Any Brides whose HTB is 'Ang Mo'?

[gottliebt]

Hihi gals!

So nice and therapeutic to read all your posts... heehee... Geez, I´m in the process of getting over a bad decision made on sunday afternoon.

I was reading my fren´s blog and I saw this advert to get paid for online surveys. I read it and it sounded pretty convincing, only catch is that I needed to pay about US$40. I showed it to my hubby and he was quite ok about it too. I thought, it can´t be that bad, since I´m not working now and I´ll just have to take part in online surveys to make some extra income, whilst I´m learning german...

Man, bad choice! The website that I thought was ok, turned out to be like a search engine. It like makes u go through so many different survey companies, n u need to keep registering with each of them and wait for them to send you surveys to fill in. Plus, worst thing is that the online companies that they advertise are like FREE! Crap! I felt so cheated. SO I emailed them to enquire what the heck I needed to pay the money for... the Q&A session said that the entry fee was to get rid of "curious" people so that they can siff out "serious" people who want to make some extra income....

Anyways, I´ve been beating myself up for it, but just need to realize that its a lesson learnt and God had to remind me that I need to be gracious to myself... that a mistake is not a sin if it was not committed intentionally.

Yups... that´s my ramblings....

Anyways, Tootsieroll Hey! I enjoy my guitar class! My teacher doesn´t speak a word of english but the girl who sat beside me can speak pretty good english so she translates for me. Good thing is that its music class, so I just need to strum the guitar... aiyah, learnt 2 notes only... A and E. I think my notes playing still sounds a bit "dirty" like not "clean".... u noe wat I mean....

Georgina I know what u mean about preferring chinese food... that´s why I keep trying to cook chinese food anytime I can... its like so satisfying! Only thing is that the asian supermarket is like so inconvenient, need to take train to get the place, instead of the convenient supermarket down the road.

Deluxe How´s married life? Heehee... I stayed in NTU hostel for 3 years, so can totally understand about the air quality... I can really feel the difference between being in upper thomson (where my family stays) and boon lay... my fren calls it "tuas village".... much better if u have a car.... if not very ulu.... oh bukit timah very nice to stay.. I was staying there for 7 months.. miss the bt timah hawker! Yum yum!

Oh! I totally understand about what you mean about local guys and ah mohs... hahha. I only had 2 bfs... a chinese one and my current hubby.... I really thought I would marry a local guy and settle down in singapore and stay there for the rest of my life. But I guess God knew better.... I never imagined I would end up being with an ahmoh and all the more get married to one. When I met my hubby in canada, I wasn´t even looking to be attached at all. But yah! I think each of us has wonderful stories to tell our grandchildren of how we met our hubbies.

Georgina Heyhey fella MG girl! I graduated in about 1998. 10 year anniversary in about 2 yrs time, looking forward to have the annual founder day´s dinner... did u go for yours? Apparently they will send invitations to old girls after 10 yrs of graduation?

Cuclainne So excited for u! Wow wow! Muz not forget about us when u become a mummy k? Can share photos of your baby! U and Tootsieroll can exchange mummy tips!

 

[freakyfairy]

Hello gals, everyone seem to be in a posting spree here hehe. I'm sure I've not been away that long!

First of all, welcome to the thread, Georgina! It's nice to see newcomers here all excited with their wedding and sharing all the little bits

I met my husband online too. We're now staying in England near the beach. This may sound nice in Singapore's term but the sea doesn't look welcoming at all. Lots of strong wave, seaweeds and it looks way too cold to put even a little finger in although there are still quite a few crazy people here surfing in the evenings.

Mrs N, hehe we've got the internet about a couple of weeks ago which is great! Desperately looking for a job though. We went into a Adecco in Poole today and the first thing the lady there said to me was 'What visa are you on' how rude is that! I'm sure there are plenty of chinese who are English citizen here. Turns out that they only have weekend jobs. Sorry for ranting about it, I just get a bit annoyed when the lady was being racist and looking down on the people who went in there to look for a job. Anyway, we found an agency in Bournemouth that has a better selection and seem nicer.

hehe I really like the bread we had at your place. Is it possible to have the recipe? I saw one similar at the market here but it was not as tasty as the one you made.

priscilla, ooo chinese food! I don't think I've ever crave for chinese food as much before. Are you able to get fresh chinese veggies like beadsprouts nearby? I do have a couple of chinese/asian minimart here but they don't seem to have anything fresh. I plan to stock up lots of sauces and stuff for the kitchen on my next trip back to SG hehe. I found a few chinese recipe sites to share if you're interested.

I've heard people earning quite a bit of money doing those online survey thingy. I nearly signed up for one once but gave up halfway through filling the form. Seems like these people prolly earn their money from people signing up, so harsh!

 

[cuclainne]

Georgina, I wish I could but I tend to worry .. a lot!!

Nikki, apparently she did - my supervisor is liasing with agencies to get someone in by tomorrow. I don't know if I can last till the end of the week - feel very, very tired right now and I haven't had a break in a while..

tootsieroll, my EDD is 3 Nov but I might have to schedule a C-section (which means an earlier delivery) if she doesn't turn. For the last 3 scans, she's in a breech position (and we were preparing ourselves to schedule one already) but today she's lying in a transverse position. So the doctor is giving it another week and if she's not turn by then, a C-section it is. I also cannot tahan already - just get her out!! I'll be having her at KK Hospital since I work here.

Priscilla, for sure I will share the baby's pictures with all of you .. and sharing tips too, yah .. hahahaha ..

 

[mrs_n]

Pris really pleased to know that you're enjoying your guitar lessons.

Hee! Hee! I don't mind the cold so long as it's not windy. Btw, when I first came to the UK, I didn't get my period for 6 months! Thought it was strange as I'm quite regular but was too stubborn to see a doctor.

Gina hope you had a nice time in Perth and manage to recharge your batteries before the run up to your wedding.

Chrislyeah everything happens pretty much through God's grace even meeting our other half. He certainly makes all things beautiful in His time.

Freaky glad you enjoyed the bread. Ok I will email you the receipe sometime soon but you may need to 'agar agar' a little bit b'cos as a rule I don't follow recipes religiously word for word so it might taste different.

Cuclainne keep well! Keeping fingers, toes, heads, arms, legs etc etc crossed for you.

Take care & enjoy the remainder of your week every one. I won’t be posting for a while as I'm off to bonnie Scotland for the next few days.

 

[tootsieroll]

Pris,
wow, what a way to 'kotok' people. What are you going to do about it now?

cuclainne,
Hopefully Peanut will turn by EDD - I had C-section myself, but it was an emergency one, not elective. I dunno which is worse, C-section or natural birth

I also the same, by the time E DD arrived, I was like tak boleh tahan, just take him out! haha

I was watching a TV programme last night about teenage mums. There was this girl who at 19 already has 5 children, one every year since she first became a mum at 14. The father is also a teenager, but can tell they were of quite stable minds, and had genuine love for a big family. There was another 14 year old who had a baby, and was really useless, baby cry, she would just sit there and play with her mobile phone, so baby cry even louder, cos her needs weren't met. *sigh*


Freaky,
Ya, some people are still quite ignorant that UK is getting more and more cosmopolitan. I would have thought that Bournemouth and Poole are quite multicultural anyway, maybe it's because of the large influx of foreigners in that area, so they just assume you're a non-native. Is it Bournemouth or Poole that you're in? I spent some time in Christchurch (Bournemouth), where a family friend ran a chinese restaurant - everyday eat asian food, quite shiok

Talking about cooking, I woke up real early today to make my Christmas cake. I made one last week, but we ended up eating it hehehe. So hopefully this one won't end up like the last one, i.e. being eaten before its time

 

[freakyfairy]

tootsieroll, Christmas already? hehe at least you have an idea what the cake is going to taste like yeah? Maybe you should try this new cake just a little bit to be on the safe side

Seems like all the shops here are displaying their Christmas treats along side with the Halloween sweeties. I even saw a Santa at the top of the Boots in Boscombe high street!

Actually we're staying in Boscombe, which is in Bournemouth I think. We were directed to an agency in Poole but the person wasn't in and they kept messing us about so I thought to pop into Adecco thinking that they must be good since they have branches in Singapore. Bournemouth feels nicer than Poole, not sure if it was cos we were right next to the bus interchange in Poole and it's busier there. The rest of the people there are nice, just not that lady there who's on a power trip.

I'm going to try to cook more English food otherwise I'm going to be broke buying all these imported ingredients.

Mrs N, thank you in advance for the recipe. hehe I don't follow the recipes religiously too. Speaking of which, last night, I was intending to make some Italian-styled pasta soup but ended up looking like chinese/english soup with pastas

 

[tootsieroll]

Freaky,
Ahh, it's not Christchurch, it's Boscombe that our friend's chinese restaurant was. dunno why I kept thinking christchurch. I'm not sure if he's still running the business though. The christmas cake needs to be made early to allow it to mature - gonna 'feed' it with brandy every couple of weeks now, until christmas.....sure kena drunk when I eat it hahaha

 

[gottliebt]

Hihi dear gals!

So nice to hear from u all! Finally updated my blog again... sometimes the HTML thing drives me crazy!

Anyways... Tootsieroll Hey! Muz post some photos of yr cake! So interesting, u getting into the Christmas mood so fast! OH, I shall take my money lost in the stupid survey thing as a lesson learnt. They have not responded to my email and till now I have not received a single of the survey stuff... yup so girls don´t be conned! Oh btw, the stupid survey website is http://www.paidsurveysonline.com/ Please don´t ever go there.

Freaky yes sure! Wld like to have some chinese recipes... my box finally arrived today together with quite a number of my recipebooks from Singapore.. will try and see how many of the recipes can I cook in germany... its normally harder to get the ingredients here.

Mrs N Thanks for sharing! I was starting to get worried about my missing period already... I went gynae for an annual check and he says everything is normal and I´m not pregnant or anything.... I think its probably just the stress of everything....setting up our kitchen today! Place is in a mess.

 

[georginat]

Pris, i didnt rec any invitation for the annual founder day's dinner coz i moved house, they dont have my current address..If i have a girl , i can put her there without much trouble right?? since i am an old girl there...

hi Mrs. N !! the holiday in Perth was ok..just to relax and visit my brother...now back home and gosh !! many things to do !! finalizing the guests list..the list is increasing !! from 120 to 150 !! stress !! the suite can only accomodate 150 people, hope i can stream down the list...my dad invites more people than me !!

HI freaky !! nice to know you !! i know what u mean, staying near the beach , instead of having sunny days and dipping in water,you have windy and cold weather !! Thats UK !! I went to isle of wight and gees!! its cold there !!! There are so many kinds of people out on the net...some are just out to have sexual fling, some are sincerely looking for friends, the list goes on...we started out as friends for a year before going further ( got to be careful, lots of wolves out there !!) when we felt that we are ready to meet up and see how things go from there..luckily he is a nice 'wolf' with kind heart..LUCK and FATE play a part in this union and we treasure our relationship very much..

Nisa!! thought you were to give birth early oct..oops..wrong info ,its early nov instead...anyway, just a few more weeks to go, peanut will be out !!normally, 1st born will pop out earlier than EDD (thats what i heard, don tknow if its true or not)..hey, dont worry too much, ok?? coz it might affect you emotionally and makes your mind goes wild (your poor hubby will have to take all the shits !!)

BTW, anyone of you made the wrist corsages yourself?

OUt of sudden, am getting anxious, panicky and excited !! (all in one ) maybe coz the date is drawing near...before that i was so 'steady'!! thinking still got a few more months to go , so 'gan jon' for what !! haha !! guess its typical feelings for most bride-to-be !!

 

[cuclainne]

Mrs N, we saw her fingers on the scan!!! She had them outstretched and the doctor was pointing it out to my mother who came with us. So cute! The husband said he can't wait till those fingers will grab his hand ..

tootsieroll, it's quite alarming how some teenagers think that having a child is like having a doll to play with. My sister saw this show and they interviewed a girl, she's maybe 14 or 15 and she was talking about how she was going to dress up her child .. aiyoh, don't they realise how much responsibility it is to take care of another being, who is very much dependent on you for survival? Sometimes I also question if I am capable of that .. but the husband always said that he'll support me and so will our families so I can always depend on them.

Georgina, if only .. as it is right now, the husband said i don't make his life miserable enough .. unlike all the horror stories he's heard about pregnant women and their temperaments. Maybe I should give in to his wish? Hahahahah ...

 

[gottliebt]

Hi girls!

GeorginaHihi, I think it shouldn´t be a problem for old girls to put their girls into MGS. Well, I probably won´t even the luxury of doing that...since staying in germany now... but yah! Why not! If u´re staying in singapore! Hey, yah I did make wrist corsages! Apparently its very simple... my uncle made it though... he was my florist.

Cuclainne Awww, so sweet! Muz have been so exciting to see your baby! I think its always so thrilling to see God´s creation right inside your own womb!

 

[freakyfairy]

Hi Pris, My parcel is yet to arrive. Apparently, it left for the ship on the 11th of Sept and SingPost said they'll let me know the whereabouts once the overseas parcel people contacted them.
I've put some recipes in a pdf http://pachome2.pacific.net.sg/~freakyfairy/chinese-recipes.pdf I've only tried some of them and they're really good! There are some of the links:
http://audreycooks.blogspot.com/
http://asiarecipe.com/singapore.html

tootiseroll, What a coincident! What is the name of your friend's restaurant? I can have a nose around to see if it's still there. Is it along the high street facing the road? I believe I saw a road here somewhere called Christchurch. Wow so you're going to have one hell of a Christmas cake!

Georgina, Hows it like at isle of wight? I heard it's nice with lots of red squirrels but I've never been there. We do get those grey squirrels here especially in the carpark and they often fight against each other for the ownership of the fench.

 

[tootsieroll]

Freaky,
Grey squirrels are the bane of British wildlife - and they aren't even the native species. Shoot them all. As you say, they're an aggressive lot, and have chased the native red species away until they're not only found in a few areas, e.g. isle of wight and some protected reserves. Hmm, I'm trying to remember the name of the restaurant, but I can't, sorry. It was quite a few years ago now, but I remember it was facing a road, near the high street. If you can tell me the name of the restaurants around the area, maybe it will jolt my memory

Are you renting at the moment or already have a place?

 

[georginat]

Hi gals !!!

freaky, isle of wight is ok...but for singaporeans , is a boring place !! if you know what i mean...i cant remember much abt that place, just remember i took cable chair to go to the beach..just walked around the island..see see look look..

Nisa, maybe you should do that !! then he will appreciate you more !;-)

pris, thanks for your info..will try to make them myself..shouldnt be too difficult i believe..

oh ya..did any of you girls need to verify yourself 'single' (i think ROM is the place you can get a copy of letter to verify your marital status, if i am wrong, may i know wheres the place to go to get it ?? thanks) before ROM (Spain Embassy needs that, so i wonder German or UK Embassy require that too or not)

anyway, have a nice weekend, girls !!!

 

[tootsieroll]

Gina,
As far as I can remember, I didn't need to verify that I was single when for the legal ROM - I married in Singapore though. I did however need to verify marital status for a Catholic wedding. I suppose ya, ROM would probably be the place to get it.

 

[tootsieroll]

Pris,
what is your email address har?

 

[mrs_n]

Awww Bless Cuclainne won't be long before you get to hold her in your arms.

Freaky sent you an email. Don't know if you will understand my ramblings!

Talking about the grey squirrels, my FIL has a few in his back garden and he is always threatening to shoot them with his air rifle b'cos he says they 'disturb' the birds and as a result the birds won't nest in the trees. Haha! I've no doubt he would have carried out his threat if not for the fact that my BIL has borrowed his rifle to rectify the 'rats problem' in his garden. I guess as they have no natural prey in this country, the grey squirrels have out multiplied the red squirrels so its up to man to be the 'big bad wolf'. A bit sad really as they are actually quite sweet looking creatures.

Oh btw, I found this site recently has great local recipes: http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/

Gina I have not made any wrist corsages myself. I think you have to ask Liz for advice on that. But if you're into making 'weddingy' stuff yourself, here's a nice website: http://www.save-on-crafts.com/weddingcrafts2.html
Yeah I think everybody goes through the process of a 'growing' guest list and it can be so worrying; but you know what, it will sort itself out in the end. No worries my dear!

Pris I guess it takes time for our bodies to get settle down. Hee! Hee! I got quite used to life without 'our friend' that I was actually quite disappointed when it came back.

 

[georginat]

liz, thanks for the info was nice talking to u and nikki on MSN

Mrs.N, thanks for the website hope i can reduce the list to 140 !!!

tootsieroll, yes, liz guided me @ ROM website and i managed to 'buy' the info that i am not married yet !!! That costs me $35 !!

Have a nice day, girls !!

 

[freakyfairy]

tootsieroll, I found only one chinese restaurant in Boscombe high street and it's called Good Earth. Does that ring a bell? We're actually camping at the in-law's holiday flat. Everyone in the family seem to be planning to head over here for their holiday when there is barely enough room for the two of us. I'm really looking forward to when we get our own place soon...

mrs n, Thank you for the recipe

Actually the extra note you put in are very helpful hehe. Have you had any neighbours putting up fireworks near you yet? There has been a few going here for the past two days. I guess it's cos Guy Fawk day is coming soon.

The whole different weather thing does make a difference to how the body behave for me too but it's quite the opposite to Mrs N's such that mine was more like twice a month. Prolly to do with the diet and stress of coping with a new place perhaps.

georgina, It's weird to think how we need things to prove who we are or our status these days. I nearly had to pay $20 for each month's bank statement when I apply for my visa cos I never bother to keep them...oops...but luckily they accept the online printed ones

 

[cuclainne]

Hi ladies ... just to keep you updated on my 'progress' .. hahahaha ..

Nope, I still haven't popped my sprog yet .. went to my doctor's appointment yesterday - lo and behold, Peanut has turned head down which means that a natural delivery seems more than likely now. The doctor estimates her weight to be about 3kgs (so much for her being a small baby in the beginning!) and commented that I have a lot of aminiotic fluid (does that mean I will gush, instead of trickle, when my water bag bursts?).

I have packed my hospital bag, just in case, but really hoping that she won't arrive till after Hari Raya (I don't want to celebrate at the hospital!!).

Hope everyone has been well.

 

[mrs_n]

That's good news Cuclainne! Oh well if she arrives early she can celebrate Hari Raya too. Good time to meet the clan.

Btw, when's Hari Raya? I know its soon but I've kind of lost touch with the dates.

Just a quick hello to everybody. I've got to run.

 

[tootsieroll]

Gina,
So you're getting married in Spain?

Freaky,
Doesn't sound like it. It should do some Thai food as well, as one of the chefs is Thai, and another one is Indonesian. Are you looking for a place to buy?

Cuclainne,
Good luck. Hopefully you won't be in hospital on Hari Raya either! I delivered on Good Friday and was managed to be discharged at Easter - thank goodness, or I'd go mental in there!

Btw, Singapore UK Association is having a Deepavali/Hari Raya celebration on October 29. It's a meal at Singapura restaurant in London, and costs £25pp for members. Not sure if we're going yet as we're really tight for finances at the moment, but it's to let people know, in case they're interested.

 

[gottliebt]

Hi gals

Popping by to say hi! Been having a bad time with the german government, the deutsch republic (where I stay) in regards to my german class and I muz say that its making my stay here very miserable.... But just need to trust that God has His purposes for everything happening.

Tootsieroll My email is [email protected]

Cuclainne So cooL! Wow, it´d be a natural birth, that´s very good! =) Let us know when u pop ok? heehee, so exciting.....

 

[gottliebt]

What the heck... might as well share with you girls what I mean about having a miserable time here....

Ok, so here´s how it goes. I started german class on Thursday - its an integration course that I was told is COMPULSORY for all foreigners. Its basically a 6-mths intensive german course, complete with a 30 hour orientation program at the end of it and a certificate Deutsch (one of the qualifications for german). Nothing wrong with that, except that I actually wanted to go for something more "studious", since I´ve gone to the university and I study better in a "studying" environment.

I didn´t want to go for something that people go for because its "compulsory" and end up being in a class where nobody wants to really learn and I don´t end up learning in an environment that is condusive for me.

Anyways, I went ahead with my first class on Thurs. I actually started in the 3rd month (out of 6 months), even though my entrance exam said that I qualify to start in the 4th month - since I´ve had prior knowledge of german. I thought better be safe than sorry... cos if it turns out that 4th month was tougher than I expected, I would be in a situation where I would have to wait another few months before the next integration course starts.

Well, so thurs - wat happened? I realized that the class had a abt 17 ppl (compared to the 10 ppl that I had in goethe-institute in singapore) and the classroom was mega tiny and caustrophobic. I was mega bored in class because the teacher was going through stuff that I learnt about 1 year ago! I have had 1.5 yrs of german... and 0.5 year was in the university, 1 yr in goethe while I was working.

So, I went to the receptionist and asked if I could start in the 4th month instead, instead of sitting through 1 whole month... 5 hrs each day, mon to fri of elementary stuff that I´ve learnt 1 year ago! But NO, she refused to let me start the next month saying that since the government was subsiding part of the course, I need to follow the regulation and stick with the 3rd month! I was like what??? That´s so utterly ridiculous!

Plus, the worse thing is that I think this integration course is a whole crap! My friend who´s from indonesia and who came to germany 1 month before me does not have to do the integration course even though she doesn´t speak a word of german!

SO, I decided maybe I should enroll in another "proper" school... to do an intensive german course (which is better than the integration course), but for which I would have to pay the entire course fee instead of the subsidised fee.

I sat through 1.5 hrs of exam to say that I would be admitted to a course which I would take 2 months to get the certificate, instead of 4 months - in the integration course. I thought I would go for the more qualified instead, cos I was frustrated with the other language school.

My hubby wanted to tell the integration course sch that I wanted to withdraw and guess wat? They wanted me to pay 100€ (for the first month) even though I was only there for 1 day??!???

So my hubby tried calling the government (the overseeing authority in germany) would told him that they have NO IDEA about this integration course and that he should call the federal state (which is the authority over the area where we stay). When he called the federal state, they said that they have no authority to change anything and he had to call the government. So as u can imagine, we were going on a wild goose chase, with nobody knowing wat to do and nobody wanting to tell anybody what to do.

As it is now, it looks like I have to sit through the entire integration course cos there seems to be no way out and I wouldn´t want to pay 100€ just for 1 day of "sch" which I already knew what they were talking about. Besides, if I went ahead to Goethe institute in germany (which is the best language sch in germany but which DOES NOT offer integration course) and even if I get the same certification as the integration course, I might still face the situation where I might not be able to get my PR at the end of 1 or 3 years because the federal republic says that I didn´t do the integration course!

This is really the first time in my life I´m facing the crap of bureaucracy and honestly, I think foreigners are like treated like second-class citizens here! I know I shouldn´t, but I keep comparing the government here with that in singapore. I keep thinking that this kind of stuff wouldn´t happen in singapore where one gov. body says one thing and the other says another thing!

 

[georginat]

Hi Pris, its good to vent your frustration here ya?? Blah it out and you will feel better !! Hope things will turn smoother for you in germany..I hope i wont encounter too much problems applying for PR in Spain too (i prefer not to be a PR of Spain, just live there every 3 mths and then come back to sg or go somewhere nearby for a few days then return to Spain again but my FH wants me to apply for PR, so ...)

tootsieroll, we are getting married in Singapore but the Spanish Embassy wants me to 'proof' i am single before marrying coz my FH wants to register our marriage with the Spanish Embassy..

Nisa, stay cool ya !!! have a n ice hari raya, eat as much as you can and after that you can relax and wait for little princess to pop !!!

girls, enjoy your weekend !!!

 

[mrs_n]

Pris Hey dear, calm down. Don't let all these little niggles get to you. Like you said, trust God in this.Sometimes it's hard to see his reasons at the beginning but in time to come you'll learn to understand his purpose. Take it as part of your journey, something you can draw on later to help you be an effective witness. The most effective witness are those who have been through much and live to tell of the Glory of God. And not many people your age have been through as much as you. God is using you Pris and when he does, don't expect life to be smooth sailing all the way. Christ who is master of all things in heaven and on earth didn't have an easy life while he walked on this earth, so why should we, his lowly servants, expect our journeys to be much easier ya?

I guess all God wants is that you surrendar this whole crazy situation to him. He will put it right somehow sometime. One day you will look back and laugh at the craziness of all of this and wonder why you were so frustrated in the first place! God Bless Ya! Sending you much love, prayers and a great big (((HUG))).

 

[christie79]

Hi gals,
wow lots to catch up!
*xian* i was having this food poisoning thingy and i was down for the whole of yesterday! So moody and actually cried myself to sleep cos i really miss my FH!

Cuclainnehey! An advance Selamat Hari Raya to you and stay strong for the delivery! We're all waiting to see peanuts for the 1st time in photo here! Hmm i wonder who she'll resemble more, you or elias..haha..

Gina Hi there! Sorry didn't let you know about the multiply before hand i invited you! Hope you won't feel too surprised about it! Btw, how your preparations of your wedding going? Im also thinking of making my own wrist corsages too as my sister is bugging me for making one for her at least! lol...teenage sisters!

Deluxehaha that link was so funny! There's also another link there at youtube about an 'ang mo' speaking singlish that really tickled me pink too...lol

Pris Wow gal i understand that maybe it's best in this case to treat it as a kind of 'refresher' course lah...in case at the end of it all, as you mentioned, they might say you can't get the PR cos you didn't go for the integration course...better be safe than sorry..

Tootsieroll That's very nice to make christmas cake! Wish i can have more time to perfect my baking skills too! But don't let your babe to have the chance to crawl round and taste it..he might get drunk! hhaaa..btw, is he learning to crawl already? or is he in the 'turning' stage?

 

[freakyfairy]

cuclainne, I'm guessing that you're not fasting now right? Hopefully your little girl will stay good till after Hari Raya hehe, just a few more days to go!

tootsieroll, I'm not sure if there is any other chinese restaurant along the high street. Thai food sounds yummy, I shall go and have a snoop around again. We wanted to move to Bristol but since we haven't got permanant jobs yet, we can't get a mortage. Hopefully it'll be sorted by the beginning of next year. We're having the in-laws and two kids staying over the weekends. Should be quite interesting.

Does anyone here have problems with their in-laws? I do find it difficult to adjust to a different treatment. My parents always let us involve in any decison making that affects everyone and we're given responsiblilties for different things but now, I seems as if I'm treated like a kid with no understanding of responsiblities... grrr....

priscilla, It's not very nice to be push around like that especially when you're unable to speak for yourself. I was saying to my husband that I've never encounter situation in Singapore where people treated me badly cos I'm of a different race but thinking about it, since chinese is the 'majority' in Singapore, I don't associate people being rude as racist but when I'm here, I assume that when someone isn't nice, it's because of it. Like Mrs N said, you'll grow to be stronger

Do let us now how it goes yeah?

chrisl, I hope you're feeling better now. I heard from my dad that the haze situation in Singapore isn't getting better. Do take care of yourself or your FH will be upset hehe

 

[christie79]

Hi freaky! Thks! Im slightly better but still have the runs now and then but yesterday i was all wrapped up with long sleeves shirt and pant plus 2 blankets (1 fleece and 1 normal one) was still shivering under all those! Yes apart from the haze there's also this norovirus around. Meaning stomach flu and such..Got this email circulation from mcys they're pretty concern as it's a virus and very prone in preschools...hmm

Currently i don't have a problem with my future in-laws but might in future!? I supposed have to give and take till then. But i understand that you're not living with your in-laws? Next time i might have to as my in-laws would be my neighbour too for the 1st few years at least when im there in Norway. But i suppose you have to talk to your husband about it about how you feel and that's it's important to you that you take part in any decision makings in the family and that you'll feel accepted in that way...that's my 2 cents worth lah

 

[de_luxe]

Hi peeps!

Sorry haven't posted in a while. Been busy at work & at home. We've found a brand-new appt to rent n will be moving early Nov. Yippee!! Gotta look for some furniture in the coming weeks cuz the place is partially furnished. Also gotta sell some of our appliances. Haven't quite figured out how to do so... checking out ebay now, but not quite sure how reliable it is....

Cuclainne Selamat Hari Raya! Great news to hear that peanut has turned... have a safe delivery!! Are u on maternity leave already?

gina I bought my wrist corsages from www.theweddingthoughts.com for $6 each (see pic below). I'm not much of a craft person n also din have time to. They have a gd range of wedding items (including terribly adorable stuffed toys n ring pillows) n pricing is reasonable.

freaky At present i dun have any problems w my PIL, but then again they r in Germany and we see them at most once a yr. Dunno how it will be like if we were to see them more often. But my SIL has told me that they are very cool abt things, mind their own biz n dun interfere w their kids' stuff unless they r asked to help out so i guess it can't be too bad.

By wat u said, it sounds like ur PIL talk down to u?

Hope ur weekends with the in-laws work out well...

Pris Keep cool... i can understand the fustration... this is typically how the govt in Europe works, lotsa bureaucracy simply cuz the various depts dun share info with each other. My frens n I had problems when we were in France too, n it was only for a student visa, not a PR!! I guess the integration course is intended to be easier as it's mean to ease foreigners into the country. Think Australia has a similiar policy too.. just take it as a refresher course or sleep ur way through the 1st month or so... it will work out eventually..

Unfortunately there is racism in SG, just that as Chinese, most pple dun feel or realise it but sometimes when i overhear pple talking, it can be quite surprising. I do think that at times, i'm also guilty of it. Haven't we all at one time or another eyed foreign workers w suspicions?

Prob the govt here doesn't appear to be outwardly saying 1 thing but doing another but i do think it happens as well. Take the IR issue when the debate was mooted, there was quite a fair bit of dissent when they consulted pple's opinions cuz they wanted to know wat pple think n there was a debate b4 going ahead with the decision. But it always seemed to me that the decision to go ahead was already made way before the opinon seeking was done cuz according to their homework, it will bring x amount of benefits. It was just a front to say "see, we did ask..."

There is this feedback unit thingy, n i went to experiment w it. Bascially told them that i dun understand why they would inform all govt agencies when one changes address but not when one changes name (e.g. to married name), especially when pple change their names far less frequently than their addresses!! After some ding-dong official sounding replies, an email finally arrived from MCDS saying to the effect that there is currently no statuory law or whatever that says that the various govt agencies r to do so... blah blah blah.. i was like "duh???!!!"

 

[tootsieroll]

Pris,
....and we thought the Germans were a well organised bunch

. We were in Koln last year for the World Youth Day (a Christian youth festival), and at first, we thought wow, WYD in Germany, it will be well organised blah blah blah, turns out that the German organisers were totally unprepared for the large crowds and lots of communication breakdown (I hope the World Cup was better!). It's a shame when one has to go through all the red tape in order to be eligible for PR, especially when you're so enthusiastic about wanting to do well and getting the best. Hopefully the month will fly past quickly, then you can start on month 4. The funny thing is that if you don't go through the 'legal' channels, you would probably get away with it!

I think there is racism in SG, and blatantly more so, just that we overlook it, or are not as PC-conscious. My DH was very surprised when walking along Geylang Serai one day, he saw a sign on a shop window asking for shop assistants, although 'Only Chinese please'...and this is in the Malay cultural quarter of Singapore! As deluxe said, how often in school did we play the 'pinching' game when encountering a turban-wearing sikh, and even now, there are certain negative stereotypes about bangladeshis, indians, indonesians, malaysian malays, china chinese etc... I think Singapore seems more efficient, because 1) small country 2) One ruling Garmen that sets all the policies and how things should be done....but not always that efficient lah, once their computer system breaks down

Freaky,
I dun have problem with most of my in-laws, only my MIL (yes, the dreaded MIL, DIL relationship!). Like you, my family values the children's input into things, and accepts that the children have grown up and independant....with my MIL, it's like my DH who is 31 years old still gets told what to do. Like when he said to my MIL that he may do some further study, she said 'you must be mad!'....I mean, if I told my mum I wanted to do further study, even if she disapproved, she wouldn't scream at me like that. When my DS was about 4 months and exploring his voice, and once he was really screaming....my MIL (who claims she loves children) screamed at him to 'shut up', because she was trying to have a conversation with someone. I've never argued with her though, probably because I have chosen to walk out of the room whenever she starts on her rants on why so-and-so can or can't or should do something a certain way, especially when the rants are pertaining to my beloved DH. Thank goodness since marriage, I've only seen her about 3-4 times, and probably will be only about once a year, if she doesn't come and stay with us.

cuclainne,
Popped the peanut already??

Chrisl,
My puppy has gone 6 months, and is rolling over everywhere and also trying to crawl. I put him in the middle of our lounge yesterday, and left the room just to get a drink. When I got back, I saw him at the end of the lounge, pulling at TV wires and chewing them! Horrified me to no end! I shall be more vigilant!

 

[freakyfairy]

deluxe, nah, they don't talk me down, FIL is great most of the time. My MIL craves attention and would constantly talk to you or drag you into conversation she's having with someone else that you have no interest in even if you're busy with something else... She assumes a lot about me like if I like apples, I should like everything apple-related. And she kept showing our wedding picture to strangers!!! Then there is the shouting over little things, not at me but it's just too much to bare It's just a big shock to me when my own family are the total opposite... luckily my husband isn't like his parents. Just one more day to go...

Did you do the corsage yourself? I like the colour combination

tootsieroll, sounds like we're in quiet similar situation. I try not to moan about my MIL too much but it's hard! I do like her as a person but not when she's constantly trying to get everyone's attention and wanting us to keep ensuring her that she's the best mother... I am worried that things might go worst when we have kids cos I see education and discipline very differently from her. At least my husband sees things the same as I do. hehe so are you spending Christmas with the PILs?

Racism in Singapore can be quite bad. In one of the company I used to work, some of the girls there are being openly racist. It's quite shocking that they find those comments funny. Even the girl from China who was working there got 'stabbed' a few times at work cos of where she's from. It's good that in Europe, it's a crime to be racist.

By the way, anyone tried calling overseas with Skype? I tried it a while ago and the quality isn't too bad, a bit lag but an hour's call is only about One Euro!

 

[georginat]

chrisl, no problem, feel free to browse my website, i can do the same to yours too !!

Still preparing, last week i finished making the ang pao box and this week i will make the wrist corsages..de_luxe's wrist corsages are nice and reasonable!! but i have already bought the material so got to DIY..many caterers are fully booked on dec 9, so still looking for one.headache !! Just met up with the hotel's wedding planner to finalise all the details on decor, floral arrangement and menu...next month will get to see all my MTM gowns..i have put on a bit of weight, hmm....will need to slim down a bit (on the tummy) if not cannot fit into the gown !!!

freaky, sometimes i talk to my fiance via skype too, the voice quality is not bad but normally i use phone card(sunshine card, $8 for 5 hours) to call him..an hour's call for 1 euro is a good deal

hope i wont have much problem with my FMIL..she is the 'queen' in the family !!

did see nisa for quite a while?? wonder has peanut popped out yet ???

 

[de_luxe]

tootsieroll is there a reason why u refer to ur DS as puppy? M curious...

freaky how did the wkend go? Guess as u said ur MIL simply craves attention. I suppose she might be feeling that her role in her son's life has been taken over by you n hence the need to get attention to prove that this is not so.

Nope i din make the corsage, bought it from www.theweddingthoughts.com and the colour combi turned out to match my bouquet...hahaha.. i just went back to the page n they have new stuff that are so cute, i'm so tempted to buy 1 for myself!! But cannot... can't waste $$$ on such frivolous stuff!

Georgina Wow.. u're making a fair bit of items urself! I always admire pple gd w craftwork. I'm just totally hopeless at that. Whenever i attempt something, the result is usually not when i envisage it to be, so i decided that it's best to leave with it to the pros!

Why do u need a caterer? Tot u are having the wedding at a hotel?

Hmm.. i always wondered why the MIL-DIL r/s always seem fraught with obstacles... I have yet to personally experience it n hope i never will, since at present i can barely hold a decent conversation w my MIL since she hardly speaks English n my German is not gd enough.

Have seen how the MIL-DIL r/s can deteriorate 1st hand in my own family w my late grandma n her daughters-in-law (she had 4 sons & 1 daughter, i.e. my mom). They were all OK w her b4 they married my uncles but somehow after marriage, all except one seemed to have some issues with her. I would prob have been able to understand why if she had been a grumpy meddlesome old lady, but on the contary, she wasn't one bit like that (at least not in my opinion). She pretty much minded her own business, was happy to help out with the grandchildren (but din spoil them) n to cook excellent meals for whoever who lived with her. Even at her funeral, it seemed to me that the 2 youngest aunts still couldn't let go of whatever grudges they had against her. I think i will always hold it against 1 of them who unceremoniously got my grandma out of her home by getting her husband (i.e. my uncle) to bluff my grandma that she will be staying with another uncle for a few days but they never came back to bring her home. That was prob her most painful experience n I think it accelerated her decline into senile dementia cuz we all saw how she gradually changed since that episode. But of cuz they would never admit that they had a role to play in that, will they?

 

[georginat]

hi de_luxe, i need a caterer on dec 9 after ROM and before tea ceremony at my place. Wedding dinner is on dec 10.

heres my ang pao box which i made last week..

 

[de_luxe]

Wow... ur ang pao box is really nice! U could consider starting ur own biz!

 

[tootsieroll]

Freaky,
Haha, sounds like my MIL alright! I don't hate her or anything, just find her annoying and quite tactless at times (even her own family says so), but as deluxe says, perhaps it's the thought that another woman has taken her precious son away. You know us in Singapore like seafood very much, but it's not as if everytime must eat seafood right? Anyway, I think my DH must have mentioned that I like seafood, so when they came down to S'pore for the wedding and we were eating in the coffeeshop 'zhu cha', I asked what they want....MIL response is 'not everything seafood', cos she scared kena what hepatitis in Asia. (No offence to our neighbouring countries, but I don't think the seafood would come from underneath someone's toilet in the kelong!

). Then a few months back, we went to a Chinese restaurant, so all eyes were on me to order food. Again I asked if anyone had a favourite dish. Again MIL said 'not all seafood'....wah piangz! The funny thing is that all these years, everyone knows how annoying she can be, yet nobody has told her what her problem is, so the poor lady is oblivious to the general sentiment of everyone in her family! To be fair, I'm sure she has a kind heart, but it just gets expressed in the wrong way and rubs off rather badly.

Deluxe,
I always call DS 'Puppy' because he was born Year of the Dog, so he's a little puppy

Also, his mannerisms are quite puppy-like

 

[freakyfairy]

georgina, Less than 2 months to go now hehe Stay calm, everything will turn out ok. Have you tried Gim Tim for catering? I heard their food is pretty good and price is reasonable. The other good one is Blue Ginger but a bit pricey compared to the usual caterers.

hehe I guess you won't be living with your FMIL after the wedding?

deluxe, Got my peace back now. Luckily the mornings were quite sunny so they all went out for half a day. My MIL craves attention from everyone, not just me. She always go out of her way to make people love her and will put herself down hoping that someone will tell her it's not true. It's fine to do that once in a while but not 4 or 5 times a day. Even my sis who's very good with people said it was so life draining talking to her... Although, I have to say, she's a very lovely lady when she's sure of herself and relax more.

MIL-DIL relationship can be tricky. I guess the way to go about avoiding problems requires both party to close one eye on things.

tootsieroll, hehe we can't be talking about the same person right? My MIL loves seafood so I wouldn't have that seafood problem haha but I'm trying to think of a way to get her to understand that I don't like all teddy bears and stop buying me everything teddy bear related from sale and oxfam... I find that most people here seem to always have their favourite food and never gets bored of them. Now my MIL thinks I hate custard cos I didn't want any with my last apple crumble...

 

[gottliebt]

Hi dear girls

Pardon my long absence.... have been busy... doing my integration course now and suddenly half my time everyday is gone... ahhh. Well, the class is still really slow but I´ve learnt to just take it as it comes... will treat it as a revision. Started learning the deutsch dictionary too, so can learn a few new words a day... if not i´ll bore myself to death in class. Yup, so how r u girls doing? Has Cuclainne given birth already? heehee.

 

[gottliebt]

Mrs N Thanks a lot for your wonderful advice. I felt very comforting reading the stuff u wrote to me. Will keep remembering that there is a purpose in everything, just trusting God to help me to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing yet....

Tootsieroll Hee, guess u have had yr fair share of the "inefficiency" of germans huh. Well, I guess with a country of 80 million, there´s bound to be ppl who do not live up the "reputation" of efficient germans!

 

[georginat]

hi girls !!! happy halloween !!

seems like most of us are busy with our own stuff...its going to be year end soon, time passes so fast...

hmmm..have not seen nisa here for quite a while, perhaps peanut has popped out , too busy to go online !!

still struggling with Spanish

need to learn a few sentences before wedding so that can communicate with his family especially his mom...stress

freaky, thanks for your recommendation abt Gim Tim but i cant use them coz they are not halal , i need a halal caterer coz there are 2 malay friends..so at last i manage dto get Intl catering, tried them once before, wasnt too bad..

 

[christie79]

Hi gals!

Dropping by to say hi! Been really busy! Just had my bridal make up class today! Next week's last lesson by the way! Fun!

tootsieroll That's a really cute way to call your boy..heee...I suppose he's in the 'mouthing'
stage so hang in there! He might be placing all sorts of stuffs into his mouth to explore! Meanwhile, try to keep the room clear of dangerous stuffs...

But georgina, have you tried calling purple sage? I tried to engage them before when i had wanted a garden wedding initially but later had to forgo that idea when FH's so afraid that he'll 'melt' under the hot sun..have you heard of them? Their food's not bad, i attended a wedding 2 years ago that had their catering...plus their deco's great! Hey by the way i had gone for a mini shopping for wedding favour pouches and found some good buys! So happy that something's done at least

K! Till next time! Have a great week ahead!

 

[jini]

Hi ladies
ROM just got over and it was wonderful.

Priscilla - Are you doing the Dutch integration exams? I am supposed to start on it but been busy with my ROM. Can you give me details of your classes? are you here in singapore or in holland? my email is : [email protected]

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi Jini,

Priscilla is in Germany. I am the one with the Dutch hubby and in holland now. Yes, I am taking the class here and exam is later. If you want to learn Dutch in Sg, I know of a teacher. Let me know.

Hi ladies, I am like super busy! Just pop by to say hi! Wondering whether Cucul has given birth. Tata! Have to run again!

 

[jini]

HI Elizabeth

I did not know that you can take the classes there. All the websites say that we have to take the exam in home country. please write to me when you have the time : [email protected] . Wherabouts in Holland do you live? My husband lives in Rotterdam

Hope to hear from you soon

 

[cuclainne]

Hi ladies - I know it's been a while. Hope everyone is doing well. My EDD has come and gone - I will be going for induced labour tomorrow morning. Peanut is now about 3.5kg (gasp!) so the doctor said not to wait until my water bag bursts naturally .. he's worried I might not be able to deliver naturally if we wait cos she might grow bigger and I will have difficulty pushing her out.

I will keep you ladies updated on my progress.

 

[mrs_n]

Culcainne will be thinking of you. Keeping all fingers and toes crossed. Take care.

 

[tootsieroll]

Good luck cuclainne (you might actually be in KK being induced as I type this!)

 

[spiderbaby]

Hey Cuclainne,
Have a smooth & safe delivery...we would be cheering you on =)


& btw anybody here who's interested in Fall/Winter wears??...if so, let me know & i shall u gals the pics....

stay well ladies =)

 

[tootsieroll]

Nikki,
Ya, send me