Clocks, Deadlines, And Lifeboats. Comical poem by Angela Lansbury.

 Don't miss deadlines in your lifelines

Omenously I missed my first

So I was born Caesarian

A timed plan B surgeons rehearsed

Our five-year-old learned about time

She demanded a big, pink clock

I am glad to say it arrived on time

But alarmed us with loud tick-tock

Pink kiddie clock from Amazon. Sharot family photo. Edited by Angela Lansbury.

Never in ten past million years

Would I have added pink ears on top

But it works. She watches hands turn

Breakfast, travel to school, bed, stop

She knows about tricycles and bicycles

About big buses and long trains

She looks at pictures of big ships

Cruise liners and big aeroplanes

She asked, 'What is a lifeboat for?'

We don't want to make her panic

No need to tell her of shipwrecks

Rules dating from the Titanic

We tell her, 'You must have plan B

For each eventuality

If your big ship is stuck on rocks

Go home on small boats pulled from blocks.'

Another deadline passed today

My poem missed it yesterday

So it will not be in a book

But it's on here, dear, when you look.

We all know daytime's when it's light

Watches and clocks spread to time trains

 We set alarms in mobile phones

To make sure we cstch tides and planes.

-ends-

Summary and general information

1Nationwide timing, instead of each area using sunrise and stars, was needed after railways needed to co-ordinates timetables and clocks.

 2 The requirement for ships to have enough lifeboats for all passengers came in after the enquiry into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Travel tips

1 You can use a mobile phone as an alarm clock. 

2 In my phone settings, the alarms over-ride my don’t disturb setting.

3 Check your phone to re-set alarms in new time zones.

2 Check your date of arrival as well as time. We once missed a party held in our honour, not realiding that we left Lonfon one day but reached Singapore the next day.

2 Our five year old understands time to get ready go to school and to leave for private and public transport.

Please share links to your favourite posts. I have blots on travel, poetry, and dress of the day.

What is the time in other countries?

Clock with Marilyn Monroe. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Some hotels have clocks in reception showing the times around the world. In London we have a radio controlled clock which updates itself, and we use this to correct all the others. We need to change the cooker clock, the battery operated wall clocks, our watches, and the car clock. 

When you are attending events online in another country you often need to know the time in your country on the day of the event. 

In the UK we have the saying, spring forward and fall back.

Tip

I keep a chart in the front of my diary. I have it both ways. UK Singapore in one column, Singapore UK in another. Then when the clocks change, I need another colour pen to write the new times.

Note that different countries have different dates for the clock changes. Daylight saving times are on different dates. Australia has the opposite seasons, and different dates.

Useful Websites

https://24timezones.com/difference/london/singapore 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_by_country

How To Create Party Games And Win Gifts: Be Prepared: Musical Chairs, Chinese Whispers, Charades and Other Universal Xmas Party Games

Musical chairs. Angela with her own Santa hat and a prize for winning musical chairs at Tampines West Toastmasters Club in Singapore. Photo courtesy of Tampines West Toastmasters Club.

Practise Party Games
If you do not have a large enough family to play Xmas games, or if you do and want to practise, go to a public party such as those at Toastmasters International clubs around the world. The parties are held throughout December. The games are usually organized by members with the members or invited dancers or comperes organizing the games.

Spot Prizes
You might get asked to look for a dot under your plate or glass or chair. you can then claim a gift or answer a question, or be the leader in a quiz.

Be prepared. I had forgotten. But at a party Organized by Toastmasters Club of Singapore, we were asked to bring certain items.

I remembered questions from other events such as Residents' associations. You might be asked to buy raffle tickets. So have small change.

Coins And Notes
Coins are also useful. Check what is on local small and large coins and notes. You might be asked to bring the head of HM the Queen, which is on many coins in the UK, also stamps.

Singapore has a Merlion, half mermaid and half lion, a symbol of Singapore, on a coin.

You need to have your change purse handy in your pocket as you run forward.

Teeth
You might be asked to bring up teeth. You could run forward and point to your teeth. Or bring a comb.

Four Legs
Bring up a small table or chair. Pick one near the stage or on the stage. Point to the one you were sitting on and lift it up.

Seating Situation
If you sit near the stage, on the side of the table nearest, you have a better chance of running up and being first.

Santa Hats
I had taken the precaution of carrying a Santa hat left over from last year . (You can buy two for two Singapore dollars in Daiso.) Hats look festive in group photos.

Keep Rules Handy
It is a good idea for the organizer to memorize or have on their phone the rules for a couple of party games. Also have a couple of small presents to reciprocate or join in a Secret Santa. Occasionally you turn up at a party and find everybody else knew about the secret gift exchange but you didn't. Or maybe they emailed you a month ago but you forgot. This happened to me at the first Christmas meeting I attended of Braddell Heights Advanced Club.

The usual system is to encourage participation by promising a gift to the winner, later giving leftover gifts or smaller prizes to everybody so that nobody goes home empty-handed.

If you need a gift, inexpensive gifts are available at Daiso which has hundreds of branches worldwide, or Valu (both opposite each other at Expo MRT in Singapore).

I was invited to a party (Toa Payoh South Toastmasters) and asked to bring a Secret Santa gift xchange of value $5-10 (Singapore dollars). I asked my American friend Marshall what to do, as the $2 gifts from Daiso were not of high enough value.

He suggested, 'Choose items of the same type to make up a set. I did that with three items of kitchenware."

So you could select three, four or five gifts of the same type, depending on your budget, to make up a set, such as three items of stationery, or crafts, or kitchenware.

Watch Out For Watches And Clocks
I am fond of watches and clocks. However, in Asia, and for Asian guests in the West, apparently clocks and watches are not popular as leaving gifts for employees, especially not retirees. Why? Because clocks and watches remind them of the passing of time, which is running out for them. So clocks are considered as omens of bad luck or death, which means the gift is inauspicious. This could be uncomfortable for the receiver, or the giver. The giving of such a gift could be interpreted as either malicious, or simply ignorance of local customs and thoughtless.

Some countries in Asia say clocks are bad luck but watches are OK. Check the thoughts of your guests and hosts.

Remember the O'Henry short story of the Magi.
He sells his watch face to a comb for her hair. She sells her hair to buy a strap for his watch.

Story 1 Chinese Whispers At A School English Enrichment
When attending an event, have a speech and a game ready in case you are called upon for a suggestion or help. I declined to give the opening speech at the first meeting of English Enrichment at Crescent School in Singapore because my family was likely to take a weekend trip overseas to a Malaysian island. But the weather was bad so we did not go and I accepted the invitation at the last minute. No time for briefing me.

I turned up expecting simply to attend and be introduced as one of the helpers to teach reading and writing essays. I was asked to give a motivational speech on the English language and passing the exam! I was introduced as an author. (You should always carry a book as a prop in case.)

Then I was asked to introduce a language game. What? Hangman - too negative. How about Chinese Whispers?

My adviser and friend said, "Go ahead." First I asked if anybody knew the game. Blank looks.

So I started describing it. you stand in a line. The first person in line whispers a message. Everybody repeats it to the person behind them. At the end the last person says aloud, loudly what message they received. The first person announces what message they sent.

A girl in the front row pu up her hand. "I know this game!"

I asked, "What do you call it?"

"Broken telephone."

Oh. A little voice asked, "Why do you call it Chinese whispers?"

Big embarrassment. Firstly I don't know. Secondly, I suspect that it has something to do with foreigners' poor comprehension of English and ability to speak English. Hardly encouraging when my job is to encourage them. Finally it singles out the Chinese as the world's worst speakers. Even worse.

I imagined the country of China. Huge. I had the answer, a convincing answer. I said:
It's called Chinese whispers because China is so large that by the time the message travels from one side to the other the message has changed. Does everybody understand? Let's go. Form a line."

I called the girl who had spoken to be first in line. "You," I said, "Yes, you."

Names
What was her name? It is handy to put names on guests. If you are calling people forward and want them to feel involved and to call them by name and show their names as prizewinners. If you think people won't like names, make up funny badges with nicknames.

For example, Santa Simon/Susan/Sarah. Snowy Simon/Susan/Sarah/Siti. The reindeer, Robert/Richard. Thomas the tree. The tree, Tom, or Tim, or Tony, or Tan.  Elf Elizabeth. Red nose Robert. Red hat Romeo. Harry the Handsome. Brenda the beautiful. Brian the birthday boy. Fiona the Fairy.  Peter the President. Sam the Secretary. Angela the angel. Lovely Linda/Lim. Warm Warren/Wong/Wang. Smiling Sara/Suzie/Seng. Reindeer Ravi.

Story 2 Dancing
At Tampines West Toastmasters club we were asked to form into pairs for dancing.  Ten of us, in five pairs, volunteered.

We were last. I moved to last. It helps to see what the others do.

The music played. The first couple did regal waves with their hands.

Another couple did a South American dance. The next couple a ballroom dance. We had just practised linking arms facing in opposite directions and doing a twirl. I suggested to my partner, "When I say 'left', move your left arm to your left. When I say 'right' move your right arm to your right. When I say up lift your arm up. Stand up, or on tiptoe. When I say down, bring your arm down, bow or bend low."

We galloped forward, repeated the wave done by the first couple, did the arm movements, turned at the end and bowed.

The dance leader called on us to step forward and nod in turn for applause.

 Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_of_the_Magi

singaporeair.com

https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

About The Author
Angela Lansbury is an author and travel writer and photographer, teaching English and other languages.
Please bookmark and if you have a favourite post or two share the links with your family, friends and colleagues.
Post being written. Come back shortly for more.

Problems with Powercuts

In Singapore often the sky is clear in the mornings but it rains in the afternoon.

Bang - thunder and lightning!

In Singapore and other countries which have swimming pools open all year and all weathers, the pool attendants will be calling children and adults out of the pool. Why? Because you might be struck by lightning.

Meanwhile, indoors, after you have crawled out from under the table and soothed the pets, this is what you need to check:

After power goes off, during the thunder storm, re-set the circuit breaker. If you need a ladder to reach the box, in case another lightning strike does the same again, leave the ladder in place.

The fridge is on. Likewise the freezer.

Check the milk has not gone off and if it has, buy more.

Check the clocks tell the right time.
Check the printer is back on.

Author
Angela

What To See In Vienna and Austria

Problem
What to see in Austria? In Vienna last time my focus was on the Freud Museum. What next?

Answer
The New Year's Day concert showed the Clock Museum. Not a place I would normally have put high on my list. But now I've seen it on video, I'm interested. The museum possesses a staggering 4,000 clocks.

The video shows, not just grandfather clocks, and small clocks, but clocks animated like the astronomical clocks you see in some European town squares, with little figures.

I watched: a clock face set in a figurine of a horse and rider, a clock on a character whose eyes moved; a procession of little monks; a character pushing a cart.

Other museums, according to the video, included those devoted to funerals, and esperanto.

Story
We drove around Salzburg trying to follow the map. I was passenger and guide. The driver kept seeing road signs pointing the opposite way to my map. After several arguments, goring increasingly heated. Lucky there wasn't a divorce, murder, or road accident as we changed direction. The driver pulled in and grabbed the map and discovered the problem. North was at the bottom of the map.

Tip
Learn one place in the north of the city, one on the south, one on the west and one on the east. That will help you to read a map and follow the road signs.
The satnav on many cars can be programmed by choosing one of two options either to show not at the top of the screen, or to show the direction in which you are heading in front of you at the top of the screen.
Useful websites:
Uhrenmuseum, Wien.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Clocks back in London

Clocks change at 2 am. If you are lucky your computer sends you a message saying it will change automatically. Your radio controlled clocks should change themselves. But you will need to change the clocks on your cooker, microwave, and in many cars. All the old fashioned clocks in the house, restaurant, pub, gym.

How do you remember?  Spring forward fall back.

Lighter mornings, darker evenings. Worse in Scotland.
Light at 7 am instead of 8 am in the morning but dark by 4.30 by the end of the year.

Xmas lights are up in Oxford street, ready to be switched on.
GMT Greenwich Mean Time.
I wish we were on the same time as Europe.

The clocks change on Sunday to minimise chaos, missed appointments.