White Rabbit

Was there anyone who did not buy and eat White Rabbit candy from the Chinese Emporium in the 1960s? Fortunately for us during those times, plastic melamine was more expensive than milk. I began NOT buying foodstuffs from China more than a decade ago, even when manufactured by the more familiar names like Yeo Hiap Seng. In Australia, their soy bean drinks are canned, not in Singapore, but in China. In the U.S., Yeo's soy bean drinks are canned in Thailand but I still look at the label each time I make a purchase that they are. There are several soy sauce brands and sesame oils that are manufactured in Japan by Kikkoman; Canada also exports a wide variety of Chinese cooking products. Australia produces wonderful organic buckwheat noodles for the Japanese brands. You can also buy rice noodles made in Vietnam.

Chelsea Market, NYC

Greengroceries in Chelsea Market in New York City.

Chinese in LA

Winnie's suggestions on places to get Chinese food in LA

Interlaken, Switzerland

This small Swiss resort is a restful place to stop off for a couple of days if on a train between Western and Eastern Europe ... more about Winnie's experience ...

Febo's Travel Blog: Wandering Along The Jurassic Coast - May 2007

William Meyer's Adventures along the Jurassic Coast Febo's Travel Blog: Wandering Along The Jurassic Coast - May 2007

Febo's Travel Blog: Our Big Rollabout - September 2007

William Meyer's Big trip in September 2007
Febo's Travel Blog: Our Big Rollabout - September 2007

Missing in Action

Where were you Sylvia Lim, Lee Yoke Teng, and Rebecca Lim and most of the gang in Arts A and B? At least Lynne Ong had planned to be with us. She had a major rethink because airline fuel surcharges made her trip home horribly expensive. And then she had a rather spectacular road accident that totalled her car and settled the question. She had a miraculous escape after her car ended up under a lorry.

Mirza reported that one of our Arts classmates said she wasn't attending because this was a "science students' party".  It wasn't.  But it nearly became one. So the turnout was Science A 47%, Science B 29%, Science C 42%,  Arts A  12% and Arts B 8%. [official stats here]

Among those who did attend, instantly recognizable was Arthur Cheng, still handsome and trim with no apparent greying (or was it hair to dye for?).
Among the very nearly unrecognizable was  Vivekananda, now with perfectly white hair.

And the women? The women looked fabulous. Count Geh Min,. Fang Ai Lian, Mary Seet, Evelyn Tan and Ang Lian Hua among the ones who could step right back into their school uniforms and still look the part. Darn!
Mary Seet made a late entrance, after attending the National Day Parade, embraced Arthur Cheng. enthusiastically, and declared for all to hear: "Arthur! My first boyfriend!!!"
Her other ex, Eric Nagano, wasn't around to get jealous. .

Edward d'Silva and Kwan Wai Meng were among those who signed up but didn't show up. There was one empty table and seemed to be several others with empty seats. Alamak, why like dis lah!
If you didn't come to the reunion, it was actually two parties you missed.
Mirza had invited the organizing committee plus spouses and all the overseas contingent to his home for dinner the following night.
On Saturday night at the Tanglin Club, he continued issuing invitations. So most of the gang ended up poolside at his house in Bukit Timah on Sunday night.   Even Wai Meng showed up (from his house next door) when almost everyone had left.
So he also missed the hipswivelling, pelvic thrusting, madly gyrating  performance of the Class of 68's own minstrel Andrew Liew, who was persuaded to get his guitar out of his car boot and let 'er rip.
Yep, the boy's still crazy after all these years. Andrew's busy establishing an ACS Class of 1968 outpost in Doha, Qatar, with Joshua Choo. Doha? Think sand. Lotsa sand. Think sun. Think 45 deg C heat.

Post reunion note: Andrew, on his return to Doha, had dinner with Joshua (who runs Palm Beach Restaurant there).
Joshua cooked and Andrew ate, we are told.  We have it on the most reliable authority that Andrew is as hopeless in the kitchen as he is fun at a party.
Hope to see you at the next one.

Irene


originally provided Aug 22, 2008 but not uploaded

40th Reunion Video Presentation

Compiled and edited by Patrick Leong

Maggie Mason in swimsuit

Featured: Winnie, Maggie and Sylvia during ACS FunFair 1968 when trying to raise funds for a new Olympic sized Swimming Pool at Barker Road, which alas, we did not get to enjoy while we were there. This prized and treasured photograph was in Winnie's personal collection, and has been scanned and digitally enhanced. This is the latest posting on Maggie Mason sightings!

Tips from Shahid's ACSian Web Tips Blog

Various tips as well as the ability to indicate what you think is important available ...here...

How to control Picasa Photo Slideshows?

The photo slideshows are actually hosted on Picasaweb, which is owned and managed by Google. ...more...

[ACSians] Maggie Mason in green swimsuit picture coming!

On ACSian Nostalgia Blog on Sep 22 at 3:33 am is scheduled to appear a picture of Maggie Mason in a green swimsuit waiting to be dunked into a pool of water for the Fun Fair. The treasured photo comes from the archives of one of the other two ladies in the picture, and has been scanned, enhanced and presented for your nostalgic viewing.

While there, you may note that there have been some recent contributions by some of our cohorts on travel and gardening . These were added to the initial topic of Nostalgia messages. In response to comments about difficulty in logging in, there is also a section on Web tips and hints . Since there is so much to write about, we will let democracy rule, and publish hints on the most requested subjects and topics.

The blog has grown a lot since we last met, and also included is a slide show of the 2006 reunion of Sec 4 '66 cohorts . The 2008 reunion still so close in our memories will have a slide show based on the set of photos assembled in the now famous DVD put together by Patrick and with names associated with faces in pictures for you viewing convenience.

If you have the urge to write, comment or ask questions, feel free to do so in the comments section after each posting. If you would like a more permanent presence where you can give free rein to your creativity, a special blog site can be set up for you upon request. It has been found that for starters about 10 articles need to be written to make it meaningful; they can be short, but all relevant to a theme of interest to you, and preferably something that can evoke a response in others. Trying to fill an empty blog can be discouraging, and expecting others to contribute to an empty blog may require a long wait. Remember, the direction of this blog will depend on what people write or the material they contribute - and we have many experts amongst our cohorts that have world and life experience in divers areas - from medicine, to the world economy, to travel in strange and wondrous land, to comments on places to stay, visit, and eat - and this will provide an outlet for individual creativity. Photos and videos can certainly be added, and you can certainly get help in publishing the first few articles.

A copy of this message will also appear on the blog since all messages to the mailing list end up there, awaiting approval for publication.

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William Meyer's Nostalgia List

Carefully collected and kept together for years until they saw the light of day here.

[ACSians] Conference

The following is posted on behalf of Linda Lim:

Dear fellow ACSians,

I have been following the reunion and post-reunion events and comments, etc. with interest, and some envy that I could not attend.

I will be making a flying visit to Singapore next month, however, and in case any of you might be interested in attending, attached is info on the public conference at which I will be speaking. I understand it is not an academic conference per se but an annual affair at which economists present their work for a public audience. Given the traumatic financial market developments of the last few weeks, it will be interesting to see how Singapore fares!

If any of you can make it to the conference, I would love to say Hi there.

Best,

Linda

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Link to registration form and program,_._,___

Winnie's Travel Blog

Check out entries on Coffee Houses in Melbourne; Helsinki and Stockholm; Life after Gaudi in Barcelona; Travel Maps; Botanical Gardens; Calling Oyster Fans; Kakulas, William Street, Perth; Visa to India; Belem, Lisbon, Portugal; Charleston, North Carolina, U.S.A.; Hotels in Italy; Getting to Machu Picchu; The Alhambra and Generalife; here

Choon Yong's Gardening Tips Blog September 2008

Choon Yong's September 2008 tips on gardening available here

Photo Slideshow of 2006 Reunion of Sec 4 Class of '66

help on controlling speed of slideshow

Kaufhaus de Westens, what?

...the best food hall Winnie ever visited in her life compared to Harrods Food Halls and all over the world ... more ...

Yo, its Yotel...

and you can stay there when you get in and out of Heathrow or Gatwick, either after you have arrived and gone through immigration and customs or before you check in to leave the country. ... more ...

Worm Composting

Worm composting is a convenient way to compost kitchen waste and provide ... more ...

Italian Plum Tomato Drying

Clean and dry tomatoes. Peel if desired by dipping the tomato into boiling water ... more ...

What is the Mission of this Blog?

This Blog is dedicated to the cohorts whose questions and comments led to the humbling realization that the value of the blog comes from what visitors get out of it rather than the effort to put in the latest and greatest features. ... more ...

Roof Rats

Have you found snail empty shells stashed in out of the way places, fruit with holes gnawed in them or grape skins scattered around? This could indicate roof rats. Roof rats are agile climbers and usually live ... more ...

Neem Oil

Neem oil is an approved pesticide in California for use on ornamental and food plants  ... more ...

What is FTP?

FTP is File Transfer Protocol, a set of instructions and the rules for transferring files from one place to another over a network ...more...

Mosaic Virus

Mosaic virus on squash and cucumber plants ... more ...

Grasscycling

Leave the clippings on the lawn when mowing. ... more ...

Coffee Houses in Melbourne

Personally researched individual coffee houses ... More ...

What is a Google Account?

A Google Account is required to gain to access to some capabilities of properties and services that Google provides. ...more...

What is a Blog?

A Blog is short for WeB log, and as the name suggests, is a website which serves as ... more ...

Helsinki and Stockholm

I always wondered why the suicide rate in Finland was one of the highest in Western Europe despite the cradle to casket care provided by a socialist democracy. After arriving in Helsinki, I began to think that I, too, might kill myself after ... More ...

Gardenia with Yellowing Leaves

Chlorosis is usually caused by a lack of iron in the soil. ... more ....

Carrots

If you have a light fluffy soil, perhaps in a raised bed, you can grow those long beautiful carrots ... more ...

Life after Gaudi in Barcelona

After gawking at the monument dedicated to La Sagreda Familia by Antoni Gaudi, don't buy any of the souvenirs since they are ... more ...

Travel Maps

The best brand is STREETWISE maps which are available for sale in ... more ...

Botanical Gardens

are some of the nicest places to visit in foreign cities, such as in ersailles, Melbourne, ... more ...

Kakulas, William Street, Perth

Cooking fanatics are generally fascinated when they visit Kakulas in Perth. No one can be prepared for such an array of basic cooking ingredients at such reasonable prices in any amounts ... more ...

Belem, Lisbon, Portugal

To Malacca from Belem in 1551 …..Belem is a parish about 6 km away from Central Lisbon, easily accessible by tram. A port city named for the city of Bethlehem, ...more...

Calling Oyster Fans

In New York City, go to Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village or Mare on ... more ...

Visa to India

Get a speedy visa to India from Singapore. Check this out!

Charleston, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Next garden and home tours in March 19 to April 18 ... more details here ...

Hotels in Italy

Italian family hotels are a refreshing change from the chain hotels. In Rome try Hotel Alamansi, ... more ...

Bougainvillea Pruning

You can prune at any time to shape or direct growth. ... more ...

Watering Trees

Even if a tree gets watered every time the lawn does, it needs deep watering ... more ...

From Winnie: Answer to Maggie whereabouts

Both my home and work computers have blinked out but we are working hard on the blog which will have a lot of new features. Having met up with the classmates after 40 years, I found we have a lot in common (ie old age commonalities) in that we all enjoy travel, gardening and walking, talk and food. Followed by more food. As a result, we are putting together many articles which will be of interest to all of you bloggers. For those of you who are sole obsessed with Maggie Mason sightings, I have found only one photo of my days in ACS. This happens to be the one I took with Maggie on the spring board (in swimsuits!!!) over the swimming pool back in the days when our pool was once in a lifetime, above-the-ground during the fun fair.

It should be up soon! In the meantime, check out the blog for the new articles.

ACSOBA Acknowledges Donation from Class of 68

A Thank You note from the ACSOBA acknowledging the donation to the Teachers Retirement Fund - a generous gesture from the class of '68 ... more ...

Spider Mites

Spider mites are closely related to spiders and are about the size of ... more ...

Leafcutter Bees

Do your rose bush leaves have smooth round holes in them? The likely culprit is ... more ...

Brown Spots on Apples

You may have noticed small areas just under the skin that are brown and corky. ... more ...

Winter Squash Harvesting

Winter squash is ready to pick ... more ...

Getting to Machu Picchu

this most visited attraction in South America required careful planning. Besides a substantial sum of money, luck plays an important role on this journey. Foggy weather can delay your plane trip or an event like the August 2007 Peruvian teachers’ nationwide protest which disrupted train service from Machu Picchu leaving many visitors stranded. ... more ...

The Alhambra and Generalife

In Southern Spain, visit Granada where the Alhambra and Generalife are located. There are several sites devoted to these monuments which can best describe these places. Buy your tickets in advance of your visit ... more ...

What visitors are looking for...

Get an idea of diverse places that people come from

Unclassified Cohort Photos Imported from another web site

Big Rollabout

Dinner in Palo Alto with Kee Chin Heng (PU Arts) on August 29, 2008

Like a bad penny, Kee Chin Heng turned up for dinner in Palo Alto to eat with 1966 PU II Acsians on August 29, 2008. (Lai) Choon Yong (with spouse Julia) and Shahid (Mujtaba) attended with Winnie (Lewis) hosting. With summer temperatures in the 90sF (or high 20sC) we ate a copius amount of rojak, among other salads followed by fruits, cake and panne cotta.

Chin Heng lives in the California Central Valley in a small town of Escalon, near Stockton (for those of us who watched "Big Valley" in the 1960s) about 1.5 hours drive from the California coast. He teaches High School. He does return home to Singapore, missing our 2008 reunion because his teaching schedule got in the way.

After the initial conversation during which everyone is updated of the lives and times of others, Chin Heng went down the list of his old girlfriends (no names but you gals know if you were on the list) and the rest of us assured him that they were as beautiful today as he remembers them. He shook his head with great regret remarking that his one great "love" at 18 would surely reject and even spit on him today. No, we assured him earnestly, she wouldn't spit on him, but certainly would reject him!

Great to see that after 35 years of not seeing each other, Winnie and Chin Heng immediately launched on the same dissing and insulting dialogue commonly spew among our class members!