24 Jan 2011 – Life in the Neighbourhood

Colourful beans of some sort and a strange-looking squash costing over S$20 which is used more for worshipping than eating!

An electrical coconut grater, fruits, veggies and fish vendors.

Good eateries, flea and flower markets and ground-level shop houses.

24/7 Neighbourhood watch which I once called about 10yrs ago and they were at the doorsteps in less than 5mins, 24/7 shop n save grocery store and a not quite but nearly 24/7 mama shop with a bit of this & that 🙂

First Bengawan Solo (cakes, cookies and local desserts) in SIN.

Create your own visual style… let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others – Orson Welles

23 Jan 2011 – A People Weekend!

Thank you for gifts and lovely lunch company Aileen, Alan, Yulis & Chiew. Had a pre-CNY lunch (deviled-eggs, pasta, roast chicken, salad and chocolate fondue) to meet up before visitors arrive and travels after visitors leave. As usual, too busy chatting, thus forgot to take people pix for Sat but it was only recently that we were all at Yulis & Chiew’s wedding with people pix of us all in that posting!

Simple CNY decorations are now in place to welcome May & Bjørn!

Today, received a surprise call from AmyR requesting to help Brian locate Sister Jo from the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus/CHIJ orphanage. After taking a walk to a house behind the Katong Convent/Primary, discovered that she is now located@St Theresa’s Home at Upper Thompson Rd. Brian’s step-sister was adopted from the CHIJ orphanage in the 1960s and looking at his pix brought back memories of the CHIJ school days. Imagine just how blessed many of us are that we did not have to live or grow up in an orphanage!

Raw fish salad Lo Hei/撈起 (posting 13 Feb 2010 – Yuisang/鱼生) dinner@Les & Ivy and a farewell dinner for the CHUAS who are now on a jet plane. Safe journeys to them.

It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same – St Theresa of Avila

22 Jan 2011 – Happy Bday Katy born in the Year of the Snake!

The predictions for the Rabbit year to people born under the sign of the Ox!

People born 4 Feb 1949 to 4 Feb 1950, year of the Ox are sturdy, earthy, no-nonsense. Affectionate and easy-going, the Ox can show a fierce temper when agitated. Neat, tidy, quiet and studious, with a great love of the home. Music can be a great love. Family life and a loving partner are high on the Ox’s priorities. A wonderful loyal friend.

Forecast for the Rabbit Year: The Ox will have grown quite a bit during 2010. Its whirlwind moments and sudden challenges meant the Ox had to adjust the thinking and change direction on a dime! Some may feel a bit low about the way things went and it’s important to look forward to 2011 and put 2010 firmly behind them. That should always be the case! The year of the Rabbit will be encouraging and bringing exciting offers and progress. Ha… will believe that when I see it 🙂

Romance is highlighted in a very special way this year, with unattached Oxen finding themselves in exactly the right place at the right time to meet someone very special. Yeah, right LOL 🙂 🙂 Friendship will be important during 2011. Friendship is always important. The Ox should take time to ensure a healthy diet and that to exercise and spend time outdoors. Rest and relaxation will be vital for all Oxen during the Year of the Rabbit. Vital for everybody and anybody who does not know that has no common sense 🙂 🙂 🙂

Astrology, fengshui, horoscopes, prophecies, Tarot cards etc should be read and taken as entertainment or just for the fun of it. As replied by Minister Mentor/MM and SIN’s 1st Prime Minister LEE Kuan Yew (87yrs of age) when asked recently if he believes in astrology or fengshui, he laughed and said it was utter rubbish… also said this about the people in SIN…  you think we have friendly neighbours, GROW UP. The 458-page book launched yesterday Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going, is based on 16 interviews MM gave to Straits Times journalists. Published by Straits Times Press. Looking forward to reading it!

21 Jan 2011 – Yummy Goodies

Thu: Thank you for lunch@Jo‘s and thanks to Les & Ivy for dinner@Great World City’s Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine**** The CHUAS will be heading back to Canberra/Australia and who knows when we will next meet? Grandniece Kiera & grandnephew Lucas are as delightful as can be. Les & Ivy have this new blade-less fan, looking like a spaceship catching the camera’s attention!

The Chinese New Year/CNY is still 2 weeks away and the stores are fully packed with all the goodies. Being a coward with crowds, was in Chinatown last week to check out the stores and to take some pix. Such a dazzling and colourful adventure where you need to be there to experience and feel the ambiance of a crimson flaming red forest!

Have a few favourite cookies from various different places. Noting that stressed spelt backwards is desserts, so go for the desserts and there will be no stressed 🙂 Pix from Glory on East Coast Rd, except for Sue’s pineapple tarts which are the best of all pineapple tarts. This year will try to get 8 assortments of my most favourite cookies and snacks for May & Bjørn to taste.

Butter cookies from Glory**** Loveletters, Fouram and Almond cookies from Bengawan Solo**** Pineapple tarts from Suri’s***** Bakkwa (Bjørn being a non-pork eater does not have to taste this but he does not know what he will be missing!) from Bee Hock Guan*** dried red melon seeds and Macadamia nuts from where ever they taste fresh and good.

Raffles City, South Bridge Rd, People’s Park and Chinatown.

According to yesterday’s ST, have to be prepared to pay more than S$50 per kg if you intend to pig out on bakkwa this CNY. Retailers said rising ingredient and labour costs are pushing up the cost of this festive treat of sliced barbecued pork. Will only be buying a small amount of the individually vacuum-packed, more for tradition and decoration! Looking at the lines in this bakkwa shop in Chinatown, one would think that it is FOC… dream on!

Cookies are made of butter and love – Norwegian Proverb

19 Jan 2011 – Housing Development Board/HDB

Yesterday Linn announced that she is will be making me a grandmother for the fifth time in Aug and that #5 will be her last!

This posting is for the benefit of May’s friend Bjørn who will be visiting SIN for the first time and will be staying here. The public housing/HDB in the Marine Parade MP/马林百列 area comprises 58 blocks and over 85% of SIN nearly 5mil pop live in HDB including this blogger! If interested for more info: Check posting. Neighbourhood 4 Mar 2010 & HDB 25 Oct 2010.

In many countries, public housing is a not so desirable location to live in but in SIN, it is not the case. Affordable, clean and safe plus public transportation, library, Community Centre and coffee shops/eating places are conveniently located in HDB built-up areas make them quite attractive. Only SIN citizens and PRs are permitted to purchase HDB and there are many regulations attached to them:  http://www.hdb.gov.sg/

Pix to give non-SIN an idea of SIN public housing@Marine Crescent Gardens.

Bamboo plants outside the common area are permitted as long as they are kept clean, tidy and there is NO standing stagnant water anywhere. The fines are quite hefty if stagnant water is discovered outside or in inside the apartment at random check. Quite rightly so as to prevent dengue. Elevators are monitored with surveillance cameras. Post boxes have hinges one can put into action for unwelcoming junk. The mail-person access these boxes by a common locked opening from the back.

The common walkways are all covered to the bus-stop and if you know your way, you can practically walk to the library or the beach under covered walkways all the way (except at minor road crossings) in 5mins.

One of the many playgrounds and this one faces Marine Cres/Terrace.

Multi-storey car-park with a roof-top garden to provide more oxygen in this concrete jungle 🙂

Tao Nan School/TNS, one of SIN prestigious schools is located on Still Rd/MP Rd/Marine Cres which will soon be demolished to make way for bigger and taller buildings!

Across the road from TNS via the covered overhead pass is MPs Community Centre and the neighbourhood library located on MP Rd/Still Rd where you will find me if not in the apartment or by the beach 🙂 🙂

Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest – Lady Bird Johnson

18 Jan 2011 – Happy Bday Grand-niece Isabelle

Brisbane floods: 1.Milton Road with iconic XXXX factory high and dry on the hill. 2.Closed due to flood warnings/Back in 5 meters. 3.Cook Street/Oxley Road. Thanks to Bec & Denise for updates and for sharing. Hopefully everything is getting back to the routine life when the town is cleared and cleaned up. Do understand that many have loss their whole life’s saving and everything they owned. And for some, it will be difficult to start all over again. My thoughts go out to them and my hopes for them is that there will be a silver lining somehow and somewhere. Australians have a more positive outlook and a good sense of humour to life, they will rise above the 5 meters again!

Brazil, Philippines, South Africa and Sri Lanka are also badly hit by the floods. These are poorer countries and how are they going to cope??

Does the snake know that he has a passenger? Thanks to Denise again for sharing. Being a cynic, cannot help but think of the story about the Gingerbread Man. For the frog’s sake, he should remember that he can swim, otherwise it will be frog-legs dinner for the snake 🙂

Then the gingerbread man  reached a wide river , but he didn’t know how to swim. A sly and hungry fox  saw the gingerbread man  and said, ‘Jump on my tail and I’ll take you across the river !’

The gingerbread man thought to himself, ‘I’ll be safe on his tail.’ So he jumped on the fox’s tail and they started across the river.

Halfway across the river, the fox barked, ‘You’re too heavy for my tail, jump on my back.’ So the gingerbread man jumped on the fox’s back.

Soon, the fox said, ‘You’re too heavy for my back, jump onto my nose.’ So the gingerbread man  jumped on the fox’s nose. But as soon as they reached the riverbank, the fox flipped the gingerbread man into the air, snapped his mouth shut and ate the gingerbread man.

And that was the end of the gingerbread man

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/gingerbreadman/story/

17 Jan 2011 – Sentosa Golf Club & Sentosa Cove

Originally Pulau Blakang Mati – in Malay Isle of the Dead – because of its many cemeteries, the island of Sentosa was given an image makeover in the late 1960s/posting Sentosa 9 Jul 2009. Sentosa, which in Malay means tranquillity, was to be the home of tourist attractions and eventually a new golf course opened in 1974. In the early 1990’s, the old Clubhouse was demolished to make way for an updated Clubhouse which today boasts full banqueting and conference facilities. The Club is today home of the US$6 million Barclays Singapore Open and the Open International Final Qualifying (IFQ) Asia.

Golf tourism is spreading rapidly all over the world. Although most people play the sport of golf because of its interaction with nature, most golfers do not realise or consider how environmentally damaging the sport can be. The booming golf trade throughout the world creates a haven for golfers and a nightmare for environmentalists … http://www.blurtit.com/q830894.html

Sun: Thanks to Les & Ivy for a lovely lunch@Sentosa Golf Club***on a beautiful breezy day with grandniece Kiera explaining the menu and playing make-believe take-orders and recommendations from the chef with her. May & Albert are taking a short get-away while Les & Ivy are baby sitting. Lee, Adeline & Isabelle who will be 3 tomorrow joined us. Strange, seems like yesterday when Lee was 3 ( both Lee & Linn will be 37 this year!) and now he has a 3yrs young daughter who also is not too fond of food like her daddy when he was that age 🙂

15 Jan 2011 –  Age is Just a Figure!

Happy Bday to Angie Sosa FOLDS who also shares this day. Thank you to everyone for their thoughtful Bday wishes. What is another year but more figures in everyway! For granddaughter Katy, she is into her last year where she can count her age with just one figure!! When we moved to the USA in 1985, was then joking with L&M that the reason for moving there was so as not to forget the bday since Martin Luther KING was born on the same day and is a public holiday in the USA 🙂

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream – Martin Luther KING

A rainy week with new movies and today@nephew Clement’s newly renovated HDB to catch up with old DVDs. Someone asked if the movies reviewed and rated in this blog have been watched. Yes yes yes is the answer from a movie buff…

The Last Days of Emma Blank/De laatste dagen van Emma Blank*** Dutch flick about Emma who waits for her death in a most dysfunctional country household. Emma is a steely, avaricious dictator whose absurd demands drives everyone into madness. Until the day that they discover that they stand to inherit nothing and they drop off their charade of caring and concern. It is supposed to be a comedy… but fail to see the comic side to this movie!

All Good Things*** New York City in the 1980s- David, the son of a powerful real estate tycoon, marries Katie a beautiful working class student. Together they flee the city for country life in Vermont, only to be lured back by David’s father. About a very distraught David who witnessed the suicide of his mother when he was 7. The consequences, four people murdered with David as the main suspect and the Marks family’s dark secrets pave the way to a disturbing truth.

Burlesque *** Ali is a small-town girl who follows her dreams to LA. The Burlesque Lounge is home to an inspired musical revue where Ali worked as a cocktail waitress. She wins the eye of bartender musician Jack and makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores the lounge to its former glory and a charismatic entrepreneur Marcus arrives with an enticing proposal. Do not usually go for musicals but wanted to watch Cher’s acting and man does she look good for her age!

Lover’s Discourse/戀人絮語** bonds together a series of relationships as well as tales of love and lost and various stages of love, betrayal and redemption. Being a HKG flick, it is dubbed from Cantonese to Mandarin and somehow do not like dubbed movies. In future must remember not to watch HKG movies in SIN.

13 Jan 2011 – The Island Syndrome