Weekend on Batam

Wednesday saw us back at work administering tests to all levels other than the kindergarten ones. It is rather boring to administer but the results give us some idea of which students can work independently and which need more support. In a few cases I found I had to read the test to students or they couldn't even attempt it. So while I know their reading level is low this also gives me some idea what vocabulary they are familiar with.

On Thursday morning we returned to the Gallery of the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) to collect some Heritage Walks pamphlets that could be useful for this year's Great Race. Even if they are not, we will still enjoy following them for our own benefit. We were once again impressed by the models of the city centre, the island and the future planning. Unfortunately we could see the proposed development of our much loved Bidadari's bush land which is very disappointing for all the bird lovers. 

The white buildings below denote future planning

 

Look how Punggol will expand

Walking on through Chinatown we chanced upon a wedding taking place at the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple on the corner of Temple Lane. The noise from the nadaswaram flute and drumming drew us in and it was absolutely gorgeous to be immersed in all the colour and noise of this joyous occasion. 

On Friday I went to the doctor to try to solve the ongoing fungus problem I have under the toenails of one foot and ended up discussing Annapurna Base Camp with her as she has also completed the trek. We are now well known there and even the receptionist asks us about our latest trips nowadays. In the meantime our new fibre internet connection was activated so now we have a very fast network and a stronger wireless signal. In the afternoon I at last got to the new sewing machine so have started on the mending and alterations pile. Did I mention this machine has a self needle threader? It gets better and better! 

Sunday brought on Australia Day, my birthday and the anniversary of Dad's departure. It always carries with it mixed emotions these days. I made the most of my birthday by having all the classes sing to me (after the tests were finished of course) while I accompanied them on the ukulele. We sang Happy Birthday in English and then Chinese. One class also managed Malaysian and another did it in Japanese. The rest of the teachers think I am a bit crazy but I don't care, the kids had a bit of fun. After work about a dozen people joined us at a favourite local Italian Restaurant for dinner and then some of them came back to our place for a nightcap.

Mon morning dawned and it was so nice to just roll over and think of the walking group assembling at McRitchie Reserve. We enjoyed a lovely sleep in and then caught the ferry to Batam where we had booked a couple of nights at the Tempat Senang (Happy Place) Spa Resort. I was pleased I had remembered the ginger tablets as there were white caps on the crossing. 

We've not been to Batam before, the island is more of an industrial hub than a tourist destination. Being so close to Singapore there are many electronics factories, a ship repair industry and a large oil service sector. Better work opportunities means many Indonesians flock here from the other islands in search of work and housing them all is a challenge. In response, Indonesia has linked some of the previously unpopulated nearby islands of the Riau group by bridges and is building high density housing. The result of all this is not attractive but it is a convenient location for us to get away for a few days with just a 25 min ferry trip from Harbourfront. 

We had little idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised with the secluded location, welcoming staff, beautiful furnishings and surrounds. The sound of falling water was a constant backdrop to the lush gardens and tranquil feel of the place. Our room has Indonesian decor but we could have chosen to upgrade to a number of other Asian styles. For instance the Thai room has its own personal fish spa, The Japanese room has a free standing bath and beautiful kimono encased on the wall. Ours has a private balcony and features a shower that you access through the bathroom but which is actually outdoors.

After arranging our spa treatments for the next morning we had a light lunch then went for a walk, hoping to spot some wildlife, but instead found ourselves on the golf course. A quick trip back to the resort to collect a wallet and collard shirt for Eric and then we were on for 9 holes. The Indah Puri Golf Resort is located right beside us and the course was beautifully planned, being a Ronald Fream design (the same architect as Singapore's Tanah Merah and Sentosa Serapong courses). It was immaculately maintained and we were accompanied by Zen, our designated caddy. Despite my maiden name being the same, I have never before played with a caddy attending to my every need; handing me my (read his) club selection, raking the bunker, cleaning my ball, so at first it was a bit daunting but I think I could get used to it. Unfortunately my score was nothing to write home about but I finished well. Eric hit some nice ones but found it hard to combine the long and short game on any one hole. 

On Tuesday morning we took advantage of the half day spa which entitled us to a choice of three treatments from the spa menu. We each chose the Balinese massage which focuses on the back, neck and shoulder area. We also both chose the hot herbal compress which is designed to be a soothing therapy that travels deep into the muscles while you are pummeled by hot herbal wrapped mallets. As the third option I chose foot reflexology while Eric opted for the Balinese Boresh, a hot herbal wrap which is supposed to be great for aches, pains and flu. In their own ways they were all wonderful. I usually find foot reflexology pretty challenging as it tests my pain and tickle thresholds but this one almost put me to sleep listening to the nearby waterfall while seated in the poolside cabana. When I moved to the massage room I found Eric was just finishing up with the massage and so could hear it all while he was being pummeled and knew what I was in for after my massage. He really enjoyed the hot wrap where he was basted in a herbal marinade then wrapped in a sarong for the ensuing 40 mins, much of which he slept through, except for the occasional times where his snoring woke him up.

We spent the afternoon by the pool under the shady umbrellas and then ventured back onto the golf course (with binoculars this time) in the late afternoon. We saw a number of birds in the trees, around the water hazards and along the coast. Much clearer today so we were able to see the unmistakable silhouette of Singapore from the Marina Bay outlook. 

How's that for an impressive looking shaslik grill for 2? We caught the ferry back and were home in plenty of time to get to work in the evening.

Holiday planning begins

On a trip to the library to renew our membership I was inspired to borrow some travel books on Africa. We have finished 3 weeks of term already so in just 8 weeks time we will be off to Darwin for a week. We have those flights booked thanks to a Jetstar sale. Next weekend we are trying out a spa resort on Batam and in the middle of Feb we will return to Bintan for the annual MAE weekend. Looking ahead we plan to go to Africa in the 2 week June break but it is such a big country! So much to see and do! If any of you have some suggestions we would surely appreciate the help. Thanks to Bob and Barb we already have some starting points to consider. A colleague from Darwin teaching days has a home in Zinkwazi Beach, a small town on the north coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province. We are following up an offer to stay there for a few days.

Since the K2 classes have been working on a Birthday theme it only seemed appropriate that I put my name on the January birthday balloon wall displays last week. Low and behold on Sunday the first of my students arrived with a piece of chocolate cake for me. 

How could anyone say no to that face? That was promptly followed by a pair of ear rings from the second student! Now it is getting ridiculous! 

And of course I wore them for the rest of the class. I didn't have the heart to tell them my birthday is actually next week! We'll have to have a party and play pass the parcel. In the evening many staff met at Wine Bos for the first official Social Club function for the year. No other excuse other than to meet up. Once again there was a good roll up and after a steak and chips dinner (which is the Sunday night special) we introduced a few of the 'newbies' to the wine fairy at Park View Square. Now I have to confess that these images were taken on an earlier visit because the ones on that particular night turned out somewhat blurry. Maybe the camera needs a service, or maybe the photographer had trouble focusing.

This week's group walk took us back to the Chinese and Japanese Gardens at Jurong. It was a lovely cool morning once again. We are enjoying moderating winds which is most unusual for Singapore. With Chinese New Year approaching the gardens were a little more dressed up than usual with red sashes on the horse statue and the guardians. 

You can actually see Deb and Michael Canaways Condo in that shot above but they didn't join us. Deb had better things to do, like the ironing and Muchael was out for a run. He met up with us for as we sat down for a drink and lunch in the hawker stalls at the finish. Eric didn't join us this week, he had arranged to meet the installation guys at our place wso they could upgrade it for fibre connection. In the afternoon we met up with Kev and Fran from Hampton, Melbourne who are spending a few days here. We didn't realise how close they were to us when we were in Black Rock last month. Kevin was with us in Butterworth and, like us, made the most of his three years there. After many years as a Principal in Melbourne he retired and now runs a business advising schools on OH&S. He keeps in touch with a number of the other teachers from RAAF School Butterworth and will be joining us at the reunion on Penang in September. We met on the river at Clarke Quay then had dinner at Zam Zams in Arab Street, eventually parting after the retelling of many old stories at Molly Roffey's in Bras Basah.

On Tuesday Eric had his camera serviced while I went for the annual skin clinic check up and then we had the first of the 2014 Great Race Mtgs with Heather and Michael at their place. Organising this event last year was a highlight for me and so I am very happy to be joining the committee again, but this time as second fiddle (well, at least I am going to try). We established a few ideas on paper and then went for dinner at Wild Oats on the banks of the lovely Punggol Lake. You will no doubt learn more about the walking trivia quiz (somewhat like the car rallies of old) as the weeks of planning progress. 

Aussie Open Tennis Begins in Melbourne

If the Aussie Open is on, it means Melbourne is either in for some scorchers or some wet, windy chill and I see that the forecast for this week is blisteringly hot. Hope you can cope OK Mum, after the lovely weather you had last week in Hervey Bay. (Doesn't she get around!)
We received an unexpected phone call on Thursday morning to let us know that the new sewing machine was already in the store and if I could drop in I could arrange for a quick lesson. Wow, this one has heaps of stitch options, an automated 1 step button-holer, a foot to roll hems and another one to finish edges like an over-locker. I won't know myself once I get the chance to experiment with it - not bad for someone who has only owned one that goes forward and backward or zig-zag up to now.  It is still on the table where I left it when I rushed home and then off to work. 

Friday morning was tied up with a mahjong morning at Michael and Heather's and then of course it was the weekend when we work all day. Our branch, and quite a few from Punggol, returned to Joe's Cafe on Sunday night. I'm sure they were very happy to see us all back. We had the usual orders of wine, beer and pizza, but there were calls for more from one who now lives just around the corner this year. This could turn out to be dangerous. 

On Monday the walkers arranged a bike ride along East Coast Park. This is a fixture on the schedule as it is a good opportunity for new staff to get together and discover something that they might like to do again with visitors. As it turned out it was just the old stagers who turned up and the young son of one of the Chinese trekkers, who has been in Sg for the last 6 weeks doing an English course. I was remembering how I missed this event last year, in too much pain from my sore knee, still waiting for the specialist appointment and just managing work, but little else. It made it all the more pleasant to be with everyone this year, cycling under the shade of the trees and enjoying the sea breeze. This time last year Luke and Tahlia were with us.

In the afternoon we had a bit of a housework blitz as the owners' agent had arranged to drop in for an end of lease/lease renewal inspection. He was non-plussed about the issues we showed him, called them all expected wear and tear and paid us at last for the tv we had replaced months earlier. As it turns out Deeno is a keen guitarist and he spotted my acoustic. When I mentioned the strings needed replacing, but I didn't know how with this peg model, he offered to show me. About an hour later he left after restringing and tuning my guitar, showing me some different apps on the ipad and encouraging me to sign up for Ultimate Guitar at just $25 for life. Now I am completely re-motivated, having put it aside since about October to concentrate on the ukulele. The uke is fantastic in the classroom, I played it this week with the 'littlies' and now have to learn Happy Birthday as they are all wanting to sing to me in a fortnight. 

We've kept up the exercise, both happy to slip in a walk or gym session most days: I did get to the pool one morning but the weather here is decidedly chilly. Two days last week the top temperature only reached 28 and one night it was as cool as 23! We walked to Kovan this morning and checked out where Peter now lives in a condo just off the main street. 

In the afternoon Heather and Michael came over and he gave me a hand with the new laptop while Eric spent a long time with the local internet provider arranging a new contract using faster fibre.  In the evening we went to Sque Bar in Clarke Quay where Eric was hosting the first Social Club Mtg for the year. Reps from each of the branches met on one table while the partners sat at another, then those interested stayed on for an early dinner at the sparkling riverside. 

The Singapore River you see today is a far cry from the one that flowed through here in the past. 

I've just spent some time exploring the history of Singapore, inspired by a novel I've just started reading called "When There Were Tigers in Singapore". It's a moving family saga of the Japanese invasion. The river was Singapore's trading and commercial lifeline for over a century, but as a result became a dumping ground for street hawkers and squatters. In 1977, the government embarked on a massive task to clean up the river. The "Great River Clean-up" campaign included relocating the unloading of cargo to Pasir Panjang, removal of  rubbish along the river and its banks, and reconstructing the river wall. When outdoor dining areas were introduced along the river banks, buildings were conserved, tree-lined promenades designed, etc it breathed new life into the river. The vision successfully transformed it into a river sparkling with life. A very pleasant spot for an evening by the waterside.

Work Resumes

I've been sitting in front of the tv watching the tennis. The Hopman Cup is on and it feels like a regular Aussie Summer but with Hewitt beating Federer this week in Brisbane, maybe I'm in a 10 year time warp. I can't believe this is the 26th year of the Hopman Cup already.  

Work has resumed; fortunately just a short week with the public holiday for New Years Day on the Wednesday. It gave us a gentle start while we managed unexpected enrolments and staff changes. One of the new staff at Eric's branch didn't arrive and so there has been some unexpected shuffling. They are also still awaiting the return of a staff member who had a bicycle accident late last year. She is due back in another week's time. The returning students seem genuinely pleased to be back and we both have many of them in our classes. What we are missing at both branches is experienced office staff and it can make for some challenging situations. On the positive side we have a lovely Irish lass, Maree, joining the staff at Kovan and Eric has a young woman, Angela, from NZ at Punggol. To finish off the first working week all staff were invited to Penny Black at Boat Quay on Sunday night and we had a really good turn out. It was a good opportunity to meet the new ones not at our branches and it turns out one couple have mutual friends of ours from Ballarat College days. 

We have been experiencing some shut down issues with our laptop over the last few months and it got to the point where we couldn't cope with it any longer. We are hoping to get it back up and running but in the meantime we bought a new one during the New Year sales. While it is lovely to have all the latest and fastest programs the operating system is Win 8 which has created lots of new learning. But we love that don't we? I'm sure in time we will laugh at the moments of frustration we have experienced this last week, but it will take time. Fortunately we were able to save all the data off the last laptop so we are now busy sharing pictures with all the other trekkers and the family history doc of life as a youngster in Dixon's Creek has essentially been finished (though in truth it is a living document that can always be added to). I couldn't help myself today, I came across a picture of the caravan Mum and Dad towed around the country a couple of times and realised I needed to add another paragraph. 

On Monday the walkers met for a stroll around Labrador Park and on to Vivo City for lunch. It had been a very wet night and we did consider not going, but actually it was lovely to walk in the cool. Our group was reduced to only 7 with some moving house and others hosting visitors. On the way home we dropped into Spotlight to buy some bias binding for a mending project and found a new sewing machine for sale. It was half price and I couldn't resist. Turns out they were out of stock but accepted a rain check so I will have a new sewing machine in a week or two. I haven't seen the old Singer I bought in our first year here for months, since I lent it to friends. 

Yesterday we went back out to the wetlands at Sungai Buloh to see the birds. We were blessed with a very close view of a stork billed kingfisher within minutes of arriving. We've seen these before but never so close and we decided there and then that we were happy even if that was all we saw for the day. 

As it turned out we didn't see as many migratory waders as we were expecting, but plenty of other species. On the way out we met a ranger casually photographing a 1.5m paradise green tree snake on the handrail of our bridge, he explained that the best time to see the migration flocks is when they are travelling south (Sept) as they tend to funnel past here and Broome. On their way home they just head north, in no particular flight path. That's why we don't get the numbers in such high concentrations here. Then he went on to share with us that the serpent we were standing far too close to for my comfort, can leap into the air, using the powerful muscles in the lower half of its body to glide. It doesn't just swing down to the next branch but launches itself, stretches out its ribs to flattening the body and taking on an s shape. The belly region of the snake takes on a concave shape that acts as a aerofoil so it can glide and control its direction. Only mildly venemous he assured me. 

The structure of the mangroves always make me feel like I am walking through a primeval landscape and it is hard to believe modern Singapore is just a short bus ride away. 

In the evening we went out to a restaurant on the banks of the Punggol River to share dinner with Heather and Michael, Robert and Maria and Pat. Pat is Heather and Robert's Mum. These are the Mahjong group I was teaching last year and on Friday we are going to have another game, this time using the set that Maria bought Robert for his birthday in December. It was a lovely evening, all day has been cool and overcast so it was lovely sitting out. 

I read an interesting article this week about living in Singapore. It seems some people are aghast at the idea of a law against chewing gum and question why anyone would choose to live in such a place. The fact is you are allowed to chew gum, just not spit it out. They ban chewing gum from being sold in stores, but they allow you to import it for personal purposes. Singapore is certainly a cleaner place because of it. Despite the dense population, people have a very strong sense of civilized conduct, and I always feel safe, even walking home alone after 9:30 pm. There was a riot in Little India while we were away. We don't know the exact details but many of those found to be involved will likely be deported. There is zero tolerance to civil disobedience here, just try to find one of the bus drivers that went on strike last year and disrupted the very orderly public transport system. You'll not find them here either, they were deported. There are racial issues and the gap between those who have and those that don't is widening, but these are issues facing every country aren't they? It is a very wealthy country and they can afford to do much better on the local social welfare issue, as well as take up responsibilities to the wider community of nations beyond their shores but that might be dreaming. Its not perfect but we can see ourselves enjoying the benefits for a while yet.