Muar Trip

Yesterday afternoon, 28 December 2008, we brought my mother and my nephew back to Muar. It was a short trip for us as we were back in Singapore today at 5pm. Along the journey there, I captured a view which was very pleasing to the eyes. The clouds came down to the mountain along the highway (see picture above)


Simone and her cousins and my 2nd brother were having a good time catching fish in a drain along the road. It was fun, a fun that is hard to find in Singapore. (see the 2 pictures above)

It was also a rare chance that we saw two kittens feeding on their mother's breasts. Simone was just elated!!!! (see picture above)

Newater @ Bedok, Singapore

When my mother and my nephew were still here visiting, we visited the Newater Visitor Centre and factory on 29 December 2008 morning. Cheryl, my sister in law and her family went together also. It was a very education and touching trip for me. (More about Newater website below --- > http://www.pub.gov.sg/NEWater/Pages/default.aspx)

Eventhough Malaysia sells water to Singapore, the place where I come from (Muar, a town in Johor, Malaysia), had water shortage frequently when I was young and living with my parents. It still happens at times now. Last time, we used to collect rain water. Many times, the tap dried up. At times, water came out from the tap was muddy brown!! There was once, when my mother was in the advance stage of her pregnancy with my youngest sister, she was so happy collecting rain water when it rained cats and dogs. But due to the slippery floor, she fell hard on the floor. She used her knees and hands for support herself to prevent the floor from hitting her abdomen and hence, my sister was safe but my mother had bad bruises all over her knees.

Seeing how the Newater Plant cleans the polluted water and turned them into just H2O, I feel very touched. Imagine how each water molecule has to go through the membrane to be rid of dirt and bacteria, etc.. And many molecules formed a drop and we have to use so much water in a day!!!!! Many Singaporeans, especially the younger generation and those whom have never travelled to a less fortunate country would not realise, how blessed we are being the residents of Singapore.

Ladies Handbags

Similar to my earlier post about Kid's Handbag ...

http://a-luang.blogspot.com/2008/12/kids-handbag.html

above pictures show Ladies Handbags ...... I bought the bags from the same market place but I added the silk handkies to add some style. From marketing (or 'pasar') bags transform to shopping bags. Above one is given away as a Christmas present. As for the one below, I keep it for myself : )

Happy Birthday, JESUS

To many people, Christmas is a holiday of giving and receiving gifts, a day that one does not need to work, a day of feasting and celebrating. Celebrate what? Well, just celebrate and have fun. There is nothing wrong that we are all blessed.

However, to us who know that Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ, sparks the joy from within. Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world, on this day, two thousand years ago.... To bridge sins in this world. So that, whoever that believes, shall have eternal life...

There was a song, that I want to dedicate to all who do not know Jesus. It is my favourite Christmas song....And I pray that one day, you will share the joy from within that I am experiencing.. : )

Christmas, Isn't Christmas

Christmas, isn't Christmas

Till it happens in your heart

Somewhere, deep inside you

Is where Christmas really starts

So, give your heart to Jesus

You'll discover when you do

That, it's Christmas, really Christmas

For you..

Jesus gives warmth like a winter fire

And light like a candle's glow

He's waiting now to come inside

As he said so long ago

Jesus brings gift of truth and life

And makes them bloom and bright

So, welcome Him with a song of joy

And when He comes you'll know..

Have a Blessed Christmas ...

Christmas Eve - Santa & Games

Two days before Christmas Eve, we had my mother and my nephew who lives with her, coming to Singapore to celebrate Christmas with us. As my nephew, Yu Bin, is only three, he kept saying he was coming to Singapore to look for Santa Clause. When he stepped into our home, straightaway he asked, "Where is Santa? where is Santa?" So, I told him that Santa would only come two days later. Therefore, I asked Kelvin, my brother-in-law's brother-in-law, to fullfil Yu Bin's dream.



We had 35 people on Christmas Eve in our home, including ourselves. All are relatives. After eating, I turned on the Christmas song loud, and Santa came through the front door. Everyone roared with non-stop laughters. A Kong, A Ma, adults, children, all alike. We could not stop laughing.....

Here comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause.....(above picture).

Then, Santa gave out all the presents. (Above picture). The children were elated. When Santa completed his work, he bid everyone goodbye and disappeared. Then, Uncle Kelvin started games that he organised for the children. No one could take his place to amuse the children and adult alike..

Above, the children were waiting patiently for the first game.

The first game, was demonstrated by Uncle Kelvin in the picture above. All children were given a thread about 1/3metres long with a lolly dangling at one end. They were supposed to put one end of the thread without lolly into their mouth, and using their mouth to move the string up until the lolly at the other end touched the mouth. The movement of the mouth created a lot of laughters.

For the second game (picture above), the children were given a cup of water and a straw with holes. They were supposed to suck the water and the first one to finish wins. Well, instead of sucking, Yu Bin was blowing bubbles, hahaha

For the third game, (both pictures above), is for the children to find their father by touching them blind folded. Most children got them right, it was just fantastic!!!! It showed all our children knows their father well.

Lastly, children were blind folded again and made to guess which domestic helper were they touching. Again, it created some much laughters...

Again, we thank God that we have such fun and safety to be able to enjoy this season to the utmost. There are many people in other part of the world who are hungry and insecure, we pray for them....Amidst the fun and presents....what is the real Christmas? What is Christmas to me?

Christmas Eve - Food

It was Christmas Eve last night. As usual, we celebrated with our relatives. There were 35 of us. We had a great time with food. Most of the food are home-made. Some are posted below. We thank God that we have food, and we have peace and joy to celebrate this special day.

Shepherd's Pie (above picture). This is an easy dish I made. Well received by all.

Roast Chicken with Steamed & Baked Vegetables (above picture). I made this. Turkey was too big and not my family & relatives favourite. The chicken is well received. The secret to the nice taste is to marinate overnight : )

Mushroom Soup (above picture). I made this with 8 boxes of White and Brown Button Mushrooms. The stock was cooked for about 3 hours before. This is a costly dish due to the amount of mushroom needed and time consuming due to making a good stock. Chopping the mushroom also took some time. But the outcome was superb!

My sister-in-law baked the log cake (above picture). I like the sponge used, not too sweet and nice texture.

Pizza - chicken chipolata sausage, chicken mushroom & pineapple toppings. (above picture)Recently, the pizza I made are well received by the children. So I decided to do it for the Christmas Eve dinner as I can bake it when it is time to be eaten. The freshly baked pizza is the secret to it's appeal. All together, we had 2 huge ones and 3 small ones. This is costly due to the amount of cheese needed.

Another sister-in-law's domestic helper baked this durian puffs. (above pictures) This is great dessert for the adults young and old!! Nick loves this.

This is just hard boiled quail eggs and cherry tomato.(above picture) So simple and yet the children love them.

This is one of the few non-home made food - chicken pie. (above picture). It was contributed by our Santa Clause (Uncle Kelvin)

Simple But Joyful

Simone invited her younger cousin, En Xing over for a sleep over last night. So, during lunch time, I decided to take them out to the nearby coffee shop for lunch. It was drizzling but when we came out of the house, the rain stopped. But the girls still decided to carry their umbrellas. They have so much fun. Most of all, they could feel how it was like to carry umbrellas. ...With one hand or both hands. They tried to put them on their shoulders and also used them as walking sticks!!! They tried to shelter themselves from the sunray and they tried to hold tight against the strong breeze that was blowing, and a few times they tried to play with the umbrella. I also cautioned them from hitting other people that might be around. You can see the fun they had in the first picture.

We also stopped by a bakery to buy freshly made pancake. Simone and En Xing had fun seeing how the pancake was made, and then ate them. (See 2nd picture)

Kid's Handbag

I bought the small bags from roadside stalls which is very cheap. It cost about SGD5 each. Then I got some accessories to decorate the bags.

• The first bag on top has been given to a child for her birthday.
• The second bag is for Simone.
• The third one is for another child for Christmas.
• Do you like to have one too???
  
  

Punctuality

This is a blog I am trying to venge a bit of frustration on. So, do not read as it will bore you..

Simone used to have a piano teacher, that has problem in puctuality, cancelling and changing lesson's time frequently. That was 2 years ago. On the first day, she was late. Ok never mind, subsequently for 1 whole year, I could compile a long list of reasons she gave , some used many times : -

1. Car broke down. (used about 2-3times)
2. Heavy rain at her place. (used about 2-3 times)
3. Gastric pain. (used about 10 times)
4. Traffic Jam (Bus she just live in Tampines and we are at Pasir Ris) - usually shld only take 10mins door to door. (used about 5 times)
5. Husband went for minor surgery. (used once)
6. Change lesson day to swap with other students. (used about 12 times)
7. Finish lesson early by 10minutes without any reason, piano lesson is usually 45mins and very costly, 10 minutes can usually be used to teach theory! (about 6 times)
8. Grandmother sick. (About 3 times)
9. Grand mother pass away (once- of course)
10. ....... the rest I have forgotten but usually she would turn out late between 15minutes to1 hr late. Only once she was extremely early because she changed the time without telling me.

Well, a lot of the reasons she gave me, appeared to be genuine which could be true. That was why I kept her for 1 year. But in the end, she fainted and was hospitalisd. So, I took the opportunity to give her a good long break. She said she was weak.

Now, when I look for a teacher for Simone, I would tell the teacher that I would expect punctuality and not much changes to the schedule. Punctuality wise, I am not unreasonable. The new piano teacher and a Chinese teachers always keep the coming time +- 10-15minutes late or early which is acceptable. This helps when we juggle school time and other plan like going out for an outing or so, wanting to watch a TV program, etc ..

Recently, Simone has another teacher.. I have told her upfront about what I would value (about timeliness). She said no problem.

1.Well, on the first day, she was late because she said she took a wrong bus. So, I told her how to find out which was the right bus to take.
2. But the second time, she was late again, each time by about 30-45minutes. So, I asked her if she could not find the right bus. She said she tried another bus! Well, eventhough I seldom take buses, I know that each bus stop clearly show the route of the bus, and also the expected timing/frequency of the bus.
3. Well, then the 3rd time, she was late for 15minutes.
4. The 4th time, she was puctual finally. But that was only for once.
5. Only 5th time, she was late again for 45minutes. She sms-ed that there was something at home she needed to settle and would be late for 30minutes, but she arrived 45mintes later.
6. On the 6th time, she sms-ed that she would be late for 30minutes due to traffic jam but arrived 45minutes later. Then she said she needed to go off 15minutes earlier due to an appointment, and would pay us back 15minutes the next time.
7. On the 7th time, she said she would need to come early. Usually the time is 9.30am to start but she said she needed to start at 9am as she has an appointment after that. In the end, she said she will be late by 30minutes due to traffic jam. However, she arrived at 9.45am (45minutes late). She also forgot to pay us back 15minutes.
9. On the 9th time we reminded her about the 15th minutes, and she said, "Oops, she forgot. Then she paid us back the 15minutes she owed.
10. Today is the 10th time. Last night , she sms-ed and said she needs to change the time 1 hour later. That means to start at 10.30am as she needed to take her father for a medical check up. So, I told her I was bringing Simone out after lesson as I have taken leave. So she said she promised to be earlier than 10.30am or would be on time at 10.30am and definitely NOT later. But well, at 10.28am, she sms-ed and said she would arrived in 5 minutes (which shld be 10. 33am). But she did not appear until 10.45am! So, it was the 4th time I let her know about what I value. I asked her if she could commit especially when school starts on 2Jan. She said 'yes'. I hope this is not like that piano teacher case that lead me to believe her for 1 whole year!!!

Festive Mood

How time flies! Christmas is round the corner, then follow by New Year, and then the Chinese Lunar New Year... another year!!!! Like any other year end, the sky is growing grey and more showers and rain are expected. However, the stronger breeze is very welcoming. Sitting in my room by the window, is like sitting by the beach with the breeze blowing. It also makes me sleepy more often!!

After tonight, I am going to take a break from work, and start again on the 31st December 2008. Well, I got no more leave to take, so I have to return on the last day of the year! There are always so many things to do during a break from work, that a break becomes more tiring, but definitely enjoyable!!

This time, other than hunting down the Christmas groceries, my mother will be coming over for a one week stay. This is the first time, we will have her over for Christmas. Usually, she never celebrate Christmas. I hope she will join in the festive mood and also felt the joy and love of Christ in the heart : )

We have put up the Christmas tree sometime ago, so as to feel that Christmas is longer. I wish all who read my blog, a Blessed Christmas this season...have fun!!

Competing With Bread Talk

Simone got hold of one of her craft books and asked me for permission to try baking some bread. Above pictures show the book, by Susie Johns. I agreed to let her try with our domestic helpers' help. She read the instructions. Our helper measured and kneaded with Simone assisting. Then, Simone turned the dough into different creatures. According to her, they are butterfly, snake, worm, fish, bird and caterpillar!!! Ready to fight Bread Talk, a popular local bakery that has very creative bread design. (see picture below for the bread)..

The bread is a little too tough but still edible. A good try for a beginner... : )

My New Diamond Ring

Last Sunday, 14 December 2008. I received a new diamond ring from the porridge I was cooking. It leaped onto my ring finger and stayed there ........

Treasure or Trash @ Singapore Changi Beach

Last Sunday, 14 Dec 2008, around 5pm, Cheryl, my sis-in-law told us that it was low tide at the Changi Beach. She is a nature lover whom participates in many nature related activities. At times, she would even volunteer to lead tour to places like Pulau Ubin/Chek Jawa where one can observes the nature.... So, we eagerly followed her and her family to Changi Beach to see what treasure we could find.

For those who were game to trudge the mud, it was advisable to wear a pair of covered shoes or ideally, a pair of gum boots or divers shoes. This would prevent the mud and dirt to get to the feet. For us who would rather stay ashore, could relax with our flip flops. I opted to stay ashore so I could do some photography. You can see from above photo, what treasure or trash could they have found in the mud????

I did not realise before going there, that there were so many sea creatures out in the beach here, alive! ..What I thought was, it was just full of rubbish should I find anything in the muddy beach.

There, above picture was the first trash I found!! ...And much more with just another glace over to the mud!!!! How ungracious people are to spoil the nice beach view!!!!

Above picture is a horse-shoe crab 'shell' we found. I need Cheryl's help for the right name to it.

Above is a tiny crab found. Again, need Cheryl's help for the right name. I only know it is a crab : )

Wah, what is this in above picture. Looks like a kind of 'shell fish' we eat. 'Choot choot' or what, something you need to suck the flesh out. Yes? No? Again, need Cheryl's help.

Above picture shows beautiful star fishes caught. Oh, Cheryl said the right name is sea star?? Wow, this is something new I learnt!! Back to school again...

We also found all kinds of sea cucumbers (refer to above picture). The children dug 2 holes on the beach, one they put all the sea cucumbers found. Another one, all other types of sea creatures.

Above picture shows the other hole that has all other creatures. There were hermit crabs, sea snails, earth worm, and a few more that I forgot what they are. Too many to remember. The day before, Cheryl's family went also and found sea horses.

As 'sua koo' (Hokkien term for being not seeing the 'world') as us, we attracted a crowd of 'sua koo' also, all amazed by what we found.

Before we returned home, we released these creatures that kept us entertained, back to the mud , awaiting the coming tide to bring them back to the sea...

Philippines - Tagaytay

Tagaytay is a city about 60km south of Manila. This is the part of our Philippines trip that I was much anticipated for. Our plan was to relax, stay in a hotel that hopefully overlooked the Taal Volcano, but what we ended up was heading to the Volcano itself.....





More about Tagaytay (pronounced as Ta Gai Tai) in link below....


http://www.tagaytay.com/info.htm





When Kelvin, my brother-in-laws' brother-in-law, told us that we were actually going to ride a horse up to the Taal Volcano, Simone was worried that the volcano would erupt. I was worried about riding the horse for I really would not know what to expect, since I have not riden a horse before. My worst nightmare was I would be thrown down from the horse!!! And my old bones would all cracked, my body reduced to a ball that rolls down the mountain !!!!!!!





Well, there was not much more time to worry about. According to the iterinery, we were supposed to go to the volcano on 9 December 2008, but on 8 December, the tour guide told us that we were approaching the place. So, our worries were cut short by 1 day!!





When we reached the place, it was a jetty. It looked like a sea but it was actually a huge lake, created by the eruption of the volcano about 100+++ years ago. All eleven of us were to take two boats to go to the foot of the volcano. As I read from websites about Taal Volcano, I realised that the whole place was a volcano. Just that, the lower part was covered with water to form the huge lake.








From above picture, it shows one of our boats. The boat is designed like a crab with 6 legs, 3 on each side. The legs are joined by a few long bamboos to balance. The boat is so small, it can only fits 2 adults or 3 children abreast. And there are only 3 rows of seats inclusive of the one for the boatman. The boat is motorised. Simone enjoyed the boat ride so much because she has never been on a boat that has no roof according to her, hahaha. The boat ride took about 30minutes. The water was fine but when we returned, the water was so choppy. The wave rained over our face and body. Most of us were wet. Well, Florence and I were dried as we used a plastic to cover ourselves when the wave hit.





Well, when we got off from the small boat, we headed to the shore, into a place that has several small houses that formed a community. It is a village at the foot of the crater. Above pictures shows the horses and horsemen eagerly awaiting for tourists' arrival. Most of our hearts started to pound with mixture of excitement and anxiety when we saw the horses. That means, we would have to hop on one each quite immediately. The journey up would take 30 minutes, and down 30 minutes.





Most adults were given big horses, and children were given little ponies. I was given a mother horse which has a foal tagging along all the way. When Simone has to get onto a horse, she smiled nervously. And after that, her smile disappeared replaced with tense. But each of us has a horseman or boy to help us. They either hold the rope or ride with us. Mine rode with me at some point and gallopped all the way to be the champion when we returned. I felt like I was filming a movie. Besides riding, I was armed with my heavy DSLR camera on one hand, trying to shoot at whatever I could despite the constant movement of the horse!!! Kelvin is also holding a camera with a tripot attached to it. He looked like a general with a sword coming back from battle on a horse.

As we ascended the mountain towards the crater, the sun was scorching hot. I could feel the stinging sensation on my skin. I realised I was half baked when I returned home and looked into the mirror at myself. My arms that were exposed has a huge tone contrast from the covered area. Thank God, I did apply the SPF40 foundation on my face. Simone's skin peeled a little when she got home. However, it was such a thrilling experience, i would not give up for the comfort of an airconditioned room.

From the picture above, it shows the dusty winding road that we took up the mountain. At the last part of the road just approaching the crater, it was the steepest. At times, it bogged down on me whether the horse and we could make it!!! The funny horses, well, being animals, we did not know what they were thinking. Most of us shared the experience of our horse decided to detour at some point. Instead of following the road, it was kind of heading to the ravine before the horsemen yelled at them to change their mind! It was complete nightmare for that moment.

When we reached the top, what we saw was another lake in the crater. (see picture above). We spent about 20minutes there before we made our way down again. Before we went down the mountain, we discovered that Florence, one of us, got kicked by the foal belonged to my horse. I heard her screaming, 'Ouch, so painful'. At first, I thought she was whipped accidently by the horse whip. But it was not. The foal kicked right on her knee that gave her an instant swell and bruises. The foal has also bitten me earlier but it was just a nibble that was not painful. What a shocking experience for Florence.

We went back down the same way we came up the mountain. This is a thrilling experience. When I finished my journey, I got down from the horse, totally exhilarated. When I saw Simone coming back, she got down the horse, her worry vanished. She told us she was more than 'little scared' but less than 'very scared'.

Above picture shows, completing the journey, is like winning a race. Or was it a relief that the journey ends?????

Above picture shows a beautiful view that I managed to capture on top of the mountain despite the rocking horse!!

I am glad I have visited the place and rode the horse before my bones become too old and fragile.

Philippines - View From Street

Above three pictures show typical street view that has no sky-scrapers. There are many electric or telephone wires stretching along the roads. Some look so heavy that the posts would topple anytime.

Above picture shows a small house that was among the tall buildings in the city. It was just by the highway.






Above pictures shows a nicer part of Manila. It is the Manila Bay where many yachts, likely owned by the rich. are anchored along the bay.





As we moved towards southwards to another town called Tagaytay, scene of mountains and volcanos are common along the way. (See picture above)

There are also many street sellers walking along the street trying their luck for the day's profit. See above two pictures.

See above picture. Has Jesus returned to Manila?? Well, no! We found out that it was actually a Statue of Jesus at the entrance of a cemetery for the rich.