Big city livin'

We moved into our big city, high-rise apartment on Monday and we have enjoyed having all the conveniences nearby. The grocery store is a 10 minute walk and we are close to Orchard Rd, which is a mecca of shopping and restaurants. I think shopping is a national sport around here. You can find anything! Except Target.....or any store like it.

It is very apparent that we can immerse ourselves as much as we want into the culture around here, or we can almost live like we could in the US. We can get lunch at a local hawker center (Asian food court with healthy and cheap food) or go to a US chain like California Pizza Kitchen or Borders Cafe. We can also choose to eat the local ice cream or buy Tillamook in the grocery store. I even saw an add for Farmland Oregon fresh chips, but I've never seen these in a grocery store in Oregon. We like exploring the cheaper, local venues, but if you wanted to enjoy the comforts from the US, it comes at a high price ($11 gallon of Tillamook).

Buying eggs is interesting. You can choose between normal fresh eggs, first born eggs, quail eggs, corn eggs, carrot eggs, salted eggs......etc. And as expected, they aren't refrigerated. I'm very curious to find out what I could make with quail eggs. Mini french toast, or bite size deviled eggs. :)

The bell peppers here are extremely cheap! I can buy red, yellow or orange for $0.79 Sing which is about $.60 US. I was happy if I found bell peppers for $1 at Safeway. I find it pretty fascinating to discover the difference in grocery items around here. Everything in this country is imported. There are no natural resources. If I wanted I could buy sauces from India, curries from Thailand and bread from Australia. The natural resource in Singapore is it's people. They work very hard here and everyone seems to be so nice and in a good mood.

I've really enjoyed all the walking around despite the warm, humid climate. Although we really need to reconsider the stroller we brought for Sabrina. The unevenness and inconsistency of the sidewalks around here are stressing the wheels considerably. I thought about getting an ergo carrier before leaving, but knew having Sabrina next to me in this heat would be unbearable even if it was going to be easier getting on and off mass transit. Unfortunately the strollers in Singapore are very expensive. A cheap umbrella stroller can almost cost $100.

Parrish is on her 5th consecutive day of going swimming in the apartment pool. Instead of begging for pool time starting first thing in the morning, like we had the first few days, she has slowed to more acceptable beg just before noon. Sabrina will even say "lets go swimming" and go get one of our suits.

Since we have been without a car all week, we have had a fun time hailing taxis. Parrish was getting tired of walking one day and kept saying, "my walking legs are tired, let's get a taxi". Often times we find the taxis are a much cheaper alternative for the whole family than taking a bus. Parrish is really good at waving one down.

As soon as we get our computer next week, I'll try and post a few pictures.
Take care and keep in touch. The Noce's.