WAGs’ night out

Through Facebook, I got to know two Singaporean girls who are married to Welshmen and living in Wales. On Friday, we met and headed to the Chinese supermarkets in search of Asian food items.

Kris, who has been living here for a 10 years, showed me where to get Singapore’s DoDo frozen fishballs and ready made carrot cake while Sher, a Malay girl pregnant with her first child, introduced me to Brahim’s range of cooking sauces. I also picked up a nice bunch of kang kong and a big bag of choi sum.

We then headed to Bali, a Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant famous for its over-zealous waiter, for some authentic sambal prawns, vegetable curry and sago with gula melaka, as they offered me good advice on the process of obtaining my spouse visa.

It was lovely being in the company of fellow Singaporeans and and to be able to exchange experiences about our Welsh partners. I laughed when their jaws dropped with envy after I said we mainly have seafood at home, because both their husbands refuse to eat anything with creatures from the ocean.

After our meal, we tried to find a nice cafe to have a cup of coffee before catching our trains home but unfortunately at 2030, the only places which were open were pubs and restaurants.

Peering through the glass windows of a lifeless Starbucks, Kris lamented, “It’s during times like these that I wish I was home, where we can go to a quiet place to have some coffee.”

Walking through crowds of boisterous men and skimpily dressed young women in their high heels ready for a night out, I suggested going to the coffee lounge of a newly opened hotel. Only a stone’s throw from the crazy mobs, the place was completely deserted and the waiter looked almost relieved to see some customers.

There, we were finally warm, relaxed and over cups of coffee, we reminisced about home.

Ribena tree

These beautiful flowering red currant shrubs not only look good, they smell wonderful as well. It’s like walking into The Body Shop each time I stroll by these trees with sweet berry scents.

You siam, mee siam

Guess what we had for dinner last night? I whipped up some lovely Mee Siam, complete with Sambal Chilli and plenty of crunchy beansprouts and fresh prawns. Alright, I confess. I used premixed sauces, but thank god they were invented! The tangy spiciness was such a wonderful change from the mild flavours we normally eat and it was so satisfying for me. Even R surprised me by having second helpings.

Glass pop

Created some pop art inspired images with my glassware while thinking of what to use them for. Loving the colours!

True blue

Very excited about my beautiful turquoise jug and glasses I got from the local thrift shop. What can I do with them?

Italian Fayre

Love doves

This pair of doves love to sit in a tree on a lovely green patch of grass across my house. My 86-year-old neighbour tells me, “They’re courting.” So sweet.

After work drinks

It being a glorious sunny day, some of us finished work at 4pm on Friday and headed over to the local pub for a couple of beers. It’s nice to sit around with people you work with but not talk about work, and instead watch their true personalities come alive as they let their hair down. I made my escape before sunset when my CEO returned to the table with shots of double whisky and told us, “Let’s get serious now.” It was all good fun.

Happy Fives #3

1. I now have four five! capsicum seedlings sprouting from the pot
2. R bought a dying Greek basil from the supermarket for 20p and we revived it. It never looked happier.
3. My three hyacinths are blossoming
4. We had cream Venetian blinds installed
5. We cut six daffodils from our garden and they look beautiful in the living room.

No thanks, never again

I came home and found V very affected. She had given her 5-year-old great-grand daughter some money and a card for her birthday but the little girl completely ignored her and refused to even say thank you.

It’s no fault of the old lady, she hasn’t provoked her in any way and if anything she is always nice to her. Well, really, everyone is nice to the little one, and perhaps that’s where the problem lies.

The little girl’s grandparents attribute her anti-social behaviour on her “shy” personality but I beg to differ. From the way I’ve seen her behave, she is far from shy.

She is lively and playful in the presence of her parents and other adults she’s familiar with. But when she is placed with grown-ups she doesn’t really know, she is pretty much withdrawn. I think that’s reasonable, many kids are like that.

But is it so hard to get a 5-year-old to say “thank you”? All she did after getting her card and money was to scream, shriek and laugh and no matter how much her grandparents pleaded, she wouldn’t say a word of thanks to V. And I believe she behaves the way she behaves because her supervising adults let her get away with rude manners.

In my opinion, the child should have the gift taken from her and told she couldn’t have it, unless she said thank you to the nice person who gave it to her.

It’s got nothing to do with being Asian or Western. Nothing about being reserved or outspoken. Someone is nice to you, you say thank you, it’s as simple as that.

Even my grandmother who is illiterate would not let us get away with such appalling “bo kar si” behaviour, one she feels would reflect poorly on her and our family on the whole.

I too chipped in some money and got her a little card to say Happy Birthday, but because I was at work yesterday, I didn’t get to see her.

It’s been more than 24 hours and I haven’t had a phone call or SMS from her parents to say thank you. I don’t expect them to make a fuss out of it, it was only a small token on my part, but surely, anyone with some decent manners would get in touch to say thanks?

With parents like these and grandparents who spoil them senseless, it’s no wonder kids these days do not know right from wrong. That’s probably my first and last birthday card.