鱼

It was raining almost the whole day today, the last day of 2012. Cheer Chen's Fish came to mind. One of the lines ''带不走的 丢不掉的 让大雨侵蚀吧'' is so appropriate in this context.

This year, Singaporeans were ranked the unhappiest people, and the most emotionless people. How ironic. But how true. It's sad to know how many people around us are unhappy, and often we do not realise it because they keep it to themselves.

At the tail end of 2012, I just want to share the lyrics of Fish - for me, the song is about letting go of your baggage, and following your heart.

PS: MQ, I will not ask and will just be there. May you be happier in 2013!

陈绮贞-《鱼》

我坐在椅子上 看日出复活

我坐在夕阳里 看城市的衰弱

我摘下一片叶子 让它代替我

观察离开后的变化

曾经 狂奔 舞蹈 贪婪的说话

随着冷淡试戴浮华

带不走的 丢不掉的 让大雨侵蚀吧

让他推向我在边界奋不顾身挣扎

如果有一个怀抱勇敢不计代价

别让我飞 将我温柔环绕

我坐在椅子上 看日出复活

我坐在夕阳里 看城市的衰弱

我摘下一片叶子 让它代替我

观察离开后的变化

曾经 狂奔 舞蹈 贪婪的说话

随着冷淡试戴浮华

带不走的留不下的我全都交付他

让他捧着我在手掌 自由自在挥洒

如果有一个世界浑浊的不像话

原谅我飞 曾经眷恋太阳

带不走的丢不掉的让大雨侵蚀吧

让它推向我在边界奋不顾身挣扎

如果有一个世界浑浊的不像话

我会疯狂的爱上

带不走的留不下的我全都交付他

让他捧着我在手掌自由自在挥洒

如果有一个怀抱勇敢不计代价

别让我飞 将我环绕

原谅我飞 曾经眷恋太阳

原谅我飞 曾经眷恋太阳

Thai Transience

Went to the Christmas Open House at Singapore Art Museum (SAM) today. It's been a while since I visited the exhibitions (was at Dome to celebrate my birthday with the gals earlier this year). SAM will always have an important place in my timeline - it is my first company where I worked straight after university!

SAM has changed so much over the last 10 years. I thought it used to host more blockbusters with masterpieces by Rodin, Leonardo Da Vinci etc. In recent years, I could sense that it is focusing more on Asian art, especially modern art, and also showcasing more from its collection.

Free photo-taking. The backdrop kind of spoof the ongoing exhibition - Thai Transience. Wanted to capture how the instant photo transcend via my smart phone - kind of blur but it's my little piece of art! :)

Instant photo - turned out very nicely. I'm looking good! haha :P Maybe because I'm happy to be at SAM on Christmas day :)

Guess it's a good thing to share the art of our region, and I'm very proud that our museums are doing so to tell the world about our heritage. Thought it's interesting that the National Museum of Singapore and the Art Science Museum is hosting more blockbusters now though. It is a good thing for Singaporeans who may not have the chance to travel widely, as this will give them the chance to see the masterpieces. Well,I'm always excited to see Picasso/Rodin/Leonardo/Van Gogh wherever I am, be it Australia or Europe!

Baby potatoes with herbs and a Merry Xmas!

Stole an easy recipe for baby potatoes with herbs for xmas eve lunch (from British Council Cooking to a degree Second Edition)...and wants to share it with everyone! :)

500g baby potatoes, peeled
2 gloves garlic,finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes until they are soft. Drain potatoes and set aside
2. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry onion and garlic until slightly brown. Add potatoes and stir-fry for about 3 minutes
3. Add parsley, salt and pepper and stir-fry for another 2 minutes
4. Serve immediately with grilled sausages or on its own

Served with pasta cooked by my sister :) And this is our simple xmas lunch!
 

It's funny because I got the book many years back during my MSC days but only decided to try out the recipes these days - wanted to share with my brother who is studying in Stockholm and also partly because I have time these days...

Skansen Squirrel

Did not realise that it has been such a long time since I last blogged. The last 2 months have been kind of crazy - I left my job, left for Stockholm where my brother is studying and travelled in Scandinavia for 1 month. A long vacation abroad indeed. Visited Oslo and Reykjavik with my brother, and was on my own most of the time in Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen. Think autumn turning winter is not the best time to visit Scandinavia, except for some surprises that bring back good memories :) Here's one.

hey hey! my new found friend from Skansen, an open air museum and zoo in Stockholm. It was really bare (be it of people or flora) when I visited. Guess winter has a way of fence off life...

Was really glad to meet Skansen Squirrel - it is really cute. Left to roam freely around the zoo, it was jumping here and there, up and down, looking for food when we met.

When it saw me taking photos, it tried to challenge me - tried to climb up my body to grab the camera (it scrambled away when I yelled!) and then look at me (or rather my camera) straight in the eye so I got this shot, one of my favorites taken during this trip. It takes so little to be happy right?

Topokki Rice Cakes

Been a good weekend.

Read a few chapters of 告白.

Installed SCV (free for 3 months!) and explored the programmes.

Jogged 3 KM, with solid cool down.

Tried my hands at making Topokki Rice Cakes!Turned out to be easy(although it does not taste as as good as the korean version. YET)

 

Add 100cc of water and 500g Toppoki rice cakes to a frying pan and boil. As it starts to boil, add 150g of Toppoki marinade. Wait for the rice cakes to cook while adjusting the temperature accordingly. May add cabbage, fish cake, scallion, glass noodle or egg to your preference.

:)

旧手机的照片- Great Ocean Road in Taiwan

This is going to be the last batch of Taiwan pictures from my BB that I am going to post. There are too many other memories to blog :P Hualien Taroko Gorge so reminds me of the Great Ocean Road. If you have been on the Great Ocean Road trip and the Taroko Gorge trip, you will know what I mean... It's always amazing how mankind can turn nature into tourist spots, and the sacrifices made to do just that. For that, I'm kind of thankful because that means so many people can bask in the beauty of these places.

 A walk along Taroko Gorge. A river meanders through the great rocks peppered along the gorge.

I love this part of the Taroko Gorge. Like a painting. The few minutes when I just close my eyes and listen to the waves was good.

A beach of pebbles, an extension of the rocks in Taroko Gorge.

旧手机的照片 - 台湾好住的！

第一次住民俗，还瞒 ENJOY 的。虽然睡得不是很好，但觉得很舒服。我想， 民俗的特色是它们都布置得很特别。从台北出发到花莲，发现忘了带相机充电器，还好有手机，要不然就无法拍照留影了。。。

Roseland B&B (http://www.roseland.com.tw/english.html) 以玫瑰花以主题。布置得很美丽，也很舒服。地点也很方便， 靠近很多好吃的。 主人养的两只小狗也很可爱 ：）这一点一滴，都让一个人旅行的我觉得很安全. 二月的台湾，天很早就黑了，所以我几乎每天都7，8 点回民俗，窝在房间里看电视！

九份的Windsor B&B (http://windsor.idv.tw/index.asp) 给我一种KAMPONG的感觉， 仿佛去了另一个年代， 象所在地一样。虽然它没有花莲的民俗舒服（床有一点硬），但它很宽畅，还有阳台呢！在这里的两天都下着雨，常躲回房里避雨，可以听到`屋顶嘀嗒嘀嗒的声音，晚上会觉得有一点恐怖。HAHA。 别有一番体会：）

旧手机的照片 - 台湾好吃的！

换了手机，把所有的照片都下载了。过去两年，拍了超过一千张照片， 上载不到一成。是时候好好整理旧手机的照片了。

近日有一点不开心，就来一些台湾单独旅行的快乐‘好吃’照片，过一过那三分钟热度的 LIVE TO EAT 的瘾吧！

热豆浆和蛋饼。 想念台北温暖的早餐。

猫空的茶饭。想念那一阵阵的茶香。

花莲民俗的早餐。想念用餐时的宁静。。。

和朴素。。。

和简单。

鹅肉和鹅血糕。想念在新加坡吃不到的味道。

基隆的天妇罗 。想念基隆的美食。

排骨羹。想念它的甜而不腻。

营养三明治。 想念它的特色。

九份民俗的早餐。想念它的简单。。。

和花茶香。

紅糟肉圓 和肉丸汤。想念它的Q。

芋園。 想念它的热腾腾。

ＭＯＮＴＢＬＡＮＣ蛋糕。想念一个人庆生的感觉。自由但孤独。

Half-time Check-in

1 July 2012 marks the end of the first half of 2012 and the beginning of the second half of 2012. Today is a special day too because it marks the beginning of a new phase of life for a dear ex-colleague S. Congrats, S and may you and D lie happily ever-after and btw, 1 Rochester is pretty (would have been perfect if not for the sun :P)

It's time to check-in at half-time, not that I have a lot to show for it. But the last 180+ days will be remembered as days of changes and breakthroughs - for having the courage to leave my comfort zones such as travelling alone, leaving good company for the unknown (which is proving to be challenging), for speaking my mind and saying 'no' to many yeses that I would have committed to in the past, for taking the step to widen my social circle...

It's unpredictable how the second half will unfold... But I'm definitely going to try my best to make sure it turns out the way I want it to or at least in a way I am proud of...

Saigon

I have been trying to blog on the go for a long time and it's nice to be able to do it (for the first time, I think) in Saigon. I managed to explore the Reunification palace, War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market yesterday after I touched down in the afternoon. As I was flying non-stop the whole week (Jakarta then Saigon), I did not bring a camera with me. Lucky for me, I had my trusty BB with me. Here is my picturesque!

Opera House in the day. Did not have the opportunity to see it in the day the last time. Awesome summer day :)

Water fountains - evidences of Saigon's past as a French Colony...

Not as impressive as the water fountains in Europe. But quaint all the same.

Saigon has changed so much in the last 2 years. It's cleaner now. And the traffic is not as bad. There are more road signs too, and I could walk from one place of interest to another easily (well, not forgetting the help of friendly Vietnamese).

Spotted on my way to the Reunification Palace...

Roadside stalls are a common sight in Saigon... Maybe I will try some street food tomorrow....

 

Reunification Palace which has witnessed many significant events of Vietnam... 

The meaning behind the architecture is quite meaningful. Was intrigued by the design of the windows.

My heart felt very heavy after visiting the museum...yours would too if you know the story behind the Vietnam War... There are never any winners in any war....

 

Late lunch, early dinner after an hour of bargaining at the Ben Thanh Market... 

Fried spring rolls... Nice... Have not had the chance to try the paper rolls yet :(

 

Decided to try it with the lettuce... Refreshing as it took away some of the oiliness...

Chicken Pho....Added the garnishes as well as lime, which I found gave it a 'zest'!

And of course, who could resist the Vietnamese coffee? Delicious! And the meal costs only about 130 dong (less than SGD 15!!!) It would probably have been at least SGD 20 in Singapore!

Taking in the night life of Saigon... Very charming....

Evokes a kind of shanghai feel, I thought :)

Ho Chi Minh City will always have a special place in my heart - a place where I attended my first Management Group Conference with my previous firm and now, my first overseas training with my new firm. And the surreal thing is the former firm is conducting a training in the hotel I am staying at so I kept bumping into familar faces. Once KXXX, Always KXXX. How true it is turning out for me!