Silver!

One by one each year flew by,
Since we both said “I do"
25 years of memories,
Shared by us two.
From big events and holidays
To simple daily pleasures,
Some challenges along life’s way,
Some joys that can’t be measured
One by one each year now gone,
But still they’re ours forever
Each and every memory,
Of a quarter Century together!

HAPPY SILVER ANNIVERSARY, DEAREST ALFRED!

Love to one and all this holiday season ;)

Yol

Drawers are for storing nice things in them. Be it a stray cell phone battery, a page torn out of a journal, a necklace fashioned out of wire and beads or even some five-year-old issue of a magazine, they are all stored in drawers.

I have taken to the habit of opening other’s drawers. (You can tell many things about people by looking at their drawers and it is a curious thing to see what people keep in their drawers is it not?) Those with a flair for writing may keep a stack of unused paper in their drawer, maybe a writing pad with a flap that only features two pages of writing. Lazy people keep rubbish in their drawers. The shiny paper that stamps are stuck on, unwritten postcards, folded paper that has collected dirt over the years, pencil shavings and perhaps even some pen that has leaked its last drop of ink.

The only item remaining classified under the miscellaneous section is a storybook with a weak plot with a laminated picture of some Korean pop singer wedged in between pages eleven and twelve (Probably some vain attempt at looking cool, but still, it remains miscellaneous.).

I have yet to stumble upon a drawer old enough to be storing journals that has pages that disintegrate at a light touch. Or a drawer with monkey feed in it. Or those drawers dead businessmen entrust with wills and official documents revealing that they were also working for a third party that plans to eliminate both companies that deal in identical areas.

I would love to open up a drawer and rifle through it to reveal some elaborate conspiracy to keep humanity from finding out about alternate, more reliable, sources of renewable energy, causing them to be more reliant on fossil fuels and thus causing ‘the man’ to earn more money from sales of fossil fuels.

I would love to have a drawer reveal its contents willingly, without locks or security systems, having it slide out easily on shiny and new ball bearings.

I would love to look into drawers, and having them look back up at me, both wondering, ‘What strange adventure could this entity send me off on?’

I would love to open a drawer, and find something someone was.

I would love to open a drawer, and find something someone is.

I love opening drawers.

I love drawers.

They’re fancy.

Written by Nicholas Lam

­­

A TOAST TO THE NICKY OF THE WEST, THE VERY BEST 12-YEAR-OLD!

My 89th post here on A Pretty A Day is gonna be dedicated to my littlest little one...

NICHOLAS THE WITTIEST!

Here are five wishes I'm wishing for you this year, Nicky...

1. I wish that you will always gaze upon beautiful sights, follow in only the best of footsteps, and tread carefully wherever you may roam.

2. I wish that you will always be smiling close to me.

3. I wish for you the best steak on every and any cause for celebration! Hmm... would that mean a steak a day?! ;)
4. May you always have the most wonderful cheerleaders!

5. I hope you'll always be flawless... in every plausible way ;)

Here's lookin' at ya, big boy!

To whatever the future may hold for me and you,
and with all the love anyone could possibly muster,
Your Momma Yolinda Anna

Desired Things

I've been tinkering about the home and whipping up some old recipes after the trips-to-the-past Alfie has taken me on. Oh don't worry, we don't literally have a time machine or anything that fancy! The good man's been uncovering some amazing Khek foodie yums! And we're so glad the kiddos have caught on, they're in love with the delectable treats!!!

I've been leaving this blog to guest writer Nick for some time, but here ya guys go! I'm back! And feeling in the mood for a lil poetry...

TODAY'S BEAUTIFUL POEM:-

Desiderata is Latin for "desired things", and is a poem by Indiana writer Max Ehrmann that reminds the reader to always "be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be", and to "keep peace with your soul"

Here is his poem in full!

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

What beautiful words :) Every time I read this, or hear the recording on the radio (they DO play it ever so often!), I'm reminded of my personal motto: STRIVE TO BE HAPPY!

Here's wishing you lot a happy happy day! *lo/*

Love
Yolinda Anna

Halloween!

Oh joy, it's Halloween once more! Ghouls and Goblins prowl the streets as Ghosts and Armadillos lurk in the shadows... Who is the one we can turn to for protection from this twenty four hours of haunting?Groin Man, a masked vigilante, sprinting to your aid from his lair in Jurong West! He dons a Groin Guard upon his face and Swimming Goggles help enhance his night vision...

So when your children go trick or treating at night, remember to be at peace with yourself for there is a man out there who looks over all of your city...He is Groin Man, your local vigilante.Occasions are always complete with pictures for memories! BOO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIFY9h8DImg

John Lennon's songs really strike a chord with me. But having said that...

Recently, I commented on John Lennon's "Imagine".

Imagine there's no Heaven (Now that's just absurd.)
It's easy if you try (Try what - imagining there's no heaven?)
No hell below us (I can live with that.)
Above us only sky (What's John Lennon - an agnostic?)
Imagine all the people (Imagine the people? What for?)
Living for today (Riiiiight - Everything's about living.)

Imagine there's no countries (Heeey.)
It isn't hard to do (What about all the political differences and differences?)
Nothing to kill or die for (Land, oil, resources that are easily depleted...)
And no religion too (Some people can't really comply with that.)
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace (That can happen... Reeeeeally slowly.)

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one (We captain the same boat, John Lennon.)
I hope someday you'll join us (When will you answer my phone calls?)
And the world will be as one (Come on... Pick up pick up pick up.)

Imagine no possessions (HIDE TEDDY!!!!!!)
I wonder if you can (NO I CAN'T!!!!)
No need for greed or hunger (I call dibs on the KFC outlets.)
A brotherhood of man (I call dibs on the Chief Executive Officer position.)
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world (No can do.)

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us (YES! A CONNECTION! COME ON JOHN - PICK UP!)
And the world will live as one

-Nicholas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYXKaAzEJrk

Here's a great video I found starring a homeless man with two singing Kermits singing Under Pressure by Queen! Oh how I wish some frogs around the house got off their green buttocks and do something useful once in a while!

Happy Birthday to the Best Sister One Could Ever Have!

I woke up today to a surprise on my bedside table, with a message on a post-it for me.

"I wanted to beat everyone to it! Happy birthday Melissa!"


A Gift To Be Given
A short story by Nicholas Lam

The time machine fizzled and crackled and out stepped three figures. One was wearing a shirt and a vest that made him look like a pure nut head, another wore a spacey romper complete with circuits running all over his torso. They both looked as if they had just come from a fancy dress party.

The third, of course, was undoubtedly me. I had travelled through time to bring my time travelling clones together for my sister’s birthday, and I must say, they did put in a little effort in finding cool gifts for my sister.

“What did you bring, Nicholas?” I asked Nicholas of the past. I was expecting him to pull out a great antique model of a ship later when Melissa was receiving presents. “Someone left Thomas Edison’s prototype light bulb at a bar, so I found it, but instead of leaking the information to the public, I’m giving it to Melissa.” He whispered like it was a great conspiracy against the public.

“That’s what I did too, but I leaked it on the Internet before I brought it here. Evading crime with time travel, high five, Nicholas!” Future Nicholas said, high fiving Past Nicholas.

I remember stiffening at the thought of Melissa receiving an invention a thousand years old and the same invention, which was still a thousand years in the making. But by now, it didn’t make much of a difference.

Melissa shook Past Nicholas’ present in glee, to which there was a crash inside the box. Melissa froze, putting the gift down beside her gently. Future Nicholas presented her with his present, which she shook, and to her delight, nothing broke.

Then I gave her my gift, and hugged her for a long time. “My gift to you is friendship, Melissa! And as far as I know, it’s awesome to be friends with me!”

Ribbons Undone

I woke up to this Surprise Video yesterday morning, and the smile just never left my face! I'm still smiling! And the video's playing on loop! The girlios Mimi and Kimmos just left for their exams... Mimi's off to another Music performance, and Kimmo's off to sit for (to quote her...) "a very easy, no problem-o exam that-can-be-done-with-my-eyes-closed"... Alright, Kimmos! I'm sure they'll do fine!

Now back to my special surprise video! ;) I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!! It was a huge surprise for me because it contained never-before-seen footage of the kids and their antics!!!

<3

Yol

Girls, girls, girlios! Froggy-o's!

My pretty pair was running about home today :) Seeing our lil doggy dame up and about and full of life brings sweet relief! The poor lil pup was wheezing and coughing pretty badly just a few days ago, but thanks to the girls' speedy action, she's back on her paws! And fast, too! They've sure put the bark back into the dog!

Kimmy's resplendent as always, even in her PJs!!!

Gotta love these girlies! Check out the lil pink ponytail Chloe's sporting!

Also, I've added five lil orange fishies to my Tank of Happiness! They do add lots of life to our kitchen! Things are going juuust swimmingly, even with the old angelfish being calm and serene! The new Famous Five Fishies are really going at it, darting about like that!!! I love feeding them, they always seem to be hungry! And smart, too! They always get swimming when they catch sight of me! :D Now who said fishes had 5-second memory spans! That miiight apply for frogs, though! ... Heard that, Ollie Kodok Frogobo?


Love,
Yol

Mimi Darlin', Pretty of The Forever!

My Pretty-of-the-day!

MIMI DARLIN'!

Look at that cheeky grin! Nothing much has changed, other than your size, Mimi! Your smile and the glint in your eyes still belie that precocious (but precious) girlie you've always been!


Now I need Melly to show me how to work this scanner, I've got these huge stacks of albums named "MIMI" that I have to scan and upload... You deserve a big feature, gal! ;)'

Here's a song dedication, just for you you you!



Love
Your Momma

CLUTTER-FREE BUTTERFLIES

Where has all the clutter gone!

You'd never have guessed that the Amazing New Addition to our living space is sitting pretty on MEL'S DESK!!! It was ever so ... cluttered and ... filthy just this morning!

All it took was the doorbell and my shout of excitement "MEL DID YOU ORDER AN IMAC?!!"

and ... UP Mel jumped, out of bed (at noon, mind you) and straight to the living room where I had to put my foot down and make sure we had her desk cleaned out before we could put this beauty on it!

EVERYONE WALKED INTO THE HOME, TOOK ONE GLANCE (EYES WIDENING), AND RAN TOWARDS IT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WASN'T THEIR IMAGINATION.

"OH MY GOD" the kids shouted without fail, upon laying eyes on it. Aww kids.

WE WERE ALL TAKEN BY SURPRISE!

What a shocker! The screen's ever so big! We had all gotten used to the teensy screens on our laptops... and after all the trouble with Nick's laptop and the ol' Vaio (served us well, ol' dame!)... this is DEFINITELY a welcome treat!

Check out Nick and me... had to feed him his spaghetti-and-meatballs just cos he was so keen on getting his hands on the magic keyboard and magic mouse (that's really what they're called! cos they're wireless, i think. they run on batteries and that's pretty cool...)

One of these days I must do a post about my secretary days... livin' it up and playing boss around the office, being treated like a princess ;) and my MANY TYPEWRITERS!!! If iMacs had been around, I'D HAVE HAD ONE! I always had the latest typewriter! I still have one, and Kim's prettied it up with her signature peony flower embellishments!

I'll post that once she gets home with that iPhone to take a picture! Oh, we're such Apple freaks now. Trouble is, how can I tell these kids to get down to work when I can't pull myself away from this pretty pretty thing! Haha, take a queue number, kiddos, your momma's gonna have her go at the computer first ;) Momma's privilege!

"You guys had better keep the keys white!" I warned.

Previous encounters and a recent unfortunate incident involving water and a certain mobile device have left me with enough experience to foresee any potential stains, damage, or fuss. The kids know they're never gonna get away with any fusses around here!

Anyway... OHHH THESE KEYSS... THE HUGE SCREEN... THE SOUND SYSTEM...

Caressing the white keys
Yol

Daddy's Fifty-Second!

Hello, everyone!

It's me Nicholas, writing a beautiful blog post on behalf of mother... As usual. Things have been real snappy around here in Jurong. National Day, Ben's Birthday, Grandpappy's Birthday and now Dad's birthday! My oh my, I've never seen such a cluster of joyous events!

I went out with Benjamin today to get presents for good old daddy, and boy did we take care of that assignment! I was really proud of myself for surviving out in the wild for three hours, how proud I was indeed!

Daddy's real happy with his presents, and we're real happy that he's real happy. Now that he's sleepy, we're all sleepy, too! So I guess I'll sign off here, 'cause ninjas are just stealthy pirates!


Lovingly,
Nicholas
Guest Writer

Benny Boy

So my Big Boy Ben gets a year older today!

HAPPY TWENTY-THIRD YEAR OF GOOD LIVING, BEN! Brings a tear to my eye when I think of everything you have achieved! :') --> see! a tear!

Found this tune which I was actually tracking down for my own birthday just a few weeks back. Couldn't spot it on YouTube the other day, but hey! Found it today, and just in time for your birthday too! So it must be meant for you, my boy! Click play to enjoy, Ben! ;)

More tonight after the PARTYYY!

Your momma and friend forever
Yol

HAIR!

GUESS WHO'S THE NEW GIRL IN TOWN (to take a dig at that redhead Wendy, who's always flooded over anyway)

MOI, folks, moi!

Decided to take a break from my house responsibilities, and trotted down to my fav stylist. Here ya go, a new Yolly Anna!

Gee whiz, sure am enjoying myself, it really is true that the hair makes the girl... I feel like flitting about in vanity ;) but a mom's job must go on! (and on and on and on and so on... and on... ya get the drift)



Dance along!
Yol

I found a reason...

A little night music for y'all!

I've been pottering about all day and phew, nothing gets you energised and refreshed like good music so here goes...

YOLLY ANNA'S WONDERFUL PLAYLIST FOR THE FIRST OF AUGUST!

Here's to an Awesome August!

Cheerioz,
Yol

Thoughts and a Pretty Lil Thing

These are trying times, my friends, but I know that when I look back on these days someday in the future, we'll just laugh this off as just another one of those silly things that life throws at us every now and then.

The atmosphere at O.A.R. isn't as it used to be. The staircase where once the pitter-patter of little feet could be heard has been reduced to emptiness. People and friends have moved out, or moved away, or moved on.

Still, I will always remember the good old days with the games, fun, and lighthearted afternoon jokes.

Then again, when one door closes, another opens, and I've found such joy and fun in my own little corner of the world here at Westwood. Where once I had my little-girl friends and fancies, now I have my kiddos!

As always, Kipling puts it best. (The wise man, not the bag brand ;) although BOTH have their ways of keeping me sane!)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise...

Then you'll have lived the best way you can.

Keeping my head,
Yol

Here's another version of Secret Garden (a whole different one from the one above!)





Be merry, my friends! FOR IN GREATER AND HAPPIER NEWS (now that the pensive mood is over), MY LIL'EST DAUGHTER KIMMY DARLING IS IN THE NEWSPAPERS!!!

Flip on over to Page C8 my friends! C8! GET YOUR COPIES TODAY!

If you ain't in the country, here ya go! Lookie here!

PRETTY OF THE DAY: KIMMY!

Things are what you make of them!

I was spending my days with my demons, yeah
They had taken up inside of my heart
They were trying to keep me entertained
They were tearing me apart

Well my memory, she was packing, yeah
And I knew that she would never come back
She handed me a letter and
Then she vanished in the black
And the letter said:

Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them, baby
And you know what I mean
Yeah, you know what I mean

Well I met up with my common sense
And I knew her by the rose in her hair
She said: Son, if you don't make a noise
God will never know you're there

So I purchased me a ticket, yeah
For a meeting with Jesus Christ
He shook my hand and offered me
Just this thimble of advice
He was telling me:

Things are what you make of them . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOLLY ANNA!

"MELLY MELLY MELLY, QUICK! GET THE INTERNET WORKING!" I shouted at my snoozing daughter this morning.

"C'MON MOM" came the reply.

"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE... WON'T ANYONE GIVE ME CREDIT FOR THAT?!"

"ONE YEAR OLDER... YOU'RE INDEPENDENT! CONGRATULATIONS!"

So began my birthday... marking X decades of living ;) age is but a number, guys!

Will you guys still love me when I'm sixty-four? (A long way away, but hey, while there's a song about it!)





With the way today seems to be progressing, I DOUBT I'LL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHETHER OR NOT I'LL STILL BE LOVED ;)

FEELIN' LOVED ALL DAY LONG! <3
Yol

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS PLANNED!!!

Ship, take us away from here!

Carriage, take me with you! Ship, steal me away from here!

Mel's been sharing some reading and we've both particularly taken to those lines! Don't they just encapsulate the very spirit of freedom and travel!

... and those lines proved powerful enough to get even the laziest of kids up and moving on one of the laziest of days. THEY BOTH WENT SAILING!

Well... not exactly, not before a lil hairstylin'!

COS BEING BEAUTIFUL IS ALWAYS TOP ON THIS LIL MAN'S LIST!

Day concluded with dinner on Milly at the mega-mall!

Had a great day! Not every day you get a whollleee afternoon off to do whatever you fancy!

Whee!
Yol

P.S. In other news, my Mom's back home and well! Does that call for another song dedication?

That one's always a classic!

Now for something new! There's always space for New!

Wavin' flag!

Frog and I just hangin' out with the crew on one of our lunch dates on a recent Flaunt it Friday! In the mood for Flauntin', I bought the lil guy some new clothes! "OOOH EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES NO LONGER!" he shrieked in glee. Love making the little ones happy!

He looks totally cool in his rompers, for the record!

And to prove his newly-acquired macho style (everyone thinks his new look sorta channels Simon Cowell, the alpha-male), he stayed up to catch the World Cup Finals. He held those green eyes wiiide open, that's for sure!

The World Cup just drew to a close yesterday morn', and I was immediately updated by a very excited Nick and Frog.

So in celebration of this once-in-4-years event, here's the original K'naan song, Waving Flag, which was adapted for the World Cup anthem this year!

Aaaand, speaking of flags...

JOY IS THE FLAG, FOLKS!

Couldn't find a clip with singing and lyrics and all!

Wavin' flag!
Yol

He is rich, who owns the day, and noone owns the day

A dedication to my mom, whom i spent the WHOLE DAY with today!

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with
your old nonsense.

This day is all that is
good and fair.
It is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on yesterdays.
- Emerson

GET WELL SOON, MOM!

Love,
Yol

P.S. GRANDKIDS VISITING SOON! (WATCH OUT!)

BACK TO SCHOOL TREATS!

WHAT CAUSED THIS STRANGE, STRANGE EXPRESSION ON MY LIL GLEEFUL MAN'S FACE?... OH IT CAN ONLY BE JOY JOY JOY!

After all, it is not every day that one's littlest kiddo gives the whole family a treat out at an amazing theme park!

Our trip was a treat from my favourite little big man NICKY! He won tickets for us to be teleported into a world of monsters, and dancing animals and ogres and talking donkeys and mummies (of the wrapped-up sort) and rides galore!

Who said 'back to school' meant the end of the fun!

Next stop: DISNEYLAND??


;)

Keep ya fingers crossed, kids! (and frog!)

Away crafting,
Yol

(You may have noticed that my posts have taken a liiiiiitle bit of a break recently, and they aren't coming fast and furious that much anymore. Well it's all for good reason, actually... with all the yarn that Mil's treated me to, it'll be awhile before I can properly leave the craft room for more than a few hours at a stretch! IT'S A'CALLIN' OUT TO ME NOW!

Well, will post picture pretties for the feasting of the eyes soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE PRETTIEST PRETTY TODAY!

TODAY'S PRETTY: BIRTHDAY GIRLI KIMBI-BIMBI!

AIN'T SHE JUST A DOLL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIMBO!
She treated us to a tune or two (and an encore... and an encore-encore... we can't get enough of her!) before her bedtime (yes, the lil gal still religiously gets her 10pm beauty sleep... BEAUTY SECRET!)

My birthday video!

A great gift put together by my creative daughter, melissa...

Alfred's Birthday Video!

Today, I came across a big box of birthday memories... Mostly videos made by the darling Melissa, actually. Some drawings from Nicholas, and nice little crafts from Ben!

Then Nick came along, and asked me, "Why don't you put them on Youtube?"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1gtMryzaI

My hands are just itching to get crafty wit Milly's new buys... YARNS, NEELES, EVERYTHING A GIRL COULD EVER NEED/WANT/DESIREEEEEEEEEEEEEE so... just a lil filler!
Yol

To Alfred, Forever Young!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ALFIE!

May God bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

The gang headed out to hunt for the perfect pressies... and I knew just were to find the very thing that would trigger a happy nostalgic trip! Aramis cologne for Pops, along with other goodies (good food, mainly, and new clothes!)

Fun fun fun with my lil 'uns!

We also caught Toy Story 3... hmm... curious that an ANIMATED movie about TOYS - TOYS!!! - could bring a tear - okay, tears - to my eyes!!! !!!

Good movie!

Father's Day this year sure was cool ;)

Now to plan Kimmy's sweet sixteenth... Good ideas comin' through, and we're only halfway through our plans!

BE PATIENT KIMSY, AND DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO HUNT FOR HINTS AROUND THE HOUSE! YOU KNOW YOU AIN'T GONNA FIND ANYTHING, WE'VE GOT THINGS UNDER WRAPS AS ALWAYS - EVERY YEAR! YOU'D THINK YOU GUYS WOULD STOP TRYING TO HUNT FOR CLUES BY NOW!!!

OH, AND KIM'S ROCK STAR BABY BIRKINS ARRIVED TODAY! Door bell never sounded sweeter!

More photos next time!

Putting the final stitch on a crafty lil something for a great green frog!
Yol

Daddy Daddy, quite contrary...

A Fathers' Day Poem by Nick:

Daddy Daddy quite contrary,
how do your children grow?
Such table manners,
No slurping or moulding of dough!

Daddy Daddy quite contrary,
you're the best of all.
Making time for all of us,
And making sure that we all have a ball!

With only good wishes for the hero in our lives...

Yol

Benji's shopping escapades!

Benji got his regular nightly grocery fix at the 24-hour mega-supermarket at Jurong Point last night!

This boy really knows where to get the good stuff. Within minutes of zippin' around the aisles, he had his cart full of all the stuff on his shopping list. WAY TO GO, BIG BEN!

Just a little note to let you know how amazing you are!

Lovingly yours,

Momma Yol

They Paved Paradise...

Nick's been a'singing again! Such a riot every time he gets a new recording done!!! Love his voice! We've grown so fond of this lil dude that we decided we HAD to capture his voice (on tape... or ... in these Digital Times... on GarageBand) before Age gets him first!!!

Employed the ever-helpful Nick, Kim and Mel to help in putting this up on YouTube and all the techy stuff...

GET A'CLICKIN ON THAT PLAY BUTTON NOW, FOLKS!

In Love with my lil boy!
Yol

The Call

My latest earworm, folks! 'The Call' by Regina Spektor! The result of a great afternoon watching The Chronicles of Narnia with my boy Nickynick!!!

Ah, the joys of the holidays! Best time of the year, we look forward to this mid-year break every year!!!

And year after year, we spend a few days lazing about in front of the telly!!! So many good channels with so many shows to catch up on and so LITTLE TIMEEEE!

Stretching-and-yawning-in-general-laziness,
Yol

melissa

melissa is wonderful, friendly and funny and adorable and charming. When we're together, we laugh and then laugh some more and even more when her frog's around.

this post is by my special son, Ben Lam, who turns 23 this year and enjoys the simple things in life. Ben simply adores Melissa and is always in awe of his amazing sister.

DREAM A LIL DREAM

Once, there was a girl. She was twenty and traveling the world!

Hey, world, that girl was me!



Then, there was a mom. She had four kids and took them to see places.


Heads up, folks! That mom was me!

Now, if you come round to Westwood Ave, you'd find a mom with FIVE kids, one doggy, and she has plannnnsss to take them places!



We were just dreaming up Dream Travel Destinations - Mimi now wants to go to Warsaw, Poland, Nick wants to go to Legoland and Tin Tin Museum (Germany???), Milly just wants to be EVERYWHERE, Kim just wants to go where everyone else wants to go, BJ just wants to be by my side, Alfie's got his eyes set on Denmark, I'm just happy dreaming up dreams!

And Milly's halfway through her TV project for school and she found this song:

Ben's kinda into it so I'm just puttin' it up here so he can sing along and all!



Brings back good memories of my own travels LONG AGO!!! (Now where are those old albums...)

By the looks of it, Mils and her Amazing Linkin'-Cities Skills will be put to the test once again very very soon! (A wedding is brewin' in Oz, and Mims has Music Pursuits in London... I'M KEEPIN' MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT THEY ALL GET TO GO!)

Ah, the days of Skype calls and BE CAREFULs and DON'T-GET-LOSTs!

We had a 'bowl' of a time (can't get enough of that pun) at the Chevron tonight! Nick's on his way to bowling stardom! Hahahhahahahhahahahha... The rest of us... well let's just say we had a great dinner! Good times always!

Smiles smiles smiles at night
Yol

Feels like today!

Phew, after yesterday's amazing morning thrill of seeing myself and reading my words in the daily newspaper, wow. I may have been even more thrilled than I normally am by Nick's writings appearing!

Well just a nice easy Friday today, laidback and carefree! Just the way my Benjiboy and I like it, watching videos on YouTube and living it up!

And we're awaiting treats from Mils and Kim, who are off to see the wizards! The wonderful wizards of Oz! :)

What can I say - God blessed the road that's taken us this far! So off on the yellow brick road of Life, all of you! :)

Kids, if you guys are checking this out on your phones (as I trust you regularly do!!!!) here's a big virtual hug! Love to all, wherever you are! (Claim real hugs when you guys get back!)

Hurry home, homies!

Speaking of roads... my dreams (for Singapore)... etc.... HAHAHA... Here's my wish for YOU KIDDIES.

My wish for you, lovelies, is that this life becomes all that you want it to...
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
This is my wish!

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything,

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
This is my wish

All smiles,
Yol

Stitches and colour...

Pretty of the night: Milly's Gollywolly, Matilda!

Uploaded this prettysome lil girl on Facebook the other day, but clean forgot to write a blog entry on her! Well she sure deserves a whole post dedicated to her existence since first of all, I made her with love, and secondly, not many little girls like black dolls! THEY ARE AFRAID OF THEM, IN FACT! Hahaha! My Milly was different! She really wanted a gollywog... come to think of it, I have no idea where she got the idea of having a gollywog, but she did mention it, and gollywogs don't come easy here in Singapore, so I stitched her one myself! She helped out with the head and parts of the arms and body and ... but you know how 9-year-olds can't stick around on projects very long!!!

Well I thought that Little Matilda definitely deserves pride of place somewhere in the home!

So out she came from the closet-of-wonders that Milly stashes all her treasures - not junk, she insists, whenever I ask her to clear it out!

I'm still casting a proud glance over at Matilda every now and then as I potter about the house!

Here's a dedication to ten years of colourful livin', Matilda!



Nightynight, dream of pretty things!
Yol

Crafty crafty hands...

Got crafty last night... SCRAPS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL! (Ah, that phrase brings back great memories of my scrapping adventures 20 years ago...

I made this little teapot coaster last night on a whim... It's made out of scraps from beautiful fabric I've been collecting over the years! (Look closely, that's the shape of my hand! HAND OF THE CRAFTER!) Try completing a little quilting piece with two jabbering kids perched hands-on-chins on your bed watching you... Ack! You gotta be made of tough stuff to be a mom! Gone are the days when I had too much time to fill with solitary work... Now I've got to fight off little gremlins, needle in one hand, and one hand holding them back!!!

Completed this little piece nonetheless, and really, the satisfaction from completing a little project neverrr gets old!

As I type this, Lil Nicholas is at the breakfast table with his daily read... Never seen an eleven-year-old so engrossed in reading! (Not since the Time of Mel, that is, but hey, that's eons ago, and the girl hardly reads anything now - at least, not the news!)

Amazed at how time flies (DECADES since I first picked up a needle, ONE DECADE since I last saw Mel read the papers from cover to cover),
Yol