My Adventures

Preparing for Macau trip

2011-06-22T13:30:00.002+08:00

Forbes Travel Guide (National Library 915.12504)

For backpackers who want to plan their walking routes, the best of course is getting information from travellers who've been there, and get their maps.. If not, remember to get one strategically placed at the Macau airport on the way out. That should be a good indication of where the exit is. The airport is so small we missed the exit and almost got 'out' by queueing at another immigration counter!

Language Play - Punning

2011-05-30T10:15:00.002+08:00

From Language Play by David Crystal:

A pun's the lowest form of wit;

it does not tax the brain a bit;

one merely takes a word that's plain

and picks one out that sounds the same.

7 Deadly Sins - Gluttony

2010-06-03T21:45:00.002+08:00

Funny how even my Saggitarian mind still marvels at my capricious emotions... A whimsical trip to my Blackboard out of boredom from surfing Faceboooook profiles turned into intense anticipation as the announcement screamed out of the screen "Results ...now available". Those were not exact words of course since my brain had effectively blanked out everything else as I fumbled to get to the right site for my Semester 1 results...

And after the umpteenth try....tada...

Discourse Studies A-
Teaching Written Discourse A-
Corpora Linguistics B- !!!

The last was a God-send (I did stop in my tracks to wonder why I suddenly recognised a higher being up there when I hasn't been for the greater part of my existence, sans the desperate moments). After sacrificing the last subject, a technology-scourged one where I spent most of the lessons struggling to keep pace with the technology, for the other two, it was truly a Zen-like bliss to see I had successfully negotiated out of the pithole of getting a C - which probably was more proportional to the effort I had put in.....

(to be continued....)

Goh Keng Swee

2010-05-20T22:35:00.002+08:00

With solemn demeanours and still more sober posture haunched over ceremonial swords, the guards kept the veil of sadness looming in the vast column of emptiness above Goh Keng Swee's casket. While waiting in lines of 5 or 6

What I want for my funeral (many years down the road)

2010-04-04T16:57:00.005+08:00

This is nothing morbid, just triggered when I attended my uncle's funeral on Good Friday, and by one of those pesky MSN pop-ups writing about Jeanette Aw's views about her new show on funeral directors or whatever..

Anyway, this is what I want for mine (long live Shirley Tham!):

1) A Buddhist funeral.

I was impressed by how quietly dignified the Buddhist funeral is, as opposed to the Taoist ones I attended for my great/grandfathers/mothers'. Although they all died before I turned 12, my enduring and non-too-endearing impressions of the funerals were: NOISY! The cymbals and what-nots gave me a real headache, in addition to ear trauma.

I can only tolerate such loud noise for lion dance.

2) Lion dance (Southern lions)

Strange? But it's a very interesting aspect of Chinese culture, isn't it? And after being claimed by the Bataks in Sumatra and Dayaks in Sarawak, I would like to pronounce to the world once and for all that I'm 100% Chinese-Cantonese (as far as I know).

And the southern lions are especially cute - them with the expressive, flirtatious eyes. They'll be a feast for the eyes for bored visitors. At least I'm not asking for dragon dances - they would be really over-the-top.

3) Music

The prerequisite 'Nam mo o me tuo fo' is a must, of course, and I quite like the song, really. It's the definitive Buddhist chant and only one I know, actually. But I think playing it 24/7 ad nauseum will literally induce nausea, so I'd like it interspersed with
* Mozart's divertimentoes, Chopin's etudes, Tchaikovsky's less 'emo' pieces like Nutcracker suite, Liszt's one-and-only-hit-whose-title-I-can't-remember
* William So Yong Kang's sentimental hits, all the songs from David Tao's eponymous album (his first and best), Sandy Lam, Karen Mok and
... I'll add on this list...
(No Beethoven though - so loud and dramatic people will wonder if I'll rise from the coffin.)

4) Miscellaneous music

I thought the updated 'Nam o' chant played during my uncle's send-off was really pleasant with the bird songs incorporated before the repetitive chant began (btw, no funeral march for me, no wailing or calling my name, and 2 nights at the void deck is more than enough, thank you.) The remix is a welcome change from the traditional version. That reminds me - bird songs from my 'Singapore birds' CD will do well as a balm for grieving souls - from the elusive straw-headed bulbuls, ioras, the much-heard-but-unseen gerygones....

That's all for the time being for a morbid topic... let me scooter off to touch some wood....

Mughal Exhibition, Ancient Civilisation Museum in Singapore

2010-03-20T08:35:00.006+08:00

Jewels on the swords, jewels on the dainty miniature cups, the archery rings and ... fly whisks! Seems that the great Mughal emperors' royal hands are fit only for dabbing with rubies/emerald/jade/gold.

For me the swords were a joy to behold - how did they ever want to use it in battle? Exquisitely outlaid with rubies against a clear white jade background, the rubies look too attractive to want to subject them to the violent rigours of war. If I were in the battlefield, I'd be too busy scanning the ground for dropped jewels! Or maybe the kundan technique is really the best in business for affixing jewels....

Another highlight for me were the cups and one that particularly stood out was the multiple hibiscus-motifed (no guesses for which precious stone they used) cup with saucer. The hibicus with one petal unfolding lends an added elegance to the majestic red stones and the skilled craftsmanship, which flourished under Mughal ruler's penchant for the aesthetics, showcased how a hard stone can be made to look ethereally soft and flowy. Look out too for Jahangir's royal spinel inscribed with Arabic writings (the rulers were Muslims), so tiny you'll need microscopic vision.

Oh, and bring your camera along too! There's definitely lots to photograph. If the jewels do not attract you, there's this "try the turban" photoshoot opportunity with Shah Jahan (he's apparently a connoiseur of the precious stones and a jeweller too! No wonder Taj Mahal is the classic it is) and stamping/colouring exercises for the kids (and kids-at-heart like me), an irresistible distraction with the cutely drawn Mughal prince and princess.

This exhibition is a travelling collection from the al-Sabah collection from Kuwait which first started with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, so it's a pity if you miss this exquisite collection which showcase the opulent lifestyle that can only be afforded by the strength and splendour of the empire. Hindi movie buffs will no doubt be interested to read more about Akbar, the ruler who was depicted in the blockbuster 'Jodhaa Akbar' starring Hritik Roshan in the titular role and everlastingly lovely Aishwarya Rai as the Rajput princess he married.

(By the way, opt for the 1 1/2-hour museum tour for the other sections, free-of-charge. The tour docent we had, Benedict, was extremely knowledgeable and certainly brought a lot of fresh insights to the exhibits, especially the development of the artistic representations of the Buddha and why it evolved the way it did.)

My Birdwatching Tower

2010-01-05T22:03:00.003+08:00

Due to my work commitments on weekends, I could hardly get to somewhere rustic in Singapore for my birdwatching walks. Somehow that has opened my eyes wider to those around me in the HDB blocks, like the starlings, crows and Eurasian-tree sparrows. All common birds, but

Shopping for souvenirs in Lombok, Indonesia

2009-10-17T11:46:00.003+08:00

When shopping for souvenirs in Lombok, remember this: Big is Better.
For one stall, that is. Not a big place with a collection of small players.

Take Pasar Seni (Pasar = market, Seni = Art) for instance. Do not buy there. Go, but only to soak in the tourist atmosphere there and check out the (ridiculously high) benchmark prices for fleecing orang asing (foreigners). Concentrated in a sort of big concentric circle of individual stores, the individual stalls are similarly linked in their procurement, one suspects. You get the same starting quotation for the item and the price gets whittled down to a (still high) lower one whichever stall you seem to land at. The cartel system is further cemented in buyers' mind when the vendors rejoin your bargaining efforts with a confident price 'guarantee' -
"Come back to me if you find a lower price here & I'll give it to you for free!"

Further down the road towards the Mataram direction, there is a shop worth a look.

Gili Trawangan

2009-09-30T20:31:00.004+08:00

When in Lombok, do not forget the many Gilis - meaning 'small islands' . As if Lombok is not beautiful or distinctive enough, there are many more mini Lomboks springing out of the sea with more of their idiosyncractic features.

Take Gili Trawangan for example. The largest and most popular of the 3 Gilis off the (beating Gili Meno and Gili Air), the first time that strikes you is the shallow, clearer-than-aquarium waters. In fact, the waters are so inviting that the jetty is the last place you should land in. That's the only time when big stable vessels are actually disadvantageous compared to the slim boats that are the mode of transport for most trips beginning from Lombok.

2009-09-28T21:12:00.006+08:00

Lombok 18 Sept 09

They are all around.... the more they cluster high and dry in a particular stretch of sandy canvass, the more convinced you should be you have found a choice spot... I'm talking about the ubiquitous sailboats of Lombok. Red, blue, orange, black, violet, you name it,
and the colour will be there waiting to be unfurled. Or if you somehow manage to get up late in sun-drenched Lombok, they would be out there sailing into the horizon already.

2009-09-06T00:15:00.001+08:00

2009-09-05T23:56:00.004+08:00

Cats... meow

2009-09-05T23:12:00.003+08:00

Except for purring , these cats seem to do everything...wink, preen, play , claw playfully at each other.... You find many statues of them throughout the small city of Kuching catching your attention. The most expressive ones are found in the crossroads between Hotel Margarita, a hospital and Parkway. It's a favourite among tourists especially at night when the lights shine strategically on each cat's most idiosyncratic features, lending an individuality to the ubiquitous residents.

Ta Phrom

2009-06-19T13:26:00.002+08:00

Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom

2009-06-19T13:08:00.001+08:00

16 June 09 Tues

2009-06-16T12:52:00.001+08:00

Tonle Sap
lake
US$15
Mekong
floating village
Crocodile farm
fish farm
school, with court
school for orphans, 7-11, afternoon and night sessions

15 June 09 Monday

2009-06-15T19:27:00.004+08:00

We have finally put an end to our Angkor-climbing escapades, though we enjoyed it so much more due to our improved steps-conquering skills that see us negotiating steep steps more effortlessly now and generally visiting the temples earlier to catch the sunrise and later to catch the sunset....

....like the Bayon at Angkor Thom before we adjourned to Angkor Wat again for a futile sunset-viewing which was less derirable than even the day before as the clouds decided to shield the sun from the prying eyes of hordes of tourists....

What we did today was meaningful and interesting in its own way - to the museum for Angkor civilisation (?) with a frills-free yet highly informative exhibit on life in Tonle Sap, next to school for the deaf and blind (until grade 5), which exceeded our expectations with a wide classroom, computer lab, library. This free exhibit stands head and shoulders over the paid (US$11) cultural village which is more like an amusement park with its miniature wats, shows and tunnel where someone will jump out of the darkness to scare you.

Then we were off to the central market selling basically the same stuff as old market but gems stores. We learnt from a 3rd generation Cambodian Chinese how to differentiate real gems (basically using a 'diamond indicator''which rapidly lights up from yellow to red bars when the probe is pressing on the gem ... the technology having to do with the hardness of the material under probe). I bought 2 jade pendants,a jade ring and 2 books (US$2, orginally $5) for US$20. Basically he was willing to shed US$ 2-3 dollars for each. White silk shirts perfect for the scorching weather goes for US$5, while Apsara tee-shirts cost $2

14 June 09 Sunday

2009-06-14T15:26:00.000+08:00

Angkor Wat sunrise
ta som
banteay ...
pre rup

13 June 09 Sat

2009-06-14T15:24:00.000+08:00

Angkor Wat Sunrise
Ta Phrom

Angkor Wat

2009-06-12T21:59:00.002+08:00

Visited Angkor archeological ruins today.... now i fully appreciate why my friend said you need more than one day there... for the first time, I realised Angkor Wat is just one part of it... it's a complex of temples linked by roads...some a hundred or so metres apart and others at kilometers arms-length...

But I think I have built up in me a frenzy of out-of-proportion images of the Angkor ruins. They seemed less imposing than Borobudur, being shorter and lacking the grandeur of multiple stupas housing Buddha figures as in the latter. However, the site is better managed with park guides casting a watchful eye over would-be offences and infinitely cleaner. The ticketing purchase was interesting too, with a photo being taken of you and immortalised next to picture of the heavenly structure..

I also visited Phnom Bakheng, which is overpopulated with tourists jostling for the choice spot to capture the Angkor sunset. It's supposed to cast a warm glow over Angkor Wat, which you can look down on together with a bird's eye view of the surroundings including the hot air balloon. But to get there, you need to climb this daunting-looking steps which are only half a foot wide, which is not an uncommon construction. it is supposedly for pilgrims, etc to go on hands and feet while climbing up which shows deference. The same is seen at Angkor Wat, just that visitors are no longer allowed to climb up the epitome which is the representation of Mt Meru the sacred.

1st day in cambodia

2009-06-11T21:05:00.002+08:00

i fell in love with cambodia even b4 i touched down.... good to do so in morning as you can see how green the place is...

Even the airport has a resort feel to it and is so nice n free of planes that people take their time on the tarmac to take pictures! They are obviously prepared for the H1N1 with state-of-the-art(-looking) thermal scanners & health declarations....

Anyway, the road complements the first impression - clean and very few cars compared to its overly-crowded neighbours Thailand & Vietnam... even the currency is clean! compared to the dirty, tattered and indistinguishable rupiah and Thai Baht my mum criticises me for bringing back....

Siem Reap is a small town... we arestaying in a guesthouse paying USD15 per night with free coffee/tea n free internet (which is much faster than than paid Indonesia version). People here speak English well too, so I've only learnt one word - akun (pronounced á'-gun)'for 'thank you'.

And mum will be expecting a postcard from me... did so while walking along the lovely riverside boulevard with stone seats & animal scultures....chose the stamps myself too (2 postcards for US$1 & same amount for 3 stamps)...

hope it reaches cos I didnt see it franked (as Lonely Planet recommended) and the lady posted it for me....

m resting my legs tonite for Angkor Wat sunset tm...

23 May 09 Lake Toba-PisoPiso

2009-05-26T07:50:00.002+08:00

Lake Toba 9 - 10 April 2009

2009-04-29T07:49:00.004+08:00

'Go get yourself a massage under a tree' That's what my friend prescribed, in his mind no doubt equating the idyll of Bali with the tranquility of Toba. Indeed, Toba is all the more tranquil today as tourists have forsook this landlocked lake ,which takes 5-6 hours from Medan, to flock for hotpots in other countries such as Phuket.

It's easy to see why. Samosir hummed Tuk Tuk

Bukit Lawang

2009-03-27T09:46:00.003+08:00

What’s a 3-hour car journey worth? A plenitude of views, Balinese-usque roads that wind all the way to pictureseque end point of sun, sand and surf? Sadly none of this is what you would expect from road trips emanating from Medan, based on what people who have hibernated here told me.

Still, hope springs eternal from the human breast, as my kindness in bringing my maid back to her hometown of Siantar harbours an undying wish to discover new spots to while away my Saturdays, erstwhile spent on inane shopping at the one-and-only worthy shopping mall in Medan, Sun Plaza. Or gazing wistfully at the planes which must have been home-bound for many a passenger. If only i could be one of those lucky ones.

But my stay in Medan will not be without its merits in retrospect if I am able to soak in all the rustic charms of Sumartra.. and that's the push to finally go Lawang after postponement after postponement. The journey was not as fraught with potholes as mercifully advised, with only one stretch deemed as particularly challenging. Which I have been anticipating 1 hr into the journey as the Bukit Lawang mountain range looms into view forming a raised horizon over farms, fields and plantations. A bird eye's view from the plane would be an umbrella of dark green rosettes of this useful and productive plant that is the boon of the economy and bane of conservationists....

The number of orang utans, postulated at numbers, did not loom into view, and Lawang seems to be a poorer cousin of Sabah's..... Only 1 lone orang utan appeared at the feeding platform, obviously unwilling to be weaned from the human touch...

Running in Medan

2008-11-09T17:22:00.002+08:00

It's Sunday again - my favourite day of relaxing by running through desa (village) after village, finding out that every little nook and cranny of the Polonia (the Medan airport) area extends to the road leading to Brastagi.... Hmmm, maybe that's the local equivalent of the adage 'Every road leads to Rome'....

Everytime I run, I take a slightly different route from the last one. Today's sojourn led to more surprises. A different turn brought me to a narrow wooden bridge with gaps (what's new?) that can swallow an elephant's foot. The largest vehicle it can take is the becak (motorised tricycle), so I traipsed gingerly across it, holding up the numerous motorcycles that converge mysteriously from nowhere. Mistakenly thinking it will be a dead end, what a surprise when the slope brought me to the busy main street with the sign 'Kebun Binatang Medan - 5 km' (zoo). Ambitiously I attempted to find the place which Lonely Planet dismisses as 'well worth avoiding' but alas, the legs were starting to flood with lactic acid, so i wisely decide to save my energy for another day...

So the fauna-watching has to wait again.... after the Bukit Lawang postponement...

Namorambe

2008-09-22T08:03:00.007+08:00

A new-found friend and a new place to run.

That's why I love to make new friends.... they open up new horizons, though Indonesians' grasp of time seems ethereal... When they promise to get you somewhere 'soon', ask for the exact time and x2. Which was what I discovered on a trip to Namorambe, a little countryside 'town'
(without the model contraptions associated with a 'town' - still searching for an appropriate word to label it...district? Or am I imposing my ideals of 'town' with my tinted glasses from ultra-urban Singapore?)

Before my ramblings veer me off the path, I must state that Namorambe is a lovely place to run. There's nothing to grumble about, with the undulating slopes, nicely paved roads that lead you round the villages and streams with suitably willowy trees with bulbuls and starlings hanging to the hanging figs for a sumptuous breakfast. You won't get your running shoes soiled at all with the potholes-free road (finally!)

Of course, helping yourself to a well-deserved serving of durians available at the roadside doesn't count too badly either....

Selamat Datang ke Medan

2008-07-19T13:22:00.002+08:00

I never learn my lessons.

Despite the boredom of living in the "countryside" in Surabaya, a microcosm of how difficult it is to live in Indonesia in spite of its promises - I've relocated to another part of Indonesia, Medan.

Transport problems, living near to the airport, nature places too far away, international newspapers never seeing the daylight of Indonesian skies - all these seem to replicate itself consistently and I never fail to wonder why I'm still attracted to this archipelago.

But at least today, I finally discovered a rustic route for jogging opposite my big abode (my bedroom is the almost the same size as the hall in my Surabaya house) after going on a recce with my poor Indo maid who hardly ever steps out of the house.

A kampung or desa of sorts, the community seems friendly, and highly accommodating to an orang asing who just decides to pop by and ask to buy the orchid in the garden of a private property... Pak Chan and Ibu Yusni showed me their collection of bunga (flowers, including a black flowering plant) , a strange red promegranate-like fruit that can be used for making tea to sooth tired nerves and potatoes - not on the ground but hanging in a surreal featherlike way from vines twirling round the wooden support.

Nusa Dua

2008-04-01T23:43:00.001+08:00

The Beaches

2008-04-01T23:20:00.003+08:00

No mention of Bali is ever complete without a reference to its beaches, especially the best of it all - Kuta beach.

A mecca of sorts for sunworshippers, it's easy to see why Kuta attracts the crowds like migratory birds to the south. The waves are an inexhaustible supply of surf for those who loves watersports but you won't be amazed at how the the strong waves fail to erode the beach. It's so wide that it can take the length of a beached whale! We went on a holiday which saw domestic tourists outnumbering foreigners for once. Still, there is enough leg space for everyone to establish their turf to sunbathe or frolick with friends (which included a pack of puppies play-acting as hunters)

And while the sand is less than the pristine white I envisioned, the strength it draws from its compactness support the feet firmly even as the waves try futilely to steal the sand away. I had an enjoyable time just walking barefooted on this sandy canvass...

Bali - Lake Bratan

2008-03-24T23:31:00.005+08:00

I came, I saw and I was conquered.

I'm glad I ended my status as one of the minority tribes of Singaporeans who have never been to Bali, but sorry I hadn't done so earlier. But it's not too late to change my retirement plans, from never-traversed-before-Phuket to been-there-not quite done with it-Bali. The view of Danau (Lake) Bratan which has been soaked in in the premanent recesses of my grey matter is worth much more than my romanticised image of Phuket

Waking up early every morning is no chore at all, not with the sonorous feathered friends calling you. The roadside birds of crows and mynas in Singapore have morphed into a distant memory with long-tailed shrikes perching handsomely on bare branches rousing your early morning senses. The twin images of a shrine beckon serenely at you from the transparency covering the lake.

It's wonderful, it's marvellous, and I want it to be a permanent stimulus to my senses....

Kengeran, Guanyin Temple, Vihara Sangar Agung

2008-02-24T00:54:00.005+08:00

An important milestone in Surabaya birding terms (zilch save for the munias making out, ooops, their nest, on the tree in my garden) took place today, possibly one that changes the complexion of my stay in Surabaya.

I discovered a wide (stretches as far out to the horizon as the naked eye can see) patch of mangrove mudflat surrounding the Guan Yin temple. If not for the container ship reminding me that the horizon is just an imaginary line, it looked as if someone had pulled out the plug from the drainage hole in this oceanic bathtub. All the water had been sucked out, leaving crabs which curiously looked half-cooked, mudskippers and an excellent hunting ground for the waders looking to fill their grouchy stomachs...

Saw the javan heron (certainly croaks a lot near the trees) and whimbrel but can't be too sure as I didn't bring my bino & the sky was turning dark.... a serendipitous find as I went to the temple to pray & the towering Guanyin with his attendants beckoned me to the backyard where I made the most important birding discovery since I came to Surabaya!

Guess I'll be turning more pious from now on, haha!

PPLH Seloliman 7-9 Feb 2008

2008-02-11T13:29:00.000+08:00

A loss turned out to be a gain. After the Baluran NP trip was shelved on the advice of well-meaning people around me on the wisdom of travelling alone, I retreated to the hill resort-like PPLH Seloliman (literally 'elephant rock'), an NGO centre devoted to promoting environmental awareness through its programmes on alternative energy, organic farming, etc.

The bait that lured me there was the opportunity to birdwatch (Finally! In bird-rich Indonesia) at the forest of 1650m-high Mt Penanggungan, sacred 'Seat of the Gods' with Hindu shrines erected reverently around it. While the number of lifers were not what I had hoped for, the quality of the experience more than compensates for it and the abundance of rain which rendered the skies grey and reduced birds to even greyer silhouettes. Satisfactory too since it's my virgin attempt at making a bird list:

Sooty-headed bulbuls (countless on the fig tree in front of my bungalow)
Olive-backed sunbird (male & female)
Purple-throated sunbird (star find, as promised in brochures, birding guides for this place)
Brown-throated sunbird
Flamebreasted sunbird
Common tailorbird
Starlings
Black eagle
Flycatcher (undetermined: black head, beige neck and rump, yellow belly, dark olive wings)
Fulvous breasted woodpecker (female)
Chestnut-headed beeeater
Collared kingfisher (sadly not the Javan)
Common iora (heard)
Shrike (undetermined)
Little minivet (male & female)

Like what 'Birding Indonesia' (P. Jepson) & Lonely Planet promised, it's a cinch eyeballing the fluorescent, kaleidoscopic feathers of the sunbirds at close range from the restaurant. The rain proved to be as much a boon as a bane for it forced me to bird from the comfort of my bungalow. Out of staring at a usual flock of noisy starlings, I identified the fulvous-breasted woodpecker (before the affable education officer Joko dug out for me the bird list a Hawaiian guy, Tom Coles, had collated in '06). Guess the lack of tv, internet and other worldly distractions in my solar-powered room had worked wonders for my bird knowledge - there's more time to read and actually remember stuff from my reference guides (Birds of Indonesia by M. Strange and 'Field Guide to the Birds of Java & Bali' by John Mackinnon from the well-stocked library) - a feat I'm not known for....

But the 'Bird of the Trip' must be the little minivets.... yielded from a steep 3-hour trek to Candi Jolotundo, one hour of which was in the heavy rain with only a banana leaf my kind guide Joko broke off for me as a brolly. This trilling vision of vermillion on the breast & primaries set against an austere black head, taking shelter on a follicularly-challenged tree, offered more than adequate consolation for the one without shelter underneath ....

Flight delays, touts and miscellaneous hazards

2008-01-10T12:10:00.000+08:00

The cheapskate's guide to travelling in India:

1) Take photos of those dressed in ethnic clothes from a distance because those in any clothes with any hint of their ethnicity will ask you to pay for pictures.

2) Bolt out of the toilet once you have finished your business. Do not make a pit stop at the washing basin because that's where the ravenous toilet attendants will prove impossible to dodge. These ravens will shove towels/paper into your face in double-quick lightning time but stare at you at the longest time should you fail to offer a shred of rupiah behind...

3) Take Air India. Flight delays confirmed. Not just once but a few times, especially when you have connecting flights to take. Pray it exceeds the minimum you need to claim from your insurance company. The price to pay for this is minimal: just a little bit of annoyance from looking at the stock market-like flight times on the departure screen flicker (towards later and later times) a few times... and oh, by the way, you can also miss your flight by neglecting to ask for a stamp on your baggage tag when the screening staff conveniently forgets to do so after X-raying your stuff.

4) Same as 3 but claim under something different. Due to the exquisite piloting skills, besides the usual ringing in the ears in some other air trips, your jaws will hurt too, experiencing the much-spoken about but rarely literally experienced "jaws drop" effect. Claim for dental expenses.

The friendly smiles of Indians..

2008-01-09T23:24:00.000+08:00

The friendly smiles of Indians...

Kids at Ranthambhore Fort

More smiley kids along the way out of Ranthambhore

(FYI, they don't do it for money/to get stuff - they just love to wave at tourists on their canters)

Even the nilgai is friendly...

Birding at Bharatpur

2008-01-09T22:43:00.001+08:00

Glad to go to Bharatpur despite tour agent's advice not to because of conditions so bone-dry waders don't bother coming anymore. Who cares, so long I get my picture-perfect Saras cranes & anyway, grassland birds attract me more.... such as catching 3 types of owls in broad daylight, especially a cute pair of collared scops sleeping fluffily on a branch

and the hard- to- spot orange laughing thrush which got our calm, "seen-it-all" guide (900 birds in India in 10 years) excited for once...

...and after I got lazy, he found me an Indian rock python within 15 minutes of my asking. ...

+ over 30 lifers at least, it was really hard to decide on the sighting of the day.... Even the spotted greenshank with its batik-like dots on its feathers' edge deserves a top ten ranking for opening my eyes to the differences in waders.... somehow they had all looked uniformly dull to me previously....

Tigers @ Ranthambhor National Park, Rajasthan

2008-01-09T19:16:00.001+08:00

2 Jan 2008 Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

One of those posts where I let my picture does the talking... A much prized possession taken at a serendipitous moment that united my slow camera and cursory look of the tiger at the hordes of tourists going gaga over it.

Superstar Virgo Cruise 20 Dec 07

2008-01-08T23:22:00.000+08:00

Have never understood the fascination with cruise ships? What's fun about staying put in a mall-like structure with a bit of everything when you can enjoy such trappings in a mega-mall like Singapore?

Still left wanting for an answer at the end of my maiden cruise. Everyone is cramped claustrophobically everywhere, from lifts to restaurants where crowds have to be turned away so that people don't have to be eat sitting on each other's laps... The food is far from a gastronomic fantasy, although the selection of deserts did manage to salvage the offer from a sinking straight into a watery grave...

As for the programme, the programme for kids was a pathetic one limited to the host's rather limited (and ungrammatical) range of getting kids' involvement in shaking their butts to dance.
Even the most undiscerning kid will feel let down by the equally inane show put up by 'Mr Bean' and gang...

The only saving grace for the only cruise was 'The Musicians of Bremen' musical comedy incorporating eyecandies from Brazil & Belarus in eyecatching garb.... + the breathtaking acrobatics from the Guangxi artisans, limbs timed to perfection with their props & the lighting.

But then, why pay over $250 for one show? (no discounts for kids at all !)

Borobudur

2007-11-02T22:56:00.000+08:00

I've always like visiting Buddhist monuments because of my fascination with heights of religious submission. Maybe as penance for my non-submission to a religion I like so much, I went to Borobudur at the height of the Yogyakarta noon sun. Of course, that was also the pinnacle of photographic mistakes as the dark images cast by the vertical rays did no justice to the carvings that told of the journey to enlightenment...though I did took a few that showed the ravages brought by this earthquake-prone place.... Notice the difference in colour between slabs.... not too bad a patchwork of puzzle slabs....

But what was bad was the attitude of some locals who went there.... This is a place designated a UNESCO world heritage site & one of the wonders of the world, but I wonder what happened to that pride.... People threw mandarin skins near where some Korean monks were performing a pilgrimage (and a curio for gawking eyes) prayer; people climb on top of exposed stupas for a wrap-your-arms-around-the Buddha pose....

... the height of sacrilege ...

JMP, Pasar Atun, House of Sampoerna & Taxi louts ....

2007-09-30T22:53:00.000+08:00

Shopping again in Surabaya... just like my students, I'm falling into this mindless but entertaining hobby... But Jembatan Merah Plaza (JMP) is worth a visit, since the best shopping areas are those where locals overwhelmed foreigners, which the 4 of us represented, basically... If you are into the alluringly lacy kebaya or batik, this is the place to indulge. The range of cloth is fantastic & I'm sure Thila would love this place... There are 3 shops serving the Indian taste. For me, I hope my resistance of the temptation to buy a nicely cut and cooling batik top will pay off in Yogya 2 weeks later.

From there, we hopped on a taxi to neighbouring Pasar Atun, the Chinatown in Surabaya. Do go there at an appropriate time (before 4pm for shopping and after 7 for dining). We reached there at an awkward 5pm, with most shops closed. We had to entertain ourselves by cajoling our 10-year old friend Alisha to try on the kiddie Korean hanbok and Manchurian garb and browsing over DVDs selling at only 7000Rp each.

The dreary continued when we met this taxi lout (working for Zebra) who took a super roundabout way to reach our next destination, the House of Sampoerna ... en route, we were somehow mesmerised by his enthusiastic manner in using English and it was some time before we came round to the fact that HOS is very near Pasar Atun....On the way back, we decided to stick to the tried and tested (and recommended by the magazines and locals) 'Blue Bird' taxi instead... The taxi driver was almost Singapore-like, in that he asked for which route we prefer (don't take the highway....)

Solo

2007-09-29T09:51:00.000+08:00

Solo 21-23 Sept 2007

The strains of the melodious Bengawan Solo may have faded but the place still resonates with a quaint charm of subtle confidence of its heritage and culture. It's not just the style of the 5-star Lorin Hotel (obviously pandering to touristy palates) which we stayed in, though it's as good an introduction as any despite its 'in-your-faceness' - with the angklung (a bamboo musical instrument) proudly taking its pride of place facing the hotel entrance.

It's a nice place to stay in really, and changed my idea of wood decor being too much of a depressing overkill in an enclosed place. Take away the ornately carved TV display and the room looks a perfect model of Balinese comfort that you can replicate to a soothing effect at home ...

Sad to say that the hotel room was one where I spent the most hours in besides the stifling (emotionally) conference room where the Principals' Retreat was held. Fortunately, my trip was 'saved' by the dance performance at Diamond Restaurant, the most expensive in Solo, imitating a puppet show. A male performer wearing a bushy black beard framing a babirusa-like snout was the most fascinating sight until the deliberately stoic grace of the heroine took the shine from his exuberant strides... Beyond the confined spaces, Solo is markedly different from Surabaya with its cleaner air (there's actually a cool breeze in the evenings), cleaner roads and cleaner (due to the brighter lights, maybe) warungs... and how can I forget the batik shops?

Oh, anyway, if you are wondering about Bengawan Solo, every local whom I asked said that, due to environmental pollution, it's a shadow of its former self ... even the students doing a project on the theme 'Water' declared this.... Haiz....

Bromo II

2007-09-17T00:17:00.000+08:00

Bromo II - 0601 - 0800

Bromo (I)

2007-09-17T00:08:00.001+08:00

Bromo (I) - 1am to 6am

Malang

2007-09-16T23:36:00.000+08:00

Malang 14-15 Sept 07

(Draft)

Was feeling down this week ... and feeling the need to get away from it all....

....from Sidoarjo... and thankfully too, for I realised why people in Surabaya adjourn to Malang for their weekend getaway.

One very noticeable difference is in the air. Reminiscent of the mountaino us cool of Sapa in Vietnam, we felt the evening breeze clearing our lungs of the residual smog of burnt rubbish in Jln Pepelegi. The streets are clean, drains covered (only saw 2 mosquitoes in 24 hours a compared to > 20/hr in my house), roads that spoke of a recent repaint, and infinitely more interesting shops. Quite a number have tie-ups with HSBC for special offers, so flash it in Malang. But the key is the eye-candy many shops near Enny's (the lovely 20-year guesthouse we stayed in) provide, especially Breaddu (the name says it all about the stuff it sells - good bread from 5000Rp onwards) . Turtle Creek and their soft toys-laden frontage display over 2 storeys.

Jalan Pahlawan - Sidoarjo,Surabaya

2007-09-08T10:15:00.000+08:00

7 Sept 2007 Friday

Finally stepped out of the shadow of my exams.... Don't get me wrong; as a teacher, I love learning ..... but not the exams. That's why there's a saying 'Schools always get in the way.....'

So it's finally relax time with a group of kakis (friends in Singlish-speak, not 'legs' as in Bahasa Indonesia) when our local friend brought us somewhere near Sidoarjo town to a restaurant at Jl. Pahlawan (see the food review at http://myreligionisfood.blogspot.com/). Quite a major project for her since there were 8 of us, only a few who can speak BI and none who has any idea where to stop.... to add to the problem, there was of course no bemo that will have can take 8 of us at rush hour.

But somehow we managed and went merrily in search of more food...dessert....but shopping instead...at the right too, since there was a sale going on at the Ramayana mall before the fasting month. I bought a blus Muslim Bdr for 49,900 - for the uninitiated (as if I am one of the initiated), a black blouse Muslim-style with a broad white rim around the triangular collar and embroidered with flower patterns on either sides....

Luckily, I didn't follow Xu Li around, who sniffed out bargain buys - 2 trousers for 80,000Rp.....

Money saved today is money for my telescope tomorrow.....

PT. Ramayana Lestari Sentosa,TBK

Jalan Pahlawan No.1 Sidoarjo

Tanggal PKP: 21 Mei 1991

Barang Kena Pajak, Harga Termasuk PPN

Kassa Fashion 2A / RB 27

A 'very Singapore' Mall in Surabaya - Gallaxy Mall

2007-08-26T22:01:00.000+08:00

There's nothing like coming across something familiar like back home and what can be more 'uniquely Singaporean' than a shopping mall? It's only when you are abroad that you will yearn for the experiences that you dismiss as too 'commonplace' back home. When the entire Orchard Road is double-lined (read my blog entry in http://myreligionisfood.blogspot.com/ about the 'Never-ending Orchard Road) with energy-sapping clear facades and interiors paved with spanking white floors that you can skate on, what feeling except fatigue can one get out of an afternoon of Singapore's national sport for the masses?

But in Surabaya, it was deja vu of the homecoming variety when I stepped into Gallaxy Mall. Besides the Sogo store (extinct in Singapore) housing familiar tenants like Giodano (ubiquitous in Singapore), there are familiar favourites like GG>5, Ariththalia, Breadtalk, Marks and Spencer, and Body Shop. The former two are pricier than in S'pore, though, so I spent my limited time there scouring for my favourite shopping activity - for books. After depriving myself of the intoxicating smell of books and even newspapers in Sidoarjo, it's enriching to my soul to see a decent, albeit small, bookstore. I happily added to my minuscle stockpile here with Time and Fortune magazines ( a steal at Rp26,000 and 35,000 respectively) at Periplus. And the ultimate is getting my hands on the eponymous title on Birding in Indonesia. I've been looking for this Periplus title for so long in Singapore that I almost resorted to the risky act of ordering from Amazon.com delivering direct to Indonesia. Surprisingly, it is cheaper than ordering it online too!

The catch of the day left me so satisfied that I forgot about buying meat at The Ranch, something like an upmarket version of Cold Storage that you can get decent groceries and meat, pork hopefully....

But who cares? Books can sustain me longer... I can always go vegetarian....

(By the way, do bring your HSBC credit cards to Surabaya - there's no 1-for-1 promotion like in Singapore but they offer 25% at Prima Food - read my other blog! And there's a special shopping zone just for HSBC shoppers inside Sogo)

Independence Day

2007-08-16T22:07:00.000+08:00

It's Indonesia's Independence Day tomorrow! Yeah!! Not that I've jumped nationality but finally a chance to go somewhere.....Lamongan..... Do look out for my updates on Sunday.....

Meanwhile, check out: http://www.eastjava.com/

As for the Independence Day celebrations, everyone (almost.... except me) was dressed in the colours of the national flag.... a sea of red buoyed by waves of white. The little 'uns of course stole the limelight and most of my cam memory with their cutsie looks...

Surabaya Zoo

2007-08-08T18:13:00.000+08:00

The itch finally caught up with me.... Weeks after my arrival in Surabaya, I am feeling a little restless not volunteering at the Singapore Zoo.... I miss our two lovely King Cobras, Ranger and Xena. Wonder if they still engage in fights for food (albeit rather one-sided) and some lovey-dovey during bouts of sanity?

Anyway, I've always wanted to visit zoos in other countries, so disregarding the well-meaning advice of my Indonesian students, I bravely ventured into the so-called dirty and smelly place. Just as well they 'prepped' me with some negative reviews, for I was more than pleasantly surprised by the animals there. Sure, the pavement is uneven and animals do smell (whichever zoo they are in) but it is big and houses some interesting animals. The collection of ungulates is impressive, and one can only feel happy looking at Bambi... Obviously , the animals are quite well fed too, like the orang utan below:

One great disappointment is the presence of a fair number of cages (which doubles the difficulty of focusing my cam for a bad photographer like me), some of which strangely showcase only 1 animal per cage. So if the fellow doesn't feel like working, visitors may not get a glimpse at all. Thus I ended up with quite a few information boards instead...

Once you get past this section, the zoo takes on a more naturalistic feel like that of the Singapore Zoo. Although it has less greenery than ours, the comparatively larger area makes up for it. Crab-eating macaques have their run of the place, surrounded by some pretty landscaping, and the cheetahs have more space to prevent atrophy of their strong hind muscles.

The other disappointment is the rather pitiful collection of snakes. The king cobras looked less than majestic and the variety is disappointing considering Indonesia is sooo large...

Back to the other animals.... If you are in Surabaya, do go there for a visit. Sans the 2 gripes, the place is worth visiting for the animals, which generally look bigger than what we have, the deers, the endemic collection of raptors, and the bison! It's definitely an under-rated zoo... at least in the minds of some Indonesian kids...

School retreat 13 - 14 July 07

2007-07-15T12:34:00.000+08:00

The term 'School retreat' in my opinion is an oxymoron. School is never relaxing but retreats are meant to be a balm to the frazzled nerves. Happily, some of my worst expectations are never realised and the newly-opened Tretes Resort turned out to be a gem....Roman-inspired decor abounds in the form of sculptures of Gods/Goddesses, Colisseum-type columns, swimming pool with and the most important trump card - the view of the valley dotted with houses and a panorama of distant mountains....but more beautiful than that was my encounter with a very nice Indonesian of Chinese origin on my recce around the place before breakfast...

....who showed me around her place, named 'Heaven' and it truly deserves its name. Just the kind of house I wannta live in .....

Mosquitoes

2007-07-15T12:12:00.000+08:00

Dealing with mosquitoes in Sidoarjo

One unforgettable aspect of living in Sidoarjo, Surabaya must be the mosquitoes. Living in my house is like going birdwatching everyday in some rural part of Singapore but without the birds (well, a few) and the trees (average of 2 per house). The problem was so bad that initially, we would retire to an early night to avoid sitting in the sitting room where they swarm in by the dozens from a huge chimney hole (without the chimney) on the roof, which is so big that Santa's girth could fit in easily. A big insecurity as well, we are trying to get a wire mesh to seal it up, like our windows, but....

Oh well, it's better to rely on oneself. After one week of enduring kamizake attacks, I finally bought a high-power (but safe for humans, except a mild electric shock for the unknowing) electric mosquito racket to swat mozzies and flies. Makro Hypermart sells 4 types/brands but i settled for one with a good grip ... Cost around 30,000 rp (S$5+) but it will be great value for money. We reckon that it can double up for tennis. My housemate Chen Cheng has become quite good at it really... her backhand is awesome and it never fails to amaze us how a cursory sweep and throw up so many dead bodies. The most satisfying thing about the racket is that we'll see immediate results with a loud cackling sound and spark that means the hapless insect has been electrified to death. The most sadistically pleasant effect comes when it is rebounded a few times on the racket and its body burnt to pieces by the voltage, and then you know that its fate is sealed....

Selamat Datang...

2007-07-15T11:52:00.000+08:00

After what seems to be a priod of an endless anticipation, I arrived in Surabaya on 8 July 07. Was pleasantly surprised when I was picked up by people sent by SNA before I cleared the immigration. Even more surprising (verdict is still out whether it's pleasant or otherwise) is that my new 'home sweet home' is only 15 minutes away from the airport.... hmmm, i do like going to Changi to watch the planes but having one zoom over your head every 15 minutes is something else...

Anyway, the apartment promised turned out to be a house.... cosy-looking one with a lamp in the little garden in the porch, 3 rooms (1 for my two housemates from China and me). There is a mysterious-looking spiral staircase at the washing area. My initial reaction wasn't that great but now that I've settled in somewhat (except for the mosquitoes), this place could look really pretty with a lot of sprucing up and decoration...

Bukit Brown

2007-06-26T12:38:00.000+08:00

Bukit Brown Cemetery 21 Jun 07 (Thurs)

Glad to introduce another friend to the charms of Bukit Brown...that the place is worth getting out of bed early for...

This time around, the mozzies were out in full force to greet us instead of the usual ambush-at-some-spots tactics. But well, since the foreign workers could tahan it and still engaged in morning exercises, why not us?

Despite the untouched feel of the place, a lot of changes have apparently taken place. Some tombs were refurbished, including a husband and wife pair lying side-by-side overlooking the 'valley'. Touching to see them remembered by someone other than family. Thanks to Mdm Soh for deciphering the words and pointing out the differences in wording that point to the relationship between deceased and the person who ordered the tomb construction.

Of course, I must remember to put it down here that to add 11 years to the 'min guo' year to arrive at the year as we know it (What do you call that? The 'AD' system??)

The grand tomb on the little mound have been given a fresh coat of paint too, and the Gurkha-guarded one looks like it benefited from a recent cleaning...

Birds wise, we didn't see much (since our eyes were constantly on ourselves and the ubiquitous mozzies) but finally saw one rather dirty kingfisher after hearing its cries for the upteenth time,

as well as the usual suspects, yellow-vented bulbuls, parakeets, starlings, and a

handsome looking dollarbird.

Strange though, the woodpeckers were out of sight, even if I heard one - the banded

RR Duty @ Singapore Zoo 27 May 07 Sunday

2007-05-29T10:30:00.000+08:00

RR Duty @ Singapore Zoo 27 May 07 Sunday

Super-crowded day with the SPH Family Day... but I still managed to catch a glimpse of some wild visitors like the oriental magpie robin hovering over the tents of the camping site near the general office. And while the visitors were going gaga over the ambidextrous white-handed gibbons swinging to and fro, I spotted a rather dirty-looking storkbilled Kingfisher perched overhead, seemingly eyeing the fishes in the moat. On better days, the creature is a one of the, if not THE, handsomest of all kf, vermillion mandibles, brilliant hues of yellow and blue as if painted by some generous-with-pastels impressionists.

Really kicked myself for taking out the camera at the last minute....

The King Cobra feeding went on smoothly though, with the large crowd of enthusiastic kids and trigger-happy parents. Ranger again looked quite menacing, good posturing for the crowd but not for Xena, who sensibly did not tussle for the dead mice (used instead of their usual diet of snakes for some fresh protein). Instead, she did not risk antagonising him and went for a dip in the cooling waters with the fly river turtle. The solo turtle earned a mention in our commentary when the crowd was intrigued at why the keeper stepped into the enclosure and hurled a string of veggies into the water, like a fisherman with his bait.

But of course there's no such thing as a vegetarian snake, and in the wild, kings of course deserve to eat other snakes, and even their own kind, in lower ranks...

20th May 207: Rambling in Changi Coast

2007-05-24T11:40:00.000+08:00

Dr Ho, whom Kim always describes as the warrior of Singapore nature, led us on a 4-hr walk around the stretch of 2 canals you turn in from the Tenah Merah Ferry Terminal. This man really walks his talk and I was really surprised when he divulged that he's not been to Malaysia for birding for 2 years already... while so many of us hanker after the birdwaves of Jelai in Fraser's Hill or the forests of Taman Negara...

Anyway, it got off on an auspicious start of spotting a yellow-and-green parakeet ... and followed two flocks of another species, I think... can only see the distinctive silhouette with a trailing tail, against the strong sunlight. More surprising was that the white-collared kingfisher were nowhere in sight, though we heard them something like a hundred times throughout the walk. The canals look like their favourite hunting ground and reminds me of Sembawang Park where they just whizz past you and land on bare branches for you to admire closely without the magnifying help of bino...

Dotted along the canals, however, were half a dozen fallen trees, a sad reminder of the lady who died in Bukit Batok Nature Park....

Going Going Gone....

2007-05-18T15:29:00.000+08:00

Take a good look at the pic above (taken on Mothers' Day 13/5/07)...No, am not being narcissistic ...but on the top left hand corner, you'll see some destruction taking place. The 'old' ferry terminal is making way forTHE resort.

Thought that was a pity . The building still looks sprightly! And of course part of the reason is that it has been part of my more disciplined days in training for the New Balance Real Run, which I don't suppose will be held at Sentosa anyway since part of the rugged upslope-downslope-down-downslope-beach route will be partly obscured by one of the integrated resorts, euphemism for CASINO$$$

Hornbill Project

2007-05-11T15:23:00.000+08:00

Yesterday attended at the Botanic Gardens the eye-opening Oriental Pied Hornbill Project at Pulau Ubin, our little rustic, passport-less getaway. My interest was piqued after two sightings from the jetty (they like the zinc roofs), the village elder's house and the early morning quest to see them in Sabah. Dr Geh Min was there at the talk too! She certainly looks better than in pics but the speakers were Dr Ng SC, Dr Mark and two nudergrads from NTU.

Anyway, the stars were the hornbills captured on video mating, laying eggs, helping the kids to fledge (which some did by jumping off the nest) and even cannibalising the littlest ones to feed the others! The captive ones in Jurong Bird Park and their wild cousins in Ubin were studied using never-used-in-S'pore before cameras perched inside on the ceiling of the nest and some others stationed outside too ....

Some interesting observations:
* the wild ones like Durian trees as nesting places

* but it doesn't stop them from using a ready-made one the researchers planted

* the female would let the male seal herself in the nesting hole for 3 months

* the sealing project takes one day.. even though I thought the nesting cavity, a vertical slit,
looks rather small for big birds like them. Material: soil and small rocks.

* the ideal size of the nest is approx 25cm (diameter) by 50cm (height) --> some head room
necessary for the huge casque

* females molt before laying eggs ....why? I dunno, maybe like how S'porean preggies like to cut
their hair short?

* not all eggs laid will be fertile

* not all eggs hatched will survive... in one brood of 4, 2 were cannibalised by the mum! She ate one after unsuccessfully feeding another young 'un.

* they don't lay all eggs at one go... interval of 2-4 days
* males diligently feed the female and fledglings after they were hatched. (SNAG!)

* diet include: olivebacked sunbird, lizard, young pinkneck green pigeon and even bats

* growth of babies measured by the size of the beak, since it's most easily viewed from the top

Check out Asian Geographic Issue 35, 2/06 for more details about the hornbills!

3 days of Make-up (I)

2007-04-11T12:20:00.000+08:00

All the anticipation for Fraser's Hill trip dissipated when it was cancelled last minute... oh well... can avoid the castrophobic mess of hordes of S'pore cars making the trip back from M'sia over the long weekend from shopping or Formula 1 or just the normal seafood trips...

Anyway I'm determined to make up for it with 3 days of birding over:

Good Fri

Went birding at my backyard with surprise, surprise! Mum, she who always dissuades me from going some 'ulu' places just to see 'a few silly birds'.... but the best strategy to deal with naysayers is to involve them. Though I don't think she's a convert, at least she scored in the nature appreciation bit with her interest in the bananas ("when is the best time to pluck?") and spotting the slinky lizard below:

Better Sat

Went with K, still sore over the cancelled trip, to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve... anyway what I really wanted to see was the pitta & great news wafting in the air was that the hooded pitta has been spotted in the Hindhede part of the reserve.... We went to the birders' choice of hang-out - the outlook facing the waters and the tip of the hill. With the exception of starlings, there was a strange sense of birdless calm.... the birds' own favourite hang-out has withered, and all that remains was a skeletal figures with outstretched hands that point to a glorious past of greenery and fruiting flowers that attract flowerpeckers and the like for their sojourn among the leaves...After giving the birds 5 min to show up (the legendary patience of birders to wait weeks eludes us), we set off to look for the roosting (not roasting) nightjar. K saw 2 on teh forest floor before, so we were hoping to catch the cute fat birdies snoozing... though it was not to be... We had better luck with the straw-headed bubbuls - catching them after an hour of hide-and-seek and playing my song recording to death in a desperate bid to lure them out.

But the catch of the day were the invetebrates... the perfectly white moth perfectly camouflaged against a white paint patch on a tree and the two-horned yellow-blue 'crab' spider with amazing speed & dexterity in devouring anything that lands on its web, which we graded an 'A' for its workmanship... A perfect model of web for other spiders to emulate.... aesthetic in its perfectly round shape and easily negotiated cooking pot for the spider...

Best Sun

Bidadari finally! But visions of lush trees overhanging aged yet dignified graves failed to materialise because as SG said, all the tombs have been exhumed and now, it is more of Bishan Park and a naturalised running track...Anyway, the place looks alive with the green carpet of grass, different species of trees including mango, noni (below) and the majestic tembusu (which is printed on S'pore's 'greenback'). Excitingly, we had a near encounter with a snakie.... we found a very small slough of a very slender snake like a whipsnake.... Most exciting is the brush with 2 spotted scoops owls (must be the lovey-dovey pair pictured on the pages of Nature Watch a few years back) which apparently guards the place with barks akin to that of lions+dogs....eerie ....

Eating ....

2007-04-02T11:49:00.000+08:00

Discovered to my horror that I've gained a few kilos since the start of the year...no thanks to the Chinese New Year and cheap yet delicious canteen food... but as usual it does not faze me enough to resist another high-calorie dinner, especially when it's my favourite Thai food + animals drenched in a crispy layer of fried batter ....

Drool over them!

Let's Go Japanese.... for lunch....

2007-03-05T13:14:00.000+08:00

Yup, that's all I can afford for the time being... Being extremely tight-fisted as to where my money is flowing, or rather trickling, nowadays, I've capped my restaurant-going outings. So was extremely glad to get brother's call to eat at one of the restaurants at Bukit Timah...

The food (lum lum mee) was a tad disappointing, the 'spicy' gravy limpid, the marinated slices of pork tasting only slightly better ... I remember being thrilled before by their ramen, soup in particular... one of those 'wow' occasions where you make a mental note to come back here again.... in fact, the experience triggered a flashback to another Japanese restaurant where I gave a treat to a dear friend leaving for Australia to study (that's what I am saving my money for).... the Momoe icecream.....peach-coloured crust in the form of an apple protecting the yummily-sweet contents inside..... ice-cream enveloping a Rocher-like chocolate ... would have been perfect if it had used that or any chocolate of equivalent standard...

Godiva perhaps ;)

A very Penang CNY ....

2007-02-22T10:07:00.000+08:00

Time really flies… especially when you are not working … Chinese New Year has come and gone, with memories of ….. hmmm ... wondering what I did…

Yup, it is the time of lazing around for 5 days since the Govt compensated us for the coinciding with the weekend and my school gave an extra day too…. But I also engaged in productive activities like worrying about my diploma assignments while poring through the readings, doing some pleasure-reading - finished the Lonely Planet Story :) - and of course, satisfying my olfactory and gastronomic senses big time …. aka bingeing on CNY goodies…..

There's my favourite pineapple tarts.. the delicious Sing Long curry puffs which my mum inadvertently mistook for another CNY staple - the peanut one. Also love the Loveletters, the fragrance sucking you into the container once the lid is off……… This is also the year of abundance of prawn rolls - I tried at least 5 versions, from the handsome-looking yet disappointing ones to the pale-as-kueh bangkit but packing a surprisingly delightful power-punch of “he be' (fried prawn paste).

Have been indulging in them even before CNY, before our Reunion Dinner at King’s Hotel - to a sumptuous Penang / Peranankan buffet with its

Delectable Desserts like the nonya kueh. sweet soups and ice kachang

Rojak with loads of fruits and cuttlefish

Fried beehoon with chilli fishcake, cucumbers pickled in different ways…

'Otak' which turned out to be fish swimming in chawanmushi-soft pandan-coloured egg with banana leaf as its ‘fish tank’

Braised pork cooked to tender perfection

Penang laksa, herbal duck noodles, prawn soup noodles....

Hawker fare like chicken satay is a cut above the ordinary…. Fleshy and succulently seasoned

Riceflour pancake topped with banana slices dipped in sweet gula melaka sauce

Didn’t know there was such a range of good food in Penang fare. I certainly can't remember partaking in such an engaging feast during my trip to Penang eons ago….or maybe it's my pre-gluttony day where food is just a prevention against the inconveniences of hunger...

Contrast with now where I don't even have time for taking pictures of the food which I meant to... well who cares anyway .... Enjoy your new year bingeing and Bon Appetit !

The Charms of Vietnam's Halong Bay

2007-01-23T09:06:00.000+08:00

What images do your mind conjure up with the word 'Vietnam'? Mine was totally unimaginative with visions of bustling streets and ubiquitous rice fields with the lone buffalo toiling away ...

So it was with much surprise when I heard of the so-called Vietnam's answer to China's Guilin, supposedly a picturesque artwork of hills and H20....

I've not found my way to Guilin yet, so I can't comment on whether Halong is in Guilin's league. But I think beauty need not be a zero-sum game, and it doesn't take any particular expert eye to discern that Halong is truly pretty with lolling stalagmites born out of their roots from the green sea; each unique specimen serving as monuments to the nifty actwork of our omniscient Mother Nature

Historical Places of Interest in Vietnam

2007-01-19T15:11:00.000+08:00

Find that Life nowadays can't go on without thinking about the good times in Vietnam, especially the surprises thrown in my path.... I guess we all have stereotypical impressions of different countries, pigeon-holing them into neat categories that conform with what the world already knows... but sometimes this lazy approach gives us a load more pleasant surprises when we really experience the place, like what we did in Vietnam through north down the edge of its latitude....

One surprise was how much Vietnam's history is intertwined with the Chinese (though not reciprocal). The Chinese certainly left their imprint as conquerors for a thousand years...

The most splendid palace in Hue, Thai Hoa Palace (which we visited on 19/12/06) reeks of Chinese influence from top to bottom. Built in 1805, renovated in 1833 and 1923, it is a hall where bi-monthly grand audiences of Nguyen Court were held. In a scene straight from the Chinese period dramas, officials would be lined up according to rank, designated by the stelae on both sides of the courtyard. It is said to 'exemplify the traditional ‘adjoining hips’ roof’ architecture – combine front and rear buildings linked by a gutter truss in between with 90 gilded columns and roof dragons.'

Can Chanh Palace

Constructed in 1804, CCP was the Emperor’s office and hall where regular meetings were held on 5, 10, 20th of lunar month. A most splendid building in the Forbidden Purple City but alas, the beauty was cremated to pieces by war in 1947. Maybe that was why we could see a snake, yellow head, olive with red neck, brown body but too elusive to catch on cam....

Forbidden Purple City

Constructed in 1804, the FPC was the exclusive living quarters of the royal family, concubines at one time the area contained many splendid buildings including palace pavilions, a theatre, a library, a reading pavilion, gardens and lakes. Most of these buildings were destroyed by war in 1947. It's the Vietnamese' version of China's Purple Forbidden City (notice the difference?)

The Tombs

Took a boat trip down Perfumed River. Lunch on board with springrolls + noodles + fish with food supplies bought at Dong Ba market.

Boat trip followed by a short but panoramic motorbike to Tu Duc Tomb. Emperor TD was the 4th ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty, reigning from 1848 to 1883. Tomb constructed in 3 years (1864 – 67) with some 50 monuments rich in national cultural identity. History is always learnt more easily when you've been to the place, touched the very monuments that bears testimony to the events you can only force your aimless mind to memorise. So I left the history portion in The Lonely Planet Vietnam undisturbed til I came back....and found that, sorry for any offence caused to him, his rule was quite unremarkable but that he had something like 104 wives (or concubines? was it a typo?).... maybe that explains the size of the palace compounds, for himself, the wives, his mother the Dowager and the kitchens and maid chambers..Hoa Khiem, Le Khiem and Phap Khiem Temple were originally TD’s office. After death, worship drove the dedication of the buildings him and later Empress Le Thien Anh. A must-visit. As with the other tombs down the Perfumed River, it costs 55000 per entry. If you're on a budget, just skip the rest, like Meng Manh, where an interesting part on a mound was locked up and we can't even find the tomb! Its only redeeming points were a big, beautiful lake (that looks even lovelier in the misty rain) and the numerous species of unseen birds which nonetheless made their presence felt with their incessant chirps.

So, in conclusion, save your money on Tu Duc

Food, glorious food of Vietnam

2007-01-01T11:44:00.000+08:00

Yup, I'm back.... quite reluctantly. If not for the traffic (especially life-threatening at Ho Chi Minh City), I would have migrated to Vietnam...

Instead of going gaga over the much-touted pho, I was more enchanted by the numerous others which deserved to be feted here.

But first, the pho (pronounced as 'fur' and beef noodles, or pho bo, sounds a less appetising 'fur ball'), which is not the national dish for no reason, and so deserves a mention. Available everywhere, it has some variations along the length of the long strip that is Vietnam, and Hue has a special variety of its own.... bun bo hue which I saw almost everywhere but miraculously didn't try it until I came back to Singapore, wondering about the authenticity in VavaVoom's version (and rueing over the Singapore price tag of $5.80 when I could have paid only $1 in Vietnam).

Being a foodie, Vietnam has titillated my tastebuds with its own rendition of familiar favourites no doubt enriched by the influences of its conquerors like the French & Chinese...

Pancake (Banh Xeo):

Pleasantly delightful in the freezing cold climate of mountainous Sapa. Super crispy-thin. The one at HCMC by contrast is like a super thick omelette, served with chocolate (yummy!). Try the fruit variety! Fresh mango, which stands out on its own, or better still with Pineapple & honey (Thom Mat) .....

Banh (Baguettes)Baguettes

The one that makes me feel like migrating to Vietnam. If this is introduced to Singapore, I think the pork floss buns at Breadtalk will remain on the shelves.... I ate this from North (Hanoi) to South (HCMC). Didn't eat this only in Sapa. Everyone I ate was different. The fillings are infinitely interesting, ranging from ham to roast pork to beef paste to 'pork leg jelly' (translated literally) to pig's ear (which sadly, I missed....), enhanced with fish sauce and others (up to 3 types) and cucumber/tomato/parsley. Do NOT ask for eggs as it's overwhelming and distracts your tastebuds from the main

Price range: 3000 to 10000 dongs (30cents to $1)

Every meal is worth looking forward to ... because every corner of the street throws up a new combination for the interested intrepid to sample and savour :)

Cua Tam Bot

At XQ village, Mdm Soh gamely tried the Vietnamese version of the soft shell crab...not much difference from the Japanese one, save for the chilli sauce that goes with it.

Other types of seafood are in abundance since Vietnam is all of that Indochinese stretch from the China border to the ocean... the strip long enough to support a great fishing industry....

Fruits and Veggie

Chayote is the most exotic of them all - the place where the mountain veggie is only available in Vietnam is Sapa. (Later discovered that Giant supermart in S'pore is selling it at 17cents per 100g .... Singapore is truly a shopping cum eating paradise...). Boiled to a succulent texture, we lapped it up quickly with the rather salty but interesting dip of ground peanut.

Fruits are also prominent in their daily lives, with the ubiquitous mobile stalls that Vietnamese women will carry about soliciting from street to street, sometimes following you when you gave as much as a cursory glance which is interpreted as interest. Mandarin oranges are guaranteed sweet, and is inversely proportional to size. Soursop, dragonfruit, longan, pineapples and custard apples are everywhere too. Of course, there was no escaping the touristy fruit selling business on the floating docks/boats of Halong bay:

Desserts:

A dessert with coconut milk and dollops of yam, sweet potato, etc - bo bo cha cha to Singaporeans - didn't get the Vietnamese name since we just point at it from the attractive rows of colourful desserts sitting prettily at the roadside shop in Hue, where the owners were so stunned at us being there that they hid for a while.

Banh dau xanh - green bean cube that melts in your mouth the moment it touches your tongue. Recommended by Mdm Soh who discovered this Vietnamese product in China. Better than the Shanghainese version I tried.

Vietnam ~ an update

2006-12-19T21:40:00.000+08:00

Finally got hold of a computer with internet at a decent speed....

For those concerned about me...am very much alive and kicking although patronised a lot of the roadside stalls which others in the camp (with the exception of Mdm Soh, embodiment of the 'can-do' spirit) seem to be wary of.

Just had their equivalent of the 'bo-bo-cha-cha' with lots of coconut milk and just a suitable hint of ginger contrasting with the sweetness without upstaging it.

Am going to enjoy my baguette (a relic from the French conquest years ago that is still very much embraced by the Vietnamese) with lots of identified meat and fatty-looking tomato-coloured stuff....

hApPy BirThDaY to Myself from Hanoi Classic Hotel

2006-12-11T00:26:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm online again. Seems Vietnam is an internet-friendly place with this hotel offering free internet service. Just that this popular service is highly utilised - all the keys are eroded and I'm relying on my fingers' memory of where the 24 alphabets are (looking at the others doesn't help - you know why). Think I'm faring quite well here.

Thanks Kiat, for the birthday wish (You are the FIRST !)..... tagboard not working ...

Have lots to say even though only 3 hrs in Hanoi only.... but it's time to sleep to prepare for the 3-hr Halong Bay trip tomorrow.... or maybe I should reserve that for the ride ?

I'm Off

2006-12-10T17:07:00.000+08:00

1 minute before the gates open for the Vietnam trip at Budget Terminal.... not too bad really with free internet access. Pity about the name though, even after a naming contest, this is the best they can manage?

But my dreams of departing in the plane in style is dashed by the rain beating upon the tarmac relentlessly, so it will be a wet entrance following a hurried dash across the unsheltered space.

I am sure this will be a great trip though.

Here's wishing me a smooth journey :)

Halong Bay, Vietnam

2006-12-07T16:13:00.000+08:00

Must highlight to you the treasures of Vietnam though I'm not there yet. Thanks to "1000 Places To See Before You Die", I can indulge in a bit of fantasizing how beautiful the place is. Picturesque in 'unpeopled' beaches, it is a haven to while away time looking at a scene taken out of a Chinese painting ....

1000 places to see before you die

2006-12-06T14:56:00.000+08:00

Taglined as 'A traveler's Life List' , this book lives up to its rather boastful self-anointed claim. A 'life list' must fulfil its mission of providing a comprehensive lineup of reviews on all corners of the earth and make sure all countries (192-193 according to the Great Geography Teacher).

'1000 places' captured all these systematically in easy-to-find sections Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, USA, Latin America and Australasia (which it diplomatically put down as Australia, New Zealand & The Pacific Islands - instead of subsuming the beautiful likes of Fiji, French Polynesia & PNG into the term I used)

Highlighting not just the places but more importantly the experiences, it's an excellent read on:

the interesting sights to look out for
the splendour of natural sights
tasty food to savour
the people you should say hi to & more insightfully,
what the places mean to the people there - the soul of the place.

Practicality being another important criteria, the book is a handy source of information on the type of experience, how to get there, contact details, cost and the most important of all - when to go to get the best bang for buck. 183 pages are devoted to the great US of A, which I suspect is some deliberate patriotic slant, but hopefully with the version solely for USA/Canada in print, the next edition will even be better in covering more far-flung parts of the earth.

I Got Jabbed...

2006-12-04T16:12:00.000+08:00

Just got a typhoid jab, highly necessary to avoid diarrhoea...Maybe I should have got it before the Stanchart marathon, where I got runs for 2 days before the race. Didn't realise how dehydrated I was until the muscle system seemed to shut down after a grand distance of 2km and to make me walk for the rest of the 8km...

So this thing is going to protect me for 3 years. From taking food/drink/beverages/etc in countries where less handwashing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with sewage... eeee... how do these things get into the food? From cooking in the toilet??

Spoiled my secret gleeful thinking that I can eat anything I want. Anyway the perceptive nurse banished such thoughts by telling me directly not to throw caution to the wind...

My Vietnam Itinerary

2006-12-01T13:46:00.000+08:00

Am happy to post my itinerary here. Certainly something to look forward to since I have heard and read glorious reports about Vietnam -

the abundance of nature places & of course, birds
the beautiful beaches, according to the scholars
the resort-like Dalat, according to "1000 places to see before you die"
the business opportunities in Vietnam, especially ni education, from Andy Ong

So here's it:

11 Dec (my birthday!!) - 12 : Hanoi - Ha Long - Cat Ba

Boat trip, Sung Sot cave, cat Ba Town

13 Dec : Sapa to Catcat (pronounced not as in our feline friends but as in 'cut')

Ethnic market, the beautiful Sapa - home to Mount Fansipan (tough climb, according to Aileen)

14 Dec : Lao Cai - TaVan - Giangta Chai

All-day trekking to visit minority villages, see the colourful dresses of H'mong, Zay, Red Dzao.. Their colourful dresses will certainly be a talking point.

15 Dec : Hanoi

Stay at Manh Dung Guesthouse

Tour around Hanoi for 2 days

17 Dec : Hue (pronounced as 'hway' of 'huay')

Bella Garden
Tour around on our own
Do volunteer work at XuanPhu's Orphanage
45 Le Viet Luong St, Hue city

20 Dec : train ride to Nha Trang

Transfer from Nha Trang to Dalat hotel (night)
Check in to Dreams Hotel

23 Dec Depart for HCM on bus ride
Check in to HCM hotel (Madam Cuc)
Tour around the area

26 Dec 1330 hrs: Depart for Singapore
Home Sweet Home

What to Pack for a Trip

2006-11-30T20:18:00.000+08:00

How many times have you made a mental list of the items to bring for the list? I find myself doing it everytime I'm going for my travels. So I'm going to make 1 & bookmark this page for myself:

Personal Items:
Clothes - jackets, shirts, bottoms, underwear
Shoes - sandals, shoes, trekking shoes
Toothbrush / toothpaste / toiletries
Passport / Visa (as in for entry to a country or credit card)

Maps / journal

For the outdoors:
Raincoat / umbrella

For Birdwatchers:
binoculars / fieldscope
trekking boots /
camera

(Work-in-Progress.... do tag your comments!)

Snake & the Pigeon ...

2006-11-28T07:13:00.000+08:00

Think there's a limit to the number of photos for each post.... but enjoy the following:

Bishan Park Part 2: The Flora

2006-11-28T06:47:00.000+08:00

Finally! The pretty flowers of Bishan Park get an airing..

Though I much prefer the fauna (catching a fleeting glimpse of an elusive bird is so much more challneging than a static stalk), I must say the plants are responsible for the hidden allures of the park....

just look at the lotus blooming under the shade ...

Ths poster boy in the Botanic Gardens brochure deserves a special mention especially because of its fragrant, pristine-white-as-stars flowers & curious-looking fruits are presenting themselves at one go...

A surprising Nature trip in Singapore: Bishan Park

2006-11-27T20:58:00.000+08:00

Sunday 26 November 2006

My ardent visitors would have realised that a lot of my travels take place in Singapore; the Singapore famed for Changi Airport, Esplanade, Night Safari and all other man-made hardware (like the soon-to-be integrated resort or its less shiny alias 'casino') the government loves to construct when it has some grand plan ahead for the country. Parks are also part of the gameplan...we all know that plants are always a thorny issue... so pretty yet so hard for it to grow heathily and nicely in a manicured way or at least look civilised.

I hesitated in going for the NSS Bishan Park Nature Park (at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 and Upper Thomson Road) walk ... what else is there to learn or even see in a typically highly manicured lawn? (I wish I could afford this kind of high maintenance.)

Anyway I went, since I had already told the enthusiastic Mdm Soh (whom I think will follow my footsteps in joining NSS because of going to Semakau...). Can always pop over to Peirce Reservoir, which I did to look at the (> 40!!) longtailed parakeets which seem to be inexhaustible, flocking out of a single, though big, palm tree... the now-ubiquitous glossy starlings and the nice fig fruits decorating the trunks of some lucky trees....

According to the newsletter, the fig trees in the park sometimes draw wildlife out of the woods, especially when they are in fruit. Not sure whether the pink-neck green pigeons were, but they were certainly an attractive pair. See picture in next few blog entries (something wrong with this post, can't upload pictures) and you'll see the nicest breast on a male... drawing a lot of oohs and aahs from the predominantly female crowd here ..... so rufous... probably the alluring trait which attracted his lady friend (on his right). The sighting also drw our attention to a pretty, white raptor hovering above.... a more graceful and 'feminine' version of the sea eagle.

Other sightings:
yellow bittern hidden among the shrubs in the biggest lotus pond I've seen in Singapore.
white-throated kingfisher, rather emaciated, but keeps dipping itself playfully in the drain water.
streaked heron (? can anyone advise through tagboard? not in either in of bird books & the Google search throws up so many different looking birds)

But nothing can beat the presence of the Paradise Tree Snake, my 2nd favourite snake in the Colubridae family after the oriental whipsnake, much vaunted for its flying (actually gliding) prowess. This guy was rather hapless though, attacked by a few ants on its back (where is a snake's back, by the way?). Its beautiful pattern also provoked the trigger-happy photographers into a frenzy, including yours truly.

Luckily some huys helped the snakie out by swiping the red ants off and the fellow actually posed for us for a while, before scaring us by suddenly hitting the ground... and of course we automatically gave way for it to migrate to another tree....

Travel #2 2006: Kota Tinggi

2006-11-23T08:52:00.000+08:00

I'm back! Invigorating trip. Short trips to M'sia are always enjoyable...especially with a huge dose of nature injected into the travel. Though it was overtly a school trip, I wasn't focused on work at all (almost all work done in school already!) but rather on the beautiful Kota Tinggi Waterfalls. Not my first trip there since it was the place I went to nurse my broken heart a few years back (on an SDU trip no less, but no love on the rebound, haha)... The photo on the left was taken on the last trip:

As you can see, my world was in topsy-turvy then..... or is it due to the damage inflicted by rebonding my hair (first & last time!)?

but of course nothing can get me down... or upside down, when I go travelling.

Glad to report some wonderful 'dos' & 'sees' at the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort:

The Fireflies
If the first trip is a blast, the second is a reminder to appreciate beauty in nature.... sad to say, some overused the flash to photograph the busily-matefinding-but-interrupted fireflies. The best way, I feel, to appreciate their beauty is just to look at them.... it was a wonderful sight to behold (& hold)...fireflies clicking on their luminous touches at will to decorate a Christmas tree-like shrub...especially near the surface of the river...
5 stars out of 5

The Waterfalls:
The obvious entry here...Although far from the league of the Niagara Falls, it is the pride of people here.... and the raison d'etre for the resort. Although meetings are not everyone's (or anybody's?) favourite, at least our nerves were soothed by the therepeutic melody of the cascading water... It might not look too impressive but the relentless beat of the waterfall, day and night, shows that this guy has got something up there....

..... and we just have to visit it at the top ....

....not quite.... but we got a good morning workout trekking to where the bridge is. I was glad that so many people help this clumsy gal up the hill...it's not even one-third of the mountain Gunung Panti ... So this is the one Aileen had talked about! The one that's tougher than Lambak... After the rains of the previous day, the damp leaves overran whatever trails there was in the first place. Our footsteps did not once put any imprint on it. The others were alright with the trek but I was left panting 15 minutes into it... anyway, never understood why people had to walk so fast... But as with Lambak, everything was forgotten at the top (I mean of our climb... the entire trek to the top would take something like 5 hours?!):

More rewards as we came down....

Nice trees, but pity there were no birds, or none that I can see, though there was a melodious, unidentified bird at the rest point but my bino couldn't help.... I wonder why? Always thought tall trees should attract raptors like insects to food (as we discovered during dinner near the waterfalls...)

But it's an ideal place to call home.... the little chalets by the forests were like the cottages I dreamt I would live when I can afford it. Imagine waking up to the lovely views of mist shrouding the hills..... so nice..... life would be so nice....

Next stop on my Travels: Kota Tinggi 21-22 Nov 2006

2006-11-21T07:51:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, will be inactive for 2 days.... 'cos I'm going to enjoy the fireflies, jungle trek @ Kota Tinggi... most happening staff outing yet for my school!

Keep you posted on the highlights of the trip :)

Birds of Chinese Garden

2006-11-14T11:11:00.000+08:00

On a bright Sunday morning, my friend Evelyn & I ..... haha, sounds so cliched, like some primary school student's essay...

Anyway, after hearing such glowing reports of Chinese Garden from the wildbirds group, it's time to make a well-overdue trip there...who would usually travel there? only for tourists right? Same sentiments most people hold for the zoo (my favourite place!!).... so near yet so far... sadly, sometimes foreigners appreciate our treasures more than us..

Anyway, back to the birding trip. I brought the first (I expect a few more) of my cameras along (I think that deserves a page on its own .... look out for my review and verdict on the Panasonic Lumix FZ7), which is actually more for travel in mind. But I think it somewhat rose to the occasion with my first shot of a Brahminy Kite hovering above some trees almost 20m away... The BK looked miniscule at first (like my hamster lying facedown on a lazy afternoon) but when the power of zoom is unleashed, the bird can be seen looking at something on the ground, probably scrutinizing some appetizing breakfast.

As with my usual bird trips, the start tends to be the most prolific in terms of birdcount. The most spectacular birdwave I witnessed since the Currumbin Park in Australia greeted me once we got past the security regaling us with stories of birdwatchers near and far. The wave was spectacularly performed by a whole host of glossy and purpleback starlings, boys, gals, fathers, mothers all included....

My attention was momentarily diverted by the sudden flight of what seems like a black-capped kf , an elusive bird which remained hidden after the first sighting.

The majestic flight of the purple heron, the small chinese pond heron completes a happy birding trip in an easily accessible yet largely ignored place. :)

Vietnam birds... Here I come!

2006-11-14T10:13:00.000+08:00

11 November 2006

One month to my birthday, which is going to be celebrated in Vietnam.... think I enjoyed my birthday overseas last year too.... but can't remember where I travelled to...short-term memory...

Was it in Bangkok? That was with my gang of good frens :) Travel is so much more a joy when you can share it with your buddies. The Vietnam trip will hopefully bring me even happier memories .... with Iris, Mdm Soh & Thila.

I will mostly likely 'bird' in Vietnam. Gleaned a lot of info from this fantastic site on birding in Vietnam:

http://www.worldtwitch.com/vietnam_rheindt.htm

The likes of Sapa, Tram Ton, Di Linh Pass, Mount Lang Bian, Ho Tuyen Lam Reservoir, Mt. Ngoc Linh sound really tantalising where endemic species are concerned.
Laughingthrushes, crocias and so many others!

Would be practising with my newly bought prosumer camera, the Panasonic Lumix, to prepare for my trigger-happy travels in Vietnam from 10-23 Dec.
So, stay tuned!

Poachers :(

2006-11-14T09:28:00.000+08:00

It's usually my practice to blog just about the good things. It should be about happy travels and adventures. But sadly, this entry is about something very unpleasant - especially to the birds....

At Marina South (see prev entry), Harry, Kym & I chanced upon this weather-beaten guy out to trap red whiskered bulbuls using another hapless comrade ... and using mist nets!

According to the latest issue of the NSS newsletter, mist nets are banned in Singapore. The poacher is obviously ignorant about the law. When asked, he claimed that he did that not for profiteering but for fun.

For fun indeed! To who?! Such mist nets are usually cheaply made in countries like Thailand and of very low quality which might hurt the bird when it is entangled in it. What's the point of trapping something which is beautiful but hurt? Where's the fun then?

Things turned ugly when Harry advised the poacher to stop, taking photos when he refused to do the right thing. Kym called NParks for help, but I guess they'll be too far away to nab the poacher in time.... I'm not sure what to do.... Call for help and hope the guy will be around when the authorities come? But I must laud Harry & Kym for standing up to the poacher and giving him a memorably bad experience so that he will think twice next time....

Raptors Galore ! ! !

2006-11-06T10:11:00.000+08:00

Sunday was a feast for my eyes and a landmark in my Birdwatching Land. Exciting number of raptors @ Marina South, starting with 2 brahminy kites who looked like sea eagles in the early morning sun light. 2 photogenic black-shouldered kites braving the sun to perch on a bare tree to model for us. Perfect Lifer Moment for me! My companions, Harry & Kim, had a field day taking photos or gawking at their majestic mien. What fine birds they are!

As if to restore its rightful place, a seaeagle swooped into sight from afar, even then a big vision, with a fish .... we were speculating it's a pomfret... haha.... but it's too long to be one... not a bad catch, even birds believe in eating like a king!

Every species seems to be outdoing each other .... Harry spotted 8 sparrowhawks (Lifer, not counting the faraway silhouette in Bt Brown) circling around some enchanted spot... which Kim remarked was a conference...hmmm....so it's holding some international meeting @ Suntec city, after which they seemed to adjourn to the Expo...

But the highlight was the oriental honey buzzard (L)...actually I didn't know what it was... only that it was HUGE, notwithstanding the fact it was perched on a tree nearby....even the rufous backed woodpecker (L) did not divert our attention for long.... but 1 of these guys was chased by the ruffians crows...only 3 of them.... but you can see their gangster tactics quite clearly, chasing them & causing the hapless fellow to dip a few times in flight :(

The changeable hawk eagle (L) & black baza (L) were around too, as with an unmoving dollarbird. Just as we thought the birds would all shy away from the heat as the blistering midmorning heat parched the rather tree-less land, we saw 2 red-whiskered bulbuls (L) (wow! I thought they had all migrated to the HK streets, leaving only their distinctive image in some old S'pore notes) and a blackcapped kingfisher too ! (L)(highest no. of lifer for me).... ah, how can I forget to mention the tons of yellow-vented bulbul ( didn't know they fly in flocks ! ) and their noisy neighbours - the shrikes & munias....

All in, 27 species , leaving one satisfied birdwatcher...... happy travels can materialise in S'pore too!

Something to look forward to!

2006-10-31T19:26:00.000+08:00

Finally, the trip is CONFIRMED!

I'm going to Vietnam!!

No more a dream but a reality, thanks to soon-to-be travelmate Iris, with many solo runs throughout the years!

Am going to borrow Lonely Planet (hey hey, I recently bought a book on the story of how it came to be... exciting, will read it on the plane to Vietnam) and pore over the numerous info I printed in a 'Vietnam Frenzy' yesterday... including Cat Tien, possibly with birding opportunities!

Keep you updated when I have more info! C ya!!

14 October 2006

2006-10-17T09:02:00.000+08:00

It's Hi to Sentosa again.... this time with Kym, birding buddy I'm trying to convert to a running partner as well. Fine runner too! Negotiates the ups and downs (& there're many!) effortlessly, with nary a hint of breathlessness...

And the synergy you created when you're with another! Without her, I wouldn't have explored the isolated Serapong Hill, which I always bypassed after the telecoms tower(today we saw a whole flock of cuckatoes cackling like nobody's business). It's a neverending upslope which rewards the persistent with a panoramic (or at least as panoramic as it can get with a small window framed by luscious leaves) view of the golf course & harbour. We heard the elusive barbets chatting to each other across trees, possibly talking about us humans, for all their propensity for modern gadgets, not having eyesight sharp enough to spot them....

We detoured after the freefalling slope to Palawan Beach & inched stealthily up the stairs to spy on a group of striped-tip babblers having a whale of time under the bushes... not sure what it as doing, but the leaves shook violently... saw what's supposedly a pied triller ?(ID according to my book hours after the trip - with band across eye & beige.... somewhat like a bulbul but with a longer tail).... Had also concluded earlier that I saw a prinia hiding away in the bushes of a golf course (which Kym missed) but more likely a less exotic ashy tailorbird... My ID skills are less than perfect of course, having mistaken a golf ball for an egg...

2006-10-13T14:58:00.000+08:00

5-8 October 2006

Truly life-changing days! Went to ADAM KHOO LEARNING TECHNOLOGY GROUP'S WEALTH ACADEMY - it's pulsating pace of chock-a-block-ful information and very valuable money-making tips! Enlightened this little-frog-in-the-well about the wealth-creating passive streams of income that recur to give additional $$$.

It's a joy to surround myself with enthusiastic, high-energy people who have all the qualities of a WINNER, which is what I want to be! Adam & Stuart were particularly energetic. Our lessons start at 9am and stretch all the way to 1pm (which leaves around 4 hrs of sleep per day). By the time we say goodbye, it's actually also time to say 'Good Morning!' In spite of this, their voices never once falter because of their punishing schedule.

IMPORTANT LESSON:
IF YOU WANNA BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU MUST HAVE A HIGH ENERGY LEVEL!!!

Also particularly enjoyed the interactive learning games, especially the 'gambling' game where all of us revealed our true selves - how you react when the market is going on a bull or bear run. (I made a NP of $51 :) )

It also opened my eyes to what REAL investing is! My erstwhile strategy of investing and holding on to a diversified portfolio of unit trusts for capital appreciation is all wrong! Adam fed us with practical tips on how to invest in ETF, US stock markets, value and momentum investing..and what WARREN BUFFETT is buying!!. Truly exciting!!! I just wished I hadn't put so much money into unit trusts and have started liquidating some cash cows for setting up my USD accounts to start trading. How nice it is to be a part-owner of WALMART, GE, GOOGLE, NIKE, etc.....

So it's Bye-bye to my spending days. Instead of amassing stylish Nike tees, I'd rather be stylish accumulating NIKE shares now...

For Adam's post on Wealth Academy Oct 2006, go to www.adam-khoo.com

1 October 2006

2006-10-02T14:51:00.000+08:00

A day I hope will be repeated again and again, 'cos this is the kind of life I want to lead.... An invigorating morning run at Labrador Park, tuition in the afternoon to satisfy my teaching fix, topped off with some classical music.....

I can't believe how long since I last visited Labrador Park, during my schooldays at nearby SAJC, always relishing a jog there for PE instead of the usual lessons. I'm struck by how much it has changed. Gone are the days of unpaved paths, the dense vegetation, the long, flimsy staircase which miraculously brings us from the narrow beach back to the lane near the entrance after our PE teacher had led us on a long winding path. In are the orderliness, the platform, the boardwalk, groups of anglers, bikers and even a whole horde of Japanese teens..... What happened to the peace and romance of a charmingly untainted hideout? Luckily, the sighting of 3 juvenile yellow-vented bulbuls feeding on a fruiting fig tree brought some relief to me...

Talking about relief, nothing soothes the soul like music. Went to the SSO concert @ Kranji Turf Club. Conducted by maestro Lim Yau, the crowd lapped up familiar strains of the following:

Overture to Die Fledermaus and Eljien a Magyar Polka, Op. 332 by J Strauss II
Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana (I love!!)
Colonel Bogey March by Kenneth Alford (so this is the name)
Finale from William Tell Overture by Rossini (played to death, but who mind?)
Beatles hit medley (yellow submarine, hey jude, yesterday, I wanna hold your hand....)
Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34 by Rimsky-Korsakov (never heard before, but obviously bearing the unmistakable hallmark of RK's work)

Strange that nobody shouted encore..... but the musicians obliged automatically....and as they say...

What an enchanted evening!

2006-09-26T11:18:00.000+08:00

24 September 2006, Sunday

Spent Sunday morning in a cemetery, but not just any cemetery... it's the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery! Finally got to see this place after hearing so much about it that it's almost legendary... Was not disapointed, with the first sighting being a whole tree of squawking long-tailed parakeets, in their brilliant green tinged with pink plummage. Sharing the tree with a lone dollarbird.

Being the first to arrive, I could take in the sight of usually elusive birds coming out to enjoy the early rays of the day.... an iridiscent flamebacked woodpecker preening itself....turned out to be 1 of only 2 I saw for the day, though their distinctive calls seem to be stalking us. While the crowd gathered, a flock of purple-backed starlings (lifer!) came swooping on the bare branches vacated by the parakeets. Migrants who have been spotted here last year. This is the place that changed my mind - I'm definitely going to get a scope this year....

Anyway, we had much fun checking out bird nests (iora's?), looking at carvings on the tombstones - which year they died, the figure (like Nezha and the Chinese equivalent of an angel). Particularly striking was an extra large tombstone, flanked by two Gurkha guards with a
guard dog each.

The much touted raptors did not appear, though we spotted a small one hovering above with black tips against white belly, supposedly a sparrowhawk.... which I read counts kingfisher as a favourite food.... so it's good luck to the 2 white-throated kf I saw earlier... Kim spotted something else on her way out but unidentifiable ....

I'll be going again soon..... with a scope to shoot on sight and decipher later....

Erratum

2006-09-22T08:29:00.000+08:00

Erratum

There's a typo in my earlier entry... if you have noticed it. Birds roost, not roast, on trees...haha...what was I thinking about? Maybe it's a Freudian slip of the tongue that betrays my real subconscious wishes. Missed the roasted (correct?) pigeon in HK the other time...

Anyway, here's the picture of a 'sample' white throated kingfisher that I fished from http://www.geocities.com/wondersf/
Wonderful webpage with thousands of birds.... go visit it!

Serendipity

2006-09-21T08:27:00.000+08:00

17 September 2006, Sunday

Serendipity - discovered the beauty of this word when the bus took a wrong turn and me away from Springleaf, where Dr Ho was supposed to show NSS members the beauty of our forest birds.... but fortunately, one thing led to another.... abandoned idea of finding my way there when I saw this dark brown bird with white on top of chest. It looks like kingfisher but the beak is too short... the backlight was terrible and I couldn't see the colours nor features clearly.

Chasing it led me to Sembawang Park, an oasis of calm near the sea where people just laze around in their tents or fish.... perfect picture of the life I want to lead, away from the madding crowd.... Saw a white-throated kingfisher perched on a lamppost. My sight followed it as it flew away, and as it land on a lone stick poking out of the vast expanse of land, I caught sight of this beautiful (as opposed to cute, which is the usual way I describe birds I like) with what looks like an almost irisdiscent purple on its back plummage and pink in front.... strange colours... I moved gingerly in front of it and when it flew down to the field and up onto a wire, it 'turned' into cream-beige body with dark flanks mirroring its crown, though interrupted by a strand of white.... I quickly turned to my book and found that it's a long-tailed shrike (lifer for me) and followed it as far as I could.

.... but having lost it, I decided to be adventurous and wondered into a wooded lane which led me to a lokang.... with lotsa birds singing, a water hen, a group of 7 pink-necked green pigeons roasting (sic) on a bare tree. Such is the tranquility there these fat (extra fat here) birds can sleep without cover but the main thing about this place is it's.....

Kingfisher Land!! Anywhere I turned, I saw kingfishers.... kf on the railing, kf on the tip of the bare trees, kf on their favourite hangout on branches overlooking the waters... even the very brief appearance of a baby croc-like feature with yellow stripes against very black body failed to distract me from admiring the beauty of kf - some were as close as 2m away. I realised why I like them so much. Despite being slightly deformed-looking with an oversized beak and head, it has very sharp features and strikingly beautiful colours, so much so that there's no need for bino to spot them. A white body would rep a white-collared kf, while a small white blot surrounded by a dark silhouette is the ubiquitous white-throated kf. When I can finally afford a scope, I will return to this place again to capture their beauty :)

Anyway, I got a very good look at one very fine specimen - very handsome collared kf with its sharply coloured brown back.... looks amazingly like the Australian kookaburra (same family). Maybe it's why I like them so much..... mum always sings the song about them....

"Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree-eee
Merry, merry king of the bush is he-ee...
Laugh, kookaburra, laugh
kookaburra, gay your life must be..."

Nice ditty... composed at a more innocent era where gay is not a dirrtyyyy word...

2006-09-13T16:14:00.000+08:00

9 september 2006

Ben asked me to go SBNR yest for birdwatching...refused.... refused to tear away fr Caleb....but finally couldn't resist it when Kym suggested we go together....

Kym & I made a big (gigantic, actually) boo-boo when we happily cried there's an egret perched on the observation tower opp the main ob deck....Harry pointed out it was actually to point direction....

But of course I was not daunted ..... the first birds were good.... 2 flame-backed woodpeckers chasing each other, a huge dollar bird ( tho they are not supp to be, but they are cute), a huge pink-necked green pigeon (everything seems so big here). And Ben has reported seeing:
PGP (stumped me when I first heard this.... it's the Pacific Golden Plover - we saw 1 chasing another playing on a very small strip of land - round and round), Curlew Sandpiper, bar tailed godwit, ruddy turnstone, green & redshank, terek sandpiper, asian dowitcher (which ben returned to sight the following Monday)......

......all names I've never heard before... migratory birds on stopover (for refuel) to Australia in early Sept & will be back in S'pore in March to fly northwards home sweet home....

But we (actually Kym & Harry) discovered the lesser sandpiper, a cute (Kym & mine fav term for birds we like) cream-&- white wader, which Kym had deciphered from a crowd of waders. I had lost interest by then. The 10x bino wasn't clear enough to distinguish the difference in mottled print which distinguish sandpiper fr redshank) and I felt giddy from staring into it too long....still waiting to buy my ed50.... and the herd of waders just look like the homogeneous crowd of buffaloes crossing the Serengeti into the Masai Mara, no? and there were 5 dogs from a herd led by a matriach ... to pose as the African wild dogs on the African plains.... picture perfect....

But Kym was undaunted and I saw what a serious birder should be like - eyes trained on the bird, describing the colours on every part (first time I heard the word 'supercilium') , referring to the Bible of birdwatchers here (Craig Robson's birds of SEA), distinguishing between brown and shades of rufous, describing the legs and beak.... until Siew Kuang (heard that Bing Wern was also there) chanced upon us and gave us the 'model answer'....

.... all the while when I was busy eating the seaweed K gave me - not the usual one but very crispy, made in Thailand.... but forgot the name. Will CIO in Watson's....

Anyway, we also spotted animals which are easier on the eyes - jumping fishes... lotsa them! Traced them to 2 otters (big fat ones, more well-fed than those in the zoo!). Joked with K we should change the signboard on croc to otters). Also: big monitor lizard (taller than me if I were to lie down), narrowly missed a paradise tree snake which SK spotted, ironically in a shed with a pic of it painted nicely...we ran in search but it has long slithered away.... end to K's effort the whole morning looking for snakes...

..... anyway when we returned to the main ob deck, we were thrilled to see the egret on the tower was no longer there, thought we had been right the first time round - until Harry pointed out to us it's looking at the other way.....

Boo-boo #2......

Happy running

2006-09-07T21:03:00.000+08:00

Nothing that a good run can't cure. Despite a lack from sleep (eyes just refused to shut from 1252 to 0400), I had an invigorating run on my favourite NB terrain in Sentosa. I didn't complete the trail though, since I was late and the sun was already flashing its brilliant smile.... and I thought I shouldn't be too hard on myself.... :)

It's the first time I've not hung-up on not finishing the run....realised running is supposed to be disciplined but fun. I have to give myself a pat on the back for :

trying out a different running technique ( flat surface - longer stride, less power ; upslope: small strides on almost tip-toe; ditto for downslope but with the longest stride I can master )
trying to run on sand..... and experimenting on how best to land. Actually running on sand is not as tiresome as I thought.... in fact, it's worse to walk on this quicksand-like surface.
for running continuously on upslope
not stopping despite the curiosity about Barclays' golf tourney around Sentosa cove.
not chasing after the 4 cockatoos I saw on the ground at Tanjong Beach
not stopping to look at dogs swim....

I think I should be able to better my personal best for this terrain in 2007 - better than the 01:19 I clocked in 2005.

Anyway, my results for NB Real Run 20 Aug are out. Out of 1119 runners, I came in #758. Haha.... I'm amazed at my timing.... what was I doing?

http://www.realrun.sg/results/WomensOpen.htm

758 WO0720 SUET LAI, THAM SINGAPORE WOMEN'S OPEN
Check Pt1: 00:16:07 (took 16sec to touch the mat despite being near the front and it's counted
inside the final result)
Check Pt2: 00:38:18
Net Time : 01:27:55
Total Finish time: 01:28:02

2006-09-07T17:39:00.000+08:00

6 September 2006

sad... haven't been this sad for a long time. deja vu.... always a happy event transforming 360 deg to something of the deepest sorrow..... it's always the same; how can I break out of this cycle? It's certainly not for want of trying or lack of thought to method. I asked Caleb what he would do to someone who makes him sad.... his reply was a "Box him!" Wish I could do that, but already as it is, it's the second ending which doesn't signify any iota of revival in the future... sad.

8 April 2006 - 6 September 2006

2006-09-07T17:24:00.000+08:00

4-5 September 2006

Exams. Stranggggeee feeling to be on the receiving end of exam. Must have been such a long time that I felt shocked when I saw the seating arrangement.... even when I see the same every semester.... The first exam, Action Research, was a even greater surprise as it turned out to be open-book. I thought they say starting from this year, there'll be no more open book? And just a week ago, the lecturer had emailed a response to a classmate that there'll be no reference. Strange indeed.... a reputable school which can't make up its mind? Everyone was furiously referring to their notes but I guess I could offer something different cos I put in ideas from Curriculum Design (CD) since that was all I bought along. Luckily, I didn't bring any relevant material.... there was barely time to tell all the tales I could fish out from my mind....

The second was hardly better.... even less time..... but I had one special source that nobody else bought.... the Singapore EL Syllabus..... unbeatable, hehe.... Sad to say, I didn't have enough time to prepare for exam because of oral exam, marking, CA..... Really! I plan my timetable to factor in 30min of studying every day but even that wasn't enough.... so of course, I resorted to the time-tested favourite strategy of students all through the years - spot questions..... luckily I was spot-on with emphasis on needs analysis and syllabus...but method not recommended to everyone.....

27 August 2006

2006-09-07T17:04:00.000+08:00

27 August 2006

Sheares Bridge & Army Half-Marathon

Survived.... that's all it matters. One of the most relaxing races.
Run, walk, run, walk, .... even finding time to chat with 2 Regenites and popping down to 7-11 to buy a Snickers. Sprinted only in the last hundred, cos the commentator was talking about me, haha... 3 hrs 38 min. Nothing to crow about, but it's a start :)

.... but oh, where's the medal that they promise?

Pre-race

2006-08-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

blogging b4 i sleep. 9pm. so early!
no choice. race starts at 0530 tmr.
Sheares & Army Half Marathon.
Why should I go?

Not sure.

1st 21km of my life.
1 of many??
Not sure.

No training 4 this.
Not even 80%.
Like what experts says.
No pre-race jitters.
Good or bad?

Not sure.

Just do it.

Running flat.....

2006-08-24T07:20:00.000+08:00

19 August - 2.4km sports for life
20 august - 10km New Balance Real Run

fell flat in both events .... hardly the kind of results I visualised myself getting..... the sports for life was a real disappointment 'cos I started the last round at 11'30" & thought there is a fair chance of getting gold (<13min) if I sprinted real hard ... but stitches came a calling and my "gold" was gone in the wind..... to add to the misery, Zahed said there's no more this yr...

the NB was hardly any better..... despite the 2 training runs, I failed miserably to beat my record: 1 hr 26min instead of bettering the 1hr 19min last year... my first race in 10km in this kind of terrain.... but at least it was a learning experience, because I know now that good runners must have strong abdominals, esp when the long distances mean that your running posture is likely to sway like the tree as your legs eat up the miles and when your body is tired, the legs will follow suit.....

All these great conclusions came just 1 day before I borrowed the May 05 edition of Runners' World which begs the question......

so why didn't I read more to learn from others' mistakes??

2006-08-19T21:35:00.000+08:00

13 August 2006: Encore

... this entry named after what those tedious Mediacorp tv programmes like to call themselves when they are repeated ...

2nd birding @ Ubin this yr, hehe... can't resist what the 1st bird I saw on land was the Oriental Pied Hornbill. Hope for an encore, which did happen... with not one but THREE hornbills perched on a roof. Yours truly is proud to say I was the FIRST to spot, just as the bee-eater later on...

Would go on a 3rd trip...to see what the elusive straw-headed bulbuls look like in real life. Hunted almost to extinction in Indonesia, it was reassuring to hear the loud and melodious, though intermittent, sounds of 2 of them calling out to each other...The closest was we traced it to a tree, but it was too dense to make out bird from leaves...

Other sightings:
Flamebacked woodpecker (me spotted 1st again), red-breasted parakeets coming in and out of their love nest, sea eagles, sunbirds, tailorbirds, and a very handsome Stork-Billed Kingfisher (can't understand when they say it's not bright enough...) taking a cool respite from the heat for a long, long time under the shade of a palm branch.

Discovery of the week....

2006-08-05T20:29:00.000+08:00

2 August 2006

Wanted to embark on my supposed-to-be-weekly 10k run with JazMon... but we convinced ourselves the stadium is fully utilised by wannabe national runners.... so she proposed going to Kranji Reservoir...where people harass the prawns & fishes... and the "thing" that Jazmon often talks about...

after a longer-than-it-seems walk (no thanks to JM telling me we shouldn't run so soon cos it's "so far away"), we found the "entrance" - a 2ft pavement along the canal - tucked away behind the martial court. Finally abandoned the postponed run...but the canal seems as if it will lead us to Johor.... bend after stretch & vice versa....that never seems to merge into a concrete horizon...

....but when we finally reached the end of the path, it was a sight to behold....tranquil waters framed by untamed foliage on the left against the green manicured lawn of the Warren golf club... JM tried to fish a prawn for me... but I guess the ultra-sensitive creatures were determined not to be eaten today.... but we did 'catch' animals - kingfisher with its distinctive blue and brown plummage, and the little tern, common in coastal areas, somewhat like the ubiquitous seagulls on the beach.

Wondered why I have discovered this place earlier, smacked right in the backyard of my 6-yr old abode..... unlike the others I met there ... Peter's twin brother and CI Pma'am....

(btw....the early post on Sabah trip is not going to materialise.... and I don't want to recollect certain events.... but have posted the pic that reminds me I WILL go back there again....next yr...)

Heaven after hell...

2006-07-25T18:35:00.000+08:00

23 July 2006, Sunday

My legs and arms are still aching from the Lambak climb... not that kind of very sharp pain but the gnawing type which trips you up at exponential levels when you conquer the stairs and recedes only to lurking below the surface, waiting to act up when you do something as innocuous as walking faster...

But of course, such episodes cannot keep me down...by 12, I was at The Legends at Fort Canning savouring the delicacies there....the array of salad condiments was impressive, so was the main course... but the truly unbeatable clincher was the dazzling spread of desserts... mouthwatering indeed were the piping hot, melt-in-your-mouth bread-and-milk pudding, the chocolate fountain for dipping an assortment of fruits/marshmallow (same as the one at Shangri-La that I drooled over on tv), the Nonya kueh, the extremely sinful pudding and calories-laden ...... too many to mention....

I piled on much more than I lost at Lambak, but who cares? Just have to go EBC to lose the excess calories, hahahaha.... Anyway, I realise this is a nice place to do marking.... good food, melodious live music from the pianist tinkling on the ivories, free newspapers to divert my attention from the less-than-perfect exam scripts, comfy sofa, pristinely clean toilets that you can sleep in, not to mention the entire garden at the back where I had spent one Sunday birding.... ahhh, maybe I'll get to see that elusive barbet again...

My pain dissipated almost immediately....

Gunong Lambak

2006-07-24T08:52:00.000+08:00

22 July 2006, Saturday

Finally discovered the difference between 'gunong' and 'bukit' on my trek on Gunong Lambak, Kluang, near Johor. Why is Bukit Timah not called 'Gunong' Timah? Because even the hike up to 'base camp' was twice harder than the hardest on the BT trail... and the entire ""hike"" (deserves a double inverted commas) turn out to a climb for me....80% on all fours, 5% falling and the rest ....I don't know what I was doing.... The itinerary stated that it is a manageable hike with ""a bit"" of rock scrambling with only ""some"" "" steep"" sections, but I guess I should have known better to trust guides who have been to the Nepal mountains(6000m!!) and the Kilimanjaro I've read about in "A Girl's Adventure - travel across Africa, anyway, anyhow" by Jacqui Tomlinson. (I love, I want!). Just 50m into the trek and I was secretly cursing myself in paying money to suffer....

Anyway, I actually grow to like climbing up... though I again rediscovered the disadvantage of having short legs (the greatest regret of my life) ... some people could stride up but I had to leverage on my arms to clutch anything that came my way - rocks, roots (I think I've touched every root there...) even thin-as-stick-insects twigs stuck on the ground, to the dismay of my guide Aileen, without whom I would have died on the mountain, I think! And to add to the drama, it had to rain ..... but every cloud has a silver lining; if it hadn't rained, we wouldn't have enjoyed the scenic view of Kluang and beyond.... with only a slight mist covering the interesting-looking mountains afar.....

But just as I soon got the hang of hauling myself over "gentle" slopes that extend to the height of my waist, I soon discovered going down is actually the bigger hurdle... if there is no one around, I would have let go and just slide or roll down the mountain... but of course Aileen was aghast at the idea and patiently guided me where to put every(!) step... KK was 'helpful' in showing how to do the 'Tarzan' thing - swinging from tree to tree but it's just not my cup of tea.... and all that talk about having low CG (which short pp are blessed with) didn't do me any good either...

Along the way, I met warm local folk who enquire about my falls (as advertised loudly by the dirt on 50% of my pants, front and back) and these pp really put me to shame ... comparing their slippers with my rugged Columbia specially made-for-trekking-on-rough-terrain boots. Just like my Brookes, I don't deserve my shoes...

I was so glad to reach the bottom of the mountain I could have hugged Aileen or any tree.... but I wouldn't want to repay them by soaking them in my sweat.....

and oh.... if you are interested to know, after all that adventure, I discovered I did not climb a mountain at all.... according to the Great Geography Teacher (GGT) C, Gunong Lambak falls 90m short of joining the mountain club at 600m.....

Shape Mag run

2006-07-19T17:10:00.000+08:00

16 July 2006 Sunday

Really off-day.... went to the race sky-high with hope but fell flat, haha! All my pre-race ambitions of running within top 100 (Iris was 98th in the 5km!) and running sub-60 went up in the flames of the hot morning. I don't know what to blame the disastrous 79-minute run on....the terrain? not really, I have run worst terrain before... this is about the same as Stanchart... woman's problem? But it was a case of both flesh and mind withering as the race wore on, especially at the last 2km... Saw this woman zooming past on the bridge in the opposite direction just as I was pondering should I walk instead? Some other 'angmohs' whizzed past too... and my running coach (for one session only, maybe I should engage her services...)

The next morning, a dreary Monday no less, I saw the paper clipping on the event... what nearly made me choke was the winner won in an amazing 39min which works out to a speed of 256m/min... astonishing considering you have to sustain it over 10km. In fact, she is faster than the winner of 5km (20min)!

The winner is a remisier by profession, which begs the question - why am I so slow? Don't you find it mind-boggling that others can do so the same thing much better than you?

But I'm glad I was in this race.... because I have a new target now...

10km in 50 minutes .... by the time stanchart comes round.

Akan datang:

Aug - New Balance, Sheares (10km)
Oct - Great Eastern (5km)
Dec - Stanchart (10km)

... and for the wallet too.....

2006-07-15T18:16:00.000+08:00

15 July Sat afternoon

Went Marina Square to collect my timing chip for tomorrow's Shape mag run....the booths themselves were not much to look at... Mary Chia and whoever's body contouring service....I should expect women who run don't need this? Anyway, this was my first trip there since the revamp and I love it!

Though I got a free Nike red "kick-up dust" tee (seen it in WOS before: about 40 bucks), I couldn't resist buying a similar (same colour) "excuse me" which I had eyed twice previously but didn't buy because of the price. Nike B.I.R.D sold it at 70% off and I happily lapped it up ..... the Nike spree continued with a nondescript shop at the basement with yet another tee and a cap selling at cheap, cheap prices......

Thought maybe I should stem the urge to buy and so sidestepped Mizuno & Planet Traveller. Bravely resisted buying another red Adidas tee at RSH.... same colour but the details at the back is more interesting than the two I bought.... with a fan-shaped mesh behind. Perhaps it's the regret of not buying thatI compensated at Fila's "70% off!" sale. Another 2 dry-fit tee were in the bag...but no regrets for this 'cos it costs only $9 apiece.... Ditto for the two HUGE bags I bought to house the purchases..... would come in handy to cart papers home to mark....

Guess I have to justify all those purchases by running everyday, hahaha.... wasn't thinking about the money, thanks to the bonus.... but I'm still glad that I live in the backwaters of Singapore far away from the money-sapping malls in town.

But the shopping was not all that frivolous....I bought a Nikon drybox for my Nikon bino. The sales guy still remembered which model I bought! Of course couldn't resist asking about my (not yet!) ED50....but they do not have stock.... luckily? For it suddenly struck me.....

How do I smuggle all the loot back without mum knowing?

A tiring day for the feet....

2006-07-15T17:53:00.000+08:00

15 July 2006 morning

Regent Family Day today.... started with the Sports for Life run. For all my visibility as an "on" (?) runner who pounds the tarmac/track regularly, I have to concede actually I'm not such a good runner as people thought.... because I don't push myself! It's an uphill task to remind myself to tread out of my comfort zone, but then....

Joy's right - a personal trainer like hers does help.... touched her biceps .... wow! It's the type I drool about! Not too bulky like the she-man type.... but sufficiently springy and strong to impress even the men.... haha.... I like.... I want!!! But first, the 10km tomorrow first. Hopefully will get the Polar watch somehow...My lucky streak, please continue! Please let that be my fifth prize this year....

Joy really ran a good race today.... overtaking me at the fourth round, leaving me to bite the dust....but I wasn't exactly slacking....I didn't stop or.... even do what I consider jog. Tried interval running but my best is just not enough. My muscles fatigued easily.... and today it was the arm muscles as well (I need the biceps!) I can't hope to sprint the way Iris does, too! Somehow, landing on (almost!) tiptoe is alien to my feet. Lifting my legs at right angle, too, is as tall a task as going to the moon....Only makes me tire faster and heel bearing the brunt of the impact.

I finished at #265 but I'm much more concerned with the timing. Did I get the 100 bucks? Will only know at the end of the year...

Anyway, the rest of the events were interesting too..... we set a record (certified, ok!) with everyone plastering their hand- and thumb-print on a 21m (?) long banner. Kudos too to the PE department for organising the fun games. We won the first round by a resounding margin but results were void because every team broke the rules. Haha, but winning is not important.
Not my usual thoughts.... but, well, it's family day afterall :)