changes @ pasir ris park

this morning's walk took me to pasir ris park. surprised to find out that quite of number of things have changed since my last visit. the fisherman's village, which provided a novel alfresco dining experience with the sea breeze blowing in your face, was nowhere in sight. even the pond, where you could catch your own fish for dinner, had been covered up.

however, it seems that not many dinners missed the restaurant at all because the food was nothing to shout about and the prices were rather exorbitant. people do miss the structures and the ambience that came with it.

according to my fellow walker kwan, the park has seen a drop in the number of visitors. but it is not attributed to the closing down of the fisherman's village. it is due to the lack of affordable makan places. the small canteen at the pa holiday chalet has been converted for some other use. the bicycle rental place, together with some of the food outlets, has also closed shop.

i had thought that there was only one mangrove reserve in that area - the sungei api api. was pleasantly surprised to find another gem - the mangrove along the banks of the sungei tampines. the boardwalk - much broader than the one at macritchie and lower peirce - afforded visitors a chance to observe the flora and fauna in the mangrove habitat without getting their feet wet and muddy.

i had actually gone to pasir ris to visit chuan wee and betty who were staying at the ocbc bungalow along pasir ris drive. kwan and tye thong - who joined us in the afternoon - were the other two visitors.

the ji leader's escape - in a lighter vein

















received this sms on monday: breaking news - latest update, the escaped detainee mas selamat has entered malaysia. the malaysians have put up signs all over the country.......... "selamat datang" .

another friend sent me this: the next time you meet a fellow walker during your walk in the nature reserve, here is the suggested greeting: "selamat, jalan".

my friend who received the same sms, responded: give the poor man a break... a toilet break

another response from the same friend: give him a break, lah....let's hope he breaks his other leg.

walking across the causeway

























thanks to the escaped ji terrorist, i had the experience of walking across the causeway. it was faster than waiting for sbs service 170 to make its appearance and to cover the short distance. the public buses, together with all other types of vehicles, were caught in a massive jam on the singapore side of the causeway.

i had boarded bus service 170, headed for larkin in jb, at the bus-stop outside the 10th mile junction. after kranji, the bus was forced to make a detour to woodlands centre road. nearly all the passengers decided to alight at the taxi stand nearest to the woodlands checkpoint and to continue the rest of the journey on foot.

first, we had to get to level 3 to clear the singapore side of the immigration. after that, we used the escalator to get to the ground level where the bus would pick us up to continue the journey. the crowd and the long wait helped many of us to make up our mind to opt for a 20-minute walk instead.

it was at the start of our walk across the causeway when we saw the 'cat's claws'. these are metal retractable spikes which appear to be embedded in the road. when a switch is thrown, this menacing anti-vehicle device comes up to the surface. the sharp spikes will cause the tyres to be punctured on contact.

as we neared the malaysian's immigration and customs checkpoint, we had to cross the road to the right. somewhere in between the lanes leading to the immigration booths (for motorists), on level 2 are the counters for bus passengers and walkers.

terengganu food @ tropical inn, johor bahru

had buffet lunch with victor and his neighbour lim at tropical inn - one of the older landmarks in johor bahru. they are promoting terengganu local favourites at cafe downtown in tropical inn. although there was a slight drizzle, we walked to the hotel from city square.

the buffet lunch priced at rm$25 nett ( less than s$11 at today's exchange rate) was really value for money. for that amount we were treated to nasi dagang, kari ikan tongkol, pulut lepa, terengganu laksa, keropok lekor and lots more. the promotion ends on thursday, 6 march.

victor's neighbour, lim, who was from dungun in terengganu, is familiar with the food that was served. the gravy for the laksa was a thick version. there were not many ingredients but it tasted nice and spicy. as for the pulut, the coconut milk was already added to it.

for rm$25, we also had cut fruit, dessert like bananas in syrup, onde onde and pulut inti. there was also a free flow of coffee and tea.

we returned to singapore on sbs service 170. i remember the first time i came back on the bus from larkin, i happily tapped my ezlink card. these days, i always pay the return fare in malaysian currency.

blue porterweed

one of my neighbours, a dedicated gardener, has this plant growing in a pot hanging from the parapet along the corridor. in the nearby bukit panjang park 5, there are quite a few of these planted by some retirees and they are now flourishing very well on their own.

the blue porterweed is also known by the name blue rat's tail. the information board at the fort canning's spice garden lists the medicinal values of this plant in two different places - west africa and brazil.

"it is effective for gastric and liver problems, colds and asthma. it is used as a stomach tonic to stimulate the function of the gastrointestinal tract. it can be used as a natural antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory remedy.

the blue porterweed plant has a fast rate of growth. it thrives in full sun to light shade. it has excellent drought tolerance. the flowers of this plant attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

curry leaf plant (murraya koenigii)

if you walk the dairy farm (bicycle) trail, you will come across quite a number of these curry leaf plants growing on both sides of the bicycle track. it is also common enough for them to be found in most nature parks and forest reserves.

the curry leaf plant/tree comes in three different varieties. the regular one grows very tall and is the fastest growing plant amongst three varieties. the leaves look like the ones you buy at the grocery store. the dwarf variety does not grow as tall but the branches spread. its light green leaves are the same size as the regular variety but it has an aroma of its own. gamthi variety is the most fragrant, with very thick leaf structure but it is the slowest of all the curry trees.

they all have one thing in common. they like full sun or partial shade, very well drained soil which should be on the dry side and they need fertilizer during the warmer months. used in cooking, there is nothing like picking the fresh aromatic curry leaves, just the right amount when you need them.

a number of small, shiny, pointed leaflets grow closely along a central stem, and it is customary to toss the whole stem in. a word of warning. when added to hot oil, fresh curry leaves cause much hissing and spattering, so stand back. dried curry leaves are more sedate, not causing the oil to erupt, but be ready with the next addition to the pan, as they burn easily

geoffrey samuel's wedding




attended geoffrey samuel and michelle tan's church wedding at touch centre auditorium at marine parade central at 2.20 p.m. we were expected to be seated by 1.45 p.m. but because of parking problem, even the groom's father was late. he took nearly half an hour to park his car at the nearby multi-storey car-park.

grace, whom i have not seen or met for nearly a decade, was there with her hubby and 2-year old son. jeremy, who is a professional actor, was also there. he had returned to s'pore from uk on friday. victor went to the airport to pick him. jason and his family were also there to witness the holy matrimony.

later in the evening, we were at teochew city seafood restaurant at centrepoint for the chinese dinner. for a chinese wedding dinner, it was considered quite 'fast' because the first dish was served at 8.30 p.m., an hour after the stated time on the invitation card. together with emily and her husband vincent, jason and his family, we filled up table 6.

emily and vincent also have two daughters in melbourne. they have completed their studies and started working there. they work and live in the city. the elder girl esther is a permanent resident of australia.

caroline, ivy's rgs school and classmate, was at the dinner with her husband. she is a cousin of michelle, the bride.