Any Singaporeans Staying In Overseas

[mrs_n]

Oh! Ee-ling you can't throw yourself into the river, or we'll have to turn this thread into a crying session!

Tough luck girl, it must be quite difficult to mememorize all those rules, never mind it being in italian as well! Look on the bright side, next time you'll have more experience and just keep thinking of those places you can drive to when you get your license.

Romeo and Juliet was one of my fav Shakespearean tragedies so I was horribly disappointed that I had to do Julius Caesar. But I like his comedies better. We did 'As You Like It' in sec 3 and it was fun. I've joined the local library a few months ago, so I'm kind of catching up on a bit of reading, you know sort of make up for the last 4 years. Didn't have time to touch any novel, just sciency journals, so this is a nice change. Bit more relaxing on the mind, when you know you don't have to write a lit review after the read.

The bird's nest are actually in the back garden. Though I suspect there is another one in the front. I found the shells of 2 broken eggs under the pine tree. Can't find the nest though as its probably too high up.

Have a good weekend everybody. We're going camping to the lake district this weekend. Hopefully it doesn't rain.

 

[buzzy]

Hi all,

hope everyone have a good start to the weekend

ee ling.. dun despair. hv another try.. m sure u will get yr licence one day. the thing i rembered when i 1st got my license, i dun hv the courage to drive on the road. i placed a teddy on the passenger sit to keep me company. driving was a stressful event considering that i m a new driver at tat time. ppl jst gave me the irritated look..

, probably i was too indecisive when cutting lane or travelling at a tortoise speed.. gee. i remembered there was once i drove my brand new VW to ngee ann city, i was so lousy at parking that when i was reversing the car to do my reverse parking, i miscue n scratch the corner of my car

heartache....

wow ,there are so many shakespere fans here. Mrs N, u might like to visit The Globe and watch some of the shakespere's plays. I visited the place last sept and while touring the venue, we caught glimpse of the group actors practising the play. was an experience. its a good day out if u happen to go london. hmm.. straford upon avon is a nice plc too.. it's shakespere birth plc. worth visiting.

harlo biba.. welcome to this thread. i was'nt in mel but i was in syd when i was studying in aust donkey years back. been to mel for a couple of times. its pretty similar to syd. well, i think u will like the plc, very cosmopolitan city. Din really encounter any racist situation. as i can remembered, students are entittled to certain working hours stated in the visa. U mit like to check out with Education Australia office at RELC. Mayb they can advise u further.

hope u will enj mel n update us..

there is farmer's market in southampton today.. finally. this is the 1st time i see them here. Mst see see look look what they got to offer.. talk later .. tata

 

[mrs_n]

Hiya hope everybody had a good weekend.

Cindy no lah not really a Shakespeare fan! But I've heard that they do plays in Stratford-upon-Avon. My aunt went there. Hope I could visit someday but my hubby is not too keen to go there. Maybe I'll wait for my mum & dad to come here and then suggest a visit.

We had a nice time in the lake district. Had a bit of a problem sleeping the first night as some kids were playing football outside our tent at half hour to midnight! My hubby had to tell them off, after that it was ok. The next day we went hill walking in the morning and then took a walk around Keswick in the late afternoon. It was great but tiring. Yesterday we went down to the coast but could only walk for about 2 hours before the rain came. On the way back we went to the http://www.rheged.com/ to look at the national mountainnering exhibition. Very interesting and really worth a visit. Tells the history surrounding the first expeditions to Mt Everest. Didn't realise that to climb a mountain there were so many politics involved!

So how was the farmer's market? Did you find anything interesting?

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals,

I spent the weekend helping out at the local beer festival in my hubby's hometown. It was fun but rather warm cos I was in the kitchen again whilst hubby was out there taking orders. We also brought our kitty cat to his in-laws and they're helping us to cat-sit for a couple of weeks.

Will be 'MIA' for a couple of weeks. We're off for a short holiday. I thought I could 'relax' more during the hols if I had passed the 'stinkin' theory test but now I have to lug the books with me and study it again whilst I am there. Well, I hope I'll find more time to study and study it better and well.

Hi Cindy, how was the farmer's market? I love buying groceries at the local open air markets and Turin has got tons of them, at least one in every estate.

ok gals, gotta go run some errands. take care and catch up with you all when I'm back 3rd July.Ciao ciao!

 

[mrs_n]

ee-ling sounds like you had an enjoyable and interesting weekend. What were you doing in the kitchen? Making beer???

Have a nice trip and we'll look forward to your stories ... of course we expect you to tell us all about it when you come back.

Take Care & God Bless! Hope the sun shines on you all the way!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals, leaving for our hols after the Italy vs Croatia match later this afternoon (Italian time).
Mrs N,
Besides beer, there were also fried calamari, chips, thin bread rolls with ham or cheese (I was helping another guy making this), hamburgers, sausages, desserts, meat skewers etc. It was really fun but hard work cos we were making those bread rolls nearly non stop for nearly 5 hours.

It's been really warm here in Turin, was around 35 degrees yesterday (first day of summer). I hope it does not get too hot on the island. We're expecting some light breezes so that'll be good.

 

[buzzy]

Hi gals...

Hmm... i went MIA for the whole of this week. Its been a stressful and tired week, work and tests (nearly killed me). I am simply worn out
Weeeekkkkeennnndsss,i cant wait for it anymore

Harlo Mrs N,
I missed out on the Farmer's market last week. Thanks to my hubby.. insisted on getting the groceries 1st that by the time we finished with it, the farmer's market was closed.

No idea when is the next Farmer's market going to be.. might hv to wait for a long long time again. Argh.

Nice to hear that your camping trip went well. Uploading any pics to share wi us?

Harlo Eeling,
Hee.. i bet u had gd fun rolling n baking roll breads. so hw was the earnings for the weekend.. gee. hw did u n yr hubby's got involved in this yearly beer event thingy?
We will all b waiting for your return wi lots of joy to share.

My eyes can barely open wide today. Last evening, went to the architural exhibition that my hubby office people were involved in . Whole event ended at 9pm, reached hm at 10pm. Din even bother to cook dinner so we had instant noodle and more instant noodle for lunch in office again. Think i m going to 'botah' soon

It's time that i deserve a good weekend this week.. hv a gd one 2, gals!

 

[mrs_n]

Oh well, Cindy never mind there'll be other farmer's market for you to go. Do you have the continental market in soton? They come round about every 6 months to Sheffield. Quite like going to these markets, as they have many interesting things from continental europe. Last time we went, we managed to get some tulip bulbs for our garden.

Have a nice weekend too.

 

[black_peony]

hello girls!

sorry... have gone MIA for a while. Just busy with work and the late nights of soccer. I dun usually surf the web at home coz the night time is always quality time with hubby! so if I dun appear online, it must be I'm busy with work and haven't had time to come online!

Hows things going? I know Ee-Ling is on holidays right now. So envious!! I'm looking forward to Sept too as we are planning to go back to Sin for a week and maybe also to somewhere like Japan or Maldives for another week

. Can't wait!!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi Black Peony

You taking a break from the soccer fever. My you must be tired with all the late nights!

We are well. Went to the Royal Norfolk Country Show yesterday. My hubby was on duty at a stall as technical advisor for some concrete product. I just kaypoh kaypoh and went along. Never been to a Country Show before so it was a good experience. Its mainly an agricultural show but there were alot of stalls that had nothing to do with agriculture. I went to look mainly at the animals.

There were rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, hens, geese, cows, sheep and goats etc! I watch a sheep shearing demonstration and the horse show jumping competition. Was pretty much on my feet the whole day. When I finally found a seat, it was just before a 'sheep show' started. It was quite funny, when the music came on, the sheep started tapping their feet. Never knew there were so many varieties of sheep and that sheep actually liked music!

Today I'm totally tired out. Had quite a long day yesterday, we woke up at 4 am, left the house at 5 in order to reach Norwich by 7.30! And we got back just gone quarter past 8 pm. Haha took us longer to get home b'cos of the traffic. And after being out in the sun yesterday, my face is red like a steamed prawn!

Lucky you can look forward to going home soon.

How nice.

 

[black_peony]

Hello Mrs N,

The country show sounds like great fun! I still remember when I first came to Perth on a holiday, I went crazy with excitment just seeing the horses, cows, sheep and kangaroos when we drive past some fields. My husband (still boyfriend at that time) was very amused by my excitment. But you see, we Singaporeans are not used to all these animals. The only time we can see them is probably at Mandai!

Am sure you are tired after the activities yesterday. Were you off from work?

 

[buzzy]

harlo mrs N,

sounded like u enjoyed yrself very much, m sure it was a fruitful long journey to Norfolk despite the long drive. sounded that life in the up north is so much more interesting compared to the ulu southampton.gee..we dun hv much here.sob. tink many of us will treasure those farms out here, esp we grown up frm urban city. i rememebered the last trip when i was back in sin, my little cousin was watching animal planet on telly one day. there was a duck on the programme n she shouted out .. 'tats a chicken'.. tat really show us the neg side of growing up in such a urban city. even little kids cant differtiate animals which is frighting

...

halor black peony..

u going back to sin.. wow u got nice plans ahead. mst b feeling excited planning yr trips.so tis time back sin, i bet is to do more shopping n enjoy more delicious hawker food? hw nice to b back sin hor.. so will u b going back for cny then? if all of us going plan for the coming cny, hw nice if we can organise a big gathering

The football fever is back after 2 days rest.. england is playing tomorrow afternoon. jst few more matches to the final count dwn n i can hv my telly snatched back frm my hubby.. Hee. looking 4ward to the next sunday, i am goin to watch the wimbledon 'live' .. after which going to rush back from wimbledon to southampton to catch the final world cup.. wat an exciting weekend coming ahead next week

 

[mrs_n]

Hee! Hee! Cindy wait till you come up and see where I live then you'll know what ulu really is!

Soton can't be all that bad? Isn't it one of the main cities in the South?

Ha! Ha! We managed to miss most of the England vs Portugal match. Was watching 'Thumbelina' instead and only caught the penalties which was probably more interesting anyway.

Oh well, life in England can go back to normal now. Wow you're lucky to be going to wimbledon to watch the finals. You can certainly look forward to an exciting weekend.

Haha! Black Peony I'm a housewife for the time being. Yeah we certainly aren't used to animals running around in gardens. I still get excited just seeing the wild rabbits running round the strawberry fields down the lane from us.

 

[ee_lingt]

Ciao gals,

I'm back and tanned

Looks like us Singaporeans get to experience and appreciate more country life and animals living abroad. I think it's very destressing and relaxing. At least that's how me and hubby feel whenever we are at his parents' place at the weekends.

Black Peony,
I'm envious too that you can 'easily' fly home and visit family and friends and enjoy all that much missed hawker food. I can't wait to be back in Dec. It'll also be a good time to get away from the cold winter.

My parents will be in Perth for a week from the third week of July. They love that place and have been back so many times since I left.

 

[buzzy]

Harlo EeLing,

How was your holiday? Recharge and feel afresh again? Update on your interesting island trip hor.. it felt like ages since u MIA...

Knock Knock, harlo Mrs N... soton is considered as a big city in the south england but it always felt like we r missing a lot of life compared to any other cities. Life is not as buzzy down here.

Hoping for nexy yr, when we aim to get a car so that we will not be so handicapped. In the meantime, got to settle our house issue. Imagine it had been 2 months since we expressed interest in a hse and at this moment, there is still no progress as there is a forward chain invloved

Black Peony... remember to eat more when u back at home. Really miss the days when we sit in humid hawker centres eating a bowl of bak chow mee.. prawn mee.. anything that u can named. SLURP!

Tomorrow is my test day for my office internal assesment on my QS chartership course AGAIN... m stressed out. i dun knw hw it will turn out... it will be another sleepless night.. sigh

 

[ee_lingt]

Hey Cindy,

The mini hol was very relaxing and hubby and I managed to catch up with some reading. I managed to finish the second half of an English book and an Italian book plus loads of Italian magazines and a few newspapers. I usually have no mood to read except when I am on holiday but hubby who is a 'bookworm' reads a bit every night and is quite a fast reader unlike snail slow me

Sardegna-Sardinia in English is a very big island dotted with a lot of stunningly beautiful sandy and pebbly white clean beaches with clear light blue water. At the end of our 10 day trip, we had suntanned, swam, slept, read and played cards on about 15 different beaches.

As usual, there were lots of women suntanning topless. I was almost tempted to do the same but we didn't find a spot deserted enough so I was too 'paiseh' to go topless, furthermore, most of those women had nice assets to show, I don't

We went for lots of walks in the water and along the beach hand in hand. Trying to walk a coastline with water either calf or knee high is great exercise for the thigh muscles! Makes them firm and toned.

Hope your internal assessment went on well and that you manage to catch up with some sleep tonight.

 

[black_peony]

hello ladies..

Am on MC today. Well, not really sick but am so tired from last night's world cup finals. Also still fuming from a confrontation I had with my boss on Friday so just dun have the mood to go to work!

Sigh... last week wasn't so good for me. I mentioned earlier that I have been quite tied up with work recently and it all started with my promotion effective 1 July. Apart from my own segment, I am also the acting head of another team for the time being (and until god knows when..). When my boss broke the news to me a couple of weeks ago, i was very happy that the management is recognizing my efforts and rewarding me for my performance. It was only until on Friday that I found out I am not getting a pay rise with this promotion. Of coz I wasn't happy because my boss has been talking so much about wanting to motivate me with this promo but wats the point when I dun get an salary review? And with all these additional responsibilities? Tell me girls. Do you think it's fair for me? To me, if a promo doesn't come with a salary review, it is not a promo but rather, a title redesignation. Agree?

So anyway, I confronted her on Friday afternoon. I told her very honestly that I am not happy because i am very disappointed. And I told her I was more motivated before all these happened becasue a senior manager title doesn't mean anything to me. Then she went on saying about how a promo can be without salary review and that she is putting me on a successor progression program blah blah blah... i have been so upset since last Friday.

Am now feeling a little lost on how I should handle this from now. Am very tempted to look for greener pastures but for the industry I am in, there isn't many great opportunities in the market for me. I have nothing to lose by staying on but just can't help feeling cheated with all my new added responsibilities now and not getting paid for it. And the fact is, I know I deserve a salary review because not only have I met my budget of $1.25M for the first 6 months, I have made an extra 200k for the company. I have the right to be fuming now, dun I?

Sorry for grumbling so much. And you know what? It's times like this that I miss home so much. My family and friends... Do any of you miss home alot? Or is it just me? Today is my 1 year anniversary in Perth and all I can think of is my home in Singapore. There are times when I look at my passport and just wish I can grab it and fly home. Was telling my hubby on saturday that whenever I feel down in Perth, I feel helpless becasue he is the only person i can talk to. I miss my good friends alot.

 

[mrs_n]

Hey Black Peony don't feel bad about pouring out your thoughts on here. Probably better to get it off your chest than keeping it in.

Sounds like your company is taking advantage of you. Probably like you say, its difficult for you to move elsewhere due to lack of opportunities, they probably know that's the case too and playing it to their advantage. If there were more competitors in the industry, they'll be singing a different song. Understable why you're fuming now, yeah, money isn't everything but at least there must be some sort of incentive to motivate employees. Makes you kind of feel that you've been taken for granted inspite of working your butt off and all the thanks is some soddy title. Feeling mad for you now.

Yeah, I miss home a lot especially when I'm down. But then, I remind myself that is was my choice to come and live here and eventually decide to marry a Brit. And if I had to do it all over again, I'll still choose to marry him. So really I should be prepared to accept come what may. But you know something, whenever the plane touches down at Changi, my heart just leaps, its like 'I'm home! I'm home!', don't get that feeling when we land in Manchester. Probably b'cos I know I'll get some 'interrogation' about what I'm doing in Britain at some point.

ee-ling is it a holiday in italy, since the italians have won the world cup?

Haha sounds like you had a nice, hot holiday. Did you manage to find time to revise?

Cindy hope your assessments went well. Did you have a nice time at wimbledon yesterday? I managed to watch the last two sets on TV, was chatting with my mum before that. Was quite exciting at the end. How did you get to wimbledon? By train and tube? I remember once my friend and I wanted to go and visit wimbledon to see the courts. We took the tube all the way to wimbledon, but didn't find the courts instead we ended up in wimbledon shopping centre!

Still haven't figured out how to get to the courts yet.

Well we recently got a second hand car for me.

So I'm finally mobile. But it took me 2 weeks before I dared to take the car out. Hardly had the opportunity to drive since I came here in 2001 so I'm kind of rusty. Especially when it comes to parking. Hahaha and I need to get used to the speed of driving here as well, at the moment, I drive like a tortise. With my parents coming up in a few days time, I better get more practise, as I've promised to take them around (not sure if I'm going to regret this).

 

[buzzy]

Hi Black Peony,

Wow, sounds like yr boss is really taking advantage of u. Tot this type of scenario only happens in sin, where boss make u work double w/o any financial rewards. I support yr tots! Change in title, more job commitment but no rewards, anyone would have felt this way. Bosses can say, oh well, this is an induction programme to monitor yr progress, but this will go on n on forever. In the end, the induction program will be a forever thingy. Ultimately, they will assume u to perform, n of cos, with no pay rise. Haiz. that's the mentality of bosses.

Think is good that you let yourself some break to get over with it. If I am in yr shoes, I will continue with the current job while looking for another for higher job prospect. Dun let the whole unhappiness situation make u feel upset for too long. Cos we know that yr boss is just taking advantage of u. Think positive n endure while hunting for yr greener grounds.

Totally understand how u felt. There are just times when we felt so down, hoping to fly back to sin but simply cant cos we got commitment in what we are currently doing. People back in sin envy us for the opportunity to stay and work in foreign country, but not many can understand how we actually felt. The feeling of going back simply overpowers us emotionally at times.

I was at this chinese restaurant on sat, having my lunch with my hubby. A family sat beside my table. The parents flew from HK to Southampton to visit their only daughter. When I saw them being so happy, just like the whole family being reunited, I brings me back the memories of life in sin, hw my mum kiss me when she send me off to changi airport to catch my plane. My tears rolled down that moment, I simply can't control. At that moment, I was like u, wanted to fly back soon. But again, this is a choice that I made; I have to live with it. I can only look forward to the day when I can go back to sin for a holiday again. When is Feb. 07 coming? I also longed for this day. Home is after all the sweetest place

Hi Mrs N,
My test got on well. But another to go end of July.. Ermm….

Yesterday was a hectic day. I came in office in like a zombie today. Woke up at 7am yesterday cos we had to catch the train to Wimbledon at 9am, n to call hubby's mum for her birthday. Wasn't a long trip to Wimbledon, just slightly over an hr. WOW, it's an experience to be there. Lots of people wondering around the courts. Of cos, i brought along my strawberries n cream, an all time english fav tradition. While I was walking, gosh, I bumped into Rafael Nadal!! I was pulling my hubby's arm, keep saying: 'aint that, aint that'.. I was so surprised that I came so close to Nadal that I totally forgotten his name haha.

Wimbledon is indeed a very posh area. Very nice big houses. The courts r pretty close to the train station, so we decided to walked there. We r dropping our names for the next yr ballot. Try our luck =D Hopefully we will b so lucky to get the next yr tix. Everyone is my office was amazed hw we can b so lucky to get the tic to the men's single final game n get to watch it in the centre court. Gee. Was a nice trip out.

Haha, bet u must b super excited that yr family is coming over yeah. Bet u be busy with yr driving lesson this few days. I always hate parallel parking, just couldn’t get the angle right. Maybe I m simply hopeless in this. Hee

Harlo Eeling,

Yr holidays sound great! It's always nice to have a break once a while. At times, we are all busy working that we can’t even have the spare time for ourselves. This is when holiday is the best! How nice….

Olay Olay Olay… Italy won the World Cup.Is the whole of Italy in celebration having won the World Cup? I didn’t really catch the game cos I was busy preparing the dinner last nite. I only managed to catch the last bits. Is there a bank holiday for celebration?

 

[black_peony]

Thanks for all the encouragement. And guess what? My boss came to me this morning and told me I am having a pay rise although she didn't mention how much. Maybe only $1k to my current annual package! whatever lah.. I am not having high hopes but at least she's showing that she doesn't want to lose this staff.

Hi Cindy, I know what you mean when you said you couldn't help tearing when you saw the family at the restaurant. I have breakdowns like that from time to time. Quite often in fact! My hubby is very concerned for me and I told him last night that I am starting to suspect maybe I'm suffering from some kind of depression.. I have very bad mood swings and worse whenever it's the time of the month. I was never like this before. I have always been a strong person and I had overcome very difficult phases of my life in the past and had no problem having stayng focused and positive. But it feels different this time.. I feel lost very often. Many times, I feel frustrated and upset and I can't even explain why I feel that way.

I know this is my choice and a decision I had made for myself to be here. But I wouldn't have made the decision if not for my hubby. But on the other hand, I would not have given him up for anything else in return. Well.. I guess life is just never perfect the way we want.

Hi Mrs N, I'm very happy for you that your parents are visiting shortly. Enjoy your time with them!!!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals,

Regarding missing the family, I too miss my parents and wish they could visit us once a year but in the meantime, I email them and chat with them and sms them very often. In my more than 2.5 years here in Turin, I think I only ever felt depressed and missed home only twice. I think the point is to try to be positive and to remember that it's our decision to be far away from home so that we can be with the love of our lives.

Black Peony, it's normal to miss family and friends but at least you have a good full time job to keep you occupied and you are with your husband and you are so close to Singapore and can often visit or your family can also visit you easily like you said before so take heart, cheer up. Perhaps you could also try to like Perth more cos I know you mentioned before that Perth is too boring for you so I suppose that kinda affects your feelings about being there.

If however, you find that you are really having a hard time coping being away from your family, you could talk to your hubby about it and maybe think about both of you moving back to Singapore.

Cindy, it will take you some time to settle down there far away from your family but you can do it! I was away from my family for nearly 5 years when I was in Perth and now am again away from my family, so I am kinda used to it. I try to keep myself occupied and treat each new place I am living in with positivity and a curious mind. I miss my family and friends a whole lot of course but I keep in regular contact with them and look forward to my once a year visits back home.

I suppose that's why we are all on this forum, giving moral support to each other and helping each other pass through difficult phases and tahan till we have the chance to be back home

I am so proud and happy that Italy won, there were lots of chaotic street celebrations immediately after the final penalty kick and celebrations went on till the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately there was no declared public holiday.

Mrs N, wow that's great that your parents are visiting! Wish my parents could visit but they told me not this year so I have to wait till Dec when I go back to see them again.

 

[chloe81]

Hi,

Any Singaporean working in London? As I am offer a post as sales, but do not know how much should I request for my salary, lodging, transport etc... Any1 can give me a guide?

 

[mrs_n]

Clarins I don't live in London but maybe you can try looking at this website: http://www.salaryexpert.com/

You could also check monster for similar jobs and get a feel for the average salary.

Hi girls just wanted to wish the rest of you a nice weekend. I may MIA for a while but will try to pop in every now and then to see how things are with you.
Black Peony glad your boss is giving you something even if its small, its better than nothing.

Ok I'm off to Manchester now. Was supposed to leave half an hour ago but my dear driver didn't have his shower yet! Grrrrrrrr! Men!

 

[chloe81]

Hi Mrs N

Thanks..

 

[buzzy]

Hi Black Peony,

Wow, tats great to hear that your boss is rewarding u. It mit jst b a small sum but at least it shows that she appreciate u as her staff. Hope that brighten yr day.

Hiaz.. last night i threw my temper again. I really begun to feel if i had made the right choice by coming over. Oh,wats wrong with me =( I m jst like u, once a blue moon or a when its the time of the month (pms), my hormones jst overpower my emotions. Silly thoughts will come to my mind and i began to feel as if i suffering frm depression or whatever. Its not easy to leave fres n family behind, jst like u exactly.

Everyday is like a routine, work, rush bck hm to cook (hardly hv a min to breathe when i reached hm. Jst dumped my bag n head to the kitchen), washes etc. I jst felt like a maid, i told my hubby last nite. I dun feel as cheerful as b4, i felt like a housewife.. so much responsibilty to shoulder that i felt tired and aged.

Eeling,
I think the feeling of being away to work in uk is pretty diff when i was studying in aust. I totally enjoyed my life in aust. Mayb becos life as a student is much care free, all i remembered was to concentrate on studies. For working in a foreign country, nt only we got work, but to rush hm everyday clean n wash n cook.. and its a kind of daily event.. oh my, i cant imagine hw worst can it get. My face is getting yellow... HELP...

Hi Mrs N,
Hope u had a nice trip to Manchester.Tata for the time being n hear frm u again soon yeah. The weather is great, sunny day. Hope u enjoy the most of the sunshine..

Sorry gals, i knw i am getting a bit non-sensical today. Jst feeling blu. I dun regret that i come all the way to UK but at times jst lost the power to overcome my frustation.

Me n my hubby had started a cold war at hm.. we r nt on talking terms currently

. Hope the moody atmosphere will soon b over.

Jst a little comfort, today is my pay review day. Not a big sum of bonus.. but still something to b a bit happier abt.

Hope sunshine shining throughout the whole weekend n may my mood be feeling better...PMS, pls leave me soon, its causing me to b unhappy

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Cindy,

Sounds like you are having some probs adjusting to your new life. It will take some time to adjust and get used to the new routine and to be able to manage your time better. Perhaps, you could ask your hubby to help you out once in a while and you two can try to go for outings or dinners once or twice a week to break the routine and need to cook at home.

I think many Singaporean families have maids so when it's time to do their own housework, some have 'initial probs'. My parents stopped having a maid at home more than 15 years ago so I'm kinda used to helping out in the housework. Also, since I moved to Turin, I've been living in small apartments so there isn't too much to clean but yes there is the usual laundry to do, washing up, ironing, cleaning, packing.

Don't stress yourself out too much Cindy, you'll get the hang of it soon and realise that you can handle both housework and office work skillfully aka a domestic and professional goddess!

If however you find that you really can't handle housework with office work, you can always think of hiring a part time maid that can do the housework a couple of times a week. It's quite common here in Turin.

Try to master your emotions and don't let them be your master

Have you tried primrose oil tablets for pms? It's supposed to relieve the symptoms.

 

[mrs_n]

Cindy hey dear hope you've recovered over the weekend. Hope you & hubby are on talking terms again. All of us have our up & down days sometimes.

Oh well, if you need to vent out, you know where to find us.

Saw your photographs on the stylewedding homepage. Congrats on making it as couple of the month. You two are certainly one stunning couple.

Ee-ling & Black Peony hope you two are ok too. Got to go now.

 

[buzzy]

Hi EeLing,

Yap, i will be a superwoman one day. Gee. I talked abt this issue last sat with my hubby. This time in a more subtle and peaceful tone. It's much of a fruitful talk this time cos no one is in an anger mood. That makes everything work out much better i suppose. Everyone needs to play a part in the household. A little help from him can make a diff in my life and how i feel about doing chores.

Hope from this little discussion, i conveyed my thoughts to him correctly n precisely. We are so used to singapore life where one dun hv to worry abt chores but staying on our own now, we need to work as a team to share all chores. Marriage is all about sharing, isnt' it....

Hey Mrs N,

Thanks. It was a surprise that my wedding pics were featured in StyleWedding. I submitted the details in march and never thought that we will be featured after so many months. Too bad, there is no prizes for being the couple of month.. keke.

Thanks Gals for hearing me out for the past few days. Just needed some space to pour out my unhappiness at times.. n so glad that u gals r here always. Muacks

Wow, its a HOT HOT day today.. the air outside felt so still and causing sleepless nights for the past few days. Argh...

BTW, Superman return is screening in theatre. Went to watch it over the weekend. Not as impressive as i thought it to be..superman's flying skill need a bit of 'polishing' i think.. It's worth a watch though..hmm

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Cindy,

Glad to read that you are feeling much better. Yes, marriage is a whole new 'world' altogether. And sometimes guys just don't have a 'clue' so sometimes us gals have to just 'ask'. My hubby often comes back home very tired and stressed out so I don't expect him to do much housework but he does try to help out at the weekends and sometimes I ask him to do little chores.

Yes, marriage is all about sharing and a lot of give and take and understanding and patience.

It's been really hot and humid here too and we only have a small fan in the apartment so I keep the windows closed during the day to keep out the heat. I hope it does not get too hot.

We haven't been to the cinema for some months now. Italians usually go to the cinema in the cold months, in summer, Italians prefer going to the seaside or being outdoors.

Mrs N,

Are your parents enjoying themselves? Bringing them to see as much as you can? Did they bring you lots goodies from Singapore?

Hi Black Peony,

Hope you are feeling much better. When's your next trip back to Singapore?

 

[black_peony]

hi everyone..

i have been soooo busy at work. my dept is extremely shorthanded so am busy trying to hire people too. I enjoy my new challenges but am starting to feel like an octopus.. I'm supposed to be travelling to Syndey, Melbourne and Adelaide for 2 weeks in early Aug and I have yet to work on my schedule!

So as you can see, I have been too busy to dwell in depression. But I'm still looking forward to my trip back to Sin on 1 Sept though! Oh, my hubby and I have decided to also go Japan for a week for holiday. Can't wait for the break from work!

Hi Cindy, hope things are better for you now. But contrary to what you illustrated earlier, my life here has been less hectic as compared to Sin. When we were both still living and working in Sin, I normally finish work at about 6.30 or 7 before picking my hubby up coz I have the car. Then by the time we reach home, it's already 8 when we start to cook. But over here, I normally reach home at about 6 and he will be back by 6.30pm. so dinner is usually ready by 7ish which is not too bad. That's why i find myself having much more time in Perth (well, so much that i sometimes find life too boring coz there's nothing to do at night). My hubby likes to help me prepare dinner so have been quite lucky in that sense. and he will wash the dishes so I can go shower or call my mum.

Like what you said, marriage is really about sharing, compromising and commitment to make things work. My hubby and I communicate alot and he has always been very sensitive and patient towards me so I really can't complain. But it's really great that you sat down with your hubby and talk over things. If you dun voice out, he will never know how you feel. Things will improve. have faith!!

Hi ee-ling and Mrs N! thanks for the concern. I'm ok (well, for now!). oki, gotta go now liao. Talk soon!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black Peony,

Glad to hear you are feeling much better. You must be enjoying your job since you get to travel around a lot instead of being 'stuck' in 'boring' Perth.

Heh, my parents are actually in Perth right now with another couple. They're gonna be there for about 8 days going around by car. They love Perth and have been back to Perth many times since I left!

 

[black_peony]

Hi Ee Ling,

yeah.. old folks tend to like Perth. it's like a retirement village for many!

hey Mrs N! Now that Ee Ling mention, I just recalled that your parents are in London for a visit. Are they still there? Enjoy your family time!

hello Cindy, hope you had a great weekend!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black Peony,

Laid back people like me love Perth too. I'm trying to arrange a trip to Perth in early Jan and an ex Uni classmate who's from Albuquerque plans to visit Perth around the same time with her hubby and baby son. I'm excited! Can't wait to go back! Who knows? My hubby might just fall in love with Perth and decide to move there and retire real early

Will get tips from you for places to makan closer to our trip. So which is your fav Australian city or town?

We're off for a few weeks. See you gals in late August.

Mrs N - update update on what you have been up to with your parents.

Liz - hope your ROM was great and that the weather was good. Remember to share pics!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi girls, its been quite a while, how have you been doing?

Black Peony thanks. Yes they are still around. This is their last week, they will be leaving for S'pore next Monday.

So sad can't believe a month passes by so swiftly.

ee-ling we brought my parents to North Wales last week, was kind of an anniversary present for them. They celebrated their wedding anniversary yesterday.

We just had lunch at the pub in the next village and my PILs came along as well. It was nice but the meal was just so huge. We were practically stuffed and didn't eat any dinner (or tea, as they say it here). Northerners tend to refer to lunch as 'dinner' which was a bit confusing at the beginning for my parents b'cos 'tea' to them, usually means afternoon tea! Anyway, we have been saving the top layer of our wedding cake we intended to cut it up when my parents were here. But we kept it in the freezer and forgot about it until yesterday! So instead of getting them a cake, we used ours as an anniversary cake for my parents.

Well, good thing my SIL is coming tomorrow. I don't intend stuffing myself with cake for the next few weeks!

Anyway, went off the track as usual!

Right! Wales was pretty. We stayed at a seaside resort called Llandudno which was really nice. And during the day, we drove around the area mainly in the region of Snowdonia National Park. I will put up the pictures when I have the time.

Wales is famous for their male voice choirs and we attended a performance in one of the churches one night. It was very good. Surprisingly good if you consider that most of the choir members were over 60! My hubby told me than when he saw the choir as they walked out to perform, he wasn't so sure if they would last through the evening. Some of the men looked so fragile but they can most certainly sing!

Anyway, on the way back home, we stopped by to see my dad's former student and his family. So spent the whole friday afternoon recalling the good old times in S'pore. Quite nice really.

After the excitement of holidaying in wales, I'm now babysitting two huge rabbits for my BIL's family as they have gone on holiday.

Btw don't think Liz comes on this thread. You might have better luck on this one. In fact, she's put up the link to her photos on there.
http://www.singaporebrides.com/forumboard/messages/36737/105257.html?1154940722

Cindy how are you? You ok? Any luck with the house hunting yet?

 

[mrs_n]

Hey Girls, hope you had a nice 'national day' even though there's not much of a National Day atmosphere where we are (at least not where I am).

 

[buzzy]

Hi All,

Sorry i had been MIA-ing the past few weeks. Busy with house hunting and work. Din got any luck for our house hunting, felt a bit of dissappointment. Hope that the perfect house is on the way.. cos it jst feel different living off in a rented apartment. Hope lady luck be with us soon..

Hi Mrs N,
Nice to hear that yr parents had a wonderful time over yr plc. It's always sad when its time for the guests to depart yeah, i always can't help feeling down when sending visitors off to the airport.. =P So who took over the role of the chief during the period. or they cooked yr fav dishes wi special spices/ food brought frm sin. U going back to sin for the next CNY?

Hi Ee-ling,
School holiday is here.. time for you to enjoy this vocation. Hope u had a nice one n hear frm u.

Hi Black Peony,
Still as buzzy as a bee? Hope life is good for u..

Finally weekend is drawing near. Me n my hubby is heading down to Alresford to catch my favourite steam train!It's a special event tis time, cos Thomas Tank Engine is visiting the station. So i will be miggling wi the little friends to sit on Thomas. I think that will be fun.. Gee. But before that, we got to go for a house viewing appointment.. hope this house that we are viewing suit us this time.. hmm

That's all for now. hv a nice weekend all

 

[black_peony]

Hi Gals!

Yeah, have been super busy at work. Am now in Sydney on biz trip. Have been in Adelaide for a day and then Melbourne for 2 days. Just flown in from Mel last night. Am just glad I have the weekend to rest. Will be back in Perth next friday. BUT, despite my hectic work schedule over the last few days, I still managed to find time to SHOP! haha... so happy with my purchases. Went to Paddington Market (Cindy, you should be familiar with this??) this morning and spent money again... Sigh, my poor hubby keeps telling me that I should stop shopping and continue when we go back to Sin and Japan in 3 weeks.

So hows everything with everyone? hey Mrs N, you must be feeling sad that your parents have gone back home. I always cry when my parents leave after their hols in Perth... But at least you have spent a month with them! Cherish those moments!

Cindy, hope you get your dream house soon! Sometimes, it pays to be a little patient. It will happen!

Hello Ee-ling! Yeah, do let me know when you are coming to Perth. I'll recommend some good places for eating and we'll catch up!

Have a fabulous weekend!

 

[mrs_n]

Hello all!

Its been quite a while since I've been on here.

The week gone by has been a real busy one.

My parents went back last Monday amid the chaos at the airports. There was a long queue at the security check in so we didn't get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked to. Yes Black Peony, I was a bit down the few days after they left. The house just seem so quiet and I kind of miss having my mum sitting beside me while I drive.

But I'm ok now. We went to Amsterdam on Thursday for a short break and also to attend a friend's wedding. We left home early on Thursday morning about 4 am to be in the airport by 4.30am, our flight was at 7.30 but with the additional security checks we thought we better be early. Actually it wasn't so bad at Robinhood airport compared to places like London or Manchester. They did however examine my passport more closely and at one point of time, I thought the lady at the check in desk wasn't going to let me on board b'cos she had to call someone higher up to enquire about my SIN passport. But can't beat coming back to the UK though. I was the only one on board without an EU passport and I guess the immigration didn't know what to do with me so they let almost everybody through before they would let me approach the immigration desk to be 'interrogated'.

So embarassing! That's the only problem when arriving at the smaller airports in the UK, they are not very used to foreign passports other than the EU ones.

Amsterdam is kind of 'fascinating'. We spent a lot of time walking around, and visited Ann Frank's house which was interesting (especially if you have read 'The Diary of Ann Frank', its like seeing a book you've read come to life). We were only in Amsterdam for about one and half days and the rest of the time we were at Liz's. Ee-ling, Liz looked absolutely radiant and beautiful. So happy for her to have been blessed with a perfect day. She was so lucky b'cos the very next day after the wedding the weather was so queer. It couldn't make up its mind whether to rain or stay dry, so we were periodically drench one minute and dry the next.

Hey Cindy, have a good time in Manchester this bank holiday weekend. Heard from Pauline that you will be visiting her. If the weather is nice, you should visit the Peak District too while you're there. Wish could meet up with you but a friend of ours is moving down from Leeds to London so we are giving her a hand.

Hee!Hee! It was half half, my mum and I did most of the cooking. They didn't bring spices with them b'cos they were carrying some of my stuff over from S'pore. Yeah, they're moving my things over to make more space in their flat. Hahaha! Actually it was some wedding presents and photographs which my mum brought over so I could write 'thank you' notes for all our family and friends! But I might get the spices myself when I do go back to S'pore. We are hoping to go back sometime in Easter next year. My hubby can only take 10 days at a time so we thought Easter was a good time as he will get 2 extra days due to the bank holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

My ex-colleague used to tell me when it comes to holidays and taking leave, we should learn how to maximise usage and minimise wastage ... so that's what we're trying to do here.

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals, *waves with a big grin*

We're back from our hols but school reopens 4th Sept, so I've still got a bit more 'free' time. I've been trying out a new recipe everyday and tonight, I'm making an eggplant with tomatoes and parmigiana and pasta dish and dessert is cappucino parfait!

The city is still quiet since many people are still on hols. It's so peaceful now, hardly any noise or cars around, no impatient horn-sounding drivers......

Mrs N, I know how you feel, this feeling after the parents go back to Singapore. It's like we miss them even more right? Oh well, at least they were there with you for a month. The longest my parents have ever been with us here is 2 weeks but I'll be heading down to Singapore in Dec for a month so I'm looking forward to that. (BTW, thanks for the postcard!)

Black Peony - what do you normally get when you shop? When I was living in Singapore, I used to be mad about undies, toiletries and shoes. Now, I'm into accessories

Hi Liz, I'll be waiting for your wedding day pics. I've seen your ROM pics, you n Jeroen make a really sweet couple.

Cindy, how's househunting so far? We are looking for a place of our own too but we've been rather 'lazy' and we can't seem to decide on what or where we want it to be. I prefer the city and don't mind and apartment but hubby prefers something in the suburbs and a small little house or somewhere where we can have a bit of outdoor green space of our own. I've a feeling that finding 'the' home is going to take a longer than expected time........

 

[buzzy]

Hello All!!

Yesh, yesh.. tis is the week. In 2 days time i b heading to pauline's place n stayed over for 2 days.YAHOO!! I waited sooo long for tis trip n finally its here soon! Excited.. Eager... Anxious. Seems like a long long time since i had my last road trip...

Mrs N,
Was a pity. We tot of dropping by yr plc for a visit. But dun wori, i m sure we will meet up one day. That gives me another reason to hv another road trip plan.. Gee.. Hi 5!! Oh yesh, i can't wait to try out Pauline's home make kaya.. haha.. i was teasing her if i nid to bring a loaf of bread along wi me.Hee

Ya, i ever got the same type of treatment at the airport custom too. They scrutinised my passport as if i m frm any ulu country n like u, i jammed up the whole queue behind me .. haha.

Can imagine yr parents luaggage was packed with yr stuffs. They hv to lag it all the way here to 'dispose' it over in UK. Hmm.. in return, u mst hv rewarded them wi the free return air tic. If so, tats nt a bad deal too.. Gee. Bet u enjoy their company as much as they enjoy their holiday. Hw envy...

Hi Eeling,

Nope, I m still dwn on my luck looking for the perfect hm. sigh. I think it's goin to get hardly nw since autumn is coming.. this is the time where not many ppl will sell n buy hse. But again, tis is oso the time when all property prices drop, so hopfully by then we managed to secure a gd deal. There is nt many plcs in Soton tat is 'livable'.. there are areas which is considered not 'livable' cos too many black ppl, or there are plcs where it is jst super duper expensive (in the city centre itself) etc. We hope to get a hse as near the city centre as possible cos we got to rely on public tranport in the mean time till next yr when we intend to get a car. Jst knw understd hw come it's so tough to get a property in UK..

Hope u enj yr house hunting.. jia you!!

Halo Black Peony,

Syd!! There's so much to offer!! There is my all time fav.. Paddy market, Paddington market, sunday market at The Rocks n the list go on n on. Hav u tried the seafood at The Fish Market? Nice n fresh! Watson bay too!

I tink the best to spend a gd sunday aftnn in Syd is to hv yr morning coffee at The Rocks! Nice environ, relaxing lifestye. Bet u enj Syd as much as i do.. hear frm yr Syd trip

Update all on my return frm Manchester

 

[jewel_1]

hi seasons, u still hanging out in this forum?

 

[mrs_n]

Hi cindy how was your trip? Bet you had a great time at Manchester.

So did you drive or was your hubby the delegated driver for the whole journey?

We were exhausted from our trip into London as we went back and forth in one day. Long drive. We shared the driving between us, but he did more than I, as usual.

Anyway, we spent bank holiday Monday, clearing the weeds from our garden. It definitely looks much better now. Haha! It was pretty wild before that. And oh, here's something funny, we tried planting some Mint seeds and when we came back from Wales, we saw that the seedlings had flourished quite nicely. So my mum (bless her) had been faithfully watering it while she was here. Anyway, we discovered on Monday, what we thought to be the Mint plant was actually a weed! So funny to think that all this time we were watering weeds! And now we have this giant size weed growing in our flowerpot.

Hi Black Peony, I suppose you'll be busy packing your bags to go home soon. Have a nice time in S'pore and Japan. Bon voyage.

Hey ee-ling, been nice chatting to you. Enjoy the rest of your holidays before school begins.

Hi Jewel, not too sure if seasons still hang out here. But you're welcome to join the rest of us.

 

[buzzy]

Hi Mrs N,

Manchester is great! It is so much bettter than Soton. Just like another up and coming London. Ever since the night we arrrived in Manchester, i had been telling Pauline hw much i like this city n how nice if i can uproot myself and live there. I guessed all becos i like urban living.. with fanciful resturants and in a plc where coffee culture is so strong.

We took M1 on our way back. Wanted to visit sherwood forest. But did'nt manage to hv the chance,cos we had to beat the traffic before everyone hit the road to london for work the next day. Was a pity though. Oh..heard frm pauline that u stayed nt far frm that area?

Haha.. yr weed story was a good one. I am sure u guys had a good laugh about it. Imagine, with all the tender love n care which u thought might provide u as good cooking spices, u end up with bushes of weeds growing. I am sure this time round, u will be busy clearing the 'thought to b' mint plants.. Gee..

Hi Ee-ling,
Hope u had fun this holiday...

Hi Black Peony,
Don't forget to enjoy all the goodies/food that you can find in Sin... Have a enjoyable time in Sin.. n of cos, not to mention the hot n humid weather back...wink

 

[mrs_n]

Hey have we all gone on a summer holiday? Very quiet around here.

Ok let's try and liven things up a bit!

Cindy yeah Pauline told me that you & hubby enjoyed Manchester so much that you were considering moving there! Haha! Then you can get to taste Pauline's kaya more often.

Haven't chatted with her recently as she is very busy. Did you just explore Manchester?

Yeah Sherwood forest is about half hour's drive from my place. Oh well, you can visit it next time when you come and visit me.

You went back via the M1, did that mean that you visited the peak district on your way home? Yah, I guess Monday evenings on the M1 is a nightmare as everybody will be heading South after the long weekend. Perhaps it was a good thing we went to London on a Sunday but we went via the A1 instead. Husband prefers that route even though there are more traffic restrictions.

Oh yes, the 'Mint' is still going and growing strong. Haven't had the heart to pull it out yet. Maybe I will keep it. hahahaha!

Yoohoo ee-ling where are you???

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals,

School reopened this week so I'm glad to be 'earning' money again .-P Was getting a bit sick of staying in.

We've been viewing a few homes but nothing so far although we saw one we really liked in a superb position surrounded by parks, schools and a church with stunning views of the mountains. BUT it was really expensive so we are 'still' looking. It's frustrating cos it definitely ain't easy looking for a place to buy and invest our money plus we've got limited funds but yet we wanna get a nice place in a nice area. Furthermore, housing in Turin is quite expensive.

Cindy, how's the house hunting so far? Is housing more expensive there than in Singapore?

Mrs N, I've got ADSL. Finally! plus Skype. So see you online soon so we can chat again and I won't have to worry about spending too much time online anymore since we now pay a standard fee for unlimited internet usage. Yipee!

Black Peony,are you in Japan or Singapore already? and do you happen to read the KarenCheng blog?

 

[casscl]

Hi ladies!

Pauline got my contact from the singaporemotherhood website and she introduced cindy and this forum to me.

My family and I moved to london 2 months ago, hubby is here on a 2-years work stint. We have a 8 month old baby boy.

Very glad to have found some online uk-singaporean company...makes me feel less homesick.

Hi ee-ling;

I read karen cheng's blog, both her boys are very cute!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi CassCL welcome to the thread. Hope you have settled nicely to life in London. Are you a full time mum?

I'm not anywhere near you either unfortunately. I live in North Nottinghamshire. Not found work yet, so am a full time housewife at the moment.

If you are lonely and want to chat on MSN, just click my name (on the left), yahoo id is same for MSN as well.

Ee-ling glad to know you've got skype and ADSL. Does this mean that you will stop losing connection whenever you are on MSN?

Ok, now I'm being blur, who is Karen Cheng?

 

[casscl]

Hi Mrs N;
Yup, i'm a full time stay-at-home-mum..have added you to my MSN. chat with u soon

Karen Cheng keeps a blog, quite a high profile one i must say, featured in the straits times before...she's asian-australian and has 2 young sons. this is the url of her blog: www.karencheng.com.au

 

[buzzy]

Hi All..

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was the same as b4, did some hse searching n not suprise, din c anything that we liked. I m beggining to lost heart.. argh.. It had been a yr since we started looking but there is jst no 'perfect' hse for us.. wats happening in the property market in the south..

Hiya Cass,
Nice to c u here! Hope u enjoy this chatroom as much as all of us here. This is the forum tat i always visit when i m down with 'homesick' virus. Gee... These girls here are great! Guess tats what we need when we were feeling down are encouragements from own people frm sin...

Hmm.. karen cheng blog is very inspiring!! Her boys are so adorable!!!

Harlo Mrs N,
Heee. Pauline's kaya are great. We grabbed a loaf of bread on the way back frm manchester tat day n had the whole loaf of it for bfast for a week. There's still some kaya left in the fridge, hmm.. they r as precious as gold.Wow haha. To b adventurous, i think i will try to make some some time later..but pauline told me mst stir n sieve them.. argh.. i wonder hw can it b done. Making a cake is a big challenge to me oredi, nt to say make 'home make' kaya.. i shall try one day n update u again.

Yesh, u r right. We went pass Peak District.. it was drizzling that morning. Very pretty plc. We were really surprised that we reached shiefield jst in abt 30 mins, driving across Peak District. Guess wat we did, we actually took a turn back to Peak District hoping to visit one of the mines. Unfortuantely, we were caught in the huge traffic slowdown tat we have to give it a miss.

Is august/september the best time to visit sherwood forest? Tat is the robin hood festival yeah? If so i shall organise a road trip again, then we can head dwn to yr plc to pay u a visit..

oh dear, u grown attached to your 'mint' plant.. hee.. hm.. maybe that mit not be weeds. Mayb some kind of little wild flowers? But if they look pretty, no harm keeping them, i totally agreed wi u.

Hi Ee-ling,

I tink we are in the same boat. Limited funds in our pockets n yet we wan the best of all. nice hse, nice location... for me, i thik i m gettting annoyed at the thought of hse searching. I had been to view several hses over the past weekends, either they r too old, too run down, too far, too ex. With these in mind, i tink my dream hse is far beyond what i can afford. People been telling me, y nt try this area that area.. i was like if only i got the surplus money.. those areas that they recommend me are like plcs where the rich n famous footballers stayed in.. hw m i suppose to afford.. eyes rolling...

Well,our hse hunting exercise is still going strong. Keeping my fingers n toes cross in the mean time...propery prices are increasing every mth, with so much in demand n so less in supply, every hse that is in the market wld'nt stayed longer for a week b4 it is snap up.

 

[ee_lingt]

Mrs N, thanks for the ecard you sent. It was a really sweet surprise

Regarding my msn messenger, actually since I got ADSL, I can't seem to log on to yahoo and msn at the same time or it takes a really long time to log on. Strange....

CassCL, welcome to this thread. I'm not part of the UK 'gang' but I'm part of 'this' gang of overseas gals I discovered Karen's blog via a friend's friend's blog Karen has a really beautiful family and yes, her kids are truely cute (it's the result of great hubby and wifey genes )

Cindy, our house hunt continues, we've seen a few other places but nothing compares to the first one we saw (the really nice one in a fantastic location that's really expensive! :-( )So, we are still searching....

gotta run, I have a dentist's appointment today.