Internet for people like us

Whenever you're feeling a little down, maybe stuck in a rut. Maybe you're looking for inspiration, something to do. Or you know your heart is seeking something a little more in life. Something's just not right. Buddha called it Dukkha - a wheel out of kilter. Something's missing. So if you are feeling like this - here's a great site I recommend : www.helpx.net This is a wonderful resource and listing of all the wonderful rural places/farms/B&Bs in the world that need volunteers in exchange for food and accommodation. Its like wwoof, but this organisation has a really good website that wwoof doesnt. Simply because it has 2 things wwoof doesnt. Photos, and reviews.

We have already used helpx.net look for our 2 hosts in Spain last year and they were great.

Now am feeling a little out of it, so will spend some time browsing the wonderful places I could go to. Shall I start in Asia? Or shall I venture to Americas today?

Another resource fantastic for wanderlusts like us if you havent already heard of it

Couchsurfing - http://www.couchsurfing.org/ - A wonderful open community of the world that will lend you a couch (or a bed) if you need to crash for a couple of days. The usual paranoid questions like "Eh, safe or not?" will be answered by "It's actually quite safe because there are reviews of a hosts you can read, and also, u get to meet people who are usually of the same mindset as you. Likes to travel, meet new people, and are open to new things and new ideas.

The internet really is taking over the world in many aspects. But I am sure glad that its serving alot more good than we ever thought possible. People are given voices. And things are alot more 'open' and transparent than ever before.

My little Tropical Oasis

Having a personal project is always a nice escape and definitely good for the soul. I've tried to create an escape on my tiny balcony, filling it with lots of plants a pond, trees, bamboo trellis built by my own hands, and a balcony composting operation! What have I learnt from this experience?

Impermanence of life: The garden changes almost daily, nothing is permanent a plant that thrives today may not do so well a month later. Flower comes and goes. The garden is just like

our lives, always full of surprises always changing never constant.

Listen to nature: Don’t try and fight it, go with the flow of nature. Some plants will do nicely in your environment whilst others won’t. Face it and accept it, don’t try and change it, because it just ain’t worth it.

Enjoy!!

Spearmint lemon balm and something from a marigold family and my proud lotus

A somewhat sweeping view of the balcony

Little clusters within the garden creates perception of depth

Compost bin

On the road to self sustainability

Finding beauty in the little things...

Having a BBQ =)

Singapore Farmers Party

It's no royal show, but the singapore garden festival is as close as it gets to the royal show western farmers are familiar with. We were invited to the kranji countryside association farmer's party where we drank, ate locally produced food and made merry with hokkien songs which depicts the crux of the local farming scene.

Thank god for these group of people, without them...our country would be oh so boring Singapore, these down to earth group of people are the type of Singaporeans you have to meet and not the rubbish banker wankers you get sneering at you in downtown singapore.
Enjoy!!

The pathlight farm team from L to R, Bjorn, Denise Phua (The champion for all matters related to Autism and disability causes in Singapore, Respect!!), Chia chia and Lai Hock

With the famous Ivy Singh of bollywood farm on my side!

Xiao xi (frog farmer) and Kenny (plant nursery)

The GUI gang =)

Of Swales and Drains

Freak weather, heavy rainfall during the traditionally dry months of the year is really hampering work on the land. With climate change and the global shift in weather patterns it seems like we're getting more rainfall than ever, whatever happened to the promise of dry and hot sunshine to compliment the rise in greenhouse gases is beyond me. But hey the only consolation is that as people working close to the land, any small shift in weather pattern makes us more aware of how fleeting nature is and how we’re just little minions of planet earth so very small and insignificant.

Putting in strategies in a bid to help soften the extremities of weather will be one of our greatest challenge. We’re in for stretches of hotter days with bursts of very heavy rainfall, the soil condition will suffer, the plants stressed, extremities are never a welcome sign for the agricultural sector which thrives on consistency.

Building a rubble retaining wall for our swales

A half dug swale flooded, well good to know that it works

The Soil chef

The consistency of our local soil is less than desirable. Most available grassland around built up areas are once construction wasteland where rubbles are dumped and then buried, who really know what these irresponsible construction companies has buried into the ground. So far digging the land we’ve found lots of metal stuff, concrete waste, and god knows what other stuff leached into the ground with all the development happening around the area.

Getting the soil mix right is a fundamental step to the success of any garden or vegetable growing operations. Our local soil is clayey, yellow and acidic and not even a beansprout will grow once it gets compacted. My soil recipe aims to build structure, introduce air pockets, improve drainage while retaining moisture to create the ideal soil mix for any type of plants or vegetables, oh and yes don’t forget a pinch of gardening lime to push the PH to a more workable 7!

Here’s my seed starting soil recipe

2 parts compost

1 part perlite

1 part coco peat

1 part burnt rice husk

Mr Lim mixing up a batch of soil like an experienced chef

The finished product

100% germination rate testament to the soil mix and crystal's loving sowing skill

Woofing in Singapore

It hard to imagine staying in Singapore and trying to lead a life that we’ve chosen, a more self sustainable life in a maddening city of crazy commercialisation and development. A city of little to no inspiration and motivation for people like us seeking a good life in a smallholding! Very suffocating indeed!!

I’ve however found a little piece of sanity within the last few months and in the recent few weeks I’ve had a most fulfilling experience. I’ve finally started work at Pathlight School, Singapore’s first school for children with autism. A social project by GUI led by me and a team of dedicated volunteers we’ve tilled the land and are working towards improving the lives of these children by imparting farming skills to them so that hopefully they can one day be employed by Singapores non existent agricultural industry, what an irony!!

I’m a man of very few words so I would let the pictures tell the story:

Mr Lim and Chia Chia measuring the Veg planter beds

Clearing the land Mr Lim in action, his muscles and dedication puts me to shame

Me! the noob farmer in action. Note to myself wearing flip flops while farming is not very smart.

A farm in the making: Our raised vegetable bed and a footpath by the side

No more pitter pottering around my small little garden and being excited with a few strands of lettuce, I've now entered the big time serious stuff haha

Stay tuned for more.....

Singaporean Kids Learn about Nature

Getting Singaporean children to get excited about nature you can imagine – is quite a stretch.

Since I have been doing this relief teacher stint at my old sec school, I am slowly learning how children of our times are relating themselves to nature. Which is basically – not really. In their world of air conditioning and facebook, it is really a tall order to remind them again and again how much we actually do rely on nature for survival and how much they need to think about recycling, conserving etc. It’s like describing Earth to Martians. I feel more sorry for these children than annoyance. It’s totally not their fault that they are growing up in these conditions. They did not chose this life.

I showed them 2 photographs for Geog lesson last week. It was a lesson of “Natural Vegetation”

Picture A) One of a park with a bench and playground.

Picture B) The other of a lush tropical rainforest with a stream running down the middle.

Then asked them to state the similarities and differences. These were some of the answers:

1) I would rather go to Picture A than B because B looks scary.

2) Picture B looks like it may have dangerous animals that might harm me.

3) Picture A looks more peaceful

Ack.

This speaks VOLUMES of how these girls are already programmed to think. They want safety, predictability, comfort. The wild outdoors equals scary. The forest equals mosquito, sweat and discomfort. While the lovely park promises tranquility in a safe environment. No wild animal to be fearful of.

I compare our kids to the few Scandinavian people I’ve met in my travels. They live in very harsh climates but they are hardcore outdoor people. They love their mountains, their lakes, their nature. They spend most of their summers basking in the sun at the lakes, and most of their winters skiing around in the snow. And look at them. The Norwegians and the Swedes. I don’t want to generalize, but they are essentially quite progressive and successful nations despite their small populations. They have very good quality of life and people take care of each other (high taxes, good benefits). It’s almost as if there’s a link between connection with nature & being good human beings.

However, that said, I am a little encouraged. Because the government and schools are bringing across the ‘green’ message no matter how contrived and fake it might seem. Our leaders realize that to stay ahead and be progressive, we need to be jumping onto this bandwagon. Be the good guys. We’re like Exxon Mobil, doing corporate social responsibility. And I see this through the ‘reflections’ we’re always asking our kids to write. (Which by the way, I am a big fan of). In the reflections on their Sungei Buloh school trip, our sec ones wrote about their concern for the environment. How disgusted they were with the litter they saw in the mangrove. How excited they were seeing all these strange animals and plants they never saw before. Yes, they complained a lot. But I am actually thoroughly encouraged. The seed has been sown in these 13 year old girls. And I am so so proud to have been a big part of it.