Dinner?

Meet the resident squirrel

Ms Bushy Tail

 
This squirrel is a feisty one. She dodges the prowling cats, jumps up on our fence, fluffs up her tail and makes all sorts of strange warning noises. One weekend it was running around our backyard, feeding on the sunflower seeds I scattered for the birds. After a while, this silly squirrel was burying the seeds right in our backyard!

Off she goes!

Snow?

Snow is such a dirty word in October.

It's way too early for all that white stuff. The forecast was for 1-3 inches this afternoon, but none of it accumulated. Just as well, because it is too freaking early for snow. Then again, with the earthquake and hurricane, what other surprises are in store?

I'm sorry for not posting for such a long while. After my exam in Sept, it was difficult to get back in the groove of things. I also have a couple other things going on right now, such as working on a quilt (tiny one) and crochet for the homeless. And baking bread. After which I have to cycle on the stationary bike. But I promise to try to bring some life back to the blog, starting with the backyard squirrel!

Lurking

Peek-a-boo

Not so green fingers

 

What tiny vegetables! It was a sad harvest, and the heat wave in the two weeks we were home certainly did not help. I better keep my day job as a grad student instead of being a farmer. Coming up soon, lonely zucchini and maybe one good red pepper.

In the viewfinder

I like the mocking bird, although sometimes I feel that it is calling me all sorts of names...

Thank you!!!

Super cute!

Thank you Dawn, Ian and Auntie Dell for the wonderful presents and birthday wishes! :) Hoots! I like them all :))

Exam

The exam has been set in early Sept. Right now it is tough to stop doing the experiments and concentrate on reading and writing the proposal, but it has to be done. I am thankful to have the Husby and friends who have been very supportive. As always I am whining and being distracted by a thousand other things (admiring the frogs in the study!)  instead of putting my mind to studying. It is always tough getting started.

So in case you don't see me much it might be because I am trying very hard not to surf at night... Soon, it will be over! :)

Breakfast

my current favorite for breakfast- no cooking needed if i am lazy, just leave the oats and milk overnight and pile on the rest! :)

The new frog

Wind-up froggie meets the clan, he is really cute and we love the way he hops. Thanks Dawn, this is most awesome ever but shhh, don't tell the other frogs...

It didn't take too long for someone to say I challenge you!

That's why they have two ears

Can't remember if I blog about this, but squirrel cat has a tough job!

Its a fishy business

24 hr post fertilization zebrafish embryo stained for fetal hemoglobin hbae3 mRNA

These are the types of things I spend a lot of my time doing. Making fish pose and taking photos. What good is it to do the experiment and not be able to take good photos right? Sometimes the adult fish get infections and fall sick, and much of my time is also spent on the babies, feeding them with paramecium and brine shrimps (ie sea monkeys!).

So why are the fish always happy to SEE me? Because I am a monkey (SEE monkey!) Okay I better stop now, the husby says I am corny and I ate four grilled corns already...

4th of July

Happy birthday to the 4th of July baby!

Everyone around here has a birthday tied to a holiday. Barne's birthday was on memorial day, and I baked him a cake, but I also ate it all up without taking a photo or sharing with him :p

No tripod! the Husby has steady hands I say!

We were all busy with work but came out onto the lawn at 9pm to watch the fireworks. Now we know that they do this every year, its great not to have to go to the Harbor to watch the fireworks and deal with these!

The trip home

Quality family time = strolling along the Bang Tao beach after breakfast

After two years away, we finally were back in Singapore for two weeks. This trip was made mainly to spend time with family, and if possible to squeeze in time to catch up with friends. Sadly it was really rushed and I did not meet up with many friends at all. (Sorry Imp, I didn't manage to meet up with you!) Either than that, it was a really good trip. I ate almost everything I missed except for Katong Laksa (which we bought the PrimaTaste La Mein to try and it tastes great!). I wished I had more time to spend my my grandma who was having a bad case of shingles, but at least we went out to dinner the night before we left. Of course I hated the part where I had to say bye to first my parents at the Phuket airport no less, then my sister and last to my grandma. The Husby reminded me that that is not goodbye, merely see you soon! That was a very comforting thought that made it all easier.

happy belated birthday Husby!

Early morning walk at ECP, trailing behind my mother-in-law (in blue)

The Husby's birthday this year was the shortest ever, because we spent it on the flight home, somewhere between Newark and Japan. We left on May31st and arrived in Sg on June 2nd early morning, boo-hoo to June1st. In a desperate effort to compensate for lost time, we had two birthday cakes with family. Last year we also spent June1st flying out to Boston. Is it the tradition now to fly on that day? 

The Husby does not want any presents. He always says he does not need anything else, and I have tried unsuccessfully to launch a buy-new-wallet scheme. Someday, hopefully in the near future, my plan will work! Happy Birthday again dear, next year I promise we will  not spend it up in the air.

hello hello

It's Memorial Day today, but not that it matters. I am almost on vacation mode! :) Almost because there are always those last minute things like to toss my cells, fish etc.

May has been a crazy crazy month. Every time I think about updating the blog there is this list of things I wanted to say. But all that is gone now, my memory is failing! A lot of time was spent in the garden, setting things up and watching them grow. Work took up most of the weekdays and sometimes into the weekends, and last weekend we were both so sleep deprived. We also followed the elections back home, but failed to register to vote. Then the electrical outlets on the second floor died, and now there are issues with garden faucet. In between we had a parking violation when the Husby came to pick me up. As an balance to all the not-so-great stuff, I was told that there is a 1/10 chance of winning the phd scholar award - the nomination itself by my department is an honor by itself!

Here are some random shots in May:

Lurking under the bird feeder! This made me burst out laughing because from far it looked like a rabbit. Then I felt sorry for the birds (on the fence) and shooed the cat away. The feeder is to feed the birds, not that cat!

Four-leave white clovers bring good luck too right??

Overcrowding plants: Left: Giant squash plant is flowering! Middle: sweet potato. Right: potato. Chicken wire was placed to prevent the cats from getting to the soil, so far so good.

And the pond has cleared up, all thanks to the tadpoles? Finally we can see all five fish really well- the big one is Submarine (because he is yellow), and the other yellow one is barley. The others have not been named yet, but the red and white one has a pretty red eye shadow! Please name the remaining fish!

The occupants

Giant tadpoles! and a snail

tiny cute legs

We always read that putting tadpoles into the pond was a good way to clean up the pond, so when some were sold in Valley View Farms we happily bought FIVE of these giant tadpoles. After putting them into the pond and all that excitement, we realized that they will grow into giant bullfrogs, which could jolly well eat our fish! Epic fail! Right now we have five fish, including dear Submarine, the sole survivor when we bought the house. Five snails were released as well. Last year we bought two sucker fish too, but we never saw them again. Now comes the big question, what will become of the pond with those frogs?

On the TV screen

My first anime was Sprited Away, and since then the Husby has introduced me to several others. Recently we watched an awesome anime: Tekkon Kinkreet. I am in love with the subtle colors and imperfect yet perfect drawings of people. So much character! Paprika is also another film that I enjoyed, in fact it was because of tonight's dinner (adding paprika to baked potato wedges) that I thought about this animated film. My favorite parts from this would be the parade, full of color and marching frogs! In fact the film was an influence on Inception (which we finally watched two weeks ago). Metropolis was a hit and miss, the plot was too strange for me. Steamboy was good as far as my memory serves me, so was Tokyo Godfathers. The others films by Hayao Miyazaki include Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the sky, Kiki's delivery service and my favorite Porco Rosso. If you enjoyed Sprited away and Howl's moving castle, you will also like the latter and Princess Mononoke. And of course Tekkon Kinkreet!

In the backyard

hello weeds, I see you and it is not making me feel :)

Last week: new additions to the pond! New pinwheels too, the last one flew away in a winter storm. The blue one was a steal from Target for a buck!

Fort Lauderdale trip

Fearless Barnes met Mr Alligator - mascot for the W Fort Lauderdale

He also met many new bear friends on this trip, and wanted to take them all home, but at $8 for all that gummy we had to tell him it was not worth it.

View from the balcony. Blue skies and warm breeze with smells of suntan lotion everywhere, that is how I remember this trip.

Full moon!

If I don't post them up now, I'll never get to it!

Finally April

Another unproductive week has gone by! The good parts are that I have better idea what to do now, and I was part of the student group who had lunch with the Nobel laureate from across town. Not that I am star struck or anything. I don't quite believe in the prize, it is more of the politics than anything. Also baked the Rotiboy Mexican bun, but the yeast just would not rise, so it wasn't the right texture. What a let down! The down side were that the feedback on my presentations was "like a robot". Or worse than one. I need to move around move, be relaxed and engaging. Oh well. Better to find out now. Air tickets to go home in summer would set us back by some thirty five hundred dollars. How crazy is that. I am already feeling the painful trip, both physically and in my pocket. They are the crappiest flights ever, BWI to EWR to ORD to NRT then SIN. Since everyone is trying to avoid Japan, it is now cheaper than going through HKG. I am so not looking forward to this trip.

Package

Awesome photo Dawn!

Someone has been really naughty again! Another package arrived today, and it has Kinder Joy inside!!! Together with a pack of really addictive satay broad beans that cannot be featured here because it has to stay out of sight in order to survive. I have also never seen a paper ball though the Husby was like "huh you never seen these before?" Thank you so much Dawn and Ian, so thoughtful of you guys! But please do not send us any more things!! Must stop already okay? Pleaseeee?

Pirate squirrel and yoshi admiring paper ball. They too have never seen one before. *phew I am not the only one*

Shadow of a seagull

My intentions were to take photos of the ducks as I neared the water. But they were far away on the other end. So I was trying to take a photo of the shadow of Mr Seagull standing on one foot, but I fumbled with my camera in the chilling wind while trying not to look touristy. Little did I know I hit the video button instead. So here, the product of that mistake. Not too bad I say. Yes I am bored tonight, and it is only Monday!

Sunny days

Spring is in the air, soon there will be leaves and nests on this tree!

Early morning walk: backpack and hoodie on, spot the coffee mug hanging on the side (no wonder my drink always spills)

The clock tower and beyond is a good 15-20min workout

And in the afternoon, another stroll back. On bad days there are two trips in a day. But this was taken on a good sunny day, my favorite days.

On the dinner table

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bar: lots of yummy crumbs!

Sunday night again, the routine is finally over. Given the numerous meals ahead, the Husby and I try to cook enough food for both lunch and dinner in the coming week. This means we start cooking from 5-ish to 8-ish by the time we are done with washing up. Then there is the packing of food into lunch boxes. Bleah.

We have been trying to eat dinners at home as much as possible to save some moolah, but last week was an absolute disaster. That's life right, some ups and downs, some days we throw in the towel and eat out. Nothing fancy though, my favorite places are Chick-fil-a (yes it is fast food!) and Chipotle. Korean is often on the menu, and this year itself we have tried two new places including one that has Korean fried chicken and also the BBQ at Honey Pig (Gooldaegee - what a cute name). At home, we made these prawns lately and they were yummy! Also finally made the Shepherds Pie which lasted one week. Some time ago I baked these green tea mochi cupcakes, but the taste was not to my liking. Thank goodness my craving for oatmeal and chocolate chip bar was curbed with these addicted bars. They are so much easier to make than individual cookies, and no raisins (no-no for me, it's annoying when the raisins become sticky and get stuck to my teeth). Been craving sushi, but trying to resist eating raw fish now. This week is officially pasta week with baked turkey meatballs. Any suggestions on the next dish to put on the dining table/in my lunch box?

Mr B.

Move over puppy, this is my best spot to sleep

Turn of the darn lights!

This is not a bad spot to curl up in

Tail perpendicular to the wall, easy peasy!

Stalking the roomba

Mr B when he first arrived

Mr B (aka the fat one) after two months (what have we done!)

Remember, the world is mine! Whahaha

Heart

Mr B has an extra heart

With a heavy heart, Mr B begins tonight his journey at his new home. We believe that we have found the best owners for him and I am missing the fat one already.

Thank you!

Yummy food and pretty scarf! :)

The most awesome package arrived yesterday- you are sneaky Dawn! Thank you so much to all three of you for the goodies, I am going to hide the chocolates away for a rainy day and away from the Husby. Some things are just not meant to be shared! Maybe a few of the bak kwa as well... Of course he can have the pineapple tarts to himself, which seriously will be gone before I get to it. Thank you again, it brings the CNY spirit here.

Thank you Auntie Dell for the most pretty scarf ever. I am amazed at your skills, the design and color is totally something I love! Totally perfect with the owl hat.  :)

 

Now excuse me while I go stash my precious chocolates... The most dangerous place is the safest place right?? 

Thundersnow

All that wet snow came really quickly upon the city

When the email came around to say that campus would close at 3.30pm, we didn't think much of it. 4-8 inches of snow, how bad can it get right? By the time I was done with my experiments, it was 7.30pm and the roads outside the lab were a big mess. I also noticed lightning. At 8 when the Husby came around, and I was shocked to see the amount of snow on Mean Green, all that snow that accumulated on that 15 min journey. That cannot be good. It proved to be an arduous journey back home. What normally took 20mins took us over a hour. The roads were awful and it was very difficult to control the steering. Even for the Husby it was a daunting task, what alone me! Our friend D had told us about the bad traffic on the highway, and so we took the local roads. When he meant bad traffic, it was really bad, he had left at 6pm and arrived home after 3AM! All that time for a journey that might take him less than an hour. Cars were being abandoned and I don't know where those people could walk to. After we rolled into our street, we had to get out and shovel for half hour before getting the car into the lot. By then we were pooped out. There are a few lessons to learn from this experience: do not underestimate driving in snow, always pump gas way before any storm, always have water/food/blanket/heatpack/shovel in the car (Thanks for the tip Dawn!), check the traffic status before leaving. No more thundersnow please!