R n R means ...

I looked forward to seeing this on my return to Singapore

Many people say that Singapore is not their ideal place to live in, because because because...  I don't care to list the reasons since I am not them.  For me, it's been home for over two years now and I have come to love it.  

We took a short trip to Batam Island again.  This time, instead of the Waterfront Resort, we chose to be in the City Centre.  Being a city girl, it was more my cup of tea. Plus we had the kids with us and they make for a very nice extra double pair of helping hands.  

It never ceases to amaze me how readily these kids rush to carry our stuff or to be attentive to our needs. A table of four makes for a livelier conversation and the food shared always taste better. It made our holiday just that much nicer. 

After the sea breeze, a little pampering and shopping, I've returned to Singapore very much R n R.  

Rested and relaxed.

Refreshed and renewed.

Ready and raring to go.

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

Pic from Pinterest

I believe that giving thanks is one of the nicest ways to remember all the things that we have in our lives.  Oh, I'm not talking about a big house or cars in the garage.  I'm talking about the things that really matter.  Things like love and respect that can't be measured in terms of money.

There's nothing like giving thanks for people in our lives.  

*The ones who take time to write to us or send an sms.

*The ones who cheer us on with their words of love.

*The ones who email us daily.

*The ones who visit us and catch up.

*The ones who hug us in real life and in the virtual world.

*The ones who poke us on Facebook.

*The ones who 'like' what we share on Facebook.
*The ones who just stand by.

*The ones who are always there for us.

*The ones who care for us everyday.

*and most of all, the children who love us.

There is no greater blessing than to have children in our lives.

Pic from FB

The one about the turkey.

Pic from FB

Yes, I know I'm not living in the U S of A.  Yes, I know Thanksgiving doesn't exist here.  So what???  It's now a borderless world! There are people who think that if you aren't in the US, you can't write or comment about anything in the US. In their heads, they've bought the exclusive rights!  Heh heh heh.  

Anyway, moving on to reality, here's an anecdote about a turkey since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

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Often when I visit my mom-in-law, we talk about things that she remembers from her youth. At 76, she is still able to vividly recall the days when the kids were growing up.  Her mind is not as sharp as it must have been 5 years ago but she can remember a lot of the happier and older stories.  

The one about the turkey is her most recent recollection.

I don't know how we came to the topic of turkeys.  Anyway, she mentioned to me that when Stephen was a little boy, he used to play in the neighbour's garden.  He didn't know that she had a turkey at the back.  

Pic from Photobucket

He was about 5 years old and when he saw that turkey and he had such a fright.  He ran to his Aunt C and said that there was a Red Indian Chief at the back.  Hilarious!!!

This almost forgotten memory made my mom-in-law laugh out loud.  Seeing her enjoy this old story made me happy.  More important is that, if not for our chatting, I would never have known this snippet from Stephen's childhood.