+ Parents | Dad's Well

Father sipping tea at Bistro Delifrance at Causeway Point

Took leave off work today to accompany my Dad to SGH this morning for his 2nd follow-up checkup. It has been two months since his Colorectal Surgery to remove a tumor.

Was a tat late coming going over to my parent's place this morning, so was 8 minutes late from the appointment time of 9:05am. We registered at about 9:10am but the consultant was not in until our number 0918 was called 10 minutes before 10:00am.

The consultant Dr. Ooi, checked my dad's wound to heal nicely and statisfied with his progress. Good appetite, feels energetic and consistent bowel movements.All were good. Though not out of the woods totally yet, but he was given a good bill of health.

He checked my Dad's blood test result off of his PC, done last Saturday, 17 September '05 at Tampines Polyclinic.

The result was very good. The rating to indicate "bad" blood with tumor was 3.5 and above. My Dad's reading was only 1.7. A remarkable improvement from before the surgery that was above the bad limit.

His next appointment will be 3 months intervals instead of the monthly checks, that is to be on 15th December '05 at 9:20am.

A month early than anticipated before the intervals can be spaced out further apart from montly to three months then six monthly for a period of three years, since his blood is "clean" from cancer. Thank you Allah for this blessing.

Back to my parents' home to meet my Mom and gave her the good news. Dad looked proud of himself when I praised them of their efforts with the choices of food and eating habits.

While Mom stayed home, we went out to Causeway Point Shopping Mall. I wanted to have my hair cut and buy some groceries while Dad wanted to by the sugar free Equal for both of their uses as part of their diet.

After getting everything we needed and ready to go back, the rain poured heavily, I mean really heavily with gust of winds and all. We had no choice but to stay within the mall to wait out the rain.

We went to Bistro DeliFrance and sat down to have coffee. Dad had hot tea while I had Mocha. We talked a few about the upcoming family celebration.

My parents will be having their first ever wedding celebrations, after 53 years of marriage.

He told me that their wedding date was 9th February 1948. Yes, 53 and not 55 years of marriage as they remembered. He checked their marriage certifiate to double confirm since their grandchildren are getting a wedding cake to mark the anniversary years on it.

I just sat there and my heart said "Wow" in amazement. I hope to be as close and long-lasting as them too. I hope to have my child love us as much as we love my parents and more.

He is intending to get new dentures made, so he can now enjoy more variety of foods and Mom needs Cataracts operation done on her right eye since it is obviously looks more cloudy now. We have to set a date to do all these soon.

We left the Bistro when the rain stopped a while. He took the shuttle service 913 to Marsiling while I parted to take 168 back to Tampines Avenue 9. Good morning indeed.

+ Outings | Simply 12

Elgin Bridge 3 Street Lights overlooking Financal Centre

Like the title states, my wife and I celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary with a simplicity. Wow! Has it been that long?

Went to one of our favourite makan spots in Circular Road for a simple meal together, just the two of us. A Malay buffet style dishes. I had my favourite Nasi Goreng Kampong while she had Fried Kuay Teow.

Savoured our food amidst a calm surrounding and then headed for the Satchi's House where she picked her handbag.

She decided for a handbag to use daily for work at her kiosk at OUB Centre. Since she already has a Satchi's Business Document Tote bag, she matches her new handbag with it.

Turned out the Satchi's House was having a special offer that day, with a further reduction which made the buy really worth.

I decided to buy her another handbag of her choice. She delightedly chose a ladies backpack style, suitable for when we go on tours.

Had a walk along the river and just talked, snapped some photos with my Sony Ericsson S700i cell phone for memory. Nice day.

+ Faith | At Ease

Entrance to former workplace of 13 years

I have been working in Kallang Avenue for the past 13 years or so. The place has been like so familiar it like the back of my hand.

Every Friday, I would get time off to attend Friday Prayers at the Hajah Fatimah Mosque in Clifford Street.

With the revelation of reconsolidation of this sister company site with HQ, we had to move to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

I was not particularly involved with the shifting as at the same date of moving, I was attached to our Johore Plant to transfer and set-up one of our existing project there for the span of two weeks.

I went in and out of the causeway with the exception of the two nights that I stayed at Mutiara Hotel in JB as requested by our Customer to avoid the jam for the two critical days there.

Coming back, and going to work at a new location in Ang Mo Kio, seemed awkward. Nothing is familiar, not even the desk I had for the many years was anything soothing to me. I did not feel belong, not yet I thought.

Came the many issues at work rendered me lack of time to do anything else. My routine for Friday Prayers as was at Kallang was also disrupted.

The only time of the week that I can "escape" for an hour, away from the mental stress of work and seek solace through prayers.

I had to skip a few Fridays because of urgent reports to be submitted and Customers' visits to attend to, made me quite and incomplete. My service to the company, to family and to Allah, the last one is not fulfilled yet.

Finally, one Friday morning, with some divine intervention, I met a friend who for some reason kept calling me to accompany him for the Friday Prayers.

Though in different departments, never before in all those years working in the same company did we ever go for prayers together.

Now I know where the mosque in Ang Mo Kio is situated. Al Muttaqin Mosque is right next to Central Avenue 6.

We took service bus number 268 from work to right infront of the bus interchange. Along the way, we got the opportunity to catch-up with each other.

I feel at ease and complete. And now for the trials and tribulations of daily living.

+ Outings | Circular Road

Circular Road leading to Clarke Quay

Since I do not work on Saturdays, I helped out my wife with her pushcart at Raffles Place, outside OUB Centre yesterday.

Our son stayed home. He would rather play on his Xbox. The perils of online gaming to the family bonding... I think is more of nothing interesting about ladies' accessories as compared to Xbox new games that I bought him at the Comex Expo last month.

The place is almost like a ghost town on weekends since all the offices were closed. Sale was slow and kind of bad, but that known since the human traffic is few and far in between.

Opened at about 11:00am and stayed there until 1:30pm. In between I was so bored that I left her a few minutes to do some sightseeing, since I could not resist the Singapore River scenery.

Took a few pictures using my Sony Ericsson S700i phone. It was a sunny day, so the photos turned out quite well considering it is just a phone camera.

Placed the photos in my Photography - River Tranquility section. It cool and convenient what a phone can do these days.

Helped her close-up and went off to Circular Road. For the life of me, I did not know that there was a Muslim Food Stall there. It was called "Circular Road Corner Nasi Padang".

While admiring the old and the new buildings blending in a clean and kind of quite time yesterday afternoon was, I noticed an old pre-war house across the street with two gargoyles on top.

While looking I saw smoke lightly clouding my vision. I was coming from a burning charcoal for satay (a Malay version of fondue - beef or chicken meat marinated in species on skewers) barbecuing.

Noticed a Malay man sitting there at the coffee shop peeling potatoes while waiting for the fire to set. Only then I noticed the stall.

We both crossed over and to our delight the food stall had our favourite food. Nasi Goreng Kampong Style for me and Mee Soto for her.

I was thinking to myself - we have to explore Singapore more and open our eyes. There are so much to see and so many unassuming yet interesting places in some small corner, somewhere.

Sat outside near the roadside ala bistro, the afternoon sun was blocked by the buildings, making the area cool and breezy since it was so near to the river. A nice and tranquil place to be at that time.

I know that all the shops were preparing for the savvy, Saturday evening crowd since there are so many pubs and bars around this hip business district.

The food were great and cheap too. Had a relaxed time there. Would definitely be there again.

Circular Road in water-colour style

+ Outings | TomYam Paradise

East Point Shopping Mall photo courtesy of Albert Lim from ArchNet

Both my wife and I love Thai food. Tom Yam Seafood Soup or Noodle is our favourite to be precise.

We can only sample those that are Halal (food prepared in accordance to the Muslim requirements), so there definitely are places with even better tasting foods, but we have narrowed the best Tom Yam Noodles to three places across the island:

1. East Point Shopping Centre.

The Banquet Food Court on 5th floor called Prawn Noodle specialising different types of noodles with many types of soups.

We like to have our Maggie-like noodles or sometimes the Chinese calls it as "egg-noodle" served "dry" in a separate bowl from the Tom Yam Seafood soup.

The soup is not as spicy as we would hope to get, but the correct amount of sour and a thinge of lemongrass is heavenly.

Since the place is the nearest to our Tampines home, it is our most frequented "port" to satisfy our tastebuds for Tom Yam any day of the week. Even the stall assistants know us as regulars to their stall.

2. Raffles Hospital.

Also a Banquet Food Court on the ground floor of the private hospital. The foodcourt is facing the dry market wholesalers' near Rochor Centre and Bugis MRT station.

Here we have to spend at least half to one hour, to slowly savour a big bowl of Tom Yam Noodle Soup. The first thing you would notice is the big while bowl.

In it would be slices and slices of beaten pan-fried eggs, and thick slices of deep-fried Ikan Kurau that has a correct hint of saltiness.

The soup is clear but spicy enough with little chops of Chili Padi, and sour enough with slices of lemongrass and two cubes of tomatoes.

3. Marine Parade Hawker Centre.

Now this has the Thai Tom Yam Noodles Soup with a strong influence of Malay spiciness that is intense, that will burn your tongue and make you cry a little.

The stall is the first in the second inner row of food stalls. It is facing the cinema. You will immediately notice the hot and spicing reddish soup, with a long uncut lemongrass in the soup.