Polly the Terrarium Terror

Pushy and I are on another terrarium mission for Christmas. This time we're working on a gift project for a grown-up and therefore do glass encased ones and also experiment with different plant varieties.

My first idea was to work on an orchid terrarium. But it's a more difficult plant to care for than the last ones we had and I was very afraid it would wilt away, so I suggested to get a backup plant. Pushy saw that the African Violet came in a lovely shade of white with blue edges and therefore we made that our backup plant.

At home, I began repotting the orchid and saw that I made a grave mistake. In selecting our orchid we chose a vanda with the smallest flowers. However I made no mental note of the height of the spikes and ended up with an orchid taller than it's container. Amateur! 

I ended up having to pick out the shorter spikes and split the plant into 2 categories - shorter and taller. Taller ones went back into its original pot, shorter ones were shoved into a cleaned out mineral water base which I cut out, together with some dried spagheum moss and charcoal bits.

The entire bottle base with the shorter spikes were still too tall for its intended container, so I went to Youtube and looked up how to trim orchid stems. Finally I ended up with an orchid plant with no flowering spikes, only leaves. It doesn't seem like an exciting Christmas gift, so I think Pushy will be keeping it for his own and while waiting for the new flowering spikes to grow out.

Having disappointed myself with a poorly thought out orchid terrarium, it took me another couple of days to gather courage and make a second attempt with the backup plant - our sweet little African violet.

I went home, whipped out the paraphernalia and began filling out the second jar with charcoal, moss and coloured beads.I eased out the African violet from it's original pot and tried to stuff the soil and roots to for the next layer. Height-wise the plant was appropriate for the new jar, but lo and behold, the width was way too much. Another amateur mistake. 

Very unfortunately, the jar was tall and it was a chore to extract the plant out to  downsize it. Numerous of the its delicate leaves broke in halves and some in entirety. After peeling away all the broken leaves, I got myself a nice size of the plant to fit into the jar. Finally.. something worked!

Now the African violet fits snugly in the jar, but it looks dirty with bits of soil stuck to the top and bottom side of its leaves. I'm still working out a safe way to clean away the soil without breaking more leaves. 

Poor plants. I feel so apologetic to them. Now I will have to monitor their colour and poise to make sure they recover from my unintended mutilation. 

No, my thumbs are not green and I suck at gardening!

Can they survive the Terrarium Terror?

♥

Cosy December Dreams..

December will be magic again.
It's time to update my ringtone with that evergreen by Kate Bush. I would be quite surprised if I met someone else having the same ringtone.

Have had some minor shuffles in my work environment and I'm having mixed feelings. Yet I'm hopeful that I'd get what I want in this new space!

Feeling hopeful, I've gathered motivation to get back in line with my fitness routine.  If only I hadn't busted my ankle from the over-zealousness. I'm thinking I should get it checked, together with my ever aching intercostal muscle, and that sharp pain in my molar.

It's time to give myself a little bit more attention and R&R.

Have a good December dream my cyber folks.

❤

Fabric Fanatic

Oh dear. I have an incurable insane obsession with silk fabric.

<3

Paws-to-Ponder: Don't Obsess, If You Digress Don't Stress!

It's one thing to be engrossed in something. 
It's another thing when you are obsessed.

Personally I experience weird fluctuations in energy levels and concentration. My energy levels tend to vary daily. On Mondays I'm usually in tip-top form and can do lots of things, no matter whether work or non-work related. On Tuesdays I'll feel really tired through the day so at night I'll fall asleep quickly and get a rested sleep. On Wednesdays being well rested, my energy is up again and I can do lots of things. The cycle goes on until the week-end when I get more time to rest so my body resets.

With all these weird symptoms going on with my body, I have learnt that I have a preference for doing different categories of work on different days. For instance challenging issues to be dealt with on Monday, and on Tuesday I do routine work that doesn't require that much creativity.

Also through the day my energy level changes. Lots of studies have been done on this. Energy changes during the day can be caused by caffeine or blood-sugar crashes accompanied with prolonged sitting and not getting your behind moving. 

This is a little harder for me but I'm consciously making efforts to move my hiney every half to one hour. Getting a drink, standing around to gossip, bathroom break.. tiny little breaks help. 

I also switch around the tasks when I want to 'reward' myself for tackling something difficult. For instance when I investigate an issue I make a few mental notes on the steps I would take. Where the task is tedious, I let myself take a break from it after a certain milestone, and flick out my Outlook to look through the new emails. Then I go back to the tedious task part deux.

These are all the little things I find helpful in dealing with my daily grind which I think may already seem like common sense to you. I hope I have planted a reminder in your head and mine, that it's ok to give yourself a break if you really need one. Don't get obsessed with fixing the next break, investigating the next issue until your bladder's gonna burst or your eyes glaze over from staring so hard at the computer monitor and begin to see stars.

Ultimately it's about understanding yourself and how you work best. So how can you be efficient and effective?
♥

Once Upon a.. Getting my Brain Fried

"There is good in you. I can see it."

"Rumpelstiltskin!"

"I will get my son. And I will have vengeance."

I think I have been getting an overdose of Once Upon A Time.

So sleepy.. yet so addicted.

And I'll sleep happily ever after this brog entry for the next 7 hours.

♥

New Year is Coming...

Egad.

Just 2 months to go!

Pulse check.
In this year.. Have you been Naughty or Nice?
♥

Paws-to-Ponder: Be Useful, Be Yourself

My Dream is not to win against anybody.
I only want to be a Useful Person.

These are the words I have always believed, but sometimes lose sight of.

I will live by my beliefs, day on day, year on year. And I'll be most happy doing so.

Be happy today too, my cyber peers.
<3

Cheesecake had a Bad Day

"Alone I face this world of dangers. 
No one to trust, every face a stranger's.

The demon who hovers above wants me for his meal. 
I attempt escape and subsequently keel.

Now at the edge of my world I have arrived to meet. 
The Great Baker in the sky I will eventually greet."

-- Last words from Cheesecake, left sitting exposed to Jimmy Johnny the Fly.
♥

Doggie-bag It: Rather Lovin' OCBC iBanking

I've been playing with my OCBC ibbanking page today. Being a girl who's really bad with managing my dollars and cents, the features on the ibanking portal are really helpful for me.

No doubt about it, OCBC's ibanking portal has the best 'human touch' to it. This is in comparison with previous ibanking accounts that I held with DBS and UOB. 

I don't get paid for this article.

All the regular features (fund transfer, bill payment, account opening) aside, my favourite feature would be the one on Goal Setting. You start by categorizing your goal, naming it and defining the amount required, then you go into details like whether you have a deadline for it. If you do, then the system calculates your minimum required savings per month to your cause. If you don't, you can play around with the amount of savings you can actually afford and the system derives the date that you will meet your goal.

Personally I've always had a few goals that I know I need to save up for. But because I'm not the disciplined sort, I tend to set aside whatevers I have remaining at the end of the pay-cycle month as general savings, and then I lose sight of how the individual causes should be carved out from this sum.

With OCBC's Goal Setting feature I've now added my individual goals as pockets of funds on to my homepage. I've set rules to direct my monthly pay to the different pockets so no goal gets forgotten. 

Also when I login to my homepage I get to see my total pool of money, split by savings that I carved out against my free cash. This is a very good summary because I can easily know my splurge limits. It is also helpful that credit card transactions that I've chalked up on my OCBC cards are displayed on the same page so I can monitor in case of over-spend.

All in all, you can tell that OCBC had put a lot of thought into making their ibanking portal useful and user friendly, all in the customer's perspective. With the relevant information displayed upfront, it makes people reminded of their saving and spending habits. 

I think the portal worked for me. That's why it deserves a shoutout!
For those out there (like me) who are bad at managing your money, you can probably give OCBC a go. :)
♥

Very Pensive

An emotional stirrup from reading recent social news. 

As I am resting here in my air-con room on my comfy bed and soaking up the relief, there are others on this same land living day-to-day without hope for tomorrow. Bad living conditions, no dignity, no skills and energy to make things better.

Not knowing what to do today, not knowing if tomorrow will be any different. Everyday sitting and watching the lifeless walls. Watching the sun rise up and go down again. 
"What can I do? Nothing I do even matters anymore."

Life without hope, without love, is really not a life at all.
Having no passion to live, whiling away today and tomorrow, is a dreadful waste of life.

I wish everyone could see that there is always hope, there is always something you can do.
Life is so precious, we must make it worthwhile.
Be strong, get a grip, and hang in there!

How can I save the world? How can I make myself useful?
Time to reflect.

♥

Achievement.. (cough) Unlocked!

"The pain in Sprain stays mainly in the strain."

Ow I think I sprained my rib from all that incessant coughing.
Cooties.. They're still here!

♥

Paws-to-Ponder: Remember to Love Yourself

Remember to love yourself.
Because there is only one of You.

Don't be so hard on yourself.
It's never easy being You.

All the money in the world
Couldn't buy You.

♥

I've Got The Cooties

I had cooties and I didn't even know it..
But now I do. Sigh.

An itchy cough, a sore throat, a stuffed up nostril, an achy shoulder and tonnes of phhhhlegm. Not sure why but I think my phlegm tastes like flesh from a durian fruit. Did I disgust you? Sorry. But it does...

I share a room and my roomie swears by air-conditioning. For me in my current state, air-con is a torture. My other nostril gets dried out and hurts. My throat gets irritated with the cold, dry air and itches and then I cough. And my throat gets more injured and more itchy and I cough more. On days like this, I really wish I had my own room.

The environment's not letting me have it easy too. The #Sghaze is back. Smoke-filled air floating across the Singapore Strait shared by our kind neighbours in Sumatra.

My cooties' back. And this time with powerful friends. All ready to kick my ass.

♥

A fulfilling weekend

A fulfilling weekend.
Worked through cough and cold. 
Persistence paid off. 
New creations, affirmations.
Rested, recovered.
It was fun, fun, fun. =)

Loving Life.
♥

Ang Bao Box Adventures

I've been spending some of my spare time on crafting an all new ang bao box for one of my besties who's getting hitched. I've done another one earlier this year for Hooch and feel its kinda addictive for me. It's really an exciting thing to participate in the wedding prep work for someone close to you.

These are the 2 designs I've completed in the year. 

This one lights up from its tiny windows!

Because Love grows..

Are they any good? Would you buy them? Please Poll for Polly!

Would you pay real money for my ang bao boxes?

In the meantime.. I'm wishing there are more sweethearts within my social circle who can quickly tie the knot, so I can have more projects to practise on. Alas, none others.. yet!

♥

Home is a Good Feeling

My humble home, my shabby abode.
I sometimes feel overwhelmed with your cluttered spaces. 
It doesn't deter me from returning to you.
I love you and the neighbourhood which you sit in.
Every family around here seems to purposefully placed.
So comfortably living and making a living.
Enjoying the park and public facilities.
I feel relaxed when I see you.
You hold all my good and bad memories.
I am protected when I live and breathe within you.
It is here that my favourite people congregate at the end of every harsh day,
Every delightful day, and every uneventful day.
In here I rest and recover, grow up and learn to be me.
I am thankful for this home.
My humble home, I will always cherish you.
I wish you will always be here for me.

♥ 

The Defiant Night Guy

Jerry's got THAT right.

The defiant Night guy over here is really exhausted right now, but is refusing to give up on scanning the last 2 pages of Poppadum's crafty posters. Night guy has been Poppadum's secretary over the last 3 days, digitizing all his artwork from hardcopies. 

How does Poppadum churn out these masterpieces at such a super-human pace?
...........Is what Night guy needs to know.

Now there are just 2 sheets to go... And the rebellious dual purpose HP scanner decided to go on strike so Night guy had to go reset it. Night guy is scanning the pages of artwork in high resos and therefore it takes gazillion minutes to do a single scanned sheet.

Night guy is a little cranky right now... Morning guy is SCREWED by Night guy.. Once again.

♥

Doggie-bag It: Passiton.Org.Sg

I think the disposal of something, or indeed anything, is an important consideration. It is a topic that most people neglect. 

Disposal of everyday items that are produced as a by-product of frequent consumption is a real waste of resources. Things like extra plastic bags, plastic drink bottles, disposable food packaging, advertisement leaflets or brochures are just examples of how we produce a lot of waste that, to a large extent, can be avoided. 

Disposal of larger household items is equally bad. In Singapore unwanted household objects are often left at lift lobbies or at the ground floor of high rise apartments. It gets in the way and is unsightly. Although there are proper avenues to dispose household items, people simply cannot be bothered to bring their items to the rubbish dump facilities. This is really a deep-rooted behavioral problem. 

Conscious of the issue of proper disposal, I've been searching for a way to meaningfully dispose of my spare mattress which I've used over the last 10 years because I got myself a new one from Maliland that helps me with my bad back. I thought perhaps I could do donation or I could break it down into parts that could be upcycled, recycled or reused. 

What showed up was an interesting online donation portal known as Pass It On.org.

How-tos:
To donate an item, simply fill out a form with your contact details and pictures with a description of your item. Your item will then be listed on the database of donated objects. Representatives of local registered Voluntary Welfare Organisations can login to the portal and search the database for suitable objects needed by families whom they look after. Where there is a suitable match, the VWO Reps will then contact you to confirm item availability and subsequently arrange for pick-up.

To date I've listed my mattress and a spare table-top fan on the portal, and already managed to rehouse my fan with a new family. My fan is now being put to good use instead of sitting lonesomely in a corner of my storage room collecting dust. My mattress doesn't appear to be popular but I will still keep it listed for a few weeks before I go on to Plan B.

If you guys out there need a meaningful way to de-clutter your living space, do give the portal a go. If your items are still in working and reasonably clean condition, there should be no reason to let them go to waste in the rubbish dump!

And you will also receive a personal thank you note for your kind donation!

♥

Me Need Workstation. Need Bad!

I am, rather frequently, an impulsive animal. I mentioned previously I have a multitude of hobbies. Well I am the Jane-of-All-Trades and Mistress-of-None. I still go back to each one of them from time to time and each of my hobbies have begun vying for space to be present at my makeshift work table so I can pick them up and continue working on them from where I last took off. 

De-clutter, de-clutter, de-cluttttter!

Scene from my make shift work table from my last major project. It's an old mahjong table! Huat ah..

I am wistfully wishing for a new work table. Wouldn't mind this baby from Ikea.

Love the idea that this work station can be closed up to keep out the dust. For craft work however, this table may be a little narrow so I'm still browsing. Still it doesn't resolve the issue of my cluttered-ness. I wonder if there really is a cure?

In the meantime, the mahjong table and my bedroom floor are my best resources. Can you tell I'm bravely defying the thought of procrastinating creative work through the excuse of having no proper work table?

Here's an example of how I am scanning Poppadum's craft work for administrative purposes. He's recently into lettering and borders. Isn't it neat?

♥

Paws-to-Ponder: Living without Regrets

This is the youngest that you would ever be for the rest of your life.

Recently there had been several of my friends and co-workers having new babies. New life is so naturally exciting and full of promises. Congratoos the new mommies and daddies. Special mention going out to Shinn, my fro-worker (friend and co-worker) who's always living life to the max - Little Janie is just so perfect. Well done ol' gal, well done.

And on TV this weekend, I sat through the entire National Day Parade. It was Singapore's 'birthday', or so they call it. Personally I feel it was just a waste of a sh*tload of taxpayers' money in doing the event. Since my teenage years I found the event highly repetitive, cheesy, and really boring. The only part that interests me was the first hour of the show when we see families, young and old, gathered at the stands to watch the parachute performance, and up till the part where the contingents march in. Everything from the inspection procedure and onwards is just crap. Instead of all this, we should just make the 'Parade' into some sort of a 'Remembrance Day', to give thanks to our pioneers. A wholehearted show of respect would be most appropriate. And then save the rest of the money that is spent on setup and costumes, and use it on more meaningful ways.

On TV the nation saw a very old Lee Kuan Yew. I saw a very old man. What exactly went on in his mind when the people in silly costumes sang and dance in front of him? Have people become so frivolous since the last he remembered? This man has devoted his life to the nation. Did he think he did a good job? Does he wish there was more he could have done? Maybe constituted a law to banish those dreadful costumes from National Day celebrations? Hero or zero, I would give him a pat on the back for his effort and wish he could stay around to celebrate Singapore's 50th National Day.

The thing I've noted for myself is that some day I am going to be old like him. What are the things I want to do between now and then? What are the things which I tell myself now that I'm way too old to attempt? There are so many, so I'd better get started. Better now than later. Better now than regret.

If I want to learn a new skill, it better be now.
If I need to keep fit, I'd have to start now.
Because now will soon be 50 years later.

♥

Paws-to-Ponder: Everyday is a New Discovery

A chance to learn, it is today.

A moment to experience, it is now.

An opportunity to improve, it is this one.

A time to appreciate, it is present.

A life of discovery, it is yours.

Life is a beautiful thing.

♥

Rouse House

Yeah so today was a much cheerier day.
Indeed I was much more focused and constructive and felt that I truly value-added.
What a weirdo (that's me!)!

On other news - 

To the boys and girls out there who do enjoy a read (something perhaps a little more flavourful than this brog entry), there's a new up and rising short story portal Rousing Reads which was set up by Alice Leong to rally the work of aspiring novelists from across Asia. The site's pretty neat because all readers are welcome to share any of their own fabrications and get access to a wide pool of reader traffic.

I'm now inspired to write, but my bucket list is awfully long (after my non-boring ang bao box.. which comes before my bodice sewing project.. which comes before my skirt sewing project.. which all comes after my mini spring-clean assignment.. which needs to come before my roof renovation arrangement). So much to do, so little time!

Life is.. Le Sigh.

♥

Today's a Blue, Blue Day

Today's a blue, blue day.
It's not PMS. It's something else.
This blue-ness I'm experiencing - is really something else.

It's days like today that I get pensive and wonder if I am at fault, or the world is at fault.
Usually the next day I'll snap out of it and realise no one is at fault, and that we are just different. It takes all sorts to make a world.

It's days like this that I extensively doubt my intelligence and capabilities. Perhaps I'm not as smart as I thought? And the next day I'd flip it around and observe the opportunities that are reaching out to me that I can use to learn and improve myself.

It's days like this that I feel my esteem is scraping the ground. And then I would realise thereafter that I have come along quite accomplished in life and should be proud of who I have become.

Gosh but today.. is just blue.
Maybe if I rest my head early I could quickly switch on the good aura?

♥

Paws-to-ponder: Be your own person

Sometimes I care a little too much.
Some rumors should not be bothered with. But I'm just too introverted and keep self reflecting.

At the back of my mind, I know I'm right. I know the grape vine may not be right. Rumors may be true but they may not also. People cannot be a hundred percent mean. I know I should not judge before finding out. I should believe what I see and not what I hear. The opinion of others aren't mine.

I can choose to make my own fair opinion if I'm not clouded by the grape vine.

Respect. Let it be the guiding rule of my decisions.

Growth. That will be my only focus.

Living. I will not be myopic and will remember to live my life.

♥

Achievement Unlocked.

HDB Flat - Balloted!

*cue jolly trumpet tune*

And now, we wait for the ballot box results.

= Happy little things, little things to keep me happy. =

♥

Pardon the Pun, Blame Me Instead

Those who are acquainted with me know I enjoy talking in puns, as much as I can and whenever I can. Not exactly sure when was it that I picked up this habit - perhaps during my teenage years. I don't necessarily think my puns are funny (sometimes I insist they are), but I simply enjoy this manner of speech. 

Smile!

I have fun saying puns. Fun with Puns!

I like to say them, and wait for a reaction. If none observed, then I will go away and continue whatever I was doing. Occasionally when I get a reaction, I get really entertained. And that's like good-mood fuel to keep me going for another couple of hours.

I do note some of my intended audience do not enjoy being told puns. Maybe they've too much going on in their mind. Maybe they're not used to puns. Or maybe, I'm just too darn lame?

Well my apologies that my puns aint't funny. 

I'm no wise-guy.

= Happy little things, little things to keep me happy. =

♥

It was a regular Thursday.

Quite surprisingly, I'm devoid of topics of which I'm passionate to write about tonight. I do have a few half written entries saved as draft posts and another few ideas rolling about in my head, but they take no priority tonight.

Also, nothing much to write about from work today, but I did get the chance to have a surprise chat with someone whom I never thought I would be able to make a decent conversation with. There's nothing wrong with the person, just that we have so different characters I didn't think a conversation could have happened.

All in all I worked hard today and made the most of my office hours and rather enjoyed the feeling. It's always good to feel a sense of purpose in doing what you do. 

Now before I doze off and visit lalaland, here's a new tongue-in-cheek song from Mika which entertained me tonight.



♥

Paws-to-Ponder: I Love Writing. I Love You!

Maybe you've noticed I'm suddenly active on my brog again.

Well, I'm trying once again to write a little more frequently than over the past 2 years so it's like me keeping a tiny little diary stashed in a tiny little corner of this ginormous cyber world.

(Side-tracking: Doesn't 'cyber' sound passe? Sounds old to me. Do folks now use the word 'virtual' instead?)

Plus, writing is a really good habit. Its therapeutic and allows me to take a step back from doing my life and live it instead. I think about what I've learnt today. Everyone learns new stuff everyday, just that when we get too absorbed with doing life we don't realise what we've learnt and what the reason was that today was important. Through contemplating about content to write, I figured what was most important to me today and prioritised that to present to you. And this is why I think writing is so valuable.

During the contemplation phase I was, of course, rummaging through my drawer of old brog posts to weigh which topics are important to me. Here I noticed something interesting that Google did with Blogger. It wasn't a new feature I bet, but before I just didn't bother to look. 

I found it very informative that Blogger is now tracking for me which of my posts are better reads than the rest, and the number of you guys that found your way to each of my posts either through a search engine, or other avenues. (Maybe I DO have fans after all!) And now I know you guys are most interested in my Browhaus Brow Resurrection review and Doraemon.

Lady Rainicorn thanks you. And so do I!

I've managed to dupe you into becoming my site traffic. Though I maintain that I write mainly for myself, it's always good to have you come round to visit! Stay as long as you like, make yourself feel at cyber-home.

So long as I don't become senile and lose my entire vault of vocabulary (pretty small vault to begin with), I will write!

♥

Paws-to-Ponder: Don't forget to smile today :)

"Don't forget to smile today it's an important thing to do.
Go on be an imbecile today the World smiles back at you. :) "

I.M.H.O. I'm the worst kind of morning person, the sort that snaps at anything and anyone but mostly internally inside my head. I gripe.. Everyday.. A lot.. In my head..

Everyday before I start my morning I have to make myself take a deep breath and psyche myself to get into the groove. Each time I pass someone I give a tiny smile, and each time I pass someone friendlier I give a big one. My hardworking office cleaning aunty gets my biggest smile. Apologetically I do miss out some, but I do try not to.

Some days when I feel like it, everyone gets a big smile. 
And then everyone smiles back... Well almost. Some people are simply less adept in the smiling department.

This habit is much ingrained in me as I grew up. I used to take terrible pictures so Nagalot told me to go practise my smiles in the mirror. This made me a huge vainpot but I also taught myself that when I believed I was happy I would feel it. Because body shapes mind and mind shapes body.

I think smiling is the best way to start my day. No harm in smiling a little extra.
Sometimes when I smile, I manage to deceive myself that work is a little more fun to do. 
Sometimes when I smile, people smile back and tell me they feel a little cheered up seeing me being jolly in the morning.

And this is, my friends, what you call Magic.
F.O.C. Magic. Fun Magic.
And it truly works!

So don't forget your smiles today! :)

♥

Life is Fe-Fe-Fe-Irony

Tonight I nurse my ulcer, it's now a funny colour.
It hurts me when I talk, so I think I'd rather not.

I start a new brog entry, to earn myself a penny.
And tell you something hairy, that makes me not so merry.

I bought a brand new mattress, it's thickness is the fattest.
From a humble and honest brand - it's made by Maliland.

The mattress is very firm so I don't have to squirm
To get a good position, to sleep in good condition.

But the mattress is very high, to it Nagalot decries.
She thinks it's very strange, and wants me to exchange.

I kept it stubbornly, and enjoy it with glee.
But just when all was well, my bed starts to rebel.

It's frame suddenly collapsed, and made my anxiety relapse.
Like in a conspiracy - Oh life is irony!

♥

Paws-To-Ponder: There is Always A Way

Don't distress, don't stress.
Don't despair, it's within repair.
Think through, think thorough.
Be creative, find alternatives.
It's going to be okay, there is always a way. 

♥

The Boring Ang Bao Box

Goodness gracious me, my brog entries are so boring!

And so are the DIY ang bao box ideas we have online!

These are, of course, really irrelevant topics. But we can still draw some far-flung association on the two topics - they are both boring really boring subjects and no one cares!

Just because its DIY doesn't mean its Special. The world could do with one or two less ang bao boxes bearing resemblance to tiered wedding cakes. God, they are boring!

With designs on the internet being so dry...... it's making me thirsty.

But not like I can help it, I'm outta fresh ideas too! 

Oh the Uninspiration. Oh what's a Poser to do...?

♥

My Goodness I am Tired.

Cooked and washed and cooked and washed today. As if my life was like a microwave and dish washer combined. (Now that's quite a brilliant idea, people should already be manufacturing such things)

I think I did a kick-ass sandwich today. It was made for Gooey-Gecko. I even served it with an iced matcha latte to go with it, just right for this hot Sg weather. "Why so nice of me?" you ask. Or more accurately "Why so nice of you?".

Well, doesn't it look appetizing? Or wut?

Because I can. And because I wanted to show him my skills in the culinary realm has grown leaps and bounds (All thanks to Food Network channel and all those Masterchef episodes I studied with Pushy). I passed with flying colours. And then let him spread the word to Poppadum and Nagalot. Which I doubt will happen... but.

But anyway I think he enjoyed the concoction very much. It was an awesome sandwich with the simplest ingredients but all fresh. Fresh is good. Thinking about the 'wich I made is stirring a growl in my tummy. Because I'm greed. Gosh I wish I tasted it.

I mean.. just look at it!

You may ask "If you didn't taste it, how did you know it was good?" or.. you may not care two hoots about what I think you wanted to ask. That doesn't matter. What mattered was that Gooey-Gecko was asking me about the ingredients of the 'wich after swallowing every morsel of it. GG said he has plans to introduce my toasted 'wich into his business plans and make moolahs from it.

That, my friends, is a huge compliment, if you haven't yet noticed. And so I am very pleased and went on to do dinner for Nagalot several hours after. Nagalot didn't say much while lapping the meal I made for her, but I knew she pretty much enjoyed it. Because if she didn't she would have nagged-a-lot.

Confidence boosted by another compliment (albeit silent one), I used up the leftover ingredients and prepared tomorrow's breakfast for Pushy and myself. A regret I can't make it fresh in the morning - morning hours are just too tight - but I've done the half-cook trick so tomorrow's heating up of breakfast should not overcook it too much. 

Will let you in on how it goes....
Until then, bonne nuit! Because.. my goodness, am I tired out or wut!

♥

Underwater Magic

I had a ball of a time today. Pushy fed me well, tookme out, and put on the Les Miserables soundtrack for me during the car ride.

I went to an old aquarium with Pushy today. Underwater World was very nostalgic. Being a late 20th century kid in Singapore I grew up knowing Underwater World as Singapore's first oceanarium launched in 1991. I prefer to call it aquarium, which sounds like an easier word to me.

The place seemed much larger when I was a kid. I seemed to be able to spend my entire day there looking at the displays. Now being much bigger I managed to cover all displays within 2 hours. I remember participating in a drawing competition organised by the aquarium during those years. I spent hours poring over my drawing pad but didn't win anything.

Aquariums fascinate me. Having the fishies swimming in their displays made them seem like they were suspended in mid-air, like in flight. I am intrigued by all the shapes and colours, the physique and physics of how they feed and survive. Fascinating.

Poppadum said that the item most worthy to watch was the dolphin show at Dolphin Lagoon. A ticket to Underwater World includes entry to Dolphin Lagoon for the 3pm, 4pm and 5pm daily dolphin shows. He was spot on. I became a little girl when I saw the pink dolphins and seals swirling about and doing tricks. The enthusiastic seals reminded me of excited canines. Much adorable, these creatures!

Nonetheless there are some other really cool stuff to play and watch. The petting reef gives you access to touch and hold little stingrays, sharks and starfish, and you can also buy fish feed to have the opportunity to hand feed these little creatures. The mystical and magical tank although had a tacky name, was very awesome to play with because there is an opening to the tank through which you can stick your hand in to feed the fish. The physics is Faschinate.

Going to the Underwater World on a weekend meant it had to be overflowing with tourists. Having Singapore weather meant they would be sweaty and smelly from exploring the Sentosa island. But I proudly say I enjoyed myself very much despite the crowds and B.O.s. And I liked it better than S.E.A. on the other side of the island.

love.

Employment is coming...

First day jitters. I've been having it since Saturday. I've had a nice break and now feel that I'm prepared for office life again. Still, there's some jitters that cannot be avoided.

Blogging helps so I'll take the moment to introduce you guys to this frisky little one. I named him Cell because he looks like he has rings of cellulite around his legs. Cell grew up a stray neighborhood kitty and we occasionally meet over a bowl of kitty chow. He doesn't have a home but he's loved by almost the entire neighborhood so you could say the mischievous fella has many homes to choose from. You can tell he enjoys his freedom.

As I'm writing this, Cell is resting on an unintentional bed of plastic bags that I've stashed in my front porch. He's rolling and shifting making lots of rustling noises. Finding a nice position to lay maybe?

I bid you good night for now and leave you with a picture of Cell. And yes the neighborhood feeds him well.

<3

Alterations

These days I've been unemployed and lazy. Now with my next employment due to begin in less than a week, I've come under attack by nagging pangs of guilt.

Procrastination, they say, causes the demise of kings. And since my blood isn't blue my demise will come quicker.

I've been tugged or dragged along by my guilt this week to make little baby steps improvements.

I've learnt to alter and mend a pair of jeans and I've transformed a playsuit into a top. Supportive Poppadom also put in my hands the fate of 2 pairs of his trousers which I fixed up for him. All these results at the expense of 5 broken machine needles and 16 hours' worth of headache. I think the more I sew the more precise and consistent my stitches are - so it's all worth it.

Today I also successfully woke early to go for a run. This to attempt reset my bio-clock so I don't arrive on my first day with the resemblance of a zombie.

All in all je pretty proud of je self. Keep up keep up!

<3

Cloudy with a chance of Popcorn

It's wee hours now. It sounds like rain outside. The rain sounds like popping corn kernels. Very queer indeed!

All this fiddling with blogger really makes me sleepy. It's working! I think I can sleep naaoo...
<3

The Fiddling Finger

It's been a while, cyber world.
Many life events had passed - career changes, buddies weddings and childbirth and now we arrive at present day. Much alike the "1 year later" scenes in drama series.

Finally the official Blogger app is here so this is the trial entry. About time, I say!

Now on insomnia nights I can conveniently fiddle up a quick update for you cyber world and znngg my inner self.

Like so. Like tonight. Znngg! Fiddle fiddle.
Now that's out of the way, let me get my sleep!
<3