happy place, happy space: Christmas+Train

It has been a few weeks now that I have been reading & collating Your Smiles, Small Pleasures & Gratitude – posts that inspire & encourage me in this Happy Place, Happy Space. I hope having them in one place makes it easier for you to find when you need a Virtual Hug or Smile.

Continue reading “happy place, happy space: Christmas+Train”

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:

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:

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.

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.

Small Pleasures: sculptures & yummies

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.