Friday, September 22, 2006

Next Change: Kampong Fruit Trees

Older Singaporeans will be familiar with terms like Akan Datang and Next Change.

I have been busy with work lately so not much time to blog. But in order not to disappoint my regular readers, here's a preview of what's coming up next.


This photo of a rambutan tree was taken on 22 Jul 2006 at the MacRitchie Reservoir.

Rambutan Tree (2)

Here's a photo of the same tree about 2 weeks later on 07 Aug. when the fruits were beginning to ripen. Too bad, I have lost my tree climbing skills. Anyway, I don't want my picture to appear in the Straits Times for the wrong reasons.

Rambutan Tree (4)

But do you notice that the fruits looked a bit strange? Some of them appear to have been peeled. Maybe someone beat me to them.

Rambutan Tree (5)

Rambutan Tree (6)

And here's the culprit. I bet my friend John Harper envies this chap.

Rambutan Tree (13)

Rambutan Tree (10)

Click on the photos to go to my Flickr site for more photos of this monkey.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Redesign one of those suspended trash bins in the JB country club to get this monkey.

iml said...

They are not the only ones, the squirrels were busy at it too when I was there one august morning.

Victor said...

Being born in the year of the monkey (sorry for repeating so many times), I can understand their behaviour very well - gahmen makes feeding the monkeys an offence, so they (the monkeys) have no choice but to feed themselves.

Chris Sim said...

Ya, and it didn't help that the monkeys are quite agile, swinging from tree to tree. You got 20 rambutan trees, semua mampus lah!

Lam Chun See said...

Actually feeding of the monkeys and fish is not allowed. Lots of warning signs about the hefty fines. Yet many people do it. Now the monkeys are very bold and agressive; one of these days, some people going to get hurt.

me said...

Poor monkeys, but they are really cute! I haven seen one elsewhere except the zoo, and i would love to do so! haha.. my bf says at dunno where.. got orstrich! i shall ask him where :)

Lam Chun See said...

Coincidentally, Dee also blogged about MacRitchie and being 'attacked' by a monkey. Hope it was not serious.

Anonymous said...

Climbing trees was a favourite past-time in kampong days for boys (even girls!), but it proved costly at times. I fell from a chiku tree, though not from a great height, but still my left shoulder was dislocated. My mother brought me to a Chinese sinseh (bone setter) and got the problem fixed. Then come a distance relative (a young lady) from Kuantan, who climbed one of our huge rambutan trees and fell. Her foot landed on a hard large protruding root and got herself immobilised for a couple of months. One uncle of mine, a retired sailor, age around 70, climbed nearly to the top of the chiku tree (the one I fell from) and came down, with many fruits, safely. It shows that in climbing age is not a factor but experience does count.

Chris Sim said...

Since we're on the topic of Monkeys (or was it fruit trees?), do u know there are 15 expressions we could come up with using the word monkey? Victor, take note... LOL

Monkey see, monkey do;
Monkey business;
Monkey bars;
Monkey's uncles;
Monkey around;
Make a monkey of;
Monkey face;
Monkey drill;
Monkey suit;
Monkey wrench;
Monkey bait;
Monkey bite;
Monkey talk;
don't give a monkey's.

Sorry, it should have been 16. The last one being:

Victor, the Monkey.

Sorry, juz monkeying around. Ha.

Anonymous said...

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. In a way, that applied even for the famous ex-CEO who flew first class and maintained he didn't. He monkeyed with travel budget rules, backpay, etc.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the rambutan tasted good.. like what we said....' toot hoot' in Hokkien - that the flesh is not sticking to the seed. A pity we are not allowed to pluck some and try....

Lam Chun See said...

In the 60's there was a pop group known as The Monkees. They had a black and white show tv.

Lam Chun See said...

Chuck. I think yours is a case of 'sour rambutans'. You jealous of the monkey is it?

BTW, in Cantonese we say, 'lat wat' meaning the flesh will not stick to the seed.

Anonymous said...

When monkeys invaded our compounds they are the culprits. When we intrude into their natural habitat, we are to be blamed. Both monkeys and men, known for being equally mischievous, square up.