Pulau Ubin Trip

Few weeks back we made a trip to one of the Singapore get-away islands in the north east of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. This small island is nothing like Singapore, there are no traces of modernization, no skyscrapers, no shopping malls, no restaurants… In fact, it is like Singapore good few decades back when it was a ‘kampung’ – a village! It is a great spot for Singaporeans when they want to a break from modern lifestyle…

Our trip started in Changi Harbor Terminal, where we bought tickets for the bumboat. We had to wait until the boat was full and the cigarette smoking ‘captain’ decided, we could take off! The emergency vests on the boat were all covered in mould so we really doubted the safety of the boat, aiyoh…

Pulau Ubin welcomes its visitors in a small harbor, so called jetty, with few shops where you can rent bikes, small ‘restaurants’ looking more like hawker centers serving famous seafood. We decided to try it out and had a steamed fish and a coconut drink! I must say they were both delicious, and from what we saw on other tables, food looked fresh and quite tasty! We rented a bike, got a map of the island and off we disappeared in the jungle!

The roads around Pulau Ubin are rather rustic but it was quite nice break from the stylish and concrete Singapore! The island is small, but we wanted to explore every corner of it! We pedaled through the whole island, under the coconut trees, near old rubber tree plantations and old kampong houses, there was even a Buddist temple there! Pulau Ubin has a great biking trail system, with different difficulty levels from blue to black, so every biker can enjoy a day out cycling here. There are many break-out stations with locals selling fresh coconuts, cold drinks and other refreshments.

One of the surprises we had was weather changing in seconds! We visited an observation tower, had a break walking around the jungle and on the coastal boardwalk in the east part of the island and we took a turn to the central Pulau Ubin. It started raining, but as the rain did not bother us initially we decided to continue along the road. Little did we know about rain in Pulau Ubin… Within few seconds it was lashing rain, really lashing! It took us about a minute to get to the next shelter, and… we were completely soaked!

One of the highlights of the trip was amazing nature experience! We saw few interesting birds’ species, fish types, monkeys, even the komodo dragon! We took a wrong turn that turned out to be a dead end with a Buddhist temple, and on the way back to the main road a komodo dragon crossed out way! I wanted to stop and take a picture, but Herve was the sensible one and reminded me that after all these lizards can be dangerous and very fast… Few years back there were stories of komodos attacking people in Indonesia… we took off as quickly as our leg muscles allowed us…

After returning the bikes we went to the Secret Garden where they grow various types of fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables. It was the first time I saw fields of aloe vera, lady fingers, or curry trees! It is well hidden in the other side of Jetty, Herve discovered this place when he was in the island some time ago, a magical and secluded place…

When we finished visiting the Secret Garden the dark clouds were back, so we rushed to the bumboat. Luckily there was one just leaving, so when we just got on board, a huge thunderstorm began! Pulau Ubin was an interesting and relaxing island, perfect for a day break from Singapore, especially for nature and cycling enthusiasts, but with that thunderstorm, we were happy we were on our way home…

One year older and richer!

Where there are new beginnings, there are also endings. New Year and new plans for the 2011 made us think and talk about the last year. We were in the swimming pool on a sunny Sunday afternoon, on the 2nd January and realizing, wow, we would never think we would be doing this in the middle of the winter time! As January is a month we know as snowy, cold, white and with minus temperatures! So here we are, in the pool and talking about the last year. I didn’t realize this until Herve asked me, but the last year was really full of changes and abundant in new wonderful experiences!

It was the first time I had to quit a job I really liked at EMC Cork; I moved to Singapore; I came to Asia, first time ever; in my new EMC job in Singapore I work on projects that include all Asia Pacific HR Teams so I get to know how things work in all Asia Pacific!; I started to co-lead our regional volunteer projects at work; I started dancing West Cost Swing, Hip Hop and Contemporary Dance; I learned how to play netball; I attended a Kali Majapahit outdoor Marital Arts outdoor workshop; I went to a Tahitan dance class; I became semi-vegetarian; I learned how to use the shotgun and short guns; I went to Muslim mosques and Hindu shrines; I tried totally new cuisine and variety of Asian foods; I got to know some great, creative and generous people here (and still miss those I left behind…); I can swim in the pool more less every day of the year as the weather here does not change much (apart from occasional monsoon showers); and finally, I set up a blog and started writing!

This last year brought some changes for the rest of my family too, as my mum moved to a new place, my brother relocated to Nanjing in China and got married there with his fiancée… Only my sis stayed put, still in Ireland and happy out...

With all changes came new experiences and I must admit that my whole life shifted to this totally new dimension last year! I started getting a different perspective on life, food, religion, spirituality, relationships, tolerance and how one chooses to live their lives! They often say that travelling broadens your mind; I would even say that getting to know other cultures and traditions influence and change your life in most unexpected ways. My last year’s experienced taught me that, at any stage of your life, you shouldn’t take things for granted and think you are the person you have always wanted to be, as your perceptions change constantly as we learn new skills, meet new people and grow from personal experiences. I hope you find some time to stop, that’s not easy in modern and fast-paced society, and reflect on all you learned last year, as we tend to think of problems and failures more than successes and happy moments… I think it’s quite rewarding to realize that there are so many of things that made our lives so interesting and colorful! Have another colorful year and thanks for reading…

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas was the first Christmas we spent without our families, away from our family homes and in tropics, with around 30° C temperature and in the midst of monsoon showers! It was the first Christmas of this kind and I must say, it was really different.

Singapore has been decorated with lights and very unusual and original Christmas trees; especially famous and vivid is the Orchard Road with amazing Christmas atmosphere! Most Singaporeans do not celebrate Christmas the most traditional way, as the majority of Singapore population is of Chinese origin, and therefore Buddhist. Christian population is close to 15%; similar number is for Islam and Atheists; Taoism is only about 8% and Hinduism 4%. Most of my colleagues and friends treat Christmas only as an occasion to visit family, friends or as a time off school or work. They all decorate their houses with trees and lights, exchange presents; it is very much of a more festive family weekend here with more elaborate food and gifts. For many it is also an occasion to get out of Singapore, as I noticed it is a habit for the locals to use any long weekend to travel and spend time in Bali, Phuket or Australia… Wherever a long weekend is approaching, I can see long queues at the Money Changers, as Singaporeans wait patiently for their turn to get foreign currency for their awaited weekends abroad…

Our Christmas was different to the traditional one, a mix between what we know, like and what we have here. On Christmas Eve we did last shopping and rushed home to start our Christmas weekend! It has been a tradition in my house to have ‘pieczonki’ for the Christmas Eve feast, so I took my time to peel and slice potatoes, beetroots, carrots, onions and garlic. For those not familiar with the dish, it is a pot of vegetables cooked in layers: pour some water to a medium size pot, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then onions with garlic, several slices of beetroot and carrots and then you go with potatoes and the rest again and again… Normally there is bacon and slices of sausage on the top of every pile to add some flavor to the dish, but as we do not eat meat these days, I added more garlic and onions for better aroma and cooked for about 30 mins! Yummy! I also grilled salmon in the oven; I seasoned it with spring onion, herbs and sprinkled with the fresh lemon and lime juice, wrapped it in the aluminum foil and grilled for about 20 mins. Easy, healthy and quick!

Before starting our Christmas Eve dinner we exchanged wishes for the New Year, without the consecrated wafer unfortunately (it’s ‘oplatek’ in Polish; it’s what is shared during mass, a white thin wafer that symbolizes bread sharing), my mum sent it to us in post, but Singapore Post is apparently very strict on what’s coming in to the country, even via post… After dinner we opened presents, as in Poland we do presents on Christmas Eve, we had a lot of chocolate, the regular Polish-Chritmas-sugar-overdose; we watched a movie and went to sleep before midnight. On 25th December we visited our friends. We had dinner and several drinks; it was nice to see how Singaporeans decorate their house and what they do during Christmas. I had a really good time, although I must admit that Christmas without family is less of a festive occasion, I hope next year we will be lucky to spend it with our folks! Merry Christmas dear Singapore, friends and our loyal blog readers :)

Air conditioning in Singapore, a friend or a foe?

Before moving to Singapore I had to make a series of difficult and painful decisions, one of them was selecting my wardrobe items. My luggage size and weight were limited, so I had to compromise… My female need of bringing all my clothes and shoes with me, even the ones I didn’t wear for the last 2 years, lost with my husband’s convincing arguments: you won’t need this, you won’t need that, this is not nice, you won’t wear this there, it’s definitely too hot for all those sweaters, jumpers and jackets. Well, the all-knowing-Google advised me the same, so with a heavy heart I donated majority of the clothes I took years to hand-pick. For all those who always trust men and Google, DON’T! Let me elaborate…

Singapore is the first and only country I have ever been to where you put your jacket on when you enter any building and you take it off while going outdoors! It is not a joke, I am dead serious… The average temperatures are usually 32/33°C during the day and 25/26°C at night. The climate is very consistent here; it is very hot and humid all the time, so as a result air conditioning is used everywhere! Or should I say overused…? Offices, shopping malls, public buildings, trains and busses, taxis even, in other words – all living spaces! Your first reaction is probably the same as mine – it’s too hot outside, get me some AC!!! Yeah, it is nice maybe for the first several minutes... As my body took over a month to get used to the thirties’ temperatures, it was not easy to manage the change from the air-conditioned about-twenty degrees office to thirty-something outside… My colleagues told me they have jackets at work so I brought a sweater, but little did I know that my thin cardigan was not enough… Now I have a cardigan, a sweater and a pashmina and on top of those, very often my colleagues see me at my desk sipping hot green tea with my hands stuck to the teacup to warm myself up! I am not the only one though; my colleagues wear their jackets every day as the office feels like a one big fridge!

Many people around me have a constant cold, no wonder I’m thinking, with such drastic temperature changes I say everyone is destined to have several of those a year… I did not have one just yet, because, as surprising as it is to my colleagues and probably some strangers in busses and trains I take every day, I put tights and stockings while wearing skirts or dresses to work. And I always wear closed-toed shoes to work, no sandals. Yes, I am hot on my way to and from work, but I am not that cold at work! Let me just narrow it down, I am hot while moving between the means of transport, which is from my apartment to the bus – about 3 min plus waiting for the bus; the longest waiting was maybe 5 min, then from the bus to the train (MRT, Massive Rapid Transport, a metro if you will; most stations are underground) - 2 min, and then not even a minute from the train to my office building. The bus and train are air-conditioned, so not only am I not hot there, most of the time I am actually chilly... Then, there is 9hrs at work every day, where I am cold most of the time, even wearing shoes and tights, so as you can see wearing layers is not such a stupid idea in Singapore!

Man, don’t I miss some of those clothes I donated…? What can I say… next time I will compromise better and consider my feminine side more seriously, right honey....?!? So a word of advice, if you are planning to visit Singapore, remember to bring some warm clothing! Not a joke…

Singapore thunderstorm

A sudden and heavy thunderstorm woke me up this morning after 7am... I am up for the last 2 hours and it is still lashing rain… Last time it rained it resulted in a considerable flood in the Orchard Area, city’s shopping paradise and a hub of entertainment and artistic events. There was no major property damage or casualties, however the 2-hour morning downpour caused enormous traffic jams in the affected parts of the city and gave the Singapore government work till the end of the day.

Showers in Singapore are more frequent during the northeast monsoon (November to January) and they are also abrupt and rough, but impromptu thunderstorms visit Singapore all year round, apparently… They are manageable though, as the temperatures do not change during showers and never drop below 25ºC during the day and 20ºC at night.

View from our window this morning

At the local train station (Woodlands MRT station 2 day ago)

Orchard Road recent flood (last week)

There you go, two hours since the thunderstorm began, they are reporting floods in certain parts of Singapore on the Channel News Asia… I hope it will stop soon and they have time to clean up the damages, because we have cinema tickets this evening for the Cathay Cineleisure Orchard…