Drama on the bus

Was on 167 yesterday evening en route home but somehow I missed my stop because I had mistakenly thought someone else had pressed the bell. But when the bus whizzed past my bus-stop, I resigned myself to backtracking on foot.

Just as I was making my way to the exits, the bus driver who was kind of speeding, slowed down suddenly, I think the traffic light was changing. What he failed to notice was than an old lady was also getting ready to alight and had stood up. Suffice it to say, she lost her balance and fell heavily on her back and hit her head on the driver's cubicle door. I really can't remember how it happened now, but at some point he did brake suddenly in the middle of the road.

The whole bus gasped but only the front two passengers went to her aid so I went and offered my help as well, putting her bags aside and holding her as she composed herself. Subsequently she and the driver had a heated exchange in Hokkien, he was blaming her for standing I think, and she was explaining she was getting ready to alight. I don't think he actually apologized.

I don't think she broke anything but her forehead had a red bump. She was mobile enough to alight the bus on her own. I regret not offering her more assistance, I'm sure she would be aching today and badly bruised. She could at least claim medical compensation from SMRT, it didn't cross my mind at the time to take down the bus number and check on her more. Maybe I'll write to SMRT anyway, just to make them aware of the incident.

On a brighter note, Nickypoo asked me to tune in to the Jack and Rai show on Class 95 last night, he had made a dedication to me and Nat! Jack and Rai were at the Contiki Beach Netball tournament on Sentosa the day before so they invited him to call in and talk a bit about the event.

Anyway, the song they sang was 'Fire' by Babyface and Des'ree. I don't think Nick picked it out, Jack might have suggested it in reference to the hot weather at the netball event, but still it has some significance because I remember there was a point in our courtship that the song was mentioned or played or we danced to it or something. Aaaawwww...

Diva's Day Out 3

Held the 3rd edition of Diva's Day Out at my house on Saturday, and I must say it was better than expected. A lot more people came this time round, makes you wonder, "What recession?". Perhaps people were just looking for bargains?


There was a constant stream of visitors and many existing DD customers brought their friends. A lot of people were also there to collect their orders from Joanne, plus we had some additional vendors whose friends also turned up to support. I was surrounded by Joanne's family - 3 of her cousins formed the additional vendors, selling their second hand stuff, handmade jewellery and one was launching her baking business.


I exceeded my very conservative sales target by quite a bit, thanks to the Kate Spade bag finally being sold! Also sold a number of dresses and some maternity clothes.



I still have plenty to offload...will try to get a flea market stall one of these days.

Molto Bene!

Just had a late lunch with Nickypoo, as a belated anniversary celebratory meal. I took leave today but ended up working half the day. He took halfday and just woke up from his nap.

At first I had made a reservation at Flutes at the Fort, but after seeing their weekly specials (steak tartare and kangaroo!) I decided to see if Valentino's could accommodate us at the last minute. Had been meaning to check them out for the longest time, but it was always hard to get a dinner reservation unless you book weeks in advance. Lunch was a lot easier, only a day's notice.

True to all all the reviews, it was a charming Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere, modest but homely. A family run business with Chef Valentino roping in his sister, brother-in-law and parents to help with the service and cooking. The server we had knew her daily specials well and ran through the list with us, taking the time to describe each dish.

I settled on a crabmeat pasta, but changed the original squid ink spaghetti to regular linguine. Nick had a beef tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce and we shared one of the daily antipasto specials, deep fried zucchini.

The zucchini was coated with breadcrumbs and fried to perfection, a quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice jazzed it up a notch. There were about 5 slices, probably half a zucchini was used so though it was yummy, I found it a tad pricey at $26+ because for $16 I could have had calamari instead.

Even my pasta with crabmeat was cheaper at $24+, and it was filled with generous chunks of crabmeat and laced with a creamy tomato sauce. Nick was impressed with his beef tenderloin and the overall standard of food though and doesn't mind going again.




We were too stuffed for dessert but popped in their pastry shop Perla next door where Valentino himself explained some of the tart flavours and gave me a chocolate 'salami' to try. We bought two mini tarts, a mixed berry with custard and a chocolate crumble. Have yet to try them but am sure they will be outstanding.




Can't wait to try other stuff on the menu!

Reunited

Had dinner with some of the SES alumni last night, as Joanne had come to town. Charlene was kind to organise and we met at The Big O cafe at Wheelock.



I wasn't sure who was going to turn up but in the end it was Susan, Adri, Joanne, Charlene, Trina and Shin. I hadn't seen Shin for ages and she still looked the same. Everyone was commenting how we all still looked the same.




It was great to reminisce and catch up on each others' lives...I really do miss the fun and friendships fostered at SES. Among all the jobs I've had, it was the best in terms of camaraderie and a sense of belonging. The second best would be SingTel.

I hope we have more such reunions in future, maybe one day I'll get down to organising a pot luck at my place or something, and get EVERYONE I know to come, including some present SESers. All that estrogen in one house, should be fun!

The 13th month

I chickened out of Nat's op, decided to postpone it by a few months till she's a little older. Also, her infection seems to be clearing hence no need to rush...will just wait till her skin surface heals before letting her go under the knife, need to minimize the scarring.

At 13 months, Nat is quite the chatterbox. She blabbers all day but can say certain words like Papa, mum-mum (food), beh (bear), baba (baby), ba (ball). She understands a whole bunch of words though she can't say them. She can point to the door, the window, the fan, the bed, the light when you ask her. She also knows her hair, her eyes, her nose, her mouth and when you ask, "Where's Natalie?", she'll pat herself.

She can raise her right leg when prompted, she claps properly now, she recognises some shapes and colours like red and blue and circles and stars. She loves to play catch with the mini-football we have, she's always trying to climb out of her cot, like a little monkey. She will grip the top railing and climb the headboard, the way you see villagers climbing a coconut tree, with 2 feet.

She has taken some steps unsupported but is not confident of walking on her own. She can stand for about 10 seconds without holding anything and will take a couple of hands-free steps within the padded comforts of her playpen.

Everytime she hears the Malaysian trains coming and going, she'll want to watch from the window. She has about 7 teeth, she's fond of biting people, so you have been warned!

Gigi is now 6 months old and constantly gnawing on her fingers. I think she whines less these days, she's still wobbly and can't sit up on her own but she has learned to roll over from her back onto her tummy. She's shedding hair, so she has some botak patches. She and Nat weigh almost the same! She has the cutest giggle but hates when a romper is pulled over her head. She still relies on the pacifier a lot but her features are coming into their own, she has sexy lips!

Aunty Sarda is 70!

My beloved Aunty Sarda (dad's eldest sister), turned 70 yesterday and we surprised her with high tea at the Sheraton. She knew she was having tea with us, but what she didn't know was that some other family members would be joining.

The food at Sheraton was pretty good and considering the spread had crayfish and prawns on ice, plus sushi and sashimi, the price was reasonable. It worked out to $33 nett per person after credit card discounts. It actually starts at 12 pm and ends at 4pm so it's more lunch than high tea.

I went for several rounds the buffet, biting off more than I could chew. I was so full that I skipped dinner and it wasn't till 1 am that I felt a bit peckish. Luke had fun playing with Nat, feeding her strawberries occasionally, she seemed to like having other little people around.

Hope Aunty Sarda had fun, I can't believe she's 70! She looks 50+...I only hope I inherited some of those genes!

'Do you know what today is? It's our anniversary...'

Hmm, I wonder what happened to the group who sang that song, Tony Toni Tone? Bet they didn't last 6 years, but me and Nickypoo did!

I know 6 years ain't much, but when you add the time we started dating, we've been together for 8.5 years and known each other for 11.

6 years feels like an eternity ago, I can still remember the wedding...I was surprisingly calm all morning before the ceremony, while Nick was the nervous one. Because I was my own wedding planner, I was constantly on the phone checking on arrangements and making sure the caterer had arrived, the cake had been collected, the flowers were in place, the favours were displayed, the music played in sequence etc etc.

The photos are starting to look a little dated, check out how slim I was...how do I get back to this size? That's a whole 10kgs ago!


The other day I found an old notebook I used 10 years ago to jot down random lists. I remembered listing the criteria I was looking for in a man and here they are, word for word:

1) Worships the ground I walk on!
2) Honest
3) Same wavelength
4) Single & available
5) Sense of humour **very important
6) Appealing to my eyes
7) Chivalrous
8) Good manners
9) Cultured
10) Loves housework cos' I don't!
11) Star signs must match
12) Puts up with my mess, laziness & paranoia
13) Generous
14) Not a wuss
15) Preferably into sports
16) Mature
17) Responsible
18) Non-violent/abusive
19) Morally upright
20) Affectionate
21) Faithful
22) Down to earth
23) Indulgent
24) Romantic
25) Someone I won't try to change
26) Gets along with my family & friends
27) Must be "Swana-proofed"
28) Good dress sense
29) Hygienic
30) Must love children and is kind to animals
31) Loyal
32) Defends me in front of his mother ** not necessary
33) One-woman man

Nick pretty much met all the criteria, down to the star sign I had mentally picked out i.e. Aries, 4 years older and born in the year of the Tiger...I kid you not, I was that specific!

We were just friends (he had a girlfriend) when I found out those details and in my head, I went, "Cha-ching! OMG, he's perfect...Damn, why isn't he single?" Fast forward a couple of years later, he became available and the rest is history.

Maybe one day I'll share that story, if I can remember all the details!

For the second year in a row, I'll be spending our anniversary alone (damn the NATAS fair). Well, ok, not completely alone, since I have Nat and it's also Aunty Sarda's 70th birthday. We're planning a surprise high-tea at Sheraton with some of her siblings and other nieces, though I think I've let the cat out of the bag.

I didn't know she was sitting on my sofa when I asked Swana about some of the arrangements earlier this evening. She wasn't there when I popped into the shower 10 mins earlier, I didn't know she had come over to the house so Swana quickly changed the subject! Ha ha, oh well, am sure she suspects anyway that it's not just us taking her out.

Anyway, Nick and I will celebrate the anniversary belatedly next Friday, I've taken the day off but it looks like plans will be derailed. I've tentatively scheduled Nat's surgery for that day as well, so will be spending most of it playing Mummy Nightingale.

Went to 2 doctors on Friday, her bump had gotten infected and after seeing the paediatrician, we went to Mount Elizabeth to consult a paediatric surgeon about its removal. His advice was to wait till the infection clears so that his incision is smaller.

This is a bad weekend for Nat, not only does she have to contend with an infected pilomatrixoma; she has a running nose which is dripping pretty bad, a mild fever and a bruised chin. She fell and hit her jaw on Friday afternoon, while Mildred was playing with her...apparently it was a hard knock.

And to top it off, she was subjected to ants crawling all over her when I was feeding her early this morning. The towel/bib leftover from the last feed was infested with ants and I couldn't see in the dark. It was only when I felt a light tingling sensation on my arms and spotted the ants that I realised it. She slept throughout the 'ordeal' but me and Nick were killing ants on our bed at 6 in the morning! Later on when I suctioned her nose with a nasal aspirator, I found an ant in the mucus! My poor baby :-(