Merry Christmas!!

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday!  It's December 23rd, and as I write this, it is about 98 degrees, rainy, with the sun fighting to shine through.  I haven't posted in a while ( 10 days as my mother so kindly reminded me today).  We've been keeping busy, just living the life, as Larry says.  He switched his hours again to second shift, and will go in around 11, and be home around 10 pm. We celebrated Christmas with a few Boeing people last night.  We went to a Japanese restaurant, had sushi and sashimi, and a few other fish, chicken and rice dishes, with green tea ice cream for dessert. I love sushi, but am a newbie when is comes to the raw stuff.  I did pretty good, and only gagged and politely reached for a napkin once. Not sure which piece I didn't like, I just know it had a weird texture, and it got the better of me.  Our companions acted like they didn't notice.  Ha!  Larry and I opened our presents from my parents, as well as each other, and enjoyed all of our loot. 

Christmas in Sing has been different to say the least.  I've been fighting a pretty bad case of homesickness this past week or two, and with the warm weather, it's been a challenge to be my normal holiday frantic, jolly self.  I've been reluctant to post about it, or even tell anyone, because really, who wants to hear from a newly married woman that won the love lottery, moved to a beautiful tropical country, is retired for the moment, gets to travel all over the place, that she is homesick?  Puuaallese....No one.  Believe me, I am fully aware people have real problems. So I was loathe to post about something that seemed, a little, well, shallow.  As I was crying the other day, thinking about going to get the Christmas tree with my dad, I suddenly heard my Grams voice in my head  "OHFERGODSAKE!!! quit your boo-hooing and get over it!!"  Warm and fuzzy, she was not, just a practical midwestern farm girl. Hearing her voice, which after a few years of her being gone, now sounds in my head like a mix between Harvey Firestein, and the woman cop in Fargo, I came to the conclusion that I can feel crappy about this for a bit, as long as I realize just how good we have it.  I do.  We both have our health, each other, and our families are doing well, we live in a groovy place, and get to do and see things most people only dream about.  So, missing everyone and everything from home is one thing, whining about it is another.  

Things are just different. By this time, in the states, I would have probably seen It's a wonderful life 15 times, eaten about a pound of my dad's fudge (yes, I'm serious, and not the least bit shameful) I would have shopped for my family and friends, and would probably be running to walgreens right now for tape or something to finish wrapping.  I would have gone to a few parties, helped Jimeyer with his gingerbread party (helping 12-15 kids, strung out on sugar construct a full gingerbread house in 3 hours) shoveled several inches of snow, and gone to pick out a tree with my dad, riding in the yukon, base bumping the latest itunes purchase.  I would have distracted my mom as I snuck yet another of her raspberries butter cookies, and we would have both gotten a little teary eyed as we decorated the tree and looked at the angel ornaments that remind us of Debby.  I'd be helping my parents get ready for the annual Christmas eve party, getting the last of my cards in the mail, had several colds from being run down, and generally doing what we all do during the holidays. We are doing things differently this year.  First of all, we're married.  Hello! Big change.  Second, we're going to Bali (another reason I didn't want to publicly whine) on December 24th.  I've been dying to go since before I even got here. Larry does an impression of me talking about Bali that he thinks is accurate.  It's not.  It is funny though, I should try to get him to do it on the video camera, and post it. So, instead of the usual christmas activities with our families, we'll be spending Christmas day on the backs of elephants, cruising through the rain forest.  Um....who's life is this?? Just some chick's that is lucky in life, and love. So, no more whining, or boo-hooing.   I have you all in my hearts, and I am counting the days till I come home for a visit (approx. 129)  Thank you all for the wonderful support and love you have given both Larry and I as we enjoy this crazy adventure.

Merry Christmas everyone, we love and miss you all so much it hurts! Be safe, happy and enjoy the little moments, that's what matters the most anyway.

And look for a bazillion fabulous pictures from The Snapper when we return!

xoxoxo

Pam

Chinatown

I went to Chinatown last weekend with my friend Lydia. We had a mission...to find a beauty supply store that I could buy hair supplies at, and get my scissors sharpened. I met her at the Chinatown MRT station, which by the way, I am getting quite adept at taking all over the place! It's so easy, now that I have it figured out! ha! Doing it on my own when Lar was in Seattle is what really helped. I learn by doing, so I dove it, and have it figured out. It's a pretty cool feeling, and I feel like the city opened up for me a lot more. I still take cabs when I need to, but the MRT is cheap and fast, plus it makes me walk, which is good. And since I rarely get a seat, my balance is getting good enough where I don't always have to hold on for dear life, and sometimes I get pretty bold, and let go for a moment. I do kinda miss driving, and just hopping in my car if I need to go somewhere, but it's amazing how quickly I've gotten used to not having one.

Anyway, after Lydia and I found the store, and I bought a few things I needed to do Larry's hair, we walked all over Chinatown.  Lydia is a native Singaporean, so she's been a huge help when I want to explore.  She's a wealth of information, and very eager to show off her town.  We went to a Chinese temple that just opened this past May.  It was so beautiful.  Such a gem...it's new, but still very traditional.  There were many Buddas that people were praying to, and I'm sorry to say I don't know more about them.  I do know that certain Buddas are for certain things, like happiness, or wealth.  I just enjoyed exploring, and savoring the peace and tranquility that can only come from a house of worship.  The rooftop is a traditional chinese garden, and it was spectacular!  There was a huge cloisonné prayer wheel, and if you spin it, it is said that your prayer goes out over the whole world. Love the thought of that.

After the temple we walked around the market of chinatown, and it was pretty touristy, selling lots of little trinkets and souvenirs.  Very fun to check everything out though.  I'm still on my quest to find a jade bangle bracelet that actually fits my giant american wrist.  The sellers are funny...when they see what I am looking for, they usually get wide eyes, then sadly shake their heads no.  It's a hoot.

I saw a spa that was doing eyebrow threading for a pretty cheap price, so Lydia and I went to check it out.  I had heard it was a pain free form of hair removal, and signed right up for my eyebrows, and upper lip.  I barely made it through my brows....tears were streaming down my face the whole time.  She started the upper lip, and I knew there was NO way in hell I could tolerate the pain.  She felt terrible, and kept coaxing me in Singlish " Can, yes?  can, can"  I kept frantically saying " No, cannot, cannot".  A typical Pam moment.  There truly are times that I feel like I am recording my own reality show, or an episode of I love Lucy....I'm always getting into little scrapes.  It was very funny, and my brows look great!  My upper lip, however is still in need of care.  Too bad I'm such a wimp!

After that fun little 15 minutes, we went to a hawker stand for lunch.  I had noodles with shrimp and vegetables, and shared some dumplings with Lydia.  Everything was really yummy, and I spilled chili sauce on my white t-shirt, using chopsticks.  Rookie.

It was a great day, and I came home with lots of fun stuff for Lar's hair, and a few little things for the house.  I'm sure we'll go back soon, Lar will love taking pictures at the temple.  I also found a perfect spot for us to watch Chinese new year festivities.  Definitely a cool part of town!

We went out to dinner with Kevin, on Saturday night.  He is a friend of ours from Boeing.  He is leaving for his new assignment in Thailand, so we brought him on our weekly Holland Village excursion for dinner to celebrate, and wish him Bon voyage. We tried a Lebanese restaurant, and it was pretty good.... not as good as in Detroit, or as good as my Mom's grape leaves, but still pretty yummy.  We're thinking we will try the Turkish place this weekend.  Kevin is a fun guy to hang with, and we're looking forward to visiting him in Thailand in a few months.

Today was the first sunny day we've had all week.  The rainy season is in full swing!  It pretty much rains and storms now everyday.  My swimming regime is on hold for now, and I go to the gym at the hotel across the street just about everyday to workout.  Still hate it, but I do occasionally get a little endorphin rush, and feel pretty good.  Getting in shape is a slow process, but I'm committed, and sticking to it.

Well, I am off to bed...miss you all, and feel free to call us on the new vonage phone.

xoxoxo

Pam

Night Safari

I'm a little late in posting this, we actually did the night safari over thanksgiving weekend. Oh well, better late than never. It was pretty neat! The Singapore zoo opens up at night, and showcases it's more nocturnal animals, and takes you around on a tram. I think Lar and I were both hoping for a little more excitement, and the line of the the night was " it's the zoo....at night." But they try to make it more of a night time event, and there were bars all over the zoo, which I thought was kinda funny. The best exhibt was the fruit bats...they were very active, and were flying around our heads. It took me a minute to gain a little composure, and not run around screaming, but once I did, it was pretty cool to be able to check them out up close. Some of them were huge, and the wing span really surprised me. They also used their wings as hands....super cool. Overall, it was a pretty cool thing to go and see. We can mark it off our list! ha!
I'll post again this week...I've been slacking!
love and miss you all!
xoxoxo

A Cozy Nook

The whole time I've been here, I keep saying that Sing reminds me of a very hot, tropical, clean and Asian New York City. Tall buildings, excellent mass transit, and plenty of it, many different cultures, beautiful parks, food galore, and shopping that rivals 5th avenue. The only thing that was really missing to me, aside from bagel stands and bodegas every few feet, were the little neighborhoods I always loved about NYC, that almost seem hidden. You can take a turn and bam, you're in a tree lined neighborhood, with little grocery stores, people walking and chatting. Real life. I always loved that aspect of NYC, that when you're in a huge concrete jungle, there are still little nooks with character. Well, Lar and I think we found a cozy nook! It's about 10 minutes by cab from our house, and it's a neighborhood called Holland Village. I instantly felt at home, and said how much I love it about 8000 times, until I caught the thought balloon over Lar's head that read: " if she says that one more time, I might have to throw her out of the speeding cab". We went to find an electronics store Larry had heard about. We found so much more...cute little shops, a small wet market, a reasonably clean looking hawker court. And resturants! Lots and lots of cool little places. The first one we sampled was my beloved Pho (of course!) I almost knocked several tiny chinese women down when I stopped dead in my tracks and screamed: PHO!!! LAR! PHO!!! It was a really pretty day, slightly cooler, lots of sun, and a good breeze, so we walked around a little and explored. It's a little area, that seems to be situated in a circle. It's an European ex-pat area, but unlike the posh, razzle dazzle of our neighborhood ( that gets a little old) this has character, and is a little bit worn around the edges. We went into one of the shopping centers, and found a cool home store called Lim's. It reminds me of pier one, but cheaper, and cooler stuff. We bought some dried weed looking things for the living room, and a few Christmas presents. I think Larry even liked it a little. There are also lots of spas in the neighborhood, offering everything from massage,and reflexology to facials and nail services. The prices seem cheap enough to where I would consider checking it out occasionally.
We ended up having to go back on Monday night to return something, and we had planned on going for Pho again (because it makes me so deliriously happy), but at night, all the restaurants were lit up, so we ambled around and checked out the possibilities. There was everything from Lebanese, to Japanese, burger bars, thai, Italian, you name it. We settled on Cha-Chas...we're pretty sure the only mexican restaurant in Sing. We looked at each other, shrugged, and said, "What the hell!" It was pretty good! They aren't afraid of chillies in Sing, so it was pretty spicy, but we like hot stuff, so it was good. We were glad we stepped out of our safe little Pho box, and tried something new. We decided to pick a new place each week, in Holland Village, and check it out. I'm sure I'll let you know how they are in future posts. I have gone back on my own to run an errand, and I tried the local breakfast that is so popular in Sing. It's called Kaya toast, which is homemade bread, toasted, and spread with butter, then coconut jam, called Kaya. It is served with a soft boiled egg, and really strong, pre-sweetened coffee. I'm not a wiggly egg kind of person, but I was so inspired to keep stepping out of the box, I tried it. Not bad...not sure I'll get the egg portion again, but the toast and coffee were yummy.
So, that's what we've been up to....still doing the exlporing, touristy stuff. I'm missing everyone pretty bad, and even miss snow! It's so surreal here right now....christmas lights, and music everywhere, but it's still 98 degrees in the shade. Weird, and kinda hard to get in the spirit.
Hope you are all well, and enjoying the holiday prep!
xoxo!!