“What Could Go Wrong?”

“What Could Go Wrong?” In my previous (work) life as a Risk Analyst, this little/big phrase used to be the core of my daily modus operandi.  For over a decade, I asked this very question, …. day-after-day, client-after-client, process-after-process.  “What Could Go Wrong?” I used to inquire, sometimes phrased differently to be as delicate as possible.  My role was to dissect what people did as their “normal routine” at work, and assess if there was any business “risk” (usually unidentified) which was concealed in-between the most regular work procedures. 

As happens in most cases, separating work-life from home-life is not always an obvious process.  Over the years, ….. unintentionally,… the “What Could Go Wrong? (WCGW)” frame of mind seeped through to my home-life.  For example, I would make my weekly menu and the grocery list to go with it, but, I would also include in my list “additional” items, in case(for some reason or other) I couldn’t cook what I had planned!  That’s just a simple example of WCGW in action.  It becomes more apparent (and challenging) when a bigger event is in question, ….. for example - a holiday!! 

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Now that I am a stay-at-home-mum,..and have been since Sept 2006,… I am pleased to announce that I have been “cured” to some extent from this unwonted malady.  No, it is not necessarily a bad thing to have a risk averse attitude, but my believe now is that one should have a natural attitude to risk, especially in the home-front to bring out the best in you and the family, particularly the children. 

The benefits (for me) from being cured are varied and many.  They include:

1.  Not being referred to as “stress ball” by hubby
2.  The sense of excitement of starting a weekend without anything planned
3.  Having faith that sometimes things work out for themselves…..

……… I hope that you are all having a great week ………………….

 

Good News!!

I am really excited today!  It is hubby’s last day at the current workplace (…. some of you would know about him being served with a redundancy notice 3 weeks ago). BUT, the great news is,…..HE GOT AN EXCELLENT JOB OFFER TODAY!! We had been keeping our fingers crossed for this particular job because it was exactly what he wanted.  The interview process was a long one too.  There were 3 interviews (for this job) altogether,….. and a 3 hour psyche test too!  But, he cleared it all with flying colours!  I am so proud of hubby, not only because of his perseverance and determination, but also because of his patience and positiveness in the past 3 weeks.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful friends, who have been supporting me through this period with their kind words of comfort and by sharing their own personal experiences with me.  I have grown in the past 3 weeks and am thankful to you all for this! THANK YOU!!

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PS:  Hubby will be taking the next week off to rest before starting work in his new position on Monday week.

I turn 13,149 days old today ☺

In years,…I turn 36 today .  But this day is special for another reason too.  It is also my father’s birthday. So,…here’s wishing my daddy the Happiest Day!!  I Love You!!

Remembering Monday Morning Assemblies ……

It’s 9:50am on Monday, 18 Feb 2008.  I’ve just got home after the morning assembly at the boys’ school.  As usual, I stood at my favourite spot on the outdoor basketball court.  The sun was on my face,…and being a hot summer’s day (expected high of 34°Celsius) it was a bit uncomfortable even at this early time of day.  Silently, I was thankful that I had reminded the boys to have their hats on, and also glad that I brought my own cap this day.  It helped.

It was a fairly long assembly, as there were a lot of special presentations.  There was the usual “Pupils of the Week” presentation as well as the badge-presenting ceremony for the newly elected members of the Junior School Council .  It was also this morning, that the school announced their “School Values for 2008″ to the assembly crowd.  [They are: Fun, Responsibility, Respect, Caring, Cooperation,...and one more.]  I look forward to seeing how these values are played out at school and at home this year.

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Sometime during the morning’s procession, I drifted back to my own school days and Monday morning assemblies.  Noted, was only one similarity from what I was watching this morning - the glaring sun!  In my days, parents were not allowed to attend the assemblies at school (in fact they were not even allowed in the school grounds unless they were there to see the Principal!).  Students were not allowed to wear hats, and no matter how long the assembly was turning out to be, we were always expected to stand tall in attention.  (I am thankful that the students at my boys’ school are allowed to sit on the ground during assembly (after the National Anthem of course), so as not to tire their little legs). 

Inmy days, somehow, there was always a “fear factor” involved too,..and for some reason, although I remember that clearly, I cannot find the right words to explain what I mean…. Maybe, it is because the way I remember it, Monday morning assemblies during my school days were not about the students at all …..

This afternoon, when we have our “how-was-your-day-at-school-chat”, I hope to bring up the topic of Monday morning assemblies and explain to my boys why they are lucky to have this wonderfully choreographed platform every week to highlight the success of students at their school!

It’s all about Chicken Rice …..

When I was growing up, my exposure to Chinese hawker style food was very limited.  We never frequented Chinese restaurants as much as the average family in Malaysia did, as my parents were adamant that we grew up on good home cooked meals.  No doubt, …..I am thankful to my parents for this.  (The same rule applied for Indian restaurants too, but not as much…. ).

However, there were rare occasions where we would “buy out” from Chinese Hawker stalls.  My parents would say that we were doing this “just for a change”.  I remember as a child, I used to hate it when this happened, especially if we were to have our meal at a “kopitiam” (coffee shop) itself.   My earliest memories of the average kopitiam (at that time) was to be blamed for my distress.  They always seemed to be noisy, with the workers shouting out your order (once you’ve made it) right from our table to the respective stall owners.  The tables were only cleaned once you sat at it… (you always had the opportunity to see what the previous table occupants had for their meal, and this was never a good thing).  There was always food remnants on the floor, and the worst of all,…. the cats!!  There were always cats roaming about the place, and they always came around when you didn’t notice and rubbed against your legs as you had your meal.  (This always drove me to tears).

 

A typical outdoor kopitiam in Malaysia

Naturally, my view of the kopitiams changed a little as I grew older.  This came naturally as my frequency to kopitiams increased as they were common places for friends to meet up.  Although I never felt completely comfortable (and still don’t), I never got as distressed about these places as I used to be as a child.  However, the funny thing is,…. what I ordered as a meal never really changed.  I would only order either Hainanese Chicken Rice, Assam Laksa or Satay.

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Last night, I decided to cook Hainanese Chicken Rice for dinner.  If one was to do it the “right way”, this relatively simple meal actually takes some time and effort.  However, thankfully, there are simpler options now.  My latest visit to the local Vietnamese Grocer last week found me some little delights.  Nowadays, one can actually buy pre-made pastes or sauces for almost any meal, and that is exactly what I found for Hainanese Chicken Rice.  So, happily I bought a small jar of Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix to get the “rice” correct.  I also bought a bottle of Hainanese Chicken Rice Chilly Sauce. 

Cooking the meal was so easy and the results delightful.  The rice, chicken broth, chicken pieces and sauces came out beautifully, and the whole family enjoyed the meal to the last grain!  You bet it won’t be long before we have this meal again .

Choc Pudding …. anytime

One may think that Chocolate Pudding in summer is insane….but, really,… chocolate is great anytime!!  Don’t you agree? So, as a treat for boys, I decided to make them some chocolate pudding for their after school snack.  (I had been offering them plain old biscuits this whole week after school, and it didn’t take too long before they started complaining….)

There was a fabulous recipe for chocolate pudding in my (current) favourite recipe book.  Thankfully, I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so there was no shopping involved:) . So,… merrily I started the endeavour.  This was my first time with this recipe, so as most recipe-first-timers would know,..there was a bit of ’stress’ in relation to “getting it right”.  Of course, I realised later (as we usually do) there was no need of worrying.  The pudding came out great!!

The boys loved it,…and so did hubby (who had some for dessert).  This one definitely gets into my favourite recipe list. 

What about you?  Have you tried any new “sweet” recipes lately?

Carnival of Running an Organised Home

NOTE:  I do apologise to my Carnival submitters about the confusion in regards to the Carnival submissions for this week.  It was (and still is) my intention to take a short break in running the carnival.  Although I had indicated this in my last Carnival post, I continued to receive submissions.  I appreciate that this is no fault of the submitter as the Carnival Index Form should have been deactivated (and I presumed that I had correctly done this…will have to check why it is not working…).  Thank you for your submission for this week.  However, please note that the date for the next submission is not yet fixed.

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Welcome to the February 16, 2008 edition of carnival of running an organised home.

Kelsey presents Organization of Time posted at Vanilla Joy - Family Fun and Education.

Luke Houghton presents Accidental exposure of my nakedness posted at sevendaymother.com, saying, “A funny story about what my daughter did to expose my nakedness”

Freddie L. Sirmans, Sr. presents Can The US Prevent A Starvation Crisis? posted at Can The US Prevent A Starvation Crisis.

GP presents The 10 Commandments of Horse Management posted at Innside Montana-Your Home at the Range, saying, “The 10 commandments of equine management can apply to us too!”

Brandon Rike presents What To Do About YOUR DESIRE TO JOIN ORGANIZED CRIME posted at What To Do About.com, saying, “Its close enough”

SpiKe presents Clutter 101: Track Your De-Cluttering Activity - Practical advice on personal development, productivity and GTD posted at Organize IT.

Wenchypoo presents Comparing Working vs. Staying Home posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

John Crenshaw presents The Biggest Scam Your Bank Gets Away With Everyday posted at Truthful Lending dot Com, saying, “This little known scam accounts for a huge portion of fees paid to banks every year and is going on right under your nose. The worst part is, it’s completely legal.”

Alvaro Fernandez presents Are Schools (Cognitively) Nutritive for Children’s Complex Thinking? posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “Pop over to your neighborhood school and visit some classrooms. Is what’s happening cognitively nutritive?”

the simple nickle presents Cheap Eats: Recipes for Around $1 Per Serving: Creamy Cilantro Dressing on Salad posted at the simple nickle, saying, “BEWARE! This is the best salad dressing you’ve ever had.”

the simple nickle presents Finally! An EASY Way to Track Money and Spending posted at the simple nickle, saying, “I have never been a fan of personally tracking every single thing you spend…until now.”

Happy Valentine’s Day ♥

Here’s wishing everyone a Very Happy Valentine’s Day!!  ♥

Happy Birthday Dear Hubby….

Last Sunday, hubby celebrated his 39th birthday.  As usual, we had a little family celebration.  The highlight was the cake of course.  (This is always the case where children are involved ).  We had the best time!

 

Carnival of Running an Organised Home

Welcome to the February 9, 2008 edition of carnival of running an organised home.  The following are the submissions received this week.  

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Carnival of Running an Organised Home - Edition #7

GP presents So You Want to be an Innkeeper posted at Innside Montana-Your Home at the Range.

Carole Fogarty presents Simple solutions when you just can’t shift your clutter: posted at The Healthy Living Lounge.

Summer presents Save, Donate, Sell posted at Wired For Noise.

Stephanie presents Smaller is Better - TT # 21 posted at Stop the Ride!.

Raymond presents Get Organized and More Efficient By Going Paperless posted at Money Blue Book.

Kelsey presents January is National Get Organized Month posted at Vanilla Joy - Family Fun and Education.

Tea Party Girl presents How Often Do You Set the Table? posted at Tea Party Girl.

Tiffany Washko presents Organic and Natural Home Cleaning Products! posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

PlanningQueen presents Planning the Term 1 Week posted at Planning with Kids.

New Old-Fashioned Gal presents My New Year?s Resolution to Host More is in Full Swing posted at Diary of a New Old-Fashioned Gal.

AnneGlamore presents My Tiny Kingdom » Week O’ Recipes posted at Tales From My Tiny Kingdom.

the simple nickle presents Cheap Eats: Recipes for Around $1 Per Serving: Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes posted at the simple nickle.

Kelsey presents Organization of Time posted at Vanilla Joy - Family Fun and Education.

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That concludes this edition.  Past editions of this carnival can be viewed here. 

The Carnival will be taking a short break for now.  Please visit again soon to find out when it will be resumed again.

Thank you!