Risky Ris

She'll be the country's unofficial ambassador. To charm with her personality and polish articulation. Her opinions and thoughts will be heard by millions. Can she do the job? The most talked about Singapore Girl in recent weeks.

Hoya hoya

Hold my breath as I await patiently for this cluster to burst into blossom. A hoya plant native to the tropical rainforest esp. Thailand and Malaysia. Only recently was I aware of this species whereas it's very popular houseplant in Australia and the world at large.

ButterFly

Another creature of god took flight from my balcony. Munching through my kafir leaves before finally morphing into a pupae and emerging out as a butterfly one week later. Amazing how all creatures great and small instinctively know about survival.

Alarm News

In the papers today, Thanks to the handy mobile phone, Alarm clock is on it's way to being extinct. Yes, I wake up to the serenade of ' Sting' while eldest is roused from slumber by her favourite korean singer. When my alarm clock ran out of battery, That was the beginning of the end of my Alarm clock. With the mobile phone, a variation of wake times can be set throughout the week. No more ear piercing sudden heart thumping shrills. Wonder how the clockmaker is going to reinvent and revamp this humble time keeper to stay afloat. An alarm clock that also takes picture and takes call, Perhaps?

Truly Malaysian Food

Rojak! Fruit rojak with tropical fruits of sour mango, red jambu air, kedondong, nutmeg, pineapple, cucumber, jicama(sar kok)and star fruit. Drizzle with pungent fermented prawn paste, a dash of sweet sugar, a teaspoon of piquant belachan powder , a pinch of chopped fiery chilli padi, generous scatter of finely minced exotic fragrant ginger flower, a gentle stir and a final sprinkle with of nutty protein peanut. Presto!, it done.

Truly Malaysian.

A melting pot of indian, chinese, malay and indigenous.

What's the fuss over nasi lemak and chilli crab.

Pic: courtesy from thestar online.

Good Read

Another nail biting read. Makes good reading when down and out. Dan Brown writing on sensitive subjects making many uneasy with the plausibility of events if intepret or view from a different angle. Yet two of his novels made it to hollywood. A newcomer to my stable of favourite authors together with David Morrell.

NLB@16th Floor

A night view of S'pore on the 16th floor of the National Library at Victoria street. Was invited to a function organised by the NLB but spent the later part of the evening taking in the magnificent 360 lights of downtown S'pore.

Flowering Road

Flowering trees lining the streets. Very hot days followed by very heavy rain has cause these trees to burst into full bloom. The street, a carpet of pink and white flower. Alas, once trampled upon, it'll quickly decompose giving the poor sweeper a hard time. Soon in a week's time, it's the showering of the twirling seeds. Youngest and I would scoop these winged seeds, on the 2nd floor release and watch how they spin in the wind.

TeaCups

Antiquity cups, Bodum cups, China cups. When presented I graciously accepted. A set of two dainty Antiquity cups. Carefully cleaned and kept under wraps, till one day it proved it's worth. Serving up warm nourishments to three guests over the years. In prefect condition, or so I thought, till last month. Spots were found on a routine check. More checks were done. Relieved, it's not menacing but for now to remove this lumpy spot is the best solution.

Over the Moon

From ice-cream/sesame paste/nutty coconut/ chocolate to jelly version but nothing taste as good as the traditional pastry mooncake. With lotus/redbean paste, scatter of pine nuts and a single salted egg yolk to complement the taste of something sweet, something salty. It's mooncake festival next month. Time when chefs pit against each other in concocting nourveau fillings. Gold flakes to shark fins. Wonder what fillings and skin will the chefs come up with next.

Destressing

Some eat, play electronic games while others watching endless serial dramas to keep the mind preoccupied. The last 2 weeks of much waiting and anxiety, had me devouring 2 novels. Something old, a 1952 translated novel by Sakai Tsuboi and something espionage, by David Morrell. Reading an interesting book still does wonders to the mind. Wonder if holding a book and reading will ever be a redundancy especially now with all the latest portable gadgets for viewing.