Mar

Together Can – Team Hoyt

Geotacs on March 8th, 2010

Father and son... together they can!

It’s been such a long while since I last posted. More than six months have already passed since then. Work and a dead computer didn’t help to get me back sooner and what was then 2009 is now 2010. Time flies. So here now is my first post for 2010.

Sometimes it’s great to just wander around and explore. You never know what you might encounter and what pictures you might capture. So one fine day, while I was on one of my wanderings, I saw this father carrying his son on his shoulders. I took the shot then without any specific theme in mind. And I’m glad I did as it turned out to be just the shot I’m looking for that would beautifully capture the spirit of the story of Team Hoyt.

Team Hoyt? Who are they, you might ask. Well frankly, I wouldn’t have known who they are if it had not been for some people whom I came across during work who shared about how they were very moved and inspired by a father and son team who runs in marathons and participates in ironman triathlons together, and even once ran together across the USA in 45 days.

Now you may wonder what is so special about a father and son team doing all these together. Not very much until you realise that Rick, the son, has cerebral palsy.

So when they run, the father, Dick, pushes him in a special wheel-chair. When they cycle, Rick sits in front of a special bicycle while Dick pedals for both of them. And when they swim, Dick swims and pulls an inflatable dingy that Rick lies in. What an incredible expression of a father’s love for his son! When the child alone can’t, the father comes and supports the child and makes it a can!

All this is happening because Rick has a father who believed in him and did not give up on him even when the doctor told the father to forget about Rick and to put him away in an institution. And all this is happening because a father responded yes by running and pushing his son in a wheel-chair when his twelve-year-old paraplegic son said he wanted to participate in a five-mile charity run for a disabled athlete even though the father wasn’t in good health then.

Alone Rick could never run such a race. But together with his Dad they can and they became Team Hoyt.

Rick said to his Dad after the first race, “Dad, when I’m running it feels like my disability disappears…” and later much older in life Rick reflected, “You know I have thought long and hard about what I would do if I wasn’t in a wheel-chair. I love sports so maybe I would play hockey, basketball or baseball. But then I thought about it some more and what I would probably do first is to tell my Dad to sit down in the wheel-chair and now I would push him…”

Dick shared, “Rick is my motivator. He inspires me. To me he’s the one out there competing and I’m just loaning him my hands and my legs so that he can compete. There’s just something that gets into me when I’m out there competing with Rick that I can’t explain and we’re able to go faster. And it’s just an unbelievable feeling….” and “It’s Rick and I out there competing together. And it has really helped me ’cause I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life…and I am 59 years old and I feel I have a body of a 22-year-old person and it’s all his fault…” (looks lovingly at Rick and is moved to tears – catch it in the last video)

When two beings are fully committed and dedicated to each other, something wonderfully mysterious and inextricably beautiful takes place that goes beyond hard cold realities, transcending physical limitations and transporting both into the higher realm of the soul and spirit, and perhaps even heaven.

Dick is in his 60s now and Rick in his 40s. But they are still running and competing together just like they did in the very first race they ran together so many years ago…

Together, can.

Tags: can, commitment, committed, courage, dedicated, dedication, Dick and Rick Hoyt, father and son, father's love, inspiration, ironman, marathon, Team Hoyt, together, triathlon

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Aug

MacRitchie Reservoir Revamped

Geotacs on August 24th, 2009

Travel Geotac #2: MacRitchie Reservoir

This is the sign that greets you at the entrance to MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore’s first impounding reservoir.

Recently MacRitichie Reservoir had just completed its Phase I revamp and not surprisingly further down the road you’ll see a huge sign inviting you in to discover more.

MacRitchie Reservior has had a long history and much related to the growth of Singapore. As far back as the mid 19th century, there were calls and plans by British colonial settlers to construct a new freshwater reservoir to meet growing demands as Singapore was fast out growing its small fishing village status into an important port of call and trading post. One British resident actually began to set aside $1000 for its construction but soon things fizzled out.

The impetus spark which eventually started the process of getting the reservoir built came about in 1857 with a donation of $13,000 from a Straits Chinese merchant and philantropist Tan Kim Seng who desired an improvement to the waterworks in Singapore. Although the amount was not enough and there were financing problems along the way, the reservoir was finally completed sometime around 1867 or 1868 with the distribution grid completed by 1877. Sadly, Mr Tan did not live long enough to see its fruition. But for his contribution, a memorial fountain has been erected and today it stands at Queen Elizabeth Walk, a promanade along the Marina Bay.

It used to be called the Impounding Reservoir and later named Thomson Reservoir in 1907 but was later given its current name, MacRitichie Reservoir, in 1922.

It has undergone several recontructions with new extentions and improvements added over the years such as the expansion in 1891, a park in 1967, boardwalks on the fringes of the reservoir and the HSBC TreeTop Walk (a 250m suspension bridge) in 2004.

Reccently, under the Singapore government’s Active Beautiful Clean (ABC) Waters Project, MacRitichie Reservoir was revamped again. New landscaping and facilities were recently added under the Phase I of the ABC project and was opened to the public on 25th July this year.

For most Singaporeans educated in Singapore, MacRitichie Reservoir should be a very familiar place. Why? Simply because of Cross-Country Day. Many schools in Singapore would hold their annual Cross-Country Day here. An information stand inside MacRitichie Rersevoir (see picture below) shows what it was like in the old days on Cross-Country Day.

For those who have taken part in Cross-Country Day back during your school days, you would remember the old carpark cum holding area where we would congregate to get ready for the run. Well in place of this old carpark we now have a completely reworked area called the Reservoir Deck consisting of a landscaped pond (green lawn) in the shape of the reservoir and an announcement stage shown in the picture below.

So with this carpark gone wouldn’t this mean less parking lots? Well have no fear, a new two-storey green carpark has been built at the other parking area, providing double the parking space.

Here is a shot of the entrance to the two-story green carpark on the left. That elongated green overhead structure to the far left is the second deck of the carpark. What makes this carpark unique is that the upper deck is designed to collect and channel rainwater into bioswale where silt and pollution are removed. The water is also used to water the plants while flowing via sub-soil pipes into a nearby landscaped retention pond. The landscaped retention pond is also a round about for traffic flow as shown below.

But somehow even with more parking space it was a surprise to find two cars parked at the nearby Coach Parking area!

Maybe these are coach wannabes? Anyway, that old Mercedes is a very well-kept car and looks like a pretty cool ride to own!

Coming back to the landscaped pond (green lawn), if you were to turn to the right when facing this revamped area, you will see a gentle slope with small fountains leading up to the new amenities center.

Here’s a closer shot of the fountains and the huge tree in front of the amenities center.

As you enter the amenities center, you will see two huge wall murals on the left and right with wash basins and water coolers in front of them.

Behind these wall murals are, I discovered later, where the new toilets with open-air showers are located. Coin-operated lockers can also be found within.

This one on the left is for the women. Nice mural of the Singapore map and some nice pictures. But as for the men (see below), you get some funky abstract graphic map instead. Not sure if these maps represent any particular place as they do not look familiar. I doubt it’s of the MacRitchie Reservoir as I don’t think there are so many islets within the reservoir. Maybe this is what is happening inside the men’s brain when they try to read a map?

I also noticed that opposite the toilets are photo exhibits of MacRitichie Reservoir where you can find out more about the reservoir and what you can see as you walk along the fringes of the forested nature reserves surrounding the reservoir.

As you walk further into the amenities center, between the two toilets, you will find a cafe where you can have breakfast after your morning jog or just have a cup of coffee to chill out.

Here’s another shot of the cafe from its other end. At this other end, facing out of the cafe, if you turn left you will head towards the direction of the old cafe (might be closed for Phase II revamp) on a little hill top, the bridge with bandstand stage over the reservoir, and finally to the start off point for cross-country competitions (Note: the end point is usually at the revamped Reservoir Deck areas where the old carpark used to be).

Just further down the cross-country trail, there used to be a huge mechnical clock on a manicured slope facing the reservoir but it’s no longer working today although the outline of where the clock used to be might still be there. I wonder if they will replace that during Phase II of the revamp. We shall see.

Oh for those who are not aware, somewhere further up the slope away from the cross-country trail is the tomb of World War II war hero Lim Bo Seng. Discussion is still ongoing whether to turn it into a national monument. As you go further into the forested cross-country trail, there is within the forest (somewhere off Adam Road) a destroyed Japanese memorial erected by General Yamshita to honour his soldiers who died while capturing Singapore during World War II. It’s called Syonan Jinja or Syonan Shinto Shrine. It’s location is hard to locate since no efforts were made to preserve or maintain the ruins.

Anyway, back at the current cafe at the new amenities center, if you turn right and walk further in, you will come across the pumping station. Walk pass this and you will come to a small bridge.

Cross that bridge and turn left if you want to trek or jog on the other longer trail. This is the trail which can lead you to the HSBC TreeTop Walk (a suspension bridge) that was mentioned earlier as well as the 20m high Jelutong Tower. But it’s quite a long walk to get to these two attractions and take note that if you do get on the suspension bridge, you can’t turn back as it’s only a one-direction bridge.

Anyway, if you are not interested in trekking or jogging into the forested area, this other side of the reservoir is the only place you are allowed to…

do some fishing or…

canoeing!

There’s a Paddle Lodge where can rent canoes and life jackets to have some paddle fun!

Here’s a shot of the entrance to the launch pontoon to launch your canoes into the waters. You can only enter if you have your buoyancy vest on.

But this floating platform is also useful for times when you need a rest from paddling and have a chat with your fellow paddlers like these three guys are doing.

And of course it’s also a place for a little time alone for reflection like this guy is doing in the shot above.

But sometimes it’s a nice place for just you and your pink canoe…

If canoeing, fishing, trekking or jogging into the forested area is just not your cup of tea, you can always just take a stroll across the bridge of the water-level control gate house over to the dam of the reservoir.

This bridge has always been locked up and out of bounds such that if you were strolling on the dam from the other end, you will have to turn back once you reach the bridge. But now the gate is opened!

Part of the reason the bridge has been opened up is because the open railings are now fitted with perspex sheets to ensure people do not accidentally fall into the reservoir on the right or…

the outlet pump area on the left.

Here’s a closer shot of the outlet pump.

And here’s a closer shot of the warning signs on the perspex sheet reminding people not to lean or climb over the railings.

As you walk further along the connecting bridge, you get closer to the water-level control gate house. And oh there are orange coloured life buoys just in case anyone some how still falls over into the reservoir.

Looking inside the water-level control gate house, you see these signs. And it got me thinking that perhaps in life too it’s important to always have one gate or door open at all times whether it is towards others or self.

Walking pass the water-level control gate house, you will come to the other end of the bridge and the other gate to cross over to the dam. This gate too used to be closed but now it’s wide open inviting you to enter.

After crossing the gate, you will be on the dam. At the end of the dam is the other side of the reservoir where Phase II revamp work will be taking place later this year which will include new food and beverage outlets to replace the current one on top of the little hill, improvements to the bandstand area, internal roads and footpaths further in.

At the end of your trekking or jogging you can return to the amenities center to clean your shoes if they have become muddy. This cleaning area is located just outside of the amenities center by the side of the toilets.

And if you need a shower of clean water after a sweaty jog or gruelling time of canoeing, you can make use the open showers within the toilet area. Do take note that the showers are not within individual closed cubicles but all are out in an open area. So you have to decide if you want to strip down to your birthday suit in all your glory or maybe be a bit more modest and leave your clothes on. Of course the choice is entirely yours but I think it’s better to have your clothes on or at least the bottom half!

Finally as you leave the amenities center do pause, look up and enjoy this view before leaving MacRitchie Reservoir.

Here’s a shot of the road exiting the MacRitchie Resevoir. Facing the main road and to your left, are where the two bus-stops are located. And if you are wondering what buses stop there, the next two shots will show you…

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual tour of the newly revamped MacRitchie Reservoir. Not sure what you think about the revamp but I thought it was not bad and it gave MacRitchie Reservoir a fresh oomph. I guess in life too we should also now and then take stock of our own lives and see what needs to be revamped to improve so that we add a little oomph in our own lives. So what do you think?

Anyway, do drop by the revamped MacRitchie Reservoir and enjoy the sights and check out the new facilities when you can.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Tags: amenities center, canoeing, Cross-Country, fishing, Improve, landscaped pond, landscaped retention pond, MacRitichie Reservoir, Revamped, Singapore, travel, trekking, two-story carpark

Previous, Singapore 8 Comments »

Aug

Sustainable Singapore Gallery and Gallery Cafe (Marina Barrage – Part G End)

Geotacs on August 9th, 2009

Travel Geotac #1: Marina Barrage – Part G End

If the heat of the Green Roof (GR), as covered in a previous post, is too much for you, perhaps you may want to take a tour of the air-conditioned Sustainable Singapore Gallery (SSG) which focuses on how Singapore conserves and manages her water resources as well as how the Marina Barrage (MB) works.

When you first step in you will see this display which focuses on the importance of having keeping pollution at bay so as to ensure fresh air, healthy land and clean water as shown in the shot below.

The lighting in this gallery changes from red to green to blue. Red representing pollution.

Green representing need for fresh air and healthy land.

Blue meaning clean water.

As you walk further in you will see this bright photo panel. It traces how Singapore managed to turn a fast polluting Singapore River in the past into the clean non-polluted one it is today.

It’s interesting that people taking photos aren’t using the bright photo panel as the background but actually using another wall on the right as the back-drop. Why?

Maybe this closer shot may give you an idea? I guess if you are into photography having such a patterned back-drop would make a great shot. Here you can see this lady photographer using the rows of yellow O-rings as lead in lines to the other lady. Good idea! Anyway, if you haven’t figured out what those yellow O-rings are made from, have a look at a closer shot below.

Managed to figure it out? That’s right. The O-rings are yellow painted Os at the bottom of plastic water bottles and arranged into a wall.

Here’s another shot of the wall of plastic bottles from the other end.

Turning around the corner you come into the next gallery where you see all these giant water droplets and TV screens.

Here’s a closer look at one of the TV screens. See that semi-sphere contraption on the left coming down from the top? Don’t stand under it unless you want a free shower! Nah, just kidding! Step under it if you want to hear that is being narrated for the video being screened.

Again turing round the corner, you will this lighted pillar. Before you walk further into the next gallery beyond, do turn to your right and you can see the Central Courtyard (CC), coverd in an earlier post, through a large glass-panelled window.

A closer shot of what’s on the lighted pillar.

Walking further in, you see a bench where you can take a seat if you need a rest.

In this gallery, there are hand-shaped panels where you can place to light up various exhibition panels. Do be careful as some of the exhibits have water features. So don’t lean in too much or you may get wet! No, this time it’s not a joke.

Moving on to the next corner you will enter the MB gallery where you will see a working model of the MB as well as this huge wall drawing of the MB giving you a bird’s eye view of how the whole MB looks like. The Marina Bridge is on the top left, Pump House on the left, space-age canopy (entrance to Green Roof) top middle, the Solar Park on the top right, Central Courtyard in the middle and the water-pump sculpture at the main entrance to the MB is at the middle right.

On the left you can see a working model of the MB showing you how it works and of course reminding you of the 3-in-1 benefits as seen in the following photos…

And if you look up you can see a mirror above the working model MB below (see the following photo). If you look carefully you can also see showers coming down into the model MB simulating rainfall. How fun!

Moving on, you will come into the fifth cool blue gallery with a glass floor as seen below.

Here you have various screen exhibits to learn more.

There is also a 3D model map of how large the Marina Reservoir is and where the MB dam is located to keep sea-water out while keeping fresh-water in. From the photo below, you can see that the Marina Reservoir is one huge letter Y!

By the way can you locate the MB in the 3D model map? It’s somewhere towards the bottom and slightly to the left of the middle. Yes, it’s that small.

Before you enter the sixth and last gallery, you will see this information board outside (see below).

What does the 3Ps stand for? According to the information board the 3Ps represent Public (Government), Private (Businesses) and People (Communities). This means that it takes 3 specific groups of people to work together to ensure fresh air, healthy land and clean water leading to a sustainable Singapore. So the theme of the sith gallery message can really be summed up into 1P – People.

So you enter the sixth gallery via a tunnel-like passage with darkened walls with tiny sparkling lights, small TV screens and…

small cameras where you can get your photos taken which would immediately be splahsed onto the small TV screens along the walls. But your fame will only last a short while as the photos will be deleted at the end of the day… or

Here’s an example of how your day long worth of fame can look…

If you prefer to have your shots taken and an epostcard emailed to family, friends or yourself, walk further in and you can use the sPostcard pillars to do that (see below).

Finally at the end of the sixth gallery into the Gallery Cafe (GC). Smart move as it would tempt you to sit down and have a break… at a cost.

Here’s a shot of the front of the GC you will exit if you decide not to have a tea-break, coffee-break, lunch-break, dinner-break or whatever break within. But I doubt they will let you just have a sit down break drinking your own bottled water and munching on your mom’s home-made sandwiches while enjoying their air-conditioned environment. For that you will have to use the field up on the GR.

Food and drinks are not cheap at the GC as can be seen below (my lunch)…

So if you plan to stay more than 2-3 hours at the MB, do bring along your own food and drinks. If you intend to visit the GR, you definitely need water to stay hydrated as when it gets pretty hot and sunny up in the open field on the roof top. Suntan lotion, cap and umbrella can be useful too.

Well, this is the last part on the Marina Barrage. I hope you have enjoyed reading and viewing the photos. If you plan to visit by car, there are carpark facilities there. For those intending to take public transport, take a MRT train to Marina Bay MRT Station. Exit the station and look signs guiding you to a bus-stop where you can catch a free shuttle bus ride to the barrage. A paid bus service number 400 can also bring you there too.

Thanks for dropping by and reading! Cheers!

Tags: 3-in-1, benefits, clean water, coffee-break, conserve, dinner-break, exhibition panels, fresh air, fresh-water, gallery, Gallery Cafe, Geotac #1, getting to Marina Barrage, giant water droplets, healthy land, lead in lines, lunch-break, manage, Marina Barrage, Marina Reservoir, O-rings, patterned back-drop, photo, photo panel, Photography, pollution, sea-water, Singapore, Singapore River, sustainable, Sustainable Singapore Gallery, tea-break, travel, wall of plastic bottles, water features, water resources

Photography, Previous, Singapore 15 Comments »

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Together Can – Team Hoyt

MacRitchie Reservoir Revamped

Sustainable Singapore Gallery and Gallery Cafe (Marina Barrage – Part G End)

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