Friday, December 22, 2006

Midwestern shots

Was thinking about the 'secret' Midwest trip from just over a year ago and was fondly looking through the photos taken in Iowa and Chicago. Here are my favourites (sorry if you've seen these in my album before).

Between cracked earth and cotton wool.

Venus rising (as seen from the plane).

Caught napping in a pet store in Iowa City.
(Eleanor, if you get to see this, I know you'll love this.)

Did his parents try pronouncing it first before naming him?

Just loved the way this building looked, s'all (Iowa).

Millennium Park outdoor performing space (Chicago).

I was there! Dubious honour that rednecks would be proud of, but still - I was there!

Yellow ladybug lost in the car.

Last vestiges of fall (Iowa).

I loved this peaceful little park in Iowa.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Wet wet wet

I guess a lot of people would say the weather has been dismal the past few days, especially yesterday and today when it rained almost non-stop, sometimes heavy enough to render an umbrella almost useless.

But I like it like this. I've always loved cold, wet weather. Decembers and Januarys are hence always lovely times of the year, obnoxious Christmas carols and garish Orchard Road festive decor notwithstanding.

The smell of the rain is always lovely, and the feel of cool air is so refreshing. I like it being cool enough to step out of the house in a sweater and feel cosy. The wind is lovely on my face and I like to take turns breathing in through my nose and through my mouth, enjoying the different ways the moist air stimulates my senses.

Tonight, my room was in near-silence, with the gentle hum of the air-con and the patter of the rain outside to lull and comfort me. I sat in fuzzy PJ pants and a floppy sweater, holding a hot cup of tea (brown rice and green tea), the the warm, nurturing fragrance of the tea making my night just perfect. I realised it was a good day after all. I wished I could have opened the windows, but that would have invited a whole pantheon of bugs to take refuge in my room, so I settled for just listening to the rain.

Nevermind that I got shaken up early for a haircut (and ended up waiting an additional hour for my mum to finish her hair). Nevermind that my pants and sleeves got wet along the way and I was freezing the rest of the afternoon AND very hungry for the longest time. Nevermind that I got stuck in a traffic jam and waited a gawdawful amount of time just for parking on a day that I had work to deal with and didn't want to be X'mas shopping at all (guess who dragged me there?).

Relief came when I was finally home and had dealt with my clients, and was so tired I flopped into bed for a nap, so tired that it took two people three tries to wake me. And then I got a pulsing migraine just as I was leaving for my salsa class.

In spite of all that, sitting alone and comfortable in peaceful silence at the end of the day with a warm drink and the sound of the rain outside, my day was perfect again.

(Slight digression: I remember competing in the inter-hall swim meet during uni days, and it'd always be in January. Hence, you'd see a whole lot of goosepimple-y people in swimsuits hopping about trying to stay warm. The more enterprising ones would crowd into the diving pool while waiting for their turn to compete. I also remember diving into the ~freezing~ pool when it was my turn. Thank goodness adrenalin is a good (temporary) insulator.)

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Passing shots

First things first: Countdown to new niece: 21 days!!

Brought Kelvin to this new brownie cafe that I'd gotten to try out while writing an article on it for a client. Called Cafe Melvados, it's at King's Arcade (next to Coronation Plaza) and has the most goooooooorgeous brownies you have ever tasted! Rich and soft and oh-so-tasty, and come in several varieties too. And they sell other food and drinks too, some of which are really yummy.
Some of their ice blends are really nice, though Kelvin and I had sodas that evening - the strawberry one looked as pretty as it tasted. The blue one was a bit more iffy.

Kelvin is so act-cute! Check out him posing with my seat cushion made to look like the back of denim pants: Doesn't he look adorable?

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Countdown to baby girl: 30 days

The new baby girl is just 30 days away! Here's a precious shot of Sean giving his little sis a kiss. It's horrid that I can't be there when she's born, but at least I'll have lots to look forward to in spring. Hopefully the family will be able to come over in May as planned. I really can't wait to see them again, miss them to bits.

Another frivolous test: Which sports car am I?

I'm a Porsche 911!



You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.


Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Photo of the day

I didn't think much of this photo at first, but Kelvin liked it, so here it is, taken last Thursday while on the road. In case you're worried, no, I don't usually take photos while driving. Just sometimes.

Friday, December 01, 2006

November snaps

Been a while since I took any pictures for pleasure, so was glad to have a chance these two days en route to meetings and errands.

Was on Nicoll Highway and spotted a fabulous sunset sky under thick, heavy clouds. Finally found a chance to take a snap (albeit with the car still in motion). This doesn't capture anything close to what I actually saw, as my shutter speed isn't fast enough to capture the details of the curling, golden sunset that was happening in what looks like a bright yellow spot between the buildings (it just turned out over-exposed). But I still like the orange reflections on the underside of the clouds.

I don't see how anyone can walk past this at Bugis Junction and miss it. I saw one or two other passers-by stop and snigger, so I know I'm not just being dirty minded. Astroboy really is being profane.
Speaking of which, here's an Astroboy figurine I found a few weeks ago. Am I just being dirty minded again? WHAT is she about to do to his behind with that contraption?
Yesterday was a friggin hot day and I was just done with two meetings, both involving outdoor photo-taking and LOTS of walking...in heels. Nonetheless, it was still a pleasure to walk from Boat Quay to the Esplanade, my screaming calf muscles notwithstanding. My first time in this tunnel. Like it lots.

Walking through Esplanade Park, I saw this cloud at a distance. The front had this interesting saw-tooth look; the rest of it was a large, grey rain cloud. I have a thing for cloud formations (and just about anything to do with physical geography, for that matter) so this really caught my fancy. I wonder why it looks the way it does. Uneven winds?
This is so tiny and cute! My dad got a few at the breakfast spread in some hotel in Europe. Of course, Nutella being my ultimate favourite snack, I polished them off in no time. I adore these cute little bottles.