Bento Photodump

Friends often ask me how long I spend preparing each bento lunch. I spend, on average, about 15 - 30 minutes on one, depending on complexity, and usually only on Sunday nights. My bento on most days consists of cut fruits and vegetables, and sandwiches/tortillas/brown rice without the decorations and fancy shapes. It is not a lot more effort than packing a regular lunch. It's not as though I spend hours carving fruits into castles and broccoli into topiary animals. Slicing vegetables with a wavy / ridged cutter or a cookie cutter doesn't take any longer than cutting them with a regular kitchen knife. I don't watch TV, play computer/video games or go shopping except for necessities, so it is easy to find a little time each day to pack a lunch that is healthy and pleasing both to the eyes and to the tastebuds. At my new workplace, there are no cafeterias or vegan/vegetarian eateries within walking distance, so packing a lunch is a necessity, and something I do each day before I go to bed.

2 Sept:

An next-to-zero-effort Mid-Autumn bento.

Fresh figs and oranges from my bestie Nic.

17 Sept:

A bento to commemorate the Scottish referendum.

Dinnae be feart, Scotland, independence no' a bad thing. Ye ken it's time tae rise!

22 Sept:

Sept 21 was the International Day of Peace, which is sorely lacking in this troubled world of ours. It's a day where we get to listen to so-called world leaders and religious leaders pay lip service to the ideals of peace and justice that they have no intention of upholding.

3 Oct:

A parade of rice animals in honour of World Animal Day.

14 Oct:

An Oktoberfest bento, with a fruity German flag and a bottle of my favourite beer! Prost!

20 Oct:

Halloween bento.

With a pair of creepy eyes to look at one's insides with.

3 Nov:

A Korea-themed bento, with kimchi salad and lots of Korean snacks that my parents brought back from their trip.

10 Nov:

I moustache you a question.... are you doing anything for Movember?

17 Nov:

Dinovember bento for November. Also to celebrate the dino fossil finds in Peninsular Malaysia. Dinosaurs rule!

This Fortnight's Photodump:

31 Oct:

Reverse trick-or-treating on the streets of KL with the Friday Reach Out team on Halloween night. Many thanks to our good friend Lawrence Balachandran for sponsoring 45 hot meal packs. Our 2-legged and 4-legged friends will not have to go to bed hungry.

2 Nov:

Aravind managed to catch another stray cat for spaying. Her name is Tara and she is very trusting and affectionate.

2 Nov:

Zoey, our 3-legged SPCA Education Officer, posing with a big clump of hair that I Furminated off her. Maybe I could knit it into a tiny Zoey for her to play with.

3 Nov:

So, on the one day I decide it's probably okay not to wear knee pads, this happened.

6 Nov:

Hello, world. How is everyone doing today? It is quiet and lonely here and there are no Office Cats:(

(Note: I am learning a lot at my new job and improving every day, though.)

8 Nov:

Go, go, SPCA! We're seeing a significant increase in neutering requests and a decrease in surrender and abandonment cases!

8 Nov:

My friend Pyo and her Puppy Posse!

8 Nov:

Truffle, a black velvet Bombay cat with a gentle and calm personality, was unfortunately dumped outside the Malaysian Nature Society office in Jalan Kelantan together with her son, Tinker. We have gotten the both of them neutered and now need to find them a good home, especially since there is a risk that they will not get fed at night or on weekends when there is no-one at the MNS office.

10 Nov:

So the man's pretty good with a gun. (Look closely at the black zone on the target practice sheet and you can see that he hit the bull's eye a few times). So now we know that just in case the lawyer thing doesn't work out, he'd have a good alternative career option as a thug.

11 Nov:

Instapuppy for a dull Tuesday afternoon.

12 Nov:

The days are long but the months are short. Our wee bitty Miranda has grown into a beautiful young cat. She was spayed today and was still a little groggy and disoriented when this photo was taken.

14 Nov:

Miranda.

All grown up, vaccinated, spayed and ready for adoption, although it will break this mama's heart to say goodbye.

(Update: Miranda will go to her new mama (and my good friend!) Lin Idrus this coming weekend once the spay site has healed completely. I could not be happier. I am not losing Baby Miranda; she has merely gained another mama to love her. :'))

14 Nov:

The Christmas tree in the YMCA lobby with all the children's Christmas wishes. Many requests are for heartbreakingly simple things like new t-shirts, clothes and book vouchers. Aravind and I will be sponsoring 5 wishes between the two of us.

15 Nov:

Cuddling with Stephy, the grumpy mama cat, at the SPCA. She likes the fact that I clean their litter trays but not the fact that I Frontline them.

16 Nov: 

Our street friends queuing up for clothes during Reach Out on Saturday night. Although the clothes were pre-loved, most were in excellent condition. That's how donation and service works, folks. Give unto all the best you have, not the worst.