4 Sep 2011 – 33yrs ago today…

May, second daughter born in Tromsø, Paris of the North and now she is waiting for the birth of her first child any day. 6th grandchild for the grandmother! Also it is her last Bday before motherhood. Made a 3 course dinner with whatever is available, ie the bare necessities!! Instead of a cake, made Tiramisu/Italian Pick me up, no baking needed 🙂

Happy Bday to nephew Vincent who also share this day with May.

Appreciations to Ellen, L&M’s paternal grandmother for her presence in spite of this rainy day and even with intervals of heavy torrential downpours. It is always nice to have Ellen’s company and tkx to Bjørn to driving her from and back to Nesøya.

It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding – Erma Bombeck 

3 Sep 2011 – Grendefest

There are altogether 37 house in this neighbourhood and many who bought their houses when they were brand new from 1981 have moved on. Perhaps only a handful of 8-9 of us, the original owners are still here. More new faces and nice to see that it is still a clean and peaceful neighbourhood. So, this will be it for me as the house will be put on the market for sale May 2012.

Thanks and appreciations to the barnevognligaen/the pram League (ie the younger generation)in #15, 17 & 38 Piggsoppgrenda who have arranged this successful bring your own everything/BYO 30th anniversary party last night. Not everybody turned up but it was fun to meet old and new neighbours and their families.

The first block party was 17 May 1981 – when we all just moved into this brand new neighbourhood. It started to rain after the BBQ and many of the neighbours ended up dancing in my house. Those were the days when we were all so new that tents and inflatable were not in our agenda or budget!

Christian MOE is the eldest and has the most seniority, over 90yrs of age and one of the original owners, last house #46. His wife Babs was a friend who passed on in 2006. Glad that he took the energy and initiative to join the party. Even had his own box of wine and a glass he carried in his pocket! The neighbours who have been and still are friends, Mette & Sturla OLSEN my immediate neighbours #8 from 1981.

A successful block party takes a little motivation, a lot of cooperation, and a willingness to enjoy time with your neighbours – 

2 Sep 2011 – No Derogatory Intended, just LOL

Now that summer is officially over, and with official records that here for the Norway below the Arctic Circle it has been the wettest summer ever recorded and above in Northern Norway, one of the driest! Bye-bye summer 2011; hello autumn! Received this funny from Richard in SIN, tkx for sharing. Thought that my Chinese and Jewish friends might have a LOL out if it, made my day 🙂

A Chinese guy goes to a Jew to buy black bras, size 38. The Jew, known for his skills as a businessman, says that black bras are rare and that he is finding it very difficult to buy them from his suppliers. Therefore he has to charge $50.00 for them. The Chinese guy buys 25 pairs.

He returns a few days later and this time orders fifty.

The Jew tells him that they have become even harder to get and charges him $60.00 each.

The Chinese guy returns a month later and buys the Jew’s remaining stock of 50, and this time for $75.00 each.

The Jew is somewhat puzzled by the large demand for black size 38 bras and asks the Chinese guy… ‘please tell me – What do you do with all these black bras?’ The Chinese guy answers: ‘I cut them in half and sell them as skull caps to you Jews for $200.00 each.’

Business is Business

A wonderful weekend to all and enjoy no matter where ever you are,
who your are, Chinese, Jew or others
with or without bras
business or no business
cap or no cap
wet or dry

1 Sep 2011 – Bye-bye Kraftsgt

Wed: had a nice lunch with Mette at this place that used to be Rikshospitalets apotek/The Riks Hospital’s pharmacy from 1872, now restaurant Ylajali and Café Tekehtopa*** also still known as Apotheket. The first years the café was called Apotheket until the cities pharmacies objected and said that it might confuse people. Interesting play with the letters backwards.

We were lucky with the weather, sat outdoor and shared a small plate of Tapas. With a glass of juice, the bill came up to app NOK100 each/S$20. Food was OK but the service was slow! The last time at this location was indoors some years ago for a glass of wine!

Beautiful clouds over Kraftsgt in OSL while helping M&B to oversee the cleaners as the apt had to be washed after renting for 5yrs. The sky opened up when the last load of stuff were packed into the car ready for Kolsås. Bjørn will have to take the bus into town to work for the first couple of days until he has time to buy a bicycle this weekend. Will take him app an hour to cycle to work.

Looking at the Sep Bdays seems to show that the LAM family were having some fun during the end of the year’s holidays 🙂

4 Sep – Happy Bdays May HALD & Vincent LAM

5 Sep – Happy Labor Day/USA

11 Sep – Happy Bdays Steven LAM & May YUNG-LAM

15 Sep – Happy Bday ENG Ting Ting

16 Sep – HappyBdays Ivy YAP-LAM & Edith LAM

20 Sep – Happy Bday Amy RASHAP

21 Sep – Happy Bday Greg TRIBBE

23 Sep – Happy Bday Klaus LAM

24 Sep – Happy Bday Joyce LAM-AMEEN & LAM Kah Yun

25 Sep – HappyBday Kat LAM-TRIBBE

30 Sep Happy Bday Mabel ONG-LAM & Daisy LAM

Life is like riding a bicycle: you don’t fall off unless you stop pedaling – Claude Pepper

30 Aug 2011 – Results of the PE in SIN

SIN 7th president has been elected and congratulations to Dr Tony Tan who said that his first task is to unify Singaporeans. Good Luck to him and hopefully he will be true to his words! It was rather confusing in this election as the four candidates last names are all TAN!

Singaporean presidential election, 2011

2005 ← 27 August 2011

Nominee Tony Tan Tan Cheng Bock Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 744,397 737,128 Percentage 35.19% 34.85% Nominee Tan Jee Say Tan Kin Lian Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 529,732 103,931 Percentage 25.04% 4.91%

President before election Sellapan Ramanathan Nonpartisan Elected President Tony Tan Nonpartisan

A recommended read: Governing Singapore after the PE by Simon Tay who is the chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and associate professor at the National University of Singapore. He was previously a Nominated Member of Parliament.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/governing-singapore-after-the-pe-simon-tay

Eid-al-Fitr/عيد الفطر is a public holiday in SIN to mark the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during the hours of daylight. So to my muslim friends Selamat Hari Raya Puasa and let the eating feasts begin. Will miss all the yummy food, especially Sue, Yulis’s mom’s cooking!

SIN celebrates the Chinese, Indian, Malay and Western most religious days, thus a public holiday today. Am told that HKG has even more public holidays, celebrating more on the Chinese festival days. On this tiny red dot in SIN, one can one find Arab St, Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam/Malay Village and Orchard Rd with all brand-name glitz. Quite multicultural especially where food is concerned!

Boutique multiculturalism accepts differences in dress, food, or worship. But the moment the sacred values of a particular ethnic or religious community become public, the toleration ends – Alvin Dueck and Kevin Reimber 

28 Aug 2011 – Marriage of Figaro

Sat: a presidential election in SIN and again unable to vote! A weekend of moving with much rain on Sat. M&B have to vacate their apartment in OSL by last day of this month. They have enough stuff to fill the house and all the storerooms! Will be a task when they move on to a smaller place with their next move!!

Sun: here in Norway being the last weekend of Aug and the summer, there are carnivals, fairs, farmers market etc going on in various places. Fortunately the rains ceased and made it possible to attend the outdoor Sunday church services, concerts and the highlights for Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro; delightful 45mins performance. This is the first time to the Sandvika Byfest/festival. Met up with Jenny who lives in Sankvika and her lovely 6th floor apartment is the background in these pix!

The Marriage of Figaro is a comic opera which recounts a single day of madness in the palace of the Count Almaviva in Spain. Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, the count is now persistently trying to obtain the favors of Figaro’s bride-to-be, Susanna. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day. Figaro, Susanna and the Countess conspire to embarrass the Count and expose him. He responds by trying to legally compel Figaro to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, but it turns out at that she really is his mother. Through Figaro’s and Susanna’s clever manipulations, the Count’s love for his Countess is finally restored.

24 Aug 2011 – In Memory of Babs & Helge

Mon & Tue: not a cloud in the sky, days for being outdoor walking and gardening.  The walk to Bryn Church takes app 25mins, if fast and brisk walk. Days likes these are the time to stop, smell the flowers and take pix, took an afternoon to enjoy. The view from the bedroom is the start and thru’ the woods, a slippery path if wet but some considerate person placed a rope there for balance. Passing by Hammerbakken skole/elementary school where Linn attended when it was brand new. She used to run down that path just before the school-bell. In the winters she would slide down on her bottom and that took less than 1min to get to school!

Underpass leading to the bridge is painted with graffiti but in this case the new generation calls it art!

Path by the river with rays of sunshine peeping thru’ the woods, cross the bridge  but did not linger by the high-voltage wires!

Wild yellow flowers against the blue sky is pretty! The white fluff is what is left after some purple blooms. Looking back up the hill, one can see the white row houses where the starting point is with Kolsås Toppen in the background.

Bryn Kirke is a church from 1861 to Rykkinn in Bærum municipality, Akershus county. Helge (1945-1997) was the priest here as well as a friend and neighbour in the 1980s when living in Kolsås. Babs (1918-2006), was another friend and neighbour. They both lie in this churchyard. Appreciations to two wonderful people who were most kind and helpful during a difficult time. Thank you to have crossed my path in life’s journey.

Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them – George Eliot

22 Aug 2011 – that Money can buy…

… the rich would live and the poor would die! Another Mon morning in my house here in Norway awakened by singing birds and a silver lining in the clouds to start the week!

Spike in complaints against burning of joss paper during Hungry Ghost Festival…
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_704428.html

On the 15th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar is the start of the GhostMonth/鬼月 (31Jul-28Aug for 2011). Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, joss paper, a paper form of material items and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Nowadays there are laptops, credit card, brand-name clothing and stuff etc, including notes from the Bank of Hell!

The issue for me is not the ritual but the environment! Even if only 1mil out of the 5mil of the pop practice this, think of the pollution! Some of the other SE Asia countries like Japan and Thailand mark this occasion by floating lanterns on the river. Perhaps certain people can be educated to find a better solution to help with the slowing down of global warming. An ulterior motive with good intentions for the living!

Religious groups offer free bus rides, meals, haircuts and more…
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_704422.html

Is this a case of organized religion buying its congregation? OK call them do-gooders and in their beliefs, their ultimate destination is heaven! If that is the case, we are back to ulterior motives again!! Or perhaps is it possible that after experiencing and seeing the real world for over 6 decades might have contributed to cynicalness??

The never-ending of beliefs, faith and hopes triumph over logic and reality again! As Denise puts it so eloquently – Our humanness makes us vulnerable and we all seek solace in different ways. I suppose it depends on the devils that haunt one from life’s experiences that determine what manner of solace we choose.

Hush little baby don’t you cry
You know your mamma was born to die
All my trials Lord will soon be over – Bahamian lullaby

21 Aug  2011 – is the Spice of Life!

Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Thai. Three spices found in most curry powders are turmeric, coriander and cumin; a wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (meats, fish, lentils, rice, etc).

Cook and Share a Pot of Curry: to celebrate curries as part of SIN way of life – and to share this celebration with those who are new to SIN! This FB event is created by 8 people to bring awareness of an incident from 2011.

Cooked a pot of chicken curry to share and to celebrate the diversities of culture with friends on Fri evening. Cheers to Kristen, Toril (who lived@Piggsoppgrenda in the 1980s) and to Mette my next door neighbour (from 1981-present), who has never complained about the garlic, ginger curry etc cooking 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254441147918239
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/shanmugam-clarifies-curry-issue-050053270.html

This incident was a dispute between two neighbours over the cooking of curry in SIN! Am not a fan of curry but do like a good curry once in a while. This is not really about liking curry or not; more about respect and tolerance to the different cultures when living in a multi-cultured environment. In this case, it was a complain from a mainland Chinese family about the cooking odour of their Indian neighbours! The audacity and cheek of them, should have stayed put in China!

FB reader commented: After 7 years, why only this neighborhood dispute was brought up? After 7 years we will go to the poll to vote for PE. Is there a political maneuvering from some political quarters behind this? Are some people intentionally brought this up to propel further the rift between Singaporean and non-Singaporean to get sympathy to push their political agenda.

Variety is the spice of life that gives it all its flavour – William Cowper