31 Dec 2021 – Old B/W Photographs

Tue: appreciations to cousins Yeng&Cheng for their visit and for all the old B/W pix to share and to pass them on to the other cousins. Kicking myself for forgetting to take pix of them as I do not have any pix of them…

Tried the BeefHorFun at this stall@MT-Market and Durian-Ice-Cream for dessert. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan SeeLeng and a Member of Parliament representing MarineParade ward of MarineParade Group RepresentationConstituency (GRC) was greeting the ppl by visiting door to door – appreciate the visit+goodies, thank you! Misread&thought that he would be at the PAP Community downstairs to greet the ppl, (Meet-the-People), glad l that I was within my 4-walls to receive the visit.

Wed: have put aside today&tomorrow for grandniecs Devon&Eliot visiting from NY, but since it is not meant to be, will sort out the old B/Wpix. Excited but frustrated as none of us are able to identify the child in this pix. If he is my father, this would then be from around 1915? Amazing how good condition this pix is! Asked cousin Susannah/Canada to show her dad to see if it may sparkle any recognition?? He is the only surviving son from paternal grandmother CHAN SweeNgor.

Edited: tkx to cousin Klaus who showed the pix to his dad and he recognised&identified that to be himself – that will then put that pix to be from around mid 1930s.

If only old pix are like trees where we can tell their age! Tan KimSeng Fountain(1882) would be recognised by most in SIN the only tell-tale sign that it is from another lifetime ago are the cars in the background.

Thu: father with his 4full-brothers (15Uncle being the only one still here) and grandmother with her 6daughters (11&13Aunties still with us today).

More excitment as I found some pix from my maternal-side, TSANG and those are few&far in between. Problem is that I can only identify the BlueG, some of the GreenG and none of the OrangeG. From my maternal side, the only surviving sibling from mother is 10thUncle/Canada who is 101 and I had the pleasure to meet him a few years ago. Pix are from father’s HKG/1973visit.

1958 amazing shot (I think father took that pix) of bro, Leslie – not much help from this background to figure out which pool this is taken from. Guessing that it is from the old IslandClub??off ThompsonRd and as far as my memory can take me, it was one of the steepest hill to drive up to then! Yeah I guessed correctly, tkx DavidT for confirming that it was IslandClub, and the tip about the tin umbrellas – found other pix for the same location taken 1964 with both my bros, Lawrence&Leslie.

My 1st camera around the late 1950s to early 1960s/TemenggongRd,SIN. Tkx to DavidT&StephenK learnt that it is a RollerFlex. 2011-Yulis&Chiew’sWedding/SIN. 2015/OSL,Norway, various Canon idiot-proof cameras where I can just aim&shoot. Enjoy taking pix as it is the best way for me to remember ppl&places by, even when the pix are not the best, but good enough for me!

Fri: my beautiful1st&2nd-born made my day – do not even remember when was the last I had a pix of just the 2 of them! Glad that they could spent some time together alone in NYC, even if just for one day. Too often we get so wrapped up with family&work that we foget to take care of ourselves.

TGIF on a short serene brisk walk with a nice ice-coffee-cuppa before sunrise. MT-neighbourhood-market decked up with cheerful lights to end this year – enjoy your moments for this last 2021day.

Appreciations to KK for lunch company and tkx for the salad – enjoyed the refreshing cool wet walk on EC Pk with my oldest friend and glad that we are still friends after nearly 60yrs – renewing friendship is the best way to end 2021.

The saddest quote ever created by the funniest man in the world? ‘I love walking in the rain cause no one can see me crying.’ Charlie Chaplin

31Dec2021: WorldOmeter of COVID-19 deaths are as follow:

27 Dec 2021 – A Long Weekend Of Glorious Foods

Fri: dental appt which was set up a year ago@BedokDentalPolyclinic! Good to know that teeth are still in decent working condition and the earliest possible next appt is Jul2023!! MRT with change of bus@EunosBusInterchange to UbiAve to pick up roast-foods for tonight. Lines were too long at my regular stall, tried another stall and happy with it.

Even Santa gave up on us tonight, appreciations for yummy dinner with fun company –

tkx to Calvin, Wendy&Helen for their contribution to the pot-luck.

Pix credits to Helen, tkx to Chris for the ride. A Santa joke to start your celebrations&feastings

The 3 stages of man: He believes in Santa Claus. He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. He is Santa Claus

Fri24Dec: Fairest Lord Jesus/Deilig er jorden, The Cello Advent Calendar  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlikFBQqIc

Have enjoyed ElisaRobak’s Dec Cello Advent Calendar postings, thank you! Saw this painting and thought of her.

Sat: Season’s Greetings with Hope, Peace, Joy & Love from my flock&I around the world. This is the only year that I have not seen my 1st&2nd-born for a whole year since they were born! 2nd-born&family are now in SC/USA for this holiday. Have yourselves a jolly&merry time with family&friends where ever we may be and while we still are able to do so.

Thank you for lunch with Les&family. Kat, Devon&Eliot are visiting, but did not get to see Eliot.

Kiera is now of drinking age! Age and glasses of wine should be counted – ItalianProverb

Do sooo miss our annual family ChristmasDay lunch@TanglinClub hosted by Les&Ivy – pix from Dec2016. The last one together with our bro Lawrence was Dec2019 and that was also his last Christmas lunch with us, may he now RIP.

Sun: Happy St Stephen’sDay/Ireland (tkx to Carmel for the reminder) and Happy Boxing Day/UK&SIN. Appreciations to cousin Karen&friends for seafood lunch@Jumbo EC-Pk. It is always fun to catch up with her, the only cousin from paternal grandmother’s branch who lives&works in SIN.

4-ladies did justice to the food – lol

‘It is because of self-importance, why crab does not have a head’ -Jamaican Saying

Mon: great catching up with Henry – tkx for visiting. CCF-lunch@MT-market and for tea, FriedKueyTeow on EC-Rd. https://angmohintheeast.com/jago-ckt/

i12-Katong reopens in phases after upgrading works, ie not all the shops are opened in the mall. Looking forward to PS-Cafe for their Key-Lime-Pie.

Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition ― James Baldwin

23 Dec 2021 – Badminton World Championships 2021

Sun: been a long while ago since I was on the go for 10+hrs. 1+hr on bus196 to Commonwealth, got lost looking for the crescent, but finally found Leonard’s newly renovated bachelor pad – not fully completed but looks fantastic so far. Forgot to take pix, but will get them off him to be included in another posting. A fun day visiting his neighbourhood with good food just across his block, to be posted for Sat’s SIN-Hawkers local foods. Also unusual to see a LutheranChurch here!

Furniture shopping late afternoon and he finally found and decided on a coffee-table@Grey&Sanders, MilleniaWalk.

The never-ending choices of yummy foods from@Meidi-Ya where one could buy the food from their Bakery/BeerGarden&Cafe/FoodHall/SuperMarket and eat inside or outside at their cafe – such a good idea, especially with todays circumstances, alfresco is the way to go! Would have not known about this if not for Leonard, I will return.

https://mothership.sg/2020/11/meidi-ya-millenia-walk-opening/

What a delightful day, tkx to Leonard – bus36 from MillenialWalk on a joy-ride to OrchardRd (quite abit of traffic tonight) looping back to the EastSide before 12mid-night to crash!

Sun19Dec: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Cello Advent Calendar  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDMMIn6ZCDM

Mon: need a day from being social to chill and relax before the next wave of socials. Congratulations and thank you to this fine young man Loh KeanYew who stunned the badminton world by becoming the 1stSIN to win the WorldChampionships, another LKY to put our RedDot more into the good limelight.

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/badminton-singapores-loh-kean-yew-is-world-champion

Mon: Mon20Dec: Nå tennes tusen julelys, The Cello Advent Calendar  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK2P1UgyRbY

Tue: Happy Winter Solstice – feels more like in a furance at present! Appreciations to Ivy for picking me up and since Rahman was driving, picked up 20NormaSize+30MiniPaus – SpecialiseHomemadePau Dian@34CassiaCrescent, my favourite paus, Xmas gift to Les&Ivy.

Tkx to Carmel for yummy lunch@LâpVietnamese on JooChiatRd/JC-Rd Stupid me! took pix with a camera without the memory card, realized only when walking back after GeylangSerai/GS – food pix downloaded.

Walked along down JC-Rd to check out what is new and for chendol@GS. Back again up JC-Rd and these pix taken on the phone when I realized what was happening with the camera! Shots of the old Peranakan shop-houses and it is not often that I see such well-restored houses on both sides facing directly across from each other like these here on KoonSengRd.

https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_375_2004-12-27.html

Do enjoy looking at these beautiful house despite of today’s heat – a huge glass of ice-water, a cold shower and on with the AC  after reaching my 4-walls made this another perfect day.

Tue21Dec: Julekveldsvisa, The Cello Advent Calendar  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlkLSkENSJc

Wed: annual Xmas-lunch@Ikea/Tampines and glad that they had restocked more ginger-bread-man.

Appreciations to Gel  for dinner@EC LagoonFoodVillage – crowded but bearable when outdoors.

CuttlefishSetMealS$6the sauce separated from the crispy youtiaos and grilled taupoks stuffed with fresh cucumber shreds&beansprouts topped off with thin slices of grilled-cuttlefish&crushed peanuts+GongGong/DogConchS$12. Good that she drove as we could pick up duriansS$20@Bedok to eat@my 4-walls – quite a local feast for this festive season!

Wed22Dec: O Come All Ye Faithful/Adeste fideles, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYzU-6HNB0 

Thu: to tag all the gifts, etc before the last wave of socials for 2021. Thank you for beautiful flowers+chocolates from May&family/Norway, more beautiful flowers from Glenda&Frankin/USA and hand-painted card from Inger/Sweden – am sooo totally blessed.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more – Dr. Seuss

Thu23Dec: Ding Dong Merrily On High (Steve Gadd tribute), The Cello Advent Calendar –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvY84gUneYo

18 Dec 2021: Try To Be Kind And Gracious

Wed: great that young ppl like CK can feel comfortable to pop by, enjoyed our impromptu Bfast date this morning and glad to be able to introduce my favourite CCF@MT Hawkers which I hoped that he enjoyed.

Wed15Dec: Oh Holy Night/O helga natt, The Cello Advent Calendar  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyAx5ksR-hc

Thu: tkx to the WhistlerTree that these home-made-gifts over the years were possible, but this will be the year that neither inspiration nor energy are there! The largest&the last one made (~400+corks) was Xmas2020 for CC. PaulK – this is one side effect of encouraging the drinking of wine. Sustainable harvesting of cork in Portugal, for example, gives a reason for maintaining a very rich semi-natural habitat. High natural history value (and carbon capture) together with economic value. This is how we should be living (and drinking wine!) tkx for his comment and for his interesting share. https://www.apcor.pt/en/montado/forest/

Appreciations to my bro Les&Ivy, AndrewL(condolences to him who has just lost his mother, age93), CalvinT, LucasN who have contribuited to the 2 above creations! Tkx to Carmel for sharing her beautiful wreath she made.

Just a gentle annual reminder to us all as we head into the festive season. Take care and always be kind no matter of circumstances&situations. Speical thoughts are with Theingi, her family, friends&her fellow country ppl who have to flee from their homes in  Myanmar – may peace&justice prevail for them all.

16Dec: Hark The Herald Angels Sing, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TALKlXS0pk

Fri: prayers&thoughts to those affected by TyphoonRai. A lovely cool morning to start this Fri in SIN – TGIF and a good weekend to all. All Xmas lights are amazing, beautiful, stunning, etc etc and so far my personal favourite of all favourites over this lifetime (7decades!) is from RegentSt, London/UK – pix downloaded. The Brits sure know how to do it, but then being from SIN (a British Colony then when I was born), might be partial?? Angels are the guardians of hope and wonder, the keeper of magic and dreams –

Can sooo relate to 1,000X funny from Desiree and this kind&gracious young lady commented with I’ll take your seven decades’ worth of jokes any day!

On bus 196 heading into the CDB district just before the sky opened up.

Tkx to Clement for Xmas yummy dinner. the 1st for this season.

Cakes from Châteraisé and chocolates from M&S for someone who does not like real BrusselSprouts! Food is not simply organic fuel to keep body and soul together, it is a perishable art that must be savoured at the peak of perfection ― Bucchianeri

17Dec: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNTeQMYkqrU

Sat: more of some favourite local foods (only 1dish~S$5) from outdoor Hawkers/MarketFoodCentre (max 5 vac ppl for now!) in SIN. 1 Geylang Serai Food Centre, Cendol Geylang Serai: #02-107. The green jelly in their Cendol S$2 is made from scratch and complements with gula melaka/palm sugar and coconut milk. To keep the dessert traditional, no any other fancy toppings and that is exactly how I like cendol. Established in 1952, it has since moved locations thrice before settling here.

Orient Express from Paris-Istanbul has been and still is in my bucket list. Considering circumstances&situation, thought it was best to try the High Tea incase I may not make this item on the list!

Updated&edited after going thru’ 48pix! and having an issue as to which should be included here at – Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express

Carriage entrance&exit with highly-polished brass plates at the base, lovely stained-glass window deco.

Wash-cabinet with stained-glass on L&Rsides, LV-luggage from 1908&1918, 2easy-chairs back-to-back with a lovely motive between the windows.

Learnt to type on a Remington type-writer in my youth! Who has not read Murder On The Orient Express? Inspiring me to reread the book and rewatch the movie!

The develpoment of tourism.

https://www.history.com/news/how-the-orient-express-became-the-worlds-most-glamorous-train

Walked from GardensByTheBay to

Marine Barrage – too many ppl&cyclist, to be expected being a Sat and school holidays!

Instead of taking left on the main park-connector after the Barrage, headed right to try an unchartered route. On to MarineE Drive where there were a bunch of bird-watchers by the LandTransportBuilding.

Along PUB constructions with no body walking here beisdes us! The only problem was that there were no safe crossings at FortRd, otherwise nice to avoid the crowds despite of the constuctions.

Shared a CeasarSalad with TruffleFries@CafeMelba where the sky opened up cooling down this lovely cool wet evening – its so relaxing to hear the rains pelting down. Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon.

18Dec: The Christmas Song, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgoxexp_Bg

14 Dec 2021 – With Chinese Video Instructions

Sat: more of my favourite local foods (only 1dish~S$5) from outdoor Hawkers/Market Food Centre (max 5 vac ppl for now!) in SIN. MustafaCafe Drinks, Seah-Im FoodCentre 01-49, Seah-Im Rd. The TehHalia/GingerTea here is good. Somehow sardine sandwich does not sound appealing to many, but do like the taste made our local way with chilies&shallots and sometimes cucumber, but not always! A simple bite before the rich festive foods kick in!!

We had a picnic exactly 10yrs ago and 10yrs today here we are again meeting up for our annual get together – this time an indoor pot-luck-lunch and just as well, as the sky opened up and was raining cats&dogs. Good day for warm Gløgg in good company with good food and good times was had by all. We all look the same as 10yrs ago except for my hair colour and, yes, still able to sit cross-legged – hahaha.

Appreciations to CH&Ting+Bev for helping with the set-up a chair, perfect timing of this delivery and also got rid of the old chair+the pink rug as Ting wanted it. Instructions via Chinese video! and tkx to the help of my friends, this chair was up in one piece! Have been looking for a long time for a working chair with mesh back&seat that does not cost an arm&leg. Finally saw one at Clement’s and with him being satisfied with it, this is my Xmas gift from him – hope that this will be a help to my sore neck muscles.

Sat11Dec: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, The Cello Advent Calendar –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Ovxd6APBs

Sun: prayers and thoughts are out to all affected in these devastating tornadoes. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/11/weather/severe-weather-tornadoes-saturday/index.html

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, managed to organise the gift&social calender for the remaining of the year in the comfortable of my 4walls on my new chair – yeah, let the celebrations begin.

Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state–it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle…. Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one’s actions –  The Wisdom of Heschel

Sun12Dec: In The Bleak Midwinter, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNjf9AxCPCs

Mon: Happy St Lucia Day to those marking the day – have not baked Luciabrød/Luciaboller/Lussekatte since 1st&2nd born were kids, sometimes it feels like yesterday, other time it feels like a lifetime ago!

Tkx to Seb for helping to finish the food and

also for showing how to watch my favourite American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo NBC (1968–1978). Used to enjoy and still enjoying these series, probably too slow and no action for the younger generation! Just one more thing, was the detective’s catchphrase. He also has a global fanbase – a statue in Budapest/Hungary commemorates the character.

All the detectives were these hardboiled, emotionless, tough guys. And he was the opposite of that in every way – David Koenig

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo

Mon13Dec: St. Lucia, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FaVHbZ3-t4

Tue: another productive day for grocery+more shopping done@Giant/Tampines (decked with Xmas stuff) with savings of S$22+after the promotions$16.50, PassionCard-ptsS$3.22 and SenSav$2.85.

Tue14Dec: Deck The Halls (Wrecking Ball Edition), The Cello Advent Calendar –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giYrExi2A8M

10 Dec 2021: Most Enjoyable And Memorable Of Times

Tue: tkx to Hazel for the share of these amazing beautiful shots/6pix credits to Yngve Olsen, from my favourite Northern town. Tried to explain to Chris a few nights ago that the sun is not around this time of the year in Tromsø/Norway and he found it difficult to imagine, but having to live&experience thru’ these dark winters was another lifetime ago!

And this is as bright as it gets in the middle of the day (ie if not a cloudy day!). Tusen takk and appreciations to all those who crossed my path there and helping to make it one of my most enjoyable&memorable places to have lived in. Maybe this might help to set the start of the festive mood.

Jan mentioned winters in YYZ were harsh back from 1950-1965 and I would think it would be certainly harsher than those in TOS. At least the GulfStream current helped with warming this area then, but now with climate changes, who know what is happening or will happen??

https://www.dw.com/en/gulf-stream-system-threatens-collapse-study-finds/a-58785622

Tue7Dec: Nordnorsk julesalme, The Cello Advent Calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3VPPLu_M3k

Wed: had to get my act together, bus from East-West (one change of bus at the same stop), a hike up probably! the steepest road here in SIN to pick up some festive goodies hoping that the mood will find a way in for this season@Sjømannskirken i Singapore/The Seamen’s Church in Singapore.

If only I could master that demon of procrastination that goes about like a roaring lion and devours all my good intentions, I should become the most punctual man in the world – Ibsen

Wed8Dec: My Heart Always Wanders/Mitt hjerte alltid vanker, The Cello Advent Calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdy3O0LzLHY

Thu: tkx to Carmel for 1st Xmas gift received by the sea on this beautiful morning with good company and a view – greasing the mood-wheels into festive gear – not quite on auto-mode yet, but slowly&surely getting there. Tkx to Theresa&ChengJun for yummy dinner.

Everything comes in circles! The old wheel turns, and the same spoke comes up. It’s all been done before, and will be again – Arthur Conan Doyle

Thu9Dec: We Wish You A Merry Christmas, The Cello Advent Calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKEssI6yvQk

Fri: delighted that they had both the banana pies&mini chocolate tarts@DonaManis – perfect Xmas gift solutions for ppl who has everything!

Appreciations&tkx to cousin Karen for delicious lunch@Ka-Soh Restaurant – https://ka-soh.com.sg/

Fish Slices with Noodles 魚片米粉 and Frogs with FreshSpringOnions&Ginger 姜葱田鸡 excellent, highly recommended.

The last time in this building (Dec1998) was when Albert&Patricia had their dancing lessons preparing for their first dance at their wedding! And this was the music they danced to 23yrs ago – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOYzFKizikU

Fri10Dec: Deilig er den himmel blå, The Cello Advent Calendar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M1SJLtxpy0

6 Dec 2021 – GingerBread Houses&Men

Fri: early bfast and fresh produceS$11 for the week purchased, washed, vacumm-packed&stored to last for the week. The indoor season in ready for the winter!

Sat: more of some favourite local foods (only 1dish~S$5) from outdoor Hawkers/MarketFoodCentre (max 5 vac ppl for now!) in SIN. KhengFatt HainaneseBeefNoodles 瓊发海南牛肉粉 Golden Mile FoodCentre, 505 Beach Rd, #01-89. This location is also known as Beach Road Army Market – The Army Market or simply BeachRdMarket due to the army shops that are located above the food court. https://armymarket.sg/

Planned to be at the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission to do some shopping and then lunch at Mt Faber with Ivy&Carmel, but it was not meant to be as Carmel was not well – perhaps another time, but just hope that she is recovering from the bug that got her. As it is, they will not be serving their delicious open-face sandwiches+fresh bakes due to the present circumstances – do miss those annual pre-Christmas event here.

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

Sat4Dec: Silent Night/Glade jul, The Cello Advent Calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9y60pAq-Uc

Sun: fun&productive 2ndSunday of Advent morning tkx to AudreyWong&her sis, April. Bfast@Seah-Im HawkerFood.

Joy-ride to MtFaber&PasirPanjangRd area/WestSide, shopping@IKEA/Alexandra, back to the EastSide before12n! Without a car and doing what we did this morning would have taken me all day! Beautiful GingerBreadHouses pix posted by MetteB and my contribution is one from IKEA and like most things from IKEA, you will need to assemble the kit – hahaha.

CarolN: after several years of collapsing gingerbread houses, we set the bar a bit lower this year. Oh boy! do I remember&can relate to all the collasping GingerBreadHouses? Good idea with GingerBreadMan. I would do the same if I had to bake with kids again – lol. Pix downloaded, do not have that kind of patience now – been there, done that and over with that stage!

The GingerBread Man, The perfect man – he is quiet, he is sweet and if he gives you grief you can bite his head off – read this somwhere but do not know by whom or where??

2 Dec 2021 – Goodbye November

Mon: Happy 15Bday to #3, pix credits to his parents for the 3above pix. Nice that he is having a Bday-party, seldom do I remember or see him having company, usually the girls are the ones having all the gatherings! Hope that he enjoyed the goodie-basket from me. After the flock reached over 2digits in their age, goodie-baskets are what they get from me, and then cash when are are done with high-school.  As far as my memory serves me correctly, they are totally over-load with stuff at home!  

Appreciations to Gel for helping to consume the last of Thanksgiving-spread! Yes! guilty to have served leftover turkey for 5days in a row! No, will not be repeating another Thanksgiving-spread in this lifetime! and tkx to all who have helped to consumed the foods! And no, still not ready for Christmas!!

Tue: restless sleep the past 2nights due to some very over-strained neck muscles and at this age&stage, it will probably take a longer time to heal before being back to normal movements without feeling too much discomfort.

30Nov2021: WorldOmeter of COVID-19 deaths are as follow:

 9 Dec – Happy Bday Stanley Neo
13Dec – Happy Bday Ingrid

16Dec – Happy Bday Andy Lam
19Dec – Happy Bday Rita Tann
21Dec – Happy Bdays ANG ChinSheng and Anna Tsang
23Dec – Happy Bday Minos Lam
25Dec – Merry Christmas

27Dec – Happy Bday Lisa Xiao
28Dec – Happy Bday Peggy Puddey
31Dec – Happy Bdays Jorden&Jagger Wong

Wed1Dec: The Mouse Song/Musevisa, The Cello Advent Calendar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ5PaxPSLRk Tkx to ElisaAspenesRobak, who crossed my path where I was teaching in Tromsø in the 1970s. Tkx for sharing her talented son, KjellMagneRobak, and appreciations to him for these amazing videos of traditional Christmas songs arranged and performed by him.

Thu: got my act together and completed a dozen snail-mail Season’s Greetings ready to be put into the mail box (1-day delayed as I usually get them off by 1Dec). During the festive season it cost .80c as compared to S$1.60postage for a greeting card. Yes, still send hard-copies to some old friends and also receive hard-copies from them – it is a nice tradition to keep as long as I can keep the number to less than 20. Do remember sending 100+ back in the dark ages! The neck still hurts and on top of a headache now despite having to address only 12envelopes – disadvantages of aging.

Hopefully will get some decent longer hours of zzz tonight and the temps are supposed to dip to 23°C (yeah), and hopefully tomorrow will be a more relaxing day now that I have crossed off one item in the Dec list.

Thu2Dec: Det lyser i stille grender, The Cello Advent Calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSnigBO5lOQ

It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone ― Andy Rooney