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By Aussie Pete, July 17, 2012 11:35 pm

Source: Aussie Pete

Yesterday, I was very fortunate to be able to play the tourist guide for my very good friend, Ralph and his very lovely wife, Lesley. Hailing from Melbourne, the well-travelled pair had just disembarked from a flight out of London after their 5-week tour of Europe. They specifically stopped in to Singapore on their way home to spend time with us and indulge in some Singapore culture.

Ralph and Lesley - The Express Tourists

The only downfall of the entire day, was that in such a short time I did not manage to change or alter Ralph’s very dubious NRL (national rugby league) team affiliations, nor his very unhealthy appreciation of the player commonly referred to as ‘Billy the Kid’ (Billy Slater) – I will save this topic for another article some other time.

Given that flight QF10 touched down in Singapore in the early evening of Sunday, and departed again around 8pm last night (Monday), by the time you take into account the immigration and customs time and travelling to and from our home, it only allowed us around 18-hours to offer up the best of Singapore that we could manage in such a short period (including a night’s sleep). Obviously, the local food culture was a perfect platform to base the visit around.

The Crabs Cannot Be More Fresh

Hence follows the ‘Express Tourist – Singapore in 18-Hours’.

8:30pm – Dinner at Fernvale Point Food Court (Koufu hawker centre)

After arrival at our home in Fernvale, quick calls back home, a freshen-up and quick play with the kids, we decided the most convenient way to jump into Singapore food, was to take Ralph and Lesley to our local haunt. The difference here to the standard chicken rice or 1-meat 3-veg options, was that as part of the shops in this hawker centre, we also have a very high standard selection of sit down, a-la-carte style food. This offers a nearly restaurant style menu and experience. And the food is actually awesome.

Ralph and Lesley are not fans of any very spicy food (chilli), so we were a little restricted with the selection. But we were not about to let this small detail hold us back. So we absolutely stuffed ourselves with Salted Egg prawns, hot plate venison, egg with onion, egg with minced meat, lemon chicken, seafood fried rice, Hong Kong style noodles, king of pork ribs… and a couple of other dishes, which allude me right now. Lesley even dared to try local kopi (although she found it a little sweet for her liking – I’ve become immune to the caffeine and sugar kick over the years… still my favourite coffee).

Salted Egg Prawn

So we rolled home, showered, gossiped, played with the kids, argued about football and by sometime well after midnight managed to hit the hay for some shut-eye.

8:00am – Pete’s Home Cooked Turkey Bacon and Eggs

Always on the menu for any visitors that stay with us. We rose to alarm clocks at 7:30am, and wiping the sleepy-dust from my eyes and shaking the head clear, I prepared the now traditional Aussie Pete breakfast – accompanied of course by coffee and orange juice.

9:00am – First of the whirlwind outings and photo opportunities

We left home and braved the (close to) peak hour traffic down the CTE – surprisingly enough, the trip showed a very light side of traffic flow in Singapore. We managed to arrive at One Fullerton car park only some 25 minutes after leaving our apartment.
After a short walk around the area and into Merlion Park – we were quite disappointed to find that the icon of Singapore was closed for a facelift (in preparation for its 40th birthday in September) – we jumped on a bumboat with Singapore River Cruise.

The 40-minute ‘Tale of 2 Quays’ cruise took us around the various tourist hot-spots – photo ops such as the Art Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Anderson Bridge, Fullerton, Cavenagh Bridge, Boat Quay, Raffles Landing Site, Elgin and Coleman bridges, Central and Clark Quay and up to Liang Court (and back again).

The Poor Old Merlion - Undergoing a Facelift

Along with the other passengers (3 other Aussies – 2 cane toads and 1 cockroach), a collective sigh went up, when they tourists realized that Sir Stamford Raffles was actually facing in the wrong direction for a good picture… I didn’t notice, because I was too busy ducking my head away from the financial district in case my boss happened to be peering out of the top floor of our building – here I was gallivanting and playing guide instead of being at work (of course I had taken a vacation for the day).

Upon return to the Merlion Park jetty, we had another quick walk and a cool drink to rehydrate then Lesley wanted a quick browse in one of the souvenir shops.

12:00pm Lunch (Feast) at Bottle Tree Park

We left the bay area with time enough to collect Sammi from Jaime’s kindergarten and head on out to Yishun, to another of our mandatory visitor treats – and also our all-time favourite dining location, Bottle Tree Park (off Lorong Chencharu).

Here is where the real eating (pigging out) took place. The dishes consisted (among others), of pumpkin and pork rib soup (served in a pumpkin of course), crispy roasted chicken (whole), crispy Shanghai stlye pig trotter (huge), Sea Bass steamed and served in HK style sauce (melt in the mouth), their signature Pork and Egg dish (always popular), and of course the obligatory Chilli Sri Lankan Crab (for the locals) and Creamy Butter Crab (for the non-spicy visitors)… at least I got Ralph to try the chilli crab sauce, by dipping the corner of a fried bun and tasting – although it took him about 15-min afterwards to cool down.

Signature - Chilli Crab

As usual, our eyes were too big for our bellies, so we had more than enough to ‘da bao’ for dinner later.

2:30pm – Orchard Road and Shopping

Orchard Road Shopping

Back in the car (squeezing) and back down the CTE, we landed in the heart of Orchard Road. We wanted to show a couple of different sides to shopping in Singapore and this globally known strip. So rather than do much walking up and down the length of Orchard Road, we did the up-market and branded type outlets in Paragon and Takashimaya and balanced it off with the bargain-basement style of Lucky Plaza. For those of you already familiar with these local retail landmarks, you will easily identify with the contradiction of these shopping experiences.

Lucky My Boss Isn't Looking Out The Window

4:30pm – Back Home and Departure Preparations

With the family reunited after kindergarten, sightseeing and shopping we took the time for a final catch-up at home (although I was actually feeling quite worn out and succumbed to a 10-minute power nap as well – unplanned).

Dinner (or ‘tea’ as it is commonly referred to in Australia – I sometimes forget local Aussie English, and it actually surprises me to hear how weird some terms that I grew up with actually now sound… the word tea for me now is usually accompanied with another descriptor – ‘green’, ‘ice-lemon’ etc. I forgot that I once used it to describe an entire meal) – did not happen – unanimous decision! At least not so early – we took some food (da bao from lunch) and fed the boys a little later after we returned from the airport.

Some final packing and freshen up and back to Terminal 1 for the Qantas flight.

6:20pm – Check-In at Changi Airport

True to form, I landed us at the check-in counter exactly 2-hours before scheduled flight departure time. With little or no queue to speak of, we all took the opportunity to browse the terminal bookstore (I was actually without reading material for my de-stressing evening bath-time, which is very unusual – so why not kill two birds with one stone).

Some final farewells, and Jaime getting a little sad and watery-eyed (as is always the case with departing visitors), Ralph and Lesley entered the immigration area for the final time on this trip. I am quite certain that after 5-weeks abroad, coping with jet-lag and being walked and eaten off their feet in such a short time in Singapore, they would have been more than happy to return to the comfort of their own bed (I’m wondering if they even managed to wake up for a meal on the plane).

Ralph (MBS in the Background)

In all, we had a very enjoyable, albeit short time, with one of my best mates and his wife – pictured above with the MBS in the background.

Click here to view all pictures of the Express Tourist (added so far)

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By Aussie Pete, June 26, 2012 1:54 am

Courtesy of Aussie Pete

The following is an article that I wrote for the iProperty website and was published just last week… (all images have appeared before on my blog and were republished to serve the purpose of the article)

_______________________________

Why I Chose HDB Over Private Property

When deciding on a property—one that you and your family will call ‘home’—there are some important factors besides finance that you should keep in mind.

As a foreign-born HDB dweller, my housing decisions have been often inquired upon. With this article, I hope to shed light on why I chose a HDB flat over private property, and why Sengkang West of all the housing estates. I will also offer some friendly guidance to those also looking to make Singapore their home.

Celebrations at Sengkang West. All images courtesy of Peter Breitkreutz

Resale HDB: Are you qualified?


This should be the first checkpoint for non-Singaporeans deciding between HDBs and private properties. For those considering resale HDBs in particular, there are quite a few eligibility conditions and legalities you should take note of beforehand. For instance, resale HDB buyers have to be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, or have at least one such listed occupant. In terms of regulations, there is one rule widely covered in recent news: you must sell off any private property you already own within six months of purchasing a resale flat. More information can be easily found on the HDB InfoWEB.

Unless you meet the stated criteria, your best bet is private property. In case anyone was wondering, PRs are not eligible to purchase new HDBs.

Condominiums: Are you sure?


Why not a condo, you ask? Very good question!

When we first moved to Singapore sans PR status, we did not want to do the stereotypical expat thing and move into predominantly foreign communities. After spending some time searching for the right location, we thought we couldn’t get any more ‘heartlander’ than moving to Woodlands, the northern-most part of the island.

However, we failed to realise that moving into a rental condominium still meant that we ended up surrounding ourselves with a non-local community. Additionally, security guards and boom gates ensured that we were practically locking ourselves out of the community, and the community out of our lives.

Sure, the facilities (pool, gymnasium, function rooms) and privacy that come with condominiums are attractive. But the security measures, in particular, did little to make us feel safer in a country that already boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Neither was it helpful in integrating us into the community we so desperately wanted to belong to. It felt almost like we were on an extended business trip at a resort; definitely not like a place I’d call home.

After a few years there we decided to explore our options, this time deciding not to rent. The dramatically fluctuating rental market then affirmed our decision, but it was not our main motivation. It dawned on us that to really integrate and root ourselves, boots and all, in Singapore for the long term, we needed to stop living the ‘pretend heartlands’ lifestyle. Even now, we still hold the belief that rent money is dead money when it comes to planning for our future in Singapore.

This decision then led us to the resale HDB option.

We soon realised that many five-room HDB flats (or ‘three-bedroom’ in foreigner speak) were larger than modern condominiums, and the newer HDB buildings and estates were styled similar to condominiums. New HDBs were taller, with fewer flats per floor, an elevator at every level and actual hallways within the flats!

Our current apartment has 22 floors with only four ‘point blocks’ on every level. It has a layout and style similar to our former private home, but with more area and a lovely view. Of course, the difference was the lack of private pool and security.

Sengkang West HDB flat

HDBs: a golden opportunity for integration


If not for living in an HDB estate, we never would have gotten the chance to serve the community.Joining a local grassroots organization not only satiated my passion for charity work, but also afforded us a key opportunity to know and befriend those in our community. Another step towards integration in our new country!

I am now a grassroots leader and member of the Anchorvale Community Club Management Committee, with a community network that now stretches across Sengkang West. We are proud to be part of a strongly bonded community, where it is very rare to visit neighbourhood shops and eating places without running into people we know. We now treat our neighbours like family, and vice versa!

I think such a deep integration at the grassroots level is not impossible should we have opted for yet another private property, but I am sure it would have been much more difficult.

A family carnival at the HDB heartlands makes a good opportunity to get to know neighbours

Sengkang West: Who are the people in your neighbourhood?

As a young family with two ickle boys, we fit in quite well in Sengkang West, which was then (and is still considered) a relatively new and developing part of Singapore. We have seen so many new buildings sprouting up over the years, and practically grew up with this estate.

Furthermore, as we are still considered a foreign family, joining a blossoming community instead of a mature estate was in hindsight also made it a little easier for us to cultivate a sense of belonging.

Family time at the park

HDB for the long haul


When it comes to deciding between HDBs and private apartments, it’s all about your personal motivations and your desired lifestyle in Singapore.

For us, we wanted our locally born children to be completely immersed in the culture of their birth country. Our elder boy now attends a kindergarten near our home, swimming classes at the public sports complex, and art classes at the local Zone E RC office. His best friends are Singaporeans too. By living in the HDB heartlands, we plan to eventually enroll him and his brother in a local school.

We would not dream of giving up our HDB lifestyle in a million years.

Meeting Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong

So if you’re looking to truly make Singapore your home, I think the answer is a no-brainer: move out of the expat comfort zones and into the HDB heartlands. It’s a decision that has fulfilled my life; I am certain yours will be too.

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By Aussie Pete, June 26, 2012 12:46 am

Courtesy of Aussie Pete

Apologies dear readers, for the delay between articles – with the past couple of weeks having been very busy at work, fathers day and birthday celebrations, while battling with a nasty cold, time has indeed been very tight… so now I’m trying to play ‘catch up’.

Friends of mine on Facebook, would be well aware from the random pics I’ve uploaded, that my youngest boy (almost 2-year old Casey or in Chinese, 郑家恺), is the ‘brand ambassador’ for the latest Drypers advertising campaign and catch-phrase, ‘The Best Ever’.

Now that the ads have gone live and Casey’s pictures are appearing all over Singapore, I thought it would be fitting for me to give a quick plug for such a cool and quirky marketing and advertising campaign.

It first started with the main ‘best ever’ image appearing in newspapers across the island a few weeks ago and full page ads in Mother and Baby magazine.

Behind the scenes at the main photo shoot

Since then, we have seen other pictures from the photo shoot in shopping mall displays, billboards and even bus stops.

A Drypers display that we saw at the Giant hypermaket at Tampines

We are still waiting for the viral video campaign to be launched, where Casey will appear as the ‘best ever talking baby’.

Behind the scenes of one of the video shoots (in this one the set has been constructed in our home)

Needless to say, we are all very proud of him – although I am still to get a cut of his earnings as his ‘manager and agent’ (and chief taxi driver) :p

At the Drypers 'Little Day Out' on Saturday just gone by, we noticed he even now seems to have his own line of 'shopping bags'

As an aside, Casey had his first live media appearance at the Drypers ‘Little Day Out’, and both Sammi and I were interviewed – be sure to check it out this Thursday night on both Channel 5 and Channel 8 (immediately after the news)… Sammi also performed a ‘celebrity nappy change’ for the cameras

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By Aussie Pete, June 7, 2012 1:26 am

“More than eight in 10 Singaporeans feel the country needs foreigners, but mostly to do jobs that Singaporeans do not want to do. Those polled say they accept foreigners being allowed in to work – but at a slower pace.”

Source: Aussie Pete Blog

Images Courtesy of The Straits Times

Statistics Courtesy of The Straits Times

Now let’s put my thoughts in perspective – and a disclaimer… I am not agreeing nor disagreeing with the report or the comprehensive exposé that covered a number of pages.

Firstly, a survey of 400 people does not provide anywhere near enough data points to draw any statistical conclusions – but that didn’t stop the Straits Times in last Saturdays newspaper.

Image Courtesy of The Straits Times

Secondly, when I took the time to respond in detail to the journalist’s written interview questions and then to also allow myself to be interviewed by telephone for more than a half an hour, the least that the publication could have done is to properly portray my sentiments.

I was aghast when one of my friends approached me and said, “Wah Lau! You attacking government policies now, is it?”

Following at the bottom of this post, you can read my actual responses to the written interview – how this translates simply into the short quotation that appeared in the paper, I have absolutely no idea:

‘Australian Peter Breitkreutz, 45, a senior vice-president at Citibank, thinks the pace of immigration and certain government policies have added to local unhappiness. “It could be due to the rising cost of resale flats. A lot of people say foreigners are pushing prices up when actually, there are a lot of other underlying causes,” he says.’

Courtesy of The Straits Times

I guess, it’s similar to one of the points I was making, but it does sort of sound like I’ve got a problem with some Government policies when stated without any other context.

According to the Reach website, the results “were among the findings of a Straits Times survey to gauge sentiments towards foreigners. The survey of 400 Singapore citizens shows that the majority believe in the need for foreigners. The responses on why Singaporeans have problems getting along with foreigners indicate that their unhappiness stems from the negative impact on jobs and the environment, rather than discomfort with social or cultural differences.”

Statistics Courtesy of The Straits Times

My regular readers know that I always love to set the record straight – so here is a transcript of my responses to the written survey:

1. Do you think Singapore has become less welcoming to foreigners in the past few years?

No, I don’t think Singapore has been less welcoming. When we first arrived many years ago, we were very sensitive to ‘being different’ and felt uncomfortable if people stared or did not necessarily seem to like us. This was more our problem than anything, and can probably be attributed to ‘culture shock’. Over recent years and after sincere effort to integrate, this has changed and we very welcome here now. In my observation, the general election last year definitely saw rise to some ‘anti-foreigner’ sentiment, especially in the ‘new media’ space, but my opinion is that it was more centered around concerns on certain policies and living standards rather than specifically targeting foreigners… this was more like a ‘by-product’. (There will always be some people – everywhere in every country – who are not welcoming to foreigners)

2. Would you say that it’s still one of the top destinations for foreigners?

Absolutely I have seen no slow down in the number of people emailing me or contacting me through my blog wanting information on working and living in Singapore, and processes etc. In fact, especially over recent months, I have been overwhelmed with these kind of enquiries from both people I already know as well as total strangers – I cannot answer all of these quickly enough.

3. Why have you chosen to stay/set up base here?

We have chosen Singapore for a number of reasons. Originally, we were enticed by the common-stated benefits – low-crime, safety, high quality education, efficiency (transport, process such as taxation, medical care, etc), low taxes (comparatively), friendly people and culture, great food… the list goes on. It is also ‘central’ geographically when it comes to visiting family, located in both Australia and Shanghai, China. This was our original reasoning behind making the move.

Since then, and after we became permanent residents in 2008 and moved into a local heartlands HDB estate, became involved in grassroots and community volunteer work, our network of friends has expanded exponentially. We feel very much at home and welcome in our local community and our children have become just as accepted, if not more – both boys were born here, and regardless of their citizenship status, see no differentiation between themselves and their local Singapore friends. With this, the boys extracurricular activities (one in kindergarten, learning musical instruments, doing separate mandarin lessons – in which he’s fluent, swimming classes, drawing classes… all of which he loves. Our other boy at one and a half has become a local model of sorts, appearing in print and online campaigns for baby products). I know I digress, but it is all of these things that make us feel at home – the people, our community, the activities we do… moving out of this situation or out of Singapore is not even something that enters our mind.

4. Do you have many local friends, or do you spend time mostly with other foreigners?

Outside of my work environment (which is obviously a mix of foreigners and locals), we tend to spend 100% of our time with local friends. Living in Sengkang West, there are not many other ‘ang mohs’ in our immediate area. Through my grassroots connections and interaction with countless local families and neighbours through community events, we have many, many local friends. When we head out locally, it is very rare that we can go anywhere that we don’t run into people we know and always make the time to stop for a chat or catch-up. It is even more rare that we spend any time with other foreigners (outside of work), unless we have friends visiting from overseas.

5. Do you worry that conditions – or political sentiment – will one day make it difficult for you to stay?

I sincerely hope not. It’s not something that worries me, but just as in any country (Australia included), there will always be a small pocket of people who will not accept foreigners into their every day lives and may at times even be vocal or abusive about it. I’ve been told I’ve got thick skin, but I think it’s more about just being able to ignore any serious attack on my intentions or motivations for living in Singapore. I have learned that life experiences and upbringing are what help us form our ‘ladder of inference’ and it’s not something that’s easily changed, so just as I will tolerate these few people, I hope they will in return learn to be tolerant of me. In most part, Singaporeans are warm, accepting, kind and gracious people. But it does take time to earn such acceptance and respect. I firmly believe the onus is on us, the foreigner, to integrate by remaining respectful to the cultures, behaviors and expectation of the society in which we want to be accepted. In fact, I also strongly believe that it is the inappropriate behavior of others that are not respectful of their host country, which can ‘taint’ the rest of us. When I see an Australian displaying behavior that is disrespectful or unmindful of the local Singapore culture or people and maybe even offensive, it is the one thing that makes me feel very angry and even sad.

I think as long as my family and I remain true to ourselves, our neighbours, our community and actively contribute in a healthy way to Singapore, show respect and gratitude for being accepted here in our new home, then I see no reason why it would become difficult for us in the future (I hope). At the end of the day, it is the way in which we raise our children – the values we instill in them and their tolerance and respect for others. I have great faith in coming generations – children who will have been brought up in a multicultural and truly global community. I think discussion around race or skin colour will become a thing of the past.

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By Aussie Pete, April 25, 2012 12:29 am

Source: Aussie Pete

As we clock over past midnight to the 25th April, 2012, we welcome the onset of another ANZAC Day.

A national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and to commemorate all those who died and served in military operations for their countries.

It also serves as a time for reflection for me personally as I recall the various stories that were handed down from my late Grandfather, Henry Thomas Aubrey Bowles, who served as an Air Force navigator.

Given that this year’s ANZAC day falls on a weekday (and there is obviously no national vacation here in Singapore), we will not be heading out to Kranji war memorial for the dawn service. However, every time I have visited the site, I am always overwhelmed at the number of Aussie graves lined up as far as the eye can see.

Therefore, this year, I thought I would offer up a few statistics on the number of Aussie POWs (prisoners of war) and fatalities as recorded in history in Singapore and surrounding areas within the region:

“Twenty-two thousand Australians were captured defending Malaya, Singapore, and the Netherlands East Indies. Over 21,000 were from the Second AIF (particularly the 8th Division); 354 RAN; 373 RAAF officers; and 71 women from the Australian Army Nursing Service. Of these, 14,792 were captured at Singapore; 2,736 on Java; 1,137 on Timor; 1,075 on Ambon; and 1,049 at Rabaul.

Nearly 36% of Australian prisoners (8,031) died in captivity.

Massacres of Australians occurred at Tol Plantation on New Britain (160 Australians); Parit Sulong in Malaya (110); and at Laha on Ambon (over 200). Twenty-one Australian nurses were executed on Banka Island, and an unknown number of Australians elsewhere in Malaya and in Singapore, especially at the Alexandra Hospital.

Nearly 2650 Australians died on the Burma-Thailand Railway.”

“[In September 1945] the largest numbers of Australians were congregated on Singapore Island and Johore (5,549); 4,830 were distributed in several camps and on a number of working parties in Thailand and remote areas of Burma; 265 were in French Indo-China; about 750 were distributed throughout the islands of the Netherlands East Indies, with the largest group (385) in Java, and in Sumatra (243); about 100 were on Ambon; two were at Macassar, seven on Bali; another 150 were at Kuching in British North Borneo. About 2,700 were distributed between Japan, Korea and Manchuria. About 200 remained on Hainan”. [Wigmore, p. 633]

Sources:

Peter Dennis (et al), The Oxford companion to Australian military history, (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1997)

Lionel Wigmore, The Japanese thrust, Australia in the war of 1939-1945, vol. IV (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1968)

To all past and current Australian service men and women – thank you for what you have done and what you continue to do. I thank you, Australia thanks you… and lest we forget, Singapore and the region thanks you for your continued allegiance.

Video: 15th February, 2012 – The 70th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore:

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

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By Aussie Pete, March 31, 2012 8:42 pm

Source: Aussie Pete Legacy Blog

As a partner to MICA (ministry of communications and the arts) to promote Singapore to foreigners and locals alike, as a great place to work, live, study and play, I find it unfortunate and disappointing to write the following article.

As the saying goes – “We are never too old to learn”… after 7-years living in Singapore, I learned something new a few weekends ago… the policy that is known as a ‘U-turn’ within the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. Boy oh boy, did this cause my family and I some grief.

Firstly, I want to make it completely clear that I have no qualms or complaints about the policies, rules, regulations or laws with respect to Singapore Immigration. In fact, I have always been (and continue to be) a proponent of the laws set forth… the last thing we would ever do as a PR family, would be to try and break or bend any regulations (this doesn’t mean I fully understand the reasoning behind certain policies).

Here’s the background… my wife’s ageing, retired parents have come to Singapore to spend time with their grandchildren, who were both born here in Singapore. Prior to departure from Shanghai a few weeks ago, they applied through the appropriate channels and received a multiple entry tourist visa to Singapore, valid for 12-months – at time of application and as a part of the process, they were required to submit a copy of their flight details and itinerary indicating the time and date of their return flight to China.

We were obviously aware before their vacation, that the social visit pass that would be endorsed in their passports upon arrival should allow them to stay for 30-days. Given that it was also their desire to visit surrounding areas (Malaysia and Indonesia), they ensured that they also attained any necessary further visas for travel (eg. single entry visa to Malaysia). Taking into consideration all of the above, I contacted ICA to determine whether or not an application for extension of social visit pass (short term) or an application for long-term social visit pass would be required – to date, I have still not had a response to this query.

So here’s what happened… my in-laws decided that for their first trip to surrounding areas, they would like to visit the Indonesian island of Batam (just around 40-minute ferry ride from the terminal at Tanah Merah and to the south of Singapore). We booked in for a 2D/1N stay at the Turi Beach Resort, packed up the kids and all six of us checked in at the ferry terminal early on Saturday morning.

Knowing full well that my in-laws had a valid multiple entry visa to Singapore and Indonesia would issue a visa upon arrival, I made sure that we carried all associated paperwork (including air tickets back to China that they used when applying for their SG visas) with us to avoid any unnecessary delays or concerns over the travel plans and my in-laws’ intentions around their stay in Singapore.

Given that we would be leaving the shores of Singapore through immigration and returning again later the following day, my assumption was that my in-laws would be ‘stamped out’ and then a new social visit pass would be chopped in their passport when we arrived back on shore.

Herein lies the lesson!! I know, I know… ASSUME = ASS, U and ME… for any person travelling out of Singapore and returning within 5-days, it is considered by immigration officers as a ‘U-Turn’ and is not the appropriate process to follow when renewing or extending the social visit pass.

As mentioned in my opening comments, I have absolutely no problems with the rules. My main issue is that we had never been made aware of this ‘U-Turn’ policy. Even after reaching out to ICA and receiving no response, we had been completely transparent with our intentions and had no underlying motives or hidden agendas around the grandparents of my children visiting and staying with us for vacation. We carried with us all original documentation – visas, itineraries, airline tickets, etc, etc.

My secondary issue – and my biggest concern – was the treatment that my ageing mother-in-law received at the hands of a particular angry lady at the border when we were exiting Singapore. I still have no idea who she was or what her position is (although I am assuming some kind of supervisory role), as I had asked for her name and designation, which she refused to provide me.

The incident left my mother-in-law short of breath, shaking uncontrollably and on the verge of fainting. This ICA officer threatened that there was a chance that she could be sent back to China within 24-hours upon her return to Singapore. This, regardless of the fact that she was in possession of a valid multiple-entry visa and supporting documents, and the more personal and sensitive situation, that she was travelling with her family – her husband, also travelling under the exact same circumstances who had been cleared by the same officer just minutes before with no concern, her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren (all Singapore permanent residents). The bullying tactics should never have occurred in this situation, in my opinion.

I clearly understand that the Immigration officers have a very important job to do, and they are doing an excellent job of protecting our borders. However, when it comes to dealing with law-abiding people who are doing nothing but enjoying time with their families and have clearly done everything possible to offer transparency and follow all the rules and laws, there should definitely be some form of decorum, respect, or even downright good-nature. I was trying to discuss the situation with the officer (supervisor?) to explain what we were doing and that we had already reached out to ICA. She was clearly not listening to me and was intent on being arrogant and wielding her authority – to the point that it made this elderly traveler (my wife’s mother) extremely distressed… it’s important to note that the dialog and threats of 24-hour return to China (not sure if it’s considered ‘deportation’?) was not immediately understood as the entire discussion was in English language, of which my mother-in-law has very little understanding… this just added to her distress.

This all occurred before we even boarded the ferry to Batam – not an ideal way to begin a vacation right?

Determined not to let the departure incident ruin our vacation, we still did our best to enjoy the fun in the sun

So the question remains, dear readers…. What happened when we returned to Singapore?? I‘m glad you asked!!

Thankfully, we were served by a much more considerate and understanding young guy in immigration who was pleasant and explained clearly the U-Turn policy.

When we approached the counter, another immigration officer who had witnessed the incident the day before, advised the guy that served us to check for this ‘U-Turn’ for my wife’s parents. Our counter was very quickly attended by another ‘supervisor’ to oversee the interaction. Once again, this lady was extremely professional and courteous in her manner… she supported the officer’s explanation that in and out of Singapore within 24-hours is not considered appropriate process to extend a short term social visit (minimum of 3-days out of the country is required – which I’ve later discovered is incorrect… the required length of time out of SG is 5 days), and if my in-laws wished to extend in the future, it should be done through the ICA head office (the same office which previously – seemingly – ignored my enquiry on this matter).

I am extremely grateful to the officer and his supervisor who attended to us upon our return. They were very approachable and understanding and resolved the situation kindly and amicably… the rude, arrogant lady from the previous day could take some lessons from their attitude and demeanor. Like I said, I know that she was doing her job and I am thankful for ICA keeping Singapore safe, but scaring the hell out of elderly people visiting their grandchildren who were born and living in Singapore using intimidation tactics is unacceptable in my books.

So there you go – after much searching, I have not found any information on the ICA website about this U-Turn policy, nor can I find any documentation to state that such practice is unacceptable (even though we were clearly completely transparent about our intentions, up to and including trying to seek information directly from ICA in advance). I did however, learn that by applying through the X-tend online short-term social visit portal, it does state that five days is required out of the country for ICA not to consider the departure as an extension to the current visit.

In conclusion, I have a few ‘rhetorical’ questions (not actually looking for answers – just wondering, really):

1 – Should ICA make it clear to all visitors (on their visitors section of their website) about the U-Turn policy?

2 – Why would a multiple-entry visa to Singapore be issued to travelers in the above situation?

3 – Why is there a separate process outside of visa issuance for short-term social visit pass (that is, when I receive a multiple entry visa for travel to China, the rules are very simple and clear – it is a condition of the visa that I can stay for a maximum of 30-days at any one time – regardless of how often I travel in and out of China on this visa – no separate visit pass is required)?

4 – Given that it is at the discretion of the officer serving you at the border how long he or she should endorse your passport for the social visit visa, should there be some kind of transparency to the public around how such determination would be made (as opposed to intimidating departing travelers just because maybe the officer in question might be having a bad day)?

5 – I am aware of travel packages to Singapore out of China, which include 1 or 2 day visits to surrounding areas. How do these travel agents get around the U-Turn policy, I wonder?

6 – Should the determination on extension of visit visas include some assessment of the family status and intentions of the visitors – that is, some kind of case-by-case compassion analysis?

More fun in the sun on Batam Island

A serious thank you again to the Immigration and Checkpoints of Authority of Singapore (ICA). Ultimately and overall, they are doing a fantastic job and deserve the full respect of all Singaporeans, PRs and Visitors.

Update: after application via ICA’s online X-tend website, extension of the short term visit passes has been rejected (with no right to reply or appeals process) and my in-laws have paid the financial and emotional penalty of changing their flights and will be departing Singapore next week.

To view all of the Batam photos in this series, click here!

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By Aussie Pete, March 14, 2012 11:42 pm

Any residents of Sengkang West (specifically in the Fernvale area) could be completely forgiven for thinking that our local area was being ‘invaded’ by Aussie Ang Mohs the Saturday before last!

In fact, it was a sight to behold – the infamous ‘Singapore Wombats’ Australian Rules football team had their first training session of the year, not at their home ground at Turf City, but rather they graced our presence on the open field opposite Fernvale Primary School.

Although it’s been a couple of seasons since I donned the footy boots and hit the paddock with the Wombats myself, I’m still on the mailing list and a fan of the Facebook page. There are quite a number of new (and younger) faces these days, but also a good many of the ‘old boys’ as well.

My wife and my orthopedic surgeon have both banned me from playing this brilliant hard full contact sport (the 6-week stint with a numb arm and chronic back pain saw to that), but when I saw the email and Facebook update that training would be happening at Fernvale, I immediately pumped up the footy and got Jaime and Casey fired up for a run and kick.

The locals might also have looked on in wonder as the football kicked around the park was oblong in shape as opposed to round, and that the players were constantly touching it with their hands – considering the field is most commonly used for soccer, the bewilderment would be understandable.

It was great to catch up with my mates again – I was impressed to see them make the trek to the heartlands – and my own boys had a great time… it’s very obvious they’ve got ‘Aussie’ in their blood, displaying an uncanny ability and skill that seems to pass from generation to generation in my culture.

I’m also impressed at how tough Casey’s head is – when the hard ball was kicked some 40-metres and landed smack in the middle of his noggin’, it bounced off again… knocked his hat to the ground, but he remained on his feet – cried for about 5 seconds and then laughed at the fact that his sunglasses remained intact.

In all, I reckon that the boys thought they were at a fashion parade – a couple of the Wombats said they looked as though they were part of a K-Pop band – hats and glasses – but in fact, Jaime was worried about the heat and glare, and once he dons the cool shades his brother Casey always has to follow suit

Footnote: Not long now until Jaime is old enough to join the Auskick (junior kids aussie rules footy) over here – hopefully I can get to sign him up next season!

Click here to view all photos in this set

[View Original Source]

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By Aussie Pete, March 5, 2012 9:46 pm

When my good friend, Christine, invited Jaime and myself to attend a ‘toy making’ afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I was completed unprepared for the emotions and strong sense of nostalgia that I was going to be faced with.

Click here to view all photos in this set…

In fact, it started dawning on me during the drive in to the Arab Street area of Singapore, that perhaps I’ve not spoken enough with Jaime about my childhood and what it was like growing up in the days before computers, electronic games and today’s generation of gadgets and social networking. Or maybe I’d just forgotten myself?

As Jaime and I discussed the kind of toys we would be making, he asked me the question: “Daddy, do you think we should bring our own batteries?”… for a moment I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. His automatic assumption was that if we were ‘making’ our own toys, then they would obviously be electronic in nature and would require a power source…. OH MY!!

Once we arrived at Children Little Museum in Bussorah Street, I also quickly became aware that although ‘back when I was a lad’ of about Jaime’s age (4-years old), Singapore was another world away – I’m not even sure I knew that it existed (forgive me if I thought the world was indeed flat) – our cultures were already operating in parallel. With global travel something that I wouldn’t experience for almost another decade, the idea that kids my own age in a country some 6,000km away from the small rural Victorian town of Rupanyup where I was living were doing the same things as I was, was quite unfathomable.

You see, I clearly remember receiving a wooden top for my birthday… and the hours upon hours of enjoyment it provided were immeasurable. But guess what? – I have now learned that the same joy was being experienced well beyond the shores of down under and as far away as Asia.

Then there’s the game of ‘Five Stones’ – in Australia, we called it knuckles and it was played with either a synthetic form or sometimes even real dried out knuckle bones. In Singapore, it was played with little satchels that feel like mini-bean bags (and now while we’re reminiscing, kids from my generation in Australia would see the obvious resemblance in shape of these game items to the old ‘Sunny Boys’). – Jaime got to take the ‘five stones’ home and has been trying desperately to teach Casey – I think their tiny little hands are not quite there yet :p

Now here’s the kicker!! I would’ve placed money on the fact that Milo was as Australian as Vegemite! Once again, while we were growing up and being told to drink our Milo to get strong bones, healthy bodies and heaps of energy… so were the kids in Singapore!

Herein is the underlying motivation for the entire afternoon… The icon behind the Milo brand is none other than Nestlé, and the team in Singapore invited us along (with some other very close mates… and even my Hong Kong travel buddies and witnesses to the now historical, 2010 Bathtub Racing Dilemma) to share in their 100th Anniversary… Yes, you heard it right – Nestlé is much older than me and was filling the Singaporean kids with sustenance long before I was even running around in nappies (and even before my mother was a wee lass… and even when my Grandparents were still little critters).

My dear Mum as a young girl...

Amazing right!? The company behind every day brands such as Nescafe, Kit Kat, Maggi and Milkmaid are a century old!!

So what better way to showcase their celebrations than a walk back in time – before the iPad and Nintendo Wii were even flights of fantasy for the science fiction buffs… the ‘internet’ must have been something we used to help us fish for yabbies in the dams and mud creeks around the outskirts of town right?

Once we arrived and had a few snacks, I was offered an iced cappuccino from this amazing futuristic looking machine (Dolce Gusto Circolo coffee machine – a modern day invention)… I MUST MUST have one!! – the flavour of my ‘cold cuppa’ was divine!… and I’m one of those guys that lives for his coffee.

Then we learned about the 100-year history of Nestlé in Singapore from none other than the MD himself, Valerio Nannini. Mr Nannini also learned a thing or two himself – such as the fact that Nestlé produced tins with a handle on the bottom to be recycled as money containers for many of the store owners and hawkers of the day. Simply pull down on the handle and the tin moves on a pulley system – store your cash and let it fly back up – ingenious really – and an absolute nugget of a marketing and branding idea all those years ago

Soon after, we were taken up a flight of stairs and were transported down another flight in time. A toy museum consisting of things I knew and things I didn’t… the school classroom setting that was so familiar to me that I was looking to see where (next to the pencil well) my name was engraved from times gone by.

Then the fun stuff began – first we made a ‘balancing pyramid’ – an amazing device that will balance anywhere.

Next was a kite – created and designed by us – Jaime is a much better artist than me and loves to paint, so he was the mastermind behind the design 

On the way home, I had so many thoughts running through my mind… days gone by when life was just so simple. How great it was to be a kid – I almost wish that Jaime didn’t ever have to grow up. As I looked to Jaime and saw him completely sound asleep, the tears again welled in my eyes… I could say it was because a piece of dust had lodged in them, or that the sun was just a little too bright – but either of these excuses would be a lie.

Thank you Nestlé for a magical afternoon… thank you for inspiring memories long-forgotten… thank you for some wonderful bonding time with my son… and finally, THANK YOU for growing with me from early childhood until now!!

Footnote: Keep your eye out for another initiative that Nestlé Singapore will be undertaking as part of their 100 year celebrations – the fulfillment of 100 wishes for lucky people. Simply visit the Nestlé 100 years website and check it out – Wishes should reflect the theme of “Good Food, Good Life” and must be meaningful and beneficial! Closing date will be 15th Nov 2012. So what are you waiting for??

Source: Aussie Pete

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By Aussie Pete, December 14, 2011 1:49 am

Source: Aussie Pete

Regardless of which country you come from or where you live, one of the most satisfying ways of achieving self-fulfillment and personal growth and at the same time forging very tight and often unbreakable bonds with your neighbours and fellow local residents is through community volunteer work.

In my case, as a foreigner settling into Singapore, it has also been a means to achieving a very deep level of integration in my heartland community. Not only have my local relationships developed from ones of ‘familiarity’ into those of ’strong friendships’, as a Caucasian married to a beautiful Chinese wife with two absolutely adorable Eurasian children, I feel that although we may be considered a ‘minority’ (racially) in our local estate, we feel completely accepted by those around us. There is never any animosity and I have learned that the colour of my skin or country of heritage is of absolutely no consequence in my day to day interactions.

Sure, when we first moved to Singapore all those years ago, living in a condo in Woodlands, we were both scared and intimidated… we were not sure at all how we should go about integrating, earning and giving respect and gaining acceptance. For the first couple of years, we were certainly not doing a great job of it at all. In fact, we even took people staring as a sign of dislike toward us – when in reality, what we considered may be a ‘coolness’ from local Singaporeans at the time, was probably more due to inquisitiveness and curiosity.

Let me tell you for a fact… open your heart and lives with no pretense and you will surely find (as we have) that Singapore is one of the most warm and kindest societies on this planet.

As a part of my collaboration with notatourist.sg, I wanted to reach out to fellow foreigners looking for ways to integrate and become accepted as part of their local community, by offering some brief guidance and key links on how they can offer their services through Grassroots volunteer work. (Please note, the following information is far from exhaustive, and I strongly encourage you to have a surf around the People’s Association website – link attached at the bottom of this article).

As my role as a Grassroots Leader in Sengkang West, the past year has seen a very exciting range of activities and the number of new personal and family friendships are too many to count…. from working with Residents’ Committees on block parties, divisional activities and events (I even had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Lee at our Sengkang West Wellness Day) to the huge Halloween party we held at the CC in late October, for which I was co-chairman of the organizing committee. It’s been a huge year!!

Specifically, although my main role is as a member of the Anchorvale CCMC (Community Club Management Committee), I often also work closely with my local Residents’ Committee on things even ‘closer to home’… in fact, I even patrol our estate with the local constabulary as part of the COP (citizens on patrol) – in collaboration with the police force, it is known as the ‘Neighbourhood Watch Zone’ program.

For more information on what the CCMC does, click here. In summary, Community Club Management Committees (CCMCs) “help build, manage and maintain all our Community Clubs (CCs). CCs are the common meeting ground for residents from all walks of life by providing numerous recreational activities and learning opportunities. CCs also connect residents and the Government by providing relevant information and gathering feedback on national concerns and policies. Each CC serves about 15,000 households or an average of 50,000 people”.

Within our CCMC, are five executive committees – Senior Citizens’ EC, Women’s EC, Youth EC, Malay Activity EC, Indian Activity EC. Through this network, we “promote racial harmony and social cohesion through the various cultural, educational, recreational, sporting, social and other community-based activities organised specially for residents.”

The full list of organizations and committees available for volunteering can be found on the PA website, under the Grassroots Organization section.

To sign-up as a volunteer, simply go here and register your details and interests.

One of the most common questions I get asked on signing up as a volunteer, is “But I don’t live in a HDB estate, how can I get involved?”… Well fret not, dear friends – residents of private housing estates can still play their part by joining a Neighbourhood Committee.

Still in doubt or need extra advice, please feel free to reach out to me directly via email or comment.

I found the following ’structure’ chart sometime ago on another blog which illustrates nicely, the various committees and how we come together:

People’s Association Main Website – Click Here

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By Aussie Pete, December 13, 2011 1:39 am

Folks – today at Aussie Pete blog, I have an absolute jaw-dropping scoop!!

To answer the age-old question, “Does Santa Claus really exist”, we can now go one step further than the timeless, but as yet unsubstantiated response, of “Yes, Virgina, there is a Santa Claus”.

You see today, right here, I can provide video evidence that proves without a shadow of a doubt that ‘Jolly Old Saint Nick’ is more than just the imagination of children the globe over.

Santa has a file on every single child

Only the real Santa would know such personal information about Jaime – from his age, where he lives, what Mummy and Daddy would like to see him working on to improve his behaviour (being more quiet inside the house), what he wants for Xmas (this must have come from the letter that Jaime wrote a couple of days ago)… and a load more information!

Proof That Santa Exists

Of course, Santa keeps all of this data on every child around the world in their very own file – he has pictures of birthdays and performances, and of course he has the one piece of knowledge that is the most critical at this time of year – Was Jaime naughty or nice in 2011? You really want to know? Then watch this video and see Santa’s elves enter Jaime’s file into the ‘naughty and nice’ machine for the final evaluation!

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

When Jaime watched this message from Santa today, his jaw really did almost hit the ground as he responded to all of the questions. He was so well behaved at bed time, I almost didn’t recognize him as the same 4-year old… and with still over 2-weeks left until Christmas Day, Jaime will be checking in on Santa’s message to see if there is any change in the ‘naughty and nice’ status – it’s going to be lovely to have almost three weeks of good behaviour!

So yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus! DOUBLE COMFIRMED!

Naughty or Nice? The suspense is intense...

Source: Aussie Pete