the mind of a gambler





i came across this in an article on gambling. with the integrated resort soon to be at our doorstep, thought it will be appropriate and timely to share this with everyone.

the more people gamble, the more likely they are to mistakenly believe they can increase their chances at winning through some form of skill or luck.

the two most common incorrect beliefs associated with gambling are that the player possesses some sort of control over games of chance by the illusion of game-playing skills or through some form of magical or superstitious influence.

the first belief is an illusion of control. for example, they may believe that if they watch slots closely and see one lose over and over, then the machine is ‘due’ for a payout. or they may think that they have a particular skill in playing a particular casino game or another. such beliefs are incorrect.

a slot machine is programmed to pay out randomly. it has nothing to do with how a gambler holds the handle or whether it paid out five times before the gambler sat down or lost 50 times in a row.

roulette wheels and dice do not favour lucky numbers either, and a gambler cannot predict what number will come up next regardless of which came up last. there simply is no kind of skill or knowledge that helps you win a game of chance.

the second cognitive error is superstition. this is a belief that has do with how lucky you are. for example, if you have a good luck charm – an amulet or a favourite shirt – and believe it has any bearing on how the game plays out, that is another cognitive error.

the odds always favour the house. the more you play, the more likely you are to lose – and there is no skill, insight or lucky charm that can change that.

gambling is a completely legal entertainment option, but it can be an expensive one.

cruise to nowhere for free



we once went on a 3-day cruise to nowhere on the star aquarius as guests of a family friend. we had a room to ourselves. altogether, he was able to secure at least 4 rooms for his family and one admiral suite for himself.

as he was a big time roller, he was accorded vip treatment and that treatment was extended to us, his guests. we did not have to queue with the other paying passengers for our meals. we ordered our food from a special menu. we ate the best food they had on offer. superior shark fin's, bird's nest soup and steamed grouper were standard fare for us. the most expensive meal - for which we did not have a pay a single cent - was from the japanese restaurant. there was no limit to the number of meals we could have.

the aquarius has 12 bars and restaurants serving thai, japanese, chinese and western dishes. among the many amenities are casino, movie theatre, karaoke rooms, a cabaret showroom, library, fitness centre and a swimming pool.

we did step into the casino to watch my friend and his wife play baccarat and black jack. the stakes were quite high, so we did not stay long in the room. on that trip, he made a killing of about $90k, enough money to buy a new luxury car.

in case, you are thinking that this is an easy way to get rich, let me tell you this. my friend parted with his two mercedes benz and sold his 3-storey terrace house about three years after this episode. now, he lives with his in-laws.

for those of you who have not been on a cruise, do not imagine the ship to be rolling or strong wind to be buffeting the ship. nothing like that. it is so smooth and calm that you soon forget that you are on board a ship.

malacca - a one-time favourite

for a period, we would visit malacca at every opportunity. we would stay at shah motel at tanjong kling. when accommodation was not available at the beach, we would stay at emperor hotel, in the heart of the town. when emperor was fully booked, we stayed at the small, budget accordian hotel.

we were not in malacca for the historic landmarks; we were there for the shopping and the food, especially the peranakan food. if we stayed at the beach area, we would usually have our dinners at one of the zi char restaurants located along tanjong kling or klebang.

for peranakan or nonya food, we would always head for bandar hilir. there are a few nonya restaurants there that attract lots of singaporeans. ole sayang, makko, manis sayang and bibek neo are found in this area.

the ladies like to go to jalan hang jebat in the jonkers area to shop for beaded shoes and slippers and for nonya dresses. we have tried the chicken rice balls at hoe kee along jalan hang jebat.

usually, before returning home, we would drop in at tan kim hock product centre for the durian chendol and to buy home some of the local products.

another local product that we would buy home was the rolled pineapple tarts. we would order them from this coffee shop near to the former federal cinema. the shop is crowded in the morning with locals and tourists who go there for the yong tau foo. (pineapple tarts, contact no. 062843139)

a walk to the tree top walk @ macritchie




the last time i attempted to walk on the tree top suspension bridge met with failure. the ranger at the post would not even allow me to traverse a short distance. he stuck to the ruling: one way traffic; no turning back, even if it was just a short distance. i had wanted to take some pictures but he would not accede to my request.

i had parked the car at venus drive and walked the more than 2km to the tree top walk. it was a pleasant walk through the secondary forest.

there is this stream which reminded me of my early days living in a kampong.

in those days, the undisturbed stream had no concrete lining the sides and the bed. it was teeming with tubifex worms and fish. the sand at the bed of the stream was a breeding ground for the worms. i would use a length of string and dredged the sand for worms. the worms would stick to the thread and i would slip them into a container. the container was in the form of the shallow, oval sardine can. it was no problem harvesting a full container of worms.

although there were fish in the stream, we did not go out of our way to catch them. there was no thrill in catching things which were found right at your doorstep. the stream was also inhabited by eels and cat fish. i avoided cat fish because of the sting but i did catch eels. we would use a hook and line to catch the eels. however, it was a real struggle to haul the eel out of the hole in the earth.

when they converted the stream into a monsoon drain, there were still tubifex worms found between the gaps in the concrete but the number of fish dwindled, so did the population of eels. the cat fish disappeared altogether. then i would use a length of wire, fashioned into a hook, to get at the worms found residing in the gaps.

ten mile junction



ten mile junction should be named tenth mile junction, otherwise it would be the longest junction on this planet. it serves as the depot for the bukit panjang lrt system.

when it first opened, there were shops on both levels. the anchor tenant was shop and save and there was a food court on level 2. within a matter of months, the shops started to close their shutters. soon it became a 'ghost shopping complex' where the number of workers outnumbered the number of patrons. even with a free shuttle service, it was not able to attract people to the complex.

then different taste - a restaurant - entered the scene. the complex was still deserted but, at least, in the evenings and on weekends, there were many diners at the restaurant. it was the only outlet that appeared to be thriving. but, overall, things still looked dim.

it became such an issue that it was mentioned in parliament. the authorities said it would be looking into ways to bring life to the place.

finally, life came in the form of sheng siong. soon throngs of people flock to grab the cheap buys at sheng siong. i met one of the moe camp caterers. he told me it was still cheaper for him to get his provisions from sheng siong than from a regular supplier.

since moving in, sheng siong has been reorganising the place so many times that customers are losing track of the location of the ware. one day, the foodstuff is in this corner and the next day, it is moved to another corner. quite exasperating if you need something urgently.

up to now, they have not implemented paid parking at the complex. some of the residents from the nearby estates of choa chu kang and bukit panjang continue to park their vehicles there overnight.

state funeral of mr rajaratnam

i followed on cna the funeral ceremony for mr rajaratnam, one of the founding fathers of modern singapore. i was most touched when his dear friend, towards the end of his eulogy, broke down. we have already heard so much of the good that he had done, so all those words did not stir anything or create any impact. but the demonstration of grief on national tv by someone who was a close friend clearly showed how deeply he valued their friendship.

when professor tommy koh was extolling the virtues of mr rajaratnam like "never lost his temper" and "never raise his voice", i was wondering whether he had in mind the contrast between mr rajaratnam and our minister mentor. i also wonder how the other 'retnam' was reacting to the death of his old adversary. they used to cross swords in parliament and outside it.

i know where mr rajaratnam lived. from the time i was a young boy till today, i have walked, ran, cycled and drove past his simple one-storey bungalow with a sprawling garden. it appears to have remained unchanged over the years.

somehow, everyone knew that mr rajaratnam was not in good health. in the last few years, he was never seen in public and we hardly hear anything from or about him. i believe another founding father, dr goh keng swee is also ailing.

we salute the passing of a gentleman, a patriot, a great singaporean.

three house-warmings in as many weeks

i have attended three house-warmings in as many weeks. the first was the 4-room hdb flat of my monk's hill colleague, norwita. the second was the 5-storey cluster house of mr wang syo nan and his daughter elsie, my present colleagues in admiralty. the third, which i attended this evening was a 3-storey semi-detached house of james and sabrina, lay bee's church friends.

at nor's place in tampines, i stayed for nearly three hours because i had to wait for soo chin, another former monk's hill colleague, to turn up. i left elsie's place after 15 minutes when i realised that i had parked my car in somebody's else compound. there were insufficient lots for visitors.

at james and sabrina's place near siglap, we were there for dinner at about 7 p.m. we had spaghetti with meat balls, salad, chicken and potatoes. after the bible study session, supper was served. we had tiramisu and sea-coconut with longan and jelly. we left the place with choi chin and stella at nearly 11 p.m.

james installed a china-made jacuzzi, which cost him $7000 (an australian one would have cost $13 000), in his backyard. the water in his jacuzzi is solar heated. he also has an upright spa in his bathroom on the third level. another interesting item he has in his house is a wine cooler. but the thing that was a talking point is the reverse clock, a clock that goes anti-clockwise. i did not realise it is a backward clock until the children said: "uncle james, your clock tells the right time but in a different way."

my 88 potted plants







i have a total of 88 potted plants inside and outside my flat. there are bougainvillea, indian mint, orchid, cacti, desert rose, bryophollum and money plant. tried my hand at growing roses a few times. i have given up; they were either overwatered or underwatered.

i have a shelf in the service balcony for the cacti which are grown in the ming-blue pots from thailand. the indian mint used to be very prolific. orchids are quite tough to nurture but managed to get them to the flowering stage a few times. the desert rose needs strong sunlight. of course, the easiest to grow and propagate is the bryophollum. another plant which is easy to take care of is the money plant. wonder if the name is ocrrect.

i normally water the plants early in the morning, at around 5.30 a.m. when i get up and a second time in the evening when i come back from work. each day i use up to 6 litres of tap water.

boungainvilleas thrive in full sun. at least 5 hours of full sunlight is required for good bloom. a bougainvillea likes high humidity just before it goes into bloom. once bloom has been initiated, it will tolerate less humidity.

the indian mint is another plant which is easy to propagate, you can grow it from either a stem or even, a leaf.

the desert rose needs lots of light and fresh air. it will lose leaves if overwatered.

mornings at pasir ris park

when ivy and ida were younger, before they started going to school, i used to take them to playgrounds,
beaches, gardens, places of interest and shopping complexes to let them enjoy the outdoors and to widen their experiences.

i was teaching in the afternoon session at ghim moh secondary and on mornings when i was free, i would drive ivy all the way to pasir ris park to play at the 'enormous playground'. we would reach there at about 9.30 a.m. at that hour there would be very few children using the facilities. i would usually be back by 12 noon when i would make my way to school to report for work.

on some weekends, we would have a picnic at the same park. we usually had chicken curry, bee hoon and fried chicken wings. we had a domestic help then and she would be with us to help keep an eye on the children.

i also remember taking them to catch 'longkang fish' at the drain near the novena mrt station and the tan tock seng hospital. the water in the drain was fed by a spring and the place have had fish since my kampong days.

wesley methodist church


this is the oldest and largest methodist church in singapore. used to be known as the english church. i think it was established in 1885, as it is celebrating its 121st anniversary this year.

this is the place i go to on most sunday mornings. my wife attends either the 9.30 a.m. or 11.30 a.m. service, usually to fit into ida's schedule. ida's church service is held at ywca.

this is also the church where my marriage was solemnised.

i think i go to church more times a year than some people whose official religion is christianity. and i have been doing this for more than 20 years.

i also join my wife's fortnightly cell group meetings, once in a while. i was with them for their small group retreat at fraser's hills some years ago. i also helped them organise an outing to upper peirce reservoir park.

send-off for shamini

these miss universe hopefuls were at terminal 2 yesterday at around 11.00p.m. (this caption was suggested by shamini herself)

i was at the airport to see shamini off to brisbane, australia. her flight was at 1205am on 19 feb. most of us were there by 1030pm on 18 feb. kavitha, who had told me she would not be there, was there. amrit, who is now in henry park primary, was there. fahmy and din were there with their wives. mr and mrs bala were also there. so were angeline and her hubby and rages' family.

shamini's parents and her elder brother and some relatives and friends made up the rest of the send-off party.

the family will be going over to brisbane in december for the younger brother's convocation and shamini is expected be back in s'pore around 16 dec.

most of the seats on the plane were taken up by returning students to australia. met my friend elango who was there also to see his sister - who will be doing her master's - off to australia.

self initiated co-curricular activities




i started two ccas on my own initiative when i taught at balestier hill secondary school. that i was the assistant sports secretary did help the process of having the activities endorsed by the school. the first was the school bulletin - technospect.

i roped in the top students in secondary three to help in the publication. they were the editors, reporters, artists, cartoonists and contributors. we tried as far as possible to make it a monthly item. those days using the duplicating machine was a messy affair. we had to type or write on stencils and the machine seemed to give us endless problems. either the stencil would tear or the machine would leak and it meant delay to our production.

i was very glad to know that when i left the school, they carried on the tradition of publishing the bulletin.

the other cca i initiated was race walking. we decided to field a team for the inaugural new paper big walk. as it was held during the off season for cross-country running, i got my cross-country runners to train for the event. we did our training along thomson road, whitley road, dunearn road and chancery lane.

we emerged champions in the section for schools, in the process beating raffles institution. the following year, we finished second. we even organised our own inter-class race walking competition. the cca was scrapped when i left the school.

two pots of cacti

this pot of cacti represents more than 30 years of friendship. it is one of two that were given to me by a close friend when i visited him at potong pasir flat more than 30 years ago. i have kept the cacti in the two same pots all these years. he actually gave me two small clumps of cacti. left in the pots, the cacti grew till they covered every space in the pots.

cacti can take a lot of neglect. however, if you give it a little care, it can go a long way. given proper light, soil, temperature and watering, they will send out new growth.

clay pots are preferred for cacti for two reasons. first, they are porous and allow the soil to dry quickly. second, they are heavy and many cacti soak up water, becoming heavy. they can tip over if grown in light plastic pots. mature cacti need to be repotted every 3 to 5 years.

the soil for cacti should be quick draining. cacti do not like to sit in heavy, wet soil. their roots will rot.

if you grow cacti, there is nothing to worry about when you go on a holiday. they are quite able to look after themselves for 2 to 3 weeks until you are back.

morning staff vs afternoon staff games





when i was teaching at balestier hill secondary, we had friendly games between the morning and afternoon sessions teachers. we competed in soccer, volleyball, badminton and table tennis. the overall losing session would have to treat the winning session to a steamboat dinner at middle road. in the 60s and 70s, there were more man teachers than woman teachers. very few ladies joined us in this competition.

we enjoyed both the company of our colleagues and the food very much. ours was an integrated school, comprising english and chinese streams.

we did so many things together. we went on hikes at bukit timah nature reserve and macritchie. we organised fishing expeditions and kelong stays. i remember a trip we made to mersing (see picture). we enjoyed the feasting more than the fishing. we also had gin rummy and mah-jong sessions at our colleagues' homes after school. we had a lot of time to pursue our own leisure activities. those days are gone and things are no longer the same.

a number of these friends have also gone, some in the prime of their life. lost three colleagues to cancer and two to cardiac failure.

tamborine mountain. gold coast hinterland




on our last trip to the gold coast, we stayed at the peninsula outrigger for 3 nights before we moved on to the tamborine mountain.

the tamborine mountain is a plateau 8 km long and 4 km wide. it is a fauna and flora sanctuary. there is an immense variety of fauna, with albert lyrebirds, scrub turkeys, lorikeets (a number of these visited us when we stayed at the polish place), bower birds and whip birds being the most likely to be encountered. platypus still live in the mountain creeks. fireflies glow in the rainforest at night and the glow worms at curtis falls are a special attraction.

tamborine mountain has long been attuned to visitors. there is a wide range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets.

the variety of craft shops, nurseries, galleries, markets and eating places is a significant part of the mountain's appeal.

we stayed at the polish place. the host is a trained geologist from tasmania. his wife is polish. the 5 chalets are very popular with couples and honeymooners. we had wanted to extend our stay but were told that a wedding party was checking in the next day. he proudly mentioned that dpm lee hl (the present pm) was there on a private visit recently.

at the polish place you can have your dinner outside and watch the sun as it sets over the western rim.

food poisoning on pulau ubin

together with a rover scout, i took my small troop of scouts for a scout proficiency test at pulau ubin. cannot remember where i left them. i think after landing at the jetty, we took a left and headed for jalan sam heng and jalan durian. we found a piece of clearing near some small estate. the secondary 3 and 4 scouts pitched their tents. after settling them, i made my way back to the mainland. the test was one of survival and self-reliance. they would cook their own dinner and spent the night on the island. the rover would be their trainer and he would look after them.

early the next morning, i got a call from school. a few of the scouts had ended up at the changi hospital, a case of food poisoning. the coast guards had been requested to help ferry them over from ubin because there were no bum boats at that hour. not all the scouts were hit but the camp had to be abandoned and all of them were brought back to the mainland.

some parents were furious when they found out that the teacher in charge was not with them. i explained to my principal the nature of the test which required the scouts to be left on their own. my principal - who later became the director of curriculum - was most supportive. she checked to find out if i had taken all precautionary measures. assured me that she would handle the parents and cleared the matter with the ministry. she also consulted the scout association on this mishap.

in the end, everything turned out fine. i visited the boys in hospital and they were discharged within the day. the lesson that i learnt from this was: when you are in a bad situation, the support and encouragement from your superior is very significant.

camping at pulau tekong

the tapioca or cassava never fails to remind me of the time when we camped near a malay kampong on pulau tekong. there were four of us, all male teachers. we cooked our own meals and tried catching our own fish. did not have much luck though. we got our provisions from the lucy's shop at kg salabin.

we bought a whole chicken to roast over the fire. we wrapped the chicken in mud before tossing it into the fire. we also roasted the tapioca that we had secretly harvested from a small plot left behind by the villagers. we actually dug up the swollen stems and then replaced the tapioca plants by sticking the stems back into the earth.

those were carefree days. those were days when school holidays were real holidays. we had time to revitalise and rejuvenate ourselves. no workshop, no seminar, no work review, no department review, no retreat, no extra lessons for children, no meet parents session, no this and that.

those of us who had saved enough and wanted to go on a month long tour could do it during the june or november/december holidays. even though we were paid for the invigilation that we had to do for the national examinations, many of us were willing to pay others extra to do it for us.

spirit of the coin




it was when we were camping at an abandoned house on pulau ubin that we played 'the spirit of the coin'. we drew a chart with numbers and letters and a place marked 'home'. 'yes' and 'no' were also marked on the chart. when we were tired of playing and wanted to stop, we would ask the spirit to go to 'home'. we used a ten-cent coin.

we did not play throughout the duration of the 5-day camp; i think we played on two nights. we would ask personal questions like "when will so-and-so get married?", "how many children will he have?" and "will i pass my driving test?".

up to now, i still do not know if some paranormal or supernatural forces were behind the movement of the coin. three of us played the 'game'. each of us touched the coin with our right forefinger and concentrated our energy on it. after a while, we seemed to be under the control of some unseen forces and the coin started to travel over the chart.

we were quite serious about the whole matter because we had been warned not to fool around with the 'spirit'.

years later when i thought about it, i tend to believe that we had consciously or unconsciously selected the answers/responses. anyway, most of the predictions did not come true.

shooting stars

a "falling star" or a "shooting star" has nothing at all to do with a star! these amazing streaks of light you can sometimes see in the night sky are caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids falling into the earth's atmosphere and burning up. the short-lived trail of light the burning meteoroid produces is called a meteor.

meteors are commonly called falling stars or shooting stars. if any part of the meteoroid survives burning up and actually hits the earth, that remaining bit is then called a meteorite.

at certain times of year, you are likely to see a great number of meteors in the night sky. these events are called meteor showers and they occur when the earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet as it orbits the sun.

now that i am older and understand this natural phenomenon, it helps to solve a lot of mysteries that troubled me in my teenage years. i was baffled by these streaks of light that i used to see over the sky when i was at the jewish cemetery near my house. believing the older folks, i was told that these streaks were 'ghost lights' or 'gases' that emitted from the corpses buried in the earth.

when i was older and i went camping at pulau ubin, we stayed up at night to watch the meteor showers in the ubin sky.

overnight at a kelong




a kelong is a fish farm built on stilts located out in the sea, usually not a great distance from the shore. fishes are reared in special nets in the sea and harvested once they have reached maturity. kelong owners offer kelong-stay as an lucrative source of supplementary income.

this particular kelong is located just off the coast of pengerang, johor. it is an hour's bumboat boat ride from changi creek. visitors to the kelong can get to know about the life on the kelong. they can even learn how to fish using the rod or a hand line. one of the highlights of a kelong visit is watching the kelong fishermen feeding and, if one is lucky, harvesting the fish in the kelong nets.

a kelong visit is also an occasion for feasting - a delight for seafood lovers. dinner is a sumptuous seafood steamboat. after dinner, one can proceed to karaoke, without worrying about disturbing or annoying your neighbours. another form of recreation provided by some kelongs is playing mahjong. there is plenty to eat if you are not worried about an expanding waistline .

an overnight spent on the kelong is a refreshing change to high-rise living. the wide and seemingly limitless horizon and surrounding sea traffic make for interesting viewing. on a clear night, you can look forward to glistering star constellations. the lucky ones may even catch a shooting star - a rare sight in our bright city skyline. even when there is a crowd on the kelong, serenity is still something you can look forward to in some quiet corner of the kelong.

it is a good place to watch the sunrise and sunset and the cool morning breeze will freshen you for the day ahead.

a visit to a kelong is usually a gathering of friends or relatives. you need a minimum of 8 persons to qualify for a discounted rate and to ensure that you get your own partition (for sleeping) on the kelong. the last time we stayed at a kelong, i remember not sleeping on the mattress. instead, we slept outside on the platform to enjoy the sea breeze and to gaze at the star-filled sky. those days, there was no karaoke, so we passed the time fishing and chatting.

most kelongs charge between $70 and $85 per person for a 2 day/1 night stay. apart from this kelong near pengarang, there are kelongs in kukup, near pulau sibu, batam and other nearby indonesian islands.

sea fishing - biggest catch of my life





sea fishing is much more fun than pond fishing, if not for the rocking of the boat which can make you feel queasy. i have the experience of fishing in the sea off the southern islands of singapore, mersing and tioman. i vaguely remember having stayed overnight at a kelong where the kelong owner cooked the catch for you.

in sea fishing, if you are taken to the right spot, you can be hauling up a fish or a few fish every few minutes. when we went sea fishing, we would normally use a hand line with a few hooks attached. on our tioman trip, we caught so many fish that we did not know what to do with the lot.

it was on one of the trips to the southern islands, near pulau hantu that i landed the biggest catch. in sea fishing, the weight that you attached to the end of the line has to be quite heavy because of the depth of the water and the strong current. i was on the roof of the boat when the weight started to roll off. i tried to grab the weight, which was in the shape and size of a rambutan fruit without the skin. i missed it and instead, grabbed the barb of the hook. it pierced the palm of my hand and stayed stuck there. tried as i might, i could not dislodge it. that was how i ended up being the catch. that was also the end of our fishing trip.

my friends and colleagues got the boatman to head for pulau bukom. fortunately, there was a doctor on the island. he performed a minor surgery and removed the offending hook from my palm.

pond fishing @ tampines



my pond fishing days were spent mostly at the tampines pond. we usually fish from early afternoon till late in the evening. there were the few times when we fished overnight.

there were all kinds of unorthodox practices to ensure a good catch. normally we would ground bait using cooked tapioca as well as shaved tapioca. we also resorted to using cockcroaches as bait for grass carps and song fish.

we had our own abu fishing rods. we only had to pay for the right to fish in the pond. some days, we went home empty handed but on bountiful days, we could land as many as 7 or 8 fish. would take the biggest fish to a restaurant and get the chef to cook it the way we wanted.

the technical teachers would make their own metal stands for the fishing rods. come to think of it, those who fished were mostly from the technical department: wong hc, mc wong and nah cw. i was the odd one out.

today, the commercial ponds are at pasir ris and ponggol. there is a sizeable pond at bishan which is open to the public. at some of these ponds, there is also prawn fishing for which the operator charges about $13.

those motorcycling days - (3)

from a road bike, i switched to a off-road bike, a scrambler. i bought a brand new suzuki savage from guan hoe motors. some time later, i was joined by mc wong who acquired a 250cc yamaha scambler.

managing a scrambler is slightly different from handling a road bike. it has knobbly tires and the centre of gravity is higher. the exhaust is also way above the ground. my toes could barely touch the ground when i was on the seat.

on some weekends, we would ride to an open area at clementi and take the bikes around the moto-cross circuit. we would do wheelies - just like school boys on bicycles - and we cleared humps, with the back wheel landing first. we did not take part in any race, though. for races, they used specially modified bikes. anyway, i do not think i was up to it.

some days, i would ride the bike into malaysia on my own. those days, no passport required, no toll charges but no north-south highway, also. i usually did not go far, may be to kukup and back.

once, fasalul, kok weng and i planned an overnight trip to jason's bay. we did not set out together. i went with kok weng, fasalul was to join us later. we waited and waited for fasalul but he did not show up. we used a tree trunk and started a bon fire by the beach. in the darkness, we saw fire lies and went about chasing them. it had rained earlier and our shoes were damp. we tried to dry our shoes by placing them near the burning log. the next morning, we found two pairs of partially burnt shoes.

when we came back to singapore, we learnt that fasalul had lost his way. he ended up spending the night in a malay village not far from jason's bay.

norwita's house-warming cum birthday celebration

nowadays, it is trend to 'kill two birds with one stone'. norwita had her house(flat) warming and birthday celebration on the same day - 11 feb 2006. her unit is in blk 111 tampines st 11. sorry, the unit number is not 11.

sent an sms to soo chin in the morning to find out what time she would be there. she had gone to work at moe hqs. gave her another call when i reached nor's place at 3.15 p.m. lillian, elizabeth, siu hua, rama, kenneth and mr and mrs lim teck kee who had been there since 2.00p.m. left 15 minutes after my arrival.

i was left in the company of nor's parents, relatives and her other friends. jenny goh made her appearance at about 4.00p.m. had to wait for another half an hour before soo chin showed up. she had made a stop at tanjong katong secondary school to hand over some stuff.

helped myself to the dessert first. had rice with mutton rendang, veg, prawns and sambal chicken. food was yummy. except for the prawns, the rest of the food was catered.

my earliest memories of schooling

when i was in primary one in owen primary school, together with two other older boys, i was ridden to school in a trishaw. my mother paid a neighbour for this transport arrangement. one of the older boys would relieve me of my daily allowance of ten cents. i did not report this extortion to my mother.

i was then living in kampong chia heng, about 4km from the school. i carried one of those mini suitcases to school. nobody could read or write english at home and so i had difficulty picking up the language. when my mother asked me to read my text book, i remember making some strange noises which must have sounded english to my mother and it pleased her. one day she got another neighbour's son who was in a secondary school to check my reading. that was when my ability to 'fake' was found out.

one day in july that year, i was attracted by this wayang performance near the school. i wandered off to the site and so missed the transport home. when it grew dark, i became afraid as i did not know my bearing. i tried to recall the route taken by the trishaw rider but ended up confused. i was on the verge of tears as i stopped outside a malay house. a kind malay man on bicycle asked me where i lived. i was able to tell him my address. somehow he managed to assure me that he would help me get home. i rode pillion on his bicycle and when we finally reached my house, my parents were so relieved that they did not cane me for my wrong doing.

springvale, an inner suburb of melbourne

if you were to be dropped from the air and landed in this suburb, you would never guess that you were in australia. you will be hard pressed to find a caucasian in this area; a white man is a rarity in this suburb, populated mostly by vietnamese.

it is an eye-opener, an educational experience to visit springvale in melbourne. springvale has a distinctive character. it took me some time to believe and accept that such a place exists in australia.

you can get almost any oriental food and merchandises in the shops at springvale. typical of an asian setting, it is bustling with people and the salespersons are all the time loud. there is no need to pack chilli, sauce and other asian condiments when you are going over to stay in melbourne. you can get them at springvale. i have seen them selling frozen durians - the whole fruit - at springvale. you can even get ice kachang at aus$2.50 a cup.

when we go to springvale for breakfast, we usually eat the vietnamese porridge. for lunch, we will have noodles or rice with side dishes at one of the small restaurants.

the toilets have this violet light. my friend chris explained to me that it was meant to deter drug addicts from injecting themselves in the toilets. the blue colour light makes it difficult for them to locate their veins.

poem no. 3

i fervently wish my strength

stays with me in body and mind

till and after

the thought has been

brought to fruition

times when i had plucked up

enough courage

to do a certain thing

and then it started

to s l i p

when i was about to

carry the task through

farewell lunch for shamini @ muthu's

the postponed lunch almost did not materialise. at one stage, it seemed as though there would have to be another postponement. we had planned to leave the school for serangoon road at 2.00pm. at 1.45pm, daniel had to opt out because something suddenly cropped up; he had an unscheduled meeting with someone connected to the family life seminar. at 2.30pm, jameela was still held up with some matter regarding total defence day.

i called shamini who said that she was on her way to the meeting place. at around 2.30pm rages called to let me know that she and angeline were ready to go with me. we had another 10 minutes wait before jameela appeared.

when we reached muthu's, shamini was already waiting for us outside the restaurant. she had taken a taxi there with her younger brother.

we had our lunch at ten past three o'clock. lunch consisted of naan, white rice, papadum, masala chicken, large prawns, mutton, fish cutlets and masala brinjal. jameela, rages and shamini had gulaab jammun after the main meal.

on our behalf, jameela presented shamini with a small parting gift ('some stones') from about ten of us.

those motor cycling days - (2)


our first motor bike tour of peninsular malaysia ended in disaster. there were four of us - all teachers at balestier hill secondary- riding our own bikes. we were headed for kuala lumpur. in those days, kuala lumpur was already the capital city of malaysia but it was in the state of selangor.

we made a stop at melaka for lunch before pushing northwards. when we were somewhere in negri sembilan, it started to rain. we decided to take shelter by the roadside. we had planned that if it continued to rain, we would spend the night in seremban instead of kl.

as fate would have it, the rain petered out and so we decided to make kl our destination. somewhere near kajang, johnny,who riding ahead, was blinded by the glaring headlights of an on-coming car. he hit the curb and crashed his bike. james, who was riding just behind him, could not stop in time. he also ended lying on the road. fortunately, the two of us at the back managed to avert a collision. we parked our bikes and went to check on our friends. both of them needed medical attention. we called for an ambulance which came and took them to kajang hospital.

at kajang hospital, the one was not so seriously injured appeared to be badly shaken. he was in a state of shock. we had our shock when the doctor mentioned that he would to resort to reduction to treat johnny. for a moment we had visions of him being amputated. we were relieved when the doctor explained to us that they had to put his hand in a cast.

the next day, james was discharged but johnny was transferred to the kl general hospital. so, we did make it to kl but not in our preferred circumstances. we camped at the field and visited him during visiting hours. we sought the help of the singapore's consul in kl and made arrangement for the two damaged bikes to be transported back to singapore by train.

when we returned to singapore, the bikes were still not back. the bikes arrived a few days after our return. we had to go down to the tanjong pagar railway station to collect the bikes.

my fourth honda civic

i seem to have a special affinity for the honda civic. my first two honda civic cars were used cars; i was not the original owner in both cases. the first one was a blue 1970 honda civic with the registration plate ey9750t. my second honda civic bore the plate sbe9733. i bought a brand new civic for a whopping sum of $102 000 in 1998. the third civic carried the registration plate scr2092. i drove it for nearly five years before trading it in for my present honda civic which cost $87 000.

when we bought the present car, we did not go for any test drive at all. we went to kah motors, looked at the display car and told the salesperson that we wanted to book a similar car. it is not like i have a lot of faith in honda. my previous car - although i liked it more than the present one - did go to the workshop for serious faults more than once. guess i am one of the old faithfuls who prefer to stick to the same brand, in spite of its blemishes.

but my first car was not a honda. my very own first car was a second-hand colt galant. we had it for a few months before we decided to discard it for a new daihatsu charade. the charade served us very well. it took us all over peninsular malaysia. we drove it all the way to penang and kelantan and countless times to melaka and kl.

food factories @ blk 15 woodlands loop



blk 15 at woodlands loop houses 4 storeys of food factories. there are more than 200 food processing companies under one roof. the people who operate the factories are mostly wholesalers. because there is no middleman, the prices of the goodies for sale are lower than those found in retail.

there is a substantial number of caterers housed at blk 15, some are quite established ones like revada and absolute catering. there are a few roast meat dealers. there is an indian mill which you cannot fail to detect if you are near to it. reminds me of serangoon road. there are two coffee bean roasters, one of which looks like something from the past. it is labour intensive and the whole place looks so dusty when the workers are churning the roasted beans.

over at masud family satay, you can buy the uncooked satay at about 25 cents a stick. otah - the fish paste - can be had for about 20 cents a piece. we have been there regularly to buy fish balls at 10 cents each. we also buy cakes from j&c which is located on level 3. the outlet that sells ngoh hiang at 10 cents a piece is next to the fish ball factory. changi nasi lemak also has its factory in the block.

if you are thinking of buying the fish balls, you should take note that the fish cakes and balls are normally available after 4.00 p.m.

best wantan mee in singapore

when i found out that one of ong soo lin's favourite food was wantan mee, i took her to lavendar food court. on reaching the place, we were disappointed because the stall was closed. kok kee at lavendar food court is operated by two elderly sisters. sometimes, there is a man helping out. they used to have an adjacent chicken rice stall. the wantan mee serving is small and it costs $3.50 a plate.

i have tasted the wantan mee at joo chiat and dunman food centre. there is a long list of other places in singapore which want to lay claim to the title ' best wantan mee in singapore'. i have been trying to locate the one at syed alwi road but without success.

up to now, i still prefer the one at lavendar food court. yes, soo lin eventually got to eat kok kee's wantan mee. she likes it but finds it a bit on the sweet side.

lion transformed to lioness





















many at the school's morning chinese new year concert were not aware that the lion underwent a transformation. at first, it came out as a lion (see top picture ). notice the yellow pants with the red stripes. in the second picture, the performers wore black pants. can you guess who the two in black pants were?

a place for young children

lim chu kang is a good place to start with. there are farms and nurseries and a lot of open spaces. however, some places, like the quail farm, are out of bounds these days. the reason being the fear of an outbreak of the avian flu.

if you have younger children, you may like to take them to the fish farms like qian hu at jalan lekar or hausmann at neo tiew crescent. another place you can take young children to is the farm mart at sungei tengah.

on weekends and public holidays, there is a shuttle bus service from chua chu kang mrt to qian hu.

at qian hu and hausmann, for one dollar you can buy a packet of pellets to feed the kois. over at qian hu, you can hand-feed the fish. at hausmann, there are more fish in two big feeding ponds. both places also have provision for 'longkang' fishing. for $5, you are given a small tank and a small net (on loan). in the half hour you are given, whatever fish you catch in the shallow pond is yours to keep.

hausmann aquarium is open daily from 10.00am to 7.00pm. qian hu is open from 9.00am to 7.00pm daily. farm mart is open from 10.00am to 10.00pm on weekdays. on weekends, it opens one hour earlier, at 9.00am.

lo hei/yu sheng @ admiralty primary on 4 feb

on the seventh day of the first lunar month, also known as 'ren-ri' (man’s birthday), a popular dish 'yu sheng'– a prosperity tossed salad platter is usually eaten.

yu sheng is loaded with symbolic meaning; the raw ingredients and fish signify the renewal of life and prosperity. the interesting part of eating yu sheng is the mixing of the ingredients together, and to ensure good luck for the coming year, everyone will call out 'lo hei!' which means 'to mix it up' and toss the ingredients as high in the air as they can.

yu sheng is actually a singapore creation. the original yu sheng used raw parang fish slices or ikan kurau as the main ingredient. today, in order to cater to jaded tastebuds, chefs have come up with all kinds of seafood to replace the white fish. so now, you'll find salmon, abalone and even kobe beef as the centrepiece.

at the end of the meet parents' day, we made our way to the library where 10 tables had been laid out, all ready for the luck enhancing 'lo hei'. the office staff were making all the necessary preparations while we were attending to the parents.

bernice, the swc chairperson, could hardly get her instructions across to all those gathered as everyone seemed to be a few steps ahead of her. she was trying to get them to follow the steps in the ritual.

2006 singapore idol wannabe


are you aware that one among us has been rehearsing
very hard for the 2006 singapore idol's audition to be
held on saturday, 11 february 2006 at cathay orchard cineleisure, next to *scape. please be there to support
and encourage your colleague. you can do this in a
number of ways: beat your drums/pots/pans, display
your banners/placards or simply scream and shout.

port stephens, nelson bay








port stephens is a 3-hour drive from sydney. it is acknowledged as the 'dolphin capital of australia'. it is home to about 80 bottlenose dolphins, living in family groups of 5 - 10 mammals. by far, the best way to see them is from one of the many 'dolphin watch' cruise boats.

the most wonderful thing about the dolphins is that they love to make contact with the boats. they delight in swimming alongside to ride the bow waves.

we were not so fortunate when we reached the man-made embankment at about 6.30 p.m. a couple of tourists, who had been at the embankment earlier, told us that a family of 5 dolphins had been frolicking in the water around that area at about 5.00 p.m. we stayed for about 45 minutes hoping that they would make a re-appearance or another family (of dolphins) would show up.

whale watching is another popular activity in port stephens during the months of june, july, september and october. you may be lucky to witness a humpback whale leaping out of the water and crashing back into the ocean.

if you like to be close to nature and like the nature way, you can make yourself at home at one of the nudist beaches at nelson bay. we did not dare to bare nor did we dare to stare.