Wordless blog post from the cat

writing a blog post, a photo by coach_stacey on Flickr.

A new rink, a new beginning for skating in Singapore

JCUBE Rink, a set on Flickr.

The new rink opened in Singapore at the end of March. It's Olympic size and the people hired to manage it are former skaters from the UK who have run a rink previously in Dubai. I am so happy about this new change for both the local skating scene and for me too. Finally a rink where figure skaters and hockey players can book ice and start building teams to participate in international events.

The other rink in Singapore is like a lot of the rinks in Asia –– like a carnival ride. You pay a bunch of money, you skate in a circle and you leave. These novelty ice rinks are run by corporations who discourage anyone from doing anything other than the above by imposing rules on what is or isn't allowed on the ice and charging fees of upwards of $2,000 for a two hour ice booking. There's a two hour minimum booking! The local staff aren't allowed to negotiate much and the rules appear to come from people who have never seen skating before. Terrible right? It gets worse...

The expat cat adventures

Dreaming, a photo by coach_stacey on Flickr.

Poor Kopi-o is dreaming away beside my keyboard and little does he know we are planning to take a trip abroad and his little world will be very different for a few weeks. I looked at every possible option for what to do with him while we are away but to be honest none of them really work. Even with someone coming in twice a day to feed him that means he's still got 22 solitary hours a day to miss his family. It's hardly fair. My mother suggested we try to have someone house sit or have him stay with another family while we are gone (and I'm perfectly prepared to pay room and board.) So far no dice so I'm appealing to our expat readers on our blog. Would you like to take care of this little furball for a few weeks? Comment on this post w your email address (don't worry I won't publish comments w email addresses in them) and I'll send along the dates and details to see if it's a good fit.

********* update *********

Success! Kopi-o has a homestay set up with a very keen foster cat mommy.

Joel's [Annual] Post

FYI:

I raced my mountain bike today in Johor Bahru, Malaysia; Something I do frequently with my fellow expat and Singaporean friends.
The race was hosted at the Sales Gallery, a glass box in the middle of a field where happy young first-time property owners will congregate to be wowed into purchasing a condo between a freeway, high powered electrical lines, and a pretty nice looking hill adorned with classic radio towers ( why are there always two? ) poking out of its top.

Deep dark secrets of the frequent flyer

Joel and I have both adopted some systems over the past few years that make flying easier. Here are a few of our coping strategies and helpful things that have benefited us along the way.

Stuff I love about Singapore

WARDROBE SIMPLICITY
What's the weather going to be today? Oh I don't know, 33 degrees with a probable short rain shower in the afternoon, dipping down to a cool 27 overnight. So the outfit goes like this: Sundress, umbrella, flip flops and maybe a scarf for sun and aircon protection.

TAI TAI STREET CREDIT
When people think you're a Tai tai in Singapore it's not always a bad thing. You get treated really well. Cabs will pull over on the main busy roads, people smile and say hello. If they only knew that I'm really an art student and I'm not actually shopping for gem stones.

Pet peeves about Singapore Part One: Service

SORRY CANNOT
You want salad dressing on the side? "No we cannot. It comes with salad dressing." If you push them, they will call a manager to your table to discuss if they are allowed to put your dressing on the side. You might need the owner to be called and they might also need to consult with the cook. I've had to order a separate glass of champagne and an orange juice in a fine dining restaurant because they did not have a button on the computer to put a mimosa on the bill. I had to order a soy milk and a black coffee in two separate glasses to make my own (very messy) iced soy latte at the table because they were not authorized to pour the soy milk into my coffee. These basic creative problem solving skills are absent from your guy at the till often right up to higher levels of management. It doesn't matter how obvious the solution is, unless they have written permission on a piece of paper in front of them, they cannot.

Ordering your Kopi

In our house these days, if you call out for Kopi-O you'll get this:

Because that's our new kitten's name. But what does it usually mean in Singapore? It means black coffee with sugar. There are is a complex language of ordering drinks in Singapore which is best explained in this little gem of local culture:

Story of a Singapore rescue kitten

On March 1st someone left this tiny kitten in a plastic shopping bag at a market in Singapore. Luckily he was found quickly and a fosterer brought him home for a night. Lynn at the Cat Welfare Society texted me his picture and asked if I could take him.




I took a taxi to the far end of the island and found a small pet shop in a very old HDB. The owners led me into a back room where a ragtag crew of local alley cats greeted me. The fosterer of the kitten I'd come to see eventually showed up and placed this tiny little fluff ball in my hands. He was skinny, filthy, covered in fleas so naturally I loved him at first sight and took him home. He's now in his forever home with us.

The Cat Welfare Society
www.catwelfare.org/

Bali in Monsoon

We took a short weekend trip to Bali at Chinese New Years with our friends from Victoria who are traveling around SE Asia on their honeymoon. It was my third trip in this past year (and Joel's second) but we were just as excited to go as ever. Heading back to Ubud during monsoon season was interesting. It was less crowded than the July and September trips I'd done. It was also a little hotter at night and there were quite a few mosquitoes likely due to all the puddles of water left after the rain showers. Some things were easier, like finding a place to stay or walking down the mains streets unimpeded by tour groups. There were also a few challenges which were rain related.

We flew on one of the KLM direct flights from Singapore which is what I generally do. It's actually cheaper than Air Asia and you don't have to deal with the gong show of the discount terminal at Changi. So that's my first travel tip.

We booked Saren Indah for the weekend but the first night they were full so I went onto Agoda to look for something nice for a one night deal. On a whim I booked a brand new four star guest house/hotel which hadn't even been added to trip adviser yet. It was a gamble but we were rewarded because this was actually a very beautiful brand new place done in the traditional Balinese style that had only been open for a month. They had built large guest suites with gorgeous carved furniture and nicely appointed bathrooms and the hospitality was impeccable. The temple gardens had just been painted with gold leaf and their pool over-looking the ravine was quiet and pristine. Heaven! The place is called Pondok Pundi Village Inn. I think once they finish building their reception and restaurant building at the street it will be much more expensive then the $75 USD a night we paid.