31 Dec 2011 –  or Mayan Calendar…

A Happy, Healthy & Wealthy 2012

Sásta, Sláintiúil & saibhir 2012

En lykkelig, sunt og rik 2012

Bahagi, Sehat & Kaya 2012

一個快樂，健康和富有2012

एक खुश, स्वस्थ और धनी 2012

سعيدة ، صحية والغنية

Best wishes from
Amy LAM in SIN and her family

Linn & Jeff and Katy, Ellie, JohnW, Sophie &James in USA

May & Bjorn and Olai  in USA

Jan Special Dates

2 – Happy Bday Darryl NEO

3- Happy Bday Richard TANN

5 – Happy Bday Leonard SHOH

6 – Happy Bday Cindy HALL

9 – Happy Bdays Judy LAM & LW AMEEN

10 – Happy Bday ANG Kee Yang

15 – Happy Bdays Angie SOSA & me!

18 – Happy Bday Isabelle AMEEN

19 – Happy Bday Kari HEGGELUND

22 – Happy Bday Katy HALL

24 – Happy Bday Ole Kristian HUSTAD

http://amylamsg.com/2011/01/05/a-lost-civilization/

Dr. Sandra Noble, the director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, has pointed out that there is no declaration in Mayan literature that the end of the world will occur when the Long Calendar ends its fifth cycle…

30 Dec 2011 – to preserve a legacy for future generation

ABN-AMRO Private Banking presents this elephant parade in SIN. Since unable to donate or adopt, AudreyM & I shot 162 elephants with our camera to show our support to this Wildlife Reserves SIN Conservation Fund. This is the largest open-air art exhibition in preservation of the Asian elephant world wild painted by local & International artists. For those who can contribute, please go on this site for inquiry:

http://www.elephantparade.com/events/Singapore-2011

Day 1 Wed: 0700hrs bus#135 to AMK Interchange connecting tobus#138 to SIN Zoo/1hr30mins travel time. First 25 elephants with #4 EWN replaced by Love & Protection. WONG Hong Sze is fortunate to have SIN Ele-Dragon guarding his house@Cairnhill Rd!

Damaged Dumbo who is supposed to be@Raffles Place Green swapped locations with  Deep InSIDE, who was originally@MBS. 

Last stop for Day 1, VivoCity (with 26, the most in this location) and Unicelephant in a glass-case. Home 22.00hrs, showered and crashed but still missing 9 elephants.

Day 2 Thu: 0645hrs bus#196 to Clementi Rd/1hr15mins on the bus. A short walk to the new NUS Tembusu College for Precious Ties & Blink of an Eye. MRT to SBG for one of them name after SIN National flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim and Blessing. Continued solo on foot to Jim Thompson Restaurant on Dempsey Hill. Lucky Kirimek who is the only one in a restaurant! 2 more in front of Forum on Orchard Rd. Complete those by 12noon but still no news as to where Delightful Durian/DD who is supposed to be@One Fullerton and Starry Starry/SS@MBS??

Day 3 Fri: received email as to the new locations for DD & SS. 0615hrs bus#196 to One Raffles Quay South Tower, DD’s new relocation and to the Arts House for SS. Poor SS is behind the barricades where Victoria Memorial Hall is undergoing major renovation and makeover! Hooray! looks like the facade will be kept.

The sunrise was beautiful and that is when SIN is at its best. NO crowds and cool temperatures, home by 0815hrs.

The whole adventure has taken nearly 23hrs and cost under S$30, the most expensive is the entrance to the zoo, S$10 for local seniors, otherwise S$20. Difficult to upload all the elephants in their locations. If interested, plx contact me for the pix. With 162 elephants and their locations photographed, will end with sharing this message from the White Elephant@SAM.

2011 was the worst year for the seizure of ivory from elephant tusks in decades, according to the international wildlife watchdog TRAFFIC. It said the rising demand from Asia was the cause…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16361180

Sad to read today’s BBC news about this. My New Year wish is that people will NOT buy ivory, then these killings can STOP!

27 Dec 2011 – Chancery Grove

Mon: tkx to Kitty & family, Boxing Day was a day full of fun! Walking up the slope in Chancery Lane towards Chancery Grove (first row pix downloaded from various property sites) was reviving memories when the parents used to play mahjong@the Lim family in the 1950s. Remembering that there was a small house away from the main house where the mahjong sessions were held then!

At least there are some greens in spite of the built-up!

To be experiencing a completely different ambience with a fun group of Irish with their families in SIN is a nice change.

Appreciations to Ciera & Steve for hosting this lovely Boxing Day pool party where three generations and a thirsty dog had a blast. The grown ups enjoyed the yummy food and drinks. The mini cup cakes, brownies stars and bashing the Santa piñata were great success for the younger generation! Safe journeys and Happy New Year to Kitty & family who will be heading to Bali for the New Year!

This life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water, but you can’t see how deep it is – Dennis Rodma

26 Dec 2011 – Happy Boxing Day and…

On the second day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Two turtle doves…

Traditionally, Boxing Day is when the Christmas box (where gifts are placed) to share with the poor. Contemporary Boxing Day in many countries is now a shopping holiday associated with after-Christmas sales. Do NOT have any intentions to shop! The origins of this day is based on giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society.

On 26Dec 2004, the ground shook violently unleashing a series of killer waves that sped across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet airliner. More than 150,000 people were dead or missing and millions more were homeless in 11 countries, making it the most destructive tsunami in history.

Sat: tkx to AudreyW for including me in her bankers’ group for a yummy Christmas Eve dinner@her home in my neighbourhood.  A 3yrs old boy there taught me that blueberries are little grapes and persimmon are pushy-men 🙂

Sun: Christmas pot-luck dinner@4th aunt LAM Poh Kow with sis Jo, cousin David, Leah, Mica&Mun, friends from Myanmar, TinTin & MinMin.

A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm – Bill Vaughan

24 Dec 2011 – the stars are brightly shinning…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

GOD JUL

NOLLAIG SHONA

SELAMAT HARI KRISMAS

聖誕快樂

क्रिसमस की शुभकामनाएँ

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace…

The words of O Holy Night were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but wrote this hymn as a favour for a friend. He then realised that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams(1803-1856).

Pix are all taken in SIN and most are obvious as to where their locations are. The first row is 2011 overall winner. Anyone who can give the correct answers to the exact locations of all these pix will get a prize 🙂 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices…

O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

HAPPY & SAFE HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERYONE.

23 Dec 2011 – from Punggol to Esplanade & Fullerton Bay Hotel!

Thu: started the day at 0800hrs, breakfast with AudreyW. Having a car does get one into unchartered territory and today was one of those days! Punggol Park Connector on the NE tip of SIN connected by bus #84 is still under construction but do look forward to when all the park connectors will be linked. Will then organize a Park Connectors Thru-Walk! The police post faces the water with Malaysia in good view!

Perfect weather for strolling and exploring after the morning drizzle. The worms are enjoying their peace before they early birds and before this little piece of paradise gets bombarded with crowds! A snapping turtle finds a resting place to stretch…

Not far from a temple and the new HDB development, is Hai Bin where one can catch fresh crabs, fish and prawns. A rustic concept with self-grilling facilities, bars and eateries. Appreciations to Aud for a lovely morning and for driving and introducing me to new areas.

Entertaining Crazy Christmas***performance with the local DimSum Dollies, Kumar, Broadway Beng and Vocaluptuous, A Cappella group. Got slightly lost in translation when the pink Santa was speaking only in the Hokkien dialect, otherwise a good laugh to start  the seasonal greetings. Thank you to nephew Clem for this Christmas present.

Ending the evening with a drink and snack on the roof top of The Fullerton Bay Hotel. The straps of the sandals broke (probably made in China :-)) and thank goodness for the shoe laces given@Esplanade for the AIDS Awareness by SIN Health Promotion Board just before the Crazy Christmas performance. Finally colours fit for the Christmas season 🙂 🙂

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/sexualhealth/article.aspx?id=11386

Don’t speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn’t walk in their shoes – Donald Rumsfeld

21 Dec 2011 – to my Jewish family & friends!

Hanukkah/חֲנֻכָּה‎, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE.

http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/hanukkah.htm

Will take the opportunity to post more light pix in this posting for Hanukkah and also as part 1 of the Christmas lights. As they are, the colours for me do not really fit into Christmas but more for Hanukkah! Somehow red, green, gold and white are Christmas lights in my eyes. Blue, pink and purple are more Mardi Gras, 2010 lights! Part 2/Christmas trees to be posted sometime before the weekend, hopefully 🙂

Let there always be lights in every ways to light up your life and appreciations to all who put a light on my path in this life’s journey.

Tkx to family & friends for a yummy pot-luck dinner@Pearl Bank last night!

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being – Carl Jung

20 Dec 2011 – My Hang-out…

Marine Parade Community Building/马林百列社区综合大厦; is a community building located at the corner of the junction of MP Road and Still Road South. This building currently houses a community club, performing arts group, public library and less than 5mins walk from the flat! Built on reclaimed land in the 1970s, the library is spread over four floors with a floor area of 3,500sqm/37,675sqf.

As one of the first neighbourhood libraries, this location has more than 150,000 books and 2,500 videos available for loan. There is a café on the ground floor, and the library is fitted with numerous couches and benches for the public’s use. Other facilities include multimedia stations, DIY service stations, and music posts equipped with headphones.

At present there is an exhibition on Five-Foot-Way Traders with B/W pix from the 1950s and 60s organised by the National Archives of SIN & National Heritage Board.

Safe journeys to Les & Ivy who are on their way to visit their immediate families in NYC. Welcome cousin David from HI who will be here to take care of his 97yrs mother (4th auntie LAM Poh Kow) while the help is back in Indonesia for the holiday season. Will try to have dinner with him most evenings during his short visit. Welcome back also to Leah, a student from the HI group. The last time we met was 7yrs ago!

If I were a medical man, I should prescribe a holiday to any patient who considered his work important – Bertrand Russell

19 Dec 2012 – And the East Side…

The rains have been pelting down like there is no tomorrow the past few mornings, perfect snooze weather 🙂

Sun: another wedding but this is a Chinese one! An early popiah and mee siam breakfast@Glory with Ting & CH, Aya & KiWi.

Glad to discover that the new Katong I12/I one two! houses GV cinemas and this are the closest ones to me. Now will not have to leave the East Side where the best Tao Kwa Pau is located just across the road from I12, East Coast & Joo Chiat Rd a savory junction 🙂 🙂

The OperaViva Club is a family of music lovers, young and old, who already enjoy or wish to know more about opera also a new non-profit opera company with charity & IPC status, dedicated to the staging and promotion of Baroque and New Singaporean operas. Founded by LEOW Siak Fah, Chairman of city-state Management Group Holdings who is also the founder of Singapore Lyric Opera and Vocalist.

Appreciations to Juliana & Lucy for including me to their year-end function held at LSF’s private residence. More coincident, LSF’s niece Francesca is married to my nephew John LAM in KL.

And his house is located where Kenson’s childhood’s home was, a site with much fond memories from the 1950s! Thanks to Mr & Mrs LEOW for a delicious meesiam, receipt from his mother, the best home-made so far and for opening their beautiful home to the occasion. Tkx to other members for the pot-luck and to Eunice for giving me a ride to Pearl Bank.

To the benefits for my overseas readers, the following are food from SIN and can mainly be found in SIN & Malaysia:

Popiah:  a popiah skin/薄餅皮 is a soft, thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour. Favoured and filled with a sweet sauce and optionally with hot chilli sauce before it is filled. The filling is mainly finely grated and steamed or stir-fried turnip known locally as bangkuang, which has been cooked with a combination of other ingredients. Other common variations of popiah include pork (lightly seasoned and stir-fried), shrimp or crab meat. As a fresh spring roll, the popiah skin itself is not fried.

Mee siam: which means ‘Siamese noodle’, is a dish of thin rice noodles in spicy, sweet and sour light gravy served with dried bean curd, boiled egg, and tamarind garnished with spring onions and chives. It is one of the popular one-dish meals in SIN.

Tao Kwa Pau: fried beancurd stuffed with minced meat, egg, fried yam, cucumber and coriander. Yummy…

If music be the food of love and the love of food the most sincere love, then music and food are the perfect loves 🙂 🙂 🙂