The cleaner of our condo, who I had asked to clean our place after-hours for some extra money, has been moved on. I took this as a sign that we could do it ourselves and began late last week with the cupboards as we empty them. I've done the biggest room in the place, including scrubbing the walls so the rest should be easy shouldn't it? It is the most physical work I have one in a long time but can't do any harm, except softening the callouses I am developing on my left fingertips from playing the guitar. Speaking of fingertips, on Wednesday morning I went to the Police Cantonment Complex in Outram to be fingerprinted. Yes, but not in trouble. Just to get a Certificate of Clearance which may be useful when applying for a new Ochre Card to work with children in the NT next year. The word cantonment refers to a group of lodgings assigned to troops. In the case of Singapore, the area of Cantonment Road was the site assigned for barracks for the East India Company's contingent of Indian sepoys stationed here who had accompanied Raffles to Singapore and were asked to stay. Sepoys were Indian soldiers employed within European military garrisons to provide the much-needed manpower for the defense of European colonies in Asia. Apart from helping to maintain law and order and defending the island, the sepoys also helped to clear land for settlements and build batteries for defense. British troops were also later "cantoned" here between 1824 and 1858.
After work last week we took the train in to Sque Bar at Clarke Quay. They always look after us so well there. A few others joined us and we ended up at the Crazy Elephant again. It is open mike night on a Sunday so we didn't get to hear Edu and the Blues Machine but those that got up could certainly play well. I have since researched and found out who Edu is, he calls himself Eddie and his family name is Strada and he's a well known Brazilian, no wonder he was able to break into Portuguese when we saw him a few weeks ago.
This week the walkers did a night walk on Monday, from Farrer Park to Kampong Glam. This took them through the Jalan Besar area and they stopped in at the Thekchen Choling Temple with its giant mani wheel. It stands at 3 metres high and measures 1.38 metres in diameter.
Between Jo and I we only have 2 good legs so we joined them for coffee then went to Blu Jaz to hold tables. Very magnanimous of us we thought, and we were there for happy hour as a bonus. For both of us, it is our left legs that are giving us trouble, otherwise we could have combined as a 3-legged race entrant. Below they passed the state mosque in Kampong Glam and then found us at Blu Jaz.
In the afternoon on Tuesday we decided to see what we could buy with my Time Club voucher from the annual dinner so went to Jurong Point at Boon Lay. As I suspected it was a watch shop and they only sold watches, not even clocks. So now I have a new watch and a perfectly good one that is just a little scratched on the face and a men's watch that I hope somebody in the family might want. Not that I am into watches. After picking that up we went to the Pink's condo for a few hours and shared a meal at the local hawkers before coming home.
We have began our last 2 weeks of work here. Our classes are considerably smaller in some cases as families leave for holidays now the school year has finished. We are removing wall displays and generally clearing out unnecessary odds and ends that have collected over the year (similar to home really). Outside work, Eric is back to his daily walking routine which he had to give up for a few weeks while he threw off a cold and then slight tummy upset and headaches, nothing serious enough to need time off, but not pleasant.
The shock of it. The press had me believing we would not be listening to Donald Trump next week, that he would retreat to his penthouse atop the tower and sulk. Like when Julia took the reins in Australia, I thought America was ready for a female President. Especially one with such experience. And to be running against such a sexist, power-hungry loudmouth? Apparently not. The North Americans and Canadians that we work with are very disheartened and frustrated. They worry that he is dangerous; that he will divide the world at a time when unity is needed more than ever. Eric's reaction was, "Americans are more stupid than I thought they were." I am not so good with words but I do feel ignorance has triumphed over reason. And that hate sells. Shame on any woman who voted for him. I worry that it will not just mean economic upheaval but what about our fragile environment? All we can hope is that the party will hold him back. Fingers crossed and let's move on from politics.
Thursday was the final Senior Staff Mtg and Renee shouted us lunch at a restaurant in Bishan. This suited us very nicely as I needed to get the links in my new watch changed and Eric could collect the printer he won as a lucky door prize at the Annual Dinner. More stuff to be posted home! Nah, on reflection we sold it! Felt a little ungrateful but it really wasn't worth paying to it send home. The money can go towards another one when we get back as Luke informs us there is no longer one in the house????
On Friday we went to Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Orchard Road to spend our Kinokuniya Bookstore vouchers. It is a massive bookstore, taking up the whole floor of the shopping centre, and usually we would have no trouble spending them, but considering weight in every purchase we now make it was more difficult than you might expect. In the end Eric picked up another cookbook and I spent some on a Secret Santa Gift for our Branch Dinner. At least that solved one problem. Then we went on to City Hall and I bought a guitar case to solve the another problem.
On Sunday night we returned to New Everest Kitchen in Little India and enjoyed a meal with the trekkers who will be joining Peter this year to Everest Base Camp. They include Greg, the Principal of the Junior School at Overseas Family School, his 15 yr old son and Cheng Guan. It was really good to reflect on all the questions we had that first year we went. When I was asked for the one thing I most appreciated taking I told them a roll of soft toilet paper. June advised them to take metallic drink bottles to use as hot water bottles at night and Heather recommended a pack of cards. Eric wasn't able to join us, having gone home at lunchtime with a heavy cold. New Everest is under new management, very different interior but the food was lovely and the wine selection has improved 10 fold. Chunjiao, Cheng Guan's wife, has been in China for almost 6 months and has just returned.
We had a quiet day at home on Monday, the walkers were going to do the Canopy Walk in McRitchie which is only open on Tuesdays. It rained almost all day which is so unusual for Singapore. In the evening we joined the rest of the staff from both Punggol and Kovan for the end of year Branch Dinner at Melt Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Due to the rain it was very overcast so no chance to see the super moon. We held it there last year too. All charges for the splendid buffet were covered by the combined raffle takings. Happily, Eric was feeling better and could join us and do the Santa thing.
On Tuesday we had a skype call with our Darwin-based financial advisers and it seems they think we have enough money to retire when we return to Australia. That's a relief. I don't think anything was going to change Eric's mind about giving up work, he is counting down the days. We are just considering my farm job as play money as it wont amount to much.
Well Wednesday had to be a bit slower after that Tuesday. We rose late then wandered out the back gate and down Paya Lebar to Prata King for their breakfast of champions; rotis and curry sauce.
Adrian spent the afternoon at home and after work in the evening we met up across the road for dinner under the HDB.
On Thursday we took him in to Marina Bay Sands and left him to enjoy the Escher Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum. As we anticipated, he really enjoyed the symmetry and infinite detail of his work. Adrian was a talented artist himself at school, but has turned his creative talents to music and crafting instruments more recently. Peter joined the three of us after work then came back home to collect some further pictures and a Nepalese topi hat for a presentation he was to do at school the next day on establishing a charity. Unfortunately I realised too late that said hat is already on its way to Tiwi.
We just enjoyed Adrian's company at home on Friday. He took some extra baggage on the flight with him, including our robotic vacuum. I had anticipated he would take the guitar, but when we didn't have a hard case for it he was not enthusiastic. Instead it is still here with us, so I have decided to turn my attention to it and begin practicing all over again. The tips of the fingers on my left hand are actually numb as I type. I have sent all my sheet music home so am just using apps on the ipad which is ok, wish I could read tabs like Adrian can. For now I can only search the ones that are written in chords. Maybe it will make sense in time. When we came home to a house with no house guest and no one on the waiting list it was quite depressing.
We finished the week at Joe's then on Monday joined the walkers for a lap of the Tiong Bahru area. This is a small and rather chic housing estate. The low-rise art deco buildings were constructed in the 1930's under a colonial plan to reduce overcrowding in nearby Chinatown. Walking along the laneways your find yourself surrounded by repeated geometric designs that make you feel like you are in an Escher painting.
The area also boasts some lovely street are murals by Yip Yew Chong. An accountant by day, YC has been commissioned by small businesses and resident communities to bring life to their streets. We have seen some of his work before near Outram.
This first one is called 'Pasar' which means 'market' in Malay. The fortune teller depicted did sit outside the old market before it was pulled down. Apparently he died recently so didn't get a chance to see himself immortalised.
The next one June lead us to was 'Bird Corner'. I have discovered that all his paintings have a cat in them. In this one it is looking hungrily at one of the cages.
I liked them all but if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be the last one here, he called this one 'Home'. It shows a typical livingroom, back in the day with rattan chair, family portrait and coffee thermos.
So, did you find the cat in them all? Now I will have to go and check the others we saw at Outram.
I left the group to shop in Chinatown towards the end. We needed just the finishing touches to our outfits for the MAE Annual Dinner later that day. An evening clutch ($2) and an orange scarf ($8). If you can't get it in Chinatown.....
The dinner was a red carpet affair held at The Peninsula Excelsior, the hotel where we stayed when we first arrived. As we arrived it felt like we had come full circle. Everyone looked amazing. Eric and I both received a watch as recognition of our 5 years of service to the company. These were presented by Mr Cheng, the Director. Below is a group photo of our combined staff at Kovan and Punggol.
The week began with a lovely buffet lunch on Thursday at Window on the Park Restaurant in the city, compliments of Peter who keeps buying vouchers and then running out of time to use them. We were free to fit it in before work on Thursday. On our way there we stumbled into Emerald Hill, an area we need to revisit. It seems to have one of the most colourful streets in Singapore and an easy detour off Orchard Road.
We were still short staffed at Kovan so Eric stepped in to teach extra classes on Thursday but we got through to the end of the week okay. Only 5 to go and the first will be very busy as it is parent teacher interview time again. On Sunday night we were invited to Chen Guang's place for dinner. He and his wife Chun Jiao have been friends of Peter's for many years and they have both been on different treks with us in Nepal. Chun Jiao has spent most of this year in China helping her aging parents. Unfortunately I was too tired to join the boys but by all accounts and the pics they had a lovely dinner without me.
Adrian arrived early Monday morning and I went out to meet him while Eric and the walkers tackled Bukit Timah again. Adrian left home at about 3:30am so was a little jaded but didn't let that stop him as we headed into Bugis for a look around Kampong Glam and a feed of middle eastern food in the evening.
Of course Tuesday was Melbourne Cup Day so we kept up the tradition of a table at Boomerang Cafe and Jo had Eric dressed up to enter the Fashions on the Field. It was a noisy, colourful way to start the day with bubbles and lots of winners and losers. This year I was on the back end of that list.
We took Adrian around to the Peninsula Hotel after that, to window shop in all the guitar shops. He found plenty to be impressed with. After that we needed to come home for a nap in readiness for the evening which involved satays at Lau Pa Sat then taking in the view from the alfresco bar at 1 Altitude, on the 63rd floor of One Raffles Place.
We finished off the night at the Crazy Elephant back on the river in Clarke Quay. The Blues Club band were joined by Eddie who had a great voice and they played sets where we knew all the songs. A fabulous night and Adrian was very impressed with John Chee's playing.
Huge day, needed a rest to follow but it was off to work of course not until after lunch.
