We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

After our return from New Zealand we had a jammed packed couple of weeks with wine tasting, Christmas parties, football games, dinners, horse races just to name a few things. With most of our friends leaving Singapore for Christmas vacation the city has gotten quiet. It was fascinating watching the last minute Christmas shopping craze here. I still don’t understand how Christmas works, since about 90% of the population is Buddhist and I can’t help but wonder how much is this sign that the old ways are truly dying in Singapore? Although in a few weeks time Chinese New Year will be here and the flurry of shopping will begin again. Our attempt of going to Christmas Mass failed first by a church that was packed to overflowing, and second by a church where the priest only spoke Chinese. Although at the time I was disappointed John saved the evening by taking me to a pastry shop. We returned home to open one Christmas present and went to bed. Christmas day we got up to more presents, cooked and skyped our families. In the afternoon we headed over to John’s colleague Nick and Sarah were we had a feast! Turkey, ham, sausage, bacon, stuffing, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, shrimp, smoked salmon, chips, cauliflower all while drinking champagne and Pims. And to top it off for dessert Christmas pudding and Christmas cookies! I also can’t forget our Christmas crackers and snow! From the merriment of feasting we moved to meet our friends Chris and David for a Christmas movie and drinks at a boutique little theatre just down from our apartment called the Screening Room which is in the same building as John’s favorite boutique scotch whiskey bar Malt Vault. All in all a lovely day for two people very far away from home. Now as the week winds down and the clock ticks ahead into the next year we look back on how blessed we are and feel very grateful. We are looking forward to 2010 and are excited to see how it unfolds. We are planning to continue living life to the fullest and enjoying all we can out the adventure. We thank all our friends and family for their support and well wishes and wish you all a happy and blessed new year.

One Way to Spend Thanksgiving

Just before Thanksgiving we jetted off to Middle Earth aka New Zealand, for a magical two week vacation. John’s friend Del (they met in their Japan days) along with his wife Hitomi and daughter Amy graciously put us up for two days while we explored Auckland. We did lots of walking around the city checked out the national museum and spent the day on Waiheke (pronounced Why He Key) island –eating beautiful olives and chocolate cakes while drinking local wine and beer. Our adventure really began when we flew to the south island and picked up our bright red “Spaceship” minivan/camper in Christchurch. We then hit the road for a five hour ride to Dunedin. During our drive we were able to see a breath taking triple rainbow and nearly froze while checking out the 4 ft high marble shaped Moreki boulders strewn along the beach. After having safely navigated our first night drive into Dunedin we found ourselves at the home of Jon who is John’s friend Trent’s Appalachian trail hiking buddy. Dunedin was breathtaking and besides good company and food we had an incredible hike to Sandfly Bay where stumbled upon a pack/pack of Sea Lions. It was like we had walked onto a National Geographic special. From Dunedin we headed to Queenstown, Wanaka and Glenorchy. We discovered more breathtaking views, not only by road, but by air and sea via a helicopter and high speed jetboat river tour (the boat speeds at about 45 mph in three inches of water). Both in Wanaka and Gelnorachy we stayed at fantastic lodges with to die for food. In Glenorachy we watched magnificent sunsets, skipped stones, soaked in a hot tub that had sweeping views of the mountains and hiked the first leg of the Routeburn trail.
The Routeburn is one of the top ten trails in the world and frankly, it felt a bit five star, with it’s beautiful groomed trails and brand new river bridges. We had spectacular luck the entire time we were on our trip, but the one day that stands out was the day we drove from Queenstown to Milford Sound. It rains pretty much every day in the Milford Sound region, but on the afternoon we arrived the weather was perfect. The drive was so beautiful we found ourselves pulling over just about every 5 miles to take a picture or hike down a nature trail. We camped that night at the Milford Lodge making a huge meal of sausage and Sauer Kraut and I became a huge fan of John’s head lamp. The next morning we awoke to rain and fog which is normal in this region and headed for a boat tour of the Sound. The cruise was perfect because unlike the previous sunny day hundreds of water-falls were streaming down the fjord seemingly straight out of the sky and we even spotted penguins and seals. John braved to the bow of the boat and found himself under a melting glacier waterfall as the captain dipped the front of the boat in the rushing water. We met a lovely couple, Allison and Rob, from California who were staying near us in Te Anau so we ended up eating both lunch and dinner with them. In Te Anau we stayed at an awesome campground called Mountain View that had incredible brand new bathrooms that included: heated marbled floors, flat screen tvs and blow dryers at every vanity station. The next morning was John’s birthday and our big drive up the West coast. Our first pit stop of the day was at a café at Five Rivers Station in the middle of nowhere, but to our surprise had the most incredible freshly baked, raspberry, white chocolate, and coconut muffin! We settled in for a long ten hours of mountain driving, and were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Mount Cook and spent time walking around the famous limestone Pancake rocks of Punakaike where we splurged and got a cabin for the night. That night we celebrated John’s birthday feasting on fried seafood platter and cold beer with the locals. John is however still upset that he didn’t get a fried hotdog and at the waitress who rudely told him, he could get it anywhere in New Zealand just not there because the kitchen was shut. The next morning we were rushed out of campsite by some very unfriendly owners who were adamant that everyone leave the campground by 9am–I don’t think they actually like people. We continued our way north west ending up in Westport, NZ for lunch. Now if you are thinking, “I wonder if it’s like Westport, CT?” Well the NZ guidebook told us the town was the culinary epicenter of the south island. As we rolled into town I had to question the last time a tourist had even pulled through. We searched endlessly for someplace hospitable looking and ended up finding a little deli and were semi-delighted with our lunch of fried whitebait and quiche, but thought we should get out of there fast. About two hours later we finally arrived in the warm sunny beaches of Marahau where we set about organizing our kayak trip in Able Tasman for the next morning. That evening we strolled on the beach collecting mussel shells the size of my hand and got packed for our trip. The next morning we got up bright and early to set out on our two day full of Germans backpackers who according to kayaking adventure. We joined a group of six other kayakers plus a guide Steve and headed out on the ocean. Margaret sat in the front and John in the back to steer. The weather was perfect and the wind pushed us with ease in the right direction. We even set up a sail with everyone grabbing hold of the other kayaks and with the two front outside kayakers holding onto the sail and the two rear outside kayakers tying the sail to the paddles and hoisting it into the air. Although the sun was warm and the ocean looked tropical, it was actually a bit deceiving. We had seal playfully swimming by our kayak. We made it to our beach camp called the anchorage by early evening. It wasMargaret’s translations weren’t that exciting. After a Thanksgiving meal of pees, Uncle Ben’s Spanish rice and sardines we were the first to bed. The next morning we got up early and headed out, this time on our own. I must say I was very proud of our team work. We paddled our way to a deserted shore on Mosquito beach for lunch and made our way around Seal Island (yes, more seals!).

Our final leg was the most challenging with the wind trying to push of back and waves trying to tip us over. We reached our final destination and relaxed on shore while waiting for a speedboat to pick us up. As we had finished the final leg of the kayak journey a few hours earlier than planned we decided to try and make it halfway back to Christchurch so we could spend the night and next day relaxing in hot springs. Again luck was on our side. We found a 100% authentic (except for the optional bathing suit) Japanese hot spring called Maruia Hot Spring making us feel like we were smack in the middle of Japan, literally you felt like you had been transported, the décor the food, the workers all was in Japanese. We ate a delicious meal and headed to soak our bones in the hot spring. The evening ended with some warm tea and hot sake and John unknowingly switching into Japanese speaking mode. The following morning we woke refreshed and took another soak in the hot springs and had delightful breakfast. At this point we were on the final 24 hours of our trip. We managed to squeeze in a stop at vineyard called the Mud Room on our way back into Christchurch and sample their delicious Equinox Reisling. We arrived in the city in the late afternoon just in time to do a little shopping (cheese, meat, chocolate etc), a little spa treatment and to realize 99% of the town was booked for the evening because Pearl Jam was playing the next evening. That Christchurch was freezing! We walked around the city trying with difficulty to find a place to eat and overall weren’t blown away by the city. We lucked out and found a serviced apartment near the cathedral which worked out great because we had plenty of room to unpack our Spaceship and spread out all of our belongings that had been scattered around the car. The only downside to the hotel was the freakishly small parking garage. For a moment I thought we had made it all this way with the van only to take off the side of it in a parking lot! Thankfully with John’s parking skills the crisis was adverted. The next morning we got early to return our trusty Spaceship back to the garage where Sloan, the office manager was waiting, and headed off to the airport. Our travel in New Zealand had been so carefree and with such ease that it was a rude awaking when we had to stand in line for an hour to check our bags. When we got to the counter we found out that you can take 100lbs of luggage into New Zealand, but you can only take 45lbs out. Thankfully, our carry-ons had hardly anything in them and it dawned on me that the whole process was silly since the weight ended up on the plane anyways. It was also surprising that after we got our luggage sorted we had to stand in another line to pay an airport exit tax, which is something I thought only developing countries did. So it was a bit of a rough trip home, but with all the luck and fantastic moments we had while we were there, it was a small price to pay.

Summer, It Happened So Fast!

Two days after our beautiful engagement, June hit and I was off the USA for a month of visiting family and friends. I traveled the East coast, Vermont for my five year college reunion, the shore to visit with my dad and cousins, Connecticut to see Han’s new neck of the woods and of course my adorable little cousins, Maine for family and Pam’s beautiful wedding, Boston to see Katie’s fantastic new house, New York City with my ladies, New Jersey for among other things my very good friend Kate’s wedding shower and bachelorette party. John returned to the States at the end of June and the traveling continued: Together we did Beaver Lake with John’s family over the 4th of July- no fireworks, but there was a wiener roast. Then off to Long Beach Island and back up North to Maine where we feasted on lobster and Connecticut. We spent the last week back in Dumont and Jersey City as John was able to put in a few days at the office in New York. On our last day in the city we had a party with friends at the Trinity Bar in lower Manhattan. All in all it was a non-stop couple of months and it was fantastic reconnecting with so many beloved friends and family.
After returning back to Singapore in Mid-July we took a weekend trip to Bangkok. We connected with John’s friend from college and his wife. They just happened to have an out of town guest visiting. Well if you can follow this out of town guest turned out to the mother of someone I went to high school with and no one knew of the connection. Needless to say, a bit of a scream and cheer was had. John’s friend filled us with scrumptious food and connected us with a great tour guide, who led us away from all the crazy scams that go on in Bangkok.
We have been very busy for the last month. There has been a function practically every other night. From networking events, High Tea, to gathering of friends on the 64th floor of the tower club to take in the views and drink some beer, Wine & Cheese tasting, party at the American club-where I even had time to get a little ink done (this year we thankfully weren’t the only ones dressed to the theme) and a private cooking class in our apartment with eight friends.
As we head further into fall our schedule continues to be full. Plus, we have added a morning boot camp to the mix. We will be up bright and early three days a week for the next month –stay tuned for further reports. We are also in the process of planning a trip to New Zealand in November. The tickets are booked…

Engaged!

Margaret and I got engaged at the Keppel Marina at a restaurant called Prive on May 30th over a 9 course meal with wonderful wine parings. We saved the menu (click on it below)!
First the Amuse Bouch and the Crudo - So good we didn't take a picture!
Next the Spanish Ham, Figs and deliciousness!
Then out came our friend Exec Chef Wayne Nish to say hello and introduce his specialty assortment of foie gras! So good Margaret was in heaven and I decide it is a good time to pop the question.The RING!Then the main course of Wagyu Shortloin and 21 day dry aged NY Strip!
Then after the specially prepared cheese platter the Molten Chocolate Souffle! My mouth is watering just writing this.
She looked happy!
Even though it was along night and a slight bit chilly inside we were happy!Then we went outside to the Marina to call our friends and family until 2 am! We were a little tired and stuffed.
Coming to your neighborhood soon: June 29 Long BeachIsland NJ, July 2 Franklin NJ, July 7 Wiscasset Maine, July 13 New York City.

Spring Has Sprung

The spring seems to have flown by. It’s hard to believe that rest of the world has transitioned pretty much out of the cold and into warmer weather. For Easter we escaped the heat and went to Hong Kong for the weekend. The cooler weather was fantastic and we had tons of insider tips (a bonus of Singapore is that you (photo left-Singapore) meet lots of people who have lived in Hong Kong). You may think Hong Kong and Singapore are similar but they really aren’t. The best comparison would be Singapore is LA and Hong Kong is New York. Also, our trip came with a bit of culture/fashion shock. We realized that we weren’t in Kansas; or should I say the sub-tropics, anymore when we were turned away for tea because we had sandals on.
Hong Kong is a booming metropolis. In a very high-end jewelry store I leaned over the counter and asked the saleswoman, “Who is buying these huge gems?” She looked around and I got very excited because I thought she was going to tell me something juicy like, Madonna sends her people here. Instead she told me that their jewels are sold mostly to main-land Chinese and some (photo right-Hong Kong) Russian tourists. When you think about it, it is juicy that citizens of a so called communist state are flocking to Hong Kong to buy jewels tax free. What would Mao and Stalin think?
We had some good food on the trip, but nothing too exceptional like Singapore (need more inside tips Evan and Rodney). We stumbled upon a steak joint from White Plains, New York called "BLT" and jumped at the chance to eat a hamburger. Our other memorable food moment was at a famous Cantonese restaurant where they are known for their 100 year old eggs! They aren’t actually a hundred years old, but they are old none-the-less. Ammonia is used to ferment the egg and then it is buried until it becomes a kind of jelly consistency and black in color (we didn't eat them).
Not only did we spend time exploring the city of Hong Kong, but we took the hills and hiked the Dragon’s Back trail with our former neighbor George from Singapore. The trail had sweeping ocean views and strong winds. We made our way down the trail and had a fantastic lunch in a beach town called Shekko. That night we were wiped out from hiking and on a whim asked a maitre-d' if he knew where we could get a massage. The next thing we knew we were whisked away in a cab and found ourselves at a 24 hour spa. One level was for men and the other for women. You could order any sort of food or drink you wanted, relax in the steam room or sauna, and best of all get a massage. John opted for a foot and leg massage and Margaret opted for a full body-it was glorious! The woman actually walked on her back!
Upon returning to Singapore we found the Easter Bunny had made a visit. I was surprised to find all the Easter supplies in Singapore. Frankly, Singaporeans seem to be more into Easter than Valentine’s Day.
Besides our cultural experiences while traveling, we also kicked up our culture experiences here in Singapore a notch. One lovely Friday evening, we took in Jazz on the Sentosa beach. We also saw a performance of Romeo and Juliet by a small British Theatre group. The performance was held at the famous Raffles hotel. Before the play John and I decided to try the hotels famous Singapore Sling. The $23 SGD price tag threw us off so we luckily opted to split one. As we sat at the bar I noticed the bartender pull out a plastic half gallon jug of a no-name brand fruit punch. Basically we had just paid for Kool-Aid and rum.
April also included my birthday. John surprised me with a lovely jewelry box and a trinity band ring and took me to China Club. The club is really a restaurant, but you need to have a corporate or individual membership (we don’t have one). It just so happens that the restaurant is located on the 52nd floor of John’s work building. We ended up with the best table in the house; a corner table with a 180 degree view of Singapore. The food was delicious, Wagyu beef and Razor clams where among the dishes we tried. I have to say Razor clams are more like calamari than a clam.
As for May well, I have become head of my volunteer project at a girls home and taken up playing Mahjong, which is a Chinese tile game. We have now officially been living in Singapore for one year! Boy does time fly. I think we finally feel settled or as settled as you can feel in this transient city. We are both returning soon to visit the US and are really looking forward to it!
Lastly on a happy note, our foster kittens Gladdys and Oscar got adopted from the SPCA. We took them back to the shelter and within a week they were snatched up! Good thing because I wanted to keep them :)

March – In like July and out like August

It’s hard to believe that April is just around the corner. March has seemed to have flown by. With everyday being a bit like Groundhogs Day, sunny or rainy, we almost missed St. Patrick’s Day. Not to worry we found a bar with Guinness on special and fish and chips to die for, who could complain. I forgive them for not having corn beef only because the fish and chips where so good.
This month we continued to deal with fallout from our landlord’s ineptitude and cheapness. We have been through three washing machines in month. Our electric and water bill doubled, between the washing machine constantly running, the water leak and running the dehumidifier for a month! I think what annoys me the most is that we try to conserve and with Earth Day around the corner, I can only think what waste. More exciting and interesting things did happen this month.

Cricket

A few Saturdays ago, John convinced me to go play a casual game of Cricket. I jokingly told him that it better not be with professional players and he said no, no it’s with two corporations, just some fun. As we arrived on the field at 7:30 in the morning, we soon discovered that my intuition was more or less right. As we approached the practice area, I quickly and quietly told John not to mention a word about me playing. The teams consisted of former semiprofessional cricket players mostly from India and Australia, dressed in their gentlemanly whites. John got right into the swing of things gearing up and asking questions. I was quiet impressed with his ease, even if had never really seen and definitely not played the sport. The game lasted till about 12:30 just in time as the cool morning breeze had given way to the scorching sun of Singapore. I walked way not only understanding Cricket, but discovering my favorite part, half time or should I say tea time. There was a supply of tea sandwiches and earl grey tea for all.

Kittens

The same Saturday as Cricket, we went and picked up two foster kittens from the SPCA. The kittens had been found abandoned; some idiot apparently had thrown them in the garbage. The SPCA gave us the kittens and our start supplies and off we went. When we got home and opened the basket we found two very terrified kittens. They were little ragamuffins, skinny and dirty little things.

The seemed so damaged the first few days, that I still think back to it and become very frustrated with Singapore’s cruelty to animals culture. I also can’t help but to think of basic psychology, when a human hurts a defenseless animal just because the can, it’s often a sign that they are capable of elevating their violence to another human. What does it say about Singapore that there is epidemic cat torture? Food for thought…

I am happy to report that the kittens are doing exceptionally well. We had to teach them how to use the litter box, yes it was as exciting as it sounds. They now love human contact and meow for attention. Their coats are nice and shiny and they are growing. All in all they have been a delightful pleasure.

Indonesia

Lastly, we took an overnight trip to Bintan, Indonesia. It’s like going to Martha Vineyard, except before getting on and after getting off the ferry you have to through immigration and customs. Indonesia has a bit of a racquet going with their $10 Visa upon arrival, which the visa itself takes up an entire page in your passport. There was some confusion trying to get to the resort and we almost ended up being taking to the wrong one. Once we got things sorted and pulled out of the ferry terminal parking lot, we knew we weren’t in Singapore anymore. We drove along a nicely paved road surrounded by lush jungle and quiet, which you don’t find here. Within fifteen minutes of us getting in the car were at the resort sipping lime and ginger refreshments and checking into a cabana. The cabana came with a bay view and a Jacuzzi. There was also a monkey on the roof, but he came on his own. The hotel thought of everything, they had a library with books, dvds, and internet. A “buggie” (golf cart) took you anywhere you needed to go on the resort, which was situated on a cliff. The beach was pristine -amazing since Singapore’s water is quite polluted. The resort promotes eco-tourism and they have a conservation lab with scientist on the property. At this particular resort the scientific focus is on maintaining the surrounding rain forest. A yoga session was included in our stay, which ended up being more relaxing than expected. We did our practice in a cabana with the doors open and thunder and rain outside. The food of course was delicious, of all things we opted for the lobster pizza for dinner. Breakfast offered a mix of Asian and Western cuisine, champagne and the best ginger tea on earth. All in all not a bad way to end the month!