And then we came to the end…

We’re back in California now. After three weeks of being back in Los Gatos, it still hardly seems real.

So, I’m turning back to this blog to “wrap it up”.

Our final days in Singapore were wonderful, bittersweet and touching. We had numerous going away parties! We felt so loved and so lucky for the farewell from friends.

Ben’s an enthusiastic party goer! Here are some of our favorite neighbors – Brenton, Adrian, Alex, Nicholas, Pacific, Lanceton, Nicky Grigg

Here’s a couple of pictures of special friends:

So many afternoons and evenings and Saturdays and Sundays spent with Alex and his family.

Our dear friends Scott and Sarah had their new baby girl and we were so lucky to be able to visit her before we moved:

And in our last month at 26 Oakwood Grove, yet another stray cat took up residency. We were lucky to get Sarah (Alex’s mom) to adopt this kitty. They are the perfect family to take this cat from Ferrel to Family!

this is when Arlene and I capture the kitty to transfer him to Sarah’s house.

And as Christmas approached, we watched our home get slowly packed away. It wasn’t too festive but we did our best:

The moving took over and we could only join in:

In the end, it took a team of Malaysians to shut down our life:

And we haven’t seen our stuff since! I tried to tell my friend Sarah that “Home is where the Heart is”:

She wasn’t the slightest bit touched by my sentimentality and quickly countered: “Home is where your Crap is”. Well, it’s been about 6 weeks since we’ve seen our Crap and we all agree whole heartedly now! We won’t feel at home until our crap gets here!

So, in the meantime, once our container took sail, we were lucky enough to be distracted by Ben’s baseball tournament in Bangkok. We all flew off to the 10 and Under baseball games being held at the International School of Bangkok. A more perfect distraction could not be had! The games were exciting and it was fun to experience the different cultural aspects between the teams. Ben pitched the opening game and the closing game:

And after the tournament, we went up to Chiang Mai for one last Asian Adventure:

We ziplined on the world’s longest set of ziplines while in Chiang Mail:

We went to some hot springs outside of Chiang Mai and discovered the local delicacy of “hot spring boiled eggs”!

We took a wonderful bike ride out to a lake:

They did the best they could with Christmas in Chiang Mai:

Once we returned to Singapore for our final time, we really just had to clean house and, the hardest part of all, say good by to Arlene.

Arlene helped me clean the mold off this leather jacket before taking it home to USA. I asked her to try the jacket on. I don’t think she’s ever worn so much clothing!

We were all so sad to part ways. We’re staying in touch via Facebook but it’s not the same. Arlene was so much more than just a help around the house or a companion when Dave was gone. She was a friend and a good part of our household and family. We miss her everyday.

So, this chapter of our lives has come to an end. And, it is sad. Now that we’re back in CA and the trauma of making the move is over, it’s easy to put Singapore in the rear view mirror. But, we will never forget what we gained after our almost 5 years in Singapore: a love of Asia, a desire to travel more and more, and a strong connection with our family through our summer travels. We also made – most literally – a world of friends: starting with our friends and family from the USA who traveled around the world to visit us, to the friends we made in Singapore who now span the globe. Our time in Asia may have ended for now, but our world is forever enriched as a result. We have been fortunate.

So Singapore

We walked around the Marina Bay…the newly developed Marina Bay today. It’s a spectacular and amazing place. It’s hard to believe this was a forest of cranes when we moved here…and now there’s nothing even slightly resembling a forest or any natural object but for the systematically cleaned riverways in sight.

Concrete Singapore

Reflection

Three Crazy Boys at Marina Bay

We also had a chance to visit a modern art exhibit at the Old Kallang Airport today. Dave really enjoyed visiting an old airport – from the 1950s. I enjoyed some of the exhibit:

Modern Art - Ben (on right) and our friend Nicky Grigg

Nicky flies his kite outside the old terminal building as Dave enjoys

Another trip to Pulau Ubin

Deepavali Bike Ride on Pulau Ubin

Posted November 5, 2010 by teammak in Bike Rides. Leave a Comment | Edit

All the Kids at the Pulau Ubin Visitor Center

It was doubtful at first! The crowds! The rain! But we persevered and had a wonderful day biking on Pulau Ubin.

The crowds were unprecedented! We all know the rule in Singapore: STAY HOME on public holidays!! But, for some reason we thought Pulau Ubin would be immune to the rule. It was very crowded. The Changi Point Ferry Terminal was bustling and the queue twisted round like a line for a Disney ride. But, more bumboats than ever were driving today so the line went very quick.
Here’s Natalie and Colin and a glimpse of part of the queue for the bumboat:

Crowds at the Changi Ferry Terminal

 

Here’s our driver:

classic bum boat driver!

 

It was amazing how smoothly the bike rental process went. Considering how “back in time” Pulau Ubin is, the little island handled the crowds well. In short time, everyone had their bikes. Here’s some of our crowd ready to go:

Ben ready to go!

AJ Ready to Go!

Aaannnd Hayden ready to go!

 

We had a great time riding thru the jungle

Thru the jungle…

and climbing up the tower:

From atop the tower

Looking down from the tower…there’s some Messicks!

We really enjoyed exploring the mangrove. We saw crabs, mudskippers, mangrove trees and crazy Asians counting the boards on the boardwalk!

Hayden in the mangrove swamp

On the boardwalk!

And let’s not forget it was Deepavali!

happy deepavali!

 

2010 Singapore National Day Celebration

Today is Singapore’s 45th birthday!

And we have now lived here two full years. This is the 3rd National Day Celebration we have witnessed. This time we watched all the festivities on TV. It was quite interesting. They spared no expense!

Here is my tribute to the progress in Singapore. When we moved here in 2008, the SG skyline was all cranes. Ugly!

2008 Skyline

2010 - Today

Deepavali comes around again! First Grade Field trip to Little India

Starting to feel like we live here.  When you see the same celebrations from last year you know you’ve seen the full cycle of Singapore life.

Today I joined Ben and his class on a field trip to Little India.  Deepavali will be in full swing next week but Little India is gearing up now.  The lights, the decorations, the flowers, the smells, the curry!  Here are some highlights from our time there:

Ben, his teacher and classmates in Little India

Ben and Oliver admire the giant jackfruit

Ben touches a mini-swordfish!

The Temple

The Gold...!!

Aidan’s Snake Dance

Sign of the Times

New and Good Friend - Araceli, Melanie and Jo Ann

 

People are leaving Singapore rapidly.   I haven’t been here long enough to know if this is a normal, seasonal outflow or if we’re infact seeing a sign of the difficult economic times in the US.  I suspect this is more of an exodus than annually experienced.

Today, my closest, everyday buddy, Melanie told me her family will ship home in June.  I’m extremely sad.  Melanie and I dropped our 4 year olds off at Pre-K every day, we exercised together daily, we play Mah-Jong weekly, our kids really enjoy each other.  Our worlds have collided in the best way possible this semester.  And, she’s a really great person.  I will miss her tremendously.

I’ve only been here three months and I have said too many good byes already.  Part of the expat life.

Below is a picture of someone’s container.  This is someone’s house packed up and ready to get put on a ship.  We see more and more of these around the neighborhood these days.

The Concrete Jungle

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/01/03/world/1194837118520/the-last-village.html

I liked this video about the last village in Singapore. I think it would be interesting for people who don’t live in Singapore to watch to see a little of the way Singapore was and how it has become the concrete jungle.

The residents of the kampong (village) do not want to move to an HDB (government housing development board).   I wouldn’t either.   But, I see HDBs daily, I shop at HDB market stalls and I admire what “nature” the residents (former villagers at one time) bring to their decks in their potted gardens. The towering HDBs, which at first look absolutely resemble a concrete jungle, are truely efficient communities in a populous country with limited landspace.

Year of the Ox

It’s the year of the ox which the newspaper says has never been good for the economy. But, ever since Dave rejected the Feng Shui arrangement of the office space, in favor of a more practical arrangement which actually allowed the office to function, he says he’s not worried about the year of the ox. If mentioning this in your household prompts as many questions from a 6 year old as it did in mine, the following chart should help in answering questions.

Chinese Astrology Year Chart
As a quick rule of thumb, the principles governing each element and thus the modifications they produce within each sign are:
Metal – Fixity, strength of will, fluency of speech
Water – Powers of reflection, sensitivity, persuasiveness
Wood – Imagination, creativity, idealism, compassion
Fire – Dynamism, passion, energy, aggression, leadership
Earth – Stability, reliability, practicality, industry, prudence

This chart, taken from the Chinese perpetual calendar, lays out each year together with that year’s animal sign, its element and its masculine or feminine principle.

YEAR FROM – TO SYMBOL ELEMENT ASPECT
1966 21 January 1966 – 8 February 1967 Horse Fire (+)
1967 9 February 1967 – 29 January 1968 Sheep Fire (-)
1968 30 January 1968 – 16 February 1969 Monkey Earth (+)
1969 17 February 1969 – 5 February 1970 Rooster Earth (-)
1970 6 February 1970 – 26 January 1971 Dog Metal (+)
1971 27 January 1971 – 15 January 1972 Pig Metal (-)

1972 16 January 1972 – 2 February 1973 Rat Water (+)
1973 3 February 1973 – 22 January 1974 Ox Water (-)
1974 23 January 1974 – 10 February 1975 Tiger Wood (+)
1975 11 February 1975 – 30 January 1976 Rabbit Wood (-)
1976 31 January 1976 – 17 February 1977 Dragon Fire (+)
1977 18 February 1977 – 6 February 1978 Snake Fire (-)
1978 7 February 1978 – 27 January 1979 Horse Earth (+)
1979 28 January 1979 – 15 February 1980 Sheep Earth (-)
1980 16 February 1980 – 4 February 1981 Monkey Metal (+)
1981 5 February 1981 – 24 January 1982 Rooster Metal (-)
1982 25 January 1982 – 12 February 1983 Dog Water (+)
1983 13 February 1983 – 1 February 1984 Pig Water (-)

1984 2 February 1984 – 19 February 1985 Rat Wood (+)
1985 20 February 1985 – 8 February 1986 Ox Wood (-)
1986 9 February 1986 – 28 January 1987 Tiger Fire (+)
1987 29 January 1987 – 16 February 1988 Rabbit Fire (-)
1988 17 February 1988 – 5 February 1989 Dragon Earth (+)
1989 6 February 1989 – 26 January 1990 Snake Earth (-)
1990 27 January 1990 – 14 February 1991 Horse Metal (+)
1991 15 February 1991 – 3 February 1992 Sheep Metal (-)
1992 4 February 1992 – 22 January 1993 Monkey Water (+)
1993 23 January 1993 – 9 February 1994 Rooster Water (-)
1994 10 February 1994 – 30 January 1995 Dog Wood (+)
1995 31 January 1995 – 18 February 1996 Pig Wood (-)

1996 19 February 1996 – 7 February 1997 Rat Fire (+)
1997 8 February 1997 – 27 January 1998 Ox Fire (-)
1998 28 January 1998 – 15 February 1999 Tiger Earth (+)
1999 16 February 1999 – 4 February 2000 Rabbit Earth (-)
2000 5 February 2000 – 23 January 2001 Dragon Metal (+)
2001 24 January 2001 – 11 February 2002 Snake Metal (-)
2002 12 February 2002 – 31 January 2003 Horse Water (+)
2003 1 February 2003 – 21 January 2004 Sheep Water (-)
2004 22 January 2004 – 8 February 2005 Monkey Wood (+)
2005 9 February 2005 – 28 January 2006 Rooster Wood (-)
2006 29 January 2006 – 17 February 2007 Dog Fire (+)
2007 18 February 2007 – 6 February 2008 Pig Fire (-)

2008 7 February 2008 – 25 January 2009 Rat Earth (+)
2009 26 January 2009 – 13 February 2010 Ox Earth (-)
2010 14 February 2010 – 2 February 2011 Tiger Metal (+)
2011 3 February 2011 – 22 January 2012 Rabbit Metal (-)
2012 23 January 2012 – 9 February 2013 Dragon Water (+)
2013 10 February 2013 – 30 January 2014 Snake Water (-)
2014 31 January 2014 – 18 February 2015 Horse Wood (+)
2015 19 February 2015 – 7 February 2016 Sheep Wood (-)
2016 8 February 2016 – 27 January 2017 Monkey Fire (+)
2017 28 January 2017 – 15 February 2018 Rooster Fire (-)
2018 16 February 2018 – 4 February 2019 Dog Earth (+)
2019 5 February 2019 – 24 January 2020 Pig Earth (-)

Science Museum

Science Museum

Even the science museum is a water park!  Here we are enjoying it on a recent day off from school.