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Christine

@f00dnotes

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🇬🇧 to 🇸🇬. Relocation chronicles of a former midlife corporate rediscovering Singapore whilst raising a family and figuring out the next chapter.

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When in pain, look to your blessings..And how blessed art thou to have found an unwavering friendship in Ivy and Clement all these years of navigating adulting and parenting in a different home than the one we grew up in. Can’t believe my dear friend dug through all the photo archives to put this little clip together, celebrating all the best moments of our friendship. It had me in tears the whole flight to Singapore and I hope they know how precious they are to me and our family. Until we are reunited again…. taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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6 days ago

From brunch with hubby to grocery shopping with hubby — this week has been all about the small routines.

When we lived in the UK, cooking and eating at home was the default — eating out was the treat, not the norm. Here in Singapore, it’s flipped: eating out is the everyday thing, home cooking is the treat. We’re still trying to hold onto a couple of home-cooked meals a week, if only to keep some of that old rhythm alive.

Singapore isn’t short on options for the weekly shop — NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Scarlett, M&S, the Japanese supermarkets — genuinely no shortage of variety. But if you’re after Western or European essentials, @csfreshsg is hard to beat. Prices sit around NTUC FairPrice Finest, but the range on that front edges it out.

Small errand, but this is what rebuilding a routine actually looks like.

Where do you grocery shop, and are we missing a gem? 👇

📍 CS Fresh, Singapore at various locations taken in Singapore by @f00dnotes

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a month ago

The kids have (finally) started in their new school (hooray!). Whilst there are still a million things to do and errands to run, one of the things that the hubby and I are trying to prioritise is making time for each other. Sounds ironic given that it’s practically been just the two of us most of the time, day in and day out for many years.
What’s different of course is that in this new chapter and relocation, we will have more flexibility for each other (at least for as long as possible anyways)when the kids are in school.

So what do you do in Singapore? You eat. You walk. You talk. So that’s what we did. We went to @bibik.violet and had a really nostalgic and cozy local brunch. The entire space at Temasek Shophouse was just the right mix of coworking, corporate and cafe vibe, made me wish I was in a corporate space like that again! The outdoor space was equally lush but I am just not built for this heat, so for now, I’ll settle for air con. If you are in Singapore and have places to recommend, or want to join me for a coffee or makan (good), hit me up!

Bibik Violet
📍28 Orchard Road, Temasek Shophouse, Singapore 238832
Next to Plaza Singapura - Right by Dhoby Ghaut MRT

⏰Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 9:30pm (last order 9pm)
Sat, Sun & Public Holidays: 10:00am - 9:30pm (last order 9pm) taken in Bibik Violet by @f00dnotes

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2 months ago

Two things can be true.
It’s been just over a week since we officially relocated from London to Singapore.
Big life changes rarely arrive as one neat emotion.
Living overseas for years meant we’ve mostly had to rely on ourselves, so that part isn’t entirely new. What has surprised us are the unexpected blessings — and the tremendous help getting set up so quickly, easing the shock of starting again with practically nothing more than our suitcases. Thankfully, Singapore makes starting over remarkably easy. But still…
We can be so happy to be home. Excited for this new chapter.
And still grieve that our homecoming hasn’t quite felt the way we imagined.
Both can exist at the same time.
26 years ago, we left carrying the pain of feeling less understood for choosing a different path. This tiny nation has changed. So have we.
But the body keeps the score, and coming back has stirred up things I didn’t realise were still sitting beneath the surface.
We knew there’d be headwinds: two young children, an entire life rebuilt, perhaps unconventionally, on the other side of the world, and a monumental adjustment in every practical sense.
What we underestimated was how much we’d notice the quiet and the distance. Because now there are two little people watching too.
This morning, my son woke up and said he misses his old home. He misses his friends.
The first little wobble. The first tug at my heart that said: oh, this is real.
And because of everything else, it hit harder than I expected.
Perhaps the quiet has made some of this feel real faster than I expected.
Perhaps, there’s been more quiet than we anticipated. And sometimes, the quiet says more than words can.
Maybe this is what coming “home” actually means.
Not returning to the life you left behind, but accepting that the life you return to is different — and that you are too.
So we’re building something new — on our own terms, with a clearer sense of the relationships we want to nurture.
Two things can be true.
We can be grateful to be home and still miss the welcome we imagined.
We can watch our children find their feet while quietly finding ours too.
We can grieve and still feel at peace. Or at least try. taken in Singapore by @f00dnotes

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2 months ago

31 July 2026: The hardest goodbye

I had months to prepare for this day. In the end when it finally rolled around, It didn’t matter. Saying goodbye to the home we’d lived in for the last 10 years was still the hardest goodbye yet.

I’ve moved more times than I can count in the 26 years since I first left my parents’ home, but nothing prepares you for leaving the first place where you truly put down your own roots—or the only home your children have ever known.

Yesterday, the kids ate breakfast for the last time in the lounge room with pretty much nothing left around. They climbed inside the empty wardrobe one last time. They rolled around on the bare living room floor as if it were still a place to play, not a place we were leaving forever. They said their goodbyes before they went their way to their holiday camp so me and the hubs can do our final cleanups.

I cried for most of the day. I could not bring myself to hand in the keys and had to get Ryan to do it.

The funny thing is, I didn’t always love this house. I wished for our own front door, complained about the awkward layout, and dreamed of a home with direct access to the garden.

But this house quietly carried us through some of our hardest years. It held our family through illness, isolation, and raising two little humans while building a life in London without family nearby.

Today we drove past one more time. We didn’t turn into the driveway—we just kept driving, wondering about the family beginning their own story where ours had just ended.

In a few days, we will leave London for Singapore. For good. That in itself will be another goodbye I am not yet ready for. Right now, I feel suspended between the two. No home to come back to here. No home waiting for us there just yet.

Just this strange, bittersweet space in between. taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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3 months ago

Perimenopause and post thyroid cancer means sugar, stress and lack of sleep are just about the worst things for my life right now. Not only are they showing up on my face and waistline, they are also costing my wallet, since I will hesitate to buy myself a new pair of shoes or bag, but not hesitate to drop a few pounds for a pastry or tart. Given we only have a few short months left in the U.K. I am determined to eat every pastry and dessert before we bid a very long farewell to the place we call home. by @f00dnotes

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5 months ago

2026 has been a complete whirlwind so far! And we are only and yet already in February! So much cramped into the first 31+ days into the new year but we managed to finally sit down and have a few hours of breather together, a luxury we really do not take for granted. I joked with the waiter that each time he has seen and served me, I have been with a different man (or woman). And this time finally with the man of the residence 🤣🤣🤣 The rest of the day got completely frantic because I am clearly not good at juggling multiple men in my life, and ended up making my non-husband wait almost an hour for me. And also completely forgot to take photos of the evening meal. Oh well, can’t win at everything. But so far, I am winning in more ways than I have anticipated. And completely grateful and open to whatever comes next. Bring on the year of the Horse! taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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8 months ago

It will be so hard to say goodbye when we do. More to come. #kitchengoals #kitcheninspo #interiors #home taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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9 months ago

Proof that courage isn’t always loud… sometimes it’s just trying again. 🧗‍♀️🧗‍♂️

Watching my kids climb is basically a live lesson in “keep going.”
They don’t overthink the slip. They don’t make it mean anything about them.
They pause, reset their feet, shake out their hands… and reach for the next hold.

And honestly? I needed that reminder today.

If you’re in a season where things feel heavy or slow or a bit wobbly, I’m right there with you.
You don’t have to do it perfectly. You don’t have to “feel ready.”
Just take the next small step. That still counts. That is keeping going.

Save this for the days you feel like quitting — and tell me…
what’s your “next hold” right now? 💛

#KeepGoing #MumLife #KidsClimbing #SmallStepsBigWins #Resilience FamilyMoments RealLifeHealing taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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10 months ago

As 2025 draws to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect on my kids. There’s far too much to capture in a short reel, but wow — what a full, fruitful year it’s been for both of them.

My youngest started Reception at a new school, and my eldest has kept scaling new heights while learning to channel and manage her neurodivergence.

Some might say it’s a lot… and yes, it is. But the people who know me best know I’m all in when it comes to my kids — not perfect, just doing my best (even after a decade of sleepless nights).

And this isn’t really about my effort. It’s about time. It’s flying, and I won’t ever get this version of them — or us — again.

As they start stretching their wings, I look back and see how much growth, perseverance and resilience they’ve packed into the last 365 days.

Yes, there’s been endless screen time, arguments, too much slime, and friendship/sibling dramas… but mostly? It’s been such a joy to witness them face firsts, work through fears, show up on the days they had nothing in the tank, build real friendships, and slowly become more and more themselves.

I feel incredibly proud — and so grateful — to be a front-row witness to their highs, lows, wins and wobbles.

Bring on 2026. We’re ready. 🫶✨ taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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10 months ago

Kicking off the start of end of year school holidays with a visit to the MathsWorld center. Thought they would be bored after an hour but they stayed for 3! Where should we go next? #mathsworld #mathsworlduk #schoolholidays #daysout #travellingwithkids taken in MathsWorld by @f00dnotes

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10 months ago

Whenever hubs can wake up early enough on Fridays to queue at this local gem that serves the best pastries and bread there is in London that we can easily get to. We have had the luxury to have eaten pastries in many, many, many places and around the globe. @ericslondon is hard to beat. #londonbakery #londoncafe #sourdough #pastries #cafelife #bakerylife #london taken in London, United Kingdom by @f00dnotes

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a year ago