Pinnacles and Pottery

In recent weeks I've enjoyed re-connecting with a group of ladies who bill ourselves as the Singapore International Ladies Group. We are an eclectic group of mostly ex-pats from a host of countries including Scotland, England, Finland, Germany, Australia, Russia, France, India, China, Japan, Malaysia and yes, the USA. Well, as you can see, we are from pretty much anywhere including sometimes a local Singaporean. Together we have some pretty interesting discussions but we also go on hikes, meet for lunch or coffee, attend exhibitions or tour different sites here in Singapore. I thought I would share two recent events that might be of interest.

The Pinnacle

One is called The Pinnacle. It's a rather typical apartment building known here as an HDB which is an acronym for a government subsidized apartment unit available to local residents only. What's unique about this one is that for a few dollars you can pay to go to it's rooftop from which you can then walk around for a 360-degree view of the whole of Singapore! And what's more is it's one of Singapore's best kept secrets because hardly anyone seems to know about this remarkable opportunity!

As you view the pictures from that day, besides the expected high-rise skyscrapers, take note of the vast array of shipping containers being handled at it's major port. This will give you a tiny inkling of the constant web of ships that ply the waters through the Singapore Strait and why John's company as a supplier of software solutions to the marine shipping industry must do business here. You may also note the red-tiled roofs of an historically protected area of Chinatown. This happens to be where John's offices are located. Lastly, you may also notice the one hill known as Bukit Timah that stands at an unremarkable elevation of 537 feet; otherwise Singapore is utterly flat. Together, I hope these photos give you a sense of our environment and the tiny but impressive red dot known as Singapore.

Dragon Kiln

The second adventure took place in a remote jungly area in the northwest of the island where about 20 of us ladies went to tour one of the two remaining dragon kilns from Singapore's history as a pottery producer. There used to be 30 of them and there used to be so much pottery created and exported that those kilns ran on a weekly basis. Today, they are fired up no more than 3 times a year. So yes, Singapore has evolved from this industry but thankfully the family-owned business of this kiln has found a way to keep it going and is pursuing it's historical significance in order to ensure some future. Our tour included an informative and interesting explanation of the kiln's past role and how it works when it is fired up (which helps to explain it's characterization as a dragon). And though some of the pottery for sale there is a product of this kiln, much more of it today is actually imported from elsewhere in Asia - quite a reversal from it's heyday in history.

Pottery, pottery and more pottery!

Lastly, just a bit of humor and insight into the local culture is provided in this brief tongue-in-cheek article explaining what we foreigners do to piss off an otherwise pretty tolerant, complacent Singaporean! Intentionally or not, I guess we can't help ourselves...