Singapore tomorrow

In Malaca Straits



Colonialism in Southeast Asia
This was a 9 am lecture, something they don’t usually do. The old maps and the analysis of which countries can be considered successfully according to different criteria such as political, economic, ethnic, was a very interesting way to view this part of the world. There was so much to absorb and I’m sure most of it won’t stay with me very long but I sat enthralled nonetheless.
Outlet Sale
I looked over the offerings and there were some things that were interesting but what would I do with them and then there’s always the issue of how to get them home (is it worth the hassle) and who would enjoy them if I did manage to get them home easily. So I just gawked as usual and moved on.
There was a culinary demonstration and a tour of the galley which I passed up though I did pick up the interesting hand out on the various pastas. I spent most of the rest of the time checking email and doing the blog.
Add and Remove People and Objects
I knew over half of this but the review is really important and then there’s the new stuff. I wish I had that software on this computer so I could keep practicing. There were two of us and we moved along quickly before heading off to lunch. I did head over toward where the Trivia was held but met Evelyn who told me that it was over and our team didn’t win. At lunch, I shared a table with some Aussies and we discussed the health care systems in our respective countries. It is hard for folks from those developed countries with universal coverage to understand what the barriers are to such a big leap in the US.
Work with light and color
This sounds very simple but there are such clever things one can do. For example, isolating one item in a photo such as a rose bouquet, turning the rest of the photo black and white and maintaining the colors of the flowers. Just amazing what one can do. I am aware of how my vision means that I don’t see the problems with things as I otherwise would. And unfortunately, the background of this photoshop is black and the arrows, sliders, and drop down menus are black so that makes it even more difficult for me to follow quickly. But I was the only “student” here so Tim showed me a few extras since we had time and then he had me practice for the rest of the time.
Amaze with your photos
I had planned on auditing this class again but no one showed up so I went to see the White Elephant Auction. This is where folks lay out their buyer’s remorse and either pocket the receipts are donate them to charity. There are several charity possibilities on board; it’s all voluntary. It is interesting to see how different cruises have different compositions of passengers. I’ve been on some where all the receipts wound up being donated to charity; no one pocketed anything.
There were a few odds and ends left over: stuff no one wanted and couldn’t figure out why they had ever purchased the item in the first place. And then there are those items, such as the Mao clock (it works) that was originally purchased for $5 and sold for $20! There are lots of examples of the latter. But the most amusing was the (and you can’t make up this stuff) a penis enlarger. It is a vacuum tube with a bulb that you squeeze to create the vacuum. Whomever submitted it (and for obvious reasons they never identified themselves) stated that it had never been used. It became a laughing source and will be rolled over to the next White Elephant sale at the end of the last segment and the world cruise.
Book Club
This was a discussion of the Elizabeth Gilbert book “Eat, Pray, Love”. Some folks hadn’t finished the book but were intrigued enough by the discussion that we are all sure they will. The way books impact different people has always intrigued me. Many of those who spoke were buying into the author’s version of many things and I thought it was interesting to ask them what the other person’s version might have been. This clearly made some folks uncomfortable. Since I’m reading a blog where the author includes quotes from this book, it held a special interest for me. This book club is held in conjunction with afternoon tea so I treated myself to a scone today with clotted cream and strawberry preserves.
Trivia
Two of us scooted off to trivia before the discussion was finished. The four of us won trivia today with 15. It was not an easy quiz and we were boggled by some of the questions. Before trivia began, I overheard the stitch and bitch group in the corner discussing our more recent ports but they also said one of the young junior waiters, very thin, had a heart attack and would be put off in Singapore. He is currently receiving care in the clinic on board. Kind’ve shocking but a reminder of how unpredictable our health is no matter our age.
Supper
We had brought along a bottle of champagne to celebrate Ed’s birthday. We had decided to celebrate with this great group of table mates. It turned into a belated birthday celebration for Faye and an early birthday for Ed. I was surprised at how the champagne hit me so quickly. Not my favorite drink anyway. Tonite is the last night for this group at the table.
Classical pianist
Tian Jian is such a fantastic and talented pianist. He talks a mile a minute but his English is really quite good (he is a Julliard graduate and lived in NY for a while) so that makes it easier to keep up.
Champagne Waterfall
This was tonite at 11:15 pm. Hardly seems worth staying up to participate but we did including a silly photo at the champagne waterfall (really cheap champagne!). Ed has observed that they have different quality of champagne for various purposes on this ship. The most days on Princess cruises gets a really good bottle and the waterfall, not such a good quality. Seems a waste in a way. We danced a little and then called it quits around midnight. The place was thinning out pretty good by then.