Henderson Waves on a Sunday Morning [Part of Singapore's Southern Ridges]

Part of my recent routine to expose my parents to the many local attractions which they have yet to visit is to drag myself out of bed on most Sunday mornings! What to do, Sundays are when dad is mostly free and the brat (Jovyn) would also be in the good hands of her tiger mommy back in Sengkang.

Two Sundays ago, i brought the parents to Henderson Waves! They have seen the stunning structure while travelling along Henderson Road even though they have yet to step on it.

To reduce your carbon footprint, it would be recommended to take public transport or walk but when the persons in question (us for example) stay in Yishun, driving our 7 year-old Vios is the best option! For motorists, please park your vehicle at Telok Blangah Hill Park instead of the crowded Faber Hill.

Underbelly of the bridge as we trekked up the less-travelled vehicle route; guess some maintenance work is required to clean up the dirt. 

Residents immersed in their swordplay exercise; i assumed that such a scene would be uncommon in Singapore and i was proven wrong! Maybe i should make more attempts to wake up earlier on weekends to visit the parks. 

Walking on the highest pedestrian bridge (36 meters) in Singapore! The route was designed in a way that you would not be aware of what to expect in the beginning (except for that massive green backdrop) until you step deeper in.

Although the above photograph could not capture my parents' expression, they were actually in awe of the surroundings that opened up to them. 

On one side was the morning sun awakening from its slumber, blanketing the central business district in the far distance and the many public flats next to the park with its gentle orange hue. 

The other side was an entirely different world; mainly lush greenery with the aesthetically-unique condominium (Reflections at Keppel Bay) taking up the centrepiece role. 

Photographs of mom and dad. The reversal of roles has only just begun; in my younger days, my parents would try their best to make Sunday the family bonding day by bringing the three children brats to places like Sentosa, Sembawang Park. It's my turn now. :)

I had blogged on Henderson Waves in 2010 and it was, for a period of time, the place for the Gang of Four to chill out at night when most shops were closed for the day. A pity age is now catching up on us and night activities are frowned upon by the sleeping bugs in our bodies! 

Maybe we can consider camping on the bridge like this young man did. There is no rain shelter but it should be fun sleeping under the vast star-filled sky. 

What i hate to see is the inconsiderate actions of some of the users. Littering is unacceptable but to throw your rubbish on top of the beams is plain atrocious! How do you expect the cleaners to remove it?! Assholes!

Despite the no-smoking sign, cigarette butts were found on the timber deck. I have no issue with smokers; no matter what, it is their personal choice but it's frustrating to see such blatant displays of nonchalance!

On one hand, the use of surveillance cameras appeared ineffective while on the other hand, i have to understand that the park is public accessible 24 hours and it would not be easy to catch errant smokers and litterbugs. 

Enough of complaints! The 274-meter Henderson Waves is an important connection for the Southern Ridges; a 9-kilometer trail stretches from Mount Faber at Harbourfront to Kent Ridge, where my current workplace is. 

There is no step on the bridge, making it easier for the elderly and the handicapped to enjoy the facility and the accompanying views. 

Made of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber material found in Southeast Asia, it can be quite unnerving for visitors who are afraid of height to notice the gap in between the slabs. 

Dad checking out the height and the "skeleton" of the bridge. 

These steel 'ribs' sculpts the bridge and gives it the artistic feel of a dancing wave that bounces from one park to the other. The ribs also act as shelters for park goers. 

Henderson Road - i personally enjoy driving down this road to Sentosa just to drive under the imposing Henderson Waves. Plus, traffic is usually smoother this way. :P 

Blossoming tree.

Ending this post with the complete curves from Mount Faber side. 

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Location and Map

Along Henderson Road. Nearest MRT station is Circle Line; Telok Blangah station

Blog Photographs used for 'Yuan' - A Publication by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations

An A4-sized mailer was addressed to me yesterday by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations. Now, i hardly read Chinese nowadays (except for the evening tabloid) so i absentmindedly thought it must be something i accidentally signed up for when answering a survey. 

Upon tearing the envelope apart, i saw the cover page was showing a topic (Getai) related to a subject i am interested in; the Chinese ghost month! Woah, my luck was not bad; SOMEONE actually knew and sent the publication to me! 

While flipping through the pages, the above photograph caught my attention; the picture of a typical getai audience setup where the front row is always empty looked kind of familiar.... 

Next page - damn, i confirmed i snapped this photograph too! I even mentioned in this very blog that Liu Ling Ling looked very unflattering in that outfit! You may check out the post here. 

I am credited!!! *happy* Honestly, i have never been convinced of my photo-taking skills but this is indeed a boost to my confidence! 

Thanks for sending the publication to me, Corine! :)

Resurfacing of THE Black Carrot Cake [旺記四炒] at Block 156, Yishun Street 11 [Singapore]

I have always lamented the closure of my favourite carrot cake stall at this particular kopitiam in Yishun, especially when my continuous search for one of a comparable standard has been largely unsuccessful.

Hence, you can imagine how delighted i was when i saw the empty stall being taken up once again! It was not managed by the same couple but i figured it was a good omen to have it at the same location on a nice Saturday morning! And given my recent disappointments with black carrot cake, i doubt it can get any worse.

Visually, this is the exact kind of black carrot cake i am always referring too; the darker infusion of black sweet sauce, the oilier shine, the gooey texture and the appearance of little charred bits.

Two things can be improved; uniformity with the dicing (i have always enjoyed smaller pieces) and to be more generous with the eggs (this is easily remedied by requesting for extra eggs; chargeable of course)! 

The feeling i got as i took a spoonful was similar to finding something precious that i lost a long time ago; the sweeter delicious initiation followed by the heavier wok hei flavour that concluded with tiny bursts of salty chai po! 

It wasn't 100% the same as the previous stall even though i can confidently say that as far as flavour is concerned, it was hovering above a comfortable 75%, which is way better than the ones i had in recent times! 

I am so going to have a plate all for myself this Saturday! 

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Location

Block 156, Yishun Street 11,

Within 156 Eating House

Price

Minimum S$2.50 a plate

Naughty Jovyn!

Complaints from me of my adorable little niece have escalated in recent months; no doubt the effects of her moving along the line to the Monster Three's phase. 

Although i am relentless in my complaints, i am also aware that the balance to my grouches is that i can take a whole bunch of photographs which succinctly reflect the quiet, moody and dark side of Jovyn who is otherwise known to be a jovial kid. 

Her naughtiness can no longer be tolerated! And who else is more suitable but the daddy to act as the absolute disciplinarian!

She expressed her stubborn defiance (the glare by the way, was inherited from her mother) yet at the same time, Jovyn didn't dare to make any movement that could potentially aggravate the situation. 

Thankfully (for her, not us), the stalemate didn't drag for too long.

Awwww so sweet right? However, we must nip her naughtiness in the bud before it grows into a bigger problem as she grows older. Guess it's time to hit the many books i have on canine discipline. 

Xue Hua Fei Cheng Tng (雪花飞清汤) @ Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre

Back when i was working in the Agency for Integrated Care at Tanjong Pagar, i was literally pampered with cheap and supposedly good food that was merely a short five-minute walk from my workplace (MND building that is)! 

But, the convenience of such close proximity to the two notable food centres (Maxwell and Amoy for that matter) didn't stop me from venturing further into the Chinatown district where i frequently had lunches at Chinatown Complex hawker centre. 

Two particular stalls had that mystical hold over me; a hold so strong, so addictive that i found it very uneasy if i didn't patronise it at least once a week. One of them was Xue Hua Fei (雪花飞) that has been in operation since 1954; in mandarin, the name is translated as flying snowflakes! 

My walks to Chinatown Complex were mainly conducted under the merciless hot sun for which a sweat-soaked shirt would be the unwanted reward. Hence, what other dessert would be more suitable than a simple bowl of heat-soothing cheng tng!?

By the way (in case you are wondering), the "curse to visit at least once a week" was eventually broken when i resigned and moved out of MND. I went cold turkey for more than a month before driving all the way there to indulge again, together with my dearest mom! 

Just the sheer appearance of ice was already sufficient to cool me down by 49.49%! The broth was a traditional combination of what goes into Cheng Tng and resulted was a clear soup served with only two purposes in mind; to quench your thirst and cool your body.

Made up of typical traditional ingredients (think lotus seeds, white fungus, dried longans), this lacked the luxuries that some other Cheng Tng stalls have offered. Nonetheless, it was purely because of its uncomplicated plainness (and unexcessive sweetness) that got me hooked to it!

This was also one of the rare instances where i am actually loving the flavourful "liao" more than the "tng", especially the burst of good old sweetness whenever i bit into the lotus seeds! The above was the hot version for mom (included so that you can see the ingredients clearer).

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Location

Block 335, Smith Street, 

#02-19, Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Map of the Food Centre

The hawker centre is huge; please refer to the map diligently.

Price

Cheng Tng - S$1.50 a bowl