Gerbera

Bright yellow potted gerbera flowers from the Husby - looking all so pretty bathed in morning sunlight! They are from the sunflower family, maybe that is why I like them; a little something to cheer up the day!

Lunch

I have been faithfully packing lunches from home to the lab, where a bunch of us will gather to eat at the break room. Most of the times my lunches consist of left-overs from dinner the night before, or it would be bread with ham and cheese. Another of my favorite would be soba noodles and miso soup - simple and delicious. Packing lunch has really helps to save money, as a sandwich could easily cost $5 (And then I spend it on shopping! =P ), plus home-cooked food must be healthier too right?

My only grouse is that by packing lunch to work, I do not step out of my work area for the entire day as there is no reason for me to. Even if I wanted to, it may be difficult to get away, work is really piling up! But I am enjoying it, learning new techniques and research still feels as exciting as ever.

As I was saying about lunch, the conversations would revolve around work and families, to living in Baltimore. If all else fails, there is always the weather as from the break room, we get a wonderful 270 degrees view of the streets below. As most of the lab members like me are non-Americans, the conversations would involve learning about different cultures in each country.

I recall this particular incident that occurred within the first two weeks when I joined the lab: an American did indeed think that Singapore is IN China and I can bet that he will not be the last; how ignorant. Then again, I cannot tell all the states in the US apart and their exact locations on the map. Next time I should just say to him, So you grew up in England?? He had asked me several times what is the population size in Singapore. Perhaps he still thinks Singapore is some province in China! Sometimes I pause for a while when asked about Singapore. Yes, the weather is really warm all year round, and it is a clean and green city. Then hor, what next?

Readings

I am currently reading Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, as well as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the looking-glass by Lewis Carroll. For the former, there are some interesting theories and insights into what happiness actually is; the book is getting better now that I am half-way through it. As for Lewis Carroll's book, I could not resist picking it up as it was going for only $5.95. I am quite embarrassed to say this, but I have never read about Alice at all! This book is perfect, because there is a section on notes and introduction in the front which I have found to be really useful in understanding what I consider an odd and erratic story with rabbit holes and the Cheshire Cat.

These were the two books I went out to buy the very day I received my first paycheck (Really lah, I did not go spend it on some expensive bags or clothes!) , and they have accompanied me on my journeys to work and back. I shall write an entry on my verdict on the books later in the week - it will be a long weekend coming up as it is the Labour Day holiday on Monday. Hurray!

Either than that, I am reading more scientific journals, as the lab has subscriptions to some of the top journals like Science, Cell and Nature. Nothing beats the feeling of holding the actual magazine in my hands and flipping the pages; it is never the same when you do a print out of an article you need to read!

Weekend adventures

See the sharp contrast in weather in the photographs above?

Left: It was all bright and sunny as the Husby and I rented a car to drive out to Prime Outlets at Hagerstown, some 70 miles (~112km) away from Baltimore. That took us more than an hour to get there, over hills and lots of corn fields - quite an lovely experience!

Right: Three hours later, on our return journey, all hell broke loose and it poured like there was no tomorrow. It was so bad to one point where it started to hail! Small blocks of ice were raining down on us, startling the both of us. Although I had experienced hail before, it was not in the rain and in the car. The sound of the solid ice hitting on the hard exterior of the car frightened me. We pulled over on the road shoulder, like many other cars. The hail stopped in a couple of minutes, and we cautiously continued our journey home.

But the journey was worth it! I managed to find some tops at Gap, plus a short denim skirt at a steal of only $9.90. And the Husby bought me two items from the Coach factory outlet store. Hee, I love my wristlet and the owl keyring very much! Finally, my first Coach bag, and another owl! *grinning from ear to ear!*

Let me know if you want something from the Coach factory store, the prices are much lower than in Singapore. =)

Seven years

He loves to add lots of pepper, she does not like it one bit;
His favorite: strawberry ice cream, she would not even take a bite;
He folds his clothes into three while she does hers into half.

She squeezes her toothpaste in the middle, which annoys him;
Her favourite: eggplant! He would not even go near it;
They disagree on what to watch on TV.

Despite all the differences and opposites in tastes, they made it through seven years, that is 84 months and I-don't-know-how-many-days! Looking back at how it all started seemed like ages ago! (See: Once upon a time 5)

PS. Then sometimes the silly me gets paranoid: seven years ah, how huh, will the seven-year-itch surface?? And why is it seven, why not six? Five? Eight?

Word play

I wanted to blog about these signs I have seen, but it keeps slipping my mind.

You shall not murder - God (Seen on a signboard outside a church. This is very apt because Baltimore has now seen it 200th homicide victim this week, and averages six murders a week in the first 33 weeks of 2007. Taken from Murder Ink, Baltimore Citypaper)

It's hot here! - God (This was seen outside another church, with regards to the rising heat in the city)

We are DYING to meet you (I saw this on a black vehicle as the bus passed a car rental place, and a few moments later, it hit me that they highlighted the word because this was a hearse)

Proof

My sister was back home in Malaysia, and sent me proof that our dear old Monkey is still alive and kicking under his favorite Christmas tree; thank you Sis for the photo! I think Monkey knows he is going to be on my blog, look at him smile and pose for the photo!

I call it proof because I did not quite trust my parents when they tell me Monkey is all right, due to what had happened some ten years ago. When my papa bought Monkey from the store (it could have been in 1994), he also bought another puppy whom we named "Speed"; ha, there was no prizes for guessing which was my dad's favorite movie then (We had a dog named "Godzilla" too, now that is a different story altogether). I wish I had a photo of Speed with me now, but that was more than ten years ago before the age and rampant growth of digital technology.

Speed was a really adorable dog, everyone who saw him loved him very much, more so than Monkey. He had a long body with a black coat, similar to a sausage dog, we used to joke that Speed was like one big hot-dog if he walked into the kilns at the factory! My most vivid memories of Speed were of his short legs and cute pointy ears, and how he used to bully Monkey. Speed was clearly the alpha-dog of the two. The two dogs grew up together, and I so looked forward to seeing them on my bi-annual school vacations back home.

Alas, Speed, dear Speed, escaped from the factory premises one day probably to go gallivanting, and was bitten by the dogs in the neighbourhood. With his small and short built, he was not in the same league as those canines that delivered that fatal bite onto his neck. A worker rushed to inform my mom of what happened, and by the time my parents got there, it was clear that Speed was not going to make it even if they rushed him to the veterinarian. It must have been painful for my parents to watch Speed go to doggy heaven.

My parents did not tell my sister and I immediately of the news that Speed had passed away, as they knew how much we loved the dog and how devastated we would be. Moreover, if memory serves me right, it was around the period of our examinations, so my parents were being cautious not to let it affect us too much. They kept the information from us to protect us, but the truth was still as painful as ever. Still, I do no blame my parents for keeping it from us, as they just waited for a better time to tell us the bad news.

As such, you can now understand why I need proof that dear old Monkey is alive. My sister says Monkey is really becoming deaf, and does not walk so well anymore. Sigh, the perils of old age.

I cannot wait to go back and see Monkey again! Next time, I must train him to bark into the phone so I know he is alive! If only it was that easy to teach an really old dog new tricks!

PS. Did I ever mention that Monkey the dog eats peanuts?? He loves those that my mom roasts, fresh from the toaster. Isn't it hilarious, that a dog named Monkey would love peanuts just like a primate?

Hoot, I want that owl!

In a hushed tone: I am going through a "I-want-that-owl" phase now! (Shh... Don't tell Chicken the frog or Swede, they do not know of my blog yet! I'm just afraid they would think that I no longer love frogs and is now switching to owls instead, which is not the situation).

Owls have been long regarded as a symbol of the old and wise, as we all have seen in our old primary school text books. On the contrary, owls have also been portrayed as a omen of death and misfortune. Don't hold your breath there, I am not superstitious! I just find them irresistible, especially the fat chubby ones with short wings and large eyes.

If you think it all started from that cute owl wall decal from Etsy I posted few days back, nope, it began way back. The first owl item I owned was this Loop NYC Bruised Owl Wristlet (Photo from crazybag). I drooled at it online for a very long time, and the Husby bought it for me as a surprise gift. Isn't it so adorable? Maybe it was the pity I felt for the owl as it was nursing a bruised eye - I wonder who was so mean to throw it a punch! Unfortunately, the poor owl is currently lying bruised and lonely back in my room in Singapore as a casualty of my overweight suitcases when I came to the US, and I feel so sad for it.

The next owl item that attracted me like bees to honey was this vintage bag from Enid Collins; the allure of a vintage bag, plus a wooden case and jewelled owl was a tough case to resist. To top it off, I stumbled onto the collection of owls on Etsy and on other websites, and that sealed the deal on the my "I-want-that-owl" phase! Bags, big vintage owl pendants, small colorful pendants along with cutesy plush toys - I want them all!

Top panel, left: Enid Collins Nite Owl, as featured http://www.egg-plant.jp/collins.htm Top panel, right: Lisa Belle owl bag, seen on http://hoooooooot.etsy.com/ Middle panel, left: Loop Owl Wallet on ASOS.com ; right: A baby Hilbert Owl from http://redmag.etsy.com/ Bottom panel, left: Golden Owl, taken from http://ragtrader.etsy.com/ ; right: Hooty Owl Collage Wooden Pendant from http://LiiLii.etsy.com/

PS. I realised a one big similiarity between frogs and owls: they have large eyes! Maybe I have a soft spot for large eyes *checks out the Husby* Yes, that must be it! (The Husby says it is my imagination!)

Dumplings

I realised I have been having a number of one-photo blog entry lately, and keeping up with that trend, here is another entry!

Check out these frozen dumplings awaiting the boiling pot - the Husby and I made these last weekend, using the whole package of wanton skin from the H-mart Korean supermarket. There were some sixty meat dumplings which we devoured them this entire week, the last of which for tonight's dinner with mee-pok noodle. Tasty, almost like what we have back in Singapore, but still not quite there yet. I wonder what is lacking!

It was this site that inspired me to make the dumplings, have fun making them, fried or boiled! Right now I think I have a round face, stuffed with wanton *shoots you a dumpling-looking face!*

Vacation - none for me

My family is going on a vacation next week, and boo-hoo, I cannot get away from work. Still, I am happy for my parents that they can take some time off to relax and travel a little. They deserve time off from work, plus it is now time for them to slow down and start thinking of retirement. Hopefully next year, I can join them on their next adventure!

Bob

Suntaneye with bob hairstyle; someday I shall write about my hair woes.

One of those days/people

Today someone laughed (I did not think it was that nice of her) and said she was surprised my name had suntan in there. The same person also said I sounded like a Malaysian. I was speechless for a while, because I think I sound 100% Singaporean lor. Got mah?

Anyway, it was my first presentation in the lab, detailing my work for the past five weeks. Thus that could explain why I wasn't particularly chatty with that lady since I was stressed over the presentation. Someday, I may just end up giving her one of these cards!

Maybe it is all the weather's fault. The temperature this morning was a really cool 16 C with showers yesterday and the whole of today. Such lousy weather makes me miss Saturday's sunny blue skies so much!

Green leaves, bare branches and blue skies, what a contrast

What is with the extra "S"?

I had an orientation session last week, and the full-day event finally solved a mystery for me.

It is the Johns Hopkins University, not the John Hopkins or Johns Hopkin University. Did I lose you there? I never figured out why it was "Johns", which certainly was puzzling to me. Plus I recall being so afraid when I submitted my resumes earlier in the year that I kept checking to see if I got them mixed up.

Now that I know the reason why, it is easier to remember!

Here is the extract from my handbook:

Who was Johns Hopkins?

First things first: why the extra "S"?

Because his first name was really a last name.

Johns Hopkins' great-grandmother was Margaret Johns, the daughter of Richard Johns, owner of a 4,000-arce estate in Calvert County in southern Maryland. Margaret Johns married Gerard Hopkins in 1700; one of their children was named Johns Hopkins.

The second Johns Hopkins, grandson of the first, was born in 1795 on his family's tobacco plantation in southern Maryland...

Bedroom door decorations

Image taken from Vinyl Wall Art from Etsy.

When I saw that Etsy was selling wall decals, and such an adorable one to boot, I was absolutely thrilled!

I immediately told the Husby that we have to get this decal in white to brighten up our doors, which were a dark brown color that looked terribly drabby to me. Before I whipped out my debit card and click "Order", I decided to take a deep breathe to see if this was one of those impulsive buys. As much as I love this owl, I realised it was too small for the door. Plus we are probably going to be here for a year and then moving to another place, so this $11 may not be all that worth it since this decal was not reusable.

Feeling quite disappointed, I retired for the night without buying the decal.

This morning, I woke up with an idea that perhaps I could make our own wall decal out of paper! That would require me to use blu tack to secure the "decal" to the door. I needed something for the bedroom door, so I came up with this (Laugh all you want, I know my art was not my forte. At least they look like birds right??)



I have to admit that it is not a original idea since I was so taken in by the owl sitting on the branch. As for the silhouette of the birds, I google-d for images and was smitten by this photo that inspired my two feathered friends.

Thus I got to work, using past issues of magazines that had colorful paper to put together my master piece. Drum rolls please! Here is the unveiling of my handiwork!




As you can see, the details are not perfect, and I wanted to leave it that as such. It is not because I am lazy, but because sometimes I do like it with little imperfections - no two piece will ever be alike! The leaves were cut out of this large photo of a forest, and I adore how there are tiny leaves within the leave itself. For the flowers, I found this photo that had many peaches in it, and voila, we now have the lovely peach-hue flowers! The two birds are in a teal/turquoise color, though it seems like grey in the photographs. In the end, the birds are positioned to be in an embrace rather than having their beaks touching - can you tell which of the two is me??

All that is left is to find that blu tack, and stick this home-made "decal" onto the door. Best of all, it did not cost me anything except for an hour of my time. I am so looking forward to seeing it on the door!

Tea party

This afternoon, when the Husby announced that the banana muffins were done in the oven, I heard several voices crying out "Could we have some too pretty please?". I realised it came from the stuffed toys, and gosh they did look hungry! Since the Husby baked mini banana muffins, we decided the toys could have their share too.

Swede gets a larger mini-muffin since he is taller than the rest and would probably need more energy. They sure looked like they are enjoying themselves! ;)

The past week

Some photos from last week:



Sunflower sighted in neighbour's garden! I wish I could grow my own flowers too. On the right is the watercress vegetables we bought from H-mart last week, this is one of my all time favorite soups that carries the nostalgic scent of my mama's fabulous cooking.



Some of the characters at our new apartment. I finally found some use for the plastic wine glasses which were laid off after we bought proper glasses! And this pretty embroidery of the little blue bird has flown into our living room and made its nest among the flowers...

Ikea sells them as "Chinese lucky bamboo" - we think its a lovely way to add more greens to the place. The roots fascinate me!

Saturday's lunch at Afghan Kabob in downtown Baltimore. The large "BELIEVE" sign above the eatery is common in Baltimore, as it was a campaign back in April 2002; in the words of Baltimore's Mayor, Martin O'Malley, BELIEVE is a call to the people of the city to rise up and "risk action on faith". Source: Believe report

And we have a connection!

Finally I am back online and on my dearest blog! It felt like I was gone forever, although it has only been a week. Did anyone miss me? ;)

The reason for my disappearance was because our new place did not have the Internet connection set up, and we had to wait until yesterday evening for the company to fix it up. And we finally found a router today, which now enables me to take my time in updated my blog while the Husby does his thing. I thought I would never say this, but three cheers for Internet connection! Hip hip hurray!

Meanwhile, I shall tread gingerly through the mess in the house to find my space for the night. *flexing my toes to get ready for the tip-toeing to follow* The moving to our new apartment is done, but not the unpacking. I will be back tomorrow with more updates, visit me soon again! =)

What a pain

Moving is such a pain in the ass arms, back, legs;

who needs gym when this is such a good workout? *grumbles*

The Simpsons

Go try it: Simpsonize me

PS. I know it does not quite look like me, this is the best I could get. Just think of it as me on a good hair day!

National Day

This was taken last Aug 9th, and really soon it will be one year that this photo was snapped.


Do I miss Singapore?


Sometimes. I miss the convenience of buses coming every fifteen minutes (which I used to take for granted and complain what a long wait, but now that I have seen how the buses here can be spaced one-hour apart or more, that is nothing. I miss some of the food. I miss the familiar places I frequent, all the shopping and hanging out with friends. Yes, my dear friends, I miss you all. And needless to say, I miss my family too, along with Freo and Monkey.


I'm not that homesick in case you are wondering. Baltimore has a strange charm too that is drawing me to it. One thing is for sure, I certainly miss having a public holiday in August! For those of you who get a break, hope you enjoy it, and share with me photos of the fireworks!

What is this?

And the answer is...

Does it make sense now? Isn't it amazing what a few lines can do to tell a story?

The stick figure represents the Husby, who single-handedly carried over the book cupboard down three stories, across two streets, and up two floors. We were joking that the way he held onto the wooden cupboard was like those large toy cars we had when we were young, whereby you stand in it, carry it and pretend you are on the road. Vroom vroom!

The Husby, my muscle man! =D

The old place is now looking half empty, and the new place is slowly filling up. One more week to go. I am now on the lookout for indoor plants. If you know of good choices, please share with me.

Wee... Are we in Sweden?

Over the weekend, the Husby and I decided to surprise Swede and bring him out to somewhere which reminds him of home! He did look a little greener than usual and we gathered that he might have been terribly homesick. It turned out to be a good move, for doesn't Swede look so happy in the photo above? We spent a total of four hours there at Ikea, and ended up adopting two more Swedish friends for Swede so he would not feel so lost and lonely. Meet Spotty and Ele, sitting in wine glasses in the shopping cart!

Along with them, the Husby and I also ended up with two cart full of furniture and what-nots for the new place. Our expenditure hit four-digits. Ouch, yes, I felt that pinch there! Take a guess, what color is the sofa bed?

Thank you Wen Jun!

Thank you very much dear Violet one! The mail has arrived! I just saw the address, and guess what? You got the postal code right after all. So sorry to make you worry there about if the mail was lost.

You have chosen a very lovely pendant, along with a wonderfully written card. The next time we meet, I have to ask you to go do more jewellery shopping with me! Let's make it New York okay? *wink*

The heat is on II

Tomorrow's temperature is slated to reach 38 C/ 101F. This is madness! It is very warm right now as I am typing this; I can literally feel the beads of perspiration forming on my forehead, I kid you not.

What makes it worse is that I have to use the laptop out in the dining room area, and there is only a small fan here with me. The reason for this is that one of the housemates has moved out, and along went the wireless router. No more surfing in the comforts of our room and with the A/C blasting away!

At least I know I will be indoors tomorrow since I will be in the lab. I used to complain that the lab was too cold, but with such HOT weather coming up, the days of having to wear a sweater in the lab are gone. Remember, if you want to visit the US, do not come in August, it is really warm!

Ice cream

As promised, here is the post about ice cream flavours.

Dominion Ice cream, right in Charles Village, is just two blocks away from our new nest. What is so unusual about this store is that they sell vegetable ice cream, along with the usual selections. Yes there is no typo error here, it is those green leafy stuff that your mama told you to finish up! The vegetable ice cream is not your regular yam or green tea ice cream (these are considered a novelty in the US). Dominion sells the carrot, spinach or tomato ice cream, which I have never seen anywhere else before! I recall the lady behind the counter gave interesting names like "muscle-building" to the ice cream; my guess would be as a disguise so that kids would not know they are vegetable ice cream. Does it count as having a second helping of vegetables?

I did not feel quite that adventurous the last time the Husby and I were there, plus the Husby was horrified to learn that it was spinach, so I had cookies and cream instead. The next time, I shall try the spinach and tomato ice cream and give you a review! Here is a review of the ice cream I found online.

Recently another ice cream place opened in Charles Village, just in time to catch the summer crowds. Cold Stone Creamery is a chain of ice cream store found throughout the US with its first store recently established in Seoul. What makes it special is the way the ice cream is prepared, with your choice of fruits, nuts or candy mixed into it on a frozen granite counter (hence the "cold stone"). I love to have almonds mixed into my vanilla ice cream, and bite into the nuts in every mouthful. It is different from having nuts as a topping, because as a topping, you would have to mix it yourself, and it is usually not well mixed. Ha, now you know I am so picky about my food!

I found out from Dawn that that this concept of serving ice cream on a cold surface can now be found in Singapore as well - try it at Ice Cream Chefs and see the difference for yourself!

I'll end off with this list of "101-frightening ice cream flavors around the world"! Chicken wing, eel and fried eggplant ice cream anyone? I certainly will not have the whale ice cream which I recall some shop in Singapore sold it. Have a cool weekend!

The heat is on

Temperatures today are have soared to 35C / 95F, and the cooling stations are rolling out in Baltimore City! At times like this, it makes me glad I am in the lab to enjoy the cool air. Actually it is rather chilly in the lab, and in winter it gets quite unbearably cold.

August would probably be the peak of summer, and it should get a little cooler next month. However, the weather these days gets cranky and there is no saying how it would be like anymore. The unbearable heat must have caused some people to turn into monsters too. How else do you explain the long list of crime in the papers? Then again, we are talking about Baltimore... I hope it gets better.

On a different topic, next time I will blog about the ice cream places around my area! *craving one* Spinach ice cream anyone?