Life of a hardworking mum

This morning, I ask Jon, my husband, how can I earn more money? He said, "Get a job."

What more can I say?

Am I not working now? Ok, I don't get a huge pay for the books and illustrations I do, but are they not work? What about the kids, the home, the endless housework and laundry ... can they get themselves sorted without me?

Heather recovered from a fever that lasted 2 days and Hannah just finished her mid-year exams while I am exhausted, period. Mum went through her third round of chemo and does not feel fantastic. Thank god I have my dad and sister who takes care of her. Accompanied my dad for his monthly routine check up at the hospital yesterday. We waited for 4 hours there. He has a bit of problem with his prostate and digestive system (mainly the intestines). Doctor suggested surgery if he feels any necessity. Dad said he will continue the drugs and see how it goes. He's most concern about who will take care of mum.

Me? My external hard disk decided to go to heaven on Monday. I have no back up of the data .... actually I did backed them up in DVDs but someone accidentally threw them out when we moved house. Sigh! Anyway, I had sent the disks out to the pro to recover all my precious photos. That's where my last have-not-banked-in cheque going. I hope this will be my very last time having such problem.

On the work front, as in my book, I have tried my best to squeeze in any time I get (waiting at hospital and between kid's extra classes, Heather's naptime, get up at dawn, etc) to do some sketches and research. I have only 10 weeks left to complete 50 paintings (extended from 32 to 48 + cover). I finished 2 watercolour illustrations for a client who will be heading back to Holland in summer. I have a couple more requests from her which I can only start after my book is 100% completed.

I am running late again. Still, I wish you a good week ahead. Ta.

Update on mum: Chemotherapy

We have been informed by the oncologist at the National Cancer Centre (NCC at Singapore General Hospital) that mum has to receive chemotherapy. The result on her CT scan shown growth of the tumour on the lower spine. She had radiotherapy in November after feeling pain around her abdominal and back. The tumour grew from a few millimeters (after radiotherapy) to the present 2.7cm. Her oncologist had suggested using Gemzar combined with Carboplatin as her first-line treatment. Initially, the doctor offered clinical trial for her. But because she cannot read English, she got rejected. It is so unfair. There are so many elderly people in Singapore who have cancer and are illiterate, and, not to mention no insurance and CPF . The treatment costs like $2000 a month (excluding other medication and medical checkups) and may be long time in most cases. What options do we have? Will our government help? How much?

I am trying to cope with the stress level by deep breathing.

I hope I can manage so many things, major workload and crucial deadlines (Hannah's exams in May, August and October, extra intensive dance coaching (throughout May and June for exam), 2 outstanding paintings for a client who is leaving for Amsterdam in Summer, 34 illustrations for my book which is due in July (hopefully it's at end of that month), meetings with writer, publisher and bookseller through out the year, Frankfurt Book Fair in October, dad's hospital check ups .... that's all I can think of at the moment ... I am sure I am missing out something). So pardon me if I miss your birthday again.

Please pray for us, especially for my mum to feel painless during and after treatment, to experience no side effect from the drugs, to gain the mental and physical strength to fight the sickness and for good and responsible doctors and nurses to take care of mum. And for all of us to have extra time with our beloved mum and grandma, for all the support (including financial and logistic) that we can get to provide mum the necessary care and treatment, and, equally essential, the energy, good health and optimism that we need to live life to the fullest everyday.

Will keep you posted again soon.

And if you have any advice on chemotherapy or treatment for cancer (particularly lung and bone), please write to me. Thank you. May god bless you and your family with good health. Take care. Thank you for taking interest in us.

Feels like Miss Potter

I receive a good news 3 days ago. We have passed the selection. The National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) has accepted our work and will give us the grant to publish our book if we adhere to the deadlines and conditions outline by the organisation and publisher (SNP International Publishing).

We are very pleased with the result as the illustrations which we submitted to the organisers sort of went "missing". Thank god that one of the judge felt that the story has its potential and some of the rough sketches that were attached to the manual script looks "workable". Phew! I was really glad the judges got the opportunity to see the illos in the end during the interview and like them. We have learned that despite the fact that actual size illustrations are requested, one ought to make a duplicate in smaller size when submitting the entry to prevent lost.

Expect us to be working extremely hard over the next few months. Life is going to be very very challenging for me, Lynn, our husbands and kids, who are the very reason why we are doing this. Wish us luck and pray for us and our family that it will be a smooth sailing journey for all of us and that we will be healthy and we can develop a stronger team spirit and bond with each other better as we go about accomplishing this task.

Stay tuned to my blog for more details on the development of our very first official picture book. We hope we can update our friends about very soon.

Gotta get back to finish a couple of paintings. Have a fabulous week ahead of you!

Last but now least, thanks for all your kind words of encouragement and letters of support.

Missing child

If you saw a frantic mum, shouting out her child's name at Bedok Interchange, that was me. Yap, Heather did her disappearing act again. No, not her first time (at a mall) or second (at home ... yah ... hide behind our sofa and eat chocolates) or third (at the zoo with daddy). This is her fourth time and the worst we have ever felt because we were at a very busy place with all sorts of people, plus most the shops are small and crammed with goods, making it really hard to find her.

How did it happen? We were at a kid's apparel shop, looking at some clothes for Hannah and a friend's baby. One minute she was next to me, the next minute she was gone. I yelled very loudly and caught others attention, except my little girl's. Two kind passerby (mother and son) asked me if I have lost my child and helped me to look. A minute later, another came up and told me Heather was outside the supermarket, 200 metres from me. According to a vendor outside the supermarket, her gentle sobbing caught his attention and stop her from walking further. An old neighbour of ours, who happened to be selling pots next to the vendor, noticed Heather and told her to wait for me, who nearly break down in tears.

I really have to come up with a solution to prevent Heather from leaving my side. I told her to shout "mummy" when she cannot see me and should never walk away.

Anyway, it's a terrifying experience for both of us. I hope we have learned our lesson and be extra careful in future. I think she should carry a mobile phone with her when we are out.

Morning Inspiration

What do I do to get inspired?

Watch Micheal Smith's Chef at Home and Chef at Large on Asian Food Channel first thing in the morning.

We absolutely love the show and his homemade cuisines. And I love his house and kitchen on Prince Edward Island, Canada, too!

If I don't paint, I would be a chef. Ya ... another great opportunity to be creative.

Bon appetite!

Life is good ... so what's cooking?

We are always in the kitchen. Yes, even the girls are lil' chefs. In fact, the other day Hannah made herself and Heather lunch. She made onigiri with furitake served with tamogoyaki and blanched spinach. In case you don't know what they are, onigiri is a kind of Japanese rice (like sushi rice), furitake is a savoury condiment made of dried fish, seaweed, shiso and sesame seeds while tamogoyaki is Japanese rolled omelet. Yum! We are so proud and happy that our kids love cooking as much as us.












Last week, I made my third batch of kimchi. I stirred in some pork and turned those delicious preserved Korean vegetarian dish into a fried rice.







I also whipped up my own recipe to transform left-over stewed pork into a bowl of tasty rice dish with watercress, fried onions and fresh chillies.






Of the four of us, Jon is the best cook without shadow of a doubt. He has a hidden talent and enjoys being in the kitchen. The other night, he made us this very special salmon dish that he learnt from Charlie Trotter's show on Asian Food Channel. To make this dish, the salmon has to be poached in herbs infused olive oil for a few hours at a very low temperature. To accompany the fish is pan-fried brown rice cake and leek confit soup. The flavour is really delicate and the salmon melts in the mouth like butter on hot rolls.

If you want the recipes, drop me a note. Bon appetite!

Some thoughts today

Saturday is the busiest day for me. Every Saturday, I have to bring the girls for classes. Hannah will do her 1 hour tap dance at Tampines. Then she and Heather will go for an 1 hour and 45 minutes Chinese lesson at Kembangan. We usually start the day between 8.30 and 9am. After a nice breakfast, we will try to complete all the school work at home, if possible, before heading out. They finish everything and get home by 4pm. I encourage them to have a nap every weekend. I think sleep is so important for the development of the brain. In addition, I get to do a bit more work (drawing, painting, housekeeping, etc) while they nap.

Anyway, I happened to read an article in Weekend Today, a local tabloid, in the taxi on the way to Chinese language centre today. I am glad to read a little reminder and thought I ought to share with you about it.

The article, entitled The Modern Parent Trap, is written by Crispina Robert. She is also the Chief Editor of Young Parent magazine and a mother herself.

She wrote: "Unless money is an issue, most Singaporean children have a calendar that is busier than that of their CEO daddies. I have a sneaky feeling that the increased numbers of children seeking psychiatric help is not just due to awareness, and that there are vast numbers of little people with lots to handle. ... ... I imagine these children putting on a mini-suit and pulling in two shifts a day with weekend duty thrown in. At the age of seven! "

Sad but true - this is the way of life for most Singapore children. How did our society come to such madness? What are we turning our children into? Gone are the days when children play zero-point, hopscotch, five stones, scissors paper stone, Simon says, tug of war, police and thieves, eagle and chicken, etc.

I don't know what category of parenting I fall into. I try my best not to arrange any extra tuition for Hannah, who is in Primary 1, even when she has some difficulties with her work every now and then. I hope I don't have to do that at all through her entire education. The education system in Singapore is very tough. My daughter is doing 5 times more the work than me when I was at her age and we are only 27 years apart. The questions she gets in her P1 exam are what I got when I was in P3 and above.

With the kind of stress and speed we are living in, we have forgotten what is like to be a little child. We have forgotten how lucky we once were to have the opportunity to play in the mud, catch the butterflies, read Tin Tin cartoons, keep spiders as pets, pick wild berries (my husband's childhood past time), etc.

Recently, Hannah said she wants to play GuZheng, an oriental orchestra instrument, at her school. I would love her to learn it and had gotten the consent form from her teacher but I am very scarred that she is over-scheduled. At the moment, other than work from her full day school (which is pretty heavy and requires coaching from me and/or daddy everyday), she is doing ballet and tap (an hour per class per week that require practise which she has not put much effort in at home), Chinese at Berries (which only has a piece of worksheet per week) and swimming (she loves the exercise because she is good at it and it's fun). She is also interested in horse-riding, which she really really wants to do (since she had a go when we were in UK); but we haven't been able to afford and manage to fit any time for the activity.

Ok, back to the point again - "Are children over-indulged, over-scheduled and yet under-parented?" Think about it?

I hope that when our kids grow up, they won't blame us for taking away their childhood. I thank my parents for not taking away mine and never stop me from painting.

I am off to chase some butterflies, jump into the pool and have an ice cream with my babes after they wake up from their siesta. Hack the rain! If life is short, childhood is shorter.

Read full article "The Modern Parent Trap" here.
(I think it's more like "The Modern Singaporean Parent Trap" as it is happening among us, the Singapore parents.)

Shortlisted

We were called in for an interview to review our entry for the First-Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2008! Lynn and I met a panel of judges on Saturday and had lots of fun (at least for me and Lynn). The result will be out next week. Whatever the outcome, we know we have the potential to leap. I am quite excited and I can't wait to start working on it again. In the meantime, I must complete a couple of illos for some greeting cards for a client from Belgium. A project which I have put aside for a long time. I have targeted a week to do it so wish me luck and inspiration.
On Thursday, I bought a printer with scanning function. I like the one which Janine had and had been so kind to let me print my stuff anytime. However, the model (Epson Stylus CX2900) is phrasing out so I bought the newer version, Epson Stylus CX5500. I am glad that it was a good bet. The printout was better than expected and waterproof too, even though it's inkjet. It's a superb buy for $148.
Picture courtesy of Epson

What else is happening? I have updated my online portfolio. Rewrote the bit about me. To read click here.

Oh! I have nearly forgotten the much needed short holiday we had in Bintan Nirwana over Easter weekend with my mum, dad and sister. We stayed in cabana and had so much fun on the beautiful beach. We were so lucky to have three good days under the sun while it was raining back at home. The girls and Jon went kayaking while I got to relax on the beach, paint and take pictures (lots!). Although my folks and Dawn (who is a vegetarian) had a little bit of difficulties with the food (being gastronomically less adventurous than us), they had a wonderful time with the winkers. Jon had some trill jet skiing. Hannah and Heather managed to go to the kids' club and playground at the resort hotel in the morning before we left to head home. But they didn't get to dip into the pools. They were sad leaving Bintan. In fact, Heather cried! Anyway, we will go back again in August when my sister and brother in law visit us with their boys. Can't wait!

April will be a hectic month for us. With my book and Hannah's exam in May, I think I can only update my blog once a month. I do miss those days when I get to read other blogs and correspond with other artists especially those I admire a lot. So, friends you are in my thoughts even when I am offline. Drop me a note, as I always say.

I wish you all a great month ahead. Take care of yourself. Smile. :) I try very hard to do that at least three times a day! See ya soon!

Marching on

Hello friends! I am back without a break!

The girls went back to school on Monday after a week of break from school. We were busy preparing for Hannah's ballet exam during the first few days, which was right after my last project for a competition. After 4 months of practise and one whole week of drilling and perfecting the moves, it was finally over last Wednesday. Hannah didn't say much about the exam other than the words "fine" and "I am the only one who understand her English". She really does not care about how well or bad she did in front of the examiner from the Royal Academy of Dance.

Right after the exam, the girls went to their best friend's house to play. Sooner than you can blink, they had forgotten their mummy. But that's ok, I have my companies - their friends' mummy. We all partied hard and had lots of fun over this short holiday.

This week, I managed to get a bit of time in the afternoon to update my overdue blogs and catch up with housework which should be done before this weekend as we will be spending a few days in Bintan with my family. So let's pray for good weather.

Here are some illustrations for First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2008, a yearly event organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore. I collaborated with Lynn, a mother who is aspired to be a children's book writer, on this project. I had less than a week to come out with the illos for her book. I managed to complete 1 full colour version with watercolour and 2 tight black and white sketches. Tell me what you think.

I need a break

Fullstop.

The Felt Elephants

That's the title of the book I just completed. Here are a few from the 16 illustrations I have done. I think I would do a better job if I have an extra few days. I always encounter problem getting the "true" colours in the scanned illos and I reckon the images lost about 10 to 15% of the details, especially the watercolour effect. Can any reader out there can recommend a scanner, a printer or any solution to the problem? Leave me a comment. Thanks!

Work in progress

Hello beloved friends and readers, I hope all is well with you. Yes, I have been a terrible blogger of late. I am really really really busy ... and this is what I have been tied up with - The Felt Elephant. I have 16 illustrations to finish in 6 days time. How I wish I have an extra 12 hours each day.

Drop me a note, a comment or email, I will get back to you after I finish the book.

пока ... hasta luego! and take care.

Snapfish your photos

It's nearly Christmas and the end of school holiday. I am still busy with the girls (whose social lives are far more exciting than mine), my parents and my new book assignment, hence not having much quiet moment which I should getting before another hectic new year begins.

Yesterday, some of Hannah's kindergarten classmates came over to make gingerbread biscuits and today we went over to Hannah's best friend's place to play. The girls had a great time and we, mummies, sat down (at last), had coffee and chatted happily for a few hours. We are looking forward to seeing them again.

I took some snapshots of them and finally got down to put them (and a few other photos taken at some other occasions) on Snapfish - an online digital photo printing service owned by HP.

What I like about Snapfish is that I can store all my photos in full resolution plus printing is just a click away. I don't have to save all my photos into CDs or thumb-drives and take them to photo developing shops and wait for hours or days to get the prints. That really saves a lot of hassle and time.

The site is pretty straight forward and user friendly. You can label all your photos and albums, add captions and share them with your friends so that they too can print those photos from their own account. For security, you can opt to restrict your friends from sending those pictures you have shared with them to others.

The price of each print by Snapfish is only $0.19 and shipping is reasonable too. Besides printing photos on papers, you can also print your favourite pictures on cards, t-shirts, mugs, key rings, mouse pads, as well as calendars (which will be my next project).

Will drop a note on how the photos turn out when I get them in my mail. Meanwhile you can check out Snapfish at www.snapfish.com.sg.

As for now, got to get back to get some house work done before I hit the sack.

And I wish you all in advance (in case I done get the chance to write another post soon) a blessed Christmas and good health for the year to come.

Busy, busy, busy

The girls are having their school break and that makes us seriously busy. Need to slow down a bit.

Last weekend, Hannah performed at Victoria Theatre. Here are a couple of the very few photos we managed to capture during the show before we were informed that even no-flash photography is not allowed. It's a pity that I didn't get a front view of Hannah doing her dance. She practised really hard for the shows and put up with the make-up that she dreaded very much. We are very proud of her for every effort she put in before and during the show. Well done baby!

Here's Hannah and the snowman I made for the show.




















Back view of Hannah














One of the sleighs I made in action














Grand Finale














Now, something less jolly, my mum's health condition. She finished her radio therapy last week. She will be referred to the chemo oncologists for additional treatment on the 18th of the month. Please pray that she will be relieved from any pain, discomfort and depression, as well as an overall improvement with her health. Also, please pray that we can receive financial assistant to pay for her treatments. Thank you in advance.

That's all for now. Take care my friends. Have a peaceful year ahead.

Pray for us

We received a terrible news two days ago. Doctor discovered a tumour located at the bottom of my mum's spine. She has been advised to receive radio therapy. She also complaints pain around her abdominal. We pray that the CT scan that she will do today shows that she is fine there. Mum has not said much but we have a feeling that she is disappointed and depressed. Since she discovered she had cancer over 6 months ago, she has no desire to do anything ... not even coming over to see her grand kids ... her reason was she is uncomfortable. She stays at home all day and watch tv, which I think is very unhealthy. As for me, busy and tired. Now, stress, can't deny about that ... Hannah's going to Primary 1, financial issues, work, outstanding tasks, etc. Please pray for her and our family.

Will update again when I get the chance.

Home Sweet Home 1

How has everyone been? I hope you are keeping up well.

Thanks for all your comments and emails and prayers. My dad had a endoscope done last week. Doctor said he is alright in general but they would like to check a few more things to ensure he is really ok. For mum, she continues to have pain around her lower abdominal. My sister said the doctors have not ordered any treatment for her discomfort. The only thing they will be doing is a follow-up CT scan for her lungs. Please continue to pray for their health.

As for us, we have finally settled into your new home. It took me a month to sort out the entire house. I am very pleased with myself for transforming hell to heaven! Look at the pictures and I am sure you will get what I mean.



















Our present house has a better layout comparing to the last one. We have a patio where we very often have BBQs. We are now able to fit our bookshelves in a corner in the hall and make it into a study area for the girls. Jon is very happy with his new flat panel TV. For extra comfort in the living room, we are planning to buy over Harmony's sofa when she gets a replacement. The dining area is simple and functional. I forgot to mention that I like the flooring too. Unlike the previous condo, that had black and gray, spotty, granite tiles, this one has light beige tiles that makes the room brighter, plus I can see the area clearly when it's dirty.

















I adore the girls' bedroom. I am very glad that the girls loves it. Thanks to Harmony for the bunk bed. Toys and books can now be store away neatly. Now, the girls also make extra effort keeping up after playing and reading. I hope the room will continue to stay nice and tidy.



















Our bedroom is spacious and simple. Again, thanks to Harmony for giving us such comfortable bed. My studio is still small but I like it and it works well for me for now.

















Jon and I definitely prefer the kitchen in this apartment to the ones in Aquarius. The built-in dish dryer is such a wonderful idea. I don't have to wait till the plates and bowls to dry then put them back in the cupboard. Must have one next time if we don't have a dish washer.








Overall, we all enjoy living in our new home. I hope we can continue to stay in here before we have enough money to buy a place of our own.

Home Sweet Home 2

Since moving here, we have invited a few friends and their families over for dinner. The first BBQ we had was with Lydia, Yong and their kids, Amanda and Euan.



















The second dinner was with Harmony, Leo and Cristan. Jon had a great time making us some of the most delicious food on the grill while Hannah and Heather had fun with friends they haven't seen for a while. As for me, I just simply enjoy my dear husband's cooking and the company of good friends.









Two Saturdays ago, Karen brought her two girls, Leandra and Allysa. over to play. We all have a wonderful girly time together. I am really looking forward to more of such afternoons.



















Besides these home parties, we also attended a few other celebrations outside - Jeremy's, Yeng's, Priscilia's birthday, Halloween's party at Gareth's house and Hannah's kindergarten graduation concert two weeks ago. I have yet got the time to sort out these photos. You will see them in the next post.

And now, I shall say good night cos it's 5 to 4 in the morning.

I have got an early start - will rise at 7, send the girls off to school, brew some coffee and continue working on my new project, which I started this week.

So take care my friends and talk soon ... on Skype!

Hide and Seek and Tug of War

These are not games meant for kids only. We have been tag along when it's time to play.

Let's talk about "Hide and Seek" first. Yesterday, Heather made us search the whole condo when in fact she was hiding behind a chair at home.

What happened?

Hannah and I were in our home office (doing homework) when Heather gone "missing". Jon called out for her several times at home, checked the rooms, wardrobes, looked all around (miss that corner) and there was no reply. We assumed she had sneaked out to the playground through our patio gate which was not locked. He went around the condo but couldn't find her. So Hannah and I went out too to search. I walked down the stairs nearest to our apartment which lead to the basement carpark. There was no sign of her in there but I thought I could hear Heather's voice from the ground floor above. I decided to check out the playground after surveying the carpark. So I took the lift to the ground floor. As I was approaching the playground, I spotted Jon and Hannah. Heather was running towards them behind me. She was smiling as she came nearer. She was in her tshirt and panty. We questioned where she could have been. She said she was at home all the time and she knew when we called her. It's quite unbelievable. When we got home, the sliding door was opened, which means that Heather was indeed the last to come out because I shut it before I left the house to look for her. She showed us where she was. She sat behind the wooden chair, with a packet of newly opened biscuit next to her on the floor. She was probably so focus on opening that packet of biscuit that she didn't bother at responding to us.

I could not stop myself laughing.

Now, for Tug of War, there is me versus the girls and Hannah versus Heather. You won't find me smiling when I am in it. In fact, everyday I ask myself, when will there be tranquility and harmony among us.

Hannah turned 6 a month ago and I feel like I am dealing with a 16. These days I find it so hard to get her to listen and follow instructions (such as: put her shoes on the shoe rack after removing them, pack up her toys and room, do her homework without giving the same old excuses, postphoning the job or complaint (unfairness) that her sister has no school work or too little because she (Heather) completes her tasks quicker than her, eat up all the veggies without stuffing her entire mouth which makes chewing and swallowing more difficult, etc). The thing that winds me most is when she talks back at me. I admit I am not very patient when I am busy and angry words burst out of my mouth quickly and loudly when I reach boiling point. I only learn to yell after becoming a mother and honestly I am tired of raising my voice and hearing "sorry mummy". I have tried praising her but she doesn't like it when I say she has done well, she also doesn't like hugging and kissing. When I say "I love you", she says "I know I know".

Yesterday, a taxi driver started talking about his teenage son. Like most parents, he loves his son and wants him to be well (and leaves the wrong company of friends whom he picked up all the bad habits from). But sadly, we always show our concerns and intentions in the wrong manner and words. I am guilty of being harsher than I should be. I am aware that I need to change my way of parenting and acquire to more positive skills to bring up a developing child and foster a more loving mother and daughter relationship.

As with Heather, the experience is pretty similar to that of Hannah. The one that gets me lately is going for a pee before a nap after lunch and sleep at night. Sometimes I trusted her that she had gone to the toilet but only knew that she didn't when her bed is wet. The other one is biting her fingers and nails. I just can't get her to stop. Any solution, anyone?

Tug of war between the sisters, I don't think I need to explain more. Lately the girls have been fighting constantly with each other over nothing very easily. Heather picks up a handful of new not-so-nice words from her sister and used them on her. Hannah is fond of pointing fingers at Heather when things go wrong and that winds Heather up. Their bickering and tales-telling drives me nuts. I know that sibling rivalry is normal, yet I can't help hoping that threat each others as friends. I tried getting the girls to hug each other to make up. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Last night, it didn't. In fact, they argued even as they laid down to sleep. The bunk bed didn't help much. Separate rooms, maybe.

This morning around 7.20, the first thing they did right after they woke up is, of course, fight (over a tiny dog miniature of less than 2cm). I was not in the best mood plus we were in a hurry to get ready for school so it didn't help. What a great way to start the day.

I want to be a nice mummy and not like Cinderalla's step mother. On days like these, it's just impossible. I can't wait for this phase to be over. Will it ever?

Animals planet

I was very fortunate to be assigned to illustrate some of the most beautiful creatures on our planet. Living in the city, the only place for us to see animals is in the zoo. We are lucky to have a superb zoo. In fact, Singapore Zoo is voted as one of the best zoos in the world. I especially love our Night Safari. If I have a chance, I would love to go to the wild, like South Africa, and see the real animals planet.

Here are some illustrations for "A day at the zoo". I am very pleased with the entire set of drawings. I put in a lot of work and imagination to ensure the expression and feel is right. I think I went a bit nuts with the details but the strange thing is that it was not tedious as it looks. Tell me what you think.

Click here to return to main page.

Moving house this weekend

I think the title says it all. I only have a few days to pack the house up. Wish me luck to get all the things done in time. I am really excited to move this time. I can't wait to get me studio set up and start working on my next project.

Before I sign off, I would like to make a prayer request for my parents who haven't been very well lately. Dad, especially, complaints about discomfort in his chest and feeling run down frequently. He was admitted to the hospital last week for check up after doctors discovered that his pulses seemed irregular. He was better after a couple of days. Please pray for good health for them. Thanks.

Drop me a note to let me know how you are doing out there. Take care. Sleep well.

Save this boy

I am passing on this message. Hope someone out there will be able to help the boy who is in need of O+ blood.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear all,
My nephew (My only sister’s only son) has not been in very good condition these couple of weeks. For some who’s not aware, he is only 6 years old and was diagnosed with Childhood Leukemia since the age of 16months.
He’s in quite a critical condition recently and only God and miracles can help his condition. He’s got low blood count and has blast cells (cancer cells) all over his body. He needs platelets transfusion twice a day so that his blood count can be stabilized. If not, the doc cannot administer chemo on him.
As of yesterday, the doctors said the blood bank has a shortage of O+ platelets (My nephew’s blood group is O+). They will only be able to give him one transfusion a day (instead of twice as prescribed) because they need to reserve for emergency cases as well.
His latest blood reading is:
Platelets: Only 13
Blast Cells: 30%
If you can help, do donate your blood or email to your friends to ask them to go to SGH to donate their blood (regardless of what blood group you are).
Tell the nurses that it is for:
Name: Chan Xiang Qi
Birth Certificate No.: T0117540/D
Thanks & God bless this child.
Cheryl Ong

BBQ Party for Hannah

On Saturday, we threw a BBQ party for Hannah and her friends. Jon was the chef of the night and once again his culinary skills impressed many. Thank you dear for all the sweat and enduring the heat from the fire all night to make us such delicious food. The menu includes Tandori Chicken with salad and cucumber mint sauce in wraps, grilled whole salmon with herbs, barbecue beef steak and sweet corn wrapped with bacon, grilled sausages, broccolis, caponata (Italian vegetable dish), barbecue new potatoes with olive oil and herbs, and last but not least Hannah's birthday (carrot) cake from Room for Dessert.

Special thanks to Janine and Marianne for the extra hands we needed during preparation, Harmony for the charcoal , Karen for the birthday banner and Penny for taking the pictures for us.

Many thanks to all who turned up and make this party a memorable one for Hannah and all of us in the family. We have so much fun.

Here are a few photos taken by Penny and Harmony (thanks). Will post more when I receive more from the rest of you at the party.

PS: sorry if we are missing you in the pictures.

Read more on Penny's blog (全家就是我家) on our party.

Happy Birthday

Hannah turned 6 on Friday. She celebrated her birthday with her classmates. I ordered a customised cake from Indulgence Treats. Special thanks to her teacher, Mrs Fernandez for getting the children organised for the small party.