The Call Button

The little red round button,
the call button.
So small, the size of a 10-cent coin.
Yet so important, the lifeline of sorts
to medical care and help.
From simple biological functions
that those confined to the bed can't do on their own,
to more life-threatening situations
(hope they don't arise).

Yet another stay.
Water, water, where it shouldn't be.
Between the heart and the lungs,
which be the bigger culprit?
The investigation continues.
Call in the equivalents of Sherlock Holmes,
and the Monk.

Health, how critical,
in more meanings of the word than there is.
Good health is wealth, they say.
How wise, we say.

The flutist on the Bull

The flutist on the Bull,
simple music flowing from the humble flute.

Not the ambience of the music halls,
but the vast openness of the padi fields and farm lands,
that the music floats to.

How ephemeral is the music?
The flutist wonders.
How soon will the Bull kick him off?
He wonders.

Soon, soon, the Doubting Joneses say.
Which piece (of music) is eternal, they say.
Citing examples of music past that died after a while.

The spirit of the flutist falters, a little;
the music trips a note.

Will you kick me off, the flutist asks the Bull.
Music's important, replies the Bull,
showing an appreciation beyond the proverbial uncouth specimens of its species.

Somewhat assured, the flutist continues,
continues with his music,
continues to sit a-top the Bull.
Yet with the lingering doubt seeded in his mind,
he sits tight a-top the Bull ...

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Apple pie ice-cream, anyone?

Time after dinner,

a quick stop at the Island Creamery.

Horlicks, Chendol, Pulot Hitam, Coconut Swirl, Teh Tarik,

Black Forest, Burned Caramel, and so on.

Yummy, yum.

What a great after-dinner treat!

What a great time-out with the family!

Chicken Soup for the tired soul

Catching up
on a deficiency of sleep.
Somehow the minutes just slip by every night,
and it's soon past 11 pm,
inching closer and closer to midnight.


A welcome sight, the chicken soup.
The succulent chicken drumstick, the tasty soup.
Tucking in with gusto,
eating with relish.


Chicken soup.
Chicken soup for the tired soul.

Memories ...

Images of the past week in Vietnam

Images, some fleeting, others with deep imprints from intense work, of the past week...

... the trip, in the rain, to the water treatment plant out in Ha Nam Province, near Hanoi.

... the streets of Ho Chi Minh city - of motorbikes and families of 4 riding pillion,

of food stalls on wheels, of hordes of motorbikes crowding the streets.

... and of Prima restaurant, touting Singapore cuisine, at the Hanoi airport!

(Though the fish soup, and the price, aren't quite the same. :( )

Comfort food at last! Ice cream with nuts and chocolate bits. Wanton noodles, heavenly blueberry cheesecake, even teh tarik!

The welcoming sight of flowers and fruits upon arrival back to Hotel Equatorial in Ho Chi Minh city.

Guess what this is?

Clear skies after the rain. Out for a breather yesterday. In a bustling part of town. French architecture. In Hanoi.

Little pots of roses standing serenely on the tables. Earnest discussions, intense debate, some almost to midnight. For a viable business plan. All for making a lasting difference for tomorrow.

Miranda orange, fish and chips with subtle banana sweetness, for dinner. And sticky coconut rice for breakfast. An interesting array. A quiet repose from the bustling and heavy traffic outside.

A sunny day it was. Then grey the clouds grew. Then the rain poured. Turning the road to the water treatment plant soft and muddy. At times the wheels stuck. Unstuck they became through the driver's skilful manoeuvring. And Yay, we were on our way.

Lunch in Ha Nam, a province near Hanoi. Guess that this is?

In the outskirts of Hanoi. About 2 hours away.

Meeting after a long day of waiting. Waiting in queues. Waiting to be served while under time pressure. Then discussion till midnight. Preparing for the field trip today. Amidst the thrust and flow of discussion, the sweets stared cheerfully at us. They called themselves Relaxa.

Beef noodle in Hanoi. The aroma and taste added price to the breakfast at baosan hotel.

Breakfast at Ho Chi Minh city.

network of branches

A group of trees,

at the corner of a road junction,

offering shade to pedestrians and motorists.

A group of trees,

its branches spread out,

and intertwined

- and if you look closely -

into a network of stems and branches.

Flowering cheer. A cheery bon voyage.

Recycle, we will

Megatrends, we heard, at lunchtime.
Climate change being one.
Imagine if this were to happen here ...
... snippets of the movie "the Day after Tomorrow" we saw.
How scientists and meterologists observed the changing trends,
which the government officials in the movie did not believe in,
and did not listen to, to everyone's peril.



Recycle, I will, I promise.
Every bottle, every box,
I will dutifully place in the recycle bin.
Save the world, I'll do my part.
We don't want the "Day after Tomorrow" movie scenario!

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Bukit Timah campus re-visited

No more the old buildings with classes in containers. No more the flooded field, through which to tip toe through during exam time.

Now the even more hallowed halls - those of the LKY School. A meeting place of nationalities, a hub of intellectual discourse.

Rain, rain, on a Sunday

Sweltering heat yesterday, rain today. Some cool relief at least!

The Apprentice Chef's big night

The Chef's out - dining in in style elsewhere -

and the Apprentice Chef's all geared up

to dish up a delicious dinner.

Sliced garlic here, ginger there,

frying with style,

adding cornflour and a dash of seasoning,

and voila!

Dinner's ready!

And to reasonably good reviews too! :D

learning oneself - climbing a mountain

Do we split the team, let the faster ones go ahead?

Or should we stick together as a team, though we lose precious time?

But two of them stand to gain big bucks if they reach the summit?

Will they split with the team?

Questions, questions, questions.

And discussion. At times, with some info not given to some team members.

Climbing Mt Everest, virtually.

On a Harvard software.

Interesting one.