SingaPortrait A Week

I take no credit for this idea. 

A friend of mine back home has been taking a portrait a week of her children in, what I think is, a fabulous photographic record of their life in 2013.  When the cubs are young, a few weeks sees a multitude of changes and having that documented is a real gift.

I really like this idea but being a hopeless photographer and my children being a couple of ruffians, getting that magical shot is nigh on impossible.

That said, citing my latest blogpost "The Midgets Grumbler Rises", as my children grow ever more feral and hoping to expand my photographic horizons to more than that of waiting for my camera to load for 20 seconds before I can take my next picture, I am going to have a crack at doing a portrait a week of our life in Singapore.

Given my husband has a major presentation to Le Grand Fromage of the company at the end of the month on how much profit he is going to bring into the Asia Pacific region (note, he has only been here for two months!) the 52 photos might quickly become 4 photos as he gets sacked and we get packed off back to Blighty.  Still, going to give it a go.

Week I:  We need a cleaner 

After hanging about ten items of clothing on the airer and then having had to sit down for about 20 minutes afterwards to get my energy back, mopping, dusting, cleaning will not be happening on my watch in Singapore's sultry, sweaty, sleep inducing climate.

Week II:  Conscience

Oh how one wrestles with ones conscience!  Meeting Inuka the Polar Bear up close at Singapore Zoo has been one of the most thrilling animal experiences I have had and we have had some great ones. As usual, following the amazing encounter at the zoo I then went home and did some reading on polar bears in captivity and specifically a report on captive polar bears in Singapore.  Afterall, what in the heck is the biggest arctic animal on the planet doing on a teeny island on the equator?  It could not be further from his natural habitat.  

On reading an excellent investigation by ACRES into the impact of life in captivity in Singapore for these magnificent animals I went from pure awe and excitement in the morning to planning a ninja style midnight break out of Inuka in the evening.  If I did not think he would tear my head off and eat me I would get him out of there tonight.  If I managed to maintain my head attachment to body, then of course I will have the problem of accommodating him in our small flat until I can arrange his transfer to Anchorage by which time he would have probably killed all of us and probably himself.  Sadly, it's a bit of a futile situation.  

I am very thankful I have seen a polar bear in the flesh but desperately sad for his plight in captivity.  I am not against zoo's at all but in the case of this huge animal sweating in the heat under his thick pelt and blubber while swimming backward and forth repetitively, you realise we were not lucky in that he was just swimming over to investigate us, but he is unlucky in that he is clearly completely bananas.

Week III - Week VI:  Damp

I was going to write an article with regard to this issue along with numerous other problems in our brand new condo but thinking about it, while proving a great ranting opportunity for me, will provide terrible reading for my dear blog follower.

The short version, which is not short, is on moving into our condo we had to provide a snag list so when our tenancy ends in 2 years we do not lose our deposit, the value of a brand new car!

Our landlords have used this opportunity of us checking every little detail in order to protect our deposit to get all these issues fixed before their warranty with the property developers runs out this August.  Of course, from our perspective this is utterly irritating given they had six months to do this prior to us moving in and I am now dealing with the most imbecilic "experts" pretty much every second day since I arrived in June. 

The picture above is the result of five weeks of investigation without actually doing anything.  We have a built in cupboard, the right side of which is on the other side of our bathroom and specifically the shower.  The drawers only, in this cupboard stink of damp.  I have a Victorian home so if anyone knows the smell of damp, it is me.  Anyway, after these five weeks of numerous oddballs coming round they today finally cut into the back of the cupboard to find this huge panel of black mould.  At this point I would like to explain the various excuses for the smell and now the black mould by the parade of tradespeople, that I have been given:

(a) Grease
(b) I have not cleaned the drawers properly
(c) My things in the cupboard (these include Poison by Christian Dior and Hugo Boss along with some Clinique products.  I don't remember buying those because I wanted to smell like damp)
(d) Piece de la resistance was today on uncovering this mould I was told it is not mould but dust.

I suggested for the nth time that they reseal the grout lines along the inside of the shower cubicle but apparently this is not the issue.  They think its better to solve the problem where it has materialised rather than at the source.

I throw my hands up in the air and have decided to not get involved and instead seek recompense from our money grabbing landlord who will no doubt not give us a bean.

Needless to say, much of my bad mood since we have been in Singapore has been down to these utter numbskulls and their lack of any obvious expertise.  For example we have a carpenter here today to deal with the damp.  Plumber might be more appropriate?

I am sure these are the endless woes of living abroad and having to deal with tradespeople plus a bit of culture clashes and lost in translations but irrespective of all these teething problems it is really getting on my bloody wick!

Week VII:  Why We Are Here

I realise over the last six weeks, dear blog follower, that I have been a colossal grump given we are beginning the journey of a lifetime and I should be hugely grateful.  I look back over the last three portraits and we have had dirty feet, a captive polar bear and black mould.  This is hardly inspiring stuff.  

This week however I can post a picture that represents and reminds me of the reason we came here.  Beautiful deserted beaches with clear water and pristine sand, freedom for our children to run and frolic in total safety (apart from the tonnes of jelly fish but I think that just adds to the adventure.  Will we get stung?  Won't we get stung?) and pure relaxation.  Furthermore, given this is our first excursion out of Singapore, our children were very fortunate to have the experience of releasing baby Hawksbill Turtle hatchlings into the sea.  Again, a fantastic opportunity that no doubt they will forget about being six and four but we will remember forever.  

I just read that back and I have not grumbled once!