A home to call our own.

It's the beginning of a new dawn...we have officially moved into the next phase of adulthood and now we fall into ranks with most people our age - we officially owe the bank lots of money.  We have what they call - a mortgage.  A very scary financial term but in an ironic way kinda "loving" to us nonetheless cos' it give us what we call - a HOME to call our OWN.

In a way, we didn't expect to buy a house until we get our Permanent Residency in Canada next year but as luck would prove, all the stars were aligned for us to celebrate christmas in our own home this year.  In fact, I am going to buy a huge christmas tree to put next to the fireplace this weekend. 

And so, within 2 weeks of house-hunting, eager Emmanuel spotted a house fresh on the market the very morning, got the very first appointment to view the house and signed the offer on the spot.  It was a petite house that we couldn't help falling hopelessly in love with.  He had a "Millionaire's Tactic"(that he learnt off the web) he wanted to deploy on the negotiations of the purchase but somehow, we didn't get round to it.  ;)  Falling in love is a hard thing to do.

For the first time, I will officially use the Tiffany & Co. keychain my dear friend Honghui gave me when I turned 21.  I've kept it for years cos I always lose my things somewhere but now that I am 32, I think I can trust myself not to lose my own house keys.  *fingers crossed*

The good thing about owning a house is that it guarantees Emmanuel a good exercise every morning during the winter.  He'll have to shovel the snow off the entrance walkway to the car and with the crazy amount of snow we get each year, I think he's on the way to building some serious Schwarzenegger muscles.  Then, when the summer comes, he"ll have to work the lawnmower in our backyard  And when autumn comes, he'll have a go at the leaf blower, and so on and so forth....  I'm getting a new house and a new muscleman in a package deal!!!  What good fortune!  ;p

The packers are here today and we'll be shifting tomorrow.  Seems like we have a light job here but in fact, I am worried sick.  Every time we go to the house, Emmanuel gets an allergic reaction to the previous owner's cats(they have 2 dogs and 3cats).  Of course the owners cleaned the house before they left but what we worry is the air vents that they are not able to clean.  The house is heated by forced air and the air vents run throughout the house, which I believe the air is recycled in its circulation.  Unfortunately, the cats' hairs can get into the vents and continue circulating in the house. undetected  Tonight, we shall visit the house for a round of thorough cleaning and see if we can eliminate the problem.  I really don't wanna buy a house, move in and then have to sell it soon because of unwanted cat's hairs. 

And so, it is time for my coffee break and see what the packers have done so far.  Till the next time, I shall be writing from chez moi!

Desperate moments call for desperate measures...

Sometimes, we just need a little inspiration.  Or, shall we say...desperation?

Closing into my 5th month of pregnancy, I still haven't got over my desperation for Singapore or Chinese or Indian food.  I was spoilt in Chicago for 10days and now that it is back to reality, the only way I can sniff any Singapore food is if I were to cook them myself.

Thank god for PrimaTaste - I couldn't imagine where am I gonna get chicken curry in my neighbourhood(or town, or city, or province, or...let's not bother going any further) for dinner when the crave for something hearty, coconutty and spicy hits me.  Now, I feel like crying cos I just did a inventory of my pantry and realized I used the last supply of my Singapore Chicken Curry last Tuesday.  I am even out of Hainanese Chicken rice too!  These are times that I feel like sobbing my heart out.

Now that we are moving in less than 2 weeks to our new home, I have to plan ways to clear my freezer.  I think I'm gonna do some codfish tonight with the yummy Lee Kum Kee ready-to-serve sauce out of a packet(I know this is not made from scratch and all but this sauce is so yummy and ready-to-go I don't see why I should even bother!).  My forecast for tomorrow would be chinese BBQ spare ribs - I wanted to eat that tonight but I forgot I have to marinate them overnight.  I think Sunday would be perfect for some Indian Tandoori Chicken.       

And so, desperate moments call for some good home-cooked food.  Afterall, we really couldn't find a good Indian curry restaurant within 100miles of us.  If only I am in London....sigh....  C'est la vie!