Playing with my Olympus camera at Punggol Promenade

It was quite hot when we reached Punggol Promenade before 11am this morning, but that didn't stop me and sis from snapping away with our cameras while mom and dad were armed with umbrellas :) The photos were taken with my Olympus E-PL1 with the normal 14-42mm lens as well as another Olympus OM macro (50mm, f3.5) lens and adapter.

Maple chocolate chips & chunks cookies

I've been keeping this recipe I spotted on a blog and this afternoon I managed to try it. It's a keeper, as the cookies are yummy, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Parents and S think they are nice too :) even Cinnamon and Bob showed some interest.

Friends, lunch and dresses

I am on leave today since I have about 10 day from last year to clear. I met 2 girlfriends for Japanese buffet lunch at Chiso Zanmai at Central Clarke Quay. At around $20 per person, it's quite worth it for the selection (without sashimi) and free flow of drinks. We had a good catch up before R and I went to hunt for a shop at Pickering Street. I bought 2 dresses at $49+ while R got 1 :)

Cloud in lomo photo

I like the blue background behind Cloud who is a dear cat. He's friendly to us but wary of strangers.

Oreo doing well

Someone has asked recently about Oreo, so this morning I took a few photos of him after feeding him breakfast. His fur is longer and poofy, so I have been trying to trim his fur on weekends' mornings. I hope I don't have to send him for grooming since it's not good for Oreo to be under general anasthesia on a half yearly or annual basis. But I can only do the trimming when Oreo is busy eating and be careful not to get scratched by him. A few other residents also will feed him occasionally. However, with the recent rainy season, his "fans" have stopped visiting him. Oreo still has me and parents who will faithfully see and feed him rain or shine.

Baking cookie & cream cupcakes

I bought a packet of organic sandwich cookies but find the cream too sweet, so I hunted for a recipe that could use the cookies as one of the ingredients. There are many recipes to choose from but I pick one that looks appealing and is easy to make. Looking at them in cute casings put me in a happy mood :) The cupcake tastes not bad and would be better if my itchy fingers didn't reduce the sugar amount.

Red dragonfruit

I've only started eating dragonfruit after mom introduced the red flesh one to me. I like how the lomo photo brings out the colour and the juice looks like water colour painting.

Black Mama in lomo photos

She still seems to miss her sister, Cinnamon, meowing and looking around. We are glad to see her looking healthy with her fluffy fur.

Fat Cat in lomo photos

Wearing pink to start the weekend :)

Last overseas assignment for this year

I had been busy preparing for the Bali trip last week and this meeting in Kuala Lumpur the past 2 days. Yesterday after the meeting, my colleague brought me to a shopping mall (similar to our Far East plaza) and we shared a KFC snack plate. After dinner, we went for drinks at Pavillion. This morning, we had some Maoshanwang durians during a tour of a facility. At least there were some good memories for this trip.

Bali last week

I was in Bali early last week for a short meeting. It was super hot and I didn't have time to explore much other than an hour walk after dinner and a 20 minute walk after lunch. The shops were selling pretty much the same stuff and it's amazing that the tourists could enjoy the scorching heat and sun tan.

Gathering @ the park in the rain

Last Sat evening, we had the park to ourselves due to the rain. But everywhere was wet and we had to dry Shadow's fur with a piece of cloth. Mom and I stayed longer to keep them company and warm.

Streaks in the sky

Sis noticed this when we were out feeding the community cats this sunny morning.

Scones

Yesterday was my first time making scones, as I always thought it would be difficult doing the rubbing in method for the butter into the flour. After trying it, it wasn't that tough, but it did take some time with a soup spoon in one hand and a knife in the other to coat the chilled butter with the dry mixture and cut into smaller pieces. I thought the scones taste quite nice, but my family don't think they are great.

Pasta feast this weekend

Thanks to S, I cooked penne with his yummy bolognese sauce for lunch yesterday and dinner today. He also made pasta salad with fresh veggies and lovely Italian dressing today and that was my lunch.

Dad's little helper

Cinnamon was very curious and sat near Dad and next to the wooden plank this morning, when Dad was fixing up a new cabinet.

Sunflower sprouts

It was my second time buying this box of sunflower sprouts. I've tried eating it with my noodle soup but I think it's best eaten raw with some savoury food, like my cheese muffin or a slice of sweet bread :)

Cheese yogurt muffin

Since I made a batch of Greek yogurt recently, I surfed for a recipe which uses yogurt, shredded cheese (a packet expiring in oct) and lemon (I like lemon zest). I found one that requires the 1st 2 items, so I just added lemon zest and chocolate chips as a variation. I like the end product, but family isn't too keen on the hint of yogurt. Oh well, I'll finish most of the muffins myself with some help from S :)