31 Jul 2017 – Farewell To July 2017
Thu: needed this day to recover from the news about Ranveig.



Fri: bus197 to NorthBridgeRd for breakfast and you will have no problems finding somewhere at these shop-houses across from BujisJunction – good MeePok for S$3.50.




Walked down to towards RafflesHotel which is under renovation. RafflesCity with 2 new white sculptures, one pointing@RafflesCity and the other pointing@CapitolBuilding.
Edited 1Aug: so this is what is going on@RaffledCity, Tian Tian Xiang Shang Exhibition. Like the literally translated title Looking Up Everyday but these sculptures do not speak to me! Pix credits to Gel for the poster on the right


Passing by StAndrew’sCathedral into ColemanSt where it is all ready for NationalDay (9Aug) and matching the theme of NationalGallery latest Exhibition.



Some of the permanent displays along Coleman St.



There are 4entrances into NationalGallery, so if you are meeting anyone, make sure to specify which one.


Yayoi Kusama – Life is the Heart of a Rainbow is why I am here today.



Forget about connecting the dotes, they grow on you as you wander thru’ this amazing maze of dotes.



Infinity Mirrored Room where reflections within reflections seem to forever extend the visual field – Gleaming Lights of the Souls. Felt a bit like I was in Twlight-Zone!



The Narcissus Garden – when gazing into it, the viewer only saw his/her own reflection staring back, forcing a confrontation with one’s own vanity and ego. Quite a fascinating effect…





More fun random dotes, tkx to Audrey. Yayoi sums it all as to why dotes and circles…



Sat: bus36 to SMU thru’ the old gates of the former NationalLibrary via the outdoor escalator up to the new SMU/School of Law to early morning walk@FortCanning Park.




What a welcome crow from a very handsome rooster or should I say cock 🙂 Good to be back in such familiar grounds – Chan&I designed the flyer&map here when we were working in H&H which has be modified but I can still recognize it clearly from our original design.



Designed and printed in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Need to get the correct year when time permits. This was my favourtie project, thus documenting it here before the hard copy is lost.
Appreciations to Nparks for the informative Trees of the Fort Tour and nice to meet Choy KuenChin. Tree pix edited to Amazing Tree blog post –
https://amylamsg.com/2012/07/12/around-the-world/



Continued to the NationalLibrary for a talk on Spice up you food blog by SethLiu and was pleasantly surprised by an exhibition of before and after pix, which are to my great interest. Again to show how things have a tendency work out for the best.




Was sooo excited to see and recognize old pix of Orchard Rd. Busy snapping pix at all angles and was completely unaware that the Guest of Honour Yaacob Ibrahim (Minister of Communications and Information) was standing beside me. Thank you for his patience and graciousness to wait until I was done. Apologized for being in the way, but was just thrilled to see the music store Keller Piano where my music supplies were from in the 1950s. Father owned the property then!


Above 2B/Wpix downloaded of Orchard Rd – pix credits to SIN National Archives.



A busy and tiring day continuing to SuntecConvention to get my annual supply of Recogen supplement S$248 (including free for 2months), seems to help me but of course nothing scientifically proven. Ended with dinner@BeerThaiHouseRestaurant (GoldenMileTower), maybe it is my imagination, but the food seems better some years ago!
12 Storeys***1997@TheProjector – SIN drama film focuses on the troubled lives of several people living in the same building, directed by Eric Khoo (son of old family friend).
Good job from director and his crew but was a depressing movie, definitely not comedy for me! Tkx to Rosemary for her company.



Sun: tkx Les&Ivy for lunch@TiongBahru and home-made black-pepper crabs dinner. Nothing can beat catching up with family for yummy local foods. Need to rest after such an active&colourful weekend 🙂
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days – Doug Larson







Appreciations to The International Association for the Study of Irish Literature/IASIL for their Opening Reception and the first day of launches and readings (24-28Jul 2017)@the HSS Building at NTU which is between the Chinese Heritage Centre and the Hive. Need to re-read James Joyce’s Ulysses –
Tkx to Rosemary&BoonCheng for the ride to Commomwealth MRT Station. Do remember that I did some work here for the Business School many moons ago, but gave it up as the journey on public transport with MRT EastWestLine and 2buses changes took nearly 2hrs to get here.










Condolences to Ranveig’s family. Pix downloaded from her FB. Was very shocked and saddened by the news of her passing and memories from the Northern Norway days kept creeping up today. Met Ranvieg in the 1970s where I was working at Tromsø Musikkskole and NordNorsk Musikkonservatorium and she was a student there then. She invited me to her parents’ farm, an island on Grytøya@Lundenes where I tasted my first and best fresh cod-liver – mølje. 

On Sunday her body was found on this same island. Have not seen Ranveig or been back to Grytøya since then, but have never forgotten their kindness and hospitality. Regrets that I did not make that trip to Harstad when I was in Tromsø last year. May she RIP. Pix downloaded in memory of her and her parents.


Fri: TGIF and what a delightful performance by Armenian cellist Khachatur Khachatryan who did proud for his country and people with his recital of –


The Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, referred to as locally as the Armenian Church (1835), is the oldest Christian church in SIN is an architectural masterpiece from the early 19th century. The building was gazetted as a national monument in 1973. This is one my favourite churches (+its grounds ) in SIN.
























NUH Medical Centre is the hospital’s newest outpatient facility to serve primarily subsidised patients.











A trip to the library and was delighted to find pix of how an original HDB 3-rooms flat should look like. Did not have the chance to take pix before the walls were taken down to make it into a studio apt then! Documenting them now before the memory fades. 2above pix for the original HDB downloaded from HDB Homes of SIN. Appreciations to 




















Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all – Happy Bastille Day Lynda, Jean-Baptiste, Marianne/Keith, Liz and to all celebrating. Happy Bday to Keith. Downloaded this fantastic shot under the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile – pix credits? Has it really been 5yrs ago since my last trip to France??





























Opening of the GatewayTheatre@BukitMerah, tkx to 



















Tue: what was going on in my mind, forgot to take pix!! Appreciations to 




Lunch with Hong and tkx for the ride in his rizzi red Mercedes-Benz into town. Always nice to catch up with Hong to exchange the latest news and to hear what he has been and is up to.







Wed: tkx to
Delighted to hear about 











Fri: Bfast and weekend grocery done by 0600hrs.
















































Awake 0300hrs and just could not go back to sleep, no matter if it is Fri or any day, have to get back to SIN time! An early walk to ECPk via the underpass and always appreciative for the graffiti-free walls and the cleanliness that can only be found here in SIN – not trying to be patriotic, but have been to many places and hopefully can objectively be observant about such.




















Campers’ Corner – Sale of the Year not to be missed. Even I was unable to resist getting some good bargains for the Christmas shopping here. Bought 2 small-backpacks and a pair of hiking sticks for S$145. Tkx to Calvin for scrumptious dinner with wines. Appreciations to CC for saving the wine-corks for me. Food pix credits to Helen.


