Asia
Friend (29) – The sweet and bitterness of life
There’s this 5-piece English historical building theme coasters sticking on my kitchen wall for many years. I recalled it’s a gift from a friend some 20 years ago. This friend was a full-time architect and a part-time chorus conductor. I was then a lame singer in the choir.
We rarely talk, not because he is a discipline guy but I guess it’s my introvert personality that fails to break the communication barrier. Not long after I left the choir as I need to spend more time on personal enhancement.
Yet, I was surprised by a surprise. I received a souvenir from him through my sister who is also a choir member. I came to know that he bought me the gift during his Europe tour. As he knew I have a penchant for architectural stuff and he specially choose this theme for me.
I recalled I was stunned and moved by this friendly thoughts. On social ground I should at least give him a ring to deliver my gratitude. But I didn’t, as I wasn’t a person good at expressing myself. Yet, my way of displaying my gratitude is to hang the coasters on my kitchen wall. Everyday, the coasters remind me of this nice, gentleman I’ve met in this lifetime.
Lately, I came to know that he’s facing some upheaval in life. It’s not easy to meet up again, but I’ll like to take the opportunity of this write-up to wish him all the best and have all his good wishes come true. At least, there is also another man like him, who’s always standing behind, tasting the sweet and bitterness of life with another….Be blessed, my long lost friend!
A Friday of Good Song
It’s going to be good, after this Friday
Looking at the shinning cross
Paying respect at this moment
Thus, we know of this day
Let’s enjoy walking down the street
A complete silent without singing
And no dancing
Follow the eyes of this man
Sorrow drifting away
Believe me or not
We are going to be fine, after this
Believe me or not
It got to be good, after this Friday
It’s going to be good, after this Friday
Looking at the shinning star
Watching the rise of this moment
Thus, we know of this day
Let’s enjoy walking down the street
A royal hour without talking
And no laughing
Follow the shadow of this man
Fear drifting away
Believe me or not
We are going to be fine, after this
Believe me or not
It got to be good, after this Friday
My sweet Jumbos tree
I spotted a Eugenia Jumbos tree near Eco Garden in Singapore Botanic Gardens. The floor are lying full of ripen fruits. It looks like a dropping bell at a glance.
Eugenia Jumbos has many common names; water apple, Malay apple and rose apple etc.
Eugenia Jumbos is native to Southeast Asia but naturalized in India.
The flesh is crunchy and watery, and the taste is sweet and fragrant. Some time you can find it in the Rojak food. Rojak is a kind of an Asia food that mixes with different kind of fruits, and stir with prawn paste and peanuts topping.
So next time if you happen to see this rosy cheek along the roadside, please greet him with a hello, because he is so shy that needs somebody to be more initiative than him.
Hello, my sweet Jumbos tree!
Sculpture “Progressive Flow”
The sculpture “Progressive Flow” was cast on the ground outside One Marina Boulevard at the traffic junction between Raffles Quay and Marina Boulevard.
This significant art piece made by local sculptor Han Sai Por invites interactive, exploration and discovery.
Sculpture made in mess granite stone, consists of 6 blocks solid granite, weigh no less than 55 tons.
The Cultural Medallion Winner sculptor is one of the recognized Singapore foremost sculptors. She transformed the solid stone into curve and flow with a rhythmic grace.
There are voids and gaps between the blocks, it allows people to walk through in-between, indirectly encourage viewers to join and participate the spatial game.
The wave-like blocks are positioned for people to rest and seat while appreciating the graceful art piece.
Not easy to imagine how much hardship has the sculptor gone through while hewing the sculpture?
The rough texture of the stones surface signifies the coarseness of the sculptor palm.
Two rare scene happen in one day Pt 2 – A moth
I saw a moth landed on the wall outside my apartment. It’s about 10 inches in length from wing to wing and dark brown in color. I’m not sure it scientific name, a moth I could only call. I’m fast enough to take a shot of it and stood still to see what is going to happen to it next.
I’ve expected it to fly off as it may be terrified by the sound of my hand phone’s shutter. But he chooses to stay. Continue his calm flagging show, opening and closing his wings calmly in placid movement.
Some believe moth came from darkness; symbolized bad luck. While some believed they were incarnated from our pass away relatives. When a person passed away, he’ll return home as a moth on the seventh day of his passing to visit his family.
I’m not certain about the origin of this belief, but the appearance of this species does contribute some points of mystery. It’s just like the bat and his loyal vampire fan.
This is our rare meet-up, it has come to a point that I can’t bear to kick it away though it doesn’t look as charming as the butterfly.
To me, this is a beautiful moment, we happened to meet up at this junction of life. Though we were brought up in different world but we happened to be on the same path. What can be more magical?
We are captains of our boat. At this moment of time, we share the same wave, and an eternal one…
A 300 feet long counter in this Historic Building
While we enjoying the sun-ray casting down through the skylight bringing down joy of the day and a smile splashing over high tea set in this Jade Restaurant. Do you have the thoughts of the nostalgic past of this General Post Office ever emerge your mind?
With thousands of incoming and outgoing mails waving at us a day, the human flow of this post office is no doubt, self-generating.
The now Fullerton Hotel was built in 1928, it was a General Post Office then. The post office was converted into a hotel in 2001 under the URA conservation plan.
In the past, postal counters used to stretch from one counter to the other. It took up to a 300 feet long, and was reputed to be the longest counter in Southeast Asia. The current location of the Jade Restaurant took the place of the former but with a very different ambience all in all.
This is a scene of a new stamp issue on 9th July 1972. The picture show a large crowd buying postage at the counters while others are affixing stamps on their ready mails.
The architectural elements of this historic building speak a story of its own early days, and it keeps going. No one can ever stop it…
How we grow up in this garden
We have grown up together inside this enchanting garden. We feel contented living inside this gate, to be an orchid plant forever! Visiting hour is the happy hour, but not for beer, but for our open heart and bright smiley cheers!
Some of my friends live in the lab, shaking their bodies day and night looking for a fertile time to stick out the neck and say hello!
Some of them may have to wait as long as 3 years to be a hybrid, it is an honorable journey to demark them a reputation status.
Some just grow up a normal way and happily dress up every day in satin red.
Or being a yellow tie?
Or being a purple butterfly?
And station outside the National Orchid Garden as a cheerleading live rock band!
Please drop us a note if you are fond of us and want to be our long life fans!
We always welcome you with open hands and greet you from far before you land!
Sculpture “Momentum”
The sculpture “Momentum” located at the triangle traffic junction of Finlayson Green and Collyer Quay. The vibrant color of this sculpture penetrates every passer-by’s eyes, and energizes the core of this financial district of Shenton Way.
This sculpture is made of steel and painted with vibrant colors. The sculptor, David Gerstein was born in 1944 and this works of his was built in 2007. This is a huge piece of art interms of height 18.35m and 11.157 in diameter.
It presents layers upon layers of figures in an upward spiral motion. It signifies the population’s high energy and a continuouf of progress.
It pays tribute to the nation of past and present. Upon appreciative of their strength and ingenuity. Without it, Singapore will not be a dynamic metropolis today.
This vibrant color sculpture spreading out his color in this vibrant garden city, for sure is not coincidental.
Tree in the staircases
There are plenty of scenes to enjoy in plant world. We can stroll along the forest, watching wild plants lavishly growing under the sky or make a trip to the garden watching the sunray seeping through the leaves in between.
But this dedicated scene was captured at the border of the Orchard district outside the SOTA.
This is just a tree and it is just one tree!
Standing alone and above all, together with this sleek building. Encompassed with grandeur where buildings, staircases and even roads have to give way to him. It must be an unusual tree, I believe. Given the careful design of the surrounding, I’m sure this tree must have some history behind to share.
Shadow of the tree shades the building from the sun, and the wall naturally washed-out by nature’s providence.
Huge tree is growing larger than it’s expected. How are they going to make way for their soaring height?
Inconspicuous aluminum air-vents allow the rooting of the plant to breathe.
It’s great to see this tree being retained by the authority concerned and be part of our nation. And even more glad, to see green mind blossoming within a city!
31) The 9th Day of Lunar New Year
The number 9th day of Lunar New Year is a day where we offer our thanks to God of Heaven. It’s a big event to some Chinese. But I set up some simple offerings for my thanks giving. Some cookies, cakes, fruits and paper gold for prayers (not too good for the ozone layer though) and also a pair of sugar cane.
Ever wonder why is sugar cane significant to this big event of the Lunar Calendar?
Some legend began way back to the old era in China, in the province of Fujian (Hokkien). The story has it that villages in Fujian tried to escape from the killings and rummage of robbers on the 9th day of Chinese New Year by hiding themselves in the sugar cane plantation. Their lives were saved. Thus, from then, villagers offer a pair of sugar cane on this 9th day of Lunar New Year to thank the Heavenly God for the good blessings, protection from natural disasters and a year of good harvest in return.
Besides, ‘sugar cane’ in Hokkien pronounciation coincidently sounds like ‘thankful’ in meaning. That’s how the fable arises.
I gift-wrapped my pair of sugar cane in red-paper, hug him with good luck while I offer it to the Heavenly God, and wishing that he hugged me in return.
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