New Year Eve

Today marks the end of 2011. It is a year of ups and downs like roller coaster. The stock market is down by 17%. 2012 outlook on the global economy is weak with Eurozone financial crisis and weak American economy.

I still wonder if people still make New Year's Resolutions. Anyway, it is a regular weekend for us. B1 and B3 cooked poached eggs as edible experiment. B2 went out to play pool with his friends and then B1 and B3 took a bus to Lower Pierce Reservoir to catch lobsters.

I barbeque chicken satay and chicken wings for dinner tonight. After dinner, we have watermelon for dessert and also ate Lim Chee Guan's bbq beef. It was good to have all the boys together for dinner.

Great Dinner Awesome Meal

We had a total of three nieces joining us for dinner tonight. My eldest niece from my eldest sister and two older nieces from my brother. The boyfriend of my eldest niece is here as well. The highlight is Christmas Ham. It was very popular and it seems everyone likes it. It is fun to see everyone enjoying the meal.

Our boys enjoyed the mashed potatoes which our new helper cooked. She is good in making mashed potatoes. I enjoyed the preparation and serving. My niece boyfriend like the coffee I made for him. It is a little strong. I hope he can sleep tonight...

AGM

We have our estate AGM this evening. This is the first time we held it in the estate. We also have a new MA or managing agent. As usual, we have an SP who is not happy with the inconvenience about his car park situation. It is interesting that he look at from his own perspective and is not happy at all.

The good thing is the developer is here and I was happy he show up to give support and explain a new by-laws we have. Overall, the meeting went well and was done in good time. We close the meeting by 10pm.

$10 For a Chicken!

You can have it steamed, roasted or braised. Fernvale Point foodcourt has this deal. The rice however cost $1 per bowl unlike elsewhere it will cost only 50cents. However the chicken is a deal! The taste is not bad too. The chicken is actually quite small. Overall, it has more meat than half a chicken elsewhere. Regular chicken rice is still $2.50 per plate.

Kinokuniya has a 20% straight discount. So I bought 4 books, two for B2 and two for myself. All three boys are with us in Takashimaya today and then we have a homecooked dinner at home. It is great to have all the boys together especially when all are at home.

Maiden Dinner and Brew

We had our first home-cooked dinner by new helper. Her cooking is basically stew. She has stewed pork with cubed carrot and spinach. The other dish was minced meat with tofu and the cooking is the same style. So our tofu is almost a soup. Her cooking is different from our previous helper and is quite healthy and tasted fine.

After dinner, B1 and B3 accompanied me to the 24hr NTUC Supermarket in Fernvale Point to buy coffee powder to try out the Italian coffee pot. It is the first brew and I am glad we bought the "four" cups model. Four cups is less than one mug!! I realised coffee in Italy is served in a tiny cup and in tiny quantities. Their cup size is only one-fifth a regular cup here.

Anyway, the coffee tastes fine. I am not a coffee drinker, so it will have to wait for visitors to use and enjoy the Italian coffee brew.

Awesome Ride at PCN

All three boys cycled with me this evening in the PCN. B3 rode on the hybrid bicycle. We rode all the way to Punggol past the resturants before turning around. The bbq smelled heavenly. Now there is a KFC as well. The Park Connector is so crowded as it is a public holiday. Many families are out with small kids. Loads of roller bladers and cyclists. I wonder what will it be like once all the HDB flats are built. There are so many flats under construction and more areas are fenced up as we ride along the PCN indicating the building program is accelerating.

It is simply awesome just riding with all three boys. We have to ride in a single file. The ride was slightly marred by B1 being a little upset and keep riding ahead. Then B3 get upset with me for not hearing him when he want to stop to play with sand.

However, I really feel good that my 3 boys are riding together. It is best holiday experience. Way better than in Italy as B1 was missing in the trip.

Christmas Day

I went to Compasspoint early in the morning to check if the Christmas hams are on sale in Cold Storage. No luck this time. The price stayed the same. So I had tea in Ah Kun as Toastbox is full. It seems like Ah Kun is not as popular as Toastbox. Toastbox has some basic food menu like mee siam, nasi lemak or mee rebus which is good for breakfast whereas Ah Kun has only kaya toast, soft boiled eggs and hot drinks.

We have Teochew porridge for lunch and then go to our favorite mall Takashimaya for
"Jalan Jalan" aka window shopping.

It seems like the wind is very strong and gusty. My door slams a couple of times and it was too quick for me to react. I have to use a heavy weight to prevent the door from slamming.

328 Laksa

I was hungry for laksa and B3 like Katong laksa which is not spicy. So we drove all the way to Katong for our fix. Unfortunately, the authentic laksa is closed and we have to adjourn to 328 laksa on the opposite side of the road. 328 laksa does not taste as good as the original Katong laksa. It is also spicier and B3 has a little problem as he is not capable of eating spicy food. The flavor is mild and it is milk base rather than coconut and thus do not taste as rich.

To add insult to injury, it is priced higher than the original Katong Laksa. While it did fix my laksa craving, I would have to go back to Katong again.

Weight Down!!

Finally, my weight dropped below 86kg!!! Okay, it is not really true as I weigh in after two hours of cycling. Which means plenty of fluids loss. Still, it is great feeling to see lower weight after hovering for 89kg most of this year.

I hope I can keep my weight down. It is hard since returning as I am a see-food diet person. I loved to see the food and try them.

Mmmmm!

I refused the breakfast in the aircraft before landing. It is quite disorientating to leave on Friday noon and land on Saturday morning. Never mind about that. Even though I am not hungry as 8am is only 2am in Italy and my tummy should be in deep sleep, I go to AMK Ave 5's hawker center and eat a plate of fried bee hoon. It is yummily heavenly. Home at last!

Dinner is River Valley Nasi Lemak from basement of Lucky Plaza. It is really wonderful to escape from the monotony of sour tomato paste in spagetti or pizza. I can get spicy stuff and oriental flavours. It is shallow to be obsessed by food. But I am still a lowly human being with my human frailties.

It is so heavenly to be back home where my stomach can be comforted.

Lucky Malaysians and Singaporeans!

I am up early. In a cold place, the first thing I will do is to boil water. It is my habit to get a hot drink early in the morning. I did the same routine in Canada when we were living there. In the last 13 days, I have been doing the same thing - boiling a pot of water for hot drinks. Usually tea and sometimes coffee.

In Singapore and Malaysia, it is so easy step out of your house and hot tea and coffee stalls are everywhere within reach in less than five mins. Okay, we drive to the hawker centres or shop lots in Malaysia. Then we get a wide variety of choice at low price - teh-o, teh, teh-c, teh tarik, teh halia, ... And if you like designer's choice for people who need ego boost and snob appeal - caffe latte, coffee americano, TWG Singapore breakfast tea and the like.

Best of all, our water tastes heavenly. In Italy, the water in all the cities I have been are hard. So is the water in North America (US and Canada). I am happy to go home soon to drink greating tasting drinks and even water. (Those who know me well knows I hardly drink water;-)).

My regular coffee stall in AMK Ave 5 hawker centre opens at 4:30am. No cafe is open for breakfast before 7am here. We have a choice of fried bee hoon, fried carrot cake, wanton mee, nasi lemak... need I go on? In Italy, breakfast is crossiants or sweet pastries. No crispy fried chicken wings or curry vegetable to go with your carbo.

As I wind down my trip to Italy, I reflect on my observations. We are incredibly lucky to live in Asia at this time. There are lot of histories and past glories in Europe - museums are everywhere celebrating and displaying the works of great artists and scientists. There is great tradition and the electric trams still worked after 100 years. This trip open my eyes to history. I am glad to see and experience history. The future is back home in Asia.

Lucky Olga

I am not talking about the Ogre from Shrek. My wife was shopping for a handbag. You know the kind easily recognizable by other women and make them squeals wth delight if they are friends or green with envy if they are not.

Rinacenter is a departmental store like Takashimaya. All the major brands are there. Handbags or leather goods of any kind is not my cup of tea. So B2 and B3 stick with me to walk around for exercie and window shop. We ran out of places to go and went to the handbag store. The Wife was standing there patiently waiting for someone to the get the price of a bag. Finally, she asked a Chinese salegirl for the price. She did gave the price but snub my wife with "I am busy! Please wait!!!" I did not like this kind of attitude. So when another girl was free, I asked her to serve The Wife. She did so and was helpful to show different models and sizes. With my help, she decides on the model she wanted and the sales was closed in less than 10 min. Meanwhile the Chinese salesgirl was done with her prospect and watching from side.

We went to other level of Rinacenter to enjoy more window shopping. Not that we enjoy shopping so much. It is below freezing outside and it is so much nicer to be warm than to have our butts frozen. When we return to the hotel, I was pooped and go to bed early. B2 accompanies mummy to the stores again. They ended up in the same store and buy from the same girl. She is so lucky to chalk up good sales from one customer. She is so happy and gave her name, Olga to my wife so that we can look for her whenever we are there.

My First Souvenir

Milan is the only city where there is a departmental store. All the major brands are housed there. At the basement, the floor is dedicated to design. Many small sections with each company displaying items of unique design. Everyday things are transformed in art pieces - cups, candle holders, bowls, pencils, pens and many other things. Nespresso is very busy. Plenty of customers buying coffee and coffee makers. The tiny cofffeemaker with the individual capsules look like modern art.

I like this section and will bring my boys there tomorrow so that they can experience how a 10¢ pencil or 30¢ pen can be transformed into one that cost a few dollars. It is low cost art but high value regular items. The premium is huge and profit margin high. But the volume will be low. It is the way of the future. We will the trending towards a world of what use to be - craftmen and artisans.

The award winning coffeemaker which I had earlier is also here. My wife saw a stainless steel model which is induction compatible. She like it a lot and insist we should buy it. A two cups model cost €43 and a four cups model cost €45. So guess which model is my first souvenir from Italy?

Very Comforting in Milan

Milan is a big city. The streets are busy with cars and electic trams. Traffic lights control the flow of the traffic and pedestrian. The metro has many lines and the atmosphere and energy level is high. My wife has one word to describe this city - vibrant!

Milan is like a city in Asia, very busy and full of energy and movement. It is always in motion. Best of all things are in working condition. No broken lights or non-functioning escalators which are quite common in Rome. Milan also safer than Rome. Maybe because we see less beggars and shady characters. Also the street vendors have a merchant feel about them whereas in Rome the street vendors are tough looking.

Onwards to Milan

We are on our last leg of our trip in Italy. We will checkout and take a train to Milan this morning. This is one of the longest holiday trip we have taken. I am so glad to eat fried rice and fried spagetti yesterday. We ate at Tianjin resturant right beside Rialto water bus stop. Actually our hotel is also at this stop. It is vey near to the stop once you know the place. However, it is very easy to wander around and around as the street names are unfamiliar and not easy to find. We went roundabout a few times before we managed to locate our apartment.

Venice is interesting as it is the only city in the world to use solely water as a means of transportation. The garbage is cleared by trollery and transferre to a boat. Construction material like stones are also transoort on a boat with a built-in mechanical arm with claws. Simple routine tasks become fascinating because it is the first time to see a garbage boat or a contruction boat.

Freezing Cold

Temperature is below freezing. So it not so fun to walk with cold feet and frozen ears. It is not a good time to come to Italy in winter. Rome and Florence were raining when we were there. In Venice it is freezing temperature. The trip is good to experience Italian culture and food. But unfriendly weather makes the experience less fun. Venice is still a great place to visit with lots of local artists. There are lots of glass sculptures and the price of some are quite reasonable.

Award Winning Italian Coffee Maker

I was browsing through some design books to get inspiration for new ideas. In the book Top 100 Designs, an interesting looking coffeemaker was featured. Then while watching news on global warming where scientists in Antarctica are finding new evidence, one of the scientist was making coffee with the same coffeemaker. This coffeemaker is in every apartment we stayed. Only in Venice coffee powder is supplied. So I have a chance to try out the operation:-) It is quite simple.

I have taken a few pictures to show you....

Interesting Venice

We took the train from Florence to Venice early in the morning. On arrival, we have to take a water bus for two stops. It costs €6.50 per head. Pretty expensive for a short distance. But walking with lugguage will be extremely challenging as the will be many bridges to climb and cross.

There are no motor vehicles in Venice. No bicycles, no motorbikes, no scooters or cars, so the walkways are really for walking. It is incredible after Rome and Florence where walkways are full of people walking and motorised vehicles will keep coming from behind you. In Venice just avoid other people. The walkways are really narrow and can make it challenging. But no stress of "CAR!!!" from my boys or my wife. It is also interesting to ride the water bus.

The views are very interesting. The apartment we are staying is was built in16th century or 400 years ago. The apartment we stayed in Florence is 500 years old! Old buildings can have problems. We were told our apartment is more than 500 years old when we complained about the smell of one of the toilets. Now I know frangrance industry is thriving in Europe.

Getting lost in Venice is quite easy as there are many deadends as well as convoluting that we find that we are walking in circle all the time. Weather is cold with temperature dropping below zero. So dressing warmly makes it easier to stay out. I will recommend Venice the city to visit.

Giant Mosquito!

There was a huge flying insect in the living room after we checked in. B3 tried to catch it by hand but he let go when he touches it as he felt disgusted. My wife says it is a mosquito, I disagree thinking it is far too big to be a mosquito. I was reading in the bed room and the same type of insect was flying right in front of me. I decided to get rid of the irritant and managed to smack it against the bed. A huge smear of blood appeared. It was indeed a mosquito. This mosquito is 10X the size of those in Singapore!

As I was writing, it is hard to believe this myself. The bed cover on the divan has not been changed. So I decided to take a photo with my finger pointing on the blood smear for size comparison.

Sunny Saturday

Today is our last day in Florence. Luckily it is sunny unlike previous 3 days. Everyone is like us enjoying the day out. It is so crowded in the streets. Plenty of tour groups from mainland China. We passed the day shopping and enjoying the sights. Went into a Cathedral to pray with my boys. We have a good day.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

We rented a car with driver to bring us to the world famous leaning tower. Considering it status, it is hard to find. Our driver has to call a few times to get the road name so that he can punch it into the GPS. The tower is actually quite short. It was supposed to be part of the cathedral. The impressive thing is it is restored and looked so new and fresh. We went into the cathedral to pray and adjourned to the outlet mall.

The wind was gusty and strong. It is raining and not many shoppers are about. We see a few foreign shoppers around. They are in groups. Their mannerisms are so unmistakably Singaporean. Like my French neighbour says, we are obsessed with shopping! Only Singaporeans would shop in this weather.

The buildings in Italy are very unfriendly to pedestrians. They are either no overhang or so small that it offers no protection from the rain. The malls are a series of shop lots and you have to walk out each time you move from shop to shop. So shoppers have to get wet if it is raining. Italians do not believe in communal good. Cities in Asia are built differently. While the shops are individual, they are house in a building that protect you from the elements. Another observation. The amenities are scant. Very few toilets or eateries. The food choices is limited to only Italian food. Gelato and pizza everywhere. Even the ubiquitious McDonald is rare. No fried stuff. So it is heallthy living in Italy!

Strikes

Yesterday, there is bus strike and today, train strike. Living in Singapore for so long, it is easy to forget strikes is illegal or not encouraged as the head of the unions is a cabinet minister. There are plenty of tourists whose itinenaries are disrupted. Most are going to the outlet malls. So the strikes are damaging the local shops and businesses.

The people manning the Florence bus station are very unfriendly and rude in their response to our queries. Italy is a country unfriendly to non-Italian. There very few signs in English or any other language. Some men are confrontional. The coffee is cheap and good. Some pizza taste heavenly. As I pen down my impression, I can understand why Singapore as a country is highly rated. Without comparsion, it is easy to complain and focus on shortcomings. I would say Italy is not a country I like to experience living in.

Chinese Food

We have our first Chinese meal today. The food is quite cold and look unappealing. It is good to have stirfry, fried rice and fried spagetti. The meat dish is very salty. The sausages we cooked from the supermarket whether in Rome or Florence are salty. It must be Italian taste to have salty meat dish.

What Do U Think?

What do you think of the kitchen? There are two electric cookers, coffee maker and a combination oven. It is good to feed hungry boys at a reasonable cost!

Night Scene Outside Our Apartment

Florence

I like Florence! The water is soft compared to Rome(my tea did not turn black). Book shops are everywhere! It is a place of learning. The Medici family lived here. Medici was and probably to today a wealthy family who sponsored innovation and art during the renaissance. The city is smaller than the small city of Rome. It seems to me, at least, Rome is small relative to the Asian ones I frequent.

The church is really interesting with all the sculptures and paintings. I am staying right beside the Dome which is a huge church. It is a two room apartment and 40% cheaper than our apartment in Rome. We stayed in apartments that come with kitchen as much as we can so that we can save on meals. We have more homecooked meals than resturant meals so far. All the space in apartments are far bigger than hotels. It is good as I am usually up before my boys and will not disturb them.

Asians tourists are in abundance in here. A family was walking by me while I wait for my wife who is doing price checks. The adults were speaking Cantonese among themselves. My first thought was "ah! Hong Kong" Then they swiched to Mandarin to the kids. They are from Malaysia,probably KL since Cantonese is the dominant dialect there.

It rained yesterday. So we were all wet. We tried the pizza here. It was tastier in Rome.

Freezing!

The temperature in Rome dropped significantly. Everyone was dressed warmly. Running out of sights to see, we did window shopping along Via Cordotti, the Orchard Road of Rome. The shops were full of Asians, Chinese from China dominates, some from Taiwan and a sprinkling from Singapore.

We had lunch in AL 34, an Italian Resturant. The waiter was from Bangladesh. He studied in the University here and stayed on for 22 years. My boys asked why is a graduate a waiter the moment we left the resturant. I have no answer for this question. The waiter told us this resturant is quite famous. Usually it is full at lunch time. The Americans and Europeans from other countries stopped coming. When we were having lunch only three or four tables were occupied. This is an indicator of poor economic situation US and EU are in. I hope the governments solved their problems.

Asia is the region of growth and prospersity.

Out of Things To-Do

Rome is quite a small city. We run out of things to do, so we visit St. Peter's Square again. The Catholic Church is a huge organisation. The Vatican is a gigantic fortress. The museum is full of artifacts including Egyptian mummy. St. Peter Church is enormous and full of religous sculpture and paintings. The paintings are very realistic and colours are brilliant. Maybe the maintenance is good, many sculptures have cracks and are restored. Some of the heads are replaced.

Italian men are quite aggressive. They seems to be easily triggered and raring for a fight. Smokers are everywhere. Retail sales are usually foreign women including Chinese and Philipinos. Many Indians and Bangladeshi are vendors on the street selling roasted chestnuts, magazines or knick knacks.

We tried to check out early to go to Florence but have to pay for one night penalty. So we stay on and change our train schedule instead. Until now I have not adjusted to Roman time yet. I am feeling sleepy now...

Rome con't

The roads in the city are paved with stones, the steps are carved from stone, the old crumbling buildings are built using stone technology, The old technology of Europe is stone and well developed. In China, the only place I see so many stones is The Great Wall. The columns in front of historical buildings were carved from stone. At the colosseo(where the gladiators fight to their deaths), we can see the some of the storage areas for repair works. We noticed the old parts were solid stones. However, some of the columns have small square tubes embedded lengthwise. The repairs must be done with faux stones.

The roads are narrow and the pedestrian walkways narrower. No green at all, at a birdeyes view, it is a long narrow canal between two rows of buildings. The police drive electric cars and there are plenty of electric cars in Rome, so Italy is way ahead in conservation of Mother Earth. Another interesting car is a tiny two seater that can be park crosswise on a parking lot. Young women are garbage collectors, B2 noticed garbage are not smelly and a lot cleaner than back home.

We took the Metro and each journey cost 1 euro. 10 years old child is free. So travel on public tansit is quite reasonable. The system is same as Toronto. The journey can be mixed with train, bus or electric tram within 75mins.

When the day breaks, we will be going to the Vatican city. My friend from Thailand told me just before I left she would loved to see the Vatican. I am looking to visit one of the holiest city in the world.

Sleepless in Roma

4:51am. We had our homecooked meal of sausage and pasta and soup. We are trying to find ways to occupy ourselves productively. There was a round table interview of nobel prize winners. It is quite interesting. I like one economic nobel laureate who said at home nobody care about price -his wife, his kids and his maid. I understand this too well. The Nobel prize winning theory does not matter at home. It is daily activities of living. Food on the table, homework, tv programmes, sports, friends and everything else.

Glad!

10:50pm or 5:50am Singapore time. I was up for an hour now and was unable to go back to sleep. It's blogging time!

I am glad we did not take packaged tour. I can sleep when I am tired instead of following a tight schedule. My boys slept together in our room as they are not used to alone in a strange place. B1 was sleeping alone back home. B2 keeps repeating if "big gor gor" is here, the dinner mummy cooked will be just nice, if big gor gor is here, it will be so much fun, if big gor gor is here, we can have better value for the hotel, if big gor gor is here, ...

All of us missed "big gor gor" or big brother. The good thing about travelling to Europe is time difference is only 7 hours. So there is a window where we are wide awake and active. The other reason why I am glad we did not take package tour is our boys especially B3 is has short attention span. He get bored with touristy activities.

There were a few old cathedrals that we went in to see and since they are place of worship, we pray for safe and secure future. It is amazing that man build such gigantic structures in olden times with stones and primitive tools. They are great feats of engineering. one dome has a skylight. The glass cover itself is amazing and putting it in place and securing it won my admiration of our forefathers. The artwork and sculptures are life-like. No wonder Italians are known for their design and creativity. They started a few hundreds years ago!

Rome

The flight was delayed leaving the airport. The aircraft had issues with turning off the cabin lights. It took an hour and 40 minutes before the plane finally takes off. All the ground crews were on standby at the gate in case the flight was cancelled. They have to help look for other flights to put the passengers in. Luckily, most passengers were sleeping. So the distress level for the cabin crews is low. Only an ang mo toddler seating directly behind my row was restless. I was too tired and sleepy to be disturbed.

We gained some time and landed about an hour behind schedule in Rome. Our hotel is right in Roma square. On the way to the hotel we passed some of the historical sites. It is history lessons coming alive! Just like the movie gradiator, the columns, walls, arches are still there except they are ancient and standing proud but in need of repairs. It is very impressive. Our hotel is right beside the Spanish steps. I feel like resident looking out at all the tourists. It is 11:20pm now and there are still a number of people outside and enjoying the steps. The history must be very meaningful to attract so many people.

We walked around the shops in the morning. All the brands are congregated here like ground level in Takashimaya or Ion, only difference is they are in individual shops. The roads are paved with cobbled stones. It is incredible that cars, motorbikes and delivery vehicles jostle for space and managed to keep moving.

I am beginning to like Italy. I had misgivings reading about pickpockets, things stolen in hotel rooms, horror stories from everyone when we told them we are going to Italy. It is a good start. I hope we do not have any unpleasant counters for the rest of our trip.

All Ready

The boys are getting ready now. We are getting prepared for the cold weather and also worrying about pickpockets and being fleeced. Sigh! It is not a good country to visit if crime is so high. No wonder the government have problems. Yet, we also heard from many who have went there say it is a very nice place. I guess there are a lot of history. It is a place of the renaissance and great leap in learning.

It is good that B2 and B3 experience the country first hand. We wished B1 is with us as we usually travel as a family. Now that B1 is growing up, it is getting more difficult. Soon our boys will be all grown. Such is the chapters of life. We have to keep moving in the lifecycle.

Italy, Here We Come

We are finally going to Italy. It took a long time to plan and get ready for this holiday as my points were expiring. My wife did everything from booking the seats, hotels to local transfer from airport to hotel. As usual, I did not do any of the logistics except packing my own bags.

There are so many horror stories in the internet as well as from friends about tourists being fleeced. I hope we do not encounter unpleasant experience while we are there.

Perennial Weight Issue

I often talk about my weight in the blog. It is very hard to bring it down. I do lots of exercise but it simply refuses to go down. On Monday, it dropped by 2kgs in a single day! Today is Wednesday and I am still down by the same 2kgs. It is amazing what dramatic stress can do the weight management.

I hope to keep my weight down. I have seen several male friends who lost weight due to sickness or go for liposuction gain their tummy back after a couple of years (likely less;). I hope I can keep my weight at a healthy level. Overweight bring a host of health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes and lack of energy. So we have take care of ourselves and our bodies.

My Japanese Colleague Life Events

My colleague based in Japan informed me of the sad news his step-father passed away yesterday after a long fight with lung cancer in Osaka. He has lead a good and happy life. I am very sorry for his widow, my colleague's mother. She will now be alone at home. Her life companion is gone. I have met her once in Australia. She is a very sweet lady and learned English so that she can communicate with the rest of us. I hope she stay strong.

At the same time his step-daughter is in Yokohama giving birth to a baby. Such is the cycle of life. Old life moved on and new life come in.

Lunch with Eldest Sister

I had lunch with my eldest sister. We go to Teochew club that has a Teochew resturant. There are not many Teochew resturants in Singapore. The food is quite good. The traditional favorites - cold crab, braised duck, sauteed string beans, cold chicken and pork belly with bittergourd in claypot. The food is quite delicious and tasty.

After lunch, we spend the time chatting and catching up on all the kids activities. My nieces are busying with their work and career. Two nephews finished "O" and "A" and waiting for their results. B2 is waiting for his "O" level results as well. So our kids are all growing up. Soon we may be discussing grandchildren!

Dead Quiet

It is early in the morning. My place is so quiet that the sound of water fountains in my neighbours' home can be heard clearly. It reminds me of the time when we went tobogganing in Switzerland. The mountain was extremely quiet to a point it is eerie silence.

Here in the dead of night, the fountain bubbling can be heard clearly. In a distance, a dog was barking. The sky is quite clear, so the stars are visible. Unfortunately, no UFO which is something I always hope see in the sky. I am a believer of occult and UFOs even though I learn a lot about mainstream science. No matter how great science is, it is not going to be able to cover a lot of what we have yet to understand. Hence I keep an open mind about the occult and paranormal. One year from now on Dec 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar ended. Will there be an earth shattering event? I doubt so. However, I do believe mankind will change. According to Lobsang Rampa, mankind will become more spiritual and kind. I hope so...

Mindfulness

I have a book on Mindfulness. It is something I need to practice to maintain mental balance. LKY publicly mentioned meditation helps calm him and deal with difficult issues. He is a man of huge stature and dealt with very difficult and intractable issues of nation building and politics.

I will need to emulate and learn meditation so that I can follow the path of peace. Life is full of ups and downs and when we fall, we have to pick ourselves up. Mindfulness is one way of increasing stability to our life.

It is a nice and sunny day today. Weather is good for cycling for exercise. The PCN is a great place to enjoy nature even though it is man-made nature.

No Car Park Anywhere

Yesterday, we have to skip Compasspoint for dinner as there is a long queue getting into the carpark. So this evening, I thought we will go to Orchard away from all the suburban malls which will be crowded and impossible to get in. Guess what, it seems everyone else has the same idea. Carparks in ION and Takashimaya. Since all sheltered areas are crowded and the rain is now a drizzle, we go to open air hawker center. Newton is the nearest and it is crowded. I was surprised and should not be as most shopping malls carpark are closed and cars are refused entry.

Car population in Singapore must be at an all time high. All carparks can be full at the same time. It is incredible!

Rain Rain

Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day. Rain Rain Go Away, Little Children Want to Play...

The lyrics of nursery rhymes that I feel like singing after it rained all day today.

We have a regular day of meals out and walking the malls. It is so boring in Singapore.

Great Dinner

All three boys are at home and we went eat at a Japanese resturant. The boys are quite excited by the new experience. Bbq using charcoal. I like it when the boys chatted away among themselves. The Wife was feeling sick from the roti prata earlier in the morning. She had smecta, powder to soothe the stomach. After dinner, I finished up with kaya butter toast from Ah Kun. I do have a weakness for kaya toast.

At home. it is very interesting to be watching TV and then the rain become heavy and started to pour after drizzling all evening. The rain just does not want to stop. It is nice and cool.

Wet Dreary Morning

It is a gray, wet and dreary morning. Best time to sleep in. The air is cool and the pitter patter sound of raindrops falling is mesmerising. Time to get back to work! What an anticlimax!

It is back to reality. Monthend and reports are in and reports are due. It is going to be a busy weekend. My boss is coming to town over the weekend. Kind of short notice for a 12,000 miles trip. But hey! he is the boss! He has priority.

I just need to standby for the weekend and then off I go to a long holiday and return for Christmas.

Old Malaya Cafe

This kopitiam is retro although price is not. The hot drinks are priced very reasonably and competitive to Ah Kun or Toastbox with a place to sit. So it is a good to "rent" a seat to read.

Our family had dinner there tonight with B1's girlfriend. We tried almost everything in the menu - chicken rice ball, Ipoh Hor Fun, Hor Fun with egg gravy, Penang Prawn Noodle, Penang Assam Laksa and Popiah. I would also recommend the Trucker's Chendol. It is a little on the sweet side but B2 loves it. B2 does not has a sweet tooth, so the taste must be good. Can drinks are a little pricey at $2/can.

The food tastes very much like local hawker fare rather than Penang's hawkers. I like the way the dishes are named. Gave me the atmosphere that I am in Malaysia, where I truly enjoys the delicious hawker food.