Oriental Halloween 2011

The first day of the Hungry Ghost Festival and the celebration begins with a getai at Ngee Ann City which is another first in Singapore. You didn't read wrongly. Yes, getai at Orchard Road. The show starts at 7 pm and the Ah Sohs (aunties) were there in the afternoon to chope place. I bet the busiest shopping area will be infested with the Bengs and Hueys in the evening.

Frankly, I am impressed by the organiser who came up with this idea of having a getai at Orchard. Guess we have to learn from the ang moh to dress up as ghost, vampires, etc. Fix a date (let's say 15th day of the 7th lunar month) and we can call it Oriental Halloween. There's nothing to be afraid of but to celebrate, rock and have fun.

July is ending

We are nearing the end of July, another lousy month without a public holiday. The good news is it's pay day tomorrow. Hope to see some smiling faces at my workplace. In fact everyone is working very hard preparing for the final authority inspection on 1 August 2011. Yes, by hook or by crook. Coincidentally, it's my colleague's birthday too. And on that evening, me and him got to attend a seminar at Singapore Management University. What a day!

OMG! The lunar 7th month celebration begin on 31 July 2011. For those who do not know what the hell it's all about............. haha......... it's the Hungry Ghost Festival otherwise known as Zhong Yuen Jie. Are you afraid of the dark? Jokes aside, I would pray and burn offerings to them. Believe it or not, I would be blessed with a little luck in return. But what I sincerely wish for is peace and good health for everyone. Om...............

JB Revisited

Remember I had just collected my new passport? Got the first chop on the booklet at JB Malaysia yesterday. A check on my old passport showed that I last went in was 5 December 2010. OMG! Time flies.

Me and Margaret ventured to the new KSL City, a new shopping complex next to Pelangi. It caters to the local crowd with good restaurants, cinemas, boutiques, Tesco supermarket, etc. Surprisingly, it's as good as Nex in Singapore.

As a matter of fact, I am more comfortable with JB Malaysia as it resembles the old Singapore. No overcrowding with foreign workers. No high cost of living. The standard of living is improving. No wonder elderly Singaporeans love to retire there. JB rocks!!!

Just an update 19 July 2011

What the hell is this trolley doing at my neighbourhood bus-stop?

Fyn has reached New York USA i.e. the other side of the world after a 23 hours flight ( with a 2 hours transit at Frankfurt Germany ). Have fun and take care.

I will be collecting my new passport on Thursday. Got to bring my current passport, identity card and the ICA letter along. Remember hor. Am I that forgetful?

USA! USA!

Off she goes! USA! USA! Finally, her wish is granted. She is there as an exchange student where her term starts 29 August 2011. Prior to that, she is going places. From New York to Boston to Washington DC to the West Coast.

We pray for her safety and sincerely hope she enjoys herself too. A pupa has change into a butterfly and there is no way we can stop her from flying.


With all the blessings, we awaits her return on 5 January 2012. Meantime, Margaret is going to find herself with sleepless nights. Tell me which mother does not worry for her children. Guess we have to learn to overcome this phobia.

Seafood

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an announcement. Will the person who promise to buy me Ang Mo Kio popular crab bee hoon, please own up. Please be informed that I am still waiting. Remember a hungry man is an angry man. Do not let me wait too long or else...... You know who you are and probably I'll send you a sms to remind you to read this blog. LOL.

Food lover like me has to be careful for I belong to the high cholesterol club. Seafood are meant to be occasional. Sob sob! During Chinese New Year, I have to be at my most discipline as there are simply too many seafood lunches and dinners to attend. Failing which the consequences are unimaginable.

Undiscerning minds

It is human to curse and swear when one is deprived of what others are blessed. Great talkers can portray themselves as living saint, often blaming others when they run out of luck. Who do you point finger at when all your evil plans backfire?

Just when you thought the one who is on your side is safe, he turns out to be Satanic as well. It's best not to harm others for one day one may end up as a victim instead. Good luck and God bless. Have a nice weekend.

Travel affairs

Congrats! Mission accomplished. It's Fyn last day at work after a 2 months stint @ Margaret's company. There's about 9 days for her to run errands prior to her US trip. Relax, happy packing and enjoy your farewell gatherings with friends.
Smily and friends are in Langkawi for a short vacation. They should be back on 12 July 2011 after which their new semester reopens. Back to Lecture Theatre.
Sent my passport application to the Immigration Department for renewal and now waiting for a notification to collect my new book. If I am not wrong, it should take about 2 weeks to process. Hey Mr Postman, is there a letter for me?

Our immediate superior

Got this news from reliable source that our immediate superior is leaving us pretty soon. I admit that I do not like him in total but then no one is perfect. Overall he is still a good leader and it's sad to see him go.

Like him or not, I still address him with a Mr instead of calling his surname. This is a mark of respect to his professional status. We have been together for almost 2 years and I do learn a lot from him. In between, there are anger and there are laughter too.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be in his team contributing to the success of this mega project. Believe me, it's no easy task.

An appreciation with thanks. From the bottom of my heart, I wish him well.

Disband?

Coming soon : Changi City Point

It's going to be fully operational soon. Confirm. Double confirm. Btw, I am involved in this mega project. Besides this shopping complex, we are working on the hotel project too. How about the people I am associated with? A pretty good mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. We have those who like to brag, bullshit, gossip, back-stab, etc. You name it we have it. What a joke!

Like it or not, the show must go on. Whatever differences or dislike should be put aside so as to allow the project to complete in good order and on time. Will the group be disbanded after that? Your guess is as good as mine.

Fyn's Farewell Dinner

An advance farewell dinner to our dearest Fyn. It's not often that we dine at seafood restaurant. Since she was craving for crab, we decided to celebrate the occasion at Long Beach @ Dempsey. Her brother booked the table with her maternal grandmother in mind. Sadly, the kids couldn't locate her.
Haha... she confessed it's her 1st time eating Scottish Bamboo clam. Mind you, it cost $12 per piece cause it's air flown here. We had black pepper crab and chilli crab too. Rest of the dishes were the common ones.
Why such a sumptuous meal? She is leaving on 17 July 2011 and returns on 3 January 2012. For the next half a year, it will be hamburger day in day out. Seafood and Asian cuisine are never cheap in US.
Like what she always complained, we are over-protective parents. It's high time we release the grip and hopefully she doesn't disappoint us.

Enchanting Indonesia 5

Hot! Hot! Hot!

I am not only working on Saturday but under the hot Sun too. What am I busy at? I really do not know. At the end of the day, I would find myself with incomplete tasks. Gosh! My programmes are packed for tomorrow. I won't be surprised the day ended not to plan. Btw, it's bloody hot outdoor. BBQ.... anyone?