Mountains in Singapore?

Why not? This came about when one colleague told a group that he had climbed all the mountains in Johore. Another member of the group asked whether he had climbed all the mountains in Singapore.

His response: “But there are no mountains in Singapore.”

Well, if there are no mountains in Singapore why are these places named: Mount Elizabeth; Mount Emily; Mount Faber; Mount Pleasant; Mount Rosie; Mount Sinai; Mount Sophia; Mount Vernon!

High ambitions? Ah well! As one Australian reporter said, half-humorously and half-seriously, after the recent Olympic Games in Sydney, “Singapore is a country with big Olympic ideas but nothing to show for it”.

So? What can we do? We just have to keep trying.

Talking about trying, I am reminded of the story our first NIE Director told us. (Remember the story she told about “The ScaredCows of Education”?)

First semester: Teacher wrote in the report book of an active boy, “He is trying”.

Second semester: Teacher wrote in the report book of the same boy, “He is very trying”.

Re-trievia recalled: Excerpts from Year 2001
Tan Wee Kiat

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