成家立业

Young boys, one chubby and serious, the other cute and mischievous,

now grown up, into fine young men.

How much they remind of another pair of young boys,

growing up close at their heels.

May they also grow up into fine young men,

worthy of all the love and care.

As one sets up family, the growth enters another phase,

as the proud parents look on,

thinking, no doubt, of the time he was a baby,

the time he took his first step,

the time he won his first prize.

How they must have marvelled at how he has grown,

wooing through cyberspace, following up in real life.

May all the fine young men do their families proud.

yin-yang leaf

Have you seen a yin-yang leaf? See this leaf from a money plant.

blooms

The bougainvilla is blooming ... :)

growing Bananas !

Have you seen how the banana (the fruit) grows?

First, it's one big fruit, then slowly, the rows of bananas form.

It's fascinating, looking at Nature.

野花

路边的野花，不要菜。 So goes the song popular in the 19 70's.

But 野花 are not always bad ... See these that just bloomed - the plant flew in and took root in the garden, growing a whole family of shoots, and now even flowering!

Eye round the wheel

The first I heard - or saw - a Flyer or Eye was when I saw the London Eye in 2004. I had thought it was a simulator ride or a roller coaster type of ride then!

Hot on its heels, soon we heard of the Eye being built in Singapore. Then of a similar Eye in Malaysia. And recently, we saw the one in Taipei.

Now our Eye - called the Singapore Flyer - is ready!

(Photo thanks to ST)

counting the credits

And what if we can do both, and deliver? Will we be rewarded?


And what is "reward"?
Monetary?
Or in the blessings of the family?

Little Ms Ma Fett sat down on the bench, stirring her bowl of porridge.

Along came Mr Spider, who sat down beside her.

Ms Ma Fett stirred her porridge furiously, spurting out frustration.

Wasn't her porridge the best in town? Yet Loo See won the Best Porridge Award.

Wasn't she selflessly coaching others, teaching them how to cook good porridge?

Yet she was sidelined for the Porridge Coach of the Year award.

Where's the justice, Ms Ma Fett snarled, stirring the bowl of porridge even more vigorously.

Mr Spider spoke gently, of the little Fetts that Ms Ma Fett brought up,reminiscing of how the little Fetts enjoyed studying the web he spinned, how they enjoyed looking at the swimming patterns of the koi, how they have grown so well into handsome well-behaved young Fetts.

Mr Spider continued speaking of the warmth that Ms Ma Fett had created for the abode, so that it was home, and not just a house.

He spoke of how meaningful Ms Ma Fett's work was, in teaching generation after generation how to cook good porridge, and of how her delicious porridge was helping to feed the town, and keep them perky and gungho, with a strong can-do spirit.

As Mr Spider drone on, spinning his tales with great sincerity, like he would spin his web for his family, Ms Ma Fett began to see the flowers blooming in her garden, the butterflies fluttering around the flowers, the growing plants, the pleasant breeze. She began to see the rainbow over her garden, the good fortune of her family of Fetts in the good health they had, the happiness they enjoyed.

Ms Ma Fett began to count her blessings, and found the credits. Refreshed, she felt recharged and ready, ready to continue and to be her usual energetic self.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a single scoop of ice-cream

A single scoop of ice-cream,

pistachio its flavour,

garnished with whipped cream

- fattening but good -

adorned with strawberry

- half and hard.

A single scoop of ice-cream,

pure enjoyment,

spoonful after spoonful,

melting in the mouth,

as we savour it slowly,

hoping to lengthen the indulgence

:P

when things go well ...

When things go well, when everything runs smoothly,

the organisers are taken for granted;

their hard work and alertness in averting unwanted situations,

their meticulous care to details to ensure all go well.

All usually not appreciated.

But when something slips up,

then the accusing fingers start pointing.

But some are lucky - some insensitivity may be dismissed

as over-reaction by those affected - one can almost hear it.

Why is today's world so grey and uncertain?

What happened to the good old days

when the Good are rewarded,

and the Bad seen through their evil deeds and punished?

jacuzzi for fish

The fish often gather underneath this. One, two, three, at times four or five.

And we wonder why.

Perhaps the force of the water rushing down is something the fish enjoy?

Perhaps they see it as their jacuzzi?

CNY 2008

Last night, the lightup in Chinatown was launched amid much fanfare and sound. Elsewhere in the shopping centres, the decorations have been up for quite a while.

Centrepoint

Even TODAY has cute innovative ads of the Mouse (the next year being the year of the Mouse) ...

The clouds deflate, when no one's looking, and try to puff up into a cheery festive fluff.

horizon without future

The labrador stands, fit and strong,

battle-proven and an outcome achiever,

having retrieved many a feather,

long and fluffy,

to adorn caps of the Owners, and

having retrieved many an animal,

hunted during hunting season.

The labrador stands, fit and alert,

though put in cold storage,

despite a string of proven achievements,

sent to work on the pedestrian walk,

left out of hunting trips

despite its retrieval capability.

For the Owners have a new pack

- pitbulls they are -

that they try to train to retrieve.

But true capability is lacking,

achievements false and fake.

Saunter around, the pitbulls do,

preening with their find of mouldy bones,

thinking they have delivered,

gloating over their soaring brownie points.

The labrador looks on,

stifling a smile, for a stock of juicy bones it has,

gotten through real skills.

But what smile is there,

when it sees the end of the road,

a horizon without future,

as the Owners sends it to siberia,

choosing to overlook past deliverables,

its loyalty and its selfless commitment.

With a heavy heart,

the Labrador continues to stand, upright and alert.

The sky darkens - the Sun has looked elsewhere.

A storm may break.

Perhaps it be time to "disparate" to another place,

another to call home, and be home.

On labradors http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/labrador.htm

chilling out, for a warm gathering

Chilling out on a warm afternoon

in the cool ambience of Kenny Rogers Roasters.

Chilling out - over corn muffins, chicken and fish,

cheese macacroni and greens.

Warm are the feelings

of friendship, of camaraderie,

borne of teamwork,

having gone through thick and thin.

Chilling out

at a round table,

like knights over King Arthur's round table,

honourable knights, fighting for good of kingdom.

the making of a bouquet

A bouquet of roses,

a pretty sight.

The bouquet of roses

and baby's breath,

each patiently put together

to form a coherent whole.

The bouquet of roses

- patiently wrapped,

with a bear and ribbons added.

The bouquet,

painstakingly done with much care,

with immediate focus group feedback

on its look and feel.

A bouquet done with much love and care.

(Photos courtesy of Photosophize)

a-swishing we go

9 swishes

More from a boring person ...

and then there were 5

First came the stem, shooting out from between the leaves. Then the buds formed, and grew. Then on bud opened, and another, and another, Now all the flowers have bloomed - such a pretty sight.

more swish, more company

Down another country road, this time in the West.

This time in search of a few more koi, including the blackish ones. After the one we last had (and which perished), we had come to appreciate koi other than the famous red-and-white ones. (There's a term for the latter type, but the name escapes me.) We found them - the charcoal family, the koi farm helper said - and a brilliant red-and-white koi. We've come to appreciate the patterns and to slowly learn to tell the difference ...

Maybe the vendors of pond filtration systems should be required to undergo tests so that they would not give the wrong advice about temporary storage of koi when they change or install filtration systems. Then lives could be saved. (Though koi farms may welcome the business.)

flowering hope

Over the week, another orchid flower opened.

Elsewhere, a stray plant that came to stay, opened three flowers (albeit pale lavendar-coloured and frail-looking) - the first time ever I'd seen it bloom with three flowers. At other times, I saw only one.

All small things, hardly headline-grabbing, or even meriting any news spot. But still some (however small) uplifting of the spirits. :)

off to the Camp

Tis the week when many of the erstwhile JC2 boys are off to the army. To Pulau Tekong, a nice camp, say the old NSmen used to rougher housing conditions. A place where the new recruits have their basic training.

Off the boys go, to the barber. No more sophisticated hair salon, with hairstylist examining how best to cut and style the hair. Off with the locks, they say, and demand.

Off to the jogging track the boys go too - at least, some do. To train up and get ready for the road marches and training.

Off to the fitness park they go, for the chin-ups, the pull-ups etc. So as to pass the fitness tests.

For one has to be prepared.


Recruits, ATTENTION!

soothing sights

As one sat, waiting - waiting, waiting, waiting - one's eyes fell on a painting, a print, a picture. One that looked vaguely therapeutic, a bit like the one at the dentist's.

This was of a field of bright yellow flowers. With blue sky and white clouds above. A very cheery sight indeed.

But in the sea of yellow flowers, stood a lone house. A nice tranquil place for a vacation? Or a house isolated from everyone, but for the flowers, plants and sky above?

Perhaps the institutions hanged these up to soothe visitors' nerves? Or to keep them in good spirits?

when the Wind blows ...

When the afternoon breeze blows,

the house cools, and

temperatures too.

When the wind blows,

the curtains lift

to show the greenery outside,

the cheerful sunlight,

warming the land.

early signs of CNY

The decorations for Chinese New Year (the Year of the Rat), on 7 Feb, are sprouting up. At the market, a stall has already set up decorative blinking lights, beckoning customers to its raw fish/yu sheng offering.

new life, new swish

They came from various parts of the world - Thailand, Singapore, and even Japan, the last being the most elegant and brilliant in colours and patterns (and the most expensive). Yesterday, they swam around nervously in their new home ... and getting to know their fellow residents. While we watched nervously, hoping that they would live well. Today, they are more settled and swim in a more leisurely pace.

Blossoming Orchids

Another week, and more flowers have bloomed. It may be a modest number, and nothing compared to the beds of flowering orchids in nurseries, but a bird on hand is worth two on the bushes.

At least some brightness in the horizon.

along the Farmway

We ventured to Farmway in Pasir Ris in the rainy afternoon. Neat rows of trees lined the Farmway roads, dotted by pet/animal farms and fish farms along the way.

Nice tranquil place, a stone's throw from the nearby condos and malls, as well as Downtown East. Rectangular spartan buildings housed modest fish retailers. In one, koi and goldfish fronted the aquariums, while at the back, some hapless goldfish were seen floating in dismal waters. Under the shadows, the scenario looked somewhat surreal, bringing back memories of beautiful koi struggling in polluted waters.

Appearances (of the farm retai fronts) could be deceptive. One farm deep inside, with boring looking round tubs/ponds, housed some koi with beautiful patterns. One group was even called "peacock"! Another group, of smaller koi, looking quite run-of-the-mill to the unexperienced eye, turned out to be quite an energetic group, some koi jumping when caught in the net.

Our afternoon sojourn into the Farmways ...

Raffles and Raffles - together, yet separate

" The Raffles merger was proposed by the RJC and RI boards to implement a seamless six-year curriculum for the three schools, which are already closely intertwined.
Under their Raffles Programme, RI and RGS students go directly to RJC without sitting for the O levels.

RGS principal Julie Hoo told The Straits Times that her board, headed by Justice Judith Prakash, did not see how a merger would be advantageous in the long-term.
She said RGS had built up its identity as the premier girls' school here and risked losing a rich tradition of producing generations of women leaders.
She added that despite staying out, RGS will look at ways to collaborate more closely with the merged school. "
Extracted from ST, Sat 5 Jan 08, "Raffles JC, RI looking into merger".

** Daughters of a Better Age **

Day before Term Begins

Tis the day before the new school term begins, the day before most people will return to work after the year-end holidays.

Tis also the day after the countdown to 2008 - a relatively quiet, restful day. But as one savours the peaceful tranquility, one almost feels like one is on a beach, looking like relaxing, but actually watchful ... watchful for signs of waves, of dark clouds, that could break the peace.

The roads were thin of traffic. One could take photos of the Orchard Road lights quite easily - if one still wanted to. The shopping malls were quiet tonight. Most of those with kiddies and school-going children have gone home - to prepare for tomorrow. So it was quite blissful shopping for the rest of us. *gleeful snigger*