Progress


We're not expecting all to survive but right now, we have 10 little ones swimming around.

Eureka!

Our goldfish is multiplying. After displaying unquestionable mating behavior in the tank for the past few days, we woke up one morning and found fish eggs all over the aquarium.

Ooooo, an egg

To prevent the goldfish from eating them, we had to move the eggs to a separate tank

More eggs on this side of the plant

Update: the eggs have hatched and we can see 4-5 tiny eyelashes with two eyes. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to capture it on camera. We'll just have to wait till it's bigger. Keeping our fingers crossed that they'll survive.

Is it hot or what?!

Unless you're addicted to the sun, the weather has been the pits. It has been extremely hot since Saturday and the heatwave has continued on till today. The worst part is that we're expecting more heat over the next 2 days and it is not even officially summer yet!

Global roasting warming here we come.

Almost 40C/101F -- the peak of our "hotness" today :(

Let's turn to a more cooling topic...

Adrian's quest for an aquarium full of goldfish continued with the addition of 3 more goldies. At first, I thought that it would be a nice little hobby for him but now it's becoming an "obsession".

You-know-who's Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish

Feeding frenzy

Goldfish are like garbage trucks. They'll eat whatever amount of flakes you throw into the tank. Must be careful not to over-feed them.

Memorial Weekend Viewing

Apart from the aquarium thingy (read below), we also spent a few hours in front of the boob tube and the theater.

This documentary is a re-telling of letters written by a group of Western expatriates who lived in Nanking during the on-set of the Japanese invasion of China. Over-shadowed by the Holocaust in Europe, this is a forgotten event of great human monstrosity committed by the Japanese soldiers, within such a short period of time, to women, men, children and babies. You will be moved to tears by their stories - a little girl being split into two for resisting rape, a boy who saw his mother killed and his baby brother being skewered and flung away, etc. It also has interviews with former perpetrators/Japanese soldiers and their bitter admission to these atrocities. Read more.

If you haven't watched the above movie, just wait for the DVD release. If you can't, go to a weekend matinee. Indiana Jones meets sci-fi. Some really funny scenes but that's it. Towards the end of the movie, we thought we were watching National Treasure: Book of Secrets all over again! Quite a blah. I should have listened to the reviews but I was being stubborn. I think that's the price a lot of people pay for being an Indiana Jones fan of the 80s. What's my favorite Indi movie? Temple of Doom!!!

Short talk: After five months of temporary assignment, I have been permanently hired by an organization in lower Manhattan (of which, I am unable to flaunt my affiliation with).

Reviving an old hobby

Adrian is a goldfish lover but gave up this hobby when he came to the U.S. to continue his studies. His hobby is shared by my Grandpa who used to breed goldfish back in his younger days. These days my parents' tank is reduced to a 12+ year old Osphronemus goramy (ikan kaloi) and a few local kois.

A few days ago, Adrian decided to renew his passion for goldfish, so off we went to our neighborhood Wal-mart. We've always known that pets here lead a luxury life but who knew that even tropical fish and freshwater fish are included. Adrian was "salivating" with excitement as we walked by aisle after aisle of fish supplies. Even I the non-fish lover is now a convert.

So, this is how we spent our Memorial Weekend....

Before


After

Our tank is home to 2 black moors, 2 red cap orandas, 1 black & red oranda, 2 calico ryukins, 1 lion head/ranchu and 1 pearl scale. The tank is hypnotic! And, a great stress reliever :)

Enjoy the short video of our new "friends".

Pressies from Down Under - again! Woo-hoo..!

Not many moons ago, I sent some Star Wars stamps to No. 1 Star Wars fan - Darth Wuching. Not many days ago I, in return received a package from him - all the way from Melbourne, Australia.

Australia Post Chinese New Year stamps designed & personally autographed by the talented designer, Dani Poon and beautiful origamis from the equally skillful Mrs. Wuching. Aren't they lovely!!!

It really made my day. I love it how Mrs. Wuching cleverly folded the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Big Ben shirts :) Her origami stars are not the usual fold that was once the craze in Asia back in the 90s. Hers is with a twist in the middle. Too bad it isn't really visible in this photo :(. They are just precious!

Thanks so much Mr. & Mrs. Wuching.

A Tribute to All Things Beautiful

A slide show of flowers, plants and gardens to the music of "Ladies in Lavender".



Photos: Serenity's collection. Software: Nikon PictureProject ~ Pictmotion.

Prelude: Feeling a bit musical today. For non-music lovers, time to switch to another blog. Sorry!

Bell's Repertoire

Bell & his Stradivarius

I've been listening to Joshua Bell for a couple of years now. Some classical critics have biased views about classical cross-overs but I'll take cross-overs anytime over pure classical ;). The monotony of classical can be a dread at times. It reminds me of my weekly piano lessons back in the days.

Joshua Bell plays with such passion, it makes you cry. Although he is a trained classical violinist, I prefer to hear his soundtrack collection like "Mi Mancherai", "The Red Violin", "O Mio Babbino Caro", "Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra" and the theme song from Ladies in Lavender; which I can never tire of. On a depressing day, I might make an exception for his classical pieces .

My greatest envy is Bell's 300 year old Antonio Stradivari violin; which he bought for a few million dollars after selling his other Strad ("Tom Taylor" was his/her name). Although I don't play the violin, how I wish I could own one. Wishful thinking, wishful thinking! I suppose I could always ogle at the few collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. *sigh*



This is a clip from You Tube of Bell doing an experiment - incognito at the Washington DC Metro earlier this year. Apparently, only one lady knew who he was. He also collected about $30 dollars. Hah!

Hot Dogs!


I love dachshunds. They're cute, have a lovely temperament around people including children, plus they're good watch dogs.

Earlier today, we went to a dog show just for dachshunds, organized by the Dachshund Club of NJ at Bridgewater. We enjoyed looking at the different breeds, as well as getting to know the local breeders.

The one on the top left was a champion before but didn't compete today. Her "brother" on the top right was a finalist in the adult smooth category. Those pups absolutely melted our hearts. The tan coat in the cage? So precioussss.

More cute dachshunds. The black & tan competed in the puppy category and was in the top three.

Judging began with the junior handlers' category. The wire haired dachshunds were so well-behaved!

Proud owners and their little wieners winners from the various categories. I spotted a shy little fellow who stayed closed to his mommy. Aww..!

It was a heart-melting afternoon with a melting weather to match. Yes, the heat is ON!

Water

Every once in a while, a good film comes our way and touches our hearts deeply that we think about it every now and then. For my friend Sue, it's Masterpiece Theatre's Jane Eyre. Like her, I am also a Bronte fan and Sue promised that this latest version is the best she's seen so far. I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD. I have placed a request with my local library for it and I should be getting it by next week. Whilst I look forward to this latest version of Jane Eyre, I would like to recommend another film that I saw not too long ago,"Water".



Canadian film maker, Deepa Mehta received death threats and faced many obstacles from Hindu conservatives when filming "Water" but I am glad that she didn't relent. This is a good movie for those who are eager to learn more about other cultures and to fully appreciate the civil liberties we enjoy in this lifetime.

Plus: The lead actors Lisa Ray (Kalyani) and John Abraham (Narayan) are easy on the eyes & you'll be drawn to Kalyani's plight in no time.

However, the center of the film is about a young girl, Chuyia. It is not a chick flick. There's NO twirling around the trees, sprawling on the grass to some "Bollywood" tune but a heavy film with underlying political and social issues affecting India in the 1930s. If you know your history well, you'll recognize which prominent historical figure I am referring to.

Watch it to understand abandonment. Watch it to remind ourselves what it is like to be able to live and love freely. Every now and then we need to see a film like this as a wake up call to our fine and dandy lives which we take for granted ever so often.

Too old for cartoons???

Nahhh....just a kid at heart.


I have a profound new love for the cutest and most curious monkey on television. Been addicted to Curious George since last year. Although the movie version is adorable, I still prefer the shorter, made for TV episodes developed by Universal Animation Studios & WGBH.

I just have to mention George's best friend, Hundley.


He reminds me of my dachshund at home - Lizzie...

Miss you sweet girl. I hear that Mom & Dad are spoiling you to bits. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

My Current Read



I found my current read quite by accident last year. I was surfing the internet and came across a free book offer. Who could resist it, right? Anyway, I signed up for the book just before my trip back to Malaysia and guess what?! It only came through my mail slot last week. Yeah, it took them almost 3 months to send it to me but I didn't pay a single cent for it so I should just shut up right now.

Back to "The Nasty Bits". So far, I have read the first two chapters and I am quite impressed by his style of writing, mixture of sometimes dry, sometimes witty humor and above all, his brutal yet honest revelation about what goes on behind the kitchen door.

Apart from his day job at Brasserie Les Halles in NYC, Bourdain travels extensively and visited several South East Asian countries in Seasons 1 and 2 of his travel & food show: No Reservations.

Another reason why I brought him up is because of his courage to travel to these remote places sans-frills and luxury of other travelogues ala Samantha Brown, Burt Wolf, Weekend Explorer, etc. His willingness to get down and dirty and visit the interior places of Sarawak, Borneo (my hometown included) is admirable. Best of all, he adores durian. The fruit he comically referred to as the "stegosaurus-shaped stink-fruit of Asia" in his online photo journal. Yes, the fruit I mentioned earlier in my Singapore entry. Now, how many Caucasian person would have an affinity with this fruit? Not many by Asian standards. Most would do a 100 metre dash or a Houdini act once they caught a whiff of its scent.

Enough said. Time to catch up on my reading.

Crazy about magnets

I like to keep souvenirs of places I've visited. Some people collect key chains, t-shirts, beer/bar coasters, matches, postcards, etc. but I prefer magnets. I put them on my refrigerator door to remind me of my trip...


So what happens when I run out of space on the fridge? Well, I'll have to buy a bigger one next time..! Ha, ha :)