what a month it has been...

august 2016 has been a roller coaster month for singapore so far...  and this is totally unusual and unexpected. you see, singaporeans celebrate the annual national day in the month of august and usually, there will be lots of activities and events lined up. the month usually culminate with the prime minister giving his national day rally where he would use the occasion to share with the country his plans for the immediate future. the mood theoughout august, thus, were always cheery and celebratory. but this year, it was different.

this year, august started with the gloomy possibility of former president s r nathan's passing. he was warded into the icu on 31 july. and it was amidst this bad news that we commemorated the nation's 51st national day. well, of course, everyone was in a celebratory mood and this mood was given a further boost when schooling won an olympic gold - a first for the country. then came the lows... during the national day rally, the prime minister fell ill halfway through the rally and had to be helped off stage. it got everyone worried and anxious. the scene reminded everyone of the finance minister's brush with death when he suffered a stroke 3 months back. it would be disastrous if prime minister suffered the same. thankfully, he returned after almost an hour of rest. nothing much to worry about, its just heat exhaustion, overworked... whew! and just when everyone thought it was back to normal, former president s r nathan passed away. and the nation went into mourning. the state funeral will be held this friday. sighs... 

such a roller coaster month for the country.

2 more days mc

went back to work today after 2 days of mc and... i am back home with 2 more days of mc! 

you see, i went back in office this morning and for some reasons, my throat felt superbly ticklish. as a result, i coughed really bad, so much so that i sounded like i had an asthma attack - yup, the high shrilling sound that most asthmatic show when they get asthma attacks (for the record, i had a history of asthma, but have never had any attacks). my colleague was concerned and asked that i head home to rest. the cough didn't subside and by 10.15am, i started feeling rather uncomfortable. it was then that i decided to head to the clinic again. after the consultation, i was given a bagful of medication and another 2 days of mc to rest. 

i did observe one interesting thing - these days, doctors do ask if you want mc. i mean, how do i even respond right? this morning, the doctor asked me: so, are you working today? do you need to rest? errrr... i didn't know how to respond and for the moment, just looked at her blankly. my response after that was "erm... i work upstairs actually. and errr... what do you suggest?" i simply threw the ball back into her court. without thinking, she replied, "ok, i think you better take 2 days rest. drink at least 2 litres of water a day, and if your fever comes back and your phlegm turns reddish brown, you have to return again..." i didn't say anything further other than to thank her and left the clinic.

this is my first - 2 consecutive mc that comprised 2 days each. maybe its an age thing, i take longer to recover these days. whatever the case, its a good time to rest.

:-)

black shit...

this post will sound gross to some. and if you are irked by the topic of shit, don't read...

one of the things i learned after looking after my elderly mum was that i should always look at the colour and consistency of her shit after she clears her bowels. these could be tell tale signs of any internal issues or the need to adjust diet. for example, black excreta meant possible bleeding in the alimentary canal and that could be a major cause of concern... and over time, i also started to observe my own shit...

and today, i felt a very bad tummy ache all of a sudden and had to rush to the toilet. and before i could take my position comfortably, everything just shot out. thankfully, it wasn't messy as i was almost in position. whew... but when i looked at the shit, i got worried. it was as black as black could be. and for that split moment, i got really worried. did i have some internal bleeding or... and then i remembered, i had a whole box of blueberries the night before...

whew! what a relief!

hahah...

old uncle @ petrol kiosk

was on mc and went out to get lunch.

along the way, i decided to drop by the petrol kiosk to top up my petrol. i was in the queue to pay up and there was this cheerful 70-plus year old uncle cashier. he shouted out "thank you young man!" after the person in front of me paid up. this man looked in his early-40s. and for me, after i paid up, uncle shouted "thank you brother"!

wtf!

hahahaha...

on 2 days mc

i am on two days mc. started with a bad cough on friday that refused to go away and yesterday, came down with fever and sore throat. this morning, i woke up to block nose, then runny nose...

well, it's time to rest.

lantau peak - the descend

i was at the peak when it started raining. the droplets that fell felt different from the earlier rain. it was much bigger, and the force by which each drop fell felt stronger.  the few americans who were resting there hurried into the shelter. as for me, i decided to make my descend as it didn't feel like the rain was gonna stop anytime soon. i also did not feel comfortable squeezing into the small space with them. as i made my way down, it hit me that my journey would not be any less challenging than my ascend, albeit in a slightly different context. first, it was the rain, or rather, the thunderstorm. it poured cats and dogs and worsened the visibility that was already bad due to the fog. as a result of the downpour, much of the run-off flowed down the steps. and each step was very high (and steep), and as my thigh muscles had stiffened after the rest, it become quite a challenge to actually descend, step-by-step.

things were extra challenging because (1) my muscles had stiffened, (2) i was wearing walking shoes (not trekking shoes) which, by that time, had been totally soaked, (3) the downpour resulted in rainwater gushing down and turning the steps into a small rushing stream, (4) the visibility was poor, and worst of all (5), the steps were narrow, no more than 2-3 feet (about a meter) wide. a combination of all the points meant that the chance of slipping was great, and a fall would mean tumbling down the never-ending steps or if i fell out of the steps, a possible fall down the cliff. all these meant only one thing - fall = death, if not, at least a big time injury.

it was at this time that i started to ponder how the hell i got myself into this awkward and difficult position. i didn't and hadn't prepared myself mentally for this. i kept reminding myself i had to be focused, to be mindful and not allow my mind to wonder. it was one deliberate step at a time as i slowly made my way down. and as it was pouring, i was totally drenched and i started to shiver and the slowness in the descend did not help. after countless steps, things got a little better when downward slope got gentler and my mind wondered off for that moment, thinking and wondering if i would be able to actually get to ngong ping or whether the end-point was the end-point i had assumed it to be - civilisation where i could get a public bus back to tung chung. it would be totally disastrous if i had to do a u-turn, climb back to the peak and descend to the original start point just to get public transport!

it was during this momentary distraction that i slipped and fell. thankfully, i landed on my bum. i didn't suffer any injury despite a minor pull of my back muscles. i reminded myself i needed to get back to my concentration and after composing myself again, i continued my descend. and after many many countless steps, i reached a small clearing. it was then that i saw the tian tan buddha. the fog had somewhat lightened and i could decipher the vague outline of the huge buddha sitting on top of the hill some distance away. i felt so relieved i just stood there and clasped my palms together and said a short silent prayer. and then i continued again. it was perhaps another hour or so before i eventually saw a series of timbers erected in a certain pattern. ahhhh... this looked familiar. the end point was near... and in no time, the steps turned into nice cemented pavement. that was when i knew i had arrived at the ngong ping monastery.

all my worries dissipated that very moment and my mind turned towards the immediate need - to dry myself and get back to hotel. that was the tricky part cos i was totally drenched, my wallet, my monies, passport, every thing was totally wet. it was not too glam a sight but i ended up using the temple's toilet hand dryer to dry my stuff. i was so conscious about myself through the whole journey back cos i must have smelt like some rotten fish. heh... i ended my day sitting on my bed and using the hair dryer to dry my stuff...

was a good trip nonetheless. what was intended to be a long walk ended up a mini-adventure for me. it was fortunate that i didn't suffer any major issues/ accidents along the way. and now, thinking back, perhaps i might just make another trip to hong kong and trek other sections of the trail.

:-)

lantau peak - the ascend

i almost died climbing the lantau peak. and it was so unglam to have to crawl on all fours but that was what i did momentarily on the way up. i was just that shag! lol! i was in hong kong since thursday  and had decided to do my lantau trail walk on saturday as the weather was forecasted to be sunny and fine. it was unusual for me not to have any details before such trips but this time round, the only info i had was (1) the start point and (2) the end point (ngong ping), and that (3) the trail will lead me to the peak. section 3 ends at ngong ping and i could take a bus back to tung chung. from the limited reading i did, i decided to take section 3 of the lantau trail (that comprised a total of 12 sections). i had seen people walking up the hilly terrains when i took the lantau cable car previously and wanted to experience it. i had also assumed that what i saw was parts of section 3.

the weather was sunny when i arrived at the start of the trail. there was a lady singing karaoke (she had a portable karaoke set) at one of the pavilion at the side of the road. i thought was weird, considering this was in the middle of no where. but i simply ignored her. and after orientating myself to the directions, i started my walk. it seemed ok for a start but after about 5 minutes and when i realised the steps were not gonna to end anytime soon, i decided i should take things slow. my thighs had started aching and my previous mountain climbing experience told me that this ache will disappear after about half hour once my thighs warmed up. i couldn't be more wrong... the steps gave way to a nice gentle trail after about 10 minutes. it was a relieved to me as my thighs are started to burn.  

a short while later, it started drizzling. i was glad it did cos i was panting badly and my singlet was wet from my perspiration. i was conscious of the fact that i had not water-proofed my back pack but decided to just walk along. after all, the weather forecast mentioned it would be sunny and this could just be a passing showers. as i walked i came faced with more steep steps, and looking ahead, these steps seemed to lead upwards forever. omg, i thought, i didn't ask for this! i had merely wanted to come to hong kong to walk. but after having walked and climbed for the last half hour or so, i persevered. to manage my burning thigh muscles, i took more frequent rest stops. i was so totally shagged out it came to a point where i had to rest after just climbing a few steps. and at one stage, i was literally crawling on all fours! so totally unglam but thankfully, there were no one around. as i climbed, i chanced upon a couple of groups of climbers who were making their descend. one was a group of school children. they were  talking and laughing as they made their descend and quite a few wore ponchos. two of them were even holding umbrellas! looking at how gingerly they descended and how fresh they look, i concluded that the route from ngong ping was relatively easy and that i would not suffer so much when i descend later on. heh heh... there were also a couple of caucasians (americans i thought, judging from their accent) and they said something like they should learn the art of descending - and that was - to run down as fast as they could. when i heard that, my mind went - oh no, you don't want to do that... miss a step and the drop would be hundreds of meters downwards... 

the light drizzle worsened into heavy showers as i climbed. i knew my stuff in my backpack would be wet but i prayed hard the several layers would help prevent total drenching of the content. i was too tired and it was too wet for me to take out my passport, my wallet, etc. i simply pushed on. thankfully, the rain lightened and stopped just about 2/3 way up and that was when i decided to take a long rest and snapped some pictures. the scenery that presented to me once the clouds lifted was really beautiful. i could see a large part of lantau island. what was also interesting was that i was seated on a ridge-line and on the left, the view was clear. but on the right, things were getting rather cloudy and it looked like a huge white cloud was blowing upwards. soon enough, my whole view was obscured and i found myself totally immersed in fog.

i continued my climb up and the peak seemed so bloody elusive. my spirit lifted somewhat when two climbers coming down told me the peak was just a few steps ahead. i reached the peak half dead! i was totally exhausted. the peak was rather uninteresting and was no more than the size of a small bedroom. there was a signage that indicated the height of the peak. 934m above sea level. and other than that, there was a small shelter for climbers to take refuge in the event of thunderstorm or strong winds. other than that,  there was no scenery to appreciate as the whole mountain top was shrouded in fog and visibility was no more than 10-15m. when i arrived, there were a couple of americans. they had just arrived from ngong ping and were talking about all sorts of stuff, ranging from where they worked when they were in america, how they accepted the job in asia, yadda yadda, yadda. and at one point, they were commenting how boring singapore was, considering how flat the island was and that there was no mountains to climb, etc... i just sat there and listened quietly. they didn't know they had a singaporean there amongst them.

after resting for some 15min, it started raining and they decided to take refuge in the shelter. for me, i decided to make my descent towards ngong ping.

chibi marukochan - a boy from italy

i watched this show to kill time before i checked in to the hotel. i was not too familiar with the maruko-chan series but thought the poster looked interesting and went ahead to purchase the ticket. at the counter, the sales person told me it would be in cantonese instead of japanese. was kinda taken aback for a while but decided to proceed. thought it would be a change, considering how i usually watch japanese shows without any dubbing. it was interesting that the sales person specifically advised me that it would be in cantonese. perhaps she thought i was japanese! heh... well, if she did, i wouldn't be surprised as (1) i had spoken to her in English, (2) i am rather tanned compared to hong kong people, (3) my features are not typical of hong kong people, and (4) i was carrying a backpack (people don't carry backpacks to cinemas unless they are tourists)..

anyway, the show did not disappoint. the storyline was simple. a group of international students visited japan on a school exchange program and each child was "adopted" by a different family. for maruko's family, they accepted an italian boy despite initially being unwilling to do so. apparently, apart from this being a school exchange program, the italian boy had arrived with a bigger intent to trace and discover his grandfather's past. much of the show focused on how maruko and the family helped this boy looked for a particular couple who had interacted with the grandfather. it was a heartwarming show that ended with many in tears towards the end.

this show shone through by its simple storyline. yet it was able to connect with audiences at many levels of emotions. for me personally, i was caught grinning widely, and at times, tearing at the same time. thoroughly enjoyed it.

my hong kong trip

it was an interesting trip to hong kong this time round.

i had intended to do long distance brisk walks there and thought that perhaps a walk at the country side or a climb of some of the "hills" would be nice. i had previously seen people casually "walking" up the hilly terrains when i took the cable car to ngong ping from tung chung and had thought how nice it would be to do the same.

it was with this simple intent that i decided to head to hong kong. my plan was simple, keep the trip free to cater to potential weather changes. do part of the lantau trail either on friday or saturday, weather permitting. and with this, i packed and headed off to hong kong. here's the quick run down to what happened...

thursday, arrived late morning, headed to mongkok and caught the show "chibi maruko chan - a boy from italy". decided to watch a show to consume some time before check in at 2pm. decided on this show as it was a japanese animation and i loved japanese animations. too bad it was dubbed in cantonese but went ahead with it nonetheless. will write about it in another post. after the show, checked in, freshened up and visited the wong tai sin temple.

friday, weather forecast indicated passing showers and occasional thunderstorm. decided against the long walk and slept in most of the day. needed the sleep and the rest before the walk. went for some light shopping at the nearby shopping centers and wet market towards the end of the day. day ended with lotsa roasted meat, char siu and chicken wings! lol!

saturday, went for my walk at lantau island. and before the walk itself, found myself stuck in the shopping center at tung chung watching news updates about joseph schoolings 100m swim on my mobile. following that, went for the walk and completed it by late afternoon. the rest of the day was just spend resting.

sunday, this is my check out day. met up with my colleague (who's in hong kong with her friend) and headed for a dim sum lunch before visiting the chi lin temple. headed to the airport and was back home by 11pm.

was a tiring trip overall but i enjoyed it. look forward to doing more trails in future.

hong kong

i am off to hong kong...

back this sunday.

happy

this is a way belated post. but i was reminded of it when i saw it played at the shopping center earlier. and naturally, i started singing. such an uplifting song!

:-)

suicide squad

a lot of things went through my mind as i watched this show. and here're some of them...

• there are no bad people, there are just people who sees things differently and behave differently.

• every person has his/ her own stories. you just have to make the effort to listen to them and understand their side of the story.

• inside every person, and regardless of how bad they are, there are always something good.

• regardless of what shit we go through in life, there're people who had experienced worst. we just have to see things positively and learn to let go.

and on a less serious note:

• witches always do this weird contortionist dance movements when they cast big time ghost-buster-like spells. and for some similar phenomena, these spells always involve big lightning looking streaks of energy that destroys cars, buildings, space satellites, etc.

• witches are very clever people (if they are human in the first place). they can originate from deep antiquity but once they resurrect in modern times, they can understand things like machines, computers, etc...

ok, shall stop here. it's a nice and entertaining movie. and the best part of it was the inclusion of many 70s/80s hits. found myself singing along whenever the songs come on. go watch it. marvel series has not failed me. yet.

pm's visit to white house

it had been almost 30 years since any singaporean pm was invited to the white house for a state dinner. felt proud to see the details being looked into, the pomp, the organisation, etc.

such an honour.

funeral incidents

i attended my aunts' funeral yesterday. it was a christian funeral. the proceedings were a lot less rowdy compared to, say, taoists funerals. it was interesting that many of the relatives were elderlies who (i suspect) were taoist and/ or tend to be a lot more traditional in showing grief and the way they send of the deceased. and without sounding too disrespectful, here're some of the things that made me feel a little awkward, at times a little irritated, or for that matter, funny.

at the crematorium, a service was held before the cremation proper. and amidst the whole solemn and quiet ambience, 2 elderly uncles (who were seated) at the back, started to get impatient, and started to share their thoughts about the funeral. and, speaking in hokkien, they spoke about buying 4d using the car number of the hearse, about the proceedings...

we were all standing in the viewing gallery awaiting for the coffin to be wheeled into the furnace. it was rather solemn and sad and there were quiet sobs. if this were a taoist funeral, people (especially the elderly) would already be screaming and shouting. such gestures used to be taken as a reflection of how close the person was to the deceased, and in the case of children, a sign of filial piety. traditionally, people would also wish the deceased a good journey. but as i said, this was a christian funeral and the pastor had iterated many times that my aunt had returned to the kingdom of god, and that she was in the arms of the lord, etc. and so, there we were, waiting at the gallery quietly, solemnly and there were a few sniffs and sobs. and in the background, some soft music were playing. and soon, the coffin came in... by that time, one of the elderly uncle could not take it anymore and shouted out... "好走!" (have a safe journey). he words broke the silence and almost immediately, all the elderly aunties standing in front broke into wails... one of the elderly auntie even wailed until she almost fainted... 

it was an awkward feeling for me. i was caught between being emotional and feeling tickled. my cousins and their children, i believed, felt the same. 

explosion...

i was watching the rio olympics opening ceremony and for some reasons my mind lots of thoughts went through my mind. here're a few of them...

fireworks

o.. m.. g.. one day, they'll ban fireworks at such gatherings!

and my mind screamed this out when i looked at things objectively and thought - wow, looking at the fireworks, didn't anyone realised there was a whole lot (lots, lots and lots) of explosives embedded and placed all over the stadium. and it would be so terribly scary if the person sitting behind the controls were some crazy maniac or worst still, terrorists, that decide to just blow things up at the wrong time. 

am i just being paranoid?

here's another...

hmmm... the amount of monies being burned. these monies could have been put to better use to help the society (esp rio). 

it's utterly vulgar, right?

size...

the grandeur of the event, the scale, colours, patterns... 

every individuals are nothing but just little pawns, puppets, digits, etc. such are the games of "big" powers, politics... 

no?

ok, just some olympics rants.

death visits again... and again...

got news from my second cousin (our dads are cousins, i.e., we share the same great grandfather) that his mum passed away on monday. attended the wake last evening. funeral's gonna be tomorrow. and just an hour ago, a maternal-side cousin informed me that my mum's second elder brother had passed away...

to put in perspective, i have passed through the age where my peers get married, and another stage where many gave births... and at this time, this is the stage where our parents and their siblings are passing away, and our next generation are getting married. soon enough, it would be our turn to take our leave.

as of today, on my dad's side, two of his sisters (not including his cousins) are still alive. as for my mum's side, this is the last uncle. have not included their spouses, but even if i were to include them, there would not be many around too. well... just have to go through this stage and walk the journey with my cousins.