A Pretty A Day

January Festivities

2012-01-16T03:25:00.005+08:00

Around the house there's been lots of festive cheer -- no, of course it didn't end with Christmas and New Year's, that was just the beginning!

And every year's a whole new year of celebration... Life is, after all, a party when you've got seven birthdays, various anniversaries (wedding, graduation, jobs and founding of business...), awards (that sometimes take us by surprise!), and the little day-to-day joyful events (new paintings, surprise gifts, new poems and prose, a Distinction on an essay, new books, fresh flowers...) OH THE LIST GOES ON!

But to start of the year in the usual way... JANUARY! The month of newness! New milestones to be met, new clothes to be had, new shoes to be broken in, new pots of plants to tend to, new new new things all around!

And one nineteen-year-"new" (let's not call her old, shall we ;)) gal we all love has got to be Miss Mimsy herself -- AMELIA!

Aren't we all just so excited for this girlie's future! She's scored herself too-cool grades on her final exam that just blew me away! And everything's definitely coming up roses.

Fingers tightly crossed that 2012 will take her to new heights! (Well, not literally, because this one's a little petite ;) but you know what I mean! I meant success heehee...)

To Mimsy, who turns 19 on January 18... We're just getting started with the fun! Hang on to your bonnet, young lady, you're in for a ride! Happy birthday, girlie in the middle ;)

And just a little cute tune to wake up to... 'I Remember' by Indonesian band Mocca! And the girls and I recognise it from the soundtrack of one of our favourite Korean dramas!

I've got a lot to remember :) Like... waking those kiddos up for a fresh week at school... in just about 24 minutes!

And a new day begins!

Love and peonies!
Yol

P.S. Speaking of peonies -- the flower that is oriental art in every way -- I've got to get Kimmy to work her peony magic on some of my ornaments... That girl's so good at drawing and painting them!

Christmas past, Christmas present ;)

2011-12-26T06:43:00.015+08:00

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." -- Edith Sitwell

Oh Edith Sitwell, in that quote alone she's just described my Christmas holiday! If you replace "winter" with "Christmas", there you have my Christmas!

This year we decided to do something different, and now that the kids are mostly not-so-much-kids, they're all great to travel with, and looking up the flight routes on the internet got me all excited -- how could I resist...

I'll let the pictures do the talking cos if I talk I may never stop!

Thank goodness for great travel companions -- the whole troop of 'em!

My presents to the girls this year -- matching rings made of Buffalo horn. It is believed that the power of the bull is found in its horn, and the wearer of anything made from the horn will inherit its power. Nail-polished fingers are crossed that this is true, because the New Year holds great things!

Phew, if there's one thing that we'd all agree on, it's how fast time flies! And boy has this year gone by all too quickly :)

Looking back...

It's been a good year in my books, an eventful year, and from now things can only get better going forward.

Say, did I mention that 23 December marked our 26th wedding anniversary? Well it did!

Here's a photograph!

And this is it, folks! Here's to 2012 ;)

Your resident magic mom
Yol

Letter to my eldest daughter on her 20th birthday

2011-10-01T05:49:00.012+08:00

With Love to my daughter, Mel - 01 October 2011

On turning 20 ...

As you explore this big wide world of possibilities, remember to keep your eyes and ears wide open. Be kind always. Love freely. Take care of every creature. Tell the truth. Always do your best. Listen to the big people and the little people. Explore new paths and have fun. Remember that you are always loved and give thanks for all your blessings. Above all else, love and you will do wonderful things in this world!

Just me,

Omi

Just some little snapshots of the days leading up to and the day of your birthday and our garden party!

And Melly writes about turning 20 on her blog... here! (Clicky clicky!)

All kinds of everything in August!

2011-08-19T02:13:00.009+08:00

August, August, oh how very eventful you've been! Well we've seen through all kinds of everything this month and we're only in the middle of it, aren't we?

The first of Everything: Our Big Beautiful Boy Ben turns TWENTY-FOUR! A ripe old age, that is! ;) And oh how far we've come, Benji...

Don't we all just love your forever-grin and your cheeky beady eyes...

Yup, that's Benji who's moved on from Playmobil to iPads and beer... hmm... ;) Don't worry, his cheeky antics are still right here...

Cheers, Big Boy!

And in case you were wondering what the occasion was... Our favourite guy Papa Alfie turns ... shh, don't say it! well, he turns a good age too! As he usually quips, "A blank page tells a better story!" Well I'm sure when it comes to his age, now he'll say no number is a better number! Well, ever the poet, Alfred!

And we don't do full family portraits very often, do we? So right up there gracing the very top of this post, our happy family in its full glory! Seven's the magic number, folks!

There you go -- all about my busybusy August!

Dollin' up and loggin' out,
Yol

Kimmydoll: some years ago and at present

2011-07-21T08:47:00.006+08:00

Oh Kimmydoll, she's exactly that -- a downright doll!

I still recall excitable ladies and big girlies all squealing over my little walking talking dolly and asking for permission to pose with her under the giant Christmas tree they put out every year at the Ngee Ann City Mall!

And my, how Kimmy's grown!

mmmm and here's a suitable musical dedication to my littlest grown up musical doll! :)

one proud momma,
yol!

Oh very young...

2011-07-04T00:42:00.002+08:00

"Mom, where is that book with Sunday boots and Working boots and the Johns?"

Tssk, kids, remember everything! I knew it was somewhere in the house, the book they were so adamant on getting their hands on again (and I knew they would demand storytime - mind you, they're in their teens!)... and of course I had to prove my Mom Powers by producing this book from thin air -- oops, I mean from the depths of the bookshelf, of course ;)

Melly enthusiastically joined me in my hunt, of course she wanted to claim full glory after she fished it out from the back of some hardcovers. We all know Momma knows best, anyway, so I left her to bask in her solitary glee.

We spent awhile reliving the tales of their childhood... All the familiar friends and faces were back!!! So here you have him! The good ol' working man with his Working Boots!

Gosh, these little pictures bring back so many memories... And it's a wonder how one good volume of amazing stories can have such great effect on the kiddos... I'd say they all grew up very fine, even if I say so myself!!!

And little Janet! Who was still called Girl John by her brothers because all of them were named John and it was a good honest name! Indeed! Why didn't I name Nicky that? John! A jolly good name :)

And the boy with his little fig tree that he received as a birthday present! Oh, a touching story if anything! The boy ate the leaves one by one because he was sure that the leaves would make him grow. The years passed, the boy grew taller, the fig tree did not. Dad threatened to take the tree away, but the boy did not allow it. "Give it one more chance, it's my tree, after all," he said. And they gave the tree one more chance - just one more. And the fig tree did not say anything, but the next week it got two new leaves, and the boy did not eat the leaves. He dreamed a good dream when he went to bed that night - he dreamed that the tree was taller than his dad, taller than the house, taller than every thing! And there were figs, juicy figs, sweet figs, falling all over the lawn :) It just makes me smile!

Oh, and the little boy whose naughty little secret scared three large, fierce giants!!!

This is probably the story that inspired Kimmydoll to go about hugging unsuspecting strangers -- AND HER DAD -- when the girls had the chicken pox!

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim blue fading up to the sky

And hey diddle diddle, this lil kitty played the fiddle, and he graces the cover page of the kiddos' favourite book! This is a family treasure for sure ;) we will keep it well!

Smiling in the night
Yol

Happy Fathers' Day!

2011-06-19T10:39:00.003+08:00

A contribution from my soulmate and best friend, Alfred, to our favourite Pudge.. It was submitted to ST Life for Dads:

The best thing about being your Dad, Nicky, is the everyday opportunity to make each other’s day just by being with the one we love! I can lead the way, but you're making your own path. We may not be two peas in a pod but boy, opposites do attract, and I'll always be proud of you, my son!

Me and my son, Nicholas Lam.

Happy Fathers' Day Alfred!
Yol

My Gypsy Girl

2011-06-12T13:13:00.003+08:00

My Gypsy girlie Melly with her camera.

What can I say to a wordsmith?

After all, her own papa famously wrote in a book he presented her when she was sixteen, "A blank page could tell a better story". (Yup, I'm proud to have married an unwittingly witty man hahahahaha!)

Perhaps in song...

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I know how Melly usually prefers the original version of old songs, but I think we both agree this rendition has a nice tone to it ;)

What can I say? Gotta love Melly!

Love, love, love,
Yol

I just wanna...

2011-05-19T22:43:00.005+08:00

Mother's Day this year was life-changing, what was meant to be a happy day tainted by the sudden news of my pa's passing, but here's a little something my littlest girlie Kimmy said to me that night...

"I just wanna be the one who makes you Happy..."

It is by far one of the sweetest utterances said to me... ever! :) Through the sadness of the moment, I had to smile and remember that all was not lost, and Her Royal Sweetness definitely brought a tear to my eye!

There she is right there in one of my favourite pictures of her at the moment... because she's such a photogenic girl, I'll soon have so many more favourite pictures! Looking ethereal, as always... that's my Kimmy Doll!

:)
Yol

May 12: No more longing; A final passage

2011-05-13T00:52:00.000+08:00

Despite the overtone of grief and solemnity, I was happy to see so many people whom Pa loved, and who loved Pa, gathered in the place where so many of our firm friendships formed: 95A Old Airport Road. It all felt like things had come round full-circle.

Everything that has transpired from 8 May, the day Pa returned to our Heavenly Father's arms, and today, when we walked with him one final time, has definitely changed us all. I am glad that things went smoothly, and that we were able to pay him a good final tribute through our nightly prayers and a meaningful mass. All his grandchildren had a part to play in Pa's mass. I remember him enjoying their little show-and-tell sessions, whether they were performing a music piece or reading off a book, and I imagine him smiling in the company of angels as he watched their last earthly gift to him.

The walk down the aisle of the church had much meaning for me. Twenty-six years ago, Pa proudly walked me down the same aisle, wearing his grey safari suit, to present me for marriage. Yesterday, I joined my family, his grandchildren in tow, and walked him down the aisle, to present him to heaven.

Mel delivered the eulogy. Here's Melissa's tribute to my pa:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts, and lives through many ages.

In his time, Andrew was a friend, a brother, a husband, a father, a father-in-law, brother-in-law. To us, he was grandpa. We always hear so many stories about grandpa when he was younger, but of course we only knew him in more recent years.

People we meet always say that Grandpa was strong and tough, and Grandma has a photograph of Grandpa hunting to prove it. He is standing with a huge gun, with one foot on a dead wild boar.

He rode a motorcycle and had a revolver because he was a policeman. Of course, I always thought that this was the picture of cool.

But to his grandchildren, Grandpa was mellow and gentle.

For the 19 years that I have known Grandpa, I remember him most for his smile, because it was always slightly mischievous.

Grandpa always seemed to notice when I had just done something clumsy. At one mooncake festival party, I accidentally toppled a tray of mooncakes, and there Grandpa was, smiling at me with the twinkle in his eye. I always felt quite silly but he wouldn't say anything, so neither would I.

I imagine the same twinkle in his eye when as a boy, Grandpa escaped with his brother back to Singapore after they were sent to the Batu Pahat boys home in Malaysia. That must have been a great adventure.

If all the world's a stage, I'm honored to deliver this eulogy at Grandpa's curtain call.

Grandpa has played so many different roles in each of our lives. I am glad to have known him.

He will be remembered fondly by Grandma, his children, and all of us as a generous man who bought durians by the baskets and always loved a good meal. On his next great adventure, I wish him eternal happiness. Till we meet again.

The brother, who Pa ran away from the boys home with, passed away exactly one year ago. I'm sure they're off on some new path, which must hold more appeal than any path in our mortal world.

May God bless and keep you always, Pa.

I took a photo of my accessories for today. I will never look at this pair of earrings, this watch, this ring, this hairband, necklace... the dress that I picked... I will never look at them the same way again.

And a little dedication to my mother, Gloria, who should be glad to be alive, and learn to embrace life and live it like she should.

You see I'm just a little man, trying hard to understand
What kind of living is a life if I can't stand on my own two feet

You see we are looking for the same thing
And we are trying to survive
But I know each day in life don't get much easier than the last
So today I'm just glad to be alive

And I'm singing
Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, stay by my side
Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, I'm glad to be alive
Glad to be alive

I think that life is a blessing
And every step, every lesson
You want for love and protection
To those in me

To all my mothers and fathers
And all the angels and saints
I'm so glad to be alive

Seems like there's never enough time to do the things I wanna do
And it never ends
But at the end of the day I might not have no money to count or spend
But I know I can count on all my friends

And you call on me
See we are looking for the same thing
And we are trying to survive
And I know each day in life with you gets better than the last
So today I'm just glad to be alive

Yol

R I P My Dear Pa (1930 to 2011)

2011-05-09T02:21:00.003+08:00

My father, Andrew Loh aka Willie passed away this evening and I am very sad.

The memories I have of my father will always have to be the cool motorcycle rides he gave me daily to school during my secondary school days much to the envy of my friends ... I can still remember his license plate no. 2192 which won him the first prize in one of his regular weekend bets! With his winnings, he got mom a brand new kitchen and new terrazoo flooring. My pa is a very generous man. He bought us durians and mangosteens by the baskets.

Whenever I pass by the Police Academy in Thomson Road, I still have sweet memories of my annual trips with my pa to their sports carnival. We'd bring back home lots of little ice-cream cups and other take-aways but we'd never take part in the races. My pa's a quiet man ... a man of a few words but he always listened. The walk down the aisle on 23 Dec 1985 my wedding day must have been his proudest moment! He looked so handsome at 55 in his grey safari suit.

My pa loved good food and he's a great cook too, very proud of his fried Hokkien prawn noodles and always recommending us places of good and cheap food. I'll always remember his favourite Lor 9 beef noodles stall.

I will miss you pa and so will Alfred, Mel, Amelia, Kim, Nick and especially Ben.

May you rest in peace pa,
Yol

2011-05-07T13:24:00.004+08:00

Today is a special day, a special one indeed,

A day to thank our mamas like a knight his noble steed.

A day to adorn our mama's hands with gifts and presents galore,

To express our gratitude and thanks and how mama we adore.

Then we'll feast upon chicken and good food,

And we'll let nothing take away the joyous and carefree mood.

Because today is a special day, a special one indeed,

A day called Mother's Day as it is known internationally.

And so with this poem hopefully great food we shall earn,

While others sit by and watch her cook, hoping to learn,

Her magical spicy sweet and mouth-watering recipe,

But they won't cook as great a dish as Mama, says my bear Duffy!

A special Mother's Day gift from Nicholas and his company of companions

HAPPY EASTER! (MY 100TH POST!)

2011-04-26T00:32:00.004+08:00

I'm sure you can sense my excitement at reaching this sort-of-milestone in the blogging world: my 100th post! And what better thing to celebrate than EASTER!

Every Easter brings back memories of egg hunts and messy egg-decorating sessions where nobody left with clean fingers ... and the colour-stained t-shirts and walls after ... and of course, Easter parties!!! (Now I need to scour through our collection of photo albums for those pictures!!!)

This year, with the kiddos all "grown up", we had a sort-of-different Easter -- no coloured eggs and scrambles for hidden chocolate -- but every Easter's a good one and a reason to be thankful for being alive and believing!

Kiddos probably know this song best as the song from Shrek, but hey, before Shrek, there were... THE MONKEES:

A happy tune ;)

Also, I've been reading a little about Easter and this world never ceases to amuse and entertain!

Thank goodness for the Internet, I chanced upon this charming little tradition in Hungary...

(Photo by Attila Kisbenedek)

The tradition is called the "Watering of the girls", and this is how the 'Matyo' people of Hungary celebrate Easter! It's a fertility ritual that dates way back to Hungary's pre-Christian tribal history! That's CENTURIES ago! Whoa!

Speaking of believers...

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings
The six o'clock alarm would never ring
But it rings and I rise wipe the sleep out of my eyes...

Exactly what I'll have to be doing in just about five hours... Oh well! All the better to send the kiddos off to school early :P Hmm perhaps wake them up with a good Hungarian splash of water heehee...

G'night, everyone!

Yol

A dreamy little song, company for the night!

2011-04-21T00:41:00.009+08:00

I will live my life

As Alfred Lam's wife
On an island in the blue bay
He will take care of me
He will smell like the sea
And close to my heart he'll always stay

I'll bear three girls
All with strawberry curls
Melly and Mimi and Kim
While I'm combing their hair
I will catch his warm stare
On our island in the blue bay

Far away, far away
I wanna go far away
To a new life
On a new shoreline
Where the world turns blue
And the people are new
To another island
In another life

Doesn't this little ditty just make you want to jump up and dance? :) A great pick-me-up for a night such as this! I've been busy busy busy this whole day, what with activities all over our little island, and all the little ones to deal with!

Phew! But 12.47, the start of a new day, and the night is still young. Oh the laundry that awaits this happy momma... A lesser woman would shudder at the towering sight of it all!!!

Good night, good people, good night!
Yol

A look into the past!

2011-04-14T00:48:00.004+08:00

I was looking through some old photos when I came across this gem, which hadn't made it to the first cut when Milly first put the photos on Facebook. Why not! This was a caught-unaware moment, neither of us properly in position for the photo, all funny smiles and closed eyes too! As Milly aptly captioned, hey! - Behind every great guy, there's always... HIS MOMMA! ;) Yup, I'll gladly take my bow, I'm happy to say Ben's turned out okay and more! If you look closely, you'll spot a little dab of paint on his shirt... One of many, I'll have you know. These little spots used to irk me - NO AMOUNT OF WASHING POWDER'S GONNA GET THAT OUT, BIG GUY. But you get used to his little idiosyncrasies... the paint-spot quirk just joined the many he's chalked up over the years! Ah well, guess he's got an artistic streak :P

Great song Milly just shared!

Took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I'm getting older too

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe, well maybe, well maybe
The landslide will bring you down

Night, amigos!
Yolly

P.S. Mil's new blog's up here if you're up for a late-night read! Nick's right where he usually is, the funny little man ;)

Nicky's foodie adventures!

2011-03-13T00:27:00.002+08:00

Our little Nicky's growing up quick and he contributes to the local newspaper, The Straits Times! Recently, he's been given his own column in another newspaper, aimed at youths, and it's called 'IN'!

We're ever so proud!

Here's his first column for 'IN'!

(click on this image for a bigger view!)

The first reaction from my family the moment I stepped into the house with two Home Economics books and an apron was one of utmost shock. My father asked, choosing his words very carefully, “Nicholas, are you sure you didn’t buy the wrong books? Aren’t you all taking Design and Technology?”

“It’s not like we’re never taking Design and Technology, Dad, we'll be doing that next year,” I assured him, deciding that it was best to wait for Friday to find out what was happening from the teacher herself. “Boys just aren’t suited for this Home Economics business,” he mumbled to himself.

Friday arrived without much fanfare, and the teacher hustled us out of the classroom and up the four flights of stairs to the Home Economics room, telling us all to sit down in the crammed space before finally starting on the lesson.

Our first lesson was an introduction to the many different kinds of nutrients and vitamins, and how we can maintain a healthy diet by eating certain kinds of food. It was very informative and interesting. "No cooking disasters yet!" I thought, relieved. I'd survived it unscathed!

However my father’s tone and his words lingered in my mind. I felt the same way as he did about teenage boys handling stoves and knives. The images of boys with acne-dotted faces and dark hands worn from the many times on the inclined pull-up bars stooped over a frying pan was almost laughable from my point of view.

Our failure to get a decent grade for a simple tuna sandwich seemed only to reiterate my father’s point. My weak attempt looked more like an explosion on a plate than a sandwich, with cucumbers poking out of the sides and tomatoes half sliding off the plate. Dad's predictions proved accurate time and time again, and by the third week of Home Economics class, as I accidentally let a bowl of flour slip from my hands and sent flour all over the counter top, I was ready to throw off my apron with a cry of "Je renonce!" in the manner of a posh French chef, taking note to let the egg yolks spill onto the floor.

And the moment my partner pulled out the half-burnt cupcakes we had made, we knew we'd had it. We waved our dishclothes like white flags in surrender. The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but we sure could do without the actual cooking! It was also much to our absolute horror that Home Economics might just include sewing or embroidery.

Perhaps Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have made it big, but I prefer my dinners cooked by someone other than myself, or if I must prepare them myself, at least let them be a three-step process involving tearing packets, hot water, and three minutes of waiting time! Home Economics has proven quite an adventure so far. The occasional few might just succeed where others had fallen, but I just can’t wait till Design and Technology starts. Perhaps Dad will have something to say about that!

Kimmy on the flute!

2011-03-10T03:25:00.004+08:00

Kim on the Flute from Kimberly Lam on Vimeo.

Pretty of the day - Kimmy! She's applying for a music scholarship, and I hear competition's tough, but here's wishing her all the best! ;) Cheers, Kimmy, here's to success!

<3>

My Valentines and their timepieces!

2011-02-13T01:00:00.002+08:00

So the busiest hands at home were mine and Melly's, and we gleefully laid out our latest collection of Shinies to admire them, coo over them, make Mimi and Kimmy try them on, and oh, pretty much love them to bits!!!

I presented the girlios with their Valentine's Day pressies today! Couldn't wait for the actual day, and what better way to spend a Saturday night than to bask in the glittery glory of gems and pearls and jewels! Melly's almost done with her schooling days, too, and hey, these are great go-out-and-see-the-world-time gifts!

I bought each of the girls a special timepiece! Just looking at them made me think of our good ol' rabbit (hare?) from Alice in Wonderland! "Oh, I'm late, for a very very important date!!!" is such an oft-heard expression, especially from Melly. Late is an understatement! She'd wake up waaay past 3pm if I'd let her.

Mimi's delicate little pocket-watch, to match her classy style!

Melly's pocket-watch, complete with a little hidden skull (it's among the black crystals, and not immediately obvious! She was so thrilled to find it!)

Kimmy's pocket-watch which looks almost too sweet ;) suits her completely, I'd say!

And the boys? I'm sure you'll hear lots from them pretty sooooon!!!

Good night, pretties!
Yol

P.S. Got new shoes tooooo... Pictures soon, I suppose, once I can get them to upload! Where are my elves!

Once upon a December...

2011-02-10T23:05:00.024+08:00

Once upon a December...

WE MADE AN ISLAND LIFE FOR US!

Allllright, so we spent most of our lives on an island, but what better way to spend the festive season than to stray beyond our shores and find ourselves basking in the warmth of an island we had yet to explore!

So off we sailed, over the South China Sea, and there we found ourselves - on the shores of a white sandy beach! Such was our joy, and such was our Christmas ;)

Sure has been a stretch since my last post here on A Pretty A Day, but hey, the pretties just keep comin'! Every day's a pretty day, but some of the prettiest days of the year for us were in December, during our Christmas getaway on a certain island with white sandy beaches!

This ain't fiction, my friends, no matter how much of a dream it all seemed like! Here's our Pretty of the Year 2010, Kimmy, spotted just before we set sail on that very adventure-in-December...

Kimmy, spying with those gorgeous eyes, and probably teasing our lil Nick! Who, by the way, took it upon himself to thank our hero personally...

Here's Nick giving Papa Alfie, good ol' Daddio, a great big hug! It was his Christmas treat, after all! Gotta love papa!

Mimi, the regular entertainer, got up to her antics as soon as we were on our way!

Of course, who could resist the cool sunnies Kimmy bought specially for our trip!

Pucker up, sweets!

Yup, of coursseeee I knew we were off to a great start!

Here's Mimi trying to hide from the camera as usual! Of course she didn't manage to!

The Pudge peers from where he perches!

5/7 of us, oh, and a frog! Little green thing had the time of his life right there!

Right away, we went click-happy and took picture after picture!
Ben was thrilled by the wind in his hair, and so was I!

Naturally, the clear water, and the strong waves were such a hit with the kiddos! (And a certain Pudge flopped gleefully into the water, letting the waves carry him back to the shore, and then tossing him forward again. Hey, you gotta understand it's not every day that the Pudge gets "carried"... given his current size and weight, it's a wonder the waves could lift him at all! Goes to show those were pretty strong waves!)

The twilight must've had a touch of magic, and the bickering buddies Kimmy and Nick were getting all chummy and performing some sort of ... here's-the-sea-and-we're-happy dance!

Mimi, too, was all smiles, hamming it up for the cameras! Hmmmmm, a photogenic star, she is, that Mimi!

Annnnd of course we could count on Nicky to breathe in the salt-laced seaside air, toss his arms out with dramatic flair, and declare the sea blue and pristine and a wonder to behold, and that it was time to grab a bite ;)
Of course you can always count on our favourite little pudge to be in the mood for food!!!

There's so much more to talk about, including one of the highlights of the month, where Melly manages to have her glasses snatched off her face by ... you guessed it ... a wave. HAHA!!!

Been busy busy busy what with the rainy season just easing off, and finally being able to get all my laundry done! The sky and I, we hadn't been agreeing very much the past few weeks!

Also, purchasing accessories and bags galore for my girlies and I to play dress-up has kept me up on sooo many occasions! It's just suuuuch a thrill making purchases and receiving parcels! The courier guy's almost a friend now!

Winks and kisses!
Yol ;*

Itty Bitty Kimmy Girl!

2011-01-17T06:18:00.002+08:00

My itty bitty pinky princess Kimsy's all grown and just received her O-level results last week - a huge milestone that marks 16 sweet years of a beautiful girl!

She did amazingly well, and pretty much shocked us all! I was so nervous - even after promising myself to go the "que sera sera" way this time round - and when the phone rang with what was surely Kim on the line, I could barely hold it steady! And then I heard the sniffles! And I was petrified! But through the sniffles, "M-mom! M-mom! I've got A1s! All of them are A's and B's!" followed by unintelligible babble about her grades, but that's all I needed to know - the girl was happy! Joy to the world, I said!

She's all settled in the school she so desires, too. After all the nervous chiding (you should SEE her study ... she hardly ever touches those books), I'm glad to report that all is well!

Gotta love them kiddos!
Yol

Silver!

2010-12-23T21:19:00.004+08:00

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

2010-11-26T12:03:00.000+08:00

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!

2010-11-20T00:43:00.007+08:00

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

2010-11-19T01:26:00.002+08:00

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!

2010-10-31T12:26:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-10-21T14:14:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-20T10:01:00.001+08:00

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!

2010-09-30T13:24:00.002+08:00

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

2010-09-15T11:08:00.003+08:00

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!!!

Yol

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

2010-09-01T01:44:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-09-01T01:13:00.008+08:00

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

2010-08-18T01:08:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-08-14T00:28:00.003+08:00

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

2010-08-08T13:30:00.000+08:00

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!

2010-08-06T01:47:00.002+08:00

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...

2010-08-01T23:26:00.007+08:00

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

2010-07-30T12:21:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-07-30T11:25:00.000+08:00

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!

2010-07-24T15:10:00.005+08:00

"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!

2010-07-16T01:34:00.010+08:00

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!

2010-07-13T12:39:00.001+08:00

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

2010-07-08T00:49:00.003+08:00

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!

2010-07-06T09:24:00.007+08:00

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!

2010-07-06T00:44:00.000+08:00

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!

2010-06-27T01:58:00.001+08:00

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

Alfred's Birthday Video!

2010-06-26T01:14:00.007+08:00

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!

2010-06-21T23:50:00.001+08:00

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...

2010-06-19T18:06:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-06-17T11:30:00.002+08:00

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...

2010-06-15T09:27:00.000+08:00

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

2010-06-12T23:14:00.004+08:00

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

2010-06-11T10:22:00.002+08:00

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

2010-06-09T00:01:00.007+08:00

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!

2010-06-04T12:09:00.005+08:00

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...

2010-05-30T01:43:00.005+08:00

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...

2010-05-29T11:15:00.006+08:00

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

FOOOOOOOOOD: the key to ANYONE'S heart!

2010-05-29T10:31:00.006+08:00

Ideas in the kitchen with Alfie
Ideas in the kitchen for sure
Ideas in the kitchen with Alfie
Creative on the ol' coal stove!
(to be sung to the tune of Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah, darlins!)

Hahahahhaha! Every time Alfie hits the kitchen, there'll sure be an awesome feast! So we all knew we were in for a treat yesterday evening when he disappeared into the kitchen... And boy were we right! What a spread! Sweet sweet fish, fresh from the markets, omelettes, watercrest soup... That's just the beginning! Alfie's a real gourmet chef, as Nick would say.

Speaking of Nick, that little round man, here he is insisting on a picture with our fruit haul! Pineapples are fresh from the farms nearby.

Fruits are the best way to end a meal, that's for sure!

And, inspired by Alfie's creativity, and a lil recipe for awesome 'Chicken soup for the soul', I whipped this up for Mils the second she emerged from the room! Didn't use a drop of seasoning, but Mil's eyes flew open in awake-ness upon tasting the sweetness!

Your regular foodie,
Yol

New hideaways!

2010-05-28T15:04:00.004+08:00

So what could possibly be better than waking up in the afternoon on a public holiday! Alfred whisked off to get some good breakfast all the way from the market at Tiong Bahru.

We were all too excited at the sight of the spread to even think about taking photos!

Good morning coffee table talk and good food is definitely an unfailing combination!

The weather's pretty chilly today - as chilly as it can get here on the Equator, anyway - and as the skies outside threatened to open up, I put the finishing touches on my latest crafty project: Prettifying the Couch! With a little crafty action, the couch was reupholstered, complete with a lil brown cushion adorned with one of my crochet adventures!

Take a look at our very own new hideaway spot! I always surprise myself when I manage to create yet ANOTHER comfy space in our home. When I placed the cushion in its rightful place, I stepped back, arms akimbo, smiling at my own handiwork.

Not bad, eh? Even if I do say so myself!!

Of course, it only took a second for Milly to spot the new corner, and she promptly plonked herself down nice and comfy right there, putting an end to any further attempts at photography.

Thought this song would be apt for our nice new hideaway... a perfect song to listen to again and again and over and over on a day that threatens to be rainy like this one!

Content (and pretty prouda myself),
Yol

As told by Frogobo

2010-05-26T09:56:00.004+08:00

Phew, I'm finally settled down after a rather traumatic morning.

First of all, we were woken up late. By a very jumpy pair: Mel and Ollie. "MOM OMI OMI OMI!" they went, at a volume that could wake a hibernating bear (oh wow, Nick would love this expression!)

They then continued, "Omi omi, Mom! It's six, are you supposed to be up by now?" And they said this in a very calm and composed manner, you've got to give them credit for that. Then again, these two are NEVER up early, and so they wouldn't know that we do NOT in fact wake up at SIX. WE HAVE TO BE UP BY FIVE TWENTY.

So out I jumped from bed, very excited and very jittery, but still half asleep. EVERYBODY UP, QUICK, OUT OF YOUR BEDS, I shouted, the normal morning routine, but it gets me every time!

Mel set the little green frog on the dining table and off he went, blabbering and jabbering the way he does every time he hasn't got enough sleep or woke up on the wrong side of the cot.

"OH OMI you wouldn't believe the nightmare I had last night," he started rather loudly, rocking back and forth, his eyes darting about for attention. "OMI ARE YA LISTENING? Well I'll tell ya it started when..." he then burst into a very animated live commentary on the goings-on in our home.

"OH THERE GOES YOLLY, SHE'S MAKING A DASH FOR THE KITCH AND OOH THERE SHE GOES, SHE'S GOT A BIG BROWN PAPER BAG I THINK THAT'S MEANT FOR KIM AND OOH! OUT COME THE KNIVES AND DOWN COMES THE NUTELLA AND WOWZA YOLLY'S MAKING A NUTELLA SANDWICH AND OFF SHE RUNS TO THE FRIDGE A THREE-SECOND DASH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH THIS IS EXCITING AND OUT COME WHAT'S THAT - WAIT FOR IT - WAIT FOR IT - OH MY AN AVACADO AND WHAT'S SHE DOING THERE SHE'S GETTING CREATIVE AND OH MY THERE GOES THE LETTUCE AND OUT FLY THE BREAD AND WATCH THIS FOLKS ... ANOTHER SANDWICH THIS TIME FOR MIMI? SPEAKING OF MIMI THERE SHE RUNS NOW, STILL IN HER UNDERWEAR, WHAT'S SHE GOT IN HER HAND IT'S HER MASON PEARSON THE PRIZED POSSESSION OH SHE'S STATIONED HERSELF IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR AND OH SHE'S GOT A ZONED-OUT LOOK ON HER FACE AS SHE BRUSHES HER HAIR WITH SUCH VIGOROUS STROKES WOW THAT'S LUSTROUS HAIR AND I'D LIKE SOMMA THAT AND THERE GOES NICK OH MY HE'S STREAKING THROUGH THE HALLS AND OH MY GOD PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, BOY, YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE YOU DON'T WANNA BE LATE AND NAKED AND OH NO YOU'RE FAT TOO BUT HEY THAT'S COOL AND ALFIE'S FIRST TO THE DOOR HE OPENS IT GETS OUT AND OH! TURNS BACK - HE FORGOT HIS KEYS AND SLAM OH THE NEWSPAPER GET THE NEWSPAPER ALFIE AND OH! HE THROWS IT ONTO THE COUCH, SLIPS ON HIS SHOES, MAKES A DASH FOR THE CAR OH ALFIE HE'S THE HERO FOR TODAY AND OH NO HERE COMES KIM SHE'S GRUMPY "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S READY" SHE SAYS SHE GRABS THE SANDWICH FROM MOM AND SETTLES DOWN AND SHE'S TAKING DAINTY BITES AND OH MIMI REALISES THE TIME SHE'S GONNA BE LATE AND THE TELEPHONE'S OFF THE HOOK WE'RE DIALING FOR A TAXI MIMI DON'T WORRY DON'T WORRY YES HELLO TAXI SERVICE YES MIMI NEEDS A TAXI YEAH YES YES YES NOW THREE MINUTES? THREE MINUTES????? OKAY! OKAY!! MIMI QUICK, DOWNSTAIRS NOW! AND MIMI DASHES DOWNSTAIRS AND SHE'S PUSHING AT THE LIFT BUTTON AND TRYING TO MAKE IT CLOSE QUICK AND NICK RUNS OUT WITH HIS PENGUIN IN TOW, HIS BACKPACK SWINGING FROM HIS SHOULDER WOW THAT BOY'S GROWN FAST AND KIM'S NOT FAR BEHIND AND SHE'S YELLING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS WAIT FOR ME WAIT FOR ME AND MIMI'S NOT WAITING AND OH THEY'VE GOT THE LIFT OPEN AND MIMI DASHES DOWNSTAIRS OH NO TAXI IN SIGHT AND NOW WE'RE WATCHING THEM FROM THE WINDOW AND SHE LOOKS UP AND WE LOOK DOWN AND WE SAY HEY JUST GET INTO THE BUS INTO THE BUS INTO DAD'S BUS NOW AND SHE SAYS OKAY SHE RUNS INTO THE BUS SETTLES DOWN AND OH! HERE COMES THE TAXI ROLLIN' BY AND WE SAY NOOO AS MIMI RUNS OUT FROM THE BUS AND INTO THE TAXI AND OHHHHHH AS THE TAXI DRIVER SLAMS ON THE ACCELERATOR AND OFF THEY WHIZZZZZZZ. MEANWHILE, I'M HAVING SOME SNACKEROOS before... i ... go ... oh. goodnight... please and uh... and thank you."

So that was our morning as dictated by Ollie Kodok Frogobo, the cute polite little brat.

Yawns and coffee in the morn'
Yol

The littlest violin finds a friend.

2010-05-24T08:07:00.008+08:00

Once upon a time, there sat happy a great green frog with a great green grin. In his arms, he held a violin. It was the littlest violin. He had found it while exploring the dark and dangerous cupboards (much too high up to climb, Ollie, as I've warned many times...)

That great green frog surprised me this morning (again!) by somehow finding Mimi's old violin (the smallest violin!) and attempting to play it.

Oh Ollie, this makes up for all the silly things you've been up to these past few days!

And no, you may not eat the mushrooms downstairs. They aren't edible.

The lil guy won my heart all over again when he produced this frame with great fanfare (the bears and Gino the monkey were humming some grand tune), and said, "All I wanted was to be like Mimi!"

And there's my pretty darl' sittin' pretty with the littlest violin.

And that's the tale of how the littlest violin found a new friend (in a great green frog!)

Mornings are always good for stories
Yol

My Lil Flautist

2010-05-24T00:00:00.005+08:00

I'm particularly chipper this evening, especially since a sweet lil flautist came flittin' my way with her flute and her piccolo and her Chinese lute...

and serenaded me before she decided it was beddy-bye time (ever so punctual at 10pm, ain't that right Kim?)

She was particularly chipper too, it seems! And the cherry on the cake was her surprise on the piano. Now tell me this, is she talented or what! And we thought we had it good with Mimsy. Take a look at this, fellas, she plays over four instruments (five, if that reed counts hahahaha), and she's not even 16 yet!

So she may not be everything in the world of academia, but hey, she's my lil musical Kimsy! HAHAHA!

Will be a'postin' a video of Kim sometime soon, once she's free to help out with the techy things...

Tweedlybye
Yol

Scenes from an Everyday Living

2010-05-21T15:34:00.002+08:00

Nick and Thumper in ye ol' candy store.

Been looking through all the photos that the happy crew and I have amassed over the years. Boy, have we come far. But it's funny how when we reminisce, it's all the small things we recall - visiting that old furniture store where they had the roof-that-let-the-light-in, ice cream surprises, jelly-cakes for birthdays (decades ago!), first teddy bears and favourite dresses...

Here's a particularly apt song for my reflective mood! Hope you like it, wherever you are, whatever you're up to in Life!

if there’s one thing that I’ve noticed
out of all the things I’ve seen
it’s that you can leave a footprint
in a place you’ve never been

Kiddos, I sure know we've left footprints on one another's hearts!

Love always,
Yol

Queen of Nuts

2010-05-21T08:51:00.005+08:00

My friend Bryan (who started out being Mel's friend) wrote Milly a song last week! Here it is, on my YouTube channel - haha! My first video, but there'll be more.

And we spotted the good kid in the papers the other day... so today's pretty... Bryan 'Brybry'.

Made the above YouTube video with Kimmie Dear's help! She's staying home today (giving school a miss - you know she wouldn't mind that!) Kim, Nick and Mel have tickets for Gatz - a LOOOOONG production... how's EIGHT hours sound! It's based on The Great Gatsby, and the performers will read out the entire novel in about eight hours?

Now THAT really takes great awesome memory work!

Good-morning-by-the-window-ly
Yol

Gift of Music (cheesy but ... ah nevermind)

2010-05-21T00:12:00.004+08:00

BJ's got a brand new HiFi set, Alfie's surprise! He spent most of last night singing and dancing and reaaaaalllly having a go at it :D

He's evidently pleased, and so am I! Need to get Milly to burn more discs (ah, burn!) so we can make full use of this invention!

To end off with a few wise words from Mimi: "Let them eat cake," she quotes. "Mary Antoinette?" asks Mel. "The French Revolution," replies Mimi, "Wow. They make me wanna eat cake."

Wise indeed.

Sagely (okay okay, not quite!),
Yol

Adventures in solitude

2010-05-18T07:39:00.002+08:00

Less than forget but more than begun

These adventures in solitude never done

So Mils went on her very own solitary journey yesterday.

As a Mom, you learn that it isn't your duty to say 'no'. I've found that "Hmm... Alright, that's cool, you may wanna know however, that ... *insert cautionary message* ... but other than that, okay" works much more effectively.

Case in point: Mils requests (no, scratch that) Mils INFORMS me of her plan to cross the border.

Mils: Mom! YOU DIDN'T WAKE ME UP.
Me: You didn't leave me a post-it note. (She normally leaves me notes telling me to wake her up for school.)
Mils: I TOLD YOU TO!
Me: No note!
Mils: *fumes and takes a fierce bite into her nutella sandwich, settling down on the sofa already* (so much for waking up for school!)

30 minutes later,
Mils: Should I take the train? It leaves at 1.30 p.m. (Presumably the train in question is the train to Danga City Mall. At this point, I'm thinking: She can't be serious.)

I handed her my loose change (Ringgit) from our last trip (made YEARS ago).

"You decide. Take care, watch out for the cab drivers."

And all went well.

Lil guy was treated to good food all day long.

The happy duo ended up at City Square Mall in Johor Bahru. Cool! Earned shiny new stamps in their passports too (also cool)!

Well today's a new day, and it calls for new stories, but just to start the morning, another apt song by The New Pornographers: Myriad Harbour

I took a plane, I took a train (Ah, who cares, you always end up in the city)

Mils, take a train the next time round, sure will make for interesting travel!

Yours,
Yol

P.S. All song choices today were by Milly! They're now ... burned (still can't come to terms with this word) ... on a disc for me and Benji.

POEMS by NICK

2010-05-17T12:55:00.003+08:00

BALLOONS

My brother Ben, is twenty-three
But we get along, him and me.

He likes balloons, and I do too.
He says, "I'll bring them on adventures, this I will do."

He says every morning, he talks of his dreams,
His brain full of ideas is just bursting at the seams.

"They rocket through the stars, and they swim through the seas."
"When you were done, did you bring them for peas?"

He said no, he didn't bring them for peas,
But he did say that they sat down for tea.

FAMILY
My family is awesome,
They're all so cool.

We've got super powers,
And every Sunday, we visit the pool.

Mom can multi-task, she confuses us sometimes,
Is she in the kitchen, or fixing the blinds?

Dad tries to play the same game,
But I think this task was meant for a dame.

My three sisters, they're here and they're there,
In a game of hide and seek, it's just not fair.

My big brother Ben, he's there for me all right,
But I don't know how to make him sleep at night.

What about me?
Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

ME
One day, I decided that I shall write about me,
I shall discuss it this afternoon with my sister, over some tea.

"Make it descriptive, and it has to have a thick plot."
She ranted and ranted until there was no more tea in the pot.

So I started today, in a poetic fashion,
And I let my mind run free, my words filled with passion.

So, dearest reader, please enjoy,
This very book written by an eleven-year-old boy.

Poetically
Yol

Waiting waiting waiting...

2010-05-16T18:40:00.000+08:00

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Norwegian singers Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes, and Askil Holm perform U2's With or Without You so perfectly!

Speaking of waiting, I've been a'waiting for the gang to be home with Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak (the name says it all!)

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

The topic of waiting also brings to mind a play Mils mentioned - Waiting for Godot. Was so amused by the plot: two friends wait for a third friend who, by the end of the play, never arrives. Meanwhile, the two friends get up to hijinks aplenty!

Ooh, speak of the lil devils, here they are a'ringing my doorbell!!!!!!!

I've always been good with time ;)' that's something my lil Milly's gotta pick up soon though, she's terrible with time. Look at her desk - messy already after only one night of spick-and-span-ness. I suppose it's Mom to the rescue (again). Stay calm, Yol, stay calm!

Later alligators,
Yol

Why I Wake Early

2010-05-16T01:18:00.004+08:00

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who made the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety –
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light –
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.

(You can always count on Mary Oliver's poetry to lift my spirits!)
____________________

Why do I wake early?
To see the smiles on my children's faces
and to hear their singsong voices greet me
good morning.

I wake earlier still,
to have my slice of peace and quiet
before the nestlings get up and running
(but I'll miss them so when they fly the coop!)

I love waking up early to potter about the kitchen. Ask any of the lil ones, they'll tell ya that no breakfast is ever the same!!! ;)

Also, thought I'd share my latest earworm...

Whoopee-doo!
Yol

Now we're all footloose and fancy-free

2010-05-16T01:13:00.006+08:00

This post concerns big beds and big boys enjoying big beds (that aren't theirs, nyeh nyeh!) so if big bedframes and white-themed room-warming parties aren't your thing, then off with ya! ;)''''

No objections?

Then this post shall proceed...

Darn, this song sure makes me wish my name was Jane!

He tells her, I want to paint you naked on a big brass bed
with bright orange poppies all around your head.
And she says, Crazy old man, I'm not young anymore.
That's all right, he whispers, I've never painted before.

Such a sweet song!

Speaking of brass beds, we've got our very own Beautiful Big Bedframe now! Everything I've ever wanted! Never quite found the perfect one prior to this, but really, this is it! Perfection in a bed! :D

Am beaming about it, and oh I can't wait to hop right into bed but the Internet beckons! Gotta maintain my web presence, ya know! They say that if you Google yourself and Google comes up with nothing, then you're as good as non-existent!

Anyway, here's a peek!!!

Boys chillin' in da crib (it's a big one too!)

Had the whole room done up with a new chest of drawers too, just to complement the bedframe!!!

Pleased,
Yol

Photographs...

2010-05-12T09:56:00.003+08:00

So you've heard about the Leica... So feast your eyes, folks! Just one of my many Mother's Day pressies!!! Press the shutter and watch our lives unfold!

If you look closely, you get a glimpse of Benjiboy!

At the start of a beautiful new day,
Yol

Time

2010-05-12T01:35:00.002+08:00

Listen to the Legendary Freddie Mercury, everyone. Time waits for nobody.

(Milly's evidently finding out the hard way - for the hundredth time! Tsktsktsk... late nights late nights...)

Time is of the essence, and here's a nice beddy-bye song Mel just let me listen to.

Well Time waits for no man (and no girl either), so I'm off to bed.

Goodbye Mel, learn your lesson well!

Love
Your Momsie Yol

The Dudes of the castle

2010-05-11T01:30:00.003+08:00

Ben stumbled out from his regular morning shower, still bleary-eyed and not-so-bushy-tailed. Never has been a morning person, this big lil boy!

I grabbed him and exclaimed, still not quite so over the excitement of it all, "BENJIBOY! BENJIBOY! OH BENJO, WHO IS THIS?"

I pointed eagerly at the page that had so stunned me: Home B7.

"Nicholas Lam, from Rosyth School," Ben read. "Nicholas Lam! From Rosyth School!" he repeated. It was sinking in!

"NICHOLAS LAM! NICHOLAS LAM! FROM ROSYTH SCHOOL! MY BROTHER" he enthused to Melly, who was enjoying the most delightful breakfast (gotta keep em happy so they keep these surprises coming)!

Upon seeing his lil bro in the papers, Ben couldn't keep the excitement in. He was being particularly photogenic, so why not grab a few shots for the family album!

Nick, meanwhile, was practically swimming in the praises!

My lil writer's making a name for himself! Gosh! Wowza, really can't get over it... Explains my late night!!

Proudly!

Yol

Benjamin - 'Son of my Right Hand'

2010-05-11T01:22:00.002+08:00

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

I'm feeling poetic today, so why not let the music do the talking for me!

Feast your ears, folks!

Ben, the two of us need look no more.

Yours always and forever,

Yol

2010-05-09T12:01:00.003+08:00

In the wee hours of the morning, I woke up to hear the washroom being used. Must be old Benjiboy. I thought to myself, lifting my head from the jelly-like matress Alfred got me for mother's day.

I prepared myself a humble cup of water, and skipped along to the bathroom, arming myself with plungers, brushes and Gif (Ah, Gif....). But to my surprise, the toilet was spanner than spick!

I checked the mirrors, the windows, the loo. All were shinier than speckles can be! So I put down my weapons of cleaning and skipped along to the dining table, where I saw a card propped up for a mother's reading.

At first, I thought it was another one of Melmel's wake-me-up notes. Then, I saw the oversized handwriting of Fattyfatfatfat Nick!

Oh of course his pudgy fingers couldn't handle the Swiss pen!

I read it, and it read;

Waking up in the morning,
Five A.M. sharp.

Singing us to wake,
A voice like a harp.

Oh when the delicious food is tasted,
The meal's consumed and nothing's wasted...

Keeping the house spicker than span,
and so on this day, I have something to share...

On this day, Mother's day,
You're my mother, hooray!

So I'll tell the other kids as the day is done...

"I'm proud to be my father's wife's son!"

And that really brought a large tear to my eye.

Then Ollie, who was prancing around with a miniature camera, jumped up and down in front of me, shouting "CLICKA CLICKA CLICK CLICK CLICKAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Wheeeeheeee! Wheeeeee! Yeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

I took the mini-camera from him and realised it was a gimmick camera with pre-taken photos! A frog couldn't have made this (Although frogs DID prove that a dead guy can be brought back to life)!

I put it to my eyes and I saw Nickyboy floundering in a leather jacket in a Michael Jackson impersonation!

Then I clicked the camera and I saw my other lovelies!

What a great mother's day this was going to be, I could feel it!

Excitedly,
Yols

Sleep Talkin' Alfie!

2010-05-08T17:47:00.004+08:00

Oh, my little boy Nick told me of this British man who sleeptalks and spouts positively laughable gibberish! Oh the Britons are funny! I was laughing my head off when I saw the one about Choc Dip!

If only our Alfred was as funny, I'd be enlightened of my everynightly laundry load...

I guess dreams never do come true, but I've had my fair bit of sleep-talking and sleep-walking Alfie for the children at the table, oh their adorable laughter!

Well, if you DO want to see the Sleep Talkin' Man himself... Beware, adults, he can be... A little on the vulgar side sometimes.

Laughingly,
Yolsly!

2010-05-01T03:11:00.002+08:00

Just a quick post (phew, a mom's work is never complete - hence the late nights / early mornings!) since my darl' Mimi's off to Bintan for the week. (Have fun, homie!)

She's bound to return with stories and jokes galore!

Reason why I'm awake at this unearthly time? Packing her bags!!! !!!

Excitedly,

Yol

Munchies and crunchies

2010-04-09T00:00:00.007+08:00

With everyone in the roost up early and trotting out of the home pretty quick this morning, I was left with Kimmie dearest (who took the liberty of keeping me company, forsaking her schoolmates on what was actually her sports day at school) and Benjiboy. When the home is quiet and in its full tranquil state, what better thing to do but... WHIP UP A STORM IN THE KITCHEN!

Lunch was a fuss-free affair (all the better to keep the rare peace). Kim trotted over to the next block to pick up some groceries at our beloved Gek Poh Shopping Centre.

Our plan: to whip up quick bites making use of whatever she picked.

The challenge: hoping that Kim would remain as sane as possible and not go on a sweet candy rampage.

Her choice picks: potatoes, pumpkins, coriander.

You gotta trust Kim with Western dishes, she's got a natural flair! (Hmm... time for Homemaker Training 101???)

Seasoned and popped in the oven!

Love this bit. Best thing about an oven is the way the aroma of the fooooood just fills the whole home. I love it when freshly-baked bread or scones or cakes or savoury snacks like these are baking or sizzling slowly as I sip at a lil coffee on the sofa (which, by the way, i reupholstered, completely DIY and minimum fuss)!

And in line with eating healthy and general well-being...

My fish friends were treated to some fresh basil and dil to nibble at - fresh from my lil herb patch! Those fish sure have it good!

Swimmingly (to borrow Mel's word),

Yol

Daddy Dearest!

2010-04-06T13:36:00.006+08:00

Today's pretty: Alfred!

"You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.

Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love in Daddy´s hands."

Quilting quilting quilting... in three short seconds!

2010-04-04T00:35:00.004+08:00

Online shoppin' turned online stitching just for a lil while!

Recently submitted a teensytiny lil' square to the BBC's virtual quilt, and here it is in all its teensyweensy splendour!

Spot it? Had to be tiny in accordance to the size BBC specified!

Stitch, stitch, stitchin' away! Thinking of creating an online store for my knits and crafts but oh all the bother and fuss... ;)'

Probably best sticking to gifting them!!! Like I intend to do with the current creation I'm keeping a surprise for Mils :)

Secretly,

Yol

Noontime delight!

2010-03-31T13:04:00.005+08:00

I had just settled myself down nice and comfy on the sofa, and flipped open my magazine, warm mug of coffee in hand.

"If only UPS would come by now with that parcel..." I said absent-mindedly, almost wistfully, to Mel, in the manner of a princess willing her knight in shining armour to pop by.

The phone rang. (To completely spoil the cool coincidence, it rang to the tune of 'Banana Phone' by Raffi - thanks a lot, Mel.)

"Hel-lo!" said Mel, "OHHH, oh yes, she was just talking about you. Yes she wants to talk to you. Oh. Okay, she likes you. Hold on."

This could only mean one thing: parcel's gettin' closer!

I grabbed the phone, my heart already beating faster than you could say "NEW SHOES".

Three seconds later, there he was, right at our doorstep - the largest man you'd ever have seen, with the jolliest disposition. (It is only right that he be jolly. He might as well be Santa.)

I was as thrilled as a child on Christmas morning. Pushed Mel out of the door (would've dashed out myself in a jiffy if not for that growling little tigress Chloe...) and awaited my treats!

A busybusy mom's pleasures are simple: a mouse-click away, no worries ;)

So meet my new German friends, Trinidad, Barbados, Akari, Josephine, Kaira, Lucia!

Jolly-yolly-ly
Yol

All's quiet on the Western front... or not!

2010-03-29T16:21:00.005+08:00

Hola chicas! Your favourite Mom of the West is BACK! With stories, stories, stories galore! Now just because it's been a lil quiet on the net doesn't mean that the brood's been any less rowdy!

Take lil Nick, for example, happily soaking in all the attention he's been getting at school (and at home)...

Now that's what I call momma's BIG little boy!

So I've left this little online diary a little abandoned this weekend, in my pursuit of greener pastures in the form of.... SHOES!

Oh nothing makes a gal's day better than a pair of brand new shoes!!!

I've been doing a spot of online shopping, and maaaan, am i HOOKED or what!

Check out the first haul, that arrived just the day before yesterday!

Betcha see why I've been kept pretty busy! Been tottering about on needles and pins till the parcel arrived! Busy creating new spaces to display our new pretties! And then, when the parcel arrived, got busy prancing about in new shoes. New Shoes. Those are the two most magical words in my vocabulary!

In the shoe-related spirit...

Feast your ears, folks!

Hey I put some new shoes on

And suddenly everything was right

Hey I put some new shoes on

And everybody's smiling

It's so inviting...

Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine...

Now tell me, oh wise World Wide Web, should I get Milly a pair of those beautiful blue suede shoes I spied-with-my-lil-eye on that oh-so-fab website???

Ponderingly,
Yol

Food, mostly, makes my day ;)

2010-03-23T01:21:00.003+08:00

Sunday's Scones, prepared with love by Kimsy, for the pretty new pink sweater Melly presented her with! By the taste of those scones, she reaaaalllly liked that sweater!

Breakfast with the kids is always fun! Taught Mel how to prepare her own pancakes this morning since she's always so crazy for them.

Let me tell ya, she's a natural!

Just look at that golden-brown goodness! Looking at it now fills me with pride. I can still taste that almost-crispy, yet moist and soft circle of pure pure joy!

Kodok, that little aspiring food critic, was all smiles once he caught sight of that plate. Insisted on a picture. Sure thing, greenie! Had to wrestle him to the sink to wash those hands before he tucked in though! Mel, meanwhile, is contemplating her future as a pancake chef.

This brings to mind the day the kids had one too many pancakes over at Pancakes On The Rocks. I received a very flustered text message: Damn, mom, one too many pancakes. Full up, and hardly able to move / take another bite for the day, we fear.

I was later informed that Nick, upon leaving the restaurant, declared, "THAT WAS THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE!", much to the amusement of a nearby Old Lady, who laughed and said he made her day, and that he should be in a commercial.

Off for tonight! Ben and Mel have just burned (strange word, burned) a disc to serenade Ben to sleep tonight, and I'm quite looking forward to hearing what they've picked out!

Nightynight!

Yol

Sweet sweet treats when we meet!

2010-03-22T00:13:00.000+08:00

Yup, I did mean - quite literally - sweeeet! Hahaha, take a look at Nickyboy's massive, sugar-filled sandwich. Waaay too much jam and butter, insisted Mel and Kim as they watched on in horror. Waaaay much more would've been added if we didn't stop him. He can afford it, I maintained. Growin' boys do need their fill, after all!

Mel was away for a short getaway with her lil frog pal, and returned with TREATS GALORE. We had such a blast with the paper bags and boxes and gifts and ... oh did I mention, PRESSIES!!!

Mimsy's new pal, Jaime, who's gonna swing on her beautiful new backpack that Mel picked out.

Yup, happy faces abound when pressies are found!!!

Oh the excitement, too much to contain in one post!!!

Be back tomorrow! Off to hug my awesome daughter(s)!

Yol

A gift a day keeps the grumps away!

2010-03-20T02:22:00.002+08:00

Made a furry glasses pouch for Kimsy dearest, since she's recently got her new spectacles.. and it is quite a spectacular pouch too ;) haha! Keep the puns coming, keep the puns coming ;)'

Furry on, darlings!

Yol

Gimme oil in my lamp keep it burnin'!

2010-03-20T01:25:00.003+08:00

So it's kinda late, but I take my job as a homemaker very seriously. It's a 24/7 job, with minimal monetary rewards, but more surprises than any job in the world, and we all live for surprises, don't we!

While I burn the midnight oil, working hard on primping up little spaces for my lil imps, feast your eyes on ... the Latest Transformation!

(Transformations occur every day here, be not afraid!)

Ah, can't get enough of this!

Now off to sort some lil corners out by morning! All for the home-critters' comfort and excitement! Noone really knows what goes on at night here, and come morning, noone really knows what to expect!

Awed by magnificent lights,

Yol

Holey moley... look how he's grown!

2010-03-19T00:33:00.000+08:00

You've probably heard (or seen): littlest little man came home from camp recently, and boy has he grown! Bursting at the seams (quite literally) with stories and jokes galore! Have you heard about the night Thommy (yes, spelt with the 'H', he insists) fell from the bunk bed, and temporarily disappeared in a cloud of powder?

Oh you're missing out on this lil storyteller's tales! (Fret not, click here for his blog!)

Couldn't resist taking chummy photos with the chubby lil cub. His bears were missing him, that's fer sure!

Well just got home from a nice dinner out with Mils, Alfred and Big Ben at the nearby Indian restaurant (24/7, and very near home!) ... phew, long day, and imma gonna hit the sack soon... now if only that laundry pile weren't so close to hitting the ceiling!!!

Cuddles and munchkins (and laundry galore),

Yol

Nickkeh's back!

2010-03-18T10:37:00.005+08:00

Everyone's fav little pudge is back in da house!

Took him out for some goood steak the other night!

Check out the hungry little monstahs.

Meet Lesley, my little pal!

2010-03-17T10:32:00.002+08:00

He goes everywhere with me nowadays, and is constantly sucking on that little thumb of his. Got him freeeeee, but he's ever so cute! (Helps that the bag he comes with is magical - it can fit EVERYTHING in my previously-oversized handbag, with space enough for more!!! Talk about spacious!)

Guess who...

LESLEY!

Smitten,

Yol

He'll be comin' round the mountain!

2010-03-16T02:13:00.005+08:00

My boy Nick'll be comin' round the mountain on the good ol' West highway home tomorrow! I can't wait to pick him up from his annual Boys Brigade camp! He always comes home a little braver, a little wiser, and a little cheekier, what with all those little-big-boy inside jokes and new tricks ;)

Nicky's simply amazing. Away at camp, but his surprises never cease! Opened the papers this morning, not expecting a thing, but oh little did I know what I was in for! Right there in the middle of the Home section, was little Nicky's big contribution, and he had his own byline! By golly, I yelped like crazy once I regained my regular train of thought - he really had me stunned there for awhile! I read and reread the article, and the byline 'Nicholas Lam, 11, Rosyth School', OVER AND OVER. And when I could read no longer, blinded by the thrill, (and when I had confirmed that this was indeed my Nick Lam), I shouted for EVERYONE and proudly clipped the little article that brought such great early-Monday joy! Definitely put a spring in my step today!

Awaiting your homecoming eagerly, Nicky my dear! No wonder you kept asking me to keep the newspapers for you! And here I was being silly and thinking it was all for the funnies :P

As much as I'd like to keep this post completely devoted to my Nicky Dearest, I just HAVE to go a little nuts on the new additions to my home!

Had an awesome time with Alfred and Mel today, picking out... LAMPS! Actually, we were eyeing them since yesterday night's shopping spree, but decided to sleep on it.

Oh I couldn't sleep on it! I couldn't sleep at all! Those French lamps had to be mine! Don't call me impulsive, I slept on it (or I tried to).

Take a peeeeeek!!!

Introducing Lamp Numero Uno, looking prettysome on Kimmy's workdesk. Adds such sweetness, I just hope she manages to concentrate on whatever she has to instill in her brain. I wouldn't be able to work with such beauty right smack in front of me. Just looking at these lamps takes me straight into an alternate universe. With white-rabbits and mad-hatters, perhaps! Haha...

So cozy!

Milly, who had to get crafty, to get her little ribbon rack! ;) Got it at an out-of-this-world price! And with just a little of Milly's wire-work skills, got a little extra rack done for her ROLLS of ribbons that we got ... real cheap ... yesterday! (STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THE PRICE... We're talkin' CENTS here.) I love Milly, she is amazingly talented, and she could easily be my favourite daughter... but I'm not supposed to have a favourite.

Lamp Number Two, that greets you once you step into our lovely home.

Aaand, featuring Today's Pretty - Amelia 'Mimsy', hard at work at the computer... on MSN with her classmates for an 'important Chinese project'... Glad you're slowly discovering the wonders of the Internet, Mimsy! But stay You!

Notice the glass bottle right there? Handpainted by Mims when she was eight or so. And those frames on the wall? Over two decades old, m'dears! I love them deeply! They're prints of herbs and flowers, with such beautiful teal frames. I haven't managed to get over them, and it's been over twenty years!

So-excited-there'll-be-no-sleep-tonight-ly,
Yol

Monday, Monday!

2010-03-15T11:26:00.007+08:00

Monday, Monday, so good to me,
Monday, Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Woke up to a beautiful, quiet morning, but when you're a Mom, you've really gotta learn how to savour the moment! Because my quiet contemplation of the morning's tranquility was soon interrupted by....

"PAAAANCAKES!!!"

... the roar of four hungry, bedhead kids, still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, and one very annoying frog (who wouldn't stop squealing his need for a warm mug of hot chocolate to go with his Tim-Tams, which I had to remind him that we don't have - had to placate him with offerings of peanut butter pancakes after that, and then he was chuffed).

Mondays mondays mondays, they're normally such hectic days in this home! But being busy is much more fun than sitting about idly, is it not!

So we quickly got to work in the kitchen, Ben and I, amidst a flurry of shouted requests - "I WANT MINE WITH NUTELLA!" "I WANT MINE WITH JAM!" "I DON'T WANT MINE WITH ANYTHING, MOM!"

Then silence. The gremlins were having their fill.

Then the praise. "Oh momma, oh Benji, that was the most perfect pancake!"

The trick to successful motherhood is this: keep your kiddos fed and happy.

... and your frogs.

Serenely,
Yol

P.S. Kimmy just asked me for a patch of grass.

"Mommie, may I have a patch of grass, please? Just a little patch?"
"Sure! Go get yourself a butter knife and carve a patch out from over yonder."
"Yay! Preferably in a bunny shape!"
"Alright! Don't cut yourself!"

You get all sorts of strange requests from my little critters! Monday, Monday :P

Oh Monday Morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be!!!

SH-SH-SH-SH-SHOPPING!!!

2010-03-15T01:44:00.009+08:00

There is no sweeter word in the world than this: SHOPPING.

Make that NO-HOLDS-BARRED, GOT A LOTTA MONEY TO SPARE SHOPPING, and you've got me raving!

That's pretty much what we did today, 'cept we didn't need "a lotta money"! A wise shopper's much better off than a rich shopper, that's what I think!

We didn't really set out with the intention of shopping, though, but with Nick off at his annual camp...

There was no time for contemplation! No space for hesitation! It was GO GO GO!

Picked Milly up in the East before we headed off for dinner at the airport. We've been meaning to check out some shops and Mims had to pick up a book, so off we were whisked to mall after mall!

And got pretty awesome buys, too! And I really do mean Awesome.

Who gets reels of ribbons for ... aww man... real cheap! ... to even put the price down here... I can't bring myself to! REELS OF RIBBONS! All for less than... $5??? YARDS AND YARDS OF RIBBONS!

Aww these ribbons would surely look a million bucks on Milly dearest! Can't wait to get snippin' tomorrow, and trying out all the different ribbons!

Oh just you wait, just as we thought we'd made a great buy... oh we had no idea what we were in for!
Check out these tulle tank tops, and amazing bohemian-chic skirts! Perfect for Milly and I when we're feeling like dressing up identically. (Don't worry, we don't do this often! HAHA!)

Lovely silk-cotton-linen combination and detail on the skirts!

Two more tops that we picked up. Perfect for our weather since they're all lightweight and very comfortable! Not to mention, we got them at less than half the usually-exorbitant price they command! What luck!

Such awesome texture! Such great finds :) oooh they make me so happy and excited!

Little carpark troubles got us all thoroughly tickled, what with Alfred pretending to be James Bond, and getting a real kick out of annoying the mall's carpark security.

Oh, what a kick we got outta that!

Phew! What a day!

Excitedly awaiting tomorrow and its treasures
Yol

P.S. Wow looka that - 3 AM and I'm still at this blog ;) We just laid all our new stuff out on my bed and had a ball of a time taking photo after photo of them, and trying them on and gushing over today in general!!! So much to do, so much to see, before Nick gets home on Tuesday :P

Today's Pretty! Featuring... Cleopetra Joystream!

2010-03-15T00:58:00.004+08:00

Our dearest lil ol' Cleo has speedily gone from being the youngest in the family to the oldest in the clan. Damn, do those years go by quickly! Lil Cleo's still the littlest, but if you count her age in human years, she's gotta be ... hmm... well over sixty!

She's been having a fierce cough and last week's vet visit revealed some worrying "patches" in her lungs. No fear, though, cos she's a tough cookie!

Anyway, the ol' dame went for her review at the vet's today, and two very violent protests on the X-ray table later, she emerged beaming. What a champ! Now only another week on medicine before she gets reviewed again, and hopefully she'll have a clean bill of health!

My little pal and I

Off to get Cleo her nighttime 'snackeroos' (a term Mel and lil Ollie coined)
Yol

Nothin' like home-baked lovin'

2010-03-14T11:27:00.000+08:00

Had time to spare this morning, since it's an easy-going Saturday. Slept in a lil, and then made sure the kids woke up to freshly-baked bread and pastries, and creamy mushroom soup to boot! With the exams over, lil Nicky was more than happy to lounge about just a little more, and helped himself to a few more buns ;)

Love keepin' them fed and happy!

Just a short post, for speed, there is much to live for today, after all!

Carpe diem, folks!
Yol

Bright eyes

2010-03-13T00:37:00.001+08:00

Look at little Tim, our faithful little tiger. He's been with us for years, and though time might have faded his coat just a tad, and scruffed up his paws just a wee bit, his eyes are still bright as ever. Couldn't help but go 'aww' when I spotted him this morning on one of the dining room chairs. Just look at him!

Looking at those bright beady green eyes brought to mind this song by written by Mike Batt. Here's 'Bright Eyes' performed by Art Garfunkel. The video that it's set to is from the movie Watership Down. Mel bought the book for Kim for her birthday last year, because that girl is completely gaga over bunnies. Don't think she's got much reading done though! :P

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching into the night,
Wandering over the hills unseen,
Or is it a dream?

A beautiful song, and such beautiful memories come with it! I can't help but smile, thinking back to the good ol' days when boys would dedicate songs on the radio to the girls they had their eye on. And a good many boys took a liking to dedicating 'Bright Eyes', just for me me me! How sweet ;)

Bright eyes,
burning like fire.

Do my eyes live up to that title? Sometimes a little flattery doesn't hurt, eh ;)

Reflectively
Yol

Today's Pretty... Featuring Kimmy!

2010-03-12T11:39:00.003+08:00

Today's pretty has got something brand new and prettysome adorning her pretty face!

Introducing my littlest doll, Kimmy!

Kim's just got her new spectacles, and look how ethereal she looks in those lilac frames! They really do complement those big beautiful eyes of hers (my good genes, my friends, my good genes). She does look positively luminous! (Note the beauty mark! Again, my good genes.)

Basking in my doll's prettiness,
Yol

anyone lived in a pretty how town

2010-03-12T02:17:00.004+08:00

anyone lived in a pretty how town,
and I live in a pretty pretty house ;)

Well, I try my best to bring beauty and joy to every lil' nook and corner, anyway!

Sometimes it's the little things... like waking up in the morning to...

an encouraging message

"You go girl! Having a good time on planet Earth?"

or...
a happy sight like...
perfect red pencils in a cup, sharpened and poised at the ready!

Sometimes the simplest things make me squirm with delight, and a great deal of effort goes into refraining from bursting into an over-enthusiastic chorus of "Joyful Joyful, We Adore Thee"!

Joyfully Joyous, (Or Joyously Joyful, whichever you might prefer!)
Yol

Big Boy's Toys

2010-03-03T12:10:00.000+08:00

Kids today are missing out on all the goodstuff! Benji m'boy had TONS of these Playmobil men. Oh how he raved about them! I still keep them, and they're very well-preserved, for all those years of afternoon playtime! They now grace our music shelf, and really do add a quirky little flavour to it! I sometimes shuffle them about just so they don't get too bored in their little space!

I remember a show on Premiere 12 (again, kids today don't know what they're missing!) that had little men running a train station. That was, by far, Milly, Mimi, Kimmy and Ben's favourite show! It really convinced them for awhile that jukeboxes were run by little men. We had a little jukebox of our own, so this little revelation provided for hours of giggles!

Sentimentally,
Yol

Turn! Turn! Turn!

2010-02-20T02:21:00.000+08:00

To Everything
There is a season
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

Been listening to good ol' folk tunes recently, and something about "Turn! Turn! Turn!" made me stop for awhile. Other than, of course, the way Benji heartily joined in at the chorus. Any song that pleases my boy pleases me, unless it gets played on loop till the wee hours of the morning!!!

It's no wonder that the song's meaningful, some of its lyrics were taken directly from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, and people obviously raved about it, because it quickly became The Byrds' second US #1 single.

Well, I'll let your ears do the judging ;)

The Byrds, with "Turn! Turn! Turn!", written by folk legend Pete Seeger.

Speaking of seasons, here's a beautiful tune, no less meaningful, from my Mellygal's favourite musical - treat those ears to the cast of RENT with "Seasons of Love".

525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love.

'Twas the Chinese New Year recently, a time for the obligatory visitations, but also a great chance to spend a few days basking in the immediate presence of your loving family - and boy am I glad for the wonderful (albeit sometimes a little kooky) little mites that fill my home with chatter and love.

Hip hip hooray (a little belatedly) to new beginnings!

Hey, there are no rules to celebrations! It's a party at our place every day!

So grab your virtual celebratory martini, let's clink our glasses, sit back, and enjoy the ride!

C'est la vie!
Yol

You would have been thirteen today, but you'll always be in my heart

2010-02-18T11:52:00.006+08:00

Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand Hold it tight

For one so small,
you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always

When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together

For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.

John Greenleaf Whittier

I see nothing in space as promising as the view from a Ferris wheel.

2010-02-14T23:45:00.002+08:00

Just a lil' good ol' romanticism for ya this Valentine's ;)

Photo of the iconic Luna Park ferris wheel by Milly from their holiday.

Loveydovey-ly
Yol