I used to live just next door to Hajjah Fatimah Mosque during my childhood. Technically, it’s supposed to be the first mosque that I stepped in during my youth since its just a stone’s throw away but that honour goes to Masjid Sultan, my so-called home ground mosque. Anyway, I really missed staying at Beach Road, the soothing sound of the azan during subuh that can be heard in the vicinity had such a calming effect on me, especially after a fitful night :)

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Always a must for breaking fast, just the smell of frying vadai that fills the bazaar makes this indian snack such a delight to eat. Best eaten hot when its still crunchy on the outside but during the fasting month not possible unless you have it at night or tak posa, hehe.

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Kick starting my “ambitious” project of a photo a day in the month of Ramadan to rediscover my love of photography which I must admit, have taken a back seat during these few months. Ok, let’s get the project started!

We always have the schedule pinned up on the fridge. Sort of a countdown ticker for us. Notice the rest of the snapshots on the fridge, too many photos to stick, the rest are relegated to the bottom fridge.

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somehow, baa baa black sheep has associated itself with a carefree big bad wolf, and doe, a deer, induces much emotion.

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the kids had been singing snatches of what sounded like ‘we are singapore’ days before national day. the little one would putter about going “seeeng-a-poh… seeeng-a-poh…”, and the older one would ask the title of the song where “got lion roar, that one”, so we knew they’d been brainwashed – i mean, taught in school about national day. “singapore’s birthday?”, he asked. well, sorta, i guess. that’s much simpler than having to explain the history of independence to a 4-year-old.

i’d never been to a national day parade when i was young, my parents preferring to stay put at home and restrict our national merriment through live telecasts of the parade on tv. izad on the other hand, has only fond nostalgia of the NDPs he’d been to as a kid, now lamenting how difficult it has been to obtain tickets since the advent of the balloting system. i guess i’m not “patriotic” enough to reallllyyy want to participate en masse in flashing flags and singing in unison to sappy songs about being home, truly, but there’s enough of it to go along with the crowd to soak in the holiday atmosphere and enjoy the roaring jet displays and spectacular fireworks, the latter admittedly being my only favourite part of the celebrations.

actually, my seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards the concept of patriotism extends to having few complaints of being born here and subjected to the system that is singapore. (sometimes i even find myself defending the system, despite myself – well, as they say, don’t bite the hand that feeds you, heh.)

comfortable and complacent, how’s that for being a model singaporean?

and now, enough of that perennial (and truthfully tiring) grumblings of “wasting taxpayers money” rubbish, you cynics. (there’s plenty in the coffers, take this is small change.) i love fireworks, my kids love fireworks, and i’m ‘technically’ paying for it too, so suck it up and enjoy lah! :p

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auni dancing to vampire weekend’s giving up the gun.

enjoy your long (vampire) weekend!!

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