The end of a 3-day weekend

We had a nice dinner just now. This morning, I suggested brown rice porridge to go with some dishes. Mom prepared the ingredients while Dad did the cooking under Mom's guidance. Sis and I just helped to eat :)

Yogurt cake again

I spent the afternoon baking another yogurt cake after I last tried baking one 2 weeks ago. This time, I tried another similar recipe I cut out from the newspapers. I made some variations by adding big dark chocolate buttons to half of the cake and the other half has lemon zest from 2 lemons. The cake turns out not too sweet (the way I like it) but will need feedback from my family to see if they like it too.

Before baking


After baking


A slice of the cake with lots of lemon zest. I think I added too much. I like it but it may be overwhelming for others.


I used the big dark chocolate buttons that Sis got for me from Brighton, UK and the ingredients are organic. I have cut the pieces around the buttons. Hope sis will like the cake and help me to eat :)

Art therapy

Sometimes there are things I can't write down but at least I can express it through drawing. It does help somewhat - at the moment, I still feel a bit heavy hearted. This occasional worry for the community cats and the hope that we can always keep them safe.

"Shadow hiding in the bush" by Coboypb

Fabric covered hangers

I like to visit this blog every now and then as lovely crafts, homes DIY projects and interesting food are usually featured. The photos always look bright and chirpy.

Just now, this project on fabric covered hanger caught my eye. The hanger definitely looks more appealing with the makeover but sis and I wonder if it's worth the effort to sew this. I guess if one has the time, scraps of cloth lying around, it's worth a try to make the wardrobe look more inviting :)

If I have a sewing machine, the time and the interest, I can do embroidery of a cat doing a stretch and the hook (or whatever you call that) of the hanger is the cat's tail :)

"Rough sketch of fabric cover for hanger" by Coboypb

Happy @ home with mom

I was asking Mom if she can sense my happiness whenever I'm @ home. Mom said she's happy that I'm @ home. Haha. An indirect answer. I enjoy taking a day of leave, like today, and just being there for mom, help out with the household chores, feed the community cats together with mom, have simple lunch together, mind the cats, play a little with them, chat with mom or do some surfing like now. I feel happy and fortunate that I have a wonderful relationship with mom who is more like a friend to me :) Of course, there are times we don't see eye to eye and aren't happy with each other but those moments don't last for long.

Return of the camera

I managed to survive without the camera when Sis brought the camera with her to Europe. It's hers too, but I use it most of the time. hee. Before she left for her holiday, I was seriously thinking of buying a Panasonic Lumix. But now that her Canon ixus is back, I think I will just continue to use it since it's only for my blog :)

That night when Sis was home, I didn't just take photos of my souvenirs. I took photos of the ham & cheese beer bread and almond lemon yogurt cake. I'm happy that my family and my friends in the office like them :)

Sis is back!

Sis came back from her UK/Rome/Paris trip on Mon evening and these are what she got for me. She really knows what I like :)

The Harrods' orange thins, Lavender Pocket Garden and Big dark choc buttons are for me. Of course I'll share the food with sis and parents. She got the other chocolate bars and cookies for mom and herself in mind.

The natural green tea soap and the Murano glass pendant are my souvenir from Europe too :)

What matters is that Sis came back safe and sound and she enjoyed herself.

Spending time @ home

I haven't been staying home for a whole day to bake, do some tidying up of my room, etc. Today is the day. Dad and Mom have just gone out to Chinatown for lunch and do some toiletry shopping @ Chinatown Complex. Dad has asked me to join them but I have decided I should bake a beer bread and if there's time, almond yogurt cake. It's also good to have time to myself sometimes at home - not that I will do any deep thinking but it's nice to have the house to myself with Angel and Bob and do things I like.

Tidying up my room and ironing clothes are not my favorite activities but I feel good seeing nice crisp office clothes ready to be worn the next few weeks and my room (which just needs a bit of cleaning since Mom does help me) has less Bob fur lying around, cat litter and dust. Luckily Mom and I are quite clean freaks so my room actually smells clean and Bob smells of the clean laundry or my hair/skin care products.

I like to think that Angel and Bob like someone at home too. Mom always claims that Angel looks sad whenever we are going out. Bob will be crying in my room when we are home. I shall see if there is opportunity to let Bob out for a few hours if Angel settles down in parents' or sis' room. If not, I just pop in and out of my room to check on him and play with him or hug him. He has been meowing quite loudly at night if no one is with him in my room. Sometimes I need to do some work or do some surfing at the PC before sleeping, and shushing him does help to quiet him down at times. There are some things that I can do in my room and keep Bob company. For example, for my Jap homework, I will put all my Jap notes in a bag and bring into my room. Bob doesn't like me to be focused on other things beside him sometimes if he is still very alert and not sleepy. So I will try to play with him a little. Recently, when I bring my office laptop home, I will watch some anime in my room late at night while Bob rests/sleeps on my pillow. He's totally not interested in the moving scenes on laptop screen.

During the recent working trip to Thailand, I put Bob up at my friend's place. She was also taking care somebody's 6 pet cats and she has a pet cat. Bob seems to remember my friend's place, having stayed there almost a week in May and he wasn't afraid. When I arrived to pick him up a week later when I returned from Thailand, he actually went hiding into a carrier with 2 other cats in the kitchen but when he realised it was me, he came out of hiding. When Dad came a while later, he hid behind my friend's legs instead of mine. Mom and I think that perhaps Bob can get along well with other cats who are comfortable with other cats. For the case of Angel, he is so used to us that he sees other cats and humans as threats.

Mom and I have been thinking whether to try putting Bob up for adoption again. He will definitely be happier with someone who can let him move around the house freely and if the person has other friendly cats, I'm sure Bob can get along with them too. I can only offer him my hugs and kisses, my company when I'm home and at night and I don't think it's enough. Perhaps later while baking, I can think about this and decide whether to put up an adoption ad again on Cat Welfare Society online adoption bulletin I did so a few times last year but from the few responses, nothing materialised in the end. I can always try again and see this time, someone can give him a good home.

For the past several months this year, Boss has also asked me to help to prepare some meeting materials for weekly morning meetings on Mon. It requires me to get updates from the other divisions the week before and consolidate them before emailing to all the members of the meetings. Usually, I will check office emails on weekends and email the final version of the document to the members and their secretaries. The amount of work is not heavy but it kind of dampens the weekend mood knowing that I have to do office work. Anyway, I'm just glad that I have time to spend quality time with family, cats, myself and also catch up with friends.

Okie, it's time for baking therapy! :)

Blogging using Google Chrome

I can't blog at all on IE and Firefox. Flock allows me to blog text but I can't upload any images. At a friend's suggestion, I downloaded Google Chrome. Yay! I can blog and upload this "painting" I did using the Artrage free software :)

"Lost grass" by Coboypb

JLPT4

I have given myself a challenge end of the year by registering for JLPT4 earlier this evening. I have tried to finish the assignments/homework every 2 weeks but have been either busy or lazy in revising. I'm terrible at comprehending the listening segment of the homework as most of the time I can't catch what the persons are saying in Japanese and have to rewind a few/several times to get the gist of it. I must really find a way to retain what I have studied and hopefully learning Japanese is not something that I will give up halfway :)

Veggie dashi soup

Last Sun, I made myself a big bowl of soup, using the Jap dashi (fish stock) and filled with lots of veggies (pumpkin, ginger, spring onions, mushroom, broccoli. tomato) and an egg for lunch. Without adding any oil and just a wee bit of salt (as the dashi is slightly salty), it was a yummy and nutritious meal. It was easy to prepare too - I just need to be in the mood :)

Visiting supermarkets

Nowadays I find it unsatisfying to shop for clothes, shoes, etc as I can't find anything I like or fit me. But food is another thing. I enjoy browsing in supermarkets and I can usually leave with some fruits, baking ingredients or organic stuff.

A visit to ThreeSixty at Ion Orchard more than a week ago got me a cheese bagel (tasted alright), organic dark chocolate bar with chilli and organic dark chocolate with blueberries. I have eaten a few pieces of the blueberry choc in between a slice of bread on 2 mornings. An unusual way of eating choc but I get part of my breakfast with some dessert to start the day. I recently tried the chilli choc - it's really spicy, but not to the extent of burning your tongue. Mom doesn't like it and return the rest of the piece for me to savour :)

Yay! Blogger seems to be working alright for me to post this :)

A break from blogging?

In case any of you wonder about the silence on my blog, it's because I have some problem with the blogger on my home pc. I tried opening blogger on different browsers - Firefox, IE and even Flock. I'm using Flock for this blog entry but I still can't upload my photos on any of them. Frustrating. Maybe it means I should stop blogging for the time being.

Photos of Hua Hin

They definitely won't show you what Hua Hin is like :) Perhaps more of the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin where I stayed.

My hotel room. I asked for the 2 beds to be joined together but I only slept on one side.

The toilet was quite huge and I didn't try the bathtub. Not really one to soak in bubble bath too.


A culotte I bought from the night market. It cost me 300 Baht (about S$13) after the lady reduced the price since my colleague bought 3 tops.


An interesting flower arrangement on the tables at one of the dinners.


I came back to the hotel room one night to see a packet of cookies and card on the table. It was from the front office manager who apologised for the inconvenience caused. I had to ask the front desk to check the room phone twice for the 1st 2 days. The first day, my colleague called my room - I could hear her but she couldn't hear me. The phone also gave some high-pitched noises at times. The 2nd day, she also called me but I couldn't hear her and her call went to another room. That night, a hotel staff came to my room, checked, took the phone away and came back to replace with a new one. I didn't think much about the incident after that but it was nice for the hotel to give me something sweet to remember :)

Last night in Hua Hin

My bosses and colleagues have left yesterday/this morning. I have been tasked to attend a workshop today as no one wanted to attend or think it’s necessary for them to attend but there should be a representation. Anyway, it was an interesting experience. The topics and issues discussed were interesting. The participants, resource persons and facilitators were also friendly. I didn’t really mingle with most of participants when my colleagues were around. Today I had the opportunity to talk to some of them.

As usual, there are tea breaks (coconut juice, raw crunchy mango slices to be dipped into blend of salt, sugar and chilli bits and other Thai kuehs) and authentic Thai food lunch (the tom yam soup was really spicy). After lunch, we had to take a short bus ride to some swampy areas to plant some tree saplings. We were all dressed in office attires and jackets and had to rolled up our pants and wear some cloth boots to dig the soft soil/mud to plant our 2 saplings. I managed to walk on drier mud and didn’t get my feet stuck in the mud like what happened to a few participants. But I was perspiring from the heat. It was fun though :)

Dinner was also catered for at the hotel’s restaurant. I had a short walk with a participant from China before dinner and he asked if he could speak in Chinese. I warned him about my horrid Chinese. He feels comfortable speaking Chinese even though he is fluent in English and studied and used it for work. I had to ask him to explain certain words in English and I used English when I don’t know the Chinese words to convey my message. It was a nice chat as we talked about our countries, our work and lifestyle. He is younger than me and also frank in sharing his views. I guess speaking Chinese does help to form some kind of bond more easily. When he had to leave dinner halfway for Bangkok airport, I joined another table to talk to 2 other participants. We all felt more relaxed after finishing the meetings and workshop. I may be seeing some of them again when they attend some meetings in Singapore in Oct.

I didn’t join the other participants to the night market just now since I had visited it on Tues. I also want to check office emails and maybe write a brief report about today's workshop,before packing my luggage. I will be waking up before 6am tomorrow and leave the hotel at 7am for 2-3 hour’ road ride to the airport. I can’t wait to be home :)

Freethinker

Sometimes when we are in a different environment, we see a different side in our bosses. Perhaps it's because back in the office, their schedule is packed with meetings and there is hardly time to socialise and make small talk. During this meeting, I see the bosses during the meeting, during tea breaks and meals. Just now we even stayed up with 2 of them to finalise the meeting report from 10pm to 12plus am. When we see them working hard, I can understand why they are who they are today.

During dinner reception earlier, we Singaporeans (7 of us minus Big Boss) were just lingering at the table drinking tea/beer/latte. Somehow the conversation was on religion. 2 bosses are Christians, 1 boss is a Catholic, a male colleague is a Christian and 2 female colleagues are Catholic. I'm a free thinker. Surprisingly, one of the Christian bosses told me that my time will come one day. The other said when I have the faith, the way I look at things and see things will be different. The Catholic Boss at first said it doesn't matter what beliefs I have, as long as I am a good person but later said when I have problems, I don't have to worry I have no one, as there is God. I quietly told my Catholic colleague sitting next to me that I will talk to my parents about my problems.

That is what I have been doing all my life. Or I confide to my sister and close friends. Ultimately, I make my own decision after thinking it through, based on my values system/conscience.

The other colleagues didn't make any comments. I just listened to their conversation. It was interesting hearing from them discussing parts and quotes from the Bible and its different versions. They joked a little and shared about how their religious beliefs affect their lives and approach to work.

I'm comfortable to such light-hearted conversation and discussion. It will be preaching and pushing the religious beliefs that turn me off. Religion is one's personal choice. I have attended some basic course in Buddhism some years ago but I don't believe in the practices and pali chanting and meditation. I like some of the values and philosophy behind Buddhism. It's true for some people, religion is a major part of their life, reinforces their values and helps them in making life decisions. For me, it is how my parents nurture me, my experiences with the people around me and how I interpret and react and form my own beliefs and values. My friends and the cats play a role in my learning process and growth too :)

Exercise plan

I have just found out that the swimming pool is opened from 8.30am to 6pm. I thought I could do an early morning swim before breakfast at 8am and meeting at 9am. It seems like I can't do that. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll wake up slightly earlier again to do some light stretching exercise at the little balcony in the hotel room (if I don't have to feed the mozzies) or take a walk at the beach within the hotel compound. I was so looking forward to a quick swim.

Meeting, good food and job

Our meeting started at 9am and ended at 6pm. In the afternoon, there were moments where I felt really drowsy. It could be the satisfying lunch we had at the Thai restaurant or the apple strudel and crackers I couldn’t resist during the afternoon break. Or the discussion was a bit dry until someone made some interesting comments. The organizer really feeds us well – I have to be selective and make sure I take more veggies, less unhealthy items.

Just now after our dinner, we hopped into the van, which brought us to the night market area and we had an hour to explore before the van drove us back. My colleague and I walked down the stretch of stalls before settling on this stall selling some cottony flowery tops and bottoms. I got myself a pair of nice culottes – casual and comfortable when I go out with family or friends on hot days. With all the eating since yesterday and more eating till Sun, I hope I will wake up earlier tomorrow or one of the days to swim.

I’ve always been wondering whether I’m cut out for this job and whether I should do something else. Next year will be my 10th year in this job. I did change from one organization to another but it’s still under the same family and I’m doing the same kind of work. It seems like everything I have such thoughts – I get arrowed for some overseas assignments. I don’t look forward to such arrows or opportunities, as usually I had to go because someone couldn’t make it or no one wanted to go. It's the same for this current trip too, but this time, I don't feel lost with the bosses and colleagues around.

Anyway, it boils down to what I want to do and as long as I don’t know, I will stay in this job. I still need to feed myself, Angel, Bob and the community cats and sometimes my parents too. I guess life isn't that bad even though I complain every now and then. But it would be great if I do find a job I really enjoy.

Working in Hua Hin

I was here 4 years ago to attend a meeting alone. From today till Sun, I'm at the same hotel again to participate in another meeting with my bosses and other colleagues. The hotel still looks lovely. Maybe this time, I will have time to explore the swimming pool.

As usual, the 3-hour long van ride from Bangkok Airport to the hotel made my back and bum ache a little when we reached the hotel at around 2pm but I'm glad to have 3 colleagues travelling with me. The big boss and 2 other colleagues arrived later in the evening. We came earlier to attend some informal meeting before the actual meeting starts tomorrow.

I shall check some work emails and listen to the songs/music on my laptop before turning in. I'm not sure what to expect tomorrow but it may not be as relaxing as today.

Disgusting

There is always something or someone who can spoil our day if we let them.

Mom and I were almost done in feeding the community cats. We were giving Noisy some water and food at one corner of the void deck. Usually the old folks or youngsters are alright with us feeding Noisy and/or Baby. But this particular Indian girl (a sec sch student) had previously told my mom last year that feeding stray cats is illegal. Mom had shown her the Cat Welfare Society Feeding Responsibly brochure and she became more polite to my mom and didn't say anything more. But we know she doesn't like cats from her stares.

This girl came to the void deck area with some other kids to get some drinks from a new vending machine and said clearly "It's disgusting that people are feeding cats". I heard her and turned around and she was just a metre away from me. She looked at me and I looked at her and went back to face mom and noisy. Mom heard it too. Then the girl said again "It's even more disgusting that they are feeding stray cats." I wanted to retort but I couldn't think of anything. So I kept quiet. I know whatever we said won't change her perception of the cats and us feeding her. I'm just glad she's a student and her words can hurt us but not the cats, as long as she doesn't try to abuse them.

It's kind of sad to hear the words from her as I'm sure she's not the only resident to think so. When I called the TC officer in charge of my area on Jun 22 (Mom's birthday), he told me that during the RC meetings, the RC chairman/vice-chairman will mention about irresponsible feeding at our block and other blocks, as well as the presence of many stray cats. I told the TC officer that we feed the cats using plates and we clear the leftovers. I asked him whether he thinks there are many cats in the area. He said there is. I doubt he bother to check and he probably just listen to the RC. Initially I was hopeful as the TC officer said he would ask the RC whether he could bring me in to the RC meetings and I could brief them about my work with the cats. However, he didn't contact me. During the recent call, he said the RC chairman said she had a meeting with me before. This is not true as I only visited her in her office last year and she told me she didn't have any problem with the cats and she doesn't want to interfere in the cat issues. Through some verbal checks with a few residents, we managed to find out that the RC vice-chairman was the one who approached my mom last year, telling her that he knows she's being nice but she shouldn't feed the cats. Of course, mom did tell her about us sterilising the cats, etc but that probably fell on deaf ears.

My parents and I just have to be extra careful when we feed. We feed in the park and no one complains. It's the void deck area that we have to be vigilant as we are more visible, even feeding at a corner, away from human traffic. We see litter at the void deck, kids peeing at pavements, people making a mess at the seating area and it seems these behaviours are acceptable. On the other hand, we can feed the cats responsibly and manage the cat population and still be seen as an eyesore. It's really ridiculous. A friend suggested I could join the RC to change them and improve the system. I don't want to waste my precious time volunteering in the RC. I know I can't count on our MP if I ever approach him for help.

I could only hope that the TC won't take any action to cull the cats and the RC won't ask TC to do so. The TC officer said he will do so if the cats pose a problem. I told him to let me know so that I can help. I'm not hopeful but every time I see them, I just cherish the moment of watching them eat, drink and relax.