Furlough

fur·lough [fur-loh]
n.

1.
a. A leave of absence or vacation, especially one granted to a member of the armed forces.
b. A usually temporary layoff from work.
c. A leave of absence from prison granted to a prisoner.

This is one word I never knew off right up to yesterday (Yes my vocabulary needs a big boost!) After reading about this, I now wonder if Hopkins would be affected as well?

Happy Holidays

I love gingerbread man, especially when hot out of the oven. Terrified Gingerbread Man courtesy of the Husby.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year everyone!

Musing: Does Santa receive any gifts? Not the cookies and milk, but presents. Who decides he has been good or not??

Thank you Dawn!

Late post again- Thank you Dawn and mom for the lovely Christmas gifts! Happy holidays to you both! I love my new earrings which matches the brown necklace, and more owls and butterflies! Not forgetting the cute frog which is now hanging on my bag, I hope he doesn't fall out and hop off.

I also spent Sunday evening wrapping some gifts for the lab, and realised how bad I was at it! I was tearing all the gift wrapper and making a mess. Thank goodness it was Husby to the rescue. It surprises me somewhat that I could not wrap gifts, since I love craft and all. Perhaps I am just too impatient? Or that I am only good for unwrapping gifts! :) It was also a big headache to buy the presents, but what to do if they have already gotten me something? The bottom right photo is the blue roomy owl bag with all the goodies for the lab - I feel like Santa! Too much chocolates for Christmas already... Feeling fat.

Weekend break

The Husby and I went on a weekend break to somewhere near Annapolis. The Springhill Suites we picked was pretty good, and there was a whirlpool in the room! But as you can see, it was such a gloomy Saturday that we didnt do much more than eating, some last-minute shopping, and lots of TV (since it was fuzzy TV at home only). It was a good break, though we will have to go back again to explore more of Annapolis harbor itself!

Three months

Three more months to go, and we will be back in Singapore! I'm getting a little excited at the thought of being home (hmm.. I don't quite know where is home sometimes), just a tiny bit excited now that we finally purchased the air tickets. And of course, there is the wedding banquet! ;)

Pretty frog

Mohawk no more, now girly Nyokki froggie! (The bunny looks hungry)

Get the lead out!

The Husby hitting "A" as quick as he can to get the lead out of the mechanical pencil, part of the minigame in Mario Party DS. This is by far my favorite game, which he has once again smashed my record timing ;(

My favorite character in the game turns out to be Yoshi! The Husby thinks I have an instant attraction to those with big noses, and so we got Fuzzy to come look at his competitor. *sneaks a peek at the Husby* Yes, I gotta agree that I am somehow attracted to those with big noses! ;)

Snow

It snowed again today, but its the first time there is some accumulation of snow on the ground. It was between -2C to 2C today, so cold. Look at the white stuff on the grass and shrubs in the garden! Poor plant is going to die of frost bite. But the snow is fine so it is like a drizzle, and the last photo was taken at 5pm as we were headed out for a dinner party. It is my kind of photo; I love the look of the street lamps, cars and townhouses on the side!

The case of the missing deer

Yes, that is right, The Husby and I now have blood almond paste on our hands and stomach!!

This adorable deer from Patisserie Poupon lasted no more than a minute. I had such a hard time eating it though, it feels so sad and wrong to eat something so cute!! Should have picked the Christmas tree instead, even the snowman would have been better.

RIP deer. (You tasted really good by the way)

Mohawk!

My froggie has a mohawk - no ordinary frog, but one with an attitude!

PS. That is my new calendar for 2009 from Cute Overload, only 9.90 from Target. Let me know if you would like one too!

Late fall

It has been a long while since I took pictures around the area, and here are some photos I took while on my walk around Patterson Park yesterday. It is already late fall, and I have not quite posted any images on what is a very pretty season indeed.

I love this photo, now if only I can get one with the bird on the tree!

The pagoda on the left, and a nest on the right. I spy the cresent moon!

Our little furry friends, always so inquisitive.

This reminds me of waves

And my favorite: the job of a leaf peeper!

Mean Green is one!

The shadow of us in the car with the Husby waving hello!

Mean Green Machine has come a long way. In the past year, he endured attacks from a tree, not once but twice. The worst experience for him has got to be the time when he was almost towed away, when he was less than a month old! Mean Green was already on the tow truck and we managed to persuade the drive to let him go. I am not sure if Mean Green ever recovered from that harrowing experience.

He also worked really hard in the past year, bringing us to wonderful places like the Ocean City, Lancaster, D.C and also Virginia. Most unfortunately, the potholes in Baltimore were really mean to him, causing him to lose a hubcap and suffer some injuries which he has yet to recover. As a result Mean Green is a little squeaky whenever we turn the corner, or it could simply be that the Husby and I have put on so much weight over the past year! :)

Not much of a celebration for him, but I did make the Husby stop the car next to his friend, the Cow. Its a beat up white Volkswagen which has a black backside, and a hint of pink underbelly - no kidding! I will post some photo of the Cow someday.

More than just pancakes

What is the link behind pancakes and my lack of postings? The Husby and I think it is somewhat related to this, although what I am going through is a very mild one. Pancakes because the Husby knows it cheers me up - what better than chocolate chip pancakes to start the day right? Try some with Mrs Butterworths, it is really yummy. But back to the winter thing, it seriously makes me feel depressed. I am trying to stay upbeat and do other things, but the cold and short days still gets to me. I missed our old apartment which was seriously ridiculously warm to the extend of hot on some nights, and the heating was free! Of course the landlord must have been shocked to receive the electricity bill for last year, and so they started to charge exorbitant amounts for heating this year (which is why we packed up and left). Still the new place is good, but being on the ground floor with no one beneath us, there is not heat to "steal".

At least now there is a new weapon for boredom - my very own M! Thanks Husby, for pancakes and for this. ;)

Rugelach

Rugelach!

This one is for Dawn - I have yet to perfect the art of rolling it (look here and here, so much prettier than mine!). When I do I will bake some for you! ;)

Sis: So it was really Rugelach that we bought at the Juniors Cheesecake place - at a crazy price of $25!

Nyokki!

I had a very pleasant surprise on my table this morning. MD is so sweet to get me this so cute frog eggling Nyokki, just because it has been a stressful week! Thanks MD! ;) When you add water to the seeds in the egg, the frog will have grass "hair". I cannot wait for it to grow. You may recall that I posted this up sometime back, but now I finally own it - so excited!

Why has it been a stressful week? It all started when I realised that I had to submit TOEFL scores on Monday. Silly me has been thinking all along that Singapore what, why need TOEFL right? So wrong!! Then it was a frantic night searching for an exam venue. None in Baltimore within the next few weeks, which meant I would miss the deadlines - not something I want to do since that involves waiting another year, finding another job... Too complicated and depressing to think about that. The good news was I did find a test center for this Saturday, and the bad news is that it is in Delaware. Dover to be exact, not even Wilmington, which is approximately 2 hours away. This has to be another reason why I love Baltimore, we are so close to NY, PA, NJ, DE as well as DC and VA. Wish me luck. ;)

Olive bread

One cup of chopped olives mixed into dough results a sumptuous chewy bread upon baking!

It is another cold day today, and I decided to bake this Olive bread since we bought a can of olives yesterday. I love my new baking book from William Sonoma: Essentials of Baking. It even tells me how I should slash the top of the bread to make a crescent shape so that the bread would bake better - I never knew that! Let me know if you want the recipe. The baking made the house smell so good, not to mention warm. ;)

PS. Dawn, I shall attempt the Rugelach tomorrow as I needed to chill the dough, I hope it works!

Thank yous

A shout out to Yujie, thanks dear for the Green Tree Frog postcard all the way from Queensland (the other side of the world as far as I know!). So nice of you to think of me even when you are busy with your research - lucky me! :) Still hoping to see more photos from your trip, perhaps after your exam yah?


Thanks to Sleepy pink frog too!! She sent me this adorable green bear whom we have named "Patches" because he has some patches on him, along with a tube dress with a smashing green print. With some minor alterations (tube dress can be dangerous!), I will be looking foward to wearing the dress the next time I see you my dear. I hope you are doing well too...


And many thanks to Dawn and mom! You both always know what I like, and always such good taste in picking out the gifts and jewellery parts. And here is the photo of the beautiful giant butterfly! I cannot believe it turned out so huge from two flat pieces of wood. It now resides by the window, next to the red bathing suit girl and the frogs (peeking out at the corner).

Still alive

Did you miss me?

I'm still very much alive. The hiatus was a result of a burnout from the continuous events going on the last few months, and I am starting to feel a little better. I actually lost 3-4 pounds during the last month! Which is only about 1.5kg, but at the rate I am eating again, I will gain much more. Am looking forward to the Thanksgiving break - two day holiday!!

This photo was taken at 5.30pm at my lab. See how dark it is? Unfortunately, this makes me seriously depressed, the fact that the day is so short, dark and cold. I do however love how you can see the lit up street lamps in my reflection. And yes, my hair is getting long and unruly again...

Stressed

I know I have been away for a while, and it has been a particularly stressful period of time. Lots of planning, exam, work... Nothing extraordinary, yet when put together, I placed an enormous amount of pressure on myself. It did not even occur to me that I was feeling stress until KA pointed it out at work.

All of it coming from myself as usual. In the end it always becomes counterproductive. I wish I would accomplish all that I set out to, alas, it did not happen. If only I did not try to do some many things all at once, it could have been better. And as usual, it is never as bad as I imagine it to be, just me being paranoid. Why do I do this to myself?

In retrospect, much of it is a humbling experience. And of course, it means that I should take a vacation soon... Everyone needs a break ever so often. Suggestions anyone?

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

This is stuck in my head for a long time now! That was the music in my mind when I was running the 5k, and I only remember the part where I rule the world. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE

What is on your fridge door?

Taking a break from studying, and here is a peek at what we have on our fridge door. The top for the month of Sept, whereby we had one very busy week when my sister was here to visit, and bottom photo shows the current month - full of birthdays! I love the cute reminders, which were left overs from old calendars. The Husby then painstakenly added magnets to each of them, creating a myraid of tiny magnets; I must say it is a great way to recycle the reminders.

This is our "dog"!

I picked this up from Target for a dollar! ;)

So do tell, what is on your fridge door?

Gratitude

My lab had an impromptu outing this afternoon to visit a colleague who went in for surgery yesterday. Seeing him on the hospital bed made me realise that I have taken good health for granted, thinking nah, that will not happen to me. We all get so caught up in our lives that we forget what is dear to us, well for me that is!

In fact there are so many things that I should be thankful for, every single day. Health, loving family, wonderful friends and so much more. In some way, it is a reminder that I should slow down and savour the moments. Like this photograph, whenever I see the sunlight streaming in through the window and the curtain, all I want to do is to sit and watch the light before it fades away to give way to darkness...

Ditsy me

Now I know why I have been feeling senseless... Seriously, I never knew of this before!! At least it does not run in the family!

Baltimore Running Festival

Photo above on the left - spot suntaneye?

On the right: The roads around Inner Harbor were closed to traffic, as that was where the half marathoners were flagged off.

Bottom: All smiles after the run! ;) I like my bib number too, easy to remember.

This was the day of the 5k run! After whining about it, and suffering from a sore throat, I am very pleased with myself that I completed the race, in a time faster than I anticipated! Although 34 mins is like really slow, it still beats my old records of 40 mins in gym. I could not have asked for a better timing since I did not put in much effort into training. I think I probably ran a total of 6 times in the month before today's run, which barely constitute any proper training.

Along the way, the uphill slopes were not such a killer as I had imagined them to be, and boy does it feel good to go downhill! And who would have guessed, the weather turned out to be really great despite earlier predictions in the week of showers. It warmed up by 8.30am, and I did not end up with a running nose or blocked ear though I did run all the way with a tissue clutched in one hand (very unglamorous yah?)

The race would not have been the same without the Husby, who was there as the water boy, cheerleader and photographer even though he had to wake up at 6.30am on a Saturday. Thank you dear! ;) And also thanks to my sister, Dawn and Cookie for the encouragement!

A love story

And the last post for today, I shall leave you with something on a lighter note: I think my plant is in love with the girl in the red bathing suit, can you spot the heart-shaped leaves near the top left hand corner? When I bought the plant it only had the star-shaped like leaves... Must be the amazing power of love! ;)

Lifeless

This photo has made me pretty upset the entire day, but I felt compelled to take it. As much as I would like to get as close as I can to birds, I did not expect to see this at the entrance to my work place. The colors on the bird were so pretty, and I wondered if it died because it was too cold, or too old?

I should probably stop posting such photos, or I will scare everyone away!

Reality

Then the weather was warm. I could run 5km, no problem!

So I signed up for the 5km run, or in my case is slow jog/crawl.

And now, the weather is chilly, and I discover half the run is uphill *help!*

Plus what to wear, and will I get lost?

What in the world did I get myself into this Oct 11th?

Oh and did I mention I am doing it by myself? All alone, with some 1,499 people, out of which many will finish it before me. What was I thinking??

I wanted to challenge myself, to do something different every year (last year was coming to the US and finding work), but at this point I lose track of why I wanted to do it in the first place. Am I making sense? Not quite to myself, had a long and tiring day...

Shrinky Dinks

Remember my different type of baking? It was for these shrinky dinks, which is a type of shrinkable plastic. So far I have used it to make numerous magnets, and the latest ones the week before last was of two beautiful cats, Poopie and Scout, specially for D and her mom (I hope you don't mind me putting the photo here).

So first I print the photo (Ahem, so the cat is out of the bag: yes, I cheat, no way I can draw so well!), and then trace and color the cats. By far the most difficult part is always the eyes. For any animal, getting the right color and glint in the eyes makes all the difference. Poopie is really special in having green eyes! My favorite part is always drawing in the whiskers, which then completes the whole tracing and coloring process. In this case, I spent the entire afternoon on the three cats; cats are really amazing, with the spots and stripes and different color coats! Having said that, drawing Freo was a challenge too. Maybe I should do one of Monkey someday!

And so I was saying, the pieces then go into the oven for less than 5 minutes. Side track a little, isn't this oven the coolest ever with a light so you can watch what was going on? ;) As you can see, the shrinky dinks curl up, and then flatten out. Ta-da, slap on a magnet and put them on the fridge!

Peeping into the oven

Poopie

While my sister was here, we used the frog punch from aki-chan/Cookie (you still remember it?) to make these so adorable small little frogs! You can see that after the plastic shrinks, it is actually quite thick. So cute righ?

Squashed

Woo-hoo... Squashed big fat rat, flat as can be!

Did this photo make you sick? I'm really sorry about that, but I am so fascinated by the fact that we could even see its teeth! Here the Husby uses his shoe to show as a reference how large the rat is. This reminds me of the squashed frog a long time back, except this was on the road, which meant it was rolled over by the car.