Birthdays and testing week

After work on Saturday night I met June for a trip in to Marina Bay. She has a sister visiting soon and wanted to have a look at the light show from the MBS side of the Bay. It was a beautiful evening and we saw some of the fireworks at the National Day Rehearsal as well as the light show. Images are displayed on water sprays with accompanying music. As the show progressed the crowds scattered as a breeze picked up and we were all treated to a cooling shower.

After dinner at Joe's on Sunday night we met at Payer Lebar for our morning walk, finishing at Promenade. The walk got off to a very pleasant stroll along a number of canals to the Stadium. The Kallang Waves building near Stadium houses a number of sporting facilities including a 10 pin Bowling Alley and Rock Climbing walls. We were lucky enough to catch the olive-backed sunbird enjoying some time in the flowers.

 As we approached the bridge we were to cross over to Promenade, the skies got darker and darker and we were lucky to reach the cover of the bridge just as the rain started. We had to spend some time sheltering under the bridge before continuing on as the rain eased...unfortunately it didn't ease completely so by the time we reached Promenade I was pretty wet...at least the rain here doesn't make you cold.

 As Kathy and Eric share a birthday on July 20th dual celebrations were held on Monday night at an old favourite, Wine Mansions. Peter did his usual tribute in the form of specially penned lyrics for both of them and as it was the big 60 for Eric we had a trivia quiz about him as well. It was a great night and they both seemed to enjoy themselves.

Libby and I, birthday couple with Renee, Peter

Steve and I, group, Kathy with her new Shawn the Sheep

 On Tuesday I had a few domestic chores to do including trying to find out why my phone no longer plays music. It turned out to be a speaker problem and at a repair cost of $300+ I decided I could live without music on my phone! In the evening the girls came round for a quiet game of cards which was won by Helen...again.
As Eric's actual birthday was Wednesday we continued the celebrations at a combined staff meeting at Kovan before work. He seems to have grown attached to the crown!
Luckily it was a relatively easy week at work as this was test week.

Kathy had organised a trip to the 'dragon kilns' at Jurong on Thursday so a small group of us treked out west. Built in 1940, Thow Kwang was based on a traditional Chinese design that dates back thousands of years. It was one of up to 20 kilns that produced the clay latex cups used in the rubber plantations that were dotted around the island. Local white clay was freely available in the area. As the plantations closed, demand for the cups waned, so the kilns turned to making ceramic pots. When demand for pots dropped, many of the kilns closed. But a revival in the community’s interest in potting in the early 2000s saw two kilns gasp back to life.

Yulianti Tan’s father-in-law bought the kiln in 1965, and she now operates it with her husband. She has been educating people about the kiln for 16 years and raising awareness, particularly among young people, about pottery-making, the kiln’s heritage and culture, and the unique effects that come from firing in the dragon kiln.

How it works 

Inside, the Thow Kwang kiln reaches almost 2m in height and can hold thousands of pieces, packed on shelves in sections called chambers. It is built on a gentle slope with a gradient between 15 and 22 degrees. The mouth at the bottom is 2.5m wide and the structure is 27m long. 

Traditionally, a ceremony takes place before the kiln is lit, with music and food offerings of meat, plus wine or Chinese tea. Gold paper is burnt.

It takes 24 hours to pre-heat the fire box, or mouth. Slowly, the subsequent chambers are lit, with updrafts pulling the air and fire through. Wooden planks, salvaged from pallets, are poked through stoke holes along the spine, or body. Teams of people take shifts to “feed” the kiln at intervals, 24 hours a day. The tail and chimney at the top of the slope are where the air and smoke are drawn out. The shape of the fire-breathing mouth gives the kiln its evocative name, along with the roaring sound it makes when operational. 

June and I met Peter at Hougang on Friday morning for a walk along the river to Punggol. Punggol Park has been undergoing some work both with new shelters and refurbishment of the play/exercise equipment. It is so good to see such a variety of ages using the new installations. 

When we reached Waterway Point we decided we deserved a drink...just managed to beat the rain...we discovered a Six Charms display in the centre area of the shops. 6 Charms Singapore, a feng shui consultancy, is named after the six aspects of life (wealth, health, career, family harmony, marriage and romance). This particular display was all about weddings as one of their services is helping their clients chose an auspicious wedding date.