The twins and I

On the 2 hr bus ride back to the port. We are into the 4th day of the cruise. Decided to do a 6D5N cruise with the twins and my mama since william will b going Osaka with Joy and I can't work much since J is on leave too..

My sleeping beauty who zzz 10 mins into the bus ride, on both ways of the trip. Thank God! Hahaha...

Thankfully we manage to do some shopping with the twins buying quite some stuff too. Hahaha..

Checklist: After you - simply loving their desserts.. 

Sugar treats motivation

Thankful that these few days on the cruise have been awesome. Stopover at redang on the 2nd day and even though the twins didnt want to disembark initially, I just wanted them to see the beautiful beach. And I'm glad that we all enjoyed ourselves that day too..

Pretty!

The weather was pretty and so were their moods.. thankful that they have been pretty cooperative all these while.

The tattoo they made at redang..

Bento for lunch on board! 

Ice cream again! Becoz it's only $1.50 per scoop, so we had to have it everyday. Hahahah.. we later realise that we could have it for free at the palace lounge..🤣

While on this cruise, there were many times when the twins only wanted to stay at the kids club 0r in the room bcoz the last few times when they were here with their grandparents, they literally had TV / sweets buffet.. but bcoz I'm here this time round, I wanted them to try out more things. Thus we went to the beach and shopping at BKK today..

Lovey dovey.. may they continue to be close buddies even when they grow up 

I also managed to have many one to one occasions with vera. Usually when Joy / papa choo is around, they are her default choices to go to. But this past few days, we probably hang out tog more often than for the whole of this yr. I now know that she doesnt like prawns or soya milk, but she loves beef and lobster. Shes more of a meat person and her love language is quality time now instead of touch previously.

Thankful for the opportunities to create memories with my family. Looking forward to tomorrow's activities on the cruise.

*******

*waiting at the lounge for the twins to finish their "kidzania" activities*

Hello captains!

Them as butlers..

Seriously, I'm dead tired by late afternoon and there are probably a few more activities before this end.. its their 3rd time doing it but its still pretty fascinating for them, which is good enough for me.

Thru the activities, Grace is always the vocal one, willing to say her thoughts and views to the trainers while Vera is the reserved one. She is able to vocalise, but given a choice she would stand behind her sister and wait. It's something that we already knew, and slowly but surely, given the right opportunities, she would be able to grow her confidence.

*Pizza making*

*cheers to fruit punch*

We did 1 last swim; had dinner and packed our bags. It was time to go home tomorrow. The kids are at the kids club for one last time while the dowager is doing her final sprint at her casino, trying to recover her losses. I finally have some me time alone in the room. Yeah!

Overall this trip has been fun, they have been amazingly cooperative; and even though there were little spats, they always managed to patch up without much interference. I'm glad that we came for this trip. It was good bonding for the girls and me; n for my mom with me/them too.

While waiting for the train home, I received a text from one of my PSLE mummies..

"All the best to our 3 Piglets tomorrow for their first Major exam,  Jia You 💪"

Oh.. tomorrow is PSLE.. oops.. no wonder my work BDM text me saying that she was on half day bcoz she needed to do revision with her P6 kid.. she was surprised when I told her I'm working..  but I didnt realize tomorrow was D-day and I told her that my objective is to R&R with joy so that she doesnt burn out by then.. (which I still stand by my point).

Reached home at 1030pm and all 3 girls are sound asleep..I know some kids are still rushing the midnight oil.. but I think the school has drilled whatever that is required liaoz la.. whatever can b absorbed/ learnt has been absorbed.. whatever can't will not b possible anyway..hahaha..

Then I saw this on my fb feeds and couldn't agree more..

https://biblical-parenting.org/articles/trusting-god-with-our-childrens-exams/

Perhaps I should wake up early tomorrow just to assure my P6 kid that everything would b fine.. just do her best and entrust that God will do the rest..

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. - Psalm 37:7

Bible verse

But you, Lord , are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
Psalms 3:3 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.3.3.NIV

So timely is His word, and so wonderful are His words.. Becoz I have Him, and so all things are possible bcoz of Him. Praying for strength and wisdom as I carry the day on. Praying for directions, as we need to make a few decisions; be it for the family or for my work. May Lord give me the wisdom. In jesus name I pray amen!

Egypt

So glad to be back in the House of the Lord. Feeling recharged and light whenever I'm back in church, enjoying my favourite toast and kopi.

The trip went well. I didnt kill my mama. Hahaha..weather was Super hot but thankfully neither mama nor I fell sick while we were there. I was down with high fever on the night I reached home but that was it. So thankful that it didnt happen when we were there etc.

Egypt felt like M'sia in the 80s. Nothing wrong or bad abt it. Its untapped, not v touristic. But the country is also in poverty. Kids as young as 10 were working as camel-boys or selling souvenirs, just so that they could bring some monies home. My heart goes out to the kids when I see them labouring. Every time I travel, my sentiments when I come back remain the same. How blessed we are, staying in peaceful singapore. Safe country, roof over our heads, and food / water easily available. Obviously safety was a HUGE concern on this trip. There was a body guard on each of the 12 tour buses on the trip, and 2 police cars following the entire convoy throughout the entire trip. I've never been to a  country where I felt so "protected".

Bucket list ticked. It's a magnificent sight, despite the hot hot weather. I stand in amazement of the world wonder. It is so beautiful. How did the people then did it? The guide explained that it's most likely not by slavery but people who truly believed in the importance of the afterlife. Strong belief thus the results/ final product.

Thankful that I got to visit the Coptic Cairo while we were there. It's like visiting history in the bible! Its believed that the Holy family stayed here during their journey.

It was also good to reignite old ties.. hahaha.. for the first time since we joined this industry, we happened to be at the same convention!

We've known each other for more than 16yrs now. But we have never been on the same trip before. My BFC mate/mj kaki/BFF. He was also my 姐妹 for my wedding.. hahaha.. kinda funny when I think of it. But he's one person whom I'm thankful to have 认识 in my life.. always so generous and helpful in so many many ways. I told my mama that he used to send me home every week when we stayed at bukit panjang, before dropping YP at balestier and then his home at hougang.. hahaha.. those were the days.. 简单的友情让我十分珍惜。

The other person that I'm so happy to meet up with is her - Katherine Cheong. A sister in Christ, ever so ready to share her testimonies and touch lives. Even when things weren't always smooth sailing for her, she is always so cheerful and encouraging. I'm v thankful to have first known her when I joined PIAS. I was a young mama then, struggling to balance between being a mama and doing sales. But she taught and shared so much with me during that chance encounter that I continue to practise it til this day forward. So thankful to have met this lady and mentor! Praying that God continue to use her to touch lives and cover her as she continue to be His lighthouse!

Of course I'm thankful that my mama is still healthy. As much as it is tiring and boiling at times, I hope that she will b healthy always so that we can continue to go traveling la..

Thankful to God for the opportunity to bring her for the trips , thankful for everything. I'm glad to be home too! Hahahah..

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2th.3.5.NIV

Pre trip blues

Feeling super lethargic. Haven't been sleeping well for the last week. The twins zzz with me last night (coz I'm flying off tonight) and I just wanna spend more time with them. They have been especially sensitive, especially as the trip is approaching. I suspect the tween is emo too, but she doesnt express it. I feel bad that I'm still working today- the day I fly.

Feels like cancelling the appts for today. It's a huge temptation coupled with the lack of sleep though i doubt i could rest even if I'm home. I shall chop chop finish my work today and head home ba.

Praying for journey mercy and that the kids and william would be fine at home. Each time I fly, I feel like it's the last time I get to hug and kiss them and say I love them.. I know I v guazhang but one can never know.. praying for peace and strength God.. in Jesus name I pray, amen!

Sleepless nights

I'm going to fly off to Egypt with my mama for another convention in a couple of days time.

William could sense it - the jittery plus emo emo and the fact that I kept picking on him the last few days (at least according to him). I thought I had managed it quite well this time round, till the sleepless nights came visiting again. I tried cutting off caffeine entirely, packing my days with appts such that the mind doesn't even have time to wander. In fact, for the next 3 days, my appts start as early as 9am, even on Wed, the day I fly.

Praying for good sleep, praying that I have the energy to spend time with my kids before the trip, that I wont miss the family too much. Feeling guilty that i probably packed too many appts coming week, but we did many activities this week. I brought them to the night safari, we swam (again)and we even washed the school shoes together coz I was quite irritated with the dirty shoes..lol

Praying that the trip would be fruitful, that I would be able to spend time with my mama - the only reason why I'm travelling. Praying for good weather and peace, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Been feeling jittery and fearful this whole morning that I succumb to "satay bee hoon" for lunch today.. currently waiting for the new appt to arrive. It's the new appt that always makes me all jittery and chicken. And this new appt is unlike the usual ones I meet (though those give me butterflies in my stomach too). The one today is not a direct referral but one that is still referred by my client la.. have been doing solely direct referrals for a few yrs but this referral was given bcoz I asked my client. For all who ask, shall be given! Hahahaha

Not sure if the appt would work out coz the prospect sounded quite defensive. Well.. we shall see.. hopefully he wont go complain to my client later..

Praying for God's wisdom upon me, that I will be able to help all that I meet and share my knowledge with them. Praying for courage as well.. I know it's weird to feel so jittery for an appt, especially when I wont feel this way for closing appts..lol..but yes praying for courage..

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/deu.31.6.NIV