Gumball Machine

Poor Arwen, never seen a gumball machine before and was fascinated by it but I have to pretend I do not know how to open it or siao liao.

Written on 20th September 2012.

Toilet Paper

Arwen excited and pointing and screeching: "Toi ppaer! Toi paer! TOI PPAAR".

Me gancheong : " Simi simi?? Where got toys stores here?"

Then I saw it.. she meant toilet paper when she see this sculpture ... seriously.. my hope of her being a true arty farty figuratively flush down the toilet..

Written on 20th September 2012.

Lazing

Another wonderful weekend at Voisins, just lazing at Grandma Gisele's garden . Laurent and Arwen having fun at the playground .

Gardening

A day out in the garden, my little girl earnestly trying to unplant whatever my father-in-law had planted.

Written on 18th September 2012.

Snuggles

I don't know about your toddler but Arwen who is 2 years and 9 months seems to enjoy being a baby these few months. It is very interesting,see after a very long bath , I would wrap her in her towel and she will want me to carry her like a baby , rock and hum to her, after a while, she will make suckling sounds like she is drinking milk. This can take 5 to 10 mins and after that she is back to being a brat.

At first I was worry that she might be stress or feeling insecure about something but I also feel perhaps soaking in bath water for a long time, it triggers memory of the time she is in my womb! Very endearing and I do indulged as I know these kind of moments will end soon as she grows, I feel too, growing up and having to have to learn/ see/ hear/ feel new things everyday can be a tiring thing for a toddler. I hope she does feels better after each snuggle session!

Written on 16th September 2012.

FTSAHM

These 3 weeks, I really learn how to be a FTSAHM and I swear it is the most simplest thing to do compare to a FTWAHM.

My schedule as a FTWAHM

10am - Wake up, coffee, on computer, kiss Arwen, check mail till 11.30 am then shower.
12 noon - Quick lunch, coffee and mentally prepared for the day.
12.20 pm - Coffee.Answer emails from buyers and pack orders.
3pm- Go post office to post packages and bank to pay sellers. Then do small errands and coffee.
4pm- Answer emails from buyers. Coffee
5.30pm - Relieved the nanny and hang around with Arwen and dinner .
7pm -Put Arwen to bed and me too, nap for 1 hour.
8pm- Wake up, check emails, coffee. Do some light housework. Order grocery online when needed.
9pm- TV time with DH if not too busy.
10.30pm - Work, work, work, prepare shipment envelopes and check out new stocks from my suppliers.
11.30pm Still working and answering emails non stop till...
3am .....

My schedule as a SAHM and this is the busiest day.

8am - Arwen patiently hangs around me while I sleep until she cannot tahan and go "muk muk" means she wants milk. Got up, ON THE LAPTOP! Go make milk and coffee, come upstairs throw her the milk and I check emails for 10 mins.

8.30am - I shower, get dress, Arwen with Ipad and hang out with her.

9am - I bath her and make her small snacks and prepare lunch for her.

9.30 am - hang out in garden.

10.30 am - laundry and clean the whole house, vacuum, wipe mop etc.

12.30 am - Lunch

1 pm - I looked at Arwen with boredom and she looked back in kind.

1.30 pm - Catch bus to mall, hang out in Starbucks and all the toy stores.

4pm- Head home and wash up and small snacks.

4.30 pm - Garden or walk in the forest.

6pm - Dinner, talk cock , sing song.

8.30pm - She sleeps. I hang out with in laws and surf for nonsense to buy.

11pm - Sleep.

Seriously.............. I am under stimulated and I am being under estimated . I think I better go learn how make a Bento box.

Oh the photo ? I have sooo much time , I can even let Arwen play in this ball pit for 45 mins while I just flip through magazines for some home decor.

Written on 13th September 2012.

Concuss !

I love it when she sleeps like that! Like as if she had worked very hard and pengsan ! We have not even half reach our destination yet ...

Written on 13th September 2012.

Bento

My goodness..... LOVE IT!

Homemade Jam

Now I know why my in laws always buy crates and crates of fruits , mostly very very ripe kind of apples, apricots etc, it is cheaper and they turn them into jam. Super yummy!

My FIL is very happy to see me snoop around and take photos, also very proud to tell me how he made them. Basically they go Carrefour and there is a section where boxes of over ripe fruits can be bought for 2 euros, they will buy those very ripe soft apricots and also pineapples. He said must use copper pot and spoon. 

The copper pot is very big! Initially I thought it was a vintage baby bath ( with the French one never knows...) . Copper will not cause the fruits to stick to the pot . Put in all the fruits, add sugar and stir them over very very very small fire for over 9 hours! I see them do it on Saturday, they will just let the pot there and on and off stir it. I was reluctant to try as I am not a jam kind of person but honestly.. very very delicious!


Written on 11th September 2012 .

Malod-Panisset Men

This is for Ashley Chung , LOL! Look at the Malod-Panisset men trying to feed and get all the three kids ready for a day out! They are great help ! Where are the women? Cooking and cleaning lah!

Written on 12th September 2012 .

Wild Fruits

Weekend was spent in my DH's grandfather's garden. She is eating raspberry off the bush! My inlaws are so happy to see that but for me, I mentally wonder if I pack diarrhea medicine for her ...

I need to keep a straight face and not freak out or they will sure snicker and think " Those city people, poof!" Lucky Arwen did not lau sai..

Written on 11th September 2012.

Sad

Sad look on her face with her nose press against the window because she cannot go out to the garden today. Poor thing..

Written on 11th September 2012 .

A Relationship With God Please

This post is purely my own thoughts and does not meant to seek to offend or defend anyone, any religion or any anything lah.

Did not slept well last night. One issue is hanging around heavily on my mind... should I baptize Arwen? My in laws are Catholics and even if they do not go to church at all, they are good kind hearted, hardworking, loving people who day in day out do their very best they can and they sleep well at night with their conscience. I love them in my own way but more than that, I respect them alot.

They want Arwen to be baptized . Initially I go along as it is tradition, it is a family thing, it is important to the family. All are excited. But as me and DH speaks to a priest about this, it dawn on us that we forgot this is about God and Arwen. It is commiting Arwen to God the Catholic way. Now those who knows me, knows how much I dislike religion. I had been a Christian before and I left church because I have too many questions which the church could not answer . I left to find the answers . God knows all the paths I had taken to do so. Long, hard, sometimes bringing unnecessary pain to myself. The loneliness is the hardest to bear basically I had to destroy myself to rebuild myself. It was purely out of God's grace I am who I am now . I do however wonder what would happened if I stayed in church. I do missed my sisters and brothers , the support and the fellowship and I wish for Arwen that , to have a safe place to go to when she needs it. But to me being baptized does not mean one instantly have a relationship with God. God is not contained in a church, God is everything and when one realized God is me and you and also a bottle of peanut butter or a cockroach, it is awesomely overwhelming! To have a relationship with God is one of most relaxing, liberating thing in life. He is everywhere, He is everything, He does not judge and He is understanding, funny, humorous as hell and He loves all unconditionally, much like mother love. He is always available and ready to support and help when needed. He can bitch too but He always tells me not to do so AFTER a bitching session.

Of course, there is my usual "Oh I am so busy,I do not have time for you God, or I can do this God, if I need you, I will let you know" , it is okay as He knows the push and pull of relationships , He knows when I need the space to think it for myself and because He is everything, He is every solution I chosen, one cannot lose at all . I am acutely aware that the world is not a very nice place sometimes but that is why I always said it is His Grace , that very special , very unique trait that makes it so precious in this relationship. Humans, we generally do not understand how to be graceful in the way He does. It is like the one thing that is perhaps the most distinctive thing between all of us and Him. I told a dear friend this story about a sharper

I remember perhaps 9 months ago, I was crazy busy with work, so much so I did not even get to spend 30 mins with Arwen a day much less hang around with God. While tidying I saw her color pencils are all worn off. I did not even have time to sharpen them... I looked for a sharper but the ones I have, the holes are too small for the pencils. I was going a little berserk with guilt as I know I do not have time the next day or the day after to go hunt for a new one. I sighed and went to bed sad. Next day, my friend's wife is coming to learn how to run a business and also to teach the nanny how to make some buns. She was suppose to bring the yeast , so when she placed the plastic bags on the table, I looked inside to see how yeast looks like and guess what? There are 2 sharpers inside.... one big enough for the pencils..I just shake my head and smile. I asked my friend why are there of all things sharpers among the packets of yeast? She shrugged and said don't know why but she just had two extra and decided to give them to me.

Now the sharper will be placed in a box , framed in my new home. A reminder.. that God cares about everything, nothing is too trivial and small, He knows, He sees and He take notes and He can be quite kaypo. LOL!

I wish for Arwen a relationship not like mine but hers and her very own with God. I wish for her not to contain God in a book or a building but to engulf her everyday in every much as I think Catholism is a great religion and the ways are all good, I want her to be free to choose her own beliefs and paths. I can think of 1000 pros to let her be a Catholic but I cannot get over con which is her freedom to choose. To lay each stone as she walks and not walk the laid paths before her. I cannot say I am making the right decision for her now but I know whatever she choose , me and God will be beside her forever .

Written on 11th September 2012.

Library

See lah , suppose to read books and all but instead pose here and there for photos. Those who know Arwen will be astonished to know she is the LOUDEST and MOST ACTIVE kid there! She will sing and dance and run and yell so loud until other mothers shot me looks! *Paiseh like hell..

7 Mins

This is the fourth country I moved . When I first moved to Oman, everything is more or less provided for so I need not buy anything. In Seoul and in Shanghai, I have no idea what to buy so it was a long process setting up the kitchen and home. Now, it is like a drill. I went to Carrefour with Arwen in her trolley, looked at my watch, 24 mins to go before the next bus, headed for the cooking section and just pick up all these and paid them in 7 mins and still got time for a quick Starbucks.

There are chopper, cheese knife, bread knife, chapbalang knife, fruit knife,not-sure-what-for-but-saw-this-in-mother-in-law-kitchen-so-better-get-one-in-case-needed knife, gigantic meat fork, big whipper , small whipper ( got this sweet mama picture of me and Arwen in aprons she smiling at me and we both whip something something to bake something something), brush, squeezer for something that needs to be squeeze ( cannot remember the exact food names), scrapers,yadda yadda..

As much as I hate to buy everything at one go without first questioning if I need it , I hate wasting time to go to store and buy it only when I need it. I think I can cook better when I know I am well equipped.

So 7 mins for this, I am proud of myself!

Written on 7th September 2012.

Haircut

Arwen's first new haircut in France! She was so good at the hairdresser, sitting quietly all the way , getting her hair washed and cut :)

Written on 8th September 2012.

Can't Wait

You know, in France last time if I need to go to see the doctor and no one have time to drive me there, I will sulked and be pissed and complained that no one here is treating me well . But now as a mother, when Arwen needs to see a doctor , I refused to wait for my PIL to finish work in the evening to bring us there, I refused to hang around waiting for help. 

I asked DH to make appointment and give me directions to the doctor immediately even though it is just a mild thrush that Arwen had. Seriously... I was really scare... I felt a little alone but I took the bus and saw the doctor who barely speaks English, good thing I am a nurse so I know what to expect. I came back and looked at Arwen and just amazed what motherhood can do, leaped over another fear.

Written on 7th September 2012 .

Coping Much ?

At breakfast, FIL  asked me if I can cope in France without speaking much French and without a car , I looked at him and told him in 10 days here, I had managed to get Arwen a decent haircut, a library card for her, bring her to see doctor for a mild thrush infection, 9 new pieces of clothing for her, bring her to good restaurant to eat, top up grocery and buy the right thing for bubble bath, all with minimal French and only by taking a bus. MIL and SIL seems quite impressed, FIL slightly astonished.

At lunch, I ponder over while washing dishes ( KNS always got dishes to wash one!) and was in full fledged self congratulatory mood+++ , thinking how smart and awesome mother I am and how I will raise a well behaved, smart girl like me and when I turn around , here is what I see. I swear I REALLY just turned away from her for less than 30 secs and she decided to go all CATS on me. Spent the next 15 mins cleaning her and wiping the kitchen table and floor.

Written on 7th September 2012. 

Mocha Love

Only way I can have any of my favorite Mocha is if I give Arwen some.. I think caffeine is totally bad for kids but if you know my mellow jello cello Arwen, you might agree a little caffeine might be good for her.

Written on 7th September 2012.

They Iron EVERYTHING !

They even iron the tablecloth !!!!!! The Portuguese housekeeper eye me suspiciously when I take photo of this tablecloth, I think she thinks I am spying on her to report to my MIL...

Written on 6th September 2012.

Elementary My Dear

Now you guys might think what is the big deal , knowing I visited France every year for holiday but this time it is different, I am relocating here and eager to learn life the French way. Last time, I cannot be bothered as I know I will be flying off in two weeks but now knowing I might be stuck here for awhile, I looked at everything more closely and  STRESS! 

 See this food? In the past I just eat it, now I am suddenly worried, am I suppose to replicate food like this? Meat and apple hang out together with a unidentified tree branch? French cuisine is awesome because it likes combined all elements those that is under the ground, in the water, on land, hang in the air and in the air stuff in a pot and presto! A yummy dish! Shit..... how am I going to cook "element"ary dishes like this. Ok ok chill chilll... can't be hard, just video my in laws when she next do it.

Written on 6th September 2012.

Funny Food

This is just so funny! Does not look hard to make.. maybe can try to make some for Arwen . Love it when people are so so creative with food!

Written on 30th August 2012.

Ass Crack

You know H&M , I don't understand, why all the pants I buy from you for my daughter show her ass crack? I mean like can make higher waist one or not? A lot of Chinese coming to France and you must know Chinese loves to cover their belly buttons or later at night sure need RUYI oil, you better start catering to the Chinese asses here also ok?

Written on 3rd September 2012 .

Sorry Flowers

1st week of staying in France, made a faux pas liao! Upset my MIL ( looonngg story) and feel bad,so buy her flowers. Jean a dear friend gave me a book "Almost French" I identify with it so much! It is a similar story to mine. I must say French are really of a different culture and as much as I like to say "aiyoh why they are so yayasai or why they just don't speak their mind?" , I think about Chinese culture and it is the same really. 

A lot of families do not communicate well and like to sweep things under the table or double talk. This is puzzling as some times it is really better to tell your family what is going on rather than keep inside, pretend everything is well but the resentment seeps out in small little ways. 

Anyway I hope this is the last time I have to present Sorry Flowers.

Written on 2nd September 2012. 

Junk Food Please !

Me washing dishes and mildly asked

Me : Laurent what's for dinner?
Laurent : My parents are out so we have to settle our dinner , see what is in the fridge .
Me : !!!!!!!!! You mean we are not eating at home tonight?"
Laurent : ..... yes......
Me : I want MacDonald!!!!
Laurent : ..................................
Photo shows how in the first time this week, Arwen is excited about food.

Written On 3rd September .

Little Garden Elf

Watering the garden, like real sia.

Written on 29th August

Postcard From Alsace

We took a trip up to Alsace which is approx 50 mins away. Being the last frontier before Germany, it is not surprised Les Alsaciennes and their town bears a lot of similarity to Germany.

In fact, I really did not think I was in France anymore! It is an absolutely gorgeous town and must be the place where the people who are in charge of naming ice cream flavors must have gone to get inspirations.

Still, it is just a tad too sweet and surreal for me and I was happy to go back to Belfort.

I want to be an apartment rat please .

One more photo to show you guys how I typically dressed at home here. The stairs nice right? So quaint and like as if I am now staying in a "jia-hong chu" and like I got some money right? NO LOR. Here, every Tom, Dick and Harry can buy one lah! You got SGD 250,000 can liao. Unless you really really really don't have much money, then you stay in apartments.

They have been pushing for us to get a house and a garden. A first I was okay with it but after 3 weeks, the stairs is like my enemy and a test on my memory. A typically day is like that :

Me : " Arwen, come down!!! NOW!!"
Arwen : " Bao Bao!" ( carry me!)
Me : " You weight as much as 3 sacks of 5kg Jasmine rice and 1 kg of light soy sauce with a free gift of 500 gram MSG throw in ok! You come down on your own!"
Arwen : "BAO BAO!!!"

Repeat this 3 to 5 times a day..

Going out lagi worst .

Me : " Where is the keys, merde, it is upstairs.. Arwen WAIT OK WAIT HERE!"

Arwen: " Up?"

Me : " NO!!! I just take the keys niah, you wait here" *carry her down..and take the keys.

Arwen hack care nd proceed to go up and I repeat the earlier scenerio.

3 seconds later .. where is the cookie box?

Me : "Arwen WAIT HERE OK!!! I go grab your yum yum!"
Arwen: " Up?"
Me : " NOOOOOOOOOO A while only, A awhile only!!! Wait!"
Arwen hack care and proceed to go up and I repeat the earlier scenerio.

2 seconds later ... where is her other shoe?

Me( want to cry liao) : " F**K! Nevermind, since it is your daddy who put us in this situation, we go buy you new pair with his money."

Left with Arwen not wearing any shoes .

This double stories living is the most inefficient way to live! I calculated the time and stress and I rather be an apartment rat.

Written on 17th September 2012

Bubs

Today it is a rainy day! Siao liao! How to keep her indoor siah! Nevermind, take out the bubble bath and let her play all she wants. Was surprised to see the amount of bubbles!

Written on 11th September 2012

Her wooden house!

Grandpa Jacques really did a wonderful job!

Written on 29th August 2012

Blog Not

Ok quite abit of people ask me if I will start a blog, not sure yet because I am very bitchy and irrelevant sometimes so random readers will think I am mad and then leave comments which I have to thank for or defend myself, yes I can leave the comment private but my backside itchy one, I sure will wonder what people think of my blog yada yada and then sure will activate comment one . I know I can moderate my blog but I am not PAP or Communist or Big Brother , if I want to control the comments and have only nice things, then it is like talking to my own shadow and when I nod , my shadow nods too. Not that I have anything against people who allow moderisation ( I don't think got this word but HEY! Now it exist, you learn new words!) I understand where they stand ( see haben got blog now need to defend liao) but for me, it will not work cos my view of this world is very warp so better save it for people who knows me AKA you guys here. I know yew aw luv meee belly muuch .

Ok rant time. I hate Paris now. I went there today to hunt down a bag and seriously Paris now belongs to everyone ! You can sit your child down outside Galeries Lafayette with a baguette and play " What is his /her nationality and I bet you can name 100 nationalities in 2 hours coming in and out of the shopping center". Where are the Frenchies? I took 12 hours flight, eat crap on the Air France plane to see Frenchies but what I see is United Nation. Of course I am not against tourists going there to support the French economy but if I going to spend shitload of money, I should get a Frenchie isn't it? No.... I got.. CHINESE! Yes yes yes, the usual lament of how Chinese are everywhere and how they got money etc etc but seriously how would the Chinese tourist feel he/she came all the way here to see Mandarin speaking Moroccans serving him/ her at LV? How would they feel when they in China go through the trouble to change RMB to Euros and make all sorts of attempt to hide the Euros in their bras, socks, ears, Lock and lock plastic teacups, their kids diapers and realize now Unipay ATM card can be use? The whole experience of being treated like crap by snotty French is denied to them and even the dog poos are hard to spot. The whole idea of travelling is to obtain some kind of foreign experience and not meet your own kind of people and system again. I swear, I feel so bad for the buckload of Chinese tourists.

And language. This is true ah, today I went Gucci, I got serve by a Chinese talking to me in English. I reply in Chinese Then I go LV, I got serve by a Chinese who speaks to me in French and don't understand Chinese ( she is a 3rd generation Chinese migrant in France) , so I speak to her in French and then I go to BV , I speak French to a French sale assistant and she reply in Mandarin. I went for a cup of coffee at a cafe and the Chinese waiter only speaks me to in English even when I speak in Chinese. WTF!!!

Written on 29th August 2012

Project ULU

OK project ULU in place now *pause* so ULU until I also not sure what is going on. My minds ( yes we do have minds , that is why people can change their minds ) keep looking at each other like expecting something to happen but this project is so ULU I also don't know how to prep them. I suspect inside me something is screaming "don't you dare ask for gardening tips , DON'T YOU DARE!"

We are now looking for a car and a place to buy. Not sure if it will be an apartment or house. Today I run a test cleaning up my in law's house and not so tiring leh. I vacuumed both stories, moped the floor, laundry, cooked dinner and play with Arwen and plucked my eyebrows, ok leh.. not that hard. But then again I am a Jedi .

Written on 27th August 2012

The Damn "R"

Update!!! Fist my keyboad , the lette R is most of the time not woking so that is why my spelling so terok.

Ok, as some of you guys may not know China block FB, Twitter etc etc and that was why I cannot update my FB . Yes, I am still alive, nope I did not have a sex change, nope, I did not run with away with the cicus again , nope I did not join something something to save the tees, nope I am not in Mars, yes my spaceship still have not come yet escue me and yes I am super happily maried so you eally can give up hope now.

Now currently I am in Seoul for short Sexscapade ( don't winch, those who are married know how hard it is to have any action with a growing toddler in your lives( I mean have sex with the husband, not the gowing toddle). That is why I can updated my FB.

I had been :

aising a beautiful 2 and half baby gil who just manage to stat peeing in her potty! YEAH!

unning a business which is ususally cazily busy but allow me to make a decent living to buy cap . I met aweome wondeful customes whom I can neve thank them enough for suppoting and buying my stuff and allow me to make a decent living to buy cap

unning a household daily, ensuing thee ae always plenty of ice and toilet pape and emegency batteies fo tochlights incase of emegency blackouts.

Now and the futue

We will be moving to Fance 25th August. POJECT ULU IS IN PLACE! Plan is to hang aound and sponge off my in laws fo 3 weeks. Head to east of Fance Belfot to find a place to rent and then slowly seach fo a place to buy. Aftethat , will be busy buying caps to stuff the house and make it into a home.

Awen will be going to school in Belfot and I will be doing nothing. God knows I had done enough the past 7 yeas and I need a good beak. I will not attempt to estat my business so soon depending what I will find to sell in Fance but knowing Fance countyside, I think it is easier to sell milk and maket it as OGANIC!

I should be in Singapoe in Januay, having plans to do some Lasik to finally show the wold my easonable petty eyes!

Once I am in Fance, I should be able to FB and fill my pages with caps until you guys will unfiend me.

So looks like the next yea is going to be fun again fo me yeah?

emembe I do emmbe you guys and how you look! So soy fo being so out of touch, not my fault but C***a weird paanoid thingy about social netwok.

LOVE AND HUGS AND EVEYTHING IN BETWEEN!

Written on 13th June 2012

Fireworks

The day you were born, there were fireworks. It was New Year's Eve, you were actually due on 1st Jan but the water broke and so started a 15 hours labor. I remember the astonish look on your face when you were unceremoniously dump on my tummy after the cord was cut like you were saying "Huh? I thought you said 1st Jan?"

That is just so you... my baby girl..

You were such an easy baby to bear in my tummy. There was no motion sickness, no cravings for any sort of food, no wild kicking and you were always so accommodating . It is as if you know I am alone with your dad in Shanghai working day and night. As if every night you hear me talking to you asking you to give me strength and courage to bear this pregnancy alone. I was always so scared when I did not detect any movement in my tummy but in the end you would always give me a little kick just to reassure me. All the time, instead of me soothing you, comforting you, it was you who always reassured me you are fine.

Now you are 2 years 8 months old. The past hundreds days, everyday is a blessing, everyday is a joy, everyday is so much more beautiful and bright than yesterday. I pray, every night, thanking God for you, pray every night that I will be a good mother to you. This blog is for you, hopefully as we embarked on our new life in France, this would serve as a diary of sort for us to reflect on.

Always know, me and papa loves you the most.

Written on 27th August 2012