Raindrops and a Rose

I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to have my first attempt at making a bracelet. I've always been fond of crafty stuff so I've recently taken up jewelry making as a hobby. As a result I've been hoarding some beautiful beads and other neat stuff for making pretty things.

For this project I used some clear colorless teardrop crystals I found at Beadle Store and a rose fimo bead leftover from a keychain making project. I also had a length of bronze toned chain. But then all the jump rings I had on hand as well as the clasp were silver toned. They had to make do for the meantime.

I had as much fun taking photos as making the bracelet itself:

Science Center: Exhibits and Play

After getting chilled at the Snow Center, we spent the rest of the day at the Science Center which was just two buildings across. But not before a hearty meal of course. There was a bustling Mcdonalds right in front of the center. A garden and a nice fountain too.

The initial exhibits consisted of optical illusions. So there was a lot of squinting and peering into boxes. One of which held an illusion of a blue lady floating beside a block:

There were some eye catching kaleidoscopes:

Paths that lit up in different colors as you stepped on them:

Robots that wiggled their heads and wanted to play:

We played with sound and with light. With artificial tornadoes, fire and water delights. With futuristic computers, interactive games and 3D technology. Still, some exhibits were your regular displays:

The Center has an expansive collection. And pretty soon the speakers were blaring how the exhibit was going to close. We did go out of the building but there was still much to see in the garden display:

Till our aching feet and the fading light told us it was time to go home.

Snow in the Tropics

Just got home from a fun filled day. Was getting pretty tired of the shopping center after two weeks of movies and malling. However, it's been rainy for the past few days so we opted not to go to the park this weekend. Went to visit some neat places instead where we could spend the day indoors. We had a chance to play with snow at Snow City, our first stop. It's artificial but still so cold! They do provide the snow boots, jackets and gloves. I'd recommend bringing hats or bonnets too for those who like to keep warm. They don't allow personal cameras or video cams inside the snow chamber so these pictures were taken by their official photographer:

Just before sliding down the icy slope

Down we go

The slope climbs about three stories high before it brings you back to ground level. Just steep enough to let you barrel safely down on those rubber tubes they provide. My behind was numb after a few tries. The chamber isn't too big so it was a good thing there were only a few other people when we got there. They arrived in droves as we got out though.

When the hour was out our hands were numb inside our gloves, both our butts were soaked and my cheeks couldn't get any redder so we called it quits and went out to check our pictures. The entrance fee was just SGD16 per adult but watch out for those photo costs. We ended up getting more than a handful of them anyway.

Exploring Pulau Ubin

I never learned how to ride a bike. So God bless whoever invented tandem bikes. Else, I may have been too tired to take in the sights of Pulau Ubin. Granite Island.

Known for its bike trails, walkways and wetlands.

 Or I may have missed this treasure entirely:

What a beautiful blue green lake! It's actually an abandoned quarry that's now filled up. The only other time I've seen anything like it is when I hiked up a semi-dormant volcano whose crater now houses a huge lake. The water is just gorgeous.

I'll probably never be able to go back to either places. Good thing I have my pretty pictures.

Healthy Cooking

I've been trying to put a little more effort into cooking healthier meals for the past couple of weeks. Given the choice, my honey would have fried chicken every meal. The rest of our diet used to consist of fatty pork dishes and savory stews. Big helpings of them. It's nice that he likes and eats everything I cook. But...but....

It took me a while to rethink our menu and turn him to healthier alternatives. Now it's mainly fish and veggies. I try to make every meal appetizing so he wouldn't mind. ^^

One humble dish that I introduced to our weekly menu that he now likes a lot is Steamed Fish. Sounds very simple doesn't it? Yup, really saves me a lot of effort. Works with any kind of fish too. All it takes is a generous sprinkling from a shaker full of Italian herbs (thyme, sage, basil etc.) left over from the time I made some pasta dishes. Then some calamansi juice (small lime), salt, pepper and a dab of butter. Steaming this for 20 minutes gives you this:

I used salmon steaks this time. There it is, steamed in its own juices. Smells really good!

And of course I have to pack his lunch for tomorrow. Here is my first attempt at a healthy bento:

The fish fillet sits on a bed of steamed asparagus. Ssshhh! I put in a little less rice so I covered up the space with a tomato slice and more asparagus. ~.^

I like taking pictures of food so you'll see a lot more of these in the future. No, I don't intend to make this a food blog. Yes, I like to take pictures of everything. =D

Itadakimasu!

My throat wasn't feeling so well early today so I was craving for some hot soup. My honey suggested we get some ramen and knew just the place for a good meal. We were lucky to be seated immediately though it was lunch time. We scanned the menu and took our pick. There were lots of delicious looking choices but I decided to stick to ramen and a side dish.


I looked around while we were waiting for our order. The restaurant is actually a little nook inside one of Jurong Point's food plazas. Just about 15 to 20 tables. Our table had the usual tray of condiments; pepper, chili powder, soy sauce and what could be curry powder. There was also this nice little wicker basket filled with bamboo chopsticks. Wicker containers are simple yet so elegant. 

His bowl of Ton Toro Ramen arrived first.

My bowl of Beef Ramen followed shortly after.

Boy, did they smell good.We couldn't wait to dig in!

For sides, I had Fried Prawns, one of my favorites.

He got Fried Chicken but they disappeared before I can get a decent picture. My honey was done with his bowl before I was half through mine and was digging through an okonomiyaki. The paper thin strips of pork that continuously swayed in the heat of the dish never failed to amuse me.

He was really hungry! It took me a while longer to finish my ramen. It was a very hearty helping mind you. And when I did, I found a cute little image on the inside of my bowl. I couldn't read what was written but surely it was asking me if I wanted more.

No, neither of us could take another bite. Soupy dishes are such good comfort food! T'was a delicious and very filling lunch.

The tiny white flowers of this weed bring back more childhood memories... This one was growing at the sidewalk. The me back then would have plucked them for bouquets for my dolls or arrangements for my little tea party.

Dewy Hibiscus

We visited a house last July where the neighbors had a very healthy hibiscus bush growing outside their fence. Reminded me of the days when tiny me and the cousins would raid a great aunt's garden for these blooms so we can play with soap bubbles. We always got caught no matter how we tried to hide all evidence afterward.

The City at Night

night shot with tripod

prolonged exposure with tripod

Bonsai Landscape

Wall of Flowers

Flowers and Greens at the Garden Festival

Starting Out

I'm not a professional photographer. I just love taking photos. And taking lots of them!

Beautiful crisp ones that catch the eye. Intriguing ones that highlight the subject and leave everything else out of focus. Macros that blow you away with their clarity. Photos with excellent contrast and vibrant colors. Well composed shots that draw you into their story or capture grace and fluidity of motion. And I just love the play of shadow and light. I try my hand at these every so often.

I don't own a dslr camera. Instead I'm trying to maximize use of my Canon PowerShot SX210 IS. I've acquired it fairly recently (thank you my dear hubby!) and am still getting comfortable with it. Thank goodness it has great manual controls and an easy to use interface. Though it is bigger than most digital cameras, it is much less bulky than dslrs for petite me. This makes it more suited to my purposes as I can carry it along everywhere I go without much trouble.

Well, I may not take some of the best photos either. This blog is me snapping away as I go on my travels, engage in my hobbies and with everyday life. And doing my best to get good ones to add to my collection. Though human memory is a versatile storehouse, moments captured in pictures that never fade with time are still a great investment. Don't you agree? ;-)