A short trip to Bintan, first and may be the last… (Part IV)

This was the best meal.



Can’t get any fresher than this. Oh, we didn’t take the lobster. Too little meat for four of us!


 
There were crab, mussels and fish…sorry too engrossed with the food, forgot to take pixs



This is how you provide clean water for your customers to wash hands. Creative to the max!

This place offers good and reasonably priced seafood but to get here, must pay S$50 taxi fare, so it is really expensive but good experience for the kids.

A short trip to Bintan, first and may be the last… (Part III)

What kids really want and what they really need…SPACE!

 

 
…and we tried new things





Riding the ATV – All terrain vehicle. Steady or not!
It was really exhilarating but rather dusty.

Then, the ultimate challenge... parents vs children

Friends…


Foes...

 
All pump up. Ready for challenge

 
The aftermath…final score 1:1

A short trip to Bintan, first and may be the last… (Part II)

Nature, when you don’t destroy her, she reveals her beauty to you




 

This is so beautiful. I am not sure how it came about, could be from the sand dollar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_dollar

A short trip to Bintan, first and may be the last… (Part I)

…I believe. It is expensive.

We don’t usually go for holiday during the 1 week school break but this time, we decided that we all need the break. During the last December holiday, we were all so busy with the house, with my studies. The kids had their trips and camps. We thought a short trip would be good. Nearby place, cheaper (we thought)  and shorter travelling time. So, Bintan, here we come…

 
 
 
Beautiful place

 
While waiting for our room, we played pools


Then to the beach


 
Jelly fish. I guess they are not poisonous. The spouse went to pick it up!


Me and my jelly fish :)


See how tall they have grown!


A family picture

This is the day – 23 March 2015 at 3.18am

I woke up at 4.30am because of my back pain and saw the news. The passing of the great man, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. As a little girl, I knew him through my father. My father never misses his great appetite for news. English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, he watches them all. Don’t know whether he understands the Tamil news but he still watches them. Then there is the National Day rallies. My father never misses them too.

I do not deny that this was a great man. I admire his courage to fight for what he believed in but sadly, he didn’t quite rub that on the citizens. Most Singaporeans have the herd mentality. Just follow, if the ship ain’t broken, why fixed it. That is why, sometimes, I feel that I am a loner. I don’t know how to function under red tapes and bureaucracies, systems and policies. Perhaps, he was too great a man. Would Singapore be much better if he had allowed more great men to work with him? I will never know, we will never know.

While everyone was praying for speedy recovery, I said my short prayer of letting him go in peace. I prayed for God’s mercy on him. He never did believe in God but he said this in Dec 2005… “I believe a man or a woman who has a deep faith in God has an enormous strength facing crises, an advantage in life." So, even a great man like him knew that basic truth. Not sure if he changed his mind later in life.

At age 91, he has lived a good life. I believe he ate well, we all knew that he exercised a lot and faithfully. He had the best medical care. I mean, who could afford having a mechanical ventilator since February? I think if they love him, pray and let him go in peace and he did today.  All the great words about this great man. All the wonderful thank yous and gratitude uttered, why wait till the man’s final hours. Tell him while he was strong and alive. That’s why I always think eulogy should be done before the person passes on.  I shall not mourn his death but instead will celebrate his life. Be grateful that I am around to witness the changes he made – the good and the bad. I lived through the 60s to the 90s and until today. The 80s were the best. It would have been better if he had kept some history for the younger generation to enjoy.

No one is perfect as long as he calls himself human.

What a promotion!

 
We received this letter from Ann’s dance school. We are delighted and we knew that Ann is meant for the dance floor. She has skipped grade 3 to move on to grade 4 and now this. The amount of hard work she needs to put into this will be no issue for her because this is her passion but would she still have stamina for her studies? I am no kiasu mum but I think a good basic academic grounding is still a must. Decision time.

Belated celebration

The son is finally back from his camp and we went on a carnivorous celebration. He simply loves it to the max!