RIP Dr Baskaran

Today is indeed a sad day. Half an hour after I got up this morning, I found out that a dear, dear orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Baskaran Subramaniam was gone. He was my parents' surgeon. He operated my Dad's knee and with the help of a super talented colleague from KL, revised my Mum's botched hip replacement. He was the face of good medicine in Sabah. I met him when I came home nearly two years ago. To me, he seemed friendly and steady. Lately, whenever we drive pass the site for the new Gleneagles Hospital, my heart would skip a beat thinking that may be Dr Baskaran might leave QE II soon to become a doctor for the rich. I was worried that my Mum will be in the hands of lousy doctors. Now that he really is gone, I could only pray that she will be looked after by another orthopaedic surgeon as passionate as Dr Baskaran. 

I am currently working as a substitute teacher at a very large kindergarten. I am teaching in a class of over 65 children with the help of 3 other teachers. It is chaos everyday. I wish to continue blogging about my trip to Singapore but it looks like it won't happen anytime soon. This gig is really a big culture shock for me. It is so incredibly sad that children are still taught like back in the 70's or worse... I found myself thanking God that I am not raising any little ones and having to send them to such a school. Even though I have always yearned to have my own family but since working in this job, I have been glad that I don't have one. When I came home in 2011, I suspected that the schools here could be pretty grim and was full of hope that I could improve the situation but now I am not sure if the locals would like any change. I think they enjoy what they have now. Due to something that happened yesterday, today was the hardest. I will let them know that I will help until the end of April tomorrow. I will say that it is my loss.

A Little Bit of Australia @ Plaza Singapura

A few hours after my shopping trip with Tris, my Mum and her friends finally finished their Mahjong game and we rode the MRT to Tanjong Pagar. We moved into Amara Hotel for the rest of our stay in Singapore. That night, we tried a Japanese burger chain named MOS. My Mum was probably exhausted and starving because she was quite rude to the dude serving us. It was frustrating talking to someone who couldn’t understand us.

On the Monday, we finally went to Dhoby Ghaut. I had planned to visit the Spotlight store at Plaza Singapura. It was my first visit to a Spotlight store in nearly 2 years and the first located outside Australia. I dared not expect too much for fear of feeling disappointed. Singapore is a very small country/city state and with property costs so high, I was expecting a mini/chilli padi sized Spotlight store. I was wrong though. This Spotlight store at Plaza Singapura is at least 2x or more the size of Clegs on Elizabeth St in Melbourne. The layout and the white display stands are very similar to the stores in Australia. Throw in a few Caucasian shoppers; I suddenly thought that I was HOME. They sell the same stuff as the stores in Australia. Brands like Birch, Fiskars, Décor, Burda and even the partyware from Spartys. The only difference I spotted is that the Singapore store sells Janome as well as other brands of sewing machines. My favourite Spotlight store in Victoria is the big one located near where I lived – the South Melbourne branch. I would walk there up to twice a month. I am pretty sure that they never sold Janome machines there. My trusty Janome was from Myer CBD. Remember when they used to sell sewing machines and the lady would offer free lessons to help the buyer to get to know his/her new machine?

As I was flipping through the Burda Pattern Book, I was told that a man – Mr Ong, a friend of my Father’s whom I haven’t seen for more than 20 years had invited us for lunch. He and his wife picked us up in a fancy Mercedes Benz and this dishpig got to pretend being rich from the backseat. LOL. We had Indian cuisine at Sakunthala’s. The service was good and the food was yummy. The sauce for the Fish Head Curry was really good. The X would drop dead if he heard me complimenting something that has anything to do with the subcontinent. I just wish that he would figure out one day that I do not dislike India. All I ever wanted was to be the apple of his eye. Oh, let’s move on before I get further sidetracked…

Shopping with Tris

This spinster went shopping with Tris at Junction 8 on the 10^th of March. No, it wasn’t a date even though he would have been a good catch because Tris is heir to a massive inheritance. Why? I am not a cougar and the kid is young enough to be my kid. He is only 17! Instead of ‘Aunty’, he calls me 姐姐 (big sister). According to Aunty P, his grandma, Tris volunteered to call me 姐姐. Is that a compliment or what?

We left his grandma’s place shortly before noon. We went to Junction 8 by bus. I walked behind him to look like I wasn’t with him. That was because I was worried that he might be embarrassed by my presence if we bump into his mates. I tried to look like his nanny with a ‘hands-offish’ approach but Tris looked too grown up to still need a nanny. He would turn around to look for me every now and then and I would pretend to be looking at something before joining him. I always made sure that I was at least half a step behind him. Singaporeans generally mind their own business but when I feel too self conscious thinking that everyone at Junction 8 was staring at us, I pretended to take on the new role of being my young charge’s female bodyguard. Again, that wasn’t a realistic role because like the rest of Singapore, Bishan is a very safe place.

Tris took me to two bookshops because I had wanted to buy a book on Lee Kwan Yew. At Popular, we saw quite a few books written about the mastermind of Singapore and I wasn’t sure which one to get. I had wanted one that talked about Singapore’s education system and why they picked English as the medium of instruction. It was a book recommended in a local Chinese newspaper in Kota Kinabalu but because I didn’t have the title, we left Popular empty handed. Tris then took me to another bookshop – a Christian one. I did end up buying something from there. I bought a book by Joyce Meyer and I have been enjoying every page of it so far.

My Mum instructed that I shout Tris a meal and so I thought the most appropriate meal for a teenager would be Macca’s. Bishan’s teenage population agreed with me because when we got there, the whole joint was jam packed! We had no choice but to go up to the food court. The place and the food on offer were similar to the food court at Raffles Place. As soon as we found a table for two, I plonked myself down and ‘ordered’ the boy to get his own meal first. Me, the supposedly ‘Aunty’ who was demoted gladly to 姐姐 level of seniority, had temporarily forgotten about buying the kid a meal until I was almost half way through my giant serve of an Ice Kacang. Oopsy! Tris didn’t seem to mind one bit while I spent the rest of the time trying to convince myself that Tris would be insulted if I had bought him a meal. He is after all a mini tycoon from Borneo. He didn’t need a dishpig to shout him lunch.

After our meals, we went shopping for things that Tris needed for his camping trip. We looked for a neck pillow and I noticed how he didn’t go for the first one on display. We looked in 3 different shops before he settled for the cheapest on offer. I felt like to pat his head and praise him for being money conscious but I deducted some points because he picked a pink one. I was dying to find out if he was buying it for a girl. LOL. At Fair Price, Tris was stocking up on junk food. Imported Aussie and Japanese potato chips, Malaysian made Cadbury chocolates, lollies, mixed nuts and even 9 Kinder Surprises! I probably had the nanny with a disapproving look on my face because he suddenly stopped to explain that he was buying for the camping trip. I told myself, “Fair go P; the kid probably needs a fair bit of variety to supplement his jungle diet of baked beans on stale toasts.” I tried to smile but it probably looked fake. The last item on his list was a raincoat/poncho. If we were in Melbourne, I would have taken him to the shop known affectionately to the X and I as ‘Uncle Arthur’s Shop’ on Swanston St to get the poncho. I, not the X, would have insisted that Tris bought one printed with the Carlton Football Club badge but right there at Junction 8’s Fair Price, we had the choice of only one brand – Korjo. They come in clear plastic or yellow. Tris picked neither because they have short sleeves. Bloody good they would be in avoiding creepy crawlies or tropical downpour in the thick jungles of Peninsular Malaysia.

If I had the rest of the day to mop around doing nothing, I would have felt absolutely awful after I returned to Aunty P’s flat. I was a terrible shopping companion fearing to be seen as a cradle snatcher. A Cougar is not something I am in a hurry to become anytime soon. Hopefully I haven’t been upgraded to the ‘Aunty’ status for being sooooo BORING. Luckily, my Mum and I were on our way again. I was too distracted to let the Negaholic in me ruin the rest of the day. I was looking forward to staying at a nice place for the rest of my holidays in Singapore. It was time to say goodbye to Bishan.

Bishan – A Short Stay

We got up quite early on the 8^th of March. My Mum was convinced that shops still open early in Chinatown. So we went looking for food among the old shops. Very few shops were opened. We had breakfast at a place serving Dim Sum and then we were on our way. I was wondering why the Singaporean authorities could maintain old buildings when I heard the noise of an expensive engine on the road. I looked up and saw a Maserati. Before I finished telling my Mum about Maseratis, another one appeared. 2 Maseratis in a matter of minutes! I was in heaven. LOL.

By 10 am, we were on our way to Bishan on the MRT. I tried not to laugh at the announcement calling people to be on the lookout for suspicious looking people. My Mum walks with a slight limp due to a botched hip replacement ages ago. I tried not to laugh that she could be mistaken to be that person in women’s attire. ROFL. From Bishan (Junction 8), we took a bus to our friend’s flat. The bus was very similar to the ones in Melbourne. Bishan, like the rest of Singapore is very neat and clean. This old friend we were visiting used to live at a larger multi-level apartment and she used to look after my brother when he was a wee boy studying in Singapore. Today, Aunty P is a widow. She had downsized to a HDB flat with 3 bedrooms. The flat seemed pretty spacious. It has a full sized kitchen.

On the first day of our stay in Bishan, we returned to the city to visit Mint – Museum of Toys. We had lunch at a clean food court at Raffles Place that reminded me of Melbourne before walking to the museum. I was the only person who actually visited the museum. The two ladies went shopping nearby. When we got there, I immediately recognized the distinctive shopfront and saw the café (Mr. Punch) but we kept on going almost to the end of that block looking for the entrance. It turned out that the entrance was via the café. The two ladies welcoming us were super friendly. I really enjoyed looking at all the toys on display. I initially thought that I would be the only visitor that day because most Asians do not have the time for toys after the age of about 5. Other visitors trickled in after me. Except for 1 Japanese dude, the rest were almost all Caucasians. The collection of Star Wars stuff was smaller than expected. My brother’s collection could at least be 8x bigger. Even I have a few pieces that would look good on display inside the cabinet. The wall of flasks and lunchboxes took me right back to my primary school years. Although I hardly ever brought bento to school, I had Japanese lunch boxes and water bottles. I would ask for Thermos brand/Aladdin flasks with Snoopy/Incredible Hulk printed on them but my Mum would always come home with another Japanese bottle. It was fun visiting the little museum and would recommend it to my brother.

After the museum, we went to look for a shop on Orchard Rd. It is a toyshop inside Ngee Ann City but the two ladies thought that I meant the toy department at Takashimaya. Both ladies knew how much I used to love Takashimaya. When I was young, I used to arrive just before the shop opens in the morning and leave when it closes its doors at night. The toys at Takashimaya were pretty good but it was the electrical appliances department that really caught my eye. Although Breville (my favourite brand) was no way to be seen, there were plenty of Tiger and Zojirushi. The kitchen department also had Le Creuset. After a quick look around the toy department of Takashimaya, I eventually managed to convince the ladies that the shop I was after is outside Takashimaya and within Ngee Ann City. I asked the people at the information counter and they gave us the directions. The Better Toy Store is hidden behind some restaurants on level 4. I do admit that I am young at heart but I had wanted to visit the place only to show the products to my Mum. I had wanted my Mum to see German made toys (think HABA). We didn’t only find HABA but Papo, Steiff, Plan Toys and even wooden Thomas by Learning Curve as well. The Better Toy Store is different from Toys ‘R’ Us. Next to it is The Better Kids Décor Store. It has beautiful furniture pieces for a child’s bedroom or play area. I was dying to visit but the ladies needed a rest.  

On the next day, we spent the morning at Junction North before going in search of the biggest Harvey Norman in Singapore. I was hoping to buy Breville products there. I had the address but we couldn’t find it. We probably got off the MRT too early because we were told that it is located quite far away. We somehow found another Harvey Norman store tucked inside a shopping centre we ventured in to avoid the heat. All that running around was almost for nothing. There were no Breville products to be found. So, I chose the next best thing to do. I showed my Mum how to develop photos at the Photo Centre. As there were no photos from this trip to be developed because my camera is still waiting to get repaired, I developed photos taken of my Mum and her helper when they were in Melbourne. I have got to say that I was super happy to have found this Harvey Norman store (Suntec City) even though I was after the flagship store @ Millenia Walk. Why? I got to sit there and adjust/crop my photos just like how the X and I used to when I was in Melbourne. I don’t think such photo centres exist in Kota Kinabalu. After I leave Singapore and KL, it will be a long time before I step foot in a Harvey Norman store again. Oh but I do get to listen to its jingle from time to time on the radio.

After dinner at Junction North that night, I was given one good and one bad news. The good news was that we were moving the next day to somewhere super comfy for the rest of the trip. The bad news was that Aunty P had arranged for me to go shopping with her grandson at Junction 8. Aunty P has a tendency to arrange such things for me. She knew that I lack social skills and had attempted to arrange surprises like that many times in the past but I didn’t expect to still be on the receiving end in 2013.

This post is already very long. I will write another post about my shopping trip with Tris next time.

Back From Eat Wind

In late January, we bought tickets to KL because they were cheap. A couple of weeks later, we looked again to see if there were any cheap fares to another destination from KL and BINGO, we scored two 0 fare tickets.

We flew to KL on the 6^th of March with Air Asia. We arrived at LCCT very early in the morning around 1:30 am. Shortly after our arrival, we were forced to wait outside the airport for our next flight. This experience of waiting at the airport is not to be repeated anytime soon. People were sleeping on pieces of cardboard on the floor. Interestingly, a toddler was spotted sleeping on a mattress so new that it was still wrapped in plastic. Another lady was spotted sleeping with a facial mask on – it was hilarious. The sitting area was filthy. My Mum was fussing but I just surrendered and accepted the reality. What is a bit of dirt to compare to a possibility of becoming homeless/stateless if the foreigners really do take over Sabah?

People were allowed into the airport again shortly after 3 am but the shops were still not operating due to fogging. By 5 ish, I was not only sleepy but super hungry as well. Travelling with my Mum is quite tricky. Upon arrival at any airport, my Mum likes to turn the whole process into her version of a game show / competition. She has a need to race around like the plane is about to leave us behind and our future will be doomed forever. I learned from a young age to not moan about this. It is safest to just rush along with her like a fool. This time though, she was in such a hurry that she was ready to board before checking in our luggage. I kept quiet because I know that I am apparently stupid and inexperienced in such matters. We somehow managed to get everything done in time and had ½ an hour to watch Mr. Bean before actually boarding the plane.

It took less than an hour to reach our island destination. I had a window seat and got to see the island from up high. I saw the cargo ships heading presumably for the island in the same direction as us. I prayed quietly for a good time and I wasn’t sure if God would answer my prayer but I found out later that He had agreed.

I recognized Changi the moment we landed and I saw at least 6 Jet Stars waiting for passengers. As I was stepping out of the plane, I told myself, “This is it, P. Say goodbye to dirt for now because Singapore is pretty much dirt free.” Cynical me wasn’t too convinced. Memories drifted back as soon as I saw the travelators because it was from Changi’s Terminal 1 that I used to fly to Australia or wherever. This time I fell instantly in love with the sign boards above each section of the travelator indicating “Keep Left”. I love such ‘rules’ because it keeps things moving smoothly. I was set to stick to any rules until I was queuing for my passport to be stamped. My Mum doesn’t like to queue unless if it is absolutely necessary. She pushed me to a shorter line but I didn’t protest because I was still blindly in love with those ‘Keep Left’ signs. As it turned out, the shorter line was for the crew and I got told off by the Malay officer for not reading the screen. It was downright embarrassing because although I am from Sabah, I am literate.

We took the MRT to get to Chinatown. As we approached Payar Lebar, I saw footpaths outside buildings and I was even more instantly in love. They were similar to the style of footpaths in Melbourne. I was thinking, “The authorities are very considerate in providing such footpaths.” Singaporeans are obviously not too posh to be seen walking. The journey on the MRT was quite packed. I observed the people around me and they seemed to mind their own business. They weren’t staring at me like I was some kind of a freak.

I was wide awake by the time we got to Chinatown. We went to look for my Mum’s friend living near People’s Park Complex. We caught a cat’s nap after breakfast. After we got up, we went to look for a particular branch of OCBC and I saw a row of really fancy looking Mercs and Bimmers. I haven’t seen cars like that for a long time. Once we got the banking done, we were off to Vivocity in a taxi. On the way there, I caught my first sight of Pinnacle @ Duxton. The reason that we were going to Vivocity was to visit Toys’R’Us and Build a Bear Workshop. If anyone is looking for Schleich animal figurines in Singapore, I could tell you now that the Toys’R’Us store at Vivocity stocks them. At BABW, I was hoping to buy a t-shirt with a Merlion printed at the front for my Mascot (K) but they didn’t have any. As we were both hungry, we ended up having fish and chips at a place looking quite similar to a place in KK. The shop turned out to be Fish & Co and there really is one in KK. Also while we were at Vivocity, I got the opportunity to point out a Kompan Supernova to my Mum at the playground. I didn’t get to demonstrate how it works because there were a couple of expatriate children playing nearby. Their Mummy might feel terrorized if I barged in (without kids) and accidentally bust their security bubble. There was also a big Daiso hiding inside Vivocity. Everything is SGD $2 and they have stuff that are not available here in KK.

We moved out after just one night in Chinatown. We slept well probably because we were dog tired. I do admit that I was more than a little unnerved by the pieces of paper scrolls dangling at the front door. They were for warding off evil spirits. We were simply too sleepy to even realize if any spirits visited during the night.
 

Note: The Hakka slang 吃 风 means to take a holiday. It literally translates into English as Eat Wind. The Malay slang for this is Makan Angin.