Issue #15

A Second Holiday Season in Singapore
15 January 2012

One of my readers asked me to write about how I spent the festive season this year. This was my second Christmas in Singapore and I noticed some things that I hadn't noticed last year. For example, the wait staff in all of the restaurants were wearing reindeer antler hairbands or Santa hats. Also, roasted turkeys with "all the trimmings" were available from most restaurants to cater Christmas dinner.

I spent Christmas Eve with my new friends starting with lunch and shopping with Venita in the afternoon of December 24th and then joining Jennifer and Rukesh for more food, drinking and merriment later in the evening. The 'drinking and merriment' went on until dawn. Christmas dinner was eaten again this year at Santa's house and as before, there was plenty of food, wine and good company. We were even treated to Christmas carols played on violins by two charming, young sisters.

New Year's Eve was celebrated at Tai Mai Shu in Chinatown. This small pub is a little bit like the hostess bars in Japan. The girls who work there are from the Phillipines and although they were working they were also celebrating. There was singing, dancing, food, and yes, you guessed it - drinking! And that was the last alcohol that I consumed. I resolved to eschew alcohol in 2012 and it has been 15 days and counting. (ed.note - I managed to last 6 weeks and caved under peer pressure)

In the interest of determining how many readers the AFB can claim, I am asking you to hit the reply button and return this to me. Although I really appreciate the feedback I receive, it is not necessary to write anything unless you really want to. I am trying to determine how many of the newsletters I send actually reach their intended recipients. I suspect that some end up in people's junk mail. Thanks for your help with this. (ed. note - there is no reply button on this blog but feel free to comment)

Issue #14

Seasons Greetings and All the Best in 2012

23 December 2011

     As the new year is only a few days away I though it was time that I wrote about William 'Billy' Duncan. He was born on the 15th of June, 1949 in Scotland and by the time I met him on the 31st of December 2010 in Penang, Malaysia, he was living, albiet with no fixed address, in Kuantan, Malaysia. I thought, when I met him, that he lived in Penang and would later learn that he was so fond of Penang that he wanted to buy a house there. I wrote in my journal,"I don't remember any of their names but I hope they will contact me because it would be so fine to have friends in Penang."
Well, Billy did contact me. He called a couple of weeks later to say he would be in Singapore and would I like to meet up for drinks. Actually, I am denying his comic genius. What he said was,"Is this Miss Brandle? Would you like a gin Martini?" That line isn't as funny without the back story - so here it is.
     It was New Year's Eve 2010 and I was drinking a martini at Farquart's Bar at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel in Penang when Billy and his cohorts arrived. That was the only drink I paid for, and rest assured, I had many, many more! Later Billy would recount how he had never met a woman who could drink so much and was worried that if I died as a result of consuming such an awful lot of alcohol, he would be responsible. (I think I just heard my Canadian friends sniggering.) Photographs will attest that I was already pissed when we left the E & O. We continued on to other of Billy's favourite haunts. It was thanks to Billy that my New Year's Eve was such a blast!

     When he came to Singapore, he wanted me to go to lunch with Margaret Say, the Regional Director of the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council. He assured me that this dynamo was someone I should network with. I was unable to go to lunch the next day with him, Margaret, Simon and Jimmy. I never saw Billy with his eyes open again. A few weeks after his visit to Singapore I received an invitation to a dinner being sponsored by the USAPEEC. I smiled knowing that Billy must surely be behind it.

     I don't think that I have mentioned yet that Billy was a bit of a technophobe and he was proud that he couldn't be 'googled'. He wouldn't use Facebook or Twitter, wouldn't email or text but he would use the telephone and, as I found out, the fax machine (unless he got someone else to send his handwritten note by fax to me). In between the evening in Singapore, which by the way did not cost me a penny, and the arrival of the invitation by post, I received a fax. I had sent my non-techie friend a good, old-fashioned thank you note. I wrote it on hand-stencilled note paper that Bev Worthington had given me for Christmas long ago. Billy had been all over Asia so in my note to him I asked his opinion regarding different destinations such as Langkawi, Malaysia; Bali, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand. He responded to my query by fax. Included on his fax was contact information for Armo; part friend, part guardian angel.

     I promptly prepared a response and faxed it back. And I waited. I didn't realize that the office fax had not successfully sent a fax since we had moved to the new office four months earlier. We thought we had resolved the fax problem when we discovered a month after moving that we hadn't received a single fax - not even the usual spate of junk faxes selling services to businesses. Apparently, we had only resolved the incoming part of the problem. After waiting and then waiting some more, I checked the machine and then tried several more times to send it again. Finally, I scanned it and sent it to Armo's email asking him to give it to Billy.

     I sent one of the cat cards my sister Pat gave me for Christmas one year to thank him for arranging the invitation and to tell him that I looked forward to seeing him again. I began formulating a plan whereby I would buy a stunning ensemble to wear to Carmen & Ramon's wedding and give it a 'dress rehearsal' at the USAPEEC dinner. I looked good! I stood gulping red wine, sucking in my tummy and trying not to sweat. I faced the entrance trusting that Billy would come striding in at any moment. Instead, a very tiny woman walked briskly toward me and speaking just as briskly asked, "Are you Billy's friend?" "He is in hospital in critical condition." "I don't know what happened, you should call Jimmy." She gave me her card and I gave her mine and then she was gone to be MC etc. on stage because she was hosting this event.

     I stood there absolutely stunned. I drank a couple more glasses of wine (here in Singapore a glass of house wine costs between 8 and 15 dollars so if it is free it would be foolish not to have a few) thinking that Simon would appear and clear up the mystery; fill in the gaps, as it were. When he didn't show, I decided to call him. He was just back from the Phillipines or New Zealand and had not heard a thing. I asked him to call Jimmy and let me know the details.

     By the time I reached home, Simon had forwarded a text from Jimmy written in uppercase, it read "IN ICU NOW. HE GOT LUNG INFECTION. HAVING RESPIRATORY DIFFICULTY. HE ALSO GOT MULTIPLE BRAIN ABSSESS (sic). HE IS IN COMA CONDITION RIGHT NOW. TKS JIMMY" In a state of confusion, I replied as though I was replying to Jimmy in Kuantan but, in fact, was sending to Simon in Singapore. I wrote, "Jimmy, tell him I want him to be well. Tell him that I want to dance with him. If you tell him, he will get better but you must believe!" The next day I wrote emails to Simon, to Margaret, to Armo, even to the generic sales@primafood address. Someone had to have more information!!

     Gradually it dawned on me that I must go to Kuantan to tell Billy in person what I had told Jimmy to tell him. I knew from having done some research that Firefly (Malaysian Airlines local/commuter airline) has direct flights from Singapore to Kuantan. I also knew that they offer air and hotel packages. The one catch was that you must book at least one week in advance. I found out on Tuesday night that Billy was in hospital. I did not know until Wednesday afternoon in which hospital or even in which city. If I had been willing to wait until the following Wednesday I could have bought a package on-line but I wanted to go for the weekend. I checked on Zuji, the on-line budget site, and other airlines went but it would cost more than $600 SGD for the flight. I am not a cheapskate, a skinflint or a tightwad but honestly, I am not affluent enought to spend that much money to jet off for a weekend!

     On Thursday I called the telephone number provided on Firefly's website and booked a flight - they were not able to get me a room. Those of my readers who have known me since I started travelling will tell you that the 'old' Andrea would not have hesitated to arrive in a place without accomodation arranged in advance. But I am not young and I have learned that I like to know that I can spend my first few hours in a new place getting oriented rather than trying to find a bed for the night. I let Armo, who I had never met and who had no reason to care one bit about my comings and goings, know my flight itinerary. I then proceeded to try and find accomodation near the hospital.

The flight was on a prop plane and it has been a very, long time since I flew that way. We were delayed leaving Chiangi but the one hour flight was uneventful. Peanuts and a juice box were provided free of charge. When we arrived in Kuantan the heavens opened and a deluge poured down. Armo was waiting for me. He called the proprietor of the homestay I had arranged on-line and pronounced it unsuitable. Apparently, it was very far from the hospital. He brought me to the Greenleaf, a moderately priced hotel near the hospital.

     It was from Armo that I learned the details of Billy's illness and hospitalization. He was a good friend to Billy and as I know very well, a good and true friend is like a guardian angel. Firefly only flies from Singapore to Kuantan and back on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, so I took the Friday off work to make this weekend trip, which means that Armo was interrupting his work to fetch a stranger from the airport and find her accomodation. Due to my late arrival, I was unable to visit Billy until later in the day on Friday. Armo came back to the hotel to bring me to the hospital and show me the procedure. I have no doubt that I would have managed somehow to figure all this out on my own but I am also quite certain it would have been much more difficult.

     I have never seen a person in a coma before, films not withstanding, and it was a bit of a shock to see this robust, vigorous man laid out flat with tubes and wires everywhere. But I had a mission and I was not to be dissuaded. So I held Billy's hand and I rubbed Billy's feet and I stroked Billy's brow. I talked and sang (they should consider piping music into ICU). I joked with the nursing staff telling Billy how pretty they were and telling them how much he liked pretty women. When people, both Muslim and Christian, told me they would pray for Billy, I thanked them because I know the power of prayer.

     There are no morning visiting hours in the ICU at Kuantan General Hospital so I wasn't going to be able to see Billy on Sunday morning. I kissed his forehead Saturday evening and told him that I would come and visit him when I returned from Spain. I told him that I wanted him to be awake when I visited again. The following Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. Billy decided to 'shake off this mortal coil' and left behind his pain and troubles.

 

Issue # 13

 05 November 2011

I must apologize for the long wait for this issue of the AFB. I am finishing Memoirs of a Cat Named Dog and was busy preparing a book proposal for the Bukowski Agency in Toronto. For those readers just joining us, AFB stands for Asia For Beginners because Singapore is the easiest place to manage in all of Asia.

My neighbourhood is, by day, a colourful place with plenty of local eateries and shops housed in historical buildings. When the sun goes down it becomes the famous Geylang redlight district. Three evenings a week I walk home the length of historic Joo Chiat Road from the gym where I work out. The girls who work this street wear six inch heels and six inch skirts. I, by contrast, wear comfortable shoes and office appropriate attire. I have my gym bag and purse slung over one shoulder and my lunch bag and shopping in the other hand. This doesn't stop some men in cars from slowing down to take a closer look. I have even been honked at a few times. My friend Lydia used to say "There is a hammer for every head" and this proves it. Maybe they think it would be a bit kinky to have sex with a woman who doesn't look like a prostitute!

Issue #12

My Favourite Things about Singapore
10 August 2011

Yesterday was Singapore's 46th National Day. It occurred to me that Singapore might be the youngest country and largest city in which I have ever lived. With the help of Google and Wikipedia I learned that, in fact, Botswana is one year younger than Singapore having been granted independence in 1966 and that Toronto has the same population as Singapore (five million). Even though it isn't the youngest or largest it has many things that make it special. Following is a list of my top ten favourite things in Singapore. They are in no particular order.

1) Changi Airport - It has won over 360 awards for customer service and security and has free internet and free massage chairs.
2) VISA debit cards - The convenience of a credit card without the debt and interest charges.
3) MRT goes directly to Changi Airport - It is so convenient, some people go to the airport just to go shopping!
4) Many styles of clothes are acceptable - From Dior to burqas; from Manolo Blahniks to flip-flops.
5) Multicultural with lots of mixed races - There are 4 official languages; English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil
6) Religious tolerance and respect - Buddhist and Hindu temples, mosques and churches neighbour one another.
7) Every kind of food and drink including a few things I am hesitant to try (see The AFB -Issue #1)
8) Trees, flowers & fountains everywhere
9) Security and safety - My bank account came with a device that produces a code that adds an additional layer of security to on-line banking.
10) Chilli Sauce - yummy :-)

Issue #11‏

Andrea in Indonesia

25 May 2011

 

 

Earlier this month I had an 'overseas' trip to the Indonesian island of Batam. I had purchased a "1 Day Batam City/Shopping Tour with Live Seafood Lunch" for 1/2 price ($35) from Tip-it, an on-line discounter. I had never used Tip-it before but as this was the only package I had ever seen on these deal websites (Groupon, Deals etc.) that didn't state that you had to buy 2, I thought I'd get it. I am a "glass is half-full" person; in fact, I'm more like a "glass is brimming" kind of person and the silver-lining in the using Tip-it cloud is that I was introduced to Winston Kwek of Asiapoint Travel Brokers. I suspect he doesn't think of me as the silver-lining in this mess. The voucher I received indicated that bookings with Asiapoint were required. There was an address and a string of numbers that turned out to be a phone number. There was no email address nor website indicated. On my first attempt, I was not able to get up to the 6th floor because I arrived after 7 p.m. so the next time I got there about 6:35 p.m. and went up but the door was locked. I dialed the 8 digits and heard a phone ringing on the inside. I let it ring until my phone automatically hung up. No message offering office hours or taking a message came on. I returned home, Googled Asiapoint, found an enquiries email address and wrote a scathing email asking if this was some kind of scam. I then forwarded the email to customer service at Tip-it. The Tip-it people wrote back telling me to contact Winston and they then provided his email address. I called him to see if we couldn't get this sorted. It was Friday the 3rd. The non-refundable voucher stated "bookings to be made by 4 Jun 2011" and I wanted to go to Batam on Sunday the 5th. He knew immediately who I was I when I said "May I please speak to Winston?" He said "Is this Andrea?" Anyway, to make a very long story marginally shorter, he ended up having to send his daughter along because there was a minimum two pax per booking rule for this package, a fact Tip-it had omitted to mention.

Jennifer is the coolest person I have met in Singapore. She sports a funky hairstyle and has already done many things in her life worth writing about. She was crew on an oil tanker for a year! Thanks entirely to her, a rainy Sunday that would have been less than a footnote in my Singapore story became a truly enjoyable day. I hope to go back to Batam when the sun is shining.

Issue #9

6 April 2011

This issue of the AFB is coming to you from Lisbon, Portugal and is about Barcelona, Spain.

An entry in Lonely Planet: Spain 8th Edition led me to Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu in the El Raval area of Barcelona. The Lonely Planet lures its readers to the "architectural masterpiece from another age". What the guidebook omitted to tell me, but what I will tell you, is that nestled within the gardens of the central courtyard is an alfresco restaurant. Go to the El Jardi even if history and architecture are not your passion. Order un litro of sangria and watch the entertaining array of people who frequent the interior courtyard of what is now the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Catalonia's National Library).

Not a fan of sangria (theirs comes with large chunks of fruit in it)? Then eat! The menu has 'typical' Catalan tapas such as tomato bread or black pudding with onion and classics like Gazpacho Andaluz or Patatas Bravas. If you want more than one tapa, El Jordi offers combination plates called degustation on the menu, as well as salads and desserts.

The menu advises that on nights when there is live music prices increase by 1€. They are open from midday to midnight.

Issue #6‏

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
02 February 2011

Today is the first of 15 days of Chinese New Year. Last night was the eve of CYN and was celebrated with 'reunion' dinners. Thought by many to be the most important part of Chinese New Year, the reunion dinner is a time for families to gather. Special food is eaten and some is offered to the gods to ensure prosperity in the coming year.

I have never before lived in a country where Chinese New Year is a national holiday. According to the 2010 census, 74.1% of the 5.08 million people who live on the island of Singapore have Chinese ethnicity. According to Yen Feng in The Strait Times,"The two traditional religions of the Chinese still have the largest following in Singapore..." with 33.3% Buddhists and 10.9% Taoists. Jeremy Au Yong reports in the same newspaper, "Mandarin remains the most widely spoken language in Singapore homes, contrary to the notion that the language is losing ground to English." So it is not surprising that Chinese New Year is such a big deal here.

Tonight I am going to Chinatown and to see a display called River Hong Bao. Stay tuned for more about Chinese New Year in Singapore.