18 Sep 2020 – Sad News

Tue: walking from my place to PP off the main road, but still having to cross StillRd to get there. This tree by MPCC is right after exit10B/ECP on StillRd – could hardly believe my eyes as this is the first time to see these so many beautiful KengHwa/EpipyllumOxypetalum (tkx to Bian for correct name) in bloom. 

It is amazing that you can get a hair-cut for S$3 (for members) or FOC on Tue if you are 65yrs+. Have been getting my hair cut@this location for many years (used to have another name, but do not remember what??) and satisfy with it. Not a member, but I usually give whoever is cutting my hair S$10 and let them keep the change.

Before getting the grocery ready, a cuppa with a piece of ChalkFarm’s GulaMelaka. Yummy, rich&sweet, but slightly on the heavy side for my taste.. By the kitchen sink after a weekly main grocery shopping – fresh produce washed and getting ready to pack them ready for storage in the fridge, should last me for ~a week.

An interesting pix taken with an angle directly straight down from the kitchen window of a papaya tree. Wild fires on all 3US western coast states, Hurricane Sally approaching in the South – pray that it will be quiet on the East! To deny about climate change is like being an ostrich. All those in the way of the fires, hurricane, etc, plx do take care and be safe.

14 Sep 2020 – 19 Years Ago

Fri: how can anyone forget 9-11-2001? In memory of  those 2,977victims+19hijackers(2,996) who lost their life in 2001, 19yrs ago today and with thoughts&prayers to all who have lost their loved ones&friends.

Happy Bdays to bro Steven&cousin MayY in Canada. A visit Steven@UMC Home with a view of a church&an Indian Temple. Rules are stringent under these circumstances and rightly so. Only 1guest per day and not more than 30mins. Nice to see that his appetite is good, finished 2large pieces of the PandanChiffonCake (his favourite, also light&easy to eat)+a mini Mooncake and a bottle of water+a can of GreenT. But sad to see that clear signs of dementia has taken over. Do feel for my nieces&nephews who have to deal with one parent in a home and the other one at home counting her days.

BukitMerahCentral HawkersFood

Did not get to try any stalls, will do so the next time here, but during times when there are no lines as these! Pix of stalls are from the longest lines – food must be decent or good at those long lines!!

https://www.burpple.com/bukit-merah-central-food-centre/reviews

Sat: CC Season has started for #2-4, and will miss not seeing #1 in these races! Appreciations for updates from Linn – so many good things today. Irmo girls were runners-up and boys 4th at the Falcon Invitational. Sophie ran her first ever XC meet and came in 15th with a big PR! Irmo Middle School boys ALL had PR’s in the middle school 3200 meter race! I have the most fun job in the world! 

#1@UofSC Campus grounds and happy to hear that she likes her classes. #5&6 are still in elementary and both are 9. This year I will not get to see #1, 3, 4&5 and it will be the first time I have gone a year without visiting them.

Sun: on this lovely wet cool rainy Sunday in SIN I am going to change my password that will take 15billion years to hack according to 2600-TheHackerQuarterly. Has been wet&rainy all weekend, perfect for movies, not remembering any of them. So, how do I even expect to remember a new password??

Love, justice, sincerity, and respect become the password of your inward and outward life, always remember that; otherwise, you cannot log in, accurately your life ― Ehsan Sehgal

 

Mon: time for a hair-cut and to settle bills – topping up MRT card/S$100, new tank of gas for cooking/S$37. A tank usually last me for ~3yrs and this last one last ~1yr+6mos, just goes to show that I am in SIN and have been cooking more than the normal. Also the AC needs to be serviced.

10 Sep 2020 – Hannah&Heiko

Mon: this is the week of school holidays, so will not be out&wondering about if I do not have to! My goal for this week is to organize and sort out paperwork&Christmas decorations.

What is writing after all but an attempt to sort out the confusion of life ― Isabel Allende

Tue: appreciations to Hannah&Heiko for their visit for for helping me to finish some of the DIY-popiah stuff that was frozen from National Day weekend. Now I have learnt how to freeze this kind of food and it is perfectly good even after a month. Interesting to hear about their 16months cycle-trip from Germany-SIN, good luck to her new job&their future. Glad that one of my modern Christmas-trees can be part of their first Christmas here – first Christmas gift taken care of, and from now onwards, all my visitors will get a Christmas decoration – for real.

Wed: unbelievable! – thought that paperwork was cleared, but how wrong can I be??? Yes cleared some months ago, but today it has again piled up. Thinking about Jackie Wolford (both our girls were in the same HighSchool in the 1990s) in such situation when she told me that her mother would just burn all her bills&paperworks. Considering that it is the Hungry Ghost Month, it would be the bad idea, otherwise, sounds good to me!! Looking forward to having a clear working area again!!!

Thu: opened a can of worms by offering to give away Christmas decorations, paperwork not even organized yet, and now to another project – the story of my life on this perfect cool, wet rainy morning. Clearing&sorting out the Christmas stuff cupboard, hoping to empty is too ambitious&unrealistic, but did manage to pack a bag of decorations to give away – many years of stuff to let go, but as long as memories are within. Nobody can do a good memorable tradition Norwegian Christmas like L&Ms Norwegian grandparents, my first Christmas with them in Tromsø, Norway/1968 will always be with me.

It is not memories but the person we have become because of those past experiences that we should treasure. This is the lesson these keepsakes teach us when we sort them. The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not the person we were in the past ― Marie Kondō

6 Sep 2020 – Tiong Bahru Market

Thu: today 3Sep2005, 15yrs ago we completed the AT-ThruHike ~3,500k in 127days. Appreciations&hugs to my CandyAss group – Karen/MissWiggy, John/Gadget & Mike/T2. Our group was& will be probably the only ppl who carried champagne, delicate finger-foods+ a change of clothes to celebrate, thus earning the nick-name CandyAss! Was even asked by someone then if we were celebrating a wedding and if we were, it certainly would not have been mine – hahaha. 

Very likely this will be my most memorable hike where new good friends were made on this path. Thank you to all TrailAngels, supporters&fellow-hikers on my AT2005path. The journey of 1,000miles begin with 1step and I will add that all journeys begin with 1step.

Many tkx to TAYMin for FairPriceVouchers/S$20 and an interview to her study information for Senior Travellers. Happy to share my experiences over a cuppa@TiongBahruBakery. Good luck to her project and looking forward to hear about her China travel experiences. This brought back some memories from 8yrs ago when students NG SieYen, SEOW KiaHui and WU Shiyan from Nanyang Technological University NTU/SIN did their final year project on Active Aging.

https://amylamsg.com/2012/04/14/a-final-year-project/

TiongBahruMarket, one of the oldest hawkers in SIN – always bring back good memories of childhood days where mother would do her grocery shopping here. Of course now it looks nothing like what it used to. Check out the link below.

These are the stalls I have tasted and like and there are so many more to try. A good&interesting link with more stalls&the history about this location.

https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2020/07/history-of-tiong-bahru-market-food.html

Fri: Happy Bdays to 2nd-born, May and to nephew Vincent who has now emigrated to Perth/Australia with his family. Also Happy Teachers Day to all teachers. Being an x-teacher at one time, do know that it is not an easy job. A good parent is the most difficult task follow by being a good teacher and having been thru’ both roles and sometimes linking to each other can be quite a challenge. Schools are having a break for the coming week –  will stay far-far away from where ever the crowds are.

Home-made prawn salad lunch in my 4-walls and dinner@Jo&Michael’s+Sue with Les&Ivy – yummy BakKutTeh&fish (would probably look like that if someone tries to eat me!) delivered from OldTiongBahruBakKutTeh.

Sat: Happy 9thBday to #6 and this will be the last year counting his age with 1-digit. Looks like there will be no more new grand-babies to cuddle&snuggle up with and probably not around for great-grands! Great Piñata, I would have used all my strength to smash it into non-existence and then fly over there to give him the biggest hug.

Wet & lovely day with Clem&niece to celebrate the day in the TanjongPagar area – have been awhile ago since last in this area.

Lunching on seldom Mexican food@Guzman y Gomez – OK Tex-Mex

Dessert at The MarmaladePantry and no, did not taste their LemonMeriguneSpongeCake, but their CaramelizedPearBreadPudding with sea-salt caramel sauce and French vanilla ice cream was delicious.

Sun: a visit to 4th sis-is-law who was muttering most afternoon until I was about to leave. Was letting her know that I was leaving and asked if she recognized me and she said the one&only word we all heard recognized in Cantonese and I saw in her eyes and would like to think she did recognized me. She is blessed to have such wonderful filial children Vincent (who has recently immigrated to Perth), Judy, Daisy&Clement who are taking good care of her at home.

Appreciations to Clement, Daisy&Darryl for dinner@Le Shrimp Ramen/StarVista, first time tasting this yummy shrimp broth noodle and first time at this location. Dropped Darryl back to camp and also first time dropping anyone off to camp.

2 Sep 2020 – Revisit To Musical Box Museum

Sun: yummy lunch of fresh figs&Prosciutto, exactly how I like it – unlike most who like it with cantaloupe or melon.

Tkx for steamboat dinner&wines from Les&Ivy. Tried to bake almond cookies there as my own oven has been down for over a decade! The taste was OK, but somehow the consistency did not turn out, probably the dough was too old (remains from 4th sis-in-law’s almondT).

Mon: last day in Aug and a nice day with AudreyM@SIN MusicalBoxMuseum – there for the opening 5yrs ago and enjoyed it. Tkx to Yoshie for arranging this guided-tour who made it another good experience. 

The birds are new additions. http://amylamsg.com/2015/08/21/musical-box-museum/

The most valuable one is this new box (last pix here) decorated with precious stones which can only be taken out for demonstration when Mr NaotoORUI is present. http://www.singaporemusicalboxmuseum.org/

Even for the people in the business who are real music lovers it’s really about putting things in the right boxes, and my style doesn’t fit into a box – Teddy Thompson

Lunched and walkabout in the Chinatown area admiring Yip’s new mural – looks like some of his older murals are no longer!! Looking forward to see a book where all his murals are documented. Was hoping for a durian shaved-ice, forgetting that MeiHeongYuen on this street closes on Mon and too hot to walk to ChinatownPoint to the other branch. Coffee@Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop, also hoping to catch up what is new@URA, that too is closed, not bc of Mon but bc of COVID-19.

Mooncake shopping and got the tingkat (S$15 for just the box) decorative box this year to remind me use my own tingkat for takeouts to help save the environment!

Mon31Aug2020: WorldOmeter of COVID-19 deaths are as follow: 

SIN/pop 5.6+mil in an area of 721SqKm – 27
SC/USA/pop 5+mil in an area of 82, 932SqKm – 2,709
Norway/pop 5.3+mil in an area of 365,268SqKm – 264

Tue: hello Sep! In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological autumn is on 1Sep – – the nearest I can get to autumn colours is@SINBontanicGardens/SBG. The octagonal gazebo known as the Bandstand upon the BandstandHill was erected in 1930 and has retained its original form over the years. The Bandstand site served as a focal point of SBG in its original landscape and staged early evening performances by military bands for many years. Although no longer regularly used for music performances, it is a favourite wedding photo spot and an iconic landmark of the Gardens.

Grocery shopping@Giant/Tampines. Could not resist this offer, iron ( needed a new one)+blender (like the portable-size and the glass container), both for S$20. Wet rainy evening should be suitable for a good night sleep, and did not even nap or snooze this afternoon.

A month with at least 15family members&38FBfriends Bdays – go figure it out, count backwards 9months and what time of the year is that??

4 Sep – Happy Bdays MayH & Vince 
5 Sep – Happy Bday Olai 
8 Sep – Happy Alfred
11 Sep – Happy Bdays Steven & MayY
15 Sep – Happy Bday Ting Ting
16 Sep – Happy Bdays Ivy & Edith(19Sep) edited
20 Sep – Happy Bday AmyR
21 Sep – Happy Bday Greg
23 Sep – Happy Bdays Joyce & Klaus
24 Sep – Happy Bday Yun
25 Sep – Happy Bday Kat
30 Sep Happy Bdays Mabel, DaisyL & Valerie

Wed: trying to locate pix for Sep family’s Bdays and here is where FB is useful. Appreciations to the family who are cooperating and do provide me pix when I ask for them. Also getting pix from the AT Thru’Hike to mark 15yrs ago I hiked 3,500km in 127days. All the red&white NationalDay stuff down, ready to be packed away.

29 Aug 2020 – Marine Parade’s Hawkers

Wed: exciting news in the medical world for the first implant of the AngelMed Guardian device in Asia-Pacific by a leading Cardiologist LeslieLAM – so proud of my big brother. Hope that I may never need one of those even when being an admirer of angels, do like their logo – pix downloaded.

http://www.angel-med.com/frontpage/the-guardian/what-is-the-angelmed-guardian-system/

https://www.cathlabdigest.com/content/first-angelmed-guardianr-implants-asia-pacific

Many of us have had Oracle experiences, though we may not have called them that. Have you had the feeling there’s a guardian angel looking out for you? Or heard an inner voice that is not your own? Gotten a profound insight that you would not have otherwise considered? Had your prayers answered? Especially in an unexpected way? These are a few of the ways that the invisible world guides us.― Cristina Smith

Thu: tkx to Henry for lunch company@MarineT Hawkers and happy to find fresh figs in my local neighbourhood fruit stall. Made ClamChower&BourbonSalmon dinner for niece.

Fri:  TGIF – ChalkFarm, a cake-shop named after a stop on London’sNorthern TubeLine, opened its first outlet in Paragon in 2013 and its second outlet in Parkway Parade/PP in 2014, and I only noticed it today!! The cakes here looks good and will be interesting to taste some of this fusion local SIN kuays.

Mooncakes are now available in some shops and online. As usual, all kinds of fancy and expensive ones, you can even find Durian Mooncake! As much as I like durians, my preference has always& will always be the old-fashioned original filled with just plain lotus seed paste. Have tired many and will keep trying incase I do find one that I like better. Some of these boxes which the cakes are presented are amazingly beautifully made.

ColdStorage/PP to pick up some steaks and was in luck. The tenderloins were on discount, 2pieces~280gr for S$13.42. Dinner for Clem tomorrow night – steaks with CaramalisedOnions&MushroomStew (family’s favourites sides for their steaks) and dessert from FourLeaves.

Sat: today’s Hawker’s Food Centre, 84MarineParade – trying to list one hawker centre every week that I have tried.

4stalls, where I have tried and would recommend, not that the other stalls are no good, just do not have the time to try them all. Apollo Fresh Cockle FriedKwayTeow is the place if you like wet KwayTeow. DimSum&Popiah without prawns (S$1.80) are decent for their prices. Xin Long CookedFood (Chap Chye Png), get there before lunch hour if you are not prepared to stand in lines. Not sure why the ChickenRice stall (across from the popiah stall) is not open today, hope that the owners are OK as it is another stall I like.

https://sethlui.com/marine-parade-central-market-and-food-centre-food-guide-singapore/

The welcoming downpours stared at noon today – the sound&sight of rains need no words or pix to enjoy. Another link for more things to do and this one is for the outdoors. Keeping most of my activities to the weekdays so as not to get caught with any crowds. Enjoying the weekend in my 4-walls vegetating by the screen – a good weekend to all.

https://www.timeout.com/singapore/things-to-do/cross-country-treks-in-singapore

25 Aug 2020 – Seven Sisters Festival 七姐诞

Sat: am not sure what or why is it that I need this weekend to figure out what will be in the last quarter of 2020 before I turn 71. Coincidentally, there have been signs here&there for me to deal with, but have been sweeping them under the carpet. Time to lift up the carpet and check if it could fly – hahaha.

Sun: lovely wet&grey morning to start the day and was easily distracted by this image bringing back memories of spectacular views from my first 1967 visit with father. Norway is one of the few countries that has a never-ending places to see in my bucket-list and this is another one to add. Ways in to Lysebotn is by boat or by the spectacular Lysebotnvegen, 29Km, rises 900+metres, going through 27hairpin turns, including one hairpin turn inside a 1,103-metre tunnel that goes inside the mountain. The road was opened in 1984 and it is open only in the summer.

Mon: tonight, if clear, try look up the sky and spot the two brightest stars against the Milky Way. On the 6th-night of the 7th-lunar month, the stars, Vega&Altair or more visibly Jupiter&Saturn, will come close together, with the Milky Way looking like a bridge. Tomorrow, on the 7th-day of the 7th-lunar month, a colourful Chinese Festival, Seven Sisters Festival/七姐诞, a festival imported to SIN from China by the Cantonese migrants based on a legend of the Weaver Girl&the Cowherd/牛郎织女. Like this beautiful digitally painted by YC YIP (well-known for his SIN mural paintings) and a downloaded painting from the collections of the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia

http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblioasia/2018/07/04/in-search-of-the-seven-sisters-festival/

Tue: vague memories of this festival and somehow thought that Seven Sisters Festival and the Cowherd&Weaver Girl were 2different festivals. Now knowing better and learning more does bring back memories from childhood days growing up with 3grandmothers in the same house. With GhostMonth/19Aug 7Sisters/25Aug and soon MoonCakes/1Oct so close to each other with every one of them marked by the grandmothers, happy to remember bits&pieces.

Legends don’t have to make sense. They just have to be beautiful. Or at least interesting – Terry Pratchett

Busy day starting with grocery shopping, appointment@SGH. VitD supplement added and more urine&blood test in Oct to decide if surgery is the next step! Errands in Chinatown, did not see much signs to mark the 7Sisters Festival, but then was not really looking. At CC to talk with Calvin about the SINc2c charity walk and he will provide me with what I need – have to make a list to figure that out soon.

S’porean Makes Travel Bucket List For Our Little Red Dot Since We Can’t Fly Anywhere

A good link with many locations suggested, especially now that we are unable to fly anywhere. Have plans to check out these where I have not been. All pix downloaded in this posting.

21 Aug 2020 – Hungry Ghost Month

Mon: OMG#1 is off to college today! Has it been that long ago I drove her mom to UF/1993! And then a visit to welcome her in OK/2002. Wishing my precious KTbug all the best to a new chapter in her life@UofSC.

Just goes to show how much I like playing with food, even just for a single serving when alone! And no, I do not do this for every meal, only when the ingredients&the mood are there – pix from a collection over time. When preparing for myself, will use bare-hands, but will use disposable gloves when preparing for company. 

Makes it fun to prepare the meals (ie if you have time on your hands) and more appetizing, even if it is only a snack. 

Tue: early morning breakfast&grocery at local wet-market&Giant@MarineT. Appreciations to Gel for brunch co and to SPgroup for electricity meter maintenance who were here before 12n and done within 5mins.

Wed: today starts the HungryGhostMonth until 16Sep. Those who know me know how I feel about all these rituals – whatever your beliefs, enjoy but do NOT harm or intrude on others and the surroundings! The never-ending of beliefs, faith and hopes triumph over logic and reality again – 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.

https://amylamsg.com/2011/08/22/if-religion-is-a-thing/

This is what is so annoying when ppl do not clear&clean up after their mess – not only it is unhygienic, but also an eye-sore, even to the spirited-world, unless they are blind! Hope that those who have caused this kind of mess will get all kinds of signs&messages from the other side telling them to clear up.

Besides notes from the Bank of Hell, nowadays it is even possible to buy paper meals! thus no need to leave real food out attracting the creepy crawly!! But of course there is still the issue of pollution when all these paper stuff are burnt!!! Surely there can be a solution in our modern high-tech to project or beam all these, paper goods, etc without having to burn or put out real foods!!!!

Thu: local post office@MarineParade moved to the basement@PatkwayParade making this the 2nd move since living in this neighbourhood. If the lines are long now, can at least be in the AC-mall instead of having to stay outside when there were lines at the previous 2locations! International postage (SPF with B/W VWbug. my last car) has gone up again (S$1.40) while local postage (Goldfish&Durian) seems to have gone down (0.30c)??

Fri: TGIF – this morning’s conversation with a couple sharing the table are from Woodlands and have come all the way to my neighbourhood to eat. Good idea to start getting recommendations from others to visit different hawkers around the island. Some pix of the hawker stalls I have tried and would recommend@MarineTerrace, less than 5mins walk from me. 

Those serving@MP Coffee&Drinks (husband&wife team+a helper) know me well enough that no words are needed from me to get my order, probably the only white-hair senior who would order an ice-coffee even at 0500hrs – hahaha. Enjoy your weekend.

One of my favourite humourous ghost quotes that I have been using for the last 3decades! True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

16 Aug 2020 – Infant Jesus Homes&Children Centres/IJHCC

Wed:  A Happy Hump Day to all – 7yrs have gone by quickly and 7yrs ago, completed 16days thru’hike 309km-UKc2c. Today, hopes&plans to do a 2-3days thru’walk 36km-SINc2c sometime before 2021.

https://amylamsg.com/2013/08/11/day-16-ukc2c/

Being not familiar with this area, and do not even remember when was the last time here. Today’s lunch appointment – way too early when the bus stop @CoronationPlaza/BukitTimahRd, decided to remain on the bus67 to see how far this joy-ride could take me? After 10more stops, got off@KingAlbertParkMRT, crossing the overhead bridge to the bus-stop to backtrack and lo&behold what do I see@this bus-stop!! – a sign for the SINc2cTrail, coincidence or what??

Delightful staircase with over-grown green foliage creeping on to the stairs. Crossing the overhead bridge remembering how this canal often flooded during heavy rains and causing traffic stand-still on BkTimahRd in the 1950s-60s.

Somehow, this is meant to be and signs do pop up in various ways if we take time to be aware of them. Will need some help to plan SINc2c walk as a charity walk for InfantJesusHomes&ChildrenCentres/IJHCC – nothing to do with religion for me, but in memory&dedication to the nuns who have crossed paths with me during my convent school&teaching days.

SIN/StTheresaConvent (1957-1961)&CHIJ (1962-65). Pix of now&then downloaded.

https://amylamsg.com/2019/06/19/st-theresas-convent/

Ireland/BalbriggenLoretoConvent (1972-74). Pix of now&then downloaded.

https://amylamsg.com/2012/07/04/26961/

Usually am not in SIN this time of the year and also this is the first time to be asked by StTheresaConvent1950s&CHIJ1960s class-mates to join their annual Bday lunch for Maria who is now Sister Maria ( the only one of my classmates who is a nun). Do remember vaguely crossing paths with her&sisterD 20yrs ago when taking care of the IrishGrads/IGAS functions.

Was waiting at another Thai eatery in the plaza, which looked interesting, but was not the same as Thai Noodle House which was not in the plaza, but across the road from it where we were supposed to meet – Better late than never.

Thu: the welcoming early morning down-pour helped to cool things down, lets hope that this will continue to be a cool day – has been hot hot hot the past week and even had the AC on to sleep the past few nights – usually the fan does the job. Today is a stay-in day for me. Urine has to be collected for 24hrs to be tested for Hyperparathyroidism/overactive glands in the thyroid. Hoping&praying that surgery is not needed.

Fri: another morning with downpour today on the bus196, changing to 75 and then the shuttle (all under shelter except for getting on and off the buses) into SGH to deliver the urine and blood tested, all done within an hour excluding transport time! Like the Wall of Hope on the way by foot to OutramMRT station walking underground to Chinatown to pick up some food, continuing on by bus to Clement to pick up more food that he had purchased for me from IKEA.

Sat: 0545hrs to catch first bus16 to DakotaMRT, changing@Bishan to Kranji. Arr there 0715hrs enough time for a coffee&sandwich while waiting for Alyssa, Fabrizio & Grace. Kranji War Memorial to discover that it was closed to public as there was some private event – forgot all about today being 75th Anniversary Ceremony of Japanese surrender bringing WWII to an end.

My late maternal journalist 8thUncle, EddieTSENG (1915-1988), was one of a handful of reporters aboard who witnessed the signing and was THE very first to report the news to the world.

https://www.scmp.com/article/433673/frontlines?fbclid=IwAR1FzzCpXn0X-efIXRr4_I4Ku3TAMPM-vhdeDMPwPLtmpJpNCDp2xqClTVI

Lovely big trees surround the grounds where the tombs of BenjaminSheares and YusofIshak are located just outside the War Memorial.

Continuing in hot humid weathers thru’ industrial area on hard concrete pavements (not my favourite kind of walk) towards Kranji Reservoir&Dam which I never knew of its existence! Learn something new!!

Hardly anyone here at the reservoir with the over-grown greenery around the lonely bench. Crossing the dam where fishermen (this camera is not the best to get the dragon-fly on zoom!) were enjoying their Sat on this dam with hazy views to our neighbouring country, Johore/Malaysia where it seems like a mirage against the contrast from the side of SIN green-wetlands. 

Crossing the dam and the rest of the way to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve/SBWR was narrow and on some sections with no walking paths, making it rather dangerous when the bigger vehicles past by. 

The first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in SIN(2002), and its global importance as a stop-over point for migratory birds was recognised by the inclusion of the reserve into the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network. The reserve, with an area of 130 hectares, was listed as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003. And I have not been here since the opening in 2002 – the section where we entered is new.

Do like the design of these new structures+look-out points&boardwalks on the new 31-hectare extension.

Abundance of wide life sighted today including 2horn-bills. Am sure glad that the snake is up the tree away from the path –  after seeing that, slipped&fell (nothing broken or bruises) and lost my group – for real. HornBills&snake pix credits to Fabrizio.

Can never get enough of these mangroves. What a pleasant surprise to cross path with SengHock who is an excellent photographer. After chatting with him for a few mins, happy to reunite with the group, was about to give up on them.

Lucky to get a cab for a revisit to PoisonIvy@Bollywood (must be over a decade since my first visit) for lunch. Without reservations, the wait was 1+hr, the group went on to KanjiMarshes and I stayed to chat with Ivy on the phone. This place has really extended since my first visit when Ivy’s house by the pond was new&the only building then, open to just empty grounds.

Today the house is fenced in with all kinds of beautiful flowers, trees&vegetation grown on the grounds.

Nice relaxing lunch (had the fish of the day) and did some shopping. Could never resist the TorchGinger flower for my salads. The cookies were delicious and such a good idea with these newspaper re-cycled bags. Shuttle S$1Seniors, $3 for others to the KranjiMRT was packed in the pouring rains.

Left my 4-walls at 0530hrs this morning and back 12hrs later to clean up&crash after app12km walk today.

Sun: need a quiet day to rest, do laundry, gather my thoughts&clear the mess within the 4-walls after such a busy week.

11 Aug 2020 – A Long Weekend

Sat: DIY Popiah++lunch with Sue, Clement, Daisy&Darryl+Leonard. Do recommend this fun&tasty foods from Fortune Foods/FF who conveniently prepares&delivers all the ingredients. Just have to display or leave them in the plastic containers they come in. Good that all the basic ingredients are there, but I bought extra prawns&crab-meat which really add to the taste, making it a Luxury Popiah.

Sun: Happy 55th Bday SIN, my birth-country that is 15yrs younger than I am!! To Grace&her group, enjoy&cycle safe on these crowded paths, which are way beyond my limits today, but it would have been another story 15yrs ago with the AT Thru’Hike. Good memories and decided to be a trail angel with donuts this morning for this group of young ppl who will be cycling 50-60km.

EC Pk main paths were crowded, but knowing the area so well, could always find some quiet side or back paths.

Feeling patriotic while watching the ND-parade on TV happening at various part in SIN. All pix taken from the TV-screen

Not knowing how much food to expect, first time ordering from FF, ended up with way too much yesterday – left-overs for ppl to dogging-bag and items that can be be frozen went to the freezer. Called them this morning to cancel some items for tonight’s dinner at Les&Ivy’s. Since everything is freshly-made and the order was not until tonight, they were good enough&service minded to accommodate the cancellation. 

Mon: a public holiday here. Got quite excited upon reading this from Irene – if you’re interested in being a guinea pig, especially if you’re in the older age group as I am, here’s how to let them know. Those interested in taking part in the trial can contact the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit at imu@singhealth.com.sg or call 6323-7544/8318-0685. Then I got down to the part where it states that Subjects must be healthy, with no underlying medical conditions – there goes the idea to be a guinea pig!

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/first-vaccinations-next-week-for-clinical-trial-in-singapore?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-08-10+8%3A08%3A29

Tue: A Letter To The Municipal Of Troms/Norway by Morten Hald – my ex-bro-in-law, L&M’s Norwegian uncle, Professor in the Department of Geology, Dean at Faculty of Science and Technology in the University of Tromsø. In this letter he explains why they should NOT build this Arctic Center Resort which will destroy much of the natural reserve and wild life in that area, an area which also means much to me too, and I agree with him 100%.

https://www.itromso.no/meninger/2020/08/10/Et-%C3%A5pent-brev-til-kommunen-om-Arctic-Center-22446583.ece

Once destroyed, Nature’s beauty cannot be repurchased at any price – Ansel Adams