Be lifted up

Everyone needs a lift, sometimes.

Take care P.

1 Peter 1:8

"Whom having not seen,
ye love;
in whom, though now ye see him not,
yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory"

Peaches & Pink Guava

australian white fleshed momo

pink guava

I ♥ peaches and I cannot lie.

I could eat them all day and still want more.
And I got my parents hooked on it too :)

Supermarket is stocking pink guavas now,
they look like mini watermelons, do they not?

The flesh is soft and taste is rich.

Mmm..so good!

Alice in Wonderland

The quirky Yayoi Kusama has collaborated with Penguin to come up with her illustrations for Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland"

I really love those spots and dots and how well they come together!

Coming out twenty-fifth april twenty-twelve!

Stills from here via Blackeffiel

On understanding

不患人之不己知，患不知人也

- 孔子

Some time ago, I accompanied my mom to Confucius Institute to collect the results of some proficiency test she had taken, and check out the courses available.

As she was sorting out with the staff, I roamed around and there was on display a few calligraphy works of Confucius sayings. I like this quote in particular and it takes on a deeper and stronger meaning each time I revisit it.

 A rough translation - Take not offence if others do not understand you, but rather be concerned that you do not understand others. (It looks like a lot of words to translate for a mere 12 characters, but such is the beauty of the Chinese language)

First lights

Out of the kitchen window

Some gigantic trees live outside our kitchen window. 

As the first lights of each day hits its branches,

it's a sight for quiet contemplation.

Makes one want to breathe all that deeper.
All the goods in.
All the bads out.

Let's breath well, my friend~

C'est la vie, Mon Cherie~

People think it funny that my all time favourite HK actor is the quite un-handsome Lau Ching Wan(刘青云). It's probably all because of the classic & one of my all-time favourites - C'est la vie, Mon Cherie <<新不了情>>

Lau Ching Wan and Anita Yuen made a seamless performance that never fails to make me weep loads each time I watch. Just viewing the trailer gives me the waterworks again.

Sung by Wan Fang (万芳)

Black Beauty Watermelon

Refreshing~

I think I have an eye for fruits. 

Spotted some very dark green watermelon yesterday.

It's called Black Beauty -I suppose referring to the seeds.

Absolutely sweet and water-melony!

(But they are really heavy!)

Bowls

Blue & White

Beautiful pottery on sale at Isetan.

I love the design on them.

Beautiful women series - Jane Goodall

For some reason, Jane Goodall came into my mind today. Perhaps I was thinking about beautiful women - wasn't thinking appearance-wise, but they happen to be.

She's 77 this year and still active with her projects and initiatives. It's a passion that carries one through life that is so admirable & fulfilling.

She spoke on TED - It's a really good one, if you can spare about 30 minutes - view it here

And also just chanced upon Jane Goodall's organisation in Singapore and that there will be the screening of the documentary - Jane's Journey at the Botanical Gardens on 14th April. Mark your calendar~
More info here

What will you still be passionate about at 77?

Oh my! She's the bride!

compilation of ideas that caught my eye from blackeffiel & ohjoy

Jon proposed to Xin over their Bali holiday.

I can't believe my dear friend is going to get married!

That's so grown up!

We both just realised that we have been friends for a decade.

A decade, imagine that!

The best part about her wedding is

I get to appoint myself as her card designer

Am getting dizzy with ideas!

Congratulations my dear dear friend!
Jon's the lucky dude ;)

***

Buon giorno!

Beautiful sun-basked morning that greets!

Foliage drenched in honeyed sunshine

Yum!

All that glitters

Recently read an article by Ong Soh Chin titled "All that glitters is not gold"

For the longest time, I held suspicions of our local journalists' standard, but this lady is proving there is hope yet in our local journalism. A very well written article, aptly appearing in "Urban". I also love the way she weaved "The Great Gatsby" into her article :)

But really, the crux of it was the message it brought. Although there is so much talk about social mobility, I wonder if there are some of us that get caught in it unawares. Compared to a generation ago, most of us has attained higher qualification than our parents, secured decent paying jobs and having a certain standard of living comparable to our peers. What is seen as decadent before, hardly raises a brow anymore.

As I was having a leisurely tea and croissant with my parents at a newly minted shopping centre in Orchard, (an enjoyment that my parents previously frowned upon) - I wonder what has changed. I suppose we are slowly becoming more attuned to the finer things in life, but are we going on the path of bankrupting our soul? How does one stay level headed in this glitsy world that is constantly calling out to fill those insatiable wants?

I suppose it is an inward looking and awareness, that we are all, just but a flower that grows, withers and dies all too soon. As we experience more in life, are we getting desensitised towards the people around us? Was that just another waiter or waitress, cashier, or sweeper? I like to think everyone we encounter, no matter how brief, becomes an important part of our lives and deserve no less than the respect we might give to our boss (caveat: i.e. if you respect yours)

As we afford the better things in life (but not necessary to need to prove that we can), may we also find ourselves steeped in humility and find it not a hard thing to love our fellow flowers regardless of how well they glister.

Birthday wishes

Made with ♥

Xin turned 28 just recently.

(Nice age & nothing to be shy about, no?)

We celebrated at a cosy little restaurant near our office

with a simply little card filled with greetings.

My best wishes are with you, my dear friend~

Happy turn of 365!

(P/S: unfortunately the 'i' dropped off before it reached you, 

now you know how it was at first :D)

Silence of Love

Happy Valentine's!

The official Valentine's Day slipped by without me quite noticing as I was too deep in work.

Now I wished I had made some nice cards for my friends like she had here.

In any case, happy valentines!

P/S: In case you are wondering why the middle guy represents "AB".

It's short for Abraham Lincoln.

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: