The Southern Ridges of Singapore

One of the best way to enjoy the nature reserves of Singapore is to take a hike along the 10 km trail connecting Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, HortPark, Kent Ridge Park and Labrador Nature Reserve.

I would recommend tackling Labrador Nature Reserve separately as it would be somewhat of a detour whereas the route linking Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill and HortPark and Kent Ridge is continuous. For more on Labrador Park, please refer to my post of 28 April 2018.

You will not find the casual tourist to Singapore at the Southern Ridges except at Mount Faber where they explore the rudimentary Faber Peak for cable car rides and Mount Faber Park for a panoramic view of Singapore.

If you mind the afternoon sun, then it would be best to start in the morning from either Mount Faber side or Kent Ridge side. For this walk, let's start after a hearty breakfast and toilet break at Seah Im Food Centre which is situated at the foot of Mount Faber and opposite Harbourfront. 

Walk towards Marang Road from Seah Im Food Centre

At this fork in the route, take Marang Trail on the left

Take the Hilltop Walk with man-made bridges unless you wanna
to rough it out with the wild Forest Walk

Entrance to HortPark

Entrance to Kent Ridge Park

Gate crashing a film shoot

Walk towards Singapore Science Park to exit 

Passion In Bringing You The Extra Smile

Got this from a chat group and thought that you might find this advertisement refreshing. 

After the first commercial, the second commercial was aired 15 years later using the same main actors.

Click here for Mr. Smith | It's Boy | Passionate about you 

Click here for Going the extra smile for you since 15 years | Brussels Airlines 

10 Ways To Stay Inspired

Photo by Raj Eiamworakul on Unsplash

Click here for 10 Ways To Stay Inspired by Sherrie Campbell which are summarised as follows:

1. Read

2. Time alone

3. Money

4. Music

5. Exercise

6. Gratitude

7. Vision

8. Competition

9. Other people's stories

10. Give

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- Francis of Assisi

Free Service To Help You Quit Smoking

Some may even piped in that smokers look like chimneys.

If you are in Singapore and wanna quit smoking, Guardian has a free service which could help you.

Click here for Guardian's Smoking Cessation program.

As outlined in its website, the benefits of quitting smoking include the following:

"1. Reduce risk of stroke, coronary heart diseases and cancer

2. Save money

3. Look and feel better

4. Protect family and friends from the harmful effects of passive smoking

5. More personal freedom with no restrictions on the restaurants or places one can patronise

6. Feel in control instead of being controlled by cigarettes"

There are real reasons such as nicotine addiction and coping with stress which make it more of a mountain climbing effort than a stroll in the park when it comes to beating the smoking habit.

Reach out and get help or help someone who needs it.

PERMA Your Way To HAPPINESS

The PERMA model which was designed by Martin Seligman consists of the following five key ingredients which contribute to your well-being and happiness:

P – Positive Emotion

E – Engagement
R – Relationships
M – Meaning
A – Accomplishments


Click here to explore further.  

What's Your Passion?

At first glance, passion speaks of your thing -- the thing that infuses your body and soul with zest and zeal, unassisted. It is like an elderly pianist who comes alive when seated at the piano and his hands begin to work its magic on the keyboard.

You may say that your passion is reading. But, if you are sold out to buy books and nary make time to read them, then you are at best a book hoarder or tsundoku practitioner (someone who leaves a book unread after buying it, adding to the pile of other such unread books).

The other undergirding bedrock of passion, which does not come to mind at the first, is a willingness to suffer or go the distance in the pursuit of your element.

And, so you read a paper book, e-book or on the internet every so often without limiting to what you have already bought. You are an avid reader; that's your passion and it defines you to a great extent and will help you find your tribe of fellow readers -- and create even more magic!

Find you passion, pursue it and you will be clued in for "Life is great!".

Click here for Irene Cara - Flashdance What A Feeling (Official Music Video).

Inspirational Story for Mother's Day 2018

What will you be getting for your Mom on this Mother's Day? Do you know her most cherished wish?

The following story written by Kathryn Tolbert for The Washington Post tells of one mother who got her birthday wish and it is truly a heartwarming story for Mother's Day 2018.

Click here for He searched for his Japanese birth mother. He found her — and the restaurant she had named after him.