Sunday, March 23, 2008

Go GREEN!

She enjoys drawing on the sand.



As it's her first attempt on a really tall slide, she needed companionship.



Illegal feeding of the fishes. They love the roti-prata which we threw in.



How can 2 persons look so similar??? Huh???
We are so insignificant when standing beside a heritage tree.




The little one attempting to climb a tree




This shot is so perfect as both our faces are captured within the branches but we need to erase the man standing between us.

Sat, 22 Mar 08

We headed to Katong Floral Shop to requisite for our long overdue really required giant pot for our bamboo, extra pots for our little papayas, packs of soil, & even added extra greens to our existing "balcony garden". They consist of a little fragipani tree, lipstick plant and ant plant.

A friend commented that our brinjal plants could possibly be morning glories instead as they were bearing purple flowers consistently and yet with no sign of little brinjals for our dining table. Never mind, we now place our hopes on our little papayas. Fingers crossed.

After shopping, we headed to Changi Village for lunch. There, we decided to sample the Filipino cuisine. Shamefully, though we have a Filipina helper working with us for nearly 1.5years, we are never really aware of the cuisine, the country or the language.

In summary (about the cuisine), the style of cooking is similar to the Chinese. The dishes come in relatively smaller quantity but cooked with really strong flavours, that is, very saltish or very sour. They're meant this way as the Filipino will have a larger portion of rice accompanying small portions of dishes. One of the dish we tried was Vinegar Chicken cooked with Ginger. The taste reminded me of one of the confinement dish of Vinegar Pig Trotters with Ginger. Another dish which they have was Chicken with Papaya Soup while the Chinese has Fish with Papaya Soup. For both ethnics, the dishes are especially for nursing mothers.

After lunch, we headed back home, rolled our sleeves up and started gardening. Even the little one was involved with digging, throwing up old soil. Lots of work to do with regards to repotting the bamboo... lots of soil over spill... lots of reshuffling but when the tasks were completed, we were all so mighty pleased with ourselves for working hard to beautify our garden.

The little one commented "I had such a nice time today! I want to go to the Forest tomorrow."

The only member of the family lazing around, doing nothing, complaining (with her meows) was Ms Raggie. Too bad, Kitty! You just have to stay put in your 3-storey condo when work is in progress.


Sun, 23 Mar 08

The little one waited patiently for us to rise and shine from bed since 7am. Poor kiddo. Finally, I moved my lazy butt up from bed. We got dressed and headed to HER FOREST, Botanic Gardens. She wanted to see if she might meet Bambi while hiking. It was a nice walk as we managed to catch sight of plentiful of spiders, insects and squirrels. She understood the need to respect nature and to be as silent as possible. Unfortunately, Bambi was not at home.
Not to mention, really magnificent heritage trees, unique and beautiful flowers, shrubs, etc. We continued our walk to the newly created Children's Playground. The little one truly enjoyed herself. She was really happy.

This is a truly well-spent healthy weekend. Coincidentally, we did activities related to the Greens!

Friday, March 21, 2008

NAFA

Yesterday marked my last oil painting lesson with NAFA. We had the opportunity to finish up our 3rd painting at the arts studio where diploma students attend daily lessons.

I was simply speechless, stunned... I never imagine that I would have an opportunity to step foot in a real art painting studio in NAFA. I always have a special love for art. As a child, I enjoyed drawing, painting, even chinese calligraphy. I always drew up wall murals of disney characters (Pete's Dragon, Bear from Jungle Book, etc) in vanguard sheets for my class.

When I entered lower secondary, I refused to put in any effort for my art work. Coz I was advised to focus on academic studies and ignore art. It was wrong and naive for me to heed that advice. I had the love for it so I should have pursued my interest. When I reached upper secondary, I always look forward to art lessons. I think it was 3hrs weekly session. It was lovely! We had a special room, very spacious (around 2-3 classrooms size) and we were surrounded by beautiful art pieces from other students.

I didn't do badly for arts during O levels. I scored a B. I was happy with my result. In fact, when I took an art aptitude test with Jurong Institution (Pre-U), I passed it and was selected to join their arts stream. Again, silly old me, didn't take up the opportunity. I gave it a pass for a commerce course thinking it was the best path for me and it would make my parents happy.

Eventually, I dropped out from A-levels studies and went into secretarial studies. 15 years ago, it marked my career as a Secretary or Administrator.

I'm glad that I'm still painting today and enjoying the moment. When I'm a retiree (if I ever retired), I will probably sign up to do a full-time Diploma Arts studies. I'll probably be the oldest member in the class and I am not sure if the school will accept an oldie but I'll give it a shot.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Disneyland

My little darling has recently expressed her wish to visit Disneyland. Her current favorite Princess is Cinderella. She watched the travel documentary intensely as it was featuring Disneylands around the world - in US, in Tokyo, in Hong Kong.

I am due to attend a seminar in Hong Kong. She got very upset that she will not be coming along because she really wanted to go to Disneyland. For some reason, she figured MOTH will be joining me too. She told her Auntie May that she will get angry with us for not taking her and that she will go to Disneyland on her own when she's BIG but she won't have any childhood photos at Disneyland for memories.

She's funny. I told her this evening that I've placed a $1 in my bank and the money will grow so much that we could visit a LARGE DISNEYLAND in US! She really believed me. Of course, I am not leading her on. I'm really working towards this goal for her.

I know she has a little traveller spirit inborn in her tiny soul.



Can be I an artist now?

Oil Painting Medium




Monday, March 3, 2008

Ahem...

And not forgetting me... with my new baby!

Raggie






The 4-year old can move aside now. Raggie has taken over the position. She's sweet, doesn't argue, doesn't throw tantrum, doesn't spend my money, doesn't .... .... .... (the list goes on).

Latest Masterpiece

I've been attending Basic Oil Painting classes since early Jan 08.
Call it my New Year Resolution.

This is my 2nd masterpiece with oil paints. Painting gives me a sense of satisfaction, peacefulness and a feeling of taking in fresh air.