Marina Barrage with parents and Dana

We thought it was a good opportunity to visit Marina Barrage yesterday as the weather was not so hot in the evening. The bad news was many thought the same way too. The good news for PUB is that the Barrage has turned into an attraction for Singapore. The carpark was packed to the brim and the barrage itself was crowded, so was the 7th Storey restaurant which is now operating from the Barrage.

A good view of the Flyer from the barrage.

Walking up the very thoughtfully designed ramp with Dana.

Sun was setting in the background.

It was really enjoyable sitting on the grass patch, watching the sun set and enjoying the breeze. Too bad about the second hand smoke that drifted over from somewhere.

Dusk.

Night.

Visit to Marina Barrage with Bro and Sis-in-law

Marina Barrage is Singapore's latest attraction. Situated at the mouth of Marina Bay (near the former Marina South steamboat dinner stalls), it serves the purposes of flood alleviation, reservoir and creates a stable water body for recreational activities.

There are no fences so visitors can visit any time of the day. And surprisingly, I enjoyed the visit!

Mad over fruit juices

It was just an innocuous visit to the wheatgrass farm at Kranji countryside. But the offer was too good to refuse, especially for an impulsive buyer as I am. A manual masticating juicer at $39 down from its original price of $49, and comes with two packets of wheatgrass free.

But the tactic is successful not unlike printers being sold cheap but the regular change of the ink cartridges can kill you; same for razors - I have seen the Gillette Mach 5 turbo razor which I am using having promotions month in and month out but the razor blades never discounted.

I digress. Back to the juicing.

One packet of wheatgrass retails for $2.50 at NTUC, and my wife and I go through one pack every 1.5 days. We do not drink the wheatgrass straight, too much of a grassy taste for us.

Instead, I use the juicer for all kinds of vegetables and fruits including celery, green apple, red apple, star fruit, carrot, grapefruit, lemon and lime.

My mum's favourite combination is currently red apples with celery and carrot. BTW, celery is good for people with higher blood pressure.

CNY 2009: Lo-hei

母亲变“白蛇”！

母亲的退休后的改造再一突破，饰演白蛇！

Wushu Vs Muay Thai

Went for my wushu class after a one month break (due to Xmas and New Year all falling on Thurs) and asked my coach whether he watched Ip Man. As I also mentioned another solid kungfu film coming up which is Ong Bak, he shared his thoughts.

First, he said he understands that Tony Jaa is touted as a one in a 100 year talent. I believe so after having watched Ong Bak. I recall as part of the publicity effort, at a press conference, Tony Jaa took a few steps, jumped and walked on top of a few men's heads. The elevation he had was astounding!

Second, Thai boxing or muay thai is deadly primarily because of the frequent use of the elbow. He said during san da (or free fighting) competitions, he is most worried about muay thai and not other forms of martial arts.

Third, another major difference is that unlike Chinese wushu which not only teaches the physical fighting, there is also emphasis on the 'inner strength' part like Qigong and Taiji Quan, muay thai only has the physical part.

He also shared that Donnie Yen, in preparation for his Ip Man role, learnt intensively Wing Chun style fighting for a few months before he was ready for the shoot. Very professional!

Reflections on Ip Man

There is a clear graduation of force in the various fight scenes which illustrates the Confucius element in Chinese wushu which Ip Man pondered upon when he was imprisioned whilst waiting for his imminent fight with the Japanese army general.

1st fight scene: with Master Liew
Ip Man was very respectful and dian dao wei zhi. He was even a little playful, raining light punches on Master Liew even though he could have used his advantage to inflict more serious injury.

2nd fight scene: with Northerner
Although Ip Man wanted to teach the Northerner a lesson, he was still patient and respectful and asked the police to clear the room so as not to make the Northerner lose face. The way Ip man used a feather duster to whack the Northerner's buttocks, it was almost like a teacher teaching a student.

Contrast this to the later fight again with the Northerner, where Ip Man was more vicious. But Ip Man still reined in his blows because the Northerner and his cronies were still Chinese.

3rd fight scene: with 10 Japanese martial arts students
No holds barred after seeing how Master Liew was killed. Ip Man was clinical and attacked the vital organs and the face and eyes. However, one can still observe the pain in his eyes that he has to injure so many people.

Final fight scene: with Japanese General
Out to kill. Even when the General was defeated and slumped against the corner of the ring, Ip Man continued to beat the living daylights out of him. But as a hark to the Confucius mentality, he held back his last thrust to the General's throat.

Wonderful show.

Watching "Ip Man" (叶问)

Except for Ben and Ling who had already watched the movie, the rest of us went to FilmGarde at Kallang Leisure Park to watch the movie Ip Man, which is based loosely on the Wing Chun master, who incidentally taught Bruce Lee for a period of time.

There was a life-sized poster of the movie and we did our best to look the part...

Notice the frown now...

The poster for the movie 'Bedtime Stories' was also well made and colourful.

Of course, mum could not resist taking a few more solo photos! But I am only showing one..haha.

The movie was very enjoyable particularly for me as the fighting scenes were well choreographed and the Wing Chun style was authentically followed. Admittedly, the storyline was a little overboard on the Chinese pride but really, the storyline was secondary to the wushu.

Note: Dana showered today.

This is for my record, so I can keep track of the interval when Dana takes her shower, which is not very often. haha

But anyway, dogs are not supposed to shower too often, reason being they do not sweat through their skin like humans do. In fact, frequent showers can do more harm than good.

Photos: 2009 New Year's Day gathering

Ham (more saltish and hence tastier than the Xmas one) from uncle Kong, Singapore Curry Chicken cooked by Aunt Sherry from 6.20am, carrot cake and achar from Aunt keong and salad from me.

Mum and dad belting out a song together. Definitely needs more practice!

Ben and Ling singing a duet.

Aunts enjoying the jacuzzi.

Uncle Keong having fun.