Indian food

There is all kinds of food in Singapore. And I really mean all kinds. For today, it's Indian food. This is more of Indian breakfast food. My favourite is Apong. It's made of flour and goes very well with the orange coconut sugar served at the side. Mmmm...

Apong

Roti Prata

Roti Prata is a Singaporean/ Malaysian dish. It was not from India as most think. The Indian connection is that it is almost always made by Indians. Roti prata is like a grilled flour pancake and pretty chewy. Usually eaten with curry, I used to have it with sugar when I was little.

It is also quite a treat to watch your roti prata made in front of you while in the queue. I used to imagine myself  doing it because it did not look too difficult. Take a dough, press press press, flip flip, fold fold fold, flip flip, smack between the hands and serve. Viola!

But I shall leave that to the experts. Enjoy!

Exploring the neighbourhood

Iridescent wings of a black bumblebee

Stepping out to have breakfast with my dad this morning proved to be quite an adventure. I found a couple of black bumblebees also out for breakfast. They are having fresh morning glory's nectar.

Remembrance of childhood

On the way home, I found what I was looking for. Childhood flowers. These were the only flowers we were allowed to pick (for they are actually weed flowers) when we were in Sunday school. The result of each flower picking session was a tiny bouquet for my mother.

A Polish Poem

Hues

***

Here is purple - a tree's shadow walking the gravel path,

the purple linking the red and sapphire in love. - 

There - the pinkish bark and the joyous green of birches,

and in the flitting dress of the green - the skies blue circles.

But within me the white, white, white dwells monotonously - 

because in me I carry the hues focused mystery. -

Within the white of my whiteness oh how I suffer so - 

I want to be a hue - who will smash me into rainbow?

***

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, 1922, 

Translated by Marek Lugowski

127 years ago

Mount Krakatoa

In 1883, on this day, one of the most violent series of eruptions took place on Mount Krakatoa, Indonesia.

Don't forget (잊지말아요)

Thank you for not forgetting.

What takes the Cake?

I must admit I was never a fan of cats. I developed a fear of them since primary school where I witness a cat fight too terrible for a young girl. It did not help to later live with neighbours who are cat lovers, who, perhaps unwittingly, attract the toughest looking strays from the neighbourhood. 

It was one of these strays that ate (yes, you are reading it right - ate) the only pet I ever owned - a little one-legged sunbird called Puffy. That costs very many tears.

Blue-eyed Cake

Understandably, I was filled with apprehension when the King and Queen K introduced their Cake to me. But soon, I grew less afraid and increasingly look forward to his nightly prowls around the shop. He likes to smell my shoes (like a dog!), tunnel into plastic bags and fight with rubber bands. Just as I thought I am ready to face the world of cats, I realised that this is no ordinary cat. This is Cake. There is only one. He's the one and - he takes the cake.

He is also now featured in Chaemii's blog here
What a popular Cake!

A daisy for your smile

Happy daisies in summer

This is one of my favourite pictures taken in Korea in June. 

I hope it makes you happy to see it too.

The many turns in life

Life takes a turn each time we make a decision.

This turn determines the events that follow until the next turn is made. One may face initial unhappiness or regret, but there is no way in knowing how much more or less unhappiness/ regret there would have been, should one have made the other choice. 

Perhaps it's not such a bad thing to never know. There is unparalleled comfort in knowing that each step is governed by a force greater than my own.

The story of camellia sinensis & the romantic bean

Abrus precatorius also known as romantic bean (想思豆）

The story of camellia sinesis is that it is the leaves and buds of this plant that give us the lovely variety of tea that we so love, from green tea to white, pu-er and oolong. 

This camellia sinesis notebook was handmade by the good elves at BooksActually, and I now have no. 82 of the 300 made.

The story of the romantic bean was that I found a couple of them still in their pods during one of my recent walks and brought them home. For me, they are known as 想思豆. I had not known of any other name for it. It has often been associated with the romantic for its bright red colour and obligingly heart-shaped look. It is uncommon for me to see it these days though I encounter it quite easily when I was much younger.

I begin to notice that it isn't quite as common to see many of the weeds and plants that I had known from my childhood. Do you think so too?

Birthday

Flag

Fly

Country

DNA

Friend

Passion

Hope

Future