Friday, September 20, 2019

For every moment worth worrying,

What would I do, if I have nothing to worry about?

Sit by a cafe, sipping down a warm and thick hot chocolate. Savouring a tangy sourdough toast with creamy scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms with fresh truffle shavings, wilted spinach and a generous sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. Breathing in fresh air, looking mindlessly at trees, flowers, clouds and simply anything that moves before my eyes. And when I feel like it, a well risen, moist pistachio soufflé with freshly churned vanilla bean studded ice-cream. Accompanied with lovely classical tunes, the familiar tunes that I can hum to.

Or perhaps, 

Lazing by the window, staring at the night sky, counting the stars that my human eyes can see. With no agenda on the next day, or the day after, or the rest of my life. Dozing off to milky ways and shooting stars. A light scent of lavender, hugging my knees, wondering which star belongs to me. Not caring if I have to please anyone, just my very own tired soul. 

Maybe,

Stepping into an empty concert hall, picking any seat I like. A soloist, playing just for me. My favourite songs, weaved into a simple symphony. Spending the evening just swinging along. No words needed. No comments. No interruptions.

Moments turn into memories, memories into history, history into lessons, lessons into stories. Those untold stories. 




Monday, August 12, 2019

Ready;

The long weekend was memorable - meeting PY 4 days in a row brought back many London/Iceland feels. Except that conversations included marriage and housing plans, which was definitely exciting and am looking forward to.

Am I ready?

I am ready but not prepared. Does that make sense? I am emotionally able (and happy) to accept that I am going to spend the rest of my life with this amazing guy. But knowledge-wise, I don't think I am well equipped. Maybe that's when pre-marriage counselling comes in to help.

Was struggling with this in my head, trying to figure out what is it that I am feeling.

And if the wedding is on 8th August 2020, we have exactly 1 year to prep, including housing plans.

2020 is going to be a year of changes, something I would need to learn to face with confidence and embrace.

Friday, August 9, 2019

Corner House;



A surprise, thank you really. 

Not sure what you see in me, but I thank God for you :) 

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Isn't She Lovely,


Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love
Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
Through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love
Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is Aisha
The meaning of her name
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Inclusive

Image result for i respect husbands who said let me run through my wife

I've spoken to many mummies ordering cakes for their children's birthday or fiancee ordering cake for a wedding, and one sentence I often get is: "Let me check with my husband/fiance". 

Communication is not just telling each other how the day went, or our affection for each other. It's about making decisions, sharing feelings, explaining thought processes and planning things through with each other. 

We don't communicate just because we want to talk. We communicate because we respect each other and value each other's opinion. 

And now, that is why communication is key. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Rainbow after the storm;




This morning was really hectic, crazy and mentally draining. Used up 30+ eggs just for a cake, 3-4 batches of baking, non-stop. 

After the whole session, by 1pm, I was really tired - physically, mentally. My head was on hyper mode, processing and thinking so quickly that I can't even catch up. So many things were going wrong in the kitchen. But thankfully, they were salvageable. 

I wish I could leisurely bake, as and when and not based on a certain schedule. 

I still have the tart shells I've made from scratch (hand-lined, like finally), waiting to be filled. I just need time, and perhaps some inspiration and energy. 

Earl grey, elderflower, mint with a sprinkle of crushed pistachio. Yums. 

Thank God for PY, keeping me sane, giving me something to look forward to at the end of the day. 

Went to Jurong Lake Gardens to jog with PY, and this place is pretty! I love the florals and greens around, nicely themed. And the very scenic lake, with interesting parks scattered across the whole garden. Enjoyed the breezy jog, and of course the company. Ended the day with a meal at a nearby Kopitiam with 鱼头炉. I think I'm getting hooked to this big pot of fish and random assorted vegetables. It was very comforting. 

Feels like London/Iceland all over again. Actually, every moment with you feels like this. 

Monday, July 22, 2019

爱要怎么说出口;

只是
爱要怎么说出口
我的心裹好难受
如果能将你拥有
我会忍住不让眼泪流
第一次握你的手
指尖传来你的温柔
每一次深情眼光的背后
谁知道会有多少愁
多少愁;

看见
你的笑,我怎么舍得
可是伤,还是痛的
我不会忘记。也不会再问

恐怕
逃避还是最好的选择

Sunday, July 21, 2019

知足;

如果我爱上你的笑容
要怎么收藏要怎么拥有
如果你快乐不是为我
会不会放手其实才是拥有

Little things

A cup of water timely brought,
An offered easy chair,
A turning of the window-blind,
That all may feel the air;
An early flower bestowed unasked,
A light and cautious tread,
A voice to softest whispers hushed
To spare an aching head—
Oh, things like these, though little things,
The purest love disclose,
As fragrant atoms in the air
Reveal the hidden rose.

- Anonymous

Friday, July 19, 2019

Anticipate


We seek peace in times of distress;
happiness in times of sadness;
perfections in imperfections;
love, when there is no love. 

The yearning to make up for things that isn’t there, to make things complete. 

After a back to back session of disturbing piano listening, all I want is some melody. Less talking, less critiquing, more appreciation. 

And perhaps a good sunset. In the arms of someone I love, filling the depleted soul up with serenity. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

男人的美,

当一个男人眼角有皱纹的时候,那是经历的体现;
手掌上的老茧, 是责任的付出;
头上的白发,就对岁月的思考;
佝偻的身躯,是对命运的不屈不挠。

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Flying at Night

by Ted Kooser
Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.
Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us,
some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death,
snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn
back into the little system of his care.
All night, the cities, like shimmering novas,
tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Lernen durch Lehren

It's well established that people learn best when they teach, and that's why there's a "Teach Back" method. We use that often in healthcare, asking patients to "teach" us back what we've explained to them, in their terms, just to make sure that they understood what we've said. 

I was getting my piano kid today to play arpeggios, and this arpeggio pattern suddenly hit me. It's difficult to make them remember arpeggios, especially when there are 24 variations (5 black key major, 5 black key minor, 7 white key major, 7 white key minor) x 3 (because there's right, left and hands together). The difficult ones are the black keys, because its rarely played at their stage. 

So while I was wrecking my brain on how to make her remember this whole lot of mess, it occured to me that there is this recurring pattern. Black - white - black. Most of the keys are played in this black-white-black pattern, except for a few special ones. 

Let me explain. Arpeggios are made up of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the key they are playing. For example, C major would be C (1st), E (3rd) and G (5th). So they are ONLY suppose to hit this 3 notes for arpeggios. Straight forward? Yes. But not until you have 24 variations of it. 

So for black keys, lets start with C# minor. C# will be C# (1st), E (3rd) and G# (5th) according to the key signatures for C#. (Note: those with a # will be black key). So, the first note is black, second is white and third is black. 

Lets move on to F# minor. F#, A, C#. Again, black white black. 
G# minor. G#, B, D#. Black white black. 

Fingering for the above formation is simple. 2 1 2 4 for right, 2 1 4 2 for left. Just start with the 2nd finger, it will not go wrong. 

Also note that # pairs with #. meaning if its F#, it will go with C#, not Cb. 

I left out D# minor and Bb minor because they are the special ones. 

How about major?

Db major - Db, F, Ab (black white black)
Eb major - Eb, G, Bb
Ab major - Ab, C, Eb

Again, black white black. Fingering is the same as minor. And b will pair with b. 

F# major and Bb major is special, so i left it out. 

And this already solved 60% of the black key arpeggios. The special ones are even simpler, with D# minor and F# major having all black keys and Bb major and minor being the odd one out (I shall not elaborate at this point). 

In summary, 
1. remember the 1st, 3rd and 5th note for the key (e.g. C# minor, remember C, E and G)
2. add in the black keys (so for C# minor will be C# and G# because its a black white black pattern) 
3. play with the fingering 2 1 2 4 or 2 1 4 2 (right and left hand respectively)
4. score!!!! 

BUT.

My piano teacher did not teach me this. I had to dead memorise (死背) all my scales. It was tragic. I don't blame her though. She did do a good job trying to teach me (I was a horrendous student) and helping me pass my exams. 

Anyway, through teaching my kiddos, I also learnt how to better play my scales (not only arpeggios, I also stumbled on a pattern for playing minor scales). I figured out so many tricks and patterns while I was repeatedly going through scales with them. It was rewarding :) I hope they find this helpful during exams as well. 

Teaching is two-way for me. I give, I gain. I gain, I give :)






Thursday, July 11, 2019

After a long hiatus....

Was having dinner with PY yesterday, and we both started talking about old phones and somehow, linked to blogging. Out of curiousity, I went to search for my old blogs and tada, it's still there (which is this blog). 

Actually I have a couple of blogs, there's one really old one with 600 posts. That was quite insane, reading back the first few post I've written. I can't help but laugh at my own childish text and typing. Back then, there was no such things as WhatsApp, or Facebook and somehow, friends relied on blogs to be kept updated. I realised most of my posts contains information that I wanted to tell a group of friends, and even to the extent of posting my weekly schedule (who would care really??!!?).

It was really interesting. I enjoyed reading back my old post, my old thoughts and how I felt or act towards certain circumstances. Picture says a thousand words? Not really. As compared to browsing my old photos, reading what I wrote certainly brought back more feels. Good and bad feels. 

Should I "revive" this blog? Maybe. I can imagine 10 years later, reading back what I wrote will be insightful (I hope). 

So what changed? 

Life wise, I'm 27 now, graduating soon from post grad and fumbling through life's options. Baking and piano takes up most of my time and my leftover pockets are filled with badminton, dinner dates and occasional meetings. 

Thoughts wise, matured? Maybe, I'm not so sure. But I do give more thought to what I say, do and the choices I need to make. That isn't the best measurement for maturity though. Probably just being more responsible for my own actions. 

Personality wise, reading back old post tells me that I didn't change much, at least at the very core of it. Still that introvert, don't ever think that would change.

Hobby wise, looks like I'm still that boring girl who likes music, food (science), food (food), travel and sports. Perhaps, more emphasize on these more than ever.

10 years. I wished I did more, I wish I learnt more. But one can only wish for so much. There's nothing much I can do to time lost, only able to change what's ahead. 

--

Back to today. 

Had the regular Thursday badminton games, it was alright. Tried to be a little slower, thinking about placement and controlling the shots. Difficult. Only managed to stay focus for the first game, and that was a pretty awesome game. I could feel that I was in control. But after that game, totally off. Gotta work on resilence and stamina (for the brain). 

Back home, baking and prepping for the bake sale. And whoa, I love the milo flavor! I had to get Milo Gao Kosong, just to make sure that it will not be too sweet. Not a milo fan, but I'm certain milo fans will love it, cause it's really Gao. Nestum was interesting - thick and aromatic. Will be toasting up some Nestum and sprinkle them on top for that extra omph. 

Was trying to hunt for passionfruit but I really can't find. Is it not passion fruit season? I'll have to scan my little brain for plan B. 

God is great, providing more that what I was expecting :) 

Ok, off to work!