It's a sad Monday

The door bell rang at 9.30am and Dylan, Kai's best buddy since coming here, was at the door. It's his last day today, cos' his family will be moving out. In America, when you shift house, it really mean moving away to another city or another state, you have to change school, you have to make new friends again...

He stayed for a class of milk and some chocolate cookies. He was visibly upset and so was Kai.

They have only known each other for 4 months but they have become the best of friends. They go to the same school, live in the same neighbourhood and spend lots of time playing together or just sitting around chatting.

After milk and cookies, both of them went out to play together, for the last time. About 2 hours later, Kai came home with red eyes and I knew that he cried.

Kai is a vey sensitive and sentimental boy. He treasures everything he has, from books to toys to friends. I remember he had a fighting fish which stayed with him for almost 2 years and when the fish eventually died, he was only about 3 years old. He cried for 3 days! That's how attached he is to his things.

So, when Dylan left, he was most upset. He sobbed and said that he only knew him for a short period and he has to leave.

I remember when we were new here and when Kai has no friends, it was Dylan who took the initiative to play with him. Dylan is a very well-mannered and a great boy! We are all very fond of him. I remember the first day, he came into our house, he felt strange about us not wearing shoes at home. But I never insisted that he took off his shoes, I understood that it was a cultural thing. I told him he could just wear his shoes into the house and I could always clean up later. However, during the subsequent visits, he took off his shoes voluntarily. When he stayed for dinner, he would thank us for dinner after he has finished with it. His parents have indeed brought him up well.

I taught Kai a lesson on friends and family today. He learned that friends come and go and it's all part and parcel of life but it need not be a lost forever, if he kept in touch with them, they can be friends forever. As for family, they are there forever.

Thanks for the wonderful time and the good memories, Dylan!




Perhaps, someday, they will meet again....maybe in the same University.

Kampung days

Kampung is the Malay word for village. When we talk about kampung days, it a recollection of the good old days where we had so much fun living in a village. One of the best part about living in a village as a child was when all the children come together to play. This was an integral part of a child's life and some life-long friendships were built.

Sadly, our present generation will never be able to enjoy this. These days, childhood is about getting up early, going to the grand's place or childcare centres on the weekdays and rushing from classes to classes on weekends. Playtime revolves around the latest Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo...games.

One good thing about the kids here are they love the outdoors. They love to play balls, they love cycling, they love moving around in their skate-scooter. I am very glad and grateful that both Kai and Ann have this opportunity to really enjoy their childhood.



Water games in summer!


A game of soccer

Give me a break!

"Chai-tow-kueh" - mission all accomplished and a lesson learned

Finally the storm is over. The sun is shinning brightly outside and my mission is also accomplished.

Remember my "chai-tow-kueh"? I wrote about the two versions. Well, I finally got to cook the black one and ate it with the greatest satisfaction.

Sometimes, good things are already around us but we failed to take note.

As mentioned, I couldn't find the sweet black sauce needed to make the black "chai-tow-kueh". Called for help. My cyber chef-tutor told me to add molasses (a kind of black sugar) to my black sauce in order to get that sweet taste. I decided to check out the ingredients on my bottle of black sauce and lo and behold...


It's there all along!

This in itself is a lesson. How many times have we searched for something or someone, only to realise later that, they have always been there. Is it not Biblical also. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7:7,8

We as humans, we are often not contended. We wish for this and that. We hope we can have more of this and more of that, we wish our kids can be better, our spouse, to be much more.....and the wishlist never ends...

Look around you, every nook, every corner, you will realise that whatever you need, whatever you have, they are always there and they are the best for you! Give your kids a hug, give your spouse a kiss today :)

There I have it...my favourite black "chai-tow-kueh"

Sinfully delicious!


If it's that clean, it has to be that GOOD!

The storm

Today weather is bad. It was gloomy in the morning and then the sun peeked for a while and it rained again.

Now, it's night time and a storm is coming. Texas is hit by Hurricane Dolly and I could hear thunder outside the house. Oh, how I and the kids all detest this kind of weather. It means no internet connection, no TV reception (so far so good) and the lights will flicker...

It's good to live overseas, cos' you appreciate all that you have back home. Friends, thank God for Singapore...

Got to go, I hear a big one coming.....

"Chai-tow-kueh" - Asian version of the carrot cake

Although it is known as carrot cake, there are no carrots in it. Instead, it has lots of radish. But I guess it got its name 'carrot cake' because in Chinese, radish is known as the white carrot.

Another of my favourite dish. In Singapore, it is eaten for breakfast or some, even for supper. I must say that it is the most unhealthy food to eat just before bedtime but then, no harm in enjoying it, once a while. There are two versions to it, one fried without the sweet black sauce and one fried with the sauce. I personally prefer the black ones.

Back in 1996, where my mother-in-law stayed, there was an old man who would push his cart and parked himself at the carpark to sell his carrot cake. He came silently, without sounding any horn or bell...and he only came at night. But somehow, his 'fans' were able to sense his arrival. People who lived in the area would bring down their plates, bowls, eggs and pay him S$1.50 or S$2.00 to enjoy his delicious carrot cake. Of course, I was one of them. In less than 5 mins, he would have fried a plate of heavenly carrot cake with a generous helping of black sweet sauce, topped with lots of chillies and 'chai-po' (preserved radish). As I am writing this, I am salivating...

No, I have not reach that standard and I think I never will. Some best kept secrets are found in long lost recipes.


Thanks to my cyber cooking master, I am able to whip out my very own chai-tow-kueh. Still cannot find the sweet black sauce here but according to my master, I can create my own - my next mission!

What my parents did right

Have been reading this book, still in the midst of it...

When I was in my teens, I could easily finish one to two books in a week. During those carefree days, I have lots of time in my hands but now, I could hardly finish one book in a month. With age, comes responsibilities and that means also having very little 'me-time'. But I still try to read as I have learned from one author, "in books, there are treasures." And I am very glad that Kai has inherited this habit from me. In fact, he is much better, sometimes, one book in one day!

Also, at this age, I could no longer read through novels or rather, I have lost interest in novels, so I go for short stories, insights, biographies, recipes cum stories...and Kai's story books.

"What my parents did right" is a compilation of short stories written by children who have been inspired by their parents' lives, teachings and values. Once I have finished it, I will be able to share more.

I just want to extract a portion which I felt was very appropriate and it's just too good to be kept till later.

"Mom and dad were wise enough to broaden my knowledge of God beyond going to Sunday School, saying grace at dinner, and memorizing a lot of Bible verses. They understood that every dimension of lives is indeed spiritual. As a result, every family function was sacred. We learned to love God and grasp intangibles like insight, wisdom, and fairness as much as mastering table manners as from getting to church on time.
If I were to pick out a verse that best describes the way my parents raised us, it would be Deut 11:18-19 ~ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds...Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada
Reading this book helps me to understand that we are on the right track in teaching Kai & Ann. YL and I often have to remind both of them to address the elders, say their 'please' and 'thank you', remembering what they have come from the most high.

In this modern society of ours, these teachings seem 'old-fashion'. But we believed that it would instill the value of respect into their young lives. They see and hear with their own eyes and ears that mum and papa address their grands before eating, thank the uncles and aunties who clear up their tables at food courts, the uncles who clean the void deck...greet the neighbours even if they are just helpers and always grateful for what we have. Two things we never fail to do, saying our grace, be it in public or home, ending the day by praying together.

However, as kids, the rule of repetition applies. We have to constantly remind them... because they constantly forget! Never give up, even if you are all stressed up!

As parents, we want to raise up good children, children who will grow up to be men and women of God. And these go beyond being an 'A' student in school and in church. It's about watching us, believing in us and living like us. If child-bearing is painful...then child-rearing is not for the faint-hearted.

A new lingo - 'cookout'

Apart from the pool, summer is also a time for cookout!

Touring a new country and living in a new country are two very different experinces. Since coming here, we have to learn many things. Apart from understanding the local people, eating their kind of food, accepting their weather from really cold to really hot....one other thing is knowing and understanding their language. It's not car boot, it's trunk, there is no carpark, only parking lot, not playground but park....it's really interesting, the whole English subject. I studied about it during my uni days. Reading it is one thing, experiencing it, is really quite an adventure.

When we were still in Spring, one day, Kai came back with his spelling list and among the words given was 'cookout'. I asked Kai, so what's 'cookout'? It just didn't make sense then. Kai was trying to explain to his mum, supposedly, to have collected lots of knowledge during her years on earth, yet couldn't quite understand the meaning of 'cookout'.

"Mummy, cook outside the house, so it's call cookout." Hmm...it kinda make some sense.

Now that we are in summer, in all the TV ads, 'cookout' is often mentioned, leaflets also have the word 'cookout' printed on it...and almost every weekend, someone in the neighbourhood will also be having a 'cookout'. We also got invited by the Loves for a 'cookout' dinner.

So, what's 'cookout'...it's our favourite 'bar-b-q' :)

Well, as the saying goes "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and I say..."when in America, do as the Americans do"


Our cookout spread


The fun part is getting the kids involved

Pool on patio

We are right now in the midst of summer and it's no joke, certain days, temperature can rise up to 100 deg F. It's hot, hot, hot but we are enjoying it as much as we can...for when the cold come, we will be freezing again.

Most homes with youngs kids will bring out their pool for the children to have fun. Some even have really tall slides, where the kids can just slide into the pool. The wonderful thing about all these pools are, they can be packed away and stored in the garage or store room till the next summer.

Papa dearest, bought a kiddie pool for the children so that they could have more summer fun! We ordered it from an online shop and it took them less than 24 hours to arrive! The children were ecstatic!!! Pops is the best!


Looks too big to be a kiddie pool

All things giant...

In this huge country, almost everything is giant in size. I never believe myself wearing a XS tee. Anything bigger than this, is too big for me.

Remember our little vegetable patch, we had a great surprise when we found that a giant pickle has grown there!


The giant pickle. Now Kai is faithfully watering it, he was hoping it would grow even bigger, perhaps, as big as him...(result of reading all those fairy tales...)

Then at a farmers' market, I found these giant sea shell pasta...


So big, you could even stuff things inside them. They made a great, hearty meal.

"USA min-cham-kueh"...

I love the internet. When use in the right way, it provides information at your finger-tips. Once in a while, I sit down and think about the food back home. At times, I crave for some kind of nice local food...

Thanks to my cyber cooking friends, who are always, ever-ready to provide me with recipes that I need. I will then hunt down the ingredients in all the grocers and supermarkets...with everything that I need, I will whipped out what I long to eat. The mission-accomplished-feeling is beyond words. Savouring the hard-earned delight...is heavenly.


This time, my mission was a local snack - min-cham-kueh (peanut pancake)

9 July...

9 March, we left Singapore to begin a journey of uncertainties, a journey of challenges...an adventure. It has been exactly 4 months now. All fears, all worries, all anxieties have been put to rest. What we experienced have been nothing but God's goodness, God's provisions, God's faithfulness. We have grown, as a family, as an individual, in many folds. These were not possible by man's own efforts.

One of the greatest blessings that was given to us was that God brought us to this temporary home church of ours, built on a hilltop -- Evangel Assembly.

The scenary from up there was magnificent, more so, was the love of the people. Today, God reminded me once again of the goodness of Him and His people. Since our first day at the church, we were never once, felt left-out. We were constantly surrounded by good friends, warm fellowship and enriching messages. We don't need a great band to worship God, we don't need complex messages to help us have a new indepth understanding of God and His ministries. The people up on the hilltop exemplify the verse... Phil 2:4 "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others"

Perhaps...simple is good, small is beautiful.

Family outing became...science alive!

Today, we decided to spend some time at the Jordan Creek. It was the creek we chanced upon when we went to the Lehigh Valley zoo few months back. Now that it's summer, it would really be nice to play in the stream.


Just enjoying family time together.


As usual, Kai loves nature and always have an eye for small creatures...


and it paid off....caught a small, tiny, wee fish...


and a small crayfish


A day of fun turned out to be an educational one. Science came to life for the kids!

He's my brother, she's my sister

One of the many great things that happen since we came to US was that Kai has learned to look after Ann. Back home, their time together was really short. She went to school while he was still sleeping and when she was home, he has to go to school. But here, they have much time with each other and this has taught Kai to be a big brother and a caring one.

Sometimes, he forgets that she is just 3 years old and he is already 8! He loses his patience with her when she can't play his kind of games but he comments "although meimei is a nusiance at times, I still love her." So sweet isn't it. Even if he forgets about this whole adventure, as long as he continues to love and care for his sister, then this journey is already worth it.



My miracles, my blessings...


my pride....my CHILDREN

Pops, papa, daddy, pabs.....

He is a great father and the kids are very fond of him, they created names for him and it always warms my heart to hear them call him "papa, pops, daddy or pabs.."Whatever names they call him, he is the great father to them. Each time, he comes home from work, 'mum is no longer needed'. He is their dad, their great friend and their play buddy. He has been great with them since the day they were born, bathing them when they were small and fragile, changing their diapers, playing with them, reading to them....he is their 'doctor', 'teacher', 'alien', 'monster','kung-fu master', 'story-teller'...everything weave into one.



The best of friends!

4th July

Today is 4th July, USA national day.

Our first experience and it was fun. What was really nice was that the people here were not shy about showing their love for their country. You can see ladies wearing accessories with the national flag or national colours.

We were supposed to go and see the fireworks display but somehow, got lost. Decided to head home. But there were surprises waiting for us at home. The neighbours were having fireworks display, just at our doorstep!



Perhaps, getting lost was a blessing in disguise. Seeing the neighbours doing their own fireworks was really fun and an eye-opener!

Kids...they say the darnest thing!

Since arriving here, I have reminded Kai and Ann to be more independent and more responsible. At this young age, they can be responsible for their own toys and books. They have been taught to clear up after reading, after playing. "There is no servant in the house" is often heard at home. You cannot blame the kids for being messy when they grow up if they have never been taught to pick up their own mess!

Even for little Ann, I would ask her to keep her toys before she could bring out another toy to play. There were times when she refused or gave an excuse "I can't do it." But, there was no way she could get away with that. First time, second time, she tried...very hard but by the third time, she knew, it would never work. Each time she used that as an excuse, I would tell her "you can do it on your own."

Today, after shower, I told her to pass me the comb so that I could comb her hair...instead of getting the comb, I got..."You can do it yourself!"

Well, at least I know she remembered. ;)

That orange fish

A good friend, also a foodie, subscribed for me this food magazine - SAVEUR. Thank God for friends like this. They made this journey of mine much more knowledgable and interesting. Prior to this, I have never come across this magazine.

I was particularly drawn to this article on salmon. I personally love to eat this fish...the cured ones. From Jamie Oliver, I also learned to eat the belly, simply grilled with the unagi sauce. It's superb!

But I didn't know that there were other parts of the salmon, that were just as good until I read about them in the magazine. Like...

• the salmon belly works well in salmon tartare


• the roe of the salmon is great with scrambled eggs


• the salmon's skin, rich is collagen! grilled or broiled, it becomes a crisp


• the tail, is very succulent and flavourful

(ref : SAVEUR Jul 2008)

I decided to cure my own salmon at home. It's not too difficult, I have done it back home but this time, I created my own
recipe as there were a couple of ingredients which I couldn't find them here.


Using grinded black pepper corn, salt, sugar, rosemary, lemon, cilantro, I made my own cured salmon. Cling-wrap it and store in the fridge for 2 days...


Great dish for a warm summer!