Under One Roof at Christmas

This year's Christmas is exceptional. We get to celebrate it at our new home - well, sorta like our new permanent, dream home. This picture of my front door was sent over to the Thors as invite to my home party.

My lovely guests arrived with little gifts.

Dinner prepared by me. I love my salad, particularly the rocket! It's so yummy & healthy too.

All Jamie's recipes, who else? I am his loyal fan & follower.

My sweet sister & her adorable son.


Fred having his moment with Ash.

The two Moms having a discussion on??

The two Dads couldn't care to talk... let's just eat!

Not quite Alfresco dining but surely sky-dining, considering the height and view.

Good thing none of them have acrophobia!

My Mom-in-law loves the chorizo sausages. And she is a big salad fan too! Hooray!

Saying cheers to my Mom-in-law.

The big boy & the little boy - I love them both lots & lots.


Even Mom-in-law adores Tris.

Ash, sweetest gal on earth! She lights up the place.

Pressies pressies!

Avid reader for his age. Child wonder!

Sis's domestic helper, Lisa.

Lounging & TV watching ...


reading ...

& chilling out.

Here ends 'Under One Roof at Christmas'. The Christmas story of the Tan, Thor and Chia family.

Ashley's Turtle (Messing around with Tristan)

This 'Ash-made' video is super funny - to me at least. Jus love the last part when the siblings get into their harmless little 'fight' :)

Year-end Ramblings: My Sky Sanctuary

Finally, our long-awaited outdoor furniture set arrived! Just on time for Christmas. We have been dreaming about sitting out at our balcony since moving into our new home in October. And, our patience paid off.

The view is spectacular with lush greenery in the gardens and skyscrapers at the horizon. I am beginning to think of it as my very own Sky Sanctuary.

Year-end Ramblings: No luck with Baby G

Baby G's cool Daddy was bonding with his baby and his cool Mummy said I could have a go at carrying him.
Thought I would give it a shot - I mean he looked superbly endearing and charming. Couldn't resist.

But lo and behold! The minute Baby G reached my arms, he started exhibiting symptomatic behaviours of squirming, frowning, hair-pulling and making noises indicative of distress and displeasure.

"Well, if Aunty Chin Chin is mom's fren, perhaps she is quite cool too. Hmmm... I guess I could tolerate with a fake kiss..." Despite Baby G's great discomfort, he was indeed diplomatic enough (good training by his folks probably) not to 'kick' up a major fuss, though there were some warning signs that he might actually have done so.

When Baby G was finally returned to his mom, he was instantly relieved. You could tell by the creases on his forehead that disappeared and those huge bright eyes that said "Finally, I am safe again!'. Then, when we thought he was all sweet again, he took his revenge with one wack! haha... smart kid!

Year-end Ramblings: Eating at Home

Nothing beats eating at home. It's hard work, amidst other hard work of housekeeping and maintenance. But somehow, I bask in the reward of preparing our own meals and taking the time to eat and talk or sometimes, just eat and read.

Year-end Ramblings: Blossoming in my Balcony

One of the pleasures of my new home is the view from the balcony. At any time of the day or night, looking out at the wide expanse ahead is sheer relaxation. I will try to describe again when I find the words to do so. Meanwhile, my best take is to say it with some photos and a video footage.

We started growing some plants too at the balcony. A few weeks after tendering and caring for them, I saw the first red young bud. Subsequently, two more new ones sprouted! It's wonderful to see new blossoms.

Year-end Ramblings: Angels have to make their appearance at, of course, weddings too

Year-end Ramblings: And when weariness set in, angels refreshed us with a birthday song & soul food

Year-end Ramblings: Of Little Angels, Life and Energy

I am tremendously grateful to the two little angels that kept my mind and my soul from falling into the abyss of absolute chaos. People were driving me crazy left, right, centre during this intense period starting October and we have had to put out numerous fires, mostly started by irresponsible contractors with callous attitudes and lousy work ethics (OK, what's new?) I was worn out through and through.

But my little angels visited occasionally and that just made my day. Like a shot in the arm and a pick-me-up. Ash is currently rather excited about tea-making. So when she popped by recently, I always got good help from her in making us tea. Generally, she derives great satisfaction taking orders, counting the number of cups we need and checking if the water has boiled. She served well too, including asking if the guests would like honey in their tea or honey-plus-sugar. Tris shows his most cheeky self in our company. He gave us his version of 'smile-for-the-camera' on Dad's birthday. I was in stitches just watching his mischievious deviant act, knowing how his mommy has trained him to smile 'properly' for the camera. This little boy knows about 'testing his boundaries and being inventive'. Hee, cheeky!

Most times, we don't have them with us. So the next best thing for me is to browse their photographs. And that would bring out the smile on my face and let me forget my stress temporarily. Pictures of our dear ones and loved ones, particularly of children. They are images, which to me, have great therapeutic effects. Magical. When I see their beautiful faces, I vicariously hear their laughter and their chatter. (I even employ this special 'imagery' technique to help me calm my nerves on the dental chair! Ha!) Then I long to be with them. And the longing would somehow morphed into a sense of positive anticipation for the next meet up. Isn't this the essence of a tender bonding?

I am grateful I can feel this way towards my family and friends. It gives me life and energy.

Year-end Ramblings: Going through the grind to realise a dream

October came & passed. November brushed me by with equal haste and intensity. I went through one of the most hectic and frenzied period of this year. Today's mid Dec. I am telling myself to unwind from all the work that we have been putting in to make our new home a comfortable haven. Enough. Enough shopping. Enough running around. Enough discussions on home decor & furnishings. It's time to sit back, relax & enjoy the fruits of our labour. We ought to. I truly think there hasn't been a more disciplined, focused and deliberate couple like us.

I thought about why we persevered & finished what we set out to do. Despite the ardous tasks, the unforseen situations, unwelcome surprises, we soldiered on. Despite the fatigue that we felt, the temptation to settle for lower standards, our drive for excellence motivated us. To us, a home is an important project. A meaningful project. Our home speaks of our way of life and how we organise ourselves. The way we prefer to relate to each other. The way we show love and affection. Our home is an expression of ourselves.

I am glad for this we both share deep inside us. We value our living and recreational space so much that we were willing to put in huge amounts of time, effort and deliberation to create what we dream of as the perfect space.

And this is something we can't entrust totally into strangers' hands. Be they contractors or interior designers. Nope. Other people will never take ownership the way we do. Because to them, it is just a business. And that's how we learn to relate with these people. Business. That's an awesome load of hard-nosed negotiation, assertiveness and at times, unavoidable confrontations. In a way, the blessing in disguise was this - we learned to stay commited to our cause & we learned to finish well. We learned to take charge and take control over the final product. And why shouldn't we? It is our hard-earned money used in exchange. And we feel responsible for how we spend our money.

It's moments like these when we go through the grind that we rediscover who we are and the deeply-ingrained values that govern our choices and steer our life course.