Bernie’s Blog

When I got my iPhone, I love everything about it, except for the fact that it can’t be unlocked, and the other thing – ringtones. The “right” way is you have to spend about two dollars before you can get a ringtone for your phone. I don’t want to do that because I want to have the flexibility to change my ringtones as and when I want to, and buying ringtones from the iTunes Store isn’t going to cut it. Thanks to a little Googling, I found this neat site that gives instructions on how to get ringtones onto your iPhone, for free. Just tested it and it worked! A couple of additional points to note – make sure your ringtone is no more than 30 seconds long. I made a mistake of syncing a one minute file and spent a good half hour trying to figure out why my ringtone didn’t appear in the Sounds preferences on my iPhone.

Click here for instructions.

Dinner with two of my best friends at Ah Hoi’s Kitchen at Trader’s Hotel.

We had dinner at a Japanese Restaurant called Hanabi. You can’t beat free flow of sashimi.

Rebecca had a fun time chasing and being chased by Grandpa.

Today we visited another relative’s house for dinner. That’s how Chinese New Year is – we gather at different relatives’ homes for dinner, chit-chat, and watching TV.

Singapore is home to number of species of orchids, and we visited the National Orchid Garden today. Rebecca and Charlotte loved walking through the garden, though I don’t think they really appreciate the flowers. They just found it fun to run around, chase each other, and I think the greenery of the area makes them happy. Rebecca was running, walking, and dancing the whole time we were in there. She was definitely in a good mood.

Ok, I had Yusheng a third time. This time with smoked salmon. I guess you could put anything in there if you like.

Today we visited Doug’s Mom’s side of the family. The older generation are fishermen by trade, so every year they’ll prepare fresh shrimp and fish. The flour battered shrimp are to die for! Rebecca met two of her cousins there, but they were both 5 and 7 years of age, so they spent most of the time trying to figure out what Rebecca’s saying and wondering why she’s so whiny.

Happy Chinese New Year! Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone puts on their new clothes, and goes visiting relatives. Those who aren’t married get the opportunity to get red packets filled with money, while those who are married have to give them. Rebecca got her first red packets from Ye Ye, and Dad. The first day is usually the busiest. We went to visit my parents in the morning, then Doug’s Grandma’s, came back to our place where everyone gathered, and had dinner.

More relatives to visit tomorrow.

Tonight is the eve of Chinese New Year, and the official day of reunion dinner. All retails shops, malls, food stores, and markets close early today so that everyone can have a chance to spend the evening with their family. We had a very nice spread, prepared by my mother-in-law.

Charlotte is the daughter of Doug’s cousin, so I guess Rebecca and Charlotte are cousins too. She’s 6 months older than Rebecca, but they are both born in the year of the Rooster – two chicks. They played together immediately, even though the last time they met was a year ago. It’s so much fun watching them.

We had dinner at Long Beach, and there I had Yusheng for the second time. Did I mention I love Yusheng?

Doug wanted to do some shopping for New Year clothes, so we went to Orchard Rd. On the way there, we drove past Chinatown, and Reb got a peek at the decorations along the streets. Since the new year will be the year of the Rat, there were Mickey Mouse decor everywhere. Imagine her constant excitement whenever she spots Mickey Mouse.

The good thing about Chinese New Year is that it gives family members a chance to get together, something we might never get to do any time of the year. We all met at one of Doug’s Aunts’ house to have hot pot.

I love Yu Sheng, and tonight we went to Dragon Phoenix Chinese Restaurant to have dinner, and I had to request for Yu Sheng!