Bali 2010: Seminyak

One of my favourite things to do in Bali: take a long jaunt along the streets of Seminyak. Target destination: unknown. But how fun to amble past single-storied houses, admiring the displays and ducking in when the fancy takes you. Back out onto the street, traffic whizzes by you and moves in fluid motion to accommodate tourist jaywalkers and locals on bikes that appear suddenly from small lanes. Stop for a drink and a nibble if you want to. And hey if you get tired, it's really easy to hop into a bluebird taxi to get to your next destination.
























Love the embroidered look of this chair in Chanti, a fusion restaurant along Seminyak.
























A random burst of pink. Enjoy!

As sweet as a meringue

Memories of a happy tea time.

Love... Pretty plates, chocolate cake, pastel-pretty meringues, cute
tiny cupcakes...

Breathtaking sky

Oh, the joy of sight.

(Took this photo one evening from my window. God is awesome.)

Good times

Calamari, pasta, lava cake, and good times with my peer group at
church, yay (yay about the people, that is.) We used to hang out so
much more but these days we are so much busier with work, different
areas of service in church and so on. I guess in some way it makes our
times together more valuable.

And we're back

Am back home... and missing the view.
But it's home, sweet home anyway!

We're going on a trip, in our favourite rocket ship...

My Auntie Moment

Location: soft serve ice creamshop. What's soft serve, you might ask?
A shop selling smooth Japanese ice cream...

So we stood at the shop.

Me (mumuring): it's quite expensive, right... Macdonald's is only 60
cents...(auntie moment!!)

15 year-old cousin: it's different! And it's 70 cents, b-t-w...

Anyway, it still looked exactly like the same ice cream you get at
macs, minus the extra toppings which don't matter to me because I only
need chocolate... Still, I liked the design of the shop :)

Back to the 80s

My heart starts aching
My hands keep shaking
and you know, you know, you know...

It was a nice, though rather warm, night and it brought back memories of being 12, listening to Debbie Gibson warble on my classmate's walkman during recess time (talk about old school).


















A sizable crowd had gathered at Fort Canning.

















There was chilling to be be done.

















We also got to our feet and sang along. Words that I hadn't suspected I'd remembered came out on cue...

Oh and Rick Astley was in fine form. The crowd clearly approved.


















And just to leave you with a perky number for the week... (I was in a cab 2 days ago and it came on the radio. Good memories :)

Sunday lunch menu

The last time I was in Bali at one of my favourite restaurants, I had a delicious grilled chicken with avocado salad, or something like that.

I wolfed it down before I remembered to take photos but I do remember thinking I could replicate it at home.


















Something was missing...

I bought ingredients for a balsamic-vinegar type salad a week ago. Namely, balsamic vinegar, rocket, mustard seeds, raisins, cherry tomatoes. And the rest, like olive oil, I already had at home.

We had the salad 2 or 3 times this week, accompanying different dishes. And for the balance of the salad, I was dying to cook something for myself this beautiful Sunday after church. So I hotfooted it back home, seasoned the chicken breast with salt, pepper (I like adding both finely ground and coarsely ground pepper seeds) and lemon juice.

While the chicken sizzled away, I tossed the salad and plated it, mind you (a-la-the food network and TLC...). I turned the chicken a couple of times and placed it carefully on top of my artistically-arranged wild-and-organic-rocket salad. Voila. Jamie Oliver would be proud.

ukulele

image from Ukulele Movement

I have ukuleles (pronounced YOO-Koo-leh-lee...quite singaporean huh?) on my mind.
I saw someone playing at a seminar about a month ago, and I had fun strumming nonsense yesterday on the BFF's little guitar...

For the un-initiated: the ukulele is a 4-stringed instrument, unlike the guitar which is 6-stringed.

I cracked up when I saw this. If this boy can do it, so can I (drive my friends up the wall I mean).

I guess I just want to try something different.
Learn a musical instrument.
Strum a little tune, sing a little song...

Well, we'll see! I'm gonna sit on this and see if the fancy fizzles out...

Bali view

I love this view from a cliff-front villa in Bali.
In the morning and evening, seaweed harvesters would glide on little boats, like Venetian gondolas, gathering seaweed (the dark patches on the seabed are seaweed farms). So that's where all that yummy seaweed comes from... Anyway, it was so lovely.

Have a lovely week ahead.

Think of good things!

My grandma's curry puffs

This morning, my grandma stopped by en-route to my aunt's place bearing fresh, home-made curry puffs.
When she says it, it sounds like 'curry pups'.
She is probably the most ingenious and resourceful person I know.
Nothing is unattainable, nothing is wasted.
It hurts her economical soul to have her grandchildren buy deep-fried squid head from old chang kee at slightly over a dollar a stick. When she found out, she promptly bought a whole kilogram of squid from the market and made her own. Hee. She rocks.

Crafts-man-ship (no pun intended)

A newly discovered blog by a guy (tis nice to read about more er manly things), and a link to an inspiring video on beautifully crafted hats.
http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2010/09/09/made-in-chicago-optimo-hats/

Friday night out!

It was an intensive week at work.

Which made the (rare) Friday night out extra sweet.

I felt footloose and fancy-free, how delightful.

Tapas with the BFF (part 1 of 2) for dinner. Tapas always reminds me of past holidays.

We sat at the bar, with the lights of Orchard Road gleaming softly in the background.

And chatted, without having to fuss over any children (adorable though they may be) :)

Hanging out in a civilised manner is great fun.























We plotted holidays while indulging in gelato and people-watching.
Lovely night!

Badminton Nite

Sunday evening.

Badminton with my cousins and brother.

The hall is filled with badminton enthusiasts. The sound of
shuttlecocks being smacked across the courts permeates the air. Little
children in bright uniformed shirts a size too big for them are in
training. They look like they are having fun, and developing a good
technique to boot. At such a young age. Gosh, I am amazed. Exercise
was always an informal & unplanned activity in my childhood.

I got a good stretch and a mild workout. Great for building up
momentum for more regular exercise And my brand-new yellow yonex
racket (a surprise birthday gift from said cousins) got a little airing.

It was a good & productive weekend for me. I feel blessed :)

For friends on maternity leave (you know who you are)

... and also for friends with kids or kids on the way!

This blog is quite cute. I'm impressed that she has kept it going!
And because I am a bit of a neat freak, 'Laundry Day' particularly appealed to me.

Have a good week!

Quiet Sunday

Hope you had a restful weekend,

preferably in a cosy nook or comfy chair

... with cheery cushions






















... that match the artwork (and vice-versa).


















I'm not really looking forward to the week but God will give me strength to face the challenges that crop up and the knowledge that He is shaping my life through it all :)

In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
Psalm 138:3

Just popping in

Hi there,
Don't worry, I'm still here! Been soooooo busy at work. Tis a nice weekend ahead, almost work-free... I had a nice little walk with my mum this morning, a great picnic last week, the dramatic arrival of the latest baby among my BFsF (yikes, and then there were FOUR kids to get Christmas presents for), lots of nice little things that give this life a delightful flavour (to tide me over the gruelling moments).

Some blog-surfing took place this morning too:

Karen Chen's post about the birds and the bees was entertaining :)

A mobile truck of ice cream and designer apparel... I like the idea. Incidentally, most of the blogs I read are by women and I thought I'd add in some guys blogs to the mix.

Got to run now!
(Picture me with a satisfied little smile on my face at the moment.)

Come take a walk

Come take a walk, by the beach.
Follow some tracks.






















Leave your bag on a log.

















Get some sand between your toes.
Gaze at grains of sand. And little twigs.

















And little things, washed up onto the shore.






















And stick some rods into the sand, if you like.

Weekend in Batam

My aunt and cousin from Canada were in town for a few weeks and we tried to squeeze in whatever activities we could, in between work and whatnot. Memories of a luan-see yet relaxing family holiday to Batam.

Ferry ride. Scored a table with a window view. Played (what else) Monopoly Deal. Snacking on chips before 10am. Love hanging out with my cousins.























Just enjoying an afternoon by the pool.






















Trip home. Up on the deck, a cool wind blew. We followed the path of the sun home.

SAM

Photos from a little jaunt to the art museum.

Scrapper's Block

Still on mc today and did some work at home in the morning. Then I
thought I should take a break from all things electronic and make
something. But I am feeling uninspired... So here I am using my
iphone...

Tis a beautifully cool day, lovely.

Another random photo!

Had the flu and stayed home today.
Coke + salt = good for one's throat, yes?

The first decade

I never planned to stay at my first workplace for ten years.
Then again (as Chelle knows) I never made plans to leave either, apart from periodic wonderings of 'what if...'

The year that I finished university, the job market wasn't too hot.
I knew of people the year before me who had taken several months to find a job.
So sometime in April, before my final exams, I looked out for vacancies, trudged to my lecturer's room to ask for a testimonial (thanks Dr Bhattar) and put my resume together (wasn't too difficult - there wasn't much to say).

And I prayed that God would bless the work of my hands.

And 3 months later I got a call asking me to go for an interview. Yes, very slow, I know.

I'm thankful for this job that has funded several (fabulous) holidays and made it possible for me to do many things. Being able to help other people, helping out when my brother went overseas to study. It has been good.

I think about the wet-behind-the-ears girl who wondered what lay ahead of her as she took the first train ride to work.

I think about the times I stressed out over things, the seasons of really late nights. And through it all, God took all that stress and carried me through.

So many things have happened since I started work, but all I can say is, I'm thankful :)

Weekend in Batam

I stretched out on a deck chair and watched the cousins cable-ski
under a hot blazing sun. The cousin who does canoeing as a cca...and
scored full marks for her napfa...did particularly well.

For some reason I keep thinking Bintan instead of Batam. But I
digress. It was a tiring but fun weekend with the family. Lots of sun,
fun and laughter. A family holiday has its own stresses, with
different people wanting to do different things... Still, the new
memories formed are worth it.

So Tired

What a whirlwind of a week. I'm tired, drained, and too tired to think of a third adjective.

The other day I blurted out to my mum - I want to run away. To an island. With coconut trees.

But of course I already live on one.

I dream of lying on a hammock but I would probably get tired of it in no time. Besides, I (besides living on a sunny island with coconut trees) also own a hammock but it's brand new and is sitting pretty in my cupboard waiting for the day I take it out.

I guess what I really want is to relax and. do. nothing.

So that's the plan tomorrow - off to a neighbouring island with my aunt & cousin who are visiting from canada.

zzz

Queenstown Dumplings

Comfort food. Simple and unpretentious.
Closed on Mondays, I believe.
At the Shanghai-something stall on the 2nd level of the food centre at Queenstown.
I like the fried dumplings better than the steamed ones.
My ideal combination is chicken rice + fried dumplings (and lots of ginger and vinegar) + sugarcane juice. Preferably with good company (but of course) on a cool day after a hard morning's work.

And why I bring this up is because I stumbled upon this yesterday (via here) and was so amused by how rough/hale/hearty my photos look in comparison. See the delicious dumplings in more elegant light here...
http://peace-and-quiet.net/blog/2010/05/what-im-hoping-to-have-for-dinner-tonight/

This has sparked off a food mood. I'll post more food pix soon :)

Sunday Afternoon At the Barrage

Picture a cool, overcast day.
People, relaxing.
On a gentle green slope that reminded me of some hill in London some years ago.

Like a house on fire

My neighbour's house caught fire.

It was major neighbourhood news, complete with a big red fire engine.

There was raging fire from a bedroom, blazing like the fire under a hawker's wok.
And smoke billowing out in a thick black cloud.
I know because my technology-shy mother remembered her phone had a camera and took a few shots from outside the block where she waited alongside other onlookers.

The neighbours were shaken but fortunately no one was hurt. Make sure you have home insurance, y'all.

When it was all over, other neighbours came by to gawk up close, children in tow. A kind of learning journey, like a 'see-that's-why-i said-cannot-play-with-fire' tour.

No photos of fire from me but I couldn't help noticing some artistic patterns created by the smoke ...

The inconvenient thing about a fire is the soot it leaves behind on everything. And you know how much I like a clean house. So I mopped the whole house and my dad did another round and still my feet are a little grey! Sigh!

A piece of Berlin

On displat at Bedok Reservoir. Enclosed behind glass, oh the irony of
it.

Random picture day

Cherries! I think they cost $7 for two boxes. On sale at NTUC!

M&M

We hosted M&M for 2 weekends.

Turns out that 12 year olds are a fairly suitable age group for my household.

They are easy to take care of, not demanding, more interested in playing and doing things than in shopping.

They loved:
Monopoly Deal.
My mother's bak chor mee.
The swings at the playground.
Disturbing touch-me-nots

They enjoyed:
Badminton
Taking the mrt
Making cards and bookmarks. You have a lotta stuff!, they said.

They had fun. We had fun too!

The Weather

Super hot days and blue skies through my window one day...


















... and rainy, storm-drenched roads on the next.























But I love them both anyway. Just as long as I'm safely under shelter!

What I'm up to this weekend

Today is that one day of the week on which I can wake up according to my own body clock. Which as you know, turns out to be fairly early in the morning anyway.

I am hosting 2 Vietnamese students this weekend as well as the next (they are only 12 years old! babies! gosh, I am getting old). They're here for a 2-week summer camp. Going to take them swimming at my aunt's this morning and have roped in my 13yo cousin to come along for shopping in the afternoon. Love it that my extended family is on hand to help out too. I have a list of things to keep them occupied... rope them in to make konnyaku jelly, go shopping, catch Toy Story 3, some bowling perhaps, CRAFT :), walk/cycle by the beach... and oh they want to learn how to play monopoly deal (heaps of fun!)




Monopoly deal... faster and therefore more fun than the original Monopoly :)
















It's 9am and they have just woken up apologizing for waking up late! (Well they did say to wake them at 730 or 8...). A full day lies ahead..ta ta!

Saturday Multi-tasking

Shhh. I'm in my room doing various multi-tasky things on the computer. Don't tell my mum. But then again she already knows. (cue minor tsk-ing)

We have 2 Vietnamese students staying with us the next two weekends and this morning I decided we needed to de-clutter the house before they get here. So I got my mum started on a cleaning blitz while I...slunk into my room to do various Saturday-y things. But I am itching to clean up too and am doing that while popping in to saturday-surf in between.

Oh my! A new blog find that goes straight to my visit-often book mark list! Bee-you-ti-ful photos and a happy vibe. via another blog on the same list, piajane.

And oh! A very cute picnic! I'm inspired.

And ooh! Another window display from piajane, this time on Amsterdam! I also liked her window display for her paris book.

Happy Saturday!

Waiting to board

Thank God for starbucks.

A trip with the family is nice but being together for an unusually
extended period does take a toll on family relations. Let's not talk
about the stress of dealing with excess baggage and four individual
opinions on how to organize things!

Am so glad for a quiet place to sit, read, sip a mocha, while we wait
to board our flight. Nerves are being soothed even as I type this :)