30 Sep 2025 – Mandai Rainforest

Sat: Bus13 to GeylangSeraiFoodCentre

30Chicken+10Beef satay-sticksS$36 thanks to CDC-vouchers but Lontong was sold out at all the stalls, could not resist these little chocolate-filled-cakes which turned out to be good&fresh(according to #6 and I agreed)and a bowl of my favouite original Cendol without RedBeans. Bus7-Rochalie to meet with KittyEuDeen and nice to catch up – was it really 10yrs ago since we last met?

https://amylamsg.com/2015/12/19/tis-the-2015-season/

MRT-TEL-NapierSta changing at MarinaBay-CCL-BayFrontSta – weekend crowds underground is not my idea of fun but cheaper than taking Cab or Grab and thank goodness heading to exitB on the LeftSide and not straight ahead in this pix.

Room service with SatayDinner for family who are at a staycation@MBS – nice cabinet equipped with an amazing Tea-set+a kettle that I would like! Also a drink-trolly like this one is rather tempting, but would probably choke at the prices of a drink in a hotel-room like this one, hahaha!

Walked from MBS–MRT with a slight drizzle – high on humidity and too many cyclists+ppl for me, but good to see ppl outside enjoying the weekend.

MRT-TEL ~20:45hrs from GardensByTheBay-MarineTerrace. What caught my eyes was this bag lying in front with no one there. Was plesantly surprised to actually see a staff walking up and down doing her job to let some ppl know to not eat on the train, the same staff who also gave me some attention when I informed her that there were a few drops of water dripping from ceiling which she checked and took pix. Most times when these red-jackets-staff are seen, they have their eyes glued to their phones but this one did not only just do that, despite of this pix!

Bite my tongue! for mentioning in the previous post about living where ppl can peacefully worship their choice of faith!! Just read this evening.

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/man-61-charged-sending-envelope-containing-pork-al-istiqamah-mosque

Sun: another surprise to discover that the tree outside the kitchen window has been trimmed at the top – OMG! they did take notice of my feedback about this from Jan 2025 and such a pity that I missed the action – hahaha!

https://amylamsg.com/2025/01/22/newmarinecrescent-terrace-jan2025/

Joy-ride on Bus36 on this rainy late afternoon. Appreciations with thanks for yummy dinner where #6 describe this dish as Duck-SoftTacos!@ImperialTreasureSuperPekingDuck/Paragon.

Mon: what a day – Campers’Corner, OYEYO,

LittleIndia with his first taste of MangoLassi; Chinatown where he discovered that he likes FriedMushroom

Tue: MandaiRainForest – tkx to Clement

Have never been a fan of these creatures since they attacked me during visits@SBG during childhood days and will do my best to keep my distance – folded umbrella and or walking stick with me when knowing that they might be in my path!

Updated 4Oct2025:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/park-visitors-should-observe-etiquette-around-animals-says-mandai-wildlife-group-after-viral-video

EC-Pk sunset with the BoomerangEatingTree! dinner@DinTaiFung/PP ending another busy day ~12,000steps and with a few hands of RussianPoker before crashing – impressed at how fast he learns but not sure if there will be enough energy with this mormor to last with an active 14yr young teenage stud! for the next few days!!

22 Sep 2025 – KopiGuYu/ButterCoffee 

Fri: shoutout to the GirlCrossCountryTeam@Irmo High School International School for the Arts,SC/USA team for an amazing start to the season! At the Eye-Opener meet, they finished 8th out of 51 teams in their race. Way to represent Irmo with grit, speed, &teamwork! Way to go for a good season ahead Sophie&Team – hugs from her grandmother in SIN – pix downloaded.

May arr on schedule safe&sound, she is so familiar around here nowadays that there are no problems that she will find her own way to my 4-walls  – welcome and nice to have her here for a couple of weeks.

The little knowledge in me about NuclearEnergy is that it can be much advantage to the environment but do need the capabilities to better understand the safety&security implications. Like most things in life, there are advantages&disadvantages and finding the balance is always the best way.

Nuclear energy is a low-carbon energy source produced through nuclear fussion where the nucleus of an atom splits to release esnergy, primarily used to electricity generation.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-nuclear-energy-the-science-of-nuclear-power

SIN is expected to add up to 0.8GW of nuclear capacity by 2050, according to new report by WoodMackenzie –  pix downloaded.

Any decision to deploy nuclear energy will need to be carefully considered against its safety, reliability, affordability and environmental sustainability in Singapore’s context – EMA 

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/explainer-singapore-nuclear-energy-plans-process-2387196

Sat: appreciations for gifts&shopping – KopiGuYu which will probably give me a heart attack if consumed often, but since only do so when I get TineSmør will allow myself this delicious treat today. Its name translates to CoffeeButter in Hokkien-Chinese-Dialet and is said to have been served in SIN coffee shops since the 1930s. Said to be a practice that stems from Hainanese coffee shops in the pre-WorldWarII days.

I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now ― Louisa May Alcott

https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/dining-out/butter-coffee

Looks like there will be nice gifts from Norway for SIN family&friends.

12yrs ago today Fri20Sep2013  Linn & Jeff’s house in SC/USA was completely burnt down. We all got out by 0530hrs and had a head count, relief to have all the 5kids and the 3grown ups on the driveway – one of my most traumatic memories and up to today still counting my blessings that we all got out safely without any injuries.

https://amylamsg.com/2013/10/06/lost-for-words/

Sun: appreciations with thanks for dinner where my weekly protein consumption happens! and always nice to be with family&friends, especially with babyKai. BroLeslie prepares&cooks his beef&lamb to perfection and my ususal contribution is the BitterGourd,Melon,Sqyash,Karela,Goya/MomordicaCharantia, an acquired taste with much healthy benefits – Les&I grew up with that dish and we like it.

… acquired tastes are the mark of the man of leisure – Margaret Kennedy

Mon: lovely breezy morning walk and also trying to fix May’s dress before the week gets hectic. Sewing is something to calm&slow me down to appreciate the details allowing creativity to flow freely through the needle’s eye despite that the eyesight is not what it used to be. Who needs therapy when you can sew – hahaha!

Tkx to Clement for his share of his spectacular pix of MtEverest,Oomolangma from Tibet side bringing back memories of Sagarmatha from Nepal side/Spring 2017

18 Sep 2025 – Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy/OGD

Mon: safe journeys onwards to Lisa on this lovely wet rainy morning –  appreciations&thx to her for taking time to visit until we may meet again, here’s to my favourite KayaToast@YaKun/Jewel despite of the line…

Perfect day to edit&update the family KwongLeeBank/KLB banking post thanks to cousinKaren for her B/W pix contribution of the KLB-Sariket&Binatang branches/Borneo.

Still unable to figure out as to where&when the above B/W KLB-branch??

From uncleKhoon’s old B/W pix, it looked like the 1937 KLB-Sibu-branch, but Karen said that the roof did not look the same?? more mystery to solve…

https://amylamsg.com/2009/01/12/kwong-lee-bank/

Tue: today marks MalaysiaDay and the day SIN joined Malaysia in 1963 (my first passport was a Malaysian passport!). In memory of LKY, SIN first PM who was born on this day in 1923, and also Happy Bday to a dear sis-in-law Ivy.

https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/stories-landing/stories/in-memoriam-lee-kuan-yew-1923-2015/story https://live2makan.com/2025/09/16/treasures-malaysia-day-1963/ 

Productive grocery day with everything cleaned,cooked,washed&packed into the fridge or freezer by noon, and a reminder to fast after 18:00hrs for a Esophagogastroduodenoscopy/EGD- oesophagogastroduodenoscopy/OGD in simple language – a stomach scope for tomorrow morning. Commonly known as gastroscopy, is a medical procedure that allows doctors to examine the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, including the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum. This is done using a flexible tube called a gastroscope, which is inserted through the mouth. The procedure will involve the use of local anaesthetic&sedation.

Robert Redford, a fluid physical grace and an inner radiance that sometimes makes it seem as if he’s lit from within and an avid environmentalist sadly died at the age of 89. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la5CdXgEmfw

https://screenrant.com/a-walk-in-the-woods-movie-true-story/

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckke5522r23o

Wed: many tkx to cousinChengEn/Roy for picking up Eni to meet me@SGH for the OGD procedure – do not remember in any of  the previous procedures that states: Patient must be accompined by a Caregiver on the day of the procedure, otherwise the procedure may be postphoned. Did not want to take the risk of postphoning or cancelling the appt and all’s well that ends so far! Had one of the most peaceful short but heavy sleep under sedation. BP on the high side, and bieng a total wimp stuck with needle and surrounded with these tubes, surprising that it is not higher – hahaha.

It’s the ouch factor. Our bodies are built to avoid pain, and a sharp object jabbing us isn’t exactly on the fun list…

Coincidentally 17Uncle looks amazing well to be 91 was also having his appt@SGH – appreciations for yummy DimSum-lunch@TienCourt/CopthorneKing’s Hotel and tkx for driving me back to the EastSide on this lovely wet rainy day.

Thu: morning volunteered to another NUS-Research, this time round on NuclearEnergy@YioChuKangRd and strangely enough@YCK-Chapel/BlessCommunity, a new area for me! Bus43 on the main MP-Rd conveniently takes me on a joy-ride directly there and with the rush-hour traffic started at 08:30hrs thinking that it will take ~1hr.

Nice to be on the upper deck despite of the slight lingering condensation on the front window by the time it got to MacPherson-MRT-Sta. Beautiful Boungervillas at the overhead bridge on YCK-Rd to the church.

Delighted to see different places of worhships next to each other door to door or just across the road and do still always pray that ppl can peacefully continue to worship their choice of faith and more important to respect each other despite of the difference in cultures,religions,etc.

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences – Audre Lorde

Clever way to cover the church fence. Interesting research with 51-Flashcards to either strongly-slight agree, not agreeing or disagreeing, slight-strongly disagreeing. They were rather disappointed that most of my answers were neither agreeing nor disagreeing! Need to sleep on that before any comments! Back to MP-hawkers for an early ChickenRice lunch and some errands before May’s arr.

14 Sep 2025 – Stamina Is Not As It Was!

Thu11Sep: in memory of 2,996ppl who lost their life in 2001.

Rainy lovely wet day – tkx to Henry for his input for the Long-Distance Through-Hikes flyer. Now to figure out how to put it together, not even sure if I remember how to use WordDoc? And which WorldMap is best to illustrate the trails??

GringoBowl(GrilledMarinatedChicken,MexicanRice,BlackBeans,Mix Cheese&salad,Chipole,Salsa)S$20;

Dessert@AwfullyChocolate – their cakes are too heavy&sweet for me but do like their milkshade. And here hei=black in Mandarin-Chinese language while in Norwegian=hi.

Fri: new (for me it is new!) hotel to check out MercureICON-SingaporeCityCentre/ClubStreet directly connected to Chinatown,TelokAyer MRT-Sta and a short walk to Maxwell MRT-Sta – nice room and conveniently located.

Lisa’s room has a nice view over Chinatown facing towards NeilRd.

Easy&slow walk on SouthBridgeRd enjoying some newly discovered nooks&crannies, explaining about the SamsuiWomen.

Former KLBank/72-74SoythBridgeRd now hoarded under renovations to be??? Interesting underground tunnel paintings towards ClarkQuay on to HillSt – imagine the Queen having take-away tea, hahaha!

Today FOC@CivilDefenceHeritageGallery/HillSt for Lisa to sit on a fire-truck – they have done a good job in this museum and a must to visit for anyone with intentions of becoming a firefighter.

While Lisa explored the PeranakanMuseum, was thinking of taking the steps up to FtCanningHill but neither the mood or energy were there, needed some peace&quiet time inside the ArmenianChurch(SIN oldest church/1836 and my favourite church) and also sat in the lovely garden thinking&meditating over family&friends, counted ~100souls of family&friends so far! who have passed on – it’s afterall the HungryGhostMonth/sometimes referred to as GuiYuè/鬼月. Stranglely was told by HKG-friend that it is not observed in HKG or China, so must be more for the Chinese in Malaysia&SIN?

https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=7948f862-350b-4a34-96ff-f13bc97e4cfc

Late lunch@Godmama/Funan to introduce Lisa to Peranakan foods – KuehPieTee/NyonyaTopHats 娘惹小金杯 AyamBuahKeluak and leading her to the NationalGallery,EmpressPlace area for her to explore – now with bleachers setting up getting ready for 3-5Nov F1Race, a reminder to avoid this area. Bus196 in front of FullertonHotel back to the EastSide just before the rush-hour-crowds feeling rather fatigue after ~12,000steps/10k.

Sat: met with Lisa on the MRT@MaxwellStaPlatformB to continue to NapierSta heading to SBG in the elegant company with the swan on SwanLake, a man-made water feature built in 1866, not long after SBG was established in 1859. Before it was called SwanLake, it was called the MainLake or FirstLake and one of the first man-made lakes here. The swan’s elegance is a reminder that beauty is best expressed through simplicity.

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg/our-gardens/tanglin-entrance/swan-lake

NationalOrchidGarden boasts over 1,000 types of orchids and more than 2,000 hybrids of more species of orchids – a highly recommended visit for any orchid lovers.

https://www.parkssingapore.com/parks/national-orchid-garden/

SembcorpCoolHouse must have one of the biggest Phalaenopsis with each impressive bloom about the size of the stretched palm of a hand. Not sure what this yellow flowering curtain is but it is absolutely stunning.

https://mothership.sg/2021/04/tropical-montane-orchidetum-botanic-gardens/

Could have spent more time at the gardens but had to rush back for Lisa to get some shopping done@TinSengJewellers, bringing back memories that this was the location for the family when they shopped for jewerly.

Receipt 5Jul1973/more than half a centurey,52yrs ago! when father bought me some jewerly during a visit back here then! Jewerly have been past on to Linn&May now.

Jewelry is a treasure that lasts from one generation to another — Dana Cheng

A short rest back at the hotel follwered by more roaming about the area with soya-chicken dinner&durians before catching the MRT across the road from the BuddhaToothRelicTemple.

Sun: a good night sleep last night after ~20,000steps/15k yesterday and today is for relaxing&resting before another busy week ahead.

There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep ― Homer

10 Sep 2025 – Thank You Cousin Karen

Sun: cool&wet day with on&off rain showers all day, perfect weather for snoozing. Surface car-park here is now finally equipped with EV-chargers and the elevator-landing on the ground-floor is newly painted ‘pretty in pink‘!

Now I am totally confused, found my father’s death certificate where his DOB is stated 15Jun2011 as originally documented in the family records’ data? So will go back to the 15Jun2011 for his DOB. As for paternal grandfather’s urn, Irene has written to:

KwongWaiSiewPeckSanTheng Columbarium. 50BishanLane/SIN – have not been there since Nov2016.

This photo is of my ancestor. His name is LAM Song Kee. His urn is #11657. The urn is located at block 42/4166.

Mon: HKG-family&friends, stay away from Tapah and be safe. Running errands@PlazaSIN trying these new staircase from HandyRd-MtSophia/515steps brighter&broader compared to the old staircase dark&narrow one (now moved a block away) taken with Helen Sep2022.

Sep2022: Helen is always a great sport to tag along my spontaneous uphill walks, hahaha and this time round was to MtEmily&Sophia. It was pleasant to step on a natural path again despite it being just a few steps. MelbaCafe was closed, so will have to be another time to go inside there.

Whenever I am in this area, memories of childhood days of the grand EuVilla, and like #5TemenggongRd such a pity that it is also gone.

Sep2022: Oh well! at least the memory is still intact – sunset also means its time to head for a bite. Found the narrow never-ending stairs leading us down to between the Cathay&SOTA buildings, has been a long while ago since I took these stairs.

Today the former TowerHouse’s renovation is completed and now a clubhouse on MtSophia for the condos HausOnHandy on HandyRd.

https://remembersingapore.org/mount-sophia-tower-house/

MtSophia.

Beautifully done-up@SophiaHills

And if walking is not for you, make sure you have a car or can afford to Grab if you live here!

Nice to still see a few of the shop-house-style on SophiaRd.

Heading towards NivenRd where there are some still some old charm&personality with more low-rise-shop-house-style and a Sikh temple.

Tue: appreciations with thanks to cousin Karen for yummy lunch@家嫂Ka-Soh/GreenwoodAve – after 86 years as one of the oldest independent restaurants in SIN and pioneers of the Cantonese style fish soup that features a milky&creamy fish broth without the use of milk, sadly they will be closing their doors for good 28Sep. Pix credits to Karen with below site added Sun21Sep2025.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/singapore-food-beverage-eateries-closing-heritage-brands-rent-manpower-5357526

What a perfect way to end this lovely wet catch-up-day@CoffeeBean&TeaLeaf/MarineCove – HotVanilla&YuzuOsmanthusCake hit the spot today.

Wed: some quiet time before the busy social days ahead and really desperately needing to stop eating like there is no tomorrow or there will be no tomorrow…

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison – Ann Wigmore

6 Sep 2025 – Welcome Lisa&Lily

Wed: 20yrs ago, I was the only female from SIN to complete the AppalachianTrail-Thru’hike/USA ~2,175m/3,500k in 127days. Appreciations with thanks to the press ST/27Jan2008,SundayPost/2Mar2008,MyPaper/26May2008 and even the local Chinese paper,

and magazines Prime/Mar-Apr2008,Shape/May2008 for their write-ups then. Quite a surprised to get so much attention and keep newspapers cutting+magazines to remind myself how speechless I was about completing this hike! Today I am still the only female from SIN who has hiked the AT-Thru’hike while AT-fellow-hikers are hiking the 100MileWilderness/USA now at this moment.

2 Sep 2025 – DOB Confusions…

Sun: appreciations to our beautiful fashionable hostess for Sunday’s dinner@ImperialTreasureTeoChew/Ion where one of my favourite chicken-fish-maw-shark-fin-soups. Delicate lovely potted Cuphea hyssopifolia/MexicianHeathers made nice gifts when one can present them wrapped like these.

Mon: hello Sep on a dark&early walk before sunrise&rains. View of lights towards downtown from the CrusieCentre is just an illusion of the sun – could feel the humidity and tiny drops of drizzles in the air but really quite lovey&breezy.

Amazing to get the impression that there is land across in the dark while actually they are all the lid-up tankers in the sea between Indoneaia&SIN.

After ~7,000steps headed inland to the MT-market from SiglapCanal by one of the few overhead-bridges over ECP with hardly any traffic on both sides at this time, also the best time for me to walk.

Sep starts the month of autumn and looks a busy month ahead to welcome visitors from Norway,Thailand,USA. Believe it or not but there are ~21 family-Bdays and ~40FB-friends-Bdays this month – calculate 9months back and figure it out… hahaha!

2yrs ago completed this PEI/Canada hike – will be making a presentation on long-distance hiking in Nov2025@Campers’ Corner. Date to be announced.

https://amylamsg.com/2023/09/02/pei-tip-tip-confederation-trail-ct-4/

Tue: another cool lovely wet morning with appreciations to cousin Irene(from Granduncle LAM JeeChew’s branch)for making me dig into papers/donated to National Library Board./NLB to discover that my father BG1LAM TinYue(1913-1996) was born on 15Jul1913 and not 15Jun1911 as previously stated. What a pain to have to go into all the postings to correct his year of birth. Checking to discover that 4Auntie BG4LAM PohKow(1916-2016) was born Jan1916?? and 5Uncle BG5LAM TinYick(1916-1988)in Oct1916. WOW! paternal grandmother RG1CHAN SweeNgor was prolific!

Cousin Yun tells me I remember that #4 birthday was in aug a day before mine in the lunar calender and if this is the case I am totally confused…??? Am aware that dates may not be accurate as the older generation used the lunar calendar but do want to at least get the years correct on the family tree while waiting for nephew Raymond to confirm the DOB of his grandmother.