Newsletter - Swiss Association Singapore

Newsletter
Swiss Association of Singapore Newsletter
●
Issue 12 ● Nov/Dec 2009
Created by Annick Goeke
How early is Christmas
going to be this Year?!
In this Issue…
A long time ago…………………...….2
Today………………………………...….3
Christmas plans………………..........4-5
No Snow, no Christmas?…….…....…6
What will you get for your
man this year?.................................7-8
Birth announcements……....…..…...9
Wet market Tour………………….10-12
Cultural exchange:
cooking demo…………………….12-13
Red Cross Bazaar 2009.....................14
Who are the SAS Committee
Members………………………..….15-24
Mark your calendar………..……..…25
What’s on in Singapore…….......26-28
Leisure corner……….…….……...29-33
1
I would feel winter coming, freezing my ears, my toes and my fingers. I could
pretend smoking by breathing out the air. I could sit by the window pane and
draw smiley faces in the glass. I could smell the nice scents of citrus, cinnamon
and cloves in the living room. I would
* * * appreciate the warmth from the fire
place. I could watch the Zimtsterne or Mailänderli baking in the oven. I could
stick my tongue against the metal barrier on the way to school. I could hear the
neighbor scraping his window shields early in the morning. I could see the sun
passing much lower on the mountain and the rooftops and disappearing so
early in the evening…
Then I would know winter has come.
The Advent candle or calendar would definitely start the Christmas countdown.
Every morning I would tear off a paper window to see an angel or a bell until
the 24th. This larger window would then hide unsurprisingly either baby Jesus or
Father Christmas.
During this period of time I would hear some carols here and there, notice some
decorations to purchase. On the 6th of December I would visit St Nicholas and its
Schmuzli: what a scary experience…
I would then start to circle or cross out the toys in the small catalogue which I
had received by post from Placette, Weber Toys or Globus. Great time! I would
also write a letter to Santa reporting him how good I think I behaved all year
long.
The few days before Christmas my Mum would usually get nervous, my Dad
tired and my brother and I … Soooooo excited, counting down every single
day. Then on the 23rd or 24th of December, my dad would disappear in the
forest and bring back a pine tree freshly cut, with a strong scent of sap pine. We
always had such a great time decorating this little new guest in the living room
with the same decorations for about 15 years! Never mind.
Then on Christmas day, it was just magic. We would leave milk and biscuits for
the hungry Santa Claus who amazingly could - even though his size, pass
through our chimney!?!?!!?
That was the Past.
Nostalgic you should not be
Strong from your past you shall become
May the Force be with you…
Jedï-nnick
(Turn the page after the bell. 2“Tiiiiiing!”)
TODAY
Today I go on holiday for October break and I
come back in the mid-month to realize that
Christmas decoration process has already started
on Orchard road. I have still my warm and swelling
feet in my sandy beach flip-flop as I see stars
lightening the street. Not to mention the gigantic colorful and blinking
Christmas tree, the 100% pure mould plastic snowy architecture
featuring the most tacky Christmassy spirit ever, coming soon inside-infront-and-above every shopping mall to participate to the annual year
end decoration contest.
All of these efforts especially made to try to trick my mind (?!?!?)
recalling me that under the 30°+ degrees, it will be Christmas…
… in two months.
Time goes on so fast, but if festivities are accelerated this way every
year, will we soon have an Easter bunny in the presents and painted
eggs on the Christmas tree?!? Hey, they did it!
Well, my point is neither to bother you with my Christmas nostalgia, nor
to irritate you with “Christmas is here”. It will eventually come and I
would like to help you to enter smoothly into the spirit and chores, in
order to help you to reach that very day with happy feelings.
Nostal-nnick
October 2009
3
Christmas Plans
What do you plan for Christmas?
A: traveling to the cold (skiing, seeing family, eating
roasted chestnuts in a paper cone)
B: travelling to the warm South East Asia, where there are
no flood, no monsoon, no tsunami, no tornado, no antigovernmental uprising…
C: Staying in S’pore (working, having guests, cookies
baking, remaining busy or chilling out in Bintan)
D: Please send your ideas, I am running out of them.
Whatever your plans are you likely won’t be able to
avoid some chores:
1: Christmas shopping (making a list - for whom, what and
for how much, and jumping in the crowd,)
2: attending various companies, associations, clubs,
neighbors, friend’s year end dinner (find an appropriate
dress for each event, bring a gift, get your stomach ready
for the food marathon, explaining your children why you
are going out every other evening)
4
Christmas Plans
3: planning a decent Christmas Eve dinner, followed by the
Christmas brunch and the Christmas lunch without missing the
Christmas dinner (create a miracle to store all this food in
advance in your single fridge or buy, like me, a second one).
Remember that Christmas time is never a good time for planning
a diet!
Prepare a package of Zwieback (available at Huber’s Butchery)
and chamomile sachets to infuse after the Year End festivities.
4: send your Christmas and New Year wishes before you
received them all from your friends (find different cards from the
last 3 years, have your children drawing a cute Christmas tree
surrounded with tons of presents –no latent message, send an ecard)
5: Please no need to send your ideas; I think that the list is long
enough ☺
The most important thing: a perfect Christmas doesn’t exist.
Greetings cards not arrived, hard stone Christmas turkey burnt
in the new oven, wrong bakery choice for the chocolate log,
online Christmas shopping which didn’t work on time, children
sharing their germs for the winter holiday break, hubby having
an unexpected business trip, guest who got badly drunk,
homesick feelings, haven’t found the right gift, to short
Christmas tree, etc.
The truth is most people don’t care how many decorations you
put up or whether or not you send them a card. The most
important think might be to have a particularly nice gathering
with people you love and put aside the “what are they going to
think if...”, because we do know that one can’t control people’s
mind.
Between what you wanted to say, what you actually said, what
your listener heard and what he understood of it… there is a
huge gap!
So drop the words, hug people you love and make a simple
friendly winter break.
Plan-nnick
November 2009
Merry Christmas!
5
No Snow, no Christmas?
Christmas?
Wrong!
Of course waiting for Christmas watching the
snow falling on the top of the cars with a
mulled wine warming our hands is beautiful.
Hearing the usual morning noises all softened
by the white coat is unique.
And what do these people do or wish after
having their ski-snowboard dose? They wish
they could be relaxing in a warm place,
next to a palm tree, drinking some nice fruit
punch.
So be it!
For us staying in S’pore, this wish is a few
hours of plane from Changi Airport, it is a
few hours by boat from Tanah Merah Ferry
Terminal, it is around the pool downstairs, or
at the jungle-ly Swiss Club.
We can have Christmas without having to
change our dress room for winter clothes,
without having to stock extra layers of fat to
fight winter cold, and without doing a
snowman under -10 °C. We can still do the
luge in Sentosa, touch artificial snow in Snow
Center or go Ice skating in Ice World
Kallang, Fuji Ice Palace (Jurong) or Velocity
(Novena) if the need is extremely strong…
How about building a sandman like this guy?
If you search for real Christmas tree, you can
find nice smelling one at IKEA or
Thompson/Queensway
garden
center
directly imported from North of Europe. No
need to have a fake one and add artificial
scent. If you wish to be “green”, don’t buy
any artificial or real pine tree, be creative
and transform your bookshelf like this instead!
Pine-nnick
November 2009
6
What do you get for your man this year?
A gift for a man: the killing job.
We, women, have 90% of the time no problem
to know what we would like before Christmas,
for Christmas and after Christmas, right?
Kids are easy to please; they give us ideas all
year long… What about hubby, your dad, your
father in law, your brother(s) your male friends?!
“I don’t’ need anything”. Does it sound familiar
to you? Christmas is not all about presents, but
still, it now belongs to our cultural traditions to
offer at least a little something to someone you
love to show that you care. And if you do not
wish to pass for the stingy or the selfish one and
don’t want to be hand out the divorce paper on
New Years’ Eve, let’s try to find some ideas!
The electronic gadgets: how about upgrading his
razor, a new watch, Ipod/MP3 device and
accessories, a digital camera, Wii games, a GPS.
Look at Funan IT, Sim Lim Square, Paris Silk.
Does he play golf, tennis, polo or any other sport
where you could update or complement his
equipment? You can get advice to the
salesperson at his favorite sport shop. Golf House
@Raffles CITY, Suntec and Takashimaya, Golf
Zone @Far East Shopping Centre. All sport
equipment @ Queensway Shopping Center
(near IKEA).
Does he read? Would there be any magazines
you could subscribe related to one of his hobbies
or interests. This will be a gift appreciated all year
long. How about a gift voucher from a local store
(bookstore, Borders, Kinokuniya) or an online
store (Amazon: www.amazon.com), movie
Theater
(www.gv.com.sg,
www.tickets.cathay.com.sg,
or
http://sg.movies.yahoo.com)
Does he fancy stylish items? How about a nice kit
for wine, some cigars, a Mont-Blanc ball pen, cuff
links?
7
Is he stressed? How about pampering him:
vouchers from a spa, men toiletries, jetlag
recovering set.
Would he like to have ticket for a show
(Esplanade, Theater, Singer) a sport event (F1,
Youth Olympics) www.sistic.com
Do you have a car? Any gadget for the car,
anything from his favorite brand car.
A BBQ set! Yeeees… Then he’ll be the Chef for
once… hé, hé! ;-)
Does he remember how fun it was to build Lego
constructions: the Millennium Falcon or the TIE
Advance will bring him many hours of fun and
nice memories!
How about offering DVDs:
Find DVDs which has a meaning for him
(memories), favorite singer collection, classic
retro movies, his favorite TV series, about his
favorite hobbies, a box set of any trilogy, his
favorite comedy star. You can even pack it with
popcorn and beers to bring some fun.
Create your own footage montage on him or the
family with his favorite songs as background
music and burn it on a DVD. Create your own
montage of favorite hilarious clips from internet.
Clothing is safe if you know his tastes or he
doesn’t have any (ha, ha!): funny front/back
printed week-end T-shirt, home made printed Tshirt from your dear little ones. Tie, shirt, nice
branded belt, cuff links, socks all year long
(www.bizsox.com).
For the larger budget, you might think of
organizing a trip to a remote island just the two of
you, buying a massage chair, a brand new golf
set!
Good luck and have fun with your Christmas
Shopping challenge!
Shop-annick
November 2009
8
Birth Announcements
The SAS Committee would like to wish
a very warm welcome to
Nils Pietzonka
Manuel Broger
And
Serena Trevisan
Congratulations to these lucky families!
We wish you happy and sweet moments with your new
family member
and a lot of rest for the Mums.
9
Wet market Tour
The SAS was lucky to appoint Amy, a Singaporean, to take us through
the wet market this morning. This kind of market is usually found in the
center of an HDB.
Wet market? – HDB? I’m going to explain you.
HDB stands for Housing Development Board and usually refers to a
development of housing units built by
the state government. They are sold
or rented out at subsidized prizes.
People who are interested in one of
the flats have to meet certain criteria
to be eligible. An HDB infrastructure
provides the residents with everything
they need; it is a village in its own.
Banks, schools, shops, supermarket,
community centre, function halls, wet
market, public transport, you name it,
it’s all right at their doorstep.
Our wet market is located right next to the MRT station Bedok. As you
will find in most of these places the wet market connects to a Hawker
Centre with food stalls offering all sorts of ethnic foods. Those centers
are much like a food mall but usually al fresco; you get your favorite
plate and meet with your friends at one of the tables alongside.
At the start I was a bit wary when
Amy headed straight for the fish
and meat market. As this is an
open air market I was expecting
pungent and unpleasant smells. To
my surprise there was practically
no smell. The fish are kept on ice
which works like a refrigerator.
Quite astonishingly the whole
market was really clean, I would
not hesitate a minute to shop
there if I lived close by!
Now, you may expect me to give you a recount of all the facts Amy
shared with us. But taking into account all the information and recipes
Amy tempted us with; it would be just too much. Besides it is hard to
picture the many ingredients, their colors, tastes and smells without
seeing them.
10
There was a great variety of all sorts of gourds, cucumbers, different
roots and beets, cabbages, eggplants round and long, different leafy
green vegetables, nuts and mushrooms. All the same we found some
of the well known vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus and
tomatoes piled up on the stands as well.
In a tiny stall a lady sells
mixed spices. You tell her
what you are going to cook
and she mixes the spices for
the dish. Say if you want to
cook a chicken curry, she
puts a few spoonfuls of the
freshly mixed herbs and
spices in a little plastic bag
and your curry is half done.
Quite frankly the prepared
mix doesn’t entice the eye
but it’s a feast for the sense
of
smell….
(given
the
quantity of red chili she put
in, I think my eyes will cry really fast….)
Almost hidden behind a stall of herbs and
spices, a Malaysian woman showed us a
multitude of herbal treasures for which Amy
had suitable recipes and much information at
hand.
Did you know:
-that the grey shrimp you can buy at the
supermarket are usually farmed (replete with
antibiotics), and the orange, light colored
shrimp are wild catch?
-that free range chickens (Kampong
chickens) have longer legs than battery cage
chicken?
-that the young ginger shoot is preferably
used for steamed or raw dishes and the
gingerroot for frying and stir-frying?
-that the black chickens (yes, that’s true, even
their skin is black) are only used for making
stock after which they are discarded.
(Chinese are soup lovers; in Chinese
pharmacies you can buy readymade spice
mixes which only need to be cooked with the
11
water and chicken and you have your “homemade” stock. It’s almost
a medication….)
In any case the choice of products is immense! Not only are there fresh
produce but also dried, cured, fermented, raw, cooked and what not?
Our nose is not always flattered by the smells, especially when we pass
the stalls with the dried fish. You’d think they are fish but it’s really all
sorts of dried creatures including oysters. Next are some dried fruits and
legumes.
I will leave you with your imagination
of the flavors and smells as you look at
the pictures in this article... and I will let
you know whether my curry was
edible or whether it blew my head
off……
Karin VoVan
SAS Member
November 2009
Translated by Christine Doppmann
SAS Secretary
Cultural Exchange: Cooking Demonstration
A couple of weeks ago we (Chef Ernst Huber, Gaby Bonnet, San Wang
and Sabine Stacher) met at the Swiss Club to test cook the following
menu:
Starters:
Air dried beef
Mains:
Oven roasted veal
with vegetables
Desserts:
Zabaione
Air dried bacon
Oven roasted pork
with vegetables
Swiss carrot cake
Cheese tartlets
Spaetzli
Onion cheese toasts
Roesti
12
Why would 4 people try to prepare such a big feast?
On request of the People’s Association, the Swiss Association agreed to
conduct a cooking demonstration for the Cairnhill Community Centre.
Finally on Saturday, 7th November 2009 we brought everything needed
for the demo to the centre. After a few introduction words about
Switzerland by Peter Zimmerli from the Embassy, 30 Singaporeans were
eagerly waiting for what was coming.
Each dish was prepared and immediately handed out to the hungry
crowd. It was very rewarding for us to see that our efforts were highly
appreciated.
The Singaporeans showed a lot
of interest into the prepared
Swiss dishes. Everything was
eaten so fast, that we were not
even able to taste our own
creations.
The whole atmosphere was
very relaxed and there was
plenty of joking, teasing,
laughing and talking.
Looking back we can say that all the efforts we put in the event was
worth while...because of the enthusiasm of our ‘student’s’.
A big thank again to our ‘Chef’ Ernst Huber, he leaded us with his big
knowledge, charm and love for cooking through the afternoon.
Sabine Stacher
SAS Vice President
November 2009
13
Red Cross International Bazaar 2009
On Sunday the 25th of October, the Swiss
Association helped raising funds for the
Singapore Red Cross' local humanitarian
services at the Royal Thai Embassy. We sold
Raclette cheese and sausages generously
sponsored
by
Ernst
Huber
from
Hubers’Butchery, potatoes sponsored by
Bernard Weber from the Stammtisch and
white wine offered by the Swiss Embassy.
Morning Team
We set our booth near to the Bangladesh
and Brazilian booths and happily smoked our
neighbors with the “delicate” scent of our
traditional cheese raclette and Swiss
sausages. The Brazilian booth took part in
bringing the haze with their grilling
selections…
Lots of people came from everywhere to
support this Red Cross event. Committee
members (Antoniette Tralli, Gaby Bonnet,
Annick Goeke and Mathias Faust), SAS
members (Christian Tralli, Karin Vo Van),
Sabine Silberstein, our OSA representative
and Tamara Schmidt from the Swiss Embassy
joined the team. Mrs. Madeleine Wick Reding
welcomed the President of Singapore, Mr. SR
Nathan to our booth. We had the occasion
to ask him to taste our favorite cheese dish
and he nicely thanked us for being here as a
polite answer. I guess that if he would taste
all the dishes displayed that day at this event
he would directly go to the nearest hospital
for an acute stomach ache!!!
As usual such an event requires a lot of work.
Thanks to Antoniette Tralli and her husband’s
organization skills, it was a great success! If
you are interested in joining charity events in
the future, please don’t hesitate to contact
us. Extra help is always welcome and
ambiance is guarantied!
Annick Goeke
SAS Committee Member
October 2009
Grill, gril,
chop, chop!
Mr. SR Nathan, President of
Singapore and Mrs. M. Wick
Reding
14
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Dear Members,
The Swiss Association of Singapore is doing so well for
three years by now. We are only a few thousand Swiss
people in Singapore and many of you joined the
Association. Thank you for your support!
Behind this association, dedicated committee members
meet regularly to try to offer you attractive activities
and events where you can meet your compatriots and
discover Singapore.
In this issue we chose to introduce each of us, for you to
have a better idea of who we are and what we do.
Since we are all expats, the committee board changes
from time to time when we are relocated to some other
places. Therefore we always look for new people to
take over a position. For instance we have three
positions which will be soon vacant: 2 event
coordinators and a sport coordinator. We look for
interested SAS members who would have some free
time to do these volunteer jobs.
Being a committee member gives you the opportunity
to experience how an association works, to build strong
friendships among your compatriots, to organize
activities, visits and events, to get to know different
organizations and companies (multicultural interactions,
sponsorship, visits, etc.)
Please don’t be shy, if you like the Raclette you are
already qualified to join the team!!! ;-)
We will be happy to meet you all at the last four main
events of the year:
- the Cookies Baking sessions
- the Year End Jass
- the Christmas Coffee Morning
- the Santa Claus Day.
Christmassy regards,
Annick Goeke
SAS Committee Member
November 2009
15
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Christine Doppmann
SAS Secretary
Hi, my name is Christine Doppmann, I have
been a member of the Swiss Association of
Singapore since February 2009.
I moved here from the area of Basel just a year
ago. It was a “big” move for me. It’s not my first
living experience abroad, but my first without
the children. They had just left school and
decided to stay and study in Switzerland. So
now I’m here with my husband Franz.
I have become active with Swiss Association of
Singapore as a secretary in June, and I enjoy
the contact among the association’s members
during different activities.
By taking part in tours, walks and other programs I am discovering
Singapore mostly with friends but sometimes with my visitors from
Switzerland. I make sure, not only the visual senses get satisfied but also
the palatal senses.
I love to cook just as much as I love to discover all the foods in
Singapore’s restaurants, hawkers and food
courts.
Swimming, hiking and cycling are my
sportive pastimes. Recently I have taken up
training to become a volunteer guide at The
Peranakan Museum. It’s the perfect way to
get to know some of the history and rich
culture of Singapore’s past.
If you would like to contact me, you can
always reach me on the following e-mail
address: [email protected]
Christine Doppmann
16
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Annick Goeke
SAS Committee Member
Hi, I am Annick. I was born in Vietnam and I grew up
in Geneva. My parents are Swiss French (VD) and
Swiss-German (BE). I studied Visual Art before
changing direction for a MSc. in Psychology. I worked
in Switzerland as a therapist with a body-mind
approach using various therapeutic massages and
counseling.
I arrived in Singapore nine years ago, following my
husband who works for Kudelski-Nagra Vision. I had
my daughter Marine (8) and son Kimmo(6) in
Singapore. They are both attending the Canadian
International School.
My family joined the Swiss Association of Singapore
when it launched and I joined the committee board
in 2007 almost at beginning. I gave a new graphical
look to all the flyers and dealt with various projects (among them the Swiss
Embassy files, People Association, Photo Contest and Charity project). I write
the SAS Newsletter every other month to keep you updated of the past and
future SAS activities and events.
Beside the committee work and the French tuitions to my children, I own
Bizsox – www.bizsox.com, where I sell socks for business men, and I recently
resumed my favorite activity by opening my own practice Rebalance –
www.rebalance.com.sg.
From now on, I will write the Newsletter as my main job at SAS as time is
getting scarce with my busy life!
If you wish to contact me, please email me at
- [email protected] for SAS matter
- [email protected] for socks-lutions
- [email protected] for health matter.
Otherwise don’t hesitate to approach me when I
am at the Swiss Club around the swimming pool or
at the Terrace!
Equatorial Regards,
Annick Goeke
17
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Gaby Bonnet
SAS President
I am Gabrielle (or Gaby, for most of you), President
of the swiss Association since last June.
I was born in Spain from a swiss-german father and
a french mother and I grew up in Bogota,
Colombia with french and spanish as my mother
tongues.
I studied Russian, Sociology and journalism at the
University of Fribourg. After my studies, I worked in
a Bank for 5 years in Zurich (where I got to pick
some german and swiss–german) and then moved
with my husband to a little village near Chatel-StDenis (FR). There, I worked in the social field for the
city of Vevey for one year before moving to
Singapore.
I have been living in Singapore for almost three years now with my
husband and our three children (Dylan 6, Amelie 4 and Simon
18months). My husband works in the financial sector for Clariden Leu
and we would like to stay for a couple of more years here.
I hope each one of you will find something interesting to do with the
SAS and I look forward to seeing you at
one of of our events.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me
should you have any question and don’t
forget, feedbacks and ideas are very
welcome!
Kind regards,
Gaby Bonnet
18
Who are the SAS Committee members?
San Wang
SAS Webmaster
For the longest time, I was thinking about whether or
not to write something about myself and disclose my
face so publicly? - Yes, I think you have the right to
know who’s the one ‘bombarding’ you with the
emails from the SAS.
I’m San the webmaster and my job is to inform you
about the around-a-hundred events/activities per
year of our association. ☺ (And YES, that’s about the
number of emails you receive from me yearly).
Before I became the WBM (short for ‘webmaster), I
was holding the seat of the vice-president for a
year. In order to broaden my horizon and reduce
my workload, I changed to the job of mastering the
web which gave me the opportunity to work from
home and choose the time of the day I worked. (You sometimes do
receive my emails in the middle of the night. That’s to be caused by
insomnia).
This settlement just fits me perfectly as I am a devoted full-time mother
of a four-year old girl and I did not want to be parted from her.
But long time before my life all started to turn around the Swiss
Association, I was born in Vietnam. Yup, another committee member
from this war-damaged country.
My family and I fled from Vietnam in early 1979
by boat and ended somehow in Switzerland in
1980. Now, I’m not going to tell you how old I
was back then as this would reveal my true
age and THAT’s not ‘lady-like’ at all. ☺
After finishing my studies in finance in
Switzerland, my husband and I relocated in
early 2003 to Singapore for a life in a warmer
climate!! Little did we know what the
combination of warm and humidity meant... So
hot lah!!!!
19
Who are the SAS Committee members?
After a year of sabbatical leave, I have started working for the same
Swiss Private Bank again, this time in Singapore. Although I had the very
same job here as I had back in Zurich, the work was so different! I guess
all of you working in the Asian culture know what I mean. Nevertheless,
being exposed to this very dynamic working environment was a great
experience for life which I wouldn’t want to miss.
After our girl was born, I gave up my job to take care of her. Time goes
by so quickly. Megan is four years old now. At home, we speak SwissGerman, Mandarin, English and Cantonese.
My husband is now an independent asset manager. After almost
seven years living in Singapore, I did not become tired of discovering
this interesting Lion City and I’m trying to look at it from different point of
views.
Being in the committee gives me the opportunity to share my
experience with you and help newcomers to Singapore settle down as
smoothly as possible.
I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!!!
Don’t be ‘kiasu*’, sign up now for an event!!!
See you soon!!!
Warm regards,
San the WBM
*You don’t know what ‘kiasu’ means? Join us at
our next Coffee Morning (check our events
calendar for dates and location) and I’ll explain it
to you lah!
20
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Rahel Scheifele
SAS Sport Coordinator
Grüetzi mitenand! I’m Rahel, but in Asia I’m
known as “Rachel”.
I was born and brought up in Uster, in the canton
of Zürich. After my Matura and a brief stint at
Credit Suisse in Zürich, I joined a German
company in the tunneling business. Through them
I ended up in South East Asia in 2003, where I’ve
been ever since.
Before settling here in Singapore, I was living and
working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for two and a
half years. Upon my return to Singapore I went
back to school and I am currently enrolled in my
second last semester at the Singapore
Management
University.
My
majors
are
Psychology and Organizational Behavior and Human Resource.
Handball used to be an integral part of my life
back in Switzerland and I picked it up again here
at SMU, after an absence of some years.
My friend San introduced me to the Swiss
Association of Singapore early this year and I
joined them in March 2009. Since then I’ve been
in charge of the Sport events.
If you do have suggestions or requests in
terms of sport events or any other matters,
feel
free
to
contact
me
at
[email protected].
In
the
meantime I hope to meet you at some of
our events and to get to know you better.
With best regards,
Rachel Scheifele
21
Who are the SAS Committee members?
22
Who are the SAS Committee members?
Sabine Stacher,
SAS Vice-President
Hello, my name is Sabine Stacher and I’m your Vice
President.
I was born and brought up in the north eastern part of
Switzerland near the wonderful ‘Lake of Constance’.
After my apprenticeship I worked mainly in the
Import-Export business.
After a total of 6 years living in Bangkok, my husband
Martin and I arrived in Singapore 2 ½ years ago.
Soon after joining the SAS in July ’08 I was asked to
take over the position as
Secretary.
When Gaby Bonnet became the new President
in June ’09, I stepped up the ladder to become
the new VP.
Some of my hobbies are playing golf, going to
the cinema and reading.
With personal regards,
Sabine Stacher
23
Who are the SAS Committee members?
24
Mark your calendar…
Children Cookies Baking @ Swissbake
18, 19, 20 Nov
Adults Cookies Baking @ Swissbake
21 Nov
Cooking Class @ Palate Sensations
-Singaporean Flavor 20 Nov
End Year Jass @ Stammtisch
21 Nov
Christmas Coffee Morning
3 Dec
Santa Claus Day
6 Dec
Book Swap
9 Dec
25
What’s going on in Singapore?
Ticket for Events and Shows are usually made through SISTIC.
www.sistic.com.sg, booking fee applies.
The Jungle Book
Dates: 5 Nov -13 Dec
Time: 10am, 11am and 2pm
Venue: DBS Arts Centre - Home of the
Singapore Repertory Theatre
Ticketing: $25 - $30
Description
The Jungle Book is set in the jungle of India. A baby boy, Mowgli was
raise by a wolf pack after his parents were killed by Shere Khan the
tiger. Mowgli was protected by Akela, the leader of the wolf pack, by
Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear. When he was older, he
visits a village where men live but he cannot understand them so
returns to the jungle with fire to protect himself from Shere Khan. Mowgli
learns that the animals who protected him and love him as his true
family.
Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage in “The Circus
comes to Town"
Dates: 4 Dec- 6 Dec
Time: 4 Dec- 4:30 pm/ 5 Dec- 4:30pm, 7pm, 6
pm/ 6 Dec- 11am
Ticketing
$68 VIP, $48 A, $38 B
Description
Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town
demonstrates the importance of friendship and cooperation as it gets
young children dancing and singing along, creating lifelong memories
for them and their families.
26
What’s going on in Singapore?
Swan Lake
Dates: 17 Dec- 20 Dec
Time: 8pm
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Ticketing: $110 (VIP Box), $90, $70, $50,
$30.
Description
Helmed once again by the company’s Artistic Director, Janek
Schergen, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, this full length classical
ballet tells the love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette in four
breathtakingly beautiful acts.
Under the spell of the evil sorcerer Rothbart, Odette is transformed into
a swan by day and can only reveal her human form at night. On a
hunting trip, Prince Siegfried chances upon Odette at the lake and thus
begins a magical journey of a love that transcends both human
boundaries and evil spells.
Teddy Bear Exhibition
Dates: 21 Nov-30 Nov
Time: 9:30am – 6:30pm
Venue: Mint Museum of Toys
Ticketing:
Adult: $15.00
Child :(2-12 yrs) Seniors (<=60 yrs) : $7.50
Child 2 yrs & below: free admission
Description
Exhibition of the museum's collection of vintage Steiff, Schuco,
Merrythought, Chad Valley and Sue Pearson's collection of Teddy
Bears. Bear-making demonstrations and workshops will be conducted
by professional artists.
www.emint.com
27
What’s going on in Singapore?
The Body Show
Date: 27 Nov 2009 to 22 Feb 2010
Venue: Clarke Quay (Blk 3D)- See
map
Time: 10am to 10pm (Mon to Sun)
Ticket
Adult: S$20.00
Child (below 12 years old): S$15.00 (nett)
I personally don’t recommend this exhibition for children below 12
years old
Family (2 adults and 2 children)
S$60.00
Information at 6746 5550, email at [email protected]
Description
“The Body Show” is a fascinating scientific exhibit of the human
anatomy, consisting of over 200 specimens. They will be on display
according to the five major body systems, transmitting knowledge
about the human organism in a gripping and dignified environment.
The Body Show will provide you with the opportunity to see yourself
inside out—literally! It reveals the complexity of the human body to
allow visitors an up-close and 3-dimensional look at their inner
composition.
BookFest @ Singapore 2009
Dates: 11 Dec- 20 Dec
Time: 10am- 10 pm
Venue: Suntec Singapore, Level 4
Ticketing: Free admission
Description
One of Singapore's largest and most successful book fairs, BookFestSingapore will take place across a floor area of 120,000 sq ft at the
Suntec Singapore, Hall 401- 404.
Extensive showcase of the best and latest books, stationery,
educational aids, electronic and multimedia products from leading
publishers and distributors from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia,
Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States.
28
Leisure corner
Ginger bread men
Ingredients:
3 and 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar,
firmly packed
1.2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup confectionery sugar
2 tsp ground cloves
1 - 2 tsp milk
1 cup salted butter, softened
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325'
2. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, and cloves
3. Cream butter and sugar. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and
molasses and beat on medium speed until smooth.
4. Scrape down bowl and add flour mixture, blend on low speed until just
combined -- do not over mix!
5. Separate dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk tightly in
plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
6. On floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough out to 1/4" thickness.
With floured cookie cutters cut into shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll dough
until all is used. Place on ungreased baking sheets about 1/2" apart.
7. Bake 9-11 minutes -- do not brown. Transfer to cool, flat surface and cool.
Preparing Icing:
1. Whisk sugar and milk until smooth but still liquid.
2. Add extra milk if seems dry.
3. Spoon icing into a pastry bag with small piping tip, or other icing dispenser.
4. Decorate as desired.
29
30
Craft:
Quick ‘N’Easy X-mas tree
Use the pattern below to trace 2
shapes of pine tree on building
paper. Cut two Christmas tree
following the line.
Cut one on the cut slot on the top
and the other on the cut slot on the
bottom. Assemble them to make a
3D pine tree.
Then cut out the decorations and
stick them with glue to the your tree
31
Jingle Bells Lyrics
Dashing through the snow
On a one-horse open sleigh,
Over the fields we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob-tail ring,
Making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot;
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got up sot.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there
I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob-tailed bay
Two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You'll take the lead.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Rudolf the RedRed-nosed Reindeer
You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen,
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose
(like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it
(saw it)
You would even say it glows
(like a flash light)
All of the other reindeer
(reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
(Rudolph)
Play in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
(Ho Ho Ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him
(loved him)
And they shouted out with glee
(yippee)
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
You'll go down in history!"
32
Leisure corner
33
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