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.

 

Shop Houses and Laksa

I had a wonderful walk starting from the crowded Geylang Serai Market, down the very colorful Joo Chiat Road and ending at the corner at the very busy East Coast Road. The contrast between these three interconnected, but diverse areas of Singapore was exciting for this traveling kitty to explore.

The Geylang Serai Market was bustling with activity. The market was packed with mostly Malay Muslim people buying food,

household goods and clothing to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa, the end of the Ramadan month of fasting.

Since I am so little I don't like very crowded areas because I get bumped and stepped on. I was happy to turn the corner on Joo Chiat Road where the pace slowed down quite a bit. This road is lined with beautifully renovated shop houses, tastefully painted in every color in the rainbow.

I noticed the Changi Junk Store and had to go in to see if the owner was selling junk or treasures. He really has a mixture of both but his specialization is song bird cages. He builds and renovates the most intricate aviaries. The birds that live in these cages are entered in singing competitions. Some of the fanciest cages have hand carved ebony "wires" connected with beautifully carved ivory sections.

On down the road is the Smart Doggy Studio. There is no such thing as a smart doggy so I just don't understand the concept of this school. There is a phrase that says, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". I think the phrase should be shortened to, "You can't teach a dog." Dogs are just plain dumb. Cats are naturally smart so we don't need school  at all!

By the way...across the street is a park that has a big sign that shows you how much trouble dogs can be.

At the corner of Joo Chiat and East Coast roads is a small restaurant called 328 Katong Laksa. One of the workers there liked me so he put a small bowl of smooth tasting Laksa on the floor for me to try. It was loaded with coconut milk, noodles, shrimp, and cockles. It was really great!

My last stop of the day was the Peranakan store called Kim Choo located at 109A East Coast Road. I had to sneak in when a customer left the door open. I am sure the owners would have been worried about me breaking some of their beautiful but fragile porcelain tea pots, decorative plates and spoons.

They also sold some brightly colored cloth and clothing as well as hand made traditional  beaded shoes. I know my mother and sister would love this place. I wish I could figure out how to tell them about it. Maybe they will read my blog...