Old Schoolmates

Yesterday, I met up with some old schoolmates from my HR course. It's been a few years since we last met. Some looked different while others still look the same. I have put on that extra kilos over the years and could not recognise myself in the class photo. We were also trying to put a name to the face.

We have Eileen to thank for organising the gathering. Our topics were mostly about the lessons and the lecturers, and the impression they have made on us. And the one person no one could recall was the lecturer who taught us C&B. His class was so boring that we wondered if we even took that module.

Most of the class are not practising HR despite taking the course. But it did help us gain some useful knowledge to apply in the corporate world.

I was a little hesitant to meet up but am glad that I did. Unfortunately, we have lost touch with two of the members in my project group. I'm sure they are faring well in life.

Well, at least this has reunited some of us, and they are thinking of keeping in touch through facebook instead of our yahoo group. Thank God for technology!

We Will Rock You

Last week, we attended the Queen musical 'We Will Rock You'. Queen is Sam's all time favourite band, after the Beatles.

Well, the storyline was rather disappointing, and the second half of the musical was better than the first. They sang many familiar hits like 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'Under Pressure', 'Radio Ga Ga' and so on. Of course, they left the most popular hits 'We will Rock you' and 'We are the Champions' for the finale.

Just while I was expressing my disappointment that they did not sing the hit song 'Bohemian Rhapsody', they cheekily flashed on the wide screen asking 'Do you want Bohemian Rhapsody?'. That led to thunderous roar for the encore performance. They performed that song really well to standing ovation. The 8-piece band, especially the drummer and leading electric guitarist rock!

Too bad they did not perform Sam's favorite song 'Love of my life'. He tried to serenade that song to me decades back, and even influenced his niece to learn that song.

Personally, I prefer the 'Mama Mia' musical as the storyline was more interesting. Also, I didn't like one part of the performance cause it was a little blasphemous. They had a guy in a kneeling position with his arms widespread, and someone placed a wreath made of colorful lighted bulbs on his head, resembling the crown of thorns. It was a brief scene with the lights deeming out, but it caught my attention.

Well, apart from the darkness of the lyrics and the influences behind Queen, the musical performance was great! They added some local flavor to the script injecting words like 'lahs', 'bugis street' and 'PCK'. Some parts of the show was funny though forgettable. I did enjoy the evening despite having a stiff neck and not being able to rock to the music and clapping like a moron...

On a separate note, I think this season's top 10 American Idol Michael Johns performed songs from Queen really well. Too bad he's out of the race.

The Choir Gathering

Last evening we attended LS choir gathering at Aunt D's house. It was a potluck dinner so we brought flan and sweet potato soup which we thought would be safe for everyone to consume :p

We were never really committed in this choir as the practises coincide with our Sun Sch time. So we sing on an ad hoc basis and are not that close to the members. The gathering was a good time for us to get to know some of them better.

Uncle KH took the opportunity to discuss with the group the individual duties, expectations/ rules, events and activities for the year. Flo is now responsible for our new choir maroon robes which we have to don with dignity and uniformity (e.g. no long pants for ladies, and proper display of shirt collars for gents). Jas is in-charge of communication, V&J responsible for fellowship and TK for the songbooks. There are many activities lined up for the year. I'm pretty amazed and pleased that the choir has become more organised! Good job!

There was so much food and we had a great time of fellowship. And having been to Aunt D's place numerous times, we never fail to be fascinated by their collection of antiques and the rustic charm of the house. But we always question in our mind how do they keep up with the cleaning!

Simple Gifts

Last Friday evening we attended a Christmas concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall. 'Simple Gifts' was performed by the SG Lyric Opera chorus as well as guests soprano, musicians, and combine choir with ACJC choir, YJ choir and Amadeus Chorus.

The first part of the concert was performed by the SLO Children's Choir accompanied by a harpist. For the 2nd half of the concert, the combine choir presented John Rutter's 'Magnificat' accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra was great and the conductor very charming! The concert ended with a sing along session of popular Christmas carols with Orchestra accompaniment.

It's been a long time since we attended any concert other than our own! The 150 strong choir were dressed in all black and their voices harmonised well. Sam thinks that their basses are weak and our choir is better! Can't comment cause we were seated on the right side of the concert hall, and probably can't hear the basses as well as they were facing the left side of the concert hall.

Choir Trip to KL

Past weekend we were away in KL for our choir concert. The purpose of the 3D2N (7-9 Dec) trip was to raise funds for the MCC. There were so many of us that we had to charter 2 coaches for our travel to KL.

We stayed at Royale Bintang, which is conveniently located in the shopping district and near infamous hawker street at Jln Alor. From our room on the 11th floor is a nice view of the KL Tower and Twin Towers. We were able to steal some time off for supper and a little shopping around the hotel, mainly visiting Times Square and the new Pavillion Mall. The Pavillion was nicely decorated with what looks like a white Christmas tree.

Our rehearsal and concert was on Sat afternoon at Sunway University College. A lady approached some of us during intermission and commented that the singing was great, and she liked our small group rendition of 'Angels we have heard on high'. Thank God for that as we were still practising and harmonising to the very last minute. On Sunday we sang an item at a service at one of the churches in PJ.

We were blessed with good weather throughout the trip. However, the group was too big and there were too many distractions (food, shopping etc). There was little opportunity for group fellowship. Nevertheless, thank God for a safe journey and for the short getaway.

Cycling At EC

Our favourite day of the week is here again! Finding no excuse not to exercise today, we joined the choir folks for their regular Sat morning routine. They would often go for walks in different parts of SG, and this time round we went cycling at the East Coast Park.

The last time Sam & I did any cycling was 2+ years ago. We had a bad episode at the EC Park then. You see, there was a very heavy downpour when we stopped for our lunch after cycling. Upon returning to the car park, we found the rear of our car badly wrecked. Some reckless driver did not know how to park their car during a downpour, and drove right into a stationary vehicle. Our 5th door and rear lights were badly damaged, and we had to report it as a hit and run. It cost us much inconvenience but fortunately we were able to claim from insurance for the damage.

This morning, we each rented a bike for $5/2 hrs from the bicycle rental near BK. We cycled in the direction of the airport as our goal was to get to the new Terminal 3. But halfway through we abandoned our course as the ladies were not prepared for the sunny weather and rather take shelter! Besides, it will probably take us more than 2 hrs return to get to T3. Surprisingly, the folks cycled pretty fast, way faster than me. :p I was struggling with the uncomfortable hard seat.

For the group, the exercise would have been incomplete without a nice meal. After returning the bike, we went to MP hawker centre for breakfast. As usual everyone ordered lots of food to share, and it became our brunch. We had a great time catching up.

From the moment we started cycling, I could just visualise myself having sore bums and aching feet. True enough, I'm now suffering from the symptoms of someone who hasn't been doing much exercise and still did not bother to do any warm up. :( I'm glad I'm not running the marathon tomorrow!

The Race

This morning my co had a team building event. I do not look forward to such event, especially since most of my colleagues were not participating in it.

The meeting point was at West Coast Park. The event turned out to be like the amazing race, where we were given clues to each station. The marshals at each station will then give us tasks to perform before we could get our next clue to proceed to the next station. Accompanying the clues were letters of the alphabets that eventually formed the word 'Motivate'.

There were a total of 8 stations. Some of the stations were in the park itself, while we had to take public transport to other places like the Pasir Panjang wholesale market, the NUS Cultural Centre and Hwa Par Villa. Our team came in a tie for the first place, and eventually lost to the other team in a tongue twister contest.

Well, I did not have as much fun cause I did not know most of my team members. And there was a young punk whom I met for the first time ever who snapped at me a couple of times for whatever reason I have no idea. Sheesh. I'm quite sure I won't have to work with him or see him again. Thank God for that. There are really strange people out there and I hope they won't cross my path ever again! Ever! Yes, yes, love thy neighbour...but God, please just let me love them from afar...

Coincidentally, Sam's office also had a similar sort of race yesterday. The difference is that theirs was a whole day event, but they didn't have to sacrifice their weekend! Anyhow, so glad that it's all over!

'Tis the Season

Took a stroll down Orchard Rd today, and managed to do some Christmas shopping.

Shops are getting all decked up with Christmas ornaments. The streets are already lighted with the blue and white lights. And the M&M House is all ready to cash in on the season.

Holiday that came and gone

Been looking forward to winding down, relaxing and catching up with sleep.

Thur was a public holiday. We spent much of the day doing a thorough house cleaning as we were expecting guests on Sat. It's one of those days when we dished out the most anal side of us to ensure that the house is sparkling clean (almost).

In the evening, we attended the Choos' housewarming party. The party was a simple affair and a gathering of a few very old friends. SW led in the worship. Wilfred gave a short homily and prayed for the family. Indeed, we were reminded that it's not the house that makes the home but the family that lives in it.

For me the meeting of these old friends brought back memories of the MYF days, the much time we spent together serving, and growing in knowledge and fellowship with one another. How time flies. I have certainly changed as I am no longer the gregarious extrovert I used to be, no longer have the energy to keep up with the many friends that have in one subtle way or another made me who I am today.

'Twas quiet holiday that came and gone...

Barclays Open

This afternoon, we attended the Barclays SG Open at Sentosa Golf Club. When we arrived on the island, the roads were already packed with cars parked along the side streets and car park. We parked our car at the sheltered parking lot at Sentosa Cove and took a free shuttle bus to the golf course.

Our first venue was the WSG hospitality lounge for patrons. We got ourselves a perfect spot inside the air-conditioned marquee, which overlooked the 9th and 18th hole of the Serapong Course. We then helped ourselves to the nice buffet spread consisting of steam cod fish, curry prawns, braised lamb, pasta with sun dried tomatoes, sushi, desserts etc. There were also free flow of soft drinks, beers and wines.

From the lounge, we saw legendary greats like Angel Cabrera, Lee Westwood and Adam Scott (defending champion) doing their 9th hole putts on the green. They played in 3-ball fully escorted by an entourage of caddies, marshalls, spectators and media.

To get closer to the players, we decided to walk down the 18th hole. That's when we caught up with Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and K J Choi at the 17th hole Par 3 course. All 3 players scored a birdie for that hole with ease. Mickelson almost scored a hole-in-one but the ball bounced off the flag. There was a large group of spectators following the threesome and it was almost impossible to get a close-up view of the players and their swing. The last time we watched the Lexus Cup, we were able to get closer to the players like Annika Sorenstam and Grace Park.

On the last teeing box, the players gave their most powerful and accurate swing with the balls landing on the fairway some 280m away, avoiding the many big bunkers and water hazard. How do we know that it was that far? 'Cause we had to trudge a very long way to get to where the ball landed! The group finished the Par 5 with Singh and Choi both scoring a par and Mickelson, a birdie.

It seems that the players didn't do so well today due to the scorching heat and the challenging course. After 3 rounds, Cabrera is leading the game with a -9 to par, with Jin Park in 2nd place (-5) and Westwood in 3rd (-4). Singh and Scott are in 4th position with -3 to par. We shall see who will take home the title and US$634k of the US$4mil prize money tomorrow.

After watching the 3 play, we headed to the VIP lounge hoping to get a close up of the players. The media was stationed outside to interview them, and Quincy Quek (an amateur player from SG) was one of those who gamely obliged to the request. He played pretty well for an amateur.

We caught some players leaving and fans begging for autograph. And all we wanted were closeup shots of them. Were a little disappointed that we did not catch some of them leaving as they went via a different exit, and Cabrera did not stop for autograph and with the bodyguards surrounding him it was impossible to take any pix. How unfriendly!

It was great to re-acquaint with the game and see the world's famous players in action for this world class event. It's unfortunate that we did not get to see Ernie Els play as he didn't make the cut yesterday. He is the World's no. 4 though. I wonder if we would get to see Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia play in SG some day...

The MacRitchie Walk

Yesterday morning, we met the choir folks at MacRitchie to attempt the Treetop Walk. Well, the weather forecast did predict showers with thunderstorm in the morning, but that did not deter the enthusiastic walkers.

We met at Venus Dr car park at 7 am. Everyone was punctual, arriving at about the same time. Surprisingly, the gung-ho group are very fast walkers. We tread through the forest and sloppy trail, but did not make it to the Treetop as it began to drizzle about 45 mins into the walk. And since there were many warning signs calling to us to stop our trekking when it rains, we obediently headed back to the car park.

Well, at least we did better than the last week and walked a longer distance at a faster pace. And what else did we do but to end the walk with a hearty breakfast at Casuarina Rd. As we were rather early, only a prata shop was opened. We had a good breakfast and spent much of the time chatting and catching up with one another.

It amazes me that we are actually meeting these folks so regularly. To be precised, we meet 3 times a week: for the walk, Sunday choir practise and Wed ensemble practise at Mr Ong's. Well, it happens that we are all among those chosen for the 2 small group items for our upcoming concert in KL. The funniest thing was that they wanted us to join them for their first line dance lesson today! Well, that's where we draw the line!

Where are all my peers, I frequently wonder...

Morning Workout with the Folks

This morning, we met some choir folks at 7 am for a workout at the BG. Yes, we woke up earlier than usual just to walk the BG with the folks.

We met at the gate opposite Taman Serasi, and took a leisure walk all the way to the Symphony Stage. There were a few people jogging and some groups doing Taichi. No birds chirping but it was a nice refreshing start to the day... till it started to pour! So after barely half an hour into the walk, we ended up at a make-shift marquee. Fortunately there were chairs around, so the 8 of us sat and chat while waiting for the weather to ease.

Surely I was thinking, how nice it would have been if I was in my cozy bed sleeping with the cool breeze and sound of raindrops in the background. While waiting we had a morning devotion, with Albert sharing a passage from the bible which was meant for his talk with the BB boys later in the morning. As the rain still did not stop after waiting for an hour or so, Sam and Albert decided to walk back to get the car and some brollies for everyone.

Next, we proceeded to Telok Blangah Food Centre for breakfast. It was my first visit to that food centre. We ordered porridge, wanton noodle, dumpling soup, yutiao, carrot cake and pom pom. The food was really delicious. The porridge was smooth and tasty with lots of ingredients and condiments. The wanton noodle was very fine and the prawn in the dumpling tasted fresh. The yutiao was handmade and not oily. Never knew this place existed and will definitely return for the porridge and wanton noodle. Apparently, most of the stalls are closed after lunch and the place is virtually deserted at night.

We parted ways after breakfast. It was another great Sat for us, and another excuse for not quite doing any exercise. :p The folks are planning to conquer the TreeTop walk at Macritchie next Sat. Let's see if it materialise...

Gathering with the Folks

We had one of those strange weekends where we hung out with people beyond our years :p

One of the choir ladies AH decided to hold a monthly gathering of sorts for fellowship sake. There were about 14 of us that showed up for the first get together at Crystal Court, Killiney on Sat evening. We were the last to arrive as we did not expect the folks to really mean to eat at 6 pm! Well, there is a good variety at the $16 porridge buffet, and it was a simple and enjoyable dinner.

The weird part was when the folks decided on the spur to proceed for Karaoke. So just imagine a group of us treading to Orchard Cineleisure on a Sat night after a good meal. Well, I have to admire the folks for being so gung-ho about walking and for going to a place where only young people would gather!
We arrived at K-Box (yes K-Box) and Eric got us a big room to accommodate the group. And throughout the night we were serenaded with songs that were beyond our years: Mandarin, Hokkien, English oldies and a few Christmas carols. It was also unusual as we had 2 Rev with us, and the oldest is in his 70s. We are ashamed to admit that some of them have inexhaustible energy which we could only envy from afar :p

I think the folks enjoyed themselves despite that it ended close to midnight (there's service the next day) and it cost us a pretty penny. There is supposed to be some sharing which obviously did not transpire. As for us, it was a weird night and I don’t think I will want to go for another Karaoke session again! The last time we went to one was probably a decade ago. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and have offered our place for the next gathering (No KTV).

And I shudder to think that God is trying to show us how we will live our golden years...

Crowd to Avoid

Well, it was pouring on Sat morning but was sunny by noontime. We needed our exercise and proceeded with our plan for a walk at BG. Before that we had our lunch at the new Taman Serasi Food Centre. The food was not too bad, surprisingly...

We recall visiting the food centre after the revamp earlier this year and decided to boycott it for some reason which I can't remember. It must have been the price of the food that threw us off, as it is more expensive than the usual food court prices. The popular soursop drink cost us $2.80 for a small little cup with lots of ice, which we could get elsewhere for $2 in a larger cup. My bak cho mee cost $3.80, and Sam's char siew rice and watercrest soup cost $7+. The food was not too bad but little pricey.

After our meal, we went upstairs and were surprised to find many people hanging out at the park. It then occurred to us that it's a public holiday, and people were gathering everywhere having a picnic. It was not the usual crowd and atmosphere that I am used to, very humid. So after a short walk we decided to head back home! No exercise!

Weekend for Errands

The past weekend was spent running errands and shopping for essentials. There was so much to do we needed a checklist to keep us focus on the task. It was to Vivocity on Sat and Chinatown on Sun.

We like Vivocity as it houses many shops and you can practically find anything that you need under one roof. I managed to find a replacement for my worn out dress shoes. We also bought scents for the car, stationeries, and donuts to fill our stomach. The shopping spree ended when we had to rush home for Sam to catch the Rugby World Cup (Aus vs Eng).

On Sun, we went to my regular seamstress in Chinatown to replace a spoiled zip. People's Park is also where we stock up on our supply of toiletries: shampoo, toothpaste, mothballs, floor wipes, face cleanser, toner and mask. We managed to steal a little time to visit the National Library as I needed some pictorial books to aid in my Sun school lessons, but unfortunately we did not find anything appropriate. As our choir practise has resumed on Sun evenings after a 1 week break, we had to dash to our next destination.

It was a fruitful weekend even though we only managed to cover half of our to-do list ...

The Bontanic Gardens

We had a great start to a Sat morning, visiting the Botanic Gardens (BG) after breakfast at Prata Cafe.

I recalled my first visit to BG with my Godma, Aunt Nancy, Eugene and mum when I was a kid. I ran and climbed trees, all hot and perspiring in my uncomfortable dress as evident in an old photo. At that time I did not know how to appreciate such outings and never went there again till some years later. I realised though that as I age :-( , I began to enjoy the Parks and Gardens more.

We parked our car at the public parking along Tyersall Ave near the Burkhill Gate entrance. The nice thing about the BG is that parking is relatively cheap, and from 11am - 5pm it's free for the first hour.

We strolled through the Ginger Gdn, Orchid Gdn, Palm Valley, Visitor Centre/Shop, Bonsai Gdn, Sun Gdn (succulents) and E.J.H. Corner House (now Au Jadin Les Amis). There were people jogging, walking their dogs, having a picnic, having meals at Halia Rstnt and other cafes, enjoying the greens and admiring the varied spieces of plants and trees. There were also a number of tourists who probably found the heat today a little unbearable. Coincidentally we met Gerald with some friends, discussing work while doing their walks. Now, that's something new... working at the park.

On display at the Sun Gdn is a 'Passing of Knowledge' sculpture by a local sculptor. The sculpture depicts his interpretation of the 4-Way Test, a philosophy embraced by Rotarians worldwide. The 4-Way Test of the things we think, say or do are:

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The BG is huge and we only covered parts of it. We thoroughly enjoyed the walk and hopefully could make this a weekly routine. :-)

International Fireworks

Last Friday, we were privileged to be given tickets to watch the International Fireworks from the viewing gallery at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. The fireworks display with music accompaniment came from a Spanish company, and was choreographed internationally. The spectacular display spans across the bay area, and one could see the city skyline in the background.

The fireworks lasted for 15 mins. The challenged came when we were stuck in the human and traffic jam. It took us a long time to get out of the car park. And it was equally a challenge looking for parking in the area. Nevertheless, the fireworks display was lovely, and we got to visit the floating platform for the first time!

Simpsons

This evening, we visited the new Cathay at Handy Rd. Only half of the stores were opened/occupied. Most of the shops seem to cater to the younger crowd, much like the Hereen and Cathay Cineleisure.

We did not catch any movie as we were there only very briefly, but it was nice to meet the Simpsons and their new addition :)

Dempsey Hill

Dempsey Hill has become our favourite haunt of late when we are in a mood to lounge, enjoy the greenery and tranquility. It is also getting more buzz these days as the former British Army barracks is being redeveloped into a latest wine-and-dine scene.

Our first visit to the area was some years back when we went for lunch at Sammy's Curry. In the past Christmases, we also visited the quaint St George's church that sits on the hill. In recent months, we enjoyed a couple of meals at PS Cafe. Lately, new cafes and restaurants have sprouted. There's Harry's bar, Ben & Jerry's, Margarita and Dome cafe (where we went this evening) apart from some high end restaurants and wine bars. In the day time, one could visit the spas, grocers, art gallery and of course the furniture shops.

We are excited about the development especially since it's so close to home. We could not resist the greenery, ambiance and privacy of the location. Thank God for the way our country is developing.

The Soccer Game

Sam had his first intra-company soccer match this year. It was held last Saturday at Tanglin Pitch. The best SG team get to go to KL to compete with the other regional teams. The winning team gets to earn some cash award and meet the Man U soccer players in person!

How do you think he fared on his first game? :)

I think we have got to make an appointment with Dr Luke again ...