Who SimplySplendid, you''re just simply fabulous!!

[Phoenix]

I know that you live in lovely sunny Singapore (I'm so

with jealousy!!

), you are married with two boys. You have a HUGE collection of diamond jewellery and gemstones.

Please tell us more about yourself.

 

[simplysplendid]

Date: 8/29/2009 1:46:44 AM
Author:Phoenix
I know that you live in lovely sunny Singapore (I''m so

with jealousy!!

), you are married with two boys. You have a HUGE collection of diamond jewellery and gemstones.

Please tell us more about yourself.

Thanks Phoenix, for starting this thread..

Hmm, after pondering for a while, I am still not quite sure where to begin. So perhaps I will just share a little more about myself.

I am 37, going on 38 this November. I have two little boys - Aidan is 3yrs and 8 mths old and Marcus is 1 yr and 9 mths old. They are 23 months apart.
I work in a bank with regional responsibilities over the operations of a line of business under the investment banking arm. It''s quite challenging to juggle work and kids and I don''t get much help since my little boys have only one surviving grandparent, which is my mother in law and she runs her own business. Fortunately I have an aunt who helps me our 3 times a week during the day. It also helps that I have a hubby that understands as he has his own career too and since both hubby and I are in management, we are able to have flexible hours (for example, he may work from home to meet a deadline or he can pop into the office later). The firm I work at supports flexible work arrangement, so twice a week, I work from home (that''s the most challenging and stressful two days of my entire week).

I love jewelry (well, who on PS doesn''t!) and I love to have lots of them to swap around and for matching outfits of the day. I don''t have the self control to wait and save up for one big important piece of jewelry plus I love coloured gemstones, so most of my jewelry are fun coloured gemstone jewelry. Other than jewelry, my other big big weakness is handbags, Chanel in particular. In less than 2 years, I have collected a dozen Chanel classic flaps and 2.55. My hubby thinks I''m mad but he still indulges me sometimes

. Fortunately I don''t have a weakness for watches (or perhaps not yet

and I hope not).

At the moment, I am taking a jewelry design class which I absolutely enjoy. It runs every Friday for 6 weeks, so I have been taking leave every Friday. It''s with JDMIS and they are located near the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. They also have plenty of gemology, design, beadwork etc. classes and if I am a tai tai, I think I will sign up for every single one of those classes.

 

[Harriet]

Finally. Hello, how have you been?

 

[Phoenix]

Wow!! I'm soooo happy you've decided to share some details about yourself and yr family with us!! I kept checking this section to see if you've written anything and I can't believe I missed what you posted for quite a few days!!

I'm interested to know how you got into investment banking. Did you go to NUS and did you start in a bank straight out of Uni? Have you been with the same employer since Uni? One thing that strikes me about Asia is that *some* people really job-hop - more so than say the UK where *most* people tend to stay with the same employer for several years and sometime for the whole career - and I guess it can be both good and bad - well actually more good for the employee and not so good for the employer!

. But then again, if the opportunity presents itself, why not?!! I myself have been guilty of this.

Pls tell us, how did your interest in jewellery and in particular gemstones begin?

And you like Chanel?! I LOVE Chanel. I only have one bag and would love to have some more. You have HOW MANY?!! I'm soooo jealous!

Good for you for taking jewellery classes! Is it hard? Does it ruin yr nails? (He he, you can tell, I love to have beautifully manicured hands!

).

I'd love to know also (if it's not too intrusive), are you Singaporean by birth? I LOVE SG and miss it very much along with my Singaporean friends!!

I LOVE Singapore food too. What are your favourite SG dishes? I swear SG has the BEST food in the world!

Pls tell us more about yr boys. What are they like? Are they similar in personality? I can't believe you don't have a full-time maid. That's so amazing, esp. with both you and yr hubby juggling such high-flying careers! How did you two meet? He sounds wonderful!

 

[simplysplendid]

Hello Harriet, been busy and sick

. Had this bad bad cough for two weeks now and it just doesn't go away and keeps me awake at night. I'm going to see the doctor again tomorrow. How have you been? I hardly see you post nowadays, hope everything is ok..

Hey Phoenix, the firm I am working with is the second firm I joined after graduation. After I graduated, I found temp/contract work with a large US bank, worked there for a couple of years and found another role in the firm I work in now and I have been here for 10 years. I am lucky to be able do many different roles within the same line of business for the last 10 years, so it keeps me interested, there's always something new. It also helps that this firm is well managed, it did pretty well in the financial crisis last year.

The class I'm taking is a design class (not computer aided but it teaches you how to sketch, draw various gemstone shapes, shading etc.) so it doesn't spoil my nails. I enjoy it so so much and I am really looking forward to Friday's class. I think I inherited my mom's love for jewelry. Even as a teenager, I like spending my money on accessories and costume jewelry, not so much on clothes. I guess that carried on till this day, with genuine gemstones but I still splurge on designer costume jewelry including Chanel (quite silly I know, as they are quite expensive for what it is).

I am a born and bred Singaporean lah and I can't imagine living anywhere else because of its convenience, and you've got it, the food! Everytime I travel, I miss the food here. In my humble opinion, the only other country that surpasses Singapore when it comes to food is Thailand! That's the only place I go where I don't miss the food at home. I can't think of any favourites because there just so much variety - at this moment I am craving for char siew bao and dim sum

.

I love my boys so much (sometimes I think I have three - including DH (especially when he is playing computer or electronic games)!

). Aidan and Marcus are so different from each other. Aidan, the older boy, is very careful and very sensitive and is more advanced than his peers socially, so he prefers the company of bigger boys. He talks a lot and started speaking very early but started walking really late. He knew colours and could say them out loud at about 18mth old when most other children knows colours at around 3 yrs old and he only walked independently (without us holding his hands) when he was 19 mths old! He would stop and sit down when we let go of our hands. He couldn't jump until he was slightly over three years old! He would go "blue!", "purple!", "werwer!" (that's how he says "yellow" when he was 18 mths old) etc. I still recall him some of the earlier words he said - at eight months, he said "in-bow" for "rainbow" and he attempted to say "ricecooker" when he was one year old - it sounded like "ra-coo-ka"

.

Marcus on the other hand, is a little more reckless and is better at his gross motor skills. He walks independently at 14mths and speaks simple words now. Some of the words he can say - yes, no, trucks, cars, blue, bowl, bus, spoon, wee-wee

etc. He is starting to speak in short sentences now at 20 mths old - when I'm on the phone, he will go "ah-un-talk, ah-un-talk" which translates into "I want to talk"

. He also started jumping recently, that's almost two years ahead of his brother. He fights with his older brother for toys and when he loses, very simple, he cries and give me the sad look! He had a surgery to fix a partial obstructed PUJ when he was 8 months old and he was a brave baby and thankfully, his recovery was swift and the surgery was successful, so now he's ok. Big brother is a little more squeamish when it comes to blood, band-aids and things.

I do have a live in Filipina domestic helper but I'm a total control freak, I can't bear the thought of leaving my boys 100% in her care while I am at work as I think it is hard to cope with the household chores and two young children, so there's always one other person at home - my aunt, DH or I. I don't think DH and I have high flying careers - perhaps because we both work for large organisations so the top is nowhere in sight! I don't think we ever will become CEOs of multinational companies. Hmm, I cannot imagine how much stress that is - meeting Obama, golf with the politicians, making decisions that influence many people and going to jail for potentially wrong ones. On the other hand, I can totally imagine the multimillion dollar compensation - hmm, I can dream the diamonds, the yacht, flying on a personal jet, first class everything that can comes with the money

. However, I am grateful and contented for the lifestyle we currently have, to have a comfortable income to afford a little luxury for the family every now and then, and for everyone in the family to be well and healthy.

 

[Phoenix]

Wow, SimplySplendid. I LOVE what you've written. What you've said about your family, yr boys and being content brought a few tears to my eyes.

I wish I'd had a chance to meet you IRL. You sound like well-rounded kind of woman, well-educated, intelligent, family-oriented and a bit jewellery-crazed!

Just my kind of woman!

Sorry I was a bit presumptuous (sp?) about you not having a full-time maid. I am 100% with you there. I'd never trust a stranger (which after is what they are, no matter how good they are) with my children. You're absolutely right to be a control freak about yr boys. They're after all most precious in yr life.

I'd love to see your Chanel clothes and brands. You know, I'm really stupid. I've been yearning after a Chanel jacket for so long and despite the money I've spent on bling and numerous other non-essential items, I still haven't managed to get one!

I'd love to see pics of yr Chanel lovelies - bags and clothes etc.

You're also sooooo lucky with your career and yr job. It's great in a job that you love. You must be very good at yr job also, how else could you explain that the same employer has kept you in the same company for the last 10 yrs and has afforded you these different opportunities.

Would love to hear more about you. What do you like to do other than bling-shopping? Do you like travelling? Do you speak multi-languages like practically every Singaporean? Do you like reading? What book do you read? Would love to hear about yr friends, perhaps yr BFF. Would love to hear more about yr boys in particular. They sound so adorable and I bet they're just as intelligent as their parents. You know they say that intelligence is more-gene related than nurtured (?).

Again, I miss Singapore sooooo much. I'm so glad to have had a chance to live there for the last 10 yrs and I love my Singaporean friends, both IRL and on-line, yourself included!

Oh btw, do you have a thread or threads where you show ALL yr jewellery, diamonds, gemstones and pearls? I love how you scratched that pearl itch of yours! WTG, girlfriend!!

 

[simplysplendid]

Date: 9/13/2009 9:14:48 AM
Author: Phoenix
Wow, SimplySplendid. I LOVE what you''ve written. What you''ve said about your family, yr boys and being content brought a few tears to my eyes.

I wish I''d had a chance to meet you IRL. You sound like well-rounded kind of woman, well-educated, intelligent, family-oriented and a bit jewellery-crazed!

Just my kind of woman!

Sorry I was a bit presumptuous (sp?) about you not having a full-time maid. I am 100% with you there. I''d never trust a stranger (which after is what they are, no matter how good they are) with my children. You''re absolutely right to be a control freak about yr boys. They''re after all most precious in yr life.

I''d love to see your Chanel clothes and brands. You know, I''m really stupid. I''ve been yearning after a Chanel jacket for so long and despite the money I''ve spent on bling and numerous other non-essential items, I still haven''t managed to get one!

I''d love to see pics of yr Chanel lovelies - bags and clothes etc.

You''re also sooooo lucky with your career and yr job. It''s great in a job that you love. You must be very good at yr job also, how else could you explain that the same employer has kept you in the same company for the last 10 yrs and has afforded you these different opportunities.

Would love to hear more about you. What do you like to do other than bling-shopping? Do you like travelling? Do you speak multi-languages like practically every Singaporean? Do you like reading? What book do you read? Would love to hear about yr friends, perhaps yr BFF. Would love to hear more about yr boys in particular. They sound so adorable and I bet they''re just as intelligent as their parents. You know they say that intelligence is more-gene related than nurtured (?).

Again, I miss Singapore sooooo much. I''m so glad to have had a chance to live there for the last 10 yrs and I love my Singaporean friends, both IRL and on-line, yourself included!

Oh btw, do you have a thread or threads where you show ALL yr jewellery, diamonds, gemstones and pearls? I love how you scratched that pearl itch of yours! WTG, girlfriend!!

Ooh.. I would love owning a Chanel jacket someday. So far it has been just bags and accessories, I have not ventured into RTW territory yet. I would love love a classic jacket. I think I might just splurge on one if I see one that is totally classic and can be worn for many many years to come.

Ever since i had children, DH and I hardly travel because we find it so hard. Travel has been limited to business travel which is not much fun as I generally travel red eye - I will take the last flight out of Singapore, land in the morning in the destination office, stay there for a day or two and fly back on the last flight out. For trips nearer to Singapore, I generally take a day trip, first flight out and last flight home. It''s very tiring but I prefer to do that to shorten my stay out of the country because I miss my little ones so much! When we had our first boy only, DH and I travelled to Taiwan and Korea. It was tough to have to lug one suitcase dedicated to baby stuff - food, milk powder, bottles, diapers etc. and plan the entire schedule based on the little toddler. It was also tough to keep little children occupied and contented during the flight. My older boy was 15 months old then and I didn''t realise I was also at the early stage of expecting my second boy. I was lifting the heavy luggage and running after my little boy - fortunately all was well. Anyway, DH and I are targeting a long distance trip in one more year. It will be easier when my younger boy is closer to 3 and my the older boy, 5.

When I am not browsing pricescope or other jewelry related sites or shopping on the internet, I enjoy reading, making beaded jewelry, listening to music and watching movies. For books, I enjoy fiction and lifestyle and for some reason, I enjoy reading self help books a lot

. As for music, other than hard rock and heavy metal, I enjoy most other genre.

And oh, my pearls arrived yesterday. I loved them all! I love tahitian pearl necklaces the best. They are so varied in their colours and overtones that we can have more than one classic strand. I will try to post pictures.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 9/16/2009 2:40:09 PM
Author: simplysplendid

Date: 9/13/2009 9:14:48 AM
Author: Phoenix
Wow, SimplySplendid. I LOVE what you've written. What you've said about your family, yr boys and being content brought a few tears to my eyes.

I wish I'd had a chance to meet you IRL. You sound like well-rounded kind of woman, well-educated, intelligent, family-oriented and a bit jewellery-crazed!

Just my kind of woman!

Sorry I was a bit presumptuous (sp?) about you not having a full-time maid. I am 100% with you there. I'd never trust a stranger (which after is what they are, no matter how good they are) with my children. You're absolutely right to be a control freak about yr boys. They're after all most precious in yr life.

I'd love to see your Chanel clothes and brands. You know, I'm really stupid. I've been yearning after a Chanel jacket for so long and despite the money I've spent on bling and numerous other non-essential items, I still haven't managed to get one!

I'd love to see pics of yr Chanel lovelies - bags and clothes etc.

You're also sooooo lucky with your career and yr job. It's great in a job that you love. You must be very good at yr job also, how else could you explain that the same employer has kept you in the same company for the last 10 yrs and has afforded you these different opportunities.

Would love to hear more about you. What do you like to do other than bling-shopping? Do you like travelling? Do you speak multi-languages like practically every Singaporean? Do you like reading? What book do you read? Would love to hear about yr friends, perhaps yr BFF. Would love to hear more about yr boys in particular. They sound so adorable and I bet they're just as intelligent as their parents. You know they say that intelligence is more-gene related than nurtured (?).

Again, I miss Singapore sooooo much. I'm so glad to have had a chance to live there for the last 10 yrs and I love my Singaporean friends, both IRL and on-line, yourself included!

Oh btw, do you have a thread or threads where you show ALL yr jewellery, diamonds, gemstones and pearls? I love how you scratched that pearl itch of yours! WTG, girlfriend!!

Ooh.. I would love owning a Chanel jacket someday. So far it has been just bags and accessories, I have not ventured into RTW territory yet. I would love love a classic jacket. I think I might just splurge on one if I see one that is totally classic and can be worn for many many years to come.

Ever since i had children, DH and I hardly travel because we find it so hard. Travel has been limited to business travel which is not much fun as I generally travel red eye - I will take the last flight out of Singapore, land in the morning in the destination office, stay there for a day or two and fly back on the last flight out. For trips nearer to Singapore, I generally take a day trip, first flight out and last flight home. It's very tiring but I prefer to do that to shorten my stay out of the country because I miss my little ones so much! When we had our first boy only, DH and I travelled to Taiwan and Korea. It was tough to have to lug one suitcase dedicated to baby stuff - food, milk powder, bottles, diapers etc. and plan the entire schedule based on the little toddler. It was also tough to keep little children occupied and contented during the flight. My older boy was 15 months old then and I didn't realise I was also at the early stage of expecting my second boy. I was lifting the heavy luggage and running after my little boy - fortunately all was well. Anyway, DH and I are targeting a long distance trip in one more year. It will be easier when my younger boy is closer to 3 and my the older boy, 5.

When I am not browsing pricescope or other jewelry related sites or shopping on the internet, I enjoy reading, making beaded jewelry, listening to music and watching movies. For books, I enjoy fiction and lifestyle and for some reason, I enjoy reading self help books a lot

. As for music, other than hard rock and heavy metal, I enjoy most other genre.

And oh, my pearls arrived yesterday. I loved them all! I love tahitian pearl necklaces the best. They are so varied in their colours and overtones that we can have more than one classic strand. I will try to post pictures.

It'd be lovely for you to venture into Chanel jackets then I can live vicariously through you!

I don't have children but I kind of know what you mean. In fact, I wonder how some women manage to travel on the 'plane with their little children, esp. on long haul flights.

Who are yr fave authors and yr fave singers/ bands? Where do you and yr family hang out in SG when you go out? You know, some people say Singapore is boring, but I *disagree* quite strongly. There're so many things to do and places to go to.

What kinds of food do you enjoy? Do you like durian? Do you like pepper/ chili crab and other fave SG dishes like Hokkien mee, chicken rice, laksa noodles...yummmm.....

Do you have time to cook? I really admire how high-flying career women like yourself juggle their career and family. It can't be easy. Did you always want to be in investment banking? What do you think about this recovery, particularly the recent rapid rise in the Singapore property market? Is it a long lasting one or are we in for a correction in the near future?

Do you speak several languages like most Singaporeans? I am amazed at how most Singaporeans can speak so many languages, including English, Mandarin, Malay and at least one or two other Chinese dialects like Hokkien and Teochew.

Are you an F1 fan? I watched the one last year. It was so fun...I love it that SG, as small as it is, has so many things going for it. What do you think of the IR's?

Do you have a thread of all yr jewellry? And how did you get into gemstones? You have soooo many of them!

 

[Indylady]

Wow, SimplySplendid, I really love hearing about you!

Your boys sound lovely.