Goodbye 2014

Dear 2014

Thank you for all the experiences and memories you've given me. I have never traveled so much, felt so alive, been so contented in my entire life. 

You made me realise how important it is to stop and breathe in the beauty of God's creation, manifested every single moment in the people we encounter, the nature we see, the warmth we feel.  

This is without doubt the best year of my life.

I foresee 2015 to be difficult and challenging. I will be adjusting back to life in the rat race, missing the carefree days I led in US. I will miss the blue skies, wide roads, gentle wind in my face.

But in the midst of my adjustment, may I always remember to stop and smell the roses. Remember the awesome lesson that you, 2014, have taught me. 

So farewell, 2014. I will miss you terribly. And I will never forget you.

Till we meet again in my dreams,

Xoxo

Aaron is here!

Say hi to Aaron, my lovely baby nephew! Sis and BIL have been really productive, having two cutie boys in two years. And can you believe that she did it without epidural?! I can't imagine the pain she went through. Good job, Gaga!

I wish with all my heart that I could be back in Singapore, celebrating the arrival of Aaron and helping with whatever I can. But it's ok, a few more months and we will be back.

Wait for yee yee, Aaron! I will do many song-and-dance for you and gor gor when I'm back! ^ ^

Dream location: Transfăgărășan

Don't ask me how to pronounce this.

It just so happened that I was surfing the net and I came across this beautiful road in Romania.

Over the past year, I have came to realise how much I love road trips. I don't mind taking the wheel on long drives, especially on roads that are unique - challenging, scenic, breathtaking in all aspects.

In this case, Transfăgărășan does it.

 Check out the write-up here.

I hope I can visit this special highway one day.

An early countdown

The clock is ticking. In just about 8 more months, we will be moving back home!

I was planning to throw away my passport so that I don't have to leave this slow paced, relaxing life behind to re-enter the rat race back home.

But upon reading past entries, I realise my life back home isn't so bad. Sure, it's laden with work-woes, black eye bags, pimple outbreaks (cyst!), lack of personal space, me-time.

But it's a life that I somewhat enjoyed and appreciated. I love being intellectually stimulated at work, I love meeting friends for dinner every now and then, I love being able to fly back to HK once in a while to see my grandparents (or get away to Bangkok to shop!)

I know I will miss USA so much. But I'm starting to get more excited about what lies ahead back home too.

What awaits us? Will we go back to our original lifestyle? Will we have a totally different perspective on life and living, now that we have see more of the world?

We will find out in 8 more months...

More than a blow

Was feeling lazy last evening and asked Mr. Jang if he could please help me blow dry my hair before I sleep. I suddenly missed those days in my childhood where grandma would do that for us.

And I was thinking it'd be fun getting the hubs to do it. Like, "Welcome to my world where make-up, hair dryer and manicure is a matter of life and death!"

I demonstrated the right way to use the hair dryer, but half-expected him to get my hair all tangled up, or give up halfway. He didn't. In fact, he got all serious and did a good job on the first try. Hair is nice, soft and smooth.

But the end result is not important. What I want to say is that, while I sat there hugging my knees and waiting for him to be done, I thought "give me all the branded bags, new gadgets, exotic vacations or expensive dinners in the world, but I wouldn't exchange it for this experience!" 

I have a husband who doesn't mind blow drying my hair (or doing the laundry or washing the dishes or... the list goes on). More importantly, he does all this with a cheerful heart. 

I think I'm really blessed.

3rd month promotion

So I have received more favourites since the 2nd month promotion. But I couldn't send the coupon codes via Etsy convo without the other party starting one first (it's part of the rules). So that's no good. Big learning point for me!

On the plus side, someone from Spain asked if I could trade Autumn in my Heart for photography services, or top up cash for other items she had. But I declined after thinking long and hard about it. I didn't want to fork out cash for her items; neither does she. That's how trading works! But it's still a compliment nonetheless.

And I had milestone - received a peak of 117 views in a day. It's definitely a yay! ^ ^

So I'm into my third month now, and decided to do a more direct holidays promo. Expanding to free international shipping as well since I know there are overseas buyers!

From my Etsy shop:

"Happy Holidays PROMO!! Receive FREE shipping with your purchase from now till 30 Nov.

For US: Please enter code 'OCT13SHIP' - no minimum purchase is required.

For other countries: Please enter code 'OCT13SHIP2INT' - minimum purchase of $20 is required. 

It's the season to be jolly! Happy shopping!"

Let's see how this will go... woohoo!

我長大了 - 張彥博

This MV of my cousin never fail to touch me. How he grew up from a broken hearted young boy to someone who matures with God's guidance. My best gor gor. <3 br="">

 

God is always in the moment

Heard another baby story yesterday which reminds me that every decision-making moment, big or small, God is there.

Pray. Listen. Follow. Have faith.

What did I say about learning along the way?

So I thought it'd be nice to send coupon codes via Etsy conversations for those who have liked my item. I mean, I'd be happy to receive discounts on the things I marked as favourite!

What I didn't know was that there are strict rules for promotions:

You must not use Conversations to send unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations or "spam."

If someone adds your item or shop to a Favourite List, that is not an invitation to send a Conversation to that person.

Oops. So much for trying to be entrepreneurial.

Thankfully one member (the first who ever favourite my items) gave me a friendly heads-up and shared about other channels, like creating email lists. (I think she wants to warn me before Etsy throws me out.)

After I sent out an 'Oops I'm sorry I'm still learning' message to others (more convos... haha) I also received replies like "no problem :)".

Thank God for kind souls. And I've also since changed the promo wording to coupon codes will ONLY be sent if you alert me via convo.

I think if I'm an easily discouraged person, I'd have left Etsy in my first month cos setting up something, no matter how small, seems sooooo hard!

But being the thick-skinned person that I am, I will continue trying. Yep.

2nd month promotion

Into the second month of my so-called business, so am doing a little promotion.

From my Etsy shop:

"PROMO: From now till 31 Oct, receive free domestic shipping in US when you favourite our shop or any of our items (coupon code will be sent to you via Etsy conversation)! To thank you for your purchase, we will also send you a $2 off thank you code to be used for your next purchase (thank you code expires on 31 Dec).

Have fun shopping!"

Learned to create coupon codes for the first time. So exciting... let's see if it works! ^ ^

Is romance dead?

I was chatting with a group of old colleagues in WhatsApp and one of them said there's no love at first sight. And that after marriage, you have what you called the 'best friends' kind of relationship, love that is comfortable.

But not romantic.

Well I believe passion is important in a relationship, regardless of length. I recalled writing a post in Feb this year, asking whether we can be lovers and friends at the same time. This is because I have the most loving husband, one who dotes on and spoils me a lot. And yet, I miss that adolescent hit-you-in-the-gut-make-your-heart-race feeling.

I think I finally found the answer. That romance does exist. You can be a lover and a friend at the same time in your marriage.

It all depends on you.

You want to be surprised with gifts once in a while? Do that for your hubs. You want to be rained with kisses and hugs every day? Do that for your hubs. You want to be treated like the most important person? Do that for your hubs. You want to receive text saying "I miss you" and "can't wait to come home"? Do that for your hubs.

Love and romance is not magic. It's not even work. It's a blessing that you give to your spouse. And it's reciprocal.

So you want romance in your marriage?

Give romance and then see the blessings happen.

Quoi de neuf? What's new?

It's been too long since I last wrote... What have I been up to?

1. Taking up regular church duties. Yes, with children again!
2. Part-time social media work. I'm on trial till the end of the month before they decide if I am suitable for the job. Client's key concern is time-zone difference but I do hope I can get it on a longer-term basis.
3. A long holiday to Toronto and New York. In fact, we just came back on Sunday!

FaceTimed with Mom today and towards the end, she asked nonchalantly: "Any news?"

I gave her a blank face cos I thought we just shared the latest for the past half an hour.

She decided to ask directly: "Are you pregnant?"

My eye immediately popped out with a "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M PREGNANT? AM I FAT???"

Moms. Sigh.

(For the record, yes I've put on weight during the trip but no I'm not pregnant.)

SGUS: My small handicrafts project

I have finally gotten around to setting up my own crafts shop on Etsy.

In one's life time, there's probably a lot of things that you wonder about but never gotten around to doing. For me, it's another thing checked off my list:

1. Study overseas
2. Sell my own products online
3. Write a book
4. Speak fluent French
5. Set up a themed blog (does my California  blog count?)

Why handicrafts? Given the amount of time spent on idea generation, sourcing for materials and creating those products by hand, it's not a project that could earn me big bucks versus the amount of effort put in. I'll be happy to just break even.

But it's a hobby that I've had since young. I've always liked making things. Any materials. Anything. There's joy in creating pretty things from scratch and finding that it's usable.

There's a lot of work turning a hobby into a business. I've learnt so much the past week. I need to learn how to price the items, create an inventory list, balance capital injection vs expenses vs revenue, think about promotion platforms... I'm learning along the way.

It's a fun journey.

So, take a look if you are interested in handmade products. Will be happy to have feedback - all are welcome!



A prototype created from an old piece of clothing

Baby O, the super girl

Thanks Wini for the first photo of me and baby O!

I want to share this photo of me with baby O, who is perhaps the most determined baby I've seen. She was born a couple of months early due to my friend's pre-existing health conditions. When I first met her in the hospital in January two weeks after she was born, her head was so tiny that it barely covered my palm (even with her oversized wool beanie on); she lay in an incubator most of the time. Still, she had the funniest expressions and could afford dreamy baby smiles.

 

Yesterday, I popped by Wini's house again to get some books from her and to visit them again. Baby O has grown so much from that tiny baby I first saw. At six months, you could already tell that she loves company, wants to talk ("ah gar gar gar"), and can't wait to crawl and walk (her kicks were pretty strong!)  

 

Wini shared that O is still considered small compared to her peers since her corrected age is 4 months. But what's important is that she can eat and sleep well, and stays healthy and happy. It's a joy to sense her cheerful disposition and to see her become a healthy growing baby just like any other.

 

I thought back on the circumstances in which baby O came into this world. God gives that breathe of life to babies, and plants in them that strong will to live. I think it's really, really awesome.



Thank you

I went to bed last night feeling extremely lousy and when I woke up this morning I sent a text to Mr. Jang just to let him know I'm awake.

All of a sudden, I heard pounce, pounce, pounce. Then a big flop.

It was Mr. Jang landing in a heap on the bed next to me.

He must have sensed my depression since last night and decided to work from home today. Despite my acting normal and expressionless face, he took the initiative to speak to me about what was bugging me. What followed were sobbing and wailing (on my part) and bear hugs (on his part).

I hate acting like a child and crying. I look stupid with puffy eyes and a red face. And I wanted to push this big bear away.

Two hours later, after calming down and having lunch, I thank him silently for being the bigger person, for putting down his pride and being honest with me too.

Thank you, Mr. Jang. I don't know if you are the best husband in the world, but I know you are that precious tree that protects and comforts when the rest of my world gets tough.

月亮代表我的心ukulele

Got a bit bored with strumming and was inspired by a fellow ukulele learner... so I bought a book on finger style for ukulele. I can only do simple fingering for now but it definitely adds more fun to playing.

Here's 邓丽君's月亮代表我的心 in ukulele.

For fellow ukulele learners, here are a few finger styles that you can try. Credits to my friend, Ryan, for sharing these! It takes loads of practise and I'm still trying to get the hang of it.

4-3-2-1
4-1-3-2
2-3-1-4

1&4-3-2&4-3 (4 beats)
1&4-3-2&4-3-2&4 (3 beats)
4-3-1&2-3-1&2-3 (3 beats)
3-4-1&2-4-1&2-4 (3 beats)

The book also has other methods such as 'The Pinch', 'The Claw', and 'The Scoop'. The names sound awfully painful, don't they? Hope I can master them one day.

Another useful ukulele site: http://ukupu.com/

Just an update

These days it seems like I haven't been blogging... but I have. Just on another platform to note down the events that's happening in our life in USA. I've created a link to the US blog Dancing in California's Sunshine on the side bar. Read on if you want to find out what we've been up to.

On a separate note, happy birthday to my dear baby nephew who has just turned one year old. We love you!



BIL and Sis with baby Jovan, whose sole attention was on the giant cake.

When giving is not helping?

You know, there's no 'market rate' for street performers in Singapore. Basically, we give whatever we want to, be it a few cents or a couple of dollars.

When we were in LA a few months ago, we saw an unexpected scene: A passer-by got scolded by a street performer on what the latter deemed as too little a giving. The lady walked away angrily with a "you bet this is the last time I'll do it." Oops.

I normally give a dollar (and luckily for me all seem appreciative). I thought at least given the hard work they put in for the street performances, they should at least get something decent. And frankly I define 'decent' as a dollar.

What about the homeless? I have my fair share of encounters with homeless people on the streets, at gas stations, outside supermarkets... even had a couple knocking on my car window. Each time they cried "Madam, madam!" I just sort of smile and shake my head.

Not that I don't think they deserve help, but because I don't know how or how much to help. Unlike street performers, the homeless tends to come really near and that doesn't give me much time to respond. I feel uncomfortable digging in my purse for something in their presence.

And sometimes, they asked for food which we normally don't have with us. Today, as Mr. Jang and I were coming out of Starbucks, an old man asked us to give him food. After some hesitation, we went to the nearby Safeway to get a loaf of bread figuring that it could at least help him last a long while. But it turns out that he's not into wheat bread, chuckling and saying that "only birds eat wheat" (really?) and he can't carry a loaf of bread everywhere (why not?). Maybe he was expecting pepperoni pizza or something.

I had thought that it's always a great help whatever you give. Small amount, big amount. Bread or meat. Apparently this isn't so. Mr. Jang said perhaps only the truly desperate ones will appreciate people's help whatever that may be. I am not looking for appreciation or gratitude, but perhaps a little understanding on why some feel offended when help is not in the form of what they expected. Any amount of money is still money; any form of food is still food, isn't it?

Perhaps I should find out more about the psychology of these people, while I munch on that rejected loaf of wheat bread.

$10 in my pocket

It's one of those rare moments of panic that we don't have enough money...

It's a known fact that Mr. Jang and I are here on a meagre package from his company. We know that such opportunities to see the world, to work in another company, to stay in a place other than home is rare.

There are certainty no regrets in coming to US. We are not staying in the dumpsters. We managed to rent a small but cosy flat in a nice and safe neighbourhood. We bought a car from a friend at a cheap price. We have enough to eat and enjoy the occasional restaurant treats and road trips. We go to the outlets to hunt for good bargains - often lured by the discounts and buying more than we should!

We have enough to get by. But today, as I was doing case files for the volunteer work, I was suddenly hit by a sense of panic. It suddenly dawned unto me that I haven't been earning money for half a year. The last I checked my US bank account, I only have around $2000 to get by till the end of the year. That works out to be less than $10 a day.

I'm silently scolding myself for not being more thrifty. What happened to my disciplined 5 euros/day life as a French student? What happened to the buy-only-if-you-absolutely-need-it-and-choose-the-cheapest-option principle?

Enough with this senseless spending. I will get back on track with my good habits of a budget life.

Rule #1: REALLY?? YOU NEED IT?? - You have enough bags, wallets, clothes shoes.
Rule #2: REPLACE [DESIRED] WITH AN ALTERNATIVE - Need something? Think of the stuff at home and see if you can substitute it with what you have. Applies to clothes all the way to cooking sauces.
Rule #3: REDUCE CARBON - Yes. Surprise! Read in natural light, jog in the sun, walk to destination if you have time. All are zero cost.

I realised that I spent the most when I have visitors. Not just because I eat out more often, I also tend to shop whenever they shop - that's a killer! I must, must, must remind myself that while it's Ok to spend on new experiences such as sightseeing, I must stop the bad habit of shopping like a tourist.

Thrifty spender. REBORN.

Ageing?

Ok this is a confession post.

I've been doing rather stupid things lately.

I've been honked at numerous times when I am driving. Hey, I really did not see that car coming. I've been turning on the wrong stove top. I could have sworn I was cooking with the right one until I saw smoke coming from the adjacent stove top and realized I'm stir frying on a slightly warm but not hot pan.

Today this is the ultimate. I moved around 3 gas pumps because I thought the card reader were all spoilt, only to realize that I had swiped the credit card the wrong way. AND THEN, hear this, I drove off without putting back on my gas cap!! The guy behind me honked and told me. Argh!!!! Like, how much more stupid can I get?

If I'm like this in my thirties, how much worse would it be in my sixties, seventies?!