Everything Going Swimmingly

I finally did it!

After a year of indecision I finally 'braved the elements' such as they were and plunged into the condo's pool. This action was prompted by the spell of hot weather and the realisation that as our condo Queens has one of the largest pools in Singapore, it was about time I made use of it.

The sensation of cooling off was indescribably pleasant, even though my swimming skills are rusty.

Of more concern was whether my swimming togs which had been languishing in a bottom draw for several years where still up to the task - perish the thought, literally!

I rediscovered muscles that hadn't been used for such exercise but felt particularly virtuous afterwards. Our changing rooms by the pool even have hot water to rinse off any chlorine.

Our condominium utilises a security system that allows one to use an intercom from outside the security grill and for the occupant to release the security gate if satisfied with the request.

My wife who remained in the apartment while I trod water several stories below, explained this system to me and why I would not be taking my swipe card and apartment key.

So it was that I stood clad in a damp towel negotiating this system on my return journey to the apartment.

After several futile attempts at pressing "07" to begin the sequence I discovered that I had in fact been pressing the well worn "C" instead of the "0", thereby clearing any attempt to make contact.

Before hypothermia set in I realised the error of my ways and safely returned to the 7th floor.

I shall be swimming again tomorrow.

Shiok Tactics

So shiok!

What is this Malay term that reverberates around the metropolis? The best way to describe it is as a euphoric statement of delight, usually when something pleasurable has been experienced.

In Singapore this pleasure is often food-related; this will come as no surprise to anyone.

I am reminded how such colloquialisms creep into everyday language. In the late 1970's when I was living in Papua New Guinea the common language was Pidgin - a combination of Place Tok, Germanic terms and Aussie swear words.

Words such as "buggerup tru" peppered our conversation and referred to something that was completely broken. In PNG nearly everything broke down with monotonous regularity, from the power stations to much-used refrigerators.

It was a favourite phrase of a fellow expatriate New Zealander in the Eastern Highlands town of Goroka.

He worked as manager for a local motor company and could never instill into his boys that a diesel landcruiser should not be filled with a tank full of petrol nor vice versa.
Comprehension of such minor details was not a strong point of his employees much to his chagrin.

For those who would like to discover a wider range of Singlish terminology I suggest this site.

At the very least one should master the basics - and here I will conclude, lah.