CATCHING UP WITH FRIENDS

There are times in your life that you get to meet or work with some people that end up being more like friends that colleagues. I am a person who's not very good at keeping up friendships, especially after I leave a company. I guess that's why I am very surprised that me and my pal, Jessie, have been in close contact all these years. We were at first colleagues, later on friends ... getting closer over the years. We even had our children about a year apart. Ok, this post is not so much about my friendship with Jess but about our recent gathering with the folks that we used to work with. In fact, we had a previous meet-up a couple of years back but at that time, Jess & me didn't have our munchkins yet.

I used to work for Art (in the 90s) but he has since moved back to the US with his lovely wife, Christine & their (now) 2 teenage kids. Whenever they come visit Singapore, we always try to meet up, even if its for a simple lunch or dinner. This time round, they were here in June (yes ... I know I'm way behind ... coz its now July ... hehe!), so Jess & Vincent (my other ex-colleague) tried to gather as many OED-ians as we can. Though we have lost touch with some of them over the years, we still managed to have a decent gathering, this time round.

We had a buffet dinner & chatted the whole night. I felt kinda bad having to ask Hubby to take care of Ryan whilst I get to eat a nice buffet, which was coincidentally paid for (by the generous Mr Khoo), who used to work very closely with OED, in the past. Hubby said that Ryan was rather well behaved (was relieved to hear that) & they had a simple dinner. To please his boy, Hubby bought ... what else, a chocolate milkshake for him.

All in all, it was nice to be able to have some adult conversations, without being constantly "pestered" by my little boy. By the end of the night, Ryan & hubby re-appeared & Ryan immediately ran up to me to give me a hug ... haha, guess he missed me! Eventhough I enjoyed catching up with old friends that night (which I seldom do), it was a bit sad for me coz I felt oddly out-of-place. Why out of place? I guess being out of the workforce for so many years, all the career talk, silenced me. All I could talk about were about old times or my mundane life as a mum. Its not that anyone made me feel left out ... I kinda just felt that way. Of course I was still jabbering throughout the night, being my usual chatty self but I felt a little "SMALL" in my own way.

I guess being a housewife & mummy isn't all that glamorous. I don't dress up nor do I look like the modern Singapore woman - who is self-assured & confident. Infact, I am a very simple person who dresses very simply (some would even call it sloppy), I have gained so much weight that some people might not even recognise me but deep down I am the same person. Like I said, I don't have much to be proud of ... in my life, but I am still proud to be able to raise my son, single-handedly, with the help of my wonderful hubby.

Eventhough I may have left the career world behind for so many years, I have to admit that I do not miss it. I despise the office politics, the back-stabbing, the hypocrisy, the pretence to get along with colleagues (that you just wish would resign) or the fake smiles that you have to give everyday (to some very unlikeable people) in the office.

All in all I never regretted leaving the work force but I do miss the camaraderie ... sometimes. And of course, I do miss the luxury of earning my own keep & having the freedom to buy anything I wanted with my own money. These days the only times I dress up is for Hari Raya or special occasions. When you deal with a toddler day in day out & you're at home most times, whats the point of dressing up or make-up even? Well, alas ... all (good) lazy days must come to and end .. when Ryan goes to playgroup next year, my routine will change & so will I.

Until then ...

(From left : Art, Christine, me, Jessie, Patricia, Andrew, Khoo & Vincent. The small munchkin is of course my son, Ryan. Hubby took the picture)

Guess what! I even managed to dig out the 2 photos we took, when Art & his family, was in town a couple of years ago. My photo indicated that it was 2003 (was it sooo long ago?), so that was about 6 years back. As you can definitely see, I was definitely much slimmer than ... haha! Hubby was also in the pic coz we got one of the hotel guys to help us with the photo. The picture was also very blurry coz I think it was taken either with our regular camera or my old "lousy" digicam. I'm surprised that I even have it here in my computer, must have transferred the info from my old Gateway.

(From Left - Back Row : Malcolm, Bee Leng, Art, Chi Mun, Vincent) (Front Row : Barett, Sock Hoon, Christine, Devon, Jessie, Me, Hubby)

It was really fun, catching up with everyone. Before you know it, it was time to leave as it was getting late & waaay past Ryan's bedtime, when we got home. Unfortunately, when they arranged for another meet up the following week, we were not able to make it. Hhmm ... I heard they had lobsters, yummy!

Well, here's hoping that everyone had a great time. Hope that we can meet up again ... some day!

DIFFERENT PIC SIZE

Just wanted to try out the different picture size. Its much bigger & clearer, looks good right? Its best for small kids like Ryan ... not for big Mama like me ... hahaha!

WHAT TIME IS IT? ITS MILKSHAKE TIME!

Once again, its Ryan's favourite drink time. As always he gets his usual dose for the weekend. Just some pics ... nothing out of the ordinary!

Looking all grown-up!

Standing tall !

YOGURT ANYONE?

I know most guys do not fancy yogurt but luckily my boy does. As I love yogurt too, I decided to get my kid to try it when he was much younger. I was ecstatic that he loved eating yogurt. I used to buy the baby version (more expensive) but have since switched to regular ones. I love to eat the fruity flavoured ones, especially mangoes and peaches because they are usually the best combination - not too sweet & not too tart.

I usually buy them (from NTUC) only when they are "on sale" & discounted (@$ 5.50) - its actually a lot of difference from the usual price ($6 +). The expiry date is still at least 3 to 4 weeks, so there's still a lot of time to "demolish" the whole tub easily. I tend to buy the giant tub, its actually more economical but will suggest the smaller single-serving-tub if you have difficulty finishing it before it expires. To those who are interested, the yogurt is also Halal cerified.

These are some pics of Ryan having his usual yogurt fix. Whenever I open the fridge door & he sees the big yogurt tub, he will point to it & say "Burp" - that's what he calls yogurt, haha ... don't ask me why. Everytime we are in the the supermarkets, & we pass by the chillers, Ryan will excitedly point to the same yogurt tubs (with the right flavour) & exclaim loudly, "Mama, burp ... buy burp!" & I have to constantly remind him ... "We still have some at home". So in honour of one of my kid's favourite snack/dessert ... here he is, messy mouth & all ...

I can't help but notice his VERY high forehead. I guess he takes after me ... but his is much higher (than mine) & protudes out even more. I try to cover it with his fringe sometimes but just like mine, I kinda accept it as it is. I don't think you can hide a high forehead that much. Just have to live with it ... just like I did. They say people who have high foreheads are smart ... errm, I dearly hope so, for Ryan's sake ...

Here's not forgetting some random pics ... again. As always, its kiddy rides .... for Ryan!

THE TIME BEFORE ... BEDTIME

Ryan has some pre-rituals before his usual daily bedtime. If its still early in the night, we let him have some playtime on our bed before he has to "retire" to his own cot. He will be dressed in his jammies & he will be rolling around, dancing, jumping, chatting, sitting on his parents tummies & do what most 2 year olds will do.

Do all toddlers behave like this? Haha ... I'm only assuming. All I know is that Ryan is one hyper-active child. The only time he keeps still (& quiet) is when he sleeps. He's quite talkative & yaks non-stop (courtesy of his Mummy's genes ... duh!). Infact, hubby & me think that he's quite chatty for a boy ... errm, he's always saying something & he's recently always asking - "What's that?" - bout a million times!

You would think that I am relieved that my boy is soooooo inquisitive & talkative ... don't get me wrong, I really am! I would rather that he is curious-by-nature, has a desire to know & learn as many things as possible & able to vocalise his needs & wants. It's just that if your kid says, "Mama, Papa ... bus, train" 20 times in a row ... errm, it kinda grates on the nerves. I know, I know ... I shouldn't "discourage" him to talk when he wants to ... I guess I just need to gather my nerves & "puff-up" in the patience department. I guess as parents we need buckets-full of patience & nerves of steel. This is something I am sorely lacking ... I am sad to admit. Hubby is the more-patient parent in this household.


This is what I think I need to do :

I need to step up & be the patient mum that Ryan needs.

I need to learn to grit my teeth, when its called for.

I need to be more "gracious" & humour my kid.

I need to be more "cool" ... as a cucumber?

I need to take deep, deep breaths .... and smile : )

In most of the pictures that I take of Ryan, you will always see a smile amongst them. I guess that's because (most times), Ryan is a HAPPY child. Of course, there are times that he acts up, & show his stubborn side but a lot of times, he's rather easy to please. Give him his Playhouse Disney Channel & some all-time favourite toys, & he's happy as can be.

Funny how, the littlest things keeps a child happy & contented. Ryan is no exception! Sometimes I wish I can "borrow" some of his enthusiasm for life ... coz life is so carefree & wonderful through the eyes of a 2 year old, don't ya think? No worries in the world ...

RANDOM PICS - MILKSHAKE & RIDE

What time is it? Its random pics time ... haha!

Ryan having a go at one of his favourite bike rides. Though he has the makings of a "hell rider" when he poses on rides (especially on bikes like this), you can be assured that Mummy will NOT ALLOW it. Eventhough hubby can ride too, the only "ride" that I will allow Ryan to learn are tricycles & bicycles ... never the motorcycle! This Mummy is too speed-phobia & safety conscious to allow it ... so that's that! Now, kiddy bike rides ... that's another matter all together.

You can see the swollen blue-black on his right eyebrow, courtesy of his over excitement, whilst waiting for the Madagascar show, in the previous post.

We proceeded to McDonald's soon after, for Ryan's usual milkshake. I realised that the following photos did not feature the said drink ... hhmm, I wonder why? Maybe it was on the table & I didn't catch it in the pics. Oh well, we have plenty of milkshake photos to last a lifetime anyway. The photos are kinda cute, as I managed to get him quite up close. He was giving me some poses that "highlighted" his eyes ... so that's always adorable to me!

Oh, these are my fingers.