Pedestrian Life

I've sensed that I've become a more boring person. That troubles me so much so that I cannot sleep at 3 in the morning. No just kidding, it's the excessive eating I did today but oh lord, it was worth it. But yes, me becoming increasingly boring does worry me a tad.

Trying to figure why that is so has me arriving at some possibilities

#1 I'm getting older and settling into the contented routine life of being married. Tending to the upkeep of the house does take my mind off creative thoughts which in retrospect is terrible! If it were true.

#2 The boy's boring-ness is rubbing off on me. I probably hang around him too much which means I should seek out my friends to unboringfy myself. I do find it disappointing that he stifles me spontaneity so much so that I sometimes censor myself to prevent the disappointment from setting in though I don't believe I'm bitter about doing that.

#3 Jaded. The world and its woes, don't let me begin.

Me thinks it's all of the above. A little bit of each mashed into a giant swirling vortex that sucks the happy, creative, spontaneous fairy that resides within.

I have got to get out of this comfortable rut

Tulips in the Tropics

Tulipmania just concluded its run at the Gardens by the Bay and it really was a fantastic showing. The whole flower dome was filled with the heavenly scent of Narcissus that even my bad nose could pick up on. Strategically placed photo opportunities of potted Tulip displays where tourists naturally teemed which I tried my best to avoid and then the grand centrepiece Tulip field, the sort that harks back to that of Holland, but miniaturised.

I liked it, it was a nice effort to bring some Spring blooms to the tropics although I also heard rather dismissive comments from colleagues who boasted about seeing the actual tulip fields in Holland. That's as good as saying the tropical rainforest greenhouses are incomparable to the jungles of Sabah. Well, duh.

I went with my aunt who wasn't much of a plant person but she was sufficiently impressed by the blooms and scent and the cloud forest conservatory was as usual rather spectacular. It was a nice way to spend the morning out of crazy heat!

Trip up North

I always enjoy the annual trips back to the village for Qing Ming to pay respects to the Hub's paternal ancestors. Kampar is a little sleepy town trying hard to get out of a time warp but that's exactly what I love! Giant supermarket and a Watsons with familiar toiletries set among quaint, old fashioned shop houses and wet markets serving amazingly excellent hawker fare. All that food and there's really no more time for anything else on the itinerary.

(Top left)  Nonya kueh only goes on sale at 6pm on the weekends and typically gets sold out by 8ish. That speaks volumes of how yummy the little glutinous desserts are.
(Top right)  Deep fried suckling piglet for dinner. Disturbing cute and I really did not fancy it.

We headed off to Penang! More food! I also would like to highlight that I got one of my best hotel experiences at Noordin Mews, a refurbished shophouse that provided attentive pampering service. Highly recommended!

(Pictures above) Angsana tree (Pterocarpus indicus) in bloom all over Penang island. A rare sight on our own sunny island.

 (Picture above) Dipterocarps in the canopy in the forests of Air Hitam (roughly translated as Black water) Dam. The town at the base of this hill serves amazing Penang laksa, fresh crunchy mint and basil strewn on  luscious assam base soup, slightly tart without being overpowering and the prawn/ fish(?) paste. Really to die for. No photos cos I chomped it up before it dawned on me that I should.

Running in Circles

Ok, so I officially hate my job. Again. I have been bouncing around in the organisation for the last four years and each move was due to a specific set of issues mostly to do with evil people and how the temptation of the high road of leaving them in the muck always wins me over in the end. So the question I often put to myself is, Why? Is it me? Is it the organisation? Is it the country's habit of mimicking of other people's culture, in this instance, Karoshi? Why is it that after the excitement and renewed hope of new environment, people die down, just the thought of Monday makes the bile rise in my throat. Drama yah.

The boy says that attitude is everything and I gotta be positive and find that darned silver lining but he also says that I have to value myself because the people mill of an organisation sure as hell will not. So if I combine the both, it means I should be content swimming in the miasma of fake and meaningless work all the while admiring my ability to tread water in this slushy mess. Huh?!

Note to Self: The boy, he don't make no sense sometimes.

The job has since vacated the apartment block called Fiery Passion and downgraded to the neighbouring block, Just for the Money.

It sounds like I'm going to move again. Yippidy!

Saying Goodbye

As is the trend nowadays, I am having a change of scenery in the career department. I will certainly miss certain aspects of this job. #1 being its location! It's so unbearably convenient if I compare it to my new posting... There it is! That pang.

#2 this comfy little cubby hole I have called my hideout at work from work for about 2 years, chock full of comforting knick knacks and fun junk a munk.

#3 being my girls! We've held one another up through the nastiness of the Others at work and I will most most *most* certainly miss their regular companionship!

Hoya macrophylla, I believe

This is not a gardening blog, just so it's clear. It's just that I have an affinity to plants and I also love stories which doubles the attraction to botanical stories, especially those of the victorian era. You know, battling thick jungles, malaria, crazy weather and possibly angry cannibals to find a gem of an Orchid. But that is a story for another day. Today I happened to spy a Hoya in bloom and I'm going to share cos it's pretty!

There has been alot of confusion between what is Hoya latifolia (lati: broad, folia: leave) and Hoya macrophylla (macro: large, phylla: leave) all this due to 2 distinguished botanist, Dr. Carl Ludwig Blume (German-Dutch) and Dr. Robert Wight (English-Scot) giving the same name (Hoya macrophylla) to 2 very different Hoya that they discovered in the course of their work. Blume named his Javan Hoya (the original Hoya macrophylla Blume) in 1826 after its characteristic large leaves. Unfortunately for Wight, his Indian Hoya was only named 8 years after Blume published, so that was all too bad, but he didn't actually know! (Because Blume published in a Dutch journal that Wight didn't lay eyes on) SO Wight went right ahead and published his Hoya macrophylla in Contributions to the Botany of India in 1834. This discrepancy went un-noticed for years and only 1837 when, Geroge Don (Scottish Botanist) decided to translate the works of Wight from Latin to English did he realise that Hoya macrophylla R.Wight was nothing like Hoya macrophylla CL.Blume, and so Hoya latifolia G.Don was born i.e. synonymous with Hoya macrophylla R. Wight. That's cos plants unlike people cannot bear the same name under the Linnean system.

So what is my Hoya? I'm pretty sure it's Hoya macrophylla Blume... I think :p

Just for scale, the largest leaf on that plant is the length of my palm! And I have long fingers!

Muted pink beauties! I noticed that their scent is strongest during dusk and most days there are plenty of ants lurking around the open blooms. Total, absolute 'Ugh'. However, I took the shot after a good downpour, so no ants! Yay!

And here we see how this plant has escaped the boundaries of the net into the open sunshine!

Pretty Potholes

Just thought I'd share something happy called Project Pothole where Artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera took to repairing unsightly potholes and cracks with beautiful rainbow hues of yarn along the streets of Paris

How creative! It definitely brought a smile to my face. 

I can just imagine a girl in pigtails, frock and knee high socks joyfully skipping on them with the soundtrack to the Sound of Music playing in the background, it'd feel like a soft bounce rather than the brain jarring feeling you get from actual potholes! But who would have the heart to step on something so pretty?!

All images come from here