Some family interaction

Eric's phone died on Wednesday night, just after he had downloaded a new tracker app and made a declaration to reignite his fitness campaign. Isn't it always the way? Anyway, he spent a fruitless morning in Little India waiting for it to be fixed on Thursday. If it was going to crash, all I can say is it is, a good thing it happened here where we can return to the place of purchase easily. He had to make a return visit on Friday to retrieve it. 

But first we had Luke arrive for breakfast, which we shared at home, and caught up on all their news of work, the new house, our house and the pets. Ali is still going strong though somewhat deaf, or maybe selectively deaf (like some others in the family). We went to The Banana Leaf for lunch in Little India and ate too much, but it was delicious. Eric tried to collect his phone but found that it wasn't fixed and was given instructions of where to take it in Clarke Quay. So we said farewell to Luke who was on his way to the Shangri La Rasa on Sentosa and we went to the mobile service centre on the forth floor in Central. The operator there warned that, since it was a model made in China, what he did to it would either open the phone or crash it permanently. What a saga this was turning out to be! To cut a long, long story short Eric returned with it to the place of purchase and eventually they were able to fix it. 

Unfortunately we have had the haze from fires on Sumatra back again since Friday, but fortunately it rained overnight so Saturday wasn't as bad. It remained in the moderate range over the next few days. 

Over the weekend the NT Election took place with a resounding win to the Labor Party, bringing to an end the four years of scandal and controversy while Adam Giles lead the Country Liberals. In only a matter of a few hours after voting closed and counting began, the decision was clear. Another sign that it is time to return. Hopefully they can do a better job and fulfill some of their promises.  At least it shouldn't be so chaotic with a strong majority and some very well respected independents in the house. 

After work on Sunday we dropped home to meet Yvonne and Mervyn and take them into Sque Bar for dinner with a number of MAE colleagues who are all getting ready to enjoy a week or so in other places. Yes, just one week to go to finish the term. It was a pleasant but early night as I had an early appointment for a check up at the National Skin Clinic in Novena the next morning. Good results there, so after a but of a natter (they have just been to Vietnam and Laos and we were really interested in comparing their travel experiences) the four of us we went off to Orchard Rd for a look at where 'the other people' shop. Very flash. On the way home we dropped in to Singapura Plaza for a Vietnamese lunch at Nam Nam. 

The walk this week was an evening stroll from Stadium to Gardens By The Bay so that suited really well. Yvonne and Mervyn visited the gardens in the daytime last visit, so this was a nice change, and the walk was cooler being in the evening and following the river. We had a number of other visitors with us from Daylesford and Sunshine Beach too. 

How could you ever get sick of those views? After dinner at Satays by the Bay we caught the stunning light and sound show at the Super Tree Grove. Photos don't do it justice. 

And they are setting up for the Mid-Autumn or Lantern Festival which follows hot on the heels the Hungry Ghosts. Some of the lanterns we saw at the Gardens reflect mythological stories involving the moon, the sun and matchmaking to name a few.

Still not satisfied, we walked through Marina Bay Sands Hotel to see the light show on the bay itself. We were all pretty weary when we eventually got home. 

Tuesday morning was much more leisurely and when we were ready, we ambled out the back door and down Paya Lebar Rd to Prata King for a breakfast of mango lassi, murtabak and roti prata followed by teh tarek. What could be better? Didn't have to convince Mervyn. 

After the walk home we needed a swim then Yvonne and Mervyn went to Haw Par Villa to check out the Chinese folklore and mythology including the gruesome 10 Courts of Hell. It seems fitting that Mervyn gets benefit from using Tiger Balm, created by the Aw brothers, who created this theme park. In the evening we met them at VivoCity then wandered across the Sentosa boardwalk to see the crane dance together. As always, the story was touching and the effects impressive. 

When we got home we found that Luke and Tahlia had stayed up to catch us on skype so we had a quick chat with them. We were pleased to hear they had found the keys to our Mazda. Now Yvonne and Mervyn can drive it when they arrive on Thursday. Luke was leaving in the morning on an Intrepid trip across the Gibb River Rd to Broome, this is a reward from the company for his performance so well done you! When he returns he takes up the reins in a higher management level. Tahlia looked exhausted so hopefully a few days of loving care with her Mum and Dad in town will be the tonic she needs. 

We spent Wednesday morning at home, Eric wnt for a walk then the two men went down to the pool while the women talked. Well, how else do we solve the problems of the world. For lunch we went to Food Junction in Nex then they went to see the Gardens By the Bay while we went to work. When we got home it appeared that they got away safely so here's hoping they had a good flight. Little jealous that they get to Darwin before us. Lovely to have family contact this week, really pleased they included us in their itinerary. 

Luck of the Dragon

I spent far too many hours watching the Olympics on telly last week, but I did get the ironing done between sessions prone on the couch. Mind you, I could do that while I did the vacuuming. The papers have been slamming our athletes, but I say, ' Good on you, you have given up a lot to get there and we can't all be winners on the day'. So many more countries competing these days and it will never be what it was. Certainly not the same knowing drugs play a part but I love the passion of the spectacle. Where else would you find coaches stripping down to their undies? The strangest moment for me though was watching a team of synchronized swimmers working out to ' Black Betty'. I first heard this rock song in the 70's but got more attached to it when Spiderbait re-recorded it, being a band from Finley just across the river from Cobram. The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Historically the "Black Betty" may refer to the nickname given to a musket, a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a prisoner transfer wagon. None seem particularly likely to come to mind as your eyes take in the petite sequined forms of the girls in the teams on the pool deck. 

Our rail passes for the trip to Japan arrived by Fedex delivery of Friday. We will spend the first few days in Tokyo and catch up with Yoshi in the evenings. Then we make our way to Kyoto and surrounds by train using these tourist passes which are apparently only available if purchased before you arrive. 

Eric has caught some Pokemon, or should I say the Pokemon Go phenomena has caught Eric? He announced out of the blue on Saturday night that he had lost all his balls. He didn't know what to do. Neither did I. My students explained to me the next day that all he has to do is go to an outlet that is a Pokestop which provides players with items, such as eggs, pokeballs, and potions. They are typically located at places of interest and marked on the maps. I haven't heard anymore so I guess he has reloaded.

For myself, I've been somewhat technology challenged this week my with ipad playing up and the screen on my laptop slowly disintegrating. One pixelated line at a time. Lucky I have had the Olympics on TV to watch. What will I do next week? Oh yes, we have visitors. Very excited that Luke will be here for a Flight Centre Conference over the weekend but we get to spend time with him on Friday morning. He and Eric can catch Pokemon together. Then his in-laws, Mervyn and Yvonne, arrive Sunday.

It was quite a busy week at work with the P3 classes studying food and its sources. This week's lesson was about honey and involved making pancakes with honey at Kovan. At the same time the P4 classes were doing rocks and to produce some inspired writing I had the classes make pet rocks . This was the result and will soon feature on MAE Facebook page. 

On Monday the walkers met at Clementi MRT and walked through to West Coast Park.

Then  on to Haw Par Villa, where you could say there is something for everyone, before lunch at VivoCity. There were a number of visitors who joined the group today and others who had never been to this place of wonder.

I swam instead, then in the evening we went to Kampong Glam. We haven't been in this area for some time and we wanted to make sure we returned before we leave. The area is an eclectic blend of culture and history, location of the original Sultanate's Istana and state mosque, but also a trendy lifestyle spot with graffiti-lined lanes, quirky boutiques and hip bars. This evening we were amused by a group of men unsuccessfully trying to fly their drone between the buildings. 

We enjoyed a beautiful middle eastern dinner at the Beruit Grill. We enjoy the lavish soft furnishings here and the food is good too. We shared a cold mezze platter then the mixed grill. No, Eric didn't eat all that meat himself! On the way home we had a drink at Blu Jazz for old times' sake but managed to walk by Divine Bar in Park View Square. Save that for Sandy's last trip. By coincidence, her trip here 2 years ago featured in our Google Photo Assistant this week.

On Tuesday we got up early to catch some birds in the Venus Drive corner of McRitchie Reserve. We were doubtful of the heavy looking clouds as we left but were blessed as it remained fine while we were walking. We heard so many birds but they were very hard to spot in the dense, wet foliage and dull light. We did bump into a group of American bird watchers on a guided walk when they were looking at an Abbott's Babbler, a first sighting for us, and we were lucky to have some experts with us.  

Then we caught the train to Toa Payoh and walked to Whampoa to track down a dragon fountain. I first saw this on the local TV station between Olympic events. They were running a short doco on old Singapore relics like the original dragon playgrounds and this sculpture really caught my interest. Apparently in the 70's and 80's various dragon sculptures were built in the heartlands, so this one depicting a dragon emerging skyward from the water, became a symbolic landmark of the area that was built at the same time. Nowadays the 4m fountain stands right beside the busy Central Expressway (CTE) where at the time it would have been in a very peaceful, and much larger park. The fountain no longer functions and the mosaic porcelain scales that cover its body show signs of age from years of exposure to sun and rain. The pieces include cracked crockery and marbles as well as some that appear to be purposely created. For all that, I'm glad we found it. Locals want to see it maintained, there is a belief here that dragons bring good luck.

Reminds us of the one that greets weary drivers arriving in the outskirts of Darwin as they pass by Finlay's Rocks at Yarrawonga. I wish I had timed how long it took the one patient woman to mosaic it. For many months, but it may have been more than a year, we would see her painstakingly making progress in all kinds of weather. 

 

Last week it was Pokemon Go Fever, this week its Joseph Schooling

After defeating the legendary Michael Phelps and 2 others into equal second place in an amazing finish to the 100m Butterfly Final, Joseph Schooling arrived in Singapore on Monday morning, where he was greeted by hundreds of fans at Changi Airport. The flag waving supporters, clad in Singapore colours, included parliamentarians and his father who does not like to fly. They were welcoming home Singapore's first Olympic gold medalist. Later in the day he was formally congratulated in Parliament and received news that his national service deferment had been extended till after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Schooling is scheduled to go back to the University of Texas in Austin to continue his studies on Friday, but is hoping to get permission from his school to stay longer so he can attend the National Day Rally on the following Sunday. An open-top bus victory ride took place on Thursday and many of our students got to see him as they had the day off school while the P6 students did their oral exams. The younger students at Morris Allen were pretty excited about the result, less so the older ones. They don't see him as being a hero particularly and don't connect with him as he lives, studies and trains in the US. Not really a Singaporean.  

So impressed were we with our new find out at Changi Village last week, that on Sunday after work we invited some colleagues and Peter to join us at the Little Island Brewing Co. to end the week. They too were impressed with the rustic, outdoor feel and to top it off we enjoyed a full moon. Once again, negotiating the best way home proved tricky but we all got there in the end.   




We went walking in the Botanic Gardens with the group on Monday. 

As always it was beautiful and there were surprises to enjoy as we discovered new blooms or birds. One lot of seedpods we found had us thinking at first they were pie-shaped-wasp nests. We found them to be the fruit of the Monkey Pot Tree (Lecythis sapucaia), a native of South America. The fruit is roundish and woody with a cap that pops off when it’s reached maturity. Inside are the seeds, which then fall or are stolen by the monkeys who reach inside to take them. When these fruit, which are also referred to as "pots" fall, they would make great decorative pieces at home.

I turned back at the Tanglin Gate and returned through the Rain Forest walk to the MRT at the Bukit Timah Gate and came home while the rest continued on through Dempsey Hill. At MoCA they decided we should arrange an evening walk next term and eat at their cafe. 

Then they went on to lunch at the Tanglin Mall Food Court. Eric was there when I rang to say I had no keys to get in but unfortunately he missed the calls. It was quite a wait until he got home so instead of icing my knee I got in the pool, fully dressed. 

In the afternoon I had a neck and shoulder massage in the HDB across the road where they are gearing up for the annual Hungry Ghosts Festival Raffle held in the middle of the month when the souls of the dead are believed to roam the earth. According to custom, these ghosts can get up to mischief if ignored so all sorts of offerings are made during this period, which is the seventh month in the lunar calendar. Metal incinerators have been put in place around the housing estate and other residential areas to provide for the stacks of hell money and paper offerings, such as cars, watches and jewelry, that are burned by relatives to appease their deceased family members – taking care of their material needs even in the afterlife. 

Food offerings (oranges, rice, even suckling pig) cover the tables and sometimes are just placed on the ground so you need to watch your step. Joss sticks were alight, and I came across a rare game of mahjong being played. A large tent has been set up between the towers to host the dinner and tonight's auctions. Money raised is used by the committee to fund the events. 

There will be a live stage performance at the end of the month. Bernard tells us it will feature tales of gods and goddesses, stand-up comedy, as well as song and dance numbers.
In the evening we went to Arbite in Serangoon Gardens where the ambience is quite relaxed and casual.  Arbite Cafe is just a simple space aboce a chemist with white-washed walls, some tables and chairs. What makes it stand out from all the others we have tried is the thoughtfully put together and delicious food. The main courses are a meal in themselves and have a mix of freshness, flavours and textures. We enjoyed it all. 

Pokemon Go Fever hits Sg

On Thursday we had a combined  PD session at Bishan in the afternoon. Guest speaker was a presenter from the Glasser Institute. William Glasser's theory has been around for a long time, but in this instance we were looking at applying it to the increasing number of students we teach who are somewhere along the autism scale. I found her insights into the aspirations of our parent body interesting but unfortunately she didn't really come up with practical strategies our inexperienced teachers could apply, and that was the purpose of the PD. Opportunity lost. 

More staff were away from our branches as the week progressed and at each location we had to combine or juggle classes. On top of that, Pokemon Go was released in Singapore on Saturday.  Pokemon appear in real-world locations, and players walk around trying to catch them on their mobile devices, they've even been found in one of our classrooms. We need a more powerful disincentive to have students turn off the mobile during class. 

I joined the walkers on Monday morning as they walked from Tampines, through Eco Green and on to Pasir Ris Park. I needed to quit after Eco Green but by the time I got back to the mrt I had done over 6 kms which isn't too bad for a first hit out since my knee started giving me trouble about 3 mths ago. I have really missed bird watching in particular, not to mention the social aspect of the group walk. We saw many birds in Eco Green so I was rewarded and the rest of the group found a flock of Pied Oriental Hornbill in Pasir Ris later, so they were very happy too. Below is the Pacific Swallow and Rufous Woodpecker.

Above are some of the many keen students out looking for Pokemon. The students only had a half day at school on Monday as Tuesday is National Day. Hence the red t-shirts too. The Pied Oriental Hornbill is above a male Asian Koel. 
In the evening we went to Lakeside, near Jurong for the annual MAE Social Club Trivia Night. It was rather poorly attended, but those that turned up had a good time, then we shared a meal at a local hawker stall. 

We spent a lazy morning indoors on Tuesday then met Peter at Paya Lebar in the afternoon to take a trip out to Changi Village. As anticipated, the station and train was awash with red t-shirts and lined with banners as people made their way to the stadium for the National Day Parade. Peter didn't let the side down, also turning up in red and with spare shirts for us. 

We expected that with so much entertainment happening, Changi Village would be deserted. We were wrong. The park was crowded with many families down on the sand and in the water. This is one of the few places in Singapore where a sandy beach still exists and has a kind of kampong feel to it. It was terrific to see so many people out enjoying a game of frisbee, a bike ride together or just watching the planes come in to land at the nearby Changi Airport. We've been here before, most often to catch the bumboat ferry ride to Pulau Ubin. The relaxed family atmosphere of the crowd on this day belies its macabre history though, Changi Beach served as a killing ground for the Japanese during the Sook Ching massacre of WWII. Thousands of Chinese were tortured and killed during this Operation as they were suspected of being anti-Japanese. Not on anyone's mind today though as Singapore celebrated its 51st birthday. 

We had gone to see the parrots who have now established themselves in big numbers and roost in the trees near the hawker centre. Singapore only has three truly native parrots: Long-tailed Parakeet, Blue-rumped Parrot and Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot. 

These 3 native species of parrot have been joined in recent decades by a wide variety of newcomers. Many parrots are kept as pets, but being highly versatile birds, they establish themselves easily in foreign land once they have a chance to escape from the cage. Most are beautifully coloured and vocal, hence the reason for their pet trade. We even came across a man displaying his pets in the park. Some can mimic human words - the African grey parrot (L) being the most famous. Having escaped or been released from captivity, a number of these have begun to establish themselves in Singapore, and are now breeding. We once found a pair in Bidadari. Others have been known to occur locally for several years, but breeding has yet to be recorded.

This visit we found the Tanimbar Corella, believed to have originally escaped from captivity. Seriously endangered in its native Indonesia, this bird is no longer in danger of extinction because it is bred in captivity. We have sighted it before at Bidadari. It is a very noisy bird and tends to be found in moderately large flocks ranging from two to eight individuals although roosting flocks of about 40 birds have been seen at Changi Village.
We also saw a few Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, very like the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia but it is smaller. The most prolific were the Red-breasted parakeets, considered a feral resident that is currently getting more and more common and slowly replacing the Rose-ringed Parakeet, another feral species, as well as the Long-tailed , a resident.

Right by the food centre is an outlet called the Little Island Brewing Co. An old warehouse in a previous life, we were drawn to it by the 'industrial-cool' feel, so unlike Singapore. The tables are recycled wood and there is lots of polished concrete. You purchase a ticket on arrival and then help yourself to drinks at the tap-and-go taps until the value expires. They have cider and wine as well as beers which include pale, golden and Scottish red ales, a wheat beer and a stout. We decided to stay for dinner even though the food centre would have been a much cheaper option, we were so enjoying the beach side atmosphere under the trees on the forecourt. It turned out to be a good decision as we all enjoyed our wood fired meals from the open kitchen that dominates one end of the sprawling building.

We had seen a number of planes landing almost overhead and the massive flag being trailed into the National Day Parade below a chinook, then to top off the afternoon a majestic white-bellied sea eagle brought the show to a close. 

I thought that was a lovely way to end the day but made the mistake of mentioning the most unusual stall I had seen at the food centre when taking an extra circuit to look for birds. Charlie's Corner served Guinness, who'd have thought? Hope Peter enjoyed his first day of Middle School with the students the next day. 

Kuching, Sarawak

Sunday Jul 31
We made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch our 90 min flight to Kuching and so did Kim and Syd, all the way from Jurong, though they cut it a bit finer. We had a hire car waiting for us at the airport, and Eric got behind the wheel again. It was then we realised we had no idea where we were going. No map in the glovebox. No sim in the phones to get Google maps. We had to call the owner of the house, who luckily lived just nearby, and she turned up and we followed her there. In fact at one point we nearly ended up in her boot as Eric discovered our breaks are not exactly touchy. The house in Jalan Hup Kee was huge; 3 bedrooms (each with ensuites), massive downstairs lounge and kitchen. We tucked into nibbles and drinks then hit the sack.

  
Mon Aug 1
I was up at 5.30 because I wanted to have breakfast before the birding tour picked 4 of us up at 6.30. Good thing I was, because he arrived at 6. I quickly roused the others and we made a hasty departure, but had to wake the other 2 because the key to the gate was in a pocket in their room. Sorry about that Syd. Yeo our guide, and Is our driver, took us to Kubah National Park, only 22kms from Town. This is situated on a massive sandstone ridge with three mountain peaks – the 911m high Gunung Serapi and the slightly smaller Gunung Selang and Gunung Sendok all easily easily seen from the Kuching Waterfront. It was interesting to see the number of cars on the road at that hour of the morning. You would expect it to be pretty quiet but many people were driving their children to school for the 7am start. Yeo's interest in birds developed when he used a pair of binoculars for the first time in his 20's. From that time on he has been expanding his interest in the animals of the local area, their behaviours and especially the bird calls. It was such an advantage to have his expertise as he used his knowledge to identify the calls, then draw the birds to us using recordings. We were able to identify more than 20 different species in the morning and most of them were new sightings for us. In the thick tree cover there was no chance we would have seen all these birds without his help. The 3 different leaf birds, Diard's trogon, red bearded bee eater, Raffles malkoha and white crowned hornbills were the standouts. More than 50 bird species, bearded pigs, sambar deer, mouse deer, civets, porcupines, squirrels and numerous species of amphibians and reptiles live in this rich forest. Most of the mammals are nocturnal so we saw only squirrels. Below is the lesser leafbird on the left, nesting female Asian Paradise Flycatcher.

Above is the gorgeous trunk of a eucalyptus, the red billed malkoha and the red bearded bee eater.
By the time we got home we were starving. Syd and Kim had been out hunting and gathering but returned with eggs and bread only to discover that there was no frypan or toasting facility. We had a quick cup of tea together then found lunch in a shopping mall food court not too far from home. We bought some more groceries on the way home, then spent the afternoon solving the world's most immediate problems. Fortunately we did that before imbibing in alcohol or some among us might not have taken it seriously. 

In the evening Kym drove us downtown and we walked along the river to the James Brooke's restaurant. 

We were all very happy with out meals served on the balcony overlooking the river with a pleasant breeze keeping it comfortable. It is amazing to realise that it was 2007, almost 10 years ago that we first came here, and 2009 when we were last here. The new parliament building has since been completed and looks impressive. There does look to be a lot of development since we were last here, certainly more cars on the road.  To end the night we walked home through the small Chinatown section before heading home. I crashed. It has been a long day and Eric was not far behind me.

Tue Aug 2nd 
June had to return to Sg as she now works Wednesday's at OrangeTree Pre School, a separate division of Morris Allen. Kim drove her to the airport then after breakfast the rest of us walked through the Memorial Gardens and extensive grounds of the reservoir which lie adjacent to the Sarawak Museum. We were looking for birds but found few, however it was relatively cool and overcast so very pleasant. 

We visited the Natural History section of the museum but the rest was closed for restaurant ion. Then we drove downtown for a coffee, to shop and then found lunch near Chinatown. 

We arrived home to find a small plumbing problem, water was dripping through the laundry ceiling, but we couldn't locate the source so called the owner and proceeded with our afternoon siesta. In the evening we had plans for dinner downtown but settled for take away from the local shopping mall and cleaned up what was left over from our somewhat over zealous initial shopping spree. 

After an uncomfortable night, I was quite unwell then next morning but just kept hoping things would get better. They didn't, and I had a terrible flight home and had to take the afternoon off work. Got myself to the doctor when he opened in the evening and he gave me something for the fever and griping stomach so by Thursday things were much better. Can't blame the pizza, everyone else ate it without a problem, but there are a number of bugs going around so guess it was just another one of those. 

Garden Festival

Eric joined the walkers for a lap of McRitchie Reservoir on Monday, quite a stretch for him as he hasn't walked a lot lately while he has been throwing off a cold. And he is missing his buddy who is a bit lame at the moment. Lucky I am not a horse, you know what they say. Some nice wildlife shots of crimson flowerpecker, high ropes monkeys and not sure which banded snake that is but very pretty from a safe distance. They were lucky to escape the rain as it has been consistent lately. Didn't worry me in the pool.

Robert, Steve and Neil have all asked Eric at different times to take them to Colbar in Wessex Estate so on Tuesday they arranged to go. We woke to inclement skies and it was actually pouring when he left on his 'boys only' outing but fortunately by the time they all assembled at One North the worst was over and they had a cool stroll through the black and white homes and lunch at Colbar. There he had sausages and mash washed down with Tommy Taylor, a Yorkshire beer and a favourite of Nell's dad followed by a Hobgoblin, another English beer from the big selection.

We caught the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow last week. It was thankfully held on a Tuesday night in a small theatre tucked away in Robertson Walk so we had dinner first at Wine Connection with our buddies who are joining us in Kuching. This year the line-up included Phil Wang (UK), Ivan Aristeguieta, Bob Franklin, Sam Taunton and Singapore’s Sharul Channa as the host. Their backgrounds stretched through Chinese, Venezualan, Indian and Australian so their material had some interesting insights. Hearing ACDC's 'Back in Black' sung to a salsa beat closed the show. My favourite was probably the laconic presentation by Bob Franklin but they all had their moments in the sun and had us laughing out loud. On the way home we were mesmerized by the lights reflecting in the river so i took a snap. This is the result in B&W thanks to Google's editors.

This year's Garden Festival is on again at Garden's By The Bay so we went along on Thursday morning. We were very impressed by the magnitude of it, with something for everyone; terrariums, community garden projects, espaliered fruit trees, indoor gardens, children's gardens, fantasy gardens, landscape design and of course the floral displays. We walked much further than I had set out to do but it was well worth it. All of this was set up right beside the MRT access, adjacent to the GBTB zone. Gee they do that sort of thing well here, access for everyone. 

On Friday we went to Mustafas then Eric walked home while I took the MRT. We cleaned the house and got started organizing for the weekend away in Kuching.