ygblog3

2009-12-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

yesteryears' playground

the playground of ours was less colourful and simpler in design. it would usually comprise a slide, two see-saws and two or three swings. in some places, there would be a monkey-bar.

2009-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

homing.....to jurong bird park

i was at one side of the pang sua canal, across from warren country club, when i saw this flock of egrets resting on the railings. at around 5.30 p.m. another flock came winging towards them. as if as one, all of them took off and joined the flying flock. it seemed like they were collecting everyone to fly back to their nesting place at jurong.

most of these egrets nest at jurong birdpark but spread out all over the island during the day to find food.

the little egret is the smallest and most common egret in singapore. singapore receives a good concentration of these migrants during the winter (september-may).

i come across the little egrets all over the island, especially the western part of it. they can be found on open fields, near waterways, especially canals, and at the edge of ponds and reservoirs. they can also be found along the coastal areas.

little egrets are the liveliest hunters among herons and egrets, with a wide variety of techniques. they may patiently stalk prey in shallow waters. or stand on one leg and stir the mud with the other to scare up prey. or better yet, stand on one leg and wave the other bright yellow foot over the water surface to lure aquatic prey into range.

they eats fish, crustaceans and insects.

2009-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

prunus-petai trail @ macritchie

the 3km nature walk along the prunus-petai trail is a good introduction for any newcomer to walking/hiking at our nature reserves. the prunus and the petai trails are board walks.

the petai trail is actually a continuation of the prunus. you can finish your walk by taking the gravel track of the macritchie nature trail. when you come to the end of the petai trail, turn right onto the macritchie trail. taking the left will lead you to the jelutong trail and the tree-top walk.

the 3km walk is correctly graded an easy walk/hike, which can be completed within the hour. at the start of the board walk, you can feed the hundreds of tinfoil barbs in the reservoir. (they have now put up notices to advise people against feeding the fish.) there are so many of them that the crumbs disappear the moment they hit the water.

the tinfoil barb is a fish that is often available in pet shops and sold to the beginning aquarist but it is not the best choice for those beginning in the freshwater hobby. the tinfoil barb requires a very large tank, at least 284 litres because of its potential adult size of 32 cm.

they like to have lots of space for swimming and they are indeed fast swimmers. they also like to jump out of tanks that don't have tight fitting hoods. tin foil barbs will accept most fish food, including flakes, pellets, frozen and freeze-dried foods. they will also go after your live plants and any smaller fish if given the opportunity.

today, i came across a troop of monkeys playing in the shallows of the reservoir. some were on the board walk but a number of them went to play in the water. like playful children, they were having a splashing time in the water.

all along the two trails, there are information sign boards telling you more about the flora and fauna that you will see along the way.

whenever i go for my walk, i do not park my car in the macritchie car park as it is a hassle when you want to exit macritchie and get onto leonie road. i usually park my car along one of the roads in the westlake private housing estate or along the stretch of road leading to the little sisters of the poor.

2009-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

scenes @ kranji

kranji is one of the few places you can escape to when you need peace and quiet. scenic spots are aplenty although there are also eye-sores like the flotsam at the water edge near the kranji park.
there are also some unusual features like the bus-stop kind of shelter in the middle of the fishing ground and the row of transmitting towers which can be seen in one of the pictures.

kranji is quite similar to lower seletar in that the dam/road separates the reservoir from the sea. so, on one side you have fresh reservoir water and on the other side you have salty sea water.

this nine-hectare park has two designated fishing areas where enthusiasts can cast their lines while watching the colourful king-fishers catch their prey.

constructed in 1979, the park also has a children's playground.

the transmitting towers are used by bbc far eastern service and by singapore's media corp. not many people know of the location of the station at turut track.

among the flotsam that was washed up by the tide and waves were some plastic flower pots, lots of mineral water bottles, containers for packing food and part of a road barrier.

i was curious to know why there was such a structure - the shelter - at the park. the park supervisor explained to me that it was meant for anglers and other park users to seek protection from the rain. i find that it is a nice place to rest or even take an afternoon nap as it is cool and breezy.

2009-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

upper boon keng/kallang bahru park connector \

the more parks i visit, the more appreciative i am of the work being done by national park board to make singapore a more liveable place for us. it is a pity that not as many singaporeans and other residents are taking advantage of the excellent facilities and amenities provided by national park board.

the upper boon keng and kallang bahru park seems under utilised and under visited in comparison with parks like bukit batok nature park and macritchie reservoir park. at eight in the morning, you find the odd joggers and isolated groups doing calisthenics type of exercises.

then there are residents who use the jogging or cycling track as a short cut to the bus stop or their work place. much unlike at bukit batok where you can hardly find a parking space at the car park - which has around 124 parking lots.

there are a few nice bridges here that span the river. along a certain stretch there are barbeque pits. rounding the bend, i came across this attractive chinese temple. it is called chwee kang beo (in hokkien) or shui jiang miao (in mandarin).

the water in the river is so clean that, on a warm day, you will be tempted to have a dip in it if bathing facilities are made available at the park. it is also teeming with fish. as you walk along the path beside the river, you will come across schools of fish. i saw a large fish - about half a metre long - swimming in the middle of the river. even the cat and the birds seem to know that there is food in the river.

2009-02-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

tulous - hakka's earth buildings

my friend victor samuel and his wife helen, both retired, went with their church friend jason, who retired when he was in his forties, to yongding county in southern china. they made the trip together with 16 members of the s'pore adventurers' club.

they flew tiger airways to quangzhou. from there, they took the night train to yongding. helen complained that she could not sleep a wink during the ride.

i was at victor's place for dinner on friday. after dinner, he showed me all the 600 pictures that he had taken with his digital camera.

a lot of the pictures showed the tulous which the americans had mistakenly thought were missile launching silos.

each tulou will usually house around 20 families with about 100 people in total. the houses are built around a main courtyard to allow in light and air, and to house livestock. they have wells and complex drainage systems so they can be completely self-sufficient for long periods of time.

the walls are about a metre thick and the doors are bolted. the ground floor has slits for rifles, the second floor is for storing grains or rice, and the third and fourth floors are inhabited. they are effectively fortified villages.

from his pictures, i could see that every tulou has a stream or river flowing in front of it. it seems that the hakka people believe water will bring luck to them, especially if the water is flowing in front of the house.not all tulous are round.

in fact, there are more square tulous than round ones in china. most young people have moved out of their traditional homes. those who still occupy the tulous are the elderly people and young children

2009-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

reflection in kallang and lake matheson

(in new zealand)

this reflection of buildings in the kallang river reminds me of our first trip to new zealand. we had been so excited about the view to be had at the mirror lake that we did not mind the forty minutes walk from the road to the viewing platform.

however, we were thoroughly disappointed because all we saw was the dull water of the lake sans the refections of the southern alps. the conditions that particular day were not suitable for any picture perfect image in the water.

about 6km from the fox village on the gillispies beach road, lake matheson is a tiny lake well protected from the wind. this means the waters are often incredibly still. not everyone who goes there get to witness the spectacular sight.

it seems the best chances to see the reflections is in the morning. at lake matheson, nature has combined exactly the right ingredients to create truly stunning reflections of new zealand's highest peaks - aoraki (mount cook) and mount tasman. the waters of lake matheson are dark brown, so on a calm day they create the ideal reflective surface.

the colour is caused by natural leaching of organic matter from the surrounding native forest floor. by a happy coincidence, the mountains to the east are perfectly positioned to reflect in the lake.

i captured this reflection of the buildings at bendemeer in the kallang river when i went for my morning walk at about 7.15 a.m. today.

2009-02-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

maid in the wrong toilet?

i was very sure that i had entered the correct toilet. still, i was taken aback when i saw this young woman in the men's toilet. she was holding onto this feeble old man who walked with the aid of a walking stick.

i proceeded to do my business at one of the urinals with my back turned towards them. another person who came in after me decided, out of modesty, to use one of the cubicles.

wonder if the maid had to help the man unzip his fly since he was so weak as to require the assistance of the maid in the toilet.

getting into the wrong toilet is not an uncommon experience. it happens to all of us. sometimes ladies go mistakenly into a gent's toilet and vice versa. i remember a lady colleague of mine who made this kind of mistake. when she told us about it, we asked if she had seen 'the firing range' in the gents. she said she did but went ahead to use it anyway as there was no one inside.

i have entered a wrong sex toilet more than once. the moment i realised my mistake, i would make a quick exit. but there was one instance when i realised the mistake only after i had finished using the toilet.

2009-02-04T03:42:00.000-08:00

disused quarry at bukit timah nature reserve

today, i parked my car outside the moe dairy farm adventure camp - the only moe camp of which i have not seen the inside - and walked the disused road. sometimes, i think, i tread without realizing the danger i may be getting myself into.

just like the kranji nature trail, this road was totally deserted. i did not meet a single soul along the entire walk. the walk took me to a disused granite quarry. the quarry was fenced up and the gate was padlocked. there were certain areas where the water appeared to be quite shallow.

however, it is quite difficult to tell just by looking. concrete steps and slopes have been constructed just outside the fence. i think this is to facilitate water overflowing from the pond. the water would cascade down the steps and flow down the slopes to the drains.

i took a different route to get back to the dairy farm campsite. i walked alongside the railway track and managed to get to railway mall.

since then i have gone back to this disused quarry a few times. i found out that the name for it is the singaore quarry. at the moment, some development is taking place here as the singapore quarry will become part of the dairy farm nature park. a platform is being built over the edge of the quarry pond.

2009-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

recycling aluminium cans

you may be wondering: in these hard times, why aren't more people rummaging the bins for aluminium cans. the reason is simple. the price of scrap metal has plummetted to such a level that it is not worth the effort to collect these cans. aluminium used to fetch s$2.00 a kilo. today, it is about $0.70/kg.

anything made of aluminium can be recycled repeatedly: not only cans, but aluminium foil, plates and pie molds, window frames, garden furniture and automotive components are melted down and used to make the same products again.

used aluminium cans can be recycled to make new aluminium cans, aluminium windows can be recycled to make new aluminium windows and old aluminium engine blocks to make new ones. the recycling rate for aluminium cans is already above 90% in countries like brazil and japan.
the aluminium industry has set up various schemes to encourage recycling in many countries.

aluminium beverage cans can be recycled by individuals and groups and most countries have a national can recycling association which offers advice, support, and can put collectors in touch with purchasing organisations.

process scrap at all stages is meticulously collected and sorted by alloy by all aluminium companies and most customer organisations. unlike other metals, scrap aluminium has significant value and commands good market prices.

in the case of beverage cans, the process uses gas collected from burning off the volatile substances in can coatings to provide heat for the process. every last bit of energy is used.

used beverage cans are normally back on supermarket shelves as new beverage cans in 6-8 weeks in those countries which have dedicated can collecting and recycling schemes.

the recycling of aluminium beverage cans eliminates waste. it saves energy, conserves natural resources, reduces use of city landfills and provides added revenue for recyclers, charities and local town government. the aluminium can is therefore good news for the environment and good for the economy.

the aluminium can is 100% recyclable; there are no labels or covers to be removed. today's aluminium can requires about 40% less metal than the can made 25 years ago; hence the need for less energy and less raw material per can.

cans made from aluminium used to be worth 6 to 20 times more than any other used packaging material. aluminium is the only packaging material that more than covers the cost of its own collection and processing at recycling centres.

2009-02-02T01:29:00.000-08:00

chemperai-jering-lornie trails

today, walked the boardwalks of chemperai and jering trails and returned by way of the well-used lornie trail. the distance of this route is slightly longer than the prunus-petai boardwalk, about 4.8km.

this stretch hugs the water-edge all the way. however, it does not seem to be as popular as the prunus-petai trail. the chemperai trail is longer than the jering. along both walks, you will come across the tinfoil barbs; at chemperai, they are found near the start of the boardwalk while at jering, they are found at the end of it. in the shallows, i also saw a 45cm aruan -snakehead fish - swimming about nonchalantly, with no fear or regard for humans.

along the chemperai, there is a tree overhanging the water and they have modified the walk to accommodate this leaning tree. they have erected supports for the trunk of the tree and because it is so low, they have lowered the height of the boardwalk at this point.

somewhere, in between the two boardwalks, there is an old chinese tombstone built right at the water edge. some chinese characters carved on the vertical slab reveals the year of death as 1876 and the surname of the deceased as fan. it has been there for around 130 years.

2009-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

bidadari christian & muslim/hindu cemeteries

under the 1998 master plan, the bidadari cemetery sites along upper serangoon road would be developed into high-density housing and was projected to yield about 12,000 public-housing dwelling units. there would be modem amenities and facilities to complement the housing, including a park and other open spaces. the bidadari cemeteries were opened in 1907.

"bidadari" was derived from the sanskrit word "widyadari"; meaning a nymph or fairy. these cemeteries are multi-ethnic and religious burial grounds where protestants, catholics, singhalese, hindus and muslims were buried. the cemeteries were officially closed in 1972. on the christian side, near the beautiful ornate gate at the central entrance, there once stood a small chapel where services were held. it was torn down in the 1980s.

today, all the graves have been exhumed. it is now an open park with the woodleigh mrt station saddling the one-time divide between the christian and muslim cemeteries. the authorities have left many of the trees in tact; you can see quite a number of elegant mature trees. there is also this interesting 'clump' where two different types of trees seem to have merged into one.

2009-01-31T17:28:00.001-08:00

duku langsat in lim chu kang

i paid $3.80 a kilo for the langsat fruit at sheng siong supermarket and$5.00 a kilo at a fruit stall in geylang. however, if you know where to go, you can find this fruit growing in abundance by the roadside in a certain part of singapore. whether it is unlawful to pick them, i am not so sure.

the duku and langsat are closely related members of the same botanical family (meliaceae), and are very similar fruits.

the duku is normally larger than the langsat. they grow in clusters with a leathery skin. the duku has a golden brown colour; the langsat is more of a cream color. (brown langsats are over-ripe.) gentle pressure on the top (stem end) of the fruit will cause the skin to split, making the fruit easy to peel. the skin of the langsat contains a sticky latex which is annoying but not harmful. the duku does not have this latex sap, and is considered a superior fruit for that reason.

the interior of each fruit contains 5 or 6 segments which are very much like the segments of a small grapefruit. the flesh is sweet and juicy, and tastes much like a very mild, sweet, grapefruit. some segments may contain small, bitter seeds. do not bite into them. there is no harm if you swallow the small seeds.

there is so much on some of these trees that you can easily harvest ten kilos of the fruit at one go. the smaller sized fruit tends to be sweeter and some of them are seedless.

when we were young, we used segments of the skin of the duku as ammunitions to shoot at each other. we would have a rubber band between our thumb and forefinger. placing the segment of the duku skin against the rubber band, we would pull it towards us before releasing it at our target. if shot at close range, you could end up with a stinging pain.

2009-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

roadside tree - meninjau

someone in terengganu lamented that he could no longer find the meninjau tree growing by the roadside. he should come to singapore and i would be able to show him a few roads, in different parts of singapore, lined with this type of trees.

the meninjau (gnetum gnemom) is a columnar tree, possibly native to singapore but cultivated here for many centuries. the gnetums are a botanical oddity. they are gymnosperms, like conifers and cycads, but vegetatively seem much more similar to typical flowering plants particularly in possessing ‘normal’ leaves rather than needles or fronds.

gnetum gnemom is cultivated in kampongs throughout southeast asia not for its ornamental but for its economic value, particularly for its edible leafy shoots and ‘fruit.’ the latter can be made into a sort of flour most famously used to prepare the fried crackers known as keropok or embing.

meninjau trees are naturally columnar, with short side branches coming out almost horizontally from the main trunk. the glossy foliage and strong shape of the tree make it suitable for use in landscaping. several roads in singapore are successfully planted as meninjau avenues. male trees (meninjau trees come in separate sexes) are better for roadside planting as they do not drop squashy seeds.

along certain lanes in lim chu kang, i have come across whole families, usually malay, harvesting the ripe fruit. they will go from tree to tree to collect the red fruit. sometimes, they even pick the yellow ones.

2009-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

disused buildings at dairy farm road

i followed the bike trail at dairy farm nature reserve till i came to a barrier. there, i came across a group of bikers taking a break. between the two barriers is an old and narrow road. i was not sure where it would lead to. i decided to take a right. i came upon two abandoned buildings. one was a normal residential building but the other one seemed to have a long hall. could this be the old dairy farm?

the first disused building was about 400m from the barrier. it would appear that it had not been occupied for quite sometime. however, the inside of the building had been swept as there was not much litter - no dead leaves. there were two wells outside and there was evidence that someone had been drawing water from the wells.

the second building, which appeared to be a residential building, was on higher ground. there was a yellow signboard with the number '8' in black on the path leading to this building. it had been vacated for sometime because the whole place was overgrown with weeds and other plants.

there also seemed to be a substation nearby, with the pub logo still visible on the door.
as i was walking back to where the barrier was, i met a troop of scouts. there must be at least forty of them. a npark vehicle was following this group. a lady alighted from the truck. from what i could see, she must be the teacher in charge of the scouts.

i decided to follow the road out. since the truck had come in that direction, it had to lead to some main road and the entrance. sure enough, i found myself at 100 dairy farm road. it was a private road.

i was to learn, not long later, that this area would be developed into a park, an extension of the bukit timah nature reserve. no, the building with a long hall was not the old dairy farm. it was actually a warehouse.

the old warehouse would be developed into classrooms and a visitors' centre while the residential unti would become the rangers' station and volunteers' lounge.

2009-01-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

kitesurfing in singapore @ changi

while driving along changi coast road i caught sight of some parachute-like objects in the sky. i turned into the car park at coconut grove and saw this group of men and one woman having a whale of a time surfing and flying a huge kite at the same time.

kitesurfing or kiteboarding is a blend of surfing, water skiing and kite flying.the inflatable power kite usually comes with three sets of strings attached. the surfer has to wear a harness with one of the controls for the strings hooked to a carabiner.

before he can get off the ground, the surfer has to use an air blower to inflate 5 to 7 tubings before he can use the kite. he usually has a spotter or launch partner to help him with the strings so that they do not get entangled.

watching them at it, i realise it is not easy to pick up this sport on your own. you need to take lessons from a qualified instructor. these lessons - usually spread over 2 days - will set you back about $400. first, you have to learn how to manoeuvre the strings to control the kite. next, you have to get used to using the kiteboard or wakeboard while manipulating the strings of the kite.

you need to spend quite a tidy sum of money if you want to take up this sport. to get a set of kite and board, i think you need to cough out at least $1000. then there are other accessories which you may want to get, like half gloves and a helmet.

subsequently, i came across kite-surfers when i visited st kilda's beach in melbourne. there were quite a number of them having a swinging time at the bay.

2009-01-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

the mangosteen fruit

i have seen all the other fruit trees bearing fruit but not the mangosteen. now, i know why. the mangosteen only starts to bear fruit when it is about ten years old. the trees that i see growing by the roadsides are definitely not more than five years old.

the mangosteen is the size of a mandarin. the outer skin is up to 8mm thick and rich in tannic acid, which makes the fruit insect resistant.to open the fruit, cut through the skin only, and lightly pull and twist the fruit apart. experienced mangosteen eaters use their thumb to pry out the dried flower parts (sessile stigma) and then break the fruit open.

about a third of the fruit is edible and this part consists of 4 to 8 white to pinkish juicy segments. the precise number is indicated by the remnant flower parts on the front of the shell.a greater number of segments reduces the chance of seeds. seeds can be boiled or roasted and eaten. the fruit's taste is delicate, sweet-acid, and the pulp seems to melt in the mouth.the fruit will keep for a few days without refrigeration. storage at 10ºC is ideal and extends shelf life to about 20 days. refrigeration causes cold damage. to minimise this, wrap fruit in newspaper and store it in the upper part of a refrigerator, but away from cooling coils. freezing the fruit whole is also satisfactory.trees are very slow growing and rarely fruit before they are ten years old.

additionally, the cultural requirements are stringent, further reducing the supply of fruit. the fruit has to be harvested by hand.

care must be taken to keep the latex or juice of the mangosteen away from clothes. once stained, it is very difficult to remove the dye.

the fruit is going at $3.00 a kilo at sheng siong supermarket and about $4.00 a kilo at most other fruit stalls. when buying the fruit, if given a chance to pick and choose, i will go for the smaller fruit with more segments.

when i first started eating mangosteen, i remember paying five to ten cents for a fruit. today, each fruit costs about thirty cents.

the mangosteen finally started bearing fruit in 2008. however, like most of the fruit found growing at lim chu kang, the mangosteens did not get to see the light of the day; they were harvested even before they were ripe.

2009-01-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

nature walk from rifle range rd to kg chantek

from rifle range road, there is a short walk, slightly more than 1km, through the quiet secondary forest to kampong chantek. there are fruit trees along this trail and so you have the nangka trail and the durian loop. there are other fruit trees although they do not have trails named after them - there are rambutans and star fruit trees.

the well-marked trail takes you through different terrains, including a meandering stream, before you re-appear at the end of jalan kampong chantek. here, you will come face to face with the fence that is the boundary of the murnane service reservoir.

for those who are more energetic and who have the time, there is a longer walk that will take you all the way to the tree-top walk at macritchie. from murnane to macritchie is a distance of more than 9 km. remember to factor in the return journey, so making it a 18km trek.

if you take the other trail, the kampong trail, it will lead you all the way to the visitor's centre at bukit timah nature reserve.

there is a car park at rifle range road where parking is free but the barrier is supposed to come down at 7.00 p.m. this means that if you reach the car-park after dark, you may have to leave the car there overnight.

during the durian season, you may sometimes see a personnel from nparks stationed near the trail. he s not there to stop you from picking the fallen fruit; he is there to ensure that durian hunters do not camp in the forest and light a smal fire to ward off the mosquitoes.

2009-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

some sea activities at east coast park

i was at east coast park to enjoy the sea breeze and to watch the actions taking place in the sea. i was near the national sailing centre. i could see that sailing is catching on with the young in singapore. saw at least sixty to eighty sail boats out in the sea, tacking and jibbing along the stretch fronting the east coast park. i was trying to explain to my friend that in sailing, as in driving, there are certain rules to follow.

some people mistakenly think that a sailboat always has the right-of-way over powerboats. a sail boat does have the ROW over a powerboat unless the sailboat is overtaking the powerboat. a sail boat must also keep out of the way of large vessels.

when two boats are at risk of colliding, the boat that has the other on its starboard must keep out of the way.

after watching kitesurfing at cathy's jetty, off car park 6, windsurfing does not appear to be as appealing as before. however, could see that when the sail caught the wind, the windsurfer could go really fast.

i have always liked to relax at east coast park, especially, at places away from the maddening crowd. however, i avoid certain stretches of the east coast park because of the crowd.

2009-01-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

the daily scoop at sunset way, clementi

when ivy came back in january 2007 for a one-week visit, i had wanted to take her to this ice-cream cafe at sunset way, clementi. because of her very brief stay and the fact that she had her own programmes most of the time, i did not get the chance to do so. had taken ida there once but did not try the ice cream then.

the daily scoop offers a variety of alcohol-flavoured choices, together with other favourites like fruit or coffee. i have tried the lychee martini, the strawberry, the chempedak and the chocolate. also tried the set, where you get a piece of freshly baked wafer topped with a scoop of ice cream for $5.20.

to save money when i am buying for two persons, i will go for the double scoops, in flavour of our choice. this way, it is cheaper than buying two single scoops.

the reason for my wanting to let ivy try the place is that the owner, melissa phey, learnt to make her ice cream in melbourne. you can actually watch the ice cream being created if you drop by the place between 1pm and 7pm.

went again with ivy and her melbourne friend fawn to daily scoop for the ice-cream. tried their new creations - mango passion and tangerine sunrise. our favourite is still the lychee martini.

parking is free within the compound of the building. each time i go there, i am able to find a parking space. these days, it is becoming more difficult to get a lot because of the presence of cold storage supermarket.

2009-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

the boulders of punggol beach

punggol which is spelt “punggul” in malay refers to the action of hurling sticks at the branches of fruit trees to loosen the fruit from its stem. it also refers to a place where fruit and forest produce are sold wholesale.in the past, punggol was used for rubber planting, poultry farming and pig rearing until poultry and pig farming were phased out from the 1970’s.

punggol end was the place to go to for seafood in the past. there were a number of eateries near the end of the narrow, windy road where two bus services used to terminate. i think they are going to revive the past. i saw a ura signboard that says the area has been earmarked for food and beverage developments.

i was at punggol end for my morning walk. again, i seem to be venturing to places where others do not tread. at punggol beach, during the entire walk, i was the solitary walker. i did meet other people - three cleaners collecting wood pieces from the boulder-strewn beach and an angler trying his luck near the punggol river.the boulders are actually planted there. it is not like they came from that area. it is not like they have tumbled into the sea from somewhere nearby. you can see that some of them have been carefully (painstakingly) laid out to form a kind of platform or steps.

here is what someone, on the internet, speculated about the presence of such boulders:
why is punggol beach covered by boulders artificially? some years ago, there was news that an angler at punggol beach was trying to dig for worms to be used as fish baits. but instead he dug out a human skull. since then the government has paved the whole beach with many heavy boulders. this act is weird as the beauty of a sandy beach is fully covered. but it is suspected to be a purpose of stopping citizens from discovering more human remains from there.

2009-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

dragonfly and green bottle fly

my interest in dragonflies was aroused when i saw the tiger dragonfly in victor's blog. before that i used to think that there were about two species of dragonflies in singapore. when i surfed the internet to find out more about dragonflies in s'pore, i was amazed to find out the range of wonderful species found in s'pore.

dragonflies are normally found near places where there is water. in my kampong, the dragonflies would be seen darting around near the monsoon drains. once in a while we would catch one but we usually released it because dragonflies are not much fun to play with.

the green bottle fly, like the blue bottle fly, was regarded as dirty and a nuisance. it was too big to be food for our fighting spiders, so we did not bother to catch or kill it.

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

khatib bongsu in yishun

i had tried to locate this place unsuccessfully a few times. once, i went to the area near springleaf at upper thomson and thought that i had found the place. i remember going to this nature area many years ago with my friend and his brother's family. we were there to collect large clams in the bed of a muddy stream.

today (3 april 2007), i drove to yishun avenue 6, parked my car in the housing and development board (hdb) carpark beside northview primary school and crossed the road to the entrance of the track. there was a man manning the barrier but he did not say anything when i walked past.

as usual, i did not meet another person during my entire walk. i did come across two stray dogs. it seems that people tend to abandon or dump their vehicle in remote places. i came across this truck that was left by the side of the track. it had a season parking label for a yishun avenue 3 carpark and a registry of vehicle (rov) tax disc that would expire at the end of the month.

saw two wooden structures with zinc roofs, could hear voices but did not see anybody. there was a fishing pond beside one of these structures. as i was walking out, i saw the shells of the clams by the side of the muddy stream. this means that people have been going to that place to dig for clams in the mud and in the mudflats around the mangrove area.

up to the last days of its existence, the fishing pond was still open for business. by now, all the structures would have been demolished and the last few occupants would have moved out.

when i last tried to visit the place in september 2008, the track that used to lead to the fishing ponds was obliterated by vegetation. i had no choice but to turn back, aborting my plan to see if the ponds were still around.

2008-05-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

my new blog

http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/

2008-04-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

geylang - where retirees spend freely

when i walk along orchard road, somehow i feel that i do not fit into the crowd - swarms of young, energetic people. but, geylang makes me feel so much at home, so welcome. the young women from china are so friendly; they come right up to you and whisper into your ears. it is a pity that i do not understand mandarin, so my usual response is "wo bu hui jiang hua yu."

today, i took bus service 67 to sims avenue where i was supposed to meet nah chuan wee at the durian stall opposite lorong 13. as i stood at the bus-stop waiting, i watched the people as they alighted from the buses. there was a good mix of young and old men, a lot more young chinese women than older women and people of different races, with the chinese outnumbering the rest.

when nah finally appeared, we had some snacks at 'wan dou sek' on 126 sims avenue. we had char siew pau, siow long pau and fried chee cheong fun with chinese tea.

as i was going back on the bus, we decided to eat the durians at the stall. we chose 3 small d24 durians for $10. nah bought four more to take home together with some malaysian and thai mangoes.

the bus journey back from geylang lorong1 took nearly two hours. i boarded the bus at about 6.30 p.m. and reached home at around 8.30 p.m.

seems to me that geylang is the place where quite a number of retired people spend their free time and these same people also spend their money quite freely.

2008-04-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

lower seletar fishing jetty

the orchid country club's golf course adjoins the lower seletar reservoir park. i wonder if this part of the course is undergoing upgrading because it does not seem to be playable at the moment.

the fishing jetty is a popular spot with anglers who live nearby. most of them either walk or cycle to the jetty. the north-south mrt trains can be seen passing by every few minutes. some of the fish caught are baby-size but the anglers appeared intent on taking them home. to rear?

beneath the surface of the water there must be a big mass of hydrilla. i watched the dredge fill the floating trough with 'tons of hydrilla'. i won't dare paddle a canoe in this part of the reservoir; if i capsize i may get entangled with the mess of weeds. when the canoe centre was first opened to the public in may last year, someone drowned after his canoe capsized.

this place is managed by the pa. it is open every day except monday. members of the public can rent the canoes from water venture.

saw this floating islet at the edge of the reservoir.

2008-04-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

cauliflower with cream cheese

when i was in melbourne, i was impressed with a simple dish that ida prepared: white cauliflower florets baked with cream cheese. i told myself that when i returned to singapore i would try to cook the dish.

my experiment produced a dish which was different in appearance from ida's. ida had used kraft cheese; i chose to use grated cheddar cheese.

first, i melted the butter in a frying pan. then i added two tablespoonfuls of corn flour and i stirred in some milk, a little at a time. i had to keep stirring so as not to let it boil. when it appeared to reach the boiling state, i removed the pan from the fire and added the grated cheese.

earlier, i had sliced the white cauliflower into florets and packed them at the bottom of a dish. i poured the creamy cheese over the cauliflower. then i sprinkled some pamesan cheese and more grated cheese on top.

instead of baking it in the oven, i used the oven toaster and baked it until the crust appeared to be golden brown.

i should have pre-cooked the cauliflower to make it more tender.

2008-04-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

what's wrong with exotic plant species?

when i first read the notice, i was slightly taken aback. why are they removing exotic plants? are all exotic plants invasive?

when something is described as 'exotic', we tend to think of it as something coming from an asian or a tropical country. but the words 'exotic species' actually refer to plants or animals that are introduced into the local community. exotic plants are not necessarily strange or unusual; they are just alien or foreign.

so the npark people are getting rid of plants that are not native to our country and replacing them with local species.

2008-04-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

new use for bukit timah fire station

the bukit timah fire station, built in 1956, is due to be converted into a cafe and restaurant with alfresco dining. the fire station and the living quarters have been vacant since its move to bukit batok road. chun see's blog mentioned this station in september last year.

in singapore, quite a number of disused buildings have been turned over to private schools. the global indian international schools occupy at least three former school buildings, one in moulmein, one along tanjong katong and one in queenstown. the chinese international school, which initially used the name 'united chinese international school', occupies the former swiss cottage schools.

this may be the first state building that is going to be re-used as a food outlet.

one place fewer for fugitives to hide.

2008-04-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

accident at pedestrian crossing

a lot of people take it for granted that when the green man comes on at the pedestrian crossing, all vehicles will definitely come to a halt. this is evident from the way they look straight ahead as they nonchalantly make their way across the road, not bothering to check if everything is okay by looking to their left or right, as the case may be.

this kind of assumption is akin to saying that no aeroplane will fall from the sky but planes with mechanical problems have done that, ploughing into people and houses. a vehicle may fail to stop in time because of a mechanical or human error. the brakes may be faulty or the driver may be daydreaming or engrossed in some other task.

when it comes to crossing at pedestrian crossing, some people switch to a mode which is atypically singaporean. we are a people who seem to be in a hurry though not as hurried as hong kongers but, at pedestrian crossing, you see 'small' people who enjoy the 'power of exercising their right of way' by taking their own sweet time to cross the road.

i always make it a point to cover the pedestrian crossing in as brisk a manner as possible but there are exceptions. like, when i encounter motorists who do not show much care and concern for pedestrians. you can recognise such motorists; they do not slow down when approaching a pedestrian crossing. when such a motorist is compelled to stop for us, i will walk across at my normal pace.

2008-04-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

switching on lights in the tunnel

one traffic advice that goes almost unheeded by most motorists is 'switch on your lights' when driving through the tunnel, especially long ones like the kpe and cte. it is not that people do not see the notice or they do not understand the instruction. it seems that they have total faith in the system, the electrical system. also, they have not heard or do not remember murphy's law about "anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

up to now, nothing has gone wrong but one of these days, it may just happen. can you imagine what will happen if there is a total blackout in the tunnel? the short window period before any emergency lights come on, you will be in total darkness, unless you are near the entrance or the exit.

you will be so completely disoriented that you cannot feel or find the switch to turn on the lights. by the time you turn it on, it may be too late. somebody's vehicle may have crashed into yours or you may have hit something in front of you. if traffic is heavy and everyone has been going fast, a chain accident or multiple crashes are not unlikely.

if you drive through the tunnel at any time during the day, you will find less than 10% of the vehicles, not counting the motor cycles, with their headlights switched on. the people who do not switch on their headlights may be trying to prolong the battery's life at the risk of their own lives.

2008-04-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

walk at east coast park

my weekly walk with my retiree friends at macritchie reservoir park is called off at the slightest hint of inclement weather; like yesterday, i ended up the lone walker (in my group) along the prunus-petai trail. the others were snugged in their beds at home. their excuse: it had rained earlier, just before dawn.

however, for my monthly walk, with my former students and ex-colleagues, we are not so easily deterred. in fact, the last walk at bishan park 2, we carried our umbrellas as we walked in the drizzle. today, we could have aborted the walk because it was threatening to rain. in fact, there were drops of it but we decided to brave it.

the assembly area was car park b1, the one just before ford road. our usual early bird, kwan, was not there. later, we found out that he was at east coast park at 7.30 a.m. but at macdonalds, which is a few kilomtres from car park b1. upon receiving the call from me, he walked to meet us. today, it was the pastor's turn to lose the way. albert surprised us by turning up with his wife. jennifer could not join us today because she was rushing some presentation for her usa trip.

we 'refuelled' at the very popular macdonalds outlet at east coast parkway. the majority of us had not eaten at fast food joints for more a decade, so when it came to ordering of food, we looked quite lost. most of us went for either the muffin or the pancake.

our next walk will probably be held on 5 july because seck yeong will be away in suzhou in june, see thiam is going on a mission trip to cambodia at the end of may and albert will be in melbourne for two months.

2008-04-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

the trusty old raleigh

today, a light bicycle is a good bicycle. by this standard, all old bicycles like raleigh, hercules and robin hood are not good bicycles because they were much too tough and heavy. but, old bicycles were built to last; they were designed for durability and utility, not speed and transportability. can you imagine carrying one of these old roadsters on a rack at the back of your car; don't talk about on the roof.

those trusty old bicycles came with a lot of accessories, like a chainguard which completely encased the chain, a built-in lock, a rack at the back, a dynamo to light up the headlight and a bicycle stand. some were even equipped with a pump, like the kind used for inflating balloons. of course, there was this relector at the back.

you needed some effort and/or technique to put the bicycle on the stand because it was not just one leg leaning to the left. when the stand was in place, the rear wheel would be off the ground. you had to use your foot to press on the base of the stand and, using your body weight, lift and shift the bicycle backwards.

in those days, the difference between a lady's bicycle and a man's bicycle was very straight forward - the man's bicycle had a horizontal bar from the seat to the handle. and the seat was not the padded and slim type; it was ample and made of some tough material.

the policemen would go on his patrol and the postmen on his delivery round riding one of the bicycles. the shopkeepers also used this kind of bicycle to do home delivery.

these bicycles were built for adults; they were not meant for children. however, when we children did get a chance to ride one of these tall machines, we managed by gripping the handles and pedalling without our bum on the seat. we rode with the left leg on the left side but the right leg went under the horizontal bar to make contact with the right pedal.

2008-04-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

sandwiches, tar pau food and home-cooking

in my more than two weeks stay with my daughters at clayton, i have observed how they take care of their own meals. ida is into her first year's second semester at monash and ivy is working at frankston hospital. they take care of each other; sometimes ida will prepare a packed lunch for her sister and at other times, the sister will get something for ida to take to the university.

there are certain practical practices that they have picked up here. when we eat out at restaurants and there is leftover, they will automatically get the restaurant people to tar pau the unfinished food. when they cook at home, whatever is left is not wasted. they will pack the remainder for lunch the next day.

they have also become very adept at making sandwiches. ida makes very nice smoked salmon and philadelphia sandwiches. she will first spread the philadelphia cream cheese on one side of the sliced bread. then, the piece of salmon goes on top, to be followed by thinly sliced white onion, spinach leaves and a slice of tomato. another piece of bread is placed on top before the sandwich goes into the toaster.

ivy prepared an egg, ham and avocado sandwich for me to take on board my meal-less, drink-less and entertain-less tiger airways flight back to singapore.

they stock these brown lunch bags, which are used for packing their sandwiches, pizzas and other similar stuff.

2008-04-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

most expensive & lowest parking charges

they highlighted the exorbitantly high charges for parking at some australian international airports; to be fair, the media should also make known that some of the lowest levied charges are also found in australia.

"according to the government statement, short term car parking fees at australian airports range from $4 in adelaide to $13 in sydney. jfk international airport in new york charges $6.55, while heathrow in london is $8.50."

what i like about this place is the choice that they give you. for example, my friend's daughter can opt to pay an exorbitant rate to park in the city or park for free next to the railway station and take the train to the city. to enjoy these savings, she drives to the car park next to the huntingdale station at 6.00 a.m. and takes a free ride on the train to the city.

nearly all railway stations have a car park adjacent to it, where you can park the car the whole day without paying a cent. to reap this benefit, you have to be 'the early bird to catch the worm'.

i was so surprised when we drove to the market at dandenong town the other day. the charge for parking for one hour..... 20 cents. if you still want to save the 20 cents, you can park for free slightly further away.

at most of the shopping complexes, you do not have to worry about parking charges. they do not charge at all although they do limit the duration you can park at the same car park, usually the limit is about two hours.

2008-04-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

home-made tau foo fa (bean curd)

on our return from the wilsons prom's trip, we had claypot rice at one of the restaurants in springvale. after dinner, ivy dropped off ida at the house of one of her church friends, calvin.

calvin was going to teach ida and dorcas how to make tau foo fa (cantonese) or tau huay (hokkien).

the soya beans had been soaked and steeped in water overnight. ida mentioned that this had to be done away from sunlight.

the beans had to be washed clean before they were put into a blender. water equalled to the amount of beans was added. the blending was repeated; the second time around, water was again added.

the soy milk was filtered and squeezed through a cloth bag. then it was cooked over a medium fire. sugar, followed by gelatin, was then added to the soy milk. you had to keep stirring when these are added.

2008-04-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

footscray - capital of the western suburbs

i think i have been to the main vietnamese enclaves in melbourne - springvale, richmond and box hill. today, i went to the one where the vietnamese's tet festival is celebrated - footscray.

footscray is the unofficial capital of the western suburbs in melbourne. learnt about it from chris who recommended a visit to the big footscray market. he did not tell me that it was closed on mondays.

footscray used to be an industrial area but now has an increasingly multicultural community, with the influx of vietnamese in the 70s and 80s, and lately, north africans from sudan, algeria, morocco and ethophia.

i should have guessed that the place was infamous for drugs, especially heroin but did not know that it was a place you go to get illegal fireworks.

to get to footscray, i took the train to southern cross station. i alighted at platform 12 and crossed over to platform 11 to wait for the sydenham train.

2008-04-20T04:29:00.000-07:00

remember this car?

this car looks almost new, with a fresh coat of paint. but, if you look at it closely, you can tell that it is not exactly in mint condition. a bit shy though, because both times when i walked past the car park, its front was facing the wall. my encounter with her took place in monash medical centre.

many who learnt to drive in the 60s must be acquainted with this model.

in the older models, when you signalled to turn, a small arm flipped up, either on the left or right side, depending on which side you are turning.

2008-04-20T01:35:00.001-07:00

advertisement in the sky

in melbourne, it is common to see advertisements in the sky, especially on a weekend. sometimes, it can be a big banner carried by a plane.

i did not wait to see all the words, but i think the final message was "1300 real estate"

2008-04-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

albert park in melbourne

albert park is home to the australian leg of the formula 1 race. it is held in march and the first race in the formula 1 yearly calendar. that's how i come to know about albert park.

to get to albert park, i took the train to armadale station. walked about 120m to the tram stop. took tram no:6 towards melbourne university. stopped at tram stop 27, which is at the end of high street. walked along lorne street to queen street. was not aware that there is such a large lake so near to the city.

there are a number of walks around the 4.8km lake edge and the lake is home to over 120 different species of birds including swans, ducks, coots, cormorants, herons, grebes, ibis and the occasional visits by pelicans. there were at least 50 black swans in the lake. they feed by plunging their long necks into the water, with their backsides showing above the water. black swans are vegetarians, so they feed on algae and other aquatic plants.

there is a public golf course within the park. the driving range is at another part of the park.

watched weekend cyclists, fitness freaks, paraplegics on specially modified bikes, roller bladders and some on a family outing having fun going around the circuit. a big flock of pigeons feeding nearby was so affected by the racing mood that, once in awhile, they would stop eating to have a race of their own.

the park seems a nice place for wholesome fun. there are free bbq pits, playgrounds for children and grassy patches by the lake for picnics.

2008-04-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

a walk to the summit

ivy's choice for the daytrip to wilsons prom was to cater to one of my primary interests since my retirement - nature walk. i have been telling her that i walk practically every day except sunday back home in singapore.

after eating our packed lunch outside the visitor's centre at tidal river, she asked me which of the many walks available from tidal river i wanted to do. since we had about two hours to complete the activity, i opted for the mount oberon summit walk. the distance is given as 3.4km and the walk is rated moderate to hard.

the start of the walk is at the telegraph saddle car park, which means you start about mid-way up the 558m mountain. you follow an unsealed road that climbs gradually uphill. a short series of steps below the summit's rocky outcrops leads to a rewarding view of the tidal river, the coast and the islands off the prom.

i was denied this panoramic view because of my fear of height. i kept myself low and did not dare stand up on the platform which affords a 360 degrees view of the surroundings. ida, ivy and ian posed for pictures at the cliff edge while i stayed firmly a few steps below the summit.

2008-04-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

'the prom' in victoria

this morning we made the 200km trip to wilsons promontory. started off, after a macdonald breakfast, at around 8.00 a.m. and reached the park entrance to wilsons prom at 10.30 a.m., travelling the m1, a420, a440 and joining the c444 at meeniyan.

wilsons promontory or 'the prom' as it is affectionately known to victorians, is the southernmost tip of the australian mainland. from sun-drenched summer beaches to secluded winter walks among the rainforest, the prom is a park for all people during all seasons.

to give you an idea of the size of this protected national park, you have to travel about 30km to get from the park entrance to the visitor's centre at tidal river. its 130 km coastline is framed by granite headlands, mountains, forests and fern gullies.

walking, camping, swimming, fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving, photography, nature study and simply relaxing are among the many things to do at this beautiful park.

we first went for walk on squeaky beach. the rounded grains of quartz on squeaky beach make a 'squeak' when rubbed together. this happens when you walk on the dry sand. we also explored the tidal river a bit before we set out for our 3.4km mount oberon summit walk.

2008-04-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

tea at emerald town, dandenongs

took bus service 730 to knox city, stud road, where i waited for chris to pick me. we drove to the cardinia reservoir. it is a huge reservoir which supplies water to the southern and south-eastern suburbs of melbourne and the mornington peninsula. chris was trying to show me the grey eastern kangaroos that are found in large numbers in this area. saw only a couple of them on the grass slope.

from there we made our way to emerald town, which is the second stop for the puffing billy. i remember visiting the emerald lake a few years ago. we had afternoon tea at one of the cafes in this small town.

i wonder if this could be one of the pull factors that made chris decide to migrate to australia about 30 years ago. lazy afternoons in a small town up in the mountains where everyone seems so relaxed and nobody seems to be at work except the waitresses.

as we were making our way back to wartina south saw this wondrous colour of nature in the sky.

chris, del and i had dinner at asian gourmet hut at 12 mitchell street, doncaster east.

2008-04-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

fireballs outside the crown casino

i have been to the crown casino complex about five times but have yet to step inside the gaming rooms. you do not have to gamble when you visit the casino entertainment complex. once we went there for a meal and a couple of times we went for the free entertainment. twice we went there in the evening to watch the fireball display by the bank of the yarra river.

fireballs are released from the top of the towers. there are eight towers, 10 metres high and 50 metres apart along the promenade outside crown. the fireballs are of varying sizes. they usually start as small ones, becoming progressively bigger as the night gets later.

the hourly display begins at different times, depending on the season. in winter, it starts earlier, at 6.00 p.m. and in summer, later, at 9.00 p.m. it is on seven days a week.

2008-04-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

cruises down the yarra

european tourists seem to appreciate and enjoy river cruises more than asians. although there are many asian visitors to melbourne, i do not see many asians taking the cruise down the yarra river. i met a few of groups from mainland china near the art gallery yesterday.

river cruises start as cheaply as aus$25 and go up to $130 for a 3-hour dinner cruise into the sunset. there are cruises that take you to williamstown and other evening cruises which take you to watch the fairy penguins, so you do not have to go to phillip islands to do it. i think they take you out to port phillip bay to watch the little penguins coming in from the sea.

there are some ferries that are small enough for you to charter the whole ferry for your own function. those that can take up to 20 passengers charge about aus$350 for a 2-hour hire, food not included.

2008-04-17T00:06:00.001-07:00

a coastal bird - the little pied cormorant

came across this species of bird among some seagulls at brighton beach and again at frankston, along the kananook creek. seems like the little pied cormorant is a common sight along the coastal places of eastern australia.

in china, since ancient times, fishermen have been using the cormorants - a different species of it - to help them catch fish.

the fishermen fit rings around the necks of the cormorants who dive into the lake in pursuit of fish. once a bird has caught a fish it returns to the boat to disgorge the fish and then returns to the lake to catch another fish.

only when the fishing is complete, do the fishermen remove the rings to allow the cormorants to eat. the birds all climb onto the sides of the boats and holding their wings outstretched to dry in the warm sun, while the fishermen paddle back to the shore of the lake.

it is a remarkable experience to witness man and bird working in such amicable harmony in a tradition dated back into the past millennium.

2008-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

anzac day @ shrine of remembrance

ahead of anzac day, which falls on 25 april, i made a visit to the shrine of remembrance. the shrine is one of australia's largest war memorials. it is located along st kilda road, just south of melbourne's central business district.

the broad ceremonial approach to the shrine is lined with bhutan cypress, the national tree of bhutan.

a dawn service will be held at the shrine of remembrance commencing at 6.00am -6.15am.
members of the public are welcome to the dawn service but are advised that they should be at the shrine by 5.30am.

the anzac day march commences at 9am at the corner of swanston and flinders streets. the march continues along st kilda road to the shrine where all participants march up the forecourt prior to dismissing when they reach the shrine steps.

2008-04-16T22:07:00.001-07:00

one legged seagull @ flinders

i was waiting for the train to huntingdale at flinders street station when i saw this seagull standing on one leg near the platform. i first thought it was trying to act like a flamingo or a crane. some birds can stand on one leg for hours. some sleep while standing on one leg.

it seems that this act of standing on one leg helps birds like the crane, flamingo and other wading birds to minimise heat loss. seagulls do that too.

but this seagull had no choice; it really has only one leg. when it took off and flew to rest on some overhead wire, i did not see any tucked away leg appearing.

2008-04-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

frankston - the gateway to the peninsula

frankston is about 30 minutes by car from clayton. when ivy does the day shift, which starts at 8.00 a.m., she leaves the house just before 7.30 a.m. when i told her i wanted to take the train to frankston, she tried to dissuade me saying that the journey would take about one and a half hours and that frankston was not exactly an exciting place.

still, i wanted to see for myself the town where she works in. so, i took the bus to caulfield - where another monash campus is located - and there i transferred to the frankston train. the total time taken was about that duration - one and a half hours.

when i reached the end of the train line at frankston, i had another encounter with ticket inspectors. this time they were stationed at the validating machines to check that everyone had a valid ticket.

i headed for the beach. just before the beach, i passed some houses by the edge of the kananook creek. the creek drains into the sea. i walked on the sandy beach to the jetty where i met a group of primary 1 or 2 children on a fieldtrip. children are truly colour and gender blind; they came up to me and excitedly told me that they had seen starfish at the bottom of the sea.

i had lunch at the bayside shopping centre before taking the train back to clayton.

2008-04-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

hot babe in frankston

came across this hot babe in frankston. was so eager to take pictures of her nice rear and her many curves and smooth parts. could not resist taking a peep at her inside from her exposed top.

2008-04-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

it's autumn in australia

the falling leaves

drift by the window

the autumn leaves

of red and gold .....

this is my first time visiting melbourne in autumn. i mostly visited in late spring or summer and once in winter.

2008-04-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

cheesy bacon and corn muffins

ivy has been baking muffins for her housemates and members of her church care groups. she will be baking some for me to take back to singapore. decided to take down the recipe so that i can make my own when i get home.

preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. grease a medium 12-hole muffin tray. fry 125g shortcut bacon in a non-stick frying pan for 3 minutes until crisp. cool.

sift one and three-quarters cups of self-raising flour into a bowl, add two cups grated cheddar cheese and stir to combine. whisk one and a half cups milk, egg and 60g butter together. add to flour with corn and bacon and mix quickly and lightly together.

divide mixture among 12 muffin holes. bake for 20 minutes until brown. cool on wire rack.

2008-04-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

hoa tran restaurant at springvale

each time we visit melbourne, since ivy came over to study in 2003, we never fail to eat at this vietnamese chinese restaurant at springvale. ida calls it 'the oily food place', still the food is tasty and reasonably priced. hoa tran restaurant is located in the middle of springvale shopping centre.

the hoa are an overseas chinese minority in vietnam. they are also typically referred to as either chinese vietnamese, vietnamese chinese, sino-vietnamese, or ethnic chinese from vietnam.

the two-storey restaurant is usually crowded on weekends. there are two large plasma screens, one on each level, that flash pictures of the few hundred items available from the restaurant. today, we picked items number 41, 45 and 101.

if you order a rice dish, it normally comes with a complimentary bowl of hot soup. ida had roast duck rice while i opted for tomato rice with crispy chicken. ivy did not get the bowl of soup as she went for the beef kway teow. the vietnamese seems to like to add lots of raw bean sprouts to the beef kway teow soup.

2008-04-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

brighton in melbourne

when we did a self-drive tour of england and wales nearly 15 years ago, brighton was our first stop. we had lunch at one of the italian cafes and after lunch, we visited the royal pavilion and the brighton (palace) pier. brighton is a popular city on the south coast of england. when i told my colleague that i had visited brighton in uk, she laughed and said: why go to a place full of old people?

today, i took the train to south yarra and from there transferred to the sandringham line to get to brighton, at least to brighton beach. there are three stations with the name brighton in it on this line: brighton north, brighton middle and brighton beach. the beach is just a short walk from the train station.

there is neither an amusement park nor an imposing pier but there are beautiful 'bathing boxes' in brighton. these 'boxes' are actually private changing rooms and stores for beach accessories and they are without amenities - no water and no electricity. yet, they can fetch a lot of money because these sheds have become a historic and cultural icon.

the fine sand and clear, clean water should make this an attractive place for swimmers and picnickers but i did not see any of them on a weekday. i expect this place to be crowded on weekends. from the beach, there is a magnificent view of the city skyline.

2008-04-13T20:56:00.001-07:00

box hill, multicultural suburb

cannot really say i went to explore the box hill suburb today because all i did was take bus 733 from monash bus loop to box hill central, browsed around the market and shops and then took the city train to richmond where i transferred to the pakenham line so that i could get off at clayton. it was partly because i wanted to take advantage of the two-hour unlimited travel using the metcard.

today was the first time i encountered two ticket inspectors boarding the train to verify with passengers that they had valid train tickets. one passenger was advised and another had his name and address taken down by the inspectors. unlike singapore, they do not have turnstiles at every station which means you can board and alight from a train without a ticket at such stations.

box hill, like springvale, glen waverley and richmond, is the place ivy and her friend go to when they crave for chinese food. there is quite a large chinese and vietnamese community in box hill. during one of my previous visits to melbourne, we had chinese dinner at the hills bbq noodle shop with chris and del.

i have been looking for the custard apples again because yesterday when i went to the same fruit shop in clayton, there was no more custard apples. was also looking for old cucumber to cook soup. left the market empty handed.

some singaporeans still think that in australia all shops close at 5.00 p.m. except on days when they have late night shopping. the true picture is that there are places that are open way past midnight for night owls like those from singapore. sometimes when i called my younger daughter at close to midnight (melbourne time), she would tell me that she was having supper with friends.

2008-04-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

floating krathongs and lantern balloons

i have visited many parts of thailand, from hat yai in the south to chiang rai in the north. but there is one scene from my visits to thailand that has been etched wonderfully in my mind. that scene, a combined one, took place in chiang mai, the northern capital of thailand.

i must have gone there in november or december because it coincided with the loy krathong festival. it was not during songkran with the crazy splashing of water at passers-by in the streets, although that was good fun. it was also not the traditional thai massage that i found soothing and therapeutic. neither was it the magnificent doi suthep, which can be reached after climbing 309 steps.

it was the magical sight of the thousands of lighted krathongs floating down the waterways in the night. a krathong is a lotus shaped float that is usually made using banana leaf. equally enthralling was the sight of the huge lighted lantern balloons (khoom loy) that floated gracefully up to the heavens. i think we happened to be there during the yi peng loy krathong festival.

the lighted paper lanterns can only be launched at certain places after a certain time because of the danger they pose to aircraft. more than one person is needed to launch the huge balloon: one or two to hold while another to light the candle. as hot air accumulates in the balloon, it feels lighter and lighter. when you sense that the balloon is ready to take off, you release your hold on it and it will float gently upwards.

2008-04-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

dinner @ pacific house, richmond

went with ida, ivy and ian to richmond, which is about half an hour by car from clayton. had dinner at pacific house located at 240 barker's road. it is one of those eating houses with roast ducks hanging in the window. you can always expect a crowd of people waiting around for a table in the evening. fortunately, we had made a reservation.

it is small and crowded place, with laminated tables placed so close to another, you rather not go to the toilet if you could help it. the reason everyone comes here is for the seafood and the roast duck. the waiter places a small bowl of soup in front of each diner the minute they sit down. there is a menu but you can actually make your choice by referring to the brightly coloured cards on the walls that list the specials. the cards are in english and mandarin. the cards remind me of the chinese restaurants in hong kong and malaysia.

we had pork ribs, claypot tofu, soft-shell crabs and roast duck filled with taro. in most chinese restaurants in melbourne, taro or yam is a choice filling for meat dishes.

2008-04-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

melbourne's transport

if you visit melbourne, you cannot miss these two traditional means of transport - the horse- drawn carriage and the tram. the trams go all the way to the suburbs.

the horse-drawn carriages are parked at designated places along swanston street. they do not operate at night. rides are not cheap; a half hour ride will set up back about $100.

there is a free tram service - the city circle - which covers the city centre, stopping at the major tourist attractions. you can get off at any stop, go sightseeing and then hop on to the next tram.

2008-04-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

melbourne & singapore's trains

there are a number of differences between the trains in melbourne and in singapore. first, the fare is integrated, that means, the fare you pay for the bus ride allows you to continue on the train ride, as long as it is within the same zone.

an announcement is made at the station prior to the train reaching it. the train doors do not open automatically. i am so used to the doors opening by themselves that i have been caught twice, standing at the doors and waiting for the doors to slide open. you have to press a big button at the middle or pull at the door handle. when it comes to closing, it is automatic.

eating and drinking are allowed on the train. however, drinking of alcohol is prohibited. drink may be spilled and bits of potato chips left on the seat but they do not seem to bother the passengers. commuters seem to be in the habit of leaving the newspapers behind on the train.

you can carry your bicycle onto the train. there is provision on the train to accommodate the bicycle. this is usually found at the end, in the last carriage of the train.

even small animals and dogs are allowed on the train. these pet animals must be in some carriers and dogs must be muzzled.

on some lines, they waive the fare during the early hours of the morning as a move to reduce congestion during peak hours. anyway, even during peak hours, the trains are not as crowded as ours.

2008-04-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

coffee with nara @ dandenong town

took bus service 804 from monash campus to dandenong. had arranged with nara to meet him and his wife at dandenong market at 10.30 a.m. did not know that the bus journey was going to take nearly 35 minutes.

nara and his wife came over to melbourne on 25 march. they had booked on cathay pacific but flew on qantas to melbourne. they are staying with anu and bukkha at mulgrave, helping to look after the two grandchildren, lara and karl.

nara, who retired from the teaching service in 1989, spends his time shuttling between singapore and australia, sweden or germany, where his three married daughters have set up their homes.

2008-04-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

by the light of the kerosene lamp

when we first started living in the kampong, there was no electricity at all. it was pitch dark at night and we had to rely on the kerosene lamp, also called a wick lamp. even when electricity was introduced to the kampong with the help of a very large and noisy generator, the supply was not continuous. the electric light came on at around six thirty in the evening and just before midnight, the generator would be shut down. all in all, we had about five hours of electricity each day.

my more studious kampong friends who mugged beyond eleven thirty had to have the wick lamp as their companion. we also had a lighted lamp in the bathroom-cum-toilet which was in an outhouse.

a wick lamp has a small canister to contain the kerosene. there is also a wick, usually made of cotton. a knob which turns a sprocket controls the length of the exposed wick. the bottom half of the wick is dipped in the kerosene and by some capillary action, the absorbed kerosene travels to the top part of the wick.

when the top part of wick is lit, the wick burns and produces a flame. there is a piece of cylindral or curved glass which protects the flame and prevents it from being blown out. the glass also reduces the risk of the wick lamp as a fire hazard.

the size of the flame - the brightness - can be controlled by adjusting the length of the wick. this is done by turning the knob clockwise or anticlockwise. however, the flame cannot be too intense otherwise it will produce black smoke and may also cause the glass to crack.

the light from the small kerosene lamp can last for hours, right through the night.

when we ran out of kerosene, we would go to the provision shop with a used empty bottle to buy kerosene. the kerosene came in a tin. the shopkeeper would place a funnel at the mouth of the bottle and using a device, which resembled a giant whistle, he would transfer the kerosene from the tin into the bottle.

2008-04-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

pie in the sky, olinda

went to this restaurant at olinda, up in the dandenong mountains, that lay claims to many awards in pie competitions. it is called pie in the sky, a cosy place with country decor, with pictures of ned kelly hanging on its wall.

had devonshire tea which is tea, or coffee if you choose, with two scones that come with cream and raspberry jam. ida ordered a pie in the sky - their award winner and ivy had tandori chicken pie with chips.

2008-04-09T01:24:00.000-07:00

royal botanic gardens of melbourne

the royal botanic gardens is open from 7.30 a.m. daily but closes at varying times, depending on the seasons. in summer, it is open till 8.30 p.m. but in the winter months, it closes at 5.30 p.m.

there are two cafes within the garden grounds, one is the terrace tearooms and the other is the observatory cafe. there was music provided by a harpist at the terrace tearooms. there are a few quaint pavilions in this 36-hectare garden.

quite a number of members of the british royal families have trees planted in their honour in this garden.

there is the ian porter foundation children's garden where children can explore and learn about the wonderful world of plants. like the jacob ballas' garden in singapore, there is also a water play area.

2008-04-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

melbourne walk - sports & entertainment

this morning, i did the 4.75 km walk which took me from federation square, past birrarung marr and melbourne's famous sports precinct - rod laver arena, vodafone arena, olympic park and melbourne's sports and entertainment centre - through the royal botanic gardens and back by the southbank of the yarra river.

although it was past noon when i left the botanic gardens, it was still a cool 23 degrees celcius with a light breeze blowing. during the course of the walk, i passed under the swan street bridge twice and walked across the morell and the princes bridges.

as i walked along the riverside, i watched rowers from the various boat clubs, which have their boat sheds along boathouse drive, practising along this stretch of the yarra river. i also came across a steady stream of students - must be from a school nearby - doing their practice run on the 'tan' track.

there are about six self-guided walks which has the visitors' centre at federation square as its starting and ending points. i will take a different walking route on another day.

2008-04-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

unnerving experience at darwin

my former colleagues from balestier, nah and his wife betty and kwan were at the budget terminal to see me off. nah and betty had gone in their car to pick me from bukit panjang.

tiger airways' flight time to melbourne, including a two-hour transit at darwin, is about thirteen hours, five and a half hours longer than normal airlines'. in spite of the additional time, it was quite a pleasant experience. this was, however, spoilt by the 'ordeal' i went through at the darwin's customs and immigration.

the customs people could be acting on a tip-off that some courier or trafficker was trying to smuggle drug into australia. after clearing immigration, quite a number of asians, myself included, who had boarded the plane in singapore, were asked to step aside for more than the usual questioning.

following the 'interview', we were asked to remove every item from our bags and to spread them out on a long table . the customs officer meticulously inspected each and every item. my packets of shokubutsu body foam were taken away for x-ray. they were also suspicious of the dried seaweed in a bottle.

the woman customs officer even checked the lining of the suitcase. using a special device, she swapped the inside of the bag. she then passed the strip of paper, used in the swapping process, through a machine. i became really worried when she told me that traces of cocaine had been detected.

i shall explain the cause of my worry. over at the budget terminal in singapore, while i was checking in my stuff, this young indonesian girl ahead of me, a student at latrobe university in melbourne, had looked at me pleadingly to help her unload some of her stuff so that she could avoid paying for excess baggage. she transferred three items - at least two of them appeared to be foodstuff - to my 11kg bag.

however, immediately after collecting our bags from the conveyor belt in darwin, i returned the stuff to her. still, the officer queried me on my relationship with her. i told the officer exactly what had transpired.

i did not want to miss my connecting flight to melbourne so i decided that i would cooperate fully with the customs officer. when she asked for my mobile phone, digital camera and wallet, i handed them over. i did not make a fuss when she asked me to turn on the mobile phone so that she could check my in-box. she even scanned the images in my digital and checked the amount of cash i carried.

satisfied that i was telling the truth and having not found anything else incriminating, she asked me to repack my bag and told me that i was free to leave the terminal.

from this episode, i am resolved not to extend help to any stranger at the airport when it comes carrying stuff on his/her behalf.

2008-04-08T03:50:00.000-07:00

australian custard apple

today, i finally managed to get hold of an australian custard apple at a fruit shop in clayton. my friend nah, who visited melbourne a few years ago, paints this picture of the melbourne streets, in autumn, filled with stalls selling custard apples. according to him, they are so plentiful and so cheap, costing about one-tenth of the price in singapore.

i have been telling him that with my so many visits to melbourne, i have yet to see a custard apple, much less rows of stalls selling them in the city. this shop in clayton did not have many but it was selling them for aus$5.59 a kilo.

he might have gone to some orchards where they grow this heart-shaped fruit. when i do go to the dandies for high-tea, where there are a few orchards, i may go and look for one that sells custard apples or when i go to wartina south to visit my friend, i can stop at the fruit farm along the way.

the lady from whom i bought the custard apple told me to wait for about two days, when the fruit has soften, to eat the fruit. after that i will decide if it's worth buying a box to take back to singapore.

2008-04-06T23:01:00.001-07:00

pocket-sized chinese comics

around the time when we were reading beano and dandy, there were also the chinese comics which were very popular with the young and even not so young chinese children. these handy comics were arranged on a portable bookstall that stood by the five-foot way.

the bookstall was more like a set of shutters which could be folded. the mostly old and worn comic books would be displayed on the racks. you could rent a few at a time or you could also choose to buy them. the estall-holder even provided low stools for his customers to sit while they browsed or read the books.

the palm-sized comic books were slightly more than 1cm thick and the pictures were in black and white then. we would pay 5 or 10 cents and sat on the spot to enjoy the pictures in the story or the story with the pictures, depending on your ability to read chinese characters. for me, it was more pictures than chinese characters.

the stories in these comics always involved warriors skilled in martial arts and so there were a lot of action pictures. i think one of the most popular series was about the adventures of the monkey (sun wukong). this story was taken from the novel 'journey to the west'. in the story the monkey saved the monk from all kinds of perils. the other two characters in the story were pigsy and sandy, who like monkey, were disciples of the monk.

it was one way of assimilating a bit of the chinese culture, which would otherwise have been lost to us as we did not read chinese books when we were young or even today.

2008-04-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

the many uses of the humble tin can

improvisation was the key to providing us many hours of childhood fun and game. in our kampong days, the humble tin can was used as a carrier; a set of two tin cans became a communication tool; a pair of tin cans served as walking aids; a sealed can with bits of stones inside was used in playing a hide-and-seek game and a opened can could also be used as a cover for exploding fire-crackers.

in those bygone days, the coffee-shop 'ah kor' did not have polythene bags to 'tar pau' hot or cold drinks. instead, for hot beverages, the used tin can served as a carrier. the top of the tin can was not totally removed and it had a hole punctured in the middle. a loop of straw-like string was inserted through the hole from the inside. to make sure that this top cover did not give way, the side of the can was squeezed to prevent the cover from opening and the content of hot coffee or whatever from spilling.

as children, we carried out our own science experiment in our own backyard (or frontyard) using a length of string and two tin cans. a small hole was made at the bottom of each tin can, of which the top had been removed. the length of string was passed through the hole of each tin, with the ends secured with a big knot. to communicate, we pulled the line taut and spoke into the tin. the recipient of the message would hold the other tin close to his ear.

these days, some schools in singapore have been trying to revive this pastime of ours and labelled it as a traditional game. instead of walking on stilts, we used on walk on tin cans with a string attached to each can to provide the necessary support and balance. wonder how we were able to endure the discomfort of walking with the cans on our bare feet. to make it more exciting we even competed to see who could reach a certain point first while walking on the cans.

another game which i vaguely remember playing was played with a sealed can which had pieces of stones inside. the stones were meant to make a noise when the can was shaken before it was hurled far from the base. whoever was 'it' would have to close his eyes while the can was being thrown. while this was going on, the rest of the players, including the thrower, would scatter and hide themselves.

after a regulation number of count, i think it was ten, he would have to go and retrieve the can. if he spied one of the players, he would have to shout out his name while rattling the tin-can and making his way back to the base. he had to reach the base before the person whose name he had called, otherwise he would have to be 'it' again.

we also used the tin to mute the sound of an exploding cracker by covering it and then to observe the explosive power of the cracker - to see how high it could toss the tin can into the air.

while writing this blog, i happened to read chun see's entries under kampong days and the accompanying comments. i realised then that we enjoyed a lot of similar experiences in those kampong days.

2008-04-06T22:30:00.001-07:00

red light. what red light? i didn't see

these days it seems quite a number of drivers have compromised the meaning of the red light at traffic stops. in the past, we used to practise this: when you saw amber, it meant you got ready to stop. and, of course, when you saw red, you had to stop.

you need only to stand at any traffic junction, especially during peak hours, to observe and you will understand that it does not mean the same thing anymore. when it has just turned red, some drivers do not stop even though they have ample time to do so.

nowadays, it is not a case of beating the red light; it is more like ignoring the red light, especially during the first few seconds.

it is no wonder that more motorists are caught by the cameras for beating the red light and there is an increase in the number of accidents at traffic junctions. once you get into this habit of not stopping for the red light, you may lapse into doing it even when you know that there is a camera aimed at you.

i have often wondered how this change came about. is it because we have more imported drivers who carry over their habits to our shore? or, is it because we have less regard for rules and regulations? or is it because time is so precious that it is okay to maim someone or to take away a life or two? or is it because the traffic police are more lax about this ruling.

"the traffic police say failing to adhere to traffic signals is one of the major causes of accidents at intersections in singapore."

2008-04-06T00:49:00.001-07:00

qing ming jie

every year, without fail, i will observe this festival - qing ming jie. although i do not follow the rites, like offering food and burning incense papers, paper clothes and other paper accessories, i still find it a significant observance.

it is significant that at least once a year we are all gathered at my father's grave at kheam hock road to remember, honour and pay respect to him. everyone, including the children, would get down to the task of tidying the area and removing the weeds around the grave.

i joked with my sisters about the amount of food that they offered to my late father. they reasoned that he could share the food with his friends in the afterworld. each year, our contribution is a bouquet of flowers, which is placed at the grave site.

qing ming literally meaning clear and bright. this year, it falls on 4 april. as a matter of practicability, this occasion is extended 10 days before and after the actual day. among some dialect groups, one month is allocated.

2008-04-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

"may i use the telephone?"

one request which is rather unheard of these days is "may i use the telephone?" or "can i borrow the phone?" to the latter, you should respond, " you may not but you can use it if you need to." the telephone referred to here is the fixed line house or business phone.

in this age when practically everyone is instantly contactable via the mobile phone, the need to use someone's else, especially the house phone, is almost non-existent. in my home, each of us subscribed to at least one mobile line in addition to the one fixed line. in fact, my daughters have two lines each, an optus line and a three line. we also have a stand-by line which is used when any of my daughters is back from australia.

in those kampong days, the provision shop owners were one of the very few who had a phone installed in his residence. as a regular customer or a good neighbour, you might 'borrow' his number so that you could be contacted if there was an emergency or if there was some urgent matter that needed your attention.

when a call came, which happened once in a blue moon, the provision shop owner would gave a shout down the rows of houses and we would hurry to the provision shop to take it. at the end of it, we would thank the shopkeeper profusely and feel obliged to continue patronising the shop.

and if you needed to use his phone to make a call, you would politely sought his permission and you would remember to keep your conversation short and sweet.

i remember an instance when i went with my neighbour to make a call to his primary school teacher. as it was his first time using the phone, he excitedly placed the mouthpiece to his ear. it took him so time to realise that he had been holding the handset the wrong way.

over time, when request to use the phone became too many, the shopkeeper got wise and decided to collect ten cents each time someone made a call from his phone. this could be the idea that led to the birth of the coin-a-phone.

2008-04-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

woodlands town garden

the woodlands town park will eventually be linked to the soon to be completed admiralty park and the future woodlands waterfront by a park connector.

more malaysian than singapore vehicles are seen in the car-park and hence you also see more malaysian visitors here. this is because of its proximity to the causeway.

sungei mandai kecil, a river that flows through the park, was integrated into the design of the park. part of this river that flows into the park was enlarged into a lake, irregularly-shaped for a natural look.

this park is unique in that it has a mix of chinese and malay architecture. there are chinese pavilions and malay huts spread out in this park.

from one end of the pond, where the amphitheatre is located, you can get a nice view of the hdb flats at marsiling.

an arch bridge, with willow trees at one end and coconut trees at the other, adds to the mix of cultures.

(do not mix up woodlands town garden with woodlands town park east)

2008-04-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

a learning place at sungei tengah

this is not the first time i am blogging about this place. in fact, it is my third time. it is the kok fah technology farm, a farm that grows leafy vegetables under protective netting. however, it is more than a farm. on weekends, it gets a lot of visitors, who come in busloads, and regulars who go there to buy fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and other grocery items.

what i like about this place is the freedom it accords its visitors. you are free - yes, at no charge - to move around the place so long as you do not go and trample on the vegetables and the vegetable plots. there are quite a lot of things to see - vegetables, guava trees, enormous gourds, huge aloe vera, dragon fruit and longan trees.

then, there are those things that are not connected with vegetable farming on display, like the arapaima - the largest freshwater fish, the dragon fish, carps, rabbits, a talking hill myna, parakeets and a bulbul.

they also sell potted plants on the farm. you can also get certain items that you normally do not find in the supermarkets, like the bamboo shoots and 'black sugar-cane'. at the vegetable section, they also sell freshly cut aloe vera.

2008-04-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

beano and dandy

during those colonial days and up to the 70s, for amusement and light reading, most of us were sustained on a diet of beano and dandy, two british publications. i think, we in singapore, received the back copies but nobody complained at all. they were published either weekly or fortnightly and you could get them from the newstands as well as the mamak stalls.

i can still recall some of the characters but i cannot say with certainty whether they were from this comic book or the other. desperate dan, korky the cat, smasher, dennis the menace, the bash street kids and corporal clott are some that come to my mind. there were many others but i have lost them in the inner recesses of my brain.

both comics, which i believe are still in circulation, came in a smaller than tabloid form. they seemed to complement each other, rather like partners than rivals. they were printed on newsprint kind of materials and so were priced within the reach of most children. however, i never bought one and always relied on hand-me-downs or discarded copies.

apart from pictures stories and cartoon strips, there were also pages on quizzes, puzzles and jokes. if i remember correctly, not all the pages were in full colour, some were in two colours but most of them were actually in black and white.

i was still reading them when i was in secondary school, in the early 60s. i think the comics were meant for those in the 7 to 11 age range. because they were printed on cheap print material, they could not keep for very long. however, each year they would produce a hardback edition annual in a book form.

i wonder what comics today's children read. simpson's and garfield, but not beano and dandy.

2008-04-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

reopening of masjid petempatan melayu sembawang

the mosque at jalan mempurong, sembawang which underwent upgrading last year reopens today (4 april 2008).

dr yaacob ibrahim, minister for the environment and water resources and minister-in-charge of muslim affairs and former deputy prime minister dr tony tan will grace the occasion.

the 48-year old mosque has been designated a national heritage site.

2008-04-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

the tale of the house lizard

the house lizard is not as common as it was before. when we lived in the kampong, there was a lot of natural food, in the form of small insects, for the lizards. the house lizard was actually beneficial to us because it helped us to get rid of the insect pests that invaded our homes.

the lizards could be seen running up the plank walls and upside-down on the abestos ceiling, especially when the fluorescent light came on in the evening. usually, there would be three or four of them around the fluorescent tube or on the light casing itself.

the house lizard can cling to walls and ceilings because its footpads are covered with uncountable little hairs, and each of these tiny hairs has a tiny suction cup on the end. the microscopic hairs function as an adhesive and prevent the lizard from falling down.

however, once in a while, a lizard might lose its grip and fall onto the floor. that was when we would chase after it, not so much to catch it but to get it out of our sight. if the house cat happened to be around, it would pounce on the lizard.

when chased by an enemy, the lizard can shed its tail at will, by a process called autotomy, meaning literally "self cutting". eventually, a new tail will grow in its place.

a tail will often wiggle after it has come off to distract the attention of the predator so the lizard can escape. lizards sometimes eat their own tail after they have shed it to regain weight from losing the tail.

when we were young, we were told by the adults that the wriggling tail could jump into our ear. so, each time we saw a wriggling tail, we would stay far away from it and being the naive children that we were, we would cover both our ears very tightly.

the malay name for it is chichak, which is quite close to the sound that it makes.

today's children not only do not encounter lizards in their homes, most of them have not ever seen a lizard shedding its tail or the wriggling detached tail on the ground.

2008-04-02T20:31:00.001-07:00

watching fish and other creatures @ sungei buloh

visitors to the sungei buloh wetland reserve normally go there to watch the migratory birds. the two types of birds that i usually see and i am able to identify are the egrets and herons on the mudflats. however, i actually go there to watch the fish in the sungei buloh besar. i saw more fish during my last visit when the tide was low.

from the main bridge, you look down into the water and you can see the banded archerfish, the needle fish and sometimes, the milk fish and the spotted archerfish. there are other fish, like the tilapia and snake fish, in the ponds within the reserve.

today, apart from the commonly seen monitor lizards, squirrels and giant mudskippers, i came across a jungle fowl near the public car-park and a huge caterpillar on a shrub within the man's toilet.

2008-04-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

the high flying black-naped oriole

my friend's wife commented the other day that the population of orioles in singapore has been increasing over the years. i did a check on a website and found that she was right. the black-naped oriole is one of the ten most abundant resident birds found in singapore.

this beautiful golden yellow bird seems to have adjusted well to our urban environment. you not only find them in the nature parks, you can hear their flutey whistles even in housing estates and in city areas. there is this lone one in our estate, always perched high on a tall tree or on the ledge of a block, and it will make his presence known/heard as early as six in the morning.

black-naped orioles rarely descend to the ground. they forage high in trees. they usually forage alone or in pairs. they are most active in the morning and evening.

this morning, while i was at sungei buloh wetland reserve, i kept hearing the shrill calls of the orioles all the way from the main bridge right up to the fresh-water pond.

the black-naped oriole can easily be distinguished by the black band across the eyes.

2008-04-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

local beauty @ hougang ave 9

i had seen her a fortnight ago when i visited my sister in hougang. did not think of taking a picture of her until i saw my fellow blogger chun see featured two foreign beauties in his blog recently.

in malaysia and other countries where old beauties abound, they are not cloistered like those in singapore. in singapore, you hardly see these classic cars on the road. they are shut away in hdb car-parks, private driveways or personal garages.

the other day when i was at farrer park, i saw another classic, an older one with the red and yellow number plate. will try and take a picture of it the next time i visit my gloucester road friend.

2008-04-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

lunch at old airport road food court

the one thing that puts a lot of people off about eating at this food centre is the problem of finding a parking space, especially in the evening. but, if you are willing to walk a little bit further, there is actually ample parking space in the vicinity of the food court. today, i parked away from the centre, in the open car-park opposite block 93.

met up with my ex-colleague for lunch. i let her do the ordering since she lives nearby at jalan batu and so she should know which are the stalls that sell the good stuff. during my past visits, i would go for ricos kway chap or nam sing hokkien fried mee for lunch and the black pepper crab from mattar road seafood bbq for dinner.

she mentioned a few of the stalls that she regularly buys from, like wang wang crispy curry puff, western bbq and the kallang wanton mee. however, for lunch she ordered water-cress soup and herbal chicken from stall #01-130, mr cook. earlier she had gone to ssk (jb) to get me some fried fritters as takeaway.

got her to try the soursop juice from meilock which she found refreshing. before we left the centre, she reminded me about the 'heatiness' of the fritters, especially the one with the sticky cake sandwiched between a piece of sweet potato and a piece of yam.

2008-04-01T07:21:00.001-07:00

the mystique of the banyan tree

from young, i have always been fascinated by the banyan tree. the banyan tree is to me one tree with a certain mystique about it. this tree seems to have been held in reverence by the chinese. it is not uncommon to find make-shift altars at the foot of the banyan tree or joss-sticks and other prayer items left around it.

all banyan trees send down a great number of aerial roots from their branches. when the roots touch the ground, they eventually grow into new trunks. as they spread further and further from the original trunk it looks as if they are taking steps and walking away. that is why the banyan is sometimes called 'the walking tree' .

the banyan tree is native to india, sri lanka and pakistan. it is often planted around temples and is considered sacred by both hindus and buddhists.

the great banyan tree in the indian botanic garden, calcutta, india is the tree with the world's largest root system. it covers an area of 1.21 hectares. it has 1,775 supporting roots and dates back to 1787.

banyan trees are found in almost every village in india, and they are the centre of village life. since the banyan trees are believed to be sacred trees, little shrines are usually built under them.

in hindu religion, the banyan tree is called "ashwath vriksha" ("i am banyan tree among trees" - bhagavad gita). it represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches.

when buddha called 12 creatures together under the banyan tree, he "taught them about their strengths and weaknesses, then sent all twelve animals into the world to guide people in their growth, linking each animal to a month and year."

one of the largest known banyan trees is in sri lanka. it has 350 large trunks, and about 3,000 smaller ones. this one single tree resembles a small forest in itself, and it is impossible to tell which was the original trunk. and the tree is still growing. banyan trees may grow up to a hundred feet (30.48m) in height.

the banyan tree is extremely mystic in the way it grows and develops. it looks both reassuring and forbidding at the same time. this is why in many asiatic countries like india, china, sri lanka and vietnam, there is a deep belief that spirits and ghosts reside in banyan trees.

in singapore, the banyan tree can be found in a number of parks but the places where it stands out are at fort canning park, where there is a huge banyan tree and at sembawang park where there are several of these magnificent trees.

the banyan is part of the coat of arms of indonesia it is meant to symbolise the unity of Indonesia - one country with many far-flung roots.

robinson crusoe in the 1719 novel by daniel defoe makes his home in a banyan tree.

in my secondary school days at bras basah road, we used to spend our recess time lounging about under the shade of the old banyan tree. the tree stood next to the toilets, not far from the school tuckshop and it overlooked the school field.

a group of old boys from the graduating class of 1961 - 64, have revived the spirit of that same tree by publishing a 288-page book, aptly titled 'under the banyan tree'. a highly evocative, lovingly-compiled collection of stories and photographs spanning the years they were in the school.

"under the banyan tree" is also the name of a short story by indian author r. k. narayan written in 1985 about a village story-teller who concludes his career by taking a vow of silence for the rest of his life, realizing that a story-teller must have the sense to know when to stop and not wait for others to tell him.

it was first published in the uk in 2001 on the author's death. it is a story for children.

the banyan trees of sembawang park

2008-04-01T01:34:00.000-07:00

duck rice stall - lost & found

i used to patronise this duck rice and duck noodles stall at fajar food court 1 until it disappeared, without any notice given. i asked around but the other stall-holders were somewhat reluctant to offer any information regarding its whereabout. one of the drink stall helpers mentioned that the stall might have moved to blk 259 bangkit road.

i would often go to blk 259 bangkit road to check if any new stall, especially duck rice stall, had made its appearance. no luck for one whole year. i even checked the other nearby coffee shops and food court. blk 259 is significant because someone who knows about the 20-year history of this duck rice stall told me that there was where the stall had its origin.

my friend victor, who was a loyal customer of the same duck stall, found out a lit bit more. according to his source, the husband and wife team had decided to give up selling food because the husband was having some problem with his hand, either some recurring pain or some weakness.

then last week when i dropped in at the blk 259 coffee shop, i saw a familiar face - the wife of the duck rice seller. i looked at the signboard of the stall. yes, it was same one. it was a nice feeling - like meeting up with a long-lost friend.

to make certain that it was the same one, i needed someone to confirm it for me. the following week, i arranged with victor to have duck noodles for breakfast at blk 259. helen - victor's wife - and i had noodles while victor had kway teow. the duck meat and innards came in a separate plate. there was no drop in standard at all.

later, victor found out that they have been operating this new stall for about three weeks.

2008-03-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

woman tang ki

not all tang-kis are men; in fact, there used to be a number of women tang-kis in singapore who operated from their own homes. today, i am not sure where you can find one but in the past i had the opportunity to watch one at work.

the woman tang-ki was usually a middle-aged or an elderly woman. this particular one, who was in her fifties, had a quiet, calm and friendly demeanour. she talked softly and slowly. unlike the man medium, when she got into the trance stage, the transition was not very obvious. there was no frothing at the mouth or any violent movements at all. also, with women tang-kis, there was no music: no drum or gong was used.

she did not don any elaborate costume at all; she would just wear a dark robe over her everyday wear. when she in communication with the spirit, she would turn to her assistant who would then let her know the request of the client. usually it was to find out about one's fortune or to arrange prayers for someone who was unwell or to get a good luck charm for some loved ones.

payment was usually in the form of a small ang pau, a token sum to help defray the cost of the prayer items. the chinese hokkien has a term for it: thiam you.

in some countries, like taiwan (picture above), some women mediums work within the confines of a temple.

2008-03-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

the chinese medium - tang ki

when i was young, i was in awe of the tang-ki, the chinese spirit medium, especially the men who could perform feats which would have normally maim them but when they came out of the trances, they always appeared none the worse for it. in the neighbouring kampong, at lorong sinaran, there was this small taoist temple which would stage chinese wayang once at year.

that was also when the tang-ki would be performing in the open for all to see. first, the man, usually in their thirties or forties, would sit in a special chair before the altar. he would subsequently go into a trance invoking the power of deities like the boy god no-cha or the much loved monkey god.

all the implements for inflicting cuts and wounds, like the sword, skewers, iron spike ball and whip, would be placed on the table before him. once he got into the trance stage, he would start speaking in a strange tongue. ordinary people like us normally had no idea what he was mumbling but his assistants were able to take his instructions.

usually, he would start by using the big and thick jute whip to make smacking noises by hitting it hard on the ground or floor. as he was doing this, he would be skipping around, shaking his head and making strange utterances. at the same time, there would be accompaniment by a drummer using a hand-held drum and a shallow gong player. as the medium got more agitated, the two players would increase the tempo to a crescendo.

he would then turn the whip on himself, expertly lashing his own back. following this, he might request his assistant to hand him the sword or the spike ball. with the sword, he would use it to inflict cuts on his back, in a somewhat controlled way, till you could see cut lines and blood oozing out. sometimes he would return to sit on the chair and use the sword to cut his tongue.

i have seen the spike ball used in only one way. the tang-ki would hold the handle and hit his own bare back with the spike ball. when the medium was going to work on his back, his assistant would take a gulp of blessed water in his mouth and sprayed the water on the medium's back. the medium would also take a mouthful of blessed water from a bowl and sprayed it on the blade of the sword before starting to use it on his back.

on bigger festive occasions, there were instances when two or more tang-kis performed at the same time.

these days, i am no longer intrigued by these demonstrations of spiritual powers.

2008-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

wild mushrooms in bishan park

came across these mushrooms in a compost heap at bishan park ii. was so tempted to collect some because they looked like the edible type.

however, i remember reading somewhere that poisonous mushrooms usually look similar to the edible type. the rule of the thumb - if animal can eat it, so can you - should not be applied here. even if a squirrel eats it, it does not mean that you can eat it with no ill effects. and it is not true that all white mushrooms do not contain toxin.

2008-03-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

2nd treetop walk for bhts group

today we welcomed a new member to our balestier monthly walk group. she cannot qualify as a full-fledged member as she comes back only once or twice a year. normally, she returns to singapore in september, but this time she is back early for her brother's wedding. she is mary ng li choo from chicago.

mary is no novice walker. she has covered the walking trails in huangsan (yellow mountain) and tai san in china. she has also walked all over europe, including the mountains in switzerland. when told that today's walk would be a long 9km, she said, "what, only 9km! i thought it would be around 25km."

today, unlike our first walk, there was no 'jam' at the start of the 250m suspension bridge. although we had the whole bridge to ourselves, we did not linger like we did during our inaugural walk on may 19 last year.

when we came to the end of the wooden stairs, unknowingly, we split into two groups: kwan, nah and betty walked across while the rest of us, who were ahead, took a left turn. i tried contacting nah to give him directions but the reception in the reserve was so bad that he could not figure out what i was trying to tell him. eventually we decided that we would meet up at the ranger's station.

seck yeong and teck seng had some appointment with a contractor, so they had to leave earlier but not before presenting mary with a token cake, birthday gift and a card. we also had strawberries during the walk, courtesy of seck yeong and hubby.

albert koh arranged to meet us at sembawang hills food centre for a brunch of carrot cake, chwee kueh, poh piah and sugar cane juice.

as this walk was a last minute arrangement, we missed not having our regulars pastor phua and his wife with us for the walk and the food.

our next walk will be held at east coast park on 26 april.

2008-03-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

bus ticket & bus conductor

continuing our exploration of small towns in johor, today we took city bus service 39 from the same bus stop outside the post office on jalan ibrahim to masai. was surprised to find out that they still issue bus tickets - not slips of paper - on some buses in johor bahru. (in the 60s, our tay koh yat's bus tickets were printed on slighter thicker paper.)

got another surprise on the return trip to city square: the bus had a driver and a conductor; no, not driver-cum-conductor but two persons. i think a number of the local commuters were also not used to this system because when they first boarded the bus, they wanted to pay to the driver or to slot the money into the machine.

this was not our first trip to masai, though. we had driven to masai last year and from there we went on to explore kong kong fishing village. this trip we disovered that there was a small chinese cemetery outside the town.

if you work in singapore and spend your money in malaysia, you will surely save a substantial sum of money. our lunch for two, at masai, which consisted of tofu, fish, vegetables and soup, together with two glasses of chinese tea came up to rm$9.60 (s$4.30 at today's exchange rate).

2008-03-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

eating the indian way

whenever i eat in an indian restaurant, no matter with indian or non-indian friends, i always choose to eat with my hands. actually, it should be hand, and just the right hand. the left hand should not never be used to handle any food at all. you should never pass or receive anything with your left hand. before you start on your meal, you need to wash both your hands first.

and if you eat off a banana leaf, which is usually the case in an indian restaurant, there are certain things you have to bear in mind. when you have had your fill, you should fold the banana leaf to indicate that you do not want any more helpings.

when you are eating the rice mixed with the dhal curry, all your five fingers have to come into play. you form the rice into a small ball, holding it with the four fingers. then using the bent thumb you push the rice into your mouth. you do not need all five fingers when handling the rest of the food.

the way you fold your banana leaf is an indication to the host - in this case, the restaurant people - how you feel about the food. if you have enjoyed your meal, you are to fold the banana leaf towards you. however, if you feel that you are not likely to return to the same shop again because the food does not agree with you, you may want to fold the banana leaf away from you.

the traditional indian way of eating is to sit crossed legs on the floor and eat with your hands.

incidentally, today i discovered a new place in johor bahru to enjoy good indian food - the restoran nilla on jalan ungku puan and its branch on jalan trus, very near to the kotaraya shopping complex.

2008-03-25T21:25:00.001-07:00

cat up on a tree (west coast park)

the cat was on the path stalking a common tree squirrel when along came two leashed dogs. being natural enemies, the dogs went after the cat which scrambled up the nearest tree.

man up on a tree (bt batok nature park)

the man had to climb the tree, up to a height of nearly 10m, to saw off the branches. of course, he had safety ropes secured around his waist.

(a bit difficult to see the man in the picture because of the strong sunlight at the back)

2008-03-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

the kapok tree (ceiba pentandra)

the kapok tree is also called the silk-cotton tree. there is a majestic one in the singapore botanic gardens. that particular tree has been identified as one of the 11 national heritage trees found growing in the s'pore botanic gardens.

the tree, planted in 1933, is nearly 80 years old. it has a girth of 6.2m and a height of 43m, making it one of the tallest trees in the garden. the tree has buttress roots and you can see that the roots have snaked over a very wide area.

i came across two kapok trees at west coast park. i have also seen quite a number of kapok trees at kent ridge park, growing near the fitness stations.

the kapok (floss) is light and fluffy and it is resistant to water and decay. in the past, it was commonly used for stuffing pillows, mattresses, jackets and furniture.

in the old days i used to watch my mother changing the stuffings of the pillows and bolsters. i think the material she used to stuff the pillows and bolsters was this kapok.

2008-03-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

two trees of the same kind?

i had thought they were both flowering trees of the same kind until i took a closer look. actually, one is a flowering tree but the other (in the lower picture) is not. the other one is a tree embraced by this creeping plant with orange flowers. both trees are found in bukit batok nature park. came across the same type of creeper at a trellis at west coast park 3.

the flowering tree has flowers which look similar to the ixora.

(still trying to find out the names of the tree and the creeper.)

2008-03-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

no seats on malaysian train

with the stringent checks at the causeway and the resultant massive jams, many malaysians, as well as some singaporeans, have taken to travelling by train. however, this increase in ridership has created another problem - not enough seats on the train.

the ticketing offices at the train stations are overselling, that means, the number of tickets sold exceeds the number of seats available on the train. the passengers have been advised to accept the offer as the alternative is to take the next scheduled train. but, as the number of services is limited, one may end up taking the next day's train.

those who are on short journeys would rather stand, even when they have paid in full for a valid ticket, than take the next train where there is no guarantee that seats will be available. a malaysian friend, who visited india recently, commented: malaysian trains are becoming like the trains in india where you see a lot of standing passengers.

if you are purchasing your train ticket from tanjong pagar, singapore, note that they do not accept credit cards, nets or cash cards. if you buy your tickets online, you will be charged in singapore dollars. so, like taking the bus, it is better to pay in malaysian ringgits if you are boarding the train in malaysia.

for travel on malaysian trains, those who are aged 55 and above pay a concession rate, regardless of your nationality.

2008-03-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

using the "chew stick" to brush teeth

when i was young, i used to see my indian friend's father cleaning his teeth with a twig. he would use the frayed end of the small pencil-sized twig to clean his teeth. it seemed that the frayed twig could penetrate between the teeth more effectively. he would always brush his teeth outside his house, in full view of everybody. he did not use the normal toothpaste but used some paste which he prepared himself.

the indians call this twig 'datun' and it usually comes from the neem tree. you do not see the indians in singapore practising this anymore but i believe it is still prevalent in india.

i also noticed then that the indians seem to have whiter teeth than all of us. could it be the result of using the twig and the special paste? or was it just because of the contrast, their darker complexion tended to accentuate the whiteness? anyway, i always envied them, both men and women, for having white, gleaming teeth.

i was told by one of my indian friends that the split base of the twig could serve as a scraper. my family used to have a metal tongue scaper together with the tube of tooth-paste and tooth brushes in our mug. the older folks, like my mom and granny, used it; we didn't.

it seems that scraping the tongue removes debris deposited on the tongue; improves salivary secretions; and stimulates the taste buds on the tongue to improve the taste sensations.

the africans also use the twig as a toothbrush.

"across the african continent south of the sahara, many people go about their daily business with a small stick or twig protruding from their mouth, which they chew or use to scrub their teeth. cut from wild trees and shrubs in the bush, this is the african toothbrush. its users swear it is much more natural, effective - and cheaper - than the prettily packaged but pricey dental products on sale in pharmacies and supermarkets."

2008-03-23T01:14:00.000-07:00

sms from brisbane

today, at about 1.00 p.m., i received an sms message from ida. she is in brisbane with her sister ivy attending a church conference. it is something quite unusual to get a message in the afternoon because my daughters and i communicate every day in the evening via skype or the telephone.

ida had taken the 24-hour inter-state coach ride while ivy flew to brisbane on budget airline blue virgin. ida started her journey on thursday while ivy left melbourne on friday at 3.00 p.m.

her message reads: Daddy they said that u will go senile in less than 9 years if you don't do anything after you retire. Play mahjong and blog more often

actually blogging has helped me realise what i have always wanted to do. since the advent of the internet, i had always wanted my own web-page where i could share information, knowledge and news with others. blogspot.com has allowed me to do just that without having to know anything about html.

as for mahjong, i do enjoy playing it but i have not done so for quite a while. you need to have three other like-minded friends to have an enjoyable session.

2008-03-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

drop handkerchief game

another childhood game that provided us with immense fun was played using a piece of cloth or a large handkerchief. this game usually involved a big group of children, say, at least ten children. i have seen some teachers - obviously, not trained in physical education - letting their pupils play this game during their physical education lessons. outside of the school, i have not seen young children playing this game for a long, long time.

we would be seated in a circle, all facing inside. the cardinal rule of the game was that you were not to turn around or look behind you. one player would be chosen to begin the game. he or she would walk outside the circle and then surreptitiously dropped the handkerchief at the back of one of the players seated in the circle formation.

the player who had dropped the handkerchief would try and act nonchalant and continue to walk. if he or she returned to the point where the handkerchief had been dropped and the other player was still seated, he/she would pick up the handkerchief and use it to hit the player. this hit player would have to run around to dodge the hitting, if he could, and whoever managed to find a vacant space first would get to sit.

on the other hand, if the seated player had sensed correctly that the handkerchief had been placed behind him, he would pick up the handkerchief and start chasing the 'dropper' who had to run, until one of them find a vacant place to sit. whoever was left standing would be the one to drop the handkerchief again.

of course, there are variations to the way this game can be played.

2008-03-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

geylang serai's nasi briyani

i had thought yusoff's briyani was the one that dr leslie tay (ieatishootipost) raved so much about until i did a check by revisiting his blog. found out that there was more than one outstanding nasi briyani stall housed at the geylang serai's temporary market & food centre. victor had taken me to his old-time favourite - the one run by three sisters.

today, i finally got to taste the supposedly better tasting nasi briyani at geylang serai. i did not read the notices in malay well enough and ended up at the wrong queue - the queue for customers who were buying takeaways (tar pau).

the $3.50 chicken briyani was better than the nearly $7 briyani that i pay for at karu's. to be fair, the portions of rice and chicken at karu's were bigger but i do not need a bigger serving of rice, i do not mind a chunkier piece of chicken though.

however, i cannot say if hamid's is better tasting than yusoff's because i do not have such a fine enough discerning taste bud. that is why i always like to have a companion along to help me in the judging. the problem is my companion today has not eaten yusoff's briyani.

but each of them seems to have his or her own loyal fans. if you go by the length of the queue, hamid's appears to be the winner.

2008-03-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

playing with rubber seeds

in our childhood days, we used to go around looking for rubber seeds which were not hard to find. they are still not difficult to find even today. many of our nature parks were once rubber estates and there are still rubber trees in these parks. some of these parks are ang mo kio garden east, yishun, macritchie and bukit batok nature.

being the naughty and playful boys we were, we would rub the rubber seed on a hard floor until it was hot and immediately transferred the rubber seed onto our friend's body, usually aiming at the thigh, the arm or the neck. we would laugh with glee as we watched our unfortunate victim jumped up with a start, and screamed.

that was also how friends became enemies in the old days. some just could not appreciate this type of painful fun.

2008-03-20T15:43:00.001-07:00

the not so common yellow mimosa

the more common lilac pink mimosa

i came across this less common yellow mimosa during one of my walks at neo tiew lane 2 (the scenic place i blogged about in february) in lim chu kang.

adults are always so keen to show children why this plant is also called the 'touch-me-not'. they touch or shake the plant to watch the fern-like leaves fold and then come back to the same plant some time later to show the kids that the same leaves have unfolded.

2008-03-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

charcoal iron

another household item that has become obsolete is the charcoal iron. it has since become a collector's item and you can still get one either at sungei road or in some antique shops.

first, you had to get the charcoal to burn in a stove. then, using those extra long scissors-like tongs you gingerly transferred the smouldering pieces of coal into the chamber of the iron. when there was sufficient burning coal in the chamber, you closed it and secured the latch. subsequently, you just added fresh coal and let it smoulder before using a straw fan to fan the fire.

there were holes near the flat base of the iron. these holes were to let air in to allow the charcoal to burn and at the same time to let smoke out. however, sometimes ash might fall onto the article being ironed through one of these holes. to prevent damage to the article, sometimes a sheet was spread over the article.

most of the clothes would have to be starched before they could be ironed. just like today, water was sprinkled onto the clothes to enhance the removal of the wrinkles.

with charcoal iron, there was no proper way of controlling the amount of heat. thus, you had to be extra careful when you were ironing clothes made from fine materials like silk and linen. it was best to send such clothes to the professionals - the dhobies. i used to watch my mother ironing on a piece of banana leaf before she actually started on the clothes.

2008-03-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

the indian dhoby

a number of indian dhoby men operated a laundry business in the neighbourhood that i lived when i was a young boy. then i was living at upper dickson road in the serangoon area. the white sheets, towels and clothings would be hanging on clothes lines strung between poles in the open field by the side of weld road.

when i shifted to towner road in the 70s, i came across a similar sight - a lot of washings being hung out in the open to dry. this was at st george's road, another housing development board estate, separated from towner estate by a canal. the laundry shop is also operated by indians.

the shop is still there, at the corner of block 3, st george's road. they make use of the grass patch next to the road to dry their washings. these days, the laundry at st george's road uses the washing machine and the electric iron. in the 50s and 60s, the dhobies washed everything by hand and for ironing, they used the charcoal-iron.

the day when i went to st george's road to take some pictures, the washings - a lot of them, dhotis - were spread out on two grass patches near the laundry shop. they still have clothes lines strung between poles to hang the laundered clothing and towels.

"in the old days, long before the electric iron and washing machine were in common use, dhoby shops were very much relied upon for their services, particularly by those in the upper and middle income brackets.

for S$5 per person, per family, per month, the laundry man would collect soiled linen and return them fully laundered. these days, you are charged by the item. in those days, the laundry man usually worked a nine-hour day with sunday being a rest day."

"the laundry was done in traditional style, with the clothes soaked in detergent and boiled in huge cauldrons. towels and other sheets were also beaten on stone slabs. the clothes were dried on open land, leased by the laundry shop."