Another Sad Goodbye

May 9, 2011 1 Comment

It is one of those sad goodbyes when we kept tears in our hearts. All 3 of us share the same type of life. We are lonely in our own ways. But our jovial personalities helped us overcome all these. Elkan loves us a lot. He enjoys “family hug”. Whenever Felicia and I are walking on the streets, he likes to pull both our hands together. He is always reminding us to be lovely, dropping us love notes from time to time.

We hate to shed tears during goodbye. Because tears can be brutally more contagious than yawn. Today was another familiar scene at the departure gate. It wasn’t my son’s tears which broke my heart. It was his innocence, sensitivity and maturity that moved me.

I saw that coming. In fact, I tried many times refusing Elkan to send me off at the airport. I even tempted him with toys and other distractions. He insisted sending me off. While we were in the airport, he just wanted me to play with him. “Daddy, give me maths questions or anything we can do together.” In the end, we were folding paper planes and throwing them across the concourse. He was very happy.

When it was time to go, Elkan fought hard not to cry. He showed me an expression that I only see in adults. Big watery eyes, putting on a sad smile. There was no need for words. We hugged tightly. I left. Between the thin glass wall which separated us, Elkan wanted to tell me something. But I couldn’t hear him. He quickly condensed the glass wall with his warm breath. On the misty screen, he wrote “I love you Daddy” and waved goodbye.

There were we. Father and son…standing by each other, separated by a wall of glass. I felt so so sad. Unable to watch his teary eyes, I walked towards the immigration counter with red teary eyes. The officer saw what happened. She gave me a smile and offered me some kind words.

Perhaps God has a special way to make us cherish each other. My absence builds strength in my boy, my wife and myself. We appreciate the simplest form of enjoyment – as long as all of us are together as one family. No material gains would bring this depth of happiness. We recognized the true value of family. Yes, this may not be the usual typical “everyday family life” but every second bring joys to our hearts. All these reunions and separations taught us the importance of kinships and love. And I have the best wife, best son and best life. I love you guys very very much.

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore

I Love SG

May 9, 2011 1 Comment



Simply beautiful – My Family, my Friends, my Singapore, my Home. Sad to say goodbye to my loved ones again. Looking forward to come back home soon.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore

Back to Infinity and Beyond

May 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Yes, I am back in May again. This time for work, for casting a vote and celebrating Mother’s Day with my 2 mums and aunt. This is my shortest May visit ever – 5 days in exact – but this is one special visit of many “firsts” (voting and our dip in the infinity pool) and wonderful gatherings with my friends (Danielle, Wenxu, HongFei, Sherry, Kalinda, Juliana, Duuk, Meijie and Gareth!)

This is the first time I exercise my rights to vote. Yesterday morning, we went back to my old neighborhood to cast our votes. It has been almost 5 years since I last visited my estate! So many new roads and amenities. I saw many familiar faces and they have aged so much. I saw the uncle who used to sell sugar-cane drink at the hawker center at the voting center – but he was in a wheel-chair looking frail. From a distant, I took a glance at my flat. Sure miss those days back at home. We have been renting out that space for the last 4 years.

Right after my voting, my ex-business buddy Richard (and Chin) drove by and brought us to eat my favorite Bak Ku Teh pork soup at Joo Chiat. Later in the afternoon, I met 2 good friends from Shanghai – Johnny and Ming were in town – and we met over a short meal at Bugis.



My original plan was to bring Felicia and Elkan to Bintan for a short weekend getaway. But thanks to my company’s special corporate hotel rates, I managed to get us a good (and big) city-view room at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. As we are staying at the Sands, we decided to celebrate our Mother’s Day lunch at the hotel. I was right, my family and guests love the pool and the SkyPark! They visited us last evening and we showed them around the hotel. We have free access passes to the SkyPark and the Infinity Pool – we were just right in time to catch the 270-degree panorama sunset view on the 57th-floor.

The “Infinity Pool” is the main reason why we are here. This is the world’s largest pool at 200m high! Elkan, Felicia, Qiqi, Meijie and I had such a great time at the pool. It is 100% visually-stunning! The “infinity pool”, the city landscape and the many many hot bods and chicks! The experience is beyond words.

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore, Travel, Wahbiang Tagged with , ,

Our Election Day Dinner

May 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Here we are, having our late night dinner in our room, waiting for the final results for Singapore Election 2011. A super slow and frustrating result announcement by Channel 5 (we got most of the results via Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo news!).

Filed under Life in Singapore

It’s Time for Election

April 28, 2011 2 Comments

I have been very disturbed lately. Election is coming but this time, it is different.

Thanks to presence of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we are now seeing and reading more election information. But due to the diversity of media, I am getting fragmented information about the future of my country. Election information is sensational confusing, messy and unclear.

You see much footage of candidates going to the market, HDB homes shaking hands. You see new young faces. You have many camps of people citing change. You heard talks in coffee shops (and now on MSN, Facebook, Forums) how we should have an opposition voice in the parliaments. Yes, we do have opposition voices in the parliaments since 1980s. But can someone point to me a summary of “significant improvements / changes” that these oppositions had achieved in the last 2 decades?

Before we decide to put our faith (or bet) on either party, can someone show me the results of PAP and oppositions for the past 5 years? What were those promises made back then? Have we got all the ticks or crosses in the box? (Perhaps, we can get Steve Jobs to teach our candidates how to do a simple Keynote to summaries their past achievements). People need facts to make a decision. Not debates and digging up old woes. This is not a renewal of unfulfilled promises and fresh pretty faces.

Somehow, I feel it is a lousy predictable boring show. Same plot every election.

Opposition is quick to point out how badly PAP has done and how they can fix it. PAP reminds us how fragile our future will be and we need to stick by them cos’ they are the best ones with the talents and know-how to bring us to those “wonderful times”. Then, you have court cases and ugly scandals surfacing. 2-3 months after the Election, life goes back to normal. We still go back to our coffee shops to grumble about the increasing cost, hardship and limited job prospects in our country.

Maybe we should turn the rallies like a season of American Idol. Every week, we have candidates presenting their vision, their plans. Each week, we get Singaporeans to vote out the “blah-blah”, the “emotional” ones.

When I do a tender, I can cast vote to the winning vendor as I know what exactly I am getting from the vendor. There is a clear and simple list of deliverable. I can do my comparison and interview the people who will be working for the project. At the end of the project, I can even measure the success and reward my vendor. If the vendor fail, I can even fire them or even ask them for compensation. How we get to measure our government’s success. Can we ask the MPs to refund their pay to us if they have failed us?

At least, when I work for a company – the company gives me a clear list of benefits I get to enjoy. I can see what’s coming and what’s ahead. I can easily type you a page of benefits and perks. Being a Singaporean, I find it difficult to type a “standard page of basic perks and benefits” for my countrymen because we change policies and perks every year.  And even if we do have this page of standard basic benefits for being a Singaporean – who in this Election is going to safeguard my interests and extend it longer for my future? They are extending our dads and mums to work beyond 60 – that is fine – but what about giving our old folks free transport and medical after 60?

We live in times of contradictions. The government used our money to build expressway to ease jams during peak hours. Yet they create ERP to collect money from us when we use it. The government is kind to give us money from time to time yet GST has been on the rise since 2000s.

This morning, I tried surfing the PAP and Worker’s Party Websites, the only clear thing I got is a list of their next-generation candidates (names and photo).  To me, this is like a number game – all parties are only interested in securing their territories. Look, this is only a small island. I don’t care what the residents are going to get in Potong Pasir or Marine Parade – all I need is a party with a single mind and plan how they can make change and difference to improve lives for our people. Reminder: We aren’t a big country with many issues. Please do not seduce voters with another “HDB Upgrade” teasers.

You see, I am very proud of my country and her achievements. For this election, I need a leader who walk the talk and someone who can really bring good change and improvements to the country. For the least, deliver what you promise.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore

Angry Birds and Easter Eggs

April 25, 2011 Leave a comment

Really miss those “home art and craft” times when Felicia and Elkan were in Hong Kong. (Click: “Easter Art 2009”) Felicia would setup mini tools and props for the family to gather to create something fun and creative. Those were mini art competitions for Elkan and I. My boy always wanted to win his own dad – he was very competitive and eager to impress us. Now they are back in Singapore, Felicia continues the festive traditions. Check out their Easter works.

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BLOG BY FELICIA TAM (24th APRIL 2011)

Since we have done real Easter egg paintings back in 2009,I thought maybe something more recyclable might be good. Paper eggs!! Elkan and me gathered some old brochures with thick covers and started to trace eggy shapes and coloured our very own designs on it. It was much easier than drawing on the real egg. (We crashed many real eggs back then). And it was more exciting coz we could draw as many as we want now! There is no need to gather so many real eggs. Back in 2009, it took me a month just to collect 20 emptied egg shells. And poor Joe probably up some cholesterol by taking extra every week…. opps 😛

The angry bird soft toys inspired me to draw them on the paper eggs. After we have completed about 40 eggs, I saw Elkan placing them in a pile and was crushing them with the yellow angry birdie! So that’s how I made the mini “Angry Easter Movie”! Enjoy!!

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore

By Pastry Chef Elkan

April 5, 2011 Leave a comment

It was Jorance’s 1st Birthday and my little Chef Elkan decorated his little cousin his first birthday cake! I still can’t figure out what is the graphic on the cake. Looks like a yellow bug.

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore

Farmily Outing

March 3, 2011 Leave a comment

I have been really busy moving house over the past 2 weekends. Internet connectivity is impossibly slow in Hong Kong. I can’t believe my ears when PCCW told me that they need 14 days to transfer and activate my internet account! With no internet and a new messy place (plus tons of new jobs at work), I am trying to get back to my usual rhythm. It is a completely new routine now and I am trying to get used to the new place.  The cold spell is over and the weather is fantastic now. Haven’t got time to do our usual weekend hiking. Would like to do more exploring of the neighborhood too. Good news is – we are living just 2 minutes away from our buddy Harshad!

Back in Singapore, the kids and family are having a great time! Felicia sent in many photos and wrote me a nice blog.

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BLOG BY FELICIA TAM

After many weekends of no-where-to-go, Jovel suggested that we should go visit the farms. The kids were really excited about it! Even baby Jorance was all smiles and laughters through out the trip. Thanks to Amy Ah Yi, who agreed to join us in this trip! Otherwise transport would have been a problem. There are indeed many farms around the Kranji Country Side. From animal farms to fruit trees and vegetables farms.

Our first stop was to an Aero-ponics Farm. Veggies are grown with their roots suspended in the air and a fine mist of soluble nutrients are sprayed onto the roots. So no soil and less water is used! Great technology where water and land are scarce. Next we go find the billy goats at the dairy farm. Mummy goats were busy expressing fresh milk for the visitors while the daddy goats are happily munching weeds. The kids were upset that they didn’t get the feed the goats. The farm has stopped the feeding by the visitors for health issues.

The third stop is where one may kiss and find her handsome prince!! It’s the frog farm. The croaks of the frog were quite annoying. I have never seen frogs so huge and they were certainly not handsome. For the frog lovers, you can get some yummy deep fried frog legs right after the short tour of the farm. Bet you find it hard to swallow after seeing the frogs! Some of you may have liked the sweetness of Hasma double-boiled with rock sugar and red dates. Do you know that they are actually dried fallopian tubes of the frogs? Maybe the saliva nests of swallows is more acceptable.

Next we went to a farm with a wide variety of veggies! Best of all, we had a great meal at their lovely bistro. Deep fried sesame chicken, healthy brown rice, ice cold Fig tea, banana curry, Moringa tempura, Papaya salad, etc. With our tummy filled. We took a slow stroll into the well landscaped farm. There’s were safe play areas for the kids, little ponds and benches under shady trees. It felt like one of those Australian farms. It will be great if Singapore have a cooler weather like Spring. I would probably bring my picnic basket with a pillow and book!

Our last stop was a fish farm. There were the XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXXXXXXL sized fish! I mean really XXXXXXXL! It was the giant Arapaima. Almost 2 meters long! There were other monster fish like the Alligator Gar, Red Tail Catfish and the Freshwater Stingrays. Lots of tortoise and prawn fishing was available too. Wanna itchy? Go for a Fish Spa and off goes all your dead skin from your feet!

It was really a long day for the kids and baby Jorance was a great sport! Not a whine from him! Good boy!! I certainly have a backache after half a day of walking. But it was worth the trip. There are over 20 farms around the Kranji Country Side. Looks like we may make another trip back!!

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore

Walking in the Trees

February 12, 2011 Leave a comment

Ever since Felicia and Elkan moved back to Singapore last December, I miss my hiking days with them in Hong Kong. On my last day in Singapore, Felicia brought us to explore the new hiking spots in Singapore.

We started our hike at 1:30pm. The afternoon heat in Singapore was unbearable hot and humid. (I still prefer hiking in the cooler weather in Hong Kong.) There was no way we can complete the entire 9km “Southern Ridges” trail with Elkan under such weather condition. We decided to cut short our hike (to 2.3km) and explored the two most spectacular hiking spots – Singapore’s tallest pedestrian bridge, the 274m-long “Henderson Waves” and the “Forest Walk”.


The Henderson Waves Bridge is stunning – wavy curve exterior walls and overarching ribbed canopy, providing partial shade for the hikers. This looks like a great place for the skateboarders to ramp up the walls. Elkan was having lots of fun, running across the curve walls. Standing over 70m above sea-level, this bridge connects Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park. We cannot imagine how well camouflaged this place is.


Crossing the bridge, it leads us to another attraction – the “Forest Walk”. The “Forest Walk” consists of many connecting elevated metal walkways over the forested area of Telok Blangah Hill. It reminds me of the “Tree Top Walk” of Perth, Australia. Walking over the metal-grills platform, we saw the dense vegetation right below our feet. The elevated bridges span over different layers and heights. At 20m tall, this is certainly not a walk for those who have height phobia. N-Park has done a great job in maintaining this place. There are many signs along this 1.3km Forest Walk which are very educational and prominent. Walking through the forest, we indulged ourselves in the symphony of the trees, bugs and birds. The Forest Walk bridges us closer to Mother Nature through modern comfort and easy accessibility. It is so peaceful and beautiful here. (Thanks Felicia for planning this wonderful outing on my last day in Singapore! It is such a pity that we couldn’t stay a little longer. I got to rush back to pack for tomorrow’s flight!)


Filed under Family, Life in Singapore

My HK Clan Gathering

February 11, 2011 Leave a comment


Filed under Life in Hong Kong, Life in Singapore

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