family musings

my gramma visited me for 2 weeks. my aunt and 2 cousins decided to tag along. so the 5 of us have been crammed into my apartment for the past 2 weeks (thank god for free housekeeping again!). having family around made me realize 2 things:

1. no one can rival my gramma's cooking.
2. i don't want to have 5 kids anymore.

i was expecting to be jubilant that my family was here. and yes, i am happy that they're here. but after 2 days, i started to remember why back in the philippines i was so eager to live on my own.

it wasn't that they were annoying or a burden to me. it was more like i had gotten used to not being answerable to anyone and to being completely independent that it came as a shock that i had to do things like the ff again:

1. inform them of my comings/goings
2. text about what time i'm coming home.
3. share the TV.
4. hide out in the room to escape the noise.
5. be careful about what i say on the phone (potential eavesdropper).
6. be careful not to curse.

you get the picture. haha.

also, what was disconcerting was the fact that this time around, the burden of keeping house (and this was just grocery shopping, scheduling, etc. not even real HOUSEKEEPING) was on my shoulders for the first time.

i had to research their itinerary, find out fares and schedules, grocery shop (every 2 days, those kids can really EAT!)..and so forth.

grocery shopping got me thinking - if it takes this much to feed 2 children, no way in hell will i be able to afford 5 kids.

being with my 2 cousins led me to the conclusion - a kid can make noise equivalent to 2 adults. or a horde of monkeys. and the noise exponientally increases as you add more kids.

action to be taken: don't have more than 1 kid if you want to keep your sanity.

mwehehehehe.

i still think my gramma is the best though. :)

Month 3

okay, so the honeymoon period is officially over. :)
i've been here for 76 days and by day 90, it's time to face the real world.
things i will miss:

1. my wonderful serviced apartment.

i tried to maximize the free housekeeping by cooking up a storm and holding regular barbecue/pool parties, but turns out i haven't even exploited half the place! apparently there's a steambath, heated hot tub, and a jet pool here which i've yet to try. and yes, the wonderful gym which i consciously ignored (boo).

i will really miss the uber posh digs and the nice (majority of which are Filipino) staff. i will miss having the AC turned on full blast and the water heater on 24/7 (i shudder to think of the electricity bill). i will miss the resort like ambiance, the free housekeeping, the fluffy towels, the wonderfully comfy couch, and yes, the FREE HOUSEKEEPING!

i'm moving into my new place first week of June, and I actually got a really really good deal for it - it's 2 buildings away from my office (kaching kaching, transpo cost savings!) and a lot of my P&G friends also live there. it's somewhat like Friends when you think about it. i duno if that's a good thing or a bad thing but i choose to think of it as a good thing for now. =P

2. my semi-reimbursible meal expenses.

enuff said.

3. my "i'm new hence i'm uninformed" free pass.

seriously, people in my GBU have been so wonderful (in my opinion) to a newbie like me. i expected people to expect me to know things by day 1 (i'm not a new hire after all), but everyone has been so generous in teaching me day-to-day stuff and yet respectful when i offer my PoV.

4. the relatively lighter work load

i can feel myself fully immersed now and hence all the work and aggravation that comes with it is now manifesting itself in full force. i'm not complaining, i'm having fun so far *cross fingers*

5. my serviced apartment.

need i say more? i will miss it so much i just have to mention it twice. sigh.

teehee

Simple Joys

the best things in life....cost less than 10 SGD. :)
got these cute babies for 3SGD each (which is dirt cheap here!!!) at a 7-11. now they preside over my living room TV.

and these buddha reliefs are a dream come true!!! i've had my eye on a version of this since forever. and they've always been unbelievably expensive. saw the exact same things in bali going for around 50USD each, and in bintan for around 40USD each. guess how much i got them for in jatujak market in bangkok? 100 each..yes, 100 THB which is around 4SGD each. it was loooooooooooooooooooove.

Shoes for April

Got the gray one in Takashimaya - 50% off - ard 120 SGD. It's a very classy piece, yet the unique heel construction gave it some ooomph. The red ones were the ones I bought online in the Philippines and only got my hands on them now. Loooooove. I know I shouldn't be buying any more heels before Singapore is torture on the feet, but hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

Singapore Sling, Baby.

so things have been pretty quiet around here, which does not mean to say that i haven't been doing anything interesting. honestly, the first month went by so fast, i hardly had time to catch my breath. and moving has not been as depressing as i thought it would be. well, i still can't kick this insommia - imagine me wide-eyed as an owl at night, then yawning (and for those that know me, that is not a pretty sight) my head off in the middle of the day (to answer the unspoken question - no, i have not fallen asleep during any meeting, i am not a hypocrite like that *wink*).


so just to recap what i've cooked first month in the lion city:


1st week - barbecue! my sinigang was a hit *pat on the back*. and my friend aela's burgers were TO-DIE-FOR. i know the secret ingredient but i ain't sharing. and i still havent' gathered the courage to try grilling burgers yet. hehehe.


2nd week - BALI baby! that deserves one whole post altogether.


3rd week - *Gulp* Day of reckoning - Laundry Day (wherein 2 of my dresses shrunk to fit my 5-year old past. sigh)



4th week - OAsis! OAsis! OAsissssssssssssssssssss! I love Noel! :)


just some pictures that capture what i've been cooking up:








i have no pictures of my barbecue spread (think sinigang, spicy shrimp, blanched spinach and sauteed mushrooms, plus a cinnamon honey baked fruit plate), nor of my last saturday dinner (roast chicken with gravy, roast potatoes, eggplant parmigiana, white fettucine, smores) because they were gobbled up so fast by my guinea pigs (P&G boys). hehe i guess i should be happy that they appreciate my cooking yay!

my camera's batt died, so will post Bali pics and other stuff asap.

What I'