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