Matthew 19:6.

What God has joined, let not man divide.

I read a note from Facebook today. It was a touching story about a 10 year old married couple. Their marriage has strayed and the ending was pretty touching and sad.
What strikes me the most was this proverb from Mathew 19:6. "What God has joined, let not man divide".

Indeed, a marriage is one of the sacraments in the Catholic faith. It is holy and is treated with utmost importance.
But of course, every relationship takes two hands to clap. It also needs a lot of understanding and communication. And the most important thing is that little spark. I like to term it as "friendship".
I am no love guru, so I have no intention to turn this post into a 101 Guide on Relationships.
In fact, every kind of relationship needs some working on. Parent vs Child. Siblings, Couple, husband and wife, friends etc.

I often tell Greg that we have to practice "friendship" in our marriage. Good friends with a hint of Romanticism. Good Friends whom support each other thru the years. Lots of communication and sharing, where possible.
Of course, there are times of quarrels and arguments. But at the end of the day, you always know that this good friend is the one who understands you most. Its not easy cause simply put, men and women are made up differently. So the difficulty to handling different mindsets is to establish that line of equilibrium.

Cheers!

家常小菜

some stuff I cooked up over the last few nights .. :)

1. Sesame Oil Chicken
- Marinate chicken pieces with soya sauce, oyster sauce, chinese wine, pepper, sesame oil and salt.
- Stir fry ginger slices with sesame oil
- Pour in chicken slices with marinade
- Add dried lily buds and button mushrooms
- Cover lid and let the dish simmer for 15 mins.
- Serve warm


2. Pig Stomach Soup
- Wash the pig stomach well and clean.
- Scald pork meat
- Put pork meat, pig stomach, garlic cloves, peppercorn seeds into a pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 hrs.



3. Old Cucumber Soup
- Cut old cucumber into chunks
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in scaled pork meat, old cucumber, red dates, dried scallops (4-5pcs).
- Simmer for 2-3 hours on low heat and add in salt to taste before serving.



4. Bittergourd Soup with Minced Pork and Egg flower
- A very simple soup that is fast to cook.
- Prepare ikan bills stock
- Once stock is boiled , add in bittergourd slices and minced pork (shaped into balls)
- Once everything floats, add in a beaten egg
- Serve hot

Comfort food on a Mon night

My dinner for monday night.

Macaroni soup with watever ingredients I can find in the fridge. And always with lots of chilli padi.

Dinner @ Chai Chee

Chai Chee refers to the new lovely nest of Gerald and Martina!

Yes, after bunking in with us for 2 months, their cosy home is ready and they moved in during the National Day weekend. The 2 months were really nice and sweet. We had World Cup and supper sessions together (contributing to my weight gain!), yummy home-cooked food for dinner and many nice outings.

Anyway, Gerald decided to do crabs! So,we went to Tekka Market to shop for their famous crabs.
I must say the range of seafood stalls there were really impressive. The min I step in, i felt such a strong whiff of "seafood and fish" smell that I felt like puking. Luckily, I could take the smell after a while.
We got 3 female crabs and they were very active and alive!
Cooked half portion in chilli crab sauce and the other half, steamed with Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao Jiu). It was really finger-licking good as the crab meat was so fresh and juicy!

The couple also cooked a few other dishes and Martina boil my favourite Lotus Root Soup.

Here are the pictures to make you go hungry again...

Mushroom Aglio Olio

MY FAV!!!!

Hahahhaa, one of my fav food is pasta and among the many kinds of pastas, I love aglio olio the best.

My personal fav will be spagetti or linguine, cooked al dente.
Tossed in olive oil, stir-fry with fresh garlic and chilli, this carbo meal just pack a punch.
You can try the simple receipe below. Add in your preferred toppings (prawns, bacons or mushrooms) and a healthy nice meal is completed!

Btw, this version is mushroom aglio olio.

1. Bring water to a boil first. Once the water in boiled, drizzle some oil and salt into the saucepan of boiling water. Add in the pasta and cook till al dente.
2. Heat up a frying pan. Once the pan is hot, add in some olive oil.
3. Stir fry freshly chopped garlic and chilli. If you are a chilli-eater like me, you can try adding in chilli padi. I usually add in 3-4 pieces. SHIOK!
4. Fry for 2-3 mins until the aroma surfaces.
5. Add in mushrooms (other ingredients that you may like) and stir fry for another 1 min.
6. Add in the cooked pasta and give everything a good stir.
7. Dish onto a serving plate and serve warm. Garnish with chilli flakes if you prefer.



SSSSLLLLLURRRRPPPPPPS!!!

Changing perspectives

This morning, I went into Facebook and saw the photos my friends put up over the weekend.
They looked like they had lots of fun. The friends, the place, the alcohol and the craziness.

Well, there is certainly a pinch of bitterness inside me. I used to be part of that fun. Living life crazily and not caring about anything else.
When I was single or married with no kids, life was certainly a lot easier. No worries on anything. We were just two free souls with no cares in the world. Get happily crazily drunk and enjoy all the fun. Tomorrow will come by itself.

However, all this is going to change. A baby is coming along and this new life will be making lots and lots of adjustments to our lives.

Those drinking sessions will be cut.
The outings with friends will be cut.
Travel plans will be adjusted.
Weekends will not be the same again.
Week nights will be spent minding the baby.
Maybe even watching movies at cinemas may be a hassle. Imagining the baby crying and wailing in the theatre. OUCH!

Just like how this poem sums up (I qoute):
‎"A child will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for"

Yes, Home Happier and the Future worth living for.

There are no regrets or feelings of resentment towards this new life that I am going to embark on. It is a phase in my life that I should feel proud of. After enjoying marriage and couple-hood for past 3 years, it's finally time to settle down and form a family. I can't be having fun forever. Besides, I am not getting any younger.

Its amazing that there is a life, a real living thing inside me. And this little thing will be a symbol of our love. He or She will carry a little of our traits each and will be the growing motivation for us.

And I wait for the day this little living thing pops out into the world and greets me with a loud wail.
Till then, I shall enjoy the bump on my tummy for the next 6 months....

OOPS

Apologies for the confusion!

My last few posts were dated some time back. I could not post it as I wanted to openly delcare the pregnancy after passing the 1st trimester.
Today is in fact the 15th week and nope, not week 10.

:) Happy Reading!

Week 10

Hi Baby! You’re 10 weeks old today!
Mummy and Daddy can’t wait to announce to the world once you are past 12 weeks! I always imagine how you look like now in my tummy. Are you growing well, sleeping well, etc etc etc?

Mummy can’t wait for the Bangkok trip this month end! I shall go on a shopping and eating spree! Praying for a strong stomach to take in all the spiciness and food stuffs from the streets of Bangkok!
The next time I see you will be on 29th July – oscar test for down syndrome. Praying hard that everything will be good and well, yeah.
Once back from Bangkok, we will have the gynae appt on the 2nd August. Daddy is on leave that day and guess what?! After the appt, Mummy will bring Daddy and little Baby for a nice dinner to celebrate Daddy’s BIG 30 on 3rd August (as well as mummy’s last 20-something on 4th august).

I have googled for SG TOP 10 Most Romantic Restaurants this morning and have screened down to a few: IL Lido at Sentosa, Gunthers at Purvis, Flutes at the Fort @ Fort Canning, another one @ Rochester Park… Hmmmmm….yum yum yum…. Whatever it is, the birthday dinner shall be made complete with a birthday song and a molton choclate lava cake for Daddy Greg!

A mum gotta do what a mum gotta do.

I have been told that I am supposed to abstain from raw sashimi, raw meat, and even half-boiled eggs.
So no more sushi, no more steak medium-rare.

On top of that, I have stopped taking in coffee.  I always love eating my breakkies with hot warm coffee. But for now, I will have to switch to milk.

Oh MILK. Eeewsssss… I HATE MILK.
I am slowly taking chocolate milk and soya bean milk for now first.

A big no-no is also ciggies and alcohol.
I kinda miss those days where I could hang out after work. A pint of two, some puff puff to distress. OK, enuff said…. Having said that, I don’t feel tempted to go for drinks anymore. Ahh…mother’s instinct is really powerful. Hehe

Running
How to run when I can’t even walk fast? Looks like I am not going for the GE Women’s Run this year.

There are many other funny theories out there. Some makes sense whereas a big portion is also based on superstition.

Sometimes it’s quite funny to read up on such stuff. You’ll be amazed.

Are preggies more paranoid?

On my very first visit, Dr Woo told me I am between 4-6 weeks. He reminded me to be careful all the time as the pregnancy is still in early stages and its very fragile.
I am quite clumsy by nature. Although I can’t really strut well in my 4-inches, I still love wearing them. Well, it gives me the illusion that I am slim and tall. :P

Nowadays, I have cleaned and kept my 4 inches in my shoe cupboard. Well, I still have my 3-inches! I have started to walk slower and be more careful too.

Anyway, it’s still early so I can always switch to flats at a later stage.

Sometimes I wonder if I am getting a little overly-worried over nothing. The more I read up, the more confusing I get.
Most preggies around this stage will be suffering from morning sickness, food aversions, tiredness and all that.
But, I do not have all these feelings at all!
I am still eating what I used to eat. I don’t have that feeling to throw up anytime of the day.
Hmmm, yes I do feel slightly more tired than before but its not really much. The only change, well, I think my boobies grew quite a bit.
I hope everything stays that way! I may be just one of those lucky ones!

But sometimes, without all these signs, it makes me wonder if my baby is growing well inside.
Can’t wait for the next gynae appt to hear my BB’s heartbeat!

“But the good news is you’re pregnant!”

Yes yes yes!! I am pregnant!

It came as a total surprise for us.
Rewind back 3 months ago, on 8th June 2010.

7th June, Monday
I was getting very bored in the office and decided to surf on pregnancy stuff. Afterall, we have been trying for a baby for almost 9 months, albeit on very irregular basis. Hahaha (do i sound defensive?)
So, I went googled here and wikied there, and landed myself in www.sgmotherhood.com forum. It was really informative. I myself am also not sure why I will surf such info on a Monday, but I am putting it down to Mother’s instincts. I mean, I can always Facebook or start some silly Farmville, right?

As the day was about to end, I decided to apply for leave on Tuesday.
And so, on Monday night, I went for my usual drinks. After a few rounds of beer at the usual haunts, I went home, had a good sleep all the way till late Tuesday morning. I still remember I bought supper home to eat.

When I woke up on Tue morning, I actually planned to just laze around or go shopping. But for some reason, I decided to make a trip down to the nearest gynecologist. I went online and surf and make an appointment with Dr Woo Bit Hwa of Thomson Medical Centre. His clinic is located at Tiong Bahru Plaza, Central Plaza and he was highly recommended by many mummies in the forum.

It also so happened that Greg took leave that day as well. He was not feeling too well and called in MC on that very morning. Hence, it was a perfect day for us both to see the gynae.

And so, on 8th June, both of us went into the clinic with a blurry eye and explained to Dr Woo our “problem”. I told him about my irregular cycles and we were planning for one. The idea was for him to prescribe some medication that can help regulate my cycle, (hopefully) making baby-making a easier process.

He asked me some basic questions about my last cycle date. It was on 25th April. In fact, according to my iphone app, my menses was supposed to start 2nd June. So, I was 6 days late. But I thought nothing much of it since I am usually late.

Then, Dr Woo directed me to the scan machine. I was supposed to lie on the bed and he will do the scan. Dearest Greg, of all times, then left the room as he was going to see the GP, which was sharing the same clinic Dr Woo.
The nurse even asked me why he don’t want to stay to see and I kinda replied, “cause I think there’s nothing much to see.” (I wasn't expecting anything!)

It was my first experience doing this whole ultrasound scan and it was kinda cute.
Dr Woo smeared some KY jelly over my lower abdomen area and the scanning started. I was starting to feel ticklish and I kept giggling to myself.

Dr Woo then said…:” Hmmm, you bladder doesn’t seem very full ..”
I said sheepishly, “ Erm yes, I went to the ladies just now.” (I was supposed to have a full bladder)
Dr Woo: “ But the good news is…You’re PREGNANT!”
Me: “OMG!” Are you sure?”
Me: “Oh shit! I just drank and smoke yesterday!”
Me: “Are you sure, are you sure?” “OH! Is it that little black dot here?” “That’s my baby?” (pointing to the sac)
I think I was caught with surprise and was blabbing all the way. However, I do think that on some days, I was having the slightest thought that I might just be preggies!
Sometimes, I was also imagining my reaction at the gynae upon hearing the positive news.

And so, yes! I am PREGNANT. It’s a big fat positive!