Steph's Blog: Kite Flying and Other Rantings

I hope these two huge fields in Sengkang stay empty for a long time to come. To hope that it stays vacant forever is wishful thinking. It's just a matter of time before the construction cranes move in and new HDB blocks sprout up in no time. That's the sad reality in Singapore. Anything unspoiled and remotely beautiful will not be left untouched for long. Instead, some kind of artificial intervention in the name of 'conservation' will move in and this act alone already spoils the natural beauty of the place. Case in point: the hot springs at Sembawang. I'd forgotten about this gem until MJ reminded me about it. A natural spring of hot steamy water has been reduced to a concrete platform with taps dispensing the hot spring water. It's like taking a beautiful verse of poetry and turning it to commercial prose so that the masses can 'understand' it. So instead of letting people appreciate nature as it is, we have to be 'taught' in a way some highly paid official trying to justify his or her pay by coming up with such sterile solution deems fit as a solution to what they perceive as a clever way to 'conserve' an area. I shudder whenever I hear that an area has been 'earmarked for conservation' because that to me means that artificiality will set in and the essence of the place will surely be lost. Look at the new Marina Bay promenade or the double helix bridge that leads to the Marina Bay Sands IR. there is just one word that comes to mind: ARTIFICIAL. It reminds me of a Chinaman who has his well-gelled hair plastered to his head, not a strand out of place. Neat, sculptured, organised and mostly nice to look at. I must admit I was quite impressed with the entire area when I first saw it, with a commanding skyline to boot but the true test of a place is whether it endures and I regret to say that it doesn't in my books. The worrying thing is that the architects behind these developments are giving themselves a pat on each other's backs, congratulating themselves on a job well done but at the end of the day, the key element that's missing is SOUL.

Spot the upside down spider.

That's our penguin kite in the sky.

So back to the field in Sengkang. There were about 50-70 kites of all shapes and sizes flying in the clear blue sky earlier this evening. It was quite a sight but the effect was lost when I tried to photograph it. So I didn't try very hard. It's quite a carefree feeling to fly a kite in a great big open field, albeit a muddy one from the earlier downpour. It's a fun filled activity and definitely very healthy for family bonding. Families should be able to go down to the field as and when they want to, to engage in whatever activities that a simple empty space will fulfill. No need for fancy boardwalks or sculpted grass. Just pure, raw nature is what we want and need. Please don't take that away from us! But as I said, it's wishful thinking in Singapore.

Meg the aspiring photographer.

The man on the right helped us hook up our kite. In the olden days, people knew how to build their own kites. These days, we don't even know how to hook the line to it!