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UN Day

With the diversity represented at the Singapore American School, it was no surprise when we learned that the Primary school was going to celebrate United Nations Day. Just in the Primary School alone - 50 different countries have children represented.

It all started off with the children getting to choose what country they wished to represent. To my delight, S chose India. The first thing they did was to create a "flag" place mat for their International Luncheon. The next part was to create a large paper doll that was dressed in some way to show what country they had chose. the also had to put together a short presentation telling why they dressed their doll in that way. S chose to dress his doll as a cricket player.



Today was the UN Day assembly which started off with a parade of flags. The 50 flags were paraded through the high school gym by various children in the Primary school. There was a short presentation about UN day, then an Indian dance group performed. The children then sang songs with their respective grades - all of a friendship theme. The children were all dressed in some sort of outfit that showcased the country they chose.
The last part was an international feast where the parents each brought in a dish from a different country. Here's the menu:


Appetizers / Salads
Japan - Sushi Rolls – Cucumber and Egg
Japan - Sushi Rolls – Fish Flakes and Tuna
India – Raita (yogurt salad)
Ireland – Irish soda bread

Main Course
Korea – Japchae (Noodles)
Korea - Vegetarian Pancakes
China - Fried Rice
Korea - Korean Beef
Mexico - Chicken Tacos
Unites States - Macaroni and Cheese
Korea – Rice cakes with BBQ sauce

Dessert
Unites States - Chocolate Chip Cookies
Philippines - Leche Flan
Mexico - Arroz con Leche
United States - Cupcakes
Indonesia – Assorted Kue-Kue


I was SO proud that my child had this chance to celebrate diversity. It was an amazing day!

Trying to Understand

We've barely been out of Houston for 3 months when "the big one" comes along. Hurricane Ike. The storm that we waited for the entire 9 years that we lived there.
I cannot seem to focus on anything except for my family and friends that are there. How did we get so lucky to get out and be spared the stress and worry of having to go through something like this?
I was cyber-chatting with a friend of mine earlier today and you could just hear the concern in her words. I wanted to virtually put my arms around her and tell her that everything will be alright.
I have been watching coverage on the local Houston networks who provide live streams. I kept seeing the pictures of what was going on - the wind, surf, and rain. I kept looking for some sort of time frame as to when the worst was going to pass through where my family and friends are. But instead, they were fielding calls from people stuck in areas that were "mandatory evacuation" areas that needed help.
One of the anchors fielded a call and called his ordeal "a true act of heroism". This man stayed back in Galveston which took a direct hit from the storm. He saw the water starting to rise in his home and broke out the bottom of his door. The water rose to his neck and he and his daughter clung house to house until 30 minutes later, they made it to shelter in the convention center.
HOW is this heroism??? When he was under a mandatory evacuation order from government officials, why did he think it was alright to risk his young daughter's life like that? To make it worse, he said he was trying to get some of his neighbors to go with them.
What would it feel like to be listening to this on the radio with no power... Not hearing when the storm was going to be closing in on your area, but stories of stupid people who paid no heed to the experts.

My heart is in Houston and my head is in prayer...

Heaven on Earth?

I have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately and my body is telling me so. So instead of trying to force in a workout, I decided a leisurely walk would do me a world of good. I had heard about a place here called the MacRitchie Reservoir. It is supposed to be a beautiful place with walking trails. So I hop in the car and go down there this morning.
I walked up the path to the trail around the reservoir and was just HIT with the beauty of the area.

In the hustle and bustle of Singapore, it was so incredibly quiet that I turned off my music just to listen to the water and the birds. All along the path there were signs that told about the plants, wildlife and reservoir itself.


I stopped at a map to check out the various trails and decided on a short 5K walk.
I ended up walking a bit further than I had hoped and got a little lost. By the time I realized I was lost, I was about 6K into a 11K trail. Most of the trail is shrouded under the trees and the terrain is very uneven. I only had my joggers on, no trail shoes, no water, no carry pack, not dressed properly.
I decided to take it easy during the remainder of the walk seeing as I was committed.

They have an observation tower that you can climb up to see the surrounding skyline.
They also have a 5K treetop walk on a suspension bridge where you can do just that - walk among the treetops. After realizing that I wasn't even 2/3rds of the way through this trail, I was starting to get tired. My knee was hurting, I was itchy from bug bites and running into spiderwebs. It was tiring trying to navigate the path. It was tiring trying to decipher which way was "out". It was tiring trying to decide if needed to pass the large monkeys that decided to block my way. By this point, I was wondering if this was a nice place after all. Any other day - I would have enjoyed it, but not being prepared was a real letdown.

After a total of about 13 K, I finally made it out of the woods and was just so happy to see that I only had a 10 minute walk to my car. At one point along the path to the car, there were some people on the side in a grassy area with about 15 elderly in wheelchairs. They were singing to them and feeding them Popsicles and smiling with them. And my immediate thought was "ME, ME, ME". I was whining because I was tired. I can't imagine how tirelessly these amazing people worked night and day to take care of these elderly patients.
My next thought was "This truly is Heaven on earth".

The Lizards...

Well - I have been trying REALLY hard to get used to the fact that we get lizards in our house. Any of the locals will tell you that it is impossible to keep them out. My maid was shocked to hear that they didn't come indoors in the States.
I actually try not to chase them down anymore, the minute I get near one, it runs for cover. The lizard is scared of me - as it should be. I still can't get used to them sneaking around the house.
Just the other morning I walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. One came shooting out from the behind the dishes that were drying next to the sink - and toppled half of them over. At 6:00 am - scared the holy ghost out of me - talk about heart-attack city. And Lord only knows where they run off to - they are probably upside down in my kitchen cabinets.
They are ugly - their skin is slightly translucent - they leave their poop all over the place. I've heard that their poop is toxic - so I really want them in my kitchen.
My maid said this morning that they were good to have in the house - they eat mosquitoes and other tiny bugs. She also said that they were "lucky".


Why couldn't it have been lady bugs...

The Tooth Fairy

S has been struggling with a very uncooperative tooth the past few weeks - he was SO excited when it finally fell out while brushing his teeth tonight. I went up to say goodnight to the boys and asked S if he had put his tooth under his pillow. Here's what took place after that:

S: (Very sadly) "V said that there is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy"
Me: "He did?"
S: "Yes, he said that you and Daddy put money and stuff under our pillows"
Me: "Well, you know what happens when you don't believe in the Tooth Fairy anymore..."
S: "No, what?"
Me: "She doesn't leave things for children who don't believe in her"

S: "OHHHHHH, Well that changes EVERYTHING!"

I think we need to have a little chat with V ;-)

The First Week of School

New country, new house, new school...

I always thought the first day of school was so bittersweet. This was especially true this year. We were thrilled when the children got into the Singapore American School. It's an amazing facility. The grades go from preschool through 12th - with 5 different campuses clustered together one one VERY large compound. The curriculum is first rate and the teachers are outstanding - from all walks of life. Each teacher gets an aide so there are 2 adults for every 22 kids.
V started on Monday and was very responsible (as usual) about setting his own alarm and getting up to get ready. He took extra time to comb his hair nicely and was ready to go. S didn't start until Wednesday, but didn't want to miss any of the action, so he got up with his brother, brushed his teeth and had breakfast with V.

It was time to go out and wait for the bus (which comes at 7:00 am). The buses are city buses and each have a "bus aunty" on them to make sure that the kids are strapped in and follow the rules.
With V out of the house - S was mighty bored by 7:30am. So until he started school - Mommy was the prime entertainment. I didn't realize what a great babysitter his big brother was! I was nice to have time alone - just the 2 of us. Vishal came home after the 2nd day of school and announced that he was going to play the violin.

When S starts a new school - it's always an adventure. With all of the health issues he faces, the schools need to set up protocols for if he ingests something that he is allergic to, etc... With most schools, I send in benadryl, nebulizer meds and an epipen. In the case of SAS, they had me come into the school to have a meeting with his teacher, his counselor and the 2 nurses on campus. They filled out a sheet complete with his picture and benadryl stapled to it. A copy of this sheet with meds (that they provide) is given to his teachers (main, art, PE, music, mandarin). A copy also goes to the lunchroom, to the bus driver and one stays in his backpack at all times.

When S started kindergarten and 1st grade, I was called by the nurse the very first day of school. He never completed a first day. Well, no surprises this year when the nurse called and said that Shyam had thrown up and I needed to come get him. It turned out he had had a headache for most of the day and never told anyone - which for him means eventually vomiting.

The rest of the week went without a hitch...

A few interesting facts:
The kids wear uniforms to school and on every third day wear their PE uniform to school.
They are learning to speak Mandarin.
The cafeteria offers 5 different choices at lunch: hot meal, Asian meal, vegetarian meal, sandwiches and a la carte options.
The kids get a snack in the morning (brought or bought)
The teacher make sure that they are getting enough to drink during the day.
You do not have to buy school supplies, they are provided (although tuition is a small fortune)

I missed them terribly this week - but have to admit, the quiet was bliss!!!

Kuala Lumpur

As the summer winds down for the kids - we took a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this week. We went by bus which is about a 5 hour drive from Singapore, The bus was advertised as a "Premium" bus that served a meal and snack and had a select choice of personal movies that you can watch. The bus was a double decker - the kids got to sit in the front seats on the top level on the way there and back - they had the windshield open all to themselves to enjoy the view. The bus set sail from a bus terminal in downtown Singapore (in a mall of course). After 5 hours and a decent lunch of fried rice and fruit - we were in KL.


A member of the Malaysia office that works for B picked us up and took us for a quick bite to eat at a very good Indian restaurant before shuttling us to the hotel.



Hotel Maya was a perfect place to stay in terms of location and view. When we got there, we checked in, cleaned up and our friend took us around the city. We stopped at the KL aquarium - wonderful. We took most of the rest of the day to walk around the city near our hotel. We went to the Petronas towers - the pride of KL and walked around their 6 floor shopping mall. Ate a little dinner and then went back to the hotel to sit on the balcony and enjoy the nighttime views.










The next day, another fellow from the office came and picked us up. He took us to Batu Caves. An Indian temple that was built inside limestone caves. there a roughly 280 steps to the top. As I took a rest about half way up, I was amazed at how the kids were just little energizer bunnies. They made it to the top - no problem. There were monkeys everywhere, stealing food that was out in the open or the offerings people had bought for the temple.





Our next stop was about 45 minutes outside of KL - a place called Genting Highlands. Built on top of a mountain - Genting probably stays about 60 to 65 degrees. There are about 4 hotels, a beautiful Chinese temple and an indoor and outdoor theme park. We rode a sky box up to the top which was roughly a 3km and 15 minute ride. The kids had a blast at the indoor park and were exhausted when we left.



We did a little more sightseeing and went to Little India for dinner that evening.


The next morning, fellow #1 came back to take us to Petronas towers - we were able to go to the skybridge to view the city. After that - we went to the KL tower - where we were able to go to the top and take in even more views of the city.

All in all - it was a great quick getaway and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. In short - KL is similar to Singapore though not as clean. Most of the toilets are the kids that are in the ground that you have to squat to use - there is no toilet paper. Instead there is a hose that you "wash" yourself off with. Also - you have to pay to use most of the public toilets. We survived!!!

Hands on the Wheel

I have been driving in Singapore now for about 7 weeks. The first 5 of which were sporadic due to B and I sharing a car. Now that I have my own - the kids and I have been venturing out quite a bit.

I did not find it hard at all to drive on the "wrong" side of the road. Although, I do get taken aback still when I see a child sitting where you are used to seeing a driver. There are no car seats - babies are carried by adults in the car - just like we all were as children.
I do try to pay attention to what I am doing - never answer the cell phone (hand phone as they call it here) if it rings. I try not to look at what the children are pointing out or peek in the backseat at what they are doing. You never know when I may drift or turn into the wrong lane.
But the ones you really have to watch out for are the locals. Yes, CRAZY is the word for most drivers in Asian countries. Although Singapore is relatively tame, you have to watch everyone else at all times:

Buses - they have designated stops where they pull out of traffic and and onto the side of the road. But they do not give a hoot for who's next to them when they get back on. You'd better pray the timing is right when they start to pull back into traffic.

Work trucks - these mini-trucks are everywhere, carrying workers back and forth to their destinations. At any given time there are 4-5 men sleeping in the back. They cannot keep up with the flow of traffic and slow everyone down.

Taxis - Taxi drivers feel like they own the roads in Singapore - they do not pay attention to those dotted lines that we all try to stay in when we drive. They seem to drift all the time - no matter if you are right next to them. As if to keep their options open as to which lane they want to be in.

Motorcycles - apparently the rule of driving in a straight line does not apply to motorcyclists. They are slower then the flow of traffic - but when you are stopped at a stoplight - they all queue to the front. They ride in between all the cars that have just passed them and go right to the front of the line - only for you to have to pass them all over again until the next traffic light. They weave in and out of cars - you can easily hit one of you are not careful.

Expats - People who drive super nice cars and pay attention to all the rules - where did they come from, the US???

My Family

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Engrish

While the unofficial language of Singapore is Singlish, I can't help but pass on some examples of the other unofficial language here: Engrish.
Enjoy!!!

Singaporean guide to Parenting Preparation

I came across this yesterday on a local website... Thought I would share:

Parenting Preparation exercise:
(complete with a little Singlish)
Mess Exercise - Smear peanut butter all over your sofa and curtains. Place a fishball under your sofa cushion and leave it there for 3 months.
Toy Exercise - Buy a giant box of Lego. (Thumbtacks also can.) Ask your friend to spread them all over the floor of your flat. Simulate the middle of the night by putting on a blindfold and trying to walk to your toilet or kitchen. When you step on a Lego or thumbtack, do not scream because this would wake your child up at night.
Supermarket Exercise - Go to Hay Dairies in Lim Chu Kang and borrow two of their goats. Take them with you to your supermarket to do your groceries. Always keep them in sight, and pay for anything they eat or damage.
Dressing Exercise - Buy one very big, very buay song live octopus. Try to stuff it into a small net bag and make sure all its arms stay inside.
Feeding Exercise - Get a large plastic bottle. Fill it halfway with water. Suspend the bottle from the ceiling with a bungee cord. Separately, make a bowl of Quaker Oats by adding warm milk to the dry oats. Start to swing the jug. As it swings, try to insert as many spoonfuls of the soggy oats as you can into the mouth of the bottle. As you do, make sounds like “um-um-um” or pretend to be an aeroplane. After a while, just dump the contents of the bottle onto the floor.
Night-Time Exercise - Fill a small cloth bag with 5 kg of sand. Soak it completely in water. At 3 pm, pick up the bag and stand up, swaying gently back and forth while humming songs. Keep doing this till 8 pm. Put down the bag, and set your alarm clock for 9 pm, then try to sleep. At 9 pm, wake up, pick up the bag again and resume swaying and humming every song you’ve ever known. If you run out of songs, make some up. Continue till 5 am. Take a nap, and set alarm clock for 6 am. At 6 am, wake up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look happy.
Car Exercise - Forget the BMW and buy a MPV. Buy a cone of ice cream and put it in your dashboard compartment. Leave it there. Take a twenty cent coin. Stick it into your CD player. Buy a big packet of cookies. Mash them into your back seat. Take your car keys and run them along both sides of your car. There! Just like the real thing!
Mother's Body Exercise - Buy a large bean bag chair. Attach it to the front of your clothes for 9 months. After that, remove 6 beans.
Financial Exercise - Go to the nearest NTUC. Go to the cashier and give her your wallet, telling her to help herself. Now go to your bank and arrange for your pay to be GIRO’d directly to NTUC from now on. Go to the mama stall and buy a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.
Sanity Exercise - Make sure your TV can only switch to children’s channels. Throw out all your DVDs and buy only the Best of the Wiggles, Barney, Dora the Explorer, etc. Check in every few weeks with your psychiatrist to see if your IQ is still normal.
Final Exercise - Find a couple who already have a young child. Lecture them on how they can improve their tolerance lah, discipline lah, toilet training lah, patience lah, the child’s table manners lah, the kid’s PSLE results lah, etc. Tell them how the kindergarten they enrolled their kid in is just not good enough, and they must enroll in all sorts of extra classes like Music & Drama, Speech, and donno what else. Emphasise to them that they must never, ever allow their kids to stray onto the wrong path or their future will be doomed forever. Enjoy this experience while it lasts. Because when you have your own kid, it’ll happen to you.

Being a mom...

I think that as mothers we put on so many different hats everyday that we lose ourselves in the day to day grind. On any given day we are teachers, nurses, homemakers, cooks, secretaries, seamstress, launderers, maids...the list goes on and on. I am guilty of getting caught up in the "bog" of things that need to be done. And with the move, that list grew by 500%. I always try to have a little time with the kids during the day so that they don't think of mom as this ogre that is constantly carping at them to "Hang up your towels" or "Eat your vegetables" or "Flush the toilet" or "Wash your hands". Today we read, played games, did picture searches and lazed around for about 2 1/2 hours. I forget how good it feels to listen, watch, and observe. They are incredible, they are just waiting for me to tell them stories or facts. ME! How was I so lucky that God put these 2 little amazing creatures in my care. That He thought enough of me to take care of a child with special health needs. That He gave me the other, so sweet and innocent.
I wish that I could bottle this feeling and keep it for all those times that I am running around like a crazy woman.

The word "Love" seems so small for what I feel for my family. My husband, my children, our parents, my friends.
An oldie, but a goodie...

Things I've noticed

I've noticed:
The maids are the ones who take children to the park.
Singaporeans are some of the kindest people I have met.
People here hand things to you with 2 hands as a sign of respect.
I have never seen another culture that likes to shop or eat out as much as this one.
People who have cars like to put toys in the rear widow.
It can rain at any given moment - even if it's not forecasted.
Singlish is an actual language (oh la, can can).
A car wash in Singapore looks exactly like a car wash at any US gas station, except instead of there being equipment inside - there are actual people.
People here are night owls.
Singapore is not a democracy - therefore there is a lot of censorship.
Customer Service is almost non-existant.
Music and fashion seem to be a tad ahead of the US.


As I remember more - I'll add them.

Unpacking...

Still stinks...

Unpacking...

Stinks.

The "smell" of home

Our sea shipment arrived today - all pieces in the house and accounted for. The delivery supervisor had me sit in a chair and mark off boxes as they were being brought inside. When the love seat came off the truck - he immediately unwrapped it and put it down for me to sit on instead of a hard chair. I stuck my face in one of the pillows... MMMMMMMM, it smelled like home. I almost got teary eyed. I didn't even particularly miss my house in The Woodlands - I missed the smell. With most of the furniture unwrapped, the smell of "home" is overwhelming. You would have thought we were a Febreze commercial today with the three of our noses sniffing the sofa cushions...

Being a little overprotective

We have always thought that we would keep V in Tae Kwon Do after we moved. Knowing that martial arts over here is a serious business, we knew also that there may be a few roadblocks that we may have to clear, for example, we had a feeling that V would not be able to start as a second degree here.
We went to try out a class yesterday evening. I won't mention the affiliation, it's not fair to other schools of the same. The class was disorganized, he bashed the affiliation we were previously with and the instructor was VERY full of himself for being a 4th degree.
He was not as kind to V as I had hoped, in fact, he was downright belittling. His accent was heavy and the terminology they use is different than it is in the States. When V did not answer right away because he was trying to process what he was asking, he looked right at him and asked "Are you sure you are a 2nd GUP?"
I know that this was only our first experience, but V is such a creature of habit, it left him a little soured. I do believe that we will find the school that is right for him, but I was sad that as much as this man professed that they are a "family oriented" school - he didn't treat my son that way. I had an overwhelming urge to slap a grown man.
So, to Mr. M - you are missed more than you will ever know. We will be anxiously waiting to come back to our "family oriented" school.

Getting out and about

Little be little, we seem to knock our "to do" list down. It's more like 2 steps forward, one step back. We are finding out that this culture here is big on "freebies". So when we bought our TV's, each came with a free gift (surround sound system, bluray player, etc...). We were excited that we could get just a little more for our money. Imagine our surprise when the salesman handed up a piece of paper giving us the details of what, when and how we needed to go pick them up. So we trekked out the other day to 2 different locations. We got 2 out of the three gifts, the other was on backorder. The boxes were massive and heavy and try carrying them out to your car when there is no place to park, and no one to help you get them in the car - we knew there had to be a hitch ;-)

We went to dinner with some of B's colleagues at the Singapore Island Country Club - what a great evening. The view from the restaurant was the golf course. When we finished dinner - we were toured around the area. Beautiful countryside... I just wanted to grab a book and sit outside for the rest of the evening. Great amenities and the hospitality is top notch. The one thing we did notice between the country club and the American club is that if you are paying for a membership, the rest of the amenities are rather inexpensive. That's the way it should be...

We went to the Singapore Zoo and did the Night Safari - WOW! Very cool... It is a 45 minute ride on a tram with no lighting through the zoo's natural habitat. We saw animals we have never seen or even heard of before. Little S was a tad bit nervous as he kept telling me to make sure I had 2 hands on my purse and camera at all times. I guess it's sweet that he didn't want my things falling overboard - although I think he was more concerned with our things instead of Mommy...




We have also been bowling and swimming at The American Club. It also includes a library, gameroom, video rental, restaurants and other various services. So far so good - we are really having a great time - right now it really feels like we are on vacation.

Meeting People

At the gym after class, I met 2 women. The first one was a sweetheart. Young, blond from Austin. In fact, has a lot of knowledge of The Woodlands, because she grew up just north of there. Really nice, moving back to the States in December.

The second lady - typical socialite. The type that probably hangs out at the American Club, goes shopping and doesn't do much else. She was asking me if I had found doctors, grocery stores, hairdressers. She told me that I needed to be careful where I went to get my hair done because not many people know how to cut "American" hair.

I guess it's a good thing I'm Asian!

Aaaahhhh...

I went to the gym today!!! For those of you that know me, I was thrilled to be able to get to the gym today and work out. I got in about 45 minutes of cardio and I took Body Pump for the first time in three weeks. It was great to hear the tunes that I love and be in a high energy situation. The instructor (I'll leave out his name) was a local Singaporean. He made the corniest jokes and from being in there just 5 minutes, I could tell that most of the women in the class don't laugh with him, they laugh AT him. After the warm-up, I was thrilled, because here was an instructor that knew his choreography and knew how to keep the beat. At least, so I thought...

He started with the warmup - perfect. One of my favorite warm-up songs. "Come to Me". I was singing along - tapping my feet, just so happy to be back.
Next was squats - a song I have NEVER heard before. It had something to do about being ready for a race...
Next, chest. "Uno Dos Tres Maria" Another good one. By about this point, I realized that after each track when everyone moans, he copies us and then giggles like a girl.
Back and Hamstrings - "Africa" Now, I know this one by heart. He put in about 500 extra triple rows after the jumble jumble part that all of us pretend to know how to sing. No break where there should have been, so after the 500 triple rows, 6 clean and presses.
Triceps - another one of my favorites "Ain't it funny". It was a booger.
Biceps - "Stand Tough" - by this time I realized that I couldn't do my normal weight, so I went down a baby. The instructor giggled like a girl and told us we were all old ladies. WHAT???
Lunges - didn't recognize this one... but it was pretty old, had calf raises and squats in it.
Shoulders - "One night in bangkok" A good one - but he added 500 pulses - in a row. AND he told me I had to stack my plates instead of holding them separately.
Abs - never heard the song before - something having to do with holding a pretend ball in your arms and then extending your legs then putting one arm behind your ear and lifting the other one to your ankle while your feet are extended in mid air.
Yeah - that's what I thought too.

He sings out loud also - picture a buff, fairly good looking Asian man singing 2 octaves too high for a man and totally off key. And I kept thinking how much I was REALLY going to miss R and J at the gym.

BUT, I loved every minute of it!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to one of the most wonderful men I have ever met - my DH. And a happy day to all the Father's in the world. I love you B and I love you Dad!!!

A few minor inconveniences...

Well, we are finally in the house and very excited to be here. I was able to get most of my indian grocery shopping done and was happy to make a home cooked meal. I did the usual: soaked lentils, made the dough for roti, etc... I then proceeded to start making dinner. We have our Vonage set up and as I was talking to my dad, I realized that I didn't have any type of rolling pin for the roti. Oh well, I guess toast will have to do.

There are many things here that remind you that this is an Asian society and not the good 'ol USA. For instance - in order to use an outlet, you have to flip a switch so that it has power. There are water heater switches for each bathroom. If they are not on, you have to wait 15 minutes before you can get in the shower. There are no outlets in the bathroom so you need to find somewhere else to dry your hair.

But the kicker is there is no garbage disposal in the sink. So you have to do it the old fashioned way - throw all the gunk out by hand. The good thing is that garbage pick up is virtually every day - except weekends. Gotta love that.

The kids and I ventured out to the grocery store today. We walked down and took a cab back considering there was no way we could have carried it. It was nice to get out and smell the air and look around. Even the little one enjoyed himself. I'm like a kid in a candy store - you can get almost any Asian produce for very little money. The dry and boxed goods is what'll kill you. I think the grocery stores are destined to be crowded. There is so little space - even the mini shopping carts are hard to maneuver through. Most of the buildings here are built upwards not outwards.

All in all - we are just enjoying the differences and really learning to appreciate them.

Til next time,

S

Ready to move in.

We are ever so close to moving in to our new place. Since we have completely unloaded in our apartment, I am going to start moving some of our things over today. Which also means I get to take B's car and try to make it to the house on my own. I'm fairly sure how to get there, just need to take it easy, not drive too fast and resist the urge to drift to the left. Wish me luck!
The kids have been very good. I can't imagine how different this must feel to them. Although it probably feels as if we are on vacation right now since the apartment has a pool and play area complete with video games. Still, with all the running around we have been doing, they have really tried hard not to upset the apple cart.
The one that really has it the worst is B. He can't get fully started in his new job until he has us settled - I think once we are in the house, it will get better. I don't get a car for another month or so, so I plan to get better acquainted with the public transportation system. There are bus stops wherever you go - so getting around will not be an issue. And most stores will deliver if you buy a certain amount.
As soon as I get our own internet up and running in our home - I'll get some pictures posted.

S

Sights and Sounds of Singapore

Well, we've now been here for about 4 days and after the initial shock of jet lag and just being in a different country, I think that we are really getting to see parts of the "real" Singapore. It just as tropical as I imagined. As we were at the pool yesterday, there were armed forces maneuvers going on. There was a helicopter flanked by 2 blackhawks that was repeatedly flying over the island as well as a fighter jet. I took pictures of the helicopters flying through the palm trees. It looked exactly like something out of "China Beach" - for those of you old enough to remember that show...
A lot of the locals here do not have air conditioning as it is very expensive to run. So they dry their clothes on clotheslines on the nth floor of their highrise. I tried drying my clothes like that also until our dryer in our apartment was fixed - 2 days later, they still were not dry due to the humidity here. There are highrises everywhere to accomodate all the people that live here - and today B told me that they want to increase the population by 2 million people! You see construction of highrise after highrise on every street corner.
I drove today for the first time here - I was not as nervous as I thought. Since they drive on the other side of the road here - lefts are rights and rights are lefts. We picked out a car - but you cannot drive them off the lot here - you have to wait roughly 3-5 weeks for all the paperwork to clear. The motorcycles take their own right-of-ways and you really have to watch out for them.
I did get a local Singapore "hand phone" (cell phone) so at least I can call B if I need him.
The smell of Singapore to me is sea water mixed with fish and bus fuel - very Asian. In the public places where they do have A/C - I think they have it turned down to 60 degrees. I constantly feel like a popsicle.
I am excited to get possession of our new place tomorrow - to have a place to call "home". This interim living thing gets really old, really fast. Hopefully in a week or so, we will be up and running fully. That is, until I get my car and until our things arive from the US.

Until next time...
S

The Move...part 2

After finally getting back on the plane in Moscow, we departed for Singapore. By this time we had already been on the plane for 12 hours and had another 10 to go. It was morning by this time and we were all wide awake. After playing countless games against each other and watching even more movies, it was time for a nap. The kids slept nicely while I continued trying to learn Mandarin to not much avail. I was fine with "dog", "cat", "map", etc... but when the computer started in on " Would you like wine with your meal? Yes, I would like wine with my meal", I was a lost cause.

We landed in Singapore to a balmy 88 degrees which was just fine for me. Both plane rides were chilly as was Moscow (53 degrees). The airport was beautiful - very modern, lots of glass. The kids were so excited! Customs was a breeze - there was no one in line and they let us in with no issues - this after the flight attendant made sure to tell us that we had to document our length of stay no longer than 14 days since that's the longest amount of time you can stay in Singapore on vacation. And since we did not have our employee/dependent passes yet, it's a good thing she told us that.

A limo service picked us up at the airport in a Mercedes van which was perfect considering the amount of luggage we had with us. On our ride to the apartment that we are temporarily staying in, there was so much to soak in, I'm not sure we caught it all. I do remember thinking that parts of Singapore were very similar to India - the British parts of India that is. I didn't seem to mind the driving on the opposite side of the road. It didn't feel as awkward as I thought. It is very much a tropical paradise - with palm trees and storm clouds around every corner.

We checked into the apartment and rested a while then continued on to pick up B's car. We also got a tour of our new place. We were very excited to see it! Even though the kids had slept on the plane - they did stay up all day and finally crashed about 7pm (6am Houston time) and slept for about 12 hours. We have our days and nights staightnened out - but still get a little groggy around 4 in the afternoon.

More to follow...

The Move... Part 1

We moved out of the house last Wednesday because the packers were so efficient and had left nothing for us to sit on...
The kids always seem to have fun at any hotel we stay in... but after 3 days of living on top of each other, they were ready to head on out. Little did they know...

We departed Houston on Saturday night at 11:45pm. The flight over to Moscow was fairly uneventful - the kids slept most of the way. We were in Business class on Singapore Airlines - which, I tell you, is the way to fly. We had our own in demand flight system to watch whatever we wanted (which for me included 2 Hindi movies and a lesson in Mandarin). The seats folded out into 6 foot beds - INCREDIBLE! And each meal was 4 courses.

When we landed in Moscow, the first impression I had walking off the aircraft was "GREY". Everything was grey, everyone was wearing grey. Very European, lots of smokers. Not the most well kept airport in the world. But it was still unimaginable that we were standing on Russian soil. I was actually there - albeit just the airport.
I only have a few minutes of Internet since the one in our room does not work, so more later...

Packing

After 3 days of separating the house into 4 categories: Air, Sea, Storage and What We Can Carry... the packers are here. They are extremely pleasant and professional and from what I can tell - are doing an excellent job. After about 1 hour they are almost done with the study, dining room and family room. Since we are staying here until Thursday - I did ask them to leave the beds made for the time being. But we don't have anything in the family room to sit on ;-)
We also have 2 showings today, let's hope that they can see beyond the chaos what I've seen this whole time... My dream home.
I was anxious to get to this point - the thought of having all of my "stuff" packed and put on a cargo ship has been fairly unsettling. But now that the packers are here, there is a strange sense of calm that I feel - I am ready to get this show on the road and I think Saturday will come sooner than we all think.
And I get lunch today! My favorite dish - thanks C!!!

Murphy's Law

You know Murphy's Law - the one that says it'll rain after you wash your car?
The last few days have been running fairly smoothly. We have most of our paperwork done, we have divided the house in to Sea shipment, Air shipment and storage, my dad helped us out immediately with a minor crisis and besides just being "busy", things seemed to be falling into place. Until yesterday...
We are planning to sell my car on Friday - and get a rental for the rest of the time we are here. As I was going out the door to run some errands - my car would not start. Mind you, this was the second time in 3 weeks. A sweet neighbor tried to help me jump start it to no avail - he even let me borrow his car to go get a new battery. Who does that??? After finding out that Wal-Mart does not carry a battery for my car, I called GMC roadside assistance. Another sweet man helped me get my car started long enough to drive it up to the dealership. He also gave me his personal cell phone number just in case I got stranded somewhere along the way. I finally get up to the dealer to find out that the other dealer where I normally get service did not fix a recall issue that they should have.

So THANK YOU to my neighbor who tried to help me start my car and let me borrow his, THANK YOU to the sweet man who helped me start my car, THANK YOU to the service department for fixing my car so quickly on last minute notice, THANK YOU to my dh who had to put up with my 500 phone calls, and lastly, THANK YOU to my beautiful friend who watched my children all afternoon.

Home

With only 2 weeks to go, we are nearing the end of our stay here in Texas. I've come to feel as if this is home seeing as we have been here for 8 1/2 years. I will fondly think of this place that we will return to in 3-5 years.
I'll remember:
Dead armadillos on the road.
Love Bugs.
Mosquito Hawks.
Roaches the size of my big toe (and mine is BIG).
Seeing a copperhead in my yard (and freaking out, accidentally spilling the roundup and killing a 2ft by 2ft patch of grass).
Seeing our first lizard - IN our house.
Seeing more SUV's and trucks than anywhere else in the US.
Finally figuring out what a "kolache" was.
No zoning outside The Woodlands.
Billboards galore.
My beautiful home.
The best school we have ever attended.
Some of the best women I have ever met.

I really do LOVE it here - and even though I am truly grateful to be off on this amazing adventure - I will be PROUD to come back "home".

The best mother's day present

Present#1
What a great day it has been. My husband is out of the country and with today being mother's day and tomorrow being my birthday, I was feeling a little out of sorts since he was not here. Then my sweet sweet boys came down with homemade cards and presents. I was so proud that no one coached them or even had to remind them that today was mother's day.
Present #2
We have always had issues with the 7 year old eating fruits and veggies. Since he was a baby - he never liked fruits and ate only 2 veggies (even baby food). So we have been battling with him for a LONG time over this issue. In usual fashion, I put a few pieces of fruit on his plate for dinner - and Whadyaknow... he ate all of it! After I proceeded to tell him how PROUD I was of him, he looks up at me with the biggest doe eyes and says "Mommy, I just didn't want you to be frustrated with me on mother's day."

What more could you ask for...

May flowers?

My friend and I were talking about what a busy month May normally is - at school, May is packed for us with Teacher Appreciation, 1st grade play, field days, 2 field trips and last minute projects. Not to mention that May also holds Mother's Day, my MIL's birthday, my birthday and our anniversary. And the fact that we are leaving the country on the 31st holds it's own deadline with the movers coming to pack and ship our things. Not exactly time to stop and smell the roses.

So I give thanks everyday for friends that steal me away from this craziness that I live in for a quick lunch or shopping spree.(I had a blast!) I don't know how I would survive with out you! You will just have to come to Singapore with me!

Feeling a little wimpy

The kids had their full foreign travel physicals yesterday. They were little troopers. The little one had a royal meltdown at the sight of any needle - and of course the nurses wanted him to be the first to do all of the tests - so as to get it over with. Not good preparation for the 10 year old. He was already nervous as it was, then his brother proceeds to act a like a loon. I really felt bad for them - we were there from 9:00 to 2:00. Not a great way to spend your day.
Well, today it was my turn - and the kids were really lucky they didn't have to do all that was required of an adult. Stress test, EKG, chest xray, pulmonary test, TB test, typhoid and Hep shots, comprehensive blood work and urine tests. I think one of the shots has given me slight fever. I always feel really bad for the kids when they have any sort of medical procedure to go through - but today I really feel for what they went through yesterday. I at least am old enough to understand the reasoning behind all of this. To a 10 and 7 year old, they just think it's torture.
All in the call of duty for Mother Chevron...

It's true... I am crazy!

Moving overseas comes with responsibilities that can be at times overwhelming. Since the electrical current is different over in Singapore, we cannot take anything that plugs into the wall here in the States. So we are going through the process of dividing our belongings up so that we can put those items in storage. The good news is that we can take most of our stuff with us.

We are also having to coordinate getting physicals and any shots that we may be required to have before leaving. But, what we weren't aware of was that my husband and I had to have psychological evaluations in order to go. We went to a neuropsychologist who administered a personality test. The test was 587 questions long! After about #300, I was breezing through them so quickly that I'm sure I marked TRUE for the question that said "I hear voices that other people do not." Or maybe I marked TRUE to the one that asked "I have an overwhelming urge to urinate in public places." Or HEAVEN FORBID I marked TRUE to the one that said "The man SHOULD be the head of household."
So when the test results come back, I may be blogging here from the good ol' USA while the rest of my family is basking in the sunshine in Singapore...

A new venture...

I've never been very good at expressing my thoughts eloquently. But I've had so many people ask me whether I was starting a blog as soon as they heard we were moving to Singapore. I hope that this will be a great way to keep all of you updated on what's going on in our lives. Especially when it seems like these days the act of a phone call pushes my schedule over the edge! Let me know what you think.
SP