Back From Bintan

Yes, we're back from our short break in Bintan, complete with suntans and dirty laundry. As before we had a fabulous time, and this time around got to share it with my Mum who is visiting us and returns to New Zealand today. It's been a hectic time, hence the lack of posts, but here are a couple of photos to show what we got up to.

A highlight was riding along the beach on an elephant, the friendly Bani, an 18 year old male elephant who seemed only too happy to wander like a four-legged steam roller flattening a track in the sand in exchange for a large bunch of bananas afterwards. What a life. Actually he reminded me of a few guys I used to know at university.

The weather was gorgeous as always, so we were busy applying sun block and keeping our hats on. The kids and I were fascinated to watch one of the staff catching a long, thin bright green snake which was in one of the tres by the pool, but Mum disappeared in a cloud of smoke as soon as she heard the word snake.

Bintan is only a one-hour ferry ride from Singapore so it's easy and cheap to get to, making it more like an extension of Singapore than a piece of 'real' Indonesia. It's quite expensive if you compare the prices there - all in Sing$ - to Indonesian prices but for an easy, hassle-free break it's hard to beat.

Gotta Haves...

OK I know it seems a bit frivolous but here's a couple of 'gotta haves' which I picked up at a shop called Lims. Actually there are a few of them on the island and I believe I got these from the outlet at Parkway Parade, which is miles from here but I ended up killing half an hour before an appointment and....long boring story which ends with shopping. As you do.

Anyway, the Chinese paper boxes are simply gorgeous. Currently the green one is doing time as a pen holder and the other two are on stand-by. Every panel features a different hand-sown Chinese figure, some complete with hairy moustaches and hair dos. Very cool. They cost $4, $6 and $8 respectively.

The sea-shell plates ($6 each on sale) are perfect for snacks and tasty tidbits and look simply fab. Who says nothing good comes cheap?

Bin There, Done That

Actually this post is a bit of a cheat because...I'm not here! See if you can guess where we are...there's a pretty major clue in the header although if you're not from around here you may not get it unless you are an AVID fan who can remember where we disappeared to last year for a week.


Clue: we don't have to get on a plane to get there. And yes, it's hot and sunny.

If you guess and send me an email or a comment telling me the correct answer, I PROMISE I will send you a cool prize.

Back on Friday!

Sembawang Park - Something For Everyone

One of our favourite parks in Singapore also happens to be just down the road from hubby's work in Sembawang. This district, on the northernmost coast of the island, is a varying mix of almost deserted six-lane thoroughfares and modern HDB blocks, seemingly waiting for a population influx to come and make use of the new amenities, and old (for Singapore standards) Black & White colonial houses which were built during the time the British ruled this tiny nation as an outpost of the Emipre.

I once read in the newspaper that the Singaporean government wants to increase the population from 4.6 million to 7 million by 2020 and a lot of these new citizens will be living in the north. In typically well organised style, this means that the public transport, roading, public amenitities and housing all seem to be ready and in place before the people have actually arrived. Eerily efficient.

However I digress. Nestled against the coast facing Malaysia across the narrow Johore Straits, Sembawang Park is a large, rambling affair which almost makes you forget its huge bustling neighbour, the Sembawang Shipyard. The Shipyard was a British Naval Base from 1938 to 1968. Stands of mature trees are home to hundreds of birds, and on any visit you are guaranteed to see a dozen different species. Many of the paths in the park are restored original walkways which were used during the British occupation. Wandering through the park you feel about a hundred miles from the hustle of Orchard Road, although in 45 minutes you could drive to the southernmost point of the island. Yes, it's that small.

The park is also where you can see one of Singapores last remaining natural beaches, and it's a very popular camping spot. You can camp here for free any weekend, although a permit is required. Standing on the wooden jetty watching locals catching blue crabs and fishing for small yellow finned fish, it's fun to watch the kids squealing with joy as they throw themselves from low-hanging branches into the warm waters below. In fact this is in my opinion one of the best parks to meet the locals as it's a real family spot popular for barbeques, picnics and camping year-round. On any weekend you will see clusters of little pup-tents sprouting like colourful mushrooms along the sea-front, although nearly always they are clustered together under the concrete-floored rain shelters which can't be all that comfortable. I don't know about you but the last time I fitted inside a pup-tent I was about 12 years old so it doens't appeal to me, but clearly there are plenty of adventurous Singaporeans who love to get out there and drop off to sleep enjoying the sound of the sea lapping the shore at night.

Many of the locals in this area know quite a bit of the rich history of the area and are willing to share their stories, including those about the large New Zealand Navy battalion which was permanently based here until the early 1980s. We must have made a good impression because they are always keen to ask me if I'm a kiwi when they hear my accent and share a few anecdotes.

Next to the beach you can visit Beaulieu House, an unusual flat-roofed Black & White which was once home to the British Admiral. The house is now a restaurant where you can buy great coffee-to-go if you happen to turn up early on a Sunday morning with a hangover. As you do.

This brings me to the main attraction for our lot, which is of course the large kids playground. Big enough to keep them happy for a couple of hours running around in a pack with a dozen new friends they've met that day, the playground is surrounded by huge trees and provides ample shade for weary Mums. Or those with headaches and a temporary sensitivity to loud noises and bright lights.

In all, Sembwawang Park is a great place to visit. If the nature doesn't interest you then the humungous ships and American Navy vessels being built and repaired at the shipyard next door will certainly keep you fascinated. And if you don't fancy lunch at Beaulieu House, head around to the Yacht Club on the other side of the shipyard for a slap-up Chinese meal for half the price you'd expect to pay for such good food.

Heels From Heaven

Don't you just hate it when your heels get all cracked and dry, looking and feeling like battered armour plated appendages that seem to be the missing link proving our connection to the great apes. The marble floors in the apartment have played hell with my feet over the past 21 months. Yes, I am cave woman, and I have the feet to prove it. Or at least I did, until about half an hour ago. Cast thine eyes downwards and behold: feet, reborn.

Why oh why have I never had a pedicure before?? I've hated my feet for ages when all I needed to do was lie back in a compfy chair, reading my book and sipping honey and ginger tea while a pink-robed magician worked magic on my tootsies, transforming them into something I'm quite proud to show off in a pair of strappy heels. Ooooooh, I feel the urge for a new pair of shoes coming on...

First I was soaked in a hot footbath of purple crystals which slowly transofrmed into a moisturising jelly. My feet were then individually wrapped in warm towels before being given a foot massage. Not one of those comfy fall-asleep massages mind you, but a proper Asian reflexology probing. Apparently any insomnia and digestive problems will be solved after a few sessions. Forty minutes later, after just a couple of squawks of protest (from me, not the masseuse!) my soles were draped in a therapeutic lotion-infused wrap and left to marinate for half an hour. After that, the real work began. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say that after the work out my feet gave her as she filed away, that woman could now arm wrestle professionally. Finally, my feet were well rubbed wtih a gentle moistuirser and it was time for me to leave.

As I slithered home, my feet so oily and slippery inside my sandals that passing motorists probably thought I had a displaced hip , I vowed I will do this every month to keep my feet in shape. Believe me, you should be grateful there are no before or after photos.


No more heels from hell for me!

Fidgets, Our New Favourite Playground

One of the great things about living in the tropics is the weather. It's always warm (sometimes too warm) and even when it rains, the temperature never drops below about 26 degress. Ah yes, the rain. Well, maybe there is something less than great about this aspect of the weather. When we were living in Holland long grey days of drizzly rain were not uncommon. But here, when it rains, it absolutley completely POURS down. There doens't seem to be an in between on the equator: you're either dry or you're one blocked drain away from swimming.

It's a hassle when you've got young kids generating enough excess energy to make it worthwhile selling to the national grid . Our boys need to move, and move a lot. For this reason we've become well acquiainted with most of the indoor playgrounds around the island. So far our favourite is SAFRA at Toa Payoh (Lorong 6), which has a large multi-level play structure and is very reasonably priced at about $7 for unlimited time. The lack of any facilities other than toilets mean you need to take your own drinks and food which keeps it cheap, and healthy too. We've been to Go Go Bambini at Dempsey Hill a couple of times but find it quite pricey and always too busy and incredibly ear-splittingly noisy. Just too many kids in too small a space, although the facilities (cafe and play area) are very nice and quite new.

However now there's a new kid on the block and it's become a firm favourite: Fidgets at Turf City. This is the biggest indoor playground I've found here, getting close in size to the structures you see in New Zealand and Aussie. Not surprisingly, it has been imported from Australia. With two long slides and a couple of cool innovations like the giant ball pen and large plastic bubbles fitted with steering wheels the kids can sit in, there is plenty to keep the kids happy.

Parents will be pleased to know there is an automatic ball washing machine in the ball pit; the kids put the balls into a transparent tube which sucks them up, whizzes them along the side of the structure and shoots them through a machine which washes and disinfects them, then blows the cleaned balls back into the pit. The mechanisms relies on kids feeding it balls but believe me, this isn't a problem.

Another plus for us long-suffering parents: there is a cafe serving a range of muffins and cookies, plus some reasonably healthy sandwhiches, although the selection (roast chicken with apricot sauce, roast beef with horseradish, and egg mayonnaise) wouldn't appeal to most young kids so next time I'm taking our own sandwhiches (Fidgets staff if you're reading this: sell plain Vegemite, peanut butter or jam sandwhiches and you'll make a fortune!) Finally, comfortable seating for us weary mums. So many places neglect to provide somewhere comfortable to sit and before you start thinking I'm going soft, on our second visit to Fidgets we stayed for FIVE HOURS, so imagine how you'd feel if you had nowhere decent to sit.

Price-wise the place isn't exactly cheap at $15 per kid, but this is for an unlimited play time and the facilities, such as the kid-sized toilets and hand basins and the large flat screen tvs hooked up to cameras so you can watch the kids play from the comfy sofa lounge, are by far the best I've seen.

The boys and I give Fidgets a big thumbs up. Next time you're there I'll be the harassed looking Mum listening to her iPod and writing her next blog entry long-hand in a notebook to fill in time.

Learning By Osmosis

Despite the hype about living in the digital age and how kids need to learn to use computers from a young age and programme software by the time they hit puberty, I've never really been all that keen on the kids spending a lot of time behind the screen. They both get computer time at school, so at four years old even Carl knows the basics. However both of our boys have the energy of tree squirrels on speed and need plenty of outdoor exercise, so the idea of them blobbing out behind the computer and storing up that energy until some innocent passerby like, say...their MOTHER has to try get them to sleep at night doesn't appeal. For the same reason they don't own Gameboys or Playstations. Yet.

However, the great thing about computers is of course the internet. If they get birthday money from Nana, they browse the websites of the big toy chains to see what they want to buy before we head into town. Feel like a movie? The kids check out the trailers on line first and if we decide to go, we buy the tickets on line too. Looking for cool pictures to colour in? Try the Starwars or Lego sites for instantly printable pages, and while you're at it check out the great kids games there. Niels loves You Tube for it's collection of home-made Starwars movies made with the Lego figures and clips of planes. Even Carl has his favourite site, the BBC's CBeebies site which has a huge collection of games based on their pre-school programmes. You can even choose to play games that only use the mouse, an easier option for littlies. He sits there, flicking through the game menus using the mouse with two hands, switching between full screen and regular view, closing the pages he doesn't want and hunting down his favourite characters. It really is learning by osmosis as often I'll be sitting there with him and think "I didn't know he could do that". So although their computer access is limited to about an hour or less every third or fourth day, clearly it's enough.

Au Jardin - Location, Location, Location!

For some time now we have been meaning to try out Les Amis au Jardin, a restaurant located inside the famous Botanical Gardens in Singapore. It's taken us this long because the place is always fully booked for Saturday nights, which means you need to be organised enough to place your reservation more than three days in advance. My flair for what I like to call spontaneity, and everybody probably calls disorganisation, means I rarely think to book a restaurant before Thursday. However since we were looking for somewhere special to celebrate our 11th anniversary last Friday I booked us a table and off we went.

Finding the place was the first challenge. But wait, I hear you say, how big can a garden be? Well pretty damn big actually, and the 'uncle' who was driving our taxi had no clue how to find it. The address of the restaurant is Cluny Rd and after a lengthy detour through Cluny Park Road (wrong side of the park!) we finally headed to the right entrance - the visitor centre. We stepped out into the humid darkness, silent apart from the croaking of frogs and the distant traffic noise from Bukit Timah Road. Of course at 8 pm the visitor centre and surroundings are dark and deserted, but oddly there was a man in a snappy tuxedo standing next to a golf cart. We were expected.

A quick wizz along a dimly lit fern lined path took us to au Jardin, which is inside an old Colonial house inside the grounds. Smiling staff welcomed us into the regal surrounds, and we seemed to be one of only about four couples there. We climbed the red carpeted staircase, admiring the original wood panelling and beautiful decor and were ushered to a table intimately set on a small enclosed balcony looking out into the lush ferns and tropical trees outside. What a fantastic setting!

The restaurant offers two types of menu: the 8 course degustation 'taster' menu, or the 4 course menu which you put together from a select range of fish or meat dishes. Opting for 4 courses, we were also offered a side dish of three kinds of the freshest looking mushroms I've ever seen - I expected the wiater to have dirt under his finger nails from picking them in the garden. The food was, in a word, superb. I choose the duck while Holger went for fish, and both were simply divine. The prawn and pea 'pot au feu' was a gorgeous conconction of fluffy pea souffle with succulent prawn fillets, and the tastiest fish boillion I've ever had in my life eleantly poured over the top at the table. My desert of chilled mango soup was superb, while Holger tucked into a tasty plate of suitably smelly cheeses. Something also worth mentioning was the brilliant service; our waiter knew each and every dish and could discuss the ingredients and preparation with knowledge, something you don't come across very often. Wine buffs would appreciate the wine list which was a book at least 2cm thick. We settled for a lovely Raveneau Vaillons 2004 Chablis which hit the spot perfectly.

Just when we thought we were finished and settled back to enjoy an espresso for the road, the waiter approached with slice of delicious chocolate cake on a plate decorated with Happy Anniversary written in chocolate! How sweet. We thoroughly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion or even just because, and in fact it may even come very close to rivalling Blu as our favourite - future testing will be required! One bonus was that the bill was quite a bit less than we would have expected to pay at Blu, although the fact it doesn't have a martini bar may account for some of that.

Check it out if you can, but don't forget: make a reservation!

Dragon Kiln & Pottery Jungle

There is a wonderful place hidden away down a bumpy bush lined road which in my opinion is a must see if you're looking for off-the-beaten-track Singapore. Or good, inexpensive pottery. It's called the Dragon Kiln & Pottery Jungle and is located in the west of the island just off the Jalan Bahar exit from the PIE. I first discoverd this place a few months ago but had Carl in tow and believe me, small children and towering stacks of breakable pottery don't mix, so it was a brief visit. Determined to return however, I gathered up a couple of girlfriends and headed off in the car. This is a place you can't really get to with public transport which may explain why hardly anybody seems to have heard of it.

As you enter the property the first thing you see is a huge expanse of pots spread out across what would be a big carpark if there was any room for cars left! Pots of every size and colour, from little tubs to huge pots you could house a small family in; whatever you want, its here and in 20 different colours. This display is just to get your interest piqued because the real draw is inside the sprawling complex of slightly ramshackle buildings nearby.

You first walk past the Dragon Kiln, a traditional Chinese 44 m long brick and earth structure that runs along the ground, slightly uphill. A fire is lit at the bottom end and the heat and smoke go through the kiln to exit at the other end. Temperatures reach up to 1400C! The Jalan Bahar kiln is one of the two remaining dragon kilns in Singapore. In the 1960s and 70s, it was used to fire latex cups for the surrounding rubber plantations, flower pots and other items, but fell into disrepair when demand for these items dropped. With the help of the National Heritage Board, Singapore Tourism Board and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, the Dragon Kiln was rescued and brought back to life in September 2006. These days it's only fired up once a year to demonstrate how it works. It must be impressive and incredibly uncomfortable to be near.

After the kiln its time to wander through the Pottery Jungle, a huge maze of pottery and ceramics from all over Asia (mostly China) covering every conceivalbe different style of pot. Traditional blue and white constrasts with modern swirls of vibrant reds and yellow; ginger jars and rice pots vie for attention with modern vases and abstract decorative pieces. Figurines, platters, bowls, fountains, foot stools, animals, wall panels, vases, urns and even complete outdoor picnic table and chair sets...all made from pottery in a thousand different hues. As you wander from one open-sided barn to the next you start to wonder if the collection will ever end. You'll soon spot the resident monkeys scooting around the beams in the roof. And yes, apparently they do break the pottery sometimes. One of the staff there told us that the monkeys "can be very naughty sometimes". Hopefully they don't actually hurl the pieces at hapless customers below!

It's an incredible place and what makes it even more appealing is that, for the most part, the pottery is quite inexpensive. What I would call the more contemporary collection of tall red/blue/yellow hued pieces were quite pricey but I picked up a traditional rice urn (to be used as a potato jar as it will provide cool dark storage) and a huge platter perfect for a pavlova or fruit or even a big salad, for just $35 each .

The staff are very pleasant and keen to answer questions. The lady who helped us was quite knowledgable about the origin of the various pieces we were interested in. Inevitably with such a huge open set up the pottery can be quite dusty, but you have to remember that a quick wipe down is all it takes to reveal the beauty beneath. This is no high street store; comfy shoes are recommended to navigate the dirt or wooden steps and pathways. We spent two hours there in the end, revived half way by bottles of chilled mineral water provided for free by the staff, a nice touch which was certainly appreciated.

My one splurge was the lamp which I bought hubby as an anniversary present, and obviously I'm not going to reveal what that cost! But it is beautiful. An air-conditioned room is stuffed with dozens of differnt lamps and lampshades, protected from the humidity by the cimate control. I've tried to photograph it but actually it's come out a bit dark; the red and blue is brighter than shown here but you'll get the idea. With typical Dutch reticence hubby's response was "hmmmmm................it's very big". I think that means he likes it.

State Of The Union - aka Happy Anniversary

This time eleven years ago I was going through the whole rigmarole of getting my hair, nails and make up done, hoping I'd fit into my wedding dress and trying not to rip a hole in my stockings. Holger was probably sitting quietly but nervously having a coffee, having taken all of 15 minutes to put on his suit and comb his hair.

D Day had arrived.

When I was sitting here thinking about what I could say about the past 11 years all that kept popping into my mind were lots of funny things, stuff which is probably trivial to anyone else but had us in stitches at the time and we still chuckle over. That's got to be a good thing! Being from different cultures has always been one of the defining facts of our relationship. New Zealanders and the Dutch are basically similar of course but we approach things differently. I tend to be a bit more spontaneous (a.k.a. disorganised) whereas I've always called hubby my 'long term planner' because that's what he does; he plans things out. On our very first date he told me "I never thought I'd end up marrying a Kiwi". Frankly it's a miracle that I agreed to a second date after that chestnut but hey, he was right at the end of the day.

When I rang my Mum to tell her I was dating a Dutch man she was aghast. "But how do you talk to each other?!" she exclaimed. Hubby spoke quite good English even back then so it wasn't a problem, but language is a topic that frequently pops up, as we both have become fluent in each others native tongue and try to understand the finer points. We have each made some funny mistakes. I remember hubby telling me that he could just reach something on a high shelf if he "stood on the edges of the fingers on his feet". Another time he was attempting to explain to a lesbian friend the importance of integrating yourself into the Dutch bureacratic system and told her "it's really important that you get penetrated in Holland".

Once his ship was in port for a day and I couldn't go to see him so his Mum said she'd go. I gave her a letter for him and I thought I'd written on the envelope 'for my hedgehog', a joke about his prickly whiskers as he only shaved every second day when he was at sea. However I misspelt the word egel as eikel and instead wrote 'for my penis'. To this day I've never been able to mention it to his Mum, who knows what she thought at the time. Being a man hubby was no doubt quite proud of it; in some respects there are no cultural differences between the male species at all!

At the end of the day I guess it's our differences that attract people, the fun and occasionally challenging task of figuring out what makes the other one tick. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we were all the same? Marriage would be anyway.

Happy anniversary honey xxx

iPhone-a-say; OH YEAH!

I'm so excited I can hardly sit still! Yes yes yes yes and yes! Before any of you start worrying that this is about to turn into an X rated blog I'll explain.

Isn't it wonderful that after being married for eleven years (tomorrow is our anniversary) hubby can still surprise me? Yesterday evening when he got home I was anxiously waiting to see his reaction when he first laid eyes on my anniverary present for him: a gorgeous lamp which I'd painstakingly picked out on a morning out with a couple of girlfriends to the Dragon Kiln (more on that at a later date). I admit, I was feeling pretty chuffed with having found the perfect gift; it's elegant, arty, utterly gorgeous and will last forever as long as the kids don't knock it over.

After finally getting the kids settled in bed I sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee when hubby strolled past and casually dropped a plastic bag in my lap with a mumbled "here you go". Clearly declarations of (continued) undying love and an eternity of marital bliss are as common as the appearance of wrapping paper and ribbons in the Dutch male culture, but believe me, there are compensations.

Curiously peering into the bag I pulled out a heavy matt-black box, turned it over and it was......AN iPHONE!!!!!!!!!!! Only the most utterly fantastic gadget on the face of the planet which I have been lusting after ever since seeing Phils' at the Beerfest back in 2007. It didn't have anything to do with the amount of beer we'd consumed because these gadgets are just downright sexy. Sleek, stylish, designed for beauty as well as functionality, the iPhone is for me a perfect melding of phone, email, camera, video camera and iPod. It has a 16 GB memory and a 2 megapixel camera. Somewhere in there is also the capacity to download maps and get on-line travelling directions and god knows what else. The large touch screen is simple to use and the technology downright stunning.

By simply touching your finger to the screen you can choose between functions and menus, zoom in and out of photos, literally flick through the albums in your iTunes folder, and physically move picture and maps around by moving your finger over the screen. If you turn it sideways the image flips over so that it's still upright, even if you flip the phone upside down. For a better idea to to the Apple site and click on iPhones for a tour but be warned! Excessive drool is a hazard for your keyboard.

As a non-techie I can't even begin to figure out all the other functions on it without downloading the on-line manual but believe me, I'll be doing that today.

So next time you get a text message from me, you know its been typed out in style. Now I've got to rush; iPhone-a play with my new toy!!!

Psssst! You Distract The Human...

Here are the latest pics of Rocco and Ashley, living it up large in Eindhoven with their very patient and long-suffering bunny foster Mum, Liesbeth. The furballs were recently relocated into a new run and apparently, Rocco has decided he wants to go and check out who the new neighbours are from outside the fence. Or perhaps he simply wants to eat as much of the garden as he can before being caught - check out the size of his bottom!

I love the first picture, it looks like he's giving last minute instructions to Ashley before he makes his big break. Thanks Liesbeth not only for sending the pics, but also for thinking to snap the Great Escape while Rocco headed for the garden. Did I ever mention that one of her bunny runs is called Colditz?

Tabitha Foundation

Living in Singapore can be a very privileged existence. As an ex-pat you move in circles and in an environment which many local people don't share, and it would be easy to close your eyes to the reality of life for the 'average' local. Of course there is exceptional wealth here among the local Singaporean pouplation as well; we've never seen so many Ferrari, Porche, Lamborghini and Msserati cars in our lives. Sit at the traffic lights and take a look at the vehicles around you and the sum total could well be more than most of us will earn in a life time. This only serves to highlight the large gap between the haves and have-nots, and yet the 'average' Singaporean is far better off than many living in other Asian countries. Here they have guaranteed housing, health care, and education. The government has provided a social welfare system, even if it is extremely tough to access that system and the demands on the individual to care for themselves - or their less capable family members - would be considered excessive by those of us used to living in welfare abundant states like Holland.

Volunteers and charity work play an important role in this part of the world. Extreme poverty in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma to name a few demand attention. The international schools all raise many thousands of dollars each year for projects, as do the social organisations like ANZA. Individuals are also often motivated to do their bit.

If you are what's known as a trailing spouse - that awful term which implies you are a piece of flotsam clinging to the coat-tails of your bread-winning husband (or wife), the opportunities are endless, whether it's volunteering time or money. One worthwhile and successful charitible organisastion I've come across is the Tabitha Foundation. Founded by Canadian born woman Janne Ritskes in 1994, the Foundation "has worked with over 500,000 Cambodian people in the poorest communities in the country. Tabitha's philosophy of self-help is designed to promote self sufficiency and dignity through savings, counseling, and goal setting programs. Families typically graduate from Tabitha in 5 - 7 years after which they have food for their children, clean water to drink, shelter and a source of income. More importantly, they have achieved a sense of dignity and, with their heads held high, can now look into the future and see hope for their families."

This is from their website. The Foundation helps Cambodians through a range of projects including savings schemes, cottage industries, house building, providing pigs, and building water wells.

I came across the Tabitha Foundation through it's twice annual Silk Fairs. Held at The Shophouse, these three day events are held to showcase and sell the fabulous hand-dyed Cambodian silk products made by hand by women in their villages. Apparently the three day event in November 2007 raised $97,000! While that is a lot of money so much more is needed as there are thousands of families who desperately need help. Visiting the fair it's not hard to see why the fairs are so successful - gorgeous vibrant silks are sewn into dozens of different items and sold at reasonable prices. Even though we are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying good quality silk in the Far East, the Tabitha range is truly exceptional. So it's understandable that I went just a little crazy...

My favourite piece has to be the large blue bean bag with the red gecko, which was made to order (there were about 40 colours to choose from) and delivered in about four weeks. The scarves are all to die for; nothing makes you feel more like a million bucks than a gorgeous silk wrap flowing over your shoulders when you go out in the evening. I also bought piles of lovely sunglass cases and Post-It note holders - if you're family or a close friend I'm sorry but there is no surprise in store for you when your birthday comes round! However it was all in the name of a good cause.

The next Tabitha Silk Fair will be coming up in about four months, so keep your eyes peeled if you are in Singapore. It's well advertised in places like Expat Living magazine and in the events section of various club newsletters and magazines.

Party Party Party

If you think your weekend was busy, imagine have 12 hyperactive noisy boys invading your home for three hours! That's what happened here on Sunday, when we had Niels 7th birthday party.

To be honest birthday parties have never been easier for us now that we're living here in Singapore, since we just hope for good weather (hasn't failed us yet) and let the kids go crazy in the swimming pool.

If you've never been around a bunch of seven year old boys who are in full-on party mode, you probably can't even imagine the amount of noise and chaos they can cause. There was so much testosterone floating around I felt like I was at risk of entering early menopause just by standing in close proximity. That and going deaf.

Happily nothing makes boys happier than constant activity and stimulation and pool parties provide plenty of that. Intervening about once every 30 minutes to either poke food or a new pool tool at them, hubby and I even had time to sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee while the boys burnt off enough energy to power a small town for several hours.

Of course no birthday would be complete without a birthday cake, and this year Niels' request was for a replica of his large wooden ship. Hmmmm. It seemed easier than last years tank but still....

Fortunately I recently discovered a baking supply shop nearby who were able to provide ready made icing which is generally a better texture than home made: stiffer and easier to mould. (Once I've caught my breath I'll tell you all about this little gem of a shop which is just down the road.)

Finally, Niels birthday is over. His Star Wars Lego has been built, twenty iced and decorated cup-cakes (chocolate or banana) distributed to his class and teacher, and the final package unwrapped. The week long festivities have ended at last.

Now Carl is already making up his list for his next birthday.

Happy 7th Birthday Niels!!!!!

Today is Niels birthday!!!!! Happy birthday my blue eyed boy, our first born, full-on, out-doors, country-kid, Star-Wars obsessed, water rat gorgeous son. I can't believe that he was born seven years ago, on a brilliant crisp sunny spring day at Zutphen hospital in Holland. He's grown up so much in the past couple of months and seems so much wiser than he did even half a year ago.

Niels is a very sensitive boy (he cried with me when we read the end of Charlottes Web) and yet he loves to play the solider and re-enact all the Star Wars battle scenes. His favourite part of school is gyn and playing outside, yet he loves to read and will spend hours in the school library if I let him.

Pictured you see him with a Y-wing space ship from the Lego Star Wars collection, something he has desperately craved for months. Now that's a happy face!

Happy birthday to a wonderful son, brother, cousin, grandson and great-grandson. You are much loved, and have always given unconditional love in return.

Naming Ceremoney for Aoka Mizu

Yesterday the official naming ceremony was held for the FPSO Aoka Mizu, after almost two years of construction activity. It was a fun day with plenty of ceremony, one of the highlights of which was a tour of the vessel. Hubby was officially a tour guide for the day, which was a fairly significant change from Marine Superintendent, but he rose to the occassion and herded his groups up and down stair wells, in and out of the accomodation block and around the processing deck without losing anyone. Unfortunatley it POURED with rain throughout and we all got thoroughly wet, but on the bright side, no-one got struck by lightening which seemed like something of a miracle at the time. This explains why Holger looks like a drowned rat in the photo!

I won't bore you with the details of the day but it was topped off with a sumptuous lunch and we were given an awesome gift as a momento, as well as a huge bunch of fresh orchids. I made tonnes of video but have to figure out how to convert the files into a format which Blogspot can use, and this may take a while.

Meanwhile here's a couple of pics, one showing Hubby on the bridge (a position he's going to have to get used to pretty soon) and one of the lion dance which welcomed the guests to the dock side.

Happy Mothers Day

This Sunday is the one day a year when the whole world is supposed to stop and be grateful for the million and one ways our Mum's make our lives great. Here's a big thanks to my Mum! The photo on the left was taken about three years ago when Carl was about a year old.

Click on this link to see a classic video that could probably be a summary of the average daily conversation in just about any household with kids. I guarantee you'll be breathless by the end.

Enjoy!

May The Force Be With You

As you've probably noticed if you're a regular reader of The Singapore Sling, Number 1 and Number 2 - it's just so hard to remember the kids names - are absolutely mad about Star Wars. What started as curiosity sparked by their deviant mother who has always had a Trekkie buried deep inside her has blossomed into an all-consuming, totally absorbing obsession. I can't blame them really. After all, I can hum the entire theme music to Star Trek (Next Generation of course, I couldn't tolerate that ridiculous twit Captain Kirk, thought Deep Sapce Nine was so-so, and as for the Voyager series, puh-lease!).

My fascination with sci-fi dates back to when I was a little girl. I can remember finding a battered and dusty collection of Arthur C Clark and Orson Wells books in the library at intermediate school when I was nine years old and practically devouring them. The first time I read War of the Worlds I was around ten, and by then I'd already listened to the album - on real vinyl in those days! - a dozen times, breathless with excitement. Remember Day of the Triffids when it came on t.v. way, way back in the 1980s? I'd already read Wyndams book several times by then. The new worlds that sci fi opened up, the endless possibilities they seem to propose, were addictive. Many of those old authors thought we'd all being living on protein pills in bubble shaped houses by now, a perfect planet of ageless beings who had conquered hunger, poverty, and conflict. If only they'd known! One of my lasting impressions is the generally optmistic tone of so many of those books, with a few exceptions of course. At the end of the day humans always beat the aliens, justice always prevailed, and the future was guaranteed to be a better place.

So yes, I like my sci-fi. Somewhere in the past 15 years I seem to have gotten off track, or more correctly I got a life, and haven't read any particularly memorable sci-fi for ages.

So I'm quite pleased to plant the seed early in my kids, although I will draw the line at dressing in space suits for school or talking Klingon at dinner. Carl seems to show the most promise. He was playing with the neighbours' Darth Vader mask when I took this photo, and shortly after he announced to me in all seriousness: "I've gone over to the Dark Side".

As if we didn't know already.

Koninginnendag (Queens Birthday) Again

Well ok I know it's a bit late but it's been a BUSY week or so. Last week was the Dutch Queen's birthday (cheers Trixie!), an occasion which is celebrated in exuberant style across the Netherlands and with even more fervent devotion by Dutch ex-pat communities around the globe. Here in Singapore there is quite a substantial Cloggie Community and they love nothing more than to dress up in orange and have fun with their national celebrations.

At the Hollandse School the kids all wear orange and gather in the gym together with Mums and Dads and any stray relatives who may be visiting to hoist the Singaporean and Dutch flags, sing the national anthems, and listen to the Dutch Ambassador make a short speech. A long standing tradition is for the Ambassador to present the school with some large cakes which are divided among the classes later on.

This year the festivities included games for the various Groups organised in classrooms and supervised by Mums. There seems to be an endless capactiy for the school to organise jobs for parents here so there's always plenty of volunteers needed. I was in charge of 'koekjeshappen' which in the absense of Deventer Koek was replaced by marshmallows (basically the kids have to try and bite a marshmallow off a string without using their hands).

The combination of excitement and sugar had an interesting effect on the bunch of 7 year olds I was supervising and I can only say I'm pleased I got to leave at midday!

It's always a fun day though and one the kids really get into. At least they'll know what it's all about when we return to Holland.

Seafood For Dinner, Anyone?

No doubt some of you have heard about the huge squid which is being slowly defrosted in Wellington, New Zealand, after being thoughtfully snap-frozen by fishermen upon being landed on a fishing boat in Antarctica. This is the largest invertebrate in the world, speculated to be the fearsome 'Kraken' from Norse legends.

You have to wonder what it was like trying to squeeze a 495 kilo, ten metre long colossal squid – described as a “gelatinous blob with seriously evil arms” – into a freezer. Who exactly decided the thing was definitely dead and so volunteerd to have the first shove?? Wouldn’t be me, I can tell you that. Take a look at the photo above - would you dare to grab an armful of that and heave it on board? With eyes “the size of dinner plates” and known to be “nasty, aggressive type of squid” this is no Nemo-type pet you take home to give your sisters kid for her birthday. Consider this – this monster specimen is supposedly just a baby, with estimates based on the size of colossal squid beaks found in the bellies of dead whales leading biologists to estimate that the adult ones reach at least three quarters of a tonne in weight.
Scientists at the Te Papa museum, who are slowly defrosting the squid in a tank of salt water to prevent the outside rotting before the inside is thawed enough to conduct research on it, have said that “if it was cut into squid rings, they would be size of tractor tyres, although they would taste like ammonia.” Hmmm, tasty. I knew there was a good reason why I don’t eat squid.

If you’d like to take a peek at this freakish fiend from the deep it will be going on display in Welington at the fabulous Te Papa museum in a HUGE tank of formalin.

Check out the museums website for more info. There was even a Squid Cam while it thawed out. Seriously.