We were talking about dialects yesterday and I suddenly realised that I can’t say for sure what dialect group my boy belongs to. 

Okay, he’s Teochew going by his dad but geez, I don’t think he’s going to speak a word of it in future.  I’m Hokkien but then again, apart from vulgarities, I don’t speak that dialect at home.  I only get to practise it with my mum or my brothers.  And already, we are struggling to teach him the Chinese language so how is it possible to even get him exposed to dialects? Even his grandparents speak to him in Chinese, not dialects.

I wonder if he still has to fill in his dialect group in future when completing official forms.  It would certainly be strange to have to write down a dialect group when he doesn’t get to use it at all.  Or should I say understand it all at.

When I was back at my mum’s place over the weekend, I slipped and fell while walking in the sitting room.  A portion of the floor was still wet from an earlier session of mopping.  I shudder to think if my 75-year-old mum had fallen instead.

I was really angry with the woman who left the floor wet.  A woman whom I’m reluctant to call my SIL. A woman who is downright wicked, who deliberately leaves the floor wet everytime she mops, in the hope that an accident would happen.  

I don’t want to discuss why she’s allowed to stay with my mum despite her ill intentions.  The only thing I will say is my side of the family is dysfunctional and my mum is really unfortunate.  

This is why I’m really thankful that I don’t have to live with my in-laws now.  Not that I’m going to be this wicked, but I can imagine how miserable life can get if conflicts ever escalate to an ugly state.  

The tree is finally up.  Our maid Ana took it out.  The man said we were supposed to decorate as a family.  Ended up, Ana did most of the job.  I put up about five items.  The man fixed the lights and put up the fairy.  The boy tried to put up a candy cane.

I think the X’mas tree has lost its lustre at this house.  Decorating the same 7 feet shopping centre X’mas tree for three years is no longer fun.  Not to mention that it’s fake and there’s no smell of pine, unlike our superpoker mummy who is appreciating the fullness and pine needles of her real X’mas tree!  (Yeah, I’m envious.)

Good thing Ana is still around to put it up.  She’ll also come back to take it down, and she’ll probably be around to do the same thing over again for the next two years.

But at least we got together to enjoy it as a family afterwards to the tunes of X’mas.   The boy was dancing and we felt merry.  And the truth is, a blinking fake tree didn’t look too bad at all. 

So next on my shopping list?  Christmas pine fragrance oils.

I swear buying notepads is therapeutic.  Because I’ll be diligently charting down my to-do list every week.  

I feel organised.  I feel in control.  I feel purposeful.  \(^_^)/

Only thing is the feeling doesn’t last long. 

The diligence wears out.  The purpose forgotten.  The notepads collect dust.  (x_x) 

But it’s okay.

JUST BUY AGAIN!  o(^o^)o

(Those Korean notepads at Artbox are soooo cute.)

Food is about the only thing at the moment that still gets my full attention.  And it has to be the sinful sort.  You know.  Those that are particularly fatty, oily and unhealthy.

The man, despite his strict exercise regime, is fortunately still a food lover, sharing my sinful cravings or should I say, contributing to them.  Almost every other night, he will be sending me an SMS if I want supper.   

Lately, we’ve been craving for chwee kueh (水粿).  Our favourite is the stall at Tiong Bahru but we discovered one at Chomp Chomp in Serangoon Gardens that also sells rather tasty chwee kueh.  For some reasons however, the stall was closed for good recently.  So the nearest that we can think of, without having to venture all the way to Tiong Bahru, is the food centre at Bedok.  We’ve been at it for weeks, and finally yesterday, drove all the way there just to buy two packets to satisfy our cravings despite the rain.

It was hugely satisifying of course, especially because we didn’t have to share our chwee kueh with the boy who actually thought they look yucky.