Vietnamese Clothespin Doll

You asked for it.

J's second project is about his ancestors. Each student is given a clothespin doll and some black yarn for hair. They are to dress the doll in their native clothing. I gave him the choice of either Chinese or Vietnamese and he chose the latter. It's boring but J seems proud of it. I doubt he'll be as proud when he sees other kids' dolls because there are much more creative parents out there.

Windows 7 Inside Out

Windows 7 Inside Out

I am currently reading this book after reformatting and installing Windows 7 on my old laptop. It is quite a good book. I've learned a few new things but unfortunately, my aged brain is finding it difficult to retain them.

Patio Plants

 

Blueberry Bush. Thrives on acidic soil. I might chop it down or plant a 2nd plant to improve the yield quantity.

White blueberry flowers turn into blueberries.

Green to purple, finally to deep purplish blue.

Raspberry bush. Thorny and thrives on acidic soil.

Raspberries at various stages of ripening. You can see the "stem" after I picked the fruit.

Snowbird peas. 

Sunflower at the end of its life. We harvest the seeds after the flower dries up. The hamsters love 'em (seeds).

Dwarf Yellow Water Lily.

Thai basil and passion fruit plant

On the top is a picture of my Thai basil plant. I like to get a bunch and fry them in an omelette.
My neighbour, Mr Wong, says his mother used to make a dip for boiled chicken with these: just chop a bunch, pound them together with cili padi, garlic and young ginger. Add a dash of sesame oil and kicap.

I hope to try his family recipe soon.

On the bottom is a picture of my two passion fruit plants. Looking forward to reaping some fruits from my lil patch.

Starting a vegetable patch

Here are my first two attempts at gardening.

On the left is a brinjal plant.

On the right, is my little row of kangkung (water convulvus). They are growing very fast in this rainy season.