16 Nov 2020 – A Shellfish Extravaganza

Sat: Happy Deepavali/Diwali to those celebrating. May this Festival of Lights, the new year celebrations for Hindus, Sikhs&Jains bringing new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness to all. Beautiful flora-peacock@ChangiAirport and another guarding the entrance into Little India here in SIN. Mayuresvara an incarnation of Ganesha, whose mount is a peacock (in the Ganesha Purana) The mayura named Citramekhala is associated with Saraswati, a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge.

Way to go for the Saturday Night Riders – management&staff of Campers’ Corner keeping fit as well as working&celebrating together.

New brand@CC – andWander, a Japanese name-brand with nice things. Good gifts to start the holiday shopping season.

Helen feeling at home&happy with the new displays.

Collectors item, but does not look too comfortable to ride in it!

Sun: a wet&cool perfect indoors Sunday with rains the whole afternoon&evening. Like here in MarineP, its walking in a maze of barricades by the SIN-TouristBoard/STB on GrangeRd where the future Thompson-EastCoastLine-TEL/BrownMRT-line will be located. Will be faster&easier to visit my bro from the future MarineTerraceST to NapierST, ie if I live to see that completed!

Being a big fan of shellfish, this weekend was a Shellfish Paradise with crustaceans&mollusks for me – hairy crabs on Fri, followed by raw oysters, steamed clams&Topshells on Sat. When they are as fresh as they are, the best way to prepare them is just by steaming and eating them just as they are, ie no sauces or dip, my preference to eat these shellfish – except for oysters which I like them raw with lemon+Tabasco. Some ppl have questioned about how healthy or safe it is to eat these – when I taste one that is not fresh, would spit it out.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/shellfish#dangers

Vivid memories of a serious shellfish poisoning when I was in Sarawak. 6-8Feb2009 was one of my most miserable weekends, had the runs and vomited constantly for 3days in Sibu/ Sarawak. The Orchid Hotel, a budget accommodation centrally located with wireless but that was either a disco or KTV bar which blasted out loud&clear all night. The energy level was zero to bother with relocating, but it will certainly not be my choice when & if I return to continue with the research. Rescheduled flights and was back in SIN 8Feb night. My own fault, do remembering a periwinkle tasting off, but did not spit it out!!

https://amylamsg.com/2009/02/06/kuching-to-sibu/

Mon: good Mon morning after a lovely cool wet night of restful 7hrs of sleep. Jan/USA once asked about this character and here is one of the most eloquently written ones I have so far read!

https://londondaily.com/british-writer-pens-the-best-description-of-trump-i-ve-read

13 Nov 2020 – Fri The 13th And World Kindness Day

Tue: this old-time-snacks outlet, K&H Paper Trading recently opened here in my hood – name of this shop is misleading as there isn’t any form or trace of paper trading in there. Instead there are 100+ variety of local-made retro cookies and another 100+other snacks. Tried asking them how many sorts, but they were not sure. Will pop by again another day to estimated how many! 

5 different varieties of the wafers – chocolate, durian, pandan, strawberry, vanilla+BellyButton Ice Gem biscuits (all for~S$8). Most of us who grew up here in SIN will remember the BellyButton biscuits. Have been wanting to taste these since the opening, but the min amount to buy is 100g for each item (~S$1-$2per100g). Today is the best time to get these & some prawn-crackers (from the mama-store) to share with everyone in CC.

Appreciations to Calvin@CC for combined Bday celebrations for Sam & Chris. Pix of me taking a pix, credits to Helen. Yummy fresh TopShells cooked by PengHann – first time tasting these. Just checked out about these Baigai/Babylonia Spirata. 

Ordered online from Ka-Soh for delivery – 16pcs HarCheongGai 虾酱鸡=PrawnPasteChicken (S$39 including delivery) being one of Sam & my favourite deep-fried chickens. 1st time ordering from this venue, was OK, but would probably have been better to eat it fresh as deep-fired food tends to go soggy after being delivered. Good Sashimi&Sushi

Friend of CC made one of my favourite Malay soups, Soto Ayam=ChickenNoodleSoup – tasted a sip of the soup and it was scrumptious, had to package some to take with me. Cedele’s RedVelvet from Ann was just too rich to eat a whole slice, perfect with a bite or the heart will be complaining! Eating far too much the whole evening – Eat, drink and be merry

A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk ― Charlie Chaplin

Wed: today 11Nov is VeteransDay honoring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the US-Armed Forces (and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable). Major hostilities of WW1 were formally ended at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major US VeteranOrganizations, ArmisticeDay was renamed VeteransDay in 1954.

Thu: woke up to this lovey sky with both the sunrise colours&a half-crescent moon smiling at me, its going to be a lovely day! Appreciations to LEE MeiChen, TimothyPWEE & LisaLIM from NationalLibraryBoard/NLB for their time to look at some of father’s old documents&items which will be donated to the library. In this way, they will be taken care of and ppl who are interested can also request to see them at the library. Will wait for the agreement (draft) before listing the items donated.

Fri: did not expect my TGIFs greetings would have been missed, trust Johnny&Richard in HKG to notice that I was late with my posting! special greetings to them!! A good weekend to all, stay healthy&safe this Friday the 13th! and World Kindness Day!! After a nice walk&grocery shopping, and as I closed the door behind ~12n, the rains started. Fresh cut-flowers for the hostess for tonight’s special dinner and a special white flower hanging-plant for Ivy.

Appreciations to Theresa&ChengJoon for the scrumptious 大闸蟹Eriocheir sinensis+many more other dishes dinner. This ChineseMittenCrab, also known as the ShanghaiHairyCrab, is a medium-sized burrowing crab that is named for its furry claws, which resemble mittens. It is native to rivers, estuaries and other coastal habitats of E-Asia from Korea in the north to Fujian/China, in the south – a seasonal delicacy in Asia, prized for its sweet flesh&creamy roe. The male roe is creamier, buttery and lava-like while the female roe is denser, darker in color and more solid (crumbly).

9 Nov 2020 – President Joe Biden

Fri: picking up fresh chives for the weekend lunch. Not having a car and when having company for a 4course lunch, need to get the foods, etc bit by bit over a few days. Taken care of some frozen foods from IKEA yesterday&today. 

Sat: still no final or official results for the US 2020Elections. Some of my favourite quotes on ignorance and stupidity – very applicable for life’s journey, especially today on this lovely cool wet day. Continue to hope&pray for a different US than what has been happening the past 4years and somehow I find it difficult to see it happening if there is no change with the leadership and his followers.

Sun: never thought I could have the craving for Norwegian food, but todays lunch proved otherwise! Norwegian lunch in good company of nieces&grandnephew – pumpkin soup, smoked salmon-roll (made with lumpa, Norwegian potato pancake) with cream-cheese, bourbon salmon with mashed potato+sides, and waffle with cream-cheese&strawberry.

So it is official – WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden took the first steps on Sunday (Nov 8) towards taking over the White House 73 days from now but Donald Trump showed no signs of being ready to admit defeat and continued to sow doubt about the election results.

Just wondering what it is that makes such a deceitful, demonic, despicable creature with no dignity or decency? What is so sad is that many do not see it. Appreciations to KK for the Alamak share, the best so far. For my overseas friends, Alamak is a local slang here for Oh no! Hopefully that is the worst he can do say or do. Again hope&pray for the best, but be prepared for unconstructive actions&words from a sore loser.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/biden-pledging-unity-begins-transition-trump-refuses-to-concede-13494918

While here in SE Asia, 

~37+million Myanmar citizens, including 5mil 1st time voters, have gone to the polls yesterday. Waiting for results – Aung San Suu Kyi will likely keep her position!

BBK/Thailand: Thai protesters dispersed last night after being confronted by police and security forces as they marched to the royal offices.

With all these crowds, the COVID-19 cases are going to sky-rocket!

5 Nov 2020 – Hello November

Sun: 2more months of this turbulence year and hopefully will be able to see my kids&grandkids in 2021. Do not even remember when I have not traveled for 365days??Returned to SIN 1Nov2019 and have not been out since then.

Mon: Happy Bday HS. Appreciations to Boon for vegetarian dinner on a rooftop garden – a feast for the eyes&taste in good company of Sam and William accompanied with excellent service. Highly recommended.

One of the best vegetarians I have been so far. Everything was tastefully presented with flavours complimenting well with each other. https://www.joierestaurant.com.sg/

Tue: grocery day@Giant/Tampines, SeniorSavingsS$2.50. Got a bunch of mini-Mums to cheer up my 4walls – that is unusual as orchids are usually my preference where cut-flowers are concerned, must be thinking of Thanksgiving ahead when I would usually get Mums&pumpkins. 2fans for S$20 for the bedroom&kitchen, tired of moving around the one&only fan I have!

After HS recommendations, now watching another Netflix series, A Suitable Boy, 1S&6E based a novel by VikramSeth, published in 1993. Enjoyed it and like the fact that the historical backdrop is accurate. Can never get enough of those colourful&beautiful saris. Pix uploaded.

Wed: paying attention to the US Election on CNA, but no! will not be colouring this!! Midnight and still no final results yet today due to the Swing States and the counting of the early Mail-In Ballots because of COVID-19. Unable to keep my eyes open any longer. Good night with sweet dreams.

Thu: looks like Biden is on the path to be the next US President, still not final but hoping&praying. Trump wants a recount and take the matter to SupremeCourt and will not go quietly! My 1st-born in the US send me the OK poster this morning – hmmm, wonder what she wants to tell me???

Early Bday celebrations with brunch for AudreyM@IKEA Cafe to combine with some shopping we both needed from there. New frozen vegetarian food to try. Christmas things are up and this year’s bag has the same design as last year’s, but red in colour – so far I have 6different IKEAbags, including the rainbow bag from Norway. And this apple has an irresistible fragrance, but it is uneatable, thus no temptation here! 

Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified ― Chuck Palahniuk

Nov birthdays:

2Nov   – HongSze and JohnK/Ireland
4Nov   – AiLing
8Nov   – Beverley
11Nov  – AudreyM
13Nov  – YeeFun/NZ
15Nov  – ChrisTay
27Nov – DaisyChia
29Nov – Happy 14th to grandchild #3JohnW/USA
30Nov – Happy 70th to cousinChai/Canada

31 Oct 2020 – Indian Heritage Centre

Tue: senior grocery day at the local MT Giant with 0.80c savings. Do not need to go to the main Giant@Tampines every week, ~once or twice a month is enough. Watching these TV series can be additive for me, tend to binge-watch wanting to know what happens next, and not good to be sitting in front the screen all day – will probably get Lucific withdrawal soon, hahaha

Wed: when you received a message – he refuses to eat, or let anyone eat the last ones, its time to find Sticky, even when it takes 3different buses to unfamiliar industrial estate! https://www.sticky.com.sg/

Used to be able to get these at CathayCineleisure on Orchard and would usually get them before my trips back to Norway&USA. They are one of the nice little gifts made in SIN to get for kids. Not sure if this last one was the one I got at MBS when the family was visiting in Feb? 

Fri: these mini produces are perfect for my portion&taste, no need to waste and always fresh. The mini Romaine lettuce are amazing as they can keep fresh&crisp for up to 2weeks in the fridge (ie if you know how to store them), and they are good&refreshing for wrapping all kinds of everything to make a delicious light meal/snack. Today I discovered these mini apples from NZ, absolutely deliciously crisp, small cores, sweet&juicy, not usually a fan of apples, but these will make me one even when they are S$6.50 for 5.  

Sat: Happy Halloween – Trick or Treat Enjoy your last Oct2020 day. Appreciations to Les&Ivy for yummy BahKutTeh 肉骨茶=meat bone tea+side dishes&condiments in good company of 3gen, Clement, Daisy & Darryl. Dinner delivered by Old Tiong Bahru BakKutTeh

26 Oct 2020 – Lucifer & Sex Education

Thu: delivered urine for test and also blood test@SGH. Since being out&about, and that DaisyC was not busy, got the chance to catch up in Chinatown. This robot catches my eyes whenever I walk by it from SGH, but most of the time when I am passing by, the restaurant 泰福楼Tai Fu Lou (Northeast Chinese Cuisine) with this yummy looking fish on their glass-door is closed. Supposedly its SIN exclusive specialty paper wrapped fish 特色纸包鱼餐厅, must try one day!

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gEYnlHfyCyw6tByp0DAxEQ

A bite&cuppa@Tiong Shian Porridge Centre長城粥品中心, one of my favourite congee places, especially when raw fish was allowed in those days! Today just had the chicken-feet&some veg, and it was breezy&relaxing sitting outside this coffeeshop chatting&watching life goes by.

Durian Snow-Ice@MeiHeongYuen 味香园甜品, the only place I like for this Taiwanese shaved-ice which is very finely shaved, unlike the others, like the ice-cones, ice-kacang, etc which are more coarsely shaved. Again pleasant sitting outside cheering with encouragement for this guy who dropped his van-keys in the drain and successfully fished it out. 

Appreciations to DaisyC for this pix & for catching up. Do enjoy these interactive wall murals by YC Yip. Where Chinese characters are concerned, will definitely need help, not only with reading&writing, but translation too! ~50,000+characters, ~20,000 rarely use, and you will need ~2,000+ to be able to read a newspaper. I only know ~20+characters!! Got the Lunar/Chinese 2021 Calendar to remind me of special dates. Looking forward to receiving the Norwegian&US ones from L&M and perhaps Carmel who is now in Ireland can find me an Irish one. That will cover the countries where I have lived for over a decade and have been home to me…

Fri: not being able to travel or wander about, started on these 2Netflix series, Lucifer and Sex Ed after AudreyM’s recommendation. Let’s see how many Seasons/S&Episodes/E I will manage to hang on to without getting bored! From what I have read, there are so far S5&E44 and still a S6 on the way for Lucifer; SexEd, S2&E16 and S3 on its way. So far after a few episodes, they seem promising, even when the titles may be misleading.

Sat: what an exciting afternoon looking thru’ old B/W pix from Audrey’s childhood days, Audrey and Alvin’s Katong childhood grounds – tkx for sharing. Good luck to Alvin’s new book, do enjoy&like the charm & uniqueness of his books where the pix in there are all hand-drawn or painted, ie no photography. https://www.facebook.com/alvinmarkstudio/

 

Sun: tkx to AudreyW for ClayPotRice, how can the sellers make a profit when this is sold for S$3 (food&pot for keeps)?? To those who have turned their clock back tonight, enjoy the extra hour of sleep and a good last Oct week ahead to all.

21 Oct 2020 – Mexican & Korean Foods

Sat: this was what I found at my gate this morning –  593dengue cases were reported by NEA in this week ending – NEA who are also doing their best to educate ppl to be aware as to how to flight this. I get Pandan&LemonGrass to make tea as I like the taste of them individually. Roaches& mozzies do not seem to like them and being on the 7floor might also be a help to keep them away and they are most unwelcome!

Sun: belated Bday lunch for AudreyW. Since unable to travel to the US and wanted some Tex-Mex, homemade Fajita Chicken with Tequila Shots (tkx to Estella for that bottle). Appreciations to Aud and Clement for good company and an enjoyable afternoon that passed by quickly. Pix credits her.

Mon: many thanks to Singaporean painter Yusoff Abdul Latiff of 5 Temenggong Road/Singapore of the B/W pix (1948-9). The write-up below is from a magazine PASSAGE/Friends of the Museums Singapore – January/February 2021

Tue: new area to discover from KovanMRT connecting with a feeder-bus

to this well-maintained and serene surroundings of this 1,000+units condo complex.

Appreciations to AudreyM for this delicious home-made Korean lunch spread+sides – 갈비탕KaibiTang/BeefSoup, 닭갈비DakGalbi/SpicyChicken with veggie, bringing back fun memories from my one&only visit to Korea in 2013 when she was working there. Tkx for sharing these spices, will try to make this chicken some day.

https://amylamsg.com/2013/04/09/reflections-on-busan-부산/

Wed: today is another stay-in my 4-walls day. Again urine has to be collected for 24hrs to be tested for Hyperparathyroidism/overactive glands in the thyroid. Hoping&praying that the result from this test is better than that in Aug so that surgery is not needed. Have been taking VitD supplements daily for the past 2months.

Tkx to Linn for this registration plate MORMOROK – mormor=maternal grandmother in Norwegian, so it s good that #1-6 think that I am OK – hahaha

16 Oct 2020 – Dinosaurs At The Airport 

Mon: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to family&friends and to those celebrating this day. Was planning to check out this new JurassicMile, but was told that it is crowded, so will wait till the novelty passes by and then can finally walk to the airport! 

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-35km-cycling-jogging-path-linking-east-coast-park-and-changi-airport-launched

When I last walked this section, it was not connected to the airport.

https://amylamsg.com/2009/01/09/eastern-coastal-park-connectors/

Tue: senior grocery day@Tampines Giant usually taking up the morning with the shopping and the afternoon with cleaning and storing away the groceries. 

Wed: digging up info for AT-Hikers&TrailAngels in a FBgroup I have set up last Fri. Decided to do this as the book/journal printed in 2008 are all gone, except the one copy on hand, thus putting it here online to share. This will be the 3rd group I have set up to manage, including 2others for the LAM &TSANG family-trees. Looks like I will be busy online – busy hands are happy hands. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1050337225413375

Thu: was craving for KCH KoloMee, and with no visit to KCH this year to fix it. Heard about this location and yes, the rumour is true! Was there early with just 2ppl in front of me and by the time I finished, the lines were sneaking around the corner@Yummy ‘Sarawak Kolo Mee’@#01-45 Tampines Round Market&Food Centre.

The taste was yummy, but somehow the noodles lack that crunchiness that I like. Bought a packet for cousin Karen for her verdict. Believe it or not, for me the most memorable bowl of KoloMee was in Sarikei, Sarawak/2011. 3MYR~S$1@RianCheongCafe where the noodles were of perfect consistency and the sauce was simple&tasty – have yet to taste anything like that. https://amylamsg.com/2011/03/16/sarikei/

Took over an hour to get and to find this stall, and an unchartered area for me. Remembered vaguely being at the opening of the TampinesHub 3yrs ago, but somehow it seems longer. First the 31bus from MP to Tampines-Interchange, connecting with bus292 to Tampines St11.

https://amylamsg.com/2017/08/11/52nd-national-day/

 

A Norwegian friend just told me that It seems that you eat a lot in Singapore, and my reply to him – unlike the Norwegians, we live to eat more than to eat to live. L&Ms father used to teased about my family for discussing what’s for dinner while we are still eating lunch… hahaha!

 

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world – JRR Tolkien

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all. Happy 50th Bday to niece PatriciaLAM, difficult to image that she has now joined the over half century, 50+Club – so vividly remember visiting her when she was born and babysitting her in Dublin!

 

Thank you cousin Karen (paternal grandmother RGCHAN SweeNgor side) for showing around the lovely grounds@The SeaViewCondos. 

 

The clubhouse brought back memories of 5TemenggongRd. Was sooo tempted to slide down those railings on the staircase, but not a good idea!

 

The dark wooden paneling no matter how lovely to look at is not where I would want to live in, maybe for a short holiday period or if I had enough househelp to clean&dust! Personal preference to live in is still the Scandinavian simple clear-cut lines in light wood. But this is absolutely beautiful. Tkx to Karen for showing me around and for this interesting link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtILU2LJBlo&feature=youtu.be

11 Oct 2020 – Kusu, StJohn’s and Lazarus

Thu: this trip would not have been if not for Calvin’s ride n his car to MarinaSouthPier/MSP and for the use of his bike on the islands – appreciations to Helen for the arrangments. Has been a long while ago (Dec2016) since I was last at this location, dinner on the Stewords Riverboat which is no longer here now. And even a longer time since I last stepped foot on these islands.

Ferries to the SouthernIslands taking off from MPS costing S$12RT for Seniors.

The ride was on time and refreshing in the morning misty drizzles. Felt like being in paradise to be outdoors with fresh air on the upper deck.

Kusu=tortoise or turtle, located about 5.6km south of SIN. Being the smallest of the 3islands to visit, decided to stop off here first. With an area of 0.085sqK/0.033sqM, took us only a few mins to cycle around. Has been a long while since I have been on a cycle, and forgetting that pedaling backwards does not mean to brake (old habits die hard!), took a clumsy harmless fall to get the hang of using the hand-brakes before going into the temple of DaBoGong 大伯公. 

Tortoise Sanctuary where we saw a tortoise with the most unusual shell. Can anyone explain to me what is the cause of this? They all came towards us when they heard voices, but also dispersed just as fast when they discovered that it was not feeding time.

152steps leading up to 3keramats where there were also 3monkeys there today. Not being a fan of monkeys got me down those stairs quite quickly – See, Hear and Do No Evil

https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/singapore-islands/kusuisland/

St. John’s is the largest of SIN SouthernIslands, 6.5km from SIN. With an area of 0.4sqK/0.2sqM, the charming old pier can still be seen next to the newer one.

Quiet, peaceful and far from the maddening crowds, this is a bicycle haven for me. Being a weekday, met only a handful of ppl and 1-2 other cyclist. Being enochlophobia, this was perfect for me. Linked by a short causeway to Lazarus it is easy to cycle on these 2islands. 

Interesting&rich in history – saw a most tempting site when I would like to return to spend the day on foot to discover more and swim in these clean clear waters.

https://www.urbanexplorers.asia/2011/01/pulau-sakijang-bendera-saint-johns.html

Lovely breeze on the way back, nearly crossing paths with a humongous container-ship!

Clearer weathers for skyline views. Thanks to Alvin for his share: https://youtu.be/lrzKGj_ZEH8

Welcome back to the unwelcoming traffic! Tkx to Calvin for yummy ZiChar dinner@DeTain BishanCoffeeshop and for the best day for me since Mar. Pix where I am in, credits to Helen.

Seldom do I see such a nice ZiChar place with bright&clean with decorative electrical hurricane lamps. If the power ever goes here, there will be no problems with lights! The sky opened up after I got on the bus as I doze off with the peaceful raindrops lullaby. Set my alarm for 45mins. #13bus runs directly from Bishan to the bus-stop by my 4walls and would take ~1hour, especially in this heavy downpours.

Fri: TGIF – a good weekend to all. Restful night and surprising enough to not feel any sore or tender muscles anywhere, was expecting some consequences after riding the bike ride. Busy day trying to download yesterday’s pix and figuring out what to write. A simple home-made bourbon salmon for dinner tonight, quite a contrast from last night’s choices of dishes! 

Sat: a very unique date today 10102020 and will never happen again. The garbage chutes are long due for a thorough clean&paint job. Surprising it is done a week ahead of time and the chutes are opened again today. Garbage bins were emptied more than once a day when they were left outside for the week.

Sun: a day to work on both the LAMs&TSANGs family trees, more a jungle than trees for this never-ending project. Tkx to Leonard for his help to edit the LAM family tree and for dinner in the neighbourhood.

How can it be possible to even image that I got married for the first-time 51yrs ago today – twice married, twice divorced and fortunately unable to remember the other dates! Now, happily single for 2+decades and intend to remain so – hahaha. 

One can never be 100% certain when it comes to family lineage. One must always keep an open mind, willing to go wherever the facts may lead ― Laurence Overmire

7 Oct 2020 – UnderGround Police

Mon: a day to search for info&pix from my maternal side to start a group in FB for the TSANG MayLan Heritage, another never-ending task and still missing some names from the LAM TinYue side??

Tue: 70steps up the staircase to this Bunker built in 1956 to house the Combined Ops HQ for police&military use during crises.

A shield from the 1950s is in this Briefing Room – not quite bullet-proof, but it did serve its purpose then.

Giving orders in the Radio Control Room – pix of me credits to Victor

Fun with toy cars in the Map Room – group pix credits to Victor.

Police Officer’s Rest Room – Victor will need a rest after having to put up with us!

Tkx to Victor for arranging this and appreciations to George & Evelyn (who was and still is working in this location since the 1970s!) for an enlightening and interesting tour.

Police officers may drive black and white cars, however what goes on in their job is a lot of gray – Arik Matson

Tkx to Alvin for his share – https://youtu.be/iPS7qPjS8co

Once a police headquarters during the mid 20thcentury, 195 Pearl Hill Terrace is one of the longest pre-war civic buildings in existence. 

Edited Fri30 Oct2020: UpperBarracks@195 PearlHillTerrace. Built in 1934 it used to be the accommodation for the SikhContingent of the StraitsSettlementsPoliceForce. The Contingent was disbanded after WW II, 1945 and was replaced by the GurkhaContingent in April 1949. Thereafter the building was used by various Govt Agencies eg MID (Ministry of Interior &Defense, the predecessor of Mindef&Ministry of HomeAffairs), Ministry of SocialAffairs and also the CombinedOperationsRoom. Today the building house many offices and a cafe.

This historical building has now been transformed into an artistic and hipster space and is located behind the People’s Park Food Centre.

195 Pearl Hill Café where an unusual combination of pasta and seldom yummy pork-satay is served. Satay is a Malay/Muslim dish, thus no pork, so this is more a fusion-kebab with an unusual appetizing delicious peanut/pineapple sauce. Appreciations to Victor for ordering all this way in advance otherwise, no chance to taste.

Edited Thu25Mar2021: tkx to CK Lee for this link –

http://ieatishootipost.sg/tiong-bahru-satay-ah-pui/

This feline has not moved since we passed by it this morning. Heading down those steps in that lovely breeze, I too could have like a deck-chair or a hammock to hang out there for some hours. Eyeing at this delicious looking fish at someone’s lunch in the food center (perhaps another time!) and headed to run errands in Chinatown.

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort – James Herriot

Chinatown Complex for take-away kampong chicken to try. What came first, The chicken or the egg? I don’t care, I eat both!  

Mid-Autumn lights here in Chinatown will be over 16Oct, but not sure if I will get to see them this year.

Wed: would usually collect a few days of events before posting, but there was so much happening yesterday and the same will go for tomorrow.