Singapore

I am just sitting here in the airport with M quite excited to be going somewhere.  You'd think with all my experience living overseas I'd realize how NB it is to "get outta Dodge" every once in a while!  But the more I learn, the less I know.  Then add to that menopause brain and you've got a complete shell of a woman making life altering decisions!  Sheesh!  I'd compare this to pregnancy brain but at least with PB (no..not peanut butter 'tho that's not a bad comparison) once it's over there is a 99% chance you would regain most of your faculties..not so now.  This is it.  The end...le fin...termina..it's curtains..

Anyway, Singapore was as wonderful and dull as it ever was.  I marveled at the lack of horns being honked..cars stopping when you cross the street..streets!  Ah, I'm in a bad way about Sri Lanka right now so I'm not being fair.

Our room was ..um..very efficient!

Our first meal!

Okay, what I did enjoy?  Well a flood of memories came back as both N and M were little gaffers here.  M was less than impressed when I showed him the hospital where he was born.  He was more impressed by the first MacDonald's I took him to!  We also stopped at our old apartment to say "hi" to Masoud, who is the doorman there.  He remembered us and was surprised that 13 1/2 years have passed!  I also hit up a few of the old second hand stores but my heart wasn't in it.

The day M went to hang with his friend, I went to the museums.  I was curious about the Red Dot Design Museum.  I gather it's a design award and the museum houses the winners.  It was interesting, if a little sparse.  Of course, having taken the museum studies course I look at exhibits a bit differently  Kinda fun to think how I would of staged it. 

No mistaking the Red Dot Design Museum!

My favorite exhibit was the Tupperware exhibit (no, this has nothing to do with my "Clic Clak" obsession).  I thought it was delightfully presented.  Looking through various design books from around the world was fun.  

That's a lot of "burping"going on!

After that I wandered over to Maxwell Food Court for a drink, then down Ann Siang Hill.  When I came out I was delighted to see that I was at our favorite Ipoh Hor Fun (it's not what you think it is!) restaurant.  It's a slow braised beef (maybe!) noodle soup.  It's quite delicious.  

Ipoh Hor Fun!

I hopped the MRT and went over to the National Museum.  It's housed in a very grand building with a modern extension.  I was after the "Living Galleries".  The Food one was good.  There were quite a few beautiful tiffins and kopitiam cups.  I winced when I realized that those old Fraser and Neeve glasses I was so casual with were actual collector pieces..sheesh!  Imagine... using them for drinking!?  

The various Kopitiam (coffeshop) cups.

But the gallery I was after was the fashion gallery.  It was for some inexplicable reason housed in a very dark gallery with lots of dead space.  Now I know that in the tropics it is hard to preserve textiles but I think a lot more could have been done about the politics surrounding the changes, I mean come on, riots, nationhood, Lee Kwan Yew, the whole sixties ethos!  Also, more homage could've been paid to the humble tailor shop.  

Chinese pjs and Cheongsam, one sexy, one not so...

Some western dresses & in the back you can see a paper "soup can" dress.

A nice way to create drama in a hall.

At the fashion exhibit at the Wing Luck Museum in Seattle they had a much more interactive display.  I think giant paper doll cutouts that you could put yourself behind even would have been good.  How about the local (Malay/Chinese) singers at the time and their style?How about the most iconic woman of all, the Singapore girl? I passed by the Movie and Wayang section and in retrospect should have gone.  They had a more modern exhibit in the extension of the building but again how it related to everything..dunno.  It's a hard space to work with, to be sure.  Now if I were the designer...

Like I said, we zoomed around on the MRT and while I was going way underground at Dhoby Ghat I looked up and saw this!  It must be kind of freaky to be the guy cleaning the pond and looking down 'cuz it was kind of freaky looking up!

M and I also enjoyed some of the inhouse entertainment our hotel had to offer.  I enjoyed a documentary called "Menstruation Man".  It's not all what you might think and the guy who is the subject is an amazing man helping the poor women of India.  They don't have access to affordable pads nor in some cases do they even know they exist.  The women are shy and don't hang their laundered rags (!) in the sun to dry so they re-use unsanitary cloths.  This, as you can imagine, can have a devastating effect on their personal health and can even affect their unborn children.  Suffering great derision and through trial and error, he has developed a process and a machine so that impoverished women can manufacture their own pads.  They are improving their health and creating employment for those who otherwise might remain in misery.  It is very inspiring!

Not so erudite was the Tamil movie we enjoyed.  The gods were playing with the lives of 4 men and giving them all sorts of tests in order that they maybe returned to their normal lives.  It was a hoot!  Especially the fact that the gods watched everything on an IMac!  

Finally even though this isn't a food blog I had to show you the amazing tofu fah disappearing act!

Now you see it...

Now you don't!

Pettah -aphile

Ha ha,a very funny title if you've been there.  Pettah is the beehive of activity that is Colombo's retail and wholesale market.  It is really quite incredible and dare I say it...a bit daunting to go into.  Everyone tells me it's not safe for young women but, that I should be okay!  Ouch!  

9 day shitters

The area of the market that I was mostly concerned with is the textile and notions area.  You see I've decided to try and do a pop up store for yoga products.  There is nothing here other than nasty, crappy bags or the ones with corporate logos.  I have some great bag designs so I thought I'd put them out there.  Also I've have this pair of um...how shall I say?...nine day shitters that are the most comfortable and cool yoga pants I've ever had.  I always get lots of compliments on them so why not offer them up too?  But the funniest and most amusing thing I created, were the eye bags.  I always find yoga products to be so serious, either in design or intent so I made these bags with things appliqued on them. Each one will have a story attached.  (A shout out to the Torrington Gopher Museum for that idea!) So, for example, the eye bag with the x-ray vision glasses (remember those?) will have a story about using these to help you check out your chakras or maybe the ones of the cute yogini next to you.  Stuff like that.

However, I need to do other stuff like printing business cards.  Getting stuff done online here is a bit dubious so this coming week I'm down to the printers.  It will be a pretty simple design, I am just ruminating on what exactly to say on it.

So I went over to The Good Market today to meet with this young couple (www.thebludge.com) who have a stall.   They are thinking about doing a kind of cooperative for single edition items.  They looked at my stuff and seemed to be okay with it.  But as I had done no pricing, no nothing there wasn't much more to be said.  However I'm back there at 4pm today to do a yoga class outside, should be fun!

The class was fun but small...just 2 people but we had a big audience for sure!  Plus I had managed to put my mat down on the ant trail to the rubbish, we had dogs wandering in and out and helpful suggestions from the crowd!  Who said yoga's boring?

Speaking of yoga I also managed to pick up some extra class at the local studio.  It was fun but it's hard work teaching more than once a day. In Sivananda the teacher isn't supposed to be "doing the class", they are giving the class.  However these students for the most part,  are newbies so I had to demonstrate most of the moves.   I downdogged like a demon!  The lovely lass who runs the studio is also interested in seeing my designs.  This might actually work out better than The Good Market.

The whole family is planning to leave Sri Lanka this month for divergent vacations.  N and his dad are off to Beijing for 5 or 6 days.  G is thinking Forbidden City, N is thinking Gucci and Chanel!  M and I are off to Singapore.  M is such a jetsetter!  He is meeting up with a friend of his one day and they will hang out.  I am doing a full medical and can hopefully coordinate it so it is on that day.  Museum Nerd that I am, I am looking forward to the National Museum and then this design museum called "Red Dot".  There isn't much I want to buy except for books,mags and go to a movie.  We'll be home soon enough for other stuff though if a pair of shoes doth call my name....!

My ghetto crocs!

On the home front things have cooled down quite a bit.  Don't know if that's a good sign but it definitely has made life much more pleasant.  I am still anxious about the summer but I've done a lot of reflection and perhaps I'm the change I need to see.  Sucks 'cuz I always feel like I have to change but then it's always better to be flexible. 

Missing in Action...

Taking tea and the views in Kandy.

Whoa!  What a coupla months it has been.  The highs, the lows!  The best part was that my sister came to visit.  She's really my rock and we verbally groomed each other like primates at a Jane Goodall BBQ.  

I'll be interested to hear her opinion of Sri Lanka.  Staying for a month is a lot different than flying in and directly hitting the beach.  She got the "everyday experience that is my life".   Lucky dawg!

Thank goodness that Suze had read the inflight mag because she knew about the Colombo Perahera.  It's Buddhist celebration replete with dancers, acrobats and elephants .  It was a pretty incredible sight and we got to see and smell elephants!  These are some of my pix.  I did get some great shots and perhaps I'll download them later.

GORGEOUS!!!

Gentleman wearing Kandyian garb astride an elephant.

GORGEOUS 2X!

We drove up to Kandy.  I have never felt more alive than when I was that close to death!  It's a real ego boost to drive here and drive sans map (but that was only because I forgot to pack it!)  Fortunately there aren't that many roads to Kandy so you'd get there... eventually.

Tinsmith at the Handicraft Centre in Kandy.

He made this in 10 minutes for us and...a small fee!

The really funky Olde Empire Hotel in Kandy.

Downtown Kandy.

However, the real highlight for Suze was the train ride to Galle.  We had good seats going out but coming back it was packed.  Apparently everyone had the same idea to take the early train back to Colombo! No such thing as an original idea!

She lurved Galle and who wouldn't!?  It's a lovely old fort town and the streets are, for intents and purposes, closed to motor traffic.  So, at night the town is quiet, quiet, quiet!  All you do is walk around, poke into shops, nap, watch the sun set, eat, sleep.  What could be better than that?  We had the best ice cream there at the "Dairy King".  He makes it fresh.  I had ginger with large chinks of ginger in it and Suze had cinnamon, heavenly.  We also met some interesting people. The most notable was a rock star from Canada!  He was traveling around after his band's break up.  Turns out Suze had heard of them because of a hockey trade between Toronto and Edmonton!  Then I googled them and they are Juno award winners (Canada's Grammys).  Their band is called "Alexis on fire."   Chris couldn't have been nicer and must have been amused by our douffyness!  I also remembered that I had had an email exchange from a lady in Galle who owned a design shop.  So I emailed her and tried to connect with her during our stay but to no avail!  But the funny part was I had just been in her shop earlier that day and fell in love with a banana print shirt (don't ask taste is personal!) as well as her tuktuk pattern pillow case!  Weird.
 


I also took her to Negombo by the back road and that was very enjoyable.  Firstly because the road is good and there isn't a lot of traffic so you need not be so vigilant.  We just chilled in the shade and marveled at the various shades of red that went by as the tourists sucked up their last few rays before their trip back home.  I, can't for the life of me, figure out why people suntan...it's so bad for you!

The rest of the time was spent kicking around Colombo, finding coffee shops and overdosing on handicraft stores.  My sister has an unfathomable capacity for looking at tchotchkes!  It's only been 4 days since she's gone but I miss her greatly.  It's very quiet!

This is who she's thinking about!

I managed to get tickets to the "Mardi Gras Ball" on March 1.  It was a costume affair and I only had a couple of days to get my act together.  I love that kind of pressure because it forces you to be creative and work with what you have.  Plus I knew Greg would be on board with whatever I came up.  He's a good egg that way!  Below are the fruits of my labours!

Helping the locals.

So, with my sister's encouragement, I'm putting stuff together for my pop up store.  I still have quite a few details to work out but I'll keep you posted!  I'm excited and terrified at the same time!

You just never know who'll you'll meet...

Was kind of dying of boredom, (of my own company that is )when I decided to go out and just take some photos.

Today is a Hindu holiday and tomorrow is a Poya (full moon) day so the streets of town are quite deserted.  I have never been able to saunter across Duplication Road! Duplication Road in itself, is not so interesting so I went off on the little side roads with names like "Palm Grove" and "Inner Flower Lane" (sounds vaguely pornographic doesn't it?).  

On Unity Place a gentleman approached me and asked what I photographing and I told him I was admiring all the old houses.  Turns out he was also Canadian, having left Sri Lanka 30 years ago.  He was Tamil but had been educated in all the British schools here.  I got the feeling that he was of the "old boys" network that seems to be here in former British colonies.  Anyway, as it is in Sri Lanka, you have the entire family history (all incredibly successful it seems) plus a few complaints about whatever country they've emigrated to within the first 5 minutes of meeting. 

This story however wasn't your usual doctor/lawyer one.  His son is Shyam Selvadurai, a well-known Canadian author who has written several books about the Sri Lankan experience, being gay, being in Canada, family and all that entails!  I was totally blown away.  This was not what I was expecting on my little sojourn! So it just goes to show you that you never know who you might meet out a walk.

By the way, my pictures sucked.

A wonderful trip to "wring" out the old...

I think this picture sums up everything I feel about our return trip to Malaysia!  We stayed at a hotel a block away from our old place on Jalan Madge.  It was great, so familiar and easy!  Hard to believe that we lived here for only 4 years!  Wah!  I want to come back!

Some things never change...Malaysian Flagmen!

Downtown KL was a mess but the kids didn't mind as it was quite incredible shopping.  N dropped all his money the first day so the remaining days were a bit flat for him.  M is a bit more conservative with his cash and actually came home with some.  After KL we got the car and headed up to the Cameron Highlands. (It was lovely to have a vehicle but she had obviously transported durian in it and it always took about 10 minutes for the air con to clear the smell or is that for my senses to deaden to it!) It was good to be back there and the lovely cool air was a welcome respite from KL's heat.  G got in some golf and I walked around a bit.  A few footrubs were taken as well!

Went for steamboat in Brinchang...slightly dangerous but tasty!

This picture makes it look all nice and festive but under the centre of the table is the charred formica and the table cloth has a perfectly round centre where it has been burned in previous meals.  Plus that tower is a little wobbly!

To the manor born.

Another place we had to hit up was The Old Smokehouse in Tanah Rata.  It's a rather decrepit old hotel built like a tudor mansion.  One of the few places in Asia where you sit by a fire to await being summoned for your meal.  Of course, being "veddy proper"  we ate roast beef, yorkshire pudding, and horseradish.  It was a delightful meal and brought back lots of memories.

Oops!  So excited by the sight of beef, I forgot to photograph it before eating.

Some of the rowhouses on our street/jalan.

After a long drive out of the Cameron Highlands ( never take the "fast way"), we arrived in Penang and it's not without a certain amount of pride that I say I guided us directly to our hotel sans map!  That Geography degree really paid off!  We stayed in a different part of town than usual and I'm glad we did.  This area was full of old rowhouses.  The styles really ranged from elaborate to Art Deco.  Their state of repair ranged as well.  I put myself to sleep every night dreaming of renovating one.  Of course, the reality is more of a nightmare!  The people who renovated the hotel were incredible clever and all the rooms had funky found artwork like this.  (Uncle Michael please take note!)

Now to do all the sightseeing necessary, a gal's gotta have her coffee.

A bowl of noodles helps too.

Can't believe G made me work for this holiday..sheesh!

As if Penang weren't interesting enough, they have created an ArtWalk. In the part of town by the docks, they have painted all these gorgeous vignettes/ghosts/whathaveyou and you can explore the area by following the art.  It's very cool and kind of like a treasure hunt.  They have also commissioned an ironworker artist to recreate some "Lat*" cartoons with a dash of history and bunch of humour.  I didn't include all of them but I did see them all.

Getting a leg up...

Being chatted up.

Not to be outdone, my own artistic contribution!

Speaking of artistic contributions, I finished my book for "The Sketchbook Project".  Submissions have to be in by the 15th of January to be included in a tour.  I'm sending mine on a tour of the Pacific Northwest (includes a jaunt into Vancouver).  It was fun to do and it did not in anyway turn out the way I had thought.  My initial idea turned out to be so constricting and what I thought others would be like that I abandoned it completely.  I realized that this was for me so I went and ahead and did what I felt that day.  Some stuff good, some stuff okay.  However it was cool to participate and be able to say "I'm published and you can find my work in the Brooklyn Public Library."

So here's the cover...quite clever if I do say so myself!

So we're back home in Colombo and looking forward to things.  The boys have their "Week without walls"  trip coming up.  They get to go to various sites around the country and get to know Sri lanka and their classmates better.  Of course I am very hopeful that this will help things improve for N but I'm also a realist...sigh! M will be able to use his newly learned diving skills at his site which is very exciting.  G and I are going to hit the road and explore a few more places in Sri Lanka. Needless to say, the boys probably won't be too jealous that we get to see the Buddha's tooth and they don't!  Then my sister arrives just at the end of Chinese New Year.  Busy, busy, busy!

So here's hoping that your holidays were all that you wanted!  Happy 2014!


*Lat is a well-loved Malaysian cartoonist who created "Kampung Boy" and a cast of Malaysian characters. 

I draw the line at Christmas!

Just thought I'd share some of the festive work of my youngest.  He really is a dab hand and his drawings never cease to make me smile!  I love that he draws cards for holidays.  So since it is better to give.....I present:  

Etchings by M&P

Not bad for a drive by shooting and only having Sharpies.

I know what Mary is praying for...reconstructive surgery!  Look at the noggin' on that kid!

Will write soon.