After almost 2 years of sitting in the garden and doing nothing other than getting big and spiky our pineapple plants are starting to make pineapples!
posted from Bloggeroid
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Back to Reality
Well, our wonderful holiday is over and we have made it back safe and sound to Samoa.
Since our last post we spent our final day in Singapore exploring the local markets and Chinatown. Yes, a bit more shopping, but by then we were running out of room in our suitcases!
One of the things we wanted to do in Singapore was have High Tea at Raffles. Fortunately Angela had contacted them and made a booking otherwise we wouldn't have got in. We were warned about the dress code, so we put on our best clothes - coming from Samoa I thought I was doing well to find a pair of long trousers and shoes, luckily I didn't have to wear a jacket and tie! Even with our best clothes on we still felt a bit out place, but the high tea was great. We started with our tea and plates of delicious pastries, cookies and slices. Then we realised that there was a buffet with dim-sim, dumplings and spring rolls and another selection of scones, cakes and fruit. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and was hungry, so tried to have a taste of everything on offer, but couldn't manage it. After enjoying our high tea we had a look around the rest of the hotel and ended up in the Long Room where we had the obligatory Singapore Sling. We even had some peanuts and threw the shells on the floor - its the done thing apparently. I suggested that if it was good enough for Raffles then we should do it at home, but Angela didn't agree! After Raffles we took a last look around town, ending up at the Merlion park.
We were sad to leave Singapore behind, but we did have a couple of days In Surfers Paradise to break up the trip home.
I hadn't been to Surfers Paradise before so it was nice to look around, but July isn't really beach weather! We couldn't fit anything more in our bags, so Angela wasn't allowed to do any shopping, not that that stopped her!
Although we weren't brave enough to get in the water for a swim we did enjoy a nice run along the waterfront from Surfers Paradise to The Spit and back. By the time we got back we both had cold noses and ears and had to have a hot shower to warm up.
We also checked out Jupiter Casino. Neither of us are gamblers, so the gaming tables and pokie machines didn't really interest us, but we did enjoy their Dinner & A Show deal. Dinner was lamb shanks and the show was Stomp and we really enjoyed both.
On our last day on holiday we went to see the final Harry Potter movie in 3D.
Since our last post we spent our final day in Singapore exploring the local markets and Chinatown. Yes, a bit more shopping, but by then we were running out of room in our suitcases!
One of the things we wanted to do in Singapore was have High Tea at Raffles. Fortunately Angela had contacted them and made a booking otherwise we wouldn't have got in. We were warned about the dress code, so we put on our best clothes - coming from Samoa I thought I was doing well to find a pair of long trousers and shoes, luckily I didn't have to wear a jacket and tie! Even with our best clothes on we still felt a bit out place, but the high tea was great. We started with our tea and plates of delicious pastries, cookies and slices. Then we realised that there was a buffet with dim-sim, dumplings and spring rolls and another selection of scones, cakes and fruit. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and was hungry, so tried to have a taste of everything on offer, but couldn't manage it. After enjoying our high tea we had a look around the rest of the hotel and ended up in the Long Room where we had the obligatory Singapore Sling. We even had some peanuts and threw the shells on the floor - its the done thing apparently. I suggested that if it was good enough for Raffles then we should do it at home, but Angela didn't agree! After Raffles we took a last look around town, ending up at the Merlion park.
We were sad to leave Singapore behind, but we did have a couple of days In Surfers Paradise to break up the trip home.
I hadn't been to Surfers Paradise before so it was nice to look around, but July isn't really beach weather! We couldn't fit anything more in our bags, so Angela wasn't allowed to do any shopping, not that that stopped her!
Although we weren't brave enough to get in the water for a swim we did enjoy a nice run along the waterfront from Surfers Paradise to The Spit and back. By the time we got back we both had cold noses and ears and had to have a hot shower to warm up.
We also checked out Jupiter Casino. Neither of us are gamblers, so the gaming tables and pokie machines didn't really interest us, but we did enjoy their Dinner & A Show deal. Dinner was lamb shanks and the show was Stomp and we really enjoyed both.
On our last day on holiday we went to see the final Harry Potter movie in 3D.
posted from Bloggeroid
Monday, July 11, 2011
Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands sight seeing
Our body clocks are all out so we seem to have been making it out the door around lunch time each day and are still going at 10pm at night but everything is still open then! Today we stopped at our local Kopitan which apparently means coffee shop, though it has a lot more than the coffee shops we are used to. After our usual $2.50 breakfast with a plate of mixed fruit we headed back towards the Marina Bay Sands area for some sight seeing.
First stop was the Fountain of Wealth which is apparently the biggest fountain in the world. Pretty impressive. Adam had read about the Hindu tradition of walking around the fountain 3 times for wealth and luck so we thought we would have a go. We very quickly found though that walking around the top in the wrong direction doesn't cut the mustard!! We then discovered that you can walk around and touch the lucky waters at the centre of the fountain at certain times of the day and that there is also a light show at night so decided to come back a little later for this.
Next stop on the tour was the Singapore flyer which is a big wheel similar to the London Eye. We were in a capsule with 4 others and the view was fantastic. Would recommend this to anyone visiting Singapore. It took 45 minutes to do a full revolution and if you so desire you can hire the champagne capsule and drink your way around or do 2 revolutions while you eat dinner!
We then visited the Marina Bay Sands hotel itself which is an engineering feat. We had seen on the National Geographic channel on the TV a programme about the building of this hotel. It is pretty impressive, huge and is known for it's leisure facilities up on the roof looking down on Singapore. This was also certainly a view though a little disappointing not to be able to see the swimming horizon pools up there, though if I was a guest I wouldn't want to be one of the attractions on view in Singapore so suppose that is only fair.
Here are some shots from thr Flyer and the Hotel observation deck.
Feeling a little weary after this we found the TWG tea shop back down in the plaza. Much of this newly developed area of Singapore is still being working on so it is currently a bit of a walk from the Promenade MRT stop to the hotel and the feet needed a rest! The plaza itself is also a place to get lost in. Anyway we had a very delicious but expensive afternoon high tea and I swear it took me half an hour to choose which tea to have from the several hundered on offer.
Feeling refreshed we then visited the Art Science Museum which is in the lotus flower shaped building. The museum is currently hosting Salvadore Dali and Vincent Van Gogh. Dali was of course weird but many of his quotes made me laugh. The only thing I could understand of his was his "soft clocks" which are distorted clocks and to me this meant distorted time. Well I never can seem to arrive anywhere when I'm meant to and there are never enough hours in my day to achieve all I set out to! The Van Gogh exhibition was an amazing digital multimedia display with constantly changing projections of his paintings onto canvases in a 360 degree view. It was hard to know where to look and I could have stayed in there all day but there was so much else to see.
We ended the day with a pub meal at an Irish pub in Singapore complete with Asian Irish band, Guiness on tap and a Guiness beef pie, Bangers and Mash. Lovely!
Here is the Fountain of Wealth.
First stop was the Fountain of Wealth which is apparently the biggest fountain in the world. Pretty impressive. Adam had read about the Hindu tradition of walking around the fountain 3 times for wealth and luck so we thought we would have a go. We very quickly found though that walking around the top in the wrong direction doesn't cut the mustard!! We then discovered that you can walk around and touch the lucky waters at the centre of the fountain at certain times of the day and that there is also a light show at night so decided to come back a little later for this.
Next stop on the tour was the Singapore flyer which is a big wheel similar to the London Eye. We were in a capsule with 4 others and the view was fantastic. Would recommend this to anyone visiting Singapore. It took 45 minutes to do a full revolution and if you so desire you can hire the champagne capsule and drink your way around or do 2 revolutions while you eat dinner!
We then visited the Marina Bay Sands hotel itself which is an engineering feat. We had seen on the National Geographic channel on the TV a programme about the building of this hotel. It is pretty impressive, huge and is known for it's leisure facilities up on the roof looking down on Singapore. This was also certainly a view though a little disappointing not to be able to see the swimming horizon pools up there, though if I was a guest I wouldn't want to be one of the attractions on view in Singapore so suppose that is only fair.
Here are some shots from thr Flyer and the Hotel observation deck.
Feeling a little weary after this we found the TWG tea shop back down in the plaza. Much of this newly developed area of Singapore is still being working on so it is currently a bit of a walk from the Promenade MRT stop to the hotel and the feet needed a rest! The plaza itself is also a place to get lost in. Anyway we had a very delicious but expensive afternoon high tea and I swear it took me half an hour to choose which tea to have from the several hundered on offer.
Feeling refreshed we then visited the Art Science Museum which is in the lotus flower shaped building. The museum is currently hosting Salvadore Dali and Vincent Van Gogh. Dali was of course weird but many of his quotes made me laugh. The only thing I could understand of his was his "soft clocks" which are distorted clocks and to me this meant distorted time. Well I never can seem to arrive anywhere when I'm meant to and there are never enough hours in my day to achieve all I set out to! The Van Gogh exhibition was an amazing digital multimedia display with constantly changing projections of his paintings onto canvases in a 360 degree view. It was hard to know where to look and I could have stayed in there all day but there was so much else to see.
We ended the day with a pub meal at an Irish pub in Singapore complete with Asian Irish band, Guiness on tap and a Guiness beef pie, Bangers and Mash. Lovely!
Here is the Fountain of Wealth.
Finals nail biter
Oh well what can we say? It was always going to go down to the wire and that it did. Australia came out this time with the 1 goal lead in the last 30 seconds of extra time after a missed goal by NZ but there were also many other moments in the game where we did not score off brilliant work done by the defence. Anna Scarlett intercepted a blinder in extra time and Casey Williams had a storming game with an injured calf, and we expect there was no way she would come off the court. Maria did not look right from the start missing many shots in warm up. Oh well another World Champs over and our experience of the last one got us through this time! We were not sad of the result but of the fact that it was all over for another 4 years and that we would soon be leaving Singapore. It was time to think of life after netball!
So we walked off some steam! From the stadium to the Marina Bay Sands to watch the light show from the hotel. It was a fair walk over one of the major bridges across the water again aided by the tablet and gps so we knew we were heading in the right direction. Took many pictures of Singapore at night and battled the food hall for dinner with so much choice it took a while to decide. The freshly squeezed orange and strawberry juices went down a treat. At least we managed to escape the main crowd of Aussies that would have been on the MRT that night. Yes they won but only by 1 goal after a pretty good fight by the ferns!
So we walked off some steam! From the stadium to the Marina Bay Sands to watch the light show from the hotel. It was a fair walk over one of the major bridges across the water again aided by the tablet and gps so we knew we were heading in the right direction. Took many pictures of Singapore at night and battled the food hall for dinner with so much choice it took a while to decide. The freshly squeezed orange and strawberry juices went down a treat. At least we managed to escape the main crowd of Aussies that would have been on the MRT that night. Yes they won but only by 1 goal after a pretty good fight by the ferns!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Rollercoaster ride for netball supporters
Yes it's been a bit of a journey for us netball supporters. Mary nearly had a heart attack and those cheer sticks got a bit of a hammering!!! Samoa ended up playing Barbados for 11th - 12th place after losing the playoffs for 9th - 10th to Wales by 1 goal in the dying seconds. We are still left wondering how they managed to lose this game after being up by at least 10 for the whole match??? Samoa finish in 12th which is down 2 on their previous ranking.
Fiji ended up playing Wales for that 9th - 10th position and gained 10th place which is also a drop on their previous 5th. So what is going on in pacific netball?? To win these days you need that killer instinct and 100% sustainability on commitment and focus for the whole game.
Then it was on to NZ vs England and it was pleasing to see the Kiwis come out with a controlled came that saw them counteract everything the Brits could sling at us and come away with a win. The Aussies also pulled off a great win against the sunshine girls Jamaica, who surprisingly didn't look like they had turned up to play netball and even with the tall timber of Aiken and Fowler in the shooting circle could not compete with Australia.
Diligently we also fitted in a run last night along the river and with glimpses of the fireworks and light show coming from Marina Bay. Very pleasant however pretty warm so just like running in Samoa only the footpaths don't have holes and their is street lighting the whole way so no guessing where your feet will land! This was finished off by watching the end of the Ireland vs South Africa game which was a nailbiter. Ireland kept fighting back but just couldn't hold a lead over South Africa. Then is was dinner at our favourite 24 hour spot by the Bras Basah MRT station. Fried rice set me back $4.50 and Adam's duck $6.00!!
We are now decked out in all the black we can find and are about to head to the stadium for the final against Australia. Wish us luck. We have the team to do it but you can never underestimate Australia on the day.
KIWI KIWI KIWI - HEY HEY HO
KIWI - HEY
KIWI - HO
KIWI KIWI KIWI - NICE ONE BRO!
Fiji ended up playing Wales for that 9th - 10th position and gained 10th place which is also a drop on their previous 5th. So what is going on in pacific netball?? To win these days you need that killer instinct and 100% sustainability on commitment and focus for the whole game.
Then it was on to NZ vs England and it was pleasing to see the Kiwis come out with a controlled came that saw them counteract everything the Brits could sling at us and come away with a win. The Aussies also pulled off a great win against the sunshine girls Jamaica, who surprisingly didn't look like they had turned up to play netball and even with the tall timber of Aiken and Fowler in the shooting circle could not compete with Australia.
Diligently we also fitted in a run last night along the river and with glimpses of the fireworks and light show coming from Marina Bay. Very pleasant however pretty warm so just like running in Samoa only the footpaths don't have holes and their is street lighting the whole way so no guessing where your feet will land! This was finished off by watching the end of the Ireland vs South Africa game which was a nailbiter. Ireland kept fighting back but just couldn't hold a lead over South Africa. Then is was dinner at our favourite 24 hour spot by the Bras Basah MRT station. Fried rice set me back $4.50 and Adam's duck $6.00!!
We are now decked out in all the black we can find and are about to head to the stadium for the final against Australia. Wish us luck. We have the team to do it but you can never underestimate Australia on the day.
KIWI KIWI KIWI - HEY HEY HO
KIWI - HEY
KIWI - HO
KIWI KIWI KIWI - NICE ONE BRO!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Netball day 6
Time for a bit of laundry and domestics today so it was off to track down the laundromat near the Bras Basah MRT station. It never fails to amaze me how great google maps is at helping you find everything you need and with the GPS on the tablet it makes you wonder how people managed before we had all of this? Anyway washing being taken care of as we head for another day at the netball.
All those people with finals tickets have now turned up and taken over the stadium lol. Unfortunately we are now surrounded by green and gold and people with many opinions of what is taking place on court . . . and we have to listen to them even when they are wrong lol.
The Kiwis were welcomed onto the court by the Patea Maori Club which was fitting and got the crowd going however New Zealand got of to a lacklustre start to their game against South Africa and were down by 1 at quarter time. After a team change though that was soon sorted out.
Fiji had a very close game against Barbados today with the lead swinging backwards and forwards but they hung in for a win by 1. Samoa are up last today against Wales.
The Ausies are on now so will see how the do against Malawi. No billabong tunes for them though they get Land Downunder and Jimmy Barnes! Game update - the Aussies also looking sluggish today managing to win by only 14. Malawi had them stumped for a bit there.
Having another Jack and a pizza at the park then back in to cher on Samoa.
All those people with finals tickets have now turned up and taken over the stadium lol. Unfortunately we are now surrounded by green and gold and people with many opinions of what is taking place on court . . . and we have to listen to them even when they are wrong lol.
The Kiwis were welcomed onto the court by the Patea Maori Club which was fitting and got the crowd going however New Zealand got of to a lacklustre start to their game against South Africa and were down by 1 at quarter time. After a team change though that was soon sorted out.
Fiji had a very close game against Barbados today with the lead swinging backwards and forwards but they hung in for a win by 1. Samoa are up last today against Wales.
The Ausies are on now so will see how the do against Malawi. No billabong tunes for them though they get Land Downunder and Jimmy Barnes! Game update - the Aussies also looking sluggish today managing to win by only 14. Malawi had them stumped for a bit there.
Having another Jack and a pizza at the park then back in to cher on Samoa.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Training with a Diamond!
Well this morning we had a training session in the hotel gym with Sharelle McMahon! Well she was doing her thing and we were doing ours. Does that count? Lol. It is good to see her on the road to recovery from her archilles injury. Yes I know she is Australian however I still think she is an awesome player and I feel for her having to miss these World Champs.
Have just finished watching Samoa beat Malaysia in a tough game that was going goal for goal a times however they did it by 9 goals. Now on to tomorrow to try and stay in the running for 9th or 10th place but thy need to win tomorrow against Wales or Botswana - that game is currently in action.
Oh well time for an early one today and regain strength for more netball watching tomorrow. Have found some more shops from the UK namely Topshop and Miss Selfridges so bit more retail therapy might be in order!
Have just finished watching Samoa beat Malaysia in a tough game that was going goal for goal a times however they did it by 9 goals. Now on to tomorrow to try and stay in the running for 9th or 10th place but thy need to win tomorrow against Wales or Botswana - that game is currently in action.
Oh well time for an early one today and regain strength for more netball watching tomorrow. Have found some more shops from the UK namely Topshop and Miss Selfridges so bit more retail therapy might be in order!
World Netball Champs 2011 photos
The teams during the opening ceremony
Botswana supporters - Yvonne Willingering watches Botswana play South Africa
The Singapore Indoor Stadium - Australia vs Sri Lanka in the distance
Botswana supporters - Yvonne Willingering watches Botswana play South Africa
The Singapore Indoor Stadium - Australia vs Sri Lanka in the distance
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Netball Day 4
We had an earlier start today because Samoa's must win match against Northern Ireland was the first game of the day.
We decided to get breakfast at a plaza just up the road from the hotel, next to the MRT station. We found a good feed at a good price - tea and French toast for $2 and tea, toast, sausage and egg for $2.50. I think we will be going back there again. We even managed to pick up some sandwiches for lunch for $1.50.
After our hearty breakfast it was down to the serious business of the netball. Samoa had to beat Ireland to make the top 8 playoffs. I think the Samoan girls may have been feeling the pressure of situation and made a slow start. Even though we were trying hard to cheer them on they were never able to catch up. The team were disappointed with the result, but now have to pick themselves up for a playoff game against Malaysia tomorrow. Meanwhile the Irish team were delighted, this is the first time they have qualified for the top 8 at the World Camps.
Next game was an equally tough match between Fiji and Wales, which Fiji managed to win. Then it was time for the Silver Ferns final pool match, against Trinidad & Tobago. The Ferns tried a few different combinations and T&T were quite rough, so the game never really flowed as well as the previous game against Wales, but the Ferns still managed a comfortable win, with a few smiles just for Norma Plummer!
We then needed a break from Netball, before the evening games, and have found a nice restaurant under the stadium. We have been enjoying wagu steak, pizza, boutique beer and Jack Daniels by the riverside. It even has free wi-fi, so we are taking advantage to make this post from our tablets while watching State of Origin, pretty cool.
We decided to get breakfast at a plaza just up the road from the hotel, next to the MRT station. We found a good feed at a good price - tea and French toast for $2 and tea, toast, sausage and egg for $2.50. I think we will be going back there again. We even managed to pick up some sandwiches for lunch for $1.50.
After our hearty breakfast it was down to the serious business of the netball. Samoa had to beat Ireland to make the top 8 playoffs. I think the Samoan girls may have been feeling the pressure of situation and made a slow start. Even though we were trying hard to cheer them on they were never able to catch up. The team were disappointed with the result, but now have to pick themselves up for a playoff game against Malaysia tomorrow. Meanwhile the Irish team were delighted, this is the first time they have qualified for the top 8 at the World Camps.
Next game was an equally tough match between Fiji and Wales, which Fiji managed to win. Then it was time for the Silver Ferns final pool match, against Trinidad & Tobago. The Ferns tried a few different combinations and T&T were quite rough, so the game never really flowed as well as the previous game against Wales, but the Ferns still managed a comfortable win, with a few smiles just for Norma Plummer!
We then needed a break from Netball, before the evening games, and have found a nice restaurant under the stadium. We have been enjoying wagu steak, pizza, boutique beer and Jack Daniels by the riverside. It even has free wi-fi, so we are taking advantage to make this post from our tablets while watching State of Origin, pretty cool.
Netball Day 3
We had another great day at the netball. First up was a very close and tough game between Fiji and Trinidad & Tobago which Fiji unexpectedly lost.
Next up was Samoa against Sri Lanka, a game that Samoa had to win if they were to have any chance of making the quarterfinals. We met up with all the other Samoan supporters, all decked out in our blue Samoa shirts, to cheer the team on. It turned out to be a much closer and tense match than most of us were expecting. Sri Lanka had a very tall, skinny shooter that the Samoans struggled to shut down - the height mis-match between her and the Samoan defenders was quite funny to see. In the end the Samoan team managed to hang on for the win 57 - 53.
Our Samoan cheer squad must have been doing something right, we caught the attention of the Sky TV camera crew and they recorded a "Talofa" cheer from us. Then after the game the two of us were interviewed by a reporter from one of the local newspapers.
After our media commitments were finished our next game was NZ against Wales. The Silver Ferns came out firing and poor old Wales were a bit shell-shocked, behind 28-2 after the first quarter. As expected the Ferns went on to score an easy win 91 - 21.
After the game the Silver Ferns were signing autographs and we managed to get the entire team to sign a Netball World Championship shirt. They were all pretty relaxed and happy to chat a bit. We learnt that Laura Langman has got her crucial supply of crumpets sorted out, according to Irene van Dyk there are so many crumpets that they can't eat them all. Irene also sends a hug out to Dad. Paula Griffin's tattoo up her arm is a quote that inspires her. Casey Williams was hungry and reckoned that it was time for dinner and Jolene Henry and Temepara George weren't completely satisfied with the game.
There have also been plenty of stories floating around about Australian coach Norma Plummer. She seems to be a total control freak, paranoid about everything and full of conspiracy theories, usually about how New Zealand is trying to manipulate things to their advantage or how Australia have been disadvantaged. She even complained that the Silver Ferns were smiling and laughing too much during their game!
Next up was Samoa against Sri Lanka, a game that Samoa had to win if they were to have any chance of making the quarterfinals. We met up with all the other Samoan supporters, all decked out in our blue Samoa shirts, to cheer the team on. It turned out to be a much closer and tense match than most of us were expecting. Sri Lanka had a very tall, skinny shooter that the Samoans struggled to shut down - the height mis-match between her and the Samoan defenders was quite funny to see. In the end the Samoan team managed to hang on for the win 57 - 53.
Our Samoan cheer squad must have been doing something right, we caught the attention of the Sky TV camera crew and they recorded a "Talofa" cheer from us. Then after the game the two of us were interviewed by a reporter from one of the local newspapers.
After our media commitments were finished our next game was NZ against Wales. The Silver Ferns came out firing and poor old Wales were a bit shell-shocked, behind 28-2 after the first quarter. As expected the Ferns went on to score an easy win 91 - 21.
After the game the Silver Ferns were signing autographs and we managed to get the entire team to sign a Netball World Championship shirt. They were all pretty relaxed and happy to chat a bit. We learnt that Laura Langman has got her crucial supply of crumpets sorted out, according to Irene van Dyk there are so many crumpets that they can't eat them all. Irene also sends a hug out to Dad. Paula Griffin's tattoo up her arm is a quote that inspires her. Casey Williams was hungry and reckoned that it was time for dinner and Jolene Henry and Temepara George weren't completely satisfied with the game.
There have also been plenty of stories floating around about Australian coach Norma Plummer. She seems to be a total control freak, paranoid about everything and full of conspiracy theories, usually about how New Zealand is trying to manipulate things to their advantage or how Australia have been disadvantaged. She even complained that the Silver Ferns were smiling and laughing too much during their game!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Netball Day 2
We had a bit of a slow start to the second day of the netball. We are still suffering the side effects of our colds and were a bit worn out after all of the shopping, so ended up having a bit of a lie in and a big breakfast.
We made it down to the stadium in time to catch the end of the game between Jamaica and South Africa, which Jamaica won 72 - 45.
Next up it was Samoa taking on Australia. Of course we were cheering for Samoa. They did alright, but as expected the Australians were too strong and ran away with the game, finally winning 82 - 23.
We then got our first look at the Silver Ferns and they looked very flash in their new shiny uniforms. Fiji played well and the Ferns had a few rough patches, especially after Maria Tutaia went off, but they came right in the end to record a comfortable 80 - 25 win.
The stadium is really impressive and everything is running on time, but we are finding it cold in there! We can't survive the entire day without heading outside to warm up every few hours.
We also got to see some games between Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland, Trinidad & Tobago and Wales, England and Malawi, and Barbados and Malaysia. A day full of netball - only six more to go!
We made it down to the stadium in time to catch the end of the game between Jamaica and South Africa, which Jamaica won 72 - 45.
Next up it was Samoa taking on Australia. Of course we were cheering for Samoa. They did alright, but as expected the Australians were too strong and ran away with the game, finally winning 82 - 23.
We then got our first look at the Silver Ferns and they looked very flash in their new shiny uniforms. Fiji played well and the Ferns had a few rough patches, especially after Maria Tutaia went off, but they came right in the end to record a comfortable 80 - 25 win.
The stadium is really impressive and everything is running on time, but we are finding it cold in there! We can't survive the entire day without heading outside to warm up every few hours.
We also got to see some games between Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland, Trinidad & Tobago and Wales, England and Malawi, and Barbados and Malaysia. A day full of netball - only six more to go!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Netball World Champs Opening Ceremony 2011
Sunday was the start of the netball, but that wasn't until later in the day so there was time to hit the gym and pool in the morning and fit in another trip to Orchard Road before heading to the Netball.
We are starting to notice a bit more a netball vibe now. There were plenty of Black and Green & Gold shirts on the train to the stadium and a few famous netball faces around the place.
The opening ceremony was really good. It had drummers, lion dancers, rhythmic gymnastics, light show etc and then the march past of all the teams. The kiwis got a good cheer from the large group of NZ tour parties. We then had the usual round up of speeches, including us all singing Happy Birthday to the President of Singapore.
After that it was time for some netball, with Singapore taking on Botswana. Singapore started off well, but in the end Botswana spoilt the party for the home crowd eventually winning 43-36.
We are starting to notice a bit more a netball vibe now. There were plenty of Black and Green & Gold shirts on the train to the stadium and a few famous netball faces around the place.
The opening ceremony was really good. It had drummers, lion dancers, rhythmic gymnastics, light show etc and then the march past of all the teams. The kiwis got a good cheer from the large group of NZ tour parties. We then had the usual round up of speeches, including us all singing Happy Birthday to the President of Singapore.
After that it was time for some netball, with Singapore taking on Botswana. Singapore started off well, but in the end Botswana spoilt the party for the home crowd eventually winning 43-36.
Singapore Electrified
Saturday saw us hit the shops. The shopping here is amazing, but rather overwhelming after Samoa! So many malls full of shops and people. Our first stop was the Funan Centre, 6 floors of electronics shops! After starting at the bottom and working our way through 5 floors of laptops, mobile phones, tvs etc we finally found the cases and keyboards we were looking for.
After this we headed up Orchard Road starting at the new Ion centre. As it was Saturday night the place was buzzing and there were people everywhere. It was also very noisy with lots of sounds competing against each other. Phew again!! The amount of shops in this place is completely overwhelming. Life exists above and also below ground where there is a rabbit warren of tunnels full of more shops and food courts. It is at times impossilbe to know where you are and you get completely lost and disorientated! Overall though everything is sparkling clean, there is no rubbish lying about and people are polite and courteous going about their business. YOu can get everything you could possibly need and want - oh apart from crumpets apparently which is what Laura Langman is craving before taking the court against Australia!!
Here is a photo of the Ion centre
After this we headed up Orchard Road starting at the new Ion centre. As it was Saturday night the place was buzzing and there were people everywhere. It was also very noisy with lots of sounds competing against each other. Phew again!! The amount of shops in this place is completely overwhelming. Life exists above and also below ground where there is a rabbit warren of tunnels full of more shops and food courts. It is at times impossilbe to know where you are and you get completely lost and disorientated! Overall though everything is sparkling clean, there is no rubbish lying about and people are polite and courteous going about their business. YOu can get everything you could possibly need and want - oh apart from crumpets apparently which is what Laura Langman is craving before taking the court against Australia!!
Here is a photo of the Ion centre
Friday, July 1, 2011
Samoans in Singapore
We have now arrived in the humid tropics of Singapore and feel more at home as the temperatures are very similar to Samoa. We took off from Brisbane in the middle of the night and flew Emirates with great in flight services. Continual drinks (the non alcoholic variety!) and on board entertainment. Managed a couple of hours sleep around movies.
Arrived in Singapore in the early morning and was surprised that there were no little boxes to tick about what we were bringing into Singapore with regard to food or animal and plant products and no bag scanning unit either for that matter so we let ourselves in! Singapore airport is huge so it was a nice hike from the plane to customs and no queue when we got there probably because everyone else got distracted by the shops and eateries on the way through.
Got ourselves on a shuttle to our hotel after changing some currency and using the ANZ machine which kept talking to me. I kid you not! Was pretty impressed it knew who I was by name and could give me funds from our Samoan account.
We are staying at the Carlton which is on Bras Basash road at the bottom of Orchard Road and right next door to Raffles. This is a great area of town. Cant remember where I stayed last time I was here 15 years ago. The hotel is great. We have a lovely room and it all feels very luxurious with a beautiful shiny reception area complete with fountain and chandellair of sorts.
As we couldn't check in straight away we opted to go exploring. It was hot out of the comfort of our air conditioning but we made it up as far as the Dhoby Ghaut train station via two different shopping malls. Things were very quiet and we were amazed that none of the shops opened until 11am!!! We were feeling pretty weary however some frozen yogurt with fruit soon refreshed us enough to explore a bit more. We discovered Marks and Spencer and Dorothy Perkins from the UK and it was great to have a look around and reminisce about the good old days of shopping in London! Might pop back some time to poke about at leisure without husband in tow! So far things have not been very Asian as all the top Western influences are here including food. We even found a store where you can choose, stuff, dress and name your own teddy bear! What next aye? Anything to get money out of you. We went into a sports shop and 1 running outfit later were still trying to convince the shop keeper that it was not worth us paying $49 to join their club, even with the free sports bag, as we are only visiting!
Managed to pick up some interesting packets of chips and nibbles to try after looking through the fish balls and dried fruit on offer. Also picked up our Netball tickets from the stadium. We were pleasantly surprised at how we could purchase these online from Samoa several months ago, turn up to the box office and be presented with tickets with no dramas or problems what so ever. Hmmmm maybe we have been living in Samoa too long as we are certainly noticing the customer services here! Saw the Wales and Malawi teams at the stadium training and checked out the restaurant options for the coming week.
We have sussed out the MRT and got ourselves a card which we top up with credit as required. The tube is efficient and can get us everywhere we need to go this week so will be making the most of that.
So after all this we headed back towards the hotel, passing 3 of the England team members along the way who stood out by their accents and height! Obviously some down time for them as they were out exploring. We went in to check out the Chijmes center across the road from our hotel and collapsed onto a chair in the lovely court yard where we were brought a Tropical and a Peach Sangria. After a couple of these we also decided to order up dinner and chose the vegetarian set menu as it had mushroom, babycorn, asparagus and cherry tomato dishes all of which we miss in Samoa! Dinner was delicious and finished off with a lovely cheesecake and icecream.
After a bubble bath, another one of those luxuries we miss in Samoa, we crashed . . . . .
Arrived in Singapore in the early morning and was surprised that there were no little boxes to tick about what we were bringing into Singapore with regard to food or animal and plant products and no bag scanning unit either for that matter so we let ourselves in! Singapore airport is huge so it was a nice hike from the plane to customs and no queue when we got there probably because everyone else got distracted by the shops and eateries on the way through.
Got ourselves on a shuttle to our hotel after changing some currency and using the ANZ machine which kept talking to me. I kid you not! Was pretty impressed it knew who I was by name and could give me funds from our Samoan account.
We are staying at the Carlton which is on Bras Basash road at the bottom of Orchard Road and right next door to Raffles. This is a great area of town. Cant remember where I stayed last time I was here 15 years ago. The hotel is great. We have a lovely room and it all feels very luxurious with a beautiful shiny reception area complete with fountain and chandellair of sorts.
As we couldn't check in straight away we opted to go exploring. It was hot out of the comfort of our air conditioning but we made it up as far as the Dhoby Ghaut train station via two different shopping malls. Things were very quiet and we were amazed that none of the shops opened until 11am!!! We were feeling pretty weary however some frozen yogurt with fruit soon refreshed us enough to explore a bit more. We discovered Marks and Spencer and Dorothy Perkins from the UK and it was great to have a look around and reminisce about the good old days of shopping in London! Might pop back some time to poke about at leisure without husband in tow! So far things have not been very Asian as all the top Western influences are here including food. We even found a store where you can choose, stuff, dress and name your own teddy bear! What next aye? Anything to get money out of you. We went into a sports shop and 1 running outfit later were still trying to convince the shop keeper that it was not worth us paying $49 to join their club, even with the free sports bag, as we are only visiting!
Managed to pick up some interesting packets of chips and nibbles to try after looking through the fish balls and dried fruit on offer. Also picked up our Netball tickets from the stadium. We were pleasantly surprised at how we could purchase these online from Samoa several months ago, turn up to the box office and be presented with tickets with no dramas or problems what so ever. Hmmmm maybe we have been living in Samoa too long as we are certainly noticing the customer services here! Saw the Wales and Malawi teams at the stadium training and checked out the restaurant options for the coming week.
We have sussed out the MRT and got ourselves a card which we top up with credit as required. The tube is efficient and can get us everywhere we need to go this week so will be making the most of that.
So after all this we headed back towards the hotel, passing 3 of the England team members along the way who stood out by their accents and height! Obviously some down time for them as they were out exploring. We went in to check out the Chijmes center across the road from our hotel and collapsed onto a chair in the lovely court yard where we were brought a Tropical and a Peach Sangria. After a couple of these we also decided to order up dinner and chose the vegetarian set menu as it had mushroom, babycorn, asparagus and cherry tomato dishes all of which we miss in Samoa! Dinner was delicious and finished off with a lovely cheesecake and icecream.
After a bubble bath, another one of those luxuries we miss in Samoa, we crashed . . . . .
Nephews in Brisbane
Have had our stop over in Brisbane and spent time with the new baby who has a lovely mop of hair and played many hours of Thomas the Tank engine interspersed with blowing bubbles! Also managed to catch up with friends who have moved over to live in Brisbane and are working on the house they have purchased in Manley. Of course in the 5 days there we managed to both pick up colds which seems to be the norm whenever we leave the tropical temperatures of Samoa!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)