Author: amylamsg

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2024 St Patrick Day’s Reception

16 Mar 2024 – 40+Years Business on Marine Terrace

Wed: appreciations to Gel for taking time to catch up for breakfast@MT-hawkers. Discovered a new store with all kinds of dried bottled,canned,vacume-packed,etc TCM which is complementary to mainstream medicine in SIN and also plays an important role in meeting the healthcare challenges of the ageing population. Will need to learn&read more about it but forget acupuncture, needles for me in this care are no-no.

The Chinese do not draw any distinction between food and medicine – Lin Yutang

TCM can play role in meeting healthcare challenges of ageing population: Gan Kim Yong | The Straits Times

Have been listening to many his talks and he is one of the few who makes sense to me, especially about that health care is up to ourselves to take care of how we live, what we eat, etc to stay healthy.

There are no superfoods… or super drugs for that matter. Without a healthy diet, we are stuck with temporary solutions to symptoms rather than long lasting treatments for the underlying disease – Dr W Li

Food As Medicine – Dr William Li

TEL MRT-Stage4/Exit2 nearest my 4walls(less than 100steps!) will be opened 23Jun2024 – looking forward to not be in traffic or caught in traffic-lights for my future trips to Rochalie. Today’s happening in the hood with video takes by a group of charming-cheerful-young HwaChong Students + some commercial group(just look the contrast of these HiTech-equipment compared to that of the students!) to show case a local business which have been here for the past 4decades! around the new MarineTerraceSta.

These are the 3 that have been here 40+yrs: corner Mamashop in block58, SE-TireCo and  Bengawan Solo/1979.

Gel told me that these monkeys have been spotted@EC-Pk and she has reported to ACRES – pix credits to her. Not going to walk there without a walking stick, traumatic memories with monkey attacks from the 1950sdays when they were in the BotanicGardens/SBG. Favourite amusing monkey video – FlirtingWithDeath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVn9qT8hRZc

Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town – George Carlin

Thu: Happy 19thBday #2EllieBelly. How can it be that it’s her last teen year?
Don’t you think 19’s too young to be messed with — Taylor Swift(Dear John).

Thinking when I first got married at 19 with no regrets, otherwise this beautiful princess+the rest of my wonderful flock would not have been in the world – love&miss them all.

Appreciations with thanks to the Embassy of Ireland for StPat’s Reception@FullertonBayHotel. This location was the former Clifford Pier/紅燈碼頭 = red lamp harbour referring to the red oil lamp beacon which shone over the pier at night as a warning to ship. Good memories from the bygone childhood days when we used to take ferries or bumpboats to the outer islands from here.

Johnston’s and Clifford Pier (roots.gov.sg)

Nice to catch up with StanleyQ but how does he manage to look like time has stood still since our 1960s-70s student days in Dublin??? Hello to a new face, LouAnn Seet with FlightAware.

Tasteful spread with this FiveFarms Irish-Cream-Liqueur which is certainly a very comforting night cap, tkx to DerrickQ for bringing these in.

Fri&Sat: body&mind is telling me to rest after Thu night’s indulgence! SIN-Garden-Festival/SGF 新加坡花園節 gets a hype this weekend@Takashimaya before the 3-11Aug2024Show. Unlikely to have that kind of energy to want to handle the crowds&noise but will just enjoy living vicariously thru’ my flower,garden&orchid fans – pix credits to Neo TuanHong.

S’pore Garden Festival returns in August; global congress to be held in S-E Asia for first time | The Straits Times

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Have been helping out the Orchid Society/OSSEA with their MOR publication from 1999-2009 and setting up with their 2003 1st show The Singapore Orchid Festival@SBG, now the first and only tropical botanic garden on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Am content with fond memories of the best SIN-orchid-show for me!

After combining to be SGF from 2004 onwards, the show has not been the same and has lost some of it’s personal charm, despite the crowds. Appreciations to Peggy, Shelly and Calvin for these wonderful experiences and memories – 2006/OSSEA, 2008/OSSEA&SIN Shawl, 2010/IR, 2012/NA, 2014/CC and 2016/OSSEA.

Show Info (nparks.gov.sg)

Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts ― Sigmund Freud

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Local Healing Foods And Herbs

12 Mar 2024 – With Some Beneficial Health Values

Sat: a weekend to heal with just constructive&postive actions, foods, memories, thoughts, words, etc.

Lemongrass,Cymbopogon,香茅; PandanLeaf,PandanusAmaryllifoliusRoxb,Screwpine,班蘭葉 /七葉蘭; Tamarind,TamarindusIndica,塔梅林德. These are the 3local ingredients used regularly for cooking&tea in my4walls – all supposedly have some beneficial health values, but more important, like the taste. Also make good teas – would usually make a pot with any of these+honey, bottled&refrigerate to last for a few days. Pandan can be used for flower arrangements and when not so fresh looking cooked for tea, also the aroma of all 3 make my 4walls smell with natural pleasant fragrance.

Sun: still feeling some discomfort around certain areas in the gum, and this set of false teeth is not feeling welcome in the mouth yet but will have to use it for aesthetic reason! Strange to feel a gap like when missing my 2 front teeth during childhood, hahaha!

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us ― Jane Austen

Soft foods&soups can be comforting&tasty when made with fresh herbs,ingredients&spices. Top comfort local food for me is Cantonese-style-congee made with rice&home-made broth, garnish with green-onions,cilantro,ginger with a touch of sesame-oil. Time consuming to make but best tasting when made from scratch and none of my children or grandchildren like it!

One of my favourite cream-soups is home-made carrot+pumpkin with a touch of fresh-cream,ginger,sherry, not too difficult to prepare.

Mon: to those living in Daylight-Saving-Time-Zones do remember to move your clock forward – makes it easier for me with 12hrs ahead of SC/USA than the 13hrs!

Go raibh maith agat to Ambassador of Ireland H.E. SarahMcGrath for a reception to welcome the Irish Minister of State HildegardeNaughton T.D. Let the St Patrick’s Day celebrations week start with thoughts of all my Irish friends around the world and fond memories of Bro Joseph McNally.

Singapore – A Sense of Ireland 2024 – The Ireland Funds, Progress through Philanthropy

Tue: wishing all Muslims a blessed month of Ramadan which starts today in SIN – pix downloaded. If you want to know the religion of a man, do not look at how much he prays and fasts, rather, look at how he treats people – Ja’far al-Sadiq.

Muslims in Singapore to mark start of Ramadan on Mar 12 – CNA (channelnewsasia.com)

Places of interest here in SIN during the Ramadan – GeylangSerai&KampongGelam

Check Out These 14 Ramadan Bazaars in Singapore This 2024 (theasianparent.com)

Brunch&shopping@IKEA/AlexandraBranch using up the gift voucher. FOC-ShuttleBus gets too crowded and seats not always available from Bedok-TampinesBranch. Hair-cut@Ecoin using S$10CDC-vouchers@MarineP.

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National Dental Care/NDC

8 Mar 2024 – International Women’s Day

Tue: SeniorSaveSS-Tue grocery shopping done by 06.00hrs with a saving of S$5.14incl of Promo+SS, paid S$35.56+S$5FreshProduce@WetMarket.

Yeah! will be back in time from USA to experience the new Stage4-TEL-MRT-stations. Passengers can use them for free as part of a preview on 21Jun, might even be brave enough to go for a free ride!

TEL Stage 4 from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore to open for passenger service on June 23 | The Straits Times

Wed: seems like FB is having some issues – not only did they remove some of my recent postings, now this! Let’s hope that all these problems will soon be resolved – pix uploaded.

Facebook outage causes incorrect password errors – ThatsNonsense.com

Facebook is down; outage also spreads to Instagram and Threads (bgr.com)

At NDC where one broken tooth had to be extracted from part of a bridge and being on blood-thinner, needed a stitch so as not to bleed too much – appreciations to pain killers after the local anesthesia worn off. Young dentist DrYang/28! did a good job – dentists are artists of the oral realm, the maestros of mastication!

May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my grandmother’s teeth – Irish quote.

Mr. Herriton, don’t – please, Mr. Herriton – a dentist. His father’s a dentist.
Philip gave a cry of personal disgust and pain. He shuddered all over and edged away from his companion. A dentist! A dentist at Monteriano. A dentist in fairyland! False teeth and laughing gas and the tilting chair at a place which knew the Etruscan League, and the Pax Romana, and Alaric himself, and the Countess Matilda, and the Middle Ages, all fighting and holiness, and the Renaissance, all fighting and beauty! He thought of Lilia no longer. He was anxious for himself: he feared that Romance might die ― EM Forster 

Where Angels Fear to Tread

For there was never yet a philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently – Shakespeare

Thu: with the slight taste of blood in my mouth all yesterday afternoon, last night and this morning makes it a perfect timing to fast. This too shall pass and then will have to learn to adjust to false teeth with soft foods to start the transition – counting my blessings that I still have many real teeth! Has it really been 7yrs ago since the premier of Disney’s Beauty&TheBeast? Appreciating my books again these few days after this major dental work – fasting and easing into soft foods the next few days.

You don’t read Gatsby… to learn whether adultery is good or bad but to learn about how complicated issues such as adultery and fidelity and marriage are. A great novel heightens your senses and sensitivity to the complexities of life and of individuals, and prevents you from the self-righteousness that sees morality in fixed formulas about good and evil — Azar Nafisi

Welcome Sweden to NATO – Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming alliance’s 32nd member | CNN

Fri: Happy International Women’s Day/IWD – in Chinese characters:

女=woman
安=peace(roof over woman)
好=good(woman+child)

IWD has always been about gender inequality and discrimination. Gender equity is still not a reality in the world, so IWD is a day to raise awareness and demand equity for all people regardless of gender, and I would like to include race,religion,etc…

Restrictions on Afghan women? and why not restrictions on Afghan men??

UN envoy calls again for removal of restrictions on Afghan women | UN News

Welcome March 2024

4 Mar 2024 – And Welcome Taylor Swift To SIN

Fri: will totally avoid the areas near the concert for the next 2weekends and if possible, to also avoid places of interest. Crowds&fans are good for business here in SIN, but not good for my nerves! – pix downloaded. Day to fast&rest before the weekend, apologies to Garry for having to cancel today’s social – unhappy stomach after all the feastings!

Beyond a swift lift to Singapore’s Q1 economy, Taylor’s concerts can deliver long-term dividends | The Straits Times

Taylor Swift lands in Singapore ahead of first concert on March 2, convoy arrives at Capella | The Straits Times

Sat: appreciations to bro Les&Ivy for delicious seafood dinner@Rochalie w cousin Yeng and niece Jessica – bro preparing the biggest lobster that went smoothly into the stomach hahaha, my contribution was my special salad with at least 15ingredients. Good to catch up with family from Vancouver/Canada. No problems with crowds or traffic on bus36 back to the EastSide – glimpse of the bright lights of the NationalStadium at a distance from the ECP.

My mum actually spent a lot of her childhood with her mum and dad and sister growing up in Singapore. A lot of the time when we would come here on tour, my mum would drive me past her house, where she went to school. I have been hearing about Singapore all my life. To get to come here and play a show this big… it means the world, Swift told the rapt crowd – would not have survived in crowds like these! pix downloaded.

Taylor Swift makes National Stadium shimmer on opening night of Singapore concerts | The Straits Times

Identifying the house that Taylor Swift’s mum grew up in | The Long and Winding Road (wordpress.com)

Edited Thu14Mar2024: thank you for performing in SIN.  Here’s sharing some info of her mother’s family and a glimpse of a bygone era in SIN. BroLeslie&niecePatricia here with the Queen of Bhutan enjoying the Sat9Mar2024 performance.

Taylor Swift, her mum’s family and a glimpse of a bygone era in Singapore | The Straits Times

Singapore is set to earn big money and a big reputation from hosting global pop sensation Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, analysts are calculating. Swift’s six sold-out concerts, which run from March 2 to 9, are expected to bring in an estimated $260 million to $375 million in tourism receipts, Erica Tay, Maybank director of macro research.
The city-state is the latest beneficiary of “Swiftonomics,” the phenomenon named for the economic boost experienced by destinations of the record-breaking tour, which has surpassed $1 billion in global sales. Singapore’s GDP is likely to expand by 2.9 percent in the first quarter of the year — its highest in six quarters — Bloomberg News reported Friday, with economists raising predictions for annual growth from 2.3 percent to 2.5 percent – Source: Washington Post.

Sun: lovely cool wet morning to refresh this Mar-Spring-Sunday with thoughts of the start of Spring from yester-years in Ireland&Norway to welcome Spring. Tkx to Kirsten,Mette&Carmel for their share of daffodils,  snøklokker/SnowBells and blāveis/BlueAnemone. The anticipation of Spring after a cold dark winter with such fond&touching memories of a sweet Irish student Josephine from Balbriggen/Ireland who would bring me her first daffodil blooms from her backyard.

Mon: bus196 with traffic building up on MtBattenRd-NicoleHway towards the stadium carpark@16.20hrs, thank goodness no jams yet.

Tkx for yummy steamboat dinner – my contribution, 3signature local desserts from BangawanSolo/PandanChiffon,OndehOndeh,KuehTalam with a touch of early StPat’s celebrations hahaha! Took 2 different buses to avoid the stadium area and got back to the EastSide when the sky opened up and poured buckets – peaceful goodnight sleep with the sounds of the rains. Safe journeys to Garry who will be heading back to Australia.

Happy MarBdays to family/at least 14 who I know of!

2Mar – ArleenUAMLI
3Mar – LAM JungZni George
4Mar – Brenna LAM-KENNEDY
6Mar – LindaTAY
9 Mar – LEONG SueLyn
11Mar – KenTAN
13Mar – RobynKAWAMOTO
14Mar – EllieHALL
15Mar – DanielWONG
17Mar – LEONG Pat-Lynn,BethYEOH,Happy St Pats
18Mar – LinnHALL,LAM YiSheng
31Mar – JosephineLAM

Friends MarBdays/at least 15 who I know of!

AlexChua,AnthonyChao,GelYeo,HannahLeong&NattyTay(SIN), JohnLim(Australia), AmeliaPower,PaulDrumm&StevenKao(Dublin/Eire), ThomasHeggelund(Norway), KVLee(UK), AlSosa,GlendaTriplett,CeeWorel&JaniceTubbs(USA).

What was the occasion 9 months ago before Mar? There are at least 14family and 15friends’ Bdays this month and do not blame it on St Patrick! 9months before Mar is Jun (start of summer holidays) – that says it all regarding to the timing of Linn’s birth in Mar and May’s in Sep (Christmas holidays 9 months before Sep) – hahaha!!

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FB Posts Removed

29 Feb 2024 – Atico Bar&Lounge

Tue: it is annoying that yet another FB-post, 3rd removed today since 14Feb – will take a break from posting any new FB-NewsFeeds. Thank goodness for my blog here for allowing me to check what was written as FB is just a kinda of PostIt-Note while here, they are expanded with more pix&words. For those who know me know that subjects like politics,religions,etc are personal&private which will not be discussed or written on social media, and also am against profanity,negative&unconstructive actions,speech,thoughts,words,etc.

Common Sense & Self-Censorship – Here-There-Everywhere – This-That-Everything (amylamsg.com)

Appreciations with thanks for this tip from PaulK – wrote again to ask them to check if there is a bug in their algorithm and hopefully this will solve the problem.

Have been informed by DigiAccess/WiFi of 3months overdue for M1-payment! Had to send screenshots of payment to proof otherwise!! What is with today’s HighTech/AI? Quite alarming&frightening to think what else can go wrong when AI runs the world!!!

Cheer-Me-Up-Animal video to watch when annoyed&frustrated with things going upside down! – Monkey Death Wish (youtube.com)

Appreciations for tonight’s dinner@SushiTei/Paragon w a view of OrchardRd.

Stumbled upon this exhibition on the ground-floor@Paragon  – definitely none of these gilded sculptures will fit into my 4Walls – hahaha.

Tkx to Clement for making my evening new discovery of Atico Lounge & Bar on the 55Floor@Ion with 360º spectacular views of SIN, pleasantly&surprisingly empty – nice&peaceful location to have High-Tea on weekdays, as long as it is not crowded.

Good views of Orchard&ScottsRd.

4NUS-students researching EC-Travel-Study on the impact of travel patterns after the opening of the MRT TEL-Stage4/Brown-line here. Will definitely be using this line, especially when traveling to&fro Rochalie – directly from MarineTerrace-OrchardBlv, no transfers, no traffic lights, no traffic-jams.

Soup&fresh-produce-raw-salad-lunch/except for carrot,egg&potato which were cooked. Basil, beet, calamansi, carrot, celery, cucumber, egg, garlic, lemongrass, lettuce, mint, pepper, purple-potato, shallot, torch-ginger with a touch of dressing. Today all these ingredients, using up leftover NasiUlam’s ingredients, other days only a fraction of these ingredients or whatever there is in the fridge.

Thu: busy on this last Feb2024 day, a Leap-Year-day with Garry –

lunch/Kopitiam,movie/Beekeeper,shopping/Muji,T/TiongBahruBakery@PlazaSIN-3pix downloaded. Must be out of my mind to watch this action flick with eyes closed most of movie – that’s for not reading the synopsis first! But the best lesson there, not to click on to any links when online!!

Repeat after me… I will never steal from the weak and vulnerable again – Adam Clay

BeerTasting@LeVel33&SatayDinner@LauPaSat 

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Malay Cuisine Weekend

26 Feb 2024 – New SIN-Pools@58 MarineTerrace 01-47

Fri: on the way to pick up a coffee to discover the new SIN-Pools just across the street. Of course, had to buy some tickets, especially when there was no line at this new location for the $12mTotoHongBao jackpot – pix from MarineCre/jct MP-Rd where the new TEL-MT-MRTstationExit2

Delighted to see these preschoolers downstairs from SparkleTots enjoying&fascinated by the Lion-Dancers who never fail to amaze me!

Besides the LionDancersTrouper, Tan SeeLeng&YusofLateef were also present to wish the kids&staff a Happy Dragon Year.

Welcome Garry back here, appreciations with thanks for dinner@OldBibik’sPeranakan and dessert/ChocolateBreadPudding!+IceCream@AwfullyChocolat ~3k walk from JooChiatComplex-46MC tonight with the full moon.

Sat: 15thCNY-day/ChapGohMei, 1stFullMoon for the LunarNewYear, Chinese Valentine’s-D, thus marking the last day of the CNY celebrations.

Happy 60thBday to Calvin, for someone who is not a fan of cakes, 3 would be the minimum – hahaha. Thomas’s beautiful AgarCake went well with my fruit-salad-cocktail.

Appreciations to CC staff&friends

with special thanks to Iyas for his yummy homemade-Laksa and to Helen for the last LoHei for the season and pix with me in them!

Sun: morning market@GeylangSerai for TorchGinger for NasiUlam, Satay, SayurLodeh/veggie soup prepared in coconut milk. OtakOtak here too spicy, had to get it back@MT-coffee-shop – what a treat, Malay cuisine for this ending CNY-celebrations this weekend.

Tkx to HS, Boon&Will for gifts and for being@my 4-walls to help eat lunch. Not sure if I want to ever make NasiUlam again, too energy&time consuming – pix credits to Will. Made enough fruit-cocktail yesterday for today’s dessert too. AC on most of this hot day – if this continues, will need to go to the library to keep cool.

Good that there are still ppl with a sense of humour – hahaha.

Is it a ‘ghost’? Or is it a hoax? NEA says cemetery warning signs tampered with | The Straits Times

Mon: a good week to all on this Monday morning. Will be taking a break from FB as they are removing some of my recent posts for what their definition for going against our Community Standards on spam? REALLY? tryng to know&understand where this is coming from?? Have written to them but without any explanations or replies??? Is this what happens when AI takes over human common&logic????

I am OK and alive, check blog here for updates.
Cheerful memories to offset for being upest! Mar2011HKG trip@Johnny’s – pix credits to Harry. What a Wonderful Life! – Here-There-Everywhere – This-That-Everything (amylamsg.com)
I ordered a glass of wine and the server asked for my ID. I replied: ‘Do I look that young’ and she said: ‘No, just wanted to see if you qualified for the Senior-Citizen-Discount’.
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SIN Air Show 2024

22 Feb 2024 – Abalones And MeePok

Mon: Feb has so far been busy and at this stage in life rather taxing on both the mental&physcial, mind&body. A good night sleep&rest last night helped – has been a long while ago since day or night without coughing. Taking today&tomorrow to reset for whatever needed to move forward, but still procrastinating with paperworks! Appreciations to Mun&SK for this, not a fan of abalones, but tried these mini abalones yesterday and thought them to be rather good&tender. A 2024-Gilded–Lucky-Charm landed on my lap from the LionDance on the 1stCNY-day.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost – from my favourite Tolkien poem

Abalones bring back a funny memory from a Mar2017Perth/Australia trip where there was a RunawayAbalone – for real, hahaha! Perth 2017/2 – Here-There-Everywhere – This-That-Everything (amylamsg.com)

Tue: good Tue-morning – grocery&fresh produce shopping@Giant&MarineC-WetMarket. Looking forward to the soon-opening of the MT-MRT-station and the completions for the redeco to these facilities.

Welcome to those attending 2024 Air Show – will be missing niece Yasmine&family for this event this year! Protectors of our skies, and other airborne marvels at Singapore Airshow 2024, Lifestyle News – AsiaOne

Tkx to EdgarO for his share of BakChorMee&KoloMee – pix credits to LeslieTay&EdgarOng

Bak chor mee is to Singapore as kolo mee is to us. It seems that it’s problematic nowadays to find anyone selling a nice bowl of it on the small red dot! Luckily for us, I don’t seem to encounter much difficulties in locating good old fashioned kolo mee in Kuching!

Like both BC-Mee&Sarawak-KoloMee and agreeing w LeslieTay Facebook that it not easy to find really good BC-Mee, many places have decent OK ones. Here in SIN/EastSide, my recommendation will be 132 MeePokKwayTeow, 59MarineTerrace.
Most memorable Sarawak-KL-Mee for me was 2011 in Sibu, costing about 1MYR then.

Wed: pix&research for 5TemenggongRd have now been requested, a reminder again that IstanaLama/TelokBlangah(pix downloaded) is NOT the same building as #5. Istana then(now HabourLightsCondo) was demolished in 1954 and #5 then (now still a lovely piece of undisturbed Greenery) was demolished sometime in 1970s.

Feeling more normal without coughing for 3days straight after months of coughing. Now with more energy to run errands@Bedok&Bugis and still able to drop by to Rochalie to say hi to Ivy who is now walking slowly but surely. Thank you for these most delicious juicy cherries that I have ever tasted.

Appreciations to PP for the warning about using KetotopPatches in combination with blood-thinner meds. Looks like Paracetamol/Panadol&Tylenol are the only way for my painful joints&muscles – blessed to have such caring medical friends.

Ketoprofen: Indication, Dosage, Side Effect, Precaution | MIMS Singapore

Thu: cleaning&scrubbing pots&pans, working up a sweat to rid as much toxin as possible. Balancing accounts, paying&updating bills to not be in the red, appts penciled&penned into planner, tickets booked&paid for SIN-CAE-SIN/US$1,330.75S$1,850.58(dep SIN Mon29Apr2024). Consider this a healthy productive day before another busy social weekend ahead.

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Happy Birthday to Everyone/2024

19 Feb 2024 – 人日=Human Day(literally translated)

Thu: trying to know&understand why this posting was removed by FB? Am sure there was nothing sensitive or malicious to inform FB family&friends about my brother’s passing. Wrote to FB-Support&Help but not sure if they will reply?

Fri: Happy Bday to all on this HumanDay人日, 7thLunarDay of CNY. Chinese legend has it that Nuwa女娲 who created the earth also created humans on this day!

Cuisine Paradise | Singapore Food Blog | Recipes, Reviews And Travel: [Day 7 Of CNY] Ren Ri (人日) and Yu Sheng (鱼生) (ellenaguan.com)

Missing Frank&Jessic’s 28 ingredients King of all YuiSang鱼生

Tkx to those who shared these amazing foods pix. Bon Appetit.

Here Are The Things You Need to Do on 初七, Which is Everyone’s Birthday – Goody Feed

Lovely to catch up with Leng,Tora,Victor&Aurora who are visiting – their eldest Marcus stayed back in Norway to house&pet sit. Have been informed that this winter in Norway has been severely harsh – coming from a Northern Norwegian, it must have been rough.

How blessed&fortunate that these fantastic LionDancers crossed my path as was just about to leave ChinatownPoint, and with nothing important to rush for, stayed to enjoy&watch their magnificent performance but not sure if it’s good for the heart – every time they are ready to make a leap on the poles, my heart misses a beat! As it is the cymbals&drums are enough to deafen any ear’s, especially when standing next to them – probably the best way to drum in the new year and to ward off evil spirits…

Sat: a morning for errands@ParkwayP before the main weekend crowds. Popiah-breakfast@MP-Hawkers – must do another Popiah-DIY-party again one day.

Brought own containers to package ChickenRice with extra soup(one of my favourite clear ChickenSoups) for the rest of the day.

Only the pure of heart can make good soup — Beethoven

Main reason for being here today is Watson’s. Was hoping to have got this done yesterday in Chinatown, but no such luck, ChinatownPoint branch did not have a pharmacy. These patches of Ketotop are a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic &antipyretic actions and so far the only patches without fragrance that have worked for me over the years. Tkx to cousins Susannah&Edith for their S$8voucher+today’s promotion, managed to save~S$20.  Ketotop: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, FAQ – MedicinesFAQ

Sun: annual visits to the NW-side took a whole day with nearly 2hrs on public transport for oneway! 10.15hrs from MarineC with bus16+2MRTchanges Dakota&Bishan to Kranji&BkBartok and did not get back until 20.30hrs.

2ndSIL looking good&healthy and niece JenLeng looks much too young to be retiring from her job this year. Always enjoy her yummy home-cooked-curry but did not get to meet the new BrownGen.

Nephew JenMun&SiewKeng+grandnephew SuiChang all looking well – view from their BkBartok-HDB. Appreciations to the family for humouring this white-hair auntie&grandauntie w pix and by taking time to drive me to&fro MRT-stations – totally blessed with my family’s amazing younger generations.

Got back to be met with drums&cymbals from the annual CNY-neighbourhood dinner@ the common hardcourt area. Nice that everybody is having a good time and hopefully it will end by 22.00hrs – am sooo ready to crash tonight.

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RIP Dearest Brother Steven

14 Feb 2024 – Third Brother

Sun: MandaiCrematorium for Steven’s funeral with nieces,nephews&grandnephews. Paid respects to my parents & to s-i-l since we were at the location, and surprisingly for a 2ndCNY-day, looked like many others were also paying respects to their departed ones.

A multi-million$ industry NirvanaMemorialGarden where both Steven&PohKit tablets with their names are now located.

Words will be out of place here as to how I feel about such extravagance spent on the departed, but each to their own beliefs to ease their conscience. 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.

Nirvana Memorial Garden – A Six Star Memorial Garden (nirvanagarden.com.sg)

Tkx for lunch@CystalJade/JurongPt, Olai would have liked to see how they make his favourite XiaoLongBao小笼包 from scratch – 1st time in this location and was amazed at this made-to-be a HKG-St ambience.

Mon: sea burial today heading out to the open seas from MarinaBayFerryTerminal

where dearest bro Steven can now be free to RIP – despite of the rains we managed to send him peacefully off with loving memories&thoughts for his final journey to his resting place. Tkx for lunch@Daisy’s.

For the Chinese, a decent funeral is considered one of the most important acts of filial piety to one’s parents and elders. My dear children, when my life’s journey is over please let me go quietly and peacefully, no need with acts of filial piety, ie rituals, ceremonies, etc. The gracious decent lovely beings you are (during my life’s journey) and hopefully continue to be after my life’s journey are your acts of filial piety.

A peasant dies calmly because he is not a Christian. He performs the rituals as a matter of course, but his true religion is different. His religion is nature, with which he has lived – Tolstoy

Tue: fasting&resting to recharge for whatever may be ahead! Appreciations to Gel for delivering her annual homemade Kimchi+GreenTea – looking forward to tasting it.

Wed: 5thDay of the LunarNewYear/2024 is to welcome Caishen财神 in Chinese mythology, is a revered deity associated with prosperity, abundance&financial well-being. Forecast with the presence of quarrelsome stars, so best to be aware of such – hahaha!

Caishen | God of Wealth, Fortune, Prosperity | Britannica

Happy Valentine’s/Heart’s Day. The origins of V-Day is a pagan festival, Lupercalia in ancient Rome – not as romantic as you would imagine! According to Hallmark ~145million cards are sold in USA and ~250million stems of flowers globally each year! At my age, an affair of the heart is a bypass – Joan Rivers

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance.
To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you.
To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple.
To respect strength, never power.
Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away.
And never, never to forget – Arundhati Roy/The Cost of Living 1999

Today is also Ash Wednesday for those marking the start of Lent:

Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year | AP News

Tkx with appreciations for dinner tonight@CrystalJade/GreatWorldCity, pleasantly surprised with not much of a crowd at the restaurant for a Valentine’s evening.

Menu: in pix 2CombinationRoastedMeatPlatter, ChineseSpinach with AssortedEgg in Broth, Sweet&SourPork, PrawnPasteChickenWings, BeefHorFun, RoastDuck + not in pix SautéedBeef&Asparagus, CrispyHomemadeTofu, Chicken&DuckCongee, and my all-time favourite mini EggTarts. As per request for MeiPin to let her know the dishes…

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Happy CNY 恭喜发财 🍊🍊2024

10 Feb 2024 – The Year Of The Dragon

Wed: somehow fate has it that I decided against going out last night to see the 1,500DragonDrones as it was cancelled, perhaps might be able to catch it another night in the schedule? And just as well to stay away from anyone to nurse a runny nose&stomach.

MBS cancels Feb 6 CNY drone show, citing ‘unforeseen circumstances’ | The Straits Times

Yeah to that we will soon have MRT connection. Marine Terrace TEL-BrownLine MRT station Exit2 is just around the corner from me.

TEL Stage 4 stations handed over to SMRT for final tests | The Straits Times

My favourite commercial where taking public transport is concerned…

How do you measure the economic success of a country? Looking from this list, good to know that both Norway&SIN are where I have lived&worked in these countries and at present still visiting in SIN and returning annually to visit Norway. Happiness,success,riches,wealth,etc are relative&subjective! But life would be rather sad if everything is to be measured by monetary signs!

The World’s Richest Countries Across 3 Metrics (visualcapitalist.com)

We are all visitors to this time, this place – Aboriginal proverb. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love – QE2

Thu: condolences to nieces,nephews&grandnephews for the loss of their father&grandfather, my3rd bro Steven Lam KwokPing.

Reunion dinner@Rochalie with family&friends.

Good to catch up with MeiPin & Chris and nice to meet with May&Andrew who are also friends with Carmel & HelenSee, small world. Appreciations to Les&Ivy for ReunionDinner to welcome the Year of the Dragon, eager&ready to pounce its forceful

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all. To those who will be having their ReunionDinner tonight, enjoy your moments before the mighty Dragon eager&ready to pounce its forceful appearance tomorrow.

Sat: welcome to the Year of the Dragon to SIN. A Happy,Healthy&Wealthy Chinese/Lunar New Year to all who are marking and celebrating. My dialect is Cantonese, KongHeiFattChoy 恭喜肥菜is used at this time of year to deliver a wish for prosperity.

Tkx to Les&Ivy for 1stDayCNY lunch@Rochalie.

Did not manage to capture a family group pix, but some shots are better than none. Hopefully David will have better one to be updated here.

Appreciations to KK for the LionDance@Cairnhill.

Great to catch up with Rosanna&family who arr from UK yesterday and nice chat with YunYun.