What country friend is this? Ponchos, Joel's Bed, Harrison Ford and The Scott Suffling International Fan Club

Sorry for the delay in this update, everyone. A lot has been going on and i've only just found a computer. This blog covers the rest of our stay in Singapore, the journey to Johor Bahru and our first performance at the Temple of Fine Arts. Also, by popular demand, puns will be appearing in this blog. You can thank Emma for this. :)

So, where to begin? Well on our second day in Singapore, the tutors decided to take us to the zoo. When we got there, the dark grey clouds that had appeared in the morning turned into a monsoonal downpour. You could say it was Singapouring it down. In spite of this, we carried on, with bright green ponchos to protect us. The zoo was incredible, in particular the elephant show, which I would highly recommend you all seeing if you get the chance. I had no idea just how incredible these majestic creatures were. I could tell you more about the zoo, like Melissa 'emu-lating' the emus, the chimp that won a race, therefore becoming the 'Chimp-ion', or the pizza shop inside the zoo called 'Pizzafari' but they are irrelephant by comparison. (Happy now, Emma?)

After the zoo, myself, Scottrina, Joel, Jason, Nick Choo, Claire and Kate went to a local bar to watch the Australia/Germany game. Oh dear. That was a mistake, if not for the result but for the large amount of alcohol that was consumed. The shop owner, who insisted we call him 'Uncle' was more than happy for our patronage. I also got to try a 'Singapore Sling' at a swanky bar in the CBD with Scott and Mud, an interesting cocktail to say the least.

The following day (Monday) we left The Hive on a coach and drove into Malaysia. After a quick delay at the check in (Kylie, Meagan and Leanne managed to get lost somehow) we had a lovely lunch and were taken to our new lodgings in Johor Bahru, the Straits View hotel. It is an improvement on The Hive, as we are now in rooms of two or three as opposed to rooms of 6 and 12. I am currently sharing a room with John King and Joel. As myself and John were the first two in the room, we claimed the proper beds, leaving Joel with the fold out cot. We haven't heard the last of it;

"It's too small! My feet are hanging over the edge!"

"This pillow is too hard!"

"You call this a blanket? I can see through it!"

"I can't see the TV properly at this acute angle!"

Etc, etc. In fairness, these comments are justified. But Joel's complaining has been very funny none the less. Anyway, in the evening we were taken to the Temple of Fine Arts for a rehearsal. The Temple is a dedicated school of the arts, mostly in the area of dance. We were treated to a short segment of a 35 minute dance routine that the students had been training for for an exam. It was pretty incredible and I don't know how impressed they were with our Duck Dance by comparison.

The first night went by without much incident, or so i thought. It turns out that John and Joel are the latest to experience a sleeping Stephen, who it turns out is just as talkative when unconscious as when awake. I have been know to talk in my sleep and apparently (i have no memory of my dream from the night) I was talking to Harrison Ford. We must be good friends, as i referred to him as Harry for the most part.

The following evening (Tuesday) we had our first performance scheduled. So after a morning shopping and lunch at 'Kenny Rodger's Roasted Chicken Restaurant' we spent the afternoon relaxing before the show. Unless you were Claire, Kate and Kylie that is, who proceeded to climb through windows, spell out words with their bodies to say "Joel love poop long time." and zip poor Hannah up in a suitcase and leave her outside our room.

Once we were all hi-jinxed out, we had another quick rehearsal before leaving for the Temple. Now CT people, if you thought it was warm and uncomfortable backstage in the Nexus, you have no idea how we felt last night in full makeup and costume outside on a balmy Malaysian evening. It was disgustingly uncomfortable and the thought that in an hours time I have to start putting that gear on again is making me a bit unhappy. However, it is cooler today so it shouldn't be as bad and the audience were incredible. They made us all feel very welcome in their community and after the show the children came to have lots of pictures taken with us. So in spite of the discomfort, we are all more than willing to do the show again.

Last night also saw the reformation of the SSIFC (Scott Suffling International Fan Club), an organization with two main objectives:

1.) To show an almost irrational amount of love and general revelry towards Scott Suffling.

2.) To really annoy Claire and Kate.

Last year, when Scott, Claire, Kate, Katrina and a few other students toured a play around Chile, Scott had a huge appeal to the youngsters, particularly 15 year old girls i'm told, who had 'I LOVE SCOTT!' written on their foreheads. Well last night, the Malaysian branch of the SSIFC turned up and demanded that Scott come out of the changing area to have photos taken. They absolutely love him and it is remarkable. Claire thinks it is because they have never seen anyone with ginger hair before and I wouldn't be surprised if Kate turned up tonight with her hair a redder shade than 'The Fire Boy.'

So tonight we are performing our second and final show in Johor Bahru and then tomorrow we fly out to Kuala Lumpur. I'm not sure how long it will be before there is another of these blogs. Possibly tomorrow night but it is more likely to be up the next day. (Friday) I do hope that this finds you all well.

Take care,

Stephen

Planes, Trains, Boats and Manchester United themed Cafes...

Greetings from Singapore!

I'd better start from when I finished the last blog. The journey from home to The Hive in Singapore took a total of 11 hours. Everything went very smoothly. After saying goodbye to loved ones at the airport, we boarded the plane for Singapore. The 5 hour flight was pleasant enough, even if we had to make our own entertainment. This primarily came in the form of a game of I Spy in which it took Scottrina most of the flight to figure out what began with L. (The answer was 'Label')

After landing, we boarded a fleet of Taxi's and were driven to our lodgings whilst here in Singapore, The Hive. As it was close to 4am by the time we got there, none of us were in the mood to appreciate our surroundings. We went straight to bed and would have gone to sleep immediately if it weren't for Kevin's 'hygiene routine.' I think Joel summed up everyone's feelings; "Who cleans there ears at 5 in the morning?"

Due to the heat and humidity, the boys room has established the rule of 'Pants off, shirts optional' which is being enforced, mostly by Joel. The rooms are basic but secure. Both rooms were air conditioned until the girls AC started leaking. In Kate's ear so I'm told. So there may be a small invasion tonight. So I'll be fortifying the room after this.

So today, whilst the girls (and Kevin) hit the shops, myself, Scottrina and Mud (John Langdale) decided to go explore some of what this city has to offer. My overall impression so far is that Singapore is a very charming place, particularly by the waterfront. The public transport is of a high quality. The trains are on time and clean. As someone who uses Perth's trains a lot, I am unsure how I can ever return to a normal life after the dizzying heights of Singapore's standards. A place where T.V's display movie trailers and informative transport announcements while you wait, a place where the bars you hold onto whilst standing on a moving train split into three bars at shoulder height, meaning three times as many people can use them. A place where the signs say "No smoking, No eating or drinking, No flammable goods and No durians."

The buildings here are some the most daringly designed I've ever seen. I can't even begin to describe some of them to you. I'll put up pictures when I get back but they are incredible. But the building that impressed me the most was the Manchester United themed cafe on the waterfront. We stopped there for a tasty lunch as the others watched me get very excited over the wall dedicated to United's great number sevens and the framed and signed Rooney and Giggs shirts.

Once we had eaten, we left the cafe (with me now wearing a new official United top that cost over $50 less than it would back in Aus!) and decided to take a river cruise. Singapore continued to be amazingly beautiful, with highlights of the tour being a brilliant statue of 5 little boys jumping into the river. They literally were! Again, pictures will be available when we get back.

We made our way back to The Hive afterward and sat down with Joel and John (King) with some Tiger beers, which I would recommend everyone trying. People began cooking up plans for a night on the town but tiredness and Tiger Beer caught up with me and I had to have a long nap. This worked out perfectly for myself because, as much as I'd love to drink until my brains turned to mush and started dribbling out of ears in a Singaporean night club, instead I get to kick back and relax in the lounge of The Hive, write this latest installment of our travels and watch the World Cup with a Tiger Beer or two ;)

A trip to the zoo is planned tomorrow, so with any luck you may get another of these blogs in the evening. Or I may wait until we arrive in Johor Bahru on Monday. We'll see. Anyway, going to watch the England game in about an hour or two and then hit the hay.

Wishing that you were all here with us,
Stephen

Packing, Humidity and The World Cup

Hello all!

Stephen here. As you may be aware, I am leaving Perth tomorrow night for a 10 day tour of Singapore and Malaysia with Murdoch University's Children's Theatre course. I am going to attempt to use this blog to keep in touch with you all, getting online when and where I can. Feel free to ignore me if you wish. :)

So, in 24 hours time I'll be at Perth International Airport preparing to depart for Singapore. I'm quite excited about the whole thing. It only occured to me this afternoon just how soon I would be leaving. I was exchanging money at the Travelex in Perth when Suki (the polite lady who was serving me) asked when I was leaving and I was shocked to find myself saying "Tomorrow." For the last few months, the trip has been a place for me to anchor the future. To realize that it would start tomorrow threw me slightly.

Still, very excited about the whole thing. Just finished packing my suitcase and I am pleased to report it doesn't exceed the 15kg limit. It mostly consists of t-shirts and shorts as I am informed that it is very warm and humid in South-East Asia at this time of year. Apparently the first day we are there, it will be 31C with 67% humidity. I have all the essentials as well, toiletries, socks, undies, an empty camera and an iPod filled with enough podcasts to last me all three flights and the coach trip. Oh, and the passport. Better not forget that!

The route is fairly simple. Tomorrow evening we fly from Perth to Singapore. Then on Monday, we take a coach across the Singapore/Malaysia border and into Johor Bahru where we will stay and perform two shows before flying to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. We then do two more shows before flying back to Perth on Monday evening, landing at approximately 5.30am Tuesday morning.

One thing I am looking forward to that starts tomorrow as well is the World Cup. I'm actually in the air when the opening match (South Africa v Mexico) kicks off. I am told that Singapore is football/soccer (take your pick) crazy and there are lots of my fellow Manchester United supporters living there. I wonder how many of these 'fans' will know who Bobby Charlton or Denis Law are. Oh well, at least they have the right idea. Watching England v USA in a Singaporean bar should be quite the experience.

So i'm going to sign off now. Hopefully the next time you recieve one of these i'll be in Singapore and presumably I will have found internet access too. I do hope that this message and all future ones find you well.

Speak to you soon,

Stephen