Sunday 31st January 2 O 1 O

Iresh bought her this nice little dress from Taiwan.

It was winter when she was there, naturally, the clothes for sale were thicker.

In our climate, sometimes I need winter wear when the air con is stimulating winter.

So anyway, I was gonna tell you that every Sunday, Kiki & I go for a baby class.

Both of us throughly enjoy it and I would like to have many such fun activities with her as I can.

This class is about exposing babies to various languages and the sessions are conducted in English, Mandarin & Japanese. One language each week. We do simple games like picking, matching, singing, flash cards, imaginery games, etc. There is a methodology in the way the lesson is planned but I just sit in and play with her, the teacher gives out props and briefs us on each game before we start. For me, it is basically having one hour of meaningful, focused fun.

After the CNY, we shall go to the tumble tots place that is just across the road.

Stay tuned! =)

Sunday 31st January 2 O 1 O

She likes being on the escalator and on the conveyor belt.

She would break into the widest smile.

You should see it sometime.

She also knows how to make a funny look. I think she's got her cheekiness from her father.

She fakes a cough to get my attention. She thinks it is funny that I fuss over her and probably likes to see me getting all concerned over her. Now, I've learnt to detect the fake cough and ignore it. But I silently laugh inside me. She's as goofy as me.

Art Jamming - 30th Jan, Saturday

Sometimes, I pretend to be normal.

Okay, this piece was inspired by the Birthday Card that Addy did for me.

She just has a knack for making collages, and an additional knack for making it in such a way that it means much to me.

Many people couldn't get it. They asked me to explain.

Two persons got it though. They gave me their votes. (Gee, thanks!)

One came up to me to say that the layout of the text was very clever. He said that he's in advertising and he knows that's clever. Oh well. Maybe he was just being nice.

The session has more caucasians than asians.

Okay, in case you really don't get it, it deplicts a woman letting it out while the wind blows into her face, hair and body. It's like giving a lungful Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr! into the air at the top of a hill. Freedom. And it says "sometimes, i pretend to be normal."

It's for sale at SGD 230.oo

Art Jamming - 30th Jan, Saturday

This guy was so funny. Or was it my own joke.
(pointing to his canvas,) He asked: "Do you know what this is?"
Me: " Em.... I don't know"
He: "well, you see, it's an elephant." he explains in ernest.
I couldn't stop laughing.
Of course I knew he was deplicting elephant motifs. I liked that idea.
In fact, I wanted to ask if he was inspired from a recent trip to Thailand. But I didn't ask.
Cos it just reminds me of Jim Thomson's Thai silk prints.

I liked these two pieces. One reminds me of the movie -"what dreams may come" and the other reminds me of "kill bill". I identify with both lightness and darkness. Maybe that's what makes me a interesting person. Well, at least to me. And I will want to share all bits of me with Kiki.

I gave one vote to this piece. I think it stirred my maternal instincts that's why. Ya.

Sunday 24th January 2 O 1 O

Kiki looks like a grown one-year-old girl in a dress like this.

In fact, I'm glad she's tall for her age.

She is now crawling on fours and could sit by herself although she has yet to be steady with it.

I do hope she progresses with sitting up and will begin to walk a little.

There's no hurry and we're giving her all the time she needs.

Meanwhile, I've stopped giving her fish and pork as she vomitted 3 times on seperate ocassions after fish, and had rashes after pork. Again, the pedi says no hurry, can give after she turns 1, no prob.

Recently, she's hungry all the time. So we give her 2 solids a day and milk in between.

She loves all fruitty meals. You know, sometimes I don't know why she has a taste bud like this but I am glad she loves her food. It is just brown rice & dried scallops with one of these:- banana (her all time favourite), apple, appricot, brocolli, spinach, carrots. I'll just move the menu around these few selections and she loves it. I am glad she likes greens and I must slowly introduce potato, and sweet potato,,, and kiwi? It's so hard to find a ripe avocado. It's like hitting a jackpot.

Self Portrait - Draft 1

On Saturday, I had my session from 11pm till 2.30am. I wasn't the last to leave, there were another student.

My teacher said it was for crazy people.

For me, it makes me less guilty as Kiki's asleep.

That would mean that I've spent a wholesome, purposeful day with her before I head for my artistry pursuit.

I've achieved quite a bit in one sitting and I sure have captured myself quite well.

Flower Series 1 - Done

This is the finished piece. I am glad it's not bad. Several people liked this.

It is for sale at $420 SGD.

Hong Kong 2010

Me,

Sis and

Miss Neh,

went Hong Kong.

Hong Kong 2010

On the streets.

Hong Kong 2010

On some of the things I wished for my myself.

Time, money, leisure. All strung up on my wrist.

Hong Kong 2010

On Themed Restaurant - It's all about the movie- Forest Gump.

You leave this on if you don't need to be waited upon.

You flip to this if you wanna stop a waiter.

Bubba,, one of Gump's character friends.

One famous line.

Hong Kong 2010

Hong Kong 2010

On having fun.

Doesn't she look like a 3D mobile advertisement on top of a bus?

Hong Kong 2010

I was trying to show you how strong (and cold) the wind was but I guess it didn't work.

Little Red Riding Hood

On The Peak

Hong Kong 2010

On The scence at the subway at 7pm on a Friday evening.


The HK subways walkways go on and on, especially when you have to make a switch between lines. Our hotel is on the "Island Line" and to get to mainland HK, we gotta switch.
There are just hundreds or thousands of people at one holding area like this but surprisingly, the atmosphere is still rather relaxed although quick paced, unlike here where most of us feel the impatience or get shoveled around.

Hong Kong 2010

On some signages
Hong Kong on the whole suffered badly during the SARS epidemic in 2003. Tourism, retail and many sectors "got burned", hence they now are very serious about hygiene and cleaniness. Some public areas have a sticker that says "this handle is sanitized every 2 hours". That's how serious they are and I salute the efforts.

The Hong Kong Character City Campaign. 香港有品

香港 or not 香港, I feel that these virtues ought to be just everyone's basic character. We can take a learning from here. I mean, we had the Singa Courtesy Campaign for some 20 years until the government changed it to Kindness Campaign and now I don't know where we are at. (in my head there's still the jingles "you gotta show a little kindness, give a little kindness... blah blah".

Hong Kong 2010

On Macau 澳门

I had thought that we could "casino-hop" when we get to 澳门 but I was mistaken.
You got to take bus shuttles to go around and the various shuttles only shuttle among their brand-chain. So we went to the biggest and newest Sands Casino and its sister Venetian.
My sis went for toilet break and I spluged HK1500 (S$300 --) at the dice table. Had she not insisted that I don't play, I might have splurged more cos it was really drawing.

The simulated sky in an indoor shopping mall at the Venetian Macau Casino, makes you feel it's daytime all the time and you don't need to sleep, you can gamble or shop all day. (and night).

This re-make of the Venice Gondola Cruise is a tad too cheesy for me but I must say the gondoliers sang really well. I'm sure it is a criteria before they were hired.

The pick up and drop off point at the driveway at the hotel lobby. Nice paintings and feel.

Hong Kong 2010

Luckily for me, my sis also doesn't believe that we gotta eat at restruants all the time. For me, when travelling, I prefer to dine at outlets where the locals eat. And when I mean local, I don't mean fine dinning. Firstly, is to have a feel and taste of how it's like for the locals. That will give me a better and a true experience of their lives. So, we went to eateries where hordes of local students in their school uniforms go, and where the old uncles sit and eat their Tim Sums by the street. This way, we don't get a pretence of what the local food is like. And that's just the point. (no point #2).

Ever since I was hospitalized two years back for some intestine infection, I always remember to EAT MY GREENS.

The porridge there is really smooth, not grainy at all. Smooth and fragrant. We often head back to the eatry near our hotel for our dinner. Cannot count as dinner as it is normally past midnight. But then, it is really dinner cos we almost surely miss dinner at the normal hour.

As our intake is small, we ordered one dish and one serving and we share. They are kind of puzzled cos the locals eat big portions mostly.




We had Tim Sum at Miao Street 庙街
Shared a table with an uncle dining by himself. He later ordered the 小笼包 after we did.
The 小笼包 at the streets are much more soupy than the ones we had at the Macau food court.

The noodles are chewy and light. Very nice to the bite. This duck is not as good as the duck at the Macau food court but it is tender. Finally, I tasted the duck there and also the what you call it...... Bo Luo Bao 波罗包. The buttered and toasted 波罗包 is much better than the ones at the bakery.....well...

Hong Kong 2010

On why I like to visit the Local Flea Markets...

This giant lighter really tickles me. It is huge, like really huge.

I find humour in novelties like these, I feel that there are tonnes of creative people out there and sometimes, to be novel, you don't really have to re-invent the wheel. A little twich is just as interesting.

Flower Series 1 - Draft 1

7th Jan, Thursday.