Any Brides whose HTB is 'Ang Mo'?

[liz4jeroen]

Cuclainne, It is true and it is time for separation from parents and searching for their identity. What Chrisl suggested is a good way. Consistency is very important. On the other hand, what we discovered is that by attuning and/or clashing the rhythm, matching shows that they r being understood that they are going through a hard time and wanting attention, clashing is to indicates differntiation bet self n others n may stimulate or foster creativitiy. Extreme attunement or clashing are bad. For eg, like when she starts to bite, when doing likewise encourages her to do more and that is not the way. What can be done is to match her bitting rhythm by getting her to do something else like stated in the article 3. U will be surprised that they understood. And like Chris said explain why it is not right to bite someone. I have seen a baby not at biting phase but constantly move to n fro in a vigorous manner and is hurting the mother. coz Mother has allowed him to do so, he thinks it is an appropriate behaviour. Intervention has to come in to stop it and it took some time for mother (suffering from anxiety and panic) to learn and gradually he stops doing it. It was a painful intervention but the kid needs to express his anger n be understood. The mother has to held him tight (in a way) and learn to breathe and stay calm when that happened. He was crying, yelling, and complain (can't talk coz only 1 year plus). MOther just listening to him and let him vent out his frustrations. So interesting! After a long talk, the boy became so calm. That was only the beginning. The situation differs from one to another. It was an eye opening for me. Another incident with my classmate who babysit. This baby cried non-stop almost every day when wakes up. So she tried the method of following the rhythm, most will find it er why r u doing that. But it works.

Don't give up. Be consistent. Eventually it pays off. I have seen it.

 

[tootsieroll]

<b>Liz</a> Thanks, will read the article when I get some time to myself

Chrisl Joseph bites for 2 essential reasons, that I've observed: 1) Wants attention that I've not been giving him - lack of communication skills 2) Manja, overwhelming sense of love/emotion (like cuclainne said). I tried 'naughty step' as a last resort, aka putting him in a corner to time out, but I think he didn't know it was a punishment! I usually am stern with him, but that time when I cried, I just felt sooo terrorised. Ever heard of a toddler abusing his mother?!! The funny thing was, I think he actually looked concerned when I cried and stopped what he was doing! He's not in nursery at the moment, but the last time he was in it, he got bitten once by one of the kids. He's not the aggressor at nursery, but watching him at a playgroup on Friday, he was quite assertive (not aggessive) with hanging on to his toys and taking of toys as well, although when the other kids says 'no', then he just leaves it.

Cuclainne I do that too - tell him to say sorry, and he knows he did something wrong, but he'll just say sorry (back turned towards me), and run off, or say sorry like it's a joke, and try biting again! Headbutting too as well! Terrible 2s indeed

 

[eminozy]

elizabeth, heheheh. what if this biting thing continues to lets say in the person's 30s? errr... aka me?heheh. I bite anything and everything... from my little nephews to cats to husband to good friends. Do i have attention deficit disorder? In my own perception, its just affection and i do it to things i sayang most,

like feeling of geraaaammmm, so cute!

Hi tootsie.. whats your multiply, i kepo, would like to see you fotos.

hernie.. read and replied ur email!

yumcha...........*slurp slurp*

nissa- ive been looking at a couple of coachbags online..feelin itchy to get one too! hgehehehe

gympse- cross cultural issues are abound everything we do. but somehow its a learning process of getting to know each other better. Sometimes i cant tahan the independent individulistic nature of Chris but I have to accept it eventually. still pissed once in a while ... but hey when u got married to each other, you promised to accept each other's fault...so...

corrine...hope u are well, told some of the girls u pregnant , they are happy for u

is bertil happier back in SG?

chrisl- u do realised that the scandinavians used to paint their houses in whales' blood, hence its red? hehehhaa. i think its a sexy vampyrish idea. My aunt in UTAH has a red door for her home too... for more than 20 years already!

later!

 

[liz4jeroen]

hahahaha emilia, as long as it is not extreme, I don't see a problem. I do that sometimes to Jeroen. Hahahaha... Whereas kids are not the same, they cannot differentiate. When I mean for adults to be at oral bitting sadistic phase (this is the extreme), they are usually very sacrastic and very angry with anything, everything under the sky. They do not know how to control their anger, and can get very violent at some point. They can be stuck. But have to see what were the root causes. Usually it can be traced back to the parenting and how their parents have treated them. Usually, very sad cases. I have seen a client who is stuck in that phase and it is very clear to see it. She has borderline personality disorder. So it makes things worse. They are not aware of it most of the time. For your case, you know what you are doing, so it is out of fun and love. Don't worry so much.

 

[liz4jeroen]

Tootise, At 2, esp when you have the 2nd child, they usu cry for attention and get jealous. U have to be v clear that time given to Joseph is his time and time for his bro is his bro's time. It has to be v clear n u have to assure no matter what u still love him as much as his bro. I believe u do but kids don't see that. He has been the only child in the family and all attention has been given to him so now he is feeling threatened. What has happened to him now is the common reactions. My friend's kid, at 2 has that as well. He is not being naughty, but just do not know how to tell u so he uses ways that will draw your attention. Kids are very ssenstive. They can understand your feelings. Like the mother I wrote earlier who suffered from anxiety disorder actually has rubbed onto his kid and that is why he is behaving like that. Communication with kids are very crucial and important even though they can't speak. That is why movement n rhythm are used to by acknowleding that u understand them. A classamte of mine with 2 twins shared this. After she studied KMP and understand the stages. She can feel n sense the boys and she did the movement to match their tensions and they boys felt understood and she can relate to them better. Whereas her hubby has a problem and clashes too much with them that they act up and act tough. Very important to understand the language their language and it is so much easier for you n yr kids.

I plan to do up a blog on dance therapy movement soon once I study my course. And I am invited to give a talk at KKH. But yet to confirm. Once the blog is up, feel free to take a look. Now busy with blog for my wedding internet biz.

 

[christie79]

tootsieroll/cuclainne~hang in there! Patience patience..they called it the terrible 2s and 3s

Eliz~John Bowbly, Klein, Winncott, daniel stern's theories i didn't really touch on..but your link seems pretty interesting though

good luck on your hse improvements too!

heheh bear with the dust!

Ej~sure not?? don't think they would used whale blood as it would have eroded the door faster than it should to protect against the hash weather..anyway further checking on the web about that doesn't seemed to find any truth?? Enlighten me pls me blur lah hehe

cuclainne~my hse project is going to last for quite a while till end of year or more i think cos there's still upstairs to do

and we're not even finished with 1/2 of downstairs &amp; outside..

Maple~ yup! 'Ngo tou ngo' is im hungry

hehehe and since you like shopping tell you what you can say 'pang di lah' (cheaper can not?) ;P

 

[liz4jeroen]

Chrisl, What theories did u touch on? Share leh.

Thks. Very excited abt it! Finally, we get to do the house.

 

[christie79]

Eliz as i had taken the course abut 4years ago so dun really remember that into details heheh some gave back to teacher liao ;P have to refer to all my textbooks..but from off hand now i remembered from the 1st module, we learned Constructive theories from Erickson, Piaget, skinner and Vygotsky mainly but of course others theories as well in other modules (maths/science/language&amp;literature/art etc etc)

but just a 'touch and go' on some these though

nice right to be finally have own kitchen and place

 

[tootsieroll]

Liz Talking about following rhythms and the child's movement, I share with you my story. I was on a study day when Roisin was about 6 weeks old. There was a part about relaxation with pregnant clients, how relaxation can help with labour etc. Anyway, me having my super scientific and objective brain on, blurted out how I just couldn't do relaxation - I'm very much a 'lets get on with it' kind of person. At which point, the tutor said that she'd observed me with Roisin, that the reason she thinks why Roisin had been such a wonderful baby was because everytime she started fretting, somehow I would just get into a more relaxed position, and tapped her, not frantically, but very soothingly and rhythmically. I hadn't even realised I was doing it, I just did it. So perhaps I'm just a natually relaxed person, that's why I can 'get on with it' quite easily

Chrisl Ya, just got to hang in there. Terrible 2s indeed! I think the key to everything is to listen to the child, not just audio, but body language and other 'vibes' coming out from them too. Looks like he's got a very good sorting brain. He did very well indeed on jigsaws and sorting games today. I think he just doesn't feel challenged at times, poor thing.

 

[maplehue]

woah.. so many posts in a day!

fun reading your suggestions elizabeth and chris...looks like both of you are more or less ready for baby dust yeah. heheh

its sunday here and i have a tummy ache. went out for some indian food with a couple friends and have been visiting the bathroom since we got back. it wasn't spicy at all so don't know what happened!

glypmse..ha. i didn't think emil would want to be an egyptian prince on your wedding dinner. that'll be too much esp with the head gear and everything. how many people are you planning to invite. i couldn't recognise many of the ppl who came to our dinner We had many gate crashers. about 100 or so but luckily the chef got enough food out. we had to pay so much more. i really dont understand why some ppl would bring the whole family(4-5) when the card states 2 people. very inconsiderate. jeff didn't know most of the ppl either. he just smiled when we went around the tables to take pictures.

there will always be some cultural conflict when 2 people are from 2 different background. so far it has been good for me and jeff but of course certain things aren't so. even though he has stayed in asia for almost 10 years but he still cannot tahan the crowd or busy-ness or loudness of the place. he wasn't so happy in sg either and that is why his choice of location in sg and here(hk) is located somewhere a little 'out of the way' so he can have his 'quiet' time. we promised to talk and discuss things when there is any issue and if there is any misunderstanding or conflict, we also promised to resolve it before we go to bed. this really forces us to deal with things!
what has worked for us is acceptance and understanding. of course we get upset at times but as long as we don't blame each other but rather at the situation, it'll make things way simpler to manage..

girl, i am sure you and emil will be fine. it'll take time to get to know each other and everyday me and jeff are still learning about each other. it can be frustrating, exciting, fun and of course romantic la, it is how you see it right..

Like wat eli said, one step at a time my dear one step at a time. slowly but surely.

and oh by the way,we are in hongkong island.

liz how are the butterflies? when we just moved in here, jeff pointed out to me 2 butterflies flying outside our window. i didnt know butterflies can fly high??? in btw, i am in education.

your dance therapy sounds so interesting. sometimes i use music too in my work.

cuclainne, saw an LV boutique yesterday in Central but we were on a bus exploring the area. We hop off immediately and then i got distracted by a huge shopping centre with lots of bags/shoes shops and by the time we went out to find it, we got lost! and jeff's feet were already hurting so before the hubby got grouchy, we hailed a cab and left. i didn't shop much la. couldn't find the shoe size. jeff ended up buying a pair of shoes but the treat of the day was a set of jamie oliver's professional series Tefal non stick pots and pans!!! i can't wait to use them!

i love tefal and i like jamie oliver!! do you have his cookbooks??

you bought 2 aigner bags? woah! what color? their blacks are beautiful aren't they? i dont have a black bag yet. maybe i should get one. there is a prada distributor somewhere around my place, maybe i should take a look. about a $2 cab ride from my apt. and i heard the bags are like 20% off.cos they are mostly from past seasons. my house agent was the one who told me! something i need to tell jeff and explore alone. heheh.

did elias really get cursed by the indian girl? did he cross her? that friend we have in india..he told me his colleague got curse by an older woman and had tummy ache or something for a few days. not sure whether it was just a coincidence. i heard the oborigines in oz can do a "perfect" curse!they did to the parliament(goverment related building)house i think and that building till now, always has problem. when is elias going back there(india)?

glypmse definitely no yumcha in central cos it is more of an upscale place. i want yum cha!!!

chris thanks for another tip.

mm koi. i dont know how to pronouce the other one. will try when i go out. i still couldnt find the pineapple buns la. we went to the bakery yesterday and they got this bread and it says red/pineapple bread. i didnt buy cos i dont think it'll taste good. a weird combo wouldn't you say? we bought a cake and i said to the girl, "Mm you fa sang, ngo woo'ee' say!" i wanted to say "no nuts or i will die". dont know whether i made sense or not cos she smiled and nodded and gave me the thumbs up. i guess she understood cos i had a slice of it and didn't get any complication. hah.

emi...good chatting with you last night. i think next time we should get the hubbies to chat online themselves la rather than use us as their 'operators' to relay their messages. he

tootiseroll hope you didn't get any more bites from joseph. he doesn't look like a biter to me!!

marge who is ah xiao??

ok girls. its french toast time. jeff is finally back in the kitchen doing his sunday routine making moi breakfast using my new tefal pan. it should taste better i think. heheh. i hope my tummy is strong enough to eat after last night!!

hello to everyone else. hope i didnt miss any post or questions!

And oh deluxe i hope you are well now and slowly settling in. you've moved in to your apt right?

ok gals. hugss. going now!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Chrisl, Ah I studied that as well in NIE and for dance therapy. The other theories that I mentioned are more into the psychodynamic and psychotherapy of attachment theory. Hope yr kitchen is coming around soon. We still have a long way. ;P Hopefully to get it done b4 we depart to Singapore.

Toostie, So cool! Most if listen or observe are able to attune. I believe if u will be the fast learner and very naturally.

I am also a very analytic person. Though I am very sensitive and often pick up things around me, I have to learn to come to my body level in my course. To feel more at the body level.

Maplehue, what do you teach? I used to be in the education line too. Music, yes, is very theraputic. I observed once a music therapist with groups and I even participated. So so so interesting! Esp with all the instruments. Never know that there are so many instruments. U name it, u have it. So so so cool!

We also have the same agreement, never sleep until we resolve our issues. Never sweep under the carpet. Kekekeke...

Hihi to all ladies, hope u have a great weekend!

 

[glympse]

cuclainne, hehe now i can see ur photos after changing my status to 'friend'

nice to see ur wedding pics! Showed them to Emil too, he said Elias looked hot (as in cos of the weather ), and he prob would look similar when it's our turn

haha cool that Elias likes Indian food Emil hates it, he doesn't really like the spices used. That time I made chicken curry for him for Christmas (before I knew about his adversion to spice), and while he did gamely eat a bit, i was wondering where his usual appetite went

Emil doesn't have many friends here, def no Swedish friends at least. He does know some Singaporeans (he was an honourary member of the Singaporean club when he was in Uni of Illinois for a year ), but everyone's too busy to really meet up. He told me his only real friend here is me ... and yea, i know he def misses the people and lifestyle back home. He does get along pretty alright with the people from my church tho, so hopefully overtime close friendships can be built la.

Liz, wow KMP sounds chim, but one of those courses that are actually applicable to real life! Sounds like a worthwhile investment of time to study for

Thanks so much for honestly sharing about your journey with Jeroen. It really sounds a lot like what Emil and I are going thru, but like you said, it's all the prayer, communication and by the grace of God that we have pulled through and walked this far together. For Emil and I, we decided for him to come to Singapore mainly because we felt my church would provide a strong spiritual environment to be rooted and grow in, so that our relationship has the solid foundation in God. In Sweden it's a bit harder cos of the spiritual climate and individualistic culture that doesn't encourage accountability, which to me is a bit dangerous. I think I'm a lot like you personality wise though, perfectionist, driven, able to adapt relatively well to new environments, so I guess how you feel in Holland would be similar to how I'd feel if I were to Sweden. Having said that, we're praying and seeking God as to where we should head next, i.e. to stay in Singapore, or go to Sweden, or go to some other country. I know Emil's really trying to adapt here for my sake, but yea, don't want to see him wither away just for me ... one step at a time, trusting Him to lead la.

Liz/Chrisl/Tootise/cuclainne, was really amazed at the sharing on babies biting .. really good advice given. To be saved somewhere for future reference! But yea, being a mum is sure not easy ... kudos to all the mums!!!

Emi, hehe good point... we marry the entire person, the good plus the bad

maple, we're planning to invite about 400 people. My dad told me he needs at least 5 tables (of 10 each) for his business associates :S oh dear how inconsiderate of those who didn't keep within their invitation ... gd tt u all managed tho. Not sure what I would have done ... would hv been tempted to lock them out, but i guess that would have been mean

Thanks too for sharing, and yea for the reminder not to blame the person but rather the situation. Like you said, communication is key, and yea, Emil and I do share very honestly with one another, tho sometimes Emil does tell me he's a bit reluctant to tell me certain things for the fear that i may react badly ... don't want him to become scared of sharing with me la, so that's something I gotta work on ... that acceptance and understanding that you pointed out. Think a lot of times I'm a very 'task' person, so I like to see things decided and get done quick quick quick. But Emil is a bit more laid back and prefers to think things thru before arriving at a decision or plan of action. I think we complement each other that way, but sometimes that can create tension. So gotta keep it in mind la. Like my pastor told me, never lose sight of why we are together

Haha looks like u gotta take a trip to Causeway Bay for yum cha! At least the train system in HK is pretty efficient, can get fr one place to the other pretty fast, tho it can get really crowded :S

French toast sounds yummy!!!

 

[mrs_n]

Hiya everyone hospital visit went rather well on Friday I think inspite of getting lost at the beginning. Paul sent me in on my own while he parked the car. But needless to say he got lost too while trying to find the ward and me!

The maternity ward is surprisingly rather pleasant. Had envisioned a corridor of screaming ladies somewhat like the one shown on BBC panorama. The MW measurements were indeed off but nothing wrong with its size. It was just as my MW had suspected baby's head was rather low now and according to the hospital MW it's engaged so could be anytime soon (at least we hope).

Tootsieroll the hospital mentioned that they will consider an induction if the baby was more than 12 days overdued. But said I could discuss options with my MW. Anyway hopefully it won't come to that. Not very keen on induction. Maybe if I keep running up and down the stairs!!!

I thought biting is just a phase that toddlers go through. My younger cousins used to do that when they were little. Used to be afraid to carry them after that. But they stopped after a while.

At least Joseph seems to show some remorse after 'abusing' you. One of my SIL's sons actually hit her when she laughed at him while they were playing a game. And it was quite a hard whack he gave her. Instead of scolding him she apologised to him! Paul and I were so shocked! Paul later told her she shouldn't be doing such a thing and the boy should be the one apologising to her instead, after all he's 9 years old and should know better than to hit his mum. SIL's kids are a real contrast to BIL's when it comes to discipline.

glympse Alicia's my cousin. She's the one who went to Lund. The batch after you I guess. Hee! Hee! Small world indeed. You're the second person on this thread who knows her.

Maple I'm still cooking. My mum doesn't cook at home so she said she's a little rusty at the moment. But she helps with the preps. My dad is the main cook at home but decided to take a little break for the time being. He spends most of his time playing the piano.

Oh talking about sambal blachan. Found out from the overseassingaporean portal that blachan is going to be banned for sale from the EU. So that means Asian shops here won't be able import and sell blachan. I think we can still bring in blachan for our personal use. But ... that means have to wait to go home to stock up!

Got to go now. Hi to everyone else! Will come back again to chat whenever I can.

 

[tootsieroll]

Mrs N: Maybe can do a membrane sweep if the baby gets to +7d overdue....might help move things on a bit. Of course, things like curry, raspberry leaf tea and of course *ahem* can also help things along

Joseph hasn't bitten all weekend! Hurrah! Maybe he knew I was talking about him

But I think it's because I've engaged him more.....yesterday we were beating eggs to make an omelette. Finished beating, and I took our forks away. He threw an almighty tantrum, and proceeded to raid the drawer for a huge whisk! How to be angry with him?

 

[cuclainne]

so many posts to read and reply to ... so i'm going to take my time .. heheheh ..

glympse: if you don't mind, elias has some swedish friends here and he mentioned that maybe they could go out, just the guys .. i could pm you his mobile and maybe emil can give him a call to fix something ..

mrs n: i can send you belachan through the post but they'll probably reject it cos of the smell .. oh, is that why i couldn't find belachan this time round when i went to stockholm?

maplehue: i have two of jamie oliver's books .. i have 3 of nigella lawson's but i have since decided that her recipes don't really turn out well (maybe it's just me) so i've started buying gordon ramsay's books - i think he's a bit mental (i think all michelin-starred chefs are) but he's really someone to watch la .. heheheh ..

another chef i like is andreas viestad, he's a norwegian chef - he hosted two seasons of scandinavian cooking (my fave cooking show right now!) and elias calls him my tv boyfriend .. hahaha ..

 

[iamhey]

hiya! i am fr hk and my bf is fr singapore. we are getting married next yr. we want a simple wedding and dun intend to hold banquet. any suggestion of a nice restaurant with nice atmosphere and nice food for guests ard 50 ppl in singapore?

 

[eminozy]

heheh nissa. Ramsay is both Hernie and me and our partners 'Kitchen God'. His mental is the one that makes me in particular so WOWED by him. He took oz by storm and there a time 3 of his shows are on tv per week. Quite overload... But it was good. Now left with one on Tuesdays only.

yeah this thread is like a super fast train

Mrs N, good to know you are on top of everything.. do you any idea when u gna pop?

Hello Cardith,
welcome aboard.. hhehe i guess now Maplehue( Hernie) will have a HK( that is if u are in HK now) gang to hang out with, she just moved there a couple of weeks back. ANd in regards to a nice place.. heheehha. i think i have to say it... MARRIOTT. and people to talk to is Margie... will tell her about you soon so she can find her way back here.

well, oklah now midnight better sleep!

ciao girls!

 

[christie79]

Hey Tootsieroll! That's a good sign of improvement

Joseph is learning thru his environment so he needs constant engaging activities. Maybe you can give him more sorting and counting 'games' or hands-on activities (like beating the egg) heheh but take extra care of the mess!

Thanks Mrs N for the tip! Will take note

&amp; have a blessed safe delivery!

Maple~you can say 'ngoh dui fa sang mun kum, ngo mm you fa sang' (Im allergic to peanuts, i dun want peanuts)

Cardith~Hey congrats

i supposed you're cantonese? I would recommend 'Lei Garden Restaurant at Chijmes Singapore. They have pretty nice atmosphere and serves good cantonese food but im not sure if they accomodate 50 ppl though. You might want to take a look at their website and ask them http://www.leigarden.com.hk/
and another note, you can hold your wedding in Chijmes's lawn + a white marquee http://www.chijmes.com.sg/whitemarquee.htm
i personally think it's pretty nice to have ROM solemnization cum dinner there after at the restaurant..but not sure if the restaurant can accommodate that though..hope this helps

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi ladies,

Just to drop by. Now in Munchen. Woke up very early. Got up at 3am yesterday to catch a flight. super tired after one whole day of workshop. glad that there is internet access but the keyboard is different, so have to figure out n not used to it. kekekeke....

hahah i have learnt more abt the terrible 2s. It is the straining/releasing rhythm where they work very hard n used up a lot of energy. A time where they learn to stand up from crawling. They can be v stubborn, determine and frustrated. Beginning to learn how to control their bowel, a gd time for bowel training. They want to show what they can do. And a time of trantrum throwing n anger.

What u can do with them is get a big basket and do hold the things for sometime and then let go by throwi´ng into the basket. But this phase can is at 18 months or even earlier.

And then moving to running/drifting rhythm, at 2 yr, they like to play with fluid, like water, sand, they can run run run n get drifted away. At thsi phase, they will mess up food. Let them be. What u can do is place a floor mat so that the florr won,t get dirty.

That is whz Joseph wanted to continue beating the eggs coy he is at that phase. But of course u have to set structure or else they can get lost. U can play catching with him. By catching him, u are setting structure and containment for him. Another is give him a pail of water and let him use containers to play with water or with sand.

The time frame can happen earlier, what we notice is from observing them n understanding which phase they r at and then help them with it to go thru the stages n also less frustration for parents.

Ok i better stop or else i go on n on kekekeke

Till then ladies! Cheers!

 

[tootsieroll]

Thanks ladies

I actually do most of that with Joseph already - it's really just listening to his cues more than anything. I think the child will lead you, and us as adults have to listen. Already at 2, he's an ultra opinionated kid - what to do, like parents, like child hahahah

 

[georginat]

hi ladies !!

the thread is getting hotter now ;-p so many posts to read !!

am back to canberra with baby luke, so cold here !! :-(

saw some posts talking about bags ( my fav besides shoes )..i have about 10 LV bags and Prada bags but could only bring 1 wallet and 1 small bag to canberra with me, the rest have to keep in Sg..sometimes think about it, no point buying so many bags coz some only used a few times ( but then, am happy to own them ;-P cant stand myself )now i boycott Prada bags, smae to some of my friends, coz the lining tears easily..i bought 1 bag from HK airport and the lining torn after using twice and took 4 mths to repair it !! geez !! but those i bought in Florence after so many years still in perfect condition...heard from a friend now some LV items are made in China,real stuff, selling in the boutique, the prices the same as those made in Euporean..so if you ladies have intention to get LV products, do check where they are made from 1st !!

tootsieroll, nisa, i only handle 1 kid already cannot tahan !! baby luke wants to be carried , walk around, so tiring !! and he is getting heavier, me no strength to carry him all the time ...he is sleeping now :-D

 

[glympse]

Mrs N, Alicia's ur cousin? Such a small world indeed

Who else knows her on this thread?

cuclainne, thanks for the PM

Emil's mtg up with his own Singaporean friends next week (without me), so really hope that will help him feel like his identity to Singapore is linked beyond just my circle of friends la.

cuclainne / emi , talking about Gordon Ramsey, Emil and I love watching Top Chef .. tho there was once it reached a point we couldn't take all the vulgarities and backstabbing and cursing, so we skipped it (and it happened to be the finale... hahahaha).

Cardith, welcome to the thread! I'm having my wedding banquet at Marriott, so perhaps can give u tips on Marriott itself, tho mine is a lot larger scale. 50 ppl sounds nice and cosy, good for u! I wished I could do that but my dad wld prob kill me hahaha.

Liz, now, having kids sound scary terrible 2s alright! But I guess nothing can conquer the love of a mother

Georgina &amp; other bag lovers, I've found Hong Kong and Philippines good places to go if u wanna get really really good imitations ... tho I guess for true bag lovers, buying an imitation would be the ultimate sin

 

[cuclainne]

cardith: hi and welcome ... as per chrisl's suggestion, lei garden is NICE!!!! the food is delicious .. are you in sg at the moment? maybe can go to the restaurant and check it out for yourself?

emi: they had three of his shows on AFC (F Word, Kitchen Nightmare and Hell's Kitchen) .. he is a good chef but sometimes i cringe at the way he yells and scream at other people .. hahaha ..

liz: yesterday sofi smeared blueberry jam all over the living room floor, just so that we'll have to put her in the shower which is what she wanted in the first place .. she likes playing with water. if we bring her to the swimming pool or water play area, it will take ages before she's done. ok if we have plenty of time to do this like on weekends but in the mornings, when we're rushing to go to work, we can't afford to let her play at leisure. i just feel like sometimes, we're just rushing her along ..

gina: how are you? was the flight back to canberra alright - i hope you didn't have any problems with the FM and stuff.

you also a bag lover? got more kakis! heheheh .. yah, my colleague who loves branded bags also told me the same thing .. she said it started from LV China, imitation bags get returned and then sold off as the real deal .. she says it must be an insider job la .. so scary!

glympse: that's good to hear .. i think he just needs a bit of time to adjust to the pace here ..

have faith that things will be ok yah ..

 

[liz4jeroen]

Toostie, Fantastic! That u r tunning in with Joseph! And listen well to him. Well done! Clap clap clap!

 

[liz4jeroen]

glypmse, no lah! Motherhood is a joy. We all go thru it ourselves as a baby. Though it is not easy, I believe with the understanding, it helps mothers to understand the babies better n easier to go thru the development with them.

Life is up n downs, right? even as adults. Nothing ever comes easy. That is the fun of it! Kekekeke....

 

[maplehue]

Woahh so many posts!!!
Moi just started work today..just came back and have to prepare dinner soon. A little tired. Supposed to start yesterday but HK was hit by typhoon level 8 so everyone was told to stay home! A little scary esp. being on 31st floor but quite exciting. Thank god it is over.

Liz, I'm in Visual Arts.

Loving and enjoying it so much! Im sure you know how it feels to combine your passion with your career right?

One instrument I would love to learn is playing the harp...but so hard to learn and don't know where to go. I learned the piano and didnt even finish. now it is in my house in sg collecting dust!

Glypmse, no one knows where to find yum cha la. I asked a few of my hong kongers colleagues. I was surprised to see that they are not into this yum cha thingy! I thought it is big in hk, no?
Wow 400 ppl? That is a lot! Confirmed your theme already?

Mrs.N, good to see that you are still up and about. That'll make the delivery easier right? It must be so nice to have your parents with you, helping and suppporting while they are there. Sorry to hear about the belachan story. That is not good if you love belachan a lot. Is Paul a belachan lover too? Can he eat sambal?! Maybe cuclainne can send you some via post! hehe sure kena reject by the post office!
Take care and hope to hear the good news soon.

and hope you guys didnt get lost when you are at the hospital!

Cuclainne, I left all my cookbooks in Sg in the storeroom under the stairs at ubi. Hiya! Should have brought them with me! I loveee jamie oliver! I like his casualness and his type of food. I feel the same way about nigella. Even my mom said her recipes can't work! And when she said 2 tablespoons of olive oil, it is more like 5 or 8 tablespoons! Quite unhealthy and unrealistic.

And Emi is right... i love gordon ramsey. Jeff and I would watch him and laugh so hard. No doubt he is one crude and rude person not to mention mental too but his shows are so interesting!! He needs to attend an anger managment class for sure! He is quite a perfectionist I must say. have you seen him with his family? so loving and fatherly eh? Never used any swear words at all when he is with them. I think having all girls at home helps calm him down la. haa

I dont know andreas. is he new?? so he is your tv boyfriend now? heheh.

welcome cardith

where are you now? sg or hk? were you affected by yesterday's t8? some places were not affected that much but some areas yes. this morning when we were in the taxi, we saw so many broken branches, debris on the roads. i hope no one got hurt. in btw. congrats to you and htb!

Chris, how is the reno going now? Thanks for the tip!! I am practising hard but my pronounciation is so bad! so embarrasing!

Liz what are you doing there in munchen huh? Is jereon with you? take care and dont wonder alone ok.

gina so many LVs!? I haven't bought any bags yet in hk. haven't really looked at prada either but if the quality is poor, maybe i'll scrap the prada idea.

glypmse, other ppl also say to me that hk is a place to buy bags. i think i have to experience myself first la.

you are right, as a bag lover, i cannot bring myself up to buy an imitation. heheh. i reaD somewhere that the hijackers of 9/11 suppOrted themselves in the US before 9/11 by selling fake LVs and other brands in the US!!

emi...your darling is coming back this weekend right?! heheh make sure you got the date right this time ok.

ok gals, talk to you, my energy level is low now, need to cook and eat something. still not used to waking up at 5 ish in the morning but i guess i'll get used to it soon enough!!

xoxo
hi hi to everyone else...over and out!

 

[cuclainne]

the annoying thing is that i got round to buying her books because whatever she cooks on her cooking show, actually looks delicious and easy .. haiz .. i'm trying to curb buying more books but i end up buying other things like bags instead .. hahahah ..

yes, he's very loving towards his family but i suppose some people are like that - different personalities for work and home.

you can see him on this site .. http://www.scandcook.com/ i have a book of his but some of the ingredients cannot be found outside of scandinavia so it's a bit of a downer ..

 

[maplehue]

..and cuclainne, the LVs in Korea look exactly like the real ones. so scary man. i dont know how they do it and they don't display them in their shops but in the their 'secret' rooms!! I kepo kepo asked them one time and thats how i found out about the 'secret' rooms. they even use LV catalogs!

ok makan time now. jeff is super hungry!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Culculainne, U did yr best. At least u give her time to do so over the weekends. Probably structure has to be set that on weekends they get to play with water and explain to her. As long u r not stopping her, it is ok.

Malpehue, Hahaha.... I am doing the kestenberg workshop in Munchen. I m alone. Geezzzz ... i have a funny encounter when I reached airport to get a ticket for a train ride. This german lady came over n i tot she was trying to b helpful, showed me how to get ticket. IN the end, I couldn't understand what she wanted. Then a german guy came n explained to me that she was trying to sell her ticket to me and make me bought a half ticket. O man! I asked the man whether is that a valid ticket. Ok i bought the ticket from her cheaper than the normal price. I think she used the ticket and trying to see off the get part of it back. O man! Next time, I learn to be smart. I have to ask around to get my way since all is in german. Kekekeke....

Ok lah I am like the whole day in workshop. Went to supermarket this morning myself. Yesterday some went out but I was too tired to go. I woke up at 3am just to catch my flight n a whole day of workshop. Managed to catch some sleep though my bed is beside the dining table. U can imagine the noise. ;P

Pretty warm here in fact. Talking abt music instrument, I wanted to learn a musical instrument. Too ex lah! I love the sound of the harp.

Ok Ladies I got to ciao. Welcome cardith!

 

[maplehue]

Liz, that was quite funny. As long as the ticket is valid, it should be no problem right? Hope you got to sleep there and not too tired running here and there. When you will be back home? ..Ah, harp...has such a sweet enchanting sound to it. But yes, to learn anything is so dear. Even for a basic guitar course. Have you watched 'August Rush'? I think you'll like that movie. Quite a moving one.

And <font color="ff0000">HAPPY NATIONAL DAY</font> everyone! <font color="ff0000">Majulah Singapura</font>!!!

ps: Watched the Beijing Olympic opening last night. WOW!!!

 

[eminozy]

heheh. hello girls... happy nat day. heheh. i totally forgot and i dun normally get excited by it. ANd yes Beijing opening was amazing but it went on too long... i was falling asleep. I did in the end switch it off, cannot tahan anymore. tehres many things that could be shortened but they waste time draggin it. I guess the girls in white high boots on the side of the stadium with short skirts and white caps are soooooo exhausted having to clap and dance to all the various country contigents. I sure dont want to be them or the 1st country that came in. Super hot, humid, sweaty and very the leceh, waiting game.

Although, i really like to see the multicultural aspect of china. that was an eye opener.

love
the clothes....

ps: been looking at coach and fossil bags... i think they sway more towards my style.

hehehheh

OOhhh yes, chris will be back tomorrow at 5am... should i pull a sicky on monday and spend some time with him? heheheh after 5 long weeks, its about time, my singlehood feeling² is waaaay expired.

nissa, i mean i think if i am Ramsey, i wil be f wording all these people off too, sometimes, these people are just super cialat- BIG TIME. so i dont mind him swearing and yes he is so dear to his family, its amazing.

Theres this new jamie oliver show where he collaborate with that crazy european scientist who cuts body up. ist a bit of a spectacle lah the show. it shows u u are what u eat... i have not manage to see it but many people are grossed out to see how their inside looks like if they are fat.... hehehhahahhhehe. its suppose to repulse them to eat healthy, but until when will they be affected? 3 days? 1 mth?

 

[mrs_n]

Hi girls Happy National Day!

Just came back from hospital yesterday evening. I delivered a day early on the 7th. Yah one day short of my EDD.

Baby is a boy with no name yet!

Will put up some pics and tell you all the details later.

Anyway got to go. Can't sit down too long backside really really sore!!!

 

[maplehue]

Mrs N
Congratulationssss!!!!

Whats important is to know that you and baby are healthy and well. Enjoy motherhood AND looking forward to hearing from you again. Let us know when you and Paul have given your darling bubba(baby) a name.

but no rush of course.

Emi, other than LV moi loves Coach too. and yes, go ahead with the 'sick' leave la if you want to spend time with chris. 5 weeks is super long man. I would! hee.

whats the name of the oliver's show with the scientist?

jeff and i stayed till the beijing opening finished and yes SOOO long cos we wanted to see the torch being lit. i dozed off a few times. It was cool!!! don't know whether other country can beat that.

hello to the rest of you gals. gtg now. jeff wants to try the irish pub near soho wherever that is!

 

[tootsieroll]

Congrats Mrs N! Welcome motherhood....goodbye sleep

 

[de_luxe]

Hi gals.. haven't had time and energy to log in..

We moved to our apt last wkend and i got sick with sore throat on monday!! Prob cuz it was too hot and i din drink enuff water. Got a cough later on but I tot i was getting better on thurs when since fri, i've been sneezing non-stop n have either a running or blocked nose!

Din help that i din get much rest cuz social calendar was packed the whole week, meeting frens almost everyday after work. Wanted to see a doc yesterday but everything's closed cuz of National Day. So xian.. guess i'll just let it die out by itself, been drinking more than 2 litres of water everyday.

Most of our stuff is unpacked, left with 2 boxes.. but i've not gotten round to arranging them yet.. most things are just sitting ard on the various tables and cabinets.. the only places that are more or less sorted out is our bedroom and kitchen. Think i'll just let them gather dust for another week.. won't hurt right??

maple hope ur tummy is better now. U sound like you're enjoying HK..good!! Any Olympic fever yet?

Why on earth do u have to wake up at 5?? Such an ungodly hour to be up!!

I have a soft copy of one of Jamie Oliver's books but i find that the recipes rarely turn out well cuz his ingredient list is so vague!! 1 handful of this and a bit of that.. mostly i end up with something quite weird tasting.

emi yah, bertil's happier in sg. So far sounds like work is going well for him and he's been back to soccer practice twice a week.

Enjoy reconnecting with chris again

glympse does emil play football? cuz there's a swedish football team. I know they exist cuz there's a sweden vs norway match every year.

I've the same issue re sharing as u, as in bertil sometimes doesn't tell me things for fear of my reaction.. i can be quite quick tempered at times, n sometimes, when i say something, it comes out the wrong way. But on the other hand, i feel that he can be too sensitive sometimes and at times, not fair to me, as he'll only tell me half the story and get irritated with me for not knowing the whole situation.. i mean, how would i know if he doesn't say so right??

Cross-cultural issues aplenty.. the difficulties i had trying to explain why he needs to give my parents a dowry, why he shldn't call my parents by name (he still doesn't get it), why i'm not comfortable calling his parents by name, food - sometimes i just dun want a sandwich for brunch, and i want to have comfort asian food like bak kut teh or dim sum, or chee chong fun. Going out - he hates shopping centres and crowds, but in sg, even to see a movie, you would have to go to a shopping centre right??!! These are issues that we can never resolve i think, just live with them and deal with them as and when they rear their ugly heads..

tootsie hope u're having some success trying to stop the biting. One of my cousins din bite but had a weird habit of running his fingernail along the cuticles of our finger nails repeatedly. It may seem innocent, but it can really hurt and he has made some of us bleed too.

cuclainne did u do any post-natal massage? Some gals on the motherhood forum are talking abt booking already. I wasn't sure if it's good to do or not. Someone previously mentioned something-related that's not good to do if BF-ing.. i think it's jamu or binding or something to that effect?? Any idea?

chrisl yah i've tried one of those home-catering BBQ things before.. didn't quite like the food tho. Guess i'm fussy..

mrs n congrats to u and Paul!! Hope the labour wasn't too rough.. Rest well!

Ooh.. why are they banning balachan?? So sad.. 1 less reason to move to europe..lol

 

[eminozy]

thanks girls.. yeah.. we are rebonding alrite. I always take half a day to get used to chris... it used to be a couple of days in the past. Its better now. We went to a nice breakfast place called Santucci in the morning and proceeded to the Vietnamese suburb to do grocery shopping and lunch time its CHRIS' Pho time.... its all good. now we just lounge in the living room watching Olympics.. i feel better!

CONGRATS MRS N!!!! and baby X N!

rest well and cant wait to see baby pix!

Corrine.. my sister did Binding and got her figure back and massages for a month. it was quite interesting.

Dont think its dangerous. Great to hear that you are doin well and Bertil too!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Strange! I didn't receive the forum via email ever since the last time I wrote. Wondering how come so quiet!

Mrs N, COngrats on your newborn baby boy! Can't wait to hear abt the details. U n Paul must be so delighted!

Deluxe, take great care esp that u r pregnant. Do u mean yr cousin did that when he was a kid?

Maplehue, O yes, I watched August Rush! Love the movie! So moving and interesting! I got back yesterday. Was so tired! Coz of 3 stupid insects in my room. After chatting with Jeroen. I went to sleep. Saw one insect (looked like mosquitoe) and was flying around on the wall. Trying to get it out, then discovered a big spider sitting in the corner of the ceiling where the drawing curtain is, separating the bed from the kitchen. Out of the blue flew in this noisy insect which I don't even know what was that. Geeezzz.... I hid myself in the sleeping bag. Just could't sleep when the noisy irritating fly started to fly around the room. Well... what a night!

Felt rested today. Have to rush orders as usual and finished up the observation for the therapist. Tough man! Have to play again n again as there r many segements to observe.

The workshop was very interesting! Geeezzzz... didn't know that it is so complex and a lot of work. Beside observation, notating, we have to learn how to calculate and plot the graph. But the most interesting part is the interpretation. Need lots of lots of practise. O the homework is a lot too. pretty draining mentally. Thank God there is the movement aspect that helps to re charge n relax the body. Will share more on the blog when I have time to write them out. A very useful tool/method. Very very cool! Kekekeke.... No wonder, it needs time to learn and master it. Very specialised method. What is amazing is to understand the phases and there was a baby there too. One of the participants brought her baby. Saw how the therapist tuned in with her. So beautiful! I'm glad I went for the workshop, I learn a lot a lot!

Got to get back to observation.

Hi hi to all!

 

[georginat]

congrats, Mrs. N !!! have a good rest and enjoy motherhood

welcome, Cardith !!

deluxe, take good care of yourself...i saw a report from somewhere, forgot where, saying that do not drink too much water, not good for health, the most 8 glasses a day ..regarding post-natal massage, better to do it during confinement period, if not effect will not be so good..

 

[cuclainne]

maplehue: yah, those shops really keep it a secret yah .. but better not bring those NA (non-authentic) stuff with you when you go to Europe .. i've heard that the airport staff, esp. in France has been trained to tell the real thing from fake and if you kena caught, the fine is about 2-3 times the price of the actual bag *faint*.

Elizabeth: now Sofi doesn't want to play with water anymore!! it happened since last Friday - she was in the shower, as usual, and then she started screaming for Elias except that he didn't come immediately and she didn't want me to help her .. from then on, she doesn't want to step into the shower anymore. if we ask her to, she will start crying! i really don't know what happened - even tried to shower with her and elin at the same time but she still refused. thank goodness she's still showering in school though ..

Mrs N: congratulations on the new addition to the family .. so have you decided on the name for the little one yet? remember to have some rest yah ..

de_luxe: hey, you better take it easy and rest yah .. i didn't do the massage because i did c-section for both but like what gina said, it should be done during your confinement period to get optimum results .. the massage and binding does not affect breastfeeding but jamu does because you don't really know what goes into those things and the baby basically gets a taste of what you've been eating/drinking as it goes into the breastmilk, see .. so i heard that things like coffee, wine, coke are no-nos if you intend on breastfeeding ..

Elizabeth: so you're coming over to KKH during your visit here huh? Cool ..

 

[liz4jeroen]

Culcainne, Probably she is moving to the phase of start/stop. Maybe u can describe more abt her behaviour to me? I learn that all babies have all the rhythm throughout but at each phase one of the rhythm is more dominant and that will give a clue to what the baby is going through.

Not sure yet. they are supposed to revert a date to me. Since the last round I wrote about the fieldwork, I didn't hear a reply. Probably will write to her again nearer to the date of departure. Now after attending the workshop, I have a better knowledge of sharing, but of course leaving out the notation n calculations, that is more for the therapist. kekekeke....

 

[glympse]

Bag lovers, my best friend just bought a beautiful small Fendi spy bag for SGD 1,999 ... I LOVE how it looks, but can't bear to spend that much on a bag, esp with having to save for the wedding ....

cuclainne, thanks thanks

yeah just praying things thru lah. Things are getting worse re his job, but yea, we'll put our trust in God and let Him lead us to the next step

And man ... I'm gg to be real careful what kind of bag i bring into France ... don't wanna get caught by the French fashion police!

Liz, hehe I guess. A lot of my friends are having babies / expecting ... so I get to blow off a bit of 'motherhood biological clock' steam by cooing at all the babies ... hehehehe...

And wow that german lady sounds like quite the 'businesswoman'

glad it all went well tho! and u din get cheated. think stuff like that happens pretty often in Europe actually, and normally it's legit, tho of cos there are occasions when ppl do it to cheat ppl out of their money.

maple, wow typhoon level 8?? sounds scary! did the buildings sway a lot? were ppl evacuated? glad u're ok!

Yea my colleagues in HK loved to yum cha .. strange that ur colleagues aren't really in to it ... maybe different crowd / tastes?

Yea, I would have preferred a smaller wedding. But parents have business associates and everything, so no choice la. Banquet is really more for them

Nope, haven't confirmed theme yet. Haven't had the time to go BS shopping even heh heh. Emil and I are sorting some 'decision about the future' at the moment, so once that's settled, then we can move ahead.

basically Emil's been feeling more and more that he wants to go back to Sweden, but yea, like I told cuclainne, he's praying it through and really thinking it through too rather than just relying on how he's feeling and seeing the situation at the moment. but yea, if the decision is to go back, it may happen pretty fast, and our wedding plans may change significantly. i.e. wedding banquet gg to keep to 11 July 2009, but wedding ceremony may be brought fwd so that we'll be married before we move to Sweden, if that's the case.

emi, I think i'm a bit like u, prefer Coach and Fossil bags to LVs .... I have one white Coach tote, love it to bits, use it only on very special occasions. It's my only branded bag

Enjoy catching up with Chris!

Mrs N, CONGRATS on the baby boy!!!! Looking forward to pictures

How big was he? And I guess he wanted to come out in time for the Beijing Olympics, that's why he came out on 7th so that he won't miss anything! hehehe... rest well!

deluxe, do take care! the flu bug is gg around (i caught it too), and it's a terrible feeling i know. Hope u get well soon!

Emil doesn't play football, but he loves watching it

he and his friends followed the Euro cup very closely, and he was so disappointed that his predictions didn't turn out correct hehe. And more so that Sweden got defeated by Russia (of all places) haha.

Yea I know what u mean abt e cross-cultural issues. I've been blessed tho that Emil is ok with calling ppl in Singapore "aunty" and "uncle" (tho it's super weird to him, and initially he had to ask me who shld be called "aunty" and who shldn't ...he didn't wanna offend any woman by indicating she's old, and yet din wanna be disrepectful... think even i find e balance hard to strike haha). I still feel super strange (and rude!) calling his parents by their names ... but i guess it's a compromise. and yea, he also sometimes can't understand why i need to eat ever so often instead of just one or two big meals a day (like he does), tho becos of recent gastric attacks on my end he's become a lot more sensitive to my physical constitution. guess like u say, just gotta give and take and give somemore, and as each day passes continually learn to find e right balance

 

[cuclainne]

Elizabeth: well she still behaves as she normally does except that she doesn't want to even step into the bathroom now .. even if it's to wash her hand or to brush teeth, we have to pacify her beforehand. really strange. so we're going to try to bring her to the pool or to jacob ballas children's garden this weekend to see if she wants to have some water play ..

Glympse: maybe he needs to go and find a different job if it's not working out for him .. it must be difficult for him trying to adjust to sg and having a difficult job as well.

at least Emil do call people 'aunty' and 'uncle' - until today, Elias still doesn't understand why I have so many 'aunties' and 'uncles' .. hahahah ..

Elias doesn't like Sofi calling him Daddy so all this while, Sofi has been calling him by his name .. only recently she's taken to calling him Daddy or Papa but our friend still has no reaction, like she's not calling out to him at all .. argh!

btw re: the euro cup, they had organised a big party in stockholm to celebrate sweden's win over russia except that it didn't happen of course .. they had set up a massive stage, barrels of beer, etc at Djurgarden but no one turned up obviously .. getting ahead of themselves, i suppose

 

[cuclainne]

yay - i'm going to cebu for vacation ...

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi Culcuainne, that is strange. Did something happen that makes her resist in going to bathroom? Ja good idea and see how she reacts when u bring her to the pool and garden. Let me know.

Hmmmm... Tell Elias that though he prefers his daughter to call him by name. Not to ignore her when she calls him daddy or papa. or else she thinks that Elias is rejecting her. Not good lah!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Glypmse, Beside, prayer, you have to into account of Emil's and yr personalities of moving. Sometimes God leads in ways that we have to listen to ourselves, what we need and what is best for us. I am sure both og u will eventually find what is best for both of u. I understand the parent's request esp Chinese parents. I don't face the problem but I have heard of people having a real big issues over it as the wedding seems to be more for parents rather than for ourselves. It is just the nature of the mentality of Chinese thinking and culture. Hopefully u are able to come to a compromise with your parents.

EJ, Glad that Chris is back. I know what it is like to be away from Jeroen. Geeezzzz.... just can't wait to get home feeling though it is only 4 days.

Culcuainne, enjoy yr hols.

Deluxe, hope u r feeling better.

Maplehue, Hopefully the typhoon has subsided. I hate it when the wind here is very strong. I had a scary encounter once that ever since then I develope a fear for strong wind. Still trying to overcome it but better now.

 

[cuclainne]

Elizabeth: yah, sometimes his style of parenting can be quite strange .. hahahah .. and different, for sure.

yes, yes i've just finalised the booking for the holiday. it'll be my long-awaited honeymoon, since we didn't go on one - hahahaha, can you imagine .. almost 3 years and 2 kids later then we got round to it .. ahahha .. i was teasing my sister that we might come back with no. 3 .. hahahah ..

 

[liz4jeroen]

Culcuainne,

All of us have different parenting style. Usu from our own parents. But most important is coming to be aware of whther the style is helping the kids to grow in a healthy way in terms of emotions. Most of us usu have our own hang-ups. And to be aware that we dun bring it to our own kids.

Enjoy your long-awaited honeymoon!

 

[glympse]

cuclainne, yea, if the decision is to stay in Singapore, Emil will quit his current job and go find another one that suits him better. He's quite miserable at the moment, and yea, think his current job stifles him. But if we're gg to Sweden, he'll stay on for a while more so that we can settle things here before gg over.

Haha yea ... I think in Sweden, u only call really old people "aunty" or "uncle" ... i have a feeling they would think it's actually rude to call ppl "aunty" and "uncle", since it may be rather insulting, esp to ladies ... hehe ... such cultural differences

Wow, so Elias won't want Sofi to call him Daddy? That's pretty radical in a Singaporean context. Does Sofi call you Mummy then?

Haha the poor disappointed Swedes. Tho I would have thought they'd just find another reason to celebrate ... no pt letting it all go to waste i guess?

And congrats on the honeymoon! Better late than never hehe. How long are u two gg to be in Cebu?

Liz, thanks for the advice. It is timely

Objectively speaking, it would seem tho that Sweden may do us better as a couple. Right now, Singapore would be the easier option in that everything is already settled here (timeline for wedding, a place to live after, jobs, etc). But it may not be a place where Emil would feel happy in, and which would give us time and space to develop as a couple. But yea, like my pastor told us, take time to pray, and also not let this issue consume the both of us, but to remember to rest and enjoy each other's company and friendship. Cannot let the issues overshadow the purpose of why we're together in the first place la

Very tempted actually to scrap the whole Chinese banquet thing, esp if we're gg to Sweden. But yea, would be a very big discussion with my parents i foresee

We'll see

 

[liz4jeroen]

Glympse, U r welcome. I'm just speaking n sharing from experience. What your pastor says is very true and a good tip. In a relationship, communication is the key. Openness and sharing feelings, thoughts, respect are some ingredients in a relationship. Yes, take time to pray but also communicates. Not just enjoy but also the bad times together. Just like the wedding vows, in good n bad, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. It is true that do not let the issues overshadow n consumer both of u, but the reality and the truth we cannot run away or hide. Take time to talk over it and share one another's feelings not just the good feelings but also the unhappy ones. U see that it deepens your love esp in times of trial. One thing I have learnt in my own personal therapy is that we just cannot run away from the truth of our feelings. Prayer helps but the underlining, it is still there, It is a matter of how we are going to resolve the issues and work on it and to overcome it. I have come to understand the meaning of combining prayer and therapy.

 

[maplehue]

Hi gals,
Hope everyone is well.

Deluxe, hope you are feeling better and resting.

Don't worry so much abt unpacking. Health comes first and maybe Bertil can help when he is off work. We are doing well in hk. thanks. work has been so hectic but trying to be positive and getting used to a routine again. Have to wake up at 5 cos I need to have at least 3 snoozes. ha. I'm 'officially' out of bed at 5.45am.

Olympic fever..not so much here but it is a big thing for the equestrian event. and oh...one of the banks, i think it was china bank was selling olympic stamps. goodness me! you should see the line. people were lining up even when the bank was still closed.

Take care of yourself girlie. Hope you'll get your full strength soon. My tummy is better now!
Thanks for asking.

Liz, i knew you would love august rush!

good movie right! i cried the first time i watched it. it was so touching.

did you get bitten by any of the insects in the room? i dont do well with insects. i am terrified of them! i think i would do the same as you, hide under the doona all night long!

All the workshops you've been to sound so interesting! how did you find out about them? were they conducted in english?

cuclainne, yes i heard the same thing too. they will even confiscate the fake bags i heard! can be quite embarrasing eh?

how is sofi now? i am curious about why she suddenly doesn't like water. and also interesting to know that elias doesn't mind the girls calling him by his name. I guess Jeff is still conservative when it comes to that.

...and yes, happy honeymooning!!!

will your parents be babysitting the girls?

Hi Glympse, how are you? I hope you and emil are coping well with his current stress at work...and also other things you are dealing with now. Is there any way to make things better at his work place, like talking to his peers or whomever he is dealing with? Or it is just pointless to even try? I am sure you both will get through this 'challenging' time.

Wedding is always stressful and moving to a new place can also be stressful plus starting a job...? I did just that after I got married. We got married, moved to Korea and started a new job there. It was exciting and at the same time quite stressful but we overcome it and now when we look back, we smile at how we responded to some of the issues back then

But I trust both you and emil will do great. like what jeff always tells me, 'Listen with your head, feel with your heart and go with your gut'.

Hugz to you.

We've been so busy, we haven't been eating out after work so no yum cha yet. I dont know why the hong kongers at work are not too familiar with yum cha. Maybe its not their thing la.

Woah that fendi bad is so dear! I know Jeff would love a Panerai watch for christmas. I wonder whether buying him a panerai would make me feel less guilty buying a couple of Lv bags or not. heee.

he is a watch fanatic!

chris, how is your renovation going? and liz, how is your kitchen now? any more pictures? i have been so busy, havent really got time to read whats on multiply!

after looking at your strawberry cake, i went to buy a slice of cake but i think they used some peanut oil and i broke out in hives. i got quite upset and now have this card to show saying in cantonese that i cannot eat any nuts or anything nut related.

mrs.n, *wave* hope you are well

its been raining here in hk. no more typhoon ladies. phew. glympse, we were not told to evacuate but to stay indoor instead and tape our windows. not sure about other areas though. thw wind was very strong and one of the glass door in the lobby broke. we were quite surprised cos those glass walls are quite thick!

goodnight everyone. talk again soon.