Heritage Trail

Fort Canning Park

On 7/7/18, My friend and I took the MRT to Clarke Quay. It was a 5 Minutes walk to Fort Canning Park. The weather was a little breezy, the sunlit clouds drifted across the clear blue sky.

 Finally, we reached and were greeted with a flight of stairs.

The park was originally known as Bukit Larangan, or 'Forbidden Hill' in Malay.

After a tedious climb, we reached the top. A breathtaking scenery captivated us. This made the climb so much more worth it.

This photo does not do justice to the scenery we saw...

Followed up, at the corner of my eye, I saw something moving around which caught my attention. Astounded, it was a rooster! No, there was two rooster and three chickens. 

That rooster is so gorgeous, the colour of the feathers is so vivid. I have never seen such a beautiful rooster before. The ones that I have seen at a farm were all dull and dirty.
Followed up, we went further in and saw a tall pole with different flags hanging over it.  

My friend and I were curious about it, and we went down to take a look. It is called a Flagstaff and it was an integral part of Singapore's maritime role, announcing the arrival of the ships. However, it was replaced with a new Flagstaff made of steel when the British regained Singapore following the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Yet, the new flagstaff was short lived and was taken down. Thus, this Flagstaff I saw is a faithful replica of the wooden structure that had played such an important role in Singapore's maritime trade. 

As interesting as it is, we continued with our trail.
Not far, we saw a lighthouse and went to check it out!

 The Fort Canning Lighthouse was completed in 1903, with an elevation of more than 60 metres. With its superior height, it was immediately accepted as an important navigational aid for ships moving in and out of Singapore's water. Soon in 1904, it was upgraded.
During the Japanese occupation of Singapore (1942-1945), the lighthouse was neglected due to the new rulers. However, what made me felt touched was the dedicated and faithful lighthouse keepers who had operated the facility before the British surrendered. They risk their lives to conceal critical components of the lighthouse mechanism, rendering the lighthouse unusable to Japanese.

We continued walking further in and saw the Keramat. At first, I was afraid to take a look as I saw the tomb. But my friend just dragged me along. I found out that the tomb belongs to Keramat Iskandar Shah where an ancient ruler of Singapura. The Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals, refer to Iskandar Shah as Sri Sultan  Iskandar Shah, the descendant of Paduka Sri Maharaja and heir to the Singapore Throne. He is the fifth in a line of kings and ruled Singapura for three years. 

He fled Singapura when he was attacked by a Javanese and eventually founded Melaka which causes him to change his identity. He ruled Melaka for twenty years and was succeeded by his son, Raya Kechil Besar. I was still unsure of this after reading the board at fort canning, so I went to do find out more online.

After the Keramat, we went into this sheltered place. It was the Archaeological Dig, it is a small, open-air exhibition. The first archaeological dig at the site took place in 1984 and was sponsored by the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. Which led to the discovery of artefacts from as far back as the Yuan Dynasty (established in 1200). This location was strategically chosen for excavation as it was believed to have a higher likelihood of being undisturbed.

The Archaeological Dig   

Just in front of the Archaeological Dig, we saw a white building which looked quite new among everything we have seen. So we went to look take a look at it and we found out that is the first time of marriage. It was the Registry Of Marriages. We never knew ROM was at Fort Canning till today! 

One and a half hour had past and we decided to head back as it was the clouds were turning grey and the sky was gloomy. On our way back, my friend said this " it is so cool how they maintained the structures and we did not even learn this during History lessons! " I agreed on what she said and I ponder on our way back " this is Singapore history and me myself as a Singaporean do not know our history well until today. "

Objective

 As a citizen of Singapore, I feel that we should really have a knowledge of our country history. By knowing them, we can understand why our country has developed the way it is today. It has allowed me to become much more integral to know about our country's culture, customs, and relations with other countries, as well as beliefs and attitudes about Fort Canning. After this trail, I  appreciate where I come from and understands why my country is what it has become.

Frankly, this trip was indeed a heritage trail which I have learned so much from it. I felt that I have become a better citizen then what I was before. And I would love to share it with my family and friends for them to play a part in being a citizen. I strongly encouraged my friends to visit Fort Canning Park. Moreover, they hold musical events in the evening to hang out and chill there! 

Run Your House

Doubts on managing household finances?

I have interviewed my mother on how she runs the house financially.

Firstly, there are six factors in spending

1. House loan
2. Foods & groceries
3. Insurance
4. Education fee
5. Transportation
6. Bills eg Telephone, Shopping, Credit Card & Holidays

After knowing the detailed financial planning by my mum, I am truly amused by it. And I came to realise how running the house may not seem as easy as it seems to be. There are many responsibilities in doing so. 

Here are some tips I got from my mum in financial planning

1.Envelope system  on a weekly basis 

2. Set a budget table

3. Review your financial plan regularly

The Envelope System is an amount set for a category, and place it in an envelope and spend it from there. For eg, if the weekly budget on food is $100, $100 is placed in an envelope and it can only be spent from there. It does not necessarily to be an envelope.
Budget Table is an example of the pie chart above but it can be more detailed. To allow effective planning.
  Reviewing your financial plan as your resources, needs and situations might change, thus it should be adjusted if changes occur. And also to keep track of your financial planning. 

Other than that, I have learned a 50-20-30 framework. This rule allows a simpler planning and keeps your goals in check as well.

50% of your income: This is for the essentials which pay for your basic needs such as Housing Loans, Foods, Bills etc. Each expense is different in amount and will vary in terms of the individual.

20% of your income: Saving 20% of earn income. This second step includes additional savings and funds you have beyond your basic survival. It acts as a rainy-day fund which allows any inevitable crisis to be saved.

30% of your income: This acts as a disposable income which allows entertainment and leisure to oneself such as luxury items, holidays or other expenditures that are not necessary for your day to day basis. One reason why it has a larger scale than your savings as it has a broad spectrum which varies from our cell phone plans, gadgets you use, dining at restaurants so on and so forth.

I feel that this rule would be really effective as it offers a simple way of financial planning and establishes a good habit. And it is also a good start for those who are having difficulty in planning. 

Objective

Starting today, I am going to spend my money wisely and I should have plan my finance as well. Even though I do not have a house to run yet, I would to start early and have a habit of planning so I would be prepared in the future when I own a house. I am also very proud of my mum and I would want to learn more from her. I used to get annoyed by her nagging whenever she asked us to off the lights when it is not in use or save the water as the price of the water have increased. But now I understand and I would try to save the electricity and water meanwhile saving the earth as well. And of course, I will participate in the Earth day from now on.

As a citizen, this would help me and my country a lot as well. As being able to plan my finance well, I will not be ended in debt and lending money from an illegal company which would cause unwanted fear and troubles for myself and the close one next to me. Also, by keeping control of my finance I would also save the electricity and water. Which kills two birds with one stone as I will be able to save on my utility bills and helping my country and earth to save its resources. A second of thoughts, I feel that most people have been complaining about the surge of price in water. However, what I realised was also how everyone started saving water. I feel that our government might have done this a reason and I perceived it is for good of the citizens. Thus, I would not blame our government for the surge of price in water. This does not mean that we have to always say yes to the government. But what I feel that is we should support our government and gives opinions if we find something that we do not agree with. Afterall, whatever the government does is for the benefits of the citizens.

What/How To Eat

A meal for $10 for 2!

How to make the most of a tight budget without sacrificing flavour or variety. With a few calculated indulgences, you can make a stunner of a meal. 

Processing
 The budget I have is $10 for two people.

Many factors occur to me, whether if it will be filling and putting the healthy plate scheme into consideration. After much consideration and roaming around the supermarket, I have decided on cooking salmon spaghetti with peas and Cambell chicken soup.

I got a salmon fillet for $5.05 and spaghetti for $1.95. For the peas, it was $1. Lastly, the Campbell soup was $1.65. The total cost of it was $9.65.
In The Kitchen 

I started preparing dinner at 6pm, by cutting the salmon into half and marinating the salmon with salt and pepper. I placed the marinated salmon in the fridge for it to absorb the flavours in. Followed by boiling the spaghetti with a pinch of salt and the chicken soup for a good seven minutes with constant stirring. Lastly, I fried the salmon three minutes each side and the peas for roughly seven minutes with olive oil for a healthier option. After the spaghetti is cooked, I stir fried them for five minutes and add a little chicken soup to make it creamy so that it will not be very dry.

Why did I choose this dish
 I wanted to fulfil the healthy plate scheme into this meal. Spaghetti is made out of starch and what I was lacking was protein and vegetables thus, I choose salmon and peas. Additionally, a side dish of chicken soup is served to sooth the dryness of the salmon.

Served

Salmon Spaghetti with Peas and Chicken Soup

Here is the feedback I got from my diner who is my Mom.

" The salmon taste good and the vivid peas makes me feel healthy. It was as appetizing as it looks. The portion was just nice to go with the chicken soup. I think its value for money for a meal that is under $10. I had an enjoyable meal with Mitch."

Through this project, it teaches me about financial planning as my budget was only $10. I had to consider many factors when getting the ingredients such as the healthy plate scheme and the portion for two people. Cooking it was not really a big deal to me, as it is not my first time cooking. And for the first time, I am really thankful to my parents that taught me to cook at the age of  14. To my astonishment, it was not as challenging as I thought it might be as the budget did really worry me at first. I did replace quite a number of ingredients when I was shopping. Initially, I wanted to get a packet of mushrooms however I had to give up on that as my budget exceeded. After all the detailed thinking, I came up with my current dish.

Worth it?
After preparing this dish, I realised this per serving costs only $4.825 round up to $4.80. In a restaurant, it would roughly cost about $15. For example, Swensen sells their Salmon pasta with mushrooms for $14.90 without the soup. 

Objective

This makes me feel that eating at home is much better than eating out as it is cheaper and healthier. And I get to save a sum of money. Cooking at home allows me to bond more with my family as I get to chat with them while we are eating. Secondly, I find that cooking is an essential/survival skill as well. As eating is a daily part of our life in any case, if we are do not have money to buy food, we can always cook what is there in the fridge. 

References

• URLhttp://www.streetdirectory.com/businessfinder/menu/119970/30314/Pasta/486/
• Website TitleDifferent Types Of Cheesecakes
• Article TitleSwensen's Singapore | Product & Services Online Catalogue
• Date AccessedJuly 14, 2018