Lucky

My Mom works for the city of farmington, in Michigan, and she got to ride the fire truck for her birthday...just thought these pictures were cool!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

In a strange turn of weather events in Singapore, it rained the other day.  Oh heck, who am I kidding?  It pretty much rains everyday for at least a little bit.  But this time, we were in our new car, stuck in it...and it was slightly awe inspiring. Here is Larry's Texan take on it.

Wheels

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild

© MCA Music (BMI)

We got our new wheels this weekend!  We took over the lease on Larry's co-workers car.  Linda is headed to Hong Kong, so we now have her car!  We spent the weekend cruising around, and only got lost about 5 times.  We're looking forward to being able to explore the island on our own, and the freedom of jumping in our car and going somewhere.  Anyone need a ride?

Dreaming Of Sari's

 

This past month we have been celebrating Deepavali in Little India.  It is the Hindi New Year. Called the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being, light versus dark.  Deepavali is celebrated on the new moon day (approx fifteenth day) of the month.  I was here for it last year, but knew very little about it. This year, I did a little research, and having been here a year and bumming around little india all the time, I really enjoyed it.  Little India is by far my favorite part of Singapore.  I say it a million times when I'm down there, how comfortable I am, how "real" this part of town is, ect. I love how it swirls around me in a haze of color and aroma, overwhelming my senses, and making me wonder just how many yards of fabric I would need for a sari of my own.  I actually have one(thanks Deb!!), but I left it in Michigan.  You see, I have always had a fascination with the Indian culture.  I think it's highly likely I lived there in a past life.   I can't get enough of the food, smiling people and sense of peace that comes over me when I am there.  I love strolling along, looking in the jewelry store windows,  admiring the sari's and sidestepping a fresh load of flower garlands being delivered.  The smell of curry and other spices wafting from the stalls and shops intoxicates me.  I also love that I am not so much an oddity in little india as I am in other parts of Sing.  Big healthy girls like myself are looked at as a sign of prosperity.  I can actually find clothes to fit me here, and I love to stock up on the indian blouses that line the streets for the tourists. When I am asked where I am from by the shop keepers, and I say that I am from America, but I live here...this always delights them, and they ask if I've had my lunch, would I like to buy some gold, and did I need a good tailor?  Then they ask if I like it here, and their eyes light up when I say I do.  They are proud of their little community, and it shows.  One of my great hopes in being over here is to be able to get to India.  I just have this burning need to see the real thing for myself.  I'm trying to talk Larry into taking a quick, weekend trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  We'll see if we get there...and if we do, I'll have my sari all ready to go.

Meet The Other Man.

This is the "other man" I spend time with...he is my super cute neighbor, Josh, and we've been buddies almost a year now.  He is from the UK, and he and his family live in our building.  We met at the pool, and we just hit it off...he is such a fun guy, and we have a blast together.  He comes to visit at my place from time to time, and we have fun building forts, playing with rocks, and pretending all sorts of stuff.  I often have to giggle at the way he and I sometimes struggle with our different versions of the english language....but we figure it out, and he's patient with my nasaly mid-western accent and stuttering.

He has made some my more homesick days a little easier.  He's definitely a bright spot in my life here in Sing.  

                                                       

                                                       He thinks my red shoes are fabulous too!

You Haven't Lived.

A recent conversation between Larry and I:

Larry: Motley Crue is coming to Fort canning Park, wanna go?

Me: (guffawing,trying to breathe, snickering,gasping) Um, DUH....how could we NOT go??

Larry: Ok, order tickets.

Me: Honey?

Larry: (warily)Yes?

Me: Can I wear my leather bustier, and leopard print stretch pants?

Larry: Um, do you own a leather bustier and leopard print stretch pants?

Me:  Well, no.  But I could.

Larry: Maybe you should try to 'blend in'.

Me: hhhmmmppffttttt. (pouting)

Me: Honey?

Larry: (sighing) Yes?

Me: Can I rat my hair real big and wear an inappropriate amount of eyeliner?

Larry: (rolling eyes) Sure, go for it.

Me: SAAWEEEET.

So, I've heard you haven't lived until you've seen a rock show in Asia.  Not only did we see one, but it was the venerable aging rock gods in Motley Crue.  This was their first time in Singapore, and it was an awesome show.  I was fully prepared to make snarky comments all night about how old they are, and how they needed walkers to get to the stage.  In reality, I only made a few.  The show was great, and the crowds were a hoot.  Lots of middle age expats squeezed into leather and do-rags.  Loads of Americans so stinkin happy to have a little taste of home that everyone was their best friend.  Larry made friends with some very friendly and very drunk Indian fellows that couldn't get enough of him or beer.  We think they passed out after 2 songs. Once the band got started, the crowds really let loose and it was mayhem. Everyone was so excited they were here, and the vibe was electric.  I can't remember the last time I had that much fun.  

p.s. For the record, I did leave the house with HUGE, fabulous hair, but the minute we got to the concert it fell in the humidity and heat, so I threw it up.  Just sayin.

Comments

I changed the settings, so you can't leave anonymous comments anymore...just type in your name, and do the word verification...sorry for the trouble, but I think I've been spammed!

Whoops.

Note to self:

Dear Pam,

Always remember to check Larry's pockets before you do laundry.

Hugs and Kisses,

Pam

p.s. you're looking quite lovely today, and dinner?  FAB!!

The Big 4-0.

From whence I came.....

Happy 40th Anniversary to my parents!   Thanks for getting married and having such great kids!

xoxoxo

Pam

One Year: Part One

Warning:  Long winded, navel contemplating blog post.  Enter at your own risk.

I recently read a blog post from one of my favorite sites.  She was feeling introspective and posed this question to her readers: Is your life in the past ten years what you thought it would be?  How are things different?  Do you have any regrets?  This really made me think.  My first reaction was “UM, NO!!!”  I spent several days thinking about how things were nowhere near the neat little package I had detailed for my self.  Married by 28, baby by 30, house, career, happy dog playing in the yard.  Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, and nope.  A lot of my friends followed this course.  I always thought I was lagging behind, trying in vain to catch up, the whole time wondering what the hell was wrong with me.  I always knew that as much as I was like my friends, and people my age, I was also different.  In my twenties, I liked living independently.   I also had the defensive, authority challanging reaction “ why can’t I ?” when asked why I moved out when I did, and chucked college.  It wasn’t always easy, and I got myself into plenty of trouble that I probably would have had I stayed at home longer.  I don’t regret that decision, I think it helped me to grow, and become more self sufficient (my dad is guffawing right now….)  I have wonderful memories of living with roommates, figuring out who we were, being goofy twenty something’s. I formed strong, lasting friendships with people, that can only happen in that time when you are all struggling.  I also lost my sister in my early twenties.  I think this had a huge factor in shaping me, and what I perceived as normal and good for my life.  It taught me not to take stuff for granted, and if I wasn’t happy, to try and change it.  Try is the operative word.  Lord knows I spent a ton of that time miserable.  Lonely, freaked out, broke and lost.  So I tried and tried.  I made HUGE mistakes, little mistakes, and occasionally a good choice.  I chose a career I thought would make me happy for a long time.  I worked my butt off, sometimes at 2 or 3 jobs. Into my thirties, I told myself it was fine I was single, lived in an apartment and lived with a much loved, overfed cat.  I still liked my job, was on the cusp of finally doing it the way I wanted.  Something was about to give and change, I just knew it.  I had heard the Oprah-esque hype about how great my thirties would be, and what I would learn and do.  I waited, and waited.  I made a big move in my career and location.  I moved to the country, lived in a friend’s house, and finally had a little success with my business.  I told myself this was what I wanted.  I wondered then why I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be. I had dodged a pretty big romance bullet, ended up on my feet, albeit a little shakily, and questioning everything.  I’d stare at my bedroom ceiling and wonder: is this it?  Is this all there is?  A tiny voice usually answered back,  “NO.  There is more.”  The elusive MORE.  What the hell was that?!   I questioned it at every chance.  I loved my job, caring for kids was endlessly rewarding. I gave it my all, and in the end, that was the final push.  I knew if I wanted children of my own, I needed to make a change, before I became so burned out, I wouldn’t do it.  I knew this change would effect many people, and be somewhat difficult.  I tacked on several more years of loans and went back to school.  I was 33. What the hell was I doing?  I was in classes with 18 year olds.  I was endlessly exhausted, living alone again, working several odd jobs to make ends meet, and still not succeeding.  I LOVED it.  I was finally doing something creative, and in the end, it made people happy.  As a life long people pleaser, this was my nirvana.  I’d lose myself in the creative process and actual work of doing hair, and in the end, get the pay off of a happy client (not always…I was still learning, after all…Deb can attest to that…haha...).  With tears in my eyes, I would whisper to my friend with the chair next to mine, “I Love doing hair Mikey!” and he would roll his eyes and agree. This happened weekly.  I was satisfied for the first time in my life. My heart felt full. I had a lot to be thankful for. I was still broke, alone and didn’t have solid place to live.  I’d look for change in my couch for gas money.  I froze my butt off in a friend’s spare room. I had veered way off the course I had thought my life would take.  But I was doing something I had always dreamed of, and I had enough faith in myself at that point to know I would bounce if I fell.  I was also held up and supported by family and friends.  Their kindness and generosity was the biggest thing that got me through.  I am extremely grateful.  If something crappy would happen, it wasn’t long before I was put back on my feet.  My roommate became pregnant, and I got to experience it with her the entire time.  That was a gift.  When it came time for me to move out, a dear friend of the family came through on an empty condo.  If I needed some cash, Deb would find stuff for me to do at her house.  She’d listen and pass the tissues too, if it got to be too much.  She always gave me more love and support than I deserved. My Parents had me over for lots of dinners, hired me to clean their house, and I'd find a mysterious 20 in my purse from time to time.  It seemed life was telling me, ok, you’re doing something for yourself, you’re happy, we got your back.  I think the fact that I was open to new things, happy and fulfilled is the reason that Larry came into my life.  On paper, he was nothing like the person I thought I would end up with.  Thinking openly and with an open heart had gotten me pretty far before, why not now?  So we took a chance on each other.  I was not looking for a serious relationship, and certainly not marriage.  I wasn’t looking to move, not to Seattle and certainly not to Singapore.  People in my circle didn’t do this kinda thing.  You followed the path, had the big white fancy schamncy wedding, had the cute babies, lovely home and happy dog in the yard.  I was going to veer again, and this time it was BIG.  This was some scary shit, and not something I took lightly.  Was this the More I had coming?  Was this the portal I would take to new experiences and places?  The tiny voice in my head answered back with a resounding YES.