Archives for July 2012

Sharing Stories

July 20, 2012 · By ·

Been feeling discouraged lately.

I always wanted to work on improving my writing, but having writer’s block for what seemed like the longest time (a week and a half) told me I was not going to get anywhere.

Writing alone on this blog was never good enough for my perfectionist expectations of myself, “You ramble too much”, and besides “You don’t seem to have anything that is worth writing about lately.” I really wasn’t sure how I was able to break out of this rut.

There have been many moments that were lost last year when I stopped to pick up my camera, thinking that there was nothing special to capture or to talk about. It always had to be a new place, a new experience, or a special day, then snapshots were taken. I even told myself, “Maybe I need a new lens, to be able to capture better photographs”.

 

Then last week, when I took a walk alone after a heavy shower, I slowed down, paid attention to the little details around me, captured the scenes that I thought best expressed the emotions I felt at the moment.

 

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That’s when I saw how it fit together. That all the things I loved about photography were the things I loved about writing: capturing the moment, marveling at each discovery, developing a point of view.

The person behind the lens has a voice, just like any storyteller.

Are you the family’s storyteller too? The one that writes the story of your life, with every photograph, every word that you jot down in a special space, with every memory. Document what’s the most important in your life.

I will be embarking on a new journey on this blog to see my world differently through the lens of a camera, starting with a weekly meme; Photo *Heart” Fridays, where I will share a photo on this space, write the story, reveal the heart and emotions that I feel with each photo.

So will you join me? Point, focus and shoot every milestone, relationship, family, your loves, joys, daily struggles and little successes, from the most mundane to the extraordinary.



 

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Categorized: Photography · Tagged:

Closure

July 11, 2012 · By ·

My first pet was a terrapin when I was 7 years old. Well, it was more like 2 terrapins in a plastic tank which I had very little feelings for it, rather than a pet.

I fed them daily, watched them move occasionally around the tank and changed the water for the terrapins weekly, but that was about it. I recalled that their lives were short-lived as well, as I had them for under a year. Dad then flushed the dead terrapins down the toilet, but I was too nonchalant to care.

So when hb wanted to get Kyle his first pet, a pair of hamsters, almost 2 years ago. I vehemently disagreed with the idea of giving a 3 year old a pet, when he can’t even take care of toileting routines by himself. But when a dad promises his 3 year old, he has to make good on his promise. Besides dh felt that it was a good idea to start teaching K to be responsible for taking care of a pet.

That did not quite worked out as hb planned, as my previous helper and I took turns to feed and care for the hamsters. K really did not feel much affinity for the hamsters and hardly even looked at them.

So what happened to the pair of hamsters? Doh-Doh, the pudding colored dwarf hamster didn’t survive for very long when the pearl-grey hamster Ah-Go, ferociously bit her butt when the pair were in a cage together. We separated them, but Doh-Doh did not recover from her assault by Ah-Go, lived in constant fear despite being alone in another cage and eventually withered away.

Insensitive mom figured since K didn’t care for the hamsters, I got my helper then to throw the dead hamster down the rubbish chute. I was chided by hb for being so insensitive to have dealt with the death of K’s first pet the way I did.

So when Ah Go passed away this weekend, we had our first pet memorial ‘service’ at the foresty area next to where we are staying.

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We chose a shady spot next to a bush and dh digged a hole with a screw-driver (could not find any shovels at home!) and put Ah Go in. Dh realized that the hole wasn’t deep enough, so we took Ah Go out again. Then dh digged deeper, and we placed Ah Go the hamster back into the hole.

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The three of us looked at Ah Go laying in her final resting place for a couple of seconds. Probably thought to ourselves about how the last 2 two weeks has been for Ah Go, where she was able to enjoy bits of fruits and vegetables (apart from her usual hamster grub) given by grand dad. So her last days weren’t that bad after all, by hamster standards.

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We said our goodbye’s, and dh and K said, “Bye Ah Go, we will see you in heaven again…”

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This will most likely be our easiest experience in handling loss (if there was any to start with for K), as there was no grieve nor tears involved and the only thing that K asked when we got back home was, “Are you going to throw away Ah Go’s things?”

We kept the cage, some hamster accessories. Not because we were planning to get another hamster so soon, rather, we felt that it was a waste just to throw away $250 dollars worth of hamster things.

As for this ‘memorial service’, it was an effort to bring some closure to K’s loss of a pet, even if it did seemed that he was barely affected by the loss. Nonetheless, I overheard him saying to his friend at the playground yesterday evening, “My hamster Ah Go died on Sunday, and my dad, mom and I buried him next to the bush in the forest over there…”

Bragging rights or closure? I can’t quite tell. But insensitive mom have learnt some life lessons from this; I can be quite certain that K will not flush/throw his kid’s first terrapin/fish/hamster down the toilet/rubbish chute when it comes to his turn to be someone else’s dad.

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Categorized: His World ·

The SGD$1 Billion Garden in the City

July 4, 2012 · By ·

The first thing that striked me when I read about Gardens by the Bay a while back, was the cost of SGD1 Billion that was spent to build a garden over 6 years. It must be some awesome garden, I thought. So when I found that it will be open to public last Thursday, K and I braved the crowds to check out the place.

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(Warning, long post with plenty of photos. Read on only if you are interested to find out what’s found in Gardens by the Bay 😉 )

So here’s a run down of the place:

The key highlights of Gardens by the Bay are the 3 paid attractions; the glass conservatories of the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, as well as the Skyway.

We went directly to the highlight of the gardens; the first glass conservatory of the Flower Dome

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One of the main features of the Flower dome of 1.2 hectares (approximately the size of 2.2 football fields) is that it replicates the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and the semi-arid sub tropical regions, like Australia, South Africa, Spain and Italy. The temperature in the Flower Dome is maintained at 23 – 25 degrees celsius.

What are some of the key areas in Flower Dome?

1. The BaoBabs

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Also known as bottle trees, the bulbous shape of the trunks give the trees an unusual form.

 

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The Ghost tree from Madagascar – its spooky name is coined as it is often cultivated at traditional tombs in local villages

 

2. Australia Garden

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Kangaroo’s Paw – Mainly found in South Western Australia, the flower of the plant is shaped like a kangaroo’s paw, thus the name.

 

3. Olive Grove

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The Olive trees species in planted in Olive Grove are extremely old, with some over a thousand years old!

There’s also the South American Garden, Californian Garden, Mediterranean Garden, South African Garden, Succulent Garden. And the flowers, that’s something you will surely not miss being in the Flower Dome.

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The Flower Field is another key feature in Flower Dome, there will be 4 seasonal changes to the floral displays yearly, to reflect themes and festivals.

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As we moved into the next conservatory, Cloud Forest. The first thing that caught our attention was the 6 storey high, 35 meter ‘mountain’ with a 30m waterfall. The ‘mountain’ is covered with lush vegetation and connected by two walkways, ‘The Cloud Walk’ and the ‘Treetop Walk’

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The Cloud Forest replicates the cool-moist climate found in Tropical Montane regions between 1000 – 3500 sea level, such as Mount Kinabalu in Sabah and elevated areas in South America and Africa.

There are nine unique zones within the Clour Forest Conservatory where one can experience the ecology of cloud forests, some of which include;

1. The Lost World

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This is the highest point of the ‘mountain’ at 35 meters and it features a cloud forest vegetation found a around 2000 metres above sea-level. Typically, carnivorous plants such as pitcher-plants and the Venus Fly Catcher can be found here.

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2. Cloud Walk and Tree Top Walk

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While we were in Cloud Forest, we caught the automated mist + fog effects stimulating a tropical or montane moist forest characterized by a frequent low level cloud cover. I guarantee that you will not leave Cloud Forest with dry clothes and hair!

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3. Earth Check

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A lab display of screens where facts, figures and statistics are presented on the state of the earth today and the problems that we will face due to climate change and habitat loss.

 

4. +5 degrees

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Visitors can virtually experience the temperature increase around the planet, through an interactive large screen.

 

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The other areas in Cloud Walk include the Secret Garden, The Cavern, Waterfall View, Crystal Mountain.

 

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The 3rd paid attraction at Gardens by the Bay are the Supertrees. Supertrees are vertical gardens to showcase the vertical display of flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns. There are a total of 18 Supertrees, ranging from 25 – 50 metres (9 to 16 storey in height), 12 are situated in the Supertree Grove while the remaining 6 are placed in clusters of 3, facing the F&B area of Gardens by the Bay. A walkway known as Skyway links two of the 6 super tress to enable visitors to take in an aerial view of the Bay South Gardens. the Horticultural theme gardens and man-made lakes surrounding the conservatories;

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Due the lack of time, coupled with the extremely humid weather, K and I were not too compelled to visit the Heritage Garden and The World of Plants, Dragon Fly Lake and King Fisher Lake, which are outdoor and are free to visit by the way. So maybe next time.

So what’s our take on our Singapore’s SGD 1 Billion Garden in the City? It’s too early to tell really, if this is money well spent to boost our tourism economy. But after we experienced the sights of beautiful flowers, enjoyed a ‘temperate’ natural experience in our hot climate. And according to K, he has seen the one of the highest and the best waterfalls in Singapore. Our 3 hours at the Gardens by the Bay were well spent, despite the maddening crowd.

So money does buy some happiness after all, even if it means for that momentarily 3 hours experience :)

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If you love nature and flowers as much as I do, do make a trip with your family to Gardens by the Bay. Especially the Flower Dome conservatory, before over-enthusiastic tourists and photo-takers start to destroy the edges of the Flower Field display.

During our visit, K and I spotted many visitors stepping into the sides of the flower bed just to get a better photo of themselves with the flowers :(  That’s probably one of the challenges that NParks will need to deal with; the education of visitors to Gardens by the Bay to ensure the sustenance of ecology in its attractions, with it’s high traffic of visitors and frequent human interaction.

Do make a point not to forget to remind your little ones not to pluck any flowers, leaves or plants during your visit the Gardens.

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If you are all game to brave the crowds and the long queues the next couple of weekends, here’s some information you might find useful :

 

Opening Hours

Garden : Daily 5am – 2am

Cooled Conservatories and Aerial Walkway: Daily 9am – 9pm

 

Admission Charges

Entry to Bay South Garden is free.

Admission to Cool Conservatories and Aerial Walkways (Local residents enjoy differential rates from tourists

Adults    1 Conservatory – $12    2 Conservatories – $20      Aerial Walkway – $5

Child 3-12 Years Old      1 Conservatory – $8    2 Conservatories – $12      Aerial Walkway – $3

For more information on Gardens by the Bay, do check out their official website.

 

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