It's hard to believe that I’m writing my last blog of the year to you already. The year has really flown by, filled with a mixture of good and bad, exciting and boring, illness and perfect health.
But before I get too reflective let me fill you in on our final trip of the year. A few weeks ago Gareth was required to do some work in Chengdu. China has never held great appeal to me, but when Gareth reminded me that Chengdu is that famous place where they have that famous Panda Breeding Centre (and have almost single handedly saved the panda from extinction), and I love bears, and to see them close up, but in a natural environment would be a dream come true, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from the Chinese Embassy applying for a visa.
When you arrive in Chengdu there’s no mistaking that you are in China. The air is thick and grey, partly because it is winter, partly due to pollution. Taxis are cheap and easy to get, and the hotels are first class from personal service to quality rooms. Step outside of your lovely, cosy, warm hotel room and into the brisk chill of a winter’s morning and you are greeted by that lovely sound of people on all sides of you clearing their throats, then spitting and gobbing as if they were on The Kop! Alas, this was one habit I just couldn’t get used to, and the fact they empty their lungs about every 10 seconds onto the pavement means you are constantly looking at where you are putting your feet – a bit like trying to avoid getting chewing gum on the soles of your shoes.
Something that could easily damage your health if you don’t have your wits about you is the 1000’s of electric motorbikes. Of course China is famous for her pushbikes and you do see the odd one, but most people now have mopeds, or small motorbikes powered by electric. This is fantastic for the environment, but makes these vehicles completely silent so you have no idea if one is behind you or coming round the corner ready to knock you off your feet! The danger is doubled at night. To save energy they don’t switch their headlights on, so not only can you not hear them, but you can’t see them either. The only time you know when one is there is when the rider does a big spit!!
On the upside, this is an interesting place if you like history and spicy food. Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province in the South West of China. It used to be walled city and parts of that wall can still be found amidst the generation of new buildings going up left, right and centre (yes, this city is another Building Site in full swing). Thankfully some of the ancient buildings and traditional cultures can still be found within the compounds of some fine Buddhist temples. For a very small fee, you can spend all day in these places and take in the serene atmosphere of a time gone by. The temples we went to all had an air of how it was centuries ago. Many people visit daily and light incense sticks either to show thanks for what they have, or pray for something better.
All of these fascinating temples house traditional Chinese tea house/gardens where for less than a dollar you can sit all day, drink tea and watch the locals playing cards, knitting (women take their knitting with them everywhere. We even saw ladies knitting at junctions waiting to cross the road!), and generally putting the world to rights. As their name suggests, these places only serve tea, if you want to eat, you either bring food with you, or wander round the streets where you can get fantastic, homemade noodles and wontons cooked on the roadside before your very eyes. Sichuan food is very spicy, and you can get spicy meat, spicy fish, spicy “funny stuff on a stick”, or our fave, spicy potato kebab. This is about 6 small potatoes part boiled, then deep fried on a big skewer. Then smothered in chili flakes and cumin – perfect to warm you up and tied you over before tea – makes your lips go numb too!
Then, of course, there are the pandas!! So many, so cute, so easy to spot, so playful, so sleepy, so wonderful!! The staff at the breeding centre does a fantastic job; in fact they do such a good job that there are more pandas than they ever thought possible! The older “Giant Pandas”, tend to stay in-doors and don’t do much except eat, sleep and produce, so most of the pandas you see are between 2 and 5 years old. They have more energy to delight the crowds and are very social. Gareth swears he saw 3 pandas playing cards, and that they hid the deck when we turned up!! Some of them look like blokes in Panda Suits they are so human like. Then, there are the red pandas, which are even cuter!! They are quite small and resemble the raccoon. Whilst you can’t touch any of the bears (unless you want to pay $140 to have your photo taken with one!)), you do get quite close to them, and the place is set in parkland so you feel as if you are in their natural habitat, not a zoo. Of course, they are very photogenic too – so I took about 230 photos of them!! Thankfully, you don’t have to look at them all, but a selective few are on a new slideshow on this page. Some of the best ones will also go onto Picassa when I get the chance.
So overall it was an interesting trip, and the pandas made it super-special, but it doesn’t do much to make me want to go back and explore more of China. The spitting, the pollution, the old being destroyed at a mind boggling pace to make way for the new, the news stories of more coal mining disasters, all add to the greyness of the sky and the dampness in the air. The people are friendly and helpful, the children a delight, the way they go about their daily lives amazing, but I missed the genuine warmth and surroundings of those we met earlier this year in places like Cambodia and Bali where we are more likely to return next year.
So, a final round up of what’s going on in Singapore.
What’s Hot:
Our bodies!!! Well, they should be soon – we’ve just signed up for yoga classes to try and transform us from podgy panda bears to serene yogi bears!! The problem with Singapore being such an easy place to live in (what with great public transport and food everywhere) is that the pounds pile on and you suddenly realise that you’ve got a bigger gut than the pandas you’ve just visited!! It’s too bloody hot to go jogging round the streets and gyms just don’t “do it” for us regardless of what Nike says. Yoga is becoming more and more popular here with some great facilities offering everything from beginners’ classes to tying your legs in a knot behind your neck in 3 easy steps! So, we’ve joined the ranks of the likes of Madge and several other celebs that swear yoga is the way to go for total mind and body control. I just want to able to eat a whole box of After Eight Mints in one go without feeling guilty!
What’s Not:
Christmas carols in supermarkets and shopping malls. I know it’s the festive season and all that, and don’t want to sound like Scrooge, but it really is both annoying and ridiculous to hear Bing Crosby singing about Sleigh Bells in the Snow and a miracle in a small town just outside of Jerusalem, when it’s averaging 34 degrees in the shade and the populist religion is Buddhism, followed by Islam then Muslim. The fact that Christmas Day is like any other in Singapore does have a distinct advantage in that everything stays open. So, if you don’t like the pressie you opened on Christmas morning, you can take it back straight away and exchange it for something you really want without having to wait for Boxing Day!
And Finally:
Regardless of whether you’ve been good or not this year (and that includes Tiger!!), we sincerely hope that Santa visits and you get great presents that you don’t have to take back any day!
To those who’ve stayed in touch throughout the year – thanks – we LOVE to hear from you and know that you’re all doing OK. To those who haven’t, we trust you’re OK and surviving this mad, mad world we live in!
May the leaders of the free world come to an agreement on climate change before it’s too late and
may you all have a safe and happy holidays!
Cheers then
J & G
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
We don’t Know How Lucky We are!
Well, once again I am late with my blog entry to you all, and once again I have a good excuse.
It all started about 4 weeks ago. I was actually due to sit and start my blog when I woke up with a slight swelling under my right eye. I joked to G that he’d been dreaming that I was Van Persie and he was Adabayour and he’d given me a right good kickin! When the swelling got worse the next morning I thought I’d better check it out with the doctor, who immediately referred me to the A & E Department of our nearest hospital. 20 minutes later I was being admitted with Cellulitis of the face. This is the textbook diagnosis of what it actually is:
“Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and soft tissue of the skin. The infection is usually caused by bacteria that normally live on the skin, such as staphylococci ("Staph") or streptococci ("Strep"). The infection develops when there is a break in the skin, such as a wound or injury, which may be minor. This allows bacteria to enter the skin and grow, causing infection and swelling.”
Doesn’t sound too bad – a few germs crawling around, must be easy treat. Well, apparently if cellulitis occurs on or near face, on or near the eye, on or near the nose (all of which I had), then the results can be pretty damned serious. The doc seemed quite excited to have something other than the usual disorders to cure, let alone that I was probably his first patient of the year under the age of 70! He kept telling me how dangerous it would be if the swelling spread because it would be very close to the brain area, which could cause irreversible brain damage. Also, that if my eye swelled further, I may need plastic surgery after they’ve “cut all the swelling out”, or worse still, “loose an eye”. He then quickly hooked me up to an intravenous drip and within minutes I had more drugs running through my veins than Courtenay Love at a rave! You can imagine how I felt the next morning when I woke to find I could hardly open my eye and it had started spreading to other side of my face – not what the doctor ordered. With his words ringing through my head I had visions of Gareth coming to visit me and me peering at him through my one good eye, or not being able to recognise him at all because I’d lost my marbles! The other upsetting thing was that I was starting to look like a cross between the Elephant Man and an extra from Doctor Who! I’ve always wanted to snog David Tennant, but not looking like this!! Needless to say the doc was not impressed either. Further blood samples were taken; the drugs were increased with a few painkillers and stomach soothers thrown in for good measure (and to keep the hospital tab going!!)
Anyway, after 10 pretty worrying days with antibiotics furiously running through my veins at a dramatic rate the swelling had almost gone down and the doc declared a victory over the evil bacteria. I was to be discharged with a goody bag so full of more drugs Anthony Keidis would have mugged me for it! It’s taken a lot longer than I thought to fully recover from this, and I only got complete ‘sign off” from the doc last Friday. He wanted to make sure the bacteria was completely gone, and I think also just get that one last dollar from his little cash cow! I don’t know what was more painful the swelling on my face, or the bill I got presented with on discharge!!
I was lucky – I have health insurance, a partner who visited me everyday with bags of sweets instead of grapes, a doctor who did everything to stop this awful thing from spreading and great nursing staff who took great care of me. I live in a 1st world country where 1st class medical treatment is available 24/7.
Before all this drama unfolded, I made a solo trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Flights were cheap and I wanted to test my photography prowess on one of the world’s most famous archeological sites, namely Angkor Wat. Thanks to this complex of temples Siem Reap is now one of Asia’s fastest growing tourist destinations and you can see how quickly the area is expanding with good quality hotels springing up everywhere and plenty of infrastructure work progressing with haste. What this place will look like in a few years is anyone’s guess, but right now it still holds a lot of charm with a number of rivers running through it’s centre and it’s most famous street, Pub Street, just around the corner from it’s even more famous Night Market where bargains are yours for the haggling. As with our trip to Phnom Penh I found the locals to be an absolute delight. They were friendly (some of the rickshaw drivers very cheeky and funny) and the kids wonderful. Thanks to Pol Pot’s regime you don’t see many older people in this part of Cambodia either and if you talk to these resilient people their family histories are full of heartbreak and sadness. One tuk tuk driver I used quite a few times (he was always parked outside my hotel as if waiting for me to come out!) had a false leg. He never mentioned it, but I noticed it one day. When I asked him about it he told me he’d had his leg blown by a landmine when he was just 17. He doesn’t blame anyone or want sympathy, simply to enjoy his life and job as a certified driver where he can meet people and “be of use”.
Angkor Wat is only one of series of temples covering a vast area. To make the most of my visit I arranged for a guide and tuk tuk driver. They picked me up at my hotel at 5.00 am so I could join the crowds in watching the sunrise over this magnificent temple. With camera and lenses at the ready we made our way through the main gates and found a great possie to get the best shots of a new day dawning. At 8.00 am my guide took me to a local food market where I had fantastic noodle soup for breakfast and we continued our tour. I had a wonderful day hopping in and out of my tuk tuk and being taken to the next site. Of course there were the obligatory kids everywhere trying to sell books, postcards and general tat. It’s hard to say no to these ragamuffins, but you have to. If they can make a living this way they will never go to school or have the opportunity to get “off the streets”. Having a local guide definitely helped, as they stopped pestering me after about the third NO and flea in their ear from the guide. I took loads of photos and arrived home late afternoon hot, sticky and quite exhausted. Not to worry though, a quick nana nap and shower and I was on my way to Pub Street to enjoy a large beer for only 50 cents and Fish Amok (the local dish of fish curry in a fantastic coconut milk sauce – YUMMY!!!) for less than $3 – amazing! I never felt threatened or in danger even though I was a lone female, I only felt welcomed and had a lot of fun getting to know the locals.
I was there for 3 days in total and on my last evening I decided to visit ACODO orphanage. There are many orphanages right through Cambodia, but this one was different. Firstly, it is completed self-funded. Secondly the children literally dance for their supper. There are about 29 children in all ranging from 5 to 17 years old. They have regular school classes during the day and every night perform traditional Khmer dancing for donations. I had seen a professional show on my first night and to be honest wasn’t expecting much from this one, but I was truly moved by the performances of these kids. They had full costume changes and knew every dance step and movement perfectly, and took it all very seriously. You could see how much they loved performing for their (unfortunately) small audience. It was a far cry from my performances as a child with Mrs Bourgeson’s dance troupe where Mum made most of the outfits and Margaret Bent lost her “Kitty In a Basket” prop at the end!! These kids were as good as the professionals. What moved me the most was they way they devoured our attention and love at the end - hugging and kissing us all and asking us to stay. When my faithful tuk tuk driver picked me up outside the gates an hour after the show they all came running out of the gates kissing me, tugging at me, and stayed on the roadside waving till I was no longer in sight. I couldn’t see them for the tears in my eyes!
We are so lucky. We have so much, and these children literally have nothing. Each child has locker no bigger than a shoe box that contains all their worldly goods –mainly a toothbrush and small soft toy if they’re lucky, and a clean pair of pajamas. When everyone has left they sleep on the floor where only an hour earlier they performed – the boys on the floor, the girls on the makeshift stage, as they have no money to build a proper dormitory. The kitchen is a gas ring and large pot that boils the rice for their 3 meals a day. They don’t know what TV is let along Twitter!! and rely on donations for books and pencils so they can learn to read and write. Most of you have kids. If you could image going to their rooms and taking out every toy they have and 99% of their clothing, put what’s left in small box you will get some idea of what these children have. The amazing thing is, these children are lucky. They have been taken out of danger and are given food, shelter and love. If anyone is interested in knowing more about ADOCO, or think you can help with donations including 2nd hand clothing or books and crayons, I’ve put a link to their website on this blog. If any of you are thinking of visiting Siem Reap in the future, please remember these children and make sure you go to watch their show and give them a generous donation, or take food with you. I promise you, you will come away the richer for what you experience.
If you’re interested in seeing some of my photos from the trip, I’ve added them to the slideshow. Double click on the slideshow to see the images larger, then view all to find them.
I’ll sign off on this rather somber note, but take time out now and again to think about how lucky you really are. No matter how much doom and gloom is reported about the economic crisis, or if you get sick, or if you loose your job, or the cost of bread and milk goes up you are so very lucky compared to those who live every day with their unfortunate past or bad luck and still manage to make lemonade out of lemons!
J and G XXX
It all started about 4 weeks ago. I was actually due to sit and start my blog when I woke up with a slight swelling under my right eye. I joked to G that he’d been dreaming that I was Van Persie and he was Adabayour and he’d given me a right good kickin! When the swelling got worse the next morning I thought I’d better check it out with the doctor, who immediately referred me to the A & E Department of our nearest hospital. 20 minutes later I was being admitted with Cellulitis of the face. This is the textbook diagnosis of what it actually is:
“Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and soft tissue of the skin. The infection is usually caused by bacteria that normally live on the skin, such as staphylococci ("Staph") or streptococci ("Strep"). The infection develops when there is a break in the skin, such as a wound or injury, which may be minor. This allows bacteria to enter the skin and grow, causing infection and swelling.”
Doesn’t sound too bad – a few germs crawling around, must be easy treat. Well, apparently if cellulitis occurs on or near face, on or near the eye, on or near the nose (all of which I had), then the results can be pretty damned serious. The doc seemed quite excited to have something other than the usual disorders to cure, let alone that I was probably his first patient of the year under the age of 70! He kept telling me how dangerous it would be if the swelling spread because it would be very close to the brain area, which could cause irreversible brain damage. Also, that if my eye swelled further, I may need plastic surgery after they’ve “cut all the swelling out”, or worse still, “loose an eye”. He then quickly hooked me up to an intravenous drip and within minutes I had more drugs running through my veins than Courtenay Love at a rave! You can imagine how I felt the next morning when I woke to find I could hardly open my eye and it had started spreading to other side of my face – not what the doctor ordered. With his words ringing through my head I had visions of Gareth coming to visit me and me peering at him through my one good eye, or not being able to recognise him at all because I’d lost my marbles! The other upsetting thing was that I was starting to look like a cross between the Elephant Man and an extra from Doctor Who! I’ve always wanted to snog David Tennant, but not looking like this!! Needless to say the doc was not impressed either. Further blood samples were taken; the drugs were increased with a few painkillers and stomach soothers thrown in for good measure (and to keep the hospital tab going!!)
Anyway, after 10 pretty worrying days with antibiotics furiously running through my veins at a dramatic rate the swelling had almost gone down and the doc declared a victory over the evil bacteria. I was to be discharged with a goody bag so full of more drugs Anthony Keidis would have mugged me for it! It’s taken a lot longer than I thought to fully recover from this, and I only got complete ‘sign off” from the doc last Friday. He wanted to make sure the bacteria was completely gone, and I think also just get that one last dollar from his little cash cow! I don’t know what was more painful the swelling on my face, or the bill I got presented with on discharge!!
I was lucky – I have health insurance, a partner who visited me everyday with bags of sweets instead of grapes, a doctor who did everything to stop this awful thing from spreading and great nursing staff who took great care of me. I live in a 1st world country where 1st class medical treatment is available 24/7.
Before all this drama unfolded, I made a solo trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Flights were cheap and I wanted to test my photography prowess on one of the world’s most famous archeological sites, namely Angkor Wat. Thanks to this complex of temples Siem Reap is now one of Asia’s fastest growing tourist destinations and you can see how quickly the area is expanding with good quality hotels springing up everywhere and plenty of infrastructure work progressing with haste. What this place will look like in a few years is anyone’s guess, but right now it still holds a lot of charm with a number of rivers running through it’s centre and it’s most famous street, Pub Street, just around the corner from it’s even more famous Night Market where bargains are yours for the haggling. As with our trip to Phnom Penh I found the locals to be an absolute delight. They were friendly (some of the rickshaw drivers very cheeky and funny) and the kids wonderful. Thanks to Pol Pot’s regime you don’t see many older people in this part of Cambodia either and if you talk to these resilient people their family histories are full of heartbreak and sadness. One tuk tuk driver I used quite a few times (he was always parked outside my hotel as if waiting for me to come out!) had a false leg. He never mentioned it, but I noticed it one day. When I asked him about it he told me he’d had his leg blown by a landmine when he was just 17. He doesn’t blame anyone or want sympathy, simply to enjoy his life and job as a certified driver where he can meet people and “be of use”.
Angkor Wat is only one of series of temples covering a vast area. To make the most of my visit I arranged for a guide and tuk tuk driver. They picked me up at my hotel at 5.00 am so I could join the crowds in watching the sunrise over this magnificent temple. With camera and lenses at the ready we made our way through the main gates and found a great possie to get the best shots of a new day dawning. At 8.00 am my guide took me to a local food market where I had fantastic noodle soup for breakfast and we continued our tour. I had a wonderful day hopping in and out of my tuk tuk and being taken to the next site. Of course there were the obligatory kids everywhere trying to sell books, postcards and general tat. It’s hard to say no to these ragamuffins, but you have to. If they can make a living this way they will never go to school or have the opportunity to get “off the streets”. Having a local guide definitely helped, as they stopped pestering me after about the third NO and flea in their ear from the guide. I took loads of photos and arrived home late afternoon hot, sticky and quite exhausted. Not to worry though, a quick nana nap and shower and I was on my way to Pub Street to enjoy a large beer for only 50 cents and Fish Amok (the local dish of fish curry in a fantastic coconut milk sauce – YUMMY!!!) for less than $3 – amazing! I never felt threatened or in danger even though I was a lone female, I only felt welcomed and had a lot of fun getting to know the locals.
I was there for 3 days in total and on my last evening I decided to visit ACODO orphanage. There are many orphanages right through Cambodia, but this one was different. Firstly, it is completed self-funded. Secondly the children literally dance for their supper. There are about 29 children in all ranging from 5 to 17 years old. They have regular school classes during the day and every night perform traditional Khmer dancing for donations. I had seen a professional show on my first night and to be honest wasn’t expecting much from this one, but I was truly moved by the performances of these kids. They had full costume changes and knew every dance step and movement perfectly, and took it all very seriously. You could see how much they loved performing for their (unfortunately) small audience. It was a far cry from my performances as a child with Mrs Bourgeson’s dance troupe where Mum made most of the outfits and Margaret Bent lost her “Kitty In a Basket” prop at the end!! These kids were as good as the professionals. What moved me the most was they way they devoured our attention and love at the end - hugging and kissing us all and asking us to stay. When my faithful tuk tuk driver picked me up outside the gates an hour after the show they all came running out of the gates kissing me, tugging at me, and stayed on the roadside waving till I was no longer in sight. I couldn’t see them for the tears in my eyes!
We are so lucky. We have so much, and these children literally have nothing. Each child has locker no bigger than a shoe box that contains all their worldly goods –mainly a toothbrush and small soft toy if they’re lucky, and a clean pair of pajamas. When everyone has left they sleep on the floor where only an hour earlier they performed – the boys on the floor, the girls on the makeshift stage, as they have no money to build a proper dormitory. The kitchen is a gas ring and large pot that boils the rice for their 3 meals a day. They don’t know what TV is let along Twitter!! and rely on donations for books and pencils so they can learn to read and write. Most of you have kids. If you could image going to their rooms and taking out every toy they have and 99% of their clothing, put what’s left in small box you will get some idea of what these children have. The amazing thing is, these children are lucky. They have been taken out of danger and are given food, shelter and love. If anyone is interested in knowing more about ADOCO, or think you can help with donations including 2nd hand clothing or books and crayons, I’ve put a link to their website on this blog. If any of you are thinking of visiting Siem Reap in the future, please remember these children and make sure you go to watch their show and give them a generous donation, or take food with you. I promise you, you will come away the richer for what you experience.
If you’re interested in seeing some of my photos from the trip, I’ve added them to the slideshow. Double click on the slideshow to see the images larger, then view all to find them.
I’ll sign off on this rather somber note, but take time out now and again to think about how lucky you really are. No matter how much doom and gloom is reported about the economic crisis, or if you get sick, or if you loose your job, or the cost of bread and milk goes up you are so very lucky compared to those who live every day with their unfortunate past or bad luck and still manage to make lemonade out of lemons!
J and G XXX
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Travelling Wilburys!
Last month I told you about our family reunions, and the theme has continued with a recent visit to Singapore from my wonderful niece Laura. As some of you know she runs her own artiste management company, and one of her talented acts, “Emmy The Great” did a mini tour of Asia. The tour was a big success which started in Tokyo and ended Singapore with a large crowd turning out to hear her play. A friend of ours suggested that the venue which was called “Home” was due to the fact that it was in fact a Gay Club. Surely not, such things don’t exist in Singapore I cried!! Well, after a great gig I was minding my own business when a female youf with a mouth full of metal approached me and boldly stated that she was a Leslie!! I quickly grabbed Gareth and Laura when she proceeded to tell us she was the manager of the place and did we want a drink. Not wanting to be rude or anything we all nodded gleefully, only to be presented with glasses of beer and a shot of something colorful sitting at the bottom. It was only when the burning sensation hit the back of our throats that we realised she had tried to give us Absinth poisoning!! We declined a second and headed back inside where an indie disco was in full swing. Needless to say, the night went slowly down hill from there and after dancing to Blur and a Michael Jackson tribute, were we all did our best to Moon Walk, we headed home at about 3am – the longest I’ve stayed out since we’ve been here!
Emmy headed back the UK on the Saturday and Laura stayed with us till the following Wednesday. We had a great time catching up and showing her the sights of Singers. Of course shopping was on the agenda as was a trip to Little India, walking along the riverfront, checking out the museum, cycling along the beach. Gosh, I’m exhausted just thinking about it!! Of course, it was brilliant to just spend time together and drink gin by the pool till the early hours on her last night!!
Before all of this we spent our last weekend with Gareth’s parents Bev and Alan in Phnom Penh before they returned to NZ. This is the capitol of Cambodia and as soon as we got out of the airport we knew we back in the heart of Asia – the sights, the smells, the crowds, people in shanty towns on the riverbank, tuk tuks everywhere and life racing at 100 miles an hour. Cambodia has a heartbreaking history and these people suffered more than we will ever be able to appreciate at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Over 200,000 people died during this appalling act of genocide. A trip the Killing Fields was a must for us and although it’s mostly a shrine these days with the display of human skulls at it’s centre, it was a truly moving experience.
The Cambodians are a resilient lot though and they greet you with a friendly smile and genuinely care that you enjoy your stay with them. The best place to eat and drink is in the Foreign Correspondents Club, or FCC. This is the actual hotel and bar where reporters from around the world stayed and wrote their stories of the atrocities of war and the walls are covered with actual photographs taken during that time. It still has an atmosphere of those times with big leather seats, low hanging ceiling fans and a long bar serving cold beers and hot pizzas. Or you can simply sit on a stool at the window and people watch. Traffic is chaotic with a mix of overloaded tuk tuks, overloaded vans, overloaded motorcycles and overloaded cars! At T- junctions no one stops, you just either drive or walk into the traffic, not hesitating, and somehow manage to avoid whatever is coming towards you. We left Phnom Penh feeling humbled by the resilience and friendliness of its people and saddened by the poverty most of them still live in.
Talking of week ends away – we also did a mini trip to Malacca recently. Malacca is a Malaysian state and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Where Phnom Penh’s architecture is clearly defined by the French, Malacca’s is a throwback to the days when the Portuguese invaded and reigned. The colourful pink building in the town centre now serves as a very informative National Museum and is a great place to hang-out during the day. It’s also the central meeting place and loads of cycle rickshaw drivers park up and ply their trade by taking you to Chinese temples and shopping areas of this small and very appealing city. The riskshaws are all brightly decorated with ribbons and flowers and the drivers hoot loudly at each other as they cross paths on their tour. At night the place comes to life with market stalls down the main streets all lit up with fairy lights and hawker food is served Peranakan (Malaysian) style. Karaoke is the favourite past time and there is any amount of places where you can just walk in, pick up a mike and start singing. I was very tempted, but they didn’t have the Spice Girls, so I gave it a miss! It’s a lovely place to visit for a day or two and just escape the usual crowded shopping malls of Singers.
Gareth has been travelling a lot for work lately and was in the Philippines last week. He was back just long enough to wash his “smalls” before heading off to Beijing this week. Not to be out done, I’ve booked myself 4 days in Siem Reap. I’ve always wanted to go there and have just finished a Travel Photography Course. With the famous Angkor Wat being the focus point of my trip I hope to put everything I’ve learned about light, aperture, shutter speed and composition into practice! Will up-date you all next month and hopefully be able to put pics some on my Picasso website – stay tuned……
So a quick round up of what’s happening in Singapore:
WHAT’S HOT
Well, the hottest ticket in town right now is for the National Day Show and Parade. Singapore celebrates it’s 44th year of independence next week, and just to make sure they get it right, they’ve had 3 ordinary rehearsals and a full dress rehearsal including F1 jets and helicopters over the skies, Navy Boats letting off canons in the sea and firework displays. Should be a good “do” for those lucky enough to get tix, and for those who can’t, they can watch it all on TV. At 8.22pm exactly the whole of Singapore will asked to recite The Pledge in once voice (to Singapore presumably!) no doubt with the right hand on heart and the left waving the flag – nationalistic fervour at it’s very best!!
WHAT’S NOT
A Night Festival that was held a few weeks ago. Last year it was fantastic, so we headed off to check it out again. Laura came with us and we were keen to impress her with this wonderful nights free entertainment. Unfortunately, there were huge thunder and lightening storms for most of the evening so most of the entertainment got rained off. However, we stuck it out to the end on the promise of a big firework display and some acrobatic group from Germany doing amazing things strapped to a big wheel thing. But, it was not to be their (or our) night as one of the troupe fell off a platform and an ambulance had to be called. The show did go on though with the wheely thing, which was quite impressive for about 2 minutes, then got really boring!! The fireworks were akin to a damp squid and we were lucky to make it to the MRT station just in time for the last train home. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all I guess.
AND FINALLY
For those who prefer something a little more exclusive when celebrating National Day. You can get a birds-eye view of the whole event from the window of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Luxury Suite. Priced at a mere $13,200 for the night you’d want to be assured of the best seat in the house. And yes, it is fully booked for the weekend!! Recession, what recession????
Emmy headed back the UK on the Saturday and Laura stayed with us till the following Wednesday. We had a great time catching up and showing her the sights of Singers. Of course shopping was on the agenda as was a trip to Little India, walking along the riverfront, checking out the museum, cycling along the beach. Gosh, I’m exhausted just thinking about it!! Of course, it was brilliant to just spend time together and drink gin by the pool till the early hours on her last night!!
Before all of this we spent our last weekend with Gareth’s parents Bev and Alan in Phnom Penh before they returned to NZ. This is the capitol of Cambodia and as soon as we got out of the airport we knew we back in the heart of Asia – the sights, the smells, the crowds, people in shanty towns on the riverbank, tuk tuks everywhere and life racing at 100 miles an hour. Cambodia has a heartbreaking history and these people suffered more than we will ever be able to appreciate at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Over 200,000 people died during this appalling act of genocide. A trip the Killing Fields was a must for us and although it’s mostly a shrine these days with the display of human skulls at it’s centre, it was a truly moving experience.
The Cambodians are a resilient lot though and they greet you with a friendly smile and genuinely care that you enjoy your stay with them. The best place to eat and drink is in the Foreign Correspondents Club, or FCC. This is the actual hotel and bar where reporters from around the world stayed and wrote their stories of the atrocities of war and the walls are covered with actual photographs taken during that time. It still has an atmosphere of those times with big leather seats, low hanging ceiling fans and a long bar serving cold beers and hot pizzas. Or you can simply sit on a stool at the window and people watch. Traffic is chaotic with a mix of overloaded tuk tuks, overloaded vans, overloaded motorcycles and overloaded cars! At T- junctions no one stops, you just either drive or walk into the traffic, not hesitating, and somehow manage to avoid whatever is coming towards you. We left Phnom Penh feeling humbled by the resilience and friendliness of its people and saddened by the poverty most of them still live in.
Talking of week ends away – we also did a mini trip to Malacca recently. Malacca is a Malaysian state and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Where Phnom Penh’s architecture is clearly defined by the French, Malacca’s is a throwback to the days when the Portuguese invaded and reigned. The colourful pink building in the town centre now serves as a very informative National Museum and is a great place to hang-out during the day. It’s also the central meeting place and loads of cycle rickshaw drivers park up and ply their trade by taking you to Chinese temples and shopping areas of this small and very appealing city. The riskshaws are all brightly decorated with ribbons and flowers and the drivers hoot loudly at each other as they cross paths on their tour. At night the place comes to life with market stalls down the main streets all lit up with fairy lights and hawker food is served Peranakan (Malaysian) style. Karaoke is the favourite past time and there is any amount of places where you can just walk in, pick up a mike and start singing. I was very tempted, but they didn’t have the Spice Girls, so I gave it a miss! It’s a lovely place to visit for a day or two and just escape the usual crowded shopping malls of Singers.
Gareth has been travelling a lot for work lately and was in the Philippines last week. He was back just long enough to wash his “smalls” before heading off to Beijing this week. Not to be out done, I’ve booked myself 4 days in Siem Reap. I’ve always wanted to go there and have just finished a Travel Photography Course. With the famous Angkor Wat being the focus point of my trip I hope to put everything I’ve learned about light, aperture, shutter speed and composition into practice! Will up-date you all next month and hopefully be able to put pics some on my Picasso website – stay tuned……
So a quick round up of what’s happening in Singapore:
WHAT’S HOT
Well, the hottest ticket in town right now is for the National Day Show and Parade. Singapore celebrates it’s 44th year of independence next week, and just to make sure they get it right, they’ve had 3 ordinary rehearsals and a full dress rehearsal including F1 jets and helicopters over the skies, Navy Boats letting off canons in the sea and firework displays. Should be a good “do” for those lucky enough to get tix, and for those who can’t, they can watch it all on TV. At 8.22pm exactly the whole of Singapore will asked to recite The Pledge in once voice (to Singapore presumably!) no doubt with the right hand on heart and the left waving the flag – nationalistic fervour at it’s very best!!
WHAT’S NOT
A Night Festival that was held a few weeks ago. Last year it was fantastic, so we headed off to check it out again. Laura came with us and we were keen to impress her with this wonderful nights free entertainment. Unfortunately, there were huge thunder and lightening storms for most of the evening so most of the entertainment got rained off. However, we stuck it out to the end on the promise of a big firework display and some acrobatic group from Germany doing amazing things strapped to a big wheel thing. But, it was not to be their (or our) night as one of the troupe fell off a platform and an ambulance had to be called. The show did go on though with the wheely thing, which was quite impressive for about 2 minutes, then got really boring!! The fireworks were akin to a damp squid and we were lucky to make it to the MRT station just in time for the last train home. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all I guess.
AND FINALLY
For those who prefer something a little more exclusive when celebrating National Day. You can get a birds-eye view of the whole event from the window of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Luxury Suite. Priced at a mere $13,200 for the night you’d want to be assured of the best seat in the house. And yes, it is fully booked for the weekend!! Recession, what recession????
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Family Counts and Counting the Calories!
Apologies to you all for the lateness of this entry, but I have some very good excuses; namely family and sickness.
Back in May I took the opportunity to see my family in the UK; after all I haven’t seen my sister or niece for 7 years, and mum for about 3!! Sing Air was doing great deals to London, and I got to travel on the brand new A380 aircraft. I even got a seat upstairs. This wasn’t exactly business class (which looks fantastic), but with a smaller number of seats and heaps of legroom I got great service (with no lack of the red stuff just to help me sleep of course!), and no cramps or that very attractive side effect to long-haul travel, foot-swelling. I was very relaxed by the time I got to London.
Our Bev (sister) and Neil (her partner) bought a lovely B & B called Sampson Barton in South Molton, Devon about 18 months ago, so I was ready for country living at it’s finest – great ales, fantastic food, pastures green, wild flowers, barn owls, in fact everything you image of the English countryside - and she didn’t disappoint!
Sampson Barton is a genuine 17th century longhouse surrounded by the green stuff (not the green stuff you kiwis are thinking of!!). It was springtime and lambs could be heard bah bahing throughout the day and night. I think some of them got a bit a lost when it got dark. There was also a nest of swallows in the old barn attached to the property, so lots of tweeters from them too in the early morning. Of course no B & B is complete without hens, and they’ve got about 14 of them (I think) who also added to the traditional country noises with their clucking, and the breakfast table with freshly laid eggs! You had to be quick closing the gate when you went out though. It’s like something from The Great Escape as they all go running for freedom the minute they see it – thank goodness they can’t ride motorbikes!!
There’s plenty to do when running a B & B especially when you’re doing it on your own. The set up is Neil in the kitchen where he produces food to die for – don’t even think of the calories (specially the puds!) just eat and enjoy. Our Bev is everything front of house, and behind it! She looks after the guests’ every want and need, has immaculately clean rooms (I think she has the cleanest bathrooms in Britain – I saw her vacuuming the shower one day!!) and in her spare time (or after midnight) does all the marketing. Mum doesn’t escape any of this. Even as she enters another century of her life (I’m not saying which one here!) she does all the ironing of bedware and linen with no creases allowed! If you saw how much work she puts into smoothing the sheets you’d sleep on the floor so as not to crease them again!
I thought it best to earn my keep while there, so assigned myself to kitchen duty. I was thinking souse chef, Neil was thinking dishwasher. He got his own way!! I’m not saying I washed a lot of dishes, but I had minor hand surgery on my return to Singapore to remove the webs growing between my fingers!!! I did get voted Employee of the Month by Neil though, so it was all worth it!!
Of course, we had some fantastic days out in between guests including picturesque seaside towns like Ilfracombe and Woolacombe, the cobbled heritage walkways of Clovelly and dramatic drives across Exmoor. And, no trip to Devon would be complete with an abundance of clotted cream teas (clotted arteries more like, but very yummy!!) fudge and nougat, cornish pasties and ice cream. Yes, I was overweight coming back, but it wasn’t the luggage!!
To round the whole trip off I spent the last couple of days with Our Laura (niece) in London. She took me to all the trendy places of course, including Southbank to see artie movies, Brick Lane, home of Rough Trade records and a groovy little bar where they served cocktails in fishbowls!
I hardly time to unpack and wash my “smalls’ than Gareth’s parents (Bev and Alan) turned up for a 2 week visit. They liked being in Singapore - they loved being in the pool! We couldn’t keep Bev out of it - morning aquarobics before a jaunt to China Town or a shopping expedition, then nighttime cool downs as late as 10pm. I think it definitely helped her with the heat, which is quite intense at the moment. Alan did extremely well surviving the heat, the shops and even a presentation he was invited to give at one of the Polytechnics here – go Alan!! A couple of Chinese massages, some local hawker food and a good grasp of the transport system had them looking like they’ve lived here all their lives.
We rounded off their stay with a week end trip to Phnom Penh. I’ll fill you in on the trip next time, but we had a great time there apart from me falling sick. I thought they might not let me back into Singers as I had a cough, aches and fever by the Sunday afternoon. I still don’t know how I managed to get passed the temperature scanners at the airport, but I did. The next week and a half I endured a virus that spread to my chest and kept me bed-bound for quite a while. It’s pretty hard to keep cool and clear your airways when it’s so hot and humid. Much easier to get over a cold in the cold if you know what I mean!! Anyway, after much tea, soup, drugs and sleep I am now fully recovered and back in the game.
When Gareth hasn’t been playing nurse he too has been gallivanting about the place, working, but not as hard as I did at the kitchen sink! A few trips around Asia while I was away, then last week a trip to the UK himself to Middleborough, home of First Division football! He too got a taste of the good life staying in a country manor type place on the outskirts of Yorkshire where he was served kippers for breakfast and country fayre dinners. A local brewery serving home made ales made it a little easier to be away from home!! He too is now paying the price for such indulgences…..
So, what did we come back to after our trips away and what’s happening here?
WHAT’S HOT
Rising temperatures. Not just are we in the hottest part of the year with temperatures an average of 90 degrees a day, but human temperatures are rising everyday as piggie (much nicer term!) flu continues to spread. Singapore is currently hosting the Asian Youth Games and all but 3 of the Malaysian Team were pulled 2 days before the start thanks to the virus. Debates rage over what is necessary travel, should kids have to go to school and is the National Day Parade (due in August) in jeopardy. Taxis have been assigned to ambulance duties and extra health centres are opening up within hospitals. At one end of the scale some people are paranoid and don’t want to leave the house, whiles others don’t seem to care and continue to cough and sneeze over everyone! Like the rest of the world, we wait and see how much worse it gets.
WHAT’S NOT
The aforementioned Asian Youth Games. It’s just a non-event that not even the best of the media can hype up to anything. The torch relay and opening ceremony went ahead with most people not even aware it was on that day and ticket sales for events virtually non-existent (apart from bowling – go figure??). Intentions are good, and kids have to get a competitive edge from somewhere, but what with the flu virus and lack of support from schools this will be a flop regardless of whatever spin the government put on it after the closing ceremony.
AND FINALLY
No blog would be complete right now without mentioning Michael Jackson. Like everyone else we were shocked and saddened to hear about his sudden death, but let’s put things into perspective here. The self-proclaimed “King of Pop” was not “the greatest entertainer of all time”, and “the music didn’t die” when he did. Most of his more popular hits, including Thriller, were written by someone else, and Quincy Jones’s production work certainly helped to make his records sound like the classics they are. Having said that, he was a great entertainer and fantastic dancer. Like millions of others I helped make Off The Wall and Thriller best sellers and me and Our Bev waited for over 8 hours to watch him play a gig in Liverpool. Then waited about another 8 to get out of the car park afterwards!! No other artiste has inspired an entire prison of inmates to perform one of their dance routines like those at Cebu Prison, Philippines (check it out on You Tube). He was no John Lennon, but he gave joy to millions of people in every corner of the world and for that he deserves to be free from the human, mental and physical pain he suffered in this life. RIP Michael Jackson.
Back in May I took the opportunity to see my family in the UK; after all I haven’t seen my sister or niece for 7 years, and mum for about 3!! Sing Air was doing great deals to London, and I got to travel on the brand new A380 aircraft. I even got a seat upstairs. This wasn’t exactly business class (which looks fantastic), but with a smaller number of seats and heaps of legroom I got great service (with no lack of the red stuff just to help me sleep of course!), and no cramps or that very attractive side effect to long-haul travel, foot-swelling. I was very relaxed by the time I got to London.
Our Bev (sister) and Neil (her partner) bought a lovely B & B called Sampson Barton in South Molton, Devon about 18 months ago, so I was ready for country living at it’s finest – great ales, fantastic food, pastures green, wild flowers, barn owls, in fact everything you image of the English countryside - and she didn’t disappoint!
Sampson Barton is a genuine 17th century longhouse surrounded by the green stuff (not the green stuff you kiwis are thinking of!!). It was springtime and lambs could be heard bah bahing throughout the day and night. I think some of them got a bit a lost when it got dark. There was also a nest of swallows in the old barn attached to the property, so lots of tweeters from them too in the early morning. Of course no B & B is complete without hens, and they’ve got about 14 of them (I think) who also added to the traditional country noises with their clucking, and the breakfast table with freshly laid eggs! You had to be quick closing the gate when you went out though. It’s like something from The Great Escape as they all go running for freedom the minute they see it – thank goodness they can’t ride motorbikes!!
There’s plenty to do when running a B & B especially when you’re doing it on your own. The set up is Neil in the kitchen where he produces food to die for – don’t even think of the calories (specially the puds!) just eat and enjoy. Our Bev is everything front of house, and behind it! She looks after the guests’ every want and need, has immaculately clean rooms (I think she has the cleanest bathrooms in Britain – I saw her vacuuming the shower one day!!) and in her spare time (or after midnight) does all the marketing. Mum doesn’t escape any of this. Even as she enters another century of her life (I’m not saying which one here!) she does all the ironing of bedware and linen with no creases allowed! If you saw how much work she puts into smoothing the sheets you’d sleep on the floor so as not to crease them again!
I thought it best to earn my keep while there, so assigned myself to kitchen duty. I was thinking souse chef, Neil was thinking dishwasher. He got his own way!! I’m not saying I washed a lot of dishes, but I had minor hand surgery on my return to Singapore to remove the webs growing between my fingers!!! I did get voted Employee of the Month by Neil though, so it was all worth it!!
Of course, we had some fantastic days out in between guests including picturesque seaside towns like Ilfracombe and Woolacombe, the cobbled heritage walkways of Clovelly and dramatic drives across Exmoor. And, no trip to Devon would be complete with an abundance of clotted cream teas (clotted arteries more like, but very yummy!!) fudge and nougat, cornish pasties and ice cream. Yes, I was overweight coming back, but it wasn’t the luggage!!
To round the whole trip off I spent the last couple of days with Our Laura (niece) in London. She took me to all the trendy places of course, including Southbank to see artie movies, Brick Lane, home of Rough Trade records and a groovy little bar where they served cocktails in fishbowls!
I hardly time to unpack and wash my “smalls’ than Gareth’s parents (Bev and Alan) turned up for a 2 week visit. They liked being in Singapore - they loved being in the pool! We couldn’t keep Bev out of it - morning aquarobics before a jaunt to China Town or a shopping expedition, then nighttime cool downs as late as 10pm. I think it definitely helped her with the heat, which is quite intense at the moment. Alan did extremely well surviving the heat, the shops and even a presentation he was invited to give at one of the Polytechnics here – go Alan!! A couple of Chinese massages, some local hawker food and a good grasp of the transport system had them looking like they’ve lived here all their lives.
We rounded off their stay with a week end trip to Phnom Penh. I’ll fill you in on the trip next time, but we had a great time there apart from me falling sick. I thought they might not let me back into Singers as I had a cough, aches and fever by the Sunday afternoon. I still don’t know how I managed to get passed the temperature scanners at the airport, but I did. The next week and a half I endured a virus that spread to my chest and kept me bed-bound for quite a while. It’s pretty hard to keep cool and clear your airways when it’s so hot and humid. Much easier to get over a cold in the cold if you know what I mean!! Anyway, after much tea, soup, drugs and sleep I am now fully recovered and back in the game.
When Gareth hasn’t been playing nurse he too has been gallivanting about the place, working, but not as hard as I did at the kitchen sink! A few trips around Asia while I was away, then last week a trip to the UK himself to Middleborough, home of First Division football! He too got a taste of the good life staying in a country manor type place on the outskirts of Yorkshire where he was served kippers for breakfast and country fayre dinners. A local brewery serving home made ales made it a little easier to be away from home!! He too is now paying the price for such indulgences…..
So, what did we come back to after our trips away and what’s happening here?
WHAT’S HOT
Rising temperatures. Not just are we in the hottest part of the year with temperatures an average of 90 degrees a day, but human temperatures are rising everyday as piggie (much nicer term!) flu continues to spread. Singapore is currently hosting the Asian Youth Games and all but 3 of the Malaysian Team were pulled 2 days before the start thanks to the virus. Debates rage over what is necessary travel, should kids have to go to school and is the National Day Parade (due in August) in jeopardy. Taxis have been assigned to ambulance duties and extra health centres are opening up within hospitals. At one end of the scale some people are paranoid and don’t want to leave the house, whiles others don’t seem to care and continue to cough and sneeze over everyone! Like the rest of the world, we wait and see how much worse it gets.
WHAT’S NOT
The aforementioned Asian Youth Games. It’s just a non-event that not even the best of the media can hype up to anything. The torch relay and opening ceremony went ahead with most people not even aware it was on that day and ticket sales for events virtually non-existent (apart from bowling – go figure??). Intentions are good, and kids have to get a competitive edge from somewhere, but what with the flu virus and lack of support from schools this will be a flop regardless of whatever spin the government put on it after the closing ceremony.
AND FINALLY
No blog would be complete right now without mentioning Michael Jackson. Like everyone else we were shocked and saddened to hear about his sudden death, but let’s put things into perspective here. The self-proclaimed “King of Pop” was not “the greatest entertainer of all time”, and “the music didn’t die” when he did. Most of his more popular hits, including Thriller, were written by someone else, and Quincy Jones’s production work certainly helped to make his records sound like the classics they are. Having said that, he was a great entertainer and fantastic dancer. Like millions of others I helped make Off The Wall and Thriller best sellers and me and Our Bev waited for over 8 hours to watch him play a gig in Liverpool. Then waited about another 8 to get out of the car park afterwards!! No other artiste has inspired an entire prison of inmates to perform one of their dance routines like those at Cebu Prison, Philippines (check it out on You Tube). He was no John Lennon, but he gave joy to millions of people in every corner of the world and for that he deserves to be free from the human, mental and physical pain he suffered in this life. RIP Michael Jackson.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Year in Singapore
Yes, it’s been a whole year since we made the move to Singapore, and it’s gone so quickly!! I only realized yesterday that it’s Easter this week end and February since I last updated our blog! I wouldn’t say we’ve “flat out” exactly, but the days have just merged into weeks, and, to be honest there hasn’t been that much to report. Everyone continues to work through the crisis with new government initiatives proving to be a success and assistance gratefully received. It’s by no means “doom gloom” and, if anything, people seem to be very optimistic and are taking things in their stride.
So, a good time to reflect on our lives and opinions of Singapore. Well, we would have to say that on the whole it’s been a good year for us. Gareth has enjoyed the opportunity to travel and work in many parts of Asia, and I’ve loved “strutting my stuff” on the training stage again (I always was a performer wasn’t I Mum!!)
Many people think of Singapore as Westernised, rather than Asianised, and if you go into the City where the sky is filled with 60 floor office blocks and every MRT station has Shopping Mall above it then, yes, it is. However, you can still find reflections of the “old days” when wandering down some of the side streets. Some of the original “shop houses” are now 2 storey boutique offices or lovely bars and restaurants. You can walk under the long canopies of these attached terraced buildings to shade from the sun and admire the colourful way these buildings with their terracotta tiled roofs have been restored.
A short MRT ride or walk will take you away from the pristine, modern buildings and into Little India, Chinatown, Joo Chat or the “heartland” areas where the “less off” locals and migrants live in high rise flats built by the government and sold at an affordable price. You can buy your fresh, cheap produce and spices at the Malaysian wet markets, and the Hawker Centers are the best place to enjoy a “cheap as chips” meal and just people watch. On a Sunday afternoon a common site in these food halls is the old Chinese/Singaporean men enjoying a few bottles of Tiger or Heineken and chatting away like the old friends they obviously are, or an entire family sitting round a large table enjoying plates of food from different stalls selling everything from chicken and rice to (yes, that old favourite is still on the menu in many places) pig organ soup. No, we STILL haven’t tried it!! So there’s plenty here to remind you that you are in Asia and the mix of cultures and religions is everywhere you care to look.
There is another fallacy that the only entertainment is shopping, and again, yes, you can certainly do that! But you can also windsurf (you may have noticed I don’t mentioned it anymore. We gave it up – too hard!!), rollerblade, cycle, mountain bike or hop on a bum boat to a small island 5 minutes away. And, with most privately owned apartment complexes having swimming pools, tennis courts and gyms you can keep fit too. We’re not fit, but we could be if we wanted!!!
In the past year we’ve tried to take advantage of the geographical location with week end trips to many different parts of Malaysia. Gareth has loved his diving and I fell in love with every single orangutan I saw in Kutching. I want to adopt them all, even big, old Ritchie! Gareth has also dived in Indonesia and we hope to go to Phnom Penh in Cambodia for a week end in June.
The Singaporeans are a funny lot though. Whilst the residence of our block are friendly and always say hello, I think if you asked to borrow a cup of sugar they’d probably lock the door and call the police!! They keep you at arms length and don’t do much to encourage to you to learn about their culture or family life. You never get the feeling that this is “home” or that you are part of the community. You are a pinky, a visitor – not a friend. Having said that, we do have many new (and old) pinky friends to share our lives with, which is great!
It hasn’t always been plain sailing – we’ve had our frustrations. Everything here has to be done by the book, all relevant forms have to be filled in to get anything done, and as Gareth’s boss said “in Singapore you can’t go from A to C without passing B”, and that is very true! Also, using public transport at peak times is becoming a mission. With less people using cars the buses and MRT carriages are chocker, and because locals have continual colds they sniff and snort their way to the City every morning just millimeters from your ear! The youf continues to cause anxiety amongst, well everyone really! They will push and shove their way through crowds with little regard and even the smallest of kids would rather text a message than acknowledge you.
But on the whole, yeah, it’s been a good year and we continue to count our blessings that we’re here. Are we here for the long haul? Probably not. It’s not our home and other opportunities will no doubt come our way.
What’s Hot:
Cheap flights. Tourism has taken a hit and the budget airless are out in force promoting cheap getaways to everywhere from India to Vietnam – hence our proposed week end getaways.
What’s Not:
Arranged dating. The proposed “dating game” whereby parents meet up with photos of their darling Spotty to arrange blind dates with someone else’s darling Spotty failed after only 2 such meetings. Whilst parents were successful in arranging dates, it was discovered that their square eyed children either refused to go and lock themselves in their computer shrouded rooms, or pretended to go, but went to the internet café instead! So no more activity of this kind – well, not until they come up with something else. And they will!
And Finally:
It only seems like yesterday we were wishing you all a Happy Christmas, and it’s already time to wish everyone a Happy Easter and enjoy a bit of family time during the break. We hope the bunnies are happily hopping around your gardens and the chicks are laying lots chocolate eggs!
Cheers then
J and G.
So, a good time to reflect on our lives and opinions of Singapore. Well, we would have to say that on the whole it’s been a good year for us. Gareth has enjoyed the opportunity to travel and work in many parts of Asia, and I’ve loved “strutting my stuff” on the training stage again (I always was a performer wasn’t I Mum!!)
Many people think of Singapore as Westernised, rather than Asianised, and if you go into the City where the sky is filled with 60 floor office blocks and every MRT station has Shopping Mall above it then, yes, it is. However, you can still find reflections of the “old days” when wandering down some of the side streets. Some of the original “shop houses” are now 2 storey boutique offices or lovely bars and restaurants. You can walk under the long canopies of these attached terraced buildings to shade from the sun and admire the colourful way these buildings with their terracotta tiled roofs have been restored.
A short MRT ride or walk will take you away from the pristine, modern buildings and into Little India, Chinatown, Joo Chat or the “heartland” areas where the “less off” locals and migrants live in high rise flats built by the government and sold at an affordable price. You can buy your fresh, cheap produce and spices at the Malaysian wet markets, and the Hawker Centers are the best place to enjoy a “cheap as chips” meal and just people watch. On a Sunday afternoon a common site in these food halls is the old Chinese/Singaporean men enjoying a few bottles of Tiger or Heineken and chatting away like the old friends they obviously are, or an entire family sitting round a large table enjoying plates of food from different stalls selling everything from chicken and rice to (yes, that old favourite is still on the menu in many places) pig organ soup. No, we STILL haven’t tried it!! So there’s plenty here to remind you that you are in Asia and the mix of cultures and religions is everywhere you care to look.
There is another fallacy that the only entertainment is shopping, and again, yes, you can certainly do that! But you can also windsurf (you may have noticed I don’t mentioned it anymore. We gave it up – too hard!!), rollerblade, cycle, mountain bike or hop on a bum boat to a small island 5 minutes away. And, with most privately owned apartment complexes having swimming pools, tennis courts and gyms you can keep fit too. We’re not fit, but we could be if we wanted!!!
In the past year we’ve tried to take advantage of the geographical location with week end trips to many different parts of Malaysia. Gareth has loved his diving and I fell in love with every single orangutan I saw in Kutching. I want to adopt them all, even big, old Ritchie! Gareth has also dived in Indonesia and we hope to go to Phnom Penh in Cambodia for a week end in June.
The Singaporeans are a funny lot though. Whilst the residence of our block are friendly and always say hello, I think if you asked to borrow a cup of sugar they’d probably lock the door and call the police!! They keep you at arms length and don’t do much to encourage to you to learn about their culture or family life. You never get the feeling that this is “home” or that you are part of the community. You are a pinky, a visitor – not a friend. Having said that, we do have many new (and old) pinky friends to share our lives with, which is great!
It hasn’t always been plain sailing – we’ve had our frustrations. Everything here has to be done by the book, all relevant forms have to be filled in to get anything done, and as Gareth’s boss said “in Singapore you can’t go from A to C without passing B”, and that is very true! Also, using public transport at peak times is becoming a mission. With less people using cars the buses and MRT carriages are chocker, and because locals have continual colds they sniff and snort their way to the City every morning just millimeters from your ear! The youf continues to cause anxiety amongst, well everyone really! They will push and shove their way through crowds with little regard and even the smallest of kids would rather text a message than acknowledge you.
But on the whole, yeah, it’s been a good year and we continue to count our blessings that we’re here. Are we here for the long haul? Probably not. It’s not our home and other opportunities will no doubt come our way.
What’s Hot:
Cheap flights. Tourism has taken a hit and the budget airless are out in force promoting cheap getaways to everywhere from India to Vietnam – hence our proposed week end getaways.
What’s Not:
Arranged dating. The proposed “dating game” whereby parents meet up with photos of their darling Spotty to arrange blind dates with someone else’s darling Spotty failed after only 2 such meetings. Whilst parents were successful in arranging dates, it was discovered that their square eyed children either refused to go and lock themselves in their computer shrouded rooms, or pretended to go, but went to the internet café instead! So no more activity of this kind – well, not until they come up with something else. And they will!
And Finally:
It only seems like yesterday we were wishing you all a Happy Christmas, and it’s already time to wish everyone a Happy Easter and enjoy a bit of family time during the break. We hope the bunnies are happily hopping around your gardens and the chicks are laying lots chocolate eggs!
Cheers then
J and G.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Or Happy Chinese New year to us pinkies.
Yes, today, February 2nd is the start of a New Year in the Chinese calendar – The Year of The Ox.
Last year it was the Rat’s turn and there were certainly a few of those around! Let’s hope all the rats have now scurried back into the sewer from whence they came and let the slow and determined ox do his bit to turn things around. The Ox is actually the 2nd sign in the zodiac and is the symbol of new beginnings. He has a slow but sure action and is a steady as he goes sort of animal, which will do nicely thank you. According to the Chinese zodiac we will all achieve greater results with a “go with the flow” attitude. So here goes:
As per usual Christmas came and went far too quickly, but with little incident to spoil the occasion, well apart from one. We were having a fabulous time at Gareth’s work Chrissie do – a beautiful champaign lunch at a flash hotel down town (similar to the orphan’s one only we weren’t paying this time!) and I spotted a fabulous European platter selection. All my fave bits and pieces along with fresh, crusty bread, European olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So I filled up the plate with goodies and a big bowl of oil and vinegar and totted back to the table of about 15 – only having had 2 glasses of bubbles at this early stage. Unfortunately, I tripped as I made it to my seat and not only did my lovely mini platter spew forth across the table, but the poor guy sitting next me got the whole bowl of liquids right down the centre of his back – lovely!!! All he could say was “what am I wearing?” My reply was “don’t worry, whatever it is, it’s very good for the skin”. Needless to say G wanted to crawl under the table whilst everyone else laughed, jeered and made comments unrepeatable in a public forum such as this. I spent the rest of the afternoon apologizing and the guilt was so huge that all I could do was hide my shame in a bottle of champers. Mind you, he wasn’t too affected by the incident after a few too many “reds” either, but he did get a bit pongy as the hours went by and vinegar started to sour! I haven’t seen him since so still don’t know if I owe him for a new shirt.
It is with great relief that I didn’t give a repeat performance at our orphans dinner and that we all had a fabulous (if rather extravagant) Christmas Day. The lunch was lovely followed by drinkie poos in The New Asia Bar in the Centre of town. It’s on the 60 something floor of one of the central hotels with fantastic 360 degree views of the island. Apparently it’s were the media artistes hang out (so why they let us in I’ve no idea), although we didn’t see any. We eventually made it home in not too shabby a state, but were grateful that we’d decided to take Boxing Day off.
New Years was much quieter – the thought of heading into town to see the fireworks was very tempting, trying to get a taxi home amongst the throngs was not, so it wine in front of the telly, opening the door at midnight to let the new year in (an old Liverpool habit) and off to bed.
Gareth took a week off in the New Year to go diving in Monado, Indonesia. I was working, so he did this one alone, although made lots of dive buddies while he was there. Lots of fishes and marine life were seen and he came back with a smile on his face and great tan (I thought Obama had arrived when I met him at the airport!!), so it was all good.
Since then, the economic crisis has hit like a tidal wave. There were hopes that Singapore, along with the rest of Asia would escape relatively unscathed, but it’s now the same story here as everywhere else, although the effects don’t appear to have run as deep as elsewhere. People still seem able to manage, no one is being evicted from their houses and everyone is still able to feed their families, although the cheaper supermarkets are coming out better off than previously. The hawker centers are full and you can still get chicken and rice for $2.50 if you know where to look. The weather is also on the up and we seem to be out of the rainy season now with temperatures and humidity definitely on the rise – back to the pool then!
What’s Hot
A couple who stripped naked and walked up and down a major entertainment area at night when it was in full swing. Don’t worry Mum – it wasn’t us! Apparently everybody loved it, snapping photos on their mobile phones and generally cheering them on, much to the disgust of some officials – this is Singapore after all and you just don’t do that kind of thing here! Some reports suggested they were protesting, but what about no one seems to know. Maybe they just got a big bowl of oil dropped on them during their meal??! Either way, no one’s heard of them since “the incident” hmmm…..
What’s Not
Expensive weddings. Yes the recession has hit hard for those young and lovely couples wanting to tie the knot in a down turn. Apparently they are making such sacrifices as hiring a band without a singer coz it’s cheaper, only buying a wedding dress and one “off the peg” outfit rather than wedding dress and two designer outfits (why do you need two designer outfits, it’s only one day??), and saving up to $5,000 by not having pre wedding day photographs taken, and can save money by only having 10 hours of photographs taken instead of 12 hours – what the??????? I guess they’ll just have to “go with the flow”.
And finally…..
We sincerely wish you all the best for the year ahead. May all your rats be little ones and your oxes kind and gentle.
Cheers then
J & G
Yes, today, February 2nd is the start of a New Year in the Chinese calendar – The Year of The Ox.
Last year it was the Rat’s turn and there were certainly a few of those around! Let’s hope all the rats have now scurried back into the sewer from whence they came and let the slow and determined ox do his bit to turn things around. The Ox is actually the 2nd sign in the zodiac and is the symbol of new beginnings. He has a slow but sure action and is a steady as he goes sort of animal, which will do nicely thank you. According to the Chinese zodiac we will all achieve greater results with a “go with the flow” attitude. So here goes:
As per usual Christmas came and went far too quickly, but with little incident to spoil the occasion, well apart from one. We were having a fabulous time at Gareth’s work Chrissie do – a beautiful champaign lunch at a flash hotel down town (similar to the orphan’s one only we weren’t paying this time!) and I spotted a fabulous European platter selection. All my fave bits and pieces along with fresh, crusty bread, European olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So I filled up the plate with goodies and a big bowl of oil and vinegar and totted back to the table of about 15 – only having had 2 glasses of bubbles at this early stage. Unfortunately, I tripped as I made it to my seat and not only did my lovely mini platter spew forth across the table, but the poor guy sitting next me got the whole bowl of liquids right down the centre of his back – lovely!!! All he could say was “what am I wearing?” My reply was “don’t worry, whatever it is, it’s very good for the skin”. Needless to say G wanted to crawl under the table whilst everyone else laughed, jeered and made comments unrepeatable in a public forum such as this. I spent the rest of the afternoon apologizing and the guilt was so huge that all I could do was hide my shame in a bottle of champers. Mind you, he wasn’t too affected by the incident after a few too many “reds” either, but he did get a bit pongy as the hours went by and vinegar started to sour! I haven’t seen him since so still don’t know if I owe him for a new shirt.
It is with great relief that I didn’t give a repeat performance at our orphans dinner and that we all had a fabulous (if rather extravagant) Christmas Day. The lunch was lovely followed by drinkie poos in The New Asia Bar in the Centre of town. It’s on the 60 something floor of one of the central hotels with fantastic 360 degree views of the island. Apparently it’s were the media artistes hang out (so why they let us in I’ve no idea), although we didn’t see any. We eventually made it home in not too shabby a state, but were grateful that we’d decided to take Boxing Day off.
New Years was much quieter – the thought of heading into town to see the fireworks was very tempting, trying to get a taxi home amongst the throngs was not, so it wine in front of the telly, opening the door at midnight to let the new year in (an old Liverpool habit) and off to bed.
Gareth took a week off in the New Year to go diving in Monado, Indonesia. I was working, so he did this one alone, although made lots of dive buddies while he was there. Lots of fishes and marine life were seen and he came back with a smile on his face and great tan (I thought Obama had arrived when I met him at the airport!!), so it was all good.
Since then, the economic crisis has hit like a tidal wave. There were hopes that Singapore, along with the rest of Asia would escape relatively unscathed, but it’s now the same story here as everywhere else, although the effects don’t appear to have run as deep as elsewhere. People still seem able to manage, no one is being evicted from their houses and everyone is still able to feed their families, although the cheaper supermarkets are coming out better off than previously. The hawker centers are full and you can still get chicken and rice for $2.50 if you know where to look. The weather is also on the up and we seem to be out of the rainy season now with temperatures and humidity definitely on the rise – back to the pool then!
What’s Hot
A couple who stripped naked and walked up and down a major entertainment area at night when it was in full swing. Don’t worry Mum – it wasn’t us! Apparently everybody loved it, snapping photos on their mobile phones and generally cheering them on, much to the disgust of some officials – this is Singapore after all and you just don’t do that kind of thing here! Some reports suggested they were protesting, but what about no one seems to know. Maybe they just got a big bowl of oil dropped on them during their meal??! Either way, no one’s heard of them since “the incident” hmmm…..
What’s Not
Expensive weddings. Yes the recession has hit hard for those young and lovely couples wanting to tie the knot in a down turn. Apparently they are making such sacrifices as hiring a band without a singer coz it’s cheaper, only buying a wedding dress and one “off the peg” outfit rather than wedding dress and two designer outfits (why do you need two designer outfits, it’s only one day??), and saving up to $5,000 by not having pre wedding day photographs taken, and can save money by only having 10 hours of photographs taken instead of 12 hours – what the??????? I guess they’ll just have to “go with the flow”.
And finally…..
We sincerely wish you all the best for the year ahead. May all your rats be little ones and your oxes kind and gentle.
Cheers then
J & G
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