Serenity!

 

Jasmin posing at James' and Phaik See's lovely condominium in Penang - The Reagents
Note the hills in the background!

 

The lovely view of the city from my brother's condominium, Vista Ria at Sungei Ara

 

A popular jogging track for the residents as the trees shade joggers from the sun! But safer to jog in groups, and not alone!

 

A sea of greenery that we can see from the living room!

As I live right in the heart of the city in Singapore, I always enjoy going back to Penang to visit my brother Kee Seng. Home for my brother and his family is at Vista Ria, located on the hills at Sungei Ara.

My relatives, Phaik See and her family also live nearby at the Reagents. It is so quiet and windy and I enjoy taking long walks around the vicinity.

However there is one stretch of jogging tracks which I have yet to explore and that is the one doing down the hill at my brother's condominium. My brother and his wife, Saw Kim, warned me not to go down as the area is full of snakes, scorpions and other creepy crawlies. Sometimes I looked down at the tracks below and yearned to walk down the steps, but I am terrified of creepy crawlies! Yucks! Once a snake climbed up the water pipe onto the third floor and entered an apartment, because the owner had grown some hanging plants. After that incident she disposed of her plants.

Hence you can imagine my prayer before I slept every night I was at my brother's home. "Oh! Lord! Please do not let any snake, scorpion or creepy crawlies enter my brother's apartment. In faith, I thank you for your protection." God has always heard my little prayers.

Fortunately for us, our Government has successfully attempted to make Singapore into a lovely garden city. Hence, many trees are grown throughout the island, and for this I am grateful. Due to the trees, it is somehow much cooler in Singapore than in Penang. It is extremely warm in Penang because there are hardly any trees, especially in the city. Hence, you can understand why I am just contented to stay at home, basking in the serenity of the hills whenever I visit my brother in Penang.

Gan Chau