An Exhilarating Trip to Putrajaya Car Show

 On the 27th of September 2015, I could not sit still. I was fidgeting uneasily in my seat, for it was the “Asia Klasika” vintage car show. We parked on a grass patch full of other eager people joining the vehicle fest at Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya. After we crossed a bridge over a colossal pond laden with different koi fish were a few Citroens. I snapped a photo of each of them, except for a fairly new-looking one sitting to one side. On the entrance cutting into the real car fest, there was an antique on one corner. It had metal plates around it and wheels that didn’t resemble a new car.

In the entrance, there were different models of cars. Minis, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, it was just so difficult to fit each and every one in! So I decided to start from scratch and do the cars closer to the entrance, which were two racing BMWs. They stared in the spotlight, with their many badges shading their sleek, sporty, racing bodywork and their leather seats inside, glossed fully black. My interior shoots of those cars weren’t too great as the glass windows reflected light onto the photos.
 
Next was a Mini sitting in the corner. It was possibly a Moke open-top, not the roofed type that featured in the Mr. Bean franchise. That was better, as it enabled me to take a perfect, reflection free photograph. On another corner sat the olden day Jaguar F-Type; it was also an open-top, but it had an open radiator compartment, so I could feel the heat streaming out of the vents. The bold badges it had were a big photo attraction for me.

A bit further away sat a pointed Ferrari, newer than some of the others. It had white bodywork, with open ventilation again. There isn’t very much to say about this sporty vehicle, but at another angle sat the most beloved, majestic car when Henry Ford was alive, the Model T Ford. On the high pedestal step sat a vintage interior and was paired with an extreme luxury that time- a steering wheel. It was really a car that had dramatically quaked its era. At the back, the trunk compartment was full of English badges, though Ford was American. A few cars away was another Ferrari. A couple standing near had opened the trunk and engine compartment. The trunk was chaotically small- it was possibly able to fit two or three quart mugs and an apple. Not a car for globetrotters indeed.

Sitting at another corner was a Toyota Celica with two other “antiques”. It was not that the car looked new, it looked about as old as an old Nissan Sunny, but it just wasn’t as old as the vehicles around the corner. I thought of shooting the interior but it was not an open-top, so the view gave out reflections.
 
Not everything at the car show was vintage, though. Over a covered shade sat some new Jaguars like the new XF, XE, etc. There was one Jaguar that used Aston Martin themed doors that you pressed to let out. All models were respectively fitted in the two genres that Jaguar built their cars in; luxury and sport. 
 
To a corner were about five or six orange Alfa Romeos with the four-leaf clover, the marking that Irish considered luck. All parked parallel in one neat line, I took a photo of the car in the front row first. Like the Model T, it had badges on the front.

The trail of vehicles led us to a pedestal where the new Range Rover and its first descendant sat. High up, I snapped a photo of the stylish but bulky new model. That joined with the cycle and led us to a humongous shade area parked to the brim with new vehicles. It happened there were some Dyson bladeless fans there on show too. Over there, there was the CLS Shooting Brake from Mercedes. There were also two Mercedes limousines, one I believed to be a 230 SEL and two Chevies sponsored by Hot Wheels that were really stretchy, plus an Aston Martin I thought was a Vanquish.

We grabbed a flyer from another environmental wildlife promotion also happening before heading home. This was really an exhilarating day. I can’t wait to experience another one of this automobile show again. 

Written by,
Koh Chee Yuan

Fictitious Story of My First Day at School

 9 September 2015

I can’t believe the day I just had!  As soon as I entered the classroom, I saw Mr. Sebastian (Mr Seb) accidentally clicked a button on the whiteboard. I gulped. True enough, we saw sparks flying everywhere for two seconds. Then soon, we all felt drowsy. Snoring echoed through the halls.

Mr Seb was frantic. He clicked the button twice. Then three times. Then four times. But on his fifth time, when he released his hand, the whole school shrank. It then, grew little wings. It did not seem to have an exact flight pattern, although there was a steering wheel in front of Mr Seb, who the only one who had not shrunk. No matter which direction he manoeuvred the shrunk school, it zoomed around in the wrong direction. Finally, we came to an abrupt halt. Mr Seb looked out of the window. Oh no, he found us stuck in a tree full of bees, hornets and wasps! When we found out where we were, we began whispering to each other on how to get out of the situation. But Mr Seb had an idea. He whipped his house keys. Then, with the aid of a fork, he scratched a doorway in the wall. Then, he ordered the gym teacher to push his trampoline down. It took almost four hours, since the gym teacher had shrunk too. Finally, he managed to push the trampoline down. Bravely, the gym teacher jumped down. Mr Seb needed him to make sure no one disturbed the bees and hornets.

Mr Seb then raced to the construction site, a stone’s throw away from the school. “Excuse me Sir, could you let me borrow your bulldozer?” he politely asked. “Oh, I’m not sure what you need a cumbersome bulldozer for, but a fair request is no refusal. You can have it,” the man replied. So Mr Seb set to work. First, he mixed a can of insecticide with bee drowsiness smoke. Then he sprayed the mixture directly onto the tree and hurried back into the bulldozer. After making sure that all the stinging bugs were in slumber land, he carefully revved his engine. Next, he ploughed into the tree like a lion pouncing on its prey. The tree toppled over and so did the school.

Mr Seb quickly picked up the shrunk school, which was just as light as a red kidney bean. But when he reached the huge amount of land that the old school was built on, he nearly became a bull in a china shop. The school was still small, and the trampoline has to be back into the building. To top it off, the school was badly dented from the fall. Just then, an older student tossed a pepper bottle at Mr Seb’s feet. The label said, “All New Construction Yeast from Yigley Acme”. Mr Seb sprinkled some of it on the school. Gradually, the school rose from a bean-sized to its original size. The students and teachers grew as well.

I hope I won’t have another day as zany as my first day at school.

Written By: Koh Chee Yuan

My Marvellous Holiday in Singapore

 25 to 28 July 2015

On the 25th of July 2015, we were up with the lark to get airborne to Johor Bahru. After a delectable breakfast, some leisurely play and a good reading of books at the airport bookstore, we scampered to the departure gate. Not long after, we were heading down to the comfy plane. After everyone was on board, the plane slowly moved tortoise-speed up the runway. Then there was an abrupt pause. After that the engine made loud revving noises. We shook to the escalating speed of the plane as it gradually zoomed up. We were fully airborne. The oil plantations, the vehicles, the pedestrians, they all looked like little ants. An air steward brought us some light refreshments. The rest of the ride was calm and peaceful until we had a colossal jolt. I thought it was turbulence, until an announcement mentioned that we were landing. Soon, we touched down at Johor Bahru airport and my father picked us up to the Renaissance Hotel.

The next morning, feeling fresh and rejuvenated, we sprinted to the hotel restaurant for a hearty, energy-packed breakfast. After that, we drove to the first crossing that connected Johor Bahru to Singapore Island. Next came a long round searching for the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, which marks the location of the Gardens By The Bay. There were glass domes nearly everywhere, but none of them were the Flower Dome or the Cloud Forest. Hope was little until we found one large dome and one small dome, both tiled with glass panels of windows to make them look like a greenhouse. It was the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest! Soon, we were heading into the car park. Even in the car park, it was lush greenery with large plantation of plants in large pots. While my mother was buying our tickets, I sat on benches which happened to be wood-carved crocodile benches. My father took a photo with me posing with a giant termite mound made out of wood and with termites carved out of a silver metal that possibly was pewter. We decided to start our tour with the outdoor garden. First, we went to the Dragonfly Lake. Near its banks lay lots of water weeds that dragonflies love (no wonder it’s called the “Dragonfly Lake”). Then, I found a pathway that had a stepped fountain where water trickled down the steps. I thought to myself: could this be a “secret” pathway that will lead us to another garden? So, I asked my parents if we could go in. They agreed, and soon we were ascending up the “waterfall”. The “secret passage” actually led to the Chinese garden. It looked more like a Chinese palace garden. There were lots of reeds and Chinese palace-style gateways, and next to all of this lay a petite lake with stepping stones. There were also lots of lizards, including geckos. We took a photo of us on the other side of the lake. Then, we sat down at a nearby bench to drink some water under the serene shade of a shaded pagoda. There were Chinese portraits on the walls delicately painted by renowned Chinese artists.

After that, we continued on to the Malay garden. On the way, we stopped at a high canopy stand to take photos. It was breezy and exhilarating, sounded like one of the most thrilling moments I had experienced. In less than five minutes we were at the Malay Garden. The geniuses who built this garden really know how to preserve the heritage of the country and add it into the garden - there were “kampong” shelters strewn everywhere in this creatively-built part of garden. There was even a “kampong house”! I can’t remember very much about the Indian Garden.

We went up a marvellously tall bridge to have a view of the Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer, a well-known Ferris wheel. We also took pictures of a very high and long walkway, known as the OCBC Skyway that connects two Supertrees at the Supertree Grove. Then we got off and onto another bridge that led us to the Colonial Garden. There were lots of animal sculptures and a few canopies with vines and creepers growing on the ceiling. According to my father, there were bees lurking in wait for a victim to sting on the ceiling too, so we didn’t dare to go inside any of the canopies. Outside lay a marvellous sight that nearly left me pondering. A humongous baby was lying on a white bed of flowers, which looked like eternal vigil. I was extremely curious on how the sculpture got into such position. Did a super-strong person push the whole item down? Definitely not. That ponderous sight led us to the World of Plants, located on the top of a high hill. After the climb up the staircase, we entered a botanical grove where trees, flowers, bulbs, shoots, stems, reeds and barks of different specimens grew. My mother took a photo of a pangolin made out of living foliage.

Later, we were at a part of the garden where there were colossal jars making the sound of rainforest. I felt a bit uneasy looking at all those worms preserved inside those jars. We also saw some interesting cacti and other desert plants. After spending more than an hour walking under the hot sun, we went back to the area where the crocodile bench and the termite mound were. Time for us to visit the Flower Dome. When we first stepped in, the view was breath-taking. The sight of blooming flowers being displayed next to each other made visitors take lots of pictures.

A door that led us to an air-conditioned paradise of worldwide plants nearly blew our heads away. We saw olive plant, honeysuckles and even the famous Brachychiton water-storing tree. For us, the Garden by the Bay was very educational as we learnt about different species of plant and shared facts about them. There was an Australian garden, a South American garden, a South African garden, a European garden and an American garden in the Flower Dome. It was magical! I never know that the plant world has so many secrets to discover. One could easily spend hours inside this dome but we were feeling peckish. So, we exited the Flower Dome and into a gift shop that was filled with souvenirs, paintings and even wellness products. We didn’t buy anything as the products cost an arm and a leg. So, we raced out of the gift shop and feasted on buns that my mother bought earlier the day.

After a hearty lunch, we headed to the Cloud Forest. It was freezing cold when we stepped into the huge conservatory. Above my head stood a magnificently colossal waterfall that stretched from the highest level of the forest tower, which is covered in mostly moss, with plants on top. It was almost like the Venezuelan Angel Falls! The labelling was still excellent there and we managed to feast our eyes on more intriguing plants like the Japanese Laurel and the conifers.

As we approached the Lost World, we saw a Malaysian forest landscape entirely made out of Lego bricks. Could not believe my eyes, Rafflesia and Pitcher Plant made out of Lego bricks! Next, we were taken into a lift up to a high botanical avenue where gorgeous flowers, dangling creepers, swinging lianas and bushy shrubs grew to their tallest, to their oldest, to their fullest. I caught a view of a pitcher plant, and also saw an unusual plant which is quite fascinating. It was so eye-intriguing that my eyes nearly popped out of my head. It was mostly pitcher plants at that altitude {really surprising} and soon we were at the end of the track.

A few minutes later, we were on another forest walk which was a bit lower. We enjoyed the awesomely built and densely planted structure while we strolled down the track. Out of the blue, a spraying sound blasted out of nowhere. I looked down and realised that it was “misting” time (at 2pm). Mist was clouding the walks and infesting the magical view. Further up, it was no better. The mist had more or less covered part of the top level. The mist was partly water, so when I put my hand on the surface of the sprayer, I could feel water on my fingers. At the end of the track, we ducked as there was the strongest part of the spraying. We learnt a bit about stalactites and stalagmites before leaving Cloud Forest. Our tour of the Garden by the Bay ended with watching a short documentary about global warming.

The next morning, we were feeling peckish after our leisurely eight-hour “relaxation”. We, as normal, scampered to the breakfast area and wiped clean our meal. Packed with the needed energy for the trip, we entered the lift and got to the car park. Once again, we drove to the Singapore immigration, only to be greeted by a shocking surprise. A flotilla of other drivers who had the same idea to go to Singapore were gathered in the hundreds, resulting in an extremely bad congestion at the causeway.

After two hours on the road, we finally arrived at the Singapore Zoo. The moment we entered the zoo, I felt like I was walking into an urban forest. The place was well shaded with trees and plants. The first animal that we saw at the zoo was the Proboscis Monkey. It was supposed to have a short, oval-shaped nose but those at the Singapore Zoo had noses that looked a bit broad. Next, we went to see the Asian small-clawed otters. Some were happily doing a morning relaxation and having a merry time basking in the sun on a rock while others were frolicking about in the pond below. The otters, to me, felt joyous. But I didn’t know how they were feeling really because I am not an otter myself.

Then it was the White Tigers that I always long to see. They didn’t seem active as they were relaxing on their rocks, looking at us. They didn’t move much. But they were extremely intriguing, with numerous posters and banners hung outside their enclosure. One poster said that the tigers were fairly new to the zoo, so they might not be used to big crowds of visitors. It was a beauty to see a real White Tiger in action.

After that, we went to the Pygmy Hippo enclosure. At the entrance of the enclosure, we saw a few other creatures that shared their habitat with the Pygmy Hippo. It included the humongous Crocodile Gar. Coming up was the icky and muddy Red River Hogs. They were joyously bathing themselves in fresh mud and resting and rolling until they were more like Brown Mud Hogs than Red River Hogs. The pygmy hippopotamus is a smaller hippo that originates from West Africa.

After that was a visit to feast our eyes on the four adorable koalas, Chan, Paddle, Pelita and Idalia. This was the first time I saw a koala in action - they were happily munching eucalyptus leaves contentedly. There were signs and banners about koalas everywhere and also a television premiering a documentary on the koalas. The koalas were so pampered as they were placed in an air-conditioned enclosure.

Next, we went to see the Hamadryas Baboons from the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. There was an infestation of them - I think there was about 11 or 12. Their bright red bottoms looked as if they had fell from a rock monolith and landed heavily bum-first. But really, it was nature’s idea.

After that were the Douc Langurs. The name was actually French, but I forgot what the English translation was. Douc Langurs is closely related to the proboscis monkey. The enclosure was filled with monkey-business clutter. There was a little shed with a meal stand and connected to the shed was a thin, metallic bridge which was actually a wire. The next attraction was the Colobus Monkeys. The enclosure was near the Arapaima River. Not long after, a crowd of tourists came by. It was feeding time. The zookeepers fed the Crested Macaques and Colobus Monkeys with bananas and other fruits.

The Crested Macaques didn’t quite eat anything but the Colobus Monkeys savoured their meal as soon as it was thrown to them. As soon as the noise of the tourists cleared, we were off.

After that we saw the Red Howler Monkeys. I tried to take a photo of them stealthily, because I knew that if they noticed me they might let out a deafening howl. But then I changed my mind. So we thought of going to the African Penguin enclosure instead. Not knowing where we were meant to head for, we asked a lady serving at the Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre convenience store. Following her directions, we headed west exploring sights of animals on the way.

First stop were the Sumatran Orangutans. Orangutan meant “man of the forest” in Malay and no prizes for those who guessed that the red haired primate looked like a native forest tribesman. There was one humongous hairy orangutan who knuckle- walked across the stone slab. Not far from the Orangutan enclosure was the Frozen Tundra where the wolverines, the polar bear and the raccoon dogs resided. The carnivorous wolverines were hibernating snug and cosy in their beds of straw. And so were the raccoon dogs. The polar bear’s dens were marked with a note reading “If you don’t see me here, I might be having a snooze in my den. I’ll be out during the feeding time”. True enough, he was sleeping on an iceberg in his enclosure. There was an artificial igloo which children could climb into to experience the life of Eskimo.

Then it was the confusingly- designed zebras, which were relatives to the horse. They weren’t doing much apart from swinging their tails and contentedly munching grass. Not far from them were the African animal sprinters - the cheetahs. They were sitting near to a covered canopy that was full of African clutter. After the cheetahs were the warthogs. Their habitat was crammed with brown mud where the warthogs were sunbathing in. They looked so dirty that possibly they had to eat muddy food for every feeding time {Yuck!}.

Next to come were the lions. They were new arrivals so they were resting at the back of the enclosure. The closest we got to them was in a small canopy with a big glass frame. After that we explored the Fragile Forest. Firstly, we went through some chains and a small entrance to catch the view of different amphibians. Then we went down a pathway where there were lots of unusual plants and some birds. The first attraction was an unusual bird that looked like a little guineafowl or peacock. I hadn’t the foggiest what this intriguing specimen was named. I found it extremely ponderous and interesting at the same time. Next were the ring-tailed lemurs. They were on stands connected to a little bridge and another stand. They were not too busily messing about so it cost us no stress to take a snap.

After that were the Flying Foxes, or fruit bats as the whole enclosure was strewn with orange skins, uneaten leftovers of watermelon, banana peels and the oh-so-annoying butterflies, which interrupted my view every time I tried to take a glimpse of the bat.

Last in line was the hideously slow sloth. It shared its habitat and of course its food with a few other butterflies. There were some vegetables laid in a little bowl in front of the sloth but the sloth just hung on to its bar and drifted off into slumber land. After the Fragile Forest, we were in a room full of creepy crawlies kept in tanks such as the Giant Hair Tarantula and the Madagascan Giant Cockroach. Not long after, we were out of the Fragile Forest and to the Giant Tortoise enclosure. The extremely slow shelled amphibian thumped across the sand in slow motion. It lived with a horned lizard resting on top of a rock. Near to it lived the only living “dragon”, the Komodo Dragon.

Not too long after, we arrived at the African Penguin enclosure. There were lone ones, nesting couples, males picking sticks for nests. It looked so natural that the penguins just thought they might build a nest or two in their habitat. Next to the covered part lay a medium sized paddling pool where the penguins could happily frolick and swim in. After that, we had lunch under the Garden Pavilion. We revisited the Frozen Tundra and a few other enclosures before returning to the hotel.

Written by Koh Chee Yuan

A Magnificent Day Trip to Sekinchan

 On 3 June 2015, I was up with the lark to get driven to Sekinchan on a cool, dewy morning. The journey took us almost two hours, and eventually we arrived at a street which is a stone’s throw away from the fishing village. We went to a famous restaurant, Jiann Chyi Seafood, for our breakfast. My parents ordered a pot of seafood porridge and the renowned sole fish. The fish is shaped like a shoe sole and properly fried to a crisp, brown flavour and a dry, scaly texture. It was delectable!

I Love Sekinchan sign board at Radang Beach

After a heavy breakfast, we drove to the nearby fishing village. It looked like a river filled with fishing boats. The village was rather quiet although it was only nine o’clock. It was probably a day off for the fishermen or probably they had returned home with their daily catch. We walked on some wooden planks to take photos. The planks were full of holes. It was quite scary. I saw an old lady taking a snooze in a hammock.

A short drive away from the fishing village is Redang Beach. From a quick glance, it looked nothing like a beach to me. I guess it was still early because we were the only visitors there. I could see some little stalls, but only one has started his business. The beach is not clean and the sand looked very coarse, not powdery.

Near to the beach is a little temple with a famous tree known as the “Wishing Tree” as there are pieces of paper hanging on every branch with wishes written on them.

Wishing Tree at Radang Beach

Next on our day trip was the paddy field. This time of the year, the paddy fields were stunningly beautiful with golden yellow in colour. Some paddy plants have already been harvested. We visited a paddy processing factory called PLS Marketing. After paying for the entrance fees, we entered the factory and a Mandarin-speaking young man greeted us. He led us into a room with a Samsung TV. He then showed us an educational programme on how paddy went from the leech-filled, soggy fields to rice on our dinner plates. I had a good insight on how paddy is seeded, planted on the fields, harvested and processed into rice. After the short video show, we were brought to a corridor (with glass window) where we could see machines and workers at the factory processing the paddy. Then, the young chap led us to the mini-museum with pictures and some exhibits. He showed us a picture of the parts of a grain of rice and explained to us the difference between white and brown rice. There was also a picture of the different types of rice.

I learnt about the tools used in the past to plough the field, plant the seedling, harvest the paddy and remove the husk from the paddy to turn it into rice. We then headed to the shop downstairs that sells packets of rice and rice-based snacks.

Paddy Field at Sekinchan

Outside the factory were two stalls selling local fruits. We heard the local mangoes are delicious. So, we followed a signage that directed us to a mango shop. It was actually a house with boxes of mangoes at the car porch. The owner asked my dad to try two different types of mango. We bought the more expensive type.

After that, we followed our instinct to look for the famous Nan Tian Temple which is located in the middle of paddy fields. It was rather quiet at the temple. We climbed up a viewing deck and the view was magnificent from the balcony. From far, we saw some “swiftlet houses” to attract swiftlet to build nests in the houses. The nests are collected to be made into expensive bird-nest.

Nan Tiam Temple in the Middle of Paddy Field

After all the visiting, we were famished and needed good food to fill up our stomach. We headed back to the street close to the fishing village and found a restaurant that served almost every seafood delicacy. The restaurant is popular with locals and visitors. We ordered fried clams, steamed fish, steamed mantis shrimps and my favourite fried sole fish. The coconut drink was absolutely refreshing. We had a sumptuous lunch!

After lunch, I was reluctant to leave Sekinchan. So, my dad drove us back to Redang Beach for a stroll. The place was now filled with visitors enjoying their snacks and coconut drinks under the trees. There was even a kid playing kite under the scotching sun. Finally, we left Sekinchan with a heavy heart.

Written by
Koh Chee Yuan

Horrible History of England

 Drama Performance at Eaton, 14-15 May 2015

On 14 of May 2015, Eaton students were all bustling behind the red walls for their class performances. Some were outside changing into their costumes while others were waiting with their teachers and classmates. The bustle was for all about the reason that particular day was the first day of the drama performance!

The first class to perform was Miss Marie’s Celtic Life Talk, or better still, Celts 101. Students were popping in and out covering almost every part of Celtic life written by the drama teacher, Ms Diyana or Didi for short. It was educational but sadly no parent in sight brought their notepad. Interestingly, one very shy boy used the shield to cover his face so that nobody could see his face. 

Next in line was Miss Michaela’s “Jack and the Master” which was a story when Jack “the fool” transformed into Jack “the cool” when he found ways to trick his evil master using every direction and technique in the trick book. Interesting.

The third performance was Mr Badaoui’s year 2 class about the Roman invasion of Britain. The performance didn’t appear like such - only a group of students telling the audience about Roman life in Britain (possibly) and the others dressed in Roman garment with a helmet and a shield shouting “Go Romans!”.

Fourth to come was Miss Milly’s class, “The Creation Of The World” according to the Vikings. It was all about Loki the trickster observing wise Odin creating three worlds (Jotunheim, Asgard and Midgard) with a big rainbow bridge (Bifrost) that connected Asgard and Midgard together. Do not get confused with the rainbow bridge in Japan!

Following that was Miss Clare class’s Thor and the Giants performance where mighty Thor travelled with Loki the trickster (that’s me!) and went to defeat the mighty giants of Jotunheim. Sadly, Thor found his plan backfired with a pinch of the giants’ mysterious, unpredictable magic that turned every Thor’s trick unworkable. My role was Loki, I had green spots on my face and a huge black beard painted out of green and black paint makeup. My costume was a brown undergarment with a blue badge draped over it. I was not at all nervous waiting for my turn to go onto the stage. I had the second most number of lines in the performance. My friend Anson who was playing Thor was under the weather and could not perform in the final rehearsal. We were all worried that the performance might not take place as Thor was the main character. Thankfully, he bounced back to health and finally turned up for the performance on Thursday evening.

Next was Year 4’s Henry VIII and his wives. It was about Henry’s six wives. Some parts of the performance were hilarious while some parts were gruesome where two of Henry’s wives were beheaded. Nevertheless, it was one of the most interesting performances.

After that was Year’s 5’s series of performances about what happened to Britain when Queen Victoria ruled Britain. Audience were shown the differences between Victorian and modern football, show empathy to some Victorian children born to peasants, celebrate Queen Victoria’s coronation and relive a scene of the Crimean war with “soldiers” holding huge cardboard “guns” to “shoot” at their “enemies” on the “battlefield”.

Coming up was Year’s 6’s series of performances about World War 2. It started with my teen fan, Dylan pretending to advertise Anderson shelters. Then there were scenes of Anne Frank’s time in the Annex trying to hide from the Nazi and the German surrendering to Britain.

After that was the performance titled James Bond in Wonderland. The plot resembled Alice in Wonderland, where the well-known British secret service agent James Bond followed a white rabbit (the March Hare) into a fantasy world. It was truly an adventure for James Bond. Magnificent performance!

Next in line was Sherlock Holmes: The Reichenbach Fall. The performance was about Sherlock Holmes who died possibly of murder, leaving his best friend Watson to mourn about his death. It was marvellous. 

Lastly was Year 8’s The Merchant of Venice, after Shakespeare’s play. The performance was about the lovesick Bassanio, a young Venetian who tried to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia. Is it better to woo the woman with gold, silver or a person’s own thoughtfulness? Could the greedy moneylender, Shylock’s heart be softened?

It was truly a rewarding experience for all students who organised and participated in the performances. Each ticket was hand painted by secondary students. Some parents even helped out in making the costumes and stage props. It was one of the most memorable events for me since I joined Eaton. With another performance planned before the Christmas term break, I can’t wait for another opportunity to be on the stage again.

A Truly Unforgettable Trip to Tokyo

 29th March to 4th April 2015

On the 28th of March 2015, I was transported to the airport at 6.30pm. Our flight was at 10.30 pm and the journey lasted for seven hours. I was too excited to sleep a wink that I only managed to catch one hour of nap. Eventually, we arrived at Tokyo International Airport (better known as Narita International Airport) and caught the 8.10am airport limousine bus to our hotel. It was long before we arrived at our hotel, the Prince Park Tower Tokyo at 10.30am. Check-in time was only at 2.00pm, so we whiled our time away by visiting the nearby Zojoji Temple. At the entrance stood a line of cherry blossom trees which took my breath away. I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to marvel the cherry blossoms, as the news said that the cherry blossoms arrived five days earlier this year. Hidden by the petals of the cherry blossom trees is a statue of the Goddess Of Mercy (known as Guan Ying in Chinese).

Zojoji Temple and Tokyo Tower

Zojoji Temple is a Buddhist temple founded in 1393. Six out of the fifteen Tokugawa shoguns are buried at Zojoji Temple. A part of the garden is crammed with statues of young children dressed in colourful clothes to represent unborn children. While in Zojoji Temple, I managed to take a picture of ancient Japan (the Zojoji Temple) and modern Japan (the Tokyo Tower). After that, we went for an early lunch at the World Trade Centre which is only a ten-minute walk from our hotel. After checking into the hotel, we were so exhausted our bones would have grown thin and cracked if our vitality had not been recovered by rest and naps.

The following morning, we woke up with jest and a smiley face after a good night’s sleep. On that rather cheerful morning, we took the hotel shuttle bus to Daimon Station. From Daimon Station, we took the Toei Subway Asakusa Line to Asakusa Station. First, we visited the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Centre to get some information and to go up to the 8th floor to get a bird’s eye view of the area. Next, we walked to Kaminarimon Gate to enter the Nakamise-Dori Street which served as the gateway to the Sensoji Temple. Along the Nakamise-Dori Street which was cramped with tourists, we saw a long line of little shops selling local snacks and souvenirs. The Sensoji Temple is one of the most visited landmarks in Tokyo and the oldest temple in Tokyo. Beside the temple was a five storey pagoda.

Sensoji Temple and Five Storey Pagoda

After taking a stroll and lunch in the Asakusa area, we took the Ginza Line to Ueno Station. We could see a huge crowd climbing up the stairs to the Ueno-onshi Park (known as Shinobazunoike in Japanese). The weather was brilliant, in fact a bit too warm for me. Most of the crowd was popping in for a picnic under the breath-of-fresh-air shade of the picture-pretty cherry blossom trees. We took plenty of pictures of cherry blossoms trees with petals of different colours from white to red.

Cherry Blossom Trees in Ueno Park

I also took a photo of a bronze statue of the shogun Saigo Takamori. Ueno Park is well known for its large array of museums and cherry blossom trees. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit any of the museums because they were closed on Monday. According to the Tokyo Guide book, Ueno Park has more than 1,000 cherry blossom trees. I shouldn’t be surprised since the park is huge. Shortly after, we strolled to Ameyoko, a street full of shops selling mainly fresh and dried seafood. It was crowded with tourists as well as local people who come here to get their supply of fruits, vegetables and seafood. We bought a pack of green tea mochi from a corner shop selling little Japanese snacks.

On the third day, we left the hotel at 6.30am to Hamamatsucho Station to take a train to Tokyo Station. From Tokyo Station, we took the JR Keiyo Line to Maihama Station, where Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Sea are located. It was only 7.30am when we arrived at Disneyland but the gate opened at 8am. However, we were stuck in an unimaginably large crowd queuing to get into Disneyland. The sensation of being sandwiched and pulped in such a large crowd was comparable to being stuck in a tiny cubicle between two large rocks with little room to move about. Obviously fresh air supply was low, so I was left reaching for oxygen and taking lungful whenever I had the chance. When the gate opened, the crowd charged in like a bull charging at its Spanish matador. They rushed to the eight most popular rides to get a Fast-Pass ticket in order to avoid long queues at those rides. We managed to get our first Fast-Pass tickets for Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek but we could only use the ticket between 1.50pm and 2.50pm. So, we rushed to queue for Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. We waited for 45 minutes but it was worth the waiting. I enjoyed the thrilling ride but it was sadly too short, the ride lasted only four and a half minutes.

Tokyo Disneyland

Next was my dad’s wish to try the Space Mountain ride but unfortunately, we were told that the waiting time was three hours. Unbelievable! I actually felt quite relieved as the ride is some sort of a roller coaster, and I have a phobia of roller coaster ride ever since my first experience in Legoland Malaysia. Instead, we went to the ride that I had been looking forward to - It’s A Small World. There was also a long queue but not as long as three hours. During the ride, we sat on a boat and sailed around the world while being greeted by little children dressed in their country’s traditional costumes. The song was melodic and all the little children were prettily dressed up, performing whatever their culture represents. I felt like I was in Fantasyland. After that, we wanted to get a Fast-pass ticket for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. To my disappointment, all the Fast-pass tickets were gone and the normal queue’s duration was a terribly long three hours. Hence, we quickly dashed to get a Fast-pass for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Fortunately, we were able to snap up the tickets for a ride at between 5.50pm and 6.50pm. It must be school holidays during our visit to Disneyland because everywhere we go, it was so crowded including the restaurants and restrooms. After lunch, we queued for Peter Pan’s Flight. We waited for more than one hour but the ride lasted only two and a half minutes. In the ride, we sat in a ‘galleon’ and flew out of Wendy’s bedroom window through the night skies and into Never-Land, where we spotted Captain Hook and Peter Pan fighting with each other. After that ride, we were supposed to go to the Monsters Inc. ride but sadly we were told that there were some technical problems. We then went to Haunted Mansion to get a Fast-pass but again, all Fast-pass tickets were snapped up. The only way was to join the dramatically long queue. Whilst queuing, we watched the Daytime Parade: Happiness Is Here. Mickey Mouse and all his Disney characters appeared in colourful attire and greeted the crowds from their floats with wheels. Most floats appeared to be lavishly large and the characters waved to the crowds who cheered and jeered with excitement at the favourite characters. The wait under the blazing sun for Haunted Mansion was unbearable, and we finally gave up after one hour of queuing. We tried our luck at the Jungle Cruise ride. After waiting for almost two hours, we boarded a boat with a skipper who spoke in Japanese. She took us down the river and we saw lots of man-made animals found around the savannahs of Africa and in the rivers. After Jungle Cruise, we returned to Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek. They had fixed the technical problems and we were allowed to use our Fast-pass tickets for the ride. Even with the Fast-pass we still had to wait for more than half an hour. During the ride, we used a flashlight to shine on the helmets with Monsters' Inc. logo to reveal the hiding place of the monster. It was quite fun and now I know why this is the most popular ride in Tokyo Disneyland. We were also fortunate to be able to use our Fast-pass tickets for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. This again was a shooting-style ride. We used the astro blasters to target and hit the robots and secret weapons as they launch attacks against us on this ride. Sadly, the ride only lasted four minutes. After a quick dinner, we decided to try one more ride before calling it a day. Our choice was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Even though the queue was long, we waited patiently because it was interesting to look at the decorations. The boat ride brought us back in time to the days when pirates ruled the Caribbean. I was pirates’ treasures, pirates in jail and burning town scene. Just before the end of the ride, we were greeted by Captain Jack Sparrow. After this ride, we were too exhausted and left Disneyland at 7.30pm. My memory of Disneyland was rushing for rides and queuing for everything. Honestly, I prefer nature than theme parks.

Cherry Blossoms Tree in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

The next day, we took the hotel shuttle bus to Hamamatsucho Station. From Hamamatsucho, we took the JR Yamamote Line to Shinjuku Station. From the station’s New South Exit, we strolled to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We got lost for the reason that there was completely no sight of the garden. Then, we saw three foreign tourists who appeared to be looking for the direction to the garden. We followed them and finally saw the entrance of the garden. The moment we stepped into the garden ground, the view was breathtaking that I simply couldn’t unglue my eyes from the cherry blossoms. The spectacular scenery of cherry blossoms attracted large crowds here to relax and take a leisurely stroll. I still can’t believe that there is such a magnificent garden located right in the centre of Shinjuku with tall and modern buildings. In spring, this garden is one of Tokyo's most popular and pleasant hanami (cherry blossom) spots. We took lots of photos of cherry blossoms with varied colours. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is so big that it has three different types of gardens - a traditional Japanese landscape garden, French garden and English garden. To me, this is one of the best urban parks in the world. The relaxing and tranquil environment is a perfect escape from the busy city. Just before we left the garden, there were a lot of office workers who brought their lunches here for a short picnic.

After lunch, we wanted to go to the Meiji Shrine and the National Metropolitan Government Building to marvel the view of Tokyo but my mum was feeling a little unwell (could be due to the long hour of standing and walking at Disneyland). So, we went to the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centre at the Shinjuku Station to purchase tickets for the Odakyu Express "Romancecar" train and the Hakone Free Pass for our trip to Hakone. Then we took the JR Yamamote Line back to Hamamatsucho Station and caught the shuttle bus back to our premier hotel for a good rest. That gave me an opportunity to soak in the relaxing bath.

Hakone Sightseeing Cruise

On the fifth day, we were up with the lark to catch the iconic “Romancecar” to Hakone-Yumoto. We walked to Hamamatsucho Station at 6.30am and reached Shinjuku Station in time for our train was at 7.27am. We had our breakfast in the train since the train journey was one and a half hour. On arrival, we quickly looked for the Hakone Tozan Bus. The bus stand was a stone’s throw away from the train station. To our astonishment, there was already a long queue at the bus stand. When the bus finally arrived, we squeezed in but couldn’t get seat. Fortunately, I was standing near to a pleasant-looking old lady and she allowed me to sit on her armrest. Eventually, we arrived at Motohakone-ko (a pier). After alighting from the bus, we dashed to the place for the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise. Our Hakone Free Pass allowed us to travel on different types of transportation in Hakone.

Owakudani on Mount Hakone

We sailed on Lake Ashi, which was formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone when it last erupted 3,000 years ago. The scenery was utterly magnificent with some intriguing thing like the “torii” gate. I was told there are little museums and historic sites located by the lake shore. However, the weather was too foggy to catch a view of Mount Fuji.  Soon we arrived at Togendai-ko Station, located right at the other side of the lake. From the station, we legged it to take a ride on the Hakone Ropeway (like cable car) to Owakudani. To my disappointment, most of the scenery was hidden in an ascent of bare trees and brown grassy ground. When we arrived at Owakudani the scenery was different. I could see lots of steam rising from the volcanic ground. Owakudani is the area around a crater created during the last eruption of Mount Hakone some 3000 years ago. We walked up the steps leading to a volcanic zone with rather putrid smells of rotten eggs. At the steam vent area, I saw a man dipping a cage of eggs into a bubbling hot pool. When the eggs are cooked, the shells turn black due to reaction to the mineral elements of the hot springs. A Japanese belief is that if a person eats a black egg, his or her life will be increased by 7 years.

Hakone Tozan Train

After descending from the hot springs, we rode on the Ropeway again to travel to Sounzan Station. The scenery was clouded by fog, as the ropeway was very near to the Owakudani volcano. From Sounzan Station, we took the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Gora, where we visited the Gora Park. It was small but beautiful - it really goes to show that good things come in small packages. The park was built in 1914 and it was the first French-style garden in Japan. The park has a magnificent fountain and a rose garden. There were also hordes of cherry blossom trees, which was great for those who were on a cherry blossom hunt like us. I even visited the greenhouse in the park where I saw familiar flowers and plants which can be found in Malaysia. From Gora Station, we took the Hakone Tozan Train back to Hakone-Yumoto. I was fortunate to have a seat and take a short nap while my pitiful parents had to stand for 40 minutes. On arrival at Hakone-Yumoto, we still had 1 hour to wonder around the town before catching the “Romancecar” back to Shinjuku Station. I was very pleased that I had the opportunity to experience many things in Hakone.

Rainbow Bridge and Statue of Liberty

Our last destination in Tokyo was Odaiba, which is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man-made island in the Tokyo Bay. We walked to Akabanebashi Station (not too far from our hotel) to take Toei Oedo Line to Shiodome Station. From there, we changed to the renowned Yurikamome, an automated and elevated train which connects Shimbashi Station with Odaiba. The train crosses the Rainbow Bridge and offers stunning view of the Tokyo waterfront. We alighted from the iconic train at Daiba Station and went up to the great sightseeing balcony of the Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall. We took marvellous photo shots of the Rainbow Bridge and a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Tokyo. We also strolled on the man-made beach.

Gigantic Statue of Transformer at Diver City Tokyo Plaza

After that, we walked towards Palette Town and on our way we stopped at the Fuji TV Building. Palette Town is a large shopping complex housing the Toyota MegaWeb and the Venus Fort Mall. I was so excited to visit Toyota MegaWeb that I had to cool my heels for a few minutes because it only opened at 11.00am. When the entrance door was finally opened, everyone charged in like Vikings for battle. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the place was full of the latest models of Toyota cars. My mum took photos of me sitting in the driver’s seat of almost all models. Some of the models are only available in Japan. We even watched a 3D show called “Buckle Up” in the Mega Theatre, which highlights the importance of wearing seatbelts. After lunch, we visited the History Garage, showcasing classic vintage cars dating back to the 1950s and from all over the world from BMW to Deloreans and Nissan. I was truly amazed to see so many new and classic cars on one day. After leaving Toyota MegaWeb, we headed towards Diver City Tokyo Plaza where we saw a gigantic statue of Transformer. To our astonishment and excitement, we also saw a carpet of tulips in various colours - not in Amsterdam, but in Tokyo!

On the last day, we had to wake up early to catch the airport limousine bus at 6.54am to Narita International Airport for our flight back to Malaysia. I left Tokyo with a heavy heart but soon realised that not all good things last forever. I love Tokyo very much - it is full of interesting places to visit, the transportation is so efficient and the people there are so courteous. The diet is rather healthy, that’s why many Japanese live up to ripe old ages. I vow to come back to Tokyo again 5 years later.

Written by:
Koh Chee Yuan