Sick And (not 'Of') Fixing Doors on Bookshelves

Ovidia--every other Tuesday

My office is a bookmess right now because I've decided I need glass doors on my bookcases (to keep off dust without hiding my books) and there will be some Drilling involved.
I tried hanging curtains originally--they looked nice, but I missed seeing the bookspines looking back at me. And it was a nuisance to push them apart every time I wanted to pick up a book. Now to figure out what use to put these nice pieces of cloth to...

I thought it was the dust and exertion that was making me sniffy and tired but after three days I have to admit I may have picked up a bug.

And I've decided to enjoy it. Right now, there’s nothing urgent hounding me. I should be able to keep up with my daily quota on the WIP (Tembusu Tree) by working through my notes--though trying to decipher my handwriting makes my eyes sting and water!

I've been going walking--very slowly--having missed three days of pilates/yoga practice because I don’t want to expose anyone else to my germs. I wanted to push my body a little and make myself uncomfortable enough so I wouldn't get used to wallowing about doing nothing. (Also being outdoors in natural light around trees is supposed to be healing, isn't it?)

They were lovely walks because I allowed myself to go slowly and take my time and enjoy the wild orchids along the way.

And isn't this a nice spot for a 'last seen at' post?!

Another lovely sight was this banyan tree, with aerial roots all over the path--

Some people believe that chewing gum from Banyan tree's aerial roots can ease gas and digestive problems. It's also supposed to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

On the flip side, sleeping under a banyan tree is considered very dangerous because the spirits of the tree emerge in the night to suck out your life force and good luck. Not only that, but it's considered bad luck to build your home near a banyan tree because if the tree's shadow falls on your house at a certain time of day, it will create disharmony within the family.

Admittedly, some of the banyan tree's bad reputation may have come about because it's said to be the tree most often used by the British to hang local rebels who resisted British colonisation.

So yes it's a very interesting tree and I almost wish I were writing about it now, much as I love the Tembusu!

Willa Cather says, there are some things you learn best in calm, and some storm. In the same way I guess there are some things you read best in health and some in sickness.

Here's to herbal teas and meds and reading slowly so I can pick up the wild orchids on the pages I might otherwise skim past!

And I'm so looking forward to The Thursday Murder Club (Yay! Helen Mirren!!!) starting soon on Netflix!

Wishing everyone good health, great happiness and lots of reading (the best kind of wealth!)

Two Card Games and a Wedding

Ovidia--every other Tuesday

It's always hot in Singapore (We’re on the equator, after all) but recently it's also been raining and rainstorming. Luckily even the showers are warm here, so it's not so bad... and Singapore umbrellas are UV as well as waterproof!
And even more luckily, it held off for the important transitions over last weekend's wedding.
Lately it feels like all the nephews and nieces have been getting married one after the other. After meeting our new in-laws, I must say the best thing I'm realising about our family is we're really good at picking life partners!

It's also really nice meeting at weddings than funerals--which, sadly, is getting to be the other main reason we all meet up these days.
The older generation—the ones just above us—are gently receding (though to the young ones, we're probably all just 'old'!). They are more vague, walking more slowly, or worst of all--no longer with us.

And my own generation--since when did my cousins and siblings (and me!) suddenly turn into white haired aunties and uncles? But that's only the first impression. Once we start talking everything snaps back to the way it's always been and it feels like we're back in our late teens/ early twenties/ ageless and unaging selves again--even more so now because the children who turned up and took over their lives have now grown up and moved out.

So it felt (almost) like old times. But I encountered something new to me--card games. Remember how we used to play Monopoly and Cluedo? Which led some of us to grow up to be property tycoons and others to solve murders? I thought card games went out with rotary dial phones, but apparently they are definitely still a thing. And the ones I was introduced to are quite beautifully crafted!

Here are: Oh My Orchids! (created by Daryl Chow), Singapore 1889 (designed by Steve Ng, art and graphics by Regina AE (Ance Art) and my sesame-peanut dessert (totally delicious!) Our playing games didn't really take off because we were eating and talking too much, but I pinched these two packs and brought them home because I'm always interested in new ways to learn about Singapore history and I love flowers, especially orchids!

This is the 'River Mat' from the Singapore 1889 game. You shuffle and stack the cards (instructions included) along the river then 'fish' them out. What you 'catch' and what you do with it decides how well you do in the end, which is kind of matches how things worked in Singapore's early days.

Like this Salted Fish card--

If you fish out the Salted Fish card, you get to sneak a peek at the top card about to enter the river and decide whether to grab it for yourself or return it to the bottom of the stack.

And these other samples of Singapore's past--Opium, Spices and Joss Paper--are marked as managed by the British East India Company, Secret Society or a Chinese kongsi

btw, in this game, Joss Paper isn't just Underworld currency--it also allows you to draw two cards from the River and put one above the Secret Society card and return the other to the bottom of the deck.

And then there’s Oh My Orchids:

We didn't get to play this one at all--we were too busy catching up and maybe there was a little too much liquid conviviality. But I really liked the care with which these cards were drawn... and if only I'd found these cards earlier I could have given out that angsana seed card when The Angsana Tree Mystery launched!

But in between all the laughter and shared memories, there's also an awareness of time passing. The dancing, jogging, cycling, singing, super mahjong playing aunts who now sit quietly and the uncles who think you are your late mother (luckily we have the same name so it kind of works).

And you remember these people lived through history: British Colonialism, the Japanese Occupation, Secret Societies, the fight for Independance, oil lamps, rotary dial phones and cassette tapes, compulsory vaccinations, the cleaning up of the Singapore River and Covid. They saw the world's power centre move from Britain (in the 19th century) to North America (in the 20th) and are watching the craziness coming out of the United States right now.
And they survived all that--so hopefully we'll survive this too.

The Three Harrys: Wizard Savers of Their Worlds

Ovidia--every other Tuesday
I'm pushing through reworking the (hopefully) final, submittable draft of the next book--already missed first deadline and it looks like I'm going to be missing the second…

but I want to work through all the new wonderful stuff that decided to come to me only now (always happens doesn’t it?)

And the Mid-Autumn Festival is round the corner, so as always in times of pressure I turn to words of wisdom to comfort me—not from Mother Mary but the three wizard Harrys who all impacted me while saving their worlds in their own unique ways: Harry Potter, the boy wizard; Harry Dresden, the professional wizard; and Harry Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's socio-political wizard.
They are something I come back to whenever I need a charge up to keep on going. I discovered Harry Potter first.

I loved the magic and the message of Harry Potter for years! Yes, you can be a weird misfit but still the chosen one. You can find friends who become family. The monsters are real, and some of them are teachers and parent figures and in the government with power over you and you’re not imagining things, they really hate you and are out to get you…
But you can still make it through by not giving up.
I still love the Harry Potter world—even if the sad truth is that its creator seems to be turning into a Dolores Umbridge.
That helped me to leave Hogwarts behind along with my schooldays and come to Harry Dresden.

Harry Dresden: The Wizard Who Keeps Trying
Harry Dresden, a professional wizard in Chicago, is one of my favourite sleuths. Harry gets exhausted from overwork that pays poorly, doesn’t exercise enough, eats poorly, frequently has trouble with electronics and bills and his longest ongoing relationship is with Bob the talking skull…

This pretty much sums up a working writer’s life doesn’t it!

Harry Dresden has his personal issues, problems and (literal) demons, but he ends up trying to do his best despite feeling like the easiest thing would be to stay in bed. That’s where I am, much of the time—barely able to figure out what’s the right thing to do, let alone to summon up the energy to do it.

I also love Harry Dresden’s needing ‘energy’ to work his magic. This energy can be generated by lust, envy, rage or by joy, ecstasy and love—and the magic that emerges reflects the source of energy that fuelled it. I’ve found the same principle works when I’m trying to write or just live.
The material I absorb via reading, watching stuff online, interacting with people and dogs when I’m out or with my plants and human and animal companions at home all colour my thoughts and my writing.

Even though I feel more like Harry Dresden with his constant struggle to do good or just ‘do’, it’s Michael Carpenter, Dresden’s Knight friend who I envy. Michael, a true knight of faith who wields the holy sword Amoracchius, always acts with conviction. I have friends like that, and I envy them the same way… kind of.

Because Michael and his sword aren’t always right. And maybe a life lived without hesitation or doubt would be a little poorer. For what it’s worth, I’ll stick with Harry Dresden as a role model to keep me going. I don’t have a talking skull, but I do have these two munchkins that I discuss plot twists with.

And then there’s Harry Lee Kuan Yew, who wielded a different kind of magic—the magic of leadership.

Harry Lee Kuan Yew was, in many ways, the real-world wizard. He transformed Singapore from a small, struggling third world country into safe, stable first world nation. He made some tough, unpopular decisions with steely pragmatism, infamously saying, “Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford,” in the 60’s, when Singapore faced poverty, unemployment, racial tensions, and threats to our independence. Not the best role model for writers?

But once the slums were cleared, canals cleaned up and the people had safe drinking water he read poetry to his wife in her final years.

He did what needed to be done when it needed to be done. I owe it to the pioneering generation that I have access to my worlds of mystery and magic.

In the end, perhaps my biggest takeaway from all three is that the magic of creation often doesn’t look like magic when it’s in process. It looks like you’re plodding on hopelessly, endlessly, out of sheer stubbornness or stupidity. But then once you’ve brought all the right ingredients to the right place and infused it with the right energy, that’s when the magic happens. Good luck and Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!

Wandering Spirits and Ghostly Gatherings (& missing Bouchercon)

Ovidia--every other Tuesday
It's Bouchercon Week! Even though I’m not anywhere near Nashville, I already imagine (and miss) all the conversations that will be going on in the Bouchercon Bar.

Because that's where everyone goes to meet up with writers present and past...

This is my attempt at putting Nero Wolfe and Hercule Poirot together, in case you can't tell.

Right now, I'm trying to meet an end of August deadline, which is largely both why I'm a) not in Nashville and b) not writing!
Thinking about mystery readers and writers congregating, exchanging and feasting on ideas, being entertaining while being entertained, makes me imagine Wendell Thomas’s Cyd Redondo swapping stories with Kwai Quartey’s Emma Djan as Detective Kubu checks out the quality of nuts.

Maybe because gatherings of that sort are happening here in Singapore now--it's the Ghost Month, the time when the gates of hell open and spirits return to be entertained by getai performances and indulge in food, incense and other burned offerings.

At least that's the intention.
There was an incident over the weekend when police were called to a public getai performance that drew a live audience of over three hundred. Getai (literally 'song stage') are loud, garish, over the top performances. But most locals know better than to complain, being mindful of the first row of seats--always left empty as they are reserved for spirits and deities
Apparently a complaint about excessive noise in a residential/ tourist area was made. This being Singapore, two police officers showed up ASAP.

Again, this being Singapore, the police officers left after checking the organiser's permit and the show went on as usual.

After all, MP Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim was not only present, but performed a Hokkien song ("我问天") which got the audience singing along.
Around here, even if you don't believe in hungry ghosts, you have to pay respect to Members of Parliament!

But I wonder what the returning ghosts make of today's Singapore.

Much as I wish I could be at Bouchercon, there are some consolations here. For one, the Trumpet Trees all over Singapore are blooming right now.

These are some of the trees along the park connector running by Ulu Pandan Canal. It's one of my favourite walks, all the more so right now.

I'll get back to edits now--I hope all of you heading to Bouchercon have a Wonderful time!

Orchids, Nero Wolfe and can you name this tree?

"the orchids were his concubines: insipid, expensive, parasitic and temperamental. He brought them, in their diverse forms and colors, to the limits of their perfection, and then gave them away; he had never sold one" 

                --The League of Frightened Men 

Ovidia--every other Tuesday

I'm still settling back into daily life and writing, and looking longingly at Nero Wolfe's routine: 

Breakfast

Orchids (9am to 11am)

Work (11am till Lunch, then till 4pm)

Orchids (4pm to 6pm)

I also love his particularity, precision and enjoyment re: language, thought, food and life.

If only I could adopt a routine like his, my murder solving score might improve too. But right now, between edits, emails, laundry and the vengeance of daily tasks put on hold for two weeks, it's not happening. 

But even with all that and the jet lag, it was so wonderful to be at Bouchercon again!

I took these orchid photos at the Asia Pacific Orchid Conference 2023, two days before leaving for Bouchercon. 

Orchids are taken seriously here in Singapore--when we were looking to pick a National Flower in 1981, 30 of the 40 contenders were orchids. And yes, an orchid--Vanda Miss Joaquim--is now our National Flower.

These (partly) black orchids in particular make me think of Wolfe--

They also remind me (uncomfortably) of traditional Chinese bunholders--

 These are among my favourite orchids, with what I think of as 'bottle brush' sprays--

The show left me with a head full of orchid intentions, just as Bouchercon left me with stacks of books and reading intentions.

But unfortunately right now I'm in another part of the Nero Wolfe universe. Closer to:

"Fritz Brenner was in bed with the grippe... On that Tuesday in November the kitchen had not seen him for three days, and the resulting situation was not funny..."

Not me--I'm still fine. But the Beloved who escorted me to San Francisco and San Diego is down with something that we hope isn't Covid. The fever is in at 38º++ C and if it doesn't break by today we'll be heading to hospital.

Not the best of souvenirs to bring home!

It was so wonderful being surrounded by the mystery writing tribe. I can still feel the energy, through the jet lag and sickroom blues!

There's one more memory I'd like to preserve from Bouchercon San Diego, if anyone can help me:

I love these trees I saw in Downton San Diego that I couldn't identify--can anyone tell me what they are?

 And a closer look at those beautiful flowering bundles:

I'd really like to find out more about them. I fancy there was some fragrance too, but can't say for sure.

A Wedding in the Family

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

We celebrated a wedding in the family last weekend--my brother's sweet, smart, beautiful daughter is off to start married life in Edinburgh.

This was my first time visiting the Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church, which is one of Singapore’s oldest Presbyterian churches. 

It was founded by Rev. Benjamin Keasberry, a missionary sent out by the London Missionary Society to Singapore in 1837. Keasberry's 'target' audience was the Malay community. Back in the colonial days, this was considered acceptable.

This is a bit more complicated than it sounds, because according to the British in Singapore, to be Malay is to be Muslim. What, then, is a Malay who is not Muslim? According (again) to the British, they were 'Native Christians' (regardless of their personal beliefs). 

Fortunately this term is no longer used. 

Keasberry preached in Malay at the Little Malay Mission Chapel or 'Greja Keasberry' ('Keasberry Church in Malay).  In time, these services attracted not only Malays but also Peranakans (Malay speaking Straits born Chinese).

The English Presbyterian Mission acquired the Little Malay Chapel in 1886 and renamed the chapel the Straits Chinese Church, then the Straits Chinese Presbyterian Church.

And since services were no longer conducted in Malay, the church was renamed the Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church.

In recent years I've not spent much time in church, but I was surprised that the pastor officiating the ceremony chose to evoke at length the unhappy union of Thomas Carlyle and his wife when talking about the coming marriage--

(Remember Samuel Butler's "It was very good of God to let Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle marry one another, and so make only two people miserable and not four,"? Maybe it's better not to.)

I hope it was the merely the Scottish connection or a passion for Thomas Carlyle that prompted that!

But I'll wish them well and say no more.

Arrest & Hope

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

Reflecting on Singapore today...

I was going to write about the Tour de France and Yoga (I'm nowhere near where I would like to be, but at least I'm back on the mat), trying to finish a rough draft of the next book before Bouchercon and looking forward to my first Bouchercon in years (!!!) but then something happened. 

Our Minister for Transport, S. Iswaran, was arrested five days ago and is now 'assisting' in a corruption probe. Billionaire tycoon Ong Beng Seng was also arrested. 

This is big news on our tiny little squeaky clean island with zero-tolerance approach to corruption. Unfortunately there's very little information to be had, other than the CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) is investigating and therefore not talking.

I've heard of Ong Beng Seng. He's a property tycoon who was also involved in a corruption probe in the 1990's when his company gave SM Lee Kuan Yew and his son Lee Hsien Loong discounts on their property purchases. 

Ong Beng Seng insisted he'd acted as 'a businessman... (who) did what a businessman would have done' when he gave Lee Hsien Loong a 12% discount on a unit that was 16 sq metres larger than the one he'd intended to buy. 

Lee Kuan Yew's unit was purchased by his wife at the pre-launch (which he didn't attend) and the 7% discount was part of pre-launch promotion.

But though the probe found these transactions 'open and aboveboard', it was seen as a 'public perception problem' given the way developers use variable pricing.

Lee Kuan Yew believed in a code of honour and the internal moral compass of individuals... which works as long as you have honourable people serving. 

These days, we have the added security of external checks and balances, which is how this case was flagged by the CPIB. 

Investigating since May, the CPIB made PM Lee Hsien Loong aware of their findings on Wednesday 5th July and he gave them the go ahead for a formal investigation the next day; also instructing Minister Iswaran to take a leave of absence until the investigations were completed.

Of course, it may all end up as another investigation to show how 'upfront and transparent' we are. But another big thing Ong Beng Seng is known for is bringing the Formula One (something I heartily detest) to Singapore.

Which brings me to what I hope will come from this arrest--

Ong Beng Seng owns the rights to and is chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix, with the next Formula 1 Night Race scheduled to take place 15th to 17th September on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Since Minister Iswaran, as Transport Minister, must have been involved with the F1 getting another renewal contract (for seven bloody years) last year, my personal hope is that this is where the faecal matter hits the fan and the Singapore F1 gets cancelled this year and forever more. 

Were carbon emission studies overlooked? 

Were noise pollution protests ignored? 

I find it incredible that as we struggle to save our island and planet by getting people to give up cars and drinking straws and single use plastic bags and takeout containers (something I totally support btw!) we're flying in major polluters and pollutants in the form of single-seater fossil fuel frittering formula race cars to race around the city going nowhere fast. Whose brilliant idea was this? (clue: see photos above)

Yes, I've heard F1 is working towards sustainable fuels and zero carbon (by 2030) so what about cancelling F1 till then? 

And saving us from the estimated 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide the F1 releases into the atmosphere every season?

At least can we please keep that out of Singapore?

The Empty Tomb @ 38 Oxley Road

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

I was thinking about the coming together of Easter, Passover and Ramadan this year--but other people have written and will write about that better than I ever could. I'd like to talk about something else the image of the empty tomb brought to mind, especially after the 'Day of No Hope' or the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

But how/ where/ why does 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 come into this?

Oxley Road was named after Dr Thomas Oxley, who owned a nutmeg plantation in the area in the 1840s. Built in the late 19th century, Number 38 was originally named 'Castor'. It was occupied by a European merchant family till the war, when it was taken over by the Japanese.

But more significantly, 38 Oxley Road is where Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew lived in the years when Singapore's Independence was plotted and executed, and throughout his tenure as PM.

It's where the fledgeling PAP's 'underground' meetings were held. 'Underground' because political meetings were illegal under British rule and because their meetings were held in the basement dining room (see below).

This was also where our current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong grew up. That's the porch where he had Chinese tuition and Malay tuition in addition to regular school work.

But the reason 38 Oxley Road came to public attention was the very public family discussion over what should become of it after Lee Kuan Yew's death.

When he stepped down as Minister Mentor in 2011, Lee Kuan Yew said he wanted the house demolished. He was against being turned into a cult figure and wanted no permanent commemoration.

However, when the Cabinet wanted to preserve the house for its historic significance, Lee Kuan Yew amended two subsequent versions of his will to remove a previous demolition clause. In his seventh and final will made in December 2013, Lee Kuan Yew willed the house to his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong.

This upset his siblings who felt he'd gone against their father's wishes, triggering family rancour that was only made a big deal of because of who they are.

Is it more important to follow your father's once stated wishes--or do what the government he established decrees? Which facet of a multifaceted man takes precedence?

But contradictions don't mean someone is mistaken or lying.

Look at the four gospel accounts of who was at the empty tomb: 

1. Matthew says Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the grave (Matt 28:1) 

2. Mark said it was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome who brought spices to the tomb to anoint him. (Mark 16:1)

3. Luke says only that some women were at the empty tomb at dawn (Luke 24:1) only adding later that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and some other women were telling things to the apostles (24:10). 

4. And John says Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, early (John 20:1). 

As any reader or writer of crime fiction knows, if two witnesses give identical testimonies it's likely someone has been coached-- because each of us, given our unique perspective, will see things differently. It's what adds dimension to the whole picture.

I don't see a contradiction here--more that each writer named the women he knew or noticed. John mentioned only the woman who talked to Simon Peter. If he didn't notice the others it doesn't mean they weren't there. 

It's the only thing a writer can do--we write down what we see. 

Which is why it's important to remember that what we see is always filtered by who, what and where we are. That we don't know the whole story doesn't mean we can't tell our part of it--we should. And we should also make sure we take in other people's stories too.

Because it's in going out into the world to live and write new stories that counts, not weeping in the empty tomb or outside the empty house. 

A look at 5 Singapore Women (in our Women's Hall of Fame)

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

Always a bit behind the times, I came down with Covid just as the rest of the world is moving on! I'm glad to say that after two unpleasant weeks it's over now and I have a new and huge appreciation for breathing normally, healthcare providers, caring neighbours and food delivery agents! 

Also, I'm immensely grateful to all who waived charges, gave discounts and extended deadlines 'because Covid'.

A few days ago, after multiple tests proved me no longer infectious, I was allowed into the Istana (English: 'Palace', the official residence of our Head of State) to meet President Halimah and be inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. 

Believe me, it was a Big thrill! If I hadn't still been so physically drained / exhausted by the dratted virus I would have been jumping up and down and shrieking with glee and asking a hundred questions about the security and catering arrangements in the Istana. As it was, I think I behaved fairly decently--which is something to thank Covid for!

But it was an awesome experience and honour, and I'm going to mention five women from the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame whose impact on my life contributed to me being where I am today.

1. Sophia Blackmore (1857-1945)

2. Ellice Handy (1902-1989)

3. Dr Ruth Wong (1918- 1982)  

4. Kwa Geok Choo (1920-2010)

5. Pat Chan (1954-)

1. Sophia Blackmore (1857-1945)

Sophia Blackmore was a missionary who talked local families (not known for educating girls!) into sending their daughters to school. Originally known as the Tamil Girls School, the first school she founded was later renamed the Methodist Girls School--my alma mater.

This was the inspiration for the Mission Girls' School in my history mystery books, the attempt to educate girls into life options beyond matrimony and prostitution.

Unlike some other missionaries who believed civilisation = speaking English, Sophia Blackmore became proficient in Malay and published a Baba Malay paper, Sahabat.

My takeaways: 1. First learn the language 2. Turn your burden (sorry, but that's how many saw female offspring then) into a bonus.   

2. Ellice Handy (1902-1989)

Born Ellice Zuberbuhler, Ellice Handy was a student boarder in the Methodist Girls School. 

Later she returned to MGS to teach (and married Dr James Handy after whom Handy Road is named)

and became the first Asian principal of MGS.

My mother and aunts studied and later taught under her, but for me, her most lasting impact came when she published My Favourite Recipes In 1952 to raise funds for the school.

Until then, local recipes weren't written down. You learned from watching your mother or mother in law sniff/ taste/ test in the kitchen and the only printed cookbooks were imported tomes talking about baking with French and British ingredients. 

I learned to love cooking--and reading and writing about food--out of her cook book. Pounding familiar spices; steaming, straining and stir frying...

One of my most treasured possessions was a copy of her book inscribed ‘your mother tells me you like to cook’!

My takeaway: Having to write it down makes you aware of what you're doing/ thinking.

3. Dr Ruth Wong (1918- 1982) 

“A teacher who is not an inquirer nor a problem-solver is hardly likely to provide the right intellectual climate for his pupils to ask constructive questions or develop critical ability.”

Dr Ruth Wong was my late mother's hero and role model: she believed in educating educators and that as responsible educators (whether parents, teachers or caregivers) continuing their own education was a lifelong responsibility.

Ruth Wong was the first female principal of the Teachers’ Training College (TTC) and the founding director of the Institute of Education. 

She'd dreamed of becoming a doctor while in school, but as the eldest of 10 children, she gave up the opportunity for further studies in order to work and support her family.

My takeaway: Lifelong learning is a duty and responsibility.

4. Kwa Geok Choo

The mother of Singapore!

More than the wife of our first Prime Minister (who always said she was smarter than he!) Kwa Geok Choo was one of the first female lawyers in Singapore and the top conveyancing lawyer and partner in Lee & Lee.

She was a pioneering advocate of women’s rights in Singapore and drafted the Women’s Charter (supporting legal protection for women) passed in 1961. 

That was the year I was born; the safety and security that I grew up with and take for granted today I owe to her and those who worked with her.

In researching Kwa Geok Choo after being commissioned to write a play on her life, I learned about her love of music, poetry, art, nature and ecology. 

And about the life long romance and commitment that made it possible for her and her partner to achieve all they did.

My takeaway: Yes--you can have it all. 

 

5. Pat Chan

Singapore's Golden Girl with 39 SEAP (Southeast Asian Peninsula Games) gold medals between 1965 and 1973. No silvers, no bronzes, just pure gold. 

I remember being one of the crowd of little girls on the school driveway to cheer Pat Chan's arrival in school after one of her competitions. We knew, even in those days before electronic updates, because when she was away swimming for Singapore, there were school announcements celebrating her wins.

Her performance at the 1965 SEAP Games in Kuala Lumpur was particularly striking because Singapore had been kicked out of Malaysia just months earlier and wasn’t expected to survive five years. 

But now, replacing the image of our Prime Minister crying on television, there was suddenly 11 year old Patricia Chan decimating older and larger rivals--repeatedly.

Hearing Singapore's new national anthem played eight times for her gave all Singaporeans in this newly independent nation new hope.

Pat, who is both friend and role model, was my boss when I was an editor on the Bride and Home magazine (my first job!) She's always encouraged my writing... even though I'd discovered decisively I didn't want to write about bridal gowns and pretty teapots all my life!

My takeaway:  Ordinary people can do extraordinary things; or maybe they're just extraordinary people doing ordinary things.

 

Dreaming of a Durian Christmas

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

Heavier rains than usual have produced a larger than usual durian harvest in Malaysia, meaning durian prices will be down over Christmas, meaning that's what we'll probably be celebrating with this year!

Our own trees (well, the ones just outside our gate) didn't get the memo, though--

 --it looks like they're done fruiting for this year.

In pre-Covid days, once the flowers dropped, people would stand around discussing how the fruit looked and speculating on when it would drop. And it was a lesson in patience, because this is one fruit that cannot be harvested (or you risk angering the tree spirit and all future fruit will be tasteless). 

I've only ever been present at one fruit drop, that was after a heavy rain so only one other lady was around waiting. (I'd been on my way to the bus stop, honest!) We both heard the heavy thump and I went down the slope into the undergrowth and retrieved it for her. She was so happy and said, "I will keep it for my son tonight," I suggested that since that one tiny durian wasn't much for her, her son and their domestic helper, I buy her another from the stall up the road (this was when Uncle Lee, our neighbourhood durian uncle was still alive) but she said no. 

"If I want to eat I can buy for myself. But this one I saw drop, is good luck," She wanted to give me a seed of it, to share the good luck, but durian before going on public transport isn't a good idea!

There's a maximum fine of $500 if you're caught carrying durians on the MRT system. 

Of course durian sellers have their ways of getting around that. In the old days my dad would bring home whole durians and pry them open with a cleaver in the open air courtyard with all of us squatting around.

Now there are fewer plantations and more durian sellers.

I love this mural--but that poor woman is about to hit by a falling durian!

These days durian sellers open and package the fruit, some advertising special 'vacuum packaging' that will let you carry your durian home without stinking up your car or even "by bus, train or airplane without getting fined!"

But how does buying durians work? You go to the stall and see what they have to offer/ tell them your preferences: sweet, bitter or bittersweet? hard or soft? small seed or big seed?

 

I'm no good at picking fruit (connoisseurs will sniff and shake the fruit, pinch the spines to test for stiffness and scrape the stem to look for greenness). I find durian sellers I trust and leave it to them!

My preference is for soft, bitter fruit with small seeds and one of my favourites is the Mao Shan Wang or Mountain Cat King which ranges from bittersweet to bitter. I also love the D24 with its small seeds and darker yellow, almost orange bittersweet flesh.

They should open and show you the fruit for your approval. I like softer fruit (yes, even in bananas and apples) so I also like the XO durians which are really really soft--

--soft enough to put some people off. They come with a slightly alcoholic aftertaste, which may explain the name!

It's not just us humans who love and wait patiently for durians to drop naturally though. There are always birds, squirrels and monkeys lurking in the vicinity of fruiting trees. There are also stories of how, in the old days, tigers and wild boars would stake out rights to particular trees in the wild, and anyone who took fruit from those trees would be followed back to their villages and attacked.

(Yes there's a murder mystery here and I'm going to play around with the idea if no one else wants it!)

And our two doglets loved durian too, especially our Princess, who died this year. This will be our first Christmas without our darling little dog who used to adore durian!

 (That's Princess winning the race above. Behind her is Hermione aka The Duchess, who died two years back.)

I'm going to miss our silly Christmas rituals like doggy treats and gifts and doggy photos. But we who are still alive will create new traditions.

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!