Harvesting Parsley

The cooler weather in the last few months has done plenty of good to my parsley plant. Although it has survived for 2 years, it hardly thrives like the way it has been lately.

Finally a good time to harvest. And of good amount too! Probably enough to make aglio olio for 2.

March 2009


July 2009


February 2011


Harvested!

I know I should have done better than this. Just one bunch of parsley after 2 years is not exactly thrilling. Let's see what I can do about it.

To be continued...

Bye bye wisdom! Hi hi dentist!

Egyptian pharaoh, Ramesses the Great died at 90. It was later discovered that Ramesses had severe dental problems, so serious that it could have led to an infection enough to claim his life. During Ramesses's time, dentistry was still unknown. I feel sorry for the unimaginable pain the great pharaoh must have suffered in his later years due to his dental conditions and that he had to live so long while bearing the pain. I wonder how he slept. I was completed defeated by a decaying wisdom tooth just after 3 sleepless nights.

Since my childhood days, I have been extremely afraid of dental procedures as I had a trauma involving the dentist when I was younger. The dental nurse at my primary school was most unsympathetic and insensitive. Not only did she pass contemptuous remarks, my gums were painful and often bleeding profusely during each treatment, as if red was the natural colour of my saliva. To me, one of the happiest thing about leaving school was that I no longer had to undergo mandatory dental treatment arranged by the school.

If the pain was less than excruciating I would not have visited the dentist after not having done so for almost 2 decades. Last Saturday, I turned up at the dental clinic feeling apologetic and remorseful. It often takes one to have gone through an ordeal before feeling sorry not to have gotten the fundamentals correct right from the start. Fortunately, the dentist and dental nurse were most forgiving. They were only interested in alleviating my pain and not criticism. Whether it is the advancement of dentistry techniques or customer service from paying premium prices, I felt safe and unintimidated as I received the dental treatment. I could not have imagine tooth extraction to be painless, but it was. And I did not see a single trace of blood during and after the procedures, not even a blood soaked cotton wool or gauze pad. If I had not been given my extracted tooth as a "souvenir", I would not even believe that it was done.

Now that I have had my wisdom tooth extracted, I feel liberated. Not just from the throbbing pain that had kept me awake for many nights, but from being a coward that I was for decades, after having overcome my phobia of dental treatment. I have still to attend several follow-up sessions with the dentist after this but I am feeling good about it!


Bye bye wisdom

National Day

During my childhood days, I was one of the lucky children who could watch the NDP contingents march-past in front of my HDB flat. My neighbours and I used to line up early along the corridor to wait and I cheered and waved vehemently as the contingents marched by, usually reciprocated with... indifference. My favourite was the Navy contingent, young men looking spic and span, so smart in their all white uniforms.

What did I know about patriotism back then? Probably as much as what I know about it today. My patriotism has never been put through the test nor questioned about over the years; neither were there occassions which called for the demonstration of my allegiance. So how patriotic am I... hmm, I have no means to judge.

Don't get me wrong though, I love my country. I have once told my colleagues overseas that the time I felt most home sick was when I stepped out of the shower on a cold winter day, in some hotel in a faraway place, freezing and missing the warm weather at home. But it is certainly more than just the weather, I love my home for a myriad of other reasons. The stability, the peace and security, the opportunities that I have been presented with and the competitive edge which I enjoy on the international arena. Our country has certainly come a long way in just 45 years.

Some wise words we have been told, that to love someone is to love her for who she is, not just for her strengths but also weaknesses. Although there are polices implemented in this country which I will criticise and behaviour of fellow Singaporeans which I cannot identify with, I love my home nevertheless. Brand me as "Kiasu" if you like, think of me as an "ugly Singaporean" if you must, I have no qualms about saying it out loud that I am a Singaporean.

And so is Cowboy.


100% Singaporean

I made an effort to watch the NDP parade on TV this year, and oh boy, I must say the guard of honour is as smart as they can be today.

Happy National Day!

Hail to Japanese snacks

My Japanese visitors have brought lots of delights to my home. In return, I "indulged" them in chilli... chilli crab, chilli BBQ stingray, chilli crayfish, chilli kang kong (a delicacy; kang kong cost S$60 per kg in Japan).

Many of my acquaintance have regarded me a perfectionist. Indeed, I scored an impressive 85% in a perfectionist test. But if using my result as benchmark, the Japanese would be estimated at 200%. Their obsession with perfection is impeccable (may sound a little unconvincing with Toyota scandal now in limelight). I will always remember a peculiar experience I had at a battery making factory years ago. 2 aunties stood at the end of the production line doing nothing but turning batteries so that the logo on the batteries faced the same direction. I was told that those were batteries to be exported to Japan and a standard requirement. Perfectionism... aesthetically at least.

Other than Hello Kitty, Canon, Mt Fuji, Loft (haha... so many qualification) what I love most about Japan are the food and snacks. Made to perfection.


Multiple varieties of Pocky. Pocky for men, caramel pocky, dessert pocky, slim pocky (for women on diet?)...


Potato chips, one of them with plum (limited edition). My recent favourite Jagabee is put to shame.


Giant sized Dorayaki (20 cm in diameter)

As for the battery turning job which I envisage taking up after my retirement, I am afraid it would be put to redundancy if Japan never makes it out of deflation.

猛虎浪漫登场

人家说，本命年对个人的运势不利。总结各位命理、风水大师对肖虎的人在虎年运程的预测只须用四个字：雪上加霜。 对这样的预言，我尝试保持乐观。毕竟这几年来无论是财物或人情上都有未雨绸缪的习惯。我想，即使下起暴风雪应该还是有人会为我雪中送炭吧!

今年除夕，难得在马来西亚郊区度过。除了吃火锅，还跟侄儿们学“扯铃”(学校现在流行这个哦！）和放烟火。虽然只是很小型而又不太花俏的烟火，我却是第一次近距离的参与。在短短几秒钟，烧掉金钱，换得大人、小孩的欢呼和掌声，放烟火原来是这么一回事。





那一晚，最令我喜出望外的并不是烟火，而是整片布满星星的夜空。不夸张的说，星星数量多得如同撒落地面上的尘埃。所谓的"stardusted sky"或许就是这样的画面吧！就连每天晚上在我家凉台看得见的猎户座星云 (Orion Constellation)，在郊外空旷的草地上看起来都要绚丽十倍。对于一辈子居住在城市里的我来说，那片星空是多么难得的奢侈。

猛虎，就这样浪漫的登场了！也许因为这天刚好是情人节。

All I want for X'mas is a Blue Raincoat

I have been crazy about boots lately, perhaps partly influenced by my recent trip to Japan (where boots are essential for autumn/winter) but mostly I think is due to an advertisment banner I saw at the shopping mall. A young lady with slender legs wearing knee high cherry red boots... that is style!

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At the BBQ

The sky was overcast. There was light rain all morning and in the early afternoon. But that did not dampen my spirits. It was the day for the long awaited BBQ.

I knew it would be a busy Saturday but I gladly toiled and fussed over it. All my friends were coming; their kids too... a welcoming break from the peace and quiet which I usually prefer.

Fortunately, the weather held up. These days, the weather is irratic. But today, I was glad that the weather has temperaments of a woman.

The kids had fun at the pool. So did I.


Ethan attempting murder! He pushed Uncle Mike's head into the water.


Malcolm learning to count. How deep is the pool? 0.5m (counting his fingers).


Splish splash!


Pretty little girl (neighbour's kid) playing with bubbles.


Not out of focus. Auntie Ring just got distracted... I was bio-ing the hunks (on the deck chairs in the background)!


As Louise said it, 青梅竹马. Ashley and Ethan.

Sometimes, I admire my friends for the carefree ways they are bringing up their kids. The children were allowed to play on their own with minimal supervision. While the adults were busy preparing food or catching up with friends, the children were in a world of their own: running, chasing, bursting their balloons, hogging the playground slide, falling into swimming pool... But I think there is nothing wrong with this manner of upbringing. It cultivates free spirits in these children, which is essentially good because it makes them brave and prepares them for setbacks that they are bound to encounter later on in life.

The BBQ team worked hard for the night. Not forgetting to oblige to my requests to pose for photos for the blog!


Not an easy request. Pretending to be busy while keeping themselves stationery to accomodate the camera's slow shutter speed.


Food was carefully QC. Mr Heng smelling the sausage, as if he could figure out its "life story" through his nose.


Loads of food. There we have our favourite Johnny's secret recipe wings on the grill.


Food's delicious! Auntie Daphy would agree.

We also took this opportunity to celebrate 3 birthdays. However, Ethan insisted that he is only 4, not 5. There is nothing to be afraid of being 5; it's not like becoming 35!


The "Magic Mystical" birthday celebration.

Next time, I will remember to stock up Asahi dry for the alcoholics!


"Bring me a bottle of your best White". For the time being, it will be MILK for you Nevan.

F1 Grand Prix

Feeling like an F1 driver! At 61km? Not quite...

At least I got this shot sharp and clear.

焕然一新

博客换了全新的版面，我自己相当满意。

不定期的更换版面，这是我为经常到访的朋友准备的小小惊喜。除了能增添新鲜感，每一个版本更是我当时的心情写照。

博客的点击次数接近1万了（并不算多）。我不经意回头想想，这两年来在这里都做了些什么事。有时分享心情，有时发发牢骚；家中的大小事、我大惊小怪的事，就是我文章的基本素材；旅行、节庆、纪念日也在这里落了脚。这里就是窥探我生活点滴的一个视窗。

我的花花世界里，经常很虚无缥缈，有时又繁琐踏实。目前的状态是：生活还是实在一点的好，平凡的事更需要用心体会。我将在这里把一天内发生的最特别的事记录下来，提醒自己每一天都值得纪念。

虽然跟其他名人、明星的1千万点击率比较，我那区区1万只是望尘莫及，但我保证，所有的文字、图片都包含了我1千万分的诚意。希望你们在这里曾经找到有意义的，有共鸣的，甚至被感动的一个小段落。

Wry Neck

Recently, my happiness has been greatly comprised by a sore neck. At one point, my neck was so bad that swallowing saliva caused pain. The doctor calls it a "Wry Neck", which is a condition where "patient complains of neck pain and is unable to turn his head, usually holding it twisted to one side, with some spasm of the neck muscles..." Some form of rheumatism, he said. At this age, I am already having such ailment. Can't imagine when I become 50.

The muscle relaxant and paracetamol I was prescribed with became my daily essentials, like drugs are to an addict. What causes a wry neck? Probably bad sitting posture (crouching) and no proper neck support when I sleep. I was advised by the doctor not to sit long hours at the computer, but to walk around. Walk around to relax my neck muscle, not skive.

A healthy body is a pre-requisite to a healthy mind. So stay healthy!

My herb garden surviving extreme weather conditions

I don't want to start complaining about the weather lately; but the erratic weather conditions have taken toll on the well-being of my herb plants. I have never had to try so hard to keep them healthy. I am lucky that they are still alive.


Rosemary. Almost withered the last time I transplanted it into a new pot. Now doing just fine.


Parsley. The only plant which I sow from seeds. After almost 5 months, they are only this big. How long more do I have to wait?


Mint. Growing well, maybe a little too well that they will soon out-grow the new flower pot.


I have no luck with flowering plants. Lavender is still barren. Like waiting for 铁树开花。


Thai Basils. Supposed to thrive with full sun but the erratic weather lately did not do them good.


Sweet Basils. Beautiful but needs to be harvested soon.

Happy Birthday to Shoe

A simple, no-frill dinner to celebrate Shoe's birthday. The whole evening, we were amused by K's ability to manoeuver his transformers and the randomness at which he distinguished Aunty from Jiejie and Uncle from Gorgor.


Toothy grin from K in his self portrait.


Chocolate cake decorated with Transformer, accompanied by birthday song K sung in his little "Ah Pek" voice.

I think we did well. K wanted to take us home haha!


Cowboy sends his greetings too(via snail mail)!

My garden

If one is to apply Darwin's theory on the origin of species with strict obedience, then what I have been doing for the past weeks will seem foolish and redundant. The theory of "evolution" through "natural selection" implies that the fittest life forms will surive, and those not will evolve or die.

To pave way for my herb garden, I have been propagating seeds, nourishing young plants, transplanting plants from pot to pot and reviving those infested with pests and fungi. Here are the results.



Mint, Lavender, Thai Basil, Sweet Basil


Oregano

Not too bad for someone with little experience in horticulture and is still grappling on trial and error basis. Of course I did my homework diligently. Learning about soil, garden pests, conditions of growth suitable for each type of herb and even watching video on how to water plants... the information is overwhelming! It is an area specialisation that could lead to a Ph.D.

There is a Chinese saying, "人非草木", which means that man is not unfeeling as grass and trees (plants). Whoever said that must have misunderstood nature. What I have seen for myself is that the plants are extremely sensitive of their environment. They react to changes in environmental conditions amazingly quick: if they have enough water, enough sun or if there are pests aggression, they tell it all in moments. Just by looking at their colours and vibrance for example, I would know if the day has been bright and sunny or gloomy and wet, even though I have been out of the house all day. I don't reckon my mood swings are quite as fast when being provoked.

The part that has been most difficult but at the same time exciting is growing parsley from seeds. I did not know that germinating parsley seeds is tricky and irratic. I have only considered that it is the herb I consumed the most and therefore would like to have them in my garden. Fortuantely, my efforts paid off (so far so good), though the casualty rate is extremely high.


Signs of new life, after 3 weeks. Soon, they will need to leave their safe haven (my kitchen) and be introduced to the "treacherous" nature where there are dangers of mealybugs, aphides and spiders... sweat.


The insatiable craving for light causes the young sprouts to bend and stretch towards the light source.

So, if I listen to Darwin, I should have left my plants to live and die on their own? Ha, I am just misinterpreting. His evolution theory relates to an entire specie and the bigger environment, not to leaves and sprouts in my tiny little flower pots. But if I were to do nothing, my plants will also "evolve"... from fresh to dry (die)... and maybe even gone. Beware of a dog!


Cowboy messing around with the young seedlings.


A garden is never complete without insects and pests. Dead grasshopper (I didn't kill it). Handicapped, only 4 legged.

I saw rainbows

This extraordinary day started out plain and simple, seemed destined to be uneventful, like most other ordinary days.

I felt a queer sense of cheerfulness when I left the office, as rain fell from a sunny sky. There were no reasons to brood on a rainy day that was neither grey nor gloomy, I thought.

While locked in the traffic towards Orchard, I saw a stunning arc of colours. It was a huge rainbow! Though not quite enough to be a traffic stopper, it was awe inspiring... more refreshing than the rain drops, more eye-catching than those expensive cars that were lined up side by side with me.



As I tried to figure out from where the rainbow was conceived, I realised that my perspectives were continuously distorted. We have all been told that there is a pot of gold at each end of the rainbow, but this will remain a myth. The fact is, there isn't a beginning or an ending to a rainbow. It just stretches out from the horizon and extends into infinity. Chasing the rainbow is futile; I made a small attempt today and was so proven.





It always happen at the least expected time and place, such rare and pleasant encounter. Perhaps all other miracles do too. I have longed to see a real arch of rainbow, but the closest that I have got before today was just some broken spectrum of lights that I briefly came across at east coast many years back.

And there we have it, not just one but two rainbows!

大肥年

This is probably the only day in a year when it is legitimate to stay up all night. According to Chinese tradition, 守岁 or the act of staying up on lunar new year's eve,will accumulate good fortune which adds to longevity for elders in the family .

However, I am finding it extremely hard to stay awake after a heavy dinner and under the influence of alcohol.



Though this year is one in which we should exercise prudent, no expenses have been spared in the preparation of this reunion dinner. The food on the table is double the amount and variety from last year, as if recession is someone else's problem. And of course the leftovers are "abundant", which, in any case is auspicious in Chinese customs. However, it also means that we will be strugglng with leftover food for the next 3 days.


All dressed up for the occassion!

The year of the Ox reminds me to work hard and be down to earth. 脚踏实地, with that, we would be able to tide over any crisis.