Construction Site in Sanur

Finally I'm out on site! I thought the day that I would emerge out of my air-conned coop would not come. Our company does the landscape design for this project, but I am not involved in it. I tagged along to the site visit because I went to the meeting for another project.













I wonder if I will see that chicken again...

Taman Ulu

Lush tropical highland garden of Taman Ulu, Tabanan, Bali

A refreshing walk in Bali...

Ann Siang Hill 安详山

This is the view from the window of my office at Ann Siang Hill as the morning sun warms up the yellow walls of the French wine bar across the street. I have been pretty lucky to get a spot near the window on the ground floor. I have enjoyed seeing the occasional sliver of blue sky and the seasonal pouring rains from this spot. There would be passerby, tourists and flocks of touring schoolchildren staring curiously inside (and at my neighbor's collection of vintage batman-superman-ironman toys). There used to be a lot of the pre-wed photo crowd when the road bears the sign of "ONE WAY." Then it disappeared. I don't know why they removed it, because the road is still a one way street. But since then, we haven't seen the sexy bared-back brides and their army of photographers and lighting assistants back.

This charming historical neighborhood has seen significant changes from a few years back when it looked like a street of crumbling old buildings. My colleague who has been working here for the past eighteen years tells a story of how the shops used to be home to lion dance troupes and artists who would hang their laundry of colorful costumes from the shophouse windows. He tells of an old man who used to sit at the rounded corner junction, making lion dance masks out of papier mâché. He hated having his pictures taken by tourists. The old man would angrily chase them off any who did... which of course, upsets some people and led him to be removed from the spot.

After they went, the shophouse was dilapidated for some time until this wine bar moved in. The bar was, and still is very successful with Singapore's expat community. Many similar venues have sprung up around the area, and today, Ann Siang Hill has become a hip, happening, and expensive place to be. In a classic gentrification story - nothing else but high-end boutique shops and drinking clubs is surviving in the area. Recently, an english literature bookshop folded their place there and moved elsewhere due to the high rent. I hope the children's bookshop around the corner stayed... although I'm doubtful. In the mean time, our office has survived there because our boss has a long-standing tenant relationship with the land owner and enjoyed a discounted rent. But after 20 years of renting... isn't it time to buy the place? (well, ok, not now, since the Singapore property prices are booming hot)

Puerto Princessa

Puerto Princessa is one of the two towns with an airport in the island-beach destination of Palawan. The city is said to be the cleanest city in the Philippines and I thought it had nice roads and little traffic jam (especially compared to more famous beach destination like Bali). In the three days we were there, we didn't go very far and just explored the beaches nearby and took guided tours to the "must see" destinations. It's nice that the place is not too famously beautiful that it becomes overcrowded with tourists. There's space, and there's quiet.
My favorite moments there were of standing ankle deep in the water, toes wriggling gently in the sand, soaking in the expansive view of the sea and the sky...

Alabang

An hour or two from Manilla is Anna's home in Alabang, which is the place where I rested on my first night in the Philippines. We stayed at home on the day after before traveling in the evening. The home is so spacey and cosy to the point that it lulls me to sleep whenever Shelina or anyone leaves me on my own. The gentle wind and after-rain smell also helps. I took a great liking to this traditional rocking chair - the hand rest is so long that it becomes the foot rest!



We spent some time chatting at the terrace. I feel that this house certainly invokes a lot of nostalgia for those who have lived and stayed in it. The air of the place somehow reminds me of my grandmother's home which has been long gone. The Spanish influenced architecture and walled courtyard garden makes me think of photographs of Casa Luis Barragán - I never thought that a garden that is walled up with plain concrete can lend such a 'soft' feeling to the place!

Philippines!

It's been a whiiiile since I travelled,
a while since I got off the net and the PS3,
and a while since I see a truly dark dark night sky.
Last week, I was finally able to take my first long break from the office to go to the Philippines and visit my sister and travel a bit with my colleagues to the island of Palawan. It feels refreshing to get out of Singapore's orderly tedium of life (and that cheesy MRT jingle: "Train is coming!"), and into the cacophonous mishmash of the Philippine street. Outside of the city, the lush green natural landscape is also a treat for the eye and soul. Ah... well! More on things later. Back to work tomorrow.


Young mangrove tree at Puerto Princessa, Palawan.

Travel for Work

They say that "all roads lead to Rome."
Well, the old adage has expired, and today it has been replaced with "all roads lead to China," - So! Here I am.

Cherry Blossoms of Ithaca

Spring came early this year! Or more like,
Spring came early just for me!



I was in Ithaca only for two weeks at the beginning of Aprul, but was lucky enough to see the cherry blossoms and magnolias bloom. We enjoyed having our own cherry blossom picnic lunch by Olin library, with pita and soups from Temple of Zeus. It's quite a privilege to be lazily sitting under the cherry trees, and I find it rather strange that most people don't take advantage of this beautiful location more often. If this was Japan, it'd be spot that one covets for days and nights before the peak blossoming day!

서울

Transit in Seoul on my way to the US. It was at the end of the winter season so it was VERY cold! Regardless, Seoul is elegant.

Distant landscapes

Glass stickers at Seoul Tower tells me that if I look far enough in that direction, I can see Roma!

Rombok Bete

This is a little story of how we got there together, some 20 of us taking an afternoon plunge at the waterfall...
On my last day in Mika, I want to go to the green stones waterfall (Rombok Ece) again. After teaching the year 12 English class, I asked one of them, Dara, if she would like to go to Lombok (I had heard the name from little kids, so they can't roll their 'r' s quite yet). She is confused. Lombok? (As in Pulau Lombok?)
Yes.
Eh?
Oooh...ok, Rombok!
Rombok means waterfall in the local language, Dayak.
While Lombok means the island Lombok, to the east of Bali.

According to her, there is another bigger waterfall at about more than an hour's walk from the school. The walk would takes us into the palm oil plantations and into a small stretch of jungle by the stream. "Oh, that sounds exciting!" I said. So we made an appointment to go there after lunch.

Well, I thought it was going to be fine and dandy, but apparently the teachers didn't think so. The kids technically can't go out of the school compound during the month before their final examination, and I can't go out unaccompanied. I stood in front of them for a while and kinda grinned, "It's going to be fine... they're grown up already!" Finally the let up on the note that we should return should I feel that the walk is too strenuous. At that time I was thinking: What could be more strenuous than that Cinque Terre walk uphill for 4 hours! Besides, Ithaca is uphill, day in and day out. It should be fine... except, should anything happen to them... I can't imagine what the consequences would be.

And so we went. We prayed before we set off.
At first it was nerve-wracking to cross the road... there is no light and the traffic is fast. Then there's a long stretch of villagey road. then finally... we got to the shadier plantations area.


It's quite scenic I must say... with the ferns growing on the pillar-like palms, and it's star-shaped fronds shading over us. Except... the heat was quite something. My friends was very kind to take my bag for me and held up the umbrella =P (me being the city bum)


Seems that the guys are more fond of the umbrella than the girls. It's the same umbrella that I've been dragging around Europe and Australia for the past 6 months! =D


Some people used broad leaves as substitute for umbrellas.


This is the stream above the waterfall.


One and a quarter hours later... we have arrived!
Needless to say, it was LOADS of fun splashing.




Hope to see you again!