Journal Entry 5: Christmas Day

Christmas is a day of obligation to all Catholics. This is a day where Jesus Christ, the saviour is born. Christmas is festive joy universally where many people often make use of this year end holiday season to visit one another and make merry. After attending the mass on Christmas Day, my family proceeded to visit the Hort Park located near Gillman Height condo (at depot Road) to experience this new natural park that was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a wet Saturday morning. After alighting from the MRT at Harbourfront terminal, we embarked on a journey by a link bridge that leads to Mount Faber.

We crossed the Alexandra Arch and began our trail of 2.8 kilometres at Telok Blangah Hill Park which has a history that few other parks can boast about. This park has long been a place of gathering for trading communities which flourished at the site since the early nineteenth century. The prosperity of the traders is symbolised by the Alkaff Mansion - an elegant colonial bungalow built by an Arab trader and is previously a place for grand parties of the social elite. We took the forest walk which comprises of a steps-free elevated walkway with earth trails meanders through some 50 metres through the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill. The raised walkway with heights ranging from 3 to 18 metres brushes the canopy of trees and offers a bird’s eye view of the forest. The modules of the elevated walkway derived their design from the triangular-shaped leaves of the fast-growing “Mile-a-Minute” plant. The ground level earth trails offer a more rugged experience, bringing you closer to the wildlife found in the area.

Next, we went on to the Hilltop Walk that runs through the 34-hectare Telok Blangah Hill Park, once a gathering place for trading communities that flourished in the area in the early nineteenth century. The trail connects on one end with the Henderson Waves and the other with the Forest Walk leading to Alexandra Arch. The Terrace Garden at the top of the park offerred us a stunning 360-degree view of Singapore.

The following trail route was the Henderson Waves which took up only 5 minutes of our time. At 36 metres above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel “ribs” that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved “ribs” form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia, are used in the decking. Look out for carvings on the slats marking the height you are at on various points along the bridge.

The next route we embarked on was the Faber Walk. Faber Walk meanders through Mount Faber Park, one of the oldest parks in Singapore, and ends at the Henderson Waves. The slopes of this 56-hectare park are covered by dense secondary rain forest, and are home to many interesting plants and fauna. At its peak the park offers panoramic views of the southern part of Singapore and the Southern Islands. At night, the park transforms into one of the more romantic spots on the island, where people can enjoy a breathtaking sight of the city’s twinkling lights and ships at sea.

Though it took us about 3 hours to complete the arduous journey, I have learnt an important lesson that regardless of how long the journey, it will soon comes to an end. Achieving target and final result should not be the reason we study. It should be the sole and aim, the challenges, the setback along the jouney that will make us a holistic person. Hence, we should not give in to obstacles and failures but change our navigation to overcome them instead so as to make us a better person for tomorrow.