Ideas

Ah Bee turns ten

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10 golden years

In the blink of an eye, Ah Bee is now officially 10 years old. If you have owned a dog, you would probably know that one year of a dog's life is almost equivalent to 7 years of human's life. That would mean that our dear Bee, whom we have raised since he was a three month old puppy, is now a grandfather of 70 years. He has spent most of his life waiting for us to go home, play with him and take him out for walks. It isn't easy to be him. He can't find his friends when he misses them, he can't make decisions for himself and his whole life revolves around nobody but us. So, to celebrate his Click to read more

Mindon celebrates One

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Happy First Birthday, Mindon!

It took me a while to post an update. For the past few months, I have been busy decluttering the house, caring for the little ones and coping with a job change. Glad that I have finally found some time to post an event which happened quite some time back - Mindon's first birthday celebration! As mentioned three years back in my earlier post on Kandon's first birthday, one year old parties are often a major celebration for most mummies, myself included. I hope to make it as memorable as possible for Mindon even though he may not recall much of what has taken place on this day. Photos will be a Click to read more

Chicken Buttercream Sponge Cake

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The completed chicken cake

I have been very busy for the past few months; hence the lack of update on this blog. My little boy is coming to 40 weeks old. In a matter of 12 weeks, he would be celebrating his first birthday! Therefore, I have been trying to bake a new cake just for him.  I have been looking at Google for inspirations of a simple, easy to bake and decorate cake. I am glad my persistence has yielded me some good results after many failed attempts. This was one of the most decent sponge cakes I have baked. You can find another version of the Green Tea Rosette Sponge Cake here. I have since tweaked Click to read more

My second breastfeeding journey

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My trusty Spectra S1 and Boppy nursing pillow

When my first son was born, my milk supply was extremely low and I struggled to pump breast milk for him. Breast feeding does not come naturally to me. Not everyone is blessed with abundant breast milk supply and has surplus milk to store in the freezer. As a friend puts in aptly; God has created man (and woman) unequally for a reason. He blesses us with different abilities so that each of us can achieve different things in life. As a first time mum, I have always assumed that latching a baby is a natural instinct, and pumping breast milk is fairly straight forward. I attended antenatal Click to read more

Shopping for a new baby: 10 lessons from a second-time mum

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Shopping for new baby

As a first time mum 3 years ago, I was completely overwhelmed with shopping for baby #1. I sourced for checklists online and bought "almost" everything I could find. And I was so worried about missing out anything. But now, with #2, I have become more chilled and relaxed about shopping, especially when my first trimester was rather complicated. I started looking around the baby stuff only in the second trimester, around 24 weeks, when I was more certain that things would be looking brighter. This time round, I am also more cautious about the "over-buying" phenomenon and strategise on my Click to read more

Nourishing Black Bean Chinese Soup

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Home made black bean soup

I have been wanting to cook some healthy Chinese soup lately and looking at various online recipes for ideas. The soup which we got from our tingkat delivery has been rather bland and diluted - it is as if they poured in lots of water to make more volume. So I came across this black bean soup recipe, which is hassel-free and easily replicated. And I like the fact that there is no herbs needed, and the soup tastes thick and yummy as my favourite black chicken soup. Because there is no added herbs, it is suitable for both the young, the old and the pregnant. And black beans are a cheap but rich Click to read more

Quick & Easy Tutorial: Sew a Bow Tie

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A set of completed bow ties

Most people have a soft spot for cute little boys donning a big smile and wearing a bow tie. Bow ties are not passe - they are fashionable accessories which will surely catch your attention almost immediately if you wear it the right way. In the medical fraternity, many surgeons, especially the gynaecologists, love bow ties because they don't come in the way of examining a patient, unlike the way a normal neck-tie would. Unfortunately, most people reserve bow ties for formal events, such as gala events and weddings. It's time to change the perception of bow ties - really! Bow ties are only Click to read more

Is Taobao Ezbuy Prime for you?

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Are you paying too much for your online shopping?

If you are a habitual online shopper, you would have come across Taobao - the largest and most comprehensive e-commerce platform in China. Many Singaporeans shop on Taobao and ship in their purchases either using the 4 main Taobao international parcel forwarding services (4PX, DPEX, DEX and PRouter) or through Ezbuy Ship-for-me / Prime (formerly known as 65daigou). A brief overview of these two services: (1) Taobao International Parcel Forwarding (TIPF) is the method which I have used most often. You download the Taobao App onto your mobile or access the Taobao website on your desktop. With Click to read more

10 common mistakes made by first time maid employers

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A broken ornament caused by a careless helper

Not too long ago, I shared my "10 commandments on hiring a maid" on facebook and it generated quite a lot of feedback from both supporters and naysayers. Majority - I would say, supported my views; while a minority claimed that the list was too harsh. After gathering feedback on these 10 commandments, I decided to rewrite these rules in more palatable terms and renamed it as "10 common mistakes made by first time maid employers". This time I am posting it on my blog so that it is much easier to share and used for future reference. I have gained much experience from hiring three domestic Click to read more

Will a good primary school make a difference?

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Going to school

A recent conversation with a fellow parent triggered some thought provoking questions to my mind. We were sharing some tips on primary school admission - her child was 3 years old and mine was a few months short of 2 years. Both of us agreed that a good primary school would have a significant impact on the child's future and not all schools are made equal - despite what the higher authorities would like us to think. How would you explain that there are primary schools with a lower aggregate cut-off for their affiliated secondary schools? And why are some children given priority to go to their Click to read more