A dog's life

SK turns 14 today and it's my birthday tomorrow. Knowing how we both love dogs, CH arranged for us to visit a dog's sanctuary in Johor, Malaysia yesterday as a birthday treat. As SK didn't quite know what to expect, he decided not to go but when he saw the photos of our trip, he was filled with regret. It's ok, we can always bring him in future.

Yesterday's trip was organised by Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary to raise funds for the upkeep of the animals at the shelter. We arrived in three big coaches to find the sanctuary situated on 10 acres of lush terrain, it's truly a Shangri-la to happy free-roaming dogs, cats and horses.

I was thoroughly impressed with the founder's effort to home the animals in a very natural and peaceful environment. Because of them, many strays or homeless dogs are today living a happy and healthy life in a beautiful sanctuary.

Every dog here has its story. Some were found with maggots in their body. Instead of being put to sleep, they were rescued, treated and nurtured back to health. One dog named Bicycle was unceremoniously dumped by his owner some years back. Another beautiful dog was onced owned by a bed-ridden lady who was so improvished but loved her dog so much that she shared her meagre meals with the dog until some volunteers brought it to Noah's Ark.

I've never been surrounded by over 400 dogs in my life. The dogs were all so friendly and well behaved, the feeling of being so close to them was incredible!

This dog was checking me out once I entered the premises.

Max, the friendly Rottweiler, loves planting kisses on unsuspecting people.

"Xiao Bai" (Little White) was among the 4 dogs rescued and sent to the sanctuary by this kind old man who went back to visit them. One of the dogs was so thrilled to see the man, he kept jumping with joy and clinging onto his arm. It was such a touching sight.

Don't you think this cute little Jack Russell looks like Rusty?


Cat sunbathing at the patio.

These are too adorable!

They're everywhere!

In every nook and cranny.

Lush and natural environment for the dogs to roam freely.

I've never seen so many dogs living so harmoniously together in my life!

Some of the newcomers or troublemakers had to be fenced up during visiting day. The newbies will be allowed to run free once they are used to the surroundings.

This is one of the 4 horses there. He used to be a racehorse.

CH's friend Leng, an animal lover who volunteers at the sanctuary.

The rustic environment even has water features and pavilions for the dog's enjoyment.

Every dog has his favourite spot for snoozing.

Aww, look at this!

If you like dogs, there're plenty here in all shapes and sizes for you to pat.

This little cutie is my favourite!

Well, I like this big fella too. Dang! I love every single one of them.

I miss my Rusty!

Guess what?

Guess what I was up to on Saturday? I went somewhere out of Singapore to celebrate my birthday. Stay tuned!

Friday Night

Friday night turned out better than expected. After cooking curry chicken for the boys (above), I left to meet up with our good friends Chris and EY for dinner at Big D's.

.

Since CH and I arrived 30 minutes earlier, we snuck to the Hill Street char kway teow stall for our quick fix. We ordered a small plate and gosh, that was the best char kway teow we had in a long, long time. I remember eating at this stall as a teen when it was still at Hill Street. The stall owner has been frying this same dish for 46 years. He has honed his skills to perfection! The noodle is moist, smooth with the right amount of sweet and savoury sauce. Sadly he hasn't trained anyone to take over his stall when he retires.

.

We adjourned to Big D's situated at the next block. The rumours we've heard about how cute the owner is... well, it is a fact! He's tall, broody and seriously cute. Even EY thinks so. But of course we were there for the cuisine, so we ordered the specialty.

.

CH ordered the US Kurobuta Pork Chop while I decided to try the fish and chips. The pork chop, at $36 a pop, is worth every cent. The meat was pinkish in the centre and oh so juicy. I must admit I'm not much of a meat eater but this was very palatable and strangely addictive. For some reason, it was really succulent and tasted a little like beef, albeit smoother in texture. It's so very good!

.

The beer battered fish and chips was a disappointment. The batter was overcooked and the choice of fish wasn't exactly my favourite. By the time I was halfway through the meal, the fish had become flaky, dry and tasteless. I think my brother makes better fish & chips at home using dory.

.

Still, I had an excellent culinary experience last night having tasted two highly recommended dishes by my favourite food blogger.

.

After dinner, all of us went back to my apartment. I brought out the South African Rose and we sat around chatting the night away. Later in the night, we went to the 24-hour food centre round the corner for hot ginger tea before calling it a night.

.

What a wonderful night it turned out to be!

Mealtime

I bought the Fruit & Nut loaf for breakfast and lunch today. I remember it was called Festive loaf and would only appear in stores around Christmas. Now it's available all year round. At 157 calories per slice, it makes a pretty substantial meal on its own. Every slice is chock full of apricots, raisins, walnuts and sunflower seeds, I could eat this for every meal!

For dinner tonight, we're going to indulge in Hill Street char kway teow and kurobuta pork at Big D's. I get all my inspirations from my favourite food blog so I know exactly where and what to eat every Friday night.

Oh, I can't wait for dinner time.

Bonding

Friday night is my date night with CH. Now that we've moved, the routine has changed a little. For the past couple of weeks, the kids ordered pasta or pizza while I went on my date. Today, I'm planning to cook chicken curry for their dinner before I leave the house.

The kids have started suggesting, "Instead of going out for dinner on Fridays, why don't you have a candle-light dinner with CH at home? We won't disturb you, we'll stay in our room."

I was impressed with their suggestion. I remember when I started going out with CH over 3 years ago, our dates were always peppered with their phone calls every few minutes. They didn't like the idea of mummy going out on a Friday night. Very often, I had to rush back halfway because someone was unwell or simply to soothe some nerves. Thank goodness CH is a very understanding guy.

Slowly they got used to my Friday night outs. All they wanted to know was what time I was coming home. As time went by, they didn't even bat an eyelid or they would simply say "Enjoy your date" as I walked out the door.

We've certainly come a long way. It's not easy for CH but I'm glad he perservered all these years. The kids like the idea of having him around the house these days. That's so nice to know.

Bandung

Two nights ago, I received two new emails in my mailbox from my blog readers. One was from Amel, the other from Mike. They were both writing to me for the very first time, at the same time though one is now residing in Europe, and the other's in America. Now here's the uncanny part.

Amel wrote to me about her upcoming trip to Bandung, a town in Indonesia where she was originally from. She's hoping to swing by Singapore where we can finally meet each other.

Meanwhile, from the other side of the world, Mike was asking me if I've ever heard of a delicious rose petal drink he had tasted in Singapore. He was wondering if I could send some over to him. Why, it's a drink called Bandung of course!

Now I don't know if this sweet pinkish bandung drink made using rose essence and milk has got anything to do with the Bandung in Indonesia but geez, what a coincidence!

Lunch

This is today's lunch - a slice of banana sponge topped with crushed walnuts. I usually have a really light lunch of oatmeal or some plain crackers. It's simply not my habit to eat a heavy meal during lunch.

.

The only proper meal I have is dinner where I get my protein, carbo and fibre all in one sitting. This diet works for me and keeps my weight in check. If I were to eat a little bit more, my weight will start piling up, leaving me feeling lethargic and heavy.

.

I hardly snack but I do envy people with a high metabolic rate who can eat without a care in the world.

.

I'm a strong advocate of eating only when the body needs it. I find the concept of eating lunch just because it is lunch time, whether one is hungry or not, rather amusing. And I wish I could have desserts rather than real meals.

.

Then again, that's just me. From someone who used to live to eat, I'm turning into one who eats to live. Oh dear, I'm really getting old.

Smell the roses

It's 8am and I'm sitting in the patio with my morning cuppa and today's papers. The sun is rising, the flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and an easy breeze is moving through the terrace.

It's a lovely morning. Now, don't envy me because such mornings do not come by very often. I'm at work at 7am on weekdays except today. We were on the way to school early this morning when YK received a message that his practical exam starts at 9am today. So here we are, back home again.

While he's glued to his laptop, I'm also taking the opportunity to check my emails and scan through the headlines. Nothing too exciting except the realisation that the 7 leading religious bodies here earn more than S$10 million yearly. That's an amazing income!

I read another amazing but inspirational story about Michael Phelps. According to his mum, he grew up as a hyperactive child. Many teachers wrote him off as a middling student who can't sit still, can't keep quiet and can't focus on anything. Look who's talking now?!

Oh well, never judge a book by its cover I say! Now, just because I am out here in the patio doesn't mean I'm not working eh. Let me go back to smelling the flowers...

Wednesday

After weeks of dreams, nightmares and interrupted sleep, I finally had a good night's sleep. Maybe I should blog about my dreams more often, it helps to chase the nightmares away. Perhaps it was the simple home cooked dinner we had, or the groundnuts I snacked on. Or it could be the stuff (sports/health magazine) I was reading before bedtime. I laid down in bed and was about to start meditating when I fell asleep.

I woke up to a glorious morning. YK has no school today and SK starts late on Wednesdays. I had the opportunity to fix proper breakfast, throw the clothes into the washer and leave some instructions for YK (put the washed clothes into the dryer etc) before heading out of the house.

Today is also visiting day! I'm sending mum to her doctor's appointment this afternoon, so I'll get to see Rusty and my nieces anyway. I just hope Rusty doesn't insist on following me back home this time as nobody's home to take care of him on a weekday.

It's amazing what a restful night of sleep can do to the body and soul.

CH's so lucky. He saw these wild parakeets outside his balcony in the morning! I hope your Wednesday's looking good too.

Dreams

I've been dreaming alot lately. The other night, I even had a nightmare of being tortured so badly, I was clutching my head and screaming in my dream, "I'm going mad! I'm going crazy!"

I blame it on my bed. I think it's just too roomy for me. CH thinks it could be the black chandelier hanging above my bed, like a big blob of oil threatening to burst and engulf me in a gooey mess.

Then again, I've always had fitful sleep whether it's at home, in hotels or in my little cot at my parent's home. On Sunday night, I woke up at 1am, 3am, 4am, 5am and finally 5.45am to look at my clock. Why? Because I was anxious about what I should do with Rusty in the morning. As you all know, I sent him back to the farm later that morning. As you can imagine, I felt like a zoombie all day!

With Rusty gone, I slept better last night and only got up at 1am because I kept hearing a beeping sound. I checked the dryer and found it wasn't beeping. Since I was already there, I removed the load of clothes that had already been spun dry. I must have looked like I was doing chores while sleep walking.

I tried going back to sleep and heard the sound again. This time I traced it to the cordless phone in the living room. It was running out of battery and was making a warning sound. I put it back into the charger and crawled back into bed.

Then I dreamt of a river regatta. Now, I've never been to a river regatta all my life but in my dream, the scenes were so real and alive. It was happening right at the doorstep of my old village house where we had a small and slow river but in my dream, the river was swollen and water was gushing downstream like a white water rapid.

Big and elaborately decorated wooden boats filled with warriors rowing their oars furiously were charging down the river. Some boats were filled with excited schoolgirls, others had people dressed in colourful costumes. There were even boats filled with cherubic babies with soft, blond hair. I even saw some disney characters. It was all very joyous but dangerous. I was capturing every moment with my SLR camera (I've never owned one all my life). The gushing water, exhilarated faces and carnival like atmosphere made the dream very exciting.

It's funny how I have been dreaming about my old village home lately. The little neighbourhood in the countryside where I grew up in. Last weekend, I dreamt that I was at the old market. The scenes were so vivid. I could remember all the shops and stalls. At the fishmonger's, I pointed to some squids and asked for 3 pieces. The fishmonger took one and placed in on the weighing scale. For some reason, the little squid became a giant squid that must have weighed 10kgs!

I exclaimed, "That's so huge! We can't finish eating all that. I don't want it anymore."

I woke up at 7am the next morning and went to the wet market almost right away. In case you're wondering, yes, I bought some squids. Not giant ones. Just the little ones for me and my family.

This was SK's breakfast. I thought making pancakes should be piece of cake but noooo, one was slightly undercooked while the other was burnt. I'm not talented when it comes to baking or working with batter. No time to make new ones. SK couldn't finish anyway but I don't blame him.

Thomas & Friends

I was very lucky to win 4 tickets to the Thomas & Friends Live on Stage recently from Starhub. I had just signed up for cable TV a month ago, so this came as a nice surprise. I gave the tickets to my brother so he could bring the girls to the show last week. Here they are, posing in front of the cute banners designed by CH's company.

Back to school

The one-week school break is officially over. SK and I had to lure Rusty into the kitchen before slipping out of the house this morning. As soon as we shut the door, Rusty began whining and barking which woke YK up. That didn't stop until I returned home 30 minutes later.

YK has a biology paper to do later in school this morning but he's been playing on-line games. It's no wonder he dreamt about getting 'zeros' for all his exam papers that night. He had better get down to some serious studying or it may soon become a reality.

Rusty has been fed and walked. I even gave him a good scrub this morning, followed by a blow-dry session which he seemed to enjoy very much. Because of him, I'm still at home, wondering what I should do with him now.

Should I work from home to keep him company or can I smuggle him into the office? Maybe I should just send him to my parent's place. I can't possibly leave him alone at home. He'll be terrified.

Now you know why it's such a headache having him over. While he enjoys our company, he likes the freedom at the farm. Like what the boys say, "He can't have his cake and eat it."

Maybe he can, if he shuttles between the two homes. Then isn't it an irony that I don't have to drive the boys around anymore but I've found myself a new passenger? Oh, my little Rusty!

He's back!

Yup, Rusty is back at our apartment. When we were leaving my parent's place after dinner, Rusty ran, jumped into the car and refused to get off. What to do when the boys pleaded with me to bring him home?

So now he's back here. Back to the walking, feeding and looking after pet routine.

Nieces and dog

This morning I woke up without Rusty by my side. Yah, it feels weird not having him peering at me when I'm awake but in someways it is a feeling of relief too.

We left him at my parent's place after dinner last night. All of us stood around, looking for signs and asking ourselves, "You think he'll miss us?"

"You think he's happy here?"

"I'm think I'm going to cry. Let's just go."

Having Rusty around in a small apartment is like having a little kid who needs to be fed, washed and cleaned up after. I'm constantly worried if he needs to go for a walk, or if he's bored and lonely. And there's fur all over the rugs, floor and sofa to deal with constantly.

When he arrived at the farm yesterday, he was racing around the vast yard with Cookie, searching for birds and lizards, stomping over mud and skipping through the grassland. He was in his element. He felt so at home!

When it was time for us to leave, he stood next to Cookie at the porch watching us go. He didn't even follow us to the car. We, on the otherhand, were feeling so teary and sad. Here's a photo of Rusty in our apartment.

On a separate note, we were happy to see everyone again. All my 3 nieces seemed to have grown taller again after one week. The youngest one now has a healthy appetite and a mind of her own. She insisted on feeding herself yesterday. Look at her!

Eating chocolate cake.

Her face was all covered with chocolate!


The oldest and the youngest.

Pasta Vongole

I saw some fresh clams at the fishmonger's this morning. Only $2 a kg! It's funny how when you eat clam or vongole pasta at the restaurants, you have to pay something like $16 a plate. Even then, you can count the number of clams inside. How can something so cheap become such an expensive dish I wonder?

So I bought $2 worth of clams today.

Soak the clams in salt water for about an hour to remove the grit inside.

Sautee some garlic and chopped chilli in olive oil before adding in the clams and scallions. I try not to stir them around too much or they'll scratch my pan. The clams will start producing moisture but you can add some chicken stock or water if you like.


Simmer until the clams are all open. Season with some salt. At this point, you can add a splash of white wine if you like. I tossed in some chopped fresh mint from the garden.


Pour the clams into a pot of newly cooked pasta. Remember to drain the water from the pasta first! Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so that the nice gravy will infuse into the hot pasta.

Serve. Bon Appetit!

Multi-tasking

When it comes to Saturday, I automatically become a multi-tasker the moment I step out of bed. I sneak out of the door quietly to get to the market so that Rusty could not rush out ahead of me. I get home, clean up the produce, store them away in the fridge and sit down for my cuppa and peanut pancake breakfast. Then I wash the toilets, sun the rugs and do some laundry.

Even my plants will have to multi-task as clothes hangers for today. I'm sure the previous houseowner will not be too pleased to see this but hey, what are plants for? To look pretty?

On a bright side, the white anthuriums are blossoming beautifully. The chilli padi pods are turning red.

Even the giant spider lily is flowering!


Have a good weekend everyone. I'm going to vacuum the floor now.

One year ago

Exactly one year ago, I was in France with my friend, taking in the city sights and tackling the hilly countryside. How time flies. It has been a year. We're having a reunion of sorts tonight at her house as we haven't seen very much of each other after the trip.

These photos bring back beautiful memories..

Luscious pastries at my favourite food street.

Resting my tired feet.

Standing at the foot of the iconic Eiffel Tower.

I miss the vastness of the countryside.

But not cycling up those steep hills.

We roamed the quiet cobbled streets.

And stopped in tiny towns.

Where glorious flowers abound.

Colourful vegetables kept us spell bound.

Old cottages around.

The castles were our playground.

Mix it all up

What do you do with all the left overs? Mix it all up and cook fried rice!
Yes, this is the kids' lunch today. Leftover rice cooked with shredded cabbage, chopped onions, fresh corn and carrot, some ham and eggs. Lunch is taken care of for today. Dinner is at our friend's house. Not sure it's steamboat or BBQ or popiah dinner....doesn't matter as long as I'm not cooking!

Shopper and cook

For many years, I didn't have to buy groceries or think about what to eat for dinner. Dad takes care of the marketing and dinner is cooked when I get home. When I was traveling in France, I used to look at these office workers carrying a loaf of freshly baked baguette on their way home with envy, wondering when I could be in their shoes.

Now that I'm the shopper and the cook, I am really relishing this new-found role. So much so that I'm always shooting what I cook. CH, who was here last night, asked, "What's your camera doing in the kitchen?" I looked at him sheepishly, "For my blog..."

I went to pick up YK's laptop at the Sony service centre in the late afternoon and conveniently walked into Giant Hypermarket to see what's in store. I haven't actually planned the menu for dinner but smelling the freshly roasted chicken coming out of the rotisserie made me decide to grab one right away. I chose a honey roasted one.

CH had been talking about having a soupy dinner. I should surprise him with Kimchi soup. I remember vaguely how our Korean friend EY made her delicious soup that night, so I was eager to try. While looking for Inoki mushrooms, I came across these cute french brown button mushrooms on offer. These will be the perfect complement to the roast chicken.

Back home, I got busy in the kitchen and texted CH to come for his soupy dinner.

Since we're having meat for dinner, I prepared a pineapple salad seasoned with some salt, balsamic vinegar and chopped coriander.

The kimchi soup simmering on the stove. The ingredients include sliced pork, kimchi, chinese cabbage, carrot and inoki mushrooms. For the stock, I used water from washed rice, chicken stock and miso paste. The meat became very tender after simmering over low heat for 30 minutes, everyone enjoyed it which was rather surprising as the boys never really liked pork.

Here's the french brown mushrooms. There are some white button mushrooms in there too.

I sauteed them in olive oil and garlic and soon a wonderful buttery scent filled the kitchen.

I like this dish very much. The mushrooms were still a little crunchy but tender and so tasty!

Well fed

Growing up, we didn't have alot but my parents ensured that we had alot of wholesome meals and natural food. The only canned food I remember eating was sardines. Breakfast was oatmeal with milk. We hardly ate any junkfood and we always had a hot mug of milk or milo for nightcap. That probably explains why we're so big-boned despite mum being such a tiny lady!

Maybe it's due to our upbringing, my brothers and I are very particular about feeding the kids. We're the ones who do the grocery shopping in the family. My younger brother is even more obsessive. He visits the market at the break of dawn for the freshest produce for his daughters' meals.

When my kids started taking solid food, I made porridge using fresh fish, vegetables and Japanese brown shortgrain rice which yield a smooth starchy texture. If there's one thing I don't stinge on, it would be on fresh food. We can do without designer togs and expensive toys, but food is what maketh a man. Besides, if you choose wisely, good produce doesn't cost alot. In fact, I find it more cost effective to cook our own meals than eating out.

As a result of our dedication, the kids are very well-fed. YK's teacher often marvel at his smooth spotless skin, asking him what his mum feeds him everyday. Maybe they're too well fed because I don't remember ever seeing them skinny.

This morning, I made them pasta for lunch before I left for work. Imagine their lunch was already cooked at 10am! They weren't supposed to eat until noon of course but who knows? It's extra work for me but I would rather they have a wholesome meal instead of dialing for pizza.

Cooking pasta sauce using lots of chilli, onion, garlic, chopped tomato and minced meat.

Pasta in a claypot. I love how this handy pot keeps the food warm for a long time.

Wonder woman

After reading my blog, Mother Hen dropped me an email, feeling like an old granny compared to my frenetic lifestyle.

Just finished reading your blog, you are a wonder woman, really. You work, you cook, you clean, you take Rusty out for a walk. You do everything! :)
So efficient! Ah, I am so slow here... if I were to video tape my days and send to you, you probably think they are the days of a granny :p

Actually, I wish I could have her lifestyle! I had imagined days of lounging around, reading books in the patio, surrounded by fluttering butterflies, sipping lemonade on a warm sunny day or relaxing with a glass of wine during sunset. I was even planning on installing a hammock in the garden. And I thought I could manage an evening jog every day.

The reality is, I hardly have anytime to sit down at home. Before I leave for work, I prepare some noodles or rice so the kids will not go hungry during lunch. When I return, I make dinner, wash up, walk the dog, put the clothes in the washer or dryer, fold laundry, iron clothes and then go to bed. When there's time to spare, I sweep and mop the floor. Once the chores are done, I'll wander to the patio but before I could sit down for that glass of wine, I start trimming dead leaves or fertilising the plants. I'm such a workaholic!

The kids help with some chores. When I reprimanded YK for not tidying the house, he claimed he vacuumed the floor and washed the dishes while SK bathed Rusty when I was at work. I guess there's just no end to doing chores especially with Rusty around, the floor is always covered with fur and tiny pawprints. CH thinks Rusty should wear a sweater since he's shedding so much.

To make things a little more rosy, I should start walking around the house without my glasses. Then I won't be able to see the layer of dust or fur, or the dishes in the sink and clothes in the laundry basket.

Yah, it's time to toss my specs in the bin. Wonder Woman doesn't need glasses!

Feeling productive

It's 7.30pm and I'm already chilling out after dinner. I feel so productive today.
.
I left the office at 4.30pm and drove to the nearest police post to update my new address. There were 3 other people waiting to be attended, one of them was holding a Mongolian passport. It looks like a long wait, so I decided to walk to the nearest supermarket first.
.
After a whirlwind bout of grocery shopping, I hurried back to my car. The sky was threatening to rain but I decided to take a peek at the police post again. The line was gone. The efficient police officer updated my status in a jiffy and I managed to reach home just before 6pm.
.
I put the rice to boil in the cooker, washed some vegetables and even had time to bring Rusty for a short walk. I started cooking at 6.30pm and dinner was ready 20 minutes later. After dinner, I boiled some minced meat with rice for Rusty and started washing the dishes.
.
After the dishes are put away and the floor is cleaned, I brought out 2 Malaysian mangoes (sorry Nick, I know this will remind you of your mango tree!) for dessert. So sweet and refreshing.

I love feeling so productive!

Mid-week visit

I make it a point to visit mum and my nieces during lunch hour on Wednesdays. Of course this week Rusty's at my place but I still get to see Cookie and Russell. Cookie, being his nonchalant self, just wagged his tail and looked away. He must be wondering why I didn't bring Rusty home.

During this rainy season, weeds have taken over my garden. The shrubs are overgrown and need a trim badly. Looks like I'll have a busy weekend ahead.

Mum was in her room resting when I arrived. Ting had fallen asleep while waiting for me. I had chatted with her earlier over the phone. She asked about Rusty and was looking forward to seeing me and my treats. She asked for lollipop but I got her some biscuits instead. Candy is bad for her teeth.

Her little baby sister was also napping in her cot. Everyone's having siesta during lunch hour! Mum got up to chat with me while I had coffee and cake. Her condition is not getting any better but we'll see to that we meet the doctor next week. She asked if I would like to bring some eggs home. My parent's pantry is always so well stocked but I declined the offer since I had just brought some back on Sunday.

When mum retired to her room, I spent the next 30 minutes sorting out my clothes. I've been wearing the handful of clothes at the apartment to death, it's time to bring the rest back. Lots of clothes are now too small for my thickening waist. I really should get a space at the flea market. Some of the items are still very new and trendy.

Now I'm back at work. Too bad I didn't get to hug my nieces. I hope mum likes the custard puff for teabreak and the girls enjoy the biscuits. Anyway, I'll see them again this weekend.

Just another day

Lately my posts have been revolving round the new environment. I can't help it if my life has evolved into an endless cycle of laundry, meals and walking Rusty.

Yesterday Rusty dashed after a cat and broke free from his leash. He chased the terrified cat into some thick bushes completely inaccessible by me. It was quite a comical sight but there I stood, rooted to the ground, helpless and horrified that I may never see him again. I kept calling out his name and was about to summon SK for help when Rusty suddenly appeared before me, all excited and out of breath. I grabbed him and brought him home.

This morning, he got excited over something in the bushes again and was trying to squeeze in through the tight crevice. This time, I scooped him up immediately and carried him away. My neighbours must be wondering why Rusty is always being carried around. Imagine if he's a big dog! Oh yah, he made friends with a friendly female labrador who looks like Cookie. I think they'll get along well because she's such a gentle and sweet dog.

Last night's dinner was rice with watercress soup, chicken chop, braised leather jacket fish and some stir fried vegetable dishes. Good thing CH was able to come for dinner. Before I started cooking, I had anticipated more hassle-free one-pot dishes but now I realise that it's not that difficult to whip up few dishes afterall. I think we still enjoy our staples like rice and stir-fries. Some habits are hard to break.

Adjustments

It's the kids' one-week school break and life is more leisurely around here. Or is it so? This morning I got up at 7am instead of 5.30am. Rusty was feeling restless, so I brought him out for a walk. He didn't feel like going home, so we walked two rounds instead of the usual one. No matter. We're not in a hurry to get to school or to work.

As we need to replenish the refrigerator, I walked to the wet market after leaving Rusty at home. After cooking last night's dinner, I'm trying to scale down the portions from now on. I'm so used to cooking for a big extended family that I cooked too much yesterday, we were struggling to finish the dishes. If we go on like this, we'll get fat! Maybe CH should come for dinner more often.

Last night's dishes- cuttlefish with spring onions cooked by YK, steamed fish, stir fried string beans with shitake mushrooms and cabbage with dried beancurd in a claypot.

So, I'll go on making adjustments in the portions until I find the right balance. I'm making adjustments in other areas too. I've decided to use less disposable contact lenses especially the 'moist' dailies which cost me about $4 a day! So, I'm back to wearing glasses for now. At least the money saved can be more well spent on food and groceries.

I've been saving alot of petrol. While I used to visit the petrol kiosk every 2 days, now it is down to one refill every 5 days. That's a huge improvement!

Wow, so fast. It's almost 9am. It's time for me to get to the office.