NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 01

11 Nov 2010

The plane landed smoothly at about 1145hrs at Christchurch International Airport.

As we were unsure if the stuff (milk powder, health supplements, instant cereal drink, coffee, biscuits, camping tent etc) we brought would clear the customs without declaring, we decided to go through the DECLARE lane so as not to risk the NZ$400 fine. The customs officer who checked our stuff turned out to be quite friendly and especially lovely toward Rachel. Our luggage went through the x-ray machines and we were good to go. No problem with the stuff.

DL decided to get a SIM card from the airport and it took him quite a while to decide which ones to get. Meanwhile the kids got active at a small arcade centre at the airport. They were no one there so they basically jumped onto a ride and then hopped onto another.. without paying any coins of course. :)

After DL got his SIM card, we quickly made our way to the pickup area where the Pacific Horizon (PH) representative was. She drove us to the PH office which was located within minutes drive from the airport.
We saw our campervan and it looked pretty big. DL had to go through a briefing and made some checks on the campervan. The staff was kind enough to show us how to transform the seats into beds and many hidden gadgets of the campervan.

By the time we unloaded everything, it was almost 3pm. I was extremely tired and hungry by now. The kids were also starting to get cranky. But we still need to get some groceries before we can hit the roads to Kaikoura Top10.

Went to Raewards' Fresh Produce to pick up some fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Their locally grown vegetables looked so big and fresh. I marvelled at how palatable they looked. Then we hopped over to New World Supermarket (NW) to load up on diapers, milk, pasta, biscuits, chips etc.

By the time we reached Kaikoura Top10, it was already 8pm.

Mum got to cook her first meal on the CV while we washed up. I did a dry bath for the kids simply because it was too cold and they was no detachable shower head.

We had pasta bolognaise for dinner and it tasted so yummy! After that, I went to get a shower and was glad that the water was hot, despite it lasting only for 7 minutes.

Hit the sack soon after and didnt remember how I made the kids sleep. I guess I was super concussed.
Thanks to DL for transforming the bed all by himself.

 Campervan with all our luggages

 Rear of the campervan which is used as a dining table for meals

and transformed into a double bed at night. 

We kept it as a  bed throughout our trip!

Stove Top (right) & Wash Basin (left)

Bar Fridge (below)

 The tiny bathroom that is indispensable when nature calls!

NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 00

Day 00 - 10 Nov 2010

One of the things that we wanted to do this year was to have a family vacation, either the four of us or with the extended family. As DL has always wanted to experience traveling on a campervan, we finally agreed to do a 14-days trip down under with his parents.

New Zealand's North Island was the place where we spent our honeymoon. Five years later, we were back but this time, we headed for the much acclaimed South Island.

Departed Changi Airport on 10 Nov 2010 via SQ297 at 1945hrs.
Rachel was very excited with her "first" flight experience. I doubt she remembers any of her previous flights as she was still very little. This time round, she got to choose her own toy, was given a pair of pink earphones and had her child's meal.
Ariel fell fast asleep shortly after we boarded the plane and was already in dreamland when the plane took off. But he woke up in time for his meal (post weaning meal which consists of meiji milk, mashed potato, cauliflower, tomota and chicken; all mashed up). After he's done with the meal, he started to poo. A very efficient digestive system he has!

At 2250hrs, we experienced pretty rough air turbulence. That was also around the time when Rachel cried as she was force-led to the toilet by GM. I comforted her and brought her to the seats at the back rows and continued to have my meal there with her. The seatbelt sign was on and we couldnt return to our seats even though I was already done with my meal. It didnt help when Rachel wanted to pee (again!!) and one of the crew told me that "this (referring to the air turbulence) is really bad..."

I didnt like air turbulence at all. It bothered me as my very first flight experience was pretty turbulent. I always wondered if the plane would stop functioning and crashed due to the bad air turbulence. DL, on the other hand, is never worried. Oftentimes, he would be fast asleep and unaware of the rough ride. I tried to be calm as I sat next to my little traveller. We prayed together for the air turbulence to clear so that she could go pee pee. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" for a good 20 minutes...

Half an hour later, we were able to return to our seats. She released herself and finally managed to find a cozy position to sleep. Ariel slept in my arms after I nursed him and thank God, I was able to put him into the bassinet without awakening him. I did that as I could not hold my pee. The others were sound asleep.

I was tired but I just couldnt get myself to sleep. I could only close my eyes for a couple of minutes, opening again to see if Ariel's doing okay in the bassinet and if Rachel's neck is resting on the cushion... I think I did that for about half an hour before they started to offer the next meal.

 As long as the kids are travelling with me, the mother instinct in me would be to make sure that they are well-rested. My basic needs can be met later...

In another 3 hours, we would land in Christchurch. Yippee!!

Lunch with Rachel

Mondays are library days ever since I started homeschooling Rachel.
We went to the Woodlands Regional Library today.
As usual, we would borrow up to the maximum that the library card permits, 6 books or 2 audio/visuals + 4 books.
And these are all children's books. They were damn heavy!!

After library, we would usually head out for lunch. Ichiban Sushi is one of our favourite lunchtime haunts!
I love japanese food and so does Rachel.

We managed to get a table right next to the food belt and Rachel was so excited and hungry that she readily picked her sushi off the belt and tucked in using her bare hands. She also loves Cha Soba which is one of my favourites.

We had a great time chomping down the food and talked like we're friends!
:)

Note. This post was published a week later.

Ah MA

I thought about my Ah Ma (my paternal grandmother) today and remembered these last few words that I had with her weeks before she passed on.

She needed help to go to the toilet during the terminal stages of her lung cancer and I assisted her.
She was rather awkward initially and said these to me in hokkien, "When you were young, Ah Ma took care of you, now you have to help Ah Ma..." literally with tears welling up in her eyes.

I can't help but felt alittle emotional as I recalled those moments today.

It was sometime in October 1994 that she was diagnosed with lung cancer and she came over to stay with us. But it was only for a few days before she was re-admitted to hospital and shortly after, she passed on in November 1994. It has been almost 16 years since she had died.

My Ah Ma took care of me when I was only a few months old baby until I reached 7 years old. She lived in a village along Lorong Buangkok. I can still recall the village address. 134D Lorong Buangkok S1953. It was a village located along the stretch of roads of the present day Yio Chu Kang/ Gerald Drive area. Two houses situated at the start of the former Lorong Buangkok are still visible today.

I remembered that Ah Ma always cooked two half boiled eggs for me for breakfast before I left for school for my Kindergarten lessons.
She would buy Char Siew Rice for me on saturday mornings from the food delivery man named Ah Yer. (water in malay)
I would go to the wet market with her on Sundays. She frequented the one located along Upper Serangoon Road. That market used to be called the "Gor Ko Jio" market (5th Avenue).
Sometimes she would buy little ducklings for me.
Most times, she would buy "nine-layered kueh" and "tao suan" for me as they were my favourite breakfast treats.

During the durian season, she would listen out for the sound of durians dropping on the ground (there was a big durian tree in front of her front yard) and she would keep the better quality durians specially for me well hidden underneath a cane basket. She would bring them out for me to eat whenever I visited her on Sundays. (This was when I started attending Primary 1 in a school in Toa Payoh and I didn't live with her in the village).
She doted on me alot.

I would help her roll the paper cigarettes (hun kee in hokkien) and she would take a smoke after doing her chores.
I also enjoyed helping her collect eggs from the hens' nest in the afternoons. The eggs still felt warm in my palms.
She would bring me to the puppet show during festive periods when they put on a show for the gods. She would buy a packet of ice glass jelly drink for me.
In the afternoons when we were watching the 3pm chinese dramas, the ice cream man would make his rounds. She would give me 50cents so that I can run down the road to buy an ice cream sandwich.

These were fond memories that I have of my beloved Ah Ma.

I missed you Ah Ma. I hope that one day, I get to be a loving Ah Ma to my children's offsprings and I can tell them stories about you.

Friends of the Zoo

Sometime last month, we brought the kids to the Singapore Zoo. I think kids just loved being outdoors and since we're staying pretty nearby to the Zoo, we decided to go for it.

When we were setting off, the weather looked fine. But after a few minutes' drive, dark clouds started to loom above us and the winds were blowing them in the direction of the Mandai Zoo. It started to drizzle and we thought maybe the rain will subside when we get to the zoo. Just when I opened my mouth to pray for clear weather, it started to shower and then downpour.

We ended up having our breakfast sandwiches in the car (with the car parked in the zoo carpark). It was raining cats and dogs. But the strange thing was we noticed that cars were still coming into the zoo. Maybe they lived further away from the zoo, we thought and it would be kind of a wasted trip if they decided to head home. For us, we trust that the weather will clear up simply because we prayed for it. And so we waited patiently for about a good half hour.

Then the rain subsided and we could make a dash to the entrance of the zoo without getting drenched.
We signed up for the Friends of the Zoo membership thinking that we'll bring the kids here on a regular basis since we're staying nearby. :)
We'll see about this if we really get to make good use of the membership.

The kids were thrilled to get out of the car and Rachel wanted to see the elephant!
Ariel was running around and getting all active. He's not particularly interested in the animals though.. Someone's Thomas & Friends' raincoat got his attention while the rest of us were paying attention to an Orang Utan feed!

Well, we didnt expect to cover much from this trip, knowing that they will soon be drained of their energy right about lunch time. So we left the zoo shortly after lunch. We've got the membership so we can always come back again. :)

P.S. The weather did clear up for us and we enjoyed a cooling day at the zoo. Thank you Lord!

Happy Birthday

It is my birthday today...

Thank you to my mummy for enduring the labour pains when she gave birth to me 34years ago.
Thank you to my DH who gave me a lovely candlelight dinner treat and then a wedding proposal ring 4 years ago.
Thank you to my two darling angels for always amusing me with their innocent childlike-ness. I hope I can spend more time with them before they grow up too fast.
Thank you to my wonderful and beautiful Savior Lord Jesus Christ for blessing me with this abundant life!

Banana Walnut Cake with Chocolate Chip Toppings

I've been wanting to better my maiden attempt at baking this cake so I thought "why dont I give it a shot today?"
And I did with my wonderful little helper, Rachel. :)
She enjoyed greasing the baking pan with butter, transfering pieces of chopped walnuts from the chopping board into a bowl, mashing the bananas and I guess the most enjoyable part is to sprinkle the cake with her favourite chocolate chips!!

Here's the recipe adapted from HHB's blogsite.

Banana Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

100g butter, soften at room temperature
160g caster sugar (i use 125g as my maiden attempt yielded a very sweet cake)
3 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (i use 3 medium sized "Ang Bah Jios")
210g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Grease (with butter) and flour the sides of an 8" or 9" round pan and line the base with parchment paper.
2. With an electric mixer or a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Dribble in the eggs gradually and beat till incorporated in the batter. (The mixture may appear slightly curdled.)
4. Add vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Mix till smooth.
5. Sieve over flour and baking powder and mix till smooth.
6. Add chopped walnuts (reserve some for sprinkling the top, optional). Mix with a spatula.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out the top with the spatula. Sprinkle the top with the remaining walnuts or arrange some banana slices (dipped in some lemon juice to prevent it from turning black) on top. (In addition, Rachel sprinkled her favourite chocolate chips!)
8. Bake in pre-heat oven at 180degC for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
9. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 5~10 mins. Unmold and transfer to wire rack to let cool completely.

Of Triglycerides, HDL & LDL...

A couple of weeks ago, I went for a basic health screening test at Dayspring Medical Group. I took the most basic package so that only required a blood test. (I need to fast the night before; for at least 10hrs prior to the test). The results were out a few days later.

I received a good report. :)

My BMI is within the normal range.
My blood pressure is within the normal range.
My total cholesterol level falls within the desirable range. The breakdown is as follows:

Total Cholesterol : 173 (Desirable)

HDL Cholesterol : 80 (High)

LDL Cholesterol : 88 (Optimal)

Total/HDL Ratio : 2.2 (Normal)

Triglycerides : 27 (Optimal)

For some of you who have no idea what the above means, here's the definition.

HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol is known to be the "good" cholesterol as it helps remove cholesterol from the tissue and transport it to the liver for harmless excretion. A high level of HDL cholesterol lowers the risk of atherosclerosis (thickened artery wall due to buildup of fatty materials). A low level increases the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.

LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol as it transports cholesterol to be deposited as fat on the walls of bloof vessels. An increase in LDL is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease.

Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the fat tissue of the body. They are converted from excess calories and stored in fat tissue providing a major source of energy for the body. Consumption of food rich in animal fat and alcohol are known to elevate the triglycerides level. Very high levels are associated with obesity and coronary risk.

The main objective to take the test is to find out about my cholesterol profile because I have no idea what mine looked like. Now I know.

I give thanks to my Lord for giving me a good report.

About a year ago, I heard Pastor Joshua's preaching on diet and health. He testified that he prayed to God for a healthy body and then he went about eating whatever he desired. He would sometimes stop eating what he was eating and went on to buy another plate of food just because his body no longer desired eating that food. If he feels full, he would stop eating as opposed to many of us who would finish the entire plate of food because our grandmothers once told us not to waste food. In the process, he gained a healthy body without the need to diet and he gave God all the glory.

That sermon left a deep impression on me as I wanted to have a beautiful, healthy and trim body. A year ago, I weighed 59kg. My height is 1.62m and that weight on the scale was not ideal. I decided to go by F.A.I.T.H.

I prayed to God to give me a beautiful, healthy and trim body.

He told me to eat when I feel like it and stop when I am full. He also said I should eat whatever I desire.

That sounded very good to me and I followed His advice.

One year on, I weigh 51.6kg now (without the need to diet and I also did not do any exercise apart from doing housework).

Most friends who saw me commented that I looked good and I do feel alot better now that I am trim.

To God be the glory!!

The medical report is a testament of His goodness to me.

I really believe that in every thing that we do, we should always seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Conversations with Rachel

Here are some of the interesting conversations we had with Rachel...

Looking out from the bay window, Rachel pointed to the man who cleans our pool thrice weekly and asked,

Rachel : "Mummy, what is that fisherman doing?"
Mummy : "Fishing leaves."
Rachel (with a wide-opened mouth) : "Leaves??"

----------------------------------------------------

We were getting to go for a walk around the estate and the kids were all set to go. They had on their shoes and socks and cant wait for us to open the door.
Daddy : "Wait for me, I need to change."
Rachel (who, by this time, was already standing in front of the lift): "Okay, why dont you go and change and I'll go and poo poo. Wait for me okay?"


----------------------------------------------------

Looking at a picture of the desert in the August 2010 National Geographic magazine....

Rachel : "Mummy, I want to go to this place."
Mummy : "This is a desert. It can be very hot in the day and there is hardly any water there."
Rachel : "It's okay Mummy, I will bring my water bottle. If I run out of water, I will take some from the camels."

----------------------------------------------------

Me & My Little Darlings

Till date, I have not been able or rather I thought I could not take care of two of my young children all by myself alone. Yes, me and me only.

Early last week, my husband came home and announced that he had to leave for an overseas assignment at a very short notice and he had to take off on Friday evening. In the past, whenever such announcements came, we would pack up and stayover at one of my parents or in laws' house. Rachel didn't like the idea of not being able to sleep at home while daddy is away and I didnt like to trouble either set of parents and more so I didnt like the thought that I could not handle both of them by myself.

So here it goes again, I had to think of which set of parents' house to stay this time. But all of a sudden, as if something inside of me pops a question back at me "Why dont I try to take care of them by myself this time round?"

I always thought I could not handle them both but if I dont give it a shot, how will I know?

What's the worse that could happen? I asked myself.

If there's really an emergency that calls for help, the grandparents are just a phonecall away.

With that in mind, I decided to give it a shot.

Last Sunday was the very first time that I spent the entire day with my two lovely chickadees!

It turned out to be really manageable.. with a little planning on what to eat during mealtimes and a little help from the TV, the rest works perfectly to a T.

Thank God for the invention of DVD players and TV. As much as I hated to make use of the TV to babysit my children, I found out that a little use of it wouldnt cause much harm. While I was cooking, I entertained the kids to some educational children DVD programmes. They were totally glued to the screen for a good 15-20mins before Ariel started to walk into the kitchen to check out what I was doing.

That 20mins was enough to cook up a meal.
:)

Rachel was also very understanding. I am so grateful for that. When I had to nurse Ariel and pat him to nap, I asked Rachel to read her books while she waited for me in her room. She still wants me to read her a book before she sleeps. She didnt make a fuss over this request and cooperated fully.

Little did I know that she was so tired while waiting that she dozed off into slumberland on her own.
When she got up from her nap, I told her that Mummy is so proud of her that she was able to go to sleep on her own. And from then on, she decided to go to naps on her own. :)
They are such darlings right?

The weather was surprising good last Sunday. I decided that I should bring the kids out for a walk and watch people fly kites.
It was a short walk to the nearby open field and Ariel got so excited over the kites that he kept on saying "bird bird" while pointing toward the blue skies.

When we reached the open field, the kids chased each other while I relaxed my arms. (I ended up carrying Ariel because he goes wild if I put him down and I reckon it's unsafe for him to walk next to the roads)

It was an enjoyable evening seeing the kids having such a great time running and chasing each other. Ariel fell down while he was running down the slope but it didnt bother him abit. :)

It was a simple day that I spent with the kids. A simple meal and a simple routine but it meant a great deal to me that I was able to handle my kids on my own. At least for a day.. :)

I look forward to more fun moments that I get to spend with my children.

the kids decided it was fun to take each other's height!