ygblog2

2008-01-01T01:28:00.000-08:00

my new blog: http://ivyidaong3.blogspot.com

2007-12-28T19:12:00.001-08:00

uniquely bukit batok nature park

bukit batok nature park has become my base for my morning walks. the reasons for my choice: proximity, area large enough for an hour walk, free parking, presence of a body of water, toilet facilities, undulating landscape and funny characters.

another suitable candidate for my base is the bukit timah nature reserve. the only setback: it is very difficult to turn into hindhere road before 9.00 a.m. because of the morning peak hour traffic. sometimes, i am forced to encroach onto the bus-lane which is not worth the risk.

there are certain features at bukit batok which are not found in other nature parks. first, there is this disused granite quarry where granite slabs and earth are still slipping into the pond every time it rains. i have been wondering when some of the vegetation will come down with the earth holding it.

not far from this pond, there is this tree - i do not know if it is a banyan tree - that has wrapped most of its roots around a huge boulder.

free parking is available at lorong sesuai. this was also the site of a japanese shinto shrine and war memorial. the syonan chureito was built in 1942 to honour japanese soldiers who died in singapore during world war ii. according to records, there was also a wooden cross built in memory of allied troops who died during the same war. the cross was not far from the japanese memorial.

there is also a family of white breasted laughingthrushes that has made the bukit batok nature park their home. if you walk often enough in this park, you are bound to meet them. they have become so used to humans around them that they do not shy away when you approach them.

the characters who frequent this park also contribute to its uniqueness. there is this lady, in her 30s, who is rather uninhibited in her singing. she yodels or sings very loudly, sometimes in english and at most times, in mandarin.

there is another character who is always around the park with his partner, an indonesian maid. this man, in his late 60s, carries a support with him when he walks. in fact, he has two supports - the indonesian maid on one side and the four-prong support on the other hand. he is always chatting animatedly with his companion, but if you observe carefully, you will know that he does not need both supports - he can manage very well on his own.

2007-12-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

koster's curse

i have this feeling that most people who walk or jog in the parks are quite oblivious to what is around them. they do not bother to find out more about the plants and trees that they come across during their jaunt in the park.

getting acquainted with the flora and fauna in the park makes the walk in the park more meaningful. being able to identify the more common plants and knowing something about them makes one feel connected with the surroundings.

one common shrub found in all parks in singapore is the koster's curse. the koster’s curse is a perennial shrub, about 50–200 cm in height. the hairy leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and have distinctive veins. the plant produces small, white flowers, followed by purple berries.

the koster’s curse is a highly invasive shrub native to tropical america. the species has been transported around the world as a garden plant and seed contaminant. koster’s curse has become a serious pest in at least 16 countries, including hawaii, fiji and indonesia.

in hawaii, more than 40 000 hectares are infested. once established, koster’s curse can form dense thickets that smother plantations, pastures and native vegetation, much like lantana.

if one is caught trying to sneak this plant into australia, one will face a penalty amounting to aus$60,000.

2007-12-28T05:24:00.001-08:00

kite surfing at st kilda's beach

we were at st kilda when we saw about a dozen kitesurfers out in the sea having a whale of a time.

kite surfing is a seasonal activity in most parts of the world because this extreme sport is wind dependant. at st kilda's beach, the kite surfing season is between october and march.

kite surfing is a relatively new sport, with the first international competition held in 1998 on maui in hawaii.

2007-12-28T03:59:00.001-08:00

pictures @ sky high mt dandenong

2007-12-27T03:19:00.000-08:00

fireflies in singapore?

i do not think we will be able to see fireflies in their natural habitat in singapore ever again. it has been a long, long time since i last saw fireflies in singapore and these were seen within the vicinity of my house in the kampong. although, they were not in abundance, it was fascinating enough. i remember catching some and keeping them in a bottle. in the day, they appeared to be an ordinary insect.

the last time, i chased fireflies in the dark was more than thirty years ago at jason's bay in johor. we had ridden our motorbikes there and made camp on the beach. on that moonless light, we came across some of these bioluminscent bettles. we managed to catch some but released them soon after.

our malaysian friend who lives in kuala selangor had invited us in the past to visit her so that she could take us to kampong kuantan to watch the millions of fireflies by the riverbanks. found out during my last trip to desaru that you need not go all the way to kuala lumpur to catch this display of nature's wonder. you can also enjoy this experience along the banks of the johor river at kota tinggi.

fireflies are not flies; they are bettles. and not all species of firefly emit light or have a lantern at their ends. some species are able to synchronize their flashing so that they all flash in unison, on and off at the same time.

the flashing of fireflies is part of their courtship behaviour. generally male fireflies fly about and flash to locate females. each species of fireflies has its own flash pattern of male-female signal and response.

2007-12-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

this tongkat ali is reborn

the last time i saw this tongkat ali (eurycoma longifolia jack) plant at bukit batok nature park, it was in a bad shape. i do not know whether its damage was the work of nature or the work of human. the slender trunk (or stem) had broken into two parts. subsequently, someone removed the top part where the leaves used to be.

i then thought that without leaves, the small tree would be dead. was i surprised today when i saw that new leaves had sprouted just below the break in the trunk.

2007-12-25T02:32:00.000-08:00

my golfing days

i did not realise that i have been playing at the game of golf for more than 15 years until i chanced upon a birthday card given to me by my two daughters on my 43rd birthday, that is about 16 years ago. then ivy was 8 years old and ida was 3. must have been ivy who designed and wrote the card.

my picking up of the game was a preparation for my retirement. i had vision of me playing golf with my retiree friends. well, this vision has been partially realised. i do play with my kakis, who are retirees, but only occasionally.

i am still not very proficient at the game, though i am quite well versed with the rules of the game. so, i still do not have a proficiency certificate (pc, as they called it). i feel handicapped when i hit the shots because of my own perception of my limitations. i have this mental image that my physique will not allow me to hit the white ball beyond 150m. so, up to now, i have not gone for any handicap test.

to be honest, i cannot say that i really enjoy the game of golf. i enjoy the company of my friends on the fairway and the green but i rather caddy for them or drive the buggy than tee off with them.

to compliment me, my friends like to say that i am consistently inconsistent when i play golf with them.

2007-12-25T00:26:00.000-08:00

x'mas lunch at madeline & michael's place

every year, for the past two decades, without fail, we will turn up at madeline and michael's place - actually, it's madeline's sister's place at jalan ma'mor - for a christmas day lunch. the may primary group of people comprising mrs huang, christmas lee, kay poh, lilian and mrs gnaes will be there. i used to meet two of my former students from balestier hill secondary at the same gathering.

we would enjoy the same kind of food each and every time. every year, without fail, there will be turkey, beef stew, ham, fried chicken, salad, curry chicken, meat balls, sausages and pie. for dessert, we would have chocolate cake, sugi cake and pineapple tarts. and without fail, we would have agar agar jelly. but, this year, we waited and waited, but the jelly failed to appear.

so, when i got home from the christmas lunch today, the first thing i did was to get the ingredients to prepare my own agar agar jelly. there was one packet left from the last purchase and following the instructions faithfully, i came up with 1.5 litres of solution for the jelly.

just found out that the stuff that i made this afternoon is the soft and wobbly type of jelly. the ones we used to savour at the christmas lunch were the solid type which can be dislodged from the container or mould.

2007-12-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

how to eat a pomegranate

it is not so much how to eat than how to get to the seeds of the pomegranate. from what i gather, it is one of the messiest fruit to handle and the stains from the juice are quite permanent.

i cannot remember how i ate the fruit when i was younger. i must have eaten it because i can still remember the crunchiness of the seeds and the sweet and sour taste it left in my mouth. could not have been very savoury because i have not eaten the fruit since those childhood days.

how to prepare the fruit for eating:

cut off the flowery end of the pomegranate
score into four sections
break the sections of the fruit open
eat the arils

a ripe pomegranate is ruby red, smooth and firm to touch. it should feel heavy. the seeds are edible. the juice of the pomegranate stains, and it is nearly impossible to remove the stain.

you can submerge the pomegranate in a bowl of water to keep the seeds from squirting and staining. the seeds sink to the bottom and the membrane will float to the top.

you can go this site: http://emptyage.honan.net/mth/2007/10/how-to-eat-a-po.html to find out more.

2007-12-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

crab shells on pomegranate plant

the pomegranate used to hold a special place in the traditional chinese house-holds. most chinese would have a pomegranate shrub growing in a large clay pot outside their house or if they had a small plot of land, it would be growing on the ground near the gate. another name for the pomegranate is chinese apple.

the chinese see the pomegranate as a symbol of fertility - a lot of sons and daughters - and as a promise of faithful offspring to the family. for a baby's one month celebration, some chinese have ang koo kuehs in the shape of a pomegranate.

both the taoist priest and the chinese buddhist monk use a twig from the pomegranate plant for sprinkling blessed water during their rituals.

the chinese offer pomegranates together with mooncakes and dates in moon worship.

some chinese still adhere to this practice of washing their hands or face in a basin of water ,where the pomegranate leaves have been soaked, when they are leaving a wake or a funeral.

i am still trying to figure out the significance of hanging crab shells on the pomegranate shrub. some even tie red ribbons to the branches of the plant.

2007-12-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

walk at ong keh sua kar

steven, who runs a food business in sydney, is back in singapore and together with his wife elaine, he joined us for this month's walk at fort canning park. we had been looking forward to albert koh's company but he has had to stay away again. he preferred the company of his bed.

we gathered at the car-park at the registry of marriage before eight o'clock. kwan, who travelled by train, was there at around seven and he did a short walk prior to joining us. pastor phua and our guest walker from sydney arrived at about the same time. puay heian, who had waited for her brother, reached the meeting point just past eight.

the start point of our walk was the spice garden. there was much interest in the great variety of spices found in this garden. we walked up to the keramat, past the 9 pound cannon and stop to peer into raffles house.

the ladies were more amused than the men when they saw omsq - the old married soldiers ' quarters. somebody asked: what about the young married soldiers? why aren't they catered for?

we had to capture the moment because it was the first time that steven and elaine were with us. the group posed for photos towards the end of the walk, one with clarke quay in the background and another at the raffles terrace.

2007-12-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

driving in australia

singaporeans should be very much at home driving in australia because we, australia and singapore, share the same road system as our colonial masters - right-hand drive. i agree with ivy that driving in australia is a less stressful experience compared to driving in singapore as most australians do not drive in a 'kiasu' manner. of course, you do run into the odd 'boy racers' and the 'bull dozers'.

no one flashes headlights or sounds the horn at you if you choose to travel on the right lane at your own pace. as a result of stricter enforcement, most motorists keep within the speed limits. should you mistakenly form up in the wrong lane and need to make a change, most drivers will forgivingly let you slip into their lane.

i was most impressed when an emergency vehicle came to a traffic light stop. three vehicles which were in its path, drove across the line and moved to the sides to allow the ambulance through. after that, the three cars moved back to their original positions as the light was still red.

when driving in australia, you need to know the difference between a freeway and a highway. a freeway is like our expressway where there are no traffic lights. on freeways, the speed limit is usually 100km/hr whereas on highways, speed limit is 80km/hr. highways are not necessary wide roads; some highways are single carriageways.

however, highways which intersperse with freeways can be interstate highways, like the hume highway, 880km long, which links sydney to melbourne. then there is the 1784km princes highways which link most of the states in australia.

melbourne also has a money charging system quite similar to our erp (electronic road pricing). they call it the citylink tollway. whereas we have a unit fixed in our vehicle, theirs is a etag, an electronic transponder, a portable device which can be transferred from one car to another.

in melbourne, if you drive in the city itself, you need to learn how to make a hook turn. when you need to make a hook turn, you move quickly to the leftmost lane. generally, hook turns are made when turning right when you are sharing the road with tramlines to your immediate right.

2007-12-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

the wineries of mornington peninsula

aside from the scenic places, which include the beaches, and the fruit farms, i think the primary attraction of the mornington peninsula is the wineries. some are open daily, some, on weekends and some can only be visited if you make an appointment.

the better known ones include tucks ridge, stonier, moorooduc estate, red hill estate, paringa estate, t'gallant, monalto, dromana estate, main ridge and willow creek.

for us, going back to the mornington peninsula meant going back to familiar places like the sunny ridge strawberry farm and the t'gallant winery.

t'gallant is set in a tin shed with tree trunks as supporting beams. it has a wide range of wine at a wide range of prices, with a wide range of pinot gris and pinot grigo - which is its trademark wine.

we bought four bottles of pink marcato and one bottle of juliet pinot noir which i gave to chris.
we drank one bottle of the marcato at the house in rye, gave one bottle to michael and steven and took two bottles back to singapore.

2007-12-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

visiting nara @ mulgrave, melbourne

nara, my former colleague from monk's hill, and his wife visit his eldest daughter anu in melbourne at least twice a year, once in april and once in september. this year, they made a third trip in december, to be there to celebrate their granddaughter lara's birthday.

anu, who studied at national univeristy of singapore, is lecturing in dentistry at melbourne university. her husband burka, a german, is teaching mathematics at monash univeristy. they have a son, called karl and a daughter, lara. because the children are part indian, karl is also known as arun and lara's indian name is lathitha.

i had wanted to drop in at anu's place in mulgrave on 14 december but was told by anu told that her father had not recovered from, no, not jet lag, but lack of sleep on the flight to australia.

we visited them the next day. anu and burka had bought a 20-year old house at mulgrave and had it renovated with the help of anu's father-in-law, a 74-year old retired engineer. the flooring in the living room and the patio could easily pass as the work of a professional.

on the day of our departure, by some coincidence, we met again at chadstone shopping complex, where lara's birthday party was held.

2007-12-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

santa comes to dandenong market

on our second visit to the dandenong market, we met santa and his gang of entertaining musicians. it did not seem like they were busking because there was no receptable on the ground for collecting donation.

they are just some like-minded people who enjoy making music together. i think they were at the market to build up the festive mood for the season. they first played in a procession and then, in a small group of four, they would take up position at different parts of the market to entertain the people at the market.

like most markets in australia, the dandenong market is not open daily. besides farm produce like fruit and vegetables, you can also get a whole range of household stuff at the market.

comparing the prices with those back home in singapore, i do not find them much cheaper. however, things here seem to be much bigger in size; you have watermelons, costing aus$8 each, which are triple the size of those from malaysia.

another interesting observation is that the people here do not mind the fruit being over-ripe. mangoes and bananas with black spots are commonly sold at the markets.

2007-12-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

christmas light up in the suburbs

in some suburban parts of melbourne, they may not have the lights up of orchard road but they do have private residential homes that are so elaborately decorated with christmas lights that they become an attraction for the locals.

last night, when we stopped at this house along the burwood highway, there were at least fifty people in the compound marvelling at the scale of the lighting. the house owner even had a generator to supply electricity for the light up.

the place was so well lit that you did not need a flash to take your night pictures. the decorations were not confined to just the compound, even the inside of the house and the garage were filled with figurines and christmas lights.

the night before, chris had taken us to view some houses in his neighbourhood which were similarly decorated with christmas lights. over at cathies lane, the owners of one whole row of houses had come together to decorate each and every house there.

they do not have the lights on throughout the night. the house at burwood highway, for example, is lit up from 9.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m.

2007-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

london bridge & portsea beach at mornington

when you visit melbourne, a lot of the locals will suggest that you take a ride to the great ocean route or visit philip's island to watch the fairy penguins. when i drew up the itinerary and included a visit to philip's island, yew lian was not too keen on it, so we dropped the idea.

i had left out the 'must see' twelve apostles because of my own experience. it is a long and winding drive to the twelve apostles, which are actually rock formations in the sea. and if you get there on a cold and rainy day - which happened to us - you do not get to see much.

the other reason i did not suggest the great ocean route was that we could see similar rock formations off the sea near portsea. there is also a london bridge at portsea.

2007-12-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

the house in rye

this house in rye, built in 1992, was our accommodation at the mornington peninsula on 10 & 11 december. the wife of ivy's pastor, daisy, bought this house for more than aus$300k in 2005. the house is used for church retreats and their own holiday getaway.

it is a 2-storey house with six rooms, two on the ground level and four on the top level. the ten of us occupied the 4 rooms on the top level. it is fully equipped with cooking facilities and heaters for the colder months of the year.

we had most of our meals in the house except for lunch on the first day when we went to an eatery for fish and chips. we had bought and taken our own groceries to the house. ida cleared whatever she had in her fridge to finish it at rye.

the girls all worked together to prepare a bee-hoon dinner for the 1st day. ida cooked her teriyaki chicken. the second day's dinner was chye perng cooked by yew lian and yew kim.

2007-12-13T00:47:00.000-08:00

cherry & strawberry picking

there are three things you should do when you visit the mornington peninsula: 1 wine tasting at the many wineries 2 cherry and strawberry picking 3 walk along the beach. we did all three of these.

we visited t'gallant, a winery, and bought a few bottles of wine - 3 pink marcota and 1 juliet pinot noir. chye hup bought a bottle of marcota which we finished on the second night of our stay at rye.

chye hup, fiona and yew lian picked cherries at a farm in the arthur's seat area. they picked both the red and maroon cherries. the darker cherries were sweeter. for aus$5 each, they could eat as much as they like during the picking and whatever they picked and wanted to take away, they had to pay aus$5 for each kilo of cherries.

as for strawberries, four of them, each paid aus$8 to pick strawberries. they could eat as many strawberries as they wanted, except the big ones, and they were each allowed half a kilo (of strawberries) to take away.

they did not pick the very ripe ones because they were going to take them back to singapore.

2007-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

ivy's honda civic & personalised plate

the top picture shows ivy's honda civic bought in august this year for aus$26, 600. she had traded in her 4-year old korean car for aus$8000.

the bottom picture shows a car with a personalised number plate.

2007-12-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

barbeque in chris' garden

australians enjoy having bbq parties in their own garden. in most homes, the bbq set is part of the furniture. the set in chris' garden uses gas and volcanic rocks. so, on sunday, after the church service at waverley and after our visit to st kilda's art market, we were back at wantirna south at 4.00 p.m. to prepare for the bbq.

chris' son and his greek wife, who live at glen waverley, joined us for the bbq. his nephew peter came at around 7.00 p.m. ivy, ida and dorcas came from clayton to be with us.

the food included chicken drumlets, squids, beef, mutton, different kinds of sausages, barramundi and chicken ribs.

of course, we had beer, ale, wine and ice-cold coke.

2007-12-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

geelong, queenscliff and williamstown

geelong, victoria's second largest city, is about 80km from melbourne and it took us about one and a half hours of driving to reach the shores of corio bay. we spent most of our time at geelong waterfront, especially at cunningham pier and the carousel, before making our way to the beach where we had our picnic. we had an enjoyable time feeding the sea gulls with bread crumbs.

30 minutes from geelong is the delightful seaside resort of queenscliff. we had seen sorrento on the other side of the peninsula during our previous visit, and so we made it a point to see queenscliff this time around. the car and passenger ferry takes 40 minutes to travel from queenscliff to sorrento. foot passengers pay aus$9 for a one-way trip. we had tea at the cafe with a view of the beautiful sea.

the first time i heard of williamstown was when bel's brother asked if we could do him a favour by collecting a plastic candle mould from someone in williamstown. then pei chern told us that williamstown was a quaint place located at the mouth of the yarra river.

on our way back from geelong we made a stop at williamstown, the first port of melbourne. we walked past the titanic restaurant to the seafront. we spent some time near the time ball tower.

for our dinner, we chose to have pizzas at the toto restaurant along lygon street, the italian heart of melbourne.

2007-12-09T12:58:00.001-08:00

graduation dinner @ imperial kingdom

6 dec was a busy day for ivy and all of us. four of us, including ivy, attended the graduation lunch at monash's campus centre. ivy had 5 tickets, for which she paid aus$26/ticket. lunch was a finger-food affair where we stood around while a prize presentation was held.

after lunch we moved back to ivy's place at atlantic street for a photo shoot. anton, one of ivy's church friends, had converted the living room into a studio. there was a large piece of cloth for the backdrop and at the sides was the lighting equipment. it was close to a professional set-up.

the graduation ceremony was held at the robert blackwood concert hall in monash's clayton campus. guests had to be seated by 4.00 p.m. pei chern was with us at the ceremony. ivy's church friends waited outside for the ceremony to be over to congratulate her and to have pictures taken with her.

that evening, at around 7.00 p.m., we had dinner at imperial kingdom, a popular chinese restaurant located at the corner of blackburn and ferntree gully roads. we had booked two tables to celebrate ivy's graduation with her church friends, relatives and with chris, del and bel.

2007-12-09T03:03:00.000-08:00

ivy's graduation - 6 dec 2007

2007-12-07T01:41:00.000-08:00

afternoon tea @ ms marples tea-room

when pei chern flew in from sydney, we went to glen waverley station to pick her as she had taken the train there from the airport. from the train station we headed straight for the dandenong mountains.

we travelled in two cars: ivy, ida and pei chern in one, the rest of us in the rented car. ivy led us to our first stop - the sky high observatory. at 633m, it is the highest point in the surrounding ranges. there is an admission charge of aus$4 for each vehicle.

from the observatory, on a clear day, visitors can get a panoramic view of melbourne eastern suburbs as well as parts of the city.

there have been some changes since our last visit to the observatory. there is now an exquisite english garden. there are also two sculptures which were not there during our previous visit.

our next and other stop was ms marples tea-room in the village of sassafras. we had to rush as we were aware that they stopped serving tea after 4.30 p.m. we had tea, ice-cream and scones. found out later that the place was popular and famous because of the scones.

2007-12-06T13:27:00.001-08:00

our rented car - a ford territory tx

as there are seven of us - myself, lay bee, bel, chye hup, yew kim, yew lian and fiona - we decided on a 7-seater to move around in. we had wanted to rent a toyota tarago but none was available, which was expected as this brand of cars are in great demand close to the festive season. we settled for a 4-litre ford territory.

chye hak collected the car from hertz at the airport on the day we arrived in melbourne. ivy had driven her honda civic to the airport as there would not have been enough space in the rented car for our luggage. ivy took a taxi back to the city and lay bee took over the wheels.

the ford territory tx is the automatic version. the oversized tyres make the car looks bigger than it actually is. as it with most mpvs, the boot is almost non-existent. that was why we needed ivy's car to be at the airport.

chye hup and i take turns to drive the vehicle. where the journey is longer, like during the trip to geelong, he drove the first part and i covered the rest. the car seems quite economical - contrary to motor reviews - returning about 1.27 litre/100km. inspite of it size and weight, it is quite an easy car to handle.

as we are enjoying corporate rate for the rental - because lynn is in the travel business - the total cost for the 10-day rental is slightly over aus$600.

2007-12-06T12:30:00.001-08:00

home brewed ale

home is chris' at fraser crescent in wantirna south. on my last trip to australia in july, when i visited chris, i noticed that he had many empty bottles and bottle caps. i asked del if chris was into collecting bottle caps. she told me that those were part of the equipment for his home-brewing hobby.

when i went with ivy to ballarat for her internship interview, i came across this shop selling cans of malt needed for home-brewing. i decided to get a can for chris.

this visit, i got to taste the beer - actually, it's ale - that chris brewed. the method that chris used to make his beer/ale is known as kit and kilo brewing. the hopped liquid malt extract, when reconstituted with water, produces wort.

to brew beer at home, you need a fermenter. you need to monitor the temperature as fermentation activity will stop if the temperature drops too low. you also need to use a hydrometer to check if the wort is fully fermented before bottling.

from the 1.8kg can of malt, chris was able to get 60 bottles of beer.

2007-12-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

lunch @ wah kee, clayton

ida and ivy were at the airport to welcome us to melbourne. as we had expected, lay bee and bel took nearly two hours to clear customs because of the food that they had brought along. by the time we collected the rental car - a 4-litre 7-seater ford territory - it was almost noon. lay bee drove ivy's car while i drove the rented one.

we took the tullamarine freeway to head for the south-eastern suburbs. when we reached ida's place at lantana st, clayton, it was still drizzling. cissy was home, so she let us into the house. it was about half an hour later before lay bee joined us. the two cars then proceeded to ivy's place at atlantic street, clayton.

after leaving some stuff at ivy's place, we drove to clayton to have lunch. we had lunch at wah kee. after lunch, we did some shopping at the chinese grocery store and at coles. we then drove to monash hotel/motel along the dandenong highway. chye hup's family had booked a family room for a week, paying aus$770 for the one-week stay.

2007-12-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

keppel island (pulau keppel)

saw this modernistic cable stayed bridge linking the mainland to a small island while we were approaching the cruise centre on board the superstar virgo. was curious to find out more about the island and the developments that were going on.

just found out today that the name of the island is keppel. it used to be known as pulau hantu (ghost or devil's island). there is another pulau hantu, the better known one, further out to sea, near the sisters' island. went snorkelling around that island decades ago.

also familar with this island as we used to pass it on our way to sentosa. those days, sentosa was known as pulau belakang mati. then, there were neither cable cars nor causeway bridge, so we had to rely on bumboats to get from world trade centre to the island.

looks like apart from a marina - marina @ keppel bay, they will have a food and beverage outlet, located within the marina. this eatery called prive on keppel island will open on 11 december 2007. it will comprise a fine-dining restaurant, a gastro-bar and a bakery-cum-cafe.

2007-11-30T23:51:00.000-08:00

the esplanade - present and past

ask any young person today where the esplanade is and invariably you will be directed to the structure that resembles a durian. in the past, when we referred to the esplanade, it was to this waterfront that begins where the singapore river ends. the tree-lined promenade is actually called queen elizabeth walk. the name esplanade is used to refer to the park.

the esplanade park was where lovers strolled hand in hand along queen elizabeth walk as they listened to the waves crashing against the sea walls. within the park, there are a number of monuments like the tan kim seng fountain, the lim boh seng memorial, the cenotaph and the indian national army monument.

before the esplanade theatre was built, there was a semi-circular building which was a restaurant and cafe of sort. in the day, especially in the morning, it was quite deserted. the crowd came only in the evening. as such, in the morning, this quiet and breezy place was quite conducive to some self-study or revision.

as our school was nearby, in my secondary four year, we - me and my friend chye heng - used to skip school to study either at his home or at the esplanade.

2007-11-30T01:17:00.000-08:00

travelling to mainland china by ship

nowadays, it is almost unheard of - travelling on a passenger-cum-cargo ship to china. but that's what the older folks did, up to the late 70s, when they returned to their hometown to visit their relatives and friends. nothing of the cruise ship's kind of travel and comfort. more like huddled together in a tight space and during the week-long journey, enduring seasickness and hunger because of the loss of appetite and the not very appetising food.

to make the trip, the elderly folks had to scrimp and save for a few years. months before the trip, they would start collecting used clothes and other used stuff. they would also store up on non-perishables like canned food, medication and herbs which they would bundle together with other odds and ends. these would be sent to the agent whose duty was to ensure that the things got on board the ship. i remember watching my mother using cloth remnants to stitch into blankets and these would keep somebody warm in china.

other preparations for the trip included going to the agent who also doubled as the letter-writer - who lived at sophia road - to write notes to her relatives in china to let them know of the name of the ship, the expected date of arrival at the port in fujian and the name of her agent. if i am not wrong, the name of my mother's agent was hock ann.

on the day of the journey, they would board a tongkang at clarke quay which would take them to the ship anchored out in the sea. my mother would have a hand-carry bag with her. the other stuff would be in bags or sacks with identification tags. her agent would help with the tagging of the bags.

i remember accompanying her once to the ship to see her off. we were even allowed onboard the ship to have a look around. i have a faint picture of the abject kind of accommodation they had on the ship - a crammed, gloomy deck where each traveller had a bunk bed with all his stuff strewn on the floor.

i think the journey to china took about 5 days or longer and it was not uncommon for them to suffer from seasickness during the journey. however, the thought of seeing their loved ones and friends was enough for them to endure all the hardships and unpleasantness on the ship.

2007-11-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

canoeing - yesterday & today

the canoeing scene has changed somewhat over the years. when we first started in the 60s, there were not many fibreglass canoes, so some of us had to make do with wooden sampans. they were heavier, not so sleek and so needed more strength and effort to manoeuvre.

today, they have both kayaks and canoes, all made of light-weight material. they also have different classes of kayaks, from k1 to k4. those early days, we had only c1 and c2 categories for canoes. nowadays, they even have the canadian kayaks.

those days, all canoes belonged to schools or organisations. these days, some students have their personal canoes or kayaks. a k1 imported kayak costs around $4320 and a k4 cost about $12k.

not many schools and colleges were into canoeing in the past because not many teachers were trained in this water sports. more schools are involved these days and the teachers in charge need not have any knowledge of the sports, there are local as well as imported coaches, mainly from china, to take care of the training.

in the past, we used to carry out our training sessions in the sea off changi. presently, there are two main training areas for students, one at macritchie reservoir and the other at bedok reservoir. in the sea, there is scope for varying our training grounds whereas in the reservoirs, every canoeist is expected to stay within a designated area.

i was trying to point out to my friend, who is still involved in coaching, that nowadays the students do not enjoy the variety of activities that we had. instead of training all the time, we organised overnight canoeing expeditions to pulau ubin. seems like now, it is the only island available for such an activity; the other islands like seletar, tekong and coney are out-of-bounds to the public.

2007-11-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

west coast park area 3 & sea

up to the 70s, all these types of boats were moored at clifford pier. most of these boats are used by weekend fishermen.

some upgrading work is still going on in west coast park area 3 at the area fronting the sea. the upgrading is expected to be completed by the end of the year. this project is next to the adventure land, one of the largest of its kind in singapore.

i think these are trumpet flowers. they do look like trumpets, anyway. the ones found growing in west coast park belong to the yellow variety. other colours they come in are white, red and purple.

some people warn that all parts of this plant are poisonous. however, according to another source, only the seeds and flowers are poisonous if ingested.

2007-11-29T05:33:00.001-08:00

punggol point and coney island

coney island (pulau serangoon) used to be a popular island retreat for weekenders. it was also popular with water skiiers when punggol boatel was nearby. today, it looks like a restricted place - hardly anybody goes there. in my 3-year old street directory, there are planned roads linking coney island to the mainland. there is also a network of roads planned for the 50-hectare island.

today, i went down to punggol east to check if any development had taken place. i found out that the whole thing was still in its planning stage. i walked along the coast to the right of the jetty until i could see coney island. it's only about 100m from the mainland. in the past, coney island was quite bare but today it appears to be covered by a luxuriant growth of greenery.

i do not know if any land reclamation had taken place. this was supposed to double the size of the island. there are plans to build three bridges to link it to the mainland, one solely for pedestrians and the other two to carry both vehicular and human traffic.

when we first started teaching in the early 70s, we would canoe from pasir ris - where our canoes/sampans were stored - to frog island and to coney island. after our picnic, we would paddle back to pasir ris.

as i strolled along the rocky coastline of punggol, i came across this snail on the wall of a drain. it does not look like a land snail. wonder if it is a sea snail or some aquatic snail.

2007-11-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

crabs at punggol point

today, at about 5.00 p.m. the tide was out. at punggol point, not far from the jetty - where trainees take the bum-boat to outward bound school - the low tide reveals a patch of rocky shoreline. saw a number of people, mainly children, looking for creatures among the rocks.

when i went nearer to the group of children, i found that they had a few small crabs, a small lobster and later, they added a starfish in their small plastic container. nearby, an uncle and his niece were also hunting for the same things. they had three small crabs in a smaller container.

there were lots of tiny crabs hidden under the rocks. all the hunters had to do was to move the rock and the tiny crabs would be scurrying all over the place. they used small scoops to handle the crabs. they left the babies alone and went for the slightly bigger ones, those that were at least 3cm long.

the crabs were neither fiddler crabs nor coral spider crabs. they look like a smaller version of the normal swamp crabs.

when i asked the children what they would be doing with the crabs, i did not get a response from them.

reminded me of the time when we were in england and came across these children catching crabs in a stream. asked what they would do to the crabs, they replied that they would release them back into the stream at the end of it all. they did it just for enjoyment.

2007-11-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

sim poh air

since my retirement at the end of 2006, i have come to know a number of new names, like khaya senegalensis, bismark, licuala grandis, ocimum basilicum, pandanus utilis and simpoh air. they are familiar to me because i always meet them during my walk at the parks, nature reserves and even at lim chu kang.

i know one chap called sim poh heng and a girl named sim poh choo. but, it was only this year that i learnt of the name simpoh air.

the simpoh air plant is very common in singapore. you can find them at wasteland, swampy areas and at the edge of the forests. they have large leaves and large yellow flowers. the fruit is red with seeds covered in red flesh in its numerous segments.

the leaves of this plant have been used to wrap food such as tempeh or they can be formed into a holder to contain rojak. at one time, the chee cheong fun seller also used to dish out his food on this leaf. the tailor bird use the leaves to make its nest.

"the plant blooms from age 3-4 and can live for 50-100 years! plants in the simpoh family (dilleniaceae) hiss when the trunk or a branch is cut (you have to put your ear to the cut to hear it). the sound comes from the air that is sucked into the cut vessels."

2007-11-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

dinner at bottletree park

although i have visited the park a couple of times, today is the first time i ate at the restaurant at bottletree park. bottletree park is at yishun while the one at sembawang is called bottletree village. they are under the same management.

bel invited us to join her brother's family for a thanksgiving dinner. she did not tell us that it was also her birthday dinner. her brother victor and his wife carol came with their two daughters and the boy friend of one of their daughters, natasha.

we had chilli crabs, cereal prawns, yam basket, kailan, chicken fried in dried chilli, claypot tofu and mantou. the bill came up to nearly $200.

bottletree is no longer a place for budget meals. when it first started as sembawang seafood restaurant, prices were pegged more for pockets of the working class type. today, with upgrading, they seem to be reaching out to a different clientele.

2007-11-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

dragon boat tragedy in cambodia

until this tragedy, i have not realised that, in most instances, the paddlers do not wear life vests. i studied some pictures of dragon boat races and found only in one picture were the paddlers wearing life-vests. it was a team of female paddlers.

i asked my good friend who is involved in coaching, if this - no life vests worn - was the standard practice. according to him, it has been done all the time, even in singapore. i have also seen pictures where the rowers were all bare bodied.

then i asked him another question: aren't all dragon boat participants supposed to be able to swim? not all of them are competent swimmers; some are not very strong or good swimmers. according to him, in that kind of situation, with strong currents and swirling waters, even a good swimmer could find himself in trouble.

the team that went to cambodia was a hastily assembled team. it comprised members from the universities, polytechnics, armed forces, macpherson dragon boat club and others. the incident happened after they had completed a race and when they decided to continue with a practice run.

the standard crew complement of a contemporary dragon boat is around 22, comprising 20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers, and 1 steerer or tiller(helm) at the rear of the boat, although for races it is common to have just 18 paddlers.

of the 22 members, 17 were rescued and 5 are still missing.

the prime minister went on national tv to say that he was saddened by what happened and that he shared the deep concerns of the families members of the 5 missing singaporeans.

2007-11-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

wantan mee @ 128 tembeling road

unlike some people, i don't know how to appreciate the soup version of wantan mee. every time i eat wantan mee, it has to be the dry version with a bit of chilli. so was it today when i ate at hong mao noodle.

joo chiat area seems to have more than its fair share of good wantan mee stalls. besides hong mao noodle, there is fei fei at 62 joo chiat place (there is more than one fei fei in joo chiat) and eng's wantan noodles at dunman food centre.

at hong mao, i like the wantan but find the noodles, just so so. it seems like all the popular wantan mee stalls, with the exception of the sin hoe hin at rowell road, share one common feature - long waiting time for your food. at 128 food corner, you can expect to wait up to 45 minutes for your wantan mee. (this afternoon, went to eat at telok blangah drive, waited 30 minutes for the wantan mee which we polished off in less than 10 minutes.)

my own ranking of the wantan mee stalls that i have tried so far is: 1st kok kee @ lavendar food court; 2nd sin hoe hin @ 12 rowell road; and 3rd hong ji mian shi jia @ telok blangah drive.

2007-11-24T00:06:00.001-08:00

the shrill call of the cicada

many people who venture into a tropical rainforest and get assailed by a high-pitch call, tend to attribute it to the cricket. the shrill sound is actually produced by the male cicadas, just as the chirping sounds are made by the male crickets.

male cicadas have loud noisemakers called 'timbals' on the sides of their abdominal base. the cicadas produce sounds by vibrating rapidly the membranes found within its abdomen. they modulate the sounds by moving their abdomens towards and away from the tree trunk.

some cicadas produce sounds louder than 106dB, which is the loudest among insect-produced sounds.

different species have different mating sounds (songs) to attract the mate from the appropriate species. the intensity of the sound also acts as an effective bird repellent. the males tend to gather to create a greater sound intensity to repel avian predators.

(top picture is a cricket; below it, a cicada. the cicada was on a tree at west coast park when i photographed it)

2007-11-23T04:08:00.000-08:00

pandan reservoir

there is not much of a park at pandan reservoir. in fact, it serves mainly as a storage place for non-potable water which is supplied to the industries in the western part of singapore, particularly to the jurong industrial estate.

the reservoir is formed by the damming of sungei pandan. you can tell that the water in this reservoir is not as clear or as clean as that in the other reservoirs. however, though fishing is not permitted in the pandan reservoir, there are sizeable fish in the waters.

i followed a red arowana swimming at the edge of the water. as i walked further, i came across two fairly large aruan also by the water edge.

found some creepers bearing pods along a track away from the reservoir. along the perimeter of the reservoir, there is a track. met a solitary jogger all the time i was there. if i had walked at my usual pace, i think i would take about an hour to cover the whole perimeter.

the s'pore rowing association has its centre located at 249 jalan buroh. the rowing boats and a couple of dragon boats are stored there. they use the reservoir for their training sessions and i believe rowing competitions are also being held at pandan reservoir.

2007-11-22T01:14:00.000-08:00

whistling ducks @ west coast park's marsh land

the first time i saw such ducks was at the symphony lake at the botanic gardens. later i learnt that they had been sighted at the sungai buloh wetlands, kranji marshes and at the shores of pulau tekong besar. there was also a report that jurong bird park had some of them. today i came across a flock of eight lesser whistling ducks at the marsh garden of west coast park 3.

according to an article on the internet, the lesser whistling duck is a threatened species in singapore. there are not more than 200 of them in the wild.

lesser whistling ducks tend to be quite shy; when you get too close to them, they will fly away. this duck flies like a goose with its long neck sticking out and drooping below the body, and wings beating rapidly.

2007-11-21T00:49:00.000-08:00

door to door castration of cockerels service

when we lived in a kampong and reared chickens, my mother would reserve the largest cockerels as offerings to the sky god (tnee kong) on the 9th day of the lunar new year.

to ensure that the prized birds grew to the desired size, she had them castrated when the cocks reached a certain age/size. no, she did not and could not do the job herself. you needed skill, knowledge and experience to perform the delicate operation successfully. there was this man - he carried his tools in a deep cane basket - who would move from kampong to kampong to do the caponization.

i had watched him doing his work often enough to know how it was done. first, he would grab the wings of the cockerel and with a swift twist locked them together. to immobolise the bird further, he would step on their legs. the bird had to be stretched out to its full length to expose the rib cage area. feathers in this rib cage area were removed and the skin disinfected.

using a sharp scalpel or knife, an incision was made. he had to make sure the incision was deep enough to expose the abdominal air sac covering the intestines and the other organs. he would use two rust-proof clips, one on each side of the opening, to stretch the incision and keep it open.

with a thin fishing line attached to the end of a rod, he would insert it into the hole and skilfully worked on dislodging the testes, one at a time. another of his tool was a scoop which he used to fish out the testes. he would drop the removed teste into a container of water. the testes were yellowish in colour and each, the size of a peanut.

not all operations,however, were successful. once in a while, one of the cockerels would succumb to infection and die.

2007-11-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

chick, cock, cockerel, pullet, hen & capon

do you know the difference between a cock and a cockerel? a pullet and a hen? and do you know what a capon is?

a young chicken is called a chick. a male chicken is a cock or a cockerel, depending on its age. similarly, a female chicken is called a pullet or a hen. the age at which a pullet becomes a hen and a cockerel becomes a cock depends on what type of chicken is being raised. purebred poultry producers have very age-specific definitions. a chicken is a cockerel or pullet if it is less than one year of age.

after one year of age, the chicken is referred to as a hen or cock. in the commercial industry a female chicken is called a hen after it begins egg production (around five months of age). a sexually mature male chicken (again, around five months of age) is referred to as a rooster. a capon is a castrated male chicken.

i remember when the children were younger, we decided to let them have the experience of rearing chicks. we bought some baby chicks from a shop at kallang bahru and kept them in a cage. this cage was placed in a recess area outside our front door. the chicks made so much noise, especially at night, that it upset our immediate neighbour. eventually, lay bee took them to school and left them in the school garden, where there were other chickens.

2007-11-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

kindergarten @ foochow methodist church

we never had any pre-school education, so when it came to our children, we made sure that they were not deprived of this experience.

when we were living at towner road, newton life church and foochow methodist church kindergartens were about the two nearest kindergartens which were affiliated to churches.

both ivy and ida attended the foochow methodist church kindergarten at race course road. they were placed in this kindergarten because we happened to know dr gong (who emigrated to australia in the 60s) who was related to the principal.

ivy had started attending k1 at foochow methodist church kindergarten. the next year she was moved to the kindergarten at newton life church because lay bee's pei hwa colleague's (ms tang) sister was the principal of the centre. the following year she joined the pre-primary programme at pei chun public school in lorong 6 toa payoh.

ida also started at foochow methodist church kindergarten before switching to attending the pcf kindergarten at the void deck of our block (104) at towner road. it seemed that she had not enjoyed the pre-school experience because of the discomfort she felt while riding the bus to the kindergarten at race course road.

i think for both of them the high point of their attendance at the kindergarten was their performance at the end of the school year's concerts where parents were invited to watch.

2007-11-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

have you ever played with mud?

children in days of yore were so inventive in coming up with games of their own. there might be no tangible gains whatsoever in winning but it was the enjoyment of it that mattered. we enjoyed playing a game because it provided us a chance to hone our skills. it also made us think of how to improve on our technique and to make sure we got it right everytime. it did not have to benefit us materially or financially.

like this game we played, using mud to make a shallow dish. we used the yellow clay to mould a dish to fit into our palm. the base of the dish was flat. this game was usually played between two contestants; however, we would accommodate more. in the case where we had four contestants, then we could pair up and played as two teams.

the objective was to throw the mud dish onto the floor so that the impact would cause the base to burst. the winner of the game was the one who managed to get the base of his dish to open up. in the case where both dishes were broken, then the one with the bigger crack won.

so, when we moulded the dish, we did not wet the side as much as the base. this was to ensure that the whole dish did not collapse when hurled onto the ground. there were some who believed that if you thinned the base, it would burst easily on impact.

you would not think that anyone would cheat when it came to playing this game. yes, there were dishonest ones. these were those frustrated ones who could not achieve any 'break through' with their mud dishes and who then resorted to cheating. they would use their finger to poke the base just before the throw.

in those days, we had not known or heard of meliodosis - the disease that is caused by playing in the mud or being in constant contact with mud. so, we played without fear.

2007-11-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

former bt panjang child welfare clinic

this colourful building at 24 woodlands road used to be the bukit panjang child welfare clinic. it was officially opened in 1950. when we moved into the bukit panjang housing estate in 1997, it was still operating as a government clinic.

today it is a child development school (kindergarten) known as the learning ladder. at least, it is still involved in the welfare of the child though you have to pay a substantial fee to avail your child of its services.

it has a rather small car-park and in the mornings, when i see parents/guardians driving their children/wards to the place, they all seem to have a hard time manoeuvring their vehicles out of the confined space.

2007-11-18T22:11:00.001-08:00

sweet basil (ocimum basilcum)

my neighbour, who grows his basil in the 'public private garden', has been advising my wife to get the basil leaves from the garden to fry with eggs. according to him, eating basil is good for health. it seems to me a lot of things that we eat are good for our health and yet a lot of us are still afflicted by hypertension and high cholesterol.

sweet basil, with its wonderful aroma and flavour, is one of the most popular and widely grown herbs in the world. we tend to associate basil with italian cooking, so it may surprise you to learn that basil originated in the far east, in countries like india, pakistan and thailand.

basil has been cultivated for over 2000 years and it symbolizes love. at one time young girls would place some on their windowsill to indicate they were looking for a suitor. small pots of this were given by farmers' wives to visitors as parting gifts. it is also reputed that any man will fall in love with a woman from whom he accepts some basil from as a gift.

fresh basil is the perfect candidate for freezing, either whole or chopped. blanch whole leaves for two seconds, plunge into ice water, pat dry and place in airtight bags in the freezer. flavour will be stronger if you don't thaw before using.

another option is to put whole or chopped fresh leaves in an ice cube tray and cover with water or broth before freezing. once frozen, pop the cubes out into an airtight bag. use the cubes in soups, stews or sauces. frozen basil should be used within four months.

basil is readily available in dried form ( i use a lot of this when i cook my pizza paste), but it cannot compare in flavour to fresh basil. dried basil should be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat and light. dried herbs lose their potency within six months, even under the best conditions. it's best to buy small amounts so you can use it up faster. when dried, basil loses much of its intensity.

the basil plant needs continuous pruning to stimulate growth. recommended interval is about once every four weeks. it is important to keep basil cut back so you have a continual harvest of fresh leaves. it is also important not to let the plants slated for culinary use flower, or the leaves will begin to taste bitter.

2007-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

another mystery house (villa)

another house that intrigues me is this black and white villa at bukit chermin, to the left of the keppel golf club. although it appears to be well-maintained, i have yet to see anyone at the house or near the house.

like the house at lim chu kang, this one, though not built over the sea, also faces the sea. however, this is a posh mansion and i can presume that it must belong to someone who is/was quite wealthy.

seems like i am not the only one who likes to know who owns the place. the other day, when we were on the superstar virgo coming back to the cruise centre, sabrina asked me if i knew anything about the black and white villa.

now, with the opening of the extension at labrador park, more people will be wondering about the ownership of this villa and why such a nice building is not being put to use. at the park extension, this house is even closer to the public's view.

2007-11-17T04:05:00.000-08:00

mystery of house by the sea

sometimes when you keep searching for the answer to a question/mystery, it just eludes you. then, when you least expect it, the answer presents itself. i have always wondered how to get to this white building which i can see in the distance from the jetty at lim chu kang end.

this large house, built over the sea, faces the straits of johor. could not tell if it was occupied as details were out of my vision range. it is not possible to get to the house by walking along the beach because of the muddy coast and the mangrove swamps. logically, it can be accessed from lim chu kang but the problem was: from which part of lim chu kang?

today, i decided to take a drive to lane 9 lim chu kang. feeling a bit adventurous also, i parked the car by the side of the road and, armed with a long stick - in case of dog/s - i ventured to follow an obscure track to its end. the paved track gave way to an unpaved path which ran alongside a swamp.

first, i saw a shed, then some flowering plants and then the very house which had set me wondering everytime i looked at it from the fishermen's jetty at lim chu kang end. the house appeared a bit run-down, with some tiles having been displaced. however, i could see a fridge and some other household items - evidence that it was occupied. as if to prove my point, someone emerged from one of the rooms.

it is such a wonderful hideaway house. it is located by the seaside and it is so nicely tucked away that only the odd hikers who happen to stumble upon it will be the ones to disturb the peace and serenity of the place. it is an ideal hide-out; you cannot see it from the road (lane 9) and anyway, hardly anyone goes to that area. you will not expect to find a house at the end of those tracks.

the site will be great for a restaurant. but, first they must clear all the flotsam - likely to have been brought in by the tide from across the straits - at the mangrove area because it is a real eye-sore.

2007-11-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

the many benefits of walking

walking is a relaxing and enjoyable way to keep healthy and, as it requires no equipment or expense, it is the perfect way to exercise.

men who walk at least 2.4km per day has a 50% reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to men who walk less 400m per day. walking speed does not matter as long as the distance is covered, and overall, risk decreases 15% for each 880m walked per day.

for senior citizens, walking seems to protect the aging brain from dementia and alzheimer's disease.

the many benefits of walking

promotes psychological well-being and reduces feelings of stress and depression

reduces tiredness and gives people more energy for everyday tasks

promotes better sleep

helps the muscles and ligaments in the feet to work more efficiently, and keep them supple and flexible

reduces depression and anxiety

helps people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight

helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints

helps to reduce the risks of many serious health problems in old age

helps to reduce the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus

helps to reduce the risks of developing osteoporosis

helps to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease (chd)

helps to lower the risk of developing high blood pressure

helps to reduce blood pressure in people who already have hypertension

helps to lower total blood cholesterol

helps to reduce the risk of stroke

helps to reduce the risk of developing colon and breast cancer

longer moderately paced walks (40 mins at 60-65% maximum heart rate) are best for losing weight – up to 300 calories per hour

shorter, faster walks (20 mins at 75-85% maximum heart rate) are best for improving heart and lung function

my own walking programme

on wednesday and friday mornings, i walk with my former balestier hill secondary school colleagues. once a month, on a saturday morning, i go for (a) nature walk with my former students, also from balestier hill secondary. on the other mornings, with the exception of sunday, i walk on my own, usually at either bukit batok nature park or at bukit timah nature reserve. sunday is the only day i do not have any scheduled walk.

occasionally, i get victor, my former colleague from monk's hill secondary, to join me in my morning exercise.

2007-11-13T06:57:00.001-08:00

sembawang park re-visited

this distinctive shelter is found only in sembawang park. a quiet park on weekdays, it comes alive on weekends when families from the yishun area gather to barbeque, swim, fish or camp.

this is a view of beaulieu house from the back. built in 1910, it is now a seafood restaurant which also caters to wedding and birthday parties. my friend victor, a loyal customer of the restaurant, had followed the move of the restaurant. the few years when it ceased operation at beaulieu house, it was, first, at safra yacht club and then, at the cdans club along canberra road before moving back to beaulieu house.

the sembawang shipyard, which used to be a british naval base from 1938 to 1968, is just next to the park. in the 70s we used to fish from the sembawang jetty, from which i took this photograph.

sembawang park is one of the few places fronting the sea where camping is allowed. these days, you do not need a permit to camp on weekends or public holidays but you need a permit for weekday camping. registration for a permit is done by the park ranger who comes around with a hand-held scanner to scan your identity card.

camping is also permitted at changi beach, east coast park areas c and d, pasir ris and west coast park.

2007-11-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

mosque at jalan mempurong

went down to sembawang to take pictures of this kampong mosque thinking that it would be demolished soon. instead found that it was undergoing upgrading - the whole structure was being re-roofed and they were making some additions and alterations to it. looks like the appeal to have it designated as a national heritage has been successful.

patrons of the seafood restaurant at bottle tree village will have to drive past this 48-year old mosque on the way to the village. on fridays, it is not a good idea to have lunch at the restaurant because you will have to naviagate very carefully as many cars belonging to worshippers will be parked by the side of jalan mempurong.

the mosque was built in 1959 by villagers in the area with the help of the lee foundation. it was the focal point of the kampung there. the kampung's residents moved out decades ago, but return there to pray every friday and on special occasions, like hari raya.

picture of masjid petempatan melayu sembawang before its upgrading. the mosque is expected to re-open in february 2008.

2007-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

the balestier hill gang

if we were to join teaching later, say in the 90s, i wonder if we would have stuck together. those days, in the 70s, teaching afforded us a lot of time to do things together after school, meaning after 1.00 p.m.

so, although we went our different ways after balestier hill secondary, we still remain in contact because of the bond we had built after spending so much time together inside and outside of the school. we did things like hitch-hiking, going on holiday, staying in holiday chalets and having picnics as colleagues and friends.

thai soon gave up his civil servant status when he joined nanyang junior colleage as a pe teacher. kwan went to bedok south secondary, nah went to woodsville sec (which merged with macpherson secondary in 2004), betty nah and tye thong went to bendemeer secondary, kok weng went to henderson, then to nanyang girls, northland and north vista and i went from balestier to ghim moh, monk's hill and admiralty primary.

all of us, except lay bee and gee peng, have retired and all of us retired before we reached our 60th birthday. among us, only thai soon, the oldest, is still gainfully employed. he coaches canoeing and dragon-boat racing. another person who is still working is doris. she retired in 2006 and went back to henry park as a flexi-adjunct teacher.

we had dinner at pine court in meritus mandarin as lay bee has a 50% discount coupon which had to be used because of the expiry date.

2007-11-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

the bukit ho swee fire of 1961

i was in primary 6 when the great fire at bukit ho swee broke out. there had been similar fires in the past but they could not match this one in terms of volume and thickness of the smoke. in those days, when there was a big fire in another part of singapore, we would come to know about it....not through the radio, newspapers or word of mouth but by the signs in the sky. in the 60s, the view around us was not obstructed by tall structures or buildings.

i was living in kampong chia heng, near the tan tock seng hospital and when there was a big fire in tiong bahru or, for that matter, in any part of singapore, we were able to see the black smoke billowing into the sky in the distance.

that particular day, i remember, was a hot and sultry day. it was also a public holiday. there was the usual excitement when we saw thick black smoke rising in the distance. but this time the excitement was greater because the smoke was thick and spreading. we could almost hear the crackling of the fire.

then somebody told us that the big fire was at bukit ho swee. straight away my thoughts went to my aunties and uncles who were living in that squatter colony. i had visited them during the school holidays.

they were living in attap and zinc-roofed houses like ours but their compound was huge enough for them to grow vegetables and fruit trees and to rear animals like pigs, ducks and chicken. there was even a deep pond nearby from which they drew water to water the crops. i remember there were water hyacinths and other aquatic plants and fish in the pond. the water hyacinths were meant to feed the ducks.

we were to learn that they lost everything in the fire. a year or so later, when i visited them they were housed in some low flats along jalan membina. today, one of my aunties is still living in the bukit ho swee area but the rest have shifted to hdb flats in jurong.

2007-11-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

aloha bungalows
at loyang

lay bee's former colleague booked a unit at loyang for one night just so that the family could celebrate her daughter's birthday. the system of booking and charges are so different from that when we used to rent bungalows in the 70s and 80s. then we could book the bungalow for our use for almost a week and we paid the highly subsidised rate of slightly less than a hundred dollars, including the utility charges. the utility charges applied to the electricity consumption of the air-conditioners.

when you first checked in, they would take the reading on the electricity meter and when you checked out, they would take another reading. they would then charge you for the amount of electricity used during your period of stay. the period of stay was either from tuesday to friday or from friday to monday. there were only two blocks.

it has been many years since i last visited one of these holiday bungalows at loyang besar. those days we referred to them as government bungalows; today, they are simply aloha bungalows because the management of these bungalows has been outsourced to aloha resorts management. i think, during off-peak periods, booking is even open to the public.

from my experience last night, i would not consider a stay there idyllic or relaxing. cars were parked haphazardly along the both sides of the road. there did not seem to be enough parking space for guests and visitors. and where lay bee's colleague stayed - the garden terrace - it was like communal living. many families were having bbq in the open courtyard and the karaoke sets were blaring away. there was smoke and noise all around.

in the past, we even managed to rent (government) holiday bungalows, like cluny lodge in cameron highlands and s'pore house and richmond in fraser's hills. then, we always looked forward to the food cooked by the hainanese caretakers. they provided such wonderful breakfast and western food like steak, chicken, pork and lamb chops. in addition, we would buy from them the home-made jam and marmalade.

map of fraser's hill
(richmond is next to bank pertanian)

with the amount we have to pay for rental of aloha bungalows today, i would rather stay in a hotel in malaysia or on batam island.

2007-11-10T00:18:00.000-08:00

hot taps at sembawang

singaporeans are basically crowd followers. they tend to go where the crowd converge or gather. remember the time when much hype and publicity was given to the hot springs at sembawang? crowds started visiting the place, and throughout the whole day you had throngs of people streaming in and out of the track leading to the hot springs.

today, the place seems to have been forgotten, by-passed by the so many people who had gone there to seek treatment for skin problem and other related ailments. when i visited the place at about 10.00 a.m., there were only five people - i could assume they were regulars - at the hot springs.

actually, the place should be renamed hot taps. you do not get to see water bubbling and steaming out of the ground. you do not even get to see a bit of ground. the whole place has been cemented. there is no uncovered or open part when you can tell that water is coming up to the surface from deep underground. the only indication that the water comes from a hot spring is the smell of sulphur.

all you see around you are plastic chairs, pipes, plastic pails and tubs. there are enough pails and tubs for at least fifty persons at 'hot taps'. some of the pails were already filled with warm water. the people who go there, go prepared to wash or bathe themselves. there is an open shed where you can change, but in full view of everyone.

unlike in the past, you cannot drive your car or ride (your bicycle) to the place. the nearest car park is across the road, next to either block 114 or block 116 yishun ring road.

2007-11-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

the delayed changi coast boardwalk

our delayed monthly nature walk was almost aborted by the inclement weather this morning. it had started raining the night before and continued into the next morning. it abated to a light rain at my place but at serangoon, siglap and tampines the rain was still heavy at around 7.00 a.m.

i was getting messages like "is the walk still on?" and "is it still raining over at your place". i checked the weather forecast on the nea website and based on it decided that we would go ahead with the walk. anyway, at changi, it was boardwalk and cemented path all the way to the 'sunset walk'.

seck yeong and teck seng were with me and ours was the first car at the lorong bekukong car-park. for the first time, lay bee decided to come along for the walk. the next car to reach was see thiam's, followed closely by puay heian's. kwan tuck hong had taken bus service 59 to the bus terminal. nah chuan wee, who had gone to another car-park, soon found his way to the correct one.

it was a record turn out for this get-together walk, our fifth since we started walking together this year. there were altogether 13 of us, with the teachers outnumbering the students, and the men outnumbering the women. thai soon travelled in puay heian's car, together with her two brothers. for betty nah, it was also the first time she was joining us.

as was the routine, we ended up at changi village for food to replace the calories we had burnt up. actually, it was to replace and accumulate because we expended about 300 calories and put back nearly 1000 calories each.

our next walk will tentatively be on 22 december at fort canning park.

2007-11-09T04:19:00.001-08:00

labrador nature reserve

one of the contraptions at labrador park;

looks like a windwane

the lianas on this tree seem to be straddling and strangling it

the flower of the putat laut (barringtonia asiatica), one of the unique trees found in this park. the flowers are delightful puff balls of white stamens tipped with purple ( reminds me of the filament type of lighting.) they open at night and attract large moths and nectar-feeding bats which are attracted by the strong scent.

all parts of the tree contain saponin, a poison which is used for stunning freshwater fish in streams.

other unique trees found in this park include the
sea grapes, the yellow saraca and the purple milletia.

the children's playground has 'aeroplane' as its theme.

this is not the latest map. the latest map should show

the extension that has been completed on the left.

2007-11-08T23:40:00.000-08:00

the nikon sank into the sea

this incident also happened at the former junior sailing club premises at the ferry point pier, changi. during those days, at least six of us - kok weng, yong len, liang, kwan, kia wah and myself - were shutter bugs; we took photos using black and white film and developed and printed the photos on our own in the school's dark room. three of us used nikon cameras while the others used leica, minolta or olympus cameras.

kwan pursued his hobby on his own. he was good enough to take wedding photos for colleagues and friends. he had a nikon with three sets of lenses - standard, wide angle and telephoto.

on that particular night we had a private bbq at ferry point. the students were not included. we camped ourselves at the jetty, enjoying our food and the sea breeze at the same time. kwan decided to take a snap-shot of the group.

as the group was quite big, he had to move backwards in order to get everyone into the picture. one moment he was there, the next he was gone. we heard a splash and realised that he had fallen backwards into the sea. we rushed to the edge and peered into the darkness below.

it was sometime before he broke the surface. we were so relieved. fortunately, kwan was not only a photographer, he was also a trained life-saver. if he had panicked, he could have struggled downwards and the result would have been disastrous. the water was quite deep, at least 10m or more.

he told us afterwards that when he fell into the water, he was enveloped by darkness but he remained calm. when he stopped sinking, he used his hands and legs to propel himself to the surface. those few moments had seemed like eternity.

it was only after he had bathed and changed into dry clothes that he realised that his beloved camera was lying at the sea bed at ferry point.

2007-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

watching someone drown

right before our eyes

in the 70s, when we first introduced canoeing to the students in balestier hill technical school, training was carried out at the junior sailing club, then at old pier road. the bus ride from the school at thomson road to changi usually took more than an hour, sometimes longer. the return journey would also take just as long. sometimes, when the bus was held up, we would reach school way past sunset.

if i remember correctly, our training session was on a weekday, either on a wednesday or a friday. we would usually reach there just before 2.00 p.m.

one day, while we were at the front of the club overlooking the sea, we watched as two army boys from the nearby camp frolicked by and in the sea. they were 'playing the fool', dunking each other and clowning around. they did not venture far from the shore, about 30 metres.

while we watched, one of them raised his hand as if to signal for help. he did not scream or shout. his friend did not take heed, as he must have played this prank on him before. a moment later, he disappeared completely from view. his friend continued swimming, expecting him to re-appear somewhere near him. or he could have assumed that he had swum under the surface to emerge somewhere near the shore and then sneaked back to camp. when he did not make his appearance after sometime, his friend made his way calmly back to camp.

back in camp, he must have panicked when his buddy was nowhere to be found. soon a search party comprising some 'frogmen' was at the pier. not long later, they found his body....at the same spot when he had waved his hand. we all felt so guilty for having witnessed a drowning case and thinking it was some act, did nothing to help. we learnt later that he was a cook in the camp.

this is like the story of the boy who cried wolf but with a tragic ending, and it was for real.

2007-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

gripped by mahjong fever

i think quite a number of people have gone through this phase - when they were bitten by the mahjong bug or gripped by mahjong fever. in my family, out of four, three of us experienced it to varying degree. the only person who did not have her share of it is lay bee who does not know how to play the game.

the other day as i watched two young men excitedly carting home a mahjong table, it made me reflect on this phase in my life. i was stricken by it when i was way past my teens. most people get hit by it when they are in their teenage years. i had been so preocuppied with other interests and activities that i did not have time to learn the game. nevertheless, i had often sat behind mahjong players, watching and being intrigued by the game.

i picked up playing the game from my colleagues in balestier hill secondary. in those days, very often, we would leave school immediately at 1.00 p.m. and after a hasty lunch, head straight for one of the colleagues' home to play. the game usually went on right into the night, but we would invariably end it before midnight.

however, there was one particular marathon session which started on a friday afternoon and went on until sunday. in between, we stole short breaks for meals and cleaning up. the following monday we still turned up for work in spite of the lack of sleep suffered during those three days of play.

my approach to playing mahjong is to treat it as a form of socialization. as the game goes on, there should be lots of friendly bantering, and i tend to see winning or losing in a light-hearted way. however, there are some friends who take the game very seriously and when the stakes are high, jokes or fun is no no at the mahjong table.

i attribute these differences in approach for dampening my interest in this erstwhile riveting pastime. i prefer playing mahjong, once in a while, with the same group of people rather than with different groups each time.

the last time i touched mahjong tiles was on the first day of the lunar new year this year when my nieces and nephews came to visit.

mahjong is an exciting and a challenging game which calls for skill, strategy and some mathematical calculation. however, there is also the element of luck which makes it possible for a beginner to beat an experienced player at the game, once in a while.

2007-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

once in a lifetime cruise

my retiree friend and his wife splurged more than s$20 000 on their alaskan cruise in september this year. the airfare for both of them came up to s$10 000 as they were willing to pay extra for comfort during the long plane ride to vancouver, and so they opted for business class travel on eva airline. there was a 6-hour stopover at taipei before the long haul to vancouver in canada where the alaskan cruise was to start.

they paid more than $3000 each for a cabin with a balcony. for an oceanview cabin without a balcony, you would have to pay about $2000 plus. according to him, the cruise ship was bigger than the superstar virgo, with a passenger capacity of more than 2700. although there were more people on board the dawn princess than on the super virgo, there was no scramble for places at the many restaurants or at the amenities on the ship.

according to him, the food served at the restaurants was of the fine dining type. there was quality and quantity. service was of a very high standard. for speciality restaurants, like those that they serve steak, italian food, french food or japanese food, you had to pay a cover charge of about $15 to $20. i was told you needed to make reservations for meals at these speciality restaurants.

the cruise ship made a number of stops during the trip. at each stop, you could opt to join local tours or you go free and easy, exploring the small town on your own. there were many optional shore excursions, which meant incurring additional expenses if you joined such tours.

the towns were usually very small; one had a population of about 800. when five cruise ships called at this town, the place was swarmed by about 10, 000 tourists. the towns were spring-boards for shore excursions to historical sites or to watch the fauna found in that area. the cost of optional tours could range from a few tens of a dollar to a few hundred dollars, like whale watching which cost around $400 per person.

the more popular shore excursions are the helicopter flightseeing and glacial trek, the eagle preserve float adventure through the chilkat bald eagle preserve and the alaskan bear adventure by float plane.

i asked him the inevitable question: was it worth the money spent? yes, for the service, food, entertainment on board and the spectacular scenery.

2007-11-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

surprise birthday dinner for jenmeet

my ex-colleague jameela called me a fortnight ago to ask if i would attend a birthday celebration they had planned secretly for another of my ex-colleague, jenmeet. it would be held on 6 november but the venue and time had not been confirmed then. i was to get freddie kee, our former principal to go along.

this was planned in collaboration with jack, jenmeet's husband. the idea of a birthday bash for jenmeet came from jack, and he got jameela and one of jenmeet's former colleague from zhonghua to help coordinate the guest list. jack would tell jenmeet that they would be going for a private dinner at moghul mahal.

while i was on the cruise to melaka and k.l., jameela called to let me know that the dinner for jenmeet's 40th birthday would be held at novotel at clarke quay. closer to the date, i was informed that it was an indian restaurant - moghul mahal - located on the 6th floor of novotel.

diana, jameela, lailee (jameela's daughter) and i were among the first to reach the restaurant, just before 7.00 p.m. the admiralty group sat at one table except for jameela who was at the next table with her husband and daughter. about forty guests turned up for the party.

while waiting for the guest-of-honour to arrive with her escort, we were served samosa and chicken. the chicken was very popular with everyone, and they kept replenishing till we asked them to stop as we still wanted to enjoy the main course.

the guest-of-honour finally stepped into the restaurant at 8.00 p.m. she was so overwhelmed - and as we had expected - that she cried. she went around thanking everybody and hugging her female friends, colleagues and ex-colleagues.

after the cake cutting, we made a bee-line for the buffet table. there were naan and saffron rice. the dishes included mutton, chicken and vegetables. the food though simple was good, and i had two helpings.

we were the first group to leave, leaving at about 9.00 p.m.

2007-11-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

hassle of driving
across the causeway

one of the reasons why i do not enjoy driving into johor bahru and back is the manner some motorists behave when they are making their way towards the check-point, especially when there is a big build-up of traffic.

these obnoxious drivers will change lane once they find themselves in a line that is perceived to be moving slower than the rest. if you observe these drivers closely, you will notice that they are in the habit of cutting into and changing lanes all the way to the check-point. in the past, it used to be the malaysian drivers who practised this but nowadays, singaporeans have also got into the act.

then when they are nearing the booths, instead of moving to the one furthest away from them, when it is possible to do, they will instead wait to go to the shortest queue even if it meant that doing so will result in holding up the rest behind him.

i do not mind being stuck in a queue for two hours or even longer if everyone is civil and does not try to take advantage of the situation or of others; if everyone stays in his lane and, at the same time, is considerate and takes care of his fellow motorists. that, sad to say, is like asking for the moon.

very often, in such a situation, the bully is easily unmasked as he throws his weight around and attempts to displace others from their rightful places. you see the ugly side of him as he sees gaps as challenges and appears to gloat when he succeeds in moving ahead by cutting queue. and if you thwart his manoeuvring stunt, he gets very upset because you are preventing him from exercising his right to 'win the race to the front'.

if you do have to drive into johor bahru on a weekday, try to make your way back to the johor customs and immigration check-point by 4.00 p.m., that is when you are less likely to meet the bullying kind of drivers.

2007-11-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

seafood restaurant in tuas

like i said in an earlier blog, some people enjoy seeking out eateries that serve good food in out-of-the-way places, like, in tuas, for example. came across an old straits times' wong ah yoke's review of hai siang joo seafood restaurant, about an eatery tucked away in a certain corner of tuas called pioneer road.

the place is not difficult to locate. it is in the direction of the second link. but instead of taking the main road leading to the link, you take the side road which will lead you to tuas west avenue. take this road till you come to the junction with pioneer road. pioneer road cuts across the intersection. you keep to your right and turn right into pioneer road. a short distance ahead is the food centre where you will find the restaurant.

the place caters mainly to the factory workers in that area but there are some regulars who come from other parts of singapore.

ordered the specialities of the house: the xo sauce crystal kway teow and the braised pork ribs. we also tried the superior shark's fin soup. the braised pork ribs did not disappoint but the other two items fell short of expectations.

the next time we want to have dinner in tuas, i will rather go to seng's kitchen at quality road or to botak jones at pioneer sector 2.

2007-11-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

nibbling fish (for dead skin)

another species of fish which many are unaware can be found in singapore is the nibbling fish. you do not have to go to fish spas in japan, south korea or china to experience the tingling sensation provided by these tiny, nibbling fish. you can have it here in singapore. there is a fish reflexology at the underwater world in sentosa. you can also get this treatment - removal of dead skin - at qian hu at sungei tengah.

the fish, which measures between 2cm and 4cm, are toothless and they use their suction power to remove the dead skin. these fish (garra rufa) have been used for hundreds of years in turkey to combat dry skin problem.

this species, the garra rufa, are found in the river basins in the middle east, including syria, iraq, iran and turkey.

the fish eat only the dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin alone. the smaller fish are better for this job. in some spas, when the fish grow too big, they are taken off the pond as they can cause some discomfort.

over at qian hu, you pay $10 for a half-hour session whereas at sentosa you are charged $35 for 20 min of fish therapy, followed by 20 min of foot reflexology.

2007-11-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

world's largest freshwater fish

you do not have to go to south america to see the world's largest freshwater fish - the arapaima. there are at least three places in singapore where you can see this fish, and in two of these places - haussman aquarium in lim chu kang and kok fah technology farm in sungei tengah - you do not have to pay a single cent to view the fish. kok fah has three of this fish and haussman has about five. the s'pore zoo also has one which is 1.85m long.

the arapaima can grow up to more than 3m long and weigh up to 200 kg. in spite of its size, this fish is able to jump out of the water to snatch unsuspecting birds from low-lying branches. its diet consists of fish and other kinds of small animals, including birds. at haussman, you can feed the arapaima with 'kuning' fish bought from the shop.

the fish has the ability to breathe air from the surface because of a lung-like lining in its throat. this is an advantage in the oxygen-deprived water of the amazon river. the fish is able to survive long periods of drought by gulping air and burrowing into the mud of the swamps.

as a result of over-fishing, there are very few large (more than 2m) arapaimas found in the wild.

when ivy came back for a visit in september, i took to haussman to have a look at these monsters. she was quite put off by some foul smell coming from the fish tank.

2007-11-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

singapore grand prix @ sembawang circuit

until 1973, we could still be entertained by the thrills and spills of motor racing held at the old upper thomson and upper thomson circuit. the motor racing event was started in 1961. it was usually held in april, during the easter holidays, and was spread over a few days. building up to the main events - the grand prix for motorcycles and cars, there were many minor races for the different categories.

for motorcycles, there were events for the different capacities, from the 50cc class to the unlimited class. there was even a race for road bikes with minimal modifications.

for cars, there were races for saloons of at least two classes and i think, there was a special race just for the minis. the box-shaped mini minor was very popular in those days. of course, the fastest among the minis was the mini cooper.

i just cannot remember how much was charged for admission to watch the grand prix because we never had to pay as we sneaked into the spectator area by way of the secondary forest at casuarina road. other freeloaders watched from the hill slopes facing the race track, outside the fenced area.

i do remember some of the names for the more exciting parts of the circuit - the devil's bend, the rothman's corner and the nee soon hairpin.

2007-11-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

stella's 60th birthday celebration at tung lok

francis, the elder daughter of choy chim and stella organised a 4-table 10-course chinese dinner at east coast's tung lok restaurant to honour her mother and to celebrate her 6oth birthday. seated around the four tables were relatives, close friends and her bible study (farrer park small group) members. i happen to be a co-opted member of the cell group.

the birthday girl spent most of the evening cuddling and playing with her grand nieces, especially with megan and henna. i think she has four grand nieces. her own younger daughter deborah is in brussels, belgium, intending to do her phd(doctorate), after completing her masters.

just before the cake cutting, francis made a speech in praise of her mother - a loving mother, a filial daughter, a caring aunt, an active person, a good cook.....

2007-11-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

a simple problem requires a simple solution

in a much earlier blog, i wrote about how i was unsuccessful in fixing the leak in the water closet. i had tried changing the float - the black ball. i also tried adjusting the screw - tightening it - to bring the two contact points nearer, but to no avail. it seems that this is quite a common problem with many water closets.

after some years, the water closet tends to overflow or leak and, in time, you will see two thin black, ugly streaks in the middle of the bowl.

my friend victor narrowed the source of the problem to the worn washer. but when he tried to get the washer from the hardware store, they told him that he had to get the whole set - the arm with the floatation device which costs about $4. anyway, we got them for rm$8 each from a shop in senai, outside johor bahru.

we found out that the arm was too long for the water closet in our homes. so as not to waste the money spent, we took the washers from the two pieces we bought to replace the worn ones. still, it did not work.

our determination to fix the leak paid off. victor found a shop selling the correct washers at 80 cents a piece. he bought a few, one for his own flushing system and two pieces for. after replacing it with the new washer, it stopped leaking. so, he passed the other two washers to me.

i bought one washer from the home-fix hardware shop. they sold it to me for $1.20, 50% more than your neighbourhood hardware store.

2007-11-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

how they measure up - superstar virgo vs freedom of the seas

if you are awestruck by the size of the superstar virgo with its 13 decks when you see it, wait till you compare it with the freedom of the seas, the largest cruise liner in the world.

the superstar virgo, built in a shipyard in germany, cost us$350 million. it weighs 76, 800 gross tons. the height of the ship is 268m and at its widest, it is 32m. its cruising speed is 24 knot. the superstar virgo has 980 cabins and a passenger capacity of 1966. it has 13 decks.

apart from the standard facilities found on board most cruise ships, there is a special area set aside for kids called the neptune's wet and wild. for adults, there is the aquaswim, a jet current exercise pool. for those who prefer to exercise indoors, there is a universal gym.

the freedom of the seas was built in a shipyard in finland and it cost us$800 million. it weighs in at 160, 000 gross tons. the length of the ship is 339m and its beam is 39m. the cruising speed is slightly slower than the superstar virgo at 21.6 knot. there are 1817 staterooms on board which makes it capable of taking in 3634 passengers. it has 15 decks.

the freedom of the sea has some unique facilities like the flowrider, an onboard wave generator for surfing. for those who love outdoor and adventure, there is a rock climbing wall. there is also a skating rink. the whole ship is wired for wi-fi capabilities.

2007-11-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

cruise on the superstar virgo

just returned from a 3-day 2-night cruise to melaka and k.l. on the superstar virgo. did not join the land tour to melaka but did walk to the mainland when the ship berthed at port klang. just a short 300m walk to the star cruise terminal at klang. the superstar virgo and the superstar leo are the two biggest cruise ships in the star cruise's stable.

this particular cruise makes a 7-hour stop at k.l. on thursday, ostensibly to allow passengers sufficient time to tour the malaysian capital but actually it stops there to unload some of the refuse and to re-stock food, toiletries and other items needed for the cruise.

on wednesday night, when i reached the cruise centre at harbourfront, i was met with a long queue facing the new york pizza outlet. i was wondering 'what's so special about this pizza', only to learn that it was a snaking queue waiting to board star cruise's superstar virgo. i had to wait for my travelling companion tsung kok weng before i could join the super long queue.

it was when i was in the queue that i bumped into james and sabrina. by sheer coincidence, they were also on the cruise because james had won two tickets as some lucky draw prizes. i had got my two tickets as a gift for my participation in the heartstrings walk.

we could not use the gym as we had not taken along our track shoes. we visited the casino twice, both times to watch people playing card games like blackjack and poker and also roulette, tai sai and the slot machines. you need not have cash with you to gamble; the access card for opening the cabin can be used to operate the gaming machines.

my cabin, with two single beds, afforded a view of the sea not like the hole in the wall we had when we cruised on the megastar aquarius many years ago. inclusive meals were had at the pavilion - a chinese restaurant, the meditteranean terrace and the bella vista. the bella vista offers both western and chinese cuisines. we had chinese dim sum on one morning and western breakfast on friday.

two of the shows which were a thrill to watch were street life and the musicians of bremen. the two shows were performed by the same cast - dancers from brazil and belarus and acrobats from guangxi in china.

at around 12.30 p.m. while we were having our buffet lunch at the meditteranean terrace, we already caught sight of our southern islands but it was not until 2.20 p.m. that we were able to disembark from the ship.

even though it was a mid-week cruise and school holidays had not started, the ship was almost at full capacity. i had expected to see a lot of retirees and senior citizens on the cruise, instead there were more young people. tourists from india, australia, china and indonesia made up the bulk of the passengers.

2007-10-28T02:44:00.000-07:00

the newly opened admiralty park

the newly opened admiralty park does not have much to offer to nature lovers at the moment. at present, what is available to the public is the 7-hectare recreational park which comprises a 400-seater amphitheatre, a fitness station for the general public and one specially tailored for senior citizens. there is also an activity plaza.

the 400-seater open-air amphitheatre

the fitness station for senior citizens

the fitness station for everybody

the park shaped like a river valley is located next to the republic polytechnic - which has adopted the park - on riverside road.

when fully completed in 2009, admiralty park will cover an area of about 27 hectares, making it the largest park in the north-western part of singapore. the nature park will incorporate the exisitng mangrove swamp, including sungai china which drains into the straits of johor.

2007-10-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

another three palms found in s'pore

sealing wax palm - one of the most beautiful and sought-after palms in the world. the sealing wax palms are highly tolerant of flooding and can be grown in standing water (like this clump at the symphony lake in the botanic gardens).

it is not easy to grow this palm in temperate countries because it needs high humidity. it also likes a well-drained soil and it is not tolerant of drought or wind. it grows well in both full sun or part shade.

bismarck palm or satra palm - another beautiful and desired palm. it is named after a german politician. this palm can reach 16m or more in height and is topped with gorgeous metre long and wide, stiff, waxy and bluish grey leaves.

macarthur palm - one of the most common roadside trees in singapore. it is a small palm noted for its multiple, slim, ringed grey trunks which are topped with soft green, feathery, flat broad leaves with tips that appear jagged and torn.

the macarthur is able to reach 10m although most palms are between 3 and 5m in height with a variable spread. the branched flower stalks hang below the crownshaft throughout the year and contain small, white blooms. these blooms give way to bright red fruit which ripen year round.

2007-10-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

talking to k2 children

for the whole of last week, i was moving from one pcf kindergarten to another in this area talking to k2 children. k2 children are aged between 5 and 6. and pcf stands for pap community foundation. my job was to talk to the children individually. i had to cover four centres, with the number of children at the centres ranging from five to ten.

i spent between 15 and 25 minutes with each child. the interview took place in different places. at one centre, the supervisor moved out to let me conduct the interview in her office. at another centre, i used the printing room. at the other two centres, i was allocated empty classrooms.

i could have completed my assignment in two days but because there were absentees at every centre, i had to make return visits. at one of the centres which had two absentees on the appointed day, i had to make two separate trips because the two decided to be present on different days.

it was quite fun talking to the kids as most of them were quite focussed on the task except for one or two; one was easily distracted and the other was hyperactive. not all are local born children; i even had the opportunity to talk to a child from myanmar, who came to singapore when she was five.

2007-10-26T04:27:00.000-07:00

toa payoh lorong 4's kuey chap

the name of the stall is simply 'kuey chap' and there's no need to double guess what it sells. don't go there in the morning or the afternoon, you will not get to eat any kway chap. the stall is open from 6.00 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. every day except monday.

today, we were there at about 6.10 p.m. there were already ten people in the queue although it was not ready for business. waited until 6.25 p.m. before the first one in the queue was served. when i got my order, i noticed that the queue had grown longer.

besides its opening hours, the stall is a bit different in another way. when you order your kway chap, you have to let the lady know the individual items that you want to eat with it. i ordered big intestines, kong bak, tau pok, white fish-cake, tau kuar and preserved vegetables. the total bill was $6.40.

although it is a kway chap stall, you can eat the items with rice. i saw someone who had rice to go with the cooked items.

over the years, i have eaten kway chap from many stalls but still cannot find one to equal the kway chap from the former blanco court stall. have tried the garden street kway chap (the one from blanco court) at the serangoon garden food centre. but, it does not taste as good as when it was at blanco.

2007-10-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

the screw-pine (pandanus utilis)

the screw-pines in these pictures belong to the same family as the common pandan plant (panadanus latifolius), the fragrant leaves of which are used in cooking and also for warding off cockroaches, especially in singapore taxis. it actually serves two purposes: repelling the cockroach and at the same time, giving off a nice scent.

the screw-pine is not a pine, it is actually a tropical tree. it is best grown as a free-standing specimen with plenty of room. this tree grows to a height of 8m but also grows as wide. its habit is to branch in tiers with its top in a pyramid shape.

this tree wants full sun. it is not fussy about soil content and it is also salt tolerant. screw-pines can be found growing along the sea-shore.

the roots are significant with many brace roots increasing in number and size and width over time.

according to my friend, the prop roots, which anchor the tree firmly onto the ground, look and work like screws, hence the name. however, according to another source, the name comes from the fact that the leaves emerge from the stem in cockscrew like arrangement.

the fruit which is a bit round is edible. it can be eaten raw or you can have it cooked.

the pictures of the screw-pines were taken at fort canning park and botanic gardens.

2007-10-25T04:59:00.001-07:00

who say playing with cards is bad?

as a boy, i picked up card games like pak kow, si kee puay, teo hee and buan lak (when i was older, i learned its english name is blackjack). cash was normally not involved. our stakes included stuff like picture cards, glass marbles, bus tickets, kuti-kuti and rubber bands. the only time when we played with real money was during the three days of the lunar new year. of course, once it got started, it was a bit difficult to revert to gambling with play items.

pak kow or pa kau is known as daun tiga (three cards) in malay. it is a very straight forward card game. each one is dealt a hand of three cards. the best hand is three 10s or three picture cards. normally, if the sum total of your cards adds up to 10 points, you have a winning hand. for example, if you have a 4, a 5 and an ace, you have 10 points. you also have ten points if you have a 3, a 8 and a 9, as the total is 20 ( 2 tens). the worst hand is one where the sum total ends with 1. for example, if you are holding a 4, a 8 and a 9, it means you have the lowest point - 1.

this card game helped us to count in 10s. i believe it also enhanced our development in mental arithmetics. one look at the three cards in hand was enough for most of us to know if we had a strong or a weak hand.

the game 'teo hee' or 'fishing' also involves counting in 10s. so, if you have a 3, the corresponding card you have to look for is a 7. if you have a picture, say a jack, then you have the look for another jack. in this game, only the diamond and the heart have value. the spade and the clover do not count. it involves some thinking and planning ahead.

buan lak or twenty-one is a card game where each player receives two cards in the initial round. the first card is open (faces up) and the second and subsequent cards are closed (face down). you can stop at two cards or you can play up to a maximum of five cards. however, when you have a buan lak (blackjack), you have to declare it by showing both cards.

what did this card game teach us? it taught us how to strategise, but more importantly, it also taught us how to apply the law of probability. even though at that time we were not aware of such a subject or topic of study, we were already into guessing the chances of getting a small value card and a big value card. we also had to guess the uncovered card of the dealer, to help us decide whether to stop at a certain point or to go for more cards.

the other card game is si kee puay or chi kee pai. in malay, it is known as daun empat (four cards). this card game incorporates a bit of poker and a bit of everything. you received four cards and then you placed them in sets of two. the first must not be stronger than the second set. it required thinking and strategising to present a hand that would be stronger than the dealer's.

i feel, after all these years, that my card playing days had helped me in developing my mental arithmetics to some extent.

2007-10-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

wild cinnamon tree - common roadside tree

i often wondered if cinnamon, the spice, comes from this common roadside tree. we all should learn how to identify this tree as it is one of the most common trees found growing in singapore. the other common cultivated trees include the rain tree, the angsana, the macarthur's palm, the khaya senegalensis and the jambu ayer laut.

the scientific name for it is cinnamomum iners. the malay name for it is kayu manis hutan. the malay name implies that the bark or wood from the tree is sweet or fragrant. found out that it is the cousin of the ceylon cinnamon (cinnamomum zeylanicum). the famous spice comes from the ceylon cinnamon.

the wild cinnamon tree is easily distinguishable from other trees as the young leaves are reddish-pink and tender. the mature leaves are dark green. because it is a very leafy tree, it is a good choice for a shade tree.

the oil extracted from the leaves of the wild cinnamon is used for a variety of purposes, one of which is aromatherapy. the roots have been traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatism and fever.

2007-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

beware of the geese!

we were at botanic garden's eco pond admiring the black swans, when my friend tye thong reminisced about his encounter with the geese during his kampong days, more than fifty years ago.

those days, most families, besides growing some crops like sugar-cane, tapoica and sweet potatoes, also reared poultry like chicken, ducks and geese. the goose was not as popular as the other two birds. geese are, however, quite intimidating - they still are - as they were bigger and nosier. they seemed to be more aggressive too. because of their size, their bite can be quite painful.

in our impoverished state then, as small children, we often went about minus our clothes. totally naked, we were not shy about moving around, with mucus streaming from our nostrils. we did not feel embarrassed because practically every child in the village (kampong) was doing it.

but, we were scared of the geese. a gaggle of geese would go about foraging for food. they fed on grass and whatever crumbs they could find lying around. sometimes, they would go to the stream and its banks to forage for worms. so, when they saw this worm dangling from the front of the child, they would not hesitate to attack the 'worm'.

geese can live up to 20 over years, provided they do not end up on the dining table. obese geese tend to have a shorter life span. you can tell the sex of a goose by the size of the knob on its head. the one with a more prominent knob is a male. when they are babies, goslings can be mistaken for ducklings as they are similar in look.

2007-10-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

some palm trees

on my walks, i have come to notice that there is actually a great variety of palm trees growing in our humid nature reserves and nature parks.

a palm tree is basically a trunk with leaves emerging from that trunk. there can be one or multiple trunks. the leaves or fronds can come off the trunk all the way from the top to the bottom, or just be at the top of the trunk.

here are three common ones.

the licuala peltata, a palm with serrated leaves are common in our nature reserves and our nature parks. this one was seen at bukit batok nature park. the leaves will appear to have been trimmed by someone using a special pair of scissors with zig-zag blades.

it belongs to the same family as the fan palm. this palm prefers a moist shady position but once established can tolerate dry periods.

this is a fan palm. there are quite a number of species of such palms. the fruit undergoes changes in colour as it is ripening. first, the fruit is green, the it turns orange and finally, when it is ripe, it becomes red.

the ripe and unripe fruit of the fan palm. not all fan palms have fruit of the same colour. some have blue or purple fruit.

the fishtail palm is a common palm found in tropical rainforests. it is the only palm with leaves that are subdivided twice. the shape of the leaflets give it its name - fishtail.

2007-10-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

fresh milk - right from the cow's udders

in the 50s and 60s, you could get fresh milk right from the udders of the cows on the streets. along cambridge road in the 50s, where there was this big patch of grass near the wet market, i used to see some indian men leading their cows to graze on the grass. i think, right up to the 80s, the milk man was still doing his trade in certain outlying parts of singapore, like somapah in changi.

there was also a dairy farm around the base of the bukit timah nature reserve. i think it was called the vishnu farm. today, this farm can be found at lane 8 lim chu kang road. however, things are mechanised and you do not get to see the farmer using his hands to work the teats.

in those days, you could also have the fresh milk delivered to your doorstep by the indian man who would come around on his bicycle with a canister of milk secured to rack at the back of his bicycle. he would also have clear bottles filled with milk, carried in a canvas bag with pockets on both sides, to be sold to ready buyers. later on, he progressed to using a motorcycle to make his daily rounds.

you could buy milk, fresh from the udders of the cow, right at your doorstep. the dairy farmer led the cows to wherever he could find buyers of his milk. then he would use his bare hands to squeeze the teats so the milk went right into a pail before transferring in into a bottle. if i recall correctly, he would sit on a stool and using his two hands worked on the teats until the milk flowed.

today, we may find this practice unhygienic but in those days it was the better-off people who would buy the fresh milk from the itinerant cow-men. people like us had not heard about the benefits of fresh milk then, so we settled for the blue cross brand of condensed milk instead.

we had to be extra careful where we trod or stepped as we could end up landing on a mass of dung deposited by the wandering cows.

2007-10-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

goli panjang - childhood games from our kampong days

kampong life was all adventure and play. when we were not catching spiders or catching longkang fish in the monsoon drain or canal, we would be playing games like goli panjang, hatam bola, modified soccer with mini-posts, five stones and many other ingenious forms of play making use of everyday objects like the discarded bicycle wheel, tin cans or even bus tickets.

i will try and describe one of my favourite childhood's games - the goli panjang. two persons can play this game but the more, the merrier because the winning pool gets bigger. it is usually played on a sandy patch, which was not a problem to find in a kampong.

an arrow, with a head and a tail, is drawn on the sand. each player contributes a specified number of glass marbles to start the game. the number of marbles is decided by the players. if you have four players and each put out five marbles, there will be twenty marbles. these glass marbles are then placed on the arrow, spaced out, starting with one on the arrow head and it goes right to the tail. if it goes beyond the tail, then the surplus marbles are pooled together at the tail.

a straight line is drawn, four or five metres, from the arrow with all the marbles. the players take turn to try and hit one of the marbles on the line with a rolled marble. the ultimate aim is to hit the one at the head of the marble, then you get to win all the marbles. if you hit, say the 3rd marble, then all the marbles from the 3rd one onwards are yours. however, if you hit the bunch at the tail of the arrow it does not count.

as the game goes on, the pool may get bigger and bigger. how is this so? each time you start from the line and miss, the rolled marble goes to the pool. so, if everyone keeps missing, then the marbles accumulated at the end of the arrow will get more and more.

if you are a champion shooter, you can go home with two pockets full of marbles.

2007-10-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

whitley flyover food centre

in the 70s, whitley flyover food centre was one of two our favourite haunts, the other being newton food centre. the proximity of the centre to our workplace was one of the main factors that we regularly gathered at whitley after work or after our riding (on our motorcycles) sessions.

it was a compact food centre tucked under the flyover. there was ample parking space at the car-park next to it, which is still around today. in those days, we either walked or rode our motorcycles to the makan place.

one of my favourite food stalls was the pork porridge macaroni. i liked the gluey porridge that came piping hot. i think this stall, together with the pepper crab stall - tian jin hai - relocated to macpherson's jackson place when whitley flyover food centre was shut down.

i can also remember the fishball noodles stall because the owner was my neighbour in kampong chia heng. today, he and his younger brother are still in the same business. i see him when i go to lavender food court.

i was not particularly fond of the big prawn noodles which is now operating at the novena food court. my reason for not patronising the stall must be that the price was high (for me, at that time) and the other reason was big prawns did not appeal to me. but, it seems there were more than one big prawn noodles which operated at whitley. the other day when i went to the newly renovated old airport food court, i came across another 'whitley road big prawn noodles' stall.

another stall that made its name there was the golden rooster. but, our favourite stall was the mamak drink stall. we could sit there the whole evening and down, between the two of us (kok weng and i), ten glasses of teh.

2007-10-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

sports day on the school field

when i first joined monk's hill secondary in 1987, i was surprised to find out that they still held their sports day on the school field. granted, monk's hill had a large enough field to stage a sports meet. but, why hold it on the field when you could rent a stadium and have everything provided for. was it to keep a tradition going, i wondered?

to have it on the school field, you had to draw the lines for the tracks. the straight lines were straight forward matter but the curves needed some knowledge of mathematics and some drawing technique. they had actually buried bricks in the field to mark the spots where the curve began. still, with these aids, it took victor, aman and myself a few afternoons to get the whole 300m track done.

then you needed tentage. sheds were needed to house all the spectators, participants and invited guests. it involved a bit of logistics. students could stand to watch the races but guests and parents had to be accorded proper seating arrangement. to cut down on expenditure, the school's classroom chairs were used. to create the mood, decorations in the form of buntings and flags were put up.

they did not have field events like throwing the javelin, discus, shot put and the jumps. it was a track meet, incorporating some obstacle races. when i took over the reins from mr aman - when he got promoted to a vice-principal - i introduced the some field events as completed events, that means, they were held before the actual sports day.

subsequently, we had our sports day (renamed track and field meet) at a public stadium, either at toa payoh or farrer park. one year, the meet, held at toa payoh stadium, was 'washed out' because of heavy rain.

2007-10-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

109 teochew yong tau foo @ syed alwi road

yesterday, had lunch with thai soon and tye thong at syed alwi road. thai soon gave us a choice: laksa at golden mile or teochew yong tau foo at syed alwi road. since tye thong is a teochew boy, we opted for the teochew stuff.

thai soon went for the soup version while both of us ordered the dry type. after you had selected the items and handed the bowl over, you would be given a small number plate to take back to your table. thai soon came back with number 33. when it came to my turn, i mentioned 33 but the lady insisted that everyone had to have his own number even if we were sharing table, so i got 35 and tye thong's was 34.

thai soon explained that they heated up or fried the items again and so each order would be prepared separately. the number was to identify the order, not the table where we would be seated.

the dry version came with the cut items sitting in a shallow bowl of brown gravy, similar to the gravy for lor mee. the soup came in a separate bowl. the condiments were placed in containers next to our table and we had to help ourselves to them.

after a satisfying lunch, we walked over to jalan berseh to check out the stalls. the pig's trotters and shark's meat stall was closed. the stall with a queue was the fish soup stall on left end of level 2. we had 'kopi karsi' from the stall next to the fish soup stall.

from there, we moved on to sungei road thieves' market. after browsing for more than half an hour, tye thong bought a nice picture frame. we had a beancurd drink each at beancurd city before calling it a day.

2007-10-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

how to escape speed traps in m'sia

rare is the person who doesn't speed on malaysian roads? open road and 100s of km to go, who is not tempted to go beyond 110m. unless you are like my pilot friend james who switches to cruise control once he hits the lebuhraya. or disciplined like my colleague seow who keeps within the limit all the time.

in my 25 years of driving i have not been caught for speeding. however, i am not one of those who feels that speed is unlimited once he is on the malaysian highway. there are those who say with pride that they dash from kl to s'pore in two and a half hours. i can never claim that. i normally take more than four hours to make the journey from s'pore to kl.

i do speed but selectively and i am always alert for any signal or sign from helpful motorists going in the other direction. i do not speed when i am nearing the main rest-stops or any of the toll plazas outside the big towns. i slow down to the legal limit when i am approaching overhead bridges, underpasses and crossings. i slow down whenever i see that the malaysian motorists are, all of a sudden, driving sanely.

the universal signal for speed trap ahead is the flashing of the headlights from vehicles going past you in the opposite direction. once i see a flash, i adopt a cautious mode and adjust to the correct speed. even if it is a false alarm, it does not matter.

the best thing to do to avoid being booked for speeding is use the cruise control or to keep to the limit all the time.

2007-10-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

attempts to retrieve missing shares

today i made a trip to cpf building at jurong east to find out what happened to one lot of share which i had bought with my cpf money in the 90s. since i started getting statements from ocbc, this share has never been reflected. i had gone to ocbc to check and it was they who advised me to check with cpf.

had to wait for nearly two hours before i got the chance to talk to one of the officers. she was very pleasant and she tried to trace the lost lot. she checked the record and told me that as from 2004, there was no record of it and i was told to check once more with ocbc. this time she gave me the account number.

a few days later, armed with this information, i went down to the ocbc bank at upper bukit timah to seek assistance. the bank officer asked if i had sold the shares. she then explained to me that since this record went back some many years, it would take them a bit longer to retrieve the information. i was asked for my contact number and she said she would contact me the moment she got the result of the search.

on the same day, just before 5 p.m., she called to let me know that i had been given a cash rebate of $1500 for those shares and that the amount had been credited to my cpf in 2001.

i wondered how they could have done that without consulting me. then it dawned on me. when i moved to bukit panjang, i had not updated my change of address with ocbc. letters regarding this matter must have been sent to my old address and because i did not respond (because i never got to see the letters), they must have gone ahead with the payment.

at least, now i feel a sense of relief as i know that my shares were not stolen or sold without my knowledge.

2007-10-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

owen primary school

the building is still standing, after more than 50 years, but the school 'died' many years ago. i was registered for primary one in dorset primary school - long since demolished - but because there were more applicants than places, i was 'transferred' to owen primary school, a new school in 1955. three years later, i was to move again, this time to another new school, newton boys' school.

i do not have much memories of the school and its teachers but i can still recall how the headmistress at that time, mrs aria, terrorised us. woe betide those who forgot to wear their pe bloomers to school on days they were supposed to have pe. mrs aria forced them to remove their trousers and to wrap newspapers around their waist.

i had a classmate named onkar who lived further down the road from the school. he came from a nice family and i remember visiting his two-storey house once. there was another classmate or schoolmate who lived in the tasek utara estate. his name is poh pheng. a good looking boy, he seemed to have been talented from young.

from this cohort who started at owen primary school in 1955, at least six of us made it to raffles institution. onkar and poh pheng were rafflesians. meng tong, who was also transferred to newton boys' school and who always topped the class was another. if i am not wrong, ho pin chan was also from the same batch.

i think the school closed down in 1989 but not before it became well-known for the wrong reason - two of its pupils disappeared and were never found.

today, the building has been renamed cambridge international hostel. it serves as a hostel for foreign students studying in singapore schools. all the rooms are airconditioned and i was told that food is catered.

2007-10-14T01:46:00.001-07:00

exciting time ahead for nature lovers

by the end of this year, the highest pedestrian bridge in singapore will have been completed. however, the 270m bridge spanning henderson road is not meant for the ordinary pedestrians. it is specially built for nature lovers and nature walkers. a shorter 80m bridge of the same nature is being built across alexandra road.

these bridges, walkways and footpaths will link the three exisiting parks: telok blangah park, mt faber park and alexandra park. they will serve to connect some 9km of the southern ridges comprising mt faber, telok blangah hill and kent ridge.

nature lovers will not be the only one to benefit from these exciting links. cyclists, too, can travel through the linked passages and the casual visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the harbour and the surroundings from a new vantage point.

the other day when i drove along telok blangah road, i could see the unique pedestrian bridge taking shape.

then, there is the gardens by the bay which will comprise three distinctive waterfront gardens.

the 101-hectare gardens by the bay will be made up of gardens at marina south, gardens at marina east and gardens at marina centre across the mouth of the s'pore river.

the marina gardens will have special areas for garden festivals. there will be open spaces for concerts and performances. there will be water-based activities and beachfront gardens.

however, for this, we will have to wait a bit longer. the first phase is expected to be opened to the public in 2010.

2007-10-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

wantan mee @ blk 79 telok blangah drive

long queues are generally a good indication of the popularity of a food stall. but sometimes a queue is formed when it need not be. for example, at aston, there is usually a queue because you have to give your order to the receptionist before you can gain admission into the restaurant even if there are many vacant places available.

at hong ji mian shi jia at blk 76 telok blangah drive, you can always expect a queue. first, the food (wantan and soup) is good and so the stall is popular. secondly, the plates of noodles are prepared individually, so the queue moves very slowly. what normally takes five minutes may extend to fifteen minutes at this stall.

on a sunday afternoon, only 18 of the 30 stalls at the food centre were open for business. most of the other stalls had hardly any customer. it would seem that everyone at the food centre was there for the wantan mee. the only other stall that had reasonably good business was the stall next ot it, a drinks stall.

at $2.50 for a plate of wantan noodles and the same cost for a bowl of swee kau soup, it was well worth the money. the soup was sweet, with a hint of ikan bilis and soya beans. for $2.50, i got a generous amount of noodles with char siew, swee kau and chye sim. the noodles were soft and they did not break easily.

the stall is open from 6 a.m. to about 9.00 p.m. it is closed on fridays.

2007-10-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

penang place @ international business park

the prices for lunch and dinner have gone up slightly. it used to be $14.40 for lunch and $18.40 for dinner. now, it is $18.80 for lunch and $20.80 for lunch. on a public holiday and saturday, you have to pay $2 extra per person.

the spread is the same as before and the quality of the food is still above average and quite authentically penang fare. the place is just as popular, so it is best to make reservation as we found out today. we almost could not be accommodated in the restaurant. there were at least two big groups - one was about 40 strong and the other 12 - at the place.

the list of food includes ju hu eng chai, nasi lemak, char kway teow, penang laksa, hokkien mee, lobak, ngoh hiang, springrolls, otak otak, rojak, prawns, rendang and others. you can make your own chendol and ice kachang.

penang place also does catering. minimum group size is 30 and it starts at $20 per person. you pay an extra $150 if you want the char kway teow man to be stationed at your function. they also provide you the equipment to make sure your chendol and ice kachang are fresh.

2007-10-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

cosy bar @ tanjong rhu

all this while i thought that the oasis was the only makan place at tanjong rhu bay; today, i found out more. there is a nice footbridge connecting the indoor stadium to the tanjong rhu bay area. apart from the oasis, there is another eating place in the vicinity - it is the cosy bar. i was on my way to the marina bay golf course when i saw this place.

the structure which resembles a pagoda is four storey in height. the cosy bar serves mainly liquor and beer. you can also get hot and cold beverages as well as some finger food. i understand that you can have your food and drink at any of the three levels of the pagoda.

there is a parking area specially reserved for patrons of the place. the fee is $5 but this amount can be redeemed when you eat and/or drink at the cosy bar.

2007-10-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

creatures on the beach

it is never a dull moment when you visit the shore area, especially at low tide. you will be able to see a variety of living organisms in the shallows as well as on the exposed shore. it is always interesting because each time you will see or discover new things.

today, for example, i saw a baby horseshoe crab swimming on its back. i had assumed that that was their normal way of movement but found out later that this was not the case. the crab, the size of a fifty cent coin, was on its back all the time when i was watching it.

scattered over the muddy stretch at low tide were more than twenty dead crabs. they were not flower crabs but swamp crabs. they could have been dumped there by someone. but, why would anyone want to do that? or they could have made their way there from the mangrove swamp near the shore to meet their tragic end?

there was this sea snake which seemed to be feeding on the many mussels found on the muddy stretch of the shore. it was in the same position for sometime until i decided to disturb it by dropping a dry leaf on it. then, it slithered away.

these are the organisms that are visible. there are lots more which are hidden; they have burrowed themselves into the mud or live in the mud.

2007-10-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

paper baked chicken @ teck sing restaurant

after our exploration of gunong pulai, we returned to johor bahru via pekan nanas and the pontian highway passing pulai springs and universiti technologi malaysia along the way. when we were nearing tampoi, traffic came to a crawl because of the ongoing construction of the flyovers. it took us about half an hour to clear the bottle-neck.

victor suggested going to taman sentosa for herbal chicken lunch. i assumed that we would be going to the famous bamboo restaurant for our midday meal. instead he suggested the restaurant next door - teck sing restaurant - which also served the herbal chicken but named the dish 'paper baked chicken'.

we did not eat the chicken in the restaurant; we bought takeaway but we did order the noodles and ate them in the restaurant. teck sing is air-conditioned and occupies two shop houses. it offers a greater variety of dishes. there were pictures of sbc stars who have visted the restaurant and, also hanging on the wall, were awards and newspaer features about the restaurant.

as i was leaving the place, i checked the restaurant next door. it was so different from before. there was hardly any customer. bamboo restaurant has outlived its former glory. that's why, i feel that even an eatery needs to continuously upgrade and to offer something new to entice its customers to keep going back.

2007-10-09T01:44:00.001-07:00

trapping confused motorists at kulai

we were cruising around kulai looking for a certain dirt track that was supposed to lead to gunong pulai. we came to this cross-junction where the traffic lights seemed to be red in all the sections. finally, the traffic in the opposite direction moved and one motor-cyclist signalled to us, on the opposite side, to follow. thinking that the traffic lights were faulty, we moved although the light on our side was still showing red.

we were not beating the traffic light; we had assumed that the lights were not working properly and had taken the initiative to drive on. a short distance after crossing the junction, a policeman in white uniform signalled to us to stop by the side of the road. we were up to then still unaware that he was using this devious way to nab us. finally, when he said that we had not stopped for the red light, we realised what he was up to.

he proclaimed: i am fasting; i would not lie to you. you have indeed failed to stop for the red light. when i explained that it was also red to my left and right, he volunteered to show me that i was wrong - the traffic lights were in working order. yes, they were working; only the order was not the normal order.

he was taking advantage of the atypical traffic signal system at that particular junction to make a fast buck. locals or those living around that area may be familiar with the system but if you are new to that place or just passing through, you may fall into his money-spinning trap.

he asked for my driving licence and identity card and told me to get into my car and stay in the driver's seat. right away, i knew his intent. to make me understand his intention, he added that the fine for the offence was rm$300.

realising that i was 'trapped' as i have indeed committed an offence unwittingly, i slipped rm$20 into his summons book. so, there goes my unblemished record of not having been made to pay a fine for traffic infringement in my more than 25 years of driving in malaysia.

2007-10-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

gunong pulai waterfalls in johor

victor told me that he last visited the place some twenty years ago. we were trying to look for a dirt track located just outside kulai town. many things have changed in those twenty years. kulai town has expanded. the dirt track has been replaced by a metalled road. we took the road outside kulai that led to the north-south highway. just before the toll plaza, on the left is a sign that says 'gunong pulai'.

we took the road and came to a sign that was quite distinct. it says 'hutan lipur gunong pulai'. we stopped to ask for direction from a woman who pointed 'straight ahead'. the village at the base of the mountain is known as gunong sri pulai. we travelled on the road till we came to a sign that says in malay "not open to the public". as we had come all the way, we decided that we did not understand malay and carried on.

what we saw was quite disheartening. it seemed that the project to turn the area into a recreational resort had been abandoned. the one-time office was in a real bad shape - the roof was gone and the place appeared to have been left vacant for a long time. a structure which once served as a lifeguard post was still standing but the one beside it, a pavilion, had collapsed totally to the ground.

there was still a semblance of a waterfall but the volume of water could not be considered rushing. you could still swim but the water was not that clear and also not mountain cool. to venture to the place where there was cascading water, you would have to go on foot.

we actually drove up the steep, narrow and winding road but stop short of the summit because we did want to run into any uniformed personnel and be charged for trespassing a restricted area. at the top of mount pulai is a transmitting station.

2007-10-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

memories of old ri @ bras basah road

one of my more vivid memories of my four years of study at raffles institution at bras basah road was this picture of the old capitol theatre. each time i looked out of the classroom, which was often enough, i would see the huge poster staring at me from the front of the cinema building. what made it more interesting was that the poster would be changed each time before they started to screen a new show.

in and out of school, i often heard my better off classmates mention the name of magnolia snack bar in the capitol building. they would go there after school to have their milk shakes and ice-cream and/or to meet up with girls from the nearby convent of the holy infant jesus.

i can still picture in my mind the big banyan tree within the school compound, next to the school's main tuck shop. we had two tuck shops, the larger one was near the canal and the other one was closer to bras basah road. when we were not chasing ball (hantam bola) or each other on the school field, we would play under the shade of the magnificent banyan tree.

one other memory is that of the water in the canal filling up and emptying with the ebb and flow of the tides. the canal ran along the stamford side of the school and it drained into the sea. at high tide, it would fill up and conversely, at low tide, the water level would drop drastically.

in another year, when my classroom was in the other part of the building, i could see the grand raffles hotel and hear the happy noises coming from the exclusive brittania club across the road. i do not remember seeing asians going into the club; seemed like it was reserved for the privileged british soldiers.

my daily pocket money was just enough for a drink and a pau or a roti prata. most days, i would spend my recess time reading school magazines of other schools in the library. on those days when i had spent all my money. i would have to walk home from school, that is, from bras basah road to where the novena station now stands.