Early Christmas Present

An early Christmas present arrived for us this week when we discovered Eric Clapton will be playing Singapore in March next year on his world tour. Our Eric has loved his music for as long as I've known him and I quickly agreed once I was introduced. We have never before had the opportunity to go to a concert, though Eric did seriously consider flying from Darwin to Melbourne once, but then found he couldn't because of school commitments. Tickets went on sale at 9am on Thursday morning and we were online right then to secure good tickets for ourselves and a few colleagues. Now the long wait to Mar 4th. We had a number of friends over for tennis again once the tickets were secured and finished with a swim and lunch at the hawkers in the HDB. 

For the first time in my memory there has been no Christmas card from Uncle Royston in the mail by mid-November. He has always managed to send the first card despite the numerous addresses we have lived over the last 30 odd years. There will be no more from him as he passed away earlier this year but he can rest assured he will not be forgotten, at this time of year at least. The shopping malls are all putting up decorations and playing carols over the sound systems. 

 Plaza Singapura

On Monday the walkers tackled a 14km trail from Bukit Timah to McRichie Res. We all made it but were a little footsore and weary by the time we sat down for lunch. Most of the way we were under dense canopy cover so it was shaded but also damp underfoot. My new shoes are dirty already. We came across a number of locals collecting ripe durian from the trees in the rainforest and chalked-up a new bird sighting, most impressed by its song. 

 rufous-crowned babbler

 Durian anyone?

 monkey business

 Mushroom Cafe, McRitchie Res.

14 kms was a good trial for the new shoes I bought this week. I had been planning to trek in the pair of Merril's I wore last year, but have decided they are just not up to it again. On Friday morning we went to Novena, which we have discovered has a cluster of outdoor retail stores. We walked there with Heather and Michael, a cunning plan to make sure my feet were swollen and aching so I was sure to get the right fit. It seems to have worked. I was footsore but so was everyone else. 
I treated myself to a neck and shoulder massage after the walk Monday. She found some very painful tight spots and the more I squirmed the longer and deeper she worked on them. It was so good I returned for a foot reflexology session on Tuesday after we collected our new Employment Passes.  The pain in the tip of the big toe on my left foot was excruciating and she explained that this suggests the left side of my brain is dominant. Surprise surprise! The other areas I think were mostly the insertion points of my calf muscles. 
The branches are all having their end of year dinners even though there are still 2 weeks of work to complete. On Monday night we enjoyed dinner with Punggol Branch at Shish Mahal, in Albert Court, Little India. We found a micro brewery had opened up just nearby so that was a nice start to the evening for the lads while the ladies shared a wine just across from them. The court a lovely setting in front of the Village Hotel. On Tuesday night Kovan Branch returned to the popular ShangriLa Vine Restaurant for a smorgasbord featuring the biggest Canadian oysters you have ever seen and desserts to die for.