23rd Wedding Anniversary

Hi,

My 23rd wedding anniversary falls on 26 Jan 2009 and it is also going to be the 1st day of the Chinese New Year, the year of Ox.

So I bought a bouquet of 5 pink roses for her today, to surprise her.

Why 5 pink roses?

23 = 2 + 3 = 5 pink roses !

Well, we look forward to sharing our lives together for another 30+ years or more.....

Happy 23rd wedding anniversary to us, Dear...!

I love You...!

Daddy Poh

Chinese New Year - Family Reunion Dinner

Hi,

The year of Ox is just around the corner and the family reunion dinner is typically held on the eve of Chinese New Year which falls on 26 January this year.

We have ours a week earlier so as to accommodate everyone availability as some of us have to work night shift on the eve or other commitments.

We have a pot luck family reunion instead.

I got my Filipino housekeeper to cook 'bee hoon' noodle and chicken chop for our contribution.

I also bought 'Yu Sheng' ( or also known as raw fish ) for 'loh hei' from one of the popular tim sum restaurant.

For my foreign friends, this is a plate of salad with raw fish like salmon to be mixed with oil, peanuts etc......

Family members gather around this plate and using chopsticks mix the ingredients and lift them up in the process and make wishes like promotion, good exam. results, good health, etc.... for the new year.

Then each one of us will take some on a plate and eat it.

This dish was actually invented by a few chefs for commercial purposes but it has become a home tradition too in Malaysia and Singapore, especially for businessmen.

The next gathering will be the 1st day of the Chinese New Year to pay respects to the elders; eg our parents or grandparents and other members of the family.

The important practice is to give money in a red packet, 'Ang Pow' to those who are not married including adult bachelors and spinsters too!

So Happy Family Reunion to all of you involved in this practice.....

David

A Humbling Experience With Monks

Hi,

One recent morning, my wife & I with a friend were having breakfast at Bedok Market and 2 monks were standing outside the coffee shop, with a bald guy in civilian clothes holding on to a few plastic bags.

After encountering a few fake monks and also the reports on them in the papers, I told my friend to watch out for these fake monks. My friend told me that they are not fake as there are standing and waiting with their heads bowed down instead of walking around for money.

I was taken aback as he was right about his observation. He then asked the coffee shop lady and we were told that they came from a nearby temple and does not accept money but food only.

We saw someone buying a few packets of nasi lemak and handed it to them, by placing them into their metallic bowls. The civilian helper who was standing behind the monks, would then helped carried them.

My friend ordered 4 packets of the noodles and I paid for 2 of them. They were handed to the monks. They bowed as they received it.

The whole episode was a very humbling experience as the Thai monks did not ask or have any eye contact with us or the customers and they just stood there and patiently waited for some food.

This is a first for me.

BTW, I learned breathing meditation from my ex-boss, Chit Sieng at that temple. I believe he is still involved in running that temple today.

David

New Year Resolutions

Hi,

So have you listed down your new year resolutions by now?

Well, I thought about it and I said that resolutions are required when you need to improve on something from last year; eg my son's resolution for the past 2 years was to hand in his homework on time so he said.

I decided that I do not need any new year resolutions but goals for the new year instead.

You know, I like it this way as I think I sound positive!

So here are some of my 2009 goals ;

- Take good care of my health as I am in my 50s now

- Continue to spend more time with my family and be there for them

- Bring my Internet Marketing initiatives to the next level; double my income at least

So I hope you will be spending more time meeting your goals too than worry too much about your new year resolutions.

Stay healthy and happy!

David

The Little Nyonya Drama

Hi,

I am sure majority of you living in Singapore must have followed this MediaCorp TC Channel 8 drama series, The Little Nyonya.

As mentioned in the local papers, other than the dramatic plot, we were also enchanted by the Perankan culture so it was educational.

It was also a bonding time for the family as we always watched Channel 8 Chinese drama series together and discussed the plot and the possible outcome of the next show. We do not buy this magazine, 8 Days, so we would ot know what was in stall for us next.

Yes, my wife did not like the ending and we were also puzzled why she married the English man as there was no indication of how their love blossom other than he helped her in her business.

As indicated in the poll, 93% wanted a happy ending and even the scriptwriter expressed that he was wrong and did not anticipate the viewers reaction. I think the executive producer should also admit it so instead of being defensive and indicated that she assumed this and that.... typical of our local management people. Listen to your viewers feedback and then try to do better the next time....lah!

Anyway, I am proud that we have such a high rated or watched drama series and I hope it will do well when screen in other countries. I was thinking of buying the DVD set for my parents in Malaysia but then my dear wife told me that it will be screened there next month.

Other than Jeannette's acting, I thought a few other actors or actresses also gave a very good performance.

Congrats again to The Little Nyonya...!

For my overseas friends, you can get more info at this site http://littlenyonya.mediacorptv.sg/about.htm


David

How Do We Dress ?

Hi,

I was in Orchard Road last weekend with my family and as usual, there was this typical weekend crowd of locals and tourists.

So you may be wondering what I was doing there, myself?

Anyway, as I walked along the sidewalk and tried not to bump into people coming from the opposite direction, I made an observation.

There are 3 categories of dressing :

1. Some dressed to look attractive and pleasant; ie. their dressing complement their physical look and it is a positive type of attraction. The person look pretty or attractive.

2. A few dressed to shock you or to make a statement; stand out from the crowd and also attract your attention but more in a negative manner. Yucks.... why wear like that?

3. Majority dressed normally and just form part of the crowd; not noticable other than another physical body lost in the crowd.

I think this is typical wherever you are and I am in the last category most of the time and on special occassion , I tried to be in the 1st category or look smart for that occassion.

I have not tried to give specific examples and it varies from each individual the definition of the 3 categories but broadly, I think it is like that.

Just food for thought!

Again, wishing you all a Healthy and Happy New Year in 2009!

David

Reflections on Year 2008

Hi,

Another eventful year is coming to an end and I have been reflecting on it for the past few days on what year 2008 has been for me.

Here are some of my reflections ...............

At the beginning of 2008, I was very concerned for my dear wife's eyes as she had a retina tear in her right eye just before Christmas in 2007. She had 2 laser treatment to 'sew' the tear back.

Luckily, by end April, it was considered fully treated but that eye will always see some wavy line and it is something that she got used to by now and not affecting her sight or movement today.

I have to do a crown on my tooth last Jan and another one is due in Jan 2009! Somewhere in the later part of 2008, I managed to fix one of the molars that have been sensitive for almost a year. What a relief now!

The family have a wonderful trip to visit my brother and sister families during the June school holiday; it was winter there. As Jason is much older now, we brought back to a few places like the Great Ocean Road to see the 7 Apostles and Philip Island, etc... He could not recalled these places that he visited when he was young so he really enjoyed it and appreciated what he saw.

It was quite an experience having the Kangaroos up clsoe to you especially the adult ones!

Scary..lah!

Australia's famous Koala and it is not a bear!

Also, catching up with his cousins now that he is much older and they can enjoy each other company; ie same wave length....

I also flew back to Penang to visit my parents 3 times this year and at the same time took my Dad for his medical follow-up on his colon cancer recovery. Glad to say that he is doing well and almost 2 years since he was operated to remove the cancerous cells. I told my elder sister that I would do it as she has been looking after my parents most of the time. I am glad that I kept my promise to her.

Jas and his grandfather in Penang home; on the way out for dinner at a nearby open air coffee shop; ie 'choo char'

I started to be more serious in my Internet Marketing business in March and April, and the traffic soared but still income was very small and trickling in. After my return from my Melbourne holidays, I picked up momentum again and the small income was a bit more regular. I am still continuing with it and I believe the opportunity and with a bit of luck, I will see better income in 2009.

I started to have lower back pain in Oct and sought medical advice. Did MRI on both my back and left knee ( you may have read my postings on this ) and taking the appropriate actions to alleviate the pain but no pain killers for me. I am using the Inversion Table for my back and a special OA Knee brace. So far, so good .....

This school holidays in Nov and Dec, Jason went to New Zealand ( Overseas Study trip ), Kuala Lumpur ( soccer friendly matches ) and Ipoh ( Leadership Seminar ) through his school programme. He has travelled enough so no family holiday trip but my wife & I went to Kuala Lumpur for a few days instead.

Lai Meng at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers in KL.

Well, time flies..............

So what are your New Year resolutions or wishes..?

I only have a few wishes in mind..... and there are .......

Good Health to all of us especially the older ones ( my wife and I included...ha..ha.... ).

Jason does well in his 'O' level exam. and get to the institution that he wants.

Taking my Internet Marketing business to the next level.

No resolutions that comes to my mind.

With that, I wish you all the best in 2009 and may your wishes come true....!

David

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year !

Hi,

Check out this amazing video on doggies putting up a Christmas Tree!

I should think of getting my Jack and Ruby to do it next year.....? Ha..ha...

Anyway, my family & I + our doggies wishing you all a
Merry Christmans and a Fabulous New Year in 2009.....!



If the video does not show,
please go to this address at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtPKbMwnRo

Holiday in Kuala Lumpur - Berjaya Times Square & KLCC

Hi,

We stayed at Berjaya Times Square Hotel where there are 2 towers and the first 10 storey is the shopping mall with a theme park inside ( with a roller coaster running a few floors! ). There is also a conference centre between the 2 towers.

The suite given to us is more like a service apartment with a small kitchen area and a separate lounge area; separate shower and WC areas.

Berjaya Times Square shopping mall is quite self contained with food outlets, cinemas, theme park, retail shops etc.....

Importantly, the monorail is right in front and we took it to KLCC to visit the Petronas Twin Tower. KLCC itself is another big shopping complex.

We found this restaurant offering Penang food like Prawn and Curry Mee and have lunch there. I used to frequent their branch in Mid-Valley when I was working on the Southern Bank project a few years ago.

Berjaya Times Square is located in the Jalan Bintang shopping triangle, where we have other shopping malls within walking distance. We visited Sungei Wang Plaza , Low Yat Plaza, Imbi Plaza and dined along Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor too.

My wife was quite successful in her shopping spree but not so much on clothes but shoes, hair accessories and even things like local coffee in their GIANT supermarket. We managed to find the underwear brand that Jason like ( the ones that we bought in Penang last Sep ),

I only shopped for IT stuff at Imbi and Low Yat Plazas where the accessories are much cheaper ( but do your homework first as they do sell fake stuff too ), much to my surprise. I bought things like ATA-USB cable to connect my external CD writer, USB extension cables to connect Jason's PC to the printer and scanner, and even Norton Internet Security 2009 ( I paid RM95 and it cost S$98 ). These plaza are equivalent to our Sim Lim Square.

Overall, we have quite an enjoyable time as I also got to meet my elder sister twice for dinner and also lunch with my cousin on our last day there.

Though it was the Malaysia Great Shopping sale period but we really did not feel the atmosphere of sale there.

My next trip to Malaysia is likely to be Penang for 'Cheng Beng' in Mar or Apr 2009.

Here is a slideshow of some photos taken of my stay in KL.

( Please click on the 'X' on the top right-hand corner of the screen if no photos are shown. )

Holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Coach Journey

Hi,

My wife and I decided to take a short break to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia while Jason was in Ipoh himself. Since Jason has travelled up to Malaysia by coaches twice this school holidays, we decided to experience it too as we always fly up to Penang.

Honestly, I was a bit excited as I have never taken such a coach and do not quite know what to expect especially the comfort area as I am a bit spoilt since I rather fly or cruise...ha..ha.....

So we went for a package that covers the coach trip and a hotel stay of 3 nights at Berjaya Time Square. Importantly, we wanted the coach to drop us off and pick us up at the hotel for convenience since we are not familiar with KL.

I like to share with you my coach journey and I will do more postings on the other aspect of my holiday in KL.

It was our second time going to Golden Mile Complex to catch the coach early in the morning. Though we were there 2 nights ago to see Jason off to Ipoh for his school leadership conference.

We were not very comfortable as it is a popular place frequent by the Thais and if you go inside the complex ( we went in for the toilets and to look for something last minute for Jas that evening ), you may think you are in Thailand as you see so many of the Thai people, their shops and music blaring at you due to the karoake or club there.

The travel offices are all on the front ground floor but there are no proper place for the passengers waiting for their coaches. So if you are too early or the coach is delayed, you will just have to stand outside along the passageway. Jas coach was delayed by an hour that evening.

Luckily, we were on time and there was already a queue at the check-in counter and no delay by the coach. We boarded our coach immediately and it left on time.

As it was called a SVIP 26 seater coach, we thought it should be reasonably comfortable. Well, this is entry level coach I think so do not be fool by the word, SVIP!

This was a double decker coach whereas the one taken by Jason was a single decker. The coach we took for our return trip was a single decker and slightly more comfortable.

One of my concern was that there was no safety belt on the seats! Also, no toilet in the coach too!

However, if you pay more ( not sure how much more ), there are 1st class coaches and you can get sofa-like single seat with a console and headset! There was a coach with a hostess too!

But your coach will still stop at the same places like Yong Peng where the food was not great so it is more of a toilet break and if you are hungry, then eat something like Malay chicken rice or fisball noodle but mainly Malay food.

The overall time from the boarding of the coach to disembarking at the destination was 5 hours but the return trip took 6 hours instead! This include rest stop and immigration checks along the way.

I bought a travel pillow to support my back as I have a bad lower back. Listening to MP3 music also helps. The scenery was not that appealing after some time but I rather travel in the day than at night as most of the accidents happened late at night!

So here is a slideshow of my coach journey and I will write a bit more on my stay in KL later.

(Pls click on the 'X' on the top right-hand corner of the slideshow if display is blank.)