How much do we need to retire in Singapore?

When planning for retirement how long should we assume our life expectancy? Till 80, 90 or 100 yrs old?

How much medical fees should we budget for if we are covered by shield plan that require payment of $4K + 10% deductible?

Should we still budget for car expenditure or do we have to switch to MRT? I still like to have the car till I can't drive.

How about yearly vacations?

How about domestic helper?

Pressure Rice Cooker and Brown Rice

This is my new Pressure Rice Cooker from Philips model HD4763. It's a fabulous helper in the kitchen. The brown rice cooks in 47 minutes + about 10 minutes wait time for pressure to be released before the rice is ready to be served. The brown rice is soft and fragrant. You can smell the sweet brown rice aroma while the rice is being cooked. I saw a lot of such rice cooker in Korea but this is the only one available in my Singapore. The non-stick inner pot make it a breeze to clean after each use. However, I would very much prefer to have a stainless steel inner pot as well due to the potential health hazard from using non-stick pots and pans. I think the coating on the philip inner pot is not tough as the Japanese brand rice cooker. The demo rice cooker's inner pot was badly scratched- probably done by people to test the toughest of the coating. Rice can be washed in Tiger and Zojirushi inner pot but not this Philip rice cooker's inner pot. I wish Philip will overcome this shortcoming on the inner pot.

Temple at Seoul

I like this temple. It's just opposite the Coex mall. There were lots of chinese writings around the premise as well as trees. I like the persimmon tree near the buddha. There were lots of big persimmon on the trees but they were too high up. Those on the lower branches had been "harvested". The Buddha statue is tall and majestic. I stood there for quite some time to make all my wishes.

Safe in Seoul

The whole family is so relieved that Seoul is safe. We were there from Dec 1 to Dec 5 2010. Initially we thought that with the North Korea bombing, we would have to stay close to the hotel vicinity in case war broke up. We were surprised that life is as usual in Seoul. Lots of people can be found at Coex mall, Lotte world, Dondaemon, Nandaemon, Insodong , subway stations and Tech mall. The hotel was busy with lots of foreigners. We explored Seoul by subway. The Koreans are helpful in giving us directions. I like the BBQ meat. We tried one at Dondaemon and one at Insodong. The Japanese meals at Coex mall (both stalls) are delicious and reasonably price (39K to 42k Won for family of 5). The ginseng chicken and the big dish of spicy chicken were average though. I bought the honey ginseng slices for Won 24k each box from a shop at Nandaemon. The promoter spoke perfect mandarin. The Hyundai mall had a promotion and selling at about Won 26K. I would have preferred to buy from Hyundai if I knew there was promotion. Though it's a little more expensive, at least you get what you paid. One of the box of 6 yrs old honey ginseng slices I bought was swopped for a 4 yrs old honey ginseng slices. Overall it's a pleasant trip.

Travel Insurance to South Korea

I bought the MSIG travel insurance for the trip to Korea with a bank a few days ago. The bank officer called me today to inform that she has debited my account for the premium (not sure when she did it) and she'll be sending the application to the insurance company for batching. I told her I'v no understanding on the "batching", all I need to know is whether debiting my account means that my travel insurance has been processed. She said yes but the insurance company needs to batch. I'v purchased travel insurance online all the while. I'm taken aback by the hassle I'v to go through by buying direct with the bank. Now my concern is will the travel insurance covers us with the war between North & South Korea.

School Bus Driver

Yesterday we passed by a school bus driver (van type) near Farrer Road. The vehicle was on the fastest lane but the driver was driving at about 30 km/h. Cars were trying to overtake him and he was also trying to move left to the slower lane. When we passed the van we saw to our disgust, he was talking on his cell phone. Luckily, there was no students in the bus. I remembered the boy who was thrown out of the school bus at Yio Chu Kang. I hope school bus drivers are constantly reminded to drive their passengers safely. Our Children are in their hands!

Travel to South Korea

I bought the sweet deals air tickets for the family to travel to Seoul. With the tension between the North and the South, I'm worried my airfare money will be down the drain. Singapore Airlines advised that if I cancel the tickets I'll not get my refund as the fare class does not provide for cancellation. If I were to reschedule, the charge per person is S$30. However, how to reschedule if I don't know when it'll be safe to travel there. Singapore Airlines advised me not to worry for now and to check with them on the status at a later time as currently there's still no travel alert yet. Please let there be peace and please don't let me loose money on the tickets.

Safe to travel to South Korea?

I'v just bought tickets a few days ago for the family to travel to Seoul and news just broke out that North Korea bomb South Korea at the border. Is it Safe to travel there now? I was told by Ministry of Foreign Affairs that there's no travel alert yet, they are monitoring the situation. Hopefully, both parties resolve their conflicts amicably. We all look forward to the trip and most important a peaceful world.

Golden Beryl-Heliodor

This is the Natural Heliodor that came home with us today. It's also called Golden Beryl. Husband and I got it certified by a reliable Gemological Institute. The weight is 23.86 carats, 21.13 x 22.3 x 11.92 mm. There are fine particles under magnification. Gemologist told us that from his experience and observation, this gemstone had not been heat treated. However, he did not state this fact in the report because the equipment only detects heated treatment done at 1000 and above degrees. Beryl can sometimes be given heat treatment of about 200 to 300 degrees to enhance their colour. For my stone, he is of the opinion that no heat treatment has been done. However, though he is positive that the gemstone is not heat heated, he didn't put it in the report as he didn't have any equipment to confirm his conclusion. He said for sure there was no radiation done else he would have stated it in the report.

B3 accepted into SAP School

Friday was a nervous day for B3. He was being interviewed by the school's principal. He was very frightened. Fortunately, the Principal was very patient with him and approved his transfer into the school despite him being so quiet. Moving to a bigger and more established school and having to study higher chinese is quiet daunting even to myself. Luckily B3 is mentally prepared for greater challenge and we'll be revising the chinese during this holiday.

Dirty Carpark

This is the carpark at Little India's buffalo street. We went there a few days before Deepavali at around 10 am. There were plenty of carpark space but rubbish were strewn all over. When we collected our car at about 11.30 am, a foreign worker was seen sweeping the floor. However, by then there were more cars in the parking lot. Obviously, garbage underneath the car will not be cleared off. Such dirty carpark is an eye sore but fortunately it's a rare sight in our country.

Citrine Turn out to be Glass

What an eventful Friday. Husband and I dropped by a Gem store at People's Park to look at the big Citines. We asked and was assured that the Citrines were genuine unheated stones. The shop owners were very friendly and we ended up purchasing one of the piece. We happily brought it to the gemologist for testing of any heat treatment done to the stone. To our horror, the yellow stone is a piece of glass. Due to the crowd at the testing center, we waited about 3 hours before we finally received the report. When we brought it back to the store, the shop owners explained that those Citrines were purchased from suppliers and they had no idea that the stones were glass. They offered to exchange this item for another stone but Husband declined and preferred for a refund instead. We got back our money but we pledged to donate them away to World vision , pocket money fund plus probably one other charity.

New Phone Number for B2

Requested a new mobile phone number for B2. It took effect today. Selected the number using QMDJ . The meanings of the number are blessings, help from mentors, opportunities, prosperity and bliss.

Jam caused by $1 receipt

It's 4.30 pm. We decided to have an early dinner at Sakae Sushi Festival Market. There's always car park available except for the few days before Chinese New Year. However, there's an usual Jam today. Cars backed all the way to the road outside the mall. While the rest of the cars waited for the jam to clear, a few of them including myself had alighted to check out what's preventing the mercedes from getting passed the car park barrier . To everybody's shock, the barrier did not malfunction. It was lifted up and cars can drive through and enter the car park. However, the E200 Mercedes with a 3 digit car plate number which looked like a bid number, refused to drive through. I heard that the driver insisted that she will not drive through unless the machine print out the receipt for her. The receipt will entitle the holder to a $1 rebate at NTUC for purchase above $100. People were frustrated with her. The queue got longer and after 10 to 15 min 3 security guards still couldn't get the machine to print out the receipt for her. Annoyed drivers started offering her $1 to stop inconveniencing the rest. She refused and insisted the receipt must come from the machine. In the end someone insisted that she had to reverse her car out of the entry point to wait for her receipt. To do so, a few cars had to reverse and make way for her to get out. Drivers casted her a disgusted look when they drove pass her.

Myasthenia Gravis & Tensilon Test

After a few hours of Tensilon Testing, the doctor suspected that B2 may have Myasthenia Gravis (MG) which causes his droopy eyelids. The doctor cautioned that the result is not 100% conclusive and he needs to review the findings and the video recording done during his Tensilon Testing.

B2 was often sick since he was one month old. He had asthma, colds and allergic to dust mites. Maybe he could have inhaled too much cleaning chemicals from the various household detergents too. He used to eat lots of fast food and frozen prepared food. From Pri 4 to Pri 6 he ate lots of nuggets sold at the school canteen.

I searched through the website and found this site useful: http://www.alaskawellness.com/mar-apr00/mg.htm

I have taken a photo of his eyes this evening and I shall try the recommended natural remedies and monitor to see if there is improvement.

The recommended remedies include

* Colon and liver detoxification

* Fresh fruits and vegetables

* Limit meats, gluten, exclude refined sugar & flour

* Vitamin, mineral, herbal supplements

* Purified water

* No or reduced cleaning chemicals

10 pm he started with the 10 days cleansing program. I shall monitor the amount of fresh fruit juice and multivitamin he takes for the next few days. Hopefully B2 cooperates with the change in diet. I hope to see his eyelids lifted up.

Tension Test for B2

B2 has to be warded into KK to do a tension test for his eye lid. His eyelids had drooped down a lot over the last few years. He had seen the eye doctor at TTSH who think that it's normal for him to have a droopy eyelid since mum has also lose some of her double eyelid. The doctor made this conclusion despite me telling him that mum's eyelids started to droop after 40 while B2's eyelid started drooping since 12. Angel, please help KKH doctor to find out the problem with B2 and treat him.

Lunch at Chalk

Chalk at the Old School offers very good Italian food. Oct 30, we were there again ordering the same type of pizza and the same type of spaghetti. This time we added a new dish-the chicken salad. The food is delicious and the ambience is quiet. No loud conversation around and we can enjoy our lunch in peace. The only improvement I wish they can make is the toilet. The toilet is like what you would expect to find in an old school premise.

B3's SA2 Results

What a relieved to see B3's SA2 results. He managed to recover from the disastrous SA1. The form teacher who taught him Math, Science and English during first semester wasn't the right match for him. Besides the lack of chemistry , teaching skills wasn't suitable. B3 put in a lot of effort in the last 6 months. Daddy and mummy were also kept busy and we spent a lot of money on his enrichment classes. Fortunately, results turn out good. Math 95, Science 91, English 87.5, Chinese yet to be announced.

Last minute Substitue Piano Teacher

B3's piano exam is next month. However, he has missed a few lessons as teacher was not available. Though it's just beginner grade, it shouldn't be that difficult to pass but I'm still worried. Furthermore B3 is planning to quit piano after the exam, I hope he can get a merit or distinction for this exam. At least have an honorable conclusion. Managed to get Mag to stand in and give extra lessons. Hopefully, it will help B3.

Learning about Stones

Since the aquamarine, I have been reading up on gemstones. Beside turquoise colour the next interesting colour to add on would be the yellow stone. I prefer the Bright banana yellow for it's cheerful and sunny disposition. This colour can match with the beige and brown clothings. It'll also look fine with black and purple just like the turquoise. For yellow stones the choices include Sphene, Sapphire, Yellow diamond, Yellow Topaz, Golden Beryl, yellow citrine and yellow zircon. Sapphire and yellow diamond are the most expensive. Sphene comes next in terms of price. It's brilliancy is just below diamond. Yellow Topaz is more expensive than citrine. Unscrupulous dealers may sell citrine as yellow topaz. Golden Beryl is in the same family as aquamarine. However, golden Beryl often has a greenish tint. I believe buying a stone involves affinity. While we choose the stone, the stone also chooses us too.

Plant

The plant is so thirsty and all withered. Added some water at 3.55 pm. Fortunately. by 10 pm, it managed to revive.

English for B3

Found out that recent English test results showed that B3's English is at low Band 1 to Band 2 range. Comprehension section is weak. This evening I started him on newspaper reading. For a start, we just read selected news and advertisements in the Home section. I told B3 that eventually he will have to read the main section as well. Need to work hard to catch up.

Palm Top

2007 when I needed a gasket to load in the FS software, my friend highly recommended the palm. It's a very neat gadget but at that time I felt that the blackberry would be a more suitable option. The blackberry will allow me to email, use as a phone and load in the software. The only drawback is the small buttons. Though he himself is using a blackberry, he thinks he would prefer the palm for the bigger font size. He also felt that the palm is the logical choice due to economic reason. I took his advice and bought this palm. It has bigger font size, no small buttons to deal with and cheaper than a blackberry. He was also very kind and helpful to help me shop for the palm and load in the software I purchased. However, the palm has to stay home most of the time because my handbag can't fit in too many items and if I were to use a bigger bag, the bag would become heavy to carry during my frequent shopping trips. Do listen to other's advise but follow our hearts. Only we know our own requirements and needs most.

Jasmine Tree

The Jasmine tree has been with us since 2005. It grows out of shape very quickly. Once that happen it also flower less. I did a trim last month. Quite a major job, cutting off the long stems that grew outside our garden boundary. Since last weekend, the tree is filled with small white flowers. Some of which have fallen to the ground decorating the green lawn with speckle of whites. Last week I also added Fluffy's dropping to fertilize the tree. It probably helps the tree to blossom. My photography skill can't portray the beauty well.

Aquamarine

I am very happy and excited with the aquamarine stone and read up a fair bit on this stone. Mine is a bluish green colour - Turquoise 34.04 (6.808). Turquoise was said to promote intuition and communication. Too much of this colour, a person becomes over-analytical, fussy, egocentric, making decision based only on logic. Too little of this colour, will cause a person to be secretive, closed, confused, paranoid, introvert. Stones with this colour helps to unblock the 5th Chakra which is the throat. When 5th Chakra is blocked, we experience emotional problems in our relationship with others. Other blue green stones include blue green topaz, blue green jade, blue green agate.

Perfect Ten Day

Today is a Perfect Ten day. 10/10/2010. Everything is great. Bought Mee Siam from AMK market for breakfast and the boys like it. Husband and I went to an auction and was given the auspicious number 66. At the auction:,

1. 3.02ct Pear Aquamarine with 1.09ct small diamond surrounding done at $2,400.

2. 3.27 ct Oval Aquamarine with 1.32 ct small diamond surrounding done at $2950.

3. 2.37 ct Oval Aquamarine with 1.65 ct small diamond surrounding done at $3750.

(all prices need to add 15% for buyer's commission)

We did not bid for anything. But had a great time watching others bid. After the 27 items we decided to lunch at the Steak Restaurant and shared a Shaslik beef, medium, and a pancake with banana fillings. We stop for a while at the shop where Husband once bought me the wedding ring. The boss chatted with us and he estimated the selling price of aquamarine gem is about $500 per carat or more for stone above 10 carats. However, he didn't have any available at the moment. We bid him goodbye and took a leisurely drive to collect my turquoise pendant. To show our appreciation for a complimentary 16.72 ct blue stone we bought 3 pendants (designs are 21K small golden handbag with small diamond studs). 2 of which shall be the wedding gifts for the tea ceremony. It's a Perfect Ten Day..

Electrical Works

These 2 days I learnt a little about electrical works. D has been experiencing frequent power shut down and wanted it to be fixed. His electrical guy quoted $3.8K to upgrade the power. I send S there and he recommended an upgrade to 63 amp single phase. Currently, D is using the old type of window unit aircon without inverter and when 2 units are turn on the power surge to 34 amp and 39 amp when 3 units are turned on. The current 32 amp single phase cannot support it. To upgrade, we need to get the MCST PE to do a check ($500) and then endorsement another $400 to $500. S will need another $2K to run wire, etc. 63 amp 3 phase will be another estimated $1k extra. I found that small engineering company would need at least 60 amp 3 phase to 100 amp 3 phase to operate. S said 63 amp single phase is sufficient for D now since he only need power for aircon and laptops. I think we should make provision for small engineering outfit, afterall the premise is a small workshop. D requested S to replace the master circuit breaker as a short term measure to help stop the frequent power shut down. S said new MCB can only help reduce tripping but guaranteed.

The 4 Cs

Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat. Which to rank first. Jewelers selling ideal cut, hearts and arrows etc all claim that cut rank first. I read that in a website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gemstone) cut is the primary determinant of value followed by clarity and colour. But some jewelers said choose colour and clarity over cut. My thinking is cut is important especially for smaller diamonds 0.1 carats and less used in bracelet or pendant. When the diamonds are small the scintillation coming from better cut diamonds will make the jewelry more outstanding . The expert at the JewelFest 2010 also said Cut affects the value of diamond most. It would be fantastic to own a excellent cut or Brilliance Rose, D/E colour , IF to VVS1 clarity and minimum 1+ carat diamond.

Poem By B3

B3 piece of work done in Sep 2010. I don't have an organized system to collect and file all the Bs pieces of work. I think this blogging is good for me.

The poems says :

The Moon is Bright

It cheers up up my Gloomy Night

I wonder what is my Plight

The Moon assures me it shall be Alright.

I told him my thoughts were all on helping him to transfer

out to other primary school while he was doing his poem.

Nice Ear rings

This is a beautiful pair of ear ring. The middle is made up of 4 princess cut 7 pointers diamond. The surrounding totals are tiny round diamonds. Total diamond are 8 princess cut 0.58 carats, 50 pcs round diamond total 0.42 carats. The scintillation is reasonable. In line with with price. It's almost mine but the clasp on one of the ear ring gave way. SH offered to fix it but I think the clasp is quite fragile and is prone to break hence redesigning is needed. Will see how the improved model looks like.

Hurom Slow Juicer

Finally, our Hurom juicer arrived. We are all excited and happy that we are going to enjoy healthier lifestyle. We bought lots of fruits and tried our first juicing when B3 is back from school. The machine is easy to use. Just toss the pieces of fruits into the feeder and out flow the juice. Its works well for apple, orange, watermelon and carrot but not the banana. The machine also operates quietly. We did our juicing at the dinning table and chat at the same time. Refreshing.

Buying Gemstones

I found the following from a website about buying gemstone :

"So buy a beautiful gemstone, do not buy a piece of paper. Gemstones do store wealth and are an excellent way to pass down something fine and valuable to the next generation, but do not think of them as an investment for the future: enjoy them today as well!"

"Most of the problems consumers have with fine jewelry or gemstone purchases are a result of trying to get something for less than it is worth."

Very useful advise to remember. Don't buy when in doubt. Don't think of them as an investment.

Mee Siam

I used to like Toast box mee siam until I found this hawker store at AMK Ave 5. It cost $2 a plate with 1 whole egg. The mee siam noodle is soft and the gravy is smooth with milk added. I like the tau pok and the tiny shrimp topping. Usually, I would like to skip breakfast to keep my weight in check but this mee siam is tempting and often I break my "breakfast fasting ritual" when I at that market. They are closed on Monday.

Mdm Kwa Geok Choo

MM Lee's wife passed away yesterday, 2nd Oct 2010. I do not know much about her until I read her life story in today's paper and watch the tribute on channelnewsasia. She is an amazing lady. She brought up her children well and provided strong support to her husband. She also didn't worry about her looks and is not a fashionable person. She seems to have everything women would ask for : High IQ, outstanding career, excellent husband, self-motivated kids and grandchildren. She has it all! She has certainly lived her life to the fullest.

Big Party

This evening we were expecting only 2 nieces and 2 SIL to come over for dinner. Instead the 2 SIL bought along their family. Luckily, we made extra food and had more than enough to feed the whole party. G & C were the protagonist. The rest were keen to find out how G & C had been doing in the last 10 or more years. The 3rd protagonist is our rabbit, Fluffy. Fluffy is being introduced to all the guests and now that he is living in the guest's bathroom, all the guests have to use the lesser bathroom at the kitchen. Fluffy is spoilt!

Fluffy's Black feet

It's a mistake to lay newspaper in Fluffy's enclosure. His light beige feet are now black due to the indian ink from the newspaper. Daddy held onto him while I tried to clean them using shampoo and baking soda. Nevertheless, the black stain refused to give way. Shall I trim his hair on the feet so that new clean fur can grow?

Holiday Destination

I'm working on organizing a Korea trip after B1's exam. UOB Travel has a ski package that I'm quite keen on but it's going to be tough for lo Gung. The itinerary requires us to fly out at night and tour starts in the morning once we land. Out of the 5 nights, we need to change hotel 3 times, something he doesn't like. I'm checking if I can DIY a package so that even though we have to change hotels, it is at a more comfortable pace for him. I'm planning to fly out in the Day, stay at Seoul or a town for one or 2 nights then go to a ski resort for 2 or 3 nights (I'm planning Yongpyong), then spend a day or 2 at Seoul before flying home.

Children Day

B3 is 9 yet he is still very excited about Children's Day. He has been receiving lots of treats for the special day from his tuition teachers and school teacher. B3 said that's his reward for spending time with the teachers. I saw this lovely cookie at Mrs Field Cookies and bought it for his Children Day's present. B1 & B2 each took a bite too. B3 looks so adorable chewing on the happy face.

Fluffy Rabbit is Bored

Fluffy is bored. Since Daddy travelled on Sunday evening, he hasn't been out of his "room". Monday was fogging, followed by rain. then it rained again on Tuesday. Since the garden was wet and the boys were busy, Fluffy had to stay indoor. He was so bored that he bit and tore the newspaper we laid on the floor for him. I am thinking of not laying newspaper in his enclosure as the indian ink stained his beautiful fur. But maid is against it, she thinks Fluffy will urinate on the marble flooring in his enclosure.

QMDJ - Phone call

Missed a call from tuition center L at 7.25 pm on Sep 25 2010. Tried calling back but no one picked up. Anxious to know the outcome on getting a place for B2 at the center, I decided to check using QMDJ. L is located south west of my home. For the time and date, chart is 270, 53367 (ie white tiger, chong star,"shang" door, ke ju not auspicious). Indication is he will not get a place. On Sunday, I went to make an enquiry at the center personally. The receptionist told me the missed call was to inform me that currently there is no vacancy, B2 is on wait list and chances are low as current students are unlikely to withdraw.

2 meals 2 different moods

In the afternoon, the whole family ate at United Square Grandma restuarant. We expected a good lunch. However, during ordering, B2 was angry with B3 for selecting a Chicken wing kids meal instead of fish n chip kids meal. B2 likes to taste the fish n chips but B3 doesn't like it. Then B3 sulk over the iphone, chin chow drink and having to share his french fries. I was stressed out and slept for 3 hours in the afternoon.

In the evening, we had Sakae Sushi at Changi Airport. We have to queue for 20 min and the waiter and waitresses were too busy to give good prompt service. However, the 3 Bs were on good mood. No antagonistic remarks from any Bs. Despite the slow service, I had a great meal.

Good Quotes & Thought of the Day

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~Theodore Roosevelt

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

~Lou Holtz

My mind was busy thinking about B2 academic performance when I came across the above quote and thought. His motivation needs to be improved and his attitiude requires fine tunning. Well, Daddy and me will have to Do what we can, with what we have for him.

Fluffy Rabbit Escaped 2 times this evening

SF & family came over and stayed for dinner. We had a leisurely dinner till B1 found that Fluffy is no longer in the garden. It has escaped through the metal gate. All of us combed the whole estate. Finally we saw it peeping out from front yard next door. Maid went to seek help from the maid living door. We were relieved when she managed to catch Fluffy. Daddy fixed up a screen about 1 feet high at the metal gate to stop Fluffy from getting out again. However, an hour later, B2 found that Fluffy exited the gate and hopped into the next door garden again. Maid cut a small piece of carrot and put it near to our metal gate. Fluffy saw it and moved towards the carrot. B2 and maid managed to catch him. Our plan to give him freedom to roam in the garden didn't work out well.To avoid further escape, Fluffy's new home is the enclosed shower stall at level 1. He is not so tame after all!

Yet to hang up the pictures

B3 loves to draw and takes his drawing lessons at Esplanade. He is almost done with 72 lessons. We plan to stop his lessons for a while. During his last school holidays in June, he painted 2 canvas by himself. He did the planning, colour selection and painting all by himself. We spent a fortune on the tubes of canvas paints, different sizes of brushes, easel, canvas though. The 2 pieces of painting are still waiting to be hung up at our level 2.

Fluffy Rabbit visits the Vet

This afternoon, Fluffy had his first visit to a Vet. The whole family went with him. Vet found him to be in good health and mild temper. His brown feet are due to dirt and the Vet thinks that if we clean it well the fur at the feet should be white. We were also advised to give me lots of hay to eat. The visit costed us $21.40.

We got the hay immediately. The hay smells like green tea but our front yard now smells like a farm.

Rabbit

B2 found an abandon rabbit on his way to school. He called Daddy and asked for permission to keep it. Daddy went to the site and helped him to bring the rabbit home. It's white in colour except for his feet and bottom which are beige. It was left in our garden to roam. I didn't like the idea of putting animals in cage. The rabbit likes to hide under the chiku plant and chews on grass and little plants. In the afternoon, the 3 boys tried to give the rabbit a shower but it refused. In the end Daddy has to catch hold of it while I used the garden hose's mist function to shower it. It was then wrapped in an old towel. He looks so much better with cleaner fur.

Buffalo Wok

I was fascinated by the 2 Japanese food stalls at Ion. They are located next to each other. One uses a stainless flat table top stove to fry Japanese noodle while the other uses the cast iron for their Tako balls. Both cooking utensil performed well so long as there is oil. I showed Daddy the various wok available at Takashimaya including the Iwachu cast iron wok and the Buffalo stainless wok. The Iwachu cast iron is made with good workmanship. However, the wok is heavy even without food in it. The Buffalo wok is much lighter and the promoter is very positively sure that the wok will not stick provided oil is added before turning on the stove. I was still thinking about it and needed to do more research but Daddy said just go for it. So we bought the 35 cm rounded base wok.

Uniglo Jeans

It's so rare of our home's CEO to request for clothing. He is just happy being the profit center with ultra low expenses. I'm glad that he's attracted by the Uniglo advertisement on Jeans. They are $20 off from the regular price and alteration is free and done within an hour. He bought one pair finally.

Shopping

The Uniglo T shirt with bra padding is comfortable and I like to use it for my exercise at Amore. Finally, there is sale on this item and I managed to get 2 pieces for $14.95 each. SF showed me her newly acquired ring. It's has a dark pinkish red stone in the center surrounded by 17 small sparkling diamonds and set in white gold. The small diamonds (17 pieces weighing a total of .59 carats only) are stunning probably due to the colour and the cut. Very tempting.

Before I left Tangs, I stopped to view the U-like wok demo. It's a ceramic coated wok. Light weight, non stick and without teflon. Price is at $138 for a 36 inch wok. The interior of the wok is curved with a flat base on the exterior. It may not be suitable for induction cooker. Need to verify. It comes with the traditional 2 handles. The demo looks impressive. This brand is made in Japan. I owned a ceramic coated Scanpan 28 inch. It's non stick but a little oil is required. Scanpan is manufactured in Denmark and the company has a long history.

Weather Foreast 13 Sep 2010

Sunday, Sep 12, after dinner, B1 asked me "Is it going to rain tomorrow?". He was in his favorite red drip dry tee shirt with a white bermuda and he was standing at the staircase smiling cheekily. I said it will not rain. B3 rushed for the iphone and check the weather forecast immediately. He laughed and said I got the wrong answer as the weather forecast said raining day for tomorrow.

Sep 12 2010 morning was warm and sunny. By noon time, the sun retreated then I saw 1 drop of rain then a second drop, after which there's no more drops. Then it was sunny day all the way till Sep 14. Maid confirmed it didn't rain on Sep 13 in the end.

What's this year Destination?

Switzerland and Paris were our 2008 holiday destinations. Both countries were fabulous.

I'm still researching on the yr 2010 destination. B1 likes to visit Toronto and take a look at UOT. Daddy wants a leisurely holiday. B2 is fine with any destination. B3 likes Universal Studio. I think maybe Italy, ski holiday in Korea or Hokkaido. The airfare is a lot more expensive compared to prior year. B3 said we don't need passport for Universal Studio and best of all, it's in Singapore. This maybe the last year that the whole family can go on long vacation together because B1 is going to National Service and after that to university. The 3 kids will then have different school holidays

Wok Experience

I fried the promfet fish and mini pork belly using the Scanpan. It's a non stick pan without the PFOA. I didn't manage to achieve the crispy skin on the fish and the pork skin but both didn't stick to the pan. Easy to dislodge them from the pan. Reason is I used just enough oil to cover the base of the pan and I used medium heat. According to the Scanpan promoter, I need to used more oil but keep to the medium heat to achieve the crispy skin.

I also tried frying the Batang Fish fillet with skin using Silit pan. The fish skin stick to the pan. Next time I have to dry the fish further before frying it and wait for the oil to be hotter while still keeping to the low to medium heat.

The guideline is : Use low to medium heat for all types of pans and wok except for cast iron and carbon iron. The latter 2 can take high heat but need more oil.

Sapphire Rings and Penang laksa

Josephine treated me to a sumptuous penang laksa meal. There was plenty of flake fish in the soup. She used Mackerel and Kembong Fish. The curry paste omes from Penang. After the meal me and the other guests were busy selecting the sapphire rings we want to buy. The rings were the estate of SH's grandma. They are selling the cheaper jewellery pieces instead of shipping them back to her country. These pieces are made of real sapphire, rubies or emerald set with zirconia and silver. I love blue sapphire and bought 5 beautiful rings.

The Right Wok Size

After talking to the different wok sellers, I found that the best wok size for home use is between 28 cm to 36 cm (14 inch). Unless you have a big family, sizes 14 inches upward are usually for commercial use. 28 cm are usually available in pan but pans are a bit too shallow for stir fry. Silit has a 28 cm wok but it is out of stock now. 30 cm to 32 cm wok are good size to stir fry dishes for a family of 6 but they are a bit small to stir fry noodles or fried rice. I think, if I plan to get 2 woks, I shall get one 36 cm and one 30 cm (but for my choice brand I can settle for a 28 cm). Both wok would be Silit brand because I can fry and serve with the wok. The wok would look good in the kitchen and on the table. Since Silit woks are so pricey, I can only go for one wok. We like fried noodle, fried rice, chap chai, curry vegetable. So maybe I have to go for the 36 cm if I am buying one only. But smaller size is great for everyday use... smaller footprint..easier to wash and lighter. I am still thinking....

Silit & Buffalo Wok

Did one of my favourite activity today. Researching and comparing the Silit silargan wok and the buffalo 5 ply stainless wok. The Buffalo's promoter promised that his buffalo 5 ply wok will not stick and fish can slide in the wok while being fried. Burnt food can be easily wash off using a little vinegar mix with water. I am impressed. I like to have this stainless wok but having second thought because all the stainless steel pans I have are not friendly for frying. Food stick and pans turn brown when heat is too high.

I have Silit silargan pressure cookers and a small Silit pot and I am absolutely satisfied with them. When I fry the meat using the pot before stewing, the meat doesn't glue to the pot. Stew cooks a lot faster even using the silit pot and a regular cover. I find stew and soup cooked with silit pressure cooker taste more like those cooked using clay pots and definitely more flavorful than food cooked in the WMF stainless steel pressure cooker. Based on the outcome of my research Silit Silargan would be the better choice. Drawbacks are the wok and the glass cover are heavier than the Buffalo wok. The glass cover also require more care to prevent breakage. This wok is also too beautiful to be used for frying crabs. Nevertheless, before I purchase it, I need to check if I have a space for the new Silit wok plus wait for the sale at Takashimaya.

ION Foodcourt

We saw the $4.50 deal at ION foodcourt and decided to try it. It's our first time at the foodcourt. When I saw the plate of "Go Hiang " I got for $4.50, I was impressed. Certainly a good deal. However, the more bites we took the more disappointed we are. Food is salty and artificial taste.

Natural Hair Mask

I'v make some changes to my hair mask formula. Results seem to be better. I left it on my hair for half an hour under wrap. Rinse using Klorane soothing shampoo and Asience Conditioner. (I'v been using the same shampoo and conditioner before I started trying the natural hair mask. )This time I did not apply any leave in conditioner after washing my hair. When my hair dried, it didn't look frizzy.

2010 National Day Rally

First time I sat through the whole rally speech. The speech was made by PM Lee HL. I like the good news he announced.

* Measures to cool the property market.

Since last year I'v been anticipating and expecting the property market to peak in 2010 and then prices and demand will drop after that. Shall see if the prices indeed drop and by how much. I expect the bottom to be around 2015 and then up cycle after that and 2018 2019 to be buoyant market again.

* Normal Academic students can proceed straight to Polytechnic instead of spending an extra year to do O level. Good motivation and morale booster to the NA students.

* Increase MOP of HDB flats and imposing requirement for Pte property owner to dispose of Pte property when they purchase resale flats. Hopefully the cash over valuation will drop with these measures.

* NS men to receive an additional $9k. B1 is going for NS next year. He thinks the amount is a bit low. Well, it's better than none. Of course, I would very much like the amount to be much higher to match the tertiary school fees. It would be a more reasonable compensation for delaying their studies and commencement of their career plus the risky and tough training NS men have to go through.

Facebook finds friends

Facebook is amazing in helping to locate relatives that we have lost touch for years. Found 3 long lost nieces in law through facebook. Without it we would not have known how they look like now. Last saw them 22 yrs ago and then very briefly (less than an hour contact time) 18 years ago. The tracking and linking from friends to friends in facebook allows this to happen. Amazing! Met the 3 of them tonight and had a home cook meal with them. Everything went well and we chatted till 10.30 pm before sending them home.

Big Kitchen

I love to have a big kitchen. Like the gourmet kitchens featured in magazines and cooking shows. Big enough to accommodate all the appliances - oven, microwave, stove, big size refrigerator, dish washer, professional cake mixer, blender, food processor, rice cooker, pro coffee maker, slow speed juicer and slow cooker. Enough closets space for the pantry, my wide range of pots ,pans, pressure cookers, steamers and woks. Counter top cleared of clutters and an island for food preparation. I need a table with 5 or 6 chairs too. Something like our Colchester kitchen but slightly bigger. Colchester kitchen was 10 ft wide around 15 ft length. Therefore Ideally my big kitchen should be at least 15 ft by 20 ft. I also need it to be at the right sector of the house and stove conforming to feng shui. Wet kitchen is also needed. This shall be a small area link but separate from the main kitchen mainly for the frying and oily cooking.

My current kitchen is reasonable size by local standard but can't fit in my island , table, dishwasher. Fortunately, I'v a wet kitchen at the backyard. Architects allocate small space for kitchen in our local houses. They seem to think that woman of the house doesn't cook due to the readily available hawker food, reasonable restaurant prices and that cooking is the housemaids' responsibility.

6 years in this house, I am still thinking how to reconfigure my current kitchen into my ideal kitchen. Maybe I should check out the Korean and Japanese Kitchens to get inspiration on a small, efficient and inviting kitchen.

GEP Test

B3 had his GEP test today. It's the first round. For those who pass they'll move on to a second selection test. B3 said the test is tough. He remembered 2 words in the cloze passage that he doesn't know- "vital" & "assurance".

Terrible Neighbour

This evening I witnessed how a terrible neighbour abused my husband who is the chairman of the estate's council . The couple who moved into the estate a year ago came over to our house and requested to see him just before our dinner. They had a structure in their house that did not conform to building requirement. Managing agent had made repeated requests to them to remove the structure but they chose to ignore it. Upon advise from the lawyer, managing agent sent out a legal letter to them for the structure to be removed. Without the legal letter the council members will have to take the rap and penalty for their illegal structure. To make a point that he wants to keep his structure, he demanded and yelled and pointed fingers at my husband. His wife works for a developer and is well aware of all the building requirement. But she did nothing to stop the husband belligerent behaviour towards my husband. I rate this pair of neighbour 5 out of 5 for being the Nasty Terrible Neighbour.

Feng Shui Notes - Renovation & Date Selection

When renovating the house, it's important not to do so when the 5 yellow star is at the sitting of the house. The sitting of the house is determined from the door measurement. 5 Yellow when activated brings unfortunate events.

J's master advised her on the month to start renovation. The sitting has monthly star 2 and yearly 5 giving a 25 combination when she starts her renovation. After her renovation, her daughter fell at home on some broken plates and ended up with a few stitches to her knees. Shortly after they went for holiday and the little girl was again cut and stitched when a scissors with the blades opened fell onto her hand. After their holiday J herself fell in her living room and ended up with bruised knees.

Lunch at Keppel Perankan Restaurant

Jo, Lain and I had lunch at Keppel Perankan Restaurant. It's Jo's farewell. She'll be moving back to Seattle. We had an excellent lunch. This restaurant comes with good food, nice view of the bay and quiet. From the restaurant you would be able to see a big house at the other side of the water on Sentosa island. I do not know whom does it belongs to. The house sits on a hill with the frontage facing the bay and backing higher ground. It has lots of green surrounding it. The house will make a very prosperous feng shui house.

Amway Mooncake

Today is my first trip to Amway at Pacific Tech Bldg. I bought 6 boxes of low sugar double yolk moon cake. 1 box will be for ourselves and the rest as gift. Baked moon cake with white lotus is delicious but sinful due to the high sugar and oil contents. Each year the boys, daddy and I will eat at least 3 boxes during the moon cake festival. I consumed the most among them and usually end up adding at least 2 kg. This year I shall stay with low sugar moon cakes.

SK ll to the rescue

My cheeks are burned due to cleaning the fish pond yesterday noon. Splashed some Kose Sekkesei this morning. 2 hours later it's still reddish but has improved. No choice, I'v to use the SK ll whitening facial mask that I'v been saving up. I find that this mask is moisturizing and give the face a refreshing glow. However, it's costly.

Toad & Tadpoles

Our fish pond was full of clumps of tadpoles eggs this morning and a medium size black goldfish died. I scooped up the dead fish and buried it under the mango tree. When I came home 2 hours later with ma ma, another bigger goldfish had died too. The water also had a foul smell and a big toad was guarding at the side of the pond. I decided to drain off half the water in the pond and scooped up as much tadpoles eggs as I could. The toad jumped towards me to protest. I got a shock and used a stick to chase it away. It refused to leave the pond but hid itself under the heliconia leaf. Luckily the rain water we saved was sufficient to fill the pond up again (using tap water to fill pond is costly).

Ergonomic Office Chairs

On our way to Haroobee for Art class, B3 and I detoured to 72 Bendemeer Road to look for office chairs. First chair we tested lack lumbar support. Second chair has good lumbar support with headrest but no locking mechanism for recline position. Third is the best. It comes with better rollers made of I think, silicone. The headrest is adjustable and can be tilted. Armrest are also adjustable and recline position can be locked. Plus it feels stable. At $395 + GST each, I ordered 2 units, one for B2 and one for B1. Whole purchase was done in less than 15 min.

Date Selection for Wedding

Finally I found a date for the couple's wedding. Groom's bazi shows that he'll have a fierce wife. While wife's bazi shows that family relationship will be a challenge and tolerance is needed. Well, Life is rarely perfect we just have to work on it.

Lei Garden at CHIMES

We have a wonderful dinner at Lei Garden. The ambience is cosy. It's not noisy as the restaurant is not full. The glass window and doors provide a nice view to the garden. We ordered the set dinner and a peking duck. Food is delicious however it seems like there is too much MSG added to the food. Our throat felt dry despite drinking lots of water and B3 also ended up with headache. Next time we have to request for no added MSG.

BAKERZIN Chocolate Cake

The Amer Chocolate Cake with it's rich cocoa taste is absolutely delicious. B1, B2 & B3 loves this cake too. Daddy didn't like it as much as he is not a big chocolate fan but nevertheless he bought the whole cake for us to enjoy. He knows I'll have second thoughts buying it as it's comparatively pricer than other chocolate cake. Bakerzin has a 30% discount in till 31 Aug, I shall buy one more before the promotion is over.

LL Pre-admission Quiz

My B2 had to do a screening quiz at LL this evening. He has to do an essay and answer 3 questions. There is no guarantee that he'll be accepted into the enrichment center. It'll depend on vacancy and how well he did in the test. It'll take about 4 weeks for them to process. However he has already sign the student's agreement on terms and conditions in the event that he gets into the center.

Hong Kong Tourists killed in Manila Hostage

Last evening 8 tourists are killed during the bus hostage in Manila. We watched the whole drama on channelnewsasia. I wish the Philippine police force was more organized in their rescue mission. At least 8 hours passed before the gunman became aggressive. That's long enough to fly in resources from foreign countries if required. The Philippine president's facial expression seems a bit too relax when he delivered his speech at the press conference. I was expecting him to look sad, depress and apologetic.