Messed Up May

The month of May started in a somewhat quiet suspense.  It was business as usual with 2 public holidays to look forward to.  However we were on our toes as the number of local Covid-19 transmissions were rising steadily and a series of tightening measures had been announced prior.  And finally on 13th May the government finally pulled the plug and announced "Phase 2 Heightened Alert" which will last till June 13.   Work from home is the default, no dining in and...  no karate.  Home based learning was immediately implemented from 19th May as the school clusters were growing.  Well...  All good hard work reversed in such a short time.  Messed up isn't it?  

Fiery Sunset in Hot Hot May - Galaxy Note 9

This month we visited Mount Faber Park early in the month  It was drizzling when we arrived, but it made for a nice cooling walk.  

A Misty Mount Faber Waiting For Sunset - Galaxy Note 9

As we walked from Mount Faber Park to the Henderson Waves I managed to snap some photos of the wonderful views.  

Beautifully Framed - RX100 Mk3

From Mount Faber Park we walked to the Henderson Waves.  It was a first for the kids.  The distance wasn't very long, but the stair climbing was intense.  

Looking at Harbourfront - Galaxy Note 9

Lindsay Was Tired - Galaxy Note 9

Reflections by The Bay - RX100 Mk3

We came back drenched due to both sweat and rain, but it was a very enjoyable walk.  We were such suckers for punishment that we returned to Mount Faber Park in the last week of May and walked further till Telok Blangah Hill Park.

2nd Trip - Galaxy Note 9

Terrace Garden in Telok Blangah Hill Park - Galaxy Note 9

A week after our first Mount Faber hike, the missus and I jogged and walked to the Botanic Gardens from home - 2nd time we did it.  It was a good 9.8 km jog/walk that made for a very good night sleep.  I also realized that I have to start wearing knee braces.  

Beautiful Afternoon - Galaxy Note 9

Chopin in The Garden - Galaxy Note 9

We had an interesting conversation among the iNenes where "The Professor" called me the "Azure Knight" due to me having acquired 3 Azure certifications over a span of 6 weeks.  I was really amused when he mentioned that, because I had just made this for Lincoln. 

Doraemon is Kind of "Azure" Isn't He?

I also started gaming again after I stumbled upon Bravely Default 2.  The gameplay is almost identical to Final Fantasy 3 & 4 which I enjoy very much.  

As I had more time this month due to cancellation of classes & the public holidays, I also picked up some baking this month with a great chocolate chip chiffon cake that goes so well with cold milk.  I also tried baking milk hearth bread, unfortunately it was not so succesful.

Mixing The Dough in My Trusty Kenwood Chef Premier - Galaxy Note 9

Ready For 1st Proofing - Galaxy Note 9

At first, the dough didn't rise.  I suspected that my yeast must have been inactive.  So I quickly activated another newer packet and mixed it in with the old dough.  In the end I had let my dough rested for too long, so after I shaped the dough into individual breads, the bread did not rise when I baked them.  The final result looked more like ciabatta then milk hearth bread.  

Bread Wont' Rise 😢 - Galaxy Note 9

Despite The Shape, They Taste Quite Good - Galaxy Note 9

The baking bug didn't stop there, I also made some homemade pizza, but I cheated by using ready made pizza base instead of making it from scratch.  Perhaps next time I will. 

Starting to Bake - Galaxy Note 9

Nicely Done - Galaxy Note 9

I also did some tidying up at the end of the month.  I unpacked my extremely old gundam model which I had bought all the way back in 2003 or 2004 and finally assembled it.

RX-93 All Done Up, After 17 Years - A7RMk3 + Zeiss Batis 2/25

May has been exceptionally hot too, the mercury hit 33° C on some days but it sure felt like a scorching 40° C.  Here's a closing shot for this short entry: 

It Has Been an Extremely Hot May - Galaxy Note 9

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy Note 9 & Sony RX100 Mk3 ~