The Big One!

Just 12 short months ago

I made my big debut into this world…..

 

 

 

 

 

So now I’d like to celebrate

My 1st Birthday with you!

 

31st August…

Merdeka!

Merdeka!!

Merdeka!!!

&

Happy 1st Birthday to me!!!!

Lots of love & wet kisses..

Laila Auni Qistina

Save Our Last Kampong…Preserve the Kampong Spirit

Several days ago, The New Paper featured an article about Kampong Lorong Buangkok, near Punggol which is perhaps the very last standing kampong which  still exists in Singapore.

Hidden away in the middle of a small dense forest behind Lorong Buangkok, this kampong has miraculously survived for almost 4 decades, from the government’s continuous and active project mission of transforming Singapore with  more sophisticated high-rise housing estates. With the increasing housing development plans to jazz up island-wide especially the area around Punggol, this kampong will no doubt be threatened by it. Only time will tell.

The kampong comprises of about 30 families of different multi-racial backgrounds living in harmony. This kampong has survived through the generations and the people here, Chinese and Malays live like a very big family, all warm and friendly which is very true to the good old kampong spirit we’d seen in Singapore back then in the early 60’s, but sadly we seldom see now . There are no cases of theft or robbery and they all trust one another with their belongings.

Stepping onto the grounds of this kampong, you will feel as if you’re taken back into our foreparents time.  Here on the grounds of about 3 football fields, you can see the whole place filled with wooden zinc roofted houses and dirt roads. The surrounding air here is truly fresh and crisp, dense forestation, chirping of the birds and the crickets contributes to the serenity of this place. At least that’s how i feel for this place still, my “secret” hideout of about 5 years and it has never fail to impress me each time whenever i make a visit. Well, now then that its not so secret anymore.

The people living here are all simply amazing. For someone like me whose been raised up as a kid to not talk to strangers, its totally different for them living in the kampong. Visitors coming to this place are given the same warm welcome with a smile and even impromptu invitations to have a cup of coffee with them. Something that we’ll never see in our own HDB estates.

My only vague memories of kampong houses was that of my aunt, my late father’s sister, whose family used to stay in the Siglap area. I was a very young girl then and all I could remember was how big and spacious her house was, how I’d loved to play on the outdoor swing which was hung on my aunt’s rambutan tree and my uncle the musician who loves to play on his piano to entertain us whenever we’d visited them.

Finally in the mid 80’s their kampong house had to make way for the development of private housing estates and were thus demolished completely. As all of my aunt’s children had all grown up and have families of their own, she has since moved out of Singapore to reside in JB, following my uncle who works with an events company there. And no, she’s not even living in a kampong area now but instead in a double-storey bungalow in Taman Perling. Well perhaps still the memories of her Siglap area kampong house can still be remembered each time when we watch the old Shaw brothers production movies like the still famous and loveable black and white movies Bujang Lapok. Those were the days when Singapore used to be like a mini ”Hollywood”, a hub for the production of malay movies and the then very famous Jalan Ampas studios. Besides the areas in Balestier, Siglap was also one of the hot spots for the movie directors to shoot their movies.

Its really sad and pitiful that the kampong houses which used to sprout almost everywhere on our tiny island had been long gone and forgotten. It won’t be surprising if one day our future offsprings will have no solid ideas what a kampong is.

As for my opinion, a kampong is a place where one can really relate to nature, sit back and ponder (very important element to my secret hideout), appreciating of the simple life without any stressful complains of the fast-paced metropolitan living. The peacefulness and quietness you’ll get living in a kampong..it’s priceless.

(p.s – I’m missing the great taste of Ayam Lemak Cili Api with ulam as well as Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Kembung by a relative living in a Malaysian kampung. Makes me wanna scream “Aku nak balik kampung!!”)

                                   

             

                  

Flight of the Bumblebee

   

As busy as a bee. If you could just name one insect to describe my lil family, we’re all bumblebees. Yes, even the lil kiddo is one “giant” bumblebee whose much independent “exploring” things on her own (I’d finally gave up of sealing my drawers with tapes).Take last night’s coincidence for example, she became esctactic upon playing with her own shadows in my dark room which was illuminated with my sister’s W850i handphone. She was a bit afraid of her own shadows at first, but yes the very next moment that we knew of, we had a mini wayang kulit show of our own and we were simply amused by my lil monggel’s antics. We sang lullabies and we had our hands imitating different animals’ shadows. As for Laila, all she did was excitedly waved her both arms up high and with both hands, she did her cute twinkle-twinkle little star action and babbled to the tune ;p.

Ouh well she has certainly grown up pretty much on a fast rate. (*gasps!heart attack!how time flies!*)

On another note I’d just realised something……..it’s been a month since I’d last met up with my Squammies. I miss them so much!!!

 

On Your Marks..Get Set…Fire(Works)!

Last night was the 1st day of the Singapore Fireworks Festival which was held at the Marina Bay area. The Spanish team which performed yesterday, Pirotecnia Igual had put up an indeed spectacular fireworks showcase galore. For about 20 minutes, thousands of spectators  stood looking high up where the night skies transformed into a beautiful canvas of colourful lights art display.

Tonight’s gonna be the last chance to catch this fireworks festival and the team from China will be putting up their stuffs for show. For those whom’d missed last night’s fireworks display, it’s not too late to head down to the Marina Bay area to watch. The fireworks display will be sometime around 9p.m and for those who wished to get the closest view without the hassle of going through massive human jam, I’ll recommend the open space behind One Raffles Quay office building as the best spot

Mission (im)Possible…

 

 

Look who’s been caught on the “toddler police” hidden camera. *shakes head*.So this is what you’ve been doing when Ibu’s not around aiy?Well if you must ask me what the lil monggel is now capable of, as you can see from the above pics, she’s now an “expert” dealing with all sorts of drawers,cabinet doors,sliding doors as such.

Never mind if the drawer’s tightly shut or if the drawer’s/cabinet’s knobs comes with the most intriguing design anyone could ever think of. Let the cute little fingers of this monggel do “wonders”. By just using her forefinger, she could still open any loaded drawers as easy as A B C. Even the attempt of tying shoe-laces around the knobs still won’t stop this gentle giant from meddling with the drawers and as strange as it gets she’s still able to loosen up the shoe-laces tied around the knobs. I’d finally gave up on the shoe-laces and use some strong art tapes. Works for me at the present moment and i hope it’ll be able to withstand the sheer pressure from the monggel’s lil fingers :p (hopefully for long too ;p).

And Chomel (my big fat cat) has every single reason to be fearful of this little monggel of mine. For she’s now an active cat chaser crawling all over the place and even if the slightest opportunity exists for her to hug Chomel, she will just pinned down her head to the cat’s body and do the “sayang” cat action (her body and her head will stay glued to the cat’s body and her cute arms wrapped around the cat). Well of course, I’ll make sure she doesn’t excessively do this stunt and do any harms to both herself and the cat. Wuahh takut oii!!

And so the next time if I happen to come to your home with this monggel of mine, cat owners please remember to hide your cat(s) at someplace in advance. You don’t wanna know what other things she’s capable of when your cats are around ;p

Monday Blues? Sweet Cute Lollipop is here :)

My Monday morning perfect remedy.  My sweet cute lollipop. (thank goodness you’re getting all better). What’s worst on a Monday for me? Getting a  sore dry throat, tickly irritating coughs with the backup of hiccups. Well, please make way, for I need some form of “mental” theraphy to make me feel better. Mardiana, your 15 minutes starts now….

My Sweet Cute Lollipop. Always be my remedy

Digarhayu Singapura…

One of my favourite shots of last night’s 42nd NDP 2007 celebrations at Marina Bay. We sure had great fun waiting,watching and snapping away of last night’s NDP finale…what else but the mighty fireworks!

Hoho! Even Laila enjoyed herself babbling out loud in awe when she saw the mighty colourful showdown high up above the skies. Boleh tahan jugak si kecik nih orang sana sini pekik-pekik dia pon nak ikut jugak. Chey!!

And I must thank Jason my sifu. Thank you for sharing tips and tricks of dslr photoshooting. Heheh! Hope you’ll be patient cos I’m totally a new “idiot” with this strange new gadget. Lol.

Anyway for those fireworks enthusiasts (like me) whom still can’t get enough of these mighty colourful lights showdown, be sure to catch The Singapore Fireworks Festival 2007 which will be held on the 17 & 18 August 9p.m at Marina Bay.

Too Fast Too Cute…

p.s – Come this 31st August my gentle giant will be turning 1. Ahhh…and it seems like yesterday you were that once a tiny tot all yellow.

Have a “Thriller” Monday!!

Here’s the moral of the story…NEVER EVER get caught breaking laws in the Philippines or else be prepared to face more complete humiliation and dance a pro like M.J!!! ;p

To the Man Whom’d Believed “Life Is Not All About Sympathy”…

This will be yet another update on a wedding which I’d attended recently and I dedicate this special entry to the man himself, someone whom I had known for a couple of years ago when we first started out as internet friends before becoming good “real” world friends. I was still single at that time & I’ve known lotsa people from the internet world, but he’s among the very few that still remain sincere as true and reliable friends till this very present moment.

And last Sunday, I’d gathered my strength to  fight and control my feverish symptoms in order to attend the most important event of a lifetime for this man. I’m really glad that I did that. I’d managed to capture the happy moments of this man whom I’d already regard as a big brother to me.

To bro Salehin & sis Sri Riana congrats on your wedding! May Allah bless the two of you with matrimonial bliss for life always. Amin..