The baby and the babysitter

Spent the longest time ever with Sunny baby, was babysitting him for a night during the weekend! Whilst in town doing my brows, was thinking if he would be up to any mischief. While driving back in the rain, was wondering if I have closed all the doors and windows properly lest he might hurt himself. Thinking of that, I stepped on the accelerator a little harder. Maybe that's what they call responsibility for a pet :P Ha, seeing him at the door, jumping like what he usually does, kinda made me smile :) Oh boy, he was really hungry when I fed him in the evening, finished every bit of apple and food in his bowl. He's kinda like my shadow most of the times, he followed me around the house whenever I needed to walk from one point to the other. I opened the toilet door and there he was, waiting patiently. I opened the fridge to get a drink and there he was, craning his neck and looking at me for my next action I guess. I came out from a shower and there he was again, licking my feet. I was chatting online with my bro and there he was, checking out my netbook and sniffing every part if it. It was bedtime and past midnight, I was checking if doors and windows were locked properly and discovered that he had pooed in the living room. You know, with that kinda look on his face, it's just so very difficult to raise my voice at him. We shared the same bed and he liked to snuggle close to me, ha, I was worried that I might kinda crush him if I were to make a turn. But nevertheless, he survived the night and it was great to hug him to sleep, the most interesting 'teddy bear' I have ever hugged to bed. I woke up in the morning and the first thing I saw was his pair of endearing eyes. Haha, he started licking me on my face, that was a real nice and sweet morning greeting :) I think Sunny baby has been such a darling that the role of the babysitter seemed kinda effortless. Oh well, maybe that's just only for a night :P Thanks for the lovely company Sunny baby :)

Canele

There was quite a big group of us having tea Thursday afternoon so we ordered quite a variety of cakes to savour :P Ha, and it was just right after lunch at Magic Wok. It was a farewell lunch cum tea for a colleague of ours, hmm, I guess a change in environment would be good for one at times. Well, anyway, I must say Canele at Raffles City has got quite a variety of cakes. We ordered a piece of chocolate cake, green tea cake, cheesecake and strawberry shortcake. I liked the green tea cake and the strawberry shortcake. The green tea cake wasn't too sweet but I thought it would be good to taste more of the bitterness in authentic green tea. Goodness, there was so much laughter at times that I wondered if we were disrupting the peace and quiet in that restaurant. Well, thanks to none other than Mr F :P

Adeline's birthday

Happy Birthday, Adeline!

Six pairs of eyes, three mouths and maybe all with huge appetite!

Now, look who's getting all the attention :P

and laughter...

All smiles...

She nags (a lot :P), she scolds and she could be loud but we all know she cares. Sometimes, she's kinda like an elder sister to me or maybe to some of us in our gang too. We celebrated her big, real big day on Tuesday. Had dinner at a seafood restaurant at Greenwood Ave and then we were all cracking our brains looking for a place to drink and cut a slice of cake near 10pm on a weekday. Finally, we settled for Mac Cafe near Bukit Timah. Hope that she has had a good birthday celebration :) Well, she should be enjoying herself in Bangkok right now!

Marina Barrage - The faces

Let the faces depict the moods, emotions and feelings...

Marina Barrage - The rain

Do you choose to run away from the rain, looking desperately for shelter?

Or do you choose to enjoy the rain or probably even forget that it exists in the midst of the bigger picture?

I was drinking ice lemon tea at the cafe at Marina Barrage and through the glass windows, I saw this group of workers scrubbing the walls in the rain. They were probably making use of the rain water to clean the walls, well, certainly a good way to save water! I was thinking it must be a tough job, having to be out there in the rain to scrub those walls, it could be cold out there and they could be wet but nevertheless, they were still diligently at work despite the weather condition, or probably they were making good use of the weather condition to carry out their task effectively and efficiently. As I took a sip of my icy cold lemon tea, I thank them quietly in my heart for their great effort in the job that they were given. Well, what am I compared to them?

Marina Barrage - Walls

Circular or linear?...Where do we draw the line between situations in life?

linear...

circular...

Have you ever noticed walls around you? Well, sometimes this silly gal seemed kinda interested in the walls that she saw or noticed along the way or probably in her life journey. Walls could probably be seen as hindrance, blocks or obstructions but on the other hand, walls surround, encompass and protect. Walls provide the kinda privacy that we yield for at times. Walls are not always slabs of boring concrete that we face most of the times in our lives, they could be pieces of art that are appreciated by many, how many of us would take time to do that?...I was at Marina Barrage with a group of my colleagues a few days ago and I have discovered interesting walls at that place. As a person, as an organisation or as a nation, there will always be walls that we have to conquer, it could be so tedious and tiring at times. A helping hand never fails to soothe, calm and comfort one, many hands with the same spirit will certainly make the ordeal a challenging yet satisfying one. It may take many years to see or bear the fruit of labour but we would probably have climbed many walls and we would probably have seen so many kinds of interesting walls along the way.

Boon's kitchen - fried rice paradise

A close up of every grain :P...My father commented that it's not that fragrant enough, the rice did not take in the essence of the ingredients and they did not really blend as one, he added that my style of frying rice seemed similar to my mummy (well, I watched her when she cooked :P), both of us still need to work on it. Well, good or not good, fragrant or not, three of us finished every grain of the fried rice in the frying pan :P Well, good job, silly gal!

With the rice!

Without the rice...

Ingredients for fried rice...long beans, carrot, chinese mushrooms, roast pork and garlic

Bought wanton skin and thought I made some wanton soup with cai xin. It's kinda easy making those wanton but the fillings could be improved. I could have probably added spring onion, prawn paste and a little minced chestnut together with the minced pork. But well, I just made do with whatever that's in the fridge :P My father's comments: too bland (but my mummy thought it's fine) and the wanton and vegetables a little overcooked.

Have I ever shared that cooking can be therapeutic? Well, it is and I have always believed in that. Once in a while, I will find time to cook, hmm, not exactly to cook up a storm :P but just have the theme centre around simplicity. I have always wanted to try stir frying long beans with rice and see what kinda fried rice I would get. It has been a real long time since my mummy really cooked that too. Thus, today, I thought of cooking that my style :P Well, I guess there's always room for improvement hearing all the comments I have got from my father :P

Escape

"Some people run away from themselves by escaping into the crowd; others run away from the crowd by escaping into themselves." ~ Dr Mardy Grothe, American psychologist & writer

Came across this quote in my sis's blog and felt it was pretty thought-provoking, a good point for self reflection too. Which one of these are we? Which one of these am I? I see it as a weighing balance, it's probably how we can balance them appropriately in different situations. Hmm, thou shall not run away from myself and thou do find joy in escaping into myself at times...

Going nuts!

I LOVE peanut butter cheesecake at The Cheesecake Cafe!! Having a mouthful of it felt like having a pair of wings behind my back, flying high up in the sky and then swooping down with much thrill and excitement! Well, in short, it's simply magical! Silly gal going nuts over peanut butter again :P

19 Nov - Two bundles of joy

I took out an old photograph album from the cupboard. It was kinda heartwarming looking at those photographs taken many years ago. I am sure they're pages filled with much innocence and youth. Most of all, they're pages containing pockets of beautiful memories. I just couldn't help smiling looking at some of the photographs...

Dear XF and Didi, you guys were my wonderful playmates and quarrel mates when we were still kids, you were great friends as we grew older, even though you guys could be irritating at times, ha :P (Didi, stop treating my soft toys like basketballs!) Both of you are very much thought of today, dearly missed too. Dajie wishes both of you excellent health and bundles, bundles & more bundles of happiness as you tread on in your life's journey...Happy Birthday :) lotsa love always

The little girl's dilemma

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl. Well, you probably know what kinda girl she was but no harm mentioning again, she's a plain, simple and ordinary girl. That week, her class at school was preparing for a play to be presented to all parents on graduation day. Every one in the class had a role to play in the production. That day, the teacher was allocating roles for the pupils and was trying to explain them to the pupils. The little girl was a little confused about her role but she wanted to play her role well hoping that the class's production will go well and smoothly. She tried to ask questions, thinking that she should not make any assumptions but apparently, the teacher wasn't too pleased with all the questions. The teacher was puzzled by all her questions, wondering why this girl was not following all the explanation given. The little girl started to doubt herself, wondering if she should ever raise a question...or should she just keep quiet, but she knew this wasn't really her. She started thinking hard on her way home, she felt she really tried her best to understand what the teacher was trying to explain but...somehow she's still not clear about certain details. The more she thought about the teacher's reaction to her questions, the more frustrated and upset she felt. A train of thoughts went through her mind...Do you mean we were not supposed to ask questions? Will remaining quiet mean that she's a good girl?...Why didn't her teacher try to understand from her perspective?...The little girl remembered what her father told her about people, there are all kinds of people in this world, at times, they don't think the way we do, they are different, you can't expect every one to think, say or do things like you do...But...but deep in her heart, the little girl still wished that her teacher would spend a little time to understanding her side of the story. The little girl was in a dilemma, wondering if she should ever open her mouth again...or was she just confused? It seemed like it had been a confusing week for her. Maybe, at times, she just needed to learn to live in a confused state. That night, she was too tired to think, she hid herself underneath her blanklet, hugging her pillow, smelling it and hoping the familiar smell would be able to bring some comfort. She closed her eyes and wished the week would pass soon. It was a chilly night. Not long after, in a dilemma or not, confused or not, she fell asleep...

Shop, shop and shop

Felt like giving this X'mas tree a hug...

Miss Tan was really serious about her pair of boots :P

No! Don't take a pic of me, I don't have any makeup on! Shoo!!

Sunday ended on a sweet note...waffle and ice cream...snickers which tasted like peanut butter, cookies and cream which tasted like chocolate and berry cheese which tasted like vanilla. Haha, but all still tasted good with the waffle :P Ice Edge Cafe is just next to Dr Chiew's clinic!

Target not to work this weekend and bravo, met my target, ha! (A pat on my shoulder :P). Jiaqi and myself decided to spend Sunday shopping. Miss Tan was pretty focused while shopping, very clear about what she wanted to buy unlike most of those shopping trips I had gone with her where we would just walk aimlessly, ha, two lazy gals roaming the streets. You know what, I don't feel like going to work tomorrow morning. I think I am saying this for the sixth time, disgusting gal :P

Sunny Baby at Frankel

Had breakfast with Mark, Derrick and Sunny Baby! Hmm, well, not exactly breakfast, it was probably near eleven when I took a sip of tea and sank my teeth into that Rosemary chicken sandwich at Bakery Depot at Frankel, thought it was more like brunch. Hmm, well, not exactly having breakfast with Sunny Baby coz he already had his food at home, half finished though. Anyway, I would say that Baby was kinda well-behaved at the cafe, oh well, maybe except for a few occasional barks at strangers who walked past us. I wasn't sure if he was excited or fearful of the new environment but I just could sense that he wasn't really calm and relaxed, kinda wary of stuff around him, wished I could calm him down a little. Maybe he's just not used to the surrounding. Oh yes, right across the street was a golden retriever, I noticed that it was eyeing Sunny Baby, maybe wanting to be friends with him, it looked like it needed company. Ha, not many people to watch as I had breakfast so decided to engage in dog-watching :P Today, I realised something really beautiful about Sunny Baby...he has got a nice coat of fur, so soft and shiny you could give him a hug anytime, like a cuddly teddy bear :P

Aangan

A variety of curry to go with the naan...mushroom, fish (my favourite!), chicken and vegetables. JX savoured every bit of the curry, almost licking every bowl clean, ha! We also ordered fried ladies' fingers, nice and crispy but I thought it was a little too salty for me.

Tandoori chicken was tender and well done! I like it!

Garlic naan! :) We also tried a fruit naan, interesting I would say, tasted great too!

I think if you were to ask me what I hate to eat, I would probably have problem answering this question. I don't seem to mind eating different kinds of food or cuisines. In fact, I love to try different kinds of food, not really fussy about food put in my mouth. Well, of course, I do have a couple of cravings at times, ha :P ...YQ was back in Singapore over the weekend, still can't believe she flew from Perth just to spend a weekend over here. HZ organised a little gathering and dinner for all of us. We decided on something exotic - North Indian & Bangladeshi cuisine. It's Aangan, located in Excelsior Hotel. We ate at this restaurant a couple years ago when it was at Funan Centre. Well, once in a while, it's probably good to have something exotic. Goodness, whenever we meet, food is always on the agenda :P

That morning

It was a pretty busy week, didn't even know what I was really busy with, just knew that there were endless things to do and complete. That morning, I was looking for some stuff in my cabinet at my workplace and I would say I happened to chance upon a pleasant sight...the morning sun was really beautiful as the rays made their way into the room. They had brought warmth and smiles, couldn't help but just felt like capturing that moment. One of my colleagues who was sitting two workstations away thought that I was crazy, taking pictures of my own workstation. Ha, maybe I am really crazy. But I can't deny that it was a beautiful moment that morning :)

"I hope you find joy in the great things of life - but also in the little things. A flower, a song, a butterfly on your hand." ~ Ellen Levine

My Sister's Keeper

I remember my sis asking me some time back if I have read the book “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. She kinda recommended that book and told me that she cried reading that book. I was thinking that must be really touching but unfortunately, have not got started on that book yet. Told myself that I must catch the movie “My Sister’s Keeper” when it’s showing in cinemas. I did…I feel that it’s a story about the greatest love of all, about perceptions of love and about letting go…I like the story, just the story, simple as that. I was really tearing and crying for the last forty minutes of the movie, goodness, maybe it’s just me. It’s about two months away from X’mas but I looked like Rudolph the reindeer with that red nose when I walked out of the cinema. I am always amazed how those actors and actresses cry so beautifully when we watch them on television, their tears flowing so beautifully down their cheeks like drops of dew making their way down a blade of leaf, so gentle and filled with much poise. Well, frankly speaking, I think my face looked like a mess after crying. My eyes still kinda hurt now from crying, silly cry baby :P But then again, I feel that crying does not signify weakness and it does not always express sadness too. It could be tears of gratitude, joy, happiness or in moments when you are touched. I know I can be so easily touched. But anyway, I think it’s really all right to cry, it’s certainly a way of expressing oneself, a way of letting out too. Thus, cry if you must, it’s ok…

Hmm, I just wanna say I am thankful for the family that I have from the day I was born. XF, you’re thought of…miss ya much sis. Looking forward to seeing ya in Dec! Looking forward to creating havoc in your apartment! I will bring along my accomplice – Roller aka Purple, hee hee! Oh yes, would love to meet Purple’s pinky twin! Till we meet in about a month’s time, you are in my thoughts, love ya!

Meow meow...

I recognised her the moment I saw her today! Hmm, well, maybe I shall call her Tammy, feel strange not giving her a name :P It has been a long time since I last saw Tammy. I still remember the photograph I took of her sleeping in an interesting position outside the bakery near my workplace. Today, I saw her just along the pavement outside the coffeeshop, lazing around in a lazy afternoon, licking her paws. Somehow, to me, she is a classic beauty. With distinct black and white fur, she just has a way of getting my attention. Cats are usually kinda indifferent and at times cold, they are not as affectionate as dogs. But I feel that Tammy is kinda different. Me being me, I went near to her to say my hello (silly gal in action again :P). Any other cats would probably 'shoot' you that suspicious glare and before you are within one metre near them, they would probaby be out of your sight in a split second, wary of your actions or intention of getting near them. As I walked towards Tammy, she actually walked towards me with a kinda friendly pace, I felt accepted, that really felt good! I was wearing a long skirt and there she was, twirling round my two legs and ha, sometimes covered by my long skirt. Ha, I must have spent too much time with Tammy, going stupidly crazy over a stray cat, Angeline came over from the coffeeshop, a little worried about that overfriendliness of Tammy. Anyway, bought my lunch and headed back to work. But it was a sweet moment spent with Tammy. See ya soon, Tammy! Meow meow...

Serenity

"Serenity does not cancel hope or adventure, work or love. It flows through the landscape of our busy lives, quiet and strong. Clear and gentle. Refreshing all we do or dream." ~ Pam Brown

Chili's is back!

Nice chips to munch on but was a little disappointed with the salsa :P

Jiaqi and I decided to share Fajitas (mushroom and chicken). It's good! Chicken's tender and went very well with the mushrooms

I like the shrimps that came with the Caesar salad.

Welcome back, Chili's!

Met up with the two band instructors that I had previously worked with, Aw and Chris, together with Jiaqi for dinner. Ha, the guys are still as fun-loving and crazy as ever! Oh well, their love for eating is still as great as ever, still could not believe the slabs of ribs they ate at Chili's, I was looking at them in awe as they were polishing those meat off the ribs. But of course, when it comes to work, I know I can trust them to do a good job based on those years that I had worked with them. I think for those years that we had worked together, we had kinda learnt much from each other. Well, it's great to meet up again and I certainly wish them well as they continue to do what they love to do (well, not eat of course but in the area of music) and what they believe in!

Brunch at Spruce

The potatoes tasted like homemade, freshly cut and done! Not really into burgers but the Spruce burger has a way of delighting my taste buds with the fresh ingredients put into it.

A whole head of lettuce...fresh and crunchy!

Waffle's great! Eat it with the runny egg and it's simply heavenly :P

Snoop asked me out for brunch on Saturday. She suggested Spruce, a restaurant at Tanglin Road. It was really crowded but thank goodness, she made a reservation. I would say a pretty nice and cozy place for breakfast and brunch during a weekend, gave me a kinda lazy but yet relaxed feeling. You know, you feel like you could be in your little sundress and flipflops spending your lazy afternoon in there. Jazz was playing in the background and I guess with that kinda setting, I would simply enjoy every bit of my brunch slowly, time was never an issue. What a luxury! It's a place with simple decor, mainly a couple of art pieces on the wall, restaurant was also surrounded by much greenery. Good to dine outdoor if it's a little cooler. I feel that much care was put into the quality of the food served. I think there's also a good variety for the menu for breakfast and brunch. Snoop dearie, thanks so much for brunch and the planner for 2010. Well, although it's not waterproof (ha! :P), it will be a much treasured planner for me next year, it's certainly something that will be important to me :) I am pretty sure we had a good time shopping at kikki.K, thanks for the great afternoon!