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This newsletter update took a while for me to write, because I was experiencing strong waves of nausea after the initial excitement of finding out that we are having a baby!

We are both very happy and excited about moving to Singapore and starting our little family life there.

As I prepare for our little one, I’m starting to think more about what kind of a mum I want to be, what kind of a family life I want to have, and how I want my kids to grow up. In addition to reading about pregnancy and birth, I’ve also read books on motherhood, books on diet, and books on the Montessori method. Though reading can be helpful, I find myself wanting to listen to my intuition to decide the best path forward.

Speaking of intuition, I’ve noticed that there have been phases in my life that follow a 7 year cycle. There are certain 7 year periods that mark a certain phase of my awareness, and a new 7 year period seems to be starting now. I’ve read that for children, this is generally true, with 0 - 7 years being a phase, 7 - 14 years being a phase, and 14 - 21 being a phase. There’s also evidence of 7 year cycles in other areas of life (on average we develop new friendships every 7 years).

I’m thoroughly enjoying this current phase that I am in, a state of change in between the ending of one and the beginning of another. It’s as if I am a gardener pruning my own life, to release old energies and allow new life to grow.

Singing Classes

I have for some time wanted to take singing lessons, as I thought it would be able to teach me how to breathe more fully and deeply, and give me the ability to sing the songs I like really well. After going to a few classes, I realised that there are more benefits to singing classes than I first thought.

One aspect of me that I wanted to improve, was my inability to speak up, in social situations, in tense situations, and in hostile environments. This led me first to practicing reading out loud, listening to more speeches, and the 30 Day Talking to Camera Challenge last year where I recorded myself talking for about 5 min each day.

At the start of the singing lesson, my teacher Emily, explained how the vocal chords worked, and how to warm up properly before projecting sound using my mouth. I was instructed to relax the rest of my body and shift my weight forward, while I projected sound on an out breath. Then, I practiced notes with emotion - expressing anger, excitement, or confusion with each note that I sang.

After that, Emily commented that my voice was only about a 2 out of 10, 10 being the loudest it could go, and 1 being the quietest it could go. “I want you to be able to sing at a 5-7 out of 10 by the next 4 weeks”, she said.

I was blown away by her comment, thinking “All this time, my voice was only a whisper, when I could have spoken much more loudly and clearly. No wonder I had trouble ‘speaking up’ and ‘being heard’. I simply needed to turn up the volume!”

I’ll keep you updated on how it goes!

Books: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - this is already the third novel of Lisa that I have read now, where it describes the life of a pair of female friends living in Jeju (Korea) as Haenyeo (women sea divers) during the Japanese and American occupation. I’ve learnt so much more historical information about the lives of women in these all-female diving collectives and how the life of locals changed with the occupation and new technologies.

Felting: A nice way to craft and relax, while having a finished product that feels nice on the hands and that looks more vibrant than plastic decorations. All that is needed is some wool, and a needle. Isn’t that amazing? It’s one of the most simple and straightforward crafts I have tried.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are just few of my favorite things:

What’s on your favorites list? I’d love to know!

Kind regards,

Kate

P.S. My favourite thing about you is {{ My favourite thing about you is | your smile }}