Pure Chocolate Indulgence

This is the easiest recipe I have come across for baking. I adapted it from Karen Cheng's blog. Any one can bake this. Trust me, I know - my helper, Wati, who has zero experience, succeeded on 1st try under minimal supervision and with some oral instructions (all whilst I was playing mahjong during our family Christmas gathering).

Chocolate Brownies

250 gms butter
1¼ cup of caster sugar
¾ cup Nestle baking cocoa
3 lightly beaten eggs
1¼ cup plain flour
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation:
1. Sift baking cocoa and flour into a large bowl.
2. Slowly melt butter and sugar in a saucepan, on low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in cocoa, flour, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in marshmallows and walnuts.
4. Pour into well greased pan (e.g. square cake tin) and smooth the surface.
5. Put into 180C (preheated) oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
6. Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Cut up brownie while warm.
7. [Optional] Dust with icing sugar. Serve while warm, with whipped cream or better still, ice-cream.

Happy baking!

Editorial Note made on 5 Jan: I have corrected above recipe to read 1¼ cup of caster sugar (instead of ¼ cup)

Christmas 2009

25 - 26 Dec

On Christmas morning, Peanut exclaimed, "Presents! Santa came!" Well, dear, the presents did not appear as magically as you think. Your mama spent weeks shopping for them, squirreling them from the car boot to the house, wrapped them up in secrecy, hid them under the study table all this while and finally got up at 3 am to arrange them under the Christmas tree. All that effort just so you believe that Santa exists. I wonder if it makes sense. All just so that one day when you grow up, we will have to explain this Santa business and I imagine, your eyes would well up in tears ... tell me, am I setting up myself for something unpleasant? Ummm.

This year we held our Christmas celebrations with the family on Boxing Day. Christmas Day was spent at the Seah family's traditional Christmas party. J and TT, thanks for the gifts - excellent judgment, the tops are just the perfect size for the boys; won't take up storage space for the next few years, unlike those bought by grandmothers.

Trivia question: How many times can one play Monopoly (junior edition) over 3 days?

Let me count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... Michelle, thanks for the gift. Peanut is so in love with it - Bakugan version, no less. My Peanut, my baby, has started seriously on board games. He had played Snakes and Ladders before this, but he is really crazy about this one - the money, the house, the Chance cards, he is now an expert at the game, able to follow all the instructions without a hitch.

Next, I present to you the highlight of our family Christmas party:

Sweet Potato narrating "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle

"Neigh, neigh, said the horse. Want to go for a ride? The spider didn't answer. She was busy spinning her web.

Moo, moo, said the cow. Want to eat some grass? The spider didn't answer. She was busy spinning her web.

Baa, baa, bleated the sheep. Want to run in the meadow? The spider didn't answer. She was busy spinning her web.

Maa, maa, said the goat. Want to jump on the rocks? The spider didn't answer. She was busy spinning her web.

Oink, oink, grunted the pig. Want to roll in the mud? The spider didn't answer. She was busy spinning her web." And the story continues with a dog (Woof, woof, barked the dog. Want to chase a cat?), a cat (Meow, meow, cried the cat. Want to catch a nap?) and a duck (Quack, quack, called the duck. Want to go for a swim?)

"Cockle doodle do, crowed the rooster. Want to catch a pesty fly? And the spider caught the fly in her web just like that.

Whoo-woo, asked the owl. Who built this beautiful web? The spider didn't answer as she had fallen asleep, it had been a very very busy day!"

Isn't it amazing? He can't read a word but he knows the entire book by heart. Just don't ask me how many times I have read that book to him ...

Thomas and Friends - Live!

5 December, 10 minutes before 7pm @ Indoor Stadium

Interval time (a.k.a toilet break for all kids)

To sum up, S.P loved it ... every minute of the 2-hour long show which hailed from UK, he was mesmerised from the start, pointing to and naming each engine excitedly as it appeared - Thomas, Percy, Gordon, James and of course, the Fat Controller; Peanut is so over Thomas, the musical (though he still plays with the train sets) and wanted to go home during the interval. Ok, maybe next year, we'll watch Ben 10 -Live! (Peanut had wanted to go as some of his classmates did) that is, if it is still popular - and I hope not; I'm having major difficulties distinguishing the various monsters Ben transformed into and then to add to the complications, there's Bakugan. Help! I wonder if having a daughter would have saved me some headaches ... apparently not, I was shopping for Christmas toy gifts and came across Disney princesses which can transform into some heroines with capes and superpowers ... what next???

So Busy Busy

13 Dec @ 1pm Sesame Street performance at North Point

17 Dec Peanut's school excursion to Changi Airport

19 Dec @ 1pm Sesame Street performance at Centrepoint

19 Dec @2pm Le Cirque de la Ville performance at Orchard Central

19 Dec Photo taking with Santa @ Orchard Central

20 Dec Snow Castle @ Changi Terminal 3

20 Dec Tea time @ McDonald's, Changi Airport

22 Dec Peanut's School Excursion to Hollywood Dinos @ Jurong Bird Park

24 Dec Getting Ready for Christmas party in school in mama's handmade costumes

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I love Kung Fu

28-29 Nov


It's the time of the year when Orchard Road gets decked up in Christmas decor and lights and every respectable mall, big and small, has a promotion or performance of some sort to pack the crowds in, when the newspapers are full of colourful ads trying to persuade all to spend on gifts in the name of joy, love and peace. And it's the time when I plough through each ad to decide which mall to go to for free performances for the kids since staying indoors is the only option to stay dry in this rainy period and for me to get some Christmas shopping done. In short, it's a very busy schedule, making sure that we get there early to secure a car park lot, get in the queue in time for the performance and have enough time for our lunch. Sounds stressful? Yes, it is - something I used to avoid like the plague but now do it with much enthusiasm just to see the delight on the faces of my beloved.

And for those amongst you who are meticulous about details:

- yes, that white piece of clothing is my peeping petticoat.

- and yes, Peanut has a change of clothing in that last photo - we went back to Plaza Singapura again the next day. Had to make good on my promise to S.P who agreed to leave on account that we returned the next day. Cheeky Peanut was planning to say, "I love Tie Lung" to Kungfu Panda .. too bad we didn't make it on stage for the 'Meet and Greet', we joined the queue late - they had a cut-off quota. By the way, Tie Lung is the only bad guy (the leopard in the photos) and Kungfu Panda's enemy in the movie. Don't you just love Peanut's sense of humour?

Swimmy, Frederick & Inch By Inch

15 Nov

The Mermaid Theatre of Novia Scotia from Canada was back in Singapore. Last year they brought us The Hungry Caterpillar at Victoria Theatre. This time at the same place, they performed 3 stories using shadow play/puppets adapted from Leo Lionni's books bearing the same titles:

Swimmy was about a clever black fish who devised a way to save a school of red fishes from being swallowed up by a big fish. He taught them how to form and swim in the shape of a big fish (if you have watched and remember Finding Nemo where the fishes formed all sorts of shapes to communicate with Marlin, the papa clown fish; you would know what I mean) with Swimmy as the black eye.

Frederick was about a mouse who composed poems throughout spring, summer and autumn whilst the other mice were working hard to gather food for winter. When the food the mice stored for winter ran out, Frederick narrated his poems to the other mice to 'wrap' them in the warmth of the summer sun and 'see' the colours of flowers.

Inch By Inch was about a worm who escaped falling prey to birds by using his measuring skills (using the length of his body) to measure the beak of a toucan, the tail of a swallow, the leg of a flamingo.

It was the first puppet show in a theatre setting for S.P. And it was the first time I brought both kids to a performance (followed by lunch) alone. Glad to report that the kids were mostly well behaved except for 2 minor incidents: (1) Peanut was bored during the 2nd act and wanted to leave; cereals and biscuits saved the day (2) Sweet Potato tore a ball from the Christmas decor lining the door of Dome's cafe on our way out.

Starry Starry Night

13 November 2009

I was terribly excited .. doubly excited since both Peanut and Sweet Potato were performing at the school year-end concert. Last year, Peanut was in an Indian costume dancing to an Indian tune and though he hardly moved on stage, his fans in the audience (namely, his paternal grandma, Wati and I with a toddling S.P who had no clue what was happening) were extremely entertained by him and his fellow classmates.

One year on, though yet to completely overcome his stage fright, Peanut in his '60s rock' get-up was noticeably more confident and enjoyed himself as the night progressed. On the video playback, I could even see him mouthing the lyrics as they danced to the song "That Thing You Do". It's just so comical to have my 4 y.o singing, "Breaking my heart into a million pieces, like you always do-ooh".

Sweet Potato ... that one is a born performer. Totally unfazed by the bright lights and the loud music. First he explored the stage, studied the backdrop, wandered from one end to the other end, completely oblivious to what the rest of his class and his teachers were doing (one or two were dancing, the rest were just standing around in a blur ... they could barely remember the dance steps .. but really nobody cares, they just look too adorable even as still dummies - it takes an audience of parents to truly appreciate the dance item; we celebrate every move, mistakes included). After about 5 minutes, SP decided to dance and nothing could stop him henceforth. He clapped, he swayed, he jumped, he squatted, he swayed his bum, he waved and said "hello" to the audience. To top it all, when the dance ended and his fellow performers were huddling to move away from the stage, he stepped forward, took a bow and said, "Xie xie" ('thank you' in Mandarin). No photos to show because: (1) there was just too much movement! (2) I was totally unprepared for that last act; no one else did that the entire night (3) I was too busy/flustered with the video recorder and trying to coax it to record more as it kept flashing a red signal indicating that ... you guessed it ..... I had ran out of tape ...aaarggh!!!

Our Hang-Out

8 Nov 2009

This is where we hang out on some weekends. There is something for everyone:

- scenic lookout for grandma; this is a granite quarry which used to be mined in the 50s and has stopped production since the early 80s. Over the years, it has accumulated a large reservoir of water and one can spot fishes, terrapins, dragonflies.

- spider webs, squirrels, monitor lizards, monkeys, birds to satiate our yearning for mother nature for us urban folks. On our last trip there, we spotted a flying squirrel - it's a first for me. Sorry, no photos to show as it was atop a rather tall tree and against the bright sky, I couldn't take a clear shot with my handy (but not so high-tech) cam. When it glided from one tree to another, all the adults who gathered around voluntarily let out a uniform "wow" in awe. Quite a treat.

- playground with 2 long winding slides for the energetic boys

- good exercise for all. You should see the way the boys wolf down their meals after each trip. It is always a challenge to make sure the food is served fast enough and at the right temperature for quick consumption.

The longest sentence uttered by SP yet

Prepare yourself for another toilet cum poo-poo joke.

We were all in bed after our nightly routine bedtime reading. It was a new Chinese book I just bought about a mouse which wanted an apple from the tree and along came different animals (bird, monkey, elephant, giraffe, rhino) which plucked an apple each from the tree. So I started asking a string of comprehension-like questions with no. 1 to practice his Mandarin, like how did the giraffe reach for the apple, etc. I didn't mean to leave out No. 2, but thought that he was half-asleep given his stillness. Like his usual assertive self, No. 2 decided to get into the act and show off his language skills, "I throw Mama in[to] the toilet bowl .. there's snake, cockroach, poo-poo, everything, insect. And I flush. Oh, no more Mama (breaks into laughter)".

No wonder, little girls don't play much with little boys.

Animal Farm

5 Nov 2009

SP's class made a trip to this place called "Animal Resort" at Seletar Farmway. It wasn't much of a resort. It was rather pathetic - one small pond with some fishes, a few cages of rabbits, some wandering geese, one big cage with 3 peacocks and a few chickens, 2 goats and 1 retired race horse (probably abandoned by its owner). Well, the trip served its purpose - my undivided dedicated attention for SP.

Update on SP's language skills: No short cut for this boy; he speaks in complete sentences, like "Kor Kor, don't cry; otherwise I go tell papa.", "Mama, look at me.", "I don't want Popo; Popo go home.", "Mama, can you carry me?", "Mama, I want the blue scissors.", "Mama, can I cut your hair?" And he is into words with 3 syllabus - 'otherwise', 'remember', 'emperor', 'butterfly', 'Monica' (the girl in Eric Carle's "Papa, Please get the Moon for me" - his fave bedtime story for the moment; he calls it 'Papa moon'). He says, "Coco lala" for Coca Cola.

He picks up songs on his own and spouts them in spurts out of the blue:

火车快飞, 火车快飞,

Fly, fly, fly, butterfly

Thomas, he's the cheeky one

He will dance spontaneously to all kinds of music and he has different dance moves for different rhythm and beat - shaking the shoulders, nodding the head, swaying his bottom, jumping, clapping.

Fun Fair 2009

10 October 2009

The 3 Musketeers

Peanut showing off his dinosaur tatoo

'I wear my sunglasses indoor'

Before ...

... and after

Rubber duckies put to good use

If Big can, I can too

'Come, let me help you'

Peanut turns 4

5 October 2009

Dear Peanut,

It has been 4 years - both Mr M and I have enjoyed everyday of it and treasure every experience with you. Because of you, I am re-learning lessons which I have forgotten over the years:

1. To be more sensitive to the feelings of another person
Quiet you maybe, I can see from the corner of my eyes that you are always listening to every praise that I lavish on SP.

2. To be more careful with my words and actions
Though I must admit it is really amusing to hear you mimicked all my Singlish, mimicked the way I would admonish your younger brother (with your hands on the sides of your short mid torso, the deeper voice and all the sternness you can muster) - you are definitely good with details.

3. To be more responsible with the food I eat
So that you'd pick up healthy eating habits.

4. To plan and plan and plan some more in whatever I do
Making checklists is something I am getting lots of practice in.

5. To laugh when things don't turn out the way I expect/planned
... which is often.

6. Always be generous with praises and hugs
You constantly fill me with a sense of wonder - the way you would pick up new vocabulary from the books I read you (e.g. 'naked' from The Emperor's New Clothes); from colouring everything black to using more colours (though you still seem to be biased towards black sometimes), how you keep expanding your dying sequences with new sound effects, your delightful sense of humour (which is typical of children of your age - every sentence that ends with "poo" is funny), the jigsaw puzzles that you play with are getting bigger and more complicated. I can see the sparkle in your eyes each time we praise you or say a word of encouragement. But most of all, I love it best when you run to greet me at the door and give me a big hug.

7. Always find time for people you love and care about
... every moment shared is special and precious. It is so sweet how you would ask me to sit beside you to watch your fave movies over and over and over again.

8. To go to bed early and always get enough rest
This one is obvious - tired kids mean whiny and difficult kids; not to mention kids who fall ill easily.