Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year will be celebrated in 2 weeks' time by most chinese communities around the world! This will be my first CNY as a married woman. Tradition dictates that married couples bless singles/elderly with red packets filled with money, together with a pair of mandarin oranges. The act supposedly symbolise blessings and abundance for the new year. According to tradition, married woman will have their reunion dinner with their spouse's family. I hope my parents will still enjoy CNY with my extended family members, without my presence. When I was a kid, I enjoyed donning new clothes and spending countless hours playing with my cousins. As an only child, things get pretty bored at home, thus, time spent with my cousins were priceless! I look forward to experience a different CNY this year, and to spend more time getting to know T's extended family members.

Experimenting with Indian Cusisine

My husband has been experimenting in the kitchen again! This time, he took 2 weekends to make naan (oven baked flat bread) and thosai (aka dosa). Thosai is usually served with 3 different condiments - sumbhar, fresh coconut chutney & dhal curry. T made a healthier version by adding flax seed meal to the thosai batter, and serving it with yoghurt curry. The thosai was made with a crepe pan that we bought from Indonesia. Hopefully we will be able to make wheatmeal crepes the next time round.

Role Models

Some of us probably grew up with favourite celebrities, bands or role models whom we want to be like... Beatles? Spice Girls? Mother Teresa? Bruce Wayne? Nelson Mandela? Have you ever dressed or acted like your childhood role models? I certainly have! My husband constantly picks up a can of Orangina because he saw footballer, Quah Kim Song drinking it. Even in my twenties, I have role models whom I look up to.

In the last few weeks of December, I received an unexpected note from a teacher who had taught me during my Diploma studies. She was (and still is) my inspiration and role model. My teacher was confident, diligent and poised. She achieved very much in her life - was a high ranking army officer, completed her Masters and is currently pursuing a PhD and single-handly brought up 3 children and sent them all throuh university. She was a single mom. Despite all that, and with God's grace, she went against the odds and live a responsible and inspiring life.

Now that I am married and am taking up more responsibilities in the family, I'm constantly thinking about  how I should live and manage the milestones & challenges in my life. It is also a time that I think about what adulthood really means and how to live life to the fullest. Looking at my teacher, I see the person whom I want to be - a woman who is courageous and strong, one who is not afraid to face up to life's challenges and enjoy the milestones in life. She is my role model.

Do you have a role model too?

Patong Beach

After our volunteering stint in Baan Namkem, we headed to Patong Beach for a short getaway and to spend some time together before the new year begins. Both of us had not been to Patong prior to this trip. Most travel guides descrive Patong as a place where revellers party day and night. True enough, there was little that we like about the place except the beaches at nearby islands. It would have been a better choice should we return to Khao Lak, where we had our honeymoon.

Bangla road

Overcrowed Patong beach

Pristine beaches

Street food

Happy New Year

I woke up on 1 Jan 2013 with some apprehension. It will be a year filled with exciting new challenges! Which includes 2 practicums, probably getting the keys to our new house & doing renovations, the possibility of taking honours, another christmas at CDC and the list goes on...

God has been very faithful in providing for my needs. This year, my work schedule is more flexible. I'll be taking 2 mornings every week to do my practicum and my work hours are back to 9am to 6pm. What a relief! It was a big struggle for me last year because I had to work 8am to 7pm just to make up for the Fridays dedicated to school commitments.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that God will give me strength to enjoy and experience the challenges ahead.

A meaningful Christmas

Chritmas is a time of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ - a season to give thanks for our messiah. With rampant advertising campaigns, Christmas has become a commercialized season of 'giving' and shopping and feasting. It is easy to take on that mentality when you're surrounded by publications  and advertisments of sales, delectable feasts, etc.

This Christmas is the first one that I spend overseas. For a special cause. T and I decided to volunteer with New Light Foundation based in Baan Nam Kem, Thailand. It was a fruitful experience as we learnt how the organization sustains itself and provide meals and education to the local community.

Day 1 - Took a 2 hours drive from Phuket International Airport to Baan Namkem. Spent the evening learning Christmas carols in Thai 

Day 2 - The team went carolling at a police station, the mayor's office, town council and an electrical shop in the morning. We visited about 100 families to carol at their houses and pray a prayer of blessing with each family.

Town Council

Police Station

Volunteers preparing to carol

Day 3 and Day 4 - Teach English lessons at Takuapa Bang Sai village (predominantly burmese) and prepare for the Christmas carnival

The Burmese children waiting for the lesson to begin

Preparation for Christmas carnival

Tuk-tuk that ferries the children to and fro school and home

Day 5 - Christmas carnival was in full blast! With the help of volunteers, we made hundreds of ballon sculptures and prepared food in the late evening for the villagers. The Christmas message was shared with the adults and children in 2 separate parties :)

All hands were busy sculpting balloons

Balloon Arch made by T

Outdoor Thai-style "Char Kway Teow"

Piles of presents at the entrance

BBQ meat skewers

Christmas concert

Day 6 - We went to catch clams for dinner! It was my first attempt catching my own food! We also visited a small fish farm which helps sustains operations at CDC. We spent the evening at Khao Lak and went back to Baan Namkem to count down to Christmas by the beach.

We caught approximately 10 kg of clams!!!!

A Rapunzel moment

Playing with fireworks for the first time!