Parents' UK Trip Part 3 - Nostalgic Whirlwind Tour

I hired a car on a long weekend to take the parents around London - a) so we could cover more ground a lot quicker and b) so Mother doesn't have to walk and whinge hehe. First stop, Clapham Junction where they lived for most of the three years that they were in London. Clapham probably used to be a bit seedy and poor. It is now very trendy and popular with the young ones.

First up, Gilmore House where they lived. 

They lived in a 3 bedroom place for 80 pounds a month! So cheap. Dad was visibly excited to see this place again. Mum was actually mildly interested too bahah. Unfortunately it's now all fancy and shut off from the public so they couldn't go up close to have a look.

Me in front of the house where I spent my first 3 months' of existence. I don't know why I look so weird here.

Opposite the flat is this park where the parents used to take the two fat brats. Apaarently, Ah Here's favourite thing to do is to get an ice cream.

Another shot of the grand looking block of flats. Not so shabby afterall.

Next up, we went to the primary school where the two kids went to school. Mel played sleeping beauty in a school play. Apparently that was the only trick they could think of to keep her quiet heheheh.

It was lunchtime so we stopped at Clapham Junction and went to one of my haunts for lunch - Revolution. There was 50% off all food on Mondays so score!

Some sort of pasta.. the closest I could find to Mum's all-time favourite - chicken avocado linguine.

I love my pizza thin crispy and plain so the parents had to learn to love it plain too. Dad raved about this pizza.

The must-order dish for me - poultine with steak. Poultine is a Canadian dish - fries drizzled with gravy and cheese. Add meat and it borders on genius! Dad loved it too.

After lunch, we went in search of the hospital where I was born. Unfortunately the hospital has been dismantled and closed down. The only building left is the registry building and that is now a block of flats with quite unsavory tenants. Dad approached one and talked to him about the building. He was moh geh.

In the bottom right hand corner, you can just see the car I hired for the day.

After that, we headed back over the river and I decided to do another stop at St Thomas Hospital - it is right next to Big Ben and it's the hospital where Dad had to get his appendicitis out in an emergency. Mum took the bus with the 2 kids while heavily pregnant with me to go visit him.

It was really sunny so I didn't get a good shot of them at all. Annoying.

They looked the happiest here because it was the last photo of the day. They were thinking - Yay Finally 收工了!!!!!!!!!!!!

She's Craaazy!

I came across a stack of old notebooks the other day and it reminded me of how nuts Monica used to be hehehe. We used to be serious tv addicts and churned through so many video tapes a week. There was a stage where Monica would watch the episodes while furiously writing the synopsis on scraps of paper. She would then re-write the whole thing over again in prettier handwriting in these books. I told you she was nuts. But that's not all.

 She would draw the titles of each tv series we watched according to the graphics on the tv series's poster and write out the cast list too.

She would also stick on any relevant newspaper clippings she could find. Haha

 Pages and pages of the storyline.

Last but not least, she would also write out her review of the tv series.

Bahahahahaha.

Love Letters (Photos)

I was looking through Mum and Dad's old photos and found lots with notes written on the back. This must be how they used to convey love in the olden days heheheh. Dad's handwriting is very flowery so I can't really understand every word he wrote but I got the gist of them.

My dearest Hua (Mum),

Look, I am wearing the shirt that you bought me and I look very handsome in it. I believe that I will succeed in life one day. You are unforgettable. 

Yours, Xiang (Dad).

Hua Zai (Mum), Yours, Xiang (Dad).

Hua,
Wonder what he is thinking about?
From Xiang.

Hua,
Thinking of you la!
Xiang.

Hua,
Am I handsome in this outfit? I've put on weight so not so good looking anymore.
Yours, Xiang.

I only found one from Mum to Dad. Hehehe

Look, Robin!
Pretty le???
Hua

Hehehehe so funny and sweet.

Who is the fairest (heaviest) of em all?

Spent a few hours looking through all our photo albums today and I came across our old report cards from primary school and secondary school. The curious thing was that there wasn't any of Monica's lying around. She probably hid them out of shame.

They tracked our height and weight in primary school. This was Melinda's height and weight when she was 10 years old and in Primary 6. Yes yes, she was a chubby genius. Don't think the height was right though? 40.5 cm would be tragic for a 10-year-old.

My weight and height. Note that I was 2 years older at 12 years old and only half a kilo heavier than Mel. Heheheh. Like I said, Monica's report card is nowhere to be found. Tsk tsk tsk.

Fiona the skeleton was the skinniest at 36 kgs.

I couldn't find Vivien's Primary Six report card so this was her weight when she was 7 years old, haha same weight as Fiona when she was 12.

Jennifer when she was 9 years old... awww our baybeeeeeeee.

We will never know how heavy the 10-year-old Monica was.... probably 80 kgs already heheheh.

Unfair

It is unfair that the only person that inherited Mum's looks is not any of us.....

but our cousin............. Damn it.

Sibu: Day 20

It was a Sunday so we went to the church in town (next to the old International School) for a change. 

HUGE space..... look at how tiny the huge tv screens looked.

The church is very steady. Worship started with a group of choir already seated on the stage.

The adults choir then came on and led the worship.

Check out the grand piano and the drums on the mezzanine floor.

Then there was a procession with the pastor and the young adults choir and they walked up to the stage as well. 

More singing.

Instrumental music by yet another group during offering time.

It was a music-themed worship session which was why there were so many different music programmes. Next up, another group sung but dressed a lot fancier. This church obviously has a huge budget.

I've lost track of what group this is by that stage..

Last but not least, the youth choir.

Church finished with the procession walking out again.

After church, we went on a tiki tour to samba and had lunch at our usual restaurant.

Super salty fried noodles

Super salty tofu soup

Super salty milian

Super salty lak kian veges with eggs

Super salty steamed fish

Dad then drove to the high school he attended and also worked as a teacher at.

Dad worked at the private section of the school which no longer existed. The public school was still there.

There used to be a pier at the end of this walkway but it is now overgrown with shrubs. Dad went out to have a look and reminisce about the good old days.

Mum visiting the very same spot forty years or so ago.

We used to take the ferry here for a tiki tour when I was in high school, i.e. twenty years ago.

Mum said this would have been the house of a rich family back in the days.

I saw lots of these buildings dotted around the countryside... they are specially built buildings for swallows to build nests in. People then harvest the birds' nest and sell for birds' nest soup. No more risking their lives climbing high up the caves to harvest nests.

Another one being built.