I Like to Move It (Move It!)

We like to - Move It!

***

I've never forgotten the first time I heard Knowing You. I was 15, insecure, and coming out of a "depressed" phase where I cut myself and essentially acted in a way designed to draw attention to the fact that only I could see how trivial life truly was, and it saddened me that my shallow schoolmates did not see this. Kind of a more intense version of my 17-18 year old self, and infinitely more annoying (that's why I used those inverted commas. If you knew me back then, I do apologise. But I do think I was quite fun to be around at times? Anyone want to give me some reassurance?).  

The song was introduced to me by my Secondary Three Chemistry teacher. I forget, now, whether she was my form teacher as well - she might have been - and I remember her for this incident: I had badly wanted to be on my house cheerleading team for the PCCG camp. Of course I wasn't wanted, because I was a choir girl and not athletic - and other girls did make it clear that this was so, but I wanted to do it anyway. 

Anyhow, I was eventually (and grudgingly) accepted. One of the key cheerleading practices was scheduled for an afternoon when we had choir practice, I think I was on my way to becoming Soprano One sectional leader then (I eventually was in Secondary Four), so missing choir practice was a no-no. I told this teacher, let's call her Mrs K, that I would be late for practice because of the cheerleading rehearsal (Mrs K was also in charge of choir). She told me it was up to me to choose which activity I would go for, but her tone implied that it would be the Right Thing To Do if I chose to go for choir. I knew this as well, of course.

I eventually chose to attend choir practice, which meant I eventually did not participate in the cheerleading performance during said PCCG camp. One of the girls made a stab at asking me to skip it, but I think she was secretly relieved - and Mrs K, when she saw me, was really pleased. And proud of me. I could tell, even though all she said was "What about cheerleading practice?" To which I replied "Ah, I skipped it". Flippantly, as though it didn't matter, when it really did.

(I also topped my class in Chemistry that year. Not THAT big a deal, seeing as I was in a 'B' class, but yeah, it was a nice feeling.)

Knowing You wasn't sung much at the church I attended then, and my parents had a strict no Internet policy, so I never knew the lyrics to the full song until I was 18 and Q and I chose it for the last worship session of our junior college lives, which worship session we led. But throughout the intervening years, I always remembered:

All I once held dear, built my life upon

All this world reveres, and wars to own

All I once thought gain, I have counted loss

Spent and worthless now, compared to this:

Knowing You, Jesus - there is no greater thing

The poignancy of the first two lines, especially, struck me deeply when I first heard them; at this stage in my life, I cannot agree more that people "war to own" things which are ultimately worthless when compared to the wonderful knowledge of Jesus.

***

I alighted at Raffles Place MRT station for the first time in months yesterday afternoon, and coming out of the gantry, I was struck by how much I didn't miss it. I've always liked the CBD, especially watching the lights over the river and walks by the Esplanade at night; the feeling of being young and alive and with so many things to do, being a part of the multitude working, earning money, contributing to society.*

*Essentially, a rat in the rat race.

Yesterday, I felt out of place in my shorts and tank top, baby strapped to my front, amongst all the well-heeled, made up ladies clacking and yakking their way around. But I didn't quite mind that I was no longer one of the youngest members of the workforce, that I would never again be an Eager Beaver, checking my BlackBerry all the time, always with some place to go, something important to do. That being said, I still spent the bus ride back (to NTUC) contemplating how much my attitude towards my career has changed, and wondering about it until my head hurt from thinking. We won't know how our experiences will shape us until we've experienced them, but I definitely didn't think I would ever feel this way about my career when I first started, to wit, I am not too concerned about what I'm doing so long as I am engaged and earning a sum of money reasonable and proportionate to what is expected of me.**

**In case prospective employers chance upon my blog, I am a hard worker and desire excellence in all I do. But it's equally, if not more important to me, to make it home in time to cook dinner for my husband and feed my child his. Please would you consider a part-time arrangement?

I remember the day after I got approval for my no-pay leave to be extended, I went for a swim and thought to myself: man, there is a long, long way to go until I'm back at work. But a friend asked me yesterday whether I preferred being a SAHM to working, and I replied that although I couldn't say I did, it was quite nice to finally see that your baby likes you, and more importantly I enjoy it because I know Jon is thankful I'm home and there for him. If you ask me what I think I should be doing with my life now, being there for Jon probably tops the list. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually - and that in some way includes me being at home to take care of FBC. I think I've finally come to a place where I'm willing to do my best to embrace and enjoy this time I have as an SAHM, instead of plotting my return to work. 

***

So, I made a trip to NTUC yesterday despite having a fairly well-stocked fridge because I decided to make chicken noodle soup for dinner. It's adapted largely from this recipe by Smitten Kitchen, save that I didn't make chicken stock separately. I simply put 8 Sakura bone-in, skinless chicken thighs into my thermal pot along with:

• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 1/2 a large, long carrot, sliced into rough sticks
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed (we have talked about how small the China garlic cloves are, so I used 3 - feel free to use less if yours are big)
• 1 bay leaf
• ~1 tbsp tomato paste
• Pinch of dried thyme
• Pinch of dried red pepper flakes 
• ~3 litres of water. My thermal pot has a capacity of about 3.6 litres, and it was almost full (not a good way to cook but we deal)

I brought it to a boil (it overflowed slightly, of course) then took it off the stove and let it sit in my thermal pot for about an hour or so. I omitted the salt and pepper at this stage because I wanted to take some broth and mix it with rice cereal for FBC, but you can always add salt and pepper at this stage if you wish. Just taste and go. 

I removed the chicken thighs, took the meat off the bones and returned the bones to the pot, and brought it to a boil again. In another pan, I fried in olive oil the remaining half carrot, which I diced, and a leek, which I thinly sliced (reserving the thick green part for stock, as Google recommended), then added a bit of stock and let it simmer for a bit so the carrot and leek would cook through. I set aside the remaining stock in my thermal pot for another hour or so.

I cooked the pasta separately, but feel free to cook it in the soup. Whilst cooking the pasta (which I did only after the hour or so I wrote of in the paragraph above), I strained the stock into the cooked carrot and leek mixture and added the shredded chicken meat to it, and let it simmer so the chicken would heat through and the carrots and leeks would finish cooking.

Divide pasta into serving bowls and pour hot soup with lots of ingredients over it. I had enough soup for a hearty lunch today. 

FBC liked the unsalted, unpeppered broth mixed with rice cereal. So did I. It seems that the secret to good, flavourful chicken soup is a touch of tomato paste and a pinch of chili flakes. 

***

Last week's run was what Jon calls a FamiRun at the Marina Barrage, so he forbade me from using RunKeeper. I dragged myself out of bed at 6.15am on Wednesday (amazingly, FBC only woke up at 6.30am for his feed) for a run and was in no mood to time it (would YOU be?), but I left the house at about 6.45am and made it back just before 8am, a total distance of 11km or so plus waiting time at the traffic light. Yay!