The Greenhouse

I'm supposed to be on a diet, or at least watch my diet cause I've not done anything about the 5 kg I'm supposed to loose since ... 3 yrs back?

Well, one of my bro decided to buy parents dinner for his birthday and a job promotion. He invited us to tag along but go on dutch. And so we did...

It was my first time at the Greenhouse at the Ritz. And no, it's not in a Greenhouse. Boy, am I blown away by the sumptuous and wide buffet spread, a haven for seafood aficionados. There's fresh scallops, oysters, slipper lobster, shashimi, chilli crab, cold crab, drunken prawn, stir-fry prawn etc just to name a few. There goes my diet...

For dessert, there's creme brulee, nice and warm chocolate souffle that melts in your mouth, assorted chocolate pralines, chocolate mousse cake and variety of other fruits and dessert. I only managed to indulge in half of the buffet spread.

The dinner cost us a pretty penny, but it's all worth it. It's been a few days, and I'm still thinking about the food... so yes, it's that good.

After dropping the folks off after dinner, we decided to take a stroll along Clarke Quay. Well, it's just our feeble attempt to get the food down our digestive system instead of up to our brains ...

The Lull

Yes, I've not been blogging. There's just so many things to update but too lazy to blog. Now where shall I start?

Living Things At Home

It's amazing how our Frangipani (or Plumeria) has bloomed a few weeks after we brought it home. Well, initially it withered and there was only one miserable leaf left on the stem... and still one leaf. So we decided to place the pot on top of our A/C condenser outside the kitchen, where it gets the most sun. Then one morning we noticed one partially bloomed yellow flower among the many flower buds. And when we got home that evening, we were delighted to find that more flowers have bloomed. Thanks to Aunt D who donated a stem from her Frangipani tree :) It's one of my fav plant.

While waiting for the Frangipani to be revived, we bought a Periwinkle from the nursery just to add some colors to our balcony. Turned out it is still doing well too!

Our Basil plant is also doing fine though a little bald and sad looking. But when we need herbs for cooking, we just reached out of the window to pluck some leaves :) It has survived our ill treatment after being left in a small pot and shady area for a long time.

We will next get a Citronella plant to repel mosquitoes as they seemed to be quite a nuisance lately.

Busy-ness

Been busy with work and other activities. And in a short span of 1 week, mum's eldest bro passed on, followed by dad's eldest bro. Time flies and we are getting old...

Been attending the keyboard class once a week. And while I thought I belong to the beginners group, the instructor recommended that I take the WDI class instead since I have classical training. Glad that they are flexible to allow us to transfer class just like that, otherwise I will still be learning basics in identifying the black keys (chopsticks and forks!).

And yes, it has been an amazing journey in just a few weeks as I finally figured out what are the '4' and '2' suspended notes, why use suspended notes, how to play the Maj7, Min7 and Dom7 chords on a keyboard, and the common type of chord progression. The instructor has been great, very encouraging and able to multi-task well! She taught us to play the keyboard and worship meaningfully at the same time. But I am still far from being able to play by ear, so that will take time to master...

Been watching Korean drama lately :p We didn't catch the Korean wave in the past couple of years, and thought we shouldn't even try in case we get hooked. But one day while channel surfing, I came across this show 'Coffee Prince' and we were instantly hooked. It's a comedy cum romance, makes you laugh and love at the same time. The characters in the show are loveable and I fell in love with the soundtrack too. The set (coffee house) where they film the show has become a tourist attraction. And check out the black Mini Cooper Convertible driven by the protagonist ... my kind of car! :)

Music and Me

Since young, I have always thought that I should serve in the Music ministry. But as the years went by, I realised that I am far from being like my gifted friends who are able to play the keyboard by ear, improvise and compose music so effortlessly. I do not have a dynamic controlled voice to sing like the others. So I almost gave up...

I was in the school choir from elementary school all the way to college. I was in the worship team in SG and TO, and also part of a small singing group with fellow MYFers - Just Us. Those were the days, eons ago :) Over the years, I have been with the church choir and now with V choir. I joined the V choir as I found meaning in the choir's vision, which is to raise funds and reach out through songs. And on top of that, I have been chosen to serve in the committee this year.

As there is a need for pianist at LS service, I still play the piano saved by the hymnal with music notes. And thanks to Ser who donated her lovely keyboard, I could practise the songs at home. So somehow I think God is still leading me to serve in the area of Music, and despite feeling so limited in many ways, He has opened doors.

So starting tomorrow, I will be attending a beginners keyboard class at Believer Music. Ser took the course some years back and recommended it, but I just never got around to it. I pray that I will be able to express myself better after taking the course, and hopefully play by ear some day!

The Choir Gathering

Last evening we attended LS choir gathering at Aunt D's house. It was a potluck dinner so we brought flan and sweet potato soup which we thought would be safe for everyone to consume :p

We were never really committed in this choir as the practises coincide with our Sun Sch time. So we sing on an ad hoc basis and are not that close to the members. The gathering was a good time for us to get to know some of them better.

Uncle KH took the opportunity to discuss with the group the individual duties, expectations/ rules, events and activities for the year. Flo is now responsible for our new choir maroon robes which we have to don with dignity and uniformity (e.g. no long pants for ladies, and proper display of shirt collars for gents). Jas is in-charge of communication, V&J responsible for fellowship and TK for the songbooks. There are many activities lined up for the year. I'm pretty amazed and pleased that the choir has become more organised! Good job!

There was so much food and we had a great time of fellowship. And having been to Aunt D's place numerous times, we never fail to be fascinated by their collection of antiques and the rustic charm of the house. But we always question in our mind how do they keep up with the cleaning!

Ushering In the New Year

Had a relaxing 31st Dec, with great anticipation for the new year. Didn't set any new year resolution as I haven't been able to keep any :p But we certainly look forward to a more fruitful and fulfilling year, with greater joy and surrender to God's purpose for us in our lives.

Attended a count down 'party' at PL school hall organised by church. It's different from the usual watchnight service as this was an outreach event. We were entertained by the youths who put up interesting performance of songs and mime. Many youths attended the party and at times it felt like a rock concert with all that screaming and cheering! The pantomimist did an excellent job depicting a modern story of Christ's crucifixion for our sins. We had a roaring good time counting down with the help of free party packs. The best part of the event was a line dance item performed by our pastoral team. It's priceless cause I bet you won't catch our pastors shaking and dancing to country music again! :)

We are glad that we chose to spend our New Year's eve at PL instead of some exciting countdown party or watching spectacular fireworks with crowd of strangers. We have found meaning in spending such special time to reflect on God's love, and with fellow bro and sis-in-Christ. Blessed New Year!