Meeningfully

Whether the year has been a good or bad one, this is a good time to take a step back, walk through all that has happened, and be thankful for what we have today. Here's the A to Z of how my 2013 has been. Not the best, but I am glad it's over and I am certain 2014 will be better. I have learnt many things about myself along the way which I hope to improve on as we go forward. A is for adapt . 2013 has been a year of adapting for the family. From new jobs , a new home and a new school for J. Had a lot of kinks to straighten but glad I came out of it a stronger person (I hope!). B is for blog . Despite being a challenging year, I managed to spend more time on the blog. I moved to my own domain, started on reviews and giveaways,  and have since seen visits doubling.  Not the most astounding number, but I am happy. I am starting to plan  for the blog next year. Slowly, but surely my blog will grow (crossing fingers)! C is for changes. The changes the family had to go throug

I am blessed to be in a job that allows me to leave for home at 5pm everyday. Despite the occasional homework I pack, I always make it a point to reserve the evening exclusively for J. The moment I step into my mum's house to pick the boy up, I try not to attend to any work related calls or emails. Not always easy given the nature of my job. Hence, it is important that I make full use of my time at work, ensuring that I deliver to expectations, yet have quality time spent with the family. The crux of being efficient at work is time management, and after years of being in the workforce, I am still trying to master the art of doing so, although I have picked up some habits that's made managing work and family a little easier. Make a list I make a list of things I need to accomplish during the day on a daily basis. This helps with getting an overview of what needs to be done and makes it easy for me to prioritise my tasks. I do this the moment I step into the office, somewh

18 months is supposed to be quite a significant milestone for children who attend infant care. When we first placed J at IFC , he was not even 4 months old. We knew that turning 1.5 years old is a natural progression. But, nothing could prepare us for the overwhelming pride we felt when we saw him  on his first day at Toddler Care. My boy is spunky and an occasional rebel. Worried we were that his non-conformist nature will find him having issues adapting to being a big boy. We were pleasantly surprised at his ability to do as instructed, and how he confidently assumed independence. It was pleasing to the eye, to see this little man carry his bowl of cereal, finding a seat, self feed , wipe his mouth, return the bowl, wash his hands at the sink and wipe it with a paper towel... and dispose the towel... all on his own. Obviously, he hardly displayed any of the above at home, hence seeing him behaving like a big boy  makes me want to cry out loud. Tears of joy mixed with a little sen

Part 1 on our recent Penang getaway is can be found here.   No trip to the food capital of Malaysia will be complete without a proper food trail. We had our tummies filled and extremely happy in the 3 days we were there. We explored the Batu Ferringhi stretch on our first evening. The large variety of food available at our doorstep was more than what we could explore.  Long beach food centre, which is amazingly clean, with a good variety of local food. We were there slightly before the crowd came at about 6pm, hence the empty tables. Clockwise: Orh-Luah (Oyster Omlette), Grilled Sambal Squid and Grilled Stingray. Loved the  stingray as it was grilled  with a little crunch, and the chili had a tinge of sourness that was a good complement to the former. Green Curry Chicken from the "cooked food" stall. The spices used were very flavorful, but I felt it could do better with more coconut.  After dinner, we walked the night market and J surprisingly fel

What started out as lunch out at West Coast Plaza ended up with a drive down Pasir Panjang road to Haw Par Villa and then up to Harbourfront for a round trip cable car ride. Haw Par Villa, otherwise known as Tiger Balm Gardens was started by a pair of brothers who came from Myammar to Singapore back in the 30s.  The park has over 100 statues that depicts scenes from popular Chinese folklore and is a place that brings back childhood memories for me. J, as usual had good old fashion fun of running around the abundant open spaces at the park. The all so familiar entrance to the Haw Par Villa where most parts remained unchanged from the last I remember it.  Possibly because of the MRT station of the same name that started operations  that made the Haw Par Villa much more accessible than before, hence the crowd you see above.  Entrance to the "10 Courts of Hell" where it used to have a dragon went  through it's doors during the park's hay days.  &

I am starting a series called " Working Mommas' Suvival Tips" (WMST) on my blog to share how I manage each day working full time with an active toddler. This will also be my first linky which will be open from now till 31 May 2014. Although I have been  juggling motherhood and a full time job for 1.5 years now, I am still learning. I don't have an organised life as each new day brings brand new challenges. As J grows older, I find myself exploring new ways to be more efficient at home and at work so I can spend time with him, and give him the attention he deserves. Sometimes, that  means cutting some corners and saving time on even the smallest thing such as putting on make-up. If I had flawless skin, I would be more than happy to walk out of the house confidently with no make-up at all. I used to take considerable effort to prim myself for work. Taking 15 minutes to paint my face seems like a luxury now (especially with the toddler hanging onto your legs ask