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1) This poem is about the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It describes the peacefulness of the Botanic Gardens and it verbally maps out the stroll in the Gardens. It describes a sample of the species of trees in their order of appearances; it also addresses the subtly different feelings one may experience. It talks more about how humans and plants live in harmony and the humans are enjoying the atmosphere in the Gardens. The 'dinosaur' actually represents the people behind the development of the Gardens.

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This poem talks about the writer ordering a teh tarek but received half a glass instead, the noodles he ordered were not fully cooked which gave him a stomacache, which led to him complaining about it. In the next stanza, the writer writes about how the players panted like puppies due to exhaustion playing table tennis, and they blamed the referee for being stupid and causing them to be in this state. In the last stanza, the writer tells us that we know that we live in a first world country but because of the citizens' behaviour, it makes the country seem like a terrible country to live in.

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In Stanza 1 , the poet stated that " there is a dinosaur in the Botanic Gardens , but one does not usually see it " . The ' dinosaur ' mentioned is actually referring to the unnamed gardeners and public administrators that develop the Botanic Gardens. " One does not usually see it " refers that the people who visit the garden do not really care about who are behind the development of the Gardens and the Gardens itself only attract their attention. Hence, this shows that the Botanic Gardens is a tourist attraction. However, visitors do not really thank those workers behind the development of the Gardens for making such an educational and recreational place . Many Singaporeans take things for granted and many do not really care about how difficult it is to build a beautiful garden city.

In stanza 2, Gwee Li Sui stated " but they are now good friends, standing where they have always stood, waving their arms. " This implies that even though human can not communicate with plants, humans are able to appreciate the beauty of nature . Humans and plants life are shown to coexist in harmony here. The phrase " waving their arms " is a personification showing that the plants are swaying as if waving to the humans. The word " ancient " shows that Botanic Gardens was built a very long time ago.

In the last stanza , the Caribbean royal palms "stand in two files like terracottas of a lost battalion" depict that the palm trees are in a row like the clay structure that represents a dead army. The palm trees are described in this manner as the 'two files' shows how in line the trees are and the 'terracottas' represents the rigidness of the tree. The palm trees are known to be very rigid as they have the ability to easily release their leaves in strong winds , a supposed adaption serving to prevent toppling during natural disasters like hurricanes. The writer uses simile to compare the palm trees to the clay structure.

In the last stanza, Gwee Li Sui said that "Of course, there is a dinosaur here, although you may not see it; but if you come often, you will sense its heart turn with pride; and while you may not see it, you will know it has seen you. " The "dinosaur" stands for a kind of ancient but invisible presence that preserves order and sustains life. The word "dinosaur" refers to the unnamed gardeners and public administrators who look after the Gardens.

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his poem is about Singaporeans' behaviours towards small matters in their lives and how it actually makes Singapore appear and seem like "hell" even though Singapore is a first world country.

In stanza 1, the 'mee" refers to noodles, and Gwee Li Sui is saying that the noodles are not fully cooked, as seen in the word "adolescence", which refers to the period between puberty and adulthood. Gwee Li sui then states that the person who ate the "mee" had food poisoning and he complained about the situation.

Another example, can be found in stanza 2, the players in the National Stadium were panting like puppies due to their tough practices, the use of simile , " The players pant like pups" suggest that they were exhausted, and they blamed the referees for being "blundering" which means stupid, as the referees were giving them tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that affects almost any tissue of the body especially the lungs, it also makes the person vomit or spit blood. The word "tuberculosis" is a metaphor used to express the motion of spitting blood to signify their disgust and frustration. Thus, this suggest that the players were blaming the referees for causing them to be intoxicated with exhaustion, and because of the "stupidity" of the referee.

In the last stanza, Gwee Li Sui then states that because of the behaviour of the Singaporeans, it makes Singapore look like a terrible place to live in as he describes it as "hell" when Singaporeans "Criticize, complain, condemn" when Singapore is actually a "modern paradise" as it is urbanised. Gwee Li Sui states that the 3Cs is actually a routine for Singaporeans to do, the 3Cs also indirectly symbolise another popular Singapore measure, 3 favourite things to own: Car, credit card, condominium.

Each stanza in the poem closes with a deliberate misspelling: “abdomemn”, “Stadiemn”, and “referendemn”. The spellings contribute to a sense of the ridiculous and, by creating false or forced rhymes, get us to laugh at what is artificial too. The ease with which Singaporeans tend to mispronounce English words is also in focus here as Singapore usually speaks in Singlish to others.

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There is a dinosaur in the Botanic Gardens, but one does not usually see it.

It conceals itself very well behind the flora, observing lovers, strollers and poets,
and joggers out for a release from a day’s direction of the mind, old couples who sit
by the pond, water-lilied, ploughed by silent swans, and the trees driven by some ancient mallets
into the ground – but they are now good friends, standing where they have always stood, waving their arms.
There, is the kapok tree, a giant’s umbrella overturned and gathering rained cotton.
There, are the cannonball trees of strange whiff and thin wiring boughs, walling in Miss Joaquim’s charms.
The Caribbean royal palms stand in two files like terracottas of a lost battalion.
The old gum braces lean and fair; and nearby bends the Italian cypress to a cool lawn;
and the grand, gouty paper-bark tree is now a patriarch of bright-dimpled flying insects
and of the common birds, shedding everywhere with glad age. Those prehistoric farms live on,
whose only farmer they know and love all these years is a creature who speaks all their dialects –
all half a million of them, whispered across the forty-seven hectares of this haven.
It walks daily through the Gardens with a farmer’s smile, pruning or drinking the morning’s dew.
Of course, there is a dinosaur here, although you may not see it; but if you come often,
you will sense its heart turn with pride; and while you may not see it, you will know it has seen you.

Gwee Li Sui

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I asked for teh tarek
Got half the glass in effervescence
Got food poisoning because
Half my mee’s in its adolescence
Criticize, complain, condemn
With a hand over the abdomemn.

The players pant like pups
Think they are playing table tennis
The blundering referee
Is giving me tuberculosis
Criticize, complain, condemn
Throughout the National Stadiemn.

Sure, we may know we live
In a kind of modern paradise
But it’s hell when we come to
Any bureaucratic exercise
Criticize, complain, condemn
All over on the referendemn.

Gwee Li Sui

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Lee Nan Xing in the 1990s

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Zoe Tay in the 1990s

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Singaporean_history

http://www.lowkayhwa.com/life-like-1990s-singapore/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwee_Li_Sui

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Singapore was not as priviledged during the 1990s as we are now in the 2000s.

Playstation? X-box? They didn’t even exist then. Children who wanted to play games went to game shops to pay $4 to play whatever games they wanted to play for 1 hour with the television or game consoles outside.

Another example is, most of the public buses in Singapore are air-conditioned now. Many years ago, whenever people wanted to take the public bus, they would want to sit near the window pane not because they wanted to enjoy the scenery or to sleep but because they wanted to push the windowpane away so that they could feel the wind cooling their face.

Significant people

Lee Nan Xing and Zoe Tay now act as uncle and auntie, but years ago, they were the modern Qiwu and Rui En, and when the only source for entertainment was the television, everyone knew them.

Significant events

there were a couple of significant events that happened in the 1990s such as:

In 1990, 28 November, Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister after 25 years, and Goh Chok Tong was handed the baton.

In 1993, 1 Sep, the late Ong Teng Cheong became the first directly-elected president.

In 1994, 5 May, American teenager Michael P. Fay was convicted and caned for vandalism and caused a huge commotion between the United States and Singapore as the then-U.S. President, Bill Clinton, called Fay's punishment extreme and mistaken, and pressured the Singaporean government to grant Fay clemency from caning.

In 1997, 19 Dec, Silkair flight 185 (a local airline) crashes into Musi River near Palembang, Sumatra killing all 104 people on board.

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1993 : Myth Of The Stone
1998 : Who Wants To Buy A Book Of Poems?

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Roving down Queen Lizzy's Walk, seeing the dear Merlion, marble-scaled, spilling old waters between its jaws. A stream, circumflex by ban about a Prometheus, forever drawing out. Merlion and I live by laws. The flesh is weak, I said, Merlion! My saliva wells up and it can find no avenue –but I must never spit! The Merlion cried, My son, my son, I spit for you! Wild Titan factories of Jurong laid and puffing to a common song of bad fumes from their maws. Chimneys raising the offering of peers, all Ixions, locked to the burning gears. Both they an I live by laws. Said I, the flesh is yearning on, screaming for another choke on life and revenue –but I must never smoke! The factories cried, Our son, our son, we smoke for you!

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Gwee Li Sui started his education at MacRitchie Primary School

and went to  Anglo Chinese Secondary School

followed by Anglo Chinese Junior College

and graduated to National University of Singapore.

He graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in English literature in 1995

and was awarded the NUS Society Gold Medal for Best Student in English.

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Gwee Li Sui is a literary critic, a poet, and a graphic artist.

He wrote Singapore's first full-length graphic novel, Myth of the stone , in 1993 and published a volume of humorous verse, 'Who wants to buy a book of poems' in 1998

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He was born on 22 August 1970.

He started writing in the 1990s