Heliconia Rostrata aka Lobster claw

The Heliconia Rostrata is the national flower of Bolivia. Also known as ‘Hanging Lobster Claw’, it is a herbaceous perennial.

Other Heliconias, like the Heliconia Bihai grow in the upright position, their cup-shaped flower bracts storing water for birds and insects. They looked a bit like the Birds of Paradise plants. That is why they are sometimes called Fake Birds of Paradise. 

The Heliconia Rostrata, however, has downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus providing a source of nectar to birds - especially the hummingbird. Because of its unique characteristics, it is often used as a specimen for tropical gardens. They are commonly seen around here. 

More information about the plant from Wikipedia

“Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to Canna, Strelitzia, and  bananas, to which they are related. The flowers can be hues of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and are subtended by brightly colored bracts. Floral shape often limits pollination to a subset of the hummingbirds in the region.” - Wikipedia

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Waterloo Street

Waterloo Street is in downtown Singapore. The street was constructed in 1837, and was initially named Church Street after Thomas Church. It was later renamed to Waterloo Street by the Municipal Council in 1858 to commemorate the Duke of Wellington’s victory over the French in 1815, the Battle of Waterloo.

This is a typical day on Waterloo Street before the Covid-19 came to town.

This is during the easing of the second phase of the lockdown, or what we called the circuit breaker here.

There are several well-known landmarks on Waterloo Street, including the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple – (Goddess of Mercy Temple), the Maghain Aboth Synagogue, the Sri Krishan Temple, and the Sculpture Center.

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple is a traditional Chinese temple. The temple is of significance to the Chinese in Singapore, and is believed to bring worshippers good luck after praying to the Kuan Yin, or Avalokitesvara, the Goddess of Mercy. The temple is also involved in charity work, contributing to several health and educational organisations.

Normally, there will always be people coming to and going from the temple. Devotees who happened to be in the area will come by and pay their respects, and pray to the Goddess. Now, the place is all locked up.

The Maghain Aboth Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Singapore and was built by the local Jewish community in 1878. It is presently managed by the Jewish Welfare Board and it remains to be the main place of worship for the Jewish community in Singapore.

The Tamils call the street krishmen kovil sadakku or "Street of the Krishnan Temple", where the Sri Krishnan Temple is located next to the Goddess of Mercy Temple.Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. 

The temple began as a shrine under a banyan tree in Waterloo Street in 1870. Dedicated to Sri Krishna, an incarnate of the Hindu deity Vishu, the temple catered to the large Hindu community living nearby.

It continues to welcome a diversity of worshippers apart from the Hindu community, including Chinese devotees from the adjacent Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

Picture not available - Sorry.

Sculpture Square was a non-profit arts organization founded by sculptor Sun Yu-Li in 1995 as a venue with the focus on exhibiting and fostering ‘3-dimensional’ and other forms of sculptural arts in Singapore.

The buildings is now occupied by another local arts organization, ‘Objectifs’ – the Centre for Photography and Films.

As you can see, Waterloo Street is very rich in culture and history. It was the fourth largest road in the early days.  Today, it is still one of the busiest streets – especially when there are festivities at the temples. 

The Guan Im Temple is very popular with the Chinese. It is busy on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, on the Guan Im’s annual celebration, and during the Chinese New Year. Throngs of devotees pack the temple on those days.

Waterloo street is also known to be the place where you find cheap, dried goods. The shops are especially busy when devotees of the temples drop in after they have visited the temples. 

Shops selling items/offerings of/for worship.

Here are some interesting buildings in the area.

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Chinatown During the Pandemic

Since I was near the vicinity of Chinatown the other day, I thought I would stop by Chinatown and have a look, to see how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the place. As expected, the place was very quiet.

This was the view just out of the train station. Usually, at this time of the evening, (about half past six in the evening), the place is very busy with people – commuters coming to and from the station, tourists and shoppers having a wander in the area. But as you can see, there were not many people about on this occasion.

The adjacent streets were just as bad, hardly any people around, let alone tourists.

Most of the shops were closed. This is really bad. 

This restaurant at the corner of the street is a popular place with tourists and locals alike. Customers can have a meal, or a drink and watch the world goes by. They are usually packed at this time of the day. Unfortunately, there were only a couple of tables of diners.

This is the Food Street in Chinatown. Here, you can sample local favourite cuisines. Another popular place with the tourists and locals alike. Again, there was hardly any customers at the busiest time of the day.

Another corner unit restaurant which was popular with tourists was closed.  I don’t know whether it is temporary or for good.

Up at the hawker center, where the locals dine, things were no better. Only a few of the stalls were open, most were closed or were closing up for the day. 

After dinner, I went to the train station to catch a train home. Usually, most shops would still be open at this time, to catch the late shoppers. But, now, most had called in the night as there were no tourists about.

I don’t think there was ever a time where things were so bad. This Covid-19 pandemic is serious. It is ruining businesses and livelihoods, and during the lockdown, literary brought the country to a standstill. Let’s hope that people take the pandemic seriously, and work together to end this pandemic. 

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Facets of Life

Aphorisms are words of wisdom of those who had been through life’s hard knocks. It is beneficial for us, to once in while, take a break from whatever we are doing to study them. We could learn something about life they didn’t teach us in school. Make studying of aphorisms a hobby, a habit. You will find that it is time well spent, time well invested.

Here are some to get you started. 

If we could see things as other people see them, we could come closer to knowing why they do what they do and why they say what they say. - Richard L. Evans

A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself. - George Bernard Shaw

The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be. - Lao-Tzu

It is better to fall among crows than flatterers; for those devour only the dead – these the living. - Antisthenes

The more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. The less you know, the more you think you know. - David T. Freeman

Happiness keeps you sweet, trials keep you strong, sorrows keep you human, failures keep you humble, success keeps you glowing. - Unknown

There is repetition everywhere, and nothing is found only once in the world. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. - Samuel Johnson

He that does good for good’s sake seeks neither paradise nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end. - William Penn

The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods. - Elbert Hubbard

It is better to have a lion at the head of an army of sheep, than a sheep at the head of an army of lions. - Daniel Defoe

Gray skies are just clouds passing over. - Duke Ellington

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Out and About

I was out and about recently. Here are some pictures of the downtown area.

This is the Singapore River with the Marina Bay Sands hotel in the distance.

Some buildings along the river.

Bougainvillea flowers on the ledge of the bridge. When in full bloom, these sugarly coloured flowers are a sight to behold. They are certainly a welcome distraction from all the concrete buildings.

Some buildings in the area.

There is a tiny park in the midst of the busy roads and buildings. I found these here - Costus woodsonii, or Red Button Ginger, or Scarlet Spiral Flag.

They called it the Parkroyal Collection. It houses the Park Royal hotel, and also the Attorney General Chambers

This is one end of the building. It is a very nice and glassy building which has won awards and praise for it energy saving designs.

This is another hotel in the area- the Furama Hotel.

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Crescentia Cujete aka Calabash Tree

Crescentia Cujete, commonly known as the calabash tree, is the national tree of St. Lucia. 

The tree is a evergreen that  produces unusual flowers and fruits. The flowers are greenish yellow with red veins, while the fruit – large, round and hard – hang directly beneath the branches.

Calabash tree facts indicate that - "the tree’s flowers, each about two inches wide, are cup shaped. They seem to grow directly from the calabash branches. They only bloom at night and emit a slight odor. By noon of the following day, the flowers wilt and die. The calabash tree flowers are pollinated by bats during the night."

In time, the trees produce the round fruit. They look like pomelos. These large fruits take six months to ripen. The fruits are not edible to humans but they are used for a variety of ornamental purposes. For example, the  pup of the fruit of the Calabash Tree can be scooped out and the empty shells then made into bowls, cups and containers.

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