Good Morning

At times when I feel depressed, I remind myself that I am still much luckier than many people out there. Life has its ups and downs, it's up to me to make sure there are more ups than downs!

Wishing you all a blessed morning!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

 

25 September 2026

May this Mid-Autumn Festival bring you and your loved ones happiness, good health, prosperity and cherished moments together.

Wishing you a joyful and blessed Mid-Autumn Festival.

How Old Are You?

 

Here's an amusing tale which my friend told me recently.  She was having dinner at a coffee shop with her sister and a friend when she noticed that the man at the next table kept looking at her.  She wondered why as she didn't know him at all.  Then after a while, the man came up to her table and asked her, "How old are you?"  My friend was not only taken aback but rather cheesed off by his rudeness - why should she tell a total stranger her age?  So she smiled sweetly at him and said, "100."  He laughed and went back to his table.  I must congratulate my friend for being so quick witted considering she's somewhere between 80 and 90 (ssssh!).

Good Morning

 

My bougainvillea wish you a happy and bright Good Morning! 

"The greatest luxury is waking up and feeling well - no pain, clear mind, strong legs, energy for the day."

Yummy Pandan Layer Cake

 

My dessert for tonight - Pandan Layer Cake which I got from the market this morning.  It's soft and not too sweet - just right for my sweet tooth!

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May September be YOUR month full of love, laughter and everything good!

New Day

 

New day, new week!

Life goes by too quickly,

so laugh, enjoy your life,

forgive and forget and

just be happy!

💘💘💘

Happiness

 

Happiness isn't about having everything.

It's about enjoying the little things with a grateful heart.

Be happy, be contented and don't forget how truly blessed you are!

💓💓

Good Morning

Quiet Moments

 

A crescent moon, a starlit sky,

A quiet stream where cattails sigh.

With tea in hand and cat beside,

Where gentle night and dreams reside.

The world is still, the water clear,

Soft magic whispering so near.

A moment warm, a heart at peace,

As day's sweet cares begin to cease.

Lunch Today

 

Tofu with fermented bean sauce ("taucheo") and French beans to go with rice.  Simple and nutritious.

Lunch Today

 

This time, we had lunch at Oo White Coffee.  I opted for chicken herbal soup with vermicelli while my aunt had her soup with mee.  It was delicious and fragrant with herbs!  It was a good choice and worth waiting for in the queue outside!

Good Morning

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Something inspiring on a wet, dull afternoon.... 

I Am

 

Count Your Blessings

It is never too soon to count your blessings.  

Going out and coming home safely is very often an underrated blessing.  

Just think about it.

Elevenses

 

 

Buns and coffee from Oo White Coffee

After a brisk walk in the park, what could be more yummy than a cup of white coffee and buns. These are purple sweet potato buns with sweet filling and red bean buns.  I was quite captivated by the purple buns with their "pop up" appearance - first time I've seen them!  They looked too good to eat but being hungry after all that exercise, I downed them with my coffee.  Delicious!

Post Travel Ramblings (5)

 

As they say, all good things must come to an end.  After nine days of travelling, we finally found ourselves at the airport waiting for our flight home.  It had been a good if not challenging experience; we made new friends, tried new food, saw new places. I have not documented everything that happened on this trip due to time constraint and so have just mentioned the key happenings.

We had a nice surprise on the last day of our tour.  The tour company presented all those with their birthdays in April/May with a nice big cake to celebrate!  

We look forward to saying 

 你好

to China once again in the near future!

Post Travel Ramblings (4)

Perhaps the most thrilling destination of our 9-day tour was the visit to the Huajiang Canyon Bridge.   It stands at 625 meters high (2,050 feet) and is 2,890 meters long.  It was opened in September 2025 and dramatically reduces crossing times over the canyon from two hours to just two minutes!

We were told that we could walk "under" the bridge while traffic goes over the top and after we recorded our individual visitors' number (I was the 188,344th visitor!),  we began the long trudge.  There is a small section halfway along the bridge which has a glass bottom - and that's when a few of us tested our guts and walked without trying to look down!  Of course being faint hearted, I avoided this section but my aunt steeled herself and walked a short distance to the cheers of our group!  

We also witnessed someone doing a bangee jump; it was, to say the least, frightening and made my heart skip a beat considering the height of the bridge!  

Group photo at the bridge

(To be continued)

Post Travel Ramblings (3)

One can never get tired of visiting China.  It is such a big country and you still can't see everything no matter how many trips you make.  This last trip was to Guizhao, a province in south western China known for its karst landscapes, towering waterfalls and ethnic cultures.

At the Huangguoshu Waterfall

It took us something like two hours' walk to track to the waterfalls and back, a really tough job for our legs but thank goodness we had the foresight to bring  our walking sticks which really helped!  But as we all agreed, it was worth the effort!

Lights of the Miao Village

Apart from the waterfalls, we did see a few historical places (it would be too long to describe them) but what I enjoyed most was the Miao village, a sprawling settlement of wooden stilt houses on mountain slopes.  At night the whole place is transformed into a breathtaking fairyland of lights with shops and wayside stalls selling food, silver jewelry, batik, embroidery, dolls and other souvenirs.

Another attraction is the traditional Miao clothing for rent.  The shop that we visited had hundreds of clothing in various styles and colours complete with headdress.  Many of our lady group members tried them out and they did look spectacular!

(To be continued)