Reading Again

I am enjoying reading random stuff.  Usually things that interest me.  I also like to look at pictures of planets and the moon.  While most of the stuff I am reading is easily available on the internet.  It is  better in a book as it is organised with a central theme.  Also the subjects are treated with more depth.  I also enjoys reading stories again.  Some are old stories.  I like smaller books as it is faster to finish.  Love Story, the old movie bring a lot of nostalgia.  It is only about 50 pages long.  So an easy and relaxing read.  I was surprised to find there is a sequel!!  It is called Oliver.  Oliver is quite exciting and then takes a turn which disappoints me.  He is going so well with this girl who can match him in wealth.  But a Hong Kong trip kills the relationship and she went on to marry another lawyer.  What a bummer!!

BBQ for Classmates

Last evening my schoolmates came over for dinner.  I spent the day cooking starting from 3:45 am.  I did not wake up early on purpose to cook.  Just got up to empty my bladder and could not go back to sleep.  So just go to the kitchen and started cooking.

I slow roast the beef brisket, pork collar as well as chicken thighs and wings.  I cooked a big pot of barbeque ranch beans and make cucumber salad.  We had good conversation and plenty of beer to go around.  So nice of my friends to visit and we had a wonderful party.

Quiet Sunday Morning

I am enjoying the peace and quiet.  No noise no distraction.  Just me.

I had my morning coffee and breakfast was toasted bun with butter and caramel.  The caramel was leftover from Auntie Annie's pretzels.  While waiting for the sun to rise, I fired up the computer to see what is going on.

The rumour mill is hot on the election news!  It will be next month when Parliament will be dissolved and election be called.  We will have some excitement again.

Durian Treats

My schoolmate, TC decided to give a durian treat.  He does this regularly when he is in the mood.  TC is a thrifty man.  He is very stingy on himself but very generous with others.  He is also the owner of a chain of retail stores.  Pretty successful and still very humble.  He is a risk taker and always thinking of business.

Let's focus more on the durians.  We go to his favorite durian store in Geyland.  Oh, yes! I forgot to tell you TC is an owl.  He roams about at night for food.  We had 3 types of durians.

The "old tree" is the most expensive at $28 per kg.  Tastes wise is pretty good.  The meat is soft and creamy.  Flavor quite mild.

Mao Shan Wan or Cat Mountain is the cheapest at $15 per kg.  Taste is bittersweet.  I feel is the best of the 3 types we had.

Black Gold or Hey Jin is at $18 per kg.  I did not like the metallic taste.  The flesh is quite soft and a little wet. 

We had 2 other schoolmates who came and we had a great durian feast. 

BBQ Dinner

I bbq pork collar and cook Ranch Beans for dinner as trial run for my classmates coming over.  I had invited my classmates over on Aug 17 and looking forward to cook up a storm and let them try my cooking.  I have been thinking of what to cook.  Now I have ranch beans, peanut soup dessert and bbq pork collar. I will also decide to bbq either chicken thighs or chicken wings.

I need to figure out my salad as well.  Maybe just a simple cucumber salad.

Good Improvement today!

Instead of feeling tired and lethargic like yesterday, I feel must better today.  Busy running errands and finally have a chance to go poolside to relax.  Was up at 4am and poolside was very dark.  Still it is quite relaxing.  I like water and lazing beside water.

I also fix my bicycle wheel.  This time I took out the wheel and bring to the shop.  I think I might have broke one of spoke.  To replace cost $25.  Tire or inner tube is only $12.

Feeling Under the Weather

I am tired and lethargic with sore throat and stuffy nose.  I am down with viral disease probably flu.  It is horrible feeling.  My flu jab no longer works.  I had a jab about a year ago.

So now I am feeling lazy and do not feel like doing anything.  I brought myself to the computer to blog.

Hong Kong is dominating the news.  The protest in getting more violent. So it is not a good place now.  I feel sorry for them.  They were very proud and look down on mainland Chinese.  Now the mainland Chinese are their master.  It is a change in fortune.

X-ray of lumbar

This afternoon I went to Ng Teng Fong for followup of my L4L5 fixation surgery.  The surgeon looked at the x-ray and do not see much progress in the bone growth.  However, he is happy to let me go jogging.  It is quite difficult as there are still discomfit when I run.  Plus my knees are going me problems as well.  So I will stick to cycling and swimming.

No Rain

We have a few episodes of dark heavy clouds and then it clears.  No rain for a couple of weeks and my rain water storage is running low.  It is hard for me to scope out the water!  I hope the rain comes and replenished my water tanks and also I need to change the water in my pond before I put in fresh fishes again.

Over the years, this happened once while I was travelling.  All the fishes died.  So I change the water and start all over again.  I suspect it was our weekly fogging.  So I put a plastic shield and it worked for many years.  Now I am not sure it is the same issue.

I just have to replace the water and start all over again and see.

Busy Time

Although I am busy day to day, I don't feel accomplished.  I read, exercise, run errands and go out for meals.  Days are passing fast.  I need to do more projects.  Today, I changed the water in my pond or rather change half the water.  The fishes and plants are not doing well.  I suspect it may the rust poisoning the water.  All the goldfishes and red fishes are dying as I put fresh fishes in.  They are also not eating.  Only the arowana seems normal.  Maybe its body weight allows it to withstand the toxicity in the water.  I have removed a lot of the sediments and change half the water.  I will continue to change the water to see if I can correct the condition of my pond.

There are plenty to do.  Just that I enjoy reading and is now borrowing audiobooks from the library again.  Now, we can borrow all 20 audiobooks if we want instead of limited to 6 before.

Solar Night Lights

My lights on the outside keeps breaking down due to heavy rains.  It costs about $150 each time for an electrician to come and repair.  So instead of repairing, we purchased solar night lights that cost $6 each.  Plus shipping may come to a total of $8 each.  So much more cost effective!!  Best of all, the energy is free!!

Durian Seeds

I save a lot of durian seeds.  I am planting them.  It will take forever for them to grow and bear fruits.  I just want to see if I can make bonsai with them.  It is interesting to experiment with plants and watch them grow.  I ate one melon yesterday.  It was tiny and did not taste so good.  I will definitely not make it as a farmer!

Free SIM!

Yes, you read right!  It is free.  The data is free and number is also free but works only on the newest phone.

The company is TPG.  We went to collect for the SIM for B1 and sign up for ourselves.  There are lots of oldies there.  According to B1, his colleague tried and it works!

I have the SIM but has not put it to use yet.  Have to figure out where to put it.

Insurance

We just bought insurance for our 3 boys.  This is part of legacy planning.  We want a steady income when we are old and then pass on the insurance to our boys when we moved on to the spirit world.  I am a believer in Lobsang Rampa.  So when we dies, our soul and spirit will detach from the body and move on.  We will visit the Hall of Memories and review the life here and then move on to the next life for more lessons.

My Harvest is not Bountiful

I have 2 melons and an eggplant in my garden.  My gardening skills are not as good as Boh Tong's but at least now I am getting some harvest.  The plants are in a container.  I fertilize them alternate weeks and using organic fertilizers.  So they don't grow to a big size.  However, I am happy to be able to eat something from my garden.

My Fruit Garden

Nice Cool Weather

This week is good weather temperature wise.  It is cloudy and at times stormy.  It is wet and fine drizzle like during monsoon season.  Unusual for this time as it is usually summatras and storm over quickly.

Two nights ago, the thunderstorm in the middle of night was pretty unforgettable.  It was like lightning flashing in front of my eyes.  The lightning must be pretty wild to flash right through my blackout curtains.  I woke up with a headache in the morning.  3 tabs of aspirins and my headache clears in half an hour.

Holiday

It is Hari Raya Puasa.  Our household is quiet.  B2 went out with his friends.  B1 is with his girlfriend and B3 is studying for his common test.  Mummy is doing some gardening and I am just browsing and hoping to learn more coding.  Progress is slow as I am unable to focus for long time.  However, I must keep at it so that I can learn to code and do some useful stuff on the web.

School Holidays

Hurray!  June Holidays!  I am happy to shut my alarms for the next 3 weeks even though I usually wakes up way before my alarms.  It is like freedom from the routine.  For the holidays, B3 will have other programs and we will be supporting him as much as we can but the timing is different.  We usually organized our activities around his timing.

B2 is home for holidays and will be going to JB just before Hari Raya and back to Singapore on the eve.  He is working full time.  So we are happy that he is adding to his resume and earning his allowance.

Durians Plentiful

It is good the durian prices are coming down to a more reasonable level and more and more temporary stalls have been setup.  Now there are many different varieties.  My schoolmates just shout a lot about Black Thorn.  He says once you tried this, you will not want to eat any other durians.  At per kg $28/kg which is lower than the usual $38, I think I will stick to lower cost durians.

Anyway, eating too much durians can cause problems.  It is very heaty.

Wedding Lunch in Sentosa Resort World

My wife's cousin on the maternal side is marrying his eldest girl.  We went for the tea ceremony.  It is very nice that we get invited and we are quite happy for them and the new couple.  The wedding lunch is at 1:30pm.  We were there by 10:30am to wait for the solemnization ceremony and then continue for lunch.  It is quite a long and tedious process.  The girl who did the solemnization is not too good.  She still says the parents of the bride and groom have to continue to look after the newly married.  She should have told the newly wed this is a new journey and responsibilities.  They now will be living on their own but not to neglect their parents as they start their family.

Mother's Day Lunch at Tampopo

Tampopo is giving first 50 customers flowers and pandan cake.  Also my wife's birthday month.  So 50% off for one meal.  We ordered a set each.  B3 arrived later as he has tuition.  With the discount, Total bill is $73 plus after discount.  Not bad deal.  It is still $15 per head.  Good value for Japanese restuarant.

Happy Mummy's Day

Mother's Day!  A friend of mine told us his resturant owner friend said Father's Day the resturant has poor business.  But Mother's Day is very profitable.  Everyone pays for Mother's Day meal but Father has to pay for the meal so that everyone can eat.

Mothers are appreciated and Fathers are Not!

Down with Sore Throat and Running Nose

I have no idea why I catch the bug.  I am careful not to share food with my boys.  Now none of them is sick.  So I probably caught it from the wake or funeral where there is a crowd.  I am feeling tired and exhausted these few days.

Hopefully, I will recover soon.

B3 Final Showcase!

Yesterday, B3 had his final showcase.  A showcase is dancing performance for the school.  The Street Dance team worked very hard and long hours on this showcase.  It is an exhilarating run.  Now it is over, they are quite sad.  It is time to focus on the study, revision and exams.  He is out at one of the SD mate's home.  They have a sleepover to celebrate the event.  He has lots of cards, flowers and vegetables as a gift for the performance.  This is the new age way, I guess.

I can see he is quite popular and famous almost he always complained he is not famous and people do not know him.  I can see he loves the limelight.  He is having the time of his life in RI!  I am happy that he is happy.  At the same time, I hope he will be able to achieve his dream of going to the course he like.  It is a very competitive school and most kids does extremely well in the exams.  I hope he makes it.

A Shock!

I was sleeping so soundly.  It was midnight.  My wife woke me up and give me the bad news.  A friend of ours just passed away!  What a shock!  He was in Maldives having a short holiday and found floating in the water.  It was only a few minutes and the 2 friends they were with are doctors and performed CPR immediately and for an hour.  But it was to no avail.

I could not sleep after that.  Yesterday morning, we went to their house.  His parents were there and in deep grief.  It was so devastating for the family.  His wife was with him and they have to fly the body and the undertaker will do the necessary.  There are lots of documentation required.  To import the body, it has to be embalmed.  However, Maldives do not embalm.  Luckily, their church friends help out and contacted foreign minister who is in the same church.  So the minister directed his staff to help.  At first the body had to go to Colombo for embalming.  However, it is not a good time as Colombo is now overwhelmed with its own massive problem due to the bombings.  Then the foreign ministry found out the if the body is in dry ice and in a hermetically sealed box, it can be imported.  At first they wanted to fly the body on the original flight booked for return but Silkair aircraft was too small to carry so much dry ice.  So the body has to return by the next flight via Singapore Air as it is a bigger plane.

We were at the wake last night and some other old friends came along.  It is a sad event for all of us.

B2 is Home!

B2 returned home yesterday afternoon.  It was a long flight and he looked it!   We went to Jewel to explore while waiting for his plane to arrive.  It is the latest shopping attraction!  Everyone was there.  Long queues in most food outlets and resturants.  The waterfall is like Suntec City.  B2 and B3 observed when we first enter Jewel via Terminal 1 that it is like entering into Ion.  All the branded stores.  Then we see most of the regular brand like Bengawan Solo, Toastbox and a couple new stores from local like the Swiss Roll in Arab Street, Tong Gardens and some totally new foreign stores like Amazon cafe, Shakes Shack, Pokemon. 

The newness factor is incredible.  T3 which used to be quite busy become slow.  Plenty of carpark available and the foodcourt and Four Fingers are like...well,,, dead.

B3 try out a few new snacks stores.  A Korean fried fishcake, Maison's meringue and Auntie Annie's(not a new store).

We will be full force for the new few months.  Maybe I will be able to bbq more often as 2 boys means more food will be consumed.  It will be expensive to eat out plus so much easier to cook when the portions are bigger.

Up from Sitting on a Chair with One leg

There is a simple test.  My classmate send a viral video which says we lose about 8% muscle mass a year past certain age.  The only way is to reduce the loss by being active.  If you cannot perform this test, high chance of disability or immobility by age of 70s.

The test is sitting on a chair and getting up with one leg only.  Your hands must be on the shoulder.  So if you cannot do this, it is time to be more active to slow down the loss of your muscle mass.

Surgeon's Diagnosis

I saw my surgeon yesterday.  When I told him my symptoms, straightaway he said I lean forward and applied pressure.  He hit the nail on the head!  He says there is no diagnostic needed as it will just explained the symptoms.  I have to wait for it to heal and see him in 4 weeks.  He explained the screws and wires are in place and as they are fixed now the surrounding vertebra will take higher pressure.  I have to do all my necessary exercise to regain my strength and reduce the pain.

Seagate Personal Cloud Overheating

I have no idea why but my Seagate Personal Cloud keeps overheating even though I did not use it.  It is just left on.  Seems like this is a common problem.  Now I only switch on the Personal Cloud when I need to use it.  Leaving it on will cause overheating after a couple of hours whether you are accessing the drive or not.

Home Cooked Bak Kut Teh

B3 is under pressure to spend time to catch up on his study.  He now take a lot of candy and highly favoured snacks.  He also like soup with rice.  So today, we cook bak kut teh.  Two types of pork rib and a pack of Song Fa bak kut teh spices.  The soup is pretty good.  It is not as peppery as those in the store.  The meat is tender as we use the pressure cooker to cook.  But it still take a lot of time to prepare.  When it comes to supporting the boys in their studies, mummy is the best!

Some Improvements

The tension and tightness on the back has improved.  The weakness on the right thigh is still there.  Now, my gait is not like before.  Hopefully, with time it will heal and be back to like before.

I am taking it easy.  I was planning an easy ride this afternoon but my tire puncture.  So tomorrow I have to bring it to the shop for repair.  Seems like even Angel also say take it easy.

Also my fish tank is has quite a few mullets.  So my arowana has plenty of food on standby.  The pufferfish is doing well.  However, I still need to catch small fishes so that it has food.

Back Hurts!

Yesterday, my back hurts again.  The symptoms are similar to what I had before my back surgery where I had  my L4 L5 stabilized and a cage put between the 2 vertebra so that the bones will fuse together.

I suspect it is moving the heavy table which I used for my barbeque stove.  The other suspect is the odd angle and stretching to gain access to my rainwater tank.  Anyway, now it is all tensed up and stiff.  Surgery is now wasted.  My condition has returned!  Sigh!

I had no choice but to strain and sprain my back.

200 liters Drums

I bought 2 used drums that was used to store chemical.  It smell of epoxy.  Anyway, this afternoon when it rained, the drums almost filled up.  I need to store the water to dilute the chemicals first before using them.  I am happy to have capture rainwater for my plants.  They make my plants grow better.  Also I save on the tapwater which is very expensive nowadays.

Beo Cresent Happy Bakery

I saw a video on Traditional Bakery on YouTube.  This bakery is started by a old style baker who still use traditional ways to prepare the dough.  Since in the afternoon, I have to go for servicing in Leng Kee I decided to check it out as well as the hawker center there.   The prawn mee has a long queue but it did not taste good.  The fried carrot cake is ok. 

So I do think I will go to the hawker center again.  After lunch, I went to Happy Bakery and bought 5 or 6 different items.  The cream is pretty good according to my wife.  I did not get to try as she ate both up.  She also eat one chocolate eclair.  I tried the oneh oneh and it is pretty good.  The kaya cake is also quite good.  I will go back there to check it out as I like to buy fruits from Sin Choon.  The Swiss Roll is ok.  So I shall return.

Beautiful Sunday Morning

Yesterday,was a busy day.  We had Peking Duck in Asia Grand Hotel.  It is a nice treat!  After lunch, my wife had work to do.  So I pass time at the wholesale center to buy both roasted peanuts and raw peanuts without skin.  I went to the Kuan Yin temple to offer my prayers and get two oracles.  Both did not turn out well.  It is one of my favorite things to do... get my questions answered usually in old language that is quite obsure.  So I only take the status of the "cheem" which is like a traffic light, good = green, medium = amber and bad = red.

In the afternoon, we went to our niece's home for our grandniece's 3rd birthday party.  It is a cosy family get together.  I am very happy to carry all the grand nephews and niece.  The pool is quite relaxing and I had a nap there!  It is very quiet considering it is such a big development.  Lots of angmos were having parties in the different estates.  It is quite confusing as the security guards just allows everyone to go in.  So many party goers came to our party and discover they are in the wrong estate!

I am up early as usual.  It is only quarter moon and the morning star shines bright.  Actually it is on the star visible.  The sun has risen and the birds are chirping.  Soon they will be coming to my garden to feed.  I am glad to have flowering plants.

Peanut Soup Dessert

This morning I went to the market to get youtiao or deep fried dough.  I was cooking my favorite peanut soup dessert.  I like them the traditional style with sliced pieces of deep fried dough.  Since I am making on my own, I can also reheat so that they become crunchy.  I prefer to get the crunch unlike Maxwell Hawker Center.  This time I made both so that my guests have a choice.  They are also bringing food.  It will be like potluck!

Last Day! Hurray!

My boy last exams.  He is going out with his friends.  I have a relaxing day to do whatever I like which isn't much~~~~

Tomorrow no school.  So I have friends over for lunch.  One of them want to see the birds and fishes that I showed them in our chat.  Curiosity and request!  So I make it happened for them:)

I am always happy to host visitors.  Hope they have a wonderful visit.

Common Test

RI has exams after March holidays.  This week is exam week.  B3 is working harder and I hope his results improve.  He has been focusing on his CCA and this year it is important that he catch up.  I worry as he spends lot of time on the phone while studying.  He need frequent breaks.

The queue is long!

Crowd in Chinatown

We decided to lunch in Chinatown.  Close to 1pm...yong tau foo had a short queue even though it is not open yet.  So I decided to join the queue.  Still it is half an hour wait. I get to enjoy a bowl of Hakka yong tau foo.  The food is good.  It is quite humid and after consuming the steaming hot bowl, I am sweating like a pig!   It is a nice warm satisfaction.

Grey Heron?

A baby bird was sitting in the middle of the PCN.  It seems to be unwell.  So I took it and put in near the green and it went inside.

Lucky Morning!

I have been going to Punggol for many years now.  This morning I caught enough baby shrimp to qualify as food.  I am very lucky to be able to gather so much shrimps.  I usually catch small fishes and sometimes the baby shrimps for my arowana.  There are always not enough for cooking.  This time, I managed to catch a lot with the help of right equipment i.e a net with a long pole.  The weight is almost 1kg!

School Holiday Tomorrow

One week of school holiday.  So I do not need to send B3 to school.  He will be having his exams after the short holiday.  J2 exams in RI is immediately after school holiday.  This way the kids have a chance to revise and study on their own.

Sleeping Pattern Change

Now I understand why my Grandmother seems to be up in the middle of the night all the time.  I am now doing the same thing.  My classmate who is an Urologist explains that the bladder becomes smaller and less elastic as we age.  So we need to pee more often.  Also the prostrate swells and block the urine flow making you feel like urinating again after finishing.  That is you have to pee twice unlike before.  Of course prostrate issues does not affect my Grandma.  I see some of my classmates up in the middle of the night.  So it is common to our age group.

We can actually manage this by not drinking or eating too much during dinner.This will not reduce the urine output.  Also my family physican says the kidneys perfused better when lying down.  So the 2 factors add up to waking up to relieve the pressure on the bladder!

Boon Tong Kee AMK

My choice of braised duck is not open.  So we go to Boon Tong Kee for chicken rice instead.  It is was nice with the aircon.  The meal is simple - one blanched chicken, two vegs and two chye poh eggs.  We talk till the resturant was closing at 3pm.  It was a good sharing and boasting time.  So nice and warm to just sit and talk about our war stories...

Regular Gathering with Old Schoolmates

We are trying to do regular lunches and it can be a challenging task!  It is so difficult to gather everyone or at least most.  Even in a small group.  I like to be easy so that those can come come rather than wait for everyone to be available. 

Also we need to go to places that allows us to sit for long time as we will talk until the cow comes home.  It is quite nice to just have "fellowship".  I enjoys it as it is a break from just family and home.

Hot and Dry

I am watering my plants 3 times a day!  Since they are potted, there are always not enough water when the weather is dry.  Even my banana tree which is in a big pot needs to be watered more frequently.  The giant leaves are limp... 

I am afraid my water bill will go up with the price increase effected last year.

Turned to Raisin!

I went out to Punggol Point at about 10am and finished by noon.  I caught a fair number of grey mullets.  So it was quite rewarding however in the afternoon, I feel so tired and have to nap for 2 hours!  I think it is the sun that caused me to be tired as I was dehydrated as well.  I drank lots of fluids e.g. 100plus, coke, ginger tea and iced lemon tea.  Still not enough to clear my need to sleep.

I was all wrinkled up like a raisin!

Baby Shrimps at Punggol

On Sunday, there are plenty of baby shrimps at Punggol beach.  I do not know if it is the season again.  But it is nice to catch something that I can cook.  Rather my wife as she is the only one who eat it.  I catch but do not like seafood.

Maybe I will have to buy a net for the shrimp.

Missing the Olive Back Sunbirds

Now that the 2nd fledging is gone, the adults does not come anymore.  Hopefully, they will be back next year to set up another nest.  My father-in-law says they will come back every year if they like the place.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  Only problem is I may not have the right set up as this time the sweet potato plant was hanging over vertical surface making the sunbirds feel safe.

It is so nice the hear the fledgling chirping...

Papa is just nearby making sure everything is alright for the fledgling.

First Baby Olive Back Sunbird is out, hehehe!

My Brother's Daughters

My brother has 3 girls with his first wife.  My eldest niece now has two kids.  A girl and recently a baby boy.  My 2nd niece has a baby boy.  It's been a while since we last saw them.  They got married and now have babies.  I have invited them over.  Hopefully, they can make it.  It will be wonderful to see my grandniece and grandnephews.

2 Baby Olive Back Sunbirds

I checked the nest again this morning.  There are actually 2 baby sunbirds.  So it is great.  I hope both grow up and do well.  I am happy to have the twin arrival.  It is a wonderful feeling.  Now the adult birds are always not there.  I guess they are looking for food for the twins.

Kong Hee Huat Chye!

I loved the old ways.  Kong Hee Huat Chye! were the words printed in the pass instead of Gong Xi Fa Cai today.  Also Kong Hey Fatt Choy.  Now that dialects has been pushed out by LKY, we are no longer about to have the colours of venacular origins of our forefathers and foremothers.

I always remember the comics drawings with the Hokkien or Cantonese greetings for the new year.  Today, only in Malaysia and with the new medium Youtube that we can get the greetings in dialects.  We have lost our roots.  My sisters and their kids came and we all speak in English.  Now more Hokkien which was used while our kids were young.  Now that they are all adults the only common language is English.  We have become a total new breed.  While English is the language of commence and global communication, we will have a hard time to anchor our cultural roots.  We have departed from our shared history in pursuit of commercial success.  Filling our stomach is important.  Will we lose our souls?

In the New Year of the Pig, let me wish all of us Kong Hee Huat Chye!  Tai Kay Tua HUAT AH!!

Baby has Arrived!

The parent birds are no longer at their nest during the day.  So we got a little worried.  Yesterday, B3 wanted to see the eggs.  Mum did not want us to disturb the nest afraid that the birds will abandon it.  I did not worry as I had done this many times while cycling in the PCN.  So we pull up the nest and flip it.  We can see only one baby.  Maybe this nest has only one baby bird.  We have to wait for a few days to see if there is only one baby.

Tomorrow, It will be 14 Days!

The sunbirds have been diligently incubating their eggs.  Male and female take turn in incubating the eggs.  It is easy to tell the difference as there is a bigger and thicker beak and a thinner one.  I can only see the beak as the birds build the nest with the entrance looking against the wall.

So far, the eggs have not hatched.  I hope they hatched by Chinese New Year.  Then all my relatives get a chance to have a close up view of the nest.

Weight is Climbing!!!

My weight keep going up.  I am not exercising enough.  Eating to much as well.  Sometimes, it goes down quickly.  I know it is the msg in the food I consumed.  MSG cause me to feel very thirsty and I will drink lots and wake up in the middle of night to pee.  By morning, I will have lost 1kg!!.  This mean I drank more than what my body really needs and has to expel  the liquid through the night instead of in the morning.

Battery Discharged, So No Flying

I brought my plane to AMK Central.  Unfortunately, the battery lost it charge and I could not fly.  So I will have to charge it fully before leaving the house.  I took the battery out this morning but did not get to fly until about 6 pm.  By then, the charges are gone.

AMK Central

There is a big field at AMK Central.  Kids always go there to play frisbees.  I will try to fly my model plane there as well.  Hopefully, it gives me a good flight.  It had crash several times and is not in a good shape but I have repaired it.  So I am hopeful...

Planting Potatoes

We bought a bag of small potatoes but did not cook it.  The eyes had sprouted.  I am planting them and see if I can grow the potatoes.  My brinjal did grow and flower but no fruits yet.  According to the YouTube, potatoes are easy to grow.  I hope they will grow like the Japanese sweet potatoes.

The biggest challenge I have now is snails.  They keep eating up my seedlings.  So I planted seeds several time but they were all gone after sprouting.  I hope the potatoes leaves are not tasty to them.

All is Well!

I am so happy to see the sunbird in the nest.  This means it is incubating the eggs in the nest.  I managed to get a picture although it is not so clear.  The bird's head and beak can be seen peeping out of the nest.

Sunbirds are Not Around!

The sunbirds are not flying around.  I am a little worried that they might have abandon the nest.  The rain is very heavy.  But seems like it is quite protected by the leaves of the sweet potato.  When I listen carefully, there seems to have some chirping.  I hope they are incubating the eggs.

Seems like every nest has 2 chicks and one chick will kill the other chick to get all the food.  It is the survival of the fittest.

Lunch with Classmates

Midview City - Taste of Thailand.  We had 7 for lunch. The doctor is buying.  It is great time to talk and share stories.  We love the company and the chance to talk and air our views.

We sat around the table and had extremely long lunch from noon to 3:30.  The doctor go back to work at 2.  We continue our sharing session.  It is good to have a regular session just doing nothing other than good food and good company.

Front Tooth Repair

My front tooth chipped and I had it repaired two days ago.  However, the repair only lasted a few hours.  I called right away and my dentist has left for US.  I had to go to his replacement.  She is quite thorough.  So I hope it will last this time.

After the tooth repair, it is almost 5pm and the ERP to return home will be expensive.  So I go to Orchard to past time.  Lucky Plaza has per entry charge after 5pm on weekdays.  The charges will be less than the ERP.   So I had dinner in Paragon and then kill some time before leaving at 8pm.

CTE was very heavy in traffic.  Everyone else is doing the same to avoid ERP.  It is slow going.

Lunch at J8

The J8 foodcourt meepok was very good according to my wife.  So I decided to try it today.  It is a little pricey at $5.50 per bowl.  Taste is quite good but the portion could be a little more for the price.

We had our lunch rather late, almost 1pm.  There were lots of students.  Pierce Secondary, Catholic High and many Rafflesians dressed in their black Team Raffles T Shirt.  Actually, the school ends at 1215pm according to my wife.  This is why there are plenty of students having their meals out with their friends.  B3 was busy and stayed in school.  

The busy life of parents mean many kids eat out all the time.  I see the group dynamics are quite good.  They are bonding over a meal.

Very Exciting Time for Us!

Last week, after we returned from our holiday in KL, B1 notices a bird trying to build a nest.  It started with a vertical strand of what looked like dead leaf.  Over time, the nest is taking shape.  We are very excited looking out for the birds (a pair) to come and go.  Bit by bit the nest grows.  It is so satisfying to see them building a home in front of our eyes.  Below are the pictures I have taken.

New Year Goodies

The supermarkets and hawker centers are selling the new year goodies.  Plenty of brands with range of cookies from Almond to Peanuts.  Love letters of different kind.  It is quite nice to feel the festive air with the CNY music blaring out of the PA system.

I am getting into mood.

Power Suppliers

The market has been open for AMK and Punggol.  I have switched to iSwitch.  Immediately, I regret the switch as we walk out to the main concourse, Tuas Power offers the same billing and no admin charges.  iSwitch has admin charges of $5 per month.  The breaking clause is 30% per month on the balance of the contract. 

It is not so good.

Learning Programming

I am learning how to program for some time now.  It was extremely challenging in the beginning.  Now I am getting the hang of it.  And I can get the examples on the book working by copying the programs from the internet. However, when I type directly sometimes they do not work and it can be frustrating as I check and could not find where I go wrong.

Copying is easy but it is hard to remember as I just copied the program and it works!  When I type and it sometimes works and sometimes don't.  As I get proficient, it is quite easy to troubleshoot or rather debug in programming terminology.  However, this morning I had trouble with one example as I type in and check time and time again it refuses to work but when I copy from the website it works.  I think I am missing the next command.

I am very happy that I am making progress but I am still unable to write any original program yet.

Best New Year!

We followed a friend to KL for a short holiday.  It is good value when we drive and book the hotel way ahead.  Still had we had in Dec instead of October, we could have save $50 as the exchange rate for Ringgit has dropped.  The meals are great value.  The usual resturant fare is about have the price of back home.  Sushi Tei is almost one third as the price in ringgit is similar to the menu price in Sindollar.

There are plenty of choices.  B1 and B3 had a great time exploring on their own.  B3 tried out their bubble tea and other snacks.  I gave him some pocket money for him to buy whatever he likes.  He also managed to get his jeans and hoodie.  He is at the age to desire "style" of the teen.

I had a relaxing time resting.  I also enjoys the breakfast time alone.  Reminds me of working.  I missed those days.

The great highlight of this trip is the fireworks!  I was sleeping in my room when there was a great explosion.  I woke up with a shock and on the living room, my wife and boys were jumping up and down screaming wow! wow! WOW!  I hurried over and start taking video.  It is an amazing sight.  The explosions were right outside our windows.  Seems a little dangerous.  The smell of gunpowder was so strong.

We were lucky to get the rooms with direct view.  We had been here before but only see it from the reflection of another building.

Beautiful Morning

The sky is clear azure blue.  Sun is bright but air is cool.  Quiet morning except for alarm that keeps ringing.  One of neighbours must have left the room and the alarm keeps ringing non-stop!

I love the peace of my estate.  The sunbirds will come and feast on the nectar of the flowers.  B3 is still sleeping in his room.  I am at my work desk reading and doing computer stuff.  I will work on my programming skills.

It is nice warm feeling and a good start for the day.

Beef Noodles in Serangoon Gardens

There is a noodle stall in Serangoon Gardens that sells beef noodles.  I did not know as the stall sells mainly fishball or mincemeat noodles.  It is through the old classmates chatgroup that I found out about this stall.  I tried it for lunch today.  The taste is different from other beef noodle stall.  The beef is stewed rather than boiled.  It comes in chunks rather than sliced.  Taste is pretty good.  My big complain is it has too much msg.  I felt so thirsty after the meal.

For $5 a bowl, it is quite good value.  There is a small serving for $4.

Merry Merry Christmas

I wish all my readers Merry Christmas.  It is a very busy day in AMK Hub as we could not get a carpark and has to abandon going there.

Our Christmas lunch is Chicken Rice at Boon Tong Kee.  For dinner, we ate at AMK Ave 6 Hawker Center after visiting my uncle-in-law at the AMK Community Hospital.  He is recovering from a hip operation which join the femur to the ball joint as it had fractured.

Christmas is time for family and time for giving.  B3 did not join us for dinner as he was not well and sleeping.  B3 has been doing dance video for the past two days.  Waking up early and out all day in the sun is taking a toll on his body.

I love Christmas although we do not do the tree and presents as the kids have all grown.  However, we had such good time while they were growing up and very excited putting out the cookies and milk for Santa Claus.

Kinokuniya 20% Sales

MPH used to have the Book Bang in October.  It gave only 10% discount.  I used to go to the main store right beside the National Library and spent lots of fun time exploring books.  Kino 20% year end and Christmas Sale attracts lots of shoppers too.

Crowds throng the main store in Ngee Ann City.  I had a good time exploring new books.  The queue is pretty long.  Books are expensive now that I am retired.  So, I just window shop.  It is quite fun to be in the crowd.

Two Chefs Sin Ming

The Zichar stall in Commonwealth started by 2 young chefs has a new branch in Sin Ming.  The young chefs are no longer young.  Now, one partner is in Sin Ming and he is a middle age man.  The food is still pretty good.  The price is alright.  So it is quite good value and popular.  Commonwealth usually has a long queue.  Sin Ming is much better.  Getting a table is easy.  The wait is not as long about 20 mins before the food arrives.

Tonight's dinner was claypot curry fishhead and egg foo yong.  My complain with the fish is there are plenty of scales left and I have to keep spitting them out.  Egg fuyong is quite good.  We ordered medium which is sufficient for 3 at $9.

The food has a dose of msg and I feels thirsty after dinner.

Fishing is my relaxation

I enjoys cycling to Punggol Point and do some light fishing.  The water is much cleaner today.  I caught a number of mullets.  There is another fish which is quite interesting.  It keeps squeaking when it was out of water.  I thought it was dead by the time I got to it.  But it was still kicking or rather flipping albeit weakly.  My net is big and I am not good at taking out the fishes quickly.  Mullets are fine as they are quite sturdy and can be out of water for some time.  Other fishes do dies by the time I take them out.

My arowana is eating again.  So it is good to catch fishes to feed it.

Evening Out:)

My wife was busy packing up her sewing area.  She just bought a Baby Lock which is a new machine for sewing seams for making T-shirts.  After spending the day organising her work area, she wants to go to Plaza Singapura to relax and look for any items that may help make her latest toy works better.

We left about 6pm.  There is a huge line to the car park in Plaza Sin.  So we change venue to Bugis+ instead and have dinner there. 

It is drizzling when we drove out and the sky was grey.  Reminds me of weather in Canada.  Actually, winter as it is usually dark and cold.  I feels pangs of homesick for Canada.  I wants to go back there to live.  I think B2 will miss the country when he come back.

Wifey is happy with our outing even though it is just about 2 hours.  We walkabout and share tonkatsu with fried noodle dinner at the foodcourt.  The meal cost $9 and we share.  The taste is just average as the meat is cold.  Noodles although warm is not freshly cooked.  I don't think I will eat that again.

Busy Sunday in Chong Pang

B3 is going to do his CIP or community involvement program in Yishun Community Hospital.  So we go to Chong Pang for lunch.  The carpark was absolutely full.  Long line of cars waiting for other cars to leave.  So we go to carpark across the street.  The R2E2 mangoes are in season.  I bought 3 large size for $10.  Jackfruit is at $6.50 per kg.  It is slightly higher price than the $6/kg in AMK hawker center that has the beef noodles.  We bought one kg anyway.

The place was extremely crowded and buzzing with activities.  We have roast meat for lunch and then go to Gin Thye to buy some traditional peanut candy and almond cookies.  I love the traditional type of tidbits.  Bad of teeth but full of memories of growing up.

Almond Juice

I have to go to Robinson Road to sign my transfer for Jurong Cement to Holcim.  Jurong Cement majority shares were bought by Holcim and no longer traded in the stock exchange.  So I have to change to the physical share certificate.

So, lunch at Chinatown is convenient.  Since I was there, I went to buy the Almond Juice.  Almond Juice is excellent for cough.  It was out of stock for some time.  This time they are back!

I was very happy but the price has gone up to $14.50.  When we first bought it, it was $8.  Now as we keep recommending to our friends and family, the demand has gone up and consequently the price as well.

Another Week of Prevena

I was at NTFH to change dressings.  The wound has improved!  However, still need another week of Prevena or suction wound drainage.  I hope my wound will heal up quickly so that I can live more normally.  My surgeon says it will take about 9 months for the bone to fuse.  Until then, I am not allowed to have normal activities that required twisting the body or bending forward.

I am glad that there is improvement.  Seems like it is no longer as deep as before according to the nurse.  Things are looking up.

A Thousand Apologies, S!

Dear S,

Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing on the NDE book.  My apologies for thinking it is my good friend, Boh Tong as he usually leaves comments for me as encouragement.

I am gratified to get your valuable comment.  I have read a little about Anita Moorjani and watched her on YouTube.  It is indeed an interesting journey for her and I am glad to learn from her.

The NDEs I read about are usually researchers who interviews the people who experienced NDEs.  The first hand account is a refreshing change from my usual read on this subject.

Thank you so much for dropping by my blog and leaving your comments.

Booklover

Anita Moorjani

My good friend Boh Tong introduces this author, Anita Moorjani after I mentioned about reading a book on NDE or near death experience.  Anita had NDE due to cancer.  She came back and was relieve of cancer in a week!!!  She was told of the reason for her cancer.  She did not love herself.  Once she is back from other side, she recovered quickly.  She has videos on the internet and a TEDx talk.

The book I was reading earlier is The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences by Penny Sartori.

The first book on NDE is by Raymond Moody - Life After Life.  When it was first published there were lots of publicity.  Raymond is a doctor and he is daring to write about something that the medical community is afraid to go public on for fear of being laughed at or ostracised.

Start of the Weekend

I woke up at 3am and tried to go back to sleep but was unable to.  So at half past 3, I decided to get up.  I noticed dining table light was left on, so check on B1's room and found he has not returned home yet.  I called and he is trying to get a taxi home even though I offered to go to pick him.  He has to wait with his friend.  He called me after a few mins as the taxi refuses to pick them and asked me to pick him up.

I went to UE Square, his friend has left.  We returned home at about half past 4 and he went to bed after showering.  He has to go to work when he wakes up.

As for me, the sky has turned light and the sun has risen casting light on the HDB blocks that block my paranomic views just a few years back.

The rain that started at about 3am has also stopped.  It is the start of a beautiful day and weekend...

I Wonder

I am reading a book on NDE or near death experience.  People who went through NDE do change their perspective and priority.  Gone are the material pursuits.  Mostly helping other people became a priority. 

I wonder about this.  I wonder if I can help others.  I wonder how can I conduct my life in a better way.  I wonder if I am wasting my life by not helping others more.

There are so many ways we can help others.  Considerate for others, spread love instead of hate, tolerant for others who are different.  Living a green manner, using less of Mother Earth resources, donating or buying tissue papers.

I wonder what my karma is.  If I can do more good and gain more "merit" in the Buddhist concept. 

I strongly believe I will continue once I left my physical body.  I wonder how my grade will be if I go to the Hall of Memories and have to grade my current life.  I went through some hard period.  However, I don't think that helps in my karma.  Maybe my world vision adoption of so kids may help.  Maybe not as that may be "buying good karma" as I am only using money.  Somehow, I believe good karma can only be acquired using my free will and time to help others.

Ng Teng Fong Hospital

My experience in Ng Teng Fong is quite positive so far.  Except for the suture that is not healing well, the service I get there is so much better than other hospitals - private or restructured.  I put it as new and workload is not as heavy.  It could also be I enjoys talking to the nurses and doctors and they are open to small talks.  The 3 big malls - IMM, Jem and Westgate have plenty of choice for food and discount stores.  So it is a good place to past time as well.

Lightning at 3am and Rain at 4

I was woken up by the lightning flashes.  The sky was merciful.  Plenty of lightning but no thunder to break the silence of the night.  I got up and make my usual hot drink.  This time is it Assam tea.  During dinner last night at the Malaysia Boleh foodcourt, my neighbouring table had 2 teh O.  They looked so good.  I have to drink teh O this morning.  Most time I make filtered coffee.

Rain started at 4 and stopped maybe half an hour ago. Or about half past 5.  The surrounding is quiet except for sounds of dizzle pattering on the floor.  I like the quiet peace early in the morning.

Toyota Prius 3rd Generation, 9 years old

My trusty Prius is 9 years old.  My wife wants to trade it for a new Prius+.  I like to renew the COE for another 10 years.  She is always worried about driving old car.  We actually went to test drive a few times.  Finally, she decided to go for the repair as we have to reset hybrid system again last night.  Unfortunately, Borneo Motors has company function and service is not working this morning.

Finally, my utimate boss decides to repair instead of buying a new car.   I have also ordered other parts as there are wear and tear.

My thinking is to use the car for as long as possible as it is greener than replacing new car.  New cars used up the Earth's resources.  Plus the Prius has been a good car and well maintained by Borneo its whole life.

I hope I can use my car for another 10 years and not meet with major repairs.

2 Sutures have Inflammation

I was at Physio again yesterday morning.  She advise me to see the doctor as she notice my wound is leaking fluid.  She say 2 sutures are not good and I need to see the doctor again.  The doctor prescribed strong antibiotics as it may be my body reacting to the sutures.  I will have to see him again next week to check on the wound.

I am glad this Physiotherapist who is Senior asked me to go.  I cannot drop in to see the doctor.  The reception insist the Physio to call my doctor before the appointment is accepted.  It is the system.  I do not like it as it seems like they are making it difficult for patient to do followup if they are experiencing any unusual symptoms.

Nov 15, Start of Right Hip Pain

I am making sure I keep a record of the changes in Pain as I recover from my spine surgery.  It is Nov 15 that the pain and discomfort started and now it is giving regular pain.

I cycled on 19th Nov morning.  I just want to be sure if my spine X-ray shows up as abnormal, I need to know if all these incidents have any relationship.

I will be going for Physiotherapy again tomorrow.  Let's see if there is an exercise I can do to help reduce the pain.  Right now, I have to do balancing exercise as my core muscles are weak and need strengthening.

KefenTech, the Wonder Plaster

I am right having pain in my right hip.  To make it bearable, I am using KefenTech which is prescribed by the surgeon.  This plaster is quite effective in reducing the pain sensation.  It is a good analgesic or pain killer.

I am using 2 or 3 pieces each day to reduce the localised pain.  I do not know about the long term effects but it definitely make it more comfortable for me to go about my life.

IMM

I am getting to know IMM, Westgate and Jem well.  Parking at IMM is quite reasonable as first 2 hours are free.  Today, we try out Orange Lantern, Vietnamese Resturant.  I loved Vietnamese food.  But this resturant's food is on average.  So I am not going back again.  Vietnamese Rolls in ION is far better.  Next time I may try the Thai food recommended by Sketcher retail manager.  The place seems well patronise. 

Right Hip is Sore

Since 3 days ago, my right hip is becoming more and more sore.  It is now giving me dull pain constantly.  I think it is the scar tissue forming and tightening on the nerve.  I hope it will go away with physiotherapy. 

The pain is distracting me as I go about my day whether it is walking or driving.  I hope I do not painkillers to suppress this discomfort.

The Earlier You Retire, the Longer You Live!

Everyday is the same when you are not working.  There is a Boeing actuarial study that found the earlier you retire, the longer you live.  I did a Google search on retirement age vs lifespan.  Many studies since then found it may be other factors other than the retirement age.  For example, one study the type of job, another look at the income or wealth.  So the link of longevity to retirement age may not be so simple.

As for me, it is not living long that is important.  It is the quality of life.  The mobility and ability to do one's desire.  There is no point in living long if the quality of life suffers.  Best is to have a fulfilling life and ends well.

Spinal Ops Recovery

It is just after two weeks from my spinal operations to fuse L4 and L5.  The post op pain was intense.  Morphine helps but also makes me drowsy.  I have only PCA for 2 days.  After which it was oral opiate.  I had an episode of cold turkey when I sweat profusely and feels so unwell throughout.  My doctor says it is the side effects of Tramadol.  So I stop taking Tramadol.

Today, I am not taking any painkillers anymore.  Not even paracetamol or commonly known as Panadol.  Only issue is during driving.  I can feel the pressure of the metal pressing into my flesh.

I am starting to feel more normal and very glad for it!

Flash Floods and Clear Water in the Pond!

We are getting flash floods during downpour this afternoon.  It is almost a regular occurence with heavy rainfalls.  My outdoor pond is getting refresh with fresh rainwater.  So now, it is clear.  I am very happy with the outcome.  The filter from China cost about one-fifth the price of my Laguna filter but it did not work.  Maybe I did not put in the parts required properly.  The Laguna filter has more sponge.  So it works well.

I am happy to see the bottom of my pond.  It is relaxing to see the fishes swimming about.

B1 Back from Shanghai

B1 went for business trip in Shanghai.  He was quite excited and he extended for the weekend.  He find the trip tiring and the workload very demanding as the entertainment part drinking and karaoke is exhausting.

It is good experience and hopefully he will do more business trips.

Lazing is Easy

I am lazing around.  It is so easy with internet and Youtube.  I can watched videos all day long.  Nowadays even watched Youtube before sleeping instead of reading.  However, my Kobo allows me to pass time reading while queuing and waiting to order my food.  I am trying the programming and made so progress.  However, it is easy to go the way the water flow.  It still take efforts to figure out how the programming works.  Every time I accomplished a little learning, I reward myself with videos.  Unfortunately, the videos are addictive.  So my progress is slow to say the least.

Recovering from Post Ops

I am back at home recovering from post ops.  Check out on Saturday after the drain was removed.  I actually removed it myself!  I sat on a chair and wanted to go toilet.  So I took out the detachable table in front of my chair and walk out to place it on a safe place.  As I walked out, I feel pain on my back.  I thought it was backache.  I pressed hard at the sore area to reduce the pain and realised my drainage tube is no longer attached to me!!!

Anyway, it was fine as there is no "active" bleeding.  I was then discharged.  At home, my wound is still bleeding inside, so there is a big bulge at the surgical site.  But it did not too big a problem.

Yesterday, I went to Golden Mile Hawker Center for Yong Tau Fu lunch.  The youg tao fu is quite good and worth the wait.  2 bowls cost $11.