~ Loan Shark!! ~

Sometimes I wonder if things are destined to somehow happen at the 'right' time, at the 'right' moment where you have least expected..

I took the children back home for a nice Hari Raya weekend and went back to my sil's house with the kids on a rainy Monday evening. That very night - near midnight, I realised I wore the wrong shoes back for work!! So, I woke up at 5am on Tuesday morning, took one of the earliest LRT back home and I'm in for a shock of my life!

Fresh, wet black paint was poured on my house door and gate by the loan shark! I had a look at the wall.. "O$P$ .. #xx-xxx" It was actually directed at my neighbours unit. They were already being harassed for the past 2 months with paint being poured 2-3 times, gate being locked etc. It kinda tone down after they cover a plastic sheet over their gate and had a video camera setup. The runners must have pour it over at my unit to add pressure to my neighbour..

I was upset seeing the messy state... :( I called Hubby who is still in Manila and contacted the Police. Waited 20 mins before the police came to take photos and record my statement. The only thing they can do is to ask us to watch out for suspicious characters and they will increase the patrol in our area.. They also got a cleaner to help me clean up the area... It took us about 1 hour to get the paint off.. Luckily I have some thinner at home.

My neighbour came shortly to apologise for the inconveniences that was caused.. We have been neighbours for almost 6 years and everything have been peaceful. I guess there's really nothing much that can be done since they mention no one in the family borrowed money. They helped me put up a plastic cover over my gate in case the runners came to disturb my house again, the damage will be minimal. The other neighbours sympathize my current state especially since I have to face it alone with Hubby's absence.

I was worried and scared for the rest of the day.. wondering the safety and when will the trouble-makers come again. Looking on the bright side.. maybe it's a blessing that I wore the wrong shoes back which have led me to go home earlier to face the disaster so as to clean it up while the paint was still wet. The kids were also not there to face it directly also.

I kept the matter from the rest of the family members.. not wanting to worry my inlaws. It was weird to pretend nothing had happen when I went back to my sil's in the evening. My mind can't help worrying if things are well back home... still I have to seek comfort and build my strength to accept the fact and working with the rest of my neighbours to keep me informed if there are trouble arising again. At least all my neighbours are helpful and I hope peace will be restored soon.

~ Happy 7th Year Anniversary ~

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary! It's a pity Hubby is away though... Anyway, I was happy to receive a phone call from Hubby at midnight.. We wished each other Happy Anniversary and that's about that. :) Well, at least he remembered and it's the thoughts that counts.

I spent the rest of this special day with the children. Morning was breakfast at MacDonalds (@ Rivervale Plaza). They had their favourite pancakes. milo and harshbrowns.. Not to forget - Balloons!! Pink for Gladys and Green for Denver! Their favourite colour!

Lunch was Chicken rice at Compass Point - Kopitiam.. We spent some time at the Library and I also took this opportunity to apply library cards for Denver and Gladys. It is soooo convenient now that I just need to complete the Member registration at the machine. Their personal card are generated immediately. Woooo.. Upon borrowing 4 books at the same day, we also got a free tote bag each. :D

We took the train back home and nap again for the afternoon.. Initially, I intend to take them out for dinner nearby as my inlaws did not cook tonight. Unfortunately, it started to rain again... :( Darnz... I am stuck at home. Ah well, it's getting late and I had to make instant noodles again with eggs and luncheon meat. After dinner, I quickly packed the clothings and stuff... waited until the rain has stop and quickly took the children back to Bsil place to stay for the next few nights.

It's another working day tomorrow and I'm going back to the office after MIA for the past week! 3-4 days to seeing Hubby! Happy Anniversary!

~ Selamat Hari Raya ~

I didn't realise today is Hari Raya.. Somehow, I always have the feeling that it's tomorrow instead. I guess I lost track of the days with hubby's absence.

I was on Primary support this week and just as I was about to pack and get ready to leave home, I was being paged on an emergency case!! :( 不会吧!!!! My heart started to pound as the children were running around the house. I quickly boot up my laptop to check what was the case status. My mind wasn't able to think with the noise...... I knew Denver and Gladys were playing with the toy gun but I didn't expect them to fill it up with water and ended up making the whole kitchen floor wet! Luckily they didn't fell and hurt themselves.. I have to call my team lead for advice and managed to settle it with his help.. Sigh.. Guess I am just not used to supporting emergency weekend pages.. especially so being alone with 2 young kids.

I felt much better in the afternoon... Went to visit Mum and had lunch over there...The children ate and drink a lot! Chocolates, biscuits, soft drinks etc.. They spent their time watching TV, drawing, eating and playing around. Mum showed Gladys an Ox battery operated lantern and she loves it so much.. But Gladys will only get her own lantern from Grandma next week. hehehe... I am so tired that we took a cab home. Total Fare: $10.40... (I forgot that its public holiday again and there is an extra $1 charge.. :S) Maybe I should have taken the MRT.. that would have save up a lot! Then again, the children were also tired and we all fell asleep, waking up late in the evening.

Dinner was instant noodles with eggs and meatballs. Bsil, Royston and Jasper came over to visit and played with the PS3. Gladys being the odd one out have to keep herself entertained with her toys, stickers and food. Hahaha.

Peace was finally restored with the children sound asleep in the night. 4-5 days more before Hubby is back!

~ Rainy Saturday ~

2nd weekend with the kids alone...

Yesterday marks the last day of the 7th month. I did not pray this time because Hubby wasn't around.. Usually he is the one who manages these and I simply don't know how to. Today is the 1st day of the Lunar 8th month and 15 more days to go before Mid-Autumn Festival. Sadly, till now I still haven't eaten a single Mooncake!! :( The children also didn't have their Lanterns yet.

We woke up early in the morning and I took Denver to his swimming lesson. We walked and took Bus 82 to Hougang Swimming Complex. I start a conversation along the way with Denver that he needs to appreciate the things he have in life.. Comparing to the days when Daddy is around who will ferry him around in the car... to now taking the public transport everywhere we go. Also the other better things he have compared to the less fortunate.

It has been almost 2 years since Denver picked up swimming.. I am wondering when he can attain his Bronze certificate... Looking at the speed and progress he is going, I think it will take a couple of months more at least.

We were lucky to reach Bsil's house on time as it started to rain shortly and eventually almost the entire day! I took the children back home to stay for the next 2 nights (since its a long weekend). Felt "paiseh" to impose on Bsil for so long too...

Now I have to plan what to do for the next 2 days. Later in the evening, we walked to Rivervale Mall for dinner at the foodcourt, shopped around in Daiso and bought some bread home. We munched the bread on our way back as the sky started to turn dark again, drizzling..

It is a cooling day and night.. Nothing beats being back home again and of course being with the children. ^_^

~ Missing You ~

Work has been getting busy.. I have already attended 3 night meetings so far this week...there is also another one tomorrow but I have to give it a miss as I need to take Denver to his Chinese lesson at SKCC. Moreover... ITS FRIDAY!!!! My inlaws have been really considerate to take the children over to their side to sleep while I attend to my night teleconferences.. Although I have some peace of mind during 2 of those nights, I can't help missing their presence and watching their faces while they slept.... Sleeping alone in an empty room really felt lonely.. sniff.. Anyway, Gladys and Denver took turns to come looking for me at 6am the next morning on separate days to spend some time snuggling with me. :)

It has also been a week since Hubby has been away.. felt that he has gone for ages.. Really miss him ah.. can't wait for him to be back late next week to celebrate Gladys' birthday together. Hopefully he can come back on time.

~ Good and Bad ~

Since Denver no longer having his lessons on Sunday, I was not in a rush to wake up, prepare breakfast and get the kids ready to go out. YEAH!.. Took the children on an MRT ride to my Mum's place for lunch. :)

Really enjoy eating there as I miss mum's cooking. Always the BEST! Even the taste of the eggs she fries felt different. I can always take 2 servings of rice whenever I'm there.. hehehe... Too bad I did not inherit her cooking skills... especially my favourite "Wu Xiang" and "Bai Zhan Ji" that she makes.

After lunch was a visit to Brother Owen's house.. The children Loves to go visit their uncle.. Why? Cos Denver gets to play PS3 games and Gladys simply runs around.. There are always surprises whenever I go visit as there will be new additions to the house. :) New photos, new decorations, new plants etc... Owen always helps to make us feel at home and let me rest.. I hope we didn't impose too much though.. We spent the whole afternoon there where I got to watch 2 TV programs! Owen also treats us to dinner and I really thank him for his kindness and thoughtfulness.. So I am extremely HAPPY to hear that HJ is expecting!!! I am soooo glad that another baby is coming next year!! Can't wait!!

I took the kids on an Mrt ride back to Sil's house to rest for the night.. Just as I thought I can have some good rest, Denver has to sprain his right thumb at this time. :( I was sooo MAD and UPSET! Why does he always have to injure himself when Daddy is not around.. He cried and that makes me nervous. I took him to Eileen's Dad to have a look at the injury.. Luckily its not too bad and should recover in a few days time.. For now, he can't bend his thumb and will have to wait for the swelling to go away.

~ H1N1 + CGH ~

Bad luck just wouldn't stop... :( There are always things happening every month! Guess it's really hard to ask for a simple, healthy life huh..

I was already getting irritated and uncomfortable with the pain in my throat that comes on and off. To add on to my worries, my Fil was unwell yesterday and was later being diagnose with H1N1! OMG!

After discussion, lbil and I took my Fil back to my own house to quarantine. Since I'm already staying at my Sil's place and Hubby is not around, that seems to be the best option for now till he feels better. I have to apply for WFH the whole of next week too.. Haiz...

After settling my fil down and making him comfy at home, I headed to CGH - Clinic H for my scheduled appointment to check what is causing the discomfort in my throat. Spent another $60 over to do a 2nd scope through my right nose to check if there are any bones stucked. Still, the doctor cannot locate any of it. Not sure if it is consider a blessing or not. Anyway, I am being scheduled for another review next Friday if I'm still feeling the pain.

I am beginning to feel the tiredness and strain penetrating through my mind and body.. When will I have some peace of mind?

~ 2 Weeks Nights out ~

Hubby has reached Manila safely yesterday and I will be staying over at BSil's place for the next 2 weeks. Moved quite a fair bit of stuff over... So far we have been sleeping well over here and it has been comfortable. Kinda miss Hubby and his presence though..

Apart from the discomfort and pain that I am still experiencing in the throat, I was also troubled with the issues from work today. To add on, the PMP course which I intend to take next month also has a twist of fate. There are new requirements from the company to complete and pass the exams by the end of this year for those who intend to take it... in addition, as it is an intensive course, it would be best to have years or hours of project related experience prior to registering for it. :S

I changed my mind on taking up the course as it really seems too stressful and demanding which I would not be able to fulfill due to family commitments and looking at we are only 3 months away from year end. I made up my mind and ease my heart. Maybe next time....

~ A&E at CGH ~

Something else also happens yesterday after spending a great time with the children. I felt the sharp pain in my throat again... I figured the fish bone which I choke on last Tuesday has come back to haunt me. Not feeling too comfortable with it, I went to see the company GP. She wasn't able to see anything in my throat and immediately wrote me a referral letter to go to the A&E.

The unexpected event kinda spoil our dinner plans as Hubby is flying off tomorrow morning to Manila for the next 2 weeks. :( I had no choice but to leave the children with my inlaws while Hubby drove me to Changi Hospital A&E. I felt really bad along the way as Hubby has not eaten and still need to go back to pack his luggage for his business trip... The kids didn't get to spend time to have dinner with Daddy.

We waited very long and only manage to see the doctor after 1 hour. He sent me to do an x-ray and again I have to wait to be assessed by the on duty ENT doctor. Another half hour of waiting before I was called upon. I was really nervous and I was glad that hubby was with me.

I opened my mouth very wide while the doctor use the 'ice-cream like metal stick' and stick deep inside my mouth to check. Luckily I didn't intake any food since noon else I would have puke. After 3 attempts, with me coughing and signs of vomitting, the doctor decided to go for Plan B - Scope. This is really UNCOMFORTABLE! Having a long tube going through your nostrile and you can feel it going to the back of your throat... :( The doctor tells me to relax and breath!!! Stick your tongue out as wide as you can... URGGGHhh.. After 5 mins of breathing, sticking my tongue in and out while the scope was inside trying to scan for the cause of my pain, he finally took the tube out. PHEWW!! I was already in tears.. not because I cried.. but the uncomfort simply makes me tear...

After all the ordeal that I went through, the Doctor says... "I really cannot find the fish bone.. There's no inflamation as well. It could be due to a tear caused by the bone when you swallow it.. I would say 99% there is no fish bone inside.. " I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad... I can still feel the discomfort but was glad that it was not going to be that vital or dangerous. I was scheduled for another review on Friday... Hopefully by then I won't feel as bad.. :(

It was another long journey back to pick the children back home and Hubby packing his luggage for this trip early next morning. Hubby and I only had our 'Dinner' or 'Supper' near 11pm. By the time we finish, it was already 1am... What an exhausting day....

~ Hortpark + Aliens in the Attic ~

Today we have a good time at the HortPark. We walked a lot and that make us really tired.

HortPark Trip link: http://bpdgtravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/hortpark_09.html

Later in the afternoon, Hubby drove us to Tiong Bahru Plaza where we had our lunch at the foodcourt. I definitely enjoyed the air-conditioned mall after being out under the sun earlier. :) The children gets to play arcade games on the top floor and then we went to AMK for a movie (Aliens in the Attic). :) It was an entertaining movie and we all had FUN!!

~ School Holidays - Part 2 ~

Monday (7th September), Gladys' Passport was first made about 2 half years ago... Since then, she has grown and there are so much difference with how she looks compared when she was a baby. To prepare us for the November's trip, we 'doll' her up to go and remake her Passport at the ICA. Luckily it was not a long queue for the photo taking. Hubby grabbed the application form, filled it in and we submitted it to the post box.

Next Stop... Kallang Leisure Park! It was my first visit after the mall was renovated. We were there rather early and most of the shops were not open yet. So we went to have our breakfast and the children waited eagerly outside the arcade center to play games. :)

Denver played alot with the Animal Kaiser card games (*again).. After spending so much time and $$ we didn't have any luck on getting the rare cards and most were duplicates.. :( Gladys on the other hand, roam around the whole arcade center. I was kinda lucky with the Toy Pickup machine though as I manage to grab a Stitch Soft Toy on my very First Attempt!! So COOL!!! :D

After spending around $50 on games, we went for a simple lunch at KFC. hehhe.. Later in the afternoon was Denver's Cooking class again. Today he is gong to see how Mooncake and Agar Agar was made. He brought some back home too but was all gone in their stomach very soon.

Finally, we spent the rest of the evening at AMK Hub shopping around... Tomorrow will be the final day of family get-together before Hubby flies off to Manila..

~ School Holidays - Part 1 ~

September School Holidays are finally here and I'm having a long weekend! Yeah!! We have a series of events for the kids before Hubby files off to Manila on Wednesday.

I bought a pink hair band for Gladys at Daiso. She is really being very Boyish and rough lately and so I really wanted to take some photos of her looking like a girl. (Although she may not act like one.) Another point I would like to add is she really knows how to ACT! Hahahah :D

I was playing with Gladys while Hubby took Denver to his usual swimming class. I found the Princess head crown and wand in the toy box which was placed on her 1st year Birthday cake. She simply LOVES it and put it on immediately! She keep saying that she is a Princess in Pink and would not want to take the crown off. HAHA :D

Sunday was Denver's last Creative Play and Learn lesson with Ms Tan. He has been attending her class for almost half a year and had 3 plays. We decided to end it as we'll be missing lessons in November due to the holidays and Denver is going to Primary 1 soon.

Denver took a photo with his teacher before the lesson and Naughty Gladys really know how to make an impression to the teacher by spilling the water on the floor.. :( Anyway, Ms Tan mentioned that we can put Gladys in her class a few months later if we are keen. :)

The children were all sitted down ready for the play! Denver really looks BIG within the group.

Although the play is very short, the children did a good performance. Ms Tan rewarded each of them with a small present as a token of encouragement. :) Even Gladys got 1. Hehhee

Afternoon was Denver's Baking class at the community centre. We signed him up for 2 baking classes for this September holidays since he enjoys it so much. Unlike the previous classes, the children get to play a part in making the chocolate and cereal tarts Each of them have their hands on experience 'playing' and 'mixing' the ingredients. :) We even bought Denver an apron..

Finaly taste test.... NOT BAD! :)