Marimo (毬藻, literally “ball seaweed”), also known as Cladophora ball, Lake ball, or Moss Balls in English, is a species of filamentous green algae (Chlorophyta) found in a number of lakes in the northern hemisphere. A marimo is a rare growth form of the species where the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance. Colonies of such balls are only known to form in Iceland, Scotland, Japan and Estonia. (source)

Did you know there’s a legend behind it too? Apparently, in a tribe near Lake Akan in Hokkaido, the daughter of the chief of an elite tribe fell in love with a warrior from a rival tribe. Their tribes forbade their love, so they decided to give up their possessions and flee from the land where their love was forbidden. Although their new life was harsh, they survived because of the deep love they had for one other. Legend has it that the lovers’ spirits metamorphosed into Marimo, a plant of love at the deepest reach of the Lake Akan where they lived happily ever after. Marimo has become a symbol of determination in overcoming adversities in search of true love and happiness.

I don’t exactly believe in legends, and that’s certainly not the reason why I bought the Marimo. I just think that it’s interesting, and doesn’t require too much care. And since it’s small, it can be kept on the table or somewhere where the dog can’t get at it. I just wonder how long before they grow noticeably bigger…

I bought mine from Giveaplant, but Marimo can be bought online and from some fish shops as well.

“When I was little, I didn’t understand why ferris wheels existed. They were just sluggish and went up high. I got bored with it after only one ride. The roller coaster and the loop slider… I only paid attention to the thrilling rides. But… I kind of understand now. Ferris wheels are for slowly cutting across the sky with the person you like and maybe saying things like, “Isn’t this a little scary?”
― Umino Chica

The husband booked tickets for the Singapore Flyer this Valentine’s. It was a surprise, and if I knew it earlier I’d have brought along a proper camera! But thankfully phone cameras are getting better these days, so the night shots didn’t turn out too bad.

Getting in and moving up! We were there a day before Valentine’s, and the place was filled with other couples celebrating Valentine’s early in addition to the tourists. Thankfully, the capsule wasn’t completely filled, and everyone had space to move around.

Wouldn’t want to ever climb on one of these ladders! Looking at it from within the capsule is scary enough.

The view from the top:

And shots of the flyer from outside:

The view is probably nicer at night, but I’d love to go for another ride during daytime in the future, just to experience how different the view is.

Vocal Point’s “I’ll Be Missing You” is one of the few performances that brings tears to my eyes. It’s not technically the best, since there are some pitch issues, but that’s really understandable since the lead singer’s father passed away before the performance and this song was sung as a tribute to him.

The song made me think about the people I had lost, especially my grandfather. He passed away while I was still in primary school, and because I was still young then, I don’t have many memories of him. But what I remember was how he would look for me after church to pass me the toys he had bought for me. My parents would always ask him not to go to the expense, but he still bought them anyway. They were the cheaper kind that you could buy at provision shops back then, but I nevertheless liked them because he picked them out for me. I still remember his smile and how happy he was to pass me the toys…

My grandfather’s health had always been fine, and no one would have expected him to leave us so soon. But (assuming that my memory doesn’t fail me here) one day, he fell when he went out to buy bread. He hit his head in the process and was hospitalised. The injury didn’t seem too bad though and his condition was improving, but one day, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. He was admitted into the ICU, and I remember heading down to the hospital with my family, and waiting while my parents went in to visit my grandfather. They wouldn’t let me see him though, since he had tubes stuck into him and they were worried that I would be scared by the sight of it. That was the very last thing I remember before he passed away just like that.

I only saw my grandfather on Sundays, and even then it was just for a short while. But even though we were not close, and didn’t communicate that much, he’s the one I miss the most out of all my grandparents who have passed. There’s just something about the joy he had seeing us, and the warmth that surrounded him and will always stay with me. Most of the toys have since been broken or given away, but I still have 2 small figurines coming from a particular set of toys he gave me that I can’t bear to part with just yet – they’re a reminder of how he loved buying toys for me.

Met up with old friends last week after out last gathering, which was… during my wedding? We seen each other through from secondary school, from the time when some of us started dating, till now, when we’re starting to get married. Can’t wit to fly to Australia for Linda’s wedding this December!

Today was my post-LASIK checkup. One week after my procedure everything looks fine. My eyes are healing normally, and my light sensitivity is getting better. My eyes still get dry easily (especially in shopping malls!), but the dryness is improving as well, and I last longer in the lab before having to put eye drops. I was a little concerned that the vision in my left eye is slightly blurrier that my right, but it seems like the culprit is the slight residual astigmatism (I technically have no myopia now). I doubt it’ll ever get better or go away with time, but I can gladly live with this! My vision is so much better than what it used to be, and peripheral vision is wonderful

My next checkup is in 3 weeks, and hopefully things will continue to look good then! One thing LASIK really made me appreciate is the gift of sight. I never really bothered to take care of my eyes during my younger days, but I certainly will from now on!

For double eyelids

(click to enlarge)

1. With a brush, use the lightest shade to highlight the socket, extending to the area slightly beyond it. Applying highlighter all the way to the bottom of the eyebrows gives off an old feel, so take note of it.
2. Using the larger end of the eyeshadow applicator, apply the medium colour in the palette to the socket area.
3. Apply the darkest colour on the double eyelid. Layer on the colour to get a gradient effect.
4. Apply the highlighter shade to the inner corner of the eye with the smaller end of the applicator.
5. Apply the second shade (used in step 2) to the middle third of the lower eyelid. This shade should be close to your skin colour to brighten the eyes.
6. Apply the third shade (second darkest) to the outer third of the bottom eyelid.
7. With the darkest shade, draw a thin line along the outer edge of the lower eyelid.
8. Apply eyeliner along the upper lash line and the outer third of the lower lash line.
9. Go over the eyeliner　with the darkest shade. Doing this helps to blend in the eyeliner and prevents it from smudging.
10. Apply mascara.
11. Go over the space between the lashes and the inside of the upper lash line with a gel liner.

For single and hidden double eyelids

(click to enlarge)

1. Using a thick brush, apply the medium shade from your palette to the socket area, extending slightly beyond it. Those with single or hidden double eyelids don’t need to highlight the socket area.
2. With the same thick brush, apply the second medium colour (should be similar to the first shade used; the tutorial uses a shimmery one) over the socket area.
3. Draw a thick line with an eyeliner. A pencil liner is preferable since it’s softer, and will be easier to draw a thick line with.
4. With the thicker end of the eyeshadow applicator, apply the darkest shade over the eyeliner and blend upwards.
5. Apply the highlighter shade to the inner corner of the eye.
6. Divide the remaining area on the lower eyelid into half. Apply the shade used in step 1 to the portion directly below the iris, and the shade used in step 2 to the remaining half at the outer edge.
7. Line the outer 1/3 of the lower eyelid. Avoid making the line too thick.
8. With the thinner end of the eyeshadow applicator, go over the line you just drew (in step 7) with the darkest shade in the palette.
9. Apply mascara. Mascaras with comb-type applicators are recommended in this case.
10. Go over the space between the lashes and the inside of the upper lash line with a liquid liner.

The husband booked a consultation for me last Saturday, as a belated birthday present. The eye check took some time, as there were many machines I had to go through. Lots of scans looking at objects, getting light shined into my eye and instruments touching it to get measurements such as my ocular pressure… it wasn’t too bad though, even with all the touching, since anesthetic eye drops were instilled.

Fast forward to the Monday after, and I got my surgery done. The whole process took about 2 hours – I was first brought into a resting area, where I was given a pill to relax, and had eye drops instilled to prevent busing during the procedure (even with the eye drops, half the people will get some busing while the other half will not… it’ll go away with time though, so no harm done). The nurse came in the explain the procedure to me, and soon after, I was led to the surgery area. Anesthetic eye drops were instilled and I was asked to keep my eyes closed while the nurse disinfected my eyelids. After another short rest, the doctor came and checked my eyes, and I was brought to the first room after that.

The first room is where the first part of the surgery is carried out – the creation of a flap over the cornea. Since I’m doing the Intralase method, it involved the doctor using a round, hollow equipment to hold the eye in place, and then applying laser to create bubbles in the eye. Pressure is applied at the same time. This was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole procedure, since I could feel the pressure being applied. But it didn’t hurt though, since the anesthetic eye drops had already kicked into effect. I had to take a rest after that, and keep blinking so that the bubbles could settle and the next step – the actual correction of my vision – could be carried out.

During the process of correction, the doctor has to lift up the corneal flap made in the first part of the procedure. I’m not sure how he does this, and even though I was aware that he was doing something to my eye, I wasn’t sure what exactly was he doing (since he didn’t say what), and I could barely feel anything on my eye anyway. All I had to do was simple – open or close my eyes when I was told to, and follow the light when my eyes were opened. After the laser was applied, the corneal flap was put back into its original position, and it was done! I was asked to rest for a while, and the nurse came by to explain the procedures for post-operative care, and I was ready to go home!

By the end of the procedure, my vision was still blur, but I could already see better than how it was without my glasses before the surgery. The whole process took about 2 hours, but the actual time spent doing the operation was short – the creation of the flap and the actual correction took only about 20 seconds per procedure for each eye – the rest is just resting and waiting.

My vision is more or less clear now, though my left eye doesn’t see as clearly as the right. The doctor says I’ll still have to wait for some time to see full improvement, but even with how my vision currently is, seeing without glasses is not a problem at all. I’m really glad about this, and while I still have to use eye drops constantly for the next few months, I think the money spent is really worth it, for all the convenience and benefits that it brings. And going through this really made be further appreciate being able to see, and reminds me to take better care of my eyes in the future. Yay to good eyesight!

After experiencing the atmosphere at Chinatown, the husband and I went to River Hongbao at Marina Bay the next day (last night). I go to River Hongbao almost every year – not because I love it, but because there’s no where else to go on CNY eve or the first day of the Lunar New Year anyway. I remember enjoying River Hongbao more during my younger days, perhaps because there seemed to be more things to see and do, or maybe because as I get older, things like this don’t interest me that much anymore. These days, things are pretty much the same at River Hongbao each year – a food section (which is always crowded), an area with a funfair, and the main area where there are displays of the Chinese zodiac and the God of Fortune.

This is the year of the dragon, so there are many dragon displays everywhere. The dragon is an auspicious symbol to the Chinese, so the dragon year always seems to be more special – and lots of people like to have dragon babies!

There’s a stall where people can do Chinese calligraphy and painting, as well as other stalls featuring candy art. I personally find these more interesting that all the dragon displays, and hopfully we can have more of such stalls or displays in the future.

新年快乐！A happy Lunar New Year to everyone celebrating it!

On Saturday night the husband and I had nothing to do, so we headed down to Chinatown after dinner. It’s been a number of years since I last went to the Chinese New Year bazaar there, so the husband decided that we should go to take a look. It was raining earlier in the day, and still drizzling when we got to Chinatown, but that didn’t seem to deter people from visiting at all. It wasn’t too crowded when we first reached there, but as it got later into the night, the place got so crowded that it became so difficult to even walk, much less take a look at what the stalls were selling and taking photos.

It’s a photo-intensive post, so the rest goes under the cut!

Most of the stalls are selling similar items, and with the exception of the food stalls, most people were browsing and few were buying. But here in Singapore, not a lot of people seem to decorate their houses for the new year, so decorative items probably won’t sell that well anyway. The festive mood doesn’t feel that strong here either – Chinatown and River Hongbao are pretty much the only places with a large crowd and strong festive feel. I’ve heard that it’s livelier in places such as Malaysia (the Chinese states at least) and China, and it’d be interesting to experience Chinese New Year there in the future.

We came across Patricia Mok and Pornsak doing some filming along the way, and as we were heading back to the carpark, we saw many other local TV personalities having a rehearsal for the CNY eve show. The crowd was just getting larger and larger, so we got out of the place and headed home, have seen enough to last us for a good while.

It becomes the dog’s property after that…

My dog has this habit of lying on pillows – sometimes he just places his entire body on it, but at other times he simply uses the pillow to rest his head – just like how humans sleep. I guess it’s something he learnt from watching us sleep? Oreo used to share the bed with the husband and his mum before we got married, and he’d always snatch the pillows when there was a chance. I made it clear that I didn’t want him on my bed after we got married (no arguments on that thankfully!), and now he either sleeps on his blanket or the husband’s worn clothes instead. Thankfully he has no issues with that and doesn’t try to jump up on our bed, and I get my pillow all to myself. It’s another story if something falls off the bed though.

January

We had started our wedding preparations the previous December. Booked our banquet hall, bridal studio and the church compound… and January was our photo shoot! It was a tiring day for us, starting with the studio shots in the morning, followed by the outdoor shots at 5 different places after lunch, but probably more tiring for the photographer, who has to do this every day. It’s certainly a memorable event, and I liked the photos taken, even though I doubt I’ll ever do something like this again.

February

Chinese New Year! Other than the usual visiting I do every year, I went to a kelong in Malaysia this time round, and we set up our own fireworks! It’s my first time trying out something like that, and though the fireworks certainly weren’t as grand or nice as those we see in Singapore during special occasions, it was certainly more special. I wish my camera was better at capturing this stuff though.

March – May

We were busy with wedding preparations during this time. Planning a wedding is by no means easy, and I’m so glad I’m not a wedding planner! There are lots of things to do and many details to look into, and it’s not easy when everyone has different opinions and you have to try to accommodate them while still making the wedding yours. But we did the best that we could, and everything did work out in the end. Our home renovations were also completed in May, and finally – a place where I can really call my own! I learnt a lot about design and renovation during the process, and this will certainly come in useful when we move out next time.

June

Our wedding! The day went by pretty much in a blur – weddings are meant as a celebration of a couple’s union, but this is also a very tiring day for them as well! I’m thankful for those who made time to share the special day with us, especially our helpers, and I was glad to meet people that I haven’t seen in a while as well.

July – September

Getting used to married life, and work continues as per normal. Married life took a while to get used to – after all, both of us have different habits, and there are only certain things that you’ll learn about each other only after you start to live together. I never had a pet before this either, so it took me a while to get warmed up to having a dog. Adjusting completely takes a while, but now we’ve settled comfortably and I really enjoy having a place to call my own. And staying close to work is a big plus, since it means being able to sleep in!

October

Our honeymoon to Italy! It was my first time to Europe, and the furthest and longest trip I’ve had so far. It was certainly an interesting experience, and if you were to ask me which city I liked most, it’d have to be Venice. It’s so different from the other cities in Italy, and the many canals, bridges and old buildings make the city really charming. I enjoy traveling because it lets me see how people live in different places, and reminds me of how big this world really is and how different people are. And it makes me appreciate what we have in Singapore as well.

November – December

Things tend to slow down towards the end of the year. The streets and malls get more and more crowded as Christmas nears and people start their holiday shopping. I enjoy shopping, but it’s such a turn off when the malls get too crowded and you can barely walk anywhere without avoiding other people, and you really can’t take your time to shop. But Christmas is still my favourite time of the year – not for the shopping or because it’s a public holiday, but because of the special meaning it has for us Christians.