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Havasupai, Arizona: Trekking into the Grand Canyon
Havasupai, AZ — from the surface, the Grand Canyon is just a big hole in the ground, the way to really appreciate it is to trek into it. I would have never chosen this way to descend and experience the Grand Canyon but feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to do so with old friends.
Halloween Six Years Ago: Ninjas, a Pumpkin and a Grumpy Elf
6 Years ago. I love Halloween and this was so cute, ninjas, a pumpkin and a grumpy plumpy elf.
Data Centre World Singapore 2026: Four Years On
The first time I came to Data Centre World 4 years ago, I literally stumbled into it via a professorial invite and a college friend's visit (her company developed data centres, back when the understanding of a data centre was a far more basic concept).
Shanghainese Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival: Our Annual Tradition
中秋节快乐！祝您和家人花好月圆，阖家幸福! We made our annual tradition of Shanghainese mooncakes!
London on an Early September Morning: Returning with My Girls
There's just something splendid about London on an early September morning, when the sun shines bright but the wind blows cold and the sky blue against red brick brings back years of joyful memories of friends and discovery.
A Quick Stop in Amalfi, Italy: Lemons and Old Friendships
Lemons in her purse: a quick stop in Amalfi before high-tailing it back to children and work, to celebrate very old friendships (some of us have been friends since we were children and in primary school!) and my favourite fashionista finding her forever love.
I Ate a Bite of My Banana Cake: A School Apology Letter
"I am sorry I ate a bite of my banana cake. I was famished and felt dizzy, it was delicious. I was afraid the lack of glucose would affect my concentration in class. I promise I will have a full breakfast before school."
Weekend Island Living: Sailing, Windfoiling and Seafood by the Sea
We don't do enough weekend island living; I'm not a beach person but there is something elemental about the sea that makes you feel untrammeled and free. The girls did a sailing lesson while the boys were windfoiling.
The Tooth Fairy Negotiates: From the Mouth of Babes
From the mouth of babes, literally. Mom, I've cleaned my tooth and I'm going to put it under my pillow. I'm hoping for twenty bucks.
You Are My Pezzysaurus: A Mother and Son Moment
You are my Pezzysaurus. "You are my Mummysaurus."
Tarte au Citron: A Lemon Tart Ten Years in the Making
Remember the scene from the movie The Illusionist where the elderly magician embedded a secret in a tree trunk as a young man, where the trick is just time, patience and vengeance? Feeling crazy satisfied today making a tarte au citron with lemons I grew myself, from a stunted sapling that we didn't give up on for years, because it was a gift from a dear friend.
Farewell to a Gifted Economics Teacher in Singapore
I've had the good fortune of experiencing several truly gifted teachers, and he nurtured some of the cleverest minds I've known. It is liberating to meet someone who treated students like adults and appreciated challenging mental models and the possibility of dreams, like he did.
Homemade Macarons: Pistachio, Raspberry Gelee and Salted Caramel
I don't think I've baked anything exacting in the last half-year; it's been hard in this season of change, to prioritize it. It's actually been challenging really to prioritize anything I want to do for myself, I joke that my life schedule is work, kids and Paynow — in that order.
Penang Travel: Peranakan Architecture, Shophouses and Street Food
Penang, so pretty with its Peranakan coromandel, contemporary shophouses and silicon tech park, all in a sweltering heat.
Lemon Meringue Pie to Calm Myself
Made a new lemon meringue form factor to calm myself. It didn't work but it was delicious.
Stranger Things Birthday Cake for a 17th Birthday
Indulge me, this might be the last birthday cake we make (together) her. Stranger Things coded dinner party for her friends, who were lovely — charming, talented and brimming with potential and passions.
Qing Chun Chang Zhu: May You Stay Forever Young
A popular Chinese New Year phrase for qing chun ("green spring" — youth) is 青春常驻 (Qing Chun Chang Zhu), which translates to "may you stay forever young", a flattering compliment to mature relatives for vitality.
Tesla Cybertruck FSD: It’s a Full Self-Driving Kind of Day
It's a FSD Cybertruck kind of day.
Miami Sound Machine & Cuba Libre: Gloria Estefan’s Cuban Rhythms and Miami Beach’s Latin Soul
Miami sound machine + Cuba Libre
Miami Beach is an odd promontory of drunk tourists and sunbathers baking like red clams, lots of construction and atmospheric sights honouring Latin American singers like Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz, who popularized Guantanamera (literally, girl from Guantanamo) and Azucar (sugar)! Lots of rumba, jazz, cigars and murals in search of the best empanada and cubano (disappointing, probably permenantly ruined by Chef). It’s sobering how near and far the hop across the Bay of Pigs is to a different world of deprivation, comparison and old-school Havana.
Boost Your Child's Mandarin: Starlight Chinese Academy for Immersive Learning
Our focus in the boys’ early education was always language but I have been shocked by the deterioration of their mandarin since starting primary school. Immersive Chinese language experiences have always been important to me because it has been the way I learnt best, and I regret not having sustained opportunities for that, both growing up and in my work life.
Havasupai, AZ — from the surface, the Grand Canyon is just a big hole in the ground, the way to really appreciate it is to trek into it. I would have never chosen this way to descend and experience the Grand Canyon but feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to do so with old friends.