Revisit to Bukit Timah

In my first year in Singapore Bukit Timah Hill was the site of many physical struggles as we endeavoured to prepare ourselves for the Annapurna trek. It has been almost 2 years since my last visit, not because I couldn't face it, but because it has been closed to the public while work has been undertaken to upgrade steps, tracks,etc. It it now accessible to the public but only on the weekends so unfortunately we still cannot go to the top....Too bad!!! There are bike tracks open around the base so we used these for Mondays walk. We were a very small group as some were delivering the holiday program and others were not well. An ex Morris Allen employee was visiting, Anne from New Zealand, was staying with the Smith's so she joined us as well. It was a very pleasant walk, a bit slippery in spots, but otherwise not overly demanding.
We did see some very flexible ladies stretching beside the quarry and a little bit of wildlife.

It was a bit of a reunion week as Michael and Deb Canaway were also in town on their way to the UK. They arrived in Singapore at the same time as us and we travelled to Portugal with them in our June break in 2013. A group of us convened at Sque Bar for dinner and drinks to catch up with them on Monday night. 

  I spent Tuesday pottering around, even baking an apple cake, for the evening's card night. Instead of cooking dinner we ate at the local hawkers before cards and then had dessert at home. It was the usual night of hilarity, resulting in a wish list for MAE candidates for the new intake...very little input from me but the other 3 definitely have plenty of Musts and Must nots! Much to June's surprise she won the cards, and apparently went on to win her tennis on Thursday as well so a pleasing week for her.
The rest of the week was spent getting some MAE worksheets finished before the holidays and trying to avoid the germs that my work colleagues appear to be sharing freely.

MAE Great Race

Finally the big day arrived. After stopping in at Little India to buy marigolds to adorn our hats I met Helen and Kathy for lunch before moving on to the designated meeting place. The theme for this year was Á Novel Idea'and teams were very creative in their book/costume choice. Our costume was dictated by the desire to keep cool.

50 Shades of Grey, Clockwork Orange, The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Red is My Name, Peter Pan.

 Our clues took us all around central Singapore and despite exploring the area many times previously, it is amazing how many new things/places we visited. By the time we reached the finishing point, Wine Mansions, an old favourite, we were well and truly ready to sit down and have a drink, or two! The winners of the day were the One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest team and the three old ladies (that's us) were the runners up. We were more than happy with that as we had had a great day.

Weary, a little dishevelled, but happy!

After such a big Monday, Tuesday was an extremely slow day. In fact the rest of the week was the same. By Friday I decided I had better stir myself so I visited 
the National Gallery to see the Reframing Modernism exhibition. As you approach the Gallery there is a new "Árt Connector " walkway which has a variety of art works.

Artworks on the Art Connector

 Reframing Modernism explores the ways in which modern artists from Europe and Southeast Asia are alike or unlike. The exhibition was spaced over three galleries and I found the first 2 to my liking but not the third one. Venice, the Yellow Sail was easily my favourite but there were a few others I also liked.

Venice, The Yellow Sail by Albert Marquet

Marriage of Palms-Bou Saada by Henry Valensi, My Interior, Paris by Leonard Foujita

As I left the exhibition I heard the sounds of singing and music, and following my ear, I came upon kids rehearsing for Singapore Rhapsodies, a series of free concerts by young musicians from a variety of local schools. The MC was a very confident young boy and the dance performance showed kids are the same the world over...looking to the one or two who look like they know what they are doing. The musicians were very accomplished and played some unusual instruments.

Rugby, birthdays and Ray

After work on Saturday I met Kathy, Helen June and Pip at the Stadium to watch a rugby match between South Africa and Japan. Under Kathy's direction we were on the side of Japan and they certainly played a better game. Due to one disallowed try (for Japan)and SA scoring on the bell the final result was a 17 all draw. Still it was worth going to see the stadium and amazing how quickly everyone is transported away so efficiently at the end.

My "weekend" was a busy one starting with a walk around Joo Chiat an area named after Chew Joo Chiat, a wealthy Chinese landowner in the early 20th-century. The area’s identity is especially shaped by its unique pre-war architecture – colourful two-storey shophouses and terrace houses with ornate facades, intricate motifs and ceramic tiles.

Plantains in the marketplace, local details

Last time we did this walk the area in the left photo was being painstakingly restored.

A variety of restorations

Many local community centres offer tuition classes for kids during the holidays. Some of those on offer are certainly a bit different. Another place of interest was the funeral shop. At funerals here paper replicas of items the deceased may need on their journey are burnt. Despite the fact that the items are burnt a great deal of care is taken in their creation and they are often very colourful.

tuition classes, local scene, funeral offerrings

As it was Jo's birthday we gathered at BluJaz in Bugis to celebrate on Monday night. Jack, who also works at Tampines shared the celebration as his 30th birthday was just a week away. Eric and Peter had a penned a new version of Mr BoJangles...Mr Jo Bangles to serenade Jo. It was a fun night but not too late as Helen and I had an early start the next day.

Jo, Jack and the last 4 kiwis left at Morris Allen (plus Jack, an American)

On Tuesday Helen and I headed off to Malaysia for the day to catch up with Ray. In my first year at MAE Ray was the EA at Punggol, before transferring to Ang Mo Kio where Helen was placed at the time. We hadn't seen her for a while with our work schedules difficult to organise around so as she was on holidays we decided to catch up. The journey over is simple but does take a long time 2 and a half hours over , about half an hour less to return. Unbelievably they have a shuttle train which Helen has used once, takes about 10/15 minutes , but it goes every 2 HOURS! It was great to see Ray looking really well and mostly enjoying her job with the Tanglin School. 

Maria had been in Australia for the last week for Anna's graduation and also managed to catch up with Duncan and Bianca who were having a weekend together in Sydney. Before work on Wednesday I caught up on the news from home over lunch.

On Friday morning I went in to the ArtScience Museum to have a look at Van Cleef & Arpels: The Art and Science of Gems exhibition. 

There were over 450 pieces of jewellery selected from the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection displayed over seven themes illustrating the poetry and ingenious craftsmanship of the Maison: Couture, Abstractions, Influences, Precious Objects, Nature, Ballerinas and Fairies, and Icons. Some of the items were simply stunning and I shudder to think what the insurance costs would be to have such an exhibition.

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.