27 August-Malaysia

Petronus Towers in the storm-Malaysia-Pool bar, Traders Hotel
Cocktails in the storm

Petronus Towers

Cocktail bar-Traders Hotel-Malaysia
Very wet Malay waitress

Thomas-Swedish Cocktail Barman-serving cocktails in storm

Thomas at work in the storm-bar open to the elements

Cocktail bar-top of traders hotel-Malaysia

26 August –Malaysia

An even later start this morning, but eventually we headed back to the Kraft Market and enjoyed looking at the very colourful and artistic special batik exhibition. We bought a few prints and then headed back to the cool of the Curve shopping mall, then back to Kiara Park.

This evening we headed into KL for cocktails and dinner. Nick took us to Traders hotel with a pool bar 33 stories up that looked directly across at the Petronus Towers-great architectural design and once tallest building in the world. However, just as we arrived the sky opened us and it absolutely poured with rain, flashing lightning and thunderous thunder. As this was an open bar, it was spectacular. We hovered under a porch area and our Swedish cocktail barman was keen to continue to serve us, in raincoat, his bar open to the heavens and water everywhere. I think the Malay staff thought we were mad, but it was an amazing experience, the sky put on an amazing show, the towers looked great through the rain and mist, and the cocktails were delicious. The barman was great too-friendly, good fun and he loved NZ.

After leaving this rain soaked bar, we caught a taxi to a group of restaurants in a very exclusive part of the town, expensive hotels, etc, and finally chose a Middle Eastern restaurant for dinner. After dinner Nick ventured out into the downpour to retrieve the car and take us back to Kiara Park.

26 August-Malaysia

Islamic Museum of Art-Malaysia

Islamic Museum of Art

Islamic Museum of Art

25 August –Malaysia

This morning we made a slow start and then headed to the Islam Museum of Fine Art in KL. This is in a stunning new building that has displayed everything with generous spacing and not too much of any one thing so that you come away overwhelmed by it all.

We first had a look at a very interesting display that showed the influence of Islamic art on the rest of the world, especially through the Ottoman Empire, but also on European art and design at the end of 18 Century and in to the 20 century.

In the museum they had a floor dedicated to models of the most important mosques around the world. These were truly amazing. The mosque at Mecca can hold over a million worshippers! The variety and design of these mosques are magnificent creations.

As we left the museum, the sky opened and dropped rain as if it had been storing it up for a month-which it hadn’t, as we had an amazing thunder and lightning storm last night. The taxi we flagged down quoted us 40 ringet ($18) to take us to a shopping mall near where we are staying. Seemed like a bit of a rip off in Malaysian fare costs, but we were not going to argue with the rain beating down on us.

We had lunch at the mall and then spent time just wandering around and enjoying the air conditioning. On the way back to Kiara park Condo we picked up some fruit, and just a we walked up the road we were absolutely drenched by a bus storming though a huge pond of water on the road.


We returned to meet up with Nick and Heather and then to have a refreshing swim in the complex pool. We had to give Nick time to vent about a colleague he struggles with and found extremely frustrating to work with on a project with students after school. Have to say he does sound like a real Dick, after N and H both described experiences with him.

After this we went to a local food hall for dinner, outside, with a wide range of different Malay cuisine. Nick had a tasty squid dish, Dallas a Nasi Goreng, Heather chicken satay, and I had a hamburger! Then we has a great waffle that we all shared and then headed off to a mall, The Curve, for a coffee.

24 -25 August- Malaysia

Dallas and friend at cafe, bird park

weaver
young batik artist at work

Batu Caves

Kiara Park
Kiara Park
Terry and Nick-Malaysia
Batu Caves
Monkey at Batu Caves

Nick, Heather and Dallas at Batu Caves

Heather, Nick and dallas enjoying coconut milk at Batu Caves

Batu Caves-Malaysia

24 August-Malaysia

Early start from Singapore and we were in Malaysia Airport around 10.30am, at Nick and Heather’s by midday. Great to see them and catch up with them in their new place.

After lunch we had a tour around the huge apartment complex which has everything you could want –large swimming pool, squash, badminton courts, restaurant, shop, gymnasium, spacious and luxuriant tropical gardens and a great view over the city.

We went out to the Batu Caves, Indian Shrine, that involves walking up 300 steps into these huge limestone caves with many Hindu shrines, monkeys, and rubbish. While it may be a very holy place, there is not much attention to cleanliness around the place. Thunder clouds threatened, but Nick was adamant that they rain was 35 minutes away, so we climbed to the top and looked at the various shrines, many mother monkeys with little ones clutching on to them, and many others being fed by the tourists and faithful climbing the steps.

As we climbed back down and headed for the car, the skies opened, 35 minutes – Nick was right!

In the early evening we walked through a local food market that full of tantalizing aroma of different types of food.

Back at Nick and Heather’s we celebrated with a Morton Estate bubbles and tasty dinner with two different types of rice – ( a rice cooking story), and watched the closing of the Olympics.

China has done an amazing job of the Olympics, it is hard to imagine anyone putting on a better spectacle.

25 August

Introduction to KL with Nick. Went around bird park and the orchid park. Had lunch at the Bird Park, then went to the craft market where we unexpected came across a very fine batik market and collection-very expensive. We also had the opportunity to watch batik designers and weavers atg work.

23 August-St Andrew's High School

Singapore

With the Principal, St Andrew's High School

Maurie-having coffee with the locals-strong black coffee poured over quarte cup of condensed milk

Singapore
Drinks by the pool bar, Royal park Hotel, Singapore

23 August-Singapore

This morning Maurie and I met Mrs Belinda Charles, Principal of St Andrew’s Secondary School, and President of the Singapore Principals’ Association. (www.saintandrewsschool.info ) (Belinda_CHARLES@moe.gov.sg ).

Belinda described her school to us and the challenges and successes that they were achieving. Despite being a very traditional Anglican church school, they faced challenges that were similar world wide and are seeking responses to these along lines similar to many of the things that we are doing at Mount Maunganui college-restorative practices, differentiated learning, formative assessment practices and so on. This visit was more a mutual interchange of ideas rather than seeing a school that was doing something quite different. Belinda was interested in the work of Celia Lashley, as we mentioned her in our discussions re boys’ education. We have promised to send her information on this.

After this visit I spent time updating this diary and downloading photos onto the blog site as these had got behind a I could not access internet for some time using my own computer.

Later in the day Dallas and I spent some time in Orchard Road looking at shops and being immersed in the hoards of people. Even more claustrophobic when we went to Bugis Street and Singapore’s largest street market. Small aisles, raining outside, and thousands packed into small spaces. Loads of fun. Frustration finally got the best of us and we returned to our hotel as the rain continued to fall heavily. Two people have been killed today in Singapore by lightning.

This evening we met up with Leigh and Maurie for a drink at the pool bar in the hotel and then went back to the restaurant we went to on our first night here, “Maggie Thai and Chinese Restaurant, No 1 Liang Seah Street, if anyone is looking for an excellent, moderately priced, Chinese meal, and a vey friendly host.

Tomorrow we head for Kuala Lumpur and a few days with Nick and Heather. It will be great to catch up with them in their new place, country and school.

22 August -NUS High School, Singapore

With Shirley and Vicky, NUS High School

At NUS High School-Singapore

Raffles

Dallas and Leigh enjoying drinks at Raffles-before we knew what they cost!

Raffles

NUS High School- Students just disconnecting laptop they had been working on.

NUS High School

DNA Patterns on ceiling

Science laboratory

Common to see teachers working with small groups of students around the school

Library

Library

Library

Student's own recreation area-similar to common room space. Only place in the school they are allowed to play cards.


Green space, but also for science experiments

Canteen

NUS High School

Canteen

Computer study area-library

Library

With NUS High School Research Director and Acting Deputy Principal

NUS High School Pii Shield

Student accommodation

NUS High School

Observatory-NUS High school

22 August (NUS High School-National University of Singapore High School).

We were met at the school at 9.00am by GOH Hock Leong (Director of Research, Innovation and Enterprise) and acting Deputy Principal (nhsghl@nus.edu.sg) and Dr SEAH Wee Khee (Vicky) –Head of Research, Innovation and Enterprise.(nhsswk@nus.edu.sg) The Acting Principal, Suresh Balakrishnan also popped in to welcome us.

NUS High School was established as part of a government initiative to promote science and mathematics for top academic students in the country. Students are carefully selected from school results, achievement in competitions, interviews and portfolios. The college is directly linked to the NUS University which has a campus adjacent to the school with the college’s Board of Directors being mainly made up of university appointees.

Ths students attend the college for five years and complete a NUS Diploma which has received acknowledgement from the major universities in Singapore, the UK and the USA. Their motto is “Experiment, Explore, Excel”. The Mission is to have students who are :”Pioneers, Achievers, Thinkers, Humanitarians, Talking the PATH Less Travelled”.

The curriculum is flexible in that it will allow students to skip programmes if they are excelling and continue on to research programmes and to attend the university in years 4 and 5. They actively recruit top teachers from university, private providers and other colleges. The average teaching experience is 6 years, the average age of their teachers, 32.

While the main focus is on Mathematics and Science, they also encourage the Humanities, Arts and Sport to develop a well rounded student. All students will travel overseas with the school while they are at NUS. In the 5th year, all students must board at the school, to allow for greater interaction between students and teachers.

Curriculum features include a modular system that is flexible, has a research focus at all levels, is relationship centred and encourages risk taking.

The school was completed in 2007, and reflects a flexible space design with many areas for students to study, meet with their teachers and work together. The whole school is wireless for easy computer access and there are computer power points all over the place for students to plug in their laptops, even along the large covered platforms on each level of the building. The library is mainly computer orientated and all students have access to the NUS Library and resources.

The college has an area that is for the students to use for themselves, eg hands painted on the wall, only place students are allowed to play cards, posters re student activities etc. Bit like a senior common room, yet not enclosed, but more an open forum area that is covered with tables and chairs. Not a bad concept, especially for NZ schools when it is difficult to provide a large enough space for year 13 students.

After a very interesting discussion and introduction to the school, we were given a tour around the college. We were taken to the top of the student accommodation centre to look at the school’s high tech observatory and through classrooms, library and science rooms.

Probably what was of most interest was the design of the school, especially the many different types of gathering places around the school for students Having a select group of students puts this school outside the scope of NZ secondary schools. Moving away from an examination system to being recognized for their own Diploma is interesting, but then when one takes into account the careful selection of the best students from the country does not make it surprising that it has received recognition by leading Singapore, English and American universities. Its differentiated learning programme is also of interest, and the fact that students can work at their own pace (a pace well in advance of the average student!).

This afternoon we spent a bit of time meandering around Sun Tec, a large shopping mall and then met up with Maurie and Leigh at the Long Room in Raffles Hotel. While we expected the prices to be a bit higher than usual, we were somewhat shocked to find that the beers cost $17 each, the gin slings $22, and a total bill for $180 odd dollars. Most expensive pee that I have had for some time! Don’t go there to drink.