Skye Soon
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Hey guys!

Just wanted to share a lil update on my plants.

The globe amaranths have bloomed!  Aww aren't they cute? The plant grew bigger and taller than I thought! The older leaves are rather yellow and spotted though...


The baby blue eyes did not germinate at all, so we sowed some butterfly pea seeds instead. They have since sprouted but no flowers yet! :)

My mum also grew some green bell peppers, they are super cute. 



Till next time! :) Have been real busy this December, so sorry for the lack of posts~

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Love,
Skye



Hihi!

Welcome back to another episode of DIY food making!!!

I wanted to make some fruit sorbet cuz my dad likes sorbets and popsicles. He requested a lime flavour so I went to the garden in the morning to pick out some. Lol. Sounds idyllic right? This image of a lady with a basket, rosy cheeks and apron springs forth.

It's such a great feeling to be able to pick fruits, herbs or vegetables from your own patch! Wish I had loads of space to have apple trees, orange trees, mango trees etc. What a dream~

The limes we have from the tree are quite small! We are planning to add natural fertilisers like coffee grounds and eggshells to help the lime tree along.

Freshly plucked limes! Love the scent.



Ok. So to make a sorbet all you need is some sugar syrup that you can make by dissolving sugar into water, either by heat or mixing. Then add your ingredients, and freeze! For more deets, try this recipe. I used less sugar cuz y'know, asian dads.


That's me cutting up these cute little kaffir limes and juicing them.

Decided to freeze in a plastic lunch box for easy handling. Made a small batch since it's the first time, plus it's probably better to remake it with fresh ingredients each time.

Here's the lunchbox before it went into the freezer.


Now I was supposed to take out the container from the freezer and churn the sorbet, breaking up the ice crystals like in this video, but I went out... and I forgot all about it until quite late at night. Lol.

So anyway the texture isn't great, it looks like ice lol.

But most importantly it wasn't too sweet for my dad and he gave a me a thumbs up! Hurray! Parental validation for the win! I could blend it further for a finer texture though so it melts even more easily in the mouth. Like a proper sorbet.


Next up we're going to test the ice cream making skills and make some mocha nut ice cream for my mum. Stay tuned for that!

Love,
Skye
Hello lovelies!

As the end of the year pulls to a close, I have a lil more free time so I got down to more DIY and baking stuff. Today's bake project is one of the easiest by far!

Came across this recipe on Subtle Asian Cooking~ If you love mochi, and you love matcha, then... why not bake a matcha mochi muffin?

Recipe from Tiny Urban Kitchen - check it out!

Gathering ingredients. (Eggs and sugar not pictured) Everything is just a one bowl mix! No prep required LOL just measure and dump it in the bowl. Super easy. 


You'll need glutinous rice flour for this. The matcha powder I used the same as for my matcha cookies. Planning to use the matcha powder to make some ice cream after learning how to make ice cream from the workshop too! #excited

Something very interesting happened in the oven... some muffins went crazy! Haha! I added chocolate chips to half of the muffins, they held their shape better.


After 35 minutes of baking, we have nice browning on the edges! The chocolate chips are just regular Hershey semi-sweet chips. The muffins don't look as beautiful as Tiny Urban Kitchen's, but damn! Hot mochi is always soooo comforting!! Takes me back to when I had grilled mochi with sesame powder and condensed milk. Perfect combination.


I halved the recipe and had a yield of a dozen muffins. All wrinkly with a lil texture of polo buns, but HAHA you know what, my mum who dislikes sweet stuff gives it a thumbs up! She even ate a whole muffin herself lol so rare!

A close up! I enjoyed the chocolate chip ones!
Gonna give a big thumbs up and recommendation to anyone who wants a quick mochi x matcha fix with VERY minimal fuss!!!

Enjoy :)

Love,
Skye







Hullo!

Nothing much to watch in cinemas lately, so I guess it's time for another Korean movie at home!

This time we're going to check out A Taxi Driver.



Duration: 137 Minutes
Genre: Historical, Drama, Political

The main actor is Song Kang Ho, the dad from Parasite.

The movie is about how a taxi driver sends a passenger, a German reporter, into the the fray of riots in Gwangju, a countryside village in Korea in 1980. The movie is based on the interactions of a real German reporter and his taxi driver who braved the journey. According to Wiki: "Hinzpeter was reporter for the ARD and the only journalist to film the massacres during the Gwangju uprising."

It's a movie of deaths, hope, camaraderie. There are always shining souls that are willing to sacrifice themselves for a higher order of things - to reveal the truth, to right things. To stand up for others, to help others even when it comes at a personal cost. The movie delves into much of this - and humanity shows itself to be both cruel and kind. People will do what they can to protect what they love - their family, their country, their freedom.


The more Korean movies I watch, the more I learn of its political history. When I visited Seoul a few years back, we visited museums but it was mainly about things like the invention of Korean language and Korean culture. The nice, glossy things nobody can find fault with.

Even then, there were people setting up huge tents in a big public square and passing flyers about the Ferry incident where many students drowned. When I was in Hong Kong maybe 4-5 years ago, I remember people camping out on the streets - I think for the Umbrella Revolution. It was my first time seeing protests in real life, and I was both curious and scared.

I can't imagine how life must be for people that witness or participate in protests or riots... all I see is carnage and dead bodies. I hope the destruction can be stopped.

A Taxi Driver is a very chilling movie, and so extra startling because of what's happening in Hong Kong right now. Without pointing fingers, I just think human loss of lives is just the saddest thing and I hope everyone can find peace.

I'll just end this post on a serious note.

You can read more about the Gwangju Uprising 1980 here.
You can stream the movie here.

Hey guys!

Had some time on my hands recently so I experimented making some pom-poms! I really enjoy fluffy, poofy things so this was very fun for me. 

Found this book on the Recommended shelf in the library and I just couldn't resist it flipping through it and bringing it home.


Turns out that making a pompom is easy! You can do it with kids too!

You just need a few materials:

  • Yarn
    (I got mine from Daiso.)
  • Cardboard to make a template
  • Sharp scissors
Basically you make a donut hole template and wrap yarn around it. Then you cut up the yarn and tie it up, maybe trim it a little.. Haha you can Google and YouTube some videos for clearer instructions!


This was the first pom I made. Can definitely make a neater and denser one! Used this to make the fox tail in the end.
My second pom with two colours! Improved eh?!
I ran out of cardboard for the second pom's template, which is supposed to be the body of the box. So I did a trash audit and cut a template from a plastic box that used to hold highlighters. (The templates are the circles on the left, not the ring looking one in the middle of this picture)

I actually preferred this plastic template, it's easier for me to slide the yarn in and out. Seems to hold the shape better.


When I was done with the second pom, I made some ears! You'll need to needle felt or use regular felt here. I have all these supplies on hand because I once went through a needle felting phase (also fuelled by Daiso kits, lol.)


The final product! I love my Floofy Baby fox! Kawaii desu ne?


Attached a little string loop on his head and now he hangs on my desk light :)

Here are some cute pics from the book! I love these animal poms. They look so fluffy!





Resisting a trip to Daiso now in case I go crazy and buy lots of yarn home for more projects. I have a lot of felting wool left so maybe I should make more needle felt animals instead.

I'm also learning how to knit from the leftover orange yarn and some knitting needle sticks I bought years ago. Knitting is not for the faint-hearted! I don't know how people can watch TV and knit, it takes so much concentration from me. Hopefully I will complete a scarf one day?!?!? And I want to learn crochet as well, just to make a amigurimi Kiirotori (Rilakkuma's chick friend.)

Bye for now!!

Love,
Skye



Heya,

Today I just wanna share a bit on my ongoing declutter process! I actually list down everything I own for clothing, shoes and bags, and number them, so I know if there have been any changes over the months. I derive some satisfaction from this haha.

Clothing Count 
Shirts, Tops, Skirts, Shorts, Pants, Dresses, Jackets
(I didn't count PJs, socks, sports wear, winter wear)

Start of the Year: 63
Now: 44

Bought 6 new pieces of clothing this year - two dresses for weddings, a cute shirt from my Thailand trip, two Uniqlo basics, and a casual striped shirt.

Donated/threw out some items that I do not wear, found uncomfortable, or was too short.

Shoes Count
Sneakers, heels, flats, slippers, boots

Start of the Year: 8 pairs
Now: 7 pairs

A pair of new sandals broke after just a few months. Ugh.

Bags
Totes, slings, backpacks

Start of the Year: 19
Now: 17

Bags are so difficult to declutter! Haha. Maybe because they all seem so useful. Any tips?! Do I just have to harden my heart?! I have so many cute totes.

•·················•·················•

I have also embarked on digitalising some of my documents, scanning with Adobe Scan (free) as some apps have a watermark. It takes a loooong time but I tell myself to be patient as it would really free up some shelf space and make it easy for me to print next time! :)

How is your declutter process going? It actually gets more difficult for me, after my first ten purges. You then have to be really ruthless if you want to whittle down your belongings.

Love,
Skye

Picture from: m__carty /Twenty20


Recently I picked up this book, called Good Question, Good Answer from the donated books shelf at the library.

It's a little handbook about basic questions people may have about Buddhism but are too afraid to ask, or when they do ask, nobody knows how to answer them. It's written by a monk who has lived in Sri Lanka and Singapore. His name is Venerable Shravasti Dhammika.



The questions, asked in full candour, can sometimes come across as aggressive! But I found the replies useful. I shortened some of the answers here because the pages can be very long! My own thoughts and comments in italics.

Was Buddha a god?
No he was not. He did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god, or even the messenger from a god. He was a human being who perfected himself and taught that if we follow his example we could perfect ourselves also.

Do Buddhists believe in a god?
No. One of the reasons Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be very much evidence to support this idea. Buddhists suspend judgment until evidence is forthcoming. (Super long answer with various reasons why, I didn't type them all out.)

If Buddha is not a god then why do people worship him? 
There are different kinds of worship. One type is when someone worships a god, they praise him or her, make offerings and ask for favours. This is not the Buddhist way. For Buddhists, they worship by showing respect to someone or something we admire. A statue of Buddha reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves.

But I have heard that Buddhists worship idols.
All religions use symbols to represent their beliefs. Buddhists do not believe that Buddha is a god, so how they can possible believe that a piece of wood or metal is a god? Therefore, to say that Buddhists worship idols is as silly as saying that Christians worship fish or geometrical shapes.

Buddhists should be vegetarians, shouldn't they?
Not necessarily. The Buddha was not a vegetarian. (He ate what he was offered.) He did not teach his disciples to be vegetarian and even today there are good Buddhists who are not vegetarians. Many people, however, find that as they develop in Dhamma that they have a natural tendency to move towards vegetarianism.

It is true that when you eat meat, you are indirectly or partially responsible for the animal's death. But the same is true when you eat vegetables. Insecticides kill insects so your veggies can arrive on your table. It is impossible to live without in some way being indirectly responsible for some death of other creatures. This is part of the First Noble Truth- where ordinary existence is suffering.

Consider this. If there was a person who was a strict vegetarian, but was selfish, dishonest and mean, and another person who ate meat, but was thoughtful, honest and generous to others.

Which of the two would be the better Buddhist?

What does Buddha say about the origin of the universe?
Buddha's explanation of this corresponds closely to the scientific view. In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha described the universe being destroyed and then re-evolving into its present form over countless millions of years. All these processes, where first life formed and evolved from simple to complex organisms, are set into motion by natural causes.

If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?
If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But if by poor you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist countries are quite rich. (Long explanation about how rich countries can have high crime rates etc.)

Monks and nuns do nothing but meditate. What good are they to society? (lol I wasn't kidding about the straight shooting questions.)
You might compare the meditating monk to the research scientist. Society supports the scientist in the hope that he will discover or invent something that will be for the general good. The community supports the monk because it hopes that he will attain wisdom for the general good. Also, the meditating monk also serves as an example that one does not have to be rich to be content. A simple and gentle lifestyle has its advantages too.

Becoming a monk is all very well but what would happen if everyone became a monk?
One could ask the same about any vocations. What if everyone was a dentist? What if everyone was a nurse? There will be no cooks, no drivers, no teachers. The Buddha did not suggest that everyone be a monk.  (Haha this clapback)

The Second Noble Truth says craving causes all suffering. But if we all stopped wanting altogether, we would never get anything or achieve anything.
True. But what Buddha says is that when our desire, craving and constant discontent with what we have and our continual longing for more and more does cause us suffering, then we should stop doing it. He asked us to make a difference between what we need and what we want.

The First Precept says not to kill living beings. But surely it is good to kill sometimes, like disease spreading insects.
It might be good for you but not the bug. They wish to live like you do. Sometimes it may be necessary to kill but it is never wholly good. Buddhists strive to develop a little more respect for all life.

What did Buddha teach about magic and fortune telling?  (Think magic charms and doing activities on lucky days etc)
He considered these to be useless superstitions. The Buddha teaches that it is far more important to develop our hearts and minds. (ie. It's enough to have a pure heart! You don't need special charms, necklaces etc)

I find it difficult to read the Buddhist scriptures. They seem long, repetitious and boring.
While some of Buddha's discourses contain considerable charm and beauty, most resemble philosophical thesis with definitions of terms, carefully reasonsed arguments. They are meant to appeal more to the intellect than to emotions. When we stop comparing Buddhist scriptures with those of other religions, we will see that they have their own kind of beauty.

•·················•·················•

The book also has a huge chapter on Rebirth and Nirvana. There are also chapters on the types of Buddhism today, the differences between them, and also about the history of Buddhism.

I really enjoyed this book and I will continue to study more of Buddhism! (I also study other religions when I can get my hands on related books. Just a curious bookworm, religions are fascinating.)

Peace,
Skye
Hey guys!

I'm back to revive my Challenge that I started earlier on in the year.

So far I've completed two challenges:
  • Try a New Cuisine - Peruvian Food
  • Going Somewhere New - Jurong Lake Gardens
And today I'm proud to say I've completed a new activity - Making Ice Cream from scratch!

Have you ever dreamed of opening a cafe or ice cream shop? Haha I definitely have. I wanted a nice cafe selling yummy cakes and desserts. My cafe would be kind of garden themed, with a huge European fountain in the lawn.

But anyway, daydreams aside, we thought it would be fun to learn how to make ice cream, so we signed up for a workshop at Tom's Palette. It's $60 per adult, kids at $30/pax.

Some pictures from the workshop! Our instructor was the friendly and super humorous Lee Wei (not sure about the spelling of his name, sorry.) There was about 20 people for our class, made up of couples (one lady was pregnant haha), friends, and even a mother-daughter pair.



6 recipes for you to try at home! 

We learnt some theory about ice cream making, such as the ratio of ice cream, fat, etc, before watching a demonstration and getting down to making our own ice cream! We made Horlicks and Chocolate ice cream with simple ingredients like milk, sugar, egg and cream. And I think one great thing about workshops is you don't have to wash the things you use. Woohoo! XD

Mixing up stuff on the hot plate. 
The process is not crazy difficult, and the mixing was nothing like mixing bread dough, which really tests your arm strength. It was all breezy, easy and fun :)

Halfway through the class, while the ice cream was freezing in the fridge, we took a break and enjoyed an ice cream buffet. Let the pigging out begin!!!

It was crazy haha, we had 6 cups of ice cream (12 flavours). Lol. I was definitely having the time of my life.

There were super interesting flavours like Nori (seaweed), Pipagao (very cooling), Triple S (Soya sauce, shoyu, Japanese sauces.) Surprisingly so goooood, with some pine (?) nuts. Also tried Multigrain, Chocolate Stout, Rum & Raisin, Chocolate Tea etc. We really went wild.

My favourites are still Yuzu and Pistachio though~! Had a real disappointing Pistachio recently at a famous ice cream cafe and I'm so glad that this one is much nuttier and delightful. Plus the ice cream here is only a fraction of the price at that cafe!

We were a little apprehensive about how our ice cream will turn out, but the instructor did tell us not to be upset and compare to others LOL cuz everyone's ice cream is gonna be different.

Our ice cream right out the freezer.
I think we got a pretty good texture for the first time?
Packed it home and froze it some more. Without emulsifier, the ice cream melts very quickly. Horlicks on the left, chocolate on the right!

We don't really like Horlicks flavour and would replace with Milo next time! The chocolate one tasted like their Chocolate Sorbet flavour yum yum!

What flavours should we try making at home?! The recipe book has Coffee, Milk Tea, etc. 



Do visit Tom's Palette at the original Shaw Tower location before it moves! The building is being torn down after March 2020. They are also on Burpple so you can enjoy some 1-for-1 ice creams~

If you're interested in the workshop, check out their website for updates. It's a fun date idea for your SO, friends, or family. Have fun!

Meanwhile I'm really into workshops so I hope I find something fun (and affordable) to try out soon!

Love,
Skye

P.S. If you would like to receive email notifs on new posts, subscribe here :)



Movie: I Can Speak
Genre: Drama
Duration: 119 minutes

What's it about:

Korean ahjumma Na Ok-bun is the town's resident complain queen. She turns in files after files of complaints at the town council. She wants to learn English, but for what reason?

Granny says, WASSUP?!


Stickler for rules, Park Min Jae is a city official that tries to handle Ok-bun's complaints. When she finds out that he speaks English, she pesters him to teach her English after various language centres turn her away.


Park Min Jae is our main male lead!
Our cast goes through some trials and tribulations. 

Thoughts
If you are planning to check out this movie, ask yourself: ARE YOU READY TO CRY?

No shit please prepare some tissues.

Personally, I was moved to tears several times, especially at the end. At first, it was the small, touching family scenes that got me, then later because of some bigger issues that I will not share here as they are big spoilers. This movie ended up being a sort of unexpected film for me, inlaid with a political agenda, but it carries an important message. I'm glad that the movie was made and agree that history should not be repeated again.

Sharing some screencaps with you. Old granny movies always get my waterworks running. I remember watching one movie where the grandchild was a ungrateful lil boy and the grandma always sacrificed things for his whims. HEARTWRENCHING. Likewise, I hate the children's book 'The Giving Tree'. So dark. 

Ahjumma learning English late into the night. She lives alone :(
Granny adopts two boys - one teen and a 33yo man. Haha! Now she has people to feed.

Look at how happy she is :')
:')

Aesthetic establishing shots I enjoy aka Min Jae's first day of work at this office.
Our baobao tearing up because he is moved too.

I streamed this movie online because it was released back in 2017. Late to the party again but it was a good movie. Side note: Korea makes quite a lot of political movies...it's a great way to raise awareness, remember wrongs, injustice and issues that may have been swept under the carpet for other agendas. Kudos to the film team. 


Gonna wipe up my tears and snot now, seeya later.

Till then,
Skye


Heya!

Before we do the usual year-end round up of books, I just wanna share a little on some of the best and cool books I've come across lately!

Haha I feel very betrayed by my friends when I finished a really good book and log it in my Goodreads list, only to find that they have all read it YEARS ago! And they didn't share the good stuff :'( *sob*

So I will definitely make sure to share my good picks with ya!!! There are not many because 80% of the books I read may be enjoyable but not very, very good. You know what I mean?

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Genre: Sci-fi
This is a trilogy. It's about science, aliens, politics, human faith, mystery, and some action here and there. Basically, there's another world out there. But did humanity manage to contact it? Set after the cultural revolution in China, a very violent and traumatising period for many, the story is a slow burn full of twists and tension.

Very gripping and fascinating. I absolutely recommend it! It's sooooooooo nice to have an Asian sci-fi book! Going to hunt for more.

Don't worry if you don't understand the jargon. I mostly gloss over the scientific terms and am just glad I didn't have to read these terms in Chinese. Haha.

1st Book: The Three Body Problem
2nd Book: The Dark Forest
3rd Book: Death's End


Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Genre: Drama
I've been trying to broaden my book-reading horizons, so I decided to explore literature from Africa! Wow. It was breath-taking. The story spans across generations, detailing the lives of descendants after the entire line is cursed when a tragedy occurs.

The stories are sometimes heartwrenching, sometimes violent, and the emotions run raw and true. I really love how I get a peek into African bush life, culture, day-to-day life, and Africa after independence. There is talk of politics, family structure, the roles of the males and females in society, colonialism, magic, blood ties, war. It was all very interesting to me!

Anyway, I found all these books in the library. If you have any good book picks for me, please share them~ Thank you!

Happy Reading!

Love,
Skye



Hey guys!

Just wanted to share some useful actual day (AD) wedding tips that I've gleaned from being a bridesmaid a couple times! (Hopefully I can still get married HAHA)

Handy things to have, starting from the basics.

Portable Charger and Wire
Please be contactable.

AD Schedule

Handheld Fan
An excellent idea if you are squeezing in a photo shoot at an outdoor location before the wedding banquet. Perfect for keeping the bride cool so she always looks great.

Tissues/Wipes
Same idea as the fan - this keeps the couple cool and make sure they look their best.

Safety Pins 
Handy if anyone has a wardrobe malfunction. Once, a guest ripped her dress so this came in handy.

Plasters
For anyone who needs it. Just be prepared.

Extra Angbaos and Cash
Also super useful especially if you have a tea ceremony and the couple needs to gift some younger relatives angbaos. Sometimes they may miscount or maybe more relatives may turn up - you never know. Extra angbao envelopes can also help guests who forgot to bring theirs.

Bag
This is especially if you are the maid of honour. Expect to keep makeup, bobby pins, your phone, and her phone ready at hand. If the bride has dress changes (qipao, kua, for tea ceremony or even photoshoot etc), this bag is also handy to put the clothes, shoes, wipes, and maybe a bottle of water. Bag can also be used to keep angbaos and presents that relatives gift - your bride has no pockets so YOU are the pocket! Haha.

"You are the bag. You are the pocket!"

Pouch
This can be done either by the bride or bridesmaid. If the couple is doing their solemnisation on the actual day, place the couple's ICs inside, together with their vows, a pen to sign the marriage cert, an angbao for the solemniser, and LABEL the pouch. For example, 'FOR SOLEMNISATION: Bring to hall' etc. 

Labels 
In the same vein, it's useful to label bags with masking tape. For example: 'Overnight Bag - to be brought to suite' , 'Photos for reception table' or 'Laptop: Bring to *location*' so things get to their correct spots. Make sure the electronics have their passwords removed so that hotel staff have easy access to hook up your videos and music to the AV system.

Hair Changes
Video the process if the MUA is not around later. This helps you remember how to attach a hair piece, or fix up the bride's hair or veil.

Coffee
If you can, help arrange or prepare some coffee (canned is easiest) for the group especially if you have one of those 4am call time for gate crashes and early morning ceremonies. Breakfast is nice too, even if it's just bread.

Cars
Please help make sure that the cars can help fit the photographers, videographers, make up artists etc on top of the bridal team.

Flower Bucket
Usually the bride has a main bouquet. This should be put in a bucket (sometimes provided by the florist), or a vase.

Whatsapp Group for ALL of the bridal party.
This is super important - unexpected things can crop up on the day and this helps everyone solve problems quick and easy. Let everyone know where important things are: for example, the access cards to the bridal suite.

List of phone numbers for external vendors or event coordinator
Your couple has no time to deal with them, so you are going to be in charge.

Parking Coupons
If the wedding is held at a hotel, you can ask for parking coupons. Other than setting aside some at the reception table, hold on to a bunch for the bridal team, family, and to deal with direct requests from guests. They may ask the couple for it, and in turn you should be the one providing it. 

Reception Table
Haha. Sometimes guests come up and say, 'I'm third aunt, where am I sitting?' Lol. It gets quite confusing for a friend to try to identify the relative so ask questions to help ease the process. For example, 'Are you friend or family? Do you know the bride or groom?' These questions can help guide you to locate their seating. Hopefully your couple had sorted out the list with names and relations beforehand too. You can also tally up the guest lists with the others at the reception during a lull. 

Flats/slippers
This is more for the after-wedding recovery experience. You will probably be so sore after a day in heels.

Lastly, the number one thing you need to have is:

Initiative
On the big day, there are lots of people and things to coordinate. The couple may or may not have prepared for some of these things that can crop up, so it's really up to you and the team to tackle things together. Always be helpful, on the ball, and don't underestimate team work! Together, a dedicated team can work miracles :)

Sometimes, the bride may only need an extra hand to support them down the stairs, hold their veil, or help them carry something. Anticipate, and participate. Be there for her :)

Thanks to all the wonderful bridesmaid friends and brides who did these things IRL and made this post possible! If you have more handy tips, be sure to share them in the comments! 

Love,
Skye


Hey guys!

Today we went to volunteer at Willing Hearts, a soup kitchen. If you're interested in volunteering there, this post may help you know what to expect!

Signing Up

We signed up at Eventbrite, but I think you can just turn up and help, especially if you have a car as they almost always need drivers to distribute the food to various locations around the island. We went for the earlier 6.30-8.30am slot on a Sunday, as the 8.30 slot seems to always be full. No training required. Kiddos are welcomed (but please make sure they are disciplined. The kitchen can be hectic, and it's a dangerous place for kids to play in). We saw some families volunteer together, which is absolutely heartwarming!

6.30am sunrise

Self-Guided Volunteering

One thing to note is that you may not be given clear instructions here, so many times you just gotta take initiative or figure things out on your own. You can also try to find someone in charge and clarify things. Sometimes, someone may shout out 'I need people to help me unload boxes,' and people will just get up from their stations and help. There are no fixed roles. All very flexible.

I think it's difficult for them to do a mass briefing because everyone turns up (and leaves) at different times. Hence, existing volunteers at a station usually teach and 'hand over' to newer ones as the day goes on.

Cutting Station 

So we just grabbed a hairnet and gloves (both provided) and joined the cutting station. There, we cut head after head of cabbage into one inch pieces, and also peeled and cut sweet potatoes. A lot of the donated sweet potatoes were mouldy and gross haha but we managed to salvage some of it! We really had to QC each potato strictly. The golden rule for us was: If you wouldn't eat it, throw it away.

Many hands make light work though! It's satisfying to see big baskets fill up with cut vegetables :)

Side thought: I wonder if these rotting vegetables can be composted???? Would be nice if organisations with different aims could link up with each other haha.

Knife Work

Not everyone is familiar with a knife, so if you are thinking of volunteering (and preparing meals) at a soup kitchen, maybe watch some videos like this to prepare yourself and be more efficient.

For example, watch this video to see how you can cut a head of cabbage (easily).



Sharing this video because not many people cook nowadays haha! You can also watch this video about how to cut a bell pepper. We saw a teen having a lot of trouble cutting the sweet potatoes, and was quite worried about him cutting himself. (We tried to help him of course)

There are lots of cutting boards and knives to go around, so you can just grab a stool and start cutting. There's also a sharpening stone for knives at the sink.

(Side thought: haha professional chefs can probably get through baskets of vegetables in a blink of an eye! I hope to be able to cut like that one day.)

Thoughts

Overall I am pleased that we managed to be here and contribute a little to the day's work. It definitely made our Sunday a whole lot more meaningful!

I hope to try a different station next time, and I think I'll continue to go for the early morning slots because the 8.30 or 12pm slots are more popular and it can get a bit crowded. When they are overstaffed you may find nothing to do and feel useless. Haha.

I want to learn more about the organisation to better understand their needs (do they require more money, more oil, rice, vans, or kitchen supplies like peelers?) Would posters on the wall help instruct newbies on what to do? Not every one knows you have to cut the vegetables to a certain size. There are some bad reviews of Willing Hearts on Facebook, but for us, the people we met there were all friendly and good-natured. The people in charge may seem more wrung-out and 'fierce' probably because there are so many sections to supervise (Cutting, Washing, Cooking, Packing, Delivery etc).

There are only six full-time staff and the charity relies on donors for food and rental.  Willing Hearts delivers to more than 6000 beneficiaries every day, ranging from elderly to the jobless. So if you have no time you can also consider donating to them to help pay their rent and support their efforts :)

Pictures and videos are not permitted in the kitchen, so if you want to get a sense of what the kitchen is like, you can check out some of these articles below.

I only snapped a pic of the outside of the building, which is the first building, straight after the security guard house. The compound, just opposite Kampong Ubi CC (nearest MRT : Paya Lebar or Eunos), also houses APSN and MINDS.

More articles on Willing Hearts:

  • For The Hearts that are Willing
  • 'Quiet, abiding dedication' to sharing food wins Willing Hearts founder Tony Tay the Magsaysay awards
  • Willing Hearts (Soup kitchen) - anyone can volunteer!
  • Food for 5,000
"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest of intentions"

Happy Volunteering!

Till next time,
Skye
Heya!

I'll be sharing on this Indonesian teen romance movie called 'Galih and Ratna' in this post.


Movie: Galih dan Ratna (Galih and Ratna)
Duration: 1h 52min

What's it about: Rich city girl Ratna meets to-be boyfriend Galih in her new school. They fall in love and try to save Galih's family cassette tape shop.

This is a very typical teen movie, and it has many cute moments of romance. I like that the story is realistic in the sense that it did not have a stereotypical happy ending. 

Ratna, our pretty main actress, plays a freewheeling Saggitarius that reluctantly moved from Jakarta.


Erlin squeals 'wo bu yao'! when paired with one of the guys in class.
She makes new friends in school, including an Instagram influencer called Erlin. Teens may find this relatable haha.

Her new friends tease her and introduce her to some guys in school. Who catches her eye?

Well, it must be the tall, dark and handsome Scorpio. Mysterious and brooding.


But he has no Instagram, which only adds to his appeal.


Galih's dad is dead and hence he helps runs the family cassette tape shop. He loves music and tapes. He's also on a strict scholarship program that helps pay his school bills, so he is often spotted studying really hard.


The beautiful cassette tape shop, Nada Music.



Our teens fall in love, with our bold Saggitarius Ratna making the first moves.


Galih picks up the signals quick and mostly um-chios to himself. Then he starts to make some moves of his own. Here's our teen couple on a motorbike ride as their love blossoms.


Galih expresses his interest in an ultra cute and traditional way - via an old school mixtape!

Ratna's cute face when she receives this 'confession'.


Our couple going through the honeymoon phase. Here's Ratna feeding Galih a french fry. LOL


Galih making funny faces to make Ratna laugh. It's a happy time.


They try to revive the shop to some success.


But surprise, surprise, they fight and kind of break up? A relationship needs to be based on trust, no matter how well meaning your lies are.


Galih's mum is disappointed in him. Very Asian.



Thoughts:
Galih and Ratna is a nice addition to music teen films such as Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It has a pretty good movie soundtrack, including a original theme song called 'Galih and Ratna' by GAC. (Gamaliel, Audrey and Cantika)

It's really funny because when the song played, my eyes lit up in recognition. That's cause I already heard the song years ago when the movie was released - I'm a fan of GAC!!! Used to watch Gamal & Audrey (siblings) on YouTube. They were soooo cute. I loved how the sister-brother duo made it so far now!!!! (Also, YouTube was so much simpler and wholesome then. Miss these no-production videos.)

Previously I didn't understand why they added Cantika to the group, but I'm glad they did because Cantika has a really deeper, smoother, and overall more mature and polished sound as compared to Audrey. This really adds depth and power to the group.

I guess cassette tapes were chosen for their nostalgic factor. Also, it is romantic to receive a mixtape, no? The funny thing is that its successor, the CD, is kinda on its road of demise too.

Overall, I'm gonna give it a 6.5/10, because the movie is rather predictable. At times, the pace can be plodding or draggy.

However, its a cute teen movie with many current references that may resonate better with younger audiences. Older audiences will enjoy the music selection and walk down memory lane.


Galih and Ratna is available on Netflix. Enjoy!

Love,
Skye
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

ABOUT ME

Skye Soon : lifestyle blogger in Singapore, street busker and enthusiast of chocolates and books

Socials

POPULAR POSTS

  • These SG short films will impress you...
  • Checking out Yakiniku-GO and how it compares to Yakiniku Like
  • Morinaga Pancake Mix from Donki
  • CHOCO PIE SHOW DOWN: Lotte VS Orion
  • 📖 Last Tango In Cyberspace - New ways to think about animals
  • slice of life
  • Old school cakes perfect for tea time!
  • Movie: Turning Red
  • Shin Ramen + Milk?
  • 📖 Ikigai

Advertisement

Blog Archive

  • ►  2023 (9)
    • ►  March 2023 (5)
    • ►  February 2023 (4)
  • ►  2022 (68)
    • ►  October 2022 (6)
    • ►  September 2022 (5)
    • ►  August 2022 (6)
    • ►  July 2022 (8)
    • ►  June 2022 (6)
    • ►  May 2022 (4)
    • ►  April 2022 (7)
    • ►  March 2022 (9)
    • ►  February 2022 (8)
    • ►  January 2022 (9)
  • ►  2021 (41)
    • ►  December 2021 (3)
    • ►  November 2021 (1)
    • ►  September 2021 (2)
    • ►  August 2021 (4)
    • ►  July 2021 (5)
    • ►  June 2021 (4)
    • ►  May 2021 (4)
    • ►  April 2021 (4)
    • ►  March 2021 (6)
    • ►  February 2021 (1)
    • ►  January 2021 (7)
  • ►  2020 (106)
    • ►  December 2020 (3)
    • ►  November 2020 (11)
    • ►  October 2020 (15)
    • ►  September 2020 (14)
    • ►  August 2020 (12)
    • ►  July 2020 (8)
    • ►  June 2020 (11)
    • ►  May 2020 (6)
    • ►  April 2020 (9)
    • ►  March 2020 (4)
    • ►  February 2020 (9)
    • ►  January 2020 (4)
  • ▼  2019 (133)
    • ▼  December 2019 (1)
      • Gardening Update
    • ►  November 2019 (15)
      • Lime Sorbet from homegrown limes!
      • MMM- Matcha Mochi Muffins
      • Movie: A Taxi Driver (Korean)
      • Making a Baby Pompom Fox
      • My Declutter Progress
      • Monks and nuns do nothing but meditate. What good ...
      • Challenge 3: Ice Cream Dream Fulfilled
      • Movie: I Can Speak (Korean) - Ultimate Tearjerker
      • Cool Books, Best Books
      • Singapore Bridesmaid Tips & Hacks (AD)
      • First Time Volunteering at Willing Hearts
      • Movie: Galih and Ratna - A Sweet Romance
    • ►  October 2019 (18)
    • ►  September 2019 (11)
    • ►  August 2019 (8)
    • ►  July 2019 (11)
    • ►  June 2019 (19)
    • ►  May 2019 (17)
    • ►  April 2019 (11)
    • ►  March 2019 (11)
    • ►  February 2019 (5)
    • ►  January 2019 (6)
  • ►  2018 (12)
    • ►  December 2018 (2)
    • ►  June 2018 (1)
    • ►  May 2018 (1)
    • ►  April 2018 (4)
    • ►  March 2018 (2)
    • ►  February 2018 (1)
    • ►  January 2018 (1)
  • ►  2017 (2)
    • ►  September 2017 (1)
    • ►  July 2017 (1)
  • ►  2016 (14)
    • ►  December 2016 (1)
    • ►  August 2016 (1)
    • ►  July 2016 (1)
    • ►  June 2016 (1)
    • ►  May 2016 (1)
    • ►  April 2016 (1)
    • ►  March 2016 (3)
    • ►  February 2016 (3)
    • ►  January 2016 (2)
  • ►  2015 (39)
    • ►  December 2015 (1)
    • ►  November 2015 (1)
    • ►  October 2015 (3)
    • ►  September 2015 (9)
    • ►  August 2015 (4)
    • ►  July 2015 (8)
    • ►  June 2015 (10)
    • ►  May 2015 (3)
Skye Soon 2022

Distributed By Gooyaabi | Designed by OddThemes