I told our boy that I was going to write about him because I wanted to document his ways so that when he’s all grown up, he can look back and read about what a terror he was he was like as a kid.

You would expect the teenager to freak out. But no, our boy even at a very young age has skin as thick as an elephant’s hide. Seriously, he is un-embarrassable. He shrugs off stuff that makes us mortified. He does things he wants, in his own way with no care of what others may think. I hate to admit this, but I secretly admire that. He was able to admit he has a young looking stepmom way before I could admit I had such an old stepson.

Our boy is an angel. And I’ve always felt that he’s one of the biggest blessings in my life. He’s always thoughtful, considerate and dependable. You can place the most important things in his hands and he’ll guard it well. He loves his family, especially his father and never fails to touch me with the small acts of love that he demonstrates.

Being in the military changed him a great deal. For the better in some ways. And for the worse in many too. He’s grown to be very independent and has self drive to excel in everything he does now. But he has also learnt language that I don’t like, made friends that aren’t the best of influences and become incredibly tolerant of dirt. Duh. I cannot Febreze him quick enough before he leaves his distinct trail of foul sweat smells again. It’s disgusting! Don’t ever get me started on his room. It looks like a tornado has just hit it most of the time.

Our boy is an incredibly happy kid. Or at least he appears to be. He is more sensitive that he will ever let on (but we know, son). And he has great emotional strength to let go of things that make him unhappy. To quote what he always says when things go bad – Suck Thumb!, which means deal with it. He’s always making us laugh and life is rarely boring when he’s around because he’ll always have something funny to tell you. Unfortunately, he hates having his picture taken and starts to make faces as soon as the camera is in his face. So we rarely have pictures of him looking happy. The above is a very precious shot accidentally taken by our gal recently.

I’m enjoying his antics and even not minding his mess so much because we know that once his National Service is done, he’ll be off to college/university and we won’t have the luxury of spending so much time with him anymore. =/

Hmmm.. I’ve just remembered that I have to stock up on Febreze tomorrow. I’ve just used up my bottle spraying at everything I see in his room. =)

♥♥♥
 

This week has been one of the most boring weeks I’ve ever spent in Singapore since we relocated. We haven’t done anything except eat, sleep, run errands, watch TV and bake. I rarely have an unbloggable week but this week is definitely one.

Yet, there’s a warmth and comfort in my heart that fulfills me. I’ve been with family every day and it is such a precious luxury. Even if all we have been doing is chill, eat and irritate each other, we’ve had heaps of fun and laughter.

And looking at all the crazy, blurry, mis-composed shots I have in my camera now makes me so happy.
 

Shot with iPhone Instagram App

Today, I did the proper parenting thingy and helped our gal study. That’s right, STUDY. It’s not always all play and no work.

And here’s where my problem is. Our kids are very smart and have never really asked for help with school work. And honestly, I haven’t looked at anything remotely academic in 15 years. *gulp*

So when our gal asked for guidance with her Biology homework, the first thing I did was signal the hubby to pour me some wine. And then try to remember the difference between polysaccharides and monosaccharides.. The good thing about modern world parenting is, there is always Google to help out. Whatever we didn’t know, we Googled it. *wipes sweat off my head*

Is it just me or has school work become really tough for kids today?
 

The irony of spending Chinese New Year in a place that actually truly celebrates Chinese New Year is that it’s dead quiet everywhere. That’s because it’s the time of the year where everyone is catching up with family and friends and all shops and establishments are closed.

No one will be doing anything except chill at some relative or friend’s house and eat and eat and eat all day long. And play a few card games, play with the pets and bake some cinnamon rolls.

The only thing I’m enjoying about Chinese New Year is having my family close by. The kids have no where to go, coz all their friends have their own visiting to do. Which means we get to spend heaps of time with them. Heh heh heh..

I’m a little sore that my friends in Johannesburg are having a wild time checking out the festivities of Chinese New Year in Chinatown and the Chinese temples. Apparently they had lion and dragon dances, chinese cultural dances and wushu performances. I missed all that. Hmpf!

The consolation is I got to eat all the crabs I wanted, and I’m a happy gal. =)
 

On the first day of Chinese New Year, my ever so supportive family let me sleep in after a long night of battle with the bloody hackers. My site was so badly infested with phishing sites that I felt like a criminal just staring at the hundreds of malicious files I had to clean out in one night. I was exhausted after the long fight. My eyes hurt and my brains felt fried.

As soon as I arrived at my in-laws, our gal asked me, “Are you hungry? Want a cinnamon roll?”

Our darling gal had spent the morning baking cinnamon rolls all by herself. I wanted to weep. They were still warm and super super yummy.

Shot with iPhone Instagram App.

I’ve only taught her to make it once. And she’s been making these cinnamon rolls again and again by herself. The genius. And each time, she would refer to my step by step tutorial here.

If you’ve wondered what the motivation is for my religious step by step documentation of the wonderful food we eat at home, here’s your answer. It’s for our children. It’s like I am always there to cook and bake with them, step by step. =)

Me: My site is dead! How did you get the recipe this morning?
Gal: I’ve memorised it!

… Later..

Me: What are you going to bake tomorrow?
Gal: That depends on when your cooking site is up. I’ll decide then.

*smile*

Pressure pressure! A few more hours spent on rebuilding my cooking site and it’s back up now. =)