... so good relax at Batu Ferringi after the feast in Penang Town

After the feasting in Penang Town, we took a quiet break at Holiday Inn, Batu Ferringi. Lovely seavew from the hotel room ... having a glass of red wine with a good book.

We continued our feasting with a great value high tea (MYR25/-), seafood dinner at the Golden Thai restaurant on the beach ! Went to the gym and swam a bit and got some sun by the pool.

It was a truly relaxing way to spend Christmas! 

..so good to catch some history in Penang

We took some time to also visit the Peranakan Mansion which housed a lot of artifacts that is uniquely Peranakan.

Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago and British Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore).[citation needed]

Members of this community in Melaka, Malaysia address themselves as "Nyonya Baba". 

Nyonya is the term for the women and Baba for the men. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who have adopted Nusantara customs — partially or in full — to be somewhat assimilated into the local communities. Many were the elites of Singapore, more loyal to the British than to China. Most have lived for generations along the straits of Malacca and most have a lineage where intermarriage with the local Indonesians and Malays have taken place. They were usually traders, the middleman of the British and the Chinese, or the Chinese and Malays, or vice versa because they were mostly English educated. Because of this, they almost always had the ability to speak two or more languages. In later generations, some lost the ability to speak Chinese as they became assimilated to the Malay Peninsula's culture and started to speak Malay fluently as a first or second language.

While the term Peranakan is most commonly used among the ethnic Chinese for those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese (土生華人; named after the Straits Settlements), there are also other, comparatively small Peranakan communities, such as Indian Hindu Peranakans (Chitty), Indian Muslim Peranakans (Jawi Pekan).

So good to see the preservation of what is truly uniquely Malaysian/Singaporean. 

so good to do some sightseeing in Penang

Made in Penang is a new attraction in Penang that opened in Nov 2013. (http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g298303-d5772856-Reviews-Made_In_Penang_Interactive_Museum-Georgetown_Penang_Island_Penang.html)

It was a 'cool' interactive place to visit - the crowd seems to be more yuppie but we enjoyed it anyway. Kinda of cute to see Connie handing on the skyscraper waiting for spiderman to rescue her!

... so good to be back in Penang for the Hawker food

Took a short break with Connie back to our favorite food getaway (Penang). Actually I discovered I had some Singapore Airline miles that would be expiring and decided to use them. But the only place I had enough miles was for us to go to Penang.

Anyway - the food was great as usual. The Hokkine Mee behind Hotel Royal at the One Corner coffee shop, Gurney Drive's fried kuay teow, Penang Road's chendol and laksa ... the list goes on and on.

... so good for Jon to finally propose

finally 7 months after buying the diamond, Jon had the stone set and proposed to Andrea. They took a short vacation to Hong Kong and he proposed. BUT the ring was too big and now has to be resized!

Unfortunately, they have also leased out their apartment for another year until Jan 2015. So wedding will have to be sometime in the first half of 2015. Lots of preparation ahead - including wedding preparation course, etc

They also did a guest count and came up with 300! for a what was supposed to be a small wedding.

... so good to catch Hairspray at Esplanade

It is so good that we have the Esplanade that is bringing lots of good shows to town. They are expensive but at least we have access to them. Mark Wang had bought 3 tickets for his family but circumstances made 2 tickets available. Connie and I benefitted as we didn't know the show was in town. So we had a great evening of music and songs !

Life is good! 

... so good to meet RI friends again after 40 years

The class of 71-73 RI met again (this is the 4th or 5th time) at Grand Copthorne Waterfront for our 40th class reunion and it was great to catch up with every one. All looking slightly older but mostly healthy. 

Unfortunately many of the gals didn't turn up. Those who were present were Vincent  Lim (used to go swimming with him), Naresh (Keppel golf kaki), Kama (Physio who knows Connie), Chris Cheng Kian Hai (SIA HR, Keppel member), Remy (Financial Advisor), Beng Hoon (Accountacy lecturer), Alvin Chow Yuen Yong and wife (also RI graduate), Tamilsevan (Teacher at St Andrews).

... so good to catch up with an old friend in Vancouver

Vancouver was the final port of call for the cruise and we decided to stay a couple of days to explore the city but mainly to catch up with Walter Chiu. Walter is a business partner turned friend. He was IFS's distributor in Taiwan and we became good friends together with Jackson and Jeff.

It is so gratifying to know that one can do business but still make friends with the people you deal with. You don't have to be successful by making use of people and making enemies. 

.. so good to knock another item off the bucket list

We finally ticked off the Alaska cruise. Connie has been wanting to do this for the longest time (even before our first cruise). So we travelled to Anchorage (via Seattle), went to Mt McKinley lodge and finally board the Coral Princess to view the glaciers. Too many good shots to show here ... (can view the whole trip by the PhotoBook). Here are just some of the highlights.

We are also saw lots of wild life on the trip

... so good to visit the Pike Place Markets again

In Dec 2006 Kenneth, Connie and I went to Seattle so that Kenneth could take part in the US Junior Open championship and to meet the coaches from the different colleges in US with the hope of entering one of them. It was a memorable trip as the area was hit by one of the worse storms in the history of the city.

Almost the entire city was down with power outages ... traffic lights were not working, there was not heating in the hotel and they had to give out food from the freezer before the food went bad. Even the gas stations were not working as the gas pumps could not operate. The tournament had to change location as the original squash center did not have power to light up the courts. So most of the matches were played at the Seattle Athletic Center right next to the Pike Place Markets.

Fortunately, this second visit is under much better conditions. There is so much history and stories around the markets; best to do a tour to know it all but here are some highlights - the original Starbuck coffee shop with the long queue of tourists trying to get in. The locals  knows better.

Check out the original logo which is quite different from the current one.

Of course, we cannot miss the most photographed sign in Seattle.

Seattle also supports a very artistic environment, so even the streets are full of art works around the markets. Here are a couple of them - laundry line and drainage pipes!

... so many interesting places to see in Seattle

But we had to decide and we chose the Space Needle and Pike Place market.

Built in 1962, the Space Needle has since become the symbol of Seattle, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The view of the city from on top was amazing. 

View from the top 

Next to the Space Needle was the Chihuly Garden that displayed blown glass flowers by Dale Chihuly but we decided that it was not worth the entry fee and like cheap Singaporeans we took photos from outside.

.. so good to visit Snoqualmie again

Back in Dec 1993, we spend a week around Christmas in Seattle whilst I was training at FourGen. I worked in the day and the evening we would drive To Snoqualmie to ski. First time that Kenneth skied.

So it was amazing to see Snoqualmie this time in summer. Looks of lovely flowers and Snoqualmie Falls was amazing. The falls are higher than the Niagara Falls though it is not as wide. It also generates lots of hydro power for the state of Washington.

On the way to the falls, we visited a chocolate factory. The chocolates were really yummy but we could not buy any as they are fresh chocolates with no preservatives and would not last our trip.

On this tour, we also visited a couple of wineries and did wine tasting at the Chateau St Michelle. Had lunch at the Columbia winery with a glass of their merlot. It was a lovely day of sunshine, great nature and wine!

... so good to be off ticking off another item from bucket list

We are in Narita airport on the way to Seattle, Anchorage - Alaksa for the Alaska cruise. This has been on Connie's want-to-do for a long while. So when we found that she had 2 weeks that she could take leave and a suitable cruise was available - we jumped at the chance. The flights and cruise were expensive but we guess it was better now then never.

We had originally planned to spend a few days with Yew Kong and Tiak Cher in Seattle but they will be away in Ireland to visit Victor. We should have asked before we decided. We just have to spend some time on our own in Seattle - lots to do anyway; Factory Outlet, Space Needle, Pike Place market ....

We had just 2 hours there but Connie managed to do some shopping ... bought moochi for snack!

... so good to continue to remember father's death anniversary

We continue to meet on father's death anniversary. Hopefully this will become another family tradition that would be continue in years to come. 

Jon came back for the dinner late from office as he had to work but we are hoping that he get the message that we want to remember our loved ones even after they are gone. 

... so good to take a golf vacation in Bangkok

Bangkok is the golfer's paradise. Lots of good golf courses, great food and all so affordable! The four of us (Vincent Koh, Richard Chua, I and Ben Woo) went for a 3 night/4 day golf break in Bangkok.

We had great accomodation at the Narai which offered a great breakfast buffet spread. Then 4 rounds of golf at Pinehurst, Royal Park, Green Valley and Thana City before heading home on Singapore Airlines.

The golf course were pretty flat but still offered sufficient challenges with water and bunkers everywhere. It was good to have birdies and pars each round ... so no complain. Playing with caddy is just a luxury! Life is great!

... so good to have birthday dinner at Singapore Cricket Club

Jon had a company trip to Bangkok, so we had a belated birthday dinner at SCC when he came back. Actually we were also away in Batam on Connie's birthday.

Connie and I both had tenderloin steak and it was really nice. Unfortunately, they didn't serve crepe suzette which would have made the perfect meal. But we had a great time with Jon and Andrea!

Thank, Jon for a lovely dinner! Love you all!

... so good to have a quick getaway in Batam

Connie wanted a quick getaway (to avoid a department retreat) so we took a quick break at Turi Beach, Batam. I played 2 rounds of golf and Connie got a spa treatment plus manicure and pedicure!

It was also her birthday and our anniversary - so it was sort of combined celebration.

We had a Japanese dinner teppanyaki in the hotel and a seafood dinner at a nearby seafood joint. Took sunset walk around the resort and it was so peaceful and relaxing. Good break!

Birthday Girl !

... so good to play for free at Tanah Merah Golf and Country Club

Societe Generale invited me to play at the Garden Course at TMCC, one of the premier and most expensive golf club in Singapore. I invited Danny Liu and we had a great time. The weather was perfect except for a little rain delay and the course was challenging but so scenic.

Almost perfect ... if only they would move the airport away as the club is in the direct flight path!

The closest we got to the hole in one prize - Jaguar! Life is great!

... so good to find a little Mexico in LA

Olvera Street in LA, near Chinatown is full of Mexican resturants and shops/stalls selling everything Mexican (food, trinkets).

Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Since 1911 it was described as Sonora Town.

Having started as a short lane, Wine Street, it was extended and renamed in honor of Agustín Olvera, a prominent local judge, in 1877. There are 27 historic buildings lining Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe, the Pelanconi House and the Sepulveda House. In 1930, it was converted to a colorful Mexican marketplace. It is also the setting for Mexican-style music and dancing and holiday celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo.

... so good to discover some hidden gems in LA

Right in the middle of LA, Hollywood area is the La Brea Tar Pits musuem. But what is interesting is that it is also the site of a working archaeological dig!

The fossils are from pre-ice age about 50,000 years ago. Apparently when the tar was extracted to pave the streets of San Francisco, they discovered the tooth of the Saber tooth cat and that led to discovering 3 million other fossils. In recent times in an effort to span the museum's parking during the excavation for a basement carpark, they stumbled upon another huge fossil collection that may contain up to another 3 million fossils.  

... so good to tick off another of the items on my bucket list - The Grand Canyon

One of the natural wonders of the world - the Grand Canyon is really spectacular! We flew from Vegas to the South Rim on a small 21 seater plane; transferred to a helicopter - flew into the canyon and then coached to the Bright Angel lodge look out point. 

The flight took us over the Hoover Dam and a great view of the whole canyon. The chopper ride took us close the walls of the canyon. The red and orange hues of the canyon is just beyond words. It was also amazing that the greenery on top of the canyon and steep drop into the Colorado river. 

God's creation is marvelous!

... so good to finally play the Course at Yale

So finally after 4 years, I got on to the Course at Yale with Ken and Dave (Squash Head Coach)! The course is a traditional course with lots of large greens, tall trees lining the fairways and lots of natural terrain.

Enjoyed the game a lot especially the signature par-3 #9 hole. 150 yard from an elevated tee box to a gigantic green that was about 1,000 sq ft big.

Score? Didn't keep score - just enjoying the course, the company and the experience. Life is great!

... so good to attend Ken's commencement as a family

The whole gang (Connie, Jonathan, Andrea and I) made the long trip to Yale, New Haven to attend Ken's commencement. It was a long weekend starting from Saturday climaxing on Monday at Berkley College where Ken received his diploma. 

It is Jon and Andrea's first visit to Yale and the 'Hogwart' like campus like the Berkley dining hall below.

... So good to be at Ken's Senior Graduate Dinner

This week the whole family is in New Haven for Ken's commencement. It seemed only like yesterday that we were stepping into Yale for the first time. It is a clique but time has flown by so quickly. 

We had the squash seniors dinner last night and each of the seniors gave their reflections of the 4 years together. Coach Dave Talbott acknowledged the seniors for their achievements on and off the courts. The class have had 4 good years - two Ivy League titles, two national finals, being the team that broke Trinity's 252 match winning streak. But more so were the bonds of friendship that has been fostered over that time with the team mates and even the families. It has indeed been a great 4 years for the bunch of boys young men.

Ken shared on his meeting with Gareth in Seattle and his first experiences at Yale - falling asleep whilst playing video games because of jet  lag, the captain struggling with the 3 internationals and their peculiar accents, the introduction to beer pong, the first fitness training. Recalling the incident in his first national finals and the various key matches in the four years of college squash. It has been an eventful but enriching journey. And as they leave the (relatively) safe enclave of New Haven and Yale to venture into the big new world of New York, we are filled with mixed emotions  of gratitude, pride, apprehension and excitement. Life has been great!

... so good to have another golf toy!

Went to the Isetan golf sale and got myself another golf toy! The GolfBuddy Voice is a GPS that would give you the distance via a nice lady voice!

The device would not lower my score but it was fun to take it out for a spin yesterday. Doesn't help my swing per se but knowing the exact distance gave me the confidence to just swing through. The score didn't improve but the enjoyment level was up!

Always nice to get a new toy!

... so good - squash has been for Ken

Ken has finished his competitive squash journey this year with 4 All Ivy, 3 All Americans, 2 Ivy League Championship rings, 2 Nationals finals plus being on the first team to stop the Trinity's 252 match winning streak.

On top of that - National Champion, multiple age group champions, Merit Sports boy award, .... many other championships, awards, etc.

Looking back from the accidental introduction to squash - basically sending him to a school break squash tournament with his brother so that he has something to do; his hanging around the squash courts waiting for the 'uncles' to play with him to hours of national training, multiple trips to participate in training/tournaments around the globe. The heavy investment of time, money and energy has paid off many times.

Through squash he learnt discipline, time management and ability to focus. As his squash improved, his mental focus also improved. Through squash he made many life long friends and found a mentor that guided him.

Squash also opened many doors that did not seem open to him including top premier schools like ACSI and RJC but also to Yale. Making it to Yale and graduating soon with a job in hand would have been something we dared not even dreamed of when he was 11 years old struggling to focus on his studies. Squash has been good to Ken.

... so good for Ken to get his 3rd All-American Squash selection

Northampton, MA — The Men’s College Squash Association has announced its 2012-2013 First and Second All-American teams.

Complete selection criteria can be found in the All-Americans section of the men’s by-laws; however, it is important to note that to be eligible for All-American status, a player must compete in the Individual Championships.

Rochester had the most All-Americans with four players, followed by Trinity and Princeton with three players each.

Princeton’s Todd Harrity and Dartmouth’s Chris Hanson concluded their collegiate careers by being named to their fourth All-American teams. Harrity completed his career as a four time First-Team member. Harrity and Hanson were co-recipients of the 2013 Skillman Award.

Amr Khaled Khalifa, the 2013 Individual Champion (Pool Trophy), becomes the first All-American in St. Lawrence’s men’s squash history.

Congratulations to the 2012-2013 All-Americans!

First Team (listed alphabetically):

• Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Bates)
• Andres Duany (Rochester)
• Ali Farag (Harvard)
• Todd Harrity (Princeton)
• Samuel Kang (Princeton)
• Amr Khaled Khalifa (St. Lawrence)
• Faraz Khan (Rochester)
• Tyler Osborne (Princeton)
• Nicholas Sachvie (Cornell)
• Ramit Tandon (Columbia)

Second Team (listed alphabetically):

• Kenneth Chan (Yale)
• Neil Cordell (Rochester)
• Guilherme De Melo (Franklin & Marshall)
• Johan Detter (Trinity)
• Sam Fenwick (Yale)
• Christopher Hanson (Dartmouth)
• Brandon McLaughlin (Harvard)
• Adam Perkiomaki (Rochester)
• Mauricio Sedano (Franklin & Marshall)
• Juan Vargas (Trinity)
• Miled Zarazua (Trinity)

... so good to get 4th All Ivy

Chan Selected for Fourth Consecutive Season

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Friday the Ivy League announced its selections for year-end awards in men's squash. Two Yale seniors, Kenneth Chan and Hywel Robinson, received First Team All-Ivy recognition. For Chan, it was his fourth time on the list.

Chan and Robinson earned their honors after leading the Bulldogs to a tie for third in the Ivy League and a fourth-place finish in the CSA Team Championships. The team finished the season with a 12-5 record. Chan, who played at No. 1, compiled a 9-11 record. Robinson captained the team and played No. 2, where he went 11-4.

The Ivy League Co-Players of the Year were Princeton's Todd Harrity and Harvard's Ali Farag. Farag bested Harrity during the regular season, but Harrity redeemed himself in the CSA Team Championships. The full selection list is below.

CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Todd Harrity, Princeton (Sr., Philadelphia)
Ali Farag, Harvard (Jr., Cairo, Egypt)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Vivek Dinodia, Princeton (Fr., Kolkata, India)

FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY^
*Ramit Tandon, Columbia (So., Kolkata, India)
*Nick Sachvie, Cornell (Sr., St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada)
Aditya Jagtap, Cornell (So., Mumbai, India)
*Chris Hanson, Dartmouth (Sr., Greenwich, Conn.)
*Ali Farag, Harvard (Jr., Cairo, Egypt)
*Brandon McLaughlin, Harvard (Jr., Villanova, Pa.)
*Todd Harrity, Princeton (Sr., Philadelphia)
*Samuel Kang, Princeton (So., Singapore)
Tyler Osborne, Princeton (So., Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
Kenneth Chan, Yale (Sr., Singapore)
Hywel Robinson, Yale (Sr., Bridgend, U.K.)

... so good to find a good Aussie restaurant

The whole family (Jon, Andrea, Connie and I) went to Red House Seafood at Robertson Quay. Found a nice Aussie place next door serving real Pavlova dessert.

Was a great evening of seafood followed by coffee/dessert next door. Must explore more of the Robertson Quay area. Only drawback is the car park - tight squeeze.