For a lapse of many years, I did not pursue my photography. When I was in England, I had a simple camera with me and took pictures sporadically. During my military career, I was restricted by the confidentiality and secrecy of my work, hampering serious photography. I only have the odd snapshots to show for it.
It was not until the 70's and the 80's when I revived my photography. I had bought a Minolta SR303, 35 mm single reflex camera. After upgrading to another newer Minolta camera, I bought a second camera body so that I could shoot one on slides and the other on colour prints. Eventually, I traded all these in and switched to the Nikon F90, which was my last film camera. Sony then introduced the computer camera. I bought one and was introduced to a new technology of photography without film. The result was appalling and I continued with my trusty Nikon SLR.
During this time, I was also pursuing my interest in video. With the advance made in this field, the cumbersome 8 mm film strips were done away. Instead, video tapes were introduced. I remember my first video camera was a huge Panasonic camera with a heavy VHS tape recorder, the size of a typewriter, that I sling over the shoulder. It performed very poorly under low light conditions. Compact video cameras were introduced and I managed to sell my Panasonic camera for a more compact one. After going through several models, I settled for a Sony VX1 semi-pro Hi8 videocam. With this, I went to Liverpool with the family for my son's graduation. Staying in the terrible Feathers Hotel, someone broke into my room and stole my videocam. I was livid! A tape inside containing my family video was also gone.
Returning to Singapore, I bought a replacement camera, which I sold eventually and bought a Sony VX2000E. Since then, I have upgraded to a HD (High Definition) videocam, which has brought me some excellent results. (See my China Girl posting).
With the rapid advancement of digital cameras, I have sold my old Nikon F90 for a Nikon D70. Recently, I was able to sell this D70 for the high end D200, a professional DSLR camera. I must admit I made the right choice and am very pleased with the D200. I also have a Sony DSC-F707 digital camera, which my daughter uses a lot, especially when she travel overseas.
I find digital photography fascinating; much more than using film, because of the versatility of the technology. After every shoot, I download my pictures into my PC and work on them with my Photoshop CS2. An expensive professional software, I can enhance my pictures. My grandchildren are perhaps the most photographed children, and I have a portfolio of several hundred pictures of them from birth to present day. Unlike using film, my memory card offers me hundreds of shots, which would have cost me a lot of film rolls. The church also benefited a lot from my various shoot for them, and many of my pictures have appeared in the Sharing magazine.
I have often wandered around, with my camera in a bag, day or night, shooting anything that catches my eye. Sometimes with a theme, e.g. Christmas lighting, CNY decorations, festivities or chasing my grandchildren. I have even done a macro shoot for my son-in-law, who wanted catalog prints of his various screws and fasteners. Never knew there are so many different sizes and shapes of screws. Photography has brought me a lot of joy and kindled my creative juices.
Till then....
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
" * mile! " - Part 1
With a "*mile!" and an audible click, my youngest grand-daughter Emma, holding her mother's mobile phone and pointing at me, took a shot at me. At 20 months old and still having problems pronouncing the letter 'S', Emma imitating the clicking sound of a shutter, already knows what to do with a mobile phone camera.
Photography has been a fascination with me for a long time. During the Japanese occupation, my father, who had been a keen photographer himself, supplemented the family's income by printing and developing pictures for people. We lived in a simple three bedroom terrace house, in which my father converted one of the bedrooms, into a darkroom. Sealed with cartridge paper all round the windows and doors to prevent light from entering, the room was hot and humid. This was turned into the boys bedroom and my brothers and I took turns sleeping inside amidst the stench of body odour and the ever present farts! Boys will be boys and farts go together with pillow fights sometimes ending into fist fights.
My father had taught me how to develop black & white films and to mix the chemicals. I remember the Kodak D76 solution too well for developing films. The hardest part was the threading of the film into the developing canister. It had to be done in total darkness as any light would ruin the film. The film had to be slowly pushed into an open steel reel without any part of the film touching each other. After that, the entire reel was placed inside the canister and the cover screwed on. The canister was made of either black plastic or steel. The chemical was then poured into the canister through a small opening on the top cover. The whole process went through a series of timing, washing and fixing. All done in total darkness, which necessitated the sense of touch and reaching for the correct chemical and the various components close by. There were two basic types of film - the bigger format 120 roll film and the 35mm film cartridge.
By the time the film was developed, it was then alright to switch on the lights and to open the door. Dripping in perspiration, the dark room was turned into an unbearable sonar and it was a great relief when the door was finally opened. Running out for fresh air, I was soaking wet in perspiration.
The printing of pictures was a different process. The dark room still had to be closed but a red light was permissible. The picture was selected, using the enlarger, which projected the picture on to the photographic paper, with precise timing. The paper then had to be taken to a corner of the room, where the sink was, and placed inside a porcelain tray loaded with chemical. Rocking the tray gently, the picture slowly emerged, and checking with the red light only, the tone of the picture was determined and the print finally placed into the hypo bath to permanently fix the picture. And so on with the other pictures, until all the required pictures were printed. Before switching on any other bright lights, all photographic papers had to be properly secured in dark boxes to avoid any light which would ruin them. The chemical had a habit of staining the finger nails brown, especially the thumb nail. This gave the impression of smoking cigarettes, which brought a lot of frowns from unknowing adults!
My proficiency level improved to the extend that my father would toss me a roll of film asking me to get it developed. I was to suffer my most embarrassing and devastating humility, when one day, my friend asked me to develop a roll of film for him. Getting to work immediately, I discovered that I had ran out of the chemicals. So I had to mix a new batch. The mixing required lukewarm water in order to dissolve the crystal chemical. Armed with a big bell jar of the chemical later, I decided to press on with the developing. At the end of the developing, I finally pulled out the roll of negatives to check on the result. Lo and behold, a completely blank roll of negative stared back at me! Not a picture! My face and jaw dropped. Stunned, I could not believe my eyes. What happened? Sheepishly, I showed the blank roll to my friend, who was astounded. I thought he had shot the pictures with his lens cap on. But no, it was not to be. Fortunately, my friend was not angry and we managed to laugh over it. That evening, I asked my father what was the problem. He asked me if I had just mixed the chemical. I confirmed it and he told me that the warm solution melted the film emulsion which then rendered the entire film blank. I was to have let the chemical cool down first before use. A bitter lesson.
My first camera was a Kodak box camera. As the name implied, it was a black plastic box modelled after the pinhole camera. With a simple lens over the pinhole, it held a roll of 120 film. I had a lot of fun with it but did not shoot many pictures as I could not afford the film. Felt guilty pinching film from my father. I spent many weekends with my father and brother going out shooting with my father's Rollieflex camera. Later, we experimented with colour film and I remember standing outside the dark room with my watch and shouting out the timing to my father inside. We did not have a stop watch.
We progressed much later to the cine camera. My father had a 16 mm Revere cine camera. Before that we had tried shooting with a 8 mm camera. As sound recording on film was a rather complicated and expensive affair, we shot silent movies. One day, armed with two 16 mm cine cameras, we filmed the Malayan Amateur Athletic Association Meet in Ipoh. We earned recognition for our effort, when our film was sent to Kuala Lumpur for viewing by the British High Commissioner, Malcolm MacDonald. On another occasion, we filmed a wedding of a family friend. It was then a very special novelty.
When I started flying in the fifties, we progressed to aerial photography. The Perak Flying Club had a contract for mapping over certain parts of the State. I piloted a Tiger Moth with my father manning the huge camera inside. When I very much later joined the Air Force, I was involved with aerial reconnaissance and surveillance.
Continue - Part 2.
Till then....
Photography has been a fascination with me for a long time. During the Japanese occupation, my father, who had been a keen photographer himself, supplemented the family's income by printing and developing pictures for people. We lived in a simple three bedroom terrace house, in which my father converted one of the bedrooms, into a darkroom. Sealed with cartridge paper all round the windows and doors to prevent light from entering, the room was hot and humid. This was turned into the boys bedroom and my brothers and I took turns sleeping inside amidst the stench of body odour and the ever present farts! Boys will be boys and farts go together with pillow fights sometimes ending into fist fights.
My father had taught me how to develop black & white films and to mix the chemicals. I remember the Kodak D76 solution too well for developing films. The hardest part was the threading of the film into the developing canister. It had to be done in total darkness as any light would ruin the film. The film had to be slowly pushed into an open steel reel without any part of the film touching each other. After that, the entire reel was placed inside the canister and the cover screwed on. The canister was made of either black plastic or steel. The chemical was then poured into the canister through a small opening on the top cover. The whole process went through a series of timing, washing and fixing. All done in total darkness, which necessitated the sense of touch and reaching for the correct chemical and the various components close by. There were two basic types of film - the bigger format 120 roll film and the 35mm film cartridge.
By the time the film was developed, it was then alright to switch on the lights and to open the door. Dripping in perspiration, the dark room was turned into an unbearable sonar and it was a great relief when the door was finally opened. Running out for fresh air, I was soaking wet in perspiration.
The printing of pictures was a different process. The dark room still had to be closed but a red light was permissible. The picture was selected, using the enlarger, which projected the picture on to the photographic paper, with precise timing. The paper then had to be taken to a corner of the room, where the sink was, and placed inside a porcelain tray loaded with chemical. Rocking the tray gently, the picture slowly emerged, and checking with the red light only, the tone of the picture was determined and the print finally placed into the hypo bath to permanently fix the picture. And so on with the other pictures, until all the required pictures were printed. Before switching on any other bright lights, all photographic papers had to be properly secured in dark boxes to avoid any light which would ruin them. The chemical had a habit of staining the finger nails brown, especially the thumb nail. This gave the impression of smoking cigarettes, which brought a lot of frowns from unknowing adults!
My proficiency level improved to the extend that my father would toss me a roll of film asking me to get it developed. I was to suffer my most embarrassing and devastating humility, when one day, my friend asked me to develop a roll of film for him. Getting to work immediately, I discovered that I had ran out of the chemicals. So I had to mix a new batch. The mixing required lukewarm water in order to dissolve the crystal chemical. Armed with a big bell jar of the chemical later, I decided to press on with the developing. At the end of the developing, I finally pulled out the roll of negatives to check on the result. Lo and behold, a completely blank roll of negative stared back at me! Not a picture! My face and jaw dropped. Stunned, I could not believe my eyes. What happened? Sheepishly, I showed the blank roll to my friend, who was astounded. I thought he had shot the pictures with his lens cap on. But no, it was not to be. Fortunately, my friend was not angry and we managed to laugh over it. That evening, I asked my father what was the problem. He asked me if I had just mixed the chemical. I confirmed it and he told me that the warm solution melted the film emulsion which then rendered the entire film blank. I was to have let the chemical cool down first before use. A bitter lesson.
My first camera was a Kodak box camera. As the name implied, it was a black plastic box modelled after the pinhole camera. With a simple lens over the pinhole, it held a roll of 120 film. I had a lot of fun with it but did not shoot many pictures as I could not afford the film. Felt guilty pinching film from my father. I spent many weekends with my father and brother going out shooting with my father's Rollieflex camera. Later, we experimented with colour film and I remember standing outside the dark room with my watch and shouting out the timing to my father inside. We did not have a stop watch.
We progressed much later to the cine camera. My father had a 16 mm Revere cine camera. Before that we had tried shooting with a 8 mm camera. As sound recording on film was a rather complicated and expensive affair, we shot silent movies. One day, armed with two 16 mm cine cameras, we filmed the Malayan Amateur Athletic Association Meet in Ipoh. We earned recognition for our effort, when our film was sent to Kuala Lumpur for viewing by the British High Commissioner, Malcolm MacDonald. On another occasion, we filmed a wedding of a family friend. It was then a very special novelty.
When I started flying in the fifties, we progressed to aerial photography. The Perak Flying Club had a contract for mapping over certain parts of the State. I piloted a Tiger Moth with my father manning the huge camera inside. When I very much later joined the Air Force, I was involved with aerial reconnaissance and surveillance.
Continue - Part 2.
Till then....
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
China Girls
Every Chinese New Year, I will look out for the China Promotion at the Raffles City. I have been doing this for several years now and since last year it has been called 'Spring in the City'. A full page advertisement would appear in the papers giving highlights of the promotion and a schedule of the performances by the various cultural troupe from different parts of China. This year, there were five troupes performing over a period of five weeks, one week per troupe. Unfortunately, I had to miss the first troupe because I was in hospital. Nevertheless, I managed to catch all the four remaining performances.
Why the interest? I capture the performances on my HD video camera. These are very good cultural troupes from the interior China and not often seen outside of China. Moreover the performances are free and worth keeping a record for posterity.
When I decide to go for the shoot, I would need to leave early by taxi in order to 'chope' a nice spot on the second floor outside 'Marks & Sparks', which would place me very nicely looking centre stage. There is nothing to obstruct me in front. This is normally on a weekday when the crowd is not too big. Showtime at 1 pm, and I am in position by 12 or 12.15 latest. Other photographers will saunter in later and set up their equipment. But they are generally a friendly bunch and easy to strike up a conversation on photography. We share the space and give respect to each other. At the edge of the stage, there is usually a group of men with cameras, who are there almost everyday. Somebody made a remark one day, that some of the old men there, peek up the China girls' dress!
One evening, I decided to do an evening shoot at 7 pm. While there were no other camera people next to me, there were other spectators who created a lot of noise. Not good for my mike to pick up all that jabber. There were two women sitting on the floor and during the entire performance, they were talking so loud. That is why I have to use a boom mike to zoom in on the performers to try and minimise the environmental noise. I guess I will have to put up with this, it being a public area.
After the performance, which is usually about 1.40 pm., I would then pack up my camera and tripod and head for lunch at the Food Junction. Lately my wife has been joining me. While I set up my camera and waited, she would be browsing the stalls and shops to join me after the performances for lunch. Good time to go to the Food Junction, because the office workers would have finished their lunch, and the crowd thins out.
Some of the China girls are pretty. I was impressed with the troupe from Mongolia. They stood straight and tall. When the compere came out, everyone oh and ah over her height and beauty! Their costume was very colourful and immaculate and the performance was very good and lively. The girls had porcelain complexion.
On their last performance, the troupe from Guangzhou appeared and I was equally impressed by the girls petite and graceful appearance. Young and energetic, the youth performed well. One of the dances sounded like Middle Eastern and suggested it could be from the Silk Road.
In one of the performances, a group of girls from JingDeZhou performed porcelain music, striking porcelain plates, gongs and bells. They were backed by a flute and Er Hu players. Very unusual and unique.
All in all, some very interesting performances not seen here. I now have several DVD containing all the different performances. Lately, with my new HD video camera, the results have been excellent and much improved from the previous DV tapes. Looking at some of the recordings have reminded me of my previous visit to China and the people there.
Till then....
Why the interest? I capture the performances on my HD video camera. These are very good cultural troupes from the interior China and not often seen outside of China. Moreover the performances are free and worth keeping a record for posterity.
When I decide to go for the shoot, I would need to leave early by taxi in order to 'chope' a nice spot on the second floor outside 'Marks & Sparks', which would place me very nicely looking centre stage. There is nothing to obstruct me in front. This is normally on a weekday when the crowd is not too big. Showtime at 1 pm, and I am in position by 12 or 12.15 latest. Other photographers will saunter in later and set up their equipment. But they are generally a friendly bunch and easy to strike up a conversation on photography. We share the space and give respect to each other. At the edge of the stage, there is usually a group of men with cameras, who are there almost everyday. Somebody made a remark one day, that some of the old men there, peek up the China girls' dress!
One evening, I decided to do an evening shoot at 7 pm. While there were no other camera people next to me, there were other spectators who created a lot of noise. Not good for my mike to pick up all that jabber. There were two women sitting on the floor and during the entire performance, they were talking so loud. That is why I have to use a boom mike to zoom in on the performers to try and minimise the environmental noise. I guess I will have to put up with this, it being a public area.
After the performance, which is usually about 1.40 pm., I would then pack up my camera and tripod and head for lunch at the Food Junction. Lately my wife has been joining me. While I set up my camera and waited, she would be browsing the stalls and shops to join me after the performances for lunch. Good time to go to the Food Junction, because the office workers would have finished their lunch, and the crowd thins out.
Some of the China girls are pretty. I was impressed with the troupe from Mongolia. They stood straight and tall. When the compere came out, everyone oh and ah over her height and beauty! Their costume was very colourful and immaculate and the performance was very good and lively. The girls had porcelain complexion.
On their last performance, the troupe from Guangzhou appeared and I was equally impressed by the girls petite and graceful appearance. Young and energetic, the youth performed well. One of the dances sounded like Middle Eastern and suggested it could be from the Silk Road.
In one of the performances, a group of girls from JingDeZhou performed porcelain music, striking porcelain plates, gongs and bells. They were backed by a flute and Er Hu players. Very unusual and unique.
All in all, some very interesting performances not seen here. I now have several DVD containing all the different performances. Lately, with my new HD video camera, the results have been excellent and much improved from the previous DV tapes. Looking at some of the recordings have reminded me of my previous visit to China and the people there.
Till then....
Lunar New Year 2007
When I was a small boy, Chinese New Year celebrations were the most happy occasions in my childhood days. With new clothes, new shoes, plenty of good food, visitations by friends and relatives, laughter and goodwill and not forgetting that inimitable red packet (hoong pau/ang pau : depending on your dialect); even my parents and elders refrained from scolding me, what more could I ask for. My father was very strict with me and always berated me whenever someone gave me a red packet. I would not dare open or count my money in front of him for fear of him telling me off for being greedy. Some of my friends and relatives, knowing of my father's temperament, would quietly slip a red packet into my pocket. With a whispered thank you, I would shy away to sit somewhere out of my father's view, but contended with the fact another red packet has been added to my 'fortune', under my father's nose. During those days, one dollar was a lot of money. When I finally totalled up my takings to ten or so dollars, I would be ecstatic. I would then think about that book or article that I had cherished for so long and now I had the money to pay for it.
I remember there used to be a man who went round all the houses with two little boys dressed up as colourful Phoenix, sporting long cardboard necks, nodding up and down to the beat of his gong. I used to get very excited when I heard them coming. My mother would give me a red packet to give to them. One day, I had a close look and noticed the two boys wedged inside the neck peering out of the small plastic windows, bopping the heads up and down. Our eyes met and I noticed two shy and unhappy boys inside. In present days, that would be deemed as child labour and child abuse. Sigh!
Except for the time when I was studying in the UK, I had never missed spending Chinese New Year at home. I would always apply for two weeks annual leave with the sole purpose of going home to spend time with my mother and sister. I would stay at home for two weeks enjoying my mother's company and cooking, hardly going out since I had lost contact with most of my friends then. Very often also, I would end up with a nasty cold, and when I went back to Kuala Lumpur on a Sunday, the following Monday would see me flying back to Ipoh and onward for Taiping Detachment. 1970 was the last time I ever spent Chinese New Year with my mother in Ipoh. Shortly after that, my father booted me out of the family and I was never able to enjoy the Chinese New Year that I had grown up with.
This Lunar New Year 2007 has been a good and happy one. Except for poor Emma, my youngest granddaughter, who was recovering from a bad gum infection, her condition improved when she spent time with the family and her two cousins.
Our reunion dinner brought us out to Bottletree Village, sited out at Sembawang, facing across the Johor Coastline. When we got there, my mobile phone started to beep messages when the Malaysian Maxi cut in to offer roaming services. The restaurant was nicely located with the sea breeze blowing in. Although it was crowded, the tables were well spaced out and we never felt intimidated by the crowd. We had a corner table and felt very private. The kids had a whale of a time at the playground just a step away. Young Emma was all over the place with Samantha and Christina, the maid in tow. Timothy was like the monkey just let out of the cage. The food was mediocre, being mass cooking and there was no ala carte. But everyone was happy and we had our family pictures taken.
From Bottletree Village, we adjourned to my No. 1 daughter's Maisonette where we celebrated my grandson Timothy's belated birthday. He received an electric organ from the grandmother and ended up with the sister playing it.
First day Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday. Quite a crowd at the 7 am Mass in church. Performing my duties as collector and as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, after Mass, I distributed Mandarin Oranges to the congregation after Fr. Colin blessed them.
My No. 1 daughter turned up with the kids by noon and it was quite a wait for 'Queen' Emma, who decided to sleep in. My son had thoughtfully decided to come home to stay for the holidays, allowing himself to sleep in. No. 2 daughter finally turned up with husband and Emma in tow. Everyone packed into two cars and off to Liz & Kip's Mansion for our regular CNY lunch.
Big crowd there. Met my brother and his family there and settled into an eating marathon. Liz, as fat as she is, took up the mike and sang us an oldie. She does look like the proverbial opera singer. Liz and I had known each other since our school days in Ipoh. We treat her as part of the family and she had been very close to my parents and sister. Kip, her strong and silent husband, had always been the strong supporter and in whom we have always enjoyed a very intimate relationship.
Food, food and more food! Spoilt for choice, my strict diet went out the window. I had just lost two kilos, so what shall I do! I avoided rice and noodles and ate a lot of meat and vegetables. At one time, I had something like four chicken cooked in four different ways, on my plate. Did not take long to fill me up. I did cheated a little with the delicious walnut cake and CNY specialities which you can only get at CNY. After all, I need to reward myself for my diet effort! Ha, ha!
Second day of CNY was a relatively tame affair at home. No.1 daughter turned up with the kids. Poor son-in-law had to work third day in a row. My son had made a disappearing act in the morning! Simple lunch of left-over. I had spent the whole morning working on my digital pictures and had compiled them into a slide show and added a beautiful piece of organ music in the background. The pictures turned out good after going through my CS2 Photoshop.
Suddenly No.2 son-in-law turned up at the door carrying 'Queen' Emma, fast asleep. Everyone hushed up while Emma was placed on my son's bed with the fan running and window shaded. Everyone spoke in hushed tone. Even the stupid parrot kept quiet. Emma had a long nap. It was good to see her recovering from her gum problems and regaining her appetite and become lively again.
All good things must come to an end. Everyone went their way and all was back to normal.
Till then....
I remember there used to be a man who went round all the houses with two little boys dressed up as colourful Phoenix, sporting long cardboard necks, nodding up and down to the beat of his gong. I used to get very excited when I heard them coming. My mother would give me a red packet to give to them. One day, I had a close look and noticed the two boys wedged inside the neck peering out of the small plastic windows, bopping the heads up and down. Our eyes met and I noticed two shy and unhappy boys inside. In present days, that would be deemed as child labour and child abuse. Sigh!
Except for the time when I was studying in the UK, I had never missed spending Chinese New Year at home. I would always apply for two weeks annual leave with the sole purpose of going home to spend time with my mother and sister. I would stay at home for two weeks enjoying my mother's company and cooking, hardly going out since I had lost contact with most of my friends then. Very often also, I would end up with a nasty cold, and when I went back to Kuala Lumpur on a Sunday, the following Monday would see me flying back to Ipoh and onward for Taiping Detachment. 1970 was the last time I ever spent Chinese New Year with my mother in Ipoh. Shortly after that, my father booted me out of the family and I was never able to enjoy the Chinese New Year that I had grown up with.
This Lunar New Year 2007 has been a good and happy one. Except for poor Emma, my youngest granddaughter, who was recovering from a bad gum infection, her condition improved when she spent time with the family and her two cousins.
Our reunion dinner brought us out to Bottletree Village, sited out at Sembawang, facing across the Johor Coastline. When we got there, my mobile phone started to beep messages when the Malaysian Maxi cut in to offer roaming services. The restaurant was nicely located with the sea breeze blowing in. Although it was crowded, the tables were well spaced out and we never felt intimidated by the crowd. We had a corner table and felt very private. The kids had a whale of a time at the playground just a step away. Young Emma was all over the place with Samantha and Christina, the maid in tow. Timothy was like the monkey just let out of the cage. The food was mediocre, being mass cooking and there was no ala carte. But everyone was happy and we had our family pictures taken.
From Bottletree Village, we adjourned to my No. 1 daughter's Maisonette where we celebrated my grandson Timothy's belated birthday. He received an electric organ from the grandmother and ended up with the sister playing it.
First day Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday. Quite a crowd at the 7 am Mass in church. Performing my duties as collector and as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, after Mass, I distributed Mandarin Oranges to the congregation after Fr. Colin blessed them.
My No. 1 daughter turned up with the kids by noon and it was quite a wait for 'Queen' Emma, who decided to sleep in. My son had thoughtfully decided to come home to stay for the holidays, allowing himself to sleep in. No. 2 daughter finally turned up with husband and Emma in tow. Everyone packed into two cars and off to Liz & Kip's Mansion for our regular CNY lunch.
Big crowd there. Met my brother and his family there and settled into an eating marathon. Liz, as fat as she is, took up the mike and sang us an oldie. She does look like the proverbial opera singer. Liz and I had known each other since our school days in Ipoh. We treat her as part of the family and she had been very close to my parents and sister. Kip, her strong and silent husband, had always been the strong supporter and in whom we have always enjoyed a very intimate relationship.
Food, food and more food! Spoilt for choice, my strict diet went out the window. I had just lost two kilos, so what shall I do! I avoided rice and noodles and ate a lot of meat and vegetables. At one time, I had something like four chicken cooked in four different ways, on my plate. Did not take long to fill me up. I did cheated a little with the delicious walnut cake and CNY specialities which you can only get at CNY. After all, I need to reward myself for my diet effort! Ha, ha!
Second day of CNY was a relatively tame affair at home. No.1 daughter turned up with the kids. Poor son-in-law had to work third day in a row. My son had made a disappearing act in the morning! Simple lunch of left-over. I had spent the whole morning working on my digital pictures and had compiled them into a slide show and added a beautiful piece of organ music in the background. The pictures turned out good after going through my CS2 Photoshop.
Suddenly No.2 son-in-law turned up at the door carrying 'Queen' Emma, fast asleep. Everyone hushed up while Emma was placed on my son's bed with the fan running and window shaded. Everyone spoke in hushed tone. Even the stupid parrot kept quiet. Emma had a long nap. It was good to see her recovering from her gum problems and regaining her appetite and become lively again.
All good things must come to an end. Everyone went their way and all was back to normal.
Till then....
Fr. Desmond Reid, SJ
Fr. Reid passed away at 5.20 am on Tuesday 20th February, 2007. A sad departure for a popular and well loved Irish Catholic priest in the Jesuit Community of St. Ignatius Church of Singapore.
I had got on well with Fr. Reid for many years. He had an uncanny memory, when one day he reminded me of how I had helped him in a Children Christmas Party for the orphans, with magic shows, some twenty odd years ago. He even counted the exact number of years it had happened! Fr. Reid had been a no-nonsense priest who did not pull his punches. He was strict and fair to those he thought fit. Some parishioners had complained to me about Fr. Reid, and I can only surmise that they had been told off by Father, who did not mince his words and meted out his counsel straight to the parishioners heart.
Fr. Reid was a great story teller. During his homily, he would not hesitate to crack jokes and tell stories to illustrate the word of the Lord. He often belittle himself to show his humility as a priest. One day, he was on his way to Ireland on home leave and travelling by Aeroflot, due to its cheap fare. The aircraft had landed on some Russian airfield. From where he was seating, he saw someone removing his luggage from the aircraft. He immediately went out to tell the person of the error. He was stopped from leaving the aircraft by some official. He explained that someone had removed his luggage from the aircraft. He was eventually allowed out to resolve the matter. After that, when he returned to the aircraft, he was stopped from entering by the official. After much gesticulations and showing his documents, he was let back into the aircraft.
Being a small eater and fussy with his appetite, Fr. Reid was all skin and bone during his latter years. There was hardly any fat in his body. One day I put my hand on his shoulder and was shocked to feel his bones. He was always afraid of the cold, which explained why he chose to remain in Singapore instead of going back to Ireland. He always avoided air-conditioned rooms but wore a sweater when he had to enter one. He did not like the cold weather in Ireland.
I took him to my club for lunch one St. Patrick's Day. After his soup, he could not eat his Shepherd's Pie. On another occasion, we tried to make him eat. With my wife on one side and Emily on the other fussing over his food, Fr. Reid managed to finish his soup and a slice of bread and butter. Fr. Reid loved chocolate and coffee and smoked like a chimney. I used to occasionally give him a box of Belgian chocolate. In fact I was just planning on giving him a box when he passed away.
Fr. Reid had a sleeping problem. Every time he went on home leave, he would suffer very bad jet lag. Even without travelling, he would have very bad bouts of insomnia. One day, I was on duty at the priests house at Kingsmead Hall, when Fr. Reid called me on the telephone to tell me that the doctor had discharged him from the hospital and to send someone to collect him home. When I told Fr. Kearne and Bro. Gerrard about it, Fr. Kearne 'threw his hands in the air' and told me to tell the doctor to keep that 'stubborn old man' in and fatten him up and make him sleep! Bro. Gerrard was laughing away. When Fr. Reid could not sleep at night, he would go to the office and poured over the accounts. When he found something not right, he would wake the other priests for an explanation. Little did Fr. Reid realise that he was looking at very old and closed files!
Fr. Reid was in charge of the church Sharing magazine, which he published and distributed to the parishioners for free. I was his 'unofficial' photographer and supplied him with many pictures of the church activities and articles. When the new church was completed, he wanted me to shoot some pictures for the special issue of Sharing. Unfortunately there were a lot of debris strewn around to complete the project in time for printing. Stopping the printing, we stormed into the church pushing the debris aside to get the pictures we wanted. I remember climbing up a very flimsy and tall ladder to get a birds eye shot of the altar table. Fr. Reid had his favourite tree outside Kingsmead Hall. One night, I did a night shot of the tree with flood lights and presented it to him. He was so delighted by that. Fr. Reid would call me on the phone occasionally to give me some shooting assignment for the Sharing magazine.
It is with sadness that I now write this memorial for Fr. Reid. I shall miss him and his raspy Irish accent. He always recognised my voice especially when I had to make my confessions to him in the Confessional in church. In his final absolution, he would always indicate that he heard me. On my retirement, I worked at Kingsmead Hall and the church office for six years. Fr. Reid would often come to my booth for a chat. We would talk about many things and Fr. Reid would aften asked about my son and my family. He is a great football and sports fan. Now Fr. Reid is gone and left a void in the community.
Goodbye Fr. Reid! Heaven is richer with you there.
Till then....
I had got on well with Fr. Reid for many years. He had an uncanny memory, when one day he reminded me of how I had helped him in a Children Christmas Party for the orphans, with magic shows, some twenty odd years ago. He even counted the exact number of years it had happened! Fr. Reid had been a no-nonsense priest who did not pull his punches. He was strict and fair to those he thought fit. Some parishioners had complained to me about Fr. Reid, and I can only surmise that they had been told off by Father, who did not mince his words and meted out his counsel straight to the parishioners heart.
Fr. Reid was a great story teller. During his homily, he would not hesitate to crack jokes and tell stories to illustrate the word of the Lord. He often belittle himself to show his humility as a priest. One day, he was on his way to Ireland on home leave and travelling by Aeroflot, due to its cheap fare. The aircraft had landed on some Russian airfield. From where he was seating, he saw someone removing his luggage from the aircraft. He immediately went out to tell the person of the error. He was stopped from leaving the aircraft by some official. He explained that someone had removed his luggage from the aircraft. He was eventually allowed out to resolve the matter. After that, when he returned to the aircraft, he was stopped from entering by the official. After much gesticulations and showing his documents, he was let back into the aircraft.
Being a small eater and fussy with his appetite, Fr. Reid was all skin and bone during his latter years. There was hardly any fat in his body. One day I put my hand on his shoulder and was shocked to feel his bones. He was always afraid of the cold, which explained why he chose to remain in Singapore instead of going back to Ireland. He always avoided air-conditioned rooms but wore a sweater when he had to enter one. He did not like the cold weather in Ireland.
I took him to my club for lunch one St. Patrick's Day. After his soup, he could not eat his Shepherd's Pie. On another occasion, we tried to make him eat. With my wife on one side and Emily on the other fussing over his food, Fr. Reid managed to finish his soup and a slice of bread and butter. Fr. Reid loved chocolate and coffee and smoked like a chimney. I used to occasionally give him a box of Belgian chocolate. In fact I was just planning on giving him a box when he passed away.
Fr. Reid had a sleeping problem. Every time he went on home leave, he would suffer very bad jet lag. Even without travelling, he would have very bad bouts of insomnia. One day, I was on duty at the priests house at Kingsmead Hall, when Fr. Reid called me on the telephone to tell me that the doctor had discharged him from the hospital and to send someone to collect him home. When I told Fr. Kearne and Bro. Gerrard about it, Fr. Kearne 'threw his hands in the air' and told me to tell the doctor to keep that 'stubborn old man' in and fatten him up and make him sleep! Bro. Gerrard was laughing away. When Fr. Reid could not sleep at night, he would go to the office and poured over the accounts. When he found something not right, he would wake the other priests for an explanation. Little did Fr. Reid realise that he was looking at very old and closed files!
Fr. Reid was in charge of the church Sharing magazine, which he published and distributed to the parishioners for free. I was his 'unofficial' photographer and supplied him with many pictures of the church activities and articles. When the new church was completed, he wanted me to shoot some pictures for the special issue of Sharing. Unfortunately there were a lot of debris strewn around to complete the project in time for printing. Stopping the printing, we stormed into the church pushing the debris aside to get the pictures we wanted. I remember climbing up a very flimsy and tall ladder to get a birds eye shot of the altar table. Fr. Reid had his favourite tree outside Kingsmead Hall. One night, I did a night shot of the tree with flood lights and presented it to him. He was so delighted by that. Fr. Reid would call me on the phone occasionally to give me some shooting assignment for the Sharing magazine.
It is with sadness that I now write this memorial for Fr. Reid. I shall miss him and his raspy Irish accent. He always recognised my voice especially when I had to make my confessions to him in the Confessional in church. In his final absolution, he would always indicate that he heard me. On my retirement, I worked at Kingsmead Hall and the church office for six years. Fr. Reid would often come to my booth for a chat. We would talk about many things and Fr. Reid would aften asked about my son and my family. He is a great football and sports fan. Now Fr. Reid is gone and left a void in the community.
Goodbye Fr. Reid! Heaven is richer with you there.
Till then....
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I've lost 2 kg!
Yes, I have actually lost 2 kg. In a little under two weeks, I now weigh in at 68.5 kg from 70.5 kg since the start of February. Two down and three more to go before I can go back to my original 65 kg., the weight that I had sustained for a long time.
My surgeon, noticing my weight gain, had advised me to cut my carbohydrates, sugar and explained to me the two types of fullness. First being getting 'stuffed full' and the other being 'satisfied full'. 'Stuffed full' is when you stuff yourself with rice or noodles giving you the bloated feeling. 'Satisfied full' is when you had enough without feeling bloated. I was told to eat more meat. Red meat will still be restricted to a moderate level for the sake of the heart. Anyway I cannot afford to have steaks every time. Whenever I looked at my BMI, I always thought that I was too short for my weight.
So now I have to think before I eat, a feat that requires brain power, which in turn needs nourishment to think. A vicious circle! How do I cope? Muesli for breakfast with two slices of multi-grain bread and Horlicks since I have to avoid caffeine. If rice or noodle is served, just 1/3 or half portion. I have had breakfast problems because my good friend Denis would always order me breakfast in the market. Porridge and noodles = carbohydrates. Now I have to tell him of my strict diet. Even my wife, so far, has aboded to my diet by reducing rice or noodle portions. When Denis invited me to his birthday buffet lunch, I had a soup and salad starter followed by the various meat without rice or noodle, finishing off with fruits. A glass of red wine and water and I was 'satisfied full'. Just what the surgeon ordered!
How do I feel after all this? Hungry! No kidding, I feel hungry after about two hours or so and I start looking forward to my next meal. But the positive side is that I feel very much lighter and better and I do not get the bloated feeling. I get the urge to snack but I have to discipline myself from reaching for the biscuit or cake. Discipline plays a big part. I have already cut my sugar out of my decaf tea and half spoon of raw brown sugar in my decaf coffee to reduce the bitter taste. There is not much bitter coffee taste with decaf but on its own, decaf coffee is bland, and a little raw brown sugar gives a bit of body to it. Going to a food centre, people normally order chicken rice, char siew noodles, bachor noodles, economy rice and more rice and noodles in various form. So far I have managed to reduce my carbohydrates by eating yong tau foo without noodles, (despite the fact that you get 95% flour to 5% of fish meat in the fish balls these days), and dumplings in soup. When I had economy rice, I asked for one meat and two vegetables portion but without rice. The hawker always get surprised with my order. Eating at hawker stalls, I now have to go round looking for something suitable, which makes me think.
At the end of the day, I am feeling a lot better and lighter. I now have the courage to actually look at myself in the mirror and notice that my abdoment has reduced somewhat. A friend of mine actually commented that I have lost weight. Maybe some ladies might take a second look!
Till then....
My surgeon, noticing my weight gain, had advised me to cut my carbohydrates, sugar and explained to me the two types of fullness. First being getting 'stuffed full' and the other being 'satisfied full'. 'Stuffed full' is when you stuff yourself with rice or noodles giving you the bloated feeling. 'Satisfied full' is when you had enough without feeling bloated. I was told to eat more meat. Red meat will still be restricted to a moderate level for the sake of the heart. Anyway I cannot afford to have steaks every time. Whenever I looked at my BMI, I always thought that I was too short for my weight.
So now I have to think before I eat, a feat that requires brain power, which in turn needs nourishment to think. A vicious circle! How do I cope? Muesli for breakfast with two slices of multi-grain bread and Horlicks since I have to avoid caffeine. If rice or noodle is served, just 1/3 or half portion. I have had breakfast problems because my good friend Denis would always order me breakfast in the market. Porridge and noodles = carbohydrates. Now I have to tell him of my strict diet. Even my wife, so far, has aboded to my diet by reducing rice or noodle portions. When Denis invited me to his birthday buffet lunch, I had a soup and salad starter followed by the various meat without rice or noodle, finishing off with fruits. A glass of red wine and water and I was 'satisfied full'. Just what the surgeon ordered!
How do I feel after all this? Hungry! No kidding, I feel hungry after about two hours or so and I start looking forward to my next meal. But the positive side is that I feel very much lighter and better and I do not get the bloated feeling. I get the urge to snack but I have to discipline myself from reaching for the biscuit or cake. Discipline plays a big part. I have already cut my sugar out of my decaf tea and half spoon of raw brown sugar in my decaf coffee to reduce the bitter taste. There is not much bitter coffee taste with decaf but on its own, decaf coffee is bland, and a little raw brown sugar gives a bit of body to it. Going to a food centre, people normally order chicken rice, char siew noodles, bachor noodles, economy rice and more rice and noodles in various form. So far I have managed to reduce my carbohydrates by eating yong tau foo without noodles, (despite the fact that you get 95% flour to 5% of fish meat in the fish balls these days), and dumplings in soup. When I had economy rice, I asked for one meat and two vegetables portion but without rice. The hawker always get surprised with my order. Eating at hawker stalls, I now have to go round looking for something suitable, which makes me think.
At the end of the day, I am feeling a lot better and lighter. I now have the courage to actually look at myself in the mirror and notice that my abdoment has reduced somewhat. A friend of mine actually commented that I have lost weight. Maybe some ladies might take a second look!
Till then....
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Magic Moments
'Magic Moments', the name of the show I performed for the first time, at the Town Hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, way back into the sixties, conjures up some very nostalgic moments for me. Named after a popular song sung by Perry Como, the Magic Circle of Malaysia made its debut. I also made my first television appearance on black & white television. My program consisted of a three glass suspension followed by a production item from inside a box, in which I produced among other things, a stack of ICI paint cans, earning the show $300 in advertising revenue. My final item was the Chinese Linking Ring, a rather difficult and complicated routine during which I formed a goldfish, a trishaw, an Imperial Crown, a ball, a hat, a Chinese coin using seven steel rings. It was not a good choice for a beginner but I persevered and practised until my left thumb swelled to twice its size! I suffered from stage fright and found my knees shaking. After the first night, I psyched myself to overcome the stage fright and on the second night, I regained my self confidence and had no problems after that.
Since then, I have performed in many shows and when I moved to Singapore, remained very active. Through the passage of time, I acquired many apparatus and books culminating in my being a magic collector. Among my collections are vintage masterpieces, intricate magic paraphernalia, precision metal and wooden pieces and books relating to the magical arts.
I am a Life Member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) and belong to the Order of Merlin. I am also a Life Member of the Society of American Magicians (SAM) and Charter Member of Assembly 90 (Singapore), which embodies the Singapore Association of Magicians (SAM).
Magic had been good to me all these years. The magic community worldwide is a very closed community, very guarded in secrecy and very peculiar in their own rights. When attending a magic meeting, it is not unusual to see groups of grown up adults huddled together on the floor, on the table and anywhere playing with balls, cards, ropes, coins and funny looking items. Serious business! Wives might see their husbands as being bonkers!
When I was on a course of study in Baltimore, USA, many years ago, I was immediately accepted into the magic community. Strangers invited me into their homes and meetings.
I was Vice President of a magic association in Singapore, enjoyed many years of fellowship and hours of fun and laughter, performing in the many charity stage shows and functions. I produced two of the charity shows at the World Trade Centre. Regrettably, I fell out with the group due to politics. I have always opposed the formation of cliques because it defeats the purpose of forming an association. It breaks up the membership into factions. Since I refused to be in any clique, I lost the cooperation of the committee itself. Fed up, I just walked out. I was also against piracy because members did not respect the copyright of others. Exclusivity is the keyword, and every magician tries to outsmart another magician by creating an act that no one else has. Prices of magic apparatus have gone up very much all these years. The good ones can fetch high prices. I used to pay a high price in order to have the exclusivity. What irks me is that someone will blatantly make copies without permission.
I am very sad now that since I am getting old and have not been performing magic, I have to reluctantly sell off my magic collection. Last year, I sold 94 pieces of my apparatus to some dealer in the USA. After haggling over the total price, we finally settled on US$12,000 for the lot. The shipping charges by UPS came up to over US$1,000, and this was bourne by the buyer. I had told the buyer that some of the items were more than 30 years old with some even more than 40 years old. Yet after he received the 7 cartons, he emailed me complaining about the conditions of the apparatus. We had a heated exchange of email. A couple of weeks later, he emailed me again, this time telling me that he was happy with the apparatus after all. When I visited his web site, I saw some of my things being advertised as 'mint condition', 'rare', 'hard to find', 'excellent condition', etc, etc, etc. Needless to say I will not deal with him anymore.
My magic collection is unique and I believe it is the only collection in Singapore. Since there are no other magic collectors in Singapore, there are no ready local buyers for my collection. I found much thrill in searching for the items all over the world. That is why I feel sad to see them go. The expensive items will eventually go to New Jersey in the USA, to a magic auction house. At home I have boxes of magic apparatus in the store room, in my display cabinet, under my bed, in my wardrobe and my wife will be very happy to see them all go. I shall miss my magic collection. In future posts, I shall relate some of my past magic performances and strange and funny episodes.
Till then....
Since then, I have performed in many shows and when I moved to Singapore, remained very active. Through the passage of time, I acquired many apparatus and books culminating in my being a magic collector. Among my collections are vintage masterpieces, intricate magic paraphernalia, precision metal and wooden pieces and books relating to the magical arts.
I am a Life Member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) and belong to the Order of Merlin. I am also a Life Member of the Society of American Magicians (SAM) and Charter Member of Assembly 90 (Singapore), which embodies the Singapore Association of Magicians (SAM).
Magic had been good to me all these years. The magic community worldwide is a very closed community, very guarded in secrecy and very peculiar in their own rights. When attending a magic meeting, it is not unusual to see groups of grown up adults huddled together on the floor, on the table and anywhere playing with balls, cards, ropes, coins and funny looking items. Serious business! Wives might see their husbands as being bonkers!
When I was on a course of study in Baltimore, USA, many years ago, I was immediately accepted into the magic community. Strangers invited me into their homes and meetings.
I was Vice President of a magic association in Singapore, enjoyed many years of fellowship and hours of fun and laughter, performing in the many charity stage shows and functions. I produced two of the charity shows at the World Trade Centre. Regrettably, I fell out with the group due to politics. I have always opposed the formation of cliques because it defeats the purpose of forming an association. It breaks up the membership into factions. Since I refused to be in any clique, I lost the cooperation of the committee itself. Fed up, I just walked out. I was also against piracy because members did not respect the copyright of others. Exclusivity is the keyword, and every magician tries to outsmart another magician by creating an act that no one else has. Prices of magic apparatus have gone up very much all these years. The good ones can fetch high prices. I used to pay a high price in order to have the exclusivity. What irks me is that someone will blatantly make copies without permission.
I am very sad now that since I am getting old and have not been performing magic, I have to reluctantly sell off my magic collection. Last year, I sold 94 pieces of my apparatus to some dealer in the USA. After haggling over the total price, we finally settled on US$12,000 for the lot. The shipping charges by UPS came up to over US$1,000, and this was bourne by the buyer. I had told the buyer that some of the items were more than 30 years old with some even more than 40 years old. Yet after he received the 7 cartons, he emailed me complaining about the conditions of the apparatus. We had a heated exchange of email. A couple of weeks later, he emailed me again, this time telling me that he was happy with the apparatus after all. When I visited his web site, I saw some of my things being advertised as 'mint condition', 'rare', 'hard to find', 'excellent condition', etc, etc, etc. Needless to say I will not deal with him anymore.
My magic collection is unique and I believe it is the only collection in Singapore. Since there are no other magic collectors in Singapore, there are no ready local buyers for my collection. I found much thrill in searching for the items all over the world. That is why I feel sad to see them go. The expensive items will eventually go to New Jersey in the USA, to a magic auction house. At home I have boxes of magic apparatus in the store room, in my display cabinet, under my bed, in my wardrobe and my wife will be very happy to see them all go. I shall miss my magic collection. In future posts, I shall relate some of my past magic performances and strange and funny episodes.
Till then....
Thursday, February 1, 2007
"You have put on too much weight!"
That was what my surgeon friend said to me, as soon as I stepped into his surgery today, when I went for my post surgery check-up. I did tell him that I am trying to shed my weight. So we went into a short discourse on losing weight. He advised me to cut my carbohydrates and eat more meat. Suddenly I felt my life going out the windows. Thoughts of noodles, rice, pasta and the many Chinese favourites of mine going into oblivion. Meat? My GP advised me to cut my red meat. My life has become very complicated.
Ever since my recent illness, I now have to avoid caffeine. But that is alright now, as I have adjusted myself to taking decaf, - a feat which I did not think I could cope. Actually I have coped better than expected. Besides decaf coffee, I am now drinking peppermint Chamomile tea without caffeine, which my No. 2 daughter bought for me for Christmas. Without any sugar or milk, it actually tastes good. My son also bought me some organic muesli, which tastes good with low fat milk. I am also taking Horlicks for breakfast, which incidentally was what I was fed when I was a baby during the Japanese occupation, because milk was not available then. So on those counts, I am OK, but when I eat with my friends in the market or food stalls, it becomes complicated.
In addition, I have to cut sugar, salt and fat. I wonder whether I will die of sickness or of starvation. Makes my mind boggle. Definitely no fun growing old!
Lu-shun, in his book "Teahouse", made his main character lament - "When I was young, I had strong teeth but no money to buy the peanuts. Now that I am old, I have the money but no teeth to chew the peanuts!"
When I told my wife about my new diet restrictions, she seemed to accept it, but in the long run, as it usually happens, she will eventually forget it.
I did notice that a few years ago, my weight had suddenly shot past the 65 kg to around 70. My midriff bloated and I hated to see myself in the mirror. What a shocking disappointment. To think that before my retirement, I was slim and very fit. I was able to jog from the Institute of Education (IE) to the entrance of the Botanical Gardens at Napier Road and back to IE. I am now a fully aged adult which has stopped growing at both ends and now growing in the middle.
I love my food, and I am somewhat of a gourmet myself, having travelled far and wide tasting all sorts of cuisine. Nothing pleases me more than to sit down and eat with my family; something I have been doing since my children were very young, when I introduced them to gastronomical delights both at home and abroad. Anyway, all is not lost. Stay positive. It tantamounts to being a fussy eater from now on.
Till then....
Ever since my recent illness, I now have to avoid caffeine. But that is alright now, as I have adjusted myself to taking decaf, - a feat which I did not think I could cope. Actually I have coped better than expected. Besides decaf coffee, I am now drinking peppermint Chamomile tea without caffeine, which my No. 2 daughter bought for me for Christmas. Without any sugar or milk, it actually tastes good. My son also bought me some organic muesli, which tastes good with low fat milk. I am also taking Horlicks for breakfast, which incidentally was what I was fed when I was a baby during the Japanese occupation, because milk was not available then. So on those counts, I am OK, but when I eat with my friends in the market or food stalls, it becomes complicated.
In addition, I have to cut sugar, salt and fat. I wonder whether I will die of sickness or of starvation. Makes my mind boggle. Definitely no fun growing old!
Lu-shun, in his book "Teahouse", made his main character lament - "When I was young, I had strong teeth but no money to buy the peanuts. Now that I am old, I have the money but no teeth to chew the peanuts!"
When I told my wife about my new diet restrictions, she seemed to accept it, but in the long run, as it usually happens, she will eventually forget it.
I did notice that a few years ago, my weight had suddenly shot past the 65 kg to around 70. My midriff bloated and I hated to see myself in the mirror. What a shocking disappointment. To think that before my retirement, I was slim and very fit. I was able to jog from the Institute of Education (IE) to the entrance of the Botanical Gardens at Napier Road and back to IE. I am now a fully aged adult which has stopped growing at both ends and now growing in the middle.
I love my food, and I am somewhat of a gourmet myself, having travelled far and wide tasting all sorts of cuisine. Nothing pleases me more than to sit down and eat with my family; something I have been doing since my children were very young, when I introduced them to gastronomical delights both at home and abroad. Anyway, all is not lost. Stay positive. It tantamounts to being a fussy eater from now on.
Till then....
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