You never know who you are sitting next to...

We are in Singapore today and tomorrow. Moe is off touring the countryside and so are the Cutler's. Fellette and I had a few things to do in town but Fellette has a bit of a cold so we lingered this morning, in a way it was sort of nice. We have been here a few times so there are not too many 'must do's' for us, but it is an extremely nice place to visit.

Eventually Fellette felt up to getting off so we took the subway to Orchard Street, the rather busy part of this big city. It is a very interesting mile or so of humungous hotels and over-the-top department stores. Amongst these giants are scores of interesting warrens of shops and malls, many multi-levelled. Amongst the best place in the world for electronics and cameras if you know what you are doing. [I don't.]

I had two missions today. One was to get my wounded Blackberry phone home for a replacement. The other was to get an inexpensive external hard drive for my computer to use while travelling. Both missions were accomplished in short order. One picture shows my new friend in a Marriot Hotel Business Centre where they will Fedex my phone to Wally for me.


Hopefully niece Barbara will hand it to me when we plant a big welcome kiss on her cheek in Istanbul March 30th. The phone is on the scale by Fellette's head. It is a bit ironic about the phone. The last time we were in Singapore we also spent considerable time getting my old laptop computer fixed after my first wife dropped it on the train and then a glass of water fell on it. [You may have notced that my computer eyboard s actlng up agaln]

Next, back to the ship and take it easy as we are going to the 'Night Safari' tonight. We took the subway again, clean, fast, efficient as heck.

As we sat down an elderly Gentleman took his place next to me and said "Hello, how are you? I was born in 1894. I am a retired pastor, where are you from?" I could not answer him because my mind was stuck into mathematics...2008 minus 1894, is that really 114 years, it can't be. Hell, he looks better than most people on this darn ship. I still cannot imagine anybody that old that spry, I have heard of old Asians, but this was my first encounter. He had a hand-shake that would put a lot of us to shame.

We had a lively but brief chat while Fellette snapped his picture with me. He was very proud of his watch but we did not have time to get the story on that. He said I had a little catching up to do seeing I am only 72! Also, that in 1909 he made two dollars a month, fixing machines. He also remembers the Russian Japanese War, 1905, he said not too many people remember that.


I asked him the secret of living so long and looking so fit. He mentioned martial arts, and living by the Bible. He said "the secret to long life is in the Bible, tell your friends". He also talked briefly about some friends who are older! Most of what he said went over my head because I could not believe this guy was 114 years old.

Tai Chi and the Scriptures eh!

This may not seem like much of an adventure to you, but it was a moment in my life that I will remember forever.