the hairdresser must be crazy

According to my sister, this is how idiotic I look.

soft focus

This is a more flattering photo of him than of me, but it is perfectly lit and completely unposed.

crochety old lady

My pair of cushy cushions are finally done.


But looking at this Flickr photo I found by Pezquehina, I feel like I've cheated by making such huge giant enormous squares, instead of 10,000 teeny ones.

blasts from the past

It's been an emotionally draining day on top of an inhospitable fortnight on top of a month that has tested my resolve.

These were good for a chuckle and some nostalgia for a couple of minutes at least this morning when I dug them out.


My past life as Qwerty the all-powerful mage with her trusty tanker Tobong, who also doodles pretty well during lectures. Ah, good ol' days of MUD and magic mushrooms.


The Flying Fish! And Lee Nam Heng!


Notice how Xiang Yun's poster is twice the size of her to-be-husband's?


Samsui Woman! I couldn't find any photos of The Awakening though.


In The Mood For Love. Am gonna frame up these cards properly and display them instead of just sticking them in a box. Mustn't waste Maggie and Tony!


I was so in love with him. He's so dreamy. And Mannequin is still my fave movie.

small is beautiful

The Nutshell Studies Of Unexplained Deaths is a fascinating book combining criminal forensics with dollhouse miniatures. Not unlike those recent CSI episodes that just aired.

From Apartment Therapy

bun, ban, banh

Bun cha: My sissy's fave dish of grilled pork patties and rice noodles with fish sauce. We had an inferior version in a high-class restaurant, but this roadside one was much oilier and hence better.


Banh beo: My fave dish. They're like chwee kueh, but with tasty little prawny morsels on top.


Banh xeo: Vietnamese crispy pancake, not unlike the Korean variety.


Bun bo: Squiggly short fat noodles in super savoury beef and crab soup.


Dunno what this is called, but it's deep-fried spring rolls eaten with a tangy mayo dip.

Belatedly, I realised that I didn't shoot any pho bo or rice paper spring rolls. Probably because I was too eager to dig in. Vietnamese food is too yummy!

strings attached

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

This made me pause and take a moment.

missing saigon

Was in dire need of a perk-me-up in the afternoon, so decided to MacGyver my own ca phe sua da in the office canteen.

Ingredients: three tablespoons of condensed milk, half a styrofoam cup of black coffee, all the ice the cup could hold. Straw for ineffective stirring, optional.

Total cost: $0.40.

Taste test: It was nowhere close to Trung Nguyen, it was more like cold condensed milk flavoured with coffee.

drip drip drip

Don't worry, I've not forgotten my threat to inflict my Vietnam holiday snaps on you. But it will have to wait because I've been up to my eyeballs...

But here's the best thing I learned while in Ho Chi Minh City: That I can drink coffee if it's sugared and milked and iced, without my heart racing and my head spinning.

I'm not sure what I love more -- the slow contemplative drip, the sweet swirl of thick coffee being stirred into even thicker condensed milk, or the crackling of ice as the hot hits the cold. Ah, what I'd give for a glass of ca phe sua da right now...

rush hour

Tourist snaps of Vietnam trip coming soon -- be warned!



In the meantime, here's a video of the swarms of motorbikes in Saigon. I would have shot one too, except that I was hanging on for dear life.

But no crappy camera phone can capture the exhilaration of weaving through traffic without ever stopping for a red light, the wind whipping through my hair, and the amazement after every ride that I was still alive.

miss saigon

Some stuff to keep you occupied:
-- mag goss on Glossed Over. Pay special attention to the interesting fact you didn't know about Katherine McPhee.
-- create your own library catalogue cards here. Trust me, it's fun after you finish filling up the form.
-- find out how alike you are to me in terms of our Visual DNA.
-- search for your fave Calvin & Hobbes strip. Somehow, I still haven't been able to find that particular one which made me cry [in a sweet, not tragic, way.]

All crocheting and cross-stitching is on hold as I'm off to Vietnam, but I'll be...