Making Cupcakes with the Girls (13 Dec 10)

Dear All

We had bought a ready-made purple icing tube, we made cupcakes on Monday, just a couple of days after the LC Christmas party. Sorry we didn't have time to make cookies for you all this year. We made cupcakes cos' it's faster & easier for me! Feli helped in creaming the butter & sugar and in spooning in the flour. Tiffany had tuition & was kinda upset she didn't get to help out in making the cupcakes. However, both of them had a fun time decorating the cupcakes.

Here's the result of our joint effort! Only Matthew & our chinese tuition teacher got to try the cakes the next day. Hope it was nice.

I had cut down the sugar as I figured the icing & mini marshmellows (courtesy of

Pat's game) would be quite sweet already.

Here's the recipe if you are interested.

Vanilla Butter Cupcakes

(Make about 20 - 23 depending on size of papercups)

Ingredients:

- 250g butter

- 300g self-raising flour

- 250g sugar (I used about 210-220g sugar)

- 5 eggs

- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

For decoration:

- 1 tube ready-made icing

- mini marshmellows

- sprinkles of various shapes (flowers, hearts, circles etc)

Method:

1) Cream butter & sugar till creamy

2) Add in vanilla essence and eggs 1 at a time, and stir them in.

3) Add in flour 2 tablespoons at a time and stir them in.

Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees celsius (my oven is manual, or I heat it up for about 5min before putting the cupcakes in)

Bake each batch of about 12 cupcakes at a time for about 18-20 minutes for each batch.

Once they are quite cooled (the girls are impatient & can't wait till they are fully cooled down), squeeze on your icing in whatever pattern you want. Then decorate with marshmellows and dash of sprinkles.

This is the first time I've used ready-made icing. They are great & easy to use. I got mine from Cold Storage. After exposure to air for some time, the icing hardens to a nice crunchy texture. For the marshmellows, I cut them in half cross-sectionally and then squeeze the 2 ends into petal shapes.

Surprisingly, we finished baking & decorating everything in about 2+hs only!

Love

Theresa

Status of Dad

Dear All

Dropped by mum's place with the groceries tonight. Dad did not know he fainted. He was very affected by the whole episode it seems. He couldn't sleep the whole night when he got home from the hospital and kept mum up till early morning. He was reminising his life in the younger days...like his childhood home with his parents in Serangoon and when he could dance.

What touched me most was when mum told me dad was gesturing with his eyes closed and murmuring something. He raised his arms over his head then opened his palms to receive something, then opened his mouth and put his finger into his mouth. Mum bent closer to hear what he was saying...he was reciting the rosary! I believe he must have seen the Lord and was receiving Him. Mum said he looked so happy after that, and after she placed the rosary in his hands as he rested them folded on his stomach. He now has the rosary around his neck.

I feel scared. I am so afraid his time will be up soon. I guess I am already feeling sad. It's such a sad fact that we all have to go one day. What makes it sadder is to leave this world feeling sad...I think my parents are sadden that we children don't have more time to spend with them...everyone is busy with their own lives. We try to visit them every weekend as they are so old and would not be with us for very long. It's hard to talk to dad as he can't hear well nor see or speak clearly. What I do is just touch him like hold his hands and stroke his head and kiss his cheeks. I think when other senses fail, the touch is most important. I see it in babies...how they respond with happiness at being fondled, like how we ladies feel loved when our husbands or children hug us....I believe dad feels loved when I "sayang" him. He would open his eyes to look at me and smile a little. I guess when I make my mum happy, she'll be happy and make dad happy too. A hope whatever love we can give them will spread within them rather than thinking about the negatives in life.

Love

Theresa

Egg-Bot Workshop & Snow City (9 Dec 10)

Dear All

I had signed the girls up for a half day "robotic" workshop at Science Centre last week. It's called Egg-Bot. Below is how this machine looks like.

What the machine does is it enables you to draw nicely on a spherical surface.

The workshop consist of how the machine came about and how freeware called inkscape was used to program it. There were templete patterns which you can call up in files but the girls decided to draw using the mouse on the screen and sent the design to the egg-bot to draw on christmas ornaments, light bulbs and ping pong balls. The calibration of fitting the spherical object onto the machine was quite tricky, according to Feli.

This is how the final product looks like.

Pretty impressive right? The above are image grabs from the workshop's website. The girls' freehand designs were much simpler.

Next, we visited Snow City. Don't laugh, OK, but this is our 1st time there. Feli went there once with the holiday excursion with Tien Hsia when she was in kindergarten so she don't remember much.

If you are member of AA, it's the cheapest deal @ $39 for a family of 4 for a 1h play. We personally felt that the place is small...the brochure made it look like it was very big. No cameras were allowed, so we were shepherded to all the photo-nice stations and photographed by their photographers and given the photos number for our orders. After being ushered around, when we were left alone, we found out there's nothing much to do except go tubing down the slope. The ice-shavings were difficult to compact into snowballs. Since it was christmas, santa claus made an appearance. He looked kinda bored when there was no one else to pose with and gave Bert a scare when he suddenly placed his arms over his shoulders!

Feli and Bert didn't go tobogganing. I went with Tiff twice. The first time was very scary for me. I screamed all the way down as I couldn't control the tube and went down backwards. 2nd time though, I knew what to expect and tried to enjoy the ride down...tried as I was nervous and having 2nd thoughts about going the 2nd time.

The ice was very numbing when it got into the lower part of my calves...it felt like a bad blue-black. It's best to use their boots rather than your own track shoes....it's better protected from the ice shavings that inevitably would enter your shoes as you walk around. Luckily we went for 1h play instead of 2h....we left the place after like 40 minutes? It was cold but mostly because it is boring, if you are not interested in tobogganing...anyway, how many times can you go down the slope anyway?

Currently, Science Centre has 3 mobile exhibitions - CSI, Dino Robots & Zoo Robots. We went for the Zoo Robots. It's very cheap at $1 per pax. Dino is at $2 pax but we didn't have time for the Dino. Also the Zoo Robots was at Omni-Theatre which is just next door to Snow City.

Zoo Robots has huge robot replicas of animals like the rhino, bat, grasshopper, chameleon and playtapus. Some robots are interactive i.e. you can push a button and move a toggle/joystick to make it move it's tongue or see how it's eyes move. It's a very small exhibition. Only about at most 20minutes tops is needed to try out everything. As it's something new, the girls like it.

All in, we had a wonderful time today. That's another family holiday item ticked off in our "Stay in Singapore" hols this year.

Here's the 2 pixs we bought @ package A of $30 for 2 6R photos.

Love

Theresa

Dad fainted at home today (8 Dec 10)

Dear All

Our parents wedding anniversary is coming soon, but this Christmas is an un-merry one for my mum. Her recent eye-op for cataracts had an infection. My dad also has been diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes & mind you, he is being monitored by the polyclinic, but his cataracts was discovered by the optician that my mum asked me & Bert to bring him too.

Then this morning around 1030am, my mum's maid called me frantically to come over quickly as my dad something happened.

I panicked. Then I thought...what can I do if I rush there? I'm not a doctor. So I called back to tell them I had called the ambulance. I was frightened as I heard my mum's wailing in the background for my dad not to leave her. Then when I called back, my brother told me mum managed to revive dad and dad refused to go to the hospital. He asked me to cancel the ambulance. I told my bro to persuade my mum to persuade dad to go for a checkup as I was afraid he had just suffered a mild stroke. He had fainted over breakfast with his head slumbed over his chest and his whites of his eyes were showing.

He was conscious when the paramedics arrived. They found his oxygen level low (93 whereas the normal level is 97) and gave him the oxygen gas mask. Seems his sugar level was low too.

You see, my dad had an episode where he was hospitalised, and due to his weakness of voice, muscles and bad hearing and eyesight, he was ignored by hospital staff. He can't ask for water as it is hard to understand him. He needs assistance to move about as the beds are very high at the hospitals than at home where he is more mobile. So he had a bad experienced. Hence, he is reluctant to go. Besides, most old people go in don't make it out.

Luckily, he was only sent to the Observation Room at the hospital, did a brain scan (all clear) a blood test and was diagnosed as having had a fit. Seems like fits are common in old people. He was discharged at 3:30pm and given an appointment to see the neurologist in 2 weeks time (21 Dec).

We thank God & Blessed Mother Mary for protecting my dad.

Tiffany was afraid she'll lose Ah Kong before she can say goodbye. Felicia was a little red-eyed but tried to be stoic by saying everyone has to go one day. Bless my little angels that they were with me today, to guide me, console me and support me as we three trooped down to the A&E today to see their beloved Ah Kong.

Please help pray for my parents to have a blessed Christmas this year although the joy & peace & hope of the Christ Child seem so far from them during this period.

Thanks for all your prayers.

Love

Theresa

Holy Trinity Christmas Concert 2010

Dear All

The Seraphim cum Children & Youth combined choir Christmas Concert was held tonight (4 Dec 10, Sat). After so many nights and Sunday afternoons practises, they had their grand finale.

(Below: Title of Christmas Concert)

(Below:Seraphim's band with drummer hidden)

(Below: Fr Edward singing with the children's choir)

(Below: Combined 3 choirs after the intermission, part of choir cut-off due of camera's limited range)

The Seraphim (adult choir) was fantastic. The program had 13 songs featuring 2 (Bridge over Troubled Waters & When We Believe from the movie Prince of Egypt) which they had sung at the Church of St Mary of the Angels World peace concert. It was a mixture of comtempory christmas songs and a Spanish song (Riu Riu Chiu) about God's blessings on Mary & the birth of Jesus.

(Below: Close-up of Felicia)

The concert lasted about 1h 30 min with a 15min intermission, and included a guest appearance by our very own parish priest Fr Edward Lim, singing Children Run Joyfully with the children's choir. I think I may have some of the song titles incorrect but the lyrics are something like that :)

The church generously provided refreshments after the concert (which started at 8pm and ended at 9:40pm) as the children were there since 6pm, but we didn't stay for it....too many people plus Felicia wanted McDonald's, so off we went to Loyang Point for a late night supper. What a nice way to end a family night, with Mcs at home surrounded with christmas tree and the nativity, and the joyful songs of christmas still ringing in our ears...this is the true meaning of christmas, which I know you'll agree :)

Love Theresa

Our Visit to Haw Par Villa

Dear All

After so many years, we didn't know that Haw Par Villa was still around! I think the last we went there was like 8 years ago at the least! Both girls don't remember ever visiting it!

The way to the place has changed alot! You have to drive along West Coast Road and look out for Pasar Panjang Road. The carpark is within the attraction and cost $5 per entry. It closes at 7pm and last entry time is 6pm. Entrance is free.

(Above : At Mdm White Snake)

(Below: The tiger and leopard statues when I was young are still there! Yay!)

(Below: the back view of the entrance to park)

(Below: Hey Bert, you shouldn't touch the ape's watermelon!)

(Below: Just thought this closeup shot & colours would look nice on camera!)

(Below: This car is new to me..don't recall seeing it before.)

The statues have not changed. The 10 courts of hell is still there and morbid like what I had remembered in my younger days. Needless to say, it had the same effect on the children.

(Below: didn't take many shots of the courts. This was at the back of the courts statues)

(Below: Every visit to the Park has to have this shot taken!)

All in, we had a memorable and fun day at the park. There's no food vendor, the day we went, that's a Saturday afternoon around 2.30pm. Luckily, we brought sandwiches and a bottle of water. Somehow, we didn't feel that hungry, but we were very thirsty. There are drink vending machines but the ones at the "restaurant" aren't working well. The ones at the entrance to the 10 courts were. We only took 1.5h at the park and left at almost 4pm.

(Below: saw 2 turtles, so threw in some bread and viola, so many appeared & some fish too!)

(Below: This was the bridge below which are the turtles)

We are not travelling this Dec hols, as we need to save. So we are going to explore the parts of Singapore that we had either not gone before or not for a long time. We shall share with you some of our visits which we find fun.

Love

Theresa

Harry Potter & Narnia Latest Shows (Nov/Dec 2010 Hols)

Dear All

If you must choose between the latest Harry Potter - the Deadly Hallows Part 1, and the latest Narnia show, go for the former.

We had caught both shows on the opening day. Harry Potter had a special edition popcorn combo that comes with a light & sound wand. The girls LOVE it! Can you imagine some folks were playing the wand during the show? It's really value for money as it runs for 2.5h and you don't really feel it. Only frustration is, it's only part 1, so you are left hanging in the air!

We bought Narnia in 3D last minute today (2 Dec) 9:30pm show. It lasted for 2h. I have not seen it in 2D so I can't really compare which format is better. However, we chose 3D because of the shots/teasers we saw in the cinema. There's no figures "popping" out of the screen effect, however there are some nice 3D images. I suppose with the extra cost, it's still better to save and go for the normal show.

Love

Theresa