"The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades" - Timbuk3

Dawn of the eve of the eve of the new year. Somehow reflective of how things are at the moment. The sun in my face, long shadows behind me.

And for dinner tonight, folks, we have...Kev's famous roast pork, produced in my oven! Succulent!

The View

Does my ass look big in this? :D New mud guard added.

First

My first attempt ever, at baking! Betty Crocker's Walnut and Chocolate Chip Cookie. More biscotti than cookie...have gone out and stocked up on some baking equipment for better hopes of success in future efforts...

Merry Christmas, peeps!

Finally put my holiday plan into action, after dragging my tired body out of bed this morning. It was a sunny and breezy morning, with quite a few people taking advantage of the eve of a public holiday to exercise before the official binge, starting this evening...Went off on a tangent park connector offshoot.
Spotted a bird, poised over the waters of the canal, ready to strike. Unfortunately, there was nothing to strike at...haha.
After an hour of exploration, rewarded myself with a nice brunch of bangers and mash...mm-mmm!

And so, peeps,
and a

:D

Out my Bedroom Window

After days of rain, the sun came out to play this morning. Looks like it's laundry day for everyone.

Old Dog, New Tricks

I was in 7th Heaven, due to my discovery of the new Cold Storage in Kallang Leisurepark! This is my attempt to stock my fridge, in anticipation of my culinary efforts in the coming festive season...
Solo eating also must be healthy mah! Mushrooms were 50% off...
With the advent of grocery shops starting to charge for the plastic bags they hand out for you to cart your purchases home, I have found the cool and trendy answer to that attack. The Envirosax - saving Planet Earth, one plastic bag at a time...
S and her hubs kindly drove all the way out from JB to help teach me how to cook. I dutifully brought them to the newly discovered 7th Heaven (see above) where S was in raptures over the choice of goods available on the shelves. Trotted home with many, many bags of stuff (this was WAY beyond the capacity of the Envirosax) and S proceeded to spend many hours slaving over the hot stove (and the ONE solitary wok that I own), cooking up this storm. Check it out! Pan-seared chicken breast with Gruyere cheese and mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, and baby carrots on the side. All sitting nicely on my Alfred Meakin "Gay Fantasy" range of plates. YUM-MY!
In the belly of the Beast - the new LaSalle College in town. Its architecture had stopped me in my tracks the first time I set eyes on it. So when I was in the area yesterday to get a new wireless router (the old one having mysteriously conked off quite suddenly and without warning overnight), I took the opportunity to stroll through the atrium of the building, peering in for a closer look. Impressive!

Twigs

The new X'mas twigs decor! My own little version of "The Enchanted Forest"...heh heh! Bit bare at the moment...

The Move!

Dismantling my life in the master bedroom, boxing and clingfilming them, before being carted down the stairs

Filling up the truck with my many possessions. Gee, when did I accumulate all these things??

The boxes have arrived! Part of 18 boxes containing my life.

Mid unpack. The bookshelves are filled! Where else can I unpack my stuff into?? *wring hands*

First thing - make the bed. In case I need to crash into bed and nap away my despair...

The living room unpacked! Some minor adjustments required, and it'll be perfect! :)

Tea cup re-discovered. A purchase carefully wrapped and lugged back from Melbourne. WK will remember this from having to wait for the whole lot to be packed and carted back (by bus) to M's trendy loft, where we were putting up. It's been in storage for...5 years? Gee, many "skeletons" in the closet...

Supermodel!

 

Baby Leon - Supermodel of the Future!

Lamp Whore

After some effort setting up the various lamps around the flat, I realised something. I'm a bit of a lamp whore!
Habitat arc lamp - the base alone weighed 11 kgs! I lugged this from the Habitat shop in London (forgot exact location now. It's been about 8 or 9 years now!), up the hill to SM's home. Then lugged it across town to Heathrow Airport (don't even get me started on the adventure I had, trying to get to the airport that fateful day). Then carried it home to Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, where friends spent their time avoiding bumping their heads against the lampshade everytime they got up from my beanbag...then it continued it's journey down to MG, Singapore, to TS, Singapore, and now, to NH (with a new lampshade to replace the old lampshade, which has "retired"). And yes, the lamp base still weighs a bloody ton!
I believe this was from Ikea, bought during my Hong Kong stint, which makes this at least 8 to 9 years old. The original lampshade's since disintegrated, and the base has been in storage for a while, due to a missing screw to hold the legs in place. Finally bargained with a hardware store to sell me a single 4mm screw, took out a "spare" lampshade, and set the thing up in a nice corner of NH. Still needs some work to get the look right...
Another Ikea purchase about 3 years ago, which got relegated to SC for some time. It has since been rescued from the stuff left behind in SC, and sits on a nice marble side table now, together with the Apsara purchase from Chatuchak. Love the organic shape of the lampbase and the orange lampshade.
Lime green lotus lampshade, coveted for a long time and purchased on a visit back to Hong Kong some years ago, which Y very kindly lugged back on a home trip for me. Lampbase of dark brown wood from Ikea. Yet another lucky buy!
Finally, the latest addition to the family. Guess how you switch the light on and off? :D

I love all kinds of lighting, and especially table lamps. They give warmth and character to a wherever you choose to place them. Some make you wonder at their intricate construction. Some make your jaws drop by the patterns of light they throw out on the walls and ceilings. Some make you gawk at the impressive silhouette they cut against the background of the room they're placed in. And some just make you burst out laughing at their wit. There's just so much to love!

Huff Puff

Hauled the bikes out to Changi Coastal Road Connector again this weekend, but turned around and cycled in the direction of Changi Village instead. 3300m each way. Wiped out, but the ride was fun, even though the skies threatened rain. Made it back just in time to receive delivery of the new dining table. Whoopee!

My token X'mas tree this year. :)

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
in the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
we're happy tonight,
walking in a winter wonderland.

Tau Huay Darn Tarts!

 

Chanced upon this shop selling beancurd tarts on the way back to the office from lunch and HAD to try it (some of my friends already know my obsession with soybean products!). :) This one came with grass jelly in it, fresh from the oven! The custard part was a very watery jelly state, not too sweet, and very fragrant. Mmmmm... The "shell" part is sweet, and not too crumbly. Thoroughly enjoyed it. *burp*

Le Cafe Confectionary & Pastry
264 Middle Road
Singapore 188990

"Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cabbage. Lettuce pray." ~Author Unknown

Har-dee-har!

A Symbolic Move

Finally "tikam-ed" a date from the calendar, and did my symbolic move into Proj NH this week. Did the requisite "turn on all the lights and run all the taps" (thankfully, power and water surge did not cause any major power interruption in the building...).
Rice pot full - check!
Oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and various condiments complete - check!
Clean sofa covers back on sofa - check! Cowhide rug tediously lugged back from Sydney trip - check!
Cheap melamine party plates (in preparation of forthcoming parties) - check!
In the midst of all this, S paid a visit from Hong Kong. Maid pulled out all stops during family dinner...
After sending S off to the airport on Saturday afternoon, we sated our hunger for "the best dua tow ever" (KH's personal opinion, which Y and I soundly endorse) at G7. Yum yum!
Spicy frog! Excellent gravy for accompanying porridge!
*Burp* Aftermath...

Further purchases were made for the coming festivities and move. More decorative effort will be expended in the coming weeks...*frisson of excitement in anticipation* And by the way, how much effort does one need to make to get one's grubby little paws on the iRobot Roomba Discovery??? I have failed twice in my attempts to acquire one, as I'm sick and tired of dirty feet every time I trek up with more personal belongings to Proj NH...aarrghhh!