The Orchid

Different countries have their national flower, for example: Holland's tulip, England's rose, Malaysia's Hibiscus, Canada's Maple Leaf ( that's technically not a flower), France's Fleur de Lis ( Scout's Honour) . For Singapore, we have Vanda Miss Joaquim, a kind of orchid.

Singapore seems of have an affinity for orchid. It's probably because it's hardy and can be grown in the hot, humid equatorial region. Personally I think it's clean - no need for soil; it can be planted and sticked to almost anywhere : it can be potted on the floor, potted and hung, tied to coconut husk and sticked onto trees, walls, fences ... ; and of course it's beautiful - it comes in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes.







The uploading is taking too long, please go to the link below, to my web album instead:

http://picasaweb.google.com/yapkianwee/Orchids

Try to slideshow, I have a pleasant surprise when I clicked on it.

Singapore Botanical Garden

Here are some photos taken in Singapore Botanical Garden:

3 star kayaking course

I just started my 3 star kayaking course again - yes again. This is my second attempt; I can't really recall when I did my first course.

After so many years, I still can't do a proper row... How disheartening. Actually, I'm not that bothered, as long as I have fun learning. The joy of kayaking, besides showing off the eskimo rows, is really in touch with the nature - the sun, sand, sea.

For those who have not been to Kallang Sea Sports Club. Here are some pics.

The pic above shows Nicol Highway over Kallang River.

As I am writing this blog, ZoukOut is slipping through my fingers. The party animal in me is tempting me to 'chiong' out of the door and get drunk and sweaty, or at least have a bit of fun. It may just be the last ZoukOut in Sentosa before the IR develops, who knows.

Well, I would consider attending a kayaking course while recovering from a flu is adventurous enough for any city dweller. Actually, I'm still having a stuffy nose. And I probably have enough sea water in me to keep the fever subsided, I hope.

I must add that the weather today is a blessing.

Sentosa IR and Vivo City

The government just annouced the results of the Sentosa IR bid - the winner is ... Genting. Wow I suppose next time we can expect people gambling at Sentosa, follow by gambling at Star Cruise on the way to KL, and then, yet another attempt by the IR to suck up all your money at Genting Highlands. It's that cool. Mountain high cool. Ain't No Mountain High Enough to bring IR to you dude, Singapore...

Anyway, personally I think it's a wonderful news. I'm not a sucker for casino. But China, India and other countries are coming up so fast, we need a way to suck up all their $$$. Casino seems to be a very good bet (pun intended) - Ancient gambling artifacts as early as 2300BC has been uncovered from China!

Another up and coming shopping centre is Vivo City, the biggest shopping centre in Singapore - so far. I've been there a few days ago, and I must say, I'm not really impressed by it. Here are some photos:

Coffee and Caffeine

Rainy weather always conjures coffee drinking.

What's in a name? Caffeine by any other name will look like this:



A lot of people are wondering about the amount of caffeine in a coffee?

Actually, there is no straight forward answer. The amount of caffeine in a coffee depends on

• the temperature of water ( the hotter the water, the more caffeine will be dissolved.
• the grind ( the finer the grind, the more caffeine will be dissoved)
• the time ( the longer you soak the coffee powder, the more caffeine will be dissoved.)
• the type of coffee ( in general, robusta beans have more caffeine than the arabica beans)

For a general guide, the picture below is useful. It is taken from Coffee by Philippe Boe.

The First Post

This is the first post. The previous post(s) is(are) backed dated.

A picture I have taken a few days ago. This was taken at Marina Square using a 2 megapixel mobile phone.

Scouts Malacca Trip

Brought students to Malacca. It is Goodwill Camp among Singaporeans, Malaysians, Thais, and Indonesians. For Singaporeans who are squashed in the middle geographically, it consisted of 2 parts : Batam and Malacca. I went for the Malacca portion only.


My first digital camera , a 2 megapixel Nikon, spoilt on the way. Well ... if it's time to go, it's time to go. This is the last picture taken by that camera.


The scouts enjoyed themselves sight-seeing and shopping at pasar malam... This is more of a leisure camp so I shan't be too particular about the rowdy behaviour.


This is the HUGE pineapple tart in a shop at the night market.


I suppose all leisure camps come with their share of vices. So here are a number for the record:

• gambling poker cards (UNO cards are everywhere!)
  
• alleged smoking
• adult leaders - drinking at pubs.

and Joel with his funny shaved hair trying to get everybody's attention.