Finally !!!

At long last, after 4 days of "torture-rous" and painful waiting, this morning, my cutie husband rang and told me the Sales Office rang our agent to schedule for an appoint with us to sign the contract for the house. I was so excited and started screaming "FINALLY" followed by "that means we're getting the house right ?"

Forever in his safety zone, Paul's "safe" reply was "Our agent said it's a 99% chance that we're getting it but I wouldn't rejoyce and be too happy about it until the keys are in my hands." Arrrggghhhhh... that usual stunt of his, whenever I am happiest and in my extreme excitement, he'll pour a bucket of cold icy water on top of my head and drain my excitement away - that Party Pooper.

True enough, after signing the contract, it would still take abt 3-4 weeks for the mortage to be approved and sorted out. And according to Paul, they may still reject us. But if they're not certain, the Sales Office wouldn't invite us to sign a 70 pages contract with them, would they ? My professional agent should have enough experience to know that we're getting the house too right ?

Regardless, to me, 99% is a good percentage to be excited about. So dear folks, I may be moving to a new house soon... but keep praying for that remaining 1% to be positive !!!

On the 2nd note, Paul need to battle with my current landlord sometime this week. For some of you who is unaware of the full story, here goes, on Monday I rang my landlord "advising" and "informing" her that we may be moving out of our current apartment. Based on our contract, our lease is due on 28th Feb 08. But if our new house falls into place, we may be moving in around early Jan 08 thus getting out of our current apartment by end Jan, making us to end our lease 1 mth eariler than the contract stated.

Before I can finish my whole story, she throw me with statements such as "If anyone can break their lease, what's the point of having a signed contract ?" followed by "you didn't help me to be your realtor so why should I help you !" At this point I was ready to explode and chew her head off. But I don't want to ruin the whole scene and make it irreversable. Thus I ended the conversation before I'll scream her head off and cause her to be deaf or educate her with my "X-rated" vocabulary list hahahaha. So I decided to let Paul deal with this Super Bitch instead cause I'm done with her nastiness.

Oh well, for now, I'll just consumed myself with the excitement and the mere thought of the new house that we'll be ending with !!! YOOOOHOOOOOO !!!!!

Waiting Game - Day 3

It's officially the Day 3 of the waiting game and I am still bloody waiting ! Nop I am definately not a happy camper either ! I can't help but wonder what the hell is taking them that long ????!!! Have they been sitting on their butt and sucking on bonbon the past few days or perhaps merely staring at the blank space for inspiration ?

AAARRRGGGHHHHHH.....this is super frustrating and I just need a freaking answer before I go bonkers.

Our agent advised us that there's no reason for them to reject us but again, there's always a chance that they might say NO.

AAARRRRGGGHHHHH !!!!! @#$%^&*(*% (Yes, I am swearing)

Nop, Haven't heard anything !!!

End of Tuesday and still no Bloody News ....AAARRGGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!

No News Yet...

It's late Monday evening and we've yet to hear any news from our Realtor about the house which we submitted our offer to yesterday. Yes, I know that the Sales Officer advise us that we'll have to wait a couple of days before we hear anything from their Head Office. But just how much longer do we have to wait ??? I am getting impatient and pacing around the house isn't helping.... Before I reached my breaking point and go insane, I drove myself to Target to get my mind off from the waiting.

Oh, something to share with you folks, this is funny. We had just switched our telecommunications company thus this morning, the Cable guy came over to the house to adjust our cable and phone lines. The funny bit started when the Cable guy was testing the phone and at that very instant, Paul rang the house and he was shocked, stumbled and speechless when he heard on the other side of the phone - Another Man's voice.

Paul's natural reaction was paniced and followed by questioning of "Who's that ? Who are you ? What you doing ? ". The Cable guy was busy explaining himself and then immediately passed the phone back to me. I can't help but laugh out loud at both men's reaction, oh well....

Can that bloody Sales Officer call us already !!!!!!!!!!!! Gosh.... all I can do is wait and pray hard and pray very very hard !!!!!

House Hunt Part 3 - Pray for Me !!! =)

It's the Third weekend we spent hunting for our future home and guess what, hardwork finally paid off !

Our real estate agent finally woke up from his idea and found us something splendid. To top it off, it's brand new house which means we'll be the first occupants in that house, which is something my mom kept nagging at me to get. That also meant no one have ever died there before and hopefully there's no wondering spirits lurking around either.

Both of us viewed it on Sat and agreed it's a definate YES. We're not being hasty here but even picky and fussy Paul felt that it's too good a deal to pass off. I think that's cause there's less restoration and repair work that need to be done as compared to an older house of the same price.

Let's see, it's a brand new house with 2 years Builders' warranty on it. The Kitchen Cabinate and it's Appliances (2-door fridge, microwave, cooking stove and dishwasher, all from Whirlpool) have never been used before. Both Masterbath (with Tub and Shower attached) and the Common bath are fully furnished. The carpets are also newly installed. We have a back patio with the nature reserve within walking distance. Oh, it's a 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 2 Car garage at little less than 1500 sq ft with a price tag of USD170,000. However, we do need to get washer and dryer. As it's a new subdivision and houses are still in building process thus I hope my neighbours are of younger crowd and easy going too.

Well, on Sunday we placed our offer for the house but we were advised by the Sales Office that we should either receive a positive or negative reply from their Head Office by Monday or Tuesday. Thus currently we're keeping our fingers and toes crossed. If everything go according as planned, we're looking to move into our new home in the beginning of Jan 08. Now that would be exciting and awesome for us to start a brand new year in our first home...

Sommer, this new house that we're dying to have is about 20 mins away from where you're living *wink*. So that means we can hang out more often too =)

Folks, I've took some picture of the house to share.... So PRAY FOR ME... It's time we receive some Good News !!!!

P/S : Apologies Folks, there seems to some error with the Slide Photo programme. It didn't show as many photos as it's suppose to. The Solution - once the photo end, a "Play" icon will appear. Click on the icon and it'll show the remaining of the photos. =)

Terpanyaki & Pumpkin Pie

Last night, Sommer called and proposed having dinner together at a Japanese restaurant for Terpanyaki. Without hessitation, I agreed to it and was excited. Oh Yes ! FINALLY, we are going to try something different for a change and most importantly with my favourite companions.

With Paul and his "limited" list of foods that he will eat, me and Sommer had to convince him to give it a shot along with countless assurance that he will enjoy the food. I am always restricted and held back from exploring something different aside from western food cause Paul is not that adventurous in the food department. He have more dislike than likes and that's really a challenge when dining out. The only time that he had ever try something different from steak and fries was Thai food and even then, he ordered stir fried beef and rice.

Regardless, I am glad that he's a willing participant in our dinner venture. Perhaps this would be an experience that will convince him to step out from his comfort zone and give the cuisine a chance. We were all sitted excitedly infront of the grill waiting for the chef's grand entrance. In an instant, he began a few tricks with cracking the egg and building an onion volcano. Unfortunately he's not as entertaining as the chef on the next table but he does serve some wickedly delicious food and I totally enjoyed my dinner.

After stuffing ourselves happily with the food served, we went to Sommer and Pete's cosy habitat for a drink and chill. Yup, I also enjoyed my nightcap of vodka and Dr Pepper (Girls, Dr Pepper is kind of like cherry coke).

Did I mention that Sommer showed me her own creation of Pumpkin Pie ? It's key ingredient is pumpkin pudding with it's magic content of whipped cream. Sommer was gracious enough to cut 2 huge slices for me to bring home to devour it. My intention was to try it tomorrow but before I even reached home, I sticked my finger into the soft, cold filling and started eating away.... yes, I finished 1 slice of it even before I reached home ! That's evidence and prove on how yummy the pie is.

Nop, both slices are for me since Paul have something against dessert and anything sweet. I seriously wonder that there's something wrong with him. He doesn't like dessert, who in the world would say NO to dessert ???

Anyway, I have another slice of Sommer's creation in the fridge waiting for me to eat it up tonight ! =)

Thanks Giving

Thanks Giving came and went in a flash ! The initial plan was for Paul to slog in the kitchen and slog over the stove and a quiet dinner among us. Fortunately to Paul's rescue, we were invited to Paul's older brother, Casey's house for Thanks Giving dinner instead. I know it's a relief for Paul cause that means no cooking, no sweating but ready food. Casey's wife Joanna aka my older SIL is incharge of the menu which includes a whole Turkey, Long Bean casserole, Mash Potato, Corn casserole which resemble a corn bread, Corn and Stuffings.

As for me and Paul, our responsibilities are the Pies which includes my personal favourite Key Lime Pie and the "Thanks Giving" Pie - Pumpkin Pie with it's accessory - Whipped Cream. Yeah, whipped cream, that surely boast any dull and plain pie to the top.

Beside us as the invited guest, Joanna's family were there as well. When dinner is served, it was totally different from what I expected. I expect a recreation of the scene from the movie which everyone sits on the long table with the yummy-licious food laying infront of us and the head of the family or the eldest will say a prayer. Yup, that type of thing or scene. In reality, all the food were lay out on the dining table along with the cutleries and the hostess told me "Just go ahead, no need to wait". Though not all the guest were there yet. Thus to me, it feel more like a dinner then a special Thanks Giving. Oh well, different family have different style. The food is delicious and while I am chewing my turkey, I can't help but wonder how many thousands in the turkey population had been slaughtered and sacrificed for this occassion.

After my food had settled down, I made a swift attacked for the pies. Yes, it's my very first pumpkin pie and I'm skeptical. Desserts are meant to be sweet and sinful but this vegetable pie seems so guilt-free. Before I fully convinced myself that maybe I can have a second slice of this guilt-free pie, Paul flashed the can of whipped cream and started loaded it all over my pie. In that very instant, I kissed my second slice goodbye. My first bite was intense and my brain registered the flavor and my taste bud approved it's ingredient and taste. It was yummy-licious but I had to utilise all the power and inner strength within me to restrain myself from the second slice....

Verdict - I love Pumpkin pie but it have to be accompanied by whipped cream.

Weekend ...

On Sat, we made an appointment with our "efficient", "brilliant" and "resourceful" real estate agent for more house viewing. Yes, it's part 2 of it and I'm sure there's more to come. But I enjoy house viewing and checking out the area and perhaps even finding my potential house which I could be living in. But when I emphase on his ability, it's a force not to be reckon with. I mean when Paul rang him on last Monday and left countless voice message and it took my agent a couple of days to return his call and another day or two to get the appointment sorted out.

On the same note, I have to go through various realtor's website to hunt down houses that are posted on their website and email him those that match our requirements ! And from there he'll do the necessary findings on the house. I feel that I'm doing partial of his homework and yes, my agent gets all the commission. I can still handle that since it gave me an idea of the property market, what I get for my money and what my money can get me. I see it as a research for me as well. What really gets me is this weekend, my agent brought me to a house. Yes, it have a nice price tag to it at USD110,000 for a 3 bedroom and 2 bath. But Boy, the interior matched those to a haunted house. And I have a BIG NO NO for living together with "the others" and I made it clear to him since Day 1. You might ask why I feel that the house is haunted. Well, to begin with, the floorson the entire house are ripped out, molds are every where, windows' broken and it's dark and dingy with trees all over the yard and weeds every where. In one particular bedroom, there's this photo of a man from the 1900s. I don't even dare to walk into that room on my own and Paul have to accompany me. That particular room is neat, with the bed in place and clothes all neatly hang up in the closet.

After that particular viewing, for the very first time, Paul gave me his verdict. He told me he felt like he was intruding into someone's house and he had a feeling that someone died there. When that comment come from my wood block husband, to me, it's a confirmation that "the others" reside there. So it's a definate NO regardless of the price tag. Thanks, Agent, You can be named Agent of the Year now ! =P

On Sunday out of impulse, Paul dragged me to IKEA. They had their grand opening last week and as expected, it's packed and crowded. I mean really crowded ! There's even State Troopers (aka Traffic Police) to direct the traffic and IKEA's staffs to direct the parking.

Back in Singapore, me and my BFF-Tricia are big fans of IKEA. Yes, we would travel from the East to the West (where IKEA is) just to buy a trash bin. But I am glad that this trip broaden Paul's mindset as he have never been to IKEA and is impressed with their design and affordable price tag.
As for me, I fell in love with their Lighting Department. But the next time, I want to go there with a female. Yes, Sommer, just you and me would be perfect *grin*. I want a fellow female to share my excitement when I spot something that blew my mind away. With a man, it's just different.

Guess that's the difference between Man and Woman. =)

Lethargic...

Hi Folks, Apologies for not "blogging". I've been feeling lethargic for the past couple of days and simply not interested in doing anything. I wonder if I'm hibernating but it's not really that cold ! Alright, I admit I'm being lazy but I beautify it with the word "lethargic" *lol*

Let's have a recap on what's been going for the past few days when I'm feeling "lethargic". Well, both my BFFs are currently in Bangkok, Thailand till Sunday. I know they are enjoying themselves without me, with all the shopping to do in the world and the authentic Thai food and the cheap sushi, I wouldn't miss myself either. Hopefully they'll suceed in hunting down my "Prada" bag. Gosh, I so wish I'm with them and having a blast too.

That reminds me, a short vacation with the girls is definately going to be on my "To-do-list" when I return back to Singapore.

Next, Paul and myself are taking advantage of the current sluggish property market and hunt down our dream house. Last friday, out of the blue, Paul just drag me out of the bed and go house viewing with him. Yes, sometimes he have this insane impulses.

Thank God for Paul's Handyman abilities, so even if the house is older than me, he can work his magic and restore it. I have no worries for an overgrown backyard or a bedroom coated with bright pink paint. My biggest concern is "Is the house is haunted !" Oh yes, I can be friends with the spiders but definately not "the others".

Oh, I definately need to get my Florida Driver's licence before my Internation Driver's licence expire. With the expiration date on 4th Dec, I better get this issue sorted out. Every time when I speak to my mom over the phone, she's constantly nagging at me to get all the documentation sorted out. Thank God that my Green Card had arrived, so it's one less item off her list to nag at me.

Just yesterday, Paul's class is over as well and that means he'll have one week to enjoy himself before his next class begin. With that in mind, it also mean that we can spend the whole week together with no homework distraction.

Oh yes, Thanks Giving is around the corner and apparently Paul is going to impress me with his cooking. It's our first Thanks Giving together and I am really excited to see what's up in his sleeves. If all else fail, I guess I can call for pizza delivery *lol*

okie, time for my afternoon walk and enjoy the glorious weather !!! =)

It Finally Arrivedddddd !!!

After months of waiting for the US Immigration pertaining to my Permanent Residency application, last week I've finally received an approval letter from them informing me about the approval of my application. Weeeeeeee !!! It was one of the highlight when I received the notice but it states that it'll take about 3 weeks before the actual card will arrive.

Well, I kind of expect their "efficiency" and the "fast pace" way of their respond. Afterall, I did spend 8 months waiting for any news from them. I'm like "Ok, I can wait for another 3 weeks". Immediately I shared the good news with my close pals and my family. They are excited and over joy with the delivery of my news. Basically it also represent that I will soon be able to go back to Singapore ... Woohoooo

Today, I've open the letterbox and there stood a letter from the US Immigration. Feeling al excited and curious, I opened the letter and there it contained the brochure that greeted me with "Welcome to the United States - A Guide for New Immigrants". Wooohoooo.... it finally arrived and it's less than a week since it's last notification !!! This time, for the very first time, I am impressed by their efficiency.

Alright, next in line is changing/converting my International Driver's License to Florida State Driver's License. Yes, for the past few months, I've been driving here using my International Driver's License and I need to have it converted before it expire on 4th Dec 07.

Anyway now that I have past the biggest hurdle of the application on the Permanent Residence, I can finally take a breath.

P/S : Girls, FYI, Estimate Time of Departure from Florida to Sing would be Feb 08.Well, I kinda need to spend my 1st year Wedding Anniversary with Paul and maybe our 2nd Valentine's Day as well =)

I'm loving it !

It's my favourite season (Fall/Winter) now and I'm loving it ! Gone are the days of hot and sweaty afternoons, the humid nights and hidding indoors from the blazing sun. Being a resident for the past 10 mths here, the above is all that I've experience and I detest it. Finally now, I can enjoy the beginning of "livable" days - the sunny, cool days and cold nights and again, I'M LOVING IT !!!

So here's a preview of this week's weather forecast (and I can't help being excited about it ) :- (Sorry for folks in the US, growing up under the British rules, I only know how to use the metrics)

DAY/DATE CONDITIONS HI / LO

Today Nov 6 Sunny 25°/12°
Wed Nov 7 Partly Cloudy 22°/11°
Thu Nov 8 Partly Cloudy 23°/11°
Fri Nov 9 Partly Cloudy 23°/9°
Sat Nov 10 Sunny 23°/12°
Sun Nov 11 Mostly Sunny 24°/16°

I know for sure that my BFF Cecilia, who enjoy the cold as much as I do would be in estasy if she's here right now. I enjoy opening all the windows in my house and allow the cold breeze to flow right in. After months of closing the windows and having the A/C blasting 24/7. I finally can have some fresh air in the house.

I love to snuggle under the thick covers feeling all cosy and warm with the cold air flowing all around me. Oh, did I mention that it's really funny to experience popsticles toes *lol* ? And jumping out of the cold shower and having the cold air wrap all around me (FYI, I am a huge fan of cold showers). Yes, I'm loving every single bit of it.

Blessed with the cold weather now, I love to take advantage of what's given to me by Mother Nature. I've also developed the love to take a late afternoon walk around my neighbourhood by myself with my loyal companion - my iPod. The weather is so good and enjoyable that I can go on walking around my neighbourhood for an hour and more until I realise that I have a husband waiting at home and then I make my way home.

Oh tonight, I'm going to wear some socks in bed and maybe I can hibernate like a polar bear ! =)

Discovery !

You know the saying of "One Man's junk is another Man's treasure", I experienced that today. This evening, blessed with the warm sunset and the cool breeze, I took advantage of what Mother Nature gave me and decided to take a walk around my neighbourhood. I love the feeling of the cold breeze brushing against my skin and the warm sun warming me up. With my iPod in my hand and Michael Buble's company (FYI, Michael Buble is a Jazz/Blues singer), I strolled around my neighbourhood enjoying time alone.

I explored a further route today as compared to our usual path (the one Paul and I usually take) and stumbled across a Community Thrifty Shop. Curiousity gets the better of me and I decided to check out the shop. Hidden lies all sorts of items ranging from pots and pans, to dishes and clothings. All sorts of shoes from boots to high heels and baby booties to sports shoes for men. On the corner of the other room, a few shelves caught my eyes. YES ! Book shelves... immediately I made my way across the room and stood infront of the babies beaming at me shouting "look at meee!"

I made a quick scan of the shelves and the bottom shelf blew my mind away. There stood the whole row, tall and proud in full attention like a troop of soldiers, 2 books filled with complete work of William Shakespear, "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens, "The Journey of Marco Polo, a novel from my favourite author Sidney Sheldon and a few other classics. I was so excited that I wanted to scream out loud with joy. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. The incrediable part is the price tag, hard cover cost USD2 and paper cover cost USD0.70. Unfortunately I did not bring my purse with me and I am not ready to pawn my iPod. I reckon I'll have to make another trip back to the store again.

Beside the wonderful finds, the books of William Shakespear and "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens brought back nice memories. Painful memories then but nice memories now. I remembered the torrid days when I was 13 and 14 years old and I need to memorise those story plots, phase and lines for my Literature class, test and exams. The tormented and horrified nightmare of those days flash before my eyes. I recalled how frustrated my BFF, Cecilia is each time it comes to the subject - Literature. Beside the content of those famous work, I am blown away by the cover of the book, amazingly William Shakespear's books are wrapped in green leather and embossed in gold colour writing.

When I share my discovery with Paul, his immediate reaction is "Well, just buy it !" Unfortunately he doesn't understand that as a reader, we want to share the book with fellow readers who will appreciate the work of the author. If I buy it, I'm the only one reading it in my household. Whereas there is a chance that the book can find another home where the whole family can share it. Hmmm... I think I'll have to convince Paul to give the books a chance and read it, somehow in my conscience, I'll feel better.

Breaking NEWS !!!

WoooHoooooo !!! I think absolutely nothing can conceal my excitement, relief and joy now. I had finally received update from the US Immigration pertaining to status of my Permanent Residency in the US and it have been APPROVED !!!! Oh...Yessss, finally and about time.

It's been a long, dragy, horrifying, unsettling 8 months since we submit our application and finally we're at the end of the tunnel with our application. I should also receive my Permanent Residency card aka Greencard within 30 days from today.

Inreturn, that also mean that I am able to return back to Singapore too !!! WooHoooo... After sharing with my mom the good news, she was like "Thank God, I've been praying to God every single morning for your Greencard to be approve and it finally did." She's even more excited that I am returning back home to spend a few mths with her, my darling triplets and my adoreable and fun BFFs/Friends.

Another good news, since I am jobless and childless and my only responsibility is my Husband, whom I figure can take care of himself when I'm gone. I've decided to stay in Singapore for 4 mths !!!! Yes, Girls, get ready to fullfill me on all my eating cravings, mahjong addiction and shopping cravings. I also hope to have a short trip with my BFFs to either Bangkok, Thailand or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Which is kind of a compensation for me since I didn't join them for their trip to Bangkok in Nov. Oh, another advantage is that my brother have an apartment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Which means we can have FREE accomodation !!!

Anyway before you girls get all insane, jumping up and down, cheering with joy, hold on to your excitement. It's going to be at a few more months before I really step foot in my Homeland. My return date have to depend on Paul's school's schedule and vacation since we're returning back together. That's when we will make our final decision.

Regardless, I am just happy to announce to the world that I am going back to Singapore SOON !!! =) Wooohoooo !!!! =)