random ramblings

Since becoming a full-time home-maker, i've realised it really isn't easy being one...i used to think home-makers have it really easy compared to those with full-time jobs because all they ever do is cook, wash, and/or clean whenever necessary. there hardly seems to be any brain work involved except responding to situations at your own pace, own time. Also, what can be so difficult about keeping your OWN place neat, tidy, and clean? You definitely dont need any qualifications to be one, as long as you have basic psycho-motor skills and are not handicapped.

i've learnt that assumptions are almost always never good -- just like how i have had to eat my own words since living out here on our own. Being a home-maker is nowhere as easy as i thought it'd be. From deciding what to put on the dinner plate, to measuring how much ingredient to use in each dish, to making sure you use up all the ingredients in the fridge, what nutrients you're investing into the bodies of your beloved family members, which brand of appliance/food to use, etc...the list could just go on and on and on! And each example is not limited to its own difficulty..take for instance, i've learnt that what you decide to make for dinner on day 1 can have an effect on day 2: because i cooked way too much (that happens a bit too often, unfortunately. which shows knowing the right amount to cook to prevent wastage is also a difficulty in itself!!) prawn stock for prawn noodle soup, i'm forced to cook hokkien prawn noodles the next day to use up all the precious stock i've invested so much time, effort and money into. Well, technically, not "forced to" do so, but part of being a good home-maker is to maximise your household resources. And that includes not wasting food and/or finding the best deal. 

Each day i feel like i'm learning new aspects of being a good home-maker, and that includes making bad decisions that could have been done better. 

I feel that the most important role i take on is that of cooking meals. not because i have to please my husband's palate (thankfully he is the least fussy eater i know besides my brother), but because i'm in direct control of whatever nutrients he is going to get. On weekdays, we dont eat out at all, which means my food is all we ever consume and whatever i decide to cook will also decide how well/bad his health is going to get. Cooking meals is not as easy as deciding our most favorite dish and cook it as often as possible..it's about knowing your food (what vitamins or minerals it contains..whether there is fibre or not..) and making sure the nutrients are well-spread out throughout the week. That basically means for each meal i cook, i try my hardest to make sure that there are proteins, fibre, and some other vitamins. It is just not healthy nor sufficient for the body if i dont make sure i do that careful planning every day of the week. i'm so glad i aced my home econs back in Secondary school...at least i'm not completely clueless about my food hehe. But of course it's still a challenge to prepare tasty AND nutritious meals every day of the week! Thats why i never stop re-inventing the recipes i've used before, just to see if i can make it even better. 

on a super random side note, i just realised i've not completed writing my students' testimonial letters! it's a promise i gave them back in June 2013 when they contributed so much to building up a culture of Model UN Conferences in the school...they totally deserve some recognition in their testimonial letters for that. Too bad i got busy and forgot about the promise i made..feeling so bad now. Thankfully i have much time on my hands to try and salvage the half-broken promise before they graduate. Also, thank God i'm only writing for 11 students hahaha..dont think i'll be bothered to do so if i had to write for a class of 42 students!!! 

my 2nd cake!!! Nutella Cake! not trying to boast (but maybe i am..hahah), but the outer surface is so nicely crisped and the interior so moist and flavorful! i cant decide if i like my first cheesecake better or this..i like both A LOT

So here's my ballooning belly at 27 weeks! notice how my backbone is curved inwards near the hip area. That's because my back has to compensate for the protruding front, and the curve is to ensure i maintain some basic sense of balance when walking. That said, my centre of gravity has shifted much higher and forward because anatomically speaking, my body weight is currently very disproportionately distributed, so i'm definitely losing quite a lot of balance be it walking, sitting, squatting (i try not to do that too much), or bending over, etc. 

so i think that's it for being random. (crap, even my ending is so random)