Posted on

sitting with a boat: Cao Fei’s 浮槎 Fú Chá

After we found this installation on the rooftop of the National Gallery of Singapore restored to movement and sound, we sat with it on several occasions for extended periods to soak in the sight and sound.

Cao Fei’s 浮槎 Fú Chá

Echo after me ya

Echo even louder

Far far away in the South China Sea ya

I left

I left

I left

a girl with tears in her eyes

I must go where the brave man die ya

Cao Fei

Surrounded by shimmering pools of water on the rooftop, I was transported to the ocean, on an endless journey away from the familiar towards an unsung promise.

Posted on

Small Pleasures: forest delights & city sights

Exploring Admiralty Nature Park with Loving Husband.

Came across these Nipah Palm beauties and also the ethereal green fungi shown in the Feature Photo.

A running companion in Loving Husband who doesn’t mind stopping to gawk.

Marina Barrage, looking out to The Singapore Flyer (right) and Marina Bay Sands (left)

Reading about your small joys & things that make you smile, encourage & inspire me. I hope you are also heartened by the following posts:

Posted on

Small Pleasures: boats, tides, little chocolate people

The only thing better than going to my happy place is going to my happy place with my little family.

And on this occasion, Cao Fei’s 浮槎 Fú Chá, the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission at the National Gallery of Singapore was finally working again. It is a multimedia installation, complete with movement, water, music, poetry. It was worth the wait.

It was thrilling to hear & see tide come in at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. We have visited several times before but never when the tide was coming in.

The feature photo leading this post is also from this visit, taken at the pond of the Junior Adventure Trail.

Nimble-handed Older Daughter was commissioned to craft chocolates for our friend’s birthday. I love these little people and their funny expressions; this is my favourite.

Happily, she made an excess, so I get to enjoy them too!

Another Small Pleasure is reading Gratefulness posts. This week I am encouraged by:

Posted on

Small Pleasures: bee houses, cinnamon babka, pumpkins

Ran through the Ethnobotany Garden this week and stopped to gawk at these adorable bee houses. Apparently the stingless bees that nest in them were rescued from another part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens when their hives were disrupted during development.

Made a second babka after the first, though delicious, fell apart upon slicing. This attempt was also delicious, but held together better.

Crafty Older Daughter has begun our Halloween & Thanksgiving decorations.

I love to read Gratefulness posts (a Small Pleasure in itself) as they cheer me up tremendously. This week I am encouraged by:

Posted on

Small Pleasures: noodle pancake, seed bank, serenity

In the spirit of experimentation, I schooled my face as best as I could when Adventurous Younger Daughter wanted to try a recipe for Noodle Pancakes.

I had my doubts about the enterprise but I dutifully procured the ingredients called for and served as Sous Chef. We took the recipe from New Wok Cooking, although I did find variations online. I substituted wholegrain rice vermicelli for the plain noodle. As it turned out, they were rather delicious and pronounced a success.

Older Daughter and I popped into the Singapore Botanic Gardens Seed Bank which had seed displays and workrooms on view.

It was an interesting & entertaining hour, which sparked off tangential conversations about the need for seed banks, global disasters and private enterprise stepping up.

It has been raining a great deal this week, so I enjoyed numerous cool and serene runs in the mornings.

I am inspired to gratefulness by Laurie’s Friday Favourites (NotesFromTheHinterland), ThistlesandKiwis’ This Week’s Small Pleasures, and LittlePiecesofMe’s Grateful Fridays.

Posted on

Small Pleasures: rain run, good read & birthday cake

Running in the rain (drizzle preferred over torrential downpour) always brings a smile to my face.

Fountain at 1 Nassim

I am so delighted that there is a new generation of non-fiction which entertains & informs.

Birthday cake lovingly baked by BakerFriend Extraordinaire (white cake with my favouritest American buttercream) & considerately gifted several weeks after my birth day so I can continue celebrating through the month (and with some distance from the numerous cakes I consumed during my birthday week).

I enjoy so much & am inspired by Laurie’s Friday Favourites (NotesFromTheHinterland), ThistlesandKiwis’ This Week’s Small Pleasures, and LittlePiecesofMe’s Grateful Fridays. So, I am joining in with things that I am grateful for this week.

Posted on

Small Pleasures: sculptures & yummies

  • Ran in an opposite direction for a different view of Swan Lake
  • Finding a heart-shaped strawberry
  • Mid-morning break: cinnamon-walnut coffee cake
  • Unexpected sculpture in the Cloud Forest: Lee Kuang-Yu’s “My Beloved Child”

I have been following Laurie’s Friday Favourites (NotesFromTheHinterland) for a while now. I find her weekly updates informative (I am a busybody) and inspiring (joy that comes from gratefulness). So I have decided to join in. Check out also ThistlesandKiwis’ This Week’s Small Pleasures as she shares the things that bring her joy.

Posted on

The Changing Seasons: July 2020

My brain is like a sieve; some days worse than others.

One minute I am stirring in malt syrup into a pot of water in preparation to boil my bagels, the next I am hit with the realisation that I have forgotten about The Changing Seasons post for July. I have been reassured by loved ones that this condition will improve after menopause passes; I only hope they are right.

Continue reading “The Changing Seasons: July 2020”