Simple Joys in Life

DIY spa

2012-01-29T16:59:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I painted my nails and today I pampered myself with a goat's milk salt body scrub and face mask :)

Wife's & Husband's biscuits

2012-01-29T08:59:00.000+08:00

S got them for my parents from Chinatown yesterday. Being a glutton, I just tried half of each type. It's not soft and flaky like the usual ones that I've eaten. It's crispy like tau sah piah - I like. I prefer the red bean (husband's) version to the winter melon (wife's) one :)

Wild Honey & Antoinette @ Mandarin Gallery

2012-01-28T01:11:00.000+08:00

I spent about 2 hours with the 2 girls at 2 cafes at Mandarin Gallery. We had a basket of homemade bread, sautéed mushrooms and spinach pumpkin salad @ Wild Honey. The atmosphere and service are quite nice but we find the food portions a bit small. We hopped over to Antoinette for dessert and we shared marshmallow chocolate meringue. I had Petit rose tea while FR tried their hot chocolate and SP drank one of their black tea.

A good day

2012-01-28T00:35:00.000+08:00

Today is a good day because I met S for lunch, S managed to find Oreo who was missing since Tues night and I met my 2 close friends :)

Lotus root pork rib peanut soup and brown rice

2012-01-25T15:52:00.001+08:00

S cooked the soup for our lunch, while we contributed brown rice, homemade acha (pickled cucumber and carrots) and kimchi (brought from supermarket).

Dinner on 初二

2012-01-24T23:44:00.000+08:00

More catching up with relatives and feasting :)

Dinner on 初一

2012-01-24T00:07:00.000+08:00

We had a lovely time eating the food prepared by Big Aunt and her family and catching up with the relatives.

The community cats on Chinese New Year's Eve

2012-01-22T23:13:00.001+08:00

I'm happy to spend the evening feeding the community cats with my parents and seeing them healthy and relaxing around us :)

Reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve

2012-01-22T23:07:00.001+08:00

After a lunch of chicken rice and snacking on goodies, we only had space for mom's curry chicken and brown rice. A while later, S dropped by to give us his tau kwa and leek dish. I couldn't resist trying a bit of it an hour later.

Cinnamon on Sis' bed

2012-01-22T23:00:00.000+08:00

Cinnamon likes to take her afternoon naps there.

Bob taking afternoon nap

2012-01-22T22:58:00.001+08:00

Love for sweet stuff

2012-01-21T23:40:00.000+08:00

S gave me these, so I had muah chee for breakfast this morning and shared the Ang ku kueh with mom just now.

Early reunion dinner

2012-01-21T23:38:00.000+08:00

We had our reunion dinner at a coffeeshop in Tampines. The food was quite yummy. Sis and I also had a quick catchup with our cousins. One of them offered us a handmade sweet (Muscat flavour) at the end of the dinner.

Waking up with Bob :)

2012-01-21T23:36:00.000+08:00

Cinnamon on her new bed

2012-01-20T13:20:00.001+08:00

2 nights ago, Dad found this small table dumped somewhere and brought it home after Mom thought it would make a nice place for Cinnamon to rest. Cinnamon has been sleeping there at night and in the early morning, after mom cleaned it and placed a thin cushion and towel on it :)

Bob is Jerkyll and Hyde

2012-01-20T08:42:00.000+08:00

Bob is all nice and sweet when his mind is not filled with thoughts of Angel and Cinnamon.

Angel safe in the room

2012-01-15T16:08:00.000+08:00

Amid the excitement, Angel has been sleeping in parents' room, protected by the door laid with booby traps of prickly mat, mozzie swats and oranges and peels :) Bob the Terror can only stare.

No fight between Bob and Cinnamon

2012-01-15T16:07:00.000+08:00

Under my watch from 1.30pm till now, Bob has approached Cinnamon a number of times, meowed at her. Cinnamon has hissed and growled. Once Bob went very near under the coffee table, she screamed. I'm mentally prepared to let them fight it out, since I'm the only one at home. I hope noises are all they are going to make when they are under Mom's supervision on weekdays.

Spending time with mommy

2012-01-15T15:49:00.000+08:00

Mom and I share a common love for the cats and food. After feeding cats on Fri morning, we walked to the nearby shophouses to buy some stuff and have hot dessert of Cheng Ting and Tau Suan. Back home, we had durian and mom cooked us Assam instant noodle with lady's finger.

For lunch yesterday, I bought chicken murtabak from the coffeeshop. It has been stressful for mom on weekdays, taking care of ABC while we are away at work. I'm really proud of mom as I know it's not easy for her to supervise the cats and cleaning the house, preparing dinner, etc.

My collection of sports shoes

2012-01-10T22:58:00.000+08:00

I tried to get the cobbler to glue the fabric and sole at the toe area and sides of my Vibrams Fivefingers shoes but he wasn't successful despite using 2 different types of glue. I guess I will still wear them to jog for a while more. Last week, I bought Puma's Faas 250 NM running shoes (black body with pink laces), as they are light and comfy and selling at discounted price of $89. They could replace my Fivefingers when they expire.

However, both Puma and Fivefingers won't do well on wet uneven terrain, so during lunch, I checked out some shops at Velocity. Colombia has run out of my size for the model that I like, while Salomon has an arch support that I find uncomfortable. I like the 3rd pair I tried as the Merrell shoes with Vibrams feel cushiony. Compared to other brands like Timberland and Northface, it's cheaper at $159. I like the red laces with the dark grey body. I'm all ready to jog or trek :)

Healthy porridge @ QQ Rice, Square 2 Novena

2012-01-10T22:53:00.000+08:00

Instead of the usual rice balls, I tried their healthy porridge. At $3.50 with 3 items of your choice, it's affordable and yummy. There are more tasty items but I went for these healthier ones :)

Chin rub for Cinnamon

2012-01-08T23:42:00.000+08:00

10 days living with Cinnamon bun

2012-01-08T19:15:00.000+08:00

Cinnamon is getting rounder as she is quite greedy, so we have to make sure she doesn't overeat. Getting heavier will not be good for her.

I'm glad that we decide to bring her home as she seems to adapt well for the past week and she has a sweet personality. Sis is proud that Angel is less fearful of the newcomer - he's hissing but will hang around in the living room at night and move to and from sis' room to the hall and kitchen, when Cinnamon is sleeping in the hall.

When Bob is out at night, he will approach Cinnamon asleep on the chair and when he is too close for comfort, she will growl. He will meow, lick his mouth, walk away under my supervision.

It's funny that we have 3 cats at home. We used to have many hamsters but they could be separated if they didn't get along. We have done that for Bob but it's more tricky for cats and it has brought us some stress and heartache. However, Bob has grown on me over the years. He can have short spurts of aggressive and I have gotten bites and scratches from him and even cried a few times. But I won't give him up as there is a sweet side to him when he is gentle Bob who just wants my attention and not disturbed by thoughts of being the alpha male. Maybe over time, he will mellow.

Lazing in bed with Bob

2012-01-07T08:23:00.000+08:00

A nice start to a Saturday morning :)

Unperturbed Cinnamon

2012-01-06T22:17:00.000+08:00

Cinnamon is usually calm and bo chap when either of the boys approaches her. However, if any of them growls or hisses, she will do the same.

Lots of staring by Angel and Bob

2012-01-06T22:16:00.000+08:00

They look quite funny, staring fixedly. Bob looks quite scary and wild when his target is Angel.

Satisfying lunch and dinner before the weekend

2012-01-06T20:03:00.000+08:00

Lunch was 4 dishes with brown rice porridge @ our favorite economy rice stall @ Far East Plaza. I had a quick dinner of Veggie Delight with cheese on Honey Oat bread @ Subway after collecting library books. I like it that Subway has the healthy choice of yogurt and water instead of the usual cookies and soft drink. I like their cookies but sometimes I remember I need to watch my diet :)

Sleeping with Bob and Cinnamon

2012-01-02T12:49:00.000+08:00

1st night (Fri): Cinnamon didn't like being stuck in the cage and meowed very loudly.

2nd night (Sat): I didn't manage to get her into my bedroom, so she slept in the living room under the chairs and sofa. I was worried that Angel would be wary/scared but he did pee in his litter tray before going back to sis' room.

Last night (Sun): Cinnamon was already checking out my bedroom and sleeping under my bed when we let Bob out. Luckily, both of them only hissed and growled when they were too near each other. I woke up a few times to check on them. This morning, Cinnamon didn't seem to mind staying put in my room but I let her out.

This will be the sleeping arrangement for Cinnamon, so that Angel can freely move around the living room and kitchen, instead of staying put in sis' room.

The last evening of 2011

2012-01-02T12:16:00.000+08:00

We didn't exactly celebrate but we had a nice home cooked dinner. I'm glad I have a close bond with my family. I'm happy to have S in my life. With Cinnamon living with us, the next few weeks will be busy, as we try to make everyone - cats and humans - feel as comfortable as possible. I haven't been thinking and planning what's next. That will have to wait till things are more settled.

The dynamics among ABC

2012-01-02T12:11:00.000+08:00

We can't leave Angel and Bob alone unsupervised, as Bob still seems very determined to want a piece of Angel. Before Cinnamon's arrival, we have already tried putting Bob on a leash so that we don't have to get Angel in one of the room and barricade the area. But it can be tiring for us to supervise and stressful for Angel, so we still use the barricade system most of the time. These few days, we want to see how the 3 cats will interact. Angel will hiss at her from his hiding place, but she doesn't want to attack him and is just interested to explore her surroundings. Bob is wary of her and both will hiss/growl but no fights so far. Sometimes, after a while, Bob will get very irritated by the harness, so I will remove it and keep a very close eye in him especially if he's in the same room as Angel.

I think Cinnamon will be the happiest of all the cats. Angel will feel stressed at times but he doesn't need to be cooped up in the room when Bob is out. Maybe he will prefer the protection before the closed door - we will do the barricade if he gets stressed or we feel tired supervising them or Bob is still intent on wanting to attack Angel despite being leashed. Bob is probably not pleased about Cinnamon's presence, but I think over time, he will get used to it as Cinnamon is not scared of him.

Fat Mama's new name is Cinnamon

2012-01-02T11:49:00.002+08:00

We decided to let Fat Mama stay with us over the New Year weekend to see if she can somehow fit into our household of 2 male cats who can't get along. It's a bit crazy, I know, but after much thought and discussion with my family and S, it may be possible that she can lessen the tension between Angel and Bob and acts as a distraction. She has been with us since Fri. We have also renamed Fat mama as Cinnamon, so that we have ABC at home :)

Cinnamon is a sweet cat and will meow at us when she wants our attention. Most of the time, she is just contented to have a place to rest. Her gait reminds me of a rabbit hopping sometimes. She can balance on her 3 legs quite well and will rest after her walk. I hope having her with us will lessen the stress and I don't have to activate my backup plan.

Taipei Zoo on 19 Feb

2012-01-01T14:19:00.001+08:00

It's an interesting place for kids and adults to visit. Compared to our Singapore zoo, it may be smaller but it's affordable at 60NTD (SGD 2.60).

Cute christmas tree

Choo choo train ride

Cute birds

I like dragonflies

Area to wash your hands (top); Female toilet doors (bottom)

Wufenpu (afternoon of 18 Dec)

2012-01-01T14:08:00.000+08:00

Wufenpu is a place where one can get clothes and fashionable stuff at wholesale price.

We had yummy lunch at this popular eatery which serves porky dishes and other food.

18 Dec in Beitou

2012-01-01T13:56:00.000+08:00

We didn't soak in any public hot spring bath at all in Beitou - we just merely admired the view :)

Pretty lotus

Even the weeds are pretty

Japanese architecture for one of the houses open for viewing
(I'm quite a lousy tourist as in
I don't bother to read about the history of the place.
I'm just interested in the food, shopping,
having a good time with my friends and
taking photos of pretty things)

Beitou Thermal Valley - it was a bit warm
and we could smell sulphur in the air.

17 Dec in Danshiu and Fisherman's wharf

2012-01-01T12:06:00.000+08:00


Breakfast @ Dante Cafe

Many people praying @ Long Shan Temple

Friendly cat in the temple

Entrance to Danshiu Old Street

Interesting shop selling sweets and toys
that I remember seeing when I was a kid

Lovely scene @ Fisherman's Wharf

Jiufen on 16 Dec

2012-01-01T11:42:00.000+08:00

The famous cafe featured in Japanese anime

The shops where you can get snacks, souvenirs, etc

Soya bean curd @ Selegie

2011-12-28T06:28:00.001+08:00

On Mon, before dinner at home, we had soya bean curd with soya bean milk. The egg tart wasn't great but somehow went well with the bean curd.