26 Nov 2017 – With All Kinds Of Heritages

Sat: lunch@AsiaGrandRestaurant 亚洲金阁***tkx to Clement&family. Used to be one of the places I liked for dim-sum, but sadly the standards have dropped since my last visit.

This location brings back very traumatic memories from when the British movie-star HayleyMills was personally in 1960s SIN. PuiAh&I were at then the OdeonCinema/built 1953 (now OdeonTowers) to see her. And the root to my phobia of crowds started here when I fell, and if the crowds were as they are today, would not have survived to write about it. Pix credits to the below link.

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1143_2006-06-21.html?s=Singapore–History–20th%20century

1960s pix downloaded from various sites. Interesting 1960s SIN scenes in the PrettyPolly Youtube link below:

http://sporeana.blogspot.sg/2013/05/coming-of-age-hollywood-arrives-in.html

The Arts House – Wovensouls Heirlooms, just can’t get enough of these old exquisite penmanship. Even-though not old or antique, the camel-tassels is quite a cute item.

Beautiful and brilliant colours&workmanship for some of the tapestries, silver, etc.

The short stroll from the Arts House to the Esplanade never bores me as there is always something on the way. This stretch also brings me back fond childhood memories of my parents when they used to take me for evening walks in this area.  2different couples for their wedding pix – will someday gather some of these pix and comment on them 🙂

Happenings@the Esplanade.

Sun: 2 strange coincidences – on my way to the bus to town, met Sue who was in the car as I was crossing the road, then when I got off a bus and sat down for a bite, Clement walks by. Hmmm what kind of sign is this as I am on my way to…

Entertaining The Gods & Social Diary of a Spirit Medium – hosted by SingaporeHeritageSociety@The Pod, NationalLibraryBoard, a venue with a view.

Panelists: Chan ChowWah/Writer, Margaret Chan/SMU, Ronni Pinsler/Producer, Kenneth Dean/NUS and KelvinAng/URA. Was pleasantly surprised with a NasiLemak dinner to this well-attended event where a documentary of a time in SIN was captured and also learning about the tang-ki spirit medium worship.

Artopia – Back to the Era of Impressionism. Colourful&fun displays outside the library.

Finally up to date today with the local drama Tanglin-Episode612. Started a week ago and just finished with Season1 of Growing Up, (produced from 1996-2001), another local drama based on SIN-life in the 1960s-80s. Useful lessons from these to understand SIN&the ppl.

Liking this peaceful&simple life-style with less complications&problems.  Eating yummy foods (to my taste), admiring&seeing (not owning) pretty things (subjective as beauty is the eye of the beholder) and be entertained with subjects which interest me, but also to learn from.

Coincidences are spiritual puns ― GK Chesterton

19 Nov 2017 – Labrador Nature Reserve 

Thu: check out these ultra-lightweight gears@Campers’ Corner and learn how enjoyable&fun camping&hiking trips can be when you are appropriately equipped to take time being at peace in nature. Akan datang for these house-brand white 46-68gms sling-pouches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDqHepSGHNM&feature=youtu.be
Credits to Spencer Chew for the youtube link.

And you never knew that food can taste so good on a rocking chair under a flock of migrating snow-birds – like me 🙂 or under the moon with millions of stars.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better — Albert Einstein

Fri: TGIF – feels so good to be not doing anything or going anywhere but just snoozing and vegetating in these cool&wet weathers. If you see a beer in the above downloaded pix, you may have a problem, but since I am not a fan of beer, there should be no problems!

Here is a gentle reminder to NOT Drink&Drive. The Holiday Season is just around the corner and the local school holidays have just started here in SIN.

Sat: a day on the WestEnd. Started the day at 0600hrs on Bus16 changing to Bus30 to Labrador Park – an area which I have not been since a kid. Cute 4-wheeler motor-bike on the MCE Tunnel, but would not want to be in it on a highway!

Strange to see the emptiness@Brani Terminals in the sunrise. Snapped these shots (even when they are not the best from the upper-deck of a moving bus) knowing that they will probably the last I will see this – considering how things progress here, constructions of high rise will soon be the future views!

Got off on WC Hwy just after the LabradorMRT Sta and walked along LabradorVilla Rd to the park – beautiful peaceful morning mist along the way.

DragonTeethGate, MachineGunPort, BerlayerBecon. Was so excited to see these 2 bunkers across by Tanjong Rimau on Sentosa – have not seen these 2bunkers since I left SIN in the 1960s! There used to be a kelong here then, sadly gone now 🙁

Tkx to JeromeLim for his blog posting that I found this 1968 kelong pix. 

https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/just-when-did-the-kelong-come-to-singapore/

Nparks did a wonderful job here with some white-fragrant orchids, pigeon orchid/dendrobium crumenatum blooming on this tree. Delicate flowers from the Putat laut/Barringtonia asiatica tree on the ground. Couple taking their wedding pix on the sandy playground and if only they know how to balance their marriage relationship on this see-saw so as both can balance and not fall! What an ironic position to have wedding pix!!

My lucky day here to meet this kind gentleman – appreciations to Tan ThaiPin who was taking pix with his drone and shared them with me.

These 2bunkers, bringing back such innocent childhood memories – now I am a total fan of the drone. Pix credits to ThaiPin Tan and his drone. 2pix of the drone are taken by me with my idiot-proof but precious camera!

Good of Hannah to meet up and walk on the BukitCherminBoardwalk by BerlayerCreek enjoying wide-life and the shade by the creek back to the bus-stop.

Enjoying the rest of my morning@the NorwegianSeamen’sChurch for their annual Julebasar – my best Christmases are from Norway.

Appreciating the brass-band/PosaunenchorSingapur and the views from one of SIN steepest roads before the deconstructions of the PasirPanjangContainerTermainls.

Feasting on yummy home-made smørbrød and catching up with SIN, Irish, Norwegian, NZ friends. Tkx Carmel, Hannah &Pauline&family for turning up. Looked like they had enough help this year. Could not help last year as Yun was visiting but did so 2yrs ago.

https://amylamsg.com/2015/11/15/sjomannskirken/

Met a new friend, SweeLin and while in the area, took the opportunity to catch up on family news with Clement@HawPaVilla & tea@HollandV. Back to the EastEnd by 1930hrs and had to crash after more than 12hrs on the go. Have forgotten how the strong the Norwegian coffee is, had a cup earlier and my heart was out of sync for the rest of the day…

Sun: did not open my mail box until this morning to receive a card mailed to myself from PEK airport as I was curious as to how efficient their snail-mail would be. Now I know, app 10days. Mailed to #1-5/US and #6/Norway. Wonder if they have received them?? Used to snail-mail cards to my children where ever I may be and now will still try to do it to the grandchildren!

Staying in today to recover from the cup of Norwegian coffee yesterday – hahaha

Chocolate, men, coffee — some things are better rich – Author Unknown

16 Nov 2017 – IrmoXC Celebrating Their Banquet

Mon: while I have been busy with visitors, the family in US were also busy celebrating their 2017 cross-country-season banquet! Such a great group of coaches, parents and teammates with

my first-born coaching the girls’XCteam and #1&2 both making it to State – what a blessed mother and grandmom I am. Pix credits to Linn, Kim, Shannon.

Tue: have been throwing up and had the runs last night – the consequences of all the good food! Rained most of last night and still raining this early morning. Enjoying the rains+some herbal tea to cool the stomach in these cool temps! but feeling sorry for those who have to be in the traffic which was at a stand-still for some moments.

There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing ― Ranulph Fiennes

Catching up with paper-work, mail, 2018 travel bookings, etc. The budget airlines kind of pricing do not include check-in bags, food and reserved seats, but anything above these prices are not within my budget!!

• SIN-OSL-SIN (S$557) tax+everything inclusive
• OSL-FLL/USA-OSL (S$530) tax+everything inclusive
• SIN-KCH-SIN (S$112) including booking fees+insurance

Senior day grocery-shopping@Parkway. Seems like the Christmas deco here is following the white-colour like Orchard Rd. Movie at the new CathayCineplexes and seniors tickets have gone up to S$5! Victoria&Abdul***Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul – somehow I could not help feeling sorry for this lonely queen even with all her power & wealth!

Wed: welcome back to SIN and congratulations to Leonard on a new job. Appreciations to one who has taught me most of what I know in this High-Tech-World. FBfriends for a decade, but I have know him, Sia, Brian&Helen (now parents of 2 for Sia too) since my return to SIN in 1998-99 – before their parenthood&my grandmahood days 🙂 Thank you to all who included me then and made me feel young at heart. Pix from SIN 1999&2011.

Goodbye Christopher Robin****A glimpse into the relationship between children’s author AA Milne and his son ChristopherRobin, whose toys inspired the world of Winnie the Pooh. Being a fan of Winnie the Pooh, I found this movie rather sad, but touching and felt like giving the boy the biggest hug.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/i-knew-christopher-robin–the-real-christopher-robin/

Watched this movie@VivoCityGV (S$4.50). Pix of BayHotel with the green background/Temenggong Rd; boardwalk to Sentosa seals off what was once part of an open sea and the ports; St James Power station by Brani Container Terminal which will be moving as this land is too valuable for containers.

Happy Bday Chris – the only person I now who would not blow the candle off, but puts it in his mouth and let it continue burning. Then he releases the candle while it is still burning, makes his wish before blowing it off, just hope that he will not burn his tongue doing that trick too often 🙂

Appreciations to Calvin for a wholesome crab evening@Holy Crab****dinning on

4different crab dishes+a holy cow dish – personal favourite, the Green-ChilliCrab, their signature dish.

You cannot teach a crab to walk straight – Aristophanes

12 Nov 2017 – Fine Dinning On This Good Earth 

Fri: bus to meet up at ParkRoyal on Pickering, my favourite hotel in this area. Drama on the bus with this nasty guy shouting rude and unnecessary insults at the driver!!! Hats off to the driver who stopped the bus and told this rude person to get off if he did not shut-up. It worked.

While Ivy&May were shopping, Lock&I learnt something new and interesting about why Trengganu St was known as Japanese St in the early 1900s.

Chinatown Heritage Centre*****highly recommended. Time and money (FOC for me) well-spent to learn about life of the SIN early pioneers and discover the personal stories of people who made Chinatown their home in this restored shop-houses displaying living spaces, furnishings & artifacts of early Chinatown settlers. Was there some time ago before the renovations.

https://chinatownheritagecentre.com.sg/

URA-Urban Redevelopment Authority and lunch@Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Maxwell (天天海南鸡饭) where Lock bought a whole chicken, doggie-bag enough food to last me another 3meals! Needed an evening to rest my stomach while Lock&May met up with his cousins from his maternal side.

Sat: MRT to Stadium, my favourite MRT station. Thai lunch@Basil and coffee&cakes@CoffeeBean in Kallang Wave where there was this ongoing Healthy Lifestyle Festival SG. Good to catch up with Pauline&family.

https://amylamsg.com/2013/04/12/changi-airport-t1/

Looked like the storm blew quickly pass us while we were indoors. Lovely breezy day to walk.

This concludes a week of fine dinning@Buona Terra/Good Earth*****

Yummy bread-sticks topped with Parmesan cheese, (Les thought it looked like part of the table decorations 🙂 ) delicate snacks, Sigaro Esotico – cigar (dessert) made of wafer with white chocolate passion fruit mousse, mango and coconut meringue. Wines from Les cellar.

Chitarra spaghetti with scilian red prawns (like the plate, was told that it is from Spain and I could get one here for S$200+), Egg zabajon with escargot, tartare topped with white truffle. Tomorrow is back to eating to live and not living to eat…

Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is – Irish Proverb

Sun: up early to bid farewell until we meet again, dear Lock&May.

Laksa and Fishball-Noddles for them before flying off. Could not put another bit of food in me! Safe journeys onward in this high-tech world from T4, my first time here, thus taking time to explore and take pix.

A petal theme reflected thru’out T4 — not just the skylights but the kinetic sculpture, carpet pattern, info post, etc. The sky-trains connecting T1-3 do not stop here, but you can get here by the public buses and a free shuttle from T2. The shopping and Kopitiam food still have a wider variety@T3.

It not the days in life we remember, rather the moments – Walt Disney

10 Nov 2017 –  Translated From Google 

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/IMlVb6KZT5xRE7xEnc9Mtg

1 theme, 8 stories of life, 18 minutes of speech, will not change the way you look at the world?

TEDx Dingshi main visual map/Dingshi 12th grader, Liu Jiangming

Divided two roads in a woods,

And I chose a less tracked one,

Since then decided the road of my life. – Robert Frost – Unselected Road

Everyone is faced with choices every day, however, there are always some important moments, just as facing the two forked junctions in the woods, to the left or to the right? Regular or change the rules? Choose the path of few people will lead us where? We are inevitably afraid of my heart, then listen to come over how to say…

After nearly a year of preparation, October 4, do not take the unusual road bit theme, TEDx Dingshi officially held, nearly a hundred people participated in the event. At this event, which was led, and sponsored by Dingshi students, eight cutting-edge speakers from different fields shared their life story of do not go straight.

DCB choir singing for the opening

Liang Xiaolong, 12th grader served as the host of the event

TED is an acronym for English word technology, entertainment and design. This organization organizes offline lectures and websites to share the slogan Dissemination of all ideas worthy of communication, inviting people from all over the world to share ideas, And the story to stimulate more ideas collision and exchange. TED also encourages agencies and organizations around the world to organize TEDx events spontaneously within their communities.

The TEDx tripod activities have been formally authorized TED official.

The power of example | TEDx share

At this TEDx, there are eight speakers from all walks of life, including artists, designers, entrepreneurs and educators who have gone the extra mile in one area of ​​their life or career, yet each of them the direction of exploration is not the same.

Where am I? Where are I from? Where are I going? The ultimate pursuit of these three questions are that every individual who hopes to pursue the meaning of life cannot escape. Sooner or later, these questions will ring in your heart.

Some people go inward and seek for themselves; others seek outward to try to find the connection between the individual and the world; others choose charity to help people in need and realize their self-worth; someone searches for the power of creation and the cultural identity through culture; some people are broadening their thinking boundaries by challenging the limits of the body; others are concerned with the social minorities and sound their voices …

The answer is different for everyone.

In the same way, all of them bravely make changes and refuse to follow the crowd. Instead, they choose to explore the path where few people go and find the passion for a true inner self.

Amy Lam, Music teacher / Hiking enthusiast

The best hotel is not a five-star hotel,

because when you camp in the wild,

there are endless stars in the sky. 

55-year-old retirement age then, now 68-year-old, what kind of lifestyle would you choose?

Amy Lam, a lovely Singaporean grandmother, chose to be a backpacker at 55. Moreover, she chose not ordinary mountains, but the United States Appalachian Mountains. The mountain passes a total of 14 states, eight forest parks and two national parks, a total length of more than 3,000 kilometers. Now she also enjoys hiking every year and shares her experiences around the world.

Flora Liu

Lok Education founder / Single-engine aircraft Universal Flying only female player

Whether male or female,

Should be proud to be a feminist. 

At age 19, Flora lives alone in the Utah desert for three months. After studying at Northwestern University. In 2016, Flora was involved in the single-engine aircraft world-wide flight from Beijing as the only female player. After the flight, she set up a music education from scratch, to encourage more high school students to find their own potential. In particular, she hopes to encourage girls to listen to their voices and make courageous choices. She believes society will come into full play when the gender, which occupies half of the total population, continues to fulfill its potential.

Lionel Hong / Hong Feientrepreneur

Do not read the past, fear of the future, living in the moment

After entering Beijing Hotsmith High School in Beijing, he moved to Gettysburg College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. Lionel Hong’s academic credentials did not stop. In order to find the meaning of self, he devoted himself to studying Buddhism for three years after graduation. He shared with the audience his personal experiences and how to use meditation to relax oneself, focus on making life return to pure, focus on what is really important in life.

Chen XingBi Fu brand founder / fashion designer

We need to embrace the times,So that Chinese traditional culture in modern design language has been re-interpreted. 

Chen Hsing, who studied at Tsinghua University’s Department of Architecture and went to Milan Polytechnic Institute of Architecture, has chosen to fist in the field of fashion design. Seemingly cross-border, but in reality is closely related. His keen and profound understanding of architecture and tradition helped him become unique in the field of fashion design. He hoped to find his own cultural identity and brand value in his works.

Sam Waldo Mantra glasses founder – from 2012 till now,

His project has helped 337 school students,

Donated 19,145 pairs of free glasses to children in rural China

After graduating from Columbia Economics, Sam Waldo chose to be a volunteer teacher for two years in remote mountainous areas in Yunnan, China. He found that nearly half of rural children affected academic performance because of sight problems.

The Education in Sight charity project he and his co-founder set to popularize thousands of rural children with free knowledge of myopia, eye exams and eye protection. He founded the Mantra Sunglasses brand and implemented Buy One for All. Everyone who buys eyeglasses can view the sponsored mountain kids by scanning the two-dimensional code on their glasses. Sam hopes to achieve more long-term development of charity with business success.

Kari Tamura Chua Artist / Founder, SAMA SAMA project

Everyone has the potential to change the world.

Kari believes that everyone has innate unique potential. She founded the SAMA SAMA project to help you re-understand the low-income immigrants working in Singapore. Her project gives migrants the support and protection they need to better identify themselves. Inner potential.

Kari helps 20-year-old Bangladeshi immigrants to find a photographer’s dream beyond gardener’s work.

Kamani Suppiah / Founder of Whanau

She founded social assistance training to help young people in northern New Zealand to be self-fulfilling by learning skills such as filmmaking and storytelling.

Yang Gang LGBT independent researcher

He is one of the project sponsors of Beijing’s Closer Unfriendly Toilet and is devoted to promoting people’s awareness of LGBT people and further promoting and popularizing the concept of gender diversity, equality and respect.

TEDx tripod student team | We are also ‘do not take the unusual way’

Maze scene map

The same day, the audience walked into the theater door to experience the do not take the unusual way. To reach the seat of the venue, the audience will walk in the darkness of a labyrinth lit by LED lights.

The TEDx tripod stage and poster design are from DingShi 12-year-old student Liu Jiangming hand. After reading through the ancient Greek theater design information, Liu Jiangming thought of the maze as the inspiration to design the stage. She said the audience walked into the maze of the theater and the cardboard building the maze extended from high to low on both sides, just as one had no idea where he was going at the very beginning of the exploration, but focused on the road at his own feet Go forward, the road will gradually clear up… This is not exactly OFF THE BEATEN PATH image and meaning?

Within 1 day, 6 hours, 8 speakers, 3 TED online lectures, interspersed with the students wonderful music performances. Everything was organized professionally and orderly. Nearly 100 viewers of the day were immersed in wonderful speeches and felt the agitation of intelligence.

It’s hard to imagine such a professional activity with only eight students and a teacher behind the scenes. From the very beginning, they have encountered many unexpected challenges: Do you want to hold a bilingual speech? Do you want to provide simultaneous interpretation? How to control the cost? Who should I invite for a speech? Celebrities or successful entrepreneurs, or those who make real changes? What should be provided besides the speech?

During the event, DingShi students brought spectacular performances to the audience, including RAPs, solo performances, piano performances and student band performances

Inspired by the TED speech, Jiang Han-hsi first proposed the idea of ​​holding a TED event in the idea of ​​stone, from the idea to the eventual eventual molding, how far have they gone?

As Audrey Moh, the organizer of the event, puts it: It takes only one person to get a good idea, but it needs the support of the entire community to get things done. From teams at the Center for the Performing Arts to art teachers From the Dingshi Student Media Team (SMS) to the volunteers responsible for the day and the entire Dingshi community provided various kinds of support for the event…

As executive producer of this event, Xingyun Fei, a 11th grader in Dingshi, is very important. She and Sasha Onyango need to take overall control of the situation. She understands the hardships in the preparation process. She said:

Event Executive Producers Sasha Onyango and Xing Yunfei

From the very beginning, to finding speakers, sponsors, dining with the restaurant, exploring the stage scenery with Mr. Babcock, and so on, all of our teamwork is done step by step. On November 3, the night before the event, I saw that the labyrinth of the two days that we had spent a few months doing with paperboard was finally shaped. Turn off the lights, the labyrinth inside the led light that moment, I feel all the hard work worth it.

For the student team organizing the TEDx activities, we bravely take comfort zones, try new things and take on entirely new challenges and responsibilities. Is this experience not a learning process of not unusual ways?

Sun Jiuding responsible for video recording,grade 11th grader Sun Jiuding and 12th grader Jiang Zeze from the technical and aesthetic point of view, completed TEDx tripod stone page construction and design; from the public without any knowledge of the creation of TEDx DingShi WeChat public number, not from time to time Sharing the content of Liu Bingliang students, as out of the comfort zone, a period of experience; Xing Yunfei from the initial hesitation, to devote themselves to this challenging work, to experience the heart full of great sense of pride and happiness Liu Jiangming classmates to the stage design as a test of water, more determined to become their own determination to become an architect.

Audrey Moh

TEDx tripod activities organization responsible teacher

Ding Shi Middle School English teacher

Many people know off the beaten path because of Robert Frost’s popular The Road Not Taken. The theme of this speech is more inspired by Maya Angelou, an American poet, writer and social activist. She devoted all her life to writing about the social justice and her works are also reminding The power of our speech.

Maya Angelo once said, For the caged birds sing of freedom. That is exactly why we should celebrate for many of the choices we have today, and thus create our own path, choosing either ordinary or not the usual way.

http://www.keystoneacademy.cn/page.cfm?p=542&newsid=543

Edited 14Dec 2017: 16+mins video downloaded

9 Nov 2017 – Places NOT Within My Budget

Tue: lunch@Mamanda Restaurant****like this venue for the ambiance and wanted to share with Lock to check if he too can will have memories of 5 Temenggong Rd here. Their signature Nasi Ampeng platter is beautifully presented.

In the early 2000s, OSSEA (Orchid Society) used this venue for an event and it was then Restoran Tepak Sireh. May helped with a fashion-show (still trying to locate those pix?). Ever since then, have been taking visitors here when in the Arab St area. Have been just told by Ramat that there were 6families living in this location many yrs ago. One of the bros disappeared and another one went mad…

http://www.makansutra.com/stories-detail.aspx?tid=5&id=94

A sushi chef has to spot the best-quality fresh fish instantly – Nobu Matsuhisa. LesAmis Group has just opened a new eatery – Sushi Jin*****@FarrerPk Station Rd, Owen Link, #01-11/12.

Omakase (Jyo-Sen) おまかせ (上選) includes appetiser, assorted sashimi, 1 cooked dish, assorted sushi, soup & dessert –  good choice.

Tkx to Ivy&Les for one of the best scallops&salmon roe tasted.

No complains and not feeling any pain after 1 bottle of sake, shared among us and all these yummy dishes. Les and May managed to do some shopping@Mustafa after dinner!

Wed: appreciations to Ai-Ling for lunch@National Kitchen by Violet Oon****at the National Gallery. The Ngoh Hiang, Kuay Pie Tee and Dry Laksa are good.

Walking to the concourse below the Supreme Court Foyer to discover that with the use of mirrors, the illusion of height can be quite fascinating. The nerves were not too comfortable walking on these see-thru’ floor, but it was by choice! Leaving by the Courtyard Lounge out to the street.

The stomach is getting weaker, thus skipping dinner tonight to give it a rest. Walking to the bus-stop opp Esplanade Concert Hall to digest the food and capturing some of the skyline on the way. Unpacking&laundry are still waiting to be done…

Thu: morning shopping for cook books@Kinokuniya, NgeeAnnCity and salivating in the basement at all the foods, like we need more food.

Lunch@Morsel****40-seater restaurant

 serves wildly creative fusion dishes which are ingredient-driven.

Somethings do look as good as they taste+the champagne from Les cellar.

A showcase of international cuisines on the Omakase Menu in Dempsey.

Tkx to Annie&Neo@Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine*****Green generation sitting with the orange&purple generation standing in pix. This restaurant overlooks the glittering casino floor (pix not allowed over the balcony here) at Marina Bay Sands, with private rooms.

Appreciations to Les for the champagne and wines.

The suckling pig is to die for!

A celebration for Life and this week I am in food&wine heaven 🙂

8 Nov 2017 – Why I HATE Travelling!!!

Sun: wow, if this was my boarding school, I would do very well! Not many students are around on Sun as they go home, but just look at this breakfast-spread (for staff, students and visitors like me!), smoked salmon, omelette, egg, bacon, sausages, etc…

A walk about in the common areas. Would certainly not mind being a student or a teacher again in a place like this 🙂

A cuppa@Starbucks! (the only thing lacking from the school canteen) before grocery shopping.

Amazing fresh (literally) seafood selection.

Even their traditional Italian pizzas here are freshly-made to go, and the owner of this location, Jenny Wang in green is here personally to check on her investments! Tasted several samples of toppings and they are good, but the eyes are always wider than the stomach and after breakfast, pizza was not on the list before flying!

What a wonderful way to end this visit at this grocery shop with a florist by an alley of weeping willows. Thank you Audrey&her TEDx Team for a memorable visit.

Joinning the maddening crowd – line to check-in, immigration&security-checks, train to departureT,

walk to gateE59, bus-ride to NoMansLand, line to the stairs for boarding this Dreamliner! All this took 2+hrs. And ppl still think I can get used to this?????? Maybe now you can understand why I say I HATE travelling. It is because of all this, NOT because of the ppl I want to see or places I would like to visit, those I do look forward to. Safe&sound back in SIN on an uneventful on-time flight. Welcome back to some order, cleaner air and warmer temps 🙂

Mon: welcome Lock&May to SIN – Happy Belated Bday, Lock and we will certainly celebrate this week like we used to in our student-days in Dublin, hahaha. Sooo good to see them both. Tkx to Clement for lunch@SiChuanDouHua Restaurant, a restaurant with a view from the 60th floor.

Tkx to Richard (Lock’s classmate from childhood&boarding school in Dublin) for coffee and for his company this afternoon. Group pix credits to Richard.

Long day ended with nice family steamboat dinner@Les&Ivy and yummy ChocolateMousseCake from May (who is on holiday, otherwise she would have made a better one) bought at the FullertonHotel. Back to my pad before midnight and felt like a cannonball crashing down to earth!

Being exhausted is all part of the fun. I’m cool with it. I’m not going to wish that it would slow down – James Bay

7 Nov 2017 – Tourist For One Day

Mon: uneventful flight from SIN. Landed on time in PEK after 6+hrs of flying but taxing to the gate took nearly an hour + another 1+hr thru immigration to baggage claim and a slow-train to the arr terminal. Poor Audrey who was meeting me had to wait for 2hrs.

It was dark by the time we got to Keystone Academy, Shunyi District which was not too far from the airport but heavy traffic made it seem further.

Tue: an early start with my own private charming  driver/Jeff and car (800¥ S$164 for the day) driving thru[ country-side to the Mutianyu Great Wall, Huairou County,  70k from the city, but shorter from where I was at the school, getting there by 0900hrs.

Amazing how beautiful and pleasant it was without too much of a crowd, the glorious weather helped. Was thoroughly awe with this most impressive architectural man-made monument in history.

Well restored for this section and breath-taking views. Cable car took me to Tower 14, beautifully restored and can see to the far above towers. Tower23 would give a panoramic view but also read that it is really steep to get up there – 450steps, perhaps another time?  Further beyond that is not restored not is it open to the public.

Walked from Tower 14-15 and back.  Very blessed for the short quiet stroll in this glorious weather on the wall.

Would have walked up here if only time was on my side. And no it is not the AT even when it seems like a White-Blaze is marked on stair-case – they are lights on the path for walking up to the wall. Cable-car or maybe be carried up like this person is the way to go today 🙂

From the shuttle bus back to the car, guards picking pears and got to taste it – yummy. Vendors selling delicious sweet persimmons+other fresh fruits, warm roasted chestnuts,  – bought a bit of everything 55¥ S$11.

Well- worth 180¥ S$37 for the RT shuttle bus, cable car, entrance to both the Stone and Cultural Treasures Exhibitions. Another item on my bucket list done 🙂

The pix say it all regarding the air-quality and the traffic into the city. Was told by Jeff that the air is pretty good!!

Forbidden City – now Palace Museum served as the home for 24emperors and is the ceremonial&political centre of Chinese government for nearly 500yrs. It is the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China and the largest palace complex in the world.

Panic in the Forbidden City – could only exit by the sides or the back. Memories of a movie scene from the Last Emperor movie came to mind when the mother of the boy Emperor was taken away from him when he tried to chase after but only to be stop by the guards. What a desperate helpless feeling of being trapped.

After getting in, realized that time was not on my side as the drive was meeting me near the front and there was absolutely NO parking there. Bought lunch 25¥ S$5 but no time to eat – doggie bagged it. Managed to find my way out by paying (1.50¥) to go thru’ the gardens, tkx to the police and some kind bilingual lady. It was too crowded for me to appreciated this location.

Wed: finally the chance to explore around in daylight this 5*school – Keystone Academy. Interesting layout of this campus with a modern designed Performing Arts Centre surrounded by the traditional red-brick buildings in a more conventional style.

Appreciations to Audrey for putting me up in the Residential West Building – such luxury, 3bed-rooms apt with a view when not too hazy!

While waiting for Justin to take me out for lunch, my first thought at distance – this cannot be litter as the school grounds are sparklessly clean and this was just outside the school wall. These white leafs are new to me! The small cute vehicles were park on the pavement are also new to me!!

Yummy fish lunch and tasty soup with noodles+the condiments which were added into the soup when it was pipping hot.

There is even a SIN food place in this location! Tkx to Justin for being such a wonderful lunch guide.

Learning from the TEDx Team at the set-up and 1st rehearsal.

PEK duck dinner, tkx to Justin. Here in PEK they eat it differently from SIN. The skin is dipped in some sauce or sugar as a starter bite followed by the meat wrapped in the pancake with the condiments and sauce.

Thu: after good constructive feed-backs from Audrey, editing talk and added more pix of the AT – 2nd rehearsal. Bought some take-away food across the road from the school, too spicy oily, but the portion for 2 was big enough to feed even my family! Tasted some sushi and KFC from the students which was way better!!