... so good to celebrate Connie's 60th Birthday

10 July 2016 marks not only Connie's 60th birthday (and officially becoming a senior citizen) but also marks our 34th wedding anniversary. 

As in our tradition, we gathered our close friends for a Chinese dinner with karaoke! This year the group was extended to include Lawrence and Cindy. Lawrence has always been a close friend of Connie and unfortunately the relationship was strained over the last decade but things seems to have been patched up. 

It was additionally special that Kenneth was back from US for a friend's wedding but also managed to celebrate the occasion with us. He made a guest appearance before heading off to the wedding. Of course, her BFF were all present. We thank God for these friends that have shared our lives over the last 40-50 years through thick and thin, ups and downs. joy and pain! 

We had a second round of celebration with the family at Woollonmooloo Steak House. Though the name is Australian (Woolloomooloo is a suburb of Sydney) it is actually an Hong Kong chain.

Their speciality is the Tomahawk steak which was about 2+kg of meat that we shared. We definitely rate it better than Morton or Lawry. Great food and feeling so blessed to be surrounded by family. Nathan is 4 months old and a very behaved baby - such a blessing that he can be with us through dinner without fussing.

Thank you, Connie for 34 years of continually supporting me. I know at times you may disagree with my decision but you have never failed to stand beside me. As the mother to our children and grandmother to Nathan you have done an excellent job of loving and caring for them. I am eternally grateful to God for bringing you into my life!

... so good to have another break at the beginning of the year

To kick off the year - 3 couples (Gabriel & Maria, Wilson & Selina, Connie & I) decided to take a quick break to Bangkok for golf, massage, food, shopping and relaxation!

It was so good to be with friends and enjoy chit chatting over wine and snacks during happy hour. Thai food is delicious and not so expensive! 

Golf was fun though we all played less than good. Ended up how many balls were lost instead of strokes!! But it was fun walking 2 X 18 holes around some beautiful scenery. 

No sight-seeing this trip as we did all that in May last year. So we spend the rest day at Healthland Spa - loved the massage. Followed by shopping at Thaniya Plaza with 5 storeys of golf shops. Bought some cheap arm sleeves, belts, gloves, legging, etc

All in all - a great start to the year with a quick break! Life is great!

... so good to take a quick break to Hong Kong / ZhongShan

So good that Connie is retired and we can just take impromptu trips.

Knowing that our wings will be clipped in 2016, Connie and I decided to take a quick break to HK/ZS for golf, food and shopping!

Wilson and Selina hosted us at Agile Golf Club, ZhongShan where they are members. They also brought us around ZS to try all the different food. Worthy of mention is Shi Qi with the roasted pigeon and open kitchen concept. One can see the chefs preparing and cooking the food right in the front. Many unique dishes to try.

Then back to HK for more food (roast goose at Ren Ren Heping) and many other HK specialities like egg tart, clay pot rice, dim sum, ... Connie also went shopping with Selina for herbs, nuts and waxed duck leg. etc

We took a quick trip to Shenzhen for a spa day as well. An experience not to be missed to be pampered at a reasonable cost.

Met up with CP Tsui for a round of golf and catching up on ECS. Sad to hear that Roger had a stroke and Nolan had to migrate to Australia as his son was not behaving there. Business partners that have become friends. I am so thankful that many of the people I worked with have become friends even though we longer work together.

The trip made us thankful for friends (who showed us ZS and HK), for health (to enjoy all the lovely cholesterol loaded food) and energy to golf and shop. 

Life is great ... 

... so good to have another cruise

Another year, another cruise. This time we decided to do the Grand Mediterranean cruise. Though it covered some of the ports that we have been to; there were many new ports that we have yet to explore. Furthermore many of the repeat ports had attractions that we did not see the first time e.g. in Athens we saw the Acropolis but we decided to visit the museum this time and it was a totally different experience; at Sorrento we finally purchased the wood inlaid lazy Suzy (after debating for 5 years); etc

Since we discovered the fun and ease of cruising we have been doing almost an annual cruise. We love the fact that we don't waste time travelling from city to city and there is no checking in and out of hotels, packing and unpacking. The food is always good. Furthermore, we can always tag on pre and post cruise destinations. On this trip we explore Venice for 3 days before the cruise and 2 days in Barcelona after. We also appreciate the sea days that allow us to relax and catch our breath before the next batch of excursions. 

It is so good that we are still able physically and fiscally to enjoy these cruises. Thank God for the energy and ability to enjoy the many wonders that He has created all around the world!

... so good to reach the big six-O

Reaching sixty meant several birthday cakes and celebrations. Started with celebrating with the Chan family at home with a cake baked by Michelle. Followed by dinner with the core group and then another with the ex-IFS/Infor friends.

Feeling wonderfully blessed to have great friends and family to celebrate with.

Six decades of life - half of them spent with Connie - my lovely life companion, friend, travel partner, , mother of my children, wife and confidant! Life has indeed been good to me. As I have always stated ... 死而无憾 (hee hee... not bad for a RI boy who failed his chinese at O level)

... (not) so good as David passes on.

Just as we were about to leave SF to return to Singapore we heard the sad news that David (Connie's second brother) passed away from complications from his cancer. This is the second person we lost in the month of July. Life is indeed short.

David was diagnosed with cancer of the throat more than a year ago. He went for surgery and recovered well enough to complete a half marathon in early 2015. So it was a shock when we heard (during our trip) that he was hospitalized from a relapse.  

Though Connie had her differences with him over the care of their mother, she was still upset by her loss. Theresa (his wife) held up well and is now volunteering at a hospice to look after a priest from their church. 

David was the most health conscious and it came as a shock that he was the first to pass on - it just goes to show how unpredictable life is. We can do everything to prolong our journey here but when it is time to go; there's nothing we can do to change it. Just a reminder to value each day we have - to live and love to the fullest.

... so good to celebrate Connie's birthday with Ken in SF

It was the last day of our stay in SF - flying off at midnight but we managed to squeeze in a birthday dinner for Connie at  Scoma's Restaurant - one of the best seafood restaurant in the Fisherman's Wharf.

The food was great but greater still was being able to celebrate Connie's birthday with Kenneth who has been away for six years and missing on his mum's birthday for quite a few years!

Such a blessing to be able to just have a celebratory dinner with him and his flatmate (Ian). The perfect end to another great trip!

... so good to be in San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

We accompanied Ken to San Francisco to help him settle into his new apartment. The original plan was to help him do apartment hunting but that was settled by Ian (his apartment mate) - so we had more time to sight see and help him set up the apartment.

On arrival we did household goods buying at Ikea and Target - even at the Premium Factory Outlet we bought household stuff (on top of clothing). Ken and I also managed to play 4 rounds of golf at Golden Gate Park and Lincoln Park. The weather was perfect - 20º plus minus.

Ken went with us for a wine tour and Segway tour. 

Connie and I also managed to hop on to the Big Bus HOHO (hop on and hop off) 48 hours tour which included a night tour and side tour to Sausalito. 

On the pier at Sausalito

We also did a 3 day/2 night tour to Yosemite National Park. We were blown away by the sights.

At Glacier Point with the Half Dome in the background

Life is great - spending time with family and seeing so many wonders of the world!

... so good to have Ken back for 3 months

Kenneth came back for Jon's wedding but stayed for an extended break before starting his new job in San Francisco. So we had a great bonding time - playing golf and traveling to Bangkok (to play doubles with Zainal), China (his first trip to China) and Siem Reap (to see Angkor Wat).

Family Shot at Bridge over River Kwai

Feeding tiger cub at the Tiger Temple

Really glad to have Ken make his first trip to China even though it is to Kunming and Lijiang for golf and sight seeing.

Golf at Jade Dragon Snow Mt Golf Course - the longest 72 hole course in the world. Elevation - 3,200 m

We also visited the Stone Forest in Kunming is also a World Heritage site.

Another item off our bucket list - Angkor Wat in Siem Reap which is another World Heritage Site.

In front of the refelection pool at Angkor Wat

Lots of air miles but also a good bonding time. During the travel, we also realize how much Ken has matured. From some one who hardly reads, he was reading on his Kindle. 

His thinking has matured and his general knowledge has grown multiple folds. Guess his education at Yale has paid off!

... so good to see Jon and Andrea tie the knot

Today will be one of the most memorable day for Connie and I. We have not travelled for almost half a year in anticipation of this day and it has been all worth it. I have not seen Connie as excited about anything as this wedding.

Jonathan has always made us proud in everything he did, every decision and how he has grown into a matured young man. Andrea is also a well brought up intelligent and loving lady. Perfect couple.

The church ceremony was really meaningful. The tea ceremony was simple but significant. Dinner was perfect - the food was great, the band entertaining and the speeches well crafted and delivered. Perfect day!

Words cannot express the joy we feel today! Just like a sense of wonder over came as when we first saw Jonathan as a baby, today a sense of fulfillment, pride and achievement swept over us!

..so good to attend the first WTA finals in Singapore

Connie and I took the opportunity to catch the top 8 players from WTA at the Indoor Stadium and try out the my new lens (Tamron 16-300 that was sponsored by Kenneth - bought by Jon in Hong Kong).

It was amazing tennis action by Maria Sharapova, Serene Williams, Petra, Ana Ivanovic - we saw just 2 match but they lasted 5 hours! It was top class tennis! Definitely worth the $50 for the tickets though the snacks (drinks and hot dogs) cost just as much!

#	Players	Points	Tours	Date Qualified
1	Serena Williams (USA)	7,146	17 (15)	5 September
2	Maria Sharapova (RUS)	6,680	15	9 September
3	Petra Kvitová (CZE)	5,597	18	27 September
4	Simona Halep (ROU)	5,403	19 (18)	15 September
5	Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)	4,523	22	2 October
6	Agnieszka Radwańska (POL)	4,441	20	2 October
7	Ana Ivanovic (SRB)	4,390	21	2 October
8	Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)	4,045	19	2 October

... so good to take a quick break to Margaret River

After the Japan cruise, we decided that we needed to take another short break. We were deciding between Taiwan or Korea. Walter advised that Taiwan might still have typhoons and the itinerary from the travel agent on Korea was not interesting (too many ginseng outlet visits!). We figured that the best time to travel is autumn and spring otherwise it is too cold or too hot (more than 25º C)

We chanced on a good fare from Singapore Airlines to Perth and we booked the fare on an impulse. We later researched (thanks - TripAdvisor) and decided what we wanted to do. We decided to skip Perth city all together (except for a Segway tour on the banks of the Swan river which we ended not doing because it clashed with the Penguin Island tour).

On the day we arrived (early afternoon as we have decided not to take the red eye. In fact - we have decided that we will fly mid morning as much as possible. No early morning or late night flights - do not need the stress on mind and body) - we drove to Esplanade on the outskirt of Perth which faces the Indian Ocean. Lovely views. 

We planned a relaxed holiday with activities not starting before 10am! So we had a Penguin Island tour, visited mazes, lunched at VineYard, ... overall a very relaxing break.

For details - see facebook entries or the photobook on the trip. So good to take a relaxing break. Life is great! 

So good to celebrate another birthday - Connie's

This was the first of two birthday dinners for Connie. The second one was during our Japan Trip.

Jon and Andrea bought us dinner at Bistro 103 for her birthday and our anniversary! That's why there are two cakes!

We truly count our blessings every year ... having the 2 boys is really a great blessing. And now a future DIL to celebrate with us is a real bonus!

...(not) so good but MIL finally returned to the Lord

Madam Wong Choy Woo, my mother-in-law was called back to the Lord on 17 May 2014. She has been at All Saints Nursing home for 7 sevens. Other than her senile dementia she had been healthy and was able to enjoy food right to the end. On the Friday, 16 May - the nursing home called to say she was running a fever and lost of appetite; the doctor suspected that she had an infection (a recurrence of one that hospitalized her a couple of months before). We decided not to send her to A&E as she would be subjected to a strange environment and test, drips, etc. So we asked the doctor to give her oral antibiotics and make her comfortable. That night around midnight the nursing home called to say that she had low blood pressure. Connie called again at 1am and they said her condition was the same.

As Connie had arranged with her sister and auntie to visit her the next day at 10am, she decided to stay with the plan. I went for my usual Saturday golf game early in the morning. At around 8.30am, the nursing home say that her pulse was weak but still breathing. As it was raining heavily and they had to wait for the aged auntie; Connie and her sister waited before proceeding to the nursing home. My MIL passed away that morning around 8.45am.

Looking back, I always remembered her cooking for her family - the deep fried meat balls that Connie like so much, the pork chop which was really nice. We were also very blessed to have stayed with her when Jonathan was born. For the first 6 months, she helped look after Jonathan with Connie. Those six months, I had hot breakfast every day before going to work and dinner ready when I got home; laundry done daily - it was a good life!

I also remembered how she would trek from her Dover Road home to NUH daily when my father in law as hospitalized there. She was quite old by then by she made it a point to be there and cooked him food and stayed all the time with him. 

Despite all the grief that she gave Connie over money issues, she was a loving and caring mother that ultimately placed her husband and children first. May she rest in peace with the Lord.

... so good that we have access to more musicals in Singapore

In the last couple of years, we have attended a few musicals at Esplanade. The latest being My Fair Lady. A really good show - the plot kept close to the movie and they sang all the songs. Attended this with Connie and Fong Oi. Enjoyed the show tremendously though it was quite expensive but still cheaper than flying to NY or London. So now we don't have to fly to New York or London for our shows. 

Next is Grease - an epic musical with all the upbeat songs! Looking forward to it.

... 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 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!