2012 - Busy and tiring. 2013 - What's in store?

So another year has gone by? It's 2013?! Happy New Year.

Somehow, as one grows older, the year doesn't matter anymore, festivals don't mean anything... or maybe it's just me, being cynical and grumpy here. Seriously I couldn't really remember what transpired throughout the year, except for the holidays taken. LOL :p I guess my customary post every new year can help me look back and recall.

Back to work

Started working in April coz I need money, couldn't stand being a SAHM anymore, felt that it's time I work else I would lose touch with the corporate world. Found a part-time job on a one-year contract and thought that it would be a perfect way to warm up my rusty engines. Basically my working hours are 8.30am to 4pm daily (I know, not the typical part-time like 9am to 3pm, well it's a long story). Anyways, by the time I reach home, it's close to 5pm and I have less than one hour to cook before dear son reaches home from his childcare by school bus. It's kind of rush, but if I prepare the ingredients the night before, it's still manageable, albeit tiring. Sometimes, if I cook soup, I'll throw all the ingredients into my electric timer cooker in the morning before leaving the house and by the time I get home, soup's done and all I need is to cook rice.

That said, working life is never fun as usual, I have generally nice colleagues, but naturally in any workplace some nasty ones. I don't really bother too much anyway since number 1, it's just a part-time job that pays my bills, number 2, it's a one-year contract only and I'm free to decide what I want to do thereafter, and number 3, actually if I'm unhappy I can resign anytime lah, which I almost did.

I really salute full time working mums (especially those without help) more than ever because seriously it's very tiring to work, then go home to face the cooking, washing, chores and the kiddos. It's like working OT every single day?! Even though I have a part-time helper who comes in 4hrs weekly, the daily chores of cooking, washing, laundry etc. knocks me out literally at the end of each day, and I have only one kid. Enuf said.

My little monster

He's adapting fairly well into full-day childcare since April, luckily I had started him in half-day programme when he was almost 18 months old. Except that he gets sick more often especially the first six months of starting full-time.

2 more weeks and he will be THREE! And definitely getting more articulate each day and learning at an alarming pace, especially when he starts to ask why and what. Why why why... it's driving us nuts. Now we fully understand what other parents have advised, yes kids start to ask why at a certain point of their childhood and it drives adults crazy. He's also using emotions and tantrums to get what he wants and this part of discipline is certainly the tough part.

Once again, I wonder what he will be up to this year and whether I still have energy or patience to manage all the challenges.

Cooking/Baking/Workshops

I cook dinner 4 to 5 times during weekdays (except for weekends where we dine out and dear son dines at his grandma's place) which is important since lunch is mostly hawker food. But I try to pack salads once or twice a week, and cook more for dinners so that I can pack the extras for lunch the next day. Dishes are quick and easy so that I just need less than an hour. Fortunately dear son can eat most of our adult food now (except for spicy stuff) so I don't have to cook separately and it saves a lot of time. That said, I'm getting a little sick of recycling the same dishes and hope to find time to search for new dishes that are not too elaborate and could refresh my menu. Check out my cooking under the labels - Cooking - finger food and snacks/main dishes/salad/soup.

As for baking, unfortunately I couldn't bake as much as I wanted to, probably during the weekends when dear son goes to his grandma's place. But even when I bake, I stick to those tried and tested recipes or quick and easy ones to save time most of the time. Boring! Ok, I did try a few new recipes as well. Check out under Baking - Bread/Cake/Cookies/Cupcakes/Muffin/Kueh Kueh/Pastries

I still have a long list of to-try recipes, waiting for me, I wonder when I'll be able to attempt them all.

As for baking/cooking workshops, I attended even far lesser than previous years, coz there were a lot of errands to run or things to do that I simply couldn't find the time, even though there were some I had wanted to join. Have signed up for 2 workshops upcoming in Jan and Feb and I'm certainly looking foward to them.

Traveling

Hubby and I yearn for getaways even more, but unfortunately we weren't able to travel as much as we wanted to ever since I started working. Trips that we brought dear son along - Genting Highlands, Melaka, Bintan and Phuket. And trips we went on our own - Bangkok, Koh Samui, Tokyo (2 trips - once in March, then December) and Bintan (to celebrate our 10th anniversary). Initially we wanted to go Hokkaido for our 10th anniversary but decided to postpone the trip as if we were going Hokkaido, it has to be more than a week (couldn't take long leave and also tough to let MIL take care of dear son for prolong period). Unfortunately we also didn't manage any diving trip at all!!!

In about 2 weeks' time, hubby and I will be going to Bangkok (yes, it has sort of become our annual ritual apart from Tokyo), and thereafter not too sure about plans as hubby would be very busy with work. Hopefully we could steal short weekend getaways from time to time. I'm now very much into chillout holidays, just chillax instead of shopping or sightseeing.

I still 2 backdated posts to write about - Melaka and our most recent trip to Tokyo in Dec! Stay tuned for these 2 posts soon.

Blogging

With so many things going on in my life, means that blogging has taken a back seat once again and I managed 53 posts, a weekly blog? There were times when I felt like closing the blog altogether because I simply didn't have the energy to blog. Then again, this blog still serves as a good depository and summary of what I love and have done, so it would be a pity to give it up. Well, I'll try my best since this is my personal blog after all, no hard and fast rules.

The year ahead

Seriously I don't know what to expect in this brand new year. Still haven't find our ideal abode, especially when property prices are so crazy these days. Will continue to monitor and possibly do a minor renovation since our house is 10 years old and parts of it are beginning to break apart.

I also have to ponder about my job soon since the one-year contract is expiring in April. Hmmmm...

Been thinking about starting my online baking business for the longest time. Perhaps it's high time I act on it? Well...

And finally, hope that I can have more energy, feel less tired and grouchy this upcoming year. Happy New Year once again!