Singapore zoo flower

Macro Flower Saturday
Macro Flower Saturday Macro Flower Saturday ">Macro Flower Saturday

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html

Reed like plant with pink flurry flowers. May be Jama can tell us what it is called.

Thursday Theme Song: My city of ruin.

http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO-ds1-9yPw

I went to the earthquake ravaged city of Christchurch this weekend, and saw the rubbles. My heart bled to see these historical building turned to ruins. 128 people died in the earthquake on 22 Feb 2011.
Bruce Springsteen's My City of Ruin was adopted by the people of Christchurch as their anthemn.

History

The song was written in November 2000, for an Asbury Park, New Jersey Christmas show benefit to help promote the revitalization of the city. Once a popular resort destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Asbury Park had succumbed to significant amounts of blight for a variety of reasons, including the ill-effects of the Great Depression, the opening of the Garden State Parkway, and race riots.

The song first starts describing the current state of Asbury Park, the deterioration, and the absence of people in the area.

There's a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church doors blown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregations gone
Throughout the song, Springsteen continues to describe the city using images such as men loitering on a street corner and buildings with boarded up windows. The song ends, however, on a hopeful and optimistic note by powerfully imploring the city to "rise up" from the decay.


Come on rise up!
Come on rise up!
''Rise up

The song took on an entirely new meaning soon after the September 11 attacks, offering a message of hope and rising from the ruins. The most famous live performance of the song came on September 21, 2001 during the America: A Tribute to Heroes national telethon. With only a guitar and a harmonica, Springsteen opened the program, introducing the number as "a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters" and modifying a few phrases in the song. He was joined on stage by Patti Scialfa, Steven Van Zandt, Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell and Clarence Clemons. It was included as the first track on the subsequent album released of the telethon performances.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-City-of-Ruins/106097969421778?ref=ts

watery wednesday: Earthquake Ravaged Christchurch

For watery Wednesday here, you can't really see the water. The water mains had been broken by the eartquake, and Kim and Lynn were washing the car after driving through the broken sewage pipes,







http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

I was down in Christchurch for the weekend. There are two stories here that are so incredulous that you just have to trust me.

During the two days I was there, there were 4 aftershocks of low magnitude and I was unaware of them.

On Saturday, my host friends took me to the fringes of the inner city and I saw mainly the old churches which were affected. On the way home, Jenny Ah Peng saw about 6 inches of bubbling water, and as she drove through them she joked that she got a free car wash. The next moment, she was @@##$ about driving through the sewage water. I was concentrating on the water at the kerb and didn't smell anything despite having the window wound down. Their mum and Kim and Lynn smelt the awful smell. All except me.

Now I tell you why, I think I have posted it before. When I was about 3 years old, my Dad went to London to study. We moved back to my grand Dad's house. At that time in the 50s, there was no power or TV or radio. To entertain us, my uncles performed magic tricks. One of these tricks was to put a peanut up their nostril and have it reappear in their arm pit. Impressionable me, I tried to imitate. My peanut got stuck in my nostril. All efforts to dig the peanut out failed and it remained in my nostril because my grand Dad was worried it would be pushed further if they tried to dig it. So my peanut remained in my nose nostril for many months. One day, we took a boat to my maternal grandma's house. I jumped from the jetty to the boat. As I jumped, my peanut came out. It had swollen and grown whitish. I had grown quite fondly of it. I was exclaiming, " My peanut! my peanut!" and showing it to everyone.

Is it by coincidence that I am the only child in the family of 9 kids who is allergic to peanuts? Mum never told Dad. I mentioned this to Dad not so long ago. He was shocked that nobody took me to the hospital. He said the peanut could have traveled to my lungs and I would have died.

To date, one of my nieces had duplicated Aunty Ann's peanut story. The stunt that went wrong.

mellow yellow, ruby red. rednesday: Campbell Aero Classics

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/


http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/



I went to Christchurch to visit my old friends. They took me to Loburn, to visit Ivan and Sandy Campbell. We were all excited as we drove to North Canterbury to Loburn Abbey airfield, as we knew we were going to fly in this special plane. At the Hanger were half finished planes.

I flew in a tiger moth. http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2011/08/scenic-sunday-campbell-aero-classics.html

http://www.campbellaeroclassics.com

Thursday Theme Song: The Coffee song

http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/

http://youtu.be/vVGXcjM9SOQ

Way down among Brazilians
Coffee beans grow by the billions
So they've got to find those extra cups to fill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil

You can't get cherry soda
'cause they've got to fill that quota
And the way things are I'll bet they never will
They've got a zillion tons of coffee in Brazil

No tea or tomato juice
You'll see no potato juice
'cause the planters down in Santos all say "No, no, no"

The politician's daughter
Was accused of drinkin' water
And was fined a great big fifty dollar bill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil

[instrumental break]
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/coffee+song+the_10121408.html ]
You date a girl and find out later
She smells just like a percolator
Her perfume was made right on the grill
Why, they could percolate the ocean in Brazil

And when their ham and eggs need savor
Coffee ketchup gives 'em flavor
Coffee pickles way outsell the dill
Why, they put coffee in the coffee in Brazil

No tea, no tomato juice
You'll see no potato juice
The planters down in Santos all say "No, no, no"<<<

So you'll add to the local color
Serving coffee with a cruller
Dunkin' doesn't take a lot of skill
They've got an awful lot of coffee
An awful lot of coffee
Man, they got a gang of coffee in Brazil!!

Watery Wednesday

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

In 1975 I left Sarawak for Canada. I also left a group of students I loved very much as these were my first batch of students.

Today, at facebook, an ex student posted.:Peter wrote: "Hello Mrs Anne Chin, we all called you Miss Chan in Form 2A back in 1975. You Dad was Divisional Education Officer at Sarikei. Still remembered our F. 2A basketball team? We lost to F 2D and I could never forget the disappointment on your face... we felt so sorry as we were supposed to win for F 2A, the favourite team to win at that time. Do drop by to see us if ever you come by Sibu. My handphone ______ Eng Hock is current a Science Teacher in Kai Chung. The rest are everywhere. Top student Wong Lea Kong opened 2 Pharmacies in Labuan. Handsome boy Albert Ngu King Khung is an Engineer cum Pastor in New York!"

I dug up my photos. Here was Ing Bing and Albert. I met them in an airport, I couldn't remember if it was the Singapore airport or the Kuching airport. The year was late 1986. My daughter D just turned 2. I couldn't remember if Ing Bing was already a medical doctor or was he a medical student. We chatted as old friends.

Here you are, Ing Bing and Albert, this post is for you.

scenic sunday/Sunday Bridge: Auckland

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26SNwO1t3-aOzJ-QucIGHu3nWG-qv78CCHlfEEIMFV3-L3gPnd4C6KNghGO-KCjXG6BtE-Q8ZWkru9S21VZDvHYwzizf9lyEYlpLE59cUyQDCas53fKQ9Cojy83VsUmcOY4CTG7SCAFcW/s1600-h/scenic+sunday.jpg">

http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

Singapore Zoo flowers 4

Macro Flower Saturday
Macro Flower Saturday Macro Flower Saturday ">Macro Flower Saturday

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html

another flower I don't recognise.

Skywatch Friday: The sun wanting to burst out of the clouds.

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

My condolence to the family of Peter Klaus,http://virtua-gallery.com/author/kjpweb/

watery wednesday: In China

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

Big Bird

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/
>


http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Something very big, yet so gentle and kids are not afraid of it. Sesame Street Big Bird.

Macro flowers: Wild fennel ???

Macro Flower Saturday
Macro Flower Saturday Macro Flower Saturday ">Macro Flower Saturday

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html 






These looks like wild fennel. Can anyone confirm?

When I was a student, staying in a student flat, there was a big stump of this plant near the road. People came to harvest both the young leaves and the swollen, bulb-like stem base stump. They tell me that it is wild fennel. I am not adventurous in my food, so I never harvested them myself.

Now, cooking shows show chefs using it, and it cost a lot in the supermarket.

Sunday Bridge, Charlies' story

The tracks are like bridges that criss-cross the little island state of Singapore. Sometimes, they go underground in tunnels.

In Charlies' bed room, his Dad tried to make rail way tracks near the ceiling because Charlie likes trains and tracks.



http://youtu.be/1g_qfR56F9s

Charles's story deserves to be told on all my four blogs. Charlie likes trains, Thomas the Tank. Here, Charlie are the real tracks and trains of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit trains MRT for you.


http://youtu.be/OHrxLfwAdsk

http://tnchicks.wordpress.com/



I first posted this story in my book blog. I think it is appropriate it to post it here so more people can read it.



http://www.designgivesback.com/2011/08/welcome-to-miracle-makeover-reveal-charlies-room-video-august-12-18-leave-comments-and-design-gives-.html#comments

My fellow blogger and bereaved mother Marydon has lots in common with me. We both lost our sons. Today, she did a post and invited me to comment.

Mary featured on ~ Charlie Grady aka Charlie Santa ~
www.designgivesback.com I invite you to check this out to watch this incredible and awesome boy.

We are sharing the story of a little boy who is probably a lot like your son, grandson or nephew; he loves cars, trucks & trains. Charlie loves riding his bicycle, also. He is different than most 8 yr. olds in two ways: he has brain tumors & he leads a toy drive to help kids in chemotherapy to have happier holidays. "Charlie Santa" was founded when he was just five & in his first round of chemotherapy. This is one of the reasons he was chosen to be an ambassador for kids with Neurofibromatosis Type 1, & a recipient of a Miracle Makeover.


I have another friend Linda, who is wearing the same shoes as Charlies' mum. Shoes that are too small and pinching her feet causing great pain in their heart.

Designgives back is not screened in New Zealand, but what a great job they are doing,

In my book, I wrote a poem about shoes.

I modify it here,

The hole in the heart is bigger than life,
The hole never mends.
My child has cancer.
Life is never the same again.
Only a fellow mum who has a child with cancer,
will understand another mum's pain
For she wears the same pair of shoes,
For she feels the pinching at the toes.



http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

skywatch Friday: Looking down from a plane.

http://skyley.blogspot.com/