shabby blog

Friday, December 12, 2008

Ramblings




Smells that i love:

1) The smell of rain on fresh grass
2) Lavender and vanilla
3) Jasmine tea
4) Scented mothbolls
5) The smell of fresh laundry
6) Annick Goutal's perfume
7) Lemon zest
8) Cinnamon and orange
9) Mom's tender roast beef
10) Coffee after a hard day's work or in the morning
11) The smell of a new book waiting to be read

Sights that i love:

1) Bubbles glistening in the sun
2) Flowers preferably violet or white
3) Ribbons and cupcakes
4) Waves crashing against sand dunes
5) Whimsical art
6) Liselotte watkins
7) Flickr photos
8) Lush green foliage in a forgotten dell
9) The people i love
10) Colours that "dance" under different lights like my mom's pitch black hair that
appears tawny brown under sunlight.
11) Crisp white anything preferably snowflakes( coz they're non-existent here), white linen blowing in the wind, white curtains, a pale white streak of sky amidst an explosion of sunset colours at dusk, white cars, soft white velvety dresses, white ballet shoes and rabbits.
12) Old ochre photographs of family members and ancestors

I love the feel of:

1) Cashmere and satin and chiffon and velvet and silk
2) Rivulets of clear water streaming through my hands
3) My fluffy blankets I've had since 5-they're so divinely soft!
4) Baby Zara's rosy cheeks
5) Grains of sand and pebbles on the beach
6) The wind whistling past my fingers as i parasail
7) Fur capes
8) A persian cat's lush fur

I love the sound of:

1) Music-jazz, bossa nova, indie
2) Birds chirping free abandon in the morning
3) Baby Zara's gurgles and indecipherable baby sounds
4) Water tinkling on glass under moonlight
5) Drums beating steadily like the throb of the heart
6) Merry whistling
7) Spontaneous laughter and hearty guffaws
8) Rustling newspaper of bygone days
9) A cat's contented purr
10) A car's rumbling engine
11) Raindrops pattering on my window as i drive

The taste of:

1) La Phet Thouk( traditional Burmese tea leaf paste)
2) Mom's tender curry chicken and butter rice
3) Baskin Robbins' strawberry ice cream
4) J.Cos and Coffee
5) Waffles with peanut butter and strawberry
6) Burmese pancakes
7) Bright yellow glutinous rice with crackly onions and soft peas
8) Chai tea and fluffy homemade bread with pistachios
9) Warm Milk and chocolate chip cookies
10) Pizza with layers and layers of cheese

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Just being a big kid at heart







Sometimes you feel like you've lived in a country for years for so long that you know all there is to know about it like the back of your hand only to discover some positively delightful areas you obviously overlooked.

Taman Tasik Perdana( Lake Gardens) was such a spot. Beautiful: check, Outdoorsy:definitely, a sprawling colourful playground complete with playthings kids would die for: check, lovely scenery: check, lakes: check, deer park: check, Bubble blowing candidates: check, Oodles of mind exploding fun: check, Scrumptious homemade food: check, Chic cupcakes made by moi: check and of course, My lovely family: CHECK!

The little sprinkly waterfall with water lilies and dragon flies and cool, crisp foliage was the bomb! My Small Fry Gang and i blew bubbles that would have made spongebob proud of us...The cupcakes I stayed up until 4 am making i think were worth all the trouble( and gloopy,sugary mess) because it tasted all the more better eating with my Clan and the Small Fry up in that delectable tree house(actually a rest area styled like a tree house) that Dad trekked and found.

Even Wee little baby Zara sensed the excitement and was gurgling with joy. Ahhh what a beautiful trinket of heavenly memories that i wont forget for years to come...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Blogthings when you're bored








You Can Be Deeply Passionate Sometimes



You like people, but you're careful about who you get close to. Friendship is important to you... so important that you aren't just friends with anyone.



You have cold feet when it comes to love. You have a lot of uncertainty until you convince yourself to dive right in.



You are deeply passionate about several things in your life. You're not passionate about much... and the few passions you have are truly obsessions.



Your sense of humor is goofy and silly. You are good at making almost anyone laugh.





You Are a Purple Flower



A purple flower tends to represent success, grace, and elegance.

At times, you are faithful like a violet.

And other times, you represent luxury, like a wisteria.

And more than you wish, you find yourself heartbroken like a lilac.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Quotes that never fail to lift my spirits



"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
~Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)
Edison was a businessman and a prolific American inventor. Holding 1,093 U.S. patents (along with patents in other countries), he invented many devices during his lifetime. The ones that we are most familiar with, and which he is most famous for, are the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb.

"Eighty percent of success is just showing up."
~Woody Allen (1935 - )
Born Allen Stewart Königsberg, he is a well-known actor, jazz musician, comedian, playwright, writer, and American film director.

"It is necessary for us to learn from other's mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself."
~Hyman George Rickover (1900 - 1986)
Known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy", he became the longest-serving active duty military officer in U.S. history with 63 years of continuous service.
What we say today:
"Learn from the mistakes of others."

"You will always miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
~Wayne Gretzky (1961 - )
Nicknamed "The Great One" Gretzky is one of the most famous professional Canadian hockey players in history. He won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, as well as setting numerous hockey records during his career.

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."
~Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and is considered the father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. Ford revolutionized transportation with his invention of the Model-T automobile introduced on October 1, 1908. Horse-drawn carriages soon became a thing of the past.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent."
~Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)
30th President of the United States from August 2, 1923 to March 4, 1929).

"What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
~Napolean Hill (1883 - 1970)
Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich , is one of the best-selling books of all time.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
~Lao Tzu (Laozi) (6th Century BC)
He was believed to be a great philosopher of ancient China and is considered to be the father of Taosism (which is both a religion and a philosophy that advocates following the Tao or the way of nature.) It is still widely debated as to whether he was a real person or a mythical figure.

"I think therefore I am."
~Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650)
Descartes was a highly influential French philospher, mathematician, writer, and scientist. He is also known as the Father of Modern Philosophy and the Father of Modern Mathematics. Much of subsequent Western philosophy is a reaction to his writings.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
Franklin was one of the most important and influential Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. As a scientist he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and a musical instrument. (Source: wikipedia.org)

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
~John R. Wooden (1910 - )
A retired American basketball coach with 10 NCAA National Championships to his credit while coaching at UCLA.

"Life is an echo. What you send out--you get back. What you give--you get."
"Worry is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere."

~Anonymous
You'll find that this "Anonymous" person crops up a lot. No one has been able to identify who this person really is.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great."
~Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
Although best known by his pen name, Mark Twain, his real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer and is famous for his novels: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

"A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life."
"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."
~Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)
Married to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was the First Lady from 1933 to 1945.

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."
~Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)
Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, influential thinker, theoretical psychologist, and founder of analytical psychology. He explored the psyche by examining dreams, art, mythology, world religion, and philosophy. He believed that modern man relied too much on science and did not place enough emphasis on spirituality and the unconscious mind.

"Never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. People will take you very much at your own reckoning."
~Anthony Trollope (1815 - 1882)
He was a successful and highly respected English novelist during the Victorian era. The British Broadcasting Corporation has made several television-drama serials based on his works.

"Some people believe that holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go--and then do it."
~Ann Landers (1918 - 2002)
Landers ran a successful syndicated advice column for 45 years called "Ann Landers." In reality, her real name was Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer. Her identical twin sister, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips wrote the famous "Dear Abby" column as Abigail Van Buren.

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
~Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917)
Rodin was a famous French sculptor and artist.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
Famous American author, essayist, poet, and philosopher.

"We often discover what will do by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery."
~Samuel Smiles (1812 - 1904)
A Scottish author and reformer best known as a writer of self-help and biographical books on the achievements of "heroic" engineers.

"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you. Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
~William Jennings Bryan (1860 - 1925)
As an American lawyer, statesman, and politician, he was a three-time Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States.
You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try - you don’t take the risk.
Rosalynn Carter

Simply Scrumptious Treats

Gosh i am absolutely drooling over these sweet treats from bakerella. Check it out at
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/
Im thinking of baking some of these divine sweet creations tomorrow. Hope i dont burn the house down. My last endeavour didn't exactly turn out that well but im hopeful.
But im ok with cakes. Its just those damn muffins and cupcakes that get on my nerves. Peace and out! Hahha













Wednesday, December 3, 2008

High Fashion & Abstract in Motion










The fat house cat and twilight

Sorry I've been getting a little too carried away by the Twilight saga. I guess it's like the new Harry Potter madness all over again. As much as I do abhor anything mainstream, the hopeless (closet)romantic in me( i know eeew but what the heck)overrode the "abhor mainstream" mantra I normally hold sacred.

I think the appeal of the movie comes not only from the lull of the unorthodox, an almost impossible love( the love is blind theory) between a vampire and a mortal but from the strength of the characters. Stephanie Meyer has accomplished the impossible...making a vampire love story relatable, honest and sincere.

It's rugged charm pulls off successfully what would otherwise have been another sappy formula for a romance. The rugged charm and the complexity of the characters especially Edward and Bella and their battles with their inner selves and respective societies' unspoken rules against their coupling makes the story one of a kind...And the characters' frustration and longing for each other even more vivid and real.

And the soundtrack is just whangfizzdoodlingly awesome. My favourite number from the movie is the song played during the prom dance scene by Iron and Wine called Flightless Bird American Mouth. It could make the most cynical sadistic chronic love haters(like me) melt. I know i'll be over it soon but im all up for the refreshing ride while it lasts.

Just as im finishing this sentence im preparing to read the sequel to Twilight, New Moon and i can't wait to secretly(Oops not so secret now is it? Haha)indulge in the everyday girl's fancy that she can kick Bella away and be in her place with Edward...

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