One festival finishes and another begins

My work week started with a branch luncheon provided by MAE at a local coffee shop called Lolas. To my surprise they had a turntable and LPs available for guests to enjoy so while I waited for the rest to arrive I indulged in a little Aretha Franklin.

The Hungry Ghost festival finished on Thursday night. As we walked early on Wednesday we saw plenty of renewed tributes at the altars and burning joss sticks or smoldering incinerators. In the evening, on the way home, the HDB across the road hosted a very loud and bright concert. This was followed up by another one the next night. My level of appreciation for Chinese singing hasn't risen in the months I have been here but I was obviously in the minority here. The crowds were obviously enjoying themselves listening to the singing and banter and there were tables laden with food from which residents could help themselves.

Most cultures celebrate a harvest festival and the Mid-Autumn festival of Singapore follows those traditions, similar to Thanksgiving. The beautiful giant lantern displays are already going up in Chinatown and the Chinese Gardens, mooncakes are on sale in the stores and Gardens By the Bay have created a new display to match in the Flower Dome. We will have to explore that when we return from our trip to China.Thursday also saw the last of the mahjong lessons. It has taken a lot of time to get the notes all prepared but I have enjoyed it and can now share with anyone interested in the Traditional Cantonese 13 Tile Rules.
On Friday we met Heather and Michael and visited the ArtScience Museum to see the '50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic' exhibition. It is the first time the exhibition has travelled to Southeast Asia, and it coincides with the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society being recognised this year. The photos were amazing and each was accompanied by a panel of information describing in detail the circumstances of the shoot and the conditions at the time of this particular shot. It was all really interesting, we couldn't pick a favourite.

Eric was also interested in the tutorials provided for photo techniques used and picture selection. No doubt we will all see the difference it makes to the shots he takes next week in China.
We finished the week at Nectar and Vines, our local wine bar that is now open 7 days a week. How convenient. Probably shared one drink too many with friends, but thats what happens at the end of term. That made getting up this morning to pack and be at the airport by 8am a challenge but we are here. I write this from Terminal 3 Departure Lounge, Changi Airport. The airport rated No. 1 in the world again in 2013.

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