A picture tells a thousand words......but not today

I love using pictures as updates on this blog. However, I have lost the ability to load pictures from my camera onto my computer once again. I have learned/realized that my 5 year old PC is apparently too old to read the latest memory cards in my camera that require an new version of USB hardware. No quick software upgrade will help.....so I will go for script and do my best to give you an update on some everyday stuff that is perhaps worth reading.....

Last night we were eating dinner in a cafeteria style food junction that is similar to a food court in a mall. The girls were eating roti prata (dough based flat pancake) and I had some fish curry and briyani rice. Rob wanted to see who couldn't finish their meal first before ordering. Does anyone ever do this? We do this all the time. I'm ok sharing a meal with a child, but sharing a drink is different. I can't tell you how many times I am reminded that once I give my child a drink from my water bottle, it's attack of the floaties. My father used to eat gooey things out of our hands when my sister's and I were little. All of us went through a phase when we insisted on sharing our food after we had squished it in our fingers for a few minutes. My dad obliged. What a saint.......I can't do it.....nor can I share a drink with floaties.

Sabrina and Parrish are really into turtles right now. Especially Sabrina. She has this cute little stuffed turtle named Mr Green and he sleeps with her every night. It never fails that the first thing she asks for when she wakes up is her turtle, "where's turtle?". We have these multi colored Ikea plastic plates and she wants to eat off the green one. She wants the green ribbon and prefers her green dress. Go green!!

Construction

Rob and I think everyday how fortunate we are to have this experience. Our kids are growing in ways we couldn't imagine and Singapore makes it really easy for any foreigner to feel at home. I can find almost anything at a grocery store. I may have to pay top dollar, but if I needed some Nestle toll house morsels or Organic Valley milk or Tillamook cheese, I could find it. People work really hard here and they usually never lose their cool. It's bad form to "lose face". But it is high stress and this is a big city. Cars don't yield to pedestrians, unless you have a child with you but don't count on it. You learn quickly how to drive defensively because if you don't, you will get cut off. People don't seem to mind if you return the same form on the road or the sidewalks. I'm impressed we don't see more road rage to be honest.

There is construction everywhere. You just can't get away from it. I guess there are benefits for a 1st world country to be located in an area where there is several 3rd world countries nearby and businesses can hire foreign workers at a very affordable price. I've taken these pictures that are only one block from our condo (except last pic)......and actually I forgot about the new high rise being built behind us. I thought the last picture was impressive because it shows you the "crane" skyline we see around Marina Bay.

We haven't even been here a year and 4 large malls have been opened off of Orchard Rd (shopping mecca). It is truly and National Sport here in Singapore and something I will never entirely "get". Thankfully there are many recreational areas away from the noise that we can retreat to for a little soul maintenance.

 

 

 

 

Why bother?

A sale in Singapore is something to be seen. They just don't have very many and when they do, it's very comical to me. This sign says, "receive and $8 voucher, with a minimum of $150 spent". So that means you have to come back to the store and spend more money to get your 5% discount. :)

 

Our first visitors!

Our friends Erik, Karen and their two delightful girls, Greta and Sonja came to visit just after our Spring Break. Erik is an old college friend of mine from Montana State. Despite we have never lived in the same town since, we have managed to keep in touch and travel to see each others' family in some pretty cool places throughout the years.

We were so thrilled to host them during their visit. We couldn't have had a better time. It was so fun to show them around Singapore. Parrish and Greta were instant friends. We built some fond memories we will look back on for a long, long time. Thanks so much for coming! xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

Kota Kinabalu

Our Spring Break week this year was spent on the Island of Borneo in Kota Kinabalu. This is the capital of the Malaysian state, Sabah. You will find the largest peak in SE Asia at Mount Kinbalu, 4,095 metres (13,435 ft). We stayed two nights in a Forest Lodge near Kinabalu National Park with the mountain in view. However, we were welcomed with some tropical rain and only saw the mountain for about 5 minutes each day before the clouds moved in. Our last 2 days were spent at a beach resort just over an hour away. It was nice to feel a bit of cool mountain air for a few days and end with a relaxing time at the beach.

There are 2 well know Oran Gutan (yes, it's two words over here) rehabilitation centers in the Malaysian side of Borneo. We were able to visit the stage 1 center which was right next to the resort we stayed. There is so much to learn about these endangered animals. We all were able to take a little family friendly hike into the rain forest and watch the young orphan apes get their afternoon snack from a viewing platform.

 

Bring on the rain and the mud. Didn't seem to phase the girls for our hike!