Group photo with the birthday girl and the dogs. Note that the dogs were represented in all the photos. 
12.7.09
Ling's Birthday
Group photo with the birthday girl and the dogs. Note that the dogs were represented in all the photos. 
8.7.09
My green IKEA pillow
Feeling tired? 
Sleepy...
Sleeping...
Dana's green pillow follows her everywhere.
Dana looking really tired and ready for bed. 7.7.09
Love of books
I love books, and I love to buy books, if only to enjoy in the fraction of a second the pleasure of owning one.
I must thank my parents for this healthy indulgent of mine, of which my wife is equally indulgent of me nowadays, by bringing me regularly to bookshops when I was in primary school. I recall with some vividness our journeys to Bras Basah Complex where my brothers and I will spend a happy weekend-day visiting Popular and a small Chinese bookshop on the 1st floor (which is still operating today). I also recall my father driving us to a 2nd-hand book shop at Yishun New Town to indulge us in reading and buying the entire series of The Famous Five and many other Enid Blyton creations. For our generation then without internet and two TV channels, printed words were our only door to limitless imagination, which a young boy craves.
I must also thank my friends in primary school for nurturing my love of books by freely lending me books from their collection, a favour which I gladly returned.
In primary school, we had a small and not very well stocked library and visiting times to it and number of books that can be borrowed were controlled. I remember visiting the library in the mornings when I was in the afternoon session, hiding some of the better books so that I could borrow it the next time my allocated quota allowed me (this is wrong I know btw).
I also recall with much fondness book fairs in school. That was when I would spend some of my savings on interesting reads especially for offerings from the now defunct Bookworm Club. I would hang around the book fair for the entire morning or afternoon devouring the books I could not own but was determined to make an acquaintance with.
I must thank my parents for this healthy indulgent of mine, of which my wife is equally indulgent of me nowadays, by bringing me regularly to bookshops when I was in primary school. I recall with some vividness our journeys to Bras Basah Complex where my brothers and I will spend a happy weekend-day visiting Popular and a small Chinese bookshop on the 1st floor (which is still operating today). I also recall my father driving us to a 2nd-hand book shop at Yishun New Town to indulge us in reading and buying the entire series of The Famous Five and many other Enid Blyton creations. For our generation then without internet and two TV channels, printed words were our only door to limitless imagination, which a young boy craves.
I must also thank my friends in primary school for nurturing my love of books by freely lending me books from their collection, a favour which I gladly returned.
In primary school, we had a small and not very well stocked library and visiting times to it and number of books that can be borrowed were controlled. I remember visiting the library in the mornings when I was in the afternoon session, hiding some of the better books so that I could borrow it the next time my allocated quota allowed me (this is wrong I know btw).
I also recall with much fondness book fairs in school. That was when I would spend some of my savings on interesting reads especially for offerings from the now defunct Bookworm Club. I would hang around the book fair for the entire morning or afternoon devouring the books I could not own but was determined to make an acquaintance with.
2.7.09
Sharing my breakfast with ...
This was my breakfast...
See who came by and asked for a bite...
See who came by and asked for a bite...I shared my entire hash brown, from my McGriddles Meal, with my new friend Mr Peacock. He really loved it. Well, everybody likes deep fried food.
Let's take a closer look at this handsome fellow.
26.6.09
You just cannot change people
At the 1967 convocation dinner of the then University of Singapore, MM Lee (then PM) gave a speech to the new graduates.
I quote one interesting paragraph:
"But no single anecdote, I think, illustrates the problem more vividly than this. He recounted the fortunes of a great surgeon who occupies a position of great eminence in civilian life. He was fully aware of what he required by way of his diet. Yet he could not control his craving for cigarettes, and he bartered precious calories for cigarettes. He knew that he would die but he went on doing it. And he died. "
This is not only true of the many many smokers still out there today, but the rule applies to me as well. You see, I love fatty meat, pork lard and prawn heads, all the unhealthy stuff. I am probably going to suffer one day because of this, I try to control but nothing is going to keep me away.
So this is a mental thing, of the mind and rather complicated. I am not going to try to explain this but I think it applies to emotions as well, attachment to certain states of mind that no amount of persuasion nor logic will change.
Not that people will never change, because human beings do have the positive capacity to be influenced for the better. But this needs time, opportunity and possibly strategy. In the meantime, for me, just let things be.
[Post Note on 27 Jun 09: While playing badminton this afternoon, I think there are two qualifiers on my above post. First, that if people show the desire to learn or to change, we must help them, because they have given you a reason to. Second, reflecting on myself, the learning point is to always show to the people around you that you welcome their comments and criticisms, or lose the benefit of their counsel.]
I quote one interesting paragraph:
"But no single anecdote, I think, illustrates the problem more vividly than this. He recounted the fortunes of a great surgeon who occupies a position of great eminence in civilian life. He was fully aware of what he required by way of his diet. Yet he could not control his craving for cigarettes, and he bartered precious calories for cigarettes. He knew that he would die but he went on doing it. And he died. "
This is not only true of the many many smokers still out there today, but the rule applies to me as well. You see, I love fatty meat, pork lard and prawn heads, all the unhealthy stuff. I am probably going to suffer one day because of this, I try to control but nothing is going to keep me away.
So this is a mental thing, of the mind and rather complicated. I am not going to try to explain this but I think it applies to emotions as well, attachment to certain states of mind that no amount of persuasion nor logic will change.
Not that people will never change, because human beings do have the positive capacity to be influenced for the better. But this needs time, opportunity and possibly strategy. In the meantime, for me, just let things be.
[Post Note on 27 Jun 09: While playing badminton this afternoon, I think there are two qualifiers on my above post. First, that if people show the desire to learn or to change, we must help them, because they have given you a reason to. Second, reflecting on myself, the learning point is to always show to the people around you that you welcome their comments and criticisms, or lose the benefit of their counsel.]
21.6.09
父亲的新武器
父亲近来爱上了乒乓运动，每个星期五下班后都和同事狠狠地打上好几个小时。随着技术的进步和兴趣的提升，现在用的从中国买的‘双喜’牌拍有一点力不从心。朋友介绍了表现较佳的拍子，今天下午便和父亲到‘书城’的一间运动器材店选‘武器’。
我小学时也常打乒乓，用的是当年父亲买的双喜拍，想想在校园后的乒乓桌上我的拍子带给我许多快乐。今天，很高兴轮到我有机会买拍给父亲。父亲选了喜欢的板和胶，让店员把胶黏在板上，我们在一旁看着这一把新武器的诞生。 照片上的乒乓拍，漂亮吧！柄上还有精致的设计。
运动，特别是集体的，有以下的好处：
一，维持身体的健康。
二，通过运动，身体会制造钙，对防止像骨质疏松症的疾病有帮助。
三，促进人与人的沟通。人是群体的动物，我们都需要朋友，特别是年纪大时，可能比较难交新朋友，运动是交朋友的好桥梁。
20.6.09
18.6.09
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