Saturday, May 11, 2013

Inward fire

"Well, what shall I say; our inward thoughts, do they show outwardly? There may be a great fire in our soul, but no one ever comes to warm himself by it, all the passers-by see only a little bit of smoke coming through the chimney, and pass on their way. Now, look here, what must be done, must one tend that inward fire, have salt in oneself, wait patiently yet with how much impatience for the hour when somebody will come and sit down near it, to stay there maybe?"

"There are moments when one feels emptiness and terrible discouragement, but after everything seemed to go wrong, there will perhaps come a time when things go right. I do not count on it, perhaps it will never happen, but if there should come a change for the better,  I woul consider it as a gain, I should rejoice, I would say: at last! So there was something after all!"

"On the path I have taken now, I must keep going. If I don't do anything, if I do not study, if I do not go on seeking any longer, then I am lost. The woe is me. That is how I look at it; to continue, that is what is necessary. But what is your definite aim? That aim becomes more definite, will stand out slowly and surely, just as the rough draught becomes a sketch, and a sketch becomes a picture, little by little, by working seriously on it, by pondering over the idea, vague at first, over the thought that was fleeting and passing, till it gets fixed."

"I need not overhurry myself, there is no good in that, but I must work on in full calmness and serenity, as regularly and concentratedly as possible, as concisely and economically as possible."

-Vincent Van Gogh from his 'Letters to Theo'-





Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Singapore Quarry

We walked to the Singapore Quarry, another section of the Dairy Farm Nature Park that we wanted to complete after the Wallace Trail.


On the MRT to Choa Chu Kang station, after that we took the LRT to Bukit Panjang station, followed by a bus to our destination.


Saw the rail track through the LRT window, fascinating!


A little distraction ... Look at my natural stone bracelets, cute!!!


We started our trail from the carpark. At first I thought it was a deserted place as I saw no one but only us on the trail, then we saw some bikers zoomed past and I reassured myself about our safety!


We reached the Dairy Farm Adventure Centre, there were houses around and lots more people walking towards Singapore Quarry! Oh, and lots of monkeys around too!


We spotted durian trees along the track and huge ants! We also came across some people strolling with dogs. When I smiled at a stranger and if they smiled back, it made me happy for the moment!


Continued walking on the big road, I was carrying a cooler bag and chilling with a pack of Ribena!


Ohhh, there! The moment I saw the Singapore Quarry welcome sign, I felt good as we managed to complete another trail! This place is described as a little Gui Lin! It's quite a pretty sight! There is a viewing deck with a sheltered area. We rested there, waiting for the sun to set.


On the way back, we took our time walking, rather than hurrying back. I enjoyed all the moments that I shared with my loved one, even just a simple trip! 



Sunday, May 05, 2013

Wallace Trail

We went to a natural trail called Wallace Trail at Dairy Farm Nature Park.


We started our journey quite late in the afternoon. We reached the destination by bus and followed the signs to the cute wooden staircase leading to the Dairy Farm Nature Walk! The texts on the staircase caught my attention.


The Dairy Farm Nature Park has two sections, we chose the trail leading to the Wallace Education Centre as it's shorter compared to the Singapore Quarry trail, which is also a wetland habitat.


Off the main road, we ventured into the forest trail, we walked through a dense forest with uneven ground and gentle slopes, the forest trail was a little slippery because of the rainy weather lately! There also have a trail for mountain biking. We saw lots of people hiking and biking that day.


I love how nature parks in Singapore are very well maintained. Clean and green! A reminder for myself and all the nature loving people, remember to take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.


And remember to equip yourself with protection against mosquitoes, make sure to spray or wipe yourself thoroughly with insect repellent before you go on a nature walk, reapply when needed! Also bring ointment in case you get bitten by some "anosmia" mosquitoes!


Lg says I am his Kai Xin Guo 開心果, it means Happy Fruit. I am! Most of the time! I hardly feel down for long, even if I do, little things can easily lift my mood!


We came across a little meandering stream on our track! I was reluctant to climb down, because the slope was really steep! I kept asking Lg if we should cross this but he insisted that we should continue foward!


We stepped from one rock to another to cross the channel then climb up the muddy slope to reach to the other side! The slope was slippery! I had to grab onto some plants in order not to fall backward!


Lg thought it was fun and he said it was a surprise challenge. We happily continued our journey, soon after we reached a temporary closed road, due to soil erosion. We coudn't walk further and had to turn back instead, crossing the stream, again! Hah!


We continued our journey on the main road, walking towards Wallace Education Centre. The centre was a former milking shed that has been restored and transformed into an information centre. We also came across an old-fashioned English garden with an abandoned house. The house is believed to have been built in 1920s.


We noticed this huge rock with a smiling face! Strange and interesting how it was covered by the furry orange moss! From far we noticed a tree without leaves but a bundle of twigs resting on top and there were flowers on those twigs. Such a beautiful display!


I initially walked closer to the tree, only to be frightened by Lg's shouting: "Stop!" I stunned. He pointed to the "X" shaped spider web: "It's a No Entry sign." I stared at it and was astonished: "Amazing! It must be Charlotte's web, it's a literate spider!" Lg laughed out loud: "Are you talking about the Wilbur movie? It's not the same." I continued to be fazed. "How come the spider know how to write? Where is the spider hiding?" Lg then pointed me to the spider. Gosh, it's a huge spider!

Actually it's a Argiope spider, the only spider that makes a zigzag line or a cross of zigzag white web material in its web. These spiders are not venomous at all. It's a moment of wonder for us to discover their web even with a little spookiness when spotting them real close. It was a fun day!




Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Before you fall asleep

It's sad to say, but I am neglecting my blog again!

Since I set my goal, I've been working hard towards it! Achieved nothing yet, but I'm not disheartened because I have learned a lot and gained a lot of experience through practising with painting!

I'm glad that finally I was able to focus on just one goal at a time! I used to have too many goals and liked to multi-task. I ended up wasting my time or not investing enough time and effort to all of them. My advice to people out there, decide what is the most important thing to you now, focus on it, it's better to have only one goal at a time. Setting a deadline for your goal and commit to it.

Anyway, besides committing to my goal, I'm trying not to neglect living my life as much as I can!

Alright, that's all I want to say! And now it's time for some photo updates!


I exercise daily! This is a good habit that I won't neglect!


Is it just me or does anyone find McDonald's Macchiato taste so good? I love it! Especially when the cup is super big! Makes me happy!


I like to wear cotton dresses lately! Nowadays, I like to dress comfy!


My favourite rain boots, raincoat and umbrella!


Till next time, then!