Tax return is completed

Feeling very happy to scrub that task off the 'to do' list. It's funny how the task always falls to me these days and I procrastinate for weeks, loathing the whole idea, and then find its not as hard as I was expecting. Last year it was really worth doing but this year there will be little gain for the effort. But its done!
From 'Discover Singapore on Foot' this week we chose the Joo Chiat area, between Geylang and East Coast. In 1993, Joo Chiat was gazetted as a conservation district and as a result, there are also many unique and 'straits-eclectic' or Malay style Chinese shophouses which give the area its true flavour. The area is also known for eateries specialising in Peranakan delicacies. Peranakans are the community resulting from the interracial marriages that took place between Chinese men and non-Muslim women of Malaya, Burma and Indonesia (also known as Straits Chinese). In 2011, Joo Chiat was declared Singapore's first Heritage Town, chosen because of strong efforts to promote its Peranakan culture. We met up with Heather and Michael at the Joo Chiat Complex which was the original market in the district and saw an amazing array of food, spices and flowers. Along the walk, apart from all the eye-catching shophouses, we came across many traditional Peranakan food outlets including a popiah skin maker (like fresh Vietnamese rolls), bao (steamed buns), Nonya rice dumplings and laksa. I set myself a limit of only 6 pictures of shophouses, I could include so many more. Who still thinks Singapore is just a big city full of steel and glass skyscrapers?

For the past week I have been coming home in the bus along Upper Serangoon Rd and seen the local Taoist Temple elaborately dressed up with lanterns and crowds of people milling about the temporary Chinese Opera stage that has been installed. We saw floats, each lit with thousands of coloured lights, take part in a street procession and wondered what it was all about. Asking locals from the other side of the street or on the bus has proved useless, but just today I have discovered they are celebrating the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, held annually from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (4-13 Oct in 2013). The Hougang Tou Mu Temple happens to be the oldest Nine Emperor Gods Temple in Singapore. The festival begins with the welcoming of the gods into the temple where they are to be worshipped for nine days (and entertained with opera performances), and ends when the gods are sent off on the ninth day. The festival is well known for the processions that take place during the celebrations. The identity of the Nine Emperor Gods is shrouded in mystery but devotees believe the they bestow wealth and longevity on their worshippers. Followers are expected to abstain from meat in order to purify their bodies throughout the celebration. To welcome the deities, a street procession started from the temple and proceeded to the Serangoon River where the gods were officially invited. The procession that we saw consisted of lion and dragon dance troupes and devotees following behind in open vehicles carrying statues of accompanying gods and the sacred urn. The ritual to send off the gods will take place on the ninth day (Sunday) with the transfer of the sacred urn in another procession returning to the river. 

 The arrival parade floats on Fri

I wandered up for a closer look on Monday evening while Eric went to the Esplanade Theatre with Richard to see Steve Gadd, a drummer who has worked with lots of other artists in a wide range of music genres. He was very impressed with the band but found the music played was all very similar. They returned to the Crazy Elephant Blues Bar and enjoyed the end of the night there with the session band.  

Eric had to miss the walk on Monday because he was due back at Tan Tock Seng Hospital for his regular check up. The good news is, in all the blood tests conducted, his results came back in the optimal range. Excellent news. He's in peak condition it would seem. Bad news is he had a long wait between blood test and Dr's appointment so he went shopping and couldn't resist yet another bargain or two. Meanwhile, the rest of us slogged it out up to the Bukit Timah summit once again. I got home just in time to catch him about to leave for a walk to test out his new hiking shoes.