Saturday, December 31, 2005
Remis or Pehkia
Hello everybody,
Fancy going to the beach this Sunday?
Remis or Pehkia, it is the same, delicious.
The remis or pehkia is one of the most valued local shell-fish.
It is not obtainable at the market. It is usually harvested by
those who are in the know about it, quite esoteric to these
sea food lovers.
It is most delicious when fried with chilli, garlic and onion.
Another way is to pickle it in black sauce with some fresh
chilli. It will be ready for consumption after several days,
just like that. A late auntie of mine used to come all the way
from Oxford Road to our place near Parbury Avenue to
harvest it at the beach in the 1950s and 1960s.
The remis or pehkia is a small mollusc. Its adult size is about
2.5 cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide and less than 1 cm. thick. It is a
very beautiful and clean clam. Its shell is like limestone,
smooth and colourful, albeit with streaks of one or two colours
only. When it is opened, it looks like a beautiful butterfly,
shaped somewhat like the leaves of the bauhinia plant.
Its habitat is at the lower part of the beach and it lies about
a couple of cm. below the sand surface at low tide. It cannot
be spotted, but it can be exposed by scraping the surface of
the sand about a couple of cm. In the old days, people used
a piece of coconut shell to scrape the sand, but I fashioned
my own scraper out of perspex, custom-made and fitting. An
expert harvester works fast, not needing to look at the spot
being scraped, but by listening to the sound made when the
scraper hits the remis, picking it up and putting it in the
coconut shell container.
While the remis is delicious to eat, its shell has another use.
Because of its cleanness, texture and colour, and their varying
size, mosaics can be made out of them. People who are
artistically inclined, made pictures, landscapes, etc. by gluing
them to a board. Children used to play games with these shells.
This remis or pehkia is not extinct. It can still be harvested
along the beaches parallel to the East Coast Parkway, from the
Lagoon to near Parkway Parade. My favourite spots are between
the breakwaters there. Sometimes, due to over harvesting, only
the little ones are left. These grow up in time, it is only a matter
of timing. Also, one needs to know the time of the tides, the low
tides before the tide ebbs fully and rises again. A good time this
Sunday is from 2 to 7 pm. as the tide goes down and comes back.
Happy pehkia hunting,
Ronald
Fancy going to the beach this Sunday?
Remis or Pehkia, it is the same, delicious.
The remis or pehkia is one of the most valued local shell-fish.
It is not obtainable at the market. It is usually harvested by
those who are in the know about it, quite esoteric to these
sea food lovers.
It is most delicious when fried with chilli, garlic and onion.
Another way is to pickle it in black sauce with some fresh
chilli. It will be ready for consumption after several days,
just like that. A late auntie of mine used to come all the way
from Oxford Road to our place near Parbury Avenue to
harvest it at the beach in the 1950s and 1960s.
The remis or pehkia is a small mollusc. Its adult size is about
2.5 cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide and less than 1 cm. thick. It is a
very beautiful and clean clam. Its shell is like limestone,
smooth and colourful, albeit with streaks of one or two colours
only. When it is opened, it looks like a beautiful butterfly,
shaped somewhat like the leaves of the bauhinia plant.
Its habitat is at the lower part of the beach and it lies about
a couple of cm. below the sand surface at low tide. It cannot
be spotted, but it can be exposed by scraping the surface of
the sand about a couple of cm. In the old days, people used
a piece of coconut shell to scrape the sand, but I fashioned
my own scraper out of perspex, custom-made and fitting. An
expert harvester works fast, not needing to look at the spot
being scraped, but by listening to the sound made when the
scraper hits the remis, picking it up and putting it in the
coconut shell container.
While the remis is delicious to eat, its shell has another use.
Because of its cleanness, texture and colour, and their varying
size, mosaics can be made out of them. People who are
artistically inclined, made pictures, landscapes, etc. by gluing
them to a board. Children used to play games with these shells.
This remis or pehkia is not extinct. It can still be harvested
along the beaches parallel to the East Coast Parkway, from the
Lagoon to near Parkway Parade. My favourite spots are between
the breakwaters there. Sometimes, due to over harvesting, only
the little ones are left. These grow up in time, it is only a matter
of timing. Also, one needs to know the time of the tides, the low
tides before the tide ebbs fully and rises again. A good time this
Sunday is from 2 to 7 pm. as the tide goes down and comes back.
Happy pehkia hunting,
Ronald
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Moral Values
Good morning to all,
Moral Values
Moral value defines, refers or relates to, a character,
a behaviour, or an action as being good or evil, right
or wrong. Conscience is the inner sense that knows
the difference between right and wrong, and the moral
values. Conscience judges one's actions according to
the moral laws, and makes one feel guilty, good, evil or
whatever.
Human behaviour is guided by this conscience and the
prevailing moral values, and people act accordingly
within a society. Without conscience and moral values,
our actions can be wanton and very unpredictable,
there being no restrain and no guidelines. Moral values
and conscience are our twin beacons, one shows the way
and the other guides the action. One without the other is
quite futile, leading to unfavourable consequences.
A society is peaceful when the people abide by good
morals. When people violate these morals, conflict and
evil arise, and there is no peace or stability. Just as
roadways and traffic rules are set up to provide safe and
pleasant journeys, these journeys would not be pleasant
when the roadways are bad or the traffic rules are violated.
A good society or a good nation is very much conditioned
by good moral values and the people's conformity to these
values, without which the society or the nation becomes
decadent. It takes ages for a nation to identify its moral
values. It takes eras for that nation to be civilized. But if its
moral values are not present or eroded, then that nation
stays uncivilized, falls apart or decays.
Morals are the foundation of a nation.
A nation without good morals will always be struggling,
unable to find direction nor live in peace.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Moral Values
Moral value defines, refers or relates to, a character,
a behaviour, or an action as being good or evil, right
or wrong. Conscience is the inner sense that knows
the difference between right and wrong, and the moral
values. Conscience judges one's actions according to
the moral laws, and makes one feel guilty, good, evil or
whatever.
Human behaviour is guided by this conscience and the
prevailing moral values, and people act accordingly
within a society. Without conscience and moral values,
our actions can be wanton and very unpredictable,
there being no restrain and no guidelines. Moral values
and conscience are our twin beacons, one shows the way
and the other guides the action. One without the other is
quite futile, leading to unfavourable consequences.
A society is peaceful when the people abide by good
morals. When people violate these morals, conflict and
evil arise, and there is no peace or stability. Just as
roadways and traffic rules are set up to provide safe and
pleasant journeys, these journeys would not be pleasant
when the roadways are bad or the traffic rules are violated.
A good society or a good nation is very much conditioned
by good moral values and the people's conformity to these
values, without which the society or the nation becomes
decadent. It takes ages for a nation to identify its moral
values. It takes eras for that nation to be civilized. But if its
moral values are not present or eroded, then that nation
stays uncivilized, falls apart or decays.
Morals are the foundation of a nation.
A nation without good morals will always be struggling,
unable to find direction nor live in peace.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Sunday, December 25, 2005
String, nail and hook
Good morning to all,
Fancy going fishing?
The good old days.
This phrase always brings back the times when we did the things we
wanted to do very simply. Can anybody go fishing with just a string,
a nail and a hook?
Yes, that was all that we needed then!
Around the 1950s, I lived in a community across the East Coast Road
about 100 metres from the sea. And it was this sea and the beach which
took away most of my time from my school work. You see, my youthful
time was spent at school or at the sea; and if not for the education I had
I would have been a fisherman. It was so easy to live off the sea, really.
Just one example, all I needed was some 20 feet 20 pound nylon string,
a 2 inch iron nail and a No. 16 to No. 18 size hook to bring home fish.
What does an angler need for fishing nowadays? Fancy gears etc.!
For me then, the string was the line, the nail was the sinker, and the
hook was what it was; the bait I got from the beach. Spitting on the
lower part of the beach as the wave receded would get all the worms
wriggling an inch out of the sand, and all I did was to pull them out with
my thumb and forefinger. Sprinkling water from a stale fish would be
more effective than spitting. However, pulling the worms out of the sand
required a certain skill though. Extending the forefinger a little bit from
a clenched fist, thrust it below the worm and griped it quickly with the
thumb and forefinger and pulled it out slowly. The worm was about six
inches long, and each baiting required an inch of it. To keep the worms
from being wriggly, and alive for long, we would coat them with the dry
fine sand available at the upper part of the beach.
Our platform for fishing was the fisherman's big boat, about 30 feet long,
very stable, usually moored some distance from the shore. We would
swim to it. Fishing from this boat was very comfortable. Twenty people
could fish from it without fear of its capsizing. The water would usually
be about 10 feet deep at most, at the best of the tides, around the third
and eighteen days of the lunar month. The water at these times would
be so clear that we could see the fish and everything below at the
seabed.
The ikan pasir, a sand coloured cylindrical fish, about an inch in
diameter and eight inches long, would come in with the tide, very
hungry and voracious. Getting them was easy, but action had to be fast.
In an hour's time they would be well fed and stop biting. The seabed
has plenty of food. So, the smart thing to do was to use two hooks per
line.
Getting the fish home was also easy. All we did was strung them up with
the line we used for fishing, "coming home with a string of fish", so went
the saying.
Nowadays we can fish the whole day with all the expensive gears, and
what can we get? Lots of casting practice only, and perhaps a hook in
the ear, ha ha ha!
Have a nice angling day.
Ronald
Fancy going fishing?
The good old days.
This phrase always brings back the times when we did the things we
wanted to do very simply. Can anybody go fishing with just a string,
a nail and a hook?
Yes, that was all that we needed then!
Around the 1950s, I lived in a community across the East Coast Road
about 100 metres from the sea. And it was this sea and the beach which
took away most of my time from my school work. You see, my youthful
time was spent at school or at the sea; and if not for the education I had
I would have been a fisherman. It was so easy to live off the sea, really.
Just one example, all I needed was some 20 feet 20 pound nylon string,
a 2 inch iron nail and a No. 16 to No. 18 size hook to bring home fish.
What does an angler need for fishing nowadays? Fancy gears etc.!
For me then, the string was the line, the nail was the sinker, and the
hook was what it was; the bait I got from the beach. Spitting on the
lower part of the beach as the wave receded would get all the worms
wriggling an inch out of the sand, and all I did was to pull them out with
my thumb and forefinger. Sprinkling water from a stale fish would be
more effective than spitting. However, pulling the worms out of the sand
required a certain skill though. Extending the forefinger a little bit from
a clenched fist, thrust it below the worm and griped it quickly with the
thumb and forefinger and pulled it out slowly. The worm was about six
inches long, and each baiting required an inch of it. To keep the worms
from being wriggly, and alive for long, we would coat them with the dry
fine sand available at the upper part of the beach.
Our platform for fishing was the fisherman's big boat, about 30 feet long,
very stable, usually moored some distance from the shore. We would
swim to it. Fishing from this boat was very comfortable. Twenty people
could fish from it without fear of its capsizing. The water would usually
be about 10 feet deep at most, at the best of the tides, around the third
and eighteen days of the lunar month. The water at these times would
be so clear that we could see the fish and everything below at the
seabed.
The ikan pasir, a sand coloured cylindrical fish, about an inch in
diameter and eight inches long, would come in with the tide, very
hungry and voracious. Getting them was easy, but action had to be fast.
In an hour's time they would be well fed and stop biting. The seabed
has plenty of food. So, the smart thing to do was to use two hooks per
line.
Getting the fish home was also easy. All we did was strung them up with
the line we used for fishing, "coming home with a string of fish", so went
the saying.
Nowadays we can fish the whole day with all the expensive gears, and
what can we get? Lots of casting practice only, and perhaps a hook in
the ear, ha ha ha!
Have a nice angling day.
Ronald
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Ignorance
Good morning to all,
Ignorance has its own lover.
Ignorance is a multifaceted anything. It lacks knowledge, that is why
it is called ignorance. Yet ignorance is not totally ignorant, because
it knows nothing, ha ha!
Ignorance by default may save us, it can also lead us into danger or
even death. Some people say that ignorance is bliss, some others
say that ignorance does not hurt, while others maintain that it is dumb,
while yet others claim that it is heroism.
If ignorance is bliss, then why are so many people learning all the time.
They should be smiling happily or jumping with joy all the time instead.
If Ignorance does not hurt when one does not know, why do people
engage private investigators to snoop on their spouse's activities; losing
money and hurting themselves in the end; a cuckold should know when
to let sleeping dogs lie then, and not be hurt.
Avoid asking questions so as not to get rid of one's ignorance for fear of
embarrassment, that is a great way to go around in circles and sweat a
lot.
Ignorance can make one seem heroic because ignorance is only
uerm-chai-see, do not know dying. If one does not know dying, one
does not fear, thus one seems heroic, often ending up being a dead
smart alack.
That may also be why there are parents who let their children play and
run around golf driving ranges, unconcerned. They would not know that
a golf club can drive a golf ball through a half inch board, such power.
No know no scare!
A small boy went fishing at the popular Bedok jetty. He had a bite and
hauled up a small octopus. He unhooked it with his hands. It bit him
and he died. He did not know that the blue ring octopus's bite is highly
venomous.
A group of workers went picking cockles at low tide. When the tide
returned, they were drowned. They were ignorant that the tide would
rise faster than they could make their way back to shore.
Danger always lurks ahead of anyone who plunges headlong ignorantly.
There was a time when two friends were returning home from a majong
game in Lucky Estate. As they were passing Aljunied Road they saw
columns of smoke and people with headbands walking in groups. They
were curious and wanted to know what was happening. They drove into
Geylang Road towards Joo Chiat Road. There they saw more of the
same type of people, more fires of burning tyres producing the columns
of smoke. The atmosphere was calm but ominous, quiet and not riotous.
There were overturned vehicles, some burning, some burnt out; the people
did not carry arms; there were no policemen about, nor pressmen. The
people with headbands were walking quietly, in groups of about ten to
thirty, towards Geylang Serai. The two friends were the only two people
driving a small Fiat 600D. There were no other vehicles about except the
overturned or burning ones.
It was obvious then that something was very terribly wrong. Knowledge
soon drove out ignorance. Fear came immediately with realization. Taking
the first turning available, the two drove like hell-drivers out of the riot torn
areas.
Ignorance had led them near to death, yet it was not knowledge that
saved them. It was the abatement of the racial riots of the first day that
they were spared. The consequence would have been completely
different if the majong game had ended earlier.
That scene was a part of the racial riots that finally led to the split up of
Malaysia and Singapore.
Say what one likes about ignorance.
Ignorance will live to see its lover's fate.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Ignorance has its own lover.
Ignorance is a multifaceted anything. It lacks knowledge, that is why
it is called ignorance. Yet ignorance is not totally ignorant, because
it knows nothing, ha ha!
Ignorance by default may save us, it can also lead us into danger or
even death. Some people say that ignorance is bliss, some others
say that ignorance does not hurt, while others maintain that it is dumb,
while yet others claim that it is heroism.
If ignorance is bliss, then why are so many people learning all the time.
They should be smiling happily or jumping with joy all the time instead.
If Ignorance does not hurt when one does not know, why do people
engage private investigators to snoop on their spouse's activities; losing
money and hurting themselves in the end; a cuckold should know when
to let sleeping dogs lie then, and not be hurt.
Avoid asking questions so as not to get rid of one's ignorance for fear of
embarrassment, that is a great way to go around in circles and sweat a
lot.
Ignorance can make one seem heroic because ignorance is only
uerm-chai-see, do not know dying. If one does not know dying, one
does not fear, thus one seems heroic, often ending up being a dead
smart alack.
That may also be why there are parents who let their children play and
run around golf driving ranges, unconcerned. They would not know that
a golf club can drive a golf ball through a half inch board, such power.
No know no scare!
A small boy went fishing at the popular Bedok jetty. He had a bite and
hauled up a small octopus. He unhooked it with his hands. It bit him
and he died. He did not know that the blue ring octopus's bite is highly
venomous.
A group of workers went picking cockles at low tide. When the tide
returned, they were drowned. They were ignorant that the tide would
rise faster than they could make their way back to shore.
Danger always lurks ahead of anyone who plunges headlong ignorantly.
There was a time when two friends were returning home from a majong
game in Lucky Estate. As they were passing Aljunied Road they saw
columns of smoke and people with headbands walking in groups. They
were curious and wanted to know what was happening. They drove into
Geylang Road towards Joo Chiat Road. There they saw more of the
same type of people, more fires of burning tyres producing the columns
of smoke. The atmosphere was calm but ominous, quiet and not riotous.
There were overturned vehicles, some burning, some burnt out; the people
did not carry arms; there were no policemen about, nor pressmen. The
people with headbands were walking quietly, in groups of about ten to
thirty, towards Geylang Serai. The two friends were the only two people
driving a small Fiat 600D. There were no other vehicles about except the
overturned or burning ones.
It was obvious then that something was very terribly wrong. Knowledge
soon drove out ignorance. Fear came immediately with realization. Taking
the first turning available, the two drove like hell-drivers out of the riot torn
areas.
Ignorance had led them near to death, yet it was not knowledge that
saved them. It was the abatement of the racial riots of the first day that
they were spared. The consequence would have been completely
different if the majong game had ended earlier.
That scene was a part of the racial riots that finally led to the split up of
Malaysia and Singapore.
Say what one likes about ignorance.
Ignorance will live to see its lover's fate.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Monday, December 19, 2005
Start a Business
Hello all,
No work to do, create an activity.
In the wet market there is usually a section where sundry goods
are sold, including textiles. And the man tending the textile stall
is usually an elderly Chinese wearing China made T-shirt and
pyjama bottom, sitting on a wooden stool. Business is usually
lackluster, but these vendors carry on.
One day I was surprised to see one of these dual stalls separated
into two again, and a near middle aged woman occupying the
other one. She had a simple cardboard sign overhung with a large
handwritten word ALTERATION. She had nothing much more
except a sewing machine and the accompanying small hemming
machine. The whole enclosure was quite bare. Sitting on a bare
wooden chair she was busily sewing clothes. She had started a
business, and was waiting for small jobs like altering dresses and
edging, or other simple sewing jobs which many people need but
do not have the equipment nor skill for it.
To me, a regular frequenter to the market, she was more like
having a pastime. Nevertheless, over the days, dresses were
displayed for sale from the overhanging rails. These dresses were
sewn by her, to her own measurement, with her own design. Her
flair and initiative manifested themselves. She had kept herself
occupied, making her dresses to sell, while waiting for business,
failing which she could wear them herself. Also, she had expressed
her own creations. How shrewd and smart she was!
Well, as she had foreseen, her dresses sold well. Customers came
and made orders for custom dresses, and her business caught on.
Other things were added for sale, accessories and things associated
with dress making, and things to make women beautiful.
Her stall still looks like a store room, but her business thrives. It
would not be surprising that before long she would take over the
adjacent stall for her business. It is marvellous to see how an
enterprising woman begins with an idea and sets up a business
like this, and succeeds.
Have a nice day.
Ronald.
No work to do, create an activity.
In the wet market there is usually a section where sundry goods
are sold, including textiles. And the man tending the textile stall
is usually an elderly Chinese wearing China made T-shirt and
pyjama bottom, sitting on a wooden stool. Business is usually
lackluster, but these vendors carry on.
One day I was surprised to see one of these dual stalls separated
into two again, and a near middle aged woman occupying the
other one. She had a simple cardboard sign overhung with a large
handwritten word ALTERATION. She had nothing much more
except a sewing machine and the accompanying small hemming
machine. The whole enclosure was quite bare. Sitting on a bare
wooden chair she was busily sewing clothes. She had started a
business, and was waiting for small jobs like altering dresses and
edging, or other simple sewing jobs which many people need but
do not have the equipment nor skill for it.
To me, a regular frequenter to the market, she was more like
having a pastime. Nevertheless, over the days, dresses were
displayed for sale from the overhanging rails. These dresses were
sewn by her, to her own measurement, with her own design. Her
flair and initiative manifested themselves. She had kept herself
occupied, making her dresses to sell, while waiting for business,
failing which she could wear them herself. Also, she had expressed
her own creations. How shrewd and smart she was!
Well, as she had foreseen, her dresses sold well. Customers came
and made orders for custom dresses, and her business caught on.
Other things were added for sale, accessories and things associated
with dress making, and things to make women beautiful.
Her stall still looks like a store room, but her business thrives. It
would not be surprising that before long she would take over the
adjacent stall for her business. It is marvellous to see how an
enterprising woman begins with an idea and sets up a business
like this, and succeeds.
Have a nice day.
Ronald.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Who is my neighbour?
Good morning,
And who is my neighbour?
When Jesus was preaching, a scholar of the law tested him,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus asked instead , "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
The lawyer answered, "You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your being,
with all your strength, and with all your mind,
and your neighbour as yourself."
Jesus said, "You have answered correctly.
Do this and you will live."
But, to justify himself, he asked again,
"And who is my neighbour?"
Then, Jesus told this parable.
"A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and
went off, leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road, but when
he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise, a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him,
he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved
with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn
and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take
care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'"
Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbour to the robbers' victim?"
The lawyer replied, "The one who treated him with mercy!"
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Have a nice day.
Ronald
And who is my neighbour?
When Jesus was preaching, a scholar of the law tested him,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus asked instead , "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
The lawyer answered, "You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your being,
with all your strength, and with all your mind,
and your neighbour as yourself."
Jesus said, "You have answered correctly.
Do this and you will live."
But, to justify himself, he asked again,
"And who is my neighbour?"
Then, Jesus told this parable.
"A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and
went off, leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road, but when
he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise, a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him,
he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved
with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn
and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take
care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'"
Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbour to the robbers' victim?"
The lawyer replied, "The one who treated him with mercy!"
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Septuagenarian widower
Good morning,
Profile of a septuagenarian widower.
There is a widower, a septuagenarian,
who lives alone.
A generation ago, he owned two double storey
semidetached and one terraced houses.
He was not a very wealthy man to own such properties.
It was just that he knew when to buy properties and
how to trade in company shares.
He would talked to me about OCBC, F&N, DBS, SPH etc.
The twin houses he gave to his two children,
the other for himself.
He also had a heart by-pass done, preemptively,
before it became serious.
At present, he still lives alone,
in a 3-room HDB flat nearby, which he owns.
His two grown up children live elsewhere,
so he rents their houses.
He owns a couple of condominium units too,
and his aim is to provide one of these
to each of his grandchildren.
He has more than enough income,
from house rental and shares dividends,
for his own use.
Going on overseas tours and visits to his children
hardly make any dent to his income.
He is simply unable to spend his income as he told me.
He lives very simply, travelling by bus,
going on his rounds on his rickety bicycle or by foot.
He attends to the upkeep of the properties himself.
He cooks himself, or eats at the hawker centers.
On Sunday mornings, he joins his buddies at the HDB
coffee shops. They keep each other informed of things
happening at the Stock Exchange and the property market.
Occasionally, there gather at the stock broker's office,
sometimes making some easy bucks on the spot.
He has had another heart by-pass, just like before.
This is the lifestyle of a simple septuagenarian widower.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Profile of a septuagenarian widower.
There is a widower, a septuagenarian,
who lives alone.
A generation ago, he owned two double storey
semidetached and one terraced houses.
He was not a very wealthy man to own such properties.
It was just that he knew when to buy properties and
how to trade in company shares.
He would talked to me about OCBC, F&N, DBS, SPH etc.
The twin houses he gave to his two children,
the other for himself.
He also had a heart by-pass done, preemptively,
before it became serious.
At present, he still lives alone,
in a 3-room HDB flat nearby, which he owns.
His two grown up children live elsewhere,
so he rents their houses.
He owns a couple of condominium units too,
and his aim is to provide one of these
to each of his grandchildren.
He has more than enough income,
from house rental and shares dividends,
for his own use.
Going on overseas tours and visits to his children
hardly make any dent to his income.
He is simply unable to spend his income as he told me.
He lives very simply, travelling by bus,
going on his rounds on his rickety bicycle or by foot.
He attends to the upkeep of the properties himself.
He cooks himself, or eats at the hawker centers.
On Sunday mornings, he joins his buddies at the HDB
coffee shops. They keep each other informed of things
happening at the Stock Exchange and the property market.
Occasionally, there gather at the stock broker's office,
sometimes making some easy bucks on the spot.
He has had another heart by-pass, just like before.
This is the lifestyle of a simple septuagenarian widower.
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Figure this out.
Hello everyone,
Figure this out.
Anything
that is still
is dead !.
Paradoxically,
things that are dead
are still
not still !
Have a nice day,
Ronald
Figure this out.
Anything
that is still
is dead !.
Paradoxically,
things that are dead
are still
not still !
Have a nice day,
Ronald
Friday, December 09, 2005
Event plus One
Good morning to all,
Exhibition of Magnificent Rags?
How often do senior citizens, people over 60 years old,
visit places like museums, exhibitions, etc.?
And of those who did, what percentage do they comprise?
In the first place, it is probable that many do not know
where these places are.
And anyone who can remember the last time they visited
such an event deserves a congratulation.
Well, I myself count negatively.
Recently on All Saints Day, 1 November, I had the occasion
to visit the Singapore Art Museum.
It was by chance, not by choice.
Since I was giving a photographer a lift there,
the opportunity arose.
Admittedly, I did not know where it was nor what they
exhibited.
The event was an exhibition put up by the students of the
Raffles Design Institute.
The display comprised some 20 or so large photographs
of the clothes the students designed, modelled by professionals.
The students had been inspired by the works of the famous
Spanish abstract expressionist painter, Antoni Tapies,
who was born in 1923.
Beside each photo was the actual clothes worn by the models.
They were both suspended from the ceiling, side by side.
What was most striking was this:
casually, a viewer would not connect the clothing on display
to the one worn by the model in the photo.
The clothes looked like discarded drapes, or worn out tapestries,
or mutilated carpets, materials for the rag and bone man.
Yet, on the models they were very elegant and classy.
The superb photography also enhanced their magnificence.
As I was leaving the exhibition I witnessed an incident worth
narrating to share with you all. A culture like this do make
society pleasant. There was a young woman and a child of
pre-school age at the entrance. The woman was half squatting
kneeling before the girl, bringing herself to the same eye level.
She was explaining to the child how to behave when viewing
the exhibits in the gallery. She took time to brief her, making
sure that the child understood. Is this not heartening?
Where kids and grown ups nowadays misbehave and
say sorry at the same time, this was certainly a light shining
for good discipline and behaviour.
Visit a gallery and smell some roses.
Ronald
Exhibition of Magnificent Rags?
How often do senior citizens, people over 60 years old,
visit places like museums, exhibitions, etc.?
And of those who did, what percentage do they comprise?
In the first place, it is probable that many do not know
where these places are.
And anyone who can remember the last time they visited
such an event deserves a congratulation.
Well, I myself count negatively.
Recently on All Saints Day, 1 November, I had the occasion
to visit the Singapore Art Museum.
It was by chance, not by choice.
Since I was giving a photographer a lift there,
the opportunity arose.
Admittedly, I did not know where it was nor what they
exhibited.
The event was an exhibition put up by the students of the
Raffles Design Institute.
The display comprised some 20 or so large photographs
of the clothes the students designed, modelled by professionals.
The students had been inspired by the works of the famous
Spanish abstract expressionist painter, Antoni Tapies,
who was born in 1923.
Beside each photo was the actual clothes worn by the models.
They were both suspended from the ceiling, side by side.
What was most striking was this:
casually, a viewer would not connect the clothing on display
to the one worn by the model in the photo.
The clothes looked like discarded drapes, or worn out tapestries,
or mutilated carpets, materials for the rag and bone man.
Yet, on the models they were very elegant and classy.
The superb photography also enhanced their magnificence.
As I was leaving the exhibition I witnessed an incident worth
narrating to share with you all. A culture like this do make
society pleasant. There was a young woman and a child of
pre-school age at the entrance. The woman was half squatting
kneeling before the girl, bringing herself to the same eye level.
She was explaining to the child how to behave when viewing
the exhibits in the gallery. She took time to brief her, making
sure that the child understood. Is this not heartening?
Where kids and grown ups nowadays misbehave and
say sorry at the same time, this was certainly a light shining
for good discipline and behaviour.
Visit a gallery and smell some roses.
Ronald
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Voluntourists
Hello to all,
Voluntouring Voluntourists Voluntours Voluntourism .
There are people with leisure, excess energy and skills,
wanting to do something better. There are people who are
victims of catastrophes, or disadvantaged and neglected,
suffering and needing help, care and comfort.
One group meets the other, divine guidance?
The scenario: angels tending to lost souls?.
Voluntourists are the angels, travelling to strange places
as tourists and stopping to volunteer help to the lost souls,
those suffering, enjoying their tours, and then moving on.
These journeys and activities are a trend which has become
an industry, gaining popularity.
Voluntouring appeals to all kinds of people who long for the
opportunity to do something more with their leisure time.
It gives the participants a great sense of something bigger
than themselves. It allows them to immerse themselves in
other communities and cultures, to learn about them, and
to let their love issue forth, freely and naturally.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes,
volcano eruptions, floods, poverty, diseases, neglect;
all these leave victims on a big scale beyond adequate
succour, immediate care and rebuilding. Where there is
a disaster there are victims.
Deaf and mute children at the orphanage were taught job skills.
Adobe stoves with chimneys were built. Wheelchairs were
assembled from kits with the help of the orphanage kids and
given to neurologically handicapped orphans elsewhere.
Wells were dug. Shelters were constructed for the homeless,
and schools for the community. Bedridden patients were
comforted, their wounds cleaned and dressed.
The above are just a few mention of the things the voluntourists
did. These jobs are not difficult to do, there are just not enough
people to do it. The voluntourists fulfil part of this inadequacy,
on a temporary or transient basis.
There was a man who went to visit Kalkatta. He went to see
Mother Theresa's orphanage, etc. He stayed there to help. He is
still there after more than 15 years. He has given up his high
salary job. He is happy.
One voluntourist said, "The low point often is the feeling of not
doing enough, and the reality that your visit is short and
temporary. The high point is that when you leave, departure
is difficult, there is not a dry eye."
Another said, "One feels much better about oneself as a result.
It is sometimes a serendipitous feeling and it is something
money cannot buy."
One voluntourist wrote, "You cannot do everything, but you
can do something. If you can do something, then you should do
something. If you should do something, then do something."
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Voluntouring Voluntourists Voluntours Voluntourism .
There are people with leisure, excess energy and skills,
wanting to do something better. There are people who are
victims of catastrophes, or disadvantaged and neglected,
suffering and needing help, care and comfort.
One group meets the other, divine guidance?
The scenario: angels tending to lost souls?.
Voluntourists are the angels, travelling to strange places
as tourists and stopping to volunteer help to the lost souls,
those suffering, enjoying their tours, and then moving on.
These journeys and activities are a trend which has become
an industry, gaining popularity.
Voluntouring appeals to all kinds of people who long for the
opportunity to do something more with their leisure time.
It gives the participants a great sense of something bigger
than themselves. It allows them to immerse themselves in
other communities and cultures, to learn about them, and
to let their love issue forth, freely and naturally.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes,
volcano eruptions, floods, poverty, diseases, neglect;
all these leave victims on a big scale beyond adequate
succour, immediate care and rebuilding. Where there is
a disaster there are victims.
Deaf and mute children at the orphanage were taught job skills.
Adobe stoves with chimneys were built. Wheelchairs were
assembled from kits with the help of the orphanage kids and
given to neurologically handicapped orphans elsewhere.
Wells were dug. Shelters were constructed for the homeless,
and schools for the community. Bedridden patients were
comforted, their wounds cleaned and dressed.
The above are just a few mention of the things the voluntourists
did. These jobs are not difficult to do, there are just not enough
people to do it. The voluntourists fulfil part of this inadequacy,
on a temporary or transient basis.
There was a man who went to visit Kalkatta. He went to see
Mother Theresa's orphanage, etc. He stayed there to help. He is
still there after more than 15 years. He has given up his high
salary job. He is happy.
One voluntourist said, "The low point often is the feeling of not
doing enough, and the reality that your visit is short and
temporary. The high point is that when you leave, departure
is difficult, there is not a dry eye."
Another said, "One feels much better about oneself as a result.
It is sometimes a serendipitous feeling and it is something
money cannot buy."
One voluntourist wrote, "You cannot do everything, but you
can do something. If you can do something, then you should do
something. If you should do something, then do something."
Have a nice day.
Ronald
Friday, December 02, 2005
Monkey Nuts
Hello everybody,
Delicious Monkey Nuts
Once upon a time, a ship was wrecked by a very violent storm
and sank in the ocean. However, four of the sailors escaped and
arrived at a small island far off the eastern coast of Eropagnis.
In their search for food, they came upon a monkey fruit tree in
its great abundance. The monkey nuts were very delicious,
and in their frenzy they plucked all the nuts. They ate their fill
till night time. Then, having agreed to share the great pile of nuts
equally in the morning, they went to sleep.
But in the night, one of them wanted to play it safe. He got up
and divided the pile into four equal lots, leaving one extra. He ate
the extra, put the three other lots together, took his own share
and hid it and went to sleep. Later, another sailor had the same
idea,and he did exactly the same thing as the first sailor had done.
He also ate the extra nut, put the other three lots together, took his
own share and hid it and went to sleep. Well, like birds of the same
feather, the other two had the same idea and did the same thing,
the fourth after the third; each ate the extra, put the other three
lots together, took his own share and hid it and went to sleep.
They all slept soundly after that, and when dawn broke they shared
the remaining pile equally; again, having one extra nut which they
threw to a monkey which came by.
Although they all knew that the last pile of monkey nuts was very
much smaller, each kept his own guilty secret, and everyone was
happy with the outcome, albeit the unequal distribution.
Well, since this story has held your interest so far it has served its
dual purposes, because it is actually a puzzle .
How many monkey nuts were there in the great big pile
before they went to sleep?
Have a nice weekend.
Ronald
Delicious Monkey Nuts
Once upon a time, a ship was wrecked by a very violent storm
and sank in the ocean. However, four of the sailors escaped and
arrived at a small island far off the eastern coast of Eropagnis.
In their search for food, they came upon a monkey fruit tree in
its great abundance. The monkey nuts were very delicious,
and in their frenzy they plucked all the nuts. They ate their fill
till night time. Then, having agreed to share the great pile of nuts
equally in the morning, they went to sleep.
But in the night, one of them wanted to play it safe. He got up
and divided the pile into four equal lots, leaving one extra. He ate
the extra, put the three other lots together, took his own share
and hid it and went to sleep. Later, another sailor had the same
idea,and he did exactly the same thing as the first sailor had done.
He also ate the extra nut, put the other three lots together, took his
own share and hid it and went to sleep. Well, like birds of the same
feather, the other two had the same idea and did the same thing,
the fourth after the third; each ate the extra, put the other three
lots together, took his own share and hid it and went to sleep.
They all slept soundly after that, and when dawn broke they shared
the remaining pile equally; again, having one extra nut which they
threw to a monkey which came by.
Although they all knew that the last pile of monkey nuts was very
much smaller, each kept his own guilty secret, and everyone was
happy with the outcome, albeit the unequal distribution.
Well, since this story has held your interest so far it has served its
dual purposes, because it is actually a puzzle .
How many monkey nuts were there in the great big pile
before they went to sleep?
Have a nice weekend.
Ronald
