Speakers Corner at Hong Lim Park

Speakers Corner in the Hong Lim Park is a site where anyone can speak their mind openly in Singapore. However, there are some restrictions. I arrived at the site expecting to give a big speech but found I wasn't allowed to. I read the rules and I found there were several I could not follow.

 1. I am not a Singapore citizen. I am an American dependent cat.

 2. I don't speak any of the official languages. I understand them all but I only speak cat which is  understood by all cats, dogs, birds, monitor lizards and all the other creatures in the animal kingdom.

3. The subject I was going to speak about could definitely be construed to be violent in nature.

I was very disappointed because I had really spent countless hours researching and preparing for my speech. The topic was something I know all the population in Singapore always has on the top of their minds. I was going to talk about a major problem that no volunteer group or government agency is doing anything about. I really think there could, and should be something done about this horrible problem. Everyone in Singapore should work together to eliminate this atrocity!  The situation that is allowed to continue unabated should cause cats all over Singapore to scream out loud!

The problem of major proportions, is that someone in Singapore is breaking, and in many cases, cutting off kitty cat tails at an alarming rate!

This practice must stop! Everyone, cats and people alike, should band together, catch the offender(s) and bring them to justice. If found guilty they should be caned in public and then be required to feed homeless kitties for a year.

 

Telok Ayer Green Landing Site Park

There is a lot going on in the Telok Ayer Green Landing Site Park in Singapore. On a recent bus ride I "landed" in the area of Singapore that was originally the first point of arrival to Singapore for many Chinese immigrants in the early 1800's. The site was originally a sandy beach.

The very small but picturesque park was built to preserve this historical location. There are bronze statues depicting life in those times as well as a pond and seating for people to enjoy their lunch al fresco.

On one end of the park some very enterprising entrepreneurs set up a bicycle repair business under an umbrella. Business is brisk. Many delivery people and others that need their bikes for work, get tires replaced and other minor repairs done here to keep them on the road.

The little park is bordered on one side by the Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre. The historic shrine was built in 1830 to honor of the Chulia Indian Muslims of southern India who were merchants and money lenders.

On the opposite side of the park is the culturally important, Thian Hock Keng Temple.
It was built on the site where the original Hokkien, Chinese settlers gave thanks to the goddess of the sea, Ma Zu Po, for giving them safe passage to Singapore. It's construction was completed in 1842.

As I left the quaint park, I walked through a covered, but open air, shopping area on Upper Nankin Street that had a couple of interesting bronze statues of Chinese settlers. I then came upon a small coffee house called Good Morning Nanyang Cafe. The owner, a cat lover, offered me a delicious over easy egg which I gobbled up with glee!  

Just before jumping on my bus home, I noticed a sign for the Speakers Corner. I may have to research that for a future trip to this wonderful area of Singapore.

Kitty Goes to a Yacht Club

Singapore's premiere sailing club is the RSYC which stands for Republic of Singapore Yacht Club. The club has a very informative web site www.rsyc.org.sg which explains that the club was originally established in 1826 as the Singapore Yacht Club. It's name was changed to the Royal Singapore Yacht Club and then in 1967 "Royal" was changed to "Republic of."

Somehow, I ended up sauntering into this beautiful establishment, which I am sure, misguidedly, does not allow kitty cats. There were not very many people at the club when I entered so I was able to leisurely meander around undetected.

The location of the club has changed several times. It was moved to it's present site in 1999. Currently, renovations are being conducted to further beautify the well organized and architecturally pleasing establishment. There are meeting rooms, two restaurants, two bars, a small casino, a gymnasium, well furnished hotel rooms for visiting yachtsmen, and a pool. Most importantly for boaters, there are 127 wet berths and 218 dry berths at the marina for boat storage as well as on site fueling services. It even has onsite Customs, Immigration and Quarantine services.

RSYC has a very active boating as well as social agenda. Besides sailing classes for all ages, races, and cruising events, there are also children's activities, exercise classes, games and holiday events. In summary, there are numerous activities for boaters and non-boaters alike.

Although I enjoyed visiting RSYC I probably will not be returning. The club is beautiful and well appointed and there are a lot of things for people to do. However I was disappointed. Since there are no planned feline activities, I can understand why there were no cats around. Besides, I, like most cats, hate the water!