Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Today is when all shops are closed, majority of the nation goes visiting and others flock to the beaches for family picnics. It's a long, long weekend for everyone this Chinese New Year and for the first time in two years, I am actually HOME!

I love going through my instagram feed and seeing all my friends looking fabulous and spending the day with their families. Not to mention, all the food pictures! Pineapple tarts, pot luck dishes, yu sheng... mmmmm~

Spent this year's at Miao's this evening. Albeit short because I had to rush for a family gathering, I was glad to see everyone again! There were more than 25 people crammed in one house, having a GREAT SPREAD of food and lots of merrymaking. 

Round Two was mooooreee food and I came into the room to find my sisters and cousins playing the old school game of five stones. I used to be good at it in school... now my skills had zeroed. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow, busy with our Uncle's wedding. More food, more merrymaking, more people.

P.S. My week-long silence is JUSTIFIED as I am currently working on something exciting for this blog. It's a major, major change and just a few tweaks more I am ready to reveal it for all you wonderful readers to see! So, stay tuned!

Lil Monster has gotten BIIIGGGGG!

So my baby sister received her O level results today. She did great, which didn't come as a surprise because she's the smart one. I was always the kind who studied at the last minute or don't study at all.

Secondary school seemed ages ago. I actually miss it. It was four years of actual fun. I remembered the day I received my O level results back in 2008. I was a wreck, fervently praying for satisfying results. My prelim scores weren't that great and couldn't land me into the course I wanted to go. When results came out, I was ecstatic because for the first time in three years, I actually scored above an F for Mathematics! I am forever grateful to the one person who pushed me so hard because without her, I wouldn't be where I am right now.

Thank you, Mrs Geraldine Chua for everything you've done for me during the last six months in school as my Mathematics teacher and for the four years (and beyond) that you've been my Guider.

To my dearest sister, so proud of you for a job well done. Now you're going to enter an entirely different world, breaking away from uniforms.. and slogging hard for the things you actually like to do. So you decided to follow in my footsteps and our big sis's going down the poly route. No matter what course you choose to do, I know you'll do great at it.

xx

Sorry for the week long silence....

       

Been in a festive mood all weekend! :D

The case of the disappearing pictures.

I had a really great idea of a post today, but when I reached into my memory card to pull out the photos,   I found - to my horror - they had MAGICALLY disappeared! I swear I saw them when I extracted the Veganburg pictures, and now they are ALL GONE. So unfortunately I can't share what adventures we had, heading to a remote part of Singapore and looking at horses. (GASP- that horsie photo I took is gone too!!!) These were all that was left. I guess they'll do for now.

Our little island had been blanketed in haze the past few days. Haze is a yearly occurrence in Singapore, but it had never been this terrible.  The air quality hit a new level of hazardous, peaking at 371 (in terms of PSI readings - google it xP) at 1 pm today. The smog is predicted to last a few more days, unless God grants his gift of rain upon the earth. 

Yesterday, my sisters and I braved the haze and went exploring. It's amazing, the places you can get to when you have a car. While driving through a rather peaceful (but incredibly remote) part of Singapore, I commented that it looked like we were at Silent Hill, with no one up and about, and the low visibility because of the haze.

I really wouldn't want to be out here alone at night.

Hello Little Man

Today's Five Things Friday features my darling boy, Akif Naufal.  He is the most handsome baby boy I've had the pleasure of loving. He loves Lightning Mcqueen and wants nothing to do with short french fries. His favourite place on earth is the aquarium, cos then he'll be able to stare googly eyed at his favourite 'fis'. Akif also shares the same birthday as his little brother, Afif... same day, three years apart. Cool huh?

Day One:

Year One:

Year Two:

 Year Three:

 Year Three and a Half:

Ain't he the most handsome little man? He is, in my world. xx

Cousins' Night Out!

Our cousin from Aussie flew in for a rare visit and I felt that it's only right that we organised a little gathering, bringing all the cousins together. This was the very first time we had an impressive turn out (only missing two cousins who are overseas, and one cousin-in-law who had to work) and we had it in the heartlands, close to where the majority lived.

My cousins, ladies and gentlemen.

Nuggets for Afif Naufal?

Older brother, my favourite boy, Akif Naufal

Oh you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Amek kau.

Afif's runaway shoes

If my cousin decided to quit his job in Aussie, he can work here as a server in a kopitiam (that's Singapore slang for coffee shop)

100 pieces of nuggets, 5 large cokes, countless of fries, curry sauce and garlic chilli.... then teh tarik and milo dinosaur after. I am stuffed.