Excuse me, are You a Geeko?

A little head peeping out of the foliage.

A little brown head, with big eyes.

There among the leaves of the green plant.

In the garden.

Nestling among the green leaves,

what a good shelter from danger and the weather elements.

So long, Melbourne!

http://www.rendezvoushotels.com.au/melbourne_city/

Pizza and Viennese chocolate

Hawaiian pizza we found. A stone's throw away. Hot and with crispy edges, juicy pineapple bits. :P

And Viennese chocolate drink. At Pepperoni's.

Nice and cool day. Quite a change from the earlier cold days with even colder wind!

Four seasons in one day, said the guide. That's Melbourne, he said.

Seen in Olinda

A rocking horse in Olinda. At the Mt Danengdong ranges where the Puffy Billy Train runs. A quaint fascinating town with handicrafts and laces. Even a fairy figurine or two.

Nestled within is the Cuckoo Restaurant, serving German fare for more than 50 years! Good lunchtime music from accordion and bells.

Let the Penguins Return

The small fairy penguins return every night to hordes of humans awaiting them.

Tired from fishing non-stop at the high seas. So exhausted they stand still when reaching their burrows. The loud guffaws so jarring. Tired,tired.

Let it be home sweet home this Sat.

Sun, Sea and Seagulls!

Flying up, up and away. Anchored back to land by its family in the nest nearby.

At the Nobbles Centre on Phillip Island, near the penguin parade area. But this place closes at 6 pm. Outside, we sighted wallabies and heard there are dingoes too.

Chocolate, chocolate!

A curtain of chocolate at the Chocolate Factory in Phillip Island.

A robot that dispenses chocolate. It teases too. Pushing the selected chocolate close to but just next to the dispensing hole. And turns away. Then it turns back and pushes the chocolate into the hole! Finally! In one bite, it was down my mouth!

the Reflection on the Pond

Blue sky, white clouds, waters reflecting the sunny day. At Warrook Cattle Farm.

The same pond, the same blue sky and white clouds. Perhaps different wallabies, ducks and emus.

But a peacock spread its colourful tail this time, welcoming us to the farm.

A Christmas Meal

A Christmas meal in bustling chinatown. Most shops were closed. Stewed mutton. And spanish doughnut on the way back.

a vacation re-visited

The clouds, so white and fluffy, against the blue sky.

The clouds, so heavy and laden with memories. Of a vacation re visited. A different group mix, a missing member.

The Great Ocean Road :)

http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/plan-to-lure-visitors-to-great-ocean-road/1708299.aspx

Season's Greetings!

Ho, ho, ho! Season's Greetings!

Waves and Cold Wind in Summer

The waves, still splashing at Bells Beach. The cold wind, in summer.

Warmed by billy tea and jam-filled Lammington's cake.

Grey to Blue

Grey clouds to blue sky. As we moved from city to suburbs.

Pancake, anyone?

A pancake-making machine. Makes 2 a time. With maple syrup. :P For breakfast.

Strong Winds and KFC

On Christmas eve.

Chicken kebab and orange drink on a cool day at the Docklands.

A KFC meal for Christmas eve dinner. Instead of turkey.

On an evening with strong winds, dropping the temperature to several notches.

Flowers in the cool wind

The same white flowers. The same lavender ones. Swaying in the light wind. Like meeting old friends.

Creative designs this X'mas

Cheery and elegant wrapping done creatively :)

An unusual gift. Is it a drink, do you think?

An elegant little paper bag with a cupid figure. Guess what it contains?

It's a musical box! From Europe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

冬至汤圆

汤圆， 团团圆圆

And Christmas goodies - cookies and brownies.

冬至

It's 冬至 again.

(Winter solostice)

Yet another year has passed us by.

How different this year.

Momentous changes.

Sad moments, and happy times.

Times of acceptance,

times of vindication,

of final recognition.

Time to look forward

to the future,

to a better team,

we hope.

Koi on vacation

The koi are on vacation. In a koi hotel in Choa Chu Kang. :)

Happily ever after

An evening of music. Good acapella music. In tribute to the wedding couple. And the groom himself sang, chrooning as he did when he proposed.

Happily ever after.

The weekend before X'mas

A glass of "kopi ping" (iced coffee). Cool and refreshing in the bustle of shopping in the last weekend before Christmas.

Decorations galore in the shopping malls.

And carolling in Great World City.

Mutton soup for the soul

The aroma of the soup,

the soup with mutton chunks and

the taste of herbs.

Slurping up the kway teow

as the herbal aroma whiffed up the nose.

All around us

stalls were bustling with business,

patronised by those at the HDB Hub.

Nine ... and then ...

Nine. And then there were eight.
Eight koi, swimming in the pond.

The light beige koi lied at the bottom of the pond,
motionless.
Its stomach bloated. And smelled, when fished out of the pond.

The mystery of its death we haven't solved.
The water? The food?
We hope not, as we monitored the other koi.

Hailed from a Pasir Ris farm it did.
From Thailand, they said.
A pair we bought then. Silvery beige, with some patterns in orange.

So pathetic it looked, lying motionless at the bottom of the pond,
its silvery sheen shining through the algaed water.

Now down to eight. A new dynamics in the eco-system.

The malls a-bustling with activity. Full of people. Long lines at Daiso.

Home Cooked Meals

A simple meal of porridge,

fish, fishcake, and vegetables,

with aromatic garlic.

And a simple dinner

of "peng chai" - layer after layer,

first of herbs, then chicken, then fish maw,

topped with mushrooms, cabbage and prawns.

Giving taste to the soup.

Simple but delicious! :P

Gift from Bukit Tinggi

A surprise gift,

quite unexpected.

The bear, carried in the backpack,

brought back from Port Klang.

Its ears a little "crumpled";

its fur not so well combed.

The thought behind the bear,

so warm the feeling,

so caring the gesture.

:)

olde world charm

Old world charm,

nestled among the trees

in the Bukit Timah campus.

Old colonial houses,

now home to intellectual discussions,

or watering holes for intellectual get-together.

A Bright Morning

A bright morning it was.

The sky was blue, a light blue.

Filled with clouds, fluffy ones.

As the cars went over the flyover,

sun rays beamed through the clouds,

casting golden rays onto the land.

A bright morning, a good start to the day. :)

people at leisure

Families out together,

lunching at the eateries,

basking under the shade

while dipping their feet in the shallow pool

on the Vivocity rooftop.

Families going off for a short cruise.

Groups of friends fishing near the Cruise Centre,

the Resort World taking shape across over at Sentosa.

The Christmas Tree stands tall and gigantic;

the cows stand, draped in colourful attire, outside Marche;

the posy of flowers gives vibrant cheer

to crowds from Vivocity and HarbourFront.

~ ~ ~

Santa is coming ...

Santa's coming!

Or is he climbing away with his friend?

Teh tarik at Banquet, Harbourfront.

Holiday Season

Tis the holiday season. Cars and other vehicles crawl down Tanglin and Orchard Roads, taking in the glittering lights and decorations. May the Christmas cheer bring good tidings for everyone!