Somewhere over the rainbow!

Labour?

2011-02-12T11:38:00.002Z

Statistically proven only 5% expectant mum-to-be laboured on their estimated due date. Unfortunately I am not one of those figure. No sign of show or labour yet, therefore finger-crossed the long awaiting moment be here soon. I feel the baby head is lower (3/5) and in the right position for labour rather than his/her back is tilted on my right hand side. Probably, its run in my family, my sisters' first babies were overdued between 5-12 days.

I should try increasing oxytocin level to induce labour naturally....eating fresh pineapple, stimulating nipples, having sex, etc.??? Mid-wife appoinment Thursday, 17th February; then if nothing happen yet, she will book me in for hospital induction latest by 23rd February as full term pregnancy can't stretch beyond 42 weeks. Please wish me luck and smooth labour hopefully!

Blooming, tired and exhausted

2011-02-01T15:36:00.002Z

Taking 2 weeks annual leave, follow by 52 weeks maternity leave...hiphip hoorah..... officially lady of leisure until the baby born...estimated due date 12/02/2011. Therefore, put my feet up and relax.

Gained 7 kgs so far but still blooming like a wheel-barrow in front. Prescribed (yesterday) hand support (splints) for both hands to protect wrist and tingling palms caused by Carpal Tunnel since 6 weeks ago.
Feeling the strain and reached full term now and can go into labour any time, very scary and excited. Need to write birth plan soon, today I supposed.

Packed hospital bags for baby and myself, fitted car seat, baby moses basket, baby push-chair (travel system), most baby essential - clothes, caps, jacket, babygros, sleepsuits, bodysuits, bibs, blankets, fleece, bathing support tub, feeding and steriliser steamer, breast pump, little ones daily necessities and grooming kits, soft toys, baby night projector, bedding, etc....can't believe how much a tiny baby need :-)

First Wedding Anniversary (24/10/2010)

2010-10-27T00:08:00.007+01:00

Can't believe it, time flies and its our first wedding anniversary!

We attended Sunday morning service at St. John's Church, where we were married. Lots of unfamiliar faces and curate whom married us and few familiar faces that we knew weren't there. Visited Sunday Farmer's market supporting local farmers and their products: bought mergets, Toulouse and Lincolnshire sausages, Blue cheese, smoke duck breast, Cornish pastie, pumpkins (for cooking soup) and Rustic apples.

We had fantastics 3 courses meal at Luton Hoo Hotel, Wernher Restaurant (formal dining room). Have a leisurely stroll at Formal and Rock Gardens and watch the world goes by.

Anamoly Scan 20w 5d (30/09/2010)

2010-10-01T19:29:00.004+01:00

I drank 2 pint s (6 glasses) of non fizzy water within an hour before the anamoly scan (20-23 weeks). West Herfortfordshire Hospital have a no sex determine on fetus policy. Therefore, its gonna be a surprise for us. We gotta buy baby stuffs in nuetral colours, i.e black, grey, white, creamy but not pink or blue, how lovely.

Seeing the perfectly form baby for the very first time is quite emotional and I see his/her little arm moving, sweet little lips, lungs, heart beats, spinal chord, fully formed face and body, limbs/legs, kidneys, bladder and etc. I just want to hold my little angel tightly and comfort him/her. The report showed no obvious abnormality and average growth.

Amniocentesis Test

2010-09-30T23:41:00.002+01:00

Test brought forward to 25th August instead due to consultant schedule. Been briefed 1:25 (4%) risk of Trisomy 21 and 0.75-1.0% miscarriage after the procedure. We determined to have the further test to confirm the chromosomes abnormality.

The consultant drawn 16ml of amniotic fluid from my uterus with a thin needle poked through stomach with probe from scan. This procedure have to be done within 15th week but not later than 16th week just in case the fetus grow bigger. I have to put up my feet and rest for at least 48 hours without any house-work and refrained from work too.

Fortunately, the trisomy test for chromosomes 13, 18 and 21 is normal and I can carry on with my pregnancy as nothing happened.

Nuchal Translucency and Dating scan 13w and 2d (09/08/2010)

2010-09-30T23:29:00.004+01:00

My EDD brought forward from 18th February to 12th February, 2010. I have triple test where blood test, dating and Nuchal (normally scan from 11w till 13+6 weeks) at the same time. My blood markers result ain't great and the Nuchal Translucency screening is 28mm (higher that average 25mm or lower).

Therefore, I have been categorised as increased risk for Trisomy 21 or baby with Down Syndrome or Chromosomes 21 abnormality. It had been a stressful and dreadful week ahead since the midwife rang to arrange for an amniocentesis procedure scheduled on 26th August, 2010.

FHHR

2010-09-09T23:56:00.002+01:00

I heard my baby first ever FHHR (Fetal Heart Heard Regularly) during routine 17 weeks check-up. beating so fast and strong. Average beat 16-20 per minute. Occasionally heard his/her movement too. BP 100/50 and all well so far.

Awww...its been a long time since I last blogged!

2010-09-01T22:23:00.005+01:00

How awful? I should have done better in blogging my latest news!
Yeah, excitment and mixed feelings kick-in especially preparing for new arrival coming February. I'm 16 weeks pregnant and hopefully all goes well and my EDD 18th, February or first dating scan brought forward to 12th February, 2011. So, stay tune :-)

I'm lucky not having morning sickness or any time of the days' sickness except frequent trips to loo in the evening :-( Therefore, unable to sleep well and enjoy my beauty sleep. I suffer from cold and sneeze a lots; funny taste buds and metallic like taste lingering in my mouth ever since I discovered I'm pregnant 6th week. I thought all this will eleminate after 12th week but unfortunately I still have to tolerate with that! None of my close friends or colleagues suspect I'm expecting as my little bum still disguise well under loose T-shirt.

I'm gone off Indian curries but still craving for spicy food sometimes. Mostly, I'm craving sweet taste and chinese ribs (BBQ or Capital spare ribs)...probably my baby like Chinese food :-)

Sometimes I wonder what hair colour (probably dark or brownish hair colour), eye and how my baby look, etc??? Unknown sex yet and not able to feel the trumble or somersault at 16th week as describe in most book. Probably first time mom only identify this between 18th to 20th week!

Victoria Cake

2010-02-08T16:12:00.005Z

Freshly baked from oven!
Cooled and spread with Blackcurrent jam without cream. I dislike very rich cake!

A classic Victoria sponge cake, anyone?
I didn't sprinkle icing sugar on top because I didn't like my cake too sweet!

Mmmm...smell of baking cake is so great and this motivate me to try more recipes (finger-cross)
I researched baking cakes recipes and tips from internet but have faith with Delia Smith Easy Cookbook.
Preparation time 15 minutes, baking time 35 minutes for 8 inches tin at 170C fan oven.

I would give 7/10 in term of taste and texture and no presentation :-)
The edge is a bit crunchy and dried, probably too much oil for the sandwich tin.

Zesty Orange Blueberries Muffins

2010-02-06T08:04:00.006Z

I think I have fallen in love with baking cakes.
My first attempt in baking muffins was better than expected.
The baking smell make the house feel cosy and welcoming...compliment from my husband back home from work.
Preparation time is 15 minutes and baking time is 20-25 minutes at 180C fan oven.
I follow Delia Smith's method and a "twist" of recipe from the Leith's Cooking Bible.
The muffins taste great and perfect.

Rice Cooker

2010-01-19T11:21:00.006Z

How exciting, we seem to have cutting-edge in kitchen over majority of British for rice cooker. What happened?? Most of the British boiled rice in saucepan with salt; drained and served. Sadly, they preferred rice less soggy and less starchy, where as I brought up the opposite side, I like my rice soft and a bit starchy.
My family have been wondering how we cook our rice????

We bought a rice cooker to experiment cooking perfect rice.

1) I rinsed the long grain rice twice, something new to Tim, he cooked rice without rinsing in a saucepan (lots of water).
Tim was bought up boiling rice with salt water in saucepan, drained and served.
I measured water using back of my palm, sometimes finger.
Tim used more scientific calculation; ratio 2:1 (packaging suggestion)
The rice too soggy and starchy for him.

2) Rinsed rice three/four times, used the ratio 2:1 ie cooked 200g rice in 400ml water.
We discovered after rinsing, there is 50ml water in rice, so minus 50ml from the total amount of water for cooking.
He added a pinch of salt in cooking rice with rice cooker :-(
A bit less starchy but still soggy

3) Third time lucky, we cooked easy cook rice (part boiled). Rinsed twice, cooked rice by a ratio of 1:2. Precisely, the rice cooked to perfection and we like it too. So, we agreed on easy cook rice with the ratio of 1 (part of rice) : 2 (water)

4) Cooked rice as suggested on packaging 1(rice):1.8(water) without rinsing
Rice ok but overall texture a bit dry
This is not rocket science and it's easier to round up figure rather than 1.8 calculation of whatever amount of rice we cook :-)

We bought Thai Fragrant Rice but yet to experiment. Don't worry, we're not rice cooking obsessive and we didn't bulk buying.
We normally buy rice in 1kg pack :-)

There are express rice for microwave or boiled rice in sealed pack.
How revolting to dump a pack of sealed rice (literally heating up); fish out, cut and serve on plate. That's how you consider, cooking your own rice!!!

Joyful Christmas

2009-12-21T12:51:00.017Z

We throw a pre-Christmas festive party for my family, altogether 10 of us..Woww, we had roasted pork instead of traditional turkey with potatoes, parnips, cauliflower, broccoli, sweetcorn and peas.

We bought 2.805kg pork from our local farm at St. Alban, simply roast the pork with pinch of salt in oven at 220C for 30 minutes, then 160C till cooked (add 30 minutes cooking time to every 500g of meat). We peeled 2.5kg potatoes and 1.5kg parnips to roast in goose fat (yummy and smelling really nice).

Our dessert, Woodland fruits strudel with Vanilla and toffee ice-cream served with blueberries.

We enjoyed our food very much and compliment to the chef, Tim. We did the traditional bit by pulling Christmas cracker crossed hands, decorating our first Christmas tree and a White Christmas meal :-)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Frank Sinatra's song playing in my mind, feel very X'masty) Looking forwards for White Christmas :-)

Kissing Under Christmas Mistletoe

There are several stories to explain how the tradition of kissing under the Mistletoe began.
It is said that it began from the Greek festival of Saturnalia.
It has also been seen that Mistletoe was used primitive marriage rites, as it was believed that Mistletoe had the power to confer fertility.

Thus, another belief associated with the Mistletoe is that it is blessed with 'life-giving' powers. This belief has certainly been derived from the legend of Balder and Frigga. Scandinavian people regard Mistletoe to be a carrier of peace and thus, people coming under it, had to make up or declare ceasefire, at least temporarily.

However it was in 18th century in England that the concept of 'kissing ball' was introduced. Since then, it was made a ritual that if any young lady was caught under the ball of Mistletoe, she could not refuse to be kissed. This ritual is still prevalent in many European countries and even Canada. Kissing under the Mistletoe is an art in itself and thus, you need to be well prepared for the have to catch or you are caught by, someone under the mistletoe.

It is about a healthy exchange of love and good wishes, so if you are apprehensive about it, you can simply refuse.

Wedding Reception

2009-12-18T12:02:00.028Z

Bohooo........... everything went beautifully as planned. Everybody like the idea of "bubbles" (cheerful and happy vibe all over the air) and "surreal" rose promander entrance.

We have a modest reception at Thai Fusion, with live broadcast to Malaysia.
Like the children facial expression while skype online!
My lovely niece, Rachel and mom
We have lots of compliment on our food selection and everybody enjoyed the meal with jazz music background.

There was a tiny hole on my floor skimming wedding gown hemline, therefore I changed to modern Chinese Cheong-sam.

This is our lovely decorated three tiers cake. The roses and butterflies complement each other well.

We followed Chinese cultural tradition by giving red packets (ang pau) to the children and unmarried sibling. The western kids were very amused and grateful for the "ang pau". Most of them "show and tell" at school.

Here, come the guest .......

We had the most grateful and wonderful day of our life. We would like to thank you all our guest for taking extra miles to travel early in Saturday morning in order to witness our church ceremony. Lovely to see them at our wedding and thank you very much for their helps and kind gifts.

Signing of Marriage Certificate

2009-12-01T14:35:00.006Z

Wooden mantel clock at 11:40am, signing 5 copies of Marriage certificate. We need two witnesses to verify our signatures.

Mike Ffrench Lynch (Best man)

David CW Chin (My elder brother)

Wedding Ceremony

2009-12-01T12:11:00.019Z

Its all happened so fast, after all we are ready to say our wedding vows and exchanging of the wedding rings as husband and wife. Service started at 11:15am and finished 12 midday.

The Entrance : Jeremiah Clarke (Prince of Denmark's March/Trumpet Voluntary
I hardly noticed the background music while walking down the aisle and trying to slow down. Unfortunately, we marched through quietly without peeping at the guests standing for our entrance.

Saying our marriage vows : Charles announced "Tim and Siew Fun, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people"

“I, Timothy Niall Ffrench Lynch, take you, Siew Fun Chin, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow”

Vice-versa on my side, saying our vows to each other strengthen our love.

Tim placed the ring on my fourth finger, holding it and declared: "Siew Fun, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body, I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
Holding Tim fourth finger I suddenly feel clumsy and blurted: "Tim, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body, I honour you, all that I am I give IT to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
So, who care if I said it my way and Tim thought this add a little character to our vow.

We remain kneed while The Reverend Charles blessing our marriage in front of God, witnessed by families, relatives and friends.

Charles anounced the dismissal and we marched slowly down the aisle as husband and wife.

The Recession : George Frideric Handel (Water Music/Hornpipe)

Honestly speaking, I like both scroll of music we chosen and the readings mean so much to us.

Wedding at St. John's Church, Harpenden 24-10-2009

2009-12-01T10:49:00.031Z

Curate The Reverend Charles Burch, David, Madeline, Christine

Traditionally, bride is not suppose to be seen by others before the wedding ceremony. Therefore, I've been hiding in the church hall. On our way to main church and seeing my husband-to-be (Tim) as well as families, relatives and friends for the first time.

Madeline, my lovely flower girl scattered red rose petals while we were walking down the aisle.
My elder brother, David Chin giving me away at the church ceremony.

It was a raw drizzling rain in the morning of Saturday, 24th October, 2009.
There is an old saying that rain on your wedding day is a lucky omen. The Italians even have a saying for it, "Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata", which means that a wet bride is a lucky bride. In the U.S., it is commonly repeated that rain is lucky.

Although it was drizzling and raining in between, we enjoyed and survived the day beautifully. Everyone have a wonderful time and mingled along well till 5:30pm.

Rain is also considered to be a good wedding omen in Germany, Sweden, and France. This is possibly because rain is associated with a bountiful harvest, and thus, fertility. Some believe that the rainier the wedding day, the more children the marriage will produce. Blessed!

Swine Flu

2009-11-23T15:07:00.002Z

Yes...absolutely right...I got it on early Friday, 20th November, 2009 and amazingly I recovered within 48 hours. Blessed!
Who know or care the actual cause how I caught it.

Anyway, I had nasty sorethroat late Thrusday evening and suffered very high fever early morning (felt the whole body is boiling and sweat lightly...it was a cold night). Headache and all the joints aches and feeling very lame. You feel like you don't want to move at all but just lie down and rest. Luckily, I discussed this with the GP during my new patient registration in Highfield Surgery Friday morning.

She taken my temperature (which have subsided) and the reading showed 38.2C (she said I had Swine flu) before diagnosing my lung breathing. The GP issued a Tamiflu voucher for me to collect from the chemist. Tim picked it up for me without any queries from Lloyds pharmacy.

Fortunately Tim is still immuned as he had Swine flu in August, 2009 but only taken 2 Tamiflu tablets and he stopped as he get better after all. He started with a cold (couple days earlier) and dragged on to aches and fever one night. He diagnosed online and get his prescription at a Tamiflu centre in Watford.

Therefore, you're likely diagnose with Swine flu if you have symptoms like cough, cold, fever and aches all over your body. Tamiflu cured my Swine flu between 36 hours (2 tablets per day, one at a time) and I had Lemsip Max to ease the aching muscles. So, these 2 medicine did wonder on me.

If this happen in Malaysia, I don't think the scenario will be as relax as in UK, where they have enough supply of Tamiflu. My sister and brother in-law are doctor in Malacca Hospital and they said that Tamiflu supplies is running out and Malaysian government is short supply and control the medicine very seriously.

In Malaysia, blood test taken to confirm the H1N1 virus, you'll be isolated with others from the ward. You're advice to isolate yourself for minimum 7 days. I feel bad, I been out and about in my second day (Saturday) to Sainsbury's, Tesco, Watford town, John Lewis, etc...I'm sorry but I feel fit and bouncy and swine flu free :-)

Visa application again

2009-11-12T17:22:00.000Z

Not joking....please treat this seriously. Visa applications rolls in just when I think of putting my feet up to relax after the marriage, honeymoon and settling down in our "new" home.

Not too bad, the spouse visa not so intimidated compare to the fiancee's visa application form. Less questions mean eliminates more possible mistakes. Its cost GBP465 postal order or premium same day service by person at GBP665. I'm in no hurry to get my passport for immediate travel, so will go for postal service.

More questions lingering in my mind..my current travel passport expired in 19months, then the spouse visa valid for 2 years...mean short of 5 months??? Need to clarify with Malaysia High Commission in London. Wish me luck but I'll prepare myself with sufficient documents to sort out the grey spot.

Buttonholes and Corsages

2009-10-16T23:57:00.004+01:00

We have our first and only flowers arrangement with my sister, Cindy. We attempted the buttonholes, corsages, bride and groom chairs decoration. We discussed planning and possible decorations for church, wedding cake and restaurant. Busy day but great achievement..like the flowers...looked nice and cosy.

Thank you very much, Cindy for your great effort and ideas. I love the corsages, buttonholes, chairs' flower and wedding cake arrangements.

I feel the first punch hit me when we need to fix table seating instead of free-seating in order to encourage guests to mingle around. We need table chart, place card and table name card. We have 3 tables of 8 (one with a baby high chair, table of 9) and 2 tables of 10.

11 days...to go :-)

2009-10-13T18:36:00.000+01:00

Surprisingly how we ended up picking a United Nation day without realising this mean something to our wedding. We just fixed date being flexible to majority of our families upon their availability.

Almost there;
Wedding's Order of service : 2 Readings, one from my cultural background being a Toaist...I-Ching (When Two People Are at One) AND
second reading from new international version Mark 10: 13-16 in English and Cantonese.

First Hymn : Morning Has Broken
Second Hymn : Praise, my soul, the King of heaven

Church preparation:
Rose petal and mixed roses confetti
Baskets for petals and mixed confetti, flower girl scatter petals along the aisle
Ordered pedestal and six pews ends, my bridal bouquet (very autumn feel, colourful and vibrant), buttonholes (white carnation; white is for wedding)
Chinese "Double Happiness" character to be sticked on church wall...representing cross-cultural wedding. Luckily, we have a flexible and relax curate conducting our ceremony
Appointed a friend to take photograph
Rehearsal Thursday, 22nd October
Good pen to sign the marriage registration (5 copies altogether,copy for Malaysian High Commision, spouse visa and future documentations)
Wedding bands to be handed to bestman on wedding day
Wedding car taken care of by Mike

Our favours:
Heart shaped candle wrapped in organza
Chopsticks (old Chinese tales of "getting a son soon" -"Fai Zhe")
Fortune Cookies
Five sugared almond (most likely for all guests rather than just female guests as a tradition)

On day:
Setting off from Richmond (my brother's place)
Make up artist start 7am
Set my own hair using hair straightener to curl it, half updo with tiara and combed veil

Restaurant:
Seating plan done, 44 adults and a toddler (don't forget to include the bride and groom when confirming seats)
Nice centerpiece flowers arrange by Pat
Put up few Chinese characters, confetti on tables, a bubble machine on entrance
Organized Jazz Trio (selected few playlist to surprise Tim)
Order of events
Three tier wedding cakes with a wedding couple as cake topper, decorated with few fresh roses and petals
Bought cake knife as family safekeeping
Will distribute wedding envelopes (red envelopes) to children
Packed extra gown just in case need changing

Honeymoon:
Weekend away locally to relax and chill out
A week in Lanzarote
Hired car for holiday

We started our preparation since June but most intensively for the past month, we are relieved when things progress and take care of themselves eventually. We are so looking forwards for it and feel more relax monitoring things as its goes. All mixed feelings and exited waiting for the day.

Things to do

2009-09-25T00:55:00.000+01:00

Ooposh...time flies...in slightly less than a month, I'll be entering a new chapter in my life as Mrs......!

THINGS DONE :
*Wedding dress, shoes : may changed my mind and get a new pair:-), shopping for bolero
*Wedding bands and ring cushion
*Honeymoon : 7 days in winter sun...Lanzarote, Grand Canaria (Spain)
*Weekend away
*Confirmed reception, jazz trio, menu
*Posted Invitations
*Booked organist and flower lady
*Confirmed church ceremony date
*Granted special licence to marry in church under new Church of England regulation
*Wedding list from John Lewis
*Mike (Tim's brother) will sort out wedding car as gift for us..Thank you, Mike
*Bridal Make up artist
*Being brave to style my own hair:-)

LIST TO DO :
#Meet up Curate to discuss wedding service (order of service), hymn songs, reading and rehearsal
#Shopping for flower girl and page boy(s) presents
#Decide on cake....order M&S fruits cake and sponge, 3 tiers, cake stands, etc
#Choose flowers for pedestal and pew ends
#Bridal bouquet, Boutonnieres, Corsages, table centerpiece...will consult Pat (Tim's mother) when she back to UK from France
#Restaurant decoration....seating plan
#Selection of songs that we would like to play in the restaurant..."The Road That Never Ends" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" by Hawaiian artist
#Wedding Favours
:
:
:
etc...

Chris Hen do Highlight

2009-09-14T17:16:00.001+01:00

I had a very memorable "Hen do", thank you for the organisers MC, Mandy and Cindy...Everything went well except for the little drama while checking-in...apparently the agent booked us in two different date rather than rooms and the hotel was overbooked...Gosh...we were then blessed with a two rooms apartment instead

The Cafe de Paris club is one of the best club in West End that I been to..well done on spotted such a great atmosphere club...MC, Cindy & Mandy. Cool, we started our booze marathon with 2 bottles of frizze with nibbles followed by "cold dipped penis" straw mangoes cooktail..hey, its "Hot" there, right!
We proceed to colour me beautiful...fun make up session...Thanks MC for doing my brilliant make up...we looked drop death gorgeous with our dress to kill and heels...worth the pain!

We had a burlesque taster classes (30 minutes) and we learnt few burlesques tricks ..too challenging for the sock burlesque now but its fun learning all the burlesques. Finally, I was honoured to do a burlesques walk with the other Hen. The Wam Bam Club cabaret show is excellent...absolutely fantastic performance. Thumb up for the Hula Boy, Lady Alex, Sex bomb and gold finger ladies and not forgetting the stand up comedian Jason Wood, Wam Bam belles and lots more..the three bendy burlesque belles and the very atheltic Lady...wowww..wow!
Despite of the strict rules on no hen/stag wear but we managed to bring my sparky red Devil trident (fork) outrightly in.

Cindy won the GBP200 bottle of Absolute Vodka lucky-draw, this was the most expensive spirit mixer that I ever had in club..Cindy, thank you for sharing with us. Don't let the lady luck slipped through this Friday's EuroMillion 85 Millions Jack pot...good luck, everyone.

Unbelievable, 6 of us finished the 700ml vodka in 3 hours...wow hands up or even feets up..without hangover...afterall we had 2 bottles of frizze and 3 bottles of white wine. Hey, girls we drank like fish...normally my alcohol consumption is a small glass (125ml) of red wine with meal...Well done, all.
We party till 2:30am in the club then had supper at Hung's Leicester Square to line our acidic stomach...sHHhhh..! Then, everyone felt contented with the supper and back to apartment for a beauty sleep.

MC surprised us by spotting a Chinese supermarket after jogging in Hype Park, nice "choy sum" with noddles! Then we had our fine silver dining in one of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's Mayfair Hotel. I was overwhelmed by the trendy and expensive furnishing in the dining room and the entire hotel. Its an eye opening decoration. We had a very leisurely 3 hours Sunday lunch till 5pm. Ooops, we did it again by pamphering ourselves..

Looking forwards for part 2 of the party goes on...Indulgent Pamper Day at Aquilla Health and Fitness club at London's Knightbridge. We suggested either first weekend of October or any September weekends before Rene's flying back to Malaysia, Sophie to Switzerland and Pat to New York City mid October. I can make it any weekends.

My Hen Do

2009-09-11T16:17:00.000+01:00

Gosh...I feel really exited and butterfly in my stomach...phew...what surprise will I get from my lovely girlfriends and sisters for organising a "Chris's Dress To Kill" (without weapon) hen do. We have theme such as, "dress to kill with floral ornaments" Saturday night and "angelic whiteness" Sunday lunch...thank you all for such a memorable singleton send off.
By the way, we'll stayed in London's apartment for the weekend (12th and 13th September)...everyone bring nibble and booze...hey, hey... hang over, etc...cosy dinner and lunch but no other information on the "surprise" bit...Got to act like a Diva or Drama Queen at the grand entrance...bit challenging to me! There are girls rules (punishments for offender) and exchanging sexy gift for everyone!

Business Class

2009-08-25T15:12:00.000+01:00

Lady luck was on my side, MH upgraded my grab-a-deal fare to Business Class...no main-main and no complaint...this was the most pleasant flight I had so far. Probably once in a lifetime experience..lets hope its not..many more to looking forwards to in the future.

Back to UK on 23rd August, weather warm and sunny...not too late to catch the last bit of summer, though. Quite tanned by Malaysian sun and happy to top up more sunshine here.

Still rushing things for wedding reception, thinking of meal at Thai Fusion in Amersham if everything goes well according to plan. Meet up person in charge Friday to negotiate deal..wish us luck! No progress at all apart from guest list and church reservation date...time flies. Stop being too laid back, we need to work on somethings more practical asap.

Wrist tendonitis

2009-08-25T15:01:00.000+01:00

Hey, what a strange name...I swear by the pain when this happened 2 months ago till now..still recovering by taking painkiller, applying AmmiVotara(sounds volcanic), ice-bag,etc. You name it, I'd try to combat the inflammation pain. Luckily, no surgery require but have to live with this for the rest of my life :-(

Possibly, I've twisted tendon in my wrist, "chee mah ken" (Cantonese).

Scientific name : Tenosynovitis

Wrist tendonitis, also called tenosynovitis, is a common condition characterized by irritation and inflammation of the tendons around the wrist joint. Many tendons surround the wrist joint. Wrist tendonitis usually affect one of the tendons, but it may also involve two or more. Often wrist tendonitis occurs at points where the tendons cross each other or pass over a bony prominence.
The wrist tendons slide through smooth sheaths as they pass by the wrist joint. These tendon sheaths, called the tenosynovium, allow the tendons to glide smoothly in a low-friction manner.

The Family

2009-06-03T17:53:00.000+01:00

His and mine...Tim have uploaded some of our photos in his gallery.
When you view each photo there's a download link.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/timffl/TimChrisPhotos

Unforgetable April

2009-05-11T11:28:00.000+01:00

My beloved father lost his fight to cancer and passed away peacefully in April....these unforgetable moments stayed with my family forever. He had a good short life, aged 62 years old. We are still mourning privately.

Desparate for "Affair"

2009-03-09T19:48:00.000Z

Interesting topic, hah? No misunderstanding, its NOT ME....and I hope its NEVER EVER happen to me.....those who know me well, salute for my loyalty.
I was shopping in a mall looking for dresses, then played "super-duper detective" overheard the following conversation

Woman(quite attractive and slim looking, Damn...missed out on her look, "pai shieh" to peep outrightly)
Man in his late 20's, middle-eastern looking, common type, stocky built.....

Man : Julie*, can I see you sometimes? (Bizzarely, he know her, not sure whether it's a good idea to mention her name publicly. Likesiewe, may be she is making up her name, you never know how is the innocent party)
Woman: No, I'm not free.
Man : Can I call you? Can I have your mobile number?
Woman : No, my husband will be very jealous (Damn....that's why I think she done a good job in turning down the "potential affair")
Man : Can we meet up sometimes?
Woman : No, my husband don't like it(Damn MAN, move on if you're a gentleman, why pressure Julie to commit something bad that she against..He sounded very desparate...weirdo)
Man : Take my number then?
Woman : No, my husband around all the time....very reluctantly she apologise and want to head off.
Man : Bye and see you sometimes.
Woman : No.... Bye

ME : DAMN..Woman, you don't have to apologise and .....If this guy approach me like that I'll outrightly give him a don't you dare look and tell him off there and then....Sorry, no lady-like treatment for pervert!
Pardon me to think that nowadays modern lonely, unhappy couple, abusive relationships or broken hearts want to spice up their colourful life style in comforting their lonesome hearts.

Then, there is an older guy (same origin as the Man) waiting nearby...sHhhhh...what happened? Is this a honey-trap or something?? Then these guys acted normal and chatted in their language before looking out for the next victim. That's why playing detective sounds interesting......this brightened my day :-)

Love is..............

2009-03-05T11:27:00.000Z

Love is hard to define....... and very subjective as long as its whisk the listener ears with overwhelm emotion. I was swept away by Tim when he said "No, I don't want anyone else except you". It is the best therapeutical healing to lift me spirit whenever I'm feeling down. The more we get to know someone, the more we fall for them. That's how I feel for my true love now and forever.

Family Tea Ceremony

2009-02-22T01:03:00.000Z

We had a simple tea ceremony to my family at Alisan Restaurant, Wembley, London on Saturday, 24th January, 2009 to mark the start of our engagement.

We welcome Tim (my husband to-be) to our family. It was the auspicious time for us...according to "Tong Shiang" (Chinese Astrology References) as read by my father. We are not superstitious but respect my culture and tradition. We were blown away by how relax and enjoyable everyone with the ceremony.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

2009-02-20T01:18:00.000Z

Historically,it was in England that many of our most enduring Western European wedding traditions got their beginning. The ancient nursery rhyme about something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue is now an important part of most Western European weddings, even though many brides and grooms no longer know the significance of the rhyme.

Something old is symbolic of continuity. The old item was often a piece of lace or a grandmother’s scarf or an old piece of jewelry. My mother-in-law to be gave us a centennial family ring. Tim wanted something special and tailored made by jeweller to mark our unity, a set trilogy diamond engagement ring.
Something new signifies hope for the future, and can be anything from a piece of clothing to the wedding band itself. Absolutely,wedding band for us.
Something borrowed is symbolic of future happiness and is often provided by a happily married friend of the bride. I reckon something borrowed from my sisters or mother.
And finally, something blue. In ancient times blue was the color of purity and often both the bride and the groom wore a band of blue cloth around the bottom of their wedding attire.

It was the knights of yore who gave us the Western European tradition of the groom wearing a single flower. It was customary for a knight to wear a flower or a colorful handkerchief belonging to their lady fair when they entered a tournament. The tradition later evolved to the groom wearing a flower from his bride’s wedding bouquet.

Just a like announcement

2009-01-15T00:13:00.000Z

We are about to start a new chapter in our life. My dearest have proposed to me on Monday, 12th January, 2009...a fresh start of the year. Ohh gosh, how did I feel...very emotional, exited, nervous, touching and yes...tears rolled down my face. That was the most unforgetable moment in my life...Tim asked "Siew Fun CHIN, will you marry me?"....I replied.."Yes, I do" rather than "I will". We have gone through lots of happy and sweet memories as well as hiccups. We promise to grow old gracefully together. We will go through all obstacles in life together.

We haven't decide venue and date yet but things need to be done eventually..! We will compromise between two culture...Western and Oriental, tea-ceremony in my family as a tradition.

Good luck to us...Bless!

My 2008 Christmas and 2009 New Year

2009-01-03T00:00:00.000Z

My Christmas was the best so far...spent with my dearie and family...an unforgetable experience. Eaten lots of traditional home cooked meals by Pat, best ever roasted beef, turkey, etc. Ooopps...overindulgent...! Lots of pressies from Pat and Cecil's family after Christmas lunch, even one from Father Christmas! Sight seeing at Portsmouth and Gosport, visited Mike and Becki's family. Absolutely fantastic.

Back to London, need more walking...never mind...sales may help to shed few pounds( actually the currency rather than fat/muscle from the body).

My New Year day was ordinary and spent with family...visited Kew Garden 250th's Birthday...hip..hip..hoorah...freezing cold and crowded...free entrance!

Christmas Countdown...6 days..nope 5 days to go..! X'mas Eve

2008-12-19T11:19:00.000Z

This will be a very busy Christmas countdown...
1) Brother family ready to move in new house..literally next door in 3/4 days for Christmas :-) Lots of stairs climbing...2 storeys each house...trim and flat out for Christmas :-)
2) Panic....busy packing and clearing my clutters...lots of stuffs and massive clear out...some goes to charity, few nostalgia things, etc ...junks that I keep for the past 10 years here :-)
3) Looking forwards to heading off to Tim's parents on 23rd December...for a proper English Christmas do :-) Then, we can relax after all the hustle!
4) Pressies....unwrap but almost done all shopping...so feel bits relax now
5) Help babysitting nephew, Nathan.. he is very cute and staying with us for few months :-)

Finally, wishing everyone "Merry Christmas and Happy 2009 New Year"

HOT 'N' COLD

2008-12-13T16:12:00.000Z

Kathy Perry's song "HOT N COLD" have been playing in my mind recently. I admit that I like that song for a reason...especially this :

Someone call the doctor.. Got a case of a love bi-polar... Stuck on a roller coaster... Can't get off this ride.. *You* change your mind.. Like a girl changes clothes

*Decision, decision, decision, etc...sometime I hate to choose either moving on or staying put. I need clear mind to eliminate clutters.

Lots of things been bugging me such as worries about my future, career, relationship, health, etc. Please give me strength to make up my mind and I'm tired of procrastinate further. Though, I hope I'm a superwoman but that's unrealistic!

Stop pressing my button!

2008-12-13T16:01:00.000Z

I know my limit when someone tried to pressure me until I scream "STOP" mentally. I wish I have argumentative and logical reasons to defend myself. I can't please everyone but I wonder why don't people be more considerate to others and leave me in peace. I respect others and I hope I will be treated the same in return. I hope I am not being demanding and always like to maintain diplomacy in any awkward situations. I keep myself to myself and treasure my privacy very much. PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!

HOPE

2008-11-28T12:15:00.000Z

Guess what? I am feeling more relax and serene after sharing my doubts in life. Yes, absolutely bestow and hope everything in order soon. I am blessed and grateful for going through this journey calmly.
Thank you for the encouragements and concerns from people who care about me. I have been let down, feeling pretty low and fears for my future undertakings. Its all beyond my control, so why should I pull my hair so harsh... just relax...then, wait and see! I don't blame it on anyone or no finger-pointing or what-so-ever! I hate confrontation, most of the time I lost control and cried.

PROCRASTINATION

2008-11-20T15:08:00.000Z

I admit that I'm very good at PROCRASTINATION...Bless me!
According to Wikipedia: PROCRASTINATION may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the disapproval of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments.
"Chuen-choong"....I strike all the symptoms easier than winning a lottery. That's why I am not loaded with $$$$$ Money, money, money....where are you? Why can't I be someone rich?

Finally, I pluck up my courage to question my other half and myself where are we heading from here?? Right now??? There is no turning point either way...I put my feet down on deciding what are the worst consequences and try not to hurt others too much. My flaw is always putting others' welfare prior to mine....probably, less heart-ache if I'm more selfish.

I am calmer and more insane, I reckoned. I do apologise if I pissed someone off recently..especially my family and friends. Sincere apologies! They are my treasure and everything, without them, I'm nobody. Please give me strength to sustain my inner peace!

Chasing Pavements

2008-11-07T21:59:00.000Z

Guess what, I always wonder why and WTH I was borned to this world...was that my bad karma in previous life(recarnation) Sial..I believe in such things...who knows...Anyway, feel grumpy today...woke up at the wrong side of bed(I wished)..bad mood or any excuses ...... quotation says:

“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.” Alexander Pope

See the damages...Alexander Pope only said ONE (An excuse... but me EXCUSES... Pardon me! ..you got it clear and loud) I reckoned I should follow suit with the English Proverb...

'Every cloud has a silver lining' ..meaning..There's always something good in bad times.

I'm facing lots of dilemmas at the moment... should I follow my heart or my head?? Being a practical and rational thinker, the head override my heart..but I'm only a vulnerable human (Woman). I feel very pressure and reflected lots of possibilities...I want to seal my life with a prominent decision. Hopefully, I will survive for the next 5, 10, 20 or N number of years well. Life is too short for those who treasure... Therefore, I will make up my mind and not daydreaming anymore...I am hook to Adele's 19 Chasing Pavements http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uBmwdlBFs1s

Frustration

2008-11-05T16:11:00.000Z

Wonder why stress like to inhibit in human system...why can't any genius scientist do something about it....I'm really stress about not being competent in life...very frustrated and just want to give up.
I am a nice and well manner person but sometimes people just treat me badly...don't really understand the "karma" rebirth cycle...I believe in karma recarnation...that's why what I am doing now will effect my next life.

Coughing

2008-10-16T17:02:00.000+01:00

I am coughing for almost a month now but not serious compare to 4 years ago when I had the most chronic cough lasted 3 months, which everyone suspected as TB :-(
Coughing is classified as acute (of sudden onset) if it is present less than three weeks, subacute if it is present between three and eight weeks, and chronic when lasting longer than eight weeks. (Quoted from wikipedia)
Been to GP, he inspected me but no prescription given. His reasoning, cough is non medicational illness. We need to boost up our immume system to fight the bad bacteria. I consulted a nurse by chance how to boost up immume system.... recommended to take Echinacea.
An earlier University of Maryland review based on 13 European studies concluded that echinacea, when taken at first sign of a cold, reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration.[2] The review also found that three of four published studies concluded that taking echinacea to prevent a cold was ineffective.
Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown.[8]..(Quoted from Wikipedia)
Sadly, my believe for the wonder of Echinacea for curing my chronic cough varnished.
Finally, I found the treatment for cough from rubbing Vicks VapoRub on neck, chest and both soles, then wear stocking before retiring to bed. The next morning, my windpipe and nasal cleared. Thank you for the little wonder of Vicks VapoRub :-)

Wedding banquet

2008-10-15T15:43:00.000+01:00

My life is always full of ups and downs...sounds familiar? I am quite a perfectionist and traditionist in term of cultural. Brought up in a small communities backhome where whole village "almost" know each other is very different from the cosmopolitan societies, where everyone mind their own business.
Frankly speaking, I prefer the western socialisation with a twist of eastern root. Don't get me wrong, I respect different cultures and all walk of lifes but feel more laid back and relax without conforming to norm that I disagreed. Have anyone wonder why cross-cultural life seems colourful to me?
I would suggest we go with the flow and use your judgement when dealing with different cultural occasions. Meal sharing is practically all serve at once in Chinese culture but Western serving by courses take 2-3 hours enjoying the dining atmosphere. Once I was attending a Chinese wedding banquet where meals served by courses but right to the last dishes (normally lotus wrapped fried rice or desserts), most of the contented guests already left. What is your reaction if you were not familiar with the culture...you may think the guests are making their move because they dislike the banquet or in hurry to get home?