$5 Nasi Lemak!

After sending my boy for his piano lesson, I go to Bedok Food Center nearby to have breakfast and past time reading the newspaper. I decided to try out the nasi lemak stall that is not so popular. The food on display look okay to me although not as appealing as the more popular stall. I ordered mutton rendang, sayur lodeh and cuttlefish with nasi lemak rice. I was a little surprised by the price of $5 in hawker center. This is a place for the common man with low income. This is equivalent to RM11.50. The place is hot and basic. The cleanliness is ok, could be better but acceptable. My saving grace is my wife shared meal with me, thus I can divide the cost by 2. We are getting expensive just for basic living.

Yuan Xiao

Today is yuan xiao or Chap Goh Mei, i.e. 15th day of the new year. It is also the last day of Chinese New Year.

The sky is unusually clear tonight. Our moon is big round, bright and beautiful. The stars lit up the night sky even with our city lights make it difficult to see faint twinkle of starlight. Seeing the moon makes me wish good wishes:) I shall keep all my wishes a secret. I hope the moon fairy or angel will bless my family and I.

A Whole New Mind

I have read this book from cover to cover. I am listening to the audio version and it is still an excellent read! We are in the "plenty" age. There is abundance of material comforts and stuff. Left brain activities like reading x-rays, writing programs can be done cheaply in India or manufacturing products in the global workshop in China. What we need is strong right brain as well as left leading to a Whole New Mind! Creativity, Synthesis rather than analysis, Big picture views are the keys to success for our modern post-industrial age.
The author also recommended 6 different attributes to develop and how to develop them. I would recommend this book to my friends and family who are readers.

Interesting Issue with Sanyo Hybrid Bike

My Sanyo Hybrid Bike's front wheel vibrates every time I free-wheel. I called the Agent and the technician came over to replace the front wheel. The new front wheel vibrate less but still vibrates. All my other bikes do not have this problem. Maybe the motor/dynamo is the root cause. Anyway, I will test ride tomorrow to see if the fix works. The wheel is okay when peddling or charging back during braking. The moment it free-wheel, the vibration starts and it get not only noisy, it also uncomfortable as the vibrations transmit to the saddle and my butt gets all the woozy. I hope it is do not vibrate as much with the new front wheel.

B3 Fell Down in School

We were picking B3 from school to send him to tuition class. We had a shock when he appeared. There were two huge bandage on both his knees and they were bloody. He gave us a sheepish smile. Then he showed us his left hand and there were two cuts. In the car, he pull down his pants and he has long scratches from his hip to the left thigh.
He was playing and running with his classmate, Shane and tripped on a concrete slab in the field. It must be painful and he is such brave boy. We went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's pharmacy to buy saline and sterile dressing to cleanse his wounds. Then we apply Tegaderm dressing on his wounds. After that, he has Quizo sub for lunch. It cost $8.90 for a sandwich, a cup of chicken noodle soup and a small Pepsi. I would have ate a bowl of fishball noodle at $3.30 plus a tea $1. I would not eat such explensive meal unless I want to treat myself. For my boys, this is normal and regular and I am ok to buy. Am I spoiling my boys or am I stingy on myself?

Creative Toys

B3 is keen to participate in creative toy competition. We have been doing some research. We will need to get ideas from books and internet. It is going to be a challenging project. We need to put in time and effort to figure out and build the project. I am the troubleshooter and analyser type. Creative and Synthesis are not my strengths. So I will need plenty of luck to help B3 to realise his dream.

Not True!

The saying goes "What go up must come down!" This definitely does not apply to weight gain. I gained One kg during my US trip a couple weeks ago. This kilo is really really sticky. It refuses to budge or back down. Maybe the Chinese New Year feasting did not help. All the cycling hardly make a dent. The latest study is cardio exercise do not help reduce weight. Only interval training i.e. low intensity couple with short high intensity burst is the right way to reduce weight. The PCN is quite flat. The slope are very gentle. So I have to change my route to more hilly terrain. I will switch to the Sengkang Gardens and see if I can achieve some reduction.

B3 Cycles Again - Hybrid Bicycle Rules!

B3, the baby of our family was reluctant to ride bicycle to the PCN. I think he is unfit and finds it too strenous. He has tried the hybrid bicycle and like it. So he accepted my invitation this afternoon to cycle. It is his first time to the PCN. Although the bicycle is heavy at 23kgs, he handles it well. The power assist really enable him to cycle fast. The only problem is he is not strong enough to push the bike when we go through obstacles or muddy areas. He is also adventurous and we rode all the way to the Punggol seaside. I am happy with this new bike as it now enable B3 to cycle again. I hope my wife will cycle too. Then we can ride as a family.

Sunny and Bright

Looks like La Nina effects are over. The sun is out in full force and blazing. Weather is hot, uncomfortably hot. With the fine weather, it is time for the great outdoor. The PCN is a great place for recreation. Hougang will be getting upgrading and soon I can cycle all the way from Punggol. There is a new F&B place right beside the river (nowa reservior) in Punggol. It has a nursery and a fast food, Popeye. The carpark is lighted by solar energy. Our government is experimenting with green ideas.

Routine Again

Chinese New Year is kind of over even though we are supposed to last for 15 days. There are still lot of visitings i.e. the road to our home which is usually clear are full of parked cars from visitors to a condo nearby.
For me and my family, we are back to our usual routines. It is tuition, piano class, tuition, homework and study. We eat out to have a break from home-cook food.
Prices in our ubiquitous hawker centres has gone up. This morning in Bedok, all the Malay food stalls have increased their prices by $0.50 i.e. $2.50 is now $3 for the usual mee siam, mee rebus, tauhu goreng. A 20% increase! What used to be priced at 3/4/5 has 3 blank out! This is $3 is no longer available. My usual teh halia is at $1 per cup. Nasi Lemak this morning is $4.50 per plate. It is a little dear to even eat at hawker centres. No wonder it may be a hot election issue in the coming months.

Amazing Fix

I reported my neck was stiff a couple days ago. Today, I visited my chiropractor in Forum. She pressed hard on all my muscles that were knotted and release them. I would say the pain level is at about 8 from 1 to 10 where 1 equals huh? and 10 equals scream till I drop. After she work and release all the tensions, I can turn my head. It is simply amazing.
I hope the fix stay good.

Maiden Ride

I sent my car for servicing today. Instead of taking bus, I took my newly acquired hybrid bicycle and rode home with my wife on the back seat. We go from Sin Ming Ave to Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 PCN and rode all the way home! The PCN is a fantastic system making it safe for cyclists. NParks managed to convince the government to finally build dedicated paths for bicycles. The ride give me the confidence that I can travel by bicycle to more places in Singapore. The problem is fumes and sun. It is quite hot and dusty. Car does have its advantages. Aircond comfort....mmmmm!

Inflation Again

Yes, I am suffering from pain in the neck after I woke up. It is awful. I have slept in such an awkward position my neck muscles are strained trying to hold it in position. Plus working on the computer... man! reading a magazine is difficult as well. Now, it is time to bed. I hope I sleep in a position that will allow my neck to recover.
This morning I bought my regular fried beehoon with fried chicken wing and otah. The meal cost $3.10! I have been reading the news and reports of unrest in Egypt and Tunisia are due to inflation of food prices. Just a couple of months ago, this meal would cost no more than $2.50. It is more than 20% increase! The price of tea in the coffeeshop now cost $1. It was 90 cents. Now Starbucks, Coffee Beans and Tully are luxury drinks at $6 per cuppa. Even Ah Kun increased price by 20cents to $1.50 per cup. My pay has not kept pace with inflation. I am quite sure many others are in the same boat.
It is important for our government to tackle inflation. Otherwise, we are all in trouble.

Back to Work

It is nice to get a long weekend for CNY. In the news, the clinics are busy. Many are down with cough and flu. Some clinics issue 30% more MCs. Many are sick over the holidays due to close contact in crowded conditions. My sisters and mum is down with flu too. My family is luckily spared. We are all back to school and to work. B1 working on his temp job, B2 and B3 in school and I start with an early meeting. There are plenty to do. Performance reviews are due too. I have to go to visit customers this weekend. It is good to get the break to renew and refresh our family and friends relationships. It is back to the grind.

Surprised Visitors

My wife's good friend and her family drop by for dinner. It was a short notice like an hour. They have planned to meet anyway but it was supposed to be yesterday. I was cycling halfway and was recalled to buy food. Anyway, we ate and ate. The girls like our food especially the younger girl who loves the kailan stem. I am very happy to see the girls who behaves well and is very polite and responsive. They also engages in our conversation. I really enjoys their company. They make me wish I have daughters. My boys are great. I loved them very much and they are well behaved. I feels girls are more empathetic and will spend the time to care for others. I have seen the girls from the time they are babies to now teenagers. They have grown up and doing extremely well academically. Both are in RI or Raffles Institution. My classmates' kids and my wife's classmates kids are all in RI. I should have allowed my wife to be a tiger mum instead of shielding my boys for hardwork! I am not a good parent to keep telling my wife to let my boys have a good time as they are only a kids for short time. Now that all my classmates' kids are in Raffles, I realise I am the one making a mistake. No time for regrets...now I am encouraging my boys to work hard and study. Hopefully, it is not too late.

My Brother

My brother invited all of us to go to his house today. It is the first time for my boys to visit the house I grew up in. It is a tiny 3 room flat that house 5 kids and two adults. The estate has undergone upgrading and the environment as changed. There are two lifts and one lift go to every level. This is one of the first HDB estate. My parent bought the flat in 1963 and we move in 1965. In two years, flat will be 50 years old which is half the life of 99 years lease. There is a lot of history in the flat. I got married and live there before relocating to Canada. My brother moved in after I left. All my matrimonial furniture - the cupboard, the dressing table, the bed frame are still used by my brother. It is incredible that furniture lasted till today. They are more than 23 years old and still going strong!
This is the first time my brother invited us over and all the siblings came over to visit. He was the black sheep of the family but this time he is hospitable and gracious. I can see that he is extremely happy to host us and introduced us to his three daughters repeatedly. When we are leaving, he booked us to visit again on day 3 next year.

Lucky Me!

Snowstorms in US. 10,000 flights cancelled! I am so glad that the snowstorms hit after I returned home. It must be a huge nightmare. However, it is not their holiday season. So it is not as bad as if it hit during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Angels, THANK YOU!

Cousins

It has been years since I last saw my cousins. Today, they came to visit. They are all grandmas with a few grandchildren. I could not catch up with them. It is incredible change. Their kids has grown, got married and have family. I am getting old:(
My boys were surprised that I have such senior cousins. Why are they so old? I told B3 he is an uncle to the Secondary 1 girl and he is only in P4.
It is really fantastic that we finally get a chance to meet. Thanks to my mother who is here. I have invited my cousins to visit before but they did not come. This time my mum asked and they all come. Seniority still counts!

Beautiful Day

Okay, our meteorologist is right! No rain today. The clouds look threatening but did not open. We visited our boys maternal grandpa and grandma to pay respects and convey our best wishes. After that it is back to host all my sisters, nieces and nephews. Matriarch is here and we took many pictures of her with her brood aka family pictures:)
We have a relaxing day as we did not provide meals but just the traditional goodies. We used to host a meal and requires so much work that we do not have time to have conversations with our visitors. Now we have plenty of contact time. The weather is cooperating too.
After our visitors left, B2 and I went cycling. Mostly foreigner workers and some non-Chinese are at the Park Connector Network. We only met two maybe three Chinese like us who is available to exercise after the New Year visiting.

Sui or water

Sui is Cantonese slang for money. It is raining cats and dogs now. Plenty of "sui". Looks like money will be pouring into Singapore this year. And meteorologist is wrong to forecast fair weather for Chinese New Year! Guess forecasting weather is still hazardous. As right as rain!
Reunion dinner is a simple affair this evening. My mum is ate here. She is tired and sleeps a lot! I am too. I am still trying to adjust to the jet lag.
I will stay up as long as I can in accordance to the tradition.