What a wonderful trip to Singapore!

Phill and I spent about 32 days in Singapore in our annual pilgrimage back home. And we had fun!!! We caught up with family and friends, and ate most of the local food that we missed for a year. And it felt good to be on a holiday.

I managed to meet more friends this time than I did in any of my previous trips and was glad for it. I even met up with some of my primary school classmates I hadn't seen in ages! And time just flew when we were chatting. It was so reassuring to see that they hardly changed since primary school - doesn't that mean we hardly age?

With Wiggie, a dear friend who I will remember for volunteering to help me at my wedding, I had very interesting conversations. She was telling me about the wild parties at her apartment block and I was telling her how I feel so tired after work and usually get to bed at about 9.30pm and still feel tired the next day. And Wiggie made me laugh when she said, "dear girl, we're getting old." Are we? ....hahahaha.....I'm still in denial. I'm just telling myself it's the Singapore lifestyle vs the Australia lifestyle.

Phill and I have so many memories of each trip to Singapore that we sometimes mix them up. We recall our dinner at Banana Leaf Restaurant, East Coast hawker Centre, Lau Pa Sat, and this trip, we had Botak Jones at Toa Payoh (upon excellent recommendation by Aunty Jenny) - YUM!

During this trip, we had a chance to meet my brother's girlfriend, Faith. And we like her! She's funny, easy-going, sensible and responsible. And most of all, in Phill's words, she's a very vital asset to our family because she knows all the good eating places in Singapore. She recommended a hawker centre in Bedok and there were heaps of good food!! It was YUMMY!

These are some photos of our trip:

My cousin, May, took Phill and I to Dempsey Hills for a meal. We haven't been there before and it was such a cool and relaxing place - a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. Below was the chocolate cake and ice-cream Phill and I had (cos we had our dinner already) but I could only take one photo cos a waiter came swiftly to say management does not allow photos taken of their meals -- ok.

Meeting my former colleagues from National Arts Council - Christina, me, Celine, Sock Hwang and Jessie.
My brother's girlfriend, Faith, who like us is a foodie too - Yeah!!! But unlike us, she can keep her really slim frame! One of my favourite dishes at the buffet at Merchant Court Hotel - durian! Yum!
Phill enjoying his pepper crabs at Merchant Court Hotel (tho his fave is butter).
Our favourite satay place is Fat Man Satay at Lau Pa Sat.
Changi Prison Chapel Museum - I didn't even knew this museum exists previously until Phill asked to visit it on his first trip to Singapore 10 years ago. The museum was also moved about a few years ago to a new location not far off from its previous location. The previous location was not the chapel's original location though. Its original location is actually in the Changi Prison itself.
A board hung in the chapel area of the museum for visitors to post their messages. I find it very heartbreaking to read the messages from nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, grandchildren of Australian and English servicemen who were prisoners-of-war in Singapore.
A beautiful poem in tribute to the servicemen who were imprisoned in Singapore.
Phill absolutely loves Gary's dog - Sacha! She's gorgeous and we think of her heaps when we're in Australia. We love her friendly and personable nature and she loves to play! I'm sold on miniature schnauzers after Sacha!
Grandma's 82th birthday!!! We had a great time just being together as an extended family!
Our meal at Botak Jones in Toa Payoh! The above was a yummy dish that I can't remember and from the photo below, it's easy to tell that Phill was impressed with both the quality and quantity of his meal. And also, he loves fooling around with the camera - hahaha! My cousin, Zachary, is to the left of the photo. It was good to see Zach since we hardly see him much due to us being in Australia and he is a busy guy too.

Above - Another yummy dish (think it was my dinner) at Botak Jones that I can't remember.

Concerts!

I was really glad to have the opportunity to attend 3 concerts when I was in Singapore. The first was a Jacky Cheung (HongKong singer and actor) concert with my brother, Gary, and his girlfriend, Faith. That concert was brilliant and cos I've never watched him live in concert (can't remember if I've watched him on dvd), I really enjoyed every bit of it. Jacky's attempts at dancing which was pretty good at some spots. But his voice was beautiful - it's unique and singing those familiar songs that span more than 10 years of my life brought back memories and tingles down my spine. He was a consummate and cheeky performer, sharing little titbits of his family life and his kids. I must say one of my favourite songs is the lullaby he wrote for his 2nd daughter. It was simple but very meaningful. I enjoyed this concert very much and was sad to see it end.

I know we're not supposed to take photos during the concert but I managed to sneak a few in and then tucked my camera away after that. Another concert-goer, who was quite stubborn, took many more photos and continued doing so even after he was warned. He was finally escorted out of the concert. I also saw some other audience members with long camera lenses. I think they were there for "work" (to sell those photos on ebay....tsk!).

Faith and Gary at Jacky Cheung concert


The 2nd concert I attended was a Fei Yuqing (an evergreen singer from Taiwan) with my parents. Most of the concert goers were senior citizens and they came in droves and gave him so much support, even though some of the audience looked abit too frail. It was a very nice concert and I was surprised that I knew the tunes of some songs even if I didn't know the title of those songs. Fei Yuqing also told some jokes and imitated some of the stalwarts in the entertainment scene which drew laughter and applause. He was very good and most of all, he looked so good. I enjoyed this concert too, and differently from the Jacky Cheung concert.


The final concert I attended was free because my cousin (Charlotte) got Phill and me tickets!!! Yipppeee! My first memory of listening to Suzanne Vega was when I was in primary school and my cousin, Nicholas, used to pull out the new CDs his sister, Charlotte, bought after returning for holidays from her overseas studies in Paris and USA. And one of those CDs was Suzanne Vega's debut album and her songs, "Luka" and "Tom's Diner", evoked memories I had when I first heard those 2 very famous songs. The concert was fabulous, intimate, and live! I had a chance to hear the back stories to the songs Suzanne wrote too and realised I knew more songs than I initially thought. I knew Caramel was included in the film soundtrack to The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I've heard Solitude Standing, Left of Centre and Marlene On The Wall before and love Small Blue Thing and In Liverpool. After the concert, Phill and I hung out with my cousins and Nicholas' friend, and it was such a fun night. Dinner was great and I had a chance to smoke a a hookah, which I've never done before. Thing was, I didn't know there was tobacco in it (I know, silly me) because there wasn't a strong tobacco smell or taste. It was an interesting experience!

Lasik!!!!

After quite abit of research, alot of conversations and discussions (with my friends and relatives that have done the surgery) that Phill and I (with much trepidation) decide to embark on lasik surgery. We were quite prepared to throw our spectacles and contact lenses away. However, the thought of having to slice part of our cornea to do the laser surgery was a lingering and frightening thought.

On Christmas Eve, Phill and I went and did our assessment and were given the all clear. The doctor (Dr Marc Tay) advised us that we didn't have to go for intralase (blade-free) because we had regular sized corneas and there wasn't any point paying an additional $1000 more per person. With that assurance, we decided to make the leap and go for the blade (microkeratome).

Phill before the surgery

Phill after the surgery

My feelings after the surgery was different from Phill. I realised my fears before the surgery was unfounded because everything was done so quickly and so painless (that was my greater fear that I could feel my cornea being sliced). Dr Marc Tay was very reassuring and I appreciated that he did the countdown - 20% done, 40%, 60%...so I know that it was coming to an end. And I just told myself to keep focusing on the red light. However, after my right eye was operated on, I had to drive the thoughts of what the doctor was going to do with my left eye out of my mind (the slicing, the burning of flesh, etc) and just focus on the red light. Phill on the other hand said that his heart never beat so fast in his life. He isn't sure if the operation is worth it yet.

Our Puppy Is Born

We've contacted a breeder of golden retrievers since May and was glad to be told some weeks ago that her dog, Shyla was pregnant, and even more thrilled to read the email from Carol that our pup (1 of a litter of 8 puppies) was born on Christmas Day. What a present after the gift of love in Christ Jesus!

Movie: Amazing Grace

I watched this movie about 2 months ago but hadn't blogged about it so thought I should since the movie made quite an impression on me. Although the character of William Wilberforce was the main protagonist, I was very much attracted to William Pitt, Wilberforce's friend and England's youngest ever Prime Minister. I was attracted to Pitt's character because he gave really good and sound advice to Wilberforce and he paved the way so that Wilberforce's plans will bear fruit. He felt sad when Wilberforce was sad and happy when Wilberforce was happy. To me, he was the epitome of a very good friend. And when Wilberforce died, he was laid to rest side by side with his friend, Pitt. Sometimes, in life, you can find such true friends that they become your brother or sister.

Which made me think of the friends I have. I can't say I have friends at my present workplace with whom I could share my innermost thoughts. I've found with a colleague or two that whatever I say or whatever news I share gets passed around. I wish I could trust a particular colleague but I've given up cos nothing is sacred with her. So I was recently abit down that she disappointed me so. And I suppose to a certain extent, I've seen through her as a person. Good friends whom you can trust and whom you can have a heart-to-heart are so difficult to find. I thank God though that I have friends I made in my previous workplace in Australia that I still hang out with and whose company I enjoy very much. With 2 particular friends who are about 15-20 years older than me, we can sit and talk over a meal for 3-4 hours straight without looking at our watches and then realise time has flown. It has happened every single time! Age is no barrier to our friendship and I'm glad they're my friends!

Which also makes me miss my friends in Singapore because they are the ones I can have heart-to-heart talks with but then again, thank God for technology cos I can always drop them an email. But it doesn't beat being able to sit down for a chat after work.
I pray for a friend at work I can trust!

A new future for Australia!

Phill and I attended an election party at my parents-in-law house and it was fun! We both wore our "Kevin 07" T-shirts and had our family friends over from Alexandra too. I was abit apprehensive about wearing the T-shirts initally cos I didn't know if our family friends were liberal or labor but apparently they're the latter - phew! And they all had a good laugh at our T-shirts - probably even impressed at our fervent support for Labor.

I was very surprised and delighted when the defining result came through at past 10pm that Labor had won enough seats to form government!!! I had enough of the Howard government and earlier thought that if Liberal still wins another term, then the next best result will be if John Howard could lose his seat - so imagine my joy when both happened! Both the Liberal party and Howard were kicked out of government!!!

My hope for Australia is that we have a better future - a brighter one too!

Kindness...to lift the spirit

I had to be in Melbourne today as I was attending a course on planning law, which was really useful and good! I enjoyed it and yet realised how much more I didn't know....shucks!


Anyway, after the course, I was walking around and walking towards this cafe that had bar stools facing one of the main roads (Bourke St) and a few guys in suits were sitting on the bar stools. On the pedestrian walkway was a beggar and then I heard a whistle and a shout-out to the beggar from the guys in suits and was wondering if they were going to taunt and tease him. Then I turned around and saw them pass him a brown bag, which I think is some food as they must have seen him look through the dustbins. And the way the guy in the suit handed the beggar the food was understated and not showy like some people are with "see, i'm doing a kind deed" was even more touching. It really made me smile inside!


I was also the recipient of a kind deed with one planner whom I know offering me a lift back home so I didn't have to wait around until the evening to take the train home. And she asked her friends whom I realised I knew cos they worked in the same town I work in and I had a lift back in the car. I was happy and grateful!!!

Heritage Planning @ Bendigo

Eerie House

One of only 2 houses in Australia with an old Dutch style roof - only one other house in Qld has the same type of roof. Owner wanted to preserve this house but was told the construction quality was poor but the roof was another thing and worth preserving.

A cemetry also tells a story - of families during the Gold Rush who lived through hard times and had to bury their children. This cemetry was on a hill and while the men worked, if they looked up, they see the cemetry above - how sad for the fathers to be reminded of their loss!
The headstone for a very young child...I felt bad taking this photo.

I went with a colleague, L, to Bendigo for a Heritage Planning course, one which they considered a Spring course rather than a summer course since it was held in November. I've never been to Bendigo and while I liked it, I preferred Ballarat and Geelong where I went on a field trip (for the subject Rural and Regional Planning) and communications workshop respectively. I met some of L's fellow students as her course is with La Trobe Uni but my lecturer teaches at both universities (RMIT and La Trobe) so he organised a combined Heritage Planning course for both students.

I was really fighting hard to stay awake during some parts of the course and at some point, I became really frustrated and fed-up because one of the other lecturers (not my lecturer who is in tuned with the energy levels of his students - he usually finish his classes early) kept talking even though some of the stuff had been mentioned already. I hate when people repeat themselves and love the sound of their own voice. Enough already and what a waste of my time! So, while I enjoyed some of the course, I found some of the lecturers not very effective or interesting either.....zzzzzz!

Now, to do my assignments - due on 19 February. But...........I need a break first!

Faith and Belief

It is with great joy when I heard from my dad that my grandma has taken the step of faith and confessed her belief in Lord Jesus Christ.

My aunt Melissa accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour last year too and knowing that I'll see them in heaven fills me with joy, comfort and peace.

Thank God for answered prayers!

I still remember that when my great grandma came to accept the Lord, she had said she was looking for such peace all her life and she had finally found it.

May all of us who believe never lose our faith but to grow it and strengthen it, with God's help and guidance!

Peter Sandman Workshop

The views from my hotel room and I absolutely love the views and my room!!!

I've never been to Geelong before and had the chance the past few days to head there for a Peter Sandman workshop that I had the privilege to attend for work training purposes. It was such a good communications workshop which taught us about engaging the community proactively. I could have sat and listened to him for ages.

I also got to know colleagues from other organisations and other regional offices. Some were really nice while others were really strange. 2 particular people were strange in that they were insistent that they be heard and that their views be taken but when it was others' turn to speak or offer their opinion, they didn't listen. I became really grateful for my colleagues back at my office and how they were really helpful, supportive and co-operative in getting work done.

It was a good trip driving to Geelong and back home with my boss. We had good conversations about work, about my studies and about her studies when she did them. She was admirable cos she studied and did her masters while she was looking after her children. She used to wake up at 4am to study until 7am then fed her newborn baby. I'm not sure I can do that.

Fit for fire duties

I had a medical test at work today to test my general health and well-being and had some tests such as for lung capacity that I hadn't tested for previously. The lung test was tough. The doctor handed me a black roll (looks like a toilet roll!) and then made me blow and I blew up my entire breath after like 3 seconds. Then he told me to do it again and said to just keep blowing out my breath. The next time I did it in like 5 seconds but it felt like it took ages. I've never taken a test like that before and boy, was I tired. A little disappointed with my lung capacity but the doctor said the result was an average result, generally the result most people have anyway. And I asked for how I could improve my lung capacity and he said to take deeper breaths and also more cardio exercise, EVERYDAY!

Anyway, the test was also to see if I was fit for duty during bushfires. And the outcome? The doctor ticked the box for A which is the best fitness ability and he said I am fit to be a firefighter! What? Me?! NO way!!!!! I smiled but it will only be in my dreams cos I'll be a liability rather than an asset.

I've also attended a briefing recently for information officers and so am assuming that was what I'll be doing which is basically ascertaining the information we receive and decide who to dispense the information to. It sounds like a challenging, interesting and sometimes frustrating opportunity. And that's because of the tight deadlines involved and the different personalities that's in the mix. Well, I know it'll be a great experience and an eye-opener and if the time comes, I hope to be helpful.

Nathan Buckley...retires...sob!

It was to be expected cos he's 36 already but I was still very sad (especially after James Clement's retirement earlier) when I heard he announced his retirement. Buckley will remain one of the rare players who deserved a premiership medal but wasn't fortunate to play in a premiership winning side although we did come close several times after 1990, last time Collingwood won a premiership.

A committed player whom as a supporter you can trust will definitely give his best. He is among the best on and off the field and it will be different for me when I don't have him to look out for. When I first went to Australia in 1996 and was introduced into the sport of aussie rules, Buckley's unusual looks and passionate play and Damien Monkhorst's humour made me look out for these 2 players. Monkhorst has long retired but it was a delight to see Buckley play for 11 years since.

I still hope to see Buckley around...he'll be missed!!

A Sad Day....

It was a sad day when I learned one of my favourite footy players retired...James Clement - why? Principled, disciplined, great to watch but more than that, he is HOT!



At just 31, still fit and more than capable....it is a decision hard to fathom but you did bow out at your peak!

Wonderful: Kite Runner

I had to read Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner for book club this month. And just over the weekend, I realised that I hadn't read the book so I decided to bring it along on Monday afternoon on the train to Melbourne and I finished reading it in 2 days!!! Such a gripping book that I just couldn't put down!!!

We had a stimulating discussion from the book and we were dismayed at how weak the protagonist was! There was one point during the discussion when one of the book club members turned to me and asked,"so, is there kite flying in China?". I smiled and just turned to the whole group and said,"There is kite flying in Singapore and I remember the stories my mum used to tell me about my uncle and his kites and competing to cut down other kites so I can relate to the kite flying described in the book."

Someone else had to tell her that there was kite flying in China. I didn't know that so I couldn't answer her. And I thought she was rude to assume I was from China!!

Another move and then...peace

I've recently moved (yup, another move) to work for another planning team but I'm still in the same department and unit but doing a different type of planning - statutory planning, which I think will be better for me as I'm a new planner and need to start from the basics (learning more about micro planning). I started work at the strategic planning (macro planning) unit previously but found myself feeling lost because I didn't have the experience nor had the understanding of the work that went behind the strategic work.

The new planning team are also made up of colleagues which I get along better with because they're a crazy bunch of people - fun-loving but who also work very hard. I look forward to working and learning from them!

On another note, I have also been recently approached by another section in the dept to help out as a media communications adviser temporarily while they look for someone permanent. They asked if I was interested in it permanently (and to submit my application if I am) but I said I'm happy to help them temporarily but intend to return to my planning job. I've asked my supervisor and he very kindly said he will support me after he teased me and pretended he won't let me go. The manager I'll be working for, from what I've seen so far, is really nice and I know I'll learn alot from her. This temporary position also pays better because it is of a higher band (band 4, from my current band 3).... sweet!!!

Moving....

Phill and I, with the help of my parents-in-law and 2 family friends (a couple in their 70s), moved our worldly possessions from our 3 bedroom unit in the Mansfield township to a rural property (22 acres) at Lima yesterday.

For the past week, Phill and I have been busy packing away and he was getting abit too laid back and too calm about all the packing. I keep seeing things that remain unpacked and he kept saying they will be done. But I wanted them done way before we had to move and I think the packing and stress really made us get on each other's nerves!

However, this morning, we did have things packed and when my parents-in-law and family friends arrived, they helped us load the truck (which we loaned yesterday) with the lounge suite loaned to us by my friend Lynn and her husband Steve, and then they returned with the truck and managed to load all the big items - fridge, King size bed, treadmill, washing machine, dryer, and dining table all onto the truck. We made it in one go! And my mum-in-law, family friend (Joan), and I cleaned the house and vacuumed it too. We managed to do them all under 3 hours which I was really impressed. It took the stress away and my parents-in-law prepared and helped us with alot of things that helped lightened the stress of moving.

First thing we set up at our new house (not really new, it's about 20+ year old weatherboard house) was.....the TV!!! Priorities, priorities. However, we couldn't find the remote control for some time but I managed to after a few hours and ruffling through some bags. We are leaving the rest of the unpacked stuff for the next year or so to unpack. For now, we're just having a break from the stress of it all....

Field Trip to Western VIC

I joined the students in my rural and regional planning class for a field trip today. We met at Bowen St (RMIT Swanston St campus) to board the coach to head to Western VIC (a part of the state I haven't explored before). I sat next to Jacqui, who shared all her yummy food with me - there were oranges, titbits and a good conversation. I first met her at our first class cos we were one of the first few students who arrived at the classroom early.

We travelled to Rockbank first which was a sad looking town. And although there were some beautiful houses, the general neighbourhood was forlorn and most of the houses were very much separated from each other. We were shown a subdivision that didn't quite work cos not many people bought the plots of land and built houses, thus leaving those who did looking abit lonely.

We also drove through towns like Bacchus Marsh, which I thought was a really nice looking town (despite its name - Marsh?!) and its residents look like they had alot of pride in their town cos it looked clean and inviting, Ballan, Gordon, Ballarat (which looked very interesting!), Buninyong, Enfield, Rokewood, Shelford, Bannockburn, and Little River. Some pics below:

The above photo is a part of Rockbank (I think - it was one of the first few sightings in our trip) and an example of perhaps a declining town. From a distance, you might be able to see a sign saying "Lion Park" and our coach driver said she visited it when it was a Lion Park previously. Now, it just looks abandoned, leaving a reminder of its former glory.

The above pic is one of the random pics I took when the coach was driving us to another town. But i thot the houses to the left of the pic look really grand and against that landscape (abit brown perhaps still suffering from the effects of the drought we've had), I thot it was quite gorgeous!

The above 4 pics were taken at Ballan where we had a short stopover (first town we actually alighted from the coach to stretch our legs and had a look around). The top pic is obvious - the hotel, post office, a quirky cafe and gallery which made use of recycled materials to decorate its outdoor yard, and a hardware store that looked pretty authentic of shops of earlier years.

Even though it says Beechworth Bakery, this bakery wasn't in Beechworth but Ballarat! That might have given you a hint as to the good reputation of the bakery at Beechworth (not a franchise) which I recently visited and their cakes and pastries weren't bad but the cappuccino wasn't great.

The above 2 pics are some street scenes of Ballarat - a really bustling town that has already outgrown its physical space. As potential planners, my lecturer asked us some questions such as how would we go about expanding the road and pedestrian areas to accommodate the growing population, and diversion of traffic so that traffic jams could be eliminated or reduced, and how would we arrange the commercial, educational and social areas of the town so access to these different areas are easy.


The above pic was taken around the area of Mt Helen which was rather quiet and scenic, although it rained steadily when we were in that area in the afternoon so from the little I saw through the rain, that's what the area looked like.

The above was a shopping complex at Bannockburn, our last stop to head to the toilets. After that, we headed home and boy, were we glad. We were quite tired and the rain helped lulled us to sleep. I enjoyed the trip as my lecturer was able to point areas out and explained how different uses of land are complemetary and others were conflicting. So, the lessons we had in class in the previous weeks came alive for me!