Great company, good food and retail therapy!

Something strange happened yesterday. I did not feel morning sickness one bit the entire day. And I think I've just discovered the remedy: great company, good food and retail therapy! (It must be a combination of all three) =). The ladies gathered once again and the host made us laksa for lunch. It was so good! :)  I actually finished up an entire bowl of laksa and even managed a chicken wing, mochi ice cream and lotsa cherries without feeling like puking.

After a satisfying meal, we decided to head down to the outlet mall where we spent the next four hours shopping! :)  Most things were on additional 40% off with the memorial day sale and we got ourselves quite a few good buys.  By the time we were done, I only managed to fetch my very grumpy hubby from his workplace at 9.30pm. But hey, it was a damn good day! =)

A few of my favourite things

How can we ever forget this and of course my all time favourite "The sound of music"? Oh, why don't they make movies like this anymore?

Week 8: Formation of Baby Tiger

By now, my little one has a brain and a heart that is fluttering. Tiny legs and hands/ arms begin to grow. Tiny ears and eyes are visible. It is also starting to develop a lung.
This week, that tiny tail starts to disappear. Bones begin to ossify. We start to see tiny fingers and toes and elbows and knees. The heart is getting more complex and that pretty little face starts to form. Well, bye bye sea creature! Hello big headed baby! =)

As for the mommy:
My hormones are completely out of whack.  Nausea plagues me day and night at random times. I have lost all appetite to the extent that even junk food does not appeal to me anymore! And I continue to sleep like an infant would. Hopefully these symptoms would disappear in a few weeks!

My first appointment with the Dr is next week. Keeping fingers crossed that all is smooth. Can't wait to hear the heartbeat of my little pea! =)

*Why Baby Tiger?  Because the little one should be born in the year of the tiger if all goes as planned. That would make the third tiger in my hub's family. Fierce, huh! Growl...;)

Homemade Siew Mai

After seeing how easy it is to make Siew Mai from scratch last week, I decided to give it a try for dinner yesterday.

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Snippets:

Ingredients:
300 grm of ground pork (or chicken)
200 grm of shrimp (roughly chopped)
5 water chestnuts (diced small)
3 dry shitake mushroom (diced small)
2 stalk of spring onions - finely chopped
1 stalk of coriander (optional) - finely chopped (I skipped this)
1 egg white
2 tsp of corn starch
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Wanton wrappers
Green peas or carrot cubes (for garnish) (I skipped this)

1) Combine all the ingredients together except for the wanton wrapper and mix well. Set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2) Trim the wanton into round shape. (I used the round dumpling wrapper)
3) Put one teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper and press the wrapper up around the filling so that it almost meet at the top. Make sure the bottom is flat.
4) Press a green pea or a carrot cube into the top. Arrange the siew mai in a grease plate and steam over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
5) Serve warm with chili sauce. (I had no chilli sauce so I ate them with ketchup)

Here's the end product. Yums! :)

The happy housewives gather....

Prima Taste chicken rice. Home made siew mai. Lots of vegetables. Plenty of fruit. And a whole afternoon of chatter.  It was potluck at one of the ladies' home yesterday and it looks like we will be repeating this next week.  Perhaps I should attempt to bake an apple pie for next week's gathering. Or not. Hmmm....

It's all in the mind...

Hubby seems to think that the pregnancy symptoms I am experiencing at this point is largely psychological. This can be really upsetting when I'm feeling like crap with yet another wave of nausea. Perhaps he is still in denial but I hope he snaps out of it soon because I don't think he can handle the wrath of a highly emotional preggy wife. One thing I do admit is psychological though, is me thinking that my boobies are bigger. Well, they are not. At least not significantly. But I do look forward to eventually filling up a full cup size for once in my life. Haha!

The ultimate housewife test

Hubby had asked me yesterday if I was ready to host a dinner for the couple who had kindly offered us their place to stay when we first arrived in Cleveland. We had taken them out for dinner but I guess nothing beats having a nice home cooked meal. I love having friends over at my place and for the past years I have managed to get away with ordering in pizza or catering. I have only cooked once for a couple who helped to coordinate our wedding (even then I cheated by buying a ready cooked duck. :P). Well, it's not that I do not wish to cook. My biggest problem lies in meal planning - coordinating what needs to be prepared or cooked first so that everything is ready and served hot when the guests arrive. And being Chinese means having an innate need to serve up a feast when we do - something I can't quite live up to at this point. And what if the food turned out horrible in the last minute. (oh the horror!) I have not promised hubby a date yet but I guess this is one mental hurdle I will need to cross to officially join the ranks of those who proudly call themselves "The perfect housewife".

Bright, bright sun shiny day! =)

What lovely weather today! We made an early morning trip to the post office, browsed through books and CDs at the local library, had alfresco lunch at a Turkish restaurant and then I spent the rest of the afternoon......sleeping. It is mind boggling how much I can sleep these days. Heh. Anyhoo, I am hoping this weather will keep up for the many more months to come. I have already made hubby promise to take me to as many national parks/ places of interest as possible before parenthood takes over. (Sounds like invasion of the third kind huh? ;)). Woohoo!

Hey...can you keep a secret? I'm into week 6 now. =)

On mother's day, about a week after my missed period, I carefully peed onto the pregnancy test strip for 10 seconds and replaced the cap as instructed.  I then went on to take a shower and when I was done, I closed my eyes and counted to three before I looked at the result. And there it was, a vague + sign but nonetheless still a + sign that is about to change our lives forever. Took me and hubs by surprise of course. We were trying for a child but we didn't expect the stock to deliver so soon!
Because of the vulnerability of early pregnancy, I have been sworn to secrecy by my family until my first trimester is up. I am totally bursting at the seams and I will go insane if I am to hold this piece of news in me any longer. So I have decided that you, my blog friends, shall be the first to know. You will hear about my incessant need to sleep, that nausea that seems to be building up in the last week, my change in appetite, all that crazy emotions and all things preggy. But you will bear with me, right? =)

There, I am so happy I shared!

I have a life!

If I were a Sims character, my social bar would have been in full charge for the last few days.
Monday saw me hanging out with some friends at the local zoo. It was slightly chilly but the sun was out and entrance fee was waived for residents so what's not to like? :) My favourite animal - the darn cute sun bear! On Tuesday, I was introduced to the Singaporean housewives aka "Tai Tai" group in Cleveland. A lovely group of ladies who has made a home for themselves here.  We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant followed by more banter at one of the ladies' home till it was time for us to go home and fulfill our housewifey roles. I'm sure I will be seeing a whole lot more of them in the future. Yesterday, I met up with a colleague of mine from Singapore who is here on a one month clinical attachment. My husband was like "You are going out again?"  Well, I guess it is good that I'm actually having a bit of life here now. :)

And Spring continues to breathe new life...

Sorry for the lack of updates!

8 days away from home and I had to catch up with my laundry, tidying up the apt and grocery shopping (my fridge was depleted of any decent food)! Boston was great fun. My pregnant friend who is supposed to be homebound (imposed by her loving hubby) ended up walking a whole lot no thanks to me. Hehe. But seriously, I think the fresh air and exercise did her some good. She is starting to develop joint pain from lounging too much. Anyway, good news is that her first trimester is coming to an end so she'll be able to get out of her apt a lot more.
Met up with another friend of mine in Boston over the weekend.  Saturday was a perfect day for a walk through Boston common and the public garden. The flowers were in full bloom and everyone was out enjoying the blue skies and sunny weather. On Sunday, we set sail on a free 20 minutes sailboat ride in Boston Harbour provided by the Boston sailing center. It was loads of fun. We spent the remaining afternoon taking loads of photos walking through the financial district, Chinatown and finally landing ourselves with a little picnic at Boston Common.
I never did make it to Cambridge but I did get to hug the pillar of Harvard medical school. Perhaps my kid will have better luck than me in future!;)
Here are some pics from my walk in the garden. Enjoy! :)

Am off to Boston!

Don't think I'll be blogging there so see you in a week! =)

And the housewife spends...

I was trying to decide on a gift for my pregnant friend in Boston and figured it was time to hit the malls. So I went shopping yesterday.  My first stop was Famous Footwear. Nothing to do with pregnancy but they were having a storewide sale and it was really hard to resist. Some of the shoes were really pretty and I would have gotten quite a few pairs if I hadn't stop to remind myself that 1) I am a homemaker 2) I am spending hubby's hard earned money 3) I do not have that many occasions or the friends to hang out so often with over here. After spending like forever in there, I finally landed myself with this pair of sandals for only $15 (original $54.99)  and they are really comfortable. I just had to get it when a lady passing by stopped to comment on how cute they looked on me.

Next, I headed to T.J. Maxx. I love shopping here because they always seem to have something for me from kitchenware to clothing. Got myself a pretty floral scrub for the toilet, a set of 6 drinking glasses for only $3.50, a bright yellow tote bag (I am not usually into yellow but it is Spring after all) and a few casual tops. And then I realised I haven't gotten anything for my friend! haha. I finally ended up buying a really comfortable leopard print travel pillow for her to travel in style with. She will certainly be needing all the comfort she can get when she flies back to Singapore during her second trimester. Well, I hope she likes it! :)

Hurray to more freebies!

One can never get enough of them! :)

Lost in the Devil's food aisle.

It is ridiculous that I can have a hearty (& healthy) home cooked meal for two for that same amount of money I spend on chips, chocolate, soda and all things sinful.  I really gotta curb this junk food addiction! I need a support group - Junk food anonymous or something. " I am Knickknacks and I am a junk food addict." For now, my Ruffles cheddar & sour cream beckons....

Back on the fitness track.

Hubs and I finally registered for our gym membership at his workplace wellness center this morning. The center has a comprehensive range of exercise equipment and a swimming pool and they also conduct a variety of exercise classes such as pilates, yoga, spinning, Tai Chi etc. To encourage participation, they provide incentives such as lucky draws and reward points that are redeemable for gifts at their wellness store if you visit the center 6 or more times each month.  How cool is that! And the best part - membership is free for the first year!  Can't wait for my Zumba class tomorrow! I am feeling fitter already! :)

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

That is the sound of my biological clock ticking. Heh.  Well, hubs and I have finally come to an agreement after all these years - it is time to try for a kid.  =)  What better time to try than now when I have practically nothing to do and am absolutely stress-free. I should make a relatively good incubator. :P I've started taking folic acid in preparation. I just hope that it is not too late. *fingers crossed*  Will keep you updated.
Any advice, mummies?

Did I mention I got my driver's license?

I got my driver's license! Yay! =)

The price you pay for a free table

Hub's colleague had offered to give us his study table for free which we shamelessly agreed to take.  So yesterday, we rented a U-Haul van to collect it from his place. The table turned out to be pretty heavy even after we had broken it into parts. Anyway, since we were already committed to taking it, the men loaded it into the van and we were off. Now it was just down to me and hubs carrying the pieces up three storeys up to our apt which I was so not looking forward to. But of course we had no choice and what a back breaking afternoon it was! At some point we were even stuck at the entrance to our apt and had to further dismantle the table so it could fit in. I also happened to break a handle to one of the drawers.  It was quite a nightmare.
Anyway, here is the end product:

It was after we assembled the table that we realised we were missing a piece on the front. Apparently, we had left that one piece behind at the original owner's place. After all that, hubs still thinks it was worth the effort. But I'd certainly be suffering the effects of yesterday's hard work for the next few days! *oh the aches and pains!*

I think I will go to Boston....

Planning to visit a friend who is currently in her early stages of IVF. Things are going pretty well so far but she's going to be all alone for a week while her husband travels out of state for a conference end of this month.  Will be there to give her some love and her hubby a peace of mind. =)  It'll be fun. Hopefully she will be stable enough to do some outdoor walking by the time I arrive!

Overdose on DVDs

For the past few weeks I have been doing quite a bit of catching up on the movies I have missed previously.  And all for free! (thanks to the local library) Well, here's the list:

1. Definitely, Maybe (Widescreen) : A typical feel good chick flick.
2. The Darjeeling Limited:My friend recommended this but it turned out to be really slow and boring. *yawn*
3. Confessions of a Shopaholic: This one got me in the shopping mood! Ah the wonders of retail therapy....
4. He's Just Not That Into You: Wonderful cast but unfortunately I was just not that into the movie. ;)
5. Revolutionary Road: Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. This one was positively depressing and really painful to watch. I would say give it a miss.
6. Inglourious Basterds (Single-Disc Edition): Many, many thumbs up for this film! Highly suspenseful and great fun to watch if you don't mind a bit of gore. And it has my favourite man...Brad Pitt. *Drool*
7.Up in the Air: This one starring George Clooney had raving reviews online so I was mildly disappointed when it did not meet up to that expectation. But it is still a good movie to watch and it did make me feel a little wistful towards the end.
8. The Reader: Plenty of Kate Winslet and some young man in the nude.  It is rather slow moving but it had me emotionally.  Definitely worth a watch.
9. Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection: This Canadian production TV series is really enjoyable and hilarious! A definite must see especially if you are a fan of Shakespeare. (Featured plays: Hamlet, Macbeth & King Lear). Too bad it only ran for 3 short season.
10. Divina Confusion (Spanish): Okay, you can definitely give this one a miss...

Am currently looking for some good foreign films to watch.  Worlds Apart seems interesting enough but I have yet to find it in the library. Any other good recommendations?

What happens when hubby spills orange juice on his desk?

This was from last night.  (& still sitting there today!)
I have absolutely no comments. :P

Glee

Watched Glee for the first time today and I really enjoyed it. Makes me want to break out into a song myself! Don't you just wish that life is one big musical sometimes? Well, I sure do! =)

Marriage = Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring and Suffering?!

My baby sister is getting married end of this year. Just 2 weeks ago, she told me she is already getting the wedding jitters. A tad too soon, perhaps? The couple have gotten an apartment together and even though she is mainly staying there on her own for now, his occasional stayovers are giving her second thoughts. She cannot understand why he continues to throw his food wrappers and apple cores in the living room despite her repeatedly telling him not to or why he has to leave his clothes strewn all over the ground or why he can't put his dishes in the sink...yada..yada. Sounds all too familiar? That's right, she is getting a glimpse of what married life is all about. I don't think I'm of much help when I told her things are just going to get worse from here. My mum used to take care of everything for me - I didn't have to worry about the laundry, the food, the cleanliness of the home (well, at least just my room) and she even made me tea in the morning! Then came marriage which felt like a huge slap in my face. Suddenly, I was MY mum - not only did I have to manage things I never had to think about, now I had to worry for two people in the house. It was probably the toughest challenge I had in my life and still is (I can see some of you sniggering now "Wait till a kid comes along!" ;)). The thing is marriage is a lot of work. We are talking about two people from different backgrounds/upbringing coming together to create a whole new life. But it is inevitable that our past habits gets incorporated into this little niche we have built for ourselves. Some we can tolerate. Some we simply can't. And that's when we learn to compromise. Seems like a simple enough thing to do but trust me it is easier said than done. 8 years into my marriage and we continue to argue over the same issues (usually heightened during my monthly hormonal season! heh.) The truth is, marriage does take a lot of commitment and to sustain it you really got to build a strong foundation of love, trust and respect for one another. Never take each other for granted and you must always communicate, communicate, communicate. And bear in mind that this is a continual process which means you have to constantly work on refining it. No one is asking you to change your character overnight but at least try to do whatever little part you can to make things work for the both of you. *You reading this, hubs? :P* Only then can death (not divorce) do us apart (well, unless you choose to poison your other half prematurely :P) .
Well, let's hope my sis will overcome her jitters and find happiness as she embark on the adventure of her lifetime!

Healthy Bacon Cheeseburger: An Update

How this unhealthy meal is made healthier:
95% lean ground beef
Center cut bacon
Lettuce, red onion, tomatoes
1 slice swiss cheese
Baked fries
I must admit I didn't bother with the low calories buns though.

The Verdict: Hubs says it is good! =)

*Bleah!*

I passed my driving today but FAILED the maneuver bit! *Sobs* Felt like such an idiot weaving in and out of the cones many times and still not getting it right. I really gotta practise with the right equipment (sticks and cones) to get the landmarks proper! Gonna retake the maneuver test next week. Wish me luck. Again. *Sigh*
Anyhoo, am hoping some Cirque Du Soleil action this afternoon will cheer me up! I really need that.

His Majesty Requests.

I asked hubs if there's any food he would like me to cook and he sent me this:

"I want to eat.
1. Chee Cheong Fun
2. Roti Prata.
3. Healthy Cheeseburger and Bacon
4. Nice Caesar Salad.
5. Tacos and Enchiladas."

They all seem pretty achievable EXCEPT for the "Healthy" in the cheeseburger and bacon bit. Are cheeseburgers and bacon ever healthy?! Anyway, did a google search and it seems that there are healthier alternatives. I might just give this particular recipe a try - it claims to reduce 40% of the calories in their ultra-lean cheeseburger. Not sure how closely I can stick to the recipe but I will try. For hub's sake. =)

True love is...

I love seeing how these two have bonded so well. It is true when they say there are no barriers to love. Not nationality (Singaporean vs American). Not breed. Not age (she being old enough to be his mum!). And definitely not looks (he is after all missing one ear :P). Just pure, unconditional love. And I would also like to believe that it is highly contagious. May we all be plagued by eternal love. =)

Our "Mexican" dinner

Lesson learnt: Do not ever leave roasted veggies in the oven to keep warm unless you want them shrivelled like this! *My poor asparagus!*

Freebies in my mailbox...Yay!

Cheap thrill, I know. But who doesn't like free stuff? =)
Looking forward to more in weeks to come. Heh.

Crappy, crappy day

Yesterday was such a horrible day. Started out on the wrong foot with our encounter with a stoopid traffic police. We had overlooked and parked right next to a fire hydrant. I had come out of the car first and was gathering the books and DVDs to return to the library when the police officer asked me if I could see what was in front of me. When I realised our mistake I asked hubs to back up and thanked him for pointing it out to us. That was when he accused me of seeing it but not doing anything about it. The truth was I really didn't see it and that totally pissed me off. Which idiot would park next to a fire hydrant knowingly with a traffic police standing right in front of them?!! Anyway, so that kinda ruined the morning for me. The good thing was he did not issue us a ticket so I guess we should be thankful for that.
We then had lunch at Mama Santa's Restaurant and Pizzeria at Little Italy which is supposed to serve the best pizza around here. This was what we had.


Can't say it is the best pizza we have tasted but it was still pretty good.
That was uneventful and we headed home after.
Then came evening when I had to practise the maneuvering for my driving test. Hubs had insisted that I bring the test forward to next Sat which kinda freaked me out. I am not someone who can maneuver very well which explains why my parking still sucks to this day and I haven't really had a chance to practise at all! And it didn't help that I was rolling over the cones many times yesterday! So the session ended with me and hubs arguing and me in tears. Boo.
I am going to give it one more go today. If I am still not confident, I will postpone the test. Wish me luck!
Let's hope today would be a better day.

Has technology robbed us of our humanity?

I miss the days when we used to do snail mails. The excitement of finding that a letter has arrived for you in the mailbox. The perfume scented envelope. The hand printed address. And the letters itself of course - pages of composition filled with gossip or simply reportings of day to day stuff from one excited friend to another. An occasional doodle. A random sticker. It was all so fun and so personalized then. But all that has changed with technology. All these can now happen with simply a click of a mouse- thanks to the invention of email, facebook, friendster, twitter and whatnot. You would think that this should allow us to connect better but instead we have created a certain level of superficiality in the way we communicate. Type. Click. Send. Do people even give a thought to what they write anymore?
On my birthday, I received a collective message from a bunch of friends I care about with just two words "Happy Birthday!". That was it. Can the world get any lazier than that? It is just too sad. But there is no turning back now, is there?

Meet My Neighbour

It (or he or she) is always there by the window when I am by mine sipping my morning tea. Now if only it could start scribbling messages like in this video. We could be best friends! Meow.

What will you do when you only got 100 years to live?

I am a year older today. Once you pass thirty, it's funny how all the numbers become a blur (thirty what??). So here I am in my "prime" age sitting at home thinking of all the fun things I could do while my peers are working their asses off. I guess it's not such a bad thing, is it? We really do not have much time in this lifetime. Perhaps if we are lucky, we might get to live to a hundred years. But then again, it is ONLY a hundred years. Have you gotten what you want out of life? Well, I haven't but I'm going to make sure I do. =)

Who can you trust?

To me, the people at work are like family.
I've spent more time at work than I ever did at home (well, except for now)
You work together, you hang out together and a special bond and a degree of trust is formed.
But what happens when that trust is broken?
What happens when the same person whom you've been working so closely with steals from you. Over and over again.
It is sad but they did the right thing in letting her go.
Unfortunately, the scar will remain.

What a productive morning!

Woke up early this morning. Made breakfast for hubs. Brought in the newspaper. Did my laundry. Ironed my clothes in the interim. Collected my laundry and hung them up to dry. Vacuumed my rooms. Washed the dishes I left to soak overnight. Checked my email. Facebooked. Here I am blogging and the morning is not even over yet!
Everyday should be just like this!

Ready sauce for the lazy housewife

Made these pork chops for dinner with Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Oriental Pork Chop. Absolute idiot proof. Just fry the pork chops, add the onions, stir in the sauce and voila! Mmmmm...

The Music of the Night

The hissing & whistling of the central heating.
The squeaking of the wooden paneled floor as a neighbor paces up and down in an adjacent apt.
The slamming of a door.
The occasional passing of a motor vehicle.
The sudden thud of an object falling on the roof above us.

The cacophony of sound is something we are learning to get acquainted with in our new home. It still feels a little strange and unsettling at times but I'm sure we will get used to it soon...

Alegría

I used to think Cirque Du Soleil was just another acrobatic act but I was absolutely blown away when I watched them perform Quidam in Singapore years back. Well, I'm probably the last to find out but I'm so excited they are coming to Cleveland in April! And I've got tickets as a birthday treat from hubs! *muacks!* O joy! =D

What's for dinner?

Spring onion pancakes which then became garlic pancakes because I ran out of spring onions. And...


kale chips. Slightly burnt but still really crispy and yummy! Never knew vegetables could taste this good! And hubby loved it!

Huh, it's snowing?!

It has been sunshine and some rainy weather since we arrived but mother nature decides to send some flurries of snow down on us today. Hey, I'm expecting spring already!

You know you have become an absolute bummer when...

...there is no concept of time in your life
...you need constant reminder on what the current date is
...you get to be in your PJs all day long
...you can choose to wake up at whatever time you wish (provided your husband's screaming alarm does not get you up first!)
...you can crawl back to bed at ANY time of the day (helps if you are in PJs all day!;P)
...you have all these things you need/want to do planned out in your head but you can't seem to get down to doing any of them
...you are online 24/7 (ok...not exactly but close enough)

This is what happens when you take a workaholic out of her usual crazy routine, dump her in a foreign land in a totally different timezone and confine her all alone in an apt all day long. The word is "LOST". Oh gawd, I need to work out some kind of routine for myself soon before my brain goes all mushy and moldy....*help...*

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Was craving for chicken rice all weekend so I finally got down to cooking it for dinner last night. Not as fragrant as I would like it to be but I am satisfied. ^.^

O Bloody Nose!

Since coming here, I have been suffering from dry crusty nose every night no thanks to the overzealous heating at work that is sucking every bit of humidity out of my room. It clogs up my nose pretty bad and sometimes I end up waking up a few times in the night. Slept particularly badly last night and now even my neck is sore from all that tossing and turning. Guess it's time I do something about it. Well, forget nasal sprays since I'm totally non-compliant and humidifiers are too much trouble to maintain (well, at least for lazy me). Tonight I shall hang my laundry in the room and place one big bowl of water by my bedside. Hopefully that will work! I need my sleep so badly...Zzzzzz...

When you know you have done something right...

"I guess it's because we all wanna believe that what we do is very important. That people hang on to our every word, and they care what we think. The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occassionally get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better..." - Scrubs

Woke up this morning to a nice email from a previous staff who had returned to Hong Kong to her family after spending a year working with us. She has been hired by a private hospital with a very attractive salary and is writing to thank me. "I did very well in their interview, becoz they asked me everything that you have taught me, including clinical materials and how to deal with patients' complaints! I really want to say a big "Thank you" to you!"
This last episode of scrubs mirrored how I felt when I left work. Well, it's nice to know that I have made a difference in someone's life. However small it is.

Beggars can't be choosers

The thing about settling in a new place and not knowing how long our stay would be makes it rather hard for us to make decisions on how much to invest in our new home. On one hand, we try to stick to only basic essentials so as to avoid the headache of having to rid of them should we need to move again. On the other hand, I am spending more time than I ever did at home and it is important that I am happy being at home. While in Michigan, we survived on a plastic beach table for dining with chairs we found in the apt basement and we had 2 foldable beach chairs in our living room which I lounged in to watch TV for two whole years. The main furniture we bought then was a DIY TV stand, computer table and office chair from Meijer. The most expensive buy was probably our mattress but that was it.
This time round, I have insisted on a proper dining set and sofa. We are expecting some friends to visit and it would be horrible to entertain with an empty home. And all thanks to Walmart, we are able to have all that together with a TV stand and computer desk at a very affordable price. Quality may not necessarily be the best but they will serve their purpose for now. Once again, our most expensive buy is our Sealy mattress set but I believe that is a necessity. We are also very lucky to have hubby's colleagues handing us a second hand leather office chair, a cordless phone, a flat screen 22' Samsung TV and a microwave oven for free! Well, it's nice to see our apt looking more homely now! Now to brush up on my cooking skills for my first guest! =)

Our two lovebuns

Alfonso (left), my one ear rabbit and Chewy (right), probably the most widely travelled bunny in the world.

Been wanting to write a post about our two very brave darlings. They were flown 20 odd hours in air cargo to be here with us in the States. Bunnies generally don't travel very well on planes and have been reported to have very high mortality rates. So naturally, we were scared shitless about what might happen to them on their way here. But at the same time, we know they are both really hardy bunnies. Alfonso had come out strong from his two previous surgeries for the malignant melanoma on his ear and he even seem oblivious to the fact that he is missing a ear! Chewy was adopted from an animal shelter when we were in Michigan and she had travelled all the way back to Singapore with us a few years back. Except for the fact that she is 5 years older now, we were confident that she would do just fine and were hoping that she would be an assurance to Alfonso on their journey here since they were sharing the same carrier. We also made it point to stop over in Detroit and drive instead of flying straight to Cleveland so as to minimise the number of transits they will have to go through. Well, as you can see in the pic above, they are both very much alive and very happy exploring their new territory! We are truly relieved and are so very proud of them! Well, more pics to come soon! =)

Still lovin' my Toyota!

Despite all that bad press lately, we bought ourselves a second hand Toyota Camry LE yesterday. I seriously think this whole Toyota recall/brake issue has been blown out of proportion. Thank you, New York Times for providing an alternative perspective to this mass irrationality. We've been driving the Toyota for years and it has truly served us well. And really, when it comes to quality, I don't think anyone can match the Japanese. Well, once a Toyota fan, always a Toyota fan! Can't wait to start driving it today! =)

Tortilla De Patatas

My Spanish omelette

Decided to give the Spanish omelette a try with 3 eggs, 1 big onion and 2 potatoes for dinner today to accompany my pork cutlets. It is so easy to make and I must say it turned out pretty well too! Delicious! =)

How to load a dishwasher

The apt I am renting at the moment comes with a dishwasher. It may sound backward but this is the first time I am operating a dishwasher and there is no manual. So naturally I have all these questions I need answered. How should I load the dishwasher? Can all my dishes fit in there? What is the minimum load I need before I effectively save water and energy? Since it is just me and hubs in the household is it really cost effective considering the limited kitchenware/ utensils that we have in the first place? Do I need to pre-rinse? Yada..yada...

Tried looking for answers on the web and this is what I concluded:
1. Pre-rinsing is generally not required. Apparently, pre-rinsing can take up to 20 gallons of water!
2. Do however scrape off bits of leftovers on the dishes before loading them.
3. Load glassware on the top rack and try to space them apart to avoid breakage.
4. Similarly, plastic containers goes on top to avoid melting during the dry heating since it gets hotter at the bottom rack.
5. Place plates, bowls, pots and pans at the bottom facing down towards the the spray arm.
6. Spoons, forks, knives (facing down) and other silverware goes into a basket usually located on the bottom rack and mix them up to avoid "nesting".
7.To be more energy efficient, run the dishwasher with a full load and avoid using the heat dry function.
8.And do go easy on the detergent! More is not necessarily cleaner!

On a final note, "washing dishes by hand uses much more water than using a dishwashers. Using an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers instead of hand washing will save you annually 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility costs, and 230 hours of your time."

Woo..I like the sound of that...:)

My lunch today

I know, I know..it's not the most healthy of meals. Will have to learn to start cooking for one now. Guess I will be having plenty of time to experiment with various recipes! (well, preferably quick and idiot proof ones!) =)

Just keep talking!

I am currently subscribed to Vonage , a VoIP service that allows me to make unlimited calls to both local and long distance (up to 60 countries) for a flat fee a month. It is currently on promotion for $14.99/mth for the first 6 months and $25.99 thereafter for a one year contract. While some may argue that it might be cheaper to purchase a calling card, nothing beats the convenience of picking up the phone and simply dialing the numbers without having to worry abt running out of credits. The voice quality has been great so far as well! Worth considering if you are far away from home like me and wish to stay connected with family and friends back home more frequently. =)

My daily workout

Who needs to go to the gym when you gotta climb up and down three storeys to/from your apt everyday. Almost died climbing up all those steps with my bags of groceries today! I must make a mental note not to buy too much stuff at the supermarket the next time. Guess that's enough exercise for today! :P

*Btw, I cleared my driving theory today. Now to start practising for my maneuvre test!

Hello from Cleveland! *waves*

It has been about two weeks since we landed on American soil. We have since found a nice little apt and filled it up with basic essentials mostly from Walmart. (our favorite store for now! =)) The only thing we need now is a TV and sofa to keep me happy in the day while hubs is at work.
Had a nice little lunch gathering yesterday with some Singaporeans who are currently based here. Guess it is always good to know someone around here when you first start out. I am amused to find that they even have an unofficial Cleveland Clinic alumni back home with frequent meetups! =)
Gotta go study for my driving theory now. Such a pain that we will have to take the driving theory and prac test all over again! Hope they won't make me parallel park coz I'm bound to fail. Boo.
Anyhoo...I will be off to check out the malls with one of the wives later this afternoon! Yay! Wish I have more money to spend though. :P