CakeDay

In my family, birthdays are normally remembered with a delicious cake with brightly lit candles. In my younger days, mum would bake. Once a horseshoe shape cake with butter icing sprinkled with desiccated coconut and smarties to add colour. Now, it's a visit to the favourite cake shop. With friends, it usually a birthday card, sometimes a surprise present enclosed. Now it's a phone call/sms. I know a friend who would remember family and friends' birthday with a meal. Another would buy something precious to commemorate. Yet another would take a photograph at every birthday to chart the passage of time.

Delicious apom with banana and corn topping, along MacAlister Rd, Pg. Had to give it a miss as someone ahead of me had ordered 40 pcs.

Preserved For a View

Utter repulsion. On watching what goes on behind close doors of the embalming room on the telly. Revulsive on how the lifeless loved one is being violated so nonchalantly. Organs removed, soaked in formalin, the blood suck out to be replaced with more formalin then the organs are bagged and stuffed into the empty body cavity. Sewn up dressed up, made up, to look good for the viewers and to withstand the duly accorded religous rites. Can I say no to embalming?

AloeVera flowering

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Originally uploaded by tlilings
On visiting mum's garden last week, I discovered Aloe Vera flowers. With mum's green green fingers And Tender, Loving care, everything flowers and fruits.

Pride&Ego

Ego, makes you say/do the silliest/darnest while

Pride, stops you from saying/doing the most sensible/humble

It's exasperating.

How Ego & Pride sometimes make or break the zest of life.

Swollen&Angry

When the foot swelled slightly, he thought nothing of it. Water retention maybe. After all was not the first time. By sunday morning, the 4th day, the angry swollen foot had became too painful to touch. Finally at 3.30pm, With hercules effort and pain, he finally arrived at the Casualty of Gleaneagle. On checking, he was running a temperature of 38.9C One look and Dr Leong confirmed. Cellulitis. Warded and put on iv for two antibiotics. My dad's sunday escapade in Penang. Have been back home to keep mum company this week. Lesson: never assume.

TheReason

Every morning, as I drive up this heavily congested road, I see him, a scrawny weather-beaten old man. Laboriously pushing a bicycle load of collected cardboard up the slope during the morning peak hours. Buses gingerly gives him a wide berth as they manoevre the already narrow underconstruction road. He lives with a purpose/reason. And that is why he is still going strong.
This picture was hastily taken at the traffic light junction.

FrenchFries

Unhealthy with high sodium and fats. Cooked in ultra-hot oil which is high in trans fats. Consumming large amount of Potatoes with it's high glycemic index food can increased risk of diabetes. Yet, It's still a favourite/handy snack for many inspite of it all. I see children as young as one, sucking on it slowly savouring the salt. I see elderly contentedly tucking into the packet of pipping hot fries. Every mall has an eatery that serves FenchFries. Yes, I love my Fries too. With or without the chilli sauce. Don't you?

FoodThoughts

Due to other commitments, only met up with her yesterday. Still she remembered. Saved a box of her homemade chocolate nut & cornflake cookies. So thoughtful of her.

Green green grass

In the heart of an old housing estate lies a patch of green. Of late, this turf has gone into hues of brown and yellow, due to the recent dry spell. With shallow root system it just might have dried through and through. Then a sudden shower, two nights ago. This morning, on my walk, lo and behold, the dried turf is slowly coming back to life. Fresh tender green blades emerging from the brown withered centre. There is something to be learnt from nature. Slowly, this patch is turning green once more.

SweetPortion

Dessert in a spoonful. Just the right portion for something so rich, at a recent buffet. A combination of two poisonous food according to a recent documentary, "Dining with death" gingko and taro. Of course, I could not resist the banana fritter. Would have tasted heavenly if only the banana was the ripe pisang raja.

SpringOff

Eldest son, sole bread winner, in the teaching vocation with 4 strapping sons of school going age. Daughter, two children living in the states with her american husband, while youngest son, a father of two with a working wife. He at 76 has retired for the past 6 years. As husband&wife are approaching 80s, he has made a decision to sell of his home for 25 years, to a smaller abode. With uncertain economy outlook & high cost of living, more and more elderly parents really have to depend on their wits and not the children to see them through the twilight years. Living to a ripe old age is indeed a blessing if one is self-sufficient without burdening the children. For this gentleman, it pains him to see his children/grandchildren compromising for their sake. In these modern times, it's the joy of parenthood, the main want of offsprings.

Dried&Sweet

If you love persimmon, then you'll love this. Hoshigaki, japanese dried persimmons. It's just so....naturally persimmon sweet. A layer of white powdery sugar coating formed upon air drying. It's similar to the china version of the dried persimmon. Used to nibble on them during this time of the year, till mum discovered during her trip to china. Placed along any available roadside, persimmons. Drying. Exposed to the many many cars, bullock carts, bicycle whizzzzing.....by. I have refrained from eating since.