After a long day of Christmas shopping, Christina and I decided to get massages. I was going to start with a foot massage which was actually foot reflexology and that I quickly learned was something entirely different from a foot massage. Christina went into another room to start out with a back massage while I sat in the recliner for my first session of foot reflexology. Within minutes I could hear Christina in the other room apparently being tortured while I tried my best to sit still in spite of the pain.
He started on my shins and every time I had to hold my breath to keep myself quiet he would explain the various organs being affected. There was absolutely nothing relaxing about it and I spent the majority of the time trying to understand which organ was causing pain this time while trying not to squirm too much. He worked his way down to my feet careful not to spare even a single toe. Thankfully, the pain subsided almost immediately after he stopped digging in his knuckles. Apparently, I am ticklish behind my knee which I was able to keep quiet and the girl sitting next to me found amusing, as well. After 40 min the "treatment" was over and I was just thankful I could still walk. The funniest part about it is that I am planning to go again despite vividly remembering the pain. I was even bruised with fingerprints up and down both shins, but for the first time in months I didn't have any headaches. It could be completely psychosomatic, but I don't mind if it works. Now, somehow I have to convince Scott to join the pain with me next time.
Finally... food! Scott and I recently re-found our local bakery for better or worse. We have started picking up the various pastries, buns, muffins, random cream filled rolls and they have turned out to be really good. Unfortunately, I can't really tell you what they are because I am not sure myself but they are addictive especially the thin butter crisps covered in sugar. Although I don't think this renewed love of our bakery is going to be good for eating healthier at least it tastes good!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving
Let me start by saying how much we truly miss all our friends and family and around the holidays it becomes even more apparent. This was our first major holiday since moving to Singapore and since Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here, we weren't planning on anything big this year. In fact, Scott and I were both working. Craig and Christina are away from their family as well and have become our extended family, so we decided to celebrate together and invited one of Scott's co-workers on assignment here from Texas, too. Even though I love cooking, I wasn't going to attempt cooking a turkey. It would have cost a fortune since everything has to be imported and as much as I love leftovers I wasn't looking forward to turkey at every meal for weeks. Not to mention, the small detail that I've never cooked a whole turkey before. Thankfully (pun intended) we found a hotel, The Fullerton, offering a Thanksgiving buffet. Admittedly, I didn't have high hopes that it would come anywhere close to my idea of a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but I was pleasantly surprised. They had a huge spread complete with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and lots of veggies. I would have been content with that alone, but they had everything from steak and lobster to pizza and lasagna. I'm still cautious with eating meats here, but these were cooked the ways I familiar with. However, my favorite was the entire section devoted to desserts (I've gained a sweet tooth) and the free pour beer and wine was a nice touch, as well. All and all it was much better than I expected and we are truly thankful for the friends we have met and all the new experiences while we still miss everyone back home dearly. I can't believe Christmas is less than a month away but not surprisingly we still haven't done our shopping yet. We are planning to get full swing into Christmas mode by getting a tree and decorations this weekend.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Little things...
Scott and I have been kinda lazy bums the last few weekends so I didn't have anything exciting to write about. I figured it was about time I wrote another blog though since even the smallest things here are often very new for me.
One of the new experiences for me is using pubic transportation. This is the first time since I could drive that I haven't had a car readily available and I am known for randomly hopping in the car for a road trip. While I don't miss not having a car as much as I thought, it does cause me to plan ahead a little more. The MRT closes at 12pm so if we are out late (especially on Friday nights) I have to make sure to have some cash handy for a taxi. Most of the cabs take credit cards or nets (their equivalent to debit cards), but I have learned the hard way not all take plastic. Such as the time I had to run around to several ATMs before finally getting the cash to pay the cab driver!
While cabs are usually pretty easy to catch no matter where you are, the one time you really need a cab its almost impossible! Whenever it rains, the cabs vanish. I don't know where they go, but no matter how many numbers you call there never seems to be a cab available. Granted I am sure its because everybody in the country is trying to do the same thing, but its frustrating none the less. Though I did finally figure out what the various signs on the top of the cabs mean. Hired - means don't bother someone else is already in the cab, On-call - someone else beat you to this cab and he is on the way to pick them up, Taxi - my favorite green sign means wave frantically or jump out into the road so you can get a ride.
I want to go back to the rain for a minute. We have been forewarned that it rains regularly here, but it has seriously rained every single Sunday since we got here. Scott and I can not think of a Sunday it hasn't rained. Its normally a quick shower, but there have been all day rain outs, as well. My favorite are the thunderstorms and they are unlike any I have heard before. Its the one time I consistently open my curtains to watch the storm as our city view turns into a white haze.
Finally, my new obsession is Starbucks! I never thought it would happen and especially not here, but it has. They have a curry puff that I am addicted to. Its just a puff pastry stuffed with chicken, potatoes, and curry but I am hooked. I am sure other places on the island have better curry puffs since it seems to be a local favorite, but with my fear of meats I am too chicken to try any other places (no pun intended).
One of the new experiences for me is using pubic transportation. This is the first time since I could drive that I haven't had a car readily available and I am known for randomly hopping in the car for a road trip. While I don't miss not having a car as much as I thought, it does cause me to plan ahead a little more. The MRT closes at 12pm so if we are out late (especially on Friday nights) I have to make sure to have some cash handy for a taxi. Most of the cabs take credit cards or nets (their equivalent to debit cards), but I have learned the hard way not all take plastic. Such as the time I had to run around to several ATMs before finally getting the cash to pay the cab driver!
While cabs are usually pretty easy to catch no matter where you are, the one time you really need a cab its almost impossible! Whenever it rains, the cabs vanish. I don't know where they go, but no matter how many numbers you call there never seems to be a cab available. Granted I am sure its because everybody in the country is trying to do the same thing, but its frustrating none the less. Though I did finally figure out what the various signs on the top of the cabs mean. Hired - means don't bother someone else is already in the cab, On-call - someone else beat you to this cab and he is on the way to pick them up, Taxi - my favorite green sign means wave frantically or jump out into the road so you can get a ride.
I want to go back to the rain for a minute. We have been forewarned that it rains regularly here, but it has seriously rained every single Sunday since we got here. Scott and I can not think of a Sunday it hasn't rained. Its normally a quick shower, but there have been all day rain outs, as well. My favorite are the thunderstorms and they are unlike any I have heard before. Its the one time I consistently open my curtains to watch the storm as our city view turns into a white haze.
Finally, my new obsession is Starbucks! I never thought it would happen and especially not here, but it has. They have a curry puff that I am addicted to. Its just a puff pastry stuffed with chicken, potatoes, and curry but I am hooked. I am sure other places on the island have better curry puffs since it seems to be a local favorite, but with my fear of meats I am too chicken to try any other places (no pun intended).
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Rickshaw
As I mentioned in the previous blog, Scott and I went to Clarke Quay this past weekend but I failed to mention our ride home. I had decided to dress up and wear heels that night but since I practically live in bare feet or flip flops my feet were in a bit of pain. As we were walking back to the MRT station after dinner, we were approached by the Rickshaw drivers. For those of you who don't know, rickshaws are the bikes with a cart pulled either behind it or on the side for passengers. Since my feet were killing me at this point I gladly paid the S$10 dollars for the short ride to the MRT.
From the very beginning it was a unique experience complete with music playing from somewhere beneath the cart we were sitting in. It quickly became more exciting as he turned the rickshaw directly into on-coming traffic! Thankfully we made it across the 3 lane road and turned to at least be moving the same direction as the traffic although you could have easily walked faster than we were moving. Soon he had picked up some speed and he then we made a left turn...away from the MRT station we needed to be at. Scott and I were amused with the ride so decided to just enjoy it. Well, enjoy it as much as I could as I had a death grip on the railing willing the other vehicles not to hit us. He finally made one more turn (again directly into on coming traffic) and annouced the MRT station was right across the street. He was correct though it was the wrong MRT station on the wrong line. We ended up walking twice as far as we even had to change trains and added an extra 4 stops! Though my feet were beyond painful at this point, it was completely worth our traffic dodging scenic rickshaw ride.
Food =) We have a McDonald'd about a block from our house its one of the few "western" places to eat that actually tastes the same (mostly). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but there is a complete obsession with Chili sauce here much like the US has with ketchup. I have to admit I am becoming addicted as well since it is slightly spicy and I never liked ketchup much anyways. They also offer a curry sauce for the chicken nuggets along with our familiar sweet n sour and barbecue. The menu is much more limited with only 6 meals including a fold-over grilled chicken (looks like chicken in a pita wrap) and there are no pork products. Burger King is the same way serving only turkey bacon and ham. They also offer an "upsize" option that is the equivalent of a medium drink and large fry in the US.
From the very beginning it was a unique experience complete with music playing from somewhere beneath the cart we were sitting in. It quickly became more exciting as he turned the rickshaw directly into on-coming traffic! Thankfully we made it across the 3 lane road and turned to at least be moving the same direction as the traffic although you could have easily walked faster than we were moving. Soon he had picked up some speed and he then we made a left turn...away from the MRT station we needed to be at. Scott and I were amused with the ride so decided to just enjoy it. Well, enjoy it as much as I could as I had a death grip on the railing willing the other vehicles not to hit us. He finally made one more turn (again directly into on coming traffic) and annouced the MRT station was right across the street. He was correct though it was the wrong MRT station on the wrong line. We ended up walking twice as far as we even had to change trains and added an extra 4 stops! Though my feet were beyond painful at this point, it was completely worth our traffic dodging scenic rickshaw ride.
Food =) We have a McDonald'd about a block from our house its one of the few "western" places to eat that actually tastes the same (mostly). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but there is a complete obsession with Chili sauce here much like the US has with ketchup. I have to admit I am becoming addicted as well since it is slightly spicy and I never liked ketchup much anyways. They also offer a curry sauce for the chicken nuggets along with our familiar sweet n sour and barbecue. The menu is much more limited with only 6 meals including a fold-over grilled chicken (looks like chicken in a pita wrap) and there are no pork products. Burger King is the same way serving only turkey bacon and ham. They also offer an "upsize" option that is the equivalent of a medium drink and large fry in the US.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Markets
Scott and I are both full blown into working again, so we haven't gotten out much the last couple weekends. We spent all last Saturday being complete bums in the apartment which was wonderful. Its Saturday again and we still haven't gone out much, though we did venture down to the local markets by our apartment. Its a different atmosphere and experience than we are used to in the US. We have to go to one store for milk and eggs, a different one for fruit, another one for vegetables, and then make it to the bakery for bread. All of the stores are right in the same area, in fact there are Super Walmarts that take up more space than all the vendors together. Its nice but just a different experience for us. There are some vendors with fresh fish, poultry, and pork (I think) though I haven't attempted to purchase anything from these. First, I don't know how to cook fish and I am not touching it when it still has it head and more importantly eyes. Then the poultry is pretty much the same thing since they sell the whole chicken although there are some cut up parts I couldn't tell you what parts they were cut from. The other I believe is pork again not really sure and I don't think they sell beef down there (not surprising since it isn't common here anyways).
Aside from the food vendors there are numerous other little shops which really makes it a community area. We can get pretty much everything we need down there (aside from the meats because I am still scared!). There are stores with toilet paper and paper towels, another with notebooks and toys, one for movies and cds, and Scott even found workout shorts for S$0.80 a piece. You really can't beat that.... have to save this money to afford going out =P
I already mentioned food but Scott and I went to Clarke Quay last night. I think my favorite restaurant in Singapore is a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Its the closest to American food I have found here. Though I think you can find any ethniticity of food you can think of there... Persian, Indian, Morrocian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Korean, or American (happens to be a Hooters!)
Aside from the food vendors there are numerous other little shops which really makes it a community area. We can get pretty much everything we need down there (aside from the meats because I am still scared!). There are stores with toilet paper and paper towels, another with notebooks and toys, one for movies and cds, and Scott even found workout shorts for S$0.80 a piece. You really can't beat that.... have to save this money to afford going out =P
I already mentioned food but Scott and I went to Clarke Quay last night. I think my favorite restaurant in Singapore is a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Its the closest to American food I have found here. Though I think you can find any ethniticity of food you can think of there... Persian, Indian, Morrocian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Korean, or American (happens to be a Hooters!)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Beating
Scott and I were walking around the local shops right by our apartment today after getting some lunch. Scott got a haircut and I decided to check out the Acupuncture & Massage place. I stopped in and was told a one hour massage was only S$40... which is pretty cheap compared to US prices. So I jumped on the chance for an hour long massage. That was my first mistake. I told them I was having pains in my shoulder and thats were I needed the most work. That was my second mistake.
This tiny little lady proceeded to beat the crap out of my back and shoulders. She was using her elbows and knuckles. At some point she actually climbed onto the table and sat on my back with her knees crushing me. To finish this massage, she had me sit up while she literally beat me with her fists. Needless to say, I am in a little bit of pain at the moment... more than when I went in for the massage. I guess I will know if it worked in a couple days when I either love the lady or hate her. I think will be a little more cautious next time I want a massage.
Food: We went to China Town tonight and I am becoming more and more of a vegetarian. I tried Fried Carrot Cake for the first time tonight which has neither carrots or cake. Its a dinner not a dessert dish, but I couldn't really tell you what was in it. I know it was vegetarian and quite good especially with the extra chili sauce I added. The closest thing I can compare it to is a scrambled omelette with random vegetables (wish I knew what kind) and asian spices topped with green onions. Its a horrible description but something I suggest trying.
This tiny little lady proceeded to beat the crap out of my back and shoulders. She was using her elbows and knuckles. At some point she actually climbed onto the table and sat on my back with her knees crushing me. To finish this massage, she had me sit up while she literally beat me with her fists. Needless to say, I am in a little bit of pain at the moment... more than when I went in for the massage. I guess I will know if it worked in a couple days when I either love the lady or hate her. I think will be a little more cautious next time I want a massage.
Food: We went to China Town tonight and I am becoming more and more of a vegetarian. I tried Fried Carrot Cake for the first time tonight which has neither carrots or cake. Its a dinner not a dessert dish, but I couldn't really tell you what was in it. I know it was vegetarian and quite good especially with the extra chili sauce I added. The closest thing I can compare it to is a scrambled omelette with random vegetables (wish I knew what kind) and asian spices topped with green onions. Its a horrible description but something I suggest trying.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Fish Food
Scott and I attempted to go the Night Safari in Singapore on Saturday night, but we got rained out (surprise, surprise). So, we decided to hang out at the restaurants and gift shops at the entrance to kill sometime before getting another taxi.
We noticed some large fish tanks with people sitting their feet inside, and decided to check it out. They are called Doctor Fish and actually eat the dead skin off... so we decide to try it! We sat down on a bench, put our feet in the water, and the fish immediately latched on. It was the strangest feeling at first, but after a couple seconds you kinda got used to it. The funniest part was how many fish I had on me. Remember, they are attracted to dead skin.... I had so many on my heels you couldn't see my skin!! We had another couple sharing our "pond" and I must of had 80% of the fish on me. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud. I decided to go for proud since we had also accumulated a large crowd with people asking to take pictures of my feet. We sat with our feet in the water for 15 min and honestly you could tell a difference when we finally finished. I really did need a pedicure.
Food time: I was craving something sweet at the park, so decided to try the Almond Longan. It was shredded ice with almond flavored jello cubes and longan fruit. It was strange and not sure I would get it again. A lot of the desserts here consist of shredded ice with flavoring or some kind of brightly colored gelatin cubes.
We noticed some large fish tanks with people sitting their feet inside, and decided to check it out. They are called Doctor Fish and actually eat the dead skin off... so we decide to try it! We sat down on a bench, put our feet in the water, and the fish immediately latched on. It was the strangest feeling at first, but after a couple seconds you kinda got used to it. The funniest part was how many fish I had on me. Remember, they are attracted to dead skin.... I had so many on my heels you couldn't see my skin!! We had another couple sharing our "pond" and I must of had 80% of the fish on me. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud. I decided to go for proud since we had also accumulated a large crowd with people asking to take pictures of my feet. We sat with our feet in the water for 15 min and honestly you could tell a difference when we finally finished. I really did need a pedicure.
Food time: I was craving something sweet at the park, so decided to try the Almond Longan. It was shredded ice with almond flavored jello cubes and longan fruit. It was strange and not sure I would get it again. A lot of the desserts here consist of shredded ice with flavoring or some kind of brightly colored gelatin cubes.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Apartments
We are finally moving into our new apartment this weekend and I can't wait for several reasons. Although I love Scott dearly the studio apartment we are currently in is entirely too small! Our new place is much larger (anything with more than one room and solid door to the bathroom would seem larger). Scott and I are also ready to actually enjoy Singapore.
I do want to mention the apartments here since we looked at lots before deciding on our new place. It was a little bit of a culture shock to realize most places didn't have ovens or dryers. I hadn't even considered not having an oven, but its not really present in Asian cooking so the apartments didn't have them although most did have a microwave. The fridges are much smaller, as well, but thats fine since I don't have a car to do a big grocery shop anyways. Also, most places didn't have a dryer since they hang their clothes to dry, but they all had washers. Nothing is bad just learning process and adjusting.
Well we move in Saturday though we still have to do more shopping (I can tell you where anything is at IKEA now!) I'm really looking forward to having a weekend off and actually getting to explore Singapore.
Almost forgot... food! I am definitely leaning more and more towards being a vegetarian. The chicken here is all dark meat which I'm not used to and most of the time when we order something its a surprise. I'm trying to order more vegetarian dishes because they don't scare me as much. I finally ordered the red bean milk tea and it actually has beans in it. Its really good though and the beans have an almost chocolate flavor to them. I had an avocado snow which was a green milkshake... good though.
I do want to mention the apartments here since we looked at lots before deciding on our new place. It was a little bit of a culture shock to realize most places didn't have ovens or dryers. I hadn't even considered not having an oven, but its not really present in Asian cooking so the apartments didn't have them although most did have a microwave. The fridges are much smaller, as well, but thats fine since I don't have a car to do a big grocery shop anyways. Also, most places didn't have a dryer since they hang their clothes to dry, but they all had washers. Nothing is bad just learning process and adjusting.
Well we move in Saturday though we still have to do more shopping (I can tell you where anything is at IKEA now!) I'm really looking forward to having a weekend off and actually getting to explore Singapore.
Almost forgot... food! I am definitely leaning more and more towards being a vegetarian. The chicken here is all dark meat which I'm not used to and most of the time when we order something its a surprise. I'm trying to order more vegetarian dishes because they don't scare me as much. I finally ordered the red bean milk tea and it actually has beans in it. Its really good though and the beans have an almost chocolate flavor to them. I had an avocado snow which was a green milkshake... good though.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Umbrellas
Well before we ever arrived, we had been warned it rains a lot in Singapore. The first week we had a couple showers but nothing that lasted more than a couple minutes so we became less concerned. Scott and I had decided to walk around and find a place for lunch and it looked like rain as we walked around town, mostly dead because its Sunday in the business district. We weren't too concerned since the little bit of rain we had seen didn't last long. So, as we were eating lunch it started to rain and then as soon as we were ready to leave it started to pour. It was awesome! We couldn't try to wait it out because Scott had a flight to catch, so we tried to stay undercover as much as possible navigating back to the apartment. It turned out to be pointless as we were both completely soaked walking back into our beautiful lobby with surprised stares. The first comment was "Forgot your umbrella?" I think we were the only people in the country without an umbrella, but I'm a quick learner and will have one next time. =)
As a side note about the food... I had crispy chicken with ramen noodles. It seems simple enough, but I added hot sauce of course and it was pretty good. Although, I am still not sure how to properly eat noodle soup with chopsticks. I managed but am sure I looked pretty ridiculous trying to decide whether to slurp the noodles or bite them off and let them plop back in the bowl. I also tried the water chestnut drink...again pretty good. It was very different from anything I had ever had and really have nothing to compare it to. Not sure if I would get the water chestnut drink again, but it was good enough.
As a side note about the food... I had crispy chicken with ramen noodles. It seems simple enough, but I added hot sauce of course and it was pretty good. Although, I am still not sure how to properly eat noodle soup with chopsticks. I managed but am sure I looked pretty ridiculous trying to decide whether to slurp the noodles or bite them off and let them plop back in the bowl. I also tried the water chestnut drink...again pretty good. It was very different from anything I had ever had and really have nothing to compare it to. Not sure if I would get the water chestnut drink again, but it was good enough.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tour of Singapore
I don't even know where to begin. I just went on a six hour tour of Singapore from one coast to the other! I had a wonderful tour guide and driver to take me on an orientation tour all around Singapore. We went to China Town, Little India, Arab Street, the East Coast, Orchard Road, the beach, the business district.... the list goes on. I am now even more excited about being in Singapore.
One of my favorite places was the wet market in China Town. It is an open air market with fresh local fruits, vegetables, poultry, seafood... even live fish and frogs! I got to try Longan for the first time which is a seasonal fruit that tastes very similar to the large grapes my grandfather grew in his backyard while I was growing up. It was great getting to ask her what a lot of the fruits and vegetables were and even getting some recipes. I really am obsessed with food, so I was happy to find out what some of the local produce was.... it looks a little strange to me.
I am going to try and remember everything she told me about the 7th month in the Chinese calendar so please forgive me if I mess something up. She said it is the month for ghosts and that the gates of Hell are opened at the beginning of the month letting the ghosts free to roam for the month. During this time you shouldn't swim or travel by yourself because of the ghosts it is easier to die. People also burn fake items for their loved ones to have in the afterlife. They had paper phones, alcohol, clothing, designer purses, money, credit cards, cars... even passports so that their loved ones may travel in the afterlife. There are areas set up for people to pray and often they will have operas or dinners in honor of the deceased with tables and seats left open for the ghosts. It was really cool hearing her talk about it.
We also went to Little India and to the 24 hr market that was 2 buildings and 4-5 floors in each... absolutely huge! It had 4 aisles devoted to chocolate! There is pretty much anything you can imagine in there with a lot focusing on the Indian customers. Little India had lots of street vendors, as well.
I only got to spend a little bit of time in each of the areas and I was trying to take notes, pictures, and comprehend as much as possible. It was a little overwhelming, but there are a lot of cool places here with lots of history and culture.
One of my favorite places was the wet market in China Town. It is an open air market with fresh local fruits, vegetables, poultry, seafood... even live fish and frogs! I got to try Longan for the first time which is a seasonal fruit that tastes very similar to the large grapes my grandfather grew in his backyard while I was growing up. It was great getting to ask her what a lot of the fruits and vegetables were and even getting some recipes. I really am obsessed with food, so I was happy to find out what some of the local produce was.... it looks a little strange to me.
I am going to try and remember everything she told me about the 7th month in the Chinese calendar so please forgive me if I mess something up. She said it is the month for ghosts and that the gates of Hell are opened at the beginning of the month letting the ghosts free to roam for the month. During this time you shouldn't swim or travel by yourself because of the ghosts it is easier to die. People also burn fake items for their loved ones to have in the afterlife. They had paper phones, alcohol, clothing, designer purses, money, credit cards, cars... even passports so that their loved ones may travel in the afterlife. There are areas set up for people to pray and often they will have operas or dinners in honor of the deceased with tables and seats left open for the ghosts. It was really cool hearing her talk about it.
We also went to Little India and to the 24 hr market that was 2 buildings and 4-5 floors in each... absolutely huge! It had 4 aisles devoted to chocolate! There is pretty much anything you can imagine in there with a lot focusing on the Indian customers. Little India had lots of street vendors, as well.
I only got to spend a little bit of time in each of the areas and I was trying to take notes, pictures, and comprehend as much as possible. It was a little overwhelming, but there are a lot of cool places here with lots of history and culture.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day Two
So I am starting to notice a few differences between the States and Singapore. First, I can't find napkins hardly anywhere and when I do they are either really thin or tiny. I am finding his difficult because anyone that has ever seen me eat knows I use a ton of napkins. It is definitely less wasteful this way, but not sure what to do when the food misses my mouth (which it does frequently!) Even the bathrooms have very thin toilet paper and no paper towels.
We finally went grocery shopping... its expensive! Granted I am not great at converting the money between US dollars and Singapore Dollars yet, so it may not be as bad as it appears. Some of the stuff is definitely more expensive though and I am sure its due to importing it. We can get Fruit Loops and Cocoa Crispys but for about 11.90 SGD or 8.69 USD. Needless to say, we will be trying more local foods! It just nice to know we can get foods we are used if I get the sudden craving for Beddar Cheddars (about $11.00 USD). Another strange thing about the grocery stores... they have milk on the regular shelves right next to the cereal. They also have some milk in the refridgerated sections, as well.
I also need to mention the cost of alcohol... its really, really expensive. They have extremely high taxes on alcohol and cigs. A six pack of Bud Light is about $18.26 USD!!! A pitcher of Tiger (local beer) at the bar was $22.64 USD..... its about the same price for drinks in the bar as it is in grocery store.
Finally, because its me... I want to mention the food for today. We went to the food court in the mall and had Indian food. We had pratas which are similar to crepes and stuff with various things. We had mushroom and cheese, egg and cheese, and plain pratas. Then they are served with a spicy, curry gravy. It was really good!
We finally went grocery shopping... its expensive! Granted I am not great at converting the money between US dollars and Singapore Dollars yet, so it may not be as bad as it appears. Some of the stuff is definitely more expensive though and I am sure its due to importing it. We can get Fruit Loops and Cocoa Crispys but for about 11.90 SGD or 8.69 USD. Needless to say, we will be trying more local foods! It just nice to know we can get foods we are used if I get the sudden craving for Beddar Cheddars (about $11.00 USD). Another strange thing about the grocery stores... they have milk on the regular shelves right next to the cereal. They also have some milk in the refridgerated sections, as well.
I also need to mention the cost of alcohol... its really, really expensive. They have extremely high taxes on alcohol and cigs. A six pack of Bud Light is about $18.26 USD!!! A pitcher of Tiger (local beer) at the bar was $22.64 USD..... its about the same price for drinks in the bar as it is in grocery store.
Finally, because its me... I want to mention the food for today. We went to the food court in the mall and had Indian food. We had pratas which are similar to crepes and stuff with various things. We had mushroom and cheese, egg and cheese, and plain pratas. Then they are served with a spicy, curry gravy. It was really good!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
First Impressions of Singapore
Due to jet lag and sheer confusion over the difference in timezones, Scott and I woke up at 4:30 am. We decided to go ahead and get an early start for the day trying to stay up later that night. We managed to find the MRT station which is the equivalent of DCs metro station. Its actually set up very similar so we didn't have too much trouble figure out how to navigate through it, but even so everyone has been very nice about helping us out since we definitely have that deer in the headlights look going on. Even the MRT station was spotless with lots of shopping which ended up being a good indicator for the parts of Singapore we would see today.
Evidently Singapore doesn't wake up very early which is fine by me. We, however, still had our schedules screwed up so we got to Orchard Road's shopping district around 10am. Most of the stores don't open until 11 and even then they weren't all open. We decided to get breakfast at Burger King since there are a ton of "American" restaurants here. You can find most US fast food chains here, but some of the menu items are a little different. For instance, Burger King has turkey ham, turkey bacon, and turkey sausage instead of pork.
Singapore really does love food and shopping (I really think I am going to like this place!) We walked around for hours and into numerous shopping arcades or plazas. The stores inside are much smaller than in the States and our favorite shopping center had exceptionally small stores. Many of the stores were the size of a walk in closet, but there were tons of them. Each store seems to specialize in a few items instead of the large department stores where you can buy everything at once. We loved the little stores though and I can't stress the size or quantity. There was one watch store that literally only fit the owner and me. It was fun though and everyone is really nice. They love to give out business cards and I still have the issue of smiling too much so I get approached frequently. I need to work on just walking away because they just keep talking and trying to sell their products.
Honestly, I am still a little intimated by all the hawker centers, but am trying to work up my courage to try some of the food. They have food courts with tons of these little shops selling food and they are everywhere. I am just not really sure what the food is yet. I tried a Japanese fast food place today that had sticks of chicken and unagi (eel) served with rice. It was pretty good. The funny thing is... Scott and I haven't seen any traditional sit down restaurants. I am sure they have to be somewhere, but mostly there are the hawker stands ranging from fruit, noodles, indian, korean, japanese, dessert, pasteries, chinese.... its not possible to name even half of them. Well, I could go on about food forever so I will just get back to this subject later =)
Evidently Singapore doesn't wake up very early which is fine by me. We, however, still had our schedules screwed up so we got to Orchard Road's shopping district around 10am. Most of the stores don't open until 11 and even then they weren't all open. We decided to get breakfast at Burger King since there are a ton of "American" restaurants here. You can find most US fast food chains here, but some of the menu items are a little different. For instance, Burger King has turkey ham, turkey bacon, and turkey sausage instead of pork.
Singapore really does love food and shopping (I really think I am going to like this place!) We walked around for hours and into numerous shopping arcades or plazas. The stores inside are much smaller than in the States and our favorite shopping center had exceptionally small stores. Many of the stores were the size of a walk in closet, but there were tons of them. Each store seems to specialize in a few items instead of the large department stores where you can buy everything at once. We loved the little stores though and I can't stress the size or quantity. There was one watch store that literally only fit the owner and me. It was fun though and everyone is really nice. They love to give out business cards and I still have the issue of smiling too much so I get approached frequently. I need to work on just walking away because they just keep talking and trying to sell their products.
Honestly, I am still a little intimated by all the hawker centers, but am trying to work up my courage to try some of the food. They have food courts with tons of these little shops selling food and they are everywhere. I am just not really sure what the food is yet. I tried a Japanese fast food place today that had sticks of chicken and unagi (eel) served with rice. It was pretty good. The funny thing is... Scott and I haven't seen any traditional sit down restaurants. I am sure they have to be somewhere, but mostly there are the hawker stands ranging from fruit, noodles, indian, korean, japanese, dessert, pasteries, chinese.... its not possible to name even half of them. Well, I could go on about food forever so I will just get back to this subject later =)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Traveling to Singapore
So... the time has finally come and we are now in Singapore! The trip over was an experience in itself since neither Scott nor I have been outside of North America before (at least not that we remember).
We flew on Qatar Airways and I was really impressed with the service of this airline. The first leg of our flight was 13 hrs to Doha, Qatar so it was a large plane. We had a blanket and pillow in our seats with a little swag bag, as well. It had head phones, eye mask, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste. Shortly after the flight began they came around with hot towels to wipe off with that I thought was a nice touch. We had our first meal that was edible for plane food. I wasn't really hungry, but since I am obsessed with food I had to try. Soon after that, Scott and I took benedryl to help sleep through the flight so it went by pretty fast.
We arrived in Doha, Qatar and were immediately hit by the heat and humidity as we took the bus to the terminal. Its a small airport, but it had a large duty free shopping area. Scott and I paid extra to use the Ornyx lounge in the airport that was completely worth it. It had drinks, food, and showers that we made use of while hanging out for 7 hours. More on the bathrooms... they have water spouts next to each toilet and I admit I am not sure what to do with it. Thankfully, there is toilet paper as well because I don't know what would happen if I tried to use that device.
Getting onto the second leg of the flight was the only trouble we had traveling. We checked into the flight and then had to wait in a very small and very crowded room for the bus back to the plane. This plane wasn't quite as nice because we didn't have the tv monitors for each seat, but we did take advantage of the free alcohol this time! We had a few glasses of wine to pass the time as I almost finished my 500 page book. Over all the trip to Singapore was good, long but good.
Getting off the plane in Singapore the first thing we noticed was how pristine everything was in the airport even. The entire city really is clean with plants, sculptures, or artwork everywhere. We easily navigated through the airport and grab a taxi to our temp housing.
Our apartment though somewhat small is absolutely gorgeous! The building itself is a renovated building from the 50s that at one point was the tallest in Singapore. Now, we can see the much taller buildings of the financial district from our bedroom window. The bathroom has to be my favorite part with lots of large windows. I thought this was going to be a privacy issue at first since even the toilet had a floor to ceiling glass door, but thankfully Scott found a blind to pull down on the main window. The apartment is small and meant for one person, but its efficient.
We flew on Qatar Airways and I was really impressed with the service of this airline. The first leg of our flight was 13 hrs to Doha, Qatar so it was a large plane. We had a blanket and pillow in our seats with a little swag bag, as well. It had head phones, eye mask, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste. Shortly after the flight began they came around with hot towels to wipe off with that I thought was a nice touch. We had our first meal that was edible for plane food. I wasn't really hungry, but since I am obsessed with food I had to try. Soon after that, Scott and I took benedryl to help sleep through the flight so it went by pretty fast.
We arrived in Doha, Qatar and were immediately hit by the heat and humidity as we took the bus to the terminal. Its a small airport, but it had a large duty free shopping area. Scott and I paid extra to use the Ornyx lounge in the airport that was completely worth it. It had drinks, food, and showers that we made use of while hanging out for 7 hours. More on the bathrooms... they have water spouts next to each toilet and I admit I am not sure what to do with it. Thankfully, there is toilet paper as well because I don't know what would happen if I tried to use that device.
Getting onto the second leg of the flight was the only trouble we had traveling. We checked into the flight and then had to wait in a very small and very crowded room for the bus back to the plane. This plane wasn't quite as nice because we didn't have the tv monitors for each seat, but we did take advantage of the free alcohol this time! We had a few glasses of wine to pass the time as I almost finished my 500 page book. Over all the trip to Singapore was good, long but good.
Getting off the plane in Singapore the first thing we noticed was how pristine everything was in the airport even. The entire city really is clean with plants, sculptures, or artwork everywhere. We easily navigated through the airport and grab a taxi to our temp housing.
Our apartment though somewhat small is absolutely gorgeous! The building itself is a renovated building from the 50s that at one point was the tallest in Singapore. Now, we can see the much taller buildings of the financial district from our bedroom window. The bathroom has to be my favorite part with lots of large windows. I thought this was going to be a privacy issue at first since even the toilet had a floor to ceiling glass door, but thankfully Scott found a blind to pull down on the main window. The apartment is small and meant for one person, but its efficient.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Round One
So, this is my first time attempting to blog, but I wanted to keep track of everything happening for my own sanity. There has been a lot going on for the last couple months, and I think its going to get crazier before it slows down again. Scott and I have our plane tickets for Singapore (July 30 on a 27 hour flight), lots of paperwork, and what looks like a really nice place to stay for at least the first 30 days. Now if I can just survive the next two weeks getting everything together.
Our house is a complete wreck (at least now I have an excuse for it) and I am pawning off anything and everything to whoever walks through the door. Thankfully our friends have been understanding since no one seems to leave our house empty handed. These last few weeks are a little bittersweet. Due to our impending move, we have taken every opportunity to hang out with friends and family and while it is wonderful spending time with them, it makes me realize how much I am going to miss them all. I am already starting to get teary eyed, so I can only imagine boarding that 10:50 flight. At the same time, I am really excited about being in a new country and experiencing new cultures (especially the FOOD!!)
Oh, forgot to mention I just got engaged so lets add planning a wedding into the mix just in case I thought I was going to get bored! I feel I should mention I am not complaining about anything that is going on at the moment just excited, nervous, anxious, curious. I am very thankful for everything and trying to remember and enjoy even the stressful moments.
Our house is a complete wreck (at least now I have an excuse for it) and I am pawning off anything and everything to whoever walks through the door. Thankfully our friends have been understanding since no one seems to leave our house empty handed. These last few weeks are a little bittersweet. Due to our impending move, we have taken every opportunity to hang out with friends and family and while it is wonderful spending time with them, it makes me realize how much I am going to miss them all. I am already starting to get teary eyed, so I can only imagine boarding that 10:50 flight. At the same time, I am really excited about being in a new country and experiencing new cultures (especially the FOOD!!)
Oh, forgot to mention I just got engaged so lets add planning a wedding into the mix just in case I thought I was going to get bored! I feel I should mention I am not complaining about anything that is going on at the moment just excited, nervous, anxious, curious. I am very thankful for everything and trying to remember and enjoy even the stressful moments.
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