Sunrise

Pulau Ubin

Bad English

Only in Singapore can you rent an expat....

My wants

I promise myself that I will get the KitchenAid mixer already! Before Christmas, before the year is over! I have been lusting over it for years. I just couldn't part with the money. Funny thing, now that I think about how much my lenses are costing me.

Maybe I think I shoot better than I bake. If that is the case, then my baking must be horrid! Would the mixer be a waste of money on me then?

Maybe I should pay Elaine some money and get her to impart me some skills. She is a wonderful baker, she really should seriously think about going professional.

Reads

I have finally decided!

After mulling over a few books on the shortlist for a week or two, I have decided! I am bringing Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda with me on the next trip. It was a toss between 3 books - the other two being The Great Railway Baazar and Love in the Time of Cholera. I have been itching to read Oscar and Lucinda for a long time already. I just finished Middlemarch, so I am not exactly eager to plunge into another epic love story, although O&L is romantic, it is a more unusual. The Great Railway Bazaar must be great to read when travelling, just like On the Road, somehow, I am not in the mood for that now.

I AM SO DYING TO START ON THE BOOK!

Museum

We were at the History Museum again. This time, was for the Singapore International Photography Festival (spif). I didnt take any photographs of any of the photographs. I can't possibly do any justice to them. Anyway, the exhibits are all over town, so if you wanna see them all, you gotta be prepared to hop a few places. You have til the end of October.

We were treated to an hour long documentary too. It was about a little known fact in World War II. The Japanese went to Taiwan to recruit teenage boys to build fighter jets for them. The boys, also known as shonenkos, were promised an education at the same time. Most of these boys were very poor, and so the offer was very tempting. Their dreams were short lived, when the Japanese lost the war.

Breakfast

Sunday's breakfast was at Scruffy's. It has been a while since we have gone there. Probably about a year? Or more. Sometimes you just wanna eat a nice hearty (not to mention greasy) fry up for breakfast. I hate cleaning up after a fry up, not a nice way to start a sunday don't you think?

I remember once in a while, my mum would treat us to a breakfast fry up, and we will all get pretty excited the night before. I can't imagine eating that all the time every morning. Breakfasts or brunches have become a thing that we do every Sunday. It is part of the Sunday ritual!

When I used to work, I would make myself a coffee and have some cereal, or sometimes just a sandwich, nothing too fancy. Then I will read the papers. It was a habit til, er, I started working from home. HAHAHAHAHA. I should get that back into routine, talking about it now makes me miss those days.

The husband had more lavish breakfasts at home. He will have fried eggs with bread, sometimes luncheon meat. Sometimes porridge with numerous side dishes. Makes me feel like I am mistreating him now. I used to make my own ham and cheese omelette for lunch after school. I was hooked on that for months! I love it! I made french toast before that omelette craze started. Then it was just porridge with Marmite or Borvil. Now I am too lazy to cook and eat lunch alone.

Boo!

When I saw this in the shop, I smiled and knew that I had to get it.

Tough questions that I ask myself

If I can only have one, would it be a Birkin or a Kelly?

Sensible shoes or Louboutins?

Would I rather listen to cheesy boybands or read trashy chick lit?

If I can choose only photography and reading, which one will I give up?

A dinner prepared by Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey?

Beef or pork?

Would I elope with Ewan Mcgregor if he appears at my doorstep and ask me to?

flowers

I didn't realise how much I love taking photographs of flowers. They are a lot prettier in real life though.

Happiness

is finding the perfect red nail colour.

Selamat Hari Raya

Has it been 13 years already? Daing's mum's ayam masak merah is to die for, and the main reason why we go every year! Spot the "new additions"! Someone is missing from this photo though.

Walks

I am going pano crazy.

Henderson Waves (again)

We go there for after dinner walks sometimes. I never had a night shot of the bridge so decided to bring the camera and the tripod along this time.

Pulau Ubin

I need to visit the other islands soon!

Pre-trip Rituals

Usually before a trip, I have some stuff that I really need to do before I feel totally at ease going on a holiday. Most of the rituals has to do with cleaning. I would get the windows all cleaned, the floors vacuumed and mopped. All the laundry done, I will check the fridge and use up things that are close to expiration. Things that need to be recycled, I will get them to the recycling bins. Toilets will be washed, the placed dusted, the place tidied. Basically, I need to house to be clean before I leave. Why? Because I want to come back to a clean house. Or I would be constantly be thinking about the unswept floor or the few pieces of clothes left in the laundry basket or the errand that I didn't run. I will also make sure that all the bills are paid and I will check and double check that everything is in order. Sometimes I even finish up books that I am reading so I can start on a new one when I am on holiday. Yes, I read on holidays, having a book is like having a security blanket.

I am be pretty anal-retentive. I wonder how my husband stand me sometimes.

Oh, and post trip, there are some stuff that I do immediately after coming back. I will unpack and put away most things, if not all. I will put the clothes in the washing machine, then if it was a trip longer than a 4 days, I will change the bedsheets. No way in hell am I going to sleep on sheets that are left to collect dust for about a week! EEEEEWWWWWWWWWW! Usually, before short trips, I will change the sheets before I leave. Regardless whatever time it is, I will definitely change my sheets. I may not unpack if it is way too late, I may not put the clothes in the washer if I am way too tired, but the sheets, change I must! Then I will rest after that. Or maybe not. If the husband is not around to nag at me, I may sneak in a sweep.

The husband will be out taking the car for a drive and buy food. That is his post-trip ritual. Funny how I am too tired to go for a car ride, but never too tired to change sheets.

Happiness

is hearing the howling of the F1 engines for the very first time.

I wonder...

...if I would be the sort to post photo of my baby all over the place in Facebook or my blog?