Hump Week, T4

After an earlier than expected wake up call (5:30am instead of 6:30) we all made it back from Penang in plenty of time to start the working week. This despite initially only one of two ordered taxis arriving to collect us and our baggage and then a large traffic jam heading to the airport, apparently a daily event the drivers there have to contend with. It was a great weekend getaway and we feel very refreshed and ready for the last 7 weeks in the run-up to the end of our first year.
On Thursday we both went out geocaching in the Serangoon Gardens direction. I can always be tempted in a walk out that way as the hawker food there is top notch and Eric only had to mention 'breakfast along the way' to get me out of bed. To our pleasant surprise the cache was hidden in a serene Japanese Cemetery which we had been unaware existed. It is the largest Japanese cemetery in South East Asia with tombstones that mark the remains of members of the Japanese community in Singapore.  Today, the Japanese Association of Singapore maintains the cemetery which became a memorial park in 1987. It has an interesting history;  the land was first donated for the purpose of burying destitute Japanese prostitutes by a wealthy Japanese brothel owner.  During WWII it was used to bury Japanese civilians and soldiers including convicted war criminals executed at Changi Prison. After the peace treaty was signed in '51 the Japanese Govt intended to repatriate the remains of their fallen back home, but then they discovered how much effort the Japanese surrendered personnel had put into erecting a memorial in the cemetery for their fallen comrades and so they decided to leave them rest in peace. 

An interesting story we had earlier read about, that links to this landmark, is that of Yamamoto Otokichi, also known as John Matthew Ottoson, who was born in Japan in 1818. As a 14 yr old, he was a sailor on board the Hojun-maru which was shipwrecked in a storm. Otokichi managed to survive and was washed ashore at Cape Alava on the West Coast of America. He eventually travelled around the world but the isolation policy of Japan at that time denied his return to his home country. He later became a successful trader. In 1862, Otokichi moved from Shanghai and stayed in Singapore with his Malay wife to become the first Japanese resident here. He died at the age of 49 in 1867.
In 2004, facts confirming Otokichi's remains at the Choa Chu Kang Government Cemetery were uncovered and his remains were exhumed.  They were cremated and some ashes were returned to Japan after 173 years, while the rest are stored here at the Japanese Cemetery. 
Another working week done and dusted, there were no real surprises about positions for next year as most people seemed to already know before the official announcements. 6 weeks to go, which means only 6 weeks left to climb steps in preparation for Nepal. Thank you to everyone who has donated toward the building project at the Gudel School. That is one load I won't mind carrying.
On Monday we walked all over Bukit Timah for 3 hours. I know it is difficult to read but trust me when I tell you we walked at least some of all these coloured trails.

I pulled up a bit sore the next day but managed to make my early morning appointment at the National Dental Clinic where I was pleasantly surprised to be told I do not need root canal work but to start using Sensodyne (or similar) toothpaste. A much cheaper and pleasant procedure. I guess I will also get used to chewing on my right jaw which has proved effective in the interim. I followed that session up by meeting Eric at Tan Tock Seng Hospital where they have a Travellers Inoculation Clinic. I understood we were going there to have a simple tetanus booster but came away feeling quite punctured having been injected for typhoid, Hep A and Influenza as well. 
To round off the weekend we met up with Jim (Two Stroke) and Julie Stokes, some friends Eric met through Top End Hash in the Botanic Gardens and had a pleasant walk around there and lunch. Saw the resident Grey Headed Fish Eagle.

In the afternoon Eric escorted them around some city sites while I came home to work on another sewing project. 

Return to Penang

Not sure how we managed this but the original post was replaced with another post so I am rewriting this one and hoping I can remember at least a little of what was in the original.

Eric is really enjoying the challenge of geocaching, he discovered more local caches online and solved another one.  On Friday we went geocaching to Kovan together and walked home along a park connector he had discovered the day before. These park connectors are shared foot and cycle paths that are being constructed over many of the drains in the built-up areas, threading paths between all the parks. A wonderful idea, this gives us an alternative path to walk to work instead of walking along the busy Upper Serangoon Rd.  We felt pretty fresh still when we returned so decided to get the tennis racquets out of their covers. They have been in the wardrobe since we brought them back from Darwin in April. We have a condo tennis court that is hardly ever used, but first I strapped on the knee brace. Talk about pathetic! We could barely keep a ball in play and I quickly decided that my end was allowed any number of bounces before returning. We managed about an hour of swing and miss, getting more exercise from laughter than anything else. But we did enjoy it and have vowed to return and get the groove back. We followed that up with a dip in the spa, a great way to finish. 

Our tennis court

Our spa which we have never had to share

I had visions of us having tennis mornings with workmates until I felt twinges in my knee the next day and decided instead that will have to wait until 2013, after the Nepal trek. 

The start of the week was awkward because people, both work colleagues and parents, were starting to discover that Eric was moving to Punggol. It was a good thing in a way as we were going to be away for the weekend with staff from that branch (Wayne and Pauline Ash ex Butterworth) so it would have been even worse not to have spoken about it. They seem to have accepted it ok. On Monday morning flew to Penang with 6 other colleagues and checked into the Yeng Keng Hotel in Chulia St, right in the heart of the action. It is a small 20-room restored boutique hotel in one of the oldest surviving and intact 19th century buildings. 

Yeng Keng Heritage Hotel

So much has changed and yet so much stays the same. We found Hamediyahs in Campbell St for lunch, upstairs, eating the best murtabah in Georgetown. 

Hanmediya's famous Indian Restaurant

In the afternoon we split up and did our own thing. Amongst other landmarks Eric found the Hong Kong Bar and they still had a photo of his surprise 30th birthday celebrations even though there has been a fire in the interim and they lost many of their memorabilia. We all dutifully went there later to check it out but some found they couldn't recognise him with brown hair, no beard and glasses. 

latest visit to Hong Kong Bar

We all ate dinner at the Red Garden Hawker Centre which turned out to be beside the Blue Mansion House, how quaint. The Blue House is a living museum where you can arrange to stay. We were very impressed last time we visited but this time we went to the Peranakan House Museum instead. This was the home of a wealthy Chinese tin mining magnate who also held a license to sell opium. We enjoyed the guided tour that explained a lot about how the well-to-do spent their time, day to day. 

Forecourt of Peranakan Heritage Mansion

That was in the afternoon. In the morning we had revisited Kek Lok Si Temple, what was once known as the temple of the 1000 steps but these days the stalls are gone and you drive up.  The original white concrete Goddess of Mercy statue which stood above was damaged in '93 and a very impressive new copper one, sheltered in a huge pavilion has replaced it. 

Kek Lok Si Temple

Goddess of Mercy

The taxi drivers waited for us while we clambered all over the site and then they drove us passed the turf club and back to town via what we used to call 'Millionaire's Row' on Northam Rd and into town by Gurney Drive around the fort and clock tower. 

In conjuction with Penang’s Georgetown Festival, several walls within the capital have gained a new lease of life, thanks to the awesome efforts of Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic. He has left his mark with beautiful wall paintings of children all across the historical town. The artworks are funny and  fascinating, the one below is a mural of the children but the bike is a real bike, leaning against the wall. 

Armenian St

Muntri St

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Things come in 3s

A month or so ago, while eating at our local hawker stall one evening, the waiter Tan warned us that the next 2 months were the ones where there is a lot of sickness in Singapore.  He suggested we drink lots of water. I think he is right, both of us seem to have been fighting off colds or a virus ever since we returned from the last holiday, so we are now heeding his advice. It is not helping my latest problem though, I have a back tooth giving me trouble and the local dentist tells me he thinks it needs root canal work. Since it is so far back he wont touch it and suggested I see and Endodentist at the National Dental Centre. I suggested he just extract it but he says it is really solid and wont try that either. So I have made an appointment at the Centre but have to wait until Oct 23. In the meantime I have found oil of cloves and keeping it on hand. Things come in threes they say. Late last week I rolled my ankle on the way home and, having no bandages at home, had to send Eric off to the shops at 11pm. He came home with the only thing he could find at that hour which is some fancy bio-ray guard which supposedly emits low level radiation similar to the sun and I guess something like the old ray lamps we used to use on injuries. Whatever, I left it on all that night and the next two days and have no bruising or swelling so have to say, it works. 
I didn't walk with the walkers on Monday though as it was back to the summit with all those steps, so rode the bike in the gym for an hour instead. Can there be anything more mind numbing? Well, lap swimming when you come to think of it. The Trekkers took a new path around and up Bukit Timah which I am sure they will be only too happy to show me next time I join them. Apparently I am now known as the piker since I have missed two walks in succession. 
On Monday night we went for dinner at the Beruit Grill in Arab St. Happened to be talking to Peter on the phone as we were heading out so he came and joined us. To get to Arab St we go to Bugis MRT and walk right by the Golden Landmark which is where Eric stayed the time he came to Singapore when he was doing Cross Cultural Studies as part of his Masters. He has fond memories of that visit and we have stayed there ourselves on other visits as it is really well located, hence the name I guess. The other building that always strikes us as being a real landmark in this area is the Park View Square. We always thought it was another hotel but it turns out it is an office building and also hosts the embassies of UAE, Austria and Mongolia. Many of you would be familiar with it too as it is built in the classic Art Deco style and looks like it is straight out of Gotham City and a Batman movie. 

Peter was astonished that we had never been inside so on our way home we called in to see the statues and sculptures in the open plaza featuring many famous leaders, philosophers and musicians. It turns out there is a fancy piano bar in the lobby open all hours so we paid a visit and ordered a bottle of wine. That's when the most astonishing thing happened. This girl, dressed in a glittering fairy costume clipped her carabiner onto a rope suspended from somewhere above and suddenly sailed up the wall which is in fact a 3 storey wine chiller. Before too long she descended with our selection and we got to share our temperature-perfect drink. Must add that it was a Chandon 2008 red from the Yarra Valley. Nice drop! 

On Tuesday we revisited Sungai Buloh Wetlands to see the migratory birds that start arriving here from September, escaping  the chilly winter in their breeding grounds in Russia, Mongolia, Northern China, Japan, Korea and Europe. Some remain here until about March while others fly on to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately we arrived at the same time as a thunderstorm so our sightings were interrupted by the need to find shelter but we still saw plenty, including our first sightings of the common kingfisher and milky stork, although the second is not migratory and thought to have escaped from Jurong Bird Park. As we were leaving we found 3 magnificent Oriental Pied Hornbills in the carpark, what a wonderful way to end the visit. At such close proximity we could study them easily and noticed how unreal their eyes appear. It also got us wondering just what the purpose of the casque is, why hasn't it disappeared through evolution if it serves no apparent function? According to the San Diego Zoo website the casque on the upper jaw is believed to act as a vibrating chamber to make the hornbill's voice louder. The calls made by the bird range from the deep booming sounds they make as they begin foraging to brays, toots, bellows, and cackles. The bill and casque of juvenile birds are underdeveloped, and females often have much smaller casques than males. This may be because males also use their casques to attract mates and display their health and strength to other males. The males of some species even compete by knocking their casques together in mid-flight.  Sound like familiar behavior?

 Sunning himself before the storms hit

 Waiting for the storm to pass

 Milky Stork escapees

 At this close range you realise how unreal their eyes seem.

To finish off the weekend we met up with friends at the Crazy Elephant Blues Club at Clarke Quay. What a contrast this place is, with its raw wooden rafters and raucous music,  compared to the Lobby Bar of the night before. Loved the live music from a very accomplished band who played covers from so many artists, I even knew most of them thanks to years of Eric's music influence.

How did we get by without Google?

Went off to work very frustrated because my sewing machine would not re-tention and came home with the idea of searching Google for troubleshooting ideas.  What would we do without Google? I discovered that when you change thread you must always be sure to have the foot in the raised position or the tension won't auto adjust.  I'd never known that, since you just always have it raised normally. Its only a problem when you have no foot lever you see, but I can get around that. And it works. Thank you again Google, my mood has lifted and so has Eric's as he was expecting to see the living room stay in this mess of mending and half finished projects continuing for another week. He still might yet, I haven't mentioned the next project I have in mind.
On Thursday Eric tried out his new personal GPS that Luke and Tahlia sent to him for his birthday. They sent it thinking it would be useful when we are trekking but Eric has discovered the world-wide game of geocaching, thanks again to the internet. He did his first Geocache activity last week, its an activity something like orienteering but instead of reading maps and contours you follow coordinates.  Unfortunately in a place like Singapore you have to keep negotiating road crossings too as you try to get to your destination. Its a bit like an outdoor treasure hunt really, using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location by another keen geocacher. As he is just beginning he chose to look for one he thought was just 1.5kms from home. In fact the cache ended up being 4 km from home and he walked all the way there and back so was feeling a little tired but still very pleased with himself. The GPS takes you to within 20 sq m of the item and the owner leaves a clue to help you. In this case the clue was 'a park within a park' and it turned out to be in the car park of a condo, of all places a condo where a friend lives!  He has now logged onto the geocaching web site and recorded his first find. The second one was obviously at Nex, the big new shopping centre here at Serangoon. Problem was, every time he tried to find it he would loose the satellite connection as soon as he went inside the building. The clue was 'beware of the spill from a bucket'. At last he twigged, it was hidden in the rooftop garden where there is a water park for children. That's 2 found successfully, there are over 100 more to find just in Singapore. Keeps him out of mischief while I've been sewing. First work dress completed and now also one for the Annual Dinner  which has a 'Black and White' theme. 
Our bird watching this week recorded first sightings of the Australian Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in our local Serangoon park.  It is introduced here, probably through caged ones escaping (or being released because they are so raucous). The impact of introduced species always seems to have dire consequences but we couldn't help enjoying the familiar calls of this small flock who had claimed a hollow in one of the big trees.  
This week the walkers changed the scheduled walk from Bukit Timah to Bishan Park and Peirce Reserve so they could go to Chunjiou's place afterwards and eat Mooncakes. Unfortunately I woke up feeling like I was about to come down with another cold. That would be 2 in 3 weeks so I stayed at home on the couch instead. It was a good thing as I feel so much better already just 2 days later and Eric was away for about 7 hours, then came home and slept the last of the afternoon away in my spot on the couch. We have the group so interested in bird spotting now that they even found a flying lizard this week. 

In the evening we joined the group, which included Chunjiou's husband Chengwei and Peters daughter Kate and fiance Luke, for dinner at the New Everest Nepalese Restaurant in Little India. This is the first time we have met Chengwei, he and Chunjiou live a typical wealthy Chinese lifestyle. He is a Chinese National and lives in China above the ball bearing factory he owns, sleeping and cooking for himself in a room above the workshop.  She is a Singaporean National and lives here, bringing up their daughter who will start her last year of school in 2013 and then hopes to go to university somewhere in Europe or America. Chengwei visits every two months and stays a week or so. I don't know how many years they have lived like this but they own several properties here and possibly more in China too. Its all about the money and the daughter's education. But he seems like a lovely fellow and he and Peter are very good mates.
I think I told you the trekking group have a team t-shirt planned for the trip to Nepal. We volunteered to get it printed but then had all sorts of trouble getting all the participants to agree to a fabric and colour. Eventually we narrowed it down and thought we had it all under-way, even paid the deposit, but now the graphic designer is unwilling to use what design ideas we had given her. So yesterday I spent much too long fiddling around on the computer trying to design a graphic of our own using Windows Paint. It was very clumsy but the only graphics program we have. 
This is testing week again at MAE so no preparation at all and you get to mark the test while you administer the next class. Very simple now we are in the routine of all the administration required and so once again the week will scoot by.