tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140753722024-03-24T02:11:44.254+08:00 my random musesb.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.comBlogger384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-73671140604984833482023-01-27T07:30:00.029+08:002023-01-30T00:26:06.335+08:00Hello, Kitty!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaZJOZq32pobJHvVEw_hlqkpjUeEkOS6dPHpQ9C00doZjHmHfrccFRZwtHADWGXj06tpmtS4fHmvfSEWbtBCuIJss-S3Z8-_Z5BF3ErdHETHwKQui7hYdl_R9gdWu80sddxjVl2V8RX4exgxnMoC7_bMMCFFxTxVMgSbt9oKZzPZ0gL-evCk/s4000/20230122_093023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaZJOZq32pobJHvVEw_hlqkpjUeEkOS6dPHpQ9C00doZjHmHfrccFRZwtHADWGXj06tpmtS4fHmvfSEWbtBCuIJss-S3Z8-_Z5BF3ErdHETHwKQui7hYdl_R9gdWu80sddxjVl2V8RX4exgxnMoC7_bMMCFFxTxVMgSbt9oKZzPZ0gL-evCk/s320/20230122_093023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My girlfriends are the best - not only do they tolerate my very frivolous and bimbo side, they often indulge it. </p><p>Case in point, dear J gleefully made sure she passed these cute saucers to me before I headed out for the holiday. "Something random and fun! I saw these and I KNEW I had to get them for you." she grinned. </p><p>I unwrapped the boxes and burst out laughing. Of course she had to - two cutest Hello Kitty ceramic saucers, that were just the right balance of cute but not tacky. The artwork was beautifully done and the saucers were well made too. </p><p>When I asked her what the Japanese script on them meant, she deliberately did a Google image translation to show me. Literally "Hello, Kitty". LOL. I was so amused. </p><p>Took these plates out on the first day of LNY, to have a piece of pineapple tart, and one almond cookie. I'm not usually one to have sweets for breakfast, but these were surprisingly not cloyingly so, and perfect with a cuppa Americano. :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJua-rVsiMdnequktAN1xhC-VvZElaHZizBVhwEvEtj1W3fKqS4cFlE0AiZbBH-ukcsH1wFU-HqjelVGpbm_9g6E4-AWlKioUPH8H863YlQ3H1bqsZYzz75nASe2BUDjgX11rSUXmjTnsR3XrKG5L-pec_Crei7DogMteMtbo_PjIJzCgQ83E/s4000/20230122_094004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJua-rVsiMdnequktAN1xhC-VvZElaHZizBVhwEvEtj1W3fKqS4cFlE0AiZbBH-ukcsH1wFU-HqjelVGpbm_9g6E4-AWlKioUPH8H863YlQ3H1bqsZYzz75nASe2BUDjgX11rSUXmjTnsR3XrKG5L-pec_Crei7DogMteMtbo_PjIJzCgQ83E/s320/20230122_094004.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blends right in with my home decor</td></tr></tbody></table><br />b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-17743908272793783482023-01-26T07:30:00.004+08:002023-01-29T23:48:25.051+08:00Found mâche!A favourite salad base that <i>la belle-mère</i> uses is mâche (corn salad in English, a far less enchanting sounding name, if I may say so) a variety of the honeysuckle family. <div><br /></div><div>I love it - its taste is mild but still tasty, with just a slight crunch and texture to bring interest as well as stand on its own, and grows in cute little bunches of roundish leaves, in the prettiest shade of light/lime green. I was rather woeful at the end of my trip, as I don't recall ever seeing it here in Singapore shops.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back home, I was mighty pleased to find that I was able to procure it from <a href="https://www.lepetitdepot.com/en/home">Le Petit Depot</a>, my trusty source of all the European groceries I miss. And as most things on this dependable site, it was reasonably priced (same or slightly cheaper than my standard spinach/arugula mix in the local supermarkets) and offered in very easy 120g packets. <i>Score. </i>I gleefully added 2 different brands to my cart, alongside some of my standard orders from the grocer. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>I believe this is the most excitement I've ever felt over vegetables, hahaha.</i> But I really do love my greens, and salad is a staple in my home meals, so this was indeed worth squealing over. :D</div><div><br /></div><div>Split the first packet over two meals now, one as a side to accompany some grilled chicken and pasta, and another as a meal in itself together with tuna, sunflower seeds, dressed simply in a mustard/olive oil dressing with just a dash of salt and pepper. It was most satisfying, heh.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwY9rjFWM27sa-RdhTiVoOsY6XvOK3CUIckR7erTS5EdlvhCGlGyRLAD0z-PN1urtc6SX4mYKHoJdv4JNQ2wmaEz4CVyoJ5JA2LYL8dcVzQK7LrUxdT5Pm9KsLnGeHCyI9spb5u6BJ9lBPqR0_dHKPRVYNJIUudxIGiglSwR2JOqXnVPD9vVY/s4000/20230125_222028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwY9rjFWM27sa-RdhTiVoOsY6XvOK3CUIckR7erTS5EdlvhCGlGyRLAD0z-PN1urtc6SX4mYKHoJdv4JNQ2wmaEz4CVyoJ5JA2LYL8dcVzQK7LrUxdT5Pm9KsLnGeHCyI9spb5u6BJ9lBPqR0_dHKPRVYNJIUudxIGiglSwR2JOqXnVPD9vVY/s320/20230125_222028.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Je l'adore!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-70905405251400809212023-01-25T07:30:00.004+08:002023-01-29T23:48:21.673+08:00A quiet afternoon in<p>Thanks to Lunar New Year starting on a Sunday, it was such a treat to have the third day of LNY off as well - somehow even though we still get 2 business days off, mentally it made a difference. </p><p>Had L over for the afternoon, which was perfect for me to order an easy delicious lunch from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/suguruhomedining/?hl=en">Suguru Dining</a>, this small business that started in the midst of the pandemic and has consistently churned out decent home delivery of fresh Japanese seafood. This day, we also scored a one-day special offer and had their full Couple's set, with 100g of Hokkaido Bafun uni, snow crab, scallops and ikura alongside their signature truffle somen. I added on an order of half a dozen of their sashimi grade Hyogo flash-frozen oysters, and it made for a beautiful lunch at home, washed down with an easy bottle of Sancerre 2018. Yum. We took our time savouring the food, and chatting about various topics - this is another girlfriend I see often, so our conversation topics really range from the most frivolous trivials to random deep thoughts that we were musing on lately. Ha. Given that the meal itself was relatively light, we indulged in some cheese, as well as chocs and cookies that I'd brought back from Luxembourg. </p><p>Then it was retro movie/tv time, as I introduced this poor deprived girl to The Sound of Music, as well as Ally McBeal. Haha. Over the past year, I have been notorious for snarkily judging some girlfriends on their sad childhood/teen years and forcing them to watch my favourite Disney/Hollywood movies. I say forced, by truthfully they were very willing participants who all enjoyed the education, so it's win win all around. :p</p><p>Times like this make me realise how much I really love having friends over, or spending time at friends' place sometimes - these easy chums whom I'm shameless to impose myself upon, are the same ones I would host anytime, having the luxury of just doing nothing and anything together in our own space and element. Quality time indeed. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VJXPokYh0zDMYyqUWpwaxa7Vb5IHeHgjiM4VwfwSnPsBtUAguj_NLsBYeKd-LT0L_kAMMYS5pHXMqv_D8eofea_0wRPZqNIHRUrCip0eFlB2uN34ShVoG2983MRaUo4ydD3RXSGABqfKAKA4FzTaZ930wXbZGP54liBakOW3iA2PjYcP6MM/s1920/InShot_20230127_100025841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VJXPokYh0zDMYyqUWpwaxa7Vb5IHeHgjiM4VwfwSnPsBtUAguj_NLsBYeKd-LT0L_kAMMYS5pHXMqv_D8eofea_0wRPZqNIHRUrCip0eFlB2uN34ShVoG2983MRaUo4ydD3RXSGABqfKAKA4FzTaZ930wXbZGP54liBakOW3iA2PjYcP6MM/s320/InShot_20230127_100025841.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosy!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-472752036231995452023-01-24T07:30:00.007+08:002023-01-26T11:58:32.648+08:00初二会好友<p>初二陪妈去拜祭外婆后,开心地约了Imp喝咖啡。度假回国后的一个多星期,我们的时间表一直没法对上,所以这还是今年第一次与她会和。算是庆新,我们也象征式地点了Prosecco,嘿。</p><p>乖巧的小狗陪着妈妈应酬了一天,当然特别欢迎她跟上。我们吃着芝士萨拉,闲聊各种话题,Choya如往地趴在女友的椅下,看起来像享受一天忙过来的宁静,哈哈。</p><p>友情真的是如此微妙:都是好友,但一些不常见面的相聚时却好像没分隔多久;像Imp呢,没见一个月心里就会觉得怪怪的,会牵挂想念。真高兴能在这新年公共假期能与她倾谈片刻。</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdvuIePYtroEKT-opf06IBwi4VGTX1Rg0h3N3ytr8Gfnvy6i4_ucc8sMbp2Q3FG2IwsK4IpaBxAhX9QdgP3avMA9Aac5gcOPrIUuDaFvby_cYABgmpCakqHYGgNBBcLDoKsg1MmUkJd3AJdZ9s5_8nGxrBNzitFxNvfwjBHCHoRgxMRf5NeQ/s1920/InShot_20230126_013822771.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdvuIePYtroEKT-opf06IBwi4VGTX1Rg0h3N3ytr8Gfnvy6i4_ucc8sMbp2Q3FG2IwsK4IpaBxAhX9QdgP3avMA9Aac5gcOPrIUuDaFvby_cYABgmpCakqHYGgNBBcLDoKsg1MmUkJd3AJdZ9s5_8nGxrBNzitFxNvfwjBHCHoRgxMRf5NeQ/s320/InShot_20230126_013822771.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">🧡</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-63675264420583436432023-01-23T07:30:00.009+08:002023-01-26T01:17:40.448+08:00Back on the wheels!<p><i>Happiness is getting back on the bike for my first ride of 2023, on the first day of the Lunar New Year. :)</i></p><p>I never thought I would utter these words, but I've missed cycling, over the month-long break from it due to travels and un-bike-friendly weather when I returned. </p><p>Thanks to this unusual rainy weather too, I had to settle for a much shorter (by distance as well as duration) ride just in the hood, squeezed in between showers that morning. </p><p>Not a big deal though - truth be told, I was also slightly apprehensive but majorly relieved that I actually finally understood the saying, "It's like riding a bike", hahaha. That was something I never related to, seeing that I never figured out how to ride, so it never made sense. </p><p>But as I climbed onto the bike and kicked off, the muscles just knew what to do, and that still-new-but-familiar joy and pleasure and exhilarating feeling of freedom came flooding back. Wheee. So fun! </p><p>It was a short 45-minute ride, just enough to refresh the techniques I had picked up last year, and remember crucial details like turning on the front and back lights. :p</p><p>Now to wait for the weather gods to bless my next ride, hopefully before this lunar new year ends!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFTbKv0moGj0pB16V8sjOr28HwoCOLkELTcSFrIbR31kcvIE3xZ5y-0vlrK4MMlM2Upw3cc-HFWaLg0a3Hh7WgUcOHDn8I91sS30n_Z7lQmMfsqlXJdtTCEvzZoDaAvrHCV9Xs7atd5bG2wpeexh_wf4c71LpLRlu8Gjoz6bK_RH4d3zb63c/s4096/InShot_20230126_011556832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="1985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFTbKv0moGj0pB16V8sjOr28HwoCOLkELTcSFrIbR31kcvIE3xZ5y-0vlrK4MMlM2Upw3cc-HFWaLg0a3Hh7WgUcOHDn8I91sS30n_Z7lQmMfsqlXJdtTCEvzZoDaAvrHCV9Xs7atd5bG2wpeexh_wf4c71LpLRlu8Gjoz6bK_RH4d3zb63c/s320/InShot_20230126_011556832.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For posterity</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-65898597151359702732023-01-22T07:30:00.007+08:002023-01-26T00:53:48.053+08:00年夜饭<p>今年年夜饭,妈妈下厨,简单但丰盛。</p><p>帝王鸡,烧肉,五香,鱼柳,肉骨茶,清炒冬粉。</p><p>五人围桌,人数熟悉但也感觉陌生。</p><p>但如往的气氛最终没变:琐碎的话题,时不时的冷笑话,分析来年各家人生肖的运程,打包剩菜时的讨价还价。</p><p>家,就如此。幸福,珍惜。</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUWiunvO7sM5tffdF9yHDiVZMa-nU1cFYaFSkJLZNs7Xz7ytqbrSVgVhjdzflRn77N5WgqEkvgG_eUUT7roMz572mFA_PE6UfdQVqSz-7JKoQpUSh4oKPj75UBti2zwGZwbes5Mje-XrPkc40U2Nz6WWkqOolFrxKPac33dFGFfFvDMh8flA/s3752/20230126_004816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2413" data-original-width="3752" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUWiunvO7sM5tffdF9yHDiVZMa-nU1cFYaFSkJLZNs7Xz7ytqbrSVgVhjdzflRn77N5WgqEkvgG_eUUT7roMz572mFA_PE6UfdQVqSz-7JKoQpUSh4oKPj75UBti2zwGZwbes5Mje-XrPkc40U2Nz6WWkqOolFrxKPac33dFGFfFvDMh8flA/s320/20230126_004816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">有鱼有肉有菜,样样齐全</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-9221880363147045982023-01-21T07:30:00.009+08:002023-01-26T00:53:45.020+08:00除夕感想:念爸爸<p>爸,</p><p>道别五个月了,您还好吗?</p><p>脱离病痛,我心想您因该正开心自由地到处遨游,亲眼体验您生前最爱观看的各种旅游节目吧。您一向好善,可能也交了些新朋友,希望您遇到的都是能和睦相处的伙伴,嘿。</p><p>生前可能因皮肤敏感,我们从没见您游泳,所以得知您要求海葬的意愿,都颇感意外。但现在回想,反而感觉恰当,您能在水中自在地漂游,大概挺享受的吧。</p><p>今年年夜饭少了您,也无须庆新年,心头难免还是有所感触,小小抽动。但想念的当儿,还是庆幸您已自由,远离痛苦了。</p><p>除夕团圆,我们毕然会特别怀念您,可也但愿您别太牵挂,要畅怀地享受宁静哦。</p><p>💜</p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-34334396845043608912023-01-20T07:30:00.003+08:002023-01-26T00:30:05.900+08:00Satisfaction from labour <div>Had an unusually hectic schedule the past week, where it was non-stop all the way daily through the entire week, that reminded me of past lives. Except that rather than feeling embattled and drained, I felt so alive and charged. Heh. That's not to say that I don't get busy now, but these periods are much more spread out, and they also tend to occur from market trends rather than overcapacity. A huge difference from the daily fire-fighting where one hardly had time to catch your breath, ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>14 months into this firm and role, I've found a comfortable groove between the daily tasks while also juggling various projects and other mandates that come through with varying timelines and priority. Being in a centralised function also meant that my touchpoints with other colleagues and stakeholders are more spread out across the region rather than being focused on a select group based in the same office, and I quite enjoy the variety and the exposure to a larger group. It allows me to have a more comprehensive of the firm's offering and strengths across the region and globally too. </div><div><br /></div>With the current work situation, there is a rather nice balance where most days the hours are quite humane and there is often actual space and bandwidth for the brain to properly process and add value to the work I'm involved in, making it really enjoyable and challenging in the best ways. A very nice surprise and stark contrast to the previous roles in the last decade. <i>What a breath of fresh air. </i>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-72489405680909398872023-01-19T07:30:00.001+08:002023-01-19T19:42:58.583+08:00The siege of jetlagOne of the few trivial things in life that have the ability to faze me is jetlag - as previously mentioned, I sleep well and also easily, and truth be told, I secretly (well, not anymore now that I'm sharing it here) think that sleep is a waste of time. Even over doing nothing, or rather, <i>especially</i> over doing nothing. <div><br /></div><div>So whenever I suffer any form of insomnia, I get SUPER grumpy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Conversely, whenever I managed to hack jetlag during/after my travels, I'm exceptionally gleeful. It's like cheating fate, you know? </div><div><br /></div><div>The trick I've found, is that if you manage to adjust your sleep during the journey home, to the destination timezone, you can pretty much adapt within a day to the normal sleeping hours of the updated hours. But miss that crucial window, and you will be doomed to contend with it for at least five to seven days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alas, this last trip was not one of those where I managed to dodge the dread of the body obstinately refusing to register the updated timezone that it's now located. So for just over a week now, I've been hit by waves of sleepiness in the late morning to noon period, energy crash in the early evening, and then the eyes and brain being annoyingly awake from midnight through to the early morning. I feel like I'm hungover half the time, except that I didn't even have any fun imbibing alcohol, so it's pretty much the cost without the actual procurement. Zzzz. No fun. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thankfully, it's finally seeming to fade away so I'm feeling less like a zombie now. </div><div><br /></div><div>And no matter how tortured I was, it's still worth dealing with, for no matter how long or fleeting the time was, to cross borders into somewhere else, foreign or familiar. That's the travel bug woes I'm ever willing to shoulder. :p</div>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-75009019822479253792023-01-18T07:30:00.046+08:002023-01-18T07:30:00.161+08:00Crystal clarity<p></p><blockquote><i>Doubt, and go on doubting until you come to a point that you cannot doubt anymore. And you cannot doubt anymore only when you come to know something on your own. Then there is no question of doubt, there is no way to doubt. </i></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: right;">Living Dangerously, Osho </p></blockquote><p>Whilst I always tend to favour fiction in my readings, I have started venturing into the non-fictional genre more in past years. Philosophy is one of these newish areas of interest, although reads like these take wayyy longer than the light fluffy stuff. I can't speedread these as I often had to pause and reflect on what's being said.</p><p>Still slowly making my way through this book, but this paragraph struck me. It made me realise that oftentimes I do practice that, even when it's not a conscientious act. </p><p>I tend to make decisions and conclusions based on instinct, almost always independently. Reflecting on this text revealed to me that while it may have seemed even to myself that I relied solely on my gut, I do deliberate internally until I reach a state of clarity when I've eliminated all doubts, to my satisfaction. However, it can be tough to explain exactly what gives me the certainty to others, particularly when it comes to issues related to emotions rather than facts. This realisation does provide a reassuring boost to my decision making skills, heh. </p><p>Osho is known to emphasize personal responsibility and freedom after all, and this definitely serves as a stark focus on self-assessment. I'm comforted to affirm that I do have a good hold of that, even if it's less intention and more instinct. </p><p><br /></p><p></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-7311565384682594542023-01-17T07:30:00.001+08:002023-01-17T07:30:00.164+08:00Theme song 2022<p>Just feeling like remembering here, the song that Spotify smugly told me was my most played song in 2022. Indeed it was, heavy heavy rotation. I'm one who can identify with a song for a certain phase or scenario and play it over and over, to help me get through it. And even if it's the most basic pop song, it sometimes really did.</p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, PingFang TC, Heiti TC, 微軟正黑體, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><那些你很冒險的夢> <br /></span></span><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">林俊傑</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當兩顆心開始震動</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當你瞳孔學會閃躲</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當愛慢慢被遮住只剩下黑</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">距離像影子被拉拖</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當愛的故事剩聽說</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">我找不到你單純的面孔</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當生命每分每秒都為你轉動</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">心多執著就加倍心痛</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">那些你很冒險的夢 我陪你去瘋</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">摺紙飛機 碰到雨天 終究會墜落</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">太殘忍的話我直說 因為愛很重</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">你卻不想懂 只往反方向走</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當愛的故事剩聽說</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">我找不到你單純的面孔</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">當生命每分每秒都為你轉動</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">心有多執著就加倍心痛</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">那些你很冒險的夢 我陪你去瘋</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">摺紙飛機 碰到雨天 終究會墜落</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">太殘忍的話我直說 因為愛很重</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">你卻不想懂 只往反方向走</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">我不想放手 你鬆開的左手</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">你愛的放縱 我白不回天空</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">我輸了 累了 當你再也不回頭</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">那些你很冒險的夢 我陪你去瘋</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">摺紙飛機 碰到雨天 終究會墜落</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">太殘忍的話我直說 因為愛很重</span><br style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">你卻不想懂 只往反方向走</span></p><p><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "PingFang TC", "Heiti TC", 微軟正黑體, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">你真的不懂 我的愛已降落</span></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-8027933408426056932023-01-16T07:30:00.022+08:002023-01-16T18:40:04.988+08:00Apprendre le français<p>Another area that I was pretty stoked to have sharpened my consistency and focus on was my French learning journey: I started some 8 years ago but was always sporadic with my practice, hence the progress was at snail pace for the most of the years. It was only in 2021 that I finally decided I needed to commit to daily practice and started French lessons on Duolingo. </p><p>Besides the convenience factor, the modules were pretty terrific in covering practical topics that were relevant for most daily conversations, and it felt like a more constructive use of my time versus scrolling on social media or playing mindless games. Heh. I is proud that I've done daily lessons for 602 days now. Woohoo. </p><p>It was over these past two Christmas that I truly got to test out my progress, given that AH is native French but speaks very fluent English, but his parents are much more conversant in French than any other languages. While I am pleased that we definitely understand each other better and can hold more conversations, many times when they start to go hard and fast on their dining table discussions, I still get lost. Conversely when I'm trying to string together more nuanced sentences, my limited vocabulary (or tragic pronunciation) fails me and AH had to step in as interpreter on both sides, and it can get a little frustrating. </p><p>I guess it's time to start exploring more structured or in-person classes again to really brush up on my conversational abilities, to hopefully further improve in communication with the family. </p><p>The goal for this year is to improve fluency enough to have less lag in formulating my replies in conversations, and get to a level of familiarity where I can understand perhaps 80% of daily conversations. <i>NB: NOT including political discussions, haha. That is another ball game entirely.</i></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE1NAokQzL6ppoyR91KGiN5x9Tx_ncT6ahnTs527an-HqZk_r7B260uOjQdC_8w7LiQLeevJtNx449t_ldJpyvsFzb0i_E1UUSdPEwF3P3b-xAGKP622wr6TVxqEU06Io7XbZPHwgF-TTG9NKqFELjUaBAS7aHANxh9J_fc6ILwj0NiXSMAU/s1995/Screenshot_20221210-130657_Duolingo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="1078" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE1NAokQzL6ppoyR91KGiN5x9Tx_ncT6ahnTs527an-HqZk_r7B260uOjQdC_8w7LiQLeevJtNx449t_ldJpyvsFzb0i_E1UUSdPEwF3P3b-xAGKP622wr6TVxqEU06Io7XbZPHwgF-TTG9NKqFELjUaBAS7aHANxh9J_fc6ILwj0NiXSMAU/s320/Screenshot_20221210-130657_Duolingo.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My inner Hermione is pleased. Hehe.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-31048575795760371272023-01-15T07:30:00.005+08:002023-01-15T11:05:20.091+08:00Carpe diem<p>Because sunny days are so rare in winter Luxembourg, you really make the most of it when the sky clears up.</p><p>No time to procrastinate. Hurry up, change and bolt out the door. </p><p>This was the best weather I had throughout the entire stay, 3 days before I leave. Heh. AH, les beaux parents and me took a look at that sky from the dining table after lunch, swiftly got up, changed and were out in 10 minutes, record time.</p><p><i>Really teaches one to savour the moments and not waste a single minute.</i> 💖</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGFqx620Ran3dSwiOaOHzYLxpRrj-L7m-5L0ZLVWgFOE-zeiq16GIU--aKjED6qUqp43ufozqLo3GlK3YH0gwW_G5QwkZhTcAmN4EbUFT6wK8Nggm8AnIxjmg5ovZQPAmy-8rMKRevVoefXqupKjMKxnSJ0cUduHHhz-Xkw24HblnlN1UzfI/s4032/20230107_163228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGFqx620Ran3dSwiOaOHzYLxpRrj-L7m-5L0ZLVWgFOE-zeiq16GIU--aKjED6qUqp43ufozqLo3GlK3YH0gwW_G5QwkZhTcAmN4EbUFT6wK8Nggm8AnIxjmg5ovZQPAmy-8rMKRevVoefXqupKjMKxnSJ0cUduHHhz-Xkw24HblnlN1UzfI/s320/20230107_163228.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare blue skies</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv5DbZXOMHsswBnLQrzysfL-pC2qjQbJWg-5wtzwC8egGKrlWH7rQsH2_A4RQ-fVDV7I8ILwNeO8nEMGa-8kmdGpnvckzb7uLX_koaiUl4q0UDGfZ282wtGiSBecTcU0sgNRjISAJpHoJW70a6LPoMaMdZSx2KWaImXJ6d8WfcxPzPLPhWnY/s4032/20230107_164039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlv5DbZXOMHsswBnLQrzysfL-pC2qjQbJWg-5wtzwC8egGKrlWH7rQsH2_A4RQ-fVDV7I8ILwNeO8nEMGa-8kmdGpnvckzb7uLX_koaiUl4q0UDGfZ282wtGiSBecTcU0sgNRjISAJpHoJW70a6LPoMaMdZSx2KWaImXJ6d8WfcxPzPLPhWnY/s320/20230107_164039.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">💙</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3IRs6690VHX7MxQ0JOPWuWc1mW2tkAh0hR770_a0iojuHGTivz5SszcIn0QHUeJKpkjh2vNMOJrKUHAROLFi7NK4iM9n0MgQ0Qf5w25VQ6jm3zCQuxdrkW_Sj0QSDkANR9M_EQbG2uR2JhTBcg58iD-8Y8H5P48jIoAVM7y7UK3UuK5bpRA/s4032/20230107_165252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3IRs6690VHX7MxQ0JOPWuWc1mW2tkAh0hR770_a0iojuHGTivz5SszcIn0QHUeJKpkjh2vNMOJrKUHAROLFi7NK4iM9n0MgQ0Qf5w25VQ6jm3zCQuxdrkW_Sj0QSDkANR9M_EQbG2uR2JhTBcg58iD-8Y8H5P48jIoAVM7y7UK3UuK5bpRA/s320/20230107_165252.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sign tickled me so much</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoO89cHOofZwTg-cEjMN1QZPtU3nsl1ocBhGVyGCl-xyFCU8X5dyhRluNYUirYvcK3tvFphWXKyNDMLnoSqJmLc6_WrE7Bi1aI35UkzjjvnxrehnNdEQdP3NwB6PHdKTE9LHs0AdQjTRsQWN0jbkgK5pCx6x3o0u6xg30wKosAor6pk0MEO4/s4032/20230107_171249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoO89cHOofZwTg-cEjMN1QZPtU3nsl1ocBhGVyGCl-xyFCU8X5dyhRluNYUirYvcK3tvFphWXKyNDMLnoSqJmLc6_WrE7Bi1aI35UkzjjvnxrehnNdEQdP3NwB6PHdKTE9LHs0AdQjTRsQWN0jbkgK5pCx6x3o0u6xg30wKosAor6pk0MEO4/s320/20230107_171249.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the outline of the botak trees</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-17353243697393828532023-01-14T07:30:00.023+08:002023-01-14T07:30:00.156+08:00Special mission: The chocolate cake do-over<p>A week after the <a href="http://bemusedtots.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-quiet-last-dinner-for-2022.html">fake chocolate cake fiasco</a>, the dear MIL was still rather sore about it, and explained to me the rationale for her disappointment: the family loves chocolate, and as they rarely partake in cakes except for festive celebrations, having a nice chocolate cake is a special pleasure that they look forward to on such occasions. </p><p>For Christmas, the brother-in-law had gotten a cake from a famed patisserie near where he lives, and while it was delicious, it was a light vanilla cream cake, so the in-laws were already slightly disappointed. No matter, there was still New Year's, they consoled themselves. </p><p>So when the MIL had taken pains to verify with the sales assistant that the cake she had her eye on was a chocolate one, only to find out that the only chocolate it contained were the four slabs on the outside of the cake, she was really upset. She even took photos and went back to the bakery to voice her displeasure. </p><p><i>Oops. </i></p><p>On the last day of this trip, I detoured to the same patisserie as that was their favourite after all, barring the whole drama, and procured 4 individual slices of chocolate cakes for us to share. Nobody could stomach a full cake after all the feasting over the past weeks, but I figured that it would at least make up for the disappointment which had marred the celebrations ever so slightly. </p><p>The way my <i>bellemere</i>'s eyes shone when we told her we bought cakes for dessert was so worth the effort. "<i>Chocolat</i>!!" she exclaimed excitedly with joy. Haha.</p><p>It was fitting to end our last meal together with that delicious dessert. Sweet and complete. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqntVgB9-sK0d_rdJhfNRJKdJOOMaAN99sw1RZ_02bUIi67h5Rc8h0gZaLXOGFc93GsGvtr0_2V7nbOBktLvur3tQAvNw9BWHNIO8BFMp5iBak4JB_ApfbrXMhhOs_akXgjpTPN1R_R16zU18Xqw5WrkEbRVaWb6nqx3Bgh7aBE-P38lTgiYs/s1920/InShot_20230114_044037504.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqntVgB9-sK0d_rdJhfNRJKdJOOMaAN99sw1RZ_02bUIi67h5Rc8h0gZaLXOGFc93GsGvtr0_2V7nbOBktLvur3tQAvNw9BWHNIO8BFMp5iBak4JB_ApfbrXMhhOs_akXgjpTPN1R_R16zU18Xqw5WrkEbRVaWb6nqx3Bgh7aBE-P38lTgiYs/s320/InShot_20230114_044037504.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Chocolate is a necessity of life</span></td></tr></tbody></table>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-9990897970602491022023-01-13T07:30:00.035+08:002023-01-14T04:14:24.194+08:00Final cheesy meal<p>For the final full day of my trip, it was yet another sad rainy day, which also called for the perfect wet weather lunch that required minimal cooking or prep time: Fondue! Another meal that in-laws knew I missed out on in Savoie and were determined to make up for me. Haha. I certainly have no objections over having yummy cheese. </p><p>Bread cut into bite-sized pieces, charcuterie, a big green salad and some cornichons on the side, and of course that large hearty pot of cheese mixed with wine. It was divine. </p><p>If it seems like all I did was eat, eat and eat some more on this trip, you are certainly not far from the truth. Mealtimes here are all about conversations and companionship though, so I'd like to think that they are more bonding exercises than simply acts of gluttony, with the added benefit of French listening comprehension practice for me, heh. All very constructive.</p><p><i>At least that's my story and I am sticking to it. </i>😇</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFOkLtQxe9be1m37NEskYhJlGFnXS3Z6CR6RNdu9fLX6ahHgtd6h2saTaxHaejBCQm_j3A33-B2QUZfDI3X1ivgi6i-il2Gf7IN-4SGf6RkcR-FkeBU70uUllrCIWq2PP-ybJ_U7XJbwtly6dS4w9ODF9MQ09pdYaloJ0qJsc7AQYpUQ3oGE/s1920/InShot_20230114_035531391.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFOkLtQxe9be1m37NEskYhJlGFnXS3Z6CR6RNdu9fLX6ahHgtd6h2saTaxHaejBCQm_j3A33-B2QUZfDI3X1ivgi6i-il2Gf7IN-4SGf6RkcR-FkeBU70uUllrCIWq2PP-ybJ_U7XJbwtly6dS4w9ODF9MQ09pdYaloJ0qJsc7AQYpUQ3oGE/s320/InShot_20230114_035531391.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cheese, why not.</td></tr></tbody></table>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-86950021971044894052023-01-12T07:30:00.002+08:002023-01-14T04:19:33.739+08:00炒虾面!<p>尽管之前提过不敢干涉家婆的厨房,看她餐餐一人包办,心里实在很过意不去。家翁和老公其实也时常帮忙,但主要的烹饪还是她的负担。</p><p>原本以为我至少能烘一粒我最拿手的面包与他们分享,但没料到欧洲的气温与潮湿度与新加坡天渊之别,结果面包彻底地失败,以悲剧收场。🙎</p><p>一天在超市看到些亚洲食品的摆放,家婆心血来潮对一包包的生面起兴, 打算买来准备一餐。既然我对中餐还有多些把握,于是自告奋勇的自荐准备那一餐。</p><p>虽然欧洲超市的亚洲食品有限,但所幸炒虾面基本的材料还够普遍,所以都一一购齐:大虾,豆芽,蒜头,酱清,麻油。</p><p>下厨当天,刚好家翁家婆有些事务需要出门处理,让我能自在地应用整个厨房来下菜,省得他们义务帮忙,也省了我不少压力。老公有询问是否需要他的协助,但我也推辞了:毕竟,我还挺享受烹饪的过程,而食谱也堪简单,独自准备整个过程真的是悠游自得,嘿。</p><p>家婆买的虾已煮熟,所以可省些时间。但我还是把虾头与虾壳拔出,用来煮上汤让面能入味。生面简单地依照包装上的指示先用沸水煮到七分熟,加点麻油放一边待用。最费时的是把豆芽去根:好久没应用豆芽,还真忘了这步骤有多耗时,但繁琐其中还有些莫名的乐趣。当一切齐全,只需用些热油把蒜蓉爆香,加入豆芽,上汤,生面与少许的酱清,差不多煮熟时加入虾一起搅匀,简单的炒虾面就可上卓。</p><p>我原本也想买包菜萝卜清炒当配菜,但家婆兴致勃勃地提议买冷冻的亚式炒菜,想说能省些准备功夫,我想也无妨。但当我把冷冻的蔬菜下锅时,才察觉蔬菜已经过酱料处理,并且味道偏甜,实在是我不太喜爱的味道。于是我临时变通,额外加入些前天买的味增,顺便让对这食材好奇的家婆尝尝。</p><p>那么简单的一道午餐摆上桌,一家四口静静地吃完。还好最后他们都还像蛮享受的,算是成功!我也总算贡献了一餐,让多劳的家婆能轻松半天,我能做的也就有限于此 。既然我还算证明了自己有些基本功夫,或许下次多做些计划与准备,再帮忙煮多几餐亚式菜肴与他们分享吧!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m1-Zqb5Vay9lBmtJ8EBVHYytDEq8PDbAA-Juo8gHe0ly0wEnYmMOhHuVWMh-5Hca9PvXo59JsaRBB_FnRDVtlKjv8Mk6DbX5Cfod1qLh5VYZHn4Lb_uLR8IN_KnnYk7HoarrUH3zx3sMBU0a1O8y2RQ1zlnWG4oU0XFjfDFZ-H4LcVSF5lo/s1920/InShot_20230114_011711783.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m1-Zqb5Vay9lBmtJ8EBVHYytDEq8PDbAA-Juo8gHe0ly0wEnYmMOhHuVWMh-5Hca9PvXo59JsaRBB_FnRDVtlKjv8Mk6DbX5Cfod1qLh5VYZHn4Lb_uLR8IN_KnnYk7HoarrUH3zx3sMBU0a1O8y2RQ1zlnWG4oU0XFjfDFZ-H4LcVSF5lo/s320/InShot_20230114_011711783.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">欧洲煮虾面,别有一番滋味</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-74660657670824454682023-01-11T07:30:00.000+08:002023-01-14T03:44:59.769+08:00Visiting Trier<p>During this trip, I had the chance to visit Trier on two happy occasions: once on the first day I arrived, as an excursion with AH and his parents; and the second time towards the end when I got to catch up with newly wed girlfriend U and her husband for dinner. </p><p>A 30-40 minute train ride or drive away from Luxembourg, Trier is Germany's oldest city and an important site for ancient art treasures and monuments. I was awestruck to be casually strolling past the <i>Porta Nigra</i> ("Black Gate"), the best-preserved city gate from the ancient world, the Amphitheatre and <i>Trierer Dom</i> (St. Peter's Cathedral), the oldest church in Germany, all kept in remarkable conditions over the centuries. </p><p>The first afternoon that we were there, we took time to stroll through the streets, passing the Christmas market in <i>Hauptmarkt</i>, boutique shops and having a leisurely lunch in a typical German wine bar. Game to sample the authentic local cuisine, I tried a roast pork belly with salad and a truckload of fries, while the rest of the group all took the pork knuckle with mash. All of us opted to wash it down with beer, of course. Heh. Then after some more shopping, we had afternoon coffee with cakes in a tea salon, before taking the train back. Twas a perfect way to commence my trip!</p><p>The weekend before my return flight, I was thrilled to meet U for dinner alongside AH and her newly minted spouse. Based on recommendations from her mates, we met at <a href="https://weinhaus-trier.de/">Das Weinhaus Trier</a>, another charming wine bar for more German fare. This evening, both AH and I opted for the veal schnitzel with fries, which was delicious fried stuff, as expected, haha. We decided that champagne was in order to celebrate their recent nuptials, and stuck with wine for the second bottle. It was so nice to see and catch up with U - we've both been rather preoccupied for the last 2 years and being in different continents now made it even tougher to keep in touch so we definitely had lots to chat about. Five hours flew by and we finally called it a night after midnight, and the couple spent the night there as it was a longer drive for them, while AH and I got the car back within under 30 minutes. </p><p>Given that this trip was really all about spending time with the family, and with most days being work days too, I was quite pleased to have visited a new place and even crossing country borders too, how fun! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAqpayqFyVJocJjpbBEOOsER5AZDJmHF-W4bercdaKCMCWsgcFsAiwwncZWpBv5-33eeibSzToU_JbxrP8fSggl5wFGQzntJLsbP3t4zsLq71QUEJLfo8H4-EV8I1JgjiLFUZxOGBHnPIUlyeCG8K8-04emxuaHHVJamzZNgXgZBflYAYBhU/s1920/InShot_20230112_101951418.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAqpayqFyVJocJjpbBEOOsER5AZDJmHF-W4bercdaKCMCWsgcFsAiwwncZWpBv5-33eeibSzToU_JbxrP8fSggl5wFGQzntJLsbP3t4zsLq71QUEJLfo8H4-EV8I1JgjiLFUZxOGBHnPIUlyeCG8K8-04emxuaHHVJamzZNgXgZBflYAYBhU/s320/InShot_20230112_101951418.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snippets of the first visit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-42694352974935754952023-01-10T07:30:00.003+08:002023-01-14T03:44:20.643+08:00Au cinéma avec la niece <p>We surprised the niece one day with a trip to the cinema, where AH and I took on the babysitting duties. </p><p>The film of choice, "<i>Ernest et Celestine: Le voyage en Charabie</i>" was the latest in a series of movies based on a French children's literature of the same name. The protagonists of the story were a grumpy musician bear Ernest and his best friend, an ever optimistic and artistic mouse Celestine. The stories centre around their adventures, into which were woven real life issues related to values, morals and even some political discourse. <i>Très français</i>. This latest movie saw the pair venture back to Charabie where Ernest was from, to find a master who can repair his violin which was damaged by accident. Quite a fun and entertaining watch, with the graphics very much based off the original illustrations used in the books - all those rustic and muted colours were such a pleasure to the eyes. </p><p>This being a European cinema meant that there were no English nor even French subtitles accompanying the movie, but I was pretty stoked that I could understand most the dialogues, thanks to the consistent practice on my Duolingo app the past year and a half. Heh. </p><p>The little girl was delighted to be in the theatre, but even more so to spend time with her uncle, whom she adores, which isn't surprising since he dotes on her immensely too and the two have the same ruckus level energy when they play/fight/dance. </p><p>For the first ten minutes that we were in the hall, it seemed like we booked out the entire space for ourselves, so we had fun taking some goofy shots too. Cute memories to remember before she becomes too grown up to express such unbridled joy and wonder. :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA5iIML3b6nl22ap1jRQIijJzrfos6KyLrnHFUTonQo25mRdOoBgzek4-AR-4M4JYM6kpQCGRJHGKRIX_EOZfZkvhZvhs1REz0EGand9HfA1-599uuqonoKMOr2MwREl9SCO7CX4d875tHlwwTnnLfTey_VVBfffNCVPCn8tLEzB4vTLJydw/s4032/20221224_105252.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA5iIML3b6nl22ap1jRQIijJzrfos6KyLrnHFUTonQo25mRdOoBgzek4-AR-4M4JYM6kpQCGRJHGKRIX_EOZfZkvhZvhs1REz0EGand9HfA1-599uuqonoKMOr2MwREl9SCO7CX4d875tHlwwTnnLfTey_VVBfffNCVPCn8tLEzB4vTLJydw/s320/20221224_105252.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adorbs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRA6FANBeiI1Ikbt9YdmunHevUUSi1ZGkOWNSanRCXQPmAvfuXdStUXu3_nPdMvzcdbKsDgD9Zu8la63f3E4lJOVowIb-qSoL40gkkNp6DoPHrKiY10sjliySUD9jBKExemUScyjsUzVCGmJi-E73NbX5J72db0k06HQGMujM5WPJWW2D_hY/s3072/InShot_20230108_194040303.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRA6FANBeiI1Ikbt9YdmunHevUUSi1ZGkOWNSanRCXQPmAvfuXdStUXu3_nPdMvzcdbKsDgD9Zu8la63f3E4lJOVowIb-qSoL40gkkNp6DoPHrKiY10sjliySUD9jBKExemUScyjsUzVCGmJi-E73NbX5J72db0k06HQGMujM5WPJWW2D_hY/s320/InShot_20230108_194040303.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly faces</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFr3HWo1TupQ_Ko8058ZEeX6piL51KP4W9BXQW0nsp4buxEGdn8eMJOFgOvCcZQuSzUrgvbwRi-sTrn8v7-_7sjkUEW8GVUcuOzypWZAJaw_MZRz6WlpU-tkneyHARAHAMeEIdI3DZOKnJN2eo5UgoWiBMuL0m8fH7tbriuTgqjqrhdj2wnQ/s3072/InShot_20230108_194229133.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFr3HWo1TupQ_Ko8058ZEeX6piL51KP4W9BXQW0nsp4buxEGdn8eMJOFgOvCcZQuSzUrgvbwRi-sTrn8v7-_7sjkUEW8GVUcuOzypWZAJaw_MZRz6WlpU-tkneyHARAHAMeEIdI3DZOKnJN2eo5UgoWiBMuL0m8fH7tbriuTgqjqrhdj2wnQ/s320/InShot_20230108_194229133.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretense>reality</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-50437153483221829092023-01-09T07:30:00.002+08:002023-01-09T07:30:00.188+08:00Raclette! <p>The in-laws are the sweetest - when they heard that I didn't get to have raclette while in the Alps on vacation back in September (the woes of solo travelling - most restaurants' servings for this dish are for minimum 2 persons), they took note and made sure I got to have it while here. Love.</p><p>So lunch it was, perfect for the grey rainy weather that day. Heh. </p><p>The French are genious at coming up with various dishes that are essentially different permutation of cheese and potatoes, two of my favourite foods. Yumm. The nifty apparatus that allow each diner to melt individual slices of cheese and pour them over cold cuts and boiled potatoes is simply genious. A huge bowl of salad was the perfect complement to all that rich decadence, not forgetting a delicious bottle of <i>Apremont</i> from the Savoie region. <i>Mmm</i>.</p><p>It came as no surprise that we all needed a <i>petite sieste</i> to recover from the food coma after the meal before waking up for a walk in the crisp cool air after the rain finally stopped. Very balanced day, indeed. 😉 </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoey1c5t3xfh0BReK1IkCjQb-ZY60yAO2KCtL5EMbWKpYs6T4tQioUq-D08ml7tIJzm8pFfemZLNp6tLOV0fFDwhkLUjLV4SQybYWsl9upGXQdRriETBgolE9-oeLW7rqUANYrsjTNNQLuipMqfyF-BzsBQ741Qxg1QvHIoQo_-4ruH9o1yz4/s1920/InShot_20230108_195250010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoey1c5t3xfh0BReK1IkCjQb-ZY60yAO2KCtL5EMbWKpYs6T4tQioUq-D08ml7tIJzm8pFfemZLNp6tLOV0fFDwhkLUjLV4SQybYWsl9upGXQdRriETBgolE9-oeLW7rqUANYrsjTNNQLuipMqfyF-BzsBQ741Qxg1QvHIoQo_-4ruH9o1yz4/s320/InShot_20230108_195250010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-6760599953637382452023-01-08T07:30:00.011+08:002023-01-08T16:59:37.359+08:00The quiet last dinner for 2022<p>While the dinner for Christmas Eve was filled with chaotic joy and fun, with an additional invited guest and the brother-in-law's family that included the funloving 8-year-old niece, New Year's Eve dinner was a much more subdued affair, but enjoyable nonetheless.</p><p>It was a quiet dinner for four, and the MIL delighted in changing the table settings, swopping the table linen from white to a gorgeous black, an elegant and striking contrast to all the champagne gold decor and place settings. </p><p>In place of a dance party fiesta, we played a more laidback but still upbeat playlist. It was pretty cool to see the in-laws, inspired by a news program earlier that morning extolling the benefits of songs and dance to one's life, busting out some moves and simply enjoying moving to the rhythm and beats with pure joy and little care. </p><p>Food was kept to the usual festive favourites: trio of aperitifs, pâte en coûte, foie gras, followed by steak with mushrooms and sweet potato purée, cheese and a delicious hazelnut cake. There was a moment of chagrin when we discovered that the cake had barely any chocolate (safe for the scant four pieces around the sides of the gâteau), but we ultimately decided not to focus on that for the evening, and simply revel in each other's company. </p><p><i>As the clock struck 12, officially stepping us into 2023, we enjoyed a good viewing of the fireworks display at Champs-Élysées, in the comfort of home and safely far away from the 1-million-strong crowd gathered there in person. Best way to partake in festivities, methinks.</i> 😬 </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU63N9arjqvDBtdCxmoza2NFgzg81XsC2w1ZBS1N6MlM3cswHCEE-UHFWDjAPu7OkccPKlIv2lqbvdkIFqrceDY5fizkQVgvD26tc7C_A5r_6T1ezd_uaBNsRfbdrEs9YLNJj4VuY62PEQfeGOwDhB-AQQjuIj6RFOG6vFIZvBsIVqhlyzLHU/s1920/InShot_20230103_185424835.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU63N9arjqvDBtdCxmoza2NFgzg81XsC2w1ZBS1N6MlM3cswHCEE-UHFWDjAPu7OkccPKlIv2lqbvdkIFqrceDY5fizkQVgvD26tc7C_A5r_6T1ezd_uaBNsRfbdrEs9YLNJj4VuY62PEQfeGOwDhB-AQQjuIj6RFOG6vFIZvBsIVqhlyzLHU/s320/InShot_20230103_185424835.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To another better year ❣</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-9326211009739803922023-01-07T07:30:00.056+08:002023-01-07T07:30:00.162+08:009 days of posts!<p>And just like that, I've managed to post for 9 consecutive days on this space, a week straight plus a bit more. <i>Yay! </i></p><p>Taking advantage of the slight lull in my schedule while on partial vacation, to settle into this routine. </p><p>Compared to the last time I've attempted this in 2017, it somehow feels much more manageable this time around. It's like I've flipped a switch and finally learnt to manage my chaotic mind a little better and get less overwhelmed when thinking of what to write about - typically, a few topics would come up, I would do a quick shortlist, then just <i>go</i>. Type it up, read through, edit, finalise, set schedule for publication, <b>done</b>. </p><p>It's a refreshing change from deliberating over and over, going back and forth in circles in never-ending analysis of which topic would work best. Often, before I reach a conclusion, I'd already be exhausted and defeated, then nothing gets written. Zzz. I *think* I've found a way to circumvent that after all these years and attained a "blogging peace" of sorts. I'm so pleased. </p><p><i>Perhaps all that mindfulness practice is actually paying off. :) </i></p><p>It is still early days yet, but so far it feels good, comfortable, not unlike catching up with an old friend whom I've always cared about but lost touch with for a while as we both got preoccupied with other life stuff that got in the way. Now we've found each other again, and it's like no time has gone by. </p><p>I've certainly missed writing, and am enjoying setting aside time to do this, as part of my daily agenda now. </p><p><i>Look at me adulting, making time for things that matter. </i>😎</p><p>It's been said that "self-praise is no praise", but who cares? Whatever works, and I have enough self-parenting experience to know I thrive on affirmations that are well-deserved, as much as I appreciate constructive criticism. Heh. </p><p><i>See you tomorrow, and the day after, and the days after. </i></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-91381602376545697642023-01-06T07:30:00.023+08:002023-01-14T04:26:13.364+08:00Update: Change in designation<p>I realised that I've skipped over a significant life update when resuming my posts (this most recent round, which let's face it, is a common offense for me, ha!) - the update of AB's designation. </p><p>After a good five years of holding that position, we promoted/updated him from AB to a more permanent position of <i>AH</i>. The promotion aspect is slightly dubious, since it doesn't really involve more benefits. In fact, he doesn't get additional days off (not as if that's even a benefit in the first place) but it does come with more official responsibilities and liabilities. <i>Hmm.</i> </p><p>Well, I'd argue that this being a more permanent position and tangible bond to *<b>me</b>* counts as a perk for him. Heehee. </p><p>It wasn't without event though - the later part of the year past was a little shaky on both our parts, but fortunately (again, a point of contention depending on who is assessing the situation), we are on more stable ground now, so it looks like this new(ish) designation is sticking for a while, although kind of under observation, just to be sure. </p><p><i>In all honesty, it's unchartered waters for both of us, but part of the fun/challenge is figuring out what works for both of us, and learning to evolve and grow together, not apart. Teamwork, essentially. Like any relationship, it needs both parties to be committed to it for things to work, and I'm glad that we are on the same page for that now.</i></p><p>There really isn't a real point of providing this update, since I don't think it really matters nor make a difference to readers of this blog, but it's just so it makes sense in my head when I use the new title when referencing him. So, just FYI, for what it's worth. :)</p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-70591271599477285632023-01-05T07:30:00.002+08:002023-01-05T07:30:00.163+08:00卢森堡庆圣诞<p>这次到卢森堡过圣诞,格外感触。走过的一年太多起伏,大家都似乎有些心力交瘁,但至少最后到了年尾,最忐忑的困境终于也多少平复了,还真的有种如释重负的感觉。</p><p>法国传统庆圣诞,是注重前夕的大餐,就像华人农历的年夜饭:一家团圆,围桌享用盛餐,欢庆度过的一年。</p><p>家婆的厨艺精湛,所以在准备晚餐时,我可不敢插手帮忙,以免帮倒忙,只得安分守己地帮忙布置餐桌,客厅等。所幸她热爱圣诞的程度可称"疯狂"无愧,各种大小装饰品,小灯泡等样样齐全,我随意把不同的饰品拼凑一起,也看来似模似样,还算看得过去,呵呵。</p><p>如往年,这一餐一坐下就吃上七个小时,比跑马拉松还长,哈哈。但大家吃吃喝喝聊聊,时间还真的似箭,不知不觉已凌晨两点。我们各饱而不撑,带着暖暖的肚腩入睡。</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM1Q3o8Fd5OwKZGLxbgVmT80qujBB2D4NiIlPVZqWK5fMAIj4C0FwlgvwhEArM1gM7h1xMJc8HpmeFjK7my5GyWzjZU1p3iNd6OD7ZOz6MzM1sR-EnALYPWUzo-RJwOjnvlKdg5wHjEeLEQD0_lTk8swZc0X4aoj4G1atCgnVUhf7x4AtudE/s1920/InShot_20230103_184233721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM1Q3o8Fd5OwKZGLxbgVmT80qujBB2D4NiIlPVZqWK5fMAIj4C0FwlgvwhEArM1gM7h1xMJc8HpmeFjK7my5GyWzjZU1p3iNd6OD7ZOz6MzM1sR-EnALYPWUzo-RJwOjnvlKdg5wHjEeLEQD0_lTk8swZc0X4aoj4G1atCgnVUhf7x4AtudE/s320/InShot_20230103_184233721.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">圣诞,快乐</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-40385701178093157812023-01-04T07:30:00.008+08:002023-01-04T07:30:00.168+08:00Soaking in the quiet<p>Love walking in Luxembourg, where there is a special stillness and quiet in the streets and the expansive landscapes. It fills the heart with a quiet joy and calm, and familiar comfort. </p><p>Soaking these up as much as I can, when the weather and schedule allows. </p><p>Hearts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2C02wF0nqZt2gMddfTMIFUAkFHDas_ENme15TkVM2tiSEE7aOh8vUv8ruh05UqZS9PD6xpT-_yTGsPjMX3X4GFVOfOmTZjqF44BJRVK3GqptI1KmtPCdC71uqw_UGs9zgOYPp2DyTkFRdz-LUxBxGT4dCTcJ7mE2K5B2tRcdm_oTpcboVhU/s4032/20221227_162214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2C02wF0nqZt2gMddfTMIFUAkFHDas_ENme15TkVM2tiSEE7aOh8vUv8ruh05UqZS9PD6xpT-_yTGsPjMX3X4GFVOfOmTZjqF44BJRVK3GqptI1KmtPCdC71uqw_UGs9zgOYPp2DyTkFRdz-LUxBxGT4dCTcJ7mE2K5B2tRcdm_oTpcboVhU/s320/20221227_162214.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxyMjEwt1m9sxEbq3PCpvl41Vu19-aOujBgqHzoet493DQ7haVphlYJ-aSD7Sd_Sp7wizqtJlSHcvl65YvxWqCzbbWb4hLfbtxn2dydjwvmanzKt9SNjwTKVDk1j5BC4uj3BS30ToNumovo0oLNO0N9KNU1YvqqT8Nb8t39v7mG-MYBn6tsc/s4032/20221231_133830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxyMjEwt1m9sxEbq3PCpvl41Vu19-aOujBgqHzoet493DQ7haVphlYJ-aSD7Sd_Sp7wizqtJlSHcvl65YvxWqCzbbWb4hLfbtxn2dydjwvmanzKt9SNjwTKVDk1j5BC4uj3BS30ToNumovo0oLNO0N9KNU1YvqqT8Nb8t39v7mG-MYBn6tsc/s320/20221231_133830.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6qZycx7-SbkoMbUMGk7VRnHMahc-8zsA55Fzb46TMlN_bXpXTsz6lbx-noMmyEEIIB_iKwCR55dHQiYNEQSRI7erIZ_p2qLaWOhFZYJ2fX1ktwER-0JB7LwfU2qZTjZjoeca2gMzbAdVdkb1OPjI1lAGeLMa8osiJ_SE-_jMtdlj7kBbuC4/s4032/20221229_172134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6qZycx7-SbkoMbUMGk7VRnHMahc-8zsA55Fzb46TMlN_bXpXTsz6lbx-noMmyEEIIB_iKwCR55dHQiYNEQSRI7erIZ_p2qLaWOhFZYJ2fX1ktwER-0JB7LwfU2qZTjZjoeca2gMzbAdVdkb1OPjI1lAGeLMa8osiJ_SE-_jMtdlj7kBbuC4/s320/20221229_172134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_C-OHAL0nL0_GrexC3vE7KCFVha24AVQQuh9jEK8Fl5gxjaMr6-43zTEtj8g-IhjzPUzspRoATBCuQPm0nabcZN9QZjzVkTuuT3yoUZh5x9NhEk0pNjHRtvUuwNGQ3xikJ0p5NF3QuNmL-4GC2kKKoCP-SZXQV21o-TpEVGDy7-7ZZ8gupg/s3264/20221231_134444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_C-OHAL0nL0_GrexC3vE7KCFVha24AVQQuh9jEK8Fl5gxjaMr6-43zTEtj8g-IhjzPUzspRoATBCuQPm0nabcZN9QZjzVkTuuT3yoUZh5x9NhEk0pNjHRtvUuwNGQ3xikJ0p5NF3QuNmL-4GC2kKKoCP-SZXQV21o-TpEVGDy7-7ZZ8gupg/s320/20221231_134444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p5h1C8pHjmYhqpAuOA7UPynjhKwj7sekLCfMe-sdM51XlqcS3a4CzGIU_f4Af1m6YH8EIsagtxOKu8jh-93fHw4jgs2BjaCQjoax2tztRLzLNv5R5GFERDN3VKUGH6D6WHtallOMNaQ8S4mJM_GMyG8Ry0wK100fFOvHezKwqaxrIl4EoNI/s3264/20221231_134500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p5h1C8pHjmYhqpAuOA7UPynjhKwj7sekLCfMe-sdM51XlqcS3a4CzGIU_f4Af1m6YH8EIsagtxOKu8jh-93fHw4jgs2BjaCQjoax2tztRLzLNv5R5GFERDN3VKUGH6D6WHtallOMNaQ8S4mJM_GMyG8Ry0wK100fFOvHezKwqaxrIl4EoNI/s320/20221231_134500.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGY1PX8NZQ4fucm_LQrqmIo8EpEm1482P3NzxW9CyBI29qNYt7hozPnQ1AEMZIgmb4qPfmdnWmZG1dyGC336GNre69Z4dgYKV_h9lymgvGYpJndaZlXeoH91aEx5frXgp7xK06RdkkFeoVXa1AZy6u4IoAtm6hE3LHbpSiCQwx_9wrr8x1XQ/s3264/20221231_135239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGY1PX8NZQ4fucm_LQrqmIo8EpEm1482P3NzxW9CyBI29qNYt7hozPnQ1AEMZIgmb4qPfmdnWmZG1dyGC336GNre69Z4dgYKV_h9lymgvGYpJndaZlXeoH91aEx5frXgp7xK06RdkkFeoVXa1AZy6u4IoAtm6hE3LHbpSiCQwx_9wrr8x1XQ/s320/20221231_135239.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE3keY-0WlN2bp_5ICKy_I14sV0zrEYSrMJ49L26hBSN7k9kj5z1y4jJBwhJE80h74GIdqiEh6kJx3Sm87hD0FeoWuYKNIh6DdOvjnzPME9Qb094E6Konvsp_0kt1Wdc5tRPps0ngf22LqK6VD9ScaBPydJ9TWNhqcrId2wIAdU9uyUekdoo/s3264/20221231_142710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE3keY-0WlN2bp_5ICKy_I14sV0zrEYSrMJ49L26hBSN7k9kj5z1y4jJBwhJE80h74GIdqiEh6kJx3Sm87hD0FeoWuYKNIh6DdOvjnzPME9Qb094E6Konvsp_0kt1Wdc5tRPps0ngf22LqK6VD9ScaBPydJ9TWNhqcrId2wIAdU9uyUekdoo/s320/20221231_142710.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14075372.post-81250115458267016942023-01-03T07:30:00.009+08:002023-01-03T07:30:00.161+08:00Bestie time!<p>Bestie was back for a week last month and as I knew she had many people to see, plus family being her main priority for this trip, was so stoked and touched that we got to spend an entire evening plus a lunch the following day together. 🥰</p><p>The bestie and I have been maintaining our long distance friendship for over 10 years now, so we are used to long periods of not seeing each other in person. But the past 3 years must have been the longest in quite a while as we normally would have at least seen each other once a year when she passes through Singapore or comes back for a visit. <i>Damn this pandemic</i>.</p><p>We do converse quite regularly so she is well attuned to my favourite haunts and Singapore-based chums, so dinner at DOP seemed like a no-brainer given how much I have raved about it (and how often I'm there either for a solitary meal or for meals with friends). I thought she would also enjoy meeting dear S and P who have been absolute rocks for me over the past year, not to mention the best company. Dance BFF L was unfortunately taken ill at the last minute, but I gleefully also arranged for the darling Sassoons to join as a surprise, all of whom were already acquainted with Bestie. What a fabulous dinner group. 💖</p><p>Over the evening, the drinks and conversation flowed so easily even this being the first time some of them have met. Not forgetting that food and service were top notch. We ordered all my favourites so the Bestie could try them all - a burratina platter, alongside the best spicy sautéed clams, pasta as well as pizza. And plenty of roast potatoes on the house just because they knew I love my taters. Haha. </p><p>After we rolled home at the end of the evening, bestie did our usual of rambling and chatting into the whee hours of the morning, soaking up each other's company, a treat that we both savoured. There's really nothing like being in each other's presence, even when video calls and messages are a luxury we have enjoyed, from the days we used to exhaust international calling cards and phone bills jacked up by the nonsense MMSs we sent each other. Heh.</p><p>The following day, we got to meet the rest of our 7 sisters group for hotpot too, and it was a different type of bliss catching up with this group who are really like family - we are a funny mix of personalities that grew even more different as we ventured from teens into adulthood, but time with these peeps are always enjoyable and wondrous each time to see how we banter and chat through life updates.</p><p>At the end of all these time spent, I had so few photos taken, a sign of energy fully focused on the company. But I do want to document more of these moments though, so I really should be more conscientious about non-random photo-taking. 😬</p><p><i>Precious time spent with loved ones are always salves for the soul. May we have more of these now that we have nearly done away with social distancing and travel restrictions. </i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7c_bqySjjd5mdHJZgdUQ9pKejqw7HvyPiB0H9m8iUSxRzaaCyfxKrmwj1jgiHLRumUhybu5nPPq3sXFKryWo6g6TcbNCJ6M3nDP9tCUODocIaWnJ5be8WKNDNu_mWsAyDc68w4Bk7hK7CIDeEC9IsO1siEcl2U0NpH0pVkI7PgOWzzP6cKA/s4032/20221126_143317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7c_bqySjjd5mdHJZgdUQ9pKejqw7HvyPiB0H9m8iUSxRzaaCyfxKrmwj1jgiHLRumUhybu5nPPq3sXFKryWo6g6TcbNCJ6M3nDP9tCUODocIaWnJ5be8WKNDNu_mWsAyDc68w4Bk7hK7CIDeEC9IsO1siEcl2U0NpH0pVkI7PgOWzzP6cKA/s320/20221126_143317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's been a while since it was just us 7! 💜</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>b.musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547602079585207895noreply@blogger.com0