Mahjong Lessons begin

Well, we've posted in our votes for the federal election. It was by far the hardest decision I've had to make. I've always found some good reasons to support my decisions in the past but this time I disapprove of them all! No wonder the donkey vote in Australian politics is growing, I think I can now understand why people would go to the trouble of deliberately doing it. In the Solomon Electorate there were 9 candidates, including the Sex Party, the Voluntary Euthanasia Party, the Palmer United Party, the Stand Up Aust Party and I still haven't worked out what the A.F.N.P.P stands for. If anyone can find out I would be quite interested. No information on the AEC website.  

The festivals continue here. In the HDB across the street the Taoist Chinese believers are still congregating regularly at the small altars to burn incense sticks and present their offerings in the form of prayer, Mandarin oranges, foods like roasted suckling pig or bowls of rice and a local Chinese cake. This week a huge pavillion was erected in the grounds for a performance on Friday night because they also believe in entertaining the souls of the dead, that are freed from the gates of hell and allowed to roam the earth at this time, with boisterous live wayang (puppetry) and getai (song and dance) performances. 

At the recent High Tea I offered to begin teaching Mahjong to some colleagues and so during the week I got out the notes from the classes I did with Sandy in 2008. I needed to refresh my memory as I've really only played on a handful of occasions due to lack of playing partners. I found the quality of print pretty bad, some of that occured when I was trying to copy them for Luke and Tahlia and knocked over a vase and they got wet. Some of the explanations could also have been clearer and I wanted more diagrams so I began redoing them from scratch. Its a big job but will be satisfying to finish. Our first lesson was on Friday at Heather and Michael's in Hougang with Robert and Maria from Tampines Branch. Heather works with Eric at Punggol and is Robert's sister. 

Last week I returned to Dhoby Ghaut to collect my orthotics and met Bev there for coffee, which turned into lunch. Nice to catch up away from work functions or in large groups. She is at Jurong Branch, way out west! After lunch we went looking through Spotlight for options for our Annual Dinner which has a Hawaiian theme this year. I now have a new sewing project to get underway. 
Unfortunately, I have found the orthotics don't fit into any of my work shoes. The first chance I really had to break them in was on Monday's walk which ended up being 10.5 kms and that was overdoing it for a first go. I paid the price that evening, with very sore feet, but they were fine the next day.  I didn't expect, when I paid all that money, that it was going to cost me another pair of work shoes too. I have been recommended a new brand that are available here, so I'll check them out next time we are down town.
Eric and I have come up with a new design for this year's trek to Annapurna so we will soon be getting an order finalized. The group numbers keep changing though so we need that finalized before we proceed. peter has 3 Chinese friends that might join us and just this week another work colleague made his final decision. We could be up to as many as fourteen. Here's what we came up with 

The walk this week took us out to Tampines. Initially we expected Heather to join us so Eric suggested we join her and Peter in a taxi. If anything could go wrong with that plan it did. First Heather pulled out, then we couldn't get a taxi so we had to take the MRT even though it was by then too late. Then at every change of trains we found ourselves arriving on the platform as a train was leaving. We just couldn't get it right, but none the less we met the group and still had a coffee before walking over the mountain bike trails of the Tampines Bike Park and then on through Eco Green. Lots of birds this week including a rare (in Sg) Oriental Magpie Robin, a white-headed munia and a weaver bird. We tried hard to find one of the weaver birds' extraordinary nests but no luck this time. 

Unfortunately, earlier this year, it was reported that the 60 hectare Tampines Bike Park will be cleared for development into a new town, less than 3 years after it was given to the public as a legacy of the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held here. 

After returning home from the walk and having a swim,we didn't have much time before it was time to meet all the other music lovers at Lau Pa Sat and then making our way to Kallang Theatre to see George Benson in concert. He turned 70 this year but is still playing wonderful guitar and his voice is great. He had an excellent band though the acoustics at the venue were not as good as others we've enjoyed. It was amazing to hear so many classic hits in one concert. Most of us went home via Peter's where we had no trouble talking Michael Cananway into playing a few sing-along songs. Not sure the neighbours would have been impressed as it was about 2 am when we left and all 7 of us had been in full voice. Oops!

Bev stayed over for the night and after she left I used up the over ripe bananas in muffins, but wasn't thinking too clearly apparently, and made a complete mess of it. Too long since I last tried baking of any sort. I have to retract the disparaging comments I made this week when Eric tried baking date scones and they tasted more like salt licks One day he will learn more is not necessarily better! But it was so good of him to try, I have been hankering for a real date scone since I found a jar of dates in his kitchen cupboard. I say his because he is the only one who shops or cooks. I can't see the point here. 

Big Bike Challenge

On Fri we returned to collect our visas for China which was very efficiently achieved. On the way home we stopped off at Plaza Singapura in Dhoby Ghaut to shop and I have now ordered a pair of orthotics. In the last few weeks I have been experiencing a bruised heel sensation and Google diagnosis confirmed it to be plantar fasciitis. Walking around the house on tiptoes in the morning stretches the ligament and relieves the pain but the long term solution seems to be orthotics to realign my pronated ankles. The specialist assures me it will also relieve the pain in bunions, knees and lower back. My goodness, if it can do any one of those things it will be money well spent!
Over the weekend we caught up with Peter. He has returned after a whirlwind recruiting trip and is feeling quite confident about a number of potential staff for next year. Unfortunately by the end of the first session on Sunday I was feeling very off colour with diarrhea and dizziness. They were able to call in a replacement teacher by the middle of the next session and I made a quick escape. Neither Peter nor Eric were unwell so it wasn't what we ate luckily. Charcoal tablets and lots of sleep meant I was coming good by Monday evening. I missed the walk up Bukit Timah this week so will no doubt cop lots of flak for that from my collegial trekkers. I spent much of the morning exploring the internet for songs in simple guitar chords and making as much noise as I liked since I had the place to myself. 

By Tuesday I was back to normal and Eric's back ok, so we took the bikes out for a spin around the Punggol Promenade. This extends right out to the coast in the north east from where you can easily see Johor Bahru, Malaysia across the straits. It was wonderful to ride almost all of the 30 kms away from traffic, along bike paths and mostly beside waterways, but we both agreed these folding bikes are not as energy efficient as the standard frames we have in Darwin. We worked hard to get home and the last 6 kms were really challenging. It was only the thought of the swim at the end that kept me going. Eric has enabled a GPS tracker on his phone so we were able to map the route. 

At one point along the journey we came across a group of locals all walking dogs. The dogs looked to be of a similar breed so we asked if they were training them as guide dogs but it turns out they are strays from a shelter and volunteers walk them a couple of times a week in packs. As we rode on we contemplated the possibility of joining the walkers on an occasional basis; it would be good for the dogs and us and give us an opportunity to meet more locals. We checked out the website when we returned home but it seems they are only interested if you can volunteer 3 weeks out of 4, and we are not prepared to be that committed. 

 The dog walkers

 Looking across the straits to JB

We saw lots of birds as we always do when we have no binoculars. Managed to identify striated and grey heron, terns, black-naped oriole, white throated and collared kingfisher, olive-backed sunbird, pied fantail, white vented myna, yellow vented and sooty headed bulbul and Eric managed to get a great snap of the red-breasted parakeet. 

leaving the Punggol Park Connector and heading to the Buangkok one we found ourselves riding by Buangkok Kampong, the last surviving traditional village, built in 1956.  The land which is prone to flooding from the nearby canal, was acquired in 1956 Sng Teow Koon, a traditional Chinese medicine seller. At the point of purchase, there were already 4 to 6 houses built on the land. He set up home in the village with his family and started renting out land to people to build homes on. By the 1960s, it housed about 40 families paying rent of $2-$3.  Most of them worked in the nearby hospital or factories. They tended to rear their own chickens for food and generally led a carefree and slower pace of life compared to their urban contemporaries. The land has been handed down to Sng Teow Koon's children, one of whom is Ms Sng Mui Hong who continues to live in the village with some of her nieces. Electricity, running water and garbage collection are provided by the government. Post is provided by a postman on a motorcycle once a day. Many of the present day residents are elderly. Currently it houses 14 families who pay about $13 in rent. They continue to enjoy the slower pace of life that the kampong setting offers and claim to be able to leave their doors open because they trust their neighbours. The one big downfall is that the area is still prone to flooding and the costs of solving it much too high for just 14 families. The likelihood of this area remaining a kampong for much longer must be very slim.

In the evening we met June at Peter's to christen his new whiskey tumblers that his daughter Katie gave him for a belated birthday present when he caught up with her in Lara, near Geelong last week. He also caught up with Judie at Wallington Primary in the same region and Ann in Auckland the week before. He's had a good reunion trip really, while working to recruit at the same time.  

Hungry Ghosts about

Arriving home from the airport, where I had dropped Mum, I could hear the drums announcing the start of the Hungry Ghost festival. The next morning the remains of huge bonfires in incinerators were evidence that the tributes had begun. According to the locals the Gates of Hell are sprung open to allow ghosts and spirits access to the world of the living. The spirits spend the month visiting their families, feasting and and looking for victims. On the first day of the month, ancestors are honored with offerings of food, incense, and ghost money (paper money which is burned so the spirits can use it). Not only must you honor your ancestors, you must also make offerings to ghosts without families, so that they will not cause you any harm. Ghost month is the most dangerous time of the year, and malevolent spirits are on the look out to capture souls so it is an inauspicious time to begin a new business, move house, even go swimming apparently. This is such an interesting melting pot of cultures!

By all accounts Mum has returned home safely and is feeling very happy with her holiday. To add to the drama of all that happening around us, Thursday was Hari Raya Puasa which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayer. Many Muslims attend ceremonies and then feast together and visit friends. They all look amazing in their new, colour coordinated traditional Malay garb. Muslim families often dress in the same colour to signify their unity. The men wear "baju melayu", a loose tunic worn over trousers and usually accompanied by a "sampin", which is like a colourful scarf wrapped around the hips. On the head they wear a black songkok. Malay women wear the baju kurung, a knee-length blouse worn over a long skirt. Usually a scarf or shawl is worn with this. Of course this means more shopping so there are temporary market places set up just for the purpose. 

Our Assistant Principal Renee, generously shared some pictures of this year's celebrations with her partner Dee's family. The one with people on their knees talking to Dee's parents was taken during the 'Minta maaf' which means 'seeking forgiveness'. People apologise to their relatives/friends for any wrongdoings towards them.

 Spot Renee

It meant a public holiday for us so we had some friends over for tennis, a swim and lunch together. Eric's back is improving but he was unable to play this week. 

In the evening we had a lovely meal of Portuguese influence, at Heather and Michael's (thats them on the left above) with Deb and Michael Canaway too. A great way to revisit that trip with some pictures of their trip shared. 
Friday was Singapore's National Day celebrating 48 years of Independence. After a bit of a relax at home in the morning we ventured in to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands to see the Mummy - Secrets of the Tomb exhibition. We were not sure what to expect as the venue for the National Day Parade was right next door but the crowds were all moving quite easily through the MRT. The exhibition began with a 3D film which detailed the virtual unwrapping of a 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy, interesting for some but quite traumatising for the littlies. I was surprised they were even allowed in! Also on display in another exhibition space was Essential Eames; the work of Charles and Ray Eames. In my ignorance I was not aware who they were but easily recognised the modern molded furniture they were famous for designing. They were certainly a creative pair in architecture, industrial and furniture design, photography and cinematography.....the list goes on. We are interested in returning to see the next exhibition - the World's 50 best images from National Geographic.

Before the main event started across the water on the pontoon we left the area and headed out to Geylang. This is an area we haven't visited before with the dual reputation of being colourful, with lots of beautifully restored shop houses, while also being the designated area for legalised prostitution. Known as Chicken Houses, the brothels are all licensed and the only way to distinguish them from the other residences is by the larger street numbers. Many of the locals also put up a "Private Residence" sign as well to deter the wrong sort of guests from visiting. The prostitutes are not allowed to solicit sex by the roadside or at the hotel lobbies in the area so if you don't know what you are looking for it is just a very interesting quarter and very safe. 

After 2 days of Public holiday the weekend was chaotic at work where families were trying to slot their children into classes that they had missed while we were closed. While it was messy, we still keep reminding ourselves how much easier it all is here (and how much easier it is in the second year). 
Monday's walk was out at Punggol. From reading the panels along the new waterway canal I learnt that the area was once a fishing village littered with pig and poultry farms set alongside vegetable plantations. Now it is a high density residential area serviced by light rail and with new residential blocks going up everywhere they can be squeezed. From Damai LRT Station we walked through Sengkang Riverside Park along the river to the Punggol Park Connector which follows the waterway canal.  The canal was designed to increase park and water frontage for the housing estates and provide residents with walking or cycling paths on both sides. We found plenty of birds, including a new sighting of the sooty-headed bulbul, which is now a resident feral having escaped in numbers from captivity. We managed just on 11 kms in a very pleasant, traffic-free zone which took us all the way to Heather and Michael's Rio Vista Condo where we ate at the hawker centre across the road. It will be even better when the trees are bigger and provide more shade. Probably should aim for an earlier start when we do this one again. 
This year's Great Race organisers were given a dinner voucher in appreciation of our efforts by MAE. We needed to get together and use it before it expired and Monday night was the time we all agreed to meet and Manhattan Pizza on Orchard Rd was the venue. The venue was more like a cafe and the pizzas were pretty ordinary but we found a nice bar not far away and enjoyed a fun night together where happy hour was actually 9 hrs long. 

On Tuesday morning we had an appointment for an interview for our China visa applications at the centre near Raffles Place MRT. Our plan was to catch the train back but get off a few stations early and walk home. Because of this I didn't take my wallet with me so we had all the documentation.....except my employment pass. Bugga! We had to come all the way home and then return. Close on 3 hrs wasted you could say. The second time we returned we were dressed to impress as we went from the interview to the Shangri La for the annual MAE HighTea, which at this venue is more like a luncheon graze from 1pm to 6pm. We returned home fully stuffed. No need for dinner before a wander up to Angie's for our regular visit on a Tuesday night, this time with Heather only as Michael is in Aust on a brief holiday and Peter has just returned from his recruiting trip. 

The week with Mum

The first few days of the work week flew by with Mum here. We managed a swim, to shop for shoes and clothes and we left her with dvds to watch while we were away. Even though I 'insisted' she not do the ironing, she managed to set up the ironing board and find the iron that I had conveniently left within reach! Thanks Mum. 

On the Fri we went to Gardens By the Bay. Unfortunately the planned tour on the trolley was unavailable, they were all booked out to dignitaries. Not to be deterred we hired a wheelchair and I pushed her all over while Eric met up with Barb Doukas, from Humpty Doo Primary and her two kids, and spent time with them. Mum and I met up with Mitzi Hesper who we had met in Darwin too. She was visiting a friend in Sg that she shared an apartment with while they both worked for Morris Allen some years back. Small world. It was lovely to all share a coffee together at one point in such a gorgeous environment. 

 in the Flower Dome

The weekend would have been two long days for Mum. On the Saturday night we were pretty worn out so we ate at the hawkers across the road and Mum was treated like royalty. They were so pleased that I had honoured them with my Mum! I was able to arrange a Chi reflexology massage for her on the Sunday at the centre downstairs. She found it pretty challenging to deal with the pain inflicted, but felt it did her a lot of good. In the evening I picked her up and she joined us at Joe's, the end of week drinks spot we share with a few colleagues, in Kovan. 
On Monday the walkers had planned to complete a lap of the Botanic Gardens, but in the morning it was pelting down with rain. It just wasn't letting up but they still met up in hope. Eventually four took it on in the drizzle while the others gave it a miss. Peter is away doing recruiting interviews, over the weekend in NZ and then the East Coast of Aust. By the look of his pics, he has had some fun with Ann in Auckland. Unfortunately Eric tweaked his back somehow on the walk and is in a great deal of discomfort now. from the look of the pic below he was well looked after by his mates. Perhaps he should have said no when they begged for a piggy back though. On returning home he also booked in for a Chi Reflexology massage downstairs, that's new!. He says it was torture, that there are now teeth marks in the bed cover. I don't think he will be going back under any circumstances.

Mum and I had so many options for the day; the flyer, Chinatown, art gallery, shopping, haircut....... We started out with me doing some alterations for her on the trusty Singer as it was too wet to venture out early. By lunchtime we were in Chinatown and we happened to enter the Heritage Centre just as a tour was about to get underway so we joined that. It was terrific, only 3 of us in the group so plenty of opportunity to interact. It tells the story of the Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore to find work in the early days of the colony. The rooms are filled with period antiques replicating coolie living quarters, shops, clan association houses, and other places that were prominent in daily life.  Our guide had personal experience of living in a cubicle, one of 6 on an upstairs floor of a shophouse where large families and groups scratched out a meager existence with shared kitchens and toilet. These conditions were still very common until the 80s when the govt cleared them out and moved residents into HDBs and the hawkers into wet markets. The family below paid extra to have the window. 

 

 Colourful shophouses

 Indian Hindu Temple

After lunch of noodles and dumplings we browsed a couple of streets and then tried out the ladieswear section of OGs. More parcels! The weather had cleared but we felt we had done enough for the day so headed for home.  Since Eric was suffering we figured it was better to eat in. That means I get to cook! My goodness, it's been awhile! Since I had to get groceries I figured we'd kill two birds with one stone and get Mum's haircut at the same time. Just watching her have the shampoo and massage treatment was good for me too!  I don't mind saying the chicken stirfry was pretty good. 

 Shampoo and massage in the chair

Our last morning together. Eric slept well but is not going further than the surgery across the road for some pain relief. Mum and I visited the Botanic Gardens where once again we were able to borrow a wheelchair. I had taken the pedometer out of interest and we managed to clock-up 5kms around the Orchid, Ginger, evolution and healing Gardens. 

 featuring the 'new do'

 Orchid Garden

We enjoyed lunch in the air con before heading to the Flier. Reaching a maximum height of 165m it gave us extraordinary views of the beautiful cityscape, the fascinating super trees and domes of the Gardens and the busy harbour. 

 The Flyer

 Up, up and away

 Overlooking Gardens by the Bay

 Marina Bay Sands Hotel

After a bit of a rest with her feet up while I had photos printed, we finished off the visit with a refreshing dip in the condo spa. Next it is off to the airport, all too soon.