Thoughts on expat life in Singapore and an update on Blood and Bandages.

     Life as an expat is mixed. 

     You have the excitement of sights that broaden your mind...

Interactive space exhibit at the ArtScience Museum

Supertrees Grove at Gardens by the Bay

challenge your faith...

Devotees in the Thaipusam procession, a Hindu festival in honour of Lord Subramaniam

An altar at Singapore's oldest Chinese temple, Thian Hock Keng, dedicated to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea

transfix...

A scene from the Vessantra Jataka, a Buddist tale of perfect generosity on a Burmese silver offering bowl

a fish stall at the Tekka Centre in Little India

shame...

Second World War graves at Kranji War Cemetery

Punggol beach, one of the sites used by the Japanese army to massacre Chinese males during Operation Sook Ching (Feb 1942)

and surprise.

Graffiti wall art in Haji Lane, Kampong Glam

     Upon arrival, we were embraced by the English speaking expat community and automatically included by dint of being there. It's a community which includes, English, American, Australian and Dutch, all of whom make up part of a tiny minority (1-3%) of the population of Singapore. Whilst the welcome was warm and generous, membership of such a group has its drawbacks. Most of the clothes shops don't cater for our size and we have to be wise to the view that expats are made of money and charged accordingly. 
     The expat community is also a transitory one as many postholders are on two or three-year fixed term contracts. Even a permanent job doesn't equate to greater security as it's entirely dependant upon maintaining the vital Employment Pass. If you fall out with your boss, suffer a long-term sickness or are daft enough to abuse the police, it can be removed. If it's removed, so are you, no matter how settled you are or how critical the school year. Worse still, if the Employment Pass holder dies, the remaining dependants are given a month to leave the country.
     Such a precarious existance is uncomfortable. You become acutely aware of the need to keep healthy and to follow the rules. Perhaps that's the reason why expats don't tend to jaywalk.

     On a deeper level, being in the minority forces you to confront some national traits, one of which is the Britain class system. From an early age, we are made aware that a person's class, and therefore his rightful place in society, is defined by, amongst other things, accent, education, wealth and family. As we get older, we can also detect if someone has moved between classes, fallen on hard times or has illusions of grandeur. Such behaviour will invite comment and, most likely, condemnation.
     The British class system does not matter a fig if you are jostling for space within a tiny minority. If you try to hold onto it you are likely to become irrelevant or even considered an oddity. In an expat community where everyone is struggling to adapt, you are seldom judged. If you are, it'll be on the basis of how friendly, supportive, generous and open-minded you are. Hence, as a British expat, we  do well to abandon our innate instinct to judge and classify people. New country, new rules.  

     And now for something completely different, Blood and Bandages, the tour.

     Our first outing was to the Imperial War Museum London where we spent the afternoon signing books and chatting to visitors. 

      William and I at the Meet the Author event at IWM-London

William's energy never flagged as he shared his WW2 experiences with overseas visitors

A week later saw us at the War and Peace Revival. 
     We were in the Author's Pavilion alongside writers and celebrities like Rusty Firmin, Professor Andrew Robertshaw and Elaine Everest. The camaraderie was wonderful but what I found most touching was the respect shown to William particularly by ex-army veterans, like Alan Barry, ex-Grenadier Guard and Rusty Firmin ex-SAS Parachute Regiment and Commando RA, whose role in the Iranian Embassy siege was made into the film, 6 Days.

Alan Barry thanking William for the role the 214th Field Ambulance played at Mount Camino, Italy, Nov 1943

     

Rusty and William chatting at the end of a long day

     There were so many memorable moments but one I shall never forget was when William wheeled himself over to meet the other WW2 veterans and greeted them with a heartfelt, "My comrades."

William greets Jeff Haward MM and his fellow WW2 comrades.

But it was not all about chatting. There were books to sell and talks to present.  

Flying solo at the Friday talk on Blood and Bandages

with Penny Legg and William on Saturday

     On the Saturday, it was Jeff Haward's 99th birthday. For a veteran of Dunkirk, El-Alamein and D-Day, the War and Peace team pulled out all the stops. First, a piped band marched into the Pavilion and played a medley of tunes culminating in a rendition of Happy Birthday. 

It was a bit of a shock when they came marching in

Next a birthday cake appeared accompanied by a glamorous 1940s duo who sang a sultry reprise of Happy Birthday. 

     William, never one to ignore a pretty face, nabbed a cuddle on the girl's way out.

At 103 years-old, William has still not lost his eye for a pretty face. Marvellous.

It was a super two days and, God willing, William and I will return next year.
     It has been a very full summer and we loved the three weeks we spent in England catching up with family and friends. The moment we emerged from the Southwick tunnel and saw Shoreham by-Sea glistening below, it felt like home and it was hard to leave. However, there are more exciting times ahead here in Singapore. I have been asked to deliver a screenwriting course to a group of teenagers and I can't wait to get started. However, Blood and Bandages will still keep me busy because I have a series of interviews and a lecture to deliver in the autumn and once I've finished teaching, I'll start on adaptating it for TV or film. How's that for a new challenge?
     Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again soon.

A week of celebrations

     Well, my resolve to write a fortnightly blog has failed miserably and I apologise for going AWOL. How many times have you heard that?!
     This week is one of celebrations.
     On Saturday 12th May, it was William Earl's 103rd Birthday.
     In case you have not met William before, he is the hero of Blood and Bandages and we became close friends during the seven long years it took to research and write the book.

Happy Birthday dear William.

        William celebrated at home with a glass or two of champagne in the company of his wife Judith, family and friends. I called from Singapore and treated him to my best operatic rendition of Happy Birthday. He listened patiently.  We're looking forward to meeting up again when Richard, Tom and I return home in July. William and I will definately squeeze in a belated birthday trip to our favourite fish and chip shop but then we'll return to the serious business of promoting our book.

We still try to combine play with work while we're at it.  

      God willing, William will join me for a book signing at the Imperial War Museum in London on 20th July and in the Author's Pavilion at the War and Peace Revival in Paddock Wood on 27th-28th July. War and Peace is a huge five day celebration of military history and WW2 lifestyle. Imagine Goodwood Revival with tanks and trenches.
     I went on my own last year.

Me with fellow author, Penny Legg in the Author's Pavilion at War and Peace 2017.

     It was fun and instructive to meet fellow authors like Penny Legg but something is always missing when William's not around. 

We're better as a double-act. 

     Talking of double acts, we've dressed the house in readiness for this Saturday's wedding of Prince Harry to Megan Markle. 

Flying the flag for the pending royal wedding.

     Some of our neighbours are a tad mystified by the sudden appearence of Union Jacks but I cried shy of installing a lifesize image of Harry and Megan. They'd go soggy in the rain.  

     Next time, I'll share some thoughts on life as an expat in Singapore and tell you what I've been getting up to. In the meantime, enjoy this week's celebrations, particularly the residents of Falcon Close in Shoreham-by-Sea, UK. I'll be with you in spirit. 

     Thank you so much for dropping by and see you soon.

Settling into life in Singapore. D-Day plus three months

      We have been in Singapore for exactly three months now and have spent the last two in our new home.

Our new home, a rented bungalow on the former RAF Camp at Seletar

       We took possession half an hour before the container turned up from the docks.

Last time I saw this, it was on Shoreham Beach

       I had mixed feelings when it rolled up and remembered the day it drew into our drive at home. I'd spent most of the previous night packing but the study was still untouched when the removal men arrived. My great friend Mandy and I spent the morning frantically sorting it out whilst the Sante Fe team packed up around us. The Singapore team were in a similar hurry at this end.

Moving in day plus one

     I could understand their haste because we'd learned that from 9.30am onwards the heat gets uncomfortable and just keeps rising until it hits 32-33 degrees. The humidity can reach over 90% so not ideal working conditions. We experienced how exhausting that could be from 29th December to 5th January when we shuttled between our new home and our serviced apartment. Our intention was to unpack and complete all DIY jobs before we moved in on the 5th but intention was no match for the tropical heat and dehydration, no matter how hard we tried.

     In fact, adapting to the weather has been one of the most challenging things we've had to do. 

My new shiny informal look.

     You quickly learn to embrace the discomfort of sweat soaked clothing but if you don't talc your feet blisters can appear within 20 steps. You understand why showers don't come with water heaters. Unlike Richard and Tom, I love the momentary chill when stepping under a cold shower. You yearn for the coolness between 4am - 7am for the moment the sun comes up at 7.15am the heat starts to build. We've started to study the locals and take our cue from them. For instance, we've learned to stand in the shade when waiting for the green man at road crossings. We don't pack cold drinks anymore because condensation forms quickly and soaks everything. We constantly carry an umbrella to protect ourselves from the sun and rain. 

     

Within minutes tropical rain floods our back garden.

     It never rains gently. It comes hard and fast and usually with a heavenly accompaniment of ear splitting thunderclaps and lightening overhead. Our electricity was knocked out by lightening during the storm photographed above. 

       Another thing that we've had to adapt to is our size.  We are like Gulliver in Lilliput and in an island crammed with 5.6 million people our bulk occupies far more than our fair share. 

We're often at least a foot taller than everyone else.

     In some shops the aisle is almost too narrow to turn around, leaving me with the choice of walking backwards or to the end of the aisle and turning around. Forget about sucking in your stomach, some eight-year old girls back home are bigger than women out here. You just have to get used to feeling big and awkward and accept that most shops sell neither shoes nor clothes that fit. To be honest, that is understandable because we are in the minority. 74% of the population are chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian and 4% others. That's us, an international hotchpodge of skilled ex-pats and their dependants. 

     Despite being in the minority, the Singaporeans could not be more inclusive, welcoming and generous. They bend over backwards to help and whenever we are asked where we come from, (we're generally thought to be Australian, unfathomable), the response is always, "welcome to Singapore." 

     Our Singaporean neighbours have become close friends and they are trying to educate us in Singaporean culture and language. Food is usually involved because there are two things that this nation loves, food and shopping. 

Richard and I studying the module on Singaporean food.

       The ex-pat community is equally welcoming both here on the camp and in town. There is no waiting period for people to assess you, you are invited simply because you are here and you automatically belong. So far I have joined the yoga and pilates groups here on the camp and attend a weekly museum lecture with ex-pat friends in town. There are lots of one off events like last Sunday, when we went to see an ex-pat friend, Jassy Husk, perform in Gardens by the Bay. She is Australian and I don't sound anything like her. 

Jassy Husk performing in the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

       Majong, tennis, coffee mornings, volunteering, book and film clubs, night outs are all laid on by the British Association and you chose when you want to join in. 

     There is so much to do, mainly because a fair number of 'trailing spouses' are highly educated, cultured career women who cannot get work permits in Singapore and need something to do. I am one of the lucky ones. I am employed by our company in the UK so can continue to work as a writer wherever I am. In fact, I recently unveiled Blood and Bandages at Tom's school fete and have joined the feature writer's team for the British Association's magazine. Being here frees me up to write much more and I have already started looking for ideas for my next book. 

     Talking of writing, I will also be producing a fortnightly blog from now on so look out for the next post on 19th March when I'll be sharing some more of life as an ex-pat in Asia. 

       Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you on the 19th March. Stay warm.

Happy Chinese New Year - Gong Xi Fai Cai - from Singapore

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year. Here in Singapore, it is marked with a two day national holiday. It's being celebrated by the majority of the population as the Chinese account for 76% of the inhabitants in this multicultural city-state.
The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese calendar which, in turn, is based upon the movements of the moon. As a rule of thumb, Chinese New Year falls on the day of the new moon closest to the start of spring. This year, it falls on the 16^th February.

 The Chinese New Year celebrations will last for the whole lunar cycle of 15 days. During that time the Chinese will celebrate with music, dancing, special foods, displays, reunions with family and friends and ‘red packets’.  

I asked one of our friends, Gennet Song, how she celebrates Chinese New Year.

Gennet Song, Company Director of The Light Goes On

“Symbolism is very important in Chinese culture so for instance, if a word sounds auspicious or positive we will use it when we want to celebrate. That's why you can see pineapple decorations on our gate.

Prosperity Gate

 The pineapple is very traditional because pineapple in Chinese is Ong Lai which means, 'luck will come our way.' We believe that the pineapple therefore welcomes good health, fortune and prosperity. You’ll see a lot of us Chinese buying real pineapples and displaying them in our homes during Chinese New Year. 
The same applies to the tangerine decoration. That is Kum in Chinese which means gold. So this decoration symbolises that we are welcoming in gold or wealth. Put together, these decorations create a prosperity gate as we are welcoming more prosperity into our lives.

 Front porch decorated with flowers and blossoms for Chinese New Year

The front door is very significant for us. It is where, in Feng Shui, the energy flows into the house, so beside the front door we’ve placed a Cockscomb. It is a very traditional Chinese plant which is considered to be auspicious because it resembles a rooster’s comb and roosters are thought to be lucky. We also have an Orchid. Orchids are very Singaporean and ours signifies colour and vibrancy in our lives. Above the door are blossoms because the lunar new year is like spring for us, so blossoms will be displayed everywhere.

Wheelock Place Shopping Mall displaying blossoms for Chinese New Year

All the decorations inside the house remind us of celebration and what we want to welcome. Everything that you see has a Chinese meaning or sound that is related to luck, wealth, health and the encouragement of good things into our lives.
We try to use as many live plants as possible so we have this Satsuma tree to signify Kum. You will see these fruits in huge displays everywhere.

Satsuma tree which is inviting gold and wealth into the home

Kum displayed outside the St Regis Hotel Tanglin

Jacq and I are in the business of health and wellness and we use essential oils. We are Young Living independent distributors and for this season our favourite oils are Abundance, Highest Potential, Joy and Orange. So I will diffuse these into the sitting room to create an uplifting atmosphere of abundance, opportunities, prosperity and happiness. I would also put them in little bottles in the bathroom so guests could use them as perfume.

Diffusing essential oils to create an auspicious atmosphere

Auspicious words and symbols are also used as decorations with words such as the ‘Fa Cai’ (Prosperity) Cat and Zhoa Cai, (to attract good luck) and Na Fu (to accept and keep the good fortune). 

 Prosperity Cat 

 Chinese New Year version of a Christmas tree

 This plant is usually associated with wealth, so we would put ornaments or symbols on it just like a Christmas tree. This coming year is the year of the dog so I have decorated it with dog symbols.

 The Chinese New Year runs in a cycle and each year it moves onto a different sign of the Chinese Zodiac.  We have 12 signs, the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep (goat), the monkey, the rooster, the pig and the dog. Each one has its own element too, like metal, wood, fire, earth or water. This year its earth, so 2018 is the year of the earth dog.

Some parents will try to delay or hasten the birth process so that a child is born in a year that they consider auspicious. As we’ve modernised, this has become less important but there are still baby booms in the year of the dragon because its one of the most powerful and lucky signs of the Zodiac.

Decorating the house is just one part of the preparation for Chinese New Year. You also have to have an annual spring clean and de-clutter. People really don’t like doing this but you want to make the house nice because there will be lots of people visiting you over the lunar New Year.

Traditionally, there is a order of visits and on the first day you would visit the eldest person in the family. You would take at least two oranges with you for the host and there would be an exchange of oranges and good wishes.

Exchanging oranges and a greeting when you visit during Chinese New Year

Elders and married adults will usually give children and younger siblings/relatives an Ang Pao (red packet) for good luck. Inside would be some money. Parents will also refrain from reprimanding children during the Chinese New Year so as to create a harmonious year ahead.  Most kids will enjoy the New Year celebrations which will most likely be the rare occasion they get to binge on all sorts of sweets, cookies and tidbits.  They will also wear the new clothes bought specially for the occasion. We’d all share a celebratory meal together and then we’d leave and visit the next most senior person. They would welcome us with oranges and all sorts of Chinese New Year goodies and sweets.

In the old days, you would spend the whole 15 days of Chinese New Year visiting family and eating good food. You may even consult an Almanac to tell you the most and least auspicious days and times to visit. We don’t do that nowadays because we only have two days public holiday for Chinese New Year so we haven’t got time to wait for an auspicious time or day.

Visiting can be fun but it can also be very tiring because you can be going from one place to another from morning until night. It’s like boot camp. If you can, you would do all the visiting in one day but in big families that’s quite impossible. Remember that in the lead up to Chinese New Year, people can be working flat out because you need to get cookies for people that come, oranges, drinks for visitors, auspicious fruits and food. You need to buy new clothes for the kids and for yourself. You have to spring clean and de-clutter the house, replace anything that is broken and after that you need to go visiting.

Chinese New Year is a time of families to come together but even before then, we will have Reunion Dinners.

A reunion dinner is traditionally meant to bring all the family, whereever they are, to one place to celebrate together. At the meal we’ll eat our favourite food and symbolically lucky dishes. Traditionally, there is only one reunion dinner, but us Singaporeans love to eat so instead of one, we will gather together for a reunion dinner, a reunion lunch, or a reunion tea with friends.
We will also celebrate with a Yu Sheng, a raw fish salad that we toss together as we welcome the New Year and wish for all the good things to come.  The higher you toss the salad the better because the higher you go, the more prosperity there will be. We sometimes refer to this as Loh Hei.

Richard gets stuck into a Loh Hei.

The Chinese New Year celebrations get started on New Year’s Eve when there are fireworks, Chinese firecrackers, gongs, cymbals, drums, lots of noise to frighten away evil spirits and clear space for the New Year to enter."

Thank you Gennet for contributing to the first blog of the Chinese New Year.
All that remains for me to do is to wish you Gong Xi Fai Cai, health, wealth and prosperity for 2018.
I will be back on 5th March with an update on how we are settling in and a sneek peek of the blogs I've got planned for the next few months.
Until then, if you can pop into the shops for a copy of the March edition of Sussex Life which is featuring William Earl and I and Blood and Bandages.
Thanks for dropping by and see you on 5th March.