Four Days Late by Karen Peck

For breakfast it was kopi O and fruits at home. Lunch was bar-cho-mee + hot pot and prata kosong (w/o egg). Dinner was Toast Box kopi O and a piece of seaweed floss bun.
In front of our flat, is a big celebration of a Chinese temple and it will go on for about a month. The PM of Singapore will be there to join in the festivities as this is his constituency.

Quite a relaxing day for me. Weather was hot and humid until about 4pm when it poured. After the rain, the evening was less humid and more comfortable.
Ate a lot of fruits in the morning after a cup of home brewed coffee. Lunch was light. It was a bowl of Japanese rice, grilled salmon and some Japanese pickles.
Did not eat until about 7:30 pm, had ban mian and a cup of mocha + cheese cakes at Seletar Kopi and Cedele respectively.

Chong Pang Village Market

We were at the Chong Pang Market and decided to take a video of the place (part only) for our viewers.
The wet market selling fish,veggies,meat etc were closing because it was late morning and so we did not video it.
The shops selling clothing, bags, fruits and the hawker stalls were opened for business. Hope you will enjoy the video.

Today's meals

Breakfast was fruits and lunch was Japanese. Dinner was a bowl of home prepared champon.
This afternoon we visited a friend's studio flat. She bought the flat from the HDB at $120,000.
This studio is about 500 sq ft in size and comes with a 30 year lease. We thought it was expensive even though it was a government subsidized property. 

Breakfast and LG washer

After our pig's trotter and kway chup breakfast at Tampines St 11, we proceeded to Courts to buy the LG washer. We had one which lasted for more than 12 years. The one (Kuche) that replaced the 12 year old LG was unserviceable only after 1 year and 11 months. It came with a 1 year warranty whereas the Korean made LG came with a 2 year warranty. Below is the one (8kg) which we've ordered and will be delivered in 2 days time. Total cost including delivery is about $470.

Washing machine broke down again

Almost 10 days ago, I blogged about our washing machine (brand is Kuche) giving us headache. We got it repaired by a technician from the servicing agent. A piece of coin, I was told was the culprit. After that the washer worked for just one wash and it broke down again the very next day.
I tried contacting the servicing agent again but to no avail. After more than a week of hand washing our clothes, finally we managed to get the technician to come and have a look at it.
He told us  a part of the washer needs to be replaced. The cost is $200. This is ridiculous as it was not even 2 years old. We decided not to get it repaired. Tomorrow we will be looking for either a Japanese or Korean brand washing machine. Goodbye to German technology!

Going to be a wet Sunday. Rain started pouring around 7:30 am. I like the rain as it will cool down a what could be a hot and humid day. The rain also reminds me of my childhood. I love playing in the rain with my friends. My mother disapproved of it. She was worried that I may be struck by lightning. Therefore, somehow even till today I feel happy when it pours.

Of fishball noodles, kopi etc on a Saturday

Woke up early and long to have my breakfast of fishball noodles and kopi O. Was in a dilemma because the noodles stall is at a coffee shop and the kopi is at Toast Box. They are about  10 minutes apart from each other. I do not like the kopi O at the coffee shop. The kopi O is not worth drinking at all. So I rather walk another 10 minutes to Toast Box to have my kopi O. After that it's a 7 minute walk home.
An elderly lady at Toast Box told me that in the early days, most of the kopi sold at the heartland coffee shops were as good as the ones at Toast Box. I agreed with her because the standard of the kopi in the coffee shops have deteriorated over the years.
A few nights ago, I was invited by an elderly couple friends to dinner. Although they are wealthy people, they are unassuming and humble. Besides, they are very generous too. As usual, I always enjoy their company.
As of yesterday, Zika has infected 16 pregnant women in Singapore. However, according to the health authorities none of their unborn babies have microcephaly (babies born with smaller heads).
In total, there are currently 387 confirmed cases of people with Zika.
This year we are fortunate not to have the haze blown over from Indonesia. It usually occur around this time of the year. We are grateful to the Indonesian government for giving us the "opportunity" to breathe some fresh air.
It looks like we are going to have a warm humid Saturday. Hope we'll get some rain to cool down the temperature.

Affordable buffet lunch in Japan

The above YouTube video was uploaded by me. However,the photos and video of the food were WhatApps to me by my wife from Japan. She and her family visited this AVA restaurant recently. It's a "eat all you can" menu. She told me the food was good and the price was reasonable (Yen 1,500).

Uncle left the chat group because of ........

I joined a WhatsApp chat group for senior citizens sometime ago. My aim is to share our thoughts and learn from one another regarding things like grand children, exercises, hobbies etc. Instead, I was quite shocked to see the old fellows posting nude women photos,videos, cracked dirty jokes and talked about sex. I felt disgusted that at our age (youngest member is 68) these old men are trying to show off their sexual prowess.
I am not trying to be self righteous but I think these old fellows should repent and think where their souls will be going after they kick the bucket. It won't be long because we are old. Some have passed away at a much younger age. If they are not religious, at the least they not should be talking things like sex. What are they trying to prove? Ha, it is a matter of time.

This afternoon, I spent some time talking to an ex-colleague over the phone. It was quite a long chat. We do not communicate often because we have different interest. But our conversation is about his knee cap replacement operation. It was a somber conversation. He had just left the hospital a day ago.
This ex-colleague is a super fit person. He jogged and swam like nobody business. But of course, he can't even walk now. He told me he has to go for therapy a few times a week. The doctors told him it will take him 3 months to recover properly.
When one gets old, all kinds of illnesses will be waiting to inflict on us. His predicament is the result of his work. It is an occupational hazard for he had to walk and stand for a long period of time in the aircraft. At least we know that knee problem is not life threatening. Many crew suffered from strokes, heart attack, cancer of all sorts. Some don't make it while others lead poor quality of life.
I feel sad and hope I do not have to go through all those pain and sorrows. As a Christian I believe in the Rapture whereby we will be translated into another body, a heavenly body to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. This is the quickest and painless way to leave this world.

Good excuse for not flying to Japan

This was the coin that gave us the headache regarding the washing machine. It got stuck somewhere
near the coil and interfered with the spinning mechanism. The technician retrieved the coin and everything was fine. It cost me $60 and lots of inconveniences for that simple retrieving task.
Anyway, I had to wait for the technician this morning and so had the excuse of not going with my wife to Japan. She is visiting her parents. Flying or travelling is not my cup of tea, after all I've been flying for 35 years prior to my retirement. I prefer to stay at home.
The pictures (below) were sent to me today.

Formula 1 and Zika in Singapore

The Formula 1 starts today. I am not a fan and have no interest in the event which is being organized almost every year around this time. What I dislike about this event is that many areas in the city will be closed to traffic. The event is only for a few days over the weekend but the preparation takes another couple of days including post-event (the putting up and dismantling of barriers etc).
I would like to drive to the Marina Bay area but it is closed at the moment due to the F-1 and will remained closed until after Tuesday. Taking train there is another option but why should I when I have a car? Anyway, the train service in Singapore isn't that efficient anymore. There are frequent breakdowns and the trains are overcrowded.
According to the news this morning, the Zika mosquitoes have found another home in the northern eastern part of Singapore. They have found the clusters near block 272C of Sengkang Central, bring up the number of Zika infected victims to 369 including 8 pregnant women! 

What are you going to do if your washing ......?

Ever wonder what's gonna happen if your washing machine is out of order? Yours and your family's clothes could not be washed. To get the washer repaired or replaced, it may take a few days and so meanwhile what are you going to do with the clothes? Getting the clothes to the laundry may cost you a lot of money.
We are in this dilemma since yesterday. Our washer broke down and the technician  is only available in 4 days time to repair it. However, fortunately for us there is a laundromat nearby (5km away). Below are pictures of our washing machine (not even 2 years old) and the laundromat.

We chose the medium machine which washes up to 10 kilo of clothing. It took 38 minutes to wash and cost us $5 (includes detergent). There are 2 coin changers whereby one can change the notes for the dollar coins.

Dinner@ Pizza Hut..food is good but not service

Was at Pizza Hut for dinner. Food was good but a little expensive. The 2 meals ( pizza and seafood pasta) cost about $50 with service charge and gst included. Service wasn't good as they were understaff.

Greenwich Mall Seletar Kopi ...

Was busy doing some work in the city. On the way home, stopped at Greenwich Seletar Kopi for our ban mian lunch and coffee at Toast Box.
Was surprise to hear from a worker that Seletar Kopi which is owned by The Kopitiam chain is going to close down towards the end of the year or January next year.
The place is usually deserted with many of the stalls closed for business. I will definitely miss the place.
Fortunately, Toast Box which is situated next door will not be closing down.