Annie Liebovitz plus

While wandering through the Chinese gardens on our Monday walk we found 2 more of the 'planet' plaques. This time it was Earth and Mars. We also found a suitable sign for some of us to have a photo taken...Eric is close enough to a senior so we let him join in too! 

We saw a reasonable variety of birds...when I first saw the grey heron I thought it was a statue...but then it moved. We finished the walk with lunch at Jurong before Kathy, Helen and I retired to Kathy's to discuss Great Race business.

Helen and I had dinner in Hougang before she headed home. 

I spent most of Tuesday completing some MAE work before meeting June and Joy to see Mother's Day, the movie. It provided a few laughs and wasn't too demanding. After the movie I met Robert, who was batching as Maria is in Australia for the week, and we had dinner at a Spanish restaurant on Clarke Quay.

Travis and Jamie came to work on Wednesday with information about a small Annie Liebovitz exhibition at the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, so on Friday Kathy, Helen and I visited it.

The Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was designed in the Art Deco style.
Four large sculptures by Angelo Vannetti, a sculptor from Florence, Italy, are installed on the front façade. These marble sculptures are allegories of the four main sectors of the Malayan economy: agriculture, commerce, transport, and industry. The initials F, M, S, and R above the figures stand for the Federated Malayan States Railways.

The roofs of the railway station are covered with wa dang (circular eaves tiles) and di shui (triangular drip tiles) with stylised characters of the Chinese word shou ( ‘longevity’) and Buddhist swastikas decorating their ends. These roof tiles are usually found in Chinese buildings and temples.
The 22-metre-high central hall of the station feels large and spacious without the visual obstruction of supporting columns. Tall murals, made up of approximately 9,000 ceramic tiles, line the interior walls. The murals depict scenes of Malayan industries such as rubber tapping, tin mining, rice cultivation, and different modes of transport. The coat of arms of the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States can also be found on both ends of the grand hall.
The station is currently in poor repair and I am not sure what the future plans are for it. Perhaps an Art precinct.

The Annie Leibovitz exhibition was a small one titled Women: new portraits. There were some I had seen previously when we went to her exhibition in Sydney several years ago but it was interesting nevertheless. As well as some photos displayed on a large wall there was a large screen with a changing series of photos. One lot showed showgirls in everyday gear with their showgirl persona alongside...amazing transformations.

 Most of the MRT stations in Singapore display some sort of art work. At Tanjong Pagar it is a carved stone wall mural.

After having some lunch with the girls we went our separate ways so I had a wander round downtown trying to find the correct perspective for one of the Quiz questions for this week. As it turns out my very first guess was correct but as I wandered through Promenade I found a display of old photos including one of Tanjong Pagar with a train in the station! An interesting comparison on how it looked only a couple of hours ago.

Then and Now

Mid-term dinner, movies and PTM

June took the role of walk leader this week as we visited Bukit Brown Cemetery. She does volunteer guiding at the Peranakan Museum in her time off and is a great explorer. She has done several walks through the cemetery with locals so had insights and information that she was very happy to share. The grave on the top left below, is Lee Kwan Yu's grandfather. Despite the fact that an expressway is being built through the middle of the cemetery that are still large shady areas with the graves intact.
 
After a freshen up and a short nap it was time to go out for the mid-term dinner/drinks at District 10. Again it was the usual crew and fortunately the bill was about 2/3 of last time I was here even taking in to account that Kathy and I paid for Pip to celebrate her birthday.

On Tuesday morning I took a stroll along the Park connector and through Punggol Park before gathering with some colleagues at the Smith's residence to watch a movie. During the March break Helen and Jo visited Luang Prubang and while there saw the film Chang at an open air showing in a hotel garden. Helen was quite taken with it and bought a copy. Although originally a silent film a musical score has been added using a local orchestra.

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) is a film about a poor farmer in Issan (Northeastern 
Thailand) and his daily struggle for survival in the jungle, the film was directed by Merian C.Cooper and Ernest B.Schoedsack. They assembled a fictional family, complete with a pet gibbon. They built a solitary house in the jungle to manufacture a drama that no Lao would actually risk, life away from other villagers. They also manufactured close-action situations with tigers and elephants to thrill audiences. It was quite interesting and must have been pretty adventurous stuff for its time. After the movie we enjoyed a meal at the local hawkers.
The rest of the week passed uneventfully as work was reasonably busy with Parent Teacher Meetings, all of which went smoothly.
We celebrated Mother's Day at Little Vietnam at Payer Lebar with the usual crew, plus visitors of the Smiths from NSW central Coast.

Mother's Day toast.

Term 2 midpoint

Due to the absence of our usual walk leader I was tasked with leading this weeks evening walk...one I had not done before but which I was assured was impossible to get lost on. This proved to be correct as once we left Red Hill MRT and made our way to the river it was simply a matter of following the river to Boat Quay. There was a brief moment of consternation when we came to a sign that said 'no access...' but fortunately there was a set of temporary stairs so all was well.It was pleasant walking beside the water and after only 1 hour we had arrived at our destination before making our way to Lau Pa Sat for dinner.

On the way home we called in to Mustaphas to pick up a few items and found these pianos in the street. They are part of an art installation called 'Play Me, I’m Yours' by artist Luke Jerram. More than 1500 pianos have been installed in 50 cities across the globe, from London to Lima, bearing the simple invitation Play Me, I’m Yours. In Singapore 25 donated pianos, were decorated by local artists working with different Social Welfare Organisations, and then located in parks, housing estates and public spaces for ALL to play and enjoy. So Maria had a bit of a tinkle and we both recognised the music books as ones we had used in our early years!

On Tuesday I met up with Robert and Maria to Explore the Indian Heritage Centre in Little India. It is just about to celebrate its first birthday, having opened on 7th May 2015. We were lucky enough to arrive 10 minutes before a scheduled tour so we waited and joined in. After chatting with our very knowledgeable guide, Mai, she informed us she actually knew Morris Allen personally...luckily we hadn't made any unsuitable comments! The tour was excellent and it would certainly be worth going back to for another visit...especially as the cost is $2! 
Access between floors is via steps between the glass facade and a solid wall. The steps were inspired by the 'baoli' an indian stepwell. 

Top is the front of the building, left a baoli, right, on the steps.

There are five themes over the permanent galleries from the 1st century, to migration, up to Indians in Singapore today. We even got to try on some different styles of Indian hats...very glamorous!

As we made our way back to Farrer park we saw a colourful display of umbrellas in a back lane park. There was no explanation about it but it certainly brightened up a rather dreary area.

My fellow card players, June, Joy, Jo and Helen ( you could be excused for thinking your name has to start with J or H) came over for dinner on Tuesday night followed by a game of 5 Crowns which ended how it was supposed to...with me the victor! There was a lot of laughing as well.
After a couple of days of MAE work I caught up with Libby on Friday to walk Bidadari. The Smiths (and I occasionally) have enjoyed many bird sightings in this area but sadly it is going the way of much of Singapore's unstructured space. There are many metal fences being erected and roadways being prepared for the inevitable erection of housing. It is depressing to see the natural habit being destroyed as the area is a stopping point for many migratory birds, so next year they will have to fly elsewhere, probably somewhere in Malaysia or Indonesia. We were lucky enough to catch a new sighting, the blue-crowned hanging parrot which neither of us had seen previously.

blue crowned hanging parrot (from the internet), destruction of Bidadari, my pic 

Michael's visit part 2

One tasty dish that we have both enjoyed here is coffee pork, something we have only ever found at a particular hawkers in Serangoon, so on Saturday night we indulged in it with the Smith's and June...and it was just as delicious as remembered. Michael had a day of puttering around on Sunday before we met up with Peter at a Vietnamese restaurant in Paya Lebar for a very tasty, cheap meal. We then meandered along the canal to a bar for a nightcap.

Monday was time for more eating! It was nice to have Michael in town for a Morris Allen funtion, this one being our annual High Tea. After a couple of years of trying other venues, this year we returned to Shangrila, which really is hard to beat. 

Because we were too busy eating on Monday our weekly walk took place on Tuesday this week. We began at Yishun MRT and ended at Sembawang MRT after a very long, extremely hot walk that took us through Sembawang Park. This has the only, supposedly, natural beach left in Singapore so of course Michael had to have his picture taken there. Not sure that you would want to swim in the water considering all the industrial structures just offshore. From the park we walked through an area of black-and-white houses many of which are empty and beginning to fall apart...such a dreadful waste. Those that are restored provide very pleasant looking spaces to reside.

After a couple of hours at home to rehydrate and recover, and for Michael to check his bags were packed, we met up with a few people for a farewell drink before Michael flew out at 10.30.

Michael's visit

After a very hot, humid walk around Macritchie Reservoir I headed home to await Michael's arrival for a week-long visit.

He arrived in very good time and after a short catch up we headed over to District 10 where we caught up with Syd, Kim, Libby, Eric and Peter.  It is a very pleasant spot at Buona Vista which will be the venue for our mid-term drinks in a couple of weeks. When we return we will keep a closer eye on our spending as it turned out to be one of my most expensive outings in Singapore!

We had a slow lazy start to Tuesday before doing some shopping Michael had been tasked with from a friend back home. Who would have ever expected Michael to be shopping in a Pandora Store! We convened at Sque Bar for drinks and the opportunity to catch up with work colleagues that Michael knows. It was lovely sitting by the river and about half the cost of the previous evening! Kathy and Michael also got to indulge in their favourite after dinner snack...a papa beard...custard filled pastry puff!

After lunching with Robert and Maria in Kovan, before some us had to got to work, Michael and Robert met Peter at Lau Pa Sat for dinner.
We spent Thursday afternoon wandering around the newly opened National Gallery admiring the fabulous job they have done merging the old Supreme Court building and City Hall. We didn't have time to do any of the exhibitions before I left for work so Michael decided he wanted to revisit after dark to get some photos from the roof.

Daytime at the National Gallery

Nightime from the rooftop of the National Gallery

We decided that it was time to get some exercise so on Friday morning we rode the blue line out to Hillview. There was an ulterior motive as this is the stop closest to the Rail Mail, which just happens to have a health food shop/cafe that serves Thunder Tea Rice! But first we earned the food by following the Wallace Trail.  Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, is the other "father" behind the theory of evolution. In 1858, Wallace hit upon the idea of evolution by natural selection, and promptly sent his theory off to Darwin. It was the same theory Darwin had dabbled with for some time, but he had yet to publish it. Wallace’s letter spurred him into action and two months later, Darwin presented a paper on the subject, acknowledging Wallace’s contribution in it. Wallace is a renowned naturalist. During his journeys to the Malay Archipelago, he made several stopovers in Singapore in 1854 and collected about 700 species of beetles in the vicinity of the Dairy Farm site. The Wallace Trail, celebrates his contributions. 

The walk is pleasantly shady although the day was extremely humid. There is an informative display in the Wallace Education Centre housed in a restored cow shed. Wallace would be spinning in his grave if he could see Singapore today as even back in the 1850S he said:

" future ages will certainly look back upon us as a people so immersed in the pursuit of wealth as to be blind to higher considerations."!

We did see a few birds, including the Greater racket-tailed drongo and a pink necked green pigeon, and Michael got to enjoy his Thunder Tea Rice at the end!

Pasta night

This weeks walk was in familiar territory for me, starting at the new shopping centre at Punggol MRT and finishing at Punggol Park just around the corner from home. It is a very exposed walk for much of it, as it winds along beside the canals around Punggol where the trees have not yet grown enough to provide shade. We did see a few birds and the finish around Punggol Park is always refreshingly shady. There are always people participating in a variety of activities in the park and we saw the musicians from last week again but without their singers.

long tailed shrike

Activities in Punggol Park

After lunch at our recently opened hawkers around the corner, Helen and Kathy came back to Rio with me so we could discuss our team plans for the upcoming Great Race. We have chosen the name, The Cavies, as Duncan had christened our  home last year as The Lady Cave, so the name seemed appropriate. We selected a book and discussed costumes but they have to remain secret for the time being!
Helen and I managed a game of cards before we took the bus over to Tampines, where we had dinner at Harry's Bar. As they are not allowed to have visitors in their unit I got to relax in one of the meditation pods by the pool while I waited for Helen and Jo to get organised. After dinner we had a nightcap in the bbq area of the condo.

meditation pod, mural at Harry's Bar

Almost 12 months ago Robert and Maria spent a holiday in Italy where they purchased a pasta making machine. Maria has been itching to use it and with a Canadian/Italian colleague on hand to give her a few lessons an afternoon of pasta making was decided on. A couple of people went along to learn the art of pasta making...and the rest of us went along later to eat it! Of course there was heaps of food, not all pasta, and a pleasant evening was spent with colleagues from Punggol and Kovan.

Week 2

Our term began in the usual fashion with a Monday walk from Bishan to Ang Mo Kio through parkland and around a reservoir. We encountered some wildlife including a very relaxed couple of monkeys! We also walked passed an area where the locals take their pet birds so the birds get fresh air and sunlight and the owners get to sit around and socialise. Most of the birds in these cages were zebra doves but the cages are lovely.

Chinese Pond Heron top left

After a brief rest I met with Helen and Jo for dinner in Hougang before going to June's for an evening of cards. The world has been restored to rights as Helen won the evenings game after finishing in last spot at our previous night..an unprecedented result!
After a lazy Tuesday Pip and I met up with the Pinks and Smiths at SQUE bar on Clark Quay for a pleasant relaxed dinner and drinks. 

Before work on Wednesday I had lunch with Robert and Maria in Hougang to catch up with news on Mum. Good to hear that she is mending well and hopes to go home next week.
After my regular Doctors visit on Thursday I took a stroll through Punggol Park and despite not having my binoculars to hand I did manage to spot some birds including some olive backed sunbirds building a nest in the reeds. As soon as I entered the park I could hear music and singing and tracked it down to this group of musicians enjoying time together under one of the shelters. They were happy for me to take their photo and even gave me a wave as I did.

My photos piqued Libby's interest so on Friday morning I met with her to revisit the park. Before she arrived I received a text saying she had to cancel as she had tripped on the stairs and broken her finger. Of course I fell for it forgetting it was April 1!
Luckily the birds didn't play jokes on us and we saw a variety of species, although the nest from yesterday was empty. We did see a pair of sunbirds collecting fibres from the top of the reeds. The male has a brilliant blue throat when you get it in the sunlight.

Yellow bittern, olive-backed sunbird (male), Sunda pygmy woodpecker

After work on Saturday night June and I went in to Little India for dinner and a wander around. We passed the Indian Heritage Centre which opened in May 2015. The centre is the first museum in Southeast Asia to focus on the diverse heritage of the Indian community. Although it was closed it looks like it could be worth a visit at a later date.

detail of entry door, statue at the entrance