Costus speciosus or crepe ginger

This is another kind of wild ginger, crepe ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus).


Costus speciosus or crepe ginger is possibly the best known cultivated species of the genus Costus. This plant is native to southeast Asia, especially on the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. Costus differs from the common ginger by having only one row of spirally arranged leaves.

The species reproduces vegetatively by rhizome and birds disperse seeds when they feed on the fruits.

While it is native to many Pacific Islands, it is an introduced invasive species on others, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Hawaii. It is cultivated in India for its medicinal uses and elsewhere as an ornamental.

 This was taken at the NTU executive centre.

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

Peoples' School

The peoples' school.

Peoples'/Citizen school, Koong Ming/Citizen School is connected to the Chans and the Kongs. My grandfathers on both sides raised money to build the school. They served in the school board.
In 2013, we went to visit the school, and the principal explained the financial situation of the school. Last year, I read a write-up about him attending funerals to raise fund for the school.
THE headmaster of Citizen Secondary School of REjang River has passed away last Friday 75yrs old Hii Sui Chung
He worked as a headmaster n gardener ĺn general worker every day without pay really very great











http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/10/25/raising-funds-from-the-dead-a-headmaster-works-tirelessly-to-get-money-to-ensure-his-school-stays-af/

Earth Day 2017

http://www.earthday.org/earthday/

Earth Day 2017’s Campaign is Environmental & Climate Literacy

Education is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.

Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs.

Awareness of climate means not chopping down trees when they are still very small.

Flying woes 2

Once I had frustration when dealing with Air Canada employees. I recall the rudest person I had ever encountered. It was the first time I had flown from Singapore to Windsor transit in London and Toronto.

Due to the weather, my SIA plane from Australia to Singapore to London was delayed. I was scheduled to have 4 hours transit in London. Upon arrival to London, the ground staff rushed me to the next plane. I barely got on the plane.

I slept the whole way across the Atlantic Ocean. In Toronto, I couldn't find my luggage. Twice, I went to the check in clerk. They gave me a boarding pass. My luggage still have not come out.

The third time, I went to this fat woman who tore my boarding pass. I must have cried, and spoke another clerk.

They said,"You go to the next flight, we sent you your luggage when they arrive from London. This is the last flight to Windsor.

" Why didn't anyone tell me that my luggage was still in London and go straight to Windsor?"

Luckily my friends were still waiting for me. The airline never talked about reimbursement for my taxi to go and pick up my luggage.

Decades later, my daughter flew back to Auckland without her luggage, a few days later, they delivered her lost luggage to the house. I told her about my maiden trip.I was only twenty at that time.

Willow tree and Chinese beliefs.

My Dad was bilingual. He told me a story involving a non bilingual person who named his house something like the Willow Villa. Dad said the Chinese educated people laughed until their teeth dropped.
In the Chinese beliefs,a house of willow means a brothel. I finally found out the following.
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Chinese-Symb…/…/0415002281
Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought (Routledge Dictionaries) Revised ed. Edition
by Wolfram Eberhard

Wolfgang Eberhard's Dictionary of Chinese Symbols:
The willow, much valued as firewood, is a symbol of spring. As spring is the season of erotic awakenings, the phrase ‘willow feelings and flower wishes’ means sexual desire; ‘looking for flowers and buying willows’ means visiting a prostitute, ‘flowers and
willows by the wayside’ are prostitutes, and ‘sleeping among flowers and reposing beneath willows’ is a term for visiting a brothel.
The waist of a beautiful woman is compared to the willow, her eyebrows to the curve of willow leaves. A young girl is a ‘tender willow and fresh flower’ while a woman who can no longer claim virginal freshness is described as ‘faded willow and
withered flower’. A woman’s pubic hair is ‘in the depths of willow shade’.

Fen Chong Ong My mother never like this tree. She said it attract ghost! It is an old Chinese saying. ka ka ka

Like · Reply · 3 mins

Ann Chin My Dad says it is for prostitutes.

Like · Reply · 3 mins

Fen Chong Ong Guess our ancestors came from different part of CVhina after all. Wahhhh ka ka ka

Malayan Cherry Tree II

Jamaican Cherry Tree/ Malayan Cherry Tree/
Muntingia calabura
Jamaican/Japanese Cherry, Buah Ceri/Kerukup Siam(Malay)

This is a tree of my youth, it evokes a lot of emotions. some of us remember it with LOL now, some with anger, and some block it.


The Cherry Tree is named for its sweet sticky fruits, juicy and full of tiny seeds. They are a favourite with birds and bats, which disperse the seeds, and children too! The leaves are covered with tiny sticky hairs. 

When I was in Junior primary school, we lived in Padang Road where it was government quarters for civil servants. In the garden where mum and dad kept ducks and chicken, there were two saplings that we were told to be cherry trees. There were tiny fruits which were sweet with a hint of tart. Father told us not to climb the trees.

But we didn't listen. The bigger fruits were up on top, and there were sparse ones at the bottom. We climbed, timing it that we climbed down before Dad came home.

That fateful day, Dad drove home while we were still up the tree. He ordered us upstairs, without a word, he took the axe and chopped down the trees. We looked out of the window feeling so ashamed. 

It seemed the whole neighbourhood's aunties and uncles were there finger pointing at us, probably discussing what naughty children we were to invoke the anger of Dad and provoked him to chop the tree down. The children were torturing us showing the big cherry.

I was still angry because it was such an embarrassment.  About ten years ago, we kids talked about it. I expressed my hurt arguing why did Dad plant the tree knowing children being children will climb the tree to get the fruits. Rose, the oldest sister said, Dad didn't plant the tree, a bird had planted it. Elizabeth said, it was better for the trees to be chopped down, then for us to fall and break a leg, and worst still, for us to land on our head with fatal consequences.

Recently, on internet, a school allowed students to climb trees until a student fell and died. That was the end of tree climbing in that school. 

Malayan Cherry Tree

Jamaican Cherry Tree/ Malayan Cherry Tree/
Muntingia calabura
Jamaican/Japanese Cherry, Buah Ceri/Kerukup Siam(Malay)

This is a tree of my youth, it evokes a lot of emotions. some of us remember it with LOL now, some with anger, and some block it.
Jamaican Cherry Tree
Muntingia calabura
Jamaican/Japanese Cherry, Buah Ceri/Kerukup Siam(Malay)

The Cherry Tree is named for its sweet sticky fruits, juicy and full of tiny seeds. They are a favourite with birds and bats, which disperse the seeds, and children too! The leaves are covered with tiny sticky hairs. 

Although it provides good shade, it is not a popular wayside tree because the birds and bats that visit the tree also leave their droppings under the tree.

The tree flourishes in poor soil, tolerating both acid and alkaline conditions and quite drought resistant. However, it doesn't tolerate salty conditions and so is not a true mangrove associate.