Struggling in Vain

Just now after lunch, I went to pay my bills.

In front of me, there was a middle aged uncle (maybe my dad’s age?) struggling with the SAM machine.

I know how such machines can be challenging for the older generation, so I will be especially patient when they are using, not wanting them to feel pressured.

I offered my help, but he was very hesitant and declined, even offered me to use the machine first.

I declined and asked him to continue using it after helping him with the first step.

He told me he was unfamiliar with the machine but insisted on doing it on his own… so I respected that and stood behind.

I then saw that he was paying some “bankruptcy” fees… that probably explained why he didn’t want any help with the machine even though he was unfamiliar with it.

I saw that he was progressing fine until he clicked on a button which led him back to the homepage again ( I think he was trying to pay another bill but pressed wrongly, all his earlier information lost so he may need to re-key all over again) . Not sure if he is able to continue again from there without any help… sigh…

I didn’t want to impose or insist on helping as he might feel irritated so I left and went to the mall to use another machine so that I will be in time to catch the bus back.

 

Are we like this at times, declining help even though we are struggling because of perceived shame when the one who offered help would not even judge you. That person just want you to be able to complete your task successfully.

NEX Please...

Last Saturday, on a whim we decided to travel down to NEX for dinner. Thanks to Circle Line, we were able to reach the place seamlessly in less than 30 mins.

NEX is a gigantic mall, possibly housing every kind of food craving one would have at any one point. Hence, it was really crowded on a weekend dinnertime.

Wifey felt like having “kok kok keh” hehe… chicken… so when we passed by Chicken Pot and liked what we saw and smell, we decided to go in and try.

They were having couple set dinner promotion. It costs $33.80 (iirc) and came with the Chicken Pot and the scandalous Spicy Prawn Hot pot and 2 drinks.

We enjoyed the meal, especially since it was a rather cool day so anything hot and a wee spicy will do very nicely. We also added a plate of oyster mushroom and instant noodle to add into the tom yum soup base of the prawn pot. It is always nice to try new things with wifey.

After dinner, we shopped around and wifey got her “ball ball” earrings which she has been wanting to get for quite some time.

Even though we are very full, wifey was determined to eat her favourite MSW durian ice cream and she usually got what she wanted…

Before heading home, we bought 2 buns (banana cake) from Barcook Bakery for Sunday’s breakfast. It is quite nice. Will try their chocolate banana next time when it is available.

On Sunday, sermon was delivered by Ps Brad Lomenick on Leadership. He talks about Leading like Jesus and the 4 main points were

1. Lead Humbly and Courageously (Matt23:11-12, James4:6)
   
   
   Humble means it’s not about you. Courage means facing yours fears head on and pursuing what scares you.
   
   
   Wash the feet of the others but be prepared to stand firm on what you believe in. (BoB Goff story on his meeting with the witch docs)
   
   
   
   


2. Lead Big with Vision and Love for Your People (Matt4:18-22)
   
   
   Big inspiring vision, yet deeply focused on people around you. Lead with compassion and grace for those around you.
   
   
   
   


3. Lead with Standard of Excellence (Matt5:16)
   
   
   A standard that scares the daylight of you.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Lead with a Clear Personal Mission (Matt25:23)
   
   
   Calling is where one’s greatest strength intersects his/her deepest passion.
   
   
   Faithfulness to where you have been placed is a big part of this equation.

After service, we went to Lavender for Porn’s Thai food lunch (where we had Tom Yum soup. Again.) wifey collected her facial products from Liyin.

After lunch, we went home and did some laundry and change the sheets. Dinner was at 164 where we ordered 3 Cup Chicken and a plate of potato leaves and slowly wind down the weekend.

The Oven Debuts

Last Friday, wifey has craving for Japanese food. So after work, we went over to ARC to have dinner at Ichiban-Boshi.

We haven’t been daring enough to eat sashimi since the raw fish scare as reported a couple of months back so this time round, we tentatively ordered a plate of grilled salmon. (hoping it will be cooked enough to eliminate any bacteria present)

However, when the plate arrived, the salmon was still rather raw. We ate it anyway.

In addition, we ordered 2 mini cold soba, a plate of smoked duck on special rice sushi and some interesting toppings containing carrots and don’t know what (new item, nice) and shared a set of spicy beef set which comes with chawanmushi and a hot plate of cheesy egg-y squid .

After dinner, we walked a bit more as there was a sports/cosmetics/shoes sale at the concourse. We also went to NTUC to get some milk and went home after that.

On Saturday, we woke up early to bring dad to his charity dinner at Devonshire. We reached Bukit Merah earlier as mom want to get us vegetarian bee hoon. It was nice as the vegetables wifey chose were piping hot and fresh.

After that, we took a cab down, settle dad on his table and went shopping at OG. Mom bought some shirts for dad and then we had our lunch at Cuppage. Initially we wanted to have Yong Tau Foo but it was closed, so we settled for duck noodles beside it. Not that good, the service and quality here.

We then went back to pick up dad. It took quite long as there was a bottleneck at the exit due to many wheelchairs that needed to be helped down the steps. After exiting, we failed to hail a cab so we pushed dad back to OG to get the fan to replace the spoilt one at their house.

After that, I pushed dad and wifey and mom heaved and ho the bulky and heavy fan to 313 taxi stand to go home. Phew…. Expanded quite a bit of strength but thankfully the weather is still quite ok. Once home, I assembled the fan and we left after resting awhile.

I went for my football game and wifey rested at home and I got dinner back (fish slice bee hoon soup for wifey and basil chicken rice for me) from the market after my game.

On Sunday, we decided to try our newly bought oven for the very first time. So we went to NTUC after service to get some salmon, mushrooms, broccoli, herbs and olive oil to cook for dinner.

We also bought a box of grape which taste like gummy bear. Wifey loves it.

Went home, put the clothes to laundry and after that we prepared our dinner.

Food turned out rather well and we had a nice simple meal to wind down a tiring weekend.  

My Mentors

Last evening, I met up with Danny at Ootoya at Clementi Mall.

It has been quite some time since we catch up and quite a fair bit of changes has happened since then.

We updated each other on each other’s life, plans, concerns etc.. it was, I feel, a rather relaxing and refreshing time although things have not been going swimmingly well for us.

With the upcoming changes happening in terms of ministry, I am not sure how many more times will we meet.

Thus, I am all the more appreciative of and treasure the time talking to him.

 

Danny is my third “mentor/shepherd” in Hope. After August and Des. All of them are great man and have their own unique strength and personality which I can learn a lot from.

For August, it will be his wicked wit and humour and strength in the Word. Very authentic and simple man with really deep content within him.  

As for Desmond. He is another very witty guy. Non conformist but caring and humble.

For Danny. I suppose he is the one whom I spent most time in the trench with, in terms of DMM, planning, executing the various programmes for the group. He has walked with me during my very difficult times in his own simple ways (like buying dinner over to my place to eat and chat together etc) and for that, I am truly grateful.

I can see that despite his many internal challenges and struggles, he ultimately wants to grow together, serve alongside each other, be authentic, honest and honour God with whatever decisions and actions that he took.

And because of that, Danny has my complete trust (as in, I am comfortable to tell him my struggles, fears and challenges without fearing I will be judged).

I thank God for Danny and all the different mentors that God has placed in my life. They are mighty important in my walk with Him.

Night Out at Harry's and a Simple Sunday Dinner

Last Saturday afternoon, wifey and I went down to Suntec City because she had signed up to attend the workshop “Up-cycle your Denim” organised by PA at the Public Service Day Event.

There, she learnt how to sew a holder using the materials provided to her.

It was rather tedious as the cloth is quite thick and she did well to complete her “project”. ( http://the-first-garden.blogspot.sg/2012/03/celebrating-talent.html) Well done, dear.

After the workshop which took about an hour, we left the place in search of dinner. Along the way, wifey saw a polka dot dress which she liked and so we got it. Just nice for her upcoming company’s Dinner and Dance  in November which is Retro theme.

We decided to get out of Suntec because it was getting too cold inside for me and we do not know what to eat there, so we decided to walk towards Chijmes and have our dinner at Harry’s Bar while waiting for the soccer game to begin.

It was Jurgen Klopp’s debut as our new manager, so I was very interested to see what kind of performance the team will put out. Initially I was worried that the menu will be very limited there as wifey doesn’t realy like fried western food and it was a bar after all, however my worries were rather unfounded as they do have quite a comprehensive selection of food.

So we chose a nice seat, just by the entrance which is not so warm and ordered our food.

We ordered Mushroom pizza with truffle oil (excellent) - $22

Chicken Wings (super) - $13

Harry’s signature burger (average) - $19

And a glass of orange juice (nice) - $5

The portion was huge and we over ordered… but not a problem as we packed the leftover pizza for our lunch the next day.

The match ended 0-0 but I enjoyed it greatly. The atmosphere was very good at Harry’s and I had wifey beside me, really blessed.

On Sunday, we went home after service to finish up our pizza and then prepared the food for dinner. I have gotten a black chicken from the market on Saturday intending to boil it with the herbs bought from ZTP last week.

I went to NYUC to get a packet of veges and some groceries while wifey stayed home to boil the soup and prepare the garlic…

Our soup that night was a tad diluted. Probably too much water for the amount of ingredients and herbs we had but its fine, we will fine tune it and learn from mistake the next time round.

Vege (Nai Bai) was good and we managed to finish all the rice that evening.

After cleaning up, we had our rest. Tired and fully satisfied of the time we spent together over the weekend, doing the things each other enjoy.

Late Friday Night Dinner at Kok Sen

Last Friday evening, wifey felt like having prawn noodles for dinner.

So after our bath, we decided to try Kok Sen at Keong Saik Street. It has been a while since we go out for a late dinner.

We do not know the exact location of the famous eatery but I reckon it should not be too difficult to find because the street is only that small.

So we left the house about 7+ and took a bus down.

 

I have always wanted to try Kok Sen ever since I read about it in “ieatishootipost” a couple of months back but was put off by the thought of having to wait a long time for a table or food to arrive as described by those who have been there before.

This time though, since its late already I was hoping the crowd will be lesser and we are not THAT hungry, so can afford to wait a bit.

 

We reached Keong Saik and found the coffeeshop in about 5 mins, just by the main road.

It was still rather crowded but we managed to get seated immediately. When we ordered, their famous Yong Tau Foo and bittergourd with pork ribs were sold out, so we ordered the Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup ($16)

big prawn Hor Fun ($16)

and a plate of fermented beancurd lettuce ($9).

We nearly forgo our orders because we thought the staff who took down our dishes did not do so. It was quite disorganised as there were lots of customers.

 Portion was quite alright and taste of the food were robust as reviewed. Wifey likes the bee hoon soup as it was spicy and flavourful… however the more we eat , the more we found the food very salty.

Maybe next time when we try again, we will order “lighter” food like the tofu and pork ribs that the uncle and auntie opposite us ordered. But I still hoped to try their famous claypot YTF.

*by the way the banana tree café that we wanted to try is just 2 units away ;o) . Next time!

 

  

hAzY DaY

Yesterday was Hari Raya Haji, a public holiday, we had an early celebration for G&G’s 8^th Birthday.

We went to Dragon Phoenix at Temasek Club for Dim Sum (for a change, instead of the usual Yan Palace)

It was the last few days of their operation before relocation, hence we virtually had the whole restaurant to ourselves.

 

Haze was very bad outside PSI is about 300, so after brunch we headed home immediately to be insulated against the outside air.

Wifey retreated into the study room to print some pictures for our Krabi journal but our printer was not working too well so spent quite some time trying to fix that. We didn’t manage to solve the problem completely though it improved a little.

TV was showing Dolphin Tale which was quite a nice show about Winter, a “disabled” dolphin with part of her tail amputated rehabilitating and giving hope to many people around her.

Oh I almost forgot, in the morning, I also watched Dumb and Dumber.... nothing like a good' ol 90's comedy to start off the holiday.... ;o)

 

 

Blokus Night !

Last night, wifey and I played a game of Blokus before we sleep.

We have borrowed it from Mick for awhile.

As we took 2 colours each, the game took us about an hour and whatever energy we have left.

Even though tiring, we had good fun. Better than watching TV I suppose…

For the record, I lost to wifey by a single point 46 to 45.

 

Mid - Autumn is Coming...

Last Friday evening, wifey mentioned that she felt like looking at lanterns and to soak in the mid autumn festival atmosphere.

So on Saturday, after visiting the dentist in the morning and doing some household chores at noon, we went over to Chinatown for a walk.

Before that we randomly alighted at Membina and had dinner at the coffeeshop. Initially wanted to eat the tze char but Wifey decided to try Collin’s (half roast chicken) instead. and she loves it!

Those cric cros fries are really good and the pepper herb chicken is also delish. ;o)

It is quite enjoyable looking at those different lantern designs (both modern and traditional). What I appreciate most, though, was the simple blessing of holding wifey’s hand as we stroll along the streets.

Folk's 42nd Wedding Anniversary

Thank God that we had some respite after a few days of really bad haze so last evening wifey and I went out to have our dinner at Blk 164 ZiRan.

We had ladysfingers and Prawn Paste chicken

Yesterday was also folks’ 42^nd Wedding Anniversary.

So after dinner, we took a bus down to Anchor Point to get a cake for them.

It is a blessing to celebrate this milestone together as a family.

A Little Gift for Wifey

Yesterday I bought 2 Funko Pop figurines during lunch.

I noticed wifey looking for the snow white one a couple of times while shopping so I decided to get one for her.

This version of snow white is one of wifey’s favourite character, I am glad she likes it.  

Because the shop is offering a 10% discount for a purchase of 2, I got a “Young Frank Walker” from Tomorrowland too, without knowing who is he.

I just find that it looks cute and it is brown in colour, rather vintage with a helmet and jet pack.

Both figurines look great on the new Expedit Shelf… oh did I mention, we finally got it after soooo long. ;o)  Throwback: http://the-first-garden.blogspot.sg/2012/12/this-year-folks-once-again-us-for.html

 

First outing for B.O.B!

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaves (CBTL) Serves good breakfast!

That was our conclusion after having their breakfast set last Saturday!

It has been awhile since wifey and I had a leisurely breakfast on a weekend so we took the opportunity to have one after changing our SG50 commemorative notes at UOB Vivocity.

It cost about $12 plus per set (including a coffee) and it was value for money (only GST, no service charge;o).

The set includes sausages, salad, scrambled egg, Panini , mushroom and bacon.     

 

 

After breakfast we window shopped a bit (actually we shopped for quite long … about 4 hours… haha) there before heading home. I went for my soccer at Tiong Bahru Park and wifey did some chores at home.

I was supposed to get dinner back after my game but because of the GE rally happening nearby market was really crowded. Ended up with late dinner around 9pm.

Sunday morning, we brought Dad and Mom for his Birthday brunch (Tim Sum at Yan Palace) we were early, so brought him to China Square for awhile to look at the flea market. There were some antiques there which appealed to him.

It has been quite a long  time since we have been there. As it was still early, most of the stalls were still closed. Bought wifey her must-have latte at Spinelli ($5 for a rather small cup) before heading back to Yan Palace for our brunch.

After the meal, mom wanted to get some stuffs at CK so we went over. After that, we took a bus back. Driver wasn’t very friendly this time round.

 

8 Korean BBQ

I have always wanted to try 8 Korean BBQ. I have read good reviews from diners who patronized and was pretty convinced that food is quality.

So when Groupon had a promotion, I snapped up a $100 voucher for $59.80 yesterday. Pretty good deal I think.

Since mom wasn’t cooking dinner, wifey and I decided to use the voucher on the same evening.

As I was told that reservation wasn’t available at 7pm and 730pm, wifey went up to queue first when she reached earlier. Thank God she managed to get a seat quickly and we can order immediately when I arrived.

 

We ordered a 4 colour set ($58) consisting of 4 slabs of fatty pork in miso, wine, herb and garlic flavour. Truth be told, we were unable to tell the difference when we started eating. Hehe…

 

The set also comes with a free stew and we chose kimchi beef

In addition, we ordered a grilled squid ($18) and a cup of grape and orange drink.

*there was also free flow of appetizers, mainly kimchi, beansprouts and preserved radish etc…

 

Both wifey and I have a soft spot for squid and it was deliciously done , especially when you dipped it in the special sauce.

The pork was good, as expected and the stew was nice also.

Total cost was about $98++ . Just nice for the voucher.

It is always nice trying out new  dining places with wifey (we haven’t done that for quite some time now) .



A Movie, Fathers' Day, Birthday Treat

Last Saturday was supposed to be our 3^rd RC brisk walk, this time to Kent Ridge Park. However, it rained (heavily) at exactly the time we were supposed to move off. In the end, the walk was called off and we went back to our cozy little house to watch some TV, eat the free bun and go back to bed….

Woke up awhile later and prepared brunch. Using whatever is available (thank God our grocery was delivered on Friday evening) I whipped up a decent fare of crabstick with fried eggs on bread and also heat up the pre packed tangy tomato basil soup from The Soup Spoon. Good enough to fill up both our stomachs. I am always happy to come up with something out of nowhere.

We then washed up and went over to fetch dad out to his belated Fathers’ Day Jurassic World movie treat at VivoCity. It will the first time we bring dad for a movie outing since he uses the wheelchair. Thank God we managed to get a cab easily and  the driver was a rather nice guy too. I noticed he stopped the meter earlier while stuck in a small jam to alight us at the Vivo taxi stand. It was a small gesture but things like that, I do appreciate, considering there are some drivers who seems intent on making things more difficult than it already is for the less abled and their family members.

After alighting, I went down to the MRT to try and top up dad’s EZ link card with the SG50 credit but was asked to do it at the Harbourfront bus stop as that is where the old school machine is located, since it was quite a distance away, I decided not to do it and went back up to link up with wifey and dad. We took the lift up to the ticket office and another lift up the 3^rd floor where the cinemas were located and waited there for Cuiqin to arrive.

Meanwhile, I went over to Soup Restaurant to make dinner reservation. I also went to St. Marc to get 2 chocopuffs and a cuppa for wifey, in case she get her hunger pangs. We finished up the food and went into the cinema. Dad was exclaiming that the cinema looked so different now. Smaller. He eyes were looking up to see if there are circus seats upstairs which of course there are none. I told him that cinemas are built smaller now but there are more of it so that they can show different movies at the same time. He seems to like that place.    

Soon Cuiqin arrived and the movie started. Jurassic World is a rather spectacular blockbuster. The storyline was simple but the graphics were awesome. We all enjoyed the movie, which was surprisingly quite short. (less than 2 hours?)

After the movie, we made our way to Soup Restaurant. There was already a long queue formed outside and looking at the time, we were a whopping one hour earlier than our reserved timeslot. We were expecting being asked to wait with growling stomach  BUT thank God again, we were being whisked inside immediately and was given a nice table overlooking Sentosa. (which reminds me so much of Jurassic World). We ordered their signature dishes Samsui Chicken, Soup of the Day(Shark Fin Melon), Fried fish belly and also Potato leaves with salted fish and claypot tofu. It was really a nice dinner with great company. Thank God for Cuiqin who always insist on giving wifey and I a birthday treat to bless us every year, faithfully.

Sheep and Shepherd

 

As a bonus, we even get to watch the fireworks show at about 8pm from USS.. haha.



To end off a nice day, wifey got a pretty dress from Factorie while I brought dad for a stroll at the open air promenade and we then took a bus to send dad back. Met another good driver whose attempt to park his bus precisely so that dad’s wheelchair can be pushed down properly brought another heartwarming smile to our spirit. 
 

Standing on a Piece of History

There’s something nostalgic about railway station… especially one that has already ceased operation.

So when it was announced that Tanjong Pagar Railway Station will be opened to visitors on Good Friday public holiday we decided pay a visit.

Took some photos… those colonial style artefacts, peeling brown walls , copper tracks and abandoned stall façade makes for a quaint and really vintage backdrop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank God, weather was quite alright on that day (as compared to the next couple of

days)... headed to Chinatown market to have our Tzi-Char dinner before going home to rest .