Easter 2007 – Houseboat Day 3

07 April 2007, Saturday – The sun, sand and the sea….

After a hearty breakfast (Roti Prata and Porridge! – thanks to Christina and Esmond!), we set sail for a spot further north of South Straddie, in search of blue waters, and after about an hour’s drive, we found our spot!

We embarked from our houseboat, into the motorboat and onto shore with sands that crumble underneath our feet. We searched for a spot, big enough for our ball games and clear of stumps sticking up from the sand.

Once we’ve got our motorboat secured on the beach and after rounds of photo taking, we launched into our first game – Poison Ball. 6 vs 6 – Group 1: Haw, Shy, Pearl, Heng Onn, Pei and Rachel, Group 2: Kareen, Christina, Jit, Esmond, Ian, Roger.

As if we didn’t find Poison Ball physically challenging, we started Captain Ball with the same grouping composition. We were all running, jumping, snatching, attacking, defending, sliding, rolling, falling, bumping, scratching, tripping etc etc….. In the end, it was 5:3 (Group 2: Group 1). Once again, we’ve amassed sufficient injuries to stop the game (Pearl had a bruised left eye – gift from Roger (who strongly objects and denies this...), Christina and Rachel had scratches on the knees, miscellaneous bruises on everyone ….) but start another…

This time, in the water. We tried to out beat the other on “mushy-ness” by carrying, hugging, piggy backing, shouldering each other’s partners, turning Roger into a green-eyed monster before trying to launch himself onto Ian who quickly rejected him.

Then we played “Monkey”, while Pei learns how to swim from Jit, Pearl seriously swimming laps, Christina swimming to keep herself warm, Kareen trying out Esmond’s goggles.

When we are all wrinkled from staying in the water too long and Christina having cramps in her legs, we returned to our houseboat for some delicious “tunch” (lunch + tea). We had Shim Ram Yun noodles with leftovers from previous night’s steamboat dinner.

After tunch, we were all so flat out that we crashed on our bunks until dinner! (We were grounded. The water was too shallow and we couldn't budge. So the analyzers (Ian, Roger and Heng Onn) looked at the charts and tide table and decided that we'll move when the tide comes in in the evening. - Thanks to the crew who reminded me of this.... blog writer getting old... can't remember all the details...)

Dinner was seafood marinara fettuccine, seafood pizza and Shy’s famous Chicken Peri Peri pizza.

After dinner, we settled for another round of Pictionary Charade. Group 1 consisted of Heng Onn, Christina, Haw, Kareen, Esmond and Rachel. Group 2 has Ian, Roger, Pei, Jit, Pearl and Shy.

Everything went well for Group 1 (thanks to Esmond’s “power”) who successfully proceeded into a number of sixes on the dice. But the same cannot be said for Group 2 (thanks to Ian’s “power” of throwing 1) who was moving at a snail’s pace. It was as if they were “cursed” and the red dot on the dice followed them throughout the game.
The game went so well, that within an hour, Group 1 had completed the game, well ahead of Group 2. Not contending to defeat, Group 2 challenged Group 1 to another round.

"One!!!!"

This time, into the middle of the session, Ian finally found out that he must be “really really mad / cross” at Group 1 in order to throw a “six”. He did manage to throw “sixes” in his practice sessions… but when it came to the REAL throw, he was still stuck with 1. This had thrown all of us into fits of laughter and Group 2 in solid resignation of their fate.

Again, Group 1 managed to finish the game within the hour. With time on our hands and too early for bed, most of us embarked on a different game.

Pearl, Roger, Christina, Jit and Rachel went with Chinese checkers. While Heng Onn (very much to our shock and surprise because it was well past his bedtime and he was still very alert and wanting to play Risk), Esmond, Shy and Ian PLANNED (literally!) to play Risk.

The four of them spent more than an hour, discussing on how they should go about playing the game (Mission vs Conquest) when the other group was well into their game of Chinese checkers with their pieces all colliding in the middle of the puzzle (i.e. cluster f***).

Suddenly, Heng Onn, with a very serious expression, rushed out from the “little boys room” exclaiming that while he was “doing his business” he saw a boat right beside ours and that we seem to be moving!

Immediately we dispersed to the front and back deck to see if it was true. True enough, there WAS a ship beside us and we had drifted! We had no idea where we have drifted off to and for how long we have drifted.

We had an emergency discussion, upon which Roger drove us to a spot with Heng Onn and Ian as the navigator, Esmond, Rachel, Haw and Kareen as deck watchmen on the upper deck – ensuring that there were no passing ships / boats.

It was very dark and very hard to see our surroundings and make out our exact location. After we’ve anchored, Roger, Ian and Heng Onn tried to make out our exact position based on the beacons on the horizon. We didn’t get to bed till past 2am….