31 Mar 2022 – Happy 85th Bday to Jo

Wed: have been a struggling the past few days trying just to have enough energy to stay upbeat in anticipation for visits from Norway. Distracting whatever hopefully just minor underlying physcial or psychological ailments to pass quickly by going thru’ old pix to find something intresting to focus&reflect on.

Dec1998: when we returned to SIN for May&Albert’s wedding – I then decided to stay on working a day-job&reseraching on the family’s heritage travelling only to visit with 1st&2nd-born (then both still in USA) for 2 weeks during annual leave from work was a major transition in this life’s journey.

1999-2000: at a resale price S$175,000/market price S$155,000 for this HDB and with a 1st-time buyer grant+loan+down-payment, managed to buy it, not as an investment, but a place as a base to stay in between other places and to keep my stuff here no matter where in the world I may be!

Unless in financial difficulties, hopefully this will be the final one&only place I am owning. Now can also sell it back to HDB, not a good deal, but better than no choice – today’s going price is~S$300,000-400,000.

2000-2005: renovation works were done to this 3-room (ie 2bedrooms, hall/kitchen&bathroom – total floor-area of slightly under 65sqm) slowly but surely as to my taste within my budget. The floor&walls (the only wall is the kitchen-fire-wall which is against regulations to be removed) were the first to be hacked away to make it into a one-room studio apt.

2001-2005: upgrading administrations&works with utility room added, losing one kitchen-window but gaining an extra room. 2005 was the year I decided to be in SIN only when I had to so as to get away from the construction mess, noice, etc. Also the year I was done with day-jobs and hiking the AT-Thru’Hike was achieved. Today this is a useful store+laundry-room and if necessary can be converted to an extra bedroom

2005-2019: have been away from SIN from 3-6months every year and that has worked well for me.

Edited 30Jan2023 – https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/01/30/explained-singapores-hdb-and-affordable-housing/

3Nov2019-31Mar2022: the longest (since 1965) staying put in SIN without leaving the island due to Covid. Feb2020: 1st&2nd-born+#2&6 visits is the highest point so far. 2020-22: taking care of incidental underlying health issues which were quite a chellange in the midst of this pandemic. Appreciate&blessed to have these 4-wall-space to chill in until I can hopefully soon be on the go again.

Thu: Happy 85thBday dear sis Jo. 2018group-pix from her 81stBday@WahLok/Carlton, tkx to niece Sue. And last year’s pix with her 2grandchildren for her 84th. Hope that her family will be able capture a family group pix for her 85th today (now 10ppl max for social gathering).

A birth-date is a reminder to celebrate the life as well as to update the life ― Amit Kalantri

31Mar2022: WorldOmeter of COVID-19 deaths are as follow:

29 Mar 2022: Living With Covid-19

Fri: TGIF and good weekend to all. Quite a contrast with the weather now as to yesterday or this morning. No worries when you have an umbrella or indoor cooking a storm! Take care, stay safe&watch your steps for all those who are out now. Was lucky to get indoors just before the sky opened up here – had tons of grocery from Giant/Tampines for the weekend and it would have been drenched!

Sat: sharing Gravlaks+SennepSause, BourbonSalmonSteak, IrishCreamPotatoes, CucumberSalad, Hollandaise, FløtestudeSjamponjonger, IkeaGrønsakskaka with cousin Karen&friends, Mylene+Lynne. It was a pleasure to meet with her friends and to make them one of my family’s favourite meals.

Pix credits to Karen and Lynne. Kick myself again for forgetting a group pix!!

Thank you for cousins’s yummy home-made Pavlova, (looked&tasted perfect even with the left overs for niece&nephew the next day). Appreciations for fruits&flowers from Lynne&Mylene.

322km/200m Columbia-Charleston, SC/USA 1st-born&her team was 2nd overall. First Masters and now nursing some of their angry hamstring. Congratulations to all for a good run – so proud of her. Pix credits to those who took these pix since I was unable to be there to do it – thank you.

I may not be the strongest,

Sun: belated Bday lunch for niece – a repeat of yesterday’s menu. Appreciations Les&Ivy for yummy Sunday’s dinner with quite an amazing combination of Indonesian foods together with steak+durians for dessert, including 2bottles of his basket-wines to take away keeping my own supply from being empty!!

Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures –  Broadbent

From cousin YatSoon in London/UK for this share of his lovely family. Happy Mother’s Day to Helen with fond memories of 9th auntie LAM PohKue (1921-2000)

Mon: do not think I can repeat another weekend like last weekend again without help – will need this week to recover from grocery shopping&cooking and eating like this. And what has age got to do with this???

Tue: group size has increased from 5 to 10. Hope that will remain during 2nd-born&#6 visit next month. Glad that masks do not have to be worn when outdoors as I am so out of breath walking with the mask on, but will still keep it on when there are ppl near me.

Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better – Ingrid Bergman

24 Mar 2022 – Condolences To TSANG-Cousins/Maternal-Side

Sun: going thru’ old pix down memory lane from 60yrs ago with my mother(1911-1965), then the proud grandmother to her 1st-grand-daugher, JenLeng (do remember mother sewing that pretty little dress!) and now here with niece JenLeng who is in her 60s!! Happy Memories – life moves on but at least the memory is intact. Tkx to JenLeng for her share of the pix of her with her bro JenMun (1st-grandson for my parents), and the family’s pet, Pepe, the Chow-Chow!

Mon: condolences to TSANGcousins&their families for the passing of their, father, grandfather&great-grand-father TSANG YanChuen (1921-2022). Branch BG1LAM TinYue’s bro-in-law, the last of the BG on my maternal side – GG’s 10thUncle. Prayers&thoughts are with them all and may he now RIP. Beautiful&touching eulogy by Vivian – fond memories of him from 2018, the one and only time when I was fortunate to meet him in Toronto.

Thu9Aug2018: Majulah Singapura and the best National Day ever for me – thank you to 10th uncle, TSANG YanChuen (only survivor of my mother’s siblings) for delicious lunch@Ginger & Onion Cuisine/Alton Towers Circle. Standing L-R: Francis (Winnie’s husband), cousins KarLeng, Winnie (Anna’s eldest sis). Sitting L-R: Anna, 10th Uncle, me, Yun (LAM-branch) Henry (KarLeng’s husband).

So glad to be able to meet with mother’s youngest bro, 96yr and seeing him ticking off what he wants to eat on the menu and to watch him choose his own fruits and oils at the grocery is impressive.

KarLeng (daughter of mother’s older #4 sis ) and her husband Henry, who also lives in Toronto. To the orange generation, 10th uncle is their grand-uncle from HKG who is the look-alike to the actor CharlesBronson.

Tue: being a piano teacher at one time – had private students from 1971-2000 and taught at Loreto Convent, Balbriggen, CountyDublin/Ireland 1972-74; Tromsø MusikkSkolen and Nordnorsk Musikkonservatoriums, Tromsø/Norway 1976-81, should try to remember WorldPianoDay celebrated on the 88th day of the year since pianos have 88 keys by tradition – this year it is on Tue29Mar.

https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/lifestyle/all-about-world-piano-day/story

2yrs ago, these pix put Social distancing into perspective. Now even as SIN to simplify COVID-19 rules where safe-distancing no longer required when wearing masks, but being one who likes my space, I would still go with the safe-distancing as I now head out to FarrerParkMedicalCentre to pick up my meds, tkx to bro Les.

Appreciations to Mr Ong for yummy lunch@JiaHe, with an unusual appetiser combining sweet cherry tomatoes with smoky bacon. 3appetisers&4dishes+soup was way too much food for 5ppl – doggie-bag the noodles.

Dill&fruits shopping@MustafaS$17.70 – today none of my favourite mini apples (S$3.90/5perpack here as compared to S$6-7 at most places) but pleased with the kiwiberry, strawberries&mini-pineapples.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad – Miles Kington

Wed: a day to figure out the weekend lunch menu of different salmon dishes.

Thu:  Good Thu morning on this lovely morning. So nice to see that more planes are ready for landing on our tiny RedDot and looking much forward to family’s visit here next month. Yeah just heard from PM’s speech that group size will be increased from 5 to 10 from Tue29Mar. A morning of maintenances&services; new router (3yrs warranty) – FOC for both router+set-up by M1.

AC-overhaul chemical cleaning for 2units S$300, getting this done before family arrival from Norway who will want the AC on regularly during their visit! With Louis, my regular guy who has been servicing my AC the past decade, no worries or instructions needed. So far, have been using mainly fans, but did turn the AC on some hours in the daytime since last week when the fans were not enough for comfort between 12n-1800hrs.

19 Mar 2022 – Happy 48thBday To My 1st-Born

Tue: enjoying this perfect cool&wet day with more audio-books and more sewing. Enjoying&living the moments to the best and the fullest to my ability. New Word Suggestion: Pluviophile = a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days – Surekh

Wed: good Wed morning and a good midweek to all. Had company crossing my path on the way to the market. Another perfect day when&where I am blessed by being able to eat&taste, drink&be merry! hear&listen, read&write, see&observe, speak&be spoken to, walk&run on 2feet etc. – need to stress all the positiveness to remain sane in today’s circumstances!

Thu: Happy St Patrick’s Day to those celebrating, and a Happy Everyday to all others not celebrating or marking this day. No parade, reception and any gathering but a StPatrick’sDayVirtualReception from Embassy of Ireland, SIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9kwXigSiHk

Nice shot from Min@Harry’sBar&Dining@Chijmes  – countless mass services attended here in this beautiful chapel, then CHIJ-chapel, my 1960s-school-days. Good memories of ColinM&JohnK from the 1999 to the early 2000s when the former FatherFlanagan’s (IrishPub, not sure which years it was opened or closed) was once located!

https://thesmartlocal.com/reviews/singapore/attractions/nightlife/bars/father-flanagan-irish-pub/

Some of the Irish menus from various venues for the StPat’s celebrations. Michelin-starred chef AndrewWalsh of CureNua and the only Irish restaurant outside the UK and Ireland to hold a Michelin star-  Bistronomy is cooking with seasonal ingredients at accessible price point.

Appreciations to Theresa&CJ for delicious home-cooked-dinner with an excellent sake to compliment the fish&lobster dishes. Being the only passenger trying to get on the bus, but forgot to have on my mask, the bus driver would not open the door and pointed to my mouth – encouraged to see someone doing his job.

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all. 48yrs ago was about how to get thru’ O’ConnellSt,Dublin/Ireland to the RotundaHospital (maternity hospital) with the then on-going StPartick’sDayParade. Considerate even before birth and up to today, my 1st-bundle-of joy held on until the next day – Happy Bday to my 1st-born who I have not seen since 2020!

Appreciations to Ivy for HighT@GoodwoodPkHotel in good company of Carmel & AiWee. This location, now a national heritage here in SIN does bring back memories from early 1960s when I used to frequent here. SimoneLeMercier an old CHIJschoolmate lived here as her father was the GM then. Lost contact with her after I left SIN in 1965 and later heard that she passed on with a massive heart attack even before I returned in 1999.

All these yummy bite-size-food can be misleading and you are stuffed before you even realized what is happening!

Continued to Wendy’s BdayDinner@CC; was too filled up for any more food, did taste the Sangria, but too tired to stay pass 2000hrs! Tkx to Chris for the ride, its been a long day!

Sat: tonight’s family dinner@Madam Fan/ The NCO Club, BeachRd. Do remember being here a year ago for my Bday (tkx to Clement) and was impressed with their food&service.  https://amylamsg.com/2021/01/15/birthday-week/

Delicious dinner with after drinks was enjoyed by all, tkx to Clement for this lovely gathering to celebrate all the MarBdays+Les&Ivy’s 52ndAnniversary. The food&service was as good as the 1st visit. Glad that Les is pleased with this location too and was enquiring about arranging his lunch group here.

Like that we are able to have this cosy space for our drinks, here being literally under the spot-light – hahaha thus concluding 2022 StPatrick’s celebrations.

14 Mar 2022 – Happy 17th Birthday Ellie

Thu: a day to relax with an audio-book, Bridehead’s Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and sewing.

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all – my Fabulous-Five in USA. 10yrs ago on a beautiful SpringDay when they could only count their age in single digit! Now #1 in her 20s, #2-4 in their teens and #5-6 will be 11. How I miss my Norway&USA flock!

Tkx to Les&Ivy for dinner@ParadiseTeochew/ScottsSquare. Delighted to meet up with grandnephew Justin (Lawrence&Mabel one and only grandson, John&Francesca’s 1st-born) who I have not seen since Lawrence’s 80thBday in 2014. https://amylamsg.com/2014/02/06/four-points-by-sheraton/

Could kick myself for taking pix of the food but forgetting to take pix of us! Just as well he had to return to Les&Ivy the next day and I requested for him to remember to take a pix.

Sat: tkx to Clement for bringing lunch, but a most disturbing&traumatic lunch. We heard a loud thud; my first initiative thought was that they were setting up something in the common area and headed to see what it was about. No set-up but saw a woman lying on the ground, just at a spilt of a second, I thought she fell, then within another spilt of another second my mind combined the thud and the body lying at the bottom of the neighbouring HDBpoint-block (20+levels). Tears just streamed uncontrollably and the only thing I could say to Clement was call the police, someone jumped.

Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. Knowing how to spot depression can help protect you and your loved ones. With early detection, it can be treated.

An exclusive sneak peek screening of BrotherJoe, a documentary film celebrating the life and work of Brother Joseph McNally@LaSalle College of Art. The film provides a unique insight into the man behind the cloth, the educator, and the artist – the inspiring and much loved BrotherJoe. https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_682_2005-01-12.html

Tkx to Carmel for this invite about the most charming priest who crossed my path in 1999 – was then in IGAS/IrishGraduatesAssociation of SIN’s committee when he designed the IGAS logo. Appreciations to the McNally family+all my Irish friends for the fond memories from Ireland with this event to start the celebrations for 2022 StPatrick’sDay/Thu17Mar.

Sun: time springs forward for those observing daylight saving time this morning. Tkx to Judy, Daisy&Clement+Stanley for lunch@NanaThai/GoldenMileComplex. Had to use the tiolets&restrooms @KampongGlamCC so as to be able to continue with a hot&short stroll in that area to discover this mosque which have not been noticed or observed previously, but then I do not remember walking around this area.

Former JavaRdMosque now HajjahFatimahMosque مَسْجِد ٱلْحَاجَّة فَاطِمَة one of the oldest and few to be named after a woman, designed in a mix of Islamic&European architectural. Also known as SIN-LeaningTower, caused by moisture seepage&shifting of the handmade bricks that were used in the construction of the tower; was gazetted in 1973 as a national monument.

https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_259_2005-01-06.html 

Mon: 17yrs ago we welcomed this beautiful person to the world and 17yrs ago hiking the AT-Thru-Hike was possible. Happy 17thBirthday to #2 and it has been 2yrs ago since her visit to SIN when we last met.

9 Mar 2022 – At A HDB-Common-Corridor

Sat-Sun-Mon: in no mood to be out or in company, best to stay within the 4-walls to listen to audio-books, music and sew. With a chest congestion here, wheezing when breathing, also having problems lying flat to sleep, thus sitting up to sleep and not getting enough sleep. Covid-ART-Test-negative, probably Asthma&Allegies acting up again with the on-going-MRT construction dust outside, and this too will pass. These home-remedies+a dash of whisky have always work.

Thru-hikes completed USA-AT/~3,500k in my 50s, UKC2C/~300k in my 60s

and hopefully Canada-PEI/~700k in my 70s, also probably my last long-distance-thru-hike is now on 2023planner, ie if circumstances allow! The Island Walk is a 700km walking trail that loops around PEI takes~32 days to complete if you walk 20-25km per day. Would WALK now for PEACE if I could, but health issues need to be resolved+the financial&logistic plannings to complete a thru-hike.

Paul Krause: Not sure you need to walk for peace. Instead I think we could have a global whip round to buy a straight jacket for Putin and get him sectioned before he does too much more damage to both Ukraine and Russia.

My reply to Paul: feeling so helpless&sad in this case where greed&power blind all logic&sense. Praying&walking are the few ways for me to keep sane; besides having bad thoughts about horrible things happening to evil ppl, but of course that is not the solution!

The news with war, climate change, etc around the world are not good news! It has come to a point that I dread to listen, read or watch the news. Here is an interesting TED discussion on the war worth listening to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqthbvYE8M

Tue: Happy International Women’s Day which wasn’t formalised until a wartime strike in 1917, when Russian women demanded ‘bread and peace’; 4days into the strike the tsar was forced to abdicate and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. The strike began on 8Mar and this became the date that International Women’s Day is celebrated. Today I hope&pray that not only Russian women, but all women&men could demand for PEACE on EARTH especially in Ukraine

Wed: belated Bday dinner with Gel – tkx for yummy BurrateCheese, IberricoMeats&salad consumed alfresco at a HBD-common-corridor in the delightful evening breeze. The Helinox chairs+tables from CC came into good use.

Pleased to discover this yummy Made in SIN ice-cream&cookie, a perfect size to share for dessert or even a whole one to yourself if you do not want to share! Fresh strawberries for both granish&taste compliments this cookie – on promotion@Fairprice/Parkway S$8.50 for 2. Also these ready-mixed GinTonics@M&S S$9.90each, buy 3 and get 1free, nice pre-dinner drink with a slice of lemon or lime for garnish.

Cooking and eating food outdoors makes it taste infinitely better than the same meal prepared and consumed indoors ― Fennel Hudson, Fine Things – Fennel’s Journal – No. 8

5 Mar 2022 – Gravlax Week

Tue: grocery shoppings @Giant/Tampines (some expensive seafood there today, did not buy any besides the salmon, but do like to look!) and Mustafa/LittleIndia where I can get a big package of dill for less than S$2. In some other places, a tiny package cost ~S$2 and will need ~20packages of those here.

Guess what’s on the menu this month? 4+kg fresh salmon for S$80+ Besides Gravlaks=buried salmon for the weekend, the rest are going into the freezer for salmon-steaks, soup, etc for this St Pats month. Have not done this for some time, hope that I have not forgotten the secret (fr EllenHald/senior) to one of my most requested dishes!

https://houseofhegelund.com/blog/2018/01/09/gravlax-the-arctic-origins-of-a-legendary-dish/

Wed: got up this morning and thought I was coughing up blood to gladly discover that it was my tongue that was bleeding, probably bit it in my sleep and don’t ask how that is possible as this is the 1st-time (and hopefully the only&last time) something like this happened, thus that is the only explanation. Do not remember that I bit my tongue yesterday and if I did, would I have felt it?

Imagine all the expressions about biting your own tongue, but in my case, I usually do not bite my tongue, awake or asleep – You never really appreciate just how sharp your teeth are until you bite your tongue.

Thank goodness it is still not too hot here in the evenings (24-26ºC) yet – problems with the main outlet for AC-plug, time for an electrician and AC maintenance.

Thu3Mar2022: tkx to FB for this memory posted by LokOkokLok : 這2位就是由新加坡前來，專登來走轉麥徑全程…可惜太大霧，睇吾到甘靚風景=這2 were just kicked off by the Singapore strikers, climbing all the way down the alley… Too bad it’s too big to catch the sugar cane landscape.. It is really 10yrs ago Grace&I did the 100K-Thru-Hike, MacLehose Trail/HKG? Where has a whole decade gone?? Now Lok is a proud father of a lovely daughter and I am looking much forward with hopes for a 700K-Thru-Hike in 2023.

Lunch with KK and dinner@Theresa&CJ with Les&Ivy – Gravlaks was part of both meals! KK was impressed that I got these 3used-dressed for S$10 (did some alterations&colouring ) and gave me one of his mom’s dresses. Appreciations for AuntieKwok’s dress, do remember vaguley her wearing it – nice that it fits, but will alter and make it sleeveless and think of her when I have it on. Dresses like these are most appropriate for the tropical weathers, cooling&comfortable.

Fri: one more afternoon of Gravlaks and this taste round was for Calvin, Chris, Wendy&WaiHang@CC. Tkx for yummy dinner. 

Sat: a good weekend to all and this is all I wish for all of us and our beautiful planet PEACE 平和 Fred Pace Paix  Paz  Frieden Vrede  Paqe  سلام  Свет  Мир  Pau Mir Vrede  Rahu  Kapayapaan  Rauha Ειρήνη Lapè שלום शांति  Béke  Friður  Perdamaian  Síochána 평화 Miers  Taikos  Мир  Keamanan  Paċi صلح Pokój Amani ความ สงบสุข Barış Світ Hòa-bình Heddwch פרידן  https://amylamsg.com/2012/01/30/pictures-beyond-words/

More affordable tasty local foods (only 1dish~S$5) from outdoor Hawkers/MarketFoodCentre (max 5 vac ppl for now!) 7 Maxwell Rd AmoySt FoodCentre, #01-14 AhTerTeochewFishballNoodle S$5

Mar family Bdays:

2 Mar – ArleenUMALI
3 Mar – LAM JingZhi George
4 Mar – Brenna LAM-KENNEDY 
6 Mar – LindaTAY 
9 Mar – LEONG SueLyn 
11Mar – KenTAN 
13Mar – RobynKAWAMOTO 
14Mar – EllieHALL 
15Mar – DanielWONG                                                                                                                          – 17Mar – LEONG Pat-Lynn, BethYEOH  & Happy St Patrick’s Day
18Mar – LinnHALL, LAM YiSheng
31Mar – JosephineLAM

Other Bdays:

Happy Mar Bdays to: AlexChua, AnthonyChao, GelYeo HannahLeong & NattyTay (SIN); JohnLim (Australia), AmeliaPower, PaulDrumm & StevenKao (Dublin/Eire); ThomasHeggelund (Norway); KV (UK); AlSosa, CeeWorel & JaniceTubbs (USA). Amazing to know 27ppl, including 14family-members but excluding 31FB-friends with bdays in Mar – 58ppl with Mar-Bday.