Aquarium Dreams

I like keeping fish.

I've kept a few common types of freshwater fish, mostly live-bearers like guppies and mollies. They are colourful and lively and sometimes a few babies would survive and grow into colourful and lively adults thus replenishing the tank population without me having to go to the store and get more fish.

Then I saw some Siamese fighting fish (or bettas) and fell in love with their long flowing tails and unique personalities. Bettas cannot be kept together and me being a poor student on a tight allowance at the time, would buy a betta or two and keep them in jars because the fish shop guy said they would be perfectly fine in jars with regular water changes.

Then I left to study in Toronto and it felt a little quiet in my apartment without any pets (I had an aloe vera plant but that does not count as a pet). So I decided to get a fighting fish again. This was when the internet became more accessible so I joined a couple online fish forums and read up on fighting fish and their natural habitats. Boy, was the fish shop guy wrong about keeping them in a small jar. This time, I went with a 5 gallon set-up with some gravel and kept a fighting fish, an apple snail and a couple freshwater clams.

So next year when we move to our completed BTO flat in Yishun, I told the hubby that I would like to have an aquarium there and he agreed. I've got lots of time to think about what kind of tank to set-up but I will definitely stick with freshwater fish, I don't have the time or money to deal with a saltwater tank, no matter how gorgeous they look.

Here's some info on fighting fish (bettas) to keep in mind if I end up going with a fighting fish again: The Native Betta Habitat.

Kitchen Design - Inside

I should start posting ideas for my kitchen design. I would love the overall look to be like the picture below. Warm wood floors, clean straight lines and lots of storage. And I like the brightness of the kitchen in contract with the wood floors and metal / glass furniture.

Source

I'm also really loving these pull out drawers that can function as a pantry. Sure beats bending down and crawling around inside the cupboards to find that last can of tomato paste.

Sliding pantry thingy at Ikea

Another view of the sliding thingy

Same goes for the pull-out drawer that goes underneath the kitchen sink.

I want this for the cupboard under my sink, please excuse the grumpy toddler photobomb

Plus a friend mentioned that Ikea uses a drawer system similar to Blum's soft closing hinges and it's somewhat cheaper. Just need to buy a sample for the carpenter to measure against when making the cabinets.

Mom Doubts

Every time I hit the end of my patience with the toddler and he's dancing on my very last nerve, I tell myself to just breathe. Then I get back to enforcing the rules and boundaries of what he can and cannot do because that's part of my job as his mom. That's in addition to looking after his general well-being, kissing away boo-boos and being his potty assistant.

I'm still learning to let go on certain things, have to remember that the toddler is another human being with his own thoughts, needs and wants. I'm older and wiser (hello Sound of Music reference) so it's up to me to keep him from inadvertently killing himself by falling into the koi pond or sticking his fingers in the electrical socket but all non-lethal activities are open for discussion and compromise.

Just last month, I was tearing my hair out with his changing sleep pattern as he started switching from one nap a day to a nap every other day or two. This was in addition to it being a stressful period of time for me personally with the anniversary of a loved one's death coming up. I was having trouble dealing with his changing nap on top of his erratic eating patterns and the usual evening battle to get him into the shower and wash his hair. I don't even want to talk about getting him to brush his teeth.

Today we were visiting my uncle. As evening rolled around, it was time for the toddler to take a bath and he was using every trick in the book to delay it. It had been a long day visiting a friend in the afternoon then dinner at my uncle's and my patience snapped. I told him that if he didn't take a shower (after a full day of running around in our lovely humid tropical heat and sweating up a storm) then he could either stay at my uncle's home because I did not want him or he can sleep on the floor at home because I would not allow his grimy body in the family bed.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. I had told him that I 'did not want him' and I swore never to do that. I was a horrible mother.

Times like this, I start to doubt my ability as a mom. Am I doing things right? What could I do to improve the way I parent? Am I scarring my son for life?

Pantone and Retro

Saw these at Robinsons in Jem (Jurong East Mall) and really liked the whole retro, bold colour look so I took some photos as an inspiration.

Retro phones at not-so-retro prices.

Like the red one

I think this one was $119

The payphone was awesome, I loved it! Then thought about it and figured it would not be practical. A cordless phone is really the most practical option, but it's still nice to look at these.

Toddler was yakking away into the handset

There was a collection of bold pantone colours on various pieces of furniture that I liked. Bold, clean colours.

Pantone colours

Family Bathroom at Jem (Jurong East Mall)

I don't normally do this but I was really impressed by the family bathroom at Jem today. It was clean, well lit and stocked with paper towels. I know it's not environmentally friendly, but paper towels make it so much easier to dry off my toddler's hands!

The toddler loves playing with water, yet hates his baths

I love that the bathroom is set up to handle families with more than one kid. So if I had two kids and we were at the mall, I could put toddler in the seat while I get baby changed at the changing station. And both are in view at all times being right next to each other.

Changing station and toddler seat

Look carefully at the picture below, towards the right side there's paper towels in the holder! I had to take a picture of it, it's a rare sight here.

And he's still busy washing his hands while I snap photos

Unfortunately there was a surprise in the closed adult toilet. I guess the flush was not working today and there was a bunch of tissues and poo left behind by the previous mall-goer.

Toilets to cater for adults and children

Unexpected surprise aside, I think this family bathroom beats the one at Raffles City. I was in the Raffles City basement a couple days ago and saw that they are either building another family bathroom or moving the existing family bathroom to the busy walkway near Gong Cha. I'm definitely checking that out when it is completed.