A recap of some events over the past weeks.
31Jan. Trek to Syonan Jinja with Zhiheng,CH and KY.
Zhiheng's an old friend. He's crazy about army. Along with CH and KY, his Armour friends, we ventured to explore the ruins of Syonan Jinja - a Shinto shrine built by the Japanese during WWII.
The trip brought along a sense of deja vu. This was the 2nd time I am undertaking this trip - the previous, with Odac 20th com, 4years ago. An immensely enjoyable trip it was, as anything with Odac! Those were the days.
Canopy
ZH parked at the Macritchie Reservoir Carpark. And we proceeded. 1st stop: the HSBC Treetop Walk. Nothing great, really. Maybe unless you have a very keen pair of eyes. What amused me was CH and KY's fear of heights. These guys operate huge macho tanks in the army!
We hit upon something called the "Engine House" along Terentang trail, some odd-looking structures of brick and concrete. Across, we began on the shrine trail past two boulders. Soon, we were impeded by fallen trees - lots of fallen trees. Taking detour after detour, we were well off the main trail (if it still exists) and bashing thru wave after wave of shrubbery.
My GPS was barely useful - if only to boost our morale with "distance to destination"! We had our directional pointer, but no clear trail.
Some 2hours into the trail, we reached the Guardhouse. Built of concrete, it had a somewhat eerie feel to it. There were creepers and moss all over. A deep pool of water had welled inside. A few photos and we were off.
Ruins
Using the reservoir as a "handrail", we found the numerous steps that led to the main shrine area. We reached the ceremonial fountain, said to be used by the worshippers to wash up before proceeding.
ZH had even brought his videocam along, and we shot a short 'documentary' at the ruins!
To get back to the carpark, we had to cross a small floodgate adjacent to the SICC golfcourse and walk 4km, partly along the oft-used cross-country trail. Crossing the floodgate was a relatively simple affair. Joggers passing by gave us weird looks, like what were these guys up to?!
A really fulfilling day, with plenty of cuts and abrasions on our legs to remind us of our little adventure in the coming days.
More at
20th Com http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/91684780ypvgAt
SPI http://www.spi.com.sg/spi_files/shinto_shrine/Syonan_Jinja.htm
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Off to Perth!
A New Beginning
12Feb, and I am off to Perth! It was hard bidding farewell to friends. It wasn't easy leaving my room, my all-too-familiar Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood. It would be nice to be back come late November.
Flight
As I boarded my plane, an Airbus A330, I noticed an equal number of caucasian and asian faces. A phrase previously mentioned by a friend came to mind. "Singaperth", he said. hmm. I've appreciated airline food all along, but not this time. The fusilli wasn't particularly appetising. Ditto the pickled cucumbers.
I noticed an interesting contrast in the beverage preferences. The asians were having fruit juices or soft drinks while the caucasians were having beer, wine or tonic water. So I thought, why like that one? And I ordered a Chardonnay. At least, it warmed me. And put me to a light sleep.
Quarantine was a bit of a hassle. We had these police dogs, on leashes, sniffing all luggage. My bag got picked out after an x-ray. Had I forgotten to declare something?! That could mean a hefty fine. The customs lady exposed my balls. My juggling balls, that is. Not that I could juggle well. Yet. She said "seeds". They were afraid the seeds within the balls were of plant origin. Thankfully, the seeds were plastic. Relief.
One piece of my luggage was taken by mistake. No thanks to the ubiquitous army duffel bag. An identical bag was lying right with me. This young punk had taken my bag accidentally, but returned it promptly to the baggage dept when I had an announcement made. Ok, he's no punk - just another student who had completed National Service recently too.
Weather
Just as I'd come to expect, the humidity was terrifically low. The sun, however, was just as hot as back in Singapore during this summer period. There was no sweat on the skin even after walking under the hot sun. Neither was there any sticky sweat residue on the skin at the end of the day. Nice.
12Feb, and I am off to Perth! It was hard bidding farewell to friends. It wasn't easy leaving my room, my all-too-familiar Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood. It would be nice to be back come late November.
Flight
As I boarded my plane, an Airbus A330, I noticed an equal number of caucasian and asian faces. A phrase previously mentioned by a friend came to mind. "Singaperth", he said. hmm. I've appreciated airline food all along, but not this time. The fusilli wasn't particularly appetising. Ditto the pickled cucumbers.
I noticed an interesting contrast in the beverage preferences. The asians were having fruit juices or soft drinks while the caucasians were having beer, wine or tonic water. So I thought, why like that one? And I ordered a Chardonnay. At least, it warmed me. And put me to a light sleep.
Quarantine was a bit of a hassle. We had these police dogs, on leashes, sniffing all luggage. My bag got picked out after an x-ray. Had I forgotten to declare something?! That could mean a hefty fine. The customs lady exposed my balls. My juggling balls, that is. Not that I could juggle well. Yet. She said "seeds". They were afraid the seeds within the balls were of plant origin. Thankfully, the seeds were plastic. Relief.
One piece of my luggage was taken by mistake. No thanks to the ubiquitous army duffel bag. An identical bag was lying right with me. This young punk had taken my bag accidentally, but returned it promptly to the baggage dept when I had an announcement made. Ok, he's no punk - just another student who had completed National Service recently too.
Weather
Just as I'd come to expect, the humidity was terrifically low. The sun, however, was just as hot as back in Singapore during this summer period. There was no sweat on the skin even after walking under the hot sun. Neither was there any sticky sweat residue on the skin at the end of the day. Nice.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
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