My Birthday today!

Today is my birthday! However, for the whole of this week, I had been having a wonderful time from well wishers and friends who wants to share this joyful day with me. So this year, I turn 29... and it's my last year of celebration before I hit the big 30! I am afraid... for they say in my hometown in China, that if a woman hits 30, she will be left on the "shelf" and nobody will want her ever! Scary thought!

But in the mean time, a good Singaporean girl friend brought me out for ice cream on Monday night. I had a big Coit Tower at Swensens... a little guilty for taking in all that calories but this is just a once a year thing. In all my 29 years, I had never tasted ice cream so good. Back home, due to the cold weather, we never had ice cream. In summer when it is warm, we do have some vendors selling cheap ice cream on the streets but I always had the impression this is more for kids... ha ha, how naive of me.

Nevertheless, this ice cream from Swensens is the best I have tasted in my life... creamy, milky, smooth and tasty!

On Tuesday, I had dinner with another Singaporean friend who brought me out for a good dinner of Chinese noodles. We had dinner at North Point in Yishun, a little far from my home but the dinner was wonderful. In fact, I've never tasted noodles this good either.

I wonder if the food taste better because it is my birthday or is that it's been a long, long time since I have been out for a good meal, other than the hot pot dinner I have every now and then with my Chinese friends. While these hot pot dinners never were that good, they are a great way to have some fun, socialize and even to talk aloud (because everyone speaks loudly at such a place... I wonder why?"

When I arrived for work on this morning, my wonderful Singapore friend, Ah Mei, gave me a beautiful pendent. It's a beautiful gift from a beautiful person.

I have one more dinner to go with my Chinese friends tonight but even before this event, I know this must be my best birthday ever! This is the first time I've had two nights of celebrations for my birthday but it was fun and I really enjoyed it.
I am ever so blessed, despite being in a land so far away from home! Thank you my friends, for giving me such a wonderful birthday... even before it is over!

My sister's Birthday!

25 May is my sister's birthday! In China, we usually celebrate our birthday's by having a "special" sweet noodles and eggs, so signify having a longer life. However, in Singapore, and especially at a rented place where cooking should be kept to a minimum, this might not be so practical. So I was wondering how I should celebrate my sister's birthday???

I decided to buy a birthday cake for my sister. She wasn't really for buying a cake as she has been trying very hard to lose some weight. Ha ha. She has been working non-stop, even sacrificing her one free day to work overtime for a little more pay, so it's been hard to find any time to exercise at all. I feel quite lucky compared to her... at least I still have time to go jogging in the evening, and even do Yoga! For her, it's like the moment she gets home at about 11pm, she washes up and go to sleep and then wakes up and go to work! What a life for my poor sister... but we are both glad that we have a job in Singapore, knowing how hard it is to work here with the reduced foreigner's quota these days.

I told her it's only once a year! We should not forget to relax once in a while, even while we come to Singapore to earn a living! And to ease her guilt, I bought a mango cake. While still a cake, it at least has some fruits and my sister likes mangoes! In a simple celebration, we both had a slice of cake when she came home late at night. I offered my landlord a slice and kept the rest for another day.

For her birthday, my sister dressed up specially nice. She put on favorite best dress and make up for the day. She also bought herself something from the place where she worked... a pair of new shoes! Don't you think we both look a little alike in this picture of her (center pic)? Her face is a little rounder but the features are similar!