25 Feb 2018 – Enjoying Every Moment&Movement

Thu: keeping company with Clement, the one-eye bandit 🙂 after his cataract surgery@Gleneagles. All these road constructions for new TEL MRT line can get anyone disorientated. MFA&SBG in the backgrounds behind these barricades.

Tkx to Les&Ivy for dinner@Paradise Teochew/ScottsSquare

with YewHuat&Angie, ChengJune&Theresa, Lee&Catherine+Alphonsus. Nice to catch up with everybody for yummy foods and fine wines.

Fri: the day started with a lovely visit from the Lundemos who are here from Norway for the CNY. Welcome to baby Aurora for her 1st trip to SIN. Big brothers Marcus&Victor enjoyed the playgrounds@MarineCove while Leng&Tore and I had fun catching up.

Tkx Zarina for dinner @Chinatown Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, SIN Michelin hawker.

Glad that we had dinner there, just by looking at the lines into these eateries @ChinatownPoint. But thank goodness it was not too crowded to enjoy window shopping and the lights which are quite delightful, especially the street lights on SouthBridgeRd.

Pleasant surprise to bump into Ulrik and nice to meet his identical twin bro Robin and their father, Sture who is visiting SIN. Met Ulrik on the Nepal hike and now he is here visiting Robin who works in SIN. Will not be able to tell the difference if I bump into any of them separately.

A walk thru’ AngSiangHill to discover this festival@ThianHockKeng Temple and whatever festival that was going on the street. Wonderful to be surprised with all these – it sure is a big contrast with day and night with all these red lanterns lit.

Recommending MusicBox Museum to Zarina. Started to rain on the bus, hope that the Chingay Parade is not too affected by it. 12hrs on the go and still to prepare for a fruit-cocktail salad!

Sat: Happy Bday to Bjørn, father to #6. Was too tired to attend the morning CNY talk. Appreciations to Henry for belated Bdays for us both and CNY celebrations, enjoyable&delightful HighT@Intercon with Rit&Nick’s music.  Relaxing and a lovely afternoon passed by quickly, or rather we had so much to catch up! Another bumping surprise, good the see the glamorous, Laura.

Continued on to celebrate this 9thCNY@Campers’ Corner for Calvin’s  surprised BdayBash.

A jolly-good time was had by all with yummy foods&wines. Tkx to Sam for arranging this and to Yoshie’s friends for the Hawaiian HulaAuana.

My usual contribution is the Fruit-Cocktail Salad requested by CC staff and management.

Sun: thank you to Peggy for gathering past&present employees&families+friends of Hagley&Hoyle on the 10th CNY day. Had a fun time catching up.

Congratulations to Norway for winning the most medals (14gold, 14silver, 11bronze=39total) for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea. Am sooo happy for them and impressed by my fellow Norwegians.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/medals

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

21 Feb 2018 – Lam KwokKiong (1935-2000)

Sat: 2ndCNY day – accompanied 4th sis-in-law PohKit to visit 2nd sis-in-law YokeSau. Tkx to nephewVince for driving and to nieceLeng for have us in her home. 1stCNY day is when 2nd bro and his branch gathers, thus unable to get pix for 2nd bro LAM KwokKiong’s branch. Pix credits to Leng.

Pix credits of nephews+family to nephews JenMum, JenWee and Steve.

Lam JenMun (1969)&Tan SiewKing (1956) –
Lam SuiChang (1989)

Lam JenLeng (1960)&Ang ChinSheng (1957) –
Ang KeeYang Michael (1989) and Ang KeeLing Michelle (1993)

Lam JenWee (1962)& Lee MuiHui Mayven (1963) –
Lam YiTing Vanessa (1995) and Lam YiLing Valerie (1997)

Steve Lam (1965)&Toh ChengHong (1966)
Lam YiYan Cindy (1995) and Lam YiSheng (1998)

Leng has decided that the next generation will be Brown and so it will be, also easy for me to remember, the new MRT line TEL (MarineTerrace will be my station on that line) is also brown and hopefully will complete their constructions for my life’s journey!!

A visit to bro Steven, tkx to Vince for driving.

Sun: Appreciations to nephew Clement&his banker friends May, Julie, Karen and Audrey for a lovely afternoon.

Lots of luck and profits to them for the Dog Year ahead – 遍地黃金 pin dei wong gam=opportunities everywhere to earn money.

View from the 9th floor.

Mon: staying in to rest – watching&enjoying the 129th RoseParade. Trader Joe’s on TV, most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment and this was the only one that I managed to capture from the TV on my camera.

The others floats and marching bands were just as impressive bringing back memories from my first RoseParade in 1987, 31yrs ago!!

Tue: this cough has really been persistent, was hoping to kick or kill it before the CNY. Age really takes its toll as the immune-system&resistance are not working as it used to. A peaceful&quiet walk thru’ the HDBs under shelter except for 2short road crossings to the PolyClinic. After an X-ray to discover some lung infection and was prescribed with anti-B, such is life but that too shall pass.

Usual Tue grocery shopping@Giant/Parkway, and had a bite and a cuppa in the basement food-court. The first Lion-Dance for me on this 5thCNY day in an enclosed basement food-court.

The heart must have skipped some beats when the drum was at its loudest! Should carry ear-plugs with me until the CNY is over 🙂 Always enjoy this dance, but do prefer them to be outdoors.

Wed: welcome back to SIN and appreciations to Catherine&Lee’s friend for lunch@I12, CantonParadise.

Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter – John Muir

16 Feb 2018 – Who Let The Dogs Out…

Tue: accompanied sis-in-law PohKit to SGH for her appointment. Considering that she is 80 and recently had a heart procedure and hip surgery, she is in decent physical condition. Was impressed how efficient and only a short wait, amazed at how built-up and still building out@SGH. Dinner@Jo‘s.

Wed:  Phantom Thread****set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutantes and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. A renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover…

Appreciations to bro Les&Ivy for reunion+HeartsDay dinner. Wolf Herring,西刀, Ikan Parang is the only fish I like in my Lohei, 撈起=tossing up good fortune. For the benefits of my overseas friends, this is a CNYraw-fish salad dish with at least 18ingredients. My favourite of all has 28ingredients.

https://amylamsg.com/2013/03/03/28-ingredients/

https://www.aspirantsg.com/chinese-new-year-auspicious-phrases-during-yu-sheng-lo-hei/

The other dishes & wines.

Lovely flowers and decorations are all in their places.

Thu: a short walk to the wet-market to find out that many stalls are closed and quite rightly so. CNY Reunion dinners are often considered the most important get-together meal of the entire year and ppl need to be home preparing the foods. Tkx to Jo&family for including me for theirs.

12mid-night: and so it is time to say bye-bye to the Rooster. The mini-garden from #6 sprouted in time to welcome the Dog.

Fri: KungHayFatChoy 恭喜發財 to my Cantonese family&friend and a Happy&Healthy Year of the Dog 2018 to all celebrating.

Appreciations to bro Les&Ivy for welcoming the Year of the Dog with family&friends for yummy lunch&wines on this 2018 1stCNY day.

Was not focus enough this year to capture more pix before ppl had to leave. Bro Steven’s branch left earlier, so did sis Jo and Michael, Sharon&Alex. Tkx to Alex for forwarding me his pix. Unfortunately it will not be possible to get all my siblings&I+our families together for a group pix.

http://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2133454/chinese-new-year-explained-food-zodiac-animals-traditions-myths-and

Ah doggie is nothing if he don’t have a bone
All doggie hold it

12 Feb 2018 – At Waterloo St & Chinatown

Fri: piano finally tuned/S$85 and a long-due one, tkx to PakYen. Tkx Gel for her home-made yummy kimchi, ingredients pix credits to her.

Sat: lunch@One Canton with Sim&Pat. Had the Caramelised Roasted Ribs with Shrimp and Pork Dumplings Dry Noodles and it is nothing much to write home about in spite of the good reviews…

A drink@InterContinental to listen&see talented RitZu playing his flute. Have not hear him play since@BluJaz/Aug last year and tkx to him for playing my request – Beauty And The Beast.

Appreciations to sis-in-law, 2nieces, 2nephews+3grand nephews (3rd bro Steven’s branch) for including me in their reunion dinner. Good company, yummy foods, so who can ask for more.

View from the 22nd floor. 

Sun: tkx to Yoshi for NasiLemak lunch company and for the goodies.

Nice evening walk@EC Pk from areas C-G/8-9k, dinner stop at the EC-LagoonFoodC with Clement. Amazing to see all these planes descending every few mins. Next week will be a short working week to those who are working and living in countries that celebrates the CNY. Welcome home to those visiting families&friends and welcome to all who are just here to soak in this festive ambiance.

Saw some cymbidium finlaysonianum and Arudina graminifolia – tkx to NeoTuanHong for providing the names.

Mon: decided to soak in the pre-CNY ambiance, unable to do so last year due to heart procedure in hospital/Norway. First stop – app 10a WaterlooSt.

1030a – in Chinatown checking out the peanuts, melon-seeds, candies.

Never knew that there are sooo many varieties all looking the same to me from the outside, but if I ask Scott, he can definitely tell the difference.

Waxed-foods, cookies, decorations,

all kinds of flowers (for Valentine’s Day too!), good-luck bamboos.

This strange yellow thing is Buddha’s hand in Chinese (佛手柑), Japanese (仏手柑), Korean (불수감) and Vietnamese (Phật thủ), a fruit used as Chinese herb, preserved fruit, and ornamental plant.

Tkx to cousin Susannah for providing me the name as it is my first time seeing this and tkx to other FB friends for their inputs when I posted asking for more info as I am unable to read Chinese!

Lines to buy BakKwa, and NO was not there to buy this pork jerky,

but bought 3pairs/$25pp wooden clogs before the crowds, could not resist these, especially when the owner was there to fit the straps so as not to hurt the bunion on the feet.

Doggie-bagged a late lunch@ChiewKee, my favourite chicken noodle joint. Too crowded and hot to eat there.

The crowds were building up and was glad to head for the bus

via the overhead bridge crossing the road to the bus-stop.

Delighted to see such a crowd as it has been raining the previous few years, less ppl out buying and the vendors suffered from that. Soaked in the whole festive ambiance&colours. Hopefully less crowds after the CNY rush when I can enjoy the lights one evening!

Is this what is ahead for me??? So far none of the other years turned out as these predictions and why should this year be any different 🙂

Hard-working, persistent, conservative, loyal and private; the year of the Yang Earth Dog will be a busy one for the Ox, which includes some pleasurable social occasions and travel.   The year will arrive with some unexpected challenges and pressures but be assured, Ox, that your rewards will come in the long-term.

8 Feb 2018 – And Golden Snoopy

Mon: consider today as the 1st family union as Yasmine will be flying off back to London in the weekend and will not be spending the CNY in SIN. Visited bro Steven@UnitedMedicareCentre with Jo&Joyce. The 196bus-ride took over an hour from the EastCoast area. Appreciations to Yas for her company.

Tkx to Yasmine for dim-sum lunch@CrystalJade Garden/HollandV.

A new addition to the area rushing to be ready to open its doors for the public by CNY. The colours match with the older building next to it, durian store across the road from these buildings was closed today.

Colourful wall-mural, rows of food-stalls and a dry-cleaner underground leading to the HollandV MRT. Tkx to Jo for dinner and for yummy durian, she must have read my thought about durian earlier 🙂

Tue: Ivy wanted to do some shopping in the EastCoast area. Lunched@MarineCove’s HillStreetCoffeeShop – she has not been and also to show her this part of the EC Pk.

Me: I so do look forward to this time of the year…
StoreKeeper@KimChoo: ‘I don’t’ – and understandably so by looking at the work to produce these CNY cookies including salted-egg salmon-skin, tkx to Ivy. Kat can look forward to receiving her CNY package.

Since in the area, took her to get their favourite paus from SpecialiseHomemadePauDian@34CassiaCres. The family has been eating these paus for years and now finally she steps foot here to buy them personally!

Wed: Along With The Gods***JaHong, a firefighter dies in the line of duty. In the afterlife, he is escorted by 3Angels of Death. JaHong has to go thru’ 7trials for over 49days to prove he was innocent in human life and only then would he be able to be reincarnated. Not sure why I chose to see this Korean movie?

Saddened to receive news of AnneMacFadden who lost her battle to cancer today.

Thu: @St Ignatius Church (tkx to Carmel for the ride) for Anne’s wake – condolences to Declan&family. Was at the chapel to just say a little prayer. Having lost my own mother to cancer when I was 15, could not help but think how devastating it must be for Declan&their 6children.

Tired to distract myself with some CNY window-shopping@Taka.

Being soon the year of the Dog, Snoopy is featured in 24K gold red-packet costing S$68! And then you still have to fill the red-packet!!

Lido@Orchard are the few cinemas with a McD and offers S$4senior ticket while the others charge $4.50 – $5. Wonderstruck****story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in NY from 50yrs ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection – a sweet, gentle tale of 2children connecting across time. Enjoyed it but could hear some sighs of boredom behind me.

Where choice begins, Paradise ends, innocence ends, for what is Paradise but the absence of any need to choose this action? – Arthur Miller

4 Feb 2018 – Palace of Heavenly Happiness
Thu: inspired by the imagination of PT Barnum, The Greatest Showman****a musical that celebrates the birth of show business telling of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Not usually a musical fan, but enjoyed this feel-good movie, especially with the enthusiasm played by Jackman.

 The noblest art is that of making others happy― PT Barnum

The movie brought back memories of both Ringling Circus Museun/FL, FL days and Cirque du Soleilm, tkx to cousin Yun.

https://amylamsg.com/2012/09/21/circus-of-the-sun/

I’m actually not a huge circus fan in the traditional sense, but I like a lot of the circus trappings of striped tents and caramel. I lean more towards Cirque du Soleil than Barnum and Bailey – Erin Morgenstern

Fri: Happy 50th Bday to Cathrine (L&M paternal-aunt) – has it really been 50yrs ago since my first visit to Tromsø? Where has all those years gone??

TGIF – been awhile since down TelokAyerSt and many new trendy eateries have sprung up.  Kabuke, a discreet Sake gastrobar is on the second floor of a heritage shop-house, you’ll have to look carefully to find it, and when you do, you will want to return where there is a designer wash-basin!

Their signature dish – WagyuBeefBowl was good&tasty with a glass of sake. Highly recommended.

A nice stroll after lunch watching the Fri lunch crowds and the mosque (Masjid Al-Abrar) goers. Not to be confused with NagoreDurgha which is a shrine at the corner. Can only pray that you will find your shoes here again, especially after the Sake 🙂

https://roots.sg/Content/Places/national-monuments/al-abrar-mosque

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_536_2004-12-27.html

Just a few doors from the mosque is the famous ThianHockKeng Temple=Palace of Heavenly Happiness and the MusicalBoxMuseum where&when last visited (2015) before the official opening. Why have I not noticed these characters on the ceiling entrance to temple in my many previous visits??? Today, the crowds and carbon monoxide from the tour-buses were too much for the well-being in every-ways!

https://roots.sg/Content/Places/national-monuments/thian-hock-keng

https://amylamsg.com/2015/08/21/musical-box-museum/

Headed into Chinatown to check out that the Rooster has been chased out by the Dogs and it was no surprise to see the line@LimCheeGuan! Did not and do not have any intentions to shop there, but have come to the conclusion the many ppl on this RedDot like crowds and standing in lines. Am busy as it is chasing out the Rooster (or should I say Cock!) before the Dog (maybe Bitch!!) takes over for the year!

Sat: appreciations for the visit to my beautiful niece Yasmine from London. Looking forward to catching up in London on transit to OSL in Apr. Hope that we will manage to arrange with cousin YatSoon&family for them to meet. Pix from 1998/Paris with 2nd-born+2nieces and 2016/SIN with YatSoon&family.

Sun: Happy Birthday to bro Lawrence who turns 84 today. Am impressed with him for his good health, still driving and walking around with me. Vivid in the memories the day he left SIN for overseas-studies in the 1950s.

To my beautiful first born&mother of 5, Linn – way to go there@MGC LONG RUN 15K & “Not So Long” 5K 2/3/2018/SC, USA. Good job, 3rd overall female and 1st in her age group/ 15K in 1:02:08. Pix credits to Tracy DeAnne Tisdale-Williams – tkx for sharing.

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up ― Dean Karnazes