birthday boy
A bit over a month ago (and before we got all engaged), it was S’ birthday.
He wanted to keep it low key, and so we had a small family barbeque for him at home with his folks and girls.
quite nice actually!
The problem though is that S spoils me rotten ALL the time – and here we were making the poor man work like a smoke chef on his own birthday. So I decided to keep it low key, whilst trying to show him just how special he is to all of us.
Firstly, as soon as he got home from work, I made him wear a BIRTHDAY BOY badge. He was sooooo thrilled!
aww! cute!
I also decorated the table we set all the food on.
By the end of the night, after a lot of eating, a bit of champagne and a lot of merriment, I ended up decorating him as well for the clincher.
correct me if I'm wrong but he looks like he is LOVING IT!
All in all I think it made S happy, even if it was nothing like the scale he tends to pamper me with. I don’t think I could possibly match up to his impossibly high standards though, so really, he only has himself to blame. 
being home
In January, I made a slapdash decision to go home for Chinese New Year, for a scant 6 days.
It was, as always, heartwarming to be home, especially at such an important time of year. It’s amazing how much you take for granted the feeling of being surrounded by your clan, partaking in simple rituals and traditions that unfold the same way year after year, and how easy it is to slip back into it even after you’ve been away for so long.
handing out chopsticks for lor hei
What I love about being home is that in a short period of time, I get a crash course in my zany, multi-cultural, super extended super close family all over again. Fully immersed in Pakir-Singh-Wee-Tan-Sim-Lee culture is just fantastic, a little nutty, and very yummy.
tossing the lor hei
And then there’s the giggles, and cackles, the exuberant sharing of stories, the catchups, the goss, the loud shouts that characterizes my family, and ALL with your mouth full of amazing food. All. The. Time.
the best punjabi food
Home again in just 5 short weeks. CANNOT. WAIT.
Read Moreseason’s greetingments
Happy holidays everyone, albeit a little belatedly! I hope everyone who stops by here had a wonderful silly season with plenty of great family and friends time, some relaxing, and soul food, whatever form those may take for you!
Christmas seems to have been an emotional time for many this year, with the horrible weather here in Melbourne affecting homes and cars of many that I know. However what has really affected me more is the sad family news received by a friend, and some from my own family back in Singapore. If you have had a week of feeling down at a time when everyone is celebrating – don’t feel alone. There’s been a few of us this time round.
Thankfully, I was surrounded by S’s beautiful family who plied me with lots of support and distraction, and though I’m still feeling horribly homesick for Singapore and my own family, it’s not been entirely unbearable.
Christmas with S and his gorgeous mum (and our GIANT tree!)
So anyway, back to the sentiment of this post – of wishing all of you a very happy new year, of counting our blessings, and of remembering to express to your own loved ones at this time of year that you truly care for them.
xx
Read Morea story about eggs
My Pa and I both love eggs. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but eggs are the perfect food – they can morph effortlessly into a multitude of textures and tastes. An egg can be the perfect snack, or a couple with some accompaniments, a filling meal. We love them curried Punjabi style, with onions, in a souffle all light and airy, creamily scrambled, half boiled Singapore style, fried with a bit of soy sauce, sunny side up and runny, sunny side up and crispy on the edges, deep fried, , sliced, poached with smoked salmon and hollandaise… Any way, really. Eggs are always welcome in our world.
When I was a kid, Pa would wake me up on a Saturday or Sunday morning. We’d cycle or he would drive down to the local coffeeshop and order some Roti Prata for the whole family. Whilst waiting for it to be cooked, he would order us a hot Milo, and some half boiled eggs. We’d sit there eating our breakfast together, my legs swinging under the chair, me marvelling at how fast my Pa could drink the world’s hottest Milo and slurp down his eggs. When we were finished, we would bring the Roti Prata back home for the rest of the family and all sit down together for a noisy, chatty meal.
The perfection of having that breakfast hour with my Pa before the rest of the family did every few Sundays has stuck with me till adulthood, and now I’m happy that S and I recreate that tradition every Saturday before I go to teach.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’d know that my Pa is in Melbourne visiting me for a month. It’s been a nice 2 weeks so far, with lots of swimming, time together and activities.
The other day, he turned to me in the afternoon, more bright-eyed and chirpy than usual and with a huge smile on his face.
“Girl,” he whispered, “how about some eggs?”
Still grinning widely, he made a motion with his hands, of dipping a hard boiled egg in salt, and he didn’t even have to tell me, I knew exactly what he was craving. And suddenly, because my Pa said it, so was I.
moments giggling with Pa
I whipped up some hard boiled eggs pronto and we sat on the swing in the garden for a gorgeous half hour, dipping them in salt and taking huge bites whilst holding hands and enjoying this beautiful spring weather. And all of a sudden I was 12 again, sitting with my Pa and enjoying a precious sunny hour over some eggs.
See, eggs are good. That’s why they call them good eggs.
Read MoreiPad for my favourite senior
It’s no secret that one of my favorite classes to teach is iPad for Seniors with my other business, The Capability Project. I find teaching seniors incredibly rewarding, whether it’s classes in their laptops, pc’s, phones, or Kindles. Any gadget really. It’s more the demographic – seniors are appreciative of teaching, are good students, have great existing life experiences to draw upon, and frankly, are fun to coach.
There’s something about the satisfaction of watching someone overcome a lack of digital knowledge, shaky arthritic fingers and poor ailing eyesight to become proficient in using and having fun with their gadgets. The joy that comes when they gleefully show you how they’ve downloaded an app, or read an e-book, or sent an email, is indescribable. Additionally, because they haven’t grown up in a technological era, the wonderment of buying music with a click of a button, or Skyping a loved one overseas, never gets old. Magical.
my best teaching achievement yet
My favourite teaching achievement has been found this week though – teaching my favourite senior, my daddy, to use his damn iPad. My dad has always been a proponent and champion and early adopter of new technology, but sadly, the iPad and iPhone have thus far evaded him due to a lack of time, interest and difficulty in moving his fingers dextrously.
Hand him a stylus and add lots of his favourite music onto the thing though, and suddenly he is excited, and patient enough to learn. This week he has been rather happily flipping through music, watching videos and singing along. In fact, when I tried to show him how to access the BBC News app, he brushed me aside, with an insistent “I already KNOW how to do that!”.
Sweet success, sweet indeed.
PS, excited about iOS5? Make sure you update your apps to ensure compatibility with the update!
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single happy moment
Watching my 2 favorite men laugh together and have a great time, and not even at my expense! My dad visited a few months ago and we spent activity days filled with laughs and quality moments over a glorious period that’s pretty unforgettable. This moment was one of my favorites – S got the boxing gloves on my Pa and they had a little bit of a joint match against the boxing bag. Precious.
Plus there’s knowing that my dad is coming to visit again in just 2 short weeks, and we get to spend all this time with him. In particular, I get to feel like the ultimate princess – 2 of my favourite men to hang out with every single evening! It’s heartwarming and going to be just amazing. Happy.
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