Ushering in the Year of the Monkey

We say farewell to the Year of the Goat (that's me!) and hello to the Year of the Monkey (that's the Husband) ...

To those who have prepared long & hard, have a wonderful time catching up with your families & friends!

To those who are travelling, who are exploring new places, and/or skiing, and/or enjoying a less frenetic weekend: safe travels, happy eating & exploring!

To the rest of us,  there's much to enjoy over this long weekend.  Monkey Husband has the week off, so we have plans to eat & run our way through the festivities.  Time to do family things (playing Uno, swimming, colouring, lazing around) and time to play tourist (museums, museums, here we come!)

Enjoy the week, whatever you have chosen and enjoy another opportunity to celebrate!

Guan's Kitchen, River Valley Road

It is no surprise that I find myself obsessed with food - after all, I am a Singaporean.  We are a people who hold animated conversations about food while we are eating,  who would comb the island far & wide chasing the promise of great food!

I grew up in a Foodie Home: Father ate anything that moved, and then some.  Mother was a published Food Critic & homechef extraordinaire.  Both my siblings attacked their meals with a great deal of vigour, leaving me the picky eater of the family.  At Japanese restaurants, I would be the only one who did not touch the sashimi, or any suspicious looking morsels (of which there were many).  When eating Teochew porridge, I couldn't cope with the bony fish or the goose wings, items which were highly prized.

So it comes full circle.  As a Wife and Mother trying to feed her family with healthy meals, I find myself faced with the challenges of cooking for four people with very different palates.  Being mostly  vegetarian & sometimes pescatarian, it is interesting feeding Carnivorous Husband & Daughters.

Overlooking Symphony Lake, Singapore Botanic Gardens

I have always enjoyed drooling over cookbook photos.  Eversince Daughter #1 introduced me to Instagram last year, it has been a daily orgy of yummies!  Being part of this community has inspired  me to try different foods and aspire to be mindful of my eating.  While there are still lots of things I would not eat, there are many others which I have come to enjoy.  

The instagram community has transformed my thinking about my approach to food & to a larger extent, life.  I have become more reflective and purposeful in the things I choose to do each day.   In the attempt to give back a little of what this community has given me, I have restarted this blog so that I may share what I have gained.  Come along for the ride?

Bah! Humbug!

It has been a struggle getting into the Christmas spirit. 

(This coming from the person who once kept her Christmas tree up for 6 months, before she reluctantly put it away).

I attribute it, in great part, to the rituals which we decided to forego this year, for practical reasons.  For example, no Tree.   Consequently, no Tree-trimming party, no watching the flashing lights all day long, no growing pile of presents under the tree …  you get the picture.

And the Scrooge has crept in as well.  All we talk about as we drive along Orchard Road is how bizarre some of the Trees look, or how monotonous the Blue Flower decorations are, or how annoying the repetitive yuletide strains blaring from shopping centre speakers sound.

Then, my younger daughter does an attitude check with: 

“Mommy, what cake are we getting to celebrate Jesus’ birthday?” 

Okay, to you skeptics out there: I know very well that 25 December is not the historical birth of Christ.  But as in our family, one’s birthday can go on for quite a long time, a week, a month ….   

So, let’s take it in the spirit which it is intended. 

The birth of Jesus was not marked by sleigh bells ringing, chestnuts roasting, and certainly no flashing lights on any tree.   

• The mother of the child had a birthing experience in a stable, amidst the pong of animals and their by-products.  Ladies, I don’t know about you, birth in a clean hospital was all very well, but, really, in a stable?  My nose itches just thinking of the allergies.   
• The father of the child was likely traumatized having to aid in the birth, an experience for which he was ill-prepared.    Even with our pre-natal prep classes, can you imagine the husbands doing the job?   
• And the child, well, being squeezed out like toothpaste out of a warm, comfortable womb cannot be any infant’s idea of a good time. 

Yet, the 2^nd chapter of Luke, which tells of the birth of the Child, is filled with celebration and joy.

 

There are 3 things I take from the Holy Family to my comfort: 

The first is living the moment.  The Holy Family did not allow their meager and lowly surroundings to take away from the joy of the occasion.  They were able to look past the dark dingy stable and all the associated smells and sounds, and be amazed by the miracle of the baby.  And as they were visited by the shepherds, they were not ashamed, but were able to celebrate along with them. 

If I remember to live each day fully, to embrace each moment, I would spend less time in a funk about what I can’t do, or don’t have.  And if I reflect purposefully at the end of each day, I would be able to see how much I have gained by way of experience and blessings, instead of morosely contemplating the what-if’s and feeling down about what I didn't get done. 

The second is family – the Holy Family had each other.    

I am blessed with a husband who inexplicably continues to love and cherish me despite my grumping and short temper.  I have a teen daughter who chooses to do fun things with me, despite how goofy she thinks I am.   I have a tween daughter who daily reminds me the need to laugh and hug and cuddle.

And more still, I am surrounded by extended family who support me and care for me despite my prickliness and the propensity to push awah those whom I love most. 

Finally, the Holy Family had community.   

The shepherds came to pay homage, the Magi came bearing gifts.  We, too, have friends who love us dearly.  Many have supported us in various precious ways through the last few months, bearing gifts of food, company, child & elder-care, and camaraderie.  For them all, we are grateful.  

We have already lit the Advent candles of Hope, Peace and Joy. 
There remains Love for this Sunday.    
The following Sunday, we light the Christmas Candle. 

What wishes do we whisper as each of these candles are lit? 
What do we continue to hope for?   
       is it for more sophisticated tinsel, 

       or for the ability to live in the moment? 
Have we peace in our hearts, knowing that we are where we are meant to be? 
Are we able to embrace each day in joyfulness, counting our many blessings? 
Do we know we are deeply loved, and in this knowledge, be strong enough to love fully? 

And when we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, what will we wish for?