Christmas 2013

We celebrated our first Christmas as a family of 4!

Oh wow. Time does fly! We got 2 little boys now! Our Christmases simply get bigger with kiddos!

As per our usual Christmas tradition, we had the newly-weds Belinda and Kian over from London. It was good seeing old friends again! Every time we see each other, we are reminded at how another year has passed!

What can I say. We went to Strasbourg, France with them to check out the amazing Christmas market! There was a distinct difference between the Christmas market in France and those in Germany. The decorations are out of the world, with hanging teddy bears from houses! Their shops are also different.

And this time, instead of going crazy with Christmas shopping, we each had a budget of 20€ to spend on each person. I found this more meaningful because that meant that we could buy presents which we thought were appropriate for the other person. In the past, we would sorta be exchanging gift vouchers, which while practical, seemed to me more like exchanging money at the end of the day.

Sammy has more than enough toys (which he doesn't even play with independently!). Hence, I decided to order English board books from Amazon.uk and got them dispatched to Belinda's address in London. She then brought them over to Germany for me, so I could save on shipping costs. Reason behind this was that Amazon.de does not have as wide a range of selection of English children books as Amazon.uk. does.

We celebrated Christmas eve at our place for the first time, so that the kids could go to bed. Gabriel went to bed pretty early, before dinner started at 8pm. That meant that I had both hands free to enjoy our raclette! Sammy on the other hand, partied with the adults until late at night. He had fun though, unwrapping his presents, although I don't think he has quite grasped the idea of getting presents on Christmas yet.

We did make it a point to read him the Christmas story on the days leading up to Christmas and Sammy watched the nativity play at church too.

Since we were hosting the dinner, we went crazy with seafood! On top of the usual cheese and cold cuts, we had scallops, giant shrimps, mushrooms, beef and pork to grill on the hot stone / iron grill. The Singaporeans were over the moon with the yummy BBQed food!!!

It was a very fun-packed and busy Christmas but we loved it! The kids got lots of time to spend with their Singaporean aunt and uncle, so much so that a couple of days after they left, Sammy woke up one day and said "Linda", "Kian" out of the blue! 

Thanks for visiting us and all the lovely presents you got us! Belinda, it's been so amazing being able to walk through our "overseas" years together. Thoroughly enjoyed catching up, reflecting on God's goodness in our lives and praying together before you left. We're very happy for both of you, B&K and know that God will continue to guide your paths as you walk with Him.

Strasbourg, France - That's what I meant with the hanging bears from a building

 The majestic cathedral set aflame in the setting sun

HUGE balls!

That incredibly huge Christmas tree right in the middle of the city centre

Best.ever.waffles that I've ever tasted. They make them fresh from a dough for you. In the basement of Rivieria mall

 Gabe got a personalized teddy bear from Bel

Look at all that seafood! Yummy!

 

 

Love love love their matching GAP pullovers! Thanks Bel!

Presents galore! We opted not to get a tree this year so the presents were relegated to the couch instead!

 Gabriel's first Christmas!

Our Christmas was pretty warm actually! Hence the shades!

Bel made this collage and I absolutely love it!

This too!

Christmas 2012

In front of the live Christmas tree and guess what I have in my hand!

Last Christmas marked my 7th Christmas in Germany. And if I may say, I think it was my best one thus far!

We had 4 Singaporean friends who visited us over a course of 6 days and it was simply awesome! The Ponniahs - Renita and her two brothers, together with our long-time Christmas visitor Belinda popped by for some Christmas cheer.

I must have known both Renita and Belinda for 10 years or more by now. Renita's my churchmate in Singapore and she's been doing her 1-year Masters program in Newcastle so it was planned way in advance that when she's in UK, she would spend Christmas with us. Belinda is our most frequent visitor, having been over for the past 4 Christmases.

It was really such an answered prayer that Renita's 2 brothers flew up to Europe to "surprise" her. I've been praying / asking God to replenish my Singaporean stock of premixes / food and have not had any visitors in 2012. Hence, I finally asked my best friend Jennifer to ship me some Singaporean goodies. That was when she got wind that Renita's 2 brothers were going to visit her (and us) so she took the opportunity to get them to bring my food over!

Sammy with the Ponniahs

Isn't that amazing? God provided 2 special messengers to travel from Singapore to Europe just to bring me my food. Ok, I know that they came to accompany their sister, but still. I was beyond happy to get my chilli paste and some other Prima taste supplies again.

Back to Christmas, it was as if we had a Singaporean Christmas in Germany! We spoke so much, so quickly and sooo much Singlish. Reminisced over shared memories and laughed so hard! When I heard Belinda blurt out "Alamak" one day, I couldn't help laughing. It has been ages since I last heard that word! We even played "tai tee" - a poker card game which I last played when I graduated from Junior College.

And since the Ponniahs are from my church in Singapore, I felt such a tinge of nostagia of what it was like to celebrate Christmas with my fellow churchmates. Renita updated me about the latest news of all the people I know / miss from my church. Ooh, if only Singapore is closer to Germany. I miss my church! I love my German church too but my Singaporean church will always have a special place in my heart.

Belinda played with Sammy and took so many photos of him. It was so sweet seeing how she warmed up to my little man, especially since she didn't have much "baby" experience beforehand.

Hi Aunty Bel! I wanna go London to visit you!

Sammy being the extrovert he is, lapped up all the attention that everybody lavished on him. He was so in his prime. He enjoyed playing with everybody and even recognized their faces after just one day. When he saw them one day later, he automatically stretched out his hands to be carried.

Acting "tao" (aloof) in the first pix and all cute & innocent in the second one

All bright and cheery on Christmas eve morning

Christmas presents exchange was beyond fun. It was so funny to see how my SIL and us had the same gift idea for Renita - who got 2 tea sets for Christmas!

Sammy got tons of amazing gifts including UGG boots bought directly from Australia from my SIL and an amazing GAP pullover lined with wool from Bel. It's amazing how much a baby grows in 1 year. On Sammy's first Christmas when he was 4 months old, he could barely interact with people. And this Christmas he was the life of the party! :)

Look at that look of anticipation on his face! We got him a toy guitar which (sadly) spoilt VERY quickly!

Presents from Australia from SIL - a cute Koala bag and UGG boots

Left: Present from London - GAP pullover. Right: Hubby's first-ever Porsche from me! LOL

Renita opening her present and "trying" to look happy at receiving her second tea set! LOL

The only photo I have with 4 of my guests (unfortunately)

Bel with her mini raclette set for two - our present for her, since we always eat raclette on Christmas eve

Bonding with his grandparents

The days went by in a flash and I wish I could relive every single moment! Thank God for photos which captured slices of our wonderful experiences. It didn't snow unfortunately but it was still a very heartwarming Christmas, during which I just knew that God wanted to encourage my heart that even though I see my friends so seldom, friendships with Christ in our midst will last for eternity.

German Food in Heidelberg

We had a beyond awesome weekend.

My dear housemate, A. whom I got to know in Canada while on exchange 7 years ago, came to visit us!

Although Paris is just a 4-hr train journey from Stuttgart, we only saw her 3.5 years after we moved here! Our last meeting was in May this year when we visited Paris with my Dad and brother. Speaking of which, I should still get down to blog about my Paris trip!

She came on Friday morning and just left yesterday. That left us with a good 3 full days, during which we managed to plan a day trip to Heidelberg too. Really treasure friendships that has stood the test of time. We don't often keep in touch but the moments when we get to meet up are so precious. A. speaks English with such a sweet French accent that I feel inspired to learn French too! Wahahha..... (If) I really want to put in the effort to learn another language, then I would be able to speak 4 languages!

We brought her to this German restaurant in Heidelberg, where we bring all our visitors actually.

German egg noodles with turkey, mushrooms and cream sauce (Spätzle mit Pute und Rahmsoße)- 13€

Pork knuckles, crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. Served with crispy fried potatoes -14€

Beef steak with onions topped in a rich tasty sauce (Rinderrostbraten) Hubby's absolute favourite. - 20€

Fresh crispy salad filled with wholesome goodness for your daily vitamin needs - free. Came with the main course

Palmbräugasse

Click for the link

Love visitors

We had a Singaporean visitor, Cory over the weekend. Over the last 4 years, Cory has lived in Munich, Singapore and now Beijing. Talk about being a world citizen!Yup, she is one really adventurous lady! I'm sooo amazed at her "Gung-ho-ness" - Singlish for someone who has no fear and lives life on the edge.

I got to know Cory about 4 years ago through an online portal for overseas Singaporeans. Before this portal was set up, many of us went about our lives in complete isolation. I still recall my first year in Germany when I didn't know a single other Singaporean soul! Totally recommend a portal like this for other countries to keep in touch with their overseas expatriates!

Anyway, we met on Saturday and she stayed over till Sunday. We brought her to our favourite Spanish restaurant where we had a bit too much wine! 2 bottles in 2 hours shared among 3 people. Hmmm. My body was revolting from the aftermath. Other than that, we had an awesome time catching up with each other, speaking Singlish and complaining discussing about the differences in the cultures of the countries where we both live in.

The next day, we had some Italian food and hung out in the lovely sun for drinks before Cory had to leave for Munich again. (That's the Castle you see in the background). Till we meet again!

Nice weekend break

We had a visitor from Singapore over the weekend. M. was in Germany for her SAP training and we finally managed to meet this time. The last time she came over, our schedules clashed and we just missed each other.

School mates in MGS and NJC in Singapore, our friendship goes a long way back. However, we kinna lost contact with work and all. I think the last time we saw each other was at my wedding 4 years ago!

Its cool how you can meet after all these years and talk about school days like it was just over! Although her stay was quite short, we met at 6pm on Saturday and she left on Sunday at 4pm, it was a fruitful time.

I love it whenever Singaporeans come to visit. Somehow the ability to speak English in all my Singlishness and slang makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin! Its enough that my job requires me to speak proper English and most people here wouldn´t be able to understand me if I blabbered on in my bullet-train speed Singlish, hence I normally indulge in 110% Singlishness whenever I meet other fellow Singaporeans.

M.´s English isn´t very typically Singlish either, but it didn´t matter. As long as I had someone to practise my Singlish with! :) heeehee. Oh man, I realized that some of my "dialects" are so "westernized" now. I can sorta remember how to say them, but the intonation of the words are completely off! Had to repeat a couple of  dialect words before M. could understand them. Talk about erosion of language....

She´s getting married this year. Pity that we would miss her wedding by one month, but here´s wishing her and her fiance all of God´s plentiful blessings as they embark on their new journey together after 6 years of courtship!

At the Spanish restaurant where we brought M.

She had already eaten enough German and Italian food, since she´d been here for a week. Since she fancied seafood, we figured this would be the best place to bring her. We´re such frequent guests there that the waiter and owners recognize us by now and even remember our favourite dishes.....

I´m becoming quite German! Just sticking to my usual orders......Oh, its not exactly summer-warm yet, but we were sitting quite close to the kitchen so I couldn´t bear wearing my jacket in the heat.....that explains the spaghetti-top.

That´s super yummy fish stew with mussels and shrimps. May Anne ate the mussels since I´m not a fan of it.

The hubby went overboard with yoghurt for breakfast. We had German bread with scrambled eggs and jam....ooh, I love the bread here! We have breakfast way too seldom - No thanks to my insatiable appetite for sleep. Hubby lamented that this is a "show off" breakfast that we have only when guests are here.

The next day, we had a big brunch at our place before heading the castle at Ludwigsburg so that M. could take some photos before heading back.

The beautiful castle at Ludwigsburg thats modelled after Versailles

The weather was "traumhaft" - incredibly warm and so full of the freshness of spring. Oh yes, have I mentioned that the sun is finally out again? Its something definitely worth rejoicing about!

You know that warm weather is here when restaurants bring out their sun chairs and tables....And ice-cream parlors re-open from their winter break..... Such an indescribeable feeling.

It was snowing for 1-2 weeks in early March and for a while, all of us thought that the weather had gone berserk. So yes, we´re enjoying warmer weather for the first time this year!!!

There was  a fleamarket at the market square in Ludwigsburg so there were lots of people around. We took such a long time to find a parking space! Its like people had suddenly burst out of their hiding holes as soon as the sun appeared because of the extremely long and cold winter. When we found a lot, we were as ecstatic about it as one would be when one strikes lottery! - Ok, not quite, but close.

How was your weekend?

Visitor from Norway!

I met up with my friend, Chloe from Norway after 2 years of not seeing her. She was one of the first friends I made in Germany from German class. I remember sitting in the sun with her during our breaks, eating our bread and talking about everything. She´s Chinese but grew up in Norway and can speak 4 languages! English, Norwegian, German and Chinese!

When she went back to Norway after German class ended, we kept in touch via MSN, facebook etc. Naturally I was really happy when she told me that she would pop by Stuttgart and pay me a visit, while visiting some of her other friends, whom she met in Canada. Oh she did her university studies in Canada, another thing in common.

She came over on Wednesday evening, when we went for Spanish food. Thurs morning, I worked from 9 to 12noon and we spent the rest of the afternoon together. I was so thankful that a colleague of mine agreed to cover one of my evening classes, so that I didn´t have to rush off after lunch and miss spending the time with her.

We decided to go for exotic food for lunch in this restaurant, Weber where I had my first try of exotic meat. Chloe was there the last time she was in Stuttgart and though the prices were exorbitant, we agreed to have lunch there. Didn´t regret it though. The meat was really succulent, although I kept having a stab of bad conscience for eating what I deemed to be "inedible" animals. At least now I know that I wouldn´t have to eat them again, considering that I´ve "tried" it once.

Guess what meat that is? Clue:Australians would probably kill me for eating it....

Above: That´s another exotic poultry... its ostrich

For dinner, we went for more "normal" Mexican food, a platter for 2, including chicken wings, ribs, Burittos, Tortilla chips, potato wedges and 4 different types of sauces.

That´s us in the Mexican restaurant

We went shopping in the afternoon and Chloe somehow reminds me of Tina who´s my unofficial fashion consultant. Both have immaculate taste in fashion and love shopping. Remembered how when I first met Chloe 2 years ago, she kept commenting that things are so cheap in Germany compared to Norway, while I was always lamenting that things in Germany are so expensive compared to Singapore. Everything´s relative! I think I´m learning to be less comparing and simply being content where I live. "Godliness with contentment is great gain"

Snapshots of Belinda´s lovely stay with us.....

Photos of us at home with the in-laws and in church and at the Christmas market

Combined photos in Neuschwanstein and Heidelberg

Pictures of Neuschwanstein (Cinderella castle) in Bavaria

Above: My save-the-food project: Redbean pancakes, Italian puffs, mushroom chicken soup

A photo speaks a thousand words, so I figured out with the help of Picasa, I would upload some snapshots of Belinda´s lovely stay with us over Christmas. We went to Neuschwanstein Castle (Cinderella Castle), Heidelberg, Ludwigsburg castle (very beautiful on the inside) and of course had to usual traditional Christmas celebrations together with our Family. Really hope to meet up with her and Sabrina soon in London! For more photos, can click here