31 Oct 2025 – #1Katy&Jack’s Wedding Invitation

Wed: 2weeks for #1Katy&Jack’s lovely wedding invitation by SnailMail to arrive from the USA, looking much forward to Feb2026  it was in 2014(Linn’s 40th) 12yrs ago since I had my whole flock together with me, long overdue get together.

A wedding is a ceremony where ppl are united in marriage, and while it often includes exchanging vows&rings, traditions vary widely across cultures,religions, and families. Wedding, a single day or event while marriage is the lifelong union that is the result of that event. Marriage originated from a myriad of cultures, with the earliest records dating back to 2350BC in Mesopotamia. Initially, it was a contractual agreement between families to build alliances,secure inheritance&promote social stability – pix downloaded.

A wedding is an event, but marriage is a life ― Myles Munroe

https://www.theknot.com/content/history-of-weddings

The happily-ever-after institution of marriage that supposedly provide a stable environment for raising children, offering emotional&social support&managing property&assets is not that simple. The traditional marriage might be outdated and after undergoing thru’ the centuries in different countries,cultures,social structures&spiritual attitudes, is not what it was. Marriage today is usually a choice, and like all choices there are consequences – another can of worms too complicated without any dialogue to put into short simple words for this blog  –  pix downloaded.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person – Mignon McLaughlin

Thu: @Campers to get some work done for the presentation. Tkx for snacks with appreciations for this interesting podcast&presentation of The Price of Tomorrow. Always good to know what is avaliable if&when help is needed, especially when living alone&taking care of myself at this stage of life. Dr Chong/HCA-Hospice-MedicalDirector concluded and I, probably being the eldest person there will agree fully with him is that the most important thing is to be knowledgeable about your own health and take good care of yourself.

Fri: Happy Halloween/Trick or Treat – enjoying and living vicariously thru’ pix shared by niecePatricia who is visiting the USA.

Oct 1985: 1st Halloween celebrated in CA/USA – May was even afraid to go Trick or Treating until she discovered that people gave her candies – unable to find any pix from then!

Oct 2012: probably the last time celebrating Halloween with the whole US-flock in SC/USA –

unlikely to be any future US visits in Oct.

28 Oct 2025: Fruits&Seeds

Sat: not only is the durian King of Fruits – even the seeds are yummy, yes durian seeds are edible, but only when thoroughly cooked to eliminate toxic compounds. If you need a snack consider a durian seed, a natural resource with antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content. Like all good things in life, enjoyment in moderation.

https://nstproceeding.com/index.php/nuscientech/article/view/1245

A seed neither fears light nor darkness, but uses both to grow ― Matshona Dhliwayo

Thank U with appreciations to cousinKaren for bringing this mango from her mother’s garden in KCH/Sarawak,E-Malaysia  – she tells me that this tree is pest-free as AuntieNgor(may she RIP)placed a handful of red-fire-ants to eat the aphids&termites,etc and even the insects keep away. Scraped every yummy bit of it possible for eating&juicing. Read that both mango&avocado seeds are edible, so will keep enough of those to try cooking them to test if I like the taste. Imagaine if a seed can grow into a tree and bear fruits, then what kind of nourishment are in them? Mango-tree pix credits to Karen.

Update: mango seed experiment after cooking first&last time – awful bitter taste, do not recommend, same with avocado.

Sun: thankU 17thUncle for this feast to welcome cousinYatSoon&Family/Helen,Merla&Mei from London/UK.
Appreciations to cousinChengEn/Roy for organising the event.
Cousins from aunties4/John,9/YatSoon,11/Ken,13/Ching,17uncle/ChengEn&18auntie&uncle/Sara,
niecesMerla&Mei,nephewLee,grandnieceIsabelle – 4generations.
@欢迎莅临 奥运海鲜餐馆 OwenSeafoodRestaurant located at the no longer operating HotelMiramar.

BBQ-SucklingPig,CerealScallop,

SharkFinSoup,SteamedSoonHockFish,BraisedAbalone,

GarlicVermicelliPrawns,E-FuNoodlesLobster + dessert&fruits. And thanks to those who brought wine – so totally blessed with a big family and if we could have a reunion there we would have been 127/5Generations!

Mon: wokened ~043ohrs by the loud sound of lightning followed by a short heavy downpour, will need some naps today! After last night’s feast, a fasting&resting day. Need to get to work on the LongDistanceHikePresentation figuring out how to condense 4Thru’Hikes efficently into 1hr of slides and talk??

Today’s news from the hood: was wondering what all those drums were about – do not often see such an elebroate funeral procession in this area! Good that they are testing out this kind of mail service like in the US, but still have to get stamps at the PostOffice.

Tue: what a lovely day for NasiLemak+durian picnic with cousinYatSoon&family who were such sport to swim. Surprisingly both sand&water were clean&clear today that even I would have got into the sea if I had my suit but also stomach not happy eating today after yesterday’s fast.

My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me ― HW Longfellow

Tkx to Agnes&Saiya for SugarCaneJuice&invite to stay for dinner, the juice hit the spot but another bite of any food will probably send me into the hospital – hahaha. Congratutions to them for their wedding, nice to meet young pp who still want to get married!

24 Oct 2025 – Once Upon A Tide

Tue: early hours@MT-WetMarket is the best time for me to be here before sunrise+crowds and when everything still look fresh&nicely displayed.

To be surprised by this box from Holmøy/Norway assuming that the cod&salmon are from there but did not see any?? Heavy items shopping at the neighbourhood 24hrs/Giant earlier and and did not need anything from the wet-market, just wandering&enjoying the sight of fresh local seafood&produces. Memories of  some of the tastiest prawns when living in Tromsø/1970s while waiting for the boats to get in, also in the early hours when still dark…

https://fishfocus.co.uk/holmoy-a-proud-tradition-anchored-in-the-arctic/

SpotlightSales/PlazaSIN – was hoping to find soup bowl(broke 2 recently) but did not buy anything, even with the sale price one bowl here cost more than

2bowls+2saucersS$8.75@Diaso – of course of different quality but thees will hopefully be good eonugh to serve their purposes in this life-time ie if they will not slip out of my clumsy hands – hahaha.

A penny saved is a penny earned – Benjamin Franklin

Lunch@Kopitiam with comfort food, Watercress+PorkribsSoup西洋菜湯SaiYongChoyTong&SteamMinceMeat+PreservedVeg梅菜蒸肉餅MuiChoyJinCheeYokS$12.15 including 10%MerdekaDiscount$$1.35, both typical Cantonese dishes from childhood with fond nemories of our beloved family helper HungJeh who made these dishes to perfection regularly.

HungJeh was one of the most reliable, now-vanished mah-jeh commonly known as black-and-white because of their white blouses&black trousers who helped&stayed with our family until she passed. KwongWaiSiewPeckSanTheng/廣惠肇碧山亭Block42 is where her niche is located. This gracious&kind person made some of the most delicious dishes@TemenggongRd.

Delighted to stumble into this interesting educational&fun project SG60 Icons of Home – tkx to Clement for getting these High-Tech functions&gadgets for this pix.

Wed: nowadays it is more constructive&positive coming to terms with being realistic accepting what the body needs. After a busy day like yesterday was planning for a hair-cut today but the body has to now understand that hair-cut can wait and resting,recovering&rejuveneating is more important before restarting another busy day tomorrow.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time ― John Lubbock

Thu: WHALE and I have all these years thought it was dinosaur – goes to show that learning never stop no matter of age hahaha!

Nice job done with the connections to FtCanningPk&SMU

Appreciations with thanks to Hong for an excellent guide and for lunch@SIN oldest museum first established in 1849. Have always enjoyed visiting here, even when there was no AC/1950s! It was gazetted a national monument 1992/23 and renamed SINHistoryMuseum/1993-2006. And NationalMuseum/2006.

https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=9c9c39f2-d442-4d6c-aa7c-6255471a9a0d

Lunch@Café Brera at Reunion: https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/shop-and-dine/cafe-brera-at-reunion

ChickenCurry, a reminder of how home-cooking should taste like, delicious LemonCruffin, not too sweet nor too tart lemon custard surrounded by flaky pastry.

Reunion is the first purpose-built dedicated social space for seniors in a local museum – a café with an activity space for group activity,a QuietRoom with music booths to encourage interaction among seniors to enhance their museum visits. Do like the Yip’s works there and really appreciated to have that space to myself for that short while there.

https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/whats-on/programme/reunion-senior-programmes/events

Fri: YongTauFoo home-lunch w KK – thanks for delicious minced chicken, now cooked with 3meals ready in the freezer. And for checking out these pieces which will be returned to the LAMAncestralHall,Jiangmen,Guangdong/China next month. Picked them from the ground 16yrs ago not knowing then what I was thinking but still hoping&praying that the building will not be demolished. Blessed to have hopes&prayers answered.

Heavy evening downpours – should be a good night for sleep.

20 Oct 2025 – Happy Deepavali

Fri&Sat: looking forward to the official opening of the LAM-AncestralHall/pix credits to IreneLAM on Sun9Nov at 09:00hrs in Jianggmen,GuangdongProvince/China after years of restoration – hotel,insurance,tickets confirmed but still have to arrange transportation from airport to hotel. During acitve younger days, would have taken the train but this time round, will pay more for direct transport with suitcase filled with heavy broken tiles – bringing back all the original broken tiles,etc(hopefully for the future museum) found on the ground during my last 2009 visit then with sad feelings&thougths that it was unlikely for repeat visits. Now 16yrs later with the same thoughts but this time round with happy feelings, no matter if there will be any visits in the future.

https://amylamsg.com/2009/07/14/lam-heritage/

https://www.bluetileheritage.org/

Despite of the many visits and living in this part of the world for over 2decades, still Chinese of race, still more or less but many still refer me as a Banana, perhaps they have a point and no matter what, do like BananaSplit – hahaha!  https://amylamsg.com/2009/10/14/chinese-more-or-less/

People say you’re born innocent, but it’s not true. You inherit all kinds of things that you can do nothing about. You inherit your identity, your history, like a birthmark that you can’t wash off… Hugo Hamilton

Delighted to see my favourite building in the OrchardRd area The House of Tan Yeok Nee – last of SIN 4GrandMansions which will be opened on Sat1Nov after 4yrs restoration. Good to see that some heritage builidngs being restored and preserved as they can help with the role in telling history, their connection to timelessness, and how they can shape our identity. Heritage is not just what we inherit from our ancestors, but what we pass on to future generations – pix downloaded.

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/teochew-towkays-restored-house-of-tan-yeok-nee-to-open-on-nov-1

Sun: appreciations with tkx to KK for lunch and just look at his amazing CalamansiTree, have never seen so many ripe fruits in one tiny tree – usually would usre the unripe green ones and do not think I have tasted them ripe, hopefully will to get to taste one of these ripe fruits! Would never have got thru’ OrchardRd, especially underground on a Sunday afternoon the eve of a public holiday from Taka-OrchardMRTsta without a fearless leader and MrCoconut with thoughts of #6’s favourite drink.

Mon: Happy Deepavali to those celebrating&marking the day – public holiday here. Appreciations with thank for SoanPapdi from MarineC-GardensResidences’Network – very sweet and perfect with the Matcha. Lights pix credits to Garry, was not that brave to venture into the other end of SerangoonRd but did some editing,enchancement&phtotshopping to it.

Appreciations with thanks for dinner@Rochalie. Les BeefCongee&Tendon,Fish,Ratatouille,Steak prepared to perfection are the best.

16 Oct 2025 – Happy Fall Break to My Fabulous5 USA-Flock

Mon: the summer has gone by quickly for SC/USA-flock and now it’s Fall-Break for them there. Katy#1 will be done with her Masters@UofSC/Dec2025,Ellie#2@ClemsonU,John#3@Uof SC,Sophie#4,James#5 are both in IrmoHighSchool.

Nice to catch up with Garry for dinner before he takes off to Bali – have been saving this VeuveClicquot to share and a long while ago  since we shared a bottle of this bubbles. One of my favourite champagnes and the last one in storage leaving these empty containers collected over the decades! First tasted in the late 1970s@Arne&Ingeborg’s wedding/Norway and liked it. Learnt then it was nicknamed as Gul enke=YellowWidow but did not really know the history until the movie WidowClicquot was released. https://thebubblesreview.com/widow-clicquot-movie-review/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-widow-who-created-the-champagne-industry-180947570/

There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne ― Bette Davis

From 27Dec2025 public transport fares for me/ConcessionCard will be .04c more when travelling more than 7.2k – this will be the 5thconsecutive year of fare hikes in SIN, following increases of up to .10c in adult card fares in 2024; .11c in 2023, .05c in 2022 and .04c in 2021 – pix downloaded.

• Adult public transport fares will increase by .o9c for shorter trips and .10c for journeys exceeding 17.2k.
• ConcessionCard holders will see no change in fares for short bus&train rides of up to 3.2k, unlike the .04c increase faced in 2024.
• Journeys between 3.3k and 7.2k, ConcessionCard fares will go up by .03c. ConcessionCard fares for trips longer than 7.2k will increase by .04c.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/public-transport-fare-increase-rail-trains-buses-smrt-sbs-5400781

Tue: was supposed to be at the central library for a NLB Programme – Empathetic Virtual Reality: A Bridge to Connecting with Seniors. The case of mind being willing but body is telling otherwise is happening more and nowadays at this stage of life journey, it is not a matter of mind being weak but would be wiser to listen more to the body. 

Body&mind refer to two interconnected aspects of a person: the body is the physical,tangible self, while the mine represents non-physical mental processes like thoughts,emotions,consciousness. The relationship between them, known as the mind-body connection, is a two-way street where mental states influence physical health&bodily processes impact mental state.

Wed: Campers’ to finalize a day for the presentation and to LittleIndia before the main Deepavali/Mon20 weekend crowds. Not that brave to wander into the crowds, pysched myself to just snap a few shots near them soaking in the ambience when still able to appreciate this LittleRedDot’s diversity but not be caught dead or alive here this weekend – hahaha!

TekkaCentra for ChickenBiryani&CoconutH20S$9 dinner+MangoLassiS$3 to go for an early Celebration of the Lights tonight.

Traffic was back to back and the barricades at this traffic lights on SerangoonRd did not help with my annual shot – better than none. Fortunate to get a seat on a packed Bus48 riding with eyes closed all the way until it got back to the EastSide.

Thu: good to take it easy updating this blog with appreciations to Yukie for dropping by to help with some logistics for the China-trip.

12 Oct 2025 – Auditory vs Visual Processing

Thu-Fri: there is a difference experience between reading&hearing. Reading actively needs the attention of the eyes,understanding of letters,words,sentences,etc, and to be able to skip ahead or back, to reread, to ponder or daydream in the middle of a sentence at your own time. When the eyesight is not what it used to be, am grateful to listen to audiobooks passively while multitasking/sewing and feeling blessed that both eyes&ears are still functioning – pix downloiaded.

Listening constructively to selective audiobooks,podcasts,reading books, and watching films are not a waste of time for me when they can sometimes be good companions&teachers. Father taught me that we are given a pair of ears&eyes but one mouth and father was indeed a very wise man ie eat&talk less while listen&look more! Many are not aware that hearing is passive while listening is active; seeing is passive and looking is active. Count your blessings when we have all or some those 5senses still intact despite perhaps that they might not as they used to be – hahaha!

When you read a book, the story definitely happens inside your head. When you listen, it seems to happen in a little cloud all around it, like a fuzzy knit cap pulled down over your eyes ― Robin Sloan

Like the Lorax?
The Lorax speaks for the trees, I remind her.
Books are made out of paper. Paper is made out of trees.
What about e-books?
We can speak for them too.
Audiobooks?
Audiobooks speak for themselves ― Paul Acampora

TGIF and a good weekend to all. Thank goodness for decent drying weathers and for a washing machine which has been and still is doing a good job since Wed – like life, it twists,spins&knocks us around, but in the end, we come out cleaner&brighter, hahaha.

Sat: down memory lane to 70yrs ago in 1955 when father was on his way for a visit to Japan by ship, pix here with my parents and the whole sibling flock – 4brothers+2sisters. Lawrence, far right(1934-2021)being the eldest and I(1950) the youngest. Both my parents+3brothers have passed. Feeling nostalgic as I am preparing to head to China for the offical opening of the LAM-Ancestral-Hall(9Nov2025) and will be installing both LAM SongKee/grandfather’s and LAM TinYue/father’s name there.

https://amylamsg.com/2009/07/14/lam-heritage/

Today 11Oct1969 when I first got married in Dublin/Ireland then age 19, for real – 56yrs ago is certainly another lifetime ago but one usually remembers their first love! There are so many kinds of love that this blog will not have space for the definitions expanding on the complexity! According to my favourite Danish polymath (mathematician,inventor,designer,writer&poet) PietHein – Love is like a pineapple, sweet and indefinable.

Sun: coffee,bfast+take-away-lunchS$12,fresh produceS$18@MT-wet-market – washed and stored in the fridge for the week by the time the sun rose. Nice&peaceful to be out by 0500 and back to the 4-walls by 0630hrs. Looking forward to this up-coming-week’s menu – CucumberSandwiches/English,PicoDeGallo&avocado/Mexican, healthy&tasty all fresh produces with no cooking or salt – tomato,onion,cilantro,jalapeño,lime-juice,clove of finely-chopped garlic. Both avocado&tomato are considered fruits and do not like tomato in my salads but like it this way and in Bruschette/Italian

PandanWater/SIN,PurplePotatoes/my favourite potatoe,WatercressSoup/Chinese – fresh produce that need cooking. Appreciations with thanks for Sunday dinner@Rochalie.

8 Oct 2025 – Tickets To Norway&USA

Sun: phew! tkx to May a load off my shoulders&head – air-flight tickets from SIN-CAN-SINS$510.50 Nov2025, SIN-OSL-SIN S$1,284.50 Feb&Apr2026 OSL-ATL-OSL S$722 Feb&MAr2026 done. Health Insurance for these travelsl to be purchased – pix downloaded.

#6’s request for take away ChickenRice lunch at home before he heads to the airport for shopping and dinner@DTF/Jewel – 9days have gone by too quickly, Bjørn will meet him in OSL and bring him straight to school. Delighted&pleased that he enjoys his visits here, will not be too long and looking forward till we meet again in Feb2026 – pix downloaded.

The Anishinaabe have no word for goodbye.
What do you say in parting?
You see Life as a straight line, but for us Life is a circle. After something or someone enters our circle they travel with us forever influencing us even if they are not physically present. To us there is no such thing as goodbye. Once again water filled her eyes as Asku’s voice became an echo in her thoughts… ― Amanda Skenandore

Mon: looking for a Bday gift for Les is like looking for a needle in a haystack for someone who has everything. Hopefully this framed photograph(tkx to Leo,RY&Seb for enchancement) from 1960s@IslandClub will be appreciated as he once asked for the origin of this and have handed it to him but not sure if he has lost it – pix from father’s albums.

Tue: May headed for the airport while I headed on bus196 to OceanFinancialCentre

Tkx to my bro for an amazing celebration@ALTRO-Zafferano, Italian restaurant with a view+alfresco terrace lounge&rooftop bar on the 43floor where he and his cigar smoking pals are able to smoke till their hearts’ content.

GOH, our godsister PatLim in ther 90s who came from JB; niece Sue with Ivy and her helper Janice – ppl pix credits to one of his guests.

Les,Ivy&Patricia; David,Beth&Pat-Lynn; grandnieces Beth&Isabelle – pix credits to one fo his guests.

HokkaidoScallopsCrudo with Beets+Ikura&SalmonRoe –  on the salty side for me
Cavatelli/SpicyNdujaOctopus – slightly on the spicy side but a nice kick to this pasta

BlackAngusBeefStriploin with PotatoesMousseline&BoneMarrow+TruffleJus – tasty
BurrataCheesecake (Burratra,Strawberry,ExtraVirginOliveOil) – one of the most unusal&delicious cheesecake tasted. Ate every morsel of the delicious 4course-dinner.

Appropriate BdayCake for the BdayBoy with all the loving wishes and many more years to my 83years and only brother left.

Tkx to niece Sue for the ride back to the EastSide with a tour of RafflesPlace at night enjoying the Bonsai@UOB-Plaza where her car was parked.

Wed: today and the next few days of clearing,cleaning+laundry with a feeling&sense of bliss&euphoria to have had some family time together the past few weeks – pix downloaded.

Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart ― Martin Luther King Jr

4 Oct 2025 – Family Lunch

Wed: what an amazing experience SingaporeOceanarium@ResortsWorldSentosa. This isn’t your typical aquarium, 3X larger than the former SEA-Aquarium with digital storytelling&marine science.

Ocean’s oldest residents – sea jellies in a mesmering 6.8-metre-wide-tank with 1,000s of glow-in-the-dark MoonJellies, drifting gracefully. Despite their name, jellyfish are not fish, but a type of invertebrate called a cnidarian with with nerves at the base of their tentacles or a nerve net spread across their bodies but have no brians or heart!  Here, some jellyfish are considered a delicacy – usually dehydrated with salt and added to various dishes and are also used to treat some medical conditions like arthritis&hypertension, one of my favourite dishes&quotes – pix downloaded

https://www.mcsuk.org/news/jellyfish-your-questions-answered/

A world of silent predators where SharkSeas lets you walk thru’ a transparent tunnel in the sleek company of silhouettes of BlacktipReef,SandTiger-Sharks,etc – pix credits to Clement.

No longer a restaurant but now a highlight with the expansive OpenOcean viewing panel offers a breathtaking glimpse into the vastness of the sea – pix credits to Clement

Oct2014 was the last previous time here celebrating an early birthday for a dear brother. Thank you Les&Ivy for an exclusive evening at OceanRestaurant by CatCora located inside the SEA Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium. This restaurant (windows reflections from our table) was fully booked, we were at the only table in front of the main tank with top service, wines&good food.

Spanning 22 immersive zones and home to over 100,000 marine animals, this is where the ocean’s past, present and future can be discovered. OldWifeFish show that pix do not do jutice here but this X-OldWife-hahaha! highly recommends a visit and even #6 thinks its the best aquarium he has so far been to, and also his lucky night that the BoomerangEatingTree released its prey after some wet showers.

Thu: MandaiWildlifeReserve/BirdParadise tkx to KK for my first visit to Asia largest bird park/2023

Beautiful feathers show-case hit the spot for the guys who are both collectors of bird feathers.

Amazing colours@LoryLoft

Everthing@PenguinCove served in PenguinStyle – was told that the scone was on the dry side, #6 shared a bite and thought it OK; did not try the Bao or Shortbread. These real little penguins are so cute and entertaining to watch when they are walking or jumping and such graceful speed swimmers. https://www.roowanders.com/bird-paradise-singapore/

Because penguins are so beloved, they are uniquely capable of teaching us about love for the natural world – Bergman

Fri:  after an average of ~15,000steps/10k a day for the past 3days, today to recharge, rest and to get some laundry done needing both front&back for drying space today. Happy Children’s Day and with F1&ChinaGoldenWeek, will definitely be staying within my 4-walls today while #6 is out having a blast for the day@Universal/Sentosa thanks to May’s friends.

Sat: family lunch@RedStar with push-cart DimSum bringing back fun childhood memories of Sunday lunches and wanted #6 to experience it.

Appreciations to all who took time to lunch with us and thanks to David for the pix.

Appreciations with thanks from #6 to his aunties,uncles&cousins for his first lantern experience – celebrating a few days earlier, MidAutumn falls on a Mon and he has to be back at school in Norway.