My dearest OnlyGirl,
I still remember, like it was yesterday, how I curled up in the backseat of your father’s car as he rushed to the clinic the night you decided to come out from the comfort of my womb. From the increasing intensity of the contractions, I knew you were about to make your grand entrance, so I told your father to hurry. It was almost midnight when we got to the clinic, where your father and I had a brief moment of panic upon finding the main entrance locked. Luckily, we managed to communicate with the nurses who were on call and I made it to the labour room with some time to spare, as you came out wailing lustily at just a little after 2 am.
My first memory of you? Elven ears! As I held you in my arms, counting your fingers and toes, deep in my heart, I worried about the peculiar way that your ears were folded, making them look as though they were the ears of an elf. (Or at least, how they’re portrayed in modern folklore.) You have no idea how relieved I was to see them unfolded into the most normal of human ears some 6 hours later!
But elven ears or not, I still would have loved you just the same. My only regret is that you came out 9 days too early, otherwise, you and I would have shared the same birth date!
L-R (clockwise): As a newborn - Umbrella-wielding toddler - At Brunei’s Kampung Air, Nov 2004 - Impersonating the ‘Duchess of Don’t’ in Phuket, March 2008 - Turning 6 - Chilling at Polonuling, Philippines in 2005 - Pretty in pink, with Pooh
You spoke English as your first tongue. I still remember the perplexed look of your Indonesian yaya (nanny) when you told her “Makcik (Auntie), go away!”. The poor woman had to learn English in order to understand what you wanted or needed. To this day, English rolls out so effortlessly from your lips. And in a most charming American accent at that! (I never really figured out where you got that accent!)
In so short a time, you’ve grown into a spunky, outspoken, spontaneous, and vivacious young lady, one who lavishes people with sincere praise. You don’t realise how happy you made your Lola when you made her that simple card where you wrote “The World’s Greatest Lola” — it still takes up centre stage on her fridge door, where she can see it several times a day. You have no idea how much my heart swells every time you tell me I’m “the best mother in the whole wide world”, even if all I did was make you mashed potatoes that day.
From a very early age, you’ve already shown remarkable leadership qualities. You’d go around helping out your pre-school classmates with their work (you always finished yours quickly!). You’d help your teacher maintain discipline in your class, earning you the title “Little Teacher”.
To this day, you breeze through your classes with minimum effort but maximum results. And still prove to be a leader, having made it as a prefect, despite your age.
I may not be the perfect parent, but after hearing you proclaim that you can’t wait to be a mother like me one day, somehow, I must be doing something right! Little do you know how much you inspire me to be a better mother, my darling girl…
Happy 9th birthday, my beloved daughter! May God bless you and keep you in His care always.
…Odette for the Mac lipstick in ‘Gilty Kiss’ and Mac eyeshadow in ‘Thunder’
…and Janet for the Avon lipstick in ‘Graceful Nude’ and a chunky white quartz bracelet.
Congrats you two for winning my recent Lipstick Giveaway!
Winners were picked by segregating the list by choice of lipstick (Mac and Avon only because, surprisingly, there were no takers at all for the Estee Lauder lipstick in ‘Watermelon Fizz’), numbering the comments, then letting Random.Org pick out the winning numbers for me.
Winners, please email your snail mail address to mimi<at>sleeplessinkl[dot]com.
I had so much fun with this giveaway, I hope I get the chance to do it again one of these days! And, who knows, one day, be able to give away stuff like rc helicopters? ;)
Now, the question is, what do I do with the Estee Lauder lipstick in ‘Watermelon Fizz’???
Presenting to you RoundBoy a.k.a. The Crocodile Hunter, saving OnlyGirl from the jaws of a massive crocodile…
The ‘crocodile’ is, of course, just a sculpture. This photo was taken last June just outside the Singapore Zoo’s Night Safari. We came too late for the ‘daytime’ zoo but too early for the Night Safari, so the kids had to entertain themselves while we waited outside the entrance.
At that time, the Singapore Zoo had special promotion for Malaysians: just flash your Malaysian passport at the ticket counter and you get to pay in Malaysian Ringgit or at half the price in Singapore dollars. It was a very good deal, considering that the exchange rate at the time was something like RM2.50 to S$1. (I had to pay the full rate because of my Philippine passport. *sniff*) I hope they’ll offer the same thing again for the upcoming school holidays from mid-November to end-December!
Admission fees are as below (all prices in Singapore Dollars):-
- Park Hopper 3-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park (Adult) - $40.00 (Save $18.00)
- Park Hopper 3-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park (Child) - $20.00 (Save $9.00)
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo and Night Safari (Adult) - $30.00
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo and Bird Park (Adult) - $30.00
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Night Safari and Bird Park (Adult) - $30.00
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo and Night Safari (Child) - $15.00
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Zoo and Bird Park (Child) - $15.00
- Park Hopper 2-in-1 (Admissions only)- Night Safari and Bird Park (Child) - $15.00
- NIGHT SAFARI Admission Ticket with Tram Ride (Adult) - $32.00
- NIGHT SAFARI Admission Ticket with Tram Ride (Child) - $16.00
- NIGHT SAFARI Admission Ticket Without Tram Ride (Adult) - $22.00
- NIGHT SAFARI Admission Ticket Without Tram Ride (Child) - $11.00
If you ask me, I’d skip the Night Safari next time especially during school holidays. When we went there last June, the place was sooo crowded, there were long queues for everything (including the tram) and I didn’t feel that the prohibitive entrance fees justified the hype.
I find the regular zoo more worthwhile because the whole place is well-maintained, the displays don’t show any visible bars or cages, and the mere sight of those humongous polar bears gracefully swimming about in their pool will make your trip truly unforgettable.
For more information on the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, check out their official web page by clicking here.
Tags: Singapore zoo
So there I was last night, sprawled on the carpet in front of the TV, trying to relax after another harrowing day at the office. I was flipping channels like there’s no tomorrow when I saw Nigella Lawson preparing an instant pancake mix. Quickly grabbing a pen, I scribbled the recipe at the first piece of paper I found — the back of the envelope of this month’s Astro bill.
Eager to try the recipe, we had this for breakfast today. The older kids loved this so much, they didn’t leave any for me nor the twins for breakfast this morning. So when I got back from work today, I whipped up a special batch for myself…for dinner. Who says pancakes are strictly breakfast fare? ;)
Make a batch today and never buy pancake mixes again! Here’s the recipe:-
Nigella’s Pancake Mix
Ingredients:
600 grams all-purpose flour
50 grams baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
50 grams sugar
Method:
Mix well and store in an airtight container.
When you’re ready to make your pancakes, simply scoop out one cup of the instant pancake mix and add 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. Preheat your non-stick pan (greased lightly) while you whisk all the ingredients together.
Pour a small amount into the hot pan using a ladle. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start forming on top.
Serve with a pat of butter and some maple syrup.
Yet another mom-tested, kid-approved recipe for y’all. Thanks, Nigella ;)
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Quick Update (9-Nov): I forgot to mention that Nigella actually added 1 tbsp of melted butter into her batter, then cooked the pancakes in a griddle without greasing it. Creature of habit that I am, I prefer to pour the teensiest bit of oil into my non-stick pan, move it around a bit and pour out the excess, if any. As for the topping: Nigella simmered some blueberries with maple syrup. One day, when I get my hands on some blueberries, I’ll try making that :D
Without further ado, I hereby present to you the ‘free gifts’ that I mentioned in my previous post in anticipation of my birthday, which is exactly 2 weeks away from today (shameless self-plugging, no?):-
Option 1: Estee Lauder Crystal Lipstick in ‘Watermelon Fizz’
Sorry if the lipstick itself is a bit out of focus, but it’s obvious from the photo that this lipstick is va-va-voom red ;)
