It's been a long week

I think holding the Great Race might have sapped our energy this week. Not just the organisers but the rest of the staff too, we all seem to be limping in to the end of term. Still 2 weeks to go! 

On Thursday I had a hit of tennis with friends while Eric walked and then we met for lunch at our usual chicken rice stall across he road. They always seem so pleased to see us and this time made sure we understood they were closing up at this stall but opening across the road beside our evening usual, so that will suit us just fine. 

In the meantime our Kovan branch was being given the once-over by the Audit team so we were advised not to go in early. Ok with me. They check everyone has their lesson preparations in order and that the leader knows where the first aid and fire extinguishers are. That sort of thing. What a tedious job, one I wont be putting my hand up for. 

It is “moth season” in Singapore, with hundreds of moths spotted all over the place. Even on our landing this week we found a tropical swallowtail moth, the second largest species of moth found in Singapore. The wingspan can be up to 16 cm so as large as your hand. In Singapore, there is a popular belief that moths are the spirits of the dead who have come back to visit their loved ones. I'm not so sure about that, I suspect it has had more to do with the long dry season we experienced earlier in the year but anyway, they are very impressive insects. 

Our planned bike ride on Friday morning was spoilt by rain so after the housework I went down for a swim. We haven't had a ride for ages so there are new plans in progress. Eric cooked up a delightful Sri Lankan dinner this week so we  shared it with Peter on Saturday night, someone we know would really appreciate it. His position in the company is a difficult one and it was good to have the opportunity to show our support. We finished off the week on Sunday night at Frienzie Bistro & Bar by the river with a few others from Punggol Branch which was very pleasant.

It wasn't raining Monday morning (pity, I was feeling like a sleep-in) so we met a small group of dedicated walkers and made it up to the usual summit. We met Kok Tai and his group up there again, he told us about a walk we should try in Malaysia near Kuantan. Sungai Lembing is located about 26 km northwest of Kuantan on the east coast and used to contain the world's deepest underground tin mines. Nearby is a Panorama Hill, a limestone mountain which houses a large reclining Buddha in its Charah Cave and Gunung Tapis (a peak at 1,500 m), can also be accessed from there. Problem is we need 3 days to do it from here so have to hope we get a long weekend next year. We learnt via the local newspaper on Tuesday that they are planning to close Bukit Timah to walkers from September for 6 months while they carry out extensive trail restoration. That will throw our Nepal preparation into disarray!

In the evening we met at Blu Jaz Cafe to celebrate Heather's birthday early. She will be in Turkey and we will be in South Africa by the time it really comes around. We ate upstairs but as the night progressed we could feel the vibration of the live music downstairs rising through the floorboards.  Omniform are a regular fixture at the Blu Jaz Cafe on the first Monday of each month; a slick ten-piece jazz ensemble that we will have to try to hook up with again.

We moved on to Divine Wine Bar in Park View Square to show Heather's friends the fabulous interior and wine fairy. I know I have mentioned her here before, have to do it again to infuriate Sandy who is yet to experience this wonder of Singapore. 

On Tuesday we met up with Bev and walked the Tiong Bahru leg of the Great Race, one that Eric hadn't done before. On our way we were surprised to see a pushbike with sidecar and the incongruous sight of the passenger using a mobile phone.

We started at what is known as Bird Corner where there used to be a very popular pet bird shop. The owner would hang all the songbirds' cages outside his premises attracting crowds of curious onlookers. An enterprising coffee shop owner across the street erected a birdcage-hanging structure on his corner so bird owners could hang their birds who who would then join in the singing while the owners sipped coffee and ate snacks. 

From there we explored the market place which was very colourful with lots of fresh fruit and veggie stalls, flowers and fresh meat. One of the most interesting stalls was the funerary supplies where Eric even found paper replica Tiger and Guinness Beer cans ready for the incinerators. 

The charm of the neighbourhood lies in the Art Deco style of many of the low-rise flats of the housing projects built to ease the post war housing shortage. Each block is surrounded by grassy plots and playgrounds. They also incorporate spiral staircases, balconies and 5' ways. 

We had a lovely coffee in Forty Hands Cafe located in a very out of the way place but a "make yourselves right at home" type of atmosphere. We sat in the comfortable couch seats over coffee, chatting to an Aussie currently living in Java. It seemed like a very popular spot. 
As part of Tiong Bahru Heritage Fiesta 2014 - which is in its second year - photographer and visual artist Ernest Goh has plastered five animal murals on various walls around the estate. Along Tiong Poh Rd we found one of them. The chickens depicted are not the usual chickens that end up on our dinner table. They are Ayam Serama chickens, a type of ornamental chicken bred purely for competitive show reasons. These chickens are prized for their build, size, behaviour and showmanship and compete in ‘beauty pageants’ held in villages throughout Malaysia.

We finished the walk at the Tiong Bahru Monkey God Taoist Temple, housed in a shophouse. The monkey represents human caprice and genius and the deity is almighty, resourceful, mercurial, brave and vigorous while being able to tell truth from falsehood. Only Kuan Yin (Godess of Mercy) is able to control him.