A done deal

Yes, it's official folks...those are the keys to my very own apartment here in Singapore. One is the key to the front door and the other is my mailbox key. Alan and I made the decision for me to come here last July so it's been a long time coming to finally have a place that I can call my own. Of course, I have no furniture yet but I am not complaining. There is truly an end in sight to this temporary living situation.

I've basically been living out of 2-3 suitcases for the past 6+ months. I am very used to traveling so am able to get by without a lot of things when I'm on the road. (The thing I have been carrying around with me is a photo book that my nephews game me for Christmas. It's titled "Our Advice to Aunt Kate". It is the sweetest thing and I have looked at it regularly.) As I've mentioned previously, it's not about the big things and more about the little ones. The items we all have around us that we probably don't think twice about. It'll be great to have photos in frames again. And as I mentioned, the afghan my mom made me will be making the trip to Singapore. I'll also bring a bunch of books, my knitting, and my sewing machine and fabric so I can do some of the things I enjoy in my downtime. I have to confirm with the moving company next week but in about 6-8 weeks time I should have all of "my things" here and I'll truly be able to start settling in.

So...you're probably wondering about my new place. I am in a new building that is less than one block from where I've been staying since January. I have really come to like this area of the city. It is quite close to a lot of things but not as hectic as other sections of the city. I have a bus stop within a block and two MRT stations within walking distance. I am also only about a 10 minute walk to Fort Canning Park and 15 minutes from the river. There is a grocery store, post office, and pharmacy within a short walk which is a necessary since I won't have a car here.

It's a 2 bedroom apartment with a 3rd bedroom that I will use as a study. It also has a bomb shelter right in the middle of it. Every apartment that I looked at had a bomb shelter which seemed a bit odd to me. I asked the agents if there was an issue with bombing in Singapore that I was not aware of but they just laughed. It's just a standard thing here and most people will just use the room for storage. The nice thing to know is that there is an outlet, a light, and a cable connection so that you can stay in there for extended periods of time. Let's keep our fingers crossed I only need to use it for storage.

The picture above is of the kitchen. It's an open floor plan so the kitchen looks out in the living room. Behind the wall on the right-hand side of that photo is the fridge and washer/dryer. I notice when I was in there today that the kitchen has no drawers which was a little weird but I think I can get by without them. It does have an oven which is not always the case in Asian kitchens.

The picture to the right is of the master bedroom. Since it's completely empty at the moment there is not a lot to see. It has wood floors and a built-in closet/wardrobe. The bathroom is a nice size with a separate shower and bathtub (bathtubs are not common here either).


Above is the living area. As you can see it's nice and open and well lit. There is a small balcony off of it. Just big enough to stand outside on but no room for chairs. There is a huge balcony off of the master bedroom. I'll set out a small table and chairs and also get some plants. I'll get some large ones to block the view from the street but also some flowers or something pretty.

This last picture is quite obviously of the pool and hot tub. It's a rooftop pool so there is always a nice breeze and the views of the city are pretty great too.

It's my shameless attempt to entice all of you into coming for a visit.