Snip, snip, snip...

I had them for almost like twelve years...snip, snip, snip

I liked to smell it every morning...
I liked the feeling of how a gust of wind refreshed every bit of it...
I liked the way it had kept me warm around my neck during winter...
Snip, snip, snip

I was a brave gal, not really sure where that courage came from...
I was pretty cool about it and no longer hesitated like I used to...
I was glad that I gave myself a chance...
Snip, snip, snip

I looked at myself in the mirror, kinda satisfied with what I saw...was it a need for change or was it about letting go?

Subtlety

The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding ~ Francis Bacon

Counting my Pooh cookies

Counting my Pooh cookies...one...two...three, three of them left. I lined them on the cover of the box. All three were smiling despite not knowing what their fate would be like. Their fate seemed to be in the hands of this silly gal...Took a picture of the three of them together, still loving the smile on their faces and wanting them to be a part of this silly gal's memories as they had once made her smile...One...two...three...no more left...

Idling moment

I knew I must have a cup of teh si this afternoon. Collected my pair of shoes at 313 @ Somerset and decided to have a cuppa teh si at Orchard Central...away from the weekend crowd. Teh si was good, really good, just the right thickness and not too sweet. The person who made this cuppa tea must have put in much effort...or was it just me, craving much for it and not expecting much? Well, I guess I just knew at that idling moment that I was not disappointed.

Boo Boo

Date of birth: 5 October 2008

Name: Boo Boo

Height: 41 centimetres

Weight: 283 grams

Fur colour: Light brown

Eye colour: Black

Belongs to: Siew Boon...stuffed with hugs by Kat, Jiaqi and Rene

Boo Boo was left in his lovely gift box for quite a couple of months, took him out that day and brought him to my workplace. He has kept me company for the past week. Occasionally, I did give him a little squeeze. Love his little denim jumper, those little patches of cloth on his furry body and most of all...his smile :)

Today's the day

Are there days that you don't feel like talking...and you gotta have about twenty-five conversations in that day?

Are there days that you don't feel like entertaining others...and your job for the day was to do that?

Are there days that you don't feel like smiling...and you gotta stretch that skin around your mouth for about five hours that day?

As I looked out of the glass window at Mcdonald just now, sipping on the icy cool coke, I wished those big glass windows would surround me...

Are there days that you feel like crying out loud...but you could not find a right place to do that?

Today's the day...

Pinkie on the road

Pinkie is travelling again. She is going back to Basel this June and she will be meeting XF and Didi! She was wondering if she should bring along freaky Roller, it would feel kinda funny without Roller... But one thing is for sure, she is looking forward to her holiday trip :P

My very good friend

My very good friend went to Tokyo Disneyland and got me a pack of Winnie the Pooh cookies. It was a nice package, put it this way, you will never be disappointed with the packaging when purchasing merchandise at Disneyland :P But guess what, silly me left the package together with a box of Japanese chocolates in the restaurant that night. Thank goodness, I called the restaurant and managed to get them back the next day. Those mean alot to me, let alone the thoughtfulness of my very good friend :)...Today, I was having Winnie the Pooh cookies for tea. Each cookie was shaped and designed like Pooh. I dropped one into my cup of Milo and it was floating, ha, showing Pooh's chubby face and big tummy, he was smiling as he was floating happily in the Milo. But well, not long after, he was being scooped and...hmm, guess you know what happened to him. It was too difficult for me to resist despite having a sore throat and cough :P

My very good friend nagged at me like the way she did about ten years ago I guess (Ha, but she never really did stop nagging at me all these years :P). That night when we met, what she said seemed to have reminded me of how I felt ten years ago...

Penang...friendly strangers

Friendly strangers that we met along the streets, they did not really bark when we went near, guess they loved that attention but not sure about having their photographs taken though. Mark had a hard time taking shots of them :P but I thought a few of the shots are lovely! :)

Penang...food, glorious food

Penang laksa...so delightful to the tastebuds! Notice that spoonful of prawn paste?

Curry mee...I guess the secret lies in that spoonful of chilli paste that's supposed to be stirred in that rich soup. I had a great time savouring the pig's blood and tau pok!

I probably can eat this every morning...chee cheong fun with prawn paste

Kuay teow soup with fishballs...just a small bowl and we ate it everyday :P

Prawn mee...the soup was superb, so full of flavour, rich and sweet! I don't think it's salty and I think it is really the essence of the prawns

The verb "eat" is the reason for the non existence of the adjective "thin" in my dictionary. In Penang, we were like eating every three hours, there was supper every night, there were endless food to eat in Penang and hardly time for digestion :P Well, maybe it's good that we were there for just one weekend. Thanks to Derrick and Joshua, we got to taste yummy, real yummy local fare in Penang! Thanks to Mark, I got these great pics of the delicious food that we tasted in Penang! Most of all, I think at times, great food wouldn't taste that great without great company :)

Penang...memories

Was walking along one of the streets and saw this little teddy along a back alley...weathering through the scotching heat, the sun, the wind and the rain must have been tough on him...

A nice little cafe where we had a drink...I was just thinking, what if I own a little cafe like this too...

Reminded me of London...

Everything in that market seemed to be the same as it was when we were there 3 years ago.

That Sunday morning, we went to a market for breakfast and took a walk to check out the various stalls in the market. Breakfast was yummy...loved chee cheong fun with my favourite prawn paste, curry mee with pig's blood (Oh, how I had craved for that!), kuay teow soup... and teh peng was heavenly cool! I thought I kinda loved the crowd that early morning, liked looking at the expressions on people's faces, liked the idling feeling within me in contrast to the busy activities that were going on around me.

Penang...a budding photographer

This is really my favourite! Great use of light and shadow, I feel that there's so much depth and meaning in this picture that I thought it kinda touched me when I first looked at it. I guess the sensitivity of a photographer certainly plays a part in the end product.

I was really all excited about a cat that I saw in a shop (what's new? :P) and came this sweet young girl who came forward and started sharing with me all about Joe - the cat. There was another cat in the shop named China. I held Joe in my arms and started chatting with Xinyi. She's 17 years old and I think I was very impressed with how she's able to share so much with me about her love for cats and photography, her life as depicted in the photographs that she took with her handphone. There seemed to be so much zest, life and passion within her. It was such a pleasure to meet her and talk to her...I personally feel that she is definitely the kinda young people we want to have in our future generation. I was also thinking, this young girl needed a camera for the talent that she has within her, she has certainly got that potential. Coincidentally, we met her again when we visited Sun Yat Sen's Penang Base along Armenian Street. I passed her my digital camera and wanted her to go play with it. Liked the way she was so engrossed in photography and here are some of the pictures that she had taken :)

Penang...taking steps

Energy level seemed to be dwindling over the past couple of weeks, the short getaway to Penang last weekend was a great short break for me. I wouldn't say exactly that it helped to recharge but I just loved the feeling of chucking away the long list of things you needed to complete and just go, well, maybe I would call this temporary abandonment... As I stepped on the streets of Penang, I thought I love the authenticity amidst the simplicity.

What's within

It was kinda marred when the two slices of cake were placed on my table, wondered what the slices of cake looked like originally :P Nevertheless, no matter how the looks have changed or altered, the content remained unchanged, it was savoured delightfully. Hmm, I think I also tasted sweetness and thoughtfulness in the cake...thank you Yue Niang :)

Lemony Monday

Not really in the mood to start work today, longing for the feeling of being carefree and yielding for that freedom to do what I want and what I wish. You know, could feel those lazy bugs marching all over my body, just like many rows of military soldiers determined to conquer some kinda territory. Well, resistance to them seemed to be pretty low though :P ...Saw my bag of stuff from work that I would like to complete tonight but you know what, kinda still at a denial stage. Maybe I should just enjoy a cup of hot lemon honey and read the magazine I have bought :P

Hot and spicy Mothers' Day

Here it is! With the hot and spicy curry! :P

The fishhead came home without the curry

My Mummy is still crazy over that Taiwanese drama serial every weekend and so we all decided to have dinner at home this Mothers' Day :P My father suggested curry fishhead for dinner and so he went to his friend's stall at Tiong Bahru to buy curry fishhead. Wow, his friend was really generous, gave us lots. I am still very full now from eating so much, ate lotsa fish, well, not forgetting the eyeball! That's really my favourite part of the head :P My father also bought curry veggie, as delicious as ever. The cabbage was cooked till soft and the essence of the curry was soaked into the veggie and tau pok. The two dishes were really hot and spicy, could feel perspiration trickling down my neck as I ate, kinda shiok! My mummy was telling us just now that she's gonna make barley drink for us tomorrow lest we all get really heaty from all the curry tonight :P

I remember my blog post last year for Mothers' Day was a real long blog about my mother. This year, I thought I would just keep it short and sweet...They may not be our best friends in our lives, they may not be that perfect as we would expect them to be but there's one thing that I am pretty sure and that is...their unconditional love. There is only one thing I would like to mention today on Mothers' Day and that is...I am blessed :)

Mark's birthday...PS Cafe@Dempsey

I really cannot remember when was the last time I was at PS Cafe at Dempsey. It seems like it could be many years back that I was there with a few ex-colleagues. Well, we celebrated Mark's birthday yesterday at that cafe. It's great to be back there again. It seemed to have changed a little of its decor, I like the fact that it's nestled amongst nature. The sounds, the smell and the sights of the surrounding were simply pleasing to my senses. I just wish that it wasn't that noisy, the crowd started coming in in the late evening and I thought I needed to lip read at some parts of our conversations. I thought the variety of food was good as compared to dunno how many years ago. I ordered a veggie lasagna, it wasn't that cheesy or oily, a pretty healthy lasagna with lotsa greens on top. It looked almost like a salad! The french onion soup was kinda disappointing, really miss the one I had in Paris. I also ordered old ginger root drink, wow, impressive! I guess the power also comes with age. The hot drink was powerful but yet soothing and I thought it was great for people like me who has gastric issues :P Oh yes, kept eyeing waitresses serving big plates of fries (real big mountain of them on each plate) at many tables, seemed to be one of the popular sides, looked yummy! I wonder how it would feel like having lunch in that cafe during the day. With the whole house surrounded by mostly glass, I can imagine myself admiring the nature outside as I enjoy the food at my own sweet time. Great choice, Mark :) Hope that you have had a good time too! Remember, be pampered :P

Feeding time

Whenever I get to feed Sunny baby, will always share an apple with him. Well, he gets three quarter of it and I get the other quarter :P That day, after preparing his dish of dried food and diced apple, sat beside him on the floor as he ate from his dish. He was also curious what I was munching on, sniffing the slice of apple I was eating. Sometimes, couldn't help but smile at his curiosity. As I was sitting on the sofa, he went over to his little basket of toys at the corner of the dining area and took a tiny little teddy, came over to me and left it on the sofa :) I guess he wanted to play and he needed company. He was all excited when I stood up and started throwing that little toy. I ran a little and we kinda started playing chase, crazy gal and a crazy doggy :P Sometimes, I just wonder...Sunny baby has not seen much of the world at all but he seems contented with his little joys in his life :)

It has arrived

From XF to Mummy...Well, but most likely the goodies in there may end up mine :P

Sorry, it's the last

Well, well, well, XF, I'm afraid this is the last one in the container :P ...Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Oops, sorry, nothing's left, all gone! :P

=P

In the midst of an emoji 'war' with XF via whatz app in the wee hours of the morning, sent her a photo of my breakfast for the day :P Wish I could just stay home, make a cup of hot tea and enjoy breakfast...Well, anyway, packed some of those fried rice with some sardines cooked with onions for lunch as well. Haiz, I would say it was quite a nerve wrecking lunch break for me, did not really get to enjoy my lunch or rather, did not get a chance to eat much of my lunch...Anyway, the day is over. TGIF!

Tulips on a rainy day

XF was in Amsterdam over the weekend, asked her to take pictures of tulips for me and here's one. I can imagine a whole big field filled with beautiful tulips, it's probably gonna take my breath away, wish I could be there...According to XF, it was a rainy weekend, hmm, I wonder how it feels like admiring those tulips in the rain...Rain or shine, I know those tulips will always make me smile :)

A little note for Sunny baby

Dear Sunny baby,

It was great to see you again on Sunday. It must have been almost two months since I last saw you. You're still the same little darling...love the way you licked my lips and chin, love the way you nibble on my ears, love the way you use your little nose to sniff all over my face, love the way your eyes look into mine...you never fail to make me smile with those lovely little things that you do. You are always like a baby, always finding chances to play and get attention, always so curious to find out more with every little sound, noise or movement that's made...You smelt so nice that day that it left me craving for more of those little cuddles and hugs :) Love ya!

Here comes bunny and her carrot noodles

It was a home-alone Sunday afternoon, gotta settle my own lunch, was too lazy to go out so decided to cook a simple meal for myself. I went in search of ingredients from the refridgerator and food cabinet. Finally, settled for noodles with lotsa vegetables, not in the mood for meat :P Have not cooked the noodles that Lee Shan got from HK for quite some time so decided on cooking that, I had chosen carrot-flavoured noodles :P Poached the xiao bai cai and the carrots before cooking the noodles. Mixed soya sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sesame paste and chilli padi soaked in soya sauce together. The cooked noodles was drained dry, washed in cold water for a few seconds before they were being mixed with the mixture of sauces. Well, simple but lunch was certainly enjoyable :)

The imperfect world

From The Straits Times (1 May 2010)...

"There are many problems on the ground. We don't live in a perfect world. Our job is to try to make an imperfect world less imperfect. And it can become less imperfect only by not looking at how imperfect the world is." ~ Mr Lim Swee Say (secretary-general of NTUC and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office)

Adults

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl. You know what, she’s a simple and plain-looking little girl. Yeah, you probably found her familiar and might have read about her. But she’s still that ordinary girl. That evening, she was on her way to her favourite spot in the park to wait for the ice cream seller. She walked past those beautiful trees that lined the street, it felt like spring…a gust of wind sent some flowers and leaves waltzing in the air. The little girl stretched out her arms, her palms opened wide, wanting so much to feel those flowers and leaves. The evening breeze got her smiling…

She was really glad that it’s the weekend, it was certainly a long-waited weekend. She couldn’t wait to get out of school that Friday. It was examination period and she hated it! She did not like examinations, she did not like being assessed, she did not like to be placed in some kind of position or ranking…sometimes, she wondered why adults came up with all these. Are they really that important in life? Do they really matter? Her good friend was working so hard for her examinations that she had hardly enough sleep for the past few weeks, she had also stopped playing in the playground for quite some time…

The ice cream man came, the little girl always loved to see the old man’s smile. She greeted him and bought her favourite vanilla ice cream in a cone. The ice cream man sprinkled some chocolate rice on top of her vanilla ice cream and said, “Just for you, little girl, have a good evening.”

The little girl chuckled in delight, she had topping for her ice cream again! She said thank you so loudly that it nearly scared away the birds who were chirping nearby. She skipped to her favourite corner under a huge tree to savour her ice cream. As she licked her ice cream, she looked at the people in the park. There were joggers and there were others who were taking a stroll…Sometimes, she wondered why adults were the way they were, why couldn’t they say or express openly or directly what they like or do not like, what they love or hate? Why must they always say things in a confusing manner? Why do they talk like that?...The little girl wondered if she’s going to grow up and be like one of those adults. She’s puzzled by the kind of life adults have…

As she finished her last bit of the ice cream cone, she saw the old lady with her dog strolling into the park. The little girl was so happy to see that golden retriever, she knew she would always get to see it when she’s in the park. Well, that’s probably one of the reasons why she loved to go to the park. The old lady would faithfully walk her dog every evening. One could easily feel the close relationship that the dog and its owner shared. The little girl was envious of what both of them shared…She longed to have her own dog but she knew her mother would never agree to that and she would probably get a lecture on responsibility from her mother again.

The sunset was really lovely that evening, the little girl took out her pink little notebook from her little bag and tried to draw the setting sun. She took out her box of colour pencils and started to use red, orange and yellow to add some life to the picture. As she finished her last bit of her picture, it was getting dark and it was time to go home. Most of the people in the park had gone home. The little girl kept all her things in her little bag, could not really bear to leave the park. But she’s certainly looking forward to the next weekend…

Mandai Orchid Garden

I was at Mandai Orchid Garden with a few colleagues yesterday evening checking out a shop that sells educational stuff. It was quiet in the garden and there weren't many people, lovely. Took a walk round the garden of orchids. I believe it was the first time I came so close to really so many types of orchids. The colours of some seemed to illuminate and seemed to be able to capture much of my attention, no one petal was exactly the same...

There was also a little restaurant in the garden, Vanilia Pod, a nice and cozy one I guess. It's kinda like a greenhouse (not advisable to dine in the afternoon I guess :P). But as I walked past in the late evening, the ambience was great, restaurant kinda nestled amidst the nature. White chiffon cloth draped from the ceiling, candles lit up on the tables and diners were sipping on red wine. When I checked out the menu, not too bad. Not a great variety, considering the size of the place but I think just nice to cater to the number of diners in that restaurant. I suppose it's a good place to check out the next time :P

Macaroni!

Macaroni with lotsa mushrooms, carrot, green pepper, onion and chicken slices

I always have the impression that children love macaroni. But you know what, I love it too! :P Well, I guess there's really nothing wrong about it. It has been a long time since I have used it for pasta salad. I remember in the past, if I were to make pasta salad, my meals for the next few days can be just that, well, of course being very well aware of the amount of carbo that has been consumed :P

It's Thursday and it's time for preparing packed lunch to work. Ha, I think my creativity juice is kinda oozing out, have been thinking of ways to prepare packed lunch to work and sometimes, ideas just kinda flow. Oh well, maybe coz of my love for certain food, hence thinking of ways to prepare it could be an enjoyment. Was telling Mummy, cooking to her seems to be her job but to me, it could be a weekly enjoyment that I have. If you like doing what you are doing, you know you will feel like doing it. Well, I know I have not regretted what I have been doing for the past weeks :)