Yesterday was the last day of work for my predecessor. I hope and pray hard that I've learnt well all, if not most, of what she has taught me. I admit it. It's more difficult to teach an old dog new tricks but I try. She does a lot more than what I had done in my previous organisations. And thankfully, my new boss understands. There are a lot of accounting related task that has been 'grandfathered' by the HR department due to 'history' but I'll try. Well, at least I learn new things and with the salary increase that accompanied this new role, I have to.

 

Anyhow, today was another slow day for us. We attended a birthday party of my ex-colleague's daughter, who turned one. After attending the party and another 1 year old's a couple of weeks' back, I'm glad I stood firm on the decision not to hold one when K turned one. More often than not, the child is overwhelmed with what's going on and usually ends up crying with all the excitement and commotion happening. Well, other than photographs, I do not think the baby will remember anything of his/her first birthday at all.

 

So, in my humble opinion, holding the child's first birthday with family should suffice. People that the child has grown accustomed to.  A neighbour even advised us a hold a party only when the child starts asking for one. And I think that's a fine idea because as soon as that happens, I think it would be quite a lot more years that organising birthday parties will start to be a yearly affair.

With the hubs feeling sick and I, a little under the weather on Sunday thus skipping church only could only mean that K will not be spared. I felt her body feeling very hot again early Monday morning but we sent her to school anyway as she seemed her normal self. 

Her temperature was checked and noted that it was on the high side. After lunch, the school called to say K's temperature hit 39 degree and her teacher was showering her. I mobilised the hubs and prayed that the temperature will go down. Being only in my first month on the job, I was very concerned on leaving earlier and since the hubs is able to, I decided to let him handle her. After he picked her up, they waited for really long at the clinic. 

When I reached home, I cooked porridge with Japanese Sweet Potatoes and Carrots for her. All I needed to do was let the pot boil over for a while and let it cook by itself further in the thermo-pot. Ah, really, I love our thermo-pot!

We took turns to look after K today. He on the morning shift and I, the afternoon. So in the morning, I did the same with what I normally do for soup. Put whatever I wanted to into K's porridge, boil and transfer into the thermo-pot. 

Thankfully, she wasn't too cranky. I played clay with her today, something she enjoys, especially with the mini moulds. I like that the clay is made from food colouring too and will definitely buy them again when they dry up. Apparently they do because they are made from flour, not like regular plasticine. And yes K loves making those 'man' shapes.

 

I've also issued a warning to the hubs. Moving on, if K falls ill because she caught the virus from him, he shall be responsible in looking after her. From taking the whole day off work and so on. And if she caught it from me, I will do like-wise. And if it the bug came from neither one of us, then our half-day arrangements remain. I feel this is only fair and this will act as a reminder to the hubs on the need to put on a mask whenever he is sick! Unfortunately having 1 parent who used to work in a medical environment has not instilled the hubs or any of his family members awareness such as this. And I bear the brunt of his inconsideration. 

My operandus mondi these days when I reach home is to bring out the meat from the fridge before I change into my home clothes. And still with make-up or melted make-up on my face, I proceed back to the kitchen to wash the rice, put it back in the rice-cooker and then start cooking.

But on Thursday, just as I put on my home clothes, the hubs called to say that he was called up to attend a dialogue and so I speed changed again to pick K up. The chicken that I had taken out was left in the container of water. 

So, like all times when I need to pick K up, we ate out. When I reached home, I didn't forget the chicken. I cut it up in strips, marinated it and back to the fridge it went. 

Yesterday, it was the hubs turn to take care of K while I had a farewell cum welcome department dinner. The hubs also attended a parent teacher conference on his own. K was recently measured in school and now stands at 87cm and at 11.5kg. 87cm! She has less than 100cm to reach the hubs' height! I don't even want to mention about myself anymore. It's pretty obvious why.

Anyhow, dinner was great! We ate at a Japanese restaurant that I had remembered wrongly! But it was still good and cheaper. The one that I wanted to suggest was actually across the road. Lol. 

Today, the 3rd SIL messaged me in the morning to invite us for dinner at their place. When I mentioned this to R, he mentioned that he had wanted to go see his mother. Again! I told him No. He's been going so often and we hardly go to my 3rd brother's anymore. 

And while we were there, we all enjoyed my 3rd SIL's cooking with their newly bought air-fryer and K had fun playing with Esther, who would have been the youngest if not for K. 

I've caught up with a couple of my ex-colleagues over lunch ever since I joined the new company. And it feels good to know that I've been missed and that I made a little difference during my 3+ years of service there. Hopefully, when I become fully independent with the impending departure of my predecessor, I create a positive impression here too.

On the home front, things have been going well. M is away on a holiday to Perth with her friends this week and the house is more peaceful, in a way. She can be very noisy, the way she bangs the lid down on the milo tin, the way she opens and closes the sliding door of her wardrobe, the volume of her radio.....the list goes on. And this week, we need not close the door of our bedroom and enjoy the cool evening breeze while we sleep.

However, K has been a bit of a challenge this week. Not sure if she is tired from school activities or really hungry when she reaches home. Not once did she not cry during the past 3 days. Of course they all started with her being a little too cheeky and getting scolded by either one of us. She has also started throwing tantrums by throwing things on the floor. I'm not going to be too hard on myself because they do all go through this phase. It's how the parents discipline the children to ensure they 'grow out' of this phase. Of course, we do not entertain her tantrums and we do smack her. Either on her hands or legs. I'm even toying with the idea of getting a cane for her! It need not be used but just wielding it should bring some fear to her!

I invited my ex-colleague Ivy and her family to join us at the zoo today when the hubs managed to get his company's corporate card. It was raining earlier in the morning and according to Ivy, there was heavy downpour at her area. She messaged me to say that we may need to postpone the outing but since the rain had stopped at our place by then, and good weather followed, I told her it was ok if they decided not to join us but we'll carry on anyway. 

Anyway, we postponed our meet-up by an hour and when we reached the zoo, the weather was clear and fine and being the local exam period, there was ample parking at the car park and the zoo wasn't as crowded! 

We didn't cover as much as when we were there with the youngest BIL and his family as well as the 2nd time that we were there. But we did spend a bit of time at the water play area. 

The hubs suggested we visit the zoo every month but I thought it was a bit too frequent. Maybe every quarter but not every month. In fact, we have plans to visit the new River Safari together with Jerry and his family as well as Jeremy and Ivy, sometime in July.

Anyway, to digress, I had lunch with an ex-colleague yesterday. She is the 4th person I've met for lunch, from the last company, since I joined the current one. At the same time, she passed to me some items I ordered! Am so happy.

Can't bear to use the wristlet with the ribbon. It's just so pretty! The black wristlet with studs come in time for Bev's 21st birthday next month! Yay.

We invited Jeremy and his family for lunch yesterday and after that, 'handed' K over to them. K had been wanting to go to her favourite Uncle's home and like how we did on the last PH, we decided to let her go over today. 

Instead of spending time at home cleaning up like what we did on Good Friday, the hubs and I watched a movie in town. It felt liberating! Having some time to just the 2 of us is something we needed! Tim asked if watching the movie was enjoyable because we don't get much of a chance to do so anymore or was it because the movie was enjoyable. I reckon that it's the fact that it's been a while the hubs and I hung out, just the 2 of us.

While we were out, Ivy and Bev brought K to the airport for some fun and when we picked her up in the evening, she requested for her milk really early and then slept while drinking. It was only 7ish in the evening and when we had to leave, she continued her sleep in the car and slept all the way till this morning.

The fact that the school had a parent -child event after school on Monday evening probably made her even more tired. We picked her up from school at 6pm, went for dinner at a nearby coffee shop and then it was back to the centre again at 7pm for the event. It lasted for about 2 hours and by the time I washed her down, it was almost 10pm when she slept.

I notice that K has slight obvious eye rings and I hope it's not permanent. In fact, the nephew in law has them too. Hiaz....

K brought back a handmade card from school on Friday and when she gave it to me, she said 'Happy Mother's Day, Mummy.' :) The card didn't look very much made by the children in school but I was touched anyway. Especially in the way she had wished me. And then she gave me a bread cut-out in a shape of a bear, which, she ended up eating. Lol.

And today, the Mummies were each presented with a lovely cake! 

The cake was especially useful to entice K to take her nap when we reached home from church. She gladly made her way to the bedroom and when she woke up, she did not forget that we had promised her a slice of the cake!

After she had her cake, we were out again to attend the hub's ex-colleague's daughter's 1 year old birthday. And at the party, K continued eating again. Lol.

Before I started work with the new company, I had preempt the hubs that I might not be able to cook for probably the first week or so. Not knowing the culture of the company yet, I was concerned that I might have to work late or might be too tired after going through whatever I needed to learn.

Thankfully, neither concerns were the case. In fact, I could cook everyday on my first week and even this week too except for yesterday when I had to pick K from school.

Here's a sampling of what I made last week!

Finally, steamed egg that looks decent. But a tad too watery I reckon. Will definitely try again.

And Bake Cauliflower 'pie' that I made for lunch on Saturday. Not too bad and the hubs suggested adding salmon the next time. Yes, I think that is a good idea! Again, something that I will try to prefect and with salmon.

We spent the Labour Day holiday when the Victors invited us and the Salahudeens to Changi Beach Club, with the kids  & dads swimming followed by lunch and then bowling. At the end of it all. we proceeded to the Victor's home and boy were we shagged out. 

The heat was almost unbearable at the pool and well, we were out from morning to night. K woke up later at 4ish early Friday morning, crying and cranky and kept wanting to be carried. The hubs who, coincidentally took the day off on Friday spent a bit of time with her at the living room while I tried to sleep as much as I could as I do not have the privilege of an extra day off, especially since I just started on a new job.

I was so worried that I had to call in an urgent leave until I remembered the hubs was off and I was able to heave a sign of relief. And being back at work was also another long day as I had to run about with an incoming expat and his wife viewing international schools with my predecessor.

And we met the Victors for dinner again today! I had planned for today to be a day home, tidying up and clearing stuff but well, tidying and clearing stuff is always not placed in priority, especially when it concerns the hubs.

Thankfully, we've got the upcoming public holiday in a weeks' time to do all that then.