Friday Is Good!

It seemed to want me to wake up very early today.

For some freakish reason, the Asian Koel birds have been roaming plenty of times around this area. Their loud calls do not bother me during the day... or probably most other people, I think. But calling out incessantly for hours on end starting at about 4:00AM in the morning for the past week or so, is just plain crazy!

That led me to suspect two things why this has happened...

One thing, with the clearing of the wooded areas along Tampines Avenue 9 to build the eco park and the large stretch of wooded area along Old Tampines Road leading to Hougang, and God only knows how many more areas across this island, these birds and many other species are driven to the housing estates. Amid all this development, their fate and the fate of all the animals in these areas are truly unfortunate.

Another is most probably, due to seeking refuge in the housing estates, where the street lights and lights from all the blocks of flats are always brightly lit during sun down, may have made these birds lose their sense of time. It is always bright like dawn even at 4:00AM in the morning...


I do not know about the other people in this vicinity, but I have not been sleeping well for the past week because of the callings of these birds in the wee hours of the morning... it is like taking revenge over the humans... you take away my home where I roost to sleep, I make you lose your sleep!

I am not angry at the birds, but am angry at the fact that I feel helpless knowing their fate.

When I did finally got out of bed this Friday morning, it was not because of the koels but because of curiosity.

The usual singing of the numerous kinds of birds in the morning was particularly different today. Intermittently, cackling sounds of another particular bird were heard. I just had to take a look out my bedroom window to find out...

Alas, the beautiful bloom of the White Trumpet Flowers at the Poi Ching School yard had attracted the colourful parakeets. These birds were noisy and were busy feeding off only the bottom of the flowers... nectar, it seemed.

It was an interesting sight. I felt like a National Geographic photographer observing nature. When I came to realize that I had to capture this view, I rushed to get my camera. It was not everyday that this unusual view out my bedroom window presented itself.


When I came back, they had all flew away. It was unfortunate but still not a total wasted of effort. I took pictures of the tree as it showed off its blooms to everyone... and it was beautiful indeed.

I was hoping I had captured a hidden parakeet somewhere among the blooms but after scrutinizing the picture closely on my iMac, I guess not.

Well, another day perhaps... but since today is a public holiday, the long weekend ahead of me seems promising. To all my Christian friends out there, Happy Easter!

All Dressed Up

"Ayah!" Wifey called out to me from the living room, "Take a picture of Sonny."

All dressed up in his white, long-sleeved school shirt, his brown tie and that distinguished Dunman Secondary School blazer, Sonny was all ready and handsome looking young man.

Sonny was going back to school this afternoon, right after Friday prayers, for his school's 48th anniversary and official opening ceremony after it went through several years of infrastructure upgrade under PRIME project by the Ministry of Education.

Sonny was to man his station - showing the guest of honour, his team's Life Science Apple iPod App they self-developed during the intended tour of the school's facilities.

A few poses for pictures were "forced" out from this handsome but reluctant young man for his parents' sacred memories... and there he went off at 2:00PM to school.

The ceremony was to start by 5:00PM with the guest of honour being the prominent figure in this country, the distinguished Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence.

Fortunately, being in the executive committee of the school's parent support group - as vice chairman of DSP, I was invited too, to be able to witness Sonny experience this historic event in his life.

It was my turn to get all dressed up. Formal attire requested, it has been ages since I wore a tie to an event. In white and light blue pin stripes, long-sleeved shirt, dark pants and a dark grey tie, the tight around the neck seemed to choke me the moment I buttoned up. I could never be comfortable wearing a tie...


"Wait!" Wifey stopped before I stepped out of the front door. "Let me get the camera..." Wifey hurried off to my gym room to get it.

"Set the camera for me and let me take your picture." She handed it to me as soon as she came back to the living room.

Like Sonny, a few poses for the camera and off I went to Sonny's school. It was a pity that Wifey was not invited to the event. She would have loved to watch Sonny in action. A great "family outing." Also, I would be much more comfortable if she were there with me... being surrounded by all those elite educators, high achievers and high society people, I was like a fish out of water... choking, hard to breathe... all nerves. The tie made it worse.

Anyway, to be there to witness Sonny interacting with the Minister while he toured the school grounds, it was one of Sonny's important life experiences that I would not miss for the world. It was all worth it. Well done, Sonny!

Congratulations to Dunman Secondary School for this proud milestone!