I get the blues

I pay great attention to colour and its psychological effects. I like the effect of a little blue in home decor, either in small pops (the windows of the first house, the upholstery of the chairs) or in pale washes aka baby blue (on furniture).

My posts may be infrequent these days. That's because I'm working on my portfolio, in addition to assuming duties as the family maid. No kidding. Our third maid in six months has left and, in my mum's words, we should "take a break from maids for a while". Who knows, maybe our luck will change then. Cleaning the house, doing laundry and cooking for a family of six is no joke, especially as my cooking skills are minimal. Thankfully I have my sis to help me. This isn't the first time we've gone without a maid, but at that time I was young and wasn't expected to cook. We mostly ate catered food or my mum's food when she had time to cook.

On the positive side, I'd say that I pay more attention now about what goes into my food. I hate oily stuff 'cos it makes one so greasy cooking it and it makes a mess of the kitchen. Not to mention getting the oil thoroughly off the plates. No more oily food for me. On the other hand, I love salads and vegetables in general as they're easy to prepare. I could eat salad every day.

I really admire Japanese cooking and cuisine. I think it's the perfect thing for me because it's healthy and follows the philosophy of eating a variety of dishes in small portions. Plus it emphasizes the presentation and aesthetic quality of the food. I'm a person who likes to be surrounded by beautiful things. While that may sound superficial, I believe that beauty is often a sign of quality and requires sensitivity on the part of the beholder. Aesthetic pleasure is one of the main components that give my life fulfillment. In Japanese cuisine, food looks beautiful often because it is fresh. Some day when I have more time I'm going to immerse myself in cookbooks and learn to cook Japanese food.

Does a song ever remind you of a certain time or place you were in before? I'm listening to Cliff Richard's 'The Young Ones' now and it's transporting me back to Penang. I heard it at the beautiful beachside hotel where we had our Christmas dinner. 'Lemon Tree' ("I don't know how, I don't know why, yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky, but all that I can see is just another lemon tree...") will always be connected with my memories of Australia. I was very young when I visited it, about six, but somehow that song lingers in my mind. I remember that song playing in the car I was in. It makes me feel so little and innocent again.

Shots of Penang

Penang gives me the impression of being dusty and musty... kind of like someone's attic, where time seems to stop, but where treasures can be found. I think these photos taken by my sis capture its mood very well.

More outfits from my holiday

The garden above is in the hospital where my grandfather is recovering from a stroke.

A Christmas present to myself

My aunt's house

It's at Bayan Lepas, near KL. The garden is my favourite part of the house. I remember sipping coconut water on a warm day once in the garden.