The Canadian Association of Singapore organized the Terry Fox Run here in Singapore this past weekend. We registered, donated to cancer research in Singapore, and had a lovely run in East Coast Park along with the other runners. About 1500 people ran... much less than the 10,000 or more that ran in the marathon here last December... but it was so nice to be out with runners. And the cookies afterwards were to die for! Seriously.
We all have friends and family who struggle with cancer. It's all over the world. I'm happy to say that one of the three people in my life with cancer at the moment has finished her treatments and has beat it! (I might add that her positive attitude and sense of humor is incredible, which I believe not only doesn't hurt, but helps.) The Singapore Terry Fox Run raised S$40,000. Not bad for a small group of 1500 I'd say. Medical treatments have advanced in amazing ways thanks to events like this and commited, passionate people. Progress can be a wonderful thing.
Not everyone would agree with that statement about progress.
We rented a car last weekend - which made our transportation to and from the run much more convenient!! We also drove off the beaten path into areas of Singapore we can't typically get to via bus or train. It was easy to get a little spoiled having the convenience of a car.
In the northern areas of Singapore, you'll find farms... fish farms, goat farms, chicken farms, and lots of vegetable farms. One day we ate at a most delicious restaurant on an organic veggie farm. It was called Bollywood and the environment was laid back, friendly, inspiring, and natural. Ivy, the owner, came to our table and introduced herself... and an intriguing conversation pursued.
Ivy told us she's half Indian and half Chinese, and her father worked hard and became rich. He bought land and now she's rich. She runs this organic farm, calls her staff slaves (although also seems to treat them quite well), has a Singapore movie currently being filmed at her premises, and she promotes a book that one of her staff wrote to help her to also become a millionaire. We bought the book - it's about a woman's struggles and breakthroughs with cerebal palsy... a seemingly inspiring book and the woman, whom we also met, is inspiring in person too.
Often people mistake my daughter and me for sisters. This time was no different... however, the experience was certainly different. Ivy told my daughter she can come work for her - although it's hard for an expat under 18 years old to get a work VISA (she'd let her work there anyway). She said she was beautiful. She wanted to know where her father was if Terry wasn't him. She told us how she felt about children - hated them. Never had them. But she also said that I must love my daughter very much in order to have her and raise her. She also demanded that we aren't Canadians... we must be Welch or something because of the color of our eyes.... and the fact that nobody is truly Canadian... which of course is true when you consider history.
Ivy recommended a couple of books about Singapore's history and educated us a little. She has a bit of disdain for the past Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan Yew has unified and globalized Singapore. He has created a wealthy country with many jobs and international relations. Progress is here. The nation is prosperous. But Ivy doesn't like the progress Singapore has made. She feels her area of Singapore
IS Singapore. The shopping, tourism, city-life, etc. is not Singapore in her opinion. The cleanliness and perfection is not authentic (I might agree with this part a little). She even believes the thousands of trees planted on rooftops and along highways and in man-made parks should be more 'organic' and not so planned.
Although Ivy had a negative nature, she was also interesting and light. We quite enjoyed the chat and we'll definitely return for the food and atmosphere. Oh, and Ivy drinks whiskey all day long.
While exploring Singapore, we visited Muslim, Hindu, and Chinese graveyards. All of which were different. The Muslim graves were full of trees and nature and exuded peace and beauty. The Hindu graves were a little more concrete, but they also had lots of green and provided a beautiful place to pray or visit loved ones' resting spots. The Chinese graves were concrete. The newer ones were big, horseshoe shaped concrete structures about 2-3 feet high with grass in the center. Concrete squares and walkways allow for burning things, which is a common ritual amongst the Chinese. The older ones were not as large, but there was still a lot of concrete. There were also folks selling flowers at stands (although there weren't a whole lot of flowers on graves... mostly trees)... and you could also purchase cold drinks from a van parked on the side of the road in the middle of all the grave sites. I guess a market exists there.
Amongst the graveyards you will also find buildings that are designed in columns to hold cremated loved ones. Because land is scarce in Singapore, this is one solution for efficient land use.
There were also several exhumation offices. And in the Chinese graveyards, exhumation was in progress. It's not uncommon for Singapore to exhume graves from sites in and around the city to build residential or commercial areas. But I'm not sure why these graveyards were being exhumed since there didn't seem to be development in this particular area.
I should also mention our visit to the Dragon Kiln. This is a pottery and clay studio and store. The kiln is fired up only twice a year and holds 5,000-7,000 pieces! It's huge. And there was so much inventory! A plethora of vases, plant pots, and jugs were for sale... many more than I would imagine there is a market for. We asked one of the sales ladies if they export, but I don't think she understood what we were asking. She did say they had a partnership with a company in China, who sent supplies to them. We wandered around and found a little warf leading to a gazebo filled with chairs overlooking a pond filled with fish. It was definitely another zen moment. By the way, Martha Stewart visited the kiln a few years back.
On our weekend adventures we found a causeway that linked one area of Singapore to another. Along the four lane highway, cars and trucks were parked. So we did the same... parked and got out. Well.... people brought along their lawn chairs and coolers, drinks, and snacks. Ice cream stands peppered the roads. Runner and bikers passed. It was the image of a park! But it wasn't. It was a road. Cement, concrete, and guard rails. With a great view of the ocean on each side and a wonderful wind.. yep... wind! We found a windy place in Singapore! So couples and groups relaxed in their chairs while snacking, taking in the view, and feeling the life of the wind. We walked along the concrete eating ice cream too. And there was graffiti on the outer side of the guard rail! Sacrilige! Graffiti is an offence here and is severely punished.
One of our final stops was to a delicious Japanese restaurant. The service was fun and friendly, the food was fantabulous, and the conversation with other Singaporeans who sat next to us was refreshing. We sat at a group table with most of the table used as the cooking station. The cook was from Malaysia. He knew his food. He was funny and provided great comic relief in addition to education. Our neighbors were Singaporeans and had too much rice so shared it with us. They'd been to Canada... Toronto of course. Most people around here think Toronto is Canada. The experience was just whetting our appetite for our trip to Japan next week!
It was a great weekend. And I think progress is good (I also think preserving history and culture is good... always about balance). I must go for a run around my man-made lake now.
