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This morning was our CDC retreat. The admin program said 8am and so I rushed down and of course it didn’t start till 845am. I should have known better.

It was held at this place called Changi Cove. I have never been to this hotel and so many things in Changi look so different. I used to be so familiar with this area. When I was in university, my friend stayed here at a place called Kenler Road. I remember coming here so many times and driving around here so often and spending so much time here. That would have been 1983 to 1985. This place has changed so much and I don’t think that road or all the houses there still exist. That whole area was populated with small single storey houses with large gardens and no fences. I think they used to house the British expats here working at Changi.

We discussed 3 topics. The changing economy and the employment situation, how to reach out to the young more effectively and how to connect social agencies better.

It was well attended. About 35 out of 56 district councillors attended and mostly the newer ones. Very few faces from my generation.

Lots of ideas were generated but I do hope at least some of these ideas are looked carefully and implemented. Otherwise its business as usual. I have never seen any retreats which have been useful but hopefully this time is different?

Last night, I was invited to this event by DBS at the Raffles Sentosa. I believe this is a new property at Sentosa.

It was a four hands dinner by Chefs Sam Yorke and Bjoern Alexander together with a fireside chat with their CEO Tan Su Chan and Sir James Dyson and a performance by Kit Chan. A small event for only 45 guests.

Both the chefs are Michelin starred chefs and both got their stars when they were quite young.

The ballroom was done well and clearly DBS had spent quite a bit of money and put in lots of effort for this event.

I found the food good. Just a pity with the main course cos it was pigeon and I didn’t want that.

The fireside chat was interesting though nothing profound. I wasn’t sure they needed this segment but it wasn’t boring.

The chat was followed by a performance by Kit Chan. I have never heard her perform live and so this was an interesting experience. She sang 3 songs, a Teresa Teng classic, Wind Beneath My Wings and finally Home. Nice performance but her age has caught up with her as her voice was a bit thin and her high notes were not perfect.

Overall a good evening although I had to give up my Yo Yo Ma tickets to attend this….

Some friends arranged for lunch and asked me to try out this restaurant. Apparently this place has just opened. A North Indian restaurant with a celebrity chef.

The chef is Varun Inamdar and his bio sounds super impressive.. personal chef at one time to PM Modi? And ranks 3rd globally on YouTube after Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay?

The place was half full when I arrived and the chef came out to chat and take pictures, which was nice.

We ordered some appetizers, most of which were nice. I didn’t care too much for the fried okra. The one comment I have is that some of the dishes were slightly salty, especially the tandori items.

Main course of roti and chickpea was decent and but the tandori chicken was salty.

We tried the chocolate dessert. Nice but I wouldn’t say that it was extraordinary though.

I would certainly give this place another shot, if I can find the right company.

Last night I watched this documentary which is on Prime.

The documentary is based on the travels by Chinese lady, now living in the US, who goes back to China after delivering her first child to visit her parents.

When she was born in China, the one child policy was firmly in place. She explores the reasons behind the policy, the way the policy was implemented and all the propaganda that went with it. She looks at the impact on families and women and mothers in particular. During that period, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of babies were abandoned on the streets, thrown into rivers or aborted. It is heartbreaking to hear a man talk about a baby that was born and abandoned on the street for 2 days before it died. He talks about how it bitten by mosquitoes and had bite marks all over.

It was also interesting to hear the reactions to the policy of the people who lived through that period. In particular that of a family planning doctor who says she must have aborted at least 50,000 babies. Most were alive when born. The mothers would be dragged there by village officials and she would perform the abortions.

It also notes the rise of forced kidnappings during this time. These babies were handled to state run orphanages who put them up for international adoption with lots of false paperwork. Lots of money made by everyone involved in this process except for the families of the abducted babies.

A simple documentary but thought provoking.

I really enjoy the drive back from KL. You can avoid all the traffic by picking the right timing.

So I left at 10 am this morning . Arrived at Tuas checkpoint at 130 pm with a 19% charge remaining and I was home by 2 pm.

And this was with a 5 minutes stop at Pagoh cos I wanted to buy muar otah for someone, which they didn’t have and they were not too helpful anyway.

Finally ate here. I have been hearing about this place for so long and finally the opportunity came for a meal here.

They now have 7 outlets now in KL and one in JB with plans to open in Singapore.

They are famous for their fish noodles. They have many varieties of fish and different types of soups and noodles.

The food was good. I just had fish with a clear soup and am glad I finally ate here! Also ended up with 2 packets of their famous prawn crackers.

Dinner on Saturday with my ACS group was at this restaurant.

This is a well established restaurant in KL and I am told it originated in Ipoh. Has been around for 50 years.

I recall eating here some 20 years ago with a friend. The location has remained the same.

Well the food was decent but it was just good to get everyone together to have a meal!

More meats than vegetables with a suckling pig for starters!

Yesterday’s lunch was at Upper Palace Restaurant at TRX. This was my recommendation.

We started the day with multiple change of plans.

The initial plan was to meet at 8am and to have breakfast at a place in SS2. Mildred and her husband would join us there.

Then in the morning, Benson said he would not join us for breakfast. Peng Tiam didn’t want chee cheong fun for breakfast and wanted ba ku teh instead.

So we decided to change the venue to Sun Fong at Jalan Imbi for 930 am. Before that Peng Tiam and his wife wanted to walk. So we walked around KLCC for 45 minutes at a super brisk pace!

After bkt we went to TRX where there was some shopping followed by lunch.

Fortunately everyone enjoyed the food at Upper Palace.

So I had my ACS dinner group which also came up to KL for the weekend, to meet at Wong Mei Kee for lunch. The plan was that they would drive up straight here before checking into the hotel.

I arranged this because one of the group members loves char siu and barbequed pork.

A 30 minutes wait to pay and another 30 minutes wait for the food to arrive. And the verdict was unanimous. The food is rather average. We had so much left over. So much for all the hype.

Drove up to KL today. Left home at 6am sharp. Decided to leave a bit later this time.

Managed to clear both the Tuas and the Johor immigration by 625am with a 92% charge remaining.

Arrived at Ayer Keroh Starbucks at about 825am with 48% charge. Had an espresso while charging the car. Charged it to 78% and left at 845am. Arrived in KLCC at 1020am with 50% charge left. Perhaps leaving a bit later does make sense cos its about the same arrival time as when I left earlier!