A Bird In The Hand

Every morning, just after the break of dawn, the crows navigate their way down the MRT line from their city roost to the heartland.

They are dark, silent birds at this hour; avian stealth bombers heading out on a predefined mission.  At this hour too the volume of rail traffic is reduced although later a train comes at three minute intervals, packed full of commuters.

I am not sure that I expected so many "European species" of fauna when I arrived here.  It was a revelation to discover crows, , sparrows, squirrels and swallows but this was because of my own naive perception that such species did not exist in the tropics..

The word 'tropics' conjures up colourful butterflies, larger than life insects, spiders and lizards.  These are certainly here in abundance as is the verdant foliage of the fast growing tropical plants; red-trunked palms, large shade trees and the orchids of every hue.

According to Wikipedia Singapore has 60 species of mammals, 365 species of birds, 107 species of reptiles, and 28 species of amphibians.  It is estimated that some 11% of species are introduced including the Rock Pigeon, House Crow, Javan Myna and Eurasian Tree sparrow.  They have adapted so well to their new environment that they consistently rank in the top 20 of any avian census.

I too have adapted well to my Singapore environment but my time here is coming to and end and so tomorrow I pack away my PC, in preparation for my return to my first winter in four years - not a happy thought!

With the aid of my recently of my recently purchased laptop I hope to add a few more entries to this epistle before we leave Singapore at the beginning of July.

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Today's Print

St Andrews Before The Storm................................................................................ Roger Smith  May 2010

Of Mangoes And Thunderbolts

I don't really count myself as superstitious although I have been known to have the lucky number of 8 about my person when trying to better the odds.

Nor do I believe in most of the old Cantonese tales associated with food, particularly those that decry the consumption of raw fruit and vegetables in the fear that they may produce 'wind'.

If I recall correctly from boarding school days it was the consumption of cooked cabbage that produced this intestinal malfunction.

The sorry sight of the old mango tree beside the Queenstown MRT therefore had no bearing upon my mood.  One of its boughs, which had once sported eight ripening fruit,  had broken under the weight of the heavy crop and was blocking the drain that it had overhung.

It belongs to the TrueWay Presbyterian church which is on the site but they never seem to crop it.

I was making my final Sunday pilgrimage to the Queenstown Public Library where I have spent many happy hours in the reference section on the second floor.

Quite by chance I happened across Bill Bryson's memoir The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (click on cover image right).

This is one of the funniest pieces of writing I have read for some time and I had to stifle my sobs of inner laughter to maintain the quite sanctity of the building. Even then the leather sofa on which I sat shook with my mirth.

I know Bryson from his travel writing but his description of his childhood in the 1950's was extemely enjoyable and a pointed commentary of the consumer society of the time.

It somehow seemed fitting that I should end my final library visit  in such a jovial mood, even though I am not one to believe in omens.

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Queenstown

In the boiled bone
miasma of the morning
the ochre brown of a cockroach
its dead legs spread towards the sky
and the soil
a root claw holding back results of rain

The two glazed elephants
are standing guard
next to the purple of a bougainvillea
while nearby a man with sinewed legs
searches for life
in the dry canal

Roger Smith.  May 27, 2010

Airport Violations

Changi. Image by crawl_ray via Flickr

I am not a huge fan of travel statistics but a story in this week's Jakarta Post made for interesting reading.

Unlike Changi airport, Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International is a somewhat jaded cluster of buildings.

While it would be difficult to find an orchid out of place in Singapore, Indonesia's equivalent recorded a staggering 19,391 violations of public order in 2009.

Amongst them:

7,829 street vendors
407 illegal porters
1,392 shoe polishers
1,663 ticket scalpers
1,177 drivers of cars that had their wheels clamped
6,169 illegal taxis
(and the statistic I like best) 227 Scavengers

The authorities also confiscated 11 stoves, 15 mobile phone vouchers, 9 counterfeit banknotes and 17 motorcycles.

Just Four Years Old

I learn to play drums like this at age 13.  This little guy at 4 years old is just fantastic and look how much he is enjoying himself.

Thinking Strategically

Yesterday the Singaporean PM and his Malaysian counterpart signed an important agreement.
 

Since the separation from Malaysia more than forty years ago that country has retained a sovereign presence in the heart of Singapore.  They own the Railway station and track that snakes its way through Singapore.  It is still gazetted as the Johor Bahru station in Malaysia

When Mathatir was in power his jaundiced view of Singapore and the world meant that this was never going to be resolved.  I am anticipating he will snipe away from the sidelines about this agreement and try to stir up trouble.

What was demonstrated yesterday was political maturity and  willingness to compromise for the benefit of all parties.

There will be a new railway terminus at Woodlands and the equally good news is that the rather charming (if somewhat dilapidated) railway station at Tanjong Pagar will be retained and conserved as a heritage building.  A new rapid transit system will link Singapore and Johor Bahru by 2018.

On the same day it was announced by Lee Hsien Loong that the water treatment station at Sungei in JB will be returned to the Malaysians when its lease runs out next year.

In the 1960's Singapore lived under constant threats of having their water supply cut off but latter developments such as the Marina Bay barrage and technologies such as NeWater treatment have largely negated this threat of such political blackmail.  The reliance on Sungei is not what it once was.

Singapore plans strategically for its longevity as a nation.  Having no natural resources of its own, other than people, it is reliant on others for the basics of life such as food and water.  Having largely addressed the water issue it also looks to broaden the supply chain for its food supply.

It has plans to invest heavily in a large faming and food processing food zone in North East China and if this comes to pass much of its meat and vegetables will come from this source in the future.

This development is only in the study phase but if it comes to pass fifteen years from now Singapore will no longer be beholden to volatile countries such as Indonesia for its meat supply.

Singapore Likes and Dislikes

Things I like

Thinks I dislike

The roar of tropical rains The detonation of a thunderclap The scent of pandan The MRT after the morning rush No winters Changi airport The Singaporean spirit of giving The Asian Civilisation Museum The friendliness of the bus drivers on the 111 route The greening of Singapore The verdant growth and colour of the tropics Rainbow mangoes and pisang manis (bananas) The Queenstown Library Chendol Malay food Old Chung Kee curry puffs Ah Teck Bao High Speed unlimited broadband at cheap prices A $1 Walls icecream Durian and Mangosteen The sound of a professional pianist practising in my condo The many good Singaporean friends I have made in my time here The way the country is governed Being able to walk safely on the streets as any hour of the day or night  The Botanic Gardens Marks and Spencers because they stock my sizes Being able to buy good luggage bags at reasonable prices Money changers Being in Singapore during a financial meltdown Lunching in the White Dog cafe at Vivio City Cruising on Superstar Virgo to Phuket and Penang Satay Bee Hoon at Redhill Food centre The kite flying at Marine Parade The East Coast seafood restaurants Cheap drycleaning The Old Ford Factory exhibit The wide variety of fruit and vegetables from many countries Century eggs with sliced ginger Ipoh Pomelo

Waiting at a bus stop on a humid morning Litter advertising on poles Attempts by new immigrant hawkers to cook classic Singapore dishes The MRT during the morning rush The energy sapping heat with little respite Spitting in the street Second hand smoke inhalation Begging False Monks Fundamentalist religions taking advantage of the weak and disadvantaged Being pushed off the pavement by inconsiderate pedestrians The Mediacorp free to air channels for their limited and amateurish programmes Highrise littering Smelly drains Cockroaches of every size and hue Being asked to pay $100 for the privilege of going into the new casinos and lose another $100 Increasing amounts of rubbish in the streets Ang Mo who make no effort to mingle and learn the local culture Not being able to fit any of the local clothing or shoe sizes The bureaucracy and service at the local banks Ditto for Singtel The cost of freight back to New Zealand Singapore Airlines one way fare costs Highly sugared local bread Indonesian 'haze' when it blankets Singapore Singapore Idol Maids scavenging through the condo rubbish bins The Japanese habit of preparing and eating seafood when it is still alive 3 in1 coffee

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