Singapore

Fall has been a Ball

2011-11-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

In September John kept his eye on the study ball and Margaret headed to the USA - part for pleasure and part for work. The work part - The Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
For five days she traveled around Denver and the greater area sampling beer and seeing how good beer is sold. What she learned - good people + good beer = sales. If you are ever in Denver check out Euclid Hall -ate there twice.
Other beer recommendations:
Left Hand
Shorts
Saison (style of Beer)

After getting back to Singapore it was none stop. Weekend one was the Navy Ball. We had a table of 10 great friends and danced the night away at the Ritz Carlton. And if you are wondering about Margaret's dress -she managed to squeeze into her senior high school prom dress and now can officially say she got her monies worth for the dress.

The following weekend John was in studying hard at school and Margaret snagged best dressed at the Special Olympics' Gala - Theme Sporty Chic.

We had time to stop the launch of YouTube Singapore.

Next up was Halloween. Along with 140 adventurous party goers we boarded a bus and bar hopped the night away. On the actual day of Halloween we had some of our condo's kids stop by for a trick or treat. -John was a big hit.

That same weekend we attended the Irish Fund - Fundraising Gala at the Fullerton. And if you thought we weren't busy enough. We found time to escape for a long weekend to Bali.

A destination that took us along time to get to. We often joke that we are the only people in Singapore who haven't been to Bali.

U of Chicago Business School

2011-09-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

A quick and dirty snap-shot from a taxi of the U of Chicago Business School in Singapore or John's home away from home:

Our Neighborhood

2011-09-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Checkout our neighborhood an article writen by Margaret

Let's try it again

2011-09-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well with a fair amount of timing passing. A wedding, another move and two cats later here we are still in Singapore! John is onto grad school and Margaret is onto hand craft brews! We are also now equipped with smart phones a bit behind the curve, but none less here we are ready to snap shoot and share. This time around we will try with a bit of narrative a bit of wikkipedia :)

September has begun we have left the hungry ghost and into the mid-autumn festival we have been giving and receiving booth classic and modern mooncakes. For the first time since arriving in Singapore Margaret is working for a true Singaporean company and has been lucky enough to be on the client side and thus receiving mooncakes. Quite frankly, maybe the best part about mooncakes is the box. Mooncakes are big business and the box plus delivery add to the extravagance

Over the last year and half we have both discovered the uniqueness and freshness of wetmarkets in Singapore.. The market with walking distance is very Chinese meaning no lamb and lost of Mandarin spoken. It is clean and run by lot of old timers and middle aged fish mongers - the women tend to be kinder and the fish mongers gruff. Tekka market is two metro stops away (15 minutes) this market is much bigger than our local market and if you can't find it at Tekka I don't know where you can find it from Thai to sweet potatos to kampong eggs to fresh meats and fish. Fresh delish, cheap and good!

If you ever wondered what the Singapore skyline looks like check out this photo:

The Hits Keep On Comin'

2010-05-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

We recently took a look at the blog and realized we have been a bit lax on keeping it up :). I think it only goes to show how busy our lives our here in Singapore. We can’t believe that another year has gone by, we officially been in Singapore for two years!

We have had an amazing first quarter in 2010. In January our friends through us a fantastic “Stock the Bar” shower. The hosts of our party (Kristina and Shaun) and our friends here are more than we could ever ask for!

Over Chinese New Year we went to the Philippines. It was an adventure filled with layovers in Manila where we gambled the hours away and shopped for pearls. We also had a bit of a hiccup with our flights that lead to a seven hour car ride on four hours of dirt roads. Once we got to our holiday spot it was pure bliss and relaxation. The people of the Philippines were very kind, that along with killer massages, mangos that would make the gods smile and breathtaking scenery, I would say made for a stellar getaway.

Over the past several months we have been enjoying lots of different wines. The “in thing” here in Singapore seems to be wine tastings. With the prices of wines in Singapore being no lower than $20 USD it doesn’t check out what’s best on the market. A lot of the wines come from New Zealand or Australia.

We celebrated Carnival at the American Club with a great group of friends. We danced and ate the night away.

John and I ventured up to Hong Kong for the Rugby 7s which is the biggest rugby tournament of the year. We spent the weekend drinking Pims and celebrating the fun with friends. We also went to our favorite spa where for about $20 for a 1 ½ hour massage where they walk on your back! The best part is the place is open 24 hours.

We are still having an amazing time here in Singapore. Looking forward to visiting home soon!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

2009-12-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-09-21T05:21:00.002-07:00

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!

2009-06-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-06T02:09:00.000-07:00

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!

New Years Comes But Twice A Year

2009-02-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

After a rather quiet start to the New Year came the booming celebration of Chinese New Year, which much to our chagrin lasted for three weeks. In the beginning we were excited to learn and immerse of ourselves in this unique culture tradition after all we live in the heart of Chinatown. The streets became more crowded and bright throngs of locals, who apparently only visit the market area once a year came to collect flowers, kumquat bushes, pussy willows, golden Buddhas and red signs of luck to decorate their homes and businesses. The local Buddhist Temple that holds a holy relic of Buddha’s tooth opened up for us to explore. Acrobats came from China to show off their almost super hero like flexibility.
Our apartment also looks over a small Buddhist temple that hung lanterns and covered the trees surrounding it with red lights. On the first night of the New Year it stayed up past twelve, including a puppet show. Inside the temple they were selling bags of New Years offerings of tangerines and incense. For the next two days Singapore virtually shut down, many businesses remained closed for the entire week. As the week went on, for us the excitement wore off. The temple across from our apartment often remained open with constant drumming or singing until about two in the morning. This might have not bothered us so much, but at the same time a massive pipe located between our bedroom wall and the bathroom broke leaving a water mark that in the end was about twelve feet by six feet. We had to move out of our bedroom and live in the office which faces the temple and its banging drums. Our landlord ignored our reports for three weeks and it wasn’t until we sent photographs that she very reluctantly showed up, made some odd comments questioning if this was our doing, but as a “Christian” she would do the right thing. I am still not sure what God had to do with the situation, although he may intervened and I was able to let the comment slide.
Valentines came and went in Singapore with a subtly that I did not expect. Perhaps it’s because so much pressure is put on people here to celebrate both Christmas and Chinese New Year with consumer products, large dinners and cold hard cash. John surprised me by taking me for Pecking Duck something that I had been craving for months. We ate four different duck dishes and I don’t think my belly had ever been so full! The restaurant was located in the Rochester Park Restaurant area. The restaurants are all located in a neighborhood of iconic black and white houses that have been converted to restaurants. It was a nice quiet evening as no cars are allowed on the street so you can stroll.

Happy New Year

2009-01-22T01:49:00.001-08:00

It has been a very busy end of the year for us here in Singapore. In October we had our first out of town visitor, my cousin, Chris. Together we explored not only the sights and sound of Singapore, but also traveled to Cambodia. We ate and ate while Chris was here. We went to a “No Reservations” recommend restaurant here in Singapore called the Sin Haut Eating House, which is a very nondescript whole in the wall, that offers no menu and out of this world seafood prepared Chinese style.

In Cambodia we continued to eat amazing food which I would describe as Thai food but with less to no chilies. We had our own private tour guide, Vanna, who was filled with detailed knowledge about Siem Reap. Vanna had been recommended to us by friends and we are grateful. Vanna truly helped make our trip! We had three very intense days of touring. One morning even called for us to begin before dawn so that we could see the sun rise at the famed Angkor Wat. We were surprise to find out that Angkor Wat is not one temple, but totally different temples that sat next to each other. We decided to venture to the capital city, Phnom Penh, via a five hour bus ride with driving sticking mostly to the opposite side of the road! Phnom Penh is a wild city with mopeds zooming from every corner and UN trucks with food making their rounds. It is a city that feels full of life, but there is also a strong feeling of darkness that looms just below the surface. We decided to take a tour of the Pol Pot Regime’s killing fields. It is the most horrific thing I have ever seen. Beyond having thousands of skulls on display in a temple, there were human teeth, clothing and bones scatter throughout the area. The mass graves were so shallow that they still turn up human remains and clothing when it rains and sometimes floods. I found it to be so haunting that I personally could not suggest that everyone should go there to learn. I also found it disturbing that site is operated by a private for profit Japanese company and it is unclear where the money goes and it certainly doesn’t look like it trickles down to the citizens who need it. Privatizing heritage sites in now common practice in Cambodia and it’s an extremely ironic considering the extremes of Marxism that were enforced only 30 years ago. On a lighter note one of the highlights of our boat tour to a floating village. It was magical and humble to see these fishing families so connected to the water, not land.

In November John and I were very excited to head back home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course being home was an absolute delight the only difficulty was that the time just flew by. My dad hosted a lovely welcome back party for John and I. We got to take time and enjoy John’s family’s newly renovated lake cabin. We were even lucky enough to have a brilliant fire, a bit of snow and bagels and of course a loving family! I headed up to Maine on a mini road trip with my brother Matt and got to enjoy a bit of fall in Maine with my mom and siblings.

In December we returned back to Singapore, decorated the apartment and enjoyed the rest of the holiday season. We did how ever leave for another trip. This time we headed an hour north to celebrate Christmas on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. We relaxed on the beach, played lots of travel scrabble, spent an afternoon on a private island and indulged in spa treatments as well as the uber-fabulous Thai cuisine (if you are ever there you must go to Poppies for dinner).

It was back in Singapore to ring the New Year with a relaxing evening of my mom’s potato encrusted salmon (yum), drinks at our local favorite –The Screening Room and home in time to ring the New Year with a bottle of Champagne and calls to family.

So here we now are in 2009, may it bring joy, happiness and prosperity to you all.

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T07:08:00.001-08:00

In Cambodia we continued to eat amazing food which I would describe as Thai food but with less to no chilies. We had our own private tour guide, Vanna, who was filled with detailed knowledge about Siem Reap. Vanna had been recommended to us by friends and we are grateful. Vanna truly helped make our trip! We had three very intense days of touring. One morning even called for us to begin before dawn so that we could see the sun rise at the famed Angkor Wat. We were surprise to find out that Angkor Wat is not one temple, but totally different temples that sat next to each other. We decided to venture to the capital city, Phnom Penh, via a five hour bus ride with driving sticking mostly to the opposite side of the road! Phnom Penh is a wild city with mopeds zooming from every corner and UN trucks with food making their rounds. It is a city that feels full of life, but there is also a strong feeling of darkness that looms just below the surface. We decided to take a tour of the Pol Pot Regime’s killing fields. It is the most horrific thing I have ever seen. Beyond having thousands of skulls on display in a temple, there were human teeth, clothing and bones scatter throughout the area. The mass graves were so shallow that they still turn up human remains and clothing when it rains and sometimes floods. I found it to be so haunting that I personally could not suggest that everyone should go there to learn. I also found it disturbing that site is operated by a private for profit Japanese company and it is unclear where the money goes and it certainly doesn’t look like it trickles down to the citizens who need it. Privatizing heritage sites in now common practice in Cambodia and it’s an extremely ironic considering the extremes of Marxism that were enforced only 30 years ago. On a lighter note one of the highlights of our boat tour to a floating village. It was magical and humble to see these fishing families so connected to the water, not land.

In November John and I were very excited to head back home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course being home was an absolute delight the only difficulty was that the time just flew by. My dad hosted a lovely welcome back party for John and I. We got to take time and enjoy John’s family’s newly renovated lake cabin. We were even lucky enough to have a brilliant fire, a bit of snow and bagels and of course a loving family! I headed up to Maine on a mini road trip with my brother Matt and got to enjoy a bit of fall in Maine with my mom and siblings.

In December we returned back to Singapore, decorated the apartment and enjoyed the rest of the holiday season. We did how ever leave for another trip. This time we headed an hour north to celebrate Christmas on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. We relaxed on the beach, played lots of travel scrabble, spent an afternoon on a private island and indulged in spa treatments as well as the uber-fabulous Thai cuisine (if you are ever there you must go to Poppies for dinner).

It was back in Singapore to ring the New Year with a relaxing evening of my mom’s potato encrusted salmon (yum), drinks at our local favorite –The Screening Room and home in time to ring the New Year with a bottle of Champagne and calls to family.

So here we now are in 2009, may it bring joy, happiness and prosperity to you all.

Weee

2008-10-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

Out and About at the Races

2008-10-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

We’ve been out and about town recently and have taken lots of photos. Last Friday we went to the races. With a little luck we won a sum on three races and managed to break even for the night. I always imagined horse races to be more glamorous than they truly are. Like all forms of gambling there seemed to be a lot of desperate people trying to make a quick buck. In Singapore currently, there is only one other form of gambling which is a very odd sort of lottery game. Next year Singapore will welcome its first casinos. The casinos will offer something like 30,000 new jobs. The government has recognized that there is a downside to welcoming this kind of resort; as result they are imposing an S$100 entrancec fee or a onetime fee S$2,000 for a year. The casinos are also not allowed to extend credit to the local population. I have also heard that if a local wants to enter the casino they have to go through a mini credit check to ensure that their income is over a certain amount otherwise they will not be allowed in.

Further trying to boast the Singapore tourism industry, the government also welcomed the first ever Formula 1 night race. In case you don’t know what F1 is this link should help: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/5/6063.html

The race cars hit speeds near 300 miles an hour. The cars create a noise duller and louder than you could ever imagine that slowly rumbles throughout the island. There were lots of ticket options ranging from pre race events to box seats to the main event walk about tickets, which is what we opted for. I would say that I am glad I went for the story, but for a person who is completely ignorant to racing I found it extremely hard to follow. The course was setup so that only people who had purchased grandstand seats could see live video which meant it was very hard to tell what was happening in the overall race. I think next year I might opt for the luxury of a bar stool instead of a ticket to watch the race.

Our Neighborhood

2008-10-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

What does Singapore look like? New, New, New! Singapore is all about luxury and knocking things down to get it. It also cost more to keep in an older car in taxes than just to go out and buy a new car. Lamborghini cars are so common place here that everyone refers to them as "Lambo" (I know it's a bit ridiculous). There are a few pockets of old Singapore that remain. One of them is our neighborhood, Chinatown.

American Club 60th Birthday Party

2008-09-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

John and I were lucky enough to snag event tickets to a big annual bash at the American Club. The theme was that you should dress of an era 1950's-1980's. We went all out 1980's. For the most part I would have to say it was a pretty unimaginative crowd, not everyone dressed up. We ate the best food we have had in Singapore -it was a mix of both Western and Asian. The music was top notch- two live bands. There was also fake tattooing, a tarot card reader, and a photographer running around snapping photos that you could pick up at the end of the night. All in all it was good old fashion fun!

Bird's Nest Advert (click on photo to enlarge)

2008-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

“Malaysia Truly Asia” –Malaysian Bureau of Tourism

2008-09-11T20:27:00.001-07:00

About a month ago joined John in Malaysia for part business and part fun. I flew Tiger Airways, an Asian budget airlines with no thrills and a nickel and dime you attitude. They are so budget that they don’t even fly out of the main terminal here in Singapore. They fly out a 1970’s orange and white hanger. The waiting area feels more like a bus terminal than an airport you even walk across the tarmac to the plane. Once on board I was upgraded to an Emergency Excited seat, that’s right up graded. Had I chosen this seat when I was booking my flight I would have been charged extra. A quick 45 minute flight and I was in Kuala Lumpur. Now I had been to the KL airport once before but I had forgotten the exact workings of the place. Immigration took nearly two hours to get through, no sweat I wasn’t in a rush and I had time to notice all the Chinese with surgical masks waiting the quarantine area –no idea why, but glad wasn’t with them! After getting out the airport I booked a taxi and was off. The airport is about an hour outside of the city and I must say Malaysia seems to have a very modern highway system.
Arriving at the Ritz Carlton around dinner; I didn’t know it then but it was turn out to be, “The worst 5 star hotel ever.”(JM) The hotel was one big fat disappointment and we had a list of complaints a mile long: broken sink, missing luggage, missing robes, hand prints in the bathroom that weren’t ours, constant miscommunication with staff and no follow through, and incessant noise –just the tip of the iceberg. Thankfully, the hotel was very reasonable priced, guess that should have been a clue! The most interesting part of staying at the hotel we stayed at were the amount of Arab tourist. I could probably write a blog just on this subject. It turns out after 9/11 Arab travelers no longer felt comfortable in the USA or Europe and they started to flock to KL. I was in what I would say is the most luxurios mall in South East Asia and all of the Arab tourist were snapping up jewels and handbags. The experience was very culturally eye opening.
We had a chance to meet up with an old family friend of mine. Rohan worked for my father about 10 or so years ago when he was a student in Malaysia. He now is happily married with twin boys! He and his lovely wife took us for a traditional and delicious Indian dinner just outside the city, where Rohan grew up. Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet them again the next time we are in Malaysia.
Besides seeing the famous Petronas Towers we also took a tour outside of the city to the Batu caves. These are very scared in the Hindi religion. We walked up 272 steps to reach the opening of a cave that became a natural Hindu temple. One of the fun and kind of nervous aspects of the adventure was that we were surrounded by fairly aggressive monkeys the whole time. I think my biggest problem was that I had seen "Outbreak" one too many times!

So how is life in Singapore?

2008-09-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

So how is life in Singapore? I have yet to post any personal thoughts on this very professional blog that Margaret has set up for us, but perhaps that is because I am not sure what to say. I do, however, know that I have an answer to the question “how are you and Margaret doing?” The answer is a simple but all encompassing “great”. While we both share an intense longing for our family and friends back home it is surprising to me how we have come half way around the world and yet feel right at home together.
Together Margaret and I like cooking, reading, swimming in the pool, playing rumicube and watching House or Ugly Betty. We also go out to eat and yesterday went to see the new Batman movie at the Gold Class Cinema, which is a movie theater with only 24 lazy boy recliners and waiters who deliver you food and wine. Intellectually, we like discussing global politics and economics, Singaporean/SE Asain conundrums and family & friends.
One of the best things about Margaret, is how she loves to try new things. This is perhaps self evident in her decision to move here with me, but it means that we are both able to get along very well and enjoy our experiences together. In some cases she is even more outgoing than me. Today, for example, she is volunteering at one of Singapore’s abundant shopping malls to help raise money for the SPCA. Something I think very few Westerners or Singaporeans would choose to spend their time doing. You wouldn’t get me into a jammed packed mall on a Sunday even if my life depended on it.
While finding a job in Singapore has proven to be difficult for her, Margaret has recently been hired as a consultant to work on a 1 week project at a very reasonable wage. In fact she and I were totally surprised at how quickly the company was to engage her, which speaks to her abilities and value. We are hoping that it may lead to a more permanent role, which would most likely see her working from home. Thus, in retrospect, one of the best decisions we have made may have been moving into an apartment close to my office. The fact that it is so close means that I can come home for lunch and share time with Margaret during the day, and if we also decide to foster a puppy for the SPCA I can help take care of it. It also means that the small 2 bedroom apartments we were looking at would have been much more confining vis-à-vis our 3 br place.
For those who are curious about my new job, I cannot comment lest I fall afoul of my company’s HR department. But, let me just say I am happy to be in Singapore. Hopefully you can come and visit soon.

The Land Down Under

2008-08-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a trip to Sydney, where we did not catch a glimpse of Crocodile Dundee, but we did spot a Subaru Outback. To be honest most of the cars there were either Ford or Chrysler, who knew!?

Oops

The first part of our trip was a little rough. The flight was long (7.5 hours) and packed. The man sitting next to me was angry at me that I wouldn’t switch seats with him; he simply just wanted an aisle seat. Not mention my seat was starting to fall apart, which leads me take back my stellar review of Singapore Airlines. Apparently, there is a big difference between economy and executive economy. After collecting our luggage and breezing through customs we headed to the money exchange, only to discover all of our Traveler’s Cheques to be missing. Realizing that they likely were on the immigration checkpoint counter, John frantically tried to convince an airport official to go and look. I suspect they only look half heartedly as they came up with nothing. We got in a cab, a bit stressed, but hopeful at least it wasn’t cash :/ It took us nearly a week to get replacement cheques, which we now would like to dispel the myth that traveler’s cheques are easy to replace. Thankfully we weren’t penniless because it turned out that I had accidentally packed my jeans in the wrong suitcase and they never made it to Sydney. So I spent the first couple of days of our trip in my dress pants. I did manage to find a pair of jeans on clearance for $30.

The Pope

Realizing all was not lost we pushed forward our first day in Sydney. After grabbing a bite to eat things started to get better. We headed off to find…the Pope! It turned out that at the same time we were in Sydney so where nearly 200,000 pilgrims who were attending World Youth Day. These pilgrims where made up of mostly 16-18 year olds who ran around (Left- Starting to feel a little crazy)the city screaming “Oy, Oy, Oy!” or stopping on the street to tell passerby that “Jesus Loves You.” (Above- Swiss Guard aka Men in Black Pope Security)We spotted them saying mass at the harbor, on cliffs, on the beach, in parks, in churches, outside of churches. We even heard a gaggle waiting for a ferry chanting, “We love Pope.” John and I waited about 2 ½ hours to see the Pope in his Pope-Mobile. It was an extremely disappointing event. It turned out the Pope’s security got nervous and he flew by going at least 25 mph. We had to laugh when the following day a news caster announced “Slow Down Pope!” He was much smaller than I imagined.

Wine

Realizing the city was swarming with semi-idolatry Pope loving youth, we decided to head for the hills. More specifically, Hunter Valley –Wine Country! John and I believe (besides seeing old friends) this was the highlight of our trip. The weather was ideal, blue sky and about 70 degrees. It was such a welcome change from the noise and hustle of Singapore. We stopped at a small village to test their “jungle juice [port]” and munched on delicious scones. It reminded me so much of Maine and its tiny villages. From there it was on to Mount Pleasant Vineyard, started by the McWilliam’s family, for a tour, lunch and of course a tasting. Even though it was winter there was still much to see and explore. The people in our tour group where fairly lack luster except of the driver and a couple (in their 80’s) from Tasmania. Of course I had to mention the movie “Young Einstein” to them although the more serious topic became the Tasmanian Devil, which has been inflicted with a very serious facial type cancer that is killing them off in droves. (Even at the zoo they were not to be found). We dined on fish and chicken while sampling four different wines and then John I headed for the wine tasting counter where we settled on a very nice 1979 Limited Reserve port. Next we touched down at the McGuigan Vineyard. We started to notice a trend of Irish Surnames. Ironically, the Irish had a large hand in the wine industry of Australia. Which may have stemmed from the fact that many of the early settlers/prisoners were Irish. Also, it should be noted that Yellow Tail is exported at a cheaper price than you can purchase it in Australia (much to the chagrin of many an Aussie). Here we learned about Muscato and Semillon wines which we have never seen in the US. Our third stop on the tour was to a shopping village that reminded me of the outlet shopping areas of NH and Maine. We were told a wealthy man’s daughter wanted to get married but she couldn’t find her perfect church. Her father not only built her a church, but also a small hotel to house the wedding guests, later came the shops. Beyond these more popular locales we stopped at are many small family run vineyards where you can only purchase their wine at their shops. There are also weekend homes sprinkled all over the countryside and some had their very own mini vineyards.

Food

We had a pretty difficult time finding food in Sydney that did not cost an arm and a leg. Pub fair seemed to be far and few between. If you wanted anything after 9pm the situation got even worse. The best meal we had was in Surry Hill a trendy Brooklyn like part of town. Billy’s was recommended by one of the porters at the hotel and he couldn’t have been more right. I am still dreaming about the Oysters and the amazing chocolate pudding, which was something between a soufflé and a molten brownie served with both a chocolate and a cream sauce. YUM!! After dinner we took a stroll, hit up a trendy local bar and found a bar/restaurant called the White Horse. For those of you who don’t know there is an amazing restaurant in Jersey City called the Light Horse. We found this hilarious as there is also Sam’s Warehouse instead of Sam’s Club, and a Hungry Jack’s instead of a Burger King. Our food binge continued with our friends Sara and Tracy. They took us to a German eatery where the beer was big and the Schnitzel even bigger. What I didn’t realize before my trip to Sydney is that there is a strong German influence there. You can pretty much find Schnitzel anywhere. A few days later we took a ferry ride across the bay to a town called Manly where John’s friend Sara, who he met in Japan, took us to a great restaurant where we had more yummy Oysters and KANGAROO! It’s quite delicious. We were also treated to a very special dinner our last night in Sydney by John’s (Below-Kangaroo served rare) friend Don from work, where we dined on more fabulous Oysters and very trendy Italian.

Zoo/Bondi Beach/Sydney Harbour

Sydney offers some breathtaking view and sights. According to all the tour guides it's the most recognized city in the world...I happen to know some New Yorkers who might beg to differ. Alias it pretty spectacular. The Sydney Zoo was stellar. All of the animals seemed to be very up beat and aside from some annoying tourists who insisted on touching all the animals the experience was A+. John's friend Sarah was kind of enough to show me around the dazzling Sydney water front areas including the famous Bondi Beach while John was at work. One really neat thing I saw was the salt water pools that are installed along the coast and fed by natural waves that will crash over into the pool. We also came across a cooky homeless person living on the edge of cliff. The authorities don't seem to mind, but from time to the person gets kicked off (not literally), but he always returns. You can't beat the view.

Next Stop Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....

Burgers, Freedom Fries & Fireworks

2008-07-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

In case you were worried that we not be able to enjoy a typical 4th of July, breathe a sigh of relief. We ventured out to the US Military Officers Club, Terror, where America proudly showed off the best that she's got. They brought in Fireworks, Miller Light, Cheeseburgers, Coleslaw, and Funky 70's classic hits band from Malaysia.

Boston has their “Big Dig” – John & I have our “Big Move”

2008-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

During the period of Boston’s “Big Dig,” pieces of the construction would slowly come together, but nothing much ever seemed to get done. Such was our apartment hunting experience here in Singapore. You may be asking yourself, “How can this be?” I shall explain:

The 99% of rental market is managed through Real Estate Brokers. The direct result is the process is more like purchasing a home than renting one. The process began with our Realtor contact brokers about their listings. Their conversation with immediately turn to the following questions: what race of their client is, where do they work, and what their price range? They are ideally searching for someone who is white and works for a bank. (Their words not mine)(Left: Living Rm; Right: Living Rm/Front Door)

Once we found an apartment as the renter you must give a signed offer along with an initial deposit check. At this time negations begin. The potential landlord will counter offer. When the terms are agreed upon the landlord will sign the offer letter and cash the deposit. From this point negations continue further, will the apartment have a dryer or a fridge or curtains, etc.. If the lease agreement cannot be settled upon both parties have up to 14 days to pull out. Sometimes you may encounter situations where there are multiple offers and a bidding war will ensue. To fully secure a rental the lease must be signed, the initial deposit cashed and two to three months’ rent must be paid up front. After the housing is secured the renter has one month to report any problems to the landlord who will pay the bills in full. When one month is up the renter must pay the $100 of any work done to the apartment. If you end up with a brand new building all work is covered under a one year warranty. Often when you are trying to rent a place you will end up having an offer or two fall through. Our experience was no exception. Thankfully we did not get sucked into a bidding war. And so... (Left: Dining Rm)

We first set our sights on a very sophisticated “quiet” apartment. It included a private elevator, a full size “American” fridge, three bathrooms, a bomb shelter/maid quarter, two bedrooms and a view of a home that costs $40,000 a month. After placing our offer,”the Realtor suggested we go take a walk around the neighborhood. We heeded the advice and took a Saturday evening jaunt. Only to discover that our sophisticated apartment was not quiet at all (there was major construction going on down the block) and to get there from the subway you had to walk along a major highway. Needless to say we withdrew the offer on Monday. (Above: Kitchen)

(Left: The tallest building is where John works)

Next we were just as enthralled by a brand new “Resort Living” development. However, there was some hesitation because the development was so new that minor construction was not finished. We figured that we could live with it as things would eventually settle down. The Realtors had us convinced that they were getting the best deal for us. (I will try and not go into too much detail of the events that occurred as it turned out to be an exhausting sorted affair.) This time we gave a check with our offer in hopes the landlord would understand how serious were about the place. The landlord didn’t care after holding the check for a week the landlord still hadn’t agreed (she was hoping for a bidding war). We walked away. (Right: View of Temple)

Our next consideration was actually an apartment building that we had discovered on the internet before coming here. We saw the apartment in the morning and placed a bid that evening. After about an hour of phone negotiation we were just about ready to set our sights on something else when, we settled! Four days later everything was signed sealed and delivered.
(Above: Pool)

So after two months of scouring the nation of Singapore we are now living in “Emerald Garden” in the heart of Chinatown. It’s a three bedroom apartment, with a great view and most of the time, an enjoyable breeze. It’s a very typical luxury condo for Singapore. There is marble (Right: Front Gate) everywhere. We have a nice courtyard with probably the most important commodity, a pool! The facilities also include a gym and 24 hour security. The property is completely gated. The security reminds me of something you would see in the third world. Our neighborhood is spectacular. It feels like you just walked into some colonial town in the 1840s. It’s very Soho in nature. Fancy boutiques and delectable restaurants with always an Aston Martin or Mercedes parked on the street.

“Malacca Hi,” Lekka Hiney Ho!

2008-06-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

One of the neat things about Singapore is that it is such a small country. You can stand on the southern shores and clearly see Indonesia; where many head to for a day of golf because it’s cheap! Or if you head north you can’t help but come across Malaysia. In fact, I am pretty sure you could swim to or with a good bat swing land a baseball on its shore.
Since John and I are still staying in a hotel we decided to take advantage of a hotel tour to Malacca, Malaysia. Two Saturdays ago we woke up bright and early for our 7:30am pick-up. A bit groggy we boarded a minibus and hoped it wasn’t going to take us all the way to Malacca. And so began a day of slight mishaps and minor confusions. We transferred at the tour office to a luxury double-decker bus. We were the last people to board the bus and got in trouble for sitting in the wrong seats. Apparently we had been assigned them but no one told us. We traveled along to the border where we waited for about three hours to get through. At one point our bus driver came up to the top deck and told us that we would have to disembark to go through customs and quickly disappeared back down to the driver’s seat. John and I sat there a bit confused because we were at the back of the bus, but no one moved to get off. Everyone seemed a bit confused. So John went and checked with the bus driver who looked at him funny. It turned out we had some time to go before we had to get off.

Getting through the Singapore border check point was simple, but a bit intense. Let’s just say it isn’t anything like a trip over to Mexico or up to Canada. As person passing through the border between Singapore & Malaysia is met with sense of ease, security, and a bit of intimation. All meant to create an understanding that Singapore is an efficient, strong, sovereign State.

Our tour guide came on the board the bus at the Malay border. He introduced himself and announced that we were on our way to Kuala Lumpur. To which John immediately raised his hand asked, “Are we going to Malacca.” The tour guide, “Yes, we are going to enjoy Malacca today.”

After six hours on the bus we arrived in Malacca, still a bit lost. We were ushered into a hotel with four other people and sat down to dim-sum lunch. John and I had to laugh because we didn’t quite feel we were getting a cultural experience with six hours on a bus and a lunch at very sterile hotel. From the hotel we rushed around Malacca taking an Augen Blick of 600 years history in about two hours. (Towards the end the women in the group including myself were begging for water!)

Now at this point you who are reading about my trip might be thinking, “What possessed them to take this trip?” First of all as they say, Ignorance is bliss. We had no clue how long we would be on the bus for! Most importantly we went because of the history and check out the modern importance of the water ways that surround the city. Since the 1400’s Malacca has been an extremely important out post for explores and tradesmen. Today the Malacca Straits is one of the most heavily trafficked and pirated areas in the world. I believe 80% of Japan’s oil flows through the stretch of sea. In the 1520s Malacca became part of the Portuguese expansion into the East Indies. In the 1540’s Saint Francis Xavier came to the coastal city and died there during monsoon season. After the monsoons ended he bodied was eventually taken to Goa which is still his resting place today. The Dutch then took over the area in 1641 ruling for over 100 years, until they lost interest and headed for Indonesia. By the time the English arrived in the 1800s the city was in despair. It was at that time a conscious effort was made to preserve the city this was also helped by decisions made during World War II. –The British “abandoned” Malacca and fought to stave off the Japanese further south. “Abandoning” is how a local Malay would describe what happened, but even if that was a truly accurate statement in the end they were given a truly beautiful gift, the preservation this historically diverse place. A true melting pot, where today you can still find a small number of people who still speak Portuguese there.
Here’s is a link to more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca#History

We arrived home 12 hours later. Still intrigued by this city where people who come from a mixed heritage are often referred to as “Straits” and modern landlords make more letting the their houses be run over by sparrows for Bird’s Nest Soup than renting it out. Where they are still fond of Jesuit priest and honor Buddha (Malaysia’s official religion is Islam).

Day to Day Lives

2008-06-13T02:39:00.000-07:00

For the last week I have been trying to decide what should write about. First, I thought about the song from the Broadway show, Avenue Q, “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” Then I could not help, but thinking of all the luxurious slogans of Singapore Airlines, known to be “A Great Way To Fly” or when they suggest you to, “Experience a whole new way to fly in comfort and leisure with First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class.” Singapore is a land where luxury buildings rise among public housing (subsidized by the state, the tenant has 99 year lease and the apartment is renovated every 40years). It’s also a land where you can find housing developments called Bel Air and shopping to rival 5^th Ave, but you can also find an area of town called “Little India.”

I recently found out that there is no minimum wage in Singapore that in fact Starbucks charges $4.50 for a latte and they pay their employees $3.50 an hour. It might surprise you to know that is on the high end for the service industry. In the evening you will often see truck beds full of construction day laborers. At first I couldn’t understand where they all lived or how they could afford to live in Singapore, until someone explained that at night they head over the border to Malaysia where they live in shanty villages. They get one day week off (Sunday) and flood the streets of Little India.

Being a maid is also an interesting profession in Singapore. Full time maids tend hail from either Thailand or the Philippines. Many apartments come with a small maid’s courters, which is usually off the kitchen and not air conditioned. Their bedroom is usually big enough to place a twin bed and maybe squeeze in a dresser that is, if you are a maid who ends up with an Expat family. If you are a maid who works for a local family you will most likely receive a mat for your room or you might sleep in the kitchen, if not with the children. Maids are paid about $140-$210 a MONTH (on the higher end for an Expat), plus as the employer you must pay about $210 a month in taxes. Time off depends on the family the maid works for and what they are paid, it could be every Sunday off or one Sunday a month or one Sunday every 3-4 months! Often if maid is employed by local, they may not be allowed to leave the house until their day off. Condos do not allow maids use the swimming pool. If you get pregnant as a foreign maid you are automatically deported, unless the father is a citizen and willing to marry you.
Singapore does make public transportation fast, comfortable and affordable, you will pay no more than a dollar to ride a bus or take the subway. Taxis are also extremely cheap $3.50 a ride on average. Going to a matinee is also reasonable about $5.00. You can also splurge ($20) and go to the luxury movie theatre were servers bring food to you as you set in a reclining lazy boy with a blanket.
You can eat out here on average anywhere from $4.00 to $35.00 a person.It’s often cheaper for a family to eat out than to buy groceries. Service is more often than not sub par, whether dining or shopping. Our favorite bar that we have discovered is not far from our hotel. At the Park View. The building was built several years ago by an extremely wealthy man from Hong Kong. He is so particular about whom he allows to rent office space in the building that he must check their fung shui. In the lobby of building is spectacular bar with waitresses who fly to retrieve bottles of wine. The ambiance is beyond glamorous and if this bar was in New York it would be packed with people and top notch servers. But here in Singapore it’s practically empty every time we have been with fabulous live music and no one clapping. The servers although cute are for the most part lack luster and have no idea what’s on the menu. All that aside, I find this all fascinating since there is a sign when you enter that reads, “Members Only.” When we looked up information a membership we found the cost was $3,000 a year.

HERE IS SOME INFO ON THE AREA WE ARE CURRENTLY LIVING IN: http://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore/Bugis

Arrived

2008-05-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

After a very stressful week of cleaning up shop in the US, John left for Singapore on May 4th and I left on the 16th. Arriving in the pre-dawn hours the airport was quiet and customs was a breeze. (I still can’t believe I was on airplane for 18 hours) I anxiously awaited my luggage which all appeared. I probably shouldn’t have been so nervous, after all the Singapore Airline service had been nothing, but stellar from beginning to end. After spotting John through the thick glass walls, I met him just past the sliding glass doors. I must say it felt really good to see him and solidified the relief I had flight when I felt those airplane wheels hit the ground.

My first impression of our temporary apartment was that it was much larger than I imagined. It’s clean and modern. You get the benefits of staying in a hotel, but a bit more sense of home because it’s a large apartment. The electric system is interesting as the majority of lights are controlled from a panel by the front door. The ACs are individually controlled units, thus you have the ability to control the cooling room by room. It reminds of how I heated my house in Japan. The view is really beautiful from the apartment overlooking the Islamic area of the city. As well as an unobstructed view to a very large art deco building, that truly looks like something out a Batman movie. The pool is also beautiful and you cannot help but find your mind wondering to thoughts of Pina Coladas or the classic Singapore Sling.

There are several large malls within walking distance. All of them boast very tasty food courts. I would have to say that Singaporeans seem to love their food and their shopping malls. Food here is quite interesting as it’s a fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Islamic cultures. Of course you can easily find western food. Singapore boosts dozens of what are referred to as a “Hawker Centre,” this is where the old Singapore meets the new. The government rounded up the street cart food vendors and put them in large eatery centers. (You can find the same thing in Hong Kong) This type of food is cheap –it’s probably cost as much to prepare a meal at home as it does to eat at one these centers. The restaurants are good, although some seem to try too hard to be western. The most of the food you will find is spicy and hot. They really enjoy soup, which I find a bit funny, since it’s so hot here –the last thing I want is soup. For the Starbucks Lovers, not to worry they are all over the place.

We are continuing to look for an apartment. It’s going to be a tough choice. Each place is degree of amazing, whether it be location, view, amenities. I think the most interesting/amusing thing we have discovered is the “open air” kitchen. These kitchens have no window or door. It’s simply exposed to the outside. You have to request for the landlord to put in a window or a door. One Realtor told also that we could absolutely not put in a door. It is an interesting concept because it does help with the natural airflow of the apartment, but I wouldn’t want to see a bird or worse a monkey (joking) enjoying food that I accidentally left out!

So for now I would have to say Singapore is great! It’s a very comfortable place where you can easily acclimate yourself to the unique mele of cultures around you. One funny difference is that you will often not see an "Exit" sign, but instead you will see "Way Out" signs.