May is the month of...

Well, Catholics call it the Month of Mary.

The Catholic practice of assigning a special devotion to each month goes back to the early 16th century. The best known of those devotions is probably the dedication of the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May is considered the season of the beginning of new life. Already in Greek culture, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity. In Roman culture, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of bloom, of blossoms. The Romans celebrated ludi florales (literally: floral games) at the end of April, asking the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. This is also related to the medieval practice of expelling winter. May 1 was considered the beginning of growth.

But for me, it seems like May is the month of meeting and eating.

You see, after all the Christmas and (Chinese) New Year festivities, we tend to take a break ... to give our waistlines a chance to get back to their normal size. Then we are so caught up with our work, and our daily schedules, that dont feel the need to meet up with friends just yet.

And once the kids exams are over, it suddenly dawns on us that we have not met our friends for quite a while, so we start touching bases. And before we know it, we start making plans to meet up ...before we all go away for the June vacations.

So with May almost coming to a close .... I have managed to meet up with quite a few friends.

One restaurant that we went to recently was the Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck restaurant at Paragon in Orchard Road. It came highly recommended. Of course the must have dish there is the Peking duck :P. But do note that there is a one hour advance order if you want to eat that duck.

The chef starts off by cutting out the skin from the part just below the back of the neck. That is supposedly the BEST part of the duck. It is meant to be dipped in sugar and savoured. And it was truly delicious! (You only get about 6 small slices of this wonderful skin!)



Then the rest of the skin of the duck is sliced off and wrapped in crepes together with some scallions and cucumber, and served with some sweet sauce. As for the remainder of the duck, it is then chopped up, and you have a choice of how you would like it cooked. We had ours fried with salt and pepper.

However, be warned that at this restaurant, they tend to encourage you to order well beyond what you can eat, and do try not to order off the menu ... the prices can be exorbitant!

Happy eating!!

Will Crisitano Ronaldo , Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba take up flower art please??

Remember some time last year when my son came home with all these beautiful floral arrangements from school? Read here if you dont recall.

Well, they were doing it in school again this year, and I must say, my friends who have seen his arrangements were most impressed. Some even requested him to give them classes!!

Anyway, there will be a floral art competition and exhibition coming up. Naturally, his teacher encouraged him to take part (but of course, he didnt tell me directly). He did bring up the topic and said that there would also be a short course for those who want to hone their skills.

He then suggested that I should go for the course. His rational being that since I loved his floral arrangements SO MUCH, I should go pick up the skill myself.

I then told him that since he already knew the basics, logically he should go on to develop his skill and talent further.

But all I got was a firm "NO" from him. Why? Because he is totally into soccer. Anything soccer goes for him. And which macho soccer star does floral art? NONE. So, it's not for him either, despite his skills :(

So all you soccer greats out there - if you so happen to be reading my blog, especially if you are Ronaldo or Rooney or Drogba, please, please, please can you take up floral art? You will be doing this Mum a BIG favour. (OK, I am only hopeful that those great players are reading this blog - hmmm maybe their agents or publicists are reading it and will pass the message.)

I think that's the only way I can get my son to pursue it.

If you cant beat them ...

...join them. Thats the common saying. But I think that was the cause of my "downfall".

You see, I used to be one of those that had a place for everything ... and I mean EVERYTHING. And everything was put in its proper place, and there was no doubt as to where to find something. It would be where it was supposed to be. And I was one of those that would put things right if I saw that some thing was not in its proper place.

But with 3 kids, that is an IMPOSSIBLE task. With one kid, it was manageable. With two it was still possible, tho it took a little longer. BUT with 3, it is definitely IMPOSSIBLE, especially when NO ONE seems to one to lend a hand or do their part.

Everyday, when the kids get home from school, they will put whatever they bring home on the "dining" table. Never mind what it is - notices from school, letters from friends, junk mail, water bottles, files, hair bands, story books, fruit boxes, candy wrappers, toys, etc. And I am not always able to attend to what they put on the table immediately. Must say, not all are meant for my attention.

So things get left there longer than they should, and NOBODY clears it. Occasionally I will clear it ... especially if it requires my attention. BUT you know it only takes about two hours from the time I clear the table completely for a HUGE mess to accumulate on it.

I tell you - No amount of cajoling, nagging, and eventually shouting and threatening can help me clear that table. As I result, I have joined them. I let the mess be there. I now only clear it once a week on tuesdays, and only so that there is enough space for my kid to have his chinese tuition there! And before the hour is up, even that space is covered with stuff!

It has gotten so bad that I am embarrassed by the sight of that table. And ...with the mess, my husband thinks that we are not in a position to have any guests over!! I dont like it any more than he does, BUT it should not be only MY responsibility to keep it neat, clear and tidy, right?? why cant everyone do their bit to help keep it clean and PUT things where they belong ...and it is NOT on the dining table!! Sigh.

Fortunately we have another dining table, or else we would all be having dinner on the floor!

Murphy's Law for Parents

1. The tennis shoes you must replace today will go on sale next week.

2. Leakproof thermoses will.

3. The chances of a piece of bread falling with the grape jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

4. The garbage truck will be two doors past your house when the argument over whose day it is to take out the trash ends.

5. The shirt your child must wear today will be the only one that needs to be washed or mended.

6. Gym clothes left at school in lockers mildew at a faster rate than other clothing.

7. The item your child lost, and must have for school within the next ten seconds, will be found in the last place you look.

8. Sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room.

9. Refrigerated items, used daily, will gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator.

10. Your chances of being seen by someone you know dramatically increase if you drive your child to school in your robe and curlers

Happy Mother's Day

You know you are a Mum when ...

* Your feet stick to the kitchen floor..... and you don't care.

* When the kids are fighting, you threaten to lock them in a room together and not let them out until someone's bleeding.

* You can't find your cordless phone, so you ask a friend to call you, and you run around the house madly, following the sound until you locate the phone downstairs in the laundry basket.

* You spend an entire week wearing sweats.

* Your idea of a good day is making it through without a child leaking bodily fluids on you.

* Popsicle's become a food staple.

* Your favorite television show is a cartoon.

* Peanut butter and jelly is eaten at least in one meal a day.

* You're willing to kiss your child's boo-boo, regardless of what body part it happens to be on.

* Your baby's pacifier falls on the floor and you give it back to her after you suck the dirt off of it because you are too busy to wash it off.

* Your kids make jokes about farting, burping, pooping, etc., and you think it's funny.

* You're so desperate for adult conversation that you spill your guts to the telemarketer that calls and HE hangs up on YOU!

* Spit is your number one cleaning agent.

* You're up each night until 10 PM vacuuming, dusting, wiping, washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking, driving, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework, paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes, putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing, buckling, feeding (them, Not you), PLUS swinging, playing baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls, rollerblading, basketball, football, catch, bubbles, sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing, gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at 5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go to the bathroom, and yet ... you still managed to gain 10 pounds.

* In your bathroom there is toothpaste on the light fixtures, water all over the floor, a dog drinking out of the toilet and body hair forming a union to protest unsafe working conditions.

* You buy cereal with marshmallows in it.

* The closest you get to gourmet cooking is making rice krispie bars.

* You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.

* You have time to shave only one leg at a time.

* You hide in the bathroom to be alone.

* Your kid throws up and you catch it.

* Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.

* You consider finger paints to be a controlled substance.

* You cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.

* You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.


Happy Mother's Day MUMS!! Now, sit back, relax and let the Dads take over for that one day. Tomorrow you can clear the mess!

Be happy with what you have...

Let not your hearts be troubled !



If you were to ask your neighbor,
"What would give you peace of mind?"

he might tell you,

"A vacation in Bermuda !" or
"An extra hundred grand would give me peace!", or
"A new Ferrari would make me content!"

But going to places - and getting stuff - is usually a temporary solution ...


Peace of mind rarely comes from getting more stuff.
Getting more stuff usually leads to wanting even more stuff!
Peace of mind starts with being grateful for what we have right now.


GRATITUDE is POWER

When we are thankful for what we have - for the friends we have, and for the things we've got, we attract more good people and good things!



People who always complain about what they DON'T HAVE, stay stuck.

Complainers attract more things to complain about!

It is a law of life. It's hard to explain, but you can observe it around you.

We get more of what we dwell upon.

That's why all the spiritual masters have taught the same lesson:

"Start by being thankful. Be happy with what you have now, and more will come your way."

It's a practical advice:


Every time you say a silent "thank you" you become more peaceful.




HEAVEN is when you have:
AMERICAN salary,
ENGLISH car,
CHINESE food, and
INDONESIAN wife.

HELL is when you have:
AMERICAN wife,
ENGLISH food,
CHINESE car, and
INDONESIAN salary.

With my foot in my mouth ....

I was testing my son on his spelling just last evening. The teacher had given them a list of commonly misspelled words and I wanted him to make sure that he didnt misspell those words in the coming exams.

So, we were going thru' it alphabetically starting with the 'A' words then the 'B' words, and so on.

It was getting to be quite a laborious affair, as he hadnt studied the list well, and I was re-testing him those words that he spelled wrongly earlier along the way just to make sure that he had learnt his mistake!

He, on the other hand, was getting impatient as the Chelsea vs Liverpool match was about to start, and I had told him that he wasnt going to watch it until we had finished the 1st page of words.

In his haste to finish it, he wasnt writing his words properly, and I was getting irritated.

Not able to stand his bad writing any longer, I said to him : All these 'F' words do not start with the letter 'T'!!(he was not curving his letter "f" properly and they all looked like "T" to me!!)

Toing!!

S and N both cracked up on hearing that!

"You said 'F' words Mum!" they shouted, laughing hysterically and we couldnt continue with the spelling practice anymore!!

I tell you these kids!

Political Correctness for Teenagers

In an effort to be politically correct (read: not to hurt the feeling of those you are talking to), new terms have been thrown around. Some of them really baffle me!



Here are some phrases that have been used by teenagers :

No one fails a class anymore, he's merely "passing impaired."

You don't have detention, you're just one of the "exit delayed."

Your bedroom isn't cluttered, it's just "passage restrictive."

These days, a student isn't lazy. He's "energetically declined."

Your locker isn't overflowing with junk, it's just "closure prohibitive."

Kids don't get grounded anymore. They merely hit "social speed bumps."

Your homework isn't missing, its just having an "out-of-notebook experience."

You're not sleeping in class, you're "rationing consciousness."

You're not late, you just have a "rescheduled arrival time."

You're not having a bad hair day, you're suffering from "rebellious follicle syndrome."

You don't have smelly gym socks, you have "odor-retentive athletic footwear."

No one's tall anymore. He's "vertically enhanced."

You're not shy. You're "conversationally selective."

You don't talk a lot.. You're just "abundantly verbal."

You weren't passing notes in class. You were "participating in the discreet exchange of penned meditations."

You're not being sent to the principals office. You're "going on a mandatory field trip to the administrative building."

It's not called gossip anymore. It's "the speedy transmission of near-factual information."

The food at the school cafeteria isn't awful. It's "digestively challenging."

And for those who are really overweight: They are just "under-tall" for that height!!

But I think we should just call a spade a spade!! - whether they like it or not!!