The DipNotes

Ok, the weather here is monotonous.  Everyday is the same:

- Morning:  Warm, and humid.  Bright sunshine.
- Afternoon:  Hot, with heavy rain showers, perhaps two or three.
- Evening:  Hot and very humid.

This is the weather here every single day, all year long.   It’s like ground-hog day.  No wonder it’s so green and lush.  A couple of days ago I was walking home from work after an intense rain shower.  I looked down at a culvert were rain water from the street was pouring out into a gutter.  It looked odd.. until I realized that what was sop strange was how clean the water was.  It was like drinking water!  I’ve seen water that clean in fast moving brooks in New Hampshire, but never from a street culvert!  The huge rainfall here (8 feet per year), combined with how well the Singaporeans take care not to trash their city, makes the streets very clean indeed.

Anyways, if you visit here be prepared for walking in an open sauna.  Eye glasses will fog up as soon as you exit a bus, or any building in the city.  The dense hot air will punch you in chest.

I need a break.

I just booked a flight to Sydney Australia for a week.   I depart on the 9th of April after work.  A few days on Bondi Beach should help!

One of the things that I most enjoy about the Foreign Service is being able to witness unique cultural events that most tourist would miss – simply because many only occur one day a year.  The Hindu festival of Thaipusam.  This festival was not advertised very well, and I had no idea what it was, or when it was.  A local Singaporean staff member at the Embassy suggested that I should go see it as it was quite unique.  I couldn’t agree more.  In fact – I would say that was an understatement!

Thaipusam Banner

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that commemorates both the birthday of Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of god Shiva and his wife Parvati, and also the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (spear) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. One of the largest celebrations of Thaipusam occurs in Singapore so I took this opportunity to capture some of the incredible devotion witnessed during this festival.

The most potent propitiatory rite that a devotee of Shanmukha (one of the many names of Murugan) undertakes to perform is the Kavadi (a burden). The Kavadi-bearer observes strict celibacy and only pure, Sattwic food is eaten. He abstains from all intoxicating drinks and drugs and thinks only of God.

The simplest form of Kavadi is the Paal Kudum, which may entail just carrying a pot of milk, usually upon one’s head. However, the benefits that the devotee gains from offering a Kavadi to the Lord are a million-fold greater than the pain that he inflicts upon himself. Thus mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with Vel skewers is also common. The simplest Kavadi is a semi circular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders. They are decoratedwith peacock feathers, as the peacock was a mode of transport for Lords Murugan/Skandan/Kumaran). In addition, many have a small spear through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The piercing through the tongue or cheeks keeps one focused constantly of Lord Murugan/Velan. It also prevents the devotee from speaking and greatly enhances endurance.

Other types of Kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking behind or being hung from a highly decorated cart, with the incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain. The belief is that the greater the pain, the more god-earned merit.

In most cases, the Kavadi has many brass bells adorning it which announces the Kavadi-bearer as he walks along. Since the Kavadi-bearer very often observes total silence, the bells are the only signs of a Kavadi procession. Devotees and Kavadi bearers walk barefoot, on hot pavement along the journey – which can take several hours! One of the largest celebrations of Thaipusam occurs in Singapore. This years’s festival was held at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. Devotees had to walk from this temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, a distance of 4 kilometers with the hot equatorial sun bearing down on them. Along the journey, family and friends offer drinks to keep the bearer hydrated and sing devotional songs and praises of Lord Murugan/Saravabavan.

By the time they reach the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple many are in a high state of religious fervor. They dance in ecstasy at the temple door, jubilant that they have accomplished the prayers without any hindrance, while a large crowd gathers and chants Murugan name. Music blares loudly through outside speakers and the whole event is awe-inspiring; there is divine radiance on their faces. It is claimed that devotees often experience the state of feeling united with the Lord.

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Here’s a photo of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.  This is here the festival started.  The temple, located in Little India (a suburb of Singapore) is the cultural center for many ethnic Indians.  There are several Hindu temples, as well as ethnic Indian shopping stores and food markets.

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Close up of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Inside the temple, amongst exotic incense and hindu music, the devout where praying and offering food to their Gods and preparing to take their Kavadi.  Throughout the temple offerings were also made to other Hindu Gods.

Offering within the temple

The Sacred Cow

Goddess

The following Kavadi carts are pulled by the Hindu devotees as a burden. They must pull these carts four kilometers from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.  The carts are made of heavy wood or metal with lots of decorations and statues.  Pulling these in the high temperatures and humidity of Singapore must be brutal.

Kavadi carts

The following photo shows a devotee adorned with small milk pots on his chest and upper arms.  Each brass pot is filled with milk and then hung on the man using metal hooks pierced into his skin.

Man with milk pots

This man is looking away (above) probably as a distraction to what is going on behind him, where three men are attaching ropes to a Kavado cart for him to pull.  The ropes are attached attached to the devotee with large hooks deep into his back!

Men tie ropes to a kavadi cart

To stand there and watch this man get pierced like this… was the most intense thing I have seen in years – probably ever. This was not a magic trick like you see on the streets of Vegas! With a loud chant, and quick stabbing, members of his own family stuck the hooks into the lower back. Then they added some smaller hooks at the top, and weighted them down with coconuts just to increase the pain.

close-up of hooks into the back

The ropes are almost ready.  Once the slack is taken up he will be off on his 4 km journey. The outside air-temperature is 88F with about 80% humidity. The pavement is scorching hot, so of course he’s barefoot.

Devotee about to pull his cart

This man was all pierced, and was about to have his ropes attached to his back.  All the jewelry on his face is attached with hooks, and there is a large hook pierced through his cheek and tongue.  Of course he had to have some milk-pots adorning his chest, attached with fish hooks which jingled when he walked.

Another man showing his burden

Here is the same man pulling his cart, some three km already. Note the shadow of the ropes. The little lollypop looking things on his arms are small face sculptures. I saw another man getting those pierced earlier.. it took about 15 seconds to do each arm.

Second man pulling his cart

Here’s another form of Kavadi. Many men had these elaborate aluminum frames that they had fastened to their waist. Then spears are slid down and pierced into the chest and back. Some then had their tongues and cheeks pierced in such a way that talking would not be possible.

Man getting pierced with long skewers

Here’s a nice action shot… Too bad you can’t hear the chanting, music and smell the incense!

close-up of man being skewered

Here’s another look at him, almost ready to head out.   The whole frame set with skewers weights about 15 kg (33 lbs) and will be carried the whole 4 km to the temple.  But wait.. what’s that guy doing to his thigh?

Man with his own kavadi of skewers

Oh yah.. he needs his milk pots too.    So we’ll just hook them to a tender spot!

Milk pots hooked to the upper thighs

Here’s a photo of another devotee, all set to start his journey.

Man with spears ready to begin his journey

The following devotee was a man I came across some 3 km away from the starting temple.  He has only 1 more km to go, but he’s hurting! It’s not such much the spear through his cheeks… but see those tiny brass milk pots hooked to his back?

Agony with just one kilometer to go

Oh yah.., that’s got to smart!

milk pots en-mass on this devotees back

And if that’s not bad enough…

Bed of nail shoes

Ok, so he’s now within earshot of the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, and the Hindu music is giving him a boost of much needed energy. In about 20 minutes he reaches the temple and his suffering will end. Hopefully he has endured enough of a burden to protect his family for the next year when he and thousands of others will do this again.

This year they claim just over 10,000 Hindus took part. Most did not endure this type of agony, but hundreds did. If you are ever in Singapore in April, 2011 be sure to stop by the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and witness this incredible show of religious faith.

I’ll be there!

Almost there!

I took a stroll down along the Sinapore river at night and came across the Cavenagh Bridge, all lit up.  This bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore and is the only suspension bridge here.   It spans the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the downtown/marina area.  The bridge opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore’s new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status in 1867, and it is now the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form.   By 1910 the bridge was found to be unable to cope with increasing traffic, and it was restricted to just pedestrians, as it is today.  By the 1990′s colored lights were added, and now the bridge is a main tourist focal point within the riverside area.  This photo was captured with 7 second exposure to capture the colorful night lights.

(for a larger version click here)

Over the last two weeks I have been having an increasing backache, that was steadily getting worse. By wednesday the 30th of October the pain was getting aggravating and I had occasional spasms that shot down into my right leg. I still went to work, but in the afternoon I called an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in in the spine – Dr. Tan Chong Tien.  He  agreed to see me that afternoon and I took a taxi to his clinic, which was located in a large hospital not far from the Embassy.

He examined me thoroughly and diagnosed a herniated lumbar disk. At the time I could still move well enough to walk, and so the decision was made to place me on muscle relaxers, an anti-inflammatory drug, and a medication that helps with nerve irritation. I was also scheduled for physical therapy to start the following week. I did some research online and discovered this was the normal routine. On the 30th (Friday), I was at work, and not feeling any better. I had to stay seated to hand out candy to our staff’s children who came door to door within the Embassy for a mini Trick or Treat event. I felt like crap! When I went home that night I was in much more pain, so I took my meds and crawled off into bed.

Friday night was not fun. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to stop the pain, and by Saturday morning I was in severe pain and virtually unable to move without shooting pain down my right leg. I called Dr Tang and he wanted me to get to his clinic immediately. I called a taxi and when we got there the taxi driver went to get a wheel chair and help. A hospital orderly wheeled me up to Dr. Tan’s office were he quickly examined me. A shot of demerol for pain and I was rushed up to the ward to await an MRI.

Herniated Disk

About an hour later I was wheeled to radiology and an MRi was done. By then the demerol had reduced much of pain, but my right leg knee was numb. When I got back to the ward an IV was started and Dr. Tan came up with the news. My ruptured disk was now much worse, and a lot of disk material has squeezed up between two vertebrae and was pressing on the nerve that controls my right leg. He said I needed surgery, and with my permission he would schedule it for the next day. We talked for a bit and he described what he would do. He needed to cut a small window through the bone in my spine, and use micro instruments to remove the disk material that was causing the pain.

That evening I was started on an IV drip of morphine and I sleep quite well! The next day I the usual lab work and chest x-rays as I was going to go under general anesthesia. I have asthma, so the anesthesiologist ordered me a nebulizer treatment to reduce the risk of me having an bronchial-spasm (asthma attack) during the surgery. I was wheeled down to the operating room and when I saw my surgeon I begged him to please not screw up the nerves to my right leg as I wanted to ski again! With that, I saw the anesthesiologist push some drugs into my IV.

Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. I felt like my lungs had no air, and I I was very disoriented. I heard my anesthetist tell me to breath slowly and that I was going to be OK. I tried to sit up but but he held me down and told be that everything was ok, and that my oxygen saturation was 100%. I didn’t understand why I was having this reaction or feeling and then slowly I realized that the operation was over and I was feeling the effects of waking up, and having the endotracheal tube removed. That was a terrifying feeling, but I do remember that as soon as I heard that my O2 sats were normal I calmed down and even though I had a hard time breathing I trusted completely in the crew that were taking care of me. I worked for over 20 years in the medical field (sort of a cross between a nurse practitioner and a paramedic) when I was in the Air Force and learned to trust my colleagues completely. This helped me remain calm while they continued to work on my recovery. I was also amazed that I had no memory of going to sleep, and was surprised to learn the surgery lated 3 hours.

Dr Tan told me that the rupture was worse than he had thought, and the disk material had worked its way around the nerve root and quite a ways away from the original damage site. My back was stitched up and I was left with a 2″ scar. Within a few hours I was more awake and had absolutely no pain or notable soreness. I could move me legs easily, and wanted to get up, but was asked to remain in bed all day and night.

The nurses were first rate, and checked on me all night. All I wanted to do was go home, but Dr. tan insisted I stay in the hospital for two days so he could watch for bleeding and any other complications. I refused all my pain meds, as I didn’t need any. I felt zero pain, over the next two days became quite restless and wanted to go home so bad. I am not a good patient, probably the result of being on the other side of the bed for so many years.

When I checked out I got the bill. In Singapore, everyone has health insurance – and foreigners are also expected to pay. I signed the bill which came to about $15,000 in U.S. dollars. That covered the inpatient care on the ward for 2 days, ICU care for 1 day, the operating room suit, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the lab work, and the MRI. I have the Foreign Service benefits Plan health insurance, which is a U.S. Government sponsored health care system much like what our members of congress get but with additional features for Foreign Service members serving overseas.  The Embassy picks up any costs that the insurance doesn’t which in this case was my deductible and co-pay. I paid absolutely nothing out of pocket, plus the Embassy agreed to pay for any care that I receive relating to this incident for the next 12 months. This is one of the benefits we get when we are admitted to a hospital overseas.

I took the rest of the week off, and had time to think about this whole situation.  The medical care in Singapore is so good that the U.S. State Department sends its members here for care from posts all around the Pacific.  I had called a leading orthopedic surgeon, a specialist in spinal care, without a referral and got in to see him that same day.  When I needed an operation, I was admitted to a first rate hospital within hours of calling and had high-tech micro surgery done within 24 hours.  Singapore healthcare is first rate – and is definitely Government sponsored.   Yet I never saw or heard from a single bureaucrat during this whole incident.  All my care was worked out between my doctor and I.   There was no government and no insurance company people involved at any time.

I also felt pretty good that I worked for an organization that helped me when I was down, and gave me the time to recover. And not having to pay a medical bill is the best part of all! I hope someday all Americans can enjoy the same access to quality health care every other industrial democracy in the world has – with the sole exception of the United States. I think its hypercritical for our members of Government to deny our citizens the same access to healthcare they enjoy themselves.

I went for a short stroll behind my house, which just happens to be the Singapore Botanic Garden.   It’s A wonderfully beautiful place, just a few minutes walk from my door.  This free park is about 1.5 miles long and is only botanic garden in the world that is open from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year.  The gardens, now over 150 years old have over 10,000 types of plants and trees, including over 1000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids.  The Singapore Botanic Garden also includes access to the National Orchid Garden, a visual spectacle of over 60,000 dazzling orchid-plants set against contrasting textures and shapes of tropical foliage, creating a feast for the senses.  Additionally, this is one of only two city parks in the world with tropical lowland rainforest within the city boundaries (Rio De Janeiro has the other).  The Garden also offers lots of courses from bonsai tree growing to a Nature Photography course which I signed up for in June/July.

While I was visiting the Garden, the weather suddenly turned and dumped a few inches of rain within a very short time , and then it cleared up just as fast.  It’s no wonder Singapore has an average precipitation of 7.5 feet of rain per year!

I got in to Singapore last evening, and was greeted by my boss and my co-worker.  The three of us make up the office, and it was a nice gesture to see them at the airport!  My sponsor (a Foreign Service Officer in Public Affairs) was also there, and he took me to my new apartment.  I was told I may have to spend a few days in a hotel upon arrival, but the Embassy was able to have my condo ready for my arrival so I got to go straight home.

The weather was quite warm, probably low ’80s at midnight, with the humidity around 80%.  I spent about a 1/2 hour chatting with my sponsor, and he showed me around the apartment.  I have a lot to read, with a large packet of material on both the condo, appliances, Embassy guidelines for Singapore, and lots of brochures from the Singapore tourism office.   My sponsor is picking me up at 10 AM to take me to the Embassy so I can start in-processing, so I crawled off into bed and left everything in the suitcases.  The next morning I awoke to the sounds of unique bird calls, as my apartment is right next to the Singapore National Botanical Gardens.  I had a look around the condo grounds, and then got ready for my first day at the office.

U.S. Embassy, Singapore

The Embassy looks brand new, but that’s just because it was very well built, and well taken care of.  I have never been in a building with so much marble, except in DC.  It’s quite a beautiful place to work.

My office is (as it was in Pakistan) the Regional Security Office (RSO) and seems like a nice work environment.  We have a computer dedicated to playing music and a good sound system – something that is quite rare in the more secure areas of an Embassy – and I think the only such system in the whole building.  My boss told me to bring in as much music as I wanted and we’ll blast the place with tunes!  I like this place already!

I had shipped a bunch of boxes ahead of me, and they are all stacked up in a corner here.  Some have office junk from Pakistan, and then there’s a few boxes of dry goods from the USA that I shipped while in New England.  I also packed 2 large boxes of clothes so my suitcases would be lighter – but clothes that I wanted to be here before my normal airfreight from Pakistan arrives.  In theory, airfreight should get to our next destination long before e do, but the reality is that they often hold on to it until we actually show up at post, and then arrange to send it out.  It can take a few weeks to arrive, so I mail a bunch of items too, which always seems to work well.

Korean Chicken Noodle Soup

At lunch, I was taken to the nearest mall (3 minute walk) and introduced to the #1 method that Singaporeans eat out – the Hawker center.  These are an assortment of food stands inside “food courts” where a single family cooks specialty dishes, all from scratch.  Unlike the USA where mall food is pretty much the same from mall to mall all across the country, in Singapore there are thousands of hawker stands and each one if different.  The individual shop owners cook family recipes handed down from generation to generation, all cooked to order.  Prices are quite inexpensive  and my first taste of Singapore was Korean chicken noodle soup, which also had crab, beef, tofu, and an egg in it.  The cost, with rice and some kimchi was $4.50.  I’ll try more adventurous dishes later.

To drink, I enjoyed a fresh juice made from fresh mango’s, bananas, and pineapple.  The Singaporeans love fresh fruit, and fruit stands seem to be everywhere.  While they certainly serve cut up fruit (with many varieties I have never seen), they also all will be happy to turn them into juices or even smoothies.  I think for every person I saw drinking a soft drink, there was probably 30 to 40 who where drinking fresh juices.

I stayed at work all day, and only left when my boss left.  First impressions are important, and jet-lag was not too bad – I think a new office, new co-workers, and a new building were exciting enough to keep me awake.  Tomorrow may a bit tougher!

I decided to walk home, as it was a straight shot from home to the Embassy, and didn’t seem too far, plus, I had not yet bought a bus pass, nor do I have any idea yet how to use them.  In the Foreign Service, when we first arrive at a new post and have no clue where we are, what to eat, how to get around, etc… these first days are the most exciting for me!  Within a few days I will settle in to the rhythm here, and quickly get used to my surroundings.  The mystery will be gone.  I can’t peak for all Foreign Service members, but I LIVE for this feeling!  I feel so alive, and full of wonder, like a child on his first day to a zoo or amusement park.

My walk home

The walk home was an easy 20 minutes.  It took me past the Botanical gardens, and along a straight road to my apartment.  One nice thing here is that you don’t see any trash on the streets and sidewalks, not a cigarette butt, bottle cap, or anything except a few leaves.  The air is clean, and the amount of green has certainly surprised me!  I will admit though, the humidity here is nasty!  I walked just 20 minutes and was covered in sweat.  I hope I can acclimatize to this!

The next morning (Saturday), one of the first things I did was dig out my bathing suit from my suitcase and jump in the pool.  The outside temperature was about 88F an so this felt so good!  In the afternoon I’ll head downtown to learn how to use the bus and metro system and start to explore my new city.

The pool

In addition to Singapore being much closer to Megan, they told me that they want me there as soon as possible, and the State Department has agreed to let me leave here 1 month early and still get my two R&Rs (free vacation trips). I now leave Pakistan in September, 2009.

Singapore – great food, low crime, travel opportunities - should be a fun assignment!  Singapore is one of four remaining true city-states in the world. A city-state is a sovereign nation onto itself, that fits entirely into a city. The other three are Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. The city is located at the tip of Malaysia, about half way between India and Australia. It’s larger neighbors include Thailand and Indonesia. Vietnam is a two hour flight.

English is the main spoken language, so I will not be getting language training.

Singapore’s economy is close to what the United States had in the early 20th century. Huge exports, while heavy taxes on imports. The bulk on the government’s budget is paid by import and export taxes, so individual income tax is low. It’s ports are one of the busiest in the world, and unemployment stands at 1.7%. Cars are expensive, and driving during business hours is heavily taxed, so it’s internal transportation system is fantastic.

Criminal punishment is quick, and severe, making Singapore one of the world’s safest cities to live in. But they have also criminalized a lot of small things in the interest of keeping the city clean and healthy. Fines are given for spitting in public, all pornography, public drunkenness, sleeping on public property, riding a bike across the street, and many many more. Drug laws are extreme – with death being a popular way to deal with drug dealing and smuggling. First offense. But the city is also ranks at the #1 spot by the UN for not having any slums, and you walk in any area of the city at 3AM with no worry.  Everyone has health care, and unemployment is less than 2%.

The government is a parliamentary democracy, and is a multi-religious country, with a slight majority (51%) practicing Buddhism and Taoism. About 15% practice Christianity, and Muslims constitute 14%. About 15% of the population has declared no religious affiliation. While multi-religious, they have complete freedom of religion, as proselytizing is illegal, including unsolicited distribution of religious materials. The effects of this religious tolerance means that cross-cultural violence is rare, and national holidays include  popular festivals from many religions.

Singaporean cuisine is an example of diversity and cultural mix, with a fusion of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Tamil foods. Chinese food stalls introduce indigenous Malay ingredients or cooking techniques, and Singapore cuisine has been a major tourist attraction. The country has a tropical rain forest climate, and sits just 80 miles north of the equator, so there are no distinct seasons.

I think I could enjoy this place… but as always, I don’t want to get too excited until the wheels are up. Like the military, nothing is absolute until I’m there. But as of today, this is my most likely next assignment.