Setting A New Pace

I've never been one for new year's resolutions as, like most people, I set them with massive expectation and all the right intentions but often fall miserably short of actually implementing them into my day to day life. However, this year I feel the need to declare a resolution. It's not as much a "new year's" resolution as it is a wake up call that has been quietly boiling and bubbling under the surface and has finally reared its head and slapped me in the face! This reaslisation is nothing other than resolving to set the pace for my own life rather than letting life set the pace for me. Simple really but profound at the same time!  It's amazing what some time out of your 'normal' life can help you to realise and really change your perspective on things.

For a long time now, I've been trying to keep up with what I thought was the expected pace for all the 'shoes' that I wear. Admittedly, I do wear a lot of 'shoes', compounding the pressure and for all intent and purpose, resulting in me running numerous 'marathons' at the same time which inevitably leaves me spiritually dehydrated, emotionally fatigued, physically spent and not having enjoyed the journey a quarter as much as I would have had I chosen one route at a time. Perhaps that is putting it too literally as I know none of us has only one pair of shoes at any given time and it's difficult with today's demands to get through a single day wearing only one pair of shoes. I believe the secret is to choose carefully the shoes that you want to keep, the shoes that really aren't shoes at all but rather garments that you never truly take off. The other shoes, the ones that you don't want to keep, must be relinquished to those that do want to wear them and often wear them better than you ever will. Others you might lock away in the closet in case you ever need them again but really, buying a new pair of shoes for a new occasion is one of lifes fabulosities si o vote for chucking them.

So that's what I've decided to do - clean out my shoe cupboard, embrace the ones I keep, enjoy each pair for what it is and, above all, try not to wear all of them on the same day or at the same time. That way I can set my own pace and enjoy the journey, despite the distance. And of course, remember that its ok not to wear any shoes sometimes too.

A New Year

Hubby and Mum - Marina Bay

Wow! The past 3 weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind. Our first 'Christmas in the Tropics' has come and gone and Singapore is abuzz with preparations for Chinese New Year which falls on the 23rd and 24th of January. I feel like I'm being whisked along a walking tour of an annual calendar as Singapore celebrates just about every culture and religion's holidays and festivals. It is quite impressive to see just how efficient this City State is at gearing up and down for each event. There must be some pretty hefty project managers in the background overseeing Singapore's transformation from Christmas trees and snowflakes to orange and red ribbon laden fruit trees and red Dragons. We are super excited to witness the ushering in of the auspicious 'Year of the Dragon' and are in 2 minds whether to stick around in Singapore for the Chinese New Year festivities or get away for the long weekend.

High Tea at Raffles on Christmas Day

We had a fabulous time with Brig during her 2 weeks with us. Her flight touched down in Singapore at 7am on Christmas day which meant that Nick and I had an early morning start, reminiscent of Christmas days as children when we used to wake our folks as early as possible in hopes of tucking into the mound of pressies below the tree! After realising that we didn't know the gate Brig was arriving through, we did some hot-stepping through the airport and eventually found mother-ee-dee sitting on a bench waiting for us! We hopped in a taxi and headed home for a much needed cup of tea and some breakfast.

After opening pressies and giggling about the bits and pieces Mom had brought us in her suitcase we decided, in true Brig style, to head into the City. We bussed it downtown to Marina Bay with miserable weather hovering over us and quick bursts of drizzle every now and again. Walking and talking is something us Hopkins woman are exceptionally good at so our mother-daughter catch up was not delayed at all by our decision to head into the City rather than spend the morning at home.

As part of Mom's Christmas gift, I had booked the 3 of us into The Raffles Hotel for high tea on Christmas Day! What a delight! After missioning around town for a couple of hours we headed back to our place where Mom took a nap after which we showered and donned our Raffles appropriate kit and then zooted off for an afternoon of unashamed colonial indulgence. The whole experience was fabulous. We were seated in the Tiffon Room with a three tiered cake stand adorning our table, stacked with fresh cucumber and salmon sandwiches, tarts of all kinds and cheese cake slivers to die for. We ordered some Champagne and then tucked into the buffet which comprised of a selection of dim sum, fresh fruit and a range of cakes, puddings and desserts that, even with a sweet tooth, one would find intimidating.

Ready for our walk at MacRichie

With our blood sugar levels higher than they've probably ever been, we left Raffles and walked through the Colonial District towards Collyer Quay where we found a cold beer, much to Nick's delight, and a breezy table next to the river. We spent the rest of the evening chatting, people watching and soaking it all up. We were glad to be with family - Christmas is supposed to be spent with family.

Tree top canopy walk

Boxing Day is also a public holiday in Singapore and we decided to take advantage of Nick not having to work by spending the day at MacRichie Reservoir doing one of their trails through the reserve. We ended up walking more than 12km's that day which was no small feat as it was an absolute stinker and Brig certainly got a rude introduction to Singapore's humidity and what we are affectionately referring to these days as the 'Singapaore sweat'. The walk was beautiful and the reserve in excellent condition. Thankfully we had decided to pack some lunch and snacks which Nick willingly lugged around as we ended up walking for over 5 hours. The tree-top canopy walk was definitely a highlight and the 'jungle', although not virgin, was a pretty good example of what most of Singapore must have been like prior to the 40's. We walked along the outskirts of the Singapore Island Country Club golf course and I could literally see the longing in Nick's eyes for a game of golf. After a long, hot day we were glad to get home, shower and spend an evening at home.

12km's down in the sweltering heat

Nick was back to work on the 27th so Brig and I decided to get on our bikes and cycle the 13 km's to the airport along East Coast Park. It was a beautiful day with the threat of rain but no actual drops until we were home. I don't think Mom could believe the number of ships along the coast line - it really does look like a movie set with hundreds of ships waiting. We sat and watched people attempt the cable ski which is Singapore's answer to wake boarding without a boat.

East Coast Park

They have rigged a cable around a massive sea water pool which pulls skiers or wake boarders around and around as if they were being pulled by a speed boat. As you can imagine, there were those who fluffed it completely and ended up face planting themselves before they even got up and then those who were really impressive to watch whilst they did tricks for the crowd and actually used the ramps. Further along our cycle we found a rest spot overlooking the sea and ordered an average but over priced milkshake and iced tea. We headed back home just in time to miss the rain.

Brig on her bike

We had been invited to one of Nick's colleagues birthday bash that evening so we headed into town to meet up with Nick.

Tea stop in Little India

Wednesday saw us hit the shops - which initially wasn't as much fun as we had thought. Brig was not too keen on the high end malls (who is unless you are a millionaire?) or the cheap Chinese nik-nak markets but we found our way to little India where we happened upon a really beautiful store and managed to negotiate our way to purchasing a whole lot of gorgeous Indian textile goods and crafts.  2 table clothes, an elephant tea cosy and 2 hand bags later we left the store smiling and chuffed with our purchases. We made our way to Mustafa's Centre stopping for a cup of 'tea' on our way. When you order tea and coffee in a Singaporean eating house or hawker centre it is very strong and has about 3 teaspoons of condensed milk at the bottom. I stirred the condensed milk into the tea to experience the flavour but Brig couldn't stand the sweetness so gulped hers down before the tea and condensed milk had time to combine. Mustafa's was a hit! At last we indulged in some retail therapy and found all sorts of interesting things including a 2 for 1 Hugo Boss fragrance special which we decided was our bargain deal for the day!

Cable car to Sentosa

Nick and I had so enjoyed our visit to Fort Siloso at Sentosa Island that I decided Brig needed to see it too. This time we decided to make our way onto Sentosa via the cable car from Vivo City! What a let down! For $25 each we were literally taken up and then down in a cable car ride that lasted approximately 8 mins. We managed to get one or two photos in whilst "in the air" but on the whole decided that it was a complete waste of money and time and opted to walk back via the promenade linking the island and Vivo City.

Fort Siloso Monkeys

Thankfully Fort Silos made up for the poor cable car experience and we enjoyed an afternoon wondering around taking in the history and witnessing a pretty impressive mating dance by a beautiful male peacock in hot pursuit of his white peacock queen.

Drinks break in Chinatown

As has become customary, my 5pm call to Nick to see what his ETA from work would be was met by a grumpy resigned sigh at the fact that it was going to be a long night for him in the office. With that in mind, Brig and I decided to hit Chinatown on our way home and meet up with Nick thereafter for a midnight snack. Chinatown, as always, was buzzing and we started our jaunt with an ice-cold mocktail at one of the famous yellow plastic chair restaurants in the touristy centre. By that stage we had been on our feet for a considerable length of time but I was adamant that we should try and catch the chanting Monks at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which my travel guide had informed me takes place at 7.30pm every evening. We waited around and even bought another pashmina to cover our shoulders when we went into the temple on to find out that they lock the doors at 7pm and therefore we couldn't get it.

Chinese New Year lanterns

We headed back to the East Coast and met up with Nick at Two Fat Men for our usual Green Chicken Curry and a beer before heading home exhausted.

Nick navigating in Penang

We flew to Penang on the afternoon of the 31st and made our way to our hotel in Georgetown! Georgetown certainly is in stark contrast to slick, fast paced Singapore and you can literally feel your heart beat slow down as you kick into lower gear. We spent our first afternoon cruising the streets of the historical district and admiring the beautiful buildings, most of which have UNESCO heritage status since 1995.

NYE at the Red Garden

We had spotted a bit of a a bustle developing in a big park called the Esplanade and on enquiring established that there was to be a cultural concert in the evening in honour of the Chief Minister followed by a music concert and fireworks display! We enjoyed the cultural show exhibiting local performances from all sectors of Penang's diverse multi-cultural population and I got to try out the functions on my new Sony a35 camera! We witnessed Punjabi dancing girls, flame throwers, Malay carnival performing groups in which we recognised the origins of our Cape Malay heritage and culture in the Western Cape of South Africa!

Cultural concert at the Esplanade Penang

After the concert we decided to head back to the hotel for a shower and then find some food before returning to the Esplanade for the count down and fireworks display! We managed to find cold beer and delicious chicken satay at a spot called the Red Garden where Malaysia's very own 'Elvis' and 'Lady Ga Ga' impersonators were entertaining the crowd! We made friends with a lone American guy from California who invited us to share his table as the place was packed and we had arrived at 10pm on New Years Eve! We enjoyed our first drink for the evening at around 10.30pm - perhaps the most sobre NYE we've had in years and marvelled at the number of toddlers still awake whilst their parents enjoyed the entertainment and local fare.

Happy New Year!!

At about 11.45pm Brig and I forced Nick away from ordering another beer and we headed to the Esplanade just in time to catch the count down and the fireworks display! It was spectacular! And we were so impressed with how orderly and polite everyone was - no pushing and shoving, no drunkenness, just a gathering of locals happily ushering in the new year! The walk back to the hotel was a bit more of a challenge as the number of motorcycles on the road was unprecedented! I have NEVER seen so many motorcylces on the go at one time in the same place!

Motorcycle central

Back at the hotel we decided to have one last drink in the lounge and listen to the resident all female act - the Sugarbeats - belt out their last few songs for the night! What an experience. We decided that 'all female' was a slightly misleading way to describe the 4 lovely lasses that churned out some of Tina Turna and Shakira's all time favourites.....I don't think Nick will ever be the same again :) We did however meet a fabulous couple from Holland who said they had been wanting to visit South Africa for years but their travel agent had advised them that because they were a racially mixed couple they would not be welcomed and find it difficult to get around. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! We set the record straight and gave them our email address. Never ceases to amaze me what garbage is still perpetuated out there about our lovely country!!

Dutch couple we convinced to visit SA

New Years day was spent visiting more of the local sites and admiring the various temples in and around Penang. We visited the famous Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi where scenes from the movie 'Anna and the King' were shot as Thailand wouldn't allow them to shoot there. Nick and I have since watched the movie - it's really good. Definitely worth it if you haven't already seen it.

Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi

We headed up to Batu Ferringi in the north of the island for a walk along the beach and some dinner.



Busy but beautiful Batu Ferringie



The beach was chaotically busy being New Years Day which detracted slightly from what I'm sure is a pleasant beach on a normal day. We had a delicious dinner at a local spot and were shocked by complaints by the hostess that they were too busy and "can't people see we are busy and go somewhere else?" Interesting business strategy!

We got up early on Monday the 2nd as we had booked a day trip into the mangroves on the north west coast of Penang followed by a guided walk through the Penang National Park which is the smallest National Park in the world!

Nick and Beatrice

We were introduced to Beatrice, our guide for the day, who took us first to a local market to buy our lunch of fermented rice, rice and fish curry, fresh pineapple and other bits and bobs that I can't remember the name of. Instead of plastic cartons and packets, all the food is neatly wrapped up in banana leaves in a triangular shape that makes the most effective travelling container for food. We established that Beatrice and her husband were actually durian farmers in the area and had lived in Penang all their lives. We arrived at the river where we hopped onto a boat and set off up stream into the mangroves. Utter bliss!

The mangroves

I felt as though we were in our own National Geographic feature gliding up the river with eagles and cranes circling above. I can honestly say I think it was one of the most beautiful places in the world. We eventually turned towards to sea and headed up the coast towards a beach where we were dropped off and would begin our hike through the jungle. There was one problem though...in our haste to leave we had forgotten to bring drinking water with us! Rookie error. Beatrice had a spare bottle with her but she said we should check at the rangers hut whether we could get anymore as 1 bottle between 3 of us in that heat in the jungle would not last too long.

Being dropped off on the beach

So we headed to the rangers hut where we found no water but the cutest monkey you have ever seen. Beatrice explained that it was a Dusky Leaf Monkey that had been confiscated from a poacher who had kept it as a pet for quite some time. They had tried to release her back into the jungle but she was not welcomed by the other monkeys and kept coming back to the rangers hut because all she knew to eat was rice!

Does this moneky look like it wants to bite you?

I immediately started taking a couple of photographs whilst we were standing around and the next thing the monkey casually sauntered over to me, put her little hands onto my right arm and bit me! There was no aggression at all and I certainly had not provoked the monkey in any way. I had just taken a couple of pictures of her eating her rice out of a red plastic bowl. When the monkey came towards me I honestly thought that she was going to climb up onto my shoulder and therefore did not shove her away or shoo or or anything. But, the reality was that I had been bitten by a monkey in the Malaysian jungle and as that reality sunk in I began to panic. With the panic came tears by which time Beatrice had bandaged my little puncture wounds up with anti-sceptic and Brig and Nick were now trying to calm me down.

Mum on the beach

There was no quick way off the beach as you can only get there by boat or through the jungle and our boat had already left us. So, the only option was to do the walk that we were originally supposed to and then get to a doctor as quickly as possible once we were out of the jungle. Beatrice had phoned ahead and arranged for her husband to pick us up at a closer location than our original pick up point and we began our trek through the jungle. I think I was a little bit overwhelmed by the whole experience and don't even remember how hot it was or how quickly we were walking but we made it through the jungle (which really was spectacular when I stopped and took notice) and we were greeted by Joseph, Beatrice's husband who took us to the local hospital in Penang.

Drinking fresh coconut juice to rehydrate after the days events

On arriving at the hospital we noticed a long queue and were told it would be some time before we saw a doctor and that's when the Joburg girl in me came to the fore and I told Nick to get me to a private hospital as quickly as possible. Joseph kindly sped us off to the nearest private hospital which was a little bit more what I was used to and I saw a doctor immediately. He explained that Malaysia currently has no threat of rabbies but that if I insisted he would administer a rabbies jab. We opted against it as Beatrice assured us we could observe the monkey and if in 10 days it got sick or displayed any symptoms, I could go and have the jab immediately. I did however had a tetanus injection and they cleaned me up nicely and sent me home with a course of anti-biotics and swabs and bandages to clean my teeny tiny little puncture wounds! WHAT a palaver! But quite a story! Not everyone gets to say that they were bitten by a monkey in Malaysia :)

Penang Hill

We took it pretty easy on our last day in Penang and went up the cable car to the top of Penany hill. We followed that with a ridiculously oversized lunch of mushroom burgers and apply pie at The Eastern Oriental Hotel and flew back to Singapore in the evening which I think might be the most frustrating airport experience I've had to date. The concept of a queue in Asia just simply does not exist and people sometimes forget that they are on an aeroplane rather than a bus. Nonetheless, we got home safely and were glad to be so. I saw the doc here the following day and she gave me the thumbs up. The monkey has been taken for blood tests and is under observation and we'll hear in the next day or so if all is ok. I'm sure it will be!

The beautiful National Museum of Singapore

Brig's last few days were spent seeing the rest of the sights in Singapore and shopping for family and friends, all of which are getting goodies from a very generous Brig on her arrival back home! Nick's crazy hours were back to haunt him but we managed a couple of lovely dinners at home and even a bottle of wine or two which is always a treat in Singapore due to the expense!!!

Lunch at the Fullerton Hotel on Mum's last day

I was very sad to say goodbye to Brig on Friday night - I think the next 6 month period will be the longest I haven't seen her in a number of years! But thank goodness for Skype and facebook - makes being away from home all that much easier.

The new year's diary is filling up fast and we have been invited to a wedding in Singapore on the 3rd of March with a wack of visits from friends and family and other newbies arriving to stay in Singapore. I'm going to be trying to hone my photography skills over the next couple of months and try to squeeze in as much travelling as possible as we only have 4 months left!

I know 2012 is going to be a good year for us - I can feel it in my bones. We are very excited to welcome baby Daniel to the world - congratulations Ilse and Jayson! What a fabulous way to start your year. Here's wishing everyone an excellent year filled with much love, prosperity and happiness.

All my love

Nicky

xx