20 Dec 2010 – Chasing the Moon!

The night pictures on Orchard Rd happened to also be a full-moon night (Centre & Orchard Point) when the Christmas lights were lid. It was difficult to concentrate on this year’s Christmas lights, as festive as they are, do not give me the feeling of Christmas. Instead I went after the moon! For me the colours do not put me into the mood, maybe I should forget the past Christmases (let’s not get into never-ending stories!) and get into the Paranakan colours. For the benefits of my overseas reader: Paranakan or Baba-Nyonya/峇峇娘惹 are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to this region during the Colonial era.

Bright Lights Big City: Tanglin Mall (quite a difference with night light illusions, who could guess that the tree is made of recycled CDs & DVDs!), Tanglin Rd, Wheelock Pl, Ion, Paragon, Takashimaya, Orchard Rd/Junction of Cairnhill Rd & Orchard Central… elephant tusks, a reminder of the SIN who got arrested in Kenya/Africa for smuggling raw ivory recently. But of course this had not happened yet when the decorations and lights were set up.

Tasteful decorations in my eyes are the simple ones using the tradition Christmas colours, like my old school the old Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus/CHIJ on Victoria St. Christmas to the Christians is about the birth of Jesus Christ (supposedly a simple humble man); for the believers, how does he feel in heaven to see what mankind has done, even to the point of making a circus of his birthday? For non-believers, please have respect for those who sincerely believe and practice their faiths for a positive reason!

Welcome back to SIN for the holidays, cousin David from HI. Thank you to family & friends all over the world for your beings and for all the blessings and joys you have brought me.

Fly me to the moon
Let me sing among those stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars – Bart Howard

19 Dec 2010 – Neighbourhood Happenings

Strange happening when I was sitting at the gazebo or pavilion (what does one call these here in SIN?) to wait for my ride. It was raining, a van pulled aside and out came an Indian man in red overalls. He climbed the tree to break off branches from the tree and let it fall to the ground. First thought was that maybe he was trimming the tree… out with my camera! When he realized what I was doing after the flash, like a flash he climbed down, gathered the branches of leafs, came to me holding the branches both palms together with the traditional Indian greeting of namaste. Not that I was going to report him or anything of that sort but it perplex and intrigues me… is the leaf eatable?

Another wake and funeral but this one is an interesting one with the full rituals including the burning of the paper-made worldly processions for the deceased’s next life to the netherworld. The Egyptians also believed that they could take their worldly processions into the underworld, same ideas, another variation! The chanting, etc started early Fri evening and yesterday morning with the brass band (to frighten away the spirits & ghosts) leading the cortege of people across the T-junction where they boarded the buses to take them to either the burial grounds or the crematorium. RIP to the deceased.

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 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

17 Dec 2010 – Illusions & Delusions

With all the news of WikiLeaks and Nobel Peace Prize, one cannot but hear, read, discussed etc about the pros and cons, the controversies of ethics and morals. It is not easy to be objective in many situations, especially when we are living in such a complex world and unfortunately too many people have minimum sincere respect for the differences. We are all such creatures of habits and of conditioning without even realizing it, the illusions of the self and the delusions of freedom! Trying to keep life’s journeys as simple as possible but sometimes it is not so simple… another illusion and or delusion 🙂

Comment to Lucy’s (thanks to her who introduced me to blogging 3yrs ago) blog on the issues of WikiLeaks: http://singaporegirl.wordpress.com

Show me politics with no corruption or one single sincere politician and I will eat my words! And her reply:

Amy, u are too cynical! I think pple go into politics for all sorts of reasons, n power is one of them; tho more n more r getting to see that power is probably more lasting n enjoyable coming from wealth than politics.

Anne is a Norwegian young lady I met at the airport in SIN en route to Chiang Mai/Thailand in 2006. For some reason I said something to her in Norwegian when we were at the check-in counter line and managed to surprise her and her family then! During yesterday’s coffee, she told me that she and her husband Morten have been here for 8yrs but will move on to Sydney after the Christmas holidays. She will still keep her business and shop Scandic Wonders@Tanglin Mall, where candles and decorations made in Scandinavia can be found: http://www.scandicwonders.com and the only mall with a Christmas tree made or used CDs & DVDs (probably the only one!). Indeed an imaginative way for recycling! Best wishes and good luck to Anne & Morten in Sydney. Hopefully our paths will cross again either here in SIN or in Norway.

Mankind will never see an end of trouble until
Lovers of wisdom come to hold political power or
The holders of power become lovers of wisdom –
Plato, The Republic

12 Dec 2010 – Illusions with Lights

Toys Games Comics Convention@Suntec. Still looking out for a light sable but not quite the full size.  Care Bears bring me precious memories of Linn&May from 1985@LAX/USA immigration with May clutching tightly to her pink Care Bear. Handed all our passports to the officer, Linn/Ireland, May/Norwegian and me/SIN. The officer smiled and asked if her Care Bear also had its own passport and from which country. Poor May! She looked apprehensive as she did not quite speak or understand English then, but after Linn‘s translation, came this big smile on her face.

Thanks to nephew Clement for a piece of the sinfully delicious chocolate from Sins and a yummy steak dinner@Outback***at Millenia Walk. Must be synchronicity as will usually go for local food when in SIN, that same night, Linn was also enjoying her Omaha steaks!

A Page of Madness/狂った一頁 a 1926 Japanese movie, would be unfair to rate as it is a class of its own. Takes place in an asylum and tells the story of the asylum’s janitor and his wife as one of the patients. The music was deafeningly loud and distracting. The film does not contain subtitles nor any titles, difficult to follow and I was really lost… felt like I was going mad!

My desk, total chaos (after watching the movie!) over the weekend. Snail-mail seasonal greetings to USA & EU are done and out in the mail, they are getting less after the existence of email and Facebook! But there are some who are not online and some who like receiving hard copies. Next week to get the snail-mail for Asia out and the email messages drafted before pressing the SEND button! How did we ever managed over hundreds of seasonal greetings out in time before email I will never understand 🙂

Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces – Sigmund Freud

11 Dec 2010 –  Island Getaway

Fri: Changi Village/posting 14 Sep 2009 Time & Tide wait for No one! where one of the best Nasi Lemak stalls is located- a hearty breakfast hit the spot before getting on the boat at Changi Ferry Point on this hazy day. For those who have the luxury of time (slightly under 2hrs!), No 2 bus from town will take you all the way to Changi Village Terminal for less than S$2.

About 10mins ride on a bumboat is Ubin, an island where SIN has stood still since 1950/60s (Pulau=island in Malay). As you get off the boat head for a lesson of tropical fruits, herbs, vegetables etc. Bicycle rentals are abundant, unless you bring your own which will cost an extra S$2 on top of your S$2.50 fare on the bumboat!

For S$4 but you will need at least 6 person to fill the small van, a driver will drive you to Chek Jawa, 10mins drive/1hr walk. There is a coastal & mangroves boardwalk, seagrass lagoon, Jejawi Tower 20m (highest point on the island) and a viewing jetty where there is a charming cottage.

The Tudor architecture style was built in the 1930s as a holiday retreat and probably where you can find the only working fireplace in SIN!

This 10.2sq km island is largely a series of undulating granite hills and the picturesque abandoned granite of Balai Quary is still visible. Did not have the time to check out Noordin Campsite where the National Police Cadet Corps Campsite is and four other quarries but will certainly return to do so another day. Remember to bring mozzy repellant, you will need it! Appreciations to Audrey MOH and her ESL class for including me on their field-trip.

If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos – EO Wilson

9 Dec 2010 – Ajahn Brahmavamso

Wed: paid respects to my parents at Mandai Crematorium/posting 27 Apr 2010, the mystery of the missing rose is no longer a mystery. Both roses are in place and let’s hope that they will remain so after the repainting job which is ongoing when I was there. Will check on that before I take off from SIN early next year!

Nearly 2hrs by bus with a change at Ang Mo Kio to another bus. Met with Siong Yin at AMK Hub for lunch and bought a new pot, always wanted one of these multi cooker with steamer. Can look forward to cooking my Cantonese clear soup and steam fish or whatever I feel like eating at the same time.

Thu: first heard of Ajahn Brahmavamso when I returned to SIN in 2000. An English monk with a degree in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University and a monastery in Australia is not your usual monk. Very impressed with his talks as it is NOT about religion but more about attitudes and ways to live. Ajahn Brahm is one of the very few people I admire and respect! Will try to catch his talks whenever he and I are in SIN at the same time! Inspiring, sincere, logical, realistic talks with humour are easy to follow. His first book Opening the Door of your Heart*** was published in 2004 and now his new publication Simply this Moment. Looking forward to reading it.   http://www.ajahnbrahm.org/about.html

Grant yourself a moment of peace and you will understand
How foolishly you have scurried
Learn to be silent and you will notice
You have talked too much
Be kind, and you will realize
Your judgement of others was too severe –
Chinese Proverb

7 Dec 2010 – Dinner, Temple, Lunch & Movie

Congratulations to Evelyn & Andrew who were married on 2 Oct when I was en route from NY to SC, thus missing this wonderful wedding. Met Eve in 2003 when I was working in Marina House and she needed orchid pictures for the Times Publishing Group cooperate calendar. We finally caught up for dinner Mon night and had the chance to see the pictures. What a lovely wedding outfit with real orchids and Lily of the Valley in her hair… the perfect combination to match SIN colours. Wishing them the very best of luck for their future.

Tue: annual expedition with 90yrs old por-por (Ivy’s mother) to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple@Waterloo St/posting 22 Dec 2009. Dim-sum lunch at Victor’s Kitchen***@Sunshine Plaza. When this HKG husband & wife team opened in a tiny corner with 6 small tables some years ago, the food was excellent for the money then. Today they have expanded to a larger area but their food is not as good as it used to be.

Hello Stranger/กวน มึน โฮ **** Thai movie inspired by Korean culture and entertainment that fluxed around Asia, the film tells a love story of a guy and a girl who destined to meet in Seoul during their private trip to Korea. Funny romantic comedy, light and entertaining with good laugh for 2hrs to forget whatever unhappy thoughts you might have 🙂

There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met – Yeats

6 Dec 2010 – Woods Equestrian

Made a vegetarian lunch for Sam & Orlando to celebrate my Christmas lights (the ones bought at IKEA when actually only planned to get a bracket!) and to celebrate the nearly completed spraying the seed-pots Christmas decorations. Sam is the daughter of WONG Hong Sze. Sam and Orlando met during their studies in London where he is originally from and they got married in SIN Feb 2009. Great to catch up with this delightful young couple who are starting their life together. Appreciations to them for wanting to spend time with me! Sam is an avid rider and has her own horse. Lagos. For more info:

http://www.woods-equestrian.com

They have recently set up a riding school where one can even ride on a mechanical simulated horse, Totilas, to experience the feeling before actually riding the real animal. It is a good idea, especially for those who are apprehensive. This way one can try to feel and see if one is comfortable so as not get nervous being on the real animal. Horses are very instinctive and sensitive, they immediately sense if the rider is nervous or not in control.

The very best of luck to them and to their new riding school. Looking forward to the opening of Woods Equestrian. Have never been on a mechanical horse, can then try to ride on Totilas even thought preempt that my preference is to ride on the real thing as riding out in the nature is fun. Now if that is not already mindset about the preempt… what is 🙂

We all talk to ourselves
A major key to success exists in what we say to ourselves
Which helps to shape our attitude and mindset
Darren Johnson

4 Dec 2010 – Salad & One Amber

Thu: thank you Aileen for a most healthy and delicious lunch at Mescluns*** Salad, Sandwich & Soup@CityLink. The selection of greens are fresh and a good variety of extras and toppings. Freshly squeezed juice was like any other freshly squeezed juice and the soup was so-so. Did not try the sandwich. Will certainly return for the salad and their dressings.

Appreciations to Jane for a home-cooked dinner at her beautiful new condo@One Amber, another of SIN’s changing skyline on the East Coast.

Here is one we all can relate to in today’s tech-no world! Have a good weekend.

A little boy goes to his father and asks ‘Daddy, how was I born?’

The father answers, ‘Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo.  Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.  We sneaked into a secluded room and googled each other.  There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.  As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:

YOU GOT MALE!! (John W)

The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men,
but that men will begin to think like computers
Sydney J. Harris

2 Dec 2010 – Two movies + Dec special dates

14 Happy Bdays Ingrid HUSTAD & LAM Cheng Chwab

16 Happy Bday Andy LAM

23 Happy Bday Minos LAM

24 Happy Anniversary May & Albert CHUA

25 Merry Christmas

27 Happy Bday Lisa XIAO

31 Bye-bye 2010

Winner of the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2009, The White Ribbon**** is set in the village of Eichwald, Germany just before World War I. A story of the children and teenagers, their families, a school choir run by the village schoolteacher, the Baron and his family, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife and the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual but no one knows who is behind it…

B/W film to merge into 1913-1914 time frame. There is no music but the natural sounds of what is happening is a good way to keep the concentration. The ending is quite ingenious as the only conclusion is your own speculation! Somehow the character of the pastor reminds me of Brand, one of Ibsen’s play… another European up-tight religious character.

Bruce Lee, My Brother*** based on the memoir written by his younger brother, Robert. As a young man, Bruce Lee was often engaging in street fights with his buddies, Kong and Unicorn. Against his father’s wishes, Bruce studies the Wing Chun martial arts style instead of Tai-chi and tastes his first triumph by knocking out a Caucasian boxer at a tournament with his kung-fu skills.

On the eve of his triumph, he learns that Kong has become a drug addict and decides to rumble the drug lord’s den together with Unicorn. This renders him the target of both the triads and corrupted cops who want him in jail. To save his life, Lee’s father has no choice but to send him off to San Francisco to pursue his studies. Enjoyed seeing a less action flick of Bruce Lee in his growing years. The young HKG actor, Aarif Rahman is quite pleasing to the eyes! Only wished it was in Cantonese. For those expecting much action and kung-fu will be disappointed.

Success means doing something sincerely and wholeheartedly – Bruce Lee