Finding February

As we inch closer towards the end of February, the question on everybody's mind is, what the hell is Russia doing???  War, is something that happened in history text books, it must not and should not have had to happen in our time.  How can this madness possibly unfold in our era??  I feel very sorry for the Ukranians and hope that something will happen somehow to stop this senseless invasion by the Russians.  Closer to home, the Myanmar crisis is also not showing any signs of improvement while further up north, missiles are still being fired into the sea on almost a weekly basis.  I can't help but think why are there still crazies in ruling positions in this world.  The world needs to find its sanity back.  What a concerning February this has been.

Feeling Nostalgic Looking at My Old House - Galaxy Note 9

Doozy December

A doozy December it has been.  1 month into probation at work, a short and much welcomed break and the year is ending.  My 2nd Dan certificate arrived early this month, I still can't decide whether to laminate or frame it, along with my 1st Dan certificate.  I also decided to get just a K10 jacket, to replace the one I'm using now.  As I mentioned before, I loved my new KC10 so much I couldn't bear to wear it just yet, I'm keeping it for grading and perhaps other things, but I won't be wearing that for regular training.  By the way, Tan Sensei also taught me the Shitoryu kata Seienchin.  I had always wanted to learn this kata ever since I saw Antonio Diaz & Rika Usami's performance.  Now I just have to slowly learn and master it.  I have also developed an interest in Suparimpei and slowly learning it.  At the same time, I'm practicing my Nijushiho, Meikyo and Sochin again.  I haven't done them in such a long time, my movements are not as fluid as they used to be, and I plan to use one of them for my 3rd Dan grading.

2nd Dan Gear - Galaxy Note 9

Novel November

November is "the" month of a novel new beginning for me.  After 8 years and 9 months of working for "K" Line Pte Ltd, I finally left the company - which I should probably have done 3 years ago.  But through the graces of the forces that may be, I had remained with "K" Line and rode through the worst period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the time to disembark from this lengthy voyage has finally come this month.  And yes, I paid my dues already with the various projects I delivered during the pandemic.  As I left this month, I have just completed an e-claims project for the company too.  I left many good ex-colleagues and collaborators who have generously contributed to my development in "K" Line while at the same time I excitedly look forward to the new journey that I will be undertaking with the new company.  

Going Up From Starbucks Guoco Tower One Last Time - Galaxy Note 9

Just July - Again

I've used "Just" last year.  Somehow I've ran out of vocabularies by now.  My bread baking spree continued into July with a renewed frenzy.  In all I baked 6 loaves over a span of 3 weeks.

Challah + Ovomaltime = 😋 - Galaxy Note 9

Messed Up May

The month of May started in a somewhat quiet suspense.  It was business as usual with 2 public holidays to look forward to.  However we were on our toes as the number of local Covid-19 transmissions were rising steadily and a series of tightening measures had been announced prior.  And finally on 13th May the government finally pulled the plug and announced "Phase 2 Heightened Alert" which will last till June 13.   Work from home is the default, no dining in and...  no karate.  Home based learning was immediately implemented from 19th May as the school clusters were growing.  Well...  All good hard work reversed in such a short time.  Messed up isn't it?  

Fiery Sunset in Hot Hot May - Galaxy Note 9

Frolic February

I risk sounding like a broken record here, but February is a month of celebrations.  I'm pretty sure I must have said that sometime back.  First, we had the Chinese New Year which came quite late this year on 12th February.  Unlike previous years, we couldn't travel back to Indonesia to celebrate with our families.  So this year it was just a quiet steamboat at home with my sister.  

1st Steamboat Dinner - Galaxy Note 9

Just a few days later we had another steamboat dinner at my home with the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik and her husband, as well as another bestie of both the lady boss and my wife.  2 steamboat dinners over a span of 3 days.

W Singapore - Sentosa Cove Escape - Part I

Just last week, we had a short staycay escape at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove.  It was a short 3 days 2 nights stay.  I wish I could have stayed longer really, unfortunately there are just too many things that still need my attention at work.  Nevertheless, it was a very welcome break, much needed too for me.  

Going Up to The Lobby - RX100 Mk3

The Cat Cafe Bugis Visit

On Sunday we visited The Cat Cafe in Bugis.  The pricing is $16 for 2 hours with a free soft drink per person.  That is quite reasonable actually, when compared to other cat cafes in Singapore. Linc & Lind were excited from the start, the thought of getting up close to furry felines, petting and playing with the furballs got them somewhat impatient throughout the morning.  After a quick breakfast in Bugis, we climbed up 3 storeys in an old shophouse outside Bugis Street.  

Here We Are - RX100 Mk3

Just July

As July comes to an end, the past 3 weeks have been crazy stressful at work.  The e-approval processes I have set up suddenly required urgent fixes because the send mail notification and the approval connectors were decommissioned (deprecated in Microsoft lingo).  The approval connector deprecation is especially hard to swallow, as I will need to re-design 6 of my flows - which I'm still figuring out...  At least, the other 43 are already OK...  I tried parallel branching, which brought down the nesting level to 9, just one over the maximum allowable 8.  I also looked at using Child Flows, but after careful consideration, I will end up with more flows to manage if I use this technique. Not forgetting to mention that this technique also requires premium subscription and a crash course on JSON, so...  nope, using child flow is also out.  The last technique I need to explore is variable initialization.  And I somehow must make this work.  Prior to this "breakdown" there were the usual office drama, politicking and reading between the lines which really, really drained me... man...  I really wish I could just jump ship.  

Along Alexandra Road - Galaxy Note 9

June Cycling Diary

I have been cycling once a week with the missus in the past 3 weeks.  So far we've been to Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by The Bay and Henderson Waves.  From Alexandra Canal Park which is right in front of our apartment, we could go all the way to East Coast Park if we'd like to.  It really is amazing how we can get to experience so many places with our bicycles.  

Stopping by Rodalink Commonwealth to Adjust My Bike's Saddle Post - Galaxy Note 9

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip 2020 - Day 4

Day 4, time to go back to Singapore.  We started with a simple breakfast at Mie Aloi which is just next door.  After the delightful breakfast, we returned to the hotel and the kids wanted a little swim.  So we obliged and let them have their splashy moment. 

The Kids Having Fun in The Pool - Galaxy Note 9

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 3

Day 3 - 春到大地.  No rain this morning and I started the day with a prayer at Vihara Satya Dharma with my father and Lincoln.  That was the first time Lincoln joined me and my father for new year's day prayers.   

Just Right For Spring - RX100 Mk3

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 2

Well, well....  Look and behold!  Dark clouds, grey skies and a pouring rain!!  And from our hotel room, we could see some parts of the streets submerged in water.  So it could flood after all! 

Heavy Rain in PIK - RX100 Mk3

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 1

We just came back from Jakarta for Chinese New Year on Sunday.  It was a rather quick 4 days and 3 nights trip.  The most important thing is, we got to see 婆婆 again.  We departed from Changi Airport's Terminal 2 this time.  

Just Some Greenery Near The Eating Area - RX100 Mk3

Dear December

A more cheerful month it has been.  I guess the short break to my hometown was very much needed after all.  And the lesser workload also helped to alleviate my mood.  The nice cold weather at the first half of the month made the year end a lot more tolerable too. 

To end off 2019, I went to Lian Shan Shuang Lin (连山双林) monastery earlier today with the kids.  I should have gone more, but this year I only managed 1 visit.  That's not good.  I should resolve to go more in 2020 I guess. It'll do me some good spiritually. 

Cheng Huang Miao (城隍庙) - RX100 Mk3

Surabaya Trip - Day 4

Day 4 of the trip!  Our tickets allowed us a second round entry into Taman Safari Prigen, so we asked the kids if they wanted another go and got a resounding "yes" from them.  But before that, we had to have our breakfast first, so we were back in the same restaurant where we had dinner on the previous night.

Breakfast in Baobab - Galaxy Note 9

Surabaya Trip - Day 3

Okay!  Day 3!  Things got exciting as we set off for Taman Safari Prigen with a night's stay at Baobab Safari Resort.  The kids were looking forward to it.  

Bye Bye Ibis Budget - Galaxy Note 9

Surabaya Trip - Day 2

On day 2, we started by visiting my mom first.  So my parents' house was the first stop of the day.  

Waiting For Mom to Get Ready - Galaxy A70

Surabaya Trip - Day 1

So December is finally here.  And I've just returned from a short trip to Surabaya.  The wifey and the kids are now in Purwokerto with my F&MIL.  I didn't join them as I've ran out of leave days this year.  This year we dropped by Surabaya first before setting off for Purwokerto as my B&SIL have just gotten their first child so we had to pay them a visit first.  I didn't want to lug along my A7R3 and the FE16-35 mm, instead I brought along a Samsung Galaxy A70 for the wide angle shots.  But naturally, sharpness and resolution must be sacrificed as expected.  I just didn't expect it to be so bad in this Galaxy A70...  I think next time I should just bring my FE 16-35 mm.

Anyway, the trip started in the wee hours of the morning when we left home at 5:30 am for Changi Airport.  We flew by Scoot and oh boy....  it was really crowded even so early in the morning.  We had to queue for counter assistance because the check-in machine couldn't cater to my maid who goes only by one name where they expect everyone to have a surname too.  Such annoyingly meaningless self-service machines....   After checking-in, we arrived at the boarding gates just in the nick of time.

There's Our Plane - Galaxy Note 9

Tanjung Pinang Trip 2019 - Part 1

Last week we just came back from a short family holiday in Tanjung Pinang, Bintan over a 4 day long weekend.  It's been 6 years since I last visited Tanjung Pinang and a first for Lindsay.  Our trip started from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal all the way in the East near Changi airport. 

The last time I came to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal was about 10 years ago as after I had moved to Batam, my journeys to Tanjung Pinang were mainly from Batam's Telaga Punggur.  And Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal certainly hadn't changed much.  The terminal was packed to the brim with holiday makers. 

Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal Common Area - RX100 Mk3

After checking in, we waited for about close to an hour before we could board the ferry.