Modernday Moms

Choc Chip Macaroons

2008-09-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

Mixing the eggwhities and icing sugar

Went on to mix for about 50minutes and it still doesn't get stiff! But my hands sure did!

Putting the chocolate chip, almonds, cornflakes into the not-so-stiff mix...

With my trustee recipe guiding me on what to do next..

Placing the gooey mix into mini cups

And they are ready to eat!

Woke up yesterday morning and develop spasm to bake!

Surfed the net for something "challenging" to try..and decided on chocolate chip macaroons. Ran to the grocery store to get more chocolate chips... Because once the inspiration comes, you just have to get your hands dirty and do it.

My hands not only became dirty at the end of it but they also become stiff from mixing the eggwhities and icing sugar for more than 50 minutes just so that it can become stiff.. (which, sadly, it did not) as I do not possess the mixing machine at home. Hmph!

After much prepping and hardwork, the boy love the macaroons! And so did Beanz and my brother who came over to my place... Phew!

Recipe:
4 eggwhites from mediumsized eggs
8 ounces of icing sugar
9 ounces of chocolate chips
50 grams of cornflakes (crushed)
5 ounces of almonds (chopped)
5 ounces of sunflower seeds

1. Pop the almonds and sunflower seeds into the oven for about 5 mins, 140°C. Leave to cool.

2. Mix eggwhities and icing sugar. Beat till mixture gets really stiff. to test: put the mixture bowl over your head and ensure that the gooey stuff does not flop onto your head! (I beat mine for more than 50 minutes, to not much of a success)

3. Add in the cooled chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, crushed cornflakes and chocolate chips into the white gooey sweetness. Mix well.

4. Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture into mini paper cups and then bake for 25-30mins at 140°C.

5. Leave on rack to cool. 10 mins later it's ready to eat!!!

Hello Moto

2008-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Moto!

So I have bought you for S$198 at the Hello Causeway Point. Oh boy, the trouble that I took to get you. Was willing to delay my dinner time with my girlfriend as the shop will close in about an hour's time. And talking about time, I could have waited till November so that I need not pay for the extra S$100. By then, my contract would have ended and I will be free to buy any phone that I want at a cheaper price.

But no... you just won't let me wait..Looking sleek all day as I toggled my PC between work and reviews sites just so that my boss will not catch me idling. You even came to my dream begging me to just come and get you... I hope that you are happy now that you have succeeded...

Just a word of caution: I have a history of throwing mobile phones when it doesn't meet my expectation..

Until then, forever yours,
Rose Tham

Objects of my desire

2008-09-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a problem.. OK, scratch that.. my mobile has a problem..
It shuts off on its own on these few occasions:
- when it knows I'm having a conversation with the boy/my friends/family/etc..
- when I am in the midst of typing a very long message to an irritant
- when the boy/my friends/family/etc try to call me
- when the boy/my friends/family/etc try to SMS me
- when I am reading my SMS
- when it is bored
- when it feels like being thrown against the wall

Hence, I have been scooting around for a new mobile phones. Take that, you piece of nincompoop! I am one of those buyer who will read and read and read about the product before making a purchase. This only happens when I am buying some techie stuff, mind you. and so my choise have been narrowed to the above three mobile phones. Sleek, aren't they..

Now it's the crunch time...making the decision and saying goodbye to my $$$$...

Cool Baby T-shirts

2008-09-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

I survived the first week!

2008-09-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

It can be so daunting to start a new career especially if you are now handling a new job portfolio. For the first time since 2005, I found myself being glued to the chair in the spirit of making a good impression to my new bosses. My ex-colleagues would be so proud of me! Heck, even when I was pregnant, I could not sit still!

Yesterday, I got a "scolding" from my upper boss (ie. my boss's boss). I would have crush that little man if not for my self-control which I cultivated over the years of working. Shall not go into the nitty gritty details because it just makes my heart boil everytime I think about it. All I know is that, by the end of today, I would have finished my first week here. I am soo looking forward to the weekend with Beanz and the boy.

And guess what? Today, is the first time that I actually miss being in my old office. Who would have thought that?! My workstation then was so much bigger than my current workstation and I can screen every goddamn calls I received. This is quite useful everytime I wanted to escape calls from the boss. Whenever he used to call, it would be my cue to sneak out of my workstation, because in a few minutes' time, he would make his way to my place and ask me whatever crap that he doesn't know.

Other than my workstation, I miss my older colleagues whom I have grown to be quite fond of. They would look out for me basically and I must say, they are the best bodyguards a girl could ever have...

Sigh. Must keep faith in this new place. It is afterall, just a week. There is still another 11 months 3 weeks more to go. (I have this principle to stay at least 1 year in any job that I undertake.)

May that principle be kept always. God speed.

Bring Me Out

2008-09-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

Ever been on a date with your hubby?
Yes, as in you are already married, with a kid or two in tow, and then one night you or your hubby decided ok, let's ditch the kids and go out..just the two of us!

WELL, I NEVER SEEM TO DO THAT WITH THE BOY ANYMORE NOWADAYS!!! :(
(Hence, the crampy and cranky mood the other day.)

Used to take long strolls down the Changi Beach, eat supper, watch movies, watch the sunset, etc.. *sigh* Those were the days.

Maybe I should get him this 101 Romantic Ideas and hit his head with it just so that he can take the HUGE hint and bring me out like he used to!

Shopping in Japan

2008-09-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Another 2 more shopping sites! Awesome!

Crampy & Cranky

2008-09-15T06:19:00.001-07:00

I am feeling CRAMPY & CRANKY.

Elyse Sewell

2008-09-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

Do you guys remember Elyse Sewell?

She was in the very first season of America's Next Top Model. I remembered ditching my friends after work just so I could catch the show on TV. Hehe...

Well, Elyse didn't win though she possessed both beauty and brains. So smart that the judges thought that it was the cause for her slightly arrogant behaviour. Could you help it if the rest of your competitors are bimbos?!

Anyway, she is now based in Hong Kong and featured in hundreds of advertisements and catalogs. Good for her, I say!

Cookie Monster

2008-09-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

I am feeling great today! :)
Because I ordered some cookies from a friend's mom previously for the Chinese New Year and they were delicious! Even my mom whom I would say quite the food critic, raved about the pineapple tarts and the makmur cookies especially.

And they are taking in orders again in preparation for the Hari Raya. Yeah! Just ordered the pineapple tarts, choc chip and choc melt cookies for the boy and cornflakes! :) Yummy!

Hand-painted handbags

2008-05-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Found this on the internet...

Simply cool! And they have baby clothes too! Beanz, let's strap on it and go shopping!

Signs of getting old

2008-04-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning with a dreadful realization - I'M GETTING OLD!
*Tsk*Tsk*Tsk*

Was trying to pick Beanz up from her crib. And as I bent down, I heard my bones cracking. I don't like the sound of it. Used to make fun of my mom when her bones cracked and now it's retribution! Damn!

Called the boy to buy me a carton of HL Banana Milk, pronto! I simply lurve banana..

Other Signs (cue twilight tune):
- Everything hurts and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.
- You keep repeating yourself.
- You feel like the morning after and you haven't been anywhere.
- Your mind makes contracts your body can't meet.
- You look forward to a dull evening.
- You turn out the lights for economic rather than romantic reasons.
- Your knees buckle, and your belt won't.
- You answer a question with, "Because I said so."
- You run out of breath walking DOWN a flight of stairs.
- You consider coffee one of the most important things in life.
- You can’t name any of the top pop albums over the last year.
- You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
- 6:00 a.m . is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
- Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
- Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
- You take naps.
- Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
- You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
- You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
- You find yourself thinking, “You know, my mother was right.”
- You think everyone under 20 is a complete idiot.
- You recently told someone under the age of 20: “I’m only telling you this so you don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made.”

Use pad for more than 3 hours can cause cervical cancer & bacteria infection

2008-03-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Got this from a friend.. interesting read..

The article is against tampons because the tampon companies use asbestos to make women bleed more and "forces" women to use more tampons in the process...

Extract from wikipedia:
Asbestos is used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation at elevated temperature, and in buildings for its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals.

This "miracle material" is now known to be highly toxic.

Hmm...makes me wonder what women use in the olden days..

************************************************************

Use pad for more than 3 hours can cause cervical cancer & bacteria infection.

FOR THOSE OF US WHO USE SANITARY NAPKINS/PADS:

IF u ever wondered what were the ingredients that made popular brands so 'free! and light and carefree', well here's the bit:

The material that makes the pad so paper THIN, is cellulose gel. YEap, it's not even cotton!!!!!!

DO NOT wear the same pad for more than 3 hours of a maximum!!! After this duration, the genital area is prone to bacterial action and may
result in cervical cancer or other complications!!!!!!!!!!

REMEMBER! NEVER NEVER NEVER WEAR THE SAME PAD FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS!!!!

SO yes, please pass on this message to as many women as possible and save lives!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read this and pass it on to your friends. For the men receiving this email,
please forward it to your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers, daughters, etc.) Thanks!

Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy the next time and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs
stated in this email.

No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and womb tumors. Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in
tampons? Why would they do this?

Because asbestos makes you bleed more, if you bleed more, you're going to need to use more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so
dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), did not consider tampons as being ingested, and, therefore, didn't consider
them illegal or dangerous. This month's Essence magazine has small article about this and they mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are: Organic Essentials @1-800) 765-6491 and Terra Femme @(800)755-0212.

A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder sent the following: 'I am writing this because women are not being informed about
the dangers of something most of us use: tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and women,
including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell
you this - after learning about this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for
one, am going to do something about it To start, I want to inform everyone I can, and email is the fastest way that I know how

HERE ! IS THE SCOOP:
Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmf ul: Rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The
tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem
here is that the dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process, can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially
carcinogenic cancer-associated)and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower
sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system.

Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is no set 'acceptable' level of exposure to dioxin given
that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact Karen Couppert 'Pulling the Plug on the Tampon
Industry'). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years is 'repeated contact', wouldn't y! ou? Rayon
contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left
behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just
cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome)
occurs.

WHAT TO DO NOW:
Tell people. Everyone. Inform them. We are being manipulated by this industry and the government, let's do something about it! Please write
to the companies: Tampax(Tambrands), Playtex, O.B., Kotex. Call the 800 numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product
ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.

Baby Rayyan

2008-02-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

Beanz has a new friend now in the form of baby Rayyan. :)

Baby Rayyan was born yesterday night at 2245hrs. The mother, Mabel, whom I considered one of my closest friends had had one of the easist pregnancies ever. She didn't have any of those morning sickness that I occasionally have, she didn't have any adverse effects on food that she used to eat (for some reasons, I couldn't stand the smell of durian during my pregnancy although I really love the fruit prior to my pregnancy and she didn't have that squeezed bladder moments when the baby is big enough in your stomach and is pressing against your bladder! Hmph!

Anyways, am looking through the internet right now for some ideas on baby gifts that I can give since I do not really have the time to go out and shop. Hmm.. what should I get? what should I get?

Beloved Sunshine

2008-01-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Sunshine has been giving me a lot of problems lately. For some reason, occasionally the engine will stop while travelling.. Could it be that Sunshine really misses me during my pregnancy? Hmm.. The boy simply refused to let me ride while I was pregnant..

Oh yeah, in case you still do not get it by now.. Sunshine is my beloved Gilera Runner motorbike.. And yes, I do ride..Before Beanz come along, Sunshine was my one and only baby...We have been through shine and rain, literally..

Had girlfriends who rode before but the number keep decreasing nowadays as each of them had babies and move on to raise a family..I never could understand back then why most of them had stopped riding. But I think I do now.

When you have a kid, you tend to be more careful with the things that might risk your life. Because if anything were to happen to you, the little one will suffer. And I surely do not want that to happen to Beanz..So till the boy and I can afford a car, I shall be extra careful on Sunshine and give her the extra TLC by sending her to the workshop this Sunday.

Hidden passion

2007-12-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

Guess what? My passion for cooking is back! After straying away from the kitchen for so long since the arrival of Beanz, I suddenly develop a wonderful surge to cook again.. My poor boy has had to endure my many moods of not wanting to cook despite all the pleas..

He just loved my roast beef..:) Who wouldn't when it is almost the same as the roast beef that we had in New York during our honeymoon? All thanks to this! :)

Weight Issues

2007-12-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

I have been bingeing a lot.... It doesn't help that the boy brought all my favourite snacks when he came home from work..Although you would have thought that carrying Beanz would have provided me with the necessary exercise (she is a whopping 5kgs now!), I am still growing hopelessly...

Been looking at this and seriously contemplating...

Missing little Beanz...

2007-11-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

It has been hard juggling work and little Beanz nowadays.. On certain days I felt as if she knew I am going to be away from her for long at work and that she purposely stayed up from 4.30pm till 10pm. She refused to be lulled, swung and cradled to sleep. Even carrying her in her favourite position doesn't help... It's only when the boy finally came home and sung her the "Michael row the boat" song did she finally fall to sleep..

*sigh* All in a Modernday mom's work...

Pain = Childbirth

2007-09-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Still remembered the day when I gave birth to my little girl - Beanz, on 7 June 07. The boy and I rushed to Mount E at about 2030hrs. Contractions lasting for 30secs every 10-15 mins. There was also another screaming lady in the same ward and we were both under the same gynae. It was funny for awhile.. because each of us took turns screaming in pain. It was only awhile, mind you. After a few hours, I remembered grabbing the boy's arms so hard that he yelped! Sorry, dear..

Got induced because the pain was so unbearable and moved to the Labour Ward the next day at 0630hrs. . The scenes after that produced a lot of screaming and the most beautiful little being in Beanz..

We were quite lucky in our pregnancy as in we never plan for Beanz at all. My other colleagues who are well in their late 30s and 40s have to resort to old wives' tales like doing a headstand after lovemaking, staying in bed with a pillow under the bum for at least half an hour, etc...

Or some even resorted to this...and they have been successful at it too: Methods to get pregnant