Day One

I'm happy to report Tim and Kae have arrived safe and sound In Singapore!  They survived the flight, and were in good spirits when they came off the plane.  It's hard to put into words what it felt like to have someone you know and love walk through the doors here.  My first year here, all I wished for was a visit from someone.  I slowly let go of that wish, because I figured it was too far, too expensive, ect.  Even when Tim and Kae told me they would come, I didn't let myself get too excited. So to have them here for a visit is pretty darn cool.  I was jumping up and down like a dork, and pretty much bounced and bubbled the whole way back to our place. I'm just thrilled to show them around, and we are looking forward to exploring and doing loads of fun stuff.  

Larry was working his last night of night shift, so I was solo on picking them up.  They are still sleeping, and today we are going to the fish spa, per Tim's request.  We're taking it easy today, just hitting the fish place, then dinner.  I will post video of the experience for sure.

Frank the cat is very excited to have guests.  He was more social than I expected him to be last night.  He played with his new toy we brought back from the states (it's like a small playhouse, with holes in it that he pops in and out of) and put on quite the floor show.  Tim is allergic to cats, so like most cats, Frank has laser lock on him, and likes to follow him around.

I will post pictures and videos later!

I'm Back

We are back in Sing, and slowly getting settled back into life in the tropics. I was away for 6 weeks in Michigan, Texas, and Seattle. It was a great trip, and the cold mid-west weather really made me appreciate living in Sing. It was great to see my family and friends, and those of you I didn't get to see, please know I love you and miss you....I gotta figure out a better way, maybe a big open house or something ( Deb's idea).
I have loads of pictures I will post soon....just waiting for my power cord to arrive (I left it at my parents...using Lar's computer)

Frank the cat was sooooo happy to see us! He has not left our sides for a minute, and has taken to hanging out with Larry in the man room. I guess they talk about baseball, spit, scratch and pass gas together. He loved the presents we brought back for him, and has been performing a nightly show of our great he is at playing with them. He was spoiled rotten by Sarah...I have a feeling he may go home with her next time she comes over!

My Aunt Kae and Uncle Tim are arriving from MI tonight, for a ten day visit. To say I am excited is an understatement. We have been hoping for visitors since we arrived, so we can't wait to show Singapore off to them.

I have a few more posts from Shea and her trip to China I need to post, but I am having technical difficulties. When I figure it all out I will post her stuff.

I've been running around, un-packing, fitting in a few hair clients, and trying to keep the jet-lag bug away this week. Larry has been a big help, and he is settling back into his work routine.

I will be back to blogging on a more regular basis soon here...promise.

Another Update From Shea!

Olympic Games          Shea Thomas

 

Today was truly amazing! Alice, mom and I went to the Forbidden City, with a REAL tour from Alice because mom video taped wrong the last time, and we went to the Olympic Park!

In the Forbidden City, we saw much more things than the last time! We saw where the Emperor and the Empress slept, their lounging area, and everything in between!

The Emperor has many beds! He has one in his bedroom, and one in a room that looks like it could be a throne room if you took out the bed! The Empress has her own bed in her own bedroom. The Emperor and Empress didn’t sleep in the same bed/room like adults do now.

Their lounging area is normal, nothing too exciting. It has a couch, table, chairs, and some bookcases. Alice liked to compare it to a study. It does look sort of like a study.

I was FREEZING!!!!! I could never have been colder! We stopped and got some hot chocolate, tea, coffee, or cappuccino.

We finished our tour by cruising through the garden. There were huge, beautiful rocks, and a few buildings. Nothing in them.

The next thing that happened was Alice couldn’t get a taxi because all the taxi drivers that she found said no, and when she did get a cab, my dad and his boss left in it. Mom, Alice, and I had to wait until Alice got another cab! When we finally had one, this taxi driver took us to the Olympic Park!

The first thing we did in the Olympic Park was go to the Water Cube! This building is built from bubbles! Of course, there is more, but I honestly don’t know what! What’s interesting about these bubbles is that 3 cars could sit or drive on 1 bubble by its self without popping it!

Inside, we saw the actual pool where Michael Phelps swam and where the Olympic divers dived! We saw the diving boards, that don’t bounce, that Olympic divers dove off of!

After we saw the pool, we went to get some gifts! They had some key chains, jewelry, and hats! All of these, we bought!

Next we went to the Bird’s Nest! There is definitely a reason why they call it the “Bird’s Nest”! It really looks like a bird’s nest!

Inside the Bird’s Nest, we went onto the field where there were 2 blow-up Olympic Mascots! The red “welcome fire” mascot is HuanHuan, and the green mascot is Nini. They are so cute and cuddly! There was a gift shop, too. I got one of those beany like pillows of HuanHuan. We also got my dad a t-shirt that says Beijing 2008 with the Olympic rings on it! It was white, and fortunately, dad loved it!

Mom and I took lots of pictures of both places. The ceiling in the Water Cube had snow flakes on it! It was so beautiful, especially in the sunlight! The walls had blue water bubbles in different sizes! I took pictures of it all! Plus, everything in the Bird’s Nest! I found out that  if you go on the field of the Bird’s Nest, if you look up, you will see the sky! There’s a hole for the bird to feed her babies! :D

Sorry I have to go, but there’s no more to tell. But no worries, I’ll be back

From Shea-Friday

Friday February 13th 2009 Shea Thomas

Lots of people say that Friday the 13th is “bad luck day”. I say not! Today I got to see awesome things!
We went down town into Tian’anmen Square and saw some cool things! There were shops and markets. Some people were not in cars, they were on bikes or motorcycles! Some even had cover-ups on them! They were so cool!
Next, we went to the Forbidden City! I learned what the Forbidden City is, it was the Emperors home! Geez! It was HUGE!!!!! And there was only, how many people living there? Like 3 or 4! That’s A LOT of space for just that many people! That place had a lot of stairs. But I didn’t mind. In some places, there was a stone isle where only the emperor could walk. No empresses or anything! Also, it took us almost an hour just to get inside the building! That’s right! When you step into the Forbidden City territory, your not even inside yet! You’ve got a WAYS to go, I’ll tell you that much!
I didn’t really eat much of lunch, I didn’t really like it. So, there’s not much to tell. There was noodles and chicken. The noodles were too…soft for me, and the chicken had this yellow sauce on it that made me loose my appetite. But it wasn’t so bad. We met a Chinese guy that knew English and showed us his office. His professor, for art, had made all of these remarkable paintings and he sold one of them to us! It was a weird looking picture with a man and a woman on it, enough to make out the people, and Chinese writing down the side. The man translated it. He said it means “Dance”. I guess you could see the man and woman in the picture dancing. The pronunciation in Chinese for “Dance” is wo. Just wo.
My mom has been talking about going to the market all day long! So, she got her chance to go to the market. It was like a mall, except all these people were selling different thing for ridiculous prices! Mom would type in, on the calculator, the price she wanted to pay, but they would beg for more. So, if mom typed in 200, they would beg and type in 250. Then, mom would type in 220. They would type in 230. That’s when they would come to an agreement. I got an awesome Roxy jacket in red! It also has blue, grey, and black on it.
So then, we went back to the hotel and chilled out. I started thinking about the next day. Tomorrow, I’ll be walking along the Great Wall of China with my dad’s
co-workers. Exciting! Stay tuned for The Great Wall of China!

From Shea

Wednesday February 11th 2009

Today is the day! The day that I am leaving! Who knew I’d be going to China?! I am the luckiest kid in the world!
When I got on the plane, my head almost touched thee ceiling! It was the smallest plane I have ever experienced! At least it was only a 1 hour and 42 minute flight.
The flight seemed long and poor. I couldn’t stand it! Every once in a while the plane would bounce and it was very uncomfortable.
Finally, we land! I was a little rolly-polly in there! Now, I am ready for real entertainment!
Wednesday February 11th 2009
Flight #2

I am so ready to sit on a new ride. By the time I arrive, it will be Thursday.
These seats are awesome! They got their own individual televisions plus a remote with video game controls on the back! I am going to be just fine for 14 hours, just fine!
During the flight, I mostly watched movies or played games! I totally kicked some butt in Battleship! We got served dinner which our choices were salmon or beef. It was like 1st class, except for the fact we weren’t on 1st class.
I slept for about 2 hours nonconsecutive. Very uncomfortable.
The last couple of hours were extremely hot. It was burning! Maybe enough to pop popcorn! We got served breakfast about 3 hours before we landed.
The landing was interesting. The runway was different from what there is in Michigan. I couldn’t believe it was China!
China

The airport was quiet. Mom and I were probably the only ones speaking, except for about 3 people. It’s scary how serious these people are. It was like the quietest library in the world!
The ride to the hotel was great! I didn’t wear my seat belt because there was no buckle to click it into! We passed the Olympic nest and the water cube! It really does look like a nest! It was funny listening to the Chinese radio. The radio going off, my parents talking, and the beauty of China passing by out the window.
The hotel has a great, big, golden lobby. It has a pool, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Our hotel room has 1 king size bed. AKA, the “mom and dad” bed. So, I get my own twin bed. We ordered it up and when it got to the room, I thought, “right there is going to be me shoofing.” They set the bed down, made the bed, and WALAH! There’s my bed all fluffed up! What else is there? I’ll just have to wait to answer that question. Tomorrow, I really get to explore China.

Guest Blogger!

I'm extremely happy to introduce my guest blogger for February.  Shea Thomas is 10.5 years old, lives in MI, and loves gymnastics, her dog, and Zac Effron.  Her parents, Linda and Kevin rate pretty high too.  I have known Linda for 20 + years, and Shea, well I've known her since she was just a wish.

She's going to be chiming in on the blog from time to time in the next few weeks, as she travels to China with her folks.

Below is her first entry.  I'm fairly certain she's gonna be famous.  Enjoy!

********************************************************

My dad travels all around the world for work. I miss him. We miss him. So mom and I always go visit him in where ever he is.

This time, dad’s going to Beijing, China! Can you believe it?!China! So, guess what that means? Mom and I are going to China, too!

          Dad already left this past Monday, but mom and I are leaving a week from tomorrow. But, of course, we have a few problems, 1, we don’t know any Chinese! 2, what are we going to eat? I don’t usually eat Chinese food, so I don’t know what I’m going to eat! So, that’s why my mom’s good friend, Pam, is taking us to a Chinese dinner!

          At dinner, Pam made me promise to try everything! So I did. Pam and mom ordered a feast! I didn’t know what to say! There was enough food to feed 2 of my dads’ and us! But, I promised to try everything, so I did.

          Our first course was sushi! There were California Rolls and Spider Rolls! (I didn’t try those!) I got to use chopsticks, too! I wasn’t too good at those. And I learned some very important things about chopsticks: 1: Do NOT stab your food with chopsticks. It is very bad to stab your food in China. 2: Do NOT point with chopsticks. It is also very bad and impolite in China. 3: when you are done with your chopsticks, lay them gently across your plate.

          Next, we had a waitress tell us some things that I would like. She said I would like dumplings, noodles, rice, and some chips. So, mom ordered it ALL!!

          Everything was delicious! I learned a lot of things I would have never guessed I couldn’t do in China. I can’t wait to really experience a new adventure in a place I’ve never been, next week! Next Wednesday is when I will truly begin to write about my journey.

Shea Thomas

*this is all Shea, no editing from me....stay tuned, I think this is gonna be GREAT!!

I'm Here!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...I knew I wouldn't.  I am back in the states on our annual home leave, and to say I've been busy is an understatement.  Some hi-lights include: (I'll go into more detail soon, this is just a quickie!)  Hanging out with Deb for a full week of girl talk, jammies all day, laughing, crying and chocolate munching.  It was much needed on both ends.  I spent another week just with my parents, hanging, watching movies, going to the zoo, and a fun trip through our old Detroit neighborhood.  I met up with Larry in Texas for his brothers wedding, and to experience his "homeland" for the first time.  We hung with his my stellar brother and sister in law, their babies, and various friends and family...it was truly a blast.  Larry and I then flew to MI for four days of MORE family and friends, a new tattoo, and superbowl Sunday in the D.  This week I've been catching up on laundry, seeing a few friends, and getting ready to go to Seattle on Thursday to celebrate Annabella's 3rd birthday. I'll be there for the weekend, then come back to Michigan until February 18th.  I will then fly to Tokyo, meet up with Larry in the airport, and we fly home to Sing from there.

So...sorry I have been neglecting the blog....back soon.

Below is a adorable letter my friend Euvah sent me, from Frankie the cat.

 

 

Auntie Euvah came over with Auntie Sarah and I was, as usual, not quite so patiently waiting.  This waiting for my people is getting old, but I am always happy to see anyone who comes and talk forever telling them so. Today was no different.  I let Auntie Sarah know that I was starving; I had not been fed for at least a month.  Well, it seemed like a month anyway, but both Auntie Sarah and Auntie Euvah said it had not been that long and shook my food bowl for me.  Ugh, it was that nasty dry food. 

 

You know, I get wet food with Auntie Sarah, maybe you could take lessons from her.  I have come to expect it now.  Maybe you should always give me wet food.  It is very yummy.  I could even wean off of the dry food, right?

 

 

Auntie Sarah set right about getting my wet food out of the refrigerator.  Can you believe she gave me cold food when there is a microwave right there?  Well, I ate it, but I think it should be warmed – and I should get more of it.  I tried to tell her it was not enough for a growing boy, so she filled that dry food bowl and made me eat it.  See her forcing me here?  Oh, wait, that is Auntie Euvah with that stinkin’ light in my face. 

 

 

 

No worries, I just ignore her:

 

 

 

And I am pretty good at it if you ask her.

 

 

 

Then we went in and played on the floor.  Auntie Euvah thought that was a fun thing to do, but she had that light flashing in my eyes.  I am a pretty darned smart kitty though – I tried to take it from her.

 

 

 

I tried eating it:

 

 

 

Then acting like I didn’t want it after all:

 

 

 

I even tried ignoring her:

 

 

 

It didn’t work.

 

 

 

She tried to brush my hair.  I told her in no uncertain terms was she not going to do that:

 

 

 

So I held on to that brush for dear life and gave her the evil eye:

 

 

 

Auntie Sarah thought we should go play catch.   I am not a dog, but I guess she doesn’t understand that.  I do like to do what she asks me though and I am trying to be very good, so I acted like a dog and went after the toys:

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, life is ok here.  I really miss you and I wait every day for you to come home. Auntie Sarah is a good Auntie though and she spends lots of time with me.  We even watch tv together.  But I sure miss you:

 

 

 

But can tell Aunt Euvah not to come over with that light again?  Please?

 

 

 

In the meantime, I will be waiting on you and playing with Auntie Sarah.

 

 

 

Love, Frankie (your cat in Singapore)

 

 

Sent by Auntie Euvah *she is good for some things – but she forgot to get a picture of me with my favorite Auntie – Auntie Sarah.  Some Auntie she is – see I told you she is not good for much!