered the sweets huh! haha. maybe i'll use that trick with my nephew. anyway, my husband's the same with creepy crawlies, and it's not just lizards, all sorts of bugs as well. i'm like most asians, take the baygone and use up half the can in the hope that it dies! now, i just shout for him. hiyoh, is this an ang moh thing?

 

[just_another_bride]

emi,
congratulations on the good news.
sorry, can i be kaypo and ask what Chris teaches?

 

[georginat]

oh, i found nestle's nestum in one of the asian grocery store, happy like toad !! bought a tin, not too ex, 500g for A$4.99..


Mrs, N, compared to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth...Canberra considers 'ulu'and its an inner state which is not near the coast..about 400,000 residents here?? but i think i am 'numb' to the boreness now !! haha!!

 

[christie79]

Im not too sure about that now Mrs N but the last time i came across one of my children's therapist comes from india and apparently there's a long waiting list of children waiting to see him!

It's ok Bride i just have to check more next time should i return to SG and drive..but problem is that SG's too convenient to drive heheh..

Hey Gina, wah you can find many asian stores huh? Good for you! Im comtemplating to open my own provision shop a few years down the road liao if things don't get better here! hahah

And oh! Im going to start school this monday already! 4 times a week from 8:30-12.30! Have to go pack my bag later! So excited!

 

[margiel]

Hey Chrisl, what will u be studying?

Fun to be in school life again!

Mrs N there are OT and PT courses in Sg poly but not for Music & speech therapy courses, have to do them overseas.

Cuclainne, sounds like Elias is more asian then most of us

Bride Brides u reminded me of an incident when home alone one afternoon in Melb. A huge swamp of migrating warsp came thru and stuck themselves on one of our study room window and outside wall, all i did was grabbed the insecticide and went out kaypoh! Gosh got a fright upon seeing them then quickly hop in and closed the door!! Even for huntsman spider, almost fainted when a pair of black eyes on outside window looking at me when trying to close window, my hubby can still slowly go out with a broom to kill it, alamak!! As usual i was armed with that super can and spray till it died hehehe.

 

[christie79]

Margiel it's the Norwegian Language course for spouses here at the local centre. Yup! Really looking forward so i can learn and understand what people are talking about

 

[skin]

Congratulations to all the to be brides and grooms!!

I am quite new to the forum, and have maintained more of a reader role, rather than a contributor. There are too many posts, I am still confused abt who is who, and whats going on.. I always feel so heartwarming and encouraged by the positive vibe in some of the treads here. (And of coz im equally despair to read some of the sob stories that people ACTUALLY go through in their horror relationships)

Just to briefly introduce myself so that you dont get lost when I suddenly reply to some of the related posts here. I am a Singaporean, and my bf of 5 years is an Austrian. He has officially relocate to Singapore in Feb 07, ending our rather LONG LDR.

Hope to get to know all of you, because everybody seems to be leading such interesting, colorful and different life.

p/s: Whoever is learning german, we can practise together.

 

[mrs_n]

Hi mc welcome to the forum. I guess it can be a little overwhemling at the beginning but don't let it put you off. You'll get used to us eventually.

cuclainne so you going to take up driving? I'm surprised Elias hasn't signed you up on your behalf.

I hate creepy crawlies too especially cockroaches! They are the one thing I don't miss about Singapore. The flying ones are especially horrible. They probably know I don't like them and they always seem to make a beeline for me. Ha! Ha! I think between the lot of us we can use up half of Singapore's supply of insecticide eh?

Chrisl at least now you don't have to 'goyang kaki' (shake legs) at home! School sounds exciting and you'll probably get to make some friends. How are you going to get to classes? On a school bus?

emilia jo my dad is over 70. Hee! Hee! But he doesn't play very much classical music though as he prefers those modern sentimental ones. Also he doesn't have his own equipment anymore. Its too much for him to be lugging heavy stuff around.

If you wnat I can ask him if he knows anybody.

Oh well you won't be having pasta noodles for long now that you're migrating back to Oz. So does this mean you do not need to learn German anymore? Anyway happy 'noodle' shopping in Italy.

Ah I see Margiel.
Hee! Hee! Talk about spiders. We don't have any insecticide in our house. So whenever I see a spider I'll yell for my husband and if he's not in I'll take the vaccum cleaner and 'suck' the spiders. The other day I tried to 'suck' a spider's nest but it was too sticky and the huge mummy spider came out instead and started running around and playing hide and seek. Ha! Ha! Have to be 'on guard' with vaccum cleaner next time.

Poor Gina! Have to chat with us more often then you won't be so bored.

bride maybe you should change your thesis to 'how to kill creepy crawlies'? We can supply you with the material on here.

 

[joyced]

Hi everyone! Long time no post and there sooo many posts that I can't catch up!

Nikki's german wedding is fast approaching.. next coming saturday! So I have been staying at my PIL's place cos it's nearer to her HTB's hometown. I'm really excited to see the both of them and to throw some porcelain plates at them..wahhaaa...

Chris,
How are you getting along in Norway? Must be cold there now right? It is already 13 degrees here so it must be much colder where you are.. not freezing your butt off, I hope..heehee. Have fun learning Norsk.. teach me some later!!

Emiliajo,
Interesting blog you have over at multiply..how's life in Innsbruck? I get what you mean.. german's a pain in the ass sometimes. Wah.. especially with that austrian accent, it is really tough to understand no?? Even on TV programs here, subtitles are shown sometimes when an austrian speaks..wahhaaa.. BUT the swiss accent is even worse.


Mrs_N,
Do you have broken porcelain plates? Send them over QUICK! I'll help throw them at Nikki and her HTB on your behalf.. hahaha.. Do they also throw plates at weddings for good luck in UK??

Georgina,
How's your 'ulu' Canberra? Sorry, didn't reply you over at multiply. Lazy lah. 400000 residents.. not bad already. Then my place is like 4 times 'uluer' lor. I am also getting numb and 'ululised', now I think it is frustrating and noisy when there are too many people around.

Cuclainne,
Is Sofi looking forward to her new sibling? Heehee.. didn't know that children have a fear of grass. Maybe you can start hiding sweets and goodies in the grass?? heehee..

Hi Margiel, fruitchick and mc,
Hi! I'm Joyce and am married to a German and living in Germany for about 1.5 years. Could you tell me more about yourselves? Too many posts to read and I am too lazy! I'm on multiply.. please add me!! My id is joyceyeoduelm.

Mc, would love to practise German with you.. rub hands.. my hotmail address is [email protected].

 

[cuclainne]

bride bride: the husband is ok with doing that for the lizards and such but the one thing he cannot tahan are the cockroaches - he will run away like a girl!! the funny thing was two weekends ago, he had accidentally stepped on one in the kitchen and didn't realise it. my brother saw it and was like, who stepped on the cockroach? he insisted it wasn't him and then was like, oh shoot, was that why my foot felt wet? hahahaha .. he immediately flushed the cockroach down the toilet and proceeded to mop the floors. he will easily use a can of baygon for this job cos he won't allow me to kill any cockroach with a rolled-up newspaper.

chrisl: wah, now you'll have something to fill up your time yah .. and who knows, maybe one day we can converse together .. hehehe ..

mc: welcome welcome to this thread..

mrs n: i am surprised myself. i've been doing some 'research' myself - didn't know now you can choose to drive automatic .. my colleague told me it's easier to drive with an auto but parallel parking is still a killer .. argh! i am so scared of driving .. drivers here are not a friendly lot.

joyced: i don't know about that .. sometimes she behaves like she knows about her sibling - she would lie with her head on my tummy .. sometimes she doesn't care and start kicking me .. sigh, it's really hard to tell with this girl .. hahahah

 

[just_another_bride]

Chris,
Don't drive in Sg, too stresful. I think if you put a heart rate monitor on me when i drive here i come close to getting a heart attack! haha. take MRT better!

MrsN,
Good idea. How about "The Joys of Roach Killing". Or you could do a second thesis, design an uber powerful spray can for killing roaches.

Margiel,
Ewwww....spiders! Freaks me out too, but husband will take a container, save it, and bring it out to a safe spot! argh!

cuclainne,
lol. how did he not feel the roach under his foot. i hate the white puss that comes out when the roach goes splat! but the amount of baygone that needs to be used up before that lil brown thing dies!!??!! more economical, more environmentally friendly to use newspaper (recycling its use! haha).

LoL. Just realised my post is almost entirely about creepy crawlies. Eeee...hair standing just thinking about it.

Anyway, Welcome to the forum MC. I've been here awhile and still have difficult following, so don't worry about it. Also, great news about your BF. WooHoo! LDR sucks but i think the ladies here are living proof that love conquers all eh.

 

[de_luxe]

Hi peeps

Lotsa happening here... i'm bit lost... seems like current topics are about insects, racism & kids' fears??

I'm terrified of insects - will run as far as i can... my theory is "i leave you alone and you jolly well do the same". Usually the vaccum cleaner comes in useful if the darn insect refuses to bug off...

I think someone asked me a long time ago abt my sis' wedding?? It's supposed to take place next Sept but from the looks of it, it's not going to happen until they buy an appt. Seems like their appt hunting hasn't been fruitful so i dunno if the wedding is still on. I sometimes see dresses and gowns suitable for weddings and wish i can have another wedding just so that I can go gown shopping!!!

Hello MC, i'm married to a German, living in SG. I hardly speak any German, only learnt for 6 months abt 4 yrs ago... are you taking lessons at Goethe?

cuclainne I remember my boss' son being afraid of grass - apparently didn't like the "poking" and sometimes wet sensation when walking barefooted...

how many months pregnant are you now?

My colleague's wife is 6 months and the poor guy says that an alien has taken over her. She used to be the most calm and rational person around and now nothing he does is right... e.g. buy flowers = what did you do wrong?, cook 3-course dinner = i'm not hungry, just want cheese and crackers... i think he's going to be at his wit's ends soon... poor chap..

Was in Germany for 2 wks for the obligatory annual visit to the in-laws. Was kinda stoned from the jet lag during the 1st wk back at work and only got up to speed last wk. Germany was ok, bit boring cuz been going almost every yr for the past 5 years... but i guess that's the way life is... the best part of the trip was that we both got to relax and chill... kind of found ourselves and connected again, which is really great as the last couple of months have been tensed, stressful and just plain awful - we kept arguing over the smallest possible stuff... hopefully things will continue to look up now...

 

[liz4jeroen]

Wah! The thread moves very fast! I'm lost again! Hee hee...

Mrs N, Ah! Church work! Ja, it can be really very busy. I miss serving! It's always so nice to be able to do church work for God.

Chrisl, Thks for the website. I saw that you've a lot of food up on yr multiply via my email. Makes my mouth water!

What's yr msn chat adres?

BTW, some of my pak choy's leaves are turning yellow. Boo hoo hoo! I'm trying the biological spray now but not sure whether it works or not as this is not really for green mites or plant insects. No harm trying though! Well.... there's more other insects attacking them. Some leaves even have holes. O well.... still learning how to plant... hahaha....

Welcome MC to the thread!

Hi deluxe, been a long time since I last chatted with u. Glad to hear that you and your hubby are getting on fine now.

Better go now! Going to ask my hubby to give me my birthday present, or else he is going to wake me up at 6am to surprise me. I want my beauty sleep! Ha ha ha...

Going to get real busy! My brain was overloaded with stuff on research. GOSH! It's really a lot of work to do a research! So much of readings to be done too for the upcoming assignment and to prepare 4 my other modules. GEEEzzzz...... How am I going to master my Dutch like that? Have to stick to my time table man! Tomorrow going to do some fieldwork in a hospital. Quite excited though. Going to watch how the dance therapist works with mother and baby which has always been my interest. Ciao! Welterusten (sleep well In Dutch) ladies!

 

[christie79]

Hey Eliz a quick 'Happy birthday to you!!!!'
My ID on messenger is 'christine0679' (email is [email protected]

hahah nice try Mrs N, not exactly ;p it's my hubby aka 'the driver' hahaha ferrying me to and from school (the classroom is just directly next to his office-door by door)

Bride- yes think take MRT or taxi better hahah but taxi drivers do give me heart attacks sometimes!

yeah Nisa we can try! hahaha..


MC-Welcome welcome / huan ying!!

 

[fruitchick]

Hi MC, my husband's half British as his father is German and he's lived mostly in Germany so they speak German at home, although they also do speak English but I am trying to learn the language for ease and also for myself to be able to speak another languauge. I am living in the UK at the moment.

 

[cuclainne]

bride bride: well our kitchen floor has splotches of water on the floor, esp. after our friend has finished doing dishes (i don't know how he cleans them cos more water ends up on the floor and counter than in the sink). that's why he thought he stepped on some water .. hahaha .. that'll teach him not to be so blur most of the times.

deluxe: i am about four months' pregnant. oh yes, i remember going through that phase when i was pregnant with sofi - it's the same now. i remember being so angry with elias for getting me pregnant cos of all the morning sickness in first trimester .. then my body started transforming so i felt unattractive and bloated so each time he does something nice, i put it that he's done something behind my back .. then when my tummy got bigger, i felt like one of those human carriers on Aliens - like the baby alien is going to just burst out from my tummy and i would cry for no reason. in my last trimester is when i was very clingy to elias cos i was so scared so he had to reassure me that everything was alright!! yah, pregnancy is such an emotional roller-coaster .. thanfully for me, elias understood that it wasn't really me - just the hormones acting up and just accepted it (hear through one ear and out the other) .. you just really need the support of your spouse.

now for the 2nd pregnancy, i am past the i-blame-you and being-sick-all-the-time phase. i'm currently at the i-can't-look-at-you phase .. aiyoh, i hope this baby won't end up looking like elias too .. cos i was the same with sofi, and when she was born, she looked so much like elias - i felt like it was retribution for the way i treated him the last 9 months so everytime i look at sofi, i am looking at an almost mirror image of him .. hmm ..

chrisl: when is your classes starting? so excited for you. was telling elias about it yesterday - we both agreed that the feeling of going back to school must be daunting but hey, at least you'll meet new people and hopefully make new friends yah ..

elias has been in touch with the embassy here and we hope to enrol sofi in the once-a-week language lesson when she is older. we don't want her to attend the school full-time cos we think she doesn't have much need for swedish as long as we continue living here plus we want her to mix around with the local kids more than the expat children .. as long as she knows the language to speak with her relatives, then that's good enough for us.

Elizabeth: happy birthday!! eh, must tell us about your hospital field trip - it sounds interesting, this dance therapy of yours.

 

[mrs_n]

Happy Birthday Liz and God Bless! Hope you have a really nice day.

Hi deluxe welcome back to SG. Hope you didn't return to piles and piles of work. Anyway glad to hear you've destressed and reconnected with your hubby.

bride hehehe! No way one thesis is more than enough.

I'm still mulling over my textbook. Hopefully I'll be ready to take the test soon.

Chrisl that's very convenient you can wave to Gaute from your classroom.

The good thing about studying is your hubby might let you exchange books for housework. Ha! Ha! I was revising the other day and Paul insisted on doing the ironing although I did offer to help!

Joyce you still owe me one brain cell.

Hee! Hee! Don't have any porcelain plates at home lah! Only ceramic ones. You want any? Hee! Hee! After breaking all your plates at Nikki's wedding, do you need superglue too to put them back together?

Ha! Ha! Our vacuum cleaner managed to 'eat' a huge spider along with 3 flies. Paul said that if the spider survived the vacuum at least it'll have something to eat!

 

[eminozy]

heheh. so funny. i hate cockroaches too. especially those flying ones-drives me insane. spiders are fine with me. One used to live in my car till it was the size of my palm in which i started freaking out! it was fling into the bush afterwards. icant kill spiders, i like them too much. heheheheh

Bride² chris is a sports scientist-researcher, he wants to teach one day, if possible. For now he is obsessed with writing journals.hehehe

Mrs N, 70 hey? Wow, that amazing. yeah, if u dun mind, please do ask him if he has anyone in mind.

i want to bake cupcakes again and try and sell them herein innsbruck, but i dunno who to sell it to.... need money man... hehehehhaha. i wanna be independent and not piggy back on chris too much. kesian chris!

what u guys think? apparently innsbruck have no idea what a cupcake is. have not seen any around at all.

welcome MC, i am in austria for now. which part of austria is ur partner from?

 

[christie79]

heheh Cuclainne i just came back from class. There are 3 students inclusive of myself so still ok lah..i was pretty excited and a little nervous about it yesterday night ;D Children learn most during their 1st 6 years so do speak to sofi as and when you guys could

Is that a free course for swedish children in SG? If that's so, it's great!

The 1st lesson was just intoducing the alphabets and numbers + introducing oneself. I have to do my homework later

and also revise again as it's a little fast for me i think..it's like a whole mental block frm not being to school for many many years!

hahah Mrs N i think i can try to do that
Not the 'waving part'

but the exchange of books for hsework hehehe (no windows overlooking the other room though)But it's good cos after classes or during breaks i can go next door and then he can drive me home for lunch too..

Hey Joyce! Long time no hear liao! How's the collection of plates getting along hehehe..anyway it's not a tradition here to throw plates. It's more of a tradition to drink cognacs+coffee after the dinner! The more cognacs the merrier!!! I joked to hubby that if i want to pass my driving test maybe i can offer the instructor some cognac 1st heheheh

weather here is one word ------> strange!! Think changing to autumn so weather has been up and down still uncertain, sometimes 6 degC like this morning and now it's up to 20degC!

it's me lah Deluxe hahahah lol yes! I miss the gown shopping part of weddings too! Ah yah actually i didn know weddings can be so fun to plan until i planned mine!

Ej think it's more of americans who do that, cos in norway here, no cupcakes too leh..not that i see here in my town..think europeans prefer more to the normal fresh crusty bread or normal big cakes or cream cakes. And oh how's your wedding preps getting along, hope you're going with the flow..know that chris is not with you so bear with it yeah!? cos it's not too long now that you're going to be together soon! Haiz! Brings back memories of me and my hubby too, being physically apart when i was planning the wedding in SG..hang on there!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Thanks gals for yr well-wishes! Today fieldwork was very interesting. Will write abt it tomor. Just to drop by to say hallo n thks.

Bride bride, I realise I didn't reply yr question abt whether I was a dancer. Will fill u in on that.

Sorry if I've missed some of u, the thread moves so fast that I cannot catch up...

Feeling tired! Going to log offline n perhaps watch DVD to chill out! Night!

 

[just_another_bride]

Emi,
ohhh..sports science is supposed to be one of the big things at the moment right. cool. does he get to meet lots of celebritity sportspersons?

Chris,
good luck with the language course.

elizabeth,
no worries. you sound like you've got a lot going on at the moment. hope you had a good rest last night. Oh, and happy belated birthday.

 

[margiel]

Chrisl, Ur sch location is so ideal, have fun with ur language class

Haha Mrs N, cant imagine how many insects being relocated into ur super power machine after a huge ' typhoon' *lol* Do u have to standby insecticide when emptying the vaccum bag?

Hi Joyce, Delux & MC hellos to all. A brief intro of me, im oso married to a german but living in melbourne. Joyce, i have added you to my multiply oredi, Thanks

Cuclainne, Sofi such a darling whenever i read ur post abt her.

Hi Eliz happie belated birthday! Would love to hear more abt ur 'adventures'

Hey gals, i have seen in some other threads where a list of table with names and info posted up. Thought it would be nice to have a list of table with our forum names, hubby's nationality as well as country where we stay?
But looking at the table formatting instruction im so lost

http://www.singaporebrides.com/cgi-bin/forumboard/discus.cgi?pg=formatting
(Scroll down to the bottom - Tables and Lists)

 

[joyced]

Hi Mrs N,
you're sooo stingy! Still bugging me about that 1 miserly brain cell?? Haha. Ceramic plates also can lah. Don't have to superglue them together later.. quality not quantity. I'll make sure I aim my shots carefully, so that I hit my 'targets' with the minimal number of plates..wahhaa..

Hi Chris!
Coffee and cognac?? Does it taste good actually?? Probably the more you drink, the better it tastes!
You mean that there are only 3 persons in class including you? Wow! Not bad, can get undivided attention! How long will the course last?
Plate collection is progressing slowly. Actually Nikki has banned plate-throwing cos she doesn't want to clean up. So I'll bring some plastic ones. She can't complain then right?? heehee

Hi Margiel,
Yep, I've accepted the invitation and already kaypohed at your multiply! Nice photos!

Hi Cuclainne,
Sofi sounds so cute! I guess, she kicks you sometimes cos the baby has taken over her formal home.. it's like.. hey! that's mine!! heehee.. Glad to hear that your pregnancy is coming along well!

 

[liz4jeroen]

bride bride n margriel, Thks!

Bride, I'm not a professional dancer but dance in church n performed in some events outside. I took up a lot classes n workshops n study music in movement in NIE as one of the module and was selected to do a performance in NIE. I also taught dance in the last yr b4 i came to holland. I'm more into movement n improvisation. When it's routine dance, I always have problem coordinating! Ha ha ha.. Just dun know why! Perhaps too much in my head! I also studied drama before I went into NIE for teacher training. Now it's a total switch to dance therapy. Drama n dance have always been my passion. Almost wanted to go NZ to study performaing arts. But in the end, my calling is still in dance therapy.

EJ, which cty r u staying? I can understand yr situation. I'm also making ringpillows to sell in Netherlands to earn some money. Have u tried internet to promote yr cupcake like yahoo auction, ebay... or set up yr own website? My friend did that in sg after she quitted her wk. She loves baking. She seems to be doing pretty well.

Margriel, gd idea, esp for someone like me so blur n poor in memory, just not gd with names. In the catholic thread, there's this gal who did up the table for us: wedding date, church.

Now to the details of the fieldwork yesterday.

First, I watched a video of a mother feeding her baby. The dance therapist n myself will give a rating according to parental sensitivity, structuring, nonintrusiveness n nonhostility, followed by child responsiveness n involvement to parent. Can't give too much details on the patient (mother) as it's confidential. But it's interesting to see the video. I learnt a lot from the video itself and how attachment is formed and the influence of a parent can do to a baby's development. According to the therapist from her working with the mothers n babies for 6 yrs, the mothers (mentally ill) became better, the babies often became worse. She's going to do a research on why it is so. In the afternoon, I watched a group, only a pair of mothers n badies are there. Usu abt 4 pairs. What i learnt in theory finally saw it in practise. How the baby moves, how the mother relates to the baby. This baby in the previous session (told by therpaist) kept moving up and down, back n forward vigorously, hitting the mother all the time n is hurting the mother. The baby has en extreme oral/bitting phase (kensterberg profile). The therapist has to protect the mother by teaching the mother how she can hold the baby that he's being held on. The baby got so upset that he cried and start blabbing, voicing out his frustration n anger towards his mother. There's a reason why the baby is like that due to the projection of the mother's illness. It's so amazing to watch how the baby communicated it through to his mother. It's like one adults talking n the other listening. I was very moved, almost wanted to cry. I can feel the baby's emotions. The therapist told the mother to breath in n be calm n listen to what the baby had to say to her. So interesting, when he had complained enough, he stopped crying and became much calmer, coz the mother, herself was calm and in tune with him. The baby felt understood by his mother. Then he is so calm and his mother placed him (the position where u burp a baby). The mother is so happy coz it's bn such a long time that she is able to carry the baby in that way. It's so moving to watch the mother and baby are sharing this moment of intimacy together. The baby no longer swayed vigoriously but in a very gentle manner, he was so happy.

I share the glimpse of yesterday's fieldwork. It's so rich. I'm going to do more fieldwork with her every month n if i can to do an internship with her nt july, i prob wd. She is a fantastic therapist and I always wanted to do something with baby's developmental stages.

I better pen off liao! Need to shower n start my readings! Doei (bye in Dutch!)

 

[christie79]

Thanks Margiel, Bride and oh, margiel, think it's a pretty good idea to have but im not sure if others here mind about revealing much. But im fine with it lah, just ID here, hubby's nationality, currently based where now should be fine for newcomers to glance thru and roughly know who's who. But heheheh the table formatting is kinda confusing leh..

JoyceI don't like the taste of cognac with coffee but instead prefer the other choice of Bailey Cream with coffee. It's sweeter compared to the other one which is more bitter in taste. But hubby loves it man! As well as other true blue norwegians heheheh...(or most of the norwegians go for it when they go for weddings as they(cognacs) are the expensive 'tok kong' stuffs!) hehehe

the class lasts as long as 300 lessons but one can learn until they pass exams i think and will be also given choice if they want to further studies too. But i have to find out more lah..they changed the system recently..

Eliz your course reminds me of my course of 'early childhood education' which is kinda similiar in certain modules. We went thru sessions similar to that and definitely learnt a lot! Especially valuable for our future use when we're with children.

OK got to go make my carrot cake!