Earth Edition SINGAPORE
March · April
A WA Magazine All women, All walks of life,
2022
All Nationalities
Conservation:
Coral Reefs That Thrive Amid Human Activity
Transformation:
Singapore's Quarries Turned Nature Reserves
Sustainable Travel: Guilt-Free Luxury
ix F e r u t Na
Punggol East Coast Green Corridor Botanic Gardens
A WA Calendar
Empty time in your week? Don't miss AWA's regularly scheduled activities! Monday
Walking, Bridge, Mahjong
Tuesday
Running
Wednesday
Drop-In Coffee, 18-hole Golf, Choir, Walking
Thursday
Running, After Ni Hao, Hiking
Friday
Drop-In Coffee, Playgroups,
Weekly
Tennis
Photos by Jennifer Williams
Twice/month Writers Group, Creative Hands, Hiking, Bar Nights, Local Tours Monthly
Listen Ladies, Book Groups, Bunco, Health & Fitness, Arts & Culture, Workshops, Beauty & Fashion, DISH, Trivia Night, Movie Lunch, High Tea, Cultural Cooking, Community Service, Photography Running group's holiday run
Swans at Singapore Botanic Gardens
Orchid at National Orchid Garden, SG
Morning at Driftwood Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Editor's Note Earth Edition
Many of my favorite moments involve nature. Waking at the cottage on a calm summer morning to the sound of loons calling across a fog-shrouded lake. Lounging beside the campfire with a glass of red wine, enthralled by a star shower into the late hours of the night. Listening to the excited whoops and splashes as my boys and their friends run endlessly down the dock and plunge themselves into the chilly lake water. Scattering corn for the White-tailed deer who come to my home every autumn — we have reached a tacit agreement that they will stop destroying my bird feeder if I supply them with sweet corn and the occasional apple. My many interactions with the natural world are overshadowed almost daily by dire environmental stories on my news apps. 2021 was declared the sixth warmest year on Earth since records began in 1880. Time Magazine ran an article entitled “Did We Just Blow Our Last, Best Chance to Tackle Climate Change?” The Guardian Newspaper published a review of 2021 chronicling environmental disasters month by month. Inertia seems an almost inevitable response to these overwhelming, daily reminders that our planet is on the brink. But returning to Singapore in January after a Christmas trip home to a much chillier Canada, I saw the nature of
Singapore with renewed eyes. Within 24 hours, I’d walked past frolicking sea otters, monitor lizards, countless bird species (including hornbills) and a family of macaques. On a trip to Lazarus Island in the same week, I saw sea otters rolling and playing in the sand, a swimming sea turtle, a jumping stingray and soaring White Bellied Sea Eagles. Singapore labels itself a “City in Nature'' and I can see it is living up to this name. In recognition of Earth Day on April 21, 2022, we present to you AWA Magazine’s “Earth Edition''. We remind ourselves that there is more than one side to every story and that there are many reasons for hope when we look beyond all the stories of doom. Our planet is a beautiful and resilient place and many people are working to keep it so. Singapore is an excellent example of a city that is striving to make a home for both its people and its nature. I invite you to pour a cup of that organic, fair-trade coffee and join us as we discover forest bathing, a Champagne estate's sustainability project with a Singapore connection and sustainability in the art world. We explore ways you can reduce your impact from plant-based meat to plastic bags and how to recycle or repurpose a range of household goods. And we find Reasons to Be Cheerful!
My Two Youngest Boys and a Friend Jumping off the Dock into the Restoule River, Ontario, Canada
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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President's Message
American Women's Association Of Singapore A Sustainable Sisterhood Coming out of another pandemic year, my family has certainly accumulated more than a few things. But as I look around during the Spring cleaning ritual, I can’t help but think about the impact of all this on us, our communities, and the environment. How can we close the gap to our “green” aspirations? How can we be more sustainable? I believe you will find this issue to be a great resource for your green journey with accessible suggestions from the experts in our community. In fact, it is this sort of contribution that made me reflect on the concept of sustainability in a broader sense — not just environmental but also organizational. How do we ensure that our 80 plus year-old organization can adapt, is strong for years to come, and ultimately sustainable? From my work with start-ups, I often read "Entrepreneur" magazine and on this topic it says: "To be sustainable, a company needs to develop the capacity within itself to continuously identify the factors affecting its holistic growth in the long term, build knowledge and skill set on how to counter the adverse factors, and roll out the changes within itself in a selfsufficient manner." While a mouthful, the advice is ultimately about having a strong foundation, grounded in engagement, diversity of opinions, openness to tackle the “new”, and a bias
towards meaningful action. Our foundation is our members, and they are what separates us from many other organizations. As your journey here evolves, and with it your interests, the AWA's "secret sauce" has always been our dedicated and resourceful pool of volunteers. However, we must not take them for granted. Every time you participate, encourage a fellow member, organize an activity, or make time to chat, you are helping build the bonds that keep our foundation strong. Within that vein, I would like to take this opportunity to thank some of our AWA volunteers who continuously help us to fortify our organization: AWA Volunteer Director Mel Rice for tirelessly working to strengthen the AWA through our volunteer program, AWA Tennis Social Singles Committee Lead Julia Maywald for her enthusiasm in organizing creative activities over the holidays when many members could not travel, AWA Financial/Organizational Assistant Anne Roberts for her perseverance in facilitating membership renewals, AWA Hiking Chairs Marlene Han and Leanne Porter for enabling our members to explore the wonderful paths around Singapore even during everchanging rule fluctuations, and AWA Food from the Heart Chair Janet Stride for consistently supporting the community over the years and providing an opportunity for members to contribute. I am proud and honored to be part of the AWA — witnessing first hand how we have had the courage to change over the years, to support each other through our personal journeys, and to chart a course toward the future. This is what having a sustainable sisterhood is all about. Stay safe, Linda Schindler
AWA Misson Statement The American Women's Association is a sisterhood of women from around the world, who come together to enhance their Singapore experience through fulfilling volunteerrun events and activities. American Women’s Association of Singapore
FAQ’s/Important Information
15 Scotts Road #03-01 Singapore 228218
• The AWA welcomes all nationalities, not just Americans.
General Manager: Sarah Cockerill Main: 6734-4895 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30 am to 4:00 pm www.awasingapore.org
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AWA Magazine March/April 2022
• AWA guest fees apply to Singapore residents. Out of town guests and family members pay the AWA member price. • Guests are entitled to attend two events (in total, not per year) before we ask them to join the AWA to participate. • Register for membership and events on our website:
www.awasingapore.org.
Bulletin Board
The AWA Board of Directors
AWA Finances 2020-2021
Where does our money come from and how is it used? The AWA Board is pleased to share an overview of our Fiscal Year 2020- 2021. The association ended the year with a small positive balance, despite a full year of Covid restrictions. We are optimistic that in-person events will resume in the next fiscal year and look forward to seeing you there. The Board is constantly looking for ways to streamline our resources. As you can see below, our largest revenue stream comes from the dues we collect. Our largest expenses are salary, government levies (39%) and rent (31%). As the office rent is one of our largest expenses, we intend to make specific savings on this expense in 2022 and will give more details soon. We thank you for your support through your dues and event participation.
Sarah and Linda
Our complete and audited financial statement is available for review in the AWA office on request.
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Contents 01 02 03
Editor's Note President's Message Bulletin Board
AWA Singapore's Membership Magazine
March April 2022
30 On the Cover Little Girl Sculpture by Vanessa Marston, National Orchid Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens 4 MagazineWilliams March/April 2022 PhotoAWA by Jennifer
AWA Group Scoop 19 20 23 26 27 27 28 37 38 39 41 41 43
Book Club AWA Community Service Local Tours Writers' Block Listen Ladies Walking Group Writers' Block Coffee and Friends Tennis Running Group International Women's Choir Listen Ladies AWA Group Activities
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Bits & Bites of Expat Life 06 08 10 12 14 16 17 18 21 22 24 25 28 30 31 32 34 36 40 42
Wander Woman Leaving Only Footprints Singapore Snippets Garden City Under the Sea Making an Impact Towards Zero Waste Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Why Did the Cell Cross the Road? Family Fun Adventure The Fork and Chopstick Watering Holes The AWA Book Review Hidden in Plain Sight Art and Environmentalism Take a Walk on the Wild Side You're Not Alone...Really Look, In the Sky, It's a Bird! The Lighter Side of Singapore Member Spotlight All Nationalities
Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Williams editor.awamagazine@gmail.com Staff
Managing Editor - Jane Kim
Graphic Designer - Suellen Lee
Copy Editors - Helena A. Cochrane - Keri Matwick Advertising
Katherine McCall advertising@awasingapore.org
Visit us on the internet: www.awasingapore.org Facebook: American Women’s Association of Singapore - AWA
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Instagram: awaofsingapore Questions, comments and administrative issues, please email us: office@awasingapore.org
Please be advised that any names listed in this publication, the AWA directory or any other material published by AWA are for the exclusive use of AWA members only. Any commercial use is strictly prohibited. The AWA Magazine is published 6 times per year. The American Women’s Association and the AWA Magazine neither endorse nor take responsibility for the opinions expressed herein. Please address all comments and queries to the AWA Magazine Editor. AWA does not endorse or promote any product or service offered through any advertisement that may appear in the AWA Magazine.
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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The Datai: Malaysia
Wander Woman
Lauren's Journey to Cross the Globe, One Amazing Experience at a Time by Lauren Raps
Conscious Travel: It’s not just Trendy, It's Necessary Sustainable travel is nothing new, it’s been here since I can remember, and the travel industry has responded to the need in many ways and measures. But now, with the call to act louder than ever; many hotels, tour operators and airlines are making their sustainability mission a part of every decision they make, and choosing to spoil guests rather than the environment. And while companies are making great strides, there are a distinguished few that have excelled and are truly making a difference right here in Southeast Asia, at destinations we should be able to visit soon. I took the opportunity to talk with the President of Big Five Tours and Expeditions, Ashish Sanghrajka for this piece. Sanghrajka’s family-owned company is one of the most charitable and mindful tour operators out there. Sustainable travel has been part of Big Five’s DNA since its founding nearly 50 years ago, in 1973, when his father started the company. His father said, "We come into this world with nothing, we leave with nothing. It's what we do in between that matters." Could it be as simple as that? 6
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
Sustainable travel does have some fallacies attached to it; many travelers equate it with ecolodges, and expect more rustic lodging. Can a hotel or a resort be good for the environment but still be luxurious? Can it include all the bells and whistles we have come to expect from the beautiful resorts scattered through the region? “Most definitely. I would even argue that a sustainable hotel is more luxurious than one expects in many cases. It's actually the driving force behind the redefinition of the word luxury in every industry from hotels to automobile to handbags,” says Sanghrajka. Wander Woman’s picks for who are doing sustainable travel right: Shinta Mani: Siem Reap, Cambodia Sanghrajka points me to the Shinta Mani Hotels in Cambodia. Shinta Mani Angkor and Bensley Collection Villas Shinta Mani Angkor are upscale boutique properties created by acclaimed architect Bill Bensley in a tranquil and leafy setting within the French Quarter of Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat. “Every activity, experience and meal is benefiting a local community. Whether it's procuring local organic ingredients or hiring staff, this hotel is connected to the community while offering a luxurious experience for guests,” said Sanghrajka.
Bensley, who has designed more than 200 hotels in his 30 years in the business is deeply passionate about conservation, sustainability and philanthropy, in 2020 he presented his “Sensible Sustainability Solutions” white paper for the Global Hotel Industry, stating “I am done with designing lavish hotels just to put heads on beds. Every hospitality project that we have on the drawing boards right now has a purpose and a candle to light. Those of us in hospitality – be it designers, owners or operators – have the power of reaching thousands of people through our hotels and spreading this message of purpose. We should shoulder more responsibility concerning issues such as education, clean accessible water, alternative energy, energy consumption, food waste, wildlife protection and conservation.”
single-use plastic, water management and energy saving programs make it a leader in the industry for sustainability while being recognized as one of Malaysia’s most popular destination resorts. Shinta Mani Pool Villa: Cambodia
Pimalai Resort & Spa: Krabi, Thailand One hundred acres of tropical vegetation with direct access to 900 meters of pristine sandy beaches, away from crowds and reality - Pimalai’s commitment to its environment is also an investment in its future as this resort is truly as close to nature as you can get. Since the birth of the resort in 1999, every decision from construction, to caring for its local community, to recycling takes into consideration their responsibility to the land and the people who live there. With loads of activities and luxurious accommodations — its mission doesn’t sacrifice anything one is looking for in a beach resort. The Datai; Langkawi, Malaysia With five stars and a four-pillar pledge to social responsibility, The Datai Langkawi has sustainability at its core and its guests are the lucky recipients of a luxurious experience that not only doesn’t hurt, but significantly helps the environment and its local community. Commitments like a zero waste-to-landfill project, no
Lauren Raps is AWA's Bar Night Chair. She moved to Singapore in January 2021 with her husband and three boys. She is the President and Founder of Travel Prospect, a full service leisure travel planning company.
Pimalai Resort and Spa: Thailand 7
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
Cempedak Island
Leaving Only Footprints
Cempedak Island's Example of Sustainable Tourism by Meg Farrell Sine Sustainability is a common buzzword but what does it actually mean? On a personal level, it involves making lifestyle choices to minimize our impact on the environment. However, there is one big wrinkle about practicing sustainability in Singapore: air travel. Unfortunately, one big source of environmental impacts, carbon emissions from airplanes, is sky high in Singapore (pun intended). Luckily there are easy and ethical ways to minimize the environmental impacts of air travel such as buying carbon offsets and following some basic, responsible travel tips. Taking a vacation, flying to visit family or attending an important business event should in no way be a guilt trip, especially since many of us have not even travelled since 2020 BC (before Covid)! Singapore recently opened a "sea travel bubble" to Batam and Bintan, Indonesia. Therefore, my advice is to ignore the siren call of Phuket, Bali and the Maldives and consider the following travel alternative to a nearby, idyllic island of Indonesia off the coast of Bintan. In 2019, just after moving to Singapore, my husband and I read about this privately-owned island called Cempedak (pronounced Chem-pe-dek). Only a twohour journey by ferry from Singapore, Cempedak is recognized as a marine paradise and for the unique architecture of its spacious bamboo villas. 8
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
We liked the inspiration behind the development of Cempedak: “Simple barefoot luxury in a sublime natural setting.” In practical terms, the owners wanted to create an accommodation close to Singapore that offered high standards of comfort, service and value while also implementing the ideals of sustainable tourism. This account of my visit, links to their website and the accompanying photos are proof they were able to accomplish both. Each of the island’s 20 seaside villas and service buildings were hand-crafted of natural materials with vaulted ceilings and elevated off the ground. This allows the natural sea breezes to keep the rooms cool without needing air conditioning. We slept very comfortably under a mosquito net and quiet ceiling fan. Each villa has a private plunge pool and solar cells on the roof provide ample hot water for showers. Indeed, one half of the energy used on the island is provided by solar cells. We found the dining service had a sumptuous menu of both Indonesian and international food, most of which is fresh produce and protein grown at their private farm on the mainland, homemade at the resort or purchased from local farmers and suppliers. Every meal was excellent. The island experience also includes numerous ways to have fun in the water, playing sports, or relaxing at the Rock Spa or Dodo Bar. My favorite activity was walking the expansive mud flats at low tide out to a picturesque rock island on the edge of the sea.
Sea View Villa
All the employees of the resort except one are Indonesians happily practicing competent skills in hospitality, building trades and sustainable resort management. Recognized with several tourism awards, Cempedak’s CEO, Andrew Dixon, reports that “the best recognition is from our guests and how our staff have become champions and advocates of sustainability.” Visit their website to read about how to get there, more details about the island experience and their admirable sustainability initiatives.
Meg on the Rock Island at Low Tide
For reservations, contact relax@cempedak.com. Please note that Cempedak does not allow children under 16. However, the owners also own a sister island nearby called Nikoi that is great for families with young children.
Meg is AWA's Communications Director. Contact her atcommunicationsdirector@ awasingapore.org Wake Up to the Sunrise AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Singapore Snippets
Discovering Items of interest on the red dot by Marta Ferrer Lubeck
From Heavy Industry to Nature Sanctuaries — Quarries of Central Singapore
Central Quarries
Did you know that at one point there were as many as 25 operating quarries in Singapore? About one third of the island lies on Bukit Timah Granite, a geological formation that stretches from Bukit Timah to Woodlands. This granite is also found on Pulau Ubin. From around 1900
Bukit Batok Town Park was built in the 1980s around an abandoned quarry. Today, the park is a serene area ideal for meditation, particularly early in the morning, and its scenic landscape provides captivating backdrops for photography. The granite rock formation and the lake are reminiscent of a larger but similar formation in Guilin, China. Hence, the park is often referred to as Little Guilin. This park is a five-minute walk from Bukit Gombak MRT.
Hindhede Quarry
Stork-Billed Kingfisher
until the 1970s, the number of quarries grew steadily to supply the rock material required for the construction of a growing nation. From 1970 onwards, quarries were gradually shut down over environmental concerns and
White-Crested Laughing Thrush
transformed into nature areas. Many quarries were filled with rainwater, and efforts were made to restore the natural habitats that had existed prior to the mining operations. 10
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
On the eastern side of the Bukit Batok housing developments is Bukit Batok Nature Park, the site of another beautiful quarry. In recent months, mudslides have fallen off the main quarry cliff, possibly caused by the soil becoming saturated due to heavy rains. The quarry observation area, however, has not been affected by the mudslides. There are a few trails leading up to the top of the hill, or ‘bukit’ in Malay. This is the second largest hill in Singapore after Bukit Timah. On your way up, you may hear the singsong of the white crested laughingthrush, and you may spot one or more! Hindhede Nature Park is located next to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and can be reached from the Green Corridor. There are a few hiking trails and mountain bike paths surrounding the picturesque Hindhede Quarry. The straw-headed bulbul is a critically endangered species, but its population has been growing steadily in Singapore. Birds like this one, as well as the Oriental darter and the stork-billed kingfisher, often make appearances at Hindhede. AWA’s Three Bukit and Three Quarries The AWA Walking with Women group runs a “Three Bukit and Three Quarries” walk. The walk takes members
Little Guilin
to the three central quarries. It includes a quick stop at the World War II Bukit Batok Memorial, located on top of Bukit Batok hill. On a clear day, Marina Bay Sands is visible from the top of the memorial stairs. Mercedes Garde, a former leader of the walking group, frequents
Little Guilin. There is often someone playing a flute, and it adds to the beauty of the quarry. Of course, the quietest seems to be the Singapore quarry—not as busy. The walk to and around Bukit Batok is my favorite, though. There is a great hill walk up to the Japanese memorial.” Singapore Quarry, Dairy Farm and Beyond Seng Chew Quarry is close to the Bukit Gombak MRT and not far from Bukit Batok Town Park. This is an abandoned quarry, however, and not an easy location to get to. There are two additional quarries worth visiting in Dairy Farm Nature Park. Singapore Quarry can be easily reached from the Rail Mall. The quarry’s boardwalk over the lake provides proximity to the fish, turtles, monitor lizards and other wildlife swimming in the water. The nearby Dairy Farm Quarry is surprisingly different from the other quarries as it was filled with earth instead of water when mining ended. Today, mountain bikers and hikers make their way to Dairy Farm to enjoy a break on the grounds of this quarry.
Changeable Lizard
the quarries regularly. She says “I love all of the quarries. The rock formations are stunning, and each one has a different feel. They are so tranquil. One of my favorites is
Marta moved to Singapore with her husband and two children in July 2020. She loves to explore Singapore with the AWA walking, hiking and photography groups. AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Garden City Under the Sea Diving into Singapore's Coral Reefs
by Jennifer Williams Lee Kuan Yew imagined mainland Singapore as a Garden City in 1967, and today we see the legacy of his vision. But Singapore also includes 64 off-shore islands and a large marine area. A quick glance from the shoreline reveals an extended city of ocean-going vessels, container shipping ports and off-shore oil facilities — hardly an ideal marine life environment.
Sisters’ Islands Marine Park Established in 2014, the Sisters’ Islands comprise Singapore’s first protected marine park. Singapore’s waters are home to 250 species of hard coral (35% of hard coral species found worldwide) as well as 100 species of reef fish, 200 species of sponges and 12 seagrass species.
City Reef - Marina at Keppel Bay A closer look reveals that Singapore’s efforts at conservation aren't just on land but also happening out of sight and under the waves. Marina at Keppel Bay is an excellent example of a conservation project that is happening right underfoot. Or rather, under dock. Above water, the Marina is home to luxury yachts, including the White Rabbit which is touted as the world’s largest tri-hull superyacht. But below the surface lives a diverse range of hard and soft corals, sea fans, anemone, reef fish and even visiting sea turtles. The marina was purposely structured to support a coral reef. Water flows through the marina during tide changes, bringing the nutrients and plankton essential to
Ships anchored outside Singapore
Sea Turtle Hatchling
nurture marine life. Marina at Keppel Bay has partnered with the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory of NUS to improve marine life on the many vertical seawalls around the marina. They also teamed with International SeaKeepers Society to introduce youth to marine life and conservation. This successful blending of luxury marina and coral reef is proof that efforts to protect our natural environment can make a real difference. 12
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Coral Nursery Along with protecting existing coral, the marine park runs a coral nursery. Coral nubbins are planted and grown in the nursery until they are large enough to be transplanted to Reef Enhancement Units (REU). As the corals grow in the REUs, fish find refuge within them and the diversity of the Marine Park’s coral reefs expands.
Clown fish, Marina at Keppel Bay, photo by Nathaniel Soon
Sea Turtle Nursery The Marine Park is also home to a sea turtle hatchery that provides a safe habitat for turtle hatchlings to incubate, hatch and make it out to sea. NParks relocates turtle nests that have been laid in high human traffic areas to the turtle hatchery. If you spot a sea turtle on the mainland, call NParks helpline at 1800-471-7300. Sea fan, Marina at Keppel Bay, photo by Nathaniel Soon
at the expense of the natural environment. But instead of leaving the coral in the path of the new port, the Marine and Port Authority created a program to move it. Divers harvested 2,300 coral colonies at Sultan Shoal and collected the marine animals living in the reef, including sea stars and endangered seahorses. The coral and marine animals were relocated to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. Coral that was broken during harvesting, or was lying on the reef floor, was taken to coral nurseries and relocated once it had grown. 1,354 broken corals from 38 species were relocated to Kusu and Lazarus Islands. The Future of Singapore’s Coral Reefs Singapore’s coral reefs and the sea life that depend on them still need our help. Murky water created by land reclamation and shipping makes a challenging environment for coral. Singapore has lost many of its coral reef colonies to development but these three projects demonstrate that with forethought and effort, coral reefs can thrive in the midst of human activity. Want to help Singapore’s Coral Reefs? Check out the Garden City Fund’s Plant-A-Coral initiative. www.gardencityfund.gov.sg/plantacoral
Dive Trail The Marine Park also features Singapore’s first dive trail. Divers follow a trail with 20 stations and signage that showcases Singapore’s underwater diversity. Relocating Sultan Shoal Coral Colonies The story of Singapore’s Next-Generation port at Tuas could have been just another chapter of human progress
Jennifer moved to Singapore with her husband and three boys in 2019. A life-long lover of books and writing, she became Editor-in-Chief of the AWA Magazine in 2021.
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Making an Impact
Restoring Biodiversity One Tree at a Time by Claire Langrée Saf Such initiatives are starting in Southeast Asia; however, the impact measurement is still loose. France has a sustainability certification and control system in place, and carbon footprint measures are common practice. It also helps to know the vintner and his commitment to the task at hand, since the labor required to look after the recreation of a biodiverse environment is significant. These vintner initiatives are remarkable examples of a private initiative to transform a large plot of land for the good of our environment, shifting from an individual to a community focus. Focus on Oak Trees? Here’s Why… Traditionally, oak trees live for over 200 years and up to 1000 years. They do not get ill and their seeds survive well because they are encased in a hard shell. The leaves and acorns are covered in tannic acid which keeps them resilient and resistant to fungi and potentially harmful insects. There are hundreds of different species of oak, and they grow slowly with deep roots. An oak tree provides shade, and it does not break under extreme weather conditions.
Claire and Aude Bression-Lourdeaux With Their First Oak Tree
As the sun was setting on a cold autumn day in France, Aude and Boris Bression-Lourdeaux and I planted the first of over 1,000 trees on their 5-hectare champagne estate. Earlier in 2021, a hedge of 150 meters had been planted, as part of the estate’s continued effort to improve water retention, increase CO2 capture and reinstate a biodiverse environment. Global Impact From Singapore to France From our home in Singapore, my husband and I had been looking for an investment from which we could see the results firsthand. We found the project we were looking for with Bression-Lourdeaux Champagne at their estate in the Marne Valley in France. For this project, 1,200 different trees will be planted on their plot of land to recreate the biodiverse environment it once was. While, oak trees are the main species being planted, “there will be about ten different species including hazelnut trees, as the first source of pollen for bees, lime-trees for honey and hornbeams,” says Aude Bression-Lourdeaux. There will also be a few fruit trees to feed the birds and help produce honey. This endeavor will be built, grown, and maintained entirely through manual labor, state subsidies and private sponsors. 14
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
Boris Bression Working His Estate
Grape Harvest at Bression-Lourdeaux Champagne Estate
Wildlife These beautiful trees produce one million acorns in their lifetime that are a high-protein food source for a variety of wildlife. Moreover, the oak tree itself acts as a habitat, providing shelter for birds and tree-dwelling critters. Environmental Improvements Oaks, as well as other trees, can improve environmental conditions in a landscape. Trees cast shade to cool the
ground, block or diminish wind that filters through their branches and foliage and can help stabilize soil with their root systems. Additional Revenue In addition to the tree being a truly beautiful ornament, with some luck and much care, several trees might be happy to bear some black truffles! But maybe we are drifting off in wishful thinking here. Individual Contributions to a Healthy Planet Not ready to invest in a larger project? Try simple changes in your lifestyle, such as shrinking your digital footprint by downloading instead of streaming and cleaning your email inbox. Each one of us can do our part, making a difference to help contain climate change and sustain our soils. As Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do." Claire moved to Singapore in 2014, with her husband and two daughters. Here she turned to her lifelong passion and trained as a sustainability professional. She now has a local/global sustainability network. Claire runs, reads and photographs with AWA.
The Project Site in Champagne AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Towards Zero Waste Reuse Those Reusable Shopping Bags!!
by Anita Young As we roll into the new year, many people make resolutions. Most are oriented toward some type of improvement. Diet, exercise, books to read, family time, self care, new hobbies, career ambitions, and social media limits are all featured on the top 10 resolutions. I have not been a resolution maker but this year is a first. I have resolved to not buy another reusable shopping bag!
on where they land. That was the final straw for me. I banned them from personal use. So along comes the reusable bags. Genius right? I started purchasing them everywhere I shopped. But we are now an empty nest house shopping for two. Why am I still buying them? Some bags are from other countries that we lived in; some have nice designs printed on them; but, most are a result of my unpreparedness.
Now you might be shaking your head at this moment. The theme of this issue of the AWA magazine is Sustainability and Living Greener. Yet, I just contradicted this mission. Don’t worry, I haven’t lost all my marbles yet.
I often find myself popping into the grocery, pharmacy or bookstore without a bag in hand. And just like that I purchase another and add to the collection. Now you might be saying 16 isn’t really all that bad. You must carry them along sometimes when you shop. Yes, but Reusable Shopping Bags
Upon doing some cleaning and straightening of my kitchen storage closet, I stumbled upon not ONE but 16 reusable bags. Where did all these bags come from? Why do I continue to purchase more and more? These are all very good questions I asked myself after unearthing this stash. Well, it is a very simple answer. My personal mission to rid my life of single-use plastic shopping bags has been long in the making. A quick consult with the folks at Google indicates that these plastic bags started to be introduced in the early to mid 80’s. I recall the change from a paper shopping bag to plastic and I didn’t care for it. They slid around in the car with your items spilling out, you could not use them as homemade book covers (yes, I am that old), you cannot use them in the garden as a weed blocker. So really, what was the attraction? Then it was revealed that they will take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to breakdown based 16
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
not often enough. So, my new year's resolution has been launched. I stocked the car, added a small canvas bag to carry along with my handbag, and developed a checklist for leaving the apartment: face mask, trace together app, umbrella and reusable shopping bag. I was tested just this week. While visiting the National Museum of Singapore, my friend noted that a shopping bag is included with every purchase. Ohhhh I thought long and hard about what I needed from the gift store but held steady and left without adding to the collection. One less bag at a time. Anita Young joined AWA in 2020 and is an active member in many areas. She is currently AWA's Vice President.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Local Tips on Reducing Our Footprint
by Jane Kim While it may seem daunting to ‘go green,’ there are some simple small and personal actions we can take to reuse and recycle used goods in our community.
Reduce Packaging Australian bulk good stores, such as Scoop and Bulk Food, sell spices, nuts, and other dry goods by weight, so you can get just what you need for that recipe that only calls for a teaspoon of that ingredient that you rarely use! Conversely, if you need a lot of something, they can accommodate that too. These stores are 100% packaging free, and aim to be part of the zero-waste revolution. E-Waste from Gadgets and Gizmos Galore Drop off your broken or old gadgets (laptops, phones, gaming consoles) with StarHub’s Renew Programme at Plaza Singapura or Tampines Mall. Take small household appliances to City Square Mall’s E-Waste Recycling Programme located at L2 Customer Service Counter. You can also leave used light bulbs at many Cold Storage locations throughout the city. Check out NEA’s website for a comprehensive list and map on where you can recycle all e-waste.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Tennis Balls A local teenager was inspired to find a new lease of life for used tennis balls, and created Yellowship. The balls are reused by those who use the balls for physiotherapy, migrant workers who use them for tennis ball cricket, as well as nursing homes and animal shelters. WhatsApp 9734 6203 to arrange drop off near Bukit Timah. Got tennis ball cans? Yellowship (link to Facebook page) will take those, too! (Straits Times article) (Pics from Yellowship’s Facebook page.) Athletic Shoes Give your used athletic shoes a second life! The rubber soles are turned into materials that are reused for jogging tracks, fitness corners, and playgrounds. Rubber sandals and slippers may be accepted too, according to SportSG. Note that the shoes should be dry and generally clean; however, you do not have to wash your shoes prior to the dropoff. Collection sites are located throughout the island, including Decathlon and ActiveSG Sport Centres. See Active SG for more drop-off sites. Beverage Bottles and Cans Recycle your beverage containers – specifically plastic bottles and aluminum cans – at one of 50 Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) across Singapore and get rewarded! For every ten containers recycled, you earn rewards, such as Sentosa Fun Pass tokens and ActiveSG credits. Find the closest RVM to you, and learn more at RecycleNSave.sg.
Keri Matwick Recycles Bulbs at Cold Storage
Freecylcing Looking to get rid of something that’s in perfectly good working order or no longer suits your taste? Of course there’s an app for that! List your goods on Olio to give away food and other household items to others in your community, all for free. Read our Spring Cleaning in Singapore article on where to donate other used items in our March/April 2021 issue. Jane is the magazine's Managing Editor, and also serves on AWA's Board of Directors and Tennis Committee. Originally from Maryland, Jane and her diplomat husband moved to Singapore in 2019 from Timor-Leste.
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Why Did the Cell Cross the Road? Singapore's Efforts Towards Food Sustainability and Security
by Keri Matwick "WHAT THE CLUCK!" The name alone will draw your attention before the price does. For $18, the GoodBurger truck, parked near Coronation Plaza, makes a “Southern-style crispy fried TiNDLE ‘chicken’ burger, topped with a slice of cheese, crunchy pickles, and special homemade sauce with a garlicky kick!.” I ordered one, hungry after a morning run in the Botanic Gardens with the AWA
Receiving the most international press is the arrival of Eat Just, a San Francisco-based private company that partnered with Singapore in December 2020. The debut meal was prepared by restaurant 1880, a members-only restaurant in Riverside Quay, becoming the first in the world to have made commercial sale of cell-cultured meat. The taste, though, appears acquired as it is not a regular on the menu.
The Goodburger Food Truck
Running Group but mostly curious. While deliciously hot and greasy, the ‘chicken's’ taste was lost under thick breading and mayo-ketchup sauce. The plant-based chicken burger is among the innovative foods starting to appear on menus and in the grocery stores in Singapore. With over a dozen novel food companies in Singapore, the list includes Gaia Foods (Cultivated red meat cuts), Shiok Meats (cell-cultured seafood), and TurtleTree Labs (cellcultured milk). These are lab-grown meats, which refer to proteins that are derived from animal cells but grown in test tubes outside of the animal, i.e., in a lab. Not all of these foods are available yet; Shiok Meats is still in the development phase of shrimp, crabs, and lobster. 18
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
Why is Singapore supporting this revolution in the food industry? The recent pandemic revealed the island-nation’s vulnerability to global food trades and limited natural resources. In 2019, Singapore created its “30-by-30” plan, an ambitious plan to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030. Water insecurities are being addressed with large-scale water desalination and wastewater recycling (Marina Barrage!), and unconventional spaces are turning over to farming (rooftops; restaurant patches, i.e., OpenFarm; and vertical farming). So, part of Singapore’s plan for the future of food sustainability is also making it, cell-by-cell. While it may be harder to find a lab-grown meat to try, plant-based foods are more available. Different from lab-
based meat, plant-based foods replicate the taste and texture of meats without using animal products. Beyond Meat, for example, uses peas as its protein and beet juice as its “blood.” The Impossible Foods’ burger uses protein from soybeans and potatoes. Curious to Try? Privé Group has an extensive menu offering plant-based meat options. Potato Head in Tanjong Pagar offers five different Sustainable Burgers that are quite indulgent. Little Farms, ColdStorage, and Fairprice Finest have nutbased cheeses and yogurts and frozen patties. Fairprice, Giant, Redmart, Shopee are all online food deliveries that offer a limited selection of alternative meats (just search ‘veggie burger’ and you’ll get a surprising variety!) There's also talk that “chicken” will be available at Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice, Tiong Bahru hawker center, this year. Besides making innovative foods accessible at a lower price, this will truly be an example of Singapore pushing hard to make these new foods not so “new”, by reinventing heritage food. My favorite? Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers.
Plant-Based "Chicken" Burger
Keri is a linguist and teaches writing at Nanyang Technological University. Active in the AWA Running Club and Java Junkies, Keri enjoys running and meeting up friends at cafés.
Book Club
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" C.s. Lewis For our December bookclub meeting, we read The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrove. The story opens on Christmas Eve, 1617, in the coastal village of Vardo, in Finnmark, Norway. A freak winter storm has blown up over the sea, and killed all the men in the village while they are fishing. The remaining women of the town must fend for themselves, and for three years, they struggle to feed themselves, and to heat their huts in the brutal, rainy cold. But they succeed. Then, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornett comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. In this village, he sees a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil. His young wife, Ursa, arrives with him, and sees the power of independent women living without the help of men. She befriends Maren Bergensdatter and they are drawn together in ways that surprise them both, as the island begins to close in on them with an iron grip. The story is inspired
by real events, including the freak storm and subsequent witchcraft trials in 1620. Luckily, our meeting was a cozy affair and nothing like the winter storm described in the novel! We are a small group of readers these days, but we have a varied slate of books that cover all genres, and we love to meet and discuss them on the first Thursday evening of each month. We meet at 7:30pm, either in a member’s home or on Zoom, Covid regulations permitting. For this holiday meeting, we each brought a wrapped book to share in a white elephant book exchange. Host Jillian Huang’s cat Nico stood guard over the presents until it was time to swap them! AWA Book Groups meet once a month on various days and times. Go to the Book Groups page of the AWA website to register for one that suits your schedule. Happy reading!
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A WA Community Service
Volunteering with Singapore Charities and Beyond by Fiona Layfield 2021 was another great year for Community Service within the AWA, and in total our members donated more than 600 hours of their time to our three current activities: Food From The Heart, Willing Hearts, and our newest event, the Beach Clean-Up. 84 different volunteers all did their part to enrich the Singapore community that we live in, and with covid restrictions hopefully loosening as we move further into 2022, hopefully more and more of our members can join us for these fun activities! Willing Hearts Volunteers Ready for Action
Seeing all of the trash collected is also a great reminder of the little ways in which we can all try and live a little more sustainably – by following the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra, we can help try to eliminate the quantity of plastic bottles, disposable cutlery, and takeaway food containers that were seen littered across the beach at Pasir Ris. And don’t get me started on the many plastic straws that we found…! If you are interested in joining us for any of the Community Service activities, check out the calendar on the AWA
Food From the Heart Volunteers
With Earth Day just around the corner, the Beach CleanUp activity is particularly relevant, and this event is a great way to really see the difference that your efforts can make – Singapore’s beaches might look pretty clean at first glance, but the before and after pictures that were taken at our inaugural event show a different picture!
Megan Whittemore, Meg Farrell Sine, Lindsay Duffy, Jennifer Williams, and Fiona Layfield Take Action to Keep our Beaches Clean
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website to see what is coming up….and if the thing you are passionate about doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserves, then let us know by e-mailing commservice@awasingapore.org, and maybe you can start leading your own group of AWA eco-warriors into battle.
Family Fun Adventures
Finding Cool Things To Do In and Around Singapore by Christi Elflein
Christi at the Coney Island Gates
An Eco Outing in Punggol Along the north-east coast of Singapore sits the waterfront eco-town of Punggol. It’s a great day trip for the whole family. You can jog, bike or even skate down the Punggol Waterway Park. There are playgrounds, scenic bridges, and themed zones to explore. And just off the boardwalk, there’s a bridge to Coney Island, a woodsy undeveloped 215-acre island, perfect for hiking, biking, digging your toes into the sand, and feeling like you’ve escaped the city. While you’re exploring the area, keep a lookout for the green living elements that have been incorporated into this area. Punggol was a rural farming area until Singapore planned this area as a “new town” in the 1990s. Today, it is Singapore’s first waterfront eco-town with nearly 200,000 residents living in high-rise HDB flats. It serves as a living laboratory to test green ideas and technology.
A few of the sustainability efforts underway in Punggol: •
Active Mobility. Walking and biking are promoted as a mode of transportation through the integrated pedestrian network and 40 km of cycling paths.
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Punggol Waterway Park. This 4.2 km long canal is Singapore’s longest man-made waterway. Nature is used to ensure its water runs clean. An eco-drain made of gravel runs the length of the waterway to filter pollutants from surface run-off before it enters the waterway and freshwater mangroves have been created to improve water quality and boost biodiversity.
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Solar Energy. A test-bed of solar panels has been installed on dozens of Punggol’s HDB rooftops. This energy is used to power lifts, pumps, and lighting. Excess electricity can be used by residents.
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Smart Lighting. Motion sensors are used to turn lighting on in common areas, like car parks and stairways, only when someone is present in the area.
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Rainwater Harvesting. The Treelodge@Punggol has a rainwater harvesting system to collect rainwater to use for irrigation and washing common corridors.
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Community Gardens. Many of the multi-story carpark roofs have been turned into parks with community gardens, encouraging urban farming, minimizing stormwater runoff and cooling the area. Urban greenery helps to counteract the urban heat island effect by reducing air conditioning usage.
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Eco-living. An environmentally responsible lifestyle is promoted through community events, organizations and programs. Christi is an urban planner for an architecture firm in Florida. She moved to Singapore and joined AWA in 2019 and loves exploring her new city with her husband and two kids.
Phebe roller blading across the Adventure Bridge AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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The Fork and Chopstick
Highlighting Off the Beaten Path, Heritage, or Just Plain Fun Chomping Grounds by Jenni & Eric Lee
46 Mittsu
The Herencia, 46 Kim Yam Road #01-07, S. 239351 We love the re-use of space that happens in Singapore. Not sure if you remember PasarBella that used to operate out of The Grandstand on Turf Club Road? In our search for a source of craft beer we stumbled upon another interesting place that brings the same environment back in a more compact setting. The Herencia has a 1960’s post-independence architecture design which started as a teacher’s training school and then high school, ultimately transformed into the current commercial and office space. Our focus will be on 46 Mittsu at The Herencia, inspired by Hector’s Deli in Melbourne!
Alongside 46 Mittsu is Kura for coffee and bakery goods, and Good Beer for pizza and a wide selection of beer. Two pints and a pizza special for $35. What more could you ask for? Ambience/Service/Clientele: Set in an industrial space, there's a trendy vibe with outdoor seating available on a green patio. Self-service, but dishes cook up quickly. Popular with neighborhood people looking for a friendly place to hang out and grab a quick bite. Can get quite busy with parents waiting for kids to finish at the trampoline park upstairs.
Outdoor Patio Fun
Digest this - the Good the Bad and the Ugly: Indoor Vibe
Weekend Lunch chomp: 46 Mittsu is probably best described, in our minds, as a “modern cafe”. Gourmet sandwiches or “sando” and rice bowls are the specialty. The Mackie Melt sando ($14) was a flavor bomb twist on a tuna melt, consisting of in-house smoked mackerel, smoked cheddar, jalapeños and onion marmalade all in between brioche slices. The Gyunoya bowl ($17) featured marinated steak slices on top of ume flavored rice along with a sous vide egg and radish kimchi…pretty in pink with great ingredients, but needing more marination. We recommend the yummy sides of miso charred greens ($6) and Teriyaki brussel sprouts ($10). Gyunoya Bowl
Delicious sandwiches and rice bowls can be had along with pizza and craft beer, finishing off with coffee and dessert! Something to please everyone at the table. A bit out of the way, but that is part of the charm. There’s a lack of indoor seating, although the outdoor seating is pleasant in nice weather. What Others Are Saying: 4.7 and 4.2 out of 5 stars on Google and Food Advisor: “Amazing hidden gem!” “46 Mittsu is a sandwich heaven. Good satisfying meal in a cozy setup,” “Sandwiches are made to perfection with bread that are crusty outside while maintaining buttery soft goodness inside…” Post-Meal/Further afield: Take a pleasant walk past shop houses to Unity Street and enjoy coffee at Craftsmen or Dutch Colony, or surrounded by lush greenery at Tiong Bahru Bakery at Foothills. Take a stroll along the river afterwards, and stop at the art gallery at STPI. Happy Chomping! Jenni & Eric Lee live to eat and explore local eateries and bars. Originally from New York, they have lived in Singapore since 2012.
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Local Tours Southern Islands
"Can't believe I am in ported Singapore. I feel trans !" rld to another wo ales still
"Such interesting folkt exist."
March 16, 2022 pore is actually Did you know Singa more than sixty an archipelago with will head to St. smaller islands? We nd, a group of John and Lazarus Isla Singapore’s best inlets shielding one of white beaches kept secrets, pristine lopment! Kusu and practically no deve turtle, houses Island, which means ip. In addition several places of worsh d legend there, to soaking up history an ’s quiet beaches. don’t miss Kusu Island offer peace and The Southern Islands the bustle of tranquility away from Singapore.
Crafts and Bird Song in th e Heartland
March 12, 2022
If you are interested in handmade crafts and loc al hobbies, join this tour to visit the las t remaining businesses tha t still fashion their wares by hand, a ge m in modern Singapore. Have you watched lion dances and marveled at the colorful lion heads? You are privilege d to meet the last rem aining craftsman who makes the lion he ads from his HDB home . You can even order one of his beau tifully crafted lion head s as a collector’s item. We will learn about tho se giant incense sticks with their colorful decorations seen at the temples. Hear from the ‘horse’s mouth’ about how they are made and you can have fun by having a go at fashioning your own cre ation. Heard of the interesting hobby of bird singing? Come & see for yourself and be serenad ed by these wonderful ‘song birds’, right in the HDB heartlands of Ang Mo Kio. This is wh ere the birds get to train their vocal cords and you can chat with the ‘uncles’ who love their birds.
"An awesome souvenir!" "Interesting to see the dotting of the lions' ey es, I haven't seen this in oth er parts of SE Asia!"
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Watering Holes
Raise a Glass at Singapore's Best Lounges and Bars by Elizabeth Butcher I’d rather be in Paris. In truth, I would not rather be in Paris at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, some of my best youth was misspent in Paris. But I have found early spring in that city to be of a particularly damp and chilling nature. However, if like me, you just finished watching Season 2 of Emily in Paris and are longing to sit outside a café and watch the world pass by, I know just where we should go.
We need to arrive early in the evening and claim one of the two rattan bistro tables under the breezeway of the gorgeous Tras Street shophouse which is home to the delightfully authentic Café & Bar Gavroche. Like on Boulevard St. Germain, if we sit there long enough, all the world will pass by. What should we drink? Whatever you would order at Les Deux Magot or on the Ile St. Louis. Kir royal, French martini, your aperitif of choice? They have it all and unlike some cafes, or “le tourist traps,” Gavroche
Bar Gavroche Wine List
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
has a carefully curated wine list. I will have a glass of their 2018 Cote du Rhone and you might try the Sancerre which I can also recommend. After we have chatted and caught up on the day, we could order La Planche des Fromages or La Planche de Canard and the Tapenade Olives with Tomatoes. As the sun sets and the shophouses along Tras Street begin to light up, let's stroll past the restaurants and shops, turn left on Cook Street and right onto busy Tanjong Pagar Road until we arrive at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. It isn’t Notre Dame, but it is just as exquisite in the moonlight. www.cafegavroche.com
Elizabeth enjoys exploring Singapore from Pulau Ubin to St.John's and all the watering holes in between.
Bar Gavroche 24
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
The A WA Book Review "Books Are a Uniquely Portable Magic"
Stephen King by Isabelle Tadmoury
Harry's Trees
By Jon Cohen “A quality that always amazed him about trees: the constancy of their temperature. In winter, trees are never cold to the touch, and in summer they give off no acquired solar heat. It spoke to their essential aliveness. They were not rocks growing warm in the midday sun or streams that froze over; they were as self-regulating as the human body. It was a small leap to imagine that trees had souls.” Harry is a forest service bureaucrat who comes to the realization he is no longer happy at work and feels “trapped” by his office job. Add to his discomfort the sudden death of his wife, which takes his life on a downward spiral. That is, until he finds himself in the Pennsylvania woods. Being back in nature not only has a restorative impact on Harry but when he meets a young girl, a certain mysticism enhances his life. The writing has a childlike quality, as the story intertwines fairy-tales, a spiritual naturalism and modern-day problems all into one. I could see it being turned into a Hallmark movie rather than an Oscar-nominated film. Yet, it was pleasant to read about an “enchanted forest” and all the characters that were unknowingly affected by it. The story has layers that surprise a reader, and in the end, you may find yourself rooting for Harry.
For me it was a reminder that nature is essential to our well-being. Harry teaches us about trees throughout the course of the story. It also touches on things that I love: treehouses, books, libraries and strong-willed girls. Harry’s Trees is part magical tale and part redemption story, and an easy escape from regular life. Isabelle is an avid reader and book club member. She’s written a children's picture book "Three World Trade Center was our Home” which is part of the 9/11 Museum. Catch her recommendations in the magazine or on GoodReads.
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Writers' Block
a contribution from our AWA Writers' Group members by Mandakini Arora
Tested by Durian [An excerpt from the author’s forthcoming book on British women in Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s–60s] Kuala Lumpur, October 1960 Dorothy Roscoe looked out of the aircraft window onto a large green field cleaved by a narrow landing strip. Two days and several stops after leaving England, she was excited to see YS. They had first met as students at the University of Nottingham. After YS returned home to Kuala Lumpur, Dorothy and he had stayed in touch and following two years apart had decided to marry. Dorothy’s excitement must have been tinged with apprehension as she waited to disembark. What was YS’ family like? When the aircraft doors opened, all emotion was smothered by a heat unlike anything she knew. “It was like a Turkish bath hitting me,” she later recalled. “I travelled wearing stockings, a grey worsted suit and gloves—appropriate for an English summer but ill-suited to the Tropics. I’m embarrassed, being a Geography teacher, that I had dressed so inappropriately.” Her initial shock was quickly layered by another. From the top of the steps leading down from the aircraft, Dorothy saw a small crowd on the tarmac. She was relieved when YS appeared but startled when he steered her toward the crowd. How on earth am I going to walk down this line of people, she wondered. I’m so sticky and hot, I can feel the sweat running down the back of my neck. Down the line they went. She imagined the family thinking, This sweaty, red-faced person. Is this going to be the wife of Number One son? Dorothy was struck that the family were not overtly elated by the prospect of an English daughter-in-law—"It was a rude shock to discover that they were cautious.” From the airport they drove to the large family house, teeming with people, on Perak Road. An only child from Derbyshire, Dorothy had lost her father when she was twelve. YS was one of six children and the oldest son.
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Besides his siblings, the household included twelve cousins who had lost their parents around the time that Dorothy arrived. YS’ parents had come to British Malaya from Fuzhou in the 1920s. His mother had bound feet that his father had massaged every day to restore to a semblance of their normal size. YS’ mother spoke no English. With other female household members and the children, she took her meals in a room by the kitchen, where conversation was in Fuzhou. The men ate at a round marble-topped table in the dining room. At dinnertime Dorothy was shown to the men’s table, where conversation was in English. She had waited two long years to see YS. But that first night she was overwhelmed by exhaustion, heat and humidity, the multitude of people in the house, unfamiliar cuisine, and sadness at having left her mother, who, Dorothy later learned, had cried that she would never see her daughter again. “Given half a chance,” Dorothy recalled, “I would have been on the next plane back to England.” The following night, wearing a cool cotton dress, she felt less adrift. After dinner, YS’ father handed her a plate of yellowish pulp. Durian—the iconic Southeast Asian fruit with sweet, custardy flesh inside a hard, spiky shell. King of fruits to some, putrid and as smelly as raw sewage to others. Dorothy did not know of the fruit and its mixed reputation. Wondering why everyone’s eyes were on her, she took a spoonful. “Mmm, nice!” she said. “OK,” YS’ father declared. “You can marry my son.” The AWA Writers’ Group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For more information, send an email to writers@ awasingapore.org
Writers' Block
A Contribution From Our AWA Writers' Group Members
A Nugget of Inspiration I’m taking a class on creative nonfiction, and I’m struggling with the homework — writing a “hermit crab essay.” Like a hermit crab, which borrows anything it might find to serve as a protective shell for its fragile body, the author of a hermit crab essay borrows a found form or piece of writing as the shell for a personal essay. Engaging with the borrowed form, I’m told, will free me to produce something surprising and selfrevelatory. My search for a shell is becoming desperate. Either the body doesn’t fit the shell, or the shell doesn’t fit the body, but which is cause and which is effect doesn’t matter. I’m finding nothing to work with because an essay form that encourages self-revelation is the last thing I need right now.
by Amanda Jaffe known as the Armstrong Line. Not quite outer space, but unquestionably beyond the bounds of a hospitable environment for humans. The nugget did just fine. I, on the other hand, was a puddle of mush. I actually teared up as I watched that brave little nugget climb through the stratosphere and beyond. Am I overreacting? The distance between reacting and overreacting is largely a matter of scale. It’s difficult these days to distinguish what’s banal from what’s absurd as the distance between the two shrinks, throwing my emotions out of balance and justifying almost any reaction. There’s immense potential for self-revelation here. But I’m not biting. “A staple of the frozen food aisles, more than 10 million chicken nuggets, chunks and strips were sold last week alone.”
Then, I find a nugget of inspiration.
Ten million nuggets, chunks and strips. It’s hard to stand out in a crowd, but this littlenugget-that-could succeeded. I, on the other hand, spend much of my time writing in obscurity, alternating between yelling into the void and inviting rejection. The nugget had its story picked up by the Irish News, CNN, and the Times of India, among others. I will never, ever get better press than that nugget.
From the Irish News, 13 October 2020: “Supermarket giant Iceland has celebrated its 50th anniversary by sending a chicken nugget into space.” It may not be the typical shell for a hermit crab essay, but I feel an immediate affinity for the nugget. I recently celebrated my anniversary. My husband and I got engaged on a trip, picked our wedding date based on our favorite time of year to travel, and have traveled for our anniversary ever since. This anniversary, the best we could manage was a walk. It was a lovely walk, but in a world where the only safe place to travel might well be out of this world, the chicken nugget participated in a more exciting anniversary celebration than I did. We weren’t even comfortable going out to dinner. A chicken nugget is my muse. “The breaded snack took just under two hours to reach 110,000ft (33,528m) above the Earth.” The dramatic ascent of the nugget dangling from a high-tech balloon was captured on film, complete with stirring musical accompaniment. I watched the video. I’ve since learned that the nugget traveled above what’s
An Inspiring Nugget?
I wonder what would happen if I tied my writing to a balloon and filmed it rising above the Armstrong Line, floating above the aching beauty of the curved, blue Earth against the void of space, plummeting back through the stratosphere with a story to tell. Would a publisher be interested enough to take a look? God, I hope they didn’t just pop that nugget into the microwave after it landed. Actually, I hope they did. The AWA Writers’ Group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For more information, send an email to writers@awasingapore.org
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Hidden in Plain Sight
Discovering singapore's vibrant street art scene by Jennifer Williams and Isabelle Tadmoury
Singapore’s Botanic Garden Nothing could be better “hidden in plain sight” than the Center of Ethnobotany within the Botanic Gardens. Tucked away between the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law and the Ethnogarden is a lovely museum dedicated to the study of the relationship between people and plants.
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The Flight of Swans by ENG SIAK LOY in the center of Swan Lake feels like it draws the birds and specifically the swans to the garden.
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A group of six boys playing horseback by CHONG FAH CHEONG is the carefree feeling that we all remember from our youth.
Following in the footsteps of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew England, the botanical garden was set up to study indigenous plants and their properties. It also played a role in the selection of plants for economic purposes such as nutmeg, rubber and latex, which were later exported. The ethnobotany museum looks at the region's indigenous peoples and their rainforests which provide them with a treasure trove of plants useful as medicines, tools, clothes, art and even musical instruments.
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Girl on a Bicycle
Singapore’s Botanic Garden is central to Singapore’s history from the moment Sir Stamford Raffles created it. It is a beautiful, well-maintained 82-hectare green wonderland with sub-divided gardens focused on healing plants, 1000 species of orchids, hundreds of ginger types, lakes, concert areas and playgrounds. It also displays over 40 pieces of public art. We couldn’t capture all of the art in the article but here are our favorites: 28
AWA Magazine March/April 2022
Boys Playing Horseback
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Girl on a Bicycle and Girl on a Swing both by SYDNEY HARPLEY feels like what the gardens should be used for, even though bikes aren’t allowed and there are no swings to be found.
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Fifty Wings by JAMES SURLS which was donated in celebration of Singapore’s 50th anniversary. It’s close to a main point by the clock tower but unless you look for it, we don’t think you’ll find it.
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The Chopin sculpture by KAROL BADYNA looks out over the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, where orchestras used to play (pre-Covid) to picnickers on the fabulous lawn. The piece arrived at the Garden two years ahead of the bicentenary of Chopin’s birth.
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The Ethnobotany stone murals painted by YIP YEW CHONG depict the uses of plants in the everyday lives of various cultures in the region. (You’ll recognize Yip from the many articles we’ve written about Public Art in Singapore.)
The new Gallop extension houses the Botanical Art Gallery with thousands of botanical paintings, sketches, line drawings and photographs. Visitors can also try their hand at the various artistic techniques. There’s certainly a lot more to this Garden than what first meets the eye!
Isabelle and Jennifer share a love of art, good coffee and exploring Singapore. Both came here in 2019 and are always on the lookout for the next great statue or mural that is just around the corner. Girl on a Swing
Chopin AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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Mirror of Water, 2019. Zen Teh Shi Wei
Art and Environmentalism
Singapore Artists Raise Environmental Awareness by Helena A. Cochrane
Running under the stream of creative resilience at the January 2022 Singapore ArtWeek exhibitions was a strong current of concern over survivability. Singapore artists examined art forms, in addition to the spaces in which artworks are created and displayed and what they depicted. Artists based in Singapore and from across the globe exhibited works intended to stimulate, soothe and sometimes provoke us.
his South East Asian locations. His thrilling photos of flocks of migrating spoonbills are just one of the ways he demonstrates that interplay and comments on the impact of urbanization on nature. Zhao has also filmed and studied Singapore’s secondary forests, those grown up around spaces formerly inhabited by people. His videography is a fascinating record of the tenacity of the natural world in the city.
If Covid hasn’t stirred our collective consciousness about dramatic adaptations we must make to move forward in a world of depleting resources and polluted surroundings, it will be hard to fathom what further crisis could do so. In a document from 2015, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) published “Creative Responses to Sustainability,” posing the question of how art can call us to action in the face of alarming signals of climate change.
Zen Teh Shi Wei’s two exhibitions, Peripheral Spaces and A Familiar Forest, on display at The Art Gallery of the National Institute for Education and Lee Wee Nam Library at Nanyang Technological University demand our attention. They feature materials and concepts that highlight the effects people exert upon their natural surroundings and our evolving relationship with the environment. Ms.Teh received the Young Artist Award from the Singapore National Arts Council in 2021.
According to environmentalist Bhavani Prakash, Sustainability “personally (sic) means, leading a life where we feel connected to all of existence, extending kindness to all species, and all living ecosystems.’ ASEF’s call to artists to bring this ethos to the forefront is based on the perception that artists’ outlooks are less rigid, their networks more interdependent, their creativity necessary to their professional survival and personal development. Additionally, the ASEF wrote: “Artists play an underestimated but significant role in capturing the changing values and norms and preoccupations of contemporary society.” Both public and private funding have supported a number of artists in Singapore who showcase environmental issues, as well as those whose practice utilizes materials that tread a light carbon footprint. The Silvana Sutanto Foundation was established in honor of Ms. Sutanto, a wildlife photographer who perished tragically while pursuing her passion. The foundation’s inaugural commission winner is Robert Zhao Renhui, who documents the interplay between natural and built environments here in Singapore, principal among 30
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Other exciting and innovative works of art are in the digital realm at Sustainable Singapore, an exhibition in augmented reality sponsored by MeshMinds, which partners with the UN Environmental Program. This 2020 initiative invited 20 artists to use digital imagery and the Artivive App for the viewing of animated works that address urgent environmental concerns, such as exotic animal trafficking in Southeast Asia. The images come alive, sparking empathy and wonder. I am especially indebted to Pamela Ng, fellow art lover and Singaporean arts writer, whose familiarity with the artists discussed above helped me immeasurably in the writing of this piece. https://www.instagram.com/ goldenheartalchemy/.
Since moving from Philadelphia in 2018, Helena has been active with AWA's Walking with Women, Writers' Group and International Choir as well as with Urban Sketchers of Singapore.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side Singapore's Green Corridor
by Meg Farrell Sine The Green Corridor, also known as the Rail Corridor by the National Parks Board, is a 24 km wild ribbon of green running through central Singapore. In the past, offering passenger train service to many kampongs along its route, this former rail corridor is also important to protect for its historical and cultural value.
For enjoying a family bike ride or quiet stroll on the Green Corridor, I recommend the following four segments, each ranging in length from three to four kilometers (combine them for longer stretches) and about 40 to 50 minutes walking time. I have linked the entrance and exit points to google maps. One warning however: on weekend or
Dense Foliage Along the Green Corridor
Truss Bridge over Bukit Timah Road, Built Around 1903
As a pathway, this narrow slice of nature is a connector for people and animals. Along its route, the corridor passes by several natural areas and Park Connector Network (PCN) trails such as the Southern Ridges, the Alexandra Canal and Ulu Pandan PCNs, the Clementi Forest, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Kranji/Mandai Wetland Reserves. Walking, hiking or bicycling along this linear park today is to feel enveloped by greenery and birdsong, calmly sheltered by the sights and sounds of nature and far away from urban Singapore. Distance Marker
holiday mornings the path is very crowded! Weekdays or weekend afternoons make for a much more enjoyable experience. From the Rail Mall to Bukit Timah Road (railroad bridge) From Bukit Timah to Buona Vista MRT. Connect here to Ulu Pandan PCN. From Buona Vista MRT to Jalan Kilang Barat. Connect to Alexandra Canal PCN at Tanglin Halt. From Jalan Kilang Barat to the Spooner Road Car Park. Here are some other links with useful information to read about the Green Corridor: The Rail Explorers We Support the Green Corridor in Singapore Have Halal Will Travel Singapore The Ultimate Guide to the Rail Corridor Meg is AWA's Communications Director. Contact her at communicationsdirector@ awasingapore.org
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Forest Bathing
You're Not Alone...Really
Coping With the Ups and Downs of Being an Expat by Andrea McKenna Brankin
Managing Stress by Immersing in the Green The “Green” issue of the AWA Magazine means something special to me and how I manage my own mental health. I love to walk in the beautiful parks in Singapore to calm my mind and make me feel renewed and grateful for my life here. I’ll be sharing that with the Listen Ladies group and other AWA members who wish to join for what the Japanese called “Forest Bathing,” or Shinrin-yoku. (Keep an eye out for “Walk-And-Talk” signups on the AWA website in 2022!) This style of “green therapy” is gaining popularity here in Singapore. There are some counseling services who offer “Walk and Talk” sessions instead of office visits, including our friends at Harmony Counseling, who have done Zooms for the Listen Ladies and AWA during the Covid-19 lockdown. I like to meet my counselor at the Botanic Gardens. Why does it work? It’s really just a matter of being in nature and sharing your thoughts, feelings or maybe deeper issues. Then again, silence is enough and just being present--read: Mindfulness-- can benefit your mental health and wellness. Profoundly 32
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connecting to nature in this way may give you pause to enjoy your life more. You can imagine that birds, bugs, trees, grass and flowers and sometimes monkeys (!) also sound a LOT better than traffic or a droning office building. Shinrin-yoku was created in Japan in the 1980s because the governmental and health leaders saw a significant rise in illnesses caused by stress. (We’ve probably all heard about the Japanese work ethic.) With that, Japan created certified nature trails to guide people. The research gleaned from this shows that forest bathing can help reduce stress, improve attention, boost immunity and lift mood. The stress, attention and mood parts are about reducing stress hormones like cortisol and encouraging the happy ones like oxytocin. One Japanese study even theorized that natural tree oils can help keep depression, anxiety and even blood pressure problems at bay. Other studies suggest that tree oils that contain 3-carene can lower inflammation and anxiety, improve sleep and prevent infection. The immunity part is interesting, as Harvard Medical School’s Health Publishing reported that, “trees give
off volatile essential oils called phytoncides that have antimicrobial properties and may influence immunity.” One Japanese study showed a rise in immune cells called natural killer cells, which fight viruses and cancer, among people who spent a few days and nights in a forest versus people who took a trip to the city. Ok, we may not be doing that in Singapore. But these results should be a powerful sway for those looking to justify the “green” theory. Further, Harvard Medical referred to a UK study of 20,000 people that said spending two hours a week in nature improved their health and well-being. That breaks down to just 20 minutes a day!
Find Mindfulness in Nature
Are you sold yet? Don’t you want to try this out to see how it feels? Join the Listen Ladies for a WalkAnd-Talk in the coming months. See if you can enjoy a shift, a lift and make new friends as a bonus while enjoying the Green space. All moods welcome! Check out the Listen Ladies page on the AWA website for signups!
Andrea runs the AWA Listen Ladies Group, providing confidential support for members at regular meetings. listenladies@awasingapore.org
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Walk-And-Talk Sessions
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Look, In the Sky, It's a Bird! Birding Paradise in Singapore
by Marta Ferrer Lubeck
Dark-Sided Flycatcher at Dairy Farm Nature Park
The National Parks Board (NParks) website lists over 400 bird species in Singapore. The island is home to kingfishers, pittas, bulbuls, hornbills, owls, and many other birds. The list includes resident birds, migrants, and vagrants—birds that show up in a location outside their normal range. Birdwatchers, also known as birders, have reported common and uncommon bird sightings in most nature areas, including Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, Botanic Gardens, Pasir Ris Park, and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Collared Kingfisher at Pasir Ris Park
Blue-Winged Pitta at Lower Pierce Reservoir
Birds as Small Celebrities The migratory bird season runs from October to March, and Singapore is a favored stopover for birds traveling thousands of miles south from as far as Siberia. Some migratory birds can become local celebrities. Last November, an Oriental dwarf kingfisher was spotted in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. This bird is found in parts of India, China and Southeast Asia, but rarely in Singapore. This uncommon migrant raised huge interest, and a queuing system had to be set up to ensure safe distancing between photographers. To the dismay of all onlookers, the bird did not surface after one of its dives into a pond, leading many to believe it was swallowed by a large fish. Birding Community Mervyn (Merv) Soon is a passionate birder. I met with him in Pasir Ris Park, one of his preferred nature areas, to ask about his interest in birding and about the birder community in Singapore. Merv was a landscape and architecture photographer previously and had a good understanding of photography. His interest in birds started about a year ago. Initially, he would take photos of birds and ask other birders to help identify them. “I learned as I went,” he explained, “and nowadays, I roughly know what bird I am seeing.” I asked him why there are so many birders in Singapore: “Last year, many migrant birds went off course and came to Singapore. This is rare, so many people were interested. Also, many people who started working from home during the pandemic picked up bird photography. Birders spend a
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Spotted Wood Owl at Pasir Ris Park
lot of time taking photos. Most are hobbyists, and you also have retirees who become very interested.” During our walk around Pasir Ris Park, Merv stopped often to greet fellow birders. There is great camaraderie within the birding community, and people often share information on bird and other wildlife sightings. Based on a tip, we made our way to an area with scattered trees where we caught sight of a spotted wood owl enjoying a bird’s eye view of the park. Patti Lane has been paying attention to birds since she lived in Costa Rica 25 years ago. She calls Singapore a paradise for birding, with its easily accessible nature reserves and parks. As to why she likes birding, she notes: “I've always loved hiking and exploring wilderness areas and birding makes me feel even more connected to the natural world. The colors and patterns and variety are incredible, especially when you can observe them in detail through binoculars. It's like looking at a painting that stirs your emotions—tiny miracles of beauty.” Both Merv and Patti follow local bird groups on Facebook, Telegram, and other social media to find out about bird sightings. “Whenever I go hiking,” Patti adds, “I just look for birding photographers and start chatting. They're always friendly and excited to show their shots and point out and identify birds. It's a warm, welcoming community that's happy to share tips with birding newbies and newcomers to Singapore.” Interested in Becoming a Birder? NParks and non-profit organizations like Nature Society Singapore offer free online workshops to educate the public about Singapore’s birds and to raise awareness about the country’s biodiversity.
Crested Groshawk at Pasir Ris Park
Marta moved to Singapore with her husband and two children in July 2020. She loves to explore Singapore with the AWA walking, hiking and photography groups.
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The Lighter Side of Singapore In Pursuit of Everyday Joys
by Sandy Harford
Go Wild on the East Coast I was recently pleasantly surprised to come out of my building and see a new mural being created by urban artist, Sam Lo. While Sam took a much-needed shade break, I inquired about the story behind this vibrant three-story mural and its companion piece soon to be completed on the opposite side of the building. According to Sam, “these murals tell a romantic story of a pair of love birds separated by circumstance. Back in the day, wealthy Chinese businessmen and
Sandy on a Nature Walk with Dipsea
highway and thrum of cargo ships offshore, birdsong, cicadas, families flying kites and TikTokers are your seaside soundtrack. Here, you can find a place to recharge and commune with nature as there’s plenty of wildlife along this pretty stretch of coastline. This park land and others like it, have successfully reunited other birds who mate for life, like the whimsical hornbills. Thanks to the efforts of cleaning up Singapore’s waterways and coastal areas, as well as reforesting lands, otter families have made a
Otter Crossing Warning
Malay fishermen used to live side by side in the same community, in beachfront bungalows and wooden thatched houses respectively. As modernization and industrialization took over, more roads were built between the people and the sea, and many of them were relocated. The two lovebirds are separated due to this change, and thus are seen on the same building but never meeting.” Sam’s lovebird heritage murals are indeed a cautionary tale of what can happen when rampant urban development takes over a mega metropolis like Singapore. Particularly on the East Coast, where condominiums are sprouting up and a new MRT line is under way, our green areas are dwindling before our eyes. On a brighter note, all you need to do after marveling at Sam’s masterpiece, is cross under the ECP to the East Coast park where over 15 km of bike trails, nature walks, lazy lagoons, serene stretches of beach, picnic and recreation areas, and various places to wine & dine await. If you can tune out the whirr of the 36
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Whimsical Hornbill
huge comeback in recent years. Despite what you think of these comical creatures, otters are hopefully here to stay. Like any wild animal, it is prudent to keep your distance (five meters) for your safety and the well-being of the animals. You really don’t need a selfie with an animal with teeth. Sadly, after a busy weekend, it’s a common sight to see the beaches and lawns littered with garbage. Often, fast food picnic remains are just a couple meters away from a trash can. Despite Singapore having a hefty littering fine, it’s astonishing to see so many litter bugs around. Occasionally when walking my dog Dipsea, we’ll come across people like Jeremy who organizes a beach cleanup with co-workers every Friday. Their buckets are full of cigarette butts and plastic trash that’s come in with the tide or been left behind by picnickers. Perhaps we can urge the companies who lured us to Singapore to do a similar team-building exercise. The AWA also schedules beach clean-ups throughout the year. It doesn’t take long to make the beach look beautiful again and it is gratifying. I’m wishing that someday our red-shirted safety ambassadors will transform into green-shirted eco-advocates. If we all do our part, pitch in and respect each other and our natural surroundings, perhaps we can transform this Red Dot into a Green Dot. Check out East Coast Park on the NParks website.
Sam Lo's Love Bird Mural Sandy moved to Singapore from California in Feb 2021. She has joined just about every AWA activity available. Professionally, Sandy does the marketing for Amazing Adventures Travel.
Coffee & Friends Coffee and Chat
Three years ago, when I learned that my husband was offered a position in Singapore, I got busy on Google, searching for “expats Singapore”. My search brought me to AWA. An email from the organization encouraged me to try the drop-in Coffee. Before we moved here, I knew I was going to be happy!
Now, three years later, I am chair of Friday’s Coffee & Friends. I have met so many wonderful, interesting, adventurous women. I learned so much information, such as the best place to buy flowers, best bakeries in Tiong Bahru, great places to travel (yes, we WILL travel again) and great places for a drink. I have connected with women from all over the world. Coffee & Friends is the place to launch your adventures in AWA. It is a low key place to meet like-minded ladies and learn more about the other groups and events in AWA as well as getting tips on how to navigate this new life in Singapore.
Coffee & Friends Meet-Up
Join us for your favorite morning beverage paired with good conversation. We meet at Da Paolo Gastronomia at Great World, Fridays from 10:30-12:30. Be sure to sign up ahead on the website as we are limited to 4 persons plus a host. Members old and new are always welcome. If you would like to be a host from time to time, send an email to me (Peggy Kershaw) at coffee@awasingapore.org
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Tennis
Fun, Friendship and Fair Play by Becca Meurer
Social Singles, Social Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Clinics, Sub List and Assessments: The Definitions Writing this update while watching the Australian Open taking place in Melbourne…with spectators! It gives us hope that tennis will be at least somewhat back to normal in 2022. And AWA Tennis has a full slate of events for the coming months.
colleague, neighbor, Rafael Nadal, whoever you can rope in. Our coordinator will put together a roster of matchups, to be scheduled at mutual convenience evenings, weekends, lunchtimes, whenever. Clinics are offered in 6-week sessions for Beginner, Intermediate and now also Advanced level players, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Look out for a new session starting in March.
Tennis Committee Holiday Party: Jane Kim, Helen Noble, Kristine Aurora, Ally Sweeney, Lauren Raps
Holly Rainier and Reiko Hasselstrom
Social Singles is our newest AWA Tennis offering. Fun and slightly competitive, Social Singles was created for absolute flexibility in scheduling. Coordinator Julia Maywald puts together a roster for the 3 pools of players. It’s up to the players to schedule their matches as and when it is mutually convenient, within the season dates. Social Doubles is a great way to get more doubles experience and meet future social tennis partners. Coordinator Lauren Raps puts together foursomes for each week. The matches consist of 3 mini-sets to 4; after each set, partners rotate so each player has played with the other 3 on the court with her. Mixed Doubles kicked off just before the enhanced Covid measures late last year. The pairs who got in a few matches had a great time and are looking forward to seeing this event back in 2022. For Mixed Doubles, sign up with the male partner of your choice - spouse, 38
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Sub List: Can’t commit to a whole season? Then sign up to be a sub. Coordinators will reach out to you when players are looking for a one-off sub. And of course, Tennis Assessments, the key to participating in AWA tennis activities and events. You are required to have an up-to-date assessment (within the past 2 years). AWA Tennis Assessments are now run with Savitar Tennis Centre on a monthly basis. To sign up for AWA Tennis, check out the AWA Tennis webpage under “Sports”. And, sign up for our monthly newsletter. And, why not join our closed Facebook group as well (AWA Tennis)? Becca is co-chair of the Tennis Committee. She and her family have lived in Singapore since 2019. She opened her art gallery, LatinArtSingapore, in 2021 and holds regular art exhibitions in her home.
Running Group
Kilometers of friendship and fun by Keri Matwick
Happy Finishers of a 10K Portion of the Standard Chartered Race Series
The AWA Running Group enjoyed running locally and abroad this past holiday season 2021. Wearing red Santa hats, the women did jolly runs through the Botanic Gardens. Then, changing into dazzling dresses, the ladies met for holiday dinner parties. Many women hopped on flights to go home and enjoyed a change of scenery and cooler weather for their runs. A much anticipated ‘gift’ was the first non-virtual race in Singapore since Covid! Ten members ran a 10km on Sunday, December 5th, as part of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Grand Finale 2021 race series. Runners maintained the required social distances, and started queuing 90 minutes before the event started. Venti-sized medals and Starbucks coffees were well-deserved awards. To keep the group motivated, Nikki Elliott led a fitness challenge of #3for31, a 3mile/5KM run or walk a day for December. Her colorful and fun accountability trackers were quickly adopted by the other women who enthusiastically joined in and shared their daily run/walk. We said farewell to Beth Reintjes and welcomed new members, Jessica Roth and Valerie Duchenne! Like to join us? We run three times a week: Tuesdays, at the Botanic Gardens, three different times, 7am, 7:30am, and 8am, 5KM; Thursdays, varying locations, 7:30am, 8-10KM; and Saturdays, varying locations, 7am or 7:30am, 10-15KM. Come and run with us.
Botanic Gardens Holiday Run Keri is a linguist and teaches writing at Nanyang Technological University. Active in the AWA Running Club and Java Junkies, Keri enjoys running and meeting up friends at cafés.
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Member Spotlight
getting to know our members beyond the usual chitchat by Helena A. Cochrane
Suzanne Murphy Suzanne Murphy has been in Singapore since August 2019, arriving from Korea with her children Molly and Matthew and her husband Kevin. She exudes an energetic enthusiasm for all the opportunities and benefits she sees around her.
In October 2019, I joined an introductory AWA aqua cycling class. I loved it so much I contacted the company and today I work for them. I now teach weekly for The Ripple Club, an aquatic-based exercise program located at hotels around SG. Do you volunteer and how has that enhanced your living here? I have volunteered at Willing Hearts and also with Its Raining Raincoats, to aid migrant construction workers. My family, including the kids, has delivered gifts directly to worksites. Most importantly, my children have always played a role. We continually prepare care packages in our home to be ready to distribute. It’s so important to pass a thank you on to these gentlemen who are working to make Singapore a beautiful country. Migrant and helper communities here have me in absolute awe. How do you treat yourself in Singapore? What is your luxury? My husband and I like to visit speak-easys and beautiful bars. Thanks to our wonderful helper, once our children are in bed we often sneak out for a walk to get an evening drink. Living in Singapore has 100% allowed me to date my husband again.
Suzanne Biking on National Day
What have you enjoyed more about Singapore than you thought you would? What has been the most pleasant surprise? First, every single day, I feel that the greenery, every single plant, is absolutely beautiful. And, I never expected to always feel so absolutely safe/comfortable. I am thankful for the opportunity to raise my children in this environment. Still, in my first few months it seemed like I’d spend my whole day going to markets and grocery stores and at the end of the day not have all the ingredients to make a proper meal. I have since figured it out. What hobby or activity have you finally been able to pursue in Singapore that you had wanted to previously? How has it influenced your time here? In tennis, I went from being a complete novice to joining a WITS team that won our league my first season! I am now on the AWA Tennis Committee, which has tennis events for every level. This all started just before Circuit Breaker and has connected me with so many people. I also play with a group from the US Embassy, a group of condo friends and so many socials, which mixes all these people. 40
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Suzanne, Kevin, Molly and Matthew
Have you unpacked all the boxes from your move? As a military spouse, I have a lot of moves under my belt. I always unpack everything instantly, to make every place a home, for my children's mental health and my own. I’m used to moving, so now I also naturally try to make someone else's experience easier, and make an effort
Suzanne Biking With Her Kids
to include everyone. I love to ask questions…which has helped me greatly. I think back to when I first started moving and I don’t want anyone to feel as lonely as l did once. What is your favorite Singapore holiday to celebrate? We moved to Singapore right before National Day in 2019 and my son went to a local pre-school. By his second week, he was singing the national anthem and the National Day song. We’d go to Satay By the Bay to eat dinner and watch the National Day rehearsals/ flyovers. While it’s been toned down the past two years, we love running between our front and back balconies watching the flag get flown over our condo. This year we watched the flyover during dinner at Alkaff Mansion. To see a country be so proud is a beautiful, powerful thing. Since moving from Philadelphia in 2018, Helena has been active with AWA's Walking with Women, Writers' Group and International Choir as well as with Urban Sketchers of Singapore.
International Women's Choir Passion for Music and Song
The International Choir’s spring season will begin on March 2, with rehearsals resuming in person at Adelphi House studio 03-33, on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-noon. We welcome all voices and levels of experience to join us as we learn a repertoire of traditional Malay, Chinese, Japanese and English language songs as well as some up-to-date, upbeat pop tunes. There is a nominal fee to help defray costs of the studio rental. Members who wish to join this spring please email Intlchoir@awasingapore.org.
Listen Ladies
Choir Music Book
Listen Ladies Are Listening The Listen Ladies are looking to expand in 2022! If you’d like to be part of this mindfully supportive group for AWA members or if you have a particular talent for life skills, life coaching or alternative health skills, we’d love to hear from you. Please email : listenladies@awasingapore.org to talk about how you can contribute or just be on our WhatsApp group for chatting and peer support. Listen Ladies will be bringing back the Wine Check-In Zoom and/or in-person meetups, as well as a NEW venture called “Walk-and-Talk,” where we’ll meet at a beautiful park or elsewhere in nature to—yes—just walk and talk. If you’re new to AWA and need a little boost with adjusting or if you just want to meet new empathetic friends, please join us! AWA Magazine March/April 2022
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All Nationalities
celebrating what makes us unique and what brings us together
Ready for Some Good News About the Planet?
by Jennifer Williams
It’s not all doom and gloom. Yes, we have serious work ahead of us to keep our planet healthy. But beyond the headlines, many people and initiatives are making a tangible, positive difference.
Ozone Layer Recovery
Giant Panda Comeback The wild Giant Panda population is rebounding. In September 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature upgraded the Panda’s status from Endangered to Vulnerable with a growth rate of 17% in the past decade. World Wildlife Fund credits preserving and expanding the panda habitat in China for this population growth.
The ozone layer is recovering. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says, “The Montreal Protocol began life as a mechanism to protect and heal the ozone layer. It has done its job well over the past three decades. The ozone layer is on the road to recovery. The cooperation we have seen under the Montreal Protocol is exactly what is needed now to take on climate change, an equally existential threat to our societies.”
Sustainable Denim
Reasons To Be Cheerful If you’re looking for news stories that don’t send you spiraling into gut-wrenching anxiety, check out Reasonstobecheerful.world. Billing themselves as “Tonic for Tumultuous Times,” the news source provides in-depth coverage of stories that “balance a sense of healthy optimism with journalistic rigor, and find cause for hope.” In their words, “We are part magazine, part therapy session, part blueprint for a better world.” 42
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We all love our blue jeans! But each pair of jeans consumes 2,000 gallons of water and the indigo blue dye contains benzene (a rat poison), mercury and more. Stretch denim is an even worse as it’s made with plastic. “Most jeans take hundreds of years to degrade,” says Danielle Arzaga, Sustainability Manager of Candiani denim. “Our stretch denim takes six months.” You may not have heard of Candiani jeans but their material is used for many sustainable denim lines, including Lee, Levi’s, Lucky, Hugo Boss, JCrew, Stella McCartney and Diesel. Look for it at your favorite shop.
A WA Group Activities Be In The Know
Social & Special Interest Groups
After Ni Hao – Mandarin conversation every Thursday at 10am. Hyesung Laffey & Manju Banka, afternihao@awasingapore.org Arts & Culture – Monthly talks focusing on Asian arts & culture. Rosalie Kwok, artsandculture@awasingapore.org Bar Nights – Ladies’ nights, couples’ nights each month. Lauren Raps, barnights@awasingapore.org
Beauty & Fashion – From fashion talks to workshops, there’s no age limit to brilliant beauty & unlimited style. beautyfashion@awasingapore.org
Member Talks — Monthly talks given by AWA member experts on a variety of topics. Movie Lunch – Monthly lunch followed by a movie in Orchard Road area. movielunch@awasingapore.org Photography – Meets once a month to have fun practicing and improving our photography. All levels are welcome. Carol Hamcke-Onstwedder & Londa Matthieu, photography@awasingapore.org Playgroup – For moms with kids under age three. Meets every Friday morning at a member's home plus a monthly "Moms Night Out". Morgan Steinman, playgroups@awasingapore.org
Book Groups – Morning, afternoon & evening books groups, held monthly. bookgroups@awasingapore.org
Workshops – Expand your mind and learn something new about yourself, about Singapore or about the world. Leezibet Heinzraiden, workshops@awasingapore.org
Rosa Liu, cancersupport@awasingapore.org
Writers’ Group – Beginner and published writers discuss their work the 2nd & 4th Thursday of every month. Mandakini Arora & Elissa Viornery, writers@awasingapore.org
Cancer Support Group – Meets the third week of the month, with a focus on mutual support and information sharing. Christian Connection – Provides information and resources to help you connect with local Christian community groups. Barbara Winkler, christianconnect@awasingapore.org
Coffee & Friends – Meets at various cafes around town. Join us on Fridays from 10:30 am -12:30 pm. Sign up required. Peggy Kershaw, coffee@awasingapore.org Couples’ Bridge – Meets monthly on a Saturday evening. Spouses are welcome. Currently suspended. Amy Starling, couplesbridge@awasingapore.org Creative Hands – Bring your handiwork project to work on and share with other creative women every 1st, 3rd & 5th Thursday. Meg Sine, crafters@awasingapore.org
DISH – Monthly lunches at a variety of interesting venues. Kristin Bemowski, dish@awasingapore.org Duplicate Bridge (at home) – American Standard five-card major rules every Monday. You don’t need a partner to join. Amy Starling & Sock-Yan Sim, duplicatebridge@awasingapore.org High Tea – Enjoy monthly teas at Singapore’s top hotels and interesting venues. hightea@awasingapore.org International Choir – Practices on Wednesdays 10-noon in person for fully vaccinated members, at Adelphia House on Coleman St. Performances recorded and presented by video. Auditions only to assess range, intlchoir@awasingapore.org
Java Junkies – Join the search for the perfect cup of java on 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 2pm. Liza Rowan, javajunkies@awasingapore.org Listen Ladies – A compassionate group of ladies who support one another with biweekly Thursday zoom calls from 5-6pm. Andrea McKenna Brankin, listenladies@awasingapore.org Local Tours –Professionally guided tours of Singapore. Terry Young, localtours@awasingapore.org
Long Term Members — For women who have lived in Singapore eight years or more. Mary Rajkumar, noexit@awasingapore.org
Sports
Golf – The 18-hole group plays on Wednesday. 9-hole golf on hold indefinitelty. Lily Giddens & Peng Pavie, 18holegolf@awasingapore.org Hiking – Meets at MacRitchie Reservoir every 1st & 3rd Thursday morning. Marlene Han & Leanne Porter, hiking@awasingapore.org Running – Group runs for all levels on Tuesday & Thursday mornings at locations around Singapore. Bernie Tretta & Caroline Beaumont, running@awasingapore.org Tennis – A variety of singles and doubles play including tournaments, and team tennis for players of all levels. Paige Okun & Rebecca Meuer, tennischair@awasingapore.org
Walking – Walk all over this amazing island. Mondays are 10K, Wednesdays are 5K. Andrea McKenna Brankin & Mercedes Bainbridge, walking@awasingapore.org
Community Service
Community Service – Connecting AWA members to volunteer opportunities with AWA’s featured organizations and more. Ashley Fagan, commservice@awasingapore.org
Ronald McDonald House Charities – Support the families of children at Singapore’s National University Hospital. On hold due to COVID. Qian Marquard, rmhc@awasingapore.org Food From The Heart – Help pack and/or distribute food bags to families in Singapore who cannot afford to feed themselves. Janet Stride, ffth@awasingapore.org Willing Hearts – Monthly shifts to prepare food for the less fortunate. Fiona Layfield, willinghearts@awasingapore.org kidsREAD – Help local children develop a love of reading. Currently suspended due to COVID. kidsread@awa.singapore.org
Mahjong - International style in a low stress, friendly atmosphere. Training and games at various locations. Vishali Midha, mahjong@ awasingapore.org
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