A visit to the railway tracks

Following an agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore last year, railway operations at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station ceased from 1 July 2011. KTM's (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) southern terminus will be relocated to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint. Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was also called Keppel Road Railway Station or Singapore Railway Station.

Tanjong Pagar railway station was completed on 3 May 1932 and officially opened by Sir Cecil Clementi. I have lived in Clementi the last 30 years and I wonder if Clementi Road was named after him. The four marble statues at the exterior of the building represents the four pillars of the Malayan and Singapore economy - Agriculture, Commerce, Transport and Industry, with the initials FMSR (Federated Malay States Railways). 

The past month, particularly on weekends I've seen Singaporeans from all walks of life hiking along the Railway tracks. Groups of people were seen along the tracks at Stagmont Ring, near Hillview, Rail Mall and Bukit Timah Station near King Albert Park. Many articles have appeared on the newspaper and blogs, with many calling on the government to conserve the railway line. A group -“We support the Green Corridor”was formed by conservationists and nature experts to promote awareness in this respect. The stretches of lush greenery with it's fauna and flora provides a invaluable recreational space within our concrete jungle. The retention of the structures could serve as a reminder of our historical link with Malaysia.

I have missed the train so to speak but I told myself to at least join the bandwagon to experience the railway tracks and blog about it. What better way to have such an outing than to have canine companions. Two weeks ago I made the long overdue trip to the Bukit Timah Station. It is heart warming to see three generation families among the crowd of shutter bugs, nature lover and others there just out of inquisitiveness.

Three generation family

Bukit Timah Station

The doggies stole the show.

Rainbow

Yesterday evening as I was driving out of the Church of the Risen Christ in Toa Payoh after Sunday mass I witnessed a rainbow in the sky across the road. It's not everyday that one gets to see a rainbow and it's been awhile since I last saw one. I took out my nifty mobile phone, the Sony Vivaz which have a 8MP camera in it and took a picture, a rare capture. This is the first time I've ever taken a rainbow picture. Too bad I couldn't stop to take a better full arch one because I was in a queue of moving vehicle leaving the church. I noticed a number of parishioners too whipping out their mobile phone and snapping away with great excitement.

Picture taken by me.

I've heard it many times that seeing a rainbow is good luck or something good is coming your way so I did a little research. The rainbow symbolises good news, hope, redemption and the ending of gloom. The rainbow is a bridge between heaven and earth, between your earthly self and your higher enlightened self. The gypsies believe that to dream of a brightly coloured rainbow means a happy change is coming. Whatever it is I hope that there are some truth to it.

Picture Credit: Jerome Lim

This rainbow seemed quite a 'big' one so it came as little surprise to me that a number of people have also witnessed it. One of my friend said he saw it too. On Facebook Jerome Lim posted the above shot, beautifully taken. Jerome is the winner of the Best Individual Blog 2010 Runner-Up (2nd Runner-up) - Singapore Blog Awards 2010. His blogs are filled with gorgeous photos.
http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/ 
http://blog.omy.sg/hongkong/category/jerome/

Photo credit: Facebook group YourSingapore.

Another photo of the same rainbow posted on Facebook group YourSingapore.

Monkeys business

          

I spotted a family of Macaques Monkeys at Hua Guan Avenue recently. As monkeys do, family members preening each other. Besides the business of preening each other adults mate rather freely.  I recall from my visits to Botanic Garden as a child witnessing with some degree of embarassment the mating of these primates. They are totally uninhibited nor disturbed by the presence of other monkey families or humans in the park.

There are a few popular places that Singaporean Chinese visited during Chinese New Year in the 50's and 60's; Botanic Gardens is one of them. You can buy peanuts form hawkers at the entrance to feed the monkeys. As the years goes by the monkey population increased and became aggressive. In the 70's they had to be culled after a number of reported attacks on visitors, reducing the population to a very small number.

In the year 1971 two monkeys were found dying on the roadside outside the Botanic Gardens in Tyersall Avenue. The monkey are believe to have been fed with poisoned bananas. This was most likely the work of an individual with a grudge against the animal because the authorities would not have used poison to eliminate them. I remember news reports of pallet gun being used.

Credit: National Archive of Singapore - PICAS

Resident Heron at West Coast Park

I have spotted this Grey Heron at the pond in West Coast Park on many occasions when I am there to meet my students (dog training) at the nearby dog run. It seems this Heron have made this place his home. The pond is heavily populated with fish, like Telapias and Carps. Smart bird this one. Meals are always ready right there when it needs to eat.

This place actually makes an ideal place for a family picnic. There are lots of nature to explore - plants, insects, birds and fish.Children will get a kick out of feeding the fishes in the pond. Often you'll see people playing with their remote controlled motor boats on Sundays or Public Holidays. And for dog owners the dog run is really a blessing for our beloved canine companions. Parking is not a problem. For those who are unfamiliar with West Coast Park, this is not where the McDonald's restaurant is situated. It's closer to the wholesale center. Turn left if you are coming down Clementi Road.

Temple Eating Tree Quiz

Sadly, my first attempt at posing a quiz on my blog failed miserably. http://frankiekoh.blogspot.com/2010/09/temple-eating-tree.html
I still haven't received a single answer after 3 months. Is the subject not something that people would be much interested in? Too easy? Too difficult? I guess as a general practice quizzes should come with a prize for the winning entry, haha. Maybe one day I'll give out one for my quizzes. Anyway let me try and revive this by offering some hints and hope some kind readers is willing to help me with this one so as to maintain my ego.

• The tree is on the right side of this picture which is the rear gate of this building
• This whole building is now vacant.
• The road where is tree can be seen is now closed to traffic.

A wider angle picture.

Near this area but not those 2 street names mentioned on the signboard.

Nature right in our backyard and neighbourhood

We may be living a urban jungle with all the high rise buildings all around us but if we would just open our eyes and keep a look out we'll find an amazing variety of critters and nature around us.

I found this rather unusual Grasshopper at the back of my house one evening. It is not your usual grasshopper as you can see. Looks like some kind of Alien from another planet lol. I have probably come across this species of insect a couple times before. After doing a little research I learned that it is a species of Katidids. Curious about the hook shaped belly at the rear, I searched and found the answer - it is a female and the "scythe-shaped ovipositor" is where the eggs will come out. 

This type of snails I have not seen for a long time. Recently spotted a few crawling in the neighborhood grass patch. Anyone knows what the name for this species?

I have seen squirrels many times in pretty built-up areas. This one at Chip Bee Estate.It has a rather longish snout, longer than others I've seen.

Wild mushrooms anyone? I've seen many different types of wild mushrooms but that's one subject that I am totally unfamiliar with. Any mushroom expert?

Spotted this common Kingfisher in a HDB neighborhood, Commonwealth Cresecent. White Throat Kingfisher? Too bad I don't have a long lens but I am glad today's mobile phone comes in real handy with it's camera feature. I have a Sony Ericsson VIVAZ and I like it very much. Give me a mobile phone with a good camera in it. That's all I ask : )

This unusually large lizard, 8" long head to tail, and the skin texture and markings unlike our regular house lizards had been spotted a number of times in our kitchen before I decided to capture it for a closer examination. Unfortunately the tail broke off as they always do. I remember when I was young every time we catch a lizard the tail would invariably break off. I found out that it's a self-defense mechanism. If a predator is chasing them and grabs them by the tail, it'll break off, allowing the lizard to escape. The broken tail will wriggle for quite some time. I released it afterward. I have been told that the tail will regrow.

Being a nature lover I somehow have a heightened sensitivity about their presence. I have seen many different types of Parrots and Parakeets in the Bukit Timah district. Once I spotted a Hornbill perched on a rooftop TV antenna. I am beginning to see one of the many benefits of blogging; it pushes me to seek answers which otherwise I would not have bothered.

Temple Eating Tree

Last Sunday I had to take my wife to attend a beauty workshop in town. Across the road where I parked my car was this tree which reminded me of Cambodia's Ta Prohm Temple aka the Tomb Raider Temple where trees take roots and encompassed the building.  The temple was built about mid-12^th century to early 13^th century (1186) by the King Jayavarman VII, dedicated to the mother of the king so the trees are most likely more than 100 years old. Whereas the Ta Prohm is understandably in such a state because it is an ancient ruin, this tree which I came across is right in the heart of town in present day modern Singapore. Why is it left to grow to such a state without intervention is puzzle.

Quizz questions: Where is this tree located?
Hopefully after I reveal the location we can uncover why it is left in this state.