23 May 2013 –  From Near & Far

Prayers and thoughts to the people in Oklahoma/USA. This week’s deadly tornado and one of the most heartbreaking scenes in Moore is a pile of wreckage where Plaza Towers Elementary School once stood. At least 24 people, including 10 children, were killed in Monday’s monster tornado. Another 324 people were injured. Linn & family lived in Oklahoma in the early 2000s where Katy was born.

Very sad to just receive news that some of my fellow AT Hikers are injured in the recent accident on Trail Days in Damascus/VA, USA. Thoughts and concerns are with them – Alleghany, HiHills, Miss Wiggy, MoFo and other hikers involved.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/witnesses-car-strikes-crowd-va-parade

Welcome and bye-bye to John, cousin David and his students from the HI CC/USA. Great to meet up with Kyle, her mom Nancy, baby sis Allyson and new students Jamie, Jeff, Roland & William. Safe trip to them in Thailand and Myanmar.

To niece Kat & family from NY/USA, so nice to catch up even for a short afternoon at the Arab St area. Devon is adorable, cheerful and delightful to be with and hope that she too liked the food at Mamanda****Excellent service, great ambience, quality and quantity of the food recommended was decent. The Orchid Society had a function there when it was Restoran Tepak Sireh some years ago, May helped with a fashion show for the evening then!

Thanks Kat&Greg for the wine at Divine Wine Bar at Parkview Square and according to Greg, where ordering a bottle of wine is a completely different experience…

Took a 40mins cruise on the SIN River to capture some night lights before dinner. Amazing how the memory can go back to the 1950s when this river was filthy and an area where the workers were packed into tight spaces smoking opium; an area one would never think of venturing near. Today both Boat and Clarke Quay are popular places for the many tourists and some locals.

First experience with MBS Light Show, FOC nightly at 2000hrs

View of the casino at MBS, did not realise that photography was not allowed until after the pix were taken. The ceiling is eye-catching, maybe to distract the gamblers. Direct translation to gamble=to pour away money in Chinese. Since there is not enough money to pour, gambling is not in my cards!

Thank you to dear nephew Clement for a delicious dinner at Imperial Treasure at Marina Bay Sands****and to Chesper for his good company. Nice to be able to catch up before heading on to Norway, France, UK and the US for the year.

Good to catch up with AmyR who will be traveling to the US & Australia. Thanks for lovely gifts from India. Happy Vesak Day tomorrow to those celebrating and have a wonderful long weekend to all. Pix from 2010 Ayutthaya, Thailand’s old capital.

Alonzo Dawe, amazing person painted the above pix, who will be celebrating his 65th Blue Sapphire Wedding Anniversary with his one & only wife Marlene tomorrow, a FB friend with most seniority age 86 and father of a good friend, Jan from FL/USA commented: ‘My dear Amy you seem to spend a whole lot time eating? I can’t blame you everything looks good to me…’ my reply, some people live to eat, those are the Chinese while others eat to live, was what my 1st husband once said 🙂

My weaknesses have always been food and men, in that order – Dolly Parton