Jurong Bird Park

Lots of beautiful birds to see here. We didn't stay as long as we had wanted because of the afternoon rainshower, but we saw lots of cool birds. Owls, penquins, eagles, parrots, pelicans, flamingos, ostrich, hornbills, and many more.

I got

to hold a hoop

for some of the Parrots to fly through and we all got to feed the lory parrots from a cup of soup.

The world's largest man made waterfall is here in the African Waterfall Aviary .

The Durian Experience

December 2009

Okay, we've been here a month and a half so it was about time to take the plunge and try the infamous Durian fruit. It smells very odd. In fact you're not allowed to bring it on the subway, in a taxi or into a hotel. I think the smell tends to linger.

Our landlord, Albert took us on a field trip to Bugis and Sim Lim. He has been so helpful getting us squared away with reference points, shopping options, a tour of the neighborhood and which buses to take to get us where we want to go. Bugis is supposedly the largest outdoor market area in Singapore. We only did a quick run through, so it will definitely be a spot to return. The fruit stands and food stands here are amazing. Sim Lim is a building at least 7 stories tall that carries almost nothing but electronic equipment, parts, pieces and computer stuff. Brian is in heaven there. So is Albert. I draw the parallel of it being like me bringing Brian into a craft store with me. Shopping for electronics is not my idea of a fun afternoon. Although we did get a transformer so that I could run my sewing machine here. Oooooooohhhhhhhh beautiful fabrics in Singapore.

Back to our Durian Experience. In Bugis, we came across a huge fruit stand where a gentleman was cutting and packaging Durian Fruit. We asked for a taste as we really didn't want to buy an entire package. The girls and I put on our brave hats and took a bite. Definitely not a favorite. We're told it is an acquired taste. Uhmmmm. I'm not sure we're willing to develop that.

Trying to Capture a Bit of Winter Spirit

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The girls thought that maybe, just maybe we could conjure up some Winter Season Spirit by participating in a wintery cold activity. No we didn't crank the air conditioning! Instead we dug out long pants, socks and warm coats. We called Alison and Jacqueline's new school friend, Deanna and her sister Natalie, jumped in a cab and headed down to the Kallang Leisure Park for a bit of ice skating. The ice rink is on the 3rd floor of a mall in amongst a food court and little shops. They also have a bowling alley there. We got 2 hour passes, skates and bought the required gloves.

Then they hit the ice. They managed to stir up a little bit of Winter Magic not to mention a couple of blisters. They finished with big smiles and a fun time with friends.

Yet more zoo photos

Are you tired of the zoo yet!

Singapore Zoo

More Zoo Photos

Singapore Zoo

December 2009

The zoo here is phenomenal! You can get so up close and personal with the animals, yet their environment seems so hospitable. Mostly they appear very at home and content. Although it is 85 degrees. Maybe they're just "HOT".

Every square inch of the zoo seems very well thought out and used to the fullest potential. Just like the rest of Singapore. No room for wasted space.

Jacqueline loved the white tigers, Alison's favorites were the polar bears (in Singapore?), my favorite had to be the kangaroos and Brian was totally enamored with the orangutans.

Although I have to say we all loved the orangutans. I wasn't able to get the greatest pictures of them, but we were able to walk around on a treetop boardwalk as they climbed around us.

Wow! Great Climbing Experience

December 2009

Davina and I took the two sets of twins to this wonderful climbing center right inside one of the downtown malls, Orchard Center. They had a great time. $S20 (about $15 US) each for an hour of non stop climbing. I didn't think that was too bad.They had a blast!

Jericho Tailor Chinatown Singapore

The Cheongsam Experience

December 2009

Cheongsam

December 2009

The girls and I went to Chinatown on Tuesday as I was looking for a new Chinese style top or outfit to wear to Brian's Office party. After trying only a few items, as it is very difficult for a women of my size to find many choices, we decided to wander down to a tailor shop that featured a gorgeous traditional style Chinese dress called a "Cheongsam". The 100% silk choices were beautiful, and before I knew it, I had decided to let Mohamad have me measured for my very own custom tailored dress. A dream come true as I have always wanted to have a dress made especially for me.

Needless to say, the silk I chose and the amount of yardage needed was more than I had hoped for, but the entire experience was so much fun. That in itself was worth the entertainment value.

Not to mention that they were able to have the tailor complete the dress in 24 hours. I was able to try the dress on the following day and take it home for the party the next night.

The girls both got such a kick out of me acting like a giggly school girl because I was so excited.

I think they enjoyed the process and product as much as I did.

A very fun experience to share with my darling pre teen girls. Mother-Daughter bonding at its finest.

I love my beautiful Cheongsam.

And of course Mohamad is hoping I'll return with Brian in tow for a jacket, slacks and a few shirts. I'm not sure he has the best prices, but the service and quality are outstanding.

Twins and Gingerbread Houses

December 2009

We have been very fortunate to make some wonderful new friends.

Brian and Mark work together at Standard Chartered.

Mark's wife is Davina and is delightful and they have two wonderful identical twins who are 10 years old. Sophia, Olivia, Jacqueline and Alison have become fast friends and we have gotten together on numerous occasions..

Today we tried to build and decorate Gingerbread houses. I felt so clever buying preformed gingerbread walls and roof from IKEA. (Yes, we actually have two IKEAs here. Although they pronounce it EEKEA) By the time we actually got around to opening the sealed boxes, we discovered there were barely enough intact pieces to build just one complete house.

That didn't stop the girls from enjoying the fun of decorating with icing and candy though.

And bless Davina. She diligently assembled the single house as the icing dripped and the once crispy gingerbread became soft and saggy from the humidity.

Fun was had by all. Then came the sugar rushes and achy stomachs.

Santa in Singapore

Saturday December 12, 2009

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.... in Singapore.

We finally found that elusive jolly old elf at the British Club.

I couldn't bear to go a year without having my babies Christmas picture taken with

Ole St. Nick. We had a very difficult time finding him, but he made time to visit the children at the British Club. Jacqueline and Alison practically pleaded with me to avoid this childish tradition, but Mom won this one. This was one of those battles that I chose.

The very few Santas we've seen here are a bit lame, but I guess it's just a bit too hot and humid here for the old guy.

At least I won't have an empty picture frame from 2009 on my mantle of Santa visits.

Christmas Parade

December 18, 2009

We just witnessed the World's Shortest and Fastest parade.

At 7:00pm this evening on Orchard Street we patiently awaited the parade of Christmas floats.

With a police escort and traffic blocked, the 6 ornately decorated Christmas (sponsored by local Christian churches) literally zoomed by one after another at a breakneck speed of about 35 miles per hour. Pedestrians oohed and aahed and than it was over.

All we could do was laugh.

Just get it done. Christmas in Singapore.

Had I known I'd have so much room on my camera, I would have recorded this festive display of Christianity.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

We are officially moved into our new house on Duchess Road. It looks like a house, but who knew the little things make it feel so different?

We're not fully acclimated to the heat and humidity here so we're trying to figure out how often to run the airconditioning. We don't want to run it constantly because we're afraid we won't be able to afford to eat after the first electric bill. At the same time we want to be comfortable and want to preserve our furniture from the humidity. Trial and error and more physical time in this tropical climate.

I took me at least a couple of hours to read through the instruction manual and run my first load of dishes in a new and foreign dishwasher. It would have helped had I purchased the proper dish"WASHER" detergent. Who needs to go to Tanglin Mall to participate in a snowy-sudsy event when you can create one in your own home. Our landlords, Patricia and Albert, never used a dishwasher, so this is a new appliance for the home. I tried to hand wash a few dishes, but couldn't get any hot water. Evidently homes don't usually have hot water in the kitchen. I am still not sure I buy that one. I'm checking out some other opinions. At least we do have hot water for the dishwasher, washing machine and upstairs bathroom.

Albert, our loadlord, is a technical computer/electronic wiz. He's been educating me on the use of 240V vs 120V for our electrical appliances. We didn't bring many, but I think I already fried our IHome docking station. Albert is checking it out to see if it can be salvaged. Might just be a fuse. Or so he says. He switched our hard drive computer tower over to local voltage with a click of a switch. Who knew? I've been so afraid to plug in anything else. This is scary powerful current over here. I was wiping down switch plates with a "slightly damp" cloth and could feel the current buzzing through by hands and arms. I guess it's a much more efficient use of power, but all I can think of is little children and sticking things into the electrical sockets. I am so thankful the girls are old enough to know better. Although they have been banned from plugging anything into a socket. Albert has brought me several different adapters and transformers (doesn't that sound techy) to get our computer and newly purchased lamps working.

The girls and I have visited both of the 2 IKEAs here in Singapore. We had to spell it out for the cab driver as he says they pronounce it EEkea. We much preferred the store in Tampines. It's farther away, but much larger. We bought some lamps (Albert brought us adapters as they are a little different plugs than the sockets here. Not a voltage/amp thing, just a 2 prong vs. a 3 prong thing.) We also bought some black plates and bowls. I found some beautiful black and metalic green silk pillow covers in Chinatown, so I'm going with that theme. I'm accenting with a metallic copper color too. Going for the sleek, modern, minimalist, zen, fung shui, nature theme.

Alison got a fun red carpet for here room. Jacqueline is still searching for the right carpet for her room. Our upstairs is entirely parque flooring so its nice to cozy it up with carpets. Brian's boss is Pakistani so he's going to check into some silk carpets for us too.

Sentosa Island

Friday, November 27, 2009

The Day After American Thanksgiving

Hari Raya Haji - A Muslim Holiday Festival - 10th day of the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar

Even though Brian didn't get Thanksgiving Day off, Friday was a work holiday.

We decided to visit Sentosa Island. The southern most tip of Singapore.

It is a large amusement type park.

We went to the 4D Pirates movie short. It was like Bugs Life at California Adventure.

We also went on a 3D Virtual Roller Coaster Log Ride. They were both fun, but when we got tho the Top of the island we buckled up for a harnessed rope climb jungle gym kind of thing.

Jacqueline and Alison skittered around the 2nd of 3 levels of various tight rope and precarious wooden bridges. Then they jumped 3 stories off the tree house tower in a simulated parachute drop. They said the trickiest part was making the initial jump. Go figure.

It was a gorgeous sunny day until..... just as the girls started the rope walk the sky opened up and it started to pour. Fortunately the thunder and lightning never materialized otherwise we wouldn't have been able to finish. Lastly we all waited our turn for the MEGAZIP Line.

Phenomenal! Jacqueline and Alison went tandem and Brian and I were singles. They released us all at the same time. We glided over the rainforest down to the beach below. About 1/2 mile.

It was awesome. I wish we could have had our camera running for the ride.

The girls also took a Luge ride from near the top of the park down to the beach a couple of times. You ride a sky lift (think ski chair) back to the top. We also took pictures of the Merlion, Singapore's symbol. The pictures of it lit at night were spectacular. The pictures I've shown of the skyline are part of the new Universal Studios, roller coasters and resorts due to open early next year. They seem to work 24/7 here. I know these workers are overworked and under paid.

Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the right video. Of course we had already come down, so this is footage of the following group.