Krabi

Krabi is a nice quiet town which has all the amenities of the modern world but at the same time, rustic and charming. It is quite a busy tourist spot. On a recent trip, I took some photographs which captures the charm of this place. Do pardon the lack of a theme in the photos as I was simply snapping shots when the opportunity presents.

I guess Hello Kitty was also taking a break

Another Day In Paradise

Home for the Night

End of the Day

Safely Home

It Glows

Lunar New Year

Year of the Horse

Each lunar new year, my family makes our rounds to our relatives' houses. It is customary to visit our seniors to pay respect. The usual new year pleasantries are exchanged with two mandarin oranges. It is also customary for the seniors to return two oranges in exchange. We usually arm ourselves with "spare oranges" in case some families forget to return the oranges :)

As a kid, the New Year visiting was a joyous affair. Growing up during the fire cracker era was literally a blast. No New Year was complete without the traditional fire crackers and fireworks. As mischiveous children, we collected our stash of "ammunition" to have fun. We threw the fire crackers at one another and even surprised one another by lighting crackers next to unsuspecting "targets". It was a rough and tough era. Yes, burns were usual, especially when we tried to show how brave we were by holding on to a fire cracker while it exploded.

Fire crackers were banned around 1970 and thereafter, Chinese New Year became a quieter affair. As kids, we loved our ang pows. After each new year, we would negotiate with our parents on the proportion of the ang pow money we could spend (on toys of course) and the rest had to be deposited in our bank account. This was the once a year windfall that enabled us to buy that much wanted toy.
As we grew older, started work and had families, the ang pows diminished. Before long, we were bringing our children on the rounds to visit the older folks.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

The conversations over the years evolved from our elders asking us to study hard, wishing us well in our careers, asking about our girlfriends, asking us to get married, asking us when there will be the pitter patter of little feet, asking our children to study hard, wishing them well in their career, asking about their girlfriends, urging them to get married, etc. This is the circle of life.

Amid the well wishes, I am also saddened that our elders have gotten on with age and suffer from a range of health issues. While they seem to enjoy the reunion of families, the reality is that they are in their sunset years. Their failing memories and health leave me with  tinge of sadness. Some suffer from dementia and while they are happy, I cannot help but wonder about the importance of "quality of life."
I am reminded to enjoy and appreciate our families while they are with us; about making a difference to the lives we touch each day no matter how small; and the importance of being happy.

I am reminded of a quotation by Stephen Grellet that was introduced to me by my Secondary 1 art teacher during our first art lesson in manuscript writing. I found it so meaningful that this quote continues to be etched in my brain after all these years.

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

A New Lease of Life

I am back :)

My Iron Horse has been given a new lease of life :)
I overcame the temptation to buy a new bicycle, thanks to my favourite bike shop guy. Yes, I trust him with the life of my bike :) He is a wonderful guy. I asked him if he could help me put together a carbon fibre mountain bike and his immediate response was, "No point lah…..it is very expensive." He then gave me a piece of advice which will forever be etched in my brain. He said, "It is all in the wheels. Get a good wheel set and you will not be disappointed." I immediately saw the analogy with my other hobby - photography. The advise I always give to novice photographers starting out to build a camera system is "Buy the best lenses you can afford. Lenses last a lifetime. Camera bodies get obsolete within a year!"
Anyway, back to my bike. It is now decked with brand new Fulcrum Red Metal 3 wheels and disc brakes. She rides like a charm. I have taken her out for a couple of rides and she rides like the wind. As a bonus, my wheels now come with disc brakes. I use one of those iPhone apps to track my rides and on one of the routes, I averaged 0.5 km/h faster than my normal pace. It may not seem a big number in absolute terms but it feels a lot faster :) The mind is a powerful but strange thing :p

Fulcrum Red Metal 3

Park Connectors of Singapore, beware….I'm back !

A Time Gone By

The "Kickapoo" Factory

Along Serangoon Road sits a building which has been around since I was a kid. It is the former National Aerated Water Co Ltd factory. I have driven past this factory countless times and each time, I tell myself that I should bring my camera and shoot some photos for posterity, before it is torn down and lost forever. Some folks may view this as an eye-sore but to me, it adds character to the area. I know it is a matter of time before it is torn down and becomes just another condominium.
I never visited the factory in its hey day but recall buying Kickapoo (aka Joy Juice) from my school canteen. It cost $0.25 a bottle. It was a simpler time and this drink brought a lot of joy :) Yes, I was easily pleased as a kid.

"Joy Juice"

There are still clues that this was the home of Kickapoo. If you look carefully at the photo below, you will see a washed out "Kickapoo" decal on one of the windows.

Can you see the Kickapoo decal on the window?

How I wished I was able to get into the factory to take some photos. That would have been really neat. Being a law-abiding citizen, I kept on the right side of the fence but but still managed to take some photos to share. Enjoy :)

Is that an awesome looking pump or what?

It does not say "No Entry"

I guess that means "Do Not Enter"

A bird made a home on the roof

A view from another angle

Look at the design above the door. This was from an era when there was no air conditioning :)

This padlock stands guard, day and night, rain or shine

Closer shot of the frontage

Soon, it was time to call it a day. As the sun receded behind the horizon, my stomach reminded me that it was time for dinner - my third favourite meal of the day :)

Thank you, Kickapoo factory for the memories. You remind me of a simpler time - when we were not rich, but we were happy. We had enough. 

I wish you enough :)

Sunset

End of the Road

To part or not to part?

I brought my trusty "iron horse" to have its wheels checked by my favourite bicycle shop guy because it seemed to wobble at high speeds ( I am sure it is not because of my weight :p). After aligning the tyres, he looked me in the eye and said, "Your wheel bearings are going……you have probably about 6 months."
Those words seemed surreal. I looked at him in disbelief and said, "How can that be? She still rides well……still rolls very fast and smooth." He told me the parts could not be changed as the wheel hub was already out of production. I would need to change the whole wheel set. That day, I left a bicycle shop a sad person. This is unusual as I usually leave happy, mostly because I usually buy something new from the shop each time I am there. Yes, I think my friendly bicycle shop guy likes me that way too. Hahaha.
This encounter was about 3 months ago. I have not been back to the shop since but have been giving a lot of thought to whether I should just change the wheel set or change the whole bike.
This bicycle holds wonderful memories. It started out as my son's bicycle when he was a teenager back in 2004 and over the years, as my son moved on to a road bike, this bicycle was abandoned and left to rust. About 5 years ago, I decided to do some off road riding and sent this bicycle for a complete overhaul. It cost a tidy sum but the bike was given a new lease of life. It has seen its fair share of off-road tracks over the years - Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin and Tampines. Then the inevitable happened. I became too old for off road biking and decided to take to the urban jungle. This time, it was I who abandoned "iron horse" for a carbon fibre road bike. She was sleek, fast and responsive. After several close shaves on the road, I decided to give up my road bike and I once again looked to "iron horse". After changing the tyres from the knobbly off road type to slicks, she was good to go. I took her out to torment the park connectors of Singapore. She still rides like a charm.
She has her quirks. For example, when I need to change my  gear up, I need to flick the gear lever twice. I do not have this problem when I change down. She has her geriatric quirks but that's character :)
I must admit that one of the factors which contributed to my mixed feelings about this bike is the anticipation that I could get a full carbon fibre replacement. Maybe she will go faster and will definitely be lighter. There are many choices out there. Admittedly, I have been looking around abit but have not found the right one. It looks like "iron horse" has left very big shoes for my next bike to fill.
To part or not to part…..that is the question :)

I Went To A Wedding

Start of a Life Together

Recently, I attended a wedding. A family friend's daughter got married. I have attended many weddings but this seemed a little special.

We were involved with the ceremony from the early morning when the groom and his merry men came to fetch the bride and had to negotiate the usual horseplay and pranks which the bride's "sisters" had concocted. This included wearing underwear with tasteful graffiti over their suits, eat wasabi sushi, had hair removal plaster applied to their hairy legs or arms, blow balloons till they burst, answer trivia relating to the bride and finally negotiate the amount for the ang pows. It was quite a challenge for the groom. I was glad that the groom persevered.

I digress.....this wedding was special because I knew the bride from when she was a little girl. Our families were close friends at that stage in our lives and we made the usual McDonald's circuit attending or organising birthday parties. Hence, it was surreal that this same little girl is now getting married ! She is the first among my "closer" friends whose children have reached a marriageable age.

I guess we have graduated from the McDonalds circuit to the wedding circuit. Soon we could be on the McDonalds circuit again, this time as grandparents :) Such is the circle of life. I have not had a McDonald's burger for a long time !

Park Connector Uncle Goes to Kallang

I am not a wordsmith, hence, my photographs tend to do the talking. When I started writing this blog post, I attempted to summon my writing skills from a annals of my left brain. It did not work well for me. You know the saying, "A picture paints a thousand words." Being a pragmatist, I would rather take a photo than to write a thousand words :p
Some weeks back, I decided to torment the Park Connectors as I journeyed from Ang Mo Kio to Kallang. It was quite an interesting ride which brought me through what appeared to be the different segments of Singapore's social class.
My journey began from Bishan Park, which was littered with people engaging in different activities - roller blading, cycling, dog run, spa treatment, arty farty eating outlets, children wading in Kallang River catching fish, joggers with colour coordinated outfits, cyclists with fancy outfits, people sitting by the river and reading their eBooks. Everything about them screamed middle-class". I think the establishment in this land calls them PMETs.
My journey along Kallang River took me through Bishan housing estate and I had to cross Braddel Road using an overhead bridge. Very clever of them to design the bridge with a ramp to push your bicycle. Kudos to LTA or NEA or NParks....anyway you know who you are.

Ramp is handy for pushing your bike up the bridge. They are so thoughtful.

"Iron Eagle" on the ramp

When I got to the other side of the road, I was in Toa Payoh. I was greeted with the sight of a bird (I think it is a heron) catching his breakfast. This side of the road had a very different look and feel. No more joggers in colour coordinated outfits. This was "uncle-land" I was right at home smiling at the uncles who seemed to past their time by fishing. I have been on this route several times and I am sure it is the same group of uncles I see fishing.

I think that's a Heron

Seamlessly, Toa Payoh led me to Potong Pasir. Potong Pasir saw more of a middle-aged crowd.  The cycling trail led me towards the school complex of St Andrew's. St Andrew's Junior College was on my right and the rest of the secondary, primary and pre-school was across the river, connected by a covered bridge. As I peered into the school compound, I was in envy. It reminded me of the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." This was quite a village, complete with every facility you could think of including a running track, soccer field, swimming pool, chapel and eateries.

Imagine a school with a river running through it...awesome!

I took a closer look at the St Andrew's school logo and noticed it looked very military-like". I wonder what inspired the logo.

I then crossed what must have been spaghetti-inspired road junctions and arrived at the Kallang area. It was obvious that this was a humbler segment of Singapore's society. The flats were much older and there were children running around in singlets and shorts. It was almost akin to the kampong days, except they were running around in a concrete jungle. They seemed to be enjoying themselves - more so than the children at Bishan Park. As I pondered why this was so, it dawned on me that the children here were unsupervised and seemed to be on an adventure. I was reminded of my childhood when we caught spiders, climbed trees, crawled through drains, etc. By contrast, most of the children at Bishan Park were supervised by adults who constantly reminded them to be careful, don't run, keep to the left, watch out.... etc.
As I followed the footpath, I saw another texture of society. I was approaching Kallang MRT station. The open field was occupied by foreign workers. It was quite an interesting  mix from Philippines, Myanmar and India (?). They were having picnics on the open grass patch. Some were obviously couples who only get a chance to meet each other on weekends.
My journey ended at the Kampong Bugis area, near Loysel's Toy. There is only one word which describes this area - eclectic. This is where the former Kallang gasworks was. Amid some very old buildings, there is a pristine park overlooking the mouth of the Kallang River. There were foreign workers here too. This time, they appear to be from Philippines and possibly Bangladesh.
It was time to make my trek back to Bishan and I retraced the route back.
I headed for the lotus pond and saw a pond barren of lotus flowers. What a depressing sight.

Lotus pond with only lotus seeds

Something caught the corner of my eye. Lo and behold, it was a lone lotus flower :) That made my day.

Lone lotus flower

Is that pretty or what....magic

As I was about to leave the park to head home, a flower caught my eye. It was the flower of the canon ball tree. Enjoy :)

Canon ball flower?