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!

New Years Comes But Twice A Year

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.