Hey my dear readers! What I'm about to share with you guys is an inspiring or is it a sad story? Whatever it is...this story is very meaningful and so I decided to share it with you guys! It's a real-life story written by Kent Nerburn, a great author in America. Enjoy reading as always!
The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget
by Kent Nerburn
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pick up at a building that was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.
"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice.
I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
"It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."
I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.
"Nothing," I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered.
"There are other passengers."
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware—beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Déjà vu
Hey readers, this is an experience of mine that I would like to share it with you people in the form of a modern poetry, I supposed. Judging by the title, I'm sure you will all know what's the story behind it. Anyway, enjoy!
Sometimes I wonder,
While resting my head on my shoulder,
Why do I often feel something very familiar,
Which gives off a sense of peculiar.
To my amazement,
In some and any random moment,
I sometimes feel things happened before,
Which always gives me the the question of wherefore.
These happenings of timestream,
Seems to have occured to me in my dream,
Which I couldn't remember,
As they are kept deep down in the memory chamber.
But these feelings are strong,
And I know that it's not wrong,
For they are wonderful,
And also very colourful.
For now, I cannot solve this mystery,
As they are all history,
Coming from the shadows of the past,
Which doesn't seemed to last.
Appreciate all your time,
As they are worth more than a million dime,
And to live your life as a jourey,
That cannot be bought by money.
By,
Tan Wee Boon 1 August 2010
Copyrighted.
Sometimes I wonder,
While resting my head on my shoulder,
Why do I often feel something very familiar,
Which gives off a sense of peculiar.
To my amazement,
In some and any random moment,
I sometimes feel things happened before,
Which always gives me the the question of wherefore.
These happenings of timestream,
Seems to have occured to me in my dream,
Which I couldn't remember,
As they are kept deep down in the memory chamber.
But these feelings are strong,
And I know that it's not wrong,
For they are wonderful,
And also very colourful.
For now, I cannot solve this mystery,
As they are all history,
Coming from the shadows of the past,
Which doesn't seemed to last.
Appreciate all your time,
As they are worth more than a million dime,
And to live your life as a jourey,
That cannot be bought by money.
By,
Tan Wee Boon 1 August 2010
Copyrighted.
Friday, July 30, 2010
A Boring But Happy Day
Hey readers, this is another modern poetry that I wrote today! Hope you like it!
From the sunlight out the window,
I am seating at my desk casted by a shadow,
Using my computer,
Busy checking my twitter.
This is in the midday,
Of a sunny Saturday,
I look at the clock and it tells me three,
Besides twittering I have nothing else to do and am very free.
So I decided to sit down here and write a poetry,
To show the readers my artistry,
And as to kill time slow and gently
Without doing things violently.
While brainstorming as I walk around the area of my old neighbourhood,
I seem to remember the memory of my childhood,
For this surroundings are still planted with the same old sugar cane,
Which now seems to me like a memory lane.
Ten years haven't dimmed the thrill of the fun,
Of good moments shared with my friends under the happy sun,
The good old times are always the best,
For it is different from the rest.
Well the glowing afternoon seems very long,
But it didn't bother me because I'm having fun walking and listening to my favourite song,
And in this moment of calm and peace,
Is where I get the ideas for my latest masterpiece.
By,
Tan Wee Boon 31 July 2010
Copyrighted.
From the sunlight out the window,
I am seating at my desk casted by a shadow,
Using my computer,
Busy checking my twitter.
This is in the midday,
Of a sunny Saturday,
I look at the clock and it tells me three,
Besides twittering I have nothing else to do and am very free.
So I decided to sit down here and write a poetry,
To show the readers my artistry,
And as to kill time slow and gently
Without doing things violently.
While brainstorming as I walk around the area of my old neighbourhood,
I seem to remember the memory of my childhood,
For this surroundings are still planted with the same old sugar cane,
Which now seems to me like a memory lane.
Ten years haven't dimmed the thrill of the fun,
Of good moments shared with my friends under the happy sun,
The good old times are always the best,
For it is different from the rest.
Well the glowing afternoon seems very long,
But it didn't bother me because I'm having fun walking and listening to my favourite song,
And in this moment of calm and peace,
Is where I get the ideas for my latest masterpiece.
By,
Tan Wee Boon 31 July 2010
Copyrighted.
The 21st Century Life
This is an original poetry that I came up with during English class in tuition. It's part of the assignment. Guess what? I got an A+, so I decided to share this with you guys, enjoy!
My parents used to tell straight into my ears,
That life was hard and poor back then in fifty years,
Working day and night but nothing seemed to improve,
Still, I'm sceptical about the story as there were no proof.
Right now, I'm always busy,
Because this is the 21st century life, which is very lousy,
I barely have the chance to rest in my cozy cushion,
Because for me, my daily schedule is filled with tuition.
Back then, my parents barely see a phone,
But now, even a four-year old kid has a fancy mobile phone,
Life changes, like the value of gold
Everything is now going old.
Modern life is full of obstacles,
But life must go on, said my father wearing his spectacles,
The society is turning bad,
This makes me very sad.
At least my parents got to work at young age,
Unlike me, who is stuck in the house like a bird in a cage,
Because it is not safe to go out now,
So I might as well stay in the house with my dog, named Cow.
Things are getting more and more expensive,
Life is just explosive,
Oh my poor pocket,
It's unbelievable how much I spend a day, my eyes nearly pop out of its socket.
By,
Tan Wee Boon.
Copyrighted.
My parents used to tell straight into my ears,
That life was hard and poor back then in fifty years,
Working day and night but nothing seemed to improve,
Still, I'm sceptical about the story as there were no proof.
Right now, I'm always busy,
Because this is the 21st century life, which is very lousy,
I barely have the chance to rest in my cozy cushion,
Because for me, my daily schedule is filled with tuition.
Back then, my parents barely see a phone,
But now, even a four-year old kid has a fancy mobile phone,
Life changes, like the value of gold
Everything is now going old.
Modern life is full of obstacles,
But life must go on, said my father wearing his spectacles,
The society is turning bad,
This makes me very sad.
At least my parents got to work at young age,
Unlike me, who is stuck in the house like a bird in a cage,
Because it is not safe to go out now,
So I might as well stay in the house with my dog, named Cow.
Things are getting more and more expensive,
Life is just explosive,
Oh my poor pocket,
It's unbelievable how much I spend a day, my eyes nearly pop out of its socket.
By,
Tan Wee Boon.
Copyrighted.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Nepal's Buddha Boy
A meditating teenage boy in south-central Nepal is drawing the attention of scientists after attracting huge crowds in the past six months and earning himself the name Buddha-reincarnate.They are mulling over how to examine him without disturbing his meditation. Ram Bahadur Bamjan's friends, relatives and managers say he has been meditating without drinking water for six months now and that he will carry on for another six years until he gains enlightenment.Siddartha Gautama, who Buddhists believe later attained Nirvana, was born in 560 BC. Grown weak Word spread quickly about the teenager and people around Ratanapuri village in Bara district began to visit Bamjan, 15, who has been sitting cross-legged in a traditional Buddha posture under a peepal tree.
Bamjan's eyes are closed and his body firm, encased in a whitish shawl. His hair has grown long and has almost covered his eyes. Villagers say he has grown weak. His picture has been appearing regularly in newspapers and people now look for updates on him. Many around Bara worship him as the reincarnation of the Buddha. The tree is festooned and the air has the smell of incense sticks. The dramatically increased movement of people has generated economic opportunities. Makeshift shops have sprung up and offerings in cash and kind are on the rise. "Almost 500,000 rupees ($7,000) have been deposited in the bank by devotees," says Prajapati Koirala, a senior government administrator in the area. That is apart from the donations visitors make on the spot. Local people have formed a committee to make sure Bamjan gets the right environment to meditate and to manage the influx of visitors and the offerings they make. The most frequently asked questions: Does he remain seated like that and meditate even at night? Does he not eat or drink at all? Some say he has eaten nothing since he began his meditation, others that he used to take a milk-like liquid from the roots of the peepal tree at the beginning. Challenge Most people can live without food for several weeks, with the body drawing on its fat and protein stores. But the average human can survive for only three to four days without water. Followers of holy men and ascetics have often ascribed extraordinary powers to them, but such powers are seldom subject to scientific inspection.
But the number of people seeking real evidence here is increasing. Under pressure, locals have asked the administration to find out the truth. "We have agreed to conduct a scientific examination on him," said the local administrator, Mr Koirala. The challenge is to do so without touching him. Mr Koirala said scientists from the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology were due to arrive to conduct the examination. It remains unclear how they will do it. "At least the scientists will be able to see whether he meditates the whole night or not," said Deekpal Chaudhary, who sells incense sticks to visitors. Monastery tour Bamjan's family members say they have no idea what is going on. His mother fainted when she found out her son had undertaken an indefinite meditation. "I sometimes go to see him but he does not talk to me," said Maya Devi Tamang. "I don't know what will happen to him but I know that god will help him." The name of Buddha's mother was also Maya Devi, a point Bamjan's devotees have stressed. The family said Bamjan was different from his four brothers. They said he did not speak much and stayed aloof. "He never touched alcohol," said his primary education teacher, Salden Lama. Relatives and neighbours said Bamjan undertook meditation when he returned from a tour of Lumbini, where Buddha was born, and monasteries in Pokhara in Nepal and Dehradun in India. Friend and cousin Prem Lama remembers Bamjan saying that he did not want people to call him Buddha as he had only reached primary enlightenment. Bamjan has spoken only a few times since he began the meditation, according to Prem Lama. He said the first time Bamjan spoke was when a snake bit him around a month ago. Bamjan took the incident as his second test, which he must overcome, Prem Lama said. In the first test he was also bitten by a snake - three months after he began the meditation. The second snake-bite episode led to increased curiosity. After being bitten, Bamjan was said to have asked his aides to put a curtain around him. "In less than a week he asked us to take the curtain away," Prem Lama said. Now another curtain is to be drawn around Bamjan - for the scientific examination. FROM AFP NEWS A young Nepalese boy reputed to have Buddha-like powers has reappeared in the south of the country to preach to thousands of supporters, witnesses said Tuesday. Eighteen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bomjam -- dubbed the "Buddha Boy" -- rose to fame in 2005 after his family claimed he could sit for months on end without sleep, food or water. In March 2007, Bomjam's supporters said he was planning to meditate for three years in an underground bunker, although he was spotted on two occasions. Now, Bomjam has appeared again to preach for around 45 minutes, and plans to continue addressing the public daily until November 18, said a local police official Bara district, 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Kathmandu. "The whole jungle area where he has appeared has turned into a festival and around 10,000 people came to see him Monday," the police officer said. Local volunteers have collected thousands of dollars from people who visited the Buddha Boy in the past, prompting accusations that the "Buddha Boy" was merely at the centre of a money-making scam. During the height of his fame, a French television journalist filmed him nibbling on fruit while supposedly starving himself. An AFP correspondent also found him curled up sound asleep while he was supposedly meditating in private.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
200,000 Year Old Statue Found On Moon
WASHINGTON, DC - A noted scientist has just produced proof that the lunar surface was inhabited by intelligent life: a 10-inch angel sculpture embedded in a moon rock.
Geologist Dr. Morris Charles revealed last week that NASA lab workers chipped the angel from one of the rocks brought to Earth by Apollo 11 astronauts 40 years ago, in 1969. Dr. Charles was a NASA scientist himself for 23 years but left the agency in 1987. He still maintains close ties to many of his former colleagues.
“The implications of this figurine are absolutely mind-boggling,” Dr. Charles told reporters. “It means that at one time the moon had an atmosphere conducive to life. And what’s more, it was once home to a sophisticated race of people with a highly refined sense of beauty.”
The angel - a humanoid female with wing-like appendages on her back and long flowing hair - is made of an iron compound found exclusively in the highlands of the moon.
This rules out the possibility that it was dropped by a race of aliens from another planet. It’s been hand polished to a silvery metallic sheen. Based on chemical analysis of the metal, geologists estimate the sculpture to be 200,000 years old which means it was made 170,000 years before the human species appeared on Earth.
It’s been examined by art experts who concur with Dr. Charles’ appraisal of the culture that produced it. “Clearly these beings had a sense of religion that parallels our Christianity. Perhaps they had a Jesus of their own, proving that the important spiritual principles are, in a very literal sense, universal,” said a Washington anthropologist.
Others are not so sure of its religious significance. Dr. Miles Fredericks of New York University countered, “This is just more Christian propaganda. The Sumerians told stories of the Annunaki, winged deities, as far back as 18th century BC. Maybe the Sumerians were visited by these moon beings, who merely modeled the statue after their own image.”
While many ponder the significance of the figure, others are curious about why it has remained a secret for so long. “The artifact has been common knowledge among NASA insiders for years,” said Dr. Charles. “But space agency higher-ups have kept the information highly classified, fearing world-wide panic. It was smuggled out to me by persons who must, for obvious reasons, remain anonymous.”
NASA officially denies Dr. Charles’ allegations. The statue was displayed to photographers and newsmen but is now being held for further study at an undisclosed location.
Astronauts of Antiquity - Zecharia Sitchin has already shown in The Twelfth Planet that the statues of gods and goddesses from Sumer present special helmets with protuberances on both sides (the Middle Ages’s illiteracy turned them into”devil horns”), which perfectly look like the pilots’ headphones; the statues were provided with the SHU.GAR.RA - a term that literally means”that which makes you go far into the Universe”.
Another image discovered in North Israel, dating back to the ninth millennium B.C., represents the sculpted head of a god with a helmet and safety glasses. Also a picture of the goddess Ishtar from her temple in Sumer…
“The implications of this figurine are absolutely mind-boggling,” Dr. Charles told reporters. “It means that at one time the moon had an atmosphere conducive to life. And what’s more, it was once home to a sophisticated race of people with a highly refined sense of beauty.”
The angel - a humanoid female with wing-like appendages on her back and long flowing hair - is made of an iron compound found exclusively in the highlands of the moon.
This rules out the possibility that it was dropped by a race of aliens from another planet. It’s been hand polished to a silvery metallic sheen. Based on chemical analysis of the metal, geologists estimate the sculpture to be 200,000 years old which means it was made 170,000 years before the human species appeared on Earth.
It’s been examined by art experts who concur with Dr. Charles’ appraisal of the culture that produced it. “Clearly these beings had a sense of religion that parallels our Christianity. Perhaps they had a Jesus of their own, proving that the important spiritual principles are, in a very literal sense, universal,” said a Washington anthropologist.
Others are not so sure of its religious significance. Dr. Miles Fredericks of New York University countered, “This is just more Christian propaganda. The Sumerians told stories of the Annunaki, winged deities, as far back as 18th century BC. Maybe the Sumerians were visited by these moon beings, who merely modeled the statue after their own image.”
While many ponder the significance of the figure, others are curious about why it has remained a secret for so long. “The artifact has been common knowledge among NASA insiders for years,” said Dr. Charles. “But space agency higher-ups have kept the information highly classified, fearing world-wide panic. It was smuggled out to me by persons who must, for obvious reasons, remain anonymous.”
NASA officially denies Dr. Charles’ allegations. The statue was displayed to photographers and newsmen but is now being held for further study at an undisclosed location.
Astronauts of Antiquity - Zecharia Sitchin has already shown in The Twelfth Planet that the statues of gods and goddesses from Sumer present special helmets with protuberances on both sides (the Middle Ages’s illiteracy turned them into”devil horns”), which perfectly look like the pilots’ headphones; the statues were provided with the SHU.GAR.RA - a term that literally means”that which makes you go far into the Universe”.
Another image discovered in North Israel, dating back to the ninth millennium B.C., represents the sculpted head of a god with a helmet and safety glasses. Also a picture of the goddess Ishtar from her temple in Sumer…
All this suggests to us that the attire …was that of an aeronaut or an astronaut”…
Many drawings on the Sumerian plates show the gods with wings, which were not belonging to the body, but they were accessories of the flight suit, therfore the gods looked like eagles…This drawing on a Sumerian plate suggests that an Anunnaki / Elohim spaceship is connected to the base on Earth.”The central object … it is more mechanical, more manufactured than natural.Its (( wings )) looks almost exactly like the solar panels which American spacecraft are provided to convert the Sun’s energy to electricity. The two antennas cannot be mistaken. The circular craft … is located between Mars (the six - pointed star) and Earth and its Moon”(Z. Sitchin, The Twelfth Planet)…
cool
cool
Monkey God Tree
The monkey tree phenomenon is a social phenomenon in Singapore, which began in September 2007. It arose from the discovery of a callus on a tree in Jurong West New Town, which, through the effects of pareidolia, appears monkey-like. The callus has initiated a minor social mania, drawing large crowds to look or pray at the tree.
Beginnings
The phenomenon started on 12 September 2007 when an unknown person put up a sign in Chinese on a tree on Jurong West Street 42. The sign read that a monkey had come to the tree three years ago to look for his father, the Monkey God. It added that a recent car accident had split the old bark of the tree open, releasing the Monkey God. One resident purported that the monkey image appeared around 3 September 2007.
The appearance of the sign and the monkey outline on the tree trunk were reported in the local English and Chinese-language newspapers such as The New Paper, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. Reports also quoted residents claiming how three car accidents had earlier happened at the spot, but none had been fatal, purportedly due to the tree's "magical" properties.
Since news broke on 13 September 2007, hundreds of people from all over Singapore have flocked to the usually quiet HDB neighbourhood to pay homage to the tree. By the afternoon of 13 September, the crowd visiting the tree had swelled to more than 30, with offerings occupying the grass patch surrounding the tree.
Monkey outline
The tree with the monkey outline is a species of the African Mahogany. It is a common tree planted by the National Parks Board (NParks) to provide shade, particularly in parks and along major roads and expressways. It is a hearty tree that grows well under most soil conditions.
On the trunk of the tree in question is an outline of two monkeys — one larger than the other — with limbs, faces and bodies. They were formed on a surface that is smoother and of a slightly lighter colour than the rest of the trunk. Some people claimed to see three monkeys.
NParks gave a plausible explanation for how the monkey outline could have been formed: The tree was involved in several minor accidents over the years. The uneven bark surface at the base of the tree trunk was the result of callusing, a natural reaction in which the tree grows new bark over injured areas.
The department of biological sciences at the National University of Singapore explained that patterns formed by callusing are random and depend on the damage caused by the accidents. It added that the monkey outline on the smoother bark may disappear with time as the new tissue layers form under it and push this layer out. Subsequently, the smooth surface would get darker and rougher, like the rest of the tree bark.
Public mania
Devotees to the tree believed that the images are either a manifestation of the Monkey God, a deity from Chinese mythology, or Hanuman, the monkey deity in the Hindu pantheon, and that praying to them would bring them luck.
The crowd has been leaving bunches of bananas, packets of peanuts, oranges and chrysanthemum flowers, burning joss sticks, and praying for lucky 4-D numbers at the tree. People also started burning incense paper, prompting a resident to place a zinc barrel beside the tree so that the ashes could be scooped into the barrel. Some residents even won a bet on the 4-D draw held on 12 September. The winning number "4309" was obtained by combining the HDB block number near the tree (430) and the order of the monkey in the Chinese zodiac (ninth).
There were volunteers who helped to distribute the bananas and peanuts to people who drop by. Some of them have also put up signs telling people not to leave red packets filled with money beneath the tree. A visitor had left a tin can containing tiny rolls of paper at the tree.
Thousands of people have since visited the tree, and the crowd grew to over 200 at one point on the afternoon of 14 September. The crowd consisted of both men and women, mostly Chinese and Indians of all ages. The people wanted a peek of the monkey images, while many took pictures of the tree with their mobile phones. Images of the monkey tree were even sold at S$3 or S$10 a photograph near the tree.
The crowds were so large that residents started complaining of the noise, littering and traffic jams caused by vehicles parked illegally along the narrow road. This prompted the police to patrol the area.
Two nearby trees also started garnering offerings from 14 September — one for a supposed outline of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, on its trunk, and another whose bark resembles the Hindu elephant god Ganesha.
The phenomenon started on 12 September 2007 when an unknown person put up a sign in Chinese on a tree on Jurong West Street 42. The sign read that a monkey had come to the tree three years ago to look for his father, the Monkey God. It added that a recent car accident had split the old bark of the tree open, releasing the Monkey God. One resident purported that the monkey image appeared around 3 September 2007.
The appearance of the sign and the monkey outline on the tree trunk were reported in the local English and Chinese-language newspapers such as The New Paper, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. Reports also quoted residents claiming how three car accidents had earlier happened at the spot, but none had been fatal, purportedly due to the tree's "magical" properties.
Since news broke on 13 September 2007, hundreds of people from all over Singapore have flocked to the usually quiet HDB neighbourhood to pay homage to the tree. By the afternoon of 13 September, the crowd visiting the tree had swelled to more than 30, with offerings occupying the grass patch surrounding the tree.
Monkey outline
The tree with the monkey outline is a species of the African Mahogany. It is a common tree planted by the National Parks Board (NParks) to provide shade, particularly in parks and along major roads and expressways. It is a hearty tree that grows well under most soil conditions.
On the trunk of the tree in question is an outline of two monkeys — one larger than the other — with limbs, faces and bodies. They were formed on a surface that is smoother and of a slightly lighter colour than the rest of the trunk. Some people claimed to see three monkeys.
NParks gave a plausible explanation for how the monkey outline could have been formed: The tree was involved in several minor accidents over the years. The uneven bark surface at the base of the tree trunk was the result of callusing, a natural reaction in which the tree grows new bark over injured areas.
The department of biological sciences at the National University of Singapore explained that patterns formed by callusing are random and depend on the damage caused by the accidents. It added that the monkey outline on the smoother bark may disappear with time as the new tissue layers form under it and push this layer out. Subsequently, the smooth surface would get darker and rougher, like the rest of the tree bark.
Public mania
Devotees to the tree believed that the images are either a manifestation of the Monkey God, a deity from Chinese mythology, or Hanuman, the monkey deity in the Hindu pantheon, and that praying to them would bring them luck.
The crowd has been leaving bunches of bananas, packets of peanuts, oranges and chrysanthemum flowers, burning joss sticks, and praying for lucky 4-D numbers at the tree. People also started burning incense paper, prompting a resident to place a zinc barrel beside the tree so that the ashes could be scooped into the barrel. Some residents even won a bet on the 4-D draw held on 12 September. The winning number "4309" was obtained by combining the HDB block number near the tree (430) and the order of the monkey in the Chinese zodiac (ninth).
There were volunteers who helped to distribute the bananas and peanuts to people who drop by. Some of them have also put up signs telling people not to leave red packets filled with money beneath the tree. A visitor had left a tin can containing tiny rolls of paper at the tree.
Thousands of people have since visited the tree, and the crowd grew to over 200 at one point on the afternoon of 14 September. The crowd consisted of both men and women, mostly Chinese and Indians of all ages. The people wanted a peek of the monkey images, while many took pictures of the tree with their mobile phones. Images of the monkey tree were even sold at S$3 or S$10 a photograph near the tree.
The crowds were so large that residents started complaining of the noise, littering and traffic jams caused by vehicles parked illegally along the narrow road. This prompted the police to patrol the area.
Two nearby trees also started garnering offerings from 14 September — one for a supposed outline of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, on its trunk, and another whose bark resembles the Hindu elephant god Ganesha.
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