Z is for Zingiberaceae

Exotic gingers are one of my favorite plants. Its a good way to end my A-Zs. This is also a good time to wrap up my blog. It's been a good 268 posts since I started accidentprose. I would like to say it has been a real joy blogging here.

People have read my thoughts and left their mark. I've always looked forward to reader comments. Some comments make me laugh and some comments have been thought evoking. Some comments are plain weird to say the least. Some readers, I later learned, had chosen to observe silently. It's funny that only when I brought forth the idea that I was closing my blog that I really starting becoming aware of the anonymous passersby.

I'm closing accidentalprose because I feel I've ended one chapter in my life and that I should start a new one. I'm considering joining the military, maybe for about two years? Not too long. Then maybe move on again after that.

Get real! Honestly, I won't have time/energy to blog during my National Service anyway! Besides, I doubt life in the military would be thrilling enough for me to want to blog. But maybe I spoke to soon. I had a blog in secondary school, this blog is for the three years after that so maybe another blog should be in order.

I'm not really sure how one should close a blog but this is how I am closing mine. Thanks everyone for reading! (And I can say everyone, because if you were reading I'd be thanking you but if you hadn't been reading then I would be thanking everyone but you, but you wouldn't know that would you?)

Cheers!

Loy

Fried

Let's face it, the world isn't getting any cooler. Our little island city is really baking now that the dry season is here. Make that the 'drier' of the two seasons. If life were a cartoon, I imagine our little speck of mud would have started to bubble by now. It will then sputter, sizzle and finally turn into a thin black flake of carbon on a stove that is the overheated world.

However, let's get back to "Let's face it, the world isn't getting any cooler."

Sure, I think most people have come to terms with it. In fact, I think most people have become really comfortable with the idea. The idea that Singapore, charred to a crisp by the greenhouse effect and lying on the seabed with 20 000 leagues of melted iceberg above it, is hardly a cause for concern to most of us.

Then again, maybe I exaggerate. 200 leagues then.

Yet as I sit here in my 100% non-recycled plastic-coated swivel chair with the effects of rising temperatures around me, I can't help but feel that it is unlikely that Singapore will be in any danger of roasting to dust any time soon. Maybe you agree. Still, I standby the 3R's all the way.

Portable, recycled cardboard speakers I got at Urban Outfitters. I just fixed them up yesterday. Not bad, and a convenient way to play my Ipod at home.

Saving the world one Ipod/laptop/CD player at a time (fits all!)

Class: High

This morning, I got the golden opportunity to speak to my very busy brother. He's always so busy with school and stuff, we rarely get time for small talk. I haven't had the opportunity to chat with him since our return from America a few days ago. Last night, he attended a barbecue and seemed really pleased with it. He was positively beaming when I inquired about it.

"Everyone was there! It was great seeing them again but the class bitch was there."

Apparently, someone had let slip the event to the said bitch thereby breaching the sanctity of the gathering.

"Actually there are two bitches, friends. The other bitch didn't come, I think she didn't know about the bbq." he said with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"What? Bitch #1 was invited and didn't invite the other bitch? What a bitch!" I exclaimed.

"Yah. But i think she thinks the other girl is a bitch, that's why she didn't invite her. She was like 'that girl is such a bitch!' and we were like..." he mouthed the words you're a bitch too!

As I recall, there was a girl in my class who was given this honorary title. Although she did eventually become undeserving of the title and now everyone is pretty much okay with everyone else. I think. I guess we grew up and grew out of it. Still, there does seem to be one in every class.

The class nerd, the class babe/hunk, Miss/Mr Popularity, The Rich One, the IT whiz, the sporty guy, the Idiot, the guy who picks his nose... when all is said and done, I think the people with characteristic titles are best remembered by everyone.

D@D

Dinner@Dan's was a great success. Thanks Daniel. Daniel's (big) house has always been a great place for class gatherings. This is of course mainly due to the good food that magically appears on the table each time we visit. No doubt, a lot of planning and preparation behind the scenes had to take place. Yum Seng to Dan's Mum and Bro. With good food, a big-ass TV, PSP Rock band and a tuned piano, there's really something for everyone at every Dinner@Dan's.

Our little beach gathering prior to dinner was equally entertaining. We had Clara with us (she didn't go to D@D, church stuff). We enjoyed her company. Clara's curious antics and... well she's basically very loudly entertaining.

While I was zipping along the eastern coast of Singapore with Clara behind me (double bike), I knew this was going to be another crazy ride. Clara was totally enjoying the liberty of hands-free biking, snapping photos of innocent people and cats alike.

"What are you taking photos of?!" Alisa sounded slightly bewildered.

"Men lah!" came the reply. It was as though any pretty girl on a double bike clad in expensive summer wear and taking shots like a hunter with a shotgun would at a confronting grizzly bear should duly lead any observer to the conclusion that a mini manhunt was taking place.

When we arrived at The Spot, a scenic canal flanked by Casuarina trees, we sat down on the baked tarmac and talked about nothings.

"The beef stew that Mark's maid cooks is the bomb!" I said enthusiastically for the Xth time.

"Yah! He probably grows the ingredients himself. Maybe he rears his own pigs!" came Clara's animated response.

I paused, thought, and then delivered kindly.

"Clara, beef comes from cows..."

"Oh! Oh! Yeah! Hahahaha!"

Clara Clara... Oh, what a colourful life we lead with the 'Light' shining through every storm cloud.

I'm back!

It was a pretty good trip. It's a really fine country, America. Some parts are more livable than others but its a great place for a vacation. My Dad's cousin and her husband, I call them Aunt Anna and Uncle James, really went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. We drove from Providence to New York, then to Washington DC and then to Charlotte. Photos are on my facebook but I didn't take any photos after DC. Stuff is relatively cheap there, by the way. It was pretty chill at Charlotte. We stayed at Aunt Anna's (big) house and had a good few days rest before flying 13 000km back.

Long flights are hell.

Reporting to you LIVE from USA

We are in Providence! Its great weather here. Cool below 20 degrees C most of the time. We've done my bro's grad and it was great. Here's a photo at the college! The Brown Uni mascot is the bear, the big thing behind us? Yeap. So in a few moments Uncle James and Aunt Anna will be taking us down to New York city! Woohoo! Visiting a botanic gardens there! Woohoo! My lips are dry and cracking! Boohoo.

First, breakfast. At Dunkin Donuts. AGAIN.

PS: Don't worry Arameya, your secret identity is safe with me.

Holiday Eve

Part I Wednesday, tea at Foster's

The days preceding my voyage have been spent with Mark, Jon and Clara.


Just yesterday I had a farewell tea with them at Foster's. Darjeeling tea, peppermint tea, scones and fresh cream, Jon and I enjoyed a taste of the sikit atas lifestyle. Over scones, many humorous lines were passed and somehow we starting chatting about Thomas and friends, the talking child-entertaining trains. Mark Choo (choo)was one child who adored the colourful trains so but evidently not as much as an adult as he had forgotten the full name of the tv show.

"Er... Thomas the whatever Engine la!"

Trust Jon to pipe in, "Thomas the Search Engine!"

The conversations led to greens, as they always do. Mark started with an article about the greening of Singapore. And I, thinking I had seen the same article, leaned forward with anticipation. Mark went on to talk about this person who was featured in the article I thought I had read too. Turns out we had read very different articles as I learned when the conversation went on. Mark went,

"Yeah. So this guy ah was saying (etc etc etc)... and I think Miss Tek knows him."

Then my brain did a backflip.

"This guy?" I must have looked puzzled. I ran MY article in my head again. "It was Lee Kuan Yew."

Different guy, definitely. Clara proceeded to burst out in manic laughter much to the dismay of other tea-sippers.

Part II Thursday,exhausting eve of vacation

Mark and Clara were at my doorstep at about 8.30. I was more than ready, or I thought I was. Jogging turned out to be a rude wake-up call. I died at barely 5km. The other two had no issues whatsoever.

Next was Pulau Ubin. After wolfing down lunch we headed for the ferry terminal, although not before getting a snapshot of the sleepy feline.


I'm never seen a cat sleep like that, pardon the rhyme. The island was the same as the last time we left it in a sense that it was still as captivating as it was blistering. We cycled to Chek Jawa, very exciting, especially with Clara shrieking like banshee behind me (double bike). We stopped for photos occasionally, but it was mainly chit chat with Jerome.


I couldn't resist a leppie shot, a Knight I think. I think I might have seen a male Great Mormon which is supposed to be very rare. However, it was quick on the wing and hard to make out. it was huge.

Feeding their plant addictions, our aspiring botanists stumble upon a couple of beautiful passion flowers. No yummy passion fruits though. The lauriflora passion fruit is supposed to be less tart that the commercial ones. I really want to try one.

And back to the mainland. In a few hours I'll being going overseas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And its not Sentosa or Ubin, or even Malaysia for that matter! There has never been a better reason for insomnia.

Labels labels labels

Such a big fuss over plant labels. OSSEA (Orchid Society) is promoting proper labeling of competition plants. Today I heard feedback on labeling at work. I spent my day making label after label for the Children's Garden (not that I don't enjoy my work, mind you.). Back home and I'm still making yet more labels. I've been fiddling with the 'tech', trying to come up with plant labels for my collection. No, its not me being an overly-meticulous twit. My plants need care and sometimes I'm just not around to give it to them for whatever reason. So hopefully colour-coded labels would help make my plant-sitter's life less miserable.

I started off making pretty sensible ones, with simple care instructions and a bit of info on the plant origin, parentage or morphology (that's mainly for my reference). But there are some plants that I really don't have anything interesting to say about. Thus, some of my plants have labels with minimal yadda and a touch more personality.

Because the world has enough boring instruction manuals.

Things.

I'm leaving for the States on Friday. That's very exciting.

I'm relocating my fish to Avin's house so it may receive the proper nourishment while I'm away.

Wang Leehom's birthday was yesterday. He's now 33.

Qian Yi's birthday is around the bend. Panic!

I'm on my last antibiotic pill.

Someone, presumably one of my neighbours, stole a pair of shoes from my doorstep. Appalled.

Flower. Verb.

This doodle was inspired by my Hoya 'chinhungensis', an unknown plant that refuses to flower for me no matter what I do.

Flower, damnit.