Feeling the Morning Mist

It was raining last night and I am thankful for it because i have not felt (for a long time) waking up to a refreshing morning breeze.  I decided to take a walk with my son, Joaquin and enjoy the first smile of the morning sun. 

I feel a new sense of beginning in a morning like this; everything that surrounds me is green and fresh.  I guess I have not appreciated as much as i should the simple pleasures in Life and today, i just have to stop, smell, look, and feel the grace that are already aplenty.


I was lucky to see sunrise from Gambas avenue (this is the street just beside Northoaks condo) today and it gave me a totally different perspective of this otherwise industrial location on a normal hour.  Most are back to work today  (from Deepavali holiday) and at 7:15am, the street is already burstling with morning rush.

 The grass is very green today and you can feel the drizzle of rain water from the wet trees as you pass by.  I love Joaquin being so confident on his bike and as usual, i'm always meters behind:-)

I noticed that there are a couple of birds singing, and i've not heard this before.  As i looked around to find out where these little tweets are, i realized that there are more than 2 or 3 varieties of trees in our area.  I feel a small guilt not even noticing this before but maybe, it takes a little downtime to really see what is around you.  I almost thought of names for these trees; they are great shelter from the harsh of the sun and they greet bikers in this area with fresh air.






I can't help but stare at these pretty leaves with their defined lines and texture: 

The morning flowers greeted me today with their lovely scent, i wish i can capture their smell in a bottle:-)

The exercise area at Woodlands Crescent park is dripping wet after the rain and i noticed that the water droplets were also exercising as it slides down.  I wish i have a micro lens that would have captured the drop of water, it has a tiny universe by itself.  I guess i would leave that to another journey of learning something new each day, photography is now becoming top of my "list".

Looking forward to more great mornings in Singapore!

Breakfast in Upper Pierce

Today is a great day not only because it is a public holiday (Happy Diwali! to my Hindu friends) but after a long time living in Singapore, i finally have the chance to visit Upper Pierce Reservoir.  I have always wanted to explore this place but never had the opportunity. I'm grateful for the company of my "sisters" in Northoaks for the initiative and the great company eating breakfast beside the scenic lake.  Moments like this are to be cherished, i only wish Mr G is with us today (traveling as usual for work); we will for sure do this again and perhaps, we will bring our folding bikes to circle around the park (that would be another post).

 Yummy breakfast: waffles (this is a winner from my mother-in-law), corned beef, dried fish, fried rice, champorado (choco porridge), and of course, pan de sal!

 Sis Mona, Girlie, and Rina (we miss Queenie:-)

 This view brings all the peace i need to re-charge, i can just stay here and sleep...

 Hmmm...hide and seek?

 These ladies are great helping hands ...they deserve a day to relax and enjoy some chit chat

Oh, what a joy to see you, Lucas! Stay as happy and healthy -- Ninang

Biking, our new found fun

Saturday mornings is a time to look forward to. We've now picked up on a new bonding fun as a family -- biking. We are beginning to appreciate more the landscape of Singapore, the local hawker food, and more importantly, having a leisure time to stay fit.

We started our journey biking the parkway connector network (PCN) in Woodlands. After 3 years of living in the area, it is only now we have a close look at scenic Canberra going to Sembawang park, enjoyed Sembawang beach, witnessed Johor (Malaysia) sunset from Woodlands waterfront, explored the grasslands at Admiralty park, found the waterfalls at Mandai lake, discovered the hidden hot spring near Gambas road, and many more adventures as we pedal our way every weekend.

at Admiralty Park

at Woodlands Waterfront

at Mandai reservoir

There's another catch to this - my hubby is the all around mechanic, anything with gadgets, machines, and tools is his "thing"...his cup of tea, his morning espresso :-) Truth to the matter is, just within 8weeks time, we've already changed over to at least 2 bikes each. The latest craze is Mr G.'s obsession of the folding bike! 

Learning how to bike is a milestone for me, i have never been good at balancing my weight on two wheels.  My biggest motivation is my son, EJ; he loves to bike and i want to be there to support him.  Mind over matter is a constant struggle biking on a public terrain since fear comes first, my protective nature makes me shout to my son all the time to be careful on the road making me anxious and panic stricken. I am picking up life lessons too while learning how to bike. Here are a few thoughts that i painfully learned along the way (1) always look far and think ahead (2) the more you fear you will fail, you will truly fail! (3) no pain, no gain!

The goal this year is to complete the PCN  in Woodlands  (http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parkconnectors&id=43&Itemid=74) and it looks like we are ahead, we have 1 more trail to go before we complete the PCN loop.  Perhaps we move on, traveling Singapore with our folded bikes, commuting through bus or MRT, exploring other park connector network.  Further away is a dream to travel outside Singapore and explore other cities through our bikes. Hopefully by then, i would be a much better biking companion, I need to still learn.  As they say, it is all about the journey and not so much the destination:-)

I Love Mc Ritchie!

My first love in Singapore is nowhere else than the McRitchie Reservoir. It is a sanctuary for nature lovers like me, it's tranquility re-charges the spirit.

When i first came here in Singapore, I rented a unit (together with other office colleagues)at Thomson 800,a few walking distance from Mc Ritchie Reservoir (Upper Thomson Road). I normally start my Saturday walking the forest path (and jogging in between). I like the company of fellow joggers like me and I if you're lucky, you are joined by monkeys too (don't feed them otherwise a big colony of monkeys will surround you). I walk on my way back using the boardwalk which is always a highlight for me because of the misty leaves that cool the air and serene reflections of the lake. By this time, I must have burnt 10k worth of calories (back and forth) which leads me to my next favorite. Just after the main entrance, there is a communal place at the top which is a semi-cafeteria. From my memory of 5 years ago, they have one of the best nasi lemak to energize my weekend. The best part is, while eating you are facing the best view of McRitchie...haay, what a beautiful sight :-)

Good Morning Singapore!

I woke up one day and I just felt the sudden rush of getting out of bed, embracing the morning sun, and feel the misty cool air touch my skin. I was walking a few steps and then I was surrounded by beauty... I was welcomed by the refreshing smell of trees, the colorful bougainvilleas, the lovely melody of chirping birds, the blue sky, the mirror reflection from the lake, and the early bustle of morning people jogging like me.

This euphoria was 7 years ago, and I can't believe it took me this long to even capture it in a paragraph. I have been living in Singapore for 7 years now and my first home was close to McRitchie Reservoir. I always look forward to the weekend because of the recharging experience I have every Saturday morning at McRitchie. I have always treasured that and I realized, I have accumulated many other "McRitchie" experiences while in Singapore.

I am a new found blogger so I thought why not put these morning euphoria in writing and greet the world with a Great Morning!