They all fall apart

After 5 years, things in the house are starting to fail us. :(



The clock
We didn't even notice it at first. After all, the clock is working well. But the calendar, whatever you call it, oh how it refuses to move. We thought the batteries had died so we tried changing them. Didn't work even though we tried several brands of new batteries. It's kaput. :(



The sofa
Oh we love our air sofa! It's called 'trunk'. I know, it's so weird right? But after 5 years, I still remember its name. I love that there is no armrest so we can seat 4 comfortably. The back of the sofa can be raised so you get a nice neck/head rest.



But the other day, my in-laws told us that the synthetic leather had cracked and there is this ugly slit right in the middle of the sofa. Actually, we had been warned that leather is not a good choice for a sofa that is to sit in a room that gets a lot of the morning sun. But when I see something pretty, logic and common sense escape me. Now, I have to pay a price for it. Boo hoo.

Rainy Saturday

We had this for breakfast today.

Sprite, vodka and fresh lychees

Refreshing!
It's a very simple drink to make, perfect for lounging around on a rainy day. :)

Shakespeare quotes coaster, part of a set of 6.

Wish I had bought more than a box. It would make a lovely gift!

J meets the AS doctor!

The Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) patients in J's support group met up for an annual dinner thingy and this year, the hospital invited Dr Asim Khan. J was to introduce him before he gave his talk and after the whole event, he grabbed the opportunity to get the man's autograph!



When J was diagnosed with AS in 2005, we were desperate for answers. We found them in the book that Dr Asim wrote. It was the only copy in Kinokuniya, which probably explains why none of J's friends in the support group has read it. AS is a chronic, progressive, painful inflammatory rheumatic disease. However, because J does not complain even when he is in immense pain and he tries not to let the illness cripple his life, many of our friends and even our families don't know or think much of this disease. We are grateful that the attacks come on and off and he is not in excruciating pain 24/7. Plus, there are now drugs that can combat the pain to a great extent. The down side to the drugs? Possible heart failure. :(

Nevertheless, we are thankful for each day and certainly we draw inspiration from Dr Asim, the doctor who has the disease himself and devotes his life to finding ways to help others with the AS.

Read about Dr. Asim Khan's story here.

June

Too cute! Pink Hello Kitty cup lid which matches my pink kate spade cup!

Loreal eyeshadow. Pink, green or silver?

Desperation

I have fallen sick way too many times this year. The plan to fight the sick monster includes an ionizer, loads of vitamin C tablets and probiotic capsules. NO MORE MCs from now to December I pray!

J cooks

J finally used the Happycall pan I bought him. Hurray!

I didn't manage to take pictures of the first thing he cooked. Think it was an omelette that fast disappeared into my stomach!

This is beef I think.

Yummy fried rice! Egg, fishcake and Chinese sausage (lup cheong) and luncheon meat

Fabulous Friday

Dinner at Chang, a Korean restaurant at Dempsey Hill.

Fried vermicelli (Jab Chae)

Kimchi Pancake  (Kimchi Jeon)

Spicy chicken stew (Maewundakgalbi-Jjim)

Colourful parrots at Dempsey, just outside Chang

Of bags

I bought this kate spade stevie for travelling and it turned out great. Roomy, light and secure with a zip top closure. It went on its first trip to England recently. I hope there will be more trips with this bag. :)

J received many compliments for this Coach bag I got him. You won't believe how difficult it is to buy something for him. For one, he has better taste than I. I'm almost sure that anything I choose is not good enough. Turns out he likes this enough and didn't chide me for the money I parted with in exchange for it. Thank God! :P

London May 2012

We did not manage to catch Wicked in Singapore and decided to do so in London.

Musicals are really not my thing. I fell asleep every time someone started to sing!

kate spade in London, Sloane Square

Paddington stall at Paddington Station

And we brought home not one but two Paddington Bears!

Sheffield May 2012

A very unnerving flight - filled with worries and turbulence that lasted over an hour

 Celebratory champagne for Dr J!

Even Sheffield has one.

This was taken at 8:40 p.m. on a night in May.

Long but cold summer days in Sheffield

Mother's Day

 

When it comes to expressing love and gratitude for mom, where does one even start?

Waiting for love

On a wet and tiring Tuesday, J waits for me in the drizzle right across my office.

This is how I 'survive my time in the cell' - looking forward to the end of the day when I get to see J after work. Unlike most people who suffer from Monday blues, I find Tuesdays the hardest and J knows this.

Technically it's not my birthday

This is the birthday cake that got cut up before the birthday song was sung and the birthday girl got to make a wish. No, seriously, I kid you not.

And the conversation that took place?

You cut the cake??
Ya.
But you haven't sung me the song and I didn't get to make a wish!
Oh... (Pregnant pause) But it's not your birthday yet. Your birthday is tomorrow.
So am I getting a cake tomorrow?
Nope. This is it.

?!?!

Happy 36th birthday to me in advance. I wish myself good health and lots of joy in the coming year!

April

came and went and boy am I glad!

The month saw me busy right from the start. Deadlines were impossible but continued to stream in like nobody's business. At least once a week, I slept at 4 am on a work day. While I know many people who can survive on just a few hours of sleep regularly, I can't. I turn 36 in 2 days time but I still need at least 8 hours of sleep daily. 10 hours if possible!

Thanks to the crazy work schedule, my body took a beating and I fell terribly ill towards the end of April. Even on the 2 days I was on medical leave, I was pushed to produce 2 separate piece of work. No, it's not the cure to cancer but for some inexplicable reason, the papers were important to the people who set me the 24hour turnaround deadline.

The end results? 2 pieces of work produced, 2 trips to the clinic, 3 days of medical leave, 7 types of medicine and 1 pregnancy test.

The last was a shocker. Pregnant?! Are you kidding me? I haven't even the time to  sleep, much less get pregnant. But the good doctor insisted on playing it safe. He thought it was weird that I was feeling so nauseated all the time and got even more worried when he found out that the last menstrual cycle was unusual. I told him it was probably a bad case of flu and gastritis but nope, the doctor was bent on me taking the test.

Of course, I am not pregnant. 

So there goes money down the drain.

But every cloud has a silver lining. J learnt how to cook porridge because the doctor had given strict instructions that I was not to eat oily or spicy food. I know porridge is  not really difficult to cook but considering how he never has to cook it till today, I'd say he did a pretty good job!

Oh and did I mention that I bought a happycall pan for J? He saw the TV ad and decided he'd like to experiment with the pan. I'm happy to eat whatever he cooks with it, as long as I don't have to do any work in the kitchen!