Sandwich lunch

Sumptious sandwich and delicious chocolate chip cookie. :P

As the Sun sets

Moving from West to East, and then back.

The bright sky, gradually darkens as the Sun sets,

lighting the sky ablazed.

Tucking in

Tucking in

to sumptious food,

line after line,

of food, variety after variety.

Continuous eating,

oh, forget the cholesterol!

Shelf after shelf of pastry and dessert,

tubs and tubs of ice-cream to choose from,

with toppings too!

And chocolate fondue too!

Pictures, blur and blur.

It's the lighting, we say.

No, no, your skill (or lack of it), says the critic.

No, no, it's to reflect how our short-sighted, and long-sighted, eyes see the world! ;)

Rustic Retreat Re-visited

A place far, far away - or at least it seemed then long, long ago.

A place at the end of a long, long winding road.

Quiet (then), with hardly a vehicle (then).

Steps a-plenty, cool wind at night, with the sound of crickets.

A place for young minds, to educate and indoctrinate.

Now decades later,

a pleasant rustic retreat,

quaintly renovated,

conducive spaces for sharing of ideas and views.

Now nestled in an area of innovation and research,

an area teeming with brains and cosmopolitanism.

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

Space and Harmony

The mango, sliced, nestled among the layers of cake,

well integrated, both were.

The sweetness of the mango

in harmony with the texture of the cake,

enhanced by the sprinkled sugar,

decorated by the strawberries.

In harmony,

the family.

Making time for each other;

reserving time for oneself.

Individual space and family space.

In harmony with each other.

'Sakura' season in S'pore

'Sakura' season in S'pore

Zhu za (intestine) porridge, a long-time staple in Chinatown food centre. Taken with raw fish sprinkled with oil and sesame seeds. Re-visited.

Sunday morning. The Sun's rays beaming through the clouds. The streets still quiet. As the people be-stir from weekend slumber.

Fullerton Building at night. A Saturday night out.

Buds and Flowers; Resilience and Opportunity

The flower's ripe for blooming for the time's right. One, two, and the third a bud.

At times, the buds don't blossom. Alas, a lost opportunity, one sighs.

But fret not, for the buds will grow again and flower in all their beauty. IF the plant's resilient.

With resilience, or Adversity Quotient, they say, and the right conditions of nurture and care, which bud cannot grow, which flower cannot blossom?

Press on, little plant. Show everyone your beautiful flowers and your sturdiness! Resilience even against the odds.

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

Cakes from the past. Nostalgia indeed.

a-waiting

A gathering, much awaited. Huddling over jap lunch, chatting over linguistics. Comfort food, comfortable in friendship.

Two desserts for dinner! Fried sesame dumpling and jelly with lichee. Yay!

Why do prawns turn red when cooked? Asked the little girl. You turn red when you are warm, don't you? Quipped one. No, no. Said another. When put under heat, proteins change their structure and so their appearance changes. Said the scientific one.

Step up and Lead, Fair Ladies!

Women in Singapore should step up and lead: MP Indranee Rajah

By Sharon See Posted: 13 March 2010 2143 hrs (with thanks to Channelnewsasia www.channelnewsasia.com)

SINGAPORE: In the spirit of International Women's Day, which fell on March 8, women from various walks of life in Singapore took time out to reflect on their roles and place in society. They also shared their stories of inspiration.

At the Singapore Expo, some 2,000 teenage girls, who could one day become tomorrow's leaders, were joined by women who have made a difference to society. They include Members of Parliament Indranee Rajah and Josephine Teo.

Once the ice was broken, it was down to business. Amid the inspiring life stories that were shared, came calls to blaze a new trail for women.

Ms Indranee said: "We have brought up a society, where often we are taught to be modest, self-effacing, don't put yourself forward. But women very often don't automatically think of themselves as, 'Yes, I'm the one who should take charge. I'm the person who should say that it should go this way or that way'."

So it is time to change the way women perceive their roles. She added: "What we need to learn to do better is to have that balance, where you can have all the values that make you a nice human being, but at the same time, cultivate that sense that - I'm a leader, there are things that I need to do to give a vision to others. And if I don't step up to the plate and take responsibility for this, then if everybody thought the same way, then we wouldn't have people who can lead."

International Women's Day was also celebrated at the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The guests of honour include Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, as well as chairperson of the chamber's Career Women's Group, Claire Chiang. The event was an opportunity to catch up with their peers, and learn more about healthy lifestyles.

How True Be They

Pretty flowers, how true they be?

Colourful and bright, how truthful they be?

Poison on their stems? White fungal spots they be.

Poison for unwary ones perhaps?

Once in, spreading like cancer,

all the way to the brain and the mind.

Be vigilant, one must be.

Chasms they strive to create,

breaking up teams,

with different stories to different team members,

sowing mistrust among the team,

planting poison in the minds of those above.

Pesticides, quickly quickly.

Kill these malicious ones; stop them in their tracks!

Another Saturday. Flowers near museums, places to share history and values.

Wanton and char siew noodles. The bowl - half full or half empty?

A Wake

A wake
of a friend's parent.
The wreaths, the sea of well-wishers.

Bringing back memories ...

... of another wake, another time.

The things that needed to be done,

the rites, the arrangements...

... the last moments in hospital,

the quiet time, the last, behind the screen,

private time amidst the bustle of the ward.

At times, one forgets,

and remembers in mind's eye,

times of the past,

the sounds of cooking in the kitchen,

the shouts for us from the backyard,

the glares of displeasure,

the eager digs into tubs of ice-cream,

the accounts of which dog in the neighbourhood was barking,

and so on.

Memories of the past.

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

做个人

Looking back to a scene years ago ...
on stage, looking into a sea of potential straight A-listers,
and their anxious parents,
he briefed them.

Then at the end, he paused,

and said that

ultimately,

要好好的做个人。

Yes, indeed.

好好的做个人

whether in school or outside.

why bother

Why bother, one wonders,

to write reports that others should draft.

Why bother, one wonders,

to make the connections to save others' time

running around in circles.

Why bother, one wonders,

when they only see their own load.

Why bother, one wonders,

when they don't see how much more it'd been.

Why bother, one wonders.

What a sucker one must be.

Fiends

Thud, thud, thud.
The footsteps of the Old Lady,
as she headed home.
Thud, thud, thud,
a tad heavier than usual.

The Old Lady walked on.
Past the little boy blue,
busy shooting poisoned darts
at his own playmates,
impervious to the observation
of the Old Lady.
Cataracts she might have,
but see she still could, and very clearly.

The Old Lady walked on,
overcome by a wave of melancholy,
heart pained by the poison shot at her brood.

The Old Lady walked on,
straightening her shoulders squarely,
gamed to meet the challenges.

The Old Lady walked on,
saddened by the wish of one to leave,
counting her blessings on the rest who stay,
committed and loyal to the cause.

The Old Lay walked on, purposefully.
For adversity one must overcome,
and emerge stronger and better,
better to fight the fiends,
the petty-hearted and dishonourable ones.
Forge on, we say!

若要人不知

若要人不知，除非己莫为。

Alibis here, alibis there,

reluctant conspirators,

about where one was,

when one left,

trying to create a screen of smoke.

无聊!

脚踏实地作工就好了.

Cheese pancake and almond bean curd. Comfort food for lunch. :)

Delicious char siew noodle with wanton soup for lunch. :P

Favourite Sunday breakfast.

Journey to the East

Another journey to the east. A surge in traffic and the crowds. Then a rest, with a bowl of smooth bean curd.

Figure Skating Champ 2010

Kim Yuna, champion in figure skating, Winter Olympics.

Grr ...

The 3-d tiger brooch. To herald the start of the Tiger year. Grr . . .