New Look

I'm back in Germany! Sorry for the long hiatus.

We didn't have any internet connection during our last 2 weeks in Singapore and only got back to Germany last Sunday. Had to start work already on Monday, while still combating major reverse jet-lag that makes me hungry at 3pm, mega tired at 6pm and wakes me up at 4 /5am!

Still, I'm grateful to have been able to sleep through last night and finally get some online me-time again! Its great to spend time alone at home, after meeting up with all my friends and family in Singapore. :)

Weather in Stuttgart is great!!! Couldn't ask for better weather, esp. after I heard that it was brutally cold just last week. Worldcup fever is mega hot here! People are flying German flags on their cars, there were honks all over the place after Germany's massive win against England last Sunday and I even saw a woman's manicured fingers spotting the German flag this morning!

I have got lots of photos to share, but would want to sort them out properly first.

So for those of you are interested, this is my new look! I took it after a M.A.C. makeover in Singapore because I wanted to figure out how to apply make-up by myself and it was high time to replenish my supply of make-up.

I'm loving my new hair-do and many people have complimented me on it! I feel younger, funkier and simply put, I do think curly hair suits my personality more than straight hair. I'm still waiting to see how easy / difficult it would be to maintain these curls in Germany, where I only cut my hair once or twice annually. However, I came back well-prepared by buying lots of hair conditioning products, so I guess I'm well-equipped to condition my hair to the max! - aka, no split-ends, hopefully!

Okok, I know I talk way too much about hair. Pardon me. Its just an annual indulgence that I allow myself whenever I go back to Singapore. And somehow each time, my "hair budget" seems to exceed the previous year's one!

Still, I relinquish having maintained a more than 7-year friendship with my hairdresser, for which she even cooked me some Sambal Ikan Bilis (anchovies with chilli) to bring back to Germany. Though I must also painfully add that hubby forgot to pack it up for me, so its still lying in the fridge.

I go to the "Corner" salon at Republic Plaza and my hairdresser is "Anna". She's the best! They even offer an hour long back-and-feet massage for only 20€!

See, as I said. An indulgence.

Before and After.

I simply needed a drastic change in my looks after having my mega-straight hair for the last 4 years!.... Am totally enjoying the bounce in my hair and not having to comb it!

Why I went crazy at the Provision store

They say its the small things that make you reminisce about your past. I have to totally agree with that statement! We met up with Cynthia and her hubby at their place today. They were so sweet! Cynthia arranged everything for lunch - from getting the famous Adam Road Nasi Lemak to giving us such detailed directions to her place, we felt sooo well-taken care of!

We met up with them in Stuttgart last year and its such a nice sense of familiarity to see them again halfway across the world. And it was even cooler still when we found out that we sorta grew up in the same part of Singapore and went to the same neighbourhood. What a sense of nostalgia when I walked through those familiar HDB corridors today again.

In front of the cute pictures on their wall

When I was younger, I used to munch on these snacks. Seeing them at those provision stores today, I simply had to get them again! Oh boy, I think you can tell how much I associate my memories of my childhood / Singapore with food!   

Spicy Potato Chips!!! They are so immensely spicy that I develop runny nose each time I eat them. But oh sooo shiok! /  

Cheezels - I think that's Australian. Cheese ring snacks

Cuttlefish - Crispy and spicy. The packet looks huge but its mainly air really. That's the Asian thing of making something look more worth your money than it really is. 

Julie's Chocolate Wafers - I used to think that those were "western" until I realized that I couldn't find them in Germany!)

 That's the best! Stinky, preserved cuttlefish! Thank God I can get similar-tasting ones in Stuttgart at the Asian store too, but each time I eat them, hubby won't french me for the next few hours! Wahaha.

Yup, so now you have a general idea of what we Singaporeans eat in our free time! Not dried pretzels or nut-flavoured chips. But crazy stinky cuttlefish!!! What about yourself? Do you have any favourite local snacks that remind you of home?

Singapore-Canada-German connection

At Singapore Island country Club where they serve awesome Singaporean local delicacies! Guess what my sweetie ate? Burger and Caesar's salad! He's still not a fan of laksa.

Last year when we met up with the Uys, Steph was still pregnant. More than a year later, her baby is not a newborn anymore!!! Oh man, time really flies "obviously" when you see young ones growing!!!

They were the first couple we met up with and boy we were so happy to see them again! We really enjoy couple dates (+ baby) with them because both genders can click so well with each other. Usually couple dates always consist of either close girlfriends and the hubbies have to tag along, or vice versa. With the Uys, I know that Stephan really enjoys his time with Ryan. They even ended up saying the same things at the same time! It helps too that both of them are non-Singaporeans (Ryan's Canadian) so they sorta have a whacky "foreigner" way of thinking.

Isn't Andrea such a happy and cute baby?

I'll take some other photos of my new hairstyle. My hair's still pretty "exploded", but I really enjoy waking up and starting the day, without having to comb my hair through the tangles!

Back in 新加坡 home....

Have been so silent on my blog, because I haven't been able to sort out all my thoughts since touching down in Singapore. The one thing that always strikes me every time I come back, is CHANGE.

We go back to our favourite Sushi Tei restaurant at Paragon and realize that its no longer there! Buildings pop up like mushrooms and we find ourselves lost in the midst of unfamiliarity. When we got out of the main train station at Orchard, we found ourselves in the middle of a shopping centre - ION. A building that used to be under construction last year when we were in Singapore. We were so confused that we actually had to enquire at the information counter about how to get out of the building!

I have managed to see a few of my close friends. The closeness is still there, but I also realize that some of them might not be in Singapore the next time we're back. People are coming and going. Right now, I have one close friend in China, another in New Zealand and yet another one leaving Singapore soon. Oh, I just got news of another friend who's leaving for UK to further her studies. Well, at least that's in Europe, so the chances of meeting up might go up a notch.

I find myself lost in translation. I guess somehow the Singapore I most vividly remembered it to be was frozen in time 4 years ago. Suddenly Singapore doesn't feel like home-home any longer. I'm grateful that my family is still here and I'm soo thankful that I'm beginning to rekindle my relationship with my brother (from his trip to Europe) and spend time with my Dad. There's nothing like going to an award-winning Chinese restaurant and eating local delicacies together, like a reunion dinner.

People tell me that this is a "normal" aspect of relocating, but oh man. You haven't seen change until you come to Asia!!! Ok, I don't know about the whole of Asia, but Singapore can win the Olympics for Country Makeover! Stuttgart 21 will take 10 years to complete. In Singapore, 40-storey buildings and shopping complexes get completed in a year!

This time back in Singapore, we hope to spend some time with some pastoral staff from my church in Singapore. We're seeking the Lord for new direction, vision and purpose in our lives. Do pray for us. We've been spending quality time together too... guess what? I'm soo mega proud that my beloved hubby is loving chilli!!!! He actually ate prawn hokkien noodles and oyster omelette with the sambal chilli for the first time!!!! Woo hoO!!!

Some of the things I've done over the past 4 days

- Permed, dyed and highlighted my hair!
I bid farewell to my straight hair after 4 loyal years and welcomed my new, wilder and more funky look!!! Had a back and feet massage too and spent way too much money! BUT, this is one luxury I allow myself each time I go back to Singapore. I spent a full 5 hrs at the salon! 5 hrs of pure pampering, female magazines and chatting in Mandarin! Yup! I practised my 华语 or 汉语 with my hairdresser whom I've been going to for the past 6 years!

- Went for a pedicure!!! :) I'm wearing so many open-toed sandals that I felt that pedicured toenails belonged to the "must-do" list.

-  Checked that my eyes are great!!!! I have normal vision now and doctor says that everything's amazing!!! After 1 year since I did my lasik, my eyes have healed really well with no complications! I was concerned that I might have to go for corrective surgery but apparently I didn't have to! Amen! Praise God!

- Eating! Ate a lot of Singaporean hawker favourites (satay, barbecued sting ray, prawn hokkien noodles, fried carrot cake, fish soup, oyster omelette), Japanese food.... Yum yum!

- Bought my first pair of shoes!!! Red ones! They are sooo pretty that I already know that I'll get stares at my shoes if I do go to Venice again. Italian women are really into shoes. Maybe I really should consider starting a shoe store in Stuttgart. But only summer shoes.

If you read till here, **pat pat** for being such a loyal reader!!! I'll update with photos soon!

Precious Family Moments / Mercedes Benz Museum

Looks like I won't make it in time to upload photos from Paris, before I go to Singapore. Oh well. I will just have to save those photos for a time when I have more time on my hands - perhaps after my Singapore trip!

I know I've been quiet lately, but it has been just a crazy rush to catch up on 3-full weeks' laundry and ironing, while not being able to sleep adequately over the entire week. Somehow I kept waking up 1-2 hrs earlier than the time I set my alarm clock to and wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

It has been nothing short of a whirlwind of 10 days of city-hopping, followed by 6 days of having my brother over, 3 days with Dad and knowing that I have only 2 weeks before I go to Singapore again.

I think the excitement of going to Singapore and yet having to get back into the grind of work for 2 weeks, while getting my house back to an acceptable level of cleanliness, including a mad rush to clear my fridge and freezer so that we can switch it off during our absence, quadrapled the subconscious stress that I must have been feeling.

Been having a very upset tummy (shall spare you the details) and bouts of extreme tiredness such that coffee doesn't even do its trick on me. Mind you, I don't usually drink coffee, so usually one cup is more than sufficient to perk up my droopy eyelids. But today, I still had to fight off the z-monster when I taught my class at 9am.

Anyway, I must say that it was really cool that my brother came along for this trip to Europe. It was his first trip, fully-sponsored by Dad, sorta as a reward for him for completing his A-levels as well as 2-years service to his country.

It was the first time that we really spent quality time together as brother and sister after so many years. Oh gosh, I can start to imagine how to parents, their children will always be "kids". Somehow in my mind, my brother is still this young kid who I have to keep an eye on.

Once when we were going to cross the road in Paris, I remembered instinctively wanting to grab his hand, before I consciously stopped myself mid-way, when it suddenly dawned on me that my kid brother is no longer a kid, but a grown up and soon-to-be 21 year old now! - Who has handled guns and heavy machinery in the army!

Oh boy.... I'm beginning to sound old, ain't I?

Right: I got my brother to help in the cooking! :)

One of the best things we did together - sitting on the grass in front of the castle in Stuttgart and talking about life. His sunglasses are "special" because one can wear them on top of normal spectacles. I think I have got myself a really funny and cool bro!

Superb view of the Castle from the Art Gallery

I cooked some Italian pesto with salmon for my family while they were here. I must say that my Dad is the one person who has been faithfully visiting us every year since we moved to Germany! :) Of course, having family over is also a good excuse to go travelling...that explains our whirlwind 10-days trip.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum that I finally got a chance to visit with my family. Coincidentally, it was the museum's 4th Birthday and we all got in F.O.C!- Free of charge. Its really worth going! I'm not a museum fan but the history of the company that spanned more than a 100 years, intertwined with Germany's history, provides for a very fascinating and riveting read. As a matter of fact, many times I was just eager to read the captions under the photos than take a look at the real cars all around me!

Doesn't this look so futuristic? This is a car model on the ground floor of the museum. You take an elevator to the top floor, where you slowly walk / work your way down the many levels, starting from the development of the first car to the expensive, stylish Mercedes of today

All the older vehicles. There's this rustic charm of seeing colourful cars and buses!

The cars starting to become more modern

The Mercedes SLS, isn't it such a beauty?

Formula One cars!

End off with a funny photo