Hello.

It is 9pm and I am sitting quietly in the living room with a glass of blueberry juice. My husband and child have gone to bed. This silence - what a treat! I don't know when was the last time I had such a tall slice of peace and serenity. I am thrilled!

I have been thinking of you and this newsletter for some time now. I really wanted to drop you a message on the 1st of February, two days ago. Two extremely exciting things happened that day, even though it felt very ordinary.

1. We received the keys to our new home!
2. I received the official letter of approval for my Danish spousal visa. It means I can now live and work in Denmark for the next two years. They have given me a Danish CPR number (the Singapore equivalent to a NRIC number), which I have yet to memorise.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Being approved to stay - albeit just temporarily - makes me feel like I belong here. Next up: moving house and finding a job! I know that I am probably thinking two steps in front, which is not usually something that I do, but... A job! Me! Working! Meeting new people again! :-)

With that said, I am in the process of packing our belongings into cardboard boxes. One box at a time. It is Chinese New Year so I don't know if my arms are more sore from shredding cabbage for my dumplings, pounding peanuts for the Yu Sheng (Prosperity Salad), or lifting the heavy boxes down the stairs.

Speaking of Chinese New Year, Happy Year of the Tiger!

Just like the Danish Christmas, I try to do one festive thing everyday for Chinese New Year, be it watching a Cantonese film, eating pistachio nuts and peanuts or making dumplings and bak kwa (肉干, or Chinese sweet beef jerky). Pineapple tarts are coming next.

The other day, before we did the Lo Hei (Prosperity Toss), I went through the trouble of reciting the auspicious Chinese idioms as each ingredient was added onto the plate. I have lots of fond memories of doing the Lo Hei back in Singapore, so I really hope to impart this South East Asian tradition to my child.

Anyway, I have been writing on my blog religiously every week, so do check that out if you want. The most important thing for us now is to move into the new house as soon as we can, to avoid paying for two houses.

As a result, the YouTube video that I should have had published by now - 'I Tried Exercising Everyday For A Week' - is still in the process of being edited and nowhere near completed. But priorities, right? YouTube unfortunately has to wait...

I have also recently joined the dark side and made quite a few TikTok videos myself. They are just much easier to film and upload. I write in Danish on there just for practice, so it's okay if you don't follow me.

It makes me so happy that I get to sit here and write to you guys. I recently signed up for a Bumble account to get to know new people in Denmark - big thanks to Teresa for the recommendation! Whatever spare time I have, I use to chat with my new friends. In English, Chinese and Danish, no less haha.

Alright. That's all from me. Do you prefer a once-a-month newsletter? It might actually work better for me. Hmmm... I will think about it.

Wishing you the ferocity and strength of a tiger,

Vivian