Exams Stress

My poor B3.  He is so stressed up by his eldest brother teaching him maths or rather coaching him on problems that he cannot solved from test papers of branded schools.  B1's way of teaching maths stressed B2.  Now that mummy has asked him to coach B3, B3 is stressed too.  B1's way of teaching maths is forcing his brothers to figure out the steps.  He is very insistent that they have to figure it out even when they can't.  Hence the stress.

B3 is so stressed up that he cried in bed.  I feel so sorry for him.  The pressure of school in Singapore is relentless and mummy want to give him the best help she can.  B1 is trying to make sure he understands.  I do what I can to relieve his stress but he is in no mood to be cuddled by me.  I feel so helpless.  Sigh.  Life is so difficult for a child in Singapore.

Fruits for Balance Diets

Luckily for us living in tropical country is the wide range of fruits available in the grocery stores.  We are eating more fruits as I stock them up regularly from the supermart.  California Black Seedless Grapes are very sweet and in season.  Red Globe is also at a good price.  My boys did not like the seeds and grape seeds is good for us.  So I juice the Red Globe up  and let them drink it.  I also cut up watermelon.  My boys are getting healthy diet nowadays as we eat in and have balance meals.

While we eat plenty of meats, we also have more fruits and less carbohydrate.  This is the "cave men" diet or at least I think it is.  Eat healthy and well is the key to healthy life.

Home-made Calamansi Juice

This morning I used the slow juicer to juice out the kilo of calamansi I bought yesterday from Holland Road market and hawker center.  I boiled water with some rock sugar.  Then add the calamansi juice.  The result is a solidly sour, bitter concoction that needed to be diluted.  It is not sweet as I did not add enough sugar.  In short, I have a lime juice concentrate.  It is quite easy and low cost.  The kilo of "lime" costs only $1.50.  I have enough to make at least 30 cups of lime juice drink typically sold in the coffee shop.  The lime juice cost $1.30 to $1.50 a cup in the coffeeshops and hawker center.  The profit margin of the home-made drink is high. 

Bicycles

After riding the new hybrid bike for a few days, I took the mountain bike out.  I feel the mountain bike which I have been riding for the past two years "old and worn".  It shakes and make noise.  It is like a old clunker.  It is a stark difference from the hybrid.

The handle bar of the hybrid can be adjusted for different heights.  So I put it high and now I can ride almost upright.  It is comfortable although less stable as my CG or center of gravity is now higher.  It also take a while to get used to a new bike.  I found it has a tendency to slip on a wet surface.  Now that I have ride for a few days, I could ride handsfree with comfortably.  In the beginning, I could not stablised the bike.

The Punggol Waterways is full of weekend joggers and cyclists.  The place is packed and everyone is enjoying the park.

A Good Hari Raya

It was a good start.  B1 does not need to report back to camp to do the preventive maintenance.  We were wondering what to do.  Then I decide to go to IKEA to get a compost bin.  I have been trying to do compost using flower pots.  It does work but we ran out of space quick as the pots are small.  I heard that IKEA has compost bins.  

At about noon, we set off to IKEA and the kitchen section.  The compost bin was a rectangular bin, rather tall but too small to contain my compost for more than two weeks worth of vegetable waste.  So I decided to try out home organisation section and yup! the galvanised round stubby waste bins work just fine.  $25.90 is a little costly for storage of stinky waste.  Anyway, it is green to recycle and green cost money and in a long run is good for our Mother Earth.

Lunch is at XO Seafood in Punggol Prawning and Billard Center.  B1 and B3 go for prawning after lunch and B2 go home with us to pick up his cue stick to come back to play pool with his senior and friend.  Mummy and I adjourned to Plaza Singapura as she need a thread for a piece of clothing she is sewing which should be available in Spotlight.  I go to the Wang Cafe to read today's paper.

After Spotlight, we pick up all three boys home.  B1's girlfriend will have dinner with us.  So I bbq pork chops, have a claypot eggplants with Johnsonville sausages, and 11 large grilled freshwater prawns.  Dessert is cold water melon cubes, chocolate moose cake and harum manis mango.  Mmm, the meal is healthy and balanced.

It is a very good family day.

Dramatic Improvement in Picture Quality

The new flat screen arrived and the picture quality is just amazing compared to the old plasma TV.  Even though it is considered "old", it is only two years.  Whereas the old tube TVs last usually for 10 years.  The technological advance was not so fast.  The TV is so so so thin....maybe 1.5cm in thickness.  The sound quality is amazing for a flat speaker.

LG TV is extremely good value for the quality and features it has.  I am quite satisfied with this purchase.

Humid Days

October coming to an end.  It is usually cool at this time of the year.  Past few days have been hot and humid.  It is so uncomfortable.  Thank God for fans and aircond.  This is not so nice about living in Singapore.

Maybe I should retire in Canada.  Beautiful country with four seasons, great outdoors, sports, gardening, fishing, the whole works!  Come to think of it, I do love living in Canada.  However, I will missed my extended family, the hawker food and buzz. 

The best of both worlds would be moving Singapore physically to Canada.  Maybe the Earth Shift will put Singapore to a higher latitude.  Man!  This will be ideal!!

Busy!!

I just realised I have not read the newspaper today!  I start the day early in the morning to replenish rice.  Then it is conference call.  After the call, it was going to Tuas South which is the deep west end of Singapore to meet a potential customer.  After that I went to Holland V for a super late lunch.  It is one activity after another.

We had a wonderful dinner.  The first time our maid cook up a reasonable curry chicken.  We used the Curry Laksa Paste from Malaysia.  It is delicious and cost 3 ringitt for the paste.  Prima Curry Chicken paste cost $5.  It is great value!

The dinner is wonderful not because of "good good cheap cheap" curry chicken.  It is wonderful because all my boys are in and we are all eating as a family and having great family conversation.  The qualify for 3 gratitudes for the day:))

Menu for Family Gathering

It's been a long time since we had an extended family gathering.  I used what's app to contact my sisters and nieces.  I do not have the numbers for my nephews.  My baby sister will always respond anyway.  My eldest sister and baby sister says they can come on Nov 10 for dinner.  2nd sister and her daughters declined and did not give alternative dates.  My brother's daughters can't make on the 10th as well.  So we will go ahead with a small party. 

My eldest sister request for BBQ porkchop and cheese sauage.  My first niece is thrilled when I suggested BBQ baby back ribs.  So I will do a complete Western-style dinner with french fries and salads to complement the BBQ meats and sausages.  I am happy to be cooking for my nieces, nephews, sisters and now my nieces' spouses.

I am looking forward to happy family time.  The proposed menu will be:

BBQ Pork Chops
BBQ Johnsonville Sausages
BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Caesar Salad or Cucumber Salad
French Fries
Dessert - To be Determined

Blogging is Memories Captured

I read my friend's blog, Boh Tong.  It is interesting reading.  I love his stories.  He is writing short fiction now.  I must say his first attempt is full of suspense.  I am dying to know the ending! 

Whereas for me, blogging is my diary.  I write about my daily life and events that most readers will find boring unless they know me personally.  I write everyday unless I am in China where blogger.com is not accessible or busy till I forgot (rare but does happen) or internet access is expensive.  I used to write when I have something to write about.  Then the Da Vinci Code case where the author was sued for something I cannot recall.  What I do remember is the author, Dan Brown wakes up early every morning before sunrises and writes.  He writes everyday without fail.  I was inspired to follow his example to improve my writing.  Hence I write everyday without fail.  I do take leave occasionally.  Everyone needs a break sometimes.

Now writing everyday is a habit, I need to improve my writings.  I do not edit my entries much.  So grammatical errors frequently appears.  Neither do I write serious matter or attempt to make it interesting.  I write to pen my daily events and what I read.  I do not give indepth analysis or layout well-thought arguments.  I just write whatever that come to my mind.   So there are plenty of room for improvement.

Whenever I review my past entries, it bring back memories.  I am a reader.  I find reading words better than photos.  Words can say many things that photos does not capture e.g. smell or taste.   I wrote a lot of riding in PCN.  I have been riding PCN so often that I cannot remember when it was completed but when I read January 2011 entries, I know the PCN is not competed yet.  Memories are very fallible but when it is written down, it is a permanent record.  A slice of history of my life is captured.  Yes, blogging is a good thing for reminiscing the past.

Looking for Vacuum Cleaner Buying TV

We went to Courts to look for a vacuum cleaner as our current one has burning smell.  We go through many vacuum cleaners as we do not do the vacuuming ourselves.  At Courts, I went to the TV section as usual to see the latest TV and check out the changes in technology.  There is a road show and a good deal for display set. 

We went to evaluate vacuum cleaners and decided to buy a bagless vacuum cleaner in hope it will last longer.  Bagless has a clear container, so it is easy to see if the container is full.  It is very easy to always think the bag is not full.  Many of my vacuum cleaner burned out because the bags were not change when it is full and the motor overheats and burned out.  This time we bought Philips Bagless old model.  Let's see how long this one last.

Back to the TV, while it is not our intention to buy a TV, our TV in the living room sound decoder is not working.  It is still usable as we use the dvd to decode the sound.  However, it is not ideal.  So far, it is ok.  In line with my green ideology, I try not to consume too much.  The 55" LG LED tv was price at $2699 but the display model is at $1,999.  Unable to resist the deal, we decide to cut the deal and bought the display model.  The price of TV keeps dropping.  My 42" cost $1,599 about two years ago.  Now they are going below $1,000.

I do have a tinge of buyer's regret.  Do we really need a new tv when the current is functional although it did not have sound.  I convinced myself yeah! it is time for 3D tv...

NUS Law Scholar

Alvin Tan, the infamous NUS Law Scholar "8 reasons why living in Malaysia beats living in Singapore" is quite typical of Malaysian male.  Living a good life with low cost is the main attraction factor.  They admit crimes is an issue but as long as you know how to take care of yourself, it is fine.  They love the fact that you can get away with infractions by paying off the system.   The points raised by Alvin Tan well articulated and examples are clear. 

So while what Malaysian males loved the freedom and laissezs faire system, it is what we values more.  Safe environment is key priority for most Singaporeans.  We can go out at anytime of the day or night and need not worry about being robbed or mugged.  We need not worry about our kids getting kidnapped or our wives or daughters getting raped and murdered.  Maybe we become like "farmed animals" where we are always protected from predators.  We also know if we did something wrong, there is a heavy price.

I prefer Singapore where there is the rule of laws. Where the laws is fair to all - rich or poor.  I would love the variety of places to live like in Canada.  Earning a living can be difficult for some but most Singaporeans have good jobs and good income.  It is a home we can sleep in peace.  One my Malaysian colleague had her home broken into - in broad daylight and when there are people at home! 

Living in a safe and fair Singapore beats living in Malaysia for me.

Smelly...

Grilling seafood is smelly especially squid.  My head smells, my clothings smell, my house smells!!  Anyway, it is fun to just barbeque for dinner.  We start dinner late as B3, our youngest boy finishes his tuition at 7pm.  We have to pick him up from AMK MRT station at about quarter past.  By the time we reached home it is usually 7:40pm.  To do bbq, we have to light up charcoal.  And grilling the food takes long time.  So we spend a lot of time at the dining table.  We really have family time together.

But the smell is not good with seafood.  So I may stick to my favourite....meat.

Riding PCN with B1

B1 ride the PCN with me before dinner today.  I asked him to try the new hybrid bike.  He think it is much lighter and faster.  We rode for an hour and had good conversations.  The hottest news is the NUS scholar who post the explicit photos of himself and his girlfriend.  This guy is in the same Secondary School as B1!!  I remember his pastoral care teacher mentioning that the Asean scholars are challenging as they are living outside their country and home.  Singapore spends a whole load of money on these scholars and they just go home.  According to the people to know this guy, he is very bright and capable but eccentric.  After paying for his living in Singapore since secondary school, he just leave without contributing to Singapore economically.  He did bring fame to NUS for his sexploits.

We also talk about B2's business of selling billard's stuff i.e. cues, cases for cue and chalk.  B2 earns not bad so far but it is taking up his time.  The business will slow down as school has started.  I am pretty proud of B2.

Creeping Down Slowly

It is cause for celebration.  My weight is creeping down slowly.  Gaining is easy and quick a week on a trip and it is a kilo or even two.  Now, I am eating less carbo, more fruits and exercise, the scale is more forgiving.  I am happy to be at 89kg at night instead of 90.5kg.  Working down seems much hard work, gaining is easy as especially when food is delicious and company enjoyable.

Today went by fast.  There are much to do at work.  I decided to use the charcoal stove again.  This time to cook satay.  I love the chicken satay from NTUC.  It is fun to have freshly bbq satay, sizzling hot and my boys enjoy the satay and basting the meat with their own choice of sauce.   Sometimes it gets very smoky, luckily we have a front yard to set up our dining table.  So it is alfresco dining.  It is nice change from our regular stirfried vegetables, tofu and a meat dish.  I should send a picture to my boss to let him know I have implemented his idea of tabletop bbq.

B1 is out with his girlfriend's family for dinner.  He is watching a movie now and is not back yet.

Gratitude time:

1.  I am grateful for God's and Buddha's blessings to have a wonderful family
2.  I am grateful for being born in a country in its golden age as Sumiko Tan put it on Sunday Times
3.  I am grateful for all the good friends

Sigh! A Wonderful Day!

I did not go to pick up B1 because of a scheduled call with my boss.  He is not feeling well and we have to postpone the call.  I am a little worried about him.  He has not been communicating much on the email after he returned to US.  I hope he recovers soon.  I am afraid some of the food we ate caused him problem as well.  I had a huge migraine on the 2nd last day of our 3 countries tour.  It was longer trip for him as he was already out of his home 4 days earlier and return home a day later than me.  I prayed to angels to look after him and make him feel better.

B1 is back home and he has plenty of stories to tell us.  How hot in the afternoon and freezing at night.  The discrimination he faced when buying food in the food court during his R&R.  He is so tired he took a nap in the morning after breakfast which he did not eat.  B3 is very thrilled to try the new tabletop bbq stove we have.  We cut out some ribeye steak and bbq them on the dining table.  It was a slow meal.  Extra slow, so we have plenty of time to be together. 

After dinner, B2 cycled to meet his friends to discuss robotic program for school.  He is a part-time instructor.  B1 is surfing the net, B3 is watching tv, mummy is yakking away on the phone.  I am blogging:)

I feel wonderful with our family complete and just enjoying the routine stuff.  Life is good!

New Bike

I have been wanting to get a "hybrid" bike for since B2's bike cannot be ridden with "no hands".  I am now capable of ridding with no hands and always wonders why my boys who is alot better at balancing could not do it properly on the yellow Raleigh bike.  I tried it myself and found it unstable.  I could ride it with no hands before.  B1 fell using the Raleigh bike a couple of times.  The alignment must be out after the crash.

So I thought it is good to replace the Raleigh with a new bike.  Time to refresh my "fleet".  I decided on hybrid which it not the electric hybrid, rather between a road bike and a mountain bike.  So when my regular bike is punctured by a screw, I go to my regular bike shop to replace the inner tube and look for the hybrid bike.  There were two models.  The more expensive model, $780 had a 8 speed gear that is housed in a cylinder.  It looked interesting.  Only problem is it is made in China.  The other hybrid is 18 speed made in Taiwan and cost only $500.  I decided to by the $500 model even though the ride on the 8 speed is not bad.  I am a little uncomfortable with only 8 speeds.  Climbing hills may be difficult.  Also save $280 in the process.

Small Cozy Wedding Dinner

Wedding dinner is in Sheraton Towers.  Food from Li Bai.  I thought the food is quite good.  Just too much food and we are so so full. I weight more than 1kg that usual.  My weight was starting to go down to normal 89 and tonight I weighs 90.4kg.  I think a lot of the weight gain comes from liquid as I drank a lot as well.

There a total of 4 tables and one table is vegetarian.   Only relatives and close friends are invited.  The wedding dinner is quite nice as there are not many strangers.  We know most of the invitees except for some of their couple's friends.  I hope the couple will live happily ever after.

Getting Married

My brother-in-law is getting married tomorrow.  We have to get up early.  It is a DIY.  My wife have done up the flowers and pom-pom balls to decorate the wedding car.  The ceremony will be simple and it is my mother-in-law who is keen to see her son married.  My role is just to help out wherever and whenever needed.  There will be dinner for a small group of relatives.  So everything is tone down as the daughter-in-law seems to have an issue if the process of getting married is troublesome.

My wife is pretty excited and doing lots of preparation for her brother.  She is a good sister.

Friday Night

It is busy time on Friday night.  Ang Mo Kio Hub is full of people about.  Eating, shopping and in general enjoying the evening out like us.  We were doing window shopping.  All the resturants, cafes, coffeeshops and hawker centers are full.  I think many people eat at home on weekdays evening and more eat out on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

It is fun to go out once in a while.

Looking Forward to B1 Returning Home

Plenty of news on B1's exercise and live firing since PM Lee Hsien Loong is there to witness the whole exercise.  He made news with all his comments.  All positive about the sacrifices of NSmen.  It is called Exercise Wallaby in Rockhampton.  Now that it is in the news I can blog about it openly.

Exercise Wallaby is the longest trip B1 has gone out for.  I hope he has no more trips before he ORD in March next year.  ORD used to be called ROD, or run out date.  I remember always counting the days to ROD i.e. number of days before running out!  I guess the Army change ROD because in NS we are all looking to run out.  Yipppeeee!!  no more sadistics torture and restricted life!  It is happy time when ROD happens.  Army change from ROD to ORD which now means Operationally Ready Date.  Now it means you are fully trained and ready for war.  So it does not bring the same feelings as ROD.  So instead of being a "Reservist" which means you only go to war when fulltime NS men are not enough, you are now NSmen which mean if there is a war, you are activate right away.

Anyway, I think B1 will have to decide which school he want to go - NUS Law or UCLA Economics.  I hope he made a good choice for his career.

His two younger brothers told the Korean exchange student that the food will be better when their older brother is back.  They are looking forward for their brother to be home for dinner.  Yes, we all are happy that he will be back home next Tuesday.  It will be nice for him to rest at home and be with the family.

Low Back Ache

My back is sore and aching for the past week.  I think it is the hotel beds that cause this problem.  My kidney is weak as the Chinese Sinseh will say.  I had a cold spray and it works but only temporary relief.  I am now doing the "superman" exercise.  This is lying flat on my stomach and arching my back to strengthen my core muscles.  This is my recommendation to friends who suffers from low back pain.  It is the easiest and best way in my opinion to help relieve backache.

South Korean Exchange Student

B2 is "buddy" for a South Korean Exchange Student in Poly.  This student is spending a year in Singapore to learn more English.  He is 25 years.  He has a younger brother who is in the military service right now.  His hometown is Daejeon.  He is it is important to learn English and many Koreans are going overseas to learn English.  Good command of English helps in getting better jobs.
Although he had lessons in school and extra private lessons, there is not enough practice.  Hence a year oversea will help.  He has on 3 subjects on the first semester.  Effective Communication, Better Writing and Oversea Business.  So he will get plenty of English lessons for the time he is here.

The oversea attachment is quite good.  He lived in the apartment in polytechnic.  So he is living with all the students and some lecturers.  I guess we will see more of him in future.

Weight

It has been a long time since I blogged about my weight.  It is a boring subject.  My weight has been climbing steadily over the years.  30 years ago, it was 68kg.  Nowadays it is hovering between 88 and 90kg.  Looking at myself in the mirror, I can see the cellulite at my butt.  My waist is huge.  I need the cutdown but willpower is still weak.  Food is an enjoyable pastime and an obsession.

I am eating more healthy with less carbo and more meats, vegetables and fruits.  My bad habit is still tea with condensed and evaporated milk.  It is a calories laden drink.  If I cut this, my weight will not creep up anymore.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult and I have not achieve any success so far.

Experiment with Hydroponics

I was cleaning out my water pump for my fish pond.  It get clogged up really quickly due to the feces from the fishes.  I had goldfishes and an arowana.  The arowana grows fast eating up the small goldfishes and poos a lot!  I read that one winner of green innovation uses water hyacinth to clean up water from the pond and absorbing dangerous chemicals like selenium.  On a past article in Life section of Straits Times, I also remember there is a vegetable seed supplier in North Canal Road.  I decided to kill two birds with one stone - grow vegetable using the fish waste for fertiliser and cleanse the water pond with plants.  I bought the easiest to grow vegetable.  According to the seed seller, it is kangkong and red spinach.  I bought some of kangkong seeds.  The man scoop out seeds from a glass container into a small ziploc plastic bag.  Cost two dollars!  It is a lot compared to pre-pack seeds in the supermarket or nursery.  

I hope I get some success in kangkong growing.  I have to set up the water pump to pump up the water from the pond to the soil container for the kangkong.  Wish me luck!

End of Weekend

Morning was breakfast with mummy and B3 in Ang Mo Kio hawker center.  Just home (Singapore) taste of fried beehoon and lontong.  We bought two fresh fishes for dinner.  It is just a lazy Sunday for us.  B2 went off to host a Korean exchange student.  He brought the student along to deliver the custom-cue he made for his customers. 

We went to Chinatown to look for charcoal bbq stove for cooking at the dining table.  Unfortunately, Sia Huat is close.  We just act like tourist and wander about.  In People Park food center, man la kuo or spicy hotpot is quite popular.  Long queues and many tables are enjoying the China's dish.  All the customers are from mainland China. I must go back to try this dish when it is not so busy.

Late afternoon, I cycled in the PCN to Lorong Halus and turn back.  My waist is sore.  I wonder if my kidneys are weak or sleeping on hotel beds for two weeks in a roll is taking its toll.

Now, the day is ending and tomorrow will be the start of a new week.

Before I sign out for the week, I like to record my 3 gratitudes for the day:

1.  I am grateful my boys are healthy and well.
2.  I am grateful for Buddha blessings at work and in life.
3.  I am grateful for a good week and an enjoyable Sunday.

Holland Village

Holland V's MRT station has been operational for some time.  This morning is the first time I go to Holland V after a few years.  The last time I was there was when B1 had to appeal to ACJC.  That should be almost 4 years ago. 

Most of the new stalls have not change like Ah Kun Toast and BreadTalk.  The Ipoh Hor Fun is still there as well as the Japanese bread shop that pioneered layered choco wassant.  I grew up near Holland V and is very familiar with this place.  It is quite nostalgic for me as well.

B1 called, his outfield in Australia just finished.  He has 10 more days to go.  B2 is hosting a Korean exchange student until late.  I just pick him up from Nanyang Poly.  It is a long but fulfilling day today.

Music to My Ears

Instead of TV and all the news on US Presidential Elections, I take a break and play Yu Tian's album on my Bose system.  It has been long time since I used it. The remote control no longer works as the battery are totally drained and leaking. 

It is Long Su Xia that I like to listen to.  Then the other songs Yu Tian sang are not bad too.  It is just old Chinese songs and amazingly I begin to like them more and more.  I do not know why.  I used to listened to instrumental and English oldies.  I have been listening to the portable and Bose is totally different experience.  The sound is so much more vibrant and music more encompassing as it surround my room.  The atmosphere is different.

Today is Children's Day, so B3 has no school.  He has a birthday party in Garden Vista.  They went to Tott's to bake cookies.  After cookies, we had to pull him out for his tuition in Learning Labs.  Learning Labs is enormously expensive and we cannot afford to skip. 

It is the first time we bought the cordycep chicken and bought soup with it.  The chicken tastes the same.  The soup is fabuous as my wife is a fantastic cook when it comes to soup.  She is Cantonese and has strong beliefs that soup is the cure-all for many ailments.

Time for my 3 gratitudes.

1.  B2 is doing well in his part-time business
2.  B3 has improved in his Chinese
3.  We had a happy dinner.  B2 and B3 were laughing happily.

Getting to a Happy State

In one of the TED talks on Happiness, writing down my 3 gratitudes for the day everyday actually works!  I keep the exercise for 30 days and the benefits are still on today even though I have stopped my daily gratitude session.

I want to do my 3 gratitudes for today.

1.  My headache is gone.  It feels so good to be in normal state.

2.  I exercised by cycling for 45mins after two weeks of travelling.

3.  I am happy to be home in familar hawker centers and wet market.

It is simple pleasures that make me happy.  I am so easy to please...

Penang Hae Mee

It is so convenient and easy to replicate the cooking nowadays with prepack favouring.  We prepare Penang Hae Mee or Prawn Noodles for dinner.  We bought 400g of soft bone, fishcake, beansprouts and kangkong.  Boiled the soft bone and once cooked, simmer for a couple of hours.  Add Penang Hae Mee flavouring.  Then boiled noodle or beehoon.  Sliced the fish cake and hey presto!  You can enjoy a bowl of steaming hot prawn noodle.

Tonight is the meeting for the estate.  We have to maintain the common area.  A thankless chore for the committee members.

Weight Gain

Two weeks of travelling and my weight is up by more than 1 kg!  I was not well yesterday and did not eat much but this has not bring my weight down as I thought it would.  I will need to cut down on my calories intake and do more exercise.

It is just difficult especially when I walk down memory lanes and try out all the food I ate in the past especially in places like Min Tien, the hawker center food.  The rich tea did not help either.  Indian mamak stall's teh tarik with beehoon goreng was yummy.  Ole Ole Bali was fabulous.  We had seafood platter, bbq chicken, curry mutton and grilled fish.  It was fabulous.  Only problem was migraine in the middle of night and suffering in the morning until late afternoon.

I had migraine several times in KL.  It was usually after Nonya food or peanuts.  There is something in the food that causes severe headache that I cannot eat or drink.  I was glad to start recovering in the afternoon.

We work hard and eat harder.  So good, so good food.  It may be detrimental to my health for being a glutton.  Now that I am back, I can do some exercise.  Hopefully, I can reduce my weight and waist line. 

Yes, it is pay back time, for me!

Wan Tan Mee Man Gone

I had wanton mee for breakfast whenever I am in Sunway.  This has been like a relationship and now his stall is gone, I felt sad.  He may have moved to another location.  I always remember the wanton is black sauce and always requested that he keep the noodles warm for me.  My Japanese colleague will always request for curry noodle and I will order curry mee for him.  The curry mee stall is there but run by a foreign worker. 

For many years, I had wanton mee for breakfast every time I am here.  However, this morning his absence is sorely felt.  I was looking forward to see him this morning as I have not been back for some time now.  Anyway, it is another chapter closed.  We have to move on.  Even though it is just simple Wan Tan Mee, there is still an emotional bond.  I may be sentimental as this vendor was not friendly and over time become more cordial to me.

Night Walk

Instead of being cooped up in the hotel room with TV to keep me company, I have a chance to walk about the mall and coffeeshops.  I am a city boy who need the city buzz of the hawkers and people eating.  I visited Indian coffeeshops, surveyed all the food they have on display and look at what the patrons are eating.  It is an interesting pastime.  This place is alive even at 11pm.  It is like Roppongi.  The difference is Roppongi is full of clubs and here it is all the coffee shops.  The bars and cafe in Sunway is quite empty.  I guess it is just Tuesday night.  One of the bar I walked past has no customer at all.

There is a Borneo Rainforest directly opposite the main entrance of Sunway Resort.  It is hard to look inside.  I don't think it is well patronised.  Many years ago, I had teh tarik there.  There is still a makeshift store selling pirated DVD.  Each cost RM8.

I like the mobile steamboat.  There are a number of different items all skewered in a long bamboo stick.  You chose the items you like and put them inside the pot of boiling water.  Once it is cooked, you can eat it.  It is very retro and I still marvel that it is available here as this kind of mobile steamboat has disappeared from Singapore for probably 4 decades.

My migraine and nausea have gone.  The evening went well indeed.

Food Allergy?

I may have food allergy that I am not sure of.  I get severe headache after drinking alcohol no matter how small the quantity.  Last night, I had migraine which lasted until past lunchtime.  I skipped lunch.   However, I did not have any alcohol for dinner.  So it may be the food.  I suspect the peanuts or cookies in the hotel room that cause me this problem. 

It was so bad that I felt like vomiting and yet, I did not have any food for breakfast.  I took some fruit juice and Tyernol.  At about 10am, I took another two Dhamol.  I was feeling bad during lunch time and did not eat any food.  Just drink lot of premium lotus tea.  I added syrup to my second cup and immediately felt better.  It may be the sugar kicking in and helping to relieve my migraine.

Now I am recovering and feeling much better.  I am glad the trip is coming to an end and will be home soon.

Good Work!

We did good work today and have covered a lot of ground.  We have plenty of followups to do.  So it is a good day.  The potential in Asia is good and we are lucky to be in this part of the world at this time.  Still it is going to be a long haul ahead.  The economy in China is weakening as our partner told us.

We had dinner at Ole Ole Bali in Empire.  The food is good and we had a long conversation.  Time went by fast.  By the time we reach back to our hotel, it is 10pm.  Bedtime now....