29 Jan 2016 – And Common Consideration!

Wed: cannot understand why people get all these stuff when they have no room for them? Finally someone doing their job, a big thank you to Yusof, a gentleman true to his words and actions. Maybe I should be happy now and let sleeping dog lie for the rest of the corridor??

My next-door neighbour and I are still trying our best to keep the common corridor clean and neat on our side, but unfortunately must turn a blind eye to the other side of the corridor. Now that the staircase is taken care of, should I make more fuss about the corridor???

Pix Credit U.Loh

Thu: ‘Mt Kinabalu Revisit’ talk at CC.

Thank you to Uantchern Loh for sharing his experience climbing Mt Kinabalu/Sabah via the new Ranau Trail, which was built after the Jun2015 earthquake.

App 30-40pp turned up to enjoy this talk with slide and video show. An informative and interesting talk with good recommendations as to how to hike this trail. Pix taken from the slide show.

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean – John Muir

Vibrant and colourful day and night scenes from Queen St (the section before Bras Basah Road) and only just discovered a 24hrs decent eating place there.

Queen Street is known for the many churches that line it. The first Roman Catholic church still in existence, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was built here in 1847 with the churches of St Joseph’s, St Peter and Paul and Our Lady of Lourdes following after.

The purpose of all major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

27 Jan 2016 – To Jalan Batu

Sun: tkx for the invite to visit with Gel in her new flat. A lovely morning along Geylang River.

crossing a nice overpass with beautiful bougainvilleas on either side over Mountbatten Rd.

A fantastic view from the flat on the 8th floor at Jalan Batu.

Lazy Sunday morning watching the dragon boats and people passing by.

Delicious organic nut and seed cake but not a fan of the chocolate and durian cake. Like chocolate and durian, but not together. Read somewhere that there is a McD in NYC that serves chocolate fries! Somehow the idea of chocolate fries do not go down well together in my stomach.

Sun:  tkx Chris for gifts from the Czech Republic when he was there for the Singing Rock training. House pix credit to Chris. The chocolate-wafer bar was really delicious. At CC to give a hand as they are quite understaffed with Calvin & co in Germany. While they are getting stuffed with pork knuckle, bratwurst and German beer 🙂 it was a busy weekend on the home-front.

Dinner at Jo’s.

Mon: some quiet morning time to tidy up and to take in stocks.

The only recent pix I have of L&M taken at Linn’s 40Bday 2014. Olai, the youngest of the grandchildren flock in his adorable mini astronaut bed-covers, 2016. Pix credit to May.

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for L&M and their families who have given me a heart full of joy – thank you, I am blessed. 2015 Halloween pix credit to Linn; Katy’s Bday pix credit to Cindy. Missing them and these pix cheers me up.

Tue: Happy Australia Day – is the official National Day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26Jan, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.

Colleen & Greg dropped by at CC to return an umbrella and to say good-bye as they will be flying off Thu morning. Safe journeys to them and hope that they have enjoyed their visit.

Wed: need some humour 🙂 on this ‘humpday’ with NO blasphemy, derogatory, ill-intentions or malice intended.

It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it – GK Chesterton

Edited – as I was leaving CC last night, noticed a blinking police car on the road just a stone-throw from CC. Did not give it much thought until this morning when I was informed that some foreign worker jumped from a 24storey building and took his own life. Somehow the thought of that foreign worker painting the fence at the Green Corridor came to mind. How lonely, sad, desperate, etc some of them must be feeling to end their live 🙁

23 Jan 2015 – CNY Decorations@Parkway

Wed: started new med, Xarelto. CNY greetings mailed. Met with Clem for early dinner at Parkway.

Thu: a day at the former Gillman Barracks, now is home to 16 international art galleries, three restaurants and the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA).

Interesting restrooms fitting into the tropical weather concept.

Steve McCurry, one my favourite photographers and where the idiom ‘A picture is worth a thousand words‘ really applies.

I can so relate to the saying ‘The eyes are the windows to the soul’ here. McCurry’s famous photograph, SharbatGula /Afghan Girl, on the cover of National Geographic Jun 1985.

Lunched at the Naked Finn***Good grilled baby squids.

More eateries down the road and a covered walk-way to Alexandra Rd.

At CC for the talk ‘Big Mountains on Small Budgets’ but with more than 100pp there, decided to hang around the back of the store with a wild bunch of monkeys high in training to welcome the monkey year 🙂 Appreciations for a fun evening. Safe journeys to Calvin & co who will be heading to Germany for the week.

Thank you Yoshie for the Matcha, chasen and chashaku.

Fri: Happy 14th Bday to eldest grandchild Katy – how is it possible for me to have a 14yrs old grand-daughter??

Families and friends in the Eastern US – keep warm in these freezing weathers and snow storms predicted in the forecast for the weekend. Those in HKG keep warm too. Stay safe everybody.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/major-storm-to-impact-eastern-us/62576/

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1903606/mercury-heads-south-hong-kong-low-six-degrees

Scenes that caught my attention on the way to The Sail at Marina Bay.

Thank you for yummy home-cooked dinner Zarina. Nice view! Appreciations to Michael for getting us together. Thoughts are with you, Micheal to get better.

Introduction to kuehs for Zarina – names of the ‘Bengawan Solo kuehs’ starting with the white one going clock-wise – Corn Kueh, Coconut Candy, Ongoi Ubi, KuehTalam, Kueh Lapis, Lapis Sagu and the middle round one is OndehOndeh.

http://www.ladyironchef.com/2015/08/guide-traditional-kueh/

Sat: Happy Birthday Yoshie! Had to cancelled the Postsdown Rd adventure. The mind is willing but not the body 🙁 Time to be realistic and find the balance of rest and play 🙂

20 Jan 2016 – Reflections & Memories!

Mon: welcome cousin Colleen and Greg from USA. Brunch at Raffles City Food Place.

Marina@Kepple Bay is a first-time experience for me. This is the area I thought I was familiar with after growing up there for 15yrs in the 1950s, but the habour front is now completely alien to me!

The background hills were my childhood playgrounds where Mt Faber can still be seen! Fond memories with cousin Wilki where I probably first learnt to enjoy natural lush greenery and a perfect place to hide from family dramas!

Today, it is built to station the cable-cars with fancy eating and drinking venues. And of course shops as shopping is certainly an important past-time for many!

Luxury waterfront and urban lifestyle with fancy condos, yachts, sailboats, clubs, etc for the rich. A total contrast from the childhood days where one can take a 10cents-S$1 ride on the bumboats from the former Gate9 to the outer islands.

Reflections@Keppel Bay is a 99yr leasehold luxury waterfront residential complex with 1129units on app 84,000m² of land, 750m of shoreline was completed by 2011. And YES they are not straight and NO, I have not had any shots when taking these shots 🙂

18 Jan 2016 – The Sweetest Bus-Ride Ever

Sat: went to bed before 22hrs last night and did not get up until 0830hrs this morning! Must have been tired after the 25K walk!! Surprisingly no aches or sores, must be because of the flat terrain.

Appreciations to Yoshie & friends for an elegant Japanese T-Ceremony hosted by CC. Tkx to Lucas for a taste of this fine sake.

The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea. The presentation and elegance of this ritual always fascinate me. Fond memories of my first Japanese T-Ceremony which was introduced to me by Hiroko in Tromsø/Norway once upon a time…

Tkx to Clem for dinner at Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill***plenty of food (enough to doggy-bag home to feed me all day tomorrow 🙂 but the service has more room for improvements. Nice to catch up with grand-nephews Stanley and Darryl. Amazing that one is in the army and the other starting his Polytechnic Education. Seems like yesterday that I visited Daisy in the hospital when Darryl was born.

What a delightful ‘sweet journey’ on the bus. Usually would have taken #36 from Regent Hotel but decided to take #16 from Orchard B to accompany Stanley making sure that he gets off at the correct stop. Got off with him at Great World City to change to #75 (16Jan around 20.30hrs heading towards CBD)  with such a courteous and nice bus-driver making this the sweetest bus-ride ever. Tkx for the lollipop, made my day.

Sun: even God needed to rest on the 7th Day and being a mortal, will need it more! This amazing shoe here is a church, yes a church and so timely appropriate for Taiwan’s first female president to fit into this shoe. Perhaps Taiwan got their fairy-tales and religion confused or maybe to them they are the same 🙂 🙂

Certainly more light in a glass shoe, but what about enlightenment?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35320373?SThisFB

Tkx to Clem there is still yummy food from last night to last for today. Time to snooze in the rains and more laundry to be done.

2005 AT/USA, 2012 MacLehose/HKG, 2013 C2C/UK, 2016 GreenCorridor/SIN

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks – John Muir

16 Jan 2016 – Thru-Hiking 25km

Wed:  a day to do laundry and plan on the 25km walk Green Corridor/GC to discover that I will not be able to access it from the beginning, ie Tanjong Pagar/TP Station

Thu: yeah got my TV set up and AC serviced. Thank goodness these services were done by 12n and am I glad to recce the access for the GC in daylight!

Was hoping to find some loop-holes but the fences are as secure as ever!

Nice but hot and interesting walk thru’ Spottiswood Pk&Blair Rd.

Anyway to cut a long story short, here is where the Kampong Bahru/KB exit is when I take bus196 to as far as KB/Blair Rd junction. Got off there and change to any of these buses 61, 124, 143 or 166 turning into KB Rd, one stop and off opp Silat Ave&Orange Valley Nursing Home.

Cross at the traffic lights turn left to blk23
Do NOT cross over KB Flyover where St Theresa Church is
Walk along the path of blk23 or across the field till the end
You will get to a slight slope with a drain and a small bridge at the bottom
Cross there and you are on the GC

Edited – 6Mar 2016 with the 6 above pix. The missing 1km of the GC to Exit 1A completed today – tkx to the 10km GC Run and in good company of Ray&Eve. The other 25km done about 2 months ago. The TP Station is now completely barricaded for renovations to ???

Fri: yes have decided to celebrate my 66yrs to challenge myself for this 25km walk. Tkx Clem for being on time to start by 06.45hrs. A lovely cool start meeting only 1jogger with headlamp like myself.

Life from huge red ants with no tunnels and the small fire ants with tunnels. Space happenings below KB Crossing to CTE Crossing.

Some very wet sections from last night’s rains along BukitMerah. Poor Clem who will be walking with wet shoes and socks.

Past 0800hrs and a perfect spot for a 5mins break at JalanHangJebut Mosque app 4km from our stating and to meet with Hannah.

CommonwealthAve Flyover with colourful street art.

Spied 2hornbills bullying 2 other birds in the trees while applying mosquito repellent near GhimMoh market.

Constructions around the Greenleaf&Bukit Timah area. The only slope on these flat flat flat paths with some beautiful nature along with it.

BukitTimah Station for 5mins break.

Crossing the first bridge; under HollandRd and continuing to the next bridge by HindhedeDrive.

With life in this surroundings.

45mins lunch and toilet stop at the Springleaf Prata Place RailMall where I was not the least bit hungry but had a cold fresh coconut juice, ginger drink and a glass of ice water!

Continued on the bridge and saw this pleasant surprise.

Pix credit-Hannah

Felt like kids again claiming our prizes with my Swiss Army knife 🙂

HillviewRd – gone is GirderBridge but realistically the old will have to make way for the new, such is life Happy Birthday and look forward!

My heart went out to this foreign worker painting the fence in this heat. Thank goodness SriMuruganHill Temple is just around the corner if he needs some shade to rest. No bridge ahead, detouring around GiantHyper Market

Parts of the last stretches in the exposure of this tropical sun is no joke and being tired does not help 🙁 A lone tree by SgKadut watching the flow of time and hopefully will still be watching after my time by SgKadut near ChoaChuKang Rd.

4above pix credits to Clem. The rains were welcoming even with a poncho in the Woodlands area.

Much trash thru’ industrial areas and there the path ends.

Found our way to the bus-stop before 1700hrs, near the Woodlands Checkpoint. Friday traffic to JB did not look fun to be in. Thank goodness we were heading the opp direction. Appreciations to all the sites with info for The GC, especially maps from –

http://www.thegreencorridor.org/tag/green-corridor-map/

Tkx to the young people like Hannah and Clem for being such sports to walk this 25km Thru-Hike with the old auntie in this tropical heat! Memories from taking the train to KotaBahru/Malay then, in 1959 to welcome the birth of the 1st nephew&the 1st of the OrangeG, my children’s generation.

Thu3Jun2021: trying to search the best video for me to reflect&remember this hike by, but unable to find any online. IF I ever walk this stretch again, will try to make a video of it! The most informative updated link is from Nparks.

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/railcorridor/rail-corridor

Fri17Sep2021: appreciations to Sarafian Salleh/FB-Tuah Bugis for his Youtube site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjN4py1X0Os

13 Jan 2016 – Sounds Like A Game 🙂

Sun: RIP David Bowie and condolences to his family.

God rest on the seventh day of creation – Genesis 2:2

Mon: ACM where I have lost count of the number to times there! (S$5pp adult). This building was opened in 1865 as a court-house and has been a home of the Registry of Births and Deaths as well as the SIN Mint. Pleasant surprise to bump into Gel&Mil while Ann&Tim were looking at the displays. Nice catch up and chat.

Edited – tkx to Desiree those balls finally have a title! 24 Hours in Singapore by local artist Baet Yeok Kuan. This is an interactive audio sculpture installation that acts as an audio time capsule capturing sounds of Singapore. With the passage of time, this sculpture will serve as a remembrance of the rich intangible heritage of our daily lives in Singapore circa 2015. The installation’s audio recordings feature familiar sounds of everyday people, places and scenes, from the sounds of traffic in suburban heartlands and MRT trains to the daily chatter in wet markets and coffee shops.

Fullerton Building – build in 1928 and most of us older generation will remember this as our GPO. The Heritage Gallery has an amazing collection of pix, maps, stamps etc dating back to 1932. Worth a visit where you can still mail in the only red pillar post box which was first introduced in 1873. Above 2pix – 1950s and now downloaded.

There is a new display The Fullerton Story at the front indoor entrance – tastefully done and informative.

The former Fullerton Building, now known as The Fullerton Hotel, was officially gazetted on 7Dec 2015 as SIN 71st national monument, by the country’s National Heritage Board (NHB). The hotel part did not come into the picture until 2001.

Bus 196 with views of the National Gallery, South Beach, Suntec,

heading to SIN Sports Hub and Kallang Wave for Ann&Tim to see this dome and to experience a ride in the MRT from my favourite MRT station. Tkx to Ivy&Les for hotpot dinner. Good to have the Chuas home after their holiday in Spain and sounds like a well-received first day of school for grandniece Kiera.

Tue: must have been tired, got to bed by midnight last night but did not wake up until 1100hrs this morning. Oh joy – laundry awaits! Tkx to Ann&Tim for farewell fine-dining at ME@OUE****

Safe journeys back to Ireland for our Irish guests and appreciations for the memories. The Thinker was created by Auguste Rodin. The pose is that a man at the gates of hell, a work of art in itself, based upon Dante’s Divine Comedy, however, the statue soon took on a life of its own, capturing the public imagination and finding itself replicated many times over.

Cogito, ergo sum – I think, therefore I am – Descartes

10 Jan 2016 – Over Norway

Fri: unsuccessful shopping in Mustafa, sold out for the TV and new stocks do get in until evening. Hello again Kinetic Rains at T1, looks like every droplets have been polished, beamingly shinny now and just as mesmerizing as ever. Was doing some shopping at T3 and decided to see Chris off. He is heading for Czech Republic for the ‘Singing Rock’ training. Safe journeys and take care there, my young friend.

A new concept to protect baggage and a colour that you cannot miss unless you are blind! $S15 per piece is worth it, if you baggage is not strong enough to go thru’ the planes’ check-ins, but then why would you get something that is not strong enough to survive the journey and a few scratches should not do any harm but give more character!

Tkx Yoshie for greetings, my first ever snail-mail from Japan. Thoroughly enjoyed my recent and first experiences there. The ancient Japanese knew about China and Korea, but they did not know of any land east of their islands. They believed theirs was the first land awakened by the rising sun. The Japanese call their land Nippon, meaning ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.

Sat: tourist guiding visitors from Ireland – Ann&Tim who have been to SIN many times but not to Gardens By The Bay. Good sport of them to go up to the Supertrees Skyway, nice views of the garden from 22m high. (S$5pp)

Here is the name of the tree as requested – Couroupita guianensis, Cannonball Tree. Was there just recently SG50 FOC then. This time round to just sit and enjoy a lovely breeze watching life on the waters around the Kallang River. Ann&Tim were in the domes (S$28pp non-SIN for both domes) which I have nicknamed Nessy 🙂 It was so relaxing that I would have dozed off if I could have rest my back or lay down…

A drive to Mustafa and around Little India to collect the TV. Glad that the MRT stations in front are completed and that the barricades are finally down at LaSalle. Such a difference LaSalle is now that a full view can be seen from the road.

Appreciations to Cathrine&Lee for dinner at Imperial Treasure at Paragon****nice to meet new people and young people, Alfonse. Tkx to good wines brought by Les&Ivy.

The cold weather in OSL created ice crystals in the air and the Northern lights have now met its match…

https://www.facebook.com/vgteve/videos/10156591217890354/?pnref=story

Seems like these phenomenon and strange but amazing lights happening over Norway the past few days may be some forms of chemical reactions and this one is not a good one, as beautiful as they are 🙁

http://www.theboredmind.com/nature/these-psychedelic-clouds-were-spotted-over-norway-theyre-beautiful-but-bad-news/

Sun: battery running low (less than 1bar) in everything and everyways! At this stage in life’s journey, one need to be realistic to recharge when needed.  My motto – take care, stay safe and keep moving forward one step at a time and one day at a time 🙂

8 Jan 2016 – In Preparations…

Wed: lunch with Clem at IKEA and also got some food there for CC. Looks like Monkey business will be the themes ahead! For the Chinese Ox horoscope, the year of The Fire Monkey will bring some major celebrations, also some major changes. Predicts that they will find love in 2016. Hahaha this is not the first time for this predictions, so take it with many grains of salt 🙂 There could be news of a pregnancy, either that or a new child born into the family – really, must ask May about this??

Campers Corner is extending both their Novena and Waterloo stores making 51 Waterloo the longest and the only one with a cork-board (finally done!) outfitter’s store in SIN.

Thu: Joy***is the story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love.

The Danish Girl****remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Good acting but I thought this rather a sad movie and unable to imagine what it is like to feel so out-of-place with one’s own gender that one is willing to risk everything, including life…

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all.  Looks like I need to do some shopping. Not one of my favourite things to do.

To be out in nature tops one of my favourtie things to do…

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things – Rodgers and Hammerstein 

6 Jan 2016 – With Good Memories

Mon: First day of school and so much to share! US domestic air travel will require either a traditional passport or a federally-compliant ID card called “Real ID.” State driver’s licenses will no longer allow Americans access to domestic flights, as they do now. Real ID will constitute an internal passport’.

In other words you need to find out if your whatever US ID meets the required regulations for where ever you might be traveling to. So to make it easy for those who HAVE passports, just take your passport with you when you are traveling. For those who do not have a passport, go find out before you travel.

Pix credit to my niece Candice and she is taking a vote – boobalicious or phallic 🙂 at the Pasadena Rose Parade, CA USA. Seen from this little girl’s innocent eyes, this was her favourite. The thought of the parade brought back memories when we lived in CA, USA. L&M at this parade in 1986…

Just got words that an old Irish friend, Keith is home from hospital. He broke a collar-bone and several ribs avoiding a stone on his racing bike. Had surgery and now back in his Switzerland home. Speedy recovery to him, dug out some pix from his visits in OSL and our visit in CPH 1983-86.

Appreciations to HongSze for a wonderful evening with dinner and drinks at the Tanglin Club. Good to catch up with Samantha who blooms to be more beautiful for every year.

What a pleasant surprise to bump into Billy. Trying to recall when was the last time our paths crossed?? Found a pix from his family’s visit to FL, USA when we were living there in 1990! Now he is a grandfather of 1 with 2 more expected this year!

Tue: On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 12 Drummers Drumming. Drum rolls for putting away all Christmas decorations! And this tree is now ready for the next season, ie if you are using an artificial tree and has storage space!

It has been many years since I had a Christmas tree and when I did we had real trees thus not possible to pack it away. The only tree I have now is an advent calendar tree and this is a no-brainer to pack nor does it need much storage space 🙂

I don’t believe in forgetting the past, Because it’s always going to be a part of my life. But I can learn from it, accept it and move on – Abhishek Tiwari