Men and sports are just inseparable, aren't they? While I'm typing this, there is a Testosterone Central happening within my house. Gaz and his male buddies are playing the NBA game on the Wii tonight. If they're not on the basketball court, they're in the house playing simulated games. When we're out for dinner catching up they talk about sports and which team won what.
Instead of sports, wouldn't it be good if men and say, housework become inseparable? I can just imagine me and the inseparable bliss if that happens. Imagine if your man told you this 'But I can't watch the telly just yet, I have to clean the toilet and weed the garden before I can sit back and relax!'. What a buzz!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Dewey
I've been reading a pretty interesting book on a library cat, Dewey Readmore Books. Do We Read More Books. Got it? In a small town in Iowa, a kitten was thrown into the library book return chute to freeze to its death. Miraculously, it clung on to life and for the next 19 years enriched the lives of all those who encountered it and inspired those who kept news of it from afar.
We all know what happens in the end... well, I cried. There's a picutre of him on the cover of the book, he's just so darned cute! For kitty lovers out there, you'll find this book interesting.
'You've no doubt noticed the strings on a fresh ear of corn. Those are the silks. Each one is connected to a particular spot on the ear. The spot grows a kernel only if that particular string is fertilized by pollen. The ear is made piece by piece, one kernel at a time. For an ear of corn to be whole, every silk must be fertilized. That's the way Dewey operated. He won hearts day by day, one person at a time. He never left anyone out or took anyone for granted. If you were receptive, he was there for you. If you weren't receptive, he worked to bring you around.'
'Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat who Touched the World' by Vicki Myron
We all know what happens in the end... well, I cried. There's a picutre of him on the cover of the book, he's just so darned cute! For kitty lovers out there, you'll find this book interesting.
'You've no doubt noticed the strings on a fresh ear of corn. Those are the silks. Each one is connected to a particular spot on the ear. The spot grows a kernel only if that particular string is fertilized by pollen. The ear is made piece by piece, one kernel at a time. For an ear of corn to be whole, every silk must be fertilized. That's the way Dewey operated. He won hearts day by day, one person at a time. He never left anyone out or took anyone for granted. If you were receptive, he was there for you. If you weren't receptive, he worked to bring you around.'
'Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat who Touched the World' by Vicki Myron
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Happy Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is undoubtedly one of my favourite Chinese festivals, after the Chinese New Year. The latter one gets both money and good food, while for the former one gets... rice dumplings! Rice dumplings or bak chang in Hokkien or zong zi in Mandarin is one of my favourite foods. It is compact, and has all the necessary ingredients for a complete meal - meat, rice, veges (beans) and egg. Some people may think that glutinous rice is too filling, but the quantity of rice in a normal triangle shaped bak change is just right.
Luckily bak changs are available all year round, not just during the Dragon Boat Festival. Legend has it that bak changs came to be because during the The Three Kingdoms era, a well known poet was so admired by the people that when he drowned himself the villagers threw lumps of rice into the river to feed the fishes so they would not gnaw at his body.
For me, it means a good feast of a rice dumpling, even two or three!
Luckily bak changs are available all year round, not just during the Dragon Boat Festival. Legend has it that bak changs came to be because during the The Three Kingdoms era, a well known poet was so admired by the people that when he drowned himself the villagers threw lumps of rice into the river to feed the fishes so they would not gnaw at his body.
For me, it means a good feast of a rice dumpling, even two or three!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Singing for Freedom
'Don't worry, Mum. How many times did you do the same for me when I was a baby? How many times did you wash my dirty bottom? A hundred? Two hundred? Did you think it was disgusting? Did you pull faces? No. Well today it's my turn to help you.'
I believe this very deeply. If children are lucky enough to be able to help their parents and give them what they need, they should put that opportunity to good use. To those of you who still have your mother I say, make the most of it! Love her and and protect her. If you have your mother you can call her just for a chat; you can look at her the same way you breathe - without thinking - and it seems perfectly natural to hear her laugh. A mother wants the best for her children. She's glad when they're happy and it hurts her when they suffer, even more than it hurts them. People talk about God, but parents are something more.
Singing for Freedom by Ani Choying Drolma
I believe this very deeply. If children are lucky enough to be able to help their parents and give them what they need, they should put that opportunity to good use. To those of you who still have your mother I say, make the most of it! Love her and and protect her. If you have your mother you can call her just for a chat; you can look at her the same way you breathe - without thinking - and it seems perfectly natural to hear her laugh. A mother wants the best for her children. She's glad when they're happy and it hurts her when they suffer, even more than it hurts them. People talk about God, but parents are something more.
Singing for Freedom by Ani Choying Drolma
Saltimbanco!
Gaz and I went to Cirque Du Soleil's Saltimbanco performance last Thursday. It was my first time watching Cirque du soleil after so many years' hype about the circus with a difference.
Saltimbanco is actually an old production which was revived for CDS's Australia tour. 'Saltimbanco -from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench". And jumping they did, besides swinging, juggling, lifting, balancing etc.
The act opened up with about 20 performers all heavily made up, wearing colourful overalls jumping up and down on the colourful stage. They went around the ring and shook hands with the audience, giving hi-five's and saying hello in gibberish. They beckoned to the first row in the audience to follow them around the other side of the ring, and then ran to the newly emptied seats and congratulated themselves on their cleverness. So cheeky!
The talented performers entertained us with a good balance of audience participation, humour and serious acrobatic skills. I particularly like the boleadoras act. A boleadora is an instrument made of a weight attached to the end of a cord. The weights bounce off the ground and make sounds. Invented in Argentina, the boleadoras were used by hunters in the pampas or plains. I just loved the flamenco influence in this one, and there were times when the duo's boleadoras twirled impossibly fast and dangerously close to each other.
There was a 20 minute intermission in between during which we ventured closer to the ring side and got better seats there. Many other people did the same too, as it was not a full house - can't blame people for not wanting to venture out on a weeknight in the rain and cold!
We got home at around 11pm and I only got to bed around 12am. I was so knackered the next day!!
Saltimbanco is actually an old production which was revived for CDS's Australia tour. 'Saltimbanco -from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench". And jumping they did, besides swinging, juggling, lifting, balancing etc.
The act opened up with about 20 performers all heavily made up, wearing colourful overalls jumping up and down on the colourful stage. They went around the ring and shook hands with the audience, giving hi-five's and saying hello in gibberish. They beckoned to the first row in the audience to follow them around the other side of the ring, and then ran to the newly emptied seats and congratulated themselves on their cleverness. So cheeky!
The talented performers entertained us with a good balance of audience participation, humour and serious acrobatic skills. I particularly like the boleadoras act. A boleadora is an instrument made of a weight attached to the end of a cord. The weights bounce off the ground and make sounds. Invented in Argentina, the boleadoras were used by hunters in the pampas or plains. I just loved the flamenco influence in this one, and there were times when the duo's boleadoras twirled impossibly fast and dangerously close to each other.
There was a 20 minute intermission in between during which we ventured closer to the ring side and got better seats there. Many other people did the same too, as it was not a full house - can't blame people for not wanting to venture out on a weeknight in the rain and cold!
We got home at around 11pm and I only got to bed around 12am. I was so knackered the next day!!
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