You go to the hardware store to buy paint that is advertised and they tell you they only sell white paint. They send you across town to the store that mixes colored paint.
You go to the store that mixes paint and place your order. You don’t get a complimentary paint stir or opener. When you ask for the paint stir they give you an old one with dozens dried paint on it. You forget about asking for an opener!
When you start painting you realize they didn’t mix up the correct shade! You give up and use it anyway……
Using public ladies rooms you have to make sure you go into a “sit down” stall and not a “stand up” stall.
You have to carry your own “tissue” to use as toilet paper because not all public toilets supply paper.
You know your toilet is clogged because water starts coming out of the drain in the floor of the bathroom.
The fruit flies flying around the bathroom are NOT fruit flies they are “Shit Flies” because your toilet has a clog in the line.
The plumbers use a mop handle to “clear” a clog and not a drain snake. They look at you like you are crazy when you suggest they put a drain camera down the drain and make sure the clog is gone! They also act like they don’t understand English you when you ask why they aren’t using a drain snake.
If your shower has only cold water then you probably forgot to turn on the single hot water heater connected to your bathroom upon entering.
Calling Dell to order printer ink, the one and only ONE person in all of Singapore cannot be found to take your order. They must phone you back when it’s convenient for them. Sometimes you the customer must supply Dell with the product code! They then hand deliver your order to your home in 2 days!
You hobble out of bed each morning because your heels are so bruised from walking on hard marble floors.
You can’t shop for anything in the morning because the mall stores don’t open until 11:00 p.m. Forget about getting errands done in the morning!
You can go to 3 different locations of the same grocery store chain and find all different items in each store. The items either rotate or are hit or miss………..so it’s a mystery which store you might find a block of cream cheese or lump of cracker barrel cheese any given week.
Some taxi drivers refuse to take you where you want to go. You then have to find another taxi.
You can only cash a local check at the bank in which it was issued. Forget about cashing or depositing a U.S. check.
Each room has its own air conditioning unit with a separate control. There is no such thing as central air. These units must be cleaned by a “professional” every 3 months!
There are at least 3 types of electrical plugs but only one type of wall plug. You have to buy a ton of adaptors just to plug appliances in.
Your condo number is 29-10 meaning tower 10, 29th floor and lobby 7???? WTF? The problem is the 29th floor is all your bedrooms and the 30th floor is your living area, people don’t want to come to the front door on the 30th floor because your address says 29!!
Dry cleaning takes a week. I’m thinking they send it to Malaysia & back?
When it’s hazy outside it means the farmers in Indonesia are burning their fields. It will be hazy for days……before it clears.
Being an expat can be a daily challenge!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Visiting Lindsay in Japan
My overall impressions of Japan:
Clean & orderly, no trash on the streets or highway
A very efficient railway system but time consuming.
People were friendly and helpful
They love to recycle.
Osaka was crowded with lots of traffic, bikes and people dressed all sorts of crazy ways.
Fukui was quiet with few people or cars on the streets. Planters of flowers on the streets. A very nice town.
If I had to describe Japan with one smell it would be FISHY!
We started our trip at 1:00 a.m. on a Singapore Airlines flight to Osaka. We got to Osaka about 9:00 a.m. Of course Rick was able to sleep most of the way; I on the other hand watched movies and ate! After we gathered our 5 and I mean 5 large bags we headed out of the airport to find the 1st train station. This was easily done despite the 2 huge suitcases full of Lindsay’s close, a full size futon mattress crammed into a bag and ducked taped, our 2 suitcases and a camera case. We looked like the Clamppets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beverly_Hillbillies).
We arrived in Osaka-Shin train station after an hour and attempted to get the next train bound for Fukui. The next train was full so we had to wait an hour for the next train that would take us the 2 hours to Fukui. At this point we decided to look for some food. Wound up in a Starbucks no less and ordered some sandwiches & iced teas. Not bad. We sat on our mountain of suitcase on the platform waiting for the train. We did not learn until later that this was probably causing a spectacle as the Japanese do not think it is too polite to eat out in public view. Oh well we’re crazy American’s so we can do it!
6 hours after landing in Osaka we finally arrived in Fukui. Lindsay was waiting for us with her tiny Fred Flintstone car. Actually its quiet cute. We loaded her two suitcases and futon into the miniature car and she and Amanda headed off to her apartment. Rick and I took our two suitcases and walked to our hotel. It was an exhausting day but we made it and Lindsay was thankful not to have to go fetch us. Apparently most of her friends were impressed that we embarked on this journey without her assistance. Are we such good parents?
Eating was an adventure! At two of our three dinners at least one item got lost in translation. On the first night we ended up with one item we didn’t ask for and missing one that we had pointed to on the menu. The second night we ordered a 2nd plate of “spring rolls” but forgot to ask for them as “fried spring rolls”. We got spring rolls but they weren’t fried. That same night I was happily eating a noodle dish when Amanda realized that the garnish in the dish was Brine Shrimp with little black eyes (you know SEA MONKEY’S). After that I couldn’t eat my dish. For breakfast in the hotel one morning we ate “French fries” for breakfast because they were on the buffet and because there was little else palatable. Another morning we had to eat scrambled eggs with chopsticks!! Talk about a challenge! Poor Amanda has not mastered the art of using chopsticks and was very frustrated.
Three surprising things: We found a Mexican Restaurant in Osaka and celebrated Lindsay’s 22nd birthday. The food was great!
While walking through a market in Osaka we came upon a Shakeys’ Pizza Parlor. Rick and I both have such found memories of Shakey’s Pizza. I even had a birthday party at the one that used to be on Rockville Pike. We didn’t eat there but Rick and I kept marveling that there was on in Japan.
Kimono’s we saw at least half a dozen women in the traditional dress, right down to the white socks and wooden sandals. Apparently this is a display of National Pride. It was really cool to see these women on the streets.
It was a wonderful trip the weather was in the 70’s with a nice breeze. Lindsay apartment was cute albeit tiny. She looked great and seems to be adjusting to her new home. I look forward to visiting Tokyo & Kyoto in the future.
Hugs,
Cassie
Clean & orderly, no trash on the streets or highway
A very efficient railway system but time consuming.
People were friendly and helpful
They love to recycle.
Osaka was crowded with lots of traffic, bikes and people dressed all sorts of crazy ways.
Fukui was quiet with few people or cars on the streets. Planters of flowers on the streets. A very nice town.
If I had to describe Japan with one smell it would be FISHY!
We started our trip at 1:00 a.m. on a Singapore Airlines flight to Osaka. We got to Osaka about 9:00 a.m. Of course Rick was able to sleep most of the way; I on the other hand watched movies and ate! After we gathered our 5 and I mean 5 large bags we headed out of the airport to find the 1st train station. This was easily done despite the 2 huge suitcases full of Lindsay’s close, a full size futon mattress crammed into a bag and ducked taped, our 2 suitcases and a camera case. We looked like the Clamppets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beverly_Hillbillies).
We arrived in Osaka-Shin train station after an hour and attempted to get the next train bound for Fukui. The next train was full so we had to wait an hour for the next train that would take us the 2 hours to Fukui. At this point we decided to look for some food. Wound up in a Starbucks no less and ordered some sandwiches & iced teas. Not bad. We sat on our mountain of suitcase on the platform waiting for the train. We did not learn until later that this was probably causing a spectacle as the Japanese do not think it is too polite to eat out in public view. Oh well we’re crazy American’s so we can do it!
6 hours after landing in Osaka we finally arrived in Fukui. Lindsay was waiting for us with her tiny Fred Flintstone car. Actually its quiet cute. We loaded her two suitcases and futon into the miniature car and she and Amanda headed off to her apartment. Rick and I took our two suitcases and walked to our hotel. It was an exhausting day but we made it and Lindsay was thankful not to have to go fetch us. Apparently most of her friends were impressed that we embarked on this journey without her assistance. Are we such good parents?
Eating was an adventure! At two of our three dinners at least one item got lost in translation. On the first night we ended up with one item we didn’t ask for and missing one that we had pointed to on the menu. The second night we ordered a 2nd plate of “spring rolls” but forgot to ask for them as “fried spring rolls”. We got spring rolls but they weren’t fried. That same night I was happily eating a noodle dish when Amanda realized that the garnish in the dish was Brine Shrimp with little black eyes (you know SEA MONKEY’S). After that I couldn’t eat my dish. For breakfast in the hotel one morning we ate “French fries” for breakfast because they were on the buffet and because there was little else palatable. Another morning we had to eat scrambled eggs with chopsticks!! Talk about a challenge! Poor Amanda has not mastered the art of using chopsticks and was very frustrated.
Three surprising things: We found a Mexican Restaurant in Osaka and celebrated Lindsay’s 22nd birthday. The food was great!
While walking through a market in Osaka we came upon a Shakeys’ Pizza Parlor. Rick and I both have such found memories of Shakey’s Pizza. I even had a birthday party at the one that used to be on Rockville Pike. We didn’t eat there but Rick and I kept marveling that there was on in Japan.
Kimono’s we saw at least half a dozen women in the traditional dress, right down to the white socks and wooden sandals. Apparently this is a display of National Pride. It was really cool to see these women on the streets.
It was a wonderful trip the weather was in the 70’s with a nice breeze. Lindsay apartment was cute albeit tiny. She looked great and seems to be adjusting to her new home. I look forward to visiting Tokyo & Kyoto in the future.
Hugs,
Cassie
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Hungry Ghosts Festival & ER visit
HOSPITAL VISITS
Last Thursday I went to Gleneagles Hospital for an "Executive Physical" That included a complimentary pap, mamo & mamo ultrasound. After you check in you are given a robe to put on. Men & women have the same robes. You go for blood work, ekg, chest x-ray etc. All the while going up and down elevators and walking through the MAIN LOBBY dressed in a robe and flip-flops! All this fun took 2.5 hours and afterwards I was famished from fasting. I taxied over to the Takashimaya Shopping Mall to pick up a Mahjong book at the bookstore. I had never been to this mall but was impressed the enormous bookstore. I ended up in the basement at the food court. I walked the entire area looking at all the food stalls and wondering what to eat. Not much appealed to me but I forced myself to be adventurous and ordered some shrimp tempura from a Japanese stall. The tray came with 4 shrimp, several cold veggie type items & rice. I found a place to sit and picked up my chopsticks. While I was eating I was wondering what the "stuff" was but thought to myself I needed to be open minded and ate it all.
Guess what? By Friday a.m. my tummy did not feel so good. I went about my morning but by lunch it was obvious something was not agreeing with me. Friday evening was no better and Friday over night was miserable! Fever, chills, achy body etc. Rick had to get up and get me socks and a big blanket. I knew that was ridicules, we are in Singapore! Saturday just go worse and Rick was getting nervous. He was leaving on Sunday for London for several days and he was 1. worried about me 2. worried I had something he would catch and have in London. We decided it must be either: virus, bacteria or H1N1. 2 of the 3 would need medication so I said I'd go the the ER. We taxied over to Gleneagles and to the "triage" area. Now I was having flashbacks of Chinese hospitals in Guangzhou. This was NOT the same area of the hospital I had been in on Thursday. It was not for "executives". The best way to describe the "triage" area is a walled in porch, open to the outside. They took my temp. and gave me a mask to wear because I had a fever and could be contagious. I should have had Rick take a pix of that but honestly I was too sick to think of it. Have you ever worn one of those paper masks. Well in 90 + degree heat it is stifling and them room the lead us too was NOT airconditioned!!! Give me a break!! So I had to sit in a hard plastic chair, in the sweltering heat with a paper mask over my mouth and nose and wait my turn. I thought I was in hell!
Once I got to the examination area it had AC and the doctor diagnosed a Bacterial Infection from something I ate on Thursday. He said they'd give me IV fluids, antibiotics and meds to stop Montezuma. After about an hour of being rehydrated they released me and gave us 4 filled prescriptions to take home with us. Rick was thankful he wasn't going to "catch" it. It caught we so off guard since not once did any of us have "issues" with something we ate in China. But I was very careful with what I cooked and where/what we ate. I guess I need to be more picky here too!
My excitement this week is to prepare for 4 Navy sailors whom will be coming over to hang-out and eat a home cooked meal. The Nimitz Battle Group is in port and the Navy League and American Association were looking for hosts. Of course that was right up our alley and I signed up. I'm meeting the guys down on Orchard Rd. the big shopping district and brining them back here to swim, use the wireless, take a long hot shower and eat some good home cooking. 3 of them have been emailing me so I'm looking forward to meeting them in person.
To be continued! Hugs, Cass
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Smelly Cats & other stuff
Not sure if I have mentioned the feral cats that live on the street behind our condos. There are at least 6 of them but 2 we see every day. One all black and the other apricot. They live on a wall between the plants next too a swimming pool. This is at the condo complex that "goat girl" lives out. I'm mentioned her before. Turns out Amanda friend Megan lives there as well. Any how the longer I live here the more I realize everyone in our condo complex knows these cats. We have to pass them every time we walk to the market, post office, shopping mall etc.
It is no secret that Rick & I are not big cat fans. They shed for one but mostly you have to deal with a litter box and we just don't "do" that. These cats are fed daily by folks, I've seen food even in our complex set out for them. We've seen chicken bones on the wall etc. For a while there was street construction on that road and a white wicker chair appeared for the old Indian construction worker to sit in the shade when he took is break. Most times when I walked by the 2 main cats would be sitting on this wicker chair. Now that the chair is gone the cats are usually sitting on the wall in between the plants. Did I mention none of these cats have tails! Apparently they are a certain breed, very strange looking. If I liked cats the tail would be the body part I liked the most so this just looks so wrong. The point of all this is the stench from these cats. It's so bad that I must hold my breath when walking that block or walk in the road. It is so...............dreadful! Because they have a huge outdoor litter box along the wall and it's so hot/humid here you can imagine. It reminds me of the song from Friends every time I walk by. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSs6Xm36h0w
I knew it. I knew I'd get cheated sometime, of course it was when I wasn't on top of my game. Wasn't feeling well on Friday and I had gone out to SAS (Singapore American School) to check out a volunteer opportunity. I took the MRT (subway) out which requires a 45 min. ride and about 20 min walk. By the time I was ready to leave it was raining and I felt crummy so I phoned a taxi. If you phone for a taxi they charge a fee for this. So the guy was getting extra money just by me stepping into his cab. The cab fare was 14.90, I gave him a 20 and asked for just 5 back. He handed me a five folded and I got out. Once I came up to the apartment and looked at it, it was a Malaysian 5 dollar bill. He got me the SOB! It's only worth about 1 sing dollar so he cheated me 4 bucks plus I tipped him the .10. Which to Americans isn't a big deal but this is NOT a tipping society and most of the taxi drivers are retired but the govt doesn't give them the equivalent of social security until they are 80 years old. So they are trying to make a living and giving them anything extra is a big deal. Makes me mad because I'm always nice to these guys and mostly tell them to keep the change whatever the fare comes too. NOT anymore. One the bright side Rick goes to Malaysia frequently so he can use the 5 there!
$90 dryer vent! I think I have complained before about how our dryer vents into our non air conditioned laundry room. We'll after looking at 4 places and then consulting some existing expats I finally found a place that sells dryer vents. I sent Rick out to get it, our plan was for him to rout it over the top of the dryer and out a window. When he came back he had a smile on his face and said to me "how much do you think it was?" Knowing everything is outrageously priced here I said $50 he was like "nope". It was over $90 sing dollars BUT they guy threw in the brackets for free and a bit of extra length so he wouldn't have to sell a tiny piece.
In the end I'm very happy to now have the dryer vented out the window. I no longer have to wait until the coolest part of the day to use the dryer! Next post: ER visit & Festival of the Hungry Ghosts.
Singapore Trivia: 4 Official languages are: English, Mandarin, Malay & Tamil
Hugs,
Cassie
Friday, August 14, 2009
Crazy American Lady
You all know I'm crazy but now the Singaporeans do too. You know how I'm always saying how hot I am? Today I decided since I had to stay in the house to wait for a delivery & for the worker to come and fix all the cracks in the walls I would dress "comfortable". I put on a new tube dress. Like the old tube tops with a skirt attached to the bottom. Because it's strapless I didn't wear a bra BUT I did put on a short sleeve sweater over it. We all know the "sisters" are plenty big to hold up the dress, that is not the issue. Things were going great and I was feeling so comfortable, could only have been more comfortable it I had gone commando but hey, one thing at a time.
I was having an issue with the guy fixing the cracks. He spackled one large crack then disappeared for like 1.5 hours. Of course he left my back door open & the expensive AC was on. I'm thinking really long coffee break..
When he returns I'm like what's the deal, yes I'm more diplomatic than that. He seems to not understand my English and tells me he'll be back at 1:30 to paint. Won't tell me where he as been or how long this job is going to take. So I call the building super and she comes up. I ask her what is going on and show her the 1 thing the guy has done since 10:00 a.m. & it's 11:30 now. Turns out he was looking for "supplies" all that time and would be back after lunch at 1:30.........maybe he'll finish by 5:00 p.m. or maybe he'll have to come back another time, argh.
I'm dealing with that, meantime my delivery comes in the midst of all this conversation. I let them up the lift, they were bringing us a Chinese TV stand we bought over the weekend. I'm moving furniture around to make room for the TV stand and all of a sudden Amanda is like, "Mom you dress" in a low voice. I look down and my tube dress is resting below the "sisters" Thank God the sweater was on but I have no idea what the three delivery guys saw!! All I know is they rushed the hell out of here! Amanda & I laughed and laughed..............until my stomach hurt. She was so traumatized.........
Later I went out to take Rick some lunch & go to the post office. Amanda begged me to at least put on a bra before I left the house. The good news is I realized I can wear the tube dress with a bra & the sweater and there is now way the "sisters" will be allowed out of the house! LOL
How's that for a Singapore Adventure?
I was having an issue with the guy fixing the cracks. He spackled one large crack then disappeared for like 1.5 hours. Of course he left my back door open & the expensive AC was on. I'm thinking really long coffee break..
When he returns I'm like what's the deal, yes I'm more diplomatic than that. He seems to not understand my English and tells me he'll be back at 1:30 to paint. Won't tell me where he as been or how long this job is going to take. So I call the building super and she comes up. I ask her what is going on and show her the 1 thing the guy has done since 10:00 a.m. & it's 11:30 now. Turns out he was looking for "supplies" all that time and would be back after lunch at 1:30.........maybe he'll finish by 5:00 p.m. or maybe he'll have to come back another time, argh.
I'm dealing with that, meantime my delivery comes in the midst of all this conversation. I let them up the lift, they were bringing us a Chinese TV stand we bought over the weekend. I'm moving furniture around to make room for the TV stand and all of a sudden Amanda is like, "Mom you dress" in a low voice. I look down and my tube dress is resting below the "sisters" Thank God the sweater was on but I have no idea what the three delivery guys saw!! All I know is they rushed the hell out of here! Amanda & I laughed and laughed..............until my stomach hurt. She was so traumatized.........
Later I went out to take Rick some lunch & go to the post office. Amanda begged me to at least put on a bra before I left the house. The good news is I realized I can wear the tube dress with a bra & the sweater and there is now way the "sisters" will be allowed out of the house! LOL
How's that for a Singapore Adventure?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Dr. Fish and other stuff
Amanda & I had an interesting day on Friday. We both had been wanting to try the Dr. Fish Foot Treatment. I found a place on Orchard Road that only charged $25 sing dollars. We took the MRT (subway) to Orchard and walked a few blocks. I think the video will clearly show our adventure. The fish did not bit, they felt tingly and almost like a light electric shock. I couldn't look the first few minutes because I knew there were so many fish on my legs/feet. It was like the fish were a boot covering my legs/feet. We also put our hands in. Afterwards our skin felt smooth. Amanda was wondering if she soaked her entire body in the tank if they would eat away her eczema.
After the Dr. Fish I had a pedicure and when it came time to pay they didn't take credit cards. So I went to 2 ATM's but neither would take my card. At this point I called Rick. He had to take the MRT over and rescue us with a $20! Who would have thought that a store in a mall wouldn't take credit cards. Note to self always carry at least $200 sg in your wallet! I have to say Rick was very nice about the entire ordeal.
Rick went back to work and Amanda wanted to find a Quiznoes (sandwich shop) Rick said there was one in Far East Shopping Mall and the brand new over the top ION mall. NOT, we searched and searched through a sea of Singaporeans and never found it. By then it was almost 2 p.m. and I was fading fast. We took the MRT back to Novena (our neighborhood) and went to Pizza Hut.
This was all so exhausting I had to take a nap!
Some other events worth mentioning this week. There was a leak in the wall in Amanda's room as well as some cracks. Flat is brand new but still has a lot of settling to do. First had to have a guy come and caulk the window above her room. To do this a representative of the developer has to accompany the workers. Being we have a 2 story penthouse I never know where they are going to appear. I have 2 front doors on floors 29 &30 and 2 back doors (where the service elevators are located) on 29 & 30. This can be very confusing and I can't play music or vacuum encase they come to the door and I won't hear them. So I spend a lot of time "waiting" for workers to show up.
Did I mention our kitchen while not being air conditioned also has WHITE marble floors. These floors are a thorn in my side. Those who know what a neat freak I am can image how much these floor drive me nuts. They are constantly dirty.......on Thursday I finally conquered them. I found 2 products, one like soft scrub and one like comet that would get the floors clean. It would take a 2 pronged approach to clean the floor. First with mop and cleaning agents you clean the floor once. No matter how you do this dirty water is left on the floor. After using the cleaners and water you have to go back and wipe up residue with a towel. Was happy I found the recipe for clean kitchen floors but thinking I cannot do this everyday. No sooner than I finished the developers representative came to let me know she had someone in the building she was going to send up to "clean" my kitchen and laundry room floor one more time.
That same morning I had workers show up to Spackle & paint Amanda's room. We had to move out some of her stuff and they covered the rest with plastic. I was told it would be a two day job. Amanda moved into the guest room. Luckily it was completed in one day and now I just have to have them come in and fix all the other cracks in the walls (concrete walls) so that I can have them painted.
Wednesday we went to (SAS) Singapore American School to meet with Amanda's counselor, get her schedule and student ID. Left the flat at 7:30 a.m. and took the MRT 10 + stations to The Woodlands. We get off and Rick says......."this does not look familiar" Realized we got off at the wrong stop and we needed to be at the school in 15 minutes. Spent 10 minutes trying to hail a cab and made it to the school and through security on time. Amanda met several girls and they were all very nice and chatty with her. Her schedule is perfect and she is really excited about school now. After this we went to get her a cell phone which took several ques and over an hour. We also had to make some changes in our cable TV from the same subscriber and there are different lines, and people you have to speak to for each issue! Fun!! From Starhub we went to the bank to open a "joint" account. They poor guy could not understand why we would want a "joint" account. We have to wait 6 months to cancel Rick's initial account. They wouldn't let us open a joint account until I had my dependents card. This all took over an hour and the process did not make much sense to us..........you have no choice so you do it.
Rick had taken the day off so we could get all this squared away. By the time we got back we were tired, hot & sticky and had to take a nap. Naps.......I'm thinking a necessity to living in Singapore!
Sing Trivia: Two most common types of snakes in Singapore are: Pythons & Cobras!
Hugs,
Cassie
P.S. the video won't load so you'll have to go to my fb page to see it.
Cassie
Monday, August 3, 2009
No Monkeys?
Yesterday we went on a sweaty, wickedly steep, 1.5 hour hike at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It boasts the highest peak in Singapore and they are NOT kidding. I have never climbed something so steep. Rick loved it. Amanda & I were dying. The reserve is supposed to be home to macaque monkeys but we saw none. :( They are around, Rick's colleague says they torment his dog by running along their back fence. The highlight of the day for me was having to go potty in a "hole" in the ground twice! I have to say I prided myself in never having used one while living in China. That is now not the case. When you gotta go you'll go anywhere I suppose! There is an art to peeing into a hole in the floor. Let's just say I have not mastered this skill....not sure I want too. Amanda was appalled on Saturday when we entered a bathroom while shopping, they didn't provide toilet paper. I tried to tell her that was common and she needed to be prepared as I passed her the Kleenex I carry for just these type of situations.
Last night Rick and I put together the grill and our party cooler on the roof top. Although the temp. was bearable it's the humidity that really is killer. There was almost a cool breeze blowing but we were still sweating like two pigs! I don't mind the heat it's the humidity that gets to me. This afternoon a guy is coming from a gas company to outfit our grill so that we can use it here. Not sure if they use propane or what? Should prove to be interesting.
While cooking last night we realized some of my pans do not fit into our tiny oven. Most locals do not have ovens and only use a cook top. Hence the oven as quiet small. We are now thinking we should have brought a turkey fryer. I doubt a decent size turkey will fit into our oven! I think I may need to beg our friend Ken to bring one over to us in September, along with the wine. Did I mention we bought a wine fridge? It's so hot here even the red wine needs to be chilled. Rick felt this was a priority!
Forgot to mention that while having dinner with Rick's colleagues last week. They all couldn't get over that I don't drink coffee. They thought all Americans drink coffee! I guess I'm a freak? Tea for me or nothing please! Have been looking at dishwashers, but there is only room for one that sits on the counter and cleans 4 place settings at a time. Not to mention they cost between $700 - 800 sing dollars. Which is something like $500 usd. Rick has become obsessed with germs. He says it's because of all the H1N1 data that he gets each day. They are ramping up at work all their anti-bacterial products. After we take the subway we have to use hand sanitizer. He's concerned about when one of us gets sick and we are just hand washing dishes that they really wont' be "clean" enough. Hence looking for a dish washer.................. Amanda had a good time making fun of him.
I'm off to explore the neighborhood on my own. Today's trivia: The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is said to contain more species of trees than the entire North American continent.
Hugs,
Friday, July 31, 2009
Unpacking all done!
I'm so happy the unpacking is done and everything is put away! Yesterday had a guy from the moving company show up and hang all the pictures for me. Rick really enjoyed the fact that he didn't have to do this. It took an industrial strength drill to screw into the concrete walls. That's a good thing since we are on the top floor and I hope that means the building is typhoon proof.
Only had 2 broken items so that was a relief. Rick worked half a day yesterday. It was his 47th birthday. Amanda & I walked to the grocery store with my "little old lady cart". She was embarrassed I was bringing the cart. On the way back home with all our bags she was "happy" I had the cart. She had to carry a mop & bucket while I put all the food in my "granny cart". The carrot cake batter came out fine. We put it in the oven only to realize after 5 minutes the oven was on the convection setting (which may come in handy on Thanksgiving). It was really brown on top. After I adjusted the setting the cake finished cooking and tasted really good. Rick was very happy to have his favorite cake.
Tonight we will try and cook tacos with "minced beef" that is what they call ground beef here. It was $10 Singapore dollars for 300 kg (1/2 lb) about $8 usd.
Cute story.....Tuesday night Rick & I went to dinner at the HR managers apartment. She was having a farewell for a couple whom are leaving. Amanda baby sat for a family who moved here a week before us. The Dad is from the UK and the Mum is from New Zealand. The kids were 7 & 9. The next day the kids told theirDad that it was so fun to have Amanda over. She is the first American they have spent anytime with and found her "accent" fascinating "just like the movies"! Funny since Amanda found their accents darling.
Our Lindsay will be leaving for her job in Japan on August 1st. It's hard to believe she'll only be about a 7 hour plane trip for us. We are planning on going to see her for a long weekend in September. She's going to be teaching English in a middle school in Fukui, Japan.
Now that the hard stuff is over I'll have time to take some photos and upload them. TGIF!
Singapore's name derives from the Malay words for lion & city. The Malay Prince Sang Nila Utama is said to have founded Singapore in the 13th century and given it the name Sigapura after seeing an impressive wild animal on the island. In all likelihood, the animal was a Malayan tiger!
Be Well!
Only had 2 broken items so that was a relief. Rick worked half a day yesterday. It was his 47th birthday. Amanda & I walked to the grocery store with my "little old lady cart". She was embarrassed I was bringing the cart. On the way back home with all our bags she was "happy" I had the cart. She had to carry a mop & bucket while I put all the food in my "granny cart". The carrot cake batter came out fine. We put it in the oven only to realize after 5 minutes the oven was on the convection setting (which may come in handy on Thanksgiving). It was really brown on top. After I adjusted the setting the cake finished cooking and tasted really good. Rick was very happy to have his favorite cake.
Tonight we will try and cook tacos with "minced beef" that is what they call ground beef here. It was $10 Singapore dollars for 300 kg (1/2 lb) about $8 usd.
Cute story.....Tuesday night Rick & I went to dinner at the HR managers apartment. She was having a farewell for a couple whom are leaving. Amanda baby sat for a family who moved here a week before us. The Dad is from the UK and the Mum is from New Zealand. The kids were 7 & 9. The next day the kids told theirDad that it was so fun to have Amanda over. She is the first American they have spent anytime with and found her "accent" fascinating "just like the movies"! Funny since Amanda found their accents darling.
Our Lindsay will be leaving for her job in Japan on August 1st. It's hard to believe she'll only be about a 7 hour plane trip for us. We are planning on going to see her for a long weekend in September. She's going to be teaching English in a middle school in Fukui, Japan.
Now that the hard stuff is over I'll have time to take some photos and upload them. TGIF!
Singapore's name derives from the Malay words for lion & city. The Malay Prince Sang Nila Utama is said to have founded Singapore in the 13th century and given it the name Sigapura after seeing an impressive wild animal on the island. In all likelihood, the animal was a Malayan tiger!
Be Well!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Singapore Day!
We had a saying when we lived in China, you either had a good, bad or China day. We'll there is such a thing as a "Singapore Day" too. Sunday night we tried to cook potatoes in the oven, yes the new one they replaced Saturday. It kept shorting out and causing the breaker to go off in the kitchen. I also realized we have no ac/air con in the kitchen and it's hot as hades in there! We ended up cooking our meal on the stove top and buying a fan to sit on top of the fridge. This will NOT be a friendly place to go through "hot flashes" Can you say Cassie is really bitchy when she's hot? In China we had 2 one butt kitchens, we had 2 two bedroom apartments that were connected for us. I had 2 kitchens one on each side of the apartment and only 1 butt would fit in them at a time. Singapore is much more civilized and I have a 2 butt kitchen now!
On Sunday morning Rick and I took a walk to get the newspaper from the old Indian gent. On the way out the back gate of the complex there were 2 huge and I mean huge snails. I will get a picture, you have got to see these guys, the shells were as big as hermit crab shells. On Monday Rick went into work for an hour, ha....... 3 hours later he arrived home. I busied myself with cleaning the shower stall (Rick doesn't clean showers) and the black soot off the white kitchen cabinets and lining all the shelves with shelf paper. Yes I can play "Martha Stewart" in Singapore! Laundry........must take a picture for you..... I will have to wash at least 2 loads a day because the washer/dryer are so small. The washer will only hold one set of sheets. You can wash from 48 min. to 2.5 hours. I'll washing everything for 48 min...... I think that should be enough cleanliness! The dryer vents right into the laundry room, Did I mention the laundry which is off the kitchen does not have ac? I have told Rick we need to figure out a way vent the dryer out the window! I will be buying a stand up ac unit or endustral fan for the laundry area which also has the maids "room, more like closet" and bath. Cassie is sweating her arse off, maybe the 10 lbs I put on in Lower Slower Delaware will come off quicker than I thought! See I'm trying to stay positive!
Time to go, the movers will be here soon with our household goods. It will take 2 days and they will unpack everything and cart the boxes etc. away. Unpack means take things out of boxes and put on floor. Cassie will have to put everything a way and do my favorite thing "organize" Someone will come back on Thursday and hang pictures in the cinder block walls for me. They apartment management is supposed to come and fix the "new" oven today!!! I sure hope so I plan on making Rick a cake on Thursday for his b-day. It might have to be a micro-wave cake! Does Martha have a recipe for micro-wave cake?
Singapore Trivia: The largest fountain in the world is in Singapore at Suntec City.
Hugs,
Cassie
On Sunday morning Rick and I took a walk to get the newspaper from the old Indian gent. On the way out the back gate of the complex there were 2 huge and I mean huge snails. I will get a picture, you have got to see these guys, the shells were as big as hermit crab shells. On Monday Rick went into work for an hour, ha....... 3 hours later he arrived home. I busied myself with cleaning the shower stall (Rick doesn't clean showers) and the black soot off the white kitchen cabinets and lining all the shelves with shelf paper. Yes I can play "Martha Stewart" in Singapore! Laundry........must take a picture for you..... I will have to wash at least 2 loads a day because the washer/dryer are so small. The washer will only hold one set of sheets. You can wash from 48 min. to 2.5 hours. I'll washing everything for 48 min...... I think that should be enough cleanliness! The dryer vents right into the laundry room, Did I mention the laundry which is off the kitchen does not have ac? I have told Rick we need to figure out a way vent the dryer out the window! I will be buying a stand up ac unit or endustral fan for the laundry area which also has the maids "room, more like closet" and bath. Cassie is sweating her arse off, maybe the 10 lbs I put on in Lower Slower Delaware will come off quicker than I thought! See I'm trying to stay positive!
Time to go, the movers will be here soon with our household goods. It will take 2 days and they will unpack everything and cart the boxes etc. away. Unpack means take things out of boxes and put on floor. Cassie will have to put everything a way and do my favorite thing "organize" Someone will come back on Thursday and hang pictures in the cinder block walls for me. They apartment management is supposed to come and fix the "new" oven today!!! I sure hope so I plan on making Rick a cake on Thursday for his b-day. It might have to be a micro-wave cake! Does Martha have a recipe for micro-wave cake?
Singapore Trivia: The largest fountain in the world is in Singapore at Suntec City.
Hugs,
Cassie
Sunday, July 26, 2009
1st day on the ground
Rick met us at the airport with our friendly driver Nelson Ooi. We met him on our trip out in March and have become friends. He runs a van service and we needed a van for all our luggage. The 2 bottles of wine and tequila arrived unscathed. After resting a bit we waited for the apartment maintenance to come and replace a cabinet door & oven door. This is a story in and of it's self. Three weeks ago Rick opened the cabinet door and 1/2 of it fell off it's hinges (the apartment is brand new, we are the first tenants) He went out and bought duct tape, why not a screwdriver I don't know. He taped the door shut until he could deal with it. Mind you in Singapore you have air con/ac units in each room and only run them when you are in that room. While Rick was at work the duct tape came loose in the heat and the door fell completely off! On the way to the floor it hit the oven door and broke the glass. He came home to a kitchen floor covered in glass. Fast forward 3 weeks and the repair man was finally here. Got a new cabinet door no problem. The oven door not so easy. They wanted to just replace the glass, NOT. After about 2 hours they finally decided to just replace the oven with a new one. I guess they took it out of a vacant apartment.
We ventured out to stay awake, you walk everywhere! On the way out of the neighborhood Rick told us stories; this is where I see feral cats, here is where I see the "goat girl" every morning on the way to work. "Goat Girl" is about three and each morning she and her maid are out at the pool with a bottle. Apparently the nipple on the bottle is quiet big and when the girl wants a drink she goes up to the maid, with the maid holding the bottle and takes a swig. Rick thinks she looks like a baby goat. Then we saw where the old man sells papers on the street each morning, the ice-cream shop that is packed with customers all day and the Starbucks Rick stops at on the way to work. All these stories were very helpful to me in find my way back to the the apartment by myself later in the day in a haze of jet lag.
We took the subway down to Orchard Road so that Rick & Amanda could see Harry Potter. Orchard Road is the shopping Mecca of Singapore. Not my favorite place, I was having serious culture shock.........or jet lag or whatever. Envision a mile stretch of multi-level malls full of stupid stores like; Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Cartier etc.....the streets and malls jammed pack with people and the noise is defining! That is Orchard Road....... After eating a disgusting lunch, (I ordered a club sandwich without the fried egg on it. It came with a lump of dark chicken meat on it.....yuck! ) Rick & Amanda got in the line/que to buy movie tickets. In Singapore you get to "pick" you seat at the time of purchase. This takes a looong time as people can't make up their minds. Everyone has an assigned seat. We agreed I'd walk around while they were in the movies and if I got tired I'd try to make my way back to the apartment myself.
I tired, I really tried to walk around and you all know I like my retail therapy. I ended up in Borders and bought a nice Bon Jovi CD that was on sale for 50% off. It was crowded with people, kids were crying and I was the walking dead. I decided to find my way back to the apartment and take a nap. Rick had already set up my cell phone/mobile, I knew he'd call when the movie let out. I did pretty good using the subway/MRT and made my way to the big landmark in our neighborhood, United Square Mall. From there I walked past the ice-cream store, the spot where Rick buys his newspaper from the old Indian man. I turned at the condo where the "goat girl" lives and passed the spot where the feral cats hangout & into the back gate of our condo complex. That was all good but I didn't know how to get up the elevator. I know it sounds dumb, but you have to use an access card to get to each floor. I tried several different ways and finally figured it out. I went straight to the bedroom, turned on the air con, put on my PJ's and took a nap until Rick called at 6:15 p.m. and woke me up.
A funny story about Amanda. She asks me, "Mom why are their baby wipe containers in my closet?" "Honey they are not baby wipes they are to keep you clothes from molding because of the constant humidity." Mold & mildew are a constant battle here.
I'll end with a bit of Singapore trivia: Apart from Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world.
Be Well!
We ventured out to stay awake, you walk everywhere! On the way out of the neighborhood Rick told us stories; this is where I see feral cats, here is where I see the "goat girl" every morning on the way to work. "Goat Girl" is about three and each morning she and her maid are out at the pool with a bottle. Apparently the nipple on the bottle is quiet big and when the girl wants a drink she goes up to the maid, with the maid holding the bottle and takes a swig. Rick thinks she looks like a baby goat. Then we saw where the old man sells papers on the street each morning, the ice-cream shop that is packed with customers all day and the Starbucks Rick stops at on the way to work. All these stories were very helpful to me in find my way back to the the apartment by myself later in the day in a haze of jet lag.
We took the subway down to Orchard Road so that Rick & Amanda could see Harry Potter. Orchard Road is the shopping Mecca of Singapore. Not my favorite place, I was having serious culture shock.........or jet lag or whatever. Envision a mile stretch of multi-level malls full of stupid stores like; Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Cartier etc.....the streets and malls jammed pack with people and the noise is defining! That is Orchard Road....... After eating a disgusting lunch, (I ordered a club sandwich without the fried egg on it. It came with a lump of dark chicken meat on it.....yuck! ) Rick & Amanda got in the line/que to buy movie tickets. In Singapore you get to "pick" you seat at the time of purchase. This takes a looong time as people can't make up their minds. Everyone has an assigned seat. We agreed I'd walk around while they were in the movies and if I got tired I'd try to make my way back to the apartment myself.
I tired, I really tried to walk around and you all know I like my retail therapy. I ended up in Borders and bought a nice Bon Jovi CD that was on sale for 50% off. It was crowded with people, kids were crying and I was the walking dead. I decided to find my way back to the apartment and take a nap. Rick had already set up my cell phone/mobile, I knew he'd call when the movie let out. I did pretty good using the subway/MRT and made my way to the big landmark in our neighborhood, United Square Mall. From there I walked past the ice-cream store, the spot where Rick buys his newspaper from the old Indian man. I turned at the condo where the "goat girl" lives and passed the spot where the feral cats hangout & into the back gate of our condo complex. That was all good but I didn't know how to get up the elevator. I know it sounds dumb, but you have to use an access card to get to each floor. I tried several different ways and finally figured it out. I went straight to the bedroom, turned on the air con, put on my PJ's and took a nap until Rick called at 6:15 p.m. and woke me up.
A funny story about Amanda. She asks me, "Mom why are their baby wipe containers in my closet?" "Honey they are not baby wipes they are to keep you clothes from molding because of the constant humidity." Mold & mildew are a constant battle here.
I'll end with a bit of Singapore trivia: Apart from Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world.
Be Well!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 1 the Adventure begins with a BANG!
It's finally time for the big move. I was awoken at 6:25 a.m. by a computer voice telling me my 5:00 p.m. flight from Washington, DC to Newark, NJ was canceled due to "weather". Minutes later Rick was calling to tell me my flight was cancelled. I spent the next two hours calling Continental Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Continental Airlines again. Everyone was passing the buck as usual! Singapore Airlines tried to "rebook" me on the same cancelled flight until I brought it to their attention, then they tried to tell me I'd have to wait until Friday to fly. (You do not tell a women who has been living apart from her husband for nearly 4 months that she has to wait another day!) Plus I was looking at at least 3 available flights on the Continental website! Then I was "wait listed" on a sold out flight at 3:00 p.m. Continental couldn't help rebook the flight they said it was Singapore Airs job. After checking the website and realizing the flights available had only a few seats left and had a 30-40% on time arrival, I decided to rent a car and drive the 4 hours to Newark to ensure I made the 11:00 p.m. flight to Singapore.
I got the rental car, packed it with our 5 suitcases, 1 box & 4 carry-ons. We waited to see Lindsay, she was returning from a week in Thailand visiting her boyfriend. She leaves August 1st to start her job in Japan. At 1:00 p.m. Amanda & I hit the road. We made good time until we hit the NJ turnpike. No surprises there! We were in stop and go traffic for 17 miles and then heavy traffic and rain the rest of the way to Newark. A good reminder of one of the reasons I hate NJ. (sorry NJ friends, I love you but have no love loss for NJ) We pulled up the the airport and unloaded all our baggage. I asked Amanda to go inside and bring out a trolley for the bags. She came out proud as a peacock with the carry on luggage guide, that sort of looked like a trolley but clearly wasn't! We lugged everything inside & Amanda waited in the terminal for me to return the rental car. Of course I left my cell phone in the car because all I could think about was finding a bathroom and peeing! When I remembered to the car drop off my rental car as no where to be found. I had to go to the main office and and they called around and went to lost and found to retrieve it. 45 minutes later I arrived at the terminal only to realize it would be another 3o minutes until we could check in. We lined up all our luggage and waited.
During the check-in I was told I'd have to pay $117 each for my two extra bags........hopefully I can expense that to Reckitt Benckiser as a move expense. We cleared customs with no issues which was a blessing since Amanda usually has some prohibited substance or water bottle in her bag and has to be searched! Maybe she's finally learned? Now I'm sitting in the business class lounge munching on cheese and crackers and enjoying my 2nd glass of wine. My prayer is our flight will be on time and in 19.5 hours I'll be seeing Rick.
It's been a long 3.5 months........ and I'm ready to start my life in Singapore. On the bright side our household goods are due to be delivered on Tuesday so that will be another good story I'm sure.
Hugs to all,
Cassie
I got the rental car, packed it with our 5 suitcases, 1 box & 4 carry-ons. We waited to see Lindsay, she was returning from a week in Thailand visiting her boyfriend. She leaves August 1st to start her job in Japan. At 1:00 p.m. Amanda & I hit the road. We made good time until we hit the NJ turnpike. No surprises there! We were in stop and go traffic for 17 miles and then heavy traffic and rain the rest of the way to Newark. A good reminder of one of the reasons I hate NJ. (sorry NJ friends, I love you but have no love loss for NJ) We pulled up the the airport and unloaded all our baggage. I asked Amanda to go inside and bring out a trolley for the bags. She came out proud as a peacock with the carry on luggage guide, that sort of looked like a trolley but clearly wasn't! We lugged everything inside & Amanda waited in the terminal for me to return the rental car. Of course I left my cell phone in the car because all I could think about was finding a bathroom and peeing! When I remembered to the car drop off my rental car as no where to be found. I had to go to the main office and and they called around and went to lost and found to retrieve it. 45 minutes later I arrived at the terminal only to realize it would be another 3o minutes until we could check in. We lined up all our luggage and waited.
During the check-in I was told I'd have to pay $117 each for my two extra bags........hopefully I can expense that to Reckitt Benckiser as a move expense. We cleared customs with no issues which was a blessing since Amanda usually has some prohibited substance or water bottle in her bag and has to be searched! Maybe she's finally learned? Now I'm sitting in the business class lounge munching on cheese and crackers and enjoying my 2nd glass of wine. My prayer is our flight will be on time and in 19.5 hours I'll be seeing Rick.
It's been a long 3.5 months........ and I'm ready to start my life in Singapore. On the bright side our household goods are due to be delivered on Tuesday so that will be another good story I'm sure.
Hugs to all,
Cassie
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