Tiffany ad

I don't own a Tiffany nor do I wish for one.

 But this print ad celebrating 175 years of Tiffany arrested my breath.

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other.

but looking outward in the same direction"

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Maeil Salad

This is one of my favourite salad recipe. 

I made it up myself with my favourite basics - brocolli, potato & egg

It's so fast to make and good for the lunchbox too.

Xin seems to quite like it too. I think I shall call it - Maeil Salad.

Brocolli, Egg, Potato Salad with Yacon

Toasted Baguette with Butter & Early Grey Tea

Maeil Salad Recipe

Get ready!

 Brocolli

An egg

 A potato

 Yacon/ Green Apple

Salt + Pepper + A little butter

Make it!

Start by boiling the potato

Wash the brocolli and cut into bite size clumps

Once the water starts boiling, add a teaspoon of salt

Add the brocolli and egg in

Brocolli should cook in 5- 7mins

Bring up the brocolli and set aside in a salad bowl
Slice the egg and add into salad bowl

Potato should be ready once fork goes through easily

Cube the potato &  add it to the salad

Skin the yacon/ green apple, cubed and add to salad

Grind salt, fresh pepper and mix it up with some butter!

Viola~
Bon appetit!

Met

In this great big city

Where do you roam?

Had I met you somewhere before?

Did we

 Cross paths, hours apart

   From the same spot?

Perhaps you were here

 Exactly here

  Last evening

Where I sit now

  At this spot

We saw the same Merlion

 Spewing water to

  A different crowd

The 'Durian'

 Under a

  Different light

Night and morning

 Meets at the darkest point

  At the beginning of

   Daybreak.

I wonder

 How they prepared for

  The meeting

Or perhaps

  It came so

   N a t u r a l l y

    That when it was time

     They just - 

Met.

Botanical gardens 2012

 Some things that caught the light in my heart's eye today:

Next destination - Iceland

Stills from here

This girl has got it!

Have you?

Eleven's end

Basked in golden
Green leaves waving
Ever so shyly
In the wind

I thought of you
Thought you softly
I didn't even have to try

A tapir
White tiger
The zebras

Life is not often
in black and white
Yet it is clear
In this champagne sunset
It ends here

The only way to end
a year
that ends with eleven.

Tune of my heart

Adagio für Streicher

Samuel Barber

Sehr schön.

雨水流露我的心

雨季又来了

雨不停的在下

好想让雨水流露我的心

也许。

只有这样。

我的心酸
也可以随着泪水流走

***

Elephant chain

P told us about the story of the elephant who was chained as a baby and although he was strong enough to break the chain when he got bigger but he did not because he did not succeed before.

Sounds pretty much like something you have heard before. A bird caged up too long that it does not try to fly even when the cage door is open. P was drawing an analogy with some old men he has been working with - steeped in their experience, are not willing to try despite a change in times.

I wonder if I had become old before my time. I really hope not. I want to break the chains bravely and balance on a beach ball by the sea someday.

Violence is not always visible

There was a recent UN ad competition  - Say no to violence against women. Trine Sejthen from Denmark took the top prize for her work - Violence is not always visible (below). 

This is something close to heart, being a woman.

Off hand, I recall a couple of friends physically abused by their boyfriends. Although they have left their abusers, it was after much suffering and an awakening that this was not how they should be treated. It made me realise that might be many more girls in their plight and not knowing what to do.

At the time when they were hit, they must have thought it was an accident, believing it will not happen again. 

Ladies,

You know there is no excuse.

Once is warning enough

Ring the bell.

Talk to someone

Run while you can.

Everyone,

Spread the word 

Stop violence against women and girls.

***

If you need to talk to someone, you can contact Aware Helpline:

Mon - Fri

3pm - 9.30pm

1800 774 5935

***

Single-hearted

To be able to know what you want

And pursue it single-heartedly 

That is beautiful

Whenever I look at Danielle Kroll's illustrations, it feels like I am meeting her.

In a way, I feel like I know her.

Is that strange?

Nonetheless, it's so beautiful to see one pursuing their dream,

their passion

enjoying what they do 

everyday

***

不在乎。。。

Still from Sovil et Titus ad 

A beautifully written piece that made me cry.

Read it here

又寂寞又美好

by Jimmy Liao

Someday

Dream (not-so) auto-mobile
Picture by Danielle Kroll

Don't bring me down

By Danielle Kroll

If you have let it go,
Don't bring it down

It will be happier as it rise into the sky!

Don't be afraid

Taken from here

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world on their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

- Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 12

On Job

God's working all things together for the good to them that love Him, and how can you lose?

You just can't lose; there's no way of losing. The Church could just really find that out. If you could positionally find your place in Christ, then all these other things would just fade away like a shadow. Every one that cometh to God, that's true, must have the shadows, and temptations, and fears, and so forth, but just don't get all tore up about it.

What's a little suffering for a little while, knowing that the glory of God will be revealed in the last days when Jesus comes, when we'll be made like unto Him? He's just working everything together. Did you know, maybe if you were sick, or something happened to you, that God might've had to do that just to bring you a little closer to Him?

- William Branham on 'Job'

Wait

They that wait upon the Lord
Shall renew their strength
They shall mount up
With wings as eagles
They shall run and not be weary
They shall walk and not faint
Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.

Butterflies

What gives you butterflies in the stomach?

Perhaps it's someone?

Someone I know?