In good time

Final countdown to back home! Just about 7 weeks before we fly and bid this land that we have called home for the past 10 months or so goodbye. Bittersweet, even as I type this and gaze out my window at the Empire State (yes this new apartment that we are in has an amazing unobstructed view).

Two nights ago SJ invited Kyle, the new Dwell intern, out for dinner. Fresh faced and 21 years old, it is his first time in the city. First time smelling the rotten subways, enjoying street art and the food scene. A stark change from the suburban life he is probably used to in Washington state and Michigan. Brought me back to the first time we landed in the city. Now we are not so fresh faced (eye bags ++) and can probably do a little tour of the city for a newcomer. Not quite the New Yorker, but enough to say been there, done that. SJ wants to do a little drive out to the Jersey countryside before we leave. Not sure how we're gonna do that with Zoe, but we'll try!

The other Singaporean fellas are heading home from their grad trips one by one. They've been a wonderful bunch, and am glad to have had the chance to know them. Very brilliant and rising young lawyers, each with their own great personalities and quirks. Will be interesting to see these young men years down the road!

I feel like God's timing couldn't have been better. From this opportunity for SJ to be here on the Masters program, to my gap year, Zoe's birth and our return to Singapore. Everything has happened in good and perfect timing. Wouldn't have had it any other way.

21 days

Happy 21 days old to Zoe!

The past three weeks have gone by in a flash! The usual trajectory of new parents -  they suddenly disappear off social media/blogs/whatsapp etc. Am thankful for God's providence and blessings through friends and family in the past 3 weeks. Having a baby in a foreign land has been quite an experience. In the past 21 days, we've brought Zoe to the pediatrician, dinner at Rissoteria with church friends, hosted dinners at our small Mercer studio, gone out for walks in Washington Square and Central Park, breakfast at Le Pain along Bleecker and also to Cha Chan Ting. This weekend being the Memorial Day weekend we took her to Coney Island to jostle with the crowds before we decided it was too warm for human survival.

If anyone was wondering, I showered post partum day 2 and continue to shower and wash my hair once or twice a day :p We're still in Spring but it definitely feels like summer already! Tried to wear my old jeans a couple weeks back unsuccessfully, but today I did! Hurray!

The days are short but the nights are long. Babies stay small only for so long. Looking at Zoe, I can see what the Bible means by fearfully and wonderfully made...(:

Reinforcements have arrived!

SJ's parents have arrived in the US of A! And they seriously brought a whole lot of food. We asked them to bring like 4 packs of BKT but they ended up bringing at least 10 packets of different soup varieties. I think it was because they initially couldn't find the original one we wanted and started buying random types. Oh, pineapple tarts...

Happy to have family in town, but at this point I am also relatively less mobile and a little less able to walk as intensely as before. They have otherwise been very thoughtful and are happy to bring themselves around. I feel like after a certain age/life stage traveling no longer it about checking things off the To-Do and To-See list but just enjoying a new city with your favorite person. And it seems like that's what they're doing!

We had initially booked an Airbnb near St. Mark's Place but the host cancelled the booking just 2 weeks before their arrival (no reason given). We ended up booking another place along Mott which in retrospect really was a blessing in disguise. It's much closer to where we stay and just a stones throw to Chinatown which has been their favorite haunt in the past 2 days that they've been here. :) Chinese Singaporeans just cannot be too far away from their fried noodles and dim sum heh.

First of the farewells

Dana was the first person to say hi to SJ and I when we first stepped into Dwell. So it was only right for us to do something to thank her for her years of quiet but faithful service for her last official Sunday at church. Han put it very nicely, that "There are rare souls who are constantly serving, loving and giving in the background without needing to bring attention to themselves. Dana is one such gem." God's quiet servant who sets up faithfully every Sunday, preparing the communion elements/laptop/sound system/worship slides/door signs and then taking them down when the church was barely a handful of people.

So Lily had once casually suggested a Potato Party because D apparently loves potatoes to bits (I never knew haha) and so we did it - pulled off a party of potato things - shepherd's pie, roasted garlic herb wedges, belgian frites with queso dip, potato chips and a potato salad. Topped off with a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. I was glad to find out that of all the things in the world, potatoes and cheese are the way to D's heart :) It was a lovely evening.

We always wonder (and maybe worry) about that happens when people leave/move on, but God's house and ministry will go on, and so will Dwell. All the best Dana!

Surprise!

Beyond blessed :)

Baby shower #2

Second baby shower! One that I was honestly surprised at. Turns out SJ was in the know as well (but couldn't be present as he had a make up class that day). The night before V messaged me to meet up with J slightly earlier to discuss some crisis she had been going through. Had thought it was a little odd but agreed nonetheless. Long story short, surprise! As with all party things, I am usually very socially awkward and paiseh the entire time so I tried my best to be as normal as possible. But I was sincerely touched at the effort and gifts that everyone showered upon me.

Finishing well

Had a slow week, starting off with a lazy Monday and was punished with pharyngitis on Tuesday. Had a pounding headache on Wednesday and was worried about preeclampsia all day, trying to judge if I had any facial or limb edema. Thankfully that subsided and all was good for gyming yesterday and today.

Spring is wonderful. With temperatures ranging in the teens, a light jacket and some sunshine lifts anyone's spirits. In the past week, I've taken to walking a little slower, breathing in a little deeper, wondering if some of the things I'm doing might be one of the "lasts". "Last time" I'll trip over to Jersey for some Cheesecake Factory fix, "last time" I'll be able to walk to Chinatown for morning dim sum, "last time" I'll be able to go for small group/bible study. Not sure where this sense of fatality came from, but I remember a vague sense of it before starting work in May 2012. Haha, a new cycle begins.

Things are set in place, and I guess I am kind of in a season of waiting. The past 4 months have gone by faster than I'd expected, and I spent the last week slowing down, treasuring those precious moments when the sun has risen and SJ is still asleep, just watching and being thankful for him. Treasuring also the luxury of being able to take a midday nap, have ice cream, drink coffee...I wonder what life will be like post May 2016. Who knows? (: God willing.

Chickalicious

I woke up thinking about the yummie sundae the four of us (SJ, Feifei, Jason and I) shared last night outside Chickalicious. I thought about how that experience quite aptly embodies my past 9 months in NYC.

It is 7°C outside but yet we choose to wait in line at a hole-in-the-wall store for "famous" ice cream. We run into familiar faces while waiting, since who in NY doesn't love waiting in a long line anyway. After 20 minutes of waiting, we finally get one sundae to share (the one with the best reviews on Yelp) and hop outside to eat our frozen dessert as we freeze in the cold NYC draft.

4 spoons, 4 friends. The ice cream has to be eaten quickly, lest it become a goopy mess. After a couple of bites and chomps, the sundae is gone. It doesn't last more than 5 minutes. That's how it is isn't it? NYC, a fleeting moment of pure bliss...and then you are hit by the smell of pot along the sidewalk. Then there is this lingering sense of want, of that smooth vanilla bean sliding across your palate topped with those nutty sprinkles and a nutella finish. Oh...

The best part? That it was shared with friends. :)

Baby shower!

Hitting full term next week, so I thought I should bid the necessary farewells lest the unexpected happen before the EDD. Brought a cake and some gifts to the Salvation Army yesterday to thank the wonderful people there, but was instead surprised with a baby shower! As with all such parties, I am usually very paiseh and socially awkward, but thankful to be blessed by this bunch of people whom I have been inspired by in the past year. Ed the man was not around because he had been ill so it was such a pity!

31 days :O

Lieutenant with Elessandra

Cake made by the Lieutenant. Funny pacifiers and stuff on it!

6 weeks to go!

I slept poorly last night. Not sure if it was like the weird pressure on my abdomen or just thoughts about the future. Nonetheless, I woke up to news of SJ's class being cancelled which meant a morning stroll to La Colombe and Bagel Bob's for breakfast! On my tri-weekly stroll to the gym at 404 Lafayette I always walk past La Colombe and wish I could have an iced latte. But that is usually just wishful thinking because at 5PM, seriously, who drinks iced latte. So yay to today!

Only recently have I hopped onto the bagel bandwagon and discovered how amazingly chewy bagels are. Plus the insanely fattening cream cheese atop a freshly toasted bagel...oo la la. Can't quite believe it took me like 8 months to make this startling discovery. And only because I had a free bagel at one of SJ's NYC runs.

Moving into this "last phase" of NYC, there is some sense of bittersweetness (oh the cliche). I'm sort of taking time to breathe in the last breaths of the marijuana filled smog of the city and also enjoy the friendships that we've made here. SJ recently remarked that we have done well in co-existing in a small space. In the past year we've had minimal me-time given that I'm around most of the time and if he's not in school then he's home studying. Social activities are always done together and I'm thankful that we've survived well (for now). Hadn't thought about how this year would have changed our marriage and I'm glad that we're on the made-it rather than break-it end of the spectrum. :)

Ok, I had to truncate writing this post because I was off to the Salvation Army for lunch service. 6 weeks to go, fingers crossed :x

Low Batt Alert

Low battery alert. This week was a week of (too?) many social interactions. Spent a lot of time at Lily's preparing flowers for Easter, which was a great time of getting pregnancy/motherhood/labor advice from someone who has been there, done that. And the cherry on top is of course our favorite kiddo Silas who is seriously the funniest and cutest kid on the block. Then there was small group, and then hanging out at John and Karen's featuring Singaporean chicken rice (!!) and finally getting a bite of the famous Levain's cookies - seriously heavenly. Another afternoon was spent babysitting Si while his parents had to be out and we fed him grapes. And we also spent one morning walking to Tompkins Square Bagels with Guo Kai to try their bagels freshly baked bagels on the hour, definitely worth the walk. Tonight we are having Valerie over for dinner, followed by the Aussie folks for red bean soup. The "I" in me just wants to hang out on my bed by myself and read a book for the rest of the afternoon :p

Spring is well on its way and the flowers are blooming! It was like 20C yesterday and I was feeling hot hot hot! But it went down to 3C today and I had to put on my coat again -.- I was so looking forward to putting on dresses again but oh well, at least not for the next week. April is quickly approaching as well and all the things I've put off till "1 month before EDD" are soon to be due D:

Tompkins Square Bagels with scallion cream cheese, I'm definitely a bagels convert!

Hehe

Levain's cookies, seriously omg!