Jewellery Affairs

An American couple left $10.7 million with a lawyer. The lawyer stole the money, went to a jeweller, spent $1.8million. Ran away with all $10 million. The couple now sue the jeweller (and 6 other parties).

Leslie asks if I were the jeweller, would I be suspicious?

1. He's a first-time customer, lavished on $1.8million jewellery?
You see, people do strike toto. Plus, I know I'm not the only jeweller. He could be my first-time customer, but could have bought billions pieces elsewhere. Also, economy is picking up. There are people who has wonders dollars from stock market or property market. So, no alarm to me.

2. He didn't request to see reports?
Some people love the jewelleries by it's look (like when you are in France). Some people buy on reports. People in Singapore trust that Singapore is safe, and it's very common to buy on report solely, or on jewellery without report. Plus he is a first-time buyer, so maybe he is not particular about reports. And maybe, my designs are so stunning that he forgot to ask for reports. Ha. So still not alerted.

3. Courtesy
High-end jewellers are used to meeting up with people who seems to have bottomless budgets. We can't suspect them. It's a social etiquette. No alarm.

I would end up in the same position. Poor thing the couple and the jeweller.

Milestone Announcement

3 Months 14 Days
Today Berton struggled with all his energy, with both his legs kicking high in the air, and his face turning red. He turned from face up and face down, and then face down to face up! He looked a bit shocked when he did it. I cheered and clapped.

Bull Shopping

It’s either due to the GSS, or the coming GST hike, or just the finally booming economy. Singaporeans are dashing out of deprivation, cheerfully queuing to pay for LV bags and clarity diamonds.

To join in the crowd. I retired my good old dell, which has a malfunction USB port, wireless network card and 1 minute battery life. I bought a new asus s6f, 11 inch, leather skinned, core 2 duo, 120mb, vista, comes with a leather mouse, and a sleek brown laptop bag. Packed in a black box. I almost thought I bought red wine.

Before you rush for the GST hike, one interesting note: 2% of $1000, is $20.

(Some experts out there please tell me, why is my core 2 duo slower than my previous pentium M? Is it due to Vista? Norton Antivirus? Vodafone modem?)

Bevan @ 21 Months. Berton @ 3 Months.

Bevan is learning vocabularies in a rocket speed. He chats. He says sentences like “Riyah prepare water” “No more pasar malam” “Put didi mommy carry Bevan” “Bevan yawn yawn tired”. He is trilingual, he knows eat rice, is chi fan, is makan. Sit down, is zuo xia, is duduk. He says words like crane, construction, renovation, hump, bumper, contractor. Leslie is now trying hippopothamus.

He pretends to eat the french fries I drew on the paper, his toy fish, and the orange on the flash cards, and shows the-orange-is-really-sour look. Loves to point out pink, favorite color is green. Two months ago someone played with him in the padeatrician's clinic, today he told me "Doctor Ong, Aunty carry Bevan, see starfish." He always remind us which part of the route has roadwork, blinking lights, smilies, pasar malam, reservoir, on the way to office.

Berton is a sweet baby. He smiles and laughs a lot. “Talks” a lot, especially to Mr Sponge Box (ya a soft toy). He raised his legs really high, and turn himself sideway. He is almost ready to turn from face up to face down.

Sometimes I wish my eyes are camera. To capture my little champions' very adhoc special moments.

Clarity Of Love

I was the strangest girl on earth, I did not like diamonds. My parents used to send me to a corner with a tray of diamonds, “Count them and stop disturbing!”. I thought they are the same as pebbles. Only much smaller and useless.

So when Leslie proposed, he wanted to buy a quite substantial one to express his love, I wanted dainty diamond (so weird). We settled with mid-range (how lucky was he). It was set in a very unique setting which I love very much. This is the first diamond which I wore everyday until my fingers got water retention (ie. fat).

I grew to appreciate these amazing natural sparkly little stones deep from the ground, which are million of years old. We got an anniversary ring last month, to celebrate our love and our boys. It's a meaningful piece to me - I always wanted respectable jewelleries to pass down to my kids. It's a meaningful piece to Leslie - It's a status milestone. And his wife is proudly taken.

Hair Everywhere

It started last week. I was in Funan foodcourt when I saw strand of hair in my Kimchi ramen. The next day in a hotel, I saw another strand in the yummy frog leg porridge. Dinner time, hair again in Katsu Don. I started feeling worried for Singapore, our cleanliness level has dropped so drastically. Finally it got registered in my [slightly] slow-function brain when I saw hair in my lunchbox from home - I am having postnatal hair loss!

I was lucky after giving birth to Bevan. I had hair loss, but it was essentially the white hair that fell. So I hope I will be lucky this time too.

Before I end. Some old wives’ tales about postnatal hair loss I’ve heard
OLDWIVES TALE: When baby starts to smile, mommy starts to drop hair.
AMANDA’S TALE: I didn’t have it that early. I say it starts when baby prefers to be carried in a sitting position.

OLDWIVES TALE: If baby hair doesn’t fall, mommy’s hair will fall
AMANDA’S TALE: I think baby and mommy’s hair start falling at the same time.

Family Portrait

A few days ago, someone from a studio called and offered a free makeover and photoshoot. I received these calls once in a while and thought they sounded gimmicky, but coincidentally I was hoping to take some nice family pictures. So I requested for a family photoshoot.

We all didn’t look too good, Bevan’s hair is too long, Berton was falling asleep, I smiled too wide, Leslie didn’t shave clean. Plus I wasn't really looking for an everyone-sit-on-the-sofa kind of family portrait. Still we were interested to buy the entire CDROM, but the consultant kept probing

“Do you drive?”
“You have your own business right?”
“I am sure you are eligible to apply for credit cards.”

And quoted $2998 for a mini touched up booklet. I asked how much is the CDROM, she said $1998 without blinking her eyes. We swear to go look for a reliable sudio soon.

Paris Moment

Tay Peng Hui were recommended to my shop for a platinum chain. I spent a liiiittle more time chatting with him the difference between platinum and 18k white gold, the mental alloy, he said he was a science student. He was more intellectual than I thought. It was fun. Later he told the person who recommended him to my shop that I'm cute. And this is the only thing that you should take note after reading this blog entry. Aha.

Business Talk With Dad

When I told my friends that my dad presented a bouquet of roses on my first day to university. They thought my dad wears a cowboy hat. They are wrong. The irony is, my dad looks like a headmaster, put a L size Mahathir face on Lee Hsien Long's build, with Lee Kwan Yew's sternness. Casual chat with my dad would include national security, how China is rising, kids education, latest successful marketing strategy ran in the company. I have never known anyone else who is as passionate about career, as upright, as fatherly-figure-to-everyone as him. His recent advice in our chat -

* Business philosophy
"Cost saving is limited. Sales and Marketing are unlimited. So you should not waste time on cost saving, just focus on expanding profits."

* High end business
"There are many buildings in Singapore and Malaysia, each of these building has an owner. You just need to get half of these owners to deal with you."

Don't they sound easy.

Cast Away

I was in a hotel cafe, having monthly buffet gathering with friends I love. We were on office politics. And then I realized I have become office politics illiterate. I have never enjoyed office gossips. 5 minutes of it is manageable. One hour of it is torturing. So I went “how's life everyone?”. And everyone went "I have been watching TV". Luckily we went on to fashion, husband's friend and ice cream. Thank god the desserts were good. And knowing that we can talk so much deeper at times.

Unexpected Roll 2

2 months 25 days

After my last appointment on Friday evening. I went into the baby room and watched Berton kicking and punching. I thought he looked kinda strong, I wondered if I let him face down, would he turn face up by himself. So I flipped him facing down in a I-am-just-experimenting-state-of-mind. He kicked and punched, and he flipped himself face up! My little muscle boy.

Read Unexpected Roll 1.

Baby Room In Office

I renovated my office. Besides having a bigger working space for staffs, a consultation corner. Most importantly, incorporating a baby room. People thought having own business is fun and flexible. That’s the best-kept lie on earth. My shop is like my third baby.

I am always with my 3 babies. So, my 2 babies now have a space of their own. They no longer sleep beside the fax machine or the dustbin. They don’t have to wake up whenever my staffs walk in the office to eat their lunches or grab a handphone. They don’t have to crawl on where customers walk. They don’t have to knock on the sharp corners of counters. Their room is theirs, shoe-less, with cartoon beds, cartoon chairs.

As I was staring at my new office, I thought this is true blue 事业与家庭并重. Classic. Unbeatable. Bevan and Berton better love me. ALOT.

Newborn Boom

Last week we had a newborn boom in the family. First we visited my cousin's little Ayden's full month party. I carried him and rocked him to sleep! Woo soooo cute the little hands and little legs. Then it was my sis-in-law giving birth to Kaden. The little newborn redness the messy newborn hair the newborn jerks. Ooo how I miss the newborn smell.

Complete Woman

My aunt-in-law, came to my house, taught me how to cook a pot of yummy pig trotter in vinegar. She sent me this sms after she has left.

从前琴棋书画样样行，
如今柴米油盐酱醋茶.

I take it as a compliment.