Back in Brissie....

After nearly 5 weeks back in the tropics, we were so relieved to fly back down under to the late autumn's cool, cool weather.

All packed up and ready to go....







We didn't have a direct flight from SG to BNE. We had to transit in SYD for about 2 hours before taking a domestic flight back to BNE.

After transiting for 2 hours in Sydney and taking a 1.5 hour flight back to Brisbane, and another half an hour waiting for David to pick us up, plus another half an hour drive back home, we finally are back home in Runcorn.



On a domestic flight back from Brisbane to Sydney. No individual entertainment system....








We were on one of the few last domestic flight of the day to arrive at Brisbane airport.






The house is still there. Thanks to our two housemates who took care of the house in our absence. It was too late to unpack (past midnight) and after changing the sheets of our bed and having a warm bath, we hit the sack and drooled....

Though it had not been a relaxing trip back to SG / MY, we had thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to do it again soon.

Thanks again to all who made this trip possible and memorable.

The Longest Break - 7 - Playing Catch Ups!!!

One of our main motives of returning is to catch up with family, friends and relatives as we've been gone "physically" for 10 months.

Though thanks to technology the world is a smaller place, it still cannot be compared to meeting up face to face.

During our five weeks back in Singapore and Malaysia, we have managed to catch up with:

Family:

Going around Singapore visiting relatives and shopping with mom, bro and Tian.....











Going out for makan with in-laws....







Friends:


Catching up with good friends from work.....










Catching up with mates from Polytechnic days....

(of which Deon gave us a real shock. The last meeting - at Kenny's wedding, he announced that he's married. This round, when all have arrived, he whipped out his phone and showed us his daughter - Celestine Lee En Ling!)







Catching up with my "old, old" friend from primary school days! We've know each other since 7 years old!!! That's more than two decades!!!









Esmond caught up with his primary school friends as well!








Relatives:


We celebrated Mother's Day at Esmond's Yi Ma's place...











with lots of home cooked food!







Ex-colleagues:

Esmond had dinner with his ex-colleagues at the Singapore Swimming Club after a badminton session. He learnt that Tang had trained with Perak's state representative when he was younger! Indeed, Esmond wasn't his match at all (and Tang hasn't even smashed!)







New faces at the old office!








There are a lot more whom we've forgotten to take photos with. There are also some which we didn't have time to meet up (and we sincerely apologise for that... we'll meet up again when we are next back... hopefully next year!)

Thank you all, for taking time off to meet up with us. It has been great fun catching up with you all. Take care and see you next year!

The Longest Break - 6 - Coming back as a tourist...

We see Singapore in a new light and we behaved as if we were tourists! It's a most peculiar feeling and we do things that we don't do when we were in Singapore.

Destination 1 - Sentosa Island
One of them was our visit to Sentosa. We saw the Song of the Sea performance (which took over the previous Musical Fountain). We even went on the luge (like a snow sledge with wheels that you race down hill with your friends)! We didn't believe their ad of "once is never enough", but it was true! Once is really not enough! But we didn't have the luxury of going on another round coz we didn't have the time.

The portion of family resort has been cordoned off for "future development" a.k.a. Integrated Resort

Destination 2 - Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin is an island situated in the north east of Singapore, right next to Pulau Tekong where army recruits are trained. Pulau Ubin is much more backward compared to cosmopolitan Singapore. It is like Singapore in the 40s. There are no high rise residential public housing, shopping malls, and the only public transport you can find there are vans and bicycles.

Gateway to Ubin Kampung....

My bro and his SLR camera...

The only way of going to Pulau Ubin is by "bum boats" from Changi Village. Not that the boats only ferries bums across, but I think it was meant to be "bump boats" because they are old boats and they were parked very closely together so the boats were 'bumping' into one another when they are stationary. Another theory is that you "bump your bums" on the hard wooden seats when the boat ride the waves.

"bum" boats....

Changi Village alone is an attraction in its own right. Not only is it famous for nasi lemak (Malay coconut rice), it is also famous for its night activities - "Ah Gua" / transvestites gazing.... come weekend, past 11pm you will see beautiful "ladies" all along the open air carpark with queues of cars and motorcycle going around. Some of these "ladies" have legs that are slimmer and skin that are softer than real females (which puts some of us to shame.....)

Stuart and Cindy....

Bro and Tian....

The ride across the "sea" cost each of us SGD$2. The bum boats will only set off for Pulau Ubin when it carries the full load of 12. If you don't have the patience, you can charter the whole boat at SGD$24.

Fortunately for us, we didn't have to wait long.

The moment you step off the pier at Pulau Ubin, you will be greeted with two rows of bicycle rental shops with big signs of "$2 per day". We were elated. However, there's a catch. You will never go for the $2 bikes because it gives you the feeling that it wouldn't last even half a day! And being business minded, the shopkeepers would "recommend" that you take mountain bikes with suspension and cushy seats. So we went for the $6 and $12 bikes. Hence beginning our bike trip of 6.

One of the bicycle shop and their bikes catering for the throngs of "tourists"...

Pulau Ubin is really "kampung" like. They are still living in wooden houses, furnished with familiar "oldies" furnitures. The only thing that's missing are children playing "kampung" games like "guli", hopscotch, five stones etc.... I had only seen 1 kid helping out with the family's bicycle renting business, which makes me wonder, has the other kids gone to the mainland for their enrichment / tuition classes? Do they even live at the island? Or have all the kids grown up and is working on the main island?

There were numerous temples and shrines on the island. We prayed for a safe trip and no rain! Heaven was merciful on us because it only showered for about 20 minutes which really started pelting after we've found shelter... Also, a couple of days after us, radio 93.3 DJ Dennis Chew was on an excursion with his friend on the same island when he was involved in a bad fall, breaking his bones and disfiguring his "cute" face.

The stage for opera shows still retains its original look (I wonder if they still have opera shows here?). Ubin also have "water front houses".... don't play play ar....

If you've seen this type of switches, you know which era you belong to.....

Pulau Ubin is also "famous" for its quarry. Not that it produces the most beautiful granite / pebbles, but because the quarry had claimed quite a number of 'violators' life. Thrill seekers who disregard the "no entry" sign and decided to take a dip / dive into the cool, green waters only to meet with their makers. Since then, fences were erected to prevent illegal entries. But, people still manages to find a way in, one way or another....

Tired bikers...

Bro played hero and pushed two bikes at once... his own and Tian's... (awww.......)

"Y U SO LIKE THAT? BUY A DRINK LAH".....

Who says you cannot use Singlish for advertisement?

Hungry and thirsty bikers stopping down for food and drinks... (we were surprised that things here are cheaper than in mainland Singapore)

Beach front seafood restaurant.... Isn't it a familiar sight? (think neighbouring country....complete with "unwanted floating particles" as well)

We also had a close encounter with the slippery kind... we saw a green snake. There were also lots of spiders, dogs, bugs and especially mosquitoes!

Can you spot the green snake?

After a whole day of cycling, with sunburnt skin and sore arse, we concluded our 1 day trip to "tile island", and headed back to Tampines for a korean grill buffet.

Destination 3 - Night Safari

Other than Pulau Ubin, we had also visited the first night operating zoo in the world - the Night Safari. There were quite a lot of animals to see and we had to rush through most of them as we didn't have much time. We took the tram ride which brought us very much closer to some animals (of course you wouldn't want to rub shoulders with tigers and lions and hyenas at night right?). The tram ride was worth it, because you come closer to the animals and there's commentary on board.

Buying tickets....

The SGD$8 per person tram ride....

The nightly show is also pretty good, credit goes to the humourous, petite, Indian host whose wit caused unsteady recordings due to shaking hands. That night, we had the pleasure of seeing them train the wolf to come on stage and howl. It was a very beautiful animal and we had been given stern warnings (by the Indian lady) to sit still, keep quiet and no flash photography, otherwise she herself will come after the perpetrator's throat.

The Indian lady..... (her eyes were really big... and you wouldn't want to go on a staring match with her....)

Though it was too dark to take any pictures, the experience of seeing the animals (lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, hyenas, rhinos, deers, otters, bats, flying squirrels, crocs, etc) was well worth it. The roar of the lion can be heard across the park! One thing though, most of the animals are restless, which makes me wonder if they were deliberately kept hungry so that they don't just hide in a corner and sleep! We also witness how formidable a tiger is in camouflage because we were searching high and low for the tiger behind the glassed enclosure when it is actually sitting right in front of us on a rock, staring at us! And we always wonder how such a big animal could spring the ultimate surprise on its victim.

Esmond got bitten by a croc!!!

Destination 4 - Chinatown Heritage Museum

We also went to the Chinatown Heritage Museum in (where else...) Chinatown... It's walk down memory lane for us (we felt so, so, so old....), more so for my mom who was with us. The familiar sight of old houses, rooms, furnitures, equipments etc brought back some fond memories...

We used to have a cupboard just like this in our kitchen...

Earlier versions of the portable loo....

(which I vaguely remember using when I was very very young at my grandma's place in Kota Tinggi...)

Earlier version of a light well... (which we always have to rush to close it whenever it rains.... I can still hear my mom shouting for me to get to it! ha ha...)

How some of our forefathers were living back in the 40s....

Familiar sight for mom... she used to work in a tailor shop!

Destination 5 - Mount Faber

The hotspot for courting couples. If you come during the weekend, you will be greeted by throngs of couples, each going about their own "business" depending on the stage of courtship they were in. As we were there in the middle of a weekday night, there were only a few persons and 1 couple.

Night view from Mt Faber.

One of the busiest port in the world, can be seen / heard toiling away into the night....

We were pleasantly surprise that the level of service and entertainment in Singapore had improved marginally - probably in preparation for the upcoming IRs in 2009 and the current upbeat economy.

Why didn't we visit these places when were were still in Singapore? Frankly speaking, we don't know. And when we read Final Notes from the Little Island by Neil Humpreys, we started asking ourselves if we had truely miss out on some interesting places. Most weekends were spent in shopping centres rather than exploring the island. I guess we simply didn't have the mood or energy or time to organise such outings with friends and family due to the hectic life we led previously.

In our next trip back to SG, we'll probably visit the Jurong Birdpark and Kusu Island! haha...

The Longest Break - 5 - So what's new in Singapore?

In a span of 10 months, there has been quite a number of changes in Singapore. Sometimes, it is just amazing that Singapore is truly, truly a very efficient country. If the local government are half as efficient, we probably won't be facing the current water crisis, the daily deadlock (traffic jam) into the Brisbane city, the collapsing health systems, etc etc....

Number 1: Singapore Flyer

London has its London Eye, Malaysia has its Mata Malaysia, what does Singapore have? The Singapore "Bak Chew"?? haha.. Its called the Singapore Flyer....

Currently, only the frame is up. The capsules have not been sealed onto the circular frame yet. And this thing is gigantic. Apparently it takes about half an hour to complete a full circle. Mind you the fare doesn't come cheap. Being business minded and all, they have already thought of other business opportunities for the Singapore Flyer. It has marketed itself to be THE special place for proposal, ROM, wedding, anniversary dinners, valentines day, etc etc.... How much would this set you back? A whopping $2000 bucks for a couple of hours. The only advantage is that it is completely private, i.e. there are no other persons around you in the event that the answer is a big "NO!". Saves you from digging a hole and burying yourself to hide from embarassment.... all you have to do is just open the latch, and jump... haha...

Number 2: Vivo City, the currently largest shopping mall in town.

It was also touted as an architectural feat (but according to our architect friends, it looks more like an architectural nightmare...Apparently going to Vivo City during the weekend is also another nightmare).

What used to be the World Trade Centre's exhibition halls, is now rows and rows and levels and levels of shopping haven and al fresco dining.

They also have a "water park" right at the top level of Vivo City. This probably sparked off from the successful fountain in Bugis Junction where most weekends, there are some parents who bring their bored kids to the fountain for some "water activities".

Number 3: St. James Powerhouse

Technically, this building is not new. It's old. As with every city, there will be a "powerhouse" i.e. an electric generator for the whole city, built along the main river which eventually turned obsolete with time and most of them converted into a museum of some sort.

For Singapore, it was convert to a museum alright. But it's a brewery museum and that's only a part of it. It charges something like SGD$16 per entry too! The only consolation is that you get a free glass of beer at the end of the tour. This is not something we even consider to be a prize...The other part (a much bigger portion) is one big collection of pubs, providing alternative night life other than shopping.

You can even have some drinks outside the pub too! They have quite cute sitting places surrounding the latest "night spot"....

Number 4: IR - Integrated Resort: Marina South

The much anticipated IR is currently under furious constructions. What used to be a beautiful view of Singapore's financial district is now marred by dozens and dozens of cranes, cement mixers, tractors and all other heavy vehicles imaginable... Schedule for completion in 2009, this new attraction is expected to rake in billions of dollars from gamblers around the world....

In order to mitigate and minimise unwanted social behaviours / effects resulting from the casino, the Singapore government had gone on a "don't say I never warn you" campaign for its own people. There have been programs, telling real life stories of people who gambled away their life savings at the expense of their family, friends and sometimes their own life. They've even set up a committee to ensure that there are venues for people who had fallen into this vice. The other deterrent is that for every Singaporean and Singapore PR, you automatically "lost" SGD$100 when you enter the casino as that's what they charge the locals for "entrance fee". Unlike in Malaysia, the casino charges Malaysia's local RM$200 as a deposit, which is fully refundable. This deposit is to make sure that the gamblers have enough money to return home and "face the music", be it from their family or worse - loan sharks...

Number 5 - Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

The latest, biggest and most expensive Buddhist temple to date. (see The Longest Break - 4 for more details)

Number 6 - Sentosa

Sentosa's not new. What's new is what's not there in Sentosa.

For one, the once famous musical fountain is no longer at the lake in the middle of the island. It has now moved down to the beach with a totally whole new show called "Song of the Sea". For SGD$6, you will be treated with actual humans dancing and singing in the musical, on top of the usual laser characters. There's also water (obvious), fire, lights and fireworks.... very well worth the SGD$6 ....

A big portion of Sentosa had been cordoned off for what we speculate to be the site for the other IR - the much more family oriented Integrated Resort (complete with casino facilities of course). And to our shock, the iconic Sentosa ferry pier will not be there when the IR is finished.

Our first visit to the Vivo City was on the 9th of May. The pier was still there.

On our next visit on the 21st of May, they were in the process of demolishing it!

Guessed the IR wanted to have their own "grand entrance".

The other new thing is the mode of transport going into Sentosa. Now that we cannot go via ferry, we can take a "train" from Vivo City! It cost $SGD3 which includes entrance into Sentosa. The train is more like a bigger monorail and is similar to the Skytrain in Changi Airport.

Number 7 - 'Anything' and 'Whatever'

This is the latest and most interesting drink ever. How many of us have had the problem of not know what to drink when asked? How many times do we answer "Anything" or "Whatever"? Well, now we can actually order "Anything" or "Whatever" for drinks. They are 6 flavours of fizzy and non-fizzy drinks each, where each can have no indication of what's inside. It's like a "lucky draw" and you can get any flavour that's packed in within - no choice.... haha!

For years, we've been saying "why don't anybody come up with drinks / dishes that's called 'anything', 'whatever', 'sui bian', 'chin chai' etc".... Now, somebody has finally did it....

And the advertisements are also very interesting. They were shot in Bangkok.

1) There's a very rich old man on his death bed. All his children are with him. All of them are successful professionals except 1 "Ah Beng". When he asked, "Dad, what do I get?", the old man answered "Whatever", which pleases the Ah Beng very much, but much to the shock of all his other children. Then the old man fished out a can of "Whatever" drink, sniggered and kicked the bucket.

(see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AkpzcBxxOQ)

2) Two Ah Bengs who looked all fierce and aggressive, sporting tattoos all over their bodies, went to a grocery shop. The cashier, seeing these two fellas, turned to jelly. One of the Ah Bengs said "Can you give me Anything?". The cashier, promptly dug out a wad of cash and trust it to the Ah Beng. The Ah Beng was a little amused and refused the money and politely said he only wanted "Anything', so the cashier dug out different objects like sweets and even toilet rolls until the Ah Beng had to shout at the cashier that he only wants "Anything". Seeing that the situation had gotten out of control, the other Ah Beng stepped in and took over saying asked if he could have "Whatever". The Ah Beng was given a toilet roll which made the two Ah Bengs fuming mad.

(see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUVVM79KGxA)

So next time you have no idea what to drink in Singapore, go ahead and order "Anything" or "Whatever".