*987 - berries

One thing I have learnt to appreciate here are the ang moh fruit--i.e. the ones we have to import into Singapore very expensively and not-so-yummily. (From the other perspective, they're missing out on the tropical lychees and rambutans and dragonfruit and mangosteens and mangoes which aren't fibrous and sour ... to my detriment!)

Can't wait for pick-your-own-(blank) season!! Okay, I guess I have several months more to wait. Strawberries in June, blueberries in July, peaches in August, apples in September. NOTHING IN MARCH OR APRIL OR MAY adlkfja;lkdjf WHY.

*986 - change in plans

I retract the previous message. Here is the updated version:

Hold your horses, everyone--late June to mid July: EV's going home (yes, Singapore)!

I still want play dates! :) Hope everyone will still be around then?

And look, Daddy's comforting words in response to my sudden change in plans (yes, after I had already booked my tickets):

"Sometimes exigencies of work demands require us to be flexible enough to respond to such changing circumstances."

HOW IS MY DADDY NOT THE MOST AWESOME. EXIGENCIES. LOVELY.

*985 - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The above: always my checklist for love.

Unadorned, gentle, kindly, unruffled, simply about you and not about me, protecting, trusting, believing.

*984 - tights

Unconventional tights from Les Queues de Sardines. Brilliant!

*983 - gold dust

Oddest wine purchase yet in my thick history of wine purchases, and a valuable lesson learnt.



At the liquor store: per the usual (unfortunately gender stereotypical) routine, she peruses the wines as he peruses the beers.

She comes scampering up with eyes bugged, gold flakey wine in hand.

Her: "Look what I found!!"
Him: "...??!?!"
Her: "?!??!!!?"

And they proceed to make the purchase immediately.

Yes, wine with gold flakes certainly seems like an incredible idea in the moment, but the lesson learnt is to be discerning when buying from the 'bargain bin' of wines. Sometimes you find good deals, but sometimes you find things that have reason to be there.

We don't usually have a problem downing several delicious bottles of wine per weekend, but this one was painful. It burned as it went down, and if you forgot and did the classy gurgly wine inhale out of habit, you would surely choke. We eventually gave up and turned to other more pleasing drinks, but I suspect that it contributed to my supremely painful hangover this morning.

The leftovers? Made a surprisingly satisfying creamy gold flakey white wine seafood pasta for dinner.

*982 - patio

It's almost that time of year--the one where you very symbolically retire your hooded down jacket and fur-lined boots and remove the shovel and rock salt from your BOOT (translation: trunk). Almost, but not quite yet.

(Actually, who am I kidding? We're still hitting sub-freezing temperatures at night and it just snowed last week. But! I am remaining optimistic.)

The point being, the terrible gloom of wintry snowstorms seems to be at an end, we're somewhere in between seasons, and spring looks to be on the horizon. Which gave me a perfect reason to frolic out to get a few little things to furnish and decorate my little outdoor porch!

It is an odd space just outside my bedroom that, if barren, looks completely rundown and gross, but, if decorated, could have the potential to be seen as "cute" or "quaint" or even maybe "charming". So here's my first attempt.







Can't wait to actually be able to sit out there and soak in some fresh air and sun.

*981 - crab dances

Cooking is always so much more rewarding when one is cooking for, or with, someone else.

Homemade crabcakes--packed with pure crabby goodness ...



with homemade aioli and a squirt of lemon.



Glorious. It doesn't look like much really, but it tasted divine! :) And was really easy to make.

*980 - so dreadful

Tsunami footage.

As invincible as all our advancements appear to make us, we are still so very helpless.

Japan needs our prayers.

*979 - cheesecake swirl brownies

Cream cheese. Chocolate. Lovely alone but even better as a couple.

Behold, my cream cheese chocolate brownies, made with real melted chocolate (none of that cocoa powder substitute), and in terribly yellow lighting:





And in case you were looking for a recipe:



Great. They were epic-ly good.

*978 - a follow up to a follow up

I actually meant that completely literally and not metaphorically.

Though, yes, it would be cool in the other sense too.

(Why do I have a dialogue going on with myself?)

*977 - a follow up

I also wish I could borrow someone's eyeballs for a moment to check and see if we all see the world in the same way through different eyes.

*976 - I wish I could be (for a just little while, to see how it feels) ...

- A virtuoso pianist
- An acrobat
- A modern sculptor or painter
- A seagull (preferably an offspring of Jonathan Livingston)
- A cookie froster or a frosted cookie
- A very intelligent person
- A very beautiful person
- A very happy person (but I am!)
- My mummy or my daddy
- A guitar (gently played in the classical fingerpicking style, please)
- A poet
- A modern dance instructor
- A very thin swirl of cirrocumulus clouds
- You
- Or him, or her
- Or myself, wholeheartedly and unabashedly

*975 - uncanny.

Linguine falls in love with the lady who loves to cook.



Oh, Linguine.

Ratatouille for dinner sometime, perhaps?

(How does this sound: shrimp pesto linguine (preferably whole wheat) and a side of ratatouille?)

*974 - and now that you know, this is for you

MREOWEOWEWWWW lemme go pls thx -one brow furrowed-



o_o

*973 - to everyone i owe an email to

I have been a tad too busy to reply to my emails thoughtfully, and don't want to send hurried ones, so ...

I LOVE YOU ALL and will write back soon!