Change in Lifestyles

Now the fear to go out is real.  Governments around the world imposed on movement restrictions.  Stay-at-home is the new mantra.  If you are older, stricter stay at home.  No other choice as Japanese say.

We have been going out less often.  Only for meals.  Even it is nearby and wash our hands numerous times each day.  It is scary times.  It is peaceful time. 

Economy is slowly grinding down to a halt.  The resturants have plenty of deals.  The malls reduced hours.  For those with money, great deals and value are abound.  Those without will suffer as reduced hours and stoppages means drop in income.  It is a rich's man world.

Slowly Back to Normal

Food centers are getting crowded again.  For short period when it first turned Orange, people fled from crowded areas.  Love it when it is easy to get seats.  But now all the foodcourts, hawker centers are getting crowded again.  Not easy to get seats anymore.  We were at Compass One "Eats" at basement 2.  The fishball noodle is $4.20 with tea and $3.50 without.  Same price as hawker centers.  The quantity may be slightly less.  But it is in aircon comfort.  Although right now, aircon post risks of getting corona virus.

While having our meals, there was a little girl eating and talking to her mum.  She was so adorable regaling her mum with stories of her day in school.  I loved it.  My boys no longer does this.  It is so nice to listen to the happening and teachers and all the trivia.  Beautiful evening we had.

America Psyche

I was watching Bloomberg News.  It seems to me America needs an Enemy all the time.  China is perpetually accused by America for being a threat and danger to the rest of the world.  When I was growing up, this is Cold War after World War 2.  The enemy was Russia.  Russia help Trump get elected and now a friend.  So the new (in American terminology) bogeyman is China.

The press conference by American leaders are always how America is "rape" by China for the trade deficits.  They buy the goods China makes and enjoy a high standard of living and in turn Trump label that as unfair trade and call it a rape.  They tried to cripple the high tech Chinese companies by accusing them instruments of Government and forcing other nations not to buy their products.

The history academics say these are signs of power shift of hegemony.  Britain was a great empire and decline.  America took its place.  Now America is declining and doing all it can to stay in power.

Pandemic

The death toll has risen above 1,000 this morning.  Number down with the new Corona Virus is more than 40,000.  The mortality rate is 1%. 

This disease has been declared by WHO as a pandemic and the number of infections is stabilising.  China is taking strong measures and hopefully can defeat the virus soon.

Whatsapps Went Dizzy!

Human to human transmission confirmed!  My schoolmates whatsapp group went into overdrive.  Fear is palpable.  Many questioned our ability to handle the situation.  Some jokes whisky may be a cure.  They are just trying to lighten the mood of intense concern and worry. 

As for me, I am not concern as I believe over time the virus will be contained.  Just hope not to be impacted in a serious way.

Flu Fears

The malls are like desert towns.  Everywhere people donned facemasks.  It is a fearful world today.  No crowds everywhere.  Food courts, hawker centers.  Do this mean most people cooked and eat at home?  My boy said it is delivery.  He says most people use delivery nowadays.  The young are internet savy and do not have cars, so delivery is an excellent options.  The older crowd like me prefers piping hot food freshly prepared by the hawkers or cooks.

Now with whatsapps and other social media, it is so easy to disseminate information.  However, fears can get out of hands especially if there is a lack of understanding.  Facemasks are all out of stocks.  It is commonsense that if you breathe in clean air then you will not get infected.  What is not common is the virus spread more through contact.  When an infected person cough or sneeze and use his or her hand to block.  After that all the places he or she touches contains the viruses - door knobs, handles, escalators stabilizers, elevators' buttons, tables, chairs, cutlery, bowls, plates, etc, etc.

The most important is still hand hygiene.  Wash hands frequently and wash thoroughly.  This is more effective than wearing facemask.

Wonderful Morning

The sun is out shining bright.  Cerulan blue sky and white cirrus clouds.  The birds are chirping and I can heard sweeping of leaves. Nice peaceful morning.  It is a beautiful morning.

It was raining yesterday.  Somehow after the downpour, the air has positive vibes lifting up the spirits.  I am looking at the world with rose coloured lens. 

Have a wonderful day ahead!

Running Scared

Everyone is running scared of the Wuhan virus.  China lockdown 16 cities and the number of cases are skyrocketing.  It is a matter of time before the virus is stopped.  Still, the facemask are all sold out.  The facemask is not the most important defence.  It is the handwashing and avoiding crowd.  I guess if you are on the way to work, you feel better with a facemask.

The number of cases in Singapore is still small.  Unfortunately, Singapore is the largest recipent of Wuhan natives who are travelling out of China.

One expert says by May when the weather warms up the virus will die of natural like SARS.  So let's keep our fingers crossed!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

It is Lunar New Year!  This year, it happens on the weekend.  I invited my sisters over as usual.  They came with their grandchildren.  It was a very busy day.  So fun.  I always enjoys the family coming over.

I use my Dutch Oven to cook boneless Chicken Thighs with peppers, cabbage and tomatoes.  They like the food and ate a lot.  Even the grand nephew ate the vegetables.  I am very pleased.

It is so much easier cooking a one pot meal. 

Chills and Feverish

I was feeling bad and mentioned that in the whatsapp chatgroup this morning.  A doctor friend ask me to go to his clinic to see him.  I declined.  Later, in the afternoon a couple of schoolmates kidded me about my condition and poking into my ass, etc.  Then he mentioned I could have feel better if I went to his clinic on Tuesday.  It is due to bacteria infection in the large intestines. And antibiotics will solve my problem right away.  So I said I will go tomorrow but he says he is closed and I can visit this evening.  I went to see him after my CNY groceries shopping. He examine my abdomen and says it is bad and it is cold. He prescribed the antibiotics and something to reduce my tummy spasms.  I think I am feeling the effect. It is working!

Food Poisoning Episode

Reunion dinner was on 18 Jan 2020.  Venue:  Vegetarian Restaurant in Marina Square.  The food is better than most Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant. 

It is funny that when I go to bed that night, I thought I may die in my sleep and my wife will wake up in the morning with a shock!  I did not feel bad when falling asleep, yet this thought come to my mind.  I wonder if this is portend of the event that will be happening.

At about 3am, woke up feeling up comfortable.  I go to toilet thinking I just need to pee.  Suddenly, there is an urge and I vomited!  After vomiting, I had diarrhoea.  I had at least 3 bouts of throwing out and passing out liquid stools.  I went to bed again when the sun has risen and did not get up until past noon.

I has been lethargic and weak in the past few days.  Yesterday, I started taking solid food.  Step by step I am recovering.

Life is becoming normal again.

B3 Unhappy

B3 finished his A levels exams.  We asked him to work to earn.  He is very unhappy last night.  He think he has learned everything in his workplace and since he has no desire to work in admin in the first place, he feel he is just working for money.  He says his friends are all quitting.  He just want free time. 

He is also upset that I am not working and have free time whereas he does not.  He feels trapped working for the rest of his life and will not have free time until he retires.

It seems like his generation has drastically different views of life.  I think it could be his school environment as well.  Most of his schoolmates come from well off families.  I have talked to a few youngsters.  Their views seems conventional i.e. earn a living, contribute to family or give a a portion of their income to their mums. 

My youngest boy's talk to his friends and I wonder if it is selective in what he tells me.  His friends worked as packers or admin.  In a couple of weeks, now they are quitting.  Seems cavalier attitude towards working and the need to earn their own pocket money.

Has the world changed?

Dim Sum Class

I am attending dim sum classes.  It is interesting to learn how to cook dim sum.  Dim sum is quite labour intensive.  Chinese cooking is also a complex business.  It is enrichment knowledge.  We have to practice cooking once in a while.

Chicken Char Siew Bao

Chicken Bao 

and Peach Bao

Deep Cut on my Left Hand

Last night, I suffered a deep cut on my left hand.  I was doing the dishes.  As I was putting the clean bowl to the drying rack, it slipped and fall.  I tries to catch. Unfortunately, it reaches the granite sink top first and break and bounce back.  My hand was still going down fast and the sharp shards cut deep into my palm.  A piece of flesh came out.  I am hoping to save it.

It is still bleeding right now.  So I do not know if I go to the clinic, it can be save.

Christmas Merry

It is just another day.  My boy is not working and the B3 went out to meet his friends.  For me, I am reading novels.  English translation of Heroes are Born.  It is an engaging story.  So many characters and so many menpai or Martial Arts School.  I like the accupoint where you can stop a person from moving by pressing on certain point on the body.  

Mix in there is love story.  The female characters are beautiful and good in martial arts.  I wonder how.  Wenwu which means scholar and fighter in one.  Several characters excel in both poetry, art of war as well as skills in martial arts.  It is a combination that everyone dream about.

Loads of whatapps videos on Christmas.  It is pretty Christmassy.  I like it in Canada where the houses are decorated with lights and Christmas trees.  We will have presents and it was so fun.

Baking Test

WSQ requires testing at the end of the course.  We were required to make apple crumble tartlets and shortbeard.  Since my partner is a super hardworking and conscientious person, I let her do the heavy lifting.  I am just running here and there.  There is a theory section and the assessor was very helpful.

The test is to check basic understanding of baking pastries.  Now I know how to bake tarts and tartlets.  Make the egg custard filling and make a proper apple tart.  It is a good enrichment class.

Overall, I had fun in the class.

Dim Sum and Tarts

My wife convinces me to get out of my lazy daily routine and take dim sum and tarts cooking class.  I am enjoying the process of learning to cook tarts and dim sum. The dim sum class was on Sunday and the class was not so enjoyable as the instructor or rather the assistant instructor was horrible.

Visiting a Neighbour

My wife sold a cluster house in a nearby estate.   They invited us over.  It was beautifully done up.  She has 3 different stationsfor coffee machine.  She also has a smoothie station.  They have plenty of cool gadgets and build so many Lego sets.

We enjoys the visit very much and reciprocate our visit.  Our place will be very messy compared to their as they are setting up the house new and it is very nice to make it like a showroom.

Wife Climb to Summit!

I was surprised wife want to join the climb.  Luckily, all my climbing khakis are not climbing this morning.  So we went and B1 went along as well.  She was complaining a lot that I took her to the most difficult way.  We actually do not have a choice as we went by a different way and have only 2 options: most difficult or challenging.

Along the way, we have to keeping asking fellow climbers how challenging and how long more.  The good thing is we managed to reach the summit. So we took the easy way down and had brunch in the hawker center.  The food there is pretty good.

NEA is Coming to Spray Potent Insecticides

My fishes in the pond are not surviving.  Just replenished with fresh batch of fishes and they all died in a couple of hours.  Tomorrow NEA is coming again to give double dose.  So I have to change my water again.  It is terrible.  I have a hard time maintaining my aquarium.  Now I have one lone goldfish.  If tomorrow, it cannot survive, I will change the water again.

Dengue!

My neighbourhood is a hot spot!!  So NEA came to inspect several times.  Then they decided to fog the estate.  The fog used much stronger pesticides and smell bad even after a few days.  Usually the regular white smoke is diesel insecticides mix smells will clear after a few hours.

What I noticed is there are still plenty of houseflies.  So I wonder if the insecticides are specific to mosquitoes only.

Braddell Road Towards Lornie Road

This stretch of road and Lornie Road/Highway is full of cameras.  I always make sure I do not speed wherever.  Some times just to overtake a slow vehicle, have slightly higher speed.  I just got it!  The speed exceeds from 1 - 20 KMPH!!  For this, it is $150 fine and 4 demerit points.  What the!!!

Jinxed?

Sometimes it is good to be superstitious!  I was just telling my friend that I no longer get up in the middle of the night.  I think I am getting less stress or recovering well from the spinal surgery.

Guess what?  This morning I am up at 4am.  I was enjoying good night's sleep for a couple of weeks and now insomnia hits.  Did I speak too soon?  Or is it because I mentioned it to someone and my subconscious wants to punish me? 

Life can be such that it is better not to reveal improvement in routines.  Otherwise, it may be reset to the old ways...

More and More are Hooked to Bukit Timah Climb

Coming Monday is Dewali or Deepavali holiday.  So more of my schoolmates will join the climb.  It will be more fun to gather for healthy pursuits.  I think we may do the more challenging climb again
So it will be good as I am looking forward to strengthen some of my lesser used muscles.

Climbing up the hill has an advantage.  The goal is clear and specific.  No stopping until reaching the summit.

Bukit Timah Summit

Last Sunday, I took up the invitation to climb Bukit Timah with chatgroup friend.  It was a tough climb as the slopes can be steep.  Rather the climb is not too bad but the return is the one taking lots of strength on hardly used muscles.  I was very sore on Monday and a couple days thereafter.  I can hardly go down my stairs as it hurts a lot.  Another friend taught my how to stretch and it helps to relief the pains while going down.

This morning, we did the climb again.  This time we have 2 more joining in.  I think they are less fit.  So we walk down the easy route instead of going back by the same way.  I feel less sore than the first time.  Firstly, I am more fit and mostly it is because the return is far easier.

The total climb and return is about 1 and half hour if you do not rest too long.

Clear Blue Sky

It is a beautiful morning. Cerulean blue sky.  Fluffy white clouds floating lazily.  Cool air temperature.  Rain is wonderful especially when it rained over a long period.  The air smells fresh and wonderful.

I was up at 3:30am and now sleep is catching me.  May take a nap to relieve my sleepiness.

Wonderful Rain

It is more than 2 weeks of haze. Last night, lightning strikes and this morning, rain rain rain.  So I managed to collect rainwater for plants.  Now the air smells fresh.  The air is cool.  It is nice to get a break in the weather.

Some of the trees in PCN leaves are totally brown and the grass were brown this morning when I cycled.  It is good that the trees are getting their lifegiving water.

Best of all my rainwater collection has replenished. 

Eunoia

At the Sengkang Community exercise area, a girl came to do sit-ups beside me.  I was also doing my sit-ups and planking exercises in order to strengthen my core muscles.  I notices she is wearing Eunoia T-Shirt.  So I ask if she is in the school.  Yes!  She is in J2.  So she is same age as B3.  It is school holiday now and she is exercising.

I chat with her a bit as B3 will be in the same school if he was in IP program.  She is in Arts stream and studies Geography and Chinese  Her CCA is Chinese orchestra.  She was from St Nicholas.  The school is quite far in Ghim Moh.  There is a shuttle bus from Sengkang.  So it is not to bad.

Her Maths is not good.  So I recommended B3's tuition teacher.  Do not know if she will take up.  Also the tuition teacher's Maths is quite weak.  So hopefully she does well in her A levels.

B2 is Back for Year 3

B2 started his academic year in U of T. This is his 3rd year.  Two more years to go.  Hopefully, he come back with good results and will be able to get a job.  He seems to want to go to do clinical psychology but his 2 cousins in SMU psychology work in bank or ecommence.

I just hope he can earn enough to support himself and his family.

Hot and Humid

It is hot and humid.  I find it difficult to focus.  Also I did not have proper lunch and cooking myself different snacks to eat.  I am also drinking a ton.  Beer, pineapple juice and tea.

Wish I live in a country with cooler climate.

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.