Merry Christmas from Australia !!

Yes I am so useless with this blog.  Merry Christmas from Tasmania, Australia !!

So it begins

And so the training begins. Being as unfit as I am, I'm starting slow and small, but I'll get there.

First step is to get more active. This was a big constraint previously when you have a boss insisting on you sitting in front of your computer all day and all night after you get home. I also used to get dropped off and picked up from work everyday by my dearest hubby. But working in the CBD really doesn't allow that, so every morning and evening, I battle my way through the throngs of everyone commuting to the CBD. You might be thinking, oh what's the big deal, it's just taking the MRT. WELL, let me tell you, I get on at commonwealth for a few stops, switch up at Outram park, speed walk from the green line to the purple line, make my way to China Town, switch up to the blue line, and make my way to Telok Ayer, and then walk to office. This is more walking than I have done in ages. Much less twice a day every day. At lunch time I try to go on walks too just for adding activity.

I'm gradually adding exercise to my routine, squats here, plank there. We also spent 4 hours the other day walking up and down the CBD filming a TOP SECRET teaser video (If I tell you I'll have to kill you). Side note: I can't seem to get away from production no matter what job I end up in and I LOVE IT!! Today I did 10 laps in the pool and some leg lifts and boy am I aching all over. (SUPER UNFIT). But anyway, the goal, is firstly to get fit, strong and healthy enough to participate in, and COMPLETE next year's Reebok Spartan Race Singapore. Also to get back into my size 10 jeans that fit perfectly in 2013.

This photo was taking 2013 December at the Launceston Country Club for hub's and my wedding anniversary. Size 10 everything. I doubt I will ever be anything smaller than a size 10 but hey, that works for me.

In case anyone was wondering, I'm wearing a coat from Myer, my favourite Chanel clutch (a gift from my cousin-in-law) and ZU heels from Crown Casino in Melbourne.

I'd post a current photo but I hardly take photos, also i'm too fat for photos so like whatever. I'd say I'm about a 14/16 now, so it's not a huge task to undertake, but for a food lover like me, it's going to be hard.

Why I want to go back to Aussieland

I had a pretty sick pregnancy, and even til the 9th month, I had massive morning sickness all the time. It came to the point that while my tummy was growing, the rest of my body parts were shrinking. After giving birth I was lighter then the weight I was BEFORE I fell pregnant. At some point in the pregnancy, I couldn't eat meat, it made me sicker. All this while finishing the last semester of university.  All I wanted to do, was to go back to Singapore and see my mum & dad, and be around friends and be back in my bedroom. But I knew nothing would be the same again, I was married to an Australian, and about to have a baby. I convinced my husband to uproot his whole life to move back to Singapore for me. And so sometime after Jacob's 1st birthday, we packed up our lives and shifted back here. Mind you I was in the middle of a very difficult & expensive PR application. Which I redrew the moment we knew we were going back to Singapore. On hindsight, I should have stuck it out a few more months and sorted that shit out. But then I found out my grandmother had passed away, and I was done done done. Home was all I wanted.

So here we are back in Singapore. And again with the visa issues, but for my husband this time. I have been working as a business development manager for a good friend's Digital Marketing company. Til my last day last friday. Come 1st July, I will be Director of Digital Marketing for a french start up. Also digital marketing but leaning more in augmented reality and specialized apps. Pay is much better, and holidays are better, and I'm definitely blessed to have been given this job. But I'm really tired. To be honest, pre-jacob, I was a producer for Moving Bits, and the working hours were insane. But I loved it. So I figure I never really thought about how hard I was working. Only now, back here, being a working mother, I realize, there is absolutely no work life balance. I answer phone calls from clients on the weekends and find myself doing proposals at 1am in the morning. It was a big reality check when I found myself constantly telling jacob: Not now, mummy's busy.

Coming back to Singapore, I see busy office/bank/business folks, busy busy busy working all night. I assistance produced corporate video for a huge company and we wrapped about 9pm. I asked a gorgeous american lady in her fancy D&G shoes if she was heading home, but no, she was due to  receive a skype call from a client in the USA at 10pm. She predicted she'd be home about 1am. I asked if she stays so late very often, she said yes. The office was amazing, it's the kind of office on one of the high floors of raffles city, overlooking fantastic views, with glass offices, fancy pantry, delivered office lunches for everyone. The kind of office I'd love to work in. But after speaking to this beautiful american lady. Definitely not the type of lifestyle I want. Day after day, I go to retail stores, I visit takeaway places and restaurants, supermarkets, and I never fail to notice how nobody takes pride, nobody is happy. Even down to the smallest thing. Like dispensing an ice cream in macdonalds. Here they mostly do a half ass job, and shove it at you. (Yes there are exceptions, yes there are some very lovely happy people working in mcD, thats's why i used the word MOSTLY) Yesterday night my mcflurry was all piled to one side, the other side was empty. But in Aussie they do it fast and they fill it properly, and they give it to you with a smile. And do you know why? Because they are actually paid decently in Australia (thank you minimum wage). Working in Mcds in Oz is not a dead end job, like it is here in Singapore. Here working in Macdonalds or any fast food place or even a cashier in the supermarket is considered a dead end job, and the pay is rubbish. That's why there is no pride, because they are not happy! How we can be the most expensive country in the world and have no minimum wage is beyond me. How we can have the highest paid PM in the world but we have so many struggling singaporeans is beyond me. How we can be expected to pay so much for "subsidised government housing" for a 99 year lease in a shoebox, when I can pay the same for a lovely 3 bedroom house in Australia, is well and truly beyond me.

My heart breaks for the old aunties & uncles who are still plodding along every day, working at 70 because they cant afford not to. Those still having to push a cart around a hawker centre, cleaning tables. I tend to return my dishes to them after I finish eating and tell them thank you, and I've always felt sorry for them, but one particular old lady, looked a whole lot like my grandmother, and I can't even imagine my little old granny pushing a cart around collecting dishes to survive.

Yes I am proud of my country, yes it has so much to offer, but it's becoming a rich man's playground, and a tourist hub. Everything is too expensive. My 2 year old's school fees are over a thousand dollars a month.

So now it's all about saving, and this time I'll use a immigration specialist to apply for my visa for me. And once my visa comes through, I'll go back to Australia. No I would never give up my Singapore citizenship, I will always be Singaporean. My family is here,  my roots are here, my childhood memories are here. But for us, Australia will be the better place.

Australia will be home.

habitual

I really need to keep the habit of blogging, its actually pretty good for the soul. I have just been so busy, and so tired. Times have been a bit rough on my family, as you know, my dad's office is based in Thailand, and KL, and what with the bad political situation and the bad economy, he is actually back here working with resorts world. So our finances are pretty low at the moment, we finally have an appointment with the ICA for hub's LTVP, and hopefully the LTVP +. Now this silly visa, has taken so long to finally get to this point, we have had to constantly extend his short term visa, and that requires us to go down to the ICA, and queue for ages, to get his passport stamped for a 30 day extension. You can get the first extension online IF you have been here under 89 days, following which is hey ho, off to the ICA you go. So lets cross our fingers and hope that they grant the LTVP +, otherwise I suppose we will have to get advice from MOM as to how to proceed for hubs to work. Would have thought having a Singaporean wife and child would make it easier, but no not really. So friends, I have happy to dole out advice and procedure should anyone need any info on how to apply for the LTVP and how it works.

Work has been going well, more clients under my belt, very busy as usual. Very tired as always. Today, I decided to learn to be grateful. Yesterday I had the misfortune of having a huge blowout with my parents, and it wasn't pretty. Personally I feel you shouldn't run your kid into the ground to make a point. Thank you mom and dad for making me feel like shit. BUT on my part, I suppose I shouldn't keep pointing fingers, and be grateful for everything I have been blessed with so far, and sticking together as family would be the ideal situation. I am TIRED of all the fighting and bickering and it is taking a toll on my little, or not so little brother. He's 20 but still mummys golden child. Anyway, so from today, I am determined, to be grateful, for my parents who have given me so much, for my brother, and mostly for my gorgeous husband and son. All aside, I am happy to be home. I dont have to keep proving myself to everyone, I can just be me. I am no longer a social butterfly, and my true friends have kept the faith. The once friends who have weedled out of my life because I am not fun anymore, or cant go out randomly anymore, or party anymore - I am a mother, and a wife, I have responsibilities. And I dont believe in dumping my child on my maid or mother and going out. Once in a while my lovely mother looks after my darling so hubs and I can go on a date, but no sorry, i will not do otherwise. So dear folks, thank you for making it easy for me, and walking out on me, because I know the people left truly care for me, and understand my situation. I am happier with my husband and son, than I have ever been with my superficial lifestyle of parties and splurging money on rubbish. I wish you all the best, and I pray you may find true happiness and peace like I have with my family.

A Dog's Purpose According to a 6 year old.

taken from 

http://pulptastic.com/a-dogs-purpose-according-to-a-6-year-old/

I don't always believe what I read on the internet, you never know what's made up and what isn't, but this is too sweet. 

<3 

Mama love

We were in need of a high chair, so we went to the place of all things cheap! Mustafa. I must say the high chair of which there was only ONE design at Mustafa and bordering on 100 bucks, didn't really go down too great w me at first, but when we got it home, it was pretty much assembled in 20 secs flat. Easy assembly + 1 point lol. It's pretty sturdy for something made only of plastic and rubber. I love the bright coloured seat. And the table clicks in and out at 3 points to adjust to your baby's size and liking and is also completely removable. Also comes with an adjustable seatbelt which jacob absolutely hates because it means he cant climb out (yes he's one of those who cant sit still) It's by the brand mamalove if anyone has heard of that. We're pretty happy with it, easy to clean easy to assemble I give it 4 out of 5 rattles hehe xxx 

<3 

Meme

Wanted to share a meme of Jacob a good friend made for me :) 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!! Was spoiled silly by my beautiful husband and son. M so tired (whats new) so off to bed for me zzzzz 

Long time coming

Throw back to when my little boy was tiny. Time has gone so so quickly, and I dread the day that I have to send my little boy to school. I am so fortunate to get to spend every day with him but the time has come that he go off to playgroup and I head off to rejoin the workforce, well part time anyway.. The economy in KL is horrifying at the moment, so the hubby and I have been playing with the idea of opening a little bakery/cafe and putting off going back to the shop for now. It's always been a dream of mine to have a little food establishment of my own, and with hubby being a baker by profession, it's the perfect combination. Stay tuned for more on this and be prepared for mouth watering pictures of delicious confectionaries and more <3 <3 

Kiki. K

My favourite place to get my yearly planner. Whether it be Kiki k on chapel street in Melbourne or the one here in ion orchard, singapore. I love Kiki k to bits. Costs a bit more than a simple planner (and pen ) from any old bookstore, but the colourful pages and prints (even comes w a book of stickers!!) make me love planning my week. Even added in my Solange stickers and boom got myself a party lol. The lovely lady who served me was so polite and even pulled a new one out for me. Even had a 20% discount :D thanks to my darling husband for this wonderful present. Xxx 

landscape

From the vast natural beauty of Launceston, Tasmania to the urban jungle Singapore. The move has been extremely difficult, and sadly we had to leave a heap of our possessions behind to collect dust in my in laws garage. Jacob and Christopher seem to be coping well, and everyone has been so generous. We need to head back to KL soon, back to the shop but we've been having such an amazing time here we keep procrastinating, I wish we didn't have to leave but dwindling sales doesn't make for a very good business. Jacob seems to have gotten round his phobia of people and he chases after complete strangers, anxious to bid them hello and goodbye, and rushes after children wanting to play with them. I think it's time for playgroup! ! Does anyone have good expat playgroups here in singapore/KL to suggest ? Please and thank you my mommy friends!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Saturday! Xxxx 

Mummy's happy little boy

So we hit up the toys r us sale. And came home with 3 bags of toys, each bag bigger than Jacob. I think no more toys for awhile eh Jacob? We're running out of space in the house. Best purchase of the day was the lovely disney planes push car for $89. The shopping trip was followed by a visit to my cousin Viresh's house where Jacob was gifted yet another push car from disney's 'Cars'. The lucky boy went from no push cars to 2 lovely disney ones! Jacob says THANK YOU UNCLE VIRESH!!  The sale is still on at united square mums and dads!! So hurry down now!! 

TOYS R US STOCK CLEARANCE SALE

CALLING ALL MUMMIES AND DADDIES !! 

TOYS R US STOCK CLEARANCE SALE AT UNITED SQUARE!! 

Thank you to my wonderful younger brother for whatsapping this to me! 

heading down there soon to get jacob a little push car. Unfortunately we had to leave ours behind in my in law's garage in Australia. Was just too big to bring over with us to Singapore. Yesterday our gorgeous Italian neighbour gifted us with a beautiful rocking moose ( yes rocking moose) from Ikea for little Jacob. Needless to say we are ever so grateful for the friends we have here in Singapore. So i'd like to extend a big thank you for the stream of love and presents that have been flowing in for my little family <3 <3 

Cool Costumes

In KL and want a princess costume for your little princess ? 

visit Cool Costumes at Times Square for a giant range of costumes for adults & Children. 

Comment/msg our facebook page or drop me a comment right here for special discounts ;)

by the way, we ship worldwide !!  

www.facebook.com/coolcostumes

COOL COSTUMES