Bob and Barb from Boambee

Sheets and towels washed? Check. Bathroom clean? Check. Robo vac finished? Check. Wine cabinet replenished? Check. Then we must be ready for the next round of visitors. We were really looking forward to Bob and Barb dropping in for a few days on their way through to Malacca, Cameron Highlands and the Perhentian Islands before reaching Penang where we will be reuniting with some of the old RAAF School Butterworth staff from 1985 in Sept. Bob and Barb have recently moved from Avalon to Boambee on the north coast of NSW. Don't you think they should open Bob and Barb's Boambee BnB?
We went for a walk on Thursday to the new stadium at Kallang with Heather and Michael. From our back gate to the stadium was just on 9kms, most of it following a Park Connector along a waterway. 

Just as you approach the stadium you walk across what was the original airport, first built in 1937, which was both a port for airplanes and also an anchorage for seaplanes. After the Japanese conquered Singapore, they converted the grass landing ground into a concrete runway. It was in service till 1955 when the airport moved to Paya Lebar and then later Changi. Many of the original buildings are still standing yet look deserted. In this race for space that we are enveloped in, it seems incongruous that this area hasn't been demolished and rebuilt or converted into something useful. Perhaps when the new Sports Hub is fully functional it will have a rebirth. 

The sports hub includes a 55,000 seat main stadium, an aquatic centre, outdoor basketball courts, the original sports halls, a museum, wave pool and shopping mall (of course). The WTA Tennis Finals are going to be held hin the new stadium in September and we have purchased tickets for the Friday 24th, it finishes on 26th. We'll only get a few hours in before work but hopefully we will get a good match.

 Still some work to be completed, the workmen on the roof look like ants

 

view from the Sports Hub across to the Flyer and Marina Bay Sands

By the time we returned from work that evening Bob and Barb had safely arrived and found their way to Lorong Lew Lian. In the evening they wandered up to Kovan and met me at work, then with Peter we all took the MRT back to Serangoon and ate at our local. Bob had already emailed through a request for Black Pepper Crab that that the four of us remember sharing at Topdeck in Kuching 5 years ago on our way to the last Penang Reunion. By the time Eric arrived to join us we had plenty of food and beer on the table to satisfy all of us.

We walked around Fort Canning on Friday morning and then visited the Peranakan Museum in Armenian St. This was our first visit despite walking by a number of times and admiring the beautiful building which was a former school. There were many galleries showcasing a huge collection of artifacts from this hybrid Southeast Asian culture. My favourite was the first one which introduced you to a number of local personalities who explained what it is about the culture that they appreciate most. It really put a human touch on everything else you were presented with. 

We then made our way to Promenade for lunch at Madam Saigon in Millenium Walk before sending Bob and Barb off to explore the Marina Bay Sands precinct and we headed home to get ready for work. On the way we passed by a Yarn Bombing exhibit which is installed as part of the Night Festival taking place in this area on the weekend. 

I had a look online in the evening and there are a number of great community projects involving this a type of graffiti or street art that uses colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre rather than paint or chalk, check it out.
After work on Saturday we met Bob and Barb at Bras Basah for dinner at the Rendevous Hotel and then spent about an hour wandering the streets with thousands of others enjoying the Night Festival exhibits. 

 Singapore Art Museum

 National Museum

We didn't bother with a program, just chanced upon the main feature of the festival which was the Earth Harp created and played by William Close. He mounted the strings of his harp onto the roof of the National Museum making it a part of the gigantic instrument. While he played a collective group called Pheonix performed with LED light batons. 

The Cathay Green was transformed into a dedicated zone for eating and relaxing. The illuminated Cyanea intrigued me so much I just had to feel it. 

We were probably all a bit too tired to get the most out of all the light installations and performances on show and went home for an unusual early night (well, before midnight anyway). 
On Sunday Bob and Barb were off in a taxi to Woodlands even before we left for work. They had booked the train to take them to Tampin, just north of Malacca.  Sunday at work was a long hard slog but we rallied and in the evening had dinner and drinks a Nectar and Vine then a select few came back to our place so Eric and Michael could at last open the Sullivan's Cove. 
Monday it was even more difficult to get out of bed but the last chance for the Monday walkers to achieve the summit of Bukit Timah. The park is closing for long-overdue restoration works to all the tracks. We did the longest of all the trails I have ever tackled which took us 2 and a half hours without stopping. 

I was ready for an afternoon on the couch after that but it was the Trivia Afternoon run by the organisers of the MAE Tipping competition so we were soon on our way to Hougang for what turned out to be a fun afternoon and dinner at Wild Oats on Punggol Lake. 
Guess what we did on Tuesday - nothing! 
And it would have been blissful except the neighbours directly below us began renovations which required jack hammers that began at 9:30am and went all day!