Here’s something for some debate if anyone really knows how, when and where Valentine Day originated !!

If You Observe Valentine’s Day, You Are Observing An Ancient Indian Practice

In spite of what you have been told by everyone, the truth is that Valentine’s Day originated hundreds of years ago in India, and to top it all, in the state of Gujarat !!!

It is a well known fact that Gujarati men, specially the Patels, continually mistreated and disrespected their wives (Patelianis). One fine day, which happened to be the 14th day of February, one brave Patelani, having had enough "torture" by her husband, finally chose to rebel by beating him up with a Velan (rolling pin to make chapattis).

Yes….the same Velan which she used daily, to make chapattis for him…. only this time, instead of the dough, it was the husband who was flattened.

This was a momentous occasion for all Gujarati women and the revolt soon spread, like wild fire, with thousands of housewives beating up their husbands with the Velan. There was an outburst of moaning "chapatti-ed" husbands all over Anand and Amdavad.

The Patel men-folk quickly learnt their lesson and started to behave more respectfully with their Patelanis.

Thereafter, on 14th February every year, the womenfolk of Gujaratwould beat up their husbands to commemorate that eventful day - the wives having the satisfaction of beating up their husbands with the Velan and the men having the supreme joy of submitting to the will of the women they loved.

Soon the Gujju men realized that in order to avoid this ordeal they need to present gifts to their wives….they brought flowers and sweets. This is how the tradition - Velan time - began.

As Gujarat fell under the influence of Western culture, the ritual soon spread to Britainand many other Western countries, specifically,the catch words ‘Velan time’ !!! In course of time,  this got anglicized to ‘Velantime’ and then to ‘Valentine’. And thereafter, 14th of February came to be known as Valentine’s Day and now you know the true story of Valentine’s day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND !!

Greetings from Sydney. We have just returned from a short "balek kampong" trip to Singapore and we were amazed to find such a great varities of fusion food between eastern and western food available to us. We did enjoy these new food versions but what we missed were simple traditional foods that filled us with memories of the tradition kitchens, with its preparations for special feast days and the ritual of everyday family meals.

We are awared that food preparations and cooking stlyes have evolved with the hectic lifestyle and needs of the younger generation. But unless we the silverHairs passed it to them (on the presumption that they wanted to learn) these traditional food and cooking secrets will be lost and slipped beyond the realm of recall.

My wife is currently compiling a collection of simple home cookings and recipes that are normally handled down from parents to children through the generations by word of mouth. We are writing this post to ask for your help and share with us your family cooking secrets so that we can preserve the true flavour of the original food for the young ones to keep.

Hi SHCians,

Join me on a Tai Chi 24, 42, Kung Fu Fans and Sword 42. for beginers or intermediate at the Botanic Garden beside the entrance of Orchid Gardens. next to Ginger Garden.

It is Free lessions for all the SHCian on every Saturday and Sunday Morning at 8am to 9am then follow by Line Dance with music and songs, free lessions until 10am.

And some will go for Breakfast after that, free choice for all.

Have fun - Richard Kwok

Dear SHCians,

1. Registration and Payment -  A gentle reminder to registered coming to this Event members, kindly note the closing date for payment is set on March 19 2009 as we will need to liaise with hotel on the actual headcount prior to this event.  Hence, your kind assistance towards this would be much appreciated.

2. Collection of sponsored items: A big thank you for all generous sponsors towards this event.  As I will be attending the February monthly at SMU, and those also attending can pass these items to me at site.  However, due to some constraints, I am regretted to say that I can be stayed till 8.00pm

3.  Healthier Halal Menu revised to replace existing Halal menu as follows:
    
   a) Kintamani Combination consisting of Prawn Salad, Spring Roll, Deep Fried Baby Squid, Sotong Goreng Tepung and Quail Eggs

   b)Soto Ayam Madura  Shredded Chicken Soup served with egg, vermicelli topped with fried shallots
   c) herbal prawn

   d)Sayur Brokoli Campur Skalop (Stir Fried Broccoli with Scallops)  

   e) Ikan Garupa Kukus Kintamani (Steamed Garoupa),  

   f) Kintamani Sunset (Fresh coconut milk, black jelly, attap seed, red bean, green jelly & palm sugar)

   g) and fragrant steam rice

4. Organizing Committees:
   Francis R - EO
   James Tan - Committee - Marketing
   Catherine Koh - Dance Workshop, deco and live band
   Bernie Chung - Treasure and Song rendition
   Dan Huang - Photography and dance performance
   Geo Ban Peng - Games coordinator
   Daniel Can - Audio and Video Management

5. We hope that everyone of you will have a enjoyable nite on April 4′09, See u there….. Francis

. . . POST ON BEHALF OF ABEL TAN . . .

Batam-sized Karimun Island is 1 hour 45/50minutes by ferry south-west of Singapore.

March 26 Thursday  (Group A)

• 1.30pm  Depart Harbourfront
• 2.20pm (Indon time)  Arrive Tanjung Balai (Two main-street town)
• 2.30pm  Check-in Hotel Maxi or Hotel Palapa
• 3.00pm  Visit "The Vila" (brothels)
• 4.00-5.30pm  Leisurely walk from seafront through 1st main-street to hotel
• 5.30-6.30pm  Rest period
• 6.30-8.00pm  Seafood dinner
• 8.00pm  Onwards - Karaoke in hotel lounge with or without hostess - tips payable @ 10,000 rupiah mininum per hostess (about S$1.33)

March 27 Friday

• 6.30-9.00am (Indon time)  Breakfast in hotel (FOC) & await Group B’s arrival
• 9.30-12noon  Visit Gunung Karimun waterfall (halfway up 300metre high mountain)
• 12.30-1.30pm  Nasi padang lunch
• 3.00pm  Visit "The Vila" (brothels) - 15 mins duration for Look-see with courteousy
• 4.00-5.30pm  Leisurely walk thru 2nd main-street (parallel with 1st street) to seafront
• 5.30-7.00pm  Open-air seafront seafood-dinner.  
• After dinner is OPTIONAL to walk back or motor-cycle pillion-ride (5,000rupiah, about S$0.67) to hotel
• 8.00pm  Onwards - Karaoke in hotel lounge or watch TV in rooms

            PLEASE DO NOT VENTURE FROM HOTEL’S FRONTSTEPS ON BOTH NIGHTS.

March 28 Saturday (Group A + Group B)

• 6.30-09.00am  Breakfast in hotel (FOC)
• 9.00-11.30am  Free & Easy/Shopping plus Rest period
• 11.30am  Check out from Hotel
• 11.30-1.30pm  Nasi padang lunch or a-la-carte lunch at Hotel Holiday Karimun
• 2.00pm (Indon time)  Depart Tanjung Balai for Singapore

Terms :

1. No Payment required yet until further notice to transfer S$20 to POSB Savings A/c : 510-03720-0 being hotel deposit for Deluxe room, with longbath & mini-bar, @ approxately 250,000rupiah (about S$33).  Payment of S$57 will be collected if Lily can buy ferry ticket en masse.
2. Maximum pax of 20 (21 including Abel Tan) on a first-come-first-serve basis.
3. Closing date : Monday 20 March 2009.  We will finalise logistic on 15 Mar during SHC gathering.
4. Need to confirm rooms required by 25th March.

Note :

• An expense of $150 per person excluding 2-way ferry @ $57 inclusive of Singapore seaport tax but not Indonesian side’s 30,000rupiah (about S$4), payable upon departure from Tanjung Balai, should be comfortably sufficient for the trip.
• Travellers should just exchange S$50 for rupiahs to be shared by 2 persons before departure and the rest of needful rupiahs can be exchanged (min.S$100) for better rates at Tanjung Balai. 
• Rate of exchange : approximately S$1 = 7,500rupiahs.

Group A :

1. Abel Tan
2. Terence Seah

Group B :

1. Lim Tan Soo
2. Lily Ho
3. Lee Ah Nee
4. Norlinda
5. Bira
6. Dolly Lim
7. Caroline Gee
8. Sockie

The SilverHairsClub.com forum is strictly for registered members.  All registered members will get a welcome email from the administrator.  If you have not received one, it means you are not cleared to be a member.

1.  The easiest way to get registered as a member is to write an email to admin@SilverHairsClub.com.

2.  It is also possible to register on SilverHairsClub.com directly but your first and last name must be given.  If not, you are still not considered registered as a member.

Any member who registers a non-member for an event may be locked out of the website.  A member may also be locked out, if he/she fails to contact the administrator, if requested to do so.  As the club does not take personal details from the member, this procedure helps to verify the membership.

When registering for events, please use the full registered membership name, as we have many Patricks, Verons, Agnes, etc.  Please help to ensure this policy is adhered to.

Terence Seah