When birds come a-visiting

Tweed, tweed, tweed, the chirping at the window.

Two little birds fluttering outside,

small birds, with dark backs and longish tails,

cheerful yellow chest coats.

Flutter, flutter, they went,

yakking to each other

as their wings fluttered,

twirling almost as fast as those of the hummingbird.

Then perched they did, on the window sill.

Quick, out came the camera ...

but roll up the window blinds first ...

alas, too slow were we

- the yellow birds had gone by that time.

Still, the sight of the small elegant yellow birds

fluttering outside,

then perching (however briefly) on the window sill

- an uplifting sight!

Bagge and Whitte

Bagge and Whitte went up the hill
to find the helicopter view.
Up and up, through bushes and thorns,
till they came to a landing.
There was the much-sought-after view
- oh, so, high,
oh, so, wide.

There they sat - Bagge and Whitte -
munching their Donut Factory d'nut.
Along came a sss-snake ...
And it tripped them over!

Down, down, down, they fell,
all the way to the hill bottom.

Sob, sob, they went,
their delicious doughnuts all gone.
Sob, sob, sob, they continued
when along came a farmer.

He said, "I have a response plan
for such disasters."
"See the path there?" he added.
"If you can pave that path, you will find delicious fruits that give you strength,
and resilience,
and you can climb up the hilltop, and even higher,
for an better view.
Not just helicopter view; fighter plane view also got!"

And so Bagge and Whitte went,
patiently paving the path,
and the rest is history.

So if you see two tiny bears, one brown with a bag, and one white,
flying higher than the helicopters in the sky,
they are Bagge and Whitte,
strong and resilient, the path-finders. :)

flowers and friends

Flowers
of different colours and hue.
Flowers
- roses, berries and all.
Flowers
- sweet and pretty,
and oh so, cheery,
so warmly welcoming.

Friends

like flowers,

of different shapes and sizes;

like flowers,

different colours and complexions,

different characters and talents.

Friends

like flowers,

giving cheer and warmth;

Friends,

offering a listening ear at down times,

a helping hand,

and cheerful celebration in times of joy.

Friends,
that's what friends are for. :)

a visit and a peek into experience

A visit to a loved one,

growing up, learning new skills,

under apprenticeship for leadership.

*to lead*to excel*to overcome*

清明时节

清明时节 雨纷纷

路上行人 欲断魂

借问酒家 何处有

牧童遥指 杏花村

(source: origins of Qing Ming)

It was the second day of Qing Ming. After hearing of long queues and crowds the day and week before, we started out early for Bright Hill.

Up bright and early, the traffic was light. The Cisco and Police had set up cordons to control traffic. The meagre number of car park lots were almost filled up. Luckily we found one, as one family left. We proceeded to the tables facing the furnace (where offerings were burnt). It was dark, lit up only by the flames in the furnace and the candlelight of the families already there.

We did what had to be done and left. By then, the sun had risen and light shone on the ground. By then, there was much more traffic and more car park problems. Luckily we arrived early enough.

Glowing Adieu

As the Sun sets and bids "Adieu" for the day,

it leaves a golden glow on the horizon,

lighting up the sky, enriching the colour and hue.

Auf wiedersehn, good bye ... (as the song goes in "The Sound of Music")

... till we meet again tomorrow.

As the Sun leaves its glistening rays on the horizon,

many rejoice at the thought of the weekend.

For it's TGIF today!

Perhaps that's why the Sun is beaming so "goldenly"!

But alas, some have to work tonight;

others tomorrow ...

snapshots of the day ~~~ :o

Is it Superman? Is it a plane? Is it a ...

... bird?

A "fake" bird to frighten off the real ones - the crows - from harassing patrons of the outdoor food court!

Effective or not? You must be asking. Go back and check when there's unfinished food on the table.






Flowers, flowers, all over; in many colours and hues ...


"Don't pick the flowers", the sign says. Well, 路边的野花 ，不要采 。




Wait, wait, wait; wait for the beep;
the beep to summon one to the cashier;
the beep to summon one to the scan, of whatever type.


In meantime,
stare at the fish, of all colours,
swimming around;
stare, stare, stare; be mesmerised;
be de-stressed; be at peace.

more purple (or pink?) in a sea of green

Two "stars" a-rising ...

... two flowers starting to bloom.

purple (or pink?) in a sea of green

A sea of green,

leaves slowly a-rising

from the pot of periwinkle.

A sea of green, a pot of periwinkle

tenderly watered,

a little H2O to give turgidity to stems,

not too much to drown them.

A sea of green, a pot of periwinkle,

carefully placed

for estimated optimal sunlight.

A speck of purple, pinkish in tinge,

a-rising amidst the sea of green.

A speck of purple - or pink it looks -

the highlight in the sea of green.

A flower it is, a periwinkle flower!

Slowly blooming, but a periwinkle flower no doubt.

How unexpected!

A pleasant surprise!

A hopeful sight!

Periwinkle - no cherry blossom,

but pretty no doubt,

s'pecially when in bloom.

Periwinkle

- wonder why the name.

Because it winks? ;)

Time, oh, for some Time

No time, no time; too busy, too busy.

Want to use the cross-trainer?

Aiyah, one step too slow

- those with BMI closer to perfect, have moved in.

Never mind lah,

continue to keep nose at the keyboard.

If only punching those keys could cut calories.

If only.

No time, no time; busy, busy, busy.

The popular refrain when people meet;

the frequent response when asked if one is busy at work.

How politically correct; how "Yes, Minister" in its psyche core.

Work, real work.

But rejuvenation and re-charging needed.

Where's the spirit of work-life balance?

Does one have a life?

Yes, yes, let's go shopping, quick!

Chill out over hot tea or coffee.

Build bonds over lunch or dinner.

De-stress with family and friends.

Busy, busy; busily happy, happily busy.

Which is better?

Life, yes, live life.