One of my biggest annoyance about living in Singapore and in a public housing board (HDB) apartment - especially in an older neighbourhood - is the string of wakes (funerals) that is frequently held under our void decks. I know you can't help people from dying, but do they really have to hold the funerals down at the void decks? For those reading this blog who are unfamiliar with Singapore housing, void decks is the empty space on the ground floor of public housing apartments. It is usually an open area situated next to the carparks.
I am in no way being superstitious about having dead people on the ground floor of my apartment. But right now it's 10.30pm and the funeral downstairs is so loud that even through my closed door and windows I can still hear it. The funeral taking place right now is a Buddhist one (or Taoist, I don't know the difference), but there's a tent set up for Chinese opera performance complete with musical instrument ensemble. I am in no way trying to disrespect other people's religion and beliefs because even the Christian funerals (also held at the void decks) can also be just as loud when they're singing hymns accompanied with a full band.
I am lucky to be living on the 6th floor, I can imagine how much more magnified the noise would be and how much more unbearable it would be if we were living on the 2nd floor right above the performance tent.
I get that the reason they have funerals underneath the block where the family or deceased used to live is for ease and convenience but to the rest of the neighbourhood I think it's more of an inconvenience and disturbance. Not just the noise but also the location, for example, the current funeral (I mean the place where the tent that contains the coffin) is right in front of our mail boxes!!
I kinda feel that it's a strange tradition to hold funerals at your place of residence - for a week. I'm more familiar with holding funerals at funeral homes, in Indonesia for a couple of days to a week too, and in Brisbane funerals are usually just a one day event. I wonder if having a drawn out funeral makes it easier for the families to accept the departure of their loved ones?
It's also not just funerals, sometimes there are weddings held at the void decks that cause a bit of a ruckus. Tho a joyful event, these can get really loud too with the live bands performing.
So anyway, these are my thoughts, no disrespect to the dead or other religions or races intended.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Seat Reserved
There is a habit Singaporean office workers like to do at lunch time calling 'chopping seats'. Another words - reserving seats at crowded hawker centres/food courts using personal belongings like umbrella, bag of groceries and even a measly little tissue packet. Yes you read right, tissue packet. Most people would just assume the tissue packets were left behind accidentally, but when there's a tissue packet set out like a placemat in front of each seat I guess it's pretty obvious that those seats have been reserved. I had to point this out to my visiting family members a couple of times.
Anyway, when I saw Edmund carrying around this tissue packet which had Seat Reserved printed on the reverse I couldn't help but chuckle. They've done it. They've finally printed a tissue packet that could be used to reserve seats. Faaaarrrr out!
Anyway, when I saw Edmund carrying around this tissue packet which had Seat Reserved printed on the reverse I couldn't help but chuckle. They've done it. They've finally printed a tissue packet that could be used to reserve seats. Faaaarrrr out!
Angels and Demons the movie
Saw Angels and Demons recently. It was a great book to read and the movie is also a good watch. It'd been so long since I read the book that I actually forgot what happened and who the killer was...hehehe. So it was enjoyable sitting there trying to figure out/remember who the bad guy was.
So if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I would definitely recommend them both!
So if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I would definitely recommend them both!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Brisbane Parting thoughts.....
As we enjoy our last couple of weeks here in Brisbane, the weather's gotten enjoyably cooler. Just a shame we can't take in some more swimming before we leave. Not that we can't go swimming in Singapore, but my brother lives in a townhouse complex which has a pool in it. The pool is almost always empty, so we get to enjoy it as if it's our own private pool.
I know this coming week will go by so fast. Edmund is arriving Friday morning to spend our last week here and we'll all go back together the following Friday. Tho it's sad to leave here, I have been a little homesick and am looking forward to going back to my own house and my own bed and my own kitchen.
It has been a very fruitful trip especially for Caelyn. I can see that thru having the interaction with someone her own age everyday she's grown more into her own person. Her language skills are also developing well and she's even picked up a bit of Indonesian and Chinese all from being here for 2 months! Her appetite has also increased since being here and she'll be returning with a rounder belly than before. She occasionally gets bullied by her cousin, which makes me a little scared thinking about her being at school all helpless and alone. But I know it's a stage all the kids will have to go through and I can only hope that once she does start school she doesn't get bullied too much. I worry a little how she's gonna be back home when it goes back to being just us two at home again. She's definitely going to miss the company of having so many people to play with all at once.
As for me, it's been a real eye opener this time around. Usually my trips back have been around 2 weeks max so during those visits I've usually got my tourist goggles on. This time tho I was scouting the place to see the changes, the changes in ppl & the environment and to see how I would feel if we were to be back here again for good. I must say that it surprised me that it took me such a long time to get used to being back. For the good part of the first month I couldn't get used to it at all. And I was analysing and scrutinising every little thing and experiences. I started to wonder whether the Brisbane I knew 5 years ago didn't exist anymore. People had changed, less friendly, less welcoming in some instances. And you couldn't help but wonder whether it was a race issue - eventhough you don't really want to entertain those kind of thoughts, they do come up. You really can't help and feel different when people start treating you as if you are different from them, especially when you can see how differently they've treated the person in front of you.
During the first month I came to realise that I may not enjoy living back here and come to a sudden realisation how much i was in denial about how much I enjoyed living in Singapore and all its conveniences - including the food and shopping conveniences. The past few years I'd always wanted to move back and I guess I tried to not get myself too attached to living in Sg, but little did I know how much I am attached to the place already.
However by the 2nd month, my views changed again as I got more and more settled. I then realised that I probably could enjoy living here again, but at the same time I also realised that I think I also wouldn't mind it too much if we stayed in Sg longer. I guess as long as you have your family and time with your family it doesn't matter too much where you live. Economics and all other things considering of course.
Economy still seems pretty gloomy especially when you keep hearing about job cuts (Rio Tinto just announced they're axing over 500 jobs in the mining areas in Gladstone). So it probably wouldn't be too wise to move and give up your well paying job right now. I just wonder how long things are gonna remain gloomy - when will things start looking brighter......
I know this coming week will go by so fast. Edmund is arriving Friday morning to spend our last week here and we'll all go back together the following Friday. Tho it's sad to leave here, I have been a little homesick and am looking forward to going back to my own house and my own bed and my own kitchen.
It has been a very fruitful trip especially for Caelyn. I can see that thru having the interaction with someone her own age everyday she's grown more into her own person. Her language skills are also developing well and she's even picked up a bit of Indonesian and Chinese all from being here for 2 months! Her appetite has also increased since being here and she'll be returning with a rounder belly than before. She occasionally gets bullied by her cousin, which makes me a little scared thinking about her being at school all helpless and alone. But I know it's a stage all the kids will have to go through and I can only hope that once she does start school she doesn't get bullied too much. I worry a little how she's gonna be back home when it goes back to being just us two at home again. She's definitely going to miss the company of having so many people to play with all at once.
As for me, it's been a real eye opener this time around. Usually my trips back have been around 2 weeks max so during those visits I've usually got my tourist goggles on. This time tho I was scouting the place to see the changes, the changes in ppl & the environment and to see how I would feel if we were to be back here again for good. I must say that it surprised me that it took me such a long time to get used to being back. For the good part of the first month I couldn't get used to it at all. And I was analysing and scrutinising every little thing and experiences. I started to wonder whether the Brisbane I knew 5 years ago didn't exist anymore. People had changed, less friendly, less welcoming in some instances. And you couldn't help but wonder whether it was a race issue - eventhough you don't really want to entertain those kind of thoughts, they do come up. You really can't help and feel different when people start treating you as if you are different from them, especially when you can see how differently they've treated the person in front of you.
During the first month I came to realise that I may not enjoy living back here and come to a sudden realisation how much i was in denial about how much I enjoyed living in Singapore and all its conveniences - including the food and shopping conveniences. The past few years I'd always wanted to move back and I guess I tried to not get myself too attached to living in Sg, but little did I know how much I am attached to the place already.
However by the 2nd month, my views changed again as I got more and more settled. I then realised that I probably could enjoy living here again, but at the same time I also realised that I think I also wouldn't mind it too much if we stayed in Sg longer. I guess as long as you have your family and time with your family it doesn't matter too much where you live. Economics and all other things considering of course.
Economy still seems pretty gloomy especially when you keep hearing about job cuts (Rio Tinto just announced they're axing over 500 jobs in the mining areas in Gladstone). So it probably wouldn't be too wise to move and give up your well paying job right now. I just wonder how long things are gonna remain gloomy - when will things start looking brighter......
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Free Meningoccocal C vaccine
Today Caelyn had a free Meningoccocal C vaccine by the Brisbane City Council. It was a great experience, the nurse was friendly and the jab was given swiftly. But I don't understand why this vaccine isn't compulsory in Singapore, while in Australia it is. It sounds pretty serious if you ever contract the disease.
It's great not to have to pay for the vaccine considering how much it would've cost in Singapore. I wish Singapore would give free vaccines for children. It would definitely help with the lower income families. But as with everything else in Singapore - nothing is for free.
Did anyone get their kids vaccinated against Whooping Cough? It's not compulsory in either country. Is it necessary? There seems to be a vaccine for almost everything now, would it be over vaccinating our children to give them ones that aren't compulsory?
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