School's Out (for Summer)*

It's time to head home for some R&R, family and friend visits,

and shoe shopping!

This is how we will fly home in just a few hours:

 Summon the carne asada tacos and pastrami sandwiches!

We will return to Singapore, and more southeast Asian experiences

for the 2012-2013 school year.

* Thanks for the song title Mr. Alice Cooper!

Beautiful Bintan

For our final four-day weekend of the year, we set sail for Bintan island.

It is only 55 minutes away by ferry and you can feel the heat of the equator as you get closer.

I usually get seasick, but I chose not to take any precautions.
Instead, I got some salty chips at the appropriately named B(a)RF Deli once we boarded the ferry.

Bintan is one of several Indonesian islands and is immensely popular with the Singaporeans.

We stayed at the Bintan Lagoon Resort with a view of the Jack Nicklaus golf course overlooking the South China Sea.

At the Icon Restaurant in town, we ate mutton satay and delicious rice!

The skies were velvety purple at dusk.

There are many places to get Indonesian massages, but we just admired the relief sculptures instead.

We took a mangrove boat tour at night to see fireflies and to gaze at the stars.

While recording a heavy rain storm the next day, I captured this lightning bolt accompanied by a loud thunderclap!

We topped off the journey by feeding the extra large koi fish in front of the hotel.

Beautiful Bali

For Spring Break, we spent a week in nearby Bali, which is a short, two-hour flight from Singapore.  We spent half the time in a city called Ubud, the cultural center of Bali.  We spent the other half of our time in a relaxing, beachfront resort hidden away next to a seaside temple called Tanah Lot.

Local Balinese people receive blessings
at the Water Temple north of Ubud.

We pose nearby Batur Mount volcano, which last erupted in the 1960s.

There are many large volcanoes dotting the landscape across Bali.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to paint the
volcano while stuffing my belly with delicious local Balinese cuisine.

Rice field terraces can be seen everywhere throughout Bali.

I demonstrate my amazing, physical strength,
but the 70 year old Balinese man behind me
does not seem to be impressed.

We enjoyed fabulous meals in a beautifully adorned cabana.

Art and craftsmanship surrounded us.

 Balinese artisans carve wood sculptures by hand.

This Balinese woman takes care of a local temple, built in the 16th century.

Our local driver honored us with a visit to his home.
He created this hybrid bougainvillea (four colors in one plant)!

His mother makes pottery, and she gave us a flower vase gift.

At the masonry sculpture shop,
I hold my breath and stay very still,
so no one will know I'm there.

Coconut palm fronds are folded and shaped
into intricate patterns for wedding celebrations.

We spent a whole day in that private hut on the left...ahhhhh!

The evenings were breathtaking as the skies
changed from bright clouds to moonlit, starry nights.

Zzplxy Bird

I cannot explain this bird's call nor can I provide a photo of it since I have never seen it.  I gave it this name partly because it is the only way I can describe it's song and it reminds me of one of Superman's foes -- Mr. Mxyztplk. So, until I find out what this bird looks like, it's image will be the little guy in the purple suit:

Here is audio of the bird, taken at 6 a.m.:

The British Way

Working at an international school exposes us to many different things.  We get to experience different cultures.  We are surrounded by a myriad of accents.  We see a variety of unique fashions.  And now we are even learning new vocabulary (since Singapore uses British English, not American English).  Take the following test and see if you can guess the British terminology.  

Answers are at the end of this blog entry.

A teacher does not proctor an exam.
She __________________.

Students don't exit the bus.
They ______________.

This is not a trunk.
It's a __________________.

Teacher's don't use a cubby.
They use a _____________   _____________.

We don't eat at the school cafeteria.
We eat at the ______________________.

A sick teacher doesn't need a sub.
He needs ___________________.

You don't put a period at the end of a sentence.
You put a _______________  ______________.

This is not a band-aid or bandage.
It's a ________________.

Answers:

invigilate

alight

boot

pigeon hole

canteen

cover

full stop

plaster

Shoe Designer?

I like to enter contests, but you can imagine my surprise when my graffiti shoe design for Pedro shoes was recently selected as one of the top 3 finalists.  If my design wins, Pedro will actually make the shoe!

Here's my design and a link to vote for it.

You never know what adventures lay ahead.  What's next, ice carving in Singapore?

Weekend in Malacca, Malaysia

What did we do on our recent 4-day weekend?  We took a train to Malacca (in Malaysia) to see the colonial town built by the Portuguese in 1511.  The walkable area is full of shops, museums, churches, and restaurants.  It was a restful three-day, two-night excursion.  If you plan to go by train, we strongly recommend you book Premier Class and wear warm clothing for the extra-cold, air conditioned coach!

Replica of a Portuguese ship, the Flora de la Mar, which is also a maritime museum.

View of our hotel, Casa del Rio, ship/museum and river from the 335-meter high observation tower. 

We saw a variety of lavishly decorated trishaws, all playing VERY loud music as they traveled throughout the town.

For my "Animals in Ruins" series, here is a gigantic, black kitten and two curious tourists in front of St. Paul's church, built in 1521.

Inside the church, I found a breezy spot to cool down next to some eerie headstones from the 1600s.

From St. Paul's Hill, you can enjoy a cool breeze after climbing a multitude of steps. 

Jonker Street is where you can find unique shops, steamed corn on the cob, local restaurants, and foot spas.  (We experienced them all!)