Kampung Glam

Kandahar, Baghdad, Muscat and Arab Street no i have not gone to the middle east only as far as Kampung Glam (Gelam which is a type of tree) where these are just some of the colourful street names. This semi restored area fascinates me and i have gone there several times to take pictures as well as to hit the coffee shops, there is a flavour in the area that i just cant seem to catch with my trusty camera if you ask me to describe the taste of the place it would be simply Masala Tea.

Flanked on two ends by the Gold Domed (where the Golden for the golden landmark hotel gets its name) Sultan Mosque and the beautiful blue tiled Malabar Mosque its the bits between that make this area a cultural landmark

Some of the old shophouse's have yet to be "restored". Above you can see the typically long buildings

Its still a very much lived in area, not just for tourist and locals to chill.

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I snuck into an abandoned building to take a look.

Below, the exterior of the building

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Above one of my fav shots of the day. I think it would make for a good caption contest.

:) figure it out.

Below some tiling work on one of the buildings.

And last of all my shot of the day.

ok so i lied there was one more

When we tried to rip ourselves apart.

I have often thought that a good interviewsubject either for TV or the print media would be the people who took part in the Hock Lee Bus riots, the Maria Hertogh riots, the race riots of 1964, the 1954 National Service Riots and the Chinese Middle School riots. I wonder if they think Singapore is a better place now, i wonder if they think that what they did means something today. My parents used to tell me about the fear that spread, about rumours that the chinese were coming to kill everyone or that the malays were down the road killing everyone. They used to tell me about curfew and not being able to get to the shops and even when you did most of them had nothing on their shelves for fear of looters. My mum and my brother actually went to stay with my grandmother in Johor where it was deemed safer for them while my father roamed singapore trying to get a better look at what was happening (i often wondered if he didnt set a car or two ablaze but he really wasnt that kind of man). Death, distruction and mayhem things so unimaginable here in Singapore today. Most of us learn a little bit in school and maybe read abit in the papers when there is an Anniversary or something but the people who were there doing the rioting because of rumors or because they felt they were fighting for something worth fighting for, these are the people i think we should interview. These are the people that i would like to hear.

Maria Hertogh died recently at the age of 72, she had a hard life, left by her biological family, ripped apart from her adoptive family and husband, sent to live in a place where she knew not the language or customs and none of it her choice. Sometimes its hard to remember that for her and her families both adoptive and biological it was not about race or religion it was about a little girl.

Have Wheels Will Travel.

Our little bike tribe. the 2 bikes missing are laws(getting a tune up) and mungent (in east timor, long story)

Spent a couple of hours riding with the boys today, did a little stint in the late morning after our early morning attempt was foiled due to rain. In the afternoon while the young-uns were playing in the jungle trail the two üncles went for a nice comfortable ride on the "uncles" trail. The ride back home was rather nice with some aggresive peddling.

Frodo's fist and Russels wounds. Thats why gloves are important.

My new bike set up, the new frame is a Tomac Automatic, with a very plush 4inch rear suspension which i have to say is plush. Winson at L and T did an awesome job setting up my ride. Spent more then a bit of time helping me tune the suspension and stuff.

Above my recently serviced Fox Float front shocks, i got it set up at 120mm of travel which works well with the rear shocks, it can go to a maximum of 140mm.

My XT power train seems to fit rather well with this bike.

Winson slipped on some nice Odi Ruffian lock on grips for me, very swish i thought lol.
I havent given up my GT Avalanche (Black Betty) frame yet, i reckon i will take my time and build a nice bike around it for a lil someone. by the way, the new frame is called Sharona.

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Depth.

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Its been a weird week. I havent had much chance
to do anything worth blogging about..but the weekend
is almost upon us and i hope i can get some shots in.

a nice day

Nice day today. nothing else needs to be said.

Mowgli

She thinks she is Mowgli, never mind that Kipling's Mowgli was a boy. Never a dull moment with this one I tell ya

Books Galore

Borders. You gotta love it, got 5 great titles for half their price!

A fallen old friend.

I picked up a piece of wood from a fallen tree on sisters island(above- its been edited). Our campsite was always located in the shade of this big casuarina which stood head and shoulders above the others in the grove. Anyway in May as we turned the final bend on our approach to camp i was really taken back to see my old friend with only part of its trunk left standing, struck down by a sumatran squall on the eve of my birthday no less( so i was advised by the island cleaners). Anyone who has gone to sisters island with me will know the tree i am talking about.
Things change. everytime you blink and open ur eyes things have changed its in the nature of this world of ours that always from the old must spriing the new and i'd like to think thats what has happened here. If i could thank the old bugger i would say thanks for , thanks for stopping a large portion of rain from drowning us and thanks for keeping us safe in your sheltered embrace.

Radom Photographs.

RANDOM PICTURES
Side shot of my helmet.

Pepper, her medical bill was $230.00. She is fine now but for that price i expected a bionic leg or something

1 very dirt XT shifter due to 1 very muddy fall.

1 tired dude making the mistake of having a smoke and enjoying the view.
1 not so tired dude also making the mistake of having a smoke and enjoying the view.

Sisters Island

Steaks and Marks now famous Lap Cheong(smoked sausage) with shrooms and baby spuds. try it at home. (look for our sisters island recipe book coming out soon, :)

Sisters Island. Its my haven from the stress of reality(mainly work). From the moment i get off the boat at the jetty I feel the stress just lift off and i can relax. From that first step the mainland becomes just a vision of beauty to be admired when chanced upon during my wandering. This year we went twice, once each in May and June and both times were wonderful.( If you click on Russels link you will see more pictures from both trips.) This time though due to many many factors we really didnt know if we were going to go till probably the afternoon before and even then we spent only 30 short but happy hours away . These days our goal is to do as little as possible, mind you where as food used to be an after thought these days its the primary function for most of the gang. Steaks, pork chops, crab, tom yum noodles these were just a few of the many culinary delights prepared by our chefs. With Mark playing the role of Gordon Ramsay, the rest of us were reduced to mere kitchen helpers, although i will say sherwin and i did pretty good with the fire on day 1.

As always a great trip and a fine send off for Mark( he left for a 4 month trip to east timor to do social work, we can all be very proud of him). Joining us for the first time were, my father in law, Ben and the one that excited me the most, my nephew Philip (though it seems all the gang refer to him as baba). When we woke up on saturday with the sun twinkling through the leaves, my nephew turned to me and said "Uncle Edward, I want to come back here again" to me finer words have not been spoken on the island.
(Shout out to the moo who braved traffic and Caitlin in the car to pick us up many thanks! sorry about the smell :{)




Its 10 years since we first went to Sisters Island. 20yrs since i first started taking my altar boys camping on Pulau Ubin and 25 years since my brother took me camping at east coast for the night. I cant wait till i can take Caitlin. I dont know how many nights i have spent camping, i dont know how many people i have brought along and i dont know when we are going next but bloody ell it gets better everytime.

The above picture is of Gerald, who does not like his picture taken. He is off to Cambodia for a couple of weeks of adventure and photography! Be safe ju or if you prefer Raj and dont forget to come back!

June 2005 - June 2009 4 years of blogging

How quick it has been, 4 years of blogging. Life, death adventure and boredom all reflected in 48months of random input. Lately i haven't been doing as much blogging as i used to, its not cause there is nothing to post, I've just been lazy. Since Vietnam i really haven't gone shooting, and my trigger finger is itching. Its been quick, 4 years gone by in a flash. The blog restarts today.

Rodents.

So we got two hamsters, blame it on Leni. :) Above is fatty Ratu and below is speed demon Angie. They are femals, names are girl names but i just cant stop refering to them as boys.

Somedays you just want to fast forward your life.

Sunday 19:45hrs and its just hit me, its Monday tomorrow. I don't normally suffer from Monday blues or as we used to call them in the army book in blues but today it has suddenly come home to me. After the hectic work of last week and the long meeting yesterday, that feeling I had of for want of a better word, euphoria has dissipated into the Sunday night sky and I am left with the very energy sapping knowledge that I got to do it all over again this week.

As a person who is 1/3 and optimist I know this feeling will pass, the part of me that is 1/3 pessimistic tells me that surely there is no way out of this dark state. The last bit of me the 1/3 realist? well that bit says it doesn't matter if I am optimistic or pessimistic all that matters is that i get the job done. Such a bleak outlook eh for a Sunday night? after a really good day as well maybe its the weather, maybe its the sad family history that has past this week that forces me to look in these dark and depressing corners of my mind. Whatever it is lets hope it fades away with rising of the sun.

Life goes on
though never the same
sunshiny days
and some heavy with rain.
In the east the sun still rises
in the west it still sets.
Pain is still pain.
Regrets still regrets.
Life goes on
though never the same.


i havent forgotten. I carry the pain with me on a daily basis.