Thursday 28 July 2016

Our locals

We have had a particularly quiet week and we probably needed it, to recharge our batteries after the pretty hectic start to term 3. It gave me time to contemplate how lucky we have been to stay in the same condo for all of the 5 years. It has allowed us the opportunity to build relationships with locals that we would otherwise have missed. It doesn't matter where you live, getting to know the locals in your area makes coming home so much more satisfying. I'm taking this opportunity to introduce you to them. Some of you will recognise them. They are in no particular order but they all greet us as we walk by or line up to be served.


At our own condo we have a number of staff who clean, garden and keep the place secure. Over time, many of them have changed but this chap has been a constant. The noisiest thing he does is tow the rubbish bins to the skip on this machine.

Jia Wei, our original and best Tiger Girl at the local Kopitiam. When we first began eating there she was very unsure about serving us and we had to do all the transaction through hand gestures. Before she was moved on, she had shown us selfies she had taken to show us how she spent her rare day off. We were very disappointed she was moved and kept hoping to find her again but without success. None of the others that followed at our local were as much fun.

One of the girls at Fush House, the blue room of pain. She would giggle as I squirmed in discomfort during a reflexology session. 




















This couple run the Mama Shop. They have everything from stationary to mobile phone cards, double-adaptors, hair ties, sewing needles, light globes, tools, ... I don't know how we would have got by without them.






I couldn't convince this couple to be in the same frame. They run the fruit and veg. She serves, and like Jia Wei was very unsure about dealing with us at first. Now we have no trouble. He is on his feet all day long, wearing the same singlet and shorts set and thongs day in, day out. I don't think I would recognise him if he ever changed into a shirt. He rarely does more than grunt but it is not an offensive grunt. Just his way of acknowledging us. His English vocab is restricted to 'very sweet', or was that 'very cheap'. You don't like to ask in case it stops him trying. He works incredibly long hours, 7 days a week.


   

Our 24 hour supermarket is a great business. They have so much stock almost half of it is on the sidewalk. Easier to stay open than pack it all up each day I guess. No chance of pushing a trolley through the aisles either. It seems to be a family business but I am not sure. One very elderly man helps pack the purchases in the busy hours, surely he has to be the check out girls' father. Once again he only wears his singlet and shorts. This woman has very little English and didn't understand me when I asked permission to take the photo. Fortunately the phone rang so she asked her friend to listen to me then translated and all was good. The other one has a good mastery of English and always wears her hair up in a beehive do. 








Another family business, the florist owned by brothers Bernard (L) and Gary (G) who grew up in this very HDB. They took over the business from their father. They do all the arranging in the open doorway so you can rarely get past without a greeting from Bernard or a salute from Gary. 




Our favourite chicken rice stall holders. These two were running the stall in the coffee shop under Block 2 when we first discovered them, but moved to the Kopitiam under Block 3 as the rents were cheaper. Despite working 7 days a week they are always cheerful and ask after us. 

















 These two ladies work in the coffee and Tiger stall. They do a mean coffee set for breakfast of coffee and two soft boiled eggs with toast for a $2 breakfast, but mostly we support them through purchases of beer and herbal tea. Wei Ah Lian on the right is a manager and works 12 hr shifts as the place stays open 24hrs.

And this team from Tian Li Seafood; how will we ever manage without them? They have fed us regularly every week for almost 5 years. They insist on calling us Ang Mo even though they know our names and take it as a great honour if we take our friends there to eat. Often they share little treats with us; a piece of fresh fruit, plate of french fries or sweets which they have on hand for the staff. We have really appreciated their great food, quick service and cheerful banter. Had a lot of fun with them the night I took this photo and explained that one day soon we would be returning to Aust. They gave me a business card so I called them and asked if they could deliver coffee pork to Australia. If that had happened 5 years ago they would not have understood a word, let alone the humour. They work 7 days a week from about 2 pm when they begin chopping vegetables for the evening trade and serve until after 11pm. 











Thursday 21 July 2016

Eric reaches another milestone

On Thursday we had a mtg at the branch in Westmall, Bukit Batok. This is the first time I have visited this branch which only opened at the beginning of this year. It has lovely new carpet and hygenic toilets. Can you tell I was a bit jealous? Also had a quick chat with my sister Judy in the afternoon. We have been playing tag on the phone of late. She is really looking forward to a trip north to escape the cold.

On Friday morning we had quite a long chat with our financial adviser in Darwin over the phone. They are going to gather more definitive figures about our situation and get back to us with advice and some estimates of how much we will have available week to week to live on once we return and retire. If my job eventuates it will just be our play money, not enough to count I imagine.  

For lunch we met up with Tina and Jenny who left Rhodes after us and travelled on to Crete and were passing through Singapore. We met up at NamNam in Plaza Singapura in Dhoby Ghaut the had a bit of a wander but it was raining and we soon headed home to rest my knee before work.  Coincidentally Sandy was here too, passing through the day before, but we didn't get a chance to see her as we were working. 


On Sunday Judie arrived safely from her return trip to Siem Reap. She dropped her gear at our place then joined us a Kovan. We have gathered quite a collection of books for the Book Buddies Charity she is a founder of and I wanted her to check them before finding a means of delivering them to Cambodia. They might go in the post this time as I have not heard of anyone planning a trip there in Sept. Then we all went to Joe's for end of the week drinks. Judie used to work at the Simei Branch and trekked with us to Gudel. Our buddy Ann in NZ provided the bottle of plonk. 

On Monday Eric and Judie went walking with the group and once again got caught in the rain; a very common occurrence at the moment, but no one is complaining. As yet I am not up to that. I had a chance to chat with my brother Col and discovered he and Beth are off to Toronto in August. His big news is that Anna and Yaaran are expecting their second child. Then I went to Chinatown in search of a few Year of the Monkey mementos. In that endeavour I was successful but not so other quests. Not to worry, saved my money. 

In the evening we met up with many other colleagues and friends to celebrate Eric's 60th and Kathy's birthdays. Fancy being born on the same day, though not the same year Kathy keeps reminding us, and working in such a small group. We had a great night at Wine Mansion in Outram Park where they were both roasted through song and we had a small trivia quiz for Eric. 



The next day we had a slow start, but roused ourselves by lunchtime as Peter wanted to take us all out to lunch. The 3 of us met him at Bras Basah and walked to Hotel Grand Pacific for a Peranakan Buffet luncheon. I'm always amazed by the fact that you can turn up to one of these amazing feasts thinking you really aren't that hungry, but in an hour or so you have managed to plough your way through three courses. I really enjoyed their mural depicting the 'good old days' which actually depicted 'bloody hard work'. 



We spent the afternoon with Jenny and Wayne Gould. Jenny was the principal at Cobram Consolidated while Eric was there, and both she and Wayne were avid golfers. After retiring from the Education Dept they bought and operated one of the motels in town for a number of years and have recently sold it after building their new home on the golf course in Barooga. It was wonderful to catch up with them and hear news of their family and many other friends from Cobram. Wayne is the captain of the club for a second time. Their itinerary included a full day tour of Singapore the following day so we were relieved of tour guide duties and in no time ended up in Clarke Quay by the river, enjoying the view and conversation around the 'good old days'.



We returned to work Wednesday and started the week with a joint mtg at Kovan so that all Eric's staff could enjoy another birthday cake and spread of food. Meanwhile Judie caught up with the owner of the HDB unit she shared when she was here and then she and Peter joined us for a quick dinner after work at our local hawker stall. Peter returned home with us to share a tipple of whiskey on the true birthday. 


Walking to and from the MRT we can see the funeral ceremony is being held for the mother of Bernard and Gary, our florists on the corner that many of you have met. She passed away on Sunday and as the week has progressed the tributes have grown bigger and bigger. The flowers were amazing and by Thursday all the banners and quilts were delivered and hung from the pillars of the HDB void deck. Sending condolence blankets is a custom continued from ancient China. There, scholars would write beautiful poetry and couplets to honour the departed. They were written and pinned on the textiles and displayed for all to admire. In more modern times, the custom has evolved to sending blankets and comforters. After the funeral, the bereaved family can distribute the blankets and comforters to each branch of the family, who keep and appreciate the goodwill of the senders and remember their dearly departed. There was also a band playing in the morning. 

Judie left on Thursday to return to Ocean Grove where the weather will require some brisk walking to keep warm. While she was here we managed to post another huge box of books off to the Book Buddies Project in Siem Reap thanks to the generosity of Morris Allen and their parent body. We have loved having Judie stay; your walking buddies that you endure hardships with mean so much to you as the years go on. We said at the time we would one day laugh about the crappy toilet, the inadequate sleeping bags and the aches and pains. And we certainly did that while Judie was with us this time! Relived the whole trek to Gudel again through photos.







Tuesday 12 July 2016

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Wednesday was a public holiday to celebrate the Festival of Eid, known in Singapore as Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a period of sober repentance for Muslims, with approximately 30 days of dawn-to-dusk fasting. Adherents of the faith also devote much of the month to worship, charitable deeds and acts of compassion. The annual Hari Raya Light Up of the street takes place in Geylang Serai but many pop up bazaars are placed all over the heartlands. One of the highlights of the festival is seeing many Malay families in Singapore wearing colour coordinated new clothes in the same hue – men in loose shirts with trousers known as 'baju melayu' and the women in 'baju kurung', a loose-fitting full-length blouse and skirt combination like this family we bumped into under the HDB opposite.

For Muslims the day begins with a trip to the mosque where special prayers are recited. Then extended families and friends gather in their homes to enjoy home-cooked feasts which are likely to include Malay delicacies such as rendang, satay, and curry. Another traditional Malay food that is often seen in the stores and served during Eid festival, is ketupat. It is made with rice wrapped in woven palm leaf pouches then steamed and is best eaten with the rendang gravy or satay sauce. They often feature on the cards and signage.
We had a slow morning at home then roused ourselves in the afternoon to meet up with some friends at Sque in Clarke Quay. This will be our last long weekend as workers in Sg. A few colleagues got away but it seems many were a bit travel weary and just happy to spend it in town. 





I spent 4 hours at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Thursday morning having my troublesome knee investigated. I was able to arrange an appointment with the same specialist as in 2013 within just a week. He sent me for xrays, bloods and an mri all one after the other. So efficient here. Meanwhile, Eric went for a walk from home but got caught in the rain. 
I returned the next morning for results and follow-up treatment which included an injection of monovisc into the knee capsule. I had one of these in my right knee back in 2011 and it was very successful so here's hoping. I do appreciate that to have treatments like this once we are home could take weeks of waiting so I really can't complain about the hours spent in the Pearl Clinic of TTSH. Besides, the place is more like a hotel foyer than a hospital as we know them, with up to date journals and free coffee and snacks. Eric and Peter went for a walk together along the canal from Paya Lebar to Promenade but if they hadn't run for about 60 m they would have got seriously wet along the way. Once again it rained heavily, but not for long.

So now, with a grease and oil change in the joint (so to speak) I'm off and running. Well nearly. I got through the afternoon at work and managed the full 2 days of the weekend but was weary at the 'Beginning of Term Dinner' held at Wine Connection in Cuppage. Unfortunately we were seated at barrels on bar stools which really didn't work for me so I didn't stay long. Eric put in a good showing on our behalf, one of the last to leave as usual. 

On Monday, while the walkers went out in the rain,  Eric went back to TTSH for his regular check up and the good news is the Dr was very happy with his results so doesn't need to see him again. I went for a swim in the rain and when Eric came home he caught me limping. I can't decide if I'm limping because I need to still or it has just become a habit after about 6 weeks. We had a delicious lunch together then began planning our next holiday. I've been quite undecided about visiting Japan; not at ease with their view of women, their view on whaling and the building of nuclear reactors on the Pacific Ring of Fire. On the other hand Eric is really keen and all our friends who have visited insist we should go as it is so different to other Asian cultures. Also, we have a connection in Yoshi, who stayed with us for about 3 months when we were living in Cobram. He was assigned to Cobram Consolidated to bring Japanese culture into the LOTE Program that they were running.  So, despite my state of quandary, we are on our way to meet up with him in Tokyo. 

In the evening we walked down to Saturday House to be joined by a few others. Michael is due to fly back to Australia early in the week so it was our last chance to catch up with him, after which the boys indulged in the shared whiskey supply that resides on our lounge room shelf. 




Wednesday 6 July 2016

Singapore through a child's eye

The first things we had to do on return was submit our vote for the federal election, see the doctor about my knee and transfer the money for the car we purchased. That done, Term 3 began with a joint meeting of branches at Kovan but we all spent more time sharing recent travel experiences than discussing the next 10 weeks I think. Apart from our trip staff had been to Japan, China, Italy and Sicily, Scotland and France and Bali and Hong Kong. We were very relieved to have one of the couples with us as we knew they were travelling home through Istanbul airport. This is the quietest term without interviews, audits and reports and we expect it will fly by though the first week was a bit of a test. 

Our visitors arrived on Sunday afternoon and we came straight home to find them already in the pool or just out. Everyone was hungry so we went across the road for a local hawker meal. The last time we saw this branch of the family was Anna's wedding in Feb 2015. The kids have really had little to do with us as they lived in Mooroolbark while we have been in the NT and moved to Brisbane when we came to Singapore. They have just spent time at Batu Ferringhi on Penang and have a few days with us before heading back to school. All four of them were bedded down in the lounge room, more like camping than the luxury of the Golden Sands they've just experienced on Penang. 

After a breakfast that was pretty good by our standards, but didn't match the buffets of the Golden Sands,  I took Nichola and Olivia to see the branch at Kovan. Nichola is in charge of curriculum at her school so was interested to see how a tutor business operates. Then we met Eric, James and Sam at Little India where we wandered up Serangoon Rd to Mustafas. Of all the unusual things we saw, this tennis ball transfer on a car's rear window was pretty different.

We had lunch in the nearby Indian stall, then took the MRT to Chinatown. Talk about a cultural tour! We were skimming the top of the best and seeing it all through children's eyes for the first time. 

As we expected, they were very impressed with the URA Gallery's models of the island. We slipped through the Buddha Tooth Temple while the monks were chanting and then did a spot of souvenir shopping before catching the train to Bayfront. 

The kids were managing really well with all the walking but my knee was calling for a break so a few of us took the shuttle to the visitor centre of Gardens by the Bay. They all enjoyed the flower dome which now has a display made up predominantly of lilies depicting the 60s.  Then we met up at Satays by the Bay for dinner. We were really impressed by how willing the kids were to try unfamiliar foods, especially Sam who is a little older. 

Having restored the energy levels we hurried through the hotel and MBS shops to arrive just in time to watch to sound and light show which they were very impressed with. It was straight to bed when we got home from all of that. 

Tuesday began with a game of tennis as Olivia has been having lessons and was quite keen to show us her stuff. Sam is up for anything that looks or sounds like sport. It was fun to have a hit and giggle. We all flagged pretty quickly in the heat though and were soon in the pool recovering. 

After recharging we took the train to Dhoby Ghaut where we left Nichola to do some shopping in Plaza Singapura and the rest of us walked to the National Museum. It was lovely and cool inside both places. At the museum the kids got involved with the interactive activities they provided. 

We all met up again at VivoCity, at the end of the line where the Caddy family continued on to Sentosa and we met up with Syd and Kim who came in to meet us from Lakeside. They have just had a lovely holiday in Italy. We also bumped into Kathy and June. 
The Sentosa mob returned, having walked around the sights and tried out the luge. We shared dinner at Food Republic and then all walked over to watch the crane dance which was a beautiful way to finish the day. 

It was then time to take the train home and help the visitors pack into a taxi for the airport. We hope they all sleep well on the flight back to Brisbane. It was lovely having family here to show around our backyard.