private garden in the open @ blk 544 jelapang road

at our block, next to the dustbin chute area, somebody has taken the liberty and initiative to carve out his own open private garden. he, or rather his family, has planted a variety of flowering and non-flowering plants in this small patch. they have also taken the trouble to label the names of most of the plants.

it is quite apparent that a number of people living in this estate are going back to their roots. these are former residents of this area when the predominant occupation was farming - tilling the land, growing crops and harvesting them. how much they must have missed gardening and farming! this is evident by their involvement in the activities at the fenced up areas set aside for growing vegetables and other plants in bukit panjang.

fishing pond near punggol end

from one pond to another. from punggol park to punggol end. from free fishing to pay fishing. at this pond, located near punggol end, you pay $25 (for the 1st hour), $ 45 (for 2 hrs) and ($55 for 3 hrs). subsequently, you pay $15 for every hour extra. if you are going towards punggol end, the track leading to this commercial pond is on your right, just before track 17, which is on the left.

there are actually two ponds but the outside one is closed for maintenance.

the pond is not a large one but there seemed to be quite a number of satisfied customers. there were a few nets by the side of the pond with caught fish in them. the fresh fish in this pond includes barramundi, mangrove jack, grass carp, grouper, snapper and golden pomfret.

there are still a number of places in singapore where you pay to fish in ponds:

hausmann at eng neo crescent, bottletree park in yishun, this punggol pond, khatib bongsu ( to close in may 2007), pasir ris, bishan park and farmmart at sungei tengah.

lorong buangkok - where the last kampong on mainland singapore is located

drove past kampong lorong buangkok but did not take any picture of the zinc roof houses. enter via gerald drive and ended up at the end of lorong buangkok where surya home is located. many vehicles, especially trucks and lorries, are parked alongside the road.

next to surya home is woody lodge, which used to house vagrants and the mentally infirmed. the place is fenced up which makes it look more like a former prison. i believe this was part of the old woodbridge mental hospital complex.

the houses in the kampong reminds me of my own kampong days in the sixties. the area is prone to flooding just my old kampong. seems like kampong people, especially the older folks, do not mind being left behind by contemporary developments.

punggol park - junction of hougang avenues 8 & 10

punggol park has a 5 hectares pond. it is located at the junction of hougang avenues 8 and 10. there is a restaurant - named bliss - within the park. there is a small car-park is next to the restaurant. you are supposed to purchase your parking coupon/s from the restaurant but when i was there, the restaurant was closed. so, parking was free.

the park is surrounded by hdb flats and other buildings. there is a canal next to one side of the park. there are reeds growing on the edges of the pond. saw a boy in scout uniform catch a lobster like creature and another fishing enthusiast who had a small fish in his yellow pail.

it is a nice park for a family outing. there are open areas for picnic, kite-flying and frisbee throwing. a children's playground, bbq pits and a fitness corner are found within the park.

a leisurely stroll around the park - a distance of slightly more than one kilometre - should not take more than twenty minutes.

clementi woods park and woodball

my morning walk this morning took me to clementi woods park. i discovered that it is quite a large park - about 12 hectares. a lot of red bricks and a lot of circular structures and shelters. the terrain is a bit undulating. so, although the distance for walking is not great, the ups and downs will cause you to expend quite a lot of energy.

there is a 2-storey building within the park, housing the halal sakura restaurant . they charge adults $20 for buffet lunch and $24 for buffet dinner. kids pay $12 for their meals. from the top of the restaurant, you can look out to the sea and see the power stations in the distance.

if you drive, the entrance to the park is just before the japanese school. parking space is available behind the restaurant.

another thing i found out is that woodball is played in this park. decided to find out what this game is all about.

woodball originated in taiwan. the game is played with a single wooden club and a wooden ball. the objective is to complete the course of 24 gates by striking a wooden ball with a wooden club from the tee box through the gate within the fairways. the game is played in flights of four and the winner will be the player who takes the least strokes to complete the game.

nostalgic visit to the national stadium

after dropping ida at robinson road, i decided to pay a visit to the national stadium. in june, it will be closed and by august this year, demolition will begin.

the national stadium holds a lot of memories for me. most, pleasant. one, frightening.
it was here that i had to protect my brother when we were caught in a melee. it could have turned into a stampede had the gates been open. we were there to watch the penang-singapore leg of the malaysian cup matches. we had gone early, so we were close to the entrance. as the crowds swelled, those at the back started to get unruly. they started to push and we were literally squashed. i had to use all my strength to make sure that my brother was not pushed down or smothered by the crushing bodies. eventually, we managed to climb over the railings.

during the schools' national track and field meets in the 70s, i used to 'camp' for more than a week at the concourse of the stadium. two of us - sng thai soon and myself - would be released from school to take charge of our athletes. we would spend the whole day at the stadium; going back with the students to the school in the evening.

in the 80s, i would still be there at the stadium for the track and field championships but this time as an official. i was co-opted into the technical committee to take charge of scoring and recording. when the system was computerised, i assisted kok weng to do the same - scoring and recording.

i also spent a lot of time at the stadium when my school - monk's hill secondary - was involved in the flash card display for the singapore youth festival and the national day parade. that year, we lost count of the number of practices we had to attend. most days, we would reach the stadium in the early afternoon and by the time we returned to school and settled everything, it would be way past 11.00 p.m.

when the children were younger, we were also lucky to have had the opportunities to watch the national day parades at the national stadium for at least three years. then it was easier to secure tickets to the parade as i had a number of friends who were attached to ccab (ecac in those days).

i have included a picture of the pwd recreation club. this was where we used to adjourn after our track and field duties. pang lim - he was in nanyang jc then - would always be there with his guitar and his beer.

cotton plants at mt faber

did not know that cotton could be grown in singapore until i saw these plants at mt faber. found that cotton can withstand heat but not frost (very low temperatures).

class of 65 ri - sec 4 d

this was my secondary 4 class in 1965. cannot remember my form-teacher's name. she was an expatriate who taught us english language. can identify and remember the names of a few of my classmates.

seated in front, second from the right of the picture is maurice neo. he played rugby for the school. when he was in his thirties, he got involved in politics and was with some opposition party for sometime.

in the second row, third from the left is chye heng, next to him is lye teck and then, myself. all three of us became teachers. sapuan, first one on the left in the third row, also joined teaching. i think there was another classmate of mine who ended up as a teacher but i cannot remember his name.

chye heng retired - when he was at westview primary - on medical grounds a few years ago. i tried looking for him but i went to the wrong school. i had gone to southview primary. i used to meet sapaun, who married a chinese, at the teachers' cooperative annual lunch.

piyaratnee, extreme right, fourth row, was with me doing part-time national service. he was then working with singapore airlines. i also know his brother, david, who retired as a teacher. he last taught at catholic high school.

the other person whose name i can still remember is chia yee seng. he was with me when i studied at owen school. he used to play with his school shoe in class. he would remove it (one shoe) and put it to his ear and imagined that he was talking on the phone.

snakes in forested areas


snakes are common in our nature reserves. encountered two recently, one slithering across the track at khatib bongsu when i was walking with victor and one gliding across the track this morning at dairy farm when i was walking alone. in both cases, the snakes were slightly more than one metre long.

this snake at dairy farm was in no hurry to get away. it was taking its time gliding into the shrubs but by the time i thought of taking a shot of it with my digital camera, it had disappeared into the undergrowth.

it was not a python because i would have been able to recognise the distinctive snake. could be a kukri or some brown snake.

when people encounter a snake, they often corner it. then the snake will hiss loudly, open its mouth in a threatening manner, coil up and strike at the individual- or bluff by advancing towards the intruder. these behaviours, designed to scare off the intruder, lead to a common misconception that snakes charge or attack people.

in most cases, a snake reacts only if it feels threatened. usually it crawls away if it can reach cover safely. of course, there are exceptions, which may chase after larger animals, including humans, when they are defending their breeding territory.

when i am at the dairy farm quarry area, i particularly like this setting which seems to convey the expression: light at the end of the tunnel. the quarry has been filled up, so you do not see any pool of water. not many people attempt rock climbing here nowadays because of the two fatal accidents.

discussion on ministers' pay

appended below are the views of another former student on the same topic


on-going topic on pay and the singapore government:

pay is always an emotional topic (for the haves and the haves-not) - what more when it is public money. however, we must as a nation grow up and learn to accept that if you want good people to run it - you pay for it. many people can just talk about it (because it is foc) but are they willing to go serve the people if they are qualified and given the opportunity? many of these are from segments that unfortunately are not at that calibre or are not appointed to do the job. of course, these senior pay levels looking from the perspective of someone earning 30k or even 100k per annum is too much but do we hear people earning that level and knowing the worth of such job make any noise? so i agree that ministers pay should not be a public referendum to debate upon but the system needs to be transparent enough for people to understand this is what it needs to be paid. you can debate on the system of how it works up to the structure but not why so and so is getting too much compared to another country. we are not comparing apple to apple because there are too many components in each country's pay structure that we do not understand and do not see. ultimately, the consequence of each policy or structure will bear its price on the people and by then it does take another a long time to correct a bad policy.

do you know how many people outside of singapore are so envious of our clean government, systems, standard of living etc? many things we take for granted but like what ron reflected upon - we have come a long way from those days? we all can relate and we know what it means to be poor (in monetary as well as living standard) and struggling. we have been successful in many ways as a nation but i wish we could also learn to count our blessings regardless who is/are part of the conduit of our success and then tackle the disagreements from a different perspective. succeeding in the 'hardware' is one thing we have attained but we still have a way to go on the 'heartware' - the government officials included. i do not always agree with the policies but i understand now that there is no way you can make everyone happy (people management 101). if i can see the benefit to a majority of the group, then its a viable means.

of course, those who think that they can run the show better they should really stand up and be counted. don't just criticise (i know that's easiest) but come up with a viable solution.

as they say: its lonely up there (in management) but that's how it is - not everyone can sit up there. i sometime wonder why our ministers & pm even bother to be there when they can get better life somewhere else than the hot seat.

passion to serve, passion for power etc - i don't really care but i know i want to live in a place that is safe, system that works (iras is my favourite gov agency), a governance that I know is based on transparency, common logic rather then 'paying my way through favours' and i pay my price be it in tax, higher car prices, higher housing or even being called a dull city.

i am proud of my country, i am proud to be a singaporean and i am not from pap - isnt this nice for a change?

rgds/PH

"I can't believe it !
I am looking after 301 million citizens.
You are earning 3 times more than me."

discussion on ministers' pay

a group of us - teachers and former students - still communicate on a regular basis via email. appended below is the contribution of one of my ex-students on the topic of ministers' pay:

can i add on to the key rationale why we need to pay our leaders well?

we are a nation without resources and people is our key resource and we need to further enhance ourselves in ensuring we attract and possibly retain the top people to do the job with a clear perspective of strategically what we want; need to know how to build from what we have. those that can't deliver will be knocked off. it is not about how much pay they get but how effective and competent they are.

if you ask the top business people , none will be keen (to be ministers) and even those who hold top jobs in mnc. it is a neccessary evil if you like in this pragmatic world.

i am fortunate to say that in my last 28 years of business and travelling to more than 50 countries, hundreds of cities, at this point of time we are one up politically, economically and socially. the bottomline of any effective government is economy and we need to get it right.

culturally, sports, arts, technologically and etc... we still way behind but we have the reputation to leverage on our strength and build on it.

my opinion on gst is that it is the best system; those who earn more spend more pay more and ours is still low, better to reduce corporate and personal taxes.

don't get me wrong, i am not pap member, just a singaporean.

cheers.

wantan mee @ 12 rowell road

finally got to eat the wantan mee at rowell road. had been hunting for it since last year. thought it was at rowell court but had walked past the small food court along rowell road a few times and could not find any stall selling wantan mee. when i was eating beancurd at beancurd city at jalan besar earlier this year, i asked the owner about the famous wantan mee. she told me it could be the one at syed alwi road.

true enough, there was one stall in a coffee shop along syed alwi road which had a sign proclaiming that it was the famous wantan mee. i have been sceptical of all these famous labels since eating noodles from one of these self proclaimed famous stalls at abc food court at bukit merah.

then one day i decided to walk the length of rowell road, from jalan besar end to the serangoon road end when i caught sight of this banner and the makansutra trademark. i knew right away that i had found the stall. did not eat that day because i had eaten pork ribs noodles from another well-known stall along verdun road.

the wantan mee is prepared in a slightly different way. you get fried wonton, shui jiao, big char siew pieces and watercress - not your normal chye sim - tossed in soya sauce.

another difference here is that the man who takes your order for drinks is deaf and dumb. the wantan lady communicates with him using hand signs. also, on each table, there is a minibox of tissues.

verdict: i still prefer to wantan mee sold at lavendar food court. the rowell road shop is open for business between 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. it is closed on tuesdays.

watermelon - the choice fruit

i used to eat lots of grapes and mangoes. of late, i have been eating more watermelon than any other fruit.

watermelon is an ideal health food because it does not contain any fat or cholesterol. it is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and contains fibre and potassium, as well as lycopene.

watermelon is a very concentrated source of the carotenoid, lycopene. lycopene has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. in contrast to many other food phytonutrients, whose effects have only been studied in animals, lycopene has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. these cancers now include prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancers.

watermelon will not continue to ripen after it is picked from the vine, so first of all, look for one that was picked ripe. you can tell by finding the spot where it lay on the ground - a yellow, white or pale green area on the bottom of the melon. you are looking for creamy yellow. the other two colours (white and pale green) mean that the watermelon was picked green.

along with a creamy underneath, a ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles. you can learn to distinguish the sound... tap several melons at the market and pay attention to which ones sound hollow. if you find a melon that thuds dully, compare that sound to the others and find one that does not.

only buy a watermelon if the rind is free from dents, gashes, bruises or other marks of poor handling. it should be of uniform shape, oblong or round depending on the variety. if it is misshapen, it may not have a good flavor as it may be a genetic throwback.

at 92% water, a watermelon should seem heavy. pick it up, turn it over, look at it carefully. with a little care, you'll be able to choose the perfect watermelon every time.

it is so cheap these days. you can get a whole seedless red watermelon for less than $2.00 at sheng siong supermarket.

such wonderful facilities! what a waste!

went back to west coast park because i was curious to find out about the usage on weekends. the turn-out on a sunday was definitely much better than on a weekday - when there was hardly anyone using the place - but the number of visitors to the park pale in comparison to that at east coast park.

as i had expected most of the crowd were at the western part where the children playgrounds are located. the macdonald's restaurant was filled, so was the mccafe with some spilling onto the outside. a number bought take-aways to have them at the park.

there were three tents pitched up in the area around the playgrounds and about five persons were flying kites on the big field. quite a number of the visitors to the park were expatriates, and i mean caucasians, who seem to able to appreciate the wonderful facilities that are available at this park.

i wonder why there were not many 'locals' at the park. maybe, when they start charging people for making use of the well-designed facilities, then local people will start to throng the place. and yet singaporeans lament that there are not many places for them to enjoy.

this is one gem of a place where the family can bond and the children can learn and discover things themselves while they play. if my children were younger, i would be taking them to this park at least once a fortnight.

civil service/ministers' pay increase

i was having breakfast at toa payoh lorong 4 food centre and could not help eavesdropping on a conversation among a group of retirees at the next table.

"i used to think of them as extraordinary people but now i realise they are ordinary people".

"blame it on the english footballers....if they are paid s$350 000 a week for kicking a ball about, our ministers should be getting more.."

"such a shameful thing to debate about pay increase of more than s$1 000 000 in parliament."

there were more disparaging remarks but i cannot list them here lest i be sued for libel and slander.

west coast park - wholesale centre to west coast link

did not realise that this park is huge (about 50 hectares), though not as expansive as its east coast counterpart. started from the eastern part of the park (carpark 1) which was quiet and it seemed underused. there is a dog-run, near the wholesale centre, to provide a different environment for dog lovers.

an underpass leads you to the second part of the park (carpark 2) where joggers can have a work-out at the fitness corner. (saw din's car at carpark 2.)

the western part of the park is the most attractive and interesting. a macdonald outlet is located near carpark 3. this part of the park will be a haven for young children and teenagers. the three playgrounds cater to different groups of young people. overnight camping is also permitted at this section of the west coast park.

somehow. i still prefer the east coast park because of the varied activities going on there and its proximity to the sea where you can get the breeze blowing in your face.

had planned to go to clementi woods park after visiting west coast park. had to postpone the visit as i had not anticipated that i would spend that much time at the west coast park.

ida's trip to tokyo

ida went with two of her friends on a 5-day d-i-y tour of tokyo. she left on a thursday night (5 april) and came back on wednesday (11 april) at 1.40 a.m. the discounted fare on sia was about s$600 plus.

according to her, food was very good - because she likes japanese food - and not as expensive as people make it out to be. on the average, she spent about 1000yen (s$13) on a meal. for some meals, she had to pay more. like, the prime beef she had at a small restaurant. "the best beef i have eaten so far" came up to about 5000yen.

in tokyo, they moved around by train most of the time to visit the tourist spots. she was full of praise for the train network and the courteousness of the japanese people. as she puts it, japan is culturally rich and technologically advanced.

they took the train to tokyo disneyland, which was a bit of a disappointment because they did not get to see the fireworks as it was raining. however, they managed to see cherry blossom in bloom.

the longest train ride they had was the one which took them to the outskirt of tokyo. they had taken the train to one of the onsens - a japanese hot spring. they had to transfer about three times to get to the place where the onsen was located.

it was not a traditional onsen because they were allowed to wear their swimsuits. although they paid about 4000yen each, they thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the onsen.

a siberian husky in s'pore

my friend has a husky in his house. it belonged to his son's friend who has gone overseas for studies. the dog stays in a big cage outside the house, just next to the garden. it is kept on a leash most of the time. when my friend is home and free, he lets it play in the garden. it does not bark much but today when i visited his place, it barked quite loudly.

huskies are not meant to be first time dog guardians. they are difficult to train as they are very strong-willed. you have to be physically strong to just walk them. they will certainly need obedience training. and they need space as their excercise needs are above average. they are very independent creatures.

they are runners and they have no homing instinct, so if they escape, do not expect that they will return. you have to have a fenced area for them. they are working dogs, so not the most suitable breed for pet duty. not really suited for young children whom they can knock over with ease. they need to be challenged and have something to do daily.

they are not a particularly protective or loyal breed. they have the potential to be aggressive. (they are not descended from the wolf!)

they are double-coated so not suitable to living in singapore. their grooming needs vary, depending on the type of husky. be prepared to brush daily. they are big eaters. they need a lot of protein to maintain muscles mass.

dining etiquette

etiquette refers to "the forms, manners and ceremonies established by convention as acceptable or required in social relations, in a profession or in official life."

proper table manners will increase your confidence and promote your ability to show your skills in handling social situations.

napkin etiquette

place the napkin in your lap immediately after the last person has been seated at your table.
do not shake it open.
if the napkin is large put the fold toward your waist.
if you must leave the table during the meal be sure to put the napkin on your chair or to the left of your plate. never hang it on the back of your chair.

napkins are meant to be dirtied, so feel free to wipe your mouth or hands, but not your neck or entire face.
when you are finished eating, place the napkin to the right of the plate.

passing the food

always pass to the right.
it is ok to pass to your immediate left if you are the closest to the item requested.
always pass the salt and pepper together.
ask the person nearest to what you want "to please pass the item after they have used it themselves."

eating

begin eating only after everyone has been served.
bread and rolls should be broken into small pieces. butter only one or two bites at a time. butter should be taken from the butter dish and placed on the bread plate, not directly on the bread.
bring food to your mouth, not your mouth to the food.
chew with your mouth closed.
always scoop food away from you.
do not leave a spoon in the cup, use the saucer or plate instead.
taste before seasoning.
cut food one piece at a time.
do not use a toothpick, or apply makeup at the table.
if food spills off your plate, you may pick it up with a piece of your silverware and place it on the edge of your plate.
never spit a piece of food into your napkin. remove the food from your mouth using the same utensil it went in with. place the offending piece of food on the edge of your plate. the exception to this is a fish bone or a seed which you may remove with your fingers.
do not talk with your mouth full.
take small bites so you can carry on a conversation without the delay of chewing and swallowing large amounts of food.

generally, it is okay to use your fingers when eating tapas, canapes. small berries and fruit with stems attached.

2nd trip to khatib bongsu nature spot

time is running out soon for this nature spot tucked away in northern singapore, in yishun...at least for people like us, the general public. very soon - in may this year - the last two occupiers of this place will be evicted and the military will take over the place completely. they will then bar members of the public from venturing into this army training ground.

found out that the fishing pond is still functional and it is still open for business. whole day fishing costs $35 at the normal pond. if you wish to try their luck for a bigger catch, then you have to fork out $50 to fish at the special pond. the $50 gives you three hours of anticipation of a bigger and heavier fish.

however, if you are a foreign worker and can't afford the charges, then you can fish in sungai khatib bongsu when the tide is coming in. saw about six thai workers fishing just outside the commercial ponds and one of them had a cat fish to show in a red pail.

also found out that you can drive your vehicle all the way in, right to where the fishing ponds are. just last month, a fishing competition - with monetary rewards for the winners - was held at this fishing pond.

another discovery is that on weekends, the place receive quite a number of people who appreciate nature. met three groups of youngsters walking in as i was going home. saw a metre-long snake slithering across the track.

the people who live by the fishing pond actually know how to enjoy the comforts of modern living: they have their own power generators and some of their rooms are air-conditioned.

golf at palm resort's allamanda course

now i know why those who are crazy about the game refer to golf as 'a game of love and frustration'. today, i played with kok weng at the allamanda course at palm resort because the melati course - on which i played last week - was closed for maintenance. it costs rm$20 more on play at this more challenging and more scenic course. it's challenging because there are eleven water hazards distributed throughout the 18-hole course.

when i played at melati last week, i hit the same ball throughout the whole course. this time, i had to replace two balls because i lost them to the water in the ponds. it was frustrating because i was fluffing some of the shots and creating some boo-boos. my excuse - the aching pain at my right elbow was still troubling me.

i enjoy playing golf with kok weng because he is very encouraging and he allows you to proceed at your own pace. as an inexperienced player, you tend to make mistakes, either topping the shots or sending the shots wild. he does not laugh at you but he laughs with you and gives your pointers on how to correct the mistakes.

during the course of the play, kok weng was telling me the antics of his sunday's flight members. according to him, nai ah, lay hian and low ai are great spotters...for lost balls. when play is being held up by the flight ahead of them, they will spend their time searching the bushes, water edge and the fairway for balls that have strayed.

yesterday, we managed to cover the 18 holes in slightly more than three hours. we started at about 11.15 a.m. and wrapped it up at 2.25 p.m. although it is very hot playing at midday, the consolation is that you do not have people chasing you and there is nobody in front to hold you back.

free parking @ mustafa samsuddin


many shoppers, among them singaporeans, are not aware that there are free parking facilities within the shopping complexes of mustafa samsuddin. however, the number of lots is limited. usually, i parked at the car park with its access along syed alwi road.

the other car park can be accessed from verdun road. in this new complex, there are two levels - levels 3 and 4 - of free parking. however, the car park is not open earlier than 10.00 a.m.

but if you go after 5.00 p.m. the ura parking lots - those that are outside the complexes - are also free, which means you do not need to display a parking coupon. in fact, most of the parking lots on the periphery of the complex are free after 5.00 p.m.

over at serangoon plaza where the original mustafa samsuddin is found, there is no free parking.

i spoke too soon. the day after i wrote this, i was unable to find a parking space at both the car parks within the buildings. had to park in one of the ura lots along hindoo road and display a coupon.