Batam Island

I am going to Batam Island tomorrow with my group of friends, (six of us), for a three days two nights holiday. Some in the group had been to Batam before, many years ago. This is my first trip. Looking forward to seeing what Batam is like. We are taking the 9.10am ferry. It will be one of the following ferries.

👉 Source A bit of background on Batam.

Batam, officially the City of Batam, is the largest city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a minimum distance of 5.8km across the Singapore Strait. The Singapore Strait separates Singapore and Batam.

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Snippets of Wisdom

A few simple words, and yet so much wisdom and truism contained therein. If you could grasp the meaning and learn the lessons, you would be a very knowledgeable and wise man. I am sure you have come across some of the sayings before. Some are common sense. But sometimes, our common sense desert us. Sometimes, we forget the lessons learned. So, it is good to be reminded.

Spare a few moments to have a look at the following. Maybe there is something that is useful to you. They will add to your chest of knowledge.

Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk. - Chinese Proverb

Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie. - Russian Proverb

After dinner rest a while; after supper walk a mile. - T. Cogan

Rejoice not at thine enemy’s fall – but don’t rush to pick him up either. - Jewish Proverb

If you speak not, you cannot speak evil. - Edward Counsel

A runaway monk never praises his monastery. - Unknown

Never choose your women or linen by candlelight. - French Proverb

You cannot have your cake and eat it. - Unknown

It is not enough to aim; you must hit. - Italian Proverb

One man’s meat is another man’s poison. - Proverb

Better break your word than do worse in keeping it. - Thomas Fuller

Where there is smoke there is fire. Where there is will, there is a way. - Unknown

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Of Wit And Humour

Some humorous and witty quotes to start your week. They are funny, and at the same time, there is some truth in them. Keep a collection of the ones you like and go impress your friends with your wit and humour. You will find yourself very popular because we all like a witty person with a sense of humour.

May your days be filled with laughter.

What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander but is not necessarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey or the guinea hen. - Alice B. Toklas

The hungry judges soon the sentence sign, and wretches hang that jurymen may dine. - Alexander Pope

Some people change their ways when they see the light; others when they feel the heat. - Caroline Schroeder

A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it. - Unknown

Rather upsets a man's day, a funeral does. - James Joyce

An artful or false woman shall set thy pillow with thorns. - Martin Farquhar Tupper

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. - Jon Hammond

As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Before you try to keep up with the Joneses, be sure they’re not trying to keep up with you. - Erma Bombeck

Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn’t going to get the job done. - Jim Rohn

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Encouragement

We all need encouragement every now and then, and there is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend. Instead of always harping on a man’s faults, tell him of his virtues. Motivate and inspire him. People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts. If they know that people believe in him, they would be more willing to give it their best. Encouragement brings out the best in a person. It is the spark that ignites the strength of a weakened soul.

We benefit too when we encourage others. We feel good, more so, when they excel because of our encouragement. Therefore, never miss the opportunity to give encouragement.

Any man’s life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day. - Booker T. Washington

Encouragement after censure is as the sun after a shower. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Instruction does much, but encouragement everything. - Goethe

A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. - Unknown

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Celosia aka Woolflowers

Celosia is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Its species are commonly known as woolflowers, or, if the flower heads are crested by fasciation, cockscombs. The genus name, Celosia, comes from the Greek word keleos, meaning ''burning'', a reference to its colourful flowers which come in shades of red, yellow, orange, purple or pink deemed auspicious by the Chinese. - Wikipedia

The cockscomb turns heads with its brain-like blooms, caused by fascination – an abnormality that elongates or flattens the growing tip of the plant into velvety, ruffled ridges. These blooms came in fiery reds, yellows, and purples, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. Native to tropical Asia and Africa, this plant thrives in warm climates and can survive in poor soils.

Celosia cristata, or cockscombs produce dense undulating inflorescences that resemble the combs on the heads of roosters.

Celosia argentea is commonly known as the plumed cockscomb or feather cockscomb

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Motivational and Inspirational Words

I have been collecting aphorisms and quotes since my school days. It’s a hobby and a passion of mine. I was amazed that there could be so much information, knowledge, and meaning behind a few seemingly simple words. Whenever I came across a proverb, or axiom, or idiom, or aphorism, I would take a note of it. Later on, I extend the collection to things like Points to Ponder, Food For Thought, and anything that interest me. Till now, I am still collecting, and as passionate about them as before.

Here are some aphorisms to motivate and encourage you along your life’s journey.

May you remember that though the roads we take can sometimes be difficult, those are often the ones that lead to the most beautiful views. - Doris Dillon

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. - Thomas Edison

The race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running. - Unknown

Every disappointment in life can be a stepping stone to greater things. - Unknown

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. - Dr. Seuss

No one knows what he can do until he tries. - Publilius Syrus

Mediocrity obtains more with application than superiority without it. - Balthasar Gracian

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. - Michel De Montaigne

Our trials, our sorrows, and our griefs develop us. - Orison Swett Marden

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. - John Quincy Adams

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Cymbidium aka Boat Orchid

Cymbidium, commonly known as boat orchids, is a genus of evergreen flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. They are well known in horticulture and many cultivars have been developed.

Cymbidium is a festive favourite due to its large and fragrant blooms that signify fertility and abundance. Flowers are arranged on an unbranched flowering stem arising from the base of the pseudobulb.

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Good, Evil

No human is entirely good and void of evil, nor one who is so evil that he is void of good. There is some good, and some evil in all of us. In every man's heart there is a devil, but we do not know the man as bad until the devil is roused. Sometimes, it is ignorance in the man that commits an act without knowing that what he has done is evil.

No man is permanently and fixedly evil, until he is willingly evil. Still, there is plenty of evil in the world. And being aware of it makes you a realist, not a paranoid.

The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces. - Philip Zimbardo

The small man thinks that small acts of goodness are of no benefit, and does not do them; and that small deeds of evil do no harm, and does not refrain from them. Hence, his wickedness becomes so great that it cannot be concealed, and his guilt so great that it cannot be pardoned. - Confucius

The world we live in is a world of mingled good and evil. Whether it is chiefly good or chiefly bad depends on how we take it. To look at the world in such a way as to emphasize the evil is the art of pessimism. To look at it in such a way as to bring out the good, and throw the evil into the background, is the art of optimism. The facts are the same in either case. It is simply a question of perspective and emphasis. - William Dewitt Hyde

The truth is that most of us see what we are looking for in this world. If we are looking for evil we find it. The reason is not merely that evil exists all around us. There is another reason, far more potent. By looking for evil in our fellow creatures we bring out evil either from them or from ourselves, perhaps from both. - John Daniel Barry

Life is composed of lights and shadows, and we would be untruthful, insincere, and saccharine if we tried to pretend there were no shadows. Most things are good, and they are the strongest things; but there are evil things too, and you are not doing a child a favour by trying to shield him from reality. The important thing is to teach a child that good can always triumph over evil. - Walt Disney

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Acalypha Hispida

Acalypha hispida, the chenille plant, is a flowering shrub which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. They are also known as Philippine medusa and 'red hot cat tail' in English. - Wikipedia

The plant originated in tropical Asia. It can be grown outdoors, or cultivated as a house plant because of its attractiveness and brilliantly colored, furry flowers. The flowers grow in clusters along catkins. This feature is the primary reason the plant bears the nickname “red-hot cat tail”. The pistillates will grow all year long as long as the temperatures are favorable. 

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Cheeky Humour

It is said that laughter is a prevention against depression, a truly therapeutic agent of positive self healing. So, the sensible thing would be to laugh as much as you can, when you can.

Life is short and transient. Like the passing clouds, we are here one moment, gone the next. So, don’t take life too seriously. Laugh and be merry. You will find life more bearable.

Enjoy today’s selection of humour. Remember the ones you like, and go make someone laugh. They might not tell you, but they will be thankful to you for that. We all like someone who can make us laugh.

May your days be filled with laughter.

Remember when we had to smack the TV because the channel wasn't coming in clearly? I feel that way about far too many people. - Unknown

As a novelist, I tell stories and people give me money. Then financial planners tell me stories and I give them money. - Martin Cruz Smith

Most women are not so young as they are painted. - Max Beerbohm

Luck sure didn’t look like a lady tonight, more like the bitch she always was. - Rob Thurman

Many brief follies – that is what you call love. And your marriage puts an end to many brief follies, with a single long stupidity. - Friedrich Nietzsche

You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone. - Al Capone

To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer. - Paul Ehrlich

Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke. - Robin Hall

It’s absolutely unfair for women to say that guys only want one thing: sex. We also want food. - Jarod Kintz

The best careers advice to give to the young is ‘Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.’ - Katherine Whitehorn

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Quote Worthy

The wisdom of the ancient - the sages, gurus, philosophers and all those who studied life, all those who learned Life lessons first hand, their wisdom is invaluable. Their wisdom and life experiences come to us in the form of Aphorisms. If we take time to examine their words, we would surely benefit from their wisdom.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. - The Buddha

I know not anything more pleasant, or more instructive, than to register from time to time the difference between idea and reality. It is by this kind of observation that we grow daily less liable to be disappointed. - Samuel Johnson

Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land. So the little minutes, humble though they be, make the mighty ages of eternity. - Julia A. Fletcher Carney

One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions. Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born. - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

The resources we need to turn our dreams into reality are within us, merely waiting for the day when we decide to wake up and claim our birthright. - Tony Robbins

When you are obliged to make a statement that you know will cause displeasure, you must say it with every appearance of sincerity; this is the only way to make it palatable. - Paul De Gondi

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything. - Robert Heinlein

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Mandai Boardwalk

More information on the Mandai Boardwalk. All the information is on their website and the information board displayed along the boardwalk. The information gives visitors a history of the place, and the area's biodiversity. It gives visitors a better picture of what the boardwalk is about.

The Mandai Boardwalk is a scenic 3.3-kilometer-long boardwalk skirting the perimeter of Singapore’s two other tourist attractions – the ‘River Wonders’ and the ‘Singapore Zoo.

The boardwalk offers visitors moments of quiet connection with nature, with opportunities to spot local wildlife, and beautiful views of the Upper Seletar Reservoir.

The Reservoir contains more water than 750 Olympic swimming pools! Though constructed by man to serve Singapore’s growing water needs, the reservoir has become the heart of a thriving ecosystem.

At approximately 2000 hectares, the Central Catchment Nature Reserve is vital to Singapore's survival. It serves as a green lung and rainwater catchment area, as well as a haven for severely threatened animals, including some found nowhere else in the world.

If you are lucky, you may spot some of these wildlife during the walk – monitor lizards, macaques, birds like kingfishers, lora, the native four-lined tree frog, dragonflies and damselflies.

The design of the structures along the boardwalk and the name of the rest stations are inspired by the wildlife and their habitats.

And of course, there’s the local flora and commonly seen vegetation like -

Alocasia odora, also known as Asian taro,

and Dillenia suffruticosa

Other native plants

Beautiful fan palms

The Boardwalk is open from 7am to 7pm. There are no charges for entry.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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