Finally!

Well There they are! Not sure what happened but now Blogger seems to be working.

Well, we are just settling into a routine here. Not much going on so I thought I would post a "rant" then a "rave" as not to turn this into a "complaint" page. So here it goes:

RANT: These people here have no idea what "elevator etiquette" is. If you are standing outside the elevator waiting to get on everyone around you swarms the elevator as soon as the doors open to rush inside...doesn't matter if there are people on the elevator waiting to get off. They get on anyway. Doesn't matter if you were there first..."If you aren't first, your last". That's their motto about everything it seems. And once on the elevator they are mashing the "close door" button instantly.

RAVE: Once on the elevator they are really friendly. They will always say "Bye" to you when they get off the elevator. If I'm on the elevator with Sugar they talk about her wanting to know how old she is, what's her name etc. This has been my experience on the elevator at our condo. Not quite as chatty at the malls as the elevators are always packed.

There! Now I feel better. :-p

what's the deal?

testing...testing...why didn't my last post show up? I can see it in the preview....auughhh!

Looking for bikes

Well this weekend is pretty uneventful. We went shopping at SimLim Square for some electronics Saturday after Avery got finished with gymnastics. It's a huge 6 story mall full of electronics. Everything from cameras, cell phones, computers, printers, etc.

Sunday we went shopping for bicycles. Avery got one for Christmas so Rob and I really need to get one so she has someone to ride with. We got online to see what kind of bike trails they have here. Singapore is really doing something neat. They have all these parks and they are connecting them with trails called Park Connectors. Not all of them are completed but I think there are plenty of places for us to discover.

Blair's Last Day Here

Well, today is Blair's last day here. We have to get up early in the morning to get her to the airport at 5:30AM. It sure has been great having her here. We are about to venture out for one last shopping trip down on Orchard Rd. This evening we are going over to the Botanical Gardens to take some family pictures then mom and dad are coming over for dinner.

Last night was fun. We went to a Singapore Slinger basketball game. They won!! I believe they are in the play-offs. We have tickets to next weeks game too. It was a close game. Even though the Slingers stayed ahead throughout the game there were occasions where they were only ahead by one point. It was a nail-biter! Rob took some great pictures. I'll post them here when he gets the pics off of his camera. He took it with him to work today.

Since I need to get out of here I'll fill some more space with pictures:

Monkey on our balcony one morning while we where in Batam, Indonesia.

Avery, Cristie and Blair with the Orangutans at the Singapore Zoo.

Avery practicing her pirate routine.

Blair practicing for when she gets to dunk her Aggie Ring.

It's 2007!

Well it's great having everyone FINALLY! Rob is here for good. Scott's visit was a short one, Cristie has already headed home and Blair leaves on Friday. After that it's back to the same routine...well almost. With Rob being here it should be much better. We have been really busy with everyone here. We hit the ground running as soon as Blair and Cristie arrived. We've been to the zoo, the bird park, out to eat a zillion times (nothing new for living in Singapore), China Town, Holland Village, Indonesia, shopping....shopping and more shopping! We had a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar at Raffles where the drink was invented. We also spent about S$280 in 45 minutes there! I knew drinks were more expensive here and I figured that back in the US the drink would have been about $8-$10 so I thought it would be s$12-S$14 here. Was I wrong! They were S$20 each! Rob ordered a Grey Goose Martini and it was S$32!! Needless to say, anyone that wants to come visit us has to visit Duty Free for booze first. Thank you Cristie for the Captain Morgan and Baily's. We had dinner that same night at Bobby Ravino's where they have a drink called "Sex with the Captain" that I think I need to try! We just got finished taking down the tree and the rest of the Christmas decorations. Although it seems like we have ample storage space for an apartment, we don't really have room to store all the luggage it took to get us over here along with the tree and the decorations. So...Rob's brillant idea was to put the decorations inside one of the suitcases. It fit perfectly. When Blair leaves, the spare bedroom will have to be the storage room until the next guest comes. Yesterday we went and picked out some furniture for little patio. We are waiting now for it to be delivered. Should be here shortly. Now we will be able to sit on our balcony and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy the view. Since Rob has been here he has hung up the large mirrors and paintings that we had bought. Starting to look much better now. We even looked at some oriental rugs too yesterday. We found some that we liked, but will wait to see what they offer at the auction coming up on the 19th. Well, here are a few pictures from the past three weeks. Enjoy!

Make a Complete Elf of Yourself

I promise you will laugh your a** off!

Click Here!

Your Christmas Present From Me

My dear friends,
Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below:

• How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:
• You need four maxi pads to make a pair. Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part. The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
• Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.
• Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.
• These slippers are:
• Soft and Hygienic
• Non-slip grip strips on the soles
• Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
• No more bending over to mop up spills
• Disposable and biodegradable
• Environmentally safe
• Three convenient sizes: Regular, Light and Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you!

An Update for my Holidays

I have turned in my vacation and have figured it out to where I can split the vacation days I have left into 1/2 days here and there so that I will be off at least 1/2 a day if not the whole day each day until Blair goes back. She'll be here the longest as she goes home on the 11th or 12th of January. Nothing opens here until 11 am anyway. I hope each of you are making plans for a wonderful holiday too.

Where's the Popcorn button?

Thought you would like to see the choices on our microwave here:




What happened to the popcorn button? Isn't that really the only reason we use microwaves? I have no idea what Tom Yum Soup is. Can anyone out there tell me? Now have to actually read the popcorn package to remind myself how many minutes I'm supposed to cook it for and I have to stand there and wait and listen to it cook so I know when it stops popping so I can take it out. The nifty popcorn button on our microwaves in the USA cooked popcorn to perfection. Now I don't know the difference bewteen Tom Yum Soup and Spicy Chicken Curry but the pictures make them look similar enough that you could have combined them into one button don't ya thing? And what's with the button for cooked rice? If it's already cooked then why are you microwaving it? Just another example how American's got it right.

The Reason for the Season

Thank you mama for reminding us what Christmas is REALLY about:

As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face......... and I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... as if the party were in his honor! At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other ; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and ... do you know .... no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. How would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one ? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all you heart. I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invitation, will be left outside. Do you know how you can answer this invitation? It is by extending it to others whom you care for... I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year... See you soon .... I love you ! Jesus

Catching Up

Ok...so I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Mine & Avery's was OK. We spent it with co-workers and their family. There was lots of great food and visiting with each other separated by a brief thunderstorm. We were however not with our family which are all back in Texas now. That's okay though because now we can seriously get to counting down the days until they get here! So where have I been....nowhere actually, bust busier than a one armed paper-hanger. Avery has had dance practice after school, even on some days that she has gymnastics. Outside of not getting home until 6:30-ish each evening, I've been busy making Christmas cards, cooking for Thanksgiving, shopping, WASHING DISHES, taking Sugar outside, decorating the apartment for Christmas, going to the dentist, preparing a fruit tray for the reception after Avery's Dance performance, attending her first gymnastics meet here in Singapore, going to a gymnastics parent meeting....blah, blah, blah! All this within the hour to 1-1/2 hours I have from the time I get home until the time I have to go pick Avery up from gym, and then in the time we get back until 11:30-12:00 when I finally go to bed. I'm pooped! Glad it's the weekend. Well, I'm off to sit my butt on the couch and watch a movie with Avery. Tonight was her Dance Performance. It was really good, very entertaining. All choreographed by High School dance students with one or two by the dance teacher. I couldn't take my eyes off of her so I have no idea what the dances looked like that she was in. I ordered a DVD so it will be fun to watch again.

Well...It was bound to happen...

Sooner or later I knew it was going to happen. Those pesky Singaporean drivers just cannot stay in their lane. It's not just one or two people here and there as I'm driving to work or somewhere...it's almost like an epidemic. You wouldn't believe it was this bad unless you saw it for yourself. I remember my dad telling me once that he waits until they move over just enough and he zooms by freaking them out. It's like they can't decide which lane they want to be in. The closest thing back home would be the constant lane changer-type people. At least they can commit to a single lane, even if it is just for a second. Well...it was this non-committal to one lane that caused my accident here Saturday morning. It was about 8:30AM and I was taking Avery to her school for dance practice. We were on a four lane divided road headed towards the PIE (their version of an expressway). We were driving in the left lane which is the slow lane here and there was another car slightly ahead of us in the right lane. I notice that she having difficulties staying in her lane, but not too bad. As I approach her she is again inching into my lane so I beep my horn at her. She keeps on coming and before you know it she's hit the front right quarter panel of my car. I can remember watching her car bump into mine and rather than go back to the right she's still headed left and the next thing I know she's spun around to where she is now perpendicular to me. I thought she was going to tip over. I am now veering to the right and she spins on around and is facing the opposite direction. I stop and get out and go back to where she is parked. She was a little stunned. I make sure they are all ok. She's asking what happened!!! "I don't understand what I did?" I said, "You weren't staying in your lane and you came into my lane and hit me." There was another lady and a young girl in the car with her. Maybe they were chatting away and didn't realize they weren't the only people on the road at the time. Who knows! I inspected her car and thought that she had gotten away with only slight scratches on each corner of her front bumper. I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure the whole side of her car would have been messed up. I did keep looking and saw that her left rear quarter panel, where the initial contact was made, was damaged some. I guess because we weren't really traveling that fast the damage was minimal. Both cars were able to be driven. I guess she realized that she was in the wrong. She didn't want my name or anything. I had Avery write down the license plate number of her car. I wasn't really sure what to do at that point. An emergency vehicle, like a big wrecker, came and blocked traffic so she could turn around and I backed up closer to her. Since everyone was ok, and the cars were drivable we each went on about our business. The rental car people brought me a loaner and I should have my car back in a week or so.

Now I feel "gun-shy". I want to beep my horn every time some one now drives over the line. However, i figure that just happens way to often. I would wear out the horn on my car. Well...hope that was the one and only wreck for me while I'm here. I was trying to remember the last one I had...I must be getting old...I remember back in 1990 when I got my Miata someone hit me. Other than that I did back into someone who was stupid enough to park directly on the opposite side of the street from our driveway...I've done that twice (two different locations). But I can't remember the last moving accident other than the one in my Miata.

I Found It!

Well...not sure if you remember me mentioning it before but I've been on the hunt for a make-up mirror with lights. Kinda like this:


It is so dark everywhere. Not sure if Singapore is trying to conserve energy or cause everyone to need glasses...hmmm...now that I think of it there are a lot of locals here that wear glasses...maybe I'm on to something. My bathroom is only fitting with these two small recessed can type lights. No windows. I can't see very well at all to put on my make-up, pluck my eyebrows....look for grey hairs to yank out....etc. I have looked in so many stores that i had given up finding one. I looked in their stores that are similar to Super Wal-mart. I looked in electronic stores similar to Best (but with out the Cd's and movies)...nothing. I have looked in department stores similar to our Dillards...nothing. Any store that I went in I looked. Sometimes the store clerks would look at me like they didn't understand what I was looking for so I would check on my own too. Well the other day I was in a mall and happened to see one out of the corner of my eye at a store on the next level down. I immediately found my way to that store and had the salesperson show me the two free-standing models they had. This store sold bathroom fixtures, mirrors, sinks, shower heads, etc. (and I have looked in similar stores before). I had her plug them in so I could see how bright they were. One of them had a very unique design. The mirror face was square and concave. It looked more just like polished chrome than a mirror. The lights were recessed on either side. The second one was round with the lights around the perimeter. I was so excited.....until I found out I would have to rob a bank or sell one of my kidneys to be able to afford it. Seeing that I didn't have the desire to spend the rest of my life in a Singapore jail nor did I want to part with any of my body parts I figured I have to stick to my original plan to have Rob bring one with him when he comes over. I guess I've waited this long. One more month won't kill me...my eyebrows are probably scary though. So...do you want to know how much???? Are you sitting down??? The square one was $850 and the round one was $690. For that price the darn thing should apply my makeup for me!

To all my friends lurking in the background:

Ok...I know you are out there....I can hear you breathing! What do I need to put in here to elicit a response from you? I hate talking to myself. Is there anything about this place over here that you would like to know about? Come on, give me a challenge! I don't want to bore you with all of our day-to-day, work and school stuff. Tell me what you are interested in and I will find the answers. It's really easy...here let me show you what to do:

• See at the bottom of this post where is usually says: 0 Comments (because you are too busy lurking)? Click on that.
• That will open a new window where you can add your 2 cents worth. You will have to type some mixed up characters and pick whether you want to add your comments as an anonymous, a registered user, etc.
• Then click on the preview or publish button.

See...isn't that easy? Come on...show me how much you miss me! Leave me a comment when you stop by or on this post here let me know what you want to know about. In the meantime I will try to come up with something clever to write about.

If you want to read some really funny stuff...check out the links over here -->

Disgusting!!

I have to post a complaint here, SORRY! Hopefully I don't p*ss off a bunch of people... but here it goes: People here need to learn to eat with their mouths closed!!!! There, I said it (or typed it anyway). Avery and I went to eat Friday night and people (locals) all around us are eating with their mouths open...chewing away like a herd of cattle. The kid (teenager) facing me, sitting behind Avery, was about to make me loose my appetite. He was eating and food was hanging half-way out of mouth. I admit that noodles are hard to eat with chopsticks but that doesn't mean that once you get it in there you can't chew with your mouth closed. I can see that you are eating, I don't need to see WHAT you are eating. This is definately becoming one of my pet peeves here. Do they not think that it is gross to be sitting and having dinner with someone and having to watch them eat like that? It's not just one or two people here or there either. And to top it off, they are very noisy too. You might be able to ignore the "See Food" by just staring directly at the person you are eating with and avoiding everyone else, but you can't help but hear the symphony of chewing and smaking going on all around you...

Why I've decided not to cook

Well, I may have mentioned that I was going to stop cooking...okay Kim don't panic...I still love all my Pampered Chef stuff! I still enjoy cooking...well, here are my reasons:

• Groceries here are expensive! Here are some examples (all in Singapore dollars) - Cheerios $11.90, Yoplait Plain Vanilla Yogurt $6.90, 1 doz. eggs $7.20, small ricotta cheese $8.95, 1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls, $11.90.
• So, I think we can eat out cheaper - Chicken/Rice $2.50 Sing, that's about $1.60 USD. Tonight Avery and I took my dad for dinner for his birthday. We had Mongolian Chicken, Beef & Baby Kailan, 3 orders of steamed rice, 2 7-ups and a large Tiger beer and the total was $22 Sing or $13.90 USD.
• We don't have a dishwasher, other than me :-) Everynight I have to wash a sink full of dishes.
• Most of the places we can eat at around here are a nice walk from our apartment, so we get dinner and some exercise.
• Avery is learning to eat something other than fried rice when we go to the hawker stands.
• No longer will I have surprises in my hamburger buns!

I figure I can cook two or three nights a week....for now anyway.

I'm Counting Down The Days!

Not What I Thought I bought

...okay so I am the store Friday after work. Even though I said I was going to quit cooking (I'll tell you why later) I found myself buying all kinds of stuff. My mom had told me that if I see something I need/want I better get it then because when you go back it will be gone. So I'm at the Cold Storage (grocery store chain here) that is about 3-5 miles away. It's in an area with a lot of expats and it looked big so I thought I would stop in and see if they had what I needed for my chili and pecan pie before I drove on in to the city to try Tanglin Marketplace. They had all kinds of stuff. They had chili seasoning, and Karo syrup which I needed, but no refrigerated pie crust. I had to make the crust from scratch (thanks for the recipe mom!). I also found Stove Top stuffing which I thought I better get for Turkey Day, along with Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix, and Cool Whip! I bought some other stuff too but was surprised to get those things especially. I thought I would make hamburgers for dinner one night over the weekend so I bought hamburger meat and what I thought was hamburger buns. There was nothing else in the bread section that looked like hamburger buns except what I found. There were hotdog buns so I figured what I bought must have been hamburger buns. Well, Saturday night I fix our hamburgers and I go to slice the buns (remember, they don't come pre-sliced here) and there was this glob of stuff baked in the middle. It looked like chocolate! There was nothing on the package that lead me to believe these buns had a surprise in the middle. I read the ingredients and found that it was red bean paste. Yummy! I had to taste it to see if it totally ruined the bread. It didn't have too much of a taste, kinda sweet. Needless to say, we scrapped that out into the trash. Otherwise the hamburgers were ok. I guess nextime I'll have to read the ingredients to be sure I know what I'm buying!

Texas Chili

I went shopping on Friday (even though I said I was going to quit cooking...did I mention that yet?) ... anyway...stopped by the store on the way home to get some ingredients I needed to make chili for Avery's school. They were having a big International Food Festival on Saturday and I volunteered to cook chili for one of the booths that was having a little chili cook-off. The parents/friends/etc. that came to the event could buy a bowl and "taste" as much chili as they wanted then vote for their favorite. The chili was also used as a hot-dog topping for the same booth. Anyway...I didn't win. I got robbed!!! I think my chili was good but at the time I happened to be over there doing my own taste comparison I overheard some of the people there saying it was between mine and one of the others however mine wasn't hot (temperature hot). I had brought extra as I made two potfuls. One batch I heated up before we took it to the school and the other was in a large ziplock. Well they must have waited until one batch was gone before they added the other so it wasn't warmed up yet. What do Singaporean's know about Texas Chili anyway??? Avery and I were at the festival all morning until about 2:30 PM. They had a bazaar set up too. I bought a few Christmas presents and some other things for the apartment. Oh! I also baked a pecan pie for the 8th Grade Graduation Fundraiser bake sale. I was told that it sold as soon as I got it there. I hope it turned out good. I also made one for Avery and I for Thanksgiving and put it in the freezer. Also at the festival each of the different grades were responsible for creating these theme baskets to raffle off. They were pretty awesome! One had an iPod Nano and another had some other type of iPod. Each of those were VERY popular. They had a BBQ basket, a Movie night basket (probably had at least 15 DVD's in it), Leggo basket, etc. Most of them were at least 3 feet tall, they were huge and just full of stuff. We bought $20 worth of tickets but didn't win anything. Well...tomorrow I'll tell you what else I bought at the store.

Halloween in Singapore?

You may be wondering if they recognize Halloween here in Singapore and yes, they do. Not quite as much in the stores here as back home but you will find small displays with some costumes, scary props, make-up, etc. Not the three or four huge aisles like you see at Wal-Mart back home, with at least two of those being nothing but candy. The thing that surprised me most was that the kids were encouraged to dress up at school in their costumes. Well, at least at my daughter's school. Not all the schools are that way. One of my co-workers children go to another school and they get to dress up for Hari Rayeh or Deepavali but not Halloween. If the kids didn't wear their costume or at least orange and black they had to wear their school uniform. I remember the days before the teachers and school administrators were afraid of being sued by some parent they "offended" by having a Halloween or Christmas party. Avery went trick-or-treating in the area near her school. There are more houses there with a large percentage of Americans. Most of her friends from school live in that area. I went to pick her up that evening and while I was waiting I saw a bunch of really great costumes. I was also surprised to see a lot of older kids 10+ and not so many little ones like I see back home. Those little babies don't need all that candy anyway...you know it's mom and dad that are going to eat it all! One of my co-workers went to a Halloween party at their complex. He said they didn't really get the candy concept there. When he opened his kids treat bags they had shrimp crackers and a juice box. The only piece of candy was one tiny lollipop. He said they had games for the kids...but no prizes. Candy might have made a nice surprise for the simple kids games. At our complex you could have signed up at the office letting them know that you wanted to participate and pass out candy at Halloween. They compiled a list of the units passing out candy, gave you a sign to put on the door and handed out the lists to the kids and/or their parents that night. Since I had to go pick up Avery I didn't sign-up but I saw a bunch of kids running around...again some of them had some great costumes. I was supposed to go to a Halloween Party the Saturday night before but it didn't work out. I had a costume all ready. I guess I'll save it for next year!