March – In like July and out like August

It’s hard to believe that April is just around the corner. March has seemed to have flown by. With everyday being a bit like Groundhogs Day, sunny or rainy, we almost missed St. Patrick’s Day. Not to worry we found a bar with Guinness on special and fish and chips to die for, who could complain. I forgive them for not having corn beef only because the fish and chips where so good.
This month we continued to deal with fallout from our landlord’s ineptitude and cheapness. We have been through three washing machines in month. Our electric and water bill doubled, between the washing machine constantly running, the water leak and running the dehumidifier for a month! I think what annoys me the most is that we try to conserve and with Earth Day around the corner, I can only think what waste. More exciting and interesting things did happen this month.

Cricket

A few Saturdays ago, John convinced me to go play a casual game of Cricket. I jokingly told him that it better not be with professional players and he said no, no it’s with two corporations, just some fun. As we arrived on the field at 7:30 in the morning, we soon discovered that my intuition was more or less right. As we approached the practice area, I quickly and quietly told John not to mention a word about me playing. The teams consisted of former semiprofessional cricket players mostly from India and Australia, dressed in their gentlemanly whites. John got right into the swing of things gearing up and asking questions. I was quiet impressed with his ease, even if had never really seen and definitely not played the sport. The game lasted till about 12:30 just in time as the cool morning breeze had given way to the scorching sun of Singapore. I walked way not only understanding Cricket, but discovering my favorite part, half time or should I say tea time. There was a supply of tea sandwiches and earl grey tea for all.

Kittens

The same Saturday as Cricket, we went and picked up two foster kittens from the SPCA. The kittens had been found abandoned; some idiot apparently had thrown them in the garbage. The SPCA gave us the kittens and our start supplies and off we went. When we got home and opened the basket we found two very terrified kittens. They were little ragamuffins, skinny and dirty little things.

The seemed so damaged the first few days, that I still think back to it and become very frustrated with Singapore’s cruelty to animals culture. I also can’t help but to think of basic psychology, when a human hurts a defenseless animal just because the can, it’s often a sign that they are capable of elevating their violence to another human. What does it say about Singapore that there is epidemic cat torture? Food for thought…

I am happy to report that the kittens are doing exceptionally well. We had to teach them how to use the litter box, yes it was as exciting as it sounds. They now love human contact and meow for attention. Their coats are nice and shiny and they are growing. All in all they have been a delightful pleasure.

Indonesia

Lastly, we took an overnight trip to Bintan, Indonesia. It’s like going to Martha Vineyard, except before getting on and after getting off the ferry you have to through immigration and customs. Indonesia has a bit of a racquet going with their $10 Visa upon arrival, which the visa itself takes up an entire page in your passport. There was some confusion trying to get to the resort and we almost ended up being taking to the wrong one. Once we got things sorted and pulled out of the ferry terminal parking lot, we knew we weren’t in Singapore anymore. We drove along a nicely paved road surrounded by lush jungle and quiet, which you don’t find here. Within fifteen minutes of us getting in the car were at the resort sipping lime and ginger refreshments and checking into a cabana. The cabana came with a bay view and a Jacuzzi. There was also a monkey on the roof, but he came on his own. The hotel thought of everything, they had a library with books, dvds, and internet. A “buggie” (golf cart) took you anywhere you needed to go on the resort, which was situated on a cliff. The beach was pristine -amazing since Singapore’s water is quite polluted. The resort promotes eco-tourism and they have a conservation lab with scientist on the property. At this particular resort the scientific focus is on maintaining the surrounding rain forest. A yoga session was included in our stay, which ended up being more relaxing than expected. We did our practice in a cabana with the doors open and thunder and rain outside. The food of course was delicious, of all things we opted for the lobster pizza for dinner. Breakfast offered a mix of Asian and Western cuisine, champagne and the best ginger tea on earth. All in all not a bad way to end the month!