We attend our first Dawn Service

Woke up with a cold sore and raspy throat Wednesday morning. Iced the cold sore then rolled over and spent a good part of the morning in bed. It was testing week at MAE so little class preparation or stress.  So, with fingers Xed, expect to be able to push through and be feeling fine by the end of the week............ 
Well, almost. Chose not to walk at Sungai Buloh with the birds on Monday morning, which I had been really looking forward to, stayed in bed instead. At Sungai Buloh they have just opened a free wireless interactive trail using webcams installed along the mangrove trail. Apparently you can access information on the wetland reserve by scanning the 20 different 2-D barcodes with your smartphone or tablet. You can then view content that is location-specific like listen to bird calls or observe behaviour of mudskippers through videos streamed over the wireless network. Its the first of its kind for Singapore and possibly the region. They didn't get to see this in action but Eric enjoyed the walk around the wetlands and saw some new bird species.  Here he is with a few birds below, but they are the common ones.

 At the top of the Aeire

 Lesser Green Leafbird

I slept well and then went downstairs to the Tai Chi Meridian Reflexology Centre for a massage. Through the week I had given myself a sore neck, I think from a very vicious sneeze! By Sunday night it was completely locked up. Tai chi therapeutic massage focuses more on the pressure points and the redirection of the flow of chi than on the deep manipulation of muscles and tissues. It is said to restore proper flow of chi, not necessarily relaxation of the muscles, but that seems to happen too. It would seem physical relaxation is brought on by the opening of the meridians through which the chi will flow. Anyway, I was soon feeling so much better. 
On Tuesday we met with the rest of the Great Race Committee to share what we have achieved so far and plan the next phase. This week at staff mtgs we offered the first round of points to be won. We hope to have the teams chomping at the bit by the time the actual Race Day arrives. 
This morning at 5:30 we caught a taxi to Kranji War Memorial Cemetery, it was so early the temperature was pleasant and a full moon was still high in the sky. This is the first time either of us have ever attended a Dawn Service. There were 10 of us who ventured out so early from MAE and it was especially moving to attend alongside some New Zealand friends. 

The service was presided over by Group Capt. Tim Walshe, NZ Defence Advisor and other dignitaries included HE Mr Philip Green, the Aust High Commissioner who read a poem and HE Mr H Taner Seben, the Turkish Ambassador who read the moving words of Ataturk. This brought back vivid memories of our day walking over the Gallipoli Peninsula in 2012. The Australian International School, Singapore provided the choir and Avondale Grammar School, another International School,  provided the program and poppy distribution. At the conclusion all 1,000 of us invited to gather for gunfire breakfast where traditionally the coffee is served laced with rum. The trays and trays of finger food were so reminiscent of the food the Mess served at Butterworth; savoury mini pies, rolls and quiches. How they manage to serve all the guests amazes me, they always have enough yet there is no fixed number of people attending these functions. 

After breakfast we joined a historical walk of the site guided by Wina from the Changi  Museum. We found the half hour tour really interesting because Wina brought to life some of the stories of individuals buried here. Some were POWs, others died in the line of fire, either during WWII or later conflicts in the region. All of them were too young, all of them made enormous sacrifices for us. One very moving epitaph that brought tears to my eyes read ' To the world he was one, to us he was the world'. We were both thinking of our Dads. While they both survived the war they carried the physical and mental scars with them to their graves. And how forgiving they were too! Among other places, Eric's dad served in the Airforce on the outskirts of Darwin, in New Guinea and on Labuan, a small island in East Malaysia.  This week Truscott Airfield in the Kimberley has been in the papers and that's where my dad was serving in the Air Force as a radio operator when the Japanese surrendered. Having returned from the Middle East he was posted to this clandestine airfield built in 1944, the site chosen because it was an ideal staging post for heavy and medium bombers, as well as Catalinas to attack occupied Borneo, Java, Timor and the Celebes. Japan had been attacking Australia since 1942 and hit Darwin hard with repeated shuttle bombing runs, though this news was censored at the time. The location of Truscott saved air time by reducing the number of air miles to be flown and that also meant planes could carry bigger bomb loads to attack strategic Japanese positions. The Japanese Imperial Command in Jakarta made a big effort to find and destroy Truscott, but never did despite dispatching a ground party that was observed scouring the Kimberley for 10 days. They also sent reconnaissance aircraft and submarines to scan the shoreline. A plane did spot the base but while it circled overhead gathering photographic evidence, two Spitfire fighters scrambled and shot it down. The plane apparently crashed before the crew could radio news of their discovery. Truscott played a strategic role in stalling the Japanese advance and as the war turned, became a springboard for the Allied air offensive.

All the Comings and Goings

Unfortunately work resumed again on Wednesday even though our visitors are still here. The morning was just spent at home with Jude, enjoying the relaxed company of each other. We have so enjoyed having her here and not sad about her leaving as she will be back in about 6 weeks after their trip to France and Prague. Roger is not due to meet her for a few days yet so the last few days of finding her way around Singapore on her own will hopefully be useful when she is navigating Paris on her own. She returned to Gardens by the Bay for the afternoon and then headed to the airport. Meanwhile Sandy and Trish returned from Batam and met up with an old work colleague of Sandy's, who is now teaching here at one of the many International Schools, in town. By the time we got home from work they had already eaten, so we grabbed take-away and shared the evening and a few bottles of wine together at home. Well, you couldn't send them back with those two bottles of Moet duty free now could you? Reports of Batam suggest it is quiet and relaxing (read old and tired). A number of the facilities advertised were unfortunately unavailable at this time (read not maintained and no longer safe). Sandy managed to talk the staff into reinstating the vouchers I had cancelled and were upgraded to villas. Not a bad result for $38 a night. Not likely to be returning to Batam, think my email address has probably been redirected to Spam at their end anyway!

On Thursday it was a bit hard for some of us to get going but we enjoyed just relaxing at home and catching up on news of people and work in the NT. Not likely to be returning there either I'd say. Eventually it was really too late for Eric to go anywhere with us anyway as he was due at the Social and Curriculum mtgs from 1:30pm. Sandy, Trish and I went to Gardens by the Bay for a quick whiz around on the tourist train (only Sandy can talk me into these dinky trips) and then we visited the Cloud Forest. 

You'll never guess who else was visiting the Gardens today! Bindi Irwin has just had an orchid named after her, the youngest celebrity to be chosen by the National Parks Board to achieve this status. Her green and gold bloom will sit alongside those named after Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Sir Elton John and many other dignitaries and celebrities. 

For lunch we ate at the beer garden of Raffles. Unfortunately I had to leave them there and head to work. They made their way to the airport after a spot of shopping. 

It seemed like an awfully long Sat and Sun with us just managing to drag ourselves through after those late nights and full days. On Monday Eric was due back at Tan Tock Seng hospital for his 6 monthly check-up so only I joined the walkers at McRitchie Reservoir where we completed the 10km circuit. Perhaps that was a bit much to tackle on so little preparation but it was a beautiful walk on boardwalks and through forest or bordering a golf course. We even tackled the lower levels of the viewing tower just for the photo opportunity. Can you see us on the lower level, it was a long way up those steps.

On the way there I had heard the news that Adam Scott won the US Masters, the first Aust to do it and it was so good to learn knowing Roger was there to see it. By now he will have met up with Jude in Paris. 
After the walk I needed to get into the pool to stretch and relieve some pretty tight muscles and aching joints, then Bev came over and I altered one of her new outfits for her on the trusty Singer. Eric has been given an excellent health report so we celebrated with dinner at our little local makan with Bev and Peter.  

 Jia Hui our Tiger Girl

On Tuesday it was the annual MAE trip to Pulau Ubin. Last year we missed it because we were in Darwin celebrating Luke and Tahlia's wedding. The island lies off the coast of Singapore to the north east, in the Johore Strait. Our group was asked to meet at the Changi Village Jetty by 9:30am. Fare for the bun-boat is $2.50 per person one way and they depart as soon as they have 12 passengers.

Legend has it that the island of Pulau Ubin was formed when three animals from Singapore – a frog, a pig and an elephant – challenged each other to a race to reach the shores of Johor (Malaysia) from Singapore.Those that failed to reach the other side would be turned into stone.According to the legend, all three animals encountered problems along the way, each separately failing to reach Johor. The result was that all three animals suffered the same fate, and were turned into stone. The elephant and pig merged during the transformation to become the island of Pulau Ubin. The frog became Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island. 

Ever since the founding of Singapore by the British, the island of Pulau Ubin has been largely left alone except to exploit its vast deposits of granite. These have been mined to build, amongst other things, the Singapore-Johor Causeway and the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca which marks the eastern entry to the Singapore Strait. As a result, Pulau Ubin represents one of the last areas of Singapore that has avoided extensive urban development and the general spread of concrete. Many people now take a Bumboat ride across to explore what Singapore used to look like in the days of kampongs and quiet fishing villages. The fact is, its now abandoned quarries have gradually become attractive geographical features and there is a hornbill rescue program in place because there are many significant old trees here. Articles suggesting the gradual development of Ubin have already appeared in the paper so it is hard to believe it won't inevitably lose its current unspoilt appeal. Mind you, it doesn't fulfil the romantic idea of the “unspoilt island” either. As soon as you disembark and turn left you find yourself on the town centre high street (if you can call it that), just a chaotic muddle of cafes and  bike rental shops. Being midweek it is quiet, most of the cafes won't even open we soon discovered. 

We checked out the Information Centre while waiting for the last of our group to arrive, then some of us hired half-decent bikes for about $5 while others chose the taxi method of navigating the island. The plan is to reconvene in town about 1ish (Island time). Leaving the town centre behind, our group trundled toward the Chek Jawa Wetlands, 3.3 kms away. This is the tropics in the 1960's - we pass simple kampung houses, swaying coconut palms, chickens under the house, dogs lying in the shade. These people haven't even had to pay rent until now, but that is one of the changes coming. 

We left the bikes in the racks at the gate.  We had been warned to lock them up, not so much because they may be stolen, but that monkeys and wild pigs are likely to ransack any bags we leave with them. While we were there a family of pigs trotted up, heading straight for the spot where a taxi driver had laid his fresh cut tobacco out in the sun to dry. You've never seen a taxi driver move faster.

First stop was a traditional Tudor Cottage built in the 1930's by the then Singapore Chief Surveyor as a holiday retreat. It has some adaptations for the tropical climate but does have a functioning (though not functional) fireplace!

Its position affords a nice view across to the developing Singapore

The house is now the Visitor Centre for the Chek Jawa Wetlands visitors with a viewing jetty built in the 1970's. This joins a 1.1km boardwalk through the Coastal and Mangrove Loops. The fresh smell of seaweed surprised me at the lush seagrass lagoon. It is not something you smell often in Asia and reminded me of days combing the rock pools at Skene's Creek or Mt Martha as a child. 

While we walked the boardwalk through the mangroves we heard hundreds of bird calls, most of which we are still unable to identify, but we saw few for long enough to identify them. One new sighting we have today is the white rumped sharma.

  
We also climbed the 20-m Jejawi Tower hoping for the chance to see Hornbills in the canopy but no luck today.  By the time we had meandered over all of this it was time to head back to the town and find the rest of the travellers. On the way we passed by one of the beautiful quarry lakes but we didn't linger long as it was very hot by then. 

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves as we caught up over a cold drink then returned to the main jetty for our trip back to the mainland. 

Changi Village is well known for its gastronomical delights. Available here are a multitude of coffee shops, cafés, pubs, Western or Chinese restaurants and hawker centers to suit all budgets.We ate at Jacob's Cafe specializing in salads and sandwiches, something you don't often find. 
At home we had time for a swim and cool down before meeting Tina, Scott and Scott's brother Gavin at Clarke Quay. Tina and I worked together as IT consultants for a few years but she was based in Alice while I was in the Top End. Sandy sent me down to accompany Tina on her first school visits which included Imanpa, Yulara and Mutitjulu. How fortunate was I? We have been good friends ever since. I remember I received my one and only poor school report from the headteacher at Imanpa because I refused to let him leave the school for the afternoon while we taught the kids! That was not the intention of the visit. Yulara was an eye-opener; very well resourced and all white kids! Finally Mutitjulu where Deb Ollie was headteacher (I would spend more visits with her at Mamaruni, TEGS). This was the first time I would come face to face with petrol sniffing. It was hard to deal with that and have Uluru looming over us in the background. 
Scott has just finished 3 months in Canada on a secondment from Ranger Mine in Jabiru. They had a holiday together in The Rockies and are now on their way home.  We met at The Crazy Elephant and then went to Kampung Glam to eat at Beruit Grill then finished off the night with the wine fairy at Park Mall. 

Family and Friends

We spent Thursday retracing our steps for the Great Race, confirming questions and answers, their order and linking the legs together. We also created some quizzes to be completed midway, while teams are having a refreshment. At work that evening we were both feeling very weary and the next day we were stiff and sore from all the pavement walking. It has alerted us to the fact that participants better wear suitable walking shoes.
Friday morning was spent getting the apartment ship shape for the influx of visitors arriving the next day. 

Judy arrived first, about 4pm while we were still at work, so made her way to our place where we met her as soon as we finished work.  She looked pretty weary after that long flight from Melbourne but had found it easy to get to Cherry Hill. We all went over to Nex for a quick dinner then brought her home for a reasonably early night. The plan is that while we are at work on Sunday she will get the MRT to Esplanade and find her way onto the red open bus to see the highlights and orientate herself for the next couple of days.

Sandy and Trish arrived later the same night and we settled them in at Peter's Chiltern Park Condo which he has kindly made available to us while he is in Bali for his son Tim's wedding. They seem quite comfortable despite not being in our place. They only have the two nights before they take the ferry to Harris Waterfront Resort on Batam. We booked them on this and are very interested to hear reports because if it is favourable it will be another good weekend getaway for us too. 

On Sunday while we worked everyone managed OK. Jude was met by a tout at the open bus terminal and talked into the orange bus instead, which was perhaps not the best option for her, but the tout was very happy with the tip he helped himself to. She managed it all and got safely home though looked exhausted when I next saw her outside the condo, not convinced she was at the right place. But she had successfully managed it all by herself, no mean feat for your first time here on your own. Meanwhile Sandy and Trish spent time at the Botanic Gardens and Holland Village. We all went to dinner at La Pizzaiaola between here and Chiltern Park for a lovely evening. The only drama was arriving at the MRT to take the train home and suddenly realizing we would be lucky to get the last train. The gods were smiling on us, thank goodness. 

Eric joined the walkers as they tackled Bukit Timah for the first time since January. Someone suggested he looks a bit hot and tired. 

Sandy and Trish bought the excess luggage to our place and then we all caught a taxi to the Sindo Ferry Terminal at VivoCity for their departure. Judy and I moved on to Bayfront where we had a quick look at the Gardens by the Bay and then through Marina Bay Sands and around the Marina. I left her to jump back on her orange bus to finish the 48 hr pass and came home. Once Judy had arrived home and had time to put her feet up for a while we were back on the train, this time heading to Little India for dinner with Peter at New Everest. I'm so glad she got to meet him now he is back. 

Tuesday morning we took Judy out as our Great Race Guinea Pig to test the trails around Chinatown and Clarke Quay. Good thing we did, quite a few details needed editing and answers completed. 

 

Some interesting features on Erskine Rd. Do these look like royalty to you?

The afternoon was spent in the pool where Jude showed me what deep water running classes involve and I helped improve her freestyle breathing technique. Classes will continue on her return, we both have some practice to complete. 
Eric cooked his famous lamb chops with rosemary for dinner.

Good Friday Inaugural Tennis Tournament

Oh, it's not easy going back to work after a holiday like that. The students were all happy to resume classes and meet up with their friends, they find it much more fun than the teachers do. The holiday photos are all downloaded and the blog has been updated. We are looking forward to our first lot of visitors in awhile.  

The first week of term 2 had the advantage of a public holiday for Good Friday. In the  morning we held the Inaugural Good Friday Tennis Tournament for MAE staff at our condo. We really only invited our walking club mates and the staff at our 2 branches. 8 players turned up and did a sort of on-court rotation thing which was working well until I left to get the fruit and nibbles. When I returned the system was in a shambles but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The stands were full (another 4 people). Bev brought cheerleader pom-poms which she flipped and waved about in between playing ball-girl. We had a swim then chicken rice for lunch across the road. It felt so good to have a hit out with enough players to have a partner at my end; mind you I was often heard calling out 'Yours!' No scoring, no trophies. Just good fun and all ability levels catered for. We should do it once more, before we rust up again. Spent the afternoon flat out on the couch! Gosh it was hot out there.

 Still got the style

 Bev and Carolyn cheer squad 

 June and Helen 

 Libby, Peter and Bev cooling down

After work on Saturday we met up with Sue Rose from Darwin and friends she will be travelling through Butan with. Sue is staying with Margot who teaches at a school here and lives very close to Peter's place. He, and 2 of his friends from Geelong, joined us at Fat Cats for dinner and then we all returned to his place. Shame you have to be mindful about   time when you have a very early flight to catch or work the next morning. It was lovely to see Rosie though, she looks as energetic and fresh as ever. It must have been in the early hours of Sunday morning when it dawned on us that we had allowed a double booking to slip by unnoticed. On reflection, I think what has happened is that the days for my sister Judy's visit were logged into my old phone and when I switched phones the data in the calendar didn't transfer. When Sandy asked about coming over, either during Easter or the  week of the NT term break we didn't notice Judy's booking. Oops! Sorry everyone. There is not enough room in our cosy apartment for 3 more bods for more than one night but fortunately Peter left today for a week in Bali to celebrate his son's wedding so he has offered that Sandy and Trish are welcome to stay there. Thanks Pete! I hemmed up the trousers he bought for the wedding and Eric has lent him some shoes so we have already started to pay back our debt. They all arrive saturday night and despite the embarrassment of our mistake we are excited to have them here.

On Sunday evening our numbers at Joe's after work drinks were swollen by the presence of all the staff at Punggol as well. It was a most enjoyable evening, especially in the knowledge that we didn't have to rise early the next morning for the usual Monday Walking Group. This week it was decided that we should do an evening walk around Sentosa and finish at The Songs of the Sea. 

 It does have beautiful gardens

 And the beaches are clean

 despite the busy harbour

This sound and light spectacle was conceived by the same person who has produced many international multimedia shows including the 2008 Beijing Olympics. How to describe it? The water jets were fabulous and highlighted the lights and lasers. The fireballs were unexpected and thrilling.  Unfortunately the storyline, music and lip-synching performers were ridiculous. Might have been entertaining to an 8 year old perhaps but not adults. We saw the lights and fireworks from the Chinese Junk that we cruised the harbour on during New Year 2012 as part of our orientation. You can be assured we will not make our visitors sit through the show. 

We wandered back towards the boardwalk hoping to catch the Crane Dance on the way but they chose this week to close it for maintenance. It seems we are destined not to see it, this is the second time we have missed it. Instead we enjoyed a meal on the harbourfront at The Queen and Mangosteen outside Vivi City. 

 A glass display outside a candy store

 On the boardwalk

In the morning, but not as early as usual, June and I met and set out 2 more legs of the Great Race, Richard and Eric did the same, so now we think we just have to type up all the questions, sort the other point scoring challenges, buy the trophies and fix a venue for the concluding ceremonies. Almost there!