Have I been a "bad" mum???

I was sitting next to this church member and her husband during a dinner function when we started talking about our kids. A highly recommended topic and more exciting than talking about the weather when one is trying to avoid gossip...since this is after all a church event. But what struck me was that as parents, these two have never once shouted at their kids (forget about the hitting part). I must have looked totally flabbergasted because how can anyone NOT shout at their kids?????? I finally consoled myself that they must have been blessed with three great kids because mine were little terrors when they were young especially D....although E wasn't any better during her teenage years. But there is still this nagging guilt....did I overdo it? When I think of the shouting and the screaming and the hitting that went on in the house, I shudder!

On one hand I over discipline them, yet on the other hand, I over pamper them and do everything for them to such an extent that they never get the chance to do things for themselves or learn to be independent. In hindsight I can now see where I have gone wrong. I am not saying that kids should not be disciplined when they are naughty. Even the bible teaches us not to spare the rod; but perhaps not to the extent I discipline mine. And I am also not saying that pampering our kids is wrong. I am just saying that as parents we must know where to draw the line. By over protecting our kids, we are hampering their growth as responsible, independent adults. If I am given another chance, I will want to do it all again....only this time differently.

Still getting to grips with Facebook

I have been going crazy over FB... to put it mildly. For the whole of last week I was so busy setting up my aquarium, adopting a pet, enlisting ninja fighters, sending flowers, throwing cakes, giving gifts etc. to friends that I neglected my housework......not that there is very much to do anyway. But since my daughter will be coming home over the next couple of days, I guess its about time for me to give the house a "once over".....before she goes tsk tsk tsk when she sees the layer of dust that has sort of crept in over.......(I do not want to incriminate myself here by giving a time line) And for the "more matured" readers of my blog, here's a peep of my aquarium which I have in FB.....don't u just love the fishes??

Launching of the Jewelry Club

Two weeks after launching, sales are still strong. Who would have thought that my hobby of the month can generate so much interest from church members. A lot of the sales are from repeat customers asking for special orders and also from their friends who want to have what they have. ....trust women to do that! Because I don't charge for workmanship, the pieces are really cheap and prices generally range from AUD3.00 to AUD20.00 depending on the price of beads. Mind you, similar pieces on sale in retail outlets would set you back by more than double the price. Of course the other good thing about buying is that more than 50% of the price you pay goes towards the church fund. I am also willing to take orders from outside Adelaide, so let me know what you want, and I will give you "the look, without the price" effect. For interested parties, we can send you designs to choose from.

Down with Virus..not me the PC

To those of you out there who blame me for infecting your PCs, my heartfelt apologies. I did not realize at first that I was the carrier of this vile virus until my own PC completely crashed on me. Can you imagine having a screen that switches back and forth from IBM to Windows XP ...and not going anywhere????In hindsight this experience has taught me a lot; one of which is to be even more careful when receiving shared files etc. and of course to ensure that my anti virus software is up to date. Thankfully I know this young man in church who was kind enough to come to my rescue. Since I cannot appear in person to apologize, will you kind folks out there accept one of my mug shots taken with a grin? I tried to take one looking more pathetic and sorry but after much consideration, vanity prevails......"lau ees" look better with smiles. By the way do you know of any software I can use to make me appear better in photos? Cheaper than facelifts I reckon.

A fool and her money are soon parted...

Two weeks ago I decided to buy a camera. I didn't want to invest too much so I searched high and low on ebay for something that is "pheng and leng" (ok my Cantonese sucks!) . In Hokkien we say, "Phee n Chee".....sorry that didn't come out right either. Anyway, I chanced upon this nameless camera on sale which advertised itself as 12m in resolution and comes complete with video etc. Of course knowing next to nothing about cameras, I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. So you can imagine how excited I was when a package arrived for me last week. I tore open the box, took out the camera (felt like Christmas) and then realized that it weighed less than some of the beaded necklaces I make....not only is it light but it looks like one of those cameras you use and then discard. Still one must have hope! And no one can beat me in the "hope" category (still hoping that people will believe me when I say I am 28 ++ ha ha ha) So I fitted in the memory card and began to take shots around the house.....needless to say my phone camera works better. So what is the moral of this story? I'd like to hear from you.

Volunteering in Bible College

After being a student for more than 5 years, its a refreshing change to actually do some work. Perhaps I shouldn't use the word "work" because to be honest, all I do is answer the phone. But its kinda nice to feel needed now and again..... With the kids all grown and hubby away in China, I sometimes get the feeling of being redundant. Its not something which is easy to explain, but there is this sense of being unwanted and no longer necessary in their lives. I'm sure that's not how my husband or my kids feel about me but its one of those emotions that just takes you by surprise every now and then (once or twice a month). Although I love my own company, share my house with three wonderful persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and thank God for a hubby and kids that are independent, this feeling is very hard to shake off.....especially when I am not doing anything. Maybe its because I miss them and miss being a mummy and wifey......now I truly understand what it means to "be tied to your mum's apron strings". The problem is with the mother...we cannot let go lah...ha ha ha

Too Khar and more Too Khar

Wanna know how I get people to invite me over for dinner? First I broadcast to everyone (those who are kind enough to listen) that I don't cook and that I survive mainly on leftovers, sandwiches and maggi mee. Then I follow up by putting on the most pathetic face I can master....dog owners will know what I mean. So far it has worked very well in my favor. Last night I was invited over to E and BB's house for "too khar" and tomorrow I will be having dinner with D and I ...... another round of "too khar". BB not only cooked "too khar" (thankfully no smell because she gave it a hot shower before cooking it) but she also made "lobak" (Singapore version) and fried some of her own home grown vegetables...... Am I blessed or am I blessed??