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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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)

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.

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.)

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

safer way of moving around in jb

for those of us who are put off from visiting johor bahru by all the reports on crime involving singaporeans, and those who are afraid that our cars might be driven away or that we might be robbed because our foreign status is a giveaway (by the cars we are driving), there is a safer way to move about in johor bahru and outside of it .... take the public buses.

the johor bahru public buses can take you to the outskirts and to even towns that are further afield like kota tinggi - a 2-hour ride or a slightly shorter ride to ulu tiram. in fact, there are buses plying between the bandar raya and most of the small towns. however, if you just want to shop at city square, take sbs services 160 and 170 or smrt 950 into jb.

today, we took jb's transit link service 123 to permas jaya passing stulang laut and kg bakar batu along the way. we stopped at the jusco, walked around, had lunch at one of the coffee shops and hopped onto service 967 for the return trip to johor bahru town. the adult fare was rm$2.00.

so, for those of you who want to enjoy the cheap and good seafood or malay food like mee rebus at some of the restaurants found along stulang laut, you can take service 123 from the bus-stop outside the post office along jalan ibrahim. some of the better known makan places along stulang laut are the original mee rebus stulang laut, woon kiang restaurant, just behind foon yew high school and the new hong kong restaurant.

(for those of you who drive your car into jb and beyond, one way to deter car thieves is to park the car with the front facing in - facing the kerb or facing the wall in a covered car-park; parked this way, it is very difficult for anyone to tow your car away.)

how to get my bike out of here?

each time i pass this place, which is next to the soon-to-be completed customs, immigration & quarantine (ciq) complex in johor bahru, i ponder: if i park my motorbike somewhere in the middle of this mass, how do i get it out of here if i need to go off earlier?

granite rice grinder







in the days before electricity was readily available in every home in singapore, most households would consider this stone rice grinder and the mortar and pestle as essential kitchen gadgets. when the people eventually moved into housing and development board (hdb) flats, the heavy and bulky stone grinder was the first item to be discarded while the mortar and pestle still retained a place in some kitchens.

the stone grinder consists of two pieces of heavy stone (granite). grain is fed into the hole on the upper stone. as it turns, the grain moves from the centre to the outer edges and is ground in the process.

i remember my mother, when preparing to make the 'sticky kueh', would soak the glutinous rice grains overnight. to grind the soaked grains, she would scoop the grains and some water with a spoon and poured them into the hole of the upper stone. gripping the handle, she would turn the stone until powdered grain and water flowed into a white cloth bag attached to the spout.

another neighbour had a bigger grind stone. with this, it would be quite strenuous to turn the handle using one hand. so, instead of a short handle, it had a long pole fixed to the handle. at the end of the boom, attached to it at the middle, was a shorter length of pole - the extended handle. the operator would hold this extended handle with both hands. using her body weight, she would require less strength to operate the grind stone.

according to one of my sisters, the chwee kueh seller had an even bigger machine which worked on the same principle.

when we were resettled and had to move out of the kampong, the antique granite rice grinder was conveniently left behind.

(the stone grinder, in the above picture, is on display at the fort canning's spice garden)

cindy's wedding

we attended the tea ceremony which was held at blk 450d st 42 tampines. the dinner was held at prima revolving restaurant.

jam nite @ seletar tavern




seletar tavern is in seletar country club. as you enter the main building and pass the lobby, you will come to the terrace restaurant. the tavern is to the left of the restaurant. thursday night is jam nite at the tavern. this means that on thursday night, anyone, yes anyone -you do not have to be a member - can go up on stage to sing or even play a band instrument from 8.00 p.m. to around midnight.

of course, there are the regulars - they called themselves the seletar band - who will be there to provide the music and the accompaniment. the range of instruments include the keyboard, guitars, percussions and the saxophone.

last night, there were only a handful of people around because of the rain. golf play was suspended the whole day because of the weather. on other thursday nights, some of the golfers would stay back after their game to join in the fun.

if you enjoy singing on stage in the presence of an audience or if you enjoy listening to live music, this is a great place to be. the regular members of the band are cordial and accommodating; they let you choose the song and help you to pitch the right key to suit your voice.

and it's cheap. my cup of coffee was $2.20. the service staff at the tavern are also warm and friendly. where can you get to enjoy good live music in a welcoming environment at this kind of price!.

island posting - pulau semakau

pulau semakau lies 8km to the south of the main island of singapore. it used to have a small fishing community. there was once a school, at the top of the hill, on the island. it even boasted a football at one end of the village. one of the oldest residents continued to live on the island even after the settlers were relocated to the mainland. he eventually moved out as well, as the jetty fell into disrepair.

one of my co-examiners was relating his experiences when he was teaching in the village school from 1969 to 1971. he had to get up every (school) day at 5.00 a.m. to drive to jardine steps, where he would leave his car. he paid the $30 monthly parking charges out of his own meagre $200 salary.

from jardine steps, he took the launch to pulau bukom. the moment he landed on pulau bukom, he had to run all the way to another point to catch the sampan to take him to pulau semakau. the sampan, which had a capacity of eight passengers, usually carried almost double the number. it was so precarious that each time someone in the boat shifted his weight, water could get into the sampan.

he was the only teacher who gave instructions in english, the other five teachers taught in malay. all the pupils were malays except for one, a chinese who was adopted by a malay family. the school had only one classroom and two lessons would be conducted in the same room simultaneously, with one group facing one board and the other group facing the second board in the same class.

at dismissal time, which was 12 noon, it was another mad rush to ensure that he got onto to the sampan to make the return trip, first to pulau bukom and then, to jardine steps. if he missed that, it would mean a three-hour wait for the next trip/sampan.

nevertheless, there was this fringe benefit... every week he would receive a supply of fresh fish and other seafood for which he paid just $10.

most spectacular sight

one of the most spectacular and beautiful sights i have witnessed during my travels was the changing colours on the face of the matterhorn.

the matterhorn, at 4478m, is the most recognised mountains in europe. the rough chiseled rock pyramid of the matterhorn is a defining geographical landmark. the matterhorn, which stands over the town of zermatt, is nearly steeple-like in structure and magnetism.

the 'matterhorn' was also the name of a brand of cigarette which was popular in the 60s. it was a filtered cigarette and smoking it, the advertisement claimed, you could feel the coolness of the mountain. a silhouette of the matterhorn appeared on one face of the cigarette box.

our accommodation in zermatt was albana real. the hotel is snuggled directly under the imposing "beak" of the matterhorn, and our room had an excellent view of this most majestic mountain.

the town of zermatt has a smoke-free environment: no petrol driven vehicles. shopping and dining are also comparatively cheaper than in zurich or st moritz. from zermatt, there is a cog-wheel train that takes you all the way up to the gornergat.

in zermatt, there is a small cemetery dedicated to all those who died while climbing the matterhorn. most of these mountaineers fell to their death not while ascending the mountain but during the descent. the north face is the most challenging and is usually attempted by very experienced climbers.

i woke up at 5.00 a.m. and was treated to the sight of a glorious glow at the crest of the mountain. over a span of two hours, between 5.00 a.m. and 7.00 a.m., there were about four or five phases as the face of the mountain was progressively bathed in light of changing hue.

it was truly a beautiful sight!

the roving hawkers of the past

in the days when a piece of plain prata cost 10 cents, a plate of plain char kway teow cost 20 cents and char kway teow with eggs cost 30 cents, there was an extra service provided by some itinerant hawkers (those were the true hawkers).

those who were privileged to live in two or three storey houses could have their food delivered to them by means of a basket with a length of rope attached. after an order had been made, the customer would leave the money in the basket and lower the basket to the ground. the hawker would collect the money, placed the ware in the basket and signalled to the person above to haul it up.

in those days, the people hawking food actually moved from place to place according to a schedule which they drew up themselves. much unlike today's "hawkers" who are housed at a fixed place - a so-called hawker centre.

i remember the putu mayam man who balanced a big, shallow basket on his head. he would make his appearance in the morning because most people, regardless of race, preferred to have their putu mayam for breakfast. the putu mayam came with brown sugar and grated coconut.

(we had mistakenly called it 'kutu mayam'. it was only in my adult years that i learnt its proper name.)

the breadman would come around in the evening. he would come on his bicycle laden with a big rectangular box, resting on the back of the bicycle. he sold three main types of the bread - the white loaf, the light yellow loaf and the french loaf. those days, bread was bread; there was no branded bread. you did not always have to buy the whole loaf; you could buy them in slices, spread with planta margarine or home-made kaya.

the ice-cream man's show-up time was in the afternoon, usually in the early part of the afternoon. he also had his tub secured to the back of his bicycle. his ice-cream was the home-made type, no brand. he sold the potong ice-cream, sliced ice-cream gripped by thin wafers, ice-cream in cones and ice cream wrapped with a small slice of bread.

in my kampong, the "tok-tick-tok man" would come around at night. he would announce his presence by hitting a short bamboo stick on a piece of curved bamboo to produce the distinctive rhythmic, clacking "tok-tick-tok" sound. the "tok-tick-tok man" sold steaming hot noodles, mainly the soup version.

authorised personal?

i am sure escaped ji detainee mas selamat cannot be 'authorised personal' nor can he be considered an authorised personnel who can be allowed access to this worksite area.


these posters have reached every corner of singapore. they are even displayed in johor bahru.


it has been 11 days since his escape from the whitley road detention centre. first, the "experts" declared that he could hole up indefinitely in the forests. now, the "experts" are talking about his breaking point.


if he is indeed in the forests and he has been able to escape detection or being seen by so many trained people hunting for him, it speaks a lot about his knowledge of the forests and his jungle survival skills.


although our forests are not as dense as those found in neighbouring countries, it is still not easy to hack your way through the vegetation. also, there are not many places in the forests which afford you protection from the elements of nature, especially the rain.


i am sure the uniformed people would have searched the caves at bukit timah nature reserve, some abandoned buildings at the dairy farm nature park, which is still under development, and the covered canals in that area.


my guess is that he has somehow managed to get out of the country within hours of his escape or that he is being sheltered somewhere by his sympathisers.

good buys @ ben foods' staff club shop

















(some of the stuff we bought today)



every working saturday, between 10.00 a.m. and 12 noon, at this shop located at 1 fishery port, good bargains can be got. the staff club shop presumably caters to the staff of ben foods and its subsidiaries but no check is carried out to ascertain if you are a staff or not when you make your purchases.

ben foods (s) pte ltd carries products belonging to brands like cowhead, farmland, oriental fortune, haton, orchard fresh and spices of the orient. you can also get wine - from australia, europe and south america - and spirits from the shop.

with the call to eat more frozen food, this shop at fishery port is a good place to do your shopping for meat and even vegetables. there is a cold room where you can get frozen food.

how to get there: if you go by corporation road and jurong port road, you make a left turn into jalan buroh. if you come from the other direction - from west coast road - you will pass the pandan reservoir on your right and then cross the bridge over sungei jurong.

lantana

in the clayton suburb of melbourne, there is a street called lantana. ida stayed in a townhouse on this street for half a year. at the start of this year, she moved in to stay with her sister at atlantic street.

during one of our nature walks, i found out that lantana is the name of a shrub which bears small pretty flowers. but i have never liked this plant because of the rather unpleasant smell. the malay name for this plant is 'bunga tahi ayam' (chicken dung flower). this should tell you something about the smell.

seems like the lantana camara shares some charateristics with the blue porterweed: it is also considered a weed and it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

"in chinese medicine, a decoction of the plant is used as a bath for scabies and leprosy. the leaves are used in indochina as a stimulant, to expel intestinal worms and to increase menstrual flow. they are applied to ulcers, cuts and swellings in indonesia, malaysia and the philippines."
(a guide to medicinal plants by s'pore science centre)

miracle fruit

i have been wondering what so miraculous about this fruit tree since i first came across it at lorong semangka at sungei tengah agrotechnology park last year. today, i came across two rows of them, one on each side of neo tiew lane 2 as i was cycling to the kranji reservoir pumping station.

a relatively tasteless berry with an amazing after-effect. after eating one miracle fruit, sour things will instantly taste sweet. eating even the sourest of lemons, one will taste only sugary sweetness. the effect lasts an hour or two. the miracle fruit is a remarkable natural sweetener that is virtually unknown to much of the world.

i have yet to see the red berry fruit on the tree. it fruits twice a year, after the raining season, so i may get to see the berries soon.

do not confuse the miracle fruit tree with the miracle tree. the miracle tree, known as the moringa, is found growing in africa. it has the potential of building immune systems, an important consideration in treating aids.

dried fronds of the nipah palm used for thatching

the dried fronds of the nipah palm were and are still being used as thatching in singapore and our neighbouring countries. there are still a few places in singapore where this material is used for roofing to give it the rustic feel or look. i was at the pasir ris farmway when i came across these atap thatch.

the nipah palm is the among the few palms that grow well in mangroves. it grows in soft mud, usually where the water is calmer, but where there is regular inflow of freshwater and nutritious silt. they can be found inland, as far as the tide can deposit the palm's floating seeds. it can tolerate infrequent inundation, so long as the soil does not dry out for too long.

when my former kampong was first built in the 50s, the initial settlement was made up of about five or six long rows of tall atap houses. alternating with these living units were a similiar number of lower attap houses which served as the kitchens. within each long row, there were about sixteen units, with eight units on each side.

living in a house with atap roofing and plank walls made us clearly aware that fire was a perennial hazard. the fire from the kitchen stove, a toppled kerosene lamp, a lighted cigarette butt, children playing with matches, firecrackers and burning incense papers - all were potential fire starters.

fire breakouts were not uncommon although there was never a disastrous one like that which consumed tiong bahru and bukit ho swee. i personally helped to put out a fire in my neighbour's house. in the kampong, when a fire alarm was sounded, everyone went into action; you see your neighbours scurrying about, each with a pail or container of water.

on raining days, there was another hazard which would come down from the thatched roof. it was not a common occurence but once in a while, you might find a huge centipede, on the ground, which had fallen from the overlapping atap thatch.

one advantage i can think of atap roofing is that it did not trap heat like zinc. in later years when we upgraded to zinc roofing, we had to start using the electric fan on warm days. during the atap days, when it got warm, we had the manually powered straw fans.

a good catch @ pasir ris farmway

it has been a long time since we last saw someone with such a good haul (of fish) at a public fishing pond. if it is sea fishing, this will not be something to get much attention. but, on land, to land ten sizeable fish within a span of two hours is something out of the ordinary.

we were not there when he caught the nine fish shown on the ground but we witnessed him reeling in the tenth fish. we were told that this was the combined effort of two persons who paid $20 an hour to fish in the marine fish pond.

according to my friend's estimate, the amount of money paid for fishing exceeds the cost of the ten fish. but, you cannot measure the thrills and excitement in catching the fish in monetary term. live prawns were used as bait and the fish all got hooked when it was raining.

can't help but compare with the good old days when we paid $2 per rod for fishing at the singapore pond in tampines. on a good day, we ever caught more than ten fish. according to chuan wee there was a discount of 50 cts for two rods; it was $3.50 for fishing with two rods.