Saturday, May 24, 2008

The Time is Now!

This month on May 11 we celebrated Mother's Day.On June 15, we look forward to Father's Day. As food for spiritual thoughts,I would like to quote a poem from Robert Paul Moreno which surmise our feelings as a mother and a father:

The time is Now!

If you are ever going to love me
Love me now while I can know
All the sweet and tender feelings
From which the true affection flows

Love me now while I am still living
do not wait until I am gone
And then have it chiselled
in marble
Sweet words on ice-cold stone

If you have tender thoughts of me
Why not whisper them to me?
Don't you know it would
make me happy?
and as glad as can be

If you wait until I am sleeping
Never to waken here again
There will be walls
of earth between us
And I won't hear you then

I won't need your kind words
When the grass grows over my face
I won't crave your love and kisses
In my last low resting place

So if you love me,even a little bit
Let me know while I'm living
so that i can treasure it!
unquote

To our two children,Shu and Jin, we thank you for the laughter and the good time we share. When things gone bad,you will surely have our comforts and shoulders to cry on.

Happy Mother's day and Father's day to all mothers and fathers!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Uniquely Singapore!

It had been a long time since I stepped into Singapore.There were of course interesting tourist destinations to choose from in Asia such as Bali in Indonesia, Siem Reap(Angkor Wat) in Cambodia or the Niah Caves in Sarawak, East Malaysia.But I chosed Singapore as I really wanted to compare its past and present.It was a long and interesting journey from Penang to Singapore as I decided to travel by bus so that I could also check on the various food-stalls operating along the North-South expressway.The pit-stops were plentiful, the journey eventful and the stalls that served the various varieties of food whether they be Malay, Chinese or even Indian dishes, all were very tasty though a bit expensive.Who cares if you are hungry,anything goes!

I arrived at Woodslands checkpoint around 1900 hrs after a heavy traffic jam from Senai,Johore.Earlier the Malaysian immigration officer was cheerful though overworked and I got my passport cleared within 10 minutes.We rushed towards the Singapore Immigration and Customs complex,there were three to four long lines of people from all over Asia.A group of young tourists from China looked puzzled at the forms to be filled and so were the Philippino and the Indian families behind me.Perhaps they did not understand english,where the crux of the problem was and they were unable to fill in the forms properly or that we tourists all have the look-a-like features of Mas Selamat, the militant fugitive who escaped from prison recently and that was why the Indian lady immigration officer checked all of us thoroughly including comparing my passport and my mycard! I managed to leave the complex only after 2135hrs after being barked at by a pregnant Malay lady immigration officer after my protest to another lady Indian immigration officer who later apologized.At the customs inspection area,I was roared at by the Chinese customs officer as I did not put my Malaysian coins in the X-ray machine!This is what I called 'uniquely Singapore' after getting battered by some ugly Singaporeans and what a good start for my latest impression of Singapore not to mentioned that my bus left us!By the way,aren't all tourists the guests of Singapore,therefore we should be welcomed with open arms?This perception was definitely further from the truth based on our truly unforgettable 'first impressions'!
Once in Singapore,things livened up.The supper at Holland village were superb though it was already 2330hrs.The crowd had fizzled out and most shops in the locality had since closed except for the bars and Mexican fast food chain.We managed to eat porridge at the Chinese restaurant next door.
The next day,we managed to take a bus to Singapore botanical garden.It was really beautiful with man-make lakes and waterfalls, but I still loved my Penang botanical garden for its natural surroundings and its floral and fauna.Next stop was Orchard road and just imagine,things changed completely except for the Tangs and Marriott landmarks that I could clearly remember!The Food Republic food-court ( on the same row as Takashimaya) here was huge and clean and I should say they served very good dry beef noodle and Hainanese chicken rice but not the char koay teow, hokkien mee or nasi kandar which we dearly love to eat in Penang.

At the Lau Par Sat food court, there were certainly much to choose from.Ikan Panggan at stall No.18 was delicious.If you liked Satay Itek(duck satay),you could get this delicacy at Rahim stall No3 and 4.Clarke Quay,another tourist attraction, was our next stop.It was really an enchanting evening to relax here but we also managed to rave with the extreme thrill seekers who rode those GX5 Extreme Swings at the complex.

The Vivo City,another tourist attraction and a great shopping destination was another experience one would not want to miss.If you are there the next time for lunch,rush to the Marche restaurant for an unforgettable food feast.For just SGD28.00 you could vet your appetitites on the various servings and drinks!Or what about a fine dining in a cable car to Sentosa Island/Mt Faber and back?

Anyway, the fabulous Singapore Sale is back with its unbelievably great deals,anyone game to have an unforgettable experience?