HelllllllooOOooo

Oooooooooh, oooooooooooh

ooooooh

ooooooh

BOO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

A big Halloween hug from the littlest one in my family, Xander who is 3 going on 4 now. This was his "ghoost" costume which he wore to school today. Photos by his mum, LiZa, who comes from a family and community of very creative people. 

Day 352- Of Termite Cities And Lily Clad Pools

Termite Mound, Litchfield National Park, Darwin- 10th Aug 2012

As some of my longer blog friends might have known, I had a hate-hate relationship with termites. My tribal house was once named "Termite House" because it was nearly eaten up by the dreaded bugs in 2009. 

Magnetic Termite Mound- Litchfield National Park, Darwin, 10/8/2012

I was therefore a little surprised that termites and what they built were revered and conserved in Darwin and were tourist attractions at the Litchfield National Park. These mounds were considered truly amazing architectural feats as they were built complete with tunnels, arches, chimneys, insulation and nursery chambers.

Magnetic Termite Mound, Nicknamed "The Graveyard" by me and my friends

This city of termite mounds was cordoned off from access by tourists so that it could be properly conserved. The reason why the mounds were all aligned north to south was so to minimise  exposure to direct sunlight.

Welcome to THE termite mound of all termite mounds. This is the Cathedral Termite Mound. A signboard next to it says :

This mound is home to a colony of grass eating termites called the Cathedral Termites. It is about 5m high and could be more than 50 years old.

I have to confess I felt a little queasy standing so close to the home of possibly a million termites but I just had to share this. Me, a mere  Termite House basher next to the true architects and builders, completely humbled and in awe by this magnificent structure that could very well be the Angkor Wat of the termite world. 

In the preparation for this post, I was just reading some of my back posts on the history of my termite house when I realised something. If not for the fateful Day 28 when we found the house being attacked by termites, my tribal house might not have come to me because it was meant to be sold or given to someone else. 

To the termites of my home, I still won't say thank you although you will have my respect if you can build structures like your brethren in Australia. 

And speaking of proportions, the morning before  we drove to the Litchfield National Park, we went on a river cruise on the Mary River. One really sweet experience was having our boatman drive through a lily-clad billabong.

Sunbathed and glorious, we were told that these flowers bloomed only for a day before they wilt.

We were all encouraged to pluck one from the river. Look how big the flower really was. You can wear one as a blouse 

with a matching hat!

Perfect for a day out with my date, Mr Crocodile.

*wink, wink

Day 354-5-Mystic Place

Front Door

Mystic Place, the name itself already conjured up for me, images of magic, riddles, the unknown. I knew I had to experience it. 

Coloured glass panels at the living room

So I checked my parents, my sister, my 11 year old niece and me into 2 of the 36 uniquely designed rooms for 3 nights and 3 days when we were in Bangkok last weekend (10th-14th Oct 2012).

Cloured glass panels to Balcony

Shir, Tasha and I ended up changing rooms 3 times. Just so we could truly experience as many as possible. Yes, believe you me, they had allowed and totally expected it. 

Painting of hibiscus at the living room

I actually booked 3 different rooms when I was in Singapore through their website. When we arrived however, we changed our minds about these rooms because they were not suitable for 2 adults and 1 little girl who kicked in her sleep. 

Traditional Wall Vents To Toilet. Bird cage to go with theme of room. 

Room 402 or The Bird's Nest Deluxe was recommended to us by a truly helpful staff and was the most photogenic room of our stay.

We especially loved the wooden bathtub. Tasha said it reminded her of how the people in ancient China used to take bath, with cloudy water filled to the brim and a wash cloth up and down his or her back. Both her mum and I laughed and agreed. That was from the countless martial arts movies that we had watched. 

This was the floor tile in the bathroom and they had a matching sink. 

And I just had to take a picture of this vintage toilet roll holder for all my shabby-chic loving friends.

Mystic Place is for someone who loves everything vintage, rustic and unconventional.

We moved to a pink Mickey Mouse room for the next 2 nights. Tasha loved it because it had a swing hanging from the ceiling. I forgave the pink because Tasha finally slept in her own mini bed and I, fitfully without being kicked.  

Day 341 - Fast Driving

The Singapore Grand Prix 2012 ended just 2 weeks ago. The annual F1 race was of course a much anticipated event in our small country. Not only was ours the first street race in Asia, we also owned the boasting rights to being the only night race in the world. That was why since Nat was 3, he already knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. 

A racing car mechanic.

Postscript:

These pictures were taken on Day 341, 30th June 2012. We were  at his sisters' school fun fair. Nat of course wanted a ride in a bumper car. We were queuing up when we saw a broken car waiting to be fixed. I pointed to it and told Nat, Hey! A dead car! Quick, let's take a picture and show it on the blog. Nat promptly climbed in and started to pretend he was an F1 driver.

That was the only kind of fast driving he would ever be allowed to do.

Day 350-Midnight In The Garden Of Heaven

This is our Heaven For Dead Cars.

It is the bewitching hour.

In this garden of heaven, 

when midnight comes,

nodding heads cuddle close,

you can hear a car yawn

and the kite goes to sleep.

All is quiet,

very quiet,

really quiet...

Slowly,

gently,

soothingly,

  we hear a sweet sound.

It's like a lullaby of nature.

The acoustic of rippling water

and winds through rusty plates,

ting-a-ling-ling-ling,

pitta,patta,platta.

Our garden begins to dance.

It swirls,

it twirls

and it flies....

higher and higher and higher.

And as our garden floats on to the magical world of dreamland,

do let Nathaniel and I bid all our dear friends here

A Very Good Night

Sweet Dreams

Sleep Tight.