Humming by the Sea
Still soaking Mother Nature. Me, my book and I.
Majestic Wonders
Some days you just need to soak in the majestic wonders of this world to realise just how lucky you are.
Five years on.
It was a Monday. I was here five years ago. Five years later, the rocks were still there, though the names have been erased. Everything looked familiar, though the scenary had changed. Lesser trees, newer paths and concrete barriers there were. The air is heavy and humid. But listening to bubbly made me smile. Hearing the waves crash upon the shore lifted my mood. Nature is indeed God’s blessing to man kind.
As I rounded up my short walk and counting down the days. Christmas is coming, what a perfect time to feel fuzzy. Plugged into I’ll be coming home for Christmas. I wonder what next year would bring and how life would be like.
BS: Phloof!
A favourite eye shadow of mine is Sunday Best from mac cosmetics. It is nude pink with a little shimmer. I love it so much. I really do. The colour is great as a base and as a highlight. It is light nude enough to act as a day-to-day basic. Blend it together with black eyeshadow and it’ll look The problem? It was a limited edition. (Though I think I talked about this before).
Since then, I have been hunting for a similiar shade for eons. I’m glad, I found a similiar shade Phloof! from mac cosmetics as well. This is faint frosted white. Upon application, there is minimal difference to Sunday Best. This time round, fear not, for Phloof! is a staple in mac cosmetics. Though, the saleslady told me that it sells out fast. Better than being limited edition!
Do fish pee?
Yes they do! According to Nanfa, fish have active osmoregulatory systems which mean that fish do need to form and excrete urine to keep their body fluid in equilibrium. The amount that they excrete though depends on the type of fish.
Freshwater fish excretes large volume of dilute urine as they are constantly taking in the freshwater around them. Saltwater fish in contrary excretes small volume of concentrated urine as they are losing water to the environment.
So the next time you take a dip in the sea with a bunch of fish, you are swimming in their pee. No wonder, the sea is always “fishy“.
Picture source: Newpetmall.com
ILF: Butter Cookies
It is tuesday again! So roll up your sleeves, let us do some baking! Today, I’ll be sharing another of my baking item - butter cookies.
- 225 g salted butter (room temperature)
- 125 g castor sugar
- 280 g self raising flour
- 85 g corn flour
- 1/2 teaspoon almond essence or vanilla essence (I used vanilla essence)
- For toppings (optional): silver almonds or maraschino cherry or glazed cherry
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
- To make the cookie dough:
- Cream the butter and sugar using a spatula in a mixing bowl - a) cut the butter into huge chunks, b) mix in the sugar. (ensure that through the process, the butter remains soft and does not turn into liquid).
- Prepare the flour mix - a) mix the self raising flour and corn flour together. b) sieve the mixture.*
- Mix the flour mix with the butter-sugar mix using the spatula.
- Using your hands, knead the mixture into a dough. (Do not knead for too long as the dough might become too soft) [To prevent this from happening, I usually place the dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes before making the cookies]
- Make the cookie balls: 1) Using a spoon, scoop the dough. 2) Place the scooped dough into your palms. 3) Roll the cookie dough into a ball. 4) Using a fork, gently press the centre of the cookie dough to produce a flat cookie dough. 5) Place the almond or cherry on top of the cookie dough.
- Place the cookie on a tray and bake for about 15 - 22 minute.
- The final product should appear whitish or off white and not brown.
- Cool and serve.
I should start wearing my boots.
Alright, the photograph is not reflective of the title. 3 months ago, I got this cute little shimmer sling bag from accessorize at a steal for $20. It is a-throw-in-your-mini-coin-purse-and-phone-only and you’re ready to go bag. Gone were my huge totes. Ever since, I wanted a slightly bigger sling to put a little bit more items. I popped into top-shop yesterday and guess what I found?
Yeap, a black leather bag with snake skin prints. Acts as a clutch and as a sling bag when you need it to be. Good for day use and night use. Awesome.
Now, I just need to finish the look with my grey skirt, black tights and my year old boots to start feeling awfully winter-y in tropical Singapore. =)
BS: Nars Deep Throat
A week ago, my sister jet setted off with her hubby and my baby niece to Hong Kong. She brought me back a Nars goodie. =) My long awaited blusher is here! I wanted her to get it in Orgasm. This is because, after reading countless of reviews, Orgasm seems to be the way to go. It is said that Orgasm is the one blusher that fits all women. It is like a global blusher. Apparently, after my sister showed the lady my photograph, she said Deep Throat would fit me better.
Having been too used to swapping on immense amount of my Paul and Joe’s blusher 04 (due to it’s baby pink nature), I made a terrible mistake with Deep Throat. Something about Nars blusher is that a little goes a long long way. Just dabble 2 - 3 swipes and you will be good to go. One week of regular usage, I have finally grown to like Deep Throat. One needs to allow the blusher colour to settle on the face first before being able to appreciate the glow it gives to the face. A good blusher is one that as the day goes, it does not require much touching up and does not make your face look grey but lights your face up with a soft radiance.
Even so, my favourite blusher still remains as Paul and Joe’s 25. Unfortunately, production for it has hauled. Paul and Joe people hear my woes!
Top 3 Smallest Countries
When deciding where to go or what to do, it is not uncommon to hear Singaporeans say, “What to do? Where now? Singapore so small. Nothing to do!” (mind the Singlish). But do you know that we are in fact 1574 times bigger than the smallest country in the world?
Wow.
Before we begin, here is Singapore statistics:
Singapore size: 692.7 sq km
Population: 4,608,167
Pop per sq km: approx 6652.5
Now here is the World’s top 3 smallest countries:
3. Nauru
Nauru size: 21 sq km (32 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 13,770
Pop per sq km: approx 655.7
Location: Nauru is an island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands. (South east of Australia)
History in a nutshell: Formerly known as Pleasant Island. During the British and Germany expansion in the 19th century, Nauru fell under the German’s rule. But after WWI, Britain seized control of the island. Nauru gained its independence in 1968. Nauru does have their own national airline.
Things to do: Fishing, swimming and scuba dive.
2. Monaco
Monaco size: 1.95 sq km (355 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 32,796
Pop per sq km: approx 16818.5
Location: Monaco is on the southern coast of France.
History in a nutshell: In 1297, Francois Grimaldi disguised as a monk and seized Monaco in the name of the Pope. In 1861, in exchange for independence and cash, Prince Charles III sold half of Monaco. After realising that the portion that he sold was the portion that held most of Monaco’s natural resources, Prince Charles decided to reestablish the economy by introducing tourism and gambling.
Things to do: Casinos, Monaco Grand Prix
3. Vatican City
Vatican size: 0.44 sq km (1574 times smaller than Singapore)
Population: 824
Pop per sq km: -
Location: Vatican city is located in Rome, Italy.
Interesting facts: Economy is supported by the contributions of Catholics worldwide, sale of postal stamps, publications. Citizenship is awarded to people who are allocated work in the city and their spouses and their children (till they are 25 or for girls if they get married). Citizenship is revoked upon the termination of work.
Things to do: Tourism.
Sources: CIA factbook, Nauru tourism official site, Monaco tourism official site, Wikipedia, Neotarama, About.com Geography. Picture sources: Answers.com, Traveljournals.net, Wikipedia.