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

The morning walks resume

On the way to the Grand Old Dame

A month of (not-so) hard work gets rewarded - with a walk at the gardens.

One of the nicest thing about the Gardens is how there is always something to be discovered.

Today, I rubbed the leaves of Spanish thyme to get acquainted with it. My, was it strong! I went on to find comfort in the familiar smells of the curry leaves and musk lemon.

 The sweet euphony of nature is music to my eyes and stirs my heart to sing!

Timor Leste

Do you know of anyone in Timor Leste? I do know someone who is making a difference there right now. So much so that the papers noticed.

Click here for the write-up by Today featured on 26 July.

What matters deafness of the ears when the mind hears?
- Victor Hugo

And what matters deafness of the ears, when the heart understands.

***

A chance of moonlight

I can't remember the first time I crossed paths with this book but when I read it recently, felt like I was discovering it all over again. I was deeply moved by some of the illustrations. The one below is something I liked a lot. The book is by Taiwanese author/illustrator - Jimmy Liao, titled '向左走,向右走'（Turn left, turn right).

The story started with the first stanza of a poem by Polish poet, Wislawa Szymborska:

They're both convinced

that a sudden passion joined them

Such certainty is beautiful

but uncertainty is more beautiful still.

On this page, it goes like this:

7月20日 雷雨过后的夜晚，月亮特别皎洁。

July 20 That night after the thunderstorm, the moon was exceptionally clean and white.

迷宫般的城市， 听不到呼唤， 找不到方向。
The labyrinth-like city, cries unheard, directionless. 

I have a feeling that almost everyone will experience something like the imagery above at some point in their lives. The overwhelming uncertainty. How dreadful when one is in the depths of it.

And yet, there is always this possibility, that something is yet to happen, just round the corner, might happen. Might not. Yet, just might. Will you be able to embrace the beauty of it?

Picture taken from here

Translation attempted by me (hope I wasn't too far off!)

Sunflowers (해바라기)

The author of Chaemii has yet again wrote a post that I enjoyed and learnt much, this time on - Sunflowers. I know Xin love sunflowers, so do I. They are such lively, happy flowers. They were the perfect for my grandmama's departure and I was glad Level 23 & Co. thought so too.

Can you also feel the early evening sun determined to shine through the back of the sunny petals and getting caught within. Oh what can it do, but continue glowing within the petals! I say, forget SPF and face the morning sun everyone! 

Determine within yourself to keep sunny inside out!

Picture from Chaemii.blogspot.com
Read the original sunflower post here.

Language of the heart

This little boy, Malite, is reciting part of a Tang poem by Meng Jiao, titled 'You Zi Yin' (游子吟). This is one of the poems we performed in primary school as part of the Chinese Club.

Perhaps because I learnt the poems as songs, I can remember them well, even till now.

This poem can be found here

If you talk to a man in a language he understands,

that goes to his head.

If you talk to him in his language,

that goes to his heart.”

- Nelson Mandela

National Arboretum / Dongyi (국립수목원 / 동이식당)

As I was replying to an email today, I was reminded of one of my nicest time in Korea. The visit to the National Arboretum, a little tea time and that dinner in a wooden restaurant that followed.

If you are wondering the meaning of 'Arboretum', so did I when I first heard about it. It is strictly, a collection of trees. But now more commonly, a botanical gardens with research facilities.

According to Christy's husband, the Arboretum is only open to 5000 visitors a day. As such, reservation is a must, especially on the weekends. We visited on a Friday and there were only pockets of visitors. Plenty of space and tranquility for all.

Life in full bloom at the National Arboretum

Thirsty? Help yourself, but do check that it's safe to drink first!

Quietly famous Dongyi restaurant

(Click on link to view a korean blog on the restaurant)

Again, according to Christy's husband, this restaurant started out as a small little place and it was so good and expanded to it's current size. It's got a lovely earthy decor and just superbly good handmade food. It's located just outside the Arboretum, right in the midst of lush greenery.

Dinner was in the cool of the evening with the best food and company one could have asked for.

Life is filling up with memories like these.

Here comes the sun!

A day out with the mother and we met a family at the Gardens today. The father is Scottish and the mother's from Kazajstan and a really friendly little boy of six called George. They love the Gardens too and it's hard to think of anyone who doesn't. As I took these pictures, in my mind I was thinking, 'Here comes the sun!'

Frankie Day Out!

Frankie Day Out started as the cute little cupcakes arrived

Tea party to launch Frankie's 'Sweet Treats'

'Oohs' and 'Aahs' over the eye candies

A land overflowing with sugar and more sugar

A strawberry haven!

 Rainbow cupcakes (I love it!) and Strawberry cupcakes

Our 7-Eleven auntie came for tea!

Phew, what a day out~

Come around to visit for the next tea party!

Kim Heung Kuk & Korea (김흥국 & 대한민국)

As I was taking an afternoon walk with Yena at Yeouido Park on the Thursday before Korea's first match against Greece, we were ambushed by KBS reporters. They asked us for our opinion on Kim Heung Kuk's decision to shave his trademark moustache (which has made Kim HK who he is) if Korea makes it to the Top 16 for the World Cup. I had no idea who he was but judging by the 'AS-IS' and 'TO-BE' images, I could only honestly comment that he looks younger sans facial hair. 

Korea did make it to the Top 16 and hence the younger look

Taken from here

World Cup hold a special meaning for me. It was 4 years ago where Xin and I had an extraordinary time in Europe while World Cup was on. We saw snippets of the finals atop a hill in Oslo. 

This year, I caught the amazing opening match for Korea with Christy, her husband, my friend KW, along with a few hundred Koreans in a theatre. The atmosphere was electric when both Lee Jungsoo and Park Jisung scored. No one was on their seats when the adidas ball went decisively into Greece's net. The crowd left the theatre in truly high spirits.

Last night, I watched a different ending, but it was a performance that epitomised what I already knew Koreans to be - hardworking, passionate, and unwilling to compromise on anything less than the best. Right till to the second when the whistle blew.

Even my dad (who I believe hold the Singapore record for watching the most soccer matches) admitted it was a pity not to see more of the fantastic Reds and their brand of esprit de corps.

But Koreans, as I also know, are not known to give up without another fight. Korea 2014! Fighting!

Collection of beautiful people & books

Working at the bookshop allowed me to enter a world that I barely knew existed just across the street from my previous workplace. The disparity can be rather hard to reconcile at times.

And within the bookshop, it is yet another world in itself - where a group of elves work towards the hope that every person who comes in will come away with something good in their hearts or in their hands ;)

Read more about the shop from TIME: 
Next Time You're in ... Singapore