Rejuvenation
|
Posted:Mar 19, 2009 2:41 am
Last Updated:Mar 22, 2009 3:35 am 3755 Views
|
Melting snow by lapofthegodess
melting snow
swelling streams
nature dressed in green
Lee
|
|
|
9
Comments
|
|
Going On A Hike With My
|
Posted:Mar 15, 2009 9:25 am
Last Updated:Mar 16, 2009 11:29 pm 2721 Views
|
Henderson's Wave
It was the morning of Saturday, March 7th 2009. It had rained during the night, and as such it was a cool and overcast morning, just nice for a hike. My favourite , Siu Wei (who insists that I add the word favourite) and I set off from Sengkang to Alexandra Road at around eight. The drive was smooth as we had used the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway which, at 12 kilometres long, is the longest underground expressway in South East Asia. Forty minutes later, we reached HortPark. After parking the car there, we proceeded to Floral Walk which is situated just outside.
Floral walk, as the name suggests, is a 300 metre long footpath lined with beautiful flowering plants and trees and it joins Alexandra Arch, an 80 metre long white bridge across Alexandra Road which looks like an opened leaf. After the bridge is Forest Walk, a step-free elevated steel walkway for pedestrians. It traverses the hilly terrain at heights ranging from 3 to 18 metres which enables us to walk among the treetops. During the 1.3 km walk up Telok Blangah Hill, we spotted the Simpoh Air Tree with its large oval leaves and bright yellow flowers. There were also a lot of Rubber Trees, easily recognized by its large trident-shaped leaves and box-like fruits. When ripe, the fruits would explode with a popping sound sending the light, brown-coloured grape-shaped seeds flying in all directions. After about 20 minutes, we reached the top of Telok Blangah Hill.
We then proceeded along the 1 km long Hilltop Walk which links the hill to Henderson's Wave. As we passed a car park, we heard a strange tapping sound. On checking, we saw that it was a white-headed woodpecker. The bird was trying to break into a black car! Now why would it try to steal a car when it cannot drive and it is much easier to fly, I wondered? It was very persistent and continued to peck at the car even when we went near to take photographs and when we continued with our walk, the stubborn woodpecker was still at it.
Within a short time, we reached Henderson's Wave. This is a 300 metre long bridge that connects the two hills of Telok Blangah and Mount Faber. At 36 metres above Henderson road, it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The bridge has a unique wave form made up of seven undulating curved steel "ribs". While walking across the bridge, we spotted a tall African Tulip Tree. This tree is characterized by its large bell-shaped orange-red flowers and long pods which, when ripe, split open releasing winged seeds. The split pod resembles a boat and, as a boy, I had often played with these "boats". Stepping off the bridge brought us to Mount Faber. A young tree there named the Cow Tree caught our attention. It did not look like a cow so I could only surmise that the name may be because its leaves are used to feed cows.
Faber Walk is the name of the 1 km long road that meanders through Mount Faber Park. While walking along this road, we stumbled across a group of about 8 mynah birds having a heated discussion by the side of the road; they were so agitated that half of them were flying up and down while arguing. Suddenly aware of our intrusion, they broke up and flew away. Maybe they would continue their discussion somewhere else. Continuing with our hike, we reached an area where there were sidewalks with flower-covered roofs. I recognized one of the flowering plants as the Bauhinia Kockiana, a creeper with clusters of bright orange-red and yellow-orange inflorescences which blooms throughout the year. There was another vine with numerous bright yellow trumpet-like flowers. These beautiful sidewalks soon led us to the Jewel Box, an F&B/entertainment complex. It is the only fine-dining establishment in Singapore accessible by cable car and is also credited as having the world's best toilet!
Not long after, we reached the Marang Trail. The slopes of Mount Faber are covered by dense secondary rain forest and the 800 metre long Marang Trail leads down through this forest to Marang Road, just behind the Harbourfront MRT Station, an underground station located next to the Harbourfront Centre and VivoCity, Singapore's largest shopping mall. Going down, it is an easy walk of steps and shaded footpaths that ends at the car park beside the Harbourfront Bus Interchange. We then walked through the car park to the Seah Im Food Centre. We were tired, thirsty and hungry. Siu Wei ordered Wanton Mee and I chose the Ayam Penyet. Ayam Penyet is fried chicken which is smashed with a mallet before serving to break the bones so that the flesh is more accessible. Wanton Mee? Oh, it is just a type of Chinese noodles.
After the meal, although tired, we decided to hike back to HortPark even though we could have taken a bus or taxi. On the way up the Marang Trail, we spotted two huge webs hanging among the branches by the side of the path with a large motionless spider in the centre. I do not know much about spiders but, judging from their size, they could be tarantulas but, instead of being hairy and squat, these were black and slim with long and slender legs and a silvery ornate back.
The climb was very tiring as it covers an elevation of 70 metres. On reaching the top, we had to rest on a bench to catch our breath while enjoying the panoramic view of the harbour and Sentosa Island. After a short while, we continued with our journey which was rather uneventful. Near the Jewel Box, we saw four monkeys climbing a telecommunications tower and at the Forest Walk, we caught sight of a Saga Tree with curved hanging brown pods split open, exposing small bright red seeds. On reaching HortPark, we quickly headed home for a much needed rest.
My wife and two other daughters are on vacation in Kuching, Sarawak. When she returns, I am confident that I can persuade her to join me for another hike up Telok Blangah Hill and Mount Faber especially if I were to tell her that we can go shopping at VivoCity at the end of the hike.
Lee
Footnote:
I later found out that the Cow Tree is named as such because when wounded, it would exude a milk-like liquid.
|
|
|
6
Comments
|
|
Fallen Flowers
|
Posted:Mar 13, 2009 9:00 am
Last Updated:Mar 14, 2009 8:32 pm 2314 Views
|
Photo by BeckyinPeru
fallen flowers
scattered on the ground
colours fading
reminds me of myself
and others aging
Lee
|
|
|
3
Comments
|
|
A Walk In The Rain
|
Posted:Mar 7, 2009 10:35 pm
Last Updated:Jul 23, 2012 8:52 am 2345 Views
|
Photo by Lee Siu Wei
Walking in the shower
Along the lakeside brick-layed lane
In the early morning
In the trees a mother
Sheltering its young from the rain
Using her tiny wings
The smallish lake shimmers
As the breeze blows by like a train
With addicts still fishing
People seeking shelter
Jostling each other unrestrained
Grim-faced and unsmiling
The rain's almost over
The sun will be shining again
I will soon be leaving
Lee
|
|
|
6
Comments
|
|
Silence 2
|
Posted:Feb 20, 2009 1:19 am
Last Updated:Feb 22, 2009 10:22 pm 2551 Views
|
Photo by Lee Swee Wei
No words to express
the hushed serenity of
listening to self
whilst immersed in the solitude
of our own isolation
In the vast expanse
of our mind, unspoken thoughts
mired in the mist
that pervades our memory
struggle hard to be free
Whispers from yesterday
tiptoe across the threshold
into our consciousness
bestowing enlightenment
with their revelations
Lee
Note: This is not a c&p.
|
|
|
6
Comments
|
|
Dare We Hope?
|
Posted:Feb 18, 2009 10:45 am
Last Updated:Feb 19, 2009 10:02 pm 2368 Views
|
Pic by tampaseth
Poisonous black smoke inundates the sky
From cars, factories and blazing fires
Industrial wastes being discharged on the sly
Place our earth in a crisis so dire
In the seas, man's greedy overfishing
Propels marine life towards extinction
Corals, seaweeds, sponges disappearing
The result of continuous pollution
Daily vast tracts of jungle disappear
Cleared by man for mining, agriculture
Hills are leveled, lakes filled, it is my fear
Never to be seen again in future
Dare we hope that Mother Earth can be saved
From the powerful, the rich, the depraved?
Lee
|
|
|
4
Comments
|
|
Silence
|
Posted:Feb 13, 2009 7:08 pm
Last Updated:Feb 18, 2009 8:57 am 2534 Views
|
Pic by sfgafter
no words to express
the hushed serenity of
listening to self
whilst immersed in the solitude
of our own isolation
Lee
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
Cold Fun
|
Posted:Feb 9, 2009 10:45 pm
Last Updated:Feb 14, 2009 6:59 pm 2354 Views
|
a blur of colours
flashes past in tandem
ice-skating
Pic by Bleupluie
Lee
|
|
|
4
Comments
|
|
I am now a writer
|
Posted:Feb 7, 2009 11:03 pm
Last Updated:Feb 22, 2009 9:59 pm 3322 Views
|
Today I received a cheque for two hundred and fifty ringgit from a publications company. It is payment for a short story I wrote which they had published in their newspaper in March last year. It has taken almost a year for me to receive this payment. Nevertheless, I am still elated. It is not because of the money but because, with this cheque, I have now joined the ranks of the professional writers.
Although I loved to write during my schooldays, I had stopped since I left school. During those crazy varsity days and the hectic years of working life that followed, I did not have the time to write and very soon, writing was out of my mind. It was only after I retired four years ago that I decided to write again. I wrote assays and poetry and my writing became more frequent when I started to blog. I did not expect to make money from my writings and it was mainly for fun. I also did not expect my writings to be published; not in this country where English is a second language.
I had read in the newspapers early last year that they were looking for real-life stories from readers who are fifty five and above. I sent in my article "The Most Beautiful Catapult Ever" and it was published a few weeks later. I was jubilant as it was my first ever publication and I bragged about it to my wife and and even cut the article out to show to my in Singapore later.
The question now is what to I do with the cheque? Shall I frame it up and hang it in the hall or in my bedroom? That would seem an awful waste especially during these hard times. After all, two hundred and fifty ringgit can buy breakfast for my wife and me for a month, if we spend prudently. (For breakfast, we have been eating out daily ever since my retirement. It used to be during the weekends only and she would prepare breakfast during weekdays but she decided to follow me into retirement). But this is the first payment I have ever received for my writings! Surely, it has to be remembered.
The other things that I have to do now are to grow a beard, wear a beret and smoke a pipe. Shouldn't every writer have that "creative" look? Now, wearing a beret is not a problem but I do not smoke so I think I will just have to let the pipe peep out from my breast pocket. The bigger problem is with the beard. Being a Chinese, I am not very hirsute so I will never be able to grow one. Perhaps, instead of a beard, I can grow my hair long. Why, I can even tie it in a pony-tail; that should give me the "look".
Finally, even if I never had an article published again, it does not matter because I am now a professional writer. As for the cheque, I think I will just keep a Photostat copy of it for remembrance. Also, from now on, I will be writing more short stories and less poetry. Breakfast is important.
Lee
|
|
|
15
Comments
|
|
In My Garden
|
Posted:Feb 2, 2009 11:58 pm
Last Updated:Feb 6, 2009 10:45 pm 2487 Views
|
Encountered in my garden
A languid salamander
That sunbathes on sunny days
Above the mass of flowers
Resplendent in the glory
Of Mother Nature's splendour
Lee
|
|
|
4
Comments
|
|
