Life in Kenya – Shopping

Cant believe that it is less than 3 weeks to our wedding….

The day that I have been waiting for, for the longest time in my life. There are many days recently when i woke up with panic attack… the first thought I have in my mind was “What have I not done for wedding?” “Will it be a successful night which everyone including us enjoy?”……

We started planning only about 6 months ago as it is not a huge dinner, we only inviting our close family and friends. I heard a lot of stories about couple fighting during planning stage and some eventually call it off. So far, our planning has been a blessing as I have an amazing partner who understands me and we have lots of fun planning this together.

I will be going back home to Spore this coming Thursday, 2 weeks before the actual day so that I can tie up all lose ends. Of course I can’t go home empty handed, so past weekends, we did a lot of shopping for our family and friends. Before I came over to Nairobi, I heard a lot of remarks about this place…. Mostly negative and scary I must say. As someone who likes to dress up and like pretty things, one of the most frequent things I’ve heard before I came was about the dressing. No high heels, no dress, only jeans, long pants and long shirts…. It’s been a month since I am here and I am happily surprise to know what I’ve heard are so NOT TRUE. Sitting in a café, walking around the malls, I saw many pretty women dressing up, beautiful heels and wearing nice accessories too. Pretty accessories make me happy! So of course, I have to bring some pretty happiness to share with my family and friend too. These accessories I found in one of my favorite shop not too far from my apartment.

So in LOVE with these beautiful handmade and painted beads accessories

And of course, they have nice items for myself and my apartment too! 

New cookbooks to add to my collections 

Beautiful chalkboards for the apartment 

(Cant decide which to buy so end up buying both!) 

These small little things bring smile to me just by looking at them, so I am bringing some happiness back home too.

p/s: Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.

Finally! Apartment and our 125 boxes

Time passes by so fast when you are busy (Says who that non-working-stay-home women cant be busy!). Finally we had gotten the apartment and our 125 boxes from Singapore. We have been busy setting things up here.

Rob saw this apartment when he first came over. When he did the description to me over Skype, I fell in love almost immediately. I remembered telling him “You got to get the apartment, NO MATTER WHAT!”… and since after that day, I sent him daily reminder about this apartment!

Spacious living room overlooking the garden outside the apartment.

And a fireplace place in the house! I am excited because this is new to me as we don’t need fireplace for home in Spore.

And the first thing that we set up in the apartment was Internet and their TV channels. Yes, they do have wireless too!

The feeling when I saw the familiar boxes with all my stuff…. Pure happiness!

I have not seen any MacDonald or KFC but oh well, Crunchy Chicken is equally good!

Fixing is part of our daily work now.

Tadah!!

It’s been couple of days since we moved in here, happy to say that we are settling well and see that things are coming together. Although there are challenges and hiccups on a daily basis, eg flood in both kitchen and toilet cause by the drainage pipe blockage outside the house…. Electric Power shutdown couple of times on a daily basis…. Peoples coming in and out of the house trying to fix different issues… Well no big deal, we are getting there.

p/s: thank you for reading and have a great weekend ahead!

When another chapter begins….

Cant believe it been 3 weeks since I moved to Kenya, Nairobi. Sitting at the hotel’s Club Lounge typing this post now, feels a little strange and lost. Dont know where to start… too much things flooded my mind, too many things I want to write.

The last time i posted something was in mid of March, although only a month ago but seems like a long long time … The past one month has been busy, full of changes, adapting and challenging for me.

From finishing my work (feels so strange that I am officially not working anymore after been working for so many years)…

To packing our stuff in to 125 boxes to be shipped over to Kenya…

Living in an empty house for 2 weeks with no television, no one to talk to except the echo from my own voice…

Moving back to my mum’s place to spend some quality time with her, family and friends…

To all the crying and hugging in the airport when my family and friends who sent me off… Well, I am actually hoping that I can leave my mum’s house quietly and leave like a real WOMAN with no tears and emo… But on the day I am leaving, my visions are blurred by my tears the entire day…

And coming over to Kenya to search for a different experience in life. All these within a month.

There are so many things I want to do before I leave Singapore, so many local foods I want to savor and so many friends I will love to catch up. Don’t know whether if I sound silly as I will be back in 2 years (ahem.. and I am going back in May) but hey, this is my first time leaving home to somewhere far, I have a lot of anticipation in me!

It has been 3 weeks now in Kenya and we have been staying in the hotel while waiting for our apartment.  We have not fully explored the city but have been to few nice shopping malls, which I am surprisingly impressed with the stuffs they carry here. One of the down sides I see so far is when it starts to rain…. It is their raining season now and once it starts to rain, traffic are bad…. Really bad as road are flooded and a short 10 minutes drive can drag up to an hour or more, no joke. And raining means no TV program, no Internet and frequent blackout. Just reminded myself to buy more candles and touch for my new apartment!

♥♥♥

Yesterday, I celebrated my first birthday in Kenya, away from my family, away my friends and far away from the crowd…

The very same day 33 years ago, an amazing woman suffered the pain for almost 10 hours, lasting from night till morning, pain which almost took away her life, yet this amazing woman given birth to a healthy baby girl… I so wanted to hug her now, to tell her how thankful I am…. I love you Mum and I will hug you tightly when I see you soon in May.

And my prayers go to families who suffered from yesterday bombing in Boston…

p/s: Thank you for reading

The Beginning

Can’t believe today is my last day at work…. Finally!! Yippie!! I am usually a very emotional person, I cry at every little thing, and farewell is a big deal to me. I hate to say goodbye, even to people I don’t really fancy. Saying goodbye makes me feel really sad. But this time round the feeling is so different…. The dislike is so strong in me and I just really want to get out of here, away from my boss whom I don’t want to spend a minute longer with, in a small confine office. Well, it is a long story and bad decision…. but that’s life, we just need to move on.

This feeling right now is so unreal, sitting here in my office, typing this post. The happiness and peace in me is beyond description. I am truly happy now, at this very moment. I am sure the feeling will be ecstatic when I pack my stuff and walk out later at 6pm (it is only 12:30pm now as I write). It’s been almost one year, when I trusted the wrong person and regret it badly. I have been bitching and feeling sore for one year. Now, it is over and I am free! It is time for me to truly enjoy and embrace the moment, enjoying life as much as I can.

My countdown party started last week actually when I start calling some old friends to catch up before I leave, I know there are more to come in the next two weeks. But I am so loving it!

From having few whiskey with old colleagues at a rustic cigar bar.

Spending sometime alone at Chinatown enjoying nice glass of Ice Tea.

And spending a nice evening with my close friend, Foo, at her husband’s new restaurant.

Such open kitchen concept restaurant is my favourite now! Love to watch the chefs preparing my food, hearing the sizzling sound from the pan and when piping hot food are served right in front of me. It will be a bonus if the chefs are … ahem… HOT!

I look forward to spend more time with family and friends next and enjoy the rest of my stay in Singapore. I am happy to close the previous chapter and now, I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life.

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” -Confucius

p/s: Thank you for reading  ˆ–ˆ

Little Thing, Big Joy

AND AN EMPTY HOUSE WITH A LIZARD

I haven’t had the right mind set or inspiration to write any post recently, mainly also I am quite sad to be staying alone in an empty house with only 2 luggage of stuff and a lap top with me. I try my best not to write anything negative here.

Last week, we packed our entire life into 125 boxes which is on their way, cruising to Kenya… Sleeping on a mattress with a small blanket which can cover either my body or my leg, drinking water from tap, having my one and only small pot to heat some hot water for my cup noodles, one bowl, one spoon, one fork, a pair of chopstick and hearing the echo when I talk to myself, these are all I have for the past one week. Oh ya! And a freaking lizard that scared the shit out of me!! I hate lizard!!

I am counting down to next Tuesday, my last day of work so that I can pack my stuff, go home and stay with my family for a week or so before I fly to Kenya to be with Rob again. Looking forward to spend some quality time with my family. Till then….

♥♥♥

 

 

1. Enjoying Sunday at the beach with beautiful weather

2. View from double deck bus on the way to work

3. Last photo from office desk

4. Outside view from our first apartment

5. Missing my BFF

6. Daily Salad Lunch

7. Wedding dinner is the best place to meet with old friends

 

 

p/s: Thank you for reading!

Purpose of Life

I never understood the purpose of life before…. My idea of life was a typical type of one that most people are having…. (Well at least from most people I know). When we were young, we study. We try to achieve good result to get into a better school. After which, we study even harder so that we can graduate and move to the adulthood of working life. We work hard at our job so that we can move up the corporate ladder, to be somebody successful and earn more money to pay for a house and car. While we are working towards our ideal career path, we start “sourcing” for our ideal partner. We fall in love, get married and have children.  And we continue the life cycle by implanting the “ideal life” to our children while we are preparing to grow old. We reach a stage when our kids grew up, we retire and think we can enjoy the rest of our life while waiting for the day when God calls upon us. That is the process, but I don’t really understand the reason or purpose behind this.

I have been living such life and I thought it was perfect and normal. I tried to achieve many things and it is me and myself centric. I was happy, I thought.

There were days when I knew I need to do more, to do things other than for myself but the “me” things are always more important.

Remember the charity group which I briefly mentioned here? Last Saturday, we organized a Lunar New Year lunch for the girls, my very third activity with them. I remembered the very first time when I met them, it was when we brought them to the Universal Studio. Initially they were very shy and very protective towards themselves and their friends. They will stick with their group and only answers when they were questioned, nevertheless, they are still a very polite group of girls. We spent the entire afternoon playing the rides. Watching the girls enjoying themselves, the feeling inside me was emotional. At the end of the day after dinner, their caretaker presented a present from their girls to us, the volunteers, they sang us a “Thank You” song. It is a song that they thank us for our love… and that they have nothing to give us but a prayer for us and our love ones… It was so simple yet so genuine and sincere. I was having a hard time fighting against my tears watching the girls sing.

At night when I went home, I was so overwhelmed by my emotions, I couldn’t believe how happy I was, and I know I wanted more, I want to do more! From then, I started to think about purpose of life. I realised that every life have their purpose, God don’t place us here for no reason. There is a meaning for every story, purpose for every pain.

Saw them again on Saturday, saw how appreciative and happy they were with little things like making Lantern with Red Packets, having a glass of orange juice and Marshmallows. It is amazing how simple things can make people so truly happy and how the “Thank You” song can again bring such joy and peace to me. God lead me to this path for a reason, and I am thankful for the lesson they have taught me about life, how to appreciate small things and they had guided me to find my purpose in life.

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men.”
Albert Einstein

Litte Thing, Big Joy

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

♥♥♥

p/s: Thank you for visiting my blog

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

We are still celebrating the Lunar New Year which will last for 15 days, one of the most important celebrations for our family when we really TRY to celebrate and gather as much as we can, like every other day (although we are meeting the same group of people everytime!). There are a lot of traditions that we have to follow every year, a lot of Dos and Don’ts that we have been preach since young by our grandparents and parents, eg, to wear red, not to wear black, no fighting or arguing, no cutting of hair especially during the first 2 days of the Lunar New Year, must wear new clothes (basically from top to toe, in to out) for the first day of the Lunar New Year…. Well the list goes on….

As far as I can remember, the celebration is pretty much the same every year, with lots of food, drinks and family photo taking sessions. Nevertheless, we enjoyed every single bit of it, as long as we are with our Family.

Near Year Lantern handmade by mum

Table of food enough to feed the entire village

Mum, the Master Chef

There is also more reason for celebration

Comforting hands from mother and brother when things get alittle emotional

“We been through ups and down,

We been through life and death,

We shared tears and joy,

And I know I am not alone,

as long as I have you.

I am Thankful  to be part of You.”

p/s: Thank you for reading

Little Thing, Big Joy

 My heart feels heavy today…. The only thing I can think of is Robert will be leaving for Kenya tonight and I will only be able to see him in April. This may sound silly for some couples who are used to having a long distance relationship, so one month not seeing each other means really nothing. Although this is not the first time we are parted, but still, it is never easy to say “goodbye” and “see you soon”.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder…..

I will look forward to see him in Kenya soon, in April.

♥♥♥

p/s: Thank you for reading

Little Thing, Big Joy

“Its not that I want money,” says Buffett. “Its the fun of making money and watching it grow.”

By Warren Buffett

It was a crazy weekend for us last weekend with lots of packing, Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch with friends. We spent the entire Saturday packing our clothes for the moving company, counting the exact number of dresses, shirts, pants (undergarment, ties…..list goes on) for insurance purposes and putting aside stuff which we need to wear and MUST be able to fit into our small luggage for our 2 months’ supply (while our stuff are slowing cruising across the ocean from Singapore to Kenya)…. It was NOT an easy job at all as we do not want to “run-out-of” underwear by the 3rd week, however we enjoyed the process with many Many MANY cans of beers and most importantly, doing something together with people you love. I am learning to enjoy the process.

♥♥♥

p/s: Thank you for reading.